toasted_coconut_plans's review
5.0
Why did it have to end? Now I am TRULY going to have some withdrawal. Phoenix Daniels can weave a story a cast a spell on her readers. I thoroughly enjoyed this story ~ Smooches đź’‹
breaking_the_epigraph's review
4.0
This is my review and how I see each story in this anthology. Â Each author brought something uniquely different to this collection of stories. While some stories were some I would like to see more of, others were not my cup of tea. An author provided a free copy of this work in exchange for an honest review. This is my review and how I see it.
The Beast Within - Laverne Thompson
Rated: 4.5 Stars
Date read: August 2, 2017
Two families intertwined by an act that no one really knows the entire story behind their connection. The males of one family despicable act led to a curse to last the ages and could only be broken by a descendant of the family who placed the curse. Cable and Lissette felt a pull toward each other like they had never felt before. One night in Cable's club we change their lives and set them on a course of love they never expected to find. Where is good, evil always lives in the shadows...and there is one such evil that will do everything in his power to make sure that Cable is out of the way and he can have Lissette all to himself...whether she wants him or not.
In Another Time - Sage Young
Rated: 4.5 Stars
Date read: August 2, 2017
The story proved that love does not know time nor color. Jasper and Clarissa were robbed of a life of love by a jealous and evil woman. They met during a time where their union in the eyes of certain people would be an abomination. Yet, the Jasper met the woman of his dreams in Clarissa and desired to have her even though his parents have pledged him to another. Their love would be short lived due to jealous and the young lovers would be separated in death be a wicked soul. Some two hundred years later, by fate, they would meet again and not understand the pull toward each other. As Charlotte tried to fight against her attraction to James, there are dark forces afoot. Will love conquer all or will evil finally win the day?
The Elixir of Life, Legacy: Origin - S. Campbell Williams
Rated: 1 Star
Dates read: August 2-3, 2017
I had a hard time with this story. The deity that the lead female character appealed too played a game with her life in such a way that she almost entered a life that she vowed never to participate. They played with her life like it was a toy and theirs to do with as they pleased and gave no thought to whether or not she would survive the outcome of their little wager.
Blood Ties - Phoenix Daniels
Rated: 4.5 stars
Dates read: August 3, 2017
I love a good book by this author...I mean she can write her assets off. At first, I thought this was going to be on of those reincarnation type of stories; however, it wasn't that is was so much more. A police dispatcher rushes to NOLA to see about her grandmother as she is told she is ill and may not have long to live. While home her life as she knows it changes and she high tales it back to Chicago. Even though she saw vampires and a werewolf she refuses to believe in their existence. Things happen which drive her back to NOLA and from there, things start to get very interesting...! You have got to read this story to find out what happens next.
Spellbound - Reana Malori
Rated: 4.5 stars
Dates read: August 3-4, 2017
This story puts me in the mind of "be careful of what you wish for because you just might get it." Two lovers what the same thing, but they are both hesitant about going after what they each so desperately want. This is until a trip to NOLA for a mutual friends wedding and each is drawn to Madam Sophie's shop. I could feel the pain and the anguish of rolling off the character.
Love Bites - Twyla Turner
Rated: 4.5 stars
Dates read: August 6, 2017
Something new and different from author Twyla Turner's story Love Bites takes a new spin on love in the paranormal. This is a well-developed story, it took on the main character from thinking she was chasing Mr. Right who was so very wrong and friends that were really frienemies. This story just goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover and those with outer-beauty can be just as ugly within.
When the Beautiful Awake - Angela Kay Austin
Rated: 1 star
Dates read: August 7, 2017
This is the first read for me by this author and a very disappointing read for me. This story had a lot going on with it and became hard for me to follow the plot. In my opinion the title "When the Beautiful Awake" did not fit the story line. I can say that I will continue with the rest of this story.
Falling for the Reaper - Adrienne D’nelle Ruvalcaba
Rated: 3 stars
Dates read: August 7-11, 2017
This is the first read for me by this author. It was good but not great, the flow of the story was hard to follow as one scene flowed right into another without a break in between and because of this, I struggled reading this story. This story is about a young girl that is tricked into an eternity of servitude and she is tricked mad me a little angry. When she goes to guide a soul into the afterlife she comes across her soulmate and things start to take an interesting turn for them both. This story is not without its heartbreak, moments of sadness for the heroine and unexpected happy ending.
His to Claim - Stephanie Morris
Rated: 4 stars
Dates read: August 11-12, 2017
His to Claim was a good read that could have been better especially with the paranormal aspect of this story. What I found to be unrealistic about this story is that the heroine using paranormal romance book provided by her friend to prepare her for potentially meeting a shifter of any kind.
I rated this story four stars because it is a good story that could have been better than it was. The heroine's reaction when he turned in a wolf before her eyes were way too anti-climatic, but her disbelief at believing that it was real even though he told her and her friend told her and she saw for herself when he changed...her denial was real. I may read the rest of the books in the Mated series to see how the other book s pan out.
Warlocks: The Creole Coven -Â Â Latrivia Welch
Rated: 4.5 stars
Dates read: September 2-3, 2017
I missed this story somehow when I read the others. What a story and something different from author Latrivia Welch. A reporter chasing a story of mysterious deaths of four women based off of information she received mysteriously heads down to NOLA. She checks into the New Bourbon Hotel the scene of the deaths. She finds more than she bargains for in the mysterious hotel owners son and the information she uncovers has she seeks answers during her interviews with the locals and the families of the four women.
I really wish there were more to this book. This book is for anyone who likes a good paranormal story of unexpected discovery.
This is my review and how I see it.
The Beast Within - Laverne Thompson
Rated: 4.5 Stars
Date read: August 2, 2017
Two families intertwined by an act that no one really knows the entire story behind their connection. The males of one family despicable act led to a curse to last the ages and could only be broken by a descendant of the family who placed the curse. Cable and Lissette felt a pull toward each other like they had never felt before. One night in Cable's club we change their lives and set them on a course of love they never expected to find. Where is good, evil always lives in the shadows...and there is one such evil that will do everything in his power to make sure that Cable is out of the way and he can have Lissette all to himself...whether she wants him or not.
In Another Time - Sage Young
Rated: 4.5 Stars
Date read: August 2, 2017
The story proved that love does not know time nor color. Jasper and Clarissa were robbed of a life of love by a jealous and evil woman. They met during a time where their union in the eyes of certain people would be an abomination. Yet, the Jasper met the woman of his dreams in Clarissa and desired to have her even though his parents have pledged him to another. Their love would be short lived due to jealous and the young lovers would be separated in death be a wicked soul. Some two hundred years later, by fate, they would meet again and not understand the pull toward each other. As Charlotte tried to fight against her attraction to James, there are dark forces afoot. Will love conquer all or will evil finally win the day?
The Elixir of Life, Legacy: Origin - S. Campbell Williams
Rated: 1 Star
Dates read: August 2-3, 2017
I had a hard time with this story. The deity that the lead female character appealed too played a game with her life in such a way that she almost entered a life that she vowed never to participate. They played with her life like it was a toy and theirs to do with as they pleased and gave no thought to whether or not she would survive the outcome of their little wager.
Blood Ties - Phoenix Daniels
Rated: 4.5 stars
Dates read: August 3, 2017
I love a good book by this author...I mean she can write her assets off. At first, I thought this was going to be on of those reincarnation type of stories; however, it wasn't that is was so much more. A police dispatcher rushes to NOLA to see about her grandmother as she is told she is ill and may not have long to live. While home her life as she knows it changes and she high tales it back to Chicago. Even though she saw vampires and a werewolf she refuses to believe in their existence. Things happen which drive her back to NOLA and from there, things start to get very interesting...! You have got to read this story to find out what happens next.
Spellbound - Reana Malori
Rated: 4.5 stars
Dates read: August 3-4, 2017
This story puts me in the mind of "be careful of what you wish for because you just might get it." Two lovers what the same thing, but they are both hesitant about going after what they each so desperately want. This is until a trip to NOLA for a mutual friends wedding and each is drawn to Madam Sophie's shop. I could feel the pain and the anguish of rolling off the character.
Love Bites - Twyla Turner
Rated: 4.5 stars
Dates read: August 6, 2017
Something new and different from author Twyla Turner's story Love Bites takes a new spin on love in the paranormal. This is a well-developed story, it took on the main character from thinking she was chasing Mr. Right who was so very wrong and friends that were really frienemies. This story just goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover and those with outer-beauty can be just as ugly within.
When the Beautiful Awake - Angela Kay Austin
Rated: 1 star
Dates read: August 7, 2017
This is the first read for me by this author and a very disappointing read for me. This story had a lot going on with it and became hard for me to follow the plot. In my opinion the title "When the Beautiful Awake" did not fit the story line. I can say that I will continue with the rest of this story.
Falling for the Reaper - Adrienne D’nelle Ruvalcaba
Rated: 3 stars
Dates read: August 7-11, 2017
This is the first read for me by this author. It was good but not great, the flow of the story was hard to follow as one scene flowed right into another without a break in between and because of this, I struggled reading this story. This story is about a young girl that is tricked into an eternity of servitude and she is tricked mad me a little angry. When she goes to guide a soul into the afterlife she comes across her soulmate and things start to take an interesting turn for them both. This story is not without its heartbreak, moments of sadness for the heroine and unexpected happy ending.
His to Claim - Stephanie Morris
Rated: 4 stars
Dates read: August 11-12, 2017
His to Claim was a good read that could have been better especially with the paranormal aspect of this story. What I found to be unrealistic about this story is that the heroine using paranormal romance book provided by her friend to prepare her for potentially meeting a shifter of any kind.
I rated this story four stars because it is a good story that could have been better than it was. The heroine's reaction when he turned in a wolf before her eyes were way too anti-climatic, but her disbelief at believing that it was real even though he told her and her friend told her and she saw for herself when he changed...her denial was real. I may read the rest of the books in the Mated series to see how the other book s pan out.
Warlocks: The Creole Coven -Â Â Latrivia Welch
Rated: 4.5 stars
Dates read: September 2-3, 2017
I missed this story somehow when I read the others. What a story and something different from author Latrivia Welch. A reporter chasing a story of mysterious deaths of four women based off of information she received mysteriously heads down to NOLA. She checks into the New Bourbon Hotel the scene of the deaths. She finds more than she bargains for in the mysterious hotel owners son and the information she uncovers has she seeks answers during her interviews with the locals and the families of the four women.
I really wish there were more to this book. This book is for anyone who likes a good paranormal story of unexpected discovery.
This is my review and how I see it.
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