Arthur’s mate by Lisa Daniels

Book 1 in the Bears of Valor Lake series

Emma is living in Valor Lake, a place she picked off a map when she couldn’t tolerate life in Phoenix with her parents and manipulative boyfriend a moment longer. She finds a job and eventually runs in to Arthur at a bar. He’d just had a very public breakup with his girlfriend, and the two start to chat. Arthur invites Emma fishing and, to his surprise, she accepts. She thinks that if she’s going to live here she should figure out what people do for fun and get to know some people. She has no intention of rushing into a relationship, but the way Arthur keeps looking at her makes her wonder. Arthur’s sister Yara is becoming a good friend, too.

Arthur has some problems of his own. Family members can’t agree on how to use the land and tensions are high. Meanwhile, his mother and grandmother are obsessed with him having an heir to protect their claim to the land. Strangers are unusual in bear shifter lands, but he’s intrigued by Emma and her problems. He wants to help her.

I enjoyed the book and read it in an afternoon. The story of Emma and Arthur was a nice story with interesting supernatural aspects. I recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout. My opinions are always my own.

Sunscorched, by Jen Crane

In Sunscorched, unique dystopian scifi series opener by Jen Crane, Nori is a teen who has a strange condition that keeps her housebound most of the time.  

The book opens a twelve years after the Scorch, an event where the sun’s effects suddenly became intense.  Billions of people died during the Scorch, and since then Nori has become very sensitive to sunlight, resulting in burns and pain at the slightest hint of the sun’s rays.  

Nori’s only escape are her nightly runs. During the hour or two of darkness, she can get outside her house and escape the watchful eyes of her parents for a little while.  But even this is becoming a problem.  Another scorch is predicted and Nori won’t survive even in her special basement bunker.  Her only possible escape is in one of the communities rumored to exist underground, if her parents can find a way to get her there.

I very much enjoyed this book, the world building is complex and has a lot of depth.  Characters are relatable even though the situation is strange.  As Nori strikes out on her own to find safety in a hostile situation, she grows and finds much about herself and the world.  She makes allies who have their own mysterious past histories.  Good dystopian fiction makes us think about what people will do to survive, the good and the bad, and this book does not disappoint.  

Dragon Undercover by Lia Davis and Kerry Adrienne

Starting an undercover mission at Coon Lake, dragon shifter Owen is attracted to a giggle from Nextdoor.  Following his ears and nose, he finds something he wasn’t expecting: his mate.  Nadia and her younger sister Sage are at the lake to celebrate before Sage goes off to college.  With a bit of matchmaking, Sage arranges for Owen to come to dinner the next night and then suddenly announces she has other plans.

Owen’s mission now takes on greater meaning.  His target, the rogue dragon/serial killer named Huff that killed Owen’s sister several years ago may be in the area and, unfortunately, Sage fits his victim profile.

When Sage disappears from a sleepover with friends, Owen and Nadia start searching for her.  If only he could figure out how to explain about Huff, the dragon who took Sage and also explain that he is a dragon shifter and she is his fated mate.  No problem.there, right?

Dragon undercover is a short novel with a fast-moving plot.  It serves as an introduction to the world and to the members of the Dark Scales Division.  A very exciting story and great characters.  I look forward to reading more in this series.

I received a free copy of this book.  My opinions, as always, are my own.

The Bride, by Rebekah Ganiere

In The Bride, Pria is the youngest of four adult children.  She does all the shopping, cooking and cleaning for the family.  When her father must travel to check into some investments, he leaves Pria in charge, much to the ire of her siblings.  Not only that, he tells Pria she must buy a new dress and go to the ball her mysterious new neighbor is planning.

From the moment his carriage almost ran her over, Blue has been struck by Pria’s beauty and charm.  He has vowed to make Pria his, but his inconvenient ”allergy” to the sun means he can only watch over her at night until he finds her in the city and is able to show her around.

I really enjoyed this unusual twist on several fairy tale themes and I tried to guess what would happen.  I won’t spoil the surprise, but there are several fairy tale tropes mixed with supernatural ones.  This makes the Bride a highly inventive and satisfying story.  The ending is not a cliffhanger, but leaves the door open for future adventures.