Put away your “Middle Book Syndrome” GIFs, The Guardians is about to blow that concept out of the water. Beginning just months after the conclusion of More, the first book in the series, The Guardians plot picks up fast and drags you right from page one to the very end.

Once again, Ava comes across as a strong and smart young woman. She’s coming into her powers and working hard to improve them while spending time with her beloved Caleb. She’s not entirely human, she’s considered a threat by the ruling power in her supernatural world, and she’s fighting to prove her innocence after being accused of a crime she didn’t commit. Did I mention she’s also trying to find Caleb after he went all pull-away-be-a-jerk-disappear on her? Yeah, the girl has a lot on her plate. But with a little help from some surprising sources, she powers her way through.

And Caleb – never have the words “I’m sorry” ripped my little heart in the two like they did when Caleb said them. He’s still strong and supportive of Ava, though you kind of want to whack him upside the head for a few chapters. Even in the limited scenes he has in the book, you get to see his respect for Ava and how much he cares for her. Their romance is solidly secondary to the intrigue, but the scenes with Caleb and Ava together are sweet enough to warm your little romance-loving heart even as that damn plot makes you question everything you’ve ever known about the characters in the series. But still…I show more love Caleb.

And did I mention my new and super-surprising crush on Guardian Tiernan? Yeah, he gets a little shelf in my heart all to himself. The banter between him and Ava had me chuckling more than once, and his character truly surprised me. I love when that happens.

I gave this book four stars. The growth of all the characters (both primary and secondary) along with a suspense-filled plotline had me loving this book from the very first page. There is a real growth in backstory in this installment of the series, and it makes me even more excited to get my hands on the final book when it comes out. T.M. Franklin is definitely an author to stalk…erm, I mean support. show less

Oh dear lord. I pretty much drooled all over the first book in the Dragon Heat in my review, and the second installments totally did not disappoint. Red Hot Dragon is the story of Griffin Cadogan, Welsh Red thunder make, and Avani Monroe, last of the Naga line. Their relationship begins as a deal – Grif is the only shot Avani has at having a child to continue the Naga gifts.

Of course four days locked up together during synced up mating cycles changed that plan a bit.

The romance in Red Hot Dragon is well-built and given a decent opportunity to grow considering the length of the story. Grif and Avani are likeable and true, and there’s no unnecessary relationship drama between the two. Just lots of sex and some outside forces trying to get in the way of…well, sex.

There were one thing about this novel that I didn’t like – it’s not completely stand-alone. The drama going on outside the relationship is touched upon but left completely open-ended. I assume the story of Mad and Ivy will be continued in the next book, but the way they were introduced and then discarded without more information was blunt. It didn’t make me want to stop reading the series but it did keep the book from getting a higher rating.

I gave Red Hot Dragon four stars. Just like the first book in the series, Dead Sexy Dragon, this story is a must read for any shifter-romance lovers who don’t mind their books a little steamy. I’ll be watching for the next installment in the Dragon Heat series.

Perfect ending. 4.7 stars. I would have gone all the way to five but the author's overuse of exposition makes me want to skim bits. I fell in love with Barrons slowly, lingering in a nice should-I-shouldn't-I haze for awhile there and I loved it. Just perfect.

Holy crap. That was intense. Seriously. I am beyond thankful I can just click over to the next book and keep reading. 4.5 stars.

Slow start but really picked up toward the end. can't wait to start the next one.

This was ridiculously unimpressive. I'm hoping the actual books in the series have more to offer.

Wow. That was...I may need to revisit. I don't read certain kinds of books...certain scenes of an act that makes me shiver in fear and dark memories. I had no idea...if I had, I never would have started this book. But now I'm in it, through at least a part of it, and terrified to read the next installment.

Two stars - I hate to be blindsided.

Wow, such a different feel than the first book of the series. Fast-paced, angry, sometimes violent but still intriguing and descriptive. I'm in love.

Eh, this one was okay. The first two really floored me, but now the characters seem to offer less and less. Still, I'm off to buy the next one.

This story was not as good as the first ones in the series in my opinion. still a nice easy read...just not providng as much drive to finish.

Wonderful book. What a nice romantic story of two people who'd been married for over twenty years. Usually you see the new romance blooming, but this time the story focused on rekindling a long-time love. Wonderful.

The story just didn't pull me in at all.

My favorite of the series (so far). Excellent characters, great depth, compelling storyline, three wonderful romances wrapped up into one book. Perfection.

Wow...just wow.

There's a lot to this book that I could swoon over - the steamy sex scenes, the charming 'bad boy' who's really a sweetheart, the warped world the main character lives in and how Charlotte writes it in a way that's so honest, neither overly detailed nor so broad as to not give the reader a true sense of Eve's personal hell. I could go on and on and on about these.

But instead, I want to give you one point that made me smile, made me happy I read this book, and made me want to wrap Charlotte up in a blankie and snuggle with her for being real. Eve is not a skinny-minny girl. She describes herself as something like fat or heavy or whatever word is allowed when describing overweight women. But when it's time for Van to talk about her, to tell her how beautiful she is, he doesn't use the normal adjectives like curvy or voluptuous. No, he goes all in and makes me practically pass out from the swoons.

"She couldn't even be concerned with her body and how it looked to someone like him - skin so pale, every part of it so excessive, somehow - because after a moment he murmured many good, good words against her breast.

Words like lovely and lush and ripe."

Yeah, you don't often see us fat girls called luscious or ripe in romances. Something about that, about the way Van never saw Eve as anything other than beautiful, absolutely owned my soul for those moments.

Thank you, Charlotte, for reminding this fat girl that her curves are okay, that her husband isn't sugar-coating show more when he tells her how beautiful she is, and for writing a scene so small yet so monumentally beautiful. I loved every single word. show less

I was really looking forward to this book, especially after friends I trust read and liked it. But the behavior of the author and her agent have made me decide to flounce instead.

Cute book. Nothing too deep or surprising - really it was your typical romance. The characters were a bit quick to fall but overall the story was adorable. I'll be reading the next in the series.

Another fabulous story from Marie Force. I love watching all these couple grow and bond!

Adorable. Once again, Marie Force writes a wonderful romance. Fun, sweet...hot. Loved it!

Great contemporary romance! Easy to read, full of love and sweetness while still being true to a heartbreaking story. I loved the other couples that came into the picture and teh glimpses we got to see of the couples from the previous books.

This book took me FOREVER to finish. While in the end I liked the story and can't wait for the next installment, this one was a tough read. It was slow to start, the plot meandered a bit and there just wasn't enough of Bram/Nora. I still love Lia's writing, still love these characters, I just think a lot of this book could have ended up being cut without much effect on the overall plot of the story.

I flounced because of a lack of characterization – I actually went back and reread chapter one just to make sure I hadn't missed the author introducing the main character, Lyndsey. There was absolutely no introduction – I had no idea how old she was, what she looked like, why she was acting the way she was. Within twenty pages (of over five hundred for my ePub version) she's dead; within forty-two she's crying over the possibility of leaving behind Aiden, the 'Transporter' she just met on her way to Heaven. I'm still not sure what attracted her to him, other than the fact that he looked like a 'Greek god'.

There were also the typical grammar mistakes I'm sure we've all seen in self-published books – comma issues, redundancies, misuse of commonly confused phrases and words (including one that is my ultimate pet-peeve). I gave the book seven chapters to capture my attention and skimmed the rest just in case I was missing something.

Too unbelievable for me. She has this horrible 'nightmare' and two secinds later is giggling as the dog licks her? She just ignores all the other signs that something is amiss? Unbelivable.

Totally did not connect with the characters.

This book read like a bad fanfiction - poorly written prose, weak characters and constant moments of being pulled completely out of the story by some language or detail that simply didn't fit. I thought I would flounce but I stuck it out. I can't say I'd ever read any of the other books in the series, though.

3 stars - great read in a wonderful voice but was slightly lacking in story.

The author paints a beautiful picture but glosses over the entire romance. The 'gasp' moment regarding Bess (not Bess and Rory) was less a 'gasp' for me and more a 'yeah, I figured that out fifteen chapters ago'.

The characterizations were strong and steady, the flow lovely and overall I liked the book. I just wish we had gotten to see more of Bess and Rory together to understand what tied her so strongly to a man with his history.

The trouble with reading YA books is that I am NOT a YA. I'm a grown woman who has lived through a bit too much...call me jaded, whatever.

I really wanted to like this book - I adored Anna and thought Ètienne sounded delightful...at first. But in the end, when I finished the book and looked back, he was a puss who dilly-dallied for eight months while leading two girls on. That's not romantic, it's heartbreaking.

I liked the writing and would read more by the author, I just didn't enjoy the overall storyline.

I'm not really sure how to review this book. I'm trying hard to think of it as it's own story but, to be honest, there are SO MANY similarities to the Black Dagger Brotherhood series that I find myself comparing them.

Overall I think the Gabrielle was a well written, well thought out character who stayed pretty solid throughout the book. Lucan...eh, I could take him or leave him to be honest. I wanted to love him but, in the end, I just couldn't. The plot of the story was well paced and engaging, the arc and the buildup for the series was good without being over the top. Altogether it's a solid summer read...nothing too heavy, a little romance and a decent story that keeps you gobbling up the pages.

I will read book two of the series but I have no clue if I will continue beyond that.

This was a really intriguing book. Helen's discomfort in the 'normal' world was clearly felt through her thoughts, and her love for her family and friends was made obvious as well. The mystery surrounding her heritage was well-woven and caused me to miss more than a few comments on various conference calls as my mind wandered to the book. Not a heavy read and the plot moves at a comfortable pace.

Full review on my blog HERE

I put off starting this series because of all the negative things I heard about it coming from other BDB fans. While this series is based in the same area, and you get to see a few of the BDB boys on the periphery, this series has to be viewed as a stand-alone project.

And it's a good one.

The characters are strong but flawed, absolutely masculine but still dealing with their weaknesses. The overall arc was strong, the battle between good and evil set up well, and the individual love story in the book was well-written and beautiful. And yet I wouldn't call this a romance novel...at all.

Great book, four stars absolutely. I'd recommend it to anyone as a good read as long as they didn't expect Rhage and Mary to come trotting through. ;-)

Second book of the series and, I have to admit, I loved it. It was better than the first with strong characters and a sense of movement that you don't find very often anymore. The plot was like a wave, pushing me toward the inevitable conclusion of the story. lovely arc, lovely surprises through the plot. The ending was a little too quick for my liking but it still earned a solid four stars.

Onto book three!