Review: The Siren by Elicia Hyder (The Summoner Series Book 2)

Image & description from Goodreads.com

All the missing victims of North Carolina’s deadliest serial killer have been found, all except Rachel Smith. When the FBI produces a photo proving Rachel is alive and well in Texas, one case is closed but another one is opened. Either this is a case of mistaken identity or there are more people than just Sloan Jordan and Warren Parish who seem to walk the earth without a soul. 

Along with Detective Nathan McNamara, Sloan and Warren travel south to find Rachel and solve the biggest mystery of all: determining who—or what—they really are. 

The Siren is Book 2 of The Soul Summoner Series. 

My Thoughts:
Outstanding!!  A sequel worthy of its predecessor. This book has so many unexpected twists that I could barely stand to put it down.  The story picks up a few weeks after the last book.  Sloan, Warren & Nate are searching for another possible "supernatural" person who can give Sloan & Warren some much needed answers.  They get so much more than they ever bargained for.  One of the best things about Elicia's writing is the connection between all the characters.  It's so natural.  There's never any awkward dialogue or strained interactions.  The banter between Sloan, Warren, Nate & even Shannon is hilarious.  I can't wait to read the next book.  There's so many possibilities for this series it makes me giddy to think what could be next!  There is a bit of a cliff hanger at the end but it's one that is absolutely needed to keep the series going.  It didn't bother me in the slightest other than to make me wish the next book was sitting in my Kindle already!

Recommended for 15 & up.  Mild to moderate language, violence & sexual content.

Review: The Soul Summoner by Elicia Hyder

Image & Description from goodreads.com

Blessed–or cursed–with a connection to the souls of others, Sloan Jordan can see the best in people… and the worst. For twenty-seven years, she's kept her ability a secret, but eleven young women have been murdered in the mountains of North Carolina, and Sloan may be the only hope of finding their killer. 

She has just agreed to help Detective Nathan McNamara with the case, when a stranger—who is as alluring as he is terrifying—shows up at her doorstep with a dark past and another puzzling mystery: she can't see his soul at all. 

Now Sloan is on the hunt for a deadly psychopath with two irresistible men. One of them would die for her, and the other would kill to keep her safe.

My Thoughts:
I was pleasantly surprised  with this book.  My mother-in-law told me I would love it & she was so right!  The writing was fantastic & the story is unique!  I like when a book doesn't resemble anything I've read before.  The characters are funny and easy to relate to.  I loved Sloan's witty comments in difficult situations.  Mainly because that's how I react when things get stressful.  I was a bit leery of her sudden "connection" to Warren, but it didn't degrade the story in any way.  Detective Nate is hilarious.  His banter with both Sloan & Warren was so entertaining.  The story is well paced & I hated having to put the book down to interact with other humans.  There's good suspense & I didn't know right away who the killer was.  There are some questions still left to be answered so of course I will be reading the next book.   

Recommended for 15 & up.  Moderate sexual content & violence.  

I bought this book on Amazon to review for my own pleasure.

Review: More than Music (Chasing the Dream #1) by Elizabeth Briggs

Image & Description from Goodreads.com

Classical musician Maddie Taylor secretly dreams of a louder life, but geeky girls like her don't get to be rock stars. That is, until tattooed singer Jared Cross catches her playing guitar and invites her to join his band on The Sound, a reality TV show competition.

Once on the show, Maddie discovers there's more to Jared than his flirty smile and bad boy reputation. With each performance their attraction becomes impossible to ignore, but when the show pressures them to stay single, they're forced to keep their relationship secret.

As the competition heats up, Jared will do whatever it takes for his band to win, and Maddie must decide if following her dream is worth losing her heart. 

My Thoughts:
This book was a fun, quick read.  I'm an avid viewer of the tv show The Voice.  Much of the book was set in a setting similar so I loved reading what it could possibly be like for the contestants on that show.  Maddie is a self-proclaimed music geek who doesn't see her own beauty.  What I liked about her was that she wasn't miss prim & proper who's just waiting for the bad boy to come steal her innocence.  She is a little naive about the music industry but what she lacks in that knowledge she makes up for by being a bad-ass guitarist.  Jared is a guy who finds it easier to play the part of the bad guy who breaks hearts than to risk getting hurt in a relationship.  He has decided his dedication to his music & his band are the only things worth committing to.  When the band needs Maddie to fill after the guitarist bails, she finds herself & her feelings in uncertain waters.  She discovers there's more to Jared than his reputation and he finds out there's something more to fight for.  I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Recommended for 16 & up.  Moderate sexual content.

I purchased this book from Amazon.

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - Audio version

Image & description from goodreads.com

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. 

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

My Thoughts:
I bought this book on audible to listen to on my commute to work & home.  The narrator, Elizabeth Evans, did a great job voicing the characters.  She captured Celaena's haughty attitude perfectly.

I can't believe I waited so long to start this series.  I love it!  It's unique & exciting.  Celaena is a wonderfully complex character.  I didn't just get attached to Celaena.  I fell in love with Chaol, Dorian & Nehemia too.  They all have such an intricate part in the story.  I like that Celaena isn't perfect.  She's sometimes selfish and stubborn.  She doesn't apologize for her faults.  She accepts them as part of who she is and does the best she can in all circumstances.  The world the story is based in is beautifully constructed.  I can't wait to see what happens next to the "King's Champion".  

Recommended for 14 & up.  Moderate violence & mild language.