Review: Iron Will (Lords of Carnage Ironwood MC Series Book 1) by Daphne Loveling

Iron Will by Daphne Loveling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Opposites Attract

I decided to read this book after finishing the original Lords of Carnage MC series, however this book is set some time after book 7 in that series (I think). This book stands alone without the original series, but it’s enjoyable to read the other books first to give a background to some of the characters and the world in which they live.

Once I started reading this book I realised I read it when it first came out but it hadn’t registered on Goodreads for some reason. I still enjoyed the book the second time around as it’s entertaining and enjoyable.

Rourke is a member of the Lords of Carnage Ironwood MC and is visiting his fellow member Bear in hospital after he was stabbed. When he hears a commotion he gets involved in protecting a young girl from her mother’s boyfriend and after spending a little time with the girl decides to get more involved with her long term protection.

Laney is the hospital social worker and she is involved in trying to help this little girl and meets Rourke during her first visit. Laney was raised to be a ‘proper’ young lady and her parents are horrified that she is a social worker as they think she should just be a society wife. Sparks fly between Laney and Rourke and they start spending time together.

I like these two characters and their supporting cast. Laney is determined, compassionate and strong and Rourke is actually fairly similar. For two people with such different financial backgrounds, they had quite similar family situations during childhood. This makes them both protective of others. When looking at their personalities and history they are less opposite than would be thought at first.

As I said above, this is a very entertaining read. I read it one sitting and enjoyed it. It’s not very challenging and though there are disturbing subjects raised, they are handled in a way that prevents any kind of darkness to infiltrate the story. By writing things with an unclean edge the author prevents the story from being boring or twee.

I will definitely be reading the next book in the series, which is already out, in preparation for the third book which will hopefully be coming soon.

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Review: JUDE (Lords of Carnage MC Series Book 12) by Daphne Loveling

JUDE: Lords of Carnage MC by Daphne Loveling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So Long Lords of Carnage!

This is the last book in the series about the Tanner Springs Chapter of the Lords of Carnage MC. The book stands alone, but the series can be read in order for additional enjoyment.

We first met Jude as a 17-year-old headache. His sister Jewel took him in after his parents kicked him out when he came out of juvie. Since then we’ve seen him grow into a man who is no longer so terribly angry at the world as he has been brought into the fold by his now brother-in-law, Angel, the club president. He’s now 22 and a strong member of the MC.

Lila used to hang around at Brooke’s gym, Super Girls. In fact, Brooke looked on her as a surrogate daughter. Brooke is Beast’s Old Lady and we read about them in a previous book. When Lila’s family imploded on the death of her mother she was left to the mercy of her stepfather. Once she started driving he made her deliver drugs for him, as well as look after the house and go to school. She couldn’t face Brooke after dealing with all her pain as she felt she wasn’t worth knowing.

When Lila is put in a terrible position by her stepfather she runs to the only place she knows she’ll be safe, the Lords of Carnage compound. She is taken in with no hesitation and this puts her back in contact with Jude who she used to be friends with. She’s just turned 18 and he can no longer look at her as a little girl.

I like that Lila is someone who is a mix of weak and strong. Physically she is strong as she trained for a while in self-defence and even got good enough to teach occasionally, even if it was a couple of years ago. She is not strong emotionally, though she appears that way. She doesn’t feel worthy of happiness or time and attention. She always tries to remain easy to be around and no bother to anyone so she doesn’t get sent away. The Lords of Carnage are the only real friends she ever had so staying away was hard.

Jude is strong and capable. He is also stubborn. He had a really unhappy childhood and hates his parents with a passion. Alternately he adores his sister. He found a real home with the Lords and is incredibly loyal as a result. Becoming involved with Lila is a bit of a no brainer as they were really good friends as teens and he’s always admired her.

It’s pretty obvious what happens in this book. This author writes really solid and enjoyable MC books. They aren’t particularly challenging, nor are they disturbing. They have just the right amount of drama to stop them from being dull. It’s a quick and easy read and I’ve enjoyed every book in this series. This being no exception. I’ll miss the Tanner Spring’s Chapter, but I’m looking forward to reading more of the Ironwood Chapter series.

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Review: Team Changes (House of Garner Series Book 6) by Erin R Flynn

Team Changes by Erin R. Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How Much Can One Vampire Do?

This is book 6 in a continuing series, which means you need to read the first books before attempting this one. There is no way you could follow what’s going on without those first books.

As with the rest of this series, this book jumps straight into the action. When Inez revealed vampires and shifters to the human settlement in Texas she opened a can of worms. News of her actions reached the ears of Cerdic’s first love. Inez started getting visions in her dreams that never let her rest. They forced her into actions that she knew her husbands would never agree to. Inez puts everyone before herself and acts whilst trying to keep those she loves safe and has to face unforeseen circumstances as a result.

This book focuses a lot more on the emotions and mental strain of being, not only, a vampire but a princess who is also the champion of Aether. Inez has enormous amounts of responsibility for a 23-year-old woman who has no memories before being 18 years old. She goes from being completely alone to ruling an enormous coven and supporting 14 other covens through treaties. This kind of pressure whilst also trying to maintain relationships with 4 husbands who are hundreds of years her senior is almost impossible.

The rest of this series moves at a cracking pace, with everything getting handled immediately and competently by an intelligent and capable young woman. She throws herself headlong into everything and she and we as readers don’t have time to breathe. This book makes us all stop and take stock of what is going on. It delves into the meat of who Inez is and what she wants from her life.

On its own, this book might feel like not much happens, but as part of the series as a greater whole, it’s an important book. It’s one of the things I like about this author is that she often shows the mental and emotional wear and tear being the heroine takes. In other series, she has had other similar books where they take stock and show their vulnerable side. I admire that the author talks bluntly about mental health in a practical way in the same way she might talk about any other injury. I wish more authors did this. The more mental health is talked about in this way in fiction as well as in real life the more it will become an accepted fact in life and not something to be ashamed of.

There is a bit of a cliffhanger, which means I really can’t wait for the next book. I know I’ll have to wait though because there are several other series by this author that I want her to write too!

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Review: Demon's Consort by Lori-Anne Cohen

Demon's Consort by Lori-Anne Cohen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Richly Imaginative Paranormal Romance

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

This is definitely set up to be the first book of a series, however, the story comes to a good strong HFN conclusion, which always makes me happy whilst I wait for the next book.

This book is a little different as it is about demons, who aren’t the traditional evil creatures who delight in torment, but absorb the darker energies of humans. Anya is a human who was raised with the knowledge of demons as her long-ago ancestor is consort to a demon who is on the ruling council, and was loosely involved in her life.

Anya is in her early 40s and a professor at a university in Paris, where she has lived for many years. She has no contact with her family other than her uncle occasionally by phone as he is still in Russia where she spent her childhood, in the family-run circus. When Natalia, her ancestor, tells her she is part of a prophecy and she is destined to meet her demon mate. She wants to brush her off. Eventually she gives in to the demands and goes to the club she has been told the demon owns, with her best friend Gwen, who is a witch.

Declan has been a demon for 800 years and is destined to serve on the council. In order to do that he has to find his consort because when he mates his powers will increase. The council have been pestering him to seek out his consort and he’s been reluctant. Then when Anya walks into his club his whole life feels turned upside down.

This book starts out as a traditional paranormal romance with fated mates and all that entails but gradually becomes something much more interesting. Their set up is actually much more complex than appears on the surface and there is a lot of danger for them to face. As well as Anya and Declan, this story introduces us to lots of really interesting people. Declan has several demons in his household who help him manage France and Belgium, the areas under his control for the council. These demons all have their own stories to tell, some of which get touched on in this book, but many stories are hinted at to intrigue you for future revelations. They are all really interesting characters and feel well thought out and fully realised.

Anya brings her friend Gwen into the family and also a young demon who is a student of hers, Luc. There are other characters surrounding the story and they all interact with each other as well as the main characters, which I love, because it makes them more real to me.

I love Anya so much. She’s such a complex character. She’s strong, assertive and bold. At the same time she shares her vulnerabilities with her closest friend, and later with her mate. She’s been lonely most of her life and has still hidden much of her past from Gwen, because she is scared to lose her. She is intelligent and physically capable. Growing up in a circus meant she got to indulge her passion for knife throwing from an early age. She also taught herself to fight with them. Basically, she’s amazingly competent. Competent female characters are like catnip to me. We so rarely see them, so when I do, I beam with happiness.

Declan is interesting in that he is a ruthless leader who doesn’t hesitate to punish transgressors, but at the same time cares for his people and the humans under his protection. He isn’t ambitious but accepts what he has been given to look after because he knows he can do the job right. He is mentally flexible, despite being 800 years old, who started life as a farmer. However, he was ahead of his time when he was a human and even taught both his son and daughter to read, an unusual thing that long ago. He is very protective of Anya, but he tries not to suffocate her. This is another trait in a male character I like, one who fights his alpha instincts to let his mate make her own choices.

The world-building in this story is well done and gradually revealed over the course of the book. It is solely focused on the world of the demons with the human world being on the periphery, though it is still important because some of the characters have their roots there.

The plot is very twisty. It took me a little while to get into it. The first chapter was a little obscure in places, but once I had that under my belt the plot just got better and better. This author has a great imagination and I can’t wait to see where this story goes next. Anya has already proved herself to be a bit of a closet matchmaker, so I’m sure the other’s relationship situations may get tackled in future books. I’m really looking forward to seeing what this author produces next.

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Review: Summer's Kiss (The Boys of Ocean's Beach Series Book 1) by Angel Lawson

Summer's Kiss by Angel Lawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Richly Intelligent NA RH

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

This is the first book in the series and could almost work as a standalone as there isn’t a huge cliffhanger.

Summer has just turned 18 and her life has taken a swerve off course. She was supposed to spending most of the Summer in France with her friends and boyfriend but her breakup means she feels she can’t go as it would mean forcing them together, something she can’t face. Instead of France, she is going with her mother to Ocean Beach, staying in an Airstream in a trailer park.

Summer’s mother is a writer, who writes true crime books. She wants to write about a serial killer who was local to Ocean Beach and has gone there to do interviews and in-person research in local archives. It’s not the first time Summer has been her research assistant, so her mother doesn’t object to the change in plans. She knows something is wrong but doesn’t push it as that is not the kind of relationship the two have.

When they arrive in Ocean Beach Summer finds out that there is more to her mother’s selection of location and murderer than she realised as her mother is more familiar with the place than Summer knew. During the course of her stay, she finds out more about her mother than she realised there was to find. She also makes new friends, which surprises her as she doesn’t find this easy normally.

This is a story about self-discovery as Summer finds out about her family’s history and her need for a happy life. She learns to connect with her mother and how to become part of a tight-knit group of friends. It’s incredibly well written, with a subtle unravelling of the story and though there were no great surprises during the revelation sections it was interesting in a different way.

The secrets simply provided a framework for the characters to be revealed layer by layer during the course of the book. Though a lot was revealed I still feel like there is much more to learn about the characters which is why I’m happy this is the first book in a series.

I really liked that Summer may have made stupid decisions but she understands that and wants to work on making changes in her life in a sensible way. She’s open to new experiences and doesn’t judge herself for the way she moves forward in life. She’s got a good head on her shoulders for an 18-year-old, which is explained well. She’s not been traumatised by her childhood but she has been shaped by it.

The other characters in the book, including her mother, are equally interesting. They are all well rounded and have interesting backstories that are not fully revealed but give an impression of them being fully formed characters who can be slowly revealed in the same way Summer’s story has been in this book.

The place of Ocean Beach is obviously central to the story of the book, but it also stands as unique as one of the author’s characters. She conveys the magic of a coastal small town, where life is spent on the beach and water, with a deft and elegant hand. I’ve never been somewhere like Ocean Beach, but I can still visualise it and all its nuances. The place shapes the story as much as the people.

I really enjoyed this intelligently and warmly written book. The author obviously loves her characters as her respect and warmth shine from the pages. It’s rare to find a writer who invests so much in all her characters, not just the main ones. I always like it when I find writers like that and can’t wait to see where the rest of the series goes.

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Review: Not Quite Whole (Not Quite Series Book 6) by Kaye Draper

Not Quite Whole by Kaye Draper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good Ending

This is the final book in a 6 book series and can’t be read alone. You need to read the rest of the books to make sense of it. The first book is Not Quite Human .

Sam is finally starting to mellow. Spending time with people who love them has been good for their sense of well being. Sam will always be snarky and prone to violence but their anger is more of a simmer than a conflagration these days.

The only fly in the ointment of Sam’s love life is Theo. Theo has wriggled his way under Sam’s skin and they don’t know what to do about it. Bonding with Angel after loving him from afar for years has lead to Sam coming round to the idea that mating might not be the trap they always thought it was.

Along with not knowing what to do with Theo on a personal level, Sam is frustrated with him on a professional level. Theo wants to ‘come out’ as a fiend to thwart his cousin’s plan to expose him, but Sam thinks that could lead to bloody violence throughout the whole town.

I have really enjoyed this series. Sam is a wonderfully spiky and yet loving character. They are loyal and quarrelsome at the same time as being kind and yet still being violent. All their personality ‘quirks’ are totally understandable and I like that they are working on how they relate to their loved ones.

This book nicely rounds off the series and wraps up all the loose ends. We get a fun happy ever after, even with all the bumps along the way. Kaye Draper does write such interesting romances and this is no different. She shows that love comes in all forms as do people.

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Review: Blackhawk: Heat (Badass Security Council Series Book 15)

Blackhawk: Heat (Badass Security Council Series Book 15) by L. Ann Marie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another Generation Begins

This is the latest book in a vastly long series. Don’t start here, you won’t understand anything. Go to the beginning and start with The Baxters.

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Blackhawk clan and the book where Cloud and CJ got together is a firm favourite. So reading a book about their son Mase finding the love of his life was always going to be something I would enjoy. Mase was the youngest in his family, and the rest of his siblings were adopted by his parents. He’s close to his family and has a good dose of the ‘freaky’ genes. He moved to BSC West with the younger Princes kids and has found his home at Honor Rising, as VP, where he feels a connection to the land that his Native American heritage relishes.

When Mase meets a woman it starts as hookups and very rapidly changes into something else when he finds out she has been keeping secrets and on top of that she is connected to Badass.

This story touches on child abuse and sex trafficking and though it doesn’t have many details, it is a main subject of the book and could affect you adversely if you are sensitive around this subject matter. However, as this subject has been handled many times in this series you are probably aware of the level of detail you will be exposed to.

The last book I read in the series was heavily detail orientated and left me a little cold, whereas this book returned to the heart of the series which is all about the connections between the various families and clubs and how they all help each other to do good that helps communities, country and the world.

There are a few moments that were quite emotional and sweet as well as the usual fun sexy times. As always the kids and Alpha-Bits steal the show with their cuteness.

This book is the reason I keep reading this hugely long and sometimes unpredictable series because for every slightly dubious book, there are a few of these ones. Really enjoyable reading.

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Review: A Lady of Embers (Fires of The Fae Series Book 1) by Erin O'Kane

A Lady of Embers by Erin O'Kane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

MFC A Bit Passive For Me

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

This is the first book in the series and as such ends on a cliffhanger.

I really wanted to like this book and parts of it I did enjoy but the sad thing was I just didn’t like the MFC. She was too beaten down and passive for me to connect with. Annalise is an High Elf who was held captive by the old Elf Queen. Annalise killed her previous captor (I get the feeling this was probably in a previous series and this is a spin-off, but I may be wrong).

Annalise had been a captive for a 100 years and made no friends during that time. Her family were slaughtered when she was enslaved, so when she is finally free all she does is wander the refugee camps. When the camp she is in is attacked by strange beasts she is captured and taken to a strange land and imprisoned again.

I found it very hard to connect to Annalise because it seems that stuff happens to her, rather than her making things happen. There seem to be only two things that she does decide for herself, the first is to help a human who is attacked at the refugee camps and the second is to refuse to submit to her new captor. Everything else is determined by other people’s actions. Whilst I understand that she had limited choices, I felt that she didn’t really choose anything, she just rolled along being pushed and pulled by the tides of fate.

The writing itself was smooth and descriptive. I enjoyed reading about the world in which Annalise found herself with it’s strange creatures and glimpses of the politics that I hope would be enlarged upon in future books. I just wasn’t grabbed by the characters though. I just felt that I saw only the surface of them and not enough happened to make me forget that I didn’t really understand the characters and their motivations until right towards the end of the book, and even then there was still a lot of information missing.

Essentially, I won’t be continuing with the series because I have a TBR list a mile long and if the first book doesn’t grab me I’m not going to take time away from working my way through the list on something that might not improve in future books. I’m sad I didn’t connect with the characters because I know that this author is capable of writing really great books and if I liked the characters I would probably love this series.

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Review: Nova: Cred : Alpha Series Book 3 (Badass Security Council Series Book 14) by L Ann Marie

Nova: Cred : Alpha Series Book 3 (Badass Security Council Series Book 14) by L. Ann Marie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Complicated

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

This book is about a million in a continuing series. If you haven’t read the others, don’t bother starting here, you haven’t a hope of understanding it. I’ve read all the others and I struggle to follow the complex knot of plot twists and character interactions across the series.

This book follows Nova at the Alpha Rising club. He’s ex-military and served with the VP of another club, so was introduced through him to BSC. He messed up in a previous book and it’s nice to see his character expanded and finding redemption as he takes over as SAA for his club. When he takes over he is stuck with problems made by his previous SAA and some of the people he brought in.

Nova is also taken by surprise to find he has a brother he knew nothing about. Parker was brain damaged as a child and it has left him developmentally challenged in some areas, but he’s still pretty bright. This part of the story was really sweet, but I don’t think it was really explained enough. Everyone just accepted that “oh, look these guys look a bit like each other, they must be related so we’ll do a DNA test.” Then it was accepted and no one followed it up to find out how it happened or why. It felt like a bit of a hole in the plot.

The other main character in this book is Mikey, who was raised at the Mass club with the Princes of Prophecy. Her Dad was an officer, so she got the same education as the other Princes of Prophecy kids, even though she had no special abilities. As a result, she has always been pushed to excel and succeeded at it. She moves to Alpha Rising because after her father died, her mother ran off within weeks of his death and left her behind. She wanted to get away from all the pity and reminders of her situation.

As usual, there is insta-love involved, a bit of external relationship drama and the rest is focused on how happy they are together and working within the club. This is the pattern for all the books, so you shouldn't be surprised. It’s one of the reasons I like them because they are sort of predictable in some ways and totally random in other ways.

As always the plot is complicated, slightly obscure and leaves you scratching your head at times wondering if you missed something. There are often big leaps and you have to struggle to catch up. However, I still love these books and will continue to read them.

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Review: Surviving in Everton (Everton Ever After Series Book 2) by Scarlett Philips

Surviving in Everton by Scarlett Philips
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A Bit Long Winded

This is the second book in a duet and you need to read the first book to make sense of this one.

I re-read the first book in this duet before reading this recently released second book and I had forgotten that a lot of the information that I had guessed hadn’t actually been revealed in that book. It was a surprise to me that things I was so sure of in my memory as fact were actually just supposition on my part. I think this tells you how glaring the signposts were on the plot setups in the first book.

As I was absolutely sure about the ‘whodunnit’ aspects of this book, there weren’t any surprises whatsoever. This isn’t always a problem for me if the characters are written with depth and the world-building is solid. Sadly I didn’t feel that these quite made up for the predictable plot. There is nothing really wrong with this book, but it definitely felt like it was a bit long-winded for my liking. There were lots of sex scenes but none of them were particularly smoking hot and it felt like they were run through the numbers. I think I would have preferred the author made the scenes either shorter or much fewer in number. I actually found myself skipping pages through those scenes, which isn’t really like me.

I think if the author had taken all those many pages of formulaic sex and written more backstory for the characters I would have enjoyed this book much more. There are a lot of characters in this book and the men in particular only seemed important in how they related to Rowen and her daughter Violet. They didn’t really seem to have any life apart from their current relationship with her. There is very little talk of ex-girlfriends or much about their jobs, except how it intersects with Rowen. There is no real discussion about their past friendship with Rowen before she went to university except in passing and I think this was a mistake. Having more of the past relationship would have made the current relationship sweeter.

There are some really sweet moments in this book, so I don’t want to imply there is nothing good in it. There are plenty of lovely parts, especially the relationship between the two kids and also how the adults relate to them. If you enjoy reading about relationships between single parents you will definitely enjoy these parts of the books.

I’m pretty sure I won’t be continuing with this series because I don’t think this author’s style is for me. I may revisit that in a few more books time, but until she’s got a more ruthless editor I’m going to steer clear.

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Review: Jazmyne & Lucius (Rojo, TX Series Book 3) by Cee Bowerman

Jazmyne & Lucius by Cee Bowerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Funny and Fabulous

This is the third book in a series that is interwoven with three other series, Texas Knights MC, Texas Kings MC, and Conner Brothers Construction, all based in Rojo, TX. Whilst the story is standalone, you miss out on a lot of inside jokes if you don’t read the other books before you read this one.

Both Lucius and Jazmyne have been peripheral characters in various books in the above-mentioned series. Neither are members of either the Texas Knights MC or the Texas Kings MC but Jazmyne’s brother is and she grew up around the clubs. Lucius is a police offer and the partner of Freddie who co-parents with someone in the Conner Brother’s Construction Company, along with Lucius’ cousin.

As Lucius is a police officer Jazmyne is pretty reluctant to share her involvement with him with her family who isn’t filled with the most law-abiding individuals. Over time this causes a huge strain on their relationship despite their feelings for each other. It’s only when Jazmyne is in a dangerous situation and she reaches out to Lucius do things change.

This book is, as usual, filled with witty banter and flat out hilarious interchanges. It’s also filled with affection and love throughout the very extended family and all the generations. I love how Lucius is brought into the family and the way he handles it. He is prepared to do anything to keep Jazmyne safe and happy and some of the ways that they all do that are imaginative and intriguing. This shouldn’t be a surprise when the people involved elevate pranking into an Olympic sport.

As well as being a pretty hot romance this book is filled with some twisty pieces of plotting. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book a lot. I like the way this author thinks!

I’ve never read a dull Cee Bowerman book. I don’t think I ever will. She writes warm and interesting characters who are outrageous but believable at the same time. She places them in tough situations and lets all the other fantastic characters help them out of the mess they are in. Add in the sexy times and humour and there’s little else you need for a feel-good read. Whenever I’m feeling down one of this author’s books is guaranteed to cheer me up.

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Review: Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle Book 1) by Amie Kaufman

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

I listened to this book in an audio format, which affects my experience of this book, so please take this into account when reading this review.

This book is set centuries into the future when humanity has discovered a way to transition the galaxy using ‘folds’ in space. However, if you travel through the fold, once you reach 25 years old the forces that the fold inflicts on the human body start to affect the mind meaning everyone over that age must travel through the fold in stasis. Captains, pilots, diplomats and engineers and others, who need to be awake to do the work of piloting the fold, all must be people under the age of 25. As humans have explored they have met other races of sentient beings and have finally learnt how to live with them after a few centuries of warring. To help police the galaxy The Legion is formed from several races who train their youngsters to become the force that keeps everyone safe. Training ends at age 18 and they are sent out into the galaxy to fulfil the orders they receive from Aurora Academy.

On the day that the graduating class will receive notification of their squads, Tyler Jones can’t sleep and heads out into the fold to rest his brain. Instead of rest, he finds a ship that went missing 200 years ago and the single survivor inside a sleep pod is Aurora O’Malley. Rescuing her sets a sequence of events in motion that he could never have imagined, his life has changed forever with that one decision to go flying.

This story evolves into a fascinating adventure where a team of young people find themselves alone in the galaxy trying to find a way to save life as they know it. Alone and unguided, except by their own instincts they must face dangers they don’t understand until it’s too late. Aurora has been changed by 2 centuries in the fold, everyone she knew is dead and the galaxy is a very different place from the one she knew when she went to sleep.

The world-building in this book is excellent. There are different races and worlds that are articulately and imaginatively described helping bring the story to life.

The characters are all interesting and though they are all young, they are mature by today’s standards having trained hard since they were 11 or 12 years old to take on massive responsibilities at age 18. The interactions between the characters are fun with some of the characters knowing each other exceptionally well and others are strangers who have to find their way into being fully integrated members of a squad. There is the banter of the familiar interwoven with the prickliness of strangers being forced into close contact. It’s well done and interesting to read.

The story is fascinating with the roots of it being set millennia in the past. The current characters are blips on the timeline, but they are the most vital to its conclusion. This story starts simply and grows more complex with each chapter as the plot is revealed layer by layer right up until the end.

This book had several narrators which I quite enjoyed though as one of the characters had either an Australian or New Zealand accent that the other narrators were forced to duplicate when speaking with her voice there were some quite shaky parts. As they had multiple narrators I think it might have been better to have those narrators speak with their own voices throughout each chapter rather than have one narrator speak the section told from their point of view and leave them struggling with conveying the different character’s voices. Some narrators were better than others at doing this and when there was a poorly done section it detracted from my enjoyment and broke my concentration. I understand that it's a lot more complicated from a production point of view, but I felt they should have made the harder choice if they were going to have multiple narrators anyway.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will definitely listen to the next book in the series, because I want to know what happens next.

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Review: Cyn's Awakening (Cyanide and Sin Series Book 1) by Payne Craven

Cyn's Awakening by Payne Craven
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tried To Fit Too Much In

This is the first book in a series, but at the time of writing this review, the next book is not yet published.

I wanted to like this book because the premise is great, however, the author tried to cram too much into a short book and as a result, too much got left out.

Cyn is a half banshee/half siren singer in a band with her best friend Slade. She also owns a three-headed giant mastiff with flaming eyes, called Wulf. After breaking up with her cheating ex and longing to stop touring and have one place to call home, she is given an opportunity to travel to a town filled with monsters and set up a residency at a club. Lazarus is the incubus who owns the club and sets her up in a fancy penthouse suite at the hotel and then tries to set about wooing her as he knows she is his mate.

This book has so much potential because the monsters are fabulous. There’s an incubus, a wendigo, a Cerberus, a naiad and much more. It’s a who’s who in the bestiary all lined up for Cyn to play with. But other than their monsters there doesn’t seem to be enough time for each character to have much of a personality because the author wants Cyn to be with all of them immediately. There is no chance for them to get a chance to know each other.

Packing in all the mates that Cyn has to meet means that there is very little room for plot either. I just wish that the author either allowed the book to be longer to build on the characters a bit more or spread the meetings over more books so we could see a bit of where the plot is going without having to buy the next book.

Based on this book, despite the cliffhanger, I don’t think I’ll be reading the next in the series.

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Review: Shedding Skin (The Ice Court Series Book 2) by K Margaret and Dagmar Avery

Shedding Skin by K. Margaret and Dagmar Avery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finding Her Way

This is the second book in this series. This series is part of a much larger story arc and needs to be read to understand the context of this series.

Still engaged to a man she doesn’t love, Eira is desperate to find her way back to helping the Ice Court return properly to Faerie. She loves her father but he is very set in his ways and he is adamant that she should marry Tanner, even if he doesn’t want Tanner taking too much control over his daughter whilst doing it.

Eira has a list a mile long to accomplish, she has to establish her sithen, build her guard and wake a god. On top of that, she has to continue to sit on committees, practice law and find a way to break free of Tanner. During the course of this book, Eira makes a really good start on her to-do list, with her father being a surprising ally.

I really enjoyed this book and a lot happens. Eira’s to-do list gets whittled down really well and it’s enjoyable watching her do it. There are lots of hot and steamy scenes. One of the things I really like about this series is that it is really sex-positive. There is no shame or embarrassment when talking about sex. It’s an important part of their lives and the princesses have no problem discussing it.

Eira goes from being incredibly self-contained and isolated to being more open and accepting of her new role in Faerie. She becomes friends with the other princesses of her court and even becomes more open with the princesses of the Nightmare Court. I will say that there are an awful lot of other princesses. At a get together for all the courts it’s nigh on impossible to remember what guard belongs with which princess. I’ve learnt to just let it all wash over me if I haven’t had a re-read recently. They really need a tree of Courts and Guards at the back of each book!

This is a really enjoyable book as Eira is intelligent, interesting and sweet. I like her character and I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens to her next.

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Review: Magic Misled (Lizzie Grace Series Book 7) by Keri Arthur

Magic Misled by Keri Arthur
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Price of Magic

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

This is the seventh book in a continuing series, and you need to read the previous books to understand this one.

Lizzie is now living with Aidan, despite knowing there is a time limit on their relationship. She is trying to live in the moment and relish every day they have together, as they make happy memories. It’s not perfect, but it’s good. His mother, however, is causing problems and doesn’t want Lizzie to attend Aiden’s 30th birthday party as another way to force a wedge between them.

The Witch Council has sent someone to investigate the death of her ‘husband’, Clayton and they’ve sent someone who is very attractive who is also interested in Lizzie, but is he interested in her for own sake, or what she might bright bring magically and politically to a relationship.

Into the Reservation comes a darkness that is impossible to categorise because it defies nature. It is filled with rage and vengeance, seeking only to slaughter, leading Lizzie into dangerous situations as she tries to stop the violence.

One of the things I like most about this book is that Lizzie really struggles as she tries to protect herself and the people she loves. She doesn’t have a perfect grasp on her magic. She’s never been an all-powerfulo witch. She’s always struggled magically and just because she has access to Wild Magic hasn’t changed that, because she still hasn’t had much training. We see in this book that she has to pay a steep price for using the Wild Magic and she has to weigh up whether it’s worth it or not.

I like it when there are limits to powers in my Urban Fantasy books. I don’t want the main character to just keep powering up and up in order to face off bigger monsters. I want them to have to work better, learn more and get help from experts. If they do power-up, I want them to have to face the consequences of doing so.

This book was mainly focused on Lizzie’s magic and the darkness they faced. There wasn’t a huge amount of focus on her relationship with Aiden. I liked that there was more focus on Belle’s relationship with Monty, even if it was just observed by Lizzie.

Belle and Lizzie’s relationship is one of the best things about this series. No matter what else happens they are the best of friends. They are sisters of the soul rather than blood and they always try to put each other first. Their support for each other is a really lovely part of these books.

I get the feeling that the next book will have a lot more about Lizzie and Aiden’s relationship judging by some of the hints dropped in this book and also the blurb for the next book. I know it’s going to be ages until the next book comes out, but that just means I’ll have the opportunity for a re-read before it's release.

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Review: Soul Harvest (The Rift Chronicles Series Book 3) by BR Kingsolver

Soul Harvest by B.R. Kingsolver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cults, Demons and Poison.

This is the third and final book in a trilogy. You need to read the first two books to understand the storyline and characters.

Danica has been made Chief of the Arcane Division of the Baltimore Police Force. She’s snowed under with missing persons reports and a new demon lord’s in town after the last one melted. He’s rather insistent that Dani hand over a statue of his queen but Dani is reluctant to give over something he so desperately wants.

As well as dealing with missing persons and increased demon activity, Dani is having to deal with poisonings. There is so much going on she barely has time to eat let alone see her boyfriend or call her mother.

I loved the other two books in this series and I wanted to feel the same way about this book, but didn’t. It felt like so much was crammed into the plot there wasn’t much room for the characters and how they were feeling. I believe this book would have been better to have been split into two and adding more emotion and depth through conversations rather than the recitation of the story at full throttle, which is what the book ended up being.

In this book, I felt like a lot of Dani’s relationships were pushed to one side in order to get everything done, which is understandable given the state of the Eastern Seaboard during the course of this book. I did think it detracted from the series as a whole though.

There seemed to be more about Kirsten’s relationship than Dani’s, which seems odd. I kind of wish the author hadn’t put Dani into a romantic relationship if they weren’t going to actually show how she felt about the man.

However, all that aside the plot crackles along at a fast pace and the story is great. I just wish the ending was a little less predictable and twee.

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Review: Hook (Time Served MC Series Book 2) by Cee Bowerman

Hook: Time Served MC, Book 2 by Cee Bowerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hook Gets An Old Lady

This is the second book in a continuing series by Cee Bowerman. Though the relationship aspect of the book is standalone, the characters are introduced in the previous book and there is a slow-moving story arc that runs between this series and Ares Infidels MC by Ciara St James, which runs parallel to this series and has overlapping characters and storylines.

This story is about Hook, who is good friends with Boss and lives next door to him and his Old Lady, Jenn. Hook is a veterinarian and has all sorts of weird and wonderful pets which include an undersized tiger that was rescued from a circus after they declawed and defanged her as a baby. When they first started talking about the tiger I thought it was a euphemism for a really big striped domestic cat, but no, it’s an actual tiger.

Hook got his name from his boxing days. He was a highly ranked amateur until he got sent away for manslaughter. He was another of Pop’s rescue projects, like the rest of the MC members, and he took him on when he got out of prison after nearly 20 years and had nowhere else to go.

Paula is friends with Jenn, who she met in a salon. Paula, showing her character early on, got into an altercation with a mouthy young woman and dropped her phone in her foot bath. Jenn high-fived her and they’ve been friends ever since. Paula runs a craft stall where she sells all the jewellery she makes, so they see each other a lot when Jenn has her food truck at the market too. When Paula is at Jenn’s house a man tries to break in and attacks Paula, only Paula attacks back and between her and Jenn’s cast iron pan he goes down long enough to be tied up. They pretty much insist that Boss and the guys take him out back and ‘deal with him’. when this happens Hook takes on the task of keeping an eye on Paula to make sure she doesn’t talk. This of course leads to all sorts of fun and games.

I really really enjoyed this book. I loved Paula. She’s feisty, confident and funny. There were so many layers to her I thought we’d never reach the bottom, in fact, we probably didn’t. She fits right in with the Time Served MC as she is just as ruthless, pragmatic and dangerous as they are.

Hook is such a softy when it comes to animals. He’s constantly rescuing them and nursing them back to health before rehoming them. His tiger, Tonya has an entire habitat in his house and an outside enclosure too, not to mention she’s treated like a house cat the rest of the time. It shouldn’t be forgotten though that he’s capable of killing in defence of those unable to look after themselves, or those he cares about.

This story has lots of layers too and each layer was as good as the next. In this book, there was humour, danger, mystery and awesome hot bedroom scenes. I love the companionship displayed between the people in and surrounding the MC as they try to do the right thing by any means necessary and looking out for each other as they do it. I can’t wait for the next book in this series because I love these characters.

 

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Review: Hidden Hope (Hope Series Book 1) by Elizabeth Knight

Hidden Hope by Elizabeth Knight
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Paranormal Reverse Harem

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

Vivianna is an emergency medicine doctor. She works at the prestigious St Thomas’ Hospital in London, but was educated in the US at a boarding school. Her cruel and neglectful father sent her overseas so he wouldn’t have to deal with her, and her mother always went along with her father. Her father is an ambassador and thinks that being a emergency medicine specialist isn’t prestigious enough for his daughter and it reflects badly on him.

When Viv comes across a naked man in an alley bleeding to death from vicious wounds she fixes him up not knowing he and his friend are werewolves. The wounded werewolf is Koit and his friend is his Alpha, Rikkart. They were both in London to meet with the ambassador when they were attacked. It was pure coincidence that set them to meeting Viv as they didn’t even know she existed.

When Rik and Koit, along with their friends Darius and Tavas, find out that the ambassador’s dealings have put Viv’s life in danger they arrange to rescue her, because Rikkart and Koit know they owe her a debt.

I think the reason I didn’t connect with this book as well as I could have is that it felt a bit formulaic to me. Having Viv fix up Koit, meaning there was a connection before they knew to rescue her seemed a bit obvious and unnecessary to me. The male characters were a bit too stereotypical for me too, the romantic one, the funny one, the brave and loyal one and the clever reluctant one. The way the connections were made felt like they were done by rote, checking off a list, instead of characters developing feelings for each other as they got to know one another.

There were some interesting bits and pieces about each character but they weren’t given much chance to show themselves before they all jumped each other with the excuse of ‘instinct’.

The writing style was natural and smooth and it was well edited and I felt I should like it, and I sort of did, I just didn’t like it enough. A lot of the ingredients for a really great read were in this book, but I felt they just didn’t mesh quite well enough, so I probably won’t continue with the series. I may be missing out, but my TBR list is enormous.

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Review: Monsters of Limit (The Enchantress Series Book 6) by Erin R Flynn

Monsters of Limit by Erin R. Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Demons and Angels

This is the 6th book in a continuing series. You need to have read the preceding books to understand this story.

The book starts with things going wrong for Remy and Soraya when he hits some of her buttons by accident. This leads to the start of some changes being made, which is only the first of many in this book.

The case she has to handle in this book is related to a demonic monster that was created by a crazed enchanter 3000 years ago. The monster shouldn’t be killing for another 25 years as it has always followed a pattern until now, and this isn’t the only difference in it’s behaviour. As the hunt gets more dangerous Soraya is forced to accept help from the London nest of ancient vampires.

This book is filled with Soraya starting to accept that she can ask for help and receive it. It’s a hard lesson for her, but with all the dangerous enchanter elder’s taken care of she feels that she can relax her grip a bit more.

As always, I really enjoyed this story, but I do wish that the author would come up with different emotional reactions for her MFCs. When a trigger gets hit, they lash out and everyone forgives her behaviour because she copes with so much and has so many issues of course she’s going to lash out and hurt people who love her. You’d think with 1000 years of experience she would have learnt how to navigate her triggers a little better.

The case in this book doesn’t actually get resolved. In fact a lot things get set up for future plot action set after this book. It’s what I consider to be a pivotal book in a series, where things need to change direction and it takes one book to shift things around to allow that to happen. This book seems to handle that really well and didn’t drop the standard in order to get everything to fit in. It does make me want to read the next book though!

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Review: Culling Damnation (The Enchantress Series Book 5) by Erin R Flynn

Culling Damnation by Erin R. Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Evil Spirits To Trap

This is book 5 in a continuing series, which means you need to read the previous books to understand this one.

After the Tribunal Soraya was inundated with emotions and memories. She had been overwhelmed by everything and pulled into hermit mode, simply working and not doing anything else. Stunned to find weeks had passed since she last saw Remy Hunt, her pet werewolf, she has to deal with the fallout of having hurt his feelings.

This book explores how Soraya moves forward with her relationship as this is the first one she’s had in centuries. She’s unsure because she finds herself caring deeply about his happiness and she discovers that she also trusts him despite herself. This means they have to work together to decide how their relationship is going to work and with a centuries-old enchantress who runs a business empire, a coven and is also an Elder this means a distinct shortage of time.

In addition to having to sort out the Enchanters Elders, now she has wiped the old ones out, she has a decidedly awful case with Chicago PD involving an evil spirit who kills the emotionally vulnerable.

The case is important to the storyline but it doesn’t dominate it. This story focuses mainly on Soraya and Remy’s relationship and how Soraya can fix things for the world without being totally overwhelmed by it.

This book was really enjoyable. I got sucked in and the scenes in the club Remy took them to were seriously hot. I’m really enjoying the way Soraya is becoming emotionally involved with Remy and Remy has developed from an angry sceptic into a loving and thoughtful partner who just wants to take care of his mistress.

Definitely, a fun read, and I'll be continuing the series.

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Review: Starting Over (Cascadia MC Series Book 2) by Mia Malone

Starting Over by Mia Malone
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful Characters

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

I love Mia Malone’s books. They are warm, funny and real. The characters are so engaging I want to sit in a pub and have a drink with them, while we banter about people we know. Her books feel like a sit down with old friends who have no inhibitions and truckloads of wit.

This book is about Tony, the president of Cascadia MC, and Rosie, a woman who was Eye’s boss, both in their 50s. We meet Rosie when she comes into The Roadhouse to deliver some books for Eye as she has resigned. After the break up of her very bland marriage, Rosie is sick and tired of her life. She is lonely, with her daughters moved away and living their lives, and stifled and wants something more. She doesn’t know what, but she knows what she has isn’t cutting it for her.

When Rosie and Tony meet, Tony is so attracted to Rosie that he completely messes up and really insults her, however, Rosie does make friends with Addie, so they are brought into each other’s orbit again. After many apologies, a very stealthy and slow courtship ensues.

As I already said above, this book is wonderfully real. There are issues with friends and family, their history is painfully revealed and lusty adventures are had. This is another thing I like about this author’s work, she shows over 40s having a fun and active sex life that may not involve a dungeon or a sex swing but still is pretty adventurous.

The plot isn’t complex, but it’s so well written and the characters just wriggle under my skin so much I’ve had to give it a higher rating than I give most MC books. You will smile, laugh and feel sad for the pain the characters feel and be fully immersed in the lives they lead during the course of the book. I definitely want to read the next book when it comes out. I’m betting it’s about Emma!

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Review: Enacting Revenge (The Enchantress Series Book 4) by Erin R Flynn

Enacting Revenge by Erin R. Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tribunal Time

This is the fourth book in a continuing series and the story won’t make sense unless you read the preceding books.

This book is focused on the Tribunal when large numbers of the Elders of the supernatural world come together to deal with the transgressions of the Hawk Elder in Russia. As the accuser, Soraya is hosting the Tribunal and it’s a very fancy endeavour.

A lot happens for Soraya in this book. She meets some very old enemies and has to deal with a massive amount of fallout as a result. She also finds herself getting closer to Hunt, despite labelling him as her ‘pet’. She also finds herself courted by an angel.

The Tribunal itself is simple, it’s dealing with all the Elders that causes all the issues. Except, with the Elders, politics is often combined with an orgy! Though this is set in a different world to Seraphine Thomas there are so many similarities in this series. There is a recurring theme of a woman of power trying her best to protect those weaker than herself and who gathers more power through the human world via money and jobs. The MFC is also incredibly beautiful but insecure. They are both surrounded by ancient supernaturals who are bored and like to play wicked and sexual games every time they get together. As I like Seraphine Thomas quite a lot this isn’t a big problem for me, I just wish that the world-building was a little different to help separate the two series a bit better.

Having said all that, I still enjoyed the book and look forward to the next one.

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Review: His to Own, Hers to Claim by Siobhan Smile

His to Own, Hers to Claim by Siobhan Smile
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Filth For the Over Forties

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

Though technically a romance I’d probably classify this as erotica. However, it’s very well done and it’s nice to find this sort of book aimed at a slightly more mature audience. There’s really very little plot and there’s a tonne of hot and steamy times, however, it felt utterly real.

The book is about Alexis who is about to turn 50 years old. She’s hard-working and a successful business owner. She has three fantastic daughters and she likes herself and her life, though she wouldn’t say no to some action in the bedroom. Alexis meets Wall at a nightclub her daughters drag her to. They are instantly attracted to each other but don’t act on it.

Wall owns the nightclub he met Alexis in. He’s 40 years old and is pretty grumpy, but he loves the way Alexis stands up to him and challenges him without complaint.

One of the things I loved about this book was that the characters were flawed and interesting. Wall is huge and hairy and Alexis is overweight, but they like themselves. They don’t worry about the way they appear except to think they like the way the other looks.

These characters are grown-ups. They know what they want in life and are willing to work for it. It’s so nice to see characters who don’t worry about how damaged they are or are trying to figure themselves out. They also have uninhibited and filthy sex. It’s nice to see books that have grown-ups having relationships or just having fun. This book celebrates that life doesn’t end at 35, and I enjoyed reading it.

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Review: Striking Souls (The Enchantress Series Book 3) by Erin R Flynn

Striking Souls by Erin R. Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Seeing The Dead

Soraya has her hands full again in this third book of the continuing series. I'm afraid you won’t be able to follow what’s going on without reading the preceding books, but I'm sure you'll enjoy them when you go to catch up!

After the ghoul attack and the aftermath, Soraya is tired and feeling dark. When she feels like that she often goes into hermit mode, when she emerges, there’s a lot to deal with. She has a kettle of hawks who need rescuing from Russia, a psychic who has been held hostage by her sister and the fallout from erasing a greater demon from existence all needing attention. On top of all that there’s a traitor in the coven that needs dealing with.

Along with the psychic she rescues, Soraya is helping the spirits trapped in the realm of the living to cross back through the veil. We learn more about the aspect of Soraya’s powers that deals with the spiritual realm during the course of the book and the extra chapter at the end also deals with this subject in her distant past.

We also see why Soraya always holds herself back from relationships, stating she never keeps the people in her life. She always needs to have multiple partners in her life because sex helps even out her energy levels when casting vast amounts of magic. This also helps her when it's time for people to move on because she has others to hold on to.

There's some cute stuff with the kids of the coven again, which I always enjoy. It’s nice to see it’s not all just smiting and sexing for Soraya and she does have a little bit of fun!

As always, this story rattles along at a good speed and is full of plot twists and confrontations between Soraya and people who need dealing with in a permanent way. It’s always entertaining.

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Review: Crown of Shadows (Court of Midnight and Deception Series Book 1) by KM Shea

Crown of Shadows by K.M. Shea
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Engaging and Fun

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

This book is the first is a new series in the Magiford Supernatural City World. You don’t need to have read the first series, but it would definitely help understand some of the supporting characters and the overall world in which the series is set. There is less world-building because of the previous books.

We met Leila in the previous series as she lives next door to the Drake estate. She is half human and half fae but has been raised in the human world and doesn’t have a vast knowledge of her magic. She is aware of her fae heritage and doesn’t want anything to do with it. Sadly, avoiding the fae isn’t to be possible because the Night Mares have bonded with her and named her Queen of Night Court, much to her and her Court’s dismay.

After surviving an assassination attempt she is forced to move to the Night Court estate in Magiford and try to rebuild her decrepit Court, which is falling apart in both the human and fae realms. Badly in debt and magically failing Leila has inherited a difficult situation, especially when you add in the death threats, shrinking wards marking her kingdom in the fae realm and trying to find a consort before she can be crowned.

I really enjoyed this book. It was amusing in places, intriguing in others and the characters were interesting to learn all about. The magic system is different for the fae than it is for the wizards in the previous series and that is explored in this book, though I’m sure that there is still plenty to be revealed about it in later books.

Leila is a great character. She is stubborn, inventive, compassionate and determined. I also like the people she chooses to surround herself with and the affection she has for the creatures of her Court gives me the warm and fuzzies.

There is something so appealing about the quality of this author’s writing. It’s not the most intense and exciting of plots, but you still get drawn in because the author is a good storyteller. I can’t wait to read what happens next as the battle she has to fight for her Court’s heart and their place in the world is most definitely ongoing.

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Review: Thieves About (The Enchantress Series Book 2) by Erin R Flynn

Thieves About by Erin R. Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ghouls and Vampires

This is the second book of a continuing series. You need to read the first book in order to understand this book.

In this book, we learn much more about Soraya’s relationship with the ancient vampires that she hid with as a child. It’s a dark and twisted history with some moments of genuine affection thrown in to confuse the issue even more.

The case that Soraya is involved with, in this book, revolves around someone summoning ghouls and they are relying on Soraya to clean up the mess they leave when they lose control of them. When dealing with the case she comes into contact with a young vampire, who is running the case for SPU, with whom she engages in lots of hot sex. Detective Hunt has also moved into her apartment building so is sniffing around for more information but he seems conflicted about Soraya and his attraction to something he hates.

We once again see how Soraya protects her coven and even the other supernaturals of her city and how hard she works to provide for everyone she can.

At the end of the book is an additional chapter that is a flashback to when she first sought refuge with the nest of ancient vampires. It’s not essential to the story, but it’s really good additional information that explains a lot.

Another good story that sucks you in. I’ll definitely keep reading the series.

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Review: Magic Unleashed (Hall of Blood and Mercy Series Book 3) by KM Shea

Magic Unleashed by K.M. Shea
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Satisfying Conclusion

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

This is the third book in a series and the previous two books need to be read in order to understand this book.

A lot happens in this last book of the trilogy. Hazel is now officially the Adept of House Medeis and the House itself has transformed itself to house the new Adept and enable her to take the House in the direction she wishes to. She wants her House to protect all supernaturals and to prevent the larger and more powerful groups of supernaturals from bullying and harming the smaller groups and individuals. She’s drawing on her training with House Drake to help train the other members of her House how to change their magic use to best effect in battle.

Killian is missing Hazel and the fun that she brought to House Drake, which the other vampires are also missing. He knows that he did the right thing in getting her to leave for her own protection but he really wants to find a way he can protect her and still have her in his life. When he finally works out that she doesn’t need protecting he has to find a way to gain her forgiveness.

From this introduction, it may seem that this is a romance but it’s only a small part of the book. In fact, this is a clean book as it’s such a slow burn the romance only happens at the very end of the book. What is more important to the book are the politics and the negotiating between Houses and species of supernatural. Alliances are made and battle lines are drawn. Strategy plays it’s part in the battles as does the fighting, but at heart, it’s all about negotiation and finding a path where different races of supernatural can learn to get along and how Hazel and Killian are at the front of this.

This book has lots of little twists in it so if you don’t know how things are going to end at the very least you don’t know how they get there. I love all the support characters in this series and they all get their chance to shine in this final book. They all play their part in getting everything accomplished, even Rupert the grumpy red-headed vampire!

This is a light and kind of nice urban fantasy, but it’s by no means sickly sweet. I love the world-building and the plot structure is great. If anything I would prefer a small piece of darkness but that’s just personal because I like a strong contrast between dark and light. Though there are bad guys, we don’t really focus on them and why they are so bad, they are just bad and they have to be defeated.

There are some things left unresolved at the end of this trilogy, but not in an obvious way, in fact, it took me a while to remember that there were a couple of loose endings that needed tying off, so it’s good that there is another series set in this world involving a tangential character from this series, which I really look forward to reading.

All in all, this was a very satisfactory conclusion to a well written and fun series.

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Review: Magic Redeemed (Hall of Blood and Mercy Series Book 2) by KM Shea

Magic Redeemed by K.M. Shea
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Politics and the Nature of Trust

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

This is the second book in a continuing series. You need to have read the first book to make sense of this one.

Now Hazel has unsealed her power she has to learn how to use it. She knows how to do all the standard spells from learning how to manage her much lesser powers, but to take on the vampires at Drake House in training, she has to think outside the box. As she starts to think experimentally things start to click together for her.

As she thinks once more about retaking her House, she knows she has to get the signet ring that belonged to her Father that is used to unite the House and the Adept together when the care of the House passes to a new Adept.

Killian faces more antagonism from the Night Court and seems to be using Hazel to do it. Killian finds he has become very protective of his little wizard, as have many of the vampires in his family.

There are a lot of politics in this book. Hazel has to try and wrangle the House back from her cousin Mason because her family are suffering whilst at his mercy. To do so, she needs the support of the other wizard Houses and the Wizard Council but somehow Mason seems to be beating her at every turn. We also see Killian pull out all of the political stops to help keep Hazel safe, even though he can’t quite understand why.

It’s nice to read an Urban Fantasy book that isn’t just all about the magic and the fighting but also accepts the strength of political manoeuvring. It’s not just how to fight that Hazel learns from Killian, but also his political acumen.

I like how gradually Killian and Hazel start to grow closer and develop feelings towards each other. They are cautious of each other but gradually start to trust a little it each day.

This really is a fantastic series and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

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Review: Life is for the Living (Conjuring A Coroner Series Book 2) by SC Stokes

Life is for the Living by S.C. Stokes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It All Starts With A Jewellery Heist

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

This is the second book in the series if you exclude the prequel which isn’t needed to understand the story arc. This book won’t make much sense if you don’t read the book before it in the series and whilst the book ends on a cliffhanger, the end of the book happens at a natural break in the story.

This book starts the day after the first book ends. When Kasey learns that Arthur Ainsley is going to be attending the Met Gala she is determined to crash it to demand he gets his son to drop his lawsuit as was promised to her if she managed to kill the werewolf serial killer and make his body disappear. When she arrives it quickly degenerates into mayhem as armed and masked men arrive to take advantage of all the priceless family heirlooms being worn for the occasion.

What at first looks to be a huge jewellery heist gone wrong turns out to connect to the magic world. Once again Kasey finds herself being drawn into a case that has much bigger reverberations than initially suspected.

The plot in this book is really good. It ratchets up the tension of the first book and just keeps going. I love how the current cases are woven into the larger plot again. It helps to bring a conclusion to each book, whilst still making you really want to read the next book.

We also get to see a little more of Kasey’s relationship with her parents. Not much, but a glimpse. I wish we could see more as I feel that is the most lacking area in this series, character development. I do have hopes we will see more in the next book.

Kasey’s professional standing does seem to become a little vulnerable in this book as she tries to juggle the magic and the ‘normal’ world. It will be interesting to see how that gets resolved.

I can’t wait to read the next book because I’m desperate to know what happens next.

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Review: Shattered (Sundance Series Book 4) by CP Rider

Shattered by C.P. Rider
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Secrets and Lies

This book is part of a continuing series and you need to have read the previous books to understand the characters and the direction of the plot.

This book continues to exhibit the excellent quality of CP Rider’s writing. Each book in this series that I read makes me fall a little bit more in love with Sundance and it’s inhabitants. The author creates a book-sized plot within a series-sized plot and it all makes sense at the end of each part. You are left hanging at the end of the book but in a way that is more of a slight itch than a raging case of hives that you need to scratch. You want to know what happens next but you don’t weep with frustration that you have to wait.

This book primarily deals with the secrets and lies that Neely has been told her entire life by the people she loved and trusted, all in the name of protecting her from worry. This book finally begins to unravel a little of the mystery that is Neely, when she is forced to go to Austin, where her Dad lives, to deal with yet another threat.

Lucas plays a much more minor role in this book, that’s not to say he’s not important because he is, it’s because his physical presence is less. When Neely goes to Texas she goes with Amir, the Fourth Alpha for the Sundance Shifters Group, and we get to know him better than before. He’s an interesting character but still a bit of a mystery, even by the end of the book.

The threat that Neely goes to face is an unknown organisation that has access to a lot of very powerful shifters, who they use as a threat against the inhabitants of Sundance. Alpha Juan, Lucas’ fellow prehistoric shifter and friend, needs Neely’s help because his brother has been missing for over a year and he believes that the threat against Sundance abducted his brother. Neely owed him a favour from his help in getting her free from the sanctuary and it ties in with what she was going there for anyway. Neely also wants to take the opportunity to confront her father about her late mother, a woman she didn’t know existed until recently.

This book is filled with betrayals, secrets and lies. It’s also filled with love, loyalty and trust. Neely has to find her way through the choices needed to find happiness and she has to do it alone, the way she always has done.

I really loved this book. We learned so much about Neely and her history in this book and it’s fascinating. She’s an amazingly well-rounded character with tonnes of good in her and a few well placed glaring flaws. We learn in this book a lot about where her flaws come from. I love the banter between her and Lucas, as they are both ridiculously silly at times. I also really enjoy the way Lucas truly treasures Neely. She is his whole world and he shows it in every action.

Every relationship in this book is interesting, be it between the sister witches at the tower, and their support and loyalty towards Neely, or Chandra who makes Neely face the hard questions in her unflinching and caring way. All the characters are so well developed that the relationships between them are natural and believable.

You wrap all the fantastic characters and plot in the fascinating world-building and you get a fantastic book within an exceptional series. I can’t recommend it more highly. If you like Urban Fantasy, I’m pretty sure you will love this.

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