Reviewed By Trudi LoPreto for Readers' Favorite

Lakota Honor by Kat Flannery is the story of Nora, a young 19-year-old living in Willow Creek, Colorado. Otakatay is a half-Sioux and half-white man who has become a bounty hunter, hating white people for their treatment of him because of many factors. Willow Creek has a prejudiced group of townspeople against Nora and Otakatay for very different reasons. Nora’s father has tried to keep her locked in the house, away from people so that they did not find out she has the mark of a healer. An unidentified townsperson hires Otakatay to kill all of the witkowin – crazy witch women - who have the mark. When he first meets Nora, the two form a strange bond that will cause sadness, heartache, violence, love, and friendship. Elwood is the wealthy mine owner wanting to marry Nora against her wishes but trying to win her over with whatever it takes. If you want to put all of these pieces together, you must read Lakota Honor yourself.

Lakota Honor by Kat Flannery is a great book with lots of up and down emotional turmoil. I was hooked, spending my afternoon reading Lakota Honor as I found it impossible to put down. The characters popped off the pages, and the plot never left me wanting. Kat Flannery painted a perfect word picture of the Old West; their feelings about the Native Americans, witchcraft, healing, friendship, and love. Lakota Honor is an excellent book, and it has all the ingredients for a made-for-TV hit movie. Kat Flannery has found her way onto my favorite author list, and I can’t wait for her next book. Read Lakota Honor, and you will not be disappointed.

Reviewed By Stephanie Chapman for Readers' Favorite

Calypso “Caly” Smith is an introverted paralegal who has been having extremely vivid dreams. On her way to work, she literally runs into Nick by rear-ending his car. After a few days, Nick persuades Caly to go on a date. Meanwhile, The Order has been trying to track down The Ghost. Blake, a wolf shifter and leader of a group of alpha males, has begun to experience dreams that seem to be telling him a message. Caly goes on several dates with Nick but doesn’t feel any chemistry with him. Her dreams have changed dramatically as the man in her dreams repeatedly says, “Tell the male with the cold dark eyes Blake Orion’s Order.” One evening, she suddenly awakens to see an intruder in her apartment. The man with cold dark eyes appears in front of her. Caly tells him the message, then her world goes dark. Upon waking up, Caly sees the man in her dream. Blake inquires why she called him, and Caly soon learns there is more to the world than what she was led to believe. Calypso’s Heart by M.C. Solaris is a fantasy set in the world of shifters.

The points of view in Calypso’s Heart split between Caly and Blake. The emotional turmoil that Caly has is completely rational, and I would feel the same way if I was apparently abducted from my home. Waking up to a world where the people are more than just human would be a shock to anyone. The plot is extremely deep yet M.C. Solaris did an exceptional job of setting the scenes in vivid detail. The characters all have distinctive personalities that add a feeling of realism to the story. I enjoyed the witty games that the twins, Rhyland and Rhyker, would play on the overly serious vampire Nico. My favorite description of one scene was, “It was like a pink Care Bear threw up in his room.”

This fantasy story has several pages dedicated to Blake and Caly’s attraction to one another which, while physically descriptive, showed the intensity of emotional need. Every aspect of the characters, scenery, and action scenes can easily be pictured in my mind. The ending contains a letter from Caly ensuring The Orion’s Order Series will continue with its character-centered focus. I recommend this exceptional novel to readers that enjoy paranormal romances starring shifter main characters. I look forward to Rhyker’s Key: Book 2 of the series.

Reviewed By Sarah Stuart for Readers' Favorite

Within Ghostly Interference lies a powerful action-packed story of two vastly different worlds that collide, literally. It opens with Jag Peters driving his car with his mind on work and almost knocking Rena Jett off her motorbike. Jag comes from a comfortable, privileged background, and his driving force is to protect his karma. Rena is fiercely independent. Her only companions – nobody is her friend – are bikers. Rena herself rides a candy apple red Harley. Does she mean to be noticed? How could a girl who scrapes a living working in a diner afford a Harley? What are the secrets of her past? With the paranormal angle, Jan Sikes has taken Ghostly Interference: Book 1 of the White Rune Series a step beyond interesting to utterly captivating.

Jag Peters is the only son of a wealthy family. He is close to his widowed mother, a yoga teacher, and she is the one who takes him seriously when he describes his encounter with a gun-toting soldier in full combat camouflage gear. Jag does not believe in ghosts, but this one has unfinished business, and he’s determined to recruit Jag. Rena Jett, alone since her brother, Sam, was killed in Afghanistan, trusts nobody. She wears Sam’s dog tags and, eventually, a soldier friend brings her Sam’s last letter, and the envelope contains a stone. “The symbol on this white rune is called Wunjo and is the "happily-ever-after" symbol.” Is a happy ending possible for two people poles apart? Ghostly Interference by Jan Sikes holds the answer, but from start to finish it’s an electrifying ride.

Reviewed By Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

A Cat for Troy by Allie McCormack is book three of the Wishes & Dreams Series. Troy Shelton is a respected veterinarian, and when he is asked to take care of a cat after a dog attack, he doesn’t hesitate. But this is no ordinary cat. This beautiful Maine Coon calico is a shapeshifter called Katerina. Injured in the attack, Cat is unable to change back into human form until she heals, but she loves the way Troy cares for her. When she does change back, she finds herself thrust into the middle of a race against time. A race to stop someone else from taking Troy and hurting him. A rogue is stalking Cat, a rogue who already tried to kill her and her sister. Can Cat and her friends save Troy? What will happen when Troy finds out who – or what - Cat really is?

A Cat for Troy is a wonderful slow-burning paranormal romance! Allie McCormack has penned a thrilling, action-packed story that moves along at a decent pace. Although this is part of a series, I had no trouble reading it as a standalone. However, I believe the other books tell the stories of other characters in this book so it is recommended to read them all to get the full picture. This is more than just a paranormal romance; it's about two people who find each other against the odds, against everything life throws at them. This is a very different take on shifters, as most shifter stories focus on mating and bonding right from the start. It is a clean story with a nice storyline and some likable, well-developed characters you will relate to instantly. Get ready to lose yourself in a magical world you’ll be sorry to leave – and try to stop yourself from looking at your family cat in a completely different way!

Reviewed By Maureen Dangarembizi for Readers' Favorite

Haunted Wolf is the first book in Nikki Landis’s Cedar Creek Shifters series. Cole Baxter left his pack when his fiancee was killed by an enemy bear shifter. He was supposed to protect her and he had failed. He never thought he would go back until he finds his brother on his doorstep. Briar, his former fiancee’s baby sister, is in danger. Someone has been sending her death threats. The killer has already murdered someone and it’s only a matter of time before he gets to Briar. But Cole is not about to let that happen. At first, it's because he owes Briar a debt he can never repay, and then later Cole realizes that what he feels may be more than brotherly affection. Briar has always been attracted to Cole even before her sister passed. When he left, it almost destroyed her. He belonged to her sister before but this time they might just have a chance at love.

I enjoy romance mixed in with a real story that involves a believable plot plus secondary characters and Haunted Wolf delivers. The romance between Cole and Briar was complicated in the past. It would have been awkward crushing on your sister’s sweetheart. Nikki Landis focused on the present but didn’t sideline Renleigh as unimportant. It was sexy without being tacky. It could have been seriously weird but the writer handles the relationship well. Having shared that kind of love and loss, I really wanted the pair to find happiness. I look forward to more stories as there are still a few unattached hunky wolf shifters who need mates. The world Nikki Landis has created has a lot of promise for more thrills with enemy shifters and hunters.

Reviewed By Dinah Roseberry for Readers' Favorite

Somewhere by the Sea (Finding Somewhere Series, Book I) by Verna Clay is a treasure trove of emotional triggers that take a young widowed woman to her deceased family’s dream place as a final challenge to hold onto, and let go of, her departed husband and son. Burdened by the knowledge that she was responsible for their deaths, Somewhere — a small shore town that they’d been planning to visit as a family — was her only salvation. This was her last chance to hold them in her living world and to keep from letting them go.

As I went deeper with Verna Clay into Somewhere by the Sea, I found the setting of the town was so well presented that I could feel myself being drawn into its unique charm — just as heroine Faith Bennison was: she needed to be away from memories, yet she needed to have those same memories etched in her mind. Of course, as is usually the case, all is not quaint and lovely at the Hope Bed and Breakfast, or with the friendly shopkeepers, ocean views, and handsome men (like Baxter, the B&B owner’s son, who has her heart beating much too quickly). But just as happiness can bring an unlikely couple together, so might loss provide a similar cause, as is the case for Faith and Baxter. In fact, the town has even more relationship issues than those of Faith and Baxter blowing through the gentle winds, and those need their own happy endings. But for now, would this place be the right home for Faith to put down roots? There could be problems: the people in town — as nice as they are — don’t believe she is seeing what she is seeing. Some are thinking the worst. To be honest, she, too, doubts her own eyes. There are great risks to her and her new friends, and especially the attractive Baxter, when the paranormal pays a visit to Somewhere by the Sea.

What I loved about Verna Clay’s romantic tale is being totally immersed in the setting. I could picture the town so clearly with its houses and hills, the walking trails, the haunted stone house, the museum, the diner, and all the other nooks and crannies. I could walk down Main Street and Ocean Boulevard today and interact with Gabby and Leo and Vicki and Baxter. I could be Faith. I could love Baxter. The writing is superb as Clay's paranormal lazes through the town and along the beaches, barely noticed until… well, just know that there’s a reason for everything, and learning to make better choices can make a heart flutter when in the right person’s arms. Somewhere by the Sea (Book I) by Verna Clay is a gentle romantic experience that will leave you wanting more of Somewhere. This first book in Clay’s series will beckon you forward to the next and the next. You may want to bring along your paints and easel.

Reviewed By Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite

A reincarnated medieval knight and his squire fight to protect a modern-day lady from an ancient dark spell in the exciting romance novel, Hot Magic (Cat's Paw Cove Book 5) by Catherine Kean. While his grandfather is on vacation, Lucian Lord and his feline squire, Galahad, are in charge of his antique shop, Black Cat Antiquities. Molly Hendrickson, a third-grade teacher from Seattle, is temporarily in town to settle her recently deceased mother's estate and take charge of her cats. When Molly brings some of her mother's items to Lucian's shop to be evaluated, she and Lucian are instantly and inexplicably attracted to each other. However, dark magic is brewing beneath the surface of the town and is threatening their past, present, and future. Will Molly and Lucian have a chance at romance? Or will a sinister presence take over their lives?

Hot Magic (Cat's Paw Cove Book 5) by Catherine Kean is a delightfully entertaining paranormal romance novel. A bewitching plot and enchanting characters create an enthralling story. The twelfth-century English backdrop of the story made a marvelous setting for the characters and set the tone for the ancient magic that flowed into the present-day background of the mystical village of Cat's Paw Cove. The town and characters are unique, giving the story a feeling of enchantment and mystique. From the very beginning, it captures the imagination and builds to an exciting finale. I thoroughly enjoyed the book from start to finish, and I highly recommend it to everyone who loves romance novels with a magical flavor.

Reviewed By K.J. Simmill for Readers' Favorite

In L.B. Gilbert's Earth, Gia, the Earth Elemental, has been poisoned. After being infiltrated by the alchemist, John, and betrayed, the Elementals found it very hard to trust anyone, but they needed help. The only person who can possibly be of aid is Salvador, a witch with a family history of darkness and evil. Sure he broke away, healed instead of harmed, but John had seemed to be trustworthy too and he betrayed them. But this poison is not the only thing to fear. John is intent of wiping supernaturals from the world and leaving its care to humanity, and now he has just the weapon to do it - something that not only poisons the body but works on a deeper level. Supes aren't his only target; he intends to take down the Mother, liberating the land of all her children. Can the Elementals do what must be done to stop him, or will they fall to his plan?

Earth is the fourth book in L.B. Gilbert's, The Elementals Series. Strong world and character building are key to this journey as the reader is whisked away in a race-against-time adventure where the path of the future is uncertain. While it is the final book in the series, the manner in which it has been penned means it has its own self-contained plot. There are parts that no doubt reward someone who has read the other books, but the reader does not need this knowledge to enjoy the tale. Danger, disaster, plans, wars, and betrayal propel the reader through a plot filled with magical creatures from dragons to witches. I enjoyed watching the reluctant camaraderie and contradictory feelings that start the foundation of a relationship between characters. The smooth flowing style of L.B. Gilbert is sure to hook a reader and take them along on an epic journey to save the world where there is more than one surprise in store. Engaging, riveting, and compelling. The rules are changing, the stakes are unprecedented, and you'll just have to know how it all ends.

Reviewed By Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite

Shifters are disappearing without a trace, and the supernatural community believes a banished wolf is either the key to the world's demise or its salvation, in the thrilling paranormal suspense novel, Hell's Key (Siblings of the Underworld: Book 1) by Linzi Baxter. When Paldon is marked and banished from the North American Pack without a trial, she trusts no one. Becoming a private investigator, she makes her living as a bounty hunter chasing humans. A decade later, Paldon's life is once again disrupted when the Vampire King and Ryker, the Alpha wolf of the local pack, come to warn her that supernaturals are vanishing. Arguing that she doesn't need protection, Paldon is adamant about taking care of herself. That is until she goes home and finds her human secretary held captive in her living room. After a bloody battle with demons, a decaying wolf, and trolls, Paldon receives the unsettling news that she is the daughter of Lucifer. And worse, he doesn't know who her mother is. Believing her mother is behind the attacks and disappearances, Paldon must find her without blowing up the world or getting killed. Struggling to maintain the power that flows through her, she grudgingly works with Ryker and her sister Wrath, one of the deadly sins. Who is abducting the supernaturals? And why are they targeting Paldon?

The opening book in an exciting series, Hell's Key (Siblings of the Underworld: Book 1) by Linzi Baxter is a scintillating shifter story, in which a daughter of the devil is the principal character. From the first sentence, Paldon's snarky nature is amusing and entertaining. Akin to Janet Evanovich's character Stephanie Plum in attitude and vocation, Paldon contrasts with hers as a shapeshifting wolf and the offspring of Lucifer. Brilliantly written, this stunning novel has engaging characters and is filled with humor, romance, and suspense. Although the story comes to an abrupt and unexpected ending, the startling conclusion is the perfect segue into the next book, leaving the reader hungry for the sequel. Far superior to Stephenie Meyer's Twilight novels, fans of shifter and vampire stories will not want to miss reading this series! With the inclusion of intimate scenes, it is more suitable for the age of young adult readers and above.

Reviewed By Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

Neck-Romancer: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance by Elizabeth Dunlap is a paranormal romance with a difference. Jaz Neck didn’t specialize in anything magic when her friends did and has resigned herself to a life of Ordinary. She has a friend – a ghost – who follows her to her grandmother’s where, all of a sudden, Jaz finds her specialty. She is the first necromancer in 400 years, the only one in existence, and that gives her the in she needs to join the Highborn Academy again. The same old bullies start on her once again but there is a good side to this for Jaz. Like her mother, she finds herself linked with not one but three soulmates and they couldn’t be any different – a Lycan, a ghost, and a warlock. But there are dark forces on the rise – will Jaz’s soulmates have the strength to protect her?

Neck-Romancer: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance by Elizabeth Dunlop was an entertaining read, a great start to a new series. As well as a good, solid, plot, it lives up to the ‘medium-burn reverse harem’ story it is with a couple of well-placed explicit sex scenes – definitely NOT recommended for younger readers! There is also some explicit language, although a lot of it has been ‘sanitized’ – “effing” instead of the alternative, for example. The characters are fantastic – an eclectic, unlikely set of main characters, all really well developed and a lot of fun. This is a unique story and clearly our heroine is going to face a lot of trials in future books. The main female character was supposedly in her 20s but it felt more like she was a teen – until a bit later in the book. It did not spoil the story for me though and this was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I'm looking forward to the next book.