REVIEW: "Kiss Me, Kill Me, a Paranormal Anthology."

 Why this book?: One of the authors (Lori Brighton) gave me this book in exchange for a review. Buy it! It's only 99 cents AND all proceeds go to charity! Go HERE for more formats.

Disclaimer: Book was given to me in exchange for a review.

Type: Anthology, Charity, Paranormal, Series (sorta, some stories are continuation of series), Weres, Vamps, Magic, and more

About the book: Voyage into the realm of the paranormal with this nine author short story anthology. Sink your teeth into stories from: H.P. Mallory, Zoe Winters,Susan Bischoff, Lori Brighton, M.T. Murphy, Kait Nolan, Toni LoTempio, Daniel Arenson and Stacey Wallace Benefiel. All proceeds will be donated to GreaterGood.Org charity.
My Review: It's kind of tough to review anthologies - especially ones with so many authors, and therefore a lot of stories. I enjoyed the book, and it was the perfect choice for light reading in between busy moments of my life (which is every moment, currently). I'm not a huge anthology and short story fan, but "Kiss Me, Kill Me" provided some great entertainment, as well as helped me find new authors and series to pursue. A couple of the stories that really stuck out were "Wild Passion" by Lori Brighton - I do so love thieves and conmen, "The Sacrifice" by Toni LoTempio - the story was only so-so for me until the ending (especially the epilogue) and it just felt so delicious and right, and "Until the Breaking of the Day" by Daniel Arenson - this story absolutely blew me away, a beautiful, dark classic fantasy story.

Some of these stories are actually continuation of series, or a short spin-off of presently running series, and I found them to be a great starting point - I looked up several of the authors in this anthology to find the rest of their books after I finished reading their short story. I definitely want to look up "The Talent Chronicles" by Susan Bischoff after reading that story, as well as more Mirus stories by Kait Nolan. That said, I also liked that some stories stood alone - makes it a little less overwhelming since you don't feel left out by not knowing all the backstory. So all-in-all, this was a great anthology - very entertaining, and perfect for curling up on the deck in the (suddenly) warm weather and reading. Be sure to check it out!

Cover Loving: Good choice for the cover. Since there are some stories that would appeal to readers of either gender, I think it could have been less pink, but it generally fits the book.

Recommendation: Fans of paranormal will love it, as well as fans of the authors featured. If you're looking for some new authors to try, get "Kiss Me, Kill Me," it's an excellent way to try out authors, and help a charity at the same time!

Final Rating: FOUR out of FIVE (4/5). Fun, good read.

Happy Reading!

~!~ Amanda ~!~

My mind says "Good!" REVIEW of "The Mind Readers" by Lori Brighton

 Why this book?: Received it to review - I love this author!

Disclaimer: I received this book for free, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Type: Young Adult, Psychics, Mind Readers, No one is what they seem, Young Adult Paranormal Romance

About the book: Cameron can read minds. It's not the worst thing in the world, well.. maybe when she was younger and hadn't learned to keep quiet. But in highschool, it's a golden ability. She knows how to keep the popular kids apeased, and she manages to get excellent grades. But when a girl is found murdered, Cameron has the ability to find out who, but she can't expose him without exposing herself. And when a new guy joins her school, and proves to have similar abilities, it will take everything Cameron has to deal with the curveballs life is throwing her. And not everything is what it seems.

Review: I got the privilege to read the first part of this novel before it was published, and I was hooked. Cameron is an interesting character with a fascinating outlook on her abilities. Yes, she has the traditional and expected difficulties with what she can do, but she's also learned how to use them to better her social standing. Sometimes it is difficult for adult fiction authors to enter the YA field, since that teenager voice is a tough thing to pull off - but Cameron felt dead-on. She was insecure, she had that giddy and happy hearts feeling when she first met Lewis, she felt like a regular teenager. Well, a regular teenager that can read minds, and maybe do even more.

Another thing I enjoyed about "The Mind Readers" was the fact that I honestly couldn't tell where the plot was heading. A lot of fiction is predictable, which isn't always bad - it's more about the journey than the destination. But this book kept me second guessing my thoughts about each person. Not only was the journey a thrillride, but the destination itself ended up being quite the shock as well. This made it that much easier to identify with Cameron, because she was just as much in the dark as I was.

The ending was left open just enough that I'm hoping for a sequel. The author's website lists "The Mind Readers" as book one, so fingers crossed that we'll get one soon!

Cover Loving: Oh yes. I think this cover is excellent - simple, and perfect.

Recommendation: Definitely recommended for fans of young adult paranormal fiction.

Final Rating: FOUR out of FIVE (4/5). Really good young adult paranormal fiction/romance. Quite the thrillride - non stop action!

Have you read "The Mind Readers" by Lori Brighton? Tell me your thoughts in the comments! Want to read it? Pick up your copy today at Amazon.com!

Happy reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

Just actin' like we're animals - REVIEW of "Wild Heart" by Lori Brighton

Why this book?: Lori Brighton is an awesome author, no matter what she writes.

Disclaimer: I was given my copy of "Wild Heart" by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Type: Historical Romance, Dark pasts, Murders, Interesting abilities, Governesses, Panthers, Tall Dark and Handsome.

About the book: WANTON. Leo Roberts is next in line for an earldom and the power and fortune that come with it, but he is uncultured, unrefined--and completely untamed. . .until governess Ella Finch arrives upon the scene. Can so young and inexperienced a woman tutor him in the manners and mores of his class? Leo's mysterious past has rendered him an outsider, too wild for polite society. But he finds her innocence most intriguing... WILLING. What manner of man he may be, Ella does not know. Yet he fascinates her and she must know more. Capturing Leo's reckless heart is about to free her in ways she never dreamed of. . .and his sensual touch releases the deepest yearnings of her body and soul...
Review: It has been a long time since I read a book where the hero got on my nerves for the longest time, and then surprised my in the end by being someone I enjoy. Leo, with his glaring ways (I honestly felt like he glared at me through the first third of the book), made me a little uncomfortable - he was indeed quite "wild." But as both the reader and Ella learned more about him - what he enjoyed doing, and the fact that he is not as wild as he seemed, just had an agenda - the more he started growing on me. And as I said, by the end he was someone I enjoyed, even liked. Ella was adorable and selfless, a freespirit in a time when women were expected to adhere to so many rules. Though there was a time or two I thought she might be a little too free, but I'll admit it, I liked it.

The storyline starts off a little slow, as the characters and history needs some lead-in. Leo has a dark past, and it haunts him to this day, so he returns home to find the people that killed his parents. However, this is not proving to be an easy task. Ella ends up joining him on the search, and several plot-lines and histories diverge into something so complex and fascinating, you'll be grateful for the gentle lead in. A good read that will keep you entertained for hours, fans of Historical Romance should definitely check out "Wild Heart" by Lori Brighton!

Cover Loving: I like it - I think they look suitably enough like Leo and Ella.
Recommendation: Fans of Historical Romance will enjoy "Wild Heart" by Lori Brighton. Plenty of action, and quite the steamy hero.

Final Rating: FOUR out of FIVE (4/5). Enjoyable read, I liked the characters, and the story was fascinating.

Have you read "Wild Heart" by Lori Brighton? Tell me your thoughts in the comments! Did you enjoy the book? Do you like Leo's dark and haunting past?
Want to read this book? Pick up your copy at Amazon.com via the link at the left!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

Review of "The Ghost Hunter" by Lori Brighton

Another angel book! Maybe I should start calling this blog Glow's ANGEL addiction. Thoughts? Alright, alright, I won't. You can find the direct link to purchase this book here - The Ghost Hunter.  On with the review!

Disclaimer: The reviewer (me!) was provided this book by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. She (me!) was not given any monetary incentive for a good review.

Type: Angel!, Paranormal Romance, Ghosts, Fighting The Big Bad Guy, Witches, Sexy Accents!, Adult

About the book, from the Smashwords page: Ashley Hunter is intent on uncovering the truth about her father's disappearance. But Ashley realizes she's in for more than she bargained. Not only has she inherited a decrepit pub, she's also inherited ghosts and demons. Then Cristian arrives, a mysterious man who insists he only needs a room to rent. She believes him, until one by one her ghosts start disappearing...


"The Ghost Hunter" by Lori Brighton is a very interesting story with an equally interesting cast of characters. There's a girl who sees ghosts (Ashley), witches, faeries, angels, werewolves, vampires, demons, and more. And indeed, the final showdown is between a demon and an angel, which is always an epic battle the whole family will enjoy - as long as they are over the age of 17, because no kids are invited to this party. And speaking of interesting types of characters.. there was an appropriate amount of buildup to the reader finding out what Cristian really is, but once that's revealed.. it seems like sort of a let down. Like with all that build up, I was expecting more of a reaction from those not in-the-know, but it seemed to me that they moved on a little too quickly. Same with the disappearance of ghosts. Oh sure, Ashley is bothered by it when she's reminded of it, but it's not something that really bugs her, though we get the feeling it should be. And in fact, there was a time or two I forgot about the disappearance of ghosts all together.

As for the characters themselves, I loved Devon. Dearest Devon is mostly a side-character (or at least not a main character), but I thought he was danged important.. especially near the end. Poor Devon gets quite the shock when a memory spell goes awry, and to top that off, he's got a demon parasite that is making him do some really jerky things. It was certainly interesting to see how each of these changes affected his character and his actions. And there was a time or two I actually liked Devon more than Cristian. Cristian seemed a little heavy-handed sometimes, he would intentionally keep things from Ashley, answers she was obviously searching for, and yet he was shocked and often amazed by how little she knew. Uh, duuhhh, maybe because you won't tell her anything! And he would switch from wanting to teach her how to protect herself, to saying how she wasn't going to make it because she didn't know anything. Maybe you should stop huffing about and do something about it then! You and your wing tattoos and sexy accent should pick up your awesome sword (I kinda want one that's able to do what his can) and do something about it!

And sadly, I didn't really feel that spark between Cristian and Ashley. There was something there, obviously, but it felt like lust at best, not the supposed deep, lasting connection they kept making it seem like it was. It just didn't feel.. real enough to me, somehow. I wanted to delve further into the characters, and pick them apart, to find this connection and see if it was real, and if it worked. Which may sound awful, but I don't mean it to be harsh, in fact, it's probably a good thing that I want to reach further into each character and learn more about them.

And now to the rating. "The Ghost Hunter" by Lori Brighton really was a good, quick read. There was a very interesting storyline there, I just needed more than what I was given, I needed to feel more. I had some mixed feelings about this book, so I'll have to go with a middle-of-the-road rating - a FOUR out of FIVE (4/5). The good did outweigh any issues I had with it, and this book was something I could easily sit for hours and read, as opposed to feeling the need to get up and move around between chapters. I hope to see more by this author in the future, to see how her work develops because I can see a ton of talent here.

Have you read this book? Tell me your thoughts in the comments. Do you want to read it? Find it at Amazon.com, or Smashwords.com.

Buy the book here.
Author's Smashwords page: Lori Brighton
Author's webpage: Home Page

Have a wonderful day!