A Great Attempt for a Newbie with a Different, Super-short Mini-Story of Paranormal Romance
923685
I thought this was a great attempt for a new author! Yes it is a quick read only 15 pages, but I knew that when I bought it! Yes, it needed some typos & edits, etc... but some new authors have to learn the hard way that they need outside help or maybe they didn't know or can't afford to hire anyone yet.

I would read more from this person & be happy to beta an ARC for free to give suggestions. So I'm giving this a 5 star rating now, where it would have been lower for an experienced writer... But give this person a chance- it's only 15 pages, but I liked the different story-line.
3836741
I liked the idea of this book but I felt the characters needed more growth. The book seemed too short for me- almost like a teaser to a longer book/story. It was a very fun take on vampires and a little bit of magic. My favorite character happens to be a pixie. A short one-sitting read.
4203488
Let me start by saying that I LOVE the story idea and all the characters where easy to relate too and fall for. The story started with action (I don't mean fighting), which was great! But I gave it 4 stars because I was little confused at time with some of the paranormal stuff, (what is a warder?) making some of the things that Mona did or said in the beginning a little hard to follow. But I am glad I didn't let it stop me because it is a really good start to a new series.

I don't like spoilers so I will say this: Mona and Cart are great main characters that you get to watch grow into a relationship that helps them grow into their powers and real roles in their every changing world. You also have Nic and Tania growing too, making their character just an interesting. Fate has a lot in store for these four. I am looking forward to the next book in the series so I can see what Mona and Cart new roles really in tell, just hope I don't have to wait too long to see what's going to happen next.

I would recommend this to other paranormal lovers looking for something different. It an interesting and great introduction to the world of Elf's, Werewolf, witches and now WARDERS!
3162883
Four paranormal romance short stories.

Series:
"Vampire Fight Club" (Demonica, 7.5, Lords of Deliverance, 1.5)
"Darkness Eternal" (Guardians of Eternity, 7.5)
"Kane" (Nightwalkers, 1.5)
"Dragon on Top" (Dragon Kin, 4.5)

The Stories
Larissa Ione's "Vampire Fight Club" finds Nathan Sabine angry with his lack of drive. He's lost his thirst for revenge against Fade, until the threat against Lena. He'll do whatever it takes.

Hey, it's a Demonica...it's great!

Alexandra Ivy's "Darkness Eternal" has a sweet premise, and I should have enjoyed this. I suspect part of my problem was having no idea when I was at the start of the story. My brain spent so much time scrambling to figure out the time period, that I just got annoyed. The story itself is pretty fantastical, and Ivy does cram a lot in. I do wish she hadn't resorted to the stupid attitude Kata takes, the whole oh, I can't possibly let you... crap. Ivy does create an almost complete story from start to finish--we never do learn why Yannah acts as she does. She is a demon, so I suppose that will have to do.

Jacquelyn Frank's "Kane" has an interesting twist on Demons with all sorts of proscriptions by which they must abide. I did enjoy that revelation about the connection between Demons and Druids---wow, the things it does to Jacob's psyche! Poor guy. It's amazing how much information Frank manages to stuff into this short story! An entire world and culture...right along with the guilt.

G.A. Aiken's "Dragon on Top" is too, too Aiken! Hilariously funny with all the usual Cadwaldr dragon mayhem. Ghleanna the Decimator is a Cadwaldr with all of their lust for war, fighting, and drinking. How could she possibly be attracted to the quiet, diplomatic Bram? A dragon who thinks?

Oh, lordy, I do love the Dragon Kin series, and this story simply keeps the laughter rolling and rolling!

The Cover
The cover's background is a lovely deep lavender interrupted by roiling clouds surrounding a deep red moon.

The title is generic. I mean, c'mon, Supernatural? I keep waiting to turn the telly on...
4052452
If you like Erotica and Vampires, definitely check out this short story.  This is the short prelude to the Vampire Coalition series, but can be read as a standalone.  It is the story of Adare and Kristin, his human mate.  In this series, Vampires are not the undead.  They are only male and are born without their soul.  Somewhere exists their human mate who has the Vampires soul inside of her along with her own soul, the only way for a Vampire to get his soul back is during the mating ceremony. The mating ceremony is hot!  I wanted a cigarette after and I don't even smoke
2670595
This is a well written story with a pretty good premise. I do enjoy paranormal, urban fantasy books and that is what you get with A Snow Covered Moon.  The world building is decently done and Ms Adams has covered all her bases and goes into good detail. There is a strong female protagonist, Jae, a bit broken,  but she is faithful to her friends. She is also on the run and has been hiding from her own breed of the Kindred. The book lost me when I realized she is also a dominant and a sadist.  We meet Jack, a handsome vampire that becomes her slave, and Jae his rather reluctant Master.  Yes, the story is well set up, with a good plot and kick ass heroine.  I would just have preferred her not to be the D with sadist tendencies.  I wish Jack had been the Dominant but I did not write the story. Jack is handsome and caring, a very likable character. A lot is happening in the opening chapters that sets up the rest of the story.

I did not finish this book. Things get complicated nor could I keep the voices in her head straight (annoying). Not only is Jae daemon and kindred but half succubus/half vampire, too, and hears the voice of her inner succubus, plus acquiring a new inner voice of a werewolf/Peter. Peter is her best friend and after almost dying from a bullet wound, he is saved by the werewolf pack. But, tah dah, now he is a werewolf and Jae,who was instrumental in saving him along with the werewolf "Mother Spirit", acquires this new voice, too. This is just about when I knew I could not read any more. An exhausted Jae, mentally and physically depleted after the joint effort with the werewolves to save Peter, fears she has drawn unwanted attention to herself and decides it is time to pack up and move on.

 I have read Anita Blake's stories ( which I liked) and as I read this one, I felt some moments of de'ja' vu . I put the book down last night and am not interested in continuing.
2553023
When i signed up to read this, i didn't actually realise it was part of a series, so ive read it and now got my hands on the whole series based on reading this one novella!

It is a novella, so its short, but sweet.  Adults only as theres alot of sexual content.

We follow Rapheal (Vamp) and his mate Cyn (human).  Basically, this story revolves around their relationship, and also Raphaels starting to build up a more powerful American Council as European vamps are seeing that as theres only 8 vampire 'lords' overseeing the uSA that theres room for more to overtake smaller sections.

I saw glimpses of allies and enemies in this short story.  And like i say enough to make me pick up the series to try an catch up to this one.

I loved the story, well written, typical vamp storyline - not a baddie, does drink blood but doesnt kill to eat and the interaction with other vamps and humans.
A good short read - if you haven't read the series, its ok to start with this, but you do feel like you're missing some history, which is why im picking up the first one to read real soon!

Read on behalf of Book Monster Productions
985172
This was very different paranormal story for me, but I did enjoy it. This story is a great short story if you want a quick easy read.
4752939
This is a different approach to the traditional paranormal stories. I almost felt like I was reading, Avatar: The Last Airbender vs. Vampires. In this novella there are Elemental Witches and Mages, Werewolves and Vampires or Vamsyrians.

The Vampires or Vamsyrians are keeping the Elemental Witches and Mages captive so they can breed them in hopes of producing a Spirit Elemental, whom they need to overthrow the Vamsyrian king. (Partial quote) Some aspects are the same such as; the vampires sleep like the dead during the day, they drink blood, they're strong, fast and can read minds but what is different is the vampires drink from all four Elementals (fire, water, earth and air) to absorb the abilities of their magic.

The Werewolves are kind of pathetic in this story. Werewolves were selected by the vampires not because of their ability to change into gruesome creatures when the full moon cycled around, but for their height and strength. Like Elementals, they were prisoners. Theyd been caught as humans and infected with the werewolf curse as leverage. If they guarded the nurseries and kept them secret, after five years, the guards would be given the cure and sent on their way. (Direct quote) So if you like werewolf stories, I don't think you would like this aspect of it!

A lot happens in this short story. I know this was written because of something she wrote in books 3 and 4 of the Bonded by Blood Vampire Chronicles so maybe if you have read those, this would mean more to you than what it did for me.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
322446
Did you think this was a paranormal story from the title?  I sure didn't and I was pleasantly surprised.

I love paranormal romances and I didn't know that was what this story was about when I received my copy.  It is a factor in this book, but not too much.  The leads are Lyra, the vampire, and Flinn, the wolf shifter.  The story is primarily the search for their missing daughter, who had been kidnapped by an unknown person, and the rekindling of their previous relationship.

I don't like to give spoilers, or at least not very many.

The mystery and the romantic tension between the characters were the primary focus of the story, the paranormal aspect was just part of telling that story.  It was awesomely done.

This is the beginning of a new series for Katie, and I can't wait for the next one.  Which of the secondary characters are next to have the lead?  I'm actually dying to know.  I have a wish, I just have to wait and see if it comes true.

This complimentary copy was provided by the author for an honest review.
736814
Some will say that there was little action, which is true, but this book is quite short and I understood the purpose of it: Not to move the story along (that happends in Quanched) but to properly introduce new characters to the series. If this introduction were made in Quenched, it would have been too long and the story in that book would have suffered for it. If it was made shorter, it would not have given the characters justice. Therefore, I am completely OK with this intermission to get to know such wonderful people.

First of, Zilleal is so similar and yet so different from Clarity. She has the same sense of loneliness and not belonging to the world she lives in but deals with it in her own way. While Clarity tried to go unnoticed (as far as looks allowed), Zilleal choses to be actively ignored. A small but fine difference.

Derek serves to give us more information about the Wek. Before, there was only the buttefly that sometimes appears to Clarity. Now we know that Wek can take on human form and interact with other people, even have feelings for them. I loved that Derek is so nice all the time that it frustrates Zill, who is quite happy with not liking and not being liked.

And last but definitely not least - Vayle. I love that guy! He doesn't get much time in this book but I still enjoy his take on things. He is quite selfish but in a refreshingly funny way. While he certainly develops some feelings for Zill, he is not taking it in a doomsday, love-me-or-I'll-die way but rather choses to enjoy their attraction and have fun with it. I hope he stick around!
3458331
I hadn't read a book featuring vampires for quite some time, as a conscious choice. I thought that everything was already said, and wasn't really able to find anything original in many stories.

But this short story made me re-evaluate!
A whole world was made by the author, with different houses and ranks of vampires. All this was explained right at the beginning, so it was fairly easy for me to keep up with who was who and the way they interacted with each other!

The story was narrated by Octavian, a Blood Prince, who is sent on a mission to retrieve a mysterious person. It is short, but gives the readers a complete feeling of the stories and the main heroes involved. IT still left me with wanting to know more about this world, though!

Seeing as I enjoyed so much this short story, I can only wait for the actual first book in the series to be released, in order for me to get to know the characters and their way of life, more!

All in all, 5 stars to an awesome prequel!
3180558
[edit]
I was surprised how much I enjoyed Laura Howards The Forgotten Ones, mainly because I am not a big faerie fan. Regardless of that personal tic, the book was a fairly quick and honestly entertaining read.

For the most part of this book, the romance takes a back seat, which is something I thoroughly appreciate. It was good to see the developing relationship between Allison and Ethan, and the romance did not outshine the rest of the plot, as many books nowadays do.
Character-wise, Howard did a marvelous job introducing all the protagonists, but there was room further on to develop them more.

I enjoyed the paranormal story portrayed in Howards The Forgotten Ones, but also found myself desiring more in-depth assessments at certain points. Overall, this is an interesting book and looking forward to the rest of the series, albeit in need of some refining and additional character development. Fans of paranormal fantasy will enjoy this one.

A copy of the book was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.
1126887
This book was provided from from the author in return for an honest review via the Goodreads Dont Buy My Love program.

Let me start by saying I loved the premise of this story. A vampire who takes on the one person who isn't frightened of him. Felix needs to feed off those who are afraid of him, and John, the witch, intrigues him, bringing him back night after night, eventually gaining friendship, trust, and

And, I don't want to ruin the story. Heres what I liked about it - Number #1 - Felix and his sister, Cat. LOL. I about died reading that. Hehe. The realationship between the sibling vampires was perfect. The origins of the vampire curse itself was well written, and the world building fluid and easy to understand. Theres lots of little fun lines throughout the book which kept me on my toes. Some of the chapter titles were exceptional witty. I was happy to not see insta-love, but rather a gradual interest peaked, leading to dates and more. We also get lots of vampires, ghosts and witches in this interesting paranormal tryst of good vs evil. Theres plenty of backstory interspersed along the storyline, so the reader isn't bogged down with huge amounts of telling dialogue.

Which brings me to the telling content So many times, I stopped and frowned, not connecting with the characters because the emotional content wasn't coming across. A book this length shouldnt have taken me more than 3 days, yet it took five, meaning I had no problem putting it aside and coming back to it. Some areas of the story dragged, while others I sped through with interest.

Overall, a witty read, and worthy of your time, just take some bits with a grain of salt.
605319
It took me a while to get through this short story due to lack of connection between the characters and storyline. I guess I was looking for something a little more serious since it has to do with the paranormal, but perhaps if I had gone into it with the mindset that it was just a fun, simple read, I'd have liked it more. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad. I enjoyed the author's writing style and thought the story was well-written. It was just too "light" for my tastes.

Content-wise, I only had one problem with the book. *spoilers* The female lead was described at the beginning of one chapter (early-on) as wearing a size-14 blue dress, which set her in my mind as a curvy girl. Later on, the male lead describes her again and I pictured a much smaller person. Finally, when he is asking her out to dinner, he suggests a Brazilian steakhouse because she seems like the type that likes to eat and can eat a lot. Either this is incredibly insulting to the female lead (which dialogue led me to believe wasn't the case) or her size was incorrectly described in the beginning and I had a totally wrong picture of her in my head. This may seem trivial, but for me it's important to have a consistent depiction of characters in my head and this was inconsistent.

I would read this story if you're looking for a quick, light-hearted paranormal read (with a steamy sex-scene, I should add).
2905951
Very Brief Synopsis - While Rebel and his Club are trying to find out who is harming humans in the area, he meets his Mate, Charlotte, aka Cherry, who happens to be a waitress at a strip club. Rebel is thrilled out of his wolfy mind...Charlotte is not quite convinced Rebel is not a little off in the head.

What worked for me -

Quite a lot about Claiming His Fate worked for me, actually. I thought the world building and mythology laid out by Ms. Leigh was intriguing, especially given the (very) short length of the book. The writing was tight, and had a lot of humor. I liked the brotherhood of the Club. I liked how Charlotte didn't immediately swoon and fall in line with Rebel's wishes. The characters, from Rebel and Charlotte, to all of the secondary characters, had individual voices. They were appealing, and I am a very character-centric reader.

What didn't work as well -

Again, the book was very short, and as such, did not lend itself to a lot of depth. What backstory there was, was interesting and well written. There is the whole instalove thing going on with the Mate stuff, but if you read any PNR, you should be used to it, and this was less insta than most. (Insta sex - yes. Insta love, at least on the part of the shero -not so much)

Bottom line - I liked this title enough to buy the next book in the series. If you are looking for a quick, sweet, sexy read, I would recommend giving Claiming His Fate a try.
753834
Here is yet another paranormal romance story inspired by the success of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, only instead of vampires we have mermaids/sirens. It seems to me author Amanda Hocking could have had a lot more fun with this story if she left out the broody, serious teenage romance. At least Hocking doesn't romanticize being a siren the same way Stephenie Meyer romanticizes being a vampire. This is better written than Twilight, and has a better story, but I don't think it benefits from its uber-serious approach to monsters and love, what with its two uptight female heroines, all-too-nice boy love interests, and predictably moody villains. Still, I'm sure teenage girls will grow giddy with what transpires on the pages of Hocking's Wake, the first of four in her Watersong series, and boyfriends relieved to have survived the Twilight saga may find themselves having to put up with yet another paranormal romance series.

The story is told from the alternating perspectives of Harper and Gemma. I think it would have been much improved sticking with Gemma, since Harper's sections aren't as interesting and only slow the story down. However, Hocking knows what her readers want - not one, but two hunky boys for her heroines (and readers) to crush on. Harper gets Daniel, the handsome, muscular, tattooed twenty-year-old who lives in a dingy boat on the docks where her father works. Their meet-cute happens when Harper is delivering her father's lunch, and Daniel happens to be peeing over the side of his boat and gives Harper a glimpse of his genitals. When Harper reacts with disgust, Daniel laughs at her, and apparently this is charming. You might find it hard to believe that he's actually a very nice guy. And he spends a good chunk of the novel shirtless, so he can hug Harper close when he helps her onto his boat.

Gemma's boy is the next-door neighbor, Alex. He's pure fantasy, a high school video game nerd who has suddenly developed muscles. Hocking must not know very many video gamers. You don't magically develop muscles by sitting on the couch all day long. He and Gemma fall for one another well before either are aware of it. There's plenty of hand-grazing, heart-fluttering, and near-kisses, all to whet our sensual appetite. However, there isn't any real romance. There's some melodramatic, broody, I-need-to-be-there-in-your-time-of-need kind of stuff, and very awkward, clumsy conversations with bad jokes and prying comments that are supposed to be sweet, I guess. If that sounds wonderful to you, then this is definitely the book for you. It seems that, thanks in part to Twilight, our culture has embraced broody, serious romance. There's no wit. Love's no longer any fun. It's more like a job, a duty. And it's very tiring.

As I said, Wake is a better novel than Twilight, though not by much. I would say Hocking is also a better writer than Meyer, though again it's not by much. Hocking, like many other modern YA authors, uses too much bad dialogue and has the bad habit of describing every feeling and desire of her heroines. Knowing less about a character makes that character more compelling, because oftentimes knowing more is disappointing. Also like Meyer and most other writers of fantasy, Hocking takes a very serious approach to her material. It seems a lot more fun could have been had with the mermaid theme, with the freedom of swimming in the sea and with the grace and power one would have as a mermaid. But Hocking avoids that because to become a mermaid means to give in to one's baser instincts. Saints are much less interesting characters than those who, like any human being, have a dark side and can't help but give into it. But really, Hocking must know what she's doing because plenty of readers have fallen in love.