Focus (The Crescent Chronicles #2)

Alyssa Rose Ivy Website

Book Details: Written by Bestselling New Adult and Young Adult author Alyssa Rose Ivy. Published January 23rd, 2013. 387 Pages. You can purchase a hard copy or digital copy at Smashwords /
Amazon

Synopsis of Focus: At the end of Flight Allie is surprised to find out that she entered into a life long relationship with Levi when she accepted his family ring and "consummated" the deal.  Very unhappy that Levi would trick her into something like this she takes off and leaves town. She gets caught along the way by a pack of cougar shifters looking to make money and hand her over Levi's family rivals, the Blackwells. Thankfully rescued before the shifters can take things too far, Allie is returned to Levi pretty banged up. Not only has she entered into a "marriage" of sorts with Levi, she finds out that he is the soon to be King of the paranormal community in North America, effectively making Allie the future Queen.

No longer able to leave the safety of New Orleans Allie enrolls in college at Tulane for the upcoming semester and sharing a dorm room with her new best friend and Pteron, Hailey. Still unhappy with Levi, Allie doesn't let him of the hook and has pretty much ended their relationship for the time being. Levi has tried everything to make it up to her but she is still hurt from his lie. Allie decides to make the most of the situation and try to enjoy her time in college. Allie, being the future Queen, has around the clock Pteron protection with Jared Owen and Levi taking turns attending all her classes. Even though Allie is upset with Levi she understands the importance of her new position and relationship and plays the part in public, in order to avoid showing weakness for the Crown.

Allie, Hailey and their new friends from their dorm, Anne and Tiffany, decide to go to the beginning of the year party Disorientation. Levi and his friends, Jared and Owen, have spread the word that Allie is off limits to anyone who values their life making meeting new people when they are out a little hard for Allie. She still continues to go have fun with her friends and ends up at a house party that is almost burned to the ground with the intent to harm Allie. Levi, Jared and Owen show up and fly her and her friends to safety effectively letting her friends in on her secret life and the paranormal community.

Allie eventually breaks down and allows Levi to slowly get closer, still keeping a small wall up until the two go on a business trip so that Levi may preside over council issues. Together at Levi's family cabin in the middle of no where Allie's wall finally breaks and she can't fight how bad she wants to be with Levi again. With their relationship back on the stress levels have gone down for the group. The semester ends and winter break begins with Allie taking Hailey on a ski trip in Vermont with her mom and mom's new boyfriend. Allie arrives at the airport in Vermont to find her ex-boyfriend Toby waiting at the gate, as soon as he sees her he tries to convince her that they belong together. After he tries to kiss her the trip ends there with her and Hailey flying home. Allie makes it home and heads straight to Levi's house, after that she gets a phone call from Toby with a pretty big surprise.

My Thoughts: Loving this series!! In the beginning of the book I feel bad for Levi, I know Allie is upset for being set up by the guy she loves, eventually she gives him the benefit of the doubt and stops fighting. Levi and Allie are too cute together. I am loving all the characters and how they interact together. Jared becomes a more likable character in this book and you get to see his nice geeky side and I love Allie's new friends Anne and Tiffany. I was glad that Allie's friends find out the truth about Pterons when they are saved from the fire.  It sure makes things easier for her to talk with them about any problems and they are so understanding of everything. Just like the first book, Flight, there is another big shocker at the end of the book, I think the author likes to leave you hanging wanting to know more. Which works!! I read all three book in the series plus the novella over the weekend, I couldn't put them down!!

Flight (The Crescent Chronicles #1)

Alyssa Rose Ivy Website

Book Details: Written by Bestselling New Adult and Young Adult author Alyssa Rose Ivy. Published August 16th, 2012. 268 Pages. You can purchase a hard copy or digital copy at Smashwords / Amazon

Synopsis of Flight: Allie, our protagonist, moves to New Orleans for the summer after graduating high school to work at a hotel her father has recently purchased. She brings along her boy crazed best friend, Jess,  for the adventure. When they arrive at the hotel Allie immediately notices some talk dark and handsome guy in the lobby, she quickly looks away since she has currently sworn off men after her recent breakup. After getting settled into their room they decide to check out the town and bar scene for the night, they just happen to run into Mr. tall dark and handsome, Levi, with his friends. Levi tries all the moves he has to get Allie's attention but it is just not working, Jess on the other hand is all over his friend Jared. The girls decide to go home for the night since they have their first day of work the next day but meet up with Levi and his friends a few times over the next couple weeks. Jess decides to go home for personal reasons and Levi takes Allie to coffee and out for an adventure to cheer her up.

Levi and his friends go the the top of the Trade Center and start taking off their shirts and diving off the building, Allie is pretty freaked out and not sure what is going on until Levi grabs her and jumps with her. When they land she discovers that they all have large angel like wings and are a type of shifter called Pterons, originating from birds. Allie decides to go home from there to calm down and think about what just happened, in the end she decided it was pretty cool and is about to call Levi when she steps out of her room but finds him waiting in the hallway for her. Allie wants to fly again so Levi takes her to the ocean which he knows is one of her favorite places, she tries to fight her feelings for Levi but there is just too strong of a connection and eventually gives up the fight. When she is not at work or with Levi she is with her new Pteron best friend Hailey.

Allie's mom makes a surprise visit near the end of summer and shows up at the hotel unannounced, Allie is very excited since she really missed her mom. While catching up Levi shows up and meets her mom but also finds out that she hasn't told either of her parents about him yet which he finds very disappointing because his parents know about her. Allie's mom invites Levi to dinner with them and Allie's father who is back in town. While at dinner he tells her parents that he would love for them to meet his parents, Allie gets upset that Levi is making it seem like their relationship is more than what she told her mom. With school creeping up and Allie's time in New Orleans coming to an end they decide to go on a real date to see where things lead. Levi gives her a gorgeous ruby ring and places on her left ring finger, shortly after go back to the hotel to finally take their relationship to the next step. Both wake up floating on a cloud, they are so happy, until Allie finds out the true meaning of the ring which sends her running.

My Thoughts: Very addicting!! Loved that the plot was set in New Orleans I've always wanted to go there and it seems like the author new the town well.  This was a new idea for a paranormal group of shifters that I have not read before. I read all three of the Crescent Chronicles book over the weekend I was so entertained. The main characters are great and the author makes them seem like people you could hang out with or go the the bars with.  Allie seems like a very strong girl who knows what she wants and Levi also is a very strong willed character going after what he wants no matter the consequences. I love the connection Allie and Levi have, I really enjoyed reading about their relationship develop over the story and what happens at the end I never would have expected!!! I love Hailey one of my favorite characters, her and Allie become great friends and really bond because Allie knows she is a shifter. Very entertaining book, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy!!

White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1)

Jennifer Armentrout Website

Book Details: Written by one of my favorite authors Jennifer Armentrout, #1 New York Times and US Today best selling author. Published February 25th, 2014. 400 pages. You can purchase a hard copy or digital copy at Amazon.

Synopsis of White Hot Kiss: Layla, our protagonist, is half Demon and half Warden, the only of her kind. Adopted by the Wardens at a young age she has always been told to suppress the demon side of her, never having anyone truly accept her for who she is. Layla's secret crush, Zayne, has always been her closest friend and the most understanding to her particular situation, never making her feel bad for what she is but still never fully accepting of who she is either. Layla has always accepted the fact that she can never be intimate with a guy without the worry of her demon side taking their soul with a single kiss. She knows that she will never be able to be matched with another Warden because of her tainted blood and soul sucking capabilities. The only thing Layla can do to help the Wardens is to tag demons that she sees, since she can see the souls of all individuals the lack of a soul from a demon is pretty obvious to her and all she has to do is brush up next to them which lights them up for the Wardens to hunt at night.

One night while out tagging demons she meets Roth an upper level demon, the most powerful of demons, who tries to start chatting it up with her. Super confused why Roth isn't just killing her, since he is a demon, but trying to talk to her instead she runs back to the safety of the Wardens wondering what just happen. While at school the next day a new student arrive in her science class, Roth, who has everyone staring since he could not be more gorgeous. Taking his seat next to Layla she sprints out of there and hides in the bathroom where he follows to explain to her that she needs to stop tagging because there are lots of demons looking for her. After several close calls with some high up demons shortly after Roth's warning she starts to believe him and slowly starts to become his friend.  Roth tells her that not all demons are purely evil and not all Warden are purely good even if their soul or lack there of says otherwise. 

Layla knows that not all the Wardens are happy with her existence which is proved when a Warden her age finds her alone and tries to kill her.  She fights with all her might and ends up taking his soul, but he keeps coming at her until Roth and his pet snake come out of no where killing him and taking Layla to the safety of his apartment. Layla is very shaken up from almost dying and very grateful that Roth saved her life and is letting her stay with him for the night. Layla finds out from Roth just how much the Wardens have been hiding from her about who her mother and father are and the very reason the demons are after her. The Wardens soon find out that Layla has been spending time with a demon and are not too happy but she doesn't care because her feelings for him have grown to something more, and the fact that she can kiss Roth since he has no soul is very appealing. When it comes down to the fight at the end Roth saves the day and also Zayne's life, showing the Wardens that not all demons are evil and they can love too. Layla is distraught but she has a constant reminder of Roth, his snake Bambi who has bonded to her.

My Thoughts: Great story and characters! I loved reading about Layla's struggle between her Warden and Demon sides and her struggle with never being able to be intimate with anyone without taking their soul. Always fighting against her demon side until Roth comes along and helps her come to turns with who she really is. I loved reading about her and Roth's relationship as the book progresses; from her being scared to death that an upper level demon is talking to her, to her wondering if she is going against the Wardens by wanting to be around Roth.  Always hoping Roth feels the same way for Layla but never really knowing until the end when he exercises his free will to save Layla's best friend Zayne. Zayne seems like a sweet heart but Layla and Roth belong together. Definitely kept me interested throughout the whole story and like always, with this author, leaves you hanging at the end needing to know what will happen next and counting down the days until the next book is released, Stone Clod Touch, October 23rd, 2014. Great book and very entertaining!

King Cave (Forever Evermore #2)

Scarlett Dawn Website

Book Details: Written by International Best Selling Author Scarlett Dawn. Published January 1^st, 2014. 432 pages. You can purchase hard copy or digital copy at Amazon

Synopsis of King Cave: King Cave begins the moment King Hall ended; the Mystical community has gathered to see their new prodigy's, future Kings and Queens, preform their first public Awakenings for the mysticals ready to become full Vampire, Shifter, Mage or Elemental. Out of nowhere all hell breaks lose and the human,"Com", community strikes against them with everything they have causing chaos and death.  Antonio, Lily our protagonists surrogate father and previous King Mage, has prepared for this as much as possible after seeing it in one of his visions. Since Pearl and Jack's mates die at the end of King Hall Antonio places a spell on both of them to forget until the task at hand is done and they reach the safety of King Cave.

Lily future Queen Shifter, Ezra future King Vampire, Jack future King Elemental and Pearl future Queen Mage gather together to use their collective power to save as many lives as possible.  Creating a protective dome out of a pond near by, they gather as many mysticals as possible and travel to the safety of King Cave. The group has to keep their concentration for hours while watching other mysticals they were unable to save die in front of them.  They make it to King Cave safe and discover that this was a world wide attack on all mysticals and a message is sent out to all mysitcals alerting them that this is a safe place hidden from the eyes of Coms. Once they have settled down Lily and Ezra have to undo the spell on Jack and Pearl so that they may mourn their fallen mates, understandingly they are heartbroken and do not leave the comfort of their room for days.

After a few days at King Cave and many more new arriving mysticals; the past, current and future Kings and Queens have a meeting of the minds to discuss the reasoning behind the attacks. They discover that hybrids can reproduce with Coms creating an evil blood thirsty creature. After this surprising information Lily decides to get a cesarean to avoid to chance of pregnancy for the time being. While under the drugs from the procedure she admits to Ezra how unbelievably hot he is, just increasing the sexual tension between them. Both Lily and Ezra start to become obviously upset when the other is sleeping with someone else and start to fight for no reason any time they see each other. Lily finally admits to herself why she is acting the way she is and decides to talk to Ezra, finding him naked in the spa she cant help but stare and then run back to her room. Ezra comes back shortly after and they finally give in to their desires and things get very steamy from there.

The only people Ezra and Lily tell about their scandalous affair are Jack and Pearl. Vampire King Vinclaire notices Lily and Ezra together and not fighting, Ezra explains that they talked out their problems and now everything is fine. King Vinclaire gives him a look and says he also enjoys a cigarette after "talking" through his problems too. Things become more serious and seriously steamy than expected and close friends and family start to notice their relationship. With things also escalating outside of King Cave the current Kings decide to pass down their leadership to the prodigies. With this switch of power Lily, Ezra, Jack and Pearl all have to leave the safety of King Cave to find their next prodigy separately and bring them back unharmed. Things spiral out of hand while on the road looking for the prodigies with them barely making it back in one piece. Ezra and Lily have to fight harder than ever to keep their relationship after a new law is passed banning anyone in opposite mystical groups from being together.

My Thoughts: Amazing!!It has already been a few days since I finished the book and it is still all I can think about. There was never a dull moment in this book and I could not set it down until I was done. Just completely amazing, I love this series so far and cannot wait until the third installment, King Tomb, to be released later this year.

The author makes you fall in love with all the characters wanting to know more about them and  desperately needing to know what will happen next. Great love story between Ezra and Lily with everything they have to overcome, still fighting to be with each other till the very end.  The relationship between Lily, Pearl, Jack and Ezra is a friendship you would be lucky to have; they are always there for each other no mater what and never asking questions. Compared to King Hall this second book really gets into the steamy part of Ezra and Lily's relationship, very descriptive and very detailed and very entertaining. The way the book ended I am dying to know what will happen next, just one juicy surprise after another. Overall I would definitely place this series in my top 5 favorite series, I loved it that much!! 

King Hall (Forever Evermore #1)

Scarlett Dawn Website

Book Details: Written by International Best Selling Author Scarlett Dawn. Published August 1^st, 2013. 280 pages. You can purchase a hard copy or digital copy at  Amazon

Synopsis of King Hall: The author takes you to a world where humans, "coms", know the existence of mystical beings and over time have created an alliance. Vampires, Shifters, Elementals and Mages all exist and are ruled by their own mystical King or Queen who each rule for 20 years, until the next prodigy comes of age. Lily our protagonist is recently mated to the prodigy King shifter, Dominic; both can shift into wolf form. Each mystical group usually keeps to themselves but occasionally they become "friendly" with an individual in another group causing a hybrid offspring.  By law hybrids are to be killed at birth, Lily just happens to be a hybrid who has done a very good job at hiding that secret. The only person living who knows about this secret is the man who raised her along side her mother, Antonio.

During an attack on the mystical community something terrible happens to Dominic causing a shift of prodigy power to Lily, making her the future Queen shifter.  Antonio comes out of hiding to help Lily take charge of the life that has been given to her and accept her new role. While morning Dominic and training to be Queen shifter a close bond forms between Lily and the other prodigies; Pearl future Queen Mage, Ezra future King Vampire and Jack future King Elemetal.  The four spend all their free time together and become best friends. With all the pressures of becoming the next rulers of their kind they decide to ditch school and go enjoy a day at the beach. While at the beach they are ambushed by a group of coms who come out of nowhere with guns and silver bullets. The four come together using their powers and training to fight against the fifty humans, leaving no survivors and making it out unscathed. The current Kings are furious that they put themselves at such risk by fighting instead of running and ground them to the grounds of their house and school. Soon after they meet with the president to discuss ways to create peace between the coms and mys.

Lily's friends soon find out her darkest secret when they find out that her mother used to date King Vinclaire, the Vampire King, who Lily believes to be her father. Pearl, Ezra and Jack are surprisingly fine with this new development and offer themselves for her to feed off instead of bagged blood. They are soon taught by the Kings how to link their power together through touch to magnify an individuals power and to also help Awaken new mysticals. It has always been thought that a hybrid could not preform an awakening which just leads Lily into and anxiety attack in anticipation for her first attempt. Graduation and the public awaking day has arrived and just when you think everything is going so smoothly there is a huge explosion rocking the ground. Antonio shows up a bag of guns ready to fight and starts handing out orders for everyone to follow if they want any chance of making it out alive.

My Thoughts: Great story, Great characters, Great writing!! I was swept away in the plot and could not set this book down.  I was definitely not expecting to be so caught up in the story and characters that I was heart broken within the first 50 pages, ready to cry for Lily. I love that there are vampires, shifters, mages, and elementals all wrapped up into one book where the human race knows about their existence. All my favorite things in one book, what could be better!!

The friendship that is formed throughout the story between Lily, Pearl, Ezra and Jack is just heart warming you couldn't ask for better friends, not even apart of the same mystical group but they have each others backs no matter what. I love that individuals are magically matched when their powers touch causing the couple to experience empathy or telepathy and an everlasting connection unless one passes away. So much happens throughout the story that it was very difficult for me to stop reading until the end, and with the ending being so crazy I had to immediately buy the next book, King Cave, and keep reading!! Overall I LOVED THIS BOOK!

Bitter Sweet Love (The Dark Elements 0.5)

Jennifer Armentrout Website

Book Details: Written by one of my favorite authors Jennifer Armentrout, #1 New York Times and US Today best selling author. Published December 1st, 2013. 105 pages. You can purchase a digital copy at Amazon.

Synopsis of Bitter Sweet Love: Jasmine, our protagonist, is apart of a race of Wardens, real life versions of gargoyles and protectors against demons. Six years ago there was a large increase in the number of demons roaming the earth forcing the Wardens to come out of hiding and make their existence known to the human race. Being a female in the race of Wardens your job is to pretty much mate and have children to keep up the population, while the men are trained to fight.

Jasmine is surprised when her best friend and love of her life, Dez, shows up after no word from him in three years to declare his intentions to be her match. Extremely furious that he would show back up out of no where to state his claim on her.  Jasmine is opposed to the idea of Dez as her match until she finally sees him. When they lock eyes after three years on no contact their feelings for each other are undeniable. Her fight against her feelings for Dez slowly diminishes over the next few days. Dez takes Jasmine on a road trip to a few places she has never been all the while proving that she is the only one he holds in his heart.

My Thoughts: Short and sweet.  I did enjoy the story but it was almost too short to really get caught up in the plot. Cute little love story for Jasmine and Dez. I really did like the concept of the Wardens, that was a new idea for a plot that I have never read. The story introduces the characters in the second book of this series, White Hot Kiss, which I will be starting soon.