Review: Aerial (Flying High Duet Book 1) by Manuela Rouget

Aerial by Manuela Rouget
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

NA Polyamory

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

This is the first book in a duet, however, there is no cliffhanger.

Fauve is french and partway through a business degree when she finally persuades her demanding parents that she can attend a prestigious circus arts school in Montreal. The course she is taking only lasts a year and the best student gets a guaranteed place at a very successful circus company (like Cirque d’Soleil).

Leaving her boyfriend Loup behind is a hard decision as they’ve been together 6 years and he’s also her best friend and acrobatic partner. They’ve decided to have an open relationship whilst they are apart, which on the face of it seems a bad idea, but they believe they can make it work.

The flat she moves into has two gorgeous men, one is a full degree course student at the circus arts school that Fauve is to attend and the other is an engineering student. Both men are gorgeous and they become flirty friends instantly and Fauve knows they could be something more.

I loved the premise of this book. It’s clever and something that young people face all the time, whether to make a go of a long-distance relationship or end it, or whether to try an open relationship which is always a risk. Fauve and Loup have been together forever and therefore have only small amounts of sexual experiences separate from their relationship but they also trust each other with their lives on a daily basis working together in acrobatics. Knowing they talk about everything and are capable of total honesty makes taking the opportunity to learn more about what they enjoy sexually when they are apart something they feel confident in trying.

I like how slow-moving the change in relationships are in this book. Fauve is in a very intensely physically and mentally challenging programme and as such is often exhausted with little free time. This slows everything down and gives a more realistic timeline than most romance novels, despite them all living together.

All three men are very different from each other, with different priorities and needs and Fauve enjoys being with them all for different reasons. I like how we get to know the characters slowly, rather than having cookie-cutter personas, which is often a risk in a reverse harem book.

Whilst there is plenty of hot sex in this book, it's not the main focus. For Fauve the school is the priority. Learning new skills and getting the opportunity of a lifetime is her prime focus and often the relationships take a back seat to it.

I loved hearing about the circus skills and Fauve, Tibault and Loup’s passion for them. There was a lot of detail and I found it fascinating.

There is also interpersonal drama of the friends variety, because of the pressure of school system where half the students get cut every quarter of the year. This makes things insanely competitive and puts additional pressure on any friendships.

I think this may have been a first published book for this author and I’m really impressed. It’s well-paced, articulate and imaginative. The characters are interesting and the world in which they live is fascinating. I’m looking forward to seeing the next book in the duet, when it comes out, even though there is no cliffhanger. I just want to read more about these characters and their lives together.

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Review: Damaged and the Outlaw (Damaged Series Book 4) by Bijou Hunter

Damaged and the Outlaw by Bijou Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Two Outsiders

This is the fourth in a series of connected books. Technically you could probably understand the book without reading the previous ones, but you would miss out on a lot if you did so. There is no cliffhanger.

Raven is Lark’s older sister. She ran away when she couldn’t stop fighting with Larry their stepfather. When she got a message from Lark about being pregnant she came home, using it as a reason to leave her failed attempt at life away from her home town. She is brash, aggressive, a roller derby queen, adores her sister, is honest and loves her friends dearly without reservation. She decided when she returned home that she was going to avoid men because everyone she chose was a waste of space and she has terrible taste in them.

Vaughn, or Outlaw as he’s called in the club, used to belong to a different club where he worked as a cleaner. He was co-opted into the club because of his step-father. He never really decided to join, just did what he was told and ended up doing work that he resented. When he finally snapped, he went off the end big time and left with a young abused girl and found safety in his new home. Though he was part of the new club, he never felt like he truly belonged. He was always on the outside looking in because he had a contract out on him and he never expected to live.

When Vaughn and Raven meet they end up deciding to be friends with benefits as they understand that they don’t want to get involved, only that doesn’t seem to take. Their relationship evolves from a one night stand, to friends, to more. I actually really love how the relationship builds and layers up as they spend time together. Both these outsiders find a lot in common with each other, not to mention they make each other laugh. I loved their banter and playfulness.

The author creates tension because of the contract on Vaughn by placing pressure on the relationship and on them as individuals within the larger community. Vaughn isn’t the only one in danger due to his decisions.

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny, sexy and emotionally satisfying. This really is a great series and I’m so pleased I discovered it. I’ve not got tired of it yet. By now, I thought I’d be ready to take a break and read something else, but I’m not because the books have enough differences to be interesting, whilst keeping up with the same spirit of the series as a whole. It’s a successful blend.

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Review: Refuge Found (Sanctuary Series Book 2) by SM Olivier

Refuge Found by S.M. Olivier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dystopian RH

This is the second book in the series and you need to read the first book to understand this novel. Though there isn’t technically a cliffhanger, there is a pretty massive hook to make you want to read the next book when it comes out.

Avery and her men are now at Sanctuary. Avery was named by her still-missing father as his representative, as one of the owners of the property, so she has a responsible position for someone who is only 22. She also has incredibly useful skills for surviving the apocalypse being a week from qualifying as a nurse and also being an expert martial artist whose father taught her to shoot before puberty. She’s also level-headed and able to work her way through emotional problems, probably due to her work with a therapist when she was younger. Just when you think she’s too perfect to be believable she still freezes up sometimes in unfamiliar or scary situations but she’s usually able to get herself together before its too late. She also runs in her sleep when she’s stressed, which is pretty dangerous during the apocalypse.

Avery has committed to her relationship with the men from Corbin and Wyatt’s unit and is working towards connecting with them all equally, despite the hiccups of spending time together when they are in responsible positions. One of the most important tasks they fulfil is being on the ‘recovery teams’. Essentially they go out and find as many useful items as possible, set up trade agreements, rescue those who need rescuing and try to avoid getting infected. A lot of this book covers this kind of activity which gives plenty of action to the book.

Along with the action component there are parts of the book that cover the emotional aspects of the characters. This covers not only the romance and passionate parts of their relationship but also the way they interact with their family and friends and the community as a whole, which is constantly evolving as new people arrive and circumstances keep changing.

There are also some really lovely moments with the baby Avery and her men have adopted. The dog gets some page time too, and he’s pretty awesome for a young pup who they’ve trained up to a full service dog who protects and guards.

There is a lot of drama with Avery’s twin sister and the people she contaminates with her lies, but that keeps the plot moving forward in how everyone reacts to her behaviour.

This is a complex and intriguing book. It’s hard to see where the story is going to go next, but I loved every page as I have become so invested in these fascinating characters. This author is incredibly gifted at creating believable and engaging characters. It’s one of the things I love most about her writing. You can’t help but get swept along with their drama when you connect with them so thoroughly.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series because there are so many hints of things to come that seem really interesting. I can’t wait to find out more about all the characters and see what happens next in Sanctuary.

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Review: Damaged and the Cobra (Damaged Series Book 3) by Bijou Hunter

Damaged and the Cobra by Bijou Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nice Guys Finish First

This is the third in a series of connected books. The book can be read as it stands but it will be a richer experience if the previous books are read first to provide context. There is no cliffhanger but the series continues after this book.

Lark is a young woman who smiles even as her world crumbles. Smiling in the face of adversity is her coping mechanism. She attends the same college as Farah but Tawny gets to know her when they work together as waitresses and introduces her to the group. Lark doesn’t have an easy life. Her mother has provided her with several step-fathers that were just as bad as her birth father who died in prison. The latest in a long line of charmers is Larry who at least has money and doesn’t do drugs or gamble. However, he is completely controlling.

Aaron is an unusual man. He’s Cooper’s best friend and a tattoo artist. He’s got a strange preppy style combined with crazy tattoos and being capable of taking a punch. His parents are members of the Country Club and adore their son and think his artistic bent is fantastic, but Cooper has been his friend since he was young and his influence, as the heir to the local MC, is obvious.

Aaron and Lark meet at Cooper and Farah’s wedding rehearsal as they are both in the wedding party. There’s definitely insta-lust when they meet but they never get a chance to talk on their own. When they meet again it’s a case of insta-love. It’s sweet, and both these very nice people who are also pretty feisty when necessary click in a big way. They just have to deal with Larry and his son.

This book is a lot lower in angst levels than the previous two books because both of these characters are pretty nice people who recognise they have met their perfect match early on. Lark is damaged but nowhere near as badly as the Smith sisters.

Reading this book after the first two was quite soothing as it was straightforward and not too harrowing. There was lots of romance and passion and the odd bout of violence to keep the blood pumping during the story. I genuinely liked both these characters a lot and would love for them to be real. I like to picture them hanging out at the roller derby or Aaron’s tattoo studio, and know they are happy in their life choices.

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Review: Lightning Strikes (Sciath Court Book) by K Margaret and Dagmar Avery

Lightning Strikes by K. Margaret and Dagmar Avery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a novella that spins off from the main thread of the interlinked series that starts with Slumber. You don’t need to have read all the other books to enjoy this book but it will greatly enhance your understanding of the characters and history of the world in which they live.

Leif Granier is the sibling of a Princess of the Light Courts of Fae. He’s a warrior born and bred and an unmatched MMA fighter. His family is fiercely competitive in everything.

Della Storm is a Storm Hag, a part of the Slaugh. She’s fierce and brazen. She’s demanding and blunt to the point of insult. She’s best friends with a Princess of the Night Courts of Fae.

Della is fighting at the Front when Leif visits with his friend and is struck by the beauty of the fae throwing lighting. Their meeting is equally as explosive.

This is a short and fun story that involves support characters you will meet if you read the whole series and it’s always nice when support characters get their own little storyline. It’s dirty and sweet and over in a blink. This book is the perfect way to decide if you like these authors before starting on a big commitment of a series.

It’s a very enjoyable taste of Faerie.

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Review: Damaged and the Knight (Damaged Series Book 2) by Bijou Hunter

Damaged and the Knight by Bijou Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Emerging From Darkness

This is the second in a series of interconnected books. There is no cliffhanger and you really need to read the first book to appreciate this one because there is a lot of crossover of information.

Tawny is one month away from her 18th birthday and her father has abandoned her in a very sleazy motel with no food. She’s too terrified to leave because of the very bad men waiting outside the room. She doesn’t even know where she is because he father won’t tell her. The only hope she has is her sister, Farah, who is safe in Ellsberg with her new boyfriend, Cooper, and his criminal family. When help finally comes she is almost too weak to aid in her own rescue but her knight in shining armour manages just fine without too much help.

Judd works for Cooper in an enforcer type role for the MC. He’s ten years older than Tawny and a pretty bad man. He’s violent and emotionally locked down. During the drive home with Tawny, he starts to melt around the beautiful young woman with an honest heart and wise soul. When he leaves her with her sister he knows that he can’t have Tawny because he’s too tainted by both his past and his present, so he tries to break his Angel’s heart by being cruel.

This book has some disturbing descriptions of sexual assault that happened to children. It also has casual violence and emotional abuse described. If these subject matters trigger a negative emotional reaction it may be best to avoid this book. Though the descriptions are not graphic in nature they will still probably cause a response to someone who has difficulties in this area. If you’ve read the first book, this one goes into more detail about what happened with Farah and Tawny when they were 13 and 12 respectively as Tawny didn’t block it out as much as her sister.

I really like Tawny, she faces things head-on, even when they are traumatic and difficult to handle. She’s brutally honest with herself. When she’s dealing with others she’s more gentle. She’s perceptive and capable of observing even the most minute of signals of human behaviour, but she only uses her powers for good rather than the cons her parents used their abilities for. However, she is incredibly insecure and damaged by the abuse of her parents and the traumatic incident that occurred 5 years ago. I really admire how she sees what she wants and goes for it with complete honesty.

Judd is damaged by his youth and doesn’t believe he is worthy of anything good and it’s only when he tries to stay away from Tawny and fails that he begins to accept that even if he doesn’t believe he’s worthy, she does and he gives her something no one else can. He can protect her and make her happy and this gives him purpose, despite knowing he’s likely to hurt her because he doesn’t know what he’s doing relationship-wise.

A lot of this book is quite emotional and difficult to read, but it’s handled well. This is not a light and fluffy romance. There is darkness and pain mixed with passion and love. The HEA feels more real because of the work Tawny and Judd do together to get there.

The book helps explain a lot of what happened to Farah that the first book edged around. It helps show the healing that both sisters experience in their new home and rounds off the two books nicely. However, it also makes me want to know what happens to some of the side characters who we get to know even better at the end of this book. Luckily the author has written more in this series so I don’t have to stop just yet.

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Review: Luke (Texas Kings MC Series Book 15) by Cee Bowerman

Luke by Cee Bowerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Family Drama

This is the 15th book in a series of interconnected novels. There are also spin-off series that tie into this book, in particular Conner Brother’s Construction. The story stands alone but the history and personalities of the characters are explained in those previous books and that history is referred to.

Luke Evans is ex-military. He served for 14 years and got out a few years ago with a medical discharge and PTSD. He and his brother opened a gym in Rojo, where they grew up. They have another brother and a sister, and their Dad is still a big part of their lives. Luke is a member of the Texas Kings MC and they have helped him a lot since he got home.

Liberty Merida is the youngest Merida sister, at 21. Violet married Angus Conner and London, the country music star, is dating Angus’ younger brother, Tavin. She lives on the Conner Brother compound for safety and for family comfort. She writes and sells computer games and has got pretty rich off the back of it. Liberty recently had a health scare and her doctor told her to stop eating junk food, get to a gym and try and see daylight occasionally. So she made an appointment at Luke’s gym to see a dietician and start an exercise program.

When the two meet during one of Liberty’s epic klutzy moves they don’t realise that it's the start of something, especially as Luke believes though Liberty is all kinds of gorgeous she is far too young to be dealing with him and his messed up head. Liberty doesn’t agree.

It feels like a lot happens in this book. The most straightforward part is that Luke and Liberty are great together. They laugh and play and support each other in every way. They are passionate and loving and the age doesn’t make a difference. There are various difficulties that they have to deal with, some relating to them and other problems caused by other people and the plot is incredibly well written and keeps you crying with both laughter and sorrow.

This book had a lot of tension in it and characters we all know and love didn’t always behave the way we would like them to. Drama ensues and it isn’t resolved by the end of the book. The author notes before the book begins that redemption is always possible which means I hope they sort things out in the next book.

I love this author and her characters are fantastic, especially having written so many stories revolving around one town. There is lots of history and crossovers that make the world that she has created richer and deeper than can be seen in this one book. This is a great book but if you hadn’t read the others you wouldn’t experience the depth of emotions that I did because you won’t have any connection to a lot of the characters. I have given this book 4 ⭐ but if you take the series as a whole with its complex interconnected network of people and groups in Rojo it would probably be a 5 ⭐ series because the world-building is second to none.

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Review: Damaged and the Beast (Damaged Series Book 1) by Bijou Hunter

Damaged and the Beast by Bijou Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Angsty New Adult Romance

This is the first in an ongoing series. I recently started in the middle of the connected stories with a spin-off series, White Horse and enjoyed it so much I wanted to start at the beginning of it all. There isn’t a cliffhanger, just a hook for the next book.

Caution: This book refers to sexual assault. It is not detailed, more inferred, however the emotional results of the damage this trauma did are discussed in detail as it is relevant to the story.

Farah is 18 years old and just starting college. Her grandmother has agreed to pay for it provided she goes to the college local to where her mother is living and shares an apartment with her. She hasn’t seen her mother in 5 years when something so awful happened her father took Farah and her sister Tawny away from their mother and took them on the road with him. This life wasn’t really any better as their father was a con artist, gambler and a drunk. Farah always dreamed of having a normal and stable life and she wanted to become a teacher in order to have that. She’s at college to try and make that happen.

Cooper is a student at the same college and they share one class as he is a senior. He’s local to the area and his dad runs the local MC. He has two sisters, and a brother and the two eldest are also at college with him. Cooper is the really smart one in the family and he’s studying pre-law in order to help the family out. He’s also expected to take over from his dad one day as the MC president. He’s charming, good looking, rich and powerful. People don’t mess with him or his loved ones, women throw themselves at him and men are scared of him unless they want to be him.

When Cooper sees Farah he wants her, not realising that she’s damaged beyond all recognition by her really awful parents and the severe trauma that happened 5 years ago. Farah doesn’t expect anything from Cooper, in fact, he scares her quite a lot as in her experience bikers and dangerous men cause you harm rather than protect you.

This book covers the very turbulent first few months of Farah and Cooper’s relationship. They go through so many ups and downs you can’t help but wonder why on earth they are together. However, they do care for each other and they work through their problems, which are very real and not because of stupid misunderstandings or miscommunications, they are about fitting two very different people together into a relationship when one of those people has suffered years of abuse.

Some of the book makes for some uncomfortable reading, but I couldn’t put it down because it was pretty well done. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series now so I can catch up to the White Horse part and then go past it!

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Review: Wave Rider (Verdant String Series Book 5) by Michelle Diener

Wave Rider by Michelle Diener
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Teamwork

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

This is the fifth book in a series of connected stories told in the same universe in a single timeline. The books all share an overarching plot and each book progresses that plot, but they are about different people though references are made to characters and events in other books. There is no cliffhanger in this book.

Anja is a marine biologist whose research station is 3 days travel on land to the nearest town. She lives alone with only the leviathans she studies for company. When the pod she is studying disappears for several days she worries about the reason and at the same time her daily scheduled call to headquarters is ignored for the first time. When she finally decides something must be wrong she sets off on her little one-person runner for her long and cold trek back to civilisation.

Cal is a wave runner, one of the people who have a symbiotic relationship with the leviathans. A material called druk becomes stuck in their teeth and they get the humans to yank it out. It also happens to be a very very useful material and it’s incredibly sought after. They are close to ‘their’ pods and though they can’t communicate they understand each other to a certain extent by their behaviours. One of Cal’s leviathans is acting strangely and yanks his boat, dragging it to near where Anja’s station is.

When they meet up, they find themselves asking similar questions and decide to stay and work together, when they are attacked. This is the start of trying to escape their attackers and at the same time find out why they are being attacked.

I really enjoyed this book because the main characters were working with others in a team. There was the usual romance, adventure and fantastic world-building. The story sucked me and didn’t let me go until the end. Now it’s the last book in the series and I’m so sad! I hope the author writes another one because it’s kind of been left open-ended so it’s possible for the series to continue

I particularly enjoyed the leviathans who seem to be a cross between the Loch Ness Monster, sea serpents and whales. They were the heroes of the story in my opinion. The author created a beautiful, strange and harsh world that captured my imagination so clearly, I can see images of what it looks like and almost feel the biting cold wind and sleet and bitter ice chill of the sea.

I shall miss this series, it was excellent and you should read it if you like Sci-fi adventures with a touch of romance thrown in.

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Review: Brick Shithouse (White Horse Series Book 4) by Bijou Hunter

Brick Shithouse by Bijou Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Giant Angel Gets His Girl

This is the fourth book in this series and though technically it could stand alone, it’s much better if you read the preceding books. Plus they’re pretty funny so you’d enjoy them.

Cap Hayes is a giant of a man. He looks mean and threatening and knows how to throw and take a punch. He’s also a really nice guy who adores his strange family. He’s the baby of the family, born when his twin siblings were 9 or 10. He’s watched them get hitched (Hayes style) and have kids and basically become happier and he knows he wants that too.

Audrey Johansson is also the baby of her family. But instead of her family being regular crime bosses, they are biker crime bosses. She’s never felt like she really fit in with her family and never had a particular ambition other than to open a hipster bookshop with her cousins. When that fell through she didn’t know what to do. Audrey’s father and Cap’s father have had business dealings for years when Audrey is invited to go on a trip to White Horse, Tennessee from her home in Ellsberg, Kentucky with her father.

When Cap and Audrey set eyes on each other it’s insta-love time, the way it’s been for the rest of the Hayes family. Audrey takes the big leap and decides that she wants to explore a relationship with Cap so she plans to move to White Horse and rent a place whilst that exploration takes place.

This story is as much about Audrey working out who she is and how she fits in to her own family as well as Cap’s, as it is about their romance. Their romance is sweet and passionate and really funny but the family interactions are just as important. They are probably more hilarious too.

It’s fun watching the baby of the family, Cap, get his chance to shine. In the previous books he was treated as the baby of the family and now he gets to step up and take his place in the family as a mature(ish) adult.

The banter, as always, in White Horse is fabulous. I sniggered most of the way through the book. Cap’s attitude towards his in-laws was pretty hilarious too.

This is a great finish to the White Horse series as we see all of Cap’s family and how they have flourished over the years because his family is one of the most important parts of Cap’s story too. When you see the next generation of Hayes’ starting with their snark you know that they will continue being the weird rulers of White Horse for decades to come. Oh, how I hope I get to read about that next generation!

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Review: High Flyer (Verdant String Series Book 4) by Michelle Diener

High Flyer by Michelle Diener
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Super Pilot

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

This book is the fourth in a series of connected stories set in the same universe that follow a single timeline of events. There are some cross overs of characters but in this book, there are only mentions of other characters and events.

Hana is a pilot, the best in her military until she left after the war. She has ended up working as a pilot to the head of the planet she came to defend. Something happened to her during the war and she feels she can’t leave until she understands it and the new abilities it gave her. She is attracted to her boss but feels she can’t get involved until she understands herself more.

Iver is the head of the planet, appointed at the end of the war. He was a scientist before he was a politician but when he was appointed he didn’t get to say no because of the public duty owed by all citizens. When he got his new pilot 6 months ago he became very interested in her, but never acted on it.

When Hana and Iver are flying to one of the major cities on the planet they are attacked and only Hana’s superior flying skills keep them alive long enough to land. When their runner is destroyed they don’t know where to turn or who to trust as it seems that someone has too much knowledge about their whereabouts.

This book turns into another trek across a fairly empty planet, with the two of them facing terrible odds. I liked that they knew each other for a while and were both really attracted to each other anyway and when facing life and death situations gave into that attraction. The plot is pretty complicated with lots of moving parts of multiple conspiracies. It’s hard to keep track of at times!

Once again the author describes the planet in a way that brings it to life. She is very good at conveying the nature of a place. The landscape becomes part of the story in terms of plot as well as the place in which it is set.

As with other stories in this series my only quibble with the book is that we don’t learn more about the characters beyond what is absolutely essential for the plot, which leaves a lot out. However, even without that information we still are able to connect with the characters that are sympathetic and engaging.

I’m sorry there is only one more book in this series, but I’m still going to read it straight away because I’m enjoying this romp through the Verdant String.

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Review: Booze O'clock (White Horse Series Book 3) by Bijou Hunter

Booze O'clock by Bijou Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Chipper Finds His Girl

This is the third of a series and though you can read the book on its own, it is definitely much better if you read the previous books and get to know the history and characters of this bizarre family.

Chipper is Angus Hayes’ step-son and Cricket’s twin brother. This book is set around 4 years after the last book in the series. Chipper has always been much more laid back than both his sister and his step-father. He’s charming, arrogant and happy with his life. He’s also a pretty nice guy when he’s not scaring people into behaving the way they are supposed to his step-father’s town.

Tatum is 21 and her mother has just died. She was incredibly close to her as she was homeschooled and then worked with her in the daycare centre that was run out of their home. She didn’t really have any other friends and all her mother’s family were in a different state. She was born and raised in Florida but she’s in White Horse, Tennessee to kill her father because of how he threatened her mother when she was pregnant at age 18, causing her to run for her life and hide the rest of her life.

Chipper meets Tatum when she’s mindlessly drunk in a stinking bar in the next town over from White Horse. He’s there for a meeting when he notices her and the way she’s getting drunk, eyeing up Howler from the local MC with hatred. When he spots her gun he decides to rescue her from herself and gets her out the bar before anyone else notices. It’s definitely one of the weirdest ‘meet-cutes’ I have read.

This bizarre start to their relationship doesn’t seem to phase Chipper at all. He proceeds to take over Tatum’s life because she doesn’t know what to do with it in her grief. On one hand, it’s incredibly manipulative and on the other, he’s doing it with his eyes wide open because he knows she needs something to hang on to so she gets through the next little while until she starts to feel better about life.

In the last book, Chipper insisted that he wanted someone sweet and normal but Cricket pointed out that they had to have a high tolerance for weird behaviour and not many people fit that description. It seems Chipper managed to find someone who fits into that gap between normal and able to tolerate the weird. Tatum isn’t normal but she is sweet and tolerant enough to learn to love his weird family.

As with the previous books, this one is filled with strange antagonistic banter between family members. It’s funny and sweet with the way they all step in to take care of Tatum without being sugary sweet. There are some sad moments in the book as Tatum deals with her grief at the same time as finding happiness and the weird feelings of guilt that accompany it. The author conveys that confusion really well.

As with all other White Horse books, I really enjoyed reading this and laughed out loud many times. I don’t know why I love this weird family so much, but they have wormed their way into my twisted heart.

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Review: Trailblazer (Verdant String Series Book 3) by Michelle Diener

Trailblazer by Michelle Diener
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sci Fi Adventure

This is the third book in a series of linked stories all set in the same universe and following the same timeline. The books may have some appearances of common characters, but this one doesn’t. There is no cliffhanger, just a possible hook for future stories.

Tally is an Expeditionary Forces scientist and is trapped on a ghost ship for 2 weeks with the dead body of her colleague. Alone in the dark, she experiences the unexplained and her survival is miraculous.

After her recovery, she is sent on a traditional ‘healing’ expedition on a planet that is uninhabited on a trek through the forests for 2 weeks with other armed forces personnel who need help adjusting after being damaged in the line of duty. When Tally gets there she doesn’t realise that the planet isn’t quite as uninhabited as people think and a Special Forces captain is hidden in her team to try and track the interlopers down.

Ben has been hidden on the planet for a month trying to work out where their enemies are hidden and travelling with the team on the trail is his best bet. When he meets Tally he sees a slight and damaged woman who is stronger and braver than she realises. He also starts to witness her doing superhuman feats that he can’t explain.

This is SUCH a good book. It’s a fantastic Sci-Fi adventure as they both hide from and harry the enemy through dangerous territory. The two main characters are really engaging and Tally’s experiences are fascinating. Ben is strong and protective but recognises that Tally has some unique talents.

The world-building is great. The universe in which this book is set is explained much more clearly in the previous books in the series so the author focuses on the world on which this story is set. The imagery is captivating and I wish I could stand by waterfalls and trek through dense forests following the path of previous heroes.

There is bravery, romance, and emotional and physical trials all wrapped together in a really captivating story. I loved this book so much and can’t wait to see if the next one lives up to this.

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Review: Bitch Slap (White Horse Series Book 2) by Bijou Hunter

Bitch Slap by Bijou Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Banter At It’s Best

This is the second book in the series and is set approximately 12 years after the first book. The book can stand alone, but you won’t get the humour as much if you don’t read the first book.

Cricket’s step-dad runs the town of White Horse with an iron fist wrapped around a tire iron. He is ruthless, vicious and doesn’t tolerate many people other than his family. Cricket may as well have been spliced from his genes despite not sharing any. She’s been helping run White Horse for a few years now, despite only being 21. On her way back from visiting her cousin she stops for the night in West Virginia, where she meets Poet, the son of the local MC’s president.

Poet is gorgeous, laid back and efficiently ruthless when necessary. He has a huge family who may just be slightly weirder than Cricket’s. When he sets eyes on Cricket he is knocked sideways. They spend the night together but know they’ll never see each other again because they live 5 hours apart. They do exchange numbers but never expect to use them until Cricket gets a positive pregnancy test result.

This is a story of passion, affection and general weirdness. Cricket is definitely odd, to say the least, and her family isn’t any better. Their love language revolves around the ‘f’ word and imaginative insults. Poet loves Cricket’s weirdness but thinks his family’s different ‘f’ word is better.

Cricket and Poet start from a place of lust and affection and try to build a relationship that’s given a leg up because of the pregnancy. It’s not an easy road for them, but it’s hilarious for us readers. This book is vastly entertaining, though not particularly challenging. It’s perfect for when you want to recharge your brain and let it rest awhile, plus you’ll laugh a lot.

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Review: Breakeven (Verdant String Series Book 2) by Michelle Diener

Breakeven by Michelle Diener
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Second Rebellion

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

This is the second book in the series, though there are novellas set before book 1. All the books seem to be interlinked in terms of following the same timeline and having some important plot points in common. There are also some appearances of characters from other books. There is no cliffhanger at the end of this book.

We met Dee in Book 1 of this series, Breakaway. She is one of the right hand people to Leo, the MMC in that book. She is an important part of the organisation that tries to rebel against the Core Corporations that own Garmen. At the end of that book, she ended up stuck on a ship that belonged to the daughter of one of the chief executives of the Core Corporations on Lassa, the other Breakaway planet.

Also on the ship is Sebastian and two of his colleagues in the Lassan Resistance. They intended to kidnap the owner of the vessel as leverage to try and get food and supplies to the people of Lassa who are slowly starving to death. When they find someone who looks like their intended victim they end up having to work together against a mutual enemy.

Once more this book is very plot-focused. We don’t really get to know the lead characters very well, except in the moment. There is little history revealed or emotional content. All we see are the reactions to the current situation, which keeps things moving forward. Focusing on current events keeps things exciting and engaging.

We learn quite a lot about life on Lassa and its people and I loved reading about the massive forests, tree houses and waterfalls. The author made it sound really beautiful if it weren’t filled with starving children and violent oppression.

This whole series is engaging and entertaining, even if the characters aren’t explored very deeply. I really want to know what the next book is about, now they’ve covered both Breakaway planets. Whatever the subject matter, I’m sure that I’ll love reading it.

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Review: Engineering Fate (Outer Limits Quadrant Series Book 1) by Alexis B Osborne

Engineering Fate by Alexis B. Osborne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alien Romance

This is the first book in a series but stands alone as a unique story. There is no cliffhanger.

Sasha is an engineer out on the edges of known space, far from her home of Alpha Centauri. She’s taken the hazard pay to repair satellites in her tiny solitary vessel with only her plastic clock for company. She is ripped from known space by a wormhole and dumped somewhere completely unknown to humanity. She wakes up in a cell surrounded by strange creatures.

Ardalon is Kursh, a race of lion-like aliens. He is undercover on board the ship which holds Sasha. Whilst he is debating with his superiors over what to do, Sasha manages to free herself, causing mayhem in her wake.

This book was a bit darker than I was anticipating. There is attempted sexual assault, murder and psychological torture. Despite being a different experience than I was expecting I really enjoyed the book. Being darker in places gave the book more depth than your usual alien romances. Whilst it was still girl meets alien, girl falls for alien and has lots of hot sex, there was more meat on the bones of this romance. It meant the warm and fuzzy romance has a slice of fear alongside it.

Sasha was an interesting character. She doesn’t have much family and feels very isolated from everyone. She’s served in the military and has the upgrades and training given to soldiers, which helped keep her alive in this new part of the universe. She doesn’t trust anyone really and prefers rage over fear in terrible situations.

Ardalon is unusual in his race as he isn’t allowed to breed for genetic reasons. Despite being a kind of outcast to his race he has succeeded in his chosen career to the surprise of many. He has climbed the ranks of the law enforcement organisation he works for. He is compassionate and protective almost immediately of Sasha and he finds her fascinating. She has no built-in weaponry like his race as she has blunt teeth and no claws, but she is still fearless.

I like that the author has included some history to both main characters and has built up a strange and interesting universe to set the story in. There are politics to deal with as well as physical and emotional peril. There is also lots of hot alien passion.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, I might be tempted to read something by her again if I come across it.

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Review: Breakaway (Verdant String Series Book 1) by Michelle Diener

Breakaway by Michelle Diener
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fighting The Corporations

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

This is the first book in a series of standalone books that are based in the same universe, with some crossover appearances that don’t impact the story too much. This book has no cliffhanger, just a hook for the next book. The novellas Interference / Insurgency give a great deal of backstory for the universe in which this series is set.

Sofia used to be part of the resistance, until her sister died. She blamed the leader of the resistance for her death so she withdrew, only dropping information to them if it fell into her lap. Then she met Leo a very successful independent business owner, who is still second tier because he was not part of the Core group of corporations that formed the colony.

When Leo is attacked whilst they are on a date, she reacts by distracting and taking out his attackers and helps him escape with his life. Leo is not only a business owner, he also helps protect the people of Tether Town, where all the unimportant people live, including himself. All the important people live in the Tethered Way Station (TWS).

Sofia has a secret, other than being an ex-resistance fighter, her father designed and built the TWS. Built into the structure are hidden passageways and staircases that the resistance use and that Sofia knows intimately. This knowledge, her association with the resistance and her blossoming relationship with Leo create a perfect storm where she is at the centre of a new movement to gain freedom for the unimportant people of the planet.

I loved the plot of this book, it was interesting and twisting and filled with the unexpected. I was completely absorbed as I was reading and had to be dragged out kicking and screaming to interact with the real world.

There was less universe-building in this book than I thought there would be but all the missing information was given in the introductory novellas. There was however plenty of world-building as we learnt all about life on the Breakaway planet of Garmen.

The main characters Sofia and Leo were interesting characters but they weren’t too deeply explored as most of the focus was on the plot and action is what drove the plot forward, rather than the emotional landscape of its characters. However, they were likeable and engaging enough to connect with.

I really enjoyed this book and the hook at the end, definitely got me wanting to read the next one in the series, which I believe is about one of the supporting characters in this book.

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Review: Bronco (Elko Executioners Motorcycle Club Series Book 1) by Bijou Hunter

Bronco by Bijou Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Making A Family

This is the first book in a new series. There is no cliffhanger, but there is a hook for the next book. This series follows others set in the same world and has crossovers between these series of history and characters.

Maude is a single mother and a stripper, who performs as Lana, who is recently divorced from a waste of space ex-husband. She hasn’t had a great life and lives in a very tightly locked down way. However, when she sees Bronco the president of Elko Executioners MC where she worked she fell for him hard. They end up in the back of her SUV and she doesn’t see him again until she asks her brother in law, the president of an MC with whom he has a very tenuous peace, to find him.

Bronco started the EEMC when he was 19 years old and filled with rage and ambition. He succeeded in taking his town and has built up wealth and power as a result. However satisfied he is with his life, he’s not truly happy. He has two daughters, both from different mothers who were club bunnies. Both women were dreadful mothers and Brono took the oldest when her mother badly neglected her and the second daughter he raised from birth because he didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.

When Bronco is summoned to Shasta, where he met the woman he knows as Lana, he finds her holding a baby who has his sister’s nose. He trusts her when she says the baby is his but has a DNA test anyway and they plan for her to visit with the baby.

Both Lana and Bronco are really attracted to each other still and have thought of the other often, but the distance and the situation between the clubs made them wary of trying to find the other, until after the baby was born. Bronco is a very loving father and he knows he wants to be in his daughter’s life, no matter what, but he also starts thinking about having Lana too.

I got this book as a freebie during a promotion for MC books. I remembered that had read some books by this author and decided to try this one. I’m glad I did because it reminded me that I like Bijou Hunter’s books and I will go back to the series where I left off before. Because this book is part of several connected series I feel like I missed out on a lot of backstories, however, the author gives the information that is necessary to make sense of the plot.

The writing style is quite observational and alternates between Bronco and Lana’s points of view. There is a lot of internal descriptive prose rather than speech, which can make the book seem a little subdued sometimes in settings that anything but. This is because both Lana and Bronco are very self-controlled people. They have a tight hold of their emotions and this is reflected in their internal monologue.

The story is actually really sweet for a romance between a murdering biker and a stripper. The blending of their two families is bumpy in places and downright rocky in others, but there are some glowing positives right away, especially with Desi, Lana’s first daughter and Sidonia, Broco’s second daughter who are instantly the best of friends.

Most of the focus of this book is on the family and the romance and how both main characters have fought to make themselves better people and better parents. There is some MC plot but it’s in the background and Lana knows nothing about it.

This was a compelling book and I enjoyed reading it, but I think you need to be a specific mindset to enjoy it. I will go back to the books I missed out though because I do enjoy these stories and the way this author looks at the world.

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Review: Interference / Insurgency (Verdant String Series Book 0.5) by Michelle Diener

Interference / Insurgency by Michelle Diener
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Two Interesting Sci-Fi Novellas

This book contains two novellas set in the Verdant String universe. They are self-contained but the reading order given on Goodreads seems to indicate that these novellas come before the others.

Both novellas revolve around women of the Halatian people. They came from a world that was destroyed and the people were spread around the Verdant String. Not many of them were left and more could have been done to rescue them if the rest of the Verdant String has acted sooner. They have a strange place in society because the guilt and shame that they didn’t act sooner is always felt whenever a Halatian is faced.

In Interference Nyha is on a moon with her four wards, and they are all Halatian. They are visiting the ruins of an ancient civilisation that predated the advent of the Verdant String as it stands now. The moon is set to be destroyed because its orbit changed and it is set to crash into the planet below. They are waiting to be picked up from their trip when instead their pick up contains a group of attackers come to take the Halatians hostage whilst they search for something.

In Insurgency Tila, another Halatian, is at work when her building is attacked by terrorists. She is taken hostage when the terrorists are stopped before they can escape after setting a bomb. Drake, the commander who rescued her when she was a child, and Nick, his subordinate and her neighbour, do not plan to let her come to harm, no matter the political delays this time.

Both these novellas are set around a similar subject, though they involve different characters. They are also are connected via an overarching plot.

I really enjoyed these books as the characters were really interesting. There is a hint of romance in both but essentially they are clean books. The women both had very different reactions to their horrible experiences escaping as children. Nyha learnt martial arts and taught it to her wards. She became their defender and taught them to be strong and brave as she had wished herself to be when she escaped. Tila was withdrawn and shy. She was much more fearful and risk-averse because of her traumas. They also ended up on different planets with their different cultures and they have never met.

The world-building was fascinating. I love the idea of a string of planets being found and settled by the same group simultaneously to avoid all their eggs being in one basket, then going their separate ways until so much time passed they forget the other planets existed. The societies share common morals and philosophies but are still different enough to be noticeable. It’s an intriguing setup for a series and I can’t wait to read the other books in the series as a result.

The plots were interesting and tightly written to fit into the novella structure. Once I started reading both novellas I had to keep going until they ended because I was so drawn in.

I really hope that these characters appear later in the series because I find them interesting and likeable for their bravery, intelligence and compassion. It’s an engaging blend of characteristics.

I must go and read the ‘first’ book in the series now!

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Review: Cooper: Gunslinger (Badass Security Council (BSC) Series Book 16) by L Ann Marie

Cooper: Gunslinger (Badass Security Council (BSC) Series Book 16 by L. Ann Marie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Horses Galore

This is book 16 in a continuing series about a group of MCs that are tightly bound together. The story really needs to be read in order and this series is actually the latest in a very long line of series that are all tied together, starting with The Baxters series. It doesn’t end on a cliffhanger but the story will continue in the next book when it comes out.

This book is about Cooper, the president of Elann Rising. He was raising in the club but joined up, becoming Special Forces. He has only been out around a year and a half and has PTSD, which he’s getting treatment for. Elann has been set up to provide support to former military personnel in the form of being part of the training school and ground ops and also having access to therapy horses. Cooper was raised on horses so it seemed a natural fit, especially as he has need of help.

Cooper meets a little girl, Austen who lives on land next to the boundary of the club, and she has been spying on all the activity for several months before they even speak. When she is in danger he meets her mother, Jane, and is drawn to her.

It’s pretty obvious where this is going because there is a pattern to these books, biker meets cool woman and they know they are meant for each other and move in together almost instantly. Everything between them is awesome but other people suck.

At first glance, these books should be really straightforward, but they aren’t. They are actually filled with an incredibly complicated web of interactions between the various clubs, across the generations, with the local communities and governmental bodies. The clubs have masses of businesses and inventions to keep track of and the books are filled with this information. If you’ve not read the books recently you tend to get confused and lost because you can’t remember who someone is or where you read about them before and what they’ve done. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and kind of skim over the fact you don’t know what the author is talking about.

These books are weirdly addictive. Sometimes the author seems to say things in an abbreviated manner that take a while to decipher, and there are grammatical errors and spelling errors. However, I just don’t care because I love the stories about bikers and Native Americans who are trying to save the world one person and one town at a time. It gives me a nice warm glow reading about the magic of their world.

I will always try to read these books as soon as they come out because they make me smile, even if they need a more ruthless editor.

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Review: The Mercy of Demons (Underestimated Series Book 6) by Candice Wright

The Mercy of Demons by Candice M. Wright
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amnesia Sucks

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

This is the 6th book in a connected series of stand-alone stories, with an overarching plot. You don’t need to read the other books to understand this one, but it will certainly help you understand a few sections of the plot better if you do.

Mercy is a Kings of Carnage MC Princess. Her uncle Inigo is a member of the club and as her father died when she was very young her uncle stepped up to provide her with a father figure. As a result she spent a lot of time around the club. This is what pulls her into a bad situation with an enemy of the Club. Left for dead with amnesia it takes an act of faith to follow a clue and believe what the Club tells her.

To protect her she is sent to the Chaos Demons MC, where she will be hidden. She is assigned three protectors, one of which is Scope who is distinctly unhinged and decides that Mercy is ‘his’. The other two Kaz and Wizz get sucked into the situation to help dilute the Scope effect.

This book ties up a lot of loose threads of the story and as such, I feel like it tried to do a little too much. I also thought the whole amnesia part of the story was a little soap opera for my liking. It wasn’t really necessary to the plot except to provide a reason for Mercy’s original vulnerability when she’s a complete bad*ss. It also meant that the book was almost split into two halves, with me feeling a connection with Mercy before she remembered who she was and trying to connect in the same way with a brand new character who had history and knew herself and her capabilities. It made the story a little disjointed to me.

However, as always this author writes a story that sucks you in and characters that make you smile. There is so much filth you will need to fan yourself, so don’t read it in public if you blush easily.

I’ll be sad to see this series end, but the author writes at the end of the book that there will be spin-off books with side characters from this series, so that makes me happy.

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Review: Mr. Wrong (The Clan McLeod Series Book 1) by Megyn Ward

Mr. Wrong by Megyn Ward
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Quick and Easy Read

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

This is the first book in a series of stand-alone books that revolve around the same family. There is no cliffhanger.

Elle is just about to start work for a Hollywood A-Lister when her best friend takes her out for drinks to celebrate. She ends up hooking up with a gorgeous stranger in a bar, after all, she needs to get over being dumped by her ex-boyfriend after he tore her dreams to shreds.

The next morning she realises her mistake when she discovers that the gorgeous one night stand is actually her new boss’ brother. Oh and he fired him so Elle could have his job.

This is such an easy read that I devoured it in one sitting. It’s fun, flirty and filthy, in other words, a perfect snack of a book. The characters are interesting, the set-up is simple and the writing is smooth and natural. You get sucked in and don’t have to worry that they’ll get their HEA or not. It’s not complicated plot-wise, but that’s not why you would read a book like this. You read a book like this to kill a few hours when you need a palate cleanser of a book, or to cheer you up on a grey day.

A really enjoyable book.

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Review: Polaris (Stardust Series Book 5) by Autumn Reed and Julia Clarke

Polaris by Autumn Reed and Julia Clarke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

And They All Lived Happily Ever After….. Eventually

This is the sixth and final book in the series, and all the previous books need to be read in order to understand this one.

This brings the series to an end in a grand style. A lot happens in this book both romantically and plot wise. The men have finally come clean to Haley about making their 6 way relationship a permanent one, rather than an opportunity for her to decide which man she solely wants to be with. Finding this attitude difficult to understand and having to face the outside world with the consequences of that decision are not easy for Haley.

At the same time as coming to terms with the new relationships, Haley is trying to graduate the Zenith training program. She’s zooming through the course material and is even nominated for special strategy training, something that leads her into difficulties.

Haley and her men face conflict and danger in this last book. They have to decide whether to pull away and retreat to safety or stand together and fight for what they want.

This book finally has the ‘burn’ implied in the ‘slow-burn’ description of the series. It’s taken a while to get there, but it’s finally arrived. It’s not the hottest passion I’ve ever read, but it’s quite sweet and very tender and loving. This series, more than any other reverse harem I’ve read has the men separate in their involvement with Haley. They go on separate dates, they live in different places, they sleep in separate beds. Honestly, I think this is probably closer to what someone who is polyamorous experiences than fiction, but it’s unusual to read it laid out in this way. It’s only towards the end of this book we start to see them actually spending time together as a group, which is obviously part of the HEA.

I liked how Haley was portrayed as intelligent and competent. She was able to get herself out of a difficult situation with help from the men, but without her the situation wouldn’t have been resolved. I also liked how honest the relationship difficulties were. It wasn’t all a bed of roses and Haley did care what people thought about her. They all had lots to work through emotionally and it all took time to happen.

This was quite an enjoyable series and this book was a great way to round it off, with tonnes happening in it. It was a very good finale.

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Review: Bedlam (World Fallen Series Book 3) Susanna Strom

Bedlam by Susanna Strom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kyle Goes To Boise

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

This is the third book in a continuing series. This book deals with a separate couple from the first two books, but the story follows immediately after the second book and deals with a character who is in the first two books.

Kyle is MacKenzie’s ex-boyfriend who came back to Portland to be with her after their friends died en route to Boise. In the first two books, he was a bit spoilt and used to being the golden boy of his family, school and college. Essentially he was a good guy, but totally out of touch with reality. During the course of the first two books, he learnt about the real world and was put in some very difficult situations that forced him to become more ruthless and much stronger mentally and emotionally. It’s still left him with nightmares, but he’s a better man for it.

After reaching Valhalla, Kyle decides he needs to return to Boise to see what happened to his family. He returns home to find a dead family and after burying them plans to return back to Valhalla. When he spots lights moving around in his best friend’s house he finds his best friend’s little sister, Sunny.

Sunny is the last person in her gated community left. She tries to remain hidden at night and during the days she is a scavenger for HAVEN the hub where the survivors pool resources and get help. She’s particularly close to Mrs B, a woman in her 80s who’s very fond of Jaffa cakes (something close to my British heart). When she meets Kyle again and he tries to get her to come back to Valhalla, she decides to show her teenage crush the people she helps every day. Torn between their conflicting desires and a determined need to stay together they spend time getting to know each other again.

This book brings more people into the story. It develops the plot, adding conflict and a bigger enemy to defeat. It also introduces new allies and people who become family. As in the previous books, there is violence and death. It also doesn’t shy away from the emotional and mental consequences of taking a life. I appreciate this in a dystopian novel which often skirts over the impact of being forced to act in a way contrary to morals from the time before civilisation disintegrates.

There are a lot of moving parts to the plot for this series and this book brings different ingredients to the storyline, with new people and different approaches to handling the changes in the world. As with the previous books the story is gripping. It’s got drama, passion and love for family, friends and lovers. It’s a great book and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next one.

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Review: Vega (Stardust Series Book 4) by Autumn Reed and Julia Clarke

Vega by Autumn Reed and Julia Clarke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Going Home

This is the fifth book of a continuing series. You need to read the first four books to understand the storyline. Not all things get resolved in this book, but there is a natural break rather than a cliffhanger.

Team Jaguar finally finds a way to remove the threat that Douglas poses towards Haley’s safety. The threat isn’t completely gone, but it’s neutralised somewhat. As soon as that happens they have to decide how they want to proceed with Haley.

Haley is reluctant to return to an unresolved situation, but despite herself, the team talk her into giving things a try. When she returns, Patrick approaches her about taking Zenith training so she can be a strategist and trainer rather than a team member.

Things start to move forward slightly faster than they have been doing with the romance. Being apart for so long has crystallised things for all of them.

This book progresses both the relationships and the plot relating to Haley’s father. There are also internal problems at Zenith that leads the team into danger that have to be resolved. It felt like this book moved the series forward at something more than snail’s pace and was more interesting as a result.

The next book is the last in the series and I can’t wait to see how they wrap things up.

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Review: Chamaeleon (Stardust Series Book 3.5) by Autumn Reed and Julia Clarke

Chamaeleon by Autumn Reed and Julia Clarke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Searching For Haley

This is the fourth book in a continuing series. You need to read the previous books to understand the story. This book ends on a cliffhanger as the story continues in the next book.

Haley left Santa Cruz and very carefully made her way away from the men who had confused her and the threats made by Douglas. She was methodical in hiding herself, helped out by the fake IDs left for her by her father.

The men are working hard to find her to make sure she is safe and to find out why she left them with no warning or way to find her. Haley’s departure has forced them to work out what they want from her and how to achieve their goals without imploding the team or hurting their friends.

A lot happens in this book. Haley has to learn to stand on her own two feet, which is easier than it would have been when she first left Coleville. She also spends some time reviewing her father’s old case files, trying to work out why someone would want him dead. The men are trying to trace Haley and work out how to protect her, and there are many layers to that.

I really enjoyed this book as it felt like it had kicked things up a notch, with the men finally talking about their feelings and Haley taking action without running it past anyone first.

I can’t wait to read the next book.

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Review: Pyxis (Stardust Series Book 3) by Autumn Reed and Julia Clarke

Pyxis by Autumn Reed & Julia Clarke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s All Different Now

This is the third book in a continuing series. You need to read the first two books to understand the story. This book ends on a cliffhanger.

In this book, tensions begin to mount between Hayley and the men of Team Jaguar. Emotions are becoming more muddled and the men all seem to be showing signs of wanting to change the nature of their relationship with Hayley. The trouble is that Hayley shares those feelings with all of them. She can’t decide who she wants to have a relationship with because they are all perfect in their own ways.

Things move along quite a bit in this book, especially with the romance aspect of the story. Hayley spends time alone with all of the men and finds herself growing closer to each of them. There still isn’t much heat in this book, but there is some actual kissing this time!

As well as confusion about the men, Hayley is also dealing with not knowing where her father is. She feels guilty for being happy in her new life, whilst not being able to talk to her father.

With the cliffhanger at the end of this book, I’m going to have to download Book 4 straight away, because I want to know what happens next!         

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Review: Draco (Stardust Series Book 2) by Autumn Reed and Julia Clarke

Draco by Autumn Reed & Julia Clarke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Is That Flirting?

This is the second book in a continuing series. You need to read the first book, Phoenix, before reading this one. There is a minor cliffhanger as the story doesn’t conclude in this book, though it does come to a natural break.

Hayley is starting to settle in with Team Jaguar and now has a paying job at Zenith. She still has to spend all her time being watched by one of the guys, which is starting to get old, but she does enjoy her time with them. The team are giving her lots of new experiences; going to the beach, riding on a rollercoaster and dancing in a jazz club. She loves spending time with each of them, but she knows they still aren’t telling her everything.

This book continues the very slow-burn storyline that the first book established. The only slight increase in that element is that Hayley is starting to question if occasionally the men are flirting or not. From the outside, it’s clear that most of them, if not all, are interested in Hayley romantically but they have been told to stay away from her. For Hayley, that’s just confusing as she has so little experience with people in general, let alone with men who are much more experienced than she is.

Elements of this series are very sweet, but there is still an undercurrent of darkness because of all the secrets and Hayley didn’t choose to come to Santa Cruz in the first place. Becoming friendly with one’s kidnappers seems to be a bit reckless to me. Still, I’m enjoying the easy read. There’s nothing challenging about this book and it’s entertaining. Plus I’m enjoying reading about all the fun things to do in Santa Cruz!

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Review: Phoenix (Stardust Series Book 1) by Autumn Reed and Julia Clarke

Phoenix by Autumn Reed & Julia Clarke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very Slow Burn

This is the first book of a continuing series. There is a minor cliffhanger as nothing is resolved but the story comes to a natural break.

Hayley is 18 on the day that the book starts. She has decided to demand an explanation from her father about why they live as they do. She has been homeschooled since she was 6 years old but doesn’t have a diploma, despite finishing all the curriculum several years previously. They live in the middle of nowhere and her only friend has now left to go to college.

Within days of her father telling her why they are hidden something goes wrong and their house is burnt down. Hayley can’t find her father but gets rescued by a group of men, who are obviously all young and hot because this is a romance.

The situation is all very mysterious as the men know who she is and say they want to keep her safe, but they are also telling her lies. She still ends up trusting them because she has nowhere else to turn.

This was an intriguing book and I want to carry on reading straight away because I want to know what happens next. I really like Hayley and think she is an interesting character. She’s pretty understated and level headed. She’s obviously very bright but it isn’t rammed home on every occasion, it’s just hinted around. She’s also very capable physically as she runs, knows how to shoot a gun and knows self-defence. Again, this isn’t made a big deal about, it’s simply because her father wanted her to be able to take care of herself given their precarious situation.

The guys involved in the situation are all introduced but their personalities are really only sketched out because there are 6 of them. Nothing romantic happens in this book, other than people showing a little interest in each other.

This book is essentially just setting up the rest of the series, by introducing all the characters and establishing their situation. It’s enough to make me want to read the next book though.

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Review: Smitten

Smitten by Lauren Rowe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hot and Sweet Rockstar Romance

This book is part of a connected world created by the author. I didn’t read any of the previous books and was able to enjoy this book as it stood, but it did make me want to read her other books.

This isn’t your typical rockstar romance book, for one thing, it’s incredibly sweet and romantic, rather than the usual ‘tortured artist in need of a good woman’ trope. Matthew ‘Fish’ Fishberger, is a bass player with a huge rock band, 22 Goats. He’s the nice guy of the band, the one who makes the others laugh and has only just started growing into his fame and charisma recently despite spending 5 years at the top of the business. He’s never had a girlfriend and not for wont of trying, he just hasn’t met anyone who wants him for himself rather than who he is.

Alessandra is a 19-year-old music student who is staying with her step-sister, Georgina, for a week. Georgina happens to be staying with her boyfriend Reed, who also happens to be a really successful record label owner. 22 Goats is signed to his label. When Reed throws a party at his house Alessandra is dumbstruck by all the stars and is totally flummoxed when Fish, the guy from her favourite band, starts to chat to her.

This meeting is the start of an incredibly sweet journey that the two take. They are both really nice people with confidence issues. They learn how to communicate with a long-distance relationship and work at facing their insecurities together.

As well as been immensely sweet this book has plenty of heat and humour to stop things getting too sickly. I love that Fish and Ally educate themselves about sex because they want to be good for each other. It’s sweet, generous and brave all at the same time.

This is a book that will make you feel warm inside and put a smile on your face. It’s definitely one that will cheer you up. It’s a nice easy read that I really enjoyed.

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