Review: Caged by Karina Espinosa

Caged (Mackenzie Grey #2) by Karina Espinosa

Release Date: April 26, 2016

Genres: Paranormal - Werewolves, Romance

Pages:220

Source: E-Book,Author provided review copy

Goodreads Description:

It’s hard out there for a lone-wolf.

Mackenzie Grey has started a brand new life in an attempt to escape the Brooklyn Pack. She settles in as a detective in a special unit of the LAPD when her identity is put at risk, and she has no choice but to run again. The question is: does she want to run forever?
As events force Mackenzie to confront her past, she is met with many surprises—including the revelation of her true ancestry. When Packs across the country learn of who she is, Kenz becomes the object of desire in a deadly wolf hunt, and she must once again fight to keep her freedom.
Witnessing first-hand the barbaric treatment of Lunas, Mackenzie has to make a choice—follow the prediction of her Vision Quest or let herself be CAGED...

Notes about the book:

I did receive a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Quote:

Ok, I just absolutely love Mackenzie Grey and am going to share several quotes from her from various points in the book. 
"Dude, open up them eyes and take a good look. You got the wrong idea about me. I hae the mouth of a sailor, the temper of a toddler, and my most lovable trait? I lack a filter when I speak. Am I really a lady?"
"You know, Duke, you might be right, but thank fuck I wasn't because the last thing I ever want to be in life is a goddamn Luna."
"I can't shut up...That would be a miracle if I did."
"They could have at least given me a babysitter that I could annoy -- I mean talk to."

My Review

Again, I just loved Ms. Espinosa's writing. I felt myself drawn into this make-believe world and found it difficult to leave it when I had to put the book down. Damn obligations taking away from my reading time!

Mackenzie hasn't changed one bit since book one. If anything, I just loved her more in this book. She did actually grow some in this book in the fact that she was able to identify when she was making a mistake in her actions. But she also realized that if she didn't do these things, she would be changing the very essence of her being. She stayed true to herself and followed her first instincts. 

The action did not stop in this book either. It is full of so much action! By the end of the book we finally see what direction Mackenzie is heading in to make a life for herself and it's a great direction! She has chosen to stand up for the rights of Lunas to not be forced into the submissive roles they have always been forced to take.

I can't wait to see what she does next! My only question after finishing the book was "When does book three release?" I hope book three brings some resolutions and allows Mackenzie to settle down with her own werewolf and quit running.

Review: Shift by Karina Espinosa

Shift (Mackenzie Grey #1) by Karina Espinosa

Release Date: February 10, 2015

Genres: Paranormal - Werewolves, Romance

Pages:342

Source: E-Book,Author provided review copy

Goodreads Description:

It's hard enough being an undergraduate student, an intern at Downtown Manhattan's police station, and a bouncer at a local bar. Add her now ex-boyfriend who recently dumped her for the school's resident bimbo—oh, and she's a werewolf.
Mackenzie Grey meets her match when she is kidnapped by the Brooklyn Pack and tossed between Sebastian and Jonah—the Alpha and the Beta. Being a lone-wolf in the city is dangerous, and now that the Pack has found her, so can every supernatural being in the Tri-State area. And not even her sarcastic, smart mouth can get her out of this.
When a string of kidnappings involves Mackenzie in supernatural politics, she questions her new acquaintances and finds unlikely allies. Can she escape Pack law and keep her freedom—or will she be condemned to an unwanted path?


 My Review

I absolutely LOVED this book! I only wish I had started it on a Friday night. Then I could have read it in one sitting. But I had to put it down a few times to go to sleep so that I could get up to work the next morning.

I haven’t read a lot of books about shifters/werewolves. The majority of the books with shifters that I have read, have had shifters as a side character instead of the main character. After reading Shift, I find that I really like books about shifters and definitely want to read more.

I loved Mackenzie’s character! She is determined and knows what she wants to do with her life.  She has a potty mouth, but man she doesn’t take shit off no one! Her mouth does get her in trouble some though. But that’s part of what makes this book great.

Then there’s her devoted and loyal best friend Amy. I hope we get to know more about Amy in future books. We’re told that Amy is a smart cookie, but as she’s a side character we don’t get to know too much about her.

Then there’s the men of the book - Jonah, Sebastian, and I’m going to include Jackson. I will have to say that when we’re first introduced to the trio (I’m not counting the first scene where Mackenzie has the run-in with Jonah), I was confused about the relationship between the three. I guessed they were the other werewolves of the book. But I thought they were all brothers (only Jonah and Jackson are brothers). As you continue to learn more about the trio, it’s easy to see why I thought this. They were practically raised as brothers.

There are many more interesting characters - Lucian, Ollie, Blu, and Bernard to name a few -- that we are introduced to throughout the book that could make good side books.The book has a lot of strong and interesting characters.

Then there’s the action. It is spectacular! It is full of action from the very start. Mackenzie causes some of the action by not knowing when to keep her mouth shut. But it brings some interesting turns in events. I have to say that I went into the book thinking the romance among the werewolves would be the main theme of the book. But it’s not. There’s a whole story line and the romance/attraction is brought in as part of the story line. I appreciate that. There were some events that I didn’t see coming.

I normally dislike love triangles because I have difficulty choosing between men. But with this book, I was pretty much able to favor one man over the other. I always like it when the main characters are drawn to each other by some supernatural connection. I think that is part of why I liked this book so much - Mackenzie was drawn to Sebastian and Jonah because of her wolf.

Sebastian and Jonah were a bit over protective of Mackenzie almost to the point of being annoying. But instead I actually liked their protectiveness. I think maybe I was ok with it because Mackenzie was such a strong character and not weak. I enjoy a story that includes a man who will go to great lengths to make sure the woman is comfortable, safe and happy; but also includes a woman strong enough to tell the man when he needs to back off because she’s capable of protecting herself.

I am glad that I didn’t read this book when it was released as it ends in somewhat of a cliffhanger. It would have been a cliffhanger that I could have dealt with. I just wouldn’t have liked waiting for the next book. Lucky for me I don’t have to wait! I received review copies of both Shift and Caged from the author in exchange for my reviews. Although I would like to warn against reading the synopsis for Caged while in the process of reading Shift. It does give away some of the ending of Shift. I made the mistake of doing this and wished I hadn’t.

I’m off to start reading Caged now!

Book Tour, Review, and Giveaway: Between the Bleeding Willows by D.A. Roach

Title: Between The Bleeding Willows

Series: The Demon Hunter Series Book 1

Author: D.A. Roach

Genre: YA Paranormal

Published: March 8, 2016

At eighteen years old, Cassidy has suffered more loss than most… 

At the end of her senior year, her boyfriend, Jace Peters, was killed in a car accident, and her grandmother died only weeks later of a heart attack. Emotionally lost, Cassidy desperately searches for an heirloom her boyfriend was wearing in the crash—her mother’s gold ring. But during her search, Cassidy discovers more than her ring. 

She finds a gate to the Demon Realm….

A battle is brewing, and Killian—head of the Demon hunters—preps his Clan for the approaching conflict. They’ve been working to secure the gate between his realm and the mortal world. But it’s been nearly impossible since Rya—a voracious demon on a quest to expand her power—devoured the soul of his Clan’s necromancer. Now Rya is possessed with the necromancer’s powers and she may break through the gate at any moment with her demon army.

Apparently Rya isn’t the only one Killian has to worry about…

When Cassidy accidentally crosses into the Demon Realm, Killian can’t understand how a human girl survived the transition. Now he has to find a way to return her to her own world, or risk her being caught in the crossfire, which is a complication he definitely doesn’t need.

Once back in the Human Realm, Cassidy readies herself for battle. She signs up for Krav Maga classes, where she meets Tyler Romaitis—a handsome, tenacious, humble guy. He seems almost perfect, but nothing is ever that easy.

And as the balance between good and evil shifts, Cassidy finds herself—and her ring—at the heart of the conflict for the survival of mankind.

"... I seriously loved ever minute and I am so looking forward to reading the next book in this series." ~Hashtag Minxes Love Books

"The plot is fast-paced and packed with tons of action and emotion.  I would recommend it for anyone who reads paranormal/action novels, or anyone who simply loves to read books from a very talented author."  ~Brooke's Review

"Omgosh this book was so great!  I couldn't put it down.  It has such a great story line that just grips you from the beginning."  ~Liz's Review

 

MY REVIEW

4 Stars

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and found it difficult to put it down after reaching a point where the action picked up. When I reached 75%, I was afraid to read it on my lunch break as I had been doing because I was afraid I would get to a point that I just couldn’t stop reading.

The book started out a little slow for me and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to give the book a good review. But then we’re introduced to the demon/demon hunter world and it got real interesting. I haven’t read many demon hunter books and was confused about some of the terminology used in the story and had to google it. Surprisingly enough there appears to be a lot of information in the world wide web about hunting demons.

The main female character Cassidy really seemed to grow throughout the book. At the start of the book I had the impression that she was a meek and shy girl. But as the book goes on she seemed capable of kicking some ass! I'm really looking forward to seeing what she learns to do with her newfound abilities and connection to the demon hunter world.

I enjoyed the struggling relationship between Cassidy and Killian, but was a bit disappointed we didn’t get to see them connect more. But I guess maybe there was more of a focus on the demon hunting. I was disappointed to see the bond between the two removed and actually a bit surprised to see that it could be done. I hope the bond is introduced again. I’d like to see how it could affect the two characters.

I was disappointed that the book ended without resolutions to several things and without a happy period ending. I know things need to be unresolved to continue the series into multiple books. I just wish there could have been a way to end the book on a break between bad things of sorts where people are happy and things are looking up.

I hope I don’t have to wait too long to read book 2!

D.A. Roach has been telling stories since she was a young girl in the suburbs of Chicago. In college she met the man of her dreams, her happily ever after, and married him 2 weeks after graduating. They have 3 kids together and a pet cockatiel named Gimli. D.A. did not find a love for books until after college. Her parents were immigrants from Lithuania and found tv and radio easier ways to hear stories so they did not do much reading or encourage it. But once she finished college and D.A. had free time, she discovered how amazing it was to get lost in a story. D.A. is a full time mom and wife. When she is not doing domestic things (laundry, bills, etc) she is writing, reading, creating mixed media art, and helping beautify her kids' school landscape. Oh, and she is ALWAYS listening to music. Her favorite authors include Rebecca Donovan, Richelle Mead, Larissa Ione, Stephanie Meyer, E.L. James, and Sylvia Day. Reading great works from authors like these has motivated D.A. to write her own stories. She hopes to make positive changes in the world with her art and writing.

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Review: Collide by Shelly Crane

Collide (Collide #1) by Shelly Crane

Release Date: June 12, 2011

Genres: Paranormal, New Adult, Romance

Pages:360

Source: E-Book

My Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 Stars

Goodreads Description:

Sherry has always known there was something out there. She's eighteen, works for a tabloid newspaper in Chicago and has a brother, Danny who is a lazy mooch. They live a pretty normal dull life with hippie parents and a normal existence. Then the moon disappears and people start to go missing only to reappear later, but different. Sherry has an abusive ex-boyfriend who shows up and claims to be one of these beings that have been showing up around the world. He's no longer the same person in that body. He tells her he has come to protect her and her brother and takes her underground, against her will to save her, where they meet others like them. She begins to unravel the truth about Merrick, about what he's really doing here, about the way he looks at her, about the crazy dangerous world they live in. Can he convince her that he's here to help? Will she like what she finds when she opens up to the truth? Will he be the one to love her when everyone else has failed her? Will he be able to protect her?

Notes about the book:

This is the first book in a four-book series. 

This book contains humans and non-humans. The non-humans are named (Keepers, Lighters), but are never right out called Aliens. So at this point I'd say the interpretation is up  to the reader.

This books  does contain sex, but it is only discussed in the vaguest terms and I don't believe the word "sex" is even mentioned in the book.

Book Quote:

The one quote from Merrick that I love would give away spoilers. So instead I'll share two lines from the book that I loved.

"We’re not fighting each other. We’re fighting... extinction."

"We may live forever, but what’s the point if you don’t actually live?"

My Review

This book was Shelly Crane’s first published book. It contains things that I’ve liked about her Significance series, but I could definitely tell it was her first book. One thing I like about the Significance series, which this one also contains, is the fact that at every turn there’s something new that the characters are learning they can do (or it's just being revealed) - some new ability. I really like books where the characters have other-worldly abilities that no normal human should be able to do. I’m not sure why, but I do. I especially like it when the love interest characters are able to communicate with each other in their heads. We don’t get the full mind communication in this book, but Merrick is able to speak to Sherry in her mind.

I have to admit that I liked Merrick better than I liked Sherry. Sherry was constantly doing things that I knew wouldn’t be good for her or for the people around her. But she did have several redeeming qualities. When she loved someone, she loved them with all her heart. She was a very giving and caring person. Sometimes I think she was too nice for her own good as she seemed to attract all the bad seeds. I enjoyed the chapters that were told from Merrick’s point of view.

I actually think that the story had too much going on. I tended to get confused easily with terminology (Keepers/Lighters) and I think maybe this was because there was so much introduced in this book. The story also seemed to drag on a bit too much.

Overall, I liked the idea of this book and will probably continue the series because there is so much left to find out. It will be interesting to see if the writing gets better because I know Ms. Crane can write. I absolutely LOVE her Significance series! I’m slowly making my way through that one.