(I received a free copy of this book, from Curiosity Quills Press Publishers, in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I found this book to be quite an intriguing read. It’s always interesting to see a book where the main character is male after all and I found it really easy to like Aiden. Although I would have liked to see a bit more of his history, I felt the book was written well enough to make Aiden and his friends likable characters.

The idea of Aiden being a Gateway was quite an interesting one and I found it easy to feel sympathy for the Bleeders. I did think that Aiden made some mistakes, though – I felt he should have confided in his friends more and earlier.

I didn’t really like Koren. I couldn’t really see what Aiden saw in her. I found his relationship with Julie a lot more interesting. I also liked the hints of Trevor’s feelings for Evan. I would like to see more of them… and if anything could form between them.

I did like the friendship between Aiden, Trevor and Evan. I always like loyalty in friends and I felt that came across really well in their interactions, despite how Aiden acted at times.

The book was really easy to read and kept my attention throughout. I liked a lot of the supporting characters, though there were a few things I figured out fairly quickly.

It would be good to read a sequel to this book and find out what will happen to the characters later on. I liked this book and would be interested to read other books by this author in the future.

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

Although I’ve read and enjoyed this author’s other series of books, I wasn’t completely sure if I would enjoy this one as well. There have been quite a lot of authors where I’ve enjoyed one series (or even just one book) and really struggled with others.

That wasn’t the case here. I was pulled into the book really quickly and the main characters were really easy to empathise with. I felt that the author dealt with the sense of loss that Hannah was suffering from really well – and I felt that, because this book was the second in another series, it was good that the storyline wasn’t constantly switching between the different romantic subplots.

I could really believe in the relationship between Nolan and Hannah. It was nice to see that Nolan was so willing to give Hannah the space she needed until she was completely ready to move on… and it was really good to see that both of them had their conflicts to deal with.

There were some really intense, emotional scenes in this book. I really liked how important Homer the dog was to everyone. It was really sad when he passed away, but I liked how they had a proper funeral for the dog and the mention of the rainbow bridge, too. It was also good how Hannah’s dreams mirrored what was happening in her life.

I liked the use of the diary entries at the beginning of each chapter. It was good to see the progression of Hannah’s relationship with Caleb from the time they were children, right through to the present day.

It was nice to see the hints of the other relationships, but I’m kind of worried that this series will end up switching between several different characters and relationships in later books as well, which can be a bit confusing to read. Still, I found this book really well-written and there were some moments that really made me smile in the book.

At some point in the future, I do want to read the other books in this series, as well as other books by this author. This was a really good romance with engaging characters. I recommend it if you like romantic fiction.

(I received a free copy of this book from 47North Publishers, through NetGalley, in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

Although this book was the second in a series, I still found it fairly easy to follow. I liked Phae’s character and it was interesting to see the information about the Dryads. I’m familiar with most of the legends, but this was quite a unique spin on it.

Although the characters had already been established, I found a lot of them easy to get behind. The use of the spirits was quite intriguing and I liked the relationship that Phae was forming with Shion. I felt his development came across as easy and natural, without seeming to develop just for the sake of it. But then, I always find villains turning good fascinating.

I did get a bit confused with the different groups of characters at times. I got a little mixed up at one point and mistook one group for another… so their interaction really confused me until I realised what was going on.

I didn’t really understand the motivation of the bad guy. I would have liked to know more about him. The good characters are easier to understand, though by the end of the book, I was left with some serious doubt about who could be trusted.

At some point, I do hope to read the other books in this series. I’m curious to see where the author takes the storyline and what will happen to the characters. Plus, now the groups have all joined together, it should be easier to follow the plot.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

When I got a short way into this book, I found it a bit difficult to connect the different storylines inside my mind. At first, the separate plotlines seemed kind of disjointed – but as the book went on, things began making more sense.

I found this book to be quite an engaging read, all told. Although there were a few instances I felt that came across as kind of info-dumping, the world was still interesting to read about.

Many of the elements in this book were recognisable as the normal elements found in fantasy books. They were used in ways that helped make this book more entertaining, though.

One of the things I liked about this book was the mythology and the gods. Although a lot of the god-characters didn’t show much of their personalities, those that did were quite intriguing and I’d like to see more of them.

Another thing that was quite interesting about this book was the two different groups that came together. Although they weren’t all heroes in the conventional sense, it was interesting to see them work together and I felt they came across as quite well-rounded.

I liked Amber a lot, though I wasn’t so sure about her from her first appearance. I also especially liked Gooly. I felt sorry for him at first and as the book progressed, I found him more and more intriguing.

I did notice some errors in the writing, but on the whole, I was able to picture a lot of the events happening inside my mind. I did get a bit confused at times with some of the characters’ history, but after a while, that confusion settled.

I do have the next book in this series on my Kindle and fully intend to read it very soon.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

It did take me a little longer than it would normally to finish this book, but once I was up to it, I found it a unique, entertaining read.

Shapeshifters on their own aren’t an original idea, but the way they were portrayed in this book was really unique. I felt the author did a good job of showing the science behind the shifting and what the race’s characteristics were, without it coming across as an info-dump.

I found the characters in this book to be quite interesting and engaging. The use of the spirits was quite intriguing and I felt the author showed the way both Christopher and Michael handled the spirits really well.

I did get a bit confused with the switching of different time periods at certain points. I was a bit thrown with the flashback – I think it would have worked better as a kind of prologue.

It was interesting to see the different races that were offshoots of the doppelgangers. I would have liked to see a bit more of their history and how they formed.

There were some scenes in the book that did make me cringe to read them. Some parts of it were quite graphic, in terms of sex and violence.

I think this is a world I would like to see more of. I found the book engaging, with interesting characters and a plot that held my attention throughout. If you’re interested in a different spin on the shapeshifter genre, this book is definitely worth a read.