Category Archives: Reviews

Reviews of romance books with a fair look at positives and negatives of each book.

Review: Savage Alpha

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Savage Alpha
Savage Alpha by Carole Mortimer
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Conclusion to the ALPHA series with a Tighter Story

FINAL DECISION: The ALPHA series concludes with a sexy little story of an actress and the man who is protecting her from a stalker. I enjoyed this book although the romance is pretty uncomplicated and the characters are no deep, but the tightness of the story makes this a good one time read.

THE STORY: Lily Knight is an actress who is being stalked by an increasingly dangerous and obsessed fan. Her older brother calls in a favor to have his friend Jonas Grayfeather to protect her. Jonas is a half Apache, half English American. The two have an attraction that is complicated by Jonas’s solitary nature and the danger surrounding her.

OPINION: I have enjoyed the ALPHA series which are generally hot books. This book is no exception as the heat is high between Lily and Jonas. I thought their characters were interesting although because of the length and style of the book, the characters are not deep or complex. For the length and style of this book, I enjoyed it because the entire story and characters made sense and the story felt complete and satisfying.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book introduces the Knight family which will be the focus of another series.

CONNECTED BOOKS: SAVAGE ALPHA is the eighth book in the ALPHA series. It can be read as a standalone book although there are appearances by characters from prior books.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3.5 stars.

Review: Ruined

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Review: RuinedRuined (The Wicked Woodleys, #4) by Jess Michaels
Series: The Wicked Woodleys #4
Published by The Passionate Pen on March 8th 2016
Genres: Historical
Pages: 248
Goodreads
five-stars

“Since she’s been gone, Claire had obviously developed the ability to hide her emotions. In the kind of world where she had been living, she would have had to do so to survive.  But in that moment after she shouted out her secret, War saw everything she’d been fighting to hide. Her pain was so clear, it might have been tattooed across her face in words like grief, terror, and anguish.”

FINAL DECISION: A satisfying resolution of the mystery regarding Claire that has dominated the Wicked Woodleys series.  I absolutely loved Claire and War who are strong and compelling characters.  My new all time favorite by Jess Michaels.

THE STORY: Claire Woodley made a terrible mistake two years ago.  The aristocratic daughter ran off to marry a man who turned out to be a liar, a thief and extremely dangerous rogue.  Avoiding her family who has been searching for her, Claire has immersed herself in the underworld where her lover lives.  Finally, she has emerged and seeks the help of the Woodley horsemaster Warrick Blackwood to retrieve something that her lover stole from her. War has wanted Claire for years, even though he rejected her attempt to seduce him two years ago.  Claire’s request for help requires him to confront his own past and perhaps sacrifice his future, but he cannot resist her.

OPINION: I absolutely loved this book.  Claire is a woman with a scandalous past, a desperate present, and only a vague future.  Throughout the series, readers have been teased with hints of what motivated Claire, what her current situation is and questions as to why she has not returned to her family.  I’m pleased to say that this book provides a satisfying resolution while still providing a hot, sexy and suspenseful story.  Thankfully, Michaels doesn’t make readers wait long to discover one of her big secrets.  Even better, the hot romance between Claire and the man she wanted but who rejected her, War gets off to a fast and torrid start.

War becomes an intriguing hero because he is a good man who has dark secrets.  This gives him a complexity that makes him interesting and worth reading about.  I especially like how he orchestrates the reunion of the Woodleys.  He truly cares for the family and he is a good man who is willing to risk much to help Claire.  War rejected Claire for her own good once and that ended up in Claire’s running off with a con man.  Now that Claire is not so innocent, War is determined not to let the possibility of being with Claire slip by him again.  War is sexy, earthy and complicated.

War and Claire together are combative, emotional and a perfect pair.  The two work together to solve Claire’s problem and end up discovering that their pasts have ended up making them an ideal match for one another in a way that wouldn’t have been possible before Claire’s downfall.

One of my favorite parts of the Wicked Woodleys series has been the cross-social class romances.  For those who like more historically accurate romances, this may not be the story for you.  This series tends more toward erotic sexual encounters and the morals of the characters feel more modern.  For me, however, I love this type of historical book where the time and setting provide texture and substance to the story but where the actual execution of the story has more of a romanticized fairy tale feel to it.  If I want pure historical accuracy, I read historical fiction not romance.

I enjoyed the plot of the book which was suspenseful and worked to provide an opportunity for the relationship between War and Claire to develop and deepen as te two depend upon one another and discover all the secrets each are hiding.  I read through this book in record time and immediately went back to reread passages.  For me, that is the primary indicator of a book that I will reread again and again in the years ahead.  A book that exceeded my expectations!

WORTH MENTIONING: Oh, I can’t wait until Jack’s book.  That’s how an author builds a great series by having compelling characters that demand their own stories be told.

CONNECTED BOOKS: RUINED is the fourth book in the Wicked Woodleys series.  This book can be read as a standalone, but is so much more fulfilling after reading the stories of Claire’s siblings.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

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five-stars

Review: Ms. Manwhore

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Review: Ms. ManwhoreMs. Manwhore (Manwhore, #2.5) by Katy Evans
Series: Manwhore #2.5
Published by Pocket Star on October 5th 2015
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 128
Goodreads
four-half-stars

Great Conclusion to the Manwhore Series

“I love single-Rachel. But she was never as happy as I am now.”

FINAL DECISION: This novella is really an extended epilogue to the series. I greatly appreciated the time to see Malcolm and Rachel happy. It gave me a better appreciation for the other two books in the series because I got to see this couple truly happy.

THE STORY: Rachel and Malcolm have weathered their storms together and now are moving toward marriage. Dealing with the announcements, the bachelor party, the wedding dress and all the other things that accompanying merging together two lives are things the two now have to deal with. Will Rachel have the wedding of her dreams with the man she loves?

OPINION: I greatly appreciate that the author wrote this novella. I love seeing the happy ending for couples and this novella allows the entire happy ending to play out in a satisfying way. In many ways, I liked these characters better here than in the two previous novels because in this novella they are genuinely happy and the only drama is from the normal wedding issues. After the drama and stress of the previous two novels, it was nice to see these two characters be happy. This novella is really for fans of the series since there is no storyline that needs resolving other than the marriage itself. For fans of the series, however, this is mandatory reading.

WORTH MENTIONING: There is a new romance in the air.

CONNECTED BOOKS: MS. MANWHORE is the third book in the Manwhore series. It concludes the story of Malcolm and Rachel. The romance is already concluded by the time this novella opens. This is a nice long epilogue to the series so readers should start with the first book.

STAR RATING: I give this novella 4.5 stars.

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four-half-stars

Review: Archangel’s Legion

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Review: Archangel’s LegionArchangel's Legion (Guild Hunter #6) by Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter #6
Published by Penguin Group (USA) on October 29th 2013
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 384
Goodreads
four-half-stars

War Has Finally Arrived

“Eternity would mean nothing without you. For no power on this earth would I trade my Elena.”

THE STORY: Guild Hunter turned angel Elena and her lover Archangel Raphael begin preparing for the archangelic war that is coming. Strange, destructive occurrences begin happening: angels falling from the sky, rivers filled with blood and vampires dying of diseases that should not exist. It will take all of their friends and allies together along with their strong relationship in order the defeat the evil that is overshadowing New York.

OPINION: After two books about the people around Elena and Raphael, this book returns to the power couple of New York. Powerful, dramatic and sexy, this book shows the growth that Elena and Raphael have made in their relationship. This book is filled with action because war is coming to New York and this book doesn’t shy away from depictions of the battles. While not overly graphic, it is more so than other books in the series. I was also very interested in the developments in Elena’s relationship with her father and siblings. Revelations about the past provide context and understanding for Elena’s father. I liked that Singh is still finding new information to give us about Elena and Raphael.

WORTH MENTIONING: My new favorite character is Naasir. Singh has done such a great job tempting the reader with the mystery surrounding this guy.

FINAL DECISION: I loved this book. Powerful, I especially like that real progress is made on the overarching story of the series at the same time Elena and Raphael’s relationship evolves. Also loved seeing all the characters in the series make an appearance.

CONNECTED BOOKS: ARCHANGEL’S LEGION is the sixth book in the Guild Hunter series. This book is the culmination of the storyline of the other books in the series and therefore depends upon the knowledge gained in those books. I think that readers should just start at book one and read on.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

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four-half-stars

Review: Night Shift

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Review: Night ShiftNight Shift (Kate Daniels, #6.5; SPI Files, # 0.5; Psy-Changeling, #12.5; Barbarian, #1) by Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Shearin, Milla Vane
Series: Kate Daniels #6.5, SPI Files #0.5, Psy-Changeling #12.5, Barbarian #1
Published by Berkley on November 25th 2014
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 378
Goodreads
four-stars

Four Paranormal Novellas

NIGHT SHIFT consists of four paranormal novellas. Of the four authors, I had only read Singh before this collection. Overall rating: 4 stars.

SECRETS AT MIDNIGHT by Nalini Singh: Part of Singh’s Psy-Changeling series, this novella features Bastien Smith (Mercy’s brother). Bastien is a DarkRiver leopard and one day he scents his mate on the street of San Francisco. When he finally discovers who she is, he knows there is something different about her. Kirby is a schoolteacher who is alone in the world. The story has a twist that is different from other stories in this series. This story was great. Bastien was a great hero although I had less interest in Kirby as a person but her ultimate story was very interesting and added to the Psy-Changeling universe. Rating: 4.25 stars.

MAGIC STEALS by Ilona Andrews: This novella is part of a series that I have not read. That made no difference, however, because I found the story easy to follow, with interesting characters and a tight storyline. Dali is a weretiger who is involved with Jim Shrapshire who is a werejaguar. Dali feels that she is not a good match for Jim because Dali thinks herself as clumsy and not a strong fighter. Dali does good magic instead. I thought the story was really funny especially when Dali is attempting to hide Jim from her mother. I thought the story was interesting and I loved how Jim is clearly attached to Dali who doesn’t really believe in herself. This story intrigued me enough to want to read more of this series. Rating: 4 stars.

LUCKY CHARMS by Lisa Shearin: This is the story of Makenna Fraser who is a new employee for the SPI, Supernatural Protection Investigations. Makenna is a seer who can see the actual creature underlying any disguise. She is partnered with Ian Byrne who is the star of the company. On Makenna’s first day, she and Ian are in search of a quintet of leprechauns who have evaded their bodyguards. Their search takes them through strip clubs and a sex club. The story is all about the case and there was little character development or any relationship between the characters. I know that there are other books in this series, but this story was not enough to make me interested in reading more. Rating: 2 stars.

THE BEAST OF BLACKMOOR by Milla Vane: Kavik is known as the Beast of Blackmoor. His homeland has been taken over by an evil ruler and when he is refused his request by the goddess Vera, Kavik, who is fifteen, insults the goddess and finds himself given a curse instead. Years later he meets the woman who will be his downfall. Mala, High Daughter of the House of Krima is one of Vela’s chosen and on a quest of her own to save her own destroyed homeland. Her task: to tame the Beast of Blackmoor. I really liked this story. The hero is very dark and tortured but Mala’s persistence wins him over. Both of the characters are strong warriors and work well together as partners. The story is also very sexy especially for such a short novella. Rating: 4.25.

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four-stars

Review: Shards of Hope

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Review: Shards of HopeShards of Hope (Psy-Changeling, #14) by Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #14
Published by Berkley Hardcover on June 2nd 2015
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 483
Goodreads
four-half-stars

Brings All The Story Threads Together and Starts a New Chapter

THE STORY: Aden Kai and Zaira Neve are two Arrows who awake to find that they have been stripped of their psychic abilities. Forced to escape and rely on one another, they discover a new plot to take control by shattering the fragile peace that has arisen after the fall of silence. As head of the Arrows, Aden knows that he must show the Arrows that there is hope for the Arrows in a post-silence world. He believes that Zaira is the key for him. Zaira, however, knows that she cannot risk relinquishing silence lest she risk releasing the psychotic murderer that she knows is within her.

OPINION: Simply beautiful. SHARDS OF HOPE builds to its conclusion slowly and with such precision that by the time the conclusion arrives, it is clear that the entire book is the demonstration of what the solution to the problems must be. This book is a treat especially for fans of the series because there are so many significant cameos by favorite characters. Aden is a wonderful hero. He so clearly has loved Zaira for so long and he is such a caring individual that one cannot help but fall in love with him. Zaira is the tormented one here. Her past is horrific and she cannot imagine that she can possibly have a happy ending. This book, however, is really about hope and the big difference that one person can make in changing another’s view of themselves. This book is about the transmission of hope and the importance of individual action.

WORTH MENTIONING: Fans of the series will be especially pleased because there are numerous appearances by previous heroes and heroines who are important to the overall plot.

FINAL DECISION: This book feels like a homecoming with appearances by so many previous favorites. The romance between Aden and Zaira is at times dark and at times incredibly innocent. This was a great book for fans although I think that newcomers would be better starting with another book in the series.

CONNECTED BOOKS: SHARDS OF HOPE is the fourteenth book in the Psy-Changling series. This book feels like it needs to be read as part of the series because it wraps up the previous storyline and starts a new part of the overarching story.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

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four-half-stars

Review: Shield of Winter

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Review: Shield of WinterShield of Winter (Psy-Changeling, #13) by Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #13
Published by Berkley Hardcover on June 3rd 2014
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 431
Goodreads
four-stars

Awaken the Empaths

“To be an Arrow is to be an island, devoid of attachments that create vulnerability.”

THE STORY: Vasic is an Arrow with the ability to teleport. He believes himself beyond Silence and irredeemable because of what he did to help preserve Silence. He knows he has not future…until he meets Ivy Jane. Ivy is a reconditioned empath who has lived her whole life believing that she is flawed. When the psy-net becomes more infected, the governing coalition realizes that empaths must be awakened to try to restore the psy-net to health. Ivy gives Vasic hope and the two begin a sweet romance.

OPINION: I loved how the darkness of the story and the sadness and pain of Vasic and Ivy’s past was paired with an almost sweet and gentle romance between the two. It was unexpected and gave lightness to a story that could have been dark. SHIELD OF WINTER continues to have much of the humor that is present in most of the Psy-Changeling novels. What was interesting to me is how normal the developing relationship between Vasic and Ivy felt even as they were involved in extraordinary events. That compelled me to keep reading to find out how things would be resolved.

WORTH MENTIONING: There were small scenes with Kaleb and Sahara from HEART OF OBSIDIAN and I really enjoyed seeing how they are dealing with their relationship and how Sahara is keeping Kaleb in line.

FINAL DECISION: I love Vasic and Ivy’s story. In the midst of darkness and death and potential calamity, I found their almost innocent love moving and sweet.

CONNECTED BOOKS: SHIELD OF WINTER is the thirteenth book in the Psy-Changeling series. Singh’s series creates a complicated and intricate world in her series and while this book can be read separate from the series, I think it is best appreciated as part of the collective. Each individual book builds on the world and its mythology so that the characters and events resonate more with the background knowledge of the prior books.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

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four-stars

Review: Heart of Obsidian

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Review: Heart of ObsidianHeart of Obsidian (Psy-Changeling, #12) by Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #12
Published by Berkley Sensation on June 4th 2013
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 360
Goodreads
five-stars

One of the Best of the Series

“To fight evil, you have to understand the dark.”

WARNING: This review contains spoilers that detract from the wonderful slow revelation of information that Singh has done in the novel. I would recommend reading this book and enjoying the journey. It is fabulous!

THE STORY: Kaleb Krychek is a Psy councilor, a cardinal Tk (Telekenetic) and perhaps the most powerful and dangerous man alive. Throughout the series, it has been unclear whether he is good and evil. Raised by a serial killer, at times helpful to those in need, no one knows what his motives are. For years, Kaleb has had only one motive: to find Sahara Nightstar who may be the only person more powerful than Kaleb and he believes that with her by his side, he will be able to take over the PsyNet. When he finds her, Sahara has been tortured and striped of her identity. This book is all about Kaleb’s motives, his history and his murky history with Sahara.

OPINION: HEART OF OBSIDIAN may be the best written and most complex of the Psy-Changeling novels. Singh keeps the motivations and history of Kaleb hidden for most of the book. Best of all, she doesn’t engage in revisionist history to make him a clearly heroic character. He remains as complex and a creature of the dark at the end as he is in the beginning. His love for Sahara is his redeeming trait and it is she who brings him into the light. I loved their story. For a story that so often strays into the dark, Singh has given them a past that is also sweet and beautiful. I loved every moment of this book. There are some books that end far too quickly — not because of a defect in the story but because the story is so compelling that the reader doesn’t want the book to end. HEART OF OBSIDIAN is one of those books. Having read it once, it is already in my favorites and I know I will revisit it again and again.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book reveals a tremendous amount about what was happening on in the previous novels that the reader was unaware of. I appreciated that Singh has in a way been writing this novel since SLAVE TO SENSATION.

FINAL DECISION: I absolutely loved this book. I am a fan of the dark, mysterious hero who may or may not actually be the villain. Beautifully written, the way the mysteries are revealed are compelling and keep the reader completely engaged.

CONNECTED BOOKS: HEART OF OBSIDIAN is the twelfth book in the Psy-Changeling series. This book finally brings to a close an overarching story that has been going on since the first book of the series. This book can be read independent of the other books of the series because the focus is so much on the couple but it is best appreciated as the culmination of the prior books.

STAR RATING: I give HEART OF OBSIDIAN 5 stars!

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five-stars

Review: Tangle of Need

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Review: Tangle of NeedTangle of Need (Psy-Changeling, #11) by Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #11
Published by Berkley on May 29th 2012
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 422
Goodreads
four-stars

Book of Transitions

TANGLE OF NEED is unlike any other book in the Psy-Changeling series. While there is a romance in this book between Adria and Riaz, it is also the book of the civil war amongst the Psy and also a continuation of the love story of Hawke and Sienna from KISS OF SNOW.

THE STORY: TANGLE OF NEED is the story of Adria, a wolf changeling who has left a relationship with a less dominant male that lasted a decade but ended in anger and resentment. She meets Riaz, a Snow Dancer lieutenant. While the two are attracted to one another, Riaz is rude and belligerent. He is unhappy about the attraction because he thinks it is a betrayal of he mating bond that he found with a woman but could not realize because she was already happily married to someone else. When the two agree to have a friends with benefits relationship they soon find out that feelings are very complicated. The secondary story is about Hawke and Sienna and there relationship finding its footing as the two approach their mating ceremony.

OPINION: This book for me felt like part two of KISS OF SNOW because the most interesting part was about Hawke and Sienna and the war between the Psy factions. While the romance between Riaz and Adria is billed as the top story, it felt like a secondary romance. I just found the other two stories much more compelling. I thought the twist on the romance between Riaz and Adria was interesting but it was just more interesting to read about the other events in the story.

WORTH MENTIONING: The final reveal in this book made reading the entire book worth it.

FINAL DECISION: I liked this book primarily because of the continuing storyline of Hawke and Sienna. The story of Adria and Riaz while interesting was not sufficient on its own to sustain the book.

CONNECTED BOOKS: TANGLE OF NEED is the eleventh book in the Psy-Changeling series. It is highly dependent upon the overarching storyline of the series. In many ways it feels like part two of KISS OF SNOW.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

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four-stars

Review: Kiss of Snow

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Review: Kiss of SnowKiss of Snow (Psy-Changeling, #10) by Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #10
Published by Berkley on May 31st 2011
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 433
Goodreads
five-stars

One of the Best of the Series

“You have the power to tear me to pieces, to wound me so deep and true that I’ll never recover.”

THE STORY: KISS OF SNOW continues Singh’s series about the world where humans, changelings (human animal shapeshifters) and Psy (those with psychic abilities) live. As readers of the series will recall, the Psy have been subject to Silence for 100 years. Silence was the stripping of all emotions from the Psy intended to protect them from the damaging effects of emotions. Now Silence is breaking down and there is a struggle for power between factions of the Psy and humans and changelings.

“Nothing about Sienna Lauren had ever been easy.”

Sienna Lauren is Psy. Her family defected to the SnowDancer changeling pack when Sienna was a teenager. Sienna is X-Psy which is a mysterious and rare designation. X-Psy means that Sienna is a living weapon. Most Psy of her designation do not live long and no one has lived longer than 25 years. Sienna is now nineteen and is a soldier for the SnowDancer Pack. Since their first meeting, she has known that she has wanted the Alpha of the SnowDancer Pack.

Hawke is the alpha wolf of the SnowDancer den. He is arrogant and protective and dominant. He has wanted Sienna since he first saw her, but he knows that he cannot do anything about it. He has believed her too young and also he knows that he cannot give her what she needs.

“Hawke’s mate is dead. He buried his heart with her.”

The wolf that Hawke knows would be his mate died as a child. Since wolves love only once, Hawke does not believe that his wolf will allow him to love Sienna in that way. Because he cares about her, he doesn’t want to hurt her. At the same time, Hawke cannot keep away from Sienna.

OPINION: This is the book that readers of the series have been looking forward to because Hawke and Sienna’s relationship has been hinted at in many of the books of the series. I loved the relationship between Hawke and Sienna. He wants her desperately but he cares too much about her to want to hurt her. At the same time, Sienna doesn’t want Hawke to dictate their relationship and demands to be treated as an equal. They are both strong, difficult people and they strike some serious sparks off of one another. Their story is intense and complex and I was enthralled the entire time. Entwined with the culmination of the overarching story of the impending attack on the changeling packs, Singh has created a story that is a suspense story but also a deeply moving romance. This is a story that I immediately wanted to reread. It was my favorite book since SLAVE TO SENSATION and is definitely on par with that story. I think the two can be read together as bookends to a portion of the Psy-Changeling story.

The book also has a sweet secondary romance between Lara, the SnowDancer healer and Walker Lauren, Sienna’s uncle. An addition to the story that doesn’t detract, the story is a sweet contrast to the more angst filled difficult romance between Hawke and Sienna.

WORTH MENTIONING: Fans of the series will be pleased to know that finally Sascha and Lucas’ child is born. Having both Alpha couples in this book was a treat.

FINAL DECISION: I loved this book. I consider it one of the best of the series. Action packed and emotional and written in a way that makes a reader want to keep turning pages, I highly recommend it.

CONNECTED BOOKS: KISS OF SNOW is the tenth book in the Psy-Changeling series. This book brings to a conclusion some of the stories that have been present in the series since the beginning. A reader could enjoy this book apart from the others in the series although I recommend starting at the beginning. Hawke and Sienna’s story has been going on since the beginning of the series and has more meaning having followed their journey.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars!

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five-stars