Review: Wildfire (In Vino Veritas) by Garrett Leigh

Rating: 4.75🌈

Wildlfire by Garrett Leigh, sees a return of the In Vino Veritas series, one written by multiple authors about a connecting bookstore and wine bar in Burlington,Vermont.

Many of the characters there originate from the earlier V & V series, so honestly for newcomers, it’s a win win with two terrific series to lock into.

Garrett Leigh’s Wildfire is a wonderful romance and contemporary love story on many levels. The depth of Leigh’s characters and the complexity of both man’s history leads the reader into their stories and wanting so much for each of them.

The novel begins with Kai Fletcher, leader of a Search and Rescue team returning home after a long night that suddenly becomes a nightmare. It’s a shattering start.

Told from alternating pov, we go forward and find the how the ramifications of that night have changed Kai and his life. Haunted, his PSTD curtailing his life and abilities to get outside his memories.

Garrett Leigh writes this damaged character so believably. Kai comes to life in these pages and his pain is visceral.

Called in as the new chef of Vino is Joss. He’s a friend of Jax’s (Heartscape (Vino and Veritas) from the UK. Joss is another man who comes with his own complicated personal history and unusual issues. Joss diagnosed with ADHD and non-verbal Tourette’s syndrome. But later in his life so his early adolescence was marred by bullying, acting out , and troubling behavior. That plus a detrimental home life set a pattern for Joss in terms of seeing himself in a certain manner and inability to settle.

Again, Joss is a absolutely fantastic character. Believable, endearing, fierce, and lost.

The manner in which Leigh weaves their relationship, Kai’s sexual awakening, the growth each must move through in order for a love and a future to work together is so amazing.

It’s in the dialogues, the scenes, the characters we have come to know, and the landscape of Burlington itself.

Wildfire is a fantastic story and this is one couple to remember.

I’m so happy to see this series get a second run. I’m looking forward to every book and new additions to the V&A family!

I’m highly recommending Wildfire.

If you’re curious, I’ve listed not only this series but the original as well. You can read one, 5 , or like me , all. That’s what so lovely about it.

Happy Reading!

In Vino Veritas series 2:

✓ Wildfire #1 – Garrett Leigh

◦ Counterpoint #2 – JE Birk

◦ Unmanageable #3 – Leslie McAdam

◦ Underdog #4 – LA Witt

◦ Wonderland #5 – Rachel Ember

◦ Dauntless #6 – Victoria DeNault

The first series:

Vino and Veritas #1:

🔵Featherbed (Vino and Veritas 1) by Annabeth Albert

🔵Heartscape #2 by Garrett Leigh

🔵Headstrong #3 by Eden Finley

🔵Undercover #4 by Eliot Grayson

🔵Aftermath #5 by LA Witt

🔵Booklover #6 by JE Birk

🔵Flipcup #7 by Kim Hartfield f/f

🔵Hideaway #8 by Rachel Lacey f/f

🔵Turnabout #9 by Laurel Greer

🔵Unguarded #10 by Jay Hogan

🔵Insatiable #11 by Rhys Everly

🔵Daybreak #12 by Kate Hawthorne

🔵Heartsong #13 by AE Wasp

🔵Stronghold #14 by Ana Ashley

🔵Limelight #15 by E Davis

🔵Unforgettable #16 by Marley Valentine

🔵Showstopper #17 by Regina Kyle

🔵Undone #18 by Leslie McAdams

https://www.goodreads.com › showWildfire (In Vino Veritas, #1) by Garrett Leigh | Goodreads

Synopsis:

A gorgeous new sexual awakening romance with sizzling first times, snarky British banter, and off-the-charts chemistry.

Life doesn’t always pan out as you expect. When it explodes in my face, literally, an old friend offers me a place to heal and a job renovating the kitchen of Burlington’s coolest wine bar.

V&V is a chill fest. Living above it should be a blast. But I’m not built to be a social butterfly. Not anymore. I’m a damaged man.

And I’m not its target clientele.

At least, I think I’m not until I come face to face with the most beautiful human I’ve ever seen. Joss is the new chef and my roommate. He has hair like spun gold and it’s as pretty as the rest of him. Crystal blue eyes. Megawatt smile.

I can’t stop staring. Or thinking about him. He chases my nightmares away. And when he spots my crush a mile off, his solution to our chemical attraction blows my mind.

An experiment of sorts. Science. Is this sexual exploration or sex education?

Either way, Joss is only here for the summer. He’s leaving.

I can’t fall in love with him.

I can’t.

Shame my foolish heart never got the memo.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

WILDFIRE is a heartfelt MM friends-to-lovers, hurt/comfort romance in the True North world, with a brooding lumbersexual, a wild-hearted chef, sweet angst and all the Vermont food. Content warning: contains mentions of depression, ADHD, suicidal ideation, and PTSD recovery.

Review: The Barkeep and The Bookseller (Campo Royale #3) by V.L. Locey

Rating: 4.75 🌈

V.L. Locey’s Campo Royale series is truly a favorite of mine. With every new storyline and couple, it goes into new territory and new relationship dynamics while still playing within the universe Locey has created for the series and characters. That’s the fabulous drag club, the Campo Royale and the Queen Mother, Sitka!

It’s time for Corduroy “Cord” Lopez, the pink haired, adorable, bartender of the Campo Royale, to find love and happiness. He’s been a staple in the other books, and now gets his own romance.

We delve into his personal history to see the stress and tight circumstances under which he’s living in order to provide a stable, happy life for his daughter. A joyful girl, diagnosed with Mosaic Down syndrome, she’s his everything.

Locey’s descriptions and excellent writing brings the characters and father/daughter loving relationship realistically to life. She’s all kid, peanut butter smears , meltdowns, hugs, and all. I love this family unit, including the grandmothers.

Jagger Collins is another terrific character, a haunted man coming off the trauma of an abusive ex husband and the mental breakdown it caused. He’s still in recovery, using the support of a wonderful therapist and friends and his brother to help move forward.

Locey’s portrait of a shattered man in recovery, one learning to trust in himself again, is gentle, and moving. There’s no flashbacks, nothing to act as triggers I think, however, Jagger does remember , verbally, the attack the ended the marriage and put him in the hospital.

Watching Jagger and Cord become close, then take the fragile steps to become lovers, then a family, is so heartwarming and wonderful. It’s moments with Jagger’s scottie who farts …a lot. Or the scenes with Paloma, Cord’s daughter, a heart stealer, who takes a liking to both Jagger and his dog!

I could definitely do with another story to see where they go from the HFN that the note they end on here.

It’s realistic and so great. I definitely want more.

Luckily I believe we will see more of them like we do the others in the new stories to come. I can’t wait!

I’m highly recommending The Barkeep and The Bookseller (Campo Royale #3) by V.L. Locey .

Campo Royale series:

✓ The Viking and the Drag Queen #1

✓ The Batchelor and the Cherry #2

✓ The Barkeep and The Bookseller #3

https://www.goodreads.com › showThe Barkeep and the Bookseller (Campo Royale #3) by V.L. Locey – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Can two men move past their shattered dreams and create a new future together?

Corduroy Lopez is a hard-working man. He has to be. There really is no alternative. He’s a single father with a beautiful, special needs daughter to support. His mother and grandmother help when they can, but he’s a proud pan man who is determined to make it on his own. When his daughter is accepted into a prestigious developmental education preschool, Cord needs cash and he needs it yesterday. One night, offhandedly, the cute owner of the new bookstore in town mentions wanting to start a drag story hour, Cord leaps at the chance. He’s done drag before. Once. Performing on stage at the Campo hadn’t really been his thing but donning a wig and dress to sing children’s songs while strumming a ukulele should be a much more enjoyable experience. Also, the bookshop owner is adorable, newly single, and spending a great deal of time sitting at Cord’s bar sipping virgin piña coladas after the bookstore closes.

Jagger Collins never meant to end up here. He’d been a happily married man with a swanky job in a Philadelphia bank just two years ago. Then the bottom fell out of his life. His marriage combusted, his job quickly followed, and he found himself with only his dog Hamish, his brother, and half the cash from the home he thought he would be starting a family in. Taking the advice of his elder sibling to heart, he left the big city and bought a small brick building in downtown Wilmington. Trading in ties for tomes, Jagger is now embracing the simpler things in life. Reading, biking, knitting, and admiring the lithe bartender at the Campo Royale. Cord is ticking all the right boxes in a big way, but Jagger’s not sure if he’s ready to put his heart on the line again.

The Barkeep and the Bookseller is a single father guy next door gay romance that features a hard-working dad, a learning-to-love again bookdealer, a precocious preschooler, high heels, a loving family, flashy floral fashions, and a ukulele rich happy-ever-after.

Review: The Sunny Side (The Model Agency #1) by Lily Morton

Rating: 4.75 🌈

I’m such a fan of this author and The Sunny Side is a fantastic example of why her contemporary romances continue to resonate with so many readers, book after book, series after series.

Supermodel Dean Jacobs has appeared in the author’s newsletter serial and pops up in other stories (Deal Maker for one). That cover is a perfect match for the character it’s portraying, a rare occurrence!

However, it’s the internal Dean, the one that’s kind, fighting a life long insecurity issue bourn of bad parenting, later in life diagnosed with dyslexia, now newly sober,coming off years of being stoned, he’s stressed and struggling.

Jonas Durand is a highly successful, focused owner of the modeling agency that handles some of the most famous models in the world. After wresting control of the company from his mother and restructuring it into the respected firm it is today, he’s had just one known passion, the business.

But a lesser known one is Dean Jacobs. Just as Jonas has been Dean’s.

Morton weaves a tale of love and romance so skillfully as Dean’s struggles catches Jonas’ attention, and it’s to Jonas that Dean instinctively turns to for safety and sanctuary.

Their personalities matching and adjusting each to the other, through warm hearted dialogue, scenes filled full of laughter and raw emotion, whether it’s just them or with Jonas’ daughter, Ruby Tuesday, and Henry, the dog.

Morton shows us the slow building of a couple, then a family, every skittish step each man takes forward.

There’s a moment of crisis of course. And as bad as it feels, it’s also very believable and real. Painful, hurtful, and real.

Morton makes us believe in these men, stumbling with them towards love and happiness. And when it comes to a close, we aren’t ready to end.

Which brings me to a note. I originally gave this a 5. Then, Morton herself said there was a addendum short showing what happens to Dean and Jonas afterwards.

So I read it.

I laughed so hard I cried. Then I cried because it was perfect!

That short was THE perfect ending!

It needs to be in the book.

Lily Morton, if you’re listening, books get edited all the time. Just sayin.

I’m definitely recommending The Sunny Side by Lily Morton. It’s fantastic, and probably a reread for many!

The Model Agency:

◦ The Sunny Side #1

Available in Kindle Format

AMAZON US

AMAZON UK

AMAZON FR

Synopsis:

Jonas Durand is successful, rich, and controlled. He owns a prestigious modelling agency and has the world at his fingertips, but a turbulent childhood has taught him to be focused and never deviate from a plan.

Dean Jacobs threatens that stance. He’s one of the world’s most sought-after supermodels, but he’s also laidback and lighthearted and free in a way that Jonas has never quite managed.

Dean has always been interested in Jonas and has never made any secret of his admiration, but from the beginning, Jonas put him in a neat little box labelled, “Don’t touch,” turned the key, and never looked back.

However, the universe seems determined to thwart Jonas’s plans. Over the course of one hot summer, the two men come together, and Jonas’s well-ordered life becomes something a whole lot wilder.

Moving from the glamorous worlds of London and Paris Fashion Weeks to the sleepy South of France, Jonas finds himself liberating partridges, chasing his supermodel, and falling in love.

From bestselling author Lily Morton, comes a romantic comedy set in the fast-paced and snarky world of modelling. This is the first book in the Model Agency series.

Review: Stroker (Big Bull Mechanics #2) by K.M. Neuhold

Rating: 5🌈

Stroker, second novel in the Big Bull Mechanics series, is such a strong, emotional story. Not just a romance but the journey of two men back together, their individual struggles with their past history (together and their own), and their current shaky status to discover if they can learn to grow and trust enough to have a relationship.

Honestly, the bar has been set high by this story for any that follows it.

Gates, Steele’s 40 ish younger brother, who’s always been a family disaster and vagabond, is someone we met in Crankshaft. Gates was undergoing a personal physical crisis that made him return to his hometown after a significant amount of time traveling around the country.

The mystery and pain hinted at there between Gates and Tallahassee is delved into fully here, along with Gates dealing with the ramifications of his surgery for testicular cancer.

Somehow , the Big Bull Garage works so well as a grounding point for the men of the series and the story. Like a family’s kitchen table, the garage acts like a center where everyone comes together to work, chat, reflect, act as a Greek chorus on each other’s lives. It feels believable and , ‘wipe the grease from your hands’ sort of real.

Tallahassee has been working with Steele, his best friend, hiding the pain that still feels so raw whenever he sees Gates, the man he used to call a friend, the one everyone calls a screwup, the man he married and who left him eight years ago.

Tallahassee is a great character. With a pet parrot with a smutty mouth, Tallahassee’s anguish over Gate’s return, then his illness, then his close proximity is so raw , and torn. Neuhold makes Tal’s indecisiveness and anger absolutely understandable.

But so does the author make us and Tal eventually understand that Gates has been growing up, especially since his operation. He’s making internal changes. Ones the readers are there with him, as the revelations hit. Sad, painful revelations about himself and his decisions. And how they have effected others and his family.

It’s so moving, and emotionally realistic the way Tallahassee and Gates slowly find their way back into each other’s trust and hearts. They communicate, share their fears, and hopes. It’s fragile. Especially when Gates is confronting his fears about his scars and the ramifications from his surgery.

This is what makes this so wonderful to read.

I felt like I was sharing a special moment with them. And Nigel, the parrot, of course.

Stroker is sexy, sensitive, beautifully written with fantastic, well defined characters. One of my favorites!

I’m highly recommending it.

Big Bull Mechanics:

✓ Crankshaft #1

✓ Stroker #2

Book 2 of 2: Big Bull Mechanics

Synopsis:

Is there an easy way to tell your lifelong best friend that you secretly married his brother eight years ago? Asking for a friend…

When Gates shows up needing a place to crash , I offer him my spare room. Whatever happened between us nearly a decade ago is water under the bridge. I don’t lie awake at night wondering what could have been. Nope, definitely not.

But Gates seems determined to get a rise out of me. He’s tie-dyed all my clothes, removed my bedroom door, and replaced my hand soap with lube. I’m not sure if he’s hoping I’ll kick him out or kill him, but he won’t break me that easily.

When he tells me his Stroker Rod is broken… What kind of mechanic am I if I don’t get hands-on with his problem?

We put our feelings behind us a long time ago, and there’s no way I’ll let Gates break my heart again. No amount of fiddling under the hood will fix everything broken between us. From here on out, it’s purely physical. Right?

Yup, just a couple of guys and their stroker rods.

***Stroker is a best friend’s brother, secretly married, super steamy MM romance.

🔹Connected to The Four Bears Construction Company series.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Blade (Boston Rebels Book 5) by RJ Scott and V.L. Locey

Rating: 5🌈

Blade, the 5th novel in the Boston Rebels series, is absolutely my favorite story to date. Even with the issues I’ve mentioned when reviewing some of the preceding books still present, the storylines, the outstanding characters, and their quietly remarkable romance shine so strongly that everything else is forgotten.

We are given two main characters, with different traumatic events in their background. Both stem from catastrophic events.

For former Boston Rebels hockey player, Moral “Dunny” Dunkirk, it’s a plane accident that has left him a depressed amputee without his team and unable to go forward.

Cooper Harvey, inventor and billionaire, was orphaned at a early age in an volcanic explosion, that came close to taking his and his uncle’s. A brilliant inventor as well as owner of a enormous company which uses his inventions in multiple ways, Cooper is autistic which makes relying on a special circle of people necessary in order to navigate life .

In every way, through dialogue, detailed scenes, the authors knowledge of people who have or are struggling with PTSD, adjusting to life as a amputee, the loss of a lifetime passion and love of hockey, depression, the challenges someone who is autistic faces throughout their lifetime, from bullying in school to prejudice in the board of directors.

It’s such a deeply honest and emotional display of men at their most raw and flayed. Watching Dunny rebuild his life with the help and love of Cooper is so heartwarming, so heartfelt that you want to reread passages as soon as you finish them.

I laughed at Cooper’s jokes, and cried with Dunny at each step forward he made. And together, they were quietly unstoppable.

I wasn’t ready for their story to finish. As I’ve remarked before, this really isn’t about a team as it is the men leaving it. I have zero feelings about the Rebels. But about Dunny and Cooper? They are everything!

I could see a series about a sled team. Now THAT would be something to read about.

I’m highly recommending Blade (Boston Rebels Book 5) by RJ Scott and V.L. Locey. It is easily the finest book in the series or contemporary romance I’ve read lately.

https://www.goodreads.com › showBlade by R.J. Scott – Goodreads

Boston Rebels:

🔹Top Shelf #1

🔹Back Check #2

🔹Snowed #3

🔹Royal Lines #4

🔹Blade #5

Synopsis:

Love doesn’t have a formula. It’s messy, unpredictable, and impossible to control for the autistic billionaire inventor and the hockey player who believes he’s lost everything.

Moral “Dunny” Dunkirk has a passion for life. A robust outdoorsman, lover of life, and one of the Boston Rebels fan favorites, Dunny has always embraced excitement and the drive to try new things. During his inaugural flight behind the controls of a small plane, the fates decide to test his mettle in a way that he had never envisioned. When everything crashes down around him, he’s lost in depression and alone in his cabin, facing an existence that is nothing like the one he previously led. Desperate to find some hope, Dunny reaches out to The Harvey Foundation who might be able to help, and he soon finds himself being lifted out of the pit of darkness he’d fallen into one shy uplifting smile at a time.

Accidental billionaire and inventor Cooper Harvey is only happy in the seclusion of his lab, creating new and wonderful things he is sure will make the world a better place. Being on the spectrum, he knows being autistic means he’s different to others, but it’s in a good way, and it only makes him better at what he does. Other than being blackmailed into spending every fourth Sunday at his PA’s house for dinner, he avoids the chaos of the world, and if that means no social life, then he’s okay with that. In the most splendid isolation money can buy, he escapes the complicated and difficult emotions surrounding attraction, and his single-minded focus means that sex and love have never appeared on his list. When his latest invention reaches the testing stage, he would normally hand it over to his development team, but a chance meeting with the test subject makes him rethink. Something about the hockey player who’d lost it all makes him think life isn’t all about measured chemical reactions, and sometimes it’s just about the craziness of love.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Got Me Going (Vet Shop Boys Book 5) by Casey Cox

Rating: 4.75 🌈

I knew I was in for a wonderful time when I found myself laughing out at a awkward moment just pages in. Hilarious, believable, and totally entertaining. For the readers and other characters watching.

Tyler Morris has a few issues. He loves being a veterinarian, but he can’t cope with losing patients, the heartbreak and grief. He’s also determined to lose his V card. Past trauma has made him feel like no one wants someone like him.

Daly Evans, new owner of the cafe and bakery, is also hiding major issues. Health issues that have effected his body image.

Taking the cafe over from his grandmother , Daly is struggling.

Tyler is a character we’ve met before, but here in Got Me Going, with his background exposed, and his inability to deal with the worst consequences of being a vet, Tyler comes vividly to life. Just as Daly does, as he fights to keep the shop open and his fears for his future in check.

I love this series and each couple has grabbed at my heart, but Daly and Tyler had me laughing, sniffling, and throughly enjoying their journey to HEA.

Cox has written a remarkable romance, full of heart and joy. I’m highly recommending it and the series.

Vet Shop Boys series so far:

✓ Got Me Hoping #1

✓ Got Me Wishing #2

✓ Got Me Looking #3

✓ Got Me Thinking #4

✓ Got Me Going #5

◦ Got Me Merry #6 – Dec 5, 2022

Got Me Going (Vet Shop Boys Book 5)

Synopsis:

Can a veterinarian lose his V-card before turning twenty-five? Oh, one hun p he can!

On the surface, I’m super sassy and just a little bit extra. But underneath, I’m hiding a painful secret from my past and one hugely embarrassing problem in my present—I’m still a…I’m still a…Dammit, I can’t even get it out.

Let’s just say it starts with V and ends in irgin.

Daly’s the new barista, and he takes Thirsty Thursdays to a whole new level. He’s drop-dead gorgeous with a sexy shaved head, ocean-blue eyes, and an insane smile that lights me up whenever he aims it my way. He’s also kind, friendly, and interesting. In other words, the perfect guy to be my first time.

A night of too much coconut tequila leads to us making a drunken pact. Daly will help me with my V-status issue, but he adds a caveat. We have to get to know each other first. Then, and only then, can the physical stuff happen.

It sounds simple enough. But the more I get to know him, the more I realize what we have is more than just a physical attraction. We share a connection. We like the same things. And stupidly, I’ve gone ahead and caught feelings for the guy.

This was never meant to be anything more than just a physical thing, so why has Daly got me going out of my mind the way he does?

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: The Alpha and his King (The Kincaid Pack #1) by Kiki Clark

Rating: 4.5

Another new to me author as well as a new series to read! The Alpha and his King , the first in The Kincaid Pack series, is a hurt/comfort paranormal romance that I really connected with .

Clark has a wonderful premise to begin with, as Alpha Rick Kincaid establishing a pack of mixed shifters, taking in those kicked out or rejected by their own rigid, old fashioned packs. It has a Tiger, bird species, and witches, along with wolf shifters.

So we start with a large foundation of found family, and a Alpha who’s carrying the weight of pulling together the new and old members into a integrated pack.

Clark’s descriptions and scenes make everyone easy to “see” and become invested in the more we learn about themselves and how the pack was established after Rick took over.

But the story really flourishes when it comes to the abused King teenagers and toddlers. From the moment they are rescued all throughout the story where each continues to work through the trauma they have lived through and have not had any help in moving past it or dealing with it.

The little ones are adorable, but the deeply painful, almost entrenched damage is realistic and emotionally painful enough to hold both Kai and Samantha , his sister back from integrating into a new better place and pack.

On top of all this is a mystery and danger to the pack, and new members.

I was absolutely hooked from the beginning and read on until the story was finished. The terrific storytelling and characters kept me engaged and glued to the page until the end.

I’ll be binging the rest of the stories, and so I’m onto the next in the series.

Kincaid Pack series to date:

✓ The Alpha and his King #1

◦ The Second and His Bonded #2

◦ The Deputy and His Enforcer #3

◦ The Hunter and His Mates #4

◦ The Enforcer and His Heart #5

◦ The Witch and His Doctor #6

The Second and His Bonded (Kincaid Pack Book 2)

https://www.goodreads.com › showThe Alpha and His King (Kincaid Pack #1) by Kiki Clark – Goodreads

Synopsis:

When Kai flies out of a shed, swinging a rake, Rick’s life flips upside down.

As alpha, Rick’s dedication to his pack has never wavered—until Kai. The pull he feels toward the younger man is more than a simple distraction, but Rick won’t let himself lose focus. Not while a hidden enemy is drawing near.

Moving in with the grumpy alpha who saved him is a big change for Kai, and it isn’t long before he begins to ache for something he can’t have. As a half-human shifter responsible for his three younger siblings, he knows he can never be Rick’s mate.

Pushing aside their doubts and insecurities, they grow closer. But when the pack’s enemies strike, bringing their fears to fruition, Rick and Kai have to decide if they’re willing to risk it all to be together.

The Alpha and His King is the first book in the Kincaid Pack series and features a quick-tempered and possessive alpha; a sweet and feisty alpha-mate; shifters, seers, and witches galore; massive amounts of hurt/comfort; and a happily ever after.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: So What If I’m Your Chosen One (Not Your Chosen One #2) by Evelyn Benvie

Rating: 4.5 🌈

So What If I’m Your Chosen One (Not Your Chosen One #2) by Evelyn Benvie picks up right after the end of I’m Not Your Chosen One, the first one in the series.

Kell is in a emotional muddle. The stars are pushing him towards his “destiny” as The Chosen One without much guidance. There’s Ansel, patiently waiting for Kell to figure out what their relationship is exactly and let Ansel know . Slow burn it is! But the biggest issue is deciding what sort of Chosen , if any, Kell’s going to be and how he’s to achieve the very high goal of saving Allune.

Even if it’s from the gods themselves.

So What If I Am The Chosen One has a tremendous amount of action, new characters, and revelations.

It also has Kell doing a bit more whinging as my British friends would call it. I had thought Kell had settled some of these issues in the first book, but almost immediately they are raised again here. Kell has enormous questions about his destiny, all the beings that want a say in that (perfectly understandable), and not a lot of belief in himself in getting the job done.

I wish he would communicate more with his small group of friends/found family, as they are equally invested with hearts and bodies in his destiny too.

Still, Benvie’s engaging characters, lively , action packed scenes filled with remarkable , often moving moments keeps me fully connected to Kell and his band of heroes as they navigate their way towards the dark landscape of the Lich King.

As Kell continues to turn enemies into allies, or potential friends, and the revelations show the origin behind the magical catastrophe, Kell’s quest looms ever larger and more necessary then ever .

The author’s plotting is complicated, exciting, emotional, and magical. All the components that make a fantastic story so rewarding. That and these wonderful characters.

As the story ends , they’ve completed one mission, but the ramifications have yet to set in.

That comes next in “It’s Hard Work Being a Chosen One”, no release date given as yet.

I’m absolutely charmed by this story and series. I can’t wait to see the next story hit.

That means I’m absolutely recommending both books and this author to all lovers of fantasy.

And the cover is still everything!

Not Your Chosen One series:

✓ I’m Not Your Chosen One #1

✓ So What If I Am The Chosen One #2

◦ “It’s Hard Work Being a Chosen One #3 – TBA)”

Sales link:

https://www.evelynbenvie.comEvelyn Benvie

Description:

The stars don’t think Kell needs answers. He disagrees.

Having accepted his role as the Chosen, Kell plans to sail to Port Hull and seek answers no one seems willing to give him. Of course, the stars immediately sabotage him. They feel he’s ready to confront the allegedly evil Lich King and toss Kell and company directly into the Lich King’s territory with no way back. Instead of rushing heroically into battle, Kell retaliates by taking multiple detours on the way to his alleged adversary’s palace.

The roundabout route doesn’t end up being an easy one. With a demon tower, child ghosts, confrontations with the goddess and Ansel’s family, and serious talks about his relationship with Ansel, Kell has more than enough on his plate. But he can’t put off the destined battle with the Lich King forever, even though the odds of failure are high. Kell will need to draw on every ounce of non-traditional Chosen-ness or this might be the end of his time in Allune.

Review: Fang’d (Evergreen Council #1) by Vin George

Rating: 4.5🌈

Vin George is another new to me author. Their excellent Fang’d , a paranormal romance, is the first in a new Evergreen Council series and I’m so excited I found it.

George has a somewhat different take on the usual shifter/hybrid vampire romance. Even on the species of vampires and weres themselves.

As a foundation story, Fang’d is such a excellent tale. It peals back the hidden layers of the world Charley Entwhistle and Lucien “Luc” Bradshaw inhabit as they race away from Charley’s hometown and serious wrongful accusations laid against Charley.

Vin George gives their characters and readers a suspenseful, gripping base as a staging point for the story. A dark night, a near crash, a flight into the dark! Then the tale gets oh so better.

Because the driver who, in his kindness in rescuing Charley, is the fascinating Lucien “Luc” Bradshaw .

Luc is so much more than he appears. Luc is also one of two narrators of this remarkable story. The other being Charley, of course..

There’s so much happening to Charley. Much of which he doesn’t understand. His life has been unusual, he’s adopted and had weird physical issues no one has tried to explain. Ones that have escalated since puberty. Now he’s accused of murder, something he knows he didn’t do . He’s hurt, confused, and running.

Charley is such a complicated character that a review can’t portray his real personality. Which is terrific because Charley is at the heart of the story, it’s revelations and astonishing mysteries that move the narrative briskly forward.

Luc is at his side , his equal in depth of character, emotional issues, including historical bigotry between species, homophobia within species, and hidden elements that I’m sure will come out in future stories. Luc is an amazing being.

But Fang’d happens to be packed with them. What a joy. So I’m eagerly anticipating the new release to bring us back into this universe and into these characters lives. There’s still so many mysteries to solve.

Did I also mention the heartwarming moments too? Yes , it has those as well.

Vin George just made it onto my auto buy with this story. It’s beautifully written, the characters are engaging and fully defined, and the story incredibly well plotted with new twists on the paranormal species.

If you’re a lover of the paranormal, then I’m recommending this story and author to you. It’s a fabulous read!

https://www.goodreads.com › showFang’d (Evergreen Council #1) by Vin George – Goodreads

https://www.amazon.com › Fangd-V…Fang’d – Kindle edition by George, Vin. Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Synopsis:

Who is the antsy, beautiful guy in my passenger seat? Or rather, what is he?

Wrongly accused of murder and running for his life, Charley took a chance on the hot stranger with a fast car. He didn’t expect the gorgeous Luc to have any insights into Charley’s increasingly strange symptoms. He certainly didn’t expect to learn the fantastical stories he’d heard as a child were true. And he definitely didn’t expect to feel so strongly for someone he only just met.

Luc’s impulsive offer has landed him in charge of a sexy, enticing, not entirely human someone. Charley might have vampire blood. Surely that should make him less attractive and not more? But the mysterious Charley is irresistible, addictive even. Luc is determined to protect him from anyone and anything…mortal or otherwise.

Fang’d is the sexy first book in the Evergreen Council series, featuring a bratty half-vampire on the run, his stubborn wolf-shifter protector, and a fascinating world of supernatural beings hiding in the shadows. HEA. Standalone.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: I’m Not Your Chosen One (Not Your Chosen One #1) by Evelyn Benvie

Rating: 5🌈

Evelyn Benvie has,in one story, become a auto read. This author’s new series, Not Your Chosen One, includes the sorts of characters, storylines, and world building I look for in a fantasy novel. Then goes further to make sure there’s humor, depth, growth for relationships and emotional issues that the main characters are dealing with.

Also new areas for the universe to expand and enrich the plot.

That all occurs in I’m Not Your Chosen One, book one in this outstanding series.

It starts off darkly enough, with 26 year old Kell Hồ Sinh Porter desperate and depressed. Once again he’s run from his home life that threatens to pull him under.

Benvie’s vividly described portrait of a young man so despairing that he cries out to the night for help is so real it tugs at you emotionally.

Especially when he’s answered.

Then the journey of self discovery, acceptance , responsibilities, friendship, and romance (what that means if you’re demisexual) , all within the realm of fantasy.

What’s a hero? What’s destiny anyway? Who decides? What if the hero says no? The author’s storylines has so much fantastic elements to it, moments where I was filled with glee , living fully through Kell and the decisions he kept making throughout this journey.

It’s the people he starts to befriend, the ones he astonishes, or frustrates as he learns about himself and others.

I’m so invested in this growing found family of beings, especially Kell. Who have a world to save but don’t know yet exactly what the plan is.

Evelyn Benvie has created an exciting , well written, beautifully realized fantasy world, and filled it with multidimensional characters I’ve come to care about deeply.

I can’t wait to see where this journey is taking them all.

If you’re a lover of fantasy, I’m highly recommending this author and story to you . Pick up I’m Not Your Chosen One (Not Your Chosen One #1) by Evelyn Benvie today!

And the cover is everything!

Not Your Chosen One series:

✓ I’m Not Your Chosen One #1

◦ So What If I Am The Chosen One #2

https://www.evelynbenvie.comEvelyn Benvie

https://www.goodreads.com › showI Am Not Your Chosen One – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Kell Hồ Sinh Porter is twenty-six years old and desperate to leave his unhappy life and his dead-end town.

One night his wish is granted by a mysterious voice—though not in any way he would’ve imagined—and he finds himself in the semi-magical land of Allune where everyone thinks he’s the “Chosen One.” Kell politely disagrees, and absconds from his duties. On the search for an adventure that doesn’t come with world-saving responsibility attached, he’s joined by companions. Every adventurer needs them, but his turn out to be Ansel, a sheltered fallen angel, and Fre, a half-orlk who wants to be a hero.

Destiny, bad luck, and the gods conspire against him. The Dawn Goddess wants him to take up his Chosen One mantle, which Kell is sure means becoming cannon fodder in an ancient divine war. The Lich King’s demonic minions carry out sporadic attacks in an attempt to kill him and prove he is not the Chosen One. Temperamental elves, talking stars that aren’t all that helpful, image-conscious demons, maddening pieces of prophecy that everyone thinks Kell should already know, and his growing feelings for Ansel all mix in a frustrating stew as Kell tries to juggle his feelings, his duties, and all the things trying to kill him. No one asked him if he wanted to be anyone’s Chosen One, and he can’t begin to understand why he was chosen.

Kell needs to figure out who to trust and how to forge his own path before it’s too late for Allune and for him.

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