Bound by the Vampire Queen by Joey W. Hill

This is the 8th book in the Vampire Queen series, but it’s the 3rd book centered on the main characters Lady Lyssa and Jacob. They are definitely my favorite couple in the series. 

Jacob first met Lady Lyssa when Lady Lyssa’s servant passed away and sent Jacob to become Lady Lyssa’s new servant. However, Jacob constantly disobeys Lyssa because he is not used to being a servant. He is a total alpha male. 

I don’t want to give the story away so I’ll just say that Jacob and Lady Lyssa have had a rough road ahead of them. Vampires do not approve of relationships with servants or humans because they believe that they are better than them. I love reading about how Lyssa and Jacob’s relationship grew over the time that they spent together. They are definitely great together and Jacob will always be loyal to Lyssa no matter what. I suggest that you read the first two books before you decide to read this book or else you’ll be confused because many things has happened since then. 

Jacob and Lyssa are just great together and this book just shows why. I love how Hill portrayed the vampires in his series and I can’t wait to read more about Lyssa and Jacob! 

Play by Play series by Jaci Burton

Great series! I love sports and this series definitely covered sports + romance. The first three books are focused on the Riley siblings. I read the first three books since they have already been released and they were great! The Riley brothers are both pro athletes. Mick Riley (The Perfect Play) is a pro football player, while his younger brother Gavin (Changing the Game) is a pro baseball player. Both brothers are very competitive and they also have their differences. Their only sister Jenna (Taking a Shot) runs their family bar, but then comes pro hockey player Tyler Anderson. I know that the 4th book (Playing to Win) is going to be focused on their cousin who is also a pro football player, but that’s pretty much it. I recall that they introduced their cousin maybe in the third book so I don’t know much about him.

I recently saw that Jaci Burton plans on having 6 books so far for the series. The first five books have their titles and covers, but the sixth one (One Sweet Ride) does not have a cover yet. The 4th book is releasing on September 4, 2012, the 5th book (Thrown by a Curve) on March 2013, and the 6th on June 2013. 

Out of all of her books in the series, my favorite is Gavin’s book. Gavin and Liz were definitely fun characters and were obviously right for one another. Mick was kind of a jerk especially in the second book, but his book was okay. Hopefully Burton’s other books in the series will be as good as Gavin’s! :)

Brotherhood of Blood series by Kathryn Smith

This is another series featuring vampires. I thought the series was great and the characters were awesome and definitely had chemistry. It’s about five men who entered the sanctuary of the Knights of Templar and took the Holy Grail from them. However, they decided to drink from it, and instead of paradise, they became vampires. 

1. Be Mine Tonight : Chapel’s book

2. Night of the Huntress : Bishop’s book

3. Taken by the Night : Saint’s book

4. Let the Night Begin : Reign’s book

5. Night after Night : Temple’s book

The series brings about another version of how vampires came to be and what their strengths and weaknesses are. I thought it was a pretty good series and I liked the characters. It’s definitely worth a try. 

Kiss of Pride by Sandra Hill

This is the first book in the new Deadly Angels series. I didn’t know what to expect when I first saw this book, but I was definitely surprised (in a good way) when I read the book. I think this is the first book I’ve read about Viking Vampire Angels. Actually, I’m not sure I’ve read any book about vampire angels…

Anyways, the book is about Alexandra Kelly and Vikar. Vikar is a Viking Vampire Angel on a thousand-year-long mission with his sinful brothers. Alexandra Kelly doesn’t know whether to believe Vikar because the town they live in is just… a joke. Everywhere you look there’s vampire shirts, vampire drinks, and whatever else there is that can be linked to vampires. All Alexandra wants is to interview Vikar and go back to her life. A life that doesn’t involve Viking Vampire Angels.

Vikar thinks Alexandra is the woman of his dreams, he just needs to convince her to stay with him forever.

The book definitely has a lot of humor in it and the story is original, but the book does have its flaws. I think as the series goes on that the books will get better. This book was just not as great because it’s the first book in the series so they had to introduce a lot of new things. Especially the whole Viking Vampire Angel stuff. It really depends on the reader if whether or not they’ll like the book. I liked it because I thought it was a fun and easy read but there were parts where I just wanted the author to skip or rewrite. 

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

I thought this book was pretty good. It’s about Jordan Woods, the starting quarterback for her school. The problem is that she’s a girl…and girls usually just stick to cheerleading. The guys on the team sees her as one of the guys which is good as long as she can still get her scholarship to a powerhouse university. 

Then Ty Green moves to her school. He’s an amazing quarterback…like one of the best and he’s also hot. Jordan suddenly feels vulnerable. Can she still lead her team or will Ty be chosen to do so? 

When Jordan becomes closer to Ty, she realizes that he’s actually a great guy. Not just one of those cocky jocks. Is Jordan making the right choice? Or is there another guy out there for her?

Miranda Kenneally does a great job writing a book about a girl who loves football and is considered as a good quarterback. The story is something new and there are some twists in the story that some readers may not expect. I surely didn’t expect them. 

Anyways, the book is great and fans of Romance, YA, and sports books should definitely consider reading this book!

Other books by this author are Stealing Parker and Things I Can’t Forget. 

Great Romance Involving the Law

What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor

This was a very heartwarming and touching story! The author has personal experience because she herself has lost her hearing in her right ear. 

Jake Hayes is a senior. He’s a football player and their team has just won a game. Jake and two of his friends got drunk one night and they ended up crashing the car. He lost the ability to speak. His two friends got off with only broken bones, but they healed eventually. 

Jake has two choices: he can just be depressed about being mute or he can learn from his mistake and keep living his life. 

Then there’s Samantha Shay. Jake has been in love with her since he first saw her their freshman year, but he has never told her that he loves her and now he might never be able to do so. Samantha is pretty much on track to be the valedictorian of their school. She’s perfect and Jake loves everything about her. 

However, this year there’s something going on with Samantha. She looks tired and she seems to have lost weight. As Jake tries to get used to being a mute, he also grows closer to Samantha Shay, the only girl he’s ever loved. Does Samantha love him back?

The verdict: Great story and if you’re a fan of YA Romance, then this book is definitely for you! The chemistry between Samantha and Jake was amazing and Jake was really sweet. It shows how true their love was and that Jake would take care of Samantha no matter what. They were meant to be together.