Review: Nelson & MacIlwraith (Moon Murder Mysteries #1) by K Sterling

Rating: 5🌈

K Sterling has become a go to author for me and this book is an excellent example why. Nelson & MacIlwraith, the first in the Moon Murder Mysteries, is steeped in mythologies and cultural traditions. These myths and lores that enrich and at times horrify the characters and readers have been pulled from literary sources and the author’s incredible imagination.

To say the Celtic mythological tapestry Sterling has woven here works to enhance the themes, mysteries, and unique relationships is an understatement. It goes beyond that.

It starts with the unusual characters. FBI Agent Grady Nelson has been assigned the case of a missing girl, but told to “bury” the investigation by his superiors. Nelson, the son and grandson of famous agents, is a man out of favor with the FBI, a person they are looking to bury.

We’ve seen this type of character before but not Grady Nelson. Sterling has created in Nelson someone of unusual depths and qualities, submissive, unyielding in a hunt for the truth. Nelson is a dichotomy of traits and desires. And his growth here is unexpected and astonishing.

Nelson is paired with his complete opposite. That’s the renowned and well connected Professor Lennox “Nox” MacIlwraith. Looking like a combination of goth musician, he’s an archaeologist professor who’s consults in cases that have an occult or otherworldly nature. Which is what he has been working on. One exactly like the one Nelson isn’t supposed to investigate.

From a truly macabre starting point, Sterling launches a spectacular new series and couple. One missing girl becomes more, and the fact that each one is linked to local pagan communities and witchcraft just adds to the mystery.

Sterling builds on the men’s hugely different lives and unusual interior mentalities to craft a relationship unlike any other. This overlays an increasingly horrifying investigation with a narrow timeline.

This story is amazing, terrifying, haunting, and extremely suspenseful. It’s no surprise that it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.

I can’t wait to see how the next episode in the men’s relationship and journey will go.

If you love a fantasy story with highly developed and compelling characters and a world that’s equally layered, this is for you.

Moon Murder Mysteries:

◦ Nelson & MacIlwraith #1

Buy Link :

Blurb:

No one wants a witch for a partner.

Time is running out, and the deck is stacked against Professor Lennox “Nox” MacIlwraith. Six girls have been abducted, but the FBI doesn’t realize they’re connected. There’s also the matter of the dead girl in New Castle. She was found tied to a tree and Nox suspects one serial kidnapper and killer is responsible. An unorthodox expert on the occult, Nox is rumored to be a psychic and a witch. And a crackpot. The wily young professor has to prove he’s not batty—or possibly a vampire—and that the cases are linked before the next full moon. If not, he fears the remaining girls will be sacrificed to a mythical god-king.

Everyone in the FBI hates Agent Grady Nelson. He’s failed to live up to his legendary father’s reputation within the bureau and is almost universally despised for being an uptight do-gooder. Nelson’s ready to kiss what’s left of his career goodbye when he’s ordered to work with the “sketchy professor” on what should be a nuisance case. The investigation turns into a professional minefield when Nox claims it’s connected to an ancient Celtic cult. Rules are broken and lines are crossed as Nelson falls under Nox’s spell and begins to suspect his partner might be a real witch.

Nox is a little bit witchcraft. Nelson is a little bit Federal Bureau. Together, they’re a wickedly good team, but can they find the missing girls before it’s too late? Nox is prepared to sacrifice his own career and his life to save them. He’d also like to save Nelson, but is Nox ready to sacrifice his heart too?

Review: — My Demon Husband: An MM Paranormal Romance by Jax Stuart

Rating: 4🌈

Possessive Love is a 15 multi-author book series about demons in love. I love to explore a collection like this because of the opportunities to find a new author like Jax Stuart who wrote the wonderful My Demon Husband in this group.

Stuart begins by drawing us into the life of witch Toby and the small magical town he’s growing up in. It’s not a happy life. Year after year, Toby is unable to summon a familiar on his birthday, his magic not working properly.

The manner in which Stuart cuts away from year to year, allowing the reader a window into the pain and frustration that’s been felt throughout Toby’s adolescence is remarkable. He’s become a real person to us and his suffering is now something we can connect with.

For Prince Zephyrin, the same can be said. The glimpses the author gives the reader into his life offers up much more insight into his own personal issues as well as his own family’s sufferings.

Two beings are about to be connected in the most unexpected way. This element of Stuart’s narrative is such a powerful and compelling one. It’s a part of the overall mystery. How both are connected becomes a strength of the relationship and, imo, one of the book. Because it prompts one necessary discussion about consent, status, sexuality, equality , and dominance. All of these things could have been ignored or avoided in a lesser story.

The romance between Toby and Zeph really comes together as they fight for their bond and right to stay as a magical couple as they define it. It just feels so believable and engaging to read as they grow into their dynamic. I just love them.

The mystery behind Toby’s failures is not as well developed as most of the other storylines, and it has just as many questions left unanswered at the end of the novel.

The author fills up this book with so much detail and depth in the world building that it calls out for additional novels. The covens that appeared later on with their own fascinating characters, Zephyrin’s Mother’s “queendom” and his family, and even the questions left behind as to what will happen to that village of Toby’s, it all seems to cry out for more storylines!

My Demon Husband: An MM Paranormal Romance by Jax Stuart is highly entertaining and well written. I throughly enjoyed the characters and the world built around them. I hope Stuart will revisit them someday to catch up on the loose ends and how this couple is faring.

This is a definite recommendation and for the rest in the collection, check out the list below.

Check out the rest of the Possessive Love series! 15 books by 15 authors

◦ A Slice For My Demon by K.L. Hiers & Mozzarus Scout

◦ Cuddly Demon by Aster Rae

✓ My Demon Husband by Jax Stuart

◦ Exercising A Demon by H.L Day

◦ Drop Dead Demon by B. Ripley

◦ The Demon’s Dealbreaker by Delaney Rain

◦ My Demon Rebound by Ashlynn Mills

◦ Curiosity Caught the Demon by Travis Beaudoin

◦ My Saintly Demon by RM Neill

◦ Terrible Lovely Demon by Odessa Hywell

◦ Son of the Arch Demon by Amanda Meuwissen

◦ Recalling My Demon by Colette Davison

◦ The Demon Undertaker by Alex J. Adams

◦ Gift for a Demon by Emily Alter

Buy Link:

My Demon Husband: An MM Paranormal Romance

Blurb:

He was supposed to summon a familiar, not a husband!

After numerous failed attempts to summon a familiar necessary to guide his considerable magic, Toby was down to his very last try. They would never accept him as a full-fledged member of his birth coven without a familiar. He didn’t know which punishment was worse; exile or binding his powers forever. Everything was against him, including his abnormally powerful magic and an enemy hiding in plain sight. When the spell takes a dramatic turn, poor Toby is unprepared for the consequences.

Zephyrin is desperate to no longer be the screw up of the family. His parents have had enough on their plate dealing with a family curse. Even knowing that he could be lost to them forever, Zephyrin answers the surprising call for his summoning. After meeting his summoner, Toby, he’s positive that he is destined to be by his side as his husband. Maybe having a witch in his corner could break the curse, that is, if Toby lets him visit home.

Unfortunately, Toby has troubles of his own. Can they work together to find a solution to both their problems before the Witch Council tears them apart?

My Demon Husband is a standalone paranormal romance between an overpowered witch and a demon with control issues in the multi-author Possessive Love series.

Review: The Orc and the Manny (Monsters Hollow, #1) by Chloe Archer

Rating: 4.75🌈

Well, isn’t Monsters Hollow turning out to be the perfect place to be! After 3 stories (one in a charity anthology), I’m finding myself more and more enchanted with this paranormal world that Chloe Archer is creating and filling with fated mates pairings and their adventures in romance.

Already familiar the subject matter and anticipating this story, it’s even better than expected. It was hinted at in The Bogeyman and the Schoolteacher, and we get to see both those terrific characters again here in their respective roles.

Well known interspecies historian, orc Targan Wildethorne has recently become the guardian of his sister’s two young children under tragic circumstances. A confirmed batchelor with no experience with youngsters, he’s now faced with a household in turmoil, deadlines to meet, and everyone, including himself, struggling with grief over the grievous of his sister, their mother.

Archer dumps the reader into a house where chaos rules, emotions are high, and a great tragedy is still being dealt with. It’s vividly depicted and it feels so real, no matter that the kids are orcs, their pet an out of control Hellhound, and that one child is furiously chasing another with a mini ax. It’s the out of control situation that makes it recognizable. And that’s where we meet the second main and extraordinary person, the manny.

In Max MacLeod, Archer has created a truly memorable human being. Honestly, Max is hard to describe in one sentence. He’s so vibrant and that includes his amazing colorful clothes choices. He’s wildly enthusiastic about his profession and deeply knowledgeable. That means he comes across like a fabulous male femme Mary Poppins, complete with a bag full of everything he and each situation needs. But there’s more. It’s in his background as a foster child from Chicago that comes through with a fierceness born out of a tough adolescent that gives him depth that continues to surprise us.

This also includes Princess Peach, an older rescue Chihuahua whose wardrobe often matches Max’s and the kids’ three-headed Hellhound named Waffles.

Between the wonderful chemistry that the author builds between Max, Targan, and the kids as a family and the suspense in the drama element of the story, this is a book I couldn’t put down. Entertaining, highly imaginative, and just sexy as can be, this was a couple and family I loved and wanted more of.

There’s a gargoyle uncle who runs a security agency and a best friend that’s a popular romance novelist. They have important roles here and are next up for a story.

Archer also leaves us with a few questions that I believe are important in the series overall thread. Either way, I know that this won’t be the last we see of the family and I can’t wait for our next adventure together.

I highly recommend The Orc and the Manny (Monsters Hollow, #1) by Chloe Archer. It’s got fabulous characters, a great story, and an ever expanding universe I want to spend more time in. Check out the stories below.

Monsters Hollow:

✓ The Bogeyman and the Schoolteacher # 0.1 (prequel)

✓ The Demon and the Librarian (Fated Mates Charity Anthology)

✓ The Orc and the Manny #1

◦ The Gargoyle and the Romance Writer #2 – Aug 2, 2024

Buy Link:

The Orc and the Manny: A Cozy M/M Monster Romance (Monsters Hollow Book 1)

Blurb:

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

Targan Wildethorne

A confirmed bachelor, and a historian by training, I haven’t the faintest clue how to care for twin orclings when I unexpectedly become their guardian. I’d love to retreat into the comforting sanctuary of my study, surrounded by my books and papers, but first I need to hire someone to help me with the children. Someone who can teach me the ropes of this new role.

Thank the Light for the All-Species Specialized Employment Services! In my most dire hour of need, they find the perfect nanny—ahem, manny—to help me look after my young wards. Now I can finally get back to writing my history of orc folklore for a few hours a day.

Or so I thought.

Instead I find the captivating new man in my home far too distracting. Max is so much more than I had expected. I’ve never fallen for a human before, but I can’t get him out of my mind. Could he ever feel the same about an orc? Humans are usually too intimidated by our large size and outer appearance. Can Max look past my green skin and tusks to see a man with a heart that yearns for him? And if he does, when he learns the truth about the children will the danger on the horizon send him running?

Max MacLeod

Working with kids is totally my jam and I’m damn good at what I do. Just call me Maxy Frickin’ Poppins! When a new job prospect comes my way, I’m intrigued. A chance to move to Mystic Hollow (aka Monsters Hollow) to be a well-paid manny for two adorable orclings? Talk about a dream position. Sold! But when I lock eyes with the seriously sexy orc who’s their guardian—and my new de facto boss—for the first time, I’m a goner. Big, muscular, and green all over–he’s giving me full-on Hulk meets stern professor vibes—and I like it.

As I get to know him, over meals with the kids during the day and soft-spoken conversations about history at night, I soon realize there’s so much more to Targan than the gorgeous orc who keeps starring in all my naughtiest dreams. He’s quite possibly the kindest, gentlest man I’ve ever met. And he accepts and appreciates every part of me and my flamboyant, full-figured fabulousness. I just want to feed and take care of him—and find out if he’s so deliciously big everywhere. Before I know it, I’m dreaming of being part of a forever family with him and his adorable twins. But an unexpected threat looms in the shadows that could threaten the safety of us all…

The Orc and the Manny is a (94k words) cozy small town M/M monster romance featuring a Hulkalicious silver fox orc professor who’s better with books than kids, a flamboyant human manny with ALL the skills (think Nathan Lane in The Birdcage meets Mary Poppins), an age gap, a size difference, a three-headed hellhound and a feisty rescue Chihuahua, two adorable orcling twins, and copious amounts of orc…joy!

Review: Find Me Worthy (Safe Harbor #3) by Annabeth Albert

Rating: 3.75🌈

So close. Find Me Worthy was so close to being an absolutely 5-Star story when the author , imo, sabotaged it by adding on an epilogue that negatively changed my view about the book , it felt so unnecessary.

But first let’s look at what Albert does remarkably well, and that’s everything that goes on beforehand.

Safe Harbor has dealt with a central question of a dead file mystery case was solved when it turned out that the local popular mother of the community who went missing years ago had been murdered by a serial killer. Her body was discovered in the nearby body of water by former police officer, brought up by a recovery diver, and the crime along with the discovery was part of an investigation led by a popular crime podcast.

All that information is part of the series themes and an integral part of the men involved in the investigation and as victims of the original crime itself. Some were once close friends and now others have become, through the investigation, partners of these men who live in Safe Harbor.

The reader , through the descriptions and memories of the men, become part of their journey to resolve the mystery and work through their own issues as well. It’s been a moving, and sometimes tearful journey. Albert has done a spectacular job with the town, the professions of each person, in some cases their disabilities, and the traits that make each man a unique individual.

Now we get to the finale. There’s the two strong main characters. Sam Bookman, owner of Blessed Bean coffee shop, son of a pastor and a hearing impaired mother, a social worker who’s the heart of Safe Harbor.

Sam has always had a huge crush on older Worth Stapleton, whose mother was murdered by a serial killer and in whose family house Sam bought and now lives.

Worth always thought his father was guilty of his mother’s death and told him so before he died. He’s been absent from Safe Harbor for decades, until a business scandal cost him everything and his mother’s death was resolved. The Worth we meet is ill, highly depressed, with nothing but an incredibly expensive car to his name and an unexpected desire to return home.

Which he does. But that home is now owned by Sam, and that’s where the story begins. Where a man who’s lost everything ends back at his beginnings only to find that that house is now the beginnings of someone who has always been there for him.

It’s a haunting, emotional, fabulous moment. And , importantly, it includes a young sheltie who’s been abandoned and will become central to Worth’s recovery and journey into a new life. That’s Buttercup. Make note of this dog and his huge role as a support animal and loved companion.

As the men try to find a way to make this tenuous relationship they’ve begun work, sharing their past life experiences and new present struggles, we learn that depression has always been a part of Worth’s life but that he’s never really gotten the treatment and therapy that would have helped him cope with the trauma and stress that his life has offered up.

The raw pain, the guilt and trauma that he’s felt and carried is powerfully portrayed by Albert’s skillful handling of this man’s emotional issues. And having and transferring some of those feelings of being left behind by his family over into the abandonment of a dog by its owners is a realistic element, making Buttercup’s presence even more impactful.

Sam’s personality is no slouch against such a great character. He’s got so many qualities and outstanding personal traits here. Plus he’s got a fabulous Siamese cat to balance Buttercup. He’s got Blessed Bean with all its diversity in its workers, and its issues. The house and its renovations along with its memories. And the community which is constantly circling around him.

So I did have a few questions about things within the main storyline, things that I’m still thinking about:

Spoiler Alert 🚨:

1. When things were going financially wrong at the Bean (even with that expensive coffee machine) and the men were together, why was it never ever brought up for Worth to offer to sell his 6-figure “Ive made it” high priced car to help with the expenses? Nope, that millionaire buggy isn’t mentioned except that they ride in it a couple of times later on.

2. What happens to the severe coffee competition? A big brand buys next door to try and squeeze the local coffee shop out. Stuff ensues. But logically?? What happens? We don’t know. The author doesn’t tell us, and from the drama that’s written, it’s not enough to make any difference.

3. What’s Worth doing? Running the shop ? Financial advisor? What?

I have to admit it’s great seeing Holden and Cal, and Monroe and Knox. Their roles here are perfect and made me want to read their stories all over again.

The way Find Me Worthy ended, with that wedding. It was perfect , and most importantly, that emotional support dog, Buttercup, being a part of the celebration and ceremony? Made it everything I wanted to read .

So why am I so unhappy?

Because the author doesn’t stop there. She should have. But then we get an epilogue. With a different voice, a foster kid. Which, ok, but now issues. Because guess who’s been wiped completely away? No dog or cat. We have two young adults, and it’s two years later. But Albert has totally changed or forgotten that all important Buttercup or cat. Which would have been great in this scenario when all the people were gathering on this occasion. Kids and pets! But nope.

We don’t need animals if we got the kids? Or is this just another example of the missing animal character that the author drops without explanation? Because that’s a number one problem that has always bugged me so completely in a book. Make an animal an important factor in a character’s journey and personal growth, and then without a word, it disappears from the narrative.

Like Buttercup does here. So weird change of POV, missing important elements, and ,imo, unnecessary epilogue.

Either way, a complete fail.

Because now that’s all I’m thinking about. What happened to Buttercup. Not about the story or anything else. That missing dog.

It’s enough for me to want to kick this even further down another notch.

Most people will love this. Others? Skip the epilogue so you don’t fall down this narrative rabbit hole I have.

Just say no.

Safe Harbor:

✓ Bring Me Home #1

✓ Make Me Stay #2

✓ Find Me Worthy #3

Buy Link:

Find Me Worthy (Safe Harbor Book 3)

Blurb.

I thought I’d lost myself…

Until Sam found me. I’m back in Safe Harbor, where I haven’t belonged in over twenty years. I’m unsure how I ended up here, yet I’m certain Sam is the key to finally healing.

But it’s complicated.

Sam’s had a crush on me since we were younger. To me, however, he was always the annoying kid tagging along. Now he’s all grown-up and delightfully bossy—and sexy—as he encourages me to reclaim my health.

I enjoy pushing Sam’s buttons, but one button too many leads to a scorching kiss. Soon, we’re using Sam’s cushy bed for way more than sleeping. But I can’t imagine staying in Safe Harbor forever, and no way is Sam leaving.

Sam’s given me a place to stay, a job at his nonprofit coffee shop, and a sense of purpose when I had none. But can I give him my heart? And more importantly, can I overcome my past to make Safe Harbor my future?

FIND ME WORTHY is a hurt/comfort childhood crush-to-lovers MM romance. This unexpected roommate arrangement stars two mature heroes with a minor age gap, mental health representation, and plenty of first times and sexy discoveries for everyone. Deep feels, dual point-of-view, and big fluffy HEA guaranteed.

FIND ME WORTHY is book three and the thrilling conclusion to the Safe Harbor series from acclaimed author Annabeth Albert. This small historic Oregon town has a tight friend group, memorable secondary characters, quirky businesses, and long-held secrets. Each book stands alone with a fresh couple, but the background mystery of the town’s secrets ties the series together, making reading in order more fun!

Review: A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro

Rating: 5🌈

A Ruse To Unchain Us brings The Magi Accounts near the end of this incredible dark saga. Two more stories to follow and we’ll see what happens to all the characters who have suffered and survived through this perilous, harrowing journey.

A Ruse To Unchain Us is emotionally draining and powerful in the wrenching scenes that Notaro delivers, one after the other, as the Ono-Nai tribe fights against government and witches alike to survive the battles against both and the tear in the universe. There are moments of such brutality and violence, common in this series, that hit you hard in the heart. As they should. Tissues should be issued along with the story.

Repeatedly, the author reminds the reader exactly what’s at stake, often graphic detail , what type of treatment the non humans have had to endure for decades. Along with the past traumatic history, there’s the current horrors they continue to endure, suffer under, as they battle to get their rights and freedoms.

As Notaro notes, read the trigger warnings because they definitely apply, as they have for the series. Torture, sexual assault and abuse (some off page) as children and adults , brutality , beatings, and horrific death is a common occurrence too. These beings have been and are continued to be subjected to the entire spectrum of the worst humankind is capable of simply because they aren’t human and are regarded as tools for the humans to use as they see fit.

To counter such agonizing moments and scenes, it’s balanced with those of pride, found family, bonds of deep affection, friendship, and abiding love. All of which have had to endure the pain and horror of the world they live in and survive to come together as the strong forces we see now.

Cosmo Ono-Nai, Mads, Jude, and the rest of the Ono-Nai pack must deal with the toughest challenges yet their pride has faced when The Red Cloth ups it’s attacks against the government and its citizens.

I won’t spoil the high stakes and action that occurs here. It’s intense, fast paced, incredibly emotional, and very suspenseful. And yes, filled with love and pain too , because this is a battlefield and people/beings are hurt and sometimes they die.

Notaro’s vision and realistic writing makes sure we don’t forget about the pain as well as the love, the loss that goes with the wins, such as they are. It’s raw, dark fiction and it rings so true.

Two more novels to go. One’s a companion story, Logan and Haiden get a book of their own. And then onto the finale. I can’t imagine how the author will tie up all the characters and storylines still moving forward but I’m sure it will be amazing. I’ll be so sorry to see this series end.

What a fantastic journey it’s been.

Until then, I highly recommend you read this series in the order it’s written if you haven’t already done so. Then read the intensely powerful A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro. Just a great example why this author is an auto read.

The Magi Accounts:

🔹The Scars That Bind Us #1

🔹The Shackles That Hold Us #2

🔹A Date To Impress Him #2.5

🔹A Purpose That Restores Us #3

🔹A Holiday to Sustain Us: A Magi Accounts Holiday

🔹An Embrace To Hearten Me: The Magic Accounts 3.5

🔹A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts # 4

🔹A Heart To Revitalize Me #4.5 – September 20, 2024 (Logan and Haiden companion story)

🔹Only Unity Will Spare Us #5 – Sept 20, 2024

Buy Link:

A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts 4

Blurb:

It’s time to fight back, and by the goddess, I will help free my people.

The Cloaked Freeway is finally in a position to effect real change, and I want so badly to be a part of it. Since I was a little kid, it’s been my dream to free my people from under the human’s rule. And now I have the chance to make that dream a reality.

But helping them means giving up so much. I have a family now—a pride—and I don’t want to put them at risk. Luckily for me, my mate wants to be a part of the revolution, too, but that still leaves everyone else.

The world is turning into chaos around us and our family is being pulled in different directions, but I know one thing for sure. The Ono-Nais are fighters, and we’ll do everything in our power to keep each other safe and help those around us.

A Ruse To Unchain Us is the fourth book in the MM urban fantasy series, The Magi Accounts. It’s recommended to read the series in order because the romance progresses through the series and it has an ongoing storyline, but there is NO cliffhanger.

*Intended for adults only. Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of this novel.

Review: A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro

Rating: 5🌈

What a fantastic journey it’s been.

The Magi Accounts:

🔹The Scars That Bind Us #1

🔹The Shackles That Hold Us #2

🔹A Date To Impress Him #2.5

🔹A Purpose That Restores Us #3

🔹A Holiday to Sustain Us: A Magi Accounts Holiday

🔹An Embrace To Hearten Me: The Magic Accounts 3.5

🔹A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts # 4

🔹A Heart To Revitalize Me #4.5 – September 20, 2024 (Logan and Haiden companion story)

🔹Only Unity Will Spare Us #5 – Sept 20, 2024

Buy Link:

A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts 4

Blurb:

It’s time to fight back, and by the goddess, I will help free my people.

*Intended for adults only. Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of this novel.

Review: A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro

Rating: 5🌈

What a fantastic journey it’s been.

The Magi Accounts:

🔹The Scars That Bind Us #1

🔹The Shackles That Hold Us #2

🔹A Date To Impress Him #2.5

🔹A Purpose That Restores Us #3

🔹A Holiday to Sustain Us: A Magi Accounts Holiday

🔹An Embrace To Hearten Me: The Magic Accounts 3.5

🔹A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts # 4

🔹A Heart To Revitalize Me #4.5 – September 20, 2024 (Logan and Haiden companion story)

🔹Only Unity Will Spare Us #5 – Sept 20, 2024

Buy Link:

A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts 4

Blurb:

It’s time to fight back, and by the goddess, I will help free my people.

*Intended for adults only. Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of this novel.

Review: Loving Jake (Dark Forest Pack Book 4) by Annabelle Jacobs

Rating: 3🌈

I’ve been following Annabelle Jacobs wolf shifter packs from the beginning and got really invested in the world the author created and cross series she created.

But now at the end of the Dark Forest Pack, I feel that the stories and multiple characters, as evidenced by the index at the book’s beginning, has gotten so stretched out that the depth of plots and personalities that once grabbed my attention is now less apparent. Or missing altogether.

For me, Loving Jake falls into the latter category. Which is too bad.

The entire concept can be summed up as “my Alpha says so , so even though it’s evil and I hate it , I’m gonna do it”. What’s worse is that the author sets up the drama with the main couple and secondary characters knowing the Alpha is “doing WRONG “ but hey let’s ignore it. Then everything plays out based on the fact they Can’t Do anything because the BAD Alpha says so.

Now the author warns the reader the book, a total lesson in readability/frustration imo, this is the way she’s plotting it, so there’s that. It’s pack rule, do whatever the Alpha says. Even though it doesn’t happen in her other novels.

But there no point, no dimension to this plot. Just a sledgehammer of dramatic narrative up to almost the end. No real details of a love affair between the main characters or verbal declarations of their own either. Just deep feelings to counteract the plotting against them.

Everyone knows who the villain is. The last battle is a mess, and the resolution doesn’t fully answer all the questions the mystery and murder raised.

I want to give this a two star but went ahead with a 3 out of fondness for its origins which are squandered here.

So for me, at the end of the series which had so much potential, Loving Jake gave us one dimensional characters, a forced sledgehammer of a frustrating plot, and a messy ending that doesn’t really resolve anything. Really, it’s like the series lost its energies here.

If that’s a story you want to read, or if you’re a reader who needs to complete a series, Loving Jake awaits you.

Dark Forest Pack:

✓ Claiming Rhys #1

✓ Redeeming Nick #2

✓ Guarding Axel #3

✓ Loving Jake #4 – series finale

Buy Link :

Loving Jake (Dark Forest Pack Book 4)

Blurb:

Pack is family, family is everything…until it isn’t.

Max

I worried we’d ruin it all by crossing the line from friends to lovers, but kissing Jake feels as natural as breathing.

I thought we’d have forever.

I thought we could take our time.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

In this last instalment of the Dark Forest Pack series, Max and Jake need all the help they can get to break free from their alpha’s command. But there’s just one problem with that—they’re forbidden to talk about it. When breaking that rule could mean tearing their pack apart, is it a risk worth taking?

Loving Jake is an MM paranormal romance featuring best friends turned lovers with the odds stacked against them. Full of pining, suspense, and sizzling UST, with a guaranteed HEA.

For maximum enjoyment, books should be read in order.

Review: Like I Wanted (Heather Bay, #5) by Charlie Novak

Rating: 5🌈

From the moment I met this intriguing couple I wanted their story. Over the course of this wonderful series, we get just enough of each character as they’ve interacted with the core group of men that have formed the foundation of this series to get a great sense of what they look like and who they are.

There’s the tall, elegant goth owner of Winchester & Sons Funeral Directors, Laurence “Laurie” Winchester. He’s quiet but has a strong presence. Wears black but stylish clothing and with makeup to match. His best friend/closest companion of over 4 years is a someone who lives with him, works with him, doing the makeup on the clients, but also has interesting side businesses.

That’s Theo (he,they), small , beautifully femme, with painful abuse in his past, both from exes and from family rejection. His love of exotic taxidermy is as well known as his streaming gaming Twitch and MyFans porn channels. Both of which have helped him become more the person he is today. Brighter than the sun, loyal, a bit bratty and incredibly brave.

Of all the fascinating individuals Novak has created for the series, Theo and Laurie have to be both my favorites as well as the most compelling.

With Theo, there is a clear picture of past disturbing events in his life but the author is subtle about the details. We know the origins and the effects that they have on Theo, and that’s enough. Laurie, too, has some parental issues, but nothing on the level that Theo has been subjected to. While on the surface, they may have little in common, together they match.

I love the way Novak unsettles their established relationship with one statement by a friend that sets off a real exploration of who and what they really are to each other. This is helped by heartfelt discussions with members of their found family of friends. Each from the prior stories in the series who help bring clarity to their feelings about their relationship.

Japanese bondage rope play or shibari is a big element here and a excellently integrated one. Novak introduces it into the storyline and their dynamic slowly and then builds it as an important part of their relationship, letting us see how impactful it is to both men in their roles. Such a sexy, well written aspect of this romance and novel, one I loved.

Healing and reconnecting has always been a deeply rooted theme of this series. Whether it’s reconnecting with your roots and the land of the vivid world of Heather Bay or the inner world conflicts that the characters are dealing, Novak’s has them rediscovering their own unique identities and finding their own way to a future with a partner. Each through wonderful journeys we’ve been a part of.

So it’s no small surprise that a big chunk of Theo’s discarded past arrives in this finale. Read the book, enjoy every moment of this aspect of the story as I did.

All the characters gather round as well as several others from Theo’s MyFan channel. I really hope Novak has a plan for them down the line as they are such an enjoyable sexy group of men.

Heather Bay is going down as one of my favorite contemporary romance series, one that ended with a 5 star couple. I truly felt as though I knew this remarkable seaside town and its inhabitants. I’ll miss having more stories so it’s going on my to be reread list, long as it is.

That gorgeous cover is definitely delicious.

This series and this book are must reads! Check them out in the order they are written!

Heather Bay series :

✓ Like I Pictured #0.5

✓ Like I Promised #1

✓ Like I Wished #2

✓ Like I Needed #3

✓ Like I Pretended #4

✓ Like I Wanted #5 – series finale

Buy Link:

Like I Wanted (Heather Bay Book 5)

Blurb:

Roommates. Best friends. Boyfriends?

Theo and Laurie have been best friends for six years but despite doing everything together, they’ve never been anything more than best friends and roommates.

Then someone calls them boyfriends and upends their neat little world.

As the pair struggle to put a lid on their feelings, a random email from Theo’s brother throws him even further off balance and all Laurie can do is offer a niche form of stress relief. But Laurie’s support doesn’t stop at rope garters. Once the two of them fall into bed, it’s clear things will never be the same between them.

Now, Theo and Laurie must finally address the feelings they’ve tried to hide from and figure out if they really are just friends, or if there’s always been something more between them. Can they give each other everything they ever wanted?

Like I Wanted is a steamy best friends to lovers contemporary MM romance featuring a femme boy who loves zombie horror and weird taxidermy, a goth with a secret love of shibari, interfering adult entertainers, a vicar who takes no shit, and a quest for guinea pigs.

It is the fifth and final novel in the Heather Bay series and is best enjoyed as part of the series.

Please note that one of the MCs is involved in adult entertainment and chooses to remain working in the industry, with the full consent of his partner, once they’re in a relationship. For more information, please see the internal Author’s Note.

Check out the latest Carnival of Mysteries novel, You Can Do Magic by R. L. Merrill (tour and excerpt)

R.L. Merrill has a new MM rock ‘n roll fantasy/paranormal romance (bi, gay) out in the Carnival of Mysteries shared universe: You Can Do Magic. This is also book three in Merrill’s Summer of Hush series. And there’s a giveaway.

From the author of Foreword Indies Finalist Summer of Hush and BookLife Prize Quarterfinalist Brains and Brawn comes a new installment in the series, a contemporary gay romance with a side of time travel and magic.

Musical prodigy Kallos Alexandrou has played his calliope for countless visitors at Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, but his one-year residency has come to an end. Scars from a terrible tragedy in his past are the only explanation he has for his loss of speech and memory, but it’s time to move on, so when a music festival sets up next to the carnival, Mr. Ame sends him off with identification, a bottomless billfold, and a set of new clothes. Outside the carnival’s perimeter, Kal finds himself in an unfamiliar world surrounded by strange instruments and vibrant people like nothing he’s ever seen.

Ryan Wells is the troubled and celebrated lead singer of the metal band Backdrop Silhouette. He’s brought more than his share of baggage on the last cross-country Warped Tour, including harsh restrictions placed on him by his parole officer and the band’s label, but it’s the treatment from his bandmates that have him feeling unsettled. After a tough morning, he spots a strange young man playing carnival music on a keyboard backstage, and the sound takes him back to a particularly vulnerable time in his youth. Intrigued, Ryan asks the young man’s name, but he flees only to appear later as a replacement stagehand for the tour.

An invitation from the band Hush to ride on their bus gives Ryan and Kal a welcome distraction. They find the camaraderie and support they’ve both been craving…as well as a little magic and a fresh new romance. But the music business makes personal relationships difficult to maintain, and when the tour ends, Ryan and Kal will have to make a choice: move forward together on an uncertain path, or let fear keep them from trusting that sometimes you really can have everything you desire.

You Can Do Magic is part of the multi-author Carnival of Mysteries Series. Each book stands alone, but each one includes at least one visit to Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, a magical, multiverse traveling show full of unusual acts, games, and rides. The Carnival changes to suit the world it’s on, so each visit is unique and special. This book contains a Depression-era calliaphone, a Ouija board with a purpose, and tour bus hijinks that will warm your heart and make you gigglesnort. Reading Summer of Hush and Brains and Brawn before this book will give you the full Warped Tour experience, but You Can Do Magic can be read as a standalone as well as the other books in the shared universe. Recommended 18+.

Warnings: Mention of prior sexual abuse, off-page, no descriptions

About the Series

Welcome, everyone, to the Carnival of Mysteries! In this shared element multiverse, we invite you to partake of an array of stories by an eclectic group of authors. You’ll find action, intrigue, mystery, danger, sweetness, and sorrow, but, above all, true love! So grab your ticket, indulge in some treats, experience a few thrills, maybe have your fortune read… there is something for everyone at the Carnival!

Get It On Amazon

Giveaway

R.L. is giving away a $30 Spotify gift card with this tour:

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47298/?

Excerpt

Chapter One
Kal

A new day breaks
Under the blue skies above
A new crowd waits
All they need is a little shove
The Carnival is here
With mysteries galore
To satisfy your cravings
To leave you wanting more
We’re here today, gone the next,
Taking along our magic and song.
Come inside, take a peek
Surprises like these won’t wait long
Here we have the fantastical calliope,
come dance with our talented Kal
His music will delight and seduce you
With the power of the siren’s call
So step right up, and don’t be shy
For his time is coming to a close
Come shimmy and shake with this talented guy
And celebrate the last of his shows…

I’d memorized the ringmaster’s introduction, though it was more sensational than I deserved. And last night’s version had a new ending, one I’d been expecting, but hearing it brought a sliver of anxiety to my bones.

The instrument I played was actually a calliaphone—a more efficient and portable version of the forced-air organ—and I’d built it myself, that much I knew. It was my voice. It spoke all I knew to say, my own words lacking. I possessed the ability to speak, but I’d mostly forgotten how, therefore I preferred to let my music speak for me. I played for the crowds. I smiled for them, but I was transparent to the onlooker.

One year had passed in this way, one year of my life, and I had nothing of my own. No friends to help, no family to love, and no safe place to lay my head away from the carnival. What would I do, where would I go, and would someone see me for me?

The boss, Mr. Ame, told me soon it would be time to move on to the next phase. I’d no clue what that meant other than I would no longer travel with the carnival. There was nothing to pack, nothing to carry, only the clothes—and the scars—I wore on my body. I would miss my calliaphone and the crowds, but I knew it was time. My stay had been healing, educational. My time taught me plenty. The carnival would go on without me and my music, on to the next place to entertain…and seduce the locals. They’d fall under the spell of my fellow travelers. Some might even be chosen to come along.

I remembered little from my time before I, too, had joined the carnival. Humiliation and regret reverberated within the structures of my cells, but I didn’t recall more than that, much less the reason for the debt that forced me into servitude. The boss took me away from the darkness, and promised to set me free one day. But what was free, what would it mean, who would I be? A musician, a man, alone? I’d forgotten my past. I’d learned all I could in this place. Would I survive what lay ahead?

I took my questions to the man in charge, the one they call Errante Ame, and he confirmed that my time with the carnival was at an end.

“My dear, Kallos,” the boss said to me. “The world has done you wrong, not the other way around. You have been a part of something important here, and we shall never forget the joy your music has brought to our clan and our guests. But now it is time for you to move on, as all in the crew must do.

It is your choice where you’ll go once you leave the perimeter, what you will do with the time you have left.

“You have been invisible to our guests for so long, adored for your playing, of course, but who you are remains unseen, unspoken. A blank canvas, a puzzle. Only you can solve the riddle of your life. The time is near when you will set out on your greatest adventure, the journey to find your purpose. Being reborn can be frightening. You will have questions, but the answers you seek can be found within yourself. All you must do is follow your instincts, and your heart’s desire. Do what you feel is right and true. Be good to yourself and your fellow creatures, and walk the path of least harm.

“When the next sun rises, you will step outside the bounds of the carnival. You will have all that you need to begin anew. By the following sunrise, our carnival will have moved on. A traveling music festival will share these grounds with us tomorrow. Perhaps you can start there.”

I knew down deep in my bones that he was correct, that something momentous was about to occur.

Author Bio

Whether she’s writing swoon-worthy contemporary romance featuring quirky, queer, and relatable characters or diving deep into the supernatural to give readers a shiver, R.L. Merrill loves creating compelling stories that will stay with readers long after closing the book. Ro writes inclusive romance for the Happily Ever After collective, contributes paranormal hilarity to Robyn Peterman’s Magic and Mayhem Universe, and pens horror-inspired tales and music reviews for HorrorAddicts.net. A mom, wife, daughter, and former educator, you can find her rocking out in her Bronco with Great Dane pup Velma, being terrorized by feline twins Dracula and Frankenstein, or headbanging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area! Stay Tuned for more…

Author Website: https://www.rlmerrillauthor.com

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