Review // Soul Eater by Lily Mayne

March 30, 2023

Soul Eater by Lily Mayne

"You were the first human to treat me with something other than contempt or disgust... I decided to give you a chance at survival." ~ Wyn

──────　♔　──────


Soul Eater by Lily Mayne

Soul Eater by Lily Mayne


Standalone - Monstrous #1
Genre - Fantasy Romance / apocalypse / MM romance
POV - Single 1st person
Heat - 5 out of 5
Format - ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Length - 329 pages

Twenty years ago, monsters rose on earth and began a new age of civilization.

One where humans live in military-controlled, cramped and dirty cities along the coasts, and the majority of the United States is known as the Wastes. A lawless, desolate and dangerous place, teeming with monsters that have claimed the land for their own.

Including Wyn the Soul Eater.

He appears every three years, making his way across the country and slaughtering humans randomly, sucking them dry until they’re nothing but husks.

I’ve only been in the military for six months, but now I’m part of a unit tasked with trying to stop and capture him. And when I’m the only soldier out of hundreds that the Soul Eater leaves alive, I realise that… something about me has intrigued him.

But what is it? What could a twenty-three year old guy from the south, with no one and nothing in the world, have possibly done to capture the attention of a death monster with horns, blackened fingertips and a face hidden in the dark depths of his hood?

Soul Eater is the debut novel of Lily Mayne. It is the first in a planned post-apocalyptic fantasy series featuring monsters and human men falling in love. Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit content and is not suitable for young readers. There are also graphic depictions of torture and violence.

Find it here: Goodreads * Amazon

Soul Eater by Lily Mayne

My Two Cents

4.25 "When a monster is the most human of us all" stars

I don't know how I found this book, but I'm so freaking glad I did!

For a debut book, this author could teach other authors a few things. While it took me a bit to become invested, once I was, there was absolutely no letting go of the characters I met.

Danny was a heartbreaker. As a human, he didn't have many options for a life—live in a cramped city with little chance for employment, live in the wastes scrounging for food, or join the military. As a soldier, he realized that his life didn't mean much to the higher ups and when he and his unit are used as cannon fodder, he decides that maybe the military life isn't for him. Hunting and capturing monsters isn't what he signed up for and he can't help but sympathize with the beings who are being imprisoned and tortured.

When they bring in Wyn the Soul Eater, Danny can't help but be drawn to this incredibly strong and mysterious being that no one can understand. He can't be killed and seems to just be biding his time. And for some reason, while he killed every other member of Danny's unit, Danny survived. Not only that, but Wyn seems to be as drawn to Danny as he is to him.

And I was just here... loving every moment between them.

I loved that they both had this vulnerability to them that fed into the compassion and yearning they felt. I found their every interaction endearing and touching, even the filthy bits!

Don't even get me started on Edin, Wyn's purple demon friend. I think he gets a book of his own and I'm eager to read it.

If you enjoy stories about people finding love in the most unlikely place, with the most unlikely person, then this book is most definitely for you!

The Author

Lily Mayne writes what she loves to read: achingly sweet yet gritty romances against unusual backdrops—dark, futuristic, dystopian and more.

She enjoys reading and writing (duh), cooking and baking, watching terrible horror movies and many other hobbies that would have potentially made her an ideal Victorian maid. Just a really lazy one.

She currently lives in the UK with her husband and several fluffballs, who like to make a lot of noise while she’s writing.

Find out more here: https://lily-mayne.com
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Review // Hooked by Emily McIntire

March 25, 2023

Hooked by Emily McIntire

"You are, without a doubt, the only good I've ever known." - Hook

──────　♔　──────


Hooked by Emily McIntire

Hooked by Emily McIntire


Standalone - Never After #1
Genre - Dark Romance / retelling / vengeance
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5
Format - ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Length - 312 pages

Find it here: Goodreads * Amazon

He wants revenge, but he wants her more…

James has always had one agenda: destroy his enemy, Peter Michaels. When Peter’s twenty-year-old daughter Wendy shows up in James’s bar, he sees his way in. Seduce the girl and use her for his revenge. It’s the perfect plan, until things in James’s organization begin to crumble. Suddenly, he has to find the traitor in his midst, and his plan for revenge gets murkier as James starts to see Wendy as more than just a pawn in his game.

Wendy has been cloistered away most of her life by her wealthy cold father, but a spontaneous night out with friends turns into an intense and addictive love affair with the dark and brooding James. As much as she knows James is dangerous, Wendy can’t seem to shake her desire for him. But as their relationship grows more heated and she learns more about the world he moves in, she finds herself unsure if she’s falling for the man known as James or the monster known as Hook.

Hooked is a dark contemporary romance and the first complete standalone in the Never After Series: A collection of fractured fairy tales where the villains get the happy ever after. It is not a literal retelling and not fantasy. Hooked features mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all audiences. Reader discretion is advised. For all content warnings, check the author's website.

My Two Cents

4 "Even a villain deserves to be loved" stars

I absolutely love retellings and this one is loosely based on Peter Pan. I really enjoyed experiencing the nostalgia for one of my childhood classics.

James "Hook" Barrie was driven by the dark deeds that happened in his past. His family was assassinated. He was terrorized by his hateful uncle. He was surrounded by the criminal underworld and flourished. He had the makings of an intriguing and mysterious villain and with his British accent... let's just say that I had no trouble liking this character.

Wendy was another story. Incredibly naive and sheltered, she lived a life of privilege, blissfully unaware of where her wealth and influence actually came from. All she knew was that her loving father was suddenly distant. He was hardly around and all she wanted was to draw him closer. She wasn't prepared for a man like Hook and who she became when she was with him.

It all started with a little bit of faith.
Misplaced trust.
Missing pixie dust.
And a villain who just needed to steal a little love.

Betrayal was everywhere, but together, these two found a freedom neither had ever known. For the first time, Hook found himself caring about something more than his thirst for revenge. And Wendy was becoming the woman she always dreamed of being. Someone who's thoughts and concerns mattered to someone. With Hook prepared to give her everything she wanted and needed, she only had to sacrifice one thing... her father.

Could she do it?

Read the book and find out!

The Author

Emily McIntire is an Amazon Top 15 and Publishers Weekly best selling author known for her Never After Series, where she gives our favorite villains their happily ever afters. With books that range from small town to dark romance, she doesn’t like to box herself into one type of story, but at the core of all her novels is soul deep love. When she’s not writing you can find her enjoying her family, or lost between the pages of a good book.

Find more information at https://www.emilymcintire.com
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Review // Gift of Dragons by Aja James

March 22, 2023

Gift of Dragons by Aja James

In the lifetime he'd served her as her protector and slave, then as a freed leader of men, he'd only ever wanted one thing:

To be her equal.
To be her man.

──────　♔　──────


Gift of Dragons by Aja James

Gift of Dragons by Aja James


Dragon Tails #7
Release - July 1, 2023
Genre - Paranormal Romance / forbidden
POV - Multiple 3rd person
Heat - 5 out of 5
Format - Beta read & ARC
Length - 343 pages


Every lore of every clan, across time and space, dreamed of dragons. Did you ever wonder why?

Benjamin D’Angelo is off on a new quest with helpful friends.

As always, their success is limited by seemingly arbitrary rules and an even more arbitrary sandglass of time. The only things they can count on is that: 1) each of their quests takes them to a time in the past, 2) they will witness (and perhaps even enable) True Love along the way, and 3) the Universal Balance hangs in...well, the balance.

Their seventh task is to uncover the Secret Gift.

My Two Cents

Love is patient.
Love is kind.

No two lovers know this better than Heba and Shai.
From the moment they met, circumstances prevented them from being together.
She was royalty. He was her slave.
Between them grew a love that transcended time, space, situations, and even their best efforts to fight it.

I'll admit, this story touched me in ways the others didn't. The power play between these characters struck a chord in me, wrecking me emotionally, creating all of the angst that I didn't know I craved. All I wanted was for these characters to talk and be free to be together. They had to overcome so much just to love one another.

And I was in love with the many ways Shai and Heba stayed devoted to each other, even before they realized the endless love they felt.

And when finally the true greatness of Shai was revealed... I was as thrilled, awed, and in love as Heba.

He knew what he truly was at last.
He was dragon.
He was man.
A man who loved a mortal woman.
A dragon who could not exist on earth.

One of the things I adore most about this series (and the one before) is the many moving parts it takes to tell this story. It's not just about the couple of the day. It's about everyone and their loves and lives. It's about what happened and what is to come. It's about the mystery surrounding Ben and when it will finally be revealed. It's about so much more than the romance. So much more. I can't help but fall for the people. I've become so invested and the way this author writes her words, the way she puts everything together, the way she's built this world... it will keep me engaged FOREVER!!

The Author

Best-selling author, 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!

Check out Aja's expanded distribution of the Pure/ Dark Ones series on Google, Apple, Kobo and Barnes & Noble Books.

Visit https://aja-james.blog for more information!
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Review // Marrow by Trisha Wolfe & Brynne Weaver

March 16, 2023

Marrow by Trisha Wolfe & Brynne Weaver

She's the marrow.
She's my marrow.
Kyrie didn't start as a killer—she was made.
And I helped make her.

──────　♔　──────


Marrow by Trisha Wolfe & Brynne Weaver

Marrow by Trisha Wolfe & Brynne Weaver


Standalone
Release - March 23, 2023
Genre - Dark Romance / enemies to lovers
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5
Format - eARC provided by the author
Length - approx. 300 pages

Two rival serial killers. One common enemy.

Forensic anthropologist Dr. Jack Sorensen is the perfect serial killer. In the bright lights of his public persona he’s a respected scientist, a leader in the field of human decomposition. But in his shadowed secret life he’s a ruthless and elusive killer, unseen by the authorities who have failed to follow his faint trail of destruction. Beautifully cold, brilliant and cruel, Jack wants nothing more than to keep his life captured in his vise-like grip of control. And Jack Sorensen never makes mistakes…

…until he underestimates Dr. Kyrie Roth.

Wildlife biologist Kyrie is the enemy Jack never noticed, another murderer in his midst. A killer with equal cunning and stealth as the great Jack Sorensen, she knows all his darkest secrets, even the pieces of a past he might have forgotten. Kyrie has created the perfect habitat for her favorite research subject, but she’s finally had enough of being bitten by the beast that lives at Jack’s core. Pushed past her breaking point, Kyrie has decided to do whatever it takes to make Jack suffer. But when Kyrie’s traumatic past descends on her broken oasis, the only person who can help Kyrie banish her painful shadows might just be her greatest enemy.

History can’t always be left to decay in a cold grave. Time has a way of thawing secrets, leaving them to shine as bright as bleached bones in the sun. Can Jack and Kyrie set aside their battle and survive a world built to hunt them?

Or will they kill each other first?

***Marrow is a dark romance intended for an adult audience. For complete CWs, see Brynne's website***

My Two Cents

5 "Welcome to Thunderdome" stars

🎵She's a very kinky girl
The kind you don't take home to mother...🎵

Don't even ask me why Super Freak enters my mind when it comes to Kyrie, but it does.
Surviving a serial killer made her change. She saw the world in a whole new light and had to adapt.
There were bad people out there, she had first-hand knowledge of them, and she chose to take them out.

Jack was a seemingly different kind of monster and he liked things a certain way.
He was a dominant hunter who didn't like someone else in his territory.
But nothing he did would make her leave.

Let the games begin!

He pushed her away. She found new ways to torment him.
She was broken. He was emotionless.
Together... they were magical!

These authors delivered a story that gripped me from the start, had me laughing and cringing my way merrily through, and left me with a huge smile on my face at the end.

The Author


USA Today bestselling romantic thriller author. From an early age, Trisha Wolfe dreamed up imaginary worlds and characters and was accused of talking to herself. Today, she lives in South Carolina with her family and writes full time, using her imaginary worlds as an excuse to continue talking to herself.


and


Brynne is a fan of velociraptors, the Alien movies (well, most of them), red wine, and wild adventures.

She can relate nearly anything you say to a line from the movie Hot Fuzz. She has been trying unsuccessfully for years to convince her husband that they should acquire a pet mink to add to their menagerie of animals (what could possibly go wrong with that plan?!).

Brynne has been everything from an archaeologist to a waitress, a deep-sea core analyst to an advertising account executive. For the last several years, she has been working in the field of neuroscience clinical research. Brynne has been writing since childhood and has published a non-fiction book under her real name, but she won’t tell you what it is unless you provide a live, fully trained velociraptor.

When not busy at her day job or writing, Brynne can be found working with her husband and their son on their family farm in Nova Scotia, Canada, or enjoying her other passions which include riding horses, reading, and spending time with family and friends around a raclette and a bottle of wine.
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Review // Code Name: Genesis by Sawyer Bennett

March 07, 2023

Code Name: Genesis by Sawyer Bennett

I force every bit of worry, planning, and strategy out of my head, and I concentrate on this amazing woman in my arms.
The woman I once loved with all my heart—who I'm fairly certain I've fallen right back in love with. Thus, keeping her safe and taking this stalker down just became the most important thing I'll ever do in my life because I'm ready to see what waits on the other side of that for Joslyn and me.

──────　♔　──────


Code Name: Genesis by Sawyer Bennett

Code Name: Genesis by Sawyer Bennett


Standalone - Jameson Force Security #1
Genre - Contemporary Romance with suspense elements / second chance / security
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - 3 out of 5
Format - ebook
Length - 306 pages

Years ago, we were in love. She was an up-and-coming superstar and I was the security professional hired to keep her safe. We fell hard and fast, no matter how much we tried to resist one another. But not everyone around us was happy about our relationship, and a string of lies and deceit destroyed what we once had. I moved on from her and didn’t look back.

Now I’ve taken the helm of a nationally renowned protective services company, and I’m looking to rebrand my career. The newly crowned Jameson Force Security is moving from the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas to the mountainous steel town of Pittsburgh, and the last thing I have time for is to deal with my past.

More than a decade has passed since our split, but even a bruised and battered heart remembers its first love. So when Joslyn Meyers comes to me for help, I reluctantly agree to keep her safe from a terrifying stalker who keeps threatening her life.

As the danger continues to intensify, it becomes clear that I’ll stop at nothing to protect the woman who turned her back on me all those years ago. Because one thing is certain—no matter how hard I try to convince myself otherwise, Joslyn still has my heart.

My Two Cents

4 "When a stalker brings back your true love" stars

Years ago, Joslyn and Kynan fell in love. She was a music and acting superstar. He was her bodyguard. Think you've heard this story before? Think again because even I was surprised by some of the things that happened here.

Joslyn is back... and she's not alone. After being attacked in her home by her stalker, she basically begs Kynan for his help. But he's not in a very charitable mood. He's still hurt by her actions years ago. She left him without any kind of explanation and he's still messed up when it comes to her. However, she's truly in distress and he can't resist her case.

First let me tell you what I liked...

❥ the creep factor of the stalker. I liked that I couldn't figure out who it was and the smooth moves he made to keep himself unrecognizable.
❥ Bebe. This woman has been through hell and I'm excited to see her happy ending. Her reunion scene with her son and her mom was so touching.
❥ Cruce and Saint. I know they get their own books and I'm looking forward to finding out more about these intriguing men.

And that's it. Notice I left out the main characters. Here's why:

❥ Joslyn left Kynan because of a dossier that outlined he was a cheating jerk. She asked no questions. She didn't confront him. Just up and left him.
❥ Kynan's opening scene with a strange woman he met at a club... it was 10 times hotter than anything her shared with Joslyn. Yet she was the love of his life. She was the one woman he truly wanted.
❥ Kynan flaunted this one-night stand in Joslyn's face. I couldn't get past it. And even though my feelings did warm up towards him in the end, it didn't take away my distaste for his earlier behavior.
❥ Joslyn didn't trust the man she hired. The man she loved.

Overall, I obviously enjoyed this book. I will be reading the others in the series. And I recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a romance with a bit of suspense and a second chance at love.

The Author

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.

A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.

If you’d like to receive a notification when Sawyer releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter (sawyerbennett.com/signup).

Find more information here: https://sawyerbennett.com
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February 2023 Bookish Recap

March 04, 2023


Hello hello and welcome to another recap!

February was a weird winter month here in Toronto. One minute it was almost balmy, the next we've got inches of snow. Even as I type this, 8 inches have fallen and we're in MARCH!!
Okay, so here goes...

Stats

Total Books Read: 19
Total Pages Read: 6325
Genres: Contemporary (10), Fantasy (4), Paranormal (5)
From my TBR: 13
Avg. Rating: 3.13

All the Books

There weren't any real standouts this month. No five-star reads unfortunately. However, the books I enjoyed and would recommend were:

Tragic, Manic and Panic by JA Huss
Reasonable Doubt series by Whitney G
Annoyed at First Sight by Lani Lynn Vale

Added to my tbr


Book Haul

I got nada. I'm doing so well at this!!


I hope you find only the best reads!

Talk soon,


xo, Natalie
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Review // The Vixen and the Vet by Katy Regnery

The Vixen and the Vet by Katy Regnery

There was no future for Asher Lee and Savannah Carmichael

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The Vixen and the Vet by Katy Regnery

The Vixen and the Vet by Katy Regnery


Standalone - A Modern Fairytale
Release - June 15, 2014
Genre - Contemporary Romance / retelling / military
POV - Dual 3rd person
Heat - 4 out of 5
Format - ebook
Length - 296 pages

Savannah Carmichael, betrayed by an unreliable source, returns to her hometown of Danvers, Virginia with her once-promising journalism career in ruins. Given the opportunity to get back in the game by writing a patriotic human interest piece, Savannah turns her attention to the town hermit, Asher Lee, a wounded veteran who returned to Danvers eight years ago, and hasn't been seen since.

After an IED explosion in Afghanistan took Asher's hand and disfigured half of his face, he's lived a quiet life on the outskirts of Danvers where the locals respect his privacy...that is, until Savannah Carmichael comes calling in a borrowed sundress with a plate of homemade brownies. When Asher agrees to be interviewed by Savannah, he starts feeling things for the beautiful reporter that he hasn't felt in years.

Misfits in small-town Danvers, Savannah and Asher create a bond right away, touching each other's hearts in ways neither thought possible. When a terrible mistake threatens to drive them apart, they'll have to decide if the love they found in one another's arms is strong enough to fight for their hard-won happily ever after.

My Two Cents

4.5 "So easy to love" stars

Is it possible not to fall in love with the characters Katy Regnery creates? I'm having no such luck because both Asher and Savannah were so easy to love!

Asher: a war vet, he was once the town hero, but after being hit by an IED and sustaining physical damage, he returned to a cool welcome. After being basically shunned, if people weren't running away in horror due to his deformity, he closed himself off on his family's estate.

The problem with hope was that you were required to acknowledge the possibility of not getting what you desperately hoped for.

Savannah: the town's sweetheart, she made good in the big city, but loving the wrong person ruined her career and she's back home. What better way to get back in the game than to interview a war hero?

"Don't ask me again about your face. Don't wonder for a minute if I feel like i'm being shortchanged by choosing to be with you. Just know this: you walked out of my dreams fully formed. I wasn't about to let you walk away."

From the first meet-cute, I knew this was story was going to be lovely. I knew that these characters were going to give me everything and more and that the author was going to do an incredible job of playing with my heart. I wasn't wrong.

There were tons of sweet moments. I smiled, swooned, giggled, and sighed my way through this book. Even though I was easily able to predict the conflict to come between Asher and Savannah, my heart still ached for them.

I can't find not one thing wrong with this story aside from wanting more. I would have loved an epilogue, but honestly, the time spent with these characters was so enjoyable that I can easily imagine their happily ever after together.

The Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katy Regnery started her writing career by enrolling in a short story class in January 2012. One year later, she signed her first contract, and Katy’s first novel was published in September 2013.

Several dozen books and three RITA® nominations later, Katy claims authorship of the multititled Blueberry Lane series, the A Modern Fairytale collection, the Summerhaven series, the Odds Are Good collection, the Arranged duo, and several other stand-alone romances, including the critically acclaimed mainstream fiction novel Unloved, a love story.

Find more information at https://www.katyregnery.com
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Review // Annoyed At First Sight by Lani Lynn Vale

February 28, 2023

Annoyed At First Sight by Lani Lynn Vale

Have fun. Party hard. Spend the night in our loved ones' arms.
I couldn't ask for a better life.
Hell, I couldn't even dream one. - Cassius

──────　♔　──────


Annoyed At First Sight by Lani Lynn Vale

Annoyed At First Sight by Lani Lynn Vale


Release - February 28, 2023
Genre - Contemporary Romance / enemies to lovers
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5
Format - eARC provided by Uplifting Authors Services
Length - 244 pages
Publisher - Indie


The first time Cassius Ulysses Costas met Alice Paradis, she was in a string bikini and filling up a long line of boats that were there just to see her. She was eighteen and every man’s wet dream.

Even his.

For the longest time, he went out of his way to stay as far away from her as he could get without actually taking his eyes off of her. For years, he was the better person. He played his hand close, and not a single person would know just how obsessed he was with her.

Then he goes to prison and comes out a man that couldn’t care less about anyone or anything, least of all what someone thought of him and his actions. But not one second while he was behind bars did he forget about Alice.

He tries to stay away. For a few long months, he fights his every instinct to make her his. But, as if the universe is conspiring against him, Alice is thrown into his path time after time, instance after instance.

And his resolve is waning. Fast.

In one last ditch effort to stay away, he walks away, hoping making her mad enough will force her to do the work for him.
However, when Alice is attacked, it isn’t Cassius’s harsh words she remembers, but the way he makes her feel safe.

Soon, the very last thing he’ll do is let her walk away. He did the right thing, and that didn’t work out. Now, it’s time for him to embrace the wrong.

Annoyed At First Sight by Lani Lynn Vale

My Two Cents

4 "Someone to Love" stars

After losing most of his family too soon, Cassius swore off making a romantic connection. You can't lose what you don't have, right? Aside from his brothers of the MC, he didn't need anyone. So why was he still so enchanted by Alice?

She was impossible to resist and not even his stint in prison made him forget her.

And he wasn't the only one trying to fight the pull. Alice believed he hated her and thought it best to save herself from a broken heart. Too bad she found it so hard to stay away.

Add in some terrible circumstances and there was no one she'd rather turn to than Cassius. There was no more hiding and no more denying what they shared.

I'm in love with all of the characters from this series. These stories have some strange turns, a few surprises, and I'm excited to see what's next.

Annoyed At First Sight by Lani Lynn Vale

The Author

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.

Visit https://lanilynnvale.com for more information!
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Review // One Insatiable, Hard Mated, and The Virgin Blood Bundle

February 27, 2023

One Insatiable by Tia Louise


Genre - Paranormal Romance / instalove
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5
Format - ebook
Length - 301 pages

One wounded panther, one restless lynx, one insatiable hunger.

Koa "Stitch" Raiden is picking up what's left of his broken life.
Exiled from his black panther clan, he's running from Princeton to Seattle when a ley line draws him to Woodland Creek...

Mercy Quinlan is a whip-smart lynx and the youngest in her wealthy shifter clan.
She's tough and independent and dreams of escaping her alpha sister's control and living life on her own terms.

When a lone black panther shows up in her hometown, Mercy is intrigued. He's just passing through, which makes him perfect... Along with his broad shoulders, defined muscles, and sexy fighter moves.

Koa is aware Mercy is watching him. What he doesn't know is when the sexy little vixen who sneaks through his window each night is threatened, he'll face the forces of hell to save her life and bring her back...

My Review ~ 3 stars
I really enjoyed the connection between Koa and Mercy. In their animal forms, they met... as humans they merged... and it was all so lovely!

For the most part, the paranormal elements were pretty straightforward. There were some original components, which made this story stand apart from the rest, but the plot was a bit wonky. It was like the author was trying to set up the mystery surrounding the characters, to make readers discover answers. However, when the answers came, I was left feeling like I was missing something.

So there's Hades/Hayden. He was a mystery. For most of this book, I couldn't understand his importance. When it was all revealed, it happened so quickly that I still don't know how to feel. I had sympathy for his character, even though he was set up to be the bad guy. I guess I'm truly a sucker for bad boys!

There wasn't much depth to either Mercy or Koa, but it didn't stop me from liking them. I felt their yearning for each other and I think the author did a great job depicting how deep their bond was.


Hard Mated by Jennifer Ashley


Genre - Paranormal Romance / forced proximity
POV - Dual 3rd person
Heat - 3 out of 5
Format - ebook
Length - 200 pages

Spike, a wildcat Shifter and the champion fighter of Shiftertown, is stunned when Myka, the best friend of a dying human woman, announces that Spike has fathered a cub. What's more, the mother is giving the boy to Spike to protect and raise.

Myka is not sure that a wild fighter named Spike is the best man to bring up the cute little jaguar cub. She goes to Shiftertown to check out Spike, and finds that the man behind the name is a lonely Shifter who's lost most of his family and is a fierce caretaker to those he has left.

Spike is torn between the cub and his duties as tracker to the Shiftertown leader, and begs Myka, the only person who understands, to help him. He starts to like the sassy Myka, a horse trainer who's not afraid of working with animals, even if they're wildcats who turn into humans.

When Spike's job puts his cub and Myka in danger, Spike is forced to choose between those to whom he's pledged his loyalty and his need to protect the woman and cub he's come to love.

My Review ~ 3 stars
As an intro to the Shifters Unbound series, this book was great. There was action and connection and a unique setting for shifters. I wasn't a fan of how shifters were treated, but as this was a novella in the series, I'm hoping the other books will give me more insight. And yes, I'll be getting to those because I fell in love with these characters. Spike was so much more than he appeared and after Myka gave herself the chance to get to know him, she discovered his greatness too. I'm also intrigued by all of the side characters who popped up throughout this story and I'm looking forward to getting to know them.


The Virgin Blood Bundle: Complete Series by Alexa Riley


Genre - Paranormal Romance / fated mates
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5
Format - ebook
Length - 306 pages

Welcome to the Virgin Blood Bundle!

This book includes all four stories from our Virgin Blood Series! Bitten by the Beast, Bitten by the Virgin, Twice Bitten, and Bitten by the King are all together with EPILOGUES! That’s right! Check-in on your favorite vamps with brand new sexy, epilogues!

Warning: This bundle is everything you’ve been dying for and more. Roll around with your old faves and get that feeling all over again! Can’t get enough of our Virgin Blood? We can’t either! Make sure you listen to Mated to the Reaper for FREE on the Read Me Romance podcast.

My Review ~ 3 stars
I really enjoyed the unique lives of these vampires. They didn't go out sucking blood. They lived for two hundred years unless they found their mates, then they'd live forever. And they definitely found their mates in these books. It was instalove, it was sexy, it was lovely. There were bits of suspense mixed in, but for the most part, these stories were dirty and light and fun. I really need to know more about the Grim Reaper!
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Review // Reasonable Doubt Series by Whitney G.

February 18, 2023


Casual sex. Nothing more. Nothing Less.
That line wasn't there for decoration.

──────　♔　──────


Reasonable Doubt: Volume 1


Reasonable Doubt #1
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5
Format - ebook
Length - 78 pages

My cock has an appetite.

A huge and very particular appetite: Blonde, curvy, and preferably not a fucking liar... (Although, that's a story for another day.)

As a high profile lawyer, I don't have time to waste on relationships, so I fulfill my needs by anonymously chatting and sleeping with women I meet online.

My rules are simple: One dinner. One night. No repeats.

This is only casual sex. Nothing more. Nothing less.

At least it was , until "Alyssa"...

She was supposed to be a 27 year old lawyer, a book hoarder, and completely unattractive. She was supposed to be someone I shared law advice with late at night, someone I could trust with details of my weekly escapades.

But then she came into my firm for an interview—a college-intern interview, and everything fucking changed...

Reasonable Doubt: Volume 2


Reasonable Doubt #2
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5
Format - ebook
Length - 67 pages

She lied to me...
She betrayed the one rule that I'm most adamant about: Honesty. Complete and utter fucking honesty.
I really wish she was someone else—someone who didn't have the ability to make me feel, someone I could easily discard like the hundreds of women before her.
She isn't.
I'm drawn to her like I've never been drawn to a woman before—completely captivated by the very sight of her. But unfortunately, with my past slowly re-surfacing for all of the world to see, I'll have to find a way to let her go.
She can never be mine.

Reasonable Doubt: Volume 3


Reasonable Doubt #3
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5
Format - ebook
Length - 183 pages

I hate him…

I hate that I fell in love with him, I hate that he didn’t love me back, and I hate the fact that I just made a life-altering decision just so I could get the hell away from him.

He’d always said that he was unchangeable, heartless, and cold…

I really should’ve believed him…


My Review ~ 4 stars

I originally read this series years ago, and what I've realized... Andrew is still the same dick I remember.

Reasonable Doubt is a series that had me questioning my own stance of what’s good for me. From the start, we know that Andrew has been through something. Something that causes him nightmares. Something that has him reluctant to form connections. Something that prompted him to create the whole ‘One dinner. One night. No repeats’ mandate he follows. Aubrey is the woman who changes it all. There are lies. There are secrets. Hot sex on top of hot sex on top of hot sex. There’s also doubts and insecurities and flaws and fights. Andrew and Aubrey were vulnerable humans. They hurt. They felt deeply. They made dumb mistakes.

They also grew. Together and apart, they learned from their silly errors. They became better people for each other.

I only wish there was more to them as a couple. The truth comes out, there's a five second conversation, and there's an epilogue. Ah well, at least they ended up happy together.
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