Today’s book review is for Deep Blue Secret, the first book in the Water Keepers Series, by Christie Anderson and is a young adult/teen fantasy read. I read this book while on vacation in St. Lucia, and I’ll add that I was a bit skeptical when I started it. I had spent my entire day by the pool reading another novel–which I put aside without finishing–and I was in a foul mood that I had wasted my day with that read. My husband and I were in our rooms after dinner, and although I usually don’t start a new book at night, I picked up my Kindle and read a few pages from more than one book, stopping with this one. I then spent the entire night reading it.

I’ll start with the pros, and since this is a teen read, I’m more conservative with my rating when it comes to content. However, this book held no foul language or overly sexual content, and it definitely gets my clean read seal of approval. I can easily recommend it to my daughters. I also highly enjoyed the creativity of this story about a unique race of people with water marks. The author weaved an interesting tale that kept me wanting to learn more about the water marks and keepers. As for the main character herself, she is a teenage girl living with her mother, and I love how this author decided to give Sadie and her mother a close relationship. Her mother is an interesting side character, and Sadie shows her a lot of respect and love.

I love to read books with interesting plots that keep you guessing and wanting to learn more. I did not want to put this book down, because the plot held me captive. The author did a great job in keeping things mysterious and not giving away too much. My words of choice for this book are: Creative, Interesting, and Clean.

Now for the cons: I don’t like love at first sight, and it’s a big turnoff for me. However, there was a hint of a reason or something more behind Sadie’s sudden attraction to the mysterious guy, and that stayed with me throughout the read. I also had a problem with her best friend’s tantrum/back stabbing. They’ve been friends forever, and that was a bit much. Both of these problems, however, did not take too much away from the story. I mean, I read through the night and even read the next book while on the vacation.

Overall, I give this book five stars. It’s highly original and a clean read for teens and adult lovers of the fantasy genre. I will be recommending this series to others, which is not something I can do with all the books I read.

Stay tuned for reviews of the other books in this series. Although I have started the third book, I’m on an editing deadline and won’t be able to get back to it for a while. Oh, I almost forgot the covers, which is another pro. They’re beautiful! Hmm… Reminds me somewhat of my novel Unexpected Metamorphosis. Maybe I love eyes, sparkles, and deep colors 🙂

The eBook of Deep Blue Secret is free at the time of this posting, and I’m guessing it’s set as perma-free since it’s the first in the series.

I don’t usually read mystery, but I got this book for $1.00 at my church bookstore. It’s written by Mindy Starns Clark and is part of a series, although I didn’t realize that until I finished reading it.

I’ll start with the pros: The mystery is solid and believable. The romance is clean and sweet. Both of the main characters are Christians, and it reminds me of when I was involved with a singles’ group in church. There’s really no Christian message coming from the author, as it’s more of a way of life for some of the characters. They go to church, a singles’ group, and their faith makes them who they are and plays a part in their choices. If you are a Christian, you’ll relate to them. If you aren’t a Christian, I think you’ll still enjoy the story, as it doesn’t preach at you.

Now for the cons: I really didn’t relate with the main female character for two reasons. The first being that Tulip makes her living by running a blog about household hints and tips. She’s highly organized, and I’m the complete opposite personality wise. The second reason I didn’t relate is that the story is told from four different people’s point of view, which was great for getting me to anticipate things before they happened but didn’t help to get me too involved with one person.

Overall, I thought it was a good read and gave it three stars. I think I would have given it four if it hadn’t been for the very last page. Apparently, this is the second book in a series. I just didn’t know that by looking at the cover. It does say, “author of The Trouble with Tulip” in small letters at the bottom. However, it doesn’t say book two or series really anywhere on the cover. The great mystery part of this book stands alone, but the romance is where you’ll want to read the entire series. I was at the very end of the book thinking I had a complete story, and then BAM!!! The last page throws in a punch that had me going, “What?” That’s when I looked a little deeper and realized I’d have to read the first and second book if I want to find out what happens with her personal life. I have no problem with reading a series, as that is what I write and usually read. However, I just wish I knew what I was getting into when I started the book. I wish the cover had given me more warning. Looking at the book on Amazon, it’s easy to see that the book is the second in a series–just not so if buying from a bookstore.

If you like cozy mysteries, you might enjoy this one. Just be sure to start with The Trouble with Tulip before reading this one.

Today’s book review is for Azuri Fae by India Drummond, and it’s the second book in the Caledonia Fae Series. If you are interested, you can read my review of Blood Faerie, the first book in the series.

Although both of these books follow the adventures of a female fae and a human druid, they are both stand alone stories and don’t end on a cliffhanger. If you read them, you are not committing to the entire series, which consists of six novels.

I’ll start with the pros: It’s a solid story, kept me interested, and I like how it does not force me to have to read all six books. This novel continues to establish the relationship between the fae and human. However, it’s a completely different adventure than the last novel, and it ended solidly. I also love the covers in the series.

Now for the cons: We get to see a glimpse of the magical fea realm, but there is not much imagery in the writing. I didn’t really get to picture a beautiful and magical place, as the author left a lot of that out of the story. This is a personal opinion, but I also don’t like how sex is a big thing for the plot–and not for romance or building a relationship. The plot is more focused on the action, and the romance is more of a background thing and is very weak. As with a lot of books when it comes to fae, they are not monogamous beings, and they don’t really do romance. However, sex is important to the plot of this story. Although I’m thankful the author did not describe any of the scenes and give me major visuals, I still did not enjoy reading about the strong sexual situations involving a crowd. I’ll just say that I can’t relate, it’s not what I’m into, and not what I want to read about. I want a magical realm I can deeply visualize, and I want the main characters to be deeper.

I give this novel three stars. I enjoyed the story and think the author does a great job when it comes to writing action and adventure, but I won’t be continuing the series.

Today’s review is for Blood Faerie, written by India Drummond. It’s the first book in the Caledonia Fae Series, which consists of six novels. Each book in the series is a story within itself, so if you read this one, you are not committing to the entire series.

The main characters in this series are a female fae exiled from her homeland and a human police detective. The setting of the story is Perth, Scotland, where a series of grizzly murders take place, and the two of them search for the killer.

I give this read four stars. It is well written, and it kept me turning the pages on my Kindle. In fact, I liked it enough to buy and read the second one in the series. I enjoyed the characters, and the plot was solid. This one is not really a romance, as its main focus is to stop the killings and the mystery surrounding them.

We don’t get to see much of the magical realm. However, the author did a great job in letting us glimpse the magic within the fae themselves, and it’s very much a part of the story.

As for a clean rating, I can’t give it one, and it won’t be added to my list of clean reads–especially after reading the second one. I can say that this novel does not contain any sex scenes. However, it does have a scene where the female fae completely strips down, and the man lusts after her. There’s also some explicit cursing.

Today’s book review is for Mark of the Dragon Queen, written by Katie W. Stewart. The story starts out at a fast pace, as a teenage girl’s life abruptly falls apart within the first chapter. The reader is then taken on an epic journey filled with magic, dragons, and adventure.

I give this book five stars. It’s a classic fantasy read where good versus a great evil. The author didn’t give any secrets away, and the plot is thick and filled with surprises. There’s a lot of action, and I don’t believe this story was lacking in any way. I can highly recommend it to anyone interested in fantasy reads.

As for my clean rating, I am very impressed with the writing of this author. Although there is death that is to be expected from an epic fantasy, there are no curse words or sexual content–not even kissing. This book is clean enough for middle grade children, yet it’s perfect for adults also. It’s an adventure you won’t outgrow.

If you love stories involving magic and dragons, then I suggest you give it a try. I’m a *cough* older woman, yet I highly enjoyed this book.

This is the second novella in the Fanged Princess Series, written by Elisabeth Wheatley. If you haven’t already, you can also read my review of Fanged Princess, the first novella in the series. Fanged Outcast picks up where the first one ended, and we join nineteen-year-old vampire Hadassah as she continues to try to protect her younger brother and his human girlfriend from their father.

This one has even more action than the first one, as it immediately dives into the plot with intense fighting that continues throughout. If this were a movie, you’d see swat teams, creatures, car chases, fist fights, tear gas . . . You get the idea–complete action.

As for romance, we still see the hint of one. The author dangles it in front of her readers. There’s just enough to make you want more. And with that, I am now waiting patiently for the third novella in the series. I enjoy the characters, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

There is some mild cursing throughout and lots of action, but there is no sexual references or anything to alarm parents. I can honestly recommend this series, and I give it five stars. It’s a quick read and highly enjoyable.