Review: Bloodlines (Shifters of Rishard Series Book 1) by Denise Carbo

Bloodlines by Denise Carbo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Alien Shifters in Wyoming

I’d probably give this 3.5 stars.

I actually read this book because I got an Advance Reader Copy of the second book in the series. I didn’t realise when I requested the ARC that it was a second book, but I didn’t want to read it before reading the first in the series. I’m glad I did, because it was an enjoyable read.

The book is set in the depths of Wyoming. It is the home of the Rishardans, a race of alien shifters who sought a new home after destroying theirs in endless wars. There are four clans spread around the world but the one in Wyoming is ruled over by Malcolm. He is closed off, tough, but fair and the last thing he is looking for is a distraction from his duties. He needs to keep his clan safe from discovery by the humans and safe from war with the other clans.

Elsie is a new human employee at Malcolm’s resort. She is the new hotel manager Malcolm’s brother Owen hired. The moment Malcolm sees Elsie sparks fly.

Alongside the romance, which is a bit annoying in places, there is a very good plot about an attack on the clan. Malcolm and his closest associates seek to find who attacked them and why, all in secret so a war can be prevented in at all possible. Their race tends towards being bloodthirsty in seeking revenge. Malcolm needs a cool head in order to prevent the clan screaming for retribution and heading into war.

The quality of the writing for the plot excluding the romance is what gave it 3.5 stars, if the romance had been less annoying it would have received 4 stars. Malcolm treated Elsie really poorly and with little respect and she let him because she was physically attracted to him. It’s hard to respect characters that do that. I’m hoping that the second book will improve on that aspect of the writing.

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Review: The Mane Squeeze (The Pride Series Book 4) by Shelly Laurenston

The Mane Squeeze by Shelly Laurenston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tigon meets Grizzly

Gwen is a Philly girl, born and raised, she also happens to be a hybrid shifter, her mother a lion and her father a tiger. She’s part of the family but will never be part of the Pride. She is constantly smothered by her difficult mother and yet can’t be happy whilst being apart from the Pride.

When attending a wedding her mother insisted on gatecrashing (Gwen went to protect the other attendees) she meets Loch, a gorgeous ex-marine grizzly shifter. They connect but think they’ll never meet again.

When her best friend, fellow hybrid, Blayne suggests they go into business together in Manhattan she knows she can finally escape her mother’s control. After moving and setting up in business, she meets Loch again and Blayne launches ‘Operation Bear Cat’!

As well as this charmingly sweet, yet funny, romance the book is filled with the feud between Gwen’s mother and an alpha female of a wolf pack. This creates plenty of tension and aggravated assault! Oh, and when I say funny, what I actually mean is "snort my drink out through my nose, hilariously funny".

I really liked this book. Loch has to be one of my favourite characters of the series so far. He’s sweet, thoughtful, intelligent, patient and kind, and turns into a raging homicidal monster when surprised or when someone hurts those he loves.

I also love how as the series builds there are more strands weaving all the stories together. More characters meet, become friends or family and the parties just get bigger.

Once more, this author has knocked it out of the park.

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Review: Levi (The Casanova Club Series Book 9) by Ali Weston

Levi by Ali Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Piper’s Bad Boy Rock Star

I have a soft spot for books about tortured musicians. Just check out my book shelf on Goodreads for evidence. I knew Levi was going to be a bit of a favourite, because he was definitely tortured. Drugs and alcohol are his self-medication for being forced to create music he isn’t proud of. He loves the stage and performing, but the creation process is stalled.

Levi has one brother Jake who is always trying to get Levi help, but Levi just gets annoyed with him. His agent is no help at all. This is the situation Piper walks into.

I wasn’t sure how Piper was going to deal with Levi. I didn’t know which way her feelings would fall, as this was quite a different situation from the previous ones. I also wondered how much more she could take.

I think I’m glad that there is a little break before the next book now. I think I need to get my breath back!

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Review: Cooper (The Casanova Club Series Book 8) by Ali Parker

Cooper by Ali Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Piper’s Play Boy

I expected Cooper to be a self-serving egotist, which to be honest he was. Cooper was a Rockefeller who changed his name to escape the family expectations. He moved to Nassau and spent his time, scuba diving, surf boarding and partying. He did not get off to a good start and things went downhill rapidly.

Piper didn’t expect much from Cooper, nor did Janie, and she was warned about him by the other Bachelors that he was only in it to ‘win’ rather than actually form a relationship. Piper went into this trip expecting to spend her time reading Aaron’s books by the pool and biding her time. Of course things didn’t work out quite as expected.

I wish I could stop reading this series, but it’s become a compulsion. I’m glad I didn’t start reading at the beginning of the year, but I’ve nearly caught up with only one more book to go before I have to start waiting

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Review: Hell on Wheels (Kings of Mayhem MC Series Book 4) by Penny Dee

Hell on Wheels by Penny Dee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book as an advanced copy from the publisher, through Netgalley, to review. The opinions given below are my own.

I read Book 3 in this series and enjoyed it, so I was really happy to be able to review this next book. I enjoyed this book even more than the last and I don’t know if it’s because I enjoyed the characters more or that the story felt more powerful. I think it may be a combination of both.

Chance is the Sargent at Arms for the Kings of Mayhem MC. His father was the previous President who was a cruel and vicious man who mentally and physically abused his child. To escape he joined the Navy and eventually became a SEAL. He came back after being medically discharged, a changed and very damaged man. He tries to keep going for his family and his club, but it’s very lonely when inside you feel so empty.

Cassidy is a young woman who has spent the last two years travelling. Cassidy isn’t her real name and she is hiding, which makes it difficult to settle in one place for very long and earn enough to keep a roof over her head. Cassidy also grew up in a dangerous environment. Her foster parents were wealthy but used her as a photo prop and her foster brother abused her. She ran away when she realised that after returning from college that her foster brother was never going to change and his parents were never going to make him face the consequences of his actions.

For a while she has been travelling with her best friend who convinced her to come with her to Destiny, where her mother left her a house when she died. Destiny is where she meets Chance. After meeting Chance, he suggests she perform at a party at the Clubhouse the next day, as she sings and plays guitar as a way of making ends meet. They are attracted to each other but Chance is scared to act on his feelings because he thinks he might be a danger to Cassidy. Despite not wanting to act on his attraction Chance still wants to help Cassidy.

I really liked both Chance and Cassidy. Both of them are good people despite the horrors of their upbringing. Chance has always tried to do the right thing, so his inclination is always going to be to protect someone, even if it is from himself. He’s really damaged and he can’t seem to find a way of coping with his feelings and memories and doesn’t want to share his experiences with anyone.

Cassidy is definitely a strong woman. Despite having to go on the run to escape her foster family you can tell she isn’t as damaged as she might have once been, even if she has a very healthy fear of what her family might do to her if she is ever found, because she once got professional help.

I also really liked the secondary characters in this series and they appear again in this book. In particular, Chance’s grandmother is hilarious and Bull the president of the Kings who is a strong leader who cares about his people and won’t do anything to risk their safety, unless absolutely necessary.

This author writes extraordinary stories in a natural and believable manner. Her writing is fluid and the characters really stand out because they are explored from several sides, not just one view point. The main characters interact not only with each other but with other people in the community and their family and friends. It gives more depth to the characters to see how others see them, not just their love interest.

On top of the excellent writing and smoothly paced plot progression, there are plenty of spicy scenes to keep most MC fans happy. MC books normally make for pretty hot reading and this is no exception. There is no kink involved, but it is quite explicitly written.

This really is a very good book, and I raced through the pages, finding it difficult to put down. As such, I highly recommend it for fans of the MC genre. You don’t need to have read the previous books in the series to enjoy this book, but if they are as good as this fourth book, I’d be inclined to give them a try too. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for any future books in the series.

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