Tag: paranormal

Book Reviews, Products I love!!

Book Review Tempted by Vanessa Vale & Renee Rose

Megan Nicole

Book 2 of the Two Marks series

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: adult cowboy shifter romance

Romance:⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reading rate:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The book is short & fast paced, I finished in one sitting

Recommend if you like: Psy-changling, A Drop of Magic

This was a really fun ménage shifter romance.it is the type of book that focuses mainly on the romance plot between the main characters and less on other plot. Even so I think a great job giving extra story line was done.it was quite predicable inconsistencies but still overall enjoyable d great for what it was.

– I did not realize this was the second book in the series until after I finished it, even so I did not feel I was missing any information to enjoy Tempted.

– I loved that the FMC is a Wolf Biologist it was real fun that she was a nerdy girl and that she already had so much lane for women.

– the book started right from the beginning with the steam between characters. There were ménage scenes but nothing dark.

– I am definitely interested to see more of what happens pack in future installments.

Synopsis:

We see a female, we want her.
We scent a female, we claim her.
We touch a female, we give her two marks.
Because in our pack, shifters share.
Two cowboys for every mate.

Renee Rose and Vanessa Vale are back with more steamy shifter cowboys! Be sure to read Wolf Ranch, then swing by Two Marks, Wyoming. Because you know it’s going to be hot. Possessive. Wild. Times two. Everything you want in romance… and more.

  Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, Barnes & Noble!

Amazon: http://vanessavaleauthor.com/v/1hv
Apple Books: http://vanessavaleauthor.com/v/1hw
Nook: http://vanessavaleauthor.com/v/1hy
Kobo: http://vanessavaleauthor.com/v/1hx
Google Play: http://vanessavaleauthor.com/v/1hz

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2RnYQmT

Get the prequel Untamed for FREE!
https://vanessavaleauthor.com/book/untamed/

Book Reviews, Products I love!!

Book Review: Haven by Mary Lindsey

Megan Nicole
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Overall ****

Reading Rate: ****

Romance: ****

Recommend if you liked: Crave series, Shiver, Shadowhunters

This was a dark yet fun and fast paced YA paranormal story with a pretty decent amount of romance.

What I liked:

  • I enjoyed the characters and the darkness of the world. The kids deal with difficult and heartbreaking situations and the story even got a little creepy reading at times at night.
  • Unique magic system
  • It was really fun for me that the story is based in Texas since that is where I am from

What I struggled with:

  • Similar to issues in the Shadowhunters books there is a lot of people stuck in their old ways and a large lack of communication.

While the ending did wrap up nicely it left things open for more story, I was ready to learn more about the world and see what mayhem the characters encountered next.

Thank you to Mary Lindsey and Entangled Teen for a copy of Haven in exchanged for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: We all hold a beast inside. The only difference is what form it takes when freed.

Rain Ryland has never belonged anywhere, He’s used to people judging him for his rough background, his intimidating size, and now, his orphan status. He’s always been on the outside, looking in, and he’s fine with that. Until he moves to New Wurzburg and meets Friederike Burkhart.

Freddie isn’t like normal teen girls, though. And someone wants her dead for it. Freddie warns he’d better stay far away if he wants to stay alive, but Rain’s never been good at running from trouble. For the first time, Rain has something worth fighting for, worth living for. Worth dying for.

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Book Review: Hollow Heathens by Nicole Fiorina

Megan Nicole

Hollow Heathens (The Tales of Weeping Hollow #1) by Nicole Fiorina 

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  • Overall: *****
  • Romance: ****
  • Reading Rate: *****
  • Pages: 571
  • Recommend if you like: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Punk 57, Shadowhunters

Guys you know I do not give out 5 star ratings lightly so was so pleasantly surprised when this book just blew me away. I have been on a huge dark romance kick and basically reading anything recommend by @ashhob1229 on Instagram. After hearing her rave about Hollow Heathens and Fallon and Julian I had to give it a shot.

I was also super excited to get back to some paranormal with my dark romance. The story starts out with Fallon driving to the mysterious town of Weeping Hollow to take care of her ailing Grandfather. Fallon’s Nanny had told her bedtime stories about the town but she wrote them off as pure fantasy and soon discovers there may be more to the stories than she thought as she tries to settle in amongst the strange residents and the Heathens.

What I loved:

  • I love the creepy aesthetic of the whole town and the world building
  • The mystery and the angst are so so good!
  • The characters, I love that Fallon is unusual… I mean she is a mortician! Please don’t get me started on Julian
  • The romance! While the characters are adults there is a lot of innocence about them so it reads more like a YA story with some adult content.

What I struggled with:

  • I did not struggle but I think some folks could struggle with the lack of information you have throughout the book. It is so so worth it so push through!

Guys I could not put this book down! I was terrified about how the story was going to end and just knew I was going to be totally crushed!!! While this book can be read a a standalone Fiorina will be writing more stories in the same world. In the meantime I am going to go read everything else she has written to try and cure my hangover.

Synopsis:

A forbidden, timeless, and haunting love story.

Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Fallon who was taken far away from home shortly after she was born.

A home that held more than strange traditions and bizarre superstitions.

Twenty-four years later, she returned to Weeping Hollow, a town she’d only heard about in stories during restless nights under a marble moon, in the middle of the night to take care of her last living relative.

They called the nosy mortician a freakshow–a ghastly thing.

They said I couldn’t go near her.

Still, there was this aching pull to Fallon Grimaldi that I couldn’t escape.

A nostalgic pull as if we’d been here before.

Once upon a time, there lived a mysterious boy named Julian with a curse as old as centuries wrapped around his soul.

He was one of the four Hollow Heathens, the very dark creatures who caused the town’s people to live in fear.

And the Blackwell name was stained with darkness and death.

They called him a monster. Cold and hollow.

They said I shouldn’t go near him.

Still, there was this aching pull to Julian Blackwell that I couldn’t escape.

A nostalgic pull as if we’d been here before.

 

Have you read any books by Nicole Fiorina? If so, what did you think?

Book Reviews, Products I love!!

Book Review: Crave by Tracy Wolff

Megan Nicole

Crave (Crave #1) by Tracy Wolff

  • Overall rating : ****
  • Reading rate: *****
  • Romance:*****
  • Pages: 592
  • Release date: April 7, 2020
  • Publisher: Entangled: Teen
  • Recommended if you liked: Jennifer L. Armentrout works, Vampire Academy

This book was all over Instagram and I kept hearing great things so I had to hop on board. This book has been blurbed as a comparable to Twilight and while the cover does very closely resemble the series I didn’t find a lot of similarities outside of a few specific references.

What I liked:

  • INTALOVE!! Total sucker for it and there was some definite steam…. Jaxon (swoon)
  • Fun and fast paced, I don’t think there was a lull in action the whole book.
  • Left with a smidgen of a cliffhanger but not so much I was dying to know what happens next… I will 1005 be grabbing the next book to find out though.
  • I often struggle with a lack of information on a world, but the book is written so you are finding things out as the MC does so everything still made sense and flowed well…. I cant wait to learn more in future installments.
  • I also loved the bit of extra content after the end from Jaxon’s perspective.

What I struggled with:

  • A bit predicable
  • Dated writing, really targeted references and writing style for the current teen crowd. Made me feel too old to be reading the novel and I think will put off a lot of non YA aged YA fans

Overall it is not a work of literary art or anything of that caliber but if you are looking for a fun and fast paced Paranormal Romance read i highly recommend! The title and cover for book #2 Crush have already been released and I will 100% be reading as soon as it is released.

Synopsis:

My whole world changed when I stepped inside the academy. Nothing is right about this place or the other students in it. Here I am, a mere mortal among gods…or monsters. I still can’t decide which of these warring factions I belong to, if I belong at all. I only know the one thing that unites them is their hatred of me.

Then there’s Jaxon Vega. A vampire with deadly secrets who hasn’t felt anything for a hundred years. But there’s something about him that calls to me, something broken in him that somehow fits with what’s broken in me.

Which could spell death for us all.

Because Jaxon walled himself off for a reason. And now someone wants to wake a sleeping monster, and I’m wondering if I was brought here intentionally—as the bait. 

Book Reviews, Products I love!!

Book Review: Storybound by Emily McKay

Megan Nicole

Storybound (Book #1) by Emily McKay

  • Overall: ****
  • Romance: *
  • Reading Rate: ****
  • Pages: 320
  • Publisher:  Entangled: Teen
  • Release Date: May 5th 2020
  • Recommend if you like: The Unicorn Chronicles
  • Purchase on Amazon here

Such as cute book!!! This book is on the younger side of the YA scale but was still a fun and unique read for all ages. What book lover can’t relate to wishing they could get sucked into their favorite series and meeting their Book Boyfriend?

What I liked:

  • The whole premise of the book is super fun and they way the author tied the parallel worlds together
  • I feel like it was a little love letter to use bookworms.
  • Really fast paced story all the way through, I almost finished the entire book the first night I picked it up.

What I struggled with:

  • There was still a lot left unsaid and unknown, but this is the first book in a series so I am sure a lot more information to come in future installments.

The book did wrap up in a way that left me satisfied (no cliffhanger) while leaving the door wide open for a lot more. I will definitely be on the look out for future books in this series to find out what happens next!

Synopsis:

I’ve lived in nine towns in the past six years. I know my mom feels bad about it, but I don’t mind. Who wants friends anyway?

All I’ve ever needed are my books. I’ve lived a thousand lives, had adventures I couldn’t even begin to imagine. To me, the places I discovered between the pages of a book are as real as the world I live in.

When I walk into my favorite bookstore, the last thing I expect is to walk out onto the pages of the kingdom of Mithres…or that the book boyfriend I’ve loved more than life, Kane the Traveler, really exists. And he has no clue the fate that awaits him in book five…

Now that I know the truth, I have a chance to save Kane. But if I change the story, will I ever find my way home?

 

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled:Teen for a copy of Storybound in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Reviews, Products I love!!

A Drop of Magic by L.R. Braden Book Review

Megan Nicole

A Drop of Magic (The Magicsmith #1) by  L.R. Braden

  • A Drop of Magic (The Magicsmith Book 1) by [L.R. Braden]Overall: *****
  • Romance: *
  • Reading Rate: ***** I read almost the entire book in a single day
  • Pages: 236
  • Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
  • Publication Date: July 31, 2019
  • Recommend if you liked: Mercy Thompson Series
  • Purchase on Amazon here

Action packed from start to finish, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! This was a fun and fast paced paranormal mystery.

In a post Human/Fae war world Alex is a metal smith who forms an unlikely partnership with a Fae Knight to solve the murder of a close friend. Alex is constantly discovering that everything is not as it seems…Fae, werewolves and I have a feeling more to come in the next books (and hopefully some romance)!

Braden did a great job of building the world without leaving you lost with the complexities. I can’t believe this is her first book and I cannot wait to dive into the sequel.

Synopsis: The war isn’t over . . .

With the world clinging to a fragile peace forced on the Fae by humanity after the Faerie Wars, metalsmith Alex Blackwood is plunged into the world of the half-fae who traffick in illegal magical artifacts. Her best friend’s murder and his cryptic last message place her in the crosshairs of a scheme to reignite the decade-old war between humans and fae.

Worse, violent attacks against her and the arrival of a fae knight on a mission force Alex to face a devastating revelation of who and what she is. To catch a killer, retrieve a dangerous artifact, and stop a war, Alex will have to accept that she’s an unregistered fae “halfer” with a unique magical talent—a talent that would change everything she believes about her past, her art, and her future.

Her world is crumbling around her, and Alex will have to decide who to trust if she and the world are going to survive.

Book Boxes, Bookish Merch, Products I love!!

Bite Me Box- February Unboxing and Review

Megan Nicole

Bite Me Box- February Unboxing and Review

Bite Me Box Dystopian Romance Unboxing and Review

  • Theme: Dystopian Romance
  • Overall: ***
  • Cost: $55 USD shipping included
  • Quality of items: ***
  • Shipping: *** They struggled a bit with shipping for this months box. They ship with Fedex which is a down side for me as I always seem to have challenges with them. My box arrived damaged and they responded very quickly at first saying they would get replacements out. I reached out to follow up over a week later and the request had not yet been put in, but was successful this time and I received the replacement items in a bubble envelope a little over a week later.
  • Value for the money: **** While the box did come with three books that are exclusive prints most of the books chosen for the boxes I have found can be read for free through Kindle Unlimited. So while it is neat to have them in print and often with a signed book plate it is quite costly in comparison.

Whats in the box:…. once you get past that steaming lid…

  • 3 Books with book plates- all Bite me Box Prints
    • Taken by the Alpha by
    • Lawless by Crytstal Ash
    • Wolf Hollow by Nikki Jefford
  • Bio hazard themed lip balm
  • Recyclable Pen with plant seeds
  • Bullet themed metal reusable water bottle
  • Bag of provisions (Tootsie rolls)
  • Bite me box charm
  • Packet of extra content from the authors
  • Signed book mark from Crystal Ash

Bite Me Box Dystopian Romance Unboxing and Review

Bite Me Box has decided to take a hiatus like many other bookish companies due to concerns and shipping delays due to COVID-19. They advised they also plan to do some revamping and come back ever better than before. While this box was not a 5 star for me, I enjoyed others that I have seen and will for sure be giving them another try when they come back.

Have you tried Bite Me Box? Or are there other adult boxes you think I should try out?

Book Reviews, Products I love!!

Blood & Ash (The Jezebel Files #1) Book Review

Megan Nicole

Blood & Ash (The Jezebel Files #1) by Deborah Wilde

Blood & Ash Book ReviewOverall: ***

Romance: ***

Reading Rate: **

Pages: 316

Publisher: Te Da Media

Release date: 1/14/2020

Recommend if you liked: Wicked Trilogy by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I am a sucker for a fast paced PNR read and had high hopes for this book, but it fell a bit short for me. It is listed as an adult book and while there was adult content the MC acted more like someone in her teens vs a 30 something. While the story suggested she was very educated and cultured her rash decisions and language suggested otherwise.

I really liked where the author was going with the Sherlock Holmes theme and while the world dynamic of Nefesh (those with magic) and regular humans without was not a new concept I liked the spin that the author put on it. It seemed like I came in on an existing storyline and was missing a lot of background on the world, but hopefully more will continue to be filled in throughout this series.

Overall I enjoyed the story but the lack of background information and the MC’s internal monologue kept me from getting sucked in and really enjoying the book. I think if there was less focus on the MC’s internal feelings and more focus on the mystery/case it would go a long way in making this a very interesting binge worthy series in future books.

Synopsis:

Cold-blooded kidnappers. Long-lost magic. When things get serious, she goes full Sherlock.

Ashira Cohen takes pride in being the only female private investigator in Vancouver. With her skills, her missing persons case should be a piece of cake.

She wasn’t counting on getting bashed in the skull, revealing a hidden tattoo and supernatural powers she shouldn’t possess.

Or the bitter icing on top: a spree of abductions and terrifying ghostly creatures on a deadly bender.

And don’t even get her started on the golems.

Reluctantly partnered with her long-time nemesis Levi, the infuriating leader of the magic community, Ash resolves to keep her focus on the clue trail and off their sexual tension because WTF is up with that?

But with a mastermind organization pulling strings from the shadows and Levi’s arrogance driving her to pick out his body bag, can Ash rescue the captives and uncover the truth or will the next blood spilled be her own?

Blood & Ash will be available though Amazon Kindle Unlimited. Try your first month of Kindle Unlimited free here!

Thank you to NetGally and Te Da Media for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Reverie by Ryan La Sala Book Review

Megan Nicole

 

Reverie by Ryan La Sala Book ReviewOverall: ***

Romance: *

Reading Rate: ***

Pages: 416

Recommend if you liked: I am Number Four series

Release Date: December 3, 2019

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Purchase on Amazon here

What I liked:

  • I enjoyed the premise of Reverie and the overall story line, the “reveries” were a unique and whimsical element.
  • The plot of Reverie draws you in from the very beginning as you start out with the main character’s POV right after a mysterious incident and the loss of his memory. As you being to meet more characters you are left wondering what is real and who to trust, I just had to know how it ended!

What I struggled with: The characters and world building are where I struggled.

  • I found the characters, especially the MC Kane very immature and tended to fall back in rushed and repeated emotions.
  • I would have enjoyed the book much more if the characters acted more mature and had been really built out. There were hints at complex characters with complicated pasts that defined who they were now, there just was no real chance to get to know them in the single book.
  • The book was really focused around one part of a larger issue. I feel they won a battle but were not even sure what the war was just yet.
  • There were also a lot of questions let open about how the Reverie’s and Posey came about although room is left for more books in the same world that might explain later.

Synopsis:

All Kane Montgomery knows for certain is that the police found him half-dead in the river. He can’t remember how he got there, what happened after, and why his life seems so different now. And it’s not just Kane who’s different, the world feels off, reality itself seems different. 

As Kane pieces together clues, three almost-strangers claim to be his friends and the only people who can truly tell him what’s going on. But as he and the others are dragged into unimaginable worlds that materialize out of nowhere—the gym warps into a subterranean temple, a historical home nearby blooms into a Victorian romance rife with scandal and sorcery—Kane realizes that nothing in his life is an accident. And when a sinister force threatens to alter reality for good, they will have to do everything they can to stop it before it unravels everything they know. 

This wildly imaginative debut explores what happens when the secret worlds that people hide within themselves come to light.

Thank you to Net Galley and Sourcebooks Fire for a copy of Reverie in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Fighting Destiny- Fae Chronicles Book 1 Review

Megan Nicole

Fighting Destiny by Amelia Hutchins- Book 1 of the Fae Chronicles Series

Fighting Destiny Fae Chronicles Book ReviewOverall: ****

Romance: *****

Reading Rate: *****

Pages: 394

Release Date: June 4th 2013

Purchase on Amazon here 

I recommend if you liked: The Bargainer Series

HOLY STEAM!!!! Not safe for work and not safe for kids/YA. I enjoyed this book so much and immediately had to dive in a binge read the others in the series! This is 100% an adult romance book lots of steam, gore, and Oh Dear, Rhyder! This was a fast paced paranormal romance story with an extra dark twist to it.

What I liked:

  • I enjoyed the darkness of the story you know you are going to lose people and that everyone might not get a happy ending.
  • Lots and lots of steam!
  • Amelia had an interesting take on Fae and other creatures being integrated into the human world.

What I struggled with:

  • This book and the whole series take the steamy scenes to quite a dark place that could also be triggers or just taken to far for a lot of readers.
  • There is always a little cliche in these types or paranormal romances, which I don’t mind at all but if you are looking for something to break the mold this is not it.
  • The Female MC certainly makes some rash choices running headlong into danger and being stubborn.

The author is working on the final book in this series to be released soon. She has also written several standalone spin offs as well as other series that are spin offs but tie into the overall story line of the world. Amelia is also a hilarious social media follow and is very active with her fans, but just like her books she is NSFW 🙂

Synopsis:

Have you ever heard of the old Celtic legends of the Fae—beautiful, magical, and deadly creatures that have a love of messing with humans just for kicks and giggles?

Welcome to my world.

What started out as a strange assignment, lead to one of the most gruesome murder mysteries of our times. My friends and I are set and determined to find out who is killing off Fae and Witches alike.

Couple of problems in the way – I hate the Fae and the Prince of the Dark Fae is bound and determined that I work for him. He’s a rude, overbearing egotistical ass with a compulsive need to possess, dominate and control me. Oh—did I mention that he is absolutely sex-on-a-stick gorgeous and he makes me feel things that I never ever wanted to feel for a Fae… every time he touches me or looks at me with those dangerous golden eyes he seems to pull me further in under his spell, despite my better judgment.

My friends and I can’t trust anyone and nothing is as it seems on the surface—not even me.