Review: Broken Lyric (Meltdown Series Book 2) by RB Hilliard

Broken Lyric by R.B. Hilliard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dangerously Obsessive

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

This is the second book in a connected series. This book can stand alone but you get to meet the characters and learn their history in the first book, so reading it will increase your enjoyment. There isn’t a cliffhanger, but there is a hook for the next book.

Nash is the lead guitarist for Meltdown a successful rock band. They’ve had a pretty rough couple of years but things are starting to settle down. They have a new keyboardist after the death of the old one and they now own their record label. The band decides to have a shakedown mini-tour for 3 months and though he has to go, Nash is reluctant because his beloved mother has cancer. The only thing helping him go on tour is knowing his mother has a live-in nurse to look after her.

Rowan Burn, Nash’s mother’s nurse, used to be called Gillian. Gillian had to change her name in order to hide from a very dangerous man who was obsessed with her. Her father was the one who set her up with that man. She decided to change her name at the same time as running away. Since then she hasn’t stayed in one place for very long or formed significant attachments. However, Nash’s mother, Maeve, has wormed herself into her heart, along with her son.

Though the initial set-up for this book seems obvious, the plot is actually quite complex. The suspense plot is intriguing, however, all the emotions feel a little muted because of the emphasis on the plot rather than the characters and what they are feeling. Bad things happen in this book but the characters don’t seem to dwell on how those things make them feel, it’s all about what’s happening and what’s going to happen next. It makes it harder to connect with the characters than I would have thought because on the surface the characters are very likeable and engaging.

This is a diverting book and quite entertaining, and I may read the next in the series at some point, but there are other books in my vast TBR list that will come first.

Borrow Free From Kindle Unlimited

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

Review: Magical Redemption (Biomystic Security Series Book 4) by Jaliza A Burwell

Magical Redemption by Jaliza A. Burwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Retribution and Redemption

This is the fourth book in a continuing series. You need to read the first books to understand this one. There is a natural break at the end of this book, though there is a hook for future books.

After the attack on Biomystic Security and the loss of friends and colleagues, Laila is battered emotionally, physically and magically. Told that she can’t use her magic until she recovers enough means that she can’t even work and it makes her even more miserable. Trying to come to terms with temporarily losing the use of her magic and the loss of her friends she knows she can’t return to her home because it’s not safe, so she’s stuck in a company apartment. On top of this, her boyfriends don’t understand that magic is a part of her and can’t be ignored completely. Frustrated and feeling misunderstood and isolated she becomes a victim of another magical attack, one that seems tied to the work she’d been doing that Padraig tried to steal.

It’s been a while since I read the first three books in this series but I was reminded about it recently so decided to return to this book. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed the first books and was pleased to find that I was able to follow the plot without having to re-read the first three books. The information that I needed to remind me of previous events was given in a smooth and unobtrusive manner, which I always appreciate.

In this book, we get to see more of the dragon that is moving to the city because of Laila. We finally get the full explanation of what it is he wants. We also get to learn more about the Elementalists and about Laila’s past. There is a lot of plot in this book with peril to both Laila and her lovers. She also has to deal with unfamiliar magic and fear of the unknown. The book primarily deals with the suspense/adventure part of the plot and Laila’s emotional frailties and to a certain extent, I wish there had been more about the connection between Laila and the men in her life. I didn’t feel much of a bond in this book, there just seemed to be a lot of tension, and not the good kind. I hope in future books, this gets resolved after facing a few of her demons in this book.

I won’t leave it so long, this time, until I read the next book in the series, because despite the lack of emotional connections there was a still a really interesting storyline.

Borrow Free From Kindle Unlimited

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

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.

Borrow Free From Kindle Unlimited

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

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

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

Excellent Romantic Suspense for the Over 40s

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

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

Hasty by Julia Kent
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When Life Hands You Lemons Go Home and Make Cheese

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

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

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

Demons in New York

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Borrow Free From Kindle Unlimited

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

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

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

Good Ending

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

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

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

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

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

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

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

Review: Roosevelt (Steel Bones Motorcycle Club Series Book 2.5) by Cate C Wells

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

Sweet Prospect Story

I’m reading this book out of order, so I already really liked Roosevelt when I got around to it. He was a cool support character and a prospect who everyone liked. This is the story of how he ended up at Steel Bones MC, and how he won his lady love.

Theo, aka Roosevelt, was a teenager when he started working in an Italian restaurant and fell head over heels for the granddaughter of the owners, the sweet and shy Carmela. Carmela also happens to be 9 years older than Theo, but he isn’t going to let that stop him.

Carmela is spiralling. Her brother persuaded her to sign over her share of the business and the house their grandparents left them to get loans. Now he doesn’t do any of the work, takes out the profits and doesn’t let Carmela have access to the books. The only support she has is from 22-year-old Theo who flirts and banters, providing friendship and support. One day she starts to believe it’s not just flirting.

This is a really sweet story. Theo is so strong and self-assured and knows exactly what he wants. He’s looked after his mother, grandmother and sisters since he was 16 and became the man of the house. He’s much more mature than most 22-year-olds.

Carmela is incredibly hard-working, she’s an amazing chef and gentle. She finds it really hard to stand up for herself and can’t understand what the gorgeous Theo sees in her, when she’s exhausted, overweight and can’t remember the last time she wore makeup.

I really enjoyed watching these two different characters come together. I’m so happy that Roosevelt got his HEA, and after reading about Carmela I’m doubly happy for her as she’s been through it. I want to read more about them, but know there isn’t much in the following books because I’ve already read most of them. Fingers crossed there are more books to come and they’ll reappear again.

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

Review: His Human Nanny (Monsters Love Curvy Girls Series Book 1) by Michele Mills

His Human Nanny by Michele Mills
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sweet and Silly Alien Romance

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

I’ve found in the last year I’ve been reading more and more of these sweet and silly alien romances. They are cheesy, comforting and excellent at diverting from the mess of the world. With this one it was purely the series title that sucked me in. The beauty of Kindle Unlimited is you can borrow books on a complete whim and it doesn’t matter if you waste a few hours on something that you didn’t absolutely love. You can either finish it, shrug your shoulders and think, ‘well at least that didn’t cost me anything’ or even just return it when you aren’t enjoying it.

I actually finished this book and did enjoy it. I probably wouldn’t have bought it, but borrowing it was fine. Riley is a human on a contract with an employment agency. She’s one day shy of finishing her fifth year of her ‘one year contract’. She was young and signed a very dodgy contract. Just as she thinks she’s gained her freedom she’s whisked away to another part of the galaxy to be a nanny for an alien because humans are the latest trend for the uber-wealthy who need caregivers.

When Riley comes face to horned face with her new employer, Aegir, she faints from the shock of coming face to face with a being who appears to be the devil himself. Aegir kindly catches Riley and carries her to his car. His appearance isn’t the last shock of the day. Instead of the married couple she’s expecting, she’s got single father Aegir and fire breathing twin babies instead of a single flame-less baby.

In some respects this book has a fairly predictable plot, on the other hand the niceness of most of the aliens Riley comes into contact with on this planet is surprising. Everyone is nice with a single exception, the obvious causer of dramatic tension. This niceness is what helps make this kind of fiction the perfect escapism.

There is quite a lot of sexual tension, which when resolved is explosive and the loving and sweet HEA epilogue has it’s own kind of passion.

It’s a sweet book, with very little drama, and some sexy times with a big, loyal, home-loving, red-hot demon look alike. What more could a curvy girl ask for?

Borrow Free From Kindle Unlimited

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

Review: Not Quite Free (Not Quite Series Book 5) by Kaye Draper

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

So Much Emotion

I left a big gap between reading Book 4 of this series and reading this book, and I can’t think why, because it’s a wonderful series. I think I got distracted with a big series re-read because I was feeling depressed (it always cheers me up to read something familiar) and when I finished the big series this book had moved down my kindle somewhat and it got hidden. I’m so glad I dug it out today and dove back into Sam’s world.

Sam has been named Viceroy of his town by the Sovereign, the phoenix, Theo. Sam is still trying to keep their mates safe by staying away from them, but they are slowly unravelling towards becoming feral, like all mated shifters who stay away from their mates. Sam believe that as they are a cur, only half a shifter, they won’t be as severely affected but everyone else is not so sure.

Angel decides to save Sam from themself, by interfering in the estrangement, and as always he pays the price for his devotion to Sam.

This book in the series is full of revelations about people’s feelings. Sam isn’t the only one hiding their feelings and scared to admit what’s going on, mainly because of Sam’s reactions, because they are so broken by the way they were raised and society hasn’t helped since leaving the shifter community behind, in order to protect themself.

Though there is still quite a lot of action in this book, there is even more emotion and there was a definite lump in my throat in several sections. Sam and their mates are so badly hurt by society and I just want to give them all a big hug. They are all so unsure of their own worth.

Borrow Free From Kindle Unlimited

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

Review: Solstice (Naked Truth Series Book 3) by Candi Fox

Solstice by Candi Fox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Letting People In

The last book left us on a doozy of an emotional cliffhanger, and this book takes a surprising twist with Harley finally being able to give in to her crush on her contact with the police, with the blessing of his wife. This is a difficult subject for some people who may not understand how polyamory can work for people in established relationships as time changes them and they decide to alter how their relationship looks.

During the course of this book, we see more of Freya becoming involved in Harley’s life and we discover more about her powers. In fact, her powers seem to be developing more quickly than she thought was possible and she has to reach out to others to learn how to use them. She also learns to start letting people into her life in a more than superficial way, which has a direct impact on her friendships as well as her relationships.

I like how this series handles polyamory and the various levels of emotional connection Harley has with the people in her life. There are people she is friends with, those she has sex with, those who are both and those she has a romantic and emotional connection with. All the people she is involved with are involved with other people too and it’s all out in the open and discussed to ensure no one gets hurt.

There are a few confusing moments in this book, as there were in the previous ones, where things get raised and then sort of abandoned or forgotten about, or half tied off without more explanation. I don’t know if they’ll be raised again in future books but it’s a little frustrating at times. But there is also lots to enjoy, with Harley’s caseload and her romantic endeavours mingling together to produce something interesting and sensual.

Borrow Free From Kindle Unlimited

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

Review: Sins of A King (SINS Series Book 1) by Emma Slate

Sins of a King by Emma Slate
My rating: 3 of 5 stars 

Uncomfortable Reading For A Brit

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

It’s well written but I have reasons for my lower score and the reasons are given below as.........


*********SPOILERS*********





















Be warned that this about a woman who falls in love with a man who runs a criminal organisation in the US in order to funnel guns to the Scottish equivalent of the IRA. Now someone doesn’t have a problem with really dark romance will probably laugh at my discomfort around this subject matter but I don’t like my MMC to be really really awful. I like them to have some redeeming qualities before the MFC falls for them. I thought this was the case with this character because he seems kind for a ‘bad boy’. He runs a brothel and casino but his brothel workers are dubbed courtesans and have a choice about their clients who are very carefully vetted and monitored. Both these things are illegal but it isn’t like he’s selling drugs to kids or taking part in human trafficking.

However, as you get pulled into the story you become aware that essentially the MMC is a terrorist. In the US the IRA might be considered a group of freedom fighters, who have fought for peace. However in the UK if you are over a certain age the initials IRA conjures up a chill. The IRA were at war with the rest of the UK and they had no qualms about killing men, woman and children indiscriminately. Anyone who travelled through London in the 1980s and early 1990s (as I did as a teenager) will remember the low-level fear of not making it to your destination. No bins in train stations, signs about unidentified packages, does this sound familiar? It’s because in the UK we dealt with terror threats before the USA even knew what one was and it came from the IRA.

To have an author choose to make their MMC the member of an organisation like that for a country that has been part of the UK since 1707, nearly 70 years before the Declaration of Independence was written may seem like a good idea because of course, Scotland would never try to seek independence from Great Britain using violent means, but for a Brit who lived under the threat of the IRA, this does not make for a comfortable read. I don’t find terrorists heroic, no matter how much of a freedom fighter they are meant to be.

However, if you can distance yourself from that it’s a pretty well-written book. The characters are engaging, provided you ignore the fact they are terrorists. The characters are interesting and you can enjoy watching the way a fairly normal woman becomes the head of a crime syndicate as she tries to reconcile the actions she must take in order to stay alive and free.

It’s not incredibly violent, or it doesn’t dwell with glee on the violent incidents that occur. It’s still pretty dark in places though, even if it doesn’t start off that way. It’s a cleverly constructed descent into a murky world.

You may have guessed though that I won’t be reading the rest of this series. 

Borrow Free From Kindle Unlimited

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links. 

Review: Don't Play with a Player: A Sweet Office Romance (Laws Of Love Series Book 2) by Agnes Canestri

Law #2: Don't Play with a Player: A Sweet Office Romance by Agnes Canestri
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet Romance

First I need to warn people who normally read my reviews that this is a little different to what I normally read and is actually a clean romance. I know it’s a bit shocking for you that I would read something without heat, but it’s a really sweet romance and I really enjoyed it. It reminded me a little of Mariana Zapata’s writing in style, just without the bedroom scene at the end.

This is a very slow-build romance with two people who seem so different but actually have quite a lot in common. Laia is a sweet, clever and pretty Hispanic woman, who has just finished her master's program and is desperate for a job. She’s creative and romantic but constantly underestimates herself and other people’s opinions of her.

Devon owns a very successful marketing company and is known as a bit of a playboy around town. He doesn’t believe in love and soul mates and would rather have a meaningless fling than a proper relationship. What he does need though is a PA.

Laia’s best friend puts her name forward for an intern position at Devon’s company. Devon ends up hiring Laia as his PA because he believes she is serious about her job and her terrible taste in clothes leaves her hidden away and not particularly attractive to him, so she isn’t too distracting.

These two people are very different but at the same time, they discover the things that they have in common are more than they thought. Laia discovers that she enjoys working with Devon and he enjoys having someone incredibly efficient and talented working as his PA, even if after her best friend’s makeover she actually now looks very attractive indeed.

There is a psychological element to this romance with the two of them starting to understand their behaviour and mindset. It’s a very gradual unveiling of secrets and histories, that reveals the motivations for their actions. The plot is quite predictable, but it’s still an enjoyable ride.

My one complaint is the use of the verbal tic of ending sentences with the word “......, no?”. I can understand it being the tic of one of the people in the story, but it was used by so many of them that it became very annoying. I don’t know if it’s because of the region the author comes from, or her heritage, but it just isn’t something I’m used to and it felt forced, even though it may not have been. It made the conversation more stylised and less natural. Other than that and the plot predictability, which sometimes is enjoyable in its own way, the book was a nice, sweet and fun romance.

Borrow Free From Kindle Unlimited

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

Review: The Devil's Advocate (The Devil's Advocate Series Book 1) by Michaela Haze

The Devil's Advocate by Michaela Haze
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Being Queen of Hell Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up To Be

I decided to read this book after reading Red City, a more recently written book, as I wanted to know more about the world in which it was set.

This author has a great imagination, with some decidedly dark turns to it. This book is probably not for people of slightly nervous constitutions, or probably around meal times. We are talking about demons here and they author doesn’t shy away from the basic evil of them as a species, though she does imbue them with more human emotions too, that are quite a lot less evil, such as love and loyalty.

Two hundred years ago Lucifer banished his consort, Dahlia, to the human realm. He gave no explanation why, after more than a millennia together, he cast her out. She has been working as his broker with humans ever since because he can only come to the human realm for 66 minutes and 6 seconds each day. Though Dahlia is banished from hell she is still fed by it and is infinitely more strong than many other demons and than all daemons (humans changed by demon blood and sin into immortals that need to feed on sins directly created by humans). Dahlia is still devastated at the loss of Lucifer and hates him for casting her out at the same time as longing for him.

This author conveys loss and longing so brilliantly you can understand how someone who has been betrayed can still want the person who betrayed them. Lucifer’s motives are unclear almost until the end of the book and following Dahlia’s confusion and reactions to his actions leaves you at as much of a loss as she is.

For a demon queen, Dahlia is a very sympathetic character. This is probably because she doesn’t come across as outright evil. She appears to have a little empathy, which is surprising.

The plot is complex and compelling and draws you in. I devoured the book as the story was excellent. I will say though that there are lot of typos and grammatical problems in the book. I don’t think I noticed this problem in Red City, so it may be that because this was an early book there wasn’t enough money for an editor. It’s only a little distracting, but I know someone people hate books like that so I wanted to give the information in case it’s important. I think it would be a shame if this put you off, because it’s an imaginative and interesting novel.

Borrow Free From Kindle Unlimited

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

Review: Doo Wop (Tobin Tribe Series Book 4) by Caitlyn Coakley

Doo Wop by Caitlyn Coakley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Family Upheaval

The Tobin clan is going through the mill. Deb and Brian are still barely speaking because Brian refuses to apologise. The tension is felt throughout the whole family. On top of this, there seems to be problems with Clausen Construction, one of the family businesses.

For Riley, the middle child and mediator of the family, life is even more stressful than normal, because he’s stuck in the middle of all the tension, trying to smooth things out. As well as being a mediator Riley has a reputation in the family for indulging in free range sexual encounters, the less private the better. At the same time he wants a wife, family and children. Finding a woman who fits both criteria is a bit tricky to say the least.

At the latest Clausen Construction charity project he’s all set to find a lady to share his outdoors hobby, when he encounters Aubrey, a company accountant, who surprises him by informing him that looking for a wife amongst women who enjoy risky sexual behaviour with a virtual stranger is probably going to be very difficult.

This encounter intrigues Riley and leads him to rethink his approach to finding someone to love. Aubrey is definitely someone he would like a chance to woo.

I enjoyed this book but felt it was a little weaker than the others. The plot seemed like it skipped a few bits and you had to wait for an explanation about what happened in the missed section. Whilst this can be an effective narrative device in certain situations, I’m not sure it worked here. There was also an awful lot going on plot wise in this book. This seemed to slim down the amount of time we spent getting know Riley and Aubrey as a couple, and I felt a lot of their early relationship was missed out on.

All that being said, I still really enjoyed the book, as I do love the Tobins. I liked Aubrey and think she will be good for Riley. (I can't believe I just wrote that sentence, I think I'm spending too much time with fictional characters!)

Borrow Free From Kindle Unlimited

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

Review: The Favor by Suzanne Wright

The Favor by Suzanne Wright
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Enthralling Romance

I love Suzanne Wright, she hasn't written many contemporary romances, though what she has done, I've enjoyed. I think this book was the best yet as it was superb. It had all of the world building, character development and plot construction her other works had, just no shifters, vampires or demons.

Vienna works as a PA for a demanding, cold and ruthless business man, Dane. He is successful and driven and always gets what he wants. What Dane wants is for Vienna to marry him for 12 months so he can obtain a trust fund, which includes personal items his uncle left him. He doesn’t need the money, but he wants the things that connect him to a man he cared for.

Dane never wanted to get married. He wanted to succeed at everything he set his mind to, and he did. However, his uncle wanted him to be married because he had died financially successful but lonely and he didn’t want that for his nephews.

This seems on the surface to be the usual ‘marriage of convenience’ trope, which I happen to enjoy, which is why I downloaded it, however it is much more. There are so many layers to this story it’s hard to understand until you finish reading it. Both Vienna and Dane had very difficult childhoods in different ways. They also had caring adults during their childhoods who mattered to them and helped raise them. It affected them in completely different ways.

The people around Vienna and Dane are equally complex and have their own reasons for interfering in their marriage. They also have layers of motive and behaviour that are peeled back throughout the story. It’s a difficult line to walk, balancing the need to progress the story and also dwell on the emotional aspects of the characters but this author excels at it.

This really was a superb book and I enjoyed every page. I highly recommend it. I think I'm going to have re-read some of this author's books, because I haven't done it in a while and this book reminded me just how good she is.

Borrow Free From Kindle Unlimited

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

Review: Joke (The Brothers Series Book 3) by Mia Malone

Joke by Mia Malone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Joke’s Girl

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

As this is the third book in this series about the same group of friends, I’ve got to know Joke quite well, and what I saw I really liked. He’s a good guy, runs his bar, loves his sister, stands up for his friends and community and is actually pretty level headed with a really solid sense of himself. It was mentioned in a previous book that he was a little lonely and he overheard the comment and kind of agreed with it, especially with his friends starting to pair up.

Then one day Sissy walked into the bar and asked for a job that he’d not yet advertised for, sent over by Lee. Sissy didn’t even know she wanted to stay in town or apply for a job, but the place really appealed to her and reminded her of where she grew up in the mountains surrounded by skiing and bikers. As soon as they saw each other Joke and Sissy were really attracted to each other but were a little cautious because of the job.

I also like Sissy a LOT. She was multi-faceted, which was commented once or twice in the book. She reminded me that during your life you are never just one thing all the way through. You can be wild, dependable, nurturing or reckless at different points and at the same time. By the time you hit 50 you’ve lived several stages of your life and they are all different, but they are all still you.

Sissy’s life wasn’t easy. She was attacked at age 18 and her leg shattered with a steel pipe, destroying her skiing career after being accepted onto the national team. Ever since the same man who destroyed that part of her life would get out of prison and start chasing her again causing her and her family terrible distress. Moving to Wilhelmine was to escape him and draw him away from her daughters to reduce the danger to them. She is strong, intelligent, brave and has a wild side that fits in with Joke’s.

I laughed out loud several times when reading this book. There was a lot more banter than the other two books, which already had quite a lot. This book felt like the group was settling in together with the new relationships and the addition of the extra women. It reminded me of listening to any group of friends who had known each other for years, that were maybe slightly more open than most!

These books reflect the many layers of real life with friendships, community, children, work as well as love and hot sex. It’s all important and life is not solely focused on one aspect, it’s made up of all of them, and I like that these book show that so very clearly.

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

Review: Finn (The Conner Brother Construction Series Book 1) by Cee Bowerman

Finn by Cee Bowerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Insta-Family Time

This is a different series in the same town as Texas Knights MC and Texas Kings MC. There is some crossover of characters too, which I like because it means I get to read about some of my favourites from the other books, even if they are only on the periphery.

The Conner family have a construction business, built by their mother and father. There are 7 surviving children in the family after a car accident killed the parents and two sisters and the husband of one of the sisters. Finn is trying manage the business, which is very short handed and things are getting overlooked.

Lena found out her father had terminal cancer and moved home to look after him. Her stepmother didn’t lift a finger to nurse him. After her father’s death she carried on living with her stepmother until one day she threw her out of her own home. Desperate to use her office management degree she applies for the job at Connor Construction. She and Finn click immediately and they both gratefully decide on her starting work straight away. This is the start of Finn being absorbed into the family and rescuing them from their grief, especially Finn.

I really enjoyed this book. It had lots of emotion, drama and humour. I thought the Conner family was hilarious and want to be adopted the way Lena was. The characters are all fantastic and I can’t wait to read about all the other brothers.

Borrow Free From Kindle Unlimited

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

Review: Allegory (Champion Series Book 1) by L Ann Marie

Allegory : Bikers, Masons, Freaky Princes of Prophecy kids and Alpha-Bits have nothing on the Stooges and Cort. by L. Ann Marie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

East Meets West

This series has always been a bit strange for me because my great uncle was a Mason. He was not at all cool in the way these Masons are cool, though I do have my suspicions about his exploits in Chile in the 1920s!

Champion is the club that is mainly focused on the integrating Badass and the Masons, working towards equality and spreading the work of both organisations, far and wide.

In this book we also see how BSC from the East Coast has become intertwined with the Phoenix Rising clubs. Several of the youngest generation from BSC have moved to the PBSC and the first we spend any time with is Hannah, one of Brantley’s adopted daughters. She’s a reader but her main focus is IT. She’s an interesting character and her Pres Trask is a good man who wants more women in the both the PBSC and the Masons.

There are some very funny scenes with the Stooges, dogs and virtual creations. As always there are some spicy scenes and some violent ones. It’s always a good easy going read when one of these books come out. They are entertaining and fun. This book is no different and I really enjoyed the mashing up of the two parts of the Badass world. 

 

Borrow Free From Kindle Unlimited

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.

Review: The Bliss Drip (Rozalyn Hunt Series Book 1) by Liddie Cain

The Bliss Drip by Liddie Cain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interesting World Building

Rozalyn owns her own spa. She works and lives with her best friend who is more like a sister. Her parents are fantastic and life is pretty good, despite not really having much success in the romance department.

Then her ex, Mac, turns up. He’s not quite the same as she remembers because she can tell he is now a vampire. He left her with little warning and no explanation and she never really recovered from that heartbreak. Now he’s back to take over as the Vampire Magistrate for the area and she is to become his Medium, the human liaison between humans and vampires who manages the safe donation of blood. This introduces her to the supernatural world, which only recently become public and she even gets an angel as her receptionist.

The author starts out quite slowly building up the characters and the world they inhabit and then starts to ramp up the plot and the tension. She incorporates passion and emotion along with bonds of friendship and family into her story and it makes for a richer experience.

The story ends on a bit of a cliffhanger but it’s not one that will make you throw your kindle at the wall!

Borrow Free From Kindle Unlimited

Buy From Amazon UK

Buy From Amazon US

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, made after using the above links.