Angels

Review: The Christmas Angel Project by Melody Carlson

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This is a charming story of five book club friends whose main connection is friend Abby. When Abby dies, the remaining four need to find a way to carry on. Abby provides that guidance from some angel gifts she’s left for them. 

I was disappointed in the beginning of this book because I could sense the “setting up” of the plot… a little contrived or overplanned. However, by the middle, I loved the direction Carlson took the four women – it seemed natural and authentic. Seeing the women use Abby’s Angels to help them grieve and then use their talents to help others warmed my heart, and it will warm yours, too. 

-calliope

Buy THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL PROJECT

Review: Iniquity by Amy Bartol

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01 ini How can I write a review for a book that has been in the back of my mind for the past three years? I’ve never felt like this over a series before, so this is very hard for me. It’s over. Lives have been lost. Lives have been saved. Nothing more can be done. It’s very bittersweet for me. I found, as I was reading, I would just burst into tears, for no reason at all. It was coming to a close, and I wasn’t ready for it. We may have wanted this, but deep down we really don’t want it to end.

The Premonition series has been a part of my life shortly after I became a reader and I don’t know how to say goodbye. In fact, I suck at saying goodbye. I mean really, how do you say goodbye to characters that you love so much? And even though some of these characters I hated, deep down I really loved them. They were doing what they’re made to do, even if I didn’t agree. But saying goodbye is still going to suck, so here I go.

Goodbye, Russell. I fell in love with you the moment you opened your mouth and I was met with that amazing southern drawl. Your sweetness and protectiveness always made me so overwhelmed. You’re Evie’s soulmate. You’re bound to her and you can’t just walk away, even if your heart is being ripped to shreds. I loved how you loved Evie, even when she couldn’t love you the same way. No matter what, you were there for Evie. Even if she made you mad and frustrated, you never stopped protecting. You did it full force. I will miss you.

Goodbye, Finn. I always thought you were something special. And reading reading Iniquity, I know I was right. Even though you made me a bit mad over Molly, I know your heart was in the right place. You were a fierce second. You always helped Brennus and your queen and I love you forever.

Goodbye, Buns and Brownie. You girls were the best friends Evie could ever have. I’m so glad she had you guys as part of her inner circle. She couldn’t have done anything without you girls.

Goodbye, fellas. You crazy bunch of lunatics. I wanted to smack some of you many times, but I get it, you were only doing what you were made to do and what your king told you to do. You’re loyal and very strong fighters. I’m glad Evie could count on you to protect her, even if she didn’t think she needed it. And I still can’t believe I found myself crying over you guys, in this book. I mean, whoa. The twists and turns you guys gave me, definitely kept me on my toes.

Goodbye, Zephyr. I must admit, you scared the crap out of me, when Evie stumbled upon you in Reed’s house. I was sure you were going to kill her, but only because you’ve never seen anything like her. Once you figured it out, you were like her big brother. I love how you always had Reed’s back, even if it meant you were getting a beating right along with him. You never left his side. You’re the best, Z, and I will miss you.

Goodbye, Brennus. You crazy undead faerie. What can I say about you? Thank you for always having Evie’s safety as your #1 priority. Although, you could’ve gone a little bit less stalkery to prove your point. You freaked her out, man. You need to learn to back off and let the girl come to you. But I am glad she could call on you and you would be there as soon as possible. Thank you for protecting her and loving her enough to let her make her own decisions.

Goodbye, Evie. Girl, you have lived a crazy life. Heck, all your lives are crazy! But I’m glad to see how much you’ve grown in these books. I’m sorry you had a such a hard time, in the beginning. I wish you all the best and hope you will be happy with the rest of this lifetime.

Goodbye, Reed. Let me start out by saying that you will always be one of my top book boyfriends ever. You loved Evie so much, that you’d die for her, kill for her and walk away, if that’s what she wanted. I was always rooting for you. Team Reed all the way. I’m going to miss your sweet and romantic words, the way you and Russell would tease each other and how, no matter what, you put Evie first above all else. I will never forget you.

“You’re my air, Evie. Without you, I drown in a breathless sky.”

Thank you, Amy, for giving us these characters. They will always be loved and never forgotten.

~Melpomene

Inescapable (The Premonition Series Book 1)
Intuition (The Premonition Series Book 2)
Indebted (The Premonition Series Book 3)
Incendiary (The Premonition Series Book 4)
Iniquity (The Premonition Series Book 5)

Review: Mr. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

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This is the perfect book to give to a sweet relative – for Christmas or a birthday or just because. Mr. Miracle is charming, easy to read, and a little bit hokey. Macomber gives us Christmas lights and a new outlook, after showing how Addie and Erich dug themselves into darkness.

The book is straightforward – no unexpected twists at the end – and direct in its message and moral. What makes Mr. Miracle stand out is its parallels with Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Addie sees how she and others CAN change and grow.

A beautiful and subtle theme in Mr. Miracle is the idea that although you can’t change someone else (Addie! You can’t change Erich), you can change yourself. And when you change yourself, you change the dynamic you have with others. Sometimes that’s enough to spur another person to change, or to make you realize the other person is just fine as they are.

-calliope

buy MR. MIRACLE

Review: Archangel’s Legion by Nalini Singh

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15808767 I’ve gathered a few authors over the last few years or so that are complete auto buys for me ut as I get burned by each author I slowly have been dropping the auto buys. Just not worth the pain my bank account feels every time one of my much awaited books lets me down once again. But my romantic heart was sure that Nalini Singh would not let me down. For once I was not wrong!!

Singh writes the Psy-Changeling books of which there are 12 so far and all beloved by me. But my favorite of hers is the Guild Hunter series. The world in this series is dark and gritty and a hard one to live in, all of the characters have an intense back story that one glimpse makes you want to know everything about their past. Book #6 Archangel’s Legion is an excellent addition to the stories in the series that have come before this one.

Elena returns as the heroine and the reason I love these books so much. She is a fierce warrior and although she’s lost a lot in her young young life, she is the Archangel’s Consort and is definitely up for the task. There is upheaval in the angelic world as the Archangel’s are evolving and getting additional powers that are unexpected to all. When angels drop from the sky without warning and the vampires in Raphael’s territory begin to get ill from tainted blood, answers need to be found.

This was a fantastic addition to the growing series. The world remains just as cold, dark and gritty as always, which is what I wanted to see. With each book that comes out and as one more person in this world gets their HEA there is always the fear that the edge of that hero or heroine will be gone. That has not been the case with these characters at all. While Dmitri has gotten his HEA, he certainly doesn’t seem to be any less blood thirsty or will to defend the Archangel.

The most surprising and unexpected part of this book was the humor. It’s definitely not something I would ever associate with Raphael or even this world. Elena has a dark sense of humor we often get to see come out when she is with her best friend Sara or with her other Hunters like Ransom but in this book we see the Archangel himself and the other angels be funny for once.

“Wave to the nice tourists, Sparkle. I promise it won’t cause pestilence and firestorms.”
Elena bit the inside of her cheek at Aodhan’s glare-she’d never seen anyone crack his reserved shell. “Sparkle and Bluebell, nice.”
“Never,” Aodhan said, hands stubbornly on the girder, “ever repeat that. Illium seems to have forgotten I promised to separate his tongue from his mouth should he utter it again in this immortal lifetime.”

Raphael gets into the bantering with Elena, which caused me to giggle more than a few times. But the one thing the series does well and always has done well is action. This is action packed and the last quarter of the book had me unable to put the book down and had me telling my husband to SHUSH while I finished. I highly recommend this series and this is a great addition to it. Then again, I highly recommend anything Nalini Singh writes ever. She is quickly becoming that author that never lets me down. Ever.

5 stars.

~Clio

Buy it Now Archangel’s Legion (Guild Hunter)

Review: Shadows by Paula Weston

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cover33319-mediumYA Supernatural or Paranormal genre has gone through many different fads. Witches, vampires and werewolves have all been covered to a great extent in a ridiculous amount of books. Some have been wildly successful with the stories they’ve told, spawning movies and fandoms like crazy.

But I read a lot of books in the Young Adult genre and over the last few months I’ve seen an explosion of Angelic books. I’m a sucker for books that draw from an established mythology and either make it their own or expand the established mythology into an even greater one.

And that is exactly what Shadows does so well.  Paula Weston managed to take what I’ve come to expect in an Angel story and add even more to it. This was a very fast paced book – in a good way – I didn’t want to put it down.  The world building done within the book was excellent, letting us see what we need to establish what is to come in the rest of the series.

While this is going to be a series, the ending was not cliffhanger-ish enough to drive me crazy. It left me wanting more but not to the people of being angry at the book. I liked the young adult/ new adult vibe Shadows has as well. Gaby is coping with the death of her twin brother, Jude and trying to move on with her life when the angelic world is brought solidly into her life and is forced to deal with the shocking consequences that brings along with it.

I can’t wait to read the rest in the series. I really liked the secondary characters and want to see much more of Rafa, Jason and Maggie.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

4 Stars

~Clio

Buy it Now Shadows (The Rephaim)

Review: Inescapable, by Amy Bartol

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I love angels!!!

I found this series after I read another angel series, and I’m so glad I did. I loved it even more after I realized the author is from my state. Gotta support the local authors, you know. 🙂

Anyways, this book is about Evie Claremont. She is starting the next chapter of her life as a freshman at Crestwood college. She is sad to leave her Uncle, who raised her, but she’s excited to see what’s in store.

That is, until she meets Reed Wellington.

Mr. Perfect.

More like Mr. Irritating. He wants her gone and she doesn’t understand why.

Then she meets Russell.

Mr. Cute southern boy who you can’t help but love. Who also turns out to be the best friend she’s ever had.

Strange things start happening to her and she can’t explain them. But Reed always seems to be there or know what’s happening. But he’s not telling her anything.

“So, since you know I’m not a fish, and I know you’re not a fish, what does that make us?”

“That makes us completely and utterly screwed.”

Well, that is, until the unthinkable happens and she is changed forever.

There was a love triangle, of course. Someone gets hurt. Someone gets really hurt and I get really mad. There is also a shocking ending. Lucky for us, books 2, 3 and 4 are out. There is a 5th coming soon. I’m DYING to read the 5th book!!

I can’t quite put my finger on why I love this series so much, but I just do. I’ll be rereading all four books before the fifth comes out. I can’t wait!!

~Melpomene

Buy it now Inescapable (The Premonition Series (Volume 1))
Buy it now Intuition (The Premonition Series (Volume 2))
Buy it now Indebted: The Premonition Series (The Premonition Series (Volume 3))
Buy it now Incendiary (The Premonition Series (Volume 4))