Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

barnesandnoble.com

Book one in a new series by the author of the Divergent trilogy. Roth has some excellent world building skills, and her characters are quite good as well. My only complaint is that there were several parts of the story that felt like they lasted forever until it finally got good a good. Some really good fantasy details though, and I am looking forward to the next installment to see what happens next. I can give it 3.5/5 stars, but as I have stated before Goodreads does allow half stars so i marked it as 4/5 stars there.

Wild Cat by Jennifer Ashley

goodreads.com

We dive back into the world of collared shifters in book three of the Shifters Unbound series. Only this story takes place in a totally different shifter town as we follow Eric back to his home after he was introduced as a visiting leader in book two. The story is not about him though instead being about his sister Cassidy as she meets a human detective that she forms the mating bond with. The characters are solid, and the world building is good. This is a good paranormal romance novel. I give it 3/5 stars.

Never Never by James Patterson

goodreads.com

This book introduces us to Detective Harriet (Harry) Blue, and man is she a mess. The story takes place in Australia which leaves a lot of room for plot details, but the opportunities for this are never used. The story plods along at an excruciatingly slow pace, and if I was not determined to find out who the bad guy was I would not have finished it. I can only give it 2/5 stars and that is being nice.

Showing Off by Sarah Mlynowski

amazon.com

Book three of the Upside Down Magic series. This series for kids follows a group of children that live in a world composed of five normal types of magic though none of theirs seems to fit the mold. Each book takes us on an adventure as the group attempts to fit in with their peers while still embracing the "wonky" powers that they have. This is a cute funny story of their class coming up with a plan for their version of a talent show, and all the things that go wrong along the way. Great for teaching kids about accepting themselves for what they are in the inside in a cute easy to understand way. I really enjoyed reading it which gives it 4/5 stars.

Fire Bound by Christine Feehan

goodreads.com

Book five of the Sea Haven/Sisters of the Heart series which means I have officially read all of the currently published books. Woohoo I met my goal! On the plus side I have an ARC copy of the next one so I do not have to wait to finish the series altogether. This book tells the story of Lissa and her Prakenskii half Casimir in a wild assassin adventure that goes all the way to the end. Good blend of romance, mystery, and intrigue though there is a noted lack of reliance on their powers like there was in the previous books in the series. It was rather refreshing after the last one, and I actually recommend reading it. I give it 4/5 stars.

Death by Chocolate Lab by Bethany Blake

target.com

Book one in a new series called Lucky Paws Pet Sitting Mystery by, from what I can tell, a new author. I got my hands on an ARC copy to try it out (it comes out February 28, 2017). Pet sitter Daphne Templeton lives with her sister, and she finds her sister's ex-boyfriend murdered on their property. Daphne finds herself wrapped up in the murder case after her sister becomes a suspect, and her efforts to solve it are quite comical. This is the perfect little mystery cozy that will delight lots of readers. I look forward to reading more books by this author. I give it 4/5 stars.