Monday, August 31, 2015

Book Review: The Collector


Title - The Collector
Author - Victoria Scott
Series - Dante Walker #1
Genre - Ya Paranormal 
Format - Paperback
Published - April 2nd 2013
Publisher - Entangled Teen

Synopsis
He makes good girls...bad. 

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

Teaser
I am The Collector.
It’s not as bad as it sounds. I’m kinda like Santa Claus. We’re both jolly guys with a passion for frosted cookies, the color red…and sorting souls. My job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and I get the fun ones.

Review
Dante is a collector his job is to collect souls for the big boss guy down below, and he’s been doing it for the past two years since he died. Dante has been given the task that will change his future as a collector all he has to do is collect Charlies soul in ten days which shouldn’t be too hard. What Dante finds when he meet’s Charlie is a girl who’s had a rough past but does so much good in the community it’s going to be tough to corrupt her the typical way. So he resigns to going back to high school in attempt to win her over to the dark side.

Dante didn’t expect to develop feelings for Charlie but the more time he gets to know her the more he finds himself caring for her. As time is running out he uses a last ditch effort offering her a soul contract that will give her what she wants in turn for her soul all she has to do is sign it and wish for something. Dante doesn’t give her all the info that he works for the big boss guy and Charlie has the assumption that he’s working for the big guy upstairs and takes the deal to be beautiful. Unlike most Charlie doesn’t wish for it all at once but just beautiful hair. Over the course of the next few days she wishes for more taking her closer to losing her soul. Will she lose her soul or will Dante have a change of heart?

I love Dante from his bad boy personality down to his red chucks he’s just a great character who may work for the guy down below but the right girl changed it all. After all he’s flippin’awesome! There is just something about him I really liked maybe it’s because he saw Charlie for who she was and fell in love with her before she started to change her looks. I love that he missed the old Charlie as she changed into the beautiful girl she desired to be. I like the relationship between Dante and Charlie it’s unique but it has lots of potential for the future. They each have friends who support and believe in them which I think is important who are willing to risk their lives for them.


I’ve had this one on my kindle for ages but never got around to it. When if found a good deal on Book Outlet I ended up buying the trio and I’m so glad that I did. I wasn’t sure what to expect because I’m not a huge fan of demon books only because I haven’t found one that I love yet. However The Collector is just that it’s honestly the best demon book I’ve ever read. I love the concept the author has taken the demon soul collection concept and added her own unique spin. This is my first novel by the author but I really enjoyed her writing style it’s well written and flows smoothly. I love Dante he’s just a great character I was really able to connect with and found myself wanting a pair of red Chuck Taylors just like him. The Collector is a fast paced hard to put down book it was just captivated right from the start till the last page. I already have the other two and I’m planning on reading them with the new month. Can’t wait to see what happens with Dante and Charlie. I loved every moment of The Collector and highly recommend it....a must for all paranormal fans. 
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Book Tour: Deal Breakers

Title - Deal Breaker
Author - Laura Lee
Genre - New Adult Contemporary 
Published - September 1st 2015
Publisher - LAN Fiction LLC

Synopsis
How were they supposed to know that one night would change everything?

Devyn has life all mapped out. She just needs to accomplish one more thing before graduating college and becoming a full-fledged adult—lose her virginity. And who better to assist her than her best friend, Riley?

Riley is the self-proclaimed king of fling. His college years have been filled with meaningless hookups until the one night that ruined him for all other women. The one night he spends with his best friend, Devyn. Right before he screws it all up.

Balls to the wall, baby!

Now five years later, Riley is determined to atone for his mistakes and prove that he can be the man that Devyn deserves. Little does he know that Devyn’s been keeping a secret from him all these years. A big secret. Now he has to figure out how to win back the only girl he’s ever loved while navigating the pitfalls of her unexpected revelation.

Deal Breakers is filled with lots of laughs, a sexy romance, and an overflowing swear jar.

Excerpt 
"What should we toast to?”

I think about it for a second. “To new friends?”

With an unbelievably sexy grin he asks, “What if I want to explore being more than friends?”

I roll my eyes. “Do you ever give up?”

I find myself staring at his dimples as he replies, “Not when I see something I want.”

AUTHOR Bio
Laura Lee is the author of the bestselling Karli Lane series as well as the upcoming Dealing With Love series. She is a proud member of the Romance Writers of America focusing on paranormal, urban fantasy, and contemporary romance.

Laura's passion has always been storytelling. She spent most of her life with her nose in a book thinking of alternate endings or continuations to the story. She won her first writing contest at the ripe old age of nine, earning a trip to the state capital to showcase her manuscript. Thankfully for her, those early works will never see the light of day again!

Laura lives in the Pacific Northwest with her wonderful husband, two beautiful children, and three of the most poorly behaved cats in existence. She likes her fruit smoothies filled with rum, her cupboards stocked with Cadbury's chocolate, and her music turned up loud. When she's not writing or watching HGTV, she's reading anything she can get her hands on. She's a sucker for spicy romances, especially those involving vampires or cowboys!

For more information, please visit her website at: www.lauraleebooks.com
Email - lauraleebooks@gmail.com
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Book Blitz: Impossible Choice

Title - Impossible Choice
Author - Sybil Bartel
Series - Unchecked #2
Publisher - Carina Press
Publication date - August 31st 2015
Genres - Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis
Book two of Unchecked

After her parents were murdered, Layna Blair spent three years on the run—until Marine Sergeant Blaze Johnson stepped in and saved her. With him, Layna knew safety for the first time…but two weeks after shipping out for another tour in Afghanistan, Blaze comes home early.

When Layna sees the jagged wounds covering his body, every truth she thought she knew is destroyed. Blaze is distant and angry and though her heart is shattered, Layna desperately tries to keep their relationship together in the face of another tragedy. When the tenuous bonds holding them together are ripped apart by a revenge-hungry maniac, Layna must trust her survival instinct and bury her past for good.

But the enemy is two steps ahead, and before she can take action, Layna’s hand is forced by his deadly demands—save herself or save the man who risked his life for her freedom. Blaze saved her once. This time it’s her turn to protect him.

91,000 words

Excerpt
His intense gaze fixed on mine, he held out his hand but he didn’t say anything.
I slipped my fingers into his and the heat that shot up my arm and spread through me settled in like a low, constant pulse of awareness that made everything inside me tingle. I looked up and was startled to see him frowning. “What’s wrong?”
The crease in his brow went deeper and the seriousness in his eyes twisted like hesitation. “Not one thing.”
His words not matching his expression, he looked distracted, bordering on nervous. But that was impossible. Blaze Johnson didn’t get nervous, ever. “Blaze?”
He brought my hand to his lips and gently kissed me. “My Layna,” he whispered.
My heart melted. “I love you.”
The soft smile that barely touched the corners of his mouth was his only response. A few months ago, the gesture and lack of words would have eaten at me. Tonight? I understood the intimacy. I knew I was seeing a smile that no one else in the world ever saw. I knew the twist of those lips and quiet reverence was a promise of what would come later when we were behind closed doors. I knew his silence meant he was comfortable enough to let his body language speak for him. I knew this because he’d taught me how to pay attention.
Blaze led us to the elevator and we silently waited. When we stepped into the small space, the atmosphere swelled with his presence and the butterflies came swarming back, swirling with a heady tension I’d become addicted to. The memory of his body earlier today over me, in me, it made desire coil hot and urgent in my blood.
Breathless, I cleared my throat. “Where are we going for dinner?”
His thumb slowly dragged across the back of my hand like he knew my every desire-laced thought but when his eyes traveled from my face to my dress. His features became hauntingly stern. “Not far,” the gentle cadence of his voice at odds with his expression.
“Is everything alright?”
The elevator doors slid open but instead of walking out, Blaze turned and cupped my face. His eyebrows drew tight. “I want tonight to be perfect for you. If it’s not what you want, you tell me. Understand?” His expression, his voice, they were so fierce, he looked angry.
The butterflies in my stomach became sharp angles and something close to panic seeped in. “What do you mean?”
“This is your choice, Layna. Remember that.”

AUTHOR BIO:
I grew up in Northern California with my head in a book and my feet in the sand. I dreamt of becoming a painter but the heady scent of libraries with their shelves full of books drew me into the world of storytelling. I love the New Adult genre, but any story about a love so desperately wrong and impossibly beautiful makes me swoon.


I now live in Southern Florida and while I don’t get to read as much as I like, I still bury my toes in the sand. If I’m not writing or fighting to contain the banana plantation in my backyard, you can find me spending time with my handsomely tattooed husband, my brilliantly practical son and a mischievous miniature boxer…

 But Seriously?

Here are ten things you probably really want to know about me.

I grew up a faculty brat. I can swear like a sailor. I love men in uniform. I hate being told what to do. I can do your taxes (but don’t ask). The Bird Market in Hong Kong freaks me out. My favorite word is desperate…or dirty, or both—I can’t decide. I have a thing for muscle cars. But never reply on me for driving directions, ever. And I have a new book boyfriend every week—don’t tell my husband.


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It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?
Welcome to It's Monday! is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Bookjourney to share with others what you've read the past week and are planning to read the next.

 I was terrible last week one book hopefully this week I'll be able to get all of these read and a few more. 
Last week
Praefatio by Georgia McBride - Review

Currently Reading
The Collector by Victoria Scott - Goodreads a few pages left. 

Up Next
Becoming Alpha by Aileen Erin - Goodreads

Rest of the week
The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts by K.C. Tansley - Goodreads
The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel - Goodreads
Rebel Wing by Tracy Banghart - Goodreads
The Cage by Megan Shepherd - Goodreads

What are you reading this week?
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Sunday, August 30, 2015

The Sunday Post

The Sunday Post 
Hosted by:

The Sunday post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer~ It's a chance to share new ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. 

 It's been a busy week not a lot of reading but I hope this week will change that. I've been trying to catch up on some of the shows I watch with my husband since he's getting closer to getting home. 

Posts this past week you may have missed at TRD
Book Blitz: Shadow in the Sea - Here
Book Review: Praefatio - Here
M9B Friday Reveal: Fall For Fantasy Blitz with Giveaway #M9BFridayReveals - Here
Dust off your Bookshelf - Here
Book Bliz: Turn off the Moon - Here
M9B Two for Thursday Book Bliz: The Pretty Dark Nothing Series + Giveaway - Here
Book Blitz: Viper and the Urchin - Here
Cover Reveal: Seelie - Here
Book Blitz: Cage of Deceit - Here
Book Blitz: Worth it - Here
Cover Reveal: Here They Lie - Here

 Newest additions to my shelves. 
No review copies this week trying to be good because I'm still doing a little catching up. The plus side to buying books is that I have no time commitment. 

 Purchased
Physical
Rebel Wing by Tracy Banghart - Goodreads

Kindle
The Last of the Firedrakes by Farah Oomerbhoy - Goodreads
The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall - Goodreads
Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison - Goodreads
Confessions of a Queen B* by Crista McHugh - Goodreads
Shades of Treason by Sandy Williams - Goodreads
Hollywood Witch Hunter by Valerie Tejeda - Goodreads
Amber Smoke by Kristin Cast - Goodreads
The Witches of Echo Park by Amber Benson - Goodreads
I also added a whole bunch of kindle freebies but clicked so many it's to hard to list them all. 

Around the blogosphere
Natasha is a Book Junkie has a great review of Hold On by Kristen Ashley - Here
Kevin @ Closet Cooking has 50 Late Summer Recipes - Here Typically I don't share food but I love to cook and this is a great list of fun recipes I know I want to try. 
I Smell Sheep has a great review of Mark of the Necromancer by Tamsin L. Silver - Here
Cover Reveal of Fall into Darkness by Valerie Twombly @ Angel's Guilty Pleasure - Here
Book Chick City has a review of Come Away with Me by Karma Brown - Here

This coming week @ TRD
A couple of reviews and who knows anymore.  
You should follow me on Instagram lots of fun challenges and bookish photos. 
Find me (Here)
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Cover Reveal: Scrubs

Title - Scrubs 
Author - Brooke Harris
Genre - Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Publication date - December 4th 2015
Cover created - Najla Qamber Designs

Synopsis
I like fast cars, beautiful women and great sex.
I hate drugs. I can’t stand the idiots who take them and I loathe the bastards who supply them. Drugs cost me my whole world.
I wear many faces; right now I’m Doctor Lucas Callaghan and I’ll be him until I get my revenge.
My real name will be the last words to ever pass their lips.

I hate my name, Aoife Brennan, as soon as people hear it they treat me differently because of my father.
Medical school isn’t my dream, it’s his. But, it’s the least I owe him after everything I’ve done. I’m trying to be a good girl, but even good girls make mistakes.

He’s lying about who he is, she’s kidding herself about who she can be. They’re polar opposites with one very big secret in common.

AUTHOR BIO:
Brooke is a thirty-one year-old Dubliner. Even though she moans about the weather (a lot) she's proud to have shamrocks in her blood. Anyway, what would she do if she couldn't blame the rain for a bad hair day? She has too much of lots of things, kids, wine, books and shoes...luckily she loves them all to pieces.


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Saturday, August 29, 2015

Stacking The Shelves

Stacking The Shelves
Stacking The Shelves  August 29th 2015
Stacking the Shelves is a meme by Tynga Reviews that let's bloggers share their new books and swag, whether they are physical or virtual. I'll include books I've been sent, emailed, purchased, won and for review.

Busy week but I got some awesome books. 

For review
None this week even with all the new review books available. I'm being good. 

Purchased
Physical

Rebel Wing by Tracy Banghart - Goodreads

Kindle
The Last of the Firedrakes by Farah Oomerbhoy - Goodreads
The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall - Goodreads
Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison - Goodreads
Confessions of a Queen B* by Crista McHugh - Goodreads
Shades of Treason by Sandy Williams - Goodreads
Hollywood Witch Hunter by Valerie Tejeda - Goodreads
Amber Smoke by Kristin Cast - Goodreads
The Witches of Echo Park by Amber Benson - Goodreads

 Plus a whole bunch of kindle freebies. I just can't help myself. 

What did you get this week?
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Friday, August 28, 2015

Book Beginnings on Friday & The Friday 56

Book Beginnings on Friday & The Friday 56

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader

Share the first sentence of your current read and post it.
The Friday 56 is hosted by hosted by Freda's Voice 
Grab a book turn to page 56 or 56% share a sentence or a few

 I'm going to be starting The Collector by Victoria Scott
(Goodreads)

 Share the first sentence of your current read and post it.
I’m in a slump, off my game, throwing up bricks, swinging and missing.

Grab a book turn to page 56 or 56% share a sentence or a few
The excitement is palpable as we drive to the Birmingham airport. I’ve got Eminem’s old stuff blasting through the speakers. Annabelle is throwing her head around, and her short black hair is flying through the air. Blue keeps pushing her away when she gets too close, but even he’s laughing. And for the first time, Charlie seems to be basking in the music’s beat, her body rocking back and forth in the seat.
This is my best idea to date.
What teasers do you have this week?
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Follow Friday

Follow Friday
Hosted by:
&
The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!
Each week a new question, new answer, and new blogs to follow. 
If you want to follow via GFC just in case it goes away I ask you follow a second way, email, Linky, Bloglovin'. Thanks!!!!

This Week's Question:
Share a random quote from a book you are currently reading.

Answer: 

 I'm going to be starting The Collector by Victoria Scott today.

 It’s not as bad as it sounds. I’m kinda like Santa Claus. We’re both jolly guys with a passion for frosted cookies, the color red…and sorting souls. My job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and I get the fun ones. 

 This is from the first page since I've haven't started yet. 

 What is a quote from your current read?
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Book Blitz: Shadow in the Sea

Title - Shadow in the Sea
Author - Sheila A. Nielson
Genre - Fantasy, Young Adult
Publication date - July 15th 2015

Synopsis
When sixteen-year-old Sadelyn Hanson washes up on the shores of Windwaithe Island, her beauty and the strange marks on her wrist make superstitious locals suspect she is a mermaid. Feigning amnesia, Sade hides a far worse secret: she was sailing to her own murder trial when she was thrown overboard by the real killer, the cunning and cruel Captain Westwood.

Sade’s quiet effort to rebuild her life on the island is threatened when she meets an actual young merman. Unable to speak his language, Sade still longs for the warm companionship he offers, despite the locals’ dire legends about merfolk and their dark magic. But her confused feelings for the impossible boy become the least of her problems when Captain Westwood’s ship docks at Windwaithe. With nowhere to escape, Sade must trust in the one person who doesn’t fear the merfolk. A woman who had dealings with them herself—years ago.

Excerpt 
I had only gone a few steps when the singing began.

I stopped and whirled, my gaze darting about trying to determine the source of the unearthly song that now wafted through the evening air. It came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It started low and rose up in power, like a seabird taking to the air. It resonated off the land and sea, the rocks and cliffs lifting into the endless sky above. The singer seemed to reach down into his core and unleashed a song from the very depths of his soul. His music had no words or language of substance to bind it down. Within his passionate performance I found a moment’s release from the shackles that bound me to this earth. Wings to carry me up into the heights of unfettered joy.

The song was both beautiful and tragic. Wild and yet soothing. It captured my heart even as it set my spirits free. It was as if the angel of deliverance himself called out to the weary world, bracing them up on the wings of his eternal hope. And then it was done. The last echoes of the voice faded and silence fell over the land once more. The air did not stir. The birds ceased to sing. In reverence, the whole island seemed to be holding its breath—waiting.

I never was much for waiting.

Bolting in the most unladylike fashion, I raced to the edge of the cliffs and looked down into dark depths far below, trying to catch a glimpse of the singer responsible for my own private audience. The surface of the ocean was a rippling sea of liquid onyx. Within that blackness was a light. It quivered and pulsed beneath the water like a fallen star. At first I believed it to be a reflection of the moon, or a trick of the light, but the longer I stared at it, the more horribly certain I became that this was no illusion. My momentary joy in the lovely song turned upon itself like a maddened beast. Fear crept into its place.

I’d heard sailors speak of something like this before. Ghost lights they called them. They were said to be the lost souls of those who died in the sea. Seeing one was a harbinger of death.

My death.

The light flashed into a fierce brilliance for a moment. I gasped as the welts on my wrist burned with a sudden intensity that made me dizzy. Then it was gone and the fire in my skin retreated as quickly as it came. I looked down into the water with wonder, but the light had vanished, leaving me shivering and alone in dusky darkness.

AUTHOR BIO:
Sheila never did figure out what she wanted to be when she grew up. She graduated from college with a BFA in illustration, has worked as a children's librarian for over eighteen years, and would eventually like to be a full-time author. Why pick one career when you can have many? Sheila lives with her two pets, a goffin cockatoo and a tiny toy poodle. She was born and raised in California but has come to also love her adopted home in Utah where she currently resides.


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Book Review: Praefatio


Title - Praefatio
Author - Georgia McBride
Series - Praefatio #1
Genre - YA Paranormal Angels
Format - Kindle
Published May 21st 2013
Publisher - Month9Books

Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Grace Ann Miller is no ordinary runaway...

After having been missing for weeks, Grace is found on the estate of international rock star Gavin Vault, half-dressed and yelling for help. Over the course of twenty-four hours Grace holds an entire police force captive with incredulous tales of angels, demons, and war; intent on saving Gavin from lockup and her family from worry over her safety.

Authorities believe that Grace is ill, suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, the victim of assault and a severely fractured mind. Undeterred, Grace reveals the secret existence of dark angels on earth, an ancient prophecy and a wretched curse steeped in Biblical myth. Grace’s claims set into motion an ages-old war, resulting in blood, death and the loss of everything that matters. But are these the delusions of an immensely sick girl, or could Grace’s story actually be true?

Praefatio is Grace’s account of weeks on the run, falling in love and losing everything but her faith. When it’s sister against brother, light versus darkness, corrupt police officers, eager doctors and accusing journalists, against one girl with nothing but her word as proof: who do you believe?

“With Praefatio, Georgia McBride proves that you can take any genre to a higher level. This is teen fantasy at its most entertaining, most heartbreaking, most compelling. Highly recommended.” –Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author. 

Review
Grace’s mom isn’t around, her father died in a tragic car accident and she’s being raised by her parent’s friends with her brother and their daughter. Grace has been hearing voices and learning to levitate but no one knows what she can do except her younger brother who may just know more than he’s letting on. When the time comes Remi has to save Grace from those hunting her taking her to the angel’s where she finds that her father isn’t dead, that she’s not human and she’s betrothed to a fallen named Gavin who just happens to be the handsome rock star.

Grace’s whole world has changed she’s destined to change the world her future is written in the Praefatio a book that tells the past as well as the future. However Grace isn’t the only one who wants her future she has a twin sister who was cast aside and wants to be the one to win Gavin’s heart. Grace isn’t the only one who has a sibling who wants more than they are destined for Gavin also has a brother Tyler who thinks he can have Grace. As if finding her place in her new world isn’t enough, her brother has broken a rule and cause everything to spin out of control. Can Grace save her brother as well as the rest of the angels and not lose Gavin?

I liked Grace she’s found out that she’s not just human anymore, that her dad isn’t dead and her brother isn’t really her brother and she is turning into a winged angel that has a prophecy. I wasn’t sure which guy to trust because there are so many potential love interests but she’s already been dreaming of Gavin and he is also her betrothed. The chemistry between the two while they may have just met they are both super attached right from the start. Doesn’t hurt that he’s a fallen rock star who she’s had a thing for before she knew what was really going on. I wasn’t sure how I feel about everything that happened to Remi my heart went out to him hopefully things will work out for him in the future.

I picked up Praefatio a while back based on the cover it was calling my name even though I typically don’t read a lot of angel books. It seems to be a concept that I struggle so I wasn’t sure what to except when I started it, and found it pleasantly surprising. Basically it’s a Romeo and Juliet story of two different angels who are destined to change the future but others are out to get them. I found the story interesting a very unique take on the angel concept it’s a captivating story I had a hard time putting it down and I had to know how it would play out with Gavin and Grace. The story starts out in a police station and Grace is telling a story of what happened when she was missing. It can be a little confusing I know at first I was a little lost but it works its way out. The author does a great job creating a unique story that captured my heart as well as my imagination.  I really like Grace she just accepts her future and just goes with the fact that she’s a half angel and her relationship with Gavin. I enjoyed the story it was really interesting, and I’m curious to see how’s it going to play out in the next book. While I am not a huge fan of angel books this one had enough other paranormal’s it just works. 

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