Tag: Paranormal (Page 4 of 51)

BOOK REVIEW: Demon Bound by Chris Cannon

January 3, 2020 / / 4 Comments
BOOK REVIEW: Demon Bound by Chris CannonDemon Bound by Chris Cannon
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

When a summoning goes awry, suddenly booknerd Meena’s summer job becomes something drastically different. Instead of cleaning eccentric Carol’s house, she’s bound to a demon as his soul-collector. Soon Meena discovers that the boring, pageant-obsessed, bonfire-loving town that she’s never fit in to is a hotbed for soul-sucking demons, demon-hunting witches, and vampires who just wanna have fun… And then she comes into her own powers.

Could things get any stranger? Good thing she meets new guy Jake—who gets her and still hangs around.

When Jake’s mom sends him off to his Aunt Zelda’s for the summer, he thought he’d be bored. But nothing is what it seems in this town. His aunt isn’t just odd, she’s a witch who fights demons and tries to maintain the magical balance of the town. Jake should get the hell out of there and, he would leave, except for bad-ass newbie witch Meena, who looks at him like he matters.

He never counted on sticking around, but Meena’s bound to a demon who wants to destroy her soul—and Jake’s finally found someone worth fighting for.

Review:

Demon Bound was a paranormal story that was cute and unique.  Witches, demons, vampires and even spirits were in this story and it all felt like a fresh take on them.  I was fascinated learning the rules for the magic and the creatures were oh so interesting!  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to connect to Meena or Jake.  But if you adore paranormal stories, definitely check this one out!

I’d love to say that I’m a sparkly unicorn, but I’m more like my cats Marshmallow and Pumpkin… I’d rather eat, take naps, and ignore the world.

This story alternated between Jake and Meena, and I liked both of them right away.  Meena’s thoughts made me laugh and Jake seemed like he had all the potential to be a book boyfriend.  But right from the start, they were lost, just like me.  We met Carol, Meena’s new boss, and Carol’s friend Zelda, who was kind of like a distant Aunt to Jake.  Carol and Zelda’s comments and words were so over the top and matter of fact that it was hard not to laugh.  And with a séance gone wrong, we quickly dived into the magical world around them.  It was definitely a magical ride.

I had a vague memory of when my life had been normal. When no one threw knives at me and people answered questions without strange fetishy requests.
I missed that time.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t ever to connect to Jake and Meena.  No matter how much I liked them.  But I enjoyed watching them learn about each other and how fast their friendship was formed.  It had an insta-love feel to it, but being introduced to the paranormal world can definitely do that to some!  And I liked how protective Jake was of Meena.  Especially when it came to Bane.  Bane was a powerful demon who wreaked havoc on the town they lived in.  But I saw him as a weirdo who was beyond creepy.  Bane had a hair fetish that made me want to teach him about boundaries.  So I kept hoping that someone in this story would take him down!  For good.

“This town might be infested with demons.” I leaned down and brushed my lips across hers. “But it has its perks.” And then I kissed her for real.

Demon Bound was a fluffy paranormal book that made me smile and laugh.  I enjoyed that this story never made me nervous, that I just got to sit back and enjoy the story.  Even if it hit some more serious topics throughout this story.  The ending stopped at the perfect spot to give us a happily for now.  Yet there’s still so many different paths this story could take in the future.  I hope you have a lot of fun discovering this book too!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

BOOK REVIEW: Slippers And Thieves (Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #4) by Christina Bauer

December 30, 2019 / / 2 Comments
BOOK REVIEW: Slippers And Thieves (Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #4) by Christina BauerSlippers And Thieves (Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #4)
by Christina Bauer
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Years ago, Elle ― never call her Cinderella ― escaped her evil step family in order to build a new life for herself in Manhattan. Today, Elle’s awful past is a distant memory. In fact, Elle even attends West Lake Prep, an exclusive high school where regular humans mix with members of the Magicorum, such as fairies, shifters and witches. Although she still must live in hiding from her evil step family, Elle always has found ways to get whatever her heart desires.

That is, until Alec Le Charme. Sure, Alec is the heir to the Le Charme dynasty of high-end jewelers, but he's also kind, charismatic, and has a knee-melting smile.

Long story short, Elle has fallen for Alec, hard. Unfortunately, thanks to Elle’s evil step family, the Le Charme heir is absolutely off limits. In fact, if Elle and Alec so much as kiss, it could start a magical chain reaction that would end in powerful factions of witches and wizards going to war. As a result, Elle and Alec vow to stay friends, no matter what. Then West Lake Prep holds a masquerade ball. Identities get mixed up and forbidden kisses are finally shared.

Time for the Magicorum to go to war, and for Elle to confront her hidden past in ways she never thought possible.

Review:

Slippers and Thieves unfortunately didn’t work for me.  This makes me so sad because I loved this series.  The previous books were intricate and made me smile and laugh.  They were impossible to put down and I was always glued to the pages.  But Slippers and Thieves didn’t even feel like the others books. It felt choppy and there were inconsistencies with the previous books.  I’m not sure what happened, but the further I got into this story, the more it didn’t work for me.  I’m so sad because I loved these characters, ugh.  So here were some of my problems with this story…

 

✮ Elle’s Backstory Differs✮

In Shifters and Glyphs, Elle didn’t know she was a Warden.  Until the Colonel told her what she truly was, and she was shocked.  But in this book, she knew she was a Warden even before she met Briar Rose or the Colonel.  Her parents told her when she was little.

Another inconsistency was that in this book, Elle said her parents took her wings.  In the previous book, Colonel said he took her wings.  It was so she could change the way she looked and escape the captors who imprisoned her since they knew she was the warden of fae magic.  But that doesn’t line up with the history we’re given about her in this story – She was always with her parents, they took her wings in this book and she was never imprisoned when she was a child.

Also in the previous books, Elle said that she couldn’t use her magic or her family would find her.  But in this book, she couldn’t use her magic because the fae would kill her if they found out she was their Warden.

 

✮ Missing Houses✮

In the first book, Wolves and Roses, Elle said she had other safe houses. Besides the cabin. Yet in this book, when they have to find a place to stay, she only says she has her place in the village. Where are the other safe houses? Why weren’t they mentioned? And even though her cabin burnt down, she was supposed to have it rebuilt with the insurance money. The cabin wasn’t even mentioned once in this story.

 

✮ Where’s The Money✮

I don’t get how Elle had two houses in the first book. Yes she returns stolen jewels to their rightful owner, but in this book she gets paid a few hundred dollars here and a few hundred dollars there.  How did she afford two houses, especially one in the village?  She couldn’t access the money she saved, so I don’t get it.

 

✮ Gustav✮

In the movie Cinderella, she was kind and friends with the mice.  She had saved and fed them, in exchange they did favors for her.  But in this book, Elle continually asked Gustav for help and why he kept coming back was beyond me.  It always left a bitter taste in my mouth that she expected him to help and she never did anything back in return. Except that one time.  But even that one time, she threatened him with something he hates.  Not nice.

 

✮ Things That Made Me Say Why✮

I don’t get why her dad said they needed the future step sisters help in their shop.  Especially when he said they couldn’t survive without them.  Not only did he cover one of their shifts in the shop that left him frazzled, but they never did any work from what we saw.  They just hid in the back.  What was the point of that conversation between Elle and her dad?

 

✮ More Questions✮

In the previous books, Alex says his parents will pay a scholarship and give the girls an apartment in their building. But in this book, his mom was shocked they went to the same school and it wasn’t even mentioned that they helped give the girls their apartment.  The mom didn’t even realize they were living there.

Also, in the first book, Elle was in Alec’s office. People saw them together and it was such a huge deal they had to escape. But in this story we learn how his moves were being watched. Nothing was said to his mom, how did she not know?

 

There were so many more issues than this, but these were the ones that bothered me the most.  If you can’t tell, I struggle when there are inconsistencies in a story.  Especially when it feels like I’m reading a beta version in a finished copy.  So I’m sad to be walking away from this series.  But when I constantly get pulled out of a story for hiccups, it doesn’t matter how fabulous the characters are, I just can’t go on.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

SERIES REVIEW: The Hitched Series by G.K. DeRosa

December 29, 2019 / / 2 Comments

So I read and reviewed the first book in this series, Hitched: The Bachlorette, back in September and completely forgot to post the reviews for the rest of the series.  Even though they were already written.  Whoops, mommy brain!  So I’m sharing them with you guys today.  If you want to go back and read my review of the first book, you can find it here.

SERIES REVIEW: The Hitched Series by G.K. DeRosa Hitched: The Top Ten (Hitched #2)
by G.K. DeRosa
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

A Fae prince, a guardian angel, twin dragon shifters, a vampire… And that’s only the beginning.

Now that the truth is out about the supernaturals, things are starting to get interesting. With ten bachelors remaining, Kimmie-Jayne needs to get her head in the game. But with a murder investigation underway on set, listening to her heart only complicates matters.

To make things worse, the mysterious accidents that were supposed to end with the big supernatural reveal are back with a vengeance.

As if choosing between ten hot guys wasn’t hard enough, Kimmie-Jayne still needs to watch her back. With more twists and secrets being revealed everyday, is there anyone she can really trust?

Will following her heart be the answer or her ultimate downfall as she narrows it down to the final five bachelors?

Review:

Hitched: The Top Ten was an absolute blast!  We got to learn more about Azar and the political rulings.  And I loved that we were down to ten bachelors and got to spend time learning who they were.  With group dates and accidents still being prevalent, there was a lot of action in the pages and a hint of mystery in the air.  This book flew by fast again and I found myself shocked with a barbaric twist within the pages.

Not only have I been thrown into this dating game with supernaturals, but they’re all from super powerful and politically influential families. What does that even mean, and how am I involved?

The only thing I was wishing for, was that we got to hear all of Kimmie’s thoughts.  She doesn’t share all of her feelings with us, about the guys. And with her kissing many of them, it left me feeling nervous we wouldn’t end up on the same page.  Thankfully she kept my favorites around at the end of the book, when she narrowed it down to the final five!

✮✩✮✩✮✩✮✩✮

 

SERIES REVIEW: The Hitched Series by G.K. DeRosa Hitched: The Final Five (Hitched #3)
by G.K. DeRosa
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Five bachelors left. Four mystical families to meet and territories to explore. Four chances to avoid a supernatural war.

Kimmie-Jayne thought discovering the bachelors were supernatural was tough, until she finds out she has to spend the week with their families.

Now she’s whisked off to meet four of the most powerful families of Azar. If she can survive dragon lords, daunting angels, the intrigue of Fae court, and the Underworld, she’ll end up with the man of her dreams. Or so she hopes.

But nothing is as it seems in each of these households, and perils loom in every corner of the vast estates. As more secrets and betrayals surge to the surface, Kimmie-Jayne can’t deny that following her heart might get her killed.

Will the men she loves be able to protect her or will the supernatural world prove too much for her as she struggles to choose the final two?

Review:

His fiery kisses sear a path down my skin, marking me as his.

Hitched: The Final Five is my favorite so far!  We got to visit the bachelors homes and I was ecstatic to see where they came from and learn even more about the guys I had fallen for.  I felt like I got to understand Azar a lot more and that I got to know each of the bachelors inside and out! And while I still have my favorites in this group, I feel like there’s only one that felt right for Kimmie.   I’m holding out hope he will be the winner of her heart.  And that the others get their own books *fingers crossed*.

His intense eyes pierce into me, reducing my insides to a quivering mess. “I don’t know what it is about you, but you’re all I can think about. I see you in my dreams, in my every waking moment. You’ve left your mark on my soul, and nothing will ever change that.” – said by my favorite to Kimmie

This was another fast paced story with lots of action.  This time around we get a ton of answers to our questions.  Or clues, like when Lucifer said something I shouted out loud, I knew it!  Ha! I absolutely adore this series. Hitched: The Final Five was so effortless to devour and I loved being lost in this world!  

✮✩✮✩✮✩✮✩✮

 

SERIES REVIEW: The Hitched Series by G.K. DeRosa Hitched: The One (Hitched #4)
by G.K. DeRosa
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

The time has come to pick The One.

With one bachelor missing and chaos in her heart, Kimmie-Jayne must find the strength to choose the final two. Once that terrible decision is made, she’s sure things will be easier.

But she’s wrong.

When jealousy flares within the manor, the producers have no choice but to sequester the final two bachelors. As Kimmie-Jayne battles her fracturing heart, torn between two men, news of a surprise visit home sends her hopes soaring.

But it’s short-lived.

Disaster hits while she’s at home, leading Kimmie-Jayne to make a startling discovery about her past—one that changes everything. Juggling this new information while attempting to disentangle her feelings for the remaining bachelors only further complicates matters.

Will Kimmie-Jayne finally get her happily ever after?

Review:

I absolutely loved how Hitched: The One ended.  It was everything you could wish for in a happily ever after!  But, this book was emotionally the hardest.  There could only be one winner, and feelings were bound to get hurt.  When Kimmie narrowed it down to two bachelor’s, my heart hurt for the one who I guessed wouldn’t have a shot at winning.  But at the same point, my heart was ecstatic for who I had a good feeling she would pick. It was impossible not to get so deeply attached to either of the remaining two bachelors.

 I do love them all, but in different ways. There are some I can’t imagine my life without and others that though parting would be difficult, it wouldn’t be life-ending. I want the all-consuming, heart-shattering kind of love and as unlikely as I thought it would be, I believe I’ve found it here.

In The One, the two final bachelors got to go home and meet Kimmie’s family.  They both fit in so perfectly with them, it warmed my heart. Plus I loved that we got to learn more about Kimmie and her family life.  And I loved even more that my suspicions and the rest of the questions were answered!  So if you love happily ever afters, characters that you can’t but fall for and reality tv then you should definitely add this series to your tbr!  I’m so glad I picked it up and I’m excited to devour the rest of this author’s books!

PS I’m SO excited that one of the contestants that didn’t make it to the end got to be in a spinoff series called Darkblood Academy.  I can’t wait to read it!

BOOK REVIEW: Resurrection Girls by Ava Morgyn

November 14, 2019 / / 3 Comments
BOOK REVIEW: Resurrection Girls by Ava MorgynResurrection Girls by Ava Morgyn
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Olivia Foster hasn’t felt alive since her little brother drowned in the backyard pool three years ago. Then Kara Hallas moves in across the street with her mother and grandmother, and Olivia is immediately drawn to these three generations of women. Kara is particularly intoxicating, so much so that Olivia not only comes to accept Kara's morbid habit of writing to men on death row, she helps her do it. They sign their letters as the Resurrection Girls.

But as Kara’s friendship pulls Olivia out of the dark fog she’s been living in, Olivia realizes that a different kind of darkness taints the otherwise lively Hallas women—an impulse that is strange, magical, and possibly deadly.

Thank you to Netgalley the publisher and the author for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I was death’s sister.
She was a murderer’s daughter.

Resurrection Girls was a really interesting book and not really like anything I’ve read before. The blurb doesn’t really do it justice – it seemed like it was going to be a dark book with a bit of a paranormal or thriller aspect. But that’s not the case. The subjects discussed in the book are certainly dark and heavy, but there’s really no mystery or paranormal to be had.

Olivia Foster is drowning in guilt after the death of her younger brother three years ago. Her parents are barely functioning, and Olivia is drifting through life. That is until a new family moves in across the street. Kara Hallas is the spark that Olivia needed to break out of her solitary life.

If Kara were punctuation, she’d be an exclamation, never a period. I…I would be an ellipsis, a thought waiting to happen, to complete itself, but never fully arriving. Prescott would be a hyphen because there was more to him than what the eye.

As Olivia and Kara begin to spend time together, they begin to write letters to men on death row and sign it as the Resurrection Girls. Their neighbor (and Olivia’s long time crush) Prescott gets roped in to their group and soon the trio begins to spend a lot of time together. There’s a charged dynamic between the three of them and it constantly feels like they are balancing on the end of a board together, always close to ruining the balance and crashing apart.

And while there’s no paranormal occurrences, there’s a kind of magical realism surrounding the Hallas women.

If you’re looking for a book that will thrill you or feature things that go bump in the night, this isn’t it. There’s a lot of focus on grief and what it takes to heal from horrible tragedies. Overall, once I understood better what this was, I really enjoyed it. Olive, Kara and Prescott were great main characters, especially Olivia. I truly felt for her and her family situation and was rooting for her the whole time.

Somewhere between the scented lip gloss, deadly pen pals, and crazy grandmother lay the real Kara Hallas. A girl who was haunted by far more than I had ever been. And I had just met her.

Content Warnings: Discussion of death, death of a child, drug use/overdose, drug addiction, depression and sex.

BOOK REVIEW: Hitched: The Bachelorette (Hitched #1) by G.K. DeRosa

September 16, 2019 / / 4 Comments
BOOK REVIEW: Hitched: The Bachelorette (Hitched #1) by G.K. DeRosaHitched: The Bachelorette (Hitched #1)
by G.K. DeRosa
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

One innocent human girl. Twenty-five supernatural bachelors. Six weeks to choose The One.

When struggling actress Kimmie-Jayne Starr discovers she’s snagged the starring role on the next huge reality TV show, Hitched, she thinks all her dreams have finally come true. But as soon as she lands on the beautiful island of Mystic Cove, something feels wrong.

Sure, the twenty-five bachelors are heart-stoppingly gorgeous, but she’s certain they’re all hiding something—something supernatural. As she gets to know the guys, protecting her heart proves impossible when she finds herself irresistibly drawn to more than just one.

As a string of strange accidents on set grow deadlier, Kimmie realizes there’s much more to this dating show than she ever could’ve imagined. If she can’t figure out who’s behind these incidents, she’ll end up risking more than just her heart.

Review:

Hitched was absolutely charming and so easy to devour.  With a richly imagined world and characters that stood out brightly, I have to discover the rest of G.K. DeRosa’s books!  Especially since the writing was so additive that I binged this whole series is under a week.  So if you adore reality tv or books with paranormal creatures, you should check this one out!

I draw in a breath of sultry air and still my racing thoughts. What’s a girl to do with so many choices?

Kimmie-Jayne Starr got the coveted role of playing the Bachlorette on a new tv show, Hitched.  She was whisked away to the beautiful island of Mystic Cove, where the filming was to take place.  But not everything was at it seemed.  You see, Kimmie-Jayne was a human, but the bachelors were all supernatural creatures.  She was being set up for the shock of her lifetime to learn that that not only do paranormal creatures exist, but she was falling for some of them too.

The twist. I smack myself for being so stupid as I pace the balcony. After watching so many reality TV shows, I should’ve known there had to be one. Now here I am playing a game that I’m not sure I can win.

There was so much that I loved about this book.  Trix and Bash were like her own fairy godmothers.  They got her ready before screen time and their playfulness and huge hearts made me like them both from the start.  They were ones I’d love to have as friends!  Plus I loved watching Kimmie meet all of the bachelors.  I was just as overwhelmed as she was, and I was thankful for that first elimination round right away.  Then there were fewer guys to remember.  Confession time – I made a cheat sheet of the bachelors left after that first elemination.  She got one, so why not me too lol!

There’s something weird going on around here and no matter how attractive these guys are, I can’t let it distract me from discovering what that is.

Next came the group dates, and I loved getting to know the bachelors a lot better.  I was happily surprised that there were a quite a few of guys who stood out as my favorites, such as Fenix, Flare, Luciano and Cillian.  Ohhh I even liked one of the camera guys *smacks self in the forehead*.  What can I say?  This author knows how to write men that you just want to steal from the book!  And I’m super intrigued by Ryder, since I always feel pulled towards the bad guys.  But I’m pretty sure we aren’t supposed to like him, whoops.  But during the group dates, crazy and unexplainable things happened.  It left Kimmie questioning what exactly was going on.  And as it progressed and got more deadly, I was glued to the pages.

“You see, Ms. Starr, there’s something you don’t know about all of these men. Something the majority of the world doesn’t know. There’s nothing ordinary about the ten remaining bachelors. They have all been keeping a big secret from you.”

With another elimination round, towards the end of the book, we were left with 10 bachelors.  And a huge cliffhanger.  That cliffhanger had me scrambling to grab that next book right away.  Thankfully the whole series is already complete, so I don’t have to wait to see what happens next, phew.  So if you love paranormal creatures and a fun story that has some twists and turns, then definitely add this one to your tbr.

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