Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Really LOVE but haven't talked about enough / in a while

                Hello everyone!  Top Ten Tuesday is just how it sounds, a topic is picked and we put our Top Ten for that in a post and share and check out everyone’s answers.  Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

The top today is: Books I really LOVE but haven’t talked about enough / in a while

Darkness Falls trilogy by Krystal Wade- This series I usually call the Wilde’s Fire series, is amazing and I fell in love with them from the start.  I remember being blown away in book one and then being beyond excited that I didn’t have to wait forever for the sequel!  Still one of my favorite series. (Reviews: Wilde's Fire, Wilde's Army, & Wilde's Meadow)

Goddess Summoning series by P.C. Cast- When I got back into reading I found the House of Night series and through them loved Cast’s humor and style so I checked all of her other series including the romance series.  These are so much fun there is lots of mythology to fall in love with as well as the romance in them because let’s be honest they are romance and it is swoon worthy. 

1st in each of the seriesRunes / Grimnirs / Eirik series by Ednah Walters- I am a bit behind on the last two books but I have adored each and everyone as so far as they build on Norse mythology and loveable characters with some awesome stories. (Reviews: Runes, Grimnirs, Souls, & Seeress 

The Holders series by Julianna Scott- Okay so these books take place in the Emerald Isle.  So win right there.  Second the characters and the story with magic in a society and how it works in the world is so fun.  Plus come on the love interest speaks Gaelic on occasion and even reading it I’m swooning over the accent, yes I know I’m helpless. (Reviews: The Holders & The Seers)

Dark Dawn series by Richelle Mead- Auto-buy author for me after the Vampire Academy for sure but this series I think I may like just a touch more.  It’s more adult in the content for sure but the world is so much fun.  Different pains and crossing over worlds battling evils that cross over and just the whole magic system and the fae are really rather good.  You go back and forth between loving and hating different characters in a way that feels so natural you don’t even realize your opinion has shifted until it’s too late. (Reviews: Storm Born & Thorn Queen / Iron Crowned & Shadow Heir)

The Shapeshifter’s Secret by Heather Ostler- I started this series before I had read many books involving shifters of any kind and it was so much fun.  Still this series stands out because instead of any form you have one form, a large cat.  My favorite animals are white tigers and wolves so come on how awesome is this! (Review:  The Shapeshifter's Secret & The Siren's Secret)

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley- This is a stand-alone and it was something completely different than anything I had read before.  The entire books takes place in the span of one day.  The journey of one night and all the characters was something I instantly liked. (Review) 

Not all of them...so many wonderful stories

Allie’s War series by J.C. Andrijeski- I first discovered this series and had the great pleasure of reading through the first 6 books before having to wait for more.  The world is so different from anything else and it is easy to immerse yourself in it. They are very adult though for content.  (Review)

Running on Empty by Collette Ballard- A fun tale of small towns and a look at what is right and what is truth and how sometimes things can get blurred. (Review)

Sin & Temptation by Casey L. Bond- They can be read as alone or together, I suggest together because they are awesome.  Super quick reads but each is steamy and intense. (Reviews: Sin & Temptation)

  

                 Tell me what you think of my list in the comments below.  Which would you recommend so I know which ones to get first?  Also please link back to your Top Ten as well so I can check out your list and see what I missed!

More Cora and Echo in Souls by Ednah Walters

Amazon Goodreads

                As promised more reviews!  Let's jump right in.  Today we have Souls by Ednah Walters, which is the 2nd book in the Grimnirs series and book 5 in the Runes series.  Now for a brief run down the Runes series is the main story and told from the POV of Raine.  The Grimnirs series has  two books in it thus far  and follow in tangent with the original, however,  focuses on Cora and are told from her perspective.  I adore having Cora's thoughts on things and having a more central story focused on Cora and Echo.  These stories also come out in two versions, the original and a clean version that tones down the sex/language to me appropriate for younger readers.  You can also check out my reviews for Runes, Grimnirs, and Seeress.

                Now down to the goodies which will contain spoilers from the previous books in the series so if you're not caught up yet go read them and come back.  You've been warned.  So we left off after a bit of a battle royal in the forest with the Valkyries and the evil Immortals.  Well Cora is still doing her thing in helping souls find closure, even though her sexy soul reaper boyfriend Echo doesn't always like the toll it takes on her.  Still he is a good boyfriend and is her perfect partner in this as he reaps the souls after she finishes.  That is until she meets with a dark soul.  Yep, and not just some twisted psycho but something much darker.  Now Echo wants her to stop.  She is caught between what she feels is right and what Echo wants from her.  Add to that the other reapers trying to track this dark soul down and you have a mess.  Even her Valkyrie friends don't understand why she would ever help a dark soul.  Cora feels there is more to it than she's been told and that this dark soul may be the key to stopping a much more sinister plot against her and her friends. 

                As I mentioned I love me some Cora and Echo.  He is such a good guy bad boy.  He is a reaper, one of Hel's best, and he is very confident in himself but when he's with Cora he's different.  I enjoy watching the different interactions with him and seeing how Cora interrupts him.  She knows how it would look to others and what she has given up to be with him but she doesn't care.  Some things she still has her moments on, come on what girl wouldn’t like a boyfriend to take her out in public ever once an a while.  Still reading them together even when they don’t agree, because lets face it they're both stubborn.  Its swoon worthy.  His need for her comes through and makes me want to warm him up after his trips to Hel.  And Cora, she has grown a lot over the series.  She was all hot guy of the week blog but now she has seen what's really out there and wants to help people.  She isn't the type to sit back and let her supernatural boyfriend do all the work, she wants to contribute too.  So she helps souls even when it takes a toll on her.  She is a strong character who takes what is given to her and rolls with it the best way she can.  At the same time she is totally mushy and in love with her guy even though she hates being 'that girl' sometimes.  Though I would never classify Cora as a girl who needs her guy to be complete, I simply think that what they have makes them both stronger and its okay to need/want that. 

                We've covered their chemistry.  Scorching.  Echo has also grown since we first met him and although he doesn’t care to have a ton of people around he is slowly coming out of his solitary life.  He has friends now even if no one will admit it.  Cora is good for him in that way, she loves him and their time together but she isn't given up her friends and family to spend every second with him but instead pulls him into it.  Even if he doesn't always make it easy or play fair.  I also liked that in this one we got more of Raine, Torin, and the gang.  Cora's relationship with Echo is great but we also see more of her with Raine.  They had been friends for years and we see that closeness in here.  I could easily see their relationship, not many words needed to discuss something, just needing a hug, and always standing by one another in any situation.  Also unlike Raine, Cora has to do all this supernatural stuff without her parents knowing which means lies and cover stories.  That can't be easy for when you have a good and close relationship with your parents like she has.  And I love that the author didn’t just shove that aside either and made it clear. 

                Oh the feels.  I won't say when, if you haven't read this book, but there were a couple of scenes where it pulled on my heart strings and gave me a serious case of the feels where I had to stop reading for a bit and do something else.  Hey I was at work and I refuse to cry because of a book at work; the guys would never let me live it down and I'd scare people away if they came to the window.  So keep tissues handy. 

December is a long time...

                Not just Cora/Echo hotness, or tears, there was a lot of action going on between the fighting and the mystery to solve.  We also learn more about the marks put on Cora that make her soul cat nip.  It also left plenty of questions unanswered that I hope will come up in the next book.  The stories really do line up perfectly and I can't wait to see what happens next in Witches in December.   With all this, if it wasn't clear I give Souls 5 Stars.  Anyways Souls came out September 29th so check it and the other books in the Runes and Grimnirs series out.  You can click here for a list of the books in order to make it super easy.

Seeress by Ednah Walters

                Okay so as you guys will remember, it was only last week that I reviewed Grimnirs Book 2.5 in the Runes series by Ednah Walters.  Now Seeress Book 3 was released April 28th.  I ordered it that same day and read it pretty quickly but the last few days have been pretty swamped. 

                Anyways I am excited to share my thoughts on Seeress.  Be warned though this review will contain spoilers from the previous 3 books so read on at your own risk. 

                In this book we go back to Raine, where in Grimnirs we got a switch to Cora's POV and I admit I was curious if that would continue or even a swap back and forth kind of deal.  No we stick with Raine which I don't mind at all, but I do hope to get more of Cora's POV in the future knowing how much I enjoyed it.  Where was I?  Oh yes I was back with Raine Cooper who is a complicated girl who is pretty much sure of a few things in life, that she loves Torin (then again who wouldn't), and she is a powerful seeress, even if she doesn't know what that means yet.  She is still training but with things spinning around a mile a minute to say her life is chaotic is an understatement.  Her mother is sequestered, her father is dying, her best friend Erick is in Hel, she's a seeress without visions, then when they come they are all messed up, who's a girl to talk to? 

               

                What do you do when your visions are so disturbing and they try to make you doubt the only things you are sure of in your crazy world?  She finally finds someone who is able to help clear things up but Torin forbids her from seeing them.  Can their love survive without answers or trust?

                Now as with the rest of the books we have the characters we've come to love.  Raine is still the girl we met in the first book but she has grown with the series thus far, I mean she kind of had to with everything she'd been through.  It feels like a natural development.  She is still confused and unsure of so many things, and I find that refreshing.  Having power and knowing how and when to use it are very different things.  Then there is her relationship with Torin.  If you remember I wrote how much I loved his dark tortured soul.  He is horribly flawed but still good.  He's a good guy but he's kind of an ass.  He does things, all be it for the right reasons, but he is a jerk about it.  He is overpowering, manipulative, and dominating, all of which could have turned me completely off from him as a character if it wasn't balanced with his sweet heart and his clear cut reasons why he thought it was the best solution.  This could have also turned me away from Raine, giving into someone who is going to demand you do as they say, not hot.  Raine calls him on his crap.  She fights back but she also knows when to pick her battles.  And I give her credit, she gets upset but she isn't as rash as I might be.  I'm just saying, someone tells me they won't allow me to do something, that just makes me want to do it all the more and probably will just to prove no one allows me to do anything.  Yeah, I'm working on my own issues of adjusting/compromising.

                We also get to see more into the world of the others.  The Valkyries have been around for a long time, some coming from different areas and different reigns.  We got a bit more depth and back story into some of the others which I liked.  Also we learn more about our the other types of magic can exist in this world with everything else.  I liked learning about the witches also, a whole other community.  I also enjoy that even as they are preparing and dealing with so much major stuff they still deal with the normal teenage things that help ground them, TV marathons, sleepovers, double dates, high school gossip and an after school job.  What can be more grounding than something simple.

                Overall I really liked the newest book in the series and can't wait for me, keeping fingers crossed for more from Cora's POV also.  There is so much brewing all waiting for Ragnarök and I can see many more juicy stories coming out of this before the end. 

Rating:  5 Artavo

                Keeping with my productivity, I have a few more ARC's that I'm excited about.  Two of which come out on the same day, and I only got them 6 days in advance, so the review won't be too advanced haha.  I have finished 1, Avoiding Alpha, by Aileen Erin sequel to Becoming Alpha which I previously reviewed here.  Also don't forget to scroll back, my authorinterview with Colette Ballard and giveaway is still up until Saturday so get your entries in. 

                Also as a side note, I was recently having problems with the comments, people commenting but they never show up.  I contacted tech support and they have advised it was the way the comment field was set up, I had the default used for display and only made adjustments to let everyone post without having to have an account because that can scare people away and I don't want that!  So if you were one of the people who tried to post and it didn't show up, I'm sorry I missed it and I think everything is back in order now! 

Runes by Ednah Walters

                Hello everyone!  I have another book review for you, an ARC from NetGalley, of course, and Firetrail Publishing, Runes by Ednah Walters.  This books comes out May 20th, so read on for an early look at this book.

                This is going to be Book 1 in a series so as usual once I got to the end I was upset that I have to wait but what can you say.  The cover for this book is simple, but intriguing with the lines of light on the handsome guys face, who also seems to have a disdain for a shirt, all on a pretty blue backdrop. 

                Rain Cooper is your average 17 year old girl with 2 best friends, a loving yet eccentric mother, star of the swim team, and a huge crush on her best guy friend, Eirik.  She has it all even a missing and presumed dead father, to everyone but her mother that is, and a new neighbor moving in.  Pretty much your typical normal life.  Until she meets her new neighbor and the new exchange students and sexy neighbor Torin saves her life with magical runes on his skin.  Oh yeah not so normal now.

                Even from her first meeting with Torin, Raine is drawn to him, in a way she can't fully explain even when he does nothing but annoy the crap out of her.  She knows he's different right away, but after the whole saving her life thing she dedicates her time to finding out just what he is and what he and his friends interest in the swim team is all about.  Oh and her connection to him, while trying to make the most of finally getting the guy she's been liked for so long.  Who is Torin, and what is he?  hat he is goes back to ancient mythology that she is part of, but can she stop what is coming and save those she loves?

                I really enjoyed this book and will give it 5 Runes right now.  I liked the plot, a mix of paranormal romance, Norse mythology and a good learning to find oneself story.  It made for a fun combination to read.  Once I got started and became invested I couldn’t put it down until the last click of my kindle page where I was left saying "WTF that's it, now what am I supposed to do?"  Yep it will keep you reading and leaving you wanting more, it did for me.

                Now I've never read anything from Ednah Walters before but now that I have I'm intrigued and will have to check out their other books.  Walters made good characters, I liked how Raine was confused and undecided, she is constantly adapting and changing to new information being thrown at her and doing her best to deal.  And her relationship with Cora reminded me of my best girlfriends and our crazy behind  conversations.  Torin is dark and mysterious but also seems tormented, which yes is done many times but clearly it's a winner if done right and I wanted to make him feel better and take away his pain.   Basically I liked the characters and if you have read any of my previous reviews you know how important that is for me.  Good character or its blah and this one had good ones.

                The book moved along quickly and I finished it at work.  I liked being along for the confusion.  When you have wanted someone for so long, then finally get what you have wanted for years only to find yourself thinking of someone else despite your head telling you no.  Maybe its timing or fate, either way I had a great time reading. 

                Runes has many twists and turns and yes even got me a with one or two.  It comes out May 20th so give it a click and check it out.  Share your thoughts below please I love feedback and I want to know what you think!