In order to keep you safe, I would like, cheat, and kill.
Know it.
────── ♔ ──────
No Escape From War by Cynthia Eden
Release - May 25, 2021
Genre - Romantic Suspense / second chance
Primarily Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 4 out of 5 / a few scenes
Format/Source - ebook provided by the publisher through Inkslinger PR
Page Count - 217
Publisher - Hocus Pocus Publishing, Inc.
Revenge. Oh, it was going to be sweet.
Warren “War” Channing finally has the chance to nail his beautiful, lying ex. And, no, he doesn’t mean “nail” in the down and dirty sexual way…War means he has the opportunity to send the lovely and infuriating Rose Shadow to jail. Turned out, the woman who had shattered his heart beneath her high heeled shoes was wanted for murder. She was on the run, and he was just the man to hunt her down and toss her into the nearest cell…War could hardly wait.
He was the last man she expected to need.
The breakup had been ugly. Painful. It had ripped out her heart and left her in a sad, crying heap as she ate her ice cream, but Rose had moved the hell on, and she had sworn to never, ever need War again. Except, well, now she did need him and his sneaky skills because Rose was in trouble up to her eyes. The kind of trouble that could wreck a woman’s life.
He’ll make her pay.
Rose has cracked the story of a lifetime. She’s uncovered a brutal serial killer who has been hiding in the shadows—only now, she is his next target. The cops think she’s involved in the string of murders because maybe her DNA had been at a crime scene and maybe she’d been spotted by witnesses at another location, but Rose is a reporter—she’d been at the scenes because she was tracking down the real killer. Now, though, because War has caught her, Rose is out of time and options. War is former special ops. He’s the best PI in town. And he’s the man who gave her more pleasure than should be legal…Too bad that he’s also the man who hates her the most.
Forty-eight hours…then jail.
They make a grudging deal—she’ll pay him anything he wants if he just gives her forty-eight hours before he turns her over to the cops. During that forty-eight hours, he will help her track the real killer. When the clock runs down, she’ll be out of his life for good. Except…a whole lot can change for two people in forty-eight hours. Hate can turn into desire. Need can rage out of control. And a love that you thought was long dead? It just might flash to life again.
Provided, of course, that the murderer hunting Rose doesn’t manage to kill her before she and War can catch him. Forty-eight hours. The countdown starts now…
Author’s note: The Trouble For Hire romance series features hot, former military heroes…and these guys truly are the best kind of trouble. All of the books are stand-alones with guaranteed happy endings. Danger, romance, action, suspense, humor…oh, it’s definitely time to find some trouble…
Amazon CA * Amazon US
Romance, suspense and a ton of laughs... No Escape From War gave me just what I needed.
☑ a brooding, handsome, and more than capable ex-SEAL, Alpha hero
☑ a sassy, beautiful, and fierce heroine
☑ a stalker-murderer who has our heroes in his crosshairs
☑ a sexy, second chance at love
Seriously, what more could one ask for?
Despite the fact that I guessed the identity of the killer early on, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey. I loved how the author gave both characters easily relatable flaws. War found it hard to trust and the smallest things could (and did) set him off. Rose had walls and when War had hurt her, she found it hard to bring them down for him again. He was a bit of a brute and she wanted to tame him. It was an interesting dynamic that fed this story.
And although I've already met Odin, I loved getting to see him introduced in this book. And there it was. Pure Odin. The guy who would have your back in an instant even if he was pissed as hell at you. A friend straight to the core, through blood and pain and battles. You're gonna love Odin too!
Cynthia Eden has been a must-buy author for me for a long time and I rely on her for a juicy plot, demanding characters, fantastic chemistry, and must-read romance. With No Escape From War, she delivered.
Award-winning author Cynthia Eden writes sexy tales of contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal romance. She is a New York Times, USA Today, Digital Book World, and IndieReader best-seller. Since she began writing full-time in 2005, Cynthia has written over one hundred novels and novellas.
Cynthia lives along the Alabama Gulf Coast. She loves romance novels, horror movies, and chocolate. Her favorite hobbies including hiking in the mountains (searching for waterfalls) and spelunking.
This man who was his Bane, yet also not.
This man who was equal light and darkness.
Joy and pain.
An infinite myriad of experiences and emotions.
He enthralled Sorin, body, heart and soul.
────── ♔ ──────
Dark Purity by Aja James
Release - May 15, 2021
Genre - Paranormal Romance / second chance / MM romance
Primarily Dual POV - 3rd person (with other brief POVs)
Heat Level - 5 out of 5 / several scenes
Format/Source - ebook borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
Page Count - 396
Publisher - Indie
An unlikely hero…
He was once known as the Creature. An indefinable “it.” His life had never been his own, used and abused by despicable beings. Worst of all, he never knew himself.
Despite his tortured past, despite the darkness inside him, he has chosen a brighter path. He has a name—Erebu. His first stand was to defy the Master who created him to save his son. But instead of destroying the greatest enemy of all, he himself was destroyed…
An unlikely love…
From distant lands, across fathomless seas, someone heard the Creature’s cries. He gave Ere a second chance, a miraculous rebirth that came at a steep cost, remaking Ere with his own breath, body, blood and soul.
This mysterious savior has a past of his own to face, and a future to define and embrace. Will Ere be able to find him in time? Will they forge their path together or pursue separate destinies?
An end and a beginning…
No matter their decision, one thing is certain: they must work together to unite all Kinds if they have a hope of defeating their ultimate nemesis.
The end is near…
And so is a brand new beginning.
Amazon CA * Amazon US
(free to read with Kindle Unlimited)
I tried to read this book very slowly, but found it so hard to pace myself because it was DELICIOUS!! Let it be said... I loved Ere and Sorin together!
Not that I'm surprised.
To love Ere is to love anyone he happens to love. The list isn't large, but those he cares for are the best of the best and Sorin definitely deserved his place.
I fell in love with Sorin right from the start. How could I not? Oh. My. Gosh! I can't get over how Ere 'waxed poetic' about each part of his physical form, such as...
I was enamored by the connection these two males shared, even if Ere couldn't remember why they shared it. I couldn't get over the way his body reacted. Or the way his thoughts were obsessed with Sorin, making him feel things he's never felt before. Or the way his insatiable need for the man made him crave to be close to him. Well, I guess it went both ways.
Seriously, when I was only 16% in, I was a true goner for these males. I still can't get over how succinctly Sorin summed up everything awesome that made up Ere.
And how could I possibly not love how fiercely each male loved the other. Whether it was Sorin wanting to heal everything that was broken in Ere, or Ere wanting to give joy to overcome the sorrow he felt from Sorin's soul, these males gave their all to each other.
Aside from these two, there were other things that were explored with this story, such as The Dandelions. These people were the result of experiments and I was hoping to get more of them before The End. For example, Clara and her adopted daughter Annie were 'experiments'. So was Ariel. The Tech Master. Who else was there and how would they have featured in some way? What powers would they each develop?
I think my biggest shock, apart from the fact that Benji's heritage wasn't explored (I really wish my questions from the last book were answered), was the fact that Lilith/Wan'er/Fox Spirt was one of the original Twin Goddesses. What?! This evil chick was the Dark Goddess? I loved how the author created her back story, including her punishment to experience humanity as a lesser being. She obviously learned nothing, and her end was well deserved, and the author did an incredible job building and building and building to the ultimate climax of this story.
I found so much of this story simply beautiful and I adored how devoted these characters were to each other. I'm in love with the way this author captures romance and blends it so well with mythology and suspense. I'm at once thrilled and broken after experiencing this series. Thrilled that I got the chance to read it and broken because this particular journey is over. I don't want to say goodbye!!
Check out the previous books:
Before he even arrived at the table, the words he’d formulated in his head to say were already spilling out of his mouth.
“Welcome to Drink of Me. May I take your—”
The words stuck in his throat and died a hasty death when the stranger turned away from the window to face him, spearing his feet into the floor with invisible stakes with those unforgettable gold eyes.
“You,” Ere breathed.
The man called “Soren” merely stared at him, silent and brooding.
Well, Ere didn’t know if he was in fact brooding, but he had a “Heathcliff” look about him, all stormy and dark, filled with oceans-worth of emotions and unspoken turmoil.
Ere wanted to smack himself.
The purple prose in his mind was annoying as hell! But he just couldn’t seem to stop the melodramatic twists and turns of his fucked-up imagination.
“What are you doing here?”
He didn’t actually expect an answer, since the man hadn’t spoken a single word since their encounter yesterday. So he was knocked literally off his feet when the stranger said:
“Hungry.”
That voice!
For the love of Loki’s hairy balls, that voice!
It was fathoms deep, resonant, but smoky and husky at the same time, raspy and rough. Tinged with an erotic accent when he spoke.
(Yes, he meant erotic and exotic. Accents could be erotic, Ere was absolutely certain, because this guy’s voice conjured all kinds of carnal cravings and sinful deeds).
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!
Liked.
The warrior couldn’t recall the last time he felt preference for anything.
He wasn’t programmed to prefer.
To feel.
────── ♔ ──────
Pure Destiny by Aja James
Release - February 11, 2021
Genre - Paranormal Romance / second chance
Primarily Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 5 out of 5 / several scenes
Format/Source - ebook purchased from Amazon
Page Count - 380
Publisher - Indie
Destiny is cruel…
Since the moment they first met, in another life time, another world, Dalair and Sophia could not deny the longings of their heart, their souls, for each other.
But the stars aligned against them, capriciously pushing them together only to heartlessly tear them apart. She was never meant to be his, but he gave all of himself to protect her.
Fate can be rewritten…
Both reawakened to their long buried memories, they fight desperately against the prophesies that shackle them.
Sophia, the first-ever Pure Queen, the reigning queen, and the Destroyer of races, must find a way to save Dalair’s soul before it’s too late.
Dalair, trapped in a body that no longer obeys his will, controlled by thoughts that are not his own, fights to the death to reclaim his soul. And to reclaim, in the process, the only woman he’s ever loved.
But at what cost?
The Pure Ones might have triumphed over one adversary, but the more devious villain remains, continuing to spread chaos and mass destruction. Will Sophia and Dalair overcome the odds and carve a new, better future, or will they succumb to the Darkness? Including the enemy within— him.
Amazon CA * Amazon US
(free to read with Kindle Unlimited)
One of my favorite things about this series is that as much as I think I know... I quickly realize there is still so much I need to learn.
These stories about the Pure and Dark Ones have been some of the most brilliant, incredible, and emotional reads I have ever come across. And I'm a pitiful mess right now because as much as I've loved reading these books, I'm devastated that there is only one story left.
He proved his loyalty with fists and feet, blood and sweat.
He defended, protected, fought, conquered.
And he loved.
Oh, how passionately he loved!
So much devastating events led to this moment... Dalair is a mind-controlled minion/general of Medusa and company's army. In Pure Requiem, after falling in love with Ere, and realizing that he was giving the good guys a chance to rescue Dalair (and so many other things), I knew that this book was going to be deep. I knew that I was going to watch Sophia struggle with controlling her Destroyer side, struggle with returning Dalair's soul back, and that everyone was going to struggle with Wan'er/Fox Spirit/Lilith. Can this person just die already? I also knew that this author was going to deliver because she has for Fifteen. Other. Books!!
The following are my thoughts, feelings, conclusions, and questions while reading Pure Destiny, so if you want to avoid spoilers — STOP HERE!
────── ♔ ──────
1. I know people are gonna wonder... 'Does Natalie like or love Sophia now?' Hmmm... not really. I don't hate her, so please don't misinterpret this. She can just be a little annoying. And with her inane and repetitive internal monologues/malaise, apocalyptic tantrus, and her tunnel vision, I wasn't sure if the love would come. I didn't think I could ever get over how many times she allowed herself to descend into darkness. She needed to get a grip. Poor Benji had the unfortunate role of trying to bring her back. Benji is meant for greater things! But then there was this...
She slowly worked her way into my heart. I loved how devoted she was to Dalair, how hard she was willing to fight for him, and how bright her light could be. So yeah, in the end, I did love her!
2. I thought for sure that Aja James was done turning me inside out, but when Sophia was having her flashbacks to one of her previous incarnations, one I didn't even think about... I was not prepared for this surprise. I was blown away!
So let me get this straight... Sophia's soul used to be the daughter of the Fox Spirit/Lilith/Wan'er, the daughter of the Pure One who Queen Ashlu made into her Blood Slave, the same Pure One that we know is the father of Ishtar. That means that Sophia is Ishtar's sister. OMG that's crazy! Will this come out or be covered in the next book, seeing as it's the last in the series?
3. Was anyone else strangely turned on when Robot Dalair woke up, like a man on a mission (which he unfortunately was) and effortlessly incapacitated Immortals and humans alike to get to Benji? Dude is so hot!
4. I also can't be the only one who got swept away when Sophia shared her memories of when she first met Dalair (when she was the princess Kira). I loved getting it all from her perspective and how finally... finally... Dalair could believe in her feelings for him.
5. And while I have so many other thoughts and feelings about this story, the one that keeps repeating itself right now is this... is Benji the reincarnation of the Pure One that Queen Ashlu stole? With his little blips, like finding Wan'er familiar and sending thoughts to Sophia that ring true to her earliest remembered incarnation, does this mean that his soul was once her father? Meaning his soul is also the father to Ishtar's soul? And will this be revealed in the story to come?
Check out the previous books:
Dalair unleashed was like…
Sophia’s mind stuttered, as it always did when trying to come up with the right descriptors for her enigmatic warrior. Other males were easy to categorize. Human languages had a broad enough vocabulary to encompass all varieties.
But never Dalair. Not for her.
The essence of him couldn’t be captured by any adjective, or even a thousand adjectives.
He was always more.
More compelling. More magnetic. More addictive. More breathtaking.
He made her feel so much more. He awakened and inspired every part of her.
The modern feminist in her, the Gen-Z self-oriented part of her, felt as if she should rebel against the irresistible draw of him. She should be independent and self-sufficient, shouldn’t she? Whole unto herself. She shouldn’t need anyone else like this. She shouldn’t want to be dominated and protected and taken care of like this.
She was a queen! She was the Destroyer (not that she was proud of it, but still). She was one of the most powerful beings in the universe.
Why should one male matter so much? That she would move heaven and earth to have him by her side?
And yet…
Sophia would never lie to herself. The truth was: she wasn’t fully alive without Dalair. Only with him did she breathe freely, deeply, as if up to this point, she’d been suffocating all along.
He was her air. Her water. He was everything.
Dalair unleashed was like…
A supernova.
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!
I don’t expect it to be significant; I know I’m not anything special.
But I’m alive.
I exist.
I want to like the real me.
I want others to like me too.
I want my tiny allotment of real estate in the universe to matter.
────── ♔ ──────
Pure Requiem by Aja James
Release - November 5, 2020
Genre - Paranormal Romance
Dual POV - 1st person / Ere & Tal
Heat Level - 5 out of 5 / the scenes between Tal and Ishtar were scorchers!
Format/Source - ebook purchased from Amazon
Page Count - 240
Publisher - Indie
Who he was…
The Creature was not always an “it,” a monster and tool for Medusa’s use. Once upon a time, he was a boy, and then a man. He had a name—Erebu. Twice, he sacrificed himself for love. Twice he died and was revived by his Mistress. In the process, he lost his soul and buried the painful memories where no one could find them, least of all him.
Who he is…
Now one of Medusa’s most brilliant henchmen, captured by the Pure Ones yet treated like a friend rather than a foe, the Creature is reminded of the soul he lost, the memories he’d forgotten, and the dream he used to hope for. But first, he must confront the past.
Who he is meant to be…
The Creature realizes that he matters, he has will, even if he is not completely free; that without darkness there is no light, and that darkness can be beautiful too.
When his newfound friends—his family—are threatened, will the Creature find the strength to fight for love? Will he make the right choice and change the course of Destiny?
Amazon CA * Amazon US
(free to read with Kindle Unlimited)
If I haven't said it yet, I'll say it now... I love Erebu!
How is this possible?
How did the author make this person into a redeemable hero? Or would he be an anti-hero?
I don't know how it was done. And I don't even care. I LOVE HIM!!
And to top it all off, I got not only Ere... but Pure Requiem gave me more of my beloved Tal!
The following are my thoughts, feelings, and questions about this read. If you don't want to be spoiled, stop here!
1. The Creature, who will now be named Ere (because I refuse to ever call him 'it' again) was as sarcastic, adorable, vulnerable, and particularly loquacious as ever.
2. I found it entirely too sweet when Ere impersonated Inanna to spend time with Tal. How cute was it that Tal knew all along that it was him? And how nice was it that he was so honest with his father, even in disguise?
“There’s a certain symmetry as well as randomness in the lines. It’s actually quite…beautiful, despite the ugliness that created them. When I look at you, I see colors, and the world pales to gray. You’re a work of art, papa.”
And then I saw it: a corner of his mouth slowly curved up in that gorgeous, heart-palpitating squirk. Holy gods, how I love this heroic male with all my twisted, black heart!
3. I love Ere's connection to Benji. I live for every moment of their time together, their banter, their love, and their light.
There he goes with his obsession with cuckoos again. I suppose I aided and abetted this unhealthy fixation with the grim fairytales I’ve been telling him. He’s determined to prove to me how cuckoos are actually beautiful and love-worthy, how the ugliest of them all is destined to mate with a magical golden phoenix of all things. One can never account for a boy’s wayward imagination.
Is Benji seeing the future? The phoenix... that would be The Eagle King right? Is he to be Ere's promise of happiness?
4. How sweet was it when Ere finally saw his true self for the first time?
Huh. I guess I’m genetically blessed with a big, fat ass. Despite the beef jerky imitation that describes the rest of me (except the obscenely plump meat hanging between my legs), my backside doesn’t appear to have gone on the same diet.
5. Why do I want Ere to write me some letters? I'm in love with his love for Dalair. I love how his letters were sweet, vulnerable and honest. I am begging for these two 'brothers' to reunite and find their love and friendship again.
6. How hot was that first scene between Tal and Ishtar? Initially he was tense and reluctant and still averse to her touch. Then he became dominant and exchanged the power with his mate. Is this what he needed to finally overcome the hurdle to their passion? Will they be okay now? And when the heck will he get back his sight???
7. Am I the only one who melted into a sticky puddle over Ere's love and admiration for his parents? I'm a gushy mess!
I stand in front of the bathroom mirror admiring the gorgeousness that sprouts from my scalp. I think it’s my best feature. After all, I got it from Ishtar Anshar, Heaven’s Brightest Star. I cock my head a little in consideration. On second thought, maybe I like my eyes best. Because they’re from Tal-Telal, the General of the Pure Ones. Everything else about my body is probably my own, so I don’t like that as much. But the features that are from…them I absolutely adore.
8. I'm still wondering about the futures of Rhys, Ana, and Adam Morgan. Will there be happy endings for them? I always thought Ana and Adam would hook up.
9. Will I ever get the back stories for Tristan and Ayelet? I want to know who they really are and how they ended up mated.
10. The reconciliation of Ere and Liv almost made me teary-eyed. I know this is fiction, but what are the chances that she was the same girl who gave him a broken heart. They were kids together. She knew him before he ever became The Creature. How cool is it... how far he's come to be able to forgive her?!
11. I would love for someone to tell me why Ishtar is still being referred to as a Dark One when we know that her true father was a Pure One. Doesn't that mean she is half and half? Doesn't that make Inanna and Ere 3/4 Pure and 1/4 Dark?
What I know is this... Ere is still a rascal, but he is definitely redeemed. He's becoming the hero he was always meant to be. After an epic battle scene, it seems he's ready to make a huge sacrifice for his family and friends. Now here I am, ready to start Pure Destiny, and all I can think of, besides my love for these characters, is 🎵 Ding Dong the Witch is Dead 🎵 One down... one to go!
Check out the previous books:
“He is so beautiful, my love,” she whispers, the salt from her hot tears blending with the light sprinkle of water from the showerhead as it all trickles down my skin, leaving me raw.
“Benji described him accurately—eyes like yours, hair like mine, tall and much too thin. But you wouldn’t believe how his beauty eclipses the gods of old unless you beheld it for yourself.”
I clench my fist against the small of her back and hug her tighter.
I cannot see my son. I do not know if I ever shall. At least I have the memory of Inanna to sustain me. At least I had my daughter for two decades before we were separated. But I have never seen Erebu. My blind eyes throb with visceral pain at the loss.
“I will tell you all about it,” Ishtar adds softly, as if sensing my torment. “Our son truly cannot be described as anything but beautiful. He is all male, but there is a feline, delicate grace about him. I do not think it’s because of his thinness. It’s his inherent gentleness and playfulness. He might display his prickly, irreverent wit to the world, but he’s terribly sensitive inside. And gravely hurt.”
She sniffs, and I take a deep breath, both of us gathering ourselves out of sorrow, focusing on joy.
And hope. Always hope.
“Often, he makes scornful, self-deprecating comments,” she continues in that soothing, low voice, “partly to fend off harsher words from others that he seems to expect as his due, and partly because he truly believes them himself. He has so much light within him that it shines through whenever he looks upon Benji. Yet, so much darkness as well, focused inward. And because of this, not in spite of it, he is exquisitely, painfully beautiful. Endlessly fascinating, multi-faceted like the kaleidoscopic fragments of light filtered through the most perfect diamond.”
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!
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