Book source ~ Purchased (also was a review request, but I forgot I had already pre-ordered it)

Nick Belanger has the hots for his next door neighbor, Kayla Dorman. He’d ask her out and hope she says yes, except he’s an Immortal Guardian and his life is all about killing vampires to protect the humans who are unaware of what goes bump in the night. Not only is he something she would find hard to believe, but she has a daughter he doesn’t want to put in danger. Well, he doesn’t want to put either one in danger, but now that the biggest threat in his world has been eliminated and her daughter is off to college, maybe he could tell her about his feelings. Maybe?

Kayla has always had the hots for Nick, but he’s a handsome single guy and she’s a single mom.  Plus, he’s never shown any interest in her so she accepts and enjoys his friendship over the years. Their relationship is suddenly redefined after a near tragedy and Kayla is thrown into his world. What was once hands off becomes all hands on deck as the two really get to know each other. But a new danger is lurking in their Texas city and Nick will need to call in the Immortal Guardians from North Carolina when the shit hits the fan.

Anyone who has been following me over the years knows how much I love the Immortal Guardians. I devour each book as soon as it comes out. And now there’s a spinoff series called the Aldebarian Alliance that is just as yummy to nom on. Broken Dawn does a good job of standing alone even though it is the 10^th book in the series. You can read it and not be lost if you haven’t read the books that came before. However, I don’t know why anyone would want to miss out on so many books with awesome characters, kickass action, snappy dialogue, humor, hot sexiness, and paranormal wonders. Why would you do that to yourself? No, I asked you a question. WHY?! Go sit in a corner and think about that.

Seriously, if you love your paranormal romance with lots of action, humor, multi-layered characters, and hot naked time set in a well-developed world then look no further.

Book source ~ Review copy. My review is voluntary and honest.

Geoff Todd is retired. Ok, so he was a soul collector. It’s still a job, right? And he retired though he still has one foot still in the magical world, so to speak. He had no idea when he picked a community to retire to that it would be thick with magical people. He’s mostly mortal, but he retains a little bit of magic. He also shares his home with an unusual cat. Clarence is a huge pain in his ass, but he’s been asked to keep an eye on him and they are slowly coming to terms with their co-habitation. Then there’s Sylive. Ah, Sylvie. Geoff really likes her, but he’s from the 1940s and is clueless about nearly all things modern. Including dating. That leaves Clarence to give him dating advice. What could go wrong? Scratch that.

This is a great quick read with lots of paranormal goodness, a talking smartass cat, other magical people and creatures, and a budding romance. Oh, and ghosts. Geoff and Sylvie’s first date does not go as he planned. Not in any way. But what did he expect when he’s surrounded by magic and sometimes mayhem? It’s been a couple of years since this story so I’m not sure if this series is going to continue, but I hope it does. I’m looking forward to more.

DNF @10%

Book source ~ Review copy. My review is voluntary and honest.

Vaihan Louchian is a zombie and a special advisor to the President. Leera Waltz is a pawn. Rowley is some wing-nut who is anti-zombie. And there’s some guy (I can’t even be bothered to remember his name) who I have no idea whose side he’s on.

I usually try to give books more than 10% to see if it gets better, but when I stopped at 10% I just couldn’t gather a single drop of enthusiasm to come back to it. Vaihan is described as Ancient. Um, he’s 100 yrs old. I’m 51, nearly 52. What the fuck does that make me? Semi-Ancient? Wtf. Leera is sexually assaulted by this guy who is playing all sides. At least, I think he is? Anyway, she’s a wimp. And I have no idea what is going on. The writing is convoluted and boring. I think this is trying to be a military/political thriller with a paranormal twist and failing spectacularly. Maybe someone else will like this better.

Book source ~ ARC. My review is voluntary and honest.

Reggie is in the 6^th grade and has problems with a school bully. But that’s only one of the things she has to deal with. She’s poor and her mom is constantly zoning out. This month’s food is almost gone and Reggie needs her mom to snap out of it, cash her check, and buy some groceries. Except when her mom goes out to shop, she never returns home. As the days pass, Reggie relies heavily on her imaginary friend, Tough Girl. But her situation is deteriorating quickly. Will she survive until her mom returns?

This is a weird read. Not bad weird though, but good weird. Reggie is a fighter, in the sense that she continues on despite adversity. But she’s only, what? 11 or 12. Her mom appears to have some kind of mental illness and is getting worse. Then she just disappears. Gah! Poor Reggie! Things are happening and Reggie doesn’t want to go to foster care, but holy shit. What the hell is going on in this book? The parts with Tough Girl are just as interesting. I can’t elaborate because I want you to read it and see for yourself. What a great read. I recommend this.

.5

DNF @23%

Book source ~ ARC. My review is voluntary and honest.

The Krinar have easily taken over Earth. They rule and take whatever they want. And when Korum wants Mia Stalis he means to have her whether she wants him or not. But, of course, she wants him! He’s scary and domineering and so very sexy the way he moves around like an inhuman predator. No really. The author says so a million times in the 23% I read so it must be true! Gag me and not with a silk hankie.

This is exactly like Fifty Shades of Shit and Twilight all rolled into one big turd sandwich. Except instead of a vampire we have an alien who loves being in charge. He will fuck her. Make no mistake! And I’m sure he does but I didn’t stick around to see it. This plot is old and tired and the writing is bleh. The characters are one-dimensional. I can’t stomach anymore of this, so I’m moving on.