Runes by Ednah Walters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Imagine... 17 years old, missing father, erratic mother, best friend has moved across town from the house next door, and NOW a gorgeous, mysterious guy moves in to your BFF's former home. Strange happenings are only the beginning for Raine!

With a strong Norse-based mythology Ednah has created a fun, fast-paced read about coming of age, and learning not everything is as you've been led to believe. This book grabbed me from the get-go, and was so awesome I had to start the second book minutes later!

I've just downloaded it to my daughter's Nook, and can't wait to hear what she thinks of it!

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Immortals by Ednah Walters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Raine & Torin are at it again, but they have a few stumbling blocks to get past - like the fact that Torin doesn't remember ever having known Raine...

And, Raine is in for the surprise of her life!

Great read! Can't wait to share this series with my daughter!

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Southern Spirits by Angie Fox
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.* I fell in love with Angie's Demon Slayer series, and was thrilled to be able to review this book prior to release.

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Wow! Great book! Can't wait to read more in this series!

There's a mystery to be solved and spirits to be "tamed". From Verity's spunk (and unusual pet) to Ellis's down-to-earth attitude this story grabs you from the start and makes you want to keep reading. She leaves her fiance at the altar and that's only the beginning of her troubles!

I can normally tell you "who-dun-it" long before the end of the story, and this one took me by surprise!

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Breaking Creed: Introducing Ryder Creed by Alex Kava
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**I received an ARC of Breaking Creed from First To Read in exchange for an honest review.**

I have never read any of Alex Kava's novels prior to this book. I'd heard very good things about Kava, and sometimes read novels in this genre so I thought I'd give it a shot... I was unable to finish this book.

The story is well written, but it didn't hold my interest. The switches between Ryder's POV and Maggie's POV didn't move as smoothly as I would have liked. I managed to get through about half of the book before I set it aside.

I'd say fans of Micheal Crichton, Tom Clancy, and Patricia Cornwell would probably enjoy this book.

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Everything She Does Is Magick by Maggie Shayne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When a trio of matchmaking witches chooses unsuspecting little Nathan McBride as the perfect mate for their baby niece, the future looks rosy indeed–except for one little catch: They must keep him a virgin!
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A VERY quick read. This is a nice story, but I think it could have easily fleshed out into a much longer tale. It is a twist on Sleeping Beauty with some Practical Magic thrown in.

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Brand New Heartache by Maggie Shayne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In high school, Wade Armstrong had been half in love with Edie Brand, even though she barely seemed to notice his existence.

In high school, Edie Brand had been afraid to even look at Wade Armstrong. He was too hot, to smooth, and his reputation of being able to get any girl to say yes on the first date scared the daylights out of her.

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Edie & Wade's story continues the Oklahoma Brands story with a super-feisty couple bent on misunderstanding each other.

The bad boy made good and the highly-successful lingerie model make an excellent pairing in this suspenseful story. Another quick read which lends itself to "spurt reading" which is about all I seem to have time for these days!

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The Brands Who Came For Christmas by Maggie Shayne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.*
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The Oklahoma All-Girl Brands is a six-book, small town, contemporary romance series with shades of HOPE FLOATS and YOU’VE GOT MAIL. Spin off of the bestselling Texas Brand Series.
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Sometimes the best laid plans fall apart.

Maya has been fighting all her life to become "respectable" in a small town with a fairly notorious family. Caleb has spent his life following in the family tradition of politics. In one evening of rebellious behavior for both of them plans... change. Maya and Caleb have come together in a chance meeting that will forever change the direction of their lives. But, before they can come together everything has to seemingly fall apart.
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This was a fairly quick, but enjoyable read. And, yes, there were a few tears. Anyone who enjoys Maggie's writing - and romance in general - will enjoy this story.

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Owlet by Emma Michaels
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*
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Iris has a secret. She lost her memory eight years ago and never told a living soul. After an asthma attack one night she finds out that her dreams of a strange house on a snowy island may be a memory resurfacing but the more she learns about the past the more she realizes the life she has been living is a lie.
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This story has a unique take on the animal/human pairing - there is no actual shape-shifting involved. As a member of the Stryx, Iris was born with two souls - her human soul and an avian soul. Each type of avian soul has very specific characteristics tied to it such as strength, loyalty, or wisdom. When the two souls work together they can make one very strong and intelligent, but when they are at odds...

Raised by her father, Roger, and Diana, a woman she believes to be only her nurse, Iris also has severe asthma and a large portion of missing memories - including the fact that she is Stryx. When her father learns she has been having reoccurring dreams about an island and what looks like snow, but is in fact white feathers, her world as she knows it starts to crumble.

Roger sends Diana and Iris to the island, which is actually where Iris lived as a young girl, and she reunites with Falcon who helps her to learn about herself and her people; come to terms with the changes that have occurred; and gain the strength to overcome what lies ahead.
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I enjoyed this book. It is mild enough for young adults, but engaging enough for adults who enjoy paranormal literature. I plan to suggest it to my daughter who loves reading as much as I do, and loves owls even more.

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Otherworld Nights by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*
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I am a new-comer to Kelley's Otherworld series. I've heard of it - and even have it in my (extremely large) TBR list - but, had not yet managed read any of it. After reading this compilation of short stories it has definitely moved up the list! I do think this would have been a faster read if I'd known the world prior to reading these stories.

I want to know more about Elena & Clay, and how she came to forgive him for taking the choice to change out of her hands. I'd like to know what has shaped their twins into the precocious little kids that they are. (I also can't wait to see how they turn into adults, but I don't think that's in the works as yet!) You get to spend Elena & Clay's honeymoon and a very special Christmas with them. You also meet several other members of their Pack, and get the background story on why Reese has the issues he does.

You meet Adam as a young boy who doesn't know why he has the powers he has, and then meet up with him again as an adult who is trying to come to terms with his relationship with Savannah, a witch who is trying to figure out what she wants out of life.

I also want to know how all of the characters came to know each other as they aren't all of one paranormal subset. (The overwhelming portion of this anthology is devoted to the werewolves, but there are also several short stories about half-demons.)

I don't want to give any spoilers so I will leave it at that.

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Black Spring by Christina Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**I received an ARC in a contest.**

A former Agent of death, Madeline Black now has everything to live for, most importantly, her unborn child. But Chicago has become ground zero in a struggle between ancient creatures, and only Maddy can stop the carnage…
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Maddie is doing her best to dodge assassination attempts while dealing with a seemingly accelerated pregnancy in a household full of males. But, as usual, Lucifer, a mysterious shapeshifter's master, and Alerion have plans to drag her into trouble again.

Christina has once again managed to write a story that pulls you in which is liberally laced with Maddie's & Beezle's patent sarcasm. I found myself laughing out loud and having to read passages to my dad and friends at different times.

PS - The ending has a couple of twists you probably won't see coming.

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