Review: Madly & Wolfhardt by M. Leighton

Genre: New Adult | Fantasy | Mermaids

Synopsis:

Madly is your average nearly-eighteen year old girl—for a princess, that is.

Madly James is thoroughly enjoying her internship in the small town of Slumber when the unthinkable happens—there’s a prison break in Atlas, the magically-protected home of Madly’s race. A traitor has set free eight Lore, the spirits of what humans know as fairy tales, and they are making their way to Slumber to awaken their descendants.

The first spirit to arrive is that of Ulrich Wolfhardt, a man that was once obsessed with wolves and a young maiden he would follow through the woods. After a bite from a wolf, Wolfhardt’s obsession with the girl became an unnatural hunger and the young maiden’s grandmother cursed him with a fate worse than death. And now he’s back…with a vengeance and a bite that can infect others as well.

Madly must learn the identity of Wolfhardt’s descendant and stop him before he kills again and spreads his curse across the earth. But the only person strong enough to help Madly is Jackson, the Sentinel who vowed to protect her and the one person capable of breaking her heart. Can Madly resist forbidden love long enough to save the world from Wolfhardt? Or will she have to sacrifice her heart and her destiny to save the ones she loves?


Review:

I was very impressed with Leighton's combination of mermaid folk-lore with fairy tales. Madly and Wolfhardt features the story of Little Red Riding Hood with a twist. Don't worry, I won't give away the ending. Madly is the princess of Atlas charged with the task of saving bother her home and all of humanity. No pressure, right? Add to that a healthy dose of mystery and a forbidden romance and you have a winner. Jackson, a sentinel and Madly's guardian,  is a sexy hunk of man-flesh. I was relieved when Madly and Jackson finally embraced their attraction for each other. Considering that Madly and Jackson are tied, I was relieved when Aiden, Madly's intended, found someone else to care for. He was such a sweet character I didn't want to see him heartbroken. Leighton definitely amped up the intensity in both the suspense and the romance in the second novel in her Madly series. Her novella was great, but Wolfhardt is amazing. I'm very interested in seeing the direction Leighton takes in the next installment, and I'm also going to check out her other books.



Rating: 4 out of 5 owls



Twitter |  Author

Book 1: Nook | Kindle

Book 2: Nook | Kindle

Review: Prince of Wolves by Quinn Loftis

 

Genre: Supernatural |  Werewolves

Synopsis:

Jaque Pierce was just an ordinary 17 year old girl getting ready to start her senior year in high school in Coldspring, Texas. When a mysterious foreign exchange student from Romania moves in across the street, Jacque and her two best friends, Sally and Jen, don’t realize the last two weeks of their summer was going to get a lot more interesting. From the moment Jacque sets eyes on Fane she feels an instant connection, a pull like a moth to a flame. Little does she know that the flame she is drawn to is actually a Canis Lupus, werewolf, and she just happens to be his mate; the other half of his soul. The problem is Fane is not the only wolf in Coldspring, Texas. Just as Fane and Jacque are getting to know each other, another wolf steps out to try and claim Jacque as his mate. Fane will now have to fight for the right to complete the mating bond, something that is his right by birth but is being denied him by a crazed Alpha. Will the love Fane has for Jacque be enough to give him the strength to defeat his enemy, will Jacque accept that she is Fane’s mate and complete the bond between them?

Review:


Soul mates, intended, betrothed, destined--call it what you may; I prefer shotgun romance. Throw all elements of the real world out the window. Jacque falls in love, discovers she is part werewolf, and gets involved in a battle-to-the-death ritual all in one week. Geez, I wish my weeks could be that exciting. Disregarding the fact that the book takes place over the course of one week, I fell in love with the characters' personalities. Jacque's girlfriends are hysterical sassy ladies who, despite needing some lessons in class, keep everyone light on their toes and add necessary touches of humor. I LOVED the possessive traits that Fane can't help but exhibit when it comes to his mate. He doesn't want another man to be the center of Jacque's attention and he isn't afraid to let her know it. He is all alpha-male and all the good things about a man wrapped up in one amazing package. Loftis definitely sold me on her interpretation of the werewolf mythology. Now on to book 2. 



Rating: 4 out of 5 owls



Nook | Kindle | Twitter

Review: Wildly by T. Swanepoel

Genre: Sci-Fi | Fantasy

Synopsis:

She underestimated the dark side of the moon...

Valerie, a freshly-arrived varsity student, falls in love with her rescuer after an unusual attack. But what she doesn’t know, is that Alex is not the average boy-next- door.

She unknowingly witnesses the build-up to an ancient battle between the sun and the moon… and soon discovers that she is the centre pin of the battle.

Review:

If you like complicated plots, action, comedy, romance, and well rounded characters with a touch of the supernatural then this is the book for you. Wildly combines scientific theories with supernatural elements to create an exciting and intriguing story. The characters are the physical embodiment of stars and planets (think Sailor Moon here) and manifest powers that are similar to their respective planet/star's physical and chemical makeup. I remember the difficulty of my Astronomy class in college and I must commend Swanepoel for the sheer amount of research and attention to detail put into this story. I can see myself learning something new each time I read it. Honestly, I think I need to read it again just so I have a better understanding of what actually happened. This story is so complex, mysterious, and exciting that readers will pick it up again and again. The icing on the cake for me is that Swanepoel targets both adolescents and adults. The characters are college age so Wildly suits a wide variety of audiences. As of now it is free for Nooks. Check it out, it's worth the read.



Rating: 5 out of 5 owls



Nook | Kindle