A Wine Lovers Book Blog / Books n Wine

***5 Stars*** *Heavy sigh* No, the sigh has nothing to do with the story, (hopefully obvious by the rating) but the fact that as this is the second book, not the last, I have to keep this review vague as all get out. But I have actually written notes for myself, so when the next one comes out, I’m good to go. But as for this book. I still love Darya. She’s stubborn, sweet and determined and I think she becomes a little more…worldly and mature in the Prison of Thorns.  And speaking of…the prison and how things work there were done well and while I definitely wouldn’t want to be an inmate there, it gave depth to the world at large.  As for the inmates, they are definitely quite interesting. Serg may just be my fav, but as much as Vasilios and Sven are the “bad guys” I ended up liking them.  Quite a bit happens in this book and a few were surprising. There are a few things that I’m interested in seeing if what I think will happen, happens…and outside of Vas and Sven, there i...

***5 Stars*** Having read and enjoyed the Blood Magic series, I was all in to dive into this spin off, and I wasn’t disappointed. This was a fun, quick read filled with great characters, both new and old, and a new threat to Tribane. As far as Darya and Peter go, I pretty much adored them. They both have their own issues, especially when you consider who their parents are and all that they went through, but they are really good people with good hearts and seem to know who they are and what they want in life. Watching as they go from just classmates to friends to more was a lot of fun, and quite unique with the whole telepathy thing coming into play. But outside of that, they had a great flow, even when things got awkward and balanced each other out in ways I don’t think they even realized. This book does take place quite a few years after the end of the Blood Magic series and I liked seeing the changes Tribane and its citizens have gone through. Do you NEED to read the Blood Magic seri...

***5 Stars*** After meeting Afric in Something in the Air, I knew I wanted to know more about the gamer girl and was very happy when the author decided to release chapters of Afric and Neil’s journey in her newsletter. But I was ecstatic when the announcement of their book happened, and I was not disappointed. This was a great opposites attract slow burn read. It was funny, sweet, heart warming, frustrating and all kinds of hawt, with just enough drama to keep me turning the pages until the very end. I adored Neil and Afric. I’ll admit that I was all too sure how much I would like Neil because he tends to be a bit stiff and controlled with his emotions and how he perceives the world but getting to find out the why behind his actions and thoughts had me loving the man.  Afric has no edit button. She lets her personality shine, even when it may come across as abrasive to others, but I loved how well she knew herself and owned it all. With their personalities at opposite ends of the s...

***5 Stars*** If I thought the previous books in the series were chock full of all kinds of crazy goodness, this one definitely puts those to shame, because boy does the author take us on one hell of a ride.  Not unexpected considering we are all geared up for the showdown with Theodore, but it was the little added extras that made this one epic finale. I have to say that while Tegan and Ethan are the main characters, and ones I really did like throughout out the majority of the series, I also fell in love with the motley crew of characters that made up their family ~ some by blood, some by choice and some by necessity (at least in the beginning). I enjoyed watching them all evolve and become more of who they were meant to be as they all worked together to fight Theodore. When I dove into this series I had no idea that this was actually one that she had published previously and had gone back to and re-branded it, so I cannot say if there were any significant changes made, but I can...

***5 Stars*** I was expecting more crazy, kinda hard not to with Theodore in the mix, but damn Talk about intense. There were some things I was expecting to happen, but there were a couple that had me going WTF?!?! Thankfully the bad crazy and the good crazy balanced each other out and I cannot wait to see how everything comes to a head in the next book! As for Tegan. Honestly, I truly like Tegan. Her life has gone sideways, upside down and turned inside out and for the most part, she is taking it in stride. Yes, she has her moments of doubt, frustration and outright despair, but I really like how she takes everything in and keeps going. I also like that she always tries to do the right thing for herself. Others may not agree, but she holds her ground and makes things happen. A lot happens in this book and I like how everything, thus far, has played out. There were a few issues that were resolved, and I really liked how one in particular was handled by Tegan. The ones that are still op...

***5 Stars*** Sometimes it’s hard to do the right thing, but man, it’s even worse when doing it means deceiving someone you have feelings for and who has feelings for you...which is just where Tegan finds herself in this chapter. Of course, this isn’t the only thing that Tegan has on her plate and I have to say, this book definitely kept me on my toes and that ending...well, just when I thought Tegan and crew would catch a break...more crazy pops up. As for Tegan and crew: I already liked Tegan, but this book made me like her even more. I absolutely hated that she deceived Ethan, because I am totally #TeamEthan, but I loved that once she was in, she was all in. Add in dealing with a whole slew of other things and I gotta give the girl credit for not running.  The rest of the crew: Totally Team Ethan, even though I did want to Gibbs smack him a time or two or five in this book. Rita and Alvie are still my ultimate favs, though Delilah, Lucas and Gabe definitely stepped up. Finn...I ...

***5 Stars*** This was a fun, quick read that hooked me from the start and is filled with a whole plethora of characters I NEED to know more about and am thrilled that the remaining three books in this series are coming in quick succession (one each week) for myself and anyone else who decides to jump on this paranormal urban fantasy series! I loved Tegan. Her life has been a good one overall, but there have been some rough patches, but she’s made it through and is working on living and then she’s thrust into a world that she is entirely unprepared for. I really liked how she rolled with things, but wasn’t a total pushover no matter who was coming at her. She went with her gut and each time has come out stronger for it. This really was a fun read for me. The world that Tegan finds herself thrust into is an interesting one, and I thought the world building was done well ~ it’s not so intricate that it’s overwhelming ~ and it was easy to believe in it and want more. There was just the ri...

***4 Stars*** I haven’t read much Gothic themed books, but whenever I imagine what a Gothic book should make me feel while reading is a feeling of foreboding with an eerie otherworld feel to it all while being excited and wary about what and how everything will be revealed and this baby hit the mark. It had all of that as well as a vein of hope, humor and redemption woven through it with a slew of unique characters that brought this world to life. This is one of those books that the less you know going in, the better. So, I’ll be keeping things vague. I found all the characters intriguing. Each had their own unique battle going on and vision of how things should or shouldn’t be. The main protagonist, Estella, I liked even when I didn’t always agree with her choices ~ though to be fair, she is a teenager transitioning into new adulthood. Her life hasn’t been easy and yet she still has faith and hopes that her future will be brighter and is determined to make it happen.  I want to sa...