Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Will Make You Swoon

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they're particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish (and who isn't?). They're all about creating new lists including a little bit of everything and I've been meaning to participate for so long but always seemed to get behind. So here we are and hopefully you'll head over to their page and check out what everyone else put up for this week's Top Ten.

Romance will always be on the top of my list when anyone asks me what I like to read.  I'm fine if that files me away with all the other cliches about girls, because I can't help what I like, and that goes for my reading tastes as well.  I'm always going to love watching a romance bloom and unfold, seeing the characters discover their feelings for what they are and learn all the important things about their love interest as well as themselves throughout the adventure.  I love it all, and here are a few of my favorites.

Romantic Pick #1:  Just One Day (Just One Day, #1) by Gayle Forman

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels.

 

Romantic Pick #2: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

 

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

Romantic Pick #3:  Accordance (Significance, #2) by Shelly Crane

In the sequel, Maggie learns much more about all the strange things that happened to her, and has to face new ones. She rebels against it, but ultimately, must face it for her new families sake and maybe even her life. Bish went from being her biggest supporter to her biggest pain in the butt and Kyle's intentions to attract her interest may not be so innocent. Caleb and Maggie face many new obstacles together and fight to work through them but will one that should be a good thing be too much for Maggie to handle?

Romantic Pick #4:  Providence (Providence, #1) by Jamie McGuire

 

Struggling with her father's death, Nina meets Jared Ryel, presumably by chance. However it soon becomes clear that he knows more about her than even close friends. When her father's former associates begin following her in the dark, Nina learns that her father was not the man she thought he was, but a thief who stole from demons. In searching for the truth behind her father's death, she stumbles upon something she never expected, and something Hell wants, that only she holds the key for. Jared risks everything to keep the women he was born to save, by sharing the secret he was sworn to protect.

Romantic Pick #5:  Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1) by Jamie McGuire

 

INTENSE. DANGEROUS. ADDICTIVE.

Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

 

Romantic Pick #6:  Promise (Soul Savers, #1) by Kristie Cook

 

First installment of award-winning author Kristie Cook's bestselling Soul Savers Series
Alexis Ames has a life full of promise...but not all promises can be kept.

When Alexis Ames is attacked by creatures that can't be real, she decides it's time she learns who she really is, with or without the help of her mother, who guards their family's secrets closely. After meeting the inhumanly attractive, multi-talented Tristan Knight, however, Alexis retreats behind her façade of normalcy...until she discovers he's not exactly normal either. Then their secrets begin to unravel.

Their union brings hope and promise to her family's secret society, the Angels' army, and to the future of mankind. But it also incites a dangerous pursuit by the enemy - Satan's minions and Tristan's creators. After all, Alexis and Tristan are a match made in Heaven and in Hell.

Romantic Pick #7:  Love Story by Jennifer Echols

She's writing about him. he's writing about her. And everybody is reading between the lines..
For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions--it's her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family's racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin's college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she's sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He's joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin's heart with longing. Now she's not just imagining what might have been. She's writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter. . . . except this story could come true.

 

Romantic Pick #8:  Song of the Moon (Artemis Lupine, #1) by Catherine Banks

 

What if you found out that there was another world inside your own? What if all of the things you thought made you weird, actually made you powerful? Artemis's life is changed forever when the mysterious man from her dreams, Ares, comes to claim her as his mate. The seventeen year old girl must find a way to adapt to her true life and accept her fate or run from it. She must overcome her fears and human ideals to give her self to the dangerous world, and man, that is her destiny.

Romantic Pick #9:  Divergent (Divergent, #1) by Veronica Roth

 

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

 

Romantic Pick #10:  Unearthly (Unearthly, #1) by Cynthia Hand

 

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

Cover Reveal: The Space Between (The Book of Phoenix, #1) by Kristie Cook

About the Author

Kristie Cook is a lifelong, award-winning writer in various genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. She continues to write the Soul Savers Series, a New Adult paranormal romance/contemporary fantasy, with the first four books, Promise, Purpose, Devotion and Power available now and the next book coming in June 2013. She’s also written a companion novella, Genesis: A Soul Savers Novella, currently available. Over 160,000 Soul Savers books have been sold, with Promise peaking at #54 on the Amazon Top 100 Paid list and at #1 in the Amazon Fantasy category.

The Space Between, which releases April 2013, kicks off her second New Adult paranormal series, The Book of Phoenix.

Besides writing, Kristie enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the back of a motorcycle. She has lived in ten states, but currently calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three teenage sons, a beagle and a puggle. She can be found at:

Author's Website & Blog: http://www.KristieCook.com

Soul Savers Series Website: http://www.SoulSaversSeries.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKristieCook

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kristiecookauth

When Life Falls to Pieces, Answers Lie in the Space Between

After a month-long dance tour through Italy, 20-year-old Leni Drago returns to Georgia to care for her great-uncle, only to find him gone, the home they shared empty and any evidence he ever existed wiped out. All that’s left is a journal she can’t open.

Jeric Winters has been searching for a piece of his past for over a year, only to reach a dead-end in Georgia. When an urgent and magnetic pull draws him out of his hotel room, he comes face-to-face with the beautiful dancer who’s been haunting his dreams day and night.

Jeric’s one to stay away from—a bad-boy, hit-it-and-quit-it type—but Leni can’t escape the fervent feelings between them. As their own existences begin to crumble around them and shadowy forms that are more monsters than men attack, they realize there’s more to the connection between them than physical fascination.

To solve the riddle their lives have become, they must embark on a journey that requires them to face their pasts and release their true souls. And they must do it fast—dark ones from another world are closing in, intent on killing them. Permanently.

**Mature Content** Recommended for ages 17+ due to sexual situations and language.

I was so excited to get the chance to share this cover reveal with you guys I almost couldn't stand it!  While this book does not fall into the YA literature that is normally featured on my blog, there is always room for an exception.  Just about anything Kristie Cook writes is going to fall in that category.  This is an upcoming release that is intended for those readers 17 years of age and older but if you fall into that bracket, get excited!

April 5th is the release date so mark it down on your calendars and race out to the store or pre-order the title now so it's all taken care of.  I know I'm not alone when I say how excited I am to see what Kristie is bringing to her readers this time around with an entirely new series with new characters and adventures for us to enjoy!  Stay tuned for the blog tour featuring this upcoming release which will take place from April 1-30 because you won't want to miss out on even one stop along the way.

Is this cover spectacular or what?!  I loved it and so did Kristie!  She wanted to make sure to point out that this cover wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for the amazing talent that is Regina Wamba (the cover artist) of May I Design.  I had a blast checking out her site and seeing that while this cover was fabulous, her talent certainly doesn't stop there.

**I've got an excerpt from the upcoming release below so keep reading to check it out and amp up the excitement that much more!  Once you start reading you won't want to stop!!!

The Space Between

Kristie Cook

Releasing April 5, 2013

An Excerpt

LENI – The overhead lights fell dark for the last time as I opened the dressing room door. The back exit stood open at the end of the hall, allowing in enough light from the streetlamp outside to show my way. I inhaled slowly, cherishing the musty smell of an old theater mixed with the odor of dancers’ sweat and the fragrance of white roses. I silently said my goodbyes as my feet carried me outside.

“Thank you, Uncle Theo,” I whispered as I left the theater for the last time. Only because of him did I even have this opportunity. I couldn’t wait to tell him all about it.

A large, muscular body flew at me, swept me into his arms and twirled me around as though we were still on stage. Laughter bubbled out of my chest.

“You ready to celebrate, cara mia?” Alberto asked as he set me down.

“Celebrate that you’re finally getting rid of me?” I teased.

He clapped his hand over his heart, and his face fell into an exaggerated expression of pain. “Oh, Leni, you do not know how I will miss you and your mane.”

He swatted playfully at the bottom of my curls. He had no idea how I would miss the way he said my name, drawing out both syllables, “laaaay-kneee,” like only an Italian could do.

“But you won’t miss my heels on your toes or my arm in your face?” I said in mock disbelief.

He took my hand and danced me down the cobbled street toward the plaza at the center of town. “You are a stunning dancer, cara mia. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” He spun me under his arm, my duffle bag banging me in the butt the whole time. “Of course, you have become much better since becoming my partner. But everyone does.”

He winked at me before dropping me into a dip. My bag slid off my shoulder and a hand darted beneath me to catch it. Alberto swung me up and around so that I came face-to-face with the most unbelievably stunning vision I’d seen my whole time in Italy. Which was saying a lot. His eyes—blue, I thought, though the light from the corner post wasn’t enough to be sure—enraptured me. He held my bag out with a small smile that hinted at dimples.

“Grazie,” I said breathlessly as I wrapped my hand around the strap of my bag. He gave me a nod almost deep enough to be a bow, his shaggy blond hair falling in his face. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away. My mouth fell open. “How rude.”

“Must be American,” Alberto said. I punched him in the arm.

“Who goes out of their way to catch a falling object and then can’t even say ‘you’re welcome’?” I asked absent-mindedly as I stared after the retreating body that rivaled Alberto’s. No, scratch that. It totally beat out Alberto’s even on his best day.

“What an ass,” Alberto muttered.

“Rude, yes, but I don’t know if I’d go that far.”

“No, I mean what an ass that man has.” He let out a low whistle.

I laughed and admired the view as well. “I can agree with that.”

“He’s going to Alonzo’s. Lucky us.”

~ ~ ~

JERIC – I flipped to the picture I’d drawn a couple of weeks ago during my search in Italy. I’d woken from a dream, one I’d been having for years, and as I had previously, I’d felt the need to sketch the girl who had me waking with a painful boner. Now that I’d met her in real life, I couldn’t deny the girl in my sketches was Leni—curly hair, exotic green eyes, full lips and breasts, her skin … as if the absolute best features of both African and European blood had been blended together and given to her. The Leni I’d just met would probably never wear the leather bra, miniskirt, and knee-high boots I’d drawn her in, but damn if she wouldn’t look hot in them. The vision came to me clearly. Too clearly. I had to place the book over my lap to hide the full-blown wood pressing against my jeans.

I needed a distraction. I needed to get her out of my head. I bought several little airline bottles of rum and dumped them in my Coke, but they weren’t enough to blur the image of Leni’s face in my mind. When the smoking hot flight attendant ran her finger over my arm then dropped a napkin with a message on my tray (“Meet me upstairs?”), I couldn’t resist. I snuck up the spiral staircase to the empty upper level and found her in the bathroom wearing nothing but heels and thigh-high stockings, tendrils of bottle-bleached hair barely hiding her fake tits. Flight attendants like this had made me a lifetime member of the mile-high club—they wanted nothing more than something to make the transatlantic flight more interesting. My perfect kind of girl.

Unfortunately, my eyes only saw Leni’s body under my hands.

Top Ten Paranormal Romance Books

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they're particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish (and who isn't?). They're all about creating new lists including a little bit of everything and I've been meaning to participate for so long but always seemed to get behind. So here we are and hopefully you'll head over to their page and check out what everyone else put up for this week's Top Ten.

Paranormal Romance Fave #1: Breaking Dawn (Twilight, #4) by Stephanie Meyers

Twilight tempted the imagination. New Moon made readers thirsty for more. Eclipse turned the saga into a worldwide phenomenon. And now, the book that everyone has been waiting for---

Breaking Dawn, the final book in the #1 bestselling Twilight Saga, will take your breath away.

Everybody knows the deal, I really haven't come across many people who haven't been taken in by Stephanie Meyer's series and I include myself among those numbers. While I enjoyed each of the books, I really thought the final book, Breaking Dawn was the most romantic. I felt like Edward and Bella finally got over a lot of the obstacles that were between the two of them (mainly her humanity) and got the chance to just enjoying being with each other.

Paranormal Romance Fave #2: Promise (Soul Savers, #1) by Kristie Cook

Alexis Ames decides to learn who she really is, with or without the help of her mother, who guards their secrets closely. After meeting Tristan Knight and discovering that he's not normal either, the secrets begin to unravel. Their union brings promise to the future of mankind. But it also incites a dangerous pursuit by the enemy. Because they are a match made in Heaven and in Hell.

I just adore everything about this series. It's truly addicting on every level. Cook's characters are relatable and drool worthy, her story lines are fast paced and action packed and the world she created within this series...awesome! There are probably more eloquent ways to put those characteristics down, but honestly I think awesome really does cover it. After reading all three books in the series I can save without a doubt that each and every once just keeps getting better and better. I'm always counting down and craving the next series installment the second I finished the final page. Cruel and unusual punishment for sure.

Paranormal Romance Fave #3: Song of the Moon (Artemis Lupine, #1) by Catherine Banks

What if you found out that there was another world inside your own? What if all of the things you thought made you weird, actually made you powerful?

Artemis's life is changed forever when the mysterious man from her dreams, Ares, comes to claim her as his mate. The seventeen year old girl must find a way to adapt to her true life and accept her fate or run from it. She must overcome her fears and human ideals to give her self to the dangerous world, and man, that is her destiny.

Yet another series that keeps me coming back for more time and again. I've already made my way through each of the three installments in this series twice now, because once just wasn't enough. The fourth book hasn't been released yet, but when it does there will be no doubt that I'll be picking up a copy as soon as humanly possible. Ares and Artemis are just a great romantic pair. They fight, they make up, they're short on patience and yet give each other space whenever necessary, but best of all...they're crazy for each other and will stop at nothing to be together. It's romantic and feisty, fun and thrilling. Reading Banks' series really put me in a good mood and I found myself having more fun with each turned page.

Paranormal Romance Fave #4: Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1) by Richelle Mead

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

I had a hard time picking which installment out of this series was the most romantic but honestly that's a tough call and one I don't think I have an answer to even now. So I went with the series opener because there was plenty of romance within those pages and since it was the first glimpse readers got of Rose and Dimitri I had to include it. These two got me over my rut after I finished both the Twilight series and The Hunger Games trilogy. It was hard to find books that were going to live up to that kind of perfection, but this series won me over quickly!

Paranormal Romance Fave #5: Fire (The Seven Kingdoms, #2) by Kristin Cashore

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men.

This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she has the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own.

Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City. The royal family needs her help to uncover the plot against the king. Far away from home, Fire begins to realize there's more to her power than she ever dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom.

If only she weren't afraid of becoming the monster her father was.

I know this one might not be considered a perfect fit for the paranormal genre for some, but honestly I usually link fantasy and paranormal under one umbrella. So for me, Fire qualifies and I was practically swooning by the end of this one. Brigan won me over and I think had all female readers wishing there were more white knights just like him around now days. Am I wrong? Cashore is such a talented writer and her characters practically leap off the page and straight into readers hearts.

Paranormal Romance Fave #6: Moonlight (Dark Guardians, #1) by Rachel Hawthorne

I see him and I know what this turmoil inside of me means: He's the one. My forever.

KAYLA is the nature lover, the all-American beauty who can't understand why she's so drawn to distant, brooding Lucas. Adopted as a young child, she has no way of knowing that she's inherited a terrifying-and thrilling-gene that will change her life forever.

LUCAS is dangerous, gorgeous ... and a werewolf. As leader of the Dark Guardians, shape-shifters who gather deep within the state park, he has sworn to protect his pack. But when Lucas finds his true soul mate, his love could put them all in harm's way.

As Lucas and Kayla struggle with their feelings for each other, a greater danger lurks: Humans have discovered the Dark Guardians and are planning their destruction. Kayla must choose between the life she knows and the love she feels certain is her destiny.

Hawthorne had been plan on being a writer forever because I think I might cry if she decides to retire early or change careers. I was sad enough when she wrote her final installment for this series and only recovered after I found out a new series was in the works by her. Lucas and Kayla were so great in this series opener. They were innocent enough that readers were able to follow right along with them as they go further into this world where werewolves are real and they're about to get an up close encounter for themselves. Romance is definitely not lacking within these pages.

Paranormal Romance Fave #7: My Blood Approves (My Blood Approves, #1) by Amanda Hocking

Teenager Alice Bonham's life feels crazy after she meets Jack. With his fondness for pink Chuck Taylors and New Wave, he's unlike anyone she knows. Then she meets his brother, Peter. Even though he can't stand the sight of her, she's drawn to him. Falling for two guys isn't even the worst of her problems. Jack and Peter are vampires, and Alice finds herself caught between love and her own blood.

Amanda Hocking gets my vote for great writing and super fun plot twists. She took an age old tale of vampires and humans mixing and put her own unique twist on it. I know a lot of authors write books with familiar characters or at least common paranormal creatures, but I really think Hocking's stands out among the rest. And it's not just my opinion we're talking about here, the girl was what a lot of people are calling an overnight success, due mainly to her reader following. I found her books randomly thanks to a recommendation by my Kindle and couldn't be happier.

Paranormal Romance Fave # 8: Half Moon (The Crescent, #2) by Jordan Deen

I'd been a fool for coming here with them, and now... no one would come to save me. The world that hid in the shadows of humanity was full of enemies.Faced with death, Lacey Quinn ran away from the only family she'd ever known. That... was just the beginning.As the decision she's made sinks in, Lacey struggles to fit in with the pack and find the key to bonding with her werewolf soul mate, Brandon. But, lies can only be concealed for so long. Adjusting to a powerful new best friend, a twelve-year-old roommate with a nauseating Barbie fetish, and a lost love that won't stop haunting her dreams, she knows she has no hope of having a normal future-ever again.

After a long talk with the dead mother she never knew, and an almost deal-breaking night out with Brandon, Lacey starts spiraling into the underworld-a place where all things are possible and everyone is out to kill her.With mysterious legends of witches and sorcery marring her past and clouding her future, she quickly learns-werewolves aren't the only ones lurking in the woods...waiting to claim her powers for their own.The Mares? Well, they are the least of her worries.

Yet another werewolf series that I can't get enough of. This one however had me contemplating whether or not I was favoring werewolves over all the other paranormal creatures within the genre. Brandon and Lacey just kind of had me rooting for the two of them from the very beginning. I think that's the truest and surest way for me to have any chance at narrowing down a list like this one for me to be able to really pick and choose favorites. If I can relate and find myself on a character's side right from the start it's hard not to keep a special place on the bookshelf for that kind of book, don't you think?

Paranormal Romance Fave #9: Shadowspell (Faeriewalker, #2) by Jenna Black

On top of spending most of her time in a bunkerlike safe house and having her dates hijacked by a formidable Fae bodyguard, Faeriewalker Dana Hathaway is in for some more bad news: the Erlking and his pack of murderous minions known as the Wild Hunt have descended upon Avalon. With his homicidal appetite and immortal powers, the Erlking has long been the nightmare of the Fae realm.

A fragile treaty with the Faerie Queen, sealed with a mysterious spell, is the one thing that keeps him from hunting unchecked in Avalon, the only place on Earth where humans and Fae live together. Which means Dana’s in trouble, since it’s common knowledge that the Faerie Queen wants her – and her rare Faeriewalker powers – dead. The smoldering, sexy Erlking’s got his sights set on Dana, but does he only seek to kill her, or does he have something much darker in mind?

So Jenna Black can pretty much make any reader swoon if you ask me. In her second installment in the Faeriewalker series she had me in such a romantic mood I honestly wouldn't have cared who Dana ended up with. I was smitten with just about any guy she came into contact and had a connection with. Be they the good guys or the bad guys. That's how much fun she makes a romance. While she never makes it easy on her main couples or love interests, she sure does make it fun and they're ever anything but boring!

Paranormal Romance Fave #10: Born At Midnight (Shadow Falls, #1) by C.C. Hunter

Don’t miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams, Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen…

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

Love triangles anyone? Kylie was such an easy character to fall in love with and when she's introduced to two guys that will steal any girl's heart it's hard for readers to choose which team they're on let alone imagine how hard it would be to choose between these two guys in real life. You've got a the typical "bad boy" and then the nice guy next door, but honestly these two are much more than that. Readers will have a tough time with this one and if you're anything like me, you'll probably go back and forth on who you like more for Kylie. I still don't think even after being caught up on the entire series that I can really decide who my favorite is!

Review Tour: Devotion (Soul Savers, #3) by Kristie Cook

I can't even begin to tell you guys how excited I am to be a part of Kristie Cook's blog tour for Devotion. I've been craving the third installment in her Soul Savers series since I finished the last page in her series' sequel, Purpose. Her writing is beyond addicting, her characters are heartfelt and her plot twists and turns will leave you reeling. So when I first learned I'd get the chance to be a part of this tour, I couldn't contain my excitement. All I can say is that she once again did not disappoint!

So without further ado....check out my review and a very exciting announcement below...

With powerful abilities gained from the Ang'dora and Tristan back by her side, Alexis thinks she's ready for the next challenge - protecting her son from what appears to be the inevitable. But she has so much to learn about her powers, her new world and the people in it. Nothing is what it seems to be on the surface, including the Amadis.

Power-hungry politicians comprise the council and make impossible demands. A traitor lurks among them all, inciting trouble that could destroy the Amadis and, ultimately, humanity. The Daemoni wreak havoc in the human world, with the ultimatum that they'll continue attacking innocents until Alexis and Tristan are expelled from the Amadis' protection. The couple's own society begins to shut them out. But that's not all.

Someone's keeping a secret. A big one. Faith and hope in Alexis and Tristan will be restored if she can uncover the truth in time.

But the search for answers leads only to the discovery of more betrayals by those closest to Alexis. Her devotion is put to the test - devotion to her husband, to her family, to her people and to her beliefs - leaving her to question whom she's fighting for and why she should even bother. But if she won't fight...who will?

Kristie Cook quickly became one of my favorite authors with her Soul Savers' first installment, Promise, and after her sequel, Purpose came out quickly on it's heels I couldn't have turned back if I wanted to. I knew without a doubt that this third installment in the series would be wonderful, exciting and just as magical as the previous two, but I still feel like I didn't give it enough credit ahead of time. Every time I think an author couldn't possibly surpass their previous great works, I should be ashamed. Cook obviously has plenty more in the tank and hopefully that won't change in the near future. Her writing is too hard to resist, and who would even want to really?

Alexis and Tristan have already been through so much, but it seems that Cook is not the type of author to be content to leave her characters in romantic bliss. While the idea of Alexis, Tristan, and now their son Dorian living happily ever may have a nice ring to it, Cook seems to still want them to work a little harder for their much deserved happy ending. A shocking turn of events leaves Alexis and Tristan on their own so to speak. They still have some friends they can count on, but their numbers have certainly dwindled when it comes to who they can trust and who they have suspicions towards. Every time I went to write this review I ended up backtracking and editing, because I didn't want even a chance of one spoiler to leak through onto these pages. It's tough, but I know how intense and exciting each and every turn of the page was for me, and no reader deserves any less.

Bottom line, if you thought these two love birds had been through their obstacles before and proved that nothing could possibly threaten their peace of mind and the world they envisioned for their family, you can think again. Not even the Amadis could be counted on this time around to have all the answers and backup necessary to defeat their current foe(s). Cook's once again penned a very exciting roller coaster ride for her readers, and when I saw she'll put you through the ringer of all emotions, I'm not being dramatic. I laughed, cried and cringed on more than one occasion and can only hope that Cook puts us all out of our misery soon and gives me a series wrap up that I imagine for these wonderful characters. But at the same time, while I do want that, I also can't imagine this series coming to an end...I so don't want to think about that right now!

So check out this third installment and if you haven't come across Cook's work before, go pick up all three books in her Soul Savers series, you'll be doing yourself a very big favor!

I gave Devotion (Soul Savers, #3) 5 shamrocks!!!!!




And if anyone needs even more incentive to get a jump start on this series or to continue on in the journey, Kristie Cook has been kind enough to offer up a giveaway of an eBook of Devotion to one lucky winner!

The first person to comment on this post that leaves their name and email address will receive their very own eBook of Devotion, to devour immediately...how exciting, right? So get to it and happy reading!

Be sure to connect with Kristie and check out all the fun and exciting stuff she's got coming up!

Connect with Kristie Cook:

Email: kristie@kristiecook.com

Author's Website & Blog: http://www.KristieCook.com

Series Website: http://www.SoulSaversSeries.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKristieCook

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kristiecookauth

Tumbler: http://www.tumblr.com/tumblelog/kristiecook

Google+: https://plus.google.com/102746226001674797330/posts