Book Review: Darkspell by Elizabeth Mueller

Darkspell By Elizabeth Mueller is a young adult paranormal romance, and let me tell you it is one to pick up and read!

Darkspell is about an average everyday girl named Winter who is looking forward to starting her senior year in high school. Then she dreams of kissing an amazing boy, and upon the rude awakening of her brother, she discovers that very hot, delicious boy named Alex has just moved into her favorite old empty house. And boy what a fabulous surprise. She finds every excuse to hang out there, and soon finds that her heart is fast approaching being lost to him.

Little does Winter know that along the way to losing her heart that there is so much more to Alex than she can imagine, that Alex is her protector, and that he wants to be sure that she is kept safe from the things she doesn't understand. That like Winter he is losing his heart to her as well.

But then niether Alex or Winter anticipate the way Alex's brother Jareth mixes things up. And if that isn't enough, Winter notices things about Alex and his family that are a little off the beaten path. Things that they shouldn't be able to do that they can, and she embarks on a path to discover what it is that makes them so different. But little does Winter know that along that path are dark and dangerous things that slide in to take her off guard and throw unexpected impossible events into her life. And most unexpected of all is what she discovers about herelf.

Darkspell wove a spell around me and kept me wondering what was going to happen next. Who would be left standing at the end, and who would ultimately win Winter's heart. It was filled with sinister evil and extra ordinary events that took my breath away and at times made my stomache drop in anticipation. I loved how every character in Elizabeth's Darkspell was able to intice me to fall for them. Ok, all but one, but hey you aren't supposed to love the bad guy.

I loved going into the alternate worlds created in Darkspell and the way the characters evolved and expressed who they were so intrinsically that you felt you knew them. You knew their hearts, and their desires. I also really loved all the unexpected surprises. Not to mention the out of this world illustrations drawn by Elizabeth herself.

I found that I was waiting, wondering what would happen to the end, who would truimph ultimately, who would still be standing and who would rise above the ashes so to speak. I really loved Darkspell with all its glorious magic and mysterious mystical events. I didn't want it to end and once you pick up Darkspell and begin reading it, niether will you.

So what are you waiting for? Hurry and get your copy of Darkspell by clicking here and here and you can learn more about the talented and amazing Elizabeth by clicking on her website here. You can also find Elizabeth at Goodreads here and on twitter here.

And don't forget to keep your eye out for the sequel to Darkspell coming soon!

Disclaimer: while I do sometimes recieve copies of books to review, my opinions are and will always remain my own.

Book Review: Bound By Chrisitne Bryant

Bound By Christine Bryant is a young adult parnaormal romance and the first in The Crystor Trilogy. I have actually had the privelege of reading Bound more than once and can honestly say that I grew to love the characters even more the second time I read it.

Bound starts off with Kira, an average girl who struggles with fitting in, lacks the physical strength to climb that blasted rope in gym and is counting down the days to graduation. She has issues with her mom and her step dad, and finds peace only when she is with her best friend Lydia.

Lydia convinces Kira to go on a photo shoot with her in the mountains and that is when Kira's normal everyday life gets shot to pieces and nothing is the same again. It is when Kira discovers there is more, much more to her best friend of two years. The kinds of things that take Kira by surprise and test the strength of her friendship with Lydia.

Then there is the discovery of Lydia's older brother, Octavian. He is incredibly handsome, super protective and brooding. He confuses Kira with his upredicatable attitude and she doesn't know whatquite to make of him. Then he asks her to make a choice that will forever alter her life and lead her on the path of discovering life beyond the world she knows. To discover mythical creatures, beautiful worlds, evil villians, new found abilities and adventures she never dreamed existed. These things come at a price though. She must leave all she has ever known behind, and never look back, because more than just Kira's life depends on it.

Can Kira make the choice necessary and is she willing to give up what she knows for the hope and promise of something more? As things heat up between her and Octavian, and she finds how deep the bonds of friendship can really go, she learns she is being hunted and she must turn to the two people who would show her what love, family and freindship are all about . All leading up to a climatic ending you won't expect that will leave you begging for more.

But in order for you to find out all the juicy details you have to read Bound! It isn't your regular paranormal romance, there are great surprises waiting inside to be revealed. Christine's imagination is phenomenal and her descriptions are so clear you feel at times you can reach out and feel the cold water rush by, or see the brilliant sky and hear the wind rustle gently in your ear. Not to mention the way she describes her characters. They take on a three dementional life of their own.

I love how Kira learns she is not someone to be easily manipulated or pushed around as she once believed. I think the strength and courage she displays allows one to look into themselves to see where they can make weak things strong within themselves.

I love the bonds of friendship that Lydia and Kira hold strong. That they are willing to move beyond what is expected to create something extraordianary. I love Lydia's loyalty and selflessness to Kira. She always looks for ways to help Kira be who she really is but could never see for herself.

And Octavian is wonderful to read. He is strong and powerful and sometimes callous until he starts to realize his behavior has consequenses. Octavian then fights the warrior inside himself to find the compassion he once possessed. He learns that he can open himself up and not be guarded all the time. I love the changes in him as he remembers who he once was as he strives to bring parts of himself back to balance in with the protective warrior he was forced to become.

I felt the plot has surprising twists and turns that leave you wondering what is going to happen next. I thought it was well played out and that subplots that ran through it supported the over all direction of the story line. I felt that the characters were well developed and grew as they learned and recongnized things about themselves to help them be stronger. I felt that the world of Kira, Lydia and Octavian was beautifully written .

Don't miss out, to find out what happens next and why I read Bound twice (which I don't ever do, until now) click here, here and here to get your own copy. You'll be glad you did. Click here to see Christine's website to learn more about the next exciting book in the Crystor Triogy, Broken, which I am really anxious to get my hands on!

Disclaimer: While I do sometimes receive copies of books to review, my opinions are and will always remain my own!

Book Review: Deep Blue Secret By Christie Anderson

First of all, I am praying that Christie Anderson is writing a sequel because I am dying to know what happens next! Not that Christie leaves you hanging, just wanting more of her story to continue on.

Deep Blue Secret took you deep into the emotions and frustrations of Sadie James, as she discovers her perfect happy life isn't quite as perfect or happy as she thought it was. It is unusual for her to feel off balance, and uncertain and she tries to understand why she is in tears so often when she is always exhilarated to be alive.

Sadie learns some secrets about herself that surprise and confuse her in her struggle to understand them and the changes her body is going through that at times send her into a panic. All she really wants is to go back to being normal, and not deal with everything. To the happy perfect life she has always known.

But there is the mysterious boy with the brilliant sparkling green eyes that she can't get out of her mind. She sees him at school and feels an instant connection and searches for him everywhere, only to run out of luck. But that doesn't stop her from dreaming of him. Until she finds him again unexpectedly. Or rather he finds her. But the attraction to him only grows stronger each time she meets him, only to find that he is protecting her and watching her, keeping her safe. But why does she need a body guard? Not that she minds considering how gorgeous he is, but still she wants to know the answers as to why she needs protecting, when she is just a regular girl.

I loved reading the developing story between Sadie, and her protector Rayne. The characters were well developed and I liked the way you could feel the confusion and turmoil go through Sadie as she grows and learns more about who she is. Rayne was a dynamic character, who struggles with his own feelings as he watches over Sadie. He is sweet, caring, charismatic, and the kind of guy who makes every heart beat a little faster when he shows how tender he is with Sadie. I thought the sensual tension between the two was strong, and really really wanted more than the teasing the author gave. Christie created strong ties and bonds between Sadie and Rayne and the yearning they felt for each other was palpable.

Christie had strong secondary characters that really leap from the page in their personalities. They were fun to see interact with Sadie, and to see how she handled their antics was fun. With her friend Heather and the boys Justin and Nick and their crazy antics.

The villain in Deep Blue Secret, Voss, was dark and definitely dangerous. My heart beat faster on his parts of the story. The author was able to capture his sinister nature perfectly and I wanted to know more about him and his purposes, why he was so evil, why he so desperately needed to break out of prison and wanted more interaction with him in the story. He is one of those villains you love to hate. The kind that stays with you when the story is finished. He was a very compelling character.

I also wanted more of Ash, Rayne's best friend. I wanted to know more about him and how he and Rayne became such good friends when they were so different from each other. And what is the depth of that friendship, in the midst of strain.

I would classify Deep Blue Secret by Christie Anderson as a Y/A paranormal romance. It is a clean read appropriate for ages 10 and up. It starts a little slow, building you up to unexpected events that leave you anticipating more.

Check out the really cool trailer here.You can learn more about Christie at her website here. To get your copy click here!

disclaimer: Although at times I receive copies of the books I review, my opinions are and will always remain my own.

Book Review: Indelible by Lani Woodland

Indelible by Lani Woodland is the much anticipated second book in the Yara Silva Trilogy. It isa Y/A paranomal romance, with plenty of ghostly action. Yara and Brent are back again at Pendrell Academy with their friends for their senior year. Things are going to go different this year, with the the capture of Thomas the villainous ghost, and the Curse broken they have nothing to fear. But that is when all the fun begins. When Yara discovers things about herself she never understood or knew she could do as a Waker. Someone with the ability to see and talk to ghosts. She finds that after coming back from the dead she has more than just a few fears she must confront and some new enemies both living and dead she must contend with. Brent her boyfriend must also battle his own demons and it ultimately comes down toYara making a life or death decision that will alter her life forever.

I loved Indelible, it was fast paced amazing thrill ride, that had me on the seat of my pants wondering what would happen next in the unexpected twists and turns along the way. Just when you think you have it figured out, you find another convaluted layer in the plot to untangle, and wonder how in the world can they make it through. And if you read Lani's first book Intrinsical, you know impossible sacrificial decisions must be made that can't possibly be chosen will be found in Indelible as well.

I fell in love with Yara, Brent, Steve and Cheri all over again, and welcomed the added depth of Vovo, Yara's Grandma. I felt the plot was rich and intricately woven as all the subplots intermixed through out the book weaving back and forth through the over all theme. The depth of character development made them leap to life off the page, and feel as if they could walk into your room or astral project in front of you at any time. I felt that this second story is vital to the overall story that so many things happen with in the story line you cannot skip reading it.

This ghost story adds extra elements of surprise that will keep your eyes flying across the page until the wee hours of the morning, as you bite your fingernails in nervous anticipation of how it will all turn out. But be sure to keep the lights on, because this ghost story will have you pulling the covers over your head if you aren't careful. But I promise you will be glad that you stuck through until the last satisfying page, which will leave you anticipating the next installment of the Yara Silva Trilogy. But as I found with Indelible, it will definitely be worth the wait.

Lani Woodland's book Indelible is a must read! It is appropriate for all ages and is a clean read. It teaches you that everyone deserves second chances and that hope always out weights all else. That the bonds of love and friendship are strongest when put to the test. In addition Lani was also the photographer for the cover as well! Beautiful isn't it?

To learn more about Lani, visit her website here, and her blog here. Click here for your own copy of Indelible, I promise you will be glad you did and besides it's October, what better time for a ghost story, right?

Disclaimer: While at times I do recieve copies of books to review, my opinions are and will always be my own!

Book Review: Intrinsical By Lani Woodland

Intrinsical by Lani Woodland is a new young adult paranormal romance that gives a new slant to what paranormal is all about. It is her debut novel and it is filled with everything that makes paranormal so exciting as she creates a new way of showing us how out of the ordinary life can really be. It is the perfect way to have a taste of Halloween anytime of the year. It delves into ghosts, curses, dark sinister mists, hauntings, and let's not forget a little romance along the way.

I loved this story from start to finish and it grabbed me and had me hanging on for dear life wondering what was going to happen next. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as I devoured all the many unexpected twists that forced surprise from my mouth numerous times.

In addition to the amazing story-weaving talents Lani possess,where she easily casts the reader under the spell of her well-written, engaging characters; she also has an incredible eye for photography. She took the fabulous underwater picture that graces her cover.

In Intrinsical, Yara was looking forward to attending Pendrell boarding school with her best friend, Cherie. It was a chance to escape all the jokes about her crazy ghost-talking grandmother. She wanted to be normal and with relief thought that the dormant Waker gene that let her grandmother see and talk with ghosts might just have missed claiming her. But when she sees a dark mist trying to attack Brent, a gorgeous, popular athlete, and tries to kill him, she impulsively jumps in to save his life. But this causes her to draw the attention of the dark mist as it begins to stalk her as she learns about the curse that has haunted her new school with dark spirits, as it seeks to threaten her life. At the same time Brent turns his focus to Yara as he wants to know more about the girl who saved his life.

Then Yara's best-friend Cherie, excited to investigate all the stories of hauntings around the school, hopes to make contact with the ghosts of the curse. She drags her new boyfriend Steve along with Yara and Brent into the heart of the curse, but she doesn't have the ability to make contact, even though she studied with Yara's grandmother,the ways of the Wakers, strange things begin to happen around them.

Meanwhile, Yara learns that maybe the Waker gene didn't skip a generation after all. Fighting her heredity and her growing powers as a Waker she finds herself pulled further and further into the realm of ghosts and dark spirits as she and her friends delve deeper into finding out about the long standing curse and the mystery behind it the danger that lurks in the shadows as they learn that the deaths that occurred at the school and the sinister nature of them is may be more than what anyone ever realized.

Intrinsical held me spell-bound until the last amazing twist-filed page. I loved the characters and how they grew with each new discovery they made. The ties of friendship and loyalty are portrayed in a depth that shows the importance of courage, trust and always being there for each other. They changed as they learned that they could be more important in each other's lives than they ever imagined.

I loved how well each new surprise sprang out at me unexpectedly as incredible events where there was no turning back left you wondering how the characters could possibly overcome them and how unpredictable it all was in the end. It was refreshing to find this clean paranormal romance free of sex and swearing.

Lani's writing transported me to Pendrell where I felt the brush of the icy wind on my face and could smell the chlorine that permeated the air and hear the slopping wet foot prints as they appeared sinisterly as they drew closer and closer. I could even feel the chill go up my spine when a mysterious message appeared in a fogged up mirror. This is a book where you want to curl up in a under the covers with a flash light so you can chase away the shadows edging closer and closer.

You can learn more about the fascinating world of Intrinsical at http://www.intrinsicalthebook.com/ and you can purchase your own chilling ghost-filled copy of Intrinsical by clicking here or here.

Disclaimer: While I did receive a copy of the book from the author, my opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

you can check out my review at barnes and noble here, and my review at amazon here.