A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton

This is the second novel in the Gods & Monsters series by Kelly Keaton.

My review of #1: Darkness Becomes Her.

WARNING - This review will contain spoilers from the first book! Be forewarned before reading any further!

Everything changed for Ari when she went into New 2 (New Orleans after a massive hurricane blew through 13 years ago). Sure, Ari was a freak outside of New 2 with her white/silver hair and teal eyes, but in New 2 she is normal - it's were all of the weirdo's are.

But that's not the weirdest thing. Ari found out that she is a direct relative of Medusa, the gorgon, whom Athena cursed centuries ago for her beauty.

And every female in Ari's family will have a daughter and die on their 21st birthday, when the curse comes into full effect. Except Ari is even more unique than her ancestors because she is starting to be able to control her curse at the age of 17.

Now Ari is learning how to fight and to control her curse to prepare to fight Athena. Because Athena took her father and Violet, the 8 year old who is fascinated with Ari, not frightened.

With the help of the Novem, the original 9 families who bought New 2 and have fought Athena 13 years ago, and her adopted family, Ari is trying to find information on how to defeat Athena while also trying to find a way to get rid of this curse.

Ari is also having to figure out how she feels about Sebastian, a warlock vampire who seems more distant toward Ari after finding out she will become Medusa in 3 1/2 years.

But when Ari meets Athena again, she's not nearly ready to defeat her. She just started training and learning about the Olympian history, so figuring out the way to defeat the Goddess of War is low on her learned list.

Can Ari figure out a way to kill Athena? Can she save her father and Violet from Athena's realm, or is that an impossible feat for Ari since she cannot get a handle on her curse yet? Read A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I really enjoyed the first novel in this series, finding that I loved the different characters and what "species" they were, creating a very entertaining and information load novel. It was no different for this sequel!

Now that Ari knows what she is, she is determine to fight not only Athena but also herself and what she will become. But the first thing on her to do list is to get her father and Violet back, because both of them have never judged Ari, nor treated her like a monster when they found out what she was.

This novel did not disappoint in bringing randomness like the firs novel. Ari had to go to school to learn more about Athena, plus she went to another realm to Athena's turf and confront her.

I will admit, there were some parts I had to re-read just to make sure I understood exactly what was going on and other times I had to re-read because I could believe Keaton did that to her characters, but overall it was a great sequel that answered questions from the previous novel. But only to add more questions at the end of this novel.

I'm not sure if this is the last book in the series? I have a feeling that it's not because of the way this novel ended and the unresolved issues still to come. And I rarely say this, but I want more of this world and more of Ari learning about her curse! So far on Goodreads it just has these two novels listed as the series, but I'll keep my eyes out for installments!

I would definitely recommend this to other readers. I would state that I think everyone should read the first novel first, though, because this novel starts right where the first one ends. But it's a mix of topics that I think any reader could grab on to and and enjoy this novel.

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

This is the first novel in the Gods & Monsters series by Kelly Keaton.

Ari has always been different than everyone else. She grew up through foster homes since her mother left her at the age of 4, and some foster homes were worse than others. The current home is pretty fantastic because Bruce and Casey are bail bondsmen, so they go after the perps who don't make it to their court hearings. So now Ari can defend herself, whereas she wasn't able to when she was younger.

But the one thing that is the most unique about Ari is her appearance. She has white/silver hair to her waist and teal colored eyes. Those two features get her attention that she does not want.

However, when she goes to New 2, (what we know as New Orleans, but after a stage 2 hurricane demolished it and was slowly rebuilding), to search for answers about her parents, Ari is not the only weirdo around. In fact, she blends right in with other people who have abilities that humans do not have.

And now Ari is having to fight for her life. She gets attacked by a man that, after she wins the fight and stabs him with is own knife, he turns into dust when he dies. Ari knows that is not normal, but she doesn't trust too many people to figure out what exactly that means.

When Ari gets into New 2, she is fortunate enough to find a ride by a 12 year old named Crank. And she is staying with Crank and her friends, Violet, Henri, and Dub, along with her brother Sebastian. And each one is different from the average kid Ari grew up with.

New 2 is run by Novem, a group of nine people who are not quite human. And now they want to meet Ari. She's a little hesitant to meet more strangers, considering she was attacked not too long before she got into New 2.

But when Ari is told that Athena, Goddess of War, wants her, things just start to get crazy. Who knew supernatural beings actually existed? And for some reason, all of them want Ari on their side. They know something about her that she is ignorant of, and she is determined to figure it out.

Why does everyone want Ari to be on their side? What is so special about Ari? Will Ari choose the right side, or will her decision costs thousands of lives? Read Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow! This book has a ton of subjects in here (look at the labels to see all of the crazy supernatural topics)! I knew that there had to be mythology roaming around because of the series name, but this novel surpassed my expectations for how much I would like it!

One thing that I was really intrigued about in this book was Ari's current foster parents profession: bail bondsmen. I think that would be an interesting subject to write about in regards to a teen's viewpoint, and even though the author didn't get too much into that, I still find it very interesting and it also helped Ari become a stronger and more resilient person.

While this has mythology in it, it is also a dystopian novel because New Orleans got destroyed by a massive hurricane. Also, Ari was born in 2009 and is now 17, so it a few years in the future.

I think Keaton did a great job with this novel. There were so many characters to keep track of and so many different plot lines that were barely discussed that I'm surprised it wasn't a massive amount of information jammed into this book. But somehow it worked enough that I kept up while reading and didn't get confused...well not to much!

I'm really glad that there is another novel following this, because it is about to get extremely interesting now that Ari knows what she is and why everyone wants her on their side. I'll more than likely have to spill it for the next novel's review, but for now you will have to read the book to find out what she is!

My favorite character, aside from Ari, is Violet. She's quite, has a likiness to reptilian animals, and loves wearing masks. She's a hoot and a half and, come to find out, she was a key character to the major ending scene! So I'm even more eager to find out what happens.

I think this book could be liked by multiple readers, because there is so much subjects in here. So I'm going to say that anyone who likes supernatural or mythology stories will really enjoy this novel, and so far there are two novels in the series - both published - so no waiting? Unless there is another following it? I'm not sure, but I'll try to find out as soon as possible!

Taken by Storm by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This is the third novel in the Raised by Wolves series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

My review of #1: Raised by Wolves.
My review of #2: Trial by Fire.

WARNING - This book will contain spoilers from the previous two novels in the series. Proceed with caution!

Bryn has had to make some tough decisions as alpha of her pack. The latest one was having to kill a wolf she took in her pack, only to have him challenge her. And once an alpha is challenged, there is no going back. They have to fight. To the death.

While Bryn won the fight, and killed Lucas, she lost another member of the pack: Maddy. She was in love with Lucas and could not look at Bryn afterward without feeling anger at her for killing the one she loved.

So Bryn let Maddy go and now she's living on her own in the No-Man's-Land.

Let's just say things were going pretty rough for Bryn.

Now she's training with Jed, another human like Bryn who has a psychic ability to go feral, or rabid but without shifting into a wolf. They lose control of what their body does and they fight to survive any threat that tries to kill them. And almost always they get out of the situation somewhat unscathed.

Things can't keep staying normal for Bryn, though. Shay, the alpha of the bordering territory has called for an alpha meeting. He reveals that there is a lone, rabid wolf roaming around killing animals and humans, brutally. Local police are starting to notice.

But the part that intrigues all of the male alphas is that the rabid wolf is FEMALE. Female wolves are very rare and every pack, besides Bryn's, wants their own so they can breed more children and make their pack larger.

Bryn needs to find this wolf before everyone else because she is the only one that won't force the female wolf to join her pack just to use her as a breeding tool. She will allow the wolf to be free, just letting her join her pack to steer clear of the other alphas.

But the mysterious killer wolf is not what Bryn's pack thinks. And Shay is not a wolf to underestimate. Because he usually has an ultimate goal that Bryn doesn't see coming. And everything is about to become 100 times worse before she can see any brightness in her future. Will Bryn be able to help this female wolf and figure out who is attacking innocent humans and animals? Read Taken by Storm by Jennifer Lynn Barnes to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. I was a little leery when down to the last 20 pages and it was still mid story, but Barnes did a wonderful job creating this ending to her series!

And I'm going to say it: it was bittersweet and heartbreaking. I was very teary eyed and couldn't believe all of the things Barnes did in the last 50 pages of this book. I was angry, I was sad, I was satisfied, but I was devastated.

All in all, I went on a rollercoaster ride and, even though I know I loved the ending, I'm still trying to get past all of the emotions that I went through.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you why I went through all of those emotions, because it would give away the ending and I'm so not a spoiler reviewer. Let's just say that some characters die and if you want to know who, you'll have to read the series to get attached to them just to lose them.

Ironically, I read many reviews saying that this was the best YA werewolf story ever written. I'm not sure if I would go that far, but I did really, really like this storyline. There was so much randomness and multiple topics thrown into this series that I felt satisfied with how Barnes pulled it off.

I would definitely recommend this novel to werewolf fans, and also supernatural fans since there's a little bit more going on than just werewolves. Also, if you've read the first two novels, you HAVE to read this story to find out what happens!

For those who want to read this series but only have the third novel, I would advise you to find the first two because it will make the story so much better and you would also understand a lot more by the third novel.

Great series, Barnes! I was made a believer by the very last page of this book that this series is a great story and beautifully written! Now, I'm going to hunt for more of Barnes's books and see if she will entrap me again with her story telling!

Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This is the second novel in the Raised by Wolves series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

My review of #1: Raised by Wolves.

Warning - This book will contain spoilers from the first novel. Proceed with caution after this sentence!

After saving a group of humans turned werewolves, Bryn has now found herself their alpha, even though she's only human and can't transform like everyone else.

But she set them all free from the Rabid and they decided that they wanted Bryn to be their leader. She's not just human; she has a power that no other werewolf has and they feel safe with her. Devon and Lake, her two best friends since childhood, have also joined her pack, being her guards and protecting her.

Things aren't necessarily going to work out right away though. In fact, because Bryn is human and a female, many of the other alphas don't like what she is doing. They can't do anything about it, though, because they are a democracy and go by rules, rather than judge on their feelings.

The one alpha that hates Bryn with a passion is Shay - who just happens to be Devon's older brother. He is ruling his own pack on the other border next to Bryn's and is definitely trying to get a reaction out of Bryn's pack.

When a werewolf shows up on her doorstep, beaten and bloodied and shifting from human to wolf, Bryn gets her first duty as alpha. Lucas is part of Shay's pack. But Shay tortures and abuses his wolves, so Bryn doesn't want to send Lucas back there.

However, she can't keep him since he is still Shay's wolf. So now she has to figure out a way to save Lucas without going against werewolf rules.

And to top it off, there is a coven in town - a group of humans who have extraordinary powers and are after Lucas. They hate werewolves and follow so such rules that Shay and Bryn have to follow from the werewolf council.

But things are not what they seem to be and Bryn has only a week to figure everything out before she could lose her entire pack. Can Bryn save everyone, including Lucas, or will she find herself without a pack right after she just got them? Read Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
A great sequel to the first novel in this series!

We jump right back into the story following what happened at the end of the first novel, and boy is there no rest for the weary! Bryn just got used to being a sophomore in high school and also being an alpha to a bunch of rowdy teenage or younger werewolves. She has a lot of things to balance.

I don't know what it is about these novels. There's just something different about them that leaves me satisfied but also a little bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong! I really enjoyed both of them and gave them both 4 stars out of 5.

Well, one, there isn't as much romance, which is unique in YA  literature and also a little refreshing.

And two, there is a lot of inner dialogue that Bryn shares with her packmates, so that might be throwing me off a little bit when reading.

And, third, there is just so much in this novel that is unique to any other novel I've read, so many aspects and plot lines that actually go together real well.

So yeah, I liked this novel. We got to see more of Bryn growing up, learning from mistakes, and having to make tough decisions before she's ready for them. But she does it thinking about her pack, thinking about others instead of herself.

I think others who are a werewolf fan will really enjoy this series and that they should pick these up now! There is only one more novel in the series, so I'm hoping that it will end well. And now I'm going to go and read it :)

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This is the first book in the Raised by Wolves series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

Bronwyn Alessia St. Vincent Clare. Well, that's her full name, anyway. And Bryn only hears that when she's in serious trouble by her "guardian" Callum.

Who also happens to be a werewolf and alpha to his pack. But Bryn has been living among werewolves for 11 years, so she's pretty used to their oddities and short tempers. Though that doesn't mean Bryn is used to their run every full moon. And she basically just steers clear of them when tempers run through town.

Thankfully, Bryn grew up with Ali, another human like Bryn and treated her like her own daughter. So there was so normality in her life growing up. Well as normal as being raised by wolves can get.

When Bryn was 4, her mother and father were brutally attacked by a Rabid wolf, one that follows no rules and has no alpha. And this wolf was on a killing mission. Bryn was able to escape, though, when Callum rescued her just in time.

But Bryn still has nightmares about that wolf, and remembers that he called himself that "Big Bad Wolf", making Bryn very wary as to who she gets close to.

Plus, Bryn is unique even among humans. She is able to connect, or stay disconnected, to the wolves. She can feel their energy when they are emotional. And after years of training, she can run fast and fight against wolves. She's not as good as them, but she knows what to do in order to run away to survive.

Bryn finds out that Callum is keeping another stray wolf locked up in the basement. However, Chase is no ordinary werewolf. He was changed human, got bit by a werewolf, and was change. Biting a human usually results in killing them, so seeing Chase alive and well was startling.

Bryn wanted to get to know Chase. She feels a connection with him almost from the minute she saw him. Then she finds out that the wolf who bit him? Was the same wolf who has been haunting Bryn's dreams for 11 years: "Big Bad Wolf", or, as Chase calls him, "Prancer". And now Bryn has been betrayed by everyone she loves since they didn't tell her the truth all of these years.

Now, Bryn is on a mission to kill Prancer. He ruined her life and is still out hunting humans; he must be stopped. But Bryn is part of a pack - even though she is human. Can she stray away from the only family she has ever known to kill another being? And who will join her on this murder hunt? Read Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Another werewolf story! I seem to be on a streak lately :)

This was really different than other werewolf stories I've read in the past. Especially because it's Bryn's viewpoint we are reading, who is one of the few humans in this society, and she's not exactly like anyone else in the story.

I liked it. There were some parts where I felt it dragged a little bit and I started skimming, but overall it was a good story and I was anxious to find out what was going to happen at the end of the novel.

I'm also really glad that this is a trilogy and that all of the books are published. In fact, I have all three of them in my possesion so there is no waiting around to find out what happens with all of the characters.

The romance in here was very bland compared to most YA werewolf stories, I thought. Chase and Bryn have a connection. They can talk to one another through their thoughts and can sense each others emotions. And, if I didn't miss anything through my skimming, there was only ONE kissing scene. That is very low key compared to other novels!

So, yeah, it was a good book. I'm excited to see what happens in the second novel because of the way this one ended (no, not really a cliffhanger, but something major does happen to Bryn that changes everything for her).

I would recommend this to anyone that wants to read about werewolves and about redemption, because once Bryn found out about her parents killer, she was all about revenge.

And there are a lot of plot lines that I didn't talk about that happened in this novel, so you just might be surprised as to what else unfolds throughout this novel.

Now, I'm off to read the sequel! Come back tomorrow for that review, because I will have finished it by then :)

Shadow of the Moon by Rachel Hawthorne

This is the fourth book in the Dark Guardian series by Rachel Hawthorne.

My review of #1: Moonlight.
My review of #2: Full Moon.
My review of #3: Dark of the Moon.

Hayden is not like the rest of the shifters in her pack. She hasn't shifted yet, but will be coming up with the next full moon, so she can't communicate with her pack members with their thoughts.

She can however, feel any shifter's emotions. For some reason she is the only one that can feel their emotions and she can't find the off button to keep the emotions from affecting her.

So she has been going to school with Statics, or humans, because she doesn't feel their emotions and it's easier to be around people that way.

But now that she is getting ready for her first shift, she needs to be around her pack members. And she has to try and find a mate before the full moon arrives. But it's so hard to get anywhere near a Shifter, that finding a guy to do the transformation with seems impossible.

After a harvester arrived - a monster that kills any shifter during their transformation by stealing their essence and capturing their soul - he claims that Hayden will be the next shifter that he will take during the next full moon. And if she does find a mate, then he will die too because they will be connected during the shift.

So Hayden does the best thing and leaves the pack. She finds a small town and works at a coffee shop. It was going well for 3 weeks, but then Daniel walked through the door, another shifter who has hunted her down.

The weird thing it, Hayden can't read Daniel's emotions - and she always feels another shifter's emotions. When he said that he was there to take Hayden back to the pack before her transformation happened, they came at a stalemate. Hayden will go with him after the winter season was finished and the skiiers went back to school so she could still work at the coffee shop.

But that meant that Hayden and Daniel spent a lot of time together. Hayden kept trying to run away and Daniel kept catching her. Things got interesting, though, when Hayden couldn't stop thinking about Daniel, and it seemed like it was the same the other way around.

However, Hayden does go back to the world where she feels everyone's emotions. And they are extremely tense because of the harvester. Now Hayden has to worry about her feelings for Daniel, along with attempting to destroy the harvester while shifting for the first time without a mate. Because she will not allow anyone else to die with her if they should fail. Read Shadow of the Moon by Rachel Hawthorne to find out what happens!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I know I said I liked the third novel in the series in the previous review, but this fourth and final novel is by far my favorite! I loved it right from the beginning and I didn't want to put it down until I was done!

I loved Hayden. Imagine having to feel everyone's emotions plus your own and trying to butt out of everyone's lives. Not as easy as one might think - nor that entertaining when getting attacked by a feeling of fear or love at any given time.

I really liked the first scene with Hayden and Daniel. The way he wasn't given up trying to take Hayden back to the pack and the way he kept observing her, not taking his eyes off of her while she worked at the coffee shop was probably my favorite. Hayden could feel the intensity of his gaze and made sure the reader felt it too!

I admire Hayden's choice of running off and saving the pack from a battle with the harvester. With all of the tales she heard about the first transformation being horrible and gut-wrenching, she decided that she would still leave and do it on her own rather than risk other's lives.

I'm not sure why I liked this novel the best out of the four of them. Maybe it was because Hayden was different from any of the other lead female characters. She felt like a loner because no one wanted to get close to her and have her read their feelings.

But this was definitely my favorite and I kinda just want to buy this one out of the four. It's not like I need all four - they could all be standalones kind of because they have a different narrator for each novel, going through their own stories while also continuing the overall Shifter world.

So, anyone who wants to read another world of werewolves or shape shifters, I would recommend this to you! A good series, glad I read it, and I think others will too!

Dark of the Moon by Rachel Hawthorne

This is the third book in the Dark Guardians series by Rachel Hawthorne.

My review of #1: Moonlight.
My review of #2: Full Moon.

Warning - This book has spoilers from book 2, Full Moon. Read further at your own risk!

The one thing Brittany has been preparing for is to shift on the full moon after her 17th birthday. But when the moon came and went, Brittany didn't shift - she's not a Dark Guardian.

All of the training and eating right could not have prepared her for this blow. After talking to her mother, she found out that her father was human, and apparently his genes are more dominate than a shifter's genes.

When she came back from her "first shift", everyone assumed that she shifted by herself, which is a big deal because it's said that female shifters can't survive it without a male. Brittany let everyone think that and wanted to try the next full moon - to see if it was just a glitch in the night, even though she had her doubts.

The night she was supposed to shift, so was her friend Lindsey. With her mate, Connor. Who Brittany has loved since the moment they met. But he was promised to Lindsey and Brittany wasn't able to tell Connor how she really felt.

But when Brittany came back, she found out that Connor wasn't Lindsey's mate. And now Connor is free to choose whomever he wants as a mate, if he finds her.

Brittany wants to tell him now, but with not being a shifter and Bio-Chrome and Mason out there trying to capture a werewolf, it isn't the right time.

Connor and Brittany start to get closer, though, making it really hard for Brittany to keep her secret from him and everyone else in the pack.

Then, Connor and Brittany get captured by Mason, who is bound and determine to get the right serum to change into a werewolf. Will both of them be able to escape again from Mason and destroy all of his research he's compiled about the shifters? What will Connor do when he finds out that Brittany really isn't a shifter, but just a human? Read Dark of the Moon by Rachel Hawthorne to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Brittany is by far my favorite character in this series. She is so tough and always has to prove herself to the community, because deep down she had a feeling that she might not be like the rest of the pack. She's althetic, in shape, serious, and determined. All qualities that I like in a female lead character!

And when she found out that she wasn't a shifter, she decided to figure out the reason why and fix it, rather than throw a fit and whine about it. She's a fighter!

I like that Connor and Brittany were able to get to know each other without another mate or interest in the way. From the first and second novels, the reader was able to figure out that Brittany had a serious crush on Connor but couldn't do anything because of Lindsey being his mate.

I wish that the novel would have ended the way I imagined when finding out that Brittany didn't shift during the first full moon, but this ending was alright as well.

I liked this novel better than the second because Brittany had a purpose and was bound to fix her problem, rather than just thinking about it and contemplating about it.

I'm excited to read the fourth and final novel because I don't know who the female character is, and it seems that she is a little different than the other shifters so far in this series!

Full Moon by Rachel Hawthorne

This is the second novel in the Dark Guardian series by Rachel Hawthorne.

My review of #1: Moonlight.

Growing up knowing she was a shifter, Lindsey knows what to expect the night of the full moon after her 17th birthday. And since she was 15, she's known who her mate is: Connor.

Every memory that Lindsey has from the past includes Connor. Family trips, school events, you name it. Connor and Lindsey's parents are close friends and they kept the two of them really close, expecting them to be together. So it was an easy decision when that's what Connor did - named Lindsey his mate.

But there's a bit of a problem...

Rafe came back from college with Connor and Lucas, and now Lindsey can't stop thinking about him. Every time she looks at Rafe, it feels like she is getting zapped by a lightning bolt.

So now Lindsey is having second and third and fourth guesses as to who she should be mated with. Rafe, the bad boy, outcast in the group who is silent but observant and makes Lindsey dream intensely, or Connor, her best friend, the boy she grew up with, has been with since she was 1 years old.

She can't pick. There are pros and cons to both boys and it's impossible to pick between the two of them.

When the full moon comes, though, Lindsey will have to choose. Because no female has survived their first shift without their mate there to help them through it.

And because Lindsey doesn't have enough to worry about, the group needs to be aware of Mason coming back for revenge after losing his werewolf during the summer. And he's brought a mean group of guys and Rottweilers to help him capture another werewolf for his experiments.

Who will Lindsey choose? Will she choose the right guy? And will the group be able to avoid Mason again? Read Full Moon by Rachel Hawthorne to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I really liked that this story was about Lindsey instead of Kayla like the first novel in the series. Gives the reader the chance to get to know the other characters while also following the story line with Mason and the science experiment for creating werewolf genes.

And while I did like having another character to read about, I found that Lindsey's story and personality didn't mesh well with me. She seemed too whiny and indecisive. I understand that she's known Connor longer and knows him more than Rafe. Fine. But don't complain that you can't pick one. It just drove me insane for the most part.

Maybe I was biased because when the reader was introduced to all three of the guys in the first novel, I was very intrigued with Rafe out of the three of them. And the connection he has with Lindsey made me pick him more so than Connor. But it might just be me :)

Overall, I enjoyed the novel. Not as much as the first, but that's just because of the constant battle in Lindsey's head.

I'm excited to read about Brittany in the third novel to see what the big she-alpha is going to do!

I would recommend this to anyone who likes stories about werewolves. Also, I don't think it's completely necessary to read the first one before this one. It's pretty self-explanatory and it's not about the same characters as the first novel.

However, it will be more effective, I think, if it's read in the right order.

Moonlight by Rachel Hawthorne

This is the first book in the Dark Guardian series by Rachel Hawthorne.

Ever since Kayla's biological parents were killed in the forest, Kayla has had nightmares about the forest, darkness, and wolves.

When her psychiatrist suggested that facing her fears and going back to the woods where her parents were killed, Kayla decided that it couldn't hurt. She's an outdoor person so being outside wouldn't bother her. Just the area itself to face what happened to her when she was five.

This is her second summer coming to work for the state park taking tourists into the forest and back. And the feelings she gets when Lucas is around her makes her uncomfortable but electric. And he's also technically her boss who hasn't shown any interest, romantically, toward Kayla.

So she's keeping her distance and sticking close with her friend, Lindsey, that she made last summer.

But when the group of hikers that Kayla works with are assigned to take a big science group out to the deepest parts of the forest for their observations, things get a little tense.

Kayla gets a feeling that someone, or something, is watching them from the shadows of the forest.

And the group of grad students with their science professor are a little odd as well. Especially when they start talking about werewolves being real and that they are in the forest to capture one to experiment on.

And for some reason, they think Lucas is a werewolf.

But he's not. Instead he is a shifter. And he has a secret that he tells Kayla. And now Kayla has to decide if she wants the life she's always had or to be with Lucas and the supernatural factors that come along with it. Read Moonlight by Rachel Hawthorne to find out what Kayla decides to do!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I found this through Goodreads recommendations and I'm glad I read the synopsis! I thought it was a good book with a common, but unique, story line.

What Kayla went through as a child was horrible, but she was raised well through an adoptive family who loved her like their own and Kayla didn't want for anything growing up. Well, except to know what really happen to her biological parents.

So she was brave enough to go back to the place they were killed to try and figure out what happened. I don't know how many 17 year olds would be brave enough to do that!

The attraction and connection between Lucas and Kayla was odd. First he didn't talk to her and then, BAM, attraction and they can't get enough of each other. There were no stolen kisses and then awkward moments throughout the book - it all came at once, making the reader want more (or at least that's how I felt).

I felt like I flew through this novel, which might just be because Hawthorne's writing was really fast paced. I did think the tangents Kayla thought about were a bit much, but I can't be too picky.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and think that others who like supernatural stories and stories about werewolves/shifters will enjoy this novel. This is the first is a four novel series, all of which are out and all of which I have with me and will be reading them as fast as possible :)

Covet by Melissa Darnell

This is the second novel in The Clann series by Melissa Darnell.

My review of #1: Crave.

Note - There will be spoilers of the first novel. Just to forewarn you before you continue reading!

Savannah's life sucks. She's half vampire, half witch and is in love with a boy that she cannot be with - according to both The Clann council and the vampire council.

So when Tristan was taken by the vampires to perform a test with Savannah, she promised to break it off with him so it wouldn't cause an outright war between the witches and vampires.

But Tristan didn't like that idea and wanted to still see Savannah. She made it clear, though, that she wasn't going to continue seeing him and they separated on bad terms.

Right after that, Savannah's vampire side kicked in and now she can't eat human food and has a lot more abilities than she did before. And she has no one to talk to about it because her friends are human and she's not talking to Tristan anymore.

Because Savannah's grandmother died, all of the magic that had been helping Savannah with her vampire side faded away. Then Savannah had to go live with her father because the bloodlust that comes with being a vampire would be too strong to stay with her witch mother, whose blood is very tempting for vampires.

One bright side in Savannah's life, which there aren't many, was that when her grandmother died, Savannah got possession of her magic books/journals. Now Savannah is teaching herself how to control magic, but keeping it quite from The Clann because they don't want her to know anything about using magic against them.

Meanwhile, there are supposidly vampire attacks happening over the world, and one hits close to Tristan's family, causing a rift between The Clann members and Savannah and her father - the only vampires near them in Jacksonville, Texas.

Will both Tristan's clann and Savannah and her father figure out what is really happening with the attack on Clann members before an outright war come between the two species? And will Tristan and Savannah ever be able to figure a way to be together, or will they forever love each other but have to stay separate to save the other's life? Read Covet by Melissa Darnell to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. This was a great novel!

Now, I thoroughly hate it when the characters are not together and keep insisting that they are better apart to save the other's life. I always think that there can be another way around that and they should fight to be with each other.

But Savannah and Tristan? They really do have to be apart from each other, looking at a distance at the one person they truely love. And I actually didn't mind that, so good job Darnell for giving me an actual reason to like the characters being separated!

Also, I think I didn't mind because both Tristan and Savannah had a lot of things they needed to work through and that kept them busy, even though they were missing the other like crazy.

I was really happy that Savannah got to learn how to do magic. I think it's appropriate that if she is half witch she should do magic, no matter what The Clann thinks about it.

This is told through both Savannah and Tristan's point of view, which I really liked, especially when they were separated from each other.

And, also, I really didn't notice the length of this book! It's 470 pages and when I came to find final paragraph, I wanted more!

The only bad part about this novel is the ending! Why?! Why a cliffhanger?!? I hate them and now I have to wait until 2013 to find out what happens. Because, let me tell you, it was one heck of a cliffhanger and left me wanting a lot more!

Guess I'll have to be patient and wait for it...

I loved this book and think everyone should read it! I would start with the first novel, though, because it will help explain a lot in this novel. So, what are you waiting for? Go get 'em!

Destiny and Deception by Shannon Delany

This is the fourth book in the 13 to Life series by Shannon Delany.

My review of #1: 13 to Life.
My review of #2: Secrets and Shadows.
My review of #3: Bargains and Betrayals.

In book 3, we ended with all of the werewolves in Junction taking the cure after Pietr's mother dies from drinking the cure.

With his mother's death still fresh in his mind, he takes a risk and decides he doesn't want to be a werewolf anymore. Life doesn't seem worth it after all of the planning they went to getting her out of her prison for the past 2 years.

But after he takes the cure, Jess sees a drastic change in him. Instead of being focused on Jess like he used to, he's more interested in school work and video games. It's like Jess isn't even there anymore.

Jess doesn't know what to do. She doesn't want to be needy, but she feels misplaced and unwanted now that the change has happened.

Then, a new pack comes to town. Their leader, Marlaena, is just trying to survive and keep all 13 of them safe. But she finds out that there is a Russian man that can give them the things they've always wanted: warm place to sleep, food, clothing, etc.

She just has to do a few favors for him...

When Marlaena tries to talk to Pietr and the other Rusakova's, they tell her that they are no longer werewolf anymore and that their pack and stay wherever they like, as long as they leave their family and friends alone. But Marlaena doesn't believe them. She can still smell wolf on them, even if they deny it.

Things at the high school aren't getting any better, either. More kids are committing suicide, the food is making the kids to unusual things, and it's more of a ghost school now than a high school. But when one of Jess's friends gets sick from the food, Alexi decides he will help her, even if it means going to another high class, money grabbing authority.

Will things go well for the residents of Junction? Can Jess and Pietr get back what they used to? And what is Marlaena's fascination with the Rusakova's, especially Pietr? Read Destiny and Deception to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Sigh. I really hoped things would have gone better for Jess and Pietr. I think I was just as disappointed as Jess was when Pietr grew more distant from her.

I really wished that Delany would have wrote a point of view through Pietr. That might have made me understand, even if I wouldn't have liked what I found out. He's definitely a frustrating mystery in this novel which made me frustration and aggravated throughout most of this novel.

This time there are 3 point of view narrations. We still have Jess and Alexi, but now we had Marlaena's point of view and what she thinks when she's with her pack.

So, this was kind of a disappointing, slow, uneventful novel. I think so far it was my least favorite book of the series.

I really, really hope that the end wraps everything up the way I want it to. Unfortunately I have to wait until it comes to the library to figure out the ending to this series. (The book just came out August 7, 2012 so most libraries don't have it yet...)

Overall, I don't have too much to say about this novel. Like I said, there wasn't too much that happened. A lot of whining from Jess, a lot of whining from pack members of Marlaena's pack, and a lot of potential heroic opportunities from Alexi.

And yes, like all of her novels from this series, Delany left us with a cliff hanger. Probably the best one yet and I don't have the book to read it right away!

Even though I'm not having the best time with this series so far, I still think that others will enjoy it, so if you like werewolves and a torturous love cycle, this book would definitely be up your alley!

Bargains and Betrayals by Shannon Delany

This is the third novel in the 13 to Life series by Shannon Delany.

My review of #1: 13 to Life.
My review of #2: Secrets and Shadows.

At the end of the second novel, Jess was forced to go to an asylum because her father thought it was best. After she's been with Pietr, things have gotten a little wild, dangerous, and downright scary. Her father doesn't know that Pietr is a werewolf, so he thinks it's Pietr's bad influence that is causing her distance.

So now Pietr and Jess are separated. She can't leave and he's not allowed to visit, but both are trying hard to get back to each other.

At the asylum (Pecan Place), Jess finds out that the asylum is not what it seems to be. Many of the patients aren't fully...human... and they keep taking Jess's blood, even though they don't take any other patients blood.

Turns out that they are part of the CIA force that is after the Rusakova's for their werewolf gene and found out that Jess's blood is part of the cure. So they devised a plan to get Jess there to have unlimited supply of her blood to use for multiple experiments.

Meanwhile, Pietr is not only trying to find a way to get Jess out of Pecan Place, but also to save their mother, who is trapped underground in a glass cage for the past 2 years.

But with becoming the new alpha and having to make decisions, he has to decide how far he is willing to go in order to save both women that he loves.

It may be too much for Jess to handle when she gets out of Pecan Place and finds a new Pietr standing in front of her.

Will both characters be reunited again? Can Pietr save both women without losing Jess in the process? Or will everything start to crumble between Jess and Pietr? Read Bargains and Betrayals to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Oh Jess and Pietr. At least in this novel they are trying to get back together instead of pushing each other apart!

I thought this was a great installment to the series so far. The reader got more information and a new place to hate (Pecan Place) but also learned more about the curse and how to cure it.

Also, this book was very unique compared to the first 2 books because there are two point of views!

One is Jess, like the first two novels, but the other is Alexi (Max, Cat and Pietr's older, adoptive brother) so we get more perspectives throughout this novel.

So, yes, we progressed more in this novel with figuring out about the Rusakova family, seeing Pietr became the alpha he was meant to be, and might see some struggles for all characters and new developments start to happen.

I would say that I liked this book better than the second because the characters were trying to get to each other rather than keeping their distance. I'm not sure if there will ever be a book for them where it's all lovey dovey, togetherness, so I'm accepting that fact and enjoying what I'm reading.

Now, off to the 4th novel!

Secrets and Shadows by Shannon Delany

This is the second novel in 13 to Life series by Shannon Delany.

My review of #1: 13 to Life.

Now that Jess knows the Rusakova's secret, she thought she would be even closer to Pietr than before.

Boy did she think wrong. Instead of getting closer, Pietr is pushing her away. He is staying with Sarah instead of leaving her, like they planned, and Jess is really confused as to what went wrong between the two of them.

Without Pietr around, Jess is finding herself around Derek a lot. Maybe it's to make Pietr jealous, or maybe because he makes Jess feel wanted, but there are times when she can't remember the time spent with Derek. Like blank spots in her memory.

But when Jess woke up at Derek's house not knowing what happened, she called Max (Pietr's brother) and he came to get her. That was when Jess realized Derek was not who he seemed he was and she was told to stay away from him, for good.

Even though Jess and Pietr aren't together, she still finds herself in the middle of the Rusakova's affairs - and finds out that she might be the cure to their curse!

Being involved with a werewolf family is not as ideal as it may sound. Especially when the CIA and the Russian Mafia is determined to get the Rusakova family in their grasp.

But when Jess's dad gets in the way...things are not looking good for Jess and Pietr to ever be a normal couple.

Will Pietr and Jess ever get together? What could possibly happen to split them apart, for good? Read Secrets and Shadows to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Okay. I really like this storyline, I really do. But I despise stories where the main two characters who are so obviously in love decide that the other is safer without them around. Keeping their distance from the one they love in order to protect them? Utter rubbish! It makes no sense!

And yes, that's exactly what happened here. I think Jess got more hurt because Pietr was staying away from her than if he would have been her boyfriend this whole novel. Which is what ALWAYS happens in this types of plots.

Always.

Ahem, enough ranting, back to the story.

So Jess again is a great character. She tried her hardest to get Pietr to stay with her, to no avail, but try she did. She even helped the family with their werewolf problem even though Pietr was being a jerk.

I did cringe every time she was around Derek though. Which shows my knack for knowing who is the right and wrong guy for her ;-)

More answers were revealed in this story about the Rusakova heritage, which is great for the reader. And, again, there is a cliffhanger ended that is bound to bring more readers back to this series to find out what happens to Jess. It was quite a dramatic ending too.

So, I'm off to read the next one and I sincerely hope things get better between Jess and Pietr. I mean, why am I reading this series if not to see these two lovebirds together? :)

13 to Life by Shannon Delany

This is the first novel in the 13 to Life series by Shannon Delany.

Jess hasn't been having a good life the past few months. So when she is called to the guidance office, she's expecting the worse.

When she's told she has to show the new, hot, moody boy around the school for the first few days, let's just say she wasn't all that happy about it.

In fact, she was probably the one girl that wasn't impressed by Pietr Rusakova. Which of course made her very interesting in Pietr's eyes and he wanted to know more.

With the recent events that happened with Jess's mom's death and her friend Sarah's memory loss, Pietr was too much to handle. Then, Sarah became very possessive of Pietr, something that hadn't happened since her accident, so Jess felt it necessary that Pietr and Sarah get together as a couple.

Even though Jess was very, very attracted to Pietr. And sometimes kissed him when she shouldn't have.

Along with this new boy/best friend drama, Jess has been in contact with large animals - larger than she's ever seen before. They are all around her farm and her dogs go crazy when they are around.

Plus, with the wolf situation that happened in a few towns over, things were definitely changing in the town of Junction.

Will Jess figure out what the Rusakova's were keeping secret? Can she stay away from Pietr so Sarah can  have her happily ever after? Or are things about to get very weird and dark? Read 13 to Life to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Goodreads and LibraryThing have both been suggesting these books to me, and boy am I glad they did! There was so much mystery and romantic suspense in this novel that I couldn't put it down! Finished it in one day and am very glad that I have the next novel in the series in my possession to continue the story!

I love Jess. She is one of those characters who wants to do everything right for her friends before herself. This occurred because of what happened with her mother and her friend Sarah, but now the best interest of her friends is her top concern - no matter how hard it may be for her.

I also really liked the first meeting between Jess and Pietr. It was dislike at first sight, but slowly got more relaxing and friendly, though not as friendly as either character would have wanted it.

And I think that both characters are VERY mature for the age, having been through horrors already in their young age.

One thing I will say is that there wasn't too many answers to this complex story. I know it's because it's part of a series, but it would have been nice to get SOME answers before the end of the novel.

I guess it will just leave the reader in suspense until they can get their hands on the second novel.

For anyone who is interested in supernatural and *ahem, spoiler, spoiler* werewolves (no, no vampires here!) then this book is just for you! I really enjoyed the fast paced reading and I was definitely craving for more at the end of the novel.

Yes, it is a cliffhanger.

Good thing, though, is that the whole series is now out and complete! So no waiting!

Off to the next one! Fingers crossed that it gets better and better :)

If I Should Die Before I Wake: Anthology by Nadège Richards

If I Should Die Before I Wake by Jana Boskey: All her life, Evie's mother made sure that Evie and Callie never went outside after dark. Evie didn't believe the fairytale about the dark elf until he showed up for his "posession". Then Evie had to do anything to protect her little sister...

(Suspenseful story that kept the reader on the seat of their chair, and an ending that was unexpected.)

A Brush With Something Otherworldly by Jennivie Wirries: Jessie thought the item she took out of the time capsule at school was boring - an old Japanese hair comb. But when the comb showed magical abilities, Jessie realized she got a one of a kind object.

(It was alright - not my favorite and a little odd. Although it was unique and something I've never read about!)

The Winter Storms Have Come and Gone by Nadège Richards: Bethany says goodbye to Maxwell. Breakups happen all of the time, but not too many have a permanent ending like theirs...

(What many ex-girlfriends probably want to do, even if they never do so. Very short, but well written and it compels the reader to find out more!)

The Little Sister Who Cried Vampire by Brittany Hiester: Having to babysit her younger sister on Halloween was not part of Rosa's plans. So when Leah kept saying she saw a man in her window, Rosa chalked it up to Leah being annoying. Too bad she didn't believe Leah right away...

(Rosa complained too much for my liking, but that made her realistic as she's 14. A lot of punctuation errors, but the story was very action based, which I liked.)

3:00 AM 'Fun' by Ashley O'Donnell: After leaving her house and small town for 5 years, Abigail comes home when her mother passes away. The thought of staying for awhile crossed her mind, but that was before 3:00 AM came around...

(Was very shocked to read that a 16 year-old wrote this! Very well written and very disturbing. It will keep the reader asking questions after reading this story!)

The Tornadoes are Beautiful by Rhian Parry: Natural disasters are happening all over the world, destroying any sense of civilization. Xavier has been hearing voices all of his life, voices that tell him to do things. When it says to kill his sister, Xavier takes the ultimate risk to save her life.

(This has a mix of "Day After Tomorrow" but with a depressing atmosphere of no hope. There wasn't too much dialogue, which made the story slow for me, but it was a good story.)

I AM by Cody Jonathan Godown: A narrator who reflects on the past, looks at the future, and wishes for changes during the present. About a narrator who states, "I am cautious and curious".

(This is a one page verse story, written in the format of a poem. I'm horrible at reading poems and can't understand them, so I didn't enjoy this story as much as I should have. For readers who like verse, they might like it better than I did.)

They Speak To Me by Melissa Somoza: When she was nine, Rose was forced to leave her parents because The Society was trying to kill Rose. She's half clairvoyance and half necromancer, one of the darkest supernatural being in the world. At the age of 18, she's now on a mission to kill the members of The Society for revenge of her parents death. She is the ultimate assassin. The ultimate weapon.

(My second favorite story in this anthology! It reminded me of Kelley Armstrong's series "The Darkest Power" and I found myself loving Rose. She's sassy, tough, and smart. The ending was disappointing, but different and unexpected.)


A Faery Tale Nightmare by Christina Worrell: All her life, Ebony Frost felt unwanted and in the way. When he mother abandoned her, Ebony was sent to a foster home. Little did she know that was the best thing that could have happened to her. Now she has a new, caring foster mother and new foster brothers - 7 to be exact. And she's also found herself in a relationship! But when things get out of control with her new boyfriend and his cousin, she takes a step back and focuses on her new family. When she gets caught up in another romance, along with a battle for the most magic, Ebony needs to fight for what she wants, hoping that it's not too late.

(A spin-off tale of "Snow White" and a little twist with magic and werewolves, Christina Worrell did an amazing job! I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't stop reading until I finished the story. I loved the conflict Ebony had with her feelings, and her struggle with the magic building inside of her. A great read, my favorite in this bunch, and I would definitely recommend it to any reader in love of fairy tales and happy endings!)

My Thoughts/Reflections
I received a PDF of this novel for free to review by Nadège Richards and the staff of "My Home Away from Home". To find out more about this group, you can visit their facebook page, My Home Away From Home, where I have liked to keep up with their updates, or their blogsite: MHAFH.

I have not read any works by the numerous authors of this anthology, so the content and writing styles were very new and refreshing to me.

I really enjoyed this anthology! There were a lot of unique styles in the Paranormal/Supernatural genre that were refreshing and different than what has been written lately, making the stories fast paced and usually leaving me wanting more.

There were some punctuation and grammatical errors in each story, which is common for a self-published novel. Since I've had editing experience, my fingers were twitching to edit and fix the mistakes. However, even with the common errors, the stories were very well written and engaging to the reader.

I put my immediate reaction for each story after a small summary of the stories, saying what I liked or disliked about the individual short stories.

The last two stories were, by far, my favorite. They were also the longest in this anthology, which could be a factor as to why I like them.

There is a variety of writing styles in here. One is verse/poem format, while others are very short stories or longer stories. There's also various narration point of views to keep any reader happy.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good, short story to read, where they can stop after each story if they have a busy, hectic life.

I would also suggest this to anyone who likes supernatural topics (though you don't have to be a hardcore supernatural reader to enjoy this story). I tried to tag the different story subjects (vampires, faeries, etc.) that is located in this anthology to make it accurate for interested readers.

Overall, a great read that will entertain many readers, whether you are a lover of supernatural or just if you want to try something new to read!

Right now this anthology is available as an eBook on Amazon for only $0.99! If you are interested in purchasing it, click here to buy your own copy!

And thank you for letting me review this collection of works! I wish all of the authors luck in their future stories/novels!

Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

This is the second novel in the Jessica series by Beth Fantaskey. 

Click here: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side to read my review of the first novel.

There will be spoilers to the ending of the first novel, just to forewarn you before you go any further!

Now that Jessica has turned into a vampire and her and Lucius have gotten married, Jessica finds herself as the new vampire princess in Romania.

At first, she was unsure what to do. What does a newly graduated high schooler from America know anything about running a government?

Things get even worse when Lucius defends Jessica during an Elder's meeting, and the man he threatened was found dead the next morning - with his blood on Lucius's stake!

Jessica found herself ruling the vampire world on her own, without Lucius after that. Thank goodness his cousin, Raniero, was helping her at the request of Lucius before he was taken in confinement.

Along with Raniero, Jessica also had help from her best friend from America, Mindy. She and Raniero had a fling for awhile before finally breaking it off, but Mindy was in Romania to be with Jess and figure out her life.

The longer Lucius was in a cell, he was growing very weak. He was not allowed to get blood, which after a few days would put any vampire into a coma - only worse.

With little time to find the real killer, Jessica must start acting like a ruler - a queen - rather than a scared high school graduate.

Will Jessica, Mindy, and Raniero be able to find the right murderer and save Lucius before he loses his mind? Or will Jessica be without a husband and find herself ruling the vampire world alone? Read Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
When I first picked this book up, I was a little hesitant. I really liked the way the first novel ended and was unsure where Fantaskey would go with this novel.

I'm glad I only hesitated for a few minutes! This is very different than the first novel. Now that Jessica has claimed her vampire heritage, she needs to start acting like it.

Only it's a little difficult for her to do that. How can one change from a high school graduate to a ruler of a species?

Well, when her husband is convicted of a crime he didn't do, that's how. Seeing Jessica transform completely was incredible. I was so proud of her and was definitely cheering for her the whole book.

This was told throughout 4 viewpoints: Jessica (Antanasia), Mindy, and, though letters to one another, Lucius and Raniero.

I was very irritated with Mindy as a narrator, because she uses the word "like" and "totally" far too often that I wanted to pull my hair out, but it was nice to get a different perspective of the vampire world through a human's viewpoint.

I was very pleased with this second novel, and I think fans of the first novel will enjoy it as well. We get to learn more about what happens after Jessica and Lucius get together and see Jessica because the leader that she was truly meant to be.

For anyone who wants a paranormal/supernatural story about vampires in a new twist, I would definitely recommend these books.

Crave by Melissa Darnell

This is the first novel in The Clann series by Melissa Darnell.

Savannah Colbert has always been shunned by the Clann students - 22 students at her high school who are always together and always find a way to make Savannah feel crappy about herself.

It doesn't help that she used to be friends with a few of them (the Brat twins and Tristan Coleman, who she "married" in 4th grade) before they started to pretend they never knew each other and when her family told her she couldn't be around them anymore.

And the worst part? Ever since Savannah can remember, she's had a crush on Tristan. Sure, she hasn't talked to him in 7 years, but it doesn't change the fact that she knows exactly where he is when they are in the same room together by the twinge she gets in her stomach.

Everything changes, though, after Savannah gets sick for a week. She comes to school as a different person - a person who Tristan cannot ignore anymore, no matter the rules he was told to stay away from her.

See, Tristan is a witch, a descendant, who is supposed to follow his father's footsteps and become the next leader of the Clann.

And Savannah is also a descendant, a Clann member. But her family was forced out of the Clann when Savannah's mother married a vampire - the Clann's worst enemy. Not only does that make Savannah half witch, it also makes her half vampire - a half blood.

When Savannah starts to get her vampire abilities, no one knows what to do, as there has never been a half-blood before. But she is being watched carefully by the vampire council, making sure she doesn't give into the bloodlust that fledgling vampires are known for.

It's also a little harder because now that Tristan's decided to go against his Clann's rules, he's been on pursuit to be with Savannah.

But will their relationship be the end of a reluctant peace between the witches and vampires? Or will Savannah and Tristan be able to salvage their relationship along with the tension between their two worlds? Read Crave by Melissa Darnell to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Now, I know, this is another vampire book. But it's also a witchcraft/magic book and a "Romeo + Juliet" book, so there's a lot to work with in this novel to appeal to a wide audience.

The situation that Tristan and Savannah are put in is probably worse than Romeo and Juliet. They've had this attraction toward one another since they were first introduced, and the time apart didn't change that.

In fact, it might have made it worse.

But because of Savannah's mixed species, she's a threat to Tristan. As a half vampire, she also has a demon species in her, an incubus. So whenever her and Tristan kiss, she's taking a part of his energy. And Savannah always has to fight the urge when she smells his blood.

I liked Savannah a lot. She was a fighter - probably fought longer than any other female would have fought with Tristan on her tail of trying to get her to date him. He was very persistent and she finally gave in.

I mean, if she HADN'T given in, I would have thought something would be wrong with her, but she put up a very good fight.

This was an interesting way to mix vampires and witches into a story. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't my favorite supernatural story I've read.

I will, though, read the rest of the series when it comes out. The second novel comes out in September 2012, so not too long of a wait to read the next barrier that comes between Tristan and Savannah.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants another vampire or witchcraft story. It is also told through both Savannah and Tristan's point of view, so it might attract teen guys to read it, but I would say it's mainly for teen girls.

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

This is the first novel in the Jessica series by Beth Fantaskey.

Getting through high school is enough for Jessica Packwood since she has two of her very own bullies at school.

But when a foreign "exchange student" comes into town from Romania and claims he's betrothed to Jessica? Yeah that might be going over the top for her.

Lucius is a vampire prince of the Vladescu vampire clan. Jessica was adopted after her parents and Lucius's parents were killed, but Jessica was born as Antanasia Dragomir, the princess vampire of the Dragomir clan.

At first Jessica denied everything Lucius stated. She was not royalty, she was not a vampire, and she was not going to marry Lucius - no matter what betrothal was made when she was an infant.

Then something changed in Jessica... She started getting a hunger for blood. And when she was angry or upset, she could feel her fangs trying to come out. Then her appearance started to change, transforming her from the original looking American teenager to a woman who knew her mind, and looked confident in her choices.

Unfortunately, when Jessica realized that Lucius was telling the truth, and she started to have feelings for him, he gave up on them. He stopped pursuing Jessica and started to act like a teenager with no rules.

After officially giving up on the merger between the Vladescu and Dragomir clan wedding, Lucius gave up on everything else. He became the dark vampire that his clan is well known for.

Jessica was not willing to give up, though. She gave Lucius the ultimate decision, that could end with Jessica's death. If there was any part of Lucius that loved her, it could mean a marriage but if he really is the dark, brutal vampire he wants Jessica to think, she could die by the one she loves.

Read Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey to find out what happens!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Lately I've been vampired out and I've stayed away from vampire books. I really enjoyed this one, though! I liked the royalty spin to the vampire clan and the fact that if Jessica and Lucius didn't get married, their families would be in a war to the death.

I also really liked that throughout the novel the reader was able to see some of Lucius's thoughts when he wrote letters to his uncle in Romania. He basically complained about Jessica thwarting his advances, but he also admired her ability to stick with her decision.

It was entertaining to see Jessica change her mind about Lucius. He grew on her, though, and when he started seeing Faith, that was when the possessive side of Jessica came out, making her realize that Lucius was hers.

There is a sequel to this book, which I will review later when I get it. I'm very interested to see what will happen between Jessica and Lucius.

For anyone who likes vampires or hard-to-get relationships, this would be a great read for you. However, if you're tired of vampire stories, I would say hold off on this so you can fully appreciate the storyline without cringing at the word vampire.

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

The Reckoning - #3 and Final book in the Darkest Powers Series by Kelley Armstrong. 

Click here: The Summoning for the review of the first book in the series and here: The Awakening for the review of the second book in the series. 

**NOTE** There will be SPOILERS in this review from the first two novels in this trilogy. 

Just when Chloe Saunders thought she escaped from the corporation she was running from, she's right back in the middle of it as an experimental test.

Chloe, Simon, Derek, and Tori have been saved by Andrew and taken into hiding. They don't feel safe, though, especially because Lauren, Chloe's aunt, and Rae are stuck in the facility that Chloe and Tori escaped from.

While hiding out, Andrew's co-workers come in and try to help the teenagers with their powers - each specializes in the abilities Simon, Chloe and Tori have.

When Chloe's mentor, Margaret, takes Chloe to a cemetery, Chloe is very uncertain she should be there - considering she can raise the dead without even trying. When the test trial goes wrong and Margaret sees just how powerful Chloe is, Margaret thinks that they need to get more help since she's unqualified for the job.

That's how all of the mentors think when they see the teenagers try their powers.

After getting ambushed by other werewolves, Derek and Chloe find out that Andrew was part of a mission to get all of the teenagers under one place, watched by guards.

So it seems the teenagers went from one prison to another.

The main mission the teenagers are on is to find Derek and Simon's father. He will help them out and know what to do.

Will the teenagers have to run for the rest of their lives? Can they finally break free from the prisons they are always being taken to? Read this final installment of the Darkest Powers Series to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was a great finish to this series! I like how it was just as action packed as the first two, making the reader zip through the pages to find out what happens in the end.

Knowing it was the final book, I was anxious to find out the ending, and I just loved it! Everything gets resolves, and while there may be a story with Chloe and the guy that she picks (not going to say because I want to keep something non spoilery), I'm overall really happy with how things ended.

I would definitely recommend all three of these books to other readers! It's definitely different than the novels written today and we get to experience different types of supernatural (necromancer, werewolf, sorcerer, witch, demons, etc.) so it's not just one type of paranormal species.

If the author decided to make another novel continuing their story, I wouldn't mind that either, but for now, I'm very content as to how this novel finished! :)

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

The Awakening - #2 in the Darkest Powers Series by Kelley Armstrong

Click here: The Summoning for my review of the first book in the series.

**NOTE** There Might Be Spoilers in this review for the first novel in the series. 

Chloe Saunders used to be an ordinary girl. That was before she found out she was a necromancer - a person who can raise, talk, and summon the dead spirits. Now, Chloe and her friends she made at the Lyle House (Derek, Simon, Liz, Rae, and Tori) are running away from the authorities that kept them in the house.

They wanted to run tests on all of the teenagers because they are supernatural. Derek is a werewolf, Simon is a sorcerer, Liz (who was killed but her ghost lives on) is telekinetic, Rae can manipulate fire, and Tori is a witch.

Together, Derek, Simon, Chloe, Tori and Liz are working as a group to get away from the "scientists" who want to run experiments on them to figure out their powers.

When the group reaches a close friend of Derek and Simon's father, they find out that Andrew used to be a part of the "scientist" group for supernaturals but now is trying to destroy that company.

In order to do that, though, they need Chloe and her friend's help to make sure it will be fully destroyed.

My Thoughts/Reflections
I think I liked this book even more! There really wasn't much going on, just everyone trying to find a safe place to meet up and figure out what to do next.

During the journey, though, we see Chloe's supernatural power some more - sometimes out of order and others when Chloe tries to use it. We also see Derek fighting his metamorphosis into a wolf.

There is some subtle romantic feelings in this book, just like the first, between Chloe and both Derek and Simon. I know most might pick Simon because he is the cuter, more outgoing out of the two brothers, but I think I would like to see Chloe and Derek together. Derek is the not so good looking one since he's in his puberty stage still, but every time Chloe and Derek were together he was always protecting her and got emotional when Chloe was "causing trouble". I think they'd make a cute couple!

Even though this was mostly them running from place to place, we learned more about the organization hunting them and we learn more about all of the characters.

I'm excited to see what happens in the final book of this series and where Kelley Armstrong goes with it.

I would definitely recommend these books to teens who like paranormal stories, and want to read another novel about necromancers since there aren't too many out there yet.