Review: Warring Magic (Iron Serpent Chronicles Book 3) by Sadie Jacks

Warring Magic by Sadie Jacks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So Quite A Lot Happens

OK, that was a bit of a whirlwind read. I’m still a bit stunned at all the things that happened and I’m not quite sure I understood all of it.

Kiema is less of a sole focus in this book and there are multiple points of view throughout the book. (Am I the only one who thinks authors should be forced to write at the top of each page who’s POV it is, so I don’t have to go back to the beginning of each chapter to check every time I have to put my book down???) There is a lot of focus on the guys who aren’t Kiema’s mate and their search for love. There’s still no shortage of hot sex scenes for Kiema though.

Kiema also spends time tracking down her missing mate and guardians, and learns more about her magic, other deities and what she will eventually achieve.

I think the thing I found most confusing with this book is it seemed that the magical systems seem to be constantly evolving in terms of what it’s capable of achieving. These moving goalposts just confuse me. I know it’s part of the story but my it makes my brain hurt if they change the rules on me half way through a book/series.

I have no idea what’s going to happen next, but the ending made me think it might be pretty good!

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Review: Six Branches (The Agora Series Book 1) by Jeanne Allen

Six Branches by Jeanne Allen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating World Building

This is an interesting new paranormal reverse harem series. I’ve not read anything by the author before and overall the book was enjoyable.

Rose is an orphan. She’s been raised in some very bad foster homes until she found one that lasted four years, but sadly her foster mother died. At 20 years old and out of the system for 2 years, Rose has only one true friend. She has transferred to a new university as a Junior and is hoping to become an anthropologist. She transferred because of the scholarship available and the course reputation.

On her first day Rose meets a very young professor and when he shakes her hand her body lights on fire. When she meets a student and his twin brother she has the same experience. They tell her that she’s not human and they are now pre-bonded with her. This starts a journey into another world of ‘mutants’ who live for hundreds if not thousands of years, who live amongst humans in a parallel society rules by kings and queens.

I really enjoyed the world building in this book and the back stories of the characters seem really interesting as they are revealed to us. It felt like the majority of the book was all about establishing the characters and building the world for the reader and things only really started to take off plot-wise in the latter stages of the book. This pacing doesn’t surprise me as this is the first book in a series and there is obviously a longer story arc involved.

I like Rose’s character a lot. She’s independent, intelligent and determined. She faces the new changes to her life with courage and doesn’t quibble too hard with the evidence of her own experience and what she is being told by the new men in her life. The men are also a varied bunch of characters, which I really liked.

There is obviously a lot more to come and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

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Review: Wild Magic (Iron Serpent Chronicles Book 2) by Sadie Jacks

Wild Magic by Sadie Jacks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Complex Magical World Filled with Spirits and Goddesses

This series just gets more interesting with each book. Keima manages to escape from Iron Serpent, by the skin of her teeth with the help of Lukas and her guardians. Lukas hates Iron Serpent and is fond of Keima, so he joins their group.

Though Keima has managed to escape Iron Serpent, they soon track her down and come after her. The guys skills and expertise come in handy whilst they try and keep her safe. Her job is learning how to use her magic and find out more about why she is the way she is.

One thing I like about this book is that not all the guys are destined to be her mates, only some of them. She has gained friends as well as lovers. Despite only having two lovers in this book, there are some pretty spicy scenes that will have the heart rate elevated.

The reason this book only has 4 ⭐️ instead of more, is because the emotions of the characters seem quite superficial. The book is very plot and world building focused, which is great and entertaining, but I really like to believe my characters and their feelings have depth, which I didn’t with this book. However, I really am enjoying the series, and I extremely curious and want ot know what happens next.

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Review: Caged Magic (Iron Serpent Chronicles Book 1) by Sadie Jacks

Caged Magic by Sadie Jacks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interesting Start

This book is set in an imaginary world where 10% of the population are magic users. Kiema is one of them. She has been enslaved by her parents, locked in either her apartment or her office, which is surrounded by glass walls, so she can be watched at all times. Her only use to her parents is her ability to heal, which is sold for vast sums of money.

When she heals she is allowed to work on her own with the person she heals out in a ‘cottage’ in the countryside, where her magic finds it easier to work. This is her only opportunity to escape and this time she’s going to take it. Except this time she’s healing Ransom and when she heals him she is able to touch him without pain, something she’s never been able to do. This change throws everything up into the air. Ransom has other plans for Kiema and doesn’t know if she wants to go along with them or not.

This world is similar to our own, but slightly different. It’s a sideways step into a ‘what if’ world, where magic is real. Kiema is controlled and reserved, as she has been taught to be. She is touch starved and when she can finally touch someone it makes for some raunchy scenes.

Ransom starts out incredibly ruthless, out for revenge against his perfectionist family, virtually outcast for his mystery illness. He is highly intelligent and his friends are the same. All of them have exceptional talents that complement each other, and they all have illnesses that they want Kiema to heal.

I liked getting to know both Kiema and Ransom and how they learned to deal with each other. The introduction of Ransom’s friends gives us a hint that this is going to be a reverse harem book, but who knows as there were many twists and turns in the plot that leave the reader a little bewildered. There is a large cliffhanger, but as the book is already out, that doesn’t bother me as much as it would if I had to wait 6 months for the next book.

A very enjoyable read from a new to me author, and I look forward to reading many more books from her.

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Review: Survivor (Shiftera of Consequence Series Book 1) by Mazzy J March

Survivor: A Shifter of Consequence Tale by Mazzy J. March
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Shifter in a Wheelchair

I have to say the main reason I downloaded this book was because it had a wheelchair user on the cover. As a disabled person I love it when a main character has a disability. It’s rare for disabled people to see themselves in fiction/movies/tv. In this instance because it’s a paranormal story it’s got more of a twist.

Wendi is a freshman at a community college. She’s bought a house with insurance money after the death of her aunt in a house fire and got a scholarship and a job in the library. After being homeschooled from the age of 5 by an aunt, after the death of her parents, she hasn’t seen much of the outside world. After the accident she couldn’t shift and started to use a wheelchair because she was unable to stand and walk very far without pain and exhaustion.

On moving into her new home she is instructed to visit the alpha of the local pack because she’s moved into pack territory without permission. From this moment she is enveloped by the pack and makes lots of friends, including 4 hot male wolves.

I liked this story because it felt like Wendi’s disability was respected, but at the same time she was encouraged to do more than she thought she could, because she would have the support of her friends if she got stuck or tired.

This is a very sweet and fairly straightforward story, using simple language and seems aimed at NAs, but I enjoyed it and will probably read the next book in the series.

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Review: The Halfblood's Hoard (Halfblood Legacy Series Book 1) by Devin Hanson

The Halfblood's Hoard by Devin Hanson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Interesting Take on Urban Fantasy

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

Alex is a PI who deals with the supernatural side of things from the point of view of a human. At least she thinks she’s human. She’s a few days away from her 21st birthday when she has her apartment broken into and everything in it destroyed.

Homeless, she reaches out to a competitor/friend who allows her to stay with him and introduces her to a potential wealthy client. The client gives her an incredibly well timed job and reveals that she isn’t human after all and on her 21st birthday she will come into her powers as a lilin, a descendant of Lilith.

I really like all the plot and mythology surrounding this story. The plot was complex and the world building was interesting. I just felt I couldn’t connect with Alex. She didn’t feel real to me, sadly, because I loved the premise of the book and the plot pulled me on.

I may read the next book in the series because I’m curious as to how the character develops and if she reveals more depth to her emotions.

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Review: Full Tilt (Full Tilt Duet Book 1) by Emma Scott

Full Tilt by Emma Scott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Stunningly Beautifully Heartbreaking

This is one of the most heart rending books I’ve read in a very long time. It’s beautiful and hard to read at the same time. It’s the story of a guitarist in a rock band, on the verge of making it big, who is spiralling out of control.

Kacey is 22, beautiful and talented, and a complete mess. She’s drinking too much, sleeping with men, whilst too drunk to choose carefully and then forgetting her own successes in a blur of alcohol. One night after a concert she gets completely out of control and trashes a green room. The bodyguard rescues her and dumps her in the back of the limo.

Jonah is 26 and an artist, who works in glass. He’s got a massive gallery showing coming up in a few months and he’s working hard to stay on schedule. He works part time as a limo driver, but lives for his art. His life has become stale and static, safely contained in his ‘routine’. The drunk rockstar dumped in the back of his limo is about to stir him to life.

This story was unexpected. It was filled with moments of joy and dark moments of pain. Love and friendship filled the pages and simple instances of happiness spilled over. Woven through the joy is the bitter sting of loss, abandonment and confusion, making the beauty more sweet and the pain more acute.

This is a beautiful book, but you will cry. Be warned.

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Review: Gamer Girls: Volumes 1-3 by Auryn Hadley and Kitty Cox

Gamer Girls: Volumes 1-3 by Kitty Cox and Auryn Hadley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Superb Series

I read the three books included in this omnibus as single books when they were first released, on Kindle Unlimited. When the omnibus came out I snapped it up knowing I would want to do a re-read of these books before the 4th and 5th books were released. As book 4 is to be released this week, I read this omnibus and dove right back into the world of gamers and loved every page.

It’s no secret that I’m a massive fan of Auryn Hadley. I pretty much adore everything she’s written and writing with Kitty Cox hasn’t taken anything away from that ability to transport me to another world.

I won’t go into details about plot and characters about these books, because I’ve already reviewed them once. This review is simply to say, read these books because they are fantastically entertaining and challenging all in one tome.

Book 1: Flawed
Book 2: Challenge Accepted
Book 3: Virtual Reality

Read these books and fall in love with the Gamer Girls.

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Review: Jack: Honor (Bravo Series Book 1) by L Ann Marie

Jack: Honor by L. Ann Marie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s All About The Honour

This is the first book in a new offshoot series from Badass. There are many characters that cross over from previous books, and will be difficult to follow if you don’t start at the beginning of the original series.

This book follows Jack who grew up with Ranger, from Phoenix Rising MC. Ranger suggested him as a VP for Jordan in the City and then was quickly moved across to Bravo Rising when it was set up. In this book we learn a lot more about what it was like for Ranger and Jack growing up in a Badass Affliate and how their fathers raised them to support each other and promote the Badass way of life, to protect and honour.

Falcon the Pres of Bravo Rising wasn’t raised Badass but follows a similar way of thinking. Jack is soon persuaded to teach the way he is Badass to the bone. Two of the As follow Falcon and Jack, Asa and Alder. Alder is to be Jack’s support and Asa is Falcon’s. It’s good to see the way the As are growing more independent and following their own dreams for work and friendships. The Alpha-Bits have a lot to share about living with honour, they are also a motivation for why Badass must live to protect and serve the community.

In this book we also see the romance bloom between Jack and AJ, who is Mag’s younger sister. She comes to Bravo for a job as she’s just finished college and needs to find work in IT. Mag is the SAA and has been raising a disabled son with help from his mother since his Ol’ Lady left. He is staggered to find how much support he can expect with his son and Jack helping is how he meets AJ, who he calls Pepsi, because she looks like the girl from the old ad. As usual the romance is usually fairly quick and seamless. It’s all the outside stuff that keeps things interesting in these books. I kind of like that there isn’t a tonne of drama in the romance portion of the book.

I really liked this book and felt the theme of honour helped pull everything together really well. Having a theme may seem obvious, but I felt it helped the plot and the story telling.

I’m looking forward to reading the next book when it comes out.

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Review: Ranger's Rise (Phoenix Series Book 3) by L Ann Marie

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

Adventures with the Alpha-Bits

The main thing about this book isn’t the romance, it’s the Alpha-Bits, the genetically modified young men and children (named alphabetically). They are all undersized, suffer from malnutrition and find it difficult to interact socially. Their brains are incredibly fast, but their ability to speak is less so. The story started with the As, who are in their early twenties and are now the elder statesmen of the Alpha-Bits and help look after the younger and less experienced counterparts. They are working in the Ops room doing support.

This book follows Ranger and his joining Phoenix Rising from another Badass Club. He was raised in the club and follows all the tenets laid down from the early days and lives it. He has been brought into run the Aerial Ops and almost as soon as he arrives he meets Freedom, the nearly 6ft Valkyrie who runs all the martial arts and self defence classes. Right from the beginning there is chemistry but their incredibly busy lives seems to get in the way.

I love how this book follows not only the romance aspect but the connecting with the Alpha-Bits for Ranger and Freedom. They both are touched by the unusual little men and through their compassion Alpha-Bits' ability to communicate increases phenomenally.

As always there are crazy antics and mayhem aplenty, and it’s a good enjoyable read. I always like it when you get cameos from previous books as well, as we did in this book. It’s all starting to tie in together and I’m intrigued to find out where the plot is going to go next.

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Review: Infiltrated (Daywalker Academy Series Book 2) by Maya Daniels

Infiltrated by Maya Daniels
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Death on Campus

Even though Franky has been outed as a Dragon Blood Fae, she still has no idea what it means, only that Soren, the only other one anyone knows about has tied their life forces together.

Franky is in shock from the betrayal of her employer and the manipulation of the people she thought of as allies. She is ignoring everyone and everything and the only person able to get anywhere near to her is Zoltan’s sister, who just sits and doesn’t say anything.

As more bodies are found on the campus, Zoltan and Fenrir decide that they need to move up their timetable and decide to train Franky hard for a couple of days and then reveal all!

There are a few big reveals in this book, but there is still plenty to find out. We see Franky and Zoltan getting closer, despite Franky fighting the attraction as she fears she will be left for a pure blood vampire woman as half-bloods are never taken as mates.

As is often the case with series, we discover more about the various characters. As these are more like long novellas than full sized books the pace is quick and the plot quite frantic. At least with a series of short books you get to learn about the characters over the time rather than it being completely plot driven.

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Review: Investigated (Daywalker Academy Series Book 1) by Maya Daniels

Investigated by Maya Daniels
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Intriguing

I don’t know why the blurb for this book drew me in, but I knew I wanted to read it straight away, so I did. I’m glad I did because it’s intriguing.

Sienna is a town built behind wards that houses the supernatural. An organisation polices the town and this is headed by a demigod Roberti. He discovered Francesca (Franky) Drake when she was 16 covered in blood and surrounded by bodies. She is a half-blood the most reviled of supernatural creatures. She is half fae, half vampire. Normally half-bloods are killed but instead Roberti recruits her for his organisation.

After 10 years it seems that Franky’s powers are going a bit loopy and she has become clumsy and unfocused. In a desperate attempt to save her job she takes on an undercover mission to one of the scariest places in Sienna, The Daywalker Academy.

When she arrives with a Big Bang her hopes of staying under the radar fail and she comes under the fearsome eyes of Zoltan, an ancient vampire who makes her knees weak.

As a character Franky is a mess. She’s impulsive, powerful and insecure. It’s a dangerous combination, especially for those around her. She’s insecure because she knows that as a half-blood she’s not wanted. She also doesn’t understand her own powers.

This book has so many unanswered questions that I’m relieved that the next book is already out. I need to know what on earth is going on because I’m confused. I’m not confused because it doesn’t make sense, I’m confused because the author has dangled tidbits of information out before me and lured me on to find out what happens next.

Excuse me whilst I download the next book.......

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Review: As Dust Dances (Play On Series Book 2) by Samantha Young

As Dust Dances by Samantha Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What Happens When Fame is Too Much

This was a really interesting and well written book. This book looks at what happens to those that fame chews up and spits out.

Skylar is homeless. She’s been busking in Glasgow and living in a tent for the summer months. She’s been lucky so far because no one has paid her much attention. But as the cold weather arrives a man keeps approaching her trying to get her to talk about her music. It turns out that Killian is a A & R guy at a local Label. He wants to sign her. When life gets too much and living on the streets becomes too hellish she reaches out to Killian and he sweeps her up and ‘rescues’ her.

It turns out that Skylar is running away from fame. She signed her record contract at age 18 not realising that fame can devour you whole, so she ran away. Killian got her to sign a single album contract so she wouldn’t have to access her money and have her location revealed to her old band mates who she hadn’t spoken to in 18 months.

This is a complex and interesting plot. It’s full of difficult subject matters and you really feel for Skylar. She’s incredibly talented and also damaged. Killian is cold, manipulative and at the same time kind. He has so many hidden depths that are slowly unravelled throughout the book.

Both characters are created with great depth and sensitivity. The author handles difficult issues with understanding and compassion.

I loved this book and stayed up reading it far too late. I’m delighted to see there are more books written in this series and I’m definitely going to read more of this author.

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Review: Surviving Amber Springs by Siobhan Davis

Surviving Amber Springs by Siobhan Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Super Angsty New Adult Reverse Harem

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

There are some serious trigger warnings given in the blurb for this book and at the front. Pay attention to them. They are there for a reason.

This book is incredibly emotional. It is about an 18 year old, Blaire, who has just moved across the country with her mother and father to start fresh after the death of her twin brother a few months before. Her mother and father are struggling with the loss of their son and Blaire seems to be losing out to their grief.

Just before she starts her new school, Blaire gets hit in the head with a football and three guys insist on helping her out as they were the ones responsible for the accident. Blaire is not trusting as she has had issues with people bullying in the past. This incident starts her friendship with Heath, Axel and Skeeter. The three guys have been friends since early childhood and instantly are drawn to Blaire and take her under their collective wings at school.

As all three guys are hot, this of course brings out the fangs on the mean girls and things get complicated quite quickly.

This book is complex and very dark in places. There were definite tears on my part in a couple of places. The book is split into two parts and I think this was a good idea and dealt well with a big crisis in the middle of the book, that helped launch into the second part which entailed solving a mystery as well as resolving relationship issues.

It’s a cleverly plotted book and well paced. Subtle hints are dropped that draw you on, so you can either confirm or discard your ideas about what the hints mean.

The characters were very well constructed and relatable. There interactions were on the whole believable given the situations in the book.

Sometimes you just need a book to really twist up your insides and this book really achieves that. If you want to be moved, this is the book for you. If you want lighthearted, move on to your next choice.

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Review: Polaris Rising (Consortium Rebellion Series Book 1) by Jessie Mihalik

Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Gripping Sci-Fi

This review is based on listening to the book on audio.

For once a Facebook advert paid off and this book was an unexpected gem. I have never heard of the author but the blurb sounded great, and I was delighted to find that it was not a misplaced faith.

Lady Ada is on the run. She is the 5th child of one of the three most powerful people in the universe and she didn’t want to marry the man chosen for her. She has been on the run for 2 years, but was finally snatched by a mercenary crew and placed in a holding cell with one of the most dangerous people alive, Marcus Loch, the Devil of Fornax Zero, a man rumoured to have killed his entire chain of command.

When the man who intended to marry her attempts to snatch her up in order to hold her as a political hostage, Ada and Loch come to an agreement to aid each other in their escape. Ada is terrified but knows Loch is her best bet for escape.

The action starts in this book right from the first page and it doesn’t really let up. Ada is strong, intelligent and cunning. She has been trained from birth to manipulate, never show weakness and be ruthless. She wasn’t trained to be kind, she worked that one out on her own. Her relationship with her parents is awful, but she and her siblings are loving and supportive beyond any doubt.

Loch IS dangerous. He’s a ruthless killer and highly trained by the Royal Consortium, the ruling body of known universe. He’s a hunted man, in part, because he is so dangerous. Loch is also honourable, brave and gentle when needed. Loch and Ada find themselves starting to respect each other, despite themselves.

This high action book is really entertaining and absolutely gripping, in part because of the superb narration by Emily Woo-Zeller. I’ve not heard her narration before and it’s excellent. I’ll definitely be looking out for her work again. She gave a very convincing performance as Ada, and slightly less convincing as the male roles. Her performance overall was enough to dismiss a minor annoyance or two over male voices.

I will definitely be reading the next book in the series, probably in audio form again, because I enjoyed every minute of this book and the narrator’s performance.

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Review: Twisted Gift (Twisted Series Book 2) by Jessi Elliott

Twisted Gift by Jessi Elliott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Perils of Becoming Fae

Aurora is now the leader of the Light Fae and just graduating College. She has no idea what to do with her life because she just got transformed into a fae! She’s staying clear of Tristan who she cares deeply for because she’s not sure what made her feel that way, and wonders if she was manipulated by Jules into how she felt, magically.

Everyone is worried about Aurora because she is refusing to feed and is so conflicted about being fae. As she’s now head of the Light Fae she is being forced to deal with a potential war between the two factions when the people she cares most about are part of the opposing faction.

This book is filled with plot and emotion. The characters were established in the previous book, so have space to build on and we begin to see sides of people we haven’t seen before. This book is quite angsty, but all the upset is understandable.

I really enjoyed the book and especially it’s very unexpected turn midway through the book. You won’t see it coming!

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Review: Raising the Stakes (Risking It Series Book 1) by Autumn Reed

Raising the Stakes by Autumn Reed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Contemporary RH In Las Vegas

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

This contemporary Reverse Harem book is the first in a series based in Las Vegas. Emma is 21 and in her final year at College in Las Vegas. Her mother, back in Indiana, is sure that she should get back with her High School boyfriend and get married. Emma is absolutely positive that isn’t what she wants. She’s bright, adventurous and looking for a way out of the path her mother wants for her.

Her best friend Simone drags Emma to a night club where she meets three men, Nicholas, Cole and Shane, separately throughout the night. She is drawn to all three. When the three men, again separately start to peruse her, she begins to wonder what is going on, but she can’t bring herself to put a stop to what is a wonderful new feeling of being wanted by three gorgeous, rich and charming men.

This is a very straight forward and predictable plot, however that does not negate the fact it’s well written and the characters are well conceived. It’s a plausible premise for the beginnings of a RH and it’s entertaining enough I may well read the next book in the series.

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Review: Whisper of Spirits (FSID Agents Series Book 1) by A J Macey

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

Psychic Police Consultant and Her Ghostly Sidekick

I probably wouldn’t have picked this book if it wasn’t written by AJ Macey and she was giving it away free during Social Isolation. I was browsing my library on Kindle and just randomly clicked on it, forgetting about the blurb and I was really glad I did.

This story is more interesting than it initially sounds. Yes it’s about a psychic who is a police consultant, Casper, and yes her best friend is a ghost, but she is also practically a police officer she has worked with them so long. She’s strong, determined, intelligent and plain spoken. She also has to work with the Federal Supernatural Investigation Division of the FBI on a case of ritual murders.

It gets better because all four of the FSID team are supernaturals and they all are very attracted to her and she to them. On top of that two of the guys are together already.

So we have all the ingredients of a great book, lots of tension, lots of plot and murder mystery crime solving action and really interesting characters. Throw in a mysterious past and you have a great story.

I really enjoyed this book and the characters were all interesting. I felt that there was lots of information about them just waiting to be revealed when the surface was scratched. I really can’t wait to read the next book.

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Review: Sapphire & Lotus (Dragon Kin Series Book 1) by Audrey Faye

Sapphire & Lotus by Audrey Faye
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dragons and Elves Learning To Fly Together

Sapphire is a 14 year older elf girl who feels unimportant in her large and important elf clan. When she runs away she gets lost. She is drawn to an egg, high in the trees. She feels the need to climb up to rescue the egg, little knowing it belongs a dragon.

This story feels heavily influenced by Anne McCaffrey’s Dragons of Pern series, something I grew up reading. In the same way that the dragons of Pern bonded with humans, the dragons in this book bond with elves, also often when quite young.

The story is about bravery and overcoming fear. It’s about duty and love and picking yourself up one more time when you don’t believe you can, just to achieve something that needs doing.

It’s a sweet story and filled with morals and ethics and all that good stuff. It would be a great book for younger adult.

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Review: Tracing Holland (NSB Series Book 2) by Alyson Santos

Tracing Holland by Alyson Santos
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Luke’s Story

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

This is a continuation of the story in the first NSB Book, with Luke joining NSB (along with Callie) on tour again for the first time since his break down. On this tour is several other bands and we get to meet them during this book. Tracing Holland is one of the bands that join them and the lead singer Holland is a highly talented, kind and brutally honest woman. Holland and Luke are instantly attracted to each other but understand that Luke’s baggage makes being together a really bad idea, so they try being friends.

There are lots of ups and downs to their relationship and it is affected by others, mainly Wes, Holland’s ex and fellow band mate who dislikes Luke intensely for his torrid past.

One of the other bands, Limelight, is on their first arena tour as a support act and show great promise. Jesse, their lead singer becomes a sort of protege for Luke and he shares his hard earned wisdom with Jesse as he starts to follow a very similar path to Luke’s.

I like that this book includes the outside world, after the first book focused so tightly on just three main characters. This shows how Luke’s mental health is improving but is still shaky despite his work with a counsellor.

I like how we see Luke’s progress. Holland is a nice character, sometimes a little too nice. She is very forgiving, maybe a little bit too forgiving (hence the drop of half a star) but other than that trait, she was great.

This was an interesting, entertaining and compelling book.

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Review: Night Shifts Black (NSB Series Book 1) by Alyson Santos

Night Shifts Black by Alyson Santos
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Such A Surprising Book

I’ve only recently discovered this author and I love the way her mind works. She writes about musicians but the way that she writes about them makes the music much more important the fame.

In this book Callie is at a cafe, drinking her usual cup of tea when a man walks in and asks her to move from her chair. When she moves he speaks to her, the first time he’s done that in the week he’s been coming in and staring at that chair.

In the days and weeks that follow Callie becomes Luke’s life line. She recognises pain and won’t let go of him, because she worries what will happen if she does. It turns out that Luke was the lead singer in a very successful rock band until 12 months ago when something awful happened and he walked away.

This story is about an ordinary woman who reaches out to someone in pain and discovers a new world. Callie is a wonderful character. She is down to earth, friendly, bossy and caring. She won’t let Luke spiral into his pain. She yanks him by the scruff of his neck and won’t let go. She doesn’t care that he’s famous, or his life before they met, she cares about the Luke she sees before her and her regard is transformative.

I loved this book, the insights into making music being a big part of it. You can tell the author is a musician by the way she talks about the writing and recording process and it’s an entertaining insight into that world.

There were lots of emotional ups and downs and the plot veered off into somewhere unexpected in a way that I loved. I know the story isn’t complete and can’t wait to read the new book. Thank goodness for finding a new author with a big backlist of books to read!

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Review: Sea Dragon’s Destiny (Royal Dragon Shifters of Morocco Series Book 6) by Ava Ward

Sea Dragon’s Destiny by Ava Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ve been waiting for this book with baited breath, since the previous book was released. The books in this series are consistently read in the week of release because I love them so much. This book was not a disappointment and has left me in a similar state of longing for the next book.

In this book Layla is at the hotel in Paris without her bound dragons. Her Royal Storm dragon is acting as Regent in his mother’s court and Adrian and Dusk are dealing with the fallout from the death of the Crystal King. Reginald is still in his father’s court trying to prove his worth. So Layla is left trying to manage the Paris Hotel and the budget is showing the effects of the Head Courtier, Reginald’s, loss. When Adrian asks Layla to go to North Harbour, Reginald’s home, to see a contact who might have developed technology to find Hunter, she is persuaded to go, not least because she misses him.

This trip challenges Layla deeply and her magic and her mind are attacked multiple times. She has to fight free of her darkness and learn to rely on her bound dragons. More of Hunter’s machinations are revealed, that were started centuries before Layla’s birth. His vision of the future has so many people twisted and battered from his plots and plans.

This book is dark and magical, with the beauty of the Twilight Realm described in all it’s glittering glory. The plot is all encompassing and my mind was wrapped in the world that Layla was plunged into, with very little thought of my escape. I was a willing captive and didn’t stop until the last page was read. There was so much ground covered in this book and we were left with a mighty cliff hanger, even though it was a good point to stop the book. It has left me itching for the next book.

Ava Ward, I love this world and can’t wait to see what you create for Layla next

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Review: Unrequited by Julia Wolf

Unrequited by Julia Wolf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet and Sexy Rock Story

I don’t know why I was so drawn to this book. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything else by this author but the blurb drew me in. I must have been in need of a rock star fix and this one was a bit different.

Maeve is a curvy waitress who is waiting to be a full time drummer. She is a sweet and pretty southern girl who also likes to drum hard core rock. I loved her contrasts and how they formed her character from conflicts with her parents who wanted a southern belle daughter to being let down by people who could only see the sweet and pretty side of her personality. She was both sides of her personality, there was no split.

When Maeve was 18 she met a 25 year old man, Santiago, who was the bass player in her friend’s brother’s band. She had a huge crush on him but he hurt her when he rejected her. Five years later her old friend walks into the bar she is working and they reconnect. Her old friend comes to her latest gig and everything is thrown up into the air.

Santiago grew up hard but loved his family with all his heart. He was rough and sweet at the same time. I really enjoyed reading about him and his past. His relationship with Maeve was complicated and very simple at the same time. Their feelings for one another were only confused because of perceptions.

This is a feel good rock story, which was well written and entertaining. I’ll definitely be looking out for the next book in the series.


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Review: Oath of Gold (The Deed of Paksenarrion Series Book 3) by Elizabeth Moon

Oath of Gold by Elizabeth Moon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’d give this book 4.5 stars if I could.

This third book in the trilogy is a fantastic way to end it. We ended the last book with the downward spiral of Paks and her disappearance from her friends. In this book she finds herself back in Brewersbridge and to avoid seeing people she knows ends up hiding in The Grove. She is in a bad way both mentally and physically and Master Oakhollow takes her in and helps her.

When she is healed physically and as mentally as she’s going to get, she finds herself back on a similar path to that which she always dreamed of, but with a very different understanding of that path. Her experiences have changed the way she views herself and the world and it has made her a better character for it. She has been through hell and back and come out a stronger and more compassionate person.

Most of this book is taken up with Paks’ quest, set by the gods. Her strength of character and depth of belief is challenged on an ongoing basis and her previous alliances and friendships help her achieve her goals. I love that the ended of this book, isn’t really an ending. It’s more of a ‘this is how this story ends, but Paks carries on living her best life’.

The book is well written and the world in which Paks dwells is convincingly created. The only reason this whole series didn’t get 5 stars across the board is because Paks always stands a little apart from the world and doesn’t fully engage with people who become friends. There is always a distance. I know this is a decision the author made because Paks’ full purpose is to do the work of the gods, but I don’t think she needed to be quite as self-sufficient as she was. Her friendships were always transitory and she was always a bit of an island. However, if her friendships had meant more than her duty, this would have been a very different series of books, I just felt that there could have been a little bit more of a balance in experiencing human connections. Apart from that one quibble, I loved this book and the rest of the series as much as I remembered. Maybe I’ll dig out some more old paperbacks!

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Review: Divided Allegiance (The Deed of Paksenarrion Series Book 2) by Elizabeth Moon

Divided Allegiance by Elizabeth Moon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’d give this book 4.5 stars if I could.

This book has Paks travelling on her own for the first time since she left home to join the Duke’s Company. She leaves The Duke because he has got into a poor alliance and the actions of their ally goes against everything that Paks is. She is given leave to find another path and joins a caravan to head back home to the north.

She has many adventures on her path, both good and bad, meeting new friends and defeating new foes. She is given the opportunity of a lifetime and her childhood dreams seem to be coming true, until they come to an abrupt end.

This book will rip your heart out as you watch all that was golden and good in Paks become broken and tarnished. It’s a really challenging book and as one reviewer commented a timely reminder that even if we stretch out a hand to someone who is suffering mentally, sometimes they can’t see the hand in the dark and will walk away believing no one cares. This is especially true of members of the armed forces who suffer from PTSD.

In this book we see the author’s life experience shine through, from her experiences training to be an officer to seeing how fellow combatants are treated. It’s a hard book to read, but a worthwhile one.

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Review: Sheepfarmer's Daughter (The Deed of Paksenarrion Series Book 1) by Elizabeth Moon

Sheepfarmer's Daughter by Elizabeth Moon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’d give this book 4.5 ⭐ if I could.

I first read this book in 1997 and when I had a craving for a fantasy novel I pulled it off my bookshelf (my actual physical bookshelf which has only 4 shelves these days).

Paksenarrion Dorthansdottor is the daughter of a sheepfarmer. She has been promised as a bride and a dowry paid, despite her telling her father she didn’t want to marry. To escape the marriage, she runs away, age 18 and goes to find the recruitment fair for a mercenary company. She signs up with Duke Phelan’s company, one recommended by her cousin, and becomes a recruit.

One of the best parts of this book is that is follows our hero through her first few years as a soldier. She is no mighty warrior. She is 6ft tall with strong limbs and long blonde hair, but she doesn’t have men swooning at her feet wherever she goes. She works hard, has dreams of glory, makes friends and messes up by being too eager and too inexperienced. This book follows a campaign where Paks starts to show her leadership qualities and her strength of character. It also shows someone might have plans for her in the future, even if Paks just wants to live her life with her friends in her Duke’s company.

The world that Elizabeth Moon builds is beautifully constructed. We can imagine everything from the cities to the forests. There are races of beings that Paks sees for the first time and we can share in her amazement. She came from a tiny village far in the north and has no experience outside farm life when she joins up, which allows us to experience all the wonders of the world, created by the author, through her eyes.

I also enjoyed the fact that Paks is inexperienced. We see the battles and parts of the campaign that she is involved in, but we don’t see the full picture. We see the world through her eyes and she is only a lowly private. She’s trusted with a couple of important missions after she proves herself, so we see those parts of the campaign, but we get to understand that most soldiers don’t really know what’s going on a lot of the time.

I’ve got so sucked into this world that I know I’m going to race through the series again, in the way I remember doing the first time round, over 20 years ago. It really is an excellent read.

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Review: Mortal Ties (World of the Lupi Series Book 9) by Eileen Wilks

Mortal Ties by Eileen Wilks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Missing Skull

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

Cullen has been working on a gadget that will help with the overflow of magic that is damaging tech since the Turning. It appears that this gadget is very highly sought after and it gets stolen.

This theft was aided by a subordinate clan and it lead to a political shake up amongst the Lupi, including Rule finally settling into the Mantle and truly becoming Rho for Leidolf.

The path to finding the stolen gadget and the thief leads Lily and Rule several hundred miles away and brings them both face to face with family who have been roped in by their Enemy’s allies.

Once more this is a complex plot and lots happens, though there is slightly less emotional content than usual. I know that the next book will be of a similar standard to the rest of the series, so I can’t wait to read it next.

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Review: Death Magic (World of the Lupi Series Book 8) by Eileen Wilks

Death Magic by Eileen Wilks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Murder and Mayhem

This book sees Lily holding on to the Wythe Mantle and suffering bad headaches. They are desperately searching for someone who can take over as Rho, but they aren’t having much luck. Ruben is still recovering from his heart attack and a non-magic user is heading up The Unit. Then a senator is killed and Ruben becomes the prime suspect leaving Lily to fight for her boss against a lead investigator who really doesn’t like magic, or understanding it.

At the same time as Lily is investigating the murder, Rule is trying to discover what his Lady’s Enemy is up to and find the men she is using as tools on Earth. He is doing his duty but is starting to have his unshakeable faith in the Lady fractured because of the danger to Lily whilst she holds the Whythe Mantle.

There is all sorts of political manoeuvring and death magic being cast. Lily and Rule are doing their best to make sure that everyone they care about is safe, whilst doing their best to ensure the safety of the public too.

This is fast paced book and a lot happens. As always I really enjoyed this book and this series goes from strength to strength.

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Review: Blood Challenge (World of the Lupi Series Book 7) by Eileen Wilks

Blood Challenge by Eileen Wilks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

More Threats From The Lady’s Enemy

Lily and Rule are trying to deal with Leidolf affairs, which requires travelling across the country once a month. At the same time both are performing their normal duties and they are also planning the wedding and trying to organise a Lu Nuncio meeting. It’s a busy time and it’s not helped by the rampant prejudice going on in the media and the threat to both Lily and Rule is high enough to warrant guards full time.

Arjenie is on a mission to help a prisoner rectify a wrong done against the Nokolai Clan. Using her Gift she manages to sneak past guards and is about to avoid the last ward when she comes across a Lupi in wolf form.

When she next meets the Lupi he is in human form and they both feel the pull, even though Arjenie is hidden by her Gift. The capture Arjenie with two empty potion bottles and whilst questioning her she passes out.

It seems the Lady has plans for Arjenie and she needs her to be Clan in order to do them, and Benedict is her mechanism for making that happen.

There is a lot of peril surrounding Nokolai, and She is stepping up her efforts to neutralise them, with attackers coming from many sides.

It’s really ramping up the tension and I can’t wait to read the next book in this fabulous series.

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Review: Blood Magic (World of the Lupi Series Book 5) by Eileen Wilks

Blood Magic by Eileen Wilks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Why Get Married?

This book is a fascinating keystone within the series as it delves more deeply into who Lily really is and why she has the magic she does. It goes into the history of her grandmother and her connection with Sam the dragon. The story revolves around an enemy from Madame Yu’s past, an enemy she fought on behalf of Sam and her family was the price she paid for that fight. Though they temporarily won that fight, the enemy has regained strength and a powerful ally. This leaves Lily and her grandmother, once again fighting the same opponent. Though this time they have allies in the Lupi of which the enemy has little knowledge.

Whilst trying to save the world, Rule decides to push Lily into understanding why she wants to get married. She hates being pushed with a passion, but it does start her down one of her paths of ‘why?’, with interesting answers.

This is another complex book, but it seems to concentrate on emotions quite strongly, with learning about Madame Yu and Sam, but also looking at Lily and Rule’s relationship and through that, their relationships with their families. It is because of Lily’s relationship with her grandmother that she is drawn into the fight, because of blood, but it is because of love that Rule and his family are drawn into the fight. It is two types of bond that create a family, blood and love and this book explores both.

Once again, a very enjoyable read that I highly recommend, but also suggest you read the rest of the series first. This is definitely NOT a stand-alone novel.

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Review: Mortal Sins (World of the Lupi Series Book 5) by Eileen Wilks

Mortal Sins by Eileen Wilks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Family Matters

Rule and Lily are near the Leidolf Clanhome, staying with Rule’s son and his grandmother. They are there to apply for full custody of Toby, Rule’s son. Whilst there Rule is going to take care of some Leidolf rituals, but before all these personal matters can occur Rule finds some human remains and they are covered with death magic.

This starts the very complex series of events that wind together clan, family, love and duty, with Lily investigating the murders and Rule trying to balance the application for custody, making peace with Toby’s grandmother, his principle carer for most of his life, and dealing with Leidolf.

As always with this series the plot is complex and the characters are rich and interesting. You feel that every character in each book could have their own book, because of each glimpse of character you see, you feel there is a whole backstory just out of reach to convince you they are real people you are reading about.

I really think Eileen Wilks an incredible writer who understands the human condition and captures it convincingly within a magical framework that feels real.

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