A Curse of Shadows by Heather Renee

 There are quite a few steamy make out scenes. I usually only read YA. I only state this because I want parents who care about what their kids read to be aware. And a lot of f-bombs. I really don't like those. That's why this one is one star less than a normal review for me. That being said I am a huge fan of Heather's. I have signed books & special editions.

The beginning of this book reminds me of something I would do while driving. Isla somehow gets on the highway going the wrong way. She is distracted by her thoughts and misses ages exists to turn around. The highway ends with a turnpike. There is nowhere to turn around & the lady in the toll booth insists she pay & keep the line moving. She could care less for her sob story. Isla keeps driving when her car disappears and she sees a bunch of lights. Eventually she ends up in another world. They instantly recognize her as a princess that disappeared over 500 years ago. She's taken to a castle where a grouchy King named Ashton gets upset because she has no memories of this world. He sends her to her room.

Isla immediately worries that her best friend (soul sister) is raising cane looking for her. As leverage to get her to stay Asher finds her father & threatens to kill him if she doesn't stay 4 weeks. As her fragile father heals he realizes Isla's best friend sounds like her sister who disappeared a year after her sister. Asher immediately sends two people to retrieve her. Did I mention that Isla & Estee (her sister) both have their appearance change when they enter this new world? Oops sorry. When they get her sister somehow she has some of her memories. Isla has a lot of overwhelming things thrust at her. Like she's a wolf shifter like everyone else. Neither woman can access their wolf for some reason. Throughout the book both women have memories come back that help them piece together what happened to them & whose responsible. In order for the wolves to live so long they are reincarnated. The only way for Isla to bond with Asher & get her wolf back is pretty brutal. However, both happen.

I feel so bad for Grayson Isla, & Water's father. He lost one daughter & then the other. The loss was so hard that their mom couldn't take it. She died of a broken heart. Leaving Grayson. That is why he was so fragile when Asher found him. He was starving himself to death. However, Asher being an Alpha King could heal him. Asher was so torn up when Isla disappeared. He had search parties looking for her for 100 years. He refused to move past it & take someone else as him mate. If he had they would have never had the strong bond he had with Isla. They were actually born on the same day which is unheard of. When Asher saved Isla from another wolf they spend time talking while they walk back to the castle. Asher is so sweet because I know it had to be so hard keeping his hands to himself. There were little touches here & there. He let her know he would never pressure her. He told her she was safe with him. And he encouraged her to talk to him and he never laughed at anything she thought or felt.

This does have a HEA. Even if there is a goddess that is creepy & tries to get Asher to make out with her. No can do when you have a mate. The ending has a small cliffhanger maybe we should call it a trench. Lol! Estee is in the next book & has she to leave the Island.

Chair Yoga For Weight Loss by Aria Sage

 This book is for people over 60 & anyone with limitations on their exercise routines. There are breathing instructions to help boost your metabolism & start weight loss. As well as stretches to increase mobility. The author explains how to adjust these exercises to your limitations & physical needs. There are also some meditation exercises. The only thing that disappointed me was the fact that I didn't think there were enough illustrations. I would rather have more pictures to go along with the descriptions of the exercises. Like you get when you go to physical therapy. Other than that I think the book is good and will help people stay more active as they age. I like the seated approach as someone who has fibromyalgia & has had both knees replaced. I can't just get on the floor to do weird poses. My knees only bend so far & I can't get on my knees for any reason. That's a no no! Plus getting up off the floor is really hard for me. I'm not 60 yet, but this book intrigued me because of the gentler approach & my limitations.

Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women Of The Bible, & What He Wants To Do With You by John F. MacArthur

 There are study questions at the end of the book for each chapter that I didn't learn about until I finished the last chapter. They help you reflect & apply what you read in each chapter. I love how John chose women that were only mentioned in a few verses in the Bible and created lessons out of their stories. After all they wouldn't even be mentioned in the Bible unless they were important. Some don't even have their names mentioned but their stories are. Our ladies Bible study used this book and the fact that it is on Kindle Unlimited makes it so much more affordable for people on a budget. Thank you for making it that way John MacArthur! I couldn't afford it at first but saved my money up and bought it. I plan on going back to read a few women I missed reading about because I missed those weeks of Bible study. I highly recommend this book for a deeper understanding of these 12 women of the Bible

Second Chance Serenity by Jessica Ashley

 This was a hard read because I felt bad for Michael. Yes, he made some mistakes. He should have gone about things differently before he was went into boot camp. Yet, he wrote her everyday. He explained what he couldn't say in person. His fiancée never read a single letter he sent her. She spent years angry at him. If she’d just opened the letters she could have saved herself years of pain and grief at the loss of what a life with him could’ve been like. She didn’t know what pressure Michael was under by his parents. If he had just told her instead of running off to join the military. He didn’t think he would ever be able to prove that he was man enough to take care of her. His parents expected him to go to work in the company business. They didn’t make much money. He wanted to be able to provide more for her than he had growing up. Especially, since her parents were financially better off than his were. If only they’d talked it out he would’ve know she didn’t care as long as she had him! When he returns will she even give him enough time to explain? And can he get the words out?

The Cardinal Code by Avery Sterling

 This is a steamy love story. Close to a Romeo & Juliet story as you could ever get. The violence of the vampire world isn’t shied away from in this story. Paislee is a human who moved to the Hampton’s to live in her uncle’s house. It’s close to where she wants to go to college. She also needs a job though. When she finds one at a high end club she has no idea what she is getting into. Not everyone in the club is human. The owners are vampires although they use another word. When three vampires have their eyes set on her who will be the one to feed from her? In the vampire world everything is rules & laws. The human has to sign a contract stating that they agree to terms set in the contract. Of course, they are rewarded handsomely for it. They even get medical & dental. Michael is the new owner of the club Paislee works at. When his brother, who is a bad vampire, tries to get handsy with Paislee she seeks help & runs to kiss the first guy she sees. And Michael happens to be coming down the stairs then. She begs him to play along so Esben, the brother, will leave her alone. She never expected kissing him to feel so different than anyone else. Michael & Esben hate each other. They are actually half brothers. Esben is first born but because his mom went crazy the government had to put her down. And Michael’s mother’s blood is more pure making him royalty. That means he inherits everything. And Esben has always held that against him. Four years ago a girl died because Esben beat her & she was infected with vampire blood. She ran to Michael for help. And he did try, but his efforts were futile. However, Michael learns towards the end things might not have happened the way he thought. Esben is hell bent on making Michael pay. He’s trying to get the contract voided between Michael & Paislee so that he can turn her into a vampire. Then he can mate her. Although watch out for that cliffhanger ending!