I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you CJ Scarlett!

This is what I'm talking about. The drama and change in narrative I was looking for was there. It wasn't the same old same old as the previous Celestial Mates books. For this, I applaud Scarlett.

I found that although the storyline was more appealing, it still had a few kinks. I wished there was more involvement of other parties. From the synopsis, I expected more pow!

Yes there was drama, but it was slightly teenager-like for ambassadors. I always thought ambassadors were mature and analytical people, although they did not act that way at times.

Anyways, it's not a perfect novel, but it does show growth on Scarlett's part.

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you CJ Scarlett!

This was one of the more enjoyable reads of the series. Nothing has come close to unseating Fire Princess as my favourite, but this one was an improvement from its predecessors.

I liked the fact that the story followed the two sisters, Carolyn and Cassidy on the Krylonian vessel. I found Cassidy to be quite the trouble maker, and her pranks to be funny. I liked how outspoken she was, and how she did what she wanted and not what she was told.

I had a couple of snags with Carolyn though. I think that she accepted her role as Maruvian queen slightly to fast. She hadn't seemed too shocked for too long, and that didn't sit well with me. She immediately believed them and started ruling. She not only started ruling quickly, she also ruled with such fondness and passion. Don't get me wrong, that's amazing, but I would have liked to see a slight time delay to get more accustomed to her new world / people.

Overall, a great effort by CJ Scarlett!

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you C.J. Scarlett!

This book was pretty good. I like where the author is going with the story, however the execution of the story left me dissatisfied.

First, I felt as though sometimes Keiko's diction was off. She would speak normally, and then at times she would speak with the vocabulary and diction of Shar Jalon. I don't know if this was intentional, but it threw me off slightly.

Second, I felt as though the book lacked action; lacked fluctuations in the plot. I like to picture plots as graphs - don't look at this screen weird, it's an actual thing. For this book, it looked like a bumpy road.; kind of like the ripples after a raindrop falls in a lake (I'm getting poetic, I know). What I would have liked to have seen, is more impactful plot twists and actions which would have created "waves" if we keep going with my metaphor. The story lacked the "UMPH" factor.

What I did like about this book, or rather WHO I did like, was Emily. The little, sassy ten-year-old made the story for me. She added life to the story, and was strongly opinionated. Absolutely loved her.

This book does have potential. If reworked a little, it could be a great book!

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you CJ Scarlett! 

I really enjoyed Tekkin, and the sequel did not disappoint. As you probably know from my review of Tekkin, I loved the shifter culture and the shifter-human interaction aspect of the book. In this book, Scarlett explores the elitist aspects of Shifters, and how there is still discrimination within the discriminated. I feel as though this is especially relevant, and makes a well formulated comment on cultural/religious/ethnic perception. 

In addition, I liked the introduction of Lana as a character. She is sassy, hilarious, and above all, intelligent. She doesn't show all of her cards, and she becomes a mystery to us. Despite all this doubt around her, I really like her and cannot wait to read more about her in the sequel.

The only thing I didn't quite enjoy is how similar the ending was to the first installment - I am being picky here. I just wished it was more of a BANG!​

​I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you C.J. Scarlett!

Okay, so this book sounded way cool. Dragons shifters versus Bear shifters. I mean, who doesn't like dragons? 

Here's what didn't work for me. 

First, it's another race of aliens scouring the earth for human females whom they will bring back to their home world to mate. That is so very similar to the "Celestial Brides" series. My first thought was that they were related stories, but they're not. 

Second, I felt as though the vocabulary chosen at times wasn't accurate to convey the importance, or the magnitude of certain situations. For example, the main character thinks something horrific is "sad". There are so many more appropriate words that can be used in that instance. This caused for multiple, possibly exciting scenarios and situations, to fall short of the punch they were meant to deliver. 

Third, I don't do well with "instant love". Instant attraction? Yes. Instant love needs to be extremely well executed for me to buy it, and in this story, it felt off. It wasn't believable, which is unfortunate because it was in a way, an integral part of the story.

All in all, it wasn't Scarlett's best work, in my opinion, but I look forward to her finding her niche! 

I received and ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you CJ Scarlett!

There are a few reasons why this book simply didn't work for me. 

First of all, it took me a very long time to finally begin liking Maiko. I still can't put my finger on it, but I think it's because she was letting her emotions cloud her judgement on multiple occasions, whereas I am more of a logical person. In addition, I wasn't a huge fan of either Rose of Jen and they were both present in this novel to counsel Maiko... At least Selene popped in for a bit! Okay back to the issues.

Second, I also didn't grow fond of Ora. I found him immature, and inconsiderate for the first half of the novel. For an imperial prince, I would have thought he'd have a greater sense of tact and responsibility. He simply didn't think things through, and well, when the two main characters don't... You get my gist.

Lastly, the last third of the novel finally got interesting, but was a little confusing, especially with the narration and all the extra characters coming into the plot. Wowy that took concentration and re-reading. 

Now, what this novel did succeed in doing was peeking my curiosity and properly setting up the following novel. It almost seems as though this novel was the introduction to the next novel, which may also be a reason why I wasn't fond of it. Regardless of my character opinions, I do believe the next book to be enticing and riveting, if the last chapter of this one is any indication.

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thanks you C.J. Scarlett! 

Yes, Scarlett, yes! This your best work yet. This novel is so politically relevant as a parallel to what is happening showing a very open minded view point on current issues in society. I thought it was presented in a very interesting and enticing way. 

First, I love Alessia. She's smart, passionate, and doesn't shy back from confrontation and standing up for what she believes in. She reminds me of me, which is I think why I loved her so much as a main character. 

This book was intriguing and I told myself I would read a couple of chapters before bed and ended up finishing it in one sitting. Oops. The romance aspect was on point, and Scarlett is getting much more confident in her writing. She is becoming more concise and effective, which I am glad to witness. That ending though! Don't leave us hanging too long!

Overall, a great book, that I really enjoyed reading. Thanks again Scarlett!

​I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you C.J. Scarlett!

This was Scarlett's best Celestial Mate's installment yet! Selene is by far my favourite mate; sh'a feisty, has survival instinct, cautious of her prospective mate and is very independent in a non-whiney way. 

I found that the ending was fabulous and that the beginning was equally great. I find that Scarlett's "adventure" / "action" writing is better than her romance & courting writing, although this book's romance was a step up. 

I am always looking for more action to disrupt the equilibrium in a book, and I'd like to see more of that in the center portions of Scarlett's books.   

Overall, an improvement! It rejoices me that with every installment of this series, Scarlett gets better and more confident in her writing - represented through the genuineness of her characters.