I didnāt realize it until I read the authorās note but this was originally published under a different pen name in 2012 in a shortened version. It shows itās older origin in so many ways.
Blake states she revised and edited it before rereleasing it under Macy Blake but it really demonstrates how much this author has grown as a writer from 2012 to now, no matter how much itās been revised.
Thereās no universe building so weāve no idea the world the characters exist in. Those same characters have no real history related or even chemistry to pull us into their relationship. Itās instant mating drive no matter what one might argue.
We have some rather strange narrative decisions, ones clearly made after the fact. For example, a human lives with a Lion pack as part of the pack for the majority of his life, but the fact they actually have an animal side, do Lion type things unnerves him? No real reason for him being there. Itās so disjointed.
And , a major peeve of mine , a disappearing pet.
As in:
āDayton snuggled up on his couch surrounded by lots of cushions to support his arm and tried to relax. His cat, Cookie, curled up on his chest and purred.ā
Thatās the first and only time Cookie the cat makes an appearance. Cookie then goes poof for the remainder of the story. No explanation.
I could make a long list of things that happened narratively that make a reader go āwait, so that happens?ā But it would be a page long and thatās more time than I think this review needs.
If you want to read this, do so as a fan of the author to appreciate the work sheās now putting out and exactly how far sheās come since 2012.
Otherwise, if youāre a fan of paranormal fiction and romance, thereās others out there Iād recommend, including books released by this author more recently.
Even a human like me knows that to a shifter, pack is everything. So when my best friend asks me to check up on her brotherāa lion/tiger hybrid who was been banished from his own prideāI agree…
And find out Iām his fated mate.
Hartās been through a lot, and I know it. The circumstances of his birth made him an outcast, and those scars run deep. Heās also got a million excuses for why he never came back to claim me the way he says he wanted to.
But when he sees me on his doorstep and suddenly decides to make up for lost timeā¦ well, letās just say Iām not falling for it.
Claiming is a forever thing. And nothing about Hart Sherman with his fancy career and solitary lifestyle says he wants forever with small-town guy like me.
If he wants me to believe heās serious, heāll have to prove it. By finding a place in the pride for the amazing man he made himselfā¦ and for the liger he was born to be.
I have been waiting for Chief Mendozaās story since Walker started her teasers and hints throughout all the rest of the Savannah series about Mendozaās attraction to his longtime friend, Sheriff Abraham Beecham.
Chief Mendozaās been a rock solid presence at the Savannah PD , a favored , strong personality thatās as much a part of the family and lives of all the main characters we love . He is a central figure in the foundation of this ongoing series universe.
No surprise that Beecham started to work his way up and into the same role , via his relationship with Mendoza and that of Sgt. Royce Locke (of the partnership in every way of Locke and Key).
Just Say When finally pulls back the curtains on their long relationship, their friendship, and the passion for each other thatās finally gone from hidden to unrestrained.
I love that Mendozaās back history includes a great mixed modern family dynamics. His combined family includes his teenage son, Alex, who he shares with his ex. In a totally appreciated departure from the norm in other stories, his ex wife , a well rounded character, is still very much a friend. Also in law enforcement, sheās strong, great at her job , smart and loving, has a terrific marriage with her husband. Their family includes Mendoza and Uncle Abe Beecham, whoās known everyone for years.
This quartet of personalities and relationships drives the multiple storylines forward with a narrative heft that includes compelling acceptance of sexuality, bigotry within a family framework, and a healthy modern mixed family culture.
Walkerās characters flow through a mystery and dramatic setup thatās got its own twists to satisfy any reader.
I love her Savannah universe and all the characters and stories that have come out of it. Just Say When is simply one more in that rich line of storytelling that you will never tire of and always be sorry to leave.
Iām highly recommending it and all the books around it.
Someone wants Police Chief Emilio Mendoza dead. And if his unknown assailant doesnāt kill him, pining for Sheriff Abraham Beecham just might.
Abe and Lioās thirty-year journey has taken them from heated rivals to best friends with countless labels and pit stops along the way. Romance is the only avenue left unexplored but not from lack of love or desire.
Abe pushes people away before they can get too close, and Lio doesnāt engage in situations he canāt control. Theyāve reached an impasse, and neither are willing to risk their friendship until fate intervenes, forcing them to reassess their priorities.
But when an unhinged enemy targets Lio, will their gamble be too little too late, or will their love truly conquer all?
Just Say When is a standalone romantic suspense novel within the authorās Savannah universe. This book contains mature content and is attended for adults.
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Unless itās noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer
I havenāt read the other books in the Boyfriends for Hire series, but that didnāt keep me from reading and enjoying Felix, the fifth installment.
Felix is very much a holiday story and it works somewhat well as a standalone novel. While I was unfamiliar with the characters from the agency that Felix works for, thereās just enough background information that a new reader has a good idea of the universe we are falling into.
That said, while I had a good grasp on the character of Felix, the character of Ethan, the scientist, came about more slowly. I wasnāt sure what to attribute certain aspects of his personality to. Was his scattered thoughts and inability to focus on social situations part of being on the spectrum or something else. Else as it turns out.
But it leaves him as a lesser formed individual than say Felix who we have a firm grasp of.
Their relationship and itās path is slow but sweet. It has some dramatic moments that turns Ethanās character into one grounded in a believable, painful journey to healing, new hopeful future for them both.
Felix is a sweet, loving, heartwarming holiday tale. Even without the other books, itās a lovely read and one I enjoyed immensely.
Hiring a fake boyfriend for a school reunion seems to be the only solution, but love was never part of the equation.
Felix has enough on his plate looking out for his parents, let alone agreeing to being hired for a date with the friend of a friend. His instant attraction to the scatter-brained scientist has him making impulsive decisions he hopes he wonāt regret. But, somehow, heās agreeing to more dates, and more time with sexy Ethan and his non-stop talking. When stolen wintry kisses turn to love, and Christmas works its magic, Felix knows heās losing his heart.
The science of chemistry makes more sense to Ethan than connecting with potential boyfriends, and heās wary of romance. Unsettled by a string of failed hookups, he knows itās on him when everything goes wrong and he canāt help but wonder what has made him this way. His friend Jared says that Ethan needs to close metaphorical doors on past hurtsāwhatever that meansāand that the school reunion might just be step one. Determined to show himself as confident and happy, he hires Felix to be his date for the night, but a kiss to make up for the one he missed at prom, and abruptly, itās not the past that is consuming his thoughts.
Now all Felix has to do is show Ethan that itās okay to love and be loved in return, and that chemistry can lead to a happily ever after.
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Unless itās noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer
The drama is over, the evil princess (and her father) is so so dead. So whatās a handsome knight and his newly wed sorcerer to do? Why be crowned King of course!
Here the party , all the hijinks, the kitties, and the HFNās because, luckily, A.J. Sherwood isnāt done with Tan and Devan yet!
So enjoy! And wait for the shenanigans to begin again.
The drama is over, the evil princess (and her father) is so so dead. So whatās a handsome knight and his newly wed sorcerer to do? Why be crowned King of course!
Here the party , all the hijinks, the kitties, and the HFNās because, luckily, A.J. Sherwood isnāt done with Tan and Devan yet!
So enjoy! And wait for the shenanigans to begin again.
N.R.Walker takes us back to that incredibly beautiful and charming place, Hartbridge, Montana, supposedly for the last time, in Merry Christmas Cupid.
No Aussies this time, except for newly transplanted Gunter Zunigaās interactions with our couples from the past two stories.
Gunter Zuniga, 44 years old, grieving the loss of his father and a breakup of a longstanding relationship on the day of his fatherās funeral, relocates to a small town heās never forgotten for their kindness and support towards his father and himself towards the end of his fatherās life.
The old heritage home calls out to him, and thatās how he meets Clay Henderson, a man whose generosity sparks a friendship, a ease into the town, and a new journey forward for both.
Merry Christmas Cupid is a slow, lower angst romantic tale. Clay learns to fully embrace his bisexuality and come out to those that matter. Gunter gains a new found family and close knit set of friends.
Hartbridge, Montana is picturesque and Hallmark descriptive. From the citizens weāve met before in previous books to new ones that call out for new romances of their own, Merry Christmas Cupid is a lovely holiday gift for fans of this author and lovers of seasonal fiction.
Iām certainly sorry to see this series end if Merry Christmas Cupid truly marks a ending to the Hartbridge Christmas stories!
Pick it up and enjoy Walkerās trademark well crafted characters, heartwarming plot, and heartfelt moments!
After a year of tragedy, forty-four-year-old Gunter Zuniga is leaving heartbreak behind and moving to the peaceful and picturesque town of Hartbridge, Montana. He buys an old house in need of some work, which he naively thinks he can manage now that heās single and retiredāhe has nothing but time.
Clay Henderson runs the local sawmill with his dad, and itās the busiest time of year. Firewood and Christmas trees are in high demand, and a delivery of firewood to the old house on Cedar Bark Road leaves him curious about the new man in town.
Clay has never had time for romance and Gunter certainly isnāt looking, but Hartbridge has a way of working its Christmas magic; the jingle of Christmas bells, snow, and love are ringing in the air. And Gunter and Clay are about to get the best Christmas gift they never asked for.
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Unless itās noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer
Cowboy Healing has some good narrative elements to it. The basic storyline is good. The characters with the children are very well written. And while it took me a hot minute to connect with a cowboy whose sole aim for working for a overwhelmed widowed parent is to ingratiate himself into his good graces in order to get his family off the ranch, well, yeah. I bet Iām not the only one.
Caleb , a well crafted character, starts off as a unlikable cowboy, whoās aiming to take back his familyās ranch that was sold out from him, partly out of his negligence, partly because of a agentās criminality.
Patrick, a orthopedic surgeon, is a widower and father of two children. Heās a bit obsessive about his practice and out of his comfort zone on the ranch, which was his husbandās dream.
I liked Patrick but, again, major events occur that should propel him towards more introspection and character growth. That really doesnāt happen. Instead, itās Caleb asking for change, even short term. Itās Patrickās character thatās seems to have a unformed foundation, as though the author isnāt as sure of this character as they are of the cowboy.
Patrick complains of the ālost yearsā due to his profession. Yet is oblivious of his drive and itās effects upon his family. Even when Caleb asks for help, itās a ranch hand , not a orthopedic assistant which is intended.
Is the author unaware of the characterās issues that sheās writing into the story and relationship?
That part of his character, added to the elements below just keeps me from totally investing in the story, the future for the family, and the relationship.
Issues:
1. Editing issues. See example below:
āāThatāll be up to them. Weāll see.ā The doc didnāt seem too convinced on that front. āMaggie is more interested than Caleb.ā
That should be Mason. Not Caleb. A easy edit/error catch. Especially given the very next sentence below.
āCaleb bit back a grin. Yeah, he might be a bit scary if they were city kids.ā
2. Second larger issue: The disappearing dogs. Four to be exact.
āHe agreed, although the dogs were becoming off-leash beasts now that there were only two. āI would be fine with that, then.āā
And with that small, throwaway line, the author disposed late in the book of a fairly significant story element. That of 4 husky puppies that were hugely loved and important to Mason, son of Patrick. The fact that Mason loved, trained, named,and spent most of his hours with these 6 dogs , (now only 2 as 4 have vanished into thin air with no explanation) during the story . The author made them a integral family element only to carelessly discard them in this way towards the end of the book. Whereās Ginger? All the rest? Honestly, itās is something I canāt understand.
It changes a deeply held belief about Masonās character and promises made ( he built structures, spent hours on researching sleds, training) only for the author to trash this part of the story for no discernible purpose. All Tortuga had to do, basically, was not mention them other than to say dogs versus the individual husky names.
Why eliminate a beloved book aspect and something we deeply associated with not only Mason, but the family as a whole?
This is where a great editor would have stepped in and challenged these decisions. As well as corrected the easy editing mistakes made along the lines I pointed out earlier.
Most writers, well people in general are aware of the unwritten rule . Donāt kill off the animal characters in films/books, etc. Because your audience/readers will take note. And be very unhappy.
Issues like these make a book come off as unpolished ,their odd narrative choices throwing a reader out of the storyline, never to recover.
I enjoy B.A. Tortuga as an author but the books lately have more a feeling of being piecemealed together instead of one thatās been finely tuned, beautifully edited with an eye towards hard decisions and fine details.
Thatās a shame because sheās got one of the best ear for location, colloquialisms, and regional variations as far as culture when talking about Texas and certain parts of that country that I know of. From the rodeo to the raw dry landscape of New Mexico, when sheās in her element, thereās no one finer.
Thatās the reason Iāll keep reading in hopes of finding that complete book again.
As for Cowboy Healing, maybe the things that bother me arenāt deciding factors for you. In which case, Iām sure you will be fine with it. Itās the first in a new series.
Patrick Kelly needs some help. His husband passed away a while ago, and now he has a thriving medical practice, two busy kids, and one ranch outside Aspen, Colorado that he’s not really sure how to run. Patrick doesn’t want to give up on any part of his life, but he knows he can’t do it all alone, so he turns to a service to hire a cowboy to help run the ranch and free up some of his time.
Caleb Warren wants his family ranch back. So he hires on to work as the foreman there through the Cowboy Wanted service, just waiting for the fancy doctor who owns the place to get tired of roughing it and sell out. The problem is, Patrick’s kids love the country life, Patrick is a good man, and Caleb can’t quite get past the guilt he feels about being on the road with the rodeo when his family had some real troubles to deal with.
The two of them find more common ground than they expect, and between everything from animals to parent teacher meetings, Caleb lends and hand and Patrick learns to lean on Caleb for help. Can the two of them give up the past and embrace the future together?
I enjoyed the first book, but it didnāt really prepare me for the layered narrative and twists I found in Devil May Care, the second book in the Reckless Damned series.
Moving onto the tiny, vicious Harlow, the brother often underestimated for his small size and flamboyance, Harlow has moved through lovers like a true commitment phobe until he meets the huge human Bailey.
Bailey, best friend of Oscar, brother Calās mate, is an enormous man, a complex personality with baggage that includes body image issues, huge insecurities and self worth problems, deep emotional wounds that have plagued him and kept him from any meaningful connections and relationships.
They are what make him run from the sparks that fly when the soul/mate connections hit between Harlow and himself.
Harlow, another great turn, is equally stunned and on the run.
Taylor has the story work to put these beings, with all their secrets and baggage, together.
Thereās other plot threads running simultaneously to the tortured path of Harlow and Baileyās romance. They are of equal importance even as they weave in and out of the coupleās lives.
Itās all part of the twists that will come roaring at you. I really didnāt see it coming.
I suspect the twists also include hints about the other brotherās mate to come and background.
This series just upped its game. And now I canāt wait for the next installment.
Iām highly recommending this story but read the first book before reading this one. Each lays down the groundwork for the next.
One life-altering kiss sets our whole world on fire.
Harlow
Iāll tell you what isnāt on my agenda for this century: finding my fated mate only to have him reject me.
In fact, having a mate and tying myself down for eternity isnāt even a blip on my radar. But the moment I meet Bailey, thereās no denying heās meant to be mine. Everything about the gentle Welsh giant calls to me, consuming my thoughts.
The problem? He doesnāt feel the same way. One life-altering kiss has him running in the other direction, leaving me to watch over him from the shadows.
When the opportunity arises to build a friendship, I grab it with both hands. Surely being his friend is better than nothing, right?
It will have to be, especially with a clan of mages sniffing around and looking for trouble. Not unusual since I am an estranged son of Lucifer. But now that I have my mate to consider, things are a lot more serious. How can I truly protect Bailey when he doesnāt even know Iām a demon?
Bailey
I learned a long time ago that relationships arenāt for me. Nobody wants to commit to a bigger guy, especially one who craves a different role in the bedroom.
When Harlow sashays into my life, I canāt help but wish things could be different. Sure, he seems interested, but history has proven that eventually, everyone leaves me.
Thereās no way a vibrant firecracker like Harlow wants to be anything more than friends.
But the closer we get, the harder it is to keep him at armās length. He tells me he wants a relationship, but how can I believe him when I know heās hiding something from me?
Devil May Care is an exciting, high-heat, friends-to-lovers paranormal romance with a guaranteed HEA. It is the second book in The Reckless Damned series, and although it can be read as a standalone, more enjoyment would be gained from reading the series in order. Each book focuses on a different couple and will have an HEA.
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Unless itās noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer
Oh those fabulous Christmas sprites! Eldon, the serious one, gets his mate, in a story that runs almost concurrently with all the others. So we get mentions of events we know happened in the other Sprites romances.
Here in a not really āfrenemies to lovers ā trope, itās Tatum William Bixby III , new owner of the Snowda Shoppe, that has Eldon in a snit.
Tate wonāt tell Eldon his plans for the shop and the mystery is making Eldon nuts, along with all the magical drama his cousins are causing.
Tate has his own personal reasons for fleeing to Mistletoe Falls. Tate grows on the reader as he wanders about town, falling into the charm of the town and its inhabitants, learning to love it and Eldon.
Once more, Blake has built on the previous books and storylines, and made this story and characters stronger. Itās a lovely romance and itās leading up to the very last cousin, Linus, and his romantic partner. Heās here too.
Eldon doesnāt care what Tatum William Bixby the third thinks, he absolutely will not allow the Snowda Shoppe to become some corporate monstrosity. Mistletoe Falls is Eldonās home, his lifeās work, and some stuck-up, irritating, rich grinch will not ruin their small town spiritāno matter how gorgeous and intriguing Eldon finds the annoying newcomer.
Baby itās cold outside. Frigid even, if the adorable Eldonās reaction to Tateās arrival in Mistletoe Falls is anything to go by. His plan to secretly escape to the small town for a much needed break has turned into a challenge to drive Eldon over the edge.
Sweet Eldon has a bite to him, though, and when Tateās secret emerges, he and Eldon reach a holiday crisis of their own. Will the magic of Mistletoe Falls finally miss its mark, or did Eldon and Tate find love at frost sight?
If you love fated mates, enemies to lovers, and magical elves, er, sprites, who make the season bright, this holiday romance will leave you in pepper-mint condition.
Naughty Neil is a short holiday story that takes place in Mastersā Hidden Species universe.
Neil is a young guy working as an exotic dancer, happy with his life until a guy knocks on his door, claiming to be some kind of government agent, only from a agency heās never heard of.
Mark Mikakos, Hellhound and CBG investigator ( Community of Species Government ) has come to tell Neil Diaz that heās a incubus, that thereās a whole hidden world of supernatural beings the heās a part of , and Markās life is about to change forever.
No problem.
What follows is a short, cute story that allows us to see the very start of a relationship and new romance. We meet Markās team of investigators and see Neil start to fit into his new world.
Itās over way too soon.
I wish we could have a follow up story to see what happens next. They are a genuinely lovely and fun couple.
Iām just an ordinary guyā¦ who feeds on sexual energy.
I never knew my dad. Mom said he was a nice enough guy, fun for a night, but she never did get his name. I didnāt miss him, and my life is good.
Then a government agent shows up at my door and announces that Iām not really human. Dear old Dad was actually an incubus, a being that needs sexual energy to survive, and apparently that means I am too. Gotta be a scam, right?
Or so I thinkā¦ until Agent Cutie changes into a canine (not a werewolf) in my living room and then eats half a dozen Christmas cookies while making orgasm sounds. Turns out, other species do exist.
On the plus side, being a stripper means that all my incubus needs are being met without me even trying. And now that I know the situation in my pants is normal for an incubus, I donāt feel self-consciousā¦ so a fling with Agent Mark is definitely on the table.
Between being sexy Santa at work, supplying a team of hellhounds with Christmas cookies, and learning what stamina in the bedroom really is, Iām discovering that my old life was kind of empty. Maybe Iām not such an ordinary guy after all.
This novella was previously available free to newsletter subscribers. Only the cover has changed.
