The Unleashing (Call of Crows #1) by Shelly Laurenston

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

If you asked me who my favorite PNR author was, I would hands down tell you that it is Shelly Laurenston. I love how her writing is not only packed with steamy romance, but that it is also genuinely funny with exceedingly engaging plots as well. Now The Unleashing is the first in a new series for her even though she did do a book with crows previously. We have a lot of setup going on in this book, and so many characters being introduced that my head was kind of spinning at one point. I normally don't mind jumping from pov to pov the way Laurenston does, but I found myself wanting more of the focus in the book to be on the two main characters than there was. That stuff aside though, I think that the Unleashing is classic Laurenston. I was sad to have her shifter series come to an end, but I do have to admit to being a tad bit excited meeting a whole new cast of characters too. Overall, I think this is a great start to what I hope will be an awesome series just like Laurenston's other ones, and I'm looking forward to the next installment.

*I received a review copy from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

For more information about this series or Shelly's books, please check out her website.

http://www.shellylaurenston.com/

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Holding Strong (Ultimate #2) by Lori Foster

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

So is it just me, or does it feel like this new series is lacking on the suspense front? I feel like the "bad guys" in these books are contrived and it all seems rather forced to me. Sadly, Holding Strong was a glaring example of this issue. Cherry and Denver have been circling one another since they first met, but Denver finally grudgingly gives into the demands of his body despite his head saying otherwise. I wanted to like Denver. He's an all around good guy who just wants to protect his girl and keep her all to himself. His negative attributes within the book did tend to overshadow this though, because he can be kind of a jealous prick as well. Cherry, on the other hand, is the typical type of heroine that I always love when I read Foster's books. She is headstrong and wants to be independent, but eventually she gives in just a little to compromise with Denver. Now this book wasn't a very steamy, but the romantic elements were exactly what I'd expected for these characters. 

My biggest issue with this book, and the reason behind the 3 stars, is that the rest of this book I could have done entirely without. The conflict was entirely too stupid in my honest opinion. It felt like a forced after thought of Foster's where she just didn't know what to do with the rest of the story. I've always loved her complicated plots, it's why I read every single one of her books, but this series is seriously lacking for me right now. I do have high hopes for Armie's story though, so I sincerely wish that she would get back to what she is good at again that always leaves me craving more. :)

*I recieved a review copy from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.* 

For more information about this series or Lori's books, please check out her website.

http://www.lorifoster.com/

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble