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A Shadow in the Reaping by Brynne Weaver

A siren who must stay silent to survive.

An executioner with a bounty he cannot kill.

Lu has been living a quiet, undercover life, a vampire hidden in the quaint village of Sanford. Afraid that her voice will give her secrets away, Lu has lived for years without words, speaking only to the one witch she can trust. Except, of course, when it's time to hunt. When it comes to luring in her victims, no song is sweeter than Lu's.

But when Lu's hunt is interrupted by Ashen, a mysterious and striking Reaper of the Shadow Realm, it seems like fate has finally caught up with her. An executioner with a soul to claim, Ashen doesn't realize he's stumbled on the bounty of an immortal lifetime until it's too late. As the two enemies are forced to work together to solve a crime that shouldn't be possible, it's more than just secrets that emerge between them.

With every moment that passes, Lu finds it harder and harder to live like a shadow among her enemies, especially the enigmatic demon she's bound to. She might just be a little bored of living the quiet life. But for Lu, nothing is more inseparable than danger and desire.

...And there are few creatures in any realm more dangerous than Ashen.

*mature themes, including violence, strong language, & sexual content*




Hold up...
Wait...
That ending though!
The story kept building and building and when it got to the end... WHAM!
I'm hit in the tits, waiting on tenterhooks for this story to continue.

Lu was a riot and a half. While I could have done with less pop culture references (yeah, I love WAP too), nothing could really take away from how marvelous I found this character to be.

By now, most people know that I can't stand stories told from a single perspective. I always find something lacking, something missing, and wishing I could hear another side. And while I did feel this way, meaning Lu's voice wasn't strong enough (how ironic?), I was still able to fall in love with the way this story was told. There was humor, violence, the standard dose of tension when two enemies are in forced proximity, subtle hints of romance, and tons of otherworldly imaginings. How could I not love it?

A vampire and a reaper. No one could say they were a true match and yet, what was developing between them worked. I wanted and needed them to be together. To take out anyone who went against them. To triumph over everyone. For everything that Lu had gone through over the millenia (though who would know it when she looks and acts 25), I wanted her to catch a break. And just when I thought Ashen would be the one to help her... the rug got pulled out from under me.

So yeah, the cover of this book (ain't it gorgeous) pulled me in, but it's the story that will keep me going. Book two can't come soon enough. More of Lu's crazy, please!

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Marked for Seduction by S.J. Rowe

Thieves don’t get caught…

However, Tess’s career both started and stopped when she was. Her hand wasn’t the only thing she would lose this time. What was she to do: save her skin or let another die?

Primes choose loyalty over personal joy…

For over 200 years, Maliki didn’t regret exchanging his death for a life filled with duty and to right the wrongs that killed him. Under the watchful eye of an outsider makes it harder, especially with one that keeps tugging on a heart he thought was lost. When forced to choose, will he kill the Kayen, the soulless creatures of the night, or the talented thief hired to steal the secrets of his hidden society?

Does love make a soul whole?

Forced to work together: one to save three lives, the other thousands. Are they willing to push aside their desire to find those that betrayed them? Both have no problem surrendering their souls to spare another’s life, but are they willing to sacrifice their hearts this time?




I love when a new-to-me author's work gives me the giggles. Marked for Seduction was funny, sexy, and a wee bit suspenseful. Throw in some supernatural drama and it made for quite the entertaining read. Tess was a thief with a huge heart while Maliki was a male who was slowly discovering that love could play a part in his life too. They didn't make sense, their romance was almost forbidden, and yet something about them worked.

I'll admit that I'm intrigued by the idea of the whole Cain and Abel secret society of immortals or semi-immortals, locked in an endless battle of good vs. evil. I do wish that I learned more about the inner workings of that society, the people who make it their priority to protect humans, and even the evil ones who look at humans as fodder. For instance, why did I find out so much about everyone else's super powers, but nothing about Maliki's? Did he not have one?

Overall, a solid story and I'll probably read from this author again.

He didn’t have a heart... but he wanted hers.

All I knew about life was anger and violence. Pain and suffering. Kill or be killed.

I was a “fixer” for the Ruin—a syndicate for the Bratva, Cosa Nostra, Cartel, and any other organized crime faction that dealt in the darker, crueler aspects of humanity.

I was a free agent who was called upon to do things weaker men didn’t have the stomach for.

And when you surround yourself with death for long enough, soon, you didn’t remember what it felt like to be alive.

And then I saw her. She was a fragile little thing who tried to be strong. But I could tell she’d seen too much horror in the world, too much of the ugly within people. I should have stayed away. I’d only bring her farther down into the darkness.

But for the first time in my life, I felt a stirring in my chest, this protectiveness and possessiveness toward another living person. And it was painful. It made me feel alive.

Lina tried to hide how broken she was, but I was an old friend of being ruined. She held secrets I’d find out. Because for the first time in my miserable life, I wanted something for myself. I felt something more than apathy and indifference.

I wanted to possess the innocence she clung to. I wanted to break it open and consume it for myself.

I could look into her too trusting blue eyes and knew I’d maim for her. I’d kill for her. And that became our truth when her past finally came back for her, when my present tried to destroy her.

They thought they could take the one thing—the only thing—I’d ever wanted for myself. They were wrong.

When I looked at her, I felt some of the monster that made me who I was retreat back to my black soul. He’d never leave... but he’d share the space.

For her.

A complete standalone novel in the Underworld Kings series.

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Scarred by Ari Reavis

It’s the scars of the past that keep us from seeing what the future could hold.

Liam has scars that remind him daily why he refuses to allow love into his life. What good is it when it only leads to anger and hatred later on? But then he literally bumps into someone who makes him wonder if there is more to life than reliving the pain of what he’s been through.

Some scars are easier to bear than others.

Nia can’t look in the mirror without being reminded of what she’s endured. She carries the past with her like a living darkness wherever she goes. When she meets someone who looks beyond her scar, she dares to hope for a future she never thought possible.

But the past never stays dead for long.

When the ghosts of the past come back to haunt them both, can they make it through together? Or will the fear and uncertainty tear them apart before they can find happiness? The past and present collide and they’ll have to fight for each other if they want to have a future.

Find your copy of Scarred by Ari Reavis on Amazon
https://amzn.to/3B7NDrV

I consider every book by Ari Reavis to be a comfort read. While no two stories are alike, and each one gives me a unique experience, they all read like I'm coming home.

After meeting Liam and then Nia in Imperfect, I didn't think I needed more. I was cool with what I knew. Then I picked up this book and realized how necessary their story was. How else was I going to fall in love with them?

Both characters had traumatic pasts, things done to them that affected how they went about their daily lives, and yet they thrived. Neither of them hid or fell apart. And together... they created something magical. Liam and Nia were such wonderful, kind, compassionate, patient, and understanding characters. I felt their pain, their confusion, their fears, their blossoming love, and all of their joy.

I love when an author can give us something so stunningly beautiful out of the ugliness that created deep emotional and physical scars.


Ari Reavis is a wife and mother of five. Born in New York and raised in New Jersey, she enjoys staying in, devouring books and watching movies. Her kids are running around, her husband is trying to show her martial arts moves, and she's trying to write. Her day in a nutshell.