Liked.
The warrior couldn’t recall the last time he felt preference for anything.
He wasn’t programmed to prefer.
To feel.
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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!
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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!
────── ♔ ──────
Jerk It by Lani Lynn Vale
Release - September 7, 2021
Genre - Contemporary Romance / enemies-to-lovers
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 3.5 out of 5 / a few scenes
Format/Source - eARC provided by the author
Page Count - 207
Publisher - Indie
Mavis always assumed that she would be in a hospital with the good drugs when her time came. Not in the middle of the road, with no one around but the damn town mechanic that hated her.
But there she was, having a rock star’s baby, with no one to rely on but the one that let it be known around every turn that she was a horrible person.
From the time that she met Murphy and became best friends with him at the age of eight, she knew he was destined for greatness.
But then her grandmother fired Murphy’s mom, forcing them to live on the streets, and making Murphy to realize that maybe they weren’t best friends after all.
Murphy loved Mavis.
At least, he had when he was younger, before she betrayed him.
From that moment forward, Murphy goes out of his way to stay the hell away from her, and always makes sure to never get too close. Even though everything inside of him screams to make contact.
When he moves back to town after being gone for five years, he tries his best to stay away.
But there she is at his CrossFit gym. Then having a baby on the side of the road. Oh, and breaking him a little more with each step she takes away.
Eventually, they find their way back to each other. The only problem is, by the time that Mavis makes her way back into his heart, it breaks. And not in a rhetorical way. In the ‘he only has days to live’ kind of way.
Amazon CA * Amazon US
Now that's how you yank on my feelings!
LLV did warn us and I should have really taken her warning to heart, but I didn't. And when I felt like all hope was lost, I was given another chance. However, that chance came at a huge cost. It was a price I wasn't willing to pay and here at the end... I'm so angry!!
I loved the push-and-pull of the relationship brewing between Mavis and Murphy. Who doesn't love a great enemies-to-lovers story? Especially when it has a touch of getting a second chance. And I was down for the heartache the author wanted to put me through. I loved how emotional I got over this story and I can even appreciate how angry I am right now.
You know a story is amazing when it pulls something out of you. It can't be humdrum, normal, or par for the course when it affects you so strongly. And I was definitely effected by the events that took place, by the excruciating love story that developed, and by the characters I couldn't help but fall in love with.
P.S. Is it just me or did anyone else absolutely adore the fact that Murphy wasn't a perfect male specimen of hunkiness? How about how well he stepped up for Mavis and her baby? How strong he was despite everything? His relationship with his mother? How could I not love this guy?
Check out the first book of the series:
I knew it. She knew it.
Everybody would soon know it.
“Dammit, man.” Taos paused. “I’m really fuckin sorry to hear that. Does everyone else know?”
I leaned against the truck feeling my breaths come faster and faster just from the simple exertion of holding myself in a standing position.
“I’m going to tell them tonight.” I shrugged.
The front door slammed, and I looked to it to see Fran coming out with Vlad on her hip.
She took one look at me, and I knew she knew.
“Where’s Mavis?” I asked quietly.
Fran cleared her throat. “She’s in the bathroom getting cleaned up.”
I closed my eyes and felt a wave of something fierce hit me.
“This is why I should’ve stayed away,” I admitted. “I wish I’d never come back.”
Fran sucked in a breath at my words. “You would take away some of the happiest days I’ve ever seen Mavis experience because you’re upset that she’s going to be heart-broken?”
I didn’t know what to reply to that, so I just didn’t.
Lani Lynn Vale is married to the love of her life that she met in high school. She fell in love with him because he was wearing baseball pants. Ten years later they have three perfectly crazy children and a cat named Demon who likes to wake her up at ungodly times in the night. They live in the greatest state in the world, Texas. She writes contemporary and romantic suspense, and has a love for all things romance. You can find Lani in front of her computer writing away in her fictional characters world...that is until her husband and kids demand sustenance in the form of food and drink.
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.
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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!
So let's get down to what all I did in August...
August was a great reading month for me. So great that it's hard for me to nail down the best book because after starting the Pure/Dark Ones series by Aja James... all of those books deserve the glory! So I'll just share with you all of the amazing reads I got to enjoy this month...
Pure Healing by Aja James - 5 stars
Dark Longing by Aja James - 5 stars
Dark Desires by Aja James - 5 stars
Dark Pleasures by Aja James - 5 stars
Pure Rapture by Aja James - 5 stars
Dark Redemption by Aja James - 5 stars
Pure Awakening by Aja James - 4 stars
Pure Ecstasy by Aja James - 5 stars
Dark Obsession by Aja James - 5 stars
Pure Providence by Aja James - 5 stars
Pure Magnetism by Aja James - 5 stars
Pure Surrender by Aja James - 5 stars
Pure Darkness by Aja James - 5 stars
Bond of Destiny by Larissa Ione - 4 stars
Dark Possession by Aja James - 5 stars
Aja James is a hidden gem. I'm not sure why because her gift with words is outstanding! She has definitely made a place for herself on my must-buy list.
Physical Books:
Ebooks
I did pretty awesome with not adding too much to my list. One day, it will be zero so I can actually get through my dang TBR.
I read a total of 4246 pages across 16 books. Most of these came from this fabulous series I found (Pure/Dark Ones by Aja James), although I did find some amazing ARCs as well. Not a whole lot of variety here :)
What are you looking forward to for September? I hope it's as incredible as we deserve it to be!
Talk soon,
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