Tag: Shapeshifters

Mostly Human 2 by D.I. Jolly

On By JolieIn book review, Non ARC, Tinpot Publishing2 Comments

Publisher: Tinpot Publishing

Date of publication: November 21st, 2020

Genre: Shapeshifters, Werewolves, Paranormal

Series: Mostly Human

Mostly Human—Book 1 (review here)

Mostly Human 2—Book 2

Purchase Links: Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis:

I, Alex Harris, have run away from home.

I’m running from my problems, from my mistakes, and from myself.

I killed some people and I don’t think anyone is chasing me, but I can’t stop running, and as much as I miss the people I love. I feel like if I go home now, I’ll be going back empty-handed.

I have to find out more about this curse, where it comes from and what it really means to be a werewolf.

Because the truth is…

The truth is that when I stop and really look at myself. I’ve been running my whole life.

Maybe it’s time to stop.

First Line:

Well, I spent two weeks on that ship before it docked again in Bergen on the west coast of Norway – turns out that’s where Syn gets most of its milk.

Mostly Human 2 by D.I. Jolly

I was surprised when I got an email from the author asking me if I would like to read/review Mostly Human 2. It had been some time since I had reviewed Mostly Human (to be precise, May 01, 2017). He had emailed me during the pandemic’s beginning, but I didn’t answer the email. I was busy teaching three upset and confused kids (at the time: 14, 12, and 6). When I decided to start reviewing, I had forgotten about the email (sorry, D.I.!!). I went on my merry way, reviewing books. So, it was a given that I would accept the email. I enjoyed reading Mostly Human and wanted to know where Alex’s journey would take him. I wasn’t disappointed.

Mostly Human 2 starts two weeks after the events of the previous book. Looking for solace, Alex finds himself in Norway and soon makes his way to a wolf sanctuary. For six months, Alex lives in solitude, trying to heal from the events that made him leave Syn Island. But things change when a group of veterinary students arrives, and Alex finds himself falling for Cassandra, the only girl in the group. But secrets have a habit of not staying secrets. Alex soon finds his deepest secrets exposed when his sister shows up, and a group of werewolf hunters hones in on him. Those events send Alex on a journey to find the werewolf who bit him so he can understand why it happened. But Alex isn’t prepared for what he finds. What does Alex find? And more importantly, can Alex come to terms with the new information he learns?

Mostly Human 2 is the 2nd book in the Mostly Human duology. I do recommend reading Mostly Human first and then reading this book. Many of the backstories and characters are explained in Book 1. They will help understand the dynamics and relationships in book 2.

Mostly Human 2 had a medium pace to it. For me, it worked. I could digest some of the information thrown at me before moving on. This book also took place in various areas of Europe, Canada, and Russia. I loved seeing the international flavor of the book.

The characters in Mostly Human 2 were complex. They were well-fleshed-out individuals that kept my attention focused on the book. Of course, there were some that I was not too fond of more than others.

  • Alex—I found him just as intriguing as I did in the first book. I understood why he disappeared. At the end of book one, bad things happen to him, and he feels awful. Plus, Syn Island wasn’t a great place to hide being a werewolf (but honestly, neither was the sanctuary). I understood why he wanted answers and his despair when he found out what he found out. I would have reacted the same way.
  • Cassandra—I couldn’t stand her. I have never reacted so severely to a fictional character as I did with her. She came across as an immature twatwaffle who couldn’t handle anything. Her fits of screaming at Alex were awful. I did understand why, at first, who likes to be lied to? But she just kept going on and on. I was glad when she broke it off with him. I got a headache reading her scenes.
  • Annabel—I loved her. She was a steadfast supporter of Alex (along with his father). She was very supportive of everything Alex did but didn’t hesitate to tell him when he was wrong. Their relationship was unique.

There are way too many secondary characters for me to name in this review. They all added extra depth to the plotline.

Mostly Human 2 fits perfectly into the paranormal genre. The author did a great twist on the werewolf subgenre, and I loved it.

The author amazingly wrote the main storyline with Alex, his family, and the other werewolves. One werewolf was a little suspect to me (the torture scene with Alex and the fact that he founded the hunters). But everything washed out in the end.

There are several (and I stress several) secondary storylines that tie into the main one. Again, as with the characters, these storylines added extra depth to scenes that needed it.

I went back and forth about adding content/trigger warnings to this review. I decided that I would because of what happened to Alex (the torture scene) towards the end of the book. So, yes, there is a trigger warning. If you are triggered by torture, cheating, or drinking alcohol, I recommend not reading this book.

The end of Mostly Human 2 made me wonder if there would be a book 3. I will not go into it, but I can’t accept that Alex would do what he did. That’s all I will say.

Three things I liked about Mostly Human 2:

  1. A different take on a werewolf story
  2. The various locations Alex went to
  3. Alex’s relationship with his family, found family, and friends.

Three things I didn’t like about Mostly Human 2:

  1. Cassandra. Her tantrums were epic, and she constantly screamed, “you lied to me.” She grated on my one last nerve during all of her scenes.
  2. The torture scene. I felt awful for Alex. What a way to learn something significant about yourself.
  3. His best friend’s wife. I remember her from the previous book and didn’t like her. I must say that she got what was coming to her.

I would recommend Mostly Human 2 to anyone over 21. There is language, nongraphic sexual situations, and violence. Also, see my trigger/content warning.

If you enjoyed reading Mostly Human 2, you will enjoy reading these books:

Unleash (Spellhounds: Book 1) by Lauren Harris

On By JolieIn Amazon Digital Publishing, book review, Non ARC2 Comments
Unleash (Spellhounds, #1)

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services

Date of publication: May 5th, 2017

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic, Paranormal, Shapeshifters

Series: Spellhounds

Unjust—Book 0.5

Unleash—Book 1

Unmake—Book 2

Purchase Links: Amazon | Better World Books

Format Read: eBook

Got Book From: Amazon

Trigger Warning: Violence, Death of a parent, child abuse (talked about)

Goodreads synopsis:

Craving a gritty, kickass heroine? If you like guns, magic, & heartbreaking drama, you NEED this book!

Helena Martin doesn’t know who she hates more, the sorcerers who fired the magic-laced bullet or the gang-lord master who used her mother as a shield. It’s not the price she expected for escaping magical slavery, nor is the unstable power now pulsing in her veins.

Caught between her former master’s hunters and the Guild Sorcerers determined to kill them, she finds a safe haven at a dog rescue willing to take in a different kind of stray. But Helena’s newly-unleashed power is a beacon for her enemies. And they’re threatening the first place she’s ever thought of as home.

Before I start the Unleash review, I want to let everyone know that I will change up how I do my reviews. The whole beginning/middle/end of the book wasn’t working for me. So, enjoy the new format!!

Unleash is the story of Helena. Helena and her family were magical slaves for a gang lord, Gwydain. When the book starts, Helena, her cousin, and her mother were waiting to be rescued by Guild Sorcerers and Enforcers. As part of a deal, they would help take down the Gwydain and get their freedom back. But it didn’t quite go down as planned. Helena’s mother was killed by the Guild that was supposed to help them.

Those first few chapters were tough to read. The desperation and then terror that Helena felt was palpable. She was forced to watch as Gwydian murders a girl and uses her blood to prime spells. She is forced to act against her will when Gwydian is being attacked. She is forced to watch as her mother is shot by the people who were supposed to her. It was overall sad and a little overwhelming to read. I usually don’t get overwhelmed by events in the book (I have a pretty thick skin), but in this case, I had to take a break from reading. I had to gather myself because I identified with Helena.

Helena’s flight to Minnesota broke my heart. She was forced to leave her mother behind and run. Then, she decided to part ways with Morgan. While it was a smart move, it still broke my heart even more for her. She was 17, alone and scared to death of what would happen next. Meeting Krista and Jaesung was the best thing that could have happened to her.

The pacing of Unleash slowed down considerably after Helena met Krista and Jaesung. After the frantic, almost manic pacing of the first few chapters, it was a relief to see the book go to a much slower pace.

I liked that Helena shielded Krista and Jaesung from what was going on with her. They knew something was up, but they weren’t sure what it was.
I also liked that Jaesung and Krista’s reactions were natural when Helena told them a very watered-down version of what happened to her. What I mean by watered down was that she left out all the magic and shapeshifting. She stuck to the bare bones of what happened.

I did think it was a little ironic that Helena found sanctuary, and then employment, at a dog rescue. Why ironic? Well, Helena was forced into being a shapeshifter by Gwydian (her flashback to that was sad). Her shapeshifter form is an Irish Wolfhound. I also thought it was smart that she kept with Krista and Jaesung. The Guild wouldn’t attack her while she was with “mundanes.“

The different types of magic were explained in Unleash. There was a cultural mishmash of the magics used. There were Hindu, Asian, and Celtic featured. I also liked that the author gradually explained the magical part of the book. It gave me time to process what was told.

The secondary characters were well written and fleshed out the story. Krista was one of the main secondary characters that I loved. She was loud and brash. But she was also one of the kindest people in the book. She had a softer side, and when it was revealed what was going on with her, my heart broke.

Let’s talk about Jaesung. He was Korean, having emigrated to the US when he was nine years old. He did Martial Arts (that scene at the wedding was AMAZING). He never gave up on Helena, even when he knew there was more to her story than what she was telling. I think I fell a little bit in love with him during the book. He was gentle and, most importantly, he listened. I wish I could pull him out of the book and clone him….lol.

Helena and Jaesung’s romance was a gradual thing. The author snuck bits and pieces of how Helena noticed Jaesung and how she felt safe with him. There were several near kissing scenes until that hot scene in the bathroom. What I liked is that their relationship didn’t feel forced. It felt natural and realistic (well as real as a YA Paranormal book will feel).

After a calming middle of the book, it picked up its pace again. It didn’t get a frantic as it did at the beginning of the book, but it was pretty fast paced. Helena learned much more about why Gwydain had made her family slaves. I will say that I was surprised by everything that was revealed by the Guild. All I could feel was astonished by what was revealed. A lightbulb went over my head because it made sense why Gwydain was doing what he did.

The real MVP of the last half of the book was Jaesung. He learned about Helena’s past and was cool with it. That did surprise me because I know if I found out that magic was real, I would be flipping out. He also tried, stress tried, to protect Helena several times. I felt he dealt with what happened to him at the end of the book pretty well, to be honest. I would have been flipping out about that too.

The end of the book was pretty good. I was a tiny bit disappointed by what happened to Gwydain. But he got what he deserved. The author did wrap up all storylines, except a couple, and I figure they will feature in the next book. There was enough left open at the ending for me to want to read book 2.

Overall, Unleash was an excellent paranormal YA book. It was fast-paced with a lot of different representation in the book. I am eager to read book 2. I would also recommend this book to anyone over the age of 16. There are graphic violence and talk of child abuse (Helena remembers sleeping with her father at 9 to stop a gang member from raping her). There is some kissing, and Jaesung and Helena have sex. But it is not graphic.

Desiring Red ( A Dark and Dirty Tale: Book 1) by Kristin Miller

On By JolieIn ARC, book review, Entangled Publishing, LLCLeave a comment
Desiring Red (A Dark and Dirty Tale Book 1) by [Miller, Kristin]

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Date of publication: May 30th, 2016

Genre: Adult Fiction, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Menage, Shapeshifters, Werewolves

Series: A Dark and Dirty

Desiring Red—Book 1

Dominating Red—Book 2

Dangerously Red—Book 3

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Indigo | Kobo

Goodreads Synopsis:

In part one of the new Dark and Dirty Tale serial by New York Times and USA best-selling author Kristin Miller, you’ll meet Red, a wolf shifter with too many choices.

I’m indecisive when it comes to my shoes. Choosing a werewolf mate who’ll be with me until I croak? Pardon me while I take some time to think on it. But a steamy encounter before the final ceremony changes everything.

Reaper, the Omega’s eldest grandson, is fiercely loyal, scorching hot, and built for pleasure. He brings down my defenses, and before I know what’s happening, I succumb to the heat in his touch and the skill of his mouth. I’ve only just met him, but I need him like no other.

As part of my pack duties, I must parade in front of the Alpha, who has first choice of the pre-shifters. Rumors of his dark desires run deep, and I’ve always been intrigued. But the forbidden passion blazing between Reaper and me is too primal to deny. By pack law, Reaper can’t have me until the Alpha makes his choice…but Reaper’s never been one to follow the rules.

Get ready for scorching hot Alphas, a spitfire heroine, and a breathless cliffhanger ending!

The Dark and Dirty Tale series is best enjoyed in this reading order.

Book #1 Desiring Red
Book #2 Dominating Red
Book#3 Dangerously Red – Coming July 17th.

3 Things I liked about Desiring Red:

  1. The storyline. From what was revealed, it was a pretty interesting one. The Alpha isn’t the true ruler of the pack; it’s the Omega who calls the shots and has the money. Which I found fascinating.
  2. Reaper. From what was revealed about him, he was a total badass, hot, and very mysterious. So, in not so many words, the perfect man.
  3. Ivy. I loved her character. She doesn’t give a fuck about the ceremony going on, and she goes after what she wants. But then again, is it really what she wants???

3 Things I disliked about Desiring Red:

  1. That it is a serial. I wanted to scream when I realized that. I’m not too fond of serial novels. The reason I loathe them is, well, because there is usually a huge gap between the novels.
  2. Lukas. I don’t know what happens in the next book; he seemed a little standoffish and full of himself in this one.
  3. The cliffhanger ending. Another thing I don’t like. Cliffhangers drive me nuts.

I would recommend Desiring Red to anyone over 21. There is violence, graphic sex, and language.

If you enjoyed reading Desiring Red, you will enjoy reading these books:

Of Fear and Faith (Death and Destiny: Book 1) by N.D. Jones

On By JolieIn ARC, book review, Kuumba Publishing3 Comments

Publisher: Kuumba Publishing

Date of publication: December 7th,2019

Series: Death and Destiny

Of Fear and Faith—Book 1

Of Beasts and Bonds—Book 2

Of Deception and Divinity—Book 3

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Witches, Mythology, Adult, Magic, Shapeshifters

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | Indigo | BetterWorldBooks

Goodreads Synopsis:

In a world where nothing is ever as it seems, the seeds of love take root on the precipice of chaos, danger, and a great destiny.

In the shadow of an ancient prophecy, two individuals will be drawn together to meet a dangerous calling–or die trying. For legends tell of a powerful Fire Witch and a legendary shapeshifter who will one day rid the world of the wrath of the Water Witch of Legend, and restore the world to peace and balance.

However, for Sanura Williams and FBI Special Agent Assefa Berber, their destinies will not be so easily won, as fear and faith will ultimately determine their fates. In the heat of battle and the chill of prophecy, Sanura and Assefa will weather the dual storms of lust and love. Are they prepared for the intoxicating swirl of danger and attraction? Can they overcome their fears of such a powerful prophecy? In the face of their foes, these legendary warriors must embrace their roles as heroes, side-by-side, and defend humanity against the coming doom.

3 things I liked about Of Fear and Faith: 

  1. The characters. While I loved all the characters, Assefa and Sanura were my favorites. I liked that the author didn’t reveal everything about Assefa until midway through the book. Little hints here and there kept you guessing, but when she revealed it, it was HUGE!!!
  2. New paranormal monsters. For some reason, this got me excited (I know, no life here). Usually, in these types of books, the author trots out your typical monster. Usually, a rogue vamp or animals. But not here. Oh no, there are sirens, Raven Mocker, and Adze.  I was THRILLED about this.
  3. The sex scenes. Talk about hot, hot, hot!!! The chemistry between Sanura and Assefa was out of this world and translated into epic hot sex.

3 things I didn’t like about Of Fear and Faith:

  1. Sanura’s ex. He was a creep and came off as unpleasant. Not going to say too much about him. You need to read the book!!!
  2. Mike. He was so unpleasant at the beginning of the story that I couldn’t like him.
  3. Sanura’s reaction to Assefa’s big secret. Again, I was not going to give anything away, but I felt she was being a little over the top with her reaction.

I would recommend Of Fear and Faith to anyone over 21. There are graphic sex scenes, language, and violence.

If you enjoyed reading Of Faith and Fear, you will enjoy reading these books:

Daughter of the Sun (Cult of the Cat: Book 1) by Zoe Kalo

On By JolieIn book review, Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, Non ARCLeave a comment
Daughter of the Sun (Cult of the Cat Book 1) by [Kalo, Zoe]

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Date of publication: June 15th, 2016

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mythology, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Demons, Egypt, Shapeshifters, Magic

Series: Cult of the Cat

Korian and Lucy: A Cult of the Cat Short Story—Book 0.5

Korian and Lucy A Cult of the Cat Short Story—Book 0.6

Daughter of the Sun—Book 1

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

Goodreads synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Trinity was born during a solar eclipse and left at the doorsteps of a convent along with a torn piece of papyrus covered with ancient symbols. Raised by nuns in the English countryside, she leads a quiet life until she’s whisked away to the Island of Cats and a grandmother she never knew.

But before they can get to know each other, her grandmother dies. All that Trinity has left is a mysterious eye-shaped ring. And a thousand grieving cats. As Trinity tries to solve the enigma of the torn papyrus, she discovers a world of bloody sacrifices and evil curses, and a prophecy that points to her and her new feline abilities.

Unwilling to believe that any of the Egyptian gods could still be alive, Trinity turns to eighteen-year-old Seth and is instantly pulled into a vortex of sensations that forces her to confront her true self and a horrifying destiny.

This was a different book, but I enjoyed reading it. I don’t know if I have mentioned it before, but I enjoy reading YA books. I have read some good books in that genre. Anyways, back to the subject.

This is a different book. Egyptian mythology is used in the book. Which is great. The author did a fantastic job explaining the different gods/goddesses. I can count on one hand how many books I liked that used Egyptian mythology as a major plotline, and this book is one of them.

Of course, being the first book of a series, it left more questions than answers. I wouldn’t say I liked that the grandmother died after Trinity arrived on the island. It left so many unanswered questions, and I will admit, I got frustrated.

The book did lag a little for a few chapters but then picked up the pace for the explosive ending. There are hints in the book about who the villain was, but I picked it up early, which wasn’t surprising. Still, the ending was a shock.

If you enjoyed reading Daughter of the Sun, you will enjoy reading these books: