Tag Archives: Rating: 3.5

Owed to the Billionaire by Medusa Stone

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TITLE: ⟫ Owed to the Billionaire

AUTHOR: ⟫ Medusa Stone

SERIES: ⟫ Belonging to the Billionaire

RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ MM/Dark Mafia/ Billionaire-Romance/ Hurt-Comfort/ Enemies to lovers

Michael-

The criminal underground wasn’t something I had anything to do with. That’s until my brother’s gambling got out of hand. Ryan owes a lot of money to the vicious Vincent Salvatore, and the man wants what’s his. We can’t pay, so Salvatore demands my brother works off his debt… and I’m the collateral.

I may be held in a luxurious prison, but it’s still a cage. So why am I developing feelings for the man who holds our future in his hands?

Vincent-

I don’t give a damn about some gambler’s brother. I want my money, and Ryan’s debt is a noose tightening around his neck. My world doesn’t tolerate failure. But then I see Michael—the innocent collateral. The moment our eyes lock, everything shifts.

I should be focused on getting my money back, but Michael’s got this quiet strength that gets under my skin. Suddenly, it’s not just about the debt. It’s about keeping him close, protecting him. Anyone who dares to touch him will face my wrath.

I didn’t plan for this. But now, there’s nothing I won’t do to keep him safe—even if it means breaking all my own rules.

All books in “Belonging To The Billionaire” series are standalones.

REVIEW: ⟫ This is a short novella – approx 12.5k words – and as such, the author makes sure to warn the reader that there isn’t a lot of room for backstory or build-up. Nevertheless, from the beginning, you do get a very good sense of the depth of the caring between Ryan and Michael, and just why Michael is prepared to do anything to keep his brother safe, and vice versa. It also quickly becomes clear that Vincent is confused by the emotions that Michael engenders in him – he is far more used to delivering pain, manipulating people into owing him fealty, and running the darker side of things than he is to gentle emotions. I liked how the men who collected Michael were made to pay for their actions – they didn’t have permission for the things that they did so were reprimanded – a sharp reminder that Vincent is in charge of all of it.

I don’t recall reading any Medusa Stone prior to this but would be interested in reading what could come from a story with the space to go into more detail – whether in building the relationships, the backstory, or even the resolution. This was a quick, interesting read and I will probably look for more stories by this author, and particularly in this series as the next title sounds interesting.

I received an ARC from the author but the views are my own.

The Laughing Game by AE Lister (Parlor Games Book #3)

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TITLE: ⟫ The Laughing Game

AUTHOR: ⟫ AE Lister

SERIES: ⟫ Parlor Games Book #3

RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ When people are placing bets, maybe you’re not so straight after all.

Angel Barnett always assumed he was straight. Sure, he’d had an occasional fantasy about sex with a man. But he’d never contemplated having sex with two men, until he met Gideon Foster and Vihaal Petrovsky.

Now he can’t get them out of his head, and the casual friendship that’s developed between them is heading into unknown territory. It seems like everyone he knows, including his aging mother, has known for years he’s ‘not so straight’. And it turns out that Gideon and Vihaal have been deliberately trying to seduce him.

But they’re married, and Angel isn’t sure about sex with men to begin with. It only takes a few instances of physical intimacy with Vihaal and Gideon, who seem to live a very kinky life with few boundaries, for Angel to finally accept and start to explore his bisexuality.

But can Angel be a third to Vihaal and Gideon’s twosome? They seem to want him. But the two of them are kinky as hell so not only is Angel embarking on a same-sex relationship for the first time, he’s also being initiated into the kinky world of dominance and submission. And since Vihaal is a die-hard Dom, it looks like Angel had better get used to submission—a mindset that comes surprisingly easily.

REVIEW: ⟫ This is the first book that I can recall reading by AE Lister and as this one is book number 3 in the series, I think I have done it a slight disservice. I haven’t read the previous books in the series and I don’t think that this works as well as it might do without all of that background.

That said, I found the dynamic between Angel, Vihaal and Gideon to be entertaining, sexy and on occasion, very sweet. Vihaal and Gideon are a married couple who occasionally indulge in adding a temporary third to their relationship. However, it becomes obvious that they have had their eye on Angel for a while and it quickly becomes apparent that this is not a temporary thing for any of them. Not least, because for Angel this is his first relationship with men.

I enjoyed the relationships and characters in this story, especially Angel’s mother who made me laugh a lot. The friendships were nicely written and the encouragement and acceptance was good to see/read. The sex scenes were hot and intense, and although I felt that occasionally there wasn’t enough attention paid to the fact that this was all new to Angel, the triad worked very well with Vihaal most definitely in charge with Angel and Gideon as his pets. I may see if I can read the previous books in the series.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Ours – Young, Dumb and Full of Bad Decisions by Dominic N. Ashen

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TITLE: ⟫ Ours

AUTHOR: ⟫ Dominic N. Ashen

SERIES: ⟫ Young, Dumb and Full of Bad Decisions

RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ If growing up is hard, becoming an actual adult is even harder, and the transition between the two can, at times, seem like a minefield.

Cory is just an average 18-year-old nerd who plays video games and reads comic books. Well, mostly average. He’s also gay, in the closet, and into some pretty kinky stuff. Sure, his only outlet is the internet and his left hand, but with college right around the corner, he figures his secret is safe… Right?

Except Cory’s two best friends, Derek and Nic, recently found out about that secret. And just like a lot of teenage boys, they decide to think with their groins and take advantage of the situation. With the internet as their guide, they formulate a plan to train Cory into being their personal submissive plaything.

As they learn more about themselves, each other, and the kinky world of BDSM, Cory, Derek, and Nic may also discover that romance can bloom in the most unexpected of places.

REVIEW: ⟫ This was a surprise for me – it was a fun read, but also covered some really interesting topics deeper than I expected. I was a little concerned with how things started because getting Cory drunk and then persuading him into sexual acts was more than a little problematic. Along with the initial stages of their relationship – and Nic’s insistence on sticking his head in the sand – made it more than a little unsettling.

It would have been very easy to leave this as a slightly dub-con friends to lovers story, but Dominic went further along the path, making the three of them see the errors that they had made, face up to things about themselves and realise that what had begun under such dodgy circumstances could mean so much more.

Derek struck me the most out of the trio – he has an obvious need to control things which explains his Dom side, but I appreciated his willingness to learn from the mistakes he made. I was also impressed with how open he was to Carl’s teachings and his obvious desire to do better. I liked how Nic struggled with his perception of himself and how he figured out his relationship with his family as well as how he felt about Cory and Derek. Surprisingly, Cory seemed to be the one who was most well-adjusted about the whole thing, which was an aspect I didn’t expect but definitely appreciated.

The sex scenes were numerous and entertaining, and I would definitely recommend this if you are in the mood for some BDSM light role playing, copious amounts of sex with varying people and three kids figuring out what they mean to each other. I received an ARC through Booksprout.

The Accidental Necromancer by Liv Rancourt (Subpar Heroes Book #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ The Accidental Necromancer

AUTHOR: ⟫ Liv Rancourt

SERIES: ⟫ Subpar Heroes Book #1

RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Last Year—yes, it was so bad it needs to be capitalized—continues to haunt Brandon. A fresh start in a new town should have been the solution, but the memories follow him everywhere, in the form of undead roadkill he can’t seem to stop conjuring.

And Brandon’s growing posthumous pet problem is attracting attention. At least Stefanos, the paranormal veterinarian who offers to help him, is cute.

Who even knew paranormal veterinarians were a thing?

The resurrected animals are bad, but the wraith who starts dogging—pun intended—Brandon’s every step is far, far worse. This unwilling necromancer will have to figure out how to put Last Year behind him if he ever wants to find peace in the warm and willing veterinarian’s bed.

The Accidental Necromancer is a part of the multi-author Sub-Par Superheroes MM romance series. This book is set in the same world as The Richmond Vampire, though it features different characters. Mack and Bellafleure will be back in an upcoming book, because there’s definitely more to their story!

REVIEW: ⟫ This was a quick, fun read, with an interesting premise and storyline that was easy to get into. I enjoyed the quick introduction to SPAM, as well as the background on what happened to Brandon in the past to make him so scared of his new-found power. It was fun catching the snippets of information on supernatural creatures existing alongside unknowing humans, and I found Stef to be a very human character – he wasn’t the perfect knight in shining armour, showing signs of a quick temper and a slightly judgemental attitude on occasion. It was a little frustrating sometimes with Brandon’s refusal to discuss his past – it obviously affected him deeply and also bore some relevance to the situation they all found themselves in, so sharing that information could have been really helpful.

I liked the interactions between Layla and Greg, and the animals were incredibly cute, especially Sparky. This is the first story I have read by this author but I will definitely look out for more from them. I received an ARC from GRR.

Clueless by Willow Thomas (Squad Goals Book #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Clueless

AUTHOR: ⟫ Willow Thomas

SERIES: ⟫ Squad Goals #1

RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ The Cheerleader and His Twin’s Best Friend

Lexi

I’ve been in love with Ryder Jackson since my twin sister brought him home and declared him her best friend five years ago. He is funny, smart, gorgeous. The perfect man. Except he’s never shown any romantic interest in me. Ryder only does hookups, but my poor demi heart wants the whole package.
I vow to get over him and focus on my upcoming cheer competition, but suddenly, he’s everywhere, making me fall harder.

When he accidentally walks in on my self-love time, everything changes. One night with Ryder isn’t enough.

I know it’ll hurt when it ends, but if friends with benefits is all Ryder can give, I’ll take it.

Ryder

No boyfriends, no repeats. That’s always been my motto. But when I nearly get my ass handed to me by the disgruntled ex of a former hookup, I realize I need to change things up.

No sex until I learn to avoid the walking red flags.

I can do this.

Except, suddenly, all I can see is Lexi, my best friend’s brother. I’m creating situations to get cuddles from him during nineties movie night and even going to a football game just to watch him cheer.

After one hot night, I want more.

But how do I get Lexi to see me as more than just a hookup?

Clueless is book one in Squad Goals, an MM cheerleader romance. Expect demi rep, witty banter, delicious pining, and cheertastic fun!

REVIEW: ⟫ To be fair to this book, having accidentally read the second one in the series first meant that I kinda felt like I already knew what was going to happen. I’m pretty sure that that affected how I felt about the story – it felt like I already knew it all and what was left was filling in the details. It’s a sweet story – Lexi pining for Ryder who is completely oblivious to how he feels as he views Lexi very much as his best friend’s brother. Both Ryder and Lexi were nice characters, and their chemistry was strong once they got together. There were a few instances of misunderstandings that definitely could have been avoided, and I wasn’t much of a fan of the use of those as both men seemed more than capable of discussing things rationally. I did get irritated at Ryder a couple of times – leaving without saying something, running away at finding something out – but overall, I enjoyed reading the story.

The Husband Experience by Maya Jean (Sweet Southern Book #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ The Husband Experience

AUTHOR: ⟫ Maya Jean

RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

SERIES: ⟫ Sweet Southern #1

BLURB: ⟫ Elijah

Being a fake boyfriend is usually pretty easy. My part time job slots perfectly into my schedule as I pursue my PhD. But when the agency sends me on a week-long vacation to play husband … I don’t expect the experience to feel the opposite of fake. Colby Smith is everything I never knew I needed. He’s sweet, he even blushes, but in the bedroom, he calls all the shots. This experience is supposed to be for him, but as time goes on, I think it’s starting to be real for me.

Colby

After losing my husband, my cousin recommended I reach out to The Boyfriend Experience to get back in the saddle, so to speak. I asked for a husband for a week and they sure delivered. Elijah Ruiz is wild, in a way that shakes my world to the core. But after a week of tender touches, of breathtaking smiles, I start to wonder if it’s really all an act. Can we make this something real after only a week of playing pretend?

The Husband Experience is the 36k novella that starts the Sweet Southern series. It features a professional fake boyfriend, a ready for love again widower, an age gap, fake husbands for a week by the beach, lots of swoon, emotional steam, and just a sprinkle of kink.

REVIEW: ⟫ This was a very sweet, sexy novella that acts as a very good introduction to the planned Sweet Southern series. Colby comes across as a self-aware man who has accepted the loss of his husband and is ready to re-enter the world of dating. However, he wants his first real experience to not be a random hook-up – he knows himself well enough to know that that is not how he operates. Hence the husband experience.

Eli comes across as a little less self aware. Initially with Colby, he tries to put up artificial barriers, constantly reminding the both of them that he is a ‘sure’ thing and doesn’t need the romance, etc that Colby keeps trying to offer. I really enjoyed the way in which Eli slowly let down his barriers and began to accept the affection and attention Colby was offering until the two men began to have an experience that perhaps neither of them fully expected. I was impressed with how much the author managed to pile into the novella, but obviously being that length it suffered a little from how ‘surface’ and superficial things had to be. I definitely enjoyed reading this story and will look for more from the Sweet Southern series.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Dad Next Door by Willow Dixon (Crimson Club #5)

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TITLE: ⟫ Dad Next Door

AUTHOR: ⟫ Willow Dixon

SERIES: ⟫ Crimson Club #5

RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Moving into my first house is step one in starting my new life. Next is setting up my contracting business. I’m so focused on my future that a relationship is the last thing on my mind.

Then I meet Tristan, the single dad next door. He might be my total opposite, but we click in a way I’ve never experienced, and he quickly becomes one of my closest friends.

After attending a wedding as his fake date to make his ex, and his ex’s new boyfriend, jealous, I can’t deny that things between us have changed. I always thought I was straight, but being with Tristan doesn’t just feel good, it feels right.

Having a fling with my neighbor might be a recipe for disaster, but it could also be exactly what we both need to finally move on from our pasts.

Quinn and Tristan’s story is a friends-to-lovers, bi-awakening romance between a retired porn model who just moved into his first home, and a single dad trying to navigate life after divorce. Expect a fake relationship, an age gap, found family, all the feels, lots of spice, and tons of heat as these neighbors find out that sometimes opposites really do attract. It is the fifth novel in the exciting new Crimson Club series but can be read as a standalone.

REVIEW: ⟫ This was a sweet, slow-burn read, with a lovely relationship being built between Tris and Quinn. The two men are at different places in their lives: Tris is divorced with a young son and a bitter ex, whilst Quinn is making the transition from adult entertainment/influencer to becoming a contractor and I liked the way that this was reflected in their attitudes and behaviour. This wasn’t a case of one being swept off their feet by the other – this was a friendship that grew naturally into something bigger and better, and the way that they respected each other was so natural and strong.

I enjoyed the comeuppance of the ‘bad guy’; the numerous pets that Tris had, as well as the relationship with his son and his sister; the friendship that Quinn had with the other guys from the Crimson Club – it was a really well-rounded story, with a realness to it that can often get lost in the romance. The sex scenes were hot without being over-powering, and the epilogue was so lovely that it had me smiling so much! Definitely enjoyed reading and can recommend.

The Gargoyle and the Romance Writer by Chloe Archer (Monsters Hollow Book #2)

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TITLE: ⟫ The Gargoyle and the Romance Writer

AUTHOR: ⟫ Chloe Archer

SERIES: ⟫ Monsters Hollow Book #2

RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Welcome to Monsters Hollow, where love knows no bounds—even in a town full of monsters!

A quirky romance writer in hiding. A sexy gargoyle lover turned bodyguard. And a stalker that just won’t quit…

Ryder St. James

I assumed writing swoony romance novels about humans and Otherkind might attract some unsavory attention. But I never imagined I’d have an obsessive fan stalking me.

As a former foster kid, I’m pretty resilient but this situation is messing with my sleep and I’m on deadline for my next book!

About the only thing that can help at times like this is some regular mind-blowing…release. Trust me, solo methods just aren’t enough and hooking up with randos isn’t my style. I need someone safe who can reliably rock my world in the bedroom and maybe help me with my research as a bonus!

Enter the hunky Scottish gargoyle who’s been flirting with me ever since I arrived to hide out in Mystic Hollow. We come up with an ideal no-strings and no-feelings arrangement.

After all, romance is just a fantasy I write about in my books–right?

Vash DarkWing

From the moment I met Ryder St. James, I wanted to know more about the bonnie, brave man who speaks his mind. With no filter.

When he proposes a few weeks of mutually beneficial shagging before his book tour starts, I immediately jump on the chance to, well, jump him. Just a bit of fun and maybe friendship.

Hell’s bells, but Ryder slips past all my defenses and wins my affections without even trying! Now, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep the man I love safe. Even if it means putting my heart as well as my life on the line.

The Gargoyle and the Romance Writer features an inappropriately curious novelist, a sexy Scottish gargoyle, a speciality harness for aerial…shenanigans, a creepy stalker, and true love for the win. This is the second book in the Monsters Hollow series and can be read as a standalone.

REVIEW: ⟫ I actually find this review difficult to write because this book was – different. I haven’t read the previous book in the series (I didn’t realise it was a series initially) so I had no previous knowledge of the characters. This possibly impacted my initial enjoyment as from the very beginning, we start the book on an incident that obviously harks back to the first one.

I found the characters to be a bit of a caricature on occasion – Max, for example, came across as a bit of a stereotype with the way he was described, his mannerisms and attire. This wasn’t necessarily a negative but I was a little thrown by it. I also struggled to connect with Ryder as a character – it felt very much like I should feel a certain way about him because of his upbringing, his attitude and his demeanour. It felt very much like he was written as a neurodivergent character whereby a lot of his mannerisms were ‘covered’ by his neurodivergence. It felt – maybe a little lazy? His inappropriate questions were not amusing after a few occasions of them happening, and I would have expected a man of his age to have better masking techniques.

I thought Vash was fascinating and I wish I had learned more about him – the bits we did find out about his home, actions and motivations was really interesting. The forum entries at the beginning of each chapter were fun to read and to try to guess who each person was. I thought the relationship between Vash and Ryder was nice – it built slowly with regard to the emotional aspect of things, and I liked how respectful, open and honest they were with each other.

I’m not sure if I would describe this story as steamy – there were sex scenes that were quite descriptive and explicit, but I didn’t connect with them very well and wasn’t as involved in them as I might have been. The best way that I can describe it is that I felt like I was told what they were feeling and experiencing rather than feeling it myself – the best sex scenes affect you on a visceral level and I didn’t get that from this story.

The stalker storyline felt under-developed but that might have been covered more in book one, so that is on me for not reading the first book. I did guess who the stalker was going to be but I don’t think it was meant to be a huge surprise by the time the confrontation took place. I did enjoy the confrontation, especially because Ryder proved himself more than capable of looking after himself which I appreciated – he wasn’t a damsel in distress.

The investigation into the magic within Mystic Hollow was intriguing and the arrival of a particular character definitely alludes to future stories. Overall, this was a pleasant read and I enjoyed the time I spent in Mystic Hollow. I’m not sure if I will try to read the first story, mainly because a lot of the plot might well have been spoiled for me by reading this first. I would recommend finding the rest of the series first so that you can enjoy things in the correct order.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Just Like Magic by Ellie Roth (Longview Romance book #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Just Like Magic

AUTHOR: ⟫ Ellie Roth

SERIES: ⟫ Longview Romance

RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ The witches are rioting again.

Figures. They overreact to everything.

Anwer Alexander, son of the notoriously anti-magic governor, has everything he wants in life: a good job, amazing parents, and an annoying brat of a younger sister. But when his sister Shay manifests the same kind of magic powers that get countless teenagers kicked out of their houses, Anwer has to scramble to find her a witch who can show her how to control them—and make sure their parents don’t find out.

Christian Lewis, the most powerful magic user in the tristate area, doesn’t know what to do with himself when the Alexander siblings ask him to teach Shay in exchange for Anwer helping Chris with a life-changing ritual. But no matter how much he hates their parents, Chris has never been able to say no to mentoring a newbie magic user from a toxic household—even though her scowling older brother infuriates him.

As the long summer days grow warmer, Anwer and Chris find themselves slowly drawing closer to each other over Shay’s training. Sparks fly when Shay decides that she wants to compete in the Santiago, the largest magic tournament of the year, but will the five-day competition be the beginning of something more or the end of everything Anwer and Chris hoped for?

—

Just Like Magic is a contemporary LGBTQ+ romantic fantasy that features a modern world imbued with magic, a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, found family vibes, tragic backstories, mild to moderate steaminess, major angst, and a happy ending for our protagonists (with a few plot threads left open for later books).

*Content warnings available on website.

REVIEW: ⟫ I am in two minds about this story. Admittedly, it did say that it was slow burn so I wasn’t expecting insta-love or anything like that. However, as the first book in a series, there was a lot of world-building and plot that had to be fitted in and as such, for me personally, the romance part of things did suffer.

The characters were nicely written – Chris and Anwer both had good reasons for the way they felt, it wasn’t manufactured, ignored or blown out of proportion. The plot was extremely interesting and the metaphor of children with magic being thrown out of their homes hit home without feeling like you were being bashed over the head.

I enjoyed the magic tournament and the things that happened there – it was brilliant to see Chris in his element and demonstrating his power, rather than us just being told that he was an incredibly powerful magic user. The additional characters were also well-rounded and not just there to pad out the background.

I found Anwer’s parents to be a little of a caricature but then it would be difficult to give them more depth when they weren’t the main thrust of the story. I was very interested in the persecution of the magic users and how it was described and I will be looking out for further stories in the series in the hope that it is examined in more depth.

The romance between Chris and Anwer was sweet – when we did spend time with them, it was possible to see them falling in love with each other and the reason why. I especially enjoyed when Chris was training Shay and Anwer was struggling to fight his fear/hatred of magic whilst falling under Chris’s spell. There were certain aspects of things that I wasn’t very happy with – especially with regard to how much it was made into a thing that being magic was an integral part of who people were – but that definitely falls under the category of YMMV. Overall, I thought it was an enjoyable read and I am looking forward to reading more in the series.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Arranged Salvation by Jacey Davis (Arranging Love Book #3)

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TITLE: ⟫ Arranged Salvation

AUTHOR: ⟫ Jacey Davis

SERIES: ⟫ Arranging Love Book #3

RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Bastion: Making that phone call was the hardest thing I’d ever done. But also the best. I was terrified of what would happen once I asked my half-brother for help, but I had no other choice. I’d do anything to protect the baby growing inside of me. Even if that meant escaping my husband’s home and possibly putting everyone’s life in danger in the process. It was the most selfish thing I’d ever done but for the most selfless reason.

I knew there would be consequences for my actions, but I never expected I’d have to pretend I had a fated mate. But being tied to an alpha like Arden wasn’t a hardship. He was kind, sweet, caring, and protective. He was everything I never thought an alpha could be. He was showing me that the world wasn’t as terrible as I believed, and that maybe not all alphas were cruel. I just wished fate was kind to me for once and he was truly my fated. But I knew better than to hope for too much and was grateful for what I did have with Arden.

Arden: I always knew I was a smidge overprotective. Caring for my pack was my love language. But nothing compared to how intense those feelings were toward Bastion. I had sensed…something…between us when I met him all those months ago but hadn’t thought much of it. Now that he was mine, though, even if it was just on paper, that caretaker side that was always just under the surface had its moment to shine. I’d do anything to protect Bastion.

Anything.

With the government breathing down our throats and the political climate getting more heated every day, I might be putting that to the test.

Arranged Salvation is book three in the Arranging Love series. Each book is an interconnected standalone with new MCs and at least an HFN for the couple. It is strongly recommended that you read the previous books, as there is an overarching storyline that continues throughout the series. However, it would be possible to read this one without those. Arranged Salvation is a slow-burn, plot-heavy MPreg omegaverse featuring a traumatized omega trying to protect his baby, an overprotective alpha with a soft side, a fake fated mating, and a lot of people doing anything they can to undermine them.

It is an alternate reality omegaverse with adult themes and explicit content. It is not meant for those under 18. This book contains on page MPreg. This is a world where omegas have very few rights and are essentially owned by their alpha guardian or mate. There is also a biological kink element where alphas are biologically inclined towards dominance while omegas are inclined towards submission.

Content warning: societal repression of a group of people, on-page violence, detailed mentions of abuse, undiagnosed PTSD, panic attacks, on-page MPreg, and off-page SA, and ongoing abuse (not by MCs) that is described. There is also a consensual Daddy kink dynamic between the MCs and very light age regression. Please see the book for a more detailed warning.

REVIEW: ⟫ There felt like simultaneously a lot to take in and yet not a lot happening on-page with regard to the central romance.

I had read a previous book in this series, Arranged by Fate so the characters and premise were familiar to me. At the front of this book is a very helpful list of characters, how they fit into the story and who they are currently partnered with, as well as a list of triggers.

We are thrown straight into the action with Bastion locked away in a cupboard, finally calling for help from Lyric. It definitely felt like I needed to have read the previous books as it immediately referred to things that had happened previously, but I was able to guestimate what I had missed. Bastion’s plight – being at the mercy of his evil alpha – was described very well, as was his emotional state, so I was settled in for some hurt/comfort.

However, I would say that there were so many politics going on, the main couple didn’t get as much focus as I would have liked. This was definitely slow-burn, with things being very plot-heavy for a large amount of the story, often to the detriment of the romantic side of things. I wanted to see more of the interactions between Arden and Bastion, and however much I enjoyed the world building, I feel that the romance should have featured more heavily.

As mentioned, there is light age regression, which was handled smoothly and sweetly; however, the Daddy kink wasn’t explored as much as I was hoping. I was impressed with the fact that Daddy/boy was recognised as a ‘normal’ dynamic between mates and therefore no-one seemed to bat an eyelid at Bastion calling Arden ‘Daddy’ a few times.

After a while, the cast of characters felt like they became a little unwieldy – when they were trying to escape from government retaliation I knew there were a large number of people I should care about, but after a while they just became names on a page, and this was a shame.

I think the main issue I had with this story was that I wasn’t expecting it to be so politics heavy, and although it was interesting I feel that it got in the way of the building of the relationship between the two main characters. I also think it can be difficult to handle so many previously established relationships deftly enough to satisfy people’s desire for an update on previous favourites whilst dedicating enough time to the ‘featured’ couple.

It was a good addition to the series, and the writing is easy to read and understand. I didn’t “feel” as much as I wanted to but I think that might just be a me thing and YMMV. Well written, a solid entry in the series but I would definitely suggest reading the previous books to be able to know who everyone is and where they belong.

I received an ARC from GRR.