I felt alive.
Truly alive.
Everything else was deception.
She was my truth.
She was the reason for my existence.
I told her the only way I knew how. With my body. By my actions.
Without words.

Pure Providence by Aja James

All my existence, I have loved one woman.
But she was never meant to be mine.

I loved her when she was the intended bride for another.
I betrayed him too.
I loved her after they married.
I took what wasn’t mine.
I paid my penance by dying in his stead.
But it wasn’t enough to restore the Balance.

When the Goddess gave me a chance to make things right, to serve as a soldier of the Pure Ones, I embraced that offer. Even though what I really wanted to do was stay dead and numb.
Never to be reawakened in this world.
Never to feel again.
To yearn and desire and seethe with jealousy and despair at my own helplessness.
The Goddess warned me at the moment of my death and rebirth not to want her again. For our paths would cross in the future, though I wouldn’t know the time and place. Nor would I recognize her physical incarnation.
For she was never meant to be mine.
Will never be mine.

But the moment I realized who she was—the Pure Queen I’d been assigned to protect as the Paladin—the moment I recognized her soul, I Fell again.
I wanted. I craved. I yearned. I seethed.
I resisted.
I pushed her away over and over again. Made her angry and confused.
Made her hate me.
But Goddess above! I cannot change how I feel. I cannot stop wanting her.
Cannot stop loving her.
All my existence, my body, heart and soul have belonged to one woman.
Even though she can never be mine.

I love her still.
I love her forever.
This is the beginning of the end of our story.
Judge me if you dare.

Amazon CA * Amazon US
(free to read with Kindle Unlimited)

Pure Providence was another heartbreaking tale about another broken hero. And I loved it! Dalair was such a sweetheart, but I already knew that. Getting his side of things was a welcome treat. I finally know what happened between him and Sophia in their past life together and my heart is so broken for them. However, I think that some of it could have been avoided. These two just needed to damn well communicate!

I thought it was obvious that Amon was not only a female in disguise, but also the princess. However, I thought it was fun to watch Dalair fumble around, be oblivious to the facts and wonder why he's so attracted to a man when he's only ever been attracted to women. Seeing this usually stoic and controlled male lose himself like this was highly entertaining.

In the end, I was thinking of The Creature (who seems to be such a contradiction) and his conversation with the unconscious Dalair in the last book. He talked about their past connection and that he loved (and hated) Dalair like a brother. Does that mean he was Cambyses? If so, what happened to the real Cambyses and when did The Creature take over that role? This being gives me so many questions, having me question everything, and I can't wait to find it all out.

Anyhoo, Dalair died a horrific and yet honorable death all in the name of loving Sophia's past iteration. And it's likely that she remembers all of this. Maybe they will finally talk and she can reveal her true feelings to him. Can you imagine dying, being born again, and believing that the one you loved with your whole being didn't love you back?

Check out the previous books:

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!

Her mind might be confused, still sorting itself out, but her instincts were sure.
She knew this male.
She wanted this male.

Dark Obsession by Aja James

Maximus has always been in control.

As the Commander of the Chosen, the Dark King’s personal guard, he can’t afford to step wrong. With his eternal familiar at his side, he can loosen up, give in to moments of carefree fun. But all that changed on a fateful night.

She will always find a way back to him…

Ariel Kyles is an experiment with programmed thoughts but no soul—until a black panther’s spirit possesses her body. Suddenly, she discovers whole new needs, desires, and a primal, irresistible obsession: Maximus.

Fate will not be denied…

Maximus and Ariel each have secrets about themselves to uncover, and their journey leads them to a fantastic, hidden world.

But the most delicious mystery of all may prove to be their Destiny together.

Amazon CA * Amazon US
(free to read with Kindle Unlimited)

At first, when I thought of typing up this review, I thought I would use my usual format. Not that I have a set structure mind you, but it seems like one. Then I thought "F*ck that!" because it's not like this story deserves anything less than the rambling, passionate thoughts I had while reading it. So rather than hide everything under spoilers, I'm going to lay it all out right here. So if you don't want to be spoiled, stop here knowing that I loved this book, I love this series, and I highly recommend it!

Ariel and Maximus = too hot for words! Obviously Max's connection to Simca and hers to him made all of this possible, but I loved how much Ariel was able to blossom with her new soul. And how Max was able to see all sides of her. He loved this female. Loved everything about her. He loved her sass, her intellect, her badass attitude. He loved her passion, her competitiveness, even her over-the-top possessiveness. He loved the way she pushed him, the way she partnered him, the way they fit together like two halves of a whole.

While Max was the clear star of this story, Ariel gave him a run for his money. She was a joy to meet and a wonder in the making. And I loved how obsessed she was with him. “If you take me,” he rumbled low, “you’ll never take another male as long as I live.” She dug her sharp little fingernails into his ass. “Fair. And I’ll rip out the throat of any female who looks at you twice.”

Am I supposed to feel sympathy for Wan'er? I felt nothing but disgust for her. I still wish her a cruel, punishing and agonizing death. I did feel sorry for her mate (because he didn't ask to be a blood slave or to father a child, no matter that everyone should be thankful that Ishtar was created) and for her abandoned child. I get wanting revenge, but she went too far. Working for her enemy, watching her mate be dishonored, being disgusted by him, watching him die, then one day working for your enemy's daughter... Wan'er is pathetic.

Is it weird that I thought it was equally wrong and right that Simca (now Ariel) was so obsessed and aroused by Maximus? These two were insanely hot together!

I think it's hilarious that both Tal and Benji can see The Creature, no matter his disguise. When will these people figure it all out and realize that he is The Creature they have been battling all along? And The Creature watching Benji was such fun! This boy was positively diabolical! Ridiculously smart. Brilliantly astute. This was a boy after his own dark heart.

Could Ariel's life have been more sad before she was merged with Simca? Medusa and Wan'er are monsters and I can only imagine I'll have more horrifying stories to read about in the books to come.

I loved getting the glimpses of Maximus as a boy. The loneliness he suffered, the abuses were heartbreaking, but I enjoyed seeing his kinship with felines, his unrelenting passion and zest for life, his overwhelming compassion for the trapped white tiger (not even realizing their connection)... everything spoke to the amazing and beautiful male he became.

Okay, so mind blown over here but... Max's dad is the white tiger? I know Goya has a story in this series at some point (and I can't wait to read it), but holy sh!t I'm still stunned over this connection. Seriously, Aja James is brilliant!

I'm a terrible person for appreciating the fact that Max killed his mother to free his father. He didn't even know they were his parents. She was no maternal figure and his father was locked in a cage and tortured regularly. Of course he'd want to help his father, without knowing he was his father.

That moment when Max was in his vampire form and Goya was in his tiger form... and they were sitting in silence and kinship... so unbelievably sweet! This father/son duo were giving me life. And then when they fought together in their tiger forms... I'm telling you, this book was amazing!

I am enamored by The Creature's strong connection to Dalair. Those scenes are so intense and illuminating and I'm always excited to see them pop up.

I'm so glad Clara's mortality was brought up. How will she and Eli conquer that? How will they continue to thrive togeher if he is immortal and she is not? Is there more to her (as it seems) or will her genetics be changed as Ava's were?

I need Dalair to fight his programming again. This is getting ridiculous. How is he supposed to live with himself after realizing he was a part of the animal spirit massacre?That he has been 'sleeping' with the enemy? That he has been fighting against his own?

What caused Tal to bellow in such pain? Then, he threw back his head and let out a soul-shattering shout into the sky, the rawness and agony tearing through his vocal cords, breaking his voice. The Creature felt it to the core of its being. Its heart might be black and shriveled, but whatever heart that was left there twisted and clenched in vicarious pain, filling its nostrils with acid. There was an infinite amount of anguish in the Pure warrior’s howl. An unfathomable depth to his despair. The worst of it was, the Creature knew very well what had led to this moment. The Creature watching his father like that, not even knowing he's his father... my heart just keeps breaking for these people.

After getting a glimpse of Alend Ramses's pain and his determination to never fall in love again, wouldn't it be hilarious to find out that he was Anu's father and that the woman he loved and never loved him back was her mother? I'm just saying, this series seems to love its six degrees of separation, so it's not a reach.

I'm in so deep and I have no intention of finding my way out. I've already got Pure Providence downloaded so I'm off to go deeper.

Check out the previous books:

On a shudder, Maximus came awake.

And stared into Agent Kyles’ golden green eyes.

She’d turned in his arms while he slept, her torso flush against his. Her crotch cradling his hard-on oh so tightly even through the layers of their cold-weather clothes.

She was stroking his face lightly with her hands, tracing his eyebrows, temples, nose, cheeks, jaw and mouth with inquisitive fingers.

He realized that she’d been doing this for a while now.

It was her touch that calmed him in his dreams. Her touch that pulled him out of memories he’d rather forget.

“Hands are such wonderful things,” she murmured huskily, her voice rough from sleep.

“I could never do this with paws. And you have such an intriguing face. Such a beautiful body. I want to touch you all the time.”

Maximus swallowed.

His heart thudded. His cock leapt.

It would be so easy to push down their trousers and drive into her welcoming, wet heat.

He knew she would welcome him. Her body all but hummed for him to fill it.

“Ariel…” he rasped, searching for the right words but coming up empty.

Just her name alone gave him pause.

It was the first time he’d used it. The first time he’d even thought it.

She’d always been Agent Kyles to him, a designation instead of a person.

He also couldn’t see her as Simca, no matter what she said about the panther’s soul being inside her. No matter that he saw glimpses of his feline familiar in her personality, thoughts and gestures.

But now…somehow…she was Ariel.

And that realization and recognition made him even more confused than before. Even as a part of him embraced it.

He felt too raw right now, too conflicted from his recent dream.

Had she seen it too? Had she seen what he really was?

What was inside him all this time?

“Beautiful,” she said firmly. “You were magnificent in your dream. Fierce and primal. The most gorgeous being I’ve ever seen. You shouldn’t hide yourself. You should be proud. You protected someone helpless. You saved his life.”

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!

Pure Ecstasy by Aja James

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 say this now... Jade and Seth were heartwrenchingly beautiful together!

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:

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!

Dark Redemption by Aja James

All his existence, he’s fought for the wrong side…

Born and trained to be the most fearsome Dark warrior the immortal races had ever seen, Enlil of Anatolia had only ever known ruthlessness, brutality and rigid control. He was a weapon used by others, his life never his own.

Until he spits in the eye of Fate…

No longer able to abide by the atrocities he witnessed and engendered, he severs all ties to the past, risking his own life and sanity, and awakens a nameless man without memory.

And is taken in by a human woman in search of her own Destiny…

Raised in an orphanage, Clara Scott has always wanted a family of her own. Full of love, life and hope, she adopts a lost little girl and befriends a homeless man. In his eyes, she sees endless darkness and pain. But through his actions, she sees a strong, noble, imperfect, yet beautiful spirit—

She sees a soul worth redeeming.

Buy it here: Amazon
(free to read with Kindle Unlimited)

Did Aja James write a perfect villain redemption arc or what?!

I was already feeling for Enlil. He had many demons and I liked that he was finally going to confront them. To get a whole story devoted to him actually realizing the amazing male he could be... call it bliss!

All he knew was pain, sacrifice and betrayal. Anatolian males were taught from birth never to care for anything but honing their unrivaled skills as warriors. First his father. Then the first and only person to give him affection (screw you, Anu). After millenia spent alone and lonely, no wonder he felt so empty.

After severing the ties that bond, Enlil awoke with no memory. He was lost and yet he knew things. Things that made him dangerous. However, nothing in his past could have prepared him for Clara Scott. She was like a force of nature. Big-hearted, tender and kind, she was the perfect person to balance him out. He didn’t know what she saw when she stared so intently at him, but he knew what he saw: A beautiful faerie with dark red tresses, brilliant blue eyes, a curious mind, and a passionate heart.

Everything that grew between Enlil and Clara felt like magic. She was an orphan who was adopting an orphan (yes, little orphan Annie got a new mommy) and Enlil was a male with no family, no friends, no memories, and no home. She gave him everything he was missing. Passion. Life. Joy. She was all the best feelings Eli could imagine in one package, simply bursting with it. And he fulfilled her in such wonderful ways.


This story made me all sappy and I wish I could see a picturesque reunion scene between father and son. I think that would be the only way to improve on this perfection. Let Enlil and Ryu give each other huge bro hugs and have them mansplain their issues away so that we can all be happy together. Seriously, I can't get enough of this series and with all of the loose ends this book gave me, I have to dive into the next one.

And here are my kinda spoiler-y discussion points...

★ Who is the Pure female working both sides? I have my suspicions, especially after the whole description of bells around her ankles, but why is she doing this? What does she hope to gain? How could she betray everyone this way? When will her identity be revealed? When will everyone know? And does the author make her death especially gruesome, as she deserves?
★ It was pretty obvious that Dalair would be the latest inductee into Medusa/Anu's mindless minion brigade. However, if she no longer has her powers, how is she able to control all of these people? I can only hope he doesn't end up like Leonidas.
★ I thought for sure that we would find out more about Clara and what seems to be her own magical identity. Will this be explored in another book? Does she also possess immortality, without knowing? And will she and Enlil/Eli be part of the growing Pure and Dark alliance?
★ Will I get the scene I've been looking for... where Ryu and Enlil finally hash things out and come to some sort of understanding?
★ The Creature is evil. How the heck can he ever be redeemed? I know he is because of the spin-off series, but HOW??? He's making it hard for me to hold out hope for any kind of relationship with his family. After everything he's done and continues to do, how can he look Inanna, Ashtar and Tal in the eye. He helped to keep his father prisoner! He allowed for his torture! WTH?!

Check out the previous books:

“Your past does not define who you are, Eli,” she whispered against his mouth. The palm of one hand cupped his cheek while she pressed the other over his beleaguered heart.

“You still have the present and an uncharted future. I have seen the real you in the past couple of weeks, unburdened by birth, by title, by experience and expectations.”

She kissed him softly, tender presses upon his closed mouth. He felt the heat of her desire, but he also felt her understanding, compassion and care.

“You gave yourself a name, and it is a good one. You traced your steps here, to me and Annie. This is where you belong. In our hearts. This is who you are—the man I love.”

A shuddering sigh filled his chest as he opened his lips beneath hers, simply breathing her in.

Love me, he invited. Even though I don’t deserve it. Even though I’m afraid to accept it. I can’t stop myself from wanting it with every piece of my blackened soul.

She wet his lips with hers and swept her tongue inside, plundering all he had to offer, staking her claim.

You’re mine, her mouth said. Love is a gift given freely, and I want to give you all the love in my heart.

Slowly and deeply she kissed him, coaxing him to kiss her back, encouraging him to claim her just as she was claiming him. Endlessly, their mouths fused, their tongues tangled, their lips swollen with an insatiable, ravenous hunger to kiss and suck and drink and lap.

She pulled slightly away to murmur into his mouth, “This would be a good time to disappear our clothes like you did last time, ‘Lord Wind’.”

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!

Pure Rapture by Aja James

Their love is outlawed by both their Kinds…

Tal-Telal, the legendary General who led the Pure Ones to freedom, paid the ultimate price for his people: breaking the heart of his one True Love.

Her shattered heart continues to yearn…

Ishtar Anshar, once royalty reigning over a vast, ancient empire, lost everything she held dear. Deceived by those she trusted the most, she blamed the one male who sacrificed all to protect her.

No matter the distance and time, love is a renegade that cannot be ruled…

Now Fate has reunited them in this modern time to combat a burgeoning threat. Can they put the darkness behind them and forge a brighter future together?

Buy it here: Amazon
(free to read with Kindle Unlimited)

The General already owned my heart before I started Pure Rapture and now he has devastated it. In the best of ways!

I don't tend to get weak when I'm reading romance, but you see... I have an achilles heel when it comes to certain stories. Give me a beautiful, broken, but hopeful warrior of a hero and I become a gelatinous mess. And Tal had everything I love in spades!

This was probably the most heartbreaking story of the series. Each flashback to Tal's past left me reeling. I approached each scene with fear and trepidation. The author did such an incredible job of weaving the history, struggle, romance, and odds of what became of Tal and Ishtar.