Omega (War of the Alphas, #1) by S.M. Reine

 3 "I'm Mad at You" Stars

 

Back Cover Blurb -

 

Ten years ago, Deirdre Tombs died. When she was reborn the next day, Deirdre had become a shapeshifter who can't shift shapes. Nobody knows what animal she's supposed to be. She's definitely not a werewolf. The Alpha, Rylie Gresham, can't force her to transform like other members of her pack.

Now Deirdre is considered an omega, the weakest shapeshifter in the pack--a vulnerable position when Everton Stark demands tribute from Rylie. He wants to be the dominant Alpha. The only Alpha. And he plans to make her pack submit whether they want to or not. Stark can make every shapeshifter obey him by force of will alone.

Every shapeshifter except Deirdre.

The shifter who can't shift is the only hope for Rylie to win the war against Stark. It will take everything Deirdre has to survive undercover in his den. But can an omega's will be stronger than that of a charismatic, deadly Alpha like Everton Stark?

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A little ditty to sum up my thoughts of this book…

Urban Fantasy is my addiction, it’s my drug of choice,
When I see a new series, I jump around, dance and rejoice.

When Omega came across my NetGalley feed,
In an instant I knew, it was one I must read.

Words like “shape shifter” and “War” baited the hook,
So I put all my laundry aside and started the book.

Deirdre is different, an Omega is what most people see,
Because she has no idea, as to what her shifter side might be.

Always alone, with a heart full of resent,
She trudges through life, no real goals or intent.

Then comes the day, she meets Everton Stark,
The man who’s bite, is much worse than his bark.

He wants to be alpha and can compel with his voice,
Making shifters do things, without given much choice.

But Riley Gresham is ruling Alpha and heavily skilled,
It will take more than thought needed, for her to be killed.

With a side cast of characters like Niamh, Jacek and Gage,

This is one of those books, that will have you turning the page,

This was a solid 4 star read, until I got to the end,

When that “What the Fuck” moment, decided to happen.

Why, oh why, did you have to end it that way?

I was so distressed, that I took a whole star away.

I’ll not giveaway any spoilers or say things I should not,

But other than the last few pages of the book, I liked it a lot.

I’ll be reading part two, because that end left me needing,

So until next time book lovers, I bid you all Happy Reading.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad start to a new series. It kept me entertained and I was actually curious as to how the story would play out. I never really knew what the author had planned at any given moment and I enjoyed that. Readers of the Urban Fantasy genre will want to read this one and even though it doesn’t have a lot of romance, there is a little of it throughout that should keep the romance readers happy.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Red Iris Books for the ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Asylum by Jeannette de Beauvoir

3 "Better Brush Up on Your French" Stars

 

Back Cover Blurb -

 

Martine LeDuc is the director of PR for the mayor's office in Montreal.  When four women are found brutally murdered and shockingly posed on park benches throughout the city over several months, Martine's boss fears a PR disaster for the still busy tourist season, and Martine is now also tasked with acting as liaison between the mayor and the police department. The women were of varying ages, backgrounds and bodytypes and seemed to have nothing in common. Yet the macabre presentation of their bodies hints at a connection. Martine is paired with a young detective, Julian Fletcher, and together they dig deep into the city's and the country's past, only to uncover a dark secret dating back to the 1950s, when orphanages in Montreal and elsewhere were converted to asylums in order to gain more funding. The children were subjected to horrific experiments such as lobotomies, electroshock therapy, and psychotropic medication, and many of them died in the process. The survivors were supposedly compensated for their trauma by the government and the cases seem to have been settled. So who is bearing a grudge now, and why did these four women have to die?

Not until Martine finds herself imprisoned in the terrifying steam tunnels underneath the old asylum does she put the pieces together. And it is almost too late for her...in Jeannette de Beauvoir's Asylum.

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Parlez-vous Français? Non? On apprend mieux!

Yeah, me either and I found that the two years that I spent in French class in high school didn’t do much to help me either. This is a first time read for me by the author Jeannette de Beauvoir and I’m not sure if this is something signature for her or if it was just in this novel, but I found the constant French dialogue throughout the book to be distracting and almost bordered annoying. I can understand the occasional phrase, word or sentence, I think that it actually helps to build a little character, but every other paragraph or page is just a bit much.

The interesting thing about this story is that I wasn’t one hundred percent sure if I liked it or not, but then when I got to the end of the book and realized that a majority of the story was based in fact on true events, I found myself a little more intrigued and I was able to further appreciate what it was that I had just read. 

Asylum is a story that has a lot of history sprinkled with a healthy dose of fiction that come together for a pretty compelling read. The amount of horror/thriller books that I have read could probably feel a small library, so it’s no small thing when I say that out of ALL of those books, the ones that I find the scariest and the ones that keep me up at night are not the ones with ghosts, ghouls or other creepy crawlies, but the ones that examine and expose the ugliest monster of them all and that is the dark side of humanity. Asylum is no exception to that and though it wasn’t scary per se it still opens your eyes to an ugly truth, only to be further realized when you reach the end. 

Overall, I recommend this book to those readers that like the mystery/crime genre. It’s not super suspenseful and can get a little long winded at times, but there is definitely a story in there that is worth telling and sharing and I’m pretty happy that I read the book. 

Happy reading, until next time… 

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
    

The Danger of Destiny (Mystwalker #4) by Leigh Evans

3 "I'm Going to Miss You" Stars

Book Blurb -

There are very few days off when you’re on an epic quest. Believe me, I know. I’m Hedi Peacock—one half Fae, the other Were—and if being a half-breed with one foot in each world isn’t tough enough to manage, there are the four chambers of my heart to consider. The one who holds the strings? Robson Trowbridge, the Alpha of Creemore. If I had my way, he and I would be locked in a bedroom, for eternity, but a pressing family matter needs my attention. It’s true what they say: A woman’s work is never done.

WHEN YOU CAN HOWL AT THE MOON?

My twin brother is being held captive by the Old Mage in another realm. Lo and behold, as soon as Trowbridge and I arrive in Merenwyn, we’re separated in spectacular, dramatic fashion—and I’m left to figure out how to maintain the fragile balance between my Fae magic and my wolf’s blood in a realm that cries to both. Not easy, particularly when I'm keeping an iron-grip on my temper so as not to dispatch with extreme prejudice the odd wizard or smart-mouthed mutt servant who crosses my path. My mama never told me there’d be days like these, but I’m not going down without a fight…or my mate.

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This is the fourth and final installment of the Mystwalker Series by Leigh Evans.  If you are a fan of this series, you will not find yourself disappointed, if you have never heard of this series, then you need to stop right here and go find book one and start there, because nothing in this book or review will make much sense to you if you don’t.

Being four books in, I think that it’s pretty obvious that I’m invested in this series and have created an emotional bond with the main characters of this book, so I tend to overlook a few nit-picky things and I’m overall less critical when it comes to reviewing the book, but there was just no way of overlooking the frequent bouts of boredom that I experienced while reading this!  It was still a good book, but with all the action and goings-on that I experienced with the first three books, I expected some of that explosive energy at the beginning and it just wasn’t there and it was a shock to my system when I started reading and found myself yawning.  The story line does tend to pick up speed after a while and we are of course still treated to the same great and artistic imaginings of Ms. Evans that we experienced in the first three books, but it all just comes at a little slower pace this time around.

Putting the dragging bits aside, I still think that all the Hedi and Trowbridge fans will be happy with this one and satisfied once the book is finished.  It’s always bitter sweet for me when a series that I read comes to an end, because on one hand, I feel like I want to read about my favorite characters FOREVER, but I have yet to come across a series that has managed to pull off more than 5-6 books in where I didn’t start to hate the books and just wish that the author had ended the series when it was still good.  Overall though, I’m happy with what Ms. Evans did and I’m glad that I read this series.

So, overall, yes…if you have already started this series, then yes, you need to read this one.  If you haven’t yet started this series, then I would suggest that you go ahead and put it on your to-read list.  It takes a little bit of adjusting when you first start the series, but once you start, you’re hooked.

Happy reading, until next time…

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Hate F*@k: Part Two by Ainsley Booth

3 "Cole 'No Comment Motherfucker' Parker" Stars

 

Back Cover Blurb -

 

Hailey:
In the blink of an eye, everything changed, and I can’t pretend I don’t need Cole anymore.
He’s my heart and soul, but he’s shut me out, and I’m scared.

Cole:
Keeping Hailey at arms’ length used to be an annoying challenge. Now it’s a matter of life and death.
I want vengeance. And then I want Hailey to be mine, forever.

Final part of the three book Hate F*@k serial. NOT A STANDALONE STORY.

Where do I start?  I think I’m a little at a loss for words right now! That has got to be some kind of first for me.

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Okay, Okay…In this second installment of the three part Hate F*@k series, the storyline picks up immediately where part one left off, so you will definitely need to read the first installment to understand what is going on during this one.  If you haven’t read the first one, I highly recommend it, it was one of those rare reads that managed to pull a 5/5 star rating from me and I’m pretty sure that my review of it came across nothing short of me sounding like a raving, gushy, fan girl, because yeah, I liked it that much and I was…. so that is why it PAINS me soooo much to have to say that I wasn’t all that taken with part two. 

A lot of that might have to do with the anticipation and build up that I experienced on waiting to get my hands on the second part and how much I loved the first part, that maybe my expectations were just set too high…maybe.  You have to understand, I was so excited when I finally got my hands on this second part that I actually squee’d. Like literally, I’m pretty sure the sound that emitted from me, as I clutched my iPad to my chest while the book downloaded, sounded very much like, “squeeeeeeeeeeee!”  It wasn’t a sound that I was proud of, but I was pretty damned excited and well, it just couldn’t be helped.  So, I grabbed my fluffy cat, grabbed a blanket, curled up on my sofa and jumped right in.  It’s not that this second part was bad by any means, but it just seemed a bit lackluster in some areas and redundant in others.  As for the romantic aspect of the book or should I say erotic aspect, yeah…that was not lacking in the least.  I found myself actually fast forwarding through a lot of the scenes, just because they were so frequent, I was getting bored with them.  Again, has got to be another first for me!  As for details, I said it for the first installment and I will say it again, THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR KIDS OR THOSE THAT ARE EASILY OFFENDED OR DO NOT LIKE SEXUAL CONTENT, because you are going to get a butt load (teehee, no pun intended, really) of that in this series, I mean, look at the title of the book.  My poor brain is such gutter trash right now after reading this, that I almost revised my earlier statement of “I grabbed my fluffy cat” because it just sounded so loaded with meaning, but then I couldn’t think of a way to say it that didn’t sound worse…I grabbed my fat kitty?  I grabbed my puffy fur baby? 

Overall, I still like the series and I am happily awaiting part three, but I don’t want to get too excited, because I don’t want to set my expectations too high again, but this one did end the same way as the first and that is with a huge cliff hanger, so if you don’t like those, perhaps you should wait till all three are out and you can read them all together.  Which makes me wonder why this didn’t just come out as one novel all together anyways?  Oh well, different discussion for another day, so yes, I recommend it, but just not with the same ferocity as I did the first part.

Happy reading, until next time…

Righteous by Kim Lehman

2 "Let Me Get Off My Soap Box" Stars

 

Back Cover Blurb -

 

A story about a troubled girl and her effed up, going-nowhere life.

Quick witted, sharp-tongued Righteous Andrews is troubled by a broken past, fed up with her present circumstances, and resolved to a hopeless future.

On the first day of her senior year of high school she gets in trouble, landing in the principal’s office . . . again. There she meets Colt Jackson, the new kid with a troubled past of his own. Despite her attempts to avoid him, Colt seems to show up everywhere she doesn’t want him to be, and soon they strike up an unexpected friendship. Righteous is wary. Friendships aren’t her thing. But something about Colt is different; something about him makes her curious, makes her wonder . . .

Is Colt Jackson really different from everyone else? Does happiness and love truly exist? Or will every relationship in her life always end in lies and heartache?

If my parents named me Righteous, I might be a bit of an asshole too, I’m just saying. 

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So in this story, we meet Righteous, a rebellious young teen with a chip on her shoulder. Life has not been kind to her and so in turn, she is not kind right back. With no expectations or aspirations, she finds herself coasting along in life and doesn’t expect much from herself or those around her. School is mostly a joke and she slowly counts down the days until she graduates and can do her own thing, that is, until Colt arrives in her life. 

This is your typical tale of teenage angst and first loves, the unfairness of it all and the people that show up in our lives hoping to make a difference. This is a hard book for me to review, because being a teenager myself once, that grew up in less than ideal circumstances and hardship, I find it hard to close off my own opinions and differentiate myself from our heroine. Teenage life is hard, there is no doubt about that, but I find it hard to feel sorry for someone that has the opportunities to make better decisions, but doesn’t and just uses their circumstances as a crutch. I have seen and heard stories of true horrors that teenagers have had to face and in light of that, the things that Righteous goes through almost seems like a cake walk in comparison. Her “poor-me” attitude really grated on my nerves and all I really wanted to do was scoop her up and take her to an orphanage or on a mission trip to a third world country to show her the faces of people that know what true hardship is and who are still able to smile in spite of it all. Something else that I resented while reading this, was the “trailer park trash” stereo type. I have family members that live in trailer parks and their trailers are nicer, more well-kept and the neighbors nicer than some people I know that own homes. Living in a trailer park does not mean that you are poor and trashy! I will stop myself here, before I go off on a tangent, but I really resented the fact that Righteous living in "trailer park" was something to be ashamed of and used as a means to further her “poor me” outlook.

Overall, I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t like it. I found that the more I wrote my review, the more resentful I became of the book and my opinion of it lowered accordingly. If you want me to feel sorry for your character (besides her name), then don’t give me the cookie cutter reasons to do it. They are tired and played out and this is not the 80’s. Having absent parents does suck, but it doesn’t make you handicapped. Living in a trailer doesn’t make you trash, it is how you act that does that. And for Christ sake, not having a lot of money does not mean that you are impoverished, be thankful for what you do have – i.e. that trailer that puts a roof over your head and your own bed that you can sleep in at night! So no, I would not recommend this book, because if you yourself have experienced any kind of hardships in your life, you might find yourself resenting it like I did and if you haven’t, then I would hate for you to read this and fall victim to the stereotypes that it portrays.

Happy reading, until next time…

I would like to thank NetGalley and Lucky Stars Publishing for the ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Bender by M. Stratton

3 "Prince Charming is a Bad Boy" Stars

 

Back Cover Blurb -

 

 Since high school everyone thought Jake Bender would end up behind bars; after all, he comes from a long line of bad boys. He spent years away from the place he called home. When he finally comes back, everyone thinks he's just a punk kid all grown up who’s now running a dive bar called The Night Club. What they don't know is he heads up a special task force, which cleans up neighborhoods and makes them safe again.

Stormy Ryan has always felt more comfortable with her books than with people. She loves to spend her days within the pages of her books. When her second-hand bookstore is robbed for the third time in as many months, her employees quit leaving her to run the shop on her own. With the pressure of having to deal with her shop and people, not to mention the declining neighborhood, she is at the end of her rope.

When closing up her shop late one night, she is held up and the neighborhood bad boy saves her, putting both of them at the forefront of a psychotic’s obsession.
Being bad has never looked so good.

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Once upon a time, there was a mousy book nerd that took a stand against some very mean and psychotic people and unfortunately, made enemies out of them. Though she had the heart of a lion and the determination of a bear around honey, she was still no physical match against her enemies and soon found herself in a dire situation. Enter our hero. Now, this was no prince charming and though he was here to save the day, instead of galloping up on a white steed, he instead showed up on the back of a bike, covered in leather and exuded danger from every pore. From there, our story follows the unlikely duo as they face off against the sinister men trying to kill them and the mutual attraction that could end up being even more dangerous than the men chasing them.

Bender is a story that blends romance, mystery and thrills all together for a pretty great read. The story line is one that is as old as time, a female in peril and a strong man that comes to save her, but what saves this story from being your typical fairy tale romance, is that our hero is not your typical hero and has more bad boy tendencies than good and our protagonists are pretty damn evil and the author does not shy away from letting us know just how evil they are. There are some pretty gruesome scenes in this novel, but nothing that turned my stomach. More squeamish readers beware though, this book does contain death, destruction and some light torture, if such a thing can be “light”, but it only really thickened the plot in my estimation and I enjoyed the thrill of it.

Overall, I think that readers that enjoy a little thrill and mystery with their romance will enjoy this one. It’s not the most eloquently written book, but then again, I’m not the most eloquent reviewer, so that didn’t bother me in the least. I find that it’s often important to know what you are about to get yourself into before you open the pages of a book and you need to know if you are about to experience an emotion break down at the hands of those pages, that way you can prepare yourself with either a bottle of wine, a quiet little corner, a box of bon bons or a box of tissues or all of the above. This one is a pretty straightforward read, that doesn’t put its readers through the emotional grinder and it doesn’t make you think too much, so it’s one that is great for the “busy” busy nerds that often find themselves reading at red lights and right before bed. Heed my warning though, if you are the least bit squeamish with blood or violence, you might want to re-think before you decide to pick this one up.

Happy reading, until next time…

I would like to thank NetGalley and The Hype PR for the ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review

The Boy From the Woods by Jen Minkman

2 "Ridiculous" Stars

Back Cover Blurb -  

 

Julia fell down on her knees next to his lifeless body, her heart filling with dread as she noticed the left side of his face was covered in blood. He had fallen off the motorbike, hitting his temple on a sharp-edged rock. His head injury looked really, really bad.

“Michael?” she whispered softly, putting a trembling hand on his forehead. “Can you hear me?”

 

Julia has been in love with Michael for years. He’s the hottest guy in school, and she can’t believe her luck when they finally hit it off during Senior Prom. Her dream doesn’t last, though: after a few dates, he callously dumps her out of the blue. Summer vacation starts with Julia feeling heart-broken and miserable.

But then she rescues Michael in the woods when he has a motorcycle accident in a heavy thunderstorm. From that point onward, her life is turned upside down. Michael has changed completely after the blow to the head that nearly killed him... and he wants her back. But why is he so different? And will she be able to trust him this time around?

 

Can the boy who broke your heart ever win it back again..?

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Have you ever met someone for the first time and in the beginning when you are first introduced, you think they are pretty cool and someone you could really like, then they start talking and you find that your nerves become a little irritated, then they have mannerisms that just get under your skin and by the end of the night, you notice every little thing that is wrong with them and the spittle that flies out of their mouth every time they speak is the last straw and if you don’t get out of their company soon, you’re bound to do them bodily harm and probably spend the night in jail? Yeah, that can pretty much sum up my encounter with The Boy From the Woods and it’s painfully obvious, we just weren’t meant to be friends. The blurb sounded so promising and I was looking forward to reading this, but after a few chapters, I wanted to be put out of my misery and by the end, I was mentally unfriending and blocking this book from my friend book list.

I have this memory of when I went to the theater to see the movie, The Village by M. Night Shyamalan and about midway into the movie, I remember leaning over and whispering to my friend, “This movie would be so dumb if it’s all actually taking place in the present time, but for some reason they are living like the Amish in some middle of the woods compound and don’t even know it!” (note: I have nothing against the Amish) So, you can imagine my reaction when the great reveal happened at the end of that movie, I was so astonished at the sheer ridiculousness of it all and the fact that I had been pretty spot on with my earlier prediction, that I was actually offended. Well, something like that kind of happened again while I was reading this. I had a moment where I thought, “I really hope that THIS is not where Ms. Minkman is taking this story!” and I’ll be damned if that isn’t EXACTLY where she went.  

If you decide to read this book, you need to also be aware of a few cultural differences, because one thing I know for sure is that beer and wine were NOT on the menu at my school prom, so it’s pretty obvious that the legal age limit for drinking is a bit younger there than it is here in the states. It’s not a big deal and I wouldn’t have minded having beer and wine at my prom (legally), but just fair warning to some readers who might find stuff like that hard to grasp. 

Overall, this was not a book I enjoyed and I really wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. It was not just one big thing that turned me off of this book, but also several little things that all culminated together to make this a bad experience for me. The concept was there, but everything else failed in my opinion. 

Happy reading, until next time… 

I would like to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishers for the ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

City of Fae by Pippa DaCosta

3 "So-So" Stars 

 

Back Cover Blurb -

 

From the moment Alina touches London's hottest fae superstar, breaking one of the laws founded to protect all of her kind, her fate – and the fae – close in.

Below ground, the fae High Queen plots to claim the city as her own and places her pawns, ready for the battle to come. A battle she cannot lose, but for one small problem – Alina. There are four ancient keepers powerful enough to keep the queen in her prison. Three are dead. One remains … And to fight back, Alina risks sacrificing everything she has come to love.

This New Adult urban fantasy is packed with action and suspense and will have you yearning for more forbidden fae romance.

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I absolutely adore fantasy books, especially one’s that involve the Fae, so I was crazy excited when I read the blurb on the back of this book and could not wait to get my little book nerd hands on it. The book boasts of having such things as forbidden romance, intrigue, a strong heroine, evil villains and a lot of action…what’s not to like right? Well, the problem with making such claims, is that you set a reader’s expectations really high and if the book fails to deliver on any of those promises, then it can turn out to be a real disappointment. City of Fae was not a complete disappointment to me, but it didn’t make good on all the things it promised, so instead of being an excellent read for me, it ended up being just so-so.

 

If you have read even a few books involving the Fae, then there are a few things that you already know about them. Most Fae are beautiful, they are tricksters through and through and you never, ever, ever mess with the Fae or Fae royalty without severe punishment, torture or even death. There are a lot of other things that are left up to the imagination of the author, like do they have pointed ears? Or, do their eyes glow different colors? But the main abc’s of Fae, typically stay the same. So with that being said, you can understand why I was so disappointed in the lack of ferocity and cunning in our antagonist, I have come across mere human antagonists in books that were a lot meaner and scarier than was the case in this one. All I can say is that it was very disappointing.

 

Okay, with that little rant out of the way, let me get to the good stuff. The story line was very different and I liked that, it wasn’t one that was played out and I was genuinely interested in seeing what was going to happen next and see what turns the story was going to take. I liked the cast of characters for the most part and even though some fell short of their potential in my opinion, some of the others were interesting enough and kept the story flowing. Though this one ended up being just a so-so read for me, it wasn’t for lack of action or plot.

 

Overall, I would recommend this book as a good “in between” read. One of those books you pick up while looking for your next great read or waiting on the release of your next favorite book or first time readers of this genre. I think it comes down to personal preference and expectations on this one. If you go into this one without much expectation, you might really enjoy it, but hard core Fae and fantasy fans might find themselves terribly disappointed.

Happy reading, until next time…

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for the ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Raising Cain (The Key Guardians #1) by Kelli Ireland

3.5 "She Pissed Me Off" Stars

Back Cover Blurb -

 

Hiding places are scarce when both Heaven and Hell intend to find you.

Dani Fayel’s backbreaking job as a stable hand at The Freaks’ Fair isn’t glamorous, but for someone looking to keep to the shadows? It’s perfect. Neither paranormal freaks nor human norms ever notice her. But when Dani is forced to either let a child die in order to maintain her anonymity or choose to save him and risk being discovered, she finds herself unwillingly thrust into the spotlight.

Cain, Hell’s premier assassin and a predatory incubus, is close to fulfilling his final contract and earning his freedom. Hired by the Archangel of Death to find his daughter, Cain follows her trail to the Fair. He works undercover, certain his mark is inside one of the portable canopies or traveling cages. Dead or alive, she equals his ticket to freedom.

When Cain’s objective is divulged, Dani realizes she can’t outrun her destiny. As the fabled Key—the one soul with absolute free will who is tied to the three realms of Heaven, Earth and Hell—only she is capable of opening the gates for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Whoever frees the Horsemen allegedly commands them. Now both Heaven and Hell are vying for her allegiance, and there are no limits as to how dirty they’ll fight to obtain it. With Hell raining indiscriminate chaos as Heaven maneuvers its players around her, Dani realizes her would-be assassin may be the only man capable of helping her survive.

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Talk about a love-hate-love-hate relationship! My feelings volleyed back and forth so much while reading this book, that I couldn’t decide whether to toss my iPad across the room or re-read the book all over again. In the end, I ended up doing neither and thank God for that, because that could have been a pretty costly little temper tantrum.

This book was not one that captured my interest quickly and after reading several chapters, I found myself thinking it was pretty ridiculous and I was laughing out loud at the sure absurdity of some of the content, but then something changed and about halfway through the book, I found that I could not put it down, because somewhere between the eye rolling and scoffing, the book managed to suck me in and thus the emotional volleying began.

In Raising Cain, we get a paranormal tale that is a little different from the others in the genre. The werewolves aren’t hunky men and the vampires or damphirs in this case aren’t on the top of the food chain. It is a world where the demons and angels run supreme and everything else is background noise. We have a likeable heroine in this story, if not a little wimpy and air-headed at times and our hero, well…I was throat punching him as often as I was hugging him throughout the story. He takes alpha male to the extreme and the feminist in me hated him, but the bad boy loving bad-ass girl in me wanted to take him on. With this being the first in a brand new series, it falls to a few of the “first book” traps, but it does show a lot of promise and potential and overall, I was glad that I kept reading it.

Overall, yes, I would recommend this book to the readers of the Paranormal/Urban Fantasy genre, it has great potential and if you can make it past the first 25% of this book, I think you will find that you will really enjoy what this book has to offer. This book does have a lot of violence and most the characters tend to have a potty mouth, so fair warning, I myself LOVE all of that, so it didn’t bother me in the least, but more sensitive readers, please be warned. As for the second book in the series, it will definitely be on my to-read list and if Ms. Ireland can keep up the momentum, this could be a very fantastic series!

Happy reading, until next time…

I would like to thank NetGalley and TKA Distribution for the ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.