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Whispers in the Waters (Blood of the Fae) by Sarah Chilson – Review by Santana Hicks

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Whispers in the WatersWhispers in the Waters by Sarah Chislon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jessa Caldwell comes from a proper family. One where the ladies are all proper and timid. She may try her hardest to become a proper lady but she has always known that she is different from her sisters.

Her aunt got called to help a friend in another town and Jessa offered to accompany her. What was waiting for them was not what Jessa was expecting. The friend owned a mill that had bad things happen to it over and over. Jessa takes it upon herself to find out why the mill is being targeted and by whom.

In order to do this, she must embrace her differences which makes her scared. Any woman who shows differences are considered to be fae-touched and taken away by the vigil. Jessa will do anything to restore the mill and go back home safely with her aunt.

This book was nice and slow paced, letting you get to know the main character better. There are hints of magic throughout the book. There was a lot of vocabulary about plants that I had to look up. Which was understandable considering Jessa was considered a herbalist.

This book is a prequel to another book in the series called Tattoo of Crimson. The books ends with a nice plot hook for the following book.

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Freedom Rings (The Circle Book 3) by Brenda Hardwick – Review by Santana Hicks

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Freedom Rings: Book Three of The CircleFreedom Rings: Book Three of The Circle by Brenda Hardwick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book delves into racism but with a touch of magic. Shawn, the owner of DNAgen Biolabs, hates people of color. So much so that he made a drug to prevent future colored babies from being born. Being half black himself he is full of self hatred. That tied with ambition, selfishness and power, he quickly goes off the deep end.

Madeline ends up pregnant with Shawn’s baby and it puts a wedge in everything. Shawn tries to convince Madeline to take the drug while also still helping him to kill the circle.

The circle is a group of shops led by a magical group of people. Each shop has their own particular power. Soraya is in charge of managing the people. After the death of previous shop owners orchestrated by Shawn, Soraya is on clean up duty. She has to find apprentices for the empty shops while trying to protect the living.

Can they band together and stop Shawn before more die? What about the drug? Read to find out! You will not be disappointed.

Although the book is technically the 3rd book in the series, it was fine to read without reading the previous books. The book went into enough details to explain what is going on and who is who.

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Revenge Never Rests (Tallie Brown Suspense Book 2) by Laurie Lewis – Review by Santana Hicks

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Revenge Never RestsRevenge Never Rests by Laurie L.C. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is set shortly after the first book in the series. A lot happens in the first book. To understand the characters better, read the first book before this one.

Tallie Brown is still grieving the loss of her mother as well as what will never be (the loss of her biological mother and sister) when she gets news that the father she cannot claim, Cai Kaswell, is missing she jumps at the chance to find him. Seeing as Tallie has a unique skill set, Major Norris knows that she will be a huge asset and welcomes her aboard. This mission brings Tallie into a bigger conspiracy than they thought. Not only is Cai missing, so are many others.

The clues bring the group to Mexico where Tallie is introduced to Burke, the agent on the case. Instantly Tallie does not trust him. She has to learn to work with him while trying to keep things from getting personal for her. Nothing is adding up and Tallie doesn’t know who to trust.

Memories of Tallie’s past with her mother keep her on her toes. She was raised to look at everything and trust no one but it’s hard when it’s your fathers life on the line.

She also has to overcome her feelings of not being good enough if she wants to keep her new found relationship alive.

This book was great. It sucks you in right from the beginning. Compared to the first book it is much more fast paced. I can’t wait to see what the author has in store next time.

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Secrets Never Die (Tallie Brown Suspense Book 1) by Laurie Lewis – Review by Santana Hicks

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Secrets Never DieSecrets Never Die by Laurie L.C. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tallie Brown has been isolated her whole life. It was just herself and her mother. They kept to themselves and Julia raised Tallie all by herself. When Julia suddenly dies, Tallie is left with a choice. Start over under a new identity or uncover secrets from the past and find out who she really is. Tallie chose the latter. That choice brings her to a small town called Cutler’s Ridge. The townsfolk are not too keen on outsiders. As Tallie uncovers more clues about her mother’s past, it leaves her with even more questions than answers.

Meanwhile Jackson James is sent to Cutler’s Ridge to uncover a possible scandal. What started as a simple investigation job, quickly turned into something much more difficult. He meets Tallie and they band together to uncover both secrets.

This book was very complex and involved. Mystery, drama, a hint of romance, this book had it all. Twists and turns around every corner. Everything seems connected but why and how? Plus the ending was so surprising.

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Son of Asmodeus by Barb Jones – Review by Santana Hicks

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Son of AsmodeusSon of Asmodeus by Barb Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

John Sullivan (Sully) has always been different. At just the age of 13 he joined the monastery and became the demon hunter he is today. Starting off as an exorcist. One day a child that they thought was possessed entered the monastery, The demon kept calling John his brother. He baited John to follow him to find out why he is so different from others.

Seven hundred years later, John now goes by Sully but still hunts demons. He is sent on a mission by a bartender named Mick to find a missing co-worker and it sets off a whole slew of things. Sully finds out about his birthright. He is the son of a demon named Asmodeus. Little do they know that he is so much more than just that.

Mick is also so much more than just a basic human being. Mick and Sully will have to work together to stop an incoming war between heaven and hell.

This book was non-stop from start to finish. Action was everywhere. Once one fight ends, another starts. Between the demons trying to kill Sully and an organization claiming to be working with the church trying to take him, he has no time to rest. It made the book hard to put down. It also ended nicely with a cliffhanger to leave room for much much more.

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Minotaur’s Lair (Servant of the Gods Book 3) by Luciana Cavallaro – Review by Santana Hicks

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Minotaur's Lair (Servant of the Gods, #3)Minotaur’s Lair by Luciana Cavallaro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is the 3rd book in the ‘Servant of the Gods’ series but can technically be read as a stand alone. There is a nice recap of the previous novels within the book.

Evan is a descendant of Zeus, he was made solely to stop the demise of the Greek deities by defeating Kronos. Kronos is dead set on destroying Olympus and all the gods who live there to become the one and only ruler.

The novel starts off with Evan and his companions on an Amazonian island, they have no recollection of why they were travelling the waters. The queen made it so the men were breeding machines to ensure her people’s survival. The queen took Evan as her consort and there seems to be a little bit of Stockholm syndrome. Evan finds out what the queen has done and is angry but can’t get her out of his mind, especially since she is pregnant with his child.

Once the men’s memories were restored they left the island and continued on to Krete where the last relic is supposed to be. It is a long journey with lots of obstacles and Evan is being tested by both the gods and Kronos. Gods are known to be fickle and Evan doesn’t know who to trust anymore. Evan just wants to go home and he will do everything he can to do so.

I really enjoyed this book. It was action packed, filled with characters from Greek mythology (which I am a fan of) and drama. I recommend reading this book 100%!

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Much Ado About Dying (Guardians of the PHAE Book 2) by Rowan Dillon – Review by Santana Hicks

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Much Ado About Dying: An Irish Urban Fantasy Novel (Guardians of the PHAE #2)Much Ado About Dying: An Irish Urban Fantasy Novel by Rowan Dillon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First things first I want to say, this book jumps right into things. It is set immediately after the first book so make sure you read the first book in the series before this one or you will be a bit lost.

This time around, you follow the same group of ‘unhidden’ people coping with the after effects of the attack in the first novel. The book jumps around between the different groups. Róisín and Qacha start off in a makeshift hospital. Róisín is helping to heal the wounded and sick with her powers while Qacha is a patient. People are getting sick and dying. No one knows what or why it’s happening. Even with Róisín’s powers, the sickness is still spreading. Róisín taps deeper into her powers and taps into an ancient healing god. She welcomes his help but it seems like that may have been a mistake. She notices that certain areas in Ireland seem to have no sickness being reported and Róisín is curious as to why.

Meanwhile, the other unhidden are also tapping into ancient deities with their specific powers. The unhidden will need all the help they can get to purge the world of sickness but at what cost?

Róisín seems to be the main character this time around but the novel also follows the others. One issue I had was the jumping back and forth from person to person. The book would jump ahead and then back in time making it hard to know when and where I was. It would mention something that did not happen yet which confused me. All in all the book was very interesting. I loved learning about Irish lore.

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Knight In The Museum (Jorja Knight Private Investigator Mystery Series Book 5) by Alice Bienia – Review by Santana Hicks

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Knight In The Museum ( Jorja Knight Mystery -Book 5)Knight In The Museum by Alice Bienia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jorja Knight is a private investigator. After receiving a phone call to look into a death that was ruled as an accident, she stumbled on something way bigger than she could ever imagine. Jorja began traveling down a rabbit hole of clues where more bodies also showed up. It seems like every death is connected to a jade statue of a jaguar that could possibly be worth millions or could be a fake.

There are twists and turns at every corner followed by a lot of obstacles that Jorja has to jump over. This case is consuming her every move, it even affects her casual relationship she has with Luis, a police officer.

One thing that made me really happy was that the book was set in Canada. As a Canadian myself, it was really refreshing to recognize places mentioned. At one point it even mentioned the province I live in which isn’t very well known.

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Gunner (Hollins & Haring #3) by T.J. Beach – Review by Santana Hicks

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Gunner (Hollins & Haring #3)Gunner by T.J. Beach
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gary and Debbie are about to spend a lot of time together. COVID has struck and Debbie’s mom had it so 14 days isolation it is for everyone. Since Gary lives alone, Debbie insists that he quarantine with her and her kids.

To pass the time, Gary delves into his past to a time where he was the yes man for the military. After being kicked from the SAS, he is met by a shady guy who worked for the government and they hired him to tail a group of neo-nazi terrorists.

He had to do a lot of bad things to keep up the facade of neo-nazi, meanwhile his girlfriend is pregnant and suspicious of his activities. Reliving his past is killing him inside as he made so many mistakes but he would do anything to distract his good friend from her sick mother.

The book jumps back and forth from the present to the past but it’s easy to follow along. Even though it is the 3rd book of the series, it was fine as a stand alone since it’s Gary’s prequel in a way.

It was very well written and I loved the characters but it just wasn’t my thing.

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And Then She Fell by Dreena Collins – Review by Santana Hicks

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And Then She FellAnd Then She Fell by Dreena Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was intriguing from the very beginning. I could not put it down. I kept pushing on trying to find out if there was something sinister to Susie’s fall or if it was as simple as the official story, she was drunk and fell.

We follow Catherine as she tries to find the true story of her daughter’s death while also trying to cope with said death. She feels as if the official story is not true since Susie wasn’t much of a drinker. Catherine thinks she knows her daughter best but as more and more stories of Susie emerge, she doesn’t know what to think anymore. Catherine starts getting paranoid about everyone in Susie’s life, especially Susie’s boyfriend at the time. As the story progresses there are 10 different scenarios that Catherine thinks happened but which one is the truth?

The book was written like it was a journal that Catherine wrote specifically to Susie. I found myself going through a slew of different emotions with this read. I highly recommend this book!

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Raine Down (The Shadow Guardians Book 1) by CB Samet – Review by Santana Hicks

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Raine Down (The Shadow Guardians, #1)Raine Down by C.B. Samet
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Raine is a shadow guardian. Her job is to protect humans from supernatural enemies. Norse Mythology isn’t a myth anymore. Ragnarok happened, causing the nine realms to collapse with only earth its survivor. Other races came to earth causing all kinds of different humans with powers. Raine is a descendant of Thor and she has healing abilities.

Raine’s latest target was supposed to be an easy hit when a FBI agent made the mission go sideways. She had a choice to eliminate her target or rescue the man. She chose the latter.

Will, the FBI agent, is grateful that this mysterious woman saved him but at what cost? She was bleeding like crazy but by the time he brought her to the hospital she was healed. Will was perplexed. He could not get this woman out of his head.

A little while later, the two agencies decide to collaborate causing Raine and Will to be unexpectant partners in this mission. They have to work together and put aside their differences. Will is by the book and Raine will do anything to complete her mission, even kill.

The chemistry is instant between them. There is quickly a sexual tension that neither one suspected. Which makes concentrating solely on the job ever more difficult when they can’t stop picturing the other in their arms.

I loved their relationship. They were very good for each other. Balancing each other out making them even stronger. Will mellowed Raine out while she taught him to broaden his horizons. I found myself wishing they would end up together.

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Master Catteneo (Masters of the Consulate Book 5) by Sylvia Black – Review by Santana Hicks

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Master CatteneoMaster Catteneo by Sylvia Black
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Master Catteneo is in charge of bringing the Overmaster’s mate back home after she is taken by her own sister out for revenge. Catteneo goes to a local psychic named Ezra to see if she knows the whereabouts of said mate when he is greeted by Alessia, the granddaughter of the local psychic. Ezra getting up in age suggests that Alessia go with Catteneo.

Instantly they start off on the wrong foot. Being a master vampire, Catteneo is used to being submitted to but he will not get that from Alessia. She is sassy, stubborn and independent. The Overmaster insists that the two be stuck at the hip until they can find his love.

Both of the main characters are used to working alone but in order to get the missing person back they have to put aside their differences and their fantasies aside and work together.

This is book 5 of the Masters of the Consulate book but can technically be read as a stand alone without much trouble. The only thing I had difficulty with was some of the history of the background characters. This is also the first book I have read of the series and I must say that I am intrigued to read the previous books in the series. The book was action packed, romantic with a little bit of steam, and had great characters.

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Dream-Shifter by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Santana Hicks

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Dream-ShifterDream-Shifter by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Gwendolyn is a middle school aged girl who is a dream shifter. Basically that means that she shifts into what she is dreaming about. A house fire awakes Gwendolyn up abruptly which causes her to wake up in her dream shift, an elk. Not knowing how to shift back into a girl, she tries to maneuver life as an elk during hunting season at that. Feeling like she is constantly in danger, her parents convince her to stay at a magician’s house while he tries to find a cure for her.

Meanwhile her life as a girl is slowly falling apart. No one believes that she is a talking elk. Everyone thinks that it is some elaborate prank being played on them.

This was a nice book for older children, I would say ages 9 to 12 mostly. Gwendolyn had to learn to live her life while difficult situations kept happening to her. She had to overtake some obstacles in her life to go back to normal. All with a fantasy and magical aspect to it making it more engaging for the children.

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Better Gnomes & Gardens (Mysty Haven Mystery Book 1) by Casey Cardel – Review by Santana Hicks

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Better Gnomes & Gardens (Mysty Haven Mystery)Better Gnomes & Gardens by Casey Cardel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bob is new to the town of Mysty Haven where things aren’t as they seem. After writing an article that his boss at the local newspaper didn’t agree with, Bob got fired. While complaining about his lack of job at his favorite cafe, one of the regulars hires him to find a missing gnome from his garden. Being new to town makes the local police sheriff suspicious of Bob and starts suspecting him of being the thief.

While Bob is trying to uncover the mystery of the missing gnome, he finds out that things seem magical. The locals are acting like the gnomes are alive. But are they really?

After Bob gets into an accident, he meets another police officer, the sheriff’s daughter who doesn’t agree with her father. Someone or something might be targeting Bob. He teams up with the female to now solve two cases. Things seem to be more sinister than just a missing gnome.

This was a fun short read with lots of mythical creatures. I really enjoyed getting to know Bob and watching him come to terms with himself and the people around him. Bob was charming, nerdy and genuinely a sweet guy. He always sees the good in everyone. Ending on a cliffhanger, I am for sure going to read the second book in the series.

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Weep, Woman, Weep: A Gothic Fairytale about Ancestral Hauntings by Maria DeBlassie – Review by Santana Hicks

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Weep, Woman, WeepWeep, Woman, Weep by Maria DeBlassie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Mercy lives in a town where most of the women are filled with sorrow. This is all thanks to the ‘weeping woman’ at the bottom of the river. After watching woman after woman fall victim to the river, Mercy and her friend Sherry make a pact to protect each other from being the next. One night Sherry is inconsolable, which attracts the weeping woman, Mercy tried with all her might to calm down her best friend. Unfortunately, she was too late. The weeping woman got Sherry. Mercy was able to escape but not without a giant target on her back. She was the one that got away and the weeping woman will not stand for it.

As years go by, Mercy is still marked but is starting to get tired of living in fear. She starts to better her life regardless of being targeted. The weeping woman will stop at nothing to get this woman who bested her.

It was hard for me to get into the story if I am being honest. There was some Spanish terminology which I had to stop and look up which took me right out of the story. Not only that but it was very slow paced and seemed to drag on. I enjoyed the story, but it took too long to get there. The book was more written like a day in the life kind of style which I am not a fan of in general.

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Dia’s Lure (Solstice Quartet Book 3) by Catherine Peace – Review by Santana Hicks

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Dia's LureDia’s Lure by Catherine Peace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Years ago, Dia lured hunters away to keep her family safe and she’s been hiding ever since. She changed her name, her gender, her looks all to keep herself and her younger sister’s safe from their dark past.

Dia who goes by Dane, is going to help in an active warzone when a bomb goes off and shifts the bus they were in. Fight or flight kicked in and she ran until she collapsed. When she came to, she was in a camp of bat shifters who just wanted to be left alone in a world where shifters are hunted. The shifters, not knowing who or what Dia is, insist on her staying until they can trust her. The next day they get another intruder and it is Dia’s mate whom she blames for the slaughter of her tribe.

Years later and there are still feelings there. As she gets to know the bat colonies leader, Milos, she realizes that there could be something between them as well.

Kano spent years trying to find his lost love Dia while also trying to stay away to protect her. When he arrives on the scene of the bus, he picks up her scent, causing him to stumble into the camp. Instantly, Kano can tell that Dia wants nothing to do with him because of their past but he can’t help it. All the while Milos catches his eye as well.

After a lifetime of them all running, will they finally settle down and try to make something of these feelings?

As much as I enjoyed the first book of the series, this one is a lot better. There is alot more action, steam, romance. It even gets a little erotic here and there. I could not put it down.

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Ember’s Secret (Solstice Quartet Book 1) by Catherine Peace – Review by Santana Hicks

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Ember's Secret (Solstice Quartet #1)Ember’s Secret by Catherine Peace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is the first book of the Solstice Quartet series and it is a great introduction to the world.

Ember lost everything years ago when hunters showed up at their tribe and slaughtered and kidnapped all of their people including her own mother. They come from a tribe of swan shifters. Her sister Dia led the hunters away from Ember, their father and their other sister Amy so they could get away. Years later and they still have no idea what happened to Dia which makes them feel the need to hide.

Ember is a chef and owner of a small cafe. She loves to cook. Unfortunately living in a small town not used to ethnic food made her cafe empty most of the time. Due to her father’s paranoia, Ember hasn’t done much to change this until she meets Austin.

Austin is a host of a show that goes to different restaurants and reviews them. After entering Ember’s cafe he is smitten instantly. With her, with her food, her passion and her energy and knows that she deserves more customers in her place of work.

Austin tries to convince her to take part in an episode that will most likely bring clientele in. With her past, she is unsure where to go from here.

There was chemistry between these two from the very beginning. They seemed like soul mates. Instantly they got along and spoke like they’ve known each other for years. There was a strong will they/won’t they between the two while they tried to fight their feelings and dark past. There wasn’t much action but like i said it was a very good introduction to the world as you get to read flashbacks and memories. The world in of itself is unique. It talks of Maori traditions. It was very interesting to read.

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The Final Bite by Naomi Valkyrie – Review by Santana Hicks

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The Final BiteThe Final Bite by Naomi Valkyrie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Every 10 years, the gods choose a being in purgatory to have a second chance, with stipulations of course. You have 3 days to find your mate. Quinnlan is the chosen one this time. He is dropped off in an abandoned motel in a small town with very little hopes to succeed his mission.

Quinnlan scopes out the town at night to find some potential mates when he spots a guy leaving town with wolf shifters trailing him. He decides to follow further to investigate and finds the guy beaten on the ground. He has a choice, continue his mission or save this random guy.

I absolutely love this author. Everything they write is so unique and different making it right up my alley. The author also has a lot of LGBTQ friendly stories, including this one which is an added bonus. This story was a little bit different from their others as they broke the 4th wall a few times which was amusing on its own. I give this book 5/5! Can’t wait for the next story!

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The Sacrifice (Dragonpets Book 1) by R. L. S. Hoff – Review by Santana Hicks

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The Sacrifice (Dragonpets #1)The Sacrifice by R.L.S. Hoff
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

At the very beginning of the book, Rilla is left as a sacrifice to a dragon. She knows not why she is there or anything but somehow feels like this is voluntary. As she sits there waiting for the dragon to inevitably kill her, she is surprised when the big black dragon asks where his yearly cow is and ushers her inside his cave to warm up. The dragon is nothing like what Rilla was told dragons were like. This dragon seemed… nice. This begins a weird friendship between Rilla and the black dragon whose name is Vidar.

At first I kind of got Beauty and the Beast vibes but then the book ebbed into much more. I really enjoyed the plot but I found the progressing of the story to be quite slow. After the first encounter with the purple dragon, I thought there would be a lot more action, unfortunately there was not. It was more of a very slow burn romance. I also found the book was very repetitive when it came to conversation and thoughts between the two main characters.

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Glass Houses by Sinister Styx – Review by Santana Hicks

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Glass HousesGlass Houses by Sinister Styx
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a short read but very intense. Ivy and Falcon are a couple. Ivy has a suspicion that Falcon is cheating on her. When he finds out, he is enraged and everything falls apart around them. His rage makes him want revenge on Ivy for questioning his faithfulness.

This book is 18+ as there are a lot of brutal scenes.

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Friends with Benies (Paris in Springtime Book 7) by T.B. Bond – Review by Santana Hicks

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Friends with Benies: An AMBW Paranormal Romance (Paris in Springtime Book 7)Friends with Benies: An AMBW Paranormal Romance by T.B. Bond
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wednesday and Ryker have been best friends since they were 6 years old. At 18 years of age, they decided to take each other’s V card before they went off to college and they have been secretly in love with each other ever since. Ryker is a panda shifter while Wednesday is a mage so they know they cannot be together. They come from different worlds. The couple decide to be friends with benefits until one of them meet their intended mate.

The chemistry between them is intense. No one can compare to the other’s best friend. Ryker knows that Wednesday is the one for him but she thinks he has a mate somewhere out in the world so she is refusing to give into her feelings.

The book was steamy from start to finish. I loved both characters separately and together. They evened each other out nicely. I was cheering for them from the very beginning.

This book is book 7 in the ‘Paris in Springtime’ series but can be read as a stand alone.

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Ghost Talker (Madame Chalamet Ghost Mysteries Book 1) by Byrd Nash – Review by Santana Hicks

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Ghost Talker (Madame Chalamet Ghost Mysteries #1)Ghost Talker by Byrd Nash
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Madame Chalamet is what is known as a Ghost Talker. When she is asked to speak to a dead body found in the river, she doesn’t hesitate especially since the Duke de Archambeau has taken an interest in this particular body.

Once at the morgue, Madame Chalamet calls upon the ghost and has time to ask it only three questions: who are you, describe the last hour of your life and who is the last person you saw?

Turns out Giles, the dead person, was an illicit relation to royalty. The Duke thinks that Madame has heard too much and takes her to stay at his home until some royal business is concluded. At the same time The Duke and Madame try to solve the mystery of the dead body and missing items.

There were some moments between the two that I got some minor will they/won’t they feelings. The main story of this particular novella concluded nicely but the author left room to continue in this world.

Personally, I had some difficulty following some of the lingo and titles which made it so I was not 100% immersed in the book like I would want to be.

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The Magical Summer of Miranda Stone (The Emergence Duology Book 1) by A.D. Brazeau – Review by Santana Hicks

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The Magical Summer of Miranda StoneThe Magical Summer of Miranda Stone by A.D. Brazeau
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Miranda Stone is a typical sixteen year old girl from a conservative family. When she all of a sudden developed magical powers, she knew her parents would not take it well so she decided to flee. Miranda took what little money she had and went to New Orleans to become a singer. She finds a cheap motel and starts her new life. Instantly she becomes friends with her neighbours Billie and Neeta. She finds a job being an opener for a drag club and thinks that she can find a new life here.

Unfortunately this isn’t the case. Women from all over the world are developing the same powers as Miranda and then have gone missing after being found out. Miranda starts to fear for her life along with the others while trying to maintain a somewhat normal life. Miranda even meets the girl of her dreams. She knows love is a bad idea with everything going on but she can’t help the instant intense connection she has with this girl.

This book was exciting and reminded me of a more modern day of the Salem witch trials. Men all around the world are turning in these women to never be seen again. I did find the book was slower paced than I would have liked but still kept my full attention. I will be looking forward to the next installment!

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The Second View (The View from Here Trilogy Book 2) by Leon Stevens – Review by Santana Hicks

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The Second View (Book 2 of The View trilogy)The Second View by Leon Stevens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book, more or less, picks up where the previous left off. A couple months have passed and we find out that Thomas and April are keeping in touch, they are still friends. Even better, April thinks she figured it out. She believes that she has found a way back to that surreal world they had previously visited. The aperture the duo had previously used to journey to the island and find Flick was lost in an earthquake, April thinks it moved to Alaska. In no time at all the friends are gearing up for another adventure, hoping to see their old friend Flick once more.

The author does a phenomenal job in once again painting a strange, surreal world, one where things are just not quite what you expect. Of course, things aren’t quite the same as the last adventure, the changing circumstances served to add a nice bit of tension to the plot. We continue to have some fun dialog peppered with pop culture references, and a better memory for math than I have. All in all I would say this serves as an excellent follow up to the previous novella, and of course ends with another sequel tease. If you enjoyed the first, you are bound to enjoy your second trip.

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Elemental Fire (The Hidden Realms Book 1) by EG Manetti – Review by Santana Hicks

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Elemental Fire (The Hidden Realms #1)Elemental Fire by E.G. Manetti
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sin is a human who works as a freelancer. She does a bit of everything from stopping an art thief to rescuing a kidnapped child. She works for both humans and supernatural beings called the Hidden. After what seemed like an open shut case, she meets a man named Rad. Being able to see through glamour, Sin realizes that Rad is not human but a fire demon of some sort. She finds out from him that her art thief case isn’t so black and white like she first thought. The thief was trying to recover items that actually belonged to the Hidden.

Rad is a warden for the Hidden, but is really intrigued by Sin. He doesn’t normally start anything romantic with humans but they can’t help that the chemistry between them is strong. He introduces her to the supernatural world and realizes that he willingly put her in danger. Together the couple try to stop smuggled goods from entering the Hidden world. Let’s not forget the steamy down time they have together too.

At first, the book starts off like any other Fae book but then takes a very interesting turn. It was very intriguing and I found myself falling in love with both Sin and Rad. This book is a must!

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From Brick & Darkness by J.L. Sullivan – Review by Santana Hicks

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From Brick & DarknessFrom Brick & Darkness by J.L. Sullivan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bax is a teenage boy who thinks his life is typically boring, that is until a strange man with purple eyes talks to him outside of his apartment building. The man offers Bax a ring claiming that it is for Bax’s estranged father. Bax, being curious, takes the ring. He shoves it into his pocket. Thinking the ring is just a gaudy piece of costume jewelry, he doesn’t think much about it. Bax ends up rubbing the purple jewel on the ring and an ugly creature appears before him.

The creature tells Bax it is a Janni which is a type of Djinn. Bax can’t believe his luck. His luck quickly turns when Janni is not what it seems. There is a darkness to the creature and the ring. Nothing is as it seems and Bax has to find out the hard way.

At first the book seems like a typical coming of age fantasy but it turns dark in an instant making it much more enjoyable to me. It was twisted and yet easy to read and relate to. I definitely recommend this book for YA and adults alike.

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River Witch by Cheryl Burman – Review by Santana Hicks

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River WitchRiver Witch by Cheryl Burman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From a young age Hester has always been different. She spends her time talking to the River. When she was only 4 years old, Hester met a strange man by the name of Aaron. He knows a lot about herbs and flowers and of their uses. He also can hear the voice of the river which is actually a goddess by the name of Sabrina.

Once Hester is older, her mind starts to wonder to the man she met years prior and of his knowledge. Her great grandmother healed the sick and hurt with her knowledge on plants and potions. Hester wants to be just like her. Hester decides to seek Aaron to teach her his ways. At first he is reluctant but once he realizes Hester will not stop until she gets her way, he decides to start lessons with her.

Hester’s mother has always been against natural remedies as it is seen as witch-like. She just wants Hester to be a normal lady, find a husband and birth his children. As Hester gets older, her mothers ambitions get stronger and Hester wants to flee the life her mother has laid out for her. She runs to Aaron only to find he agrees with her mother. He thinks it would be safer if they cease their lessons and Hester should go on to be a bride. This does not bode well with her and she decides to do everything in her power to get what she wants.

This book was not at all what I was expecting but in a good way. The synopsis doesn’t give this book justice. There is so much going on within the book and in different points of view which makes it even more interesting. I loved Hester, she was strong and independent (well as much as one could be in that day in age as a woman). She was determined and humble.

The only downfall for me personally is I found the book very repetitive. I found myself starting to read ahead when it started to say the same things which made immersing myself completely into the world hard.

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Grave Digger Academy II (Grave Digger Academy Book 2) by C.A. King – Review by Santana Hicks

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Grave Digger Academy IIGrave Digger Academy II by C.A. King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book of the Grave Digger Academy series and it did not disappoint. I read the first one last year and thought I would lost when I decided to read the second one a year later but it was really easy to get back into the groove. The way the author writes is really easy to follow and they really know how to broaden their horizons. I have read a few different works from this author and each book has a completely different genre and world. The author does not disappoint.

It is Makayla’s second year in the academy and due to the shenanigans of the first year, the Headmistress has decided to forgive and forget if Makayla and her small group of friends attend the academy games. The group starts training for the games with little hope of winning them. All the while Makayla is still on the lookout for Wholly who has not been seen since last year.

Can the academy win the games and will Wholly show up to take revenge on Makayla? Read the second book now!

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Curse of the Elf Lord (Kingdom of the Elf Lords Book 2) by Heidi Vanlandingham – Review by Santana Hicks

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Curse of the Elf Lord (Kingdom of the Elf Lords Book 2)Curse of the Elf Lord by Heidi Vanlandingham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book of the Kingdom of the Elf Lords series and this time it follows Émilien and Hel.

Émilien was an Elven lord once married to Hel – the goddess of the dead and daughter of Loki. Émilien was cursed to live out the rest of his days as a werewolf and lost the love of his life as well. They had a daughter together but Hel wanted her daughter oblivious to her parents origin. She knew her father too well and did not want to give him any fuel to mess around with what was hers.

In the first book Émilien found his long lost nephew he didn’t even know existed. After finding out that his brother disappeared long ago, Émilien decides to find them if it’s the last thing he does.

Something is amiss. Forces are trying to stop Émilien from continuing his search. Meanwhile the dead seem to be disappearing from Hel’s realm. Émilien and Hel have to try to put their differences aside to save those around them, including their daughter.

This book was much more exciting and action packed than the first book. I enjoyed reading about the couple’s love/hate relationship and found myself rooting for them to have a happy ending.

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Return of the Elf Lord (Kingdom of the Elf Lords Book 1) by Heidi Vanlandingham – Review by Santana Hicks

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Return of the Elf Lord (Kingdom of the Elf Lords, Book 1)Return of the Elf Lord by Heidi Vanlandingham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bernard was a soldier in World War II, losing his wife and kids at Pearl Harbour sent him spiralling. He focused all his time and devotion into the war. When he passed away, Freyja gave him a second chance and brought him into her court. All he could think about was what he had lost. In his depression he comes up with the idea to travel back in time and alter what happened to try to save his family. Like they say in all time travel related things, even the smallest change can alter all of history and boy did it ever. Bernard, with the help of Freyja, other gods and goddesses, Alva, elf lords, and witches, try to fix what Bernard started.

The theory was very appealing to me but I lost some interest when the book started delving into the politics and what not of World War II. Also Bernard seemed to be on repeat. I found he said the same things over and over, making him kind of dull in my eyes. Luckily his story picked up later on and my interest came back.

Meanwhile, I was interested in Alva’s story and still am. She is a Huldra which is a creature who feeds off of the life-force of men. They have bark on their backs and tails. Never being comfortable draining men to their deaths, she fled the life of the Huldra and took up a job as Freyja’s assistant. Her mother, who is Queen of the Huldra gets sick and Alva has to return home. She then decides to find out more about the history of the Huldra as she can survive without killing her prey, so why can’t the others? Her story seemed incomplete and had a lot of loose ties that were still there at the end of the book. I really hope later on in the series, the author delves deeper into Alva’s back story.

I have always been into mythology, Norse being my favourite so when I read the synopsis of this book and I saw some mention of Norse Mythology, I knew I had to read it! It helped to already have some knowledge of Norse Mythology. Luckily the author included a glossary for those not familiar with the Names and terms.

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