Monthly Archives: November 2025

Lord of Whispered Shadow by Jordan Ko (The Demon Reflected #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Lord of Whispered Shadow
AUTHOR: ⟫ Jordan Ko

SERIES: ⟫ The Demon Reflected #1
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Human. Archie, youngest son of a Duke, is caught between his mother’s matchmaking efforts and his brother’s threats to cut him off. Being married to a rich noblewoman would solve all of his problems, apart from the whole not being attracted to women concern. He doesn’t mean to attract the attention of a succubus but when he does… well, possession can’t be worse than being forever alone and closeted, can it?

Demon. Damaris, reduced to whispers and shadows after fleeing the demon realm. He needs to regain his magic, and the easiest way to do that is to steal energy from humans.

Everyone talks about humans being corrupted by demons, but if this is corruption then Archie will gladly forfeit his soul.

REVIEW: ⟫ This is a difficult review to write because I did enjoy reading this book. However, it was something I came back to every now and then, rather than something I felt the need to binge through as quickly as possible. I expected more steaminess and corruption, whereas I would describe this as quite tame in respect to the sex – most of those interactions took place ‘off page’, which is fine but not at all what I thought this book would be like. I enjoyed the information about demons and their place in society, but overall there was just a sense of ‘that was nice’ rather than anything special. I don’t think I’ll be reaching for book two when it’s released but I would say to give this story a try as it might be something you enjoy. I received an ARC from BookSirens.

Noaz by Crea Reitan (Van Doren Book #2)

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TITLE: ⟫ Noaz
AUTHOR: ⟫ Crea Reitan

SERIES: ⟫ Van Doren Book #2
RATING: ⟫ /5

BLURB: ⟫ Sometimes stars grant you wishes that come covered in blood.

I’ve wanted one thing for as long as I can remember – someone to love, a family, and a happily ever after. I finally found it with the least likely person across the street. Our life together has been dipped in espresso and given a massive jolt forward, but we couldn’t be happier.

That is, until someone threatens that happiness and I’m forced to respond in order to protect my family that’s barely begun. I didn’t mean for this relationship to begin bathed in blood but I will do anything to protect the love I’ve waited decades for.

REVIEW: ⟫ Currently reading – review to follow.

Loren by Crea Reitan (Van Doren Book #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Loren
AUTHOR: ⟫ Crea Reitan

SERIES: ⟫ Van Doren Book #1
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ I will kill to keep him.

Oakley

It’s a new start – brand new school in a completely different state. For the first time, I now have the freedom to be unapologetically me. But as my luck would have it, I have shit taste in men. The first man to pay me a compliment has so many red flags, I think I’m in a storm. Life can’t get any worse… until he turns into a stalker.

Then my stalker ends up brutally murdered, I walk blindly into a serial killer’s nest, and I catch the attention of a sociopath.

Loren

The moment I see Oakley walk into the cafe, I know he’s mine. I may be here to finish a job, but it’s impossible to concentrate on anything but him. My fascination quickly turns into an obsession, which might be fortunate for him because I think he’s trying to get himself killed.

Which is fine; I’ll protect him. It doesn’t matter how many lives I have to end to make Oakley mine.

REVIEW: ⟫ I know what to expect from Crea Reitan when it comes to those men who are utterly obsessed with their person, and Loren is definitely one of those men. For some reason, it didn’t really work for me in this story. I enjoyed the characters – Loren’s family, Oakley’s found family, the opportunity to find out how people from other stories were doing – but I had a disconnect and found that I just didn’t care enough about what was happening.

I couldn’t suspend disbelief long enough to believe that Loren’s behaviour was viewed as acceptable by Oakley’s friends; that the police were so incredibly inefficient; even, perhaps, that Loren’s family would up sticks and move like that when they were so concerned about his feelings for Oakley, especially as Loren was known for being quite unemotional.

I think that perhaps it was more the mood that I was in than the story, which is why I am going to read the next in the series and only really judge from there.

Broken Bond by J.L. Cross (Claimed in Blood Book #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Broken Bond
AUTHOR: ⟫ J.L. Cross

SERIES: ⟫ Claimed in Blood Book #1
RATING: ⟫ 1.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ I was rejected at the altar. Now the most dangerous mafia heir in the city claims I’m his.

Julian Vescari was supposed to vanish after being cast aside—Hollow, ruined, unworthy of love. Instead, fate delivers him into the arms of Enzo Romano, the brutal heir to the Romano crime family.

Enzo Romano doesn’t ask. He takes. He burns cities for loyalty, carves fear into his enemies, and when he learns Julian carries his heir, nothing will stop him from keeping what he claims. Not rival families. Not blood feuds. Not Julian’s desperate fear of chains disguised as devotion.

But in a world built on power, survival, and whispered betrayals, being bound to Enzo is both protection and prison. The dockside runs red with Veyra blood, secrets crawl in the marble halls of the Romano mansion, and Julian must decide. Is he Hollow still? Or is he strong enough to stand beside the wolf who claimed him?

🔥 Broken Bond is a dark, high-heat MM mafia omegaverse romance featuring:

  • A rejected mate turned reluctant heir-bearer
  • A ruthless mafia alpha who kills for devotion as much as power
  • Mpreg, protective possessiveness, family intrigue, and found strength in fire
  • Themes of survival, blood oaths, and a bond forged where enemies circle


For readers who love dark omegaverse, mafia dynasties, and broken omegas who rise fiercer than fate—this book will leave you breathless.

One Hollow.
One heir.
One bond that could burn a city to the ground.

👉 Start reading Broken Bond today and discover the dark omegaverse romance everyone’s talking about.

Content Warning: Broken Bond is a dark MM mafia romance featuring violence, abduction, explicit intimacy, power imbalance, and mpreg. This story includes mature themes and is intended for 18+ adult readers only.

REVIEW: ⟫ The premise grabbed me and I was ready for darkness, alphas and omegas and a mafia background. Unfortunately, this book didn’t live up to my expectations – I think I understand what they were trying to achieve with the style of writing – very spare and stark, although descriptive. Unfortunately, somewhere amidst all of that, the actual meat of the story got lost. Or maybe there just wasn’t any – everything was very surface, including the relationship between Julian and Enzo.

Having finished reading it, I still couldn’t tell if they even cared about each other, let alone found love. To a large extent, Julian being an omega didn’t even figure in the story – the fact that he was jilted at the altar meant that he was called a number of derogatory names and cast out, no longer fit for society, but there was no real explanation as to why. I just found myself with more questions than answers by the time I had finished reading, but I wasn’t interested enough to hope that the second book in the series might hold some answers. I can’t see me reading more by this author which is a shame because I really did love the idea.

Alpha Hunted by Crea Reitan (Knotty & Sweet Omegaverse Book #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Alpha Hunted
AUTHOR: ⟫ Crea Reitan

SERIES: ⟫ Knotty & Sweet Omegaverse Book #1
RATING: ⟫ /5

BLURB: ⟫ I lost everything in a freak accident. My entire family; everything I’d ever cared about – gone in an instant. Unable to bear the constant reminders and emptiness of my life, I moved across the country to dull the loss, hopefully falling into the anonymity of a large city where even an alpha could disappear.

Starting over was never in my plans. All I wanted was to blend in and let life pass me by. Live in my modest studio apartment with my mindless job as an absentee owner of a popular juice bar downtown.

I spent my days with headphones in as I worked through each machine at the gym, grabbing a juice from my cafe on the way home, and drowning myself in the solitude of my house.

And then I met the only thing I’d never managed to obtain with my pack – an omega who made everything in me spark. And in the next breath, a shy beta who made my most basic instincts rear up and want to wrap her in my arms and give her the world.

Try as I may, I can’t seem to run far enough away from either of them. Once we meet, something keeps pulling us back together at every corner. Just as I start to give in and wrap myself in their pack that consists of two other alphas, I find out that the freak accident that took my first pack from me wasn’t an accident at all.

And now I’m being hunted by the murderers who intend to finish the job.

REVIEW: ⟫ Currently reading – review to follow.

Disaster: The Biggest Fan by Nico Verce

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TITLE: ⟫ Disaster: The Biggest Fan
AUTHOR: ⟫ Nico Verce
RATING: ⟫ 1/5

BLURB: ⟫ Live Fast, Die Loud

God built the myth.

The fan archived it.

Then he bled for it.

Jesse Grady—known online as Red—was never supposed to be seen.

He was just a fan. A digital ghost. An obsessive eye locked on the chaos of the band DISASTER, especially its frontman: the untouchable, unhinged Chase Riot.

But then the legend looked back.

Now Red’s face is on every feed. His obsession has a spotlight. And Chase? Chase wants more.

More control. More devotion. More destruction.

Dragged into a world of fame, fire, and brutal intimacy, Red becomes a target, a trophy, a mirror. The deeper he falls, the sharper the game cuts—until the persona cracks, the truth leaks, and the audience demands more.

This tour won’t end with redemption.

It’s a slow burn toward detonation.

A vicious callout of parasocial culture.

Perfect for fans of dark celebrity romance, toxic obsession, fandom horror, and razorwire banter.

Obsession is currency. Fame is a weapon. You came for the show—now bleed for it.

REVIEW: ⟫ I understand what the author was trying to do with how they wrote this story – it seemed to be aiming at being an insight into parasocial links, complete with hashtags and ‘reactions’ from people to things that were happening. I have also been a hardline ‘stan’ of various groups in my life, so I get it.

This did not work for me even remotely. I kept waiting for something more than dramatic statements and unhinged fan reactions, something between the two leads that wasn’t just toxic situationship behaviour and it never happened. I literally finished reading this book because it was an ARC and I didn’t want to give up too easily. I wish I had. I can’t see me reading anything by this author again, at least not willingly. I received an ARC through BookSirens.

Ice Dance Hockey by S Legend (Heartbreak Hockey Book #2)

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TITLE: ⟫ Ice Dance Hockey
AUTHOR: ⟫ S Legend

SERIES: ⟫ Heartbreak Hockey Book #2
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ DRAMA. HOCKEY. ROMANCE. BATTLES ON AND OFF THE ICE.

“I thought this was going to be the story about how I lost Jack, but it’s not. It’s the story about how I found my way to you.”

Rhett

I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life and I can only hope it’s not too late for me to redeem myself. All my future plans included building a life with Jack, but now he’s playing house with some second-rate hockey coach he thinks he’s in love with.

I want him back, and when my father’s misguided effort backfires, the perfect solution skates right into my life.

Logan

When no one cared about me, my half-brother, Mercy, took me in, loving me as if we’d been siblings all our lives instead of just a couple of short weeks. He’s sunshine. I want to stay close to him, but I know it’s only a matter of time before I become a stain on his perfect life.

Speaking of sunshine, it would be a lot better for me if a certain ray of sunshine, Jack Leslie, were out of the picture. When the hockey God himself, Rhett, makes me a proposition, I know I can’t refuse, even if it means I’m going to hell for it.


Ice Dance Hockey is a fake boyfriend book, with lots of catastrophes, some angst, and much hijinks. We get to peek in on the lives of Jack and Mercy as Rhett and Logan stumble their way into a love they never knew could exist. Oh, and of course, it contains the caretaking dynamic Mock (S. Legend and Canadian) is known best for. It’s a verified member of the Hot Pink Peaches Club.

REVIEW: ⟫ Okay, after book one, I wasn’t prepared to actually like Rhett! I certainly wasn’t expecting him to find his absolutely perfect match in Logan. This book was even more insane than book one – we actually have a villain that nearly twirls his evil moustache! – but I adored the whole ride. We get more of Jack, Mercy and Stanley, as well as the Alderchucks (I can’t wait for Casey and Sutter) and this found family just continues to grow bigger and more impressive. An excellent addition to the series, touching on some delicate subjects without allowing them to sink the humour and insanity that is this series. Heartily recommend.

Breakneck Hockey by S Legend (Heartbreak Hockey Book #3)

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TITLE: ⟫ Breakneck Hockey
AUTHOR: ⟫ S Legend

SERIES: ⟫ Heartbreak Hockey Book #3
RATING: ⟫ 4.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ GRITTY. RAW. A LITTLE EDGIER THAN THE AVERAGE HOCKEY ROM-COM

I don’t want Casey Alderchuck, but I don’t want anyone else to have him either.

My hook-up for the night wasn’t supposed to be my long-time hockey rival, but here he is. I’m too worked up to let him go home without having a taste. One little bite of that smart mouth is mine for the taking after how many times he’s broken my nose.

How was I supposed to know that I’d crave Alderchuck with the desperation of a starved man?

I’m always one bad day from an explosion, but since I hooked up with Alderchuck, my body’s constantly on fire. I’m thinking about things I haven’t in a long time. He’s dredged years of buried torment to the surface.

The cure? Alderchuck. My poison is my cure. How poetic.

At least he can’t keep his hands off me and our burning hatred is mutual. The flavor’s gotta wear off at some point, and that’s when we’ll go our separate ways. Until then, I’ll come up with every way imaginable to wreck him from the inside out. Use him up till there’s nothing left.

But I’m nothing if not territorial and protective. My instincts decide that Casey Alderchuck is mine and they pull him closer. My damn heart’s a traitor, too, trying to break the locks I put around it to let him inside. But I can’t let it win. Loving people like I would love Casey means risking the fragile sanity I’ve worked so hard to preserve.

Breakneck Hockey is a rivals-to-lovers story with some hurt-comfort, along with other vibes, like; I Can Hurt Him but You Can’t, Major Jealousy, Just Because I Say I Don’t Want Him, Doesn’t Mean You Can Have Him, Possessiveness Galore, a Morally Gray MC and, as always in this series, Found Family.

REVIEW: ⟫ These two together are such a wrecking ball! Chaotic in a way not even Jack and Logan managed, Casey and Mitchell are a bundle of red flags nicely decorated with a bow and together, they are quite possibly the most toxic, codependent pair I’ve ever read. I loved it – all of it. The very things that made them so infuriating (lack of clear communication, etc) were also what made them so special. I especially loved the way that Sutter had to learn/figure out the ways in which Casey needed to be loved – the sense of achievement when he figured it out had me fist-pumping. As always, the sex is hot and frequent, and the hockey talk is entertaining. I loved the background cast of characters and was so satisfied with this read.

Favourite part? Sutter firing pucks at Casey – absolutely hysterical!

Friendzone Hockey by S Legend (Heartbreak Hockey Book #4)

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TITLE: ⟫ Friendzone Hockey
AUTHOR: ⟫ S Legend

SERIES: ⟫ Heartbreak Hockey Book #4
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Protecting you was easy, letting you go is impossible.

I’m supposed to protect you after the most horrific time in your life. To do that I made a rule: No falling in love with you. But I effed up because I’m so damn in love with you that I ache for you without end.

For seven years, I’ve held you when you cried, looked after you, and made damn sure you got back all the confidence stolen from you. It’s just, the whole time, I’ve been pining after you like a lovesick puppy. Pathetic, I know.

I never saw a future where you could be mine, so I gave you no choice but to find someone else. You did and then you asked me to be the best man.

It. Wrecked. Me.

What I should do is let you go. Do what I’ve always done and smile through the pain of wanting you but not being able to have you.

I can’t do it this time, and I hope you’ll forgive me. You belong with me, Dash Nolan. It’s my fault you don’t know that already, so I need to make you see, or else I’m doomed to spend the rest of my life as half a person.

Friendzone Hockey is a friends-to-lovers story with some hurt-comfort, along with other vibes, like; Major Jealousy, Possessiveness Galore, pining for him, it’s always been you, and, as always in this series, Found Family.

REVIEW: ⟫ For the first time whilst reading this series, I was so annoyed and frustrated. SO MUCH of the drama between Stacey and Dash could have been handled so much sooner and I struggled to let go of that feeling. I felt really bad for Syd (despite the fact that he was very much a peripheral character) because he didn’t deserve to be caught in the middle of the Stacey/Dash circus, and even his reaction didn’t make me feel any less sympathetic.

Dash went through something incredibly traumatic and Stacey’s desire to be a safe space for him made sense initially. With the addition of protective Travis and Dirk, it was no wonder that Stacey kept his distance – initially. However, the more I got into the story, the more I just wanted to shake Stacey so hard. Also Travis to a certain extent because he had to have been aware of how he was stifling the potential relationship between Stacey and Dash – his casual dismissal of it as an issue had me clenching my teeth.

I think a lot of my frustration was that a lot of what the two of them got up to didn’t make sense to me. I’m all for hijinks and a bit of insanity, but I need a solid bedrock of sense and it just wasn’t here. However, the writing was engaging and kept me coming back even when I wanted to throw my tablet and I am moving on to book #5 in the series!

Forbidden Hockey by S Legend (Heartbreak Hockey Book #5)

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TITLE: ⟫ Forbidden Hockey
AUTHOR: ⟫ S Legend

SERIES: ⟫ Heartbreak Hockey Book #5
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ GRITTY. RAW. A LITTLE EDGIER THAN THE AVERAGE HOCKEY ROM-COM

What do you do when a man takes your breath away? Literally?

Travis Nolan

I’m tarnished. Ex-con. Trailer trash. Rebel-rouser. I’ve spent years trying to be the kind of father my son deserves—don’t know if I’ll ever get there, but it’s my only path to redemption.

The last thing I need is a dangerous attraction to Dirk Boulder, one that’ll carve my name onto the Devil’s guest list. But when the man who once tore my son’s life apart resurfaces, I have to decide: kill the monster and betray the man I love, or walk away from vengeance and leave my son vulnerable.

Dirk Boulder

Hockey is life. I’ve had a great career in the AHL with the Kelowna Wildcats, and my found family—while a little over the top at times—is made of stuff money can’t buy. But something’s missing.

I’m used to having the wind knocked out of me on the ice, but nothing prepares me for falling for my best friend’s dad, Travis Nolan. Of flipping course. The only man I can’t have.

My older brother, the only real parent I’ve ever had, will never go for it. Betraying him after all he’s done for me seems like the greatest treason of my life.

Feral Soulmates
The rules were simple: live in denial, dance around our attraction, relieve the agonizing desire with innocent flirtations, and unending proximity. Never, never, touch each other.

But even the thought of the other with someone else? Yeah, that’s a big effing no. Was it jealousy that tipped the scales, or love with a gravitational pull so hard we were too human to resist?

Probably both.

We’re bruised, reckless, and beautifully ruined for anyone else.

REVIEW: ⟫ To some extent, this is much more grounded in reality. The main aspects of the story take part back ‘home’ with hockey in the background explaining absences. About there is where reality ends. We have had hints of Dirk and Travis throughout the previous stories in the series and I must admit, I was looking forward to their story. However, it was incredibly frustrating – these characters are all so enmeshed with each other, they are barely capable of independent thought.

When Travis and Dirk were together, they were quite explosive. I appreciated the fact that Travis challenged himself with his thinking – it would have been very easy for him and Dirk to fall into a Daddy-dom situation but that was definitely not the vibe. I loved how he could take Dirk away from all of the things that made him doubt himself and yet respected him as an adult. He struggled with it on occasion – not helped by the fact that they were hiding from not only Dash but Dirk’s brother, Hunter.

Maxwell is fascinating and I am looking forward to the story of him and Eddie. I did enjoy this story but it felt unnecessarily dragged out and that annoyed me. This is where the series ends (for now) but I will keep an eye out for the next book which is due next year and I am exploring S Legend’s back catalogue for addition to my TBR.