Review: Midnight Kiss (A Collection of Four New Adult Paranormal Romances)

Midnight Kiss (A Collection of Four New Adult Paranormal Romances) 
by Sarra Cannon, Juliana Haygert, Alyssa Rose Ivy, Jennifer Snyder
Publication: October 1st, 2014
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
Buy a copy today:
Amazon / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

Synopsis: This Halloween, prepare to be haunted by a kiss…

Midnight Kiss is a limited edition collection of four BRAND NEW, NEVER RELEASED novellas, all set in New Orleans on Halloween night.

AFTER MIDNIGHT by Sarra Cannon
From the outside, Becca Goldberg looks like any normal freshman girl at Tulane, but she’s been keeping a terrible secret. She’s really Allison Moore—a young witch from Peachville hiding out from an evil coven of witches known as the Order of Shadows. She thinks she is safe until an unexpected accident occurs. Now, she only has until midnight on Halloween until her identity is discovered.

She must turn to the hottest, most elusive guy on campus for help. Will he help save her? Or will her life come crashing down around her after midnight?

THE MIDNIGHT TEST by Juliana Haygert
Being the weakest witch of her generation, nineteen-year-old Hazel is convinced she’s supposed to live a normal, human life—except for the occasional ghost hunting. When Hazel moves to New Orleans, the most powerful witch coven in the world grants her a chance to join them, but only if she passes a dangerous test on Halloween night. Everything is going fine until mysterious Sean steps in Hazel’s way, putting her entire test at risk.

Will she be able to ace the test and keep them both alive at the same time?

SEDUCTION’S KISS by Alyssa Rose Ivy
Never agree to a road trip to New Orleans with your roommate. At least not when your roommate is dragging you along while she reconnects with an ex boyfriend. Possible consequences of failing to take my advice:

1) Unknowingly going out with a vampire stripper.
2) Getting kidnapped by said vampire’s nest mates.
3) Falling head over heels for your winged hero.

Believe it or not number 3 is the worst one, especially when no one believes you that he exists.

KISS OF AWAKENING by Jennifer Snyder
With one kiss, everything will change…

When a mysterious letter arrives from her estranged mother, twenty-one year old Kenna Blake and her best friend, Bree, make a trip to New Orleans hoping for a little Halloween fun and to get away. The mystifying Crescent City has something else in store for her though.

Cryptic messages, a hot tour guide, and a new sense Kenna can’t seem to explain are just the beginning of this eye opening trip. Will Kenna accept what awakens with in her or will she crumble under its reality?

My Thoughts: Loved this collection paranormal novellas what a great group of authors to put into one book. I loved that each story had the Midnight Cauldron in New Orleans on Halloween incorporated to tie them together. I definitely downloaded the books tied to each story. Each story was uniquely amazing and addicting! I definitely recommend this book as a must read this October to get you in the Halloween mood. 

The story I loved the most was Seductions Kiss by Alyssa Rose Ivy. Ever since I read The Crescent Chronicles I have loved Owen, don't get me wrong Levi is great but I have been hoping for more story on Owen.  I am so glad we get a little piece into his life and I really hope there will be more for Daisy and Owen in the near future. Loved this short story just wish there was more of Owen! 

I also really enjoyed was After Midnight, Allison and John are hard not to love. I was so happy to read the very end definitely making me giddy!! I want to know more about this world and hope there will be more of Allison and John to come!

Now don't get me wrong I have only great things to say about each story even if I picked my favorites. Each story grabbed me in it's own way and I cannot wait to read more by each author!!

The Warrior (The Arcadian Series Book 3)

The Warrior (The Arcadian Series Book 3)
by T. L. Coulter
Published September 1st, 2014
342 Pages
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

You can purchase a hard copy or digital copy at
Amazon

Official Synopsis: At the end of The Oracle, the traitor Malik has escaped from Castle Lindgren only to take Rek with him. While being held prisoner in the demon realm, Rek discovers a secret that will change his life forever. Everything Rek has ever been told has been a lie. Now, he is faced with a decision. Fight on the side of evil or die. 

Meanwhile, back in Arcadia, Kailee is mad as hell and is putting all her energy into her training.  While Kailee is working on her magic, Audric is calling for his fellow wizards and allies to prepare for battle. 

War is coming to the Wizards of Arcadia. Will Kailee’s love be enough for Rek to fight for good, or will a powerful blood bond push him to fight for evil?

My Thoughts: Sigh....its always hard to finish a series you have grown to love, but TL Coulter ties everything up wonderfully!! With all the surprises at that end of The Oracle I wasn't sure what was going to happen next for our friends in Arcadia!! Malik is out to ruin everyone's life because of the terrible choices his brother made when they were younger, shaping him into the the evil person his is today. I was glad this book takes a deeper look into the past in order for us to get a better look into why Malik is the way he is, I almost feel bad for the hand he was dealt. This book keeps you on your toes waiting for the realms to go to war. There were a couple parts that were pretty heartbreaking during the final battle between good and evil, causing me some emotional ups and downs. Thankfully there are a few surprise twists that brought my emotions back in check.  The Warrior is a heartfelt ending to a great series!! With lots of love to go around in this series, I was so thrilled that my two favorite couples happily ended up together (I can't tell you who or it would be a spoiler for the surprise twists I'm talking about). A big thanks to TL Coulter for bringing me into Arcadia, I loved every second. I am excited to see what you come up with next in The Assassin Series!

***Giveaway going on now signed copy of The Key the first book in The Arcadian Series***
http://yafantasybookreview.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html

The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy #3)

Deborah Harkness Website

Book Details: Written by New York Times Best Seller Deborah Harkness. Published July 15th, 2014. 576 Pages. You can purchase a hard copy or digital copy at Amazon

Official Synopsis: After traveling through time in Shadow of Night, the second book in Deborah Harkness’s enchanting series, historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont return to the present to face new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home at Sept-Tours, they reunite with the cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency. 

In the trilogy’s final volume, Harkness deepens her themes of power and passion, family and caring, past deeds and their present consequences. In ancestral homes and university laboratories, using ancient knowledge and modern science, from the hills of the Auvergne to the palaces of Venice and beyond, the couple at last learn what the witches discovered so many centuries ago.

My Thoughts: A magnificent ending to a phenomenal series! In the finale to The All Souls Trilogy Diana and Mathew have traveled back home from 1590 to discover things are not how they left them.  With a death and birth of family loved ones Diana has a hard time accepting what has happened since they've been gone. Diana and Mathew come back changed for the better with Diana finally in control of her powers. With so much still to uncover before the little ones are born the whole family comes together; vampire, witches and daemons, to help find the book of life and its missing pages.

I just absolutely loved this book and thought that Deborah Harkness did an amazing job tying everything up. I was also very excited to see a couple characters from 1590, who Mathew and Diana had to leave behind, show back up to help finish the story off. I definitely could not put this book down and felt like I was apart of the story the whole time I was reading. I was very surprised and excited to see that the author also left the series open for more to come!! I cannot wait to see if she does anything more with the series!! I just cannot express how much I love everything about these books and the world Deborah Harkness has created. I would recommend this whole series to anyone who enjoys a great story!

Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy # 2)

Deborah Harkness Website

Book Details: Written by New York Times Best Seller Deborah Harkness. Published July 10th, 2012. 584 Pages. You can purchase a hard copy or digital copy at Amazon.

Official Synopsis: A Discovery of Witches introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and the handsome geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont; together they found themselves at the center of a supernatural battle over an enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782. Drawn to one another despite longstanding taboos, and in pursuit of Diana’s spellbound powers, the two embark upon a time-walking journey.

Book Two of the All Souls Trilogy plunges Diana and Matthew into  Elizabethan London, a world of spies and subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night.  The mission is to locate a witch to tutor  Diana and to find traces of Ashmole 782, but as the net of Matthew’s past tightens around them they embark on a very different journey, one that takes them into heart of the 1,500 year old vampire’s shadowed history and secrets. For Matthew Clairmont, time travel is no simple matter; nor is Diana’s search for the key to understanding her legacy.

Shadow of Night brings us a rich and splendid tapestry of alchemy, magic, and history, taking us through the loop of time to deliver a deepening love story, a tale of blood, passion, and the knotted strands of the past.

My Thoughts: Again simply amazing, even though there is nothing simple about this book. The world the Deborah Harkness has created is a masterpiece of detailed information and history. I could not put this book down and I didn't want to. One of my very favorite series!! I just want more and I am counting down the days until The Book of Life is released next week!! There are so many amazing pieces to this puzzle I couldn't believe how much I had forgotten since I last read this book. So much happens it's impossible to write a synopsis that would do this book justice, so for this review I used the official one. Vampires, witches and daemons all working together and against each other all at once. Both Diana and Mathew get a reunion with family long gone but never forgotten, heartbreaking and heartwarming simultaneously. I just wish I could think of more to say the would accurately portray the genius of this story and all it's parts. Love! Love! Love!!!

The Oracle (The Arcadian Series Book 2)

T. L. Coulter Blog

Book Details: Written by T. L. Coulter. Published June 2nd, 2014. 310 Pages. You can purchase a hard copy or digital copy at Amazon.

Synopsis of The Oracle:  At the end of The Key Kailee and Audric are presumed dead until the last moment when Kailee sends a message to Rek in his sleep.  Malik, Audric and Rek's uncle, has taken them captive as part of his evil plan. Rek is determined to find Kailee and his brother before it is too late. With the help of a sorcerer he scours the realms for any sign of them, but to no avail. 

Kailee and Audric wake up in their separate cells after being heavily drugged. Knowing that they have each other in this crazy situation is enough for them both to stay hopeful. They quickly realize that these cells work as a cloaking device on their powers making them unusable. Working together they decide that Audric must be the one to send a message to his brother for help during their few minutes a day outside because they more closely watch Kailee's powers.

After a shocking revelation from Kailee's aunt and uncle Rek doesn't know whether to destroy something or be happy. Trying not to focus on this new discovery he falls asleep and is visited by his mother in his dreams, who tells him he must look for the oracle in order to find Kailee and Audric. He quickly makes plans to visit the realm of the vampires and werewolves, the most likely place for the oracle to be hiding.  With the help of Astrid and Gabe and a few new characters, the head vampire Ryan and soon-to-be head werewolf Tasha, they quickly find the oracle, Cass, and explain the importance of her help. While visiting this realm Rek receives a message from his brother informing him they are being held in the demon realm. 

They all return to the realm of Arcadia and plan their descent into the demon realm to save Audric and Kailee. The oracle has pin pointed their exact location and the rescue mission but is being left behind for her own safety. Rek is the first to find Audric and Kailee,luckily still alive, and goes to capture his uncle Malik next. The rescue mission turned out a little too easy.  Little do they know but Malik has plenty of tricks still up his sleeve with lots of surprises yet to be revealed, leaving you hanging at the edge of your seat. 

My Thoughts:  Another crazy ending leaving you with one surprise after the next. So much happens in this book and all the different love connections are addicting! I cannot wait to find out what happens next!! The author knows how to keep you wanting more with these endings!! Very entertaining and I could not set the book down until I was finished. I loved the new characters introduced, they all have such great chemistry together it's easy to feel like you could be a part of their group. You get to travel to a new realm and get a close look at the vampires and werewolves. Astrid and Gabe are still my favorite characters and I hope everything works out for them after all the twists in this book. Looking forward to the next book in The Arcadian Series!

The Key (The Arcadian Series Book One)

T.L. Coulter Blog

Book Details: Written by T. L. Coulter. Published March 27th, 2014. 396 Pages. You can purchase a hard copy or digital copy at Barnes & Noble / Amazon


The Key Synopsis: Rek, our leading man, and his brother Audric are from the realm of magicians. Rek is sent to the mortal realm with little instruction to find the key needed to save his realm against an evil traitor. Kailee, our leading lady, is senior in high school living in the mortal realm in Astoria, Oregon. Kailee has always had a hard time making friends because her aunt and uncle relocate for work every few years, since living in Astoria she met her best friend Gabe.

Rek enrolls in the local high school in Astoria knowing the key is somewhere within based on a locator spell he was able to cast. The second Rek and Kailee lock eyes at school there is instant chemistry, although Kailee tries to fight it for as long as possible. It finally takes Gabe befriending Rek for Kailee to give him any chance at a possible friendship. All the while Rek is trying, but failing, at locating the key. It's not until Astrid, an acquaintance from his realm, joins Rek as his "cousin" in the mortal realm do they figure it out. 

Kailee finally agrees to spend time with Rek alone when Gabe can't come along. From that point on there is no turning back from their feelings towards each other and the chemistry between them.  When Rek finds out who the key is he is crushed because of a prophecy stating that the key is destined to marry his older brother Audric. Rek tries to come to terms with that revaluation but it's eating away at his heart. Kailee takes the information about another realm of magicians where Rek is from very well, only losing her temper with her family and friends a few times. 

Kailee agrees to go back to this other realm to help save the kingdom of Arcadia. While there Audric is instantly taken with Kailee and instead of telling Audric the truth Kailee and Rek pretend they have no feelings for each other. This only causes Rek to start drinking and arguing with his brother for no reason. In the end they all work together to save the kingdom or so they think. 

My Thoughts: I loved this story! I had some trouble getting into the flow of it right away because I was trying understand where things were going, but the more I read the more I loved. By the end of the book I couldn't put it down! I just wish I knew what was going to happen next especially with that cliff hanger of an ending! Great story with magicians and a forbidden romance. I love the idea of different realms where magicians live separate from the mortal realm. I feel terrible for Audric, Rek and Kailee need to just tell him the truth instead of pretending they don't love each other!  I was intrigued by all the main characters personalities it will be interesting to see how everything plays out in the end and who will end up with who.