Morna's Legacy series by Bethany Claire

So, a while back I shared with y'all my review of a really awesome book called Love Beyond Time by the amazing Bethany Claire. Today, I'm going to tell you a bit about the rest of the series and my thoughts on each book. First, though, I just have to say I highly recommend this series, one of my favorites and you all should definitely expect it on my Top Books of 2014 list!

First up, let's start with the book that started my love of this series, the first one! I know I've reviewed it here before, but I thought I'd save y'all some time going to the old post and putting the review here, too!

*Although I received these books for review from the author, this in no way affected my opinion or reviews This post contains affiliate links, but again this does not affect my thoughts expressed in this review* 

 

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My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars!

About Love Beyond Time:

It began nearly four hundred years ago. The Conall clan and all their people were murdered in a surprise attack, their beloved castle and all evidence of who destroyed them burned to the ground with their bodies. In the centuries following, archaeologists searched through the ruins looking for any evidence of what or who had caused the untimely demise of such a powerful Scottish clan. All efforts were fruitless, until a spell put in place by an ancient Conall ancestor finally began to work its magic...

Texas kindergarten teacher, Brielle Montgomery, finds comfort in the mundane routines of her life, but when her archaeologist mother asks her to accompany her on a dig in Scotland, she decides to step out of her comfort zone. Once in Scotland, they discover a secret spell room below the castle ruins, and Bri finds herself transported back in time and suddenly married to the castle's ill-fated Laird. Now, she must work to change the fate of his people, all while trying to find a way to return to her home and century. But with each passing day, Bri finds herself falling more deeply in love with her new husband. If she can find a spell to bring her home, will she use it? And if she stays, will it ultimately mean her own death as well?

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My Thoughts:

In case you all haven't noticed in past reviews I love time travel novels, especially those with romance and just the right dash of suspense. So, when Bethany asked me to read and review Love Beyond Time, well, let's just say I'm glad I didn't scare her off with the fangirling I probably did in that first email. I also don't know if you know this, but I live about 20 minutes away from Glasgow Kentucky, which has this huge Highland Games festival every year celebrating Scottish heritage. So, I'd been looking for a good book that had a nice hint of Scotland flavor to it.
This book did not disappoint! Brielle(love that name!) is just an ordinary Kindergarten teacher from Texas, not too adventurous. Her mother, however, convinces her to visit Scotland with her to help with a dig. While there, they discover that there is a secret room in the basement of the castle. Upon finding the room, Bri discovers a portrait that portrays a woman who looks eerily close to her in appearance. When reading the words attached to the portrait she is transported back in time to just shortly before the castle, and those inside it, are set to meet their demise. This is where the story really gets going.
I loved Love Beyond Time from start to finish. Bethany Claire certainly knows how to write a book! The description of surroundings, dialogue, etc, all perfect! You learn to love every character and you just can't wait to read more!  This book is definitely one of those page-turners, you know the kind where you just need to clear your schedule for an afternoon so you can just devour in one setting? Yeah, one of those. I honestly cannot wait to read more, and I can't wait to start recommending to my reader friends(if you're one of those reading this, you've been forewarned. Don't be surprised if this is Kindle-gifted to you for Easter!). As far as who I'd recommend this too: well, in short, everyone! I would caution against younger teens reading because there is some heat, but for older teens on up this is a perfect read!
So, if you're like me and love time travel, romance, and just really well written books, I highly recommend you check Love Beyond Time out!

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My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

About Love Beyond Reason:

It all started with a spell. 

Arran Conall lives with the consequences of his foolishness daily, his mistakes guiding him into darkness. He had no way to know that his beloved would fall prey to the ancient magic that awaited Blaire on the day he’d sent her away to marry his brother. Now, the only woman to ever give pause to his philandering ways lives centuries ahead of him, out of reach while still holding on to his heart. Now, he must try to live a life without her and marries another to save the lass from a greedy suitor who only wants to lay title to her father’s territory.

His love for Blaire haunts him. With every breath, he prays only one thing – that she will be able to feel his love for her across the chasms of time…

Born in the seventeenth century, Blaire MacChristy lives each day trying to adjust to the challenges of modern-day life. Magic brought her here, but heartbreak keeps her from using the magic to travel back to her home. When visitors from her past arrive asking her to return to the life she’d known before, Blaire takes a chance on love. Once home, she is shocked to learn that the man she loves has married another. Will fate find a way to mend their broken hearts by bringing them together once again? Even if it does, will they be able to stop the darkness that is coming for them both?

My Thoughts:

After reading the first book in this amazing series, though I loved it all the same, my heart ached for Arran and Blaire. There was a lot of chemistry between these two and I knew in my heart of hearts that they should be together. The only problem? Blaire gets transported into the future. Left behind, Arran married another. Now Blaire is back to the 17th century and ready to return to Arran. That plan is slightly altered when she finds out he's married. This storyline immediately pulled me in just as quickly as the first in the series, I was on pins and needles wondering if Arran and Blaire would be able to beat the odds and finally be together. Arran is such a complex character, I both loved him and wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake some sense into him, and then loved him again.(Tell me, who can't forgive someone with a Scottish accent, yes even in a book!)

If you have read the first book in the Morna's Legacy series,

I highly recommend you check out this wonderful followup to a series that is fast becoming a favorite!

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My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

About A Conall Christmas:

Don't Miss This Happy Ending For The Carefree Mother That Stole Your Heart by USA TODAY Bestselling Author, Bethany Claire NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Although this can be read as a standalone novella, it could more accurately be described as Book 2.5 of Morna's Legacy Series. It is highly recommended that you start your reading with Book 1 in the series, "Love Beyond Time," followed by "Love Beyond Reason." The characters in this story and the events that led them to the beginning of this novella have occurred in the previous books in this series.

It’s Yuletide at Conall Castle.

Christmas is quickly approaching, and Adelle is determined to make this Christmas the best one Conall Castle has ever seen, but loneliness haunts her. Love for her daughter sent her into the past, but she’d not expected the isolation she would feel. A former socialite and serial dater, she finds that her current age seems much older in the seventeenth century than it did in the twenty-first. She resigns herself to the fact that she will remain single for the rest of her days. At least until an unexpected visitor arrives at the castle.

Hew Moray has spent the last twenty years all alone, only leaving his isolated home once a year to pay homage to the wife he lost long ago. When a winter storm causes him to seek shelter at the castle where his sister lives, he meets the first lass since his beloved Mae to make his heart flutter in his chest once again. Will he be able to release himself from his past grief to allow another love to enter his life? If he does, will his love be returned?

My Thoughts:

I just have to say, I absolutely love that Adelle got a story! The side characters in this series in both previous books(and this one too, of course) were so strong, that I already had grown to know Adelle and was so happy to dive into her story. It was set at Christmastime, which I loved. Who doesn't love Christmas in July(okay, August), after all? 

Even though this is a novella, it packs as much punch of any of Bethany's full-length novels, and that's saying something! All I can say is, this got me so excited for the next book and made me wish that it was Christmastime again in the real world. After all, Christmas is a magical time of year and this was a magically beautiful story!

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My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

About Love Beyond Hope:

Love is the most powerful kind of magic. 

Baodan McMillan values many things in life: friendship, loyalty, kindness, but certainly not love. After the tragic death of his wife many years ago, he hardened himself to the idea of giving his heart to another. There is but one lass who can thaw his chilly heart, a lass he’s never met nor knows of, a lass whose birth won’t occur until centuries after his death… 

Mitsy Fredrickson is in serious need of a distraction. With the ink still drying on her divorce papers, she flies to Scotland determined to forget about her own problems by helping her best friend re-enter reality. She knows Bri’s claims that she is able to travel back in time and is currently living in the year 1647 are a lie but, instead of locating her friend, Mitsy falls prey to the same magic and is quickly forced to believe the impossible.

Modern and sassy, Mitsy finds few who know how to take her fiery personality in the seventeenth century, but she finds her match in Baodan, laird of McMillan Castle. He is her opposite in every way, yet she feels balanced in his presence. The more time she spends with him, the harder she falls. She suspects he feels the same way, but something is holding him back -- a dark secret from his past that even Baodan doesn’t fully understand. Mitsy works to uncover what is hidden in the hopes that with resolution Baodan will be free to love her. But the truth is darker than she expects, and it threatens to destroy them both.

My Thoughts:

Hello McMillan clan! This book took me completely by surprise. It had the same great writing style of the first two full lengths and the novella, but this author's ability to create amazing, unique characters never ceases to amaze me! Mitsy is what my grandfather would have called a little spitfire. She's slightly opinionated, but you can tell that she has a good heart. Not believing Bri can travel back in time, Mitsy takes a little trip to Scotland to clear her head. She's kind of forced to believe the her, however, when she herself is transported back in time!

Bethany just has that ability to not only put you in the mind of the characters, but the heart. You sort of feel what they feel, and so you're rooting for them the whole way. I cannot wait to see what she cooks up with the next book in the series!

About Love Beyond Measure:

Don't Miss The Latest Tale in Morna's Legacy Series by USA TODAY Bestselling Author, Bethany Claire What is life worth without the love you’re meant for?

Sent to the brink of death by his own brother’s blade, Eoghanan McMillan clings to the brief moments he spends in the shadows, watching from afar the beautiful lass he’s never met. He spends his time some four centuries after his birth, slowly building his strength so that he may return home, but each glimpse into the woman’s life leaves him wanting. He wants nothing more than to know her…

When Grace Mitchell’s job as a photojournalist sends her to Scotland with her young son, Cooper, in tow, her greatest wish is to escape from the aftermath of the wedding she abandoned. Instead, her life complicates further when she meets the mysterious, scarred, and alluring Eoghanan McMillan – a man so unlike any she’s ever known. She falls for him quickly but, after a spell sends them back in time to the seventeenth century, Grace is forced to accept the amazing truth about the man she’s just beginning to know and to re-think the life she had planned for herself.

Will their love for one another be enough to make Grace stay in a time so different from her own – a decision that will alter the direction of her young son’s life entirely? Or will she sacrifice a future with the man she loves to give her son a life of normalcy? In the end, she may just learn that the decision isn’t hers to make.

My Thoughts to Come:

Haven't read this yet, but I'm sure it's just as fabulous as the rest of the series! I've come to love this particular bookish world throughout this series so far, and the Conall/McMillan clans will forever be some of my favorite book characters! I cannot wait to see what Bethany Claire cooks up next! I've read there's another novella coming up soon! :)

Wrecked by Priscilla West

My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

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About the Book:

A Mature New Adult Romance(18+) Novel by USA Today Bestselling Author Priscilla West

“There would be no happy ending for us. He was too damaged. I was too broken.”

Two years ago, Lorrie’s mother was murdered. But that wasn’t the end of it. Reeling from the tragedy, Lorrie’s father spiraled into alcohol, depression, and finally suicide.

The two most important people in Lorrie’s life are both gone but she’s still alive.

Trying to recover from the tragedy, Lorrie returns to campus, ready to pick up the pieces of her life. All Lorrie wants is to get back to “normal.”

Then she meets Hunter. The man, the legend, “The Hammer.”

Hunter is a cage fighter who takes on every fight like he’s got nothing to lose. His life is a tangled mess of girls, booze, and fist fights. And while it may seem like he’s got a devil-may-care attitude, he’s fighting a private cage-match with a monster he can’t defeat.

Lorrie knows that Hunter is exactly the type of guy she should stay away from, especially in her fragile state, but Hunter has other ideas.

As Hunter and Lorrie grow closer together, will they be able to overcome their pain and heal each other? Or will they both end up wrecked?

My Thoughts:

*I received this book for review from the publisher via Netgalley, but this in no way affects my thoughts expressed in this review*

This was my first book by Priscilla West, but it won't be my last. I was immediately pulled into Lorrie's story, and automatically connected with this character. Soon after, I felt the same about Hunter. These characters have both seen the ups and downs of life and yet they keep pushing on. 

After a few chance meetings these two become friends, but it's obvious to everyone(including them) that there is more to their relationship. The only problem is everyone has their secrets, and those secrets threaten to pull these two apart. I won't give any spoilers, though. 

This book is a great read and I can't wait to read the rest of the series! All I'm going to say is, Priscilla West knows how to write a good cliffhanger ending. I can't wait to see how this story unfolds!

 

Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn

My Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars

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About this Book:

Gemma just got dumped and is devastated. She finds herself back in the Hamptons for the summer—which puts her at risk of bumping into Hallie, her former best friend that she wronged five years earlier. Do people hold grudges that long? 

When a small case of mistaken identity causes everyone, including Hallie and her dreamy brother Josh, to think she’s someone else, Gemma decides to go along with it.

Gemma's plan is working (she's finding it hard to resist Josh), but she's finding herself in embarrassing situations (how could a bathing suit fall apart like that!?). Is it coincidence or is someone trying to expose her true identity? And how will Josh react if he finds out who she is? 
Katie Finn hits all the right notes in this perfect beginning to a new summer series: A Broken Hearts & Revenge novel.

My Thoughts:

Having loved Second Chance Summer by this author(written under Morgan Matson), I was really excited to hear about this new series. For some reason, these tales of revenge always pull me right in. 

Gemma's character, I really liked overall. I have to say, though, that at times it was a little unbelievable to me that Gemma could really believe that Hallie wouldn't know who she was. Yet, everything seems to be going according to plan.

I really loved Josh's character, in fact he sort of sold the story for me when it hit some rough patches. I was always on the edge of my seat with that relationship, though. How can you start a relationship based completely on a lie? 

The one thing that totally makes me say "you have got to read this book" is that ending! No spoilers from me but all I'm going to say is cliffhanger central! I felt like the story was good not great until right there at that ending. Totally sold the next book for me and now I can't wait to read it!

Blog Tour: Whisper by Heather Hildenbrand

Whisper by Heather Hildenbrand

New Adult Paranormal Fantasy

The Cherokee believe when a person dies, their soul is reborn. Life is repeated. An endless cycle of lessons to be learned, love to be found, destiny to be fulfilled. For the past six months, in every flower, every bird, I’ve imagined my parents, relieved of their human forms.


Now, after five months at the Skye View Wellness Center, it was summer. A time for parties and friends, but that’s the last thing I want to do. So when my best friend Erin convinces me to attend a bonfire at Eagle Point, I can’t handle the crowd full of sympathetic stares or drunken class clowns who would use my tragedy as a way into my heart – or my pants. The solitude of the woods offers an escape, until I stumble upon a boy, unconscious and bleeding, his pockets stuffed not with identification but with poetry illustrating the beauty of dying. I’ve seen enough death. I will not leave this boy’s side.


Even after he wakes, when the only thing he can remember are visions of events that haven’t happened yet… 

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Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/143027

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007VDNIQM

My Thoughts:
*I received this book for review from Mark My Words, but this in no way affects my thoughts as expressed in this review*
I so couldn't wait to read this book! I'd been excited about it since release day and when I finally got to read it I stayed curled up the entire afternoon. It completely blew me away.

Now, I'm sure y'all are thinking, "well what's it about?" I mean, the synopsis is a bit of a cliffhanger, isn't it? Who's the boy? Why was he unconscious and bleeding? And visions? I had the same thoughts when I was first going into the  book, and I have to say it's so much better than I expected.

You don't see a whole, whole lot of books about Cherokee, and considering my own great grandmother was Cherokee, I always love reading about the culture that is so often carefully weaved in books like these. It definitely added to the story. I honestly cannot wait to read what Heather Hildenbrand brings us next, as this was a really great book! I recommend!

About the Author:

Author of Across the Galaxy, Whisper, and the Dirty Blood series. I write, read, and fuss at my kids. Oh, and I do laundry, lots of laundry. I’m pretty good at it, too. Sometimes I even read WHILE doing laundry – and fussing at my kids. I’m a multi-tasker.

For more information on my books, release dates, or just general stalker material, um, I mean FAN material, visit my website. www.heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com. I love hearing from readers!

Likes and dislikes? I love vintage tees, hate socks with sandals, and if my house was on fire the one thing I’d grab is my Amazon Fire TV! (oh yeah, I’m a fan of puns.)

Website / Facebook / Twitter

Running Lean by Diana L. Sharples

My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

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About the Book:

Equilibrium. That’s what Stacey and Calvin found in each other. He is as solid as his beloved vintage motorcycle and helps quiet the constant clamor in Stacey’s mind. She is a passionate, creative spirit---and a lifeline after Calvin’s soldier brother dies.

But lately the balance is off. Calvin’s grief is taking new forms. Voices of self-loathing are dominating Stacey’s life. When struggles with body image threaten her health, Calvin can’t bear to lose another person that he loves. Taking action may destroy their relationship, but the alternative could be much more costly.

My Thoughts:

*I received this book for review from the publisher, but this in no way affects my thoughts as expressed in this review*

So, as soon as I saw the cover of this book, I was like "wow, that looks interesting," but it was the synopsis that sold me. It sounded like an amazing book, yet some nagging part of me was worried I wouldn't like it. Well, that nagging part was wrong. I loved this book!

Stacey and Calvin were such well written characters. Their story, their struggles, just really pulled me right on in. I really felt for these characters, and my emotions were just haywire. I couldn't stop reading til I got to the last page. I will say this, one really great part of this book is that it wasn't all sad, their were parts where I was laughing out loud. In public places. Yeah. Lots of weird looks. So, I think that's what sets this a part. It was a book that inspired me to cry but it also made me laugh. I don't often say that, but it's true. I love books like this, and this will forever be a book I consider a favorite, and I see many rereads in my future. I definitely recommend Running Lean, whether you've dealt with what the characters are going through are not, this book is easy to relate to and extremely well written. Diana L. Sharples is going on my watch list!

Tunnelville by Erin Callahan and Troy H. Gardner

*I received this book for review from the author, but this in no way affects my thoughts expressed in this review*

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

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About the Book:

Following their panicked escape from Wakefield, Astrid Chalke, Max Fisher, and their friends find themselves adrift and on the run in western Massachusetts. After picking up a young thief with a complex philosophy, and dealing with the pains of prescription drug withdrawal, they make their way to Boston.

Drained by a long trek to the city, the damaged teens settle in an underground tunnel community—a city below the city that appears to lie on the fringes of both the world above and the world of magic. Among the eccentric tunnel folk, they encounter the fabulous Angie DeVille, a self-made hipster and socialite who takes them under her neon wing and envelops them in her breathless and fast paced life.

Funded by a seemingly ruthless organization, the relentless Dr. Lycen is tasked with hunting down the Wakefield escapees. But as Astrid and Max eke out a meager existence in their new home and do their best to stay off Dr. Lycen's radar, they learn that new and even more harrowing threats might be lurking just over the horizon.

My Thoughts:

Before I start talking about how awesome this book was, I feel it fair to say that this is the second book in the series. Though I will not give spoilers of this book, there is a chance if you haven't read the first book I might provide spoilers of it. Just thought I'd let y'all know. 

Picking up where Wakefield left off, Astrid and the rest of the Wakefield crew are on the run and dealing with the fallout from escaping. They soon find out, though, that Dr. Lycen might not be their only threat. 

I was so excited to read this book after having read the first! Something about this series just pulls me right in, and I can't recommend it enough. It's not a type of story you read every day but it's one that I just couldn't put down. All I can say is I can't wait for book 3! If you read and loved Wakefield as much as I did, I recommend you grab a copy of Tunnelville now and dive back into the story! As for me, I'm going to go start in on reading Perfection, book 3 in the series. I'm guessing after y'all finish Tunnelville you'll be ready for it too! 

Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway's Ghost by Iain Reading

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About the Book:

Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway's Ghost is the exciting second installment in a new series of adventure mystery stories that are one part travel, one part history and five parts adventure. This second book in the series continues the adventures of Kitty Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot who has decided to follow in the footsteps of her hero Amelia Earhart and make an epic flight around the entire world. After flying across North America Kitty's journey takes her down south to Florida where she plans to get a bit of rest and relaxation before continuing on with the rest of her long and grueling flight. As Kitty explores the strange and magical water world of the Florida Keys her knack for getting herself into precarious situations sweeps her headlong into the adventure of a lifetime involving mysterious lights, ancient shipwrecks, razor-toothed barracudas and even a sighting of the great Ernest Hemingway himself. This exhilarating story will have armchair explorers and amateur detectives alike anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept across the landscape and history of the Florida Keys all the way from Key West to the strange and remarkable world of Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas. 

Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway's Ghost is a perfect book to fire the imaginations of readers of all ages. Filled with fascinating and highly Google-able locations and history this book will inspire anyone to learn about and experience as much of our amazing world as they can - just like Kitty Hawk herself.

My Thoughts:

*I received this book for review from the author's publicist but this in no way affects my thoughts as expressed in this review*
It's very rare these days when I can say that a second book in a series is as good as the first. With Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway's Ghost I can happily call it an exception. I just love this series so far! I am far past the age middle grade books are written for, seeing as I will be turning 18 in September, and yet it seems to me like this book really isn't just written for that crowd. The Kitty Hawk books are some of the rare ones in that they are good, clean and fun to read no matter the age. Whether it's reading a bit each night to a little one who can't yet handle chapter books themselves, to middle schoolers still discovering a love of reading(and to help reluctant readers develop one) all the way up to me a girl in my late teens.
I just love Kitty Hawk, even more so now than in the first book. The characters Mr Reading creates are all fun and approachable. These books truly belong on the shelves of young readers, I cannot rave about them enough. People ask me sometimes why I still occasional choose to read middle grade and I always say "why not?" without really thinking about it. Now that I really am sitting here and writing this review I have to say I have an idea. I've never really been a person to take genre into consideration anyways. If it sounds good, I'll read it. Looking at middle grade as a whole, though, I think it's because there's just not much stress in trying to conform to what's popular. Despite highly successful books like the Percy Jackson series and the Harry Potter series you just really don't see a whole, whole lot of middle grade. So, it's always different every time. The characters sit at that age that is just really fun to read about. Kitty Hawk has to be one of the greatest characters I can recommend a young girl(or boy!) to read about right up there with Daisy from Daisy and the Pirates. She knows what she wants and she goes for it. She's a highly intelligent young girl and she doesn't let anyone stomp on her dreams, whatever they may be. I have a strong feeling that one day(as far in the future as this may be)when I have my own children, the entire Kitty Hawk series will be one of the series that graces their bookshelves.
Over all, I recommend these books for kids of any age looking for a great read. These books are fun, educational and just put a big ol' smile on your face and have you ready for the next one. Love Kitty Hawk!