I've been reading this series for a long time now. I began reading this series earlier this year with the intent to read each book back to back to get the full picture of what William Joyce wanted to tell the reader. I started well with my reading adventure, reading all the picture books and the first four books in the series in a timely manner. Then 2020 happened and slapped everyone in the face including myself. I'm not going to lie, guys. It's been hard. Extremely hard. With the pandemic, the civil injustices happening in my country, wildfires raging madly on the West coast, and personal issues happening throughout, I have not had the time nor the mental fortitude to dedicate to reading. My health (physical, mental, and emotional) has not been doing well either. I just feel like I've been all over the place as of late. With that being said, I am hoping things are settling enough that I can get back into reading. Still being mindful and aware we are not out of the woods yet (nor will we be any time soon), but also capable of treating myself right and enjoy a good book from time to time. I'm still mentally clogged with everything going on, but I want to try to get back into the hobbies I love and miss doing this year.

And with that, I bring to you my review of Jack Frost: The End Becomes the Beginning.

I really liked this book. It's not my favorite book in the series, but I did enjoy it for what it was. I don't intend to go into too many details with this review since it's the final book in the series but I did want to talk about a few things that won't spoil the plot.

It's a very good book. And the conclusion, though not really what I was hoping for, was not bad in any way. However, I had a few problems with it as I was reading it. The first thing that bugged me was the pacing. Joyce wrote this book after the movie came out and it shows. Which is a bit of a bummer for since his original story was magnificent. In this book he tried to tie in the movie and book universes too much and it did not blend well. It felt disjointed at times and forced. The pacing suffered because of this as well. The beginning was very slow. VERY SLOW. He kept rehashing certain scenes from the previous books and also diving deep into moments that took placed in the past and not during the actual story being told. A lot of the story was told in "flashback" moments which took the reader out of the current plot. It felt messy and rushed in some areas and it dragged in others.

The characters are still loveable and unique. But they definitely took a backseat in this book. Joyce focused more on action and "plot" but he completely forgot about what a lot of readers picked up these books for in the first place and that was to see these amazing characters interact in this whimsical world he created. When those parts appeared in this book, it was incredible just like it was in the precious books. But they were few and far between. Most of the scenes in this book was one battle after the other. That's it. I wanted to see more of the relationships between all of the characters,

I especially feel Pitch was left as an afterthought, almost. Yes, he's a lingering presence throughout the whole book, but he doesn't actually make an appearance until the end of the book, if you're not including the flashback portion. It was very underwhelming seeing what happens at the end. I was hoping for more interaction, more feeling. It was like (and I'm keeping it vague here on purpose) Jack does a thing, Emily Jane says thanks, and that's it! I wanted Jack and Pitch to have a full on conversation! To come to the realization that they are not so different after all. To say thanks or sorry or something! But we didn't get much of anything and it felt very hollow.

The ending... I'm not a huge fan of. It was an ending that would have meant something if we were introduced to certain elements beforehand. Not almost 250 pages into the book. It felt, like most of this books, rather empty and pointless.

That's not to say this book is bad. It's not. I did like it. I was just expecting to see more of the characters I fell in love with interacting with one another and understanding one another. Instead I got a bunch of action with no real substance.

If you've read the other books in this series, I do recommend you read this one. It's good to see the conclusion to this amazing series. Just don't expect too much going in and you may enjoy this a lot more.

I'm glad that despite everything that's been happening in the world, I was still able to finish this series that I have been meaning to read for quite some time now. I don't know what I'll be reading next but I hope that I will continue to read regardless.

@felicityheaton, #Paranormal, #Romance, 4 out of 5 (very good)

Marek is the fourth book in the Guardians of Hades series and I really couldn't wait for the researcher's story! He has been hinted at in the previous books but, of course, you don't find out much until he gets his own story.

Marek has his past that he is "dealing" with. Well, he's not, not really, but it makes him feel better. Caterina goes out hunting vampires every night because she thinks if she kills his sire, her brother will return to 'normal'. When these two meet, sparks fly... literally!

Poor Marek! And poor Caterina!! Both of them were hurting before they found each other but even then it didn't go smoothly. Now, of course, I know it never does but these two really had it bad. How about turning into something the man you're falling for hates and literally fights every day? Yeah, not easy. However, in true Felicity Heaton style, they not only managed to overcome these obstacles but also found their HEA along the way. Of course, they also found murder, more mystery, betrayal, and heartbreak but it's all for a good cause!

Prince of the Underworld and Lord of Earth, Marek was banished from his home by his father, Hades, two centuries ago and given a new duty and purpose—to keep our world and his from colliding in a calamity foreseen by the Moirai. Together with his six brothers, he fights to defend the gates to the Underworld from daemons bent on breaching them and gaining entrance to that forbidden land, striving to protect his home from their dark influence.

Haunted by a betrayal that shattered him and set him on a dark path of vengeance, Marek closely guards his heart, as determined to keep it safe as he is to wipe the scourge of vampires from the world.

Until a hunt lands him in the presence of a beautiful woman who threatens to steal that heart as she battles his sworn enemy, her graceful moves igniting a passion so fierce and hunger so deep it consumes him.

Caterina's sole purpose for the last decade has been freeing her brother of the curse of being turned into a vampire. When an alluring dark warrior steps in to help her battle a nest of bloodsuckers, her entire life is tipped off balance. She knows deep in her heart, the warrior can help her save her brother, but can she trust a man who is driven to slay every vampire he meets?

When Marek's enemy emerges from the shadows, and Caterina is pulled down a dark rabbit hole into a dangerous world, will they be strong enough to overcome their pride and their prejudices or will a dark turn of events shatter both their hearts?

Review 4.5 rounded up to 5*

Marek is the fourth book in the Guardians of Hades series. I loved it!

Marek is one of six son's of Hades. He is an intriguing character, and I liked him a lot. When he was first introduced in the series, I thought Marek was the more studious brother since he enjoyed researching. However, he is also a fierce warrior. I found it a pleasure to get to see into his life. There is a darkness within Marek that was not immediately obvious. It's this darkness that leads him to crossing paths with Caterina.

Caterina is a woman on a mission. I liked her spunky-ness and determination to save her brother. Family is important to her since it's just her and her brother. When a stranger helps her fight vampires, she is intrigued by him. Unfortunately, she gets pulled into the tug-of-war between Marek's family and their enemy, and her life will never return to normal.

It's been a year since the last Guardians of Hades book, and I've been eagerly awaiting Marek's story. I started to read and was pulled back into the fantastic world built by the author.

It was a pleasure meeting the other brothers and their new loves once more. Hades and Persephone also make an appearance; they are typical parents - overprotective and loving. Karas and Calistos are the only two brothers who haven't had their stories told yet. However, the author made mention of Calistos's twin, Calindria, who had died several years before. It made me wonder if she could still potentially be alive somewhere when someone close to her briefly made an appearance, however, back to the review.

The brothers still have a lot to do to avoid the prediction the Morai made about the human world and Underworld's impending collision. I was glad, however, when a specific character met their fate, but now wonder if Caterina's brother will play a more prominent role at some point. There are fast-paced fight scenes, which are this author's forte. She can bring them to life, so I always enjoy those, and the romance between Marek and Caterina scorched the pages even though there weren't as many opportunities for togetherness.

I am now looking forward to reading Calistos's story soon.

Felicity Heaton has written another fast-paced, sexy paranormal romance that I thoroughly enjoyed. I love her fast-paced writing style, which flows effortlessly from scene to scene. She is on top of my favourite author's list.

Each book of this series could be read as a stand-alone, as this one does not end in a cliffhanger, though I would recommend reading them in order. I do not recommend this book to younger readers due to the extremely HOT and explicit sexual scenes. However, I highly recommend this book (and series) if you love sexy paranormal romances full of gods and daemons. - Lynn Worton

This is Ethan and Heather's story. Heather is a telepath and has been able to turn that into a career- as a FACS specialist (reading facial expressions and body language to determine if someone is lying. The other couples from previous books all make appearances. The underlying storyline with Gershon trying to start WW 3 is continued. New allies appear.

I read this for Romance-opoly Fang Alley moon track

Another beautiful addition to this sweet little story. I am a huge fan of Pitch Black and in this book we finally get his whole story told to us. It's heartbreaking, beautiful, and tragic. I love learning more about him and his daughter and I love seeing how even beings like him, deserve some love and respect.

In this book, we have a returning character from the picture books. Sandy! I love this little guy. So much strength with such little words spoken. I adore him. I also love that this is the first time we get to see Nightlight grow a little as a character. He was someone who was very immature in his way of thinking. But it's in this book that he learns that things are not just black and white, good and evil. That there are many layers to who a person can be and many reasons to explain the actions one choose to take. I think it's a brilliant lesson for anyone to learn. Especially Nightlight, a boy who never ages.

I love this series so much. I know the writing can be quite simplistic at times, but the story and the characters more than make up for it. I think with such a lovely story, you don't need flowery writing. The story speaks for itself. 

I am close to the end of this series now. I've never read the last book before. This will be my first time reading it. Makes me nervous to finally find out what's going to happen. I love Pitch and I don't want him to get a nasty end for just being different. I will hold on to hope that the ending of the series will be just as sweet as the rest of it has been.

If you haven't read this series yet, I highly encourage that you do. It's a lot of fun with endearing characters and such fantastical ideas that it will make you want to explore your own imagination as thoroughly as you did when you were younger. Or still do. Some of us never forgot our "child-like wonder." I hope you never do.