Addicted To His Touch by Sam Crescent


Addicted To His Touch by Sam Crescent
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (88 pages)
Other: M/F
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Jared has wanted Freya for a long time, and he knows the beauty she is inside and out, even if she has a bit of an attitude. That’s all for him, and he wants every inch of her.

Freya’s had a crush on Jared all of her life. Only she doesn’t believe any man can be faithful. She’s witnessed it through her mother—men only use women, and so the crush she has on Jared must stay that way. However, she’s no longer a little girl, and that crush grows into an attraction that’s getting harder to deny.
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Jared knows that once Freya is in his home, and in his life, all it will take is time. He’ll prove to her that he wants more than her body. He wants her love, her heart, her mind, and her soul. He’s not a gambling man, but he’ll take a risk for her, because that’s what true love is all about. Can Freya get over her insecurities for a chance to be happy?

Freya had known Jared for most of her life. She also knew he had craftily orchestrated her life to be at the stage it was – he’d helped organize her apartment, created the perfect job position for her in his company…she knew he had shifted things around and made them just so for her. And she just couldn’t be mad at him for it. Despite a large part of her wanting to give in to him and his desires, she still held back. She knew it would be hopeless though, that eventually she’d become addicted to his touch.

I found this to be an interesting and somewhat intense story. Freya is not your typical heroine – feisty and fun on the one hand but also quite riddled with self-doubts and insecurities. Her parents had somewhat warped her views on relationships and sex, to the point where Freya was a virgin, despite her often bold exterior. I found myself quite drawn to her, sympathizing and empathizing on quite a few levels and this really had me invested into the story early on.

I’ll be honest, Jared could have come off as a complete jerk. For me, he didn’t, I could see through to the man who truly wanted to just shower Freya with all her hearts desires and give her the things she craved, but in a different authors hands this could have been quite the train wreck. Readers who are sensitive to over-bearing heroes or characters who like to be in control (Jared installed cameras inside Freya and Sophia’s apartment “for their own safety”) still might not feel the same attachment to Jared in particular that I did. I don’t think this story will be everyone’s cup of tea – Jared flirts a little too close to the edge for it to suit everyone’s tastes – but I do think it’s worth taking a chance on. I personally enjoyed it, mainly I think because Jared makes it crystal clear that he’s not interested in just anyone, that he’s not wanting to conquer “a woman” or rise to a challenge. It’s Freya – specifically and only Freya – that he is interested in. That made up, in my mind at least, for a multitude of sins and made the story romantic and Jared just a fairly different, incredibly determined hero.

I was really impressed that Jared didn’t rush Freya either. I feel this helped make the story more romantic – that he didn’t just want to push her straight into bed and consummate their relationship. I honestly feel Freya’s emotional doubts (her fear of being tossed aside when Jared was “done” and her worry about being hurt and cheated on) were the main reason Jared worked hard to not hustle her into bed. So when they finally did make it there it felt extremely important to me – like a milestone they had reached together. Erotica readers will also, I think, be impressed with the sex. While there’s clear emotional attachment between Jared and Freya, the sex is a little dirty and a lot hot. Spicy and explicit, I don’t think readers who like some heat in their reading material will be at all disappointed.

With interesting characters and a whole bunch of emotion in the blossoming relationship between Freya and Jared I feel this story will be addictive for a wide range of readers. While certainly not to everyone’s tastes, I personally really enjoyed this story and found it different enough to be refreshing and hot enough to certainly earn it’s hot and sexy labeling. Recommended.

Bel, Book, and Scandal by Maggie McConnon


Bel, Book, and Scandal by Maggie McConnon
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (249 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

Maggie McConnon rings in Christmas in Bel, Boiok, and Scandal, the third adventure for everybody’s favorite Irish-American culinary artist turned amateur sleuth.
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Bel McGrath tries her best to keep herself on the straight and narrow but she just has a taste for trouble. This time danger arrives in the form of a newspaper left behind by visitors to Shamrock Manor―and a photograph that jolts Bel out of the present and back into a dark chapter from her past. The person in the photo is Bel’s best friend Amy Mitchell, long gone from Foster’s Landing, at a commune in upstate New York shortly after her disappearance. The picture, and Bel’s burning desire to find out what happened to Amy―and whether she may still be alive―is the catalyst for a story in which old secrets are revealed, little by little…and certain characters are shown to not be as genuine as Bel once thought.

A really fun mystery including a chef but not one that gives you recipes!

I really enjoyed this mystery. Its main character is named Bel (short for Belfast) and she is a chef; come home to live with her parents after what to most would be called a culinary disaster. She is chief cook and bottle washer somewhat at Shamrock Manor. Shamrock Manor is their lovely old Irish home; one which has been restored to hold banquets and parties. I loved all of the cooking jokes and food preparation talk but this is not one of the trendy new mysteries that has a recipe at the end of every chapter; for that matter, it has no recipes at all.

What it does have is excellently described characters and a really good storyline. I would call this a cozy. I liked reading the interplay amongst the McGrath family, the few tussles and aggravations of living all together, with a healthy dose of genuine love mixed in. Definitely a storyline involved enough to make you think. I was surprised at the end just as we all want to be with a good mystery.

This is Book 3 and the series is called the “Bel McGrath Mysteries”. This third book can easily stand alone. I enjoyed it without ever feeling confused because of not having read the first two books. On the other hand, it did make me want to read Books 1 and 2.

Not Perfect by Elizabeth LaBan


Not Perfect by Elizabeth LaBan
Publisher: Lake Union
Genre: Women’s fiction, Contemporary
Length: Full length (331 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

Tabitha Brewer wakes up one morning to find her husband gone, leaving her no way to support herself and their two children, never mind their upscale Philadelphia lifestyle. She’d confess her situation to her friends—if it wasn’t for those dreadful words of warning in his goodbye note: “I’ll tell them what you did.”

Instead, she does her best to keep up appearances, even as months pass and she can barely put food on the table—much less replace a light bulb. While she looks for a job, she lives in fear that someone will see her stuffing toilet paper into her handbag or pinching basil from a neighbor’s window box.
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Soon, blindsided by catastrophe, surprised by romance, and stunned by the kindness of a stranger, Tabitha realizes she can’t keep her secrets forever. Sooner or later, someone is bound to figure out that her life is far from perfect.

I’ll start by saying I really enjoyed this book. I liked Tabitha, the main character, from the beginning, and who wouldn’t? She’s now a single mom to two children because her husband’s suddenly disappeared, leaving her with a once lavish lifestyle and no way to pay for it. She can’t ask for help or let anyone know about her predicament because he’s left a note that concludes with a threat about telling people what she did. But what exactly did she do? Tabitha like many of us feels she’s done one too many things and feels the guilt.

The story pulled me in immediately and I liked the way the author made Tabitha a sympathetic character by opening with Tabitha taking things for them to eat but keeping tabs on what she’d need to pay back once she got a job.

It’s a believable story and I think that’s what made it work, well at least for me. The dialogue is natural sounding and the pacing spot on for an enjoyable read.

I also enjoyed the bigger question the story asks and that is can anyone be truly perfect and do the little imperfections in our lives really prevent us from being perfect?

If you like women’s fiction with some believable characters and interesting conflict, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

Girl at Christmas by Rhoda Baxter


Girl at Christmas by Rhoda Baxter
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Holiday
Length: Short Story (93 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Tammy is normally at her happiest at Christmas when she has the flat to decorate and those perfect days between Christmas and New Year to relax. But when her long term partner dumps her, with no real explanation, her Christmas looks very bleak.

Lawrence usually spends Christmas watching DVDs and catching up on his paperwork. At thirty one, he’s already stuck in a rut.
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When Lawrence has a sudden heart attack, it is Tammy who comes to his rescue. It turns out a happy Christmas can be made from the most unexpected ingredients.

Girl At Christmas is a novella in the award nominated Smart Girls series. If you like authors like Lindsey Kelk, Sarah Morgan or Milly Johnson, it’s perfect for you. Grab a copy and get into the Christmas spirit today.

This book’s title doesn’t even hint at the sublime and sweet romance between its pages. I applaud Ms. Baxter’s presentation of two people finding each other just at the right time when both are ready to discover and accept love and a new future. Girl at Christmas is a character driven romance about two very likeable people that seem so real, they easily could be someone I’d be proud to know.

The novella focused on Tammy and Lawrence. She’s been hurt emotionally and he’s in danger physically – two very convincing reasons to care for this couple. Honestly, I’m having a hard time putting what I want to say in words. It’s not because I don’t believe this is a well written book – it is! Ms. Baxter has a way of making the heroine and hero’s path to love so sweet, and compelling and honest that I just wanted to hug them both. The author paid attention to the little things that people do to show interest, to show they care and because both of the main characters were a little shy, they were super adorable. I actually felt HAPPY to know them. I can’t remember actually being happy while I watched a romance unfold – interested, fascinated, and entertained,sure, but not happy in the way Girl at Christmas made me.

I liked how the author painted her characters to be slightly geeky; it was part of their charm. I also liked the three main supporting casts of Walter, Olivia and Suzie. Their friendship and camaraderie enhanced the novella and contributed significant emotional touchstones. The one character that caused a lot of the angst is Tammy’s ex, Jeff. I concur with Suzie’s opinion of him. I’m glad that Tammy finally found clarity where that bozo is concerned.

The one thing that stood out to me was Tammy’s recollection of Jeff’s opinions about things she liked, and that includes celebrating Christmas. The joy she experiences when she’s with people who see it the way she does is incalculable. The ending is more a happy for now because it’s a beginning of something beautiful. As to what makes me believe that Tammy and Lawrence’s strengthening love and HEA is inevitable stems from their conversations towards the end. But don’t take my word for it – try reading Girl at Christmasfor yourself and see why I feel so positive about Tammy and Lawrence’s love and future.

Silver Fox by Julia Talbot


Silver Fox by Julia Talbot
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (44 pages)
Other: BDSM, M/M, Spanking, Anal Sex
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Were-cougar Noah is bored out of his mind. He retired young after selling his start-up business, and now he has no idea what to do with himself. As a self-made man, he likes to be in control, but even his favorite pastimes have lost their luster these days.
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Were-fox Toland meets Noah at Faster Bobcat, where his cousin works as a bartender. Experienced and dominant, Toland sets out to turn Noah’s world upside down, convince Noah he doesn’t always need to be the one on top. Can Noah be what Toland needs, or will he run from the one thing he can’t seem to turn down?

Noah could hardly believe it, but he was dead bored – even with all the delicious, scantily clad eye-candy surrounding him. Despite the fact there were plenty of men just his type around, Noah couldn’t raise any interest. Until his attention was captivated by Toland. Completely not his type, something about the tanned, silver haired man had Noah completely riveted. Could this be exactly what he needed?

I found this to be a super hot, really lovely short story. I’ve enjoyed some of the previous Faster Bobcat books in this series but strongly believe this can be read as a stand-alone book. Noah and Toland are front-and-centre of the entire book and aside from a mention of previous characters in the epilogue there’s no back-story or feeling that readers need to catch up on anything. I feel this can definitely be read without any previous experience in the series. I love the author’s style of writing and found myself almost immediately drawn in by Noah’s voice and I was eagerly turning the pages to find out what happened next. I loved how Noah was used to being in control and had never really wanted to bottom but how he felt the desire to explore new things with Toland. This was a slightly different outlook on the “reluctant submissive” style of story I’ve read before and it felt fresh, real and interesting to me.

The only very slight criticism I could put forward was that I didn’t get to see much inside Toland’s head. While I enjoyed his character and definitely felt a connection with Toland, the story is told mostly from Noah’s perspective (third person, which I greatly enjoyed) but this had me feeling like while I understood where Noah was coming from Toland was a little bit more of a mystery to me. The sex was deliciously hot and I thoroughly enjoyed how both men clearly felt a connection with each other from the start. This wasn’t just sex for the sake of it – or fucking added in to make the story steamy – this was two sensual, grown men starting a lovely relationship together and the sex deepened the connection and acted out on the attraction they each felt. There were light elements of BDSM in here – nothing that I found too harsh or envelope pushing, but readers should certainly take note if they like less spice in their romance stories.

A delightfully written and sensual M/M with a hint of BDSM spice that I greatly enjoyed. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

When We Were Worthy by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen


When We Were Worthy by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (278 pgs)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

A win brought them together, but loss may tear them apart.
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When the sound of sirens cuts through a cool fall night, the small town of Worthy, Georgia, hurtles from triumph to tragedy. Just hours before, they’d watched the Wildcats score a winning touchdown. Now, they’re faced with the deaths of three cheerleaders—their promising lives cut short in a fatal crash. And the boy in the other car—the only one to survive—is believed to be at fault. As rumors begin to fly and accusations spin, allegiances form and long-kept secrets emerge.

At the center of the whirlwind are four women, each grappling with loss, regret, shame, and lies: Marglyn, a grieving mother; Darcy, whose son had been behind the wheel; Ava, a substitute teacher with a scandalous secret; and Leah, a cheerleader who should have been in the car with her friends, but wasn’t. If the truth comes out, will it bring redemption—or will it be their downfall?

Small towns are known for a variety of things. Community. Support. Gossip. Oh, and the secrets. There are always secrets, right? Worthy is no different and when a tragic accident takes the lives of four of their cheerleaders, all that they thought was hidden rises to the surface. It doesn’t take much to become famous – or infamous – in a small town. What is the truth, how did they get here, and will the town ever recover?

Told in alternating points of view, When We Were Worthy, is an emotional roller coaster of a novel. Margalyn’s conflicted feelings over the loss of her daughter and the chance to help another, less fortunate girl, hit me the hardest. As a mother, I can understand her position and why she did what she did. Darcy’s story is probably the most tragic, and in a lot of ways, I can relate to her as well. Who wouldn’t do everything they could to protect their child? Even when that child is guilty, they’re still yours. Ava and Leah are both compelling characters with their own secrets and, although I don’t necessarily relate to them as well as the others, they deserve to be heard and seen and understood.

Through the eyes of four very different women, we see a town in mourning as well as a town with problems like any others. When We Were Worthy is a story of redemption, of forgiveness, and human nature at work. These women aren’t perfect by any means, but they are who they are and, by the end of the novel, they have come full circle, having examined the best and worst in both themselves and the town surrounding them. No one comes out unscathed, but everyone comes out changed. You just have to hope that the change is for the better.

The Rooster Bar by John Grisham


The Rooster Bar by John Grisham
Publisher: Doubleday
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
Length: Full Length (352 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Mark, Todd, and Zola came to law school to change the world, to make it a better place. But now, as third-year students, these close friends realize they have been duped. They all borrowed heavily to attend a third-tier, for-profit law school so mediocre that its graduates rarely pass the bar exam, let alone get good jobs. And when they learn that their school is one of a chain owned by a shady New York hedge-fund operator who also happens to own a bank specializing in student loans, the three know they have been caught up in The Great Law School Scam.

But maybe there’s a way out. Maybe there’s a way to escape their crushing debt, expose the bank and the scam, and make a few bucks in the process. But to do so, they would first have to quit school. And leaving law school a few short months before graduation would be completely crazy, right? Well, yes and no . . .

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Law, lies and excitement…what’s not to love?

I’m a nut for Grisham’s work. I devour it. When I saw this book had come out, I had to nab it. I’m glad I did.

This was a one-sitting book – meaning I read it in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down. I thought about the characters after the book was done and wanted more. I can’t say I agree with their actions, but I understood to a degree why they did it. Mark, Todd and Zola are interesting characters. They’re typical students who got caught up in the desire to better themselves and over-borrowed money to do so at the college level. I know how being eyeball deep in student loan debt can feel. But they weren’t just in debt. They’d been had by the for-profit school they attended. Ouch.

My favorite character had to be Gordy, though. The guy had issues coming out his ears, but he had a big heart and was smarter than the other students. I can’t give too many details, but I cried over him. I did.

There were parts of the story that irritated me. I won’t lie. But there were parts that made me smile. I can’t imagine doing what Mark and Todd did, but it’s fiction. I can overlook it.

If you want a book that will make you think, rivet you to your seat and is good escapism, then this is the book for you.

Virgin Lovers by Sam Crescent


Virgin Lovers by Sam Crescent
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (67 pages)
Other: M/F
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

When Kelly wakes up in a forest with no recollection of how she got there, she knows she’s been picked by the pack elders to be mated. What she can’t believe is that they’ve assigned her a guy she can’t stand. Drake. The one guy who has spent his whole life making her feel like crap is there alone with her.

Drake has done everything to push Kelly away, and it was the biggest mistake of his life. He realizes that now, and this time alone means something to him. He has a chance to start over, to prove to Kelly that he’s the guy for her. Drake has a secret: the only person he’s ever wanted is Kelly. He’s a virgin—and so is she.
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One year together. Alone, destined to be mates. The clock is ticking as these two virgins become lovers, but can they be more? Is there more than a physical connection between them? Or is that all they can ever have?

Kelly hated the mating call, hated the fact two unwilling and unknowing pack members would be sent off for a year without any consent and forced to become a mated pair. When Kelly found herself waking up in exactly that predicament, she can’t believe she’s been forced to mate with Drake – the one man whom she hates above all others. Can they both wait out the year without killing each other?

This is an interesting and complicated book. The plot is fairly simple – Drake and Kelly have known each other their whole lives and resisted one another because all the grown-ups say they’re “destined”. What I really enjoyed though was unraveling the far more complicated aspects of Kelly and Drake’s feelings to each other. While they both privately feel the pull of the other they’re both – for their own reasons – determined not to just fall into line. The problem is, they’ve both resisted the other so strenuously and for so long that they’ve both mostly convinced themselves they really don’t like each other and have squashed their feelings of attraction. It isn’t a quick – or easy – thing to undo year upon year’s worth of snide comments and acting mean.

This aspect of the plot really intrigued me as it’s not one I’ve come across before and I didn’t think it would be a straight-forward matter for the author to make Kelly and Drake’s about-face seem realistic and understandable. While I’m not sure that I ever truly got on board with the whole “kidnapping and isolating two unknowing people and forcing them to be bound together for a year” thing, I did come around to Kelly and Drake being a couple and falling in love with each other. I was supremely glad they didn’t simply have a huge argument then fall right into bed together – that would have been incredibly disappointing and unrealistic. They took their time, hashed out a lot of their issues and past pain and slowly came together. This helped really sell me on the about-face they both made on each other. With all the time in the world and nothing else to distract them I could appreciate and really see how their opinions changed.

Apart from a few small bumps in the plot – I really couldn’t get over how barbaric the kidnap-and-isolate thing was, nor how two grown adults with working cell phones would just roll over and accept it! – the story itself was a well paced and fairly fresh story. I liked both Kelly and Drake’s characters and felt their relationship developed at an understandable pace. The sex between them was hot and descriptive and the epilogue rounded out the story well and gave it a definite “Happy Ever After” ending.

I found this to be a good, interesting read.

Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine


Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (302 pages)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

Gina Royal is the definition of average—a shy Midwestern housewife with a happy marriage and two adorable children. But when a car accident reveals her husband’s secret life as a serial killer, she must remake herself as Gwen Proctor—the ultimate warrior mom.

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But just when she’s starting to feel at ease in her new identity, a body turns up in the lake—and threatening letters start arriving from an all-too-familiar address. Gwen Proctor must keep friends close and enemies at bay to avoid being exposed—or watch her kids fall victim to a killer who takes pleasure in tormenting her. One thing is certain: she’s learned how to fight evil. And she’ll never stop.

You can’t outrun your past no matter how hard you try. And believe me, Gwen Proctor has done everything humanly possible to put her old life – and her old self – behind her. Trying to forget she’d ever been married to a serial killer, she and her kids have been on the run for three years. Finally, they’ve found a place they can call home, but for how long?

Gwen Proctor, who was once Gina Royal, is a complex character. She’s tough as nails, dedicated and determined, all the things she needs to be in order to keep herself and her children safe. She’s also over the top obsessive about security, protocol, and how things work around the house. This, too, I suppose is necessary for their safety, although it does get a bit repetitive and annoying at times. While I understand her unwillingness to trust people, she takes it a little too far at times. Gwen pushes anyone and anything she can’t put into a neat little box to the side. Even when she realizes she’s made a mistake, she just pushes forward, never looking back. I’m sure that most people will take her situation into consideration and forgive her for being a little crazy at times, but saying, “Yikes, I’m sorry that I thought you were in league with my psycho ex-husband” would have gone a long way towards making me like her more. Not that I hated her, because I didn’t. She was a woman doing what she had to in order to survive. I understand where she’s coming from, having two children of my own. But her never apologizing even once gives her this abrasiveness that rubbed me the wrong way.

As much as I love thrillers and mysteries, I’ve never been one of those people who was able to solve it before the end. This holds true for this novel as well. There are a couple of people close to Gwen throughout the story that I kept wavering back and forth with. Is it this one? Oh no, please don’t let it be that one. In the end, I was still taken by surprise when the perpetrator was revealed, although I’m pretty sure I should have seen that one coming.

Stillhouse Lake is one of the most intense, edge of my seat books I’ve read all year. It kept me engaged and wanting more with every page. As much as I wish the internet trolls she deals with every day during her Sicko Patrol were exaggerated, I know for a fact that they’re not. There are crazies out there that will take revenge on innocents to get the justice they believe they’re owed. That’s probably the scariest part of the entire novel. Even with the cliffhanger at the end, you get an excellent thrill ride of a novel. So much so that I preordered the next book, Killman Creek, before I was even halfway through this one. That’s how much this book grabbed me.

Fire Born by Rayanne Haines


Fire Born by Rayanne Haines
Book 1 The Guardian Series
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Historical, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (256 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

Independent, tough as nails, and fierce to her core, Alex Taleisin can’t quite believe it when she has to fight for her life against something not-quite-human in the YMCA parking lot.

That’s when her aunt lets her in on the family secret. They’re immortal—Elementals to be precise, and Alex is the long-lost daughter of the strongest female warrior of their time.
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Her guardian (a freaking Dragon!) and the sexiest man Alex has ever seen gives her a choice. Go with him, learn how to control her fire, and find her father’s people, or try to survive on her own. It’s an easy choice considering she’s only twenty-six. And the Elders may already be on her trail thanks to the fight with the nut job in the parking lot kick-starting her dormant DNA.

Enter an insane grandfather, a shifter with a hidden agenda, and a witch with a shoe addiction, and suddenly loner Alex is wishing for a quiet house in the hills with the dragon she’s falling for.

But a fight is coming and Alex knows the only way to find her answers is to trust her powers and become the warrior she was destined to be.

Despite being set in the present, this story also refers to the history of the guardians. Alex comes into her powers which include fire. Collum, her dragon guardian, must keep her safe until she is a full elemental, able to control her magical urges and make them obey her wishes.

This is a wonderful story of dragons, magic, and the solving of an ancient mystery which has bearing of Alex’s past, in particular who her parents were. Life for Alex is mixed up and becomes more so when the weird Elders of the Elementals interfere.

I loved the way this travelled all over the world, but would point out that the author should research her venues. The island off the south coast of England is called Isle of Wight (pronounced white, but not spelled that way). This error took me out of the flow of the story and it took a while to get back into it again as I kept looking for other mistakes.

I really enjoyed reading this book as it had a bit of everything fantasy and in the main was well written. Definitely worth 4.5 stars.