Book Review: The Binding (The Velesi Trilogy Book 1) by L. Filloon

Title: The Binding
Author: L. Filloon
Series: Velesi Trilogy #1
Pages: 279
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

Two nights after her eighteenth birthday, Lily is attacked while out jogging, but is saved by Tharin Lunar, a Sidhe prince. When she discovers that her attacker is her own brother, Lucas, who disappeared four years ago, Lily refuses to believe that her brother would truly hurt her and becomes determined to find Lucas and bring him home. Lily finds that Lucas’ disappearance is somehow tied to Tharin; so when he informs her that she is his betrothed and must return with him to Velesi, fulfill a treaty between their families and unite the two strongest clans through their marriage, Lily agrees. However, she’s not going to Velesi for a wedding, but to bring home her only family, Lucas.

On their journey to the borders of Velesi, the realm of the Thirteen Clans, they’re pursued by a Sidhe assassin group call the Ange, meet with an ogre crime lord that ends badly, deal with a sleazy troll motel manager, and when they discover that there’s a bounty on their heads, they must keep one step ahead of every assassin, bounty hunter and low-life criminal in Velesi.

Protecting Lily has become the biggest challenge of Tharin’s life. Lucky for him he has help in the form of his twin brother, Tolan, Lily’s best friend Julia and his three bodyguard cousins. 

This is my third time reading this book. That's right, you heard me, THIRD. Just like with the first two times, I found myself immediately sucked in right from the start. I just love the characters! Not just one or two, but all of them! How often can you say that about a book?

The story begins when Lily is attacked after her eighteenth birthday. After that, the point of view switches between her and her savior, Tharin. So, you do not just get the whole story through Lily's eyes, you instead get to see half of it through Tharin's. Ever wonder what someone else is thinking in certain scenes? Well, you do not have to wonder in The Binding. Many of the scenes overlap, so you will be able to see a scene through Tharin's and Lily's eyes. I loved that!

Just to be clear, The Binding does have a cliffhanger. When I first read it - you know the first time - I remember thinking how I had to get my hands on the next book. Well, I did a little while later. I found myself just as much in love with that book, and even the last one, as I did with the one that started it all, The Binding. This is a great book that starts off a great series! Be prepared you will laugh, be frustrated, but above all else, you will find yourself rooting for the wonderful characters that L. Filloon has created!

 

Book Review: The Brother (Daughters of Destiny Book 2) by K.R. Grace

Title: The Brother
Author: K.R. Grace
Series: Daughters of Destiny #2
Pages: 328
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤

Star Allistar: So, boyfriend #1 dies in a tragic car accident and boyfriend #2 mysteriously vanishes without a trace. One would think I would get a clue and lay off the boyfriends at least until I graduated high school. To say I didn’t expect Brighton Sterling to come into my life and make things difficult is a stretch. What I didn’t expect was for him to lie to me about who he is and why he and his family moved to my small neck of the woods. I should stay away from him. Unfortunately, I have a habit of doing things I shouldn’t do.

Meliena and the Wolves are out for blood. They want to find Drake’s captors and destroy them. They seem to be under the impression all the blame can be placed on the Falcons…Brighton’s family specifically. Now I’m stuck in a losing battle. If I side with the Wolves, I am accusing Brighton of being a monster. If I side with Brighton, I betray Drake. Either way, I lose someone.

With Drake gone, communication between the heavens and the Guardians has stopped. Someone must find out who is really behind his disappearance and restore the order, and judging by the insanity surrounding me, I am the only person sane enough for the job…or maybe I am the crazy one.

Brighton Sterling: Drake Knight killed my brother.

The mission is simple: move into town, make the mutt pay, and then leave before anyone suspects anything. Falling in love is unacceptable…

Raphael was my twin. That type of bond doesn’t go away with death. Yet, rather than staying on course in administering justice on his behalf, I’m wavering because of a broken girl who never asked to be brought into our messed-up world. I can’t fight the attraction, and I’m not sure I want to. Unfortunately, the plan is already in motion, and I left no room for error. Star will suffer…unless I can find a way to stop it.

But who do I give up: my brother…or a girl whose heart could already belong to another man?

After finishing The Loner, I quickly picked up the second installment, The Brother. Just like with the previous book, this was a good read! The story is extremely interesting and had a few little twists that I wasn't expecting...at all.

In The Loner, we found out that Star is the center of a well, let's just call it a prophecy. She must choose between three very different guys. In The Loner, we get to meet the first contestant, Drake. Now, in The Brother we get to meet Brighton. This is an extremely interesting concept. Not only do we get to see the guys from Star's point of view, but we also get a few glimpses inside their own heads. I feel like this just connects the reader to what Star is feeling even more!

Oh, and in case you don't know, Star is feeling...A LOT. She has really been through the ringer, and it's not done with her just yet. She is going to have a really tough decision to make in the end. So far we have only seen the wolf and the falcon, but we still have the bear. Drake (the wolf) and Brighton (the falcon) both have their flaws. As of right now though, I am still waiting to find out more about the bear. He may just come along and blow them both right out of the water!

I can't wait for the third installment, The Chief, to come out next month. I am eager to meet the next, and final contestant (I know I have already said this, but I'm excited. Can you blame me?). This is just a really great quick-read series!!

Book Review: The Loner (Daughters of Destiny Book 1) by K.R. Grace

Title: The Loner
Author: K.R. Grace
Series: Daughters of Destiny #1
Pages: 412
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤

Star Allistar: Life is divided into two stages for me: before and after. Unfortunately, I'm not coping so well in the "after" stage. My parents decide transferring me to a new school for my last semester of high school will knock me out of my funk. As if a new location is the cure for your boyfriend dying in a terrible car accident. I go along with it, though, I mean, what other choice do I have?

I only have one goal at the new school: be invisible. Turns out, small towns have nothing better to do than gawk at the new girl. Great. I instantly despise everyone...except him. Drake Knight. Town bad boy, walks in a cloud of mystery, and turns girls into goo. Not usually my type. Yet, for some reason, I'm drawn to him like a diabetic in a candy store.

But there's just one teeny, tiny problem: he turns into a wolf. And not just that, but he's an important wolf-boy whose boss is a powerful angel and has some intense enemies of the demonic persuasion. I mean, we're talking psycho fallen angels who want to take over the world type of intense. How do I explain that one to the parents?

Anyway, I once thought my heart belonged to the one I lost, but now...now I'm not so sure.

Drake Knight: I don't do love. I tried it once, and she ended up dead in a ravine. So, I tend to keep my distance from people. It's better that way. safer. Yet, when Star Allistar walks into the band room and flashes those big, solemn green eyes at me, I'm a goner.

There's just one problem: she's human, and humans don't survive in my world. But I won't let that stop me. She's my purpose, my hope, my mate, and I'm prepared to kill anyone who tries to jeopardize her happiness.

In a twist of Fate, two other shifters also believe Star is their mate. There can only be one. I've never had to fight for love. Didn't even know my heart still worked. But now? Now all bets are off. Star is mine. I just have to make her see it, before it's too late.

Three male shifters, an angry fallen angel, and a depressed high school. What could possibly go wrong?

 When I started The Loner, I was only able to read about four pages before I was forced to put it down. Even after only reading those few pages, I knew that I was going to have to pick this book up...and soon. Well, I did end up picking it up and I am really glad that I did!

The story sucks you in, yes there are some flaws, but they are easily swept away. Star is a great character. After the death of her boyfriend she is left in a dark place. The story follows her as she is dealing with her grief. She does not know if she will ever love again. This is extremely problematic, seeing as she somehow gets in the middle of something major. This "something major" is Star having to choose between three, and yes, I do mean three different guys. She is going to have an EXTREMELY difficult decision to make. Oh, and did I mention that her choice has some major consequences? Well, of course it does!

Book Review: Shadowfever (Fever Series Book 5) by Karen Marie Moning

Title: Shadowfever
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Fever #5
Pages: 671
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

“Evil is a completely different creature, Mac. Evil is bad that believes it’s good.” — MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina, were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever. — Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister’s murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals who have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.

What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh -- a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King, containing the power to create and destroy worlds.

In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves.

Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman haunting her dreams? More important, who is Mac herself and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?

From the luxury of the Lord Master’s penthouse to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac’s journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and to make a choice that will either save the world . . . or destroy it.

Okay, so you know those books/series that are extremely easy to predict. By chapter 5 you already know who is going to end up together, how the world will end, how it will then be saved, yada yada... Shadowfever, no scratch that, the entire Fever series is not that way. While reading Shadowfever I felt like I was on a rollercoaster...full of loops,twists, and turns...in the dark. Yes I know, seems pretty intense right? Well it was! The entire book (all 670 pages of it!) kept me on edge. At times I was confused and others had me shocked. It is highly possible that while reading this, that my face was in a permanent position of shock, you know eyebrows raised and some crazy wild eyes...yep that was me.

All of the twists and turns made this a great end to a fantastic series! It was definitely not a let down like some other finale books that I know. Moning always throws in a little extra at the end. This time is no different, she did not disappoint! She included a deleted scene! How awesome is that?

I know I said that this is the final book in the Fever series, but don't be sad. Did I mention that Ms. Moning is pretty no, epically awesome? The final page of the book did say The End...but when you flip it over to the next page it promised ...For Now!!! And this is a promise that wasn't broken!! The Fever series lives on!

If you still have any questions about how amazing Shadowfever is, then listen up, Dude, (as Dani would say) I finished Shadowfever in less than 48 hours. Yes I have done this before, but not with books that are over 600 pages!! That is a lot of words!! I couldn't help it, I had to keep reading! The only reason I didn't finish it sooner was because the text started messing with my eyes and I got a major headache. There's only so much sleep I can go without! Don't let my crazy headache and blurry vision deter you, it was a choice that I would gladly make again. Shadowfever was by far the best book in the series...for now!

Book Review: Dreamfever (Fever Series Book 4) by Karen Marie Moning

Title: Dreamfever
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Fever #4
Pages: 386
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

MacKayla Lane lies naked on the cold stone floor of a church, at the mercy of the erotic Fae master she once swore to kill. Far from home, unable to control her sexual hungers, MacKayla is now fully under the Lord Master’s spell.…In New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning’s stunning new novel, the walls between human and Fae worlds have come crashing down. And as Mac fights for survival on Dublin’s battle-scarred streets, she will embark on the darkest—and most erotically charged—adventure of her life.

He has stolen her past, but MacKayla will never allow her sister’s murderer to take her future. Yet even the uniquely gifted sidhe-seer is no match for the Lord Master, who has unleashed an insatiable sexual craving that consumes Mac’s every thought—and thrusts her into the seductive realm of two very dangerous men, both of whom she desires but dares not trust.

As the enigmatic Jericho Barrons and the sensual Fae prince V’lane vie for her body and soul, as cryptic entries from her sister’s diary mysteriously appear and the power of the Dark Book weaves its annihilating path through the city, Mac’s greatest enemy delivers a final challenge.…

It’s an invitation Mac cannot refuse, one that sends her racing home to Georgia, where an even darker threat awaits. With her parents missing and the lives of her loved ones under siege, Mac is about to come face-to-face with a soul-shattering truth—about herself and her sister, about Jericho Barrons…and about the world she thought she knew.

After the events that occurred in Faefever, Dublin is no longer the same city that it once was. Scratch that, it's not just Dublin that has been exposed, it is the whole human world. Things are happening that are out of Mac's control, and she still has way more questions than answers. She does have a new ally though, a spunky 13 year old girl that loves kicking some Unseelie butt!

Not only does this book give us more of Dani, but it also gives us more of Barrons, maybe even a little more than you bargained for. It just took me a little off guard, I mean I read this part and was just like "Oh my!!" You'll know what I'm talking about when you get to that part.

There was just so much action in Dreamfever. There was that whole part I mentioned earlier plus a ton of Unseelie butt kicking Mac! Once again though, Ms. Moning left us with another cliffhanger. Unfortunately I don't have the next installment at my disposal....yet. Don't worry I'll get my hands on it in a day or two (hopefully).

On a side note, if you don't read the "Glossary from Mac's Journal" that's included at the end of the book, you are missing out. Some of the descriptions are pretty funny!!