Review: The Melier (Women of the Dor Nye Series Book 1) by Poppy Rhys

The Melier by Poppy Rhys
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Aliens Who Look Like Aliens

I’d probably give this book 3.5 ⭐️ if I could.

This romance is another one for the category of aliens who really look like aliens, rather than big humans with different coloured skin. These aliens are 8ft tall, with a blue skin, a furry tail, four arms and talons that grow on demand.

Lucia is a bounty hunter, trying to retrieve stolen goods from an feared alien commander. When she and her team are spotted, they split up and run for freedom. She manages to steal an unmanned ship from the hold and escape, only to find a slave on board, who she names Soren. Soren has no idea who he was before he became a slave, but finds himself warming to Lucia who treats him with kindness.

This book is an interesting look at how much of prejudice is bound up in memories and culture and without those things, the prejudice is almost non-existent. I really liked Lucia’s family’s reaction to Soren. They were shocked, scared and then won over quite quickly. However, the prejudice from other people on Lucia’s planet had to be fought.

The book started quite slowly but quickly gained momentum and became more interesting. I’m definitely intrigued about where the series will go next.

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Review: Just for Now (Escape to New Zealand Series Book 3) by Rosalind James

Just for Now by Rosalind James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet Single Dad Romance

This book took a little while to get going, but the slow build worked well for the plot and the characters.

Jenna in an American living in New Zealand with her husband, working as a teacher, when she comes home to find her husband in bed with someone else. After she leaves him she travels around New Zealand looking for somewhere different to settle and ends up in Auckland with a friend. She decides that she wants to stay there and applies for a nanny job to tide her over until the new school year starts.

The new job is with Finn, who happens to be an All Black rugby player and a widower with two children. Jenna and the kids click instantly and she’s a great nanny who also happens to be a good cook too. Finn also notices she’s pretty. This is the part of the book that is the slow build, and some people may not have the patience for it, but it is a sweet and believable part of the romance.

I liked all the characters, and particularly enjoyed Jenna’s rapport with the kids. I also enjoyed the casual way in which New Zealand life was shared, and the slang that is incomprehensible to the rest of the world. I felt like I learnt a lot about rugby and the life that the players could lead.

I haven’t read the rest of the books in this series, but I may do so after reading this book.

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Review: Emergence (Sever The Crown Series Book 1) by Mysti Parker & Lindsey R Loucks

Emergence by Mysti Parker & Lindsey R Loucks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Possible Vampire Queen With No Knowledge of Her People?

I would probably give this book 3.5 ⭐️ if I could.

I quite enjoyed this book. Wren is an interesting character that I feel could have been revealed more thoroughly in the book. This is definitely a plot driven book, rather than a character driven one. We are thrust into the action within the first few pages. We see Wren’s capability for violence and her sole focus is revenge for the death of her mother years previously when she was 8 years old.

Wren encounters Zac, a human, just after she’s killed one of her mother’s killers and he tells her that he can explain about who and what she is. Wren follows him, despite her misgivings, to ‘find a vampire’, that Zac believes she can find for him. This leads her to finding Ashe a fellow vampire that shares a marking on the wrist that throbs whenever he is near. The only problem with Ashe is that he is in jail for the murder of a vampire that hurt his sister, despite not actually killing the vampire.

I feel that there were a lot of holes in the plot of this book, despite it being plot driven. I don’t understand why Wren would suddenly trust someone she’d never met, despite being alone from the age of 8. There is no explanation of how she survived alone from that age and there is no explanation of why she is drawn so dramatically to Ashe, other than the mysterious markings. I don’t believe a loner would allow herself to be dragged along by others without demanding more explanations, as she is unlikely to trust others given her background.

More explanations in future books in the series may be forthcoming, but I haven’t decided yet if the characters are worth the confusion, if that isn’t the case.

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Review: The Cosmos Coalition (The Space Merchants Series Book 9) by Wendie Nordgren

The Cosmos Coalition by Wendie Nordgren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alien Invasion

I really enjoy this Reverse Harem series. When this new book came out, I decided to re-read the rest of the series to refresh my memory and I enjoyed it so much. I think if I hadn’t done the re-read I would have been lost with this book because there is a very large cast of characters, and an ongoing plot that is complex.

Princess Teagan has been appointed by her father, the Emperor, to take over as his representative in a new coalition designed to discover who tried to instigate war between the Galaxian Militia and the Empire. Teagan is ideally placed with her husbands and family coming from both sides of the conflict. She is based on Earth to discover why an alien was imprisoned to extort technological designs and ends up following a lead that takes her face to face with one of the richest men on the planet Edvard Stig.

Throughout her new endeavour, she is pregnant which causes her husbands to be even more protective than usual, often leading to conflict within her immediate family.

There is so much going on with this series that it is impossible to be bored. The characters are great fun and I love their backstories and cultural differences.

It’s another great addition to the series, and I hope to see more books in the future.

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Review: Cast From Heaven: A Paranormal Fantasy Romance (Lili Kazana Series Book 1) by Leigh Kelsey

Cast From Heaven: A Paranormal Fantasy Romance by Leigh Kelsey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

OK Idea

This book is about Liliana an angel. Liliana is actually a 'mixed-species' angel and as such is looked down upon. Her lover is a senior type angel and she feels lucky to be loved by him. Because she feels this way she is easily manipulated into being a spy for her lover in hell. She quickly learns that her lover was just using her and doesn't care for her well being at all, in fact he would be quite happy for her to not survive the mission she is totally untrained for.

This book has left me conflicted about my opinion. On one hand the story is quite good and the idea is not bad, but on the other hand it’s got some flaws in the execution.

My main problem is that Liliana is pretty weak. She’s looking for affection from anyone and everyone and seems to have all the self protection of a sleepy kitten.

I also didn’t like that she was left alone so much, with no support, nothing to occupy her and then dragged into dangerous situations with no training by people who supposedly cared for her. It meant that I didn’t believe the emotions that were supposed to be there.

Essentially, I didn’t really connect with the characters very much and felt that the plot needed more thought and tightening up.

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Review: Praying for Rain (The Rain Trilogy Book 1) by B B Easton

Praying for Rain by B.B. Easton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Intriguing Build To The Apocalypse

I’d probably give this 4.5 ⭐️ if I could.

Wow, I feel like I’ve been hit by hammer. This book is a rollercoaster ride. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I know I’m going to be reading the next book in the series when it comes out.

Rain is a damaged and lonely 19 year old trying to survive in a world gone crazy. April 23rd is coming in 3 days, and that is when the world is going to end. Everyone has been dreaming about The Four Horseman and the date they are going to arrive for the past year. Society has unravelled, with death and violence an every day occurrence. Trying to buy something to eat, Rain is rescued from a mob trying to steal her pain pills, by Wes, a gorgeous 22 year old, who is jaded and damaged by life. He sees Rain as a tool, someone to use to survive.

This book recounts those three days they spend together trying to find safety, and slowly reveals their personalities and their histories. It’s absolutely gripping because of they way they interact. The time limit of the coming apocalypse puts their relationship in a pressure cooker and speeds everything up for us to watch.

It’s a fascinating book, with an intriguing concept and I enjoyed every page.

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Review: Baby & the Late Night Howlers

Baby & the Late Night Howlers by Kathryn Moon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Red Hot and Sweet

I really enjoyed this book. Baby is a 26 year old beta who is out on the town with her friend Lola, when she is suddenly hit by the transformation into omega. It is a late transformation and it rocks her world. She now has to choose a pack to belong to.

I really enjoyed the author’s world building. It was narrow in focus, solely relating to mating habits of the alphas, betas and omegas but it was nicely constructed. There were hints all the way through that these were shifters, but there was no explicit explanation of their race/species. This is why I said that the world building had a very narrow focus.

Despite the lack of an expansive world, the narrow constraints made what was discussed clear and uncluttered. This a Reverse Harem book and as such a lot of the focus to the storyline is around the personalities involved, and their interactions. The pack Lola selects is not wealthy, nor is their home particularly safe, but she is drawn to them. Baby is not a typical omega, because she believed herself to be beta for so long. She was not sheltered and protected. She was strong and independent and this makes her quite different from other omegas.

There is a lot of hot sex in this book. A LOT! If you don’t enjoy reading about sex, you won’t enjoy this book as it takes up a chunk of pages, but the emotional build up was done well and I found myself alternating between fanning my face and smiling indulgently at how sweet they all were.

This is a great escapist novel that I recommend for a hit of heat, or a smattering of sugar.

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Review: Benga's Rise (Phoenix Series Book 2) by L Ann Marie

Benga's Rise by L. Ann Marie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good, Fun, Biker Book.

If you have got this far into L. Ann Marie’s series about bikers, you probably know all the things I’m going to say. You probably know whether you like the books or not, but I know reviews make a difference to some people, so here goes.

This is a good, solid and fun biker book. The bikers are all good people who look out for their communities, their women and their kids, but aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty in order to get the job done right.

The MMC in this book is Raid, the VP of Phoenix Rises Badass MC that was covered in the first book in the Phoenix Series. Raid is a solid and likeable VP, methodical and strong. He’s been in the Badass MC most of his life, with his best friend Cort being brought up in the club, and Raid practically living at their house. Since his best friend got hitched and had a baby he’s found himself wondering about his future and the kind of woman he’s hooking up with, in a vague sort of way.

He meets Loraleigh, the MFC, when she's in a bad way. Her leg is badly broken after being beaten by her ex, who has sold her house from under her and walked away from her and her 10 year old son Leo. Raid ends up having Loraleigh and her son live with him because she can’t manage stairs. The two of them become friends.

It’s a slow moving love story and there are some ups and downs. One of the best things about it is the way the Raid takes to Leo straight away, even before a hint of romance starts.

There is lots of stuff about the MC businesses and ops and training, and that’s in all the other books. If you haven’t read the books recently you will have brain overload trying to remember who everyone is, as there is a largish cast of characters.

Overall it’s a fun book, if a little slow to get going. It speeds up about midway through and doesn’t drop in pace.

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Review: The Princess of Chaos (Underestimated Series Book 2) by Candice M Wright

The Princess of Chaos by Candice M. Wright
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent Follow Up

This book continues immediately after the end of Queen of Carnage, which was the first book in the series. To help ensure a truce between two MCs, the one she grew up in and the one her brothers grew up in, Megan agrees to be a hostage with the club she grew up in, Chaos Demons MC. The reasons she didn’t grow up with her brothers is that her mother was kidnapped by the President of the Chaos Demons MC and once Megan was born, she was held as a hostage against her mother’s good behaviour.

Megan has only just found her brothers and didn’t know they existed until her friend became involved with one of them. She will do anything to protect her friend Luna, who was the other proposed hostage, and therefore agreed to the situation.

She hasn’t been the Chaos Demons MC compound since she was 16, when she woke up from a beating that left in her in a coma and permanently deaf. She can sign and read lips and has a few very good friends who have helped and supported her since her mother died and she was thrown out. She came into an inheritance when she was 18 and used it to buy a shop and turned it into a very successful business, which is how she met Luna.

When she agreed to be a hostage, she knew she was going into a hostile situation, as they all blamed her mother for the death of their President and his step-son. She didn’t know that three of the members of the MC would claim her and seduce her into staying.

There was so much plot in this book that it was a whirlwind to read. So much happened, it’s amazing to me it didn’t take longer to work through. The speed of the action kept me turning the pages. The book built on the background that was forged in the first book and ran with it. The author couldn’t take too many shortcuts, though, as this book was set in a different MC, with mainly new characters.

Megan is great character. She is strong and determined and hasn’t let her deafness confine her in any way. She worked hard to defeat her demons from her upbringing and has become a successful business woman and loving friend. When she is thrust into a difficult situation, Megan stands strong and won’t let anyone push her around. Her using other people’s prejudices against them to face down her enemies made me very happy indeed. I was cheering her on when she fought and won and cried with her when everything got too hard.

This wasn’t an easy book to read. There were some lighthearted moments but there was a lot of suffering and difficulties. There were some very hot sections with Megan and her three men and I love how sex positive Megan was.

There were some bombs dropped in the last couple of pages, which means I’m dying to read the next book in the series, plus the spin-off that is promised. I really love this author’s work and and this series is fantastic.

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Review: Taste: A Fantasy Adventure (Terraway Series Book 1) by Mary E Twomey

Taste: A Fantasy Adventure by Mary E. Twomey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Imaginative and Slightly Twisted Fantasy

October works as a nurse in a correctional facility. She is 22 years old and the youngest of three siblings with a mentally ill mother. She has lived a hard life and has difficulties relating to people, and touching them often triggers an OCD cleaning frenzy.

Her older siblings have moved away and October feels the pressure to visit her mother, so when Bev, her mother, announces she’s met a man, October’s brother Ollie agrees to visit. They all spend the evening at Bev’s new man, Ezra’s, mansion and they are introduced to Ezra’s family. At the end of the evening October is introduced to a new reality in a brutal and startling way.

October’s life is no longer her own, if she doesn’t want hundreds of thousands of people to die. So despite her wishes and a terrible introduction to Terraway, October is forced out of her safely controlled life into one of chaos and death.

This is a book that is, at times, difficult to read. There is a lot about the impact of mental illness on loved ones and the reality of living with something over which you have no control.

October is a really interesting character. She’s an introvert and doesn’t like confrontations but when backed into a corner she will fight with everything in her. She is compassionate and caring, despite her desire to hold everyone at arms length and she blossoms under the care and attention she starts to receive. Her life is transformed and she is forced to deal with a situation beyond her comprehension.

The people from Terraway are an interesting bunch. They are very diverse characters and I love that October doesn’t start acting against her personality by getting involved with the new people around her too quickly. She is making friends with the people who she sees as co-workers and this is a massive step for her. Danny, Mason and Von behave extremely badly when they first encounter October, but they are under extreme pressure and as things ease, so does their behaviour. It is interesting to start to see their true personalities start to evolve throughout the story.

This is an intriguing series, and I’ll definitely be reading the next book.

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Review: Age of Deception (The Firebird Chronicles Book 2) by T A White

Age of Deception by T.A. White
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Love This Book!

I can’t begin to explain exactly how much I love this series. I’ve read other series by this author and loved them all, and though this series goes in a different direction genre-wise it still checks all my boxes for a 5 ⭐️ read.

This is the second book in the series and it’s superb. It’s expertly crafted to keep the reader on the edge of their seat with each turn of the page. I literally could not stop reading this book after I downloaded it. I was wandering round the house with my kindle in hand, only putting it down when absolutely necessary.

Kira was all set to go back to her life when she found out that being freed from House Luatha, didn’t mean she was free of the Tuann. Apparently, being freed of ties to Luatha meant she was free to be claimed by her father’s house, Roake. As she hadn’t formally resigned, and had that resignation accepted by the armed forces of Earth, she was once again put into a position of being a bargaining chip. When she tried to force the issue she was met with a firm resistance.

Forced to journey to the home of House Roake, she was given a choice as to whether to accept the orders of her House as to what her role should be, or whether she would become an initiate in the warrior training program Roake ran. If she did that when she became a full fledged warrior she would be able to negotiate more freedom and hopefully get back off planet and back to some sort of life.

Kira is a skilled fighter, gifted leader and has unparalleled instincts. She fights her way through the training, in her own unique way and causes ripples along the way. Her interactions with the other trainees and even the warriors that surround Graydon, the Face of the Emperor, are interesting as she tries to hold herself back from being engaged with them, but she can’t seem to help herself. Her uncle is distant, which leaves her free to just be a trainee.

Kira is a complex and challenging character who confuses and alienates those around her. Her many secrets, and those that she keeps for others, force her to push others away because she can’t explain herself to them. All the way through this book we have tiny little hints dropped as to her secrets and what they might be, but the author keeps the information close to their chest.

The budding romance between Kira and Graydon is a lot of fun. They thrive on fighting and challenging each other, with a sense of play and lightness that we don’t see in Kira anywhere else. I like that it’s a long dance between them and though there are some kisses, their connection is emotional rather than physical up to this point. Which isn’t surprising given her secretive nature and need to protect herself from emotional entanglements.

I loved every page of this book, but I wish I’d waited a bit longer to read it, rather than consuming it on the day it was published. It’s going to be a long wait until the next book in the series is going to be released, and that is going drive me nuts!

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Review: The Wedding (The Casanova Club Series Book 14) by Ali Parker

The Wedding by Ali Parker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Perfect Happy Ever After

This has been a long year for Piper. She has had her heart truly mangled by falling for something about each man she spent time with, and by her family, that she was trying to save. When it came to the decision to take the man and not the money, it seemed an obvious choice who it would be. (I’m not going to spoil it for you though).

I was so happy with the final choice, but sad for the guys that weren’t chosen, because there were real emotions involved on all sides. In some ways this was quite a sad series to read, and hearing about how hard the rejected bachelors took things was difficult, especially for a fan of #whychoose fiction.

However, the story of Piper and her chosen man and their wedding, leading up to their new life together made me so happy I was able to accept the counterbalancing sadness.

This was a great series and I enjoyed reading it month by month. This book rounded off the series brilliantly and tied up a lot of loose ends. Though part of me wants follow up books for each of the bachelors so we see what happened after the wedding, to see if they change their lives or not. Can I put in a request for that please?

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Review: Variant Lost (Evelyn Maynard Trilogy Book 1) by Kaydence Snow

Variant Lost by Kaydence Snow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’d probably give the story 4.5 stars if I could, and the performance 3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was engaging, intriguing and the characters were interesting and well rounded. The plot was clever and drew me in. I felt the narration let the audio version of this book down as I felt Janine Granda was quite stilted in her performance in places. In other places her delivery felt subdued and restrained.

Evelyn has been on the run her entire life. She and her mother have moved consistently on a frequent basis, changing identities and locations in order to hide. Evelyn was never told what she was hiding from and the last time she had to move her mother blamed her for getting too close to people. Running for what felt like the thousandth time, they caught a plane to the US from Australia and the plane crashed. Evelyn and one other person survived.

Alone in the world and now living under her latest fake name in the US, in foster care, she is contacted by a prestigious university when she turns 18. It’s a university that deals primarily with Variants. Variants are humans with extra abilities. Evelyn, now called Eve, is pretty sure she’s straight up human but has excellent grades and is invited on a full scholarship to attend, with immediate effect.

Alone in a strange new world of people with fascinating abilities she is bewildered by people who actually seem to want to be friends with her.

There are all sorts of clever plot twists and building of tension but the thing I enjoyed the most was Eve learning how to relate to others and to try and build relationships and navigate the strange new world of families. It was fascinating.

I was really sucked in to the story, and will definitely read the next book, but I probably won’t listen to it on audio.

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Review: Boundary Broken (Boundary Magic Series Book 4) by Melissa F Olson

Boundary Broken by Melissa F. Olson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoy these novels. They are particularly entertaining as an audio book and the narrator, Kate Rudd, is an excellent choice for stories with Allison ‘Lex’ Luther at their heart. Lex has a mature voice. She is a woman with combat and command experience and having a voice with depth and conviction is necessary for the novel to be read with the right degree of authority. Kate Rudd has that kind of voice and acting ability.

This is the fourth book in this particular series but there are other story strands to the ‘Old World’. You really do need to read at least the other books in this particular series for this book to make much sense.

Lex has been working for Maven, the Cardinal Vampire for Colorado, for a while now and is happily settled with Quinn, her vampire boyfriend, who also happens to be Maven’s right hand man. Maven has been pretty busy of late and not really using Lex for anything particularly useful that utilises her skill set. Lex is also a little worried that if Quinn was forced to lie to Lex because Maven told him to, he would be forced to, due to the magic of his oath. She knows he loves her but it is a nagging worry.

When Lex gets a call from a werewolf alpha from the next state asking for help, as she owed him a favour, Lex doesn’t hesitate to help, because: 1. She owes him a favour, 2. It’s the right thing to do and 3. She’s bored. Two wolves have gone missing and the alpha suspects foul play. It turns out he’s right.

This is the start of some very complex and political plot writing, interwoven with great use of magic based on a huge resource of an already built universe that has been created over quite a few books. It also helps that Lex is a great character as are her friends and family. In particular I love the relationship she has with four year- old Charlie and hearing about their cute video calls reminds me so much of chatting to my own niece when she was four the same way.

I like that Lex has a difficult past but has forged a present that works for her, surrounded by her loved ones. She’s incredibly moral but at the same time she is pretty practical when she needs to be.

This author writes well rounded characters, based in a complex and real feeling universe with clever, interesting and entertaining plot lines. I always enjoy her books, and this one is a particularly good example.

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Review: Until It Fades by K A Tucker

Until It Fades by K.A. Tucker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet Romance With Some Grit

Catherine is a single mother, aged 24 and a truck stop waitress. She also becomes a hero overnight, when she saves a man from a burning car, and he happens to be a huge celebrity. She tries avoid the limelight because she has a sordid past in her home town and has no desire to relive it in front of millions of viewers.

This is a nicely written romance, with good pacing and poignant emotions. Catherine’s character is well developed and her experiences are slowly revealed throughout the book and some of those experiences are a little surprising. Brett is kind, gentle and understanding. For a man raised in the limelight he has a down to earth attitude. His situation is difficult but all he wants to do is protect Catherine to the best of his ability.

I love the relationship Catherine has with her family, it’s fraught and difficult and at the same time supportive and loving, though it took a long time to get there. For those of us with difficult teenage years we can understand how easy it is to fall out with our parents, but then slowly find your way back to them, even if it’s not smooth sailing.

Though this is about an improbable story, it still manages to feel real and believable.

A very enjoyable read.

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Review: Dear Aaron by Mariana Zapata

Dear Aaron by Mariana Zapata
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Long Slow Building Romance

Mariana Zapata is one of my favourite romance writers. She is the master of the long slow build book and I really enjoy that sometimes in my romance. This book is no exception.

A large part of the book takes the format of emails back and forth between the protagonists, Ruby and Aaron. Aaron is in the army and Ruby is a volunteer in a program that ‘adopts’ a soldier when they are deployed. They promise to email and write letters and send the occasional care package. I think this appealed to me initially because in my teens I used to write to an airman who was stationed in the Falklands that I met through a mutual friend. I remember that we used to talk about everything and anything and this is what this book started out like.

Ruby’s brother was a marine who was injured whilst deployed and his stories of his time overseas made her want to give support to someone that didn’t have a family like hers. She’d had several other soldiers before Aaron, that she’d written to, but none that she connected with so well. Gradually over the course of the book we see them both starting to open up to each other, starting with silly jokes and asking about ‘favourites’. The emails start to get more personal as time goes on and we gradually get to know the characters at the same time as they get to know each other.

Eventually the format changes to sending Skype messages. They become very close friends and admit to sharing things with each other that they’ve never shared with anyone else. It’s a slow intimate journey as the relationship transforms into something deep and beautiful, especially once the relationship moves out of the virtual into the real world after Aaron comes back to the US.

It’s a lovely book that allows us to see into the heart of two characters. I really enjoyed getting to know Ruby and Aaron. They are both interesting characters with flaws and weaknesses that they slowly reveal after the initial getting to know each other phase. At the same time they are both good people who want to help others, they are funny and supportive of each other as they become friends.

This is a great book, but if you want hot and steamy, this doesn’t have much of that at all. If you like a long slow build, then this is a book you will enjoy.

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Review: Abusing the Alpha (The Seraphine Thomas Series Book 4) by Erin R Flynn

Abusing the Alpha by Erin R. Flynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sera in Vegas

In this book Sera takes a trip out to Vegas to give a talk to the local FBI office about paranormals and the information they have recently updated in the information files about the different races.

It turns out they just want to pick her brains to close a large pile of paranormal cases they didn’t pass on to the appropriate team. This pile of cases turns into one problematic situation after another and then the fairies get involved.

Sera came to Vegas for a one day lecture and a 4 day vacation and ended up being sadly disappointed. She’s also still dealing with the aftermath of being assaulted by the councilman and having Tristan abandon her and she can only find glimpses of happiness amongst all the trauma. I can’t say I enjoyed this book, because parts were painful for me to read, but it moved me and sucked me in, as all the other books in the series have done. I just hope that Sera gets a bit more happiness in the next book and that her loved ones learn how to support her better.

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Review: Adversary (The Aces MC Series Book 2) by A J Macey

Adversary by A.J. Macey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Violence, Rage and Thievery

Trigger Warning: This is not an easy or comfortable read, there is plenty of violence and rage and there is discussion of child abuse. If these things cause you anxiety, please don’t read this book.

Despite being an uncomfortable read in places, this book is gripping. The wonderfully flawed and difficult characters interact in a way that captivates me. I don’t want to like them because they are so angry and have a violent response to most things, but I can’t help feeling empathy for them as more of their history and back story is revealed. It becomes obvious why they behave in the way that they do, especially Keira.

In this book we see Keira and Chase becoming more involved in the activities at the Aces MC, despite the distrust and dislike of many of the patched members. Boss, however, has a firm handle on his club and we see him in all his presidential glory, as opposed to his normal easy going and affable self.

As the group become more involved they all practically move in together as they start to explore the possibility of a committed relationship. However, people seem to keep turning up uninvited and causing problems.

I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series, even if I have to wait a few more weeks to read it.

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Review: Borderland (The Sleeping Court Series Novella) by Dagmar Avery and K Margaret

Borderland: by Dagmar Avery and K Margaret
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Short and Sweet

This short story is packed full of sexy sweetness with Quinn. Quinn is making his sister, Alyx’s, life a little difficult. She is the new head of a new House, but she can’t get near her potential guard. Quinn is being over protective and no one is good enough for his little sister.

Verity seeks to distract Quinn with passion and then take him to the Borderlands to meet with someone who might set him on the right path.

This is definitely a short, and it isn’t essential to the story arc of The Sleeping Court, but it is interesting and fills in some important facts that you might not find elsewhere.

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Review: Siren's Battle (The Seraphine Thomas Series Book 3) by Erin R Flynn

Siren's Battle by Erin R. Flynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Emotional Stuff

Trigger Warning: In this book there are explicit descriptions of sexual assault and child abuse. If these subject matters could cause you emotional harm, please skip this book. Know that the subject matter is handled with delicacy and understanding, and those reading this book may gain understanding and empathy for things the characters experience, that could translate into helping them understand survivors in the real world.

In this third book of the series, there is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. There are so many peaks and troughs, it’s amazing that Sera is still standing at the end of it.

Sera discovers some rare and sought after shifters and takes them in for protection. When word gets out, an ancient vampire from the vampire council arrives and tries to gain access to the shifters through Vlad.

On top of dealing with the scary vampire, Sera is dealing with politics and trying to build up her pack to be safe and secure for all it’s members, which means dealing with the people who want to take over the pack. She is constantly having to watch her back, and it’s taking it’s toll. However, it does show her who her true friends are, those who love her without condition, rather than possessively.

Once again this book is a well written, the plot is well paced and constructed with sophistication and artistry. The emotions are convincing and heart rending at times, which makes the happy moments more uplifting. It’s another really good book in this series.

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Review: Camden (The Casanova Club Series Book 13) by Ali Parker

Camden by Ali Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Get Your Tissues Out

This episode of the Casanova Club had me a bit teary eyed. Camden is the last bachelor that Piper was staying with and he was based in New York, Piper’s home town. She loves Christmas and wasn’t looking forward to spending it away from the family she loves, but Camden hates Christmas with a passion. Having Piper stay with him, was the worst possible timing and he couldn’t bring himself to connect with her when he was feeling depressed and out of control.

Piper was also coming to the realisation that time was running out for her and she would be forced to make a decision that would hurt people she cared about deeply.

Basically this book put both Piper and Camden through the mill emotionally and we are there to witness it all.

I can’t wait to read the final book and see what decision Piper finally makes.

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Review: Rival (The Aces MC Series Book 1) by A J Macey

Rival by A.J. Macey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

MC vs The Mob

This is quite a violent book, and the one perpetrating most of the violence isn’t the retired assassin it’s the thief.

Keira, is also known as The Cat. She started stealing when she was 9 years old from her father’s friends. Her father happens to be a mob boss and he didn’t treat his only daughter well. Over the years her stealing had one object, to get enough money and power to destroy her father.

Keira is arrogant, prickly with a hot temper and an abundant sex drive. She won’t tolerate any kind of control or disrespect and will often lash out violently when it happens. We don’t know what happened with her father, but from everyone’s reactions, including hers, we know it’s bad.

Six months previously she met Chase. He was an assassin sent to kill her. Instead he fell for her and moved in, teaching her everything he knew. Her step-brother is in The Aces MC, an officer of the club. Her best friend is also married to a member, so she has connections. When a club Old Lady is kidnapped, her step brother Garrett suggests that they hire The Cat to steal her back. That’s when she meets the President, Boss, and the the enforcer, Stone.

I really enjoyed the strength of Keira. She is fearless and angry and determined. She is badly damaged, and it shows in her behaviour, but I can’t help but like her. She is intelligent and ruthless and goes after what she wants. I also love Chase who is ridiculously enthusiastic about everything and a vegetarian to boot, because humans usually deserve to die, but animals don’t. He adores Keira and will do anything and everything to keep her happy, including accepting her sleeping with other men, in fact he quite enjoys watching if she does.

This reverse harem is unusual and violent and convincing. The characters are multi-dimensional and intriguing. There are lots of more back stories to come, I’m sure.

The plot is complex and fascinating and held me in it’s grip from start to finish. This is an excellent MC book and I can’t wait to read what comes next in the series.

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Review: Happily Undead In Dark River (Dark River Days Series Book 2) by Grace McGinty

Happily Undead In Dark River by Grace McGinty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Excellent Follow Up Book

I’d probably give this 4.5 ⭐️ if I could.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I looked forward to the follow up eagerly. I am not disappointed. Grace McGinty has written an engaging, sexy and interesting book. I love the concept of a small town of vampires who don't feed from live humans, but only drink bagged blood.

Raine is enjoying living her new little cottage and is working for the Sheriff’s office now her friend has closed her shop. Raine’s maker, Alice, was a popular figure in the town of Dark River and they are making her feel guilty for her execution, despite her being the victim.

Raine has plenty of affection from her mate Tex, Brody the alpha shapeshifter, Judge the ex-vampire enforcer and Walker the Vampire Sheriff. She is hoping the town settles down and accepts her once again, but until then, she has her men and a couple of other people who don’t blame her for something that is not her fault. Then X, Judge’s friend from his enforcer days, turns up in the diner injured and bleeding with news that the Vampire Council is coming.

There are several strands to this story, with problems from the Vampire Council, but also the shapeshifters, as there are consequences for Brody spending so much time away from Pack Lands, however all these problems give us more insights into the current and past lives of the men in Raine’s life.

I like the pace of this author’s writing. She mixes up the light hearted with the emotional and serious, with a deft hand. The characters are well thought out and though consistent aren’t necessarily predictable.

I can’t wait for another book in this series as there was an interesting peek into what’s coming next in the last chapter.

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Review: Souls of Steel (Chimera Academy Series Book 1) by Eva Brandt

Souls of Steel by Eva Brandt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Imaginative And Darkly Inspired View of a Dangerous Future

This book is incredibly innovative in it’s construction of concept. Selene is the daughter of the High Priestess of Gaia in North America. Sadly Selene has no magic of her own, and is instead drawn to the Chimera, the giant mechanoid constructions that house the souls of mythical beasts. The constructs were gifted to them by Tartarus, God of the Underworld to aid in destroying their foe, the Sun-Dwellers, or apsids. These foe nearly destroyed the Earth until the torment of the planet woke Gaia and Tartarus and they restored their magic into the world to save their planet.

Two hundred years after successfully fighting off the apsids Earth society has fractured into the Gaians who work Earth magic and healing and help rebuild Earth, to one day make it completely habitable again, and the Chimerans, who live in space on a asteroid where they live and train to fight the apsids in space. It also seems that only women can work with Gaia’s magic and only men can work with Tartarus magic. Until Selene. In an incident on Earth, Selene ends up bonding with a Chimeran, and they are forced to accept her for training at the Chimeran Academy, where she is thrust into a dangerous and unfamiliar world where women are treated as objects.

It’s a fascinating book, and I loved Selene, who felt she was very normal and ordinary, but she actually has a loving heart and a spine of steel. She was raised by a powerful woman, who had wisdom that she shared with her daughter, and an influential man, who taught his daughter all about Tartarus, and how to fight. She is unusual both on Earth and in space.

There is a lot unspoken in this book about the motives of the characters, but enough is revealed to tantalising. I couldn’t stop reading, because I wanted to find out what was going on.

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

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Review: Allure of the Wolf (The Seraphine Thomas Series Book 2) by Erin R Flynn

Allure of the Wolf by Erin R. Flynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Passion and Trauma

This book was an excellent follow up from the first in the series. Sera continues to impress me as a character. She is strong, but shows the fractures, as her past causes her to mistrust help that is offered and waits to be let down by those who profess to care for her.

Sera is under constant pressure from everyone to take over as Alpha of the Chicago pack. She’s been werewolf for under two months and though she is powerful she just doesn’t understand the supernatural politics, the rules of being a shifter, or even her own powers, let alone how to run a pack. But there is a driving pressure to get rid of the current Alpha who is hurting his pack, mainly the women.

Sera is also trying to walk a fine line in trying to keep her siren and wolf happy and also the two men she sovereigned. With so many other people relying on her for the first time in her life, she sometimes doesn’t know how to handle it.

Sera is such an admirable character that I want to know her, she’s definitely one of my favourite urban fantasy heroines of recent years.

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Review: Accidentally Wolf (The Seraphine Thomas Series Book 1) by Erin R Flynn

Accidentally Wolf by Erin R. Flynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great New Urban Fantasy Series

I only discovered this author very recently and I’m so glad I did. This first book in the series is fantastic. Seraphine Thomas is my new hero, she strong, determined, a consummate professional and takes no nonsense from anyone. She’s a Special Agent in Charge in the FBI in Chicago and is undercover when she takes a claw swipe from a werewolf. Her life is transformed overnight as she is pronounced a shifter and moved to the paranormal unit within the FBI.

Sera has always been a high achiever but doesn’t have many friends and being introduced to the supernatural community involves a bit of a learning curve, not to mention she’s not exactly the usual werewolf, as she keeps finding out.

The author has done a great job of constructing and explaining an alternate reality where supernaturals came out of the closet in the last 15 years or so. She has created a world where different types of supernaturals have different rules and customs and interact with each other differently. On top of that supernatural world the author throws in how the humans are still scrabbling with knowing how to deal with the previously hidden supernatural communities suddenly appearing in the middle of their every day lives.

There are lots of different characters, but all are well rounded and well described. No character felt like a throw away with just a few sketched outlines, used purely for plot purposes. Every one felt important to the author and the story.

On top of great characters, this book has a really good plot. It looks at crime, office politics and romance. I couldn’t put this book down. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series and see what happens to Sera next!

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Review: Drowning Studies (Artemis University Series Book 2) by Erin R Flynn

Drowning Studies by Erin R. Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Studies Continue

You know how in music they always talk about the difficult second album, where the musician has years to craft the songs for their first album before they get a deal, it’s a big hit and the studio pushes them to rush the second album, which means it’s weaker than the first? Well I feel a bit like that’s what happened with this book. The first book was amazing, but this book didn’t feel quite as well constructed or edited. However, it’s was still a great book that I really enjoyed.

Tamsin is still drowning in studies as she tries to get back to full time education after dropping out at age 15. She’s trying to get her High School Diploma at the same time as going to college for freshman year. Darby, the vampire scholarship student, is helping tutor her and Izzy, the witch room mate, is helping. There’s still a huge amount to learn for someone who’s been out of education for so long and the author does a great job of conveying that sense of drowning in studies.

Tamsin’s relationships are still complicated, despite none of them being ‘serious’ and I love how she still wants her lovers to be her friends and expects the kind of loyalty that friendship assumes.

In this book the supernatural community seems to up it’s activity to find out what kind of supernatural Tamsin is, and she has to watch herself constantly for the manipulation of even those she considers friends.

I like how we find out a bit more of the supernatural world in this book, especially about the shifters.

So whilst this book wasn’t the stand out the first in the series was, it was still really good and I can’t wait to see what happens next to Tamsin and her friends and lovers.

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Review: Upended Life (Artemis University Series Book 1) by Erin R Flynn

Upended Life by Erin R. Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Funny, Sassy and Challenging Fae

I would probably give this book 4.5 stars if I could.

I really enjoyed this book. It was filled with interesting characters and some fun world building. The main character, Tamsin, was left at a fire station when she was a baby and was in foster care until the age of 15, when she ran away and started living on the streets. Now, at age 19, she is out helping sex workers trapped by a ruthless pimp when her magical abilities go crazy, and she is picked up by a team of supernaturals. She wakes up at Artemis University where she is informed she is the last living fae on earth, as all the others disappeared 20 years ago into faerie and she has to be trained to stop her powers going haywire. Guess where she is going to be educated, yes, that’s right, Artemis University, the premier educational establishment for supernaturals.

Most individuals would be unsure about being thrown into an elite magical establishment, but Tamsin has a robust sense of her own worth and won’t let anyone put her down. She won’t tolerate bullies and hates systems that are unfair. She is ruthless and honest and when she promises retribution, she delivers it. She may be only 19 but her best friend has trained her to be a vicious fighter over the last 4 years and as she herself states, street years are like dog years, so she aged a lot when living there.

Along with learning how to control her magic, it seems that she has to learn to swim in the big leagues, by dealing with the rich and powerful in the supernatural world, and that includes having relationships with them as well. She isn’t just drawn to one man, but she is honest about who has her attention and it’s all above board, which I really liked.

I really am looking forward to knowing more about the world in which the university is based now the characters have been established. There is some information passed on, by way of the classes, but more of the society would be fun to learn about. I can’t wait to find out if that is the case in the next book!

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Review: Don't Tempt Me (Nora Jacobs Series Book 4) by Jackie May

Don't Tempt Me by Jackie May
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nora Goes Bad

This final story in the Nora Jacobs series is a doozy. Nora is cursed, all sirens are cursed. That’s how they came to be, so all sirens eventually go bad, though their harem helps stave off the descent into madness. It seems that Nora isn’t bonding as fast as she should with her harem. Her pesky siren side keeps trying to take over.

It also appears that there is someone who is gunning for her and her clan, and there are big monetary rewards being offered to mercenaries to capture Nora and kill her clan. Being in Nora’s clan has become a very dangerous place to be.

I love how this book rounded out the series. It wasn’t a race to fix all the romantic parts of her harem, so the book wasn’t one big sex-fest, but there was a little bit of steam. I liked that the harem included people she wasn’t interested in sleeping with because sirens need emotional bonds to stay sane, not just romantic ones.

There was an awful lot to sort out in this book and Jackie May nailed it. The authors handled the different threads and wove them together seamlessly. The characters were nuanced and the relationships complex and interesting. The slow build nature of the romance made it more believable, as did the addition of emotional connections that weren’t romantic. It made the clan feel more rounded.

I really enjoyed this series, and I hope to see more of Nora and her clan in future books from this author, even if they are only there as supporting characters.

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