Tag Archives: Rating: 3.5

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.

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.

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!

Heat Haze by Alder Snow

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TITLE: ⟫ Heat Haze
AUTHOR: ⟫ Alder Snow
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ After their car breaks down on the side of a hot Texan road, L.A. born Nico Marín and his friends are offered help by an all too friendly stranger. But after the Tavera family farm is turned into a slaughterhouse, Nico finds himself hiding in an old closet just praying he isn’t next. When the closet doors open and he’s face to face with Toro Tavera, the alarmingly big but mute black sheep of the family, he’s greeted not with words but with one sound.

Sh.

Then he’s left there. With a heart beating so fast he can barely breathe, he sits for what feels like hours. But when Toro returns he isn’t there to finish the job. Instead he drops down, unspeaking but not unfeeling, lifting Nico’s hand up to his head in an attempt to be pet. He doesn’t want to hurt him, but he does want to be loved.

Heat Haze is a single-POV standalone novel between a loveless L.A. city boy and a mute cannibal killer who craves genuine love. Two men with more in common than they realize learn to love and grow together in this HEA romance that turns a grim start into lots of fluff. This novel is lighter dark romance, with lots of affection between the leads and not as much ‘dark’ content. A full CW list is included inside!

REVIEW: ⟫ I really wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I saw this offered as an arc – a fluffy dark romance including cannibals was something I had never seen before, and I was fascinated to see how it was going to work.

There is A LOT of suspending disbelief reading this – like, seriously, don’t even think about trying to make sense of some of the decisions Nico made. I personally haven’t seen ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ but even I caught the references to it in the beginning. The relationship between Toro and Nico was very simplistically presented, and the thoughts about Stockholm Syndrome were definitely there. I’m not sure the author managed to convince me about this romance, but I feel it was a good attempt and I applaud the ‘different’ thinking behind the idea.

I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.

Forbidden Omega by Jena Wade & Aria Grace (Mated in the Mafia Book #2)

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TITLE: ⟫ Forbidden Omega
AUTHOR: ⟫ Jena Wade & Aria Grace

SERIES: ⟫ Mated in the Mafia Book #2
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Louie knew Connor was different from the beginning. As a member of the harem, the whole family has access to Connor, but Louie staked his claim early on so none of the alphas go near him. And since he’s developed a close friendship with Joey, Connor is even more isolated from the rest of the in-house omegas than ever.

But that’s okay because he’s falling quickly for Louie. Everything is great until their precautions aren’t enough and Connor gets pregnant. He trusts Louie to do the right thing, but the family is in charge of who brings in heirs, and there’s a good chance they wouldn’t allow Connor to have the baby he already loves so much.

Which leaves him with only one option.

Run.

REVIEW: ⟫ This was a quick, relatively low-angst read, with a pre-established relationship. I must admit, I didn’t like Louie at all. He understood what Connor was dealing with but didn’t seem willing to do anything about their circumstances. He basically caused Connor to be completely isolated and alone apart from Joey, and it was only when Connor took matters into his own hands that he took action.

I read this as a kind of ‘freshener’ after reading three books in a series back-to-back and it worked for clearing my brain, but it wasn’t particularly memorable and I didn’t connect with the characters very much at all.

The Dead Don’t Talk by Rae Stone (Mayhem Manuscripts Season One: Book #7)

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TITLE: ⟫ The Dead Don’t Talk
AUTHOR: ⟫ Rae Stone

SERIES: ⟫ Mayhem Manuscripts Season One: Book #7
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ A decade ago, I was made a promise. Now, I get to watch him make the same one twice.

𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁. 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗙𝘂𝗰𝗸.

That’s all I’ve ever aimed for in this life. All I’ve ever needed to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.

Training others to do the same just made sense. No feelings. No expectations.

I never expected for the man I’ve kept at arms length for the last ten years to challenge that with the assistance of my brand new recruit and his sweet cherry pastries.

Is it possible to overcome the past and give up my heart to the two men that have shown me that it still beats?


𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠 is a full-length MMM dark dystopian romance as part of the 1NF3CTION shared world collab. Each book is a standalone containing themes and situations not intended for readers under the age of 18. All characters are consenting adults.

REVIEW: ⟫ I was not expecting this. All of the other books in the series had a more contentious plot-line underlying the ‘romance’ so I went into this one expecting the same. Instead, this was much, much lighter. There were still zombies and a corrupt regime, but the focus was most definintely on the physical side effects of the red-rain and the growing relationship between the three main characters. There wasn’t a lot of time/effort given to background characters which meant I didn’t get that invested in any of them. Even the whole issue with the leaders was pushed to the background – this was full of adult scenes, which is absolutely fine. I love a good bit of smut. I think I was just expecting more about the world and the way things had changed. This wasn’t the main focus at all and even though there was some mention of things, it took the background.

I may revisit this one but I am waiting for the release of the last book in this season!

Nursing the Alpha by Gianni Holmes

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TITLE: ⟫ Nursing the Alpha
AUTHOR: ⟫ Gianni Holmes
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ It started with a contract.
I’d express my milk for what I thought was a family in need.
No names. No questions. No strings.
Just a big check.

Then I found out the truth.
The man buying my milk isn’t a stranger.
He’s someone I know.
Someone who’s been doing things to me without my knowledge.
And he doesn’t just want my milk.
He wants all of me.

REVIEW: ⟫ I’ve read a few stories with a lactation kink in them but nothing like this. These two were a walking advertisement for what happens when you don’t negotiate a kink in advance. In fact, Flynn would have been more than within his rights to get Sean arrested for some of the things he did. Instead, he fell in love and accepted a part of his personality that up until now he had hidden in his reading preferences. The kink was handled well in the main and my concerns about the non-con aspects of the story were nowhere near as bad as I worried. All in all, this was a good read, with interesting subject matter.

Tempting Frey by Roe Horvat (Bears of Beauville #2)

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TITLE: ⟫ Tempting Frey
AUTHOR: ⟫ Roe Horvat

SERIES: ⟫ Bears of Beauville #2
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Oliver

I’ve been in love with Theodore Frey for as long as I can remember. When I turned eighteen, I ignored the acceptance letter from the best college I’d applied to, as well as the facts that Frey was my dad’s best friend, the mayor of Beauville, the scariest bear shifter in the mountains, and twenty years older than me.

Armed with an outrageous set of lingerie and a great deal of naiveté, I showed up on his doorstep. I thought he was my fated mate and that we’d be together forever.

As a reasonable adult, Frey did the only thing he could have done: he rejected me.

Four years later, I’m back in Beauville. I’ve changed, but one thing hasn’t. Frey is still the only alpha I’ve ever wanted.

Frey

I’ve never told my best friend what happened the night Oliver came to my house. No need to make things awkward. Especially since our sheriff is a protective hothead when it comes to his only omega son.

I’ve caught glimpses of Oliver over the years, and that clumsy teen is long gone. Even though I’ve tried to keep my distance, his blue-green eyes haunt my dreams.

Now he’s back for good, working at the town hall right under my nose, and I’m climbing the walls. I’ve never seen anything sexier than Oliver putting me in my place. Beautiful, sharp, and full of fire… he’s everything I’ve ever wanted.

With his father watching my every move, I’m barely holding it together. If Oliver so much as crooks his finger at me, I don’t think I’ll be able to resist.

Tempting Frey is the second book in the Bears of Beauville series—a standalone MM omegaverse romance featuring bear shifters, fated mates, and mpreg. HEA, no cliffhangers.

REVIEW: ⟫ Oh man, the second-hand embarrassment I had on Oliver’s behalf had me scarlet! There’s no doubt that Frey did the right thing but that was so difficult to read! When Oliver returned after college, he seemed far more secure and confident in himself and Frey was slowly able to realise what he had known all along – Oliver was his Omega and he wanted to claim him. I enjoyed the story although the plot was very simple and so was the execution. This felt like a low stakes story, with little angst (after the beginning) and I enjoyed reading it. I liked seeing people from the previous part and hints of what was to come. A good read.

The Weight of Duty by N.Y. Lysk

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TITLE: ⟫ The Weight of Duty
AUTHOR: ⟫ N.Y. Lysk
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Now that the twins are of age, their uncle takes them in hand to teach them their marital duties. Twincest, Uncle/Nephew, dubcon, body modification. Dark.

REVIEW: ⟫ Oooh this was a dark one! I thought I knew what I was setting myself up for but I was still surprised!! There was a hopelessness in what was happening, a kind of slow acceptance of how unfair everything was, how life changed simply because he was born second that really got to me. I don’t want to give too much information in case it acts like a spoiler, but man this was dark and kinda heavy. Saying all of that, I did enjoy reading it and it kept my attention even as I gasped in horror more than once!

Unsubmissive Omega by R. Gaen (Leongatha Pack Tales #4)

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TITLE: ⟫ Unsubmissive Omega
AUTHOR: ⟫ R. Gaen

SERIES: ⟫ Leongatha Pack Tales #4
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Xander is a despised omega living in a house of alphas. And as if that weren’t bad enough, his uncle has plans to get rid of him by giving him to a Pack Alpha in a business transaction.

As an uneducated omega in a world dominated by alphas, Xander’s only defence is his terrible attitude, but that attitude could destroy his new pack, and lose him his one chance at happiness.

When he does finally realize who he can trust, will it be too late?

Content dubcon, explicit sex scenes between men, death of a side-character (& grief), public sex/exhibitionism, kidnapping

REVIEW: I liked the idea of this – an omega that wasn’t submissive, joining a pack unwillingly – sounded like it could be so much fun. I sympathised with Xander – his situation was absolutely awful. However, I struggled with how easily he accepted the things that were told to him – his paranoia around Darius should have extended to other people, or that was what I thought. I found Darius frustrating because he acted so naively about so many things – instead of looking deeper into things, or simply talking to Xander, he just seemed a bit ineffectual. The things he had done for his pack were impressive, but I just wanted more from him. I wanted to see his pack members accepting him as he was, not falling for lies that could be so easily disproved.

I was interested in Xeres, the Mage, and wonder if he’s going to be in another story. Perhaps I didn’t get the nuances involved in this because I haven’t read any of the previous books in the series. The sex was hot and there was a definite connection between Darius and Xander, but ultimately I was disappointed by this read. I received an ARC from Booksprout.