Book Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron Daughter

Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: The Iron Fey #2

ISBN: 978-0373210138

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pub. Date: 2010

Source: Library

Genre: Romance/Paranormal/ Young Adult/ Fantasy

Pages: 304
Rating: 4 Kisses
Author's Website


Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.  Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

My Reveries and Ramblings: The Iron Daughter was a reread for me. I wanted to finish the series but couldn’t remember what happened after The Iron King (Book 1). If I’m being completely honest, I did not like this book the first time I read it. I remember it felt like a filler in the series. But after reading it again, I have to say that I really really liked it! It had all the elements I crave most in a book: romance, adventure, action, suspense, magic, death, fantasy, etc. 

      In The Iron Daughter, Meghan, Ash, and Puck end up searching for The Scepter, which has been stolen by the false Iron King.
      So, I am completely 100% all about Ash. I like Puck, but Ash! Tall, dark and handsome Ash. There’s just no competition. Meghan and Ash have to overcome so many obstacles. Aside from the fact that their love is forbidden, to keep them alive Ash has to convince the Winter court that he could care less whether she lives or dies. (OF COURSE Megan doesn’t realize this, even though he warned her -___-, and she takes it seriously!) I mean, it was hard reading those parts, but still, she needs to realize he was trying to protect them both. There’s also being chased by Iron Fey and Winter Fey who want them dead. Then there’s one part in the book where it gets really dramatic. Like tears-dramatic. Like remember that scene in Sailor Moon?
      It’s dramatic/sad/horrifying like that(click at your own risk. It’s spoilery): https://33.media.tumblr.com/fe6722801a04c1707e7cbf1618384ef1/tumblr_min6hnbo3o1s3p5vao5_250.gif

      At one point, Ash leaves to go on his own mini-adventure, leaving Meghan and Puck to fend for themselves. I felt bad for Puck. Unrequited love sucks. BUT I will give him props. He made sure he was a friend first. I want him to find love so bad. Maybe in book 4?
      Anyway, poor Meghan is spread pretty thin in this book. She barely has time to process one thing, when BAM another curveball that has her running or fighting for her life. By the end of the book, where there’s a few big climactic scenes, you truly feel for Meghan. It’s like ENOUGH!
      The books ends on a bittersweet note. I’ve read the 3rd book already (will be rereading though) so I know there’s more. But MAN, if this book just came out, I would’ve been like “WHAT?! That’s it?!” Basically I love this series. If you haven’t read The Iron King, then I highly HIGHLY recommend you do. Then go and read the rest of the series!

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Book Review: To Tame a Highland Warrior by Karen Marie Moning

Title: To Tame a Highland Warrior

Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Highlander #2

ISBN: 978-0440234814

Publisher: Dell

Pub. Date: 1999

Source: Purchased

Genre: Romance/Paranormal/ Historical/ Fantasy/Adult

Pages: 400
Rating: 3 Kisses
Author's Website


Synopsis (from Goodreads):
A Woman's Tender Touch
He was born to a clan of warriors of supernatural strength, but Gavrael McIllioch abandoned his name and his Highland castle, determined to escape the dark fate of his ancestors. Hiding his identity from the relentless rival clan that hunted him, he called himself Grimm to protect the people he cared for, vowing never to acknowledge his love for ravishing Jillian St. Clair. Yet even from afar he watched over her, and when her father sent an urgent summons, "Come for Jillian," he raced to her side—into a competition to win her hand in marriage.

A Warrior's Steely Heart

Why had he run from her so many years before? And why return now to see her offered as a prize in her father's manipulative game? Furious, Jillian vowed never to wed. But Grimm was the man she loved, the one who urged her to marry another. He tried to pretend indifference as she tempted him, but he could not deny the fierce desires that compelled him to abduct her from the altar. She was the only woman who could tame the beast that raged within him—even as deadly enemies plotted to destroy them both....

My Reveries and Ramblings: To Tame A Highland Warrior is the second book in Karen Marie Moning's Highlander series.  Click here to read my review of the first book, Beyond the Highland Mist.  This installment focuses on Grimm's story.  

In this book, Jillian's father wants to marry his daughter.  He calls for the three best suitors to come and woo her; Grimm, her childhood friend, being one of them.  He has a secret, however, that keeps him from ever wanting to pursue his feelings for her, even though he does...really really love her.  The secret is quite epic too! This novel kind of plays out like a season of the bachelorette (hahaha).  Which I found hilarious.  So.....if you like those kind of tv shows, you'd like this!

To Tame A Highland Warrior made me super conflicted.  I loved Grimm, the male protagonist! I loved his back story, how he changed from beginning to end, his tortured hero-ness, and pretty much everything else about him.  What I didn't like was that all the depth in Grimm's character was basically absent in Jillian's character. She was a bit of a bore.  If you asked me to describe her, all I could tell you is that she is beautiful and is obsessed with Grimm.  Characters are constantly talking about how selfless and kind and innocent she is....yet....we never see it.  Aside from the lack of depth in Jillian's character, I really liked everything else.

Quick side note: really wish Quinn, one of the other guys asked to court Jillian, had his own story.  Like I REALY REALLY REALLY wish he did.  

Price: Currently $5.98 on the Kindle

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Book Review: Her Mad Hatter by Marie Hall

Title: Her Mad Hatter

Author: Marie Hall
Series: Kingdom #1

ASIN: B008IL48BK

Publisher: Marie Hall (Self-Published)

Pub. Date: 2013

Source: Kindle

Genre: Novella/ Fantasy/ Paranormal/Romance/Fairy Tales/ Retelling

Pages: 129
Rating: 3 Kisses
Author's Website

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Alice is all grown up. Running the Mad Hatter's Cupcakery and Tea Shoppe is a delicious job, until fate--and a fairy godmother with a weakness for bad boys--throws her a curveball. Now, Alice is the newest resident of Wonderland, where the Mad Hatter fuels her fantasies and thrills her body with his dark touch. The Mad Hatter may have a voice and a body made for sex, but he takes no lovers. Ever. But a determined fairy godmother has forced Alice into Wonderland--and his arms. Now, as desire and madness converge, the Hatter must decide if he will fight the fairy godmother's mating--or fight for Alice.

My Reveries and Ramblings: Her Mad Hatter was such a cute story. I love retellings of Alice in Wonderland! That and the fact that it was free on Amazon Kindle was why I picked it up. The story immediately sets itself up for a series in the first few chapters. (The other books are about the other "bad guy" characters from popular fairy tales/stories). Hatter is insane. He quotes Poe and rambles nonsense all the time. Although he has few brief moments of clairty. He reminds me of a spoiled child. I guess due to his insanity, he's all about instant gratification. Alice has always been obsessed with the Mad Hatter from the Alice in Wonderland book. They've met once before when she was a young girl. Alice never forgot. Hatter needs to find his Alice (his mate according to prophecy) however he's been sent so many Alices over time that he no longer trusts in love or if any Alice is the right Alice. If he doesn't find his true Alice, then Wonderland will die. Her Mad Hatter is a novella (the whole series is?), therefore, it's quite short. It wasn't until I was almost finished that II realized how short it was. I kind of felt cheated. I wanted more. There was so much potential for it to be huge and epic. It felt very rushed. There wasn’t much plot and the stakes weren’t high enough. Now to be fair, as a novella it was fantastic! I just wish it was a full length novel. (<<<Pretty much why it felt rushed and why there wasn't that much plot) Now onto what I really liked about this book. Hatter was adorable and so so hot! I really liked how Wonderland and the Hatter were connected. Wonderland was basically the Hatter. What happens to one, happens to the other. What The Hatter thought/felt would be manifested in the Wonderland world. Another thing I liked was how both Alice and the Hatter referenced/quoted a lot of profound people which was cool. The romance was also pretty hot! Seriously….HOT! Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I just wish there was more, more of everything. I just never wanted it to end! Her Mad Hatter is a super quick read that will leave you grasping for the rest of the series.

Side Notes: AHH! That cover! *Swoon*.....Also, THIS BOOK IS FREE ON AMAZON AND B&N....sooo no excuses ;)

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Book Review: A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

Title: A Dirty Job

Author: Christopher Moore

ISBN: 978-0060590284

Publisher: Harper Collins

Pub. Date: 2007

Source: Borrowed

Genre: Humor/ Fantasy/ Paranormal

Pages: 405
Rating: 3 Kisses
Author's Website

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy. A little hapless, somewhat neurotic, sort of a hypochondriac. He's what's known as a Beta Male: the kind of fellow who makes his way through life by being careful and constant -- you know, the one who's always there to pick up the pieces when the girl gets dumped by the bigger/taller/stronger Alpha Male. But Charlie's been lucky. He owns a building in the heart of San Francisco, and runs a secondhand store with the help of a couple of loyal, if marginally insane, employees. He's married to a bright and pretty woman who actually loves him for his normalcy. And she, Rachel, is about to have their first child. Yes, Charlie's doing okay for a Beta. That is, until the day his daughter, Sophie, is born. Just as Charlie -- exhausted from the birth -- turns to go home, he sees a strange man in mint-green golf wear at Rachel's hospital bedside, a man who claims that no one should be able to see him. But see him Charlie does, and from here on out, things get really weird. . . . People start dropping dead around him, giant ravens perch on his building, and it seems that everywhere he goes, a dark presence whispers to him from under the streets. Strange names start appearing on his nightstand notepad, and before he knows it, those people end up dead, too. Yup, it seems that Charlie Asher has been recruited for a new job, an unpleasant but utterly necessary one: Death. It's a dirty job. But hey, somebody's gotta do it. Christopher Moore, the man whose Lamb served up Jesus' "missing years" (with the funny parts left in), and whose Fluke found the deep humor in whale researchers' lives, now shines his comic light on the undiscovered country we all eventually explore -- death and dying -- and the results are hilarious, heartwarming, and a hell of a lot of fun.

My Reveries and Ramblings: A Dirty Job was so funny. Weird. But hilarious. My thoughts pretty much cycled through this: "This is really really weird.....OMG HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....huh???What's going on???......HAHAHAHAHA.....OH SHIT!!! OMG!!! OMGOMGOMG!!!!" and would just continue like that through the whole book. Kind of like how Charlie felt during the book. 
     Besides the writing (which was phenomenal!), my favorite aspect of the book was the characters. They were all so quirky and interesting. Even the obscure characters were intriguing, and so much fun to read. My top three, aside from the zombie-frankenstein-animals, were Charlie, Minty Fresh, and Sophie. Sophie was adorable! I just wanted to pick her up and squeeze her the entire book. Minty Fresh was hilarious! Everything he said pretty much made me laugh. And Charlie, Charlie was so funny and cute. There were quite a few times when Charlie reminded me of my boyfriend (who actually recommended the book to me). Oh, and the ending? Epic. Epic and OMG-what-just-happened worthy.
     I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good laugh and a strange yet exciting story.  

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Book Review: Whisper of Light by Jennifer DeLucy

Title: Whisper of Light

Author: Jennifer DeLucy

Series: Light #2

ISBN: 978-1936305414

Publisher: Omnific Publishing

Pub. Date: 2010

Source: Purchased

Genre: Romance/ Fantasy/ Paranormal Romance

Pages: 272
Rating: 5 Kisses
Author's Website

Synopsis (from Goodreads): The saying goes that all men are created equal... but Nicole Abbot knows better. Lacking the supernatural gifts of the Sentients she has known all her life, Nicole has lived with her nose pressed to the glass, withering beneath the guilt of her own inadequacies and the disapproving glare of her father. It's easy to believe that the universe has forgotten all about her, but things are not always as they seem. With the arrival of Christian Wright, a handsome but complex Combatant with a troubled history, Nicole is forced to question everything she has ever believed about herself, proving that sometimes, our most flawed perceptions are those reflected in a mirror. Jennifer DeLucy again plunges us into the world of lingering spirits, dark apparitions, and malicious vampires. But this time she takes us to the California coast where we get to know a new ensemble of gifted souls that are just as vibrant and endearing as the Sentients we came to love in Seers of Light. In Whisper of Light, DeLucy delivers exciting supernatural encounters as well as very human interactions that will both break your heart and make it soar.


My Reveries and Ramblings:
I love this book.  I love this series. The. End.   Seriously, though, Ms. DeLucy has delivered an amazing book.  I’ve read this book probably 3 or 4 times now.  Every time it’s just as amazing as the first.  I even have the same reactions: OMG! AWWWWWWWWWWW! NONONO!
I actually skimmed through the book again before writing this review and had the urge to read the first book (Seers of Light) so I did (that was probably the 5th or so time I’ve read that one).  What I love about Whisper of Light as well as the whole series is that Ms. DeLucy fleshes out her characters so well.  I relate to her heroines and all the secondary characters remind me of people I know.  They all have talents, likes, dislikes, quirks, flaws, motivations and insecurities.  No one is completely evil or completely good.  Everyone is gray. Even Duncan.   Ugh. He was horrible.  You find out why he treats his daughter the way he does...but still...no excuse!  But that is a driving force in why Nicole is the way she is.  Just like with the first book, with Lily, I felt like I really related to Nicole.  Nicole was never weak.  She was always strong, just hidden and scared.  Scared to forgive herself. 
This causes her to sacrifice things in her life to hopefully gain approval from her father or to make up for her what happened to her mother.  Cue Christian.  Christian is hot, British, and kind.  On his own self-forgiving journey, he sees Nicole’s strength and challenges her to be brave and start thinking about herself (not in a self-absorbed way, just in a stop putting yourself last kind of way).  I will admit, I was skeptical about having Christian be the love interest in this book.  I found him so annoying in Seers of Light.  But I found I really really liked him! 
Part of the way through the book, we get to see William and Lily for a little bit.  (OMGOMGOMG) It’s very brief, but left me very happy.  What’s great about these few scenes is that we get to see their relationship through an outsider’s eyes.  Let me tell you, there’s so much love, it made me tear up.  (I swear I could be an empath :P) 
Finally, my favorite thing about this book and this series is Ms. DeLucy’s story and writing.   Jennifer DeLucy’s writing flows so well.  Her ability to write  non-cliched dialogue and story at the same time as making her characters speak like normal people makes her one of my favorite authors.  This book wasn’t that plot driven.  However the characters were so interesting and the dialogue was so real and at times funny that I barely noticed.  This book is more about relationships, what it means to be a family, and what it means to love (not only others but oneself).  I like the spiritual aspect of the books, as well.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not religious! These books have soul.  

I HIGHLY recommend this book and this series.  There’s tons of paranormal stuff, romance, drama, and even even some humor.  
(Hey, guess what?? This book is currently $2.99 on kindle and Nook!)

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Book Review: The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Title: The Host

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Series: The Host #1

ISBN: 978-0316218504

Publisher: Little Brown and Company

Pub. Date: 2008

Source: Purchased

Genre: Romance/ Fantasy/ Science Fiction/Paranormal Romance

Pages: 619
Rating: 4 Kisses

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.  As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love. Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human.

My Reveries and Ramblings: 
• What I really loved about this book was how Stephenie Meyer dove into human nature and really explored it.  When one small mistake can mean life, death, or even worse, capture, people turn to their most fundamental survival instincts (eat, sleep, kill, run, etc.)  That’s the world that Wanda gets sucked into by Melanie.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.  

• Wanda was a really interesting character.  She was just as “human” as the real humans.  However, each side thought of the other as the monster. 

• Wanda has such an awesome outlook on life.  She saw so much beauty in Earth.  

• The Love Story:  There’s a love square going on.  It’s awesome and very complicated.  Love is very prominent in the book, but it’s every type of love: family, romantic, etc. 

• Stephenie Meyer was not afraid of killing characters, or having her characters experience real pain.  Which made this book so much better.  There was a threat to the happy ending which I so desperately wanted (both when watching the movie and reading the book).  

• Epic read!  It is definitely a long book, but not one scene was wasted.  Everything was put there for a reason.  Not much plot, but the characters were very strong (all character driven).  I felt like Wanda most of the time, torn between Ian and Jared.  One moment I was all TEAM IAN…and the next totally TEAM JARED. :P 

• Saw the movie first, because I was a bit skeptical about reading a book about aliens (which are slowly growing on me).  AND FELL IN LOVE WITH IT!!!! Ummm, Hello Ian <3 so I HAD to read the book afterwards.  


If you liked Twilight, you’ll enjoy this book.  If you didn’t like Twilight, I still recommend you try this book…It’s nothing like Stephenie Meyer’s previous series, The Twilight Saga.  Also, this is an adult science fiction book…not YA.  So pick it up and enjoy ☺ 

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Book Review: Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

Title: Cold Kiss

Author: Amy Garvey

Series: Cold Kiss #1

ISBN: 006199622X

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pub. Date: September 2011

Source: Library

Genre: YA/Paranormal Romance

Pages: 304
Rating: 2 Kisses


Synopsis (from Goodreads): It was a beautiful, warm summer day, the day Danny died.
Suddenly Wren was alone and shattered. In a heartbroken fury, armed with dark incantations and a secret power, Wren decides that what she wants--what she must do--is to bring Danny back.          But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy Wren fell in love with. His touch is icy; his skin, smooth and stiff as marble; his chest, cruelly silent when Wren rests her head against it.
          Wren must keep Danny a secret, hiding him away, visiting him at night, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school, and Wren realizes that somehow, inexplicably, he can sense the powers that lie within her--and that he knows what she has done. And now Gabriel wants to help make things right.
          But Wren alone has to undo what she has wrought--even if it means breaking her heart all over again.

My Reveries and Ramblings: This book was okay. I was able to read it fairly quickly in one sitting. There was very little detail. It was pretty much plot driven. The characters were a bit flat to me. I wanted to know more about Wren’s power and why her mom wouldn’t talk about it, or why her dad left. I also wanted to know more about Gabriel. But instead most of the book was entirely devoted to how badly she messed up by bringing Danny back to life and how she loves and loved him so much. I just wish Ms. Garvey spent more time on fleshing out the characters. The plot is there, the characters, not so much. 
          Having said that though, I do think the story was good, albeit predictable. It felt more like a novella or short story. There just wasn’t enough...of everything. But i did enjoy it. I’m not the biggest fan of zombie books and there were quite a few moments where Danny creeped me out. But I loved the message in the book. The messages were of love, loss and grief. Wren has to come to terms with losing her first love prematurely. Most people have lost someone in their lives. So I can assume everyone can relate and sympathize with Wren’s battle: her desire to keep the one she loves and her need to let him go. 
          Overall, I thought the book was okay. I will probably read the sequel at some point. I really hope the author expands on the world and answers some questions left from the end of the last book.

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Book Review: Torment by Lauren Kate

Title: Torment

Author: Lauren Kate

Series: Fallen #2

ISBN: 978-0385739153

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pub Date: June 2011

Source: Purchased

Genre: Paranormal Romance/ Young Adult/ Fantasy

Pages: 464

Rating: 3 Kisses

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Hell on earth.
That's what it's like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel. It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts - immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans. At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn't told her everything. He's hiding something - something dangerous. What if Daniel's version of the past isn't actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else? The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series...where love never dies.

My Reveries and Ramblings:  Torment is one of those “in-between” books. You know, the kind of book where you LOVED the first and third one but the second is just eh. Well, I haven’t yet read book 3. But I’m really hoping I’m right. 
         I read Torment when it first came out. I didn’t like it very much. So it stayed on my to-be-reviewed shelf for a few years because I really didn’t want to sit and talk about a book that wasn't that great. However, recently I picked it back up, wanting to get back into the Daniel and Luce story. And I found myself flipping through the pages rather quickly--stopping when I couldn't stand what certain characters were doing--then picking it right back up again after popping some chocolate chips into my mouth. 
          Fallen (book #1) centered on the insta-love of Daniel and Luce. Book # 2 goes a bit deeper and has Luce questioning whether or not she trusts the mysterious Daniel, who has sent her away to keep her safe. In the process of trying to figure out who she is and was, she meets and befriends a whole bunch of really awesome people (Miles, Shelby, and a bunch of other angels, nephilim, and demons). 
         So I’m not going to lie, Daniel and Luce have a LOT of problems, starting with their ever-present and growing trust issues. Daniel spends most of the book trying to stay away from Luce only to fail and visit her while refusing to tell her anything useful other than “I love you.” and “You can’t do that.” Meanwhile, Luce is falling apart. She’s having a major identity crisis, which fuels her fights with Daniel. All the while, she is searching for anything that could help jog her memory of the past. 
          While I definitely related to Luce, I had a hard time accepting some of Luce’s decisions. It was so obvious what was going on, why she needed to be protected. But she just kept breaking the rules. Daniel, too. He was all “I love you!” but then when asked even a tiny question about what was happening, he was all brooding and distant. Come on! 
          Even though I wanted to strangle certain characters in this book, I still liked it and was able to finish it (with interruptions) in a day. I will FOR SURE be reading the 3rd book in the series.  

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