Review: Family Law (Family Law Series Book 1) by Mackey Chandler

Family Law by Mackey Chandler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Two Races Meet

This is the first book in a continuing series, however, the book comes to a natural break and works as a standalone story. There are a few hints about future storylines to lure you into reading the next in the series. After reading this series I realised that there is a connected series that was written before this series, starting with April. I would recommend starting with that book and following that series until Book 10, after which, you should read this book. The full series list and reading order is given in this post.

In the future, there are multiple races that humanity interacts with. Some people are easier with this fact than others. Gordon is a Derf and an equal partner in an exploration expedition, alongside a human husband and wife team. They travel with their 12-year-old daughter, Lee, and Gordon has known her since her birth and has been a big part of her rearing.

The team have struck the biggest score of their lives and found a habitable living world, with plant life and mammals. It can sustain human and other animal life from Earth. This is the biggest claim to have been made in a very long time as finding a living world is unbelievably rare. However, before the final survey can be completed Lee’s parents die in an incident. According to her parent’s wishes, Gordon chooses to raise Lee as his own. Lee cannot imagine going with anyone else as she was born and raised on their exploration vessel. Gordon is her family, despite being 750kg of furry, clawed and fanged alien. To them, this is the most logical thing in the universe, but to others, having a human child being raised by another species is an abomination.

This is a wonderfully captivating book. The universe building is fantastically well realised. The social structures of the different races and even the different societies within each race area are well developed and really drive the story. As well as the different sociological explorations, the geographic and scientific descriptions are vibrant and logical and clearly thought out.

I love Lee’s character. She is very bright, curious and naive about interacting with a larger group of people, no matter their race. She is only used to being around completely trustworthy people, her family. Gordon’s explanations of what people and society are like help round out how we perceive the universe in which this story is set. As well as being naive, Lee knows how to defend herself, speaks three languages and knows how to change filters on a spaceship. She has a strangely diverse and also very specific education. She is logical and forms opinions based on information and facts as well as direct observation. She’s an engaging and interesting protagonist, despite her age.

Gordon is also a wonderful character. He’s essentially a six-limbed grizzly bear who speaks multiple languages and can slaughter his enemies with single strokes of his axe. He sees Lee as his daughter and doesn’t hesitate to take responsibility for her. He willingly ensures she learns from everywhere and all her encounters are made educational. He is intelligent and interested in people and their communities. He is kind and funny and sweet and will do anything to protect Lee. He’s also talented at applying his knowledge to diverse skill sets.

The plot of this book races along so quickly, you barely stop to breathe when you turn each page. Diving around the universe between different races and perspectives makes you desperate to know what happens next to each group of people. The story is gripping as well as intellectually stimulating. The subject matter could have been dry, as some military space operas can be, but the characters are so warm and personable you become emotionally involved as well as mentally.

This wonderful book is the first book in a series and I can’t wait to see what happens to this group of people next, as they are never boring!

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Review: Tavin (Conner Brothers Construction Series Book 6) by Cee Bowerman

Tavin: Conner Brothers Construction, Book 6 by Cee Bowerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fixing A Long Distance Relationship

This is the 6th book in the Conner Brother’s Construction series, but it leans heavily on the storyline from Luke (Texas Kings MC Series Book 15). Without reading at least Luke’s book this story won’t make much sense. The majority of the characters in this book had their stories in the previous books of the CBC series so reading this series will help understand the characters and history of everyone. There is no cliffhanger.

I’m so glad I read this book quick quickly after reading Luke’s book because I was a mess after reading about the fiasco in the family. Reading about the family trying to mend fences wasn’t fun, but was necessary.

Tavin and London have been a couple for around a year, but recently things have become more and more strained between them. This is because London is constantly on the road touring or making appearances in her career as a successful country music singer. Initially, Tavin took some time off to travel with her but felt that he had to come back to pull his weight in the family firm, especially as his siblings were settling down and having kids.

Both Tavin and London want to get married and have a family but they just seem to be drifting further apart. When London takes a phone call in the middle of an important conversation about their future, Tavin reaches his limit. This crisis is the straw that broke the camel’s back for their relationship and they have to decide what their priorities are for their own happiness.

This book is full of emotions from trying to mend bridges between siblings, brothers fighting in the backyard, worry of stalkers and being chased by paparazzi. A lot happens in this slightly shorter than normal book, but you don’t feel like you’ve been short-changed.

I love the Conner Brothers. They are sweet and funny and adore their family. They have faced tragedy in their past and have learnt how to forge on to regain their happiness. It’s nice to read about them fixing the mess from Luke’s book and also getting Tavin and London their HEA. As always, they deal with adversity with sarcasm, banter and teasing with a side of casual violence towards one another. There’s only Chess left now to get his HEA, I hope that the author has the next generation books in mind, because I want to read about the fabulous children that they have all had!

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Review: Damaged and the Saint (Damaged Series Book 7) by Bijou Hunter

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

Two Damaged Souls

This is part of a continuing series revolving around the family and friends of an MC. All the characters are intertwined through the series and their shared history is important to the storyline. Therefore, though you can read this book as a standalone, you will only get maximum enjoyment if you read the other books in the series first. There is no cliffhanger.

TRIGGER WARNING: If you are sensitive about books containing references to abuse and assault, you may want to avoid this book, and to be honest the entire series, if you haven’t read it yet. There are reasons for the ‘Damaged’ part of the book’s title.

Harlow is very damaged. Her life before being adopted by her new parents as a teenager was very hard, with a drug-addicted mother and an abusive stepfather who got her hooked on drugs to make her compliant, she still tried to look after her mother and siblings and be strong despite her own problems. After the death of her family, she still tried to be strong even whilst trying to heal. She is so sure she will never want to be involved with a man and she is still filled with rage about her past. She fights at the local underground fight club to earn money and to vent some of her rage. She invests her winnings in martial arts training to help her get stronger. When she runs into a stranger in the woods her first instinct is to attack. When the man easily defeats her she runs scared.

Saint is an assassin. He’s in town to help assess the new president of the MC, Cooper, along with other leadership potentials for the national president. He’s not part of the MC but a contractor for unusual and quiet jobs. When he’s attacked by a young woman in the woods he finds himself intrigued and decides to help train her to be stronger, both physically and mentally. Whilst he’s just looking for a diversion, something in him recognises a fellow damaged person and he finds himself reaching for the idea of having a ‘normal’ life with Harlow.

There isn’t much plot in this book beyond these two people trying to work their way through the minefields of their past to find happiness in the present. It’s a complex emotional journey but there’s not much action beyond paintballing. It’s an engaging story that draws you in.

I’ve really enjoyed this whole series with it’s quirky characters in their small Tennessee town. There is humour and kindness wrapped around the violence and pain. The friendship and love of family overrides the damage done to the characters in their troubled pasts. The books are not sweet but they are warming to the heart. I will continue to read this author because she has wormed her way into my favourite MCs list.

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Review: The Wicked Aftermath (The Wickeds: Dark Knights at Bayside Series Book 2) by Melissa Foster

The Wicked Aftermath by Melissa Foster
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Emotional Rollercoaster

This is part of a series of connected books about one family and the MC they are part of. The book stands alone and there is no cliffhanger.

Tank Wicked is a tattoo artist, as big as his namesake and determined to rescue everyone that needs saving, which includes working as a volunteer firefighter a few times a month. He’s self contained and a man of little words and fewer smiles. He’s never recovered from losing his little sister and it’s kept him from ever really connecting with women. He adores his family and brothers in the MC, but he’s never met a woman who can break down his walls.

Leah has been working as a waitress at the Wicked family bar/restaurant for a few months and she’s enjoying the job, and the tips even more. She’s very private and self-contained. She lives with her younger brother, who she has raised since when she was 18, and his two daughters that she adopted as he was still a teenager when his girlfriend had them. They’ve only been in the area for a few months after moving from the South in a need to have a change.

When tragedy strikes Tank is there for Leah and her little family, along with the rest of the Wickeds and the Dark Knights MC. When Leah started working for the Wickeds she came under their protection and she gets to see what that means the instant she needs them.

In the first 40% of this book, I think I outright bawled my eyes out at least three times. I was so sad for Leah and her family but I was also really moved by the lovely things Tank and his family did for her. It made me wish there were people like that around everyone.

As the book moved on the tears came less and the laughter and love grew more and more. This little instant family warmed my heart so much and the descriptions of the girls were just so funny and sweet I melted a bit.

These characters are wonderful. Tank is this big old teddy bear and Leah is a sweet and generous woman who’ll do anything for her family. There are a few little bumps on the road to the HEA but on the whole, the latter part of the book is filled with a successful romance. All the tears come in the front of the book and by the end, I was smiling like a fool.

I do love these Wicked books. This family is so strong and give so much to those around them you can’t help but love them even knowing they don’t exist.

This is a book to read if you need to have a bit of a cry followed by something to make you smile, because it’s all in this one book.

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Review: Maelstrom (World Fallen Series Book 2) by Susanna Strom

Maelstrom by Susanna Strom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Evil That Men Do

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

This is the second book in a continuing series of connected books. This book follows on directly from the first in the series and should be considered part of a duet within the series as a whole. There are no cliffhangers at the end of this book, though there is a hook for the next book in the series.

Now everyone is back together again, the group is leaving Portland and heading to Valhalla where Bear, the man who gave Kyle a lift, lives with his family. Portland is a smoking ruin and Valhalla seems like a good place to go. Their journey is not easy and they encounter some very unpleasant people on the way. The counter to that is they also meet some very good people too.

There is a lot of peril involved in their journey, not only from the people they come across but also the wildlife and scenery. One thing that is certain about their journey is that it only succeeds in drawing the group tighter together, especially MacKenzie and Ripper, whose relationship goes from strength to strength.

The plot of this book is excellent, with intriguing characters and desperate situations. The danger makes the emotions heightened and the romance and passions more charged. There are also some very sweet moments, not only between MacKenzie and Ripper but between Ripper and Kyle as they learn to become allies.

In this book, we see the depravity of evil men who are allowed to operate unchecked by the law as society breaks down. We also see how good people can step up to prevent it.

This book rounds off the story of MacKenzie and Ripper really nicely meaning the next book, which deals with Kyle is set up to take the story into a new segment. I’m looking forward to reading how Kyle does with the new experiences and different outlook on the world.

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Review: Pandemonium (World Fallen Series Book 1) by Susanna Strom

Pandemonium by Susanna Strom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Devastating Pandemic

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

This is the first book in a continuing series. The book ends at a natural break, but there is definitely a lot more story to tell in future books.

I wasn’t sure about this book because it’s about a dystopia that was brought about by a flu pandemic. This is still a little close to home, even with the vaccine and life starting to get a little bit more normal again. However, the flu is different enough for it not to cause me nightmares (I have Long Covid). However if the pandemic has caused you emotional difficulties beyond going stir crazy, this might trip your triggers. The author wrote this book in 2019 so it’s not based on actual events.

When the governor closes down everything in the state due to a flu pandemic, MacKenzie decides to go to her cousin’s house. He is a neurodivergent prepper and they don’t have anyone else except each other. Kenzie’s ex-boyfriend, best friend and her boyfriend head off to their parent’s houses as they all live in the same gated community and believe they will be safe there.

When Kenzie gets to her cousin, Miles’, house she finds him behind his high fenced garden and house with vegetables, chickens and everything he can find to make things easier for them both in the event of everything shutting down. He has been meticulous in his preparations. He also has a neighbour who has been helping him, Ripper, who is a biker. He’s also an ex-army ranger. He’s tough, determined and ruthless. He’s also incredibly kind and gentle with Miles and he and Kenzie click immediately.

This is not a happy book. It’s filled with death, danger and sickness. However, it’s also got affection, loyalty and family. There are some quite emotionally challenging parts to the book and not all the characters we meet make it. This book is equal parts emotionally challenging and gripping. I couldn’t stop reading it because I needed to know what happened to them all next.

As the characters find their way in a difficult world, they also reveal parts of themselves to each other. They talk about their childhoods and their loved ones and we hear about why they react the way they do to certain things. Each of the characters is fully realised and behaves consistently with their history and personalities, which is always something I look for, particularly with a book like this. I really liked all the characters, even when they weren’t behaving perfectly they behaved in a way I understood, even if I didn’t like it.

The book was really well-paced and structured. It’s told from multiple points of view so we get to see the events that happen away from the compound. This also helps us to understand the characters a little better as we see things through their eyes and also see the other characters from the outside to give us a different view of them and their behaviour.

This is a really good book and I can’t wait to read the next one in the series.

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

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

Politics and the Nature of Trust

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Secrets and Lies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Review: Magic Forged (Hall of Blood and Mercy Series Book 1) by KM Shea

Magic Forged by K.M. Shea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Entertaining and Engaging Urban Fantasy Series

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

This first book in a new series is by a new to me author. I read the sample of the first book in her follow up series and realised that I’d missed this first series and decided to start from the beginning instead of the middle.

Hazel is a young wizard and the heir to her House. However, she is seriously underpowered and bullied as a result. When her parents are killed in a car accident it sets into action a series of events that leads her running for her life and finding no help in the supernatural community. It’s a great shock to her and almost everyone else that the vampire head of the Midwest, Killian, decides to step in and take her one as a servant to his House, thus providing her with protection against her enemies.

The reason it is so surprising is because the supernatural races have become more divided as magic fades from the world. Everyone is turning inwards as a way of protecting their own race rather than supernaturals as a whole. For a vampire to choose to protect a wizard, especially one with no real magic, is unfathomable to most of the rest of the community because they don't know what real benefit she could provide to such a powerful vampire.

Hazel finds herself being trained in sword fighting, strength and stamina in ways that aren’t affected by her meagre spark of magic. Her House is a pacifist one and it goes against everything she was raised to believe but finds herself strangely enjoying it. Even more strange is that she finds herself enjoying the company of vampires, especially the elusive Killian Drake.

I really enjoyed the world-building in this book. It’s not all rammed down your throat at once but done with a sure hand and it is subtle. There is a distinct structure to the supernatural world and this author lays it out succinctly.

Hazel is a really interesting character. She is shoved into an unenviable position on the death of her parents. She has had no training in running her House and she has to lead because of the magic binding the House together which passes from parent to child even if the child has little magic as Hazel does.

The book is almost entirely told from Hazel’s point of view and we see how events change her, along with exposure to vampires and a different viewpoint from her own family. She begins to come into her own as she grows physically stronger. We get to know the vampires through her eyes as they grow more familiar to her and she becomes fond of some of them. Killian is an enigmatic character and seeing him learn to smile because of Hazel’s antics reveals hints of a slightly softer side that he keeps buried deep.

This is an excellent start to a new series with a murder to solve alongside all that pesky personal growth malarkey. There also seems to be a greater underlying threat to the supernatural world in general and Hazel more specifically. It definitely makes me interested in reading the next book.

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Review: Lock and Key (Nocturne Academy Series Book 1) by Evangaline Anderson

Lock and Key by Evangeline Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

YA Paranormal Romance

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

This is the first book of a trilogy, but though there is a story arc continuing through the series, there is no real cliffhanger at the end of the book.

I got this book free and downloaded it because I enjoyed the Kindred books this author wrote. This book is NOTHING like those books, except for the ‘fated love’ element. It is a clean YA romance, which is pretty much the exact opposite of the Kindred books.

Megan has gone to live with her aunt, after the death of her mother and her father decided he no longer wanted to raise her. Her aunt managed to get her enrolled in Nocturne Academy the school she and her sister attended. The school appears on no maps and is inhabited, almost entirely, by Others. Others are members of the magical races; vampires, witches, fae and drakes (dragon shifters). Megan was unaware of magic before she arrived at the school and she is thrown in at the deep end.

When Megan meets Griffin, when she’s enrolled, they are instantly drawn to each other. He is a nocturne, or vampire, and the magical races are not allowed to mix romantically.

This is very definitely a YA book aimed at young adults. The language isn’t complex, nor is the plot. It involves a girl unaware of her magical heritage, a forbidden love, plucky friends, an evil witch and a secret prophecy. It’s all been done before. It’s quite entertaining and I wanted to finish the book to see where it went, so it’s fairly compelling, but it didn’t break my expectations in any way.

Megan doesn’t really have any of her own agency, everything that happens to her and that she does seems to be driven by magic. It made her a little dull for me. The only thing that seemed to be decided for herself was to stick up for her friends. Those actions helped me like her a bit more. However, every activity, other than protecting her friends, was preceded by a feeling she ‘had to’ to in order for her to do it.

I won’t be reading the next book. It’s not for me. I think, however, that it might be suitable for the actual YA it’s aimed at. It’s rare to find a book about YAs that is suitable for them as there are an awful lot that are about YAs that are aimed at a much more mature reader, which is what I thought this was. I didn’t realise the protagonist was 16 but if I had I wouldn’t have read this book. However, I would recommend it to a younger teenager.

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Review: Beta Wolf (Smoky Mountain Pack Series Book 2) by Lucia Ashta

Beta Wolf by Lucia Ashta
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Becoming Part Of The Pack

This story continues a few weeks after the end of book 1. It turns out that with Corbin, the pack alpha, missing Quannah is moved into the alpha position and Zasha becomes beta, despite knowing nothing about being a wolf.

The last few weeks have been spent training, recovering from their injuries and searching for Corbin. On top of that Zasha and Quannah are both battling an intense attraction for each other.

This book is all about Zasha becoming part of the pack and acknowledging that she is part wolf. Because of the nature of the creation of her wolf, it’s been hard to let her humanity go, especially as she’s had to cut all contact with her uncles and their families and hasn’t had a chance to mourn the loss of her father on the same day she was made a wolf.

It turns out that Zasha is a really good wolf. She is fast, decisive in battle and fights with a brutal efficiency. She has brought new techniques in fighting to the pack whose whole purpose is fighting the hunters of their kind.

The story of Zasha and the pack is really interesting. It’s not high action, but there is some peril involved, usually involving magic. There are also ties into other series by the same author, but I still enjoyed both books so far without having read any of the others. Having been introduced to characters from those series, in this book, I’m tempted to read the back catalogue.

I’m looking forward to reading the next book and finding out what happens next.

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Review: Vex (The Devil's Angels MC Series Book 4) by Lola Wright

Vex by Lola Wright
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Vex’s HEA

This book can be read as a standalone, but understanding the characters and storylines in the previous books will enhance your enjoyment.

***CAUTION WARNING: if reading about traumatic childbirth incidents trigger difficult emotions for you, avoiding this book may be advisable.***

Vex is the playboy of the club. He’s gorgeous and most women and some men drool when he enters the room. So no one, especially him, thinks that he’ll ever settle down with one woman. We learn a few unexpected things about Vex and his past in this book, which I always enjoy. It’s fun to learn about the previously supporting characters when they get their chance to stand in the spotlight.

Taja has just buried her mother, who has been sick since Taja was 8 years old. Despite her mother being wonderful, loving and supportive, being sick meant she couldn’t do as much as she would like so Taja took on some of the responsibilities of looking after her baby sister early on. This was necessary because as soon as her mother got sick her father emptied the accounts and left. He’s the president of a 1%er MC and has no morals.

Now 22-years-old Taja is one semester away from getting her nursing degree but has to put that to one side to get a full time job in a strip club working as a bar tender. It’s the same club that Vex works as a bouncer at. The first time Vex sees Taja he’s smitten, but tries to stay away from her for her own good. He fails in his efforts but in the meantime they become friends.

This is a story of a sweet relationship that started in a slightly unpredictable way. As well as Vex and Taja being in the relationship, there is also Tessie, Taja’s teenage sister who is part of the family. This adds another unusual twist and the relationship between Vex and Tessie is really lovely to watch develop.

Taja is reluctant to become involved with the club further than working for them, but they all slowly draw her and Tessie in with their warmth and wackiness. They need that support when their Dad comes back into the picture and causes problems.

Taja and Tessie get put through the mill during the course of this book, but Vex and the rest of the MC stand beside them every step of the way, from the moment they come under their wing.

The plot for this book isn’t complicated but it does have some subtlety and it is nuanced in places. There is some peril and violence, which is to be expected with an MC book, but it’s not particularly graphic or dark. The characters are all interesting, but I wish the flipping parrot wasn’t portrayed as being as intelligent as a child holding conversations with it’s parents, it’s disturbing.

Other than the parrot, I do really like this series and I’m glad other books will be forthcoming.

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Review: Fight For It: A Second Chance Romance (Finally Falling Series Book 1) by Jessie Harper

Fight For It: A Second Chance Romance by Jessie Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet Small Town Romance

I’d probably give this book 3.75 ⭐️ if I could.

This is much more of a traditional romance novel than I usually pick up. Even though the author states she writes steamy romance, it’s not much steamier than having the door closed on the love scenes. However, it could be my levels are a little skewed because of the levels of steam I’ve been reading for the last few years.

This book is based in a small town in the South of the USA. Julia has just returned back to her hometown because after losing her husband 2 years earlier she has found it difficult to manage alone raising her two sons now the youngest has started school. Back in her hometown, her parents are around to help out.

Julia bumps into Zach, who has vastly changed physically since high school when he asked her prom and she refused because she already had a date. Zach was a nerd and Julia was the prom queen. Zach has spent the last few years becoming a mixed martial arts instructor and has his own gym. He teaches children and they arrange for her boys to join a class and for him to give her private self-defence lessons.

Zach is divorced from a woman who loves to make him miserable and who owns half of his gym. This woman provides a very obvious ‘villain’ to the story, along with Graham, Julia’s first boyfriend from high school, who her parent’s adore.

It’s pretty standard stuff plot-wise. Everything is signalled pretty far in advance, which makes it a stress-free read. It’s not vastly soul searching or heartbreaking. It’s quite sweet, where two nice people have an Happy Ever After, with a few tiny hiccups along the way.

I felt the characters were a little 2 dimensional. They had a series of character traits that were part of a checklist, rather than unique individuals, but I’ve been spoilt by some good writing lately. A few years ago I probably would have reviewed this book more favourably.

It was an entertaining enough book, that had some sweet moments and tiny bits of strife, all contained by a plot you knew would end happily. Sometimes that is what you want, I was just in the mood for something a little bit meatier today.

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Review: Wall (Steel Bones Motorcycle Club Series Book 4.5) by Cate C Wells

Wall by Cate C. Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Heartbreaking

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

I will start this review with a trigger warning. If the subject of miscarriage hurts you to hear/read about, you may want to give this book a miss.

Wall has been a member of Steel Bones MC for around 4 years. He joined when his marriage fell apart. His wife Mona still lives in the house they bought together. She is training to be a nurse whilst working in a nursing home. When she has an incident with a resident’s grandson, she finds herself driving to Wall to ask for help after not speaking to him since he left.

Wall never got over Mona, and takes this opportunity to try and win her back, knowing that this time he has to get it right. This time he has to be strong enough to face the hard stuff.

One of the things I love about this writer is her ability to give her characters a different voice from those that came before. So many writers find a formula and kind of stick to it. The lead characters tend to blur together and this author never does this. Each voice is different and the way they think about themselves and their lives is different and that’s what makes it real.

Mona and Wall became 3-dimensional people to me as I read this book, hearing all the little details about their experiences, and the thoughts that blow through their heads. Their story is heartbreakingly common and I have loved ones who went through similar experiences, though thankfully didn’t make a stupid mistake in the middle of it all. This book pretty much ripped my heart out for these characters. There was so much sadness and wasted time, along with hope and redemption.

I was so happy with Mona and Wall’s ending, which was so richly deserved because they worked hard to get it.

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Review: The Crown of Fools (Underestimated Series Book 5) by Candice M Wright

The Crown of Fools by Candice M. Wright
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SOOOOO Much Information

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

For most of this book, it seemed to be going in one direction, then it took a swerve around 75% in, then, at around 90% in it did another even bigger swerve. I’m sitting here with my head in my hands, moaning with brain whiplash. I’m not even sure I can give a coherent review because my brain is still stuttering with ‘WTF just happened????’

This book covers Kat, or Sunshine as she is known by Carnage. Her soulmate got killed in the last book, just after she found out she was pregnant. Raised in foster care she has no one, not even Carnage really because Pike, her man, was a prospect and as such she couldn’t be an Old Lady. Plus there was the whole ‘you need to have an extra partner in the relationship to be part of Carnage’ thing. Sunshine was grieving and trying to keep going for the sake of her baby and Inigo and Conan are trying to look after her as best they can, as they are both smitten with the young woman.

Sunshine has more bad luck than anyone should rightly have, but she is tough and she always keeps managing to stay afloat by the skin of her teeth. Sunshine is made much darker by the death of Pike and the instances that seem to be following her around, but underneath it all she is still the same warm and loving woman that brought light to the darkness for Pike. As always in this series, she is seriously underestimated and is much stronger than even she suspects she is.

Both Conan and Inigo are in their 40s and Sunshine is much younger, in her 20s. This age difference doesn’t seem insurmountable because Sunshine has had a lot of life experience especially whilst growing up in foster care. Both men are dominant in the bedroom and think they are going to be the same way in Sunshine’s life. She’s not keen on that! Her fighting for her right to be treated as an independent entity isn’t as large a part of the book as it could have been.

I really enjoyed the majority of this book. It has everything going for it, older men, pregnant younger woman, mysterious stalker, bad guy landlord and big strapping bad*ss MC members. I even took the first swerve in the plot in my stride, thinking ‘well that’s interesting, I didn’t see that coming'. I think I just became overwhelmed with the information dump that was thrown at me in the very latter stages of the book. That sense of being overwhelmed definitely reduced my enjoyment of the book. I don’t know if I’ve been left reeling because of the book and the great writing or because I’ve not had enough sleep lately. I think I’ll have to do a re-read before the next book comes out because I think it’s the only way my brain will be able to parse all the information dumped in the last couple of chapters.

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