Review:Belle Noir: Tales of Love and Magic by Ava Zavora

Belle Noir: Tales of love and Magic   by Ava Zavora
Publisher: Self Published
Publication date: June 3rd, 2013
Format: Eformat
Purchase:  Amazon  

Enter a world of dark beauty…

This collection of enchanting and disturbing stories ranging from fantasy to speculative fiction will leave you spellbound! (Includes retellings of Beauty and the Beast)

Transfigured - The Beast has changed back to a handsome prince, yet Beauty finds out that although some curses may be broken, they are never completely destroyed.

No Loyal Knight and True – In this modern-day retelling of Tennyson’s The Lady of Shalott, a boyhood encounter with an odd girl who lives in a tower alters the course of Ryan’s destiny.

Belle Noir – Young Jane flees from her abusive father into a seemingly perfect marriage only to find that the darkest hearts are never revealed until it is too late.

Grotesque - A woman hardened by a difficult past witnesses a horrifying tragedy and undergoes a magical transformation.

Mirabilis (A Novelette) - Rosaria's life changes the day the veiled and mysterious Lord Devlin hires her to cure him of a terrible curse.

***Some stories contain mature subject matter. 18+***

I'd like to thank Ava for giving me this chance to review her book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a collection of short fairytale stories.  I don't often read anthologies before, so I wasn't sure what to expect.
I was pleasantly surprise at how unique these stories were. They gave you a general idea for different things, but Ava then took on her own twist to it.

These stories deal with many issues and aspects which also are personal and relate to real life.  From heartbreak, family, with adding magic to the equation.

Each story has a different style and theme. With strong characters, great storyline and even romance to boot, this collection of stories is worthy to be up there with any other fantasy anthology that's currently out in the literary world.
Ava found a way to bring me into such exciting and extraodinary worlds to the point you just want to keep reading and see where the story takes you.


If you like fairytales and fantasy, then this one is for you.

Review:  3.5/5

Review: Crossroads by J.J. Bonds

Crossroads (Crossroads Academy #1) by J.J. Bonds
Publication Date: November 11, 2011
Publisher: J.J. Bonds
Number of Pages: 229
Format: Ebook
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
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 When Katia enrolled at Crossroads Academy she knew things weren’t exactly going to be easy. The sole heir to the worlds’ most powerful vampire, her presence was bound to cause a stir. But nothing could have prepared her for this. Whispers follow everywhere she goes. So does trouble.

Bodies start turning up in nearby Rutland and Katia is sucked into a twisted web of danger and deceit. Haunted by nightmares she can’t explain and a thirst for blood that is never sated, Katia will do whatever it takes to keep her past buried.

Nothing at Crossroads is what it seems and Katia’s secrets may be the darkest of them all.

First I would like to thank the author, JJ Bonds, for giving me this opportunity to read and review this book. 

Even from the description I could tell this book has a Vampire Academy vibe to it, and while it does, Bonds put her own twist to it and makes it her own story.

Katia is the long lost great niece of Aldo, one of the council members and pretty much the most powerful vampire out there. We are never given how Aldo came to find Katia, just that he saved her life and she has been living with him for the last year. Honestly it was hard for me to connect to Katia. She was too guarded and secretive, not interested in making any friends. The only thing she is really interested in is training in martial arts. She's obsessed with being the best. It doesn't take long for Katia to make enemies of the "in group". The only exception is Nikolai, who has agreed to help train Katia. The guy who despises Katia, Blaine is interesting. It never comes right and says it, but there are very subtle hints that he's gay with a huge crush on Nik. Kind of annoys me, just come out and say it. 

Then vampire mythology are interesting in this book. There are half breeds whom have pretty much no rights and are treated like second rate citizens. We learn that the half breeds are humans that have been turned into vampires. After Katia learns that half breeds have a strong bond to their sires, she wants to confront Aldo about that information and wonders why he never mentioned that to her. 

Once Katia's big secret is revealed everything starts to make sense. Her nightmares, her thirst that she can't control, and even her obsession with training. The only thing that bug me is that as a reader I feel a little betrayed. The whole time Katia had been lying to herself, pretending she is someone else. In result I feel like I've been lied to. It makes a great twist, but I was bummed out that she isn't really Aldo's niece. 

The only thing that bugged me about the book, was in the middle of the murders, one of her teachers made them watch the news. They had shown some gruesome details, which would never happen in real life. I know this is fiction, but it's one of my pet peeves.  

Overall the book is pretty descent. Like I mentioned earlier the idea isn't a new one, but the plot is refreshing and new. I'm not sure how I feel about Katia and Nik yet, but I'm intrigued since it has that forbidden romance to it. 

Rating: 3/5

 

Review: The Twelfth Keeper by Belle Malory

The Twelfth Keeper by Belle Malory
Publication Date: January 22, 2013
Publisher: Belle Malory
Number of Pages: 439
Format: Ebook
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
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When sixteen-year-old Kennedy Mitchell is proclaimed the world’s last keeper, she thinks it’s a cruel joke. Come on- her? Impossible. She’s no warrior. She isn’t wise beyond her years, or more importantly, capable of keeping Earth safe.

Except...no one will listen. And since all evidence says otherwise, the job is hers whether she likes it or not.

During the highly demanding training regime that follows, Kennedy struggles to fit in with Earth’s renowned protectors. Especially Phoenix Jorgensen, who openly despises her. Problem is, he may be the only one she can trust. The keepers have big secrets surrounding them. Secrets Kennedy isn’t comfortable knowing, much less being apart of. With Phoenix’s help, she’ll have to find a way out.

Either that, or die trying.

First I would like to thank Belle for giving me the opportunity to review her latest book.

At first I wasn't too sure how I feel about the book. It took a little bit to get into, but at the same time kept me interested enough to keep reading. The setting is kind of confusing. You can tell that it's set sometime in the future, but not sure exactly when. I've read books before where the first book isn't about world building. It just gives you enough information so you're not totally lost, but at the same time keeps you guessing. I like it. It leaves a lot to your imagination.

The concept of the plot is interesting. Earth was build with its own protectors, the keepers, born from  one of the twelve constellations. The Defense of Extraterrestrials, or DOE as it's more commonly referred as, has found all the Keepers but the last one; until now. Kennedy Mitchell has gone through a lot. With the death of her dad, her mom not only had to work two plus jobs, but had to move across the island they live on. When DOE insists that she is the twelfth keeper, she knows they made a mistake. There is nothing special about her. But when Kennedy realizes how much money trouble their family is in she agrees to go with DOE and train.

Enter Phoenix, keeper number nine and the first keeper that was found. Calaya, a stargazer, has been telling Phoenix that he will have a special bond with the twelfth keeper. That he will fall for her and will want to be her hero instead of Earth's. Phoenix is determine to not let that happen, nothing is more important than his responsibility of protecting his planet and the people. But when Kennedy's life is endangered Phoenix can't keep his emotions in check anymore.

I wasn't too big on Phoenix completely ignoring and keeping his distance from Kennedy and then wham all of a sudden he can't stay away. It's been done before, but I wish there were some kind of a communication between the two before the incident. But the time they had spent together, I couldn't help but fall in love with Phoenix. Not to mention laugh at Kennedy's comments about his coffee making skills. She should give him a few pointers.

Of course with being YA there are some guarantees. Enter Hunter, Kennedy's best friend. On the day she left he had kissed her and with that had told her his real feelings for her. I see a love triangle brewing in the near future. Instead of the usual snarky bff, we have Matilda, the latest robot to assist Kennedy. And there were times when I forgot she was just a robot. The comments she would make were hilarious, and especially love the fact she calls Kennedy Cupcake. Has to be my favorite thing about this book.

Then there are a few things that kind of bugged me. There were a few senteces that I had to read a few times to understand what was going on. Nothing big. And then there were the occasionally use of words like shit and fuck. Now I don't have a problem with it, but I don't think are very appropriate for YA.

Last but not least there's a few things that I keep wondering. Why does Kennedy refers to her mom by her first name? I want to know more about the keepers and the constellations. I want to know more about they day Kennedy's father died. What really happened to Kennedy that day? And why did the doctor lie to Kennedy about the phone?

Overall this book has me intrigued, and I can't wait to see what else is in store for Kennedy and the rest of the keepers.

Rating: 4/5

 

Review: Evie's Knight by Kimberly Krey

Evie's Knight by Kimberly Krey
Publication date: September 11th, 2012
Publisher: Kimberly Krey
Number of pages: 389
Format: Kindle
Purchase: Amazon (Kindle)
Description: When Evie falls in love with Calvin Knight, their young, virtuous romance conjures a truly wicked spell.

Evie always thought her eighteenth year would be magical, but so far it's not what she hoped for. Her best friend has gone wild, her love life is void, and she misses her mom more than ever. But life for Evie is about to change. Calvin Knight, the object of her fascination, is about to fall madly in love with her. Just one problem: Their love conjures a murderous woman from beyond the grave who wants Evie dead. The same demon who has haunted the Knight men for over four generations. Soon Calvin is forced to make a choice: Set Evie free and hope to evade the wrath of The Raven- haired Ghost, or use his newly gifted strengths to fight against her. If he chooses to fight and wins, Calvin will free the Knight men of this demonic witch. If he loses, Evie will become her next victim.

Thanks to Kimberly for allowing a chance to read and review this book, as I have been looking forward to it for months. 
Today, I finally got around to reading this on my Kindle, and I spent the whole day just reading it. It was unstoppable. A definite page-turner.

We are introduced to the story of Evie and her personal Knight, Calvin. It's a story of two people who have come together, but the past, revenge and fate try to tear them apart.
Evie has always liked Calvin, but they hadn't actually talked before. That is until one day.... they do, and from that moment on... their fate and everything that comes afterward is put into motion. From the very first encounter, their lives  would never be the same again. 
The closer they become, the more Calvin starts to believe the stories his grandfather kept telling him as a child. That the men in their family, the Knight men. Are cursed.

When Calvin and his brother, Parker meet the mysterious-who-knows-too-much waitress,  Fiona, something unexpected happens. When its discovered that their futures have been designed because of a long-ago grudge, a now spirit/ghost has on their family, the boys along with Fiona attempt to do something that could either set them free, or kill them...giving this woman what she wants to begin with. One of them.
Its basically a race against time if they ever want a chance to stop the past repeating once again, and to have some kind of future.

Evie is great. I really liked her. She is strong for a female lead, and while it might seem she was dependant upon Calvin and the relationship they have, it wasn't something that was a bad thing. Together they made one another stronger than they were apart.
She has been through more than most people. That is something she and Calvin have in common, and I'd imagine one of the things that probably bonded them to one another. They know what it is like to experience a loss. But even though their losses are slightly different, there was that connection between them that they understood each other's pain.

Calvin is an interesting character. Like I mentioned about, he has had his fair share of loss. But not only that, he has to look after his brother, who seems to be a irresponsible guy who gets drunk and does something stupid most of the time. Being the older brother, Calvin feels he has to fix his problems and make sure he is alright. That can sometimes feel like a burden.
But meeting Evie's, it's like for once in his life... he can actually live.. and not worry about his brother or anything else. He is free to just be himself and love. But of course, that itself comes with all sort of complications....

Kimberly did such a great job with this story. It exceeded all my expectations I might have had coming into this story. It was such a fresh take on the urban fantasy genre. There was so much to love about the story of Evie and her Knight, Calvin. We have falling in love for the first time, heartbreak, revenge, family, loyalty, happiness and the satisfaction of their story coming to the place where it was meant to be.
So much happened, and I didn't feel like I had just read one book. I felt like I had just been on an incredible journey for so long and enjoyed every moment of it.

I'd recommend this to anyone who loves a good, well-written romance. 

Rating -- 5/5