BOOK REVIEW ~ BLIND WOLF SERIES BY AUBREY ROSE

Title: Blind Wolf (The Complete 4 Book Paranormal Shifter Romance Boxed Set)

Author: Aubrey Rose

Publisher: Fido Publishing

Release Date: December 23, 2013

Genre: Paranormal Shifter Romance

eBook format

ARC provided by NetGalley

Book Blurb (Book One)~ Blind Wolf

Julia has never been on a date in her life. She's a curvy girl with no money, no education, and no way out of the town she works in as a library assistant... until Damien shows up. He's just like the prince charming Julia always imagined would sweep her off of her feet. There are just a few things standing in the way of true happiness: he's blind, he's dating someone, and he's WAY out of her league.Oh, and he's a werewolf. Damien lost his eyes two years ago in a wolf battle. Ever since then, the straggler pack of disabled wolves he leads has been searching for a place to call home. One house seems like the perfect choice, but Damien realizes too late that the person who lives there is the girl he met at the library. The human girl. Damien is torn between loyalty to his pack and raw lusting desire for the girl who haunts his dreams day and night. She's a human. How could she be his true mate?

Book Blurb (Book Two)~ Perfect Mate

Julia always thought that she was human. When the blind leader of a pack of straggling misfits claims her as his one true mate, she accepts that she is in love with Damien despite their radical differences. But after another shifter wolf attacks them, he points to her as he dies and utters words that will change Julia's life forever:  "...she's not what you think she is..."

Book Blurb (Book Three) ~Human Shifter

Julia and Damien are aching to start a family, but Julia's shifting ability has been suppressed for years. Despite the danger, she ventures out on a quest to find the werewitch who took away her ability to shift, so that she can get it back... and have a child with her one true mate.

Book Blurb (Book Four) ~ Alpha's Child

Julia just found out that she is pregnant with the alpha's child.
Damien's pack of misfit wolves has finally settled down into their territory.

Nothing could be better...until everything goes wrong.

Book Review 

I really, really liked the premise of this story. A sexy, Alpha wolf (shifter) who was blind. I hadn't seen it done before, so my interest was definitely peaked before beginning this series.

Julia is the quintessential shy, plain, overweight heroine, who has never had a relationship with the opposite sex. She lives with her grandmother and works at the local college library, where she meets a good looking stranger, Damien. He is unlike the typical college jocks that frequent the library--he is simply stunning. Julia feels she has finally met her prince charming. When she discovers that a beautiful and thin woman is waiting on her sexy stranger, Julia realizes that he was never her prince to begin with.

Damien immediately senses that the woman helping him at the library could be his mate. But when he finds out she is human, he feels the Calling has gotten it wrong. Shifters were never mated with humans.
Damien needs to put the beautiful stranger out of his mind and focus his attention to finding a place for him and his pack to settle. And as Alpha to this small pack, he must also choose his mate.

Despite the promising premise of this book, I just could not get into the characters (Damien and Julia). Julia's constant pessimistic attitude towards herself was off-putting. I was hoping for a stronger character--one who not only accepts herself and what she thinks she lacks, but who would stand up for herself and believe she was capable of love. And the fact that Damien also suffers from low self-esteem just made it worse.

Another bothersome issue for me was the fact that I felt Damien only wanted to be with Julia because he was her mate. They had an instant connection, instant sex, instant relationship. It just didn't fly for me and made everything seemed rushed. The story itself is filled with lots of holes and could have been presented a lot better. Blind Wolf was a difficult-to-finish series plagued with difficult-to-like characters.

BOOK REVIEW ~ UNDONE BY SHANNON RICHARD

Title: Undone
Author: Shannon Richard
Publisher: Forever Yours
Release Date: July 2, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance
eBook, 368 pages

ARC provided by NetGalley

Book Blurb


Things Paige Morrison will never understand about Mirabelle, Florida:

Why wearing red shoes makes a girl a harlot
Why a shop would ever sell something called "buck urine"
Why everywhere she goes, she runs into sexy-and infuriating-Brendan King

After losing her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend, Paige has no choice but to leave Philadelphia and move in with her retired parents. For an artsy outsider like Paige, finding her place in the tightly knit town isn't easy-until she meets Brendan, the hot mechanic who's interested in much more than Paige's car. In no time at all, Brendan helps Paige find a new job, new friends, and a happiness she wasn't sure she'd ever feel again. With Brendan by her side, Paige finally feels like she can call Mirabelle home. But when a new bombshell drops, will the couple survive, or will their love come undone?

Book Review

Undone is a contemporary love story that has humor, a sexy mechanic, sarcasm, and romance.

Paige comes to Mirabelle, Florida, where her parents have retired, with a black cloud of doom following her. She has lost almost everything--job, boyfriend, and a place to live--but has a feisty attitude.  When her car breaks down (black cloud of DOOM), she is rescued by the charming Brendan King. Despite his wicked smile, Paige meets him tit for tat, and the sparks fly.

The small town of Mirabelle hasn't been kind to Paige as she is turned away from job interview to job interview. The small mindedness of the town cause tension between Paige and some of the locals. Just when everything seems to be crashing around her, Brendan lends a hand and finds her a job.

Brendan likes the fact that Paige is different. Her uniqueness intrigues him. And when the two start hanging out, there is an obvious sexual tension between them.

Mirabelle is filled with some quirky (albeit cliched) characters: Sometimes the humor had me laughing out loud, sometimes...not so much. The slow pacing of the story hindered my enjoyment of the story. I love small town stories. They can be charming and nostalgic for me. But I felt that sometimes Richard relied on stereotypes instead of layering her characters with some individuality.  And I may be wayyyy off base here with what I say next, so take it as that constructive criticism that it is: I think that if Shannon Richard concentrates on making the next book (Undeniable) it's "own" story and not try to reproduce something similar to the plethora of new adult books floating out there, she may have a shot of penning a really great series.

Despite the issues I had with Undone, it wasn't all bad. It had moments that were funny, charming, and made a great read. There is definite potential for this series. As it is, this first book just didn't hold my attention as I'd hoped.

BOOK REVIEW ~ WHAT GOES ON TOUR BY CLAIRE BOSTON

Title: What Goes On Tour
Author: Claire Boston
Publisher: Momentum Moonlight
Release Date: February 11, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance
eBook, 282 pages

ARC provided by NetGalley

Book Blurb

What goes on tour, stays on tour … or does it?

Few people know that socially awkward Adrian Hart is actually rock god Kent Downer, and that's the way Adrian likes it. His privacy is essential, especially now that he has guardianship of his orphaned, ten-year-old niece, Kate. But when the nanny quits in the middle of his tour Adrian finds himself in a bind.

Until Libby Myles walks into his life.

Libby has only ever wanted to become a full-time author and prove to her parents that she can make it on her own. On the surface, the temporary job as the nanny for Kent Downer's niece looks perfect—the pay is fabulous, the hours are short and Kate is a big fan—it's the rock star that's the issue.

Arrogant and way too attractive for anyone's good, Kent Downer has enough swagger to power a small city. But when he's out of costume he's different—shy and uncertain. For Libby it's a far harder combination to resist. She needs to find a balance between work, writing and ignoring her attraction to the rock star, because if she falls for him, it could mean the end of her dream.

But when a horrible scandal is unleashed—putting young Kate in danger—there's more heat between Libby and Adrian than just sexual attraction. Libby must figure out if Adrian ever cared for her, or if it was all just part of the show …

Book Review 

Adrian Hart has a secret. In one "life", he is a rock God. When he takes the stage, he becomes Kent Downer, and women scream for his attention. His voice is as hypnotic as his lyrics.

But once he leaves the stage, he washes away his make-up and his persona--Kent Downer--and does his best to take care of his niece, Kate.  After the death of his brother and his wife, Adrian is the sole guardian of the adorable Kate. She is smart, funny, and loves her Uncle Adrian. But life on the road is tough as Adrian struggles to do right by Katie.

Libby Myles is a children's  author on her book tour in Australia. She struggles making ends meet with temp jobs as she writes a popular series under a closing deadline. Her spot on a talk show brings her face to face with a sexy rocker who makes her heart beat a little faster. When the lights on the talk show go wonky, causing a black-out, Kent panics and Libby reaches out to soothe the mysterious man. All the time she wonders how someone as famous as Kent Downer can experience such terror in the dark.

When Katie finds out that her uncle met her favorite author, she makes it known that she wants to meet her at a local book signing. And when unique circumstances keep pushing these two characters together, Libby finds herself offering to help Adrian out when he finds himself without a nanny.

I love the way Boston wrote Adrian, aka Kent. As Adrian he is awkward, sort of shy, and adorable as hell. But when he puts on his "Kent", he is the total rock star package. And it is the real Adrian that has caught Libby's heart.

Kate, as a secondary character was a key component to this story. Her adoration of Libby was adorable to read. And Libby's obvious loving nature shined through when taking care of Kate.

But I had trouble feeling the passion between Libby and Adrian. It came across luke-warm and could have been layered with more sexual tension. I am not singling out the fact that the characters have sex behind "closed doors". You can write a really great story without an erotic love scene. But I just didn't feel that sizzle between them that I hoped for. Boston focused more on their relationship and how it affected Katie, which is an important key. But the entire relationship between Libby and Adrian was just too sweet for me.

If you like the lack of angst and just want a pure and sweet romance, What Goes On Tour will be the book for you.

ARC BOOK REVIEW ~ PRETTY DARK NOTHING BY HEATHER L. REID

Title: Pretty Dark Nothing

Author: Heather L. Reid

Release Date: April 23, 2013

ARC provided by NetGalley

It’s been twenty three days since Quinn has slept for more than minutes at a time. Demons have invaded her dreams, stalking her, and whispering of her death. The lack of sleep and crippling fear are ruining her life. Energy drinks and caffeine pills don’t make a dent. When Quinn dozes off in the school hallway, Aaron, an amnesiac with a psychic ability, accidentally enters her nightmare. The demons are determined to keep them apart, and Aaron from discovering the secret locked away in his memory. Together, they could banish the darkness back to the underworld for good. That is, unless the demons kill them first.

Book Review

The eerie cover attracted me on the spot. I love the colors, the wisps of fog, and the young girl lying on a large tombstone. Intriguing. After reading the blurb, I had to read it. It sounded dark, disturbing, and different. Right up my alley as an avid reader. 

Quinn has been seeing demons in her dreams. Nightmares that are described with a superb eeriness by the author. These demons are taunting Quinn and now they are spilling over into her waking hours. And Quinn can no longer tell her dreams from real life. 

Quinn's long relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Jeff, is over. Her father has left her and her mother for a younger woman. And people are starting to talk about her in school. She feels lost and abandoned with the exception of her best friend. Now she has been put on probation as captain of the cheer leading squad. And the battles with the demons are worsening each day. 

Aaron has a crush on Quinn. But he's afraid to ask her out. And it doesn't help that Quinn hasn't gotten over her ex, Jeff. So he watches from the sidelines, so to speak, and pines away for a girl he will never have. But he cannot stop the pull she seems to have over him and despite his inner arguments that he is better off, he rescues her one night and kisses Quinn. There is a definite spark--a connection. 

One beautiful night, Aaron whisks Quinn away on his bike and the two share a romantic moment under the stars. Aaron confides to Quinn his darkest secret--about the night his mother and little sister were killed in a car accident, leaving him 'dying', only to be brought back to life with no memory of his past. Feeling hopeless and desperate, he tries to take his own life, and again, fails to die. He feels that he survived twice for some purpose. 

Quinn wants desperately to reach out to Aaron. She can see herself falling in love with this boy. But the demons are not happy that Aaron is in the picture. They torment Quinn, and stop her from telling Aaron her biggest secret--the nightmarish hallucinations that plague her and the demons that won't leave her alone. 

From here, the story fell apart for me when Jeff makes an appearance and tries to make amends with Quinn. He wants her back. And Kiersten, Jeff's new girlfriend, has made Quinn's life a living hell. She is determined to keep Jeff and Quinn from reuniting by revealing a huge secret of her own. 

Despite the macabre theme that bordered on too-much narration, the romance of Quinn and Aaron fell flat for me. There wasn't a balance of paranormal and romance. Too much time was spent on the dreams, the hallucinations, and the voices that Quinn heard. There wasn't enough development on the relationship. And when you get to the end of the story and see what kind of connection these two actually have--I felt cheated. I wanted more of that story. 

And the story only picked back up near the end, when explanations were given as to why Aaron was connected to Quinn. But by then I had lost faith in Quinn and Aaron's relationship. The ending was abrupt and chopped off, leaving a huge cliff hanger that I hope will be resolved in another book. 

Overall, Pretty Dark Nothing is heavy on the unearthly but light on the romance.