Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz

My Review:
Its vampires meets Gossip Girl! I had heard this series was popular so I wanted to give it a shot, Plus I am a sucker for supernatural or paranormal stories plus the show Gossip Girl is a guilty pleasure for me so this sounded right up my alley. It was not anything other than what I expected it to be which was fun, fast, and entertaining. It’s a world that I do not know much about and it is clear the author has a vast knowledge of fashion and designer brands. The regeneration of the Blue Blood Vampires was an interesting aspect since the author was trying to imply that the characters had past lives dating from the Roanoke days. I was hoping to form more of an attachment to the characters and for a little more character development but that’s kinda hard when the book switches POV almost every chapter and over 4 different characters are trying to tell their story. But none the less I enjoyed it and just might go on to the next ones.

I Do, Now What? Secrets, Stories, and Advice from a Madly-in-Love Couple by Giuliana and Bill Rancic

Synopsis:
Five million viewers tuned in to The Style Network for Giuliana DePandi and Bill Rancic’s fairy tale wedding in Italy, as the passions, tears, and champagne flowed. But what happened once the honeymoon was over? After all, she’s been stationed in Los Angeles as one of E! Entertainment’s most popular personalities, and he’s kept his home in Chicago, where this handsome winner of The Apprentice has been busy running an empire of his own. How, we’ve wondered, is this marriage really working out? With all the funny, frank, and characteristically down-to-earth personality that fans of their hit reality show, Giuliana & Bill, have come to adore, this glamorous couple takes you behind the scenes of their real-life marriage. Like all newlyweds, they’ve faced the big issues that wedlock manages to invite, including money (to merge or not?), household chores (she’s disorganized, he’s a neat freak), arguments (without staying mad), and trying to have a baby (it’s not as easy as they thought!). Sharing their newfound and sometimes hard-won insights, they offer suggestions on such topics as communication, giving and receiving support, trust and jealousy, quality time, friends and in-laws, fighting fair, and sex and romance. A must-read for newly married couples, or those about to take the plunge, or anyone who wants to know the secrets of everlasting love, I Do, Now What? is an upbeat real-world resource for the most ambitious journey of a couple’s life: marriage!

My Review:
I really enjoyed this book! I am, first off, a fan of this couple’s reality TV show called “Giuliana & Bill” so I already know a little about their different personalities and how this couple interacts with each other. This book is one of the funniest and most honest books I have read in quite some time and I thought it matched with what I have seen on their show in terms of the couple’s dynamics. I felt it was creativity written with collaboration of the titles of the chapters and the stories within them and there was an even back and forth between Giuliana and Bill. Now granted, these two people have not been married long time but I also know that a long marriage does not necessarily equal a happy marriage. I think they were up front about their struggles and talked about realistic ways to work through and overcome those challenges with some humor thrown in there. This book does not claim to have all the answers to a successful relationship but they know what works for them and wanted to share that with others while entertaining and amusing their readers. I love this couple even more after reading this book because it is very rare that you find this amount of respect for each other and their marriage from a celebrity couple who puts their personal lives on display to the public. I will continue to watch and root for them as they face the future with each other.

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Synopsis:
Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything -- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

My Review:
It was so good! This is my favorite type of book. It had humor, intrigue, a love triangle, ect. I thought the pacing was good and I enjoyed the history all woven into this paranormal/mystery/romance. I thought the characters were well done and each had their own personality. I love that a female character gets to be the protector for a change and Calla was indeed fierce. She was also relatable with doubts and fears and she felt a sense of responsibility and loyalty to her family and pack mates while trying to listen to her heart.

And can I take a moment to gush over the physical book itself?! Whoever designed this baby is getting a shout out from me because it is beautiful! It also matches the theme perfectly with Shay and Calla looking through old and distressed books to find the answers behind the mystery of the dynamics between Keepers, Guardians, and Seekers. This book was such a page-turner and I can’t wait for book two to come out!

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Synopsis:
Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described as anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

My Review:
I liked it! I have been looking forward to reading this book since I finished reading the last page of “Hush, Hush” which offered lots of excitement, romance, and humor (mostly from Nora’s best friend Vee-that character cracks me up). I read it in about a day which tells you how entertained I was throughout. I am a sucker for dangerous and forbidden romances because the characters always have to go through many challenges and usually grow in their relationship with each other. I enjoy the romance between Patch and Nora, but I felt like Nora was lacking in her ability to trust Patch. Has this guy not risked everything to be with her? But I also understand her feeling like she is being treated like a child by not being trusted to know the truth about Patch’s past and his position in the realms of both heaven and hell. It pained me to see Patch and Nora mostly apart in this book because of the mistrust between them. The book also failed to convince me that all was forgiven by the end. No amount of smooth talking on Patch’s part would convince me everything was ok if I were Nora. But this one ended on a cliff-hanger so of course lose ends will have to be tied up in the next book. All in all a fun read which has me hanging on until the next book.

Night World: Secret Vampire by L. J. Smith

Synopsis:
Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

In Secret Vampire , Poppy thought the summer would last forever. Then she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now Poppy's only hope for survival is James, her friend and secret love. A vampire in the Night World, James can make Poppy immortal. But first they both must risk everything to go against the laws of Night World.

My Review:
I enjoyed these books but I did not love them. They were short and fast reads but I was not that attached to the characters and I felt these stories were too short to do any real character development. The reason a series, for example, like “The Morganville Vampire” series works is because it is one long story with all the same characters. If each of these stories had been a different POV of the same characters in one big story then I feel that might have made up for the lack of length and development.

With that said, I never shy away from a paranormal romance story. One thing I will say is while the writing felt like it was for younger readers than me, I did not find the stories cheesy per say. The stories did not always end in a satisfying and blissful way which I think helped. I will go on the read the other volumes just because I find I can still escape into these worlds and that is the whole point of reading for me.

Night World: Spellbinder by L. J. Smith

Synopsis:
Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

Two witch cousins fight over their high school crush. It's a battle between black magic and white magic in Spellbinder .

My Review:
I enjoyed these books but I did not love them. They were short and fast reads but I was not that attached to the characters and I felt these stories were too short to do any real character development. The reason a series, for example, like “The Morganville Vampire” series works is because it is one long story with all the same characters. If each of these stories had been a different POV of the same characters in one big story then I feel that might have made up for the lack of length and development.

With that said, I never shy away from a paranormal romance story. One thing I will say is while the writing felt like it was for younger readers than me, I did not find the stories cheesy per say. The stories did not always end in a satisfying and blissful way which I think helped. I will go on the read the other volumes just because I find I can still escape into these worlds and that is the whole point of reading for me.

Night World: Daughters of Darkness by L. J. Smith

Synopsis:
Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

Fugitives from Night World, three vampire sisters leave their isolated home to live among humans in Daughters of Darkness . Their brother, Ash, is sent to bring the girls back, but he falls in love with their beautiful friend.

My Review:
I enjoyed these books but I did not love them. They were short and fast reads but I was not that attached to the characters and I felt these stories were too short to do any real character development. The reason a series, for example, like “The Morganville Vampire” series works is because it is one long story with all the same characters. If each of these stories had been a different POV of the same characters in one big story then I feel that might have made up for the lack of length and development.

With that said, I never shy away from a paranormal romance story. One thing I will say is while the writing felt like it was for younger readers than me, I did not find the stories cheesy per say. The stories did not always end in a satisfying and blissful way which I think helped. I will go on the read the other volumes just because I find I can still escape into these worlds and that is the whole point of reading for me.