Review: Chef (Tenillo Guardians Time Served MC Series Book 3) by Cee Bowerman

Chef: Time Served MC, Book 3 by Cee Bowerman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Two Ex-Cons In Love

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

This book is the third in a continuing series that intersects with the Tenillo Guardians Ares Infidels MC, which starts with Sin's Enticement by Ciara St James. Each series alternates to progress the timeline in a single story arc, however, there aren’t really any cliffhangers.

This book is about Chef and Brea, both of whom we’ve met in previous books. Chef is a high school science teacher who went to prison when he killed the dealer/pimp that helped his daughter die of an overdose. They call him Chef because he cooked up a toxic chemical smoke bomb that killed him and his associates. He’d lost his wife, his high school sweetheart to illness before the death of his daughter which probably helped him go off the rails.

He’s a huge guy who used to play American Football but is gentle and kind with the people he cares about. He really cares about Brea and Sis her daughter. He’s loved Brea since he met her around 5 years ago whilst she was still married.

Brea is also an ex-con. She was a drug addict who stole to get her next fix. She’s been clean for quite a while now and lives quietly and reasonably happy in Tenillo. Her husband died a few years ago and she’s scared to get involved with anyone again to get her heartbroken. She’s loved Chef for over a year but won’t act on her feelings because of her fear.

I felt like the plot was a little weaker in this book than in the others. Brea and Chef already knew and loved each other so they didn't have to make their lives mesh awkwardly, in fact, it didn’t take much to persuade her to take a chance on being with Chef at all.

There was very little progress made on the story arc that goes over the whole interconnecting series and though some drama came from it, it didn’t feel very impactful. The events should have been, but the emotions felt muted.

There were some spicy scenes between Chef and Brea that were quite enjoyable but didn’t feel natural in their set-up.

I feel that this book missed the mark for me, which is unusual for this author, so I’m sure that future books will be back to their usual enjoyment levels, so I’m unlikely to walk away from this author for a slightly lacklustre enjoyment of one book.

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Review: Multiplying Storms (Artemis University Series Book 11) by Erin R Flynn

Multiplying Storms by Erin R. Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stress Is Bad For Fairies Too

This is the 11th book in a continuing series. You need to read the preceding books in order to understand this one, starting with Book 1, Upended Life.

This is one of my favourite Erin R Flynn series, and I think I’m not alone in that. I don’t like academy books so much these days because I overdosed on them when they first became the ‘hot’ trope. This is one of the few series I’ve kept on reading and I think it’s because the academy part of the story is more the background than the main point, especially as it is as university the characters attend rather than a high school, and therefore the students are adults.

This book essentially deals with the incredible amounts of pressure placed on Tamsin’s shoulders. She has pressure from all sides as she tries to free more fairies and at the same time keep them hidden from the supes as they gain an understanding of the world they have woken up to after a 20-year nap in Fairy. The pressure she is under at school and from the councils is growing exponentially and at the same time, she is continuing to fight for equality and justice in both the supe and the human world.

Tamsin spends a lot of this book in tears. She is reaching breaking point, especially with how disappointed she is with the fairies, in particular the Elders and Ancients. As always she can’t be completely happy with all her lovers/mates. There is always one! Apart from the one causing problems her other lovers/mates have been supportive and loving and seem to have finally found a way to try and provide Tamsin with what she needs. She is also coming to a tentative truce with Neldor, aka The Prince of Darkness. I like that this author allows her characters to develop and change in both positive and negative ways. This happens in real life and whilst it is nice and tidy if a character’s emotions and behaviours develop in a straight line, in real life that line dips and soars as triumphs and tribulations affect who we are.

A lot happens in this book, apart from Tams being pushed to breaking point and we see a lot more of the fairies, meeting more individuals. This feels like an important book in the series and is definitely a turning point in the plot. I can’t wait to see what comes next, I’m sure it’s going to be good!

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Review: Watch Over (The DeLuca Family Series Book 1) by Amy Reece

Watch Over by Amy Reece
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet Romance

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

This is the first book in a series about one family. This book works as a standalone and has a HEA.

This novel starts with one of the sweetest meetings I’ve read. Finn is a cop. He’s recently returned home after being in an accident and having to stay in rehab and with his family. He’s in a wheelchair and his family keep turning up to help him out, but at least he’s in his own bed.

Finn’s neighbour is a woman called Melanie. She inherited the house she lives in when her great aunt died. She doesn’t get on with her family apart from the aunt she just lost and her job involves working from home. She’s really shy and doesn’t do well in large groups. She has her aunt’s elderly dog Fluff for company and recently a stray cat has been coming round. She decides to adopt it and buys a collar. Then one day she receives a note in the collar from Finn and they end up communicating via cat-mail until he lets it drop he’s in a wheelchair and she’s round like a shot to bring him banana bread and the offer of any help he might need.

This cute meeting is the start of a really sweet romance that is taken slowly. At the same time as their romance is developing there appears to be some problems in Mel’s life and Finn’s cop instincts go into overdrive in his need to protect her.

I really enjoyed the book. It was quite predictable but very sweet. It was entertaining and made me smile. It didn’t pretend to be anything it isn’t. Sometimes you really want that in a book, to just help you escape from the real world for a bit and that’s what this book does.

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Review: The Games We Play (The Path of Temptation Series Book 3) by Auryn Hadley

The Games We Play by Auryn Hadley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Initiates

This book is the third in a five-book fantasy series. The previous books need to be read in order to understand the contents of this book.

This book is all about the second part of the main characters' first year of their Initiate years. Nari and Talin return from the Darkest Day festivities at his brother, the Baron of Temptation’s, Residence. The visit wasn’t much fun because the Baron is a very unpleasant man. However, the visit seemed to shine a spotlight on Nari, with the rumour mill going overtime assuming the visit was about Nari instead of Talin. The only good thing to come out of the visit was Maela, the Baron’s wife, reaching out tentatively in friendship to Nari.

Everyone seems to have stepped up their game to force Nari to declare a single Path or to cause her to step down a Path by failing her courses. The pressure is causing her to doubt herself and her ability to succeed in saving Zeal and his brothers and sisters from disappearing completely. Her lovers all want to protect her from the stress and try to find ways to help.

In this book, we get more insight into some of the other Paths, in particular the Path of Obligation. Nari is being exposed to different people around the Temple and spreading her belief in Zeal and the evidence of his existence is worn on her skin. More people are being swayed towards belief in his existence because of her role as his Voice. Still, Nari and her lovers are all being forced to play politics and are being manipulated by those in power far too much.

This book is fantastic. It’s full of emotion, politics and passion. The world-building for the series becomes richer and more detailed as we learn more about Zeal and his siblings. The education of the Initiates becomes more complete and through that education, we get a picture of what it will be like for the students after they become fully-fledged priests and priestesses.

The plot is carefully constructed, as always, to build tension and weave information around the emotions that keep you captivated. Throw in the politics and the passion and you have a winning formula for an incredible book within an amazing series. There is a lot more sex in this book, not only between the main group but as part of their training so there are scenes with people outside the romantic core that surround Nari. This is expected and is warned about early in the series, so it shouldn’t be any big surprise at this stage.

One of the things I really love about this series is the focus on love being many things to different people. There is the love of the parent or mentor, the love of friends and confidants, romantic love, passionate love, the love of brothers-in-arms and the love of their god. There are so many types of love in this book, some even overlap, but it is the thread that runs throughout the series. There is a bond created by love that is stronger than anything their opponents can throw at them.

When I finished this book, I almost want to read it all over again to see the fine nuances that I know this author placed in this book. Whenever I re-read a book by Auryn Hadley I always find more the second or third time around. This book will be no exception as there is such richness in the details of plot, emotions and background. I hate that I have to wait another few months for the next book, but at least it’s up for pre-order!

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Review: Dissecting Meredith (On Call Series Book 6) by Freya Barker

Dissecting Meredith by Freya Barker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Coroner and The Detective

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

This is the 6th book in a series of standalone novels about a group of colleagues in the police and fire departments in Durango. You do not need to read the other books in the series to enjoy this one, but reading them first will make reading this novel a richer experience.

Meredith is the coroner, but she’s also a fully trained and experienced forensic pathologist. She takes great pride in her work and is ambitious for her department and her team rather than for herself. She was widowed a long time ago and hasn’t had a serious relationship since. She is intelligent, determined and hard-working. She is content with who she is and how her life is.

Jay is a newly qualified detective. He was happy being a police officer and working the community, helping people but when he met Meredith his buried ambition came back to life. He wanted to impress her so started studying for his detective exams. He comes from a background of wealth and privilege but he left that behind when he chose not to follow his family footsteps and become a cop instead. He is self contained and doesn’t share himself and his emotions easily. Most people in Durango only know him superficially.

Since becoming a detective Jay has been biding his time to ask Meredith out on a date but before he has a chance a case they are working on keeps throwing them together and does some of his work for him. Whilst trying to establish a relationship Jay and Meredith work with the rest of the team to find out what has been happening with body parts turning up around the city.

I enjoyed this book a lot. There is much to like about Meredith and Jay, both individually and as a couple. I loved how they took their time building up their relationship, getting to know each other better. I also loved that their animals were involved in their relationship, with Jay having to gain the trust of Meredith’s big dog and tiny kitten. They have various problems to work through but they manage to work through them with intelligence and compassion.

At the same time as showing how the relationship was building was an interesting case that involved several agencies as well as Durango PD and the Coroner’s office. I enjoyed the suspense aspect of this book as much as the relationship one. There were lots of strands to the investigation and I didn’t know which one was going to be tugged on next to get to the next clue.

This book was satisfying on all levels and I’m sad this appears to be the last in the series, for now, but I hope it will come back at some point because all the books were a great read.

Note: Since writing this review the author shared a publishing date for the next book in the series, due out on 14th September 2021, Watching Trin. YAAAAY!! 

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Review: Dark Ambitions (Class 5 Series Book 4.5) by Michelle Diener

Dark Ambitions by Michelle Diener
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On Planet

This is book 4.5 in the series and is novella length. It’s set after the previous four books and reading this novella without reading at least the first book in the series will leave the reader confused.

Rose and Dav are part of an exploratory mission along with Sazo, the artificial intelligence wrapped up in a lethal warship exterior. Rose can go to the planet surface with the team to check things out. She's delighted as she hasn’t been on a planet in months. Dav and his exploratory ship have gone off to check out a distress call but Sazo is above the planet keeping an eye on things.

The second day Rose is resting up whilst the other check out things nearby when they are taken prisoner by the Krik. Rose is alone except for a cute baby flying squirrel type critter she rescued and Sazo in her ear. Rose’s philosophy of ‘no man left behind’ comes into play again, even with Sazo wanting her to run away and stay safe.

This is a short fun novella that revisits favourite characters from the series. It packs a lot into a few pages, providing the reader with danger, political intrigue, romance and a very cute alien critter. What more could you ask for in a novella? I do wish there would be more books in this series because I really have enjoyed reading it, but I think it’s unlikely given the amount of time that’s passed since the last book was released, but I can always live in hope!

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Review: Revealing Annie - Police and Fire: Operation Alpha (On Call Series Book 5) by Freya Barker

Revealing Annie (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha) by Freya Barker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sumo Gets An Insta-Family

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

This is the fifth book in a series about a group of colleagues. Each book can stand alone from the rest and be enjoyed as a solitary book, but the experience is much richer if the other books are read first. You will understand the characters more if you have seen them in previous books and how they interact with their friends and colleagues.

Sumo is an EMT who is the joker in any situation. He likes to make people laugh as he finds it easier than trying to confront difficult emotions. He keeps a lot of himself hidden behind his smiling persona. He loves his job, and spending time with the fire crew he works with. He considers his female partner, Blue, to be his best friend and adores her baby daughter. He loves cooking and feeding his crew and dreams of a day when he can build a house on a mountain top. He is much more complex than people give him credit for.

Annie is hiding in plain sight. She has short neat hair, short unpolished nails, no makeup and huge unflattering glasses. She works in a bakery, usually behind the scenes creating sweet treats for other people to enjoy. She lives in a one-bedroom trailer in a park with an elderly person on each side of her. She helps one of them, Edward, with his dog when his arthritis means he can’t walk very far. She also does other things for him when she can persuade him to let her. He’s a curmudgeon but she still likes to help him. She also volunteers at the animal shelter to get her doggy fix and does yoga to keep fit. She’s only been in Durango for around a year and she has a nice safe predictable life, where no one really sees her or knows her.

When Blue introduces the two of them Sumo is very interested and starts to pursue her. She is slowly won over when all hell breaks loose. Sumo suddenly has a teenaged son he didn’t know he had, dumped on him and Annie’s old stalker re-emerges. They each leap into action to help the other and start to tighten their bond.

I’ve been motoring through this series because I find the characters so engaging. They all are around 40 or so and have well-established careers and are only just finding love at a later stage in life. They are all so incredibly supportive and loyal but at the same time spare no sympathy when getting the opportunity to laugh at each other. It’s like a very large extended family between the fire, EMT and police departments where everyone knows each other’s business.

On top of those qualities this book, like all the others from this series, is really well written. The plot is paced beautifully and the whodunnit aspect left me puzzled to the end. The characters are developed with lots of backstory and the emotional aspects of the book are very satisfying.

Basically, it’s a great book in a very good series and I’m off to download the next one right now!

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Review: Absolving Blue (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha) (On Call Series Book 4) by Freya Barker

Absolving Blue (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha) by Freya Barker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Breaking Blue’s Shell

This is story is part of a series, however, it can be read by itself. The series is about a group of police and firefighters so reading the other books gives you a stronger idea of the background characters, but if you haven’t read them it doesn’t prevent you from enjoying this book.

Blue is the only woman on her fire crew. She’s an EMT and loves her job with a passion. She sees her crew as the family she never really had, but she doesn’t show much of herself to them. She keeps herself locked down tight and at 40 years old she has never let anyone close. She basically works, hangs out with work buddies and volunteers at the animal rescue. Her nickname comes from her personality rather than her eye colour.

Tony is a police detective and has worked for years with Blue. He’s always been attracted to her but she seemed so unapproachable he never did. He is handsome and charming and enjoys the company of different women too much to settle down, plus his job is very demanding. He has a loving family with his father, brother, sister-in-law and niece and spends time with them as well as his friends and colleagues.

When Blue has a series of patient’s die over a short period of time when she thought they would be ok, Tony sees her tough shell crack a little and he sees the real Blue. When she adopts a dog on a whim he suggests they look after him together as they both have demanding jobs but between the two of them, they should be able to look after Arthur. This impulse finally lets him into Blue’s life and he begins to see the real woman at a time when her world comes crumbling down.

I enjoyed Blue and Tony’s developing relationship a lot. Blue had been alone for so long that it took Tony time to work his way into her life and her heart. He was supportive and loving as well as being protective at a time when she desperately needed it. He also came into her life at a time when she was vulnerable enough to seek help for her mental health. Having a professional guide her through the relationship minefield helped a lot.

All the little details in this author’s books really help to shape her characters. Things like Tony being colourblind or Blue being scared of heights show us real people that we can connect with. Being over 40 means that they have some baggage and are set in their ways which give us a chance to see them work through their differences to create a new life together.

The suspense part of this book was tough on Blue. She was really put through the wringer and the support of her crew and Tony and his family made all the difference to her making it to the other side. The plot was intricate and interesting and kept me on the edge of my seat as it wove in between the romance and the character development. This author is really good at finding the balance between all aspects of a strong Suspense Romance novel. This series as a whole has provided excellent entertainment and I can’t wait to read the next book.

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Review: Wrath (The Tempests Series Book 1) by Cee Bowerman

Wrath by Cee Bowerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Texas Kings MC Spin-Off

This book is the first in a new series created as a spin-off from Texas Kings MC, by the same author. Fain (Texas Kings MC Series Book 12) introduced us to the Tempests and gives us their backstory. Reading this book before starting this new series would probably make the story more comprehensible.

The Tempests are a large family, that used to be larger before their father killed several people. Their father was a leader of a cult and had several ‘wives’ so not all the siblings have the same mother, but they all had the same father. Their father is now dead and his cult scattered, but the Tempests have stayed fairly local and now own some buildings and businesses. Wrath owns a tattoo studio.

Val is writing a doctoral thesis on cults and wants to interview the Tempests. She wants to know why people get sucked into cults and how they escape them. She has tried writing to them several times but when she just shows up Wrath hits the roof. As the eldest, he feels responsible for looking after the rest of his family and refuses to let someone dig up painful memories for no good reason. Val manages to talk the other siblings into coming to her home to meet her and talk to her about what she wants to interview them about and Wrath finds himself wanting to date her. When the problems from Val’s past come back to haunt her, Wrath can’t do anything but help her, even if she doesn’t know he’s doing it.

It’s quite a while since I read Fain, and I think I should have re-read it before diving into this book, as a quick refresher. Because I didn’t refresh my memory I think that there were things that were lacking in this book. If you start with this book without the background I think you miss out on a lot of the world-building and character development. A lot of information about the Tempests isn’t included in this book because it was included in the other one and without that information, you don’t really understand who the characters are.

Despite that lack of background, I enjoyed the book. The characters were interesting with both families being unique in their structure. I felt we got to know Val a little more than Wrath, which isn’t surprising as we were coming into learning about her character cold, whereas we had met Wrath before. I’m sure as the series develops we will get to know Val and her family well, as that is the case in the other Cee Bowerman series, the characters are always popping up in the later books.

I will say this about Val though, for a woman who was seeing clients for counselling, she wasn’t very good at avoiding her own triggers, so she wouldn’t go off the deep end when placed under pressure.

I felt the plot was a little simplistic for a very complex situation and that the author had squashed a lot of the plot down into a simpler form in order to get the book written in a timely fashion. This could have been a much longer book if the author had wanted it to be because it would have been very easy to expand a little on the characters and the plot.

I don’t feel this was one of this author’s stronger books, but it was still enjoyable and I look forward to seeing how this series develops.

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Review: Tracking Tahlula (On Call Series Book 3) by Freya Barker

Tracking Tahlula by Freya Barker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Writer and The Firefighter

This is the third book of a continuing series, however, the book works on its own without reading the previous books. The series contains the same group of characters based around a group of firefighters/EMTs.

Tahlula is a writer who has had moderate success until recently when her book blew up the best seller’s lists. All of a sudden her publisher required her to do interviews and appearances, something she hadn’t done before as she wrote under a pseudonym. When she started appearing in public she received threatening messages and someone broke into her house. In the end, she decided to move away from where she felt threatened to Durango where her big brother Trunk lives. She bought a house high up in the mountains, miles from town and loves her solitude.

Evan is a firefighter and paramedic. He works long and often dangerous hours. He is a good man, who loves his widowed mother, and helps her as much as she will let him. He has good friends and when he’s not working ridiculous hours enjoys spending time with them. However, he’s single and has spent most of his adult life in that state and now he’s over 40 he’s not expecting to meet anyone to alter that.

Evan has got a slow period at work and his boss has sent his staff out into the mountains to check on the houses up within reach of forest fires to make sure they are set up as safely as possible. When Evan meets Tahlula he is smitten straight away, as she likes him too, that’s fine. When external pressures push their relationship onto the fast track, neither of them objects too much, except when Evan gets bossy!

I really enjoyed this book. Lula and Evan were great characters and I loved how they were two lifelong single people trying to fit their lives together because they couldn’t imagine being apart once they met. They rub each other the wrong way sometimes because they are both strong personalities but they work their way through it.

The suspense part of the story is good, though the romance is more of the focus of the story. This story also brings characters from different series written by the same author together. In particular, Lula’s brother Trunk is from the Arrow’s Edge MC series and is a huge character and is immensely important to Lula in this book. Having all these crossover characters is great fun, but does take away time from the suspense plot, which means it isn’t as full and rich as other suspense plots written by this author. It’s still very interesting and intriguing though.

Once again Freya Barker writes a great story about people in their forties, still having time to have their dreams come true.

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Review: Lost & Found (PASS Series Book 4) by Freya Barker

Lost & Found by Freya Barker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent Romantic Suspense for the Over 40s

This is the fourth in a series of books that are independent of each other but revolve around a security company that at least one of the main characters works for. You don’t need to read the other books to know what’s going on, but you’ll have a richer experience if you do.

I really enjoy Freya Barker’s writing. She writes about people who have some life experience under their belt. Her characters are believable because of their flaws and strengths. She also writes about people over 30 having sex, which seems to be a rare thing in the romance world (sadly).

This book is about Yanis, the owner of PASS and Bree one of his valued employees. There has always been an undercurrent running through the other books between these two, but no one has ever understood what it is. In this book, we finally find out.

Yanis is 46 and was a police officer who went on to set up his security business around 15/16 years ago. He’s the son of very exuberant hippy parents who embarrass him on a regular basis. He is their polar opposite and is very shut down and self-contained. He doesn’t express his emotions well but is an excellent leader with sharp intelligence and an ability to get the best out of his team.

Bree is 42 and started working for PASS soon after it started up. She has a psychology degree that backs up her good instincts about people and their behaviour. She is also adept at self-defence, using both weapons and hand to hand skills. She is intelligent and articulate and able to get people to trust her and talk to her. She’s good at understanding people’s motives.

Bree is asked to go undercover by a client and ends up on the wrong end of an obsession of a deranged stalker. Injured in the course of doing her job, Yanis swoops in and demands that he take care of her by moving into her apartment so he can keep her off her injured leg. He knows that after fearing for her life he can’t hold back from Bree anymore. Forced into close proximity with Yanis forces Bree to look at her boss and decide if risking her heart is worth the possibility of making it work with this closely guarded man.

One of the reasons I really enjoyed this book is that though romance is a big part of this book, it’s not the entirety of it. There is a very large chunk devoted to the suspense part, which is quite a big investigation going on throughout, that seems to get bigger with every chapter. The suspense plot is complex and interesting and it kept me thinking right until the big reveal. I liked that sometimes work had to come first for the main characters, even when they didn’t like it.

I also liked that a lot of the romance problems got solved by talking them through. There weren’t ridiculous misunderstandings or jealousy over past partners, there was opening up to each other, even when it felt hard to do so. I also liked that Bree called Yanis on his overbearing ways on multiple occasions and he was able to curb it after talking things through. This was a grown-up romance and I enjoyed that aspect tremendously as good communication is often lacking in more conventional romance novels aimed at the twenty-something reader. Miscommunication is an over-used plot device that drives me nuts, so it’s great when an author doesn’t use it very often.

This book has well well-developed characters, who have a believable and pretty hot relationship and a really clever suspense plot. I really enjoyed this book and devoured it in one afternoon. I highly recommend it if you like your romance to have a little more meat on its bones than usual.

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Review: Summer's Fun (The Boys of Ocean's Beach Series Book 2) by Angel Lawson

Summer's Fun by Angel Lawson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Second Summer in Ocean Beach

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

This is the second book of a duet. It’s necessary to have read Book 1 before reading this book to understand the characters, world and plot.

Summer is back in Ocean Beach after 9 months away at college. She’s kept in touch with her guys but only seen them a few times because they are all so spread out. Now she’s back she wants to make up for lost time as she returns to the place she’s grown to love.

Summer’s mother is now living with her fiancé Richard, the man she left behind when she was young. She’s left her trailer to Summer to use for her stay over the holiday and she’s also given her a job in the bookshop she opened. Her mother’s off on a massive book tour and though Summer is enjoying the freedom she does miss having her mother around.

The guys are all back home too, all of them are happy to be home and have Summer with them full-time. None of them have changed their minds about her. The only one who isn’t happy is Whit. He hates being away at a military college just to suit his dad, who he doesn’t particularly like anyway.

There is very little drama around Summer and her guys, in fact, it feels almost too easy. There is a little gossip, but not a lot. Most of the drama occurs in the last fifth of the book. I felt that the drama came a bit abruptly. There were little hints (more like glaring signposts) but there wasn’t much ratcheting up of the tension. The book felt like breezy summer fun until it really wasn’t, all at the flip of a switch. It seems contradictory that the signposts were glaring and then be annoyed at how quickly the mood changed but I feel that was a problem with the writing more than anything. It could have been handled so much better with just a few paragraphs here and there to change the overall mood.

I’m also pretty mad at Summer because she’s been away for 9 months, living at college and she doesn’t seem to have changed or grown up one bit. I was sure she’d be more confident and less clueless, but no, she’s not.

I felt like this book was trying to be several things at once and none of them really worked properly. It was trying to be a happy Summer read, with dark undercurrents and hot polyamorous fun times. It was like the three things were thrown in a bag, shaken up and then thrown at the wall.

Having said all that hypercritical stuff, it wasn’t a bad read, I think I’m just disappointed because it so very nearly accomplished what it set out to do, it just missed and I feel let down because it could have been a really really good read instead of mediocre.

I also feel like a lot of what should have been accomplished with the book regarding Summer’s relationships just weren’t addressed. It feels like there should have been another book in the series and there isn’t.

This feels like a very muddled review, and I think that’s because the book and my feelings about it were muddled too.

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Review: Saltlands (Population Series Book 2) by Elizabeth Stephens

Saltlands by Elizabeth Stephens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Abel The Rescuer

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

This is the second book in a continuing series. This book follows the first one immediately and won’t make any sense without the first book.

Abel is stuck in a cave with Mikey and Kane has been kidnapped by a 1000 year old Other. It feels like they’ve gone from the frying pan into the fire. Mikey isn’t even that good of a companion. He’s been stuck in a cave for 3 years and all he cares about is booze and how everything his brother is and does is better than him.

Abel has to deal with gangs, cannibals, Others and a drunk brother-in-law. Assaulted, tortured and on the edge of death more times than she can count, life feels no less dangerous now than it always did, in fact, it sometimes feels a lot worse.

This book is full of edge of the seat moments, where you wonder how on earth they are going to get out of this next predicament. Abel is definitely put through the wringer and often it’s the blood she’s taken from Kane that keeps her from death.

Mikey is a very confused character. He is so envious of his brother it’s like cancer eating at his heart. His envy colours all his actions towards his brother’s wife. There’s a lot of arguing.

The plot is once again intriguing and sets a cracking pace as you get pulled along. This is a really good series and I’m enjoying it a lot. I believe the next book follows the same timeline but follows a different couple. I’m happy to shift over to someone else because I’m enjoying the story of this world and the people in it.

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Review: Population (Population Series Book 1) by Elizabeth Stephens

Population by Elizabeth Stephens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really Good Dystopian Romance

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

This is the first book in a continuing series. There is a hideous cliffhanger but the next book is already available.

I really love a good dystopian story and this one is really good. It starts with Abel, Beck and Beck’s daughter Ashlynn running, hiding and scavenging, right on the limit of survival as they hunt for food and shelter whilst avoiding the gangs. Every moment brings danger and the possibility of death. The end of life as we know it happened when aliens came to Earth. The Others brought the end of civilisation and the beginning of war and suffering.

Abel’s sole purpose is to keep Beck and Ashlynn safe, she is the strong and brutal member of their party, Beck is the brains and little Ashlynn is the heart. When Ashlynn is stolen by the victor in a fight between two groups of Others, Abel vows to get her back. The defeated Other, Kane, lies dying so she steals his sword and, in an unusual moment of sympathy, hides him somewhere he can die in peace, never realising that Others don’t die so easily as humans.

This is the start of a strange partnership with Abel and Kane, as she tries to find Ashlynn, even if Abel doesn’t trust Kane as far as she can throw him, she finds that she needs him to survive.

I really liked the world-building in this book. It starts off so confused like the world in which they live. It’s a very slow journey to understanding the state of the world and how it got there, for both us and Abel. The author conveys the sense of hopelessness and fear really well.

Abel is a really interesting character. She came into adulthood after The Others arrived and has learnt that from hope and emotional connections comes nothing but pain and suffering so she tries to stay hard and emotionless, but often fails. She’s lost everyone she’s ever loved and is severely traumatised by her existence. She’s used to living life on a hair-trigger where violence can erupt at any second and nowhere is safe. Despite all of that she has moments of ‘weakness’ where she is kind, even knowing it could be the end of her life.

Kane is an enigma. He is one of The Others and as such is unknowable to Abel. He is a literal alien species and nothing was really told to the outside world before government and media disappeared. Despite his circumstances when Abel meets him, he has a sense of humour and is gentle with her. He is also protective. It is only when we are in the latter stages of the book do we start to really see Kane as he is and not just through Abel’s traumatised eyes. We only see him clearly when she does.

The plot is cleverly built. It starts with the hunt for Ashlynn and slowly evolves in other directions. The romance sneaks up on us as much as it does Abel. The pacing is excellent and kept me reading faster and faster as I worked my way through the chapters.

I really want to read the second book in the series now. I’d better download it immediately so I can find out what happens to them all!

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Review: Broken Moon: An Urban Fantasy Wolf Shifter Series (Kait Silvers Series Book 1) by Laken Crane

Broken Moon: An Urban Fantasy Wolf Shifter Series by Laken Cane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Compelling Urban Fantasy

This is the first book in a continuing series. It does not end on a cliffhanger but hints towards future issues to be resolved.

Kaitlyn is a hobbled werewolf. When she was 14 her father attacked their pack alpha and when her father was killed she attacked the alpha in desperation. As punishment, she was hobbled and she and her mother were exiled into the nearby town.

In constant pain from being unable to manifest her wolf, it reaches intolerable levels at the full moon where she has to run to exhaust herself so she can eventually rest. As a werewolf she is stronger, has heightened senses, and she heals faster than a human, however all of those benefits are reduced because she cannot shift.

Not only is Kaitlyn a werewolf, she can see spirits, something she shouldn’t be able to do. She has trained herself to become a paranormal hunter and sort of an exorcist for humans. She is very good at what she does.

She’s so good she has gained the attention of a detective, Rick, who believes in spirits and demons and that Kait can see them. She’s also gained the attention of the other alpha in the area and he offers Kait a job. In exchange, as well as financial reward, he’ll set her wolf free.

This is such a good book and is completely compelling. I couldn’t put it down once I started to read it. (No sleep for Chrissy again!). The characters are so well thought out and described they practically step off the page. You believe they are utterly real because they have very real and nuanced behaviour and speech patterns.

In addition to the fantastic characters, the world-building is fascinating. it’s incredibly well developed and you know there will be much more information to come in future books.

The plot is intricate and captivating. You get pulled along by the story until the very last page. This is such a promising start to a new series by this author that I can barely wait with excitement at the prospect of the rest of the series.

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Review: Falling for the Single Mom (The Great Lovely Falls Series Book 1) by Alie Garnett

Falling for the Single Mom by Alie Garnett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A House of Many Women

This is the first in what appears to be an ongoing series based around an unusual family of 7 women. Seraphine, or Sera as she prefers to be called, got pregnant at 19 and married an older man who wasn’t the father of her daughter. In exchange he got a wife to help him with his 5 daughters, which his ex-wife had abandoned. Then a few weeks after the wedding he disappeared to South America and was never seen again! A few years after his disappearance Sera had another daughter from a one night stand.

Sera is only a few years older than the eldest daughter so she has more of a supervisory friend relationship with her stepdaughters. They all live together in the big old house that her now ex-husband bought for his family. It’s a house filled with chaos, arguments and love.

Harrison is a lawyer who works at the same firm as Sera. He thinks she’s a prude, but a gorgeous one. They’ve worked together for 10 years and have never got along. Then Harrison’s PA makes a harassment claim against him and Sera as head of HR has to look into the allegations.

This is an incredibly weird set-up for a romance novel but it strangely works. This author has a very vivid imagination and is clever about making all the strangeness hang together in a realistic and believable manner.

Harrison and Sera have a prickly but passionate start that grows deeply loving as time goes on and the author is good at helping you accept that change. Both characters have their flaws and the author doesn’t shy away from that. They also have redeeming qualities that help you forgive the flaws.

This is an interesting romance novel and I think I will try the next book because I really like the Lovely girls.

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Review: Skirting Fate by Salem Cross

Skirting Fate by Salem Cross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ordinary Girl Meets Extraordinary Men

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

This is a standalone book, though I kind of wish it was the start of a duet at least as I think there was plenty left unanswered in this book, even though we reached a HEA.

This is a paranormal reverse harem novel with a human at the centre of the harem. Gemma is a strong and independent woman who has mercurial attitudes towards careers and hobbies. She is constantly looking for the next thing to interest her and she’s happy with that way of life. She has recently moved to Boston to be close to her best friend Aaron and his partner Phillip and has opened her new graphic design business. She is currently running semi-professionally in obstacle course races. At one she meets Christopher, a shifter.

When they meet they are incredibly attracted to each other and despite her usual reluctance towards one night stands Gemma goes to Christopher’s room. When his wolf bites her and claims her as his mate, he is so shocked and scared he throws her out of his room and stays away for weeks.

Phillip works as a lawyer and one of the partners in his firm is Dorian, an incubus. When Gemma goes to visit Phillip to drag him away from work to go and eat, Dorian ends up going instead. She doesn’t know that Dorian is Christopher’s best friend until after she wakes up in hospital after stepping in front of a bullet meant for Dorian.

To round of the trio of men who share a house is Tate, who used to be human until the government experimented on him. He’s positive that Gemma is trouble, but has to give her a chance because of Christopher. Gemma has been pulled fully into their world and she doesn’t quite know which way is up yet.

This is the first time I’ve read a book by this author and I really enjoyed it. It was well constructed and the plot was interesting. The characters were strong and fairly well developed. I feel that this book had the scope to be at least a duet because I wanted more information about the characters and the world they lived in. There are so many threads this author could yank on to create follow up material should they wish to do so.

Because there was so much concentration on the plot and the relationship I felt like there was a lot unsaid regarding their characters. There was only a small amount of information about their backstories and there wasn’t a huge amount about the world in which they all lived, where the supernatural came out 100 years ago. I also really want to know about the time the three men were involved in the military.

This book had the potential to be excellent but it turned out more of a level of very good. I’ll be interested to see if the author follows up this novel with something even more exciting.

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Review: Hasty (Do-Over Series Book 4) by Julia Kent

Hasty by Julia Kent
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When Life Hands You Lemons Go Home and Make Cheese

This was a freebie and it wasn’t until I started reading that I realised that I’d already read Fluffy, which was about the MFC’s sister. So though this is part of a series, you don’t really need to have read the other books to enjoy this one, even though it’s about the same loose group of people.

On the day of her greatest triumph, Hastings is plunged into her deepest darkest low. Hauled away in handcuffs in front of her clients and her arch-nemesis Ian, a gorgeous billionaire, is the most humiliating experience of her life. After spending a month in jail, she is finally released with nothing but a few suitcases filled with a tiny fraction of her possessions and $700 that the FBI has allowed her keep.

With her whole worldview shaken to the core, Hastings returns home to her childhood bedroom and the knowledge that no one will touch with a barge pole in finance, with the exception of Ian. She may have to bite the bullet and accept the offer because hundreds of applications later it’s obvious no one wants to hire her.

This was well written, as most of Julia Kent’s books are. The characters were well thought out and there was humour as well as raw emotions. This book is less a romance and more a few life lessons learnt for the MFC.

However, I did find it all a bit hypocritical that Hastings was supposed to learn how to be a better person because she’d been ruthless and hard-charging in business, that her success has been a prime motivator and that made her a bad sister and friend. On the other hand, Ian who is also all of those things was ok as he was. That made me a little crazy, to be honest. Basically, Hastings needed to learn to be a softer and more emphatic person in order to gain happiness, so essentially she had to radically change her personality in order to recognise true happiness. These changes were required in order to understand Ian’s motivations and allow her to forgive him and move towards true romantic joy.

I want to know why Hastings had to change to get a relationship but Ian didn’t. It’s hypocrisy of the worst sort and I kind of hated it. It tainted my earlier enjoyment of the book because it took the changes way too far. It was sloppy plot construction and it disappointed me because up until then I was enjoying the book as much as I can a rom-com. I don’t read these books to want to slap the author, I do it for relaxation and this did not relax me because I was grinding my teeth too much.

I probably won’t be reading this author too much in the future, because I’m fairly sure this isn’t the first book of hers that I’ve been frustrated by.

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Review: A Different Sort of Love Affair by Shayne McClendon

A Different Sort of Love Affair by Shayne McClendon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Two Broken People Meet

Portia is a 34-year-old author who has mental health issues. She suffers from social anxiety and PTSD. She’s never had a romantic relationship. Strange men terrify her. She has a very small and tight circle of friends who adore her and she adores them back. At a party in her honour, she escapes all the people and hides in the library where she meets a beautiful man in a wheelchair.

Edgar is 40 years old and is the cousin of one of Portia’s circle. She’s never even heard of him despite knowing nearly all of the family of her circle. They spend the next hour talking about books, their mutual passion. Excited beyond words at meeting someone whose intellect fascinates her, Portia finds herself being attracted to a man.

Edgar is a neuroscientist and was a bit of a prodigy in his day, but he ran away from it all, got married and had a child. Sadly, his daughter was killed in the accident that put him in a wheelchair. He has heard lots of stories about Portia from his family, especially his beloved nephew Jacob, who is also Portia’s godson.

Their relationship starts tentatively and hopefully as both try to navigate around their own personal demons without triggering the other person’s. It’s beautiful to see.

This book is wonderfully matter of fact in the way it deals with mental illness, PTSD and physical disabilities. It states the condition and its effects without pity or any overemotional response. We watch two damaged people learn to love each other and like themselves just a little bit more. I love the support they are given by their friends and their happiness as they watch Portia and Edgar grow.

I really love the way that Portia and Edgar start to explore their sexuality despite their individual hang-ups. They are both intelligent people who like research!

I will say that Shayne McClendon’s writing can sometimes be a little cerebral, and that is certainly the case with this book. A lot of the emotions feel a bit muted because of the way the author describes them. In some respects, that’s a good thing because a lot of the subject matter is difficult and disturbing. Facing these subjects through the veil of intellect makes it easier to read about without being too disturbed.

I haven’t checked yet, but I really hope that this isn’t a complete one-off and that there are other books written about these wonderful people because I really like all the characters that we meet in this book and want to know about their lives too. If not, I’ll just have to imagine their stories instead.

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Review: Knocked Up (My Over The Top Posessive Alpha Harem Series Book 2) by Sharan Daire

Knocked Up by Sharan Daire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet and Hot RH

This is the second book in the series and follows on seamlessly from the first book. If you don’t read the first book, Broke Down, before this book it won’t make any sense.

When the guys, Shelby and kids return to the Lodge, they return to a more settled and happier family situation. They move into the new home that Chris built for them before he even knew Shelby existed. Shelby settles into doing modelling work for Chris and we begin to understand during this book where her insecurities about her appearance stem from. We also find out a bit more about her life before meeting the guys.

One of the things I like about this book is that Shelby finds a way to help Chris feel more like part of the group, rather than just an outsider looking in. It’s not just her doing the work, but all the rest of the guys too. They’ve been trying for years but Chris seems to hear what Shelby is saying more clearly than them.

Fairly early on in this book Shelby works out that she could be pregnant, hence the title of this book. As this is very much a sweet RH, everyone is pretty happy about the situation.

There are also plenty of hot and steamy scenes between Shelby and her guys, in various combinations. I really like that it’s not all of them having sex together all of the time, but that they take all things in turns, like who puts the kids to bed or plays with them, or who sleeps next to Shelby, or who gets to have sex. It’s all arranged organically but they all take care of each other so they all have equal times.

This follow up book, feels like a fairy tale ending, even if there are a few bumps in the road to get there. It’s a sweet and hot book and if you are feeling down these two books will undoubtedly distract you and cheer you up.

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Review: Ruin (Hawks MC: Next Generation Series Book 2) by Lila Rose

Ruin by Lila Rose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hot M/M MC Novel

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

This is the second in the series, and though it *can* be read alone, it would definitely benefit from being read with the first in this series, in particular. If you read the original series, you will gain even more from this book.

This book is about Ruin. In the previous book, we know Ruin goes off to Melbourne to help Mimi, one of the club girls. He slept with her and when she wanted more he brushed her off. Now he wants to make up for the way in which he let her down and look after her when she returns to her family to say goodbye to her dying father.

Mimi’s brother Wolf is now in charge of the family business, which happens to be guns and drugs, and he wants to make changes to the very old fashioned traditional Japanese style family, especially as he is gay. Wolf is very attracted to Ruin who is straight and flirts with him every chance he gets. Ruin starts to sort of enjoy the flirting and finds himself having to change his mind about his sexuality.

I really enjoyed this heck out of the book. It’s filled with flirting and sensuality. It’s a slow journey for Ruin and Wolf. I like that he’s there a while before deciding to take a leap. I also like that the author refers to an earlier book she wrote, along similar lines, when he gets advice from Knife, who fell for his MC brother Beast.

The plot of this book is interesting but there is much more focus on the romance aspect of things. There are lots of pretty explicit and hot scenes between these two men, so if it’s not your cup of tea, you may want to skip this one. However, if you’ve read other books by this author you are probably ok with the quantity of M/M loving.

I really liked both Ruin and Wolf. They are great characters. Ruin is an all or nothing kind of guy. He’s loyal and loving but knows he can be a bit of an ass sometimes when he doesn’t think things through properly. Wolf is strong, ruthless and intelligent. He thinks strategically and is used to keeping in control the whole time. Their chemistry sizzles on the page.

This is an excellent book, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I can’t wait to see what Lila Rose has up her sleeve next for this generation of Hawks!

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Review: Honey to Burn (Sweet and Dirty Series Book 10) by Cathryn Cade

Honey to Burn by Cathryn Cade
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Second Chance MC Romance

This is the 10th book of this series. You don’t have to have read the previous books to enjoy this book, but it will improve your understanding of the characters and situations. Also, they are all good books.

This book starts in 2002 and half of the book is set around that time. The second half of the book is set in 2019. At the start of the book, we meet RaeAnn, who is 22, shy and sweet. She lives in an apartment on her mother’s property and works in her mother’s business and she isn’t particularly happy with either choice. One night angry at her mother she goes out drinking with friends and meets the handsome and very charming Mac.

Mac is an EMT and hopes to be a paramedic someday. He’s a prospect with the Devil’s Flyers MC, where he feels like he has found the family of his heart. He loves to ride free and party.

When they start to casually see each other, despite a few misunderstandings they really like each other. However, when RaeAnn gets pregnant her priorities change and Mac’s don’t seem to match. They end up co-parenting their son but have little interaction until their son needs the help of his father.

This book wasn’t what I was expecting. It was much more set in the past than I thought, but that wasn’t a bad thing. It gave an insight into RaeAnn and Mac’s history and explained how they got to where they did. It was definitely an important part of their story.

When it got to 2019, when this book was written, things became a little more familiar. All the characters you get to meet in the earlier books are present and accounted for and help Mac, now known as Cooler, and RaeAnn with their son’s situation. The situation is handled with typical Flyers aplomb and of course, we get the usual HEA we expect from this sweet and hot series.

This book, like all of those in this series, is filled with sweetness, once we get past when these two good people hurting each other through misunderstandings and youth. It’s also pretty passionate in places too. The plot isn’t particularly complex, this isn’t heavy reading after all, but it’s interesting and provides a vehicle for the love story to be carried in. I still enjoyed it because it is perfect escapist romantic fiction.

I can’t believe I missed reading this book when it came out, because I used to read them on the day of release. I think I lost track of the series and forgot about them and the newsletter got buried by the spam filter for some reason. Never mind, I fixed the spam filter so it shouldn't happen again!

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Review: Exquisite Poison (The Ice Court Series Book 3) by K Margaret and Dagmar Avery

Exquisite Poison by K. Margaret and Dagmar Avery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Ice Princess Gets Her God

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

This is the third book in continuing series which is part of a larger group of series. You need to start at square one, with Slumber, to truly understand all the nuances of this series. The full reading order, up to the start of The Ice Court series is on this blog post.

Eira, Faust and Vice are on the verge of finding Eira’s god, who will help gain powers for her Court and help them reconnect with Faerie properly. Finding him goes easier than expected, however waiting back home is a different kind of problem.

Eira’s ex-fiancé, Tanner, is up to something and won’t leave Eira alone. It also seems like Eira’s father is planning on making some changes to the way things are done. On top of all that, she’s up to her eyeballs in legal briefs and having meetings for councils every time she tries to sit down. She’s also still trying to make more time to spend on her men as they provide her with love and self-belief.

It feels like a lot of little things happen in this book, but nothing huge, even if one of those little things is gaining a god. Everything is handled in a matter-of-fact way, even when things go wrong. The prevailing emotion of this book is happiness. It removes a sense of drama from the book, even when bad things happen because everyone is always so happy, it can’t help but be fixed easily.

I still enjoyed the book, but it wasn’t as gripping as it normally is. I imagine this is a book where things change direction and important things come on the back of it. This is the problem with big series, you end up with books that have to achieve a lot in a short amount of time and sometimes the emotion and the drama gets lost in the plotting. I’ll still read the next one though. I can’t walk away from all these characters, it’s like a soap opera!

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Review: Coyote (Hawks MC: Next Generation Series Book 1) by Lila Rose

Coyote by Lila Rose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Aussie MC Fun

This is the first book of series that is a spin-off from the Hawks MC series. This series targets the younger generation that were children in the first series. This means there is a backstory that isn’t discussed in this book, but I think you could probably get away with starting with this book and not missing out too much. It would definitely make it a richer experience to read the first series though.

Cody ‘Coyote’ Marcus is the son of Talon, the president of Hawks MC. When we last saw him he was a young teenager. Now he is 28 years old and a successful business owner. He’s also a fully patched member of Hawks MC.

Channa is a 22-year-old business owner. She runs the bakery she and her mother opened a few years earlier and she has continued with it after the sudden death of her mother. She knew Coyote when she was in high school, and he rescued her from one of the most humiliating incidents of her life.

They come into contact again when Channa helps a friend of the Hawks MC, who is being attacked outside her house. In order to protect her from retaliation, Hawks members are to guard her round the clock. Coyote is one of those members.

This is actually quite a slow burn romance and I really enjoyed it. Coyote has always wanted the kind of relationship his Dad and Step-Mum have, and he knew his Dad had to be very patient in order to get that. He’s willing to put the work in for someone special. It’s so refreshing for an MC romance to not be insta-love, but actually have the couple spending time getting to know each other before jumping into bed.

I love the way Lila Rose writes her characters. They are always fascinating and multi-layered. You believe they could exist and they become very real to the reader. This is true not only of the main characters but also of the characters that surround them. In this case, I particularly loved Stanley the 60-year-old ex-army guy who decorates Channa’s cakes for her business. He’s just fabulously grumpy and also sweet and protective of Channa.

Old favourite characters from the original series make appearances, which is always fun, but they also stand out from the page just from how they are written in this book, so you don't need experience of the original series to enjoy them.

The plot is fairly predictable, but not completely, so it’s still entertaining. However, with this series, it’s all about the people and their relationships and the fabulously funny banter. I laughed out loud many times in this book. My partner kept looking at me strangely as I don’t often do that.

It’s a warm and inviting read, with plenty of spice later on. If you haven’t read any Lila Rose this is a good place to start if you don’t want to go all the way back to the beginning, though I can confirm that the beginning book was pretty good too and a really enjoyable read.

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Review: Executioner's Enthrallment (Tenillo Guardians Ares Infidels MC Series Book 2) by Ciara St James

Executioner's Enthrallment by Ciara St. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

More of a Bulldozer Than An Executioner

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

This book is the second in a continuing series. That series is also set in the same world as Cee Bowerman’s Tenillo Guardian TSMC series, the first book of which is Boss: Time Served MC book 1, and the two series alternate with some timeline overlaps. You can read either series on their own, but it makes more sense if you read both series.

Executioner is the club enforcer for Ares Infidels MC, an MC set up for ex-servicemen. He is ex-Marine Force Recon, 6’6” and pretty scary. He also loves his friends and his family and would do anything to protect them.

A month ago, Ex hooked up with a girl when he was out of town visiting his old teammate who was in the hospital. He was smitten but never knew her name and she left before morning. When he bumps into her during the course of his club duties he pounces and finds out her name is Skye and she’s 10 years his junior, at 23 years old. She works in her mother’s flower shop and also does books on the side. She has two younger brothers who she helps look after.

I have mixed feelings about this book. At first glance, it’s sweet the way Ex bulldozers over all of Skye’s hesitations to make sure she knows he’s all in for her. He’s constantly texting her and turning up on one pretext or another. On one hand, this seems sweet because we know Skye actually likes him, on the other hand, this is the behaviour of a stalker. He ignores her statements that she doesn’t want anything to do with him and manipulates the situation so he’s with her all the time and can wear her down. His behaviour is manipulative, but it’s all ok because we know Skye likes him really she just doesn’t trust men not to hurt her. It’s typical ‘I’m a man and I know best’ behaviour and I don’t like it, even in fiction.

I also don’t like how incredibly insecure Skye is and how she loses her mind with Ex on a regular basis without getting any facts. She jumps to conclusions and doesn’t let him explain. It’s typical insecure 23-year-old behaviour and I don’t like this either, even in fiction.

If I put those two things aside I can say that it’s actually an ok book. The plot is interesting and there are lots of hints about where the long term story arc is going, but little is resolved, just enough to resolve the story contained within in this book.

I will warn that there are some grisly scenes in this book, with explicit violence described which could upset some readers. There is also a lot of hot and explicit sex, which may either offend or excite them!

Like I said above, I had mixed feelings about the book, but it is well written and is an important part of the overall storyline, so I’ll carry on reading this series and just put a pin in my reservations.

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Review: The Nanny and the Alien Warrior (Treasured By The Alien Series Book 5) by Honey Phillips and Bex McLynn

The Nanny and the Alien Warrior by Honey Phillips and Bex McLynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet and Hot Alien Romance

This is the fifth book in a series set in the same universe with some cross over of characters. Much of the world-building is done in earlier books, but you can follow the story without that knowledge.

Joanna is a professor at a small and friendly college, resigned to a life without a family after her long term relationship ended. Single and childless she loves teaching, and her students, but is often lonely. When she is abducted by aliens, whilst trying to save one of her students, her life is turned on its head. She is sold as a slave to a wealthy alien Lord who wants a nanny for his young daughter.

In this part of the galaxy, women are scarce as there was a severe plague that killed massive portions of the population, most of which were women. Joanna’s owner was sick of his nanny’s getting married so decided to buy a slave instead. However, he didn’t mistreat her and seemed to see her as a valued employee who couldn’t leave or get paid.

When there is a coup and Tavi’s father is killed, she runs with her charge, helped by loyal followers. Finally, she is rescued by Craxan a Cire mercenary and gets off-planet on a cargo ship by offering to work their way to somewhere safe.

As with all the other books in this series I really loved the characters. I really liked that Joanna wasn’t in the first flush of youth. She is not slim and pretty, but round and ordinary looking. The way she looks after Tavi is so sweet and I really like that when she first arrived to look after Tavi she noticed her getting a bit spoiled and worked hard to put a stop to it. Tavi is sweet-natured and quite good at getting her own way, so everyone finds it hard to resist her.

Joanna is intelligent and interesting to read about. She is strong and compassionate and having Tavi has helped her stay that way. Craxan has had a hard life and lost everyone he has ever loved. He’s a strong warrior and longs to have someone worthwhile to protect.

Though this is a fated mates type story, it takes a little while in close quarters in unusual circumstances to get the romance going. I liked that it took some navigating.

The supporting characters were all really well rounded and thought out carefully. They were engaging and entertaining.

Most of the world-building was done in the previous books, but I still felt this book managed to convey the essence of the part of the galaxy that Joanna ended up in.

The plot was intriguing and entertaining with a few twists along the way. Though at its heart this is a romance, there is still enough plot to keep everyone engaged, even the most hard-hearted cynic.

This is a very sweet romance, with some very tender moments, but it’s not sickly sweet. It’s also got plenty of passion and heat to counter-balance the sweet.

If you are in the market for hot and sweet alien romances, this is a good place to look.

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Review: Planet Cat (Shifter World Series Book 2) by Rebecca Royce

Planet Cat by Rebecca Royce
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cats in Space

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

This is the first book in the Shifter World Series. Each book concerns one Shifter World and is resolved within the confines of the book. 

Tiffany works for The Union. After unending wars on Earth, The Union is the only real authority left around. Being part of The Union isn’t the safest or happiest place to be, especially if you are poor, which Tiffany was. After growing up cold, hungry and afraid she decided to become part of The Union in order to get rich and buy her safety.

As an excellent problem solver Tiffany is sent out to the Cat Shifter World, where there are reports of missiles firing on Union cargo ships. The shifters are isolationist, but they are willing to talk to The Union to prevent further problems, as they deny that they launched any missiles. Tiffany’s task is to find out who launched the missiles and why and then stop them.

When Tiffany is fired on from the surface she is forced to land a day early. Alone on the surface, she is met by three very large male shifters, William, Casper and Oscar, who start out antagonistic and end up flipping a switch and being friendly and inviting her into their home.

I liked this book. Tiffany was an interesting character who ended up working for the organisation that she despised as a child in order to secure safety for herself. She was ruthlessly efficient to the point of burying all her own needs in order to succeed as quickly as possible. She suppressed all her feelings in order to function.

I know I’m always banging on about needing lots of character development in order to connect with characters, and this book has lots of this, but I discovered I really need some plot too. There is very little plot in this book for its length. Most of the book is taken up with Tiffany and the guys getting to know and trust each other. Another big chunk of the book is taken up with world-building, which I always appreciate and enjoy. This left little room for storytelling. What little plot that was there was really good, there just wasn’t enough of it for my tastes. I’ve grown very fussy of late!

If you want a book with lots of emotion, some lustiness and great world-building you will definitely enjoy this book. If you prefer a more action-packed sci-fi/paranormal book this probably isn’t going to be my first recommendation. Still, I enjoyed it to a certain extent and would probably enjoy it more if I was in a different mood.

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Review: Devilish Deal (Demon's After Dark: Covenant Series Book 1) by Jenna Wolfhart

Devilish Deal by Jenna Wolfhart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Demons in New York

This is the first book of a continuing series. Whilst the internal story arc finishes nicely in this book there is a tiny cliffhanger for the next book, which is already out.

Mia has been living out of her car for a long time. When she ran out of cash her best friend Serena invited her to come and stay with her in New York. They share a tiny studio apartment and it’s not easy, but they love each other, so they make do.

Mia cannot find work. She keeps trying but her past gets in the way. Finally she decides to apply for a job as a dancer in Infernal, a night club in Hell’s Kitchen. There she meets the owner who offers her the job, provided she pretends to be his girlfriend for a month and moves in with him.

Mia is desperate to get out of Serena’s hair and feels she’s holding her friend back so agrees to the deal, not realising she’s been duped into making a deal with a demon and breaking their contract could mean her soul going straight to hell.

I enjoyed this book and especially liked the way mythology about heaven and hell was messed around with and twisted up on itself. You never know who the good guys and the bad guys are, which keeps you on your toes.

Mia is a really interesting character, with a rich, full backstory to give her substance. That the backstory is fascinating is just a bonus. In fact, all the characters have convincing personalities, even if they don’t get much page time. Serena is intriguing and I’d love to know more about her, which I hope will come out further on in the series.

There is also some good solid world-building going on. There are some gaps in the societal structure and culture, but again as this is a series, I hope those gaps will get filled in in the future.

The relationship between Mia and Az is complex and intriguing. There are a lot of conflicts there, but also passion and understanding. It is just the start of things between them, but I have hopes things will work out ok, eventually!

The plot was interesting and structured really well. I never knew what was going to happen next, and I love it when that occurs. It means the author always knows more than I do and is willing to guide me by the hand through their adventures.

This was an entertaining and satisfying read and I can’t wait to read what happens next.

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