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.

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

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

Excellent Romantic Suspense for the Over 40s

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Review: Royal Dragon Renegade (Royal Dragon Shifters of Morocco Series Book 8) by Ava Ward

Royal Dragon Renegade by Ava Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Re-Binding Her Dragons

This book continues from book 7 and cannot be read separately from the rest of the series if you want to understand what is going on.

The first half of this book starts quite slowly. It’s basically all about Layla reconnecting with the dragons from her bind that she was cut off from in a previous book. Everyone thought they would re-bind as soon as Layla returned from Hunter’s realm, but everyone’s emotions prevented it. This book deals with each dragon and Layla’s problems and how they work through it.

Things start to ramp up with Adrian because he is holding back from the bind for some reason and Layla doesn’t want to push him but also doesn’t want to let it go for too long. She has a fine line to walk.

This really is a superb series and the world that this author has created never seems to dim in beauty. Ava Ward’s descriptions are vivid and enthralling, though I have to say there were a few places where her adjective choice seemed a little strange. She also repeated a lot of her adjectives, even the strange ones, which made them more noticeable. It felt a little like she became fixated on a word and just used it repeatedly, whether it was relevant or not. One example is the use of the word disastrous or disastrously that got used repeatedly and I don’t think it really works when describing someone’s eye colour as “..a hot, disastrous turquoise.” This really was the only niggle as far as I was concerned. I enjoyed the whole book as much as the rest of the series, so I can accept the occasional odd word selection, even if it is a little distracting.

The last book in the series is next and I don’t know if I want to read it immediately to know how it all ends or delay it as long as possible so I don’t have to finish the series. I know, sometimes I’m a little strange in my choices!

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Review: Book of the Damned: A-E5L1-01-00 (The JAK2 Cycle Book 2) by VES Pullen

Book of the Damned: A-E5L1-01-00 by V.E.S. Pullen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Secrets Revealed

This book continues where book 1 left off. The secret of why the triplets and twins have been brought in is revealed and it’s not pretty. Azzie is really sick from the virus she exposed herself to and no one thinks she’s going to make it, and Mouse has gone missing.

It’s really hard to talk about the plot of this book without revealing any spoilers so all I’m going to say is that it is clever and multi-layered. I think it’s clever that the author has set this in a period 9 years after COVID-19. A few years after COVID-19 set the world on it’s backside, came another virus JANUS-23, which was more deadly and attacked an already weakened world. This allows the author to really project what could happen during the direst circumstances of a pandemic without making it about COVID-19. The author draws on the experiences of the world and what we’ve witnessed and continues with worse case scenarios to come up with the plot for this series.

I loved that in this book we see Azzie come out of her shell even more than the first book. The slow unveiling of her true personality is fantastic to read about. It’s done in a believable way so nothing feels incongruous to the character.

We also learn a bit more about the twins and triplets and why they have ended up in Salem. They may have all come from different places but their reasons are fairly similar, they came to get their families the vaccine and to try and find out what was going on in Salem for their communities. Communities are important in post-JANUS-23 America. Communities are those people who help you survive but also help you to keep the virus as far from the vulnerable as possible.

This series is gripping but I imagine if you are living with the worst consequences of COVID-19 you may find the subject matter triggering. Personally, I felt that the distinction between the two viruses helped, also that it was set in the USA rather than the UK where I am based, which means my experiences have been different enough to prevent drawing too many similarities between fiction and reality.

I will definitely be downloading the next book as soon as possible because even though this is a slow burn reverse harem and there’s been nothing but a few kisses up to the end of this book, I still want to see what happens to the romance part of the story as well as the getting everyone safe part of the plot.

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Review: Book of the Dead: AESLI-00 (The JAK2 Cycle Book 1) by VES Pullen

Book of the Dead: AESLI-00 by V.E.S. Pullen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dystopian NA Reverse Harem Romance

This book is really hard to describe. It falls into several categories and that is why I like it. The book starts as Azzie, a high school senior, is going about her regular life on an army base. She isn’t well and has blood drawn every day to help maintain her life but it doesn’t leave her feeling great.

One day instead of just her normal blood tech she has someone new in the room. When she goes to school there are multiple new students. There are a set of triplets, two sets of twins and it turns out the new lab tech’s twin brother is now a teacher at her school. It’s odd and Azzie doesn’t like it, especially as so many of them seem to want to become her friends.

One of the reasons I really liked this book was because the sample was saved on my kindle and I forgot what it was about. I just started reading blind and got sucked in. I loved reading as each layer was revealed, showing more about Azzie. She became more and more real with each chapter. Her personality started to shine through, whereas at the beginning of the book she was just a shell of a person. We mirror what the triplets/twins see as she gradually shows who she is. We understand the privilege it is for them and us to get to know this special young woman, who is frail and damaged, yet strong and brave.

I thought that this was going to be a typical high school thing (because I forgot what it was supposed to be about) and it turned into something darker and more intriguing. It’s a fantastically twisted and subtle book with complex layers of plot that are as subtle as the way the characters are built. It was fascinating and could not stop reading once I started. I can’t wait to read the next book because the cliffhanger is fantastically awful.

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Review: Get Your Rocks Off Series Books 1-3 by Sam Hall

Get Your Rocks Off Books 1-3 by Sam Hall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fae Shenanigans

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

This omnibus of 3 books is the start of the series. I believe there are already or going to be 2 more books after this volume. I’m so glad I read these books all in one chunk because I think I would have thrown my kindle at the wall at the ends of each of books 1 and 2, due to cliffhangers. The three books merge together as a seamless whole.  The three books included are; Book 1 - Away With The Fairies, Book 2 - Riding For A Fall, Book 3 - Star On The Rise.

Kira is a young woman who has never lived independently. She has a fine arts degree, earns a living by her production of stock photographs but she lives in a cottage on her parent’s land. She suffers from severe visual disturbances and migraines. Her condition doesn’t have a confirmed diagnosis but it is debilitating, which is why she lives in a small town where everyone knows who to contact when she collapses in pain. Her one diversion is her photography and her one friend is Jen.

Jen is the daughter of an exceptionally wealthy and powerful man. He is a successful music executive and his home is filled with powerful, beautiful and debauched people on a regular basis. Kira tends to avoid these beautiful people because she feels that she is unattractive and uninteresting. Jen is always trying to get her to appreciate her own beauty but she fails.

Jen finally convinces Kira to take a job photographing a party for her father. At the party she meets The Changelings, the band that have visited her dreams, loving and seducing her, for months. As well as photographing them, she interviews them and in doing so, the band decide they want her on their tour with them.

Everything is changing for Kira, her world is being shaken to the core. She is going out to explore the world, without parental support, to live a rich, distracting and chaotic life. Then her world is turned over even more, as she discovers the world isn’t what she thought it was, and neither is she.

This is a darkly seductive book. The people in this book are damaged and damaging. They lash out and hurt those around them because they have been hurt. So much is hidden about the characters and their motivations that we have no idea why everyone is acting the way they are acting, or how they are going to act at any given point. The plot is filled with twists and turns, beauty, passion, power and pain.

This book is principally about power and love. The characters strive for both and it’s hard to tell which characters strive for what. Kira is thrust into a confusing and difficult world and we are forced to watch as she is put through the mill as she tries to find her balance and hopefully work towards her happiness.

The world-building in this book is rich and complex. We initially see the dark beauty of the fae world and marvel at its decadence and debauchery. Then the author gradually peels back the layers so we can see the rot behind the glittering mask. We learn about the courts and the gods and the fae and how they all interact. We learn about power and how everything fae is related to who has it, who can generate it and who can use it.

The plot is a dark and twisted thing that skitters and dances as you read, never knowing which direction it’s going to turn next. It’s complicated and intriguing and I couldn’t stop reading because I HAD to know what was coming next. I couldn’t predict what would happen next and that rarely happens to me, so when it does I LOVE it.

The plot was principally driven by the characters, their history and personalities. Their complexity is what created the unpredictable plot. Each character is cleverly constructed, with a rich back story and personalities. Their relationships with each other are a tangled web of unknown events in the past that we can only guess at, though the author slowly reveals some key points that help explain some of their motives and why the plot is so unpredictable.

I will say that I didn’t actually like quite a lot of the characters. Personally, if I were to meet them I wouldn’t give them the time of day, and in the blurb at the back of the book, the author echoes that statement, which makes me like her that much more. So many of the characters are seriously damaged individuals and they lash out like toddlers in their fear and their rage. Because we understand their pain, doesn’t mean they don’t inflict their own brand of damage on others. It does make them fascinating to read about though.

Kira is a very interesting MFC. She’s spent most of her life being powerless and uninteresting. Then she is thrust into a world that insists that she has power and is beautiful and fascinating. She is confused and seduced by the passion and beauty that now surrounds her and is at the same time terrified of it.

This book is filled with passion and heat and if you are easily offended by sex in any of it’s forms you will probably hate this book with a fiery passion. There are some trigger warnings throughout the book but I didn’t really feel uncomfortable reading and I usually at least feel slightly uneasy through most books that offer trigger warnings, even if they don’t trigger me personally, however, these triggers are not my triggers and I can’t comment about how that might affect another reader.

All in all, it’s a really good read if you enjoy slightly darker, edgy and sexy fae shenanigans!

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Review: Damaged Dreams (The Council Series Book 1) by Kris Butler

Damaged Dreams by Kris Butler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Emotions Based New Adult Reverse Harem

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

Sariah has been in hiding for the last 5 years. When she was 15 she was on the cusp of great success, heading for the Olympics, at a rapid pace with her next-door neighbour, Henry, as her Pairs Ice Dancing partner and and who she hoped was about to become her boyfriend. Then everything changed in the space of 24 hours. She was suddenly on the run with her parents after hearing she was adopted and her parents weren’t who she thought they were. When deciding to run for it they were forced off the road into an accident in which she barely escaped with her life and lost both parents.

Now known as Sawyer Sullivan, she is ready to follow up on finding out who she really is and she is heading for a new job as an Instructor at TAS, the Elite Winter Sports Academy where her parents told her it all began. Due to her new name she was placed in a shared house with male instructors and decides to stay after being told there were very limited options for alternative housing. This is the set up for meeting all the men.

This is a good-sized book and the author spends a lot of time building up the characters. We get to know Sawyer quite well through her own and other’s eyes. There are multiple POV in this book, which helps us get to know the other characters, and not just from Sawyer’s point of view, but from others in the house.

At the end of the book, in the ‘About The Author’ section Kris Butler confirms that she has worked in the mental health field and this book definitely shows that background. The characters are well rounded, with many hidden depths. I like that the male characters have a well developed history with each other and their interactions are as important as those with Sawyer. There are quite a few heated scenes which include MM as well as MFM interactions. The MM interactions are not just physical but also romantic.

Because of the slow build-up of the characters, the creation of the RH situation is believable and sweet as well as hot. I also like that not everyone is automatically included in the RH. The relationships that Sawyer has with each man in the house is very different and they build at different rates. The mystery aspect of the story is put on hold in the middle of the book as we get to know all the characters. There is also some bullying, but it isn’t a focus of the story, and it doesn’t seem to bother Sawyer that much.

I like that though this is set at an academy, the characters are instructors rather than students. I have grown a bit weary of 17 year olds having the sex life of a very adventurous and experienced 30 year old. I know that academies are convenient for placing a group of disparate people together in an enclosed environment but I’ve read sooooo many of these stories that I’ve grown bored of the trope. This twist somehow magically makes it all a bit better. I think because they are adults and are free to do what they want without being bound by ‘academy rules’.

Some people might find this a little slow in places, but for people who enjoy the psychological aspect of the building of a harem, this is a great read and I can’t wait to read the next book when it comes out.

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Review: Rita's Redemption (Nesting Instinct Series Book 2 ) by Clairissa Sinclair

Nesting Instinct: Book 2 Rita's Redemption by Clairissa SinClair
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Vivienne’s Home For Waifs and Strays

This book follows on directly from Book 1 in the series, however, the main focus of the book is on Kian, Vivi’s older (and newfound) brother and Rita. A bit of a heads up as this book is a bit darker than the first one, and there should really be a trigger warning because the difficult action takes place quite near the start of the book.

Rita is a design student who has been swept off her feet by a rich and powerful older vampire. She’s head over heels and when he suggests taking her to Paris for a holiday she immediately ditches college to go with him, not realising that the vampire she’s in love with doesn’t exist, it’s all an act.

In Paris, alone, with no money or support, her boyfriend becomes a monster. After escaping barely clinging on to her life she is helped by Vivi and Declan, who are there for their honeymoon. Obviously, they take her under their wings and sweep her back to the US to safety, where she gets a chance to recover and meets Kian.

There is a lot more violence and darkness in this book, as should be obvious from the subject matter. Some of it is explicit, some of it is fade to black. It’s not visceral, however, it could still cause some people to trigger if they aren’t prepared.

I really enjoyed the book, even though it wasn’t as easy a read as the first in the series. In fact, I think that made it better as we got to see the dark side of the Vampire race. I will almost definitely read the next book.

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Review: Hectic (Arcane Mage Series Book 2) by TS Snow

Hectic by T.S. Snow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

More Magical Mayhem

I’m going to start this review by saying I didn’t want to throw my kindle across the room at the end of the book, unlike last time. The ending has more of a kerbhanger than a cliffhanger. There is definitely a lot more story to come but the ending comes at a natural break in the plot (thankfully).

As you may have gathered by the sheer existence of a second book in the series, the main character Char is not, in fact dead. Dum Dum DUUUUUHH! She is however, very, very injured. When Char wakes up she comes face to face with her ex Theo, who desperately wants to get back together with her, which is why he was there when her apartment blew up.

The AMIA wants Char to stay in hiding and to pretend to be dead so that they can flush out the mole that allowed the rebellion to escape from their round up and got Char almost killed. Char ends up in a safe house with Blaze and Blair, a fellow agent.

This book is the same as the first in the way the plot keeps you turning pages quickly. There’s so much going on, I didn’t want to stop for lunch. The male characters start to show themselves a lot more clearly in this book, though this is still a slow building RH. That’s not to say there isn’t plenty of heat, just not between multiple men yet.

The world building is getting a lot more interesting, with more of the social structure being explained, though there are still very large gaps in the information given to the reader. I think there are some pretty good reasons why it's still missing and they are all plot related. I get the feeling that the author has fleshed out the society, magic system and plot in her head and is only revealing what we really need to know for everything to be unveiled in the best way possible.

As you might have guessed I really love this series. The characters are great and the story is anything but straight forward and I can’t wait to read the next book. When’s it due out again?????

ETA: Erratic is out on 11th March 2021 That's so far away (sobs)

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Review: Straight Arrow (Tobin Tribe Series Book 5) by Caitlyn Coakley

Straight Arrow by Caitlyn Coakley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Lost Child Is Found

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

Knox Tobin is pretty miserable and has been for the last 5 years. He was last happy on the day he planned to propose to his high school sweetheart, after his final exam. When he got to her house she was gone. No one would tell him where she was and she wouldn't answer her phone. It was the ultimate ghosting and he hasn’t been happy since, endlessly searching for someone to take the pain away.

Five years ago Charlie was forced to make the toughest decision of her life. She was forced to leave the US and hide from the man she loved in order to keep him and their unborn son safe. The only happiness she’s had since has been from their son.

Then one day their son is in an accident and the rare blood condition to which every Tobin male seems susceptible means that he needs his father’s frozen blood supply and Knox finally discovers the truth of his son’s existence.

I enjoyed learning about the mysterious past that broke Knox, that has been referred to all through the rest of the series. Having it explained helped soothe an aching curiosity. Finding out helps the reader to understand Knox and the gaping hole in his heart.

I also liked learning more about the QRK Internet News Station that had been referred to in previous books and about the rivalries between the Clausens and the Tobins.

I felt like a lot of foreshadowing was tied off in this book, which is always satisfying and probably part of what I enjoyed about it. I also enjoyed the way Knox and Charlie interacted with both of them terribly wounded by each other and failing to communicate properly whilst family and friends stood by wringing their hands unable to help mend their loved one’s hearts.

The plot was well paced and there was plenty of room for the emotional growth of the characters. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series which comes out in a couple of weeks. I don’t know what will happen when the author runs out of Tobins!

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Review: Fain (Texas Kings MC Series Book 12) by Cee Bowerman

Fain by Cee Bowerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Funny and Sweet

It won’t come as a surprise, if you’ve read any of my reviews about this series, but I really enjoyed this book. It fills in the story about Fain and Jenna that was hinted at in some of the previous books.

Jenna fell for Fain when she was 16. He was a lot older and had been to prison before becoming a prospect. A few years have passed and they have become best friends, except Jenna wants more and Fain doesn’t think he’s good enough. They have a fight and she gets in a car wreck. This story covers what happens following the accident when Jenna gets flown to a rehab centre in Colorado and Fain goes with her. This is all information from previous books, so I'm not giving you any spoilers here.

We find out about Fain’s history and meet his siblings. We get to see Jenna finally grow up as she learns how to use her damaged body and we see them both learn to to handle difficult situations together.

It’s hilarious, as all these books are. It’s sweet too, which is no surprise. These books are a quick bite of pure entertainment that make me smile. I can’t resist them. I really hope there are books in the future that cover Fain’s siblings because they are all awesome and there’s definitely enough of them to create a decent sized series.

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Review: Deal with the Devil (Mercenary Librarians Series Book 1) by Kit Rocha

Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This review is based on listening to the book on audible, and therefore there is a section of the review relating solely to this aspect. My view of the story is probably influenced by the narration and this should be considered when reading the review.

I have read a lot of Kit Rocha books, and really enjoyed the ‘Beyond’ series. This isn’t like that, but I knew that going in. Unlike the ‘Beyond’ books, this is a dystopian adventure with some romance thrown in to help move the plot along, rather than an erotic romance dystopian novel. I imagine this book will appeal to a much wider audience.

Firstly, I have to say that the narrator, Lidia Dornet, was really good, verging on the excellent. My only very minor criticism is that sometimes during sections of dialogue where there was no reference to who was saying what, it was difficult to differentiate between the characters voices, almost like she was hedging her bets as to who was speaking. Other than this minor niggle I was very impressed with her style, which was relaxed and natural with enough emotion to allow you to connect with the characters. I enjoyed the audio version of this book I finished it in two days, because I couldn’t stop listening to it.

On to the story itself, which was really gripping. Set in the future, after the collapse of civilisation, Atlanta is ruled by The TechCorp, a huge technology company. The city is divided between the have and have nots and there is no one looking out for the have nots, except for in one section of the city there is a warehouse where three unusual women live, who have created a library for the local residents. To fund their work and add to their library these women go hunting for information in dangerous and dark places, being paid handsomely by rich collectors.

When Nina, their leader, is approached by Knox, a rogue TechCorp Protectorate Captain, for a job she is reluctant to trust the source. However, when the Rogue Library of Congress is dangled in front of her, she finds it hard to resist because of the reward of obtaining such a prize.

This book is woven on a rich tapestry of world building. The society is constructed with a fine eye for detail. Then the characters are placed carefully into that society and given a wonderful plot to follow. All the characters are wonderfully interesting and given space to grown and show themselves through the course of the book. Though the story focuses on Nina and Knox, there are also multiple points of view shown in different sections, which gives a well rounded picture of the story.

Nina is a fascinating character. She believes in the inherent goodness of people and the possibility of a better life and making a difference. She came from a truly horrible place and when she gained her freedom she wanted to make the world a better place for others, even at risk to herself. She’s an idealist, but she’s a ruthless one. She plans carefully and weighs up the dangers and seeks to protect her loved ones at each step of the journey. It’s an interesting counterbalance to her idealism.

Knox is someone who started out an idealist and had it knocked out of him over decades working for The TechCorp, as he was experimented on and sent out to do their dirty work. Finally unable to carry out one last horrific order, he and his team went rogue, even knowing they were risking their lives. His only motive is to secure freedom for his team from the consequences of leaving that The TechCorp ensured to install in their employees. He has to decide whether it’s worth giving up his eroded principles for his men at every step of his journey. His internal battle throughout this book is fascinating to watch as it’s handled with a delicate touch by the authors.

Throughout this book the characters’ internal struggles are front and centre, and they are as important as their physical conflicts. All the characters are damaged in some way. They all seek some form of freedom and happiness and have gone some way along the journey already, but they still have a long way to go.

This really is an excellent book, and I would happily re-read it, especially when new books in the series come out. I don’t know how long I’ll have to wait, but I’ll be waiting with excitement of the possibilities with this amazing cast of characters.

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Review: Legacy (Shifters of Consequence Series Book 2) by Mazzy J March

Legacy by Mazzy J. March
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Meeting the Neighbours

This is the second book in the series and carries straight on from the first book. Wendi is getting much stronger and doesn’t need her wheelchair often. She’s still not completely secure about the use of her body, but she’s getting there, the longer she is without the pills.

Another local pack has heard about Wendi and invokes an old treaty that allows them to ‘court’ her whether she likes it or not. She is forced to visit their pack in order to avert a war. She goes with Escher, because it used to be his pack. It’s during this visit she is first introduced to the idea of harems. It’s not the best introduction.

I enjoy these books, but part of me is a little sad that the main character gets better and no longer has a disability. I don’t mean it’s sad that someone gets better, but that it’s so rare to find books about characters with disability that I kind of hate it was a plot device rather than a difficulty the character had to live with. It plays into the idea that if you try hard enough you can find the reason for disability and get better. This isn’t the case in real life very often and I don’t like the attitude to bleed into fiction when I deal with it in real life. Apart from this I still enjoy the books for the character development.

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Review: Bear (Texas Kings MC Series Book 9) by Cee Bowerman

Bear by Cee Bowerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rich Girl in Rojo

This book runs parallel to the John and Mattie book, number 8 in the series. Autumn is Marie’s friend from New Orleans who also happens to be incredibly rich and owns her own plane. She was looking for a change, as she’d been unhappy for a while, so took Marie up on her offer to leave New Orleans, head to Rojo and then continue on if they didn’t find what they were looking for.

Bear became friends with all the Texas Kings MC men when he was at school. He moved to town when he was 14 after his Dad died. Before that he lived in a cabin they built together on a mountain. He went into the Marines after high school and came back even more quiet and unwilling to open up to anyone. He has a cabin he built in a canyon outside town with not a lot of electricity in it. He loves the quiet solitude where he can sit in silence and not worry about anyone else.

When Autumn and Bear meet they are immediately drawn together and after Bear is shot protecting Autumn she swoops in to look after him.

Autumn is a really interesting character. She starts off as a poor little rich girl and is slowly unveiled into someone completely different. She actually fits in incredibly well with the Texas Kings and in particular Bear. This book is much less about the plot and more about the slow revelations about the characters and their evolving relationship. There is some excitement but it was much less important than how Bear feels about Autumn and why.

I really enjoyed this book and I think it’s one of my favourites of the series.

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Review: John & Mattie (Texas Kings MC Series Book 8) by Cee Bowerman

John & Mattie by Cee Bowerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Lawyer and Two Bikers

Maria is friends with Willow. They grew up together but grew more and more distant as the years passed because the man she married wasn’t someone Willow got on with. Maria also moved away and lived a horrendously busy life. So horrendously busy she collapsed at work with a stomach ulcer. It was a wake up call and she decided to listen when her body spoke.

When she got a phone call from Willow’s mother inviting her to Willow’s last minute wedding she talked her friend Autumn into leaving New Orleans and heading to Texas to try and find a new way of life, away from the ones they were currently in and not enjoying.

Maria was met at the airport by John and Mattie, two friends who do EVERYTHING together. Mattie wants to settle down but John doesn’t think anyone would want both of them, other than for a fling. This book starts with the usual insta-lust that this series always has but this relationship is much more bumpy than the others. There was definitely a shortage of communication between the parties. However, as usual there is a HEA so the sadness didn’t go on for too long.

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

Grunt by Cee Bowerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mature MC Romance

I’m so glad that this book was written. I loved Shannon, Summer’s Mum, from the last book in the series and thought she was intriguing. A woman who has 7 children, spanning in age from 29 to 5, and is raising the four youngest on her own, is a woman to be reckoned with.

From the last book we know that Grunt had been lent Shannon’s house to recover from being shot, whilst Shannon was away. We learn in this book what happened when she returns early to a strange man in her house, delirious on the bathroom floor. Her nurse comes to the fore and she spends several days getting him healthy again.

Grunt was one of the original Texas Kings, who lost his wife and kids in an accident 15 years earlier. He has resisted getting involved with anyone since then, especially women with kids. Being shot has made him re-evaluate where he’s going with the rest of this life and into this changing in mindset drops Shannon and her amazing children.

I love it when an ongoing series has a mature romance book. It reminds us that all the characters are important and that anyone can find love, no matter their age, not that 45 is over the hill, but some romance novelists seem to think it is. Personally I enjoy books that are filled with a rich complex backstory for the characters and if children are added it’s even more interesting, because extra personalities are added to the mix. In this case the kids are fascinating.

This was an enjoyable book that dealt with complex ideas and emotions and it kept me engaged until far too late. 

 

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Review: All In (Full Tilt Duet Book 2) by Emma Scott

All In by Emma Scott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beautifully Poignant Romance

This is the second book in the Full Tilt Duet and is as good as the first. I took a break between the two books because it took me so long to recover from the first as it was so emotional. This book is slightly less traumatic but no less beautiful.

After Kacey disappears and the rest of the family falls apart, Theo finally receives word 6 months later from a worried colleague that Kacey is in New Orleans and needs help. He drops everything to get to her and reach out a hand. This meeting starts a very slow process of healing for them both and Jonah’s family.

I love how Kacey and Theo’s relationship develops slowly over thousands of hours on the phone. I also like how Kacey manages to pick herself up with support of her new friends in New Orleans and Theo over the phone and a few trips to visit.

The author manages to convey the beauty of both Las Vegas and New Orleans, both very different cities. I always enjoy it when an author helps me understand the environment the characters live in because your surroundings definitely help shape your state of mind and New Orleans is a place of healing for Kacey.

I would recommend you get your box of tissues ready whilst reading this book. It’s almost as much of a tear jerker as the first, but not quite. Only read this if you are in need of an emotional release. This is a not a cheerful easy read, but it is a very satisfying one that helps you feel lighter for having read it. I will definitely be looking out for this author again, but maybe after lockdown ends!

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Review: Aurora Blazing (Consortium Rebellion Series Book 2) by Jessie Mihalik

Aurora Blazing by Jessie Mihalik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I adored the first book in this series and felt that this second book was slightly less enjoyable, though it good book. I listened to the audio version, as I did the first book and had the same problems with the narrator, Emily Woo Zeller. She is a gifted narrator and gives personality to her characters but she does insist on using voices that only come across as caricatures, especially the mens’ voices. I feel that her ability to narrate would be better served by avoiding this ‘acting’ part of her narration. She’s good at sounding natural in her delivery and it’s a shame that the voices distract from the story. This hasn’t stopped me buying the third book in the series as an audio version.

Lady Bianca is the third born child of the Von Hasenberg House of the three ruling High Houses of the Consortium. She is very private and rebels in her own secret way against her father who rules his children with an iron fist. Bianca only managed to escape her abusive arranged marriage when her husband died and was sent back home with no assets from her marriage. Though there is no love between father and children, this is not the case between the siblings who are all very close and extremely loyal. When Ferdinand the heir to the House is kidnapped the prime information gatherer of the House, Bianca, starts to search the hidden networks and information sources for news of her brother. When she reaches a dead end, she leaves the safety of Earth, against explicit orders, to find more leads.

Ian, is head of security for House Von Hasenberg, and is exceptional at his job. He takes it as a direct insult when Ferdinand is taken and then Bianca escaping off-planet. When Ian finally catches up with Bianca, they have to find a way to work together to find Ferdinand before time runs out.

This story was a bit more predictable than the first in the series, probably because the reader has more information about the family and the universe in which they live. There was less world building, but there was more detail about the way the Houses operate. There was still plenty of action, just not as much because Bianca is a much more cerebral character than Ada, her sister. I actually felt like there should be more about Ian and Bianca and I hope that they make an appearance in the next book, because the ending was very abrupt and everything has kind of been left hanging. There is a HFN, but it could easily be undone, so I hope that is handled in the next book. Other than that, it was an enjoyable book and I look forward to reading the next one.

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Review: Providence (Damnation MC Series Book 2) by Grace McGinty

Providence by Grace McGinty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

All Loved Up With A Side of Murderous Mayhem

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

This book rounds out the books about Seredipity, but plenty of breadcrumbs have been dropped to make me believe they will be guest stars in future books about Damnation MC (which I believe must be coming otherwise all the breadcrumbs would be a waste of time and talent.)

At the end of the last book Serendipity was struggling with childbirth as a major cliff hanger. Thankfully that is dealt with by angelic intervention and we learn about where Sera came from and why she spent her life alone without support.

The first half of the book is all about Sera and the guys settling down into a new pattern, being loved up, loads of hot sex, which apparently is possible just days after childbirth if you are an immortal with angel helping you heal.

The second half of the book is blood and guts with a side order of hot sex. You can’t really expect anything else about a book starring the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse now can you? It’s also got some very sweet moments between the members of the group and in particular their interactions with the kids.

The book was well paced and the characters had depth to them. I really hope that the world continues, in particular that the Damnation MC continues with it’s next generation of members, because this world, created so lovingly, is pretty damn awesome.

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Review: Heart of Shadows (Alice Worth Series Book 5) by Lisa Edmonds

Heart of Shadows by Lisa Edmonds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Alice Loses Her Memory

Alice is found wandering along the side of the road, compelled to walk forever, by Sean and Ben. She has no memory of who she is, neither does she recognise anyone else. She also has no magic.

This story is told through flashbacks, jumping between the past and present as Alice’s story is told, filling in the blanks of how she got into that state and how she is to get out of it. The story is also told from two POV, that of both Sean and Alice. It’s a different way of telling the story from the previous books in the series, but I think in this instance it makes sense, filling in all the missing parts of the narrative.

The plot in this book was even more complex than the last one, but it was no less intriguing. Alice’s loss of memory is very interesting as it allows her to see who she would be without all the past trauma clouding her personality. She is vulnerable without magic, but her personality is intact.

There is some very clever storytelling going on in this book and I could rave about it forever, but I don’t want to spoil anything. So all I can suggest is, read the series, and read this book. Now all I have to do is wait until Autumn when the next book is due out!

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