Book Review of Mr. Softee (A Dev Haskell Novel) by Mike Faricy

Mr. Softee by Mike Faricy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review 6******

I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

This is another Dev Haskell novel. I LOVED IT!

Dev Haskell is a skirt chasing, beer drinking, lovable Private Investigator. I love him to bits, but sometimes I want to throttle him too! I honestly don't know if he has a guardian angel looking after him, but he seems to get into trouble at a drop of a hat!

In this page turner of a book, he is hired by Mr. Softee, an Ice Cream mogul, to provide protection. What happens next is a wild ride of explosions, car chases, mistaken identity, double cross and murder!
This is a fantastic story that had me shaking my head at Dev's antics at one moment, and marveling at how someone can have such bad luck the next! I was hooked from the first page! I loved meeting Tony "Dog" Colli. He is decidedly crazy, but I can understand why Dev is his friend; His hygiene habits leave a lot to be desired though! *shudder!!*
I am most definitely looking forward to reading more of Dev's adventures in the future!

Mike Faricy is a fantastic author! I love his writing style. It is fast paced, but it is also witty. He is one of my favourite authors, and I will read any of his books in the future.

I highly recommend this book if you love detective fiction that is highly addictive! - Lynn Worton

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Book Review of Reborn (A Goddess of Night Novella Book 1) by Ley Mesina

Reborn by Ley Mesina
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

This is a page turning read from start to finish! I loved it!

Lily Westbrook is an interesting character! She is aware that she is a half witch/half vampire, but she doesn't know the rest of it! She is a woman with a very powerful bloodline and a destiny to match; that of being the Goddess of Night. I liked her very much, and although I have only met her in print, she felt real to me!

This is an exciting novella! As I said, I found this book a page turner from the first page! This story is mainly told from Lily's point of view, but there are several characters in this short story that also have their say. This gives the story some depth to it. However, I did feel that I was literally dumped into the middle of a story. It was a bit of a shock, but that jolt gave me an insight into Lily's character I would have missed otherwise; She tends to be a risk taker and a bit hot headed. However, as she learns more of her destiny, she starts to think before leaping into dangerous situations. I liked seeing her mature in this way.
I also liked meeting the other characters in the book, especially Lily's Aunt Trudy, Arthur, Nathaniel, Xander and Drew. However, there are two characters that I didn't like. They were Samuel and Alexander. These two characters define the meaning of "bad guys". One's a witch, and the other is a vampire, but both of them made my skin crawl! There are more than a few twists in this short story, but the cliffhanger ending has me wanting to read the next novella as soon as possible!

Ley Mesina has written an amazing novella that captured my imagination, and brought the characters to life! Her story is fast paced, but not rushed, and full of danger and excitement!

I highly recommend this novella if you love YA, paranormal romances or stories about witches and vampires! - Lynn Worton

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Book Review of Beyond (Crossroads Saga #3) by Mary Ting

Beyond by Mary Ting
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

This is the third book in the Crossroads Saga. I loved it!

Claudia Emerson is a fantastic character. I have come to regard her as a friend. She also has a strong personality - she has a stubborn streak a mile wide! She is now training to be a venator, a nephilim demon hunter. But she feels that there is something missing, but cannot remember what.

I was very happy to meet all the characters again, as I have come to think of them as being friends. However, I had been incredibly upset when I read the ending of the second book - I had been left in tears! When I was offered the chance to read the third book, I jumped at it! I wanted to find out what Michael thought he was doing! I know he did what he did out of love, but it left me (and him) heartbroken!
In the meantime, the other Alkins are back in Crossroads. I absolutely missed Devlin! He's a honey! I love his sense of humour. However, it was somewhat subdued in this story; and with good reason! This is an action packed read that is full of intrigue and danger! I did feel somewhat sad for Austin, as his feelings for Claudia went unrequited. However, when you have found your soulmate - and even if you cannot remember him, as Claudia did - then no-one else will do. Micheal is absolutely heartbroken about what he had to do, but I think his love for Claudia made his decision for him. There are a few new characters in this book. They have their own secrets, and finding them out is a big surprise! The ending has left me wanting to read the next book in the series RIGHT NOW!

Mary Ting is an amazing author! Her characters are extremely lifelike and likable. I added her to my favourite authors list a while back. Her books are a joy to read (when they're not making you cry!). They are fast paced, take you on a roller coaster ride of emotion and flow beautifully!

I highly recommend this book (and series) if you love YA, Paranormal Romance, Angels, Demons, Nephilim and Alkins. - Lynn Worton

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Book Review of Dark Sentinels Book One: Sable by Dariel Raye

Sable by Dariel Raye
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

This is a fantastic paranormal romance! I loved it!

Dr. Akila Marshall is a fantastic character. She is a vet with a soft heart. When she takes in an injured wolf, she doesn't realise what fate has in store for her.

Sable is a wolf shifter. He is a wonderful character. He is an alpha male through and through! He is loving, and exceedingly protective of his family. He has been looking for his sister, who had disappeared whilst investigating a case. His search lands him in the caring hands of Akila.

This is one short novella that I wish was a little bit longer! I was completely captured by the story, and hooked by the first page! I have read many shapeshifter romance books over the years, and I must admit that I'm a sucker for them! How they can change form and still manage to keep their human psyche intact is a mystery to me, but still, the idea enthralls me! Perhaps it's my primitive brain at work again!
This story is told from the points of view of both Akila and Sable. I loved this, because it enables the reader to get an idea of their thoughts and feelings. I was a bit surprised when I reached the end of the book, because it didn't take me too long to read it. However, there was a lot of action and danger in this 60 page book! Not to mention the HOT bedroom scene! I am now looking forward to reading book two in the series!

Dariel Raye has written a fantastic paranormal romance that is not only fast paced, but it flowed beautifully too!

I do not recommend this book to younger readers due to the explicit nature of some of the scenes. However, I highly recommend this book if you love paranormal romance or sexy shapeshifters! - Lynn Worton


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Book Review of The Wildest Place by Kyla Phillips

The Wildest Place by Kyla Phillips
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

This is a short fantasy novella. I found the synopsis intriguing, so I decided to give it a try, as I love fantasy.

Sala is an intriguing character. However, I felt that the book was not quite long enough to understand her better. I did like her though! I was intrigued with the idea of being bonded with animals. Her bondmates are: a lion called Mya, a dolphin called Cai and an Orca called Nayla. When Sala's bondmates are killed, she and her ex-partner investigate.

Derulo is an extremely intriguing character! I found him very sexy! He's the equivalent of either a policeman or a special agent. I did like him a lot!

I must admit that I was a bit disappointed that there was no hanky panky between these two characters! I did feel that there was a spark there, but the author didn't go down the romance route. Rather, she stuck to business. Being a short story, I can understand the reasoning. However, I felt this book could have been a lot longer, and a fantastic paranormal romance. I'm sure there is a lot more to the story between Sala and Derulo! I had a feeling of slight disappointment when the story ended; I wanted to keep reading! I also had a question or three bouncing around my brain: Would Sala find a new bondmate, or are they only allowed three for life? How and when were bondmates chosen? Where can I get one (or three)?

Kyla Phillips has written an intriguing fantasy, but, unfortunately, this story could have been so much more. There is lots of potential in this author. I encourage her to keep writing and perfecting her craft.

I recommend this book if you love fantasy or paranormal genres. - Lynn Worton

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Book Review of Beautiful Creatures (Beautiful Creatures Series #1) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I decided to get myself a copy of this series due to the hype and the release of the movie (which I have not watched yet).

Lena Duchannes is a very powerful witch, and character that I wanted to strangle! I am very sorry, but I found her extremely annoying and whiny! Her "woe is me" attitude grated on my nerves! I think that she has a lot of growing up to do. I hope she does, in the remaining books in the series. Granted, she's only 15 (going on 16), but still...!

Ethan Wate, on the other hand, was an extremely interesting character. I liked him very much. He is a human thrust into a supernatural world. I loved his almost laid back attitude about finding out that there are witches living in the vicinity. He has a wonderful sense of humour, and I love the camaraderie between him and his best friend, Link. I did feel sorry about his relationship (or lack of one) with his father.

This story is told from Ethan's point of view, and is a riveting read. I struggled to put it down, and can understand why it is so popular. However, there were points in the story where I was wishing that it would hurry up. The pace was a bit erratic in my opinion. One moment it would flow wonderfully; the next, it would screech to a slow crawl, only to pick up speed again.
I actually downloaded this as an audio book to begin with, but I found that I didn't like to listen to it in short bursts, especially when going to and from work on public transport. I wanted to keep listening to it, but alas I had to work! I did enjoy the narrator's voice, and he kept me hooked! So, I also purchased this in print for my Kindle. I could then read along with the narrator if I wanted to. This reminded me of the books I used to get as a young girl, which came with an audio tape (showing my age here! :P).
It would be interesting to now watch the movie, to see what they kept, what they changed or missed out. I did want to watch the movie when it first came out, but due to unforeseen circumstances I was unable to. All in all, this was a fascinating story, full of a rich history of the South in America, re-enactment battles, love, witches, destiny and danger! If it wasn't for my dislike of Lena's character, and the erratic flow, I would have given this a solid 5*'s.

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl seem to make a great writing team. I am now looking forward to reading the next book in the series! I just hope the erratic flow is smoothed out.

I recommend this book if you love YA or Paranormal Romances, or are fans of The Twilight Saga. - Lynn Worton

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Book Review of Twerp by Mark Goldblatt

Twerp by Mark Goldblatt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review 6******

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

WOW! Let me first say that this a fantastic younger YA story! I loved it!

Julian Twerski (Twerp to his sister and friends) is a fantastic character! He is a typical 12 (going on 13) year old. He is very thoughtful and bright. Unfortunately, one mistake leads to a school suspension, and a project that really brings this character to life! I liked him very much!

I was a bit unsure about this book when I first started it. It felt more like a memoir than a children's book. However, this book hooked me from the second page! This story follows Julian as he and his friends go about their daily business (school and play). But, he is reluctant to get to the reason as to why he was suspended from school. Given this assignment by his English teacher, Julian reveals his inner-self. His anecdotes are witty and had me smiling and giggling in places. Julian's reason for his reluctance to tell his story of the mistake was understandable. It was a terrible mistake, but a mistake nevertheless. He learnt from it, and that's the most important point. I love stories like this - with morals in them. Without morals, or at least subtle warnings, how are children meant to learn what is right or wrong? Granted, they could find out for themselves, but people (including themselves) may get hurt (either emotionally or physically) in the process. I think that today's society has lost some of these morals, and they need to be re-taught. This book would certainly help with that!

Mark Goldblatt has written an amazing coming of age story that reminded me of my childhood (although I hadn't had the same upbringing, or made the same mistakes). It is a moving story of growing up, peer pressure and bullies. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Julian's journal, and will be on the lookout for more of this author's work in the future.

I highly recommend this book to not only readers in the 8 to 12 age range, but to adults too! - Lynn Worton

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