Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

They say it's the terrible two's. I'm pretty sure that 3 was worse with my oldest but here is hoping for smooth sailing. Happy birthday to my beautiful baby girl who just turned 3! And I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for a great year ;P

Changeless by Gail Carriger

Let me count the ways that I loved this book and this series! Changeless picks up right where Soulless left off so if you haven't read the first book yet be warned of spoilers. And I'll put my bottom line right at the beginning of the review and say that this book is even better than the first. I loved it!

Alexia Tarabotti is back and better than ever in this sequel to Soulless. In this installment Alexia is investigating the mysterious phenemonen that is affecting parts of the supernatural sect in the city and causing them to apparently turn "human" for unknown reasons. Of course Alexia is caught up in the midst of everything and her investigation leads her to follow her husband to Scotland and the werewolf pack he left behind. But as always trouble follows her and Alexia is in more danger than she knows.

I found this book to be even better than the first which is really saying something as I thought Soulless was very good. This book provided the reader with a different side to Alexia as her marriage to Lord Maccon shows a slightly softer but just as stubborn Alexia. I loved the banter between these two and love how their relationship has evolved. There is just a chemistry between these characters that really works for me and helps to make the books even better in my opinion. I was also glad to see that this book included more of Ivy Hisselpenny as well as some new characters that we were introduced to. The humor in this book was more apparent to me this time and I caught myself laughing aloud on a couple of occasions. This was a fast paced read that kept me enthralled until the very end. And the end. Well, don't get me started other than to say that I was left wanting more. Right now. If I were you I would have a copy of Blameless nearby to open up as soon as you finish this book. All in all, a great addition to this series and I can't wait to see what kind of adventures/trouble Alexia gets herself into next!

Bottom line: Must read in my opinion! Great series!

Disclosure- I was sent this book to review and share my honest opinion by the publisher. It's not my fault I absolutely love these books and think you should too :)

*I read this book for the following challenges:

Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge

2nds Reading Challenge

100+ Reading Challenge

"C" Title for A-Z Challenge (personal)

Library Loot - RIP V Inspired

Fall may be my favorite time of year and this is definitely my kind of reading! I've been going a bit overboard at the library lately and thought I'd share some of my loot with you. And yes, I said some because I have entirely way too many books checked out from the library right now. But that is another day and another story. Maybe. All of these are books that will definitely fit Carl's RIP V challenge and I'm super excited to read them all. Which I might have been able to do if I was participating in the reading portion of the readathon. Alas, I have to work but I have signed up to be a cheerleader for a little bit. Good luck to all of you though! And here are the titles of some of my latest library books (pictured from top to bottom):

Something From the Nightside by Simon R. Green
The Sweet Scent of Blood by Suzanne McLeod
Hard Magic by Laura Anne Gilman
The Red Tree by Caitlin R. Kiernan (yay!)
The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb
Real Murders by Charlaine Harris
31 Bond Street by Ellen Horan
Deeper Than the Dead by Tami Hoag (an author that I haven't read in forever)

I'd say I have my work cut out for me. There are way too many good books out there that I want to read! And as usual library loot is hosted by Marg and Claire so make sure you drop by and share what you've picked up from the library!

Spotlight Review: Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

Spotlight Reviews are my way of playing catch up. I read and didn't review a ton of books from last year that I always wanted to share my thoughts on. These reviews will be short and sweet with just my basic thoughts and are my way of "catching up".

Summary from Goodreads:

"When her former boss and mentor is arrested for murder and left to rot behind bars by his own kind, it's up to shapeshifting car mechanic Mercy Thompson to clear his name, whether he wants her to or not. And she'll have to choose between the two werewolves in her life-whether she wants to or not. "

My Thoughts:

This series just keeps getting better and better. Mercy is an awesome kickass heroine who truly cares about her friends and those around her which is part of the reason why she is always getting into trouble. This book kept me on the edge of my toes mainly because I wanted to know which werewolf she was going to choose. And I loved the choice she made! The plot was fresh and interesting and led the series in a different direction than I had expected it to take. Bottom line on this one is this a MUST read series for urban fantasy fans. Highly recommended but start at the beginning to make the experience even better!