
Ever since he laid eyes on Eveline Marceau, Ramses wanted to possess her. Inside and out.
He wanted to own every fiber of her being.
────── ♔ ──────

Dark Possession by Aja James
Release - August 1, 2020
Genre - Paranormal Romance
Primarily Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - kinda slow burn - 4 out of 5 - several scenes
Format/Source - ebook borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Page Count - 266
Publisher - Indie
Alend Ramses is not who he seems…
The first-ever Dark King, the most powerful vampire ruler in the world, was once the lowest of the low. A slave who became a Consort who became a King…he’s lived long enough to learn from his mistakes and never repeat them.
Or has he?
Eveline Marceau knows a lot…
The Pure Ones’ Seer and Scribe is an intellectual female with hidden depths, which no male across time has come close to uncovering. She is certain that Ramses is no different; she knows what she wants, and he is exactly opposite.
But she doesn’t know everything.
Their paths cross unexpectedly…
Pulled into the Dark Ones’ dizzying world of intrigue, violence and mayhem, the meek little “librarian” shows her steely backbone and holds her own. By all appearances, she is one of the Dark King’s possessions, a symbol and portent for a potential future as tensions between the Dark Ones and their enemies run high.
Appearances can be deceiving.
Can Eveline work with Ramses to steer Destiny in the right direction, or will history once again repeat itself toward a bloody, oppressive end?
Amazon CA * Amazon US
(free to read with Kindle Unlimited)
Once again, Aja James gave me an honorable, broken hero to sink my teeth into. Had me feeling like fighting Eveline for the privilege!
Matter of fact, Eveline wasn't doing bad herself. I absolutely adored the way she transformed once she met Ramses. Dark Possession a.k.a. The Evolution of Eveline was a sensually frustrating masterpiece.
Honestly, I found so much to love about this book... like the way Eveline was mesmerized by Ramses and his #phallus elephantas.
She had the almost irresistible urge to rub her face in his inviting crotch.
Could crotches be inviting? Apparently, Ramses’ was.
Unconsciously, Eveline licked her dry lips at the sight.
She was so, so starved.
“Thirsty?” He asked solicitously in that sinful, dark chocolate voice.
She swallowed with an audible gulp.
His chest seemed to shake, and if Eveline was paying attention to anything above his waistline, she would have seen that it was shaking with barely suppressed amusement.
“Hungry?”
He was taunting her. Some self-preserving part of her brain just knew that he was.
Right on cue, his penis bobbed and pulsed again, squeezing out more clear fluid, the fat, juicy head with its winking slit looking directly at her. (If penises could look, that was).
As if to say, come take a good long suck. Eat my cream until you’re full to bursting. I’ll satisfy all of your most wanton and depraved appetites.
Can these two be more delicious together?!
I loved that although this book heavily featured Ramses and Eveline, there was still something about their story that fed into the subplot that has been building throughout this entire series. For example, I need more information about The Eagle King. I was hoping that he and Ramses would finally have the conversation that seemed to be so necessary, but no. I want them to confront Ramses' regret over their first encounter when he turned his back on his own kind. I wanted the Eagle to share their origins and their bond. I want all of these beings to finally unite so that Medusa and Wan'er don't stand a chance.
If I didn't already not care a dang lick about Queen Ashlu before, this book... getting Ramses story... seeing how she used, abused, and manipulated him... I definitely hate her now.
When he was smaller, she used to sift her fingers through his ebony curls while she hugged him to her bosom as a loving mother would. She doted on him and carved time out of every day to spend with him. Playing, dreaming, making him laugh, feeding him food and drink from her own hands.
Was it any wonder that he loved her unconditionally? His beautiful, magical Dark Queen.
He never suspected that it was all pretense.
Good thing she's dead.
I did think that it took far too long for Ramses to wise up to who Queen Ashlu truly was. At times, I thought it made him pathetic. But then I remembered she had him since he was a baby. So it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that he would have a blindspot when it came to her. However, to die at the age of 11 as a Pure One because he gave himself to her when she didn't love him back (thanks Decline), to be reborn as a Dark One and rededicate himself to the same person who didn't love him... He took to long to walk away.
Although Ramses was disgusted and repulsed by having sex in order to expedite negotations between the houses, I'm so glad that Eveline quickly stepped up to sabotage his efforts. That entire scene where she cursed one of the vampire queens was hilarious. Like her, I didn't understand why he put himself through it all. He was a fearless leader. Feared and respected. It just wasn't necessary and it was gross and I'm just thrilled that I didn't have to go through seeing anything yucky.
After all these millennia, Eveline found him.
Though she, too, hadn’t been searching.
They’d found each other.
They’d come home.
I don't know what the mating of Eveline and Ramses means for the two houses. Will the Cove and the Shield finally operate as one unit? It would be smart, no? Will Ramses and The Eagle King have 'the talk'? Will The Eagle King feature in a big way in the story to come? And when the heck will Medusa and Wan'er finally die? They will die, right?!
I'm full of questions and curiosity and the only solution is to keep reading and falling in love with all of these characters, the author's writing, and the beautiful story that is too quickly coming to an end.
Oh, and what does this prophecy mean?
A queen becomes Queen
A slave becomes Mate
A King falls in flames
A winner loses in games
A queen gives way
A Mate displaced
A Champion reborn
A King transformed
A stone heart in fire
A soul dances higher
When True Love reveals
And old wounds heal.
Check out the previous books:







“Which part of me do you want to possess the most?” he rasped into her ear, softly biting the tender lobe.
“Which part of me do you hunger for the most?”
Her busy little hands gave his buttocks a hard, thorough squeeze before curving around his hips to grasp his manhood through his trousers in one fist while the other took a firm hold of his balls.
He shuddered against her and ground into her grip, fucking her hand in short bursts until his pre-cum leaked profusely from the head, wetting her palm even through the confining fabric.
“This?”
He knew without a doubt that she craved his sex, but he still wanted to hear her say it.
“Yes,” she breathed, squeezing him tightly with both hands, making him see stars.
At the same time, he was afraid. Females the world over wanted him. It was the primal maleness of him, the elemental strength and power. Ashlu had wanted him for the same reason, and he’d used her sexual desire to bind her to him.
But with Eveline, he wanted her to want more from him. To want him the way he wanted her.
Loved her.
He bit back a helpless groan at the truth of it. He loved her completely. Utterly.
He loved the way she stood up to him, since the first moment they met. She always held her ground, not giving him an inch. He loved the way she focused on her work, how she truly enjoyed and was inspired by her role amongst the immortals.
He loved the way she became doggedly obsessed when she wanted something, how despite being an imminently logical, intellectual female, she also had a fiery, implacable temper, a possessive, jealous streak as wide as the Nile. He even loved the quirky nicknames she thought up to call him in retaliation for his calling her “little sprite.”
Most of all, he loved her passionate heart, her courage and loyalty, how she didn’t hesitate to go after him, and to try to help a complete stranger in the eagle king, even after he abducted her.
This depth of feeling obliterated everything he thought he knew. The closest he’d felt to this before was merely obsession.
This…
This was irrevocable, permanent possession. His body stilled against her, though tremors of a different kind racked him. Doubt. Vulnerability. Surrender.
And undiluted, all-consuming love.
Aja James just completed the Pure/ Dark Ones paranormal-fantasy romance series in 2020. If you want your heart battered, bruised, shattered and skewered, then put back together in the most glorious ways, check out the series below. Every couple gets an HEA, but they fight like hell for it on the way.
Aja is now working on her new series, Dragon Tails, because dragons are her favorite shifters of all!

Belonging to Jillian had taught him that it was possible to live without fear and pain.
Belonging to Stacey had taught him it was possible to live.

Bond of Destiny by Larissa Ione
Release - August 24, 2021
Genre - Paranormal Romance
Primarily Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 4 out of 5/a few of scenes
Format/Source - eARC provided by the publisher
Page Count - approx. 200
Publisher - 1001 Dark Nights Press
Sold into slavery mere hours after his birth to werewolf parents, Tracker spent decades in service to cruel underworlders. Then the fallen angel Harvester transferred his ownership to a human woman who gave him as much freedom as the unbreakable bond would allow. Still, thanks to his traumatic past, he’s afraid to trust, let alone feel love. But when an acquaintance shows up at his door, injured and in need of help, he finds himself longing for a connection. For someone to touch. For someone to care.
Stacey Orr has had it bad for Tracker since the day her best friend, Jillian, was forced to hold his unbreakable slave bond. At first, the fact that he’s a werewolf seemed weird to Stacey, but hey, her best friend was married to one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, so weird is definitely a matter of perspective. Stacey knows the depths of Tracker’s trauma, and she longs to help him even as he helps her, but breaking through his walls isn’t easy.
And it only gets harder when the only blood family he has, the pack that gave him away, lays claim to him… and everything he loves.
Amazon US * Amazon CA
Whenever a book explores slavery, it touches me in a weird way. It's a sensitive subject for almost everyone and as a black woman, it always tears me apart. Tracker's story tried to devastate me!
The only freedom a slave got was in death. It was the best someone like him could hope for.
However, it failed. The author injected so much hope and positivity into this story that there was no way that darkness could win. Tracker was left broken after decades of abuse and with his new master, Jillian, he was slowly learning what it was to have some freedom. No more abuse, no more pain. And with Stacey he was learning what it was to truly appreciate his new life. He learned what it was to not only give, but to also receive love.
I loved the way their relationship developed. It was filled with passion, compassion and understanding. While Stacey was understandably horrified by Tracker's past, her huge heart was open to showing and giving him a new lease on life. Her affection soothed him and her love healed him. I loved getting glimpses of all the new wonders Tracker was experiencing. I especially loved watching this male turn into a beast to protect his woman.
Good thing he'd learned to live with pain because he was going to use it. He was going to f*ck some people up, and then he was going to find Stacey.
And he was going to claim her.
Screw the slavers. She. Was. His.
I haven't read much from this series, but after reading this, falling for these characters, and meeting Harvester and Reseph (who aren't together and are actually mated to other people, but are really compelling people I want to know), I'll be changing all of that. This series is obviously full of must-read stories!

Air Force veteran Larissa Ione traded in a career in meteorology to pursue her passion of writing. She has since published dozens of books, hit several bestseller lists, including the New York Times and USA Today, and has been nominated for a RITA award. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her retired U.S. Coast Guard husband, her son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhounds, a King Shepherd named Hexe and a Belgian Malinois named Duvel.



Pure Ecstasy by Aja James
Release - January 1, 2019
Genre - Paranormal Romance
Multiple POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 4 out of 5
Format/Source - Kindle purchase
Page Count - 239
Publisher - Indie
Jade: She is a ruthless, cunning vampire queen, the most powerful amongst all the Hives in the world. Beautiful, predatory, and alluringly dangerous, she’s a huntress who revels in blood and sexual pleasure.
Seth: He is calm, cool, and level-headedness personified, as the most effective negotiator and mediator amongst the Pure Ones. Known by the moniker of “Monk,” he thought he could resist any and all temptation.
3 years ago, they made a deal, one that gave the Pure Ones a critical advantage against a deadly foe. But the price he paid still haunts him to this day.
3 years ago, she played a delicious game, not realizing until it was almost too late, how he changed her entire world.
Now, common enemies force their paths to cross again. Only this time, the stakes are higher, the risk is greater, and the love—should they choose to claim it—will be worth every sacrifice.
Buy it here: https://amzn.to/3stNHPa
(free to read with Kindle Unlimited)

I'll admit that when I first realized that Jade was meant for Seth, I was a bit horrified. This woman, who kept him as a blood slave, manipulated him, treated him like a toy, and had sex with multiple lovers (some at the same time) right in front of him, couldn't possibly be his forever mate.
So what if she listened and appreciated his counsel? So what if she understood that what she felt for him was far more than she had felt for any other male? So what if she was lost and devastated without him?
She didn't respect him!
But I changed my mind for many reasons, one of them being that I've learned that not only did she not have real sex with these people, she made sure Seth was completely aware of it.
What I loved most about Jade were her moments of vulnerabilty and fragility. I could appreciate her being a badazz, but her having a soft side... Her humanity is what made her truly endearing.
I didn't find her past to be as devastating to me as the ones I've seen before, however, I felt such sympathy for her. She was once a slave, with no rights and no freedoms, aside from what she was able to manipulate from her masters. I thought it would make her more empathetic with what Seth found abominable. But no.
Honestly, Seth could do no wrong with me. He was so sweet, so kind and considerate, so sexy and loyal and generous, so amazing. I loved this man so much!!
Once again, Aja James had me swooning and engaged and anxious for more.
And here are my kinda spoiler-y discussion points...
I thought that nothing could really surprise me with this book because a) the author seems to love shocking us and b) I was prepared for all of the shocks. I'm telling you now... I was not prepared! I read these lines:
It didn't want Benji's short, innocent life to be snuffed out with all the other candles in the human world.
It wanted its son to live.
What are you telling me? The Creature is the father of Benji? Again with this 6 degrees of separation. So it's the father and Inanna is raising her nephew without even knowing it. Why has The Creature gotten itself involved in everyone's lives like this? Don't even get me started on its conversation with the comatose Dalair, letting on that it was the man Sophia chose over Dalair in her past life (the one in which he sacrificed himself for). What. The. Ever. Loving. Heck. Is. Going. On???

Then there's the rest...
I found it incredibly off-putting that Ramses was not only attracted to Jade (and really, who could blame him?), but that he was also extremely possessive of her. I'm not thrilled that he was depicted this way. Where did it even come from? I'm hoping I forget all about it by the time I get to his book about him finding his own mate.
Other than Tal, do any of these people believe in foreplay?
Ayelet referred to Seth as family. Is that real or chosen?
Why is no one suspicious over Wan'er? I can't wait to see this whole thing blow up!
I think I'm most excited to see when The Creature realizes who he truly is. I have a feeling this author, based on how amazing she's been so far, is going to make this reveal AWESOME!!
Check out the previous books:





“I want you.”
She stated the words as if she were throwing down a gauntlet.
He looked back at her intently, searching those intense blue eyes for some depth of feeling beyond superficial lust.
But he couldn’t see inside of her. She was, and always had been, closed off to him.
One of Seth’s Gifts was the ability to detect the desires of others, the better to negotiate and mediate. All he’d ever felt from Jade was sexual aggression and hunger for pleasure. He could never tell whether these were the only things she wanted, or that these were the only things she allowed herself to want.
“My blood,” Seth clarified.
“Yes.”
“My body.”
“Yessss.”
“That is all?”
She narrowed her eyes.
What did he want her to say? She didn’t have patience for guessing games.
“That is plenty,” she said. “I want to renegotiate our deal. What do you want for your blood and body? Unlimited access. Sole ownership. Name your price.”
A sharp, splintering pain exploded within Seth’s heart.
“You want me to be your Blood Slave,” he rasped out, his eyes boring into hers.
Her gaze flickered slightly as if she knew she’d hurt him with her demand, but wasn’t sure why.
“We don’t have to call it that,” she coaxed. “We don’t need to formalize the ritual. You would simply give me your word that you’re mine. Only mine.”
“I cannot be owned that way,” he stated quietly.
“Everyone and everything can be had for a price,” she resolutely refuted. “It is how I built this Hive, the strongest vampire Hive in the world.”
The look in her eyes gentled slightly as she considered him.
“I would treat you well, Pure One,” she promised softly. “I would only take my pleasure with you, if that’s what you want. I would forsake all other males, and keep you always by my side.”
“Like a pet.”
Jade sat back as the waitress came to take their plates away and put the check on the table.
She was nonplussed.
She was offering him carte blanche access to her Hive, her resources, her power and influence, in return for mutual pleasure and gratification. Yet he was obviously extremely put out, if the muscle ticking in his jaw were any indication.
Perhaps she should have thought through her strategy better.
But this was their last day together. She wanted more days like this.
Infinitely more.
She was desperate to possess him totally, elated to know that no one ever truly had.
She wanted to mark him, claim him, own him before Destiny decided to loan him to any other female.
He was hers.
She needed to make him hers.
Mine, the primitive beast inside of her growled.
“We should go,” he said and stood, after paying the bill, his ever calm and polite mask once more encasing his face.
She took his arm as they walked out of the dessert shop together, the better to lean in and ask, “You’ll consider it?”
“No.”
“But—”
He turned to face her on the sidewalk and clutched her close so that their conversation couldn’t be overheard by humans going about their day.
“I will not be your whore.”
“That’s not—”
“I cannot be bought.”
“You—”
He held her shoulders and shook her a little, finally losing some of his cool.
"Don't," he ground out.
"Don't," he repeated when she opened her mouth to speak.
I do not f*ck on command. I am not built that way. I will never give anyone the power to reduce me into a collection of flesh and bones and blood. I am more than that. And if you wanted to pretend that you are my wife, you would know that. You would respect who I am."

Aja is now working on her new series, Dragon Tails, because dragons are her favorite shifters of all!

Claimed.


Claimed by J.R. Ward
Release - July 27, 2021
Genre - Paranormal Romance
Multiple POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 3.5 / a few scenes
Format/Source - eARC provided by the publisher
Page Count - 400
Publisher - Gallery Books / Pocket Books
Buy it here: Amazon
A heart-pounding new series set in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world, with a scientist fighting to save the timber wolves—and getting caught in a deadly trap herself...
Lydia Susi is passionate about protecting wolves in their natural habitat. When a hotel chain develops a tract of land next to the preserve, Lydia is one of the most vocal opponents of the project—and becomes a target.
One night, a shadowy figure threatens Lydia’s life in the forest, and a new hire at the Wolf Study Project comes from out of nowhere to save her. Daniel Joseph is both mysterious, and someone she intrinsically wants to trust. But is he hiding something?
As the stakes get higher, and one of Lydia’s colleagues is murdered, she must decide how far she will go to protect the wolves. Then a shocking revelation about Daniel challenges Lydia’s reality in ways she could never have predicted. Some fates demand courage, others require even more, with no guarantees. Is she destined to have true love... or will a soul-shattering loss ruin her forever?

Was.
THAT?!
Lydia was a behaviorist and I loved her passion in protecting the wolves and their habitat. Although her impulsiveness, rash judgments and curiosity could be annoying, these traits also helped to move the story along and feed into the questions and secrets surrounding the plot. And while I'm no fan of women who know what they want, but play that they don't, I enjoyed the little flirting games she played with the hero.
Daniel was the character who would definitely raise some eyebrows. There was obviously more to him than met the eye and I still don't quite understand who he was supposed to be. His cover story of being a drifter and handy man made me question everything. What were his motives? Who did he work for? The fact that he was sexy was an interesting bonus!
Xhex was also featured and I practically drooled for every glimpse of John Matthew!! Seriously, what is going on with Xhex? What do the Wolven have to do with her present, her traumatizing experience with the labs, and her murky future?
Claimed was far more than your run-of-the-mill paranormal romance. It held mystery and intrigue and suspense. I did find that it was slow to start, however, when things started to pick up, I couldn't put it down. Here I am at the end and I'm devasted to learn that I have to wait until next summer to find out what will happen next!
For lovers of The Black Dagger Brotherhood, Claimed is a must-read! And if you're anything like me, it will inspire you to give the entire series a re-read just to be able to dive back into this dark, deadly, enchanting, and binge-worthy world again!

After graduating from law school, Ward began working in healthcare in Boston and spent many years as Chief of Staff of one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation. She lives in the south with her incredibly supportive husband and her beloved golden retriever. Writing has always been her passion and her idea of heaven is a whole day of nothing but her computer, her dog and her coffee pot.
Visit the JRWard Facebook Page for more on the Brotherhood or email her at assistant@jrward.com.



Add it to Goodreads / Find it on Amazon
Release - April 2, 2015
Genre - Contemporary Romance
Dual POV - 1st person / Grayson "Torren" Trammel & Tru Doherty
Heat Level - 4 out of 5
Format/Source - Kindle gift
Length - 282 pages
Publisher - Indie
You’re the Charge…
Bad Boy. Screw-up. Good for nothing. Hero. Angel. These were all words Grayson ‘Torren’ Trammel had heard whispered behind his back over his lifetime. What he hadn't heard was ‘quitter,’ and he’d be damned if some little rehab chick, with her beautiful blonde hair, and hot, sassy little mouth was going to label him as such.
To My…
Tru knows Grayson’s not for her. He’s too bad. Too hot. Too demanding. Too taken.
She tells herself that almost daily as she helps Grayson get back into fighting shape after a horrific accident nearly ripped his life away from him. That had taken the life of one of the men in his MC.
Grayson is everything her father warned her about, but there’s just something about him that intrigues her. That makes her want more.
The man's a firefighter. How bad could he be?
Line…
Apparently, he could be way worse than bad, but he could also be so very, very good. Something Tru realizes, rather quickly, when the two can no longer fight the pull that’s between them.
Now there’s only one word she wants to hear when it comes to him: his.

In the last book (Life to My Flight), Torren risked his life to rescue Rue from a fire. He damaged his shoulder in the process and in order to get back to work he needed physical therapy. Tru was the woman to get him back on track and she gave her all to give him the power to be the hero he needed to be. Which was awesome because it allowed him to put down all threats to his woman.
Things got a little horrific towards the end, but overall, this was a sweet and funny romance with plenty of heat.
I loved getting that first glimpse of the love brewing between Reese (Tru's sister) and Luke Roberts. I'm looking forward to their story in Center Mass!
I'm a little confused with the story of Torren and his half-brothers. Ross seems to be the only decent one (I hope he gets a story) and I wish everything got fleshed out a bit more.
Watching Ashe and Ford playing/fighting together as kids made their connection so much sweeter, knowing that they end up together when they grow up :)
Torren/Grayson & Tru's family tree:
Their children
Ashe (daughter) - Maybe Swearing Will Help
Spencer (son)
Coal (son)
Grayson's family
Ross Bradley (half-brother)
Colby Prescott (half-brother)
Bobby Prescott (half-brother)
Tru's family
Reese (sister) - Center Mass
Check out my reviews of the previous books:







Keys to My Cuffs by Lani Lynn Vale
Release - January 23, 2015
Genre - Contemporary Romance
Dual POV - 1st person/Bryce "Loki" Rector & Channing
Heat Level - 4 out of 5
Format/Source - Kindle gift
Length - 271 pages
Publisher - Indie
Loki’s life was a lie. Everything he’d done for the last eight years was under an assumed name for the Benton Police Department. He’d lied, cheated, and stolen all in the name of the law. He wore himself thin, and not even the open road could take away the pain anymore. Then his little next door neighbor moved in, and suddenly he had a reason to get out of bed every morning. Except he was an officer of the law, and a member of a prominent motorcycle club in the area, The Dixie Wardens MC. Neither of which she could deal with.
It wasn’t the scars that covered her new neighbor’s body that scared Channing. It was the badge. The fact that he belonged to The Dixie Wardens MC was only icing on the cake. She should be running away as fast as her legs could carry her. But there’s something about Bryce ‘Loki’ Rector. Something that eased the unreasonable fear she felt every time she came into contact with something that reminded her of her past.
They say love isn’t easy, and it definitely isn’t for the two of them. Loki has to learn to feel again, and Channing has to learn to live. Their road isn’t an easy one by any means, but Loki makes two promises. One, he’ll never let anything hurt Channing again. Two, it’d be over his dead body that he’d ever let her go.
Find your copy of Keys to My Cuffs on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3qqgK5v

There were plenty of things I loved about this story...




I'm a huge fan of the way this author creates a connection between her characters. They feel genuine and I can't wait to see them all again!
I do wish there was more to be said as a resolution to the suspense part of the story. I'm happy that there was a happy ending, but there was a death that affected Channing and it was just swept away. Not cool.
Loki & Channing's family tree:
Their children
Justice (son) - Make Me
Glory (daughter
Loki's family
Andrea (mom)
Zeth (step-father)
Unnamed father
Unnamed older brother
Channing's family
Colton (father)
Andrew (brother)
Check out my reviews of the previous books:



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