The Subpar Heroes series has been a real hit or miss for me, with having liked 2 books and finding I absolutely couldn’t finish 2 others.
I’m combining the reviews for the DNF because neither requires a full on review as you will see.
The Accidental Necromancer by Liv Rancourt is a DNF simply because I was appalled by its application of the theme and overall plot. If you are a cat lover, pet owner or just love animals, this is not the story for you. The main character accidentally raises road kills, they follow him home. Opening scene of a roadkill cat now pitifully mewing, detailed missing parts showing exactly what happened to it, following him home. He sighs because yeah, again. Adds it to a room with other dead roadkill animals . Then follows episodes with the hot one dimensional SPAM vet. Poor dialogue.
But mainly pathetic really horribly dead animals.
Why would author think that this is a good idea? Especially considering readers who might have lost beloved pets? Just no. DNF
Next up an author I’m a fan of except for this nonsensical piece where there’s no clear idea of the characters or even who’s speaking most of the time .
2. Behind the 8-Ball by A. E. Wasp
This is from Harlan’s pov and his voice included as well to further muddle the conversation. So three different people speaking and basically the reader will have no idea who they are from this passage. And that’s not unusual.
“Dash and DT exchanged glances. “Stop looking at each other that way. It’s making me insane.”
I took a long drink of coffee and lost track of what I was saying.
“Fuck me, this is good coffee.”
I know, right?” DT agreed.
“Where’d you get it?”
“That’s classified, soldier.” The corners of his mouth tilted up.”
“I forced the memory of how that mouth had tasted back into the lockbox in my brain. “Asshole.” Banter was good. It gave us some familiarity and some distance at the same time.”
— Behind the 8-Ball: A Subpar Heroes Story by A. E. Wasp
It should be a good story but the framework and how Wasp lays out the characters and storylines will just give the reader a headache. I’m sure the author is going for a certain narrative style but it’s hard to tell because it lacks substance and flow.
DNF
Subpar Heroes series- 15 books:
🔷The Accidental Necromancer by Liv Rancourt
🔷Behind the 8-Ball by A. E. Wasp 5/30/2024
🔷Transparent Is a Color by Kaje Harper
🔷Impossible Things by Alexa Land
🔷My Not-So-Super Blind Date by Allison Temple 6/6/2024
🔷An Ex-Hero’s Guide to Axe Handling by Jenn Burke 6/13/2024
🔷In The Nick of Time by Elle Keaton 7/25/2024
🔷Static/Cling by Jaimie Samms 7/30/2024
🔷Spiritual Guidance Not Required by Jacy Braegan 8/1/2024
Nicky James is following up the successful Doyle and Valor police investigation romance series with a new series that is heavily intertwined with the one that preceded it while setting off in often newly emotional and psychological directions.
It helps a reader to have knowledge of both the Doyle and Valor stories as well as have read the prequel novella, Invisible Scars, to get a firm sense of the foundation of this new series and the characters that will be inhabiting each story.
Especially as one of the main characters here, Tallus Domingo, is a Toronto Police Department records clerk and runs into the characters during investigations from the preceding series. But he’s also a cousin to Costa,Valor’s best friend within the department . Tallus and Costa have their own complicated story.
The interactions continue with Diem Krause. Diem is ex Toronto police officer, now a PI with a tortured, violent past and equally troubled present. He’s well known and not well respected by many in the department because of his past actions.
Tallus has Protanopia, color blindness, a disease along with poor vision and migraines, that’s kept him from getting the only job he’s ever wanted, being a police detective .
James has created in Tallus and Diem two diametrically opposed characters who are magnetically connected to each other . Tallus, complicated, colorblind yet always elegantly dressed, confident of his abilities and wants (in and out of bed).
Then there is Diem. I believe that the author included trigger warnings about child abuse, DV, DA, and violence here. I’ll repeat them. When it comes to this character and other aspects of his life (and this story), DA is a very real element. Please keep it in mind when reading this story.
Diem is heavily scarred. He’s deeply scarred physically and mentally and emotionally. Skeletons in the Closet just begins to explore his trauma and its origins . James and some horrific scenes give the reader (and Tallus) hints but it’s never explicitly stated. I’m sure this will be a slow process for him to reveal and for Tallus and the readers to understand.
The intense emotions and unstated feelings/relationship that’s starting to emerge between Tallus and Diem is the best thing about this book. It’s damaged, hugely emotional, darkly complex, yet even the smallest steps are so rewarding to watch and read.
The many investigations were well done, felt professionally conducted, and very satisfying at the same time. But it’s hard to frame them up against that fantastic dynamic playing out between Tallus and Diem. Just superb.
I even enjoyed my visits with Doyle, Fox and Costa . But Valor? Sigh. He became an issue that shouldn’t be found in an otherwise extremely well written novel.
A once fine character has again been reduced to a caricature as James simply cannot let Quaid Valor have any expression other than “sneering”. Aslan Doyle, his police partner Fox, Doyle’s husband, Valor, and Costa (all from the previous series ) make strong appearances here. But it’s Valor, who once was a complex figure, now is all but defined by a single annoying facial expression. He sneers. Sneering, sneered. Note to James: pls enlarge Valor’s facial expression.
And it’s become so repetitive and annoying that it has the ability to pull a reader out of the narrative. It did that in their own series and it’s doing it again here.
Outside of Valor, this is a great new series and an intriguing, magnetic new couple. I can’t wait to see what the next book holds for them.
◦ Shadowy Solutions-sequel series:
✓ Invisible Scars , prequel
✓ Skeletons in the Closet #1
◦ Power of the Mind #2 – September 12, 2024
Connected series:
Valor & Doyle Series – same universe, characters and overlapping locations:
The last thing Diem Krause wanted to do was ask for Tallus’s help.
The too-hot-for-his-own-good records clerk was so far outside Diem’s league that he became tongue-tied in his presence. Six months ago, after an embarrassingly unimpressive exchange in the bedroom that accentuated Diem’s flaws, he swore never to go near the sultry man again.
When a new case lands on Diem’s desk, one involving a dead, allegedly unfaithful husband, Diem exhausts every means of investigation until he has no choice but to seek out the man he swore never to see again.
Tallus has skills Diem doesn’t. In addition to being confident and sociable, Tallus can act and help him get answers.
But inviting Tallus into his case means relinquishing control, and Diem hates not being in control. Not only is the Toronto Police Department’s records clerk fanatical about investigative work, but he also has a thing for making Diem uncomfortable and pushing his boundaries.
When the case takes a dark and dangerous turn, the two spend far too many long nights trying to puzzle things out. Tallus’s flirty, suggestive behavior is going to get them in trouble, and the last thing Diem wants is to end up in bed with him again. It was a disaster the first time, and Diem doesn’t want to revisit the shame.
Will Diem be able to resist Tallus’s charm?
Can the two work together to solve the unusual case without crossing lines?
Diem isn’t so sure. He doesn’t want a partner. He doesn’t need a lover.
But with Tallus Domingo, he somehow ends up with both.
Well, this was an absolute blast! A beautifully crafted, well written, and wildly entertaining fantasy story that I really didn’t want to see end.
A. J. Sherwood, a author I’m an enormous fan of, just has a fabulous time with the theme of this multi author collection and gives us a tale of a man ripped out of his own life and into a new world! It’s one complete with talking magical fae coin, peopled with many species in need of some dire, or in this case divine intervention, a handsome intelligent warrior/Duke, and a quest the displaced businessman is surprisingly well suited to solve.
There’s so many great layers to this world and Sherwood’s story. The characters alone are ones I could write pages about, not just the main characters but all the well defined but important ones. Like the child Izzy, Grandma the Herb Master, Mina and her grandfather, Grandpa Hawes, a farmer, Boss Melva, and so many others. Each voice distinct and memorable. Their personalities and presence made this book and world real and vibrant with emotion.
However it’s Jake Alexander, soon to be divorced from a disastrous marriage, who’s hit by a truck and transported by a mischievous fae coin to another realm where a quest and new life awaits him. Jake is someone who, no matter what his family or his beleaguered life has delivered, has always been able to make the best of what he has been dealt. That attitude, and with his own personality and integrity makes Jake a character we cheer on, especially as we learn more about his past life and upbringing.
The person who is supporting Jake, in his new role as the gay Holy Maiden (that’s a hilarious aspect I’ll leave to the story), is Theon, a warrior who, in his own right, is the only person who has treated Jake the way that he has been hoping for. Theon who’s responsible, intelligent and warmhearted. Worried about the welfare of his people yet still has the same caring attitude towards Jake. It’s a marvelous relationship to watch evolve. Humorous, warm hearted and , slow to kick in. Loved it
There’s several terrific surprises. Every person, every being is treated with respect and kindness. Here you’ll find yourself and the world you are meant to live in.
So yes, I wasn’t finished with this crew or world when the end hit. I could have kept going. I so hope that there’s a sequel somewhere someday. Fingers crossed
Highly recommend!
Great cover!
Look at what’s coming up next!
Fortune Favors the Fae – 15 books:
✓ A Fae Coin Transported Me Into Another World and Now I’m the Gay Holy Maiden by AJ Sherwood #1
◦ The Wolf’s (Un)Lucky Fae by Michele Notaro #2 June 6
◦ Bound to the Wild Fae by Tavia Lark #3 June 13
◦ The Sorcerer’s Thief by Lee Colgin #4 – June 20, 2024
◦ The Fae Menagerie by Edie Montreaux #5 – June 27,2024
◦ Never Darling by Sam Burns #6 – July 4,2024
◦ Prince of Poison by Alice Winters #7 – July 11,2024
◦ Grave Misfortune by Nazri Noor #8 – July 18,2024
◦ Fae for Pay by Meaghan Maslow #9 – July 23,2024
◦ Kisses at the Crossroad by Morgan Lysand #10 – August 1,2024
◦ Smoke and Mirrors by Kai Butler #11 – August 8, 2024
◦ Siren in the Rain by Chloe Archer #12 – Aug 15,2024
◦ I Destroyed the Elf Prince’s Harem by Jocelynn Drake #13 – Aug 22,2024
◦ A Fae Called Wylder by Michelle Frost #14 – Aug 29,2024
◦ Lucky or Knot by Eliot Grayson #15 – September 5,2024
What happens when you fall and hit the webtoons trope tree? You get killed by Truck-kun, get transported to a fantasy world by a sentient Fae coin, and become the first gay holy maiden.
Jake Alexander is Not Happy to be sure. Fortunately in Jake’s case, part of the trope tree includes the gorgeous Duke of the North, Theon. And starting a business from scratch, which he’s always wanted to do. And revitalizing his new country which is on the verge of collapse.
He could do without the killer miasma and corrupted kings and the singing magic and a sentient coin that doesn’t shut up, however.
Jake’s not sure if he should thank or melt the Fae coin into *ahem* something more useful.
Tags:
Fell on the trope tree and hit every branch going down, truck-kun, fae duke of the north, holy maiden, miasma threat, Jakes needs singing lessons, duke needs to take a business course, magic coin is about to be melted into a cock ring, bingo card for tropes, dragons, contracts are Jake’s love language, potato soup cures all, potatoes are friends, fourth wall who, basically I took all of the webtoon tropes and crammed them in
Gay Holy Maiden is a part of the multi-author series, Fortune Favors the Fae. From spicy to sweet, zany romps to epic adventures, there’s something for everyone in this mystical series. Discover destiny and true love and follow the coin on its fickle journey to the next world and a new magical adventure.
“This book is set in a small, British independent school specialising in trauma-informed teaching.”
Second Song sees a return to beloved place and school from Riley’s heartwarming Learning to Love series, one of my absolute favorites of contemporary fiction. That’s the Glenn Harber School near Porthperrin, Cornwall.
As the quote indicates above, it’s a very special school, full of talented and passionate teachers and students who have their own heartfelt stories to share.
Into this amazing environment, Riley sets up the first in another series, Second Chance School, and the beginning book, Second Song, about Rowan Bryn, a hopeful music teacher, who’s traumatized past has caused him to lose his ability to sing in front of others. It’s also about Liam Sexton, ex forces Army Royal Engineers, injured by an explosion on tour that left him with a hearing disorder.
A school in need of temporary teaching help and a crumbling library in need of demolition brings both men to the Glenn Harber School, second chances to rebuild their lives, and gain a new love and community that will help them overcome their past trauma.
Some of my favorite characters are present here from the Learning to Love books. There’s the ever wonderful Charles Heppel-Eaves who always arrives surrounded by glitter and an aura of love, Dom Dymond and his child, Maisie, and Luke, naturally. And so many other standouts throughout this incredibly moving novel, like Teo, little brave Hadi, Noah and his lamb who started it all.
But it’s Rowan and Liam in their own tenuous brave journeys towards dealing with their past trauma and their own new relationship that captures our hearts and engages us totally in this story.
Riley writes with such sensitivity and compassion about the stages of grief and understanding that it takes for Rowan and Liam to go through in order to overcome their own fears and pain in order to be able to heal and support each other as they too deal with their trauma.
The men are real and what they have undergone feels raw and believable. So do all the events as they occur to get them through to a moving and loving ending.
I can’t help but hope we get more tales where Matt, Blake, Neck Brace and the rest of Liam’s Royal Engineers family get their own stories and HEA. If they too are located near Porthperrin and this school, then I’d be a happy reader indeed.
Second Song: Second Chance School by Con Riley is a highly recommended book, as is the connected series, Learning to Love. Put all on your must read list!
Page-turning heat and hurt-comfort start on a Cornish cliffside and end at a school where not only students heal from past pain.
Do first times count if you forget them?
Rowan: I once lost a national singing contest. My consolation prize? A night I can’t remember and the tattoo on my bare bottom going viral. Six years later, I’m ready to rise like a phoenix from those shameful public ashes even if my singing days are over. Training as a music teacher is the second chance I need to prove I can be trusted to help children with their own trauma.
I can’t get distracted by falling for the wounded hero who saved me on my first day in Cornwall.
Liam: Blast damage forced me to leave the Army, and guilt keeps me running from those I hurt in the process. I don’t intend to fall for a pretty stranger trapped on a cliffside, but something about Rowan makes me crave more than our one heated night together, especially when he responds like I’m the first man to ever touch his heart or body.
If he wants a second chance here in Cornwall, I’ll stay and fight until he gets one.
Featuring a musician too bruised to sing and the soldier ready to battle for him, Second Song starts the Second Chance School series. Expect found family, a spectrum of diverse characters, and a HEA fit for angsty heroes.
This spin-off shared-world series aligns with the much-adored Learning to Love series. No prior knowledge is necessary to enjoy this standalone full-length novel.
The Inconvenient Count is the third and last of the Imperial Space Regency Novels by Kai Butler. For me it’s also my least favorite.
I really enjoy this trope and the two novels that came before it but The Inconvenient Count just felt unwieldy, too long, and the main characters were never really well written or throughly connected to each other by chemistry or a well constructed narrative to make them viable. Inconsistencies in crafting the characters, and histories just didn’t make sense to me.
Nor does the confusing and ill defined storyline about a fertile egg which they go back and forth between calling a “daughter” or frozen viable egg in a clinic. Hmmm.
The author is trying to tie up various plots, character storylines, strange mysteries and barely mentioned murders, and none really get explored or explained to real satisfaction. Same goes for the ending.
It just feels pulled together and rushed. I liked this mainly because of how some of the secondary characters were written and because of how fond I am of certain lady pirates.
Everyone in society knows newly titled Count Yun Rit killed his husband. After being trapped into a marriage by parents who wanted a peerage in their family, what was to stop him from murdering his elderly spouse and stealing the title? Only Yun didn’t kill his husband and proving his innocence would expose some devastating truths about his heart and his past.
A decorated Captain…
Captain Ado Pastor is a highly ranked member of the Secrets Division in Her Imperial Majesty’s Navy. When he’s tasked with finding evidence that Yun Rit murdered his husband for a title, he takes a break from capturing pirates and breaking up smuggling rings to investigate the claims against his one-time fiancé.
An old flame rekindled…
Now Ado must choose between his duty to the Empire and his duty to his heart. If making the choice involves heading to the outer rim, engaging with criminals, and tracking down the real killer, then he’s willing to do that for the man he once loved.
The Inconvenient Count is a 90k MM space regency novel with an HEA.
“Peregrine Crawford stared in horror at the box sitting on top of his delivery cart. That’s a bomb.”
I’m a fan of Kage Harper’s work. This author manages to take a “ordinary” person’s, or someone who has been categorized as “sub par”, approach to an extraordinary set of circumstances and make it and him relatable.
That’s Perry whose super powers are anything but. Perry can make things change colors but not indefinitely. Yellow rug to blue. Until the color fades. He has one more talent but it doesn’t always work and takes a lot of power and practice. So Perry hasn’t told anyone about it. That makes him a disappointment to his mother, especially as his only job he can hold is in a mailroom.
Perry is that easy to connect with character. One whose life changes when he does the right thing and meets Sergeant Deckard of the Nova City Bomb Squad and his canine patrol partner, Nix.
Harper combines an investigation into a serial bomber with a sweet developing relationship between Perry and Deckard. The super hero organization, SPAM, isn’t much of a element here but does appear largely as a smaller thread.
This is a good take on the theme and a sweet couple.
Subpar Heroes series- 15 books:
🔷The Accidental Necromancer by Liv Rancourt
🔷Behind the 8-Ball by A. E. Wasp 5/30/2024
🔷Transparent Is a Color by Kaje Harper
🔷Impossible Things by Alexa Land
🔷My Not-So-Super Blind Date by Allison Temple 6/6/2024
🔷An Ex-Hero’s Guide to Axe Handling by Jenn Burke 6/13/2024
🔷In The Nick of Time by Elle Keaton 7/25/2024
🔷Static/Cling by Jaimie Samms 7/30/2024
🔷Spiritual Guidance Not Required by Jacy Braegan 8/1/2024
Perry’s mother told him he’d develop the superpower of flight, like his grandfather. She even named him Peregrine, so folks would call him “The Falcon.” Spoiler— they don’t. Because when he did come into his power, all he got was the ability to change colors. Not even himself, like some kind of Chameleon Man, but the color of objects. He can de-pukify the shade of his bedroom curtains, turn a bully’s sweatshirt pink, or even turn a red traffic light green. (Not a good idea.) He hasn’t told anyone except his disappointed mom about his power. What would they call him? The Interior Decorator?
Back in high school, under stress, he did convince his power that transparent was just another color. Now that ability’s sometimes fun in an illicit way. Then one morning, in the mailroom at work, he turns a cardboard box transparent and sees a bomb inside. And Perry’s ordinary life explodes.
Sergeant Deckard of the Nova City Bomb Squad never thought much about superheroes, or supervillains for that matter. He has plenty of work with ordinary humans and their explosives. Until he and his bomb-sniffing dog, Nix, get called to a possible-explosives situation in a highrise mailroom. The guy who reported the bomb is a nerdy twink in dark-framed glasses who pushes all of Deck’s buttons. When he finds out the young man has a weird superpower and may be the target of a villain, every protective instinct comes into play.
Deckard’s goal is to keep his job, his dog, Nova City, and Perry intact. His libido can just sit down, shut up, and take a number. But as their attraction gets hotter and the villain closes in, their future might be blown apart before it even has a chance to start.
Transparent Is a Color is a part of the multi-author Subpar Superheroes MM romance series.
(Content warning for abduction, parental emotional abuse)
Perry’s mother told him he’d develop the superpower of flight, like his grandfather. She even named him Peregrine, so folks would call him “The Falcon.” Spoiler— they don’t. Because when he did come into his power, all he got was the ability to change colors. Not even himself, like some kind of Chameleon Man, but the color of objects. He can de-pukify the shade of his bedroom curtains, turn a bully’s sweatshirt pink, or even turn a red traffic light green. (Not a good idea.) He hasn’t told anyone except his disappointed mom about his power. What would they call him? The Interior Decorator?
Back in high school, under stress, he did convince his power that transparent was just another color. Now that ability’s sometimes fun in an illicit way. Then one morning, in the mailroom at work, he turns a cardboard box transparent and sees a bomb inside. And Perry’s ordinary life explodes.
Sergeant Deckard of the Nova City Bomb Squad never thought much about superheroes, or supervillains for that matter. He has plenty of work with ordinary humans and their explosives. Until he and his bomb-sniffing dog, Nix, get called to a possible-explosives situation in a highrise mailroom. The guy who reported the bomb is a nerdy twink in dark-framed glasses who pushes all of Deck’s buttons. When he finds out the young man has a weird superpower and may be the target of a villain, every protective instinct comes into play.
Deckard’s goal is to keep his job, his dog, Nova City, and Perry intact. His libido can just sit down, shut up, and take a number. But as their attraction gets hotter and the villain closes in, their future might be blown apart before it even has a chance to start.
Transparent Is a Color is a part of the multi-author Subpar Superheroes MM romance series.
(Content warning for abduction, parental emotional abuse)
“As I sprinted up Telegraph Hill with about two dozen overly enthusiastic raccoons in hot pursuit, I muttered, “Not again.”
So opens Impossible Things by Alexa Land and our introduction to Anderson “Andy” Chen, our appealing subpar hero.
This is the second in the Subpar Heroes multi author series that I’ve read and each has taken a different approach to this decidedly engaging theme. I absolutely adore Impossible Things by Alexa Land .
Land’s story acknowledges the existence of SPAM, Special Processing and Management of superheroes or just about anyone with paranormal abilities. And that’s where we meet Andy , a librarian who has landed a “upper mobility “ job in heading the Archives for SPAM. We meet his mom and her girlfriend (with their powers and backgrounds), his bestie and her issues. He’s a great character, fully established in his culture, layered in personality and his own baggage. Land has left him room to develop and that’s exactly what Andy does. He blooms throughout this story.
Next comes Samaritan “Sam” Miller, a man of many talents who is a new hire at SPAM, and who gets assigned to help Andy wade through the mess down in Archives. Sam is another character who is multi dimensional and grows as the story and their relationship develops. They are both perfect for each other.
After a rough start connecting with each other, a mysterious file and some research send the pair of them on a mission that’s helping them bond, revealing to the reader and each other so much about their lives and opening themselves up to new possibilities for themselves and a romantic relationship.
This journey is so exciting and well plotted. We get villains, family involvement, new friends (Arden), more mysteries, action-packed sequences, and a sweet romance.
I don’t think I’ve read much by Land but this will see me seeking out this author’s catalog.
I’m highly recommending Impossible Things (A Subparheroes Novel) by Alexis Land. Engaging couple, well written story and wonderful cast of supporting characters. Lovely!
Love this cover too!
Subpar Heroes series- 15 books:
🔷The Accidental Necromancer by Liv Rancourt
🔷Behind the 8-Ball by A. E. Wasp 5/30/2024
🔷Transparent Is a Color by Kaje Harper
🔷Impossible Things by Alexa Land
🔷My Not-So-Super Blind Date by Allison Temple 6/6/2024
🔷An Ex-Hero’s Guide to Axe Handling by Jenn Burke 6/13/2024
🔷In The Nick of Time by Elle Keaton 7/25/2024
🔷Static/Cling by Jaimie Samms 7/30/2024
🔷Spiritual Guidance Not Required by Jacy Braegan 8/1/2024
I chose to be a librarian for a reason. All I want is a quiet life, surrounded by books. But when I stumble across a scientist’s journal that could have dire consequences for superheroes everywhere, my whole world gets knocked off its axis.
Suddenly, bad guys are closing in, and I find myself on the run with my coworker Sam–a big, loud ex-jock with more conspiracy theories than common sense. He says he’ll keep me safe, but how? I’m the one with a superpower, even if it’s total crap.
To complicate matters, there’s an undeniable spark of attraction between us. We don’t need the distraction, not when we’re running for our lives. But it’s hard to resist temptation when we’re stuck with each other day after day. And I can’t help but wonder if there’s more to Sam than meets the eye…
Do Sam and I have what it takes to stay ahead of a supervillain, protect each other, and keep the information we possess out of the wrong hands? It seems impossible. But maybe we’ll end up surprising ourselves–and each other.
Impossible Things is a part of the multi-author Subparheroes MM romance series.
If you’re a fan of author Vin George’s Evergreen Council series, then this novella is the thing for you. Teas’d is a warm-hearted glimpse into the daily lives of Charley, the half vampire/half fae adorable being from Fang’d (Evergreen Council Book 1) and his vampire father, Dalziel. Naturally, this sees Luc, Charlie ‘s bond-mate werewolf, as an important part of his life and household as well.
This novella is a perfect illustration of how to bring a sense of loving family and deep understanding of each other’s differences to life in a meaningful but short narrative. Especially when its characters and universe are all from prior books.
The reader doesn’t have to have read those stories in order to understand these characters, their unique personalities, their histories, and the warmth and loving synergy between them all. George’s dialogue and fantastic storytelling has done an excellent job, laid all the groundwork, and now let’s the reader enjoy and become involved in the story itself.
And what a joyful, and emotional journey it becomes. A father/son moment, a learning experience full of humor and poignancy, quixotic and sweet.
This is a group of characters and a universe I can’t get enough of . It’s also one I highly recommend.
Don’t play games with a vampire unless you’re prepared to lose.
Playing pranks on his three-hundred-year-old vampire sire wasn’t Charley’s brightest idea. Now Dalziel has set him a task. Charley is stuck with a night’s worth of brain-twisting clues and his own company until he solves them all. Not even Luc can help! Charley wants to win, but can he ever really lose? His mate is waiting for him regardless, ready to rock his world.
An Evergreen Council novella, pitting a preoccupied father against his chaotic son, with smiles, curses, and insights into both men’s lives when the biggest adventure is living well.
Taylor Rylan’s Ambrosius : Paranormal Council Enforcers Book One represents a new author for me as well as series. I enjoy paranormal romance fiction so I was looking forward to reading this, especially as it already has a number of books already published in the series.
Unfortunately, I believe I’m going to stop here. While there’s a few things I enjoyed about this story, they’re overshadowed by other aspects that left me feeling disconnected from the characters, underwhelmed by the plot lines, and , most importantly, uninformed about the foundation or universe itself that the story and characters are grounded in.
Taylor Rylan’s Universe of Destined Paranormals is a group of five inter-connected series and characters, of which Ambrosius is the first in the fifth series, Paranormal Council Enforcers. So there’s a lot of expectations for readers to know who everyone is and who these agencies are that they work for, this giggling goddess that just appears (not a fan), a omega/Alpha relationship that’s not well defined, especially here with one character.
This story actually ends up raising more questions than it does answer with its narrative. But quickly , the poorly crafted characters have lost my interest in their lives and this book.
That starts with the main character of Ambrosius, a made vampire. That term isn’t used in the way we’re accustomed to seeing it. Ambrosius wasn’t “turned” or made. No a goddess who comes across as a blonde bestie from your college sorority days crafted him full blown. Thirtyish looking, now over a millennium old. But how does Ambrosius act during the book? Much like a silent movie heroine, weeping, throwing himself at his mate, overwrought by emotions and the situation he is in. Surely, he’s got his own power and has learned a thing or two about weapons, or something. His character is just so ill defined. In the beginning we learned he went from being rejected by an omega because his fangs are scary to becoming an omega himself when he finds himself mate to a dragon. No explanation. Then there is basically little communication between anyone here.
There’s really little history or reason laid down for personalities. Or for reactions, or just anything in general . And the main drama, a huge criminal investigation into a shifter trafficking organization is barely explored and not finished, a thread that’s carried over to the next book.
The only other major storyline is a mpreg one that comes out of nowhere (literally) because the main character has no clue he’s pregnant. His mate and others know but don’t say anything. They assume he knows. Then he’s got kids. Then they are special. It’s a rapidly changing story without substance or grounding.
If you’re a fan of the author or any of the other series associated with this, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy it .
But other authors do this one universe, multiple connected series better and those are the ones I’ll read.
Paranormal Council Enforcers:
14 books to date:
Ambrosius #1
Attiticus #2 plus more
The Universe of Destined Paranormals is a world of interconnected series set in one universe. Because of this, it is recommended that you read the books in chronological order.
🔷Honey Creek Den Series-When the child of the created warlock goes searching for his mate, a domino effect occurs and the den is blessed by the Fates.
🔷Timber Valley Wolf Pack Series-Magic is changing and the wolf pack is next to be blessed by the Fates.
Does Edison have something to do with it?”
🔷Warlocks of Amherst Series-Edison’s warlocks have finally been blessed by the Fates and it’s their turn to find their fated Ones.
🔷Vampires of the Beloved Gem Series-Master Nikolai’s vampires aboard the Beloved Gem realized that their time has come to find their beloved ones.
🔷Paranormal Council Enforcers Series-the magic has shifted and the Paranormal Council has been formed. Will the chosen enforcers be next to find their forever mates?”
When you’re the created vampire, and discover your fated mate is a dominant dragon alpha, what could go wrong?
Master Ambrosius was created over a millennium ago and had come to terms with spending his life alone. He has his coven, his second, and a few close friends, but he continues to be haunted by the memory of his fated mate running from him in terror. That is, until the goddess sends him to Montana, and he discovers his body reacting to a sexy alpha with wide shoulders and dark eyes. Surely there’s some mistake though, right?
Emmerich was born on Treasure Ridge, the mountain his grandparents claimed several centuries ago for a reason that wasn’t yet known. Like his brother, he longs for his mate and children but knows they aren’t on their mountain. Emmerich’s dragon insisted he would find his mate in Sicily, but after weeks of searching, he comes back to Treasure Ridge, where his dragon scents the most amazing thing. Mate. When he discovers the scent is coming from the created vampire, he’s not sure about the pairing but is more than willing to accept the match.
Together, they discover a desire for unexpected things. But while they are happy switching roles at certain times, the council is still forming, and they discover an evilness none expected. Will they be able to stop the threat before their family is harmed?
Ambrosius is Book One in the Paranormal Council Enforcers series. Each book in this series will focus on a different couple, but these books are not standalones and should be read in order as there is an ongoing backstory that won’t be resolved quickly. This is a fated mate MPreg story in an MPreg world, and you should expect all the normal vampire shenanigans, and remember that love bites in unexpected places. Especially when your beloved is a sexy dragon.
The Universe of Destined Paranormals is a world of interconnected series set in one universe. Because of this, it is recommended that you read the books in chronological order.
🔷Honey Creek Den Series-When the child of the created warlock goes searching for his mate, a domino effect occurs and the den is blessed by the Fates.
🔷Timber Valley Wolf Pack Series-Magic is changing and the wolf pack is next to be blessed by the Fates.
Does Edison have something to do with it?”
🔷Warlocks of Amherst Series-Edison’s warlocks have finally been blessed by the Fates and it’s their turn to find their fated Ones.
🔷Vampires of the Beloved Gem Series-Master Nikolai’s vampires aboard the Beloved Gem realized that their time has come to find their beloved ones.
🔷Paranormal Council Enforcers Series-the magic has shifted and the Paranormal Council has been formed. Will the chosen enforcers be next to find their forever mates?”
It’s been since February 27, 2022 when I read the fabulously horrifying book Buried Mage, fourth in Michael Taggert’s wildly imaginative, densely packed and beautifully detailed fantasy series, Fledgling God.
So seeing that Taggert had finally released another book in the series is a great joy and, one that takes a bit to remember all that has happened in the previous novels as it’s been a while .
This is a series I think might be worth waiting for all the books to be published and then binge reading them all together . You might be absolutely book drunk at the end but you’ve had the most amazing experience and it’s been a journey you will remember.
Individually, each book stops and starts right after the other has ended. Taggert’s picking up his narrative as though there’s been no interruption. Such as having to write another book!
Honestly, I seem to overlook things here that otherwise would normally make me narratively have issues with the story simply because the of the incredible ideas, the wildly wackadoodle flights of imagination that are the hallmarks of this author and series.
Every character. Including the House of House Louisville has a uniquely fascinating personality. One that continues to grow and deepen throughout the series in surprising ways. It’s not just about the characters. It’s magical charms and crystals, Marks and soul creations like tiny Miners and Surfers, and more importantly, each type of being that two of the mages, Jason and Annabeth, encounter here or create, vividly come to life on the page and mean something special to the reader. It’s a uniquely beautiful and powerful cast of characters that , from bugs to crystals to enslaved mages, they draw the reader inside the story and whatever small sections they inhabit.
This time the focus is primarily narrowed down to Jason and Annabeth, although we do get some new information about the other three members of the House. They have to enter a contest and what a contest it is . The book ends before the contest is finished. It’s simply epic. A giant quest, a RPG with real teams and on a planet where things can kill your team. Sort of.
I can’t begin to explain what this is about. And normally I’d say that Taggert has too much laid in his story that slows down his narrative . But I can’t. Every crazy, zany, over-the-top scene this author has thought of and written, and I’m talking Tim Gunn narrating a male fashion show for Jason type of insanity, and I’m totally committed. I’m 100 percent invested.
And he does this over and over. And it works. Wild side trips here and there, junkets to vaults, it’s just so fun or personal and imaginative while sticking with the same theme and emotions. It keeps the reader connected and fascinated and thrilled with everything that is happening.
Then, boom . We need to wait for the next one to come. Sigh. Which I will.
Taggert does a small book by book recap at the beginning but it’s not even close to what happened. So do think about what type of reader you are and the experience you want to get into here.
After all of their adventures, the crew of House Louisville was ready to sit back and take it easy. But a surprise visitor informed them they owed millions of pearls to the Bank.
He was willing to take them all as indentured servants for the Bank and let them work decades to pay off their debt. That would mean splitting up the House, though, and nobody was willing to let that happen.
To save the House, and to stay together, Jason and Annabeth find themselves in a tournament they must win. Because one thing is for sure, the Bank doesn’t play around!
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 