Fearless

King #1

by Tawdra Kandle

Tasmyn Vaughn didn't expect much when her dad’s job moved them to a small town in Florida; it was just another new school. But there is more to King than meets the eye, and soon Tasmyn’s ability to hear other’s thoughts is the least of her worries. Entangled in a web of first love, quirky and secretive townsfolk, magic and blood rituals, she discovers the town’s secrets aren’t just bizarre, they’re deadly.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Ebooks, Fiction, Paranormal Romance

414 pages, ebook

First published December 6, 2011

About the author

Tawdra Kandle is the author of over 140 contemporary and paranormal romances. Her engaging characters and realistic worlds lure return readers to devour the steamy love stories she spins.

Tawdra writes stories just like real life . . . only spicier!

Fan favorites include The Anti-Cinderella Chronicles, Love in a Small Town, and The Sexy Soldiers Military Romances.

Tawdra lives in central Florida with her husband, a sweet pup, and a snarky cat. Assorted grown children and two perfect granddaughters live nearby.

You can FOLLOW Tawdra here to receive updates on her releases. You can also visit her website at http://tawdrakandle.com for more information, and subscribe to her newsletter https://tawdrakandle.substack.com/sub... for sales announcements, special exclusive content, and promotions!

Reviews

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fearless by Tawdra Kandle
Book 1 of the King series. YA paranormal romance.
Tasmyn is the new kid in school trying to make friends. She’s promised her parents she will keep her mind reading ability under wraps but when boyfriend Michael makes a guess, Tas confirms her ability. Something sinister seems to threatening the small Florida town and the two investigate as they grow closer to each other.

A bit slow to start with a lot of cliches, but once you get past the teen love at first sight, the nasty Nell is worthy of following. Additional support of friends and school situations as well as meeting of the parents fill out the story with hints of what’s to come in rest of the series. Not a cliffhanger but not everything has been answered.
An adventure that kept me reading. I will be reading more of this series, probably with the next year’s reading challenge.

[Jordan Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fearless is actually a wonderful story, so why did I give it a 2?

To get to that wonderful story, you have to read about a hundred pages that will put you to sleep. About ninety percent of the first half of the book is only dialogue and it's bad, cliche dialogue at that. Once Tas meets Michael, the only thing they do for 100 pages is profess their love and trust to each other over and over again, in almost the same words really. It just goes on page after page, and I was literally about to fall asleep because it was so boring. I put it away and went back to it the next day, which made it slightly more bearable to wade through the stuff.

However, if you can force yourself through those pages after they FIRST say they're in love (or just skipping it will work since there are only a few little details in there, and they're of minimal importance anyway), it can be a good story. I certainly enjoyed the last half of the book, at least.

You can pretty much guess what is going to happen in the first twenty or so pages, but I think Nell has a good backstory that adds a nice difference than other stories. I found myself liking Nell the most since she was the character that remained most constant, next to Michael's parents.

Tas's parents are wishy-washy there at the end. They say one thing and freak out, but then the next second it's like they change the whole personality we've been show for the entire book. It wasn't realistic at all.

The book really should have ended very quickly after the detective talks to Tas. The whole process of introducing Tas to Michael's sister felt out of place or was just done wrong entirely, and it ruined the climax by carrying on too long. By the time I'd finally reached the end, it felt like I was already into a second book that ended abruptly after 30 pages and nothing happening.

I'm going to read Breathless once I let this one settle. Kandle seemed to hit her stride (mostly) and I'm hoping it continued into the second book.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be a fun ya book about a spooky town and so I kept waiting for it to BE about a spooky town. Instead it was a sappy dragged out story about two unrealistic teenagers and their unrealistic lives. Remember that Seinfeld episode where George was all like "no you're my shmoopie!!!"? It was worse then that. "Let me mentally declare my love and devotion for you over and over Tamsyn, because I'm a 17 year old boy and I am always pure and serious!"
I read a ton of ya fiction because it's generally a fun little adventure. Usually it seems with a lot of ya fiction it's about someone taking on something bigger then themselves and finding they are better then they thought when a lot of adult fiction is someone looking inward and finding they were less. This is the first young adult fiction book that really had me grumping "why are young adult books always about young adults!?"
Also, Thanksgiving is the same time EVERY YEAR. It never "was late that November". Opening a chapter with that is just really annoying.

[Dale Ibitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really toyed with my rating, and finally landed on 3.5 stars. On the one hand, the story moved well, the characters were well drawn, and it was pretty well written. On the other hand: I hate insta-love. It's just not believable in my book, unless the author makes it believable, i.e., give me a reason to believe it. In this case, it didn't work for me. But for those of you who believe in love at first sight with no cosmic explanation...go right ahead and disagree with my thoughts and rating, cuz you'll love this book!

So, like I said, this book was actually well-laid out, the plot moved fairly well (though started extremely slow...I'm all for the slow build-up, but sometimes things gotta move along, ya know what I'm sayin'?), and things were very descriptive. You saw, felt, smelled, got all the senses going.

Tasmyn is like-able, and her growth is what's to be expected from a teenage girl with over-protective parental units. I like how she took control over her life in the end. Atta girl! Loved the bitches, I could just picture those mean girls raging through the high school halls. The science teacher was deliciously mysterious and creepy.

Michael, her insta-love connection, is a nice guy, works hard, struggles sometimes in school with some subjects (which I liked, no one can be too perfect, otherwise - gag!). Another well-drawn character.

Here's my problem. Everything was insta-good. Tasmyn and Michael? Insta-love. Tasmyn and his parents? Insta-love. The good things here were that her parents weren't so quick to jump on the love caboose with Michael, and his sister wasn't down with the whole gee-she-can-read-your-thoughts-but-don't-worry-she-works-real-hard-to-not-listen-but-hey!-no-promises-there sitch. Good for her. Can't have everything be too easy! LOL

Other minor annoyances:
1. If her parents are so freaking over-protective, the first, and I mean FIRST, thing they'd do is buy her a cell phone so they can connect any time. Not buying the fact that she didn't have one.
2. The set-up at the end was obviously a set-up. But Michael had his phone turned off...who does that? No teenager I know, so this was an obvious hurdle the author threw in to get us to the main event.
3. There's something going on with the insta-love connection, since it seems to be a family trait on Michael's side. I would have bought this whole thing if there was something behind that, and maybe there is, but it's never touched on.
4. The wrap-up was kinda quick.

Overall, the book was good, just a little too many coincidences and obvious in the plotting phases.

[Veronique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deze heb ik gratis gedownload via kobo. Vond het verhaal wat langzaam gaan. Gebeurde in het begin niet veel en vond het niet helemaal goed uitgewerkt

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Link to my blog: https://thatreadhead1.wordpress.com/2...

This book took me a while to read, and I have to say it dragged a little, but, and I know this is crazy, but I have a new book boyfriend! Michael *swoon* Wow he's one incredible guy. He's gorgeous, his personality is amazing, he's a well-rounded guy, he respects his elders, he respects Tasmyn, he's just perfect. I really hope he turns out to be as perfect as he is now.
Actually, thinking more about the book, there wasn't really much wrong with it, just the length of time it took me to read it. And even though it was so cliche, I'm so pleased that all of Tas's new friends seem to accept her ability, and aren't going to tell anyone. I just wonder what'll go on with Ms Lacusta in the next books. Might read them at some point, who knows.

[Coco.V]

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Blurb:
Tasmyn Vaughn didn't expect much when her dad’s job moved them to a small town in Florida; it was just another new school. But there is more to King than meets the eye, and soon Tasmyn’s ability to hear other’s thoughts is the least of her worries. Entangled in a web of first love, quirky and secretive townsfolk, magic and blood rituals, she discovers the town’s secrets aren’t just bizarre, they’re deadly.

[Etienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad written, actually the writing was a bit better then what I was expecting. But the story... way too many clichés for me and also very teeny/girly! I'm clearly not the targeted public here, and I think that some teenage girls could find something good in it. But it's still a very generic, see a million time kind of story. I'll go with 2,5/5.

[Melissa Haggerty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fearless was such a wonderful young adult paranormal romance. I have always enjoyed love at first sight stories and this one was definitely no exception. Tasmyn (whose name I just love, by the way) struggles so hard with her gift of hearing others' thoughts. I enjoyed reading through her turmoil over right and wrong when she heard thoughts.


Tasmyn and Micheal's relationship was a joy to read. I loved their first meeting, with Tasmyn being so drawn to him, and from his thoughts we can tell he is being drawn to her. Their relationship may move very quickly to those first statements of "I love you" but it was never lacking in substance. To many they may seem to be just love struck teens but Kandle does an amazing job of showing how real their love is for each other.


Nell made a wonderful antogonist! She was so mean and hateful that it wasn't hard to find a true dislike for her. Her thoughts were very dark, and as they became more dangerouse it made the book so much more suspenseful. When I learned Nell's full story, although I still disliked her, I began to feel some sympathy for her.


Ms. Lacosta is a person who has left me wondering. She started so much of the trouble in this book. She may never be right there doing it but she is the person who seems to instigate so much. I wonder what happens with her. I suspect that she will go on to cause many more problems...


Tasmyn's bravery in this story is wonderful. She has to choose to trust Micheal with her most important secret about hearing others' thoughts. She also has to learn to trust other people as the book goes along. She shows so much courage when she goes after Nell to save first Amber and then later to save Micheal. Tasmyn is a protaganist that people will fall in love with and be cheering for.


I loved this book. It was a very enjoyeable and suspenseful love story. I would recommend this book to anyone over 14 years old, mainly because there are some darker areas of the book. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series!

[Wanda Hartzenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read. No love triangles, no excessive teenage angst only good vs. evil. Love conquering all and fun.
The two main protagonists are well adjusted teenagers with the female having a talent she needs to hide. Michael, the male protagonists is not happy with this, since he loves Tasmyn and wants to love all of her, be with all of her, and know all of her. In this she finds a confidante and an opportunity to live her life, and to use her gifts. But her gift lands her in a situation where she is in danger, mortal danger – can she use her gift to save her?
I had fun reading this book and will recommend it to all lovers of YA paranormal genre readers.
It is worth every **** star I give it and I see great things in the cards for the author.
WaAr

[Laura Kivi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well I didn't find this book very exciting and will not be continuing on with the series.

I guess I like a little chase in my romance books :)

Also I really could not stand her parents....I think that secluding her from the world and making her feel bad about having friends is just as bad as someone trying to use her for her powers. They even went as far as to make her feel bad about herself after she saved others lives...idk...I think her parents are idiots.

[Brenda . · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I mean the boy is like the prefect boy and boyfriend but hey this is fantasy and I loved it. I really couldn't put it down. I am eager to read the second one. Yes not really reality (with how great the boyfriend friends and family are) but we all could use a an uplifting type of fantasy. Not all dark.

[Dolorianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really a tale of two books in one. The first half was nearly all romance, with the main characters falling for each other right away, and then reinforcing their relationship over several weeks. I think YA romance readers are going to love this. For me, the book shined more in the second half, when Tas and Michael took a more active roll in figuring out what was going on. Nell's immediate reaction to a new student seemed over the top until more of the town's history was revealed, and then I couldn't get enough. The plot details are not ideas I've seen much of, so I'm very interested in seeing what comes next. I saw a spoiler for a later book, since much of this author's work is connected, so I know everything is not nearly what it seems and that there are likely many twists and turns to come. I look forward to reading more.

[Cindy Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't have a big expectation for this book. It was a little slow starting, but then I realized that was the vibe of the book. The story wasn't an action packed thriller. But it was a good story about what happened to a girl who moved to a new school in a town known to have a carnival history. And a reminder about how good true love can be. There's more to tell with this series, but with so many books calling my name, it might be awhile before I get back to this one.

[Crystal Collier · Rating 4 out of 5]

So let me get out there that I'm not a big fan of books with witches. However, that was not the focus of the story It was a side aspect to Tasmyn's trouble with hearing people's thoughts. Speaking of whom, I really liked Tasmyn, and Michael. There were moments I found their lives/responses to circumstances a little too sweet for reality, but hey, that works too. It makes a for a light, sweet read that parents won't be worried about having to sensor for YA readers.

Content warning: Clean.

[Katie O'Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fearless by Tawdra Kandle
Published 2012 by Hayson Publishing

Fearless is a paranormal romance set in present day Florida, combining contemporary high school scenarios with witchcraft and ESP. The author does a good job creating interesting characters and settings, and setting up a world of characters to start this series.

Tasmyn is a high school junior, new to her school and to Florida in general. Her family moves around the country a lot, both for her father's work and to keep her unique abilities a secret.

Tas can hear other peoples thoughts and feelings, and her parents fear the ability will land her in some government facility. While their paranoia might seem a little overblown, the mindreading does seem to keep landing her in trouble quite frequently.

Right from the start, she meets a boy, Michael, whom she can't keep the secret from. He's inexplicably drawn to her and their relationship is a whirlwind affair of insta love for both of them, which gives her an instant ally and insight into the strange insular community her family has moved to.

Founded by carnie folk years before, there are supernatural and mysterious elements afoot in the town, as well as witchcraft. Tas gets herself embroiled in a mean girl scenario with the head of the popular group, with her mindreading skills giving her strange visions of what the girls are planning.

This is the first book of a series about these characters, but frankly I won't be reading more of them. The storyline held my interest inasmuch as I wanted to read to the end, but the plot twists were predictable and the insta love was not all that believable. For someone who has spent her entire life hiding her gift and not having any friends, Tasmyn jumps into this new world of boyfriend full disclosure pretty quickly. Her parents also don't react how I would have expected, if they've spent their entire lives hiding their daughters talents. Interesting read, but in the end not as satisfying as I would have hoped.

[Mandy Reads Indie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tasmyn is starting yet another first day at yet another new school. Her whole life she has been able to hear what others are thinking and has had to learn to block them out. Unfortunately she ends up hearing something about a blood sacrifice and it totally creeps her out. But not even a full day in and she has already made an enemy with one of the most popular girls in school, and the earlier creepy thought gets pushed to the back of her mind. Thankfully one of the most gorgeous guys in school comes to her rescue...and he seems interested in her. Not one for talking to guys, Tasmyn is not sure what to think. Feeling a pull towards him too, Tasmyn is not sure how long she will be able to keep her 'talent' secret. And with things getting weirder in her small town, keeping her talent secret is getting harder by the second.

Kandle wrote a very convincing love story between 2 teens. Yes it’s a love at first sight romance, but I love her whole take on it; with it being something of a family affair. I don’t want to give that part away, but it’s really sweet and very romantic.

I absolutely loved the storyline…what’s better than a girl who can hear other people's thoughts and ends up turning using that gift for the greater good? With things going crazy in the small town of King, Tasmyn has her work cut out for herself. But thanks to some great characters, Tasmyn is not alone in the fight.

The only problem I had, which is just a personal issue mind you, is the use of witchcraft. I am not hugely fond of witchcraft stories, but with that said, I enjoyed it and how it all ended. And really it wasn't satanic at all in nature, so it didn't turn me off at all. I am still looking forward to more of the series and more of Kandle’s writing.

Fearless is the start of a great series that is perfect for any YA reader. It’s clean and simply romantic. I enjoyed it and hope you will take the time to read it too.

[BonSue Brandvik · Rating 4 out of 5]

YA isn't normally my preferred genre, but I found this book, which is the first of a trilogy, quite interesting and entertaining.

When Tasmyn (rhymes with has-been) Vaughn moves to King, a small town in Florida with mysterious origins, she quickly discovers her ability to read thoughts doesn't make her the strangest kid in town. Tasmyn is being raised by loving parents who are perfectly imperfect. The overprotective manner in which they are raising their daughter (to protect her from those who would take advantage of her ability) combined with their habit of moving on a frequent basis, has unintentionally made Tasmyn a lonely, insecure teenager. In King, she meets and falls for Michael, a boy who comes from a family where the men are able to recognize their soul-mate at first sight. When Tasmyn inadvertently hears the thoughts of fellow students that convince her one of them is going to cause harm to another, she and her new boyfriend are driven to act to save the one in danger. Nell is a young witch who is determined complete a blood-sacrifice ritual that would increase her power. The kids decide not to tell anyone that Nell used witchcraft to try to murder their classmate, Amber, except for Michael's parents (who are a little too perfect)because the knife she was using disappeared and they think no one would believe them. For some crazy reason, Micheal's parents agree to keep their secrets. Nell, who figures out Tasmyn's thought-reading ability, decides she would make an even better blood-sacrifice than Amber. More danger ensues. Considering the fact that this is part one of a trilogy, there are still lots of questions remaining at the end of the story (which will no-doubt be answered in the next two books)but overall, enough are answered to give the reader a satisfying ending and a sweet love story.

[Jacquie Talento · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book from a contest on Facebook that Willow Cross was having and I feel like a major winner of this book by Ms. Kandle. What a fun story this was for me to read. I wish I had won it sooner to have the opportunity to follow this author.
The story is about Tasmyn. She has been moving non-stop in all her years it seems. It’s been very hard to have friends because of the constant moving and because she has an ability to hear people’s thoughts in her mind. The first day of school she has a run in with Nell and she can’t figure out why this girl dislikes her so much because she hasn’t even had a chance to do anything to cause it. In the hall while having words with Nell, she meets Michael. Michael has already changed her life. She is finally getting friends and now has a boyfriend, something she never thought possible. He sends electric currents through her with his touch and she can confide in him her abilities that she was never allowed to share with anyone else. There’s a secret about the town she lives in and he has heard it. One of the girls that Nell has befriended seems to be in trouble and Tasmyn knows the anxiety it is causing her but can’t tell her she knows. Can Tasmyn save this girl? Are the things she is hearing just rumors or is there truth to what is going to happen? Is there something more to Michael than Tasmyn knows? Very exciting story and well written. Great job Ms. Kandle on this book. I plan on reading more of your work.

[Merisha28 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an unbiased honest review!!~~
Fearless by Tawdra Kandle

This is my first book to read by this author. This was a well developed story. I highly enjoyed the pace of the book. It was slower in parts but it is still a highly recommended read. I will definitely be reading the other books in this series. This is more for the YA readers with a mixture of witches and supernatural elements stirred together. I love the romance and the love a first sight. I love the characters Michael and Tas. I'm excited about the next book in the series. The book is very well written and I love the dialogue between all the characters (even the inner dialogue.)

Tasmyn is a somewhat normal teen except the fact that she can read minds. Her family move to the town of King where strange things happen. The first day of school Tas meets a handsome stranger named Michael who is smitten from the moment he lays eyes on her. With scary teachers and an enemy that pops out of the wood work, Tas with the help of Michael try to save themselves and a few others that are caught in an evil web. Will Tas be able to save her friends or will she live to rue the day she moved there? I give this book 4 star review!!

[Erienne Theis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tasmyn moves to King, Florida with her mother and father. Here she meets and falls in love with Michael, teen romance and corny dialogue ensues. She can also hear thoughts of the people around her which she has to keep a secret from basically everyone; and the town is known for its carny roots and history of witches.

This book took me a while to read. I had a hard time staying focused while reading it, and there was a length of time where I couldn't bring myself to read it. A good portion of it was just silly monotonous teen romance and sweet nothings combined with conflicting emotions of I can hear peoples thoughts but should I act on them when I know I shouldn't even be listening. Then, when the story seemed to pick up a bit, I felt it was kind of obvious where the story was going and what was going to happen so there were no surprises or climactic moments. The ending also seemed to drag on for a while with a lot of unnecessary dialogue and I found myself just skimming through a lot of it.

I feel like maybe this book would be good for a younger audience, pre teen maybe. As it is, my book expectations are high and this one just didn't cut it for me. However, like I said, perhaps a younger audience would find it more pleasing.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the King Series. I feel this book had a few different genres in one. It has romance, drama, fantasy, paranormal all rolled into one.

We meet Tasmyn who for the first time in her life not only has friends, she also has a boyfriend. Michael is just not any high school boy. He is the most sought after senior in the school. Of course that causes some envy and jealousy from the other girls in the school.

Tasmyn is not just the new girl in school. She also has the gift (or is it a curse) to be able to read minds. When Tasmyn "hears" something that is potentially dangerous to others she has no choice but to try and stop it from happening no matter what the cost.

This book is the kind that makes you think beyond the story unfolding as you read it. I found myself wondering what would I do if if I was Tasmyn and could hear the thoughts of others around me? Would I ignore what I hear? Would I try to interfere with things I shouldn't know? Would I love this gift or resent it? I can see both the good and bad with this power.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series Breathless.

[Lisa Markson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great YA book about young love.  Michael and Tasmyn come together in a time in their lives when they are least expecting it.  Fearless is about the struggle growing up in a world that you feel you are alone in.  Besides typical teenage problems Tasmyn has to deal with the gift of being able to hear other people's thoughts.  Her parents treat it more as a disability than a gift lets not talk about it and keep it a secret.  But then they have to deal with a disturbed girl who bully's people with magic to sin more power it puts the lives of Tasmyn, Michael, and Amber on the lie and they come together to unite against the town bully and find friendship along the way.  Very well written I would recommend this to everyone to get and read.  Just because you are different doesn't mean you have to be alone.  I couldn't put down once I started.  Deserves more than 5 stars.  Maybe Tasmyn can help a teenage girl deal with life struggles for acceptance.

[Mara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't be a good judge of YA. They rarely are interesting for me. I care not for high school drama and growing-up pain. Here the paranormal, however nice, could not cover the YA.

If you're a fan you might want to give it a try.

Note that there wasn't much depth to characters; Michael is a Mario Sue :-)... simply to perfect to be believable and sounding way older than his 18 y.o.

[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.

The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.

i would highly recommend this author and this book.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This read is pretty straight forward read without very much description and detail. The author doesn't use any figurative language or literary devices.

[BL834 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sigh. The worst part is that Ms. Kandle shows evidence that she has a sense of humor and could actually write very well. She ruins her own writing voice with a cliche plot and crap characters.

[Stacy Sabala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review- Fearless by Tawdra Kandle

Tasmyn is starting a new school. She isn’t thrilled to hear what her new classmates think about her. She can hear the thoughts of those around her. She has always had this gift. Her parents have taught her to protect herself and keep her gift a secret. They fear her safety if someone learns about what she can do.
Unfortunately she makes an enemy her first day in chemistry class. A girl named Nell shows open hostility toward her and two other girls, Casey and Liza, follow suit. In fact Nell gets in her face after class where Tasmyn is saved just in time by a boy named Michael.
Michael has grown up in this area. He is also a senior. He takes one look at Tasmyn and feels an instant connection. He invites her to sit at his table during lunch. He introduces he to his friends and offers her a ride home. They become fast friends and even more.
Tasmyn, on the other hand, is picking up some evil thoughts. Something is going on in the school. Her chemistry teacher, Ms. Lacusta gives her the creeps and Nell seems to be up to something. When Tasmyn learns what it really is, she is shocked. She gets thrown into a dangerous world of witchcraft.
I liked this book. It kept you guessing what was really going on. The reader learns as Tasmyn does. Her gift is fascinating. You can see how lonely she is because of it. Her parents are extremely overprotective. So when Michael enters the picture, it throws her world into a tailspin. He is interested in her but doesn’t want to come on too strong. She hears his thoughts and learns his motivations. I liked watching their relationship grow. It was truly sweet. Tasmyn can’t believe her life has changed. She is truly happy for the first time.
It’s sad how her parents keep her contained for her protection. It is understandable but it is hurting her. She hides her feelings for Michael and what she has truly done. Nell, on the other hand, is a horrible girl. She is the classic definition of a mean girl. She begins her assault early and doesn’t let up until someone makes her. The ending is quite surprising as everything comes to a climax. It was great read. I can’t wait to see what happens next. I give it a 4 out of 5.

[Scherry at The Novel Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a little late posting this review, but back in October as I was getting ready for Halloween, I was ready to read about witches and all that occult stuff! I really like Tawdra Kandle's writing, so when I saw that I had missed this King series, I was ready to dig in! Tawdra creates memorable characters with multi-faceted personalities.

The whole occult thing was not overwhelming to the story. I mean that in a very good way. There was sweet romance between Tasmyn and Michael that gave me tingles and warmed my heart.

Tasmyn is a 17-year-old high school junior who has moved more times than she can count, making it very difficult to make friends. Add in the fact that she has the ability to read minds, a secret that her parents have warned her must remain secret, and Tasmyn had one more reason why it was difficult to make friends. Then along comes Michael, a high school senior, who instantly falls in love with Tasmyn and opens her world to more happiness than Tasmyn had ever experienced. Yes, sweet, sweet romance!

Although Tasmyn tries her best to block out hearing other peoples thoughts, she is shocked to accidently hear something about a blood sacrifice from someone in her new chemistry class. A girl named Nell in that class brings the term "mean girl" to a whole new height! There is something very strange about the old family residents of this town.

The storyline was great in this book and the characters were remarkable. Quite frankly, if I were a teenager I would be swooning over Michael. The story dragged just a bit with some excessive dialogue and teenage stuff (after all, this is YA so that's to be expected), but it all came together to be the start of an interesting series.

[Sheila Carsins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young love at it's finest!

I would've given it a five star rating, but the book didn't pick up momentum until halfway through, and there were some typographical errors, as well as a HEA that connects this book to the next, instead of tying up all of the semi-loose ends in one big, perfect bow. That being said, it does give you the warm fuzzies at times, it's very sweet, the characters are well-developed and interesting. The show of magic and special abilities is intriguing, and overall, it's a beautiful teenage love story with a bit of mystery, mystical, and underlying currents warning of possibilities to come in the next book. Also, excellent world building reigned supreme throughout the story. I could almost smell the line mixed with citrus scents, and feel the cozy contentment of lying in the sunny clearing, snuggling with your true love, enjoying the scents, the sun's warmth and the total relaxation of the moment. Very nice story. Thank you, Tawdra Kandle of the purple hair, for a lovely read.