🧐 OUR WEEK IN REVIEWS 📚 Reviews and Recommendations

💖 OUR PICKS FOR THE WEEK 💖

📚  06/09/2019 📚 

🧙‍♀️ Descended from Shadows by D.G. Swank
❣️  BEAU2Y Blaire's World by Kirsty Dallas
🌄 Dark Wine at Sunrise by Jenna Barwin
🐝 Darkest Deeds by Cora Kenborn
🔮 Beauty of the Dark Trilogy by Amanda Leigh
🩰 The Ballerino and the Biker by Rebecca James

GOODREADS  AMAZON   BOOKBUB

Descended from Shadows by D.G. Swank

What a magical start to a new series.

Descended from Shadows begins the story of the Book of Sindal.

We are introduced to the three sisters Phoebe, Rowan, and Celeste.

One very questionable, and quite handsome, captain of the guards Brandon.

And quite a few friendly, as well a nefarious secondary characters

Phoebe is the middle sister, she carries the gift of ancestral magic. Out of all the sisters, I think she leads with her emotions the most. Being the middle child she is also the peacekeeper. IMO this role has also given her a strength of will that puts her ahead of the game when it comes to stubbornness

Rowan the eldest wields the gift of glamour she also seemed to me to be less confident about her self worth. She is driven though, and at times seemed a bit superficial. We truly don't get to know her as well as Phoebe.

Celeste is the wild card. The youngest of the sisters. Not only does it seem that she sacrifices the most with regards to her magic and the cost of casting but she seems to carry quite the chip on her shoulder. Again we don't really get to know her except that her own feelings of jealousy may have led her to betray her sisters.

Brandon has a lot of secrets. It seemed he positioned himself so he would have a connection to Phoebe. What is his end game? What powers does he truly yield? Can he be trusted?

Celeste seems to be having a hard time keeping it together and when it comes time to set the protection spells something goes horribly wrong. When Phoebe and Rowan approach the council accusations begin to fly freely. The head Witch decides that Brandon will lead the investigation. Brandon the one boy who once held Phoebe's heart is not the same warlock that stands before her today. With the possibilities that the betrayer could be from the council or her own sister, Phoebe is unsure of who to trust. As they uncover the evidence it is looking more and more like Celeste is guilty. Will Phoebe choose family or duty? Who is telling the truth?

A wonderful first in series. Plenty of mystery with a touch of suspense and a side of romance.

Looking forward to seeing what happens next.

And if you need to know this ends on an HFN

Amazon   Kobo  Nook   Google 

BEAU2Y (Beauty Part 2): Blaire's World by Kirsty Dallas

Beauty was perfect.
Already stripped of all sense of self by the monsters who live in the light.
Denied all those pesky and rigid designs commonplace for most of humanity.
You know those pesky things such as hope, laughter, love- The warm safe feeling you get knowing you matter to someone.
She had become the blade that would draw revenge for all those tears so violently shed.
The justice for the innocent who could no longer speak for themselves

Brutal- Bloody and Beautiful
With no apologies for the bodies, she leaves in her wake.
She was Lucy.
She is Beauty.

I am a big Blaire fan and when the spinoff series came out I devoured all the secondary tales.
Beauty was one of those treasures. This is how her story ended.
It is intense on the emotional side.
There is a graphic read, blood, torture, vengeance all those dastardly dark things that come with revenge.
If being ankle deep in pools of crimson liquid is not your thing- might I suggest skipping this one.
Amazon 


Dark Wine at Sunrise by Jenna Barwin

The mystery and the romance deepen with Dark Wine.
Each time I thought I had a proper suspect a new twist was introduced. Between the suspense of trying to figure out who was behind the Cutter and who was leading the movement to the entangled romance of Henry and Cerissa - I felt like I was imploding. With every answer, I found it seemed I was presented with a new question.

Sunrise picks up pretty much right where we left off.
The council is preparing to sentence Henry for crimes against the community. With Rolf feeding the flames of contention against Cerissa the Hill's council may be blinded to true objectivity and fairness when it comes to his sentencing.

The pieces of the puzzle are still not fitting properly. With the investigation into the attempted murders at a standstill and their assassin still in a comma, Tig is feeling the pressure to provide a resolution.
I have to say I really enjoyed the way Tig took control this time. The council is hampering her investigation. A couple of the older members are so quick to shut down her ideas and to gloss over the truth it led me to wonder why? But when their decisions bring the danger to her front door she has had enough. I wouldn't want to be in her line of sight at the moment.

As things between Henry and Cerissa become more 'permanent ' Hard choices must be made and the secrets they feel the need to hide from each other become dangerous burdens.
Can they find a middle ground?
Will Henry accept Cerissas true form?
There are so many negatives against them before they even start.

The pieces start to fall into place for Tig and Jayden as they slowly close in on the killer. But the facts just aren't adding up fast enough.

This ends on a happy for now. We do get to meet the Lux council and I have to say I'm not impressed. Like the older vampires, it's time for a reality check that also includes a little look at the power structure. Though I did like the varying beliefs that Ari presented to Henry with regards to the Lux. Pretty interesting to ponder upon.

If you enjoy your romances with the edge of a thriller and a touch of mystery then this is a series for you.
The unique world building and well-developed characters round out a complex story line with intricate secondary plot lines.
I need book three now! Please.
Amazon


Darkest Deeds by Cora Kenborn

Patience little bee

I love 💘how each author brings a different flavor to this series.

Ava - A princess- A toy - Priceless - yet Worthless.
She is my hero!
She knew when to submit.
She knew losing a battle meant nothing if she still won the war.
So many secrets woven together - a shield of skeletons that both protected and suppressed her heart.
Niko - an emotionless void, death without a conscience. Not, a combination you want gunning for you. Especially if it's personal.

Our of all the Cavalieri to date this one was wholly unique. Such a different story line. I was impressed when the various truths were revealed. Some seriously twisted circumstances.
And the betrayals - holy chit can you trust no one??
Amazon


Beauty of the Dark: The Complete Trilogy by Amanda Leigh

Occasionally a YA series comes along that manages to truly captivate me -
The beauty of the Dark is one of those

Leigh weaves an entertaining and enthralling tale that truly engages the reader on an emotional level. Right from the opening, I was hooked.
The characters are vivid and you can feel the tension that flows between them just under the surface. The various plots and predicaments were well crafted and kept me guessing. The storyline was easy to follow.

Kiara is young but strong of will and has no problem thinking for herself. She has a lot of her own secrets she keeps safeguarded. She also will discover many truths that have been withheld from her "for her own good".
I really enjoyed her strength of character and the way she held her ground even if it was only in support of her own beliefs.
Does she make impulsive decisions? Absolutely. Does she get herself into all kinds of dangerous predicaments? Hello, she is a teenager.
Trent has to have been my favorite. I have a thing for the brooding bad boy. His character was funny, engaging and a little dark but it was entertaining to discover his secrets and at times to glimpse the heart he is so viciously protecting
Kaleib had me a bit on the fence in the beginning. I do not want to give to much away but he also has his secret and I get why but that does not mean that I agree.
If you are looking for an entertaining read that mixes a bit of mystery and intrigue with a whole lot of action doused occasionally in laughter - Then look no further
Amazon   Nook  Kobo

 The Ballerino and the Biker by Rebecca James

Sweet romance

Morgan dedicated his life to his dream. To be a principal.
An orphan with only an estranged brother to call family
it never bothered him that his world was his dancing.
That was until his world was uprooted.
Suddenly cast into the role of adulthood Morgan begins to see the world a bit differently.
Is this really what he wants?

After Jake's passing puts Morgan's life at risk Zeke is charged by the president with protecting him. Zeke takes his protection seriously even if he is not sure how he ended up with 'guard the kid duty'.

Morgan was a tough kid. Spunky as all get out, loved his wit. His determination was unwavering. He knew who he was and what he wanted from life and he intended to get it. I really enjoyed his take no prisoners outlook when it came to speaking his mind. Despite coming from wealth he knew that true happiness came from within not the trappings that so many coveted.
Zeke came from the other side of the tracks. Raised in a homophobic environment and subject to a childhood of ridicule and emotional abuse he was not very good with his emotions. When he was unsure he used anger as his shield. He had a really hard time finding the words to express himself. My heart melted watching him come to terms with his feelings for Morgan and accepting that it was okay to have those feelings.

I am looking forward to reading about the rest of the cast. I see some great stories there.
Amazon

#DGSwank #KirstyDallas #JennaBarwin
#CoraKenborn #AmandaLeigh #RebeccaJames
#bookreview #bookrecommendation #fantasy #gothic
#paranormal #youngadult #romancereads #angels #demons
#suspense #mystery #gayromance #witches #dark
#kindleunlimited #epub #kindle #bookstoread