5 stars

I would go out into the street right now and scream at the top of my lungs that this book is awesome. I would. But writing it calmly on GR has much more chances of causing some kind of positive effect. Besides, I might have already done it on NYE. My memory fails me.

If I decided to organise the Kate Daniels books I've read so far (only three), based on their level of perfection, this book would probably be number one. Granted, I barely remember "Magic Bites" except for the cannibalism and Curran breaking a chair or whatever over the torture of his current mate. "Magic Burns" was awesomesauce. The action and mythology blew my mind. Tornado-style. But "Magic Strikes"! "Magic Strikes", people! It destroyed my panties AND my brain. It wrecked my poor feels. It was utterly devastating (in the best way possible).

Do you want a plot description?! I don't think so. Read da blurb! Right now I'm gonna rant.

The Midnight Games gave me the best fight scenes ever. I haven't been this involved in an action scene in God knows how long.

I was introduced to incredibly creative characters of unimaginable beauty, while others where hideously repulsive. Ilona Andrews couples her imagination with an extensive mythological research, and manages to keep introducing us to brand new creatures, weapons and fighting techniques. I am overwhelmed with fascination every single time.

Kate and Curran made tremendous progress! He is so goddamn delicious. Every description of him makes my mouth water. Andrews can make Curran eating a hamburger like a pig seem like a sexy thing. But oh... the hot tub scene!

Undoubtedly the funniest, sexiest and most gripping installment so far!

Whatever problems you may have with urban fantasy, Ilona Andrews' writing is fresh, compelling, amusing (I laughed like a maniac) and emotionally charged. Trust me, you'll want to meet this woman who doesn't hesitate in sacrificing herself to protect those she loves, who hides her emotional self behind her badassery, who arrives home every day battered and bruised, but having saved multiple lives. Kate Daniels is my favourite heroine. And I don't believe she can be beat.

4 stars

Meet Antoine.

Yes, you are looking at my very first Kindle. Sexy, isn't he?

Anyway, this was the first full-length book ever read on Antoine. I don't know what he thought about the experience. I liked it. Thank you, Gods of technology (and my family) for this gift.

"One Tiny Lie" induced lots of eye-rolling in the beginning. Livie is sexually repressed alright. First kiss at eighteen? I was starting to think this would be an awful journey of self-discovery between good-girl and bad-boy.

But K.A. Tucker surprised me. As Livie (or Irish) would say, she is a virgin whore. During her first college party, she gets beyond drunk, gets a tattoo, spends the entire time munching on the hottest guy in Princeton's handsome face and feasting on his sculpted, tattooed body... And wakes up in only her panties, while the Jell-O thief sleeps naked a few feet away.

Perfect Livie has lots of trouble coping with her newly-found savageness and the life-plan she's never before questioned. Ashton isn't much help, what with the flashes she keeps getting of their partially-forgotten partying streak. Also, he seems to be an assumed man-whore, whose girlfriend lives miles away, unsuspecting of his behaviour.

Of course, there are plenty more layers to Ashton that what people know of him. And Livie is the one unraveling them, piece by piece. Or chunk by chunk. Honestly, this book felt too short. Everything was rushed. Ashton and Livie could've had a little more time to develop their relationship properly.

That said, I have to mention my favourite character in this series: Dr. Stayner! He's still hanging around the Cleary family, shocking everyone and helping them deal with their issues, cost-free. He's amazing, really.

Overall, this was a good follow-up to "Ten Tiny Breaths". I've been snooping around and the next book's Cain's. That should be good.

4 stars

If you've read "On Dublin Street", then you are/were probably just as curious as I was about Ellie and Adam. The first installment of this series kept Ellie and Adam's relationship on the background, and I couldn't help thinking about what might be happening exactly between the two of them. I wanted details! Lots of details.

I'm not sure I got all of the details I needed. I wondered how Samantha Young was going to put all of those years of attraction and forbidden love in just one hundred pages. I wanted a full book, dammit! I wanted to know what Adam was thinking during those last months.

What I received was a trip down memory lane. Together and happy, their issues solved, Ellie and Adam are casually sorting through her diaries and reliving all of their past dramas and mistakes. It was slightly frustrating, to see how they'd acted throughout the years, all because Adam was afraid of losing Braden's confidence. God knows how I adore a her-big-brother's-my-bestfriend complex, but still.

I still think a full-length novel would have been a better choice, considering the importance of Adam and Ellie's relationship. They're the protagonists' best friends. I really wanted to be inside Adam's mind. Damn. I struggled with that too during "On Dublin Street". The lack of a male POV seems to be a designated rule. Let's see if it sticks for the next books as well.

4 stars

What an amazing break from all of the angsty reads. Not that this book was all pink and fluffy. It wasn't. But there were no nonsense fights and fabricated drama. The issues the main couple faced actually felt real and believable! Lots of points for that.

Jocelyn Butler is fucked up. Her best friend of four years knows nothing about her. She represses memories of her painful past all the time. She's reluctant to open her heart to people.

But when she moves to Dublin Street with Ellie Carmichael and meets her brother, Braden, Joss finds herself facing a whirlwind of emotions. She becomes emotionally attached to Ellie and Braden, to their family, begins to reveal a little bit more of herself gradually. Braden, who started out as a persistent suitor whom she had an unbelievably huge attraction to, ended up being her friend with benefits and then her boyfriend.

Joss and Braden make an amazing couple. Almost angst-free. Braden's got that extremely hot caveman thing going on and Joss challenges him. They keep each other grounded.

However, when an unexpected situation hits them both, Joss will finally realise her involvement in the Carmichaels' lives. The question is, will she be able to cope? Can she find the strength to fight her inner demons and give herself completely to Braden? Answers can be found in book. Ha.

4 stars

Quick summary: Destructive.

You know what Miles and Tate's relationship is? A fucking train wreck. They crash and burn so many times, and somehow pick themselves up and crash yet again. Yep. Lots of angst. Hyper depressing stories. Sexy times. Multiple heartbreaks (there are a few pieces I haven't yet recovered).

I'm starting to see the CoHo pattern here. I think she wants us (me) to suffer. Well, I suffered! A lot. Are you happy now, Oh Queen of the Angst? Creator of Tears? Destroyer of Hearts? I haven't quite decided what title fits her best.

I liked this book much more than "Maybe Someday". Those 4 stars should probably be 4,25, but I don't usually divide my ratings so much, so 4 stars it is.

Miles' POV is mostly about his past, and the event that broke him and shaped him into the man Tate meets. I liked it in a way, because it made his character much more enigmatic. The entire time, you have to see him through Tate's eyes, struggle to decipher his actions along with her, without really knowing how he feels. On the other hand, it was a bit annoying to have so many pages dedicated to those past events. Even though I see how fundamental they are to understand how his personality evolved, they gave a much more depressing tone to the book, shadowing his present progress in opening himself up to others. I believe I would've liked to read a bit more about his present POV.

About Tate, I'd say she was a bit too eager to submit to Miles's wishes and didn't really stand up for herself. I understand how Miles turns her into liquid, as she describes it, but it would've been nice to have seen her adopt a more independent attitude.

Fabulastic (not) sentence I just invented to summarize the book:

The metamorphosis of ugly love into true love through the thawing of the heart.

*infinite sigh*