Review: Full Desert Buffet
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 19, 2014
When offered the opportunity read and review this eight book box set it was a bit daunting, so I decided that rather than eating the entire desert buffet in one sitting, I would start off with a couple of new treats to satisfy that reading sweet tooth. Being familiar with several of the authors' works offered up in this bundle it was my choice to go for the unfamiliar and try out some new treats. I was certainly not disappointed and must say the two I have read so far alone are more than worth the price of a first class ticket.The first read was Bodyguard (Shifters Unbound #2.5) by Jennifer Ashley and who would have thought a Kodiak bear would be the shifter of my dreams. The story takes place in a society where shifters have been outed to the mundane world and forced to live in communities segregated from the human population. Significant prejudice exists with little to no rights afforded the shifters. Elizabeth runs a small store on the edge of town and unlike other establishments she does not refuse to serve the shifter population. When the baddies attack her, Ronan shifts and saves her life and is arrested. Elizabeth stands up for him and testifies and we are off on a great adventure.The story is very well written and full of wonderful world building and characters that will steal your heart leaving you begging for more. Of course there is intrigue and showdowns, as well as some wonderfully sensual tasteful smexy going on.This is one series I fully intend to keep my eye on and go back for seconds and hopefully thirds or more.The second read was Alejandro's Sorceress by Alyssa Day. This was a wonderfully uproarious tale of magic and fun with great characters you wish were your neighbors just so you could peak over the fence and watch. Alejandro is a tough as nails P-Ops agent and about as cynical as they come. He and his partner are dispatched to deal with a complaint of garden pests and when they arrive they meet Rose, a garden witch who would rather deal with the pests on her own without the bureaucratic bother the P-Ops crew brings into the mix. Alejandro's partner is turned to stone by the pests and magical mayhem ensues with sparks flying between Rose and Alejandro, interfering family members, brownies, pixies, trolls and more thrown into the mix.The world building was delightful and writing very well executed leaving me laughing and occasionally shedding a tear. The smexy was swoon-worthy, very tasteful, and sensually written. I am definitely looking forward to reading more of this author's work and certainly hope there will be more from The Cardinal Witches to come.Overall I have to say that even if you read only the first two of the books in this wonderful set it is well worth the price of admission and I fully intend to continue the journey through the next six books with high hopes. This is definitely a recommended read for paranormal romance fans with a taste for shifters, vampires, magic and more, which also offers sensual smexy, and a host of fun stories. I received this book with a request for my honest review without any compensation whatsoever, other than the joy of reading a new book.