Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep (YA Series Book 1)

Book Description:

There Be Monsters Here. . .

It's not as great as you'd think, living in a tourist town that's known as "the most magical place in America." Same boring high school, just twice as many monsters under the bridges and rival Families killing each other for power.

I try to keep out of it. I've got my mom's bloodiron sword and my slightly illegal home in the basement of the municipal library. And a couple of Talents I try to keep quiet, including very light fingers and a way with a lock pick.

But then some nasty characters bring their Family feud into my friend's pawn shop, and I have to make a call--get involved, or watch a cute guy die because I didn't. I guess I made the wrong choice, because now I'm stuck putting everything on the line for Devon Sinclair. My mom was murdered because of the Families, and it looks like I'm going to end up just like her. . .

My Thoughts:

Absolutely loved this book.  Lila doesn't want to have anything to do with the mob families that live on the mountain.  She wants to continue her life as it is, a thief that under the radar and great at what she does.  That choice is taken away from her when she steps in and saves a guy's life.  She stepped right in the middle of the magical mob mess!  She now has to protect the very people who cost her mother her life and may well cause Lila hers.

I completely loved Lila.  She is the reluctant hero.  Her hidden powers are more than enough to get the job done,  but she would much rather stick to the thief life.  I thought it was interesting that she wasn't going to help at all until she saw how good of a guy Devon was.  Devon is the last person she would have normally tangled with but what she sees in him, she cannot ignore.  I loved the secondary characters.  Devon's mother, his best friend, the crazy pixie, Lila's former boss....all of them are perfectly written into their roles.  I am very happy with this new magical series.
5/5 for Estep's new YA series!  Love this first book and can't wait to read more.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book (via netgalley).  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Every Bride Needs a Groom by Janice

Book Description:
Small-town girl Katie Fisher is planning her wedding. Sure, her boyfriend hasn't managed to pop the question just yet, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't enter a contest in "Texas Bride" magazine to win the dress of her dreams, right? But when her boyfriend breaks up with her and takes a job in another town--the very same day Katie wins her dream dress--her world is turned upside down. Should she claim her prize? And will the hunky former pro-basketball player who runs the swanky Dallas bridal shop--yeah, you read that right--catch on to her humiliation if she does? 
Janice Thompson designs a romance sure to delight, with plenty of fish-out-of-water moments, a hilarious supporting cast, and more of the wedding biz world her readers adore.

My Thoughts:
Loved this book.  Katie is certain her boyfriend is going to propose.  So since he is going to, she CAN enter the contest to win her dream wedding dress.  Problem is, he dumps her and moves and she wins the contest!  Now, she wants to get the dress but now she doesn't have a groom for her fairy tale wedding.
I adore how Janice Thompson's characters are so real.  Katie loves her hometown and doesn't want to leave it for the big city.  She fantasizes about her wedding and even when everything blows up in her face she keeps on going.  There are consequences to her actions and it isn't a fairy tale, but real life.  The characters from previous books that we got to catch up with were wonderful!  I couldn't put this book down for wondering what in the world would happen next.
5/5 for me all day!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Author Interview of KG Stutts

AW: Tell us about yourself…

Hi! I'm KG Stutts. I live in Burlington, NC with my wonderful husband, Brad. I work full time in a business call center and write when I can. I am the author of the Mirror series, the Amethyst Chronicles, and several separate romance novels.

AW: What genre do you write and why? 

Sci-fi romance. I've always been a big sci-fi fan. Growing up, I would watch Star Trek and Star Wars with my dad and brother. I love the genre. There are no limits

AW: Tell us about your book…. 

Amethyst Chronicles: Winter's Kiss is the first in a series. It's actually a spin-off of sorts, takes place one thousand years after my first series. Amethyst is a group of genetically enhanced super-humans, having to work with a military team to stop a scientist from using a weather machine to freeze Earth.

AW: What was your inspiration for this book? 

I love the color purple. I began to play around with the idea of a group of purple-eyed people. Then the ideas came. Why are their eyes purple? Does it give them special abilities? And what would they do with said abilities? It really steamrolled from there.

AW: Do you have a favorite character and why that one? 

It's really hard to pick a favorite. Ember Wilson is a tough, no-nonsense leader, but I would probably say Alexander Nova. He's just really funny.

AW: Did you find anything particularly difficult in writing this book? 

I am a huge fan of Joss Whedon and subscribe to his philosophy on women. I really wanted Ember to be someone everyone can get behind. I wanted her to be strong, sexy, smart, and engaging.

AW: What project(s) are you currently working on? 

Just finished edits on the second book in the Amethyst Chronicles series. Currently beginning a prequel to the Mirror series and writing a romance story

 AW: Do you have any interesting writing quirks you want to tell us about? 

I love to write by hand. I have notebooks filled with stories.

AW: Do you have any advice for writers out there? 

Write every day and do not negotiate on your principles. Don't let anyone push you around. Tell the story you want to tell.

AW: Where can we find you? 

Facebook.com/KGStutts, Twitter.com/KGStutts kgstutts.blogspot.com andkgstutts.com

AW: And of course we have to know, where can we find your book?

Find all my links atkgstutts.webs.com/buy, store.distinguishedpress.com Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

~Kristina

kgstutts.webs.com
Mirror Image is now available!  http://goo.gl/kW7boJ

Vampires Never Cry Wolf by Sara Humphreys

Book Description:

Vampires are nothing but trouble…
As far as beautiful vampire Sadie Pemberton is concerned, werewolves shouldn’t be sticking their noses into New York’s supernatural politics. They don’t know jack about running a city—not even that hot-as-sin new vampire-werewolf liaison who’s just arrived in town.

Werewolves are too sexy for their own good…
The last thing Killian Bane wanted was to end up in New York City playing nice with vampires. Unfortunately, he’s on a mission, and when he encounters the sexiest, most stubborn female vamp he’s ever met, he’s going to have to turn on a little of that wolfish charm…and Sadie’s going to learn a thing or two about what it means to have a wild side…

My Thoughts:

I really liked this vamp/wolf romance!  Sadie is a vampire and is comfortable with knowing exactly what she is.  Killian is a werewolf and the heir to the throne.  Wolves and vamps have had a very precarious relationship and both sides want to strengthen that relationship.  Killian and his guards go nightly to Sadie's club, and not just for the reason he gives.  Killian is completely attracted to the sexy vampire and is determined to find out if Sadie is as attracted to him as he is to her.

I loved Sadie's attitude.  She loves her family and misses the connections they once had after two of them found their bloodmates.  Killian is such a sexy, strong man that you can't help but love him.  He is devious but the fact that he is so set on catching Sadie is hot.  I enjoyed the whole story and really liked the characters throughout.  There were a couple twists and turns to keep you interested and sexy characters are great.
4/5 for this paranormal romance!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book (via netgalley).  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.