This paranormal romance novella is packed full with so many interesting characters and vividly detailed elements that I wish I was a much longer novel. From the location and shop to the multi-dimensional characters, Fox has barely touched on her Texas Magic universe potential.
The second story in this series, it’s a fated mate romance between a newly arrived embittered werewolf, Thorin, and a local shopkeeper, a raven shifter named Poe.
The personalities and relationship issues are well defined. As are how Fox has their fated mates chemistry help them work out their problems. It’s sexy, believable and makes them so connectable.
Even the secondary characters are ones I’d like to know more about as well as the intriguing town of Bee Cave with its own magical atmosphere.
Love fated mates? Want a quick wonderful story? Check out Shiny Things (Texas Magic) by Kelly Fox. Highly recommended.
I’ve already had my poor wolf heart broken by one selfish, trinket-hungry avian shifter, and I am never going through that again.
Hell, I moved all the way out to the shifter town of Bee Cave, Texas to start over, so…yeah. That adorably twitchy raven shifter at the local coffee shop had better get it through his pretty skull that he’s not gonna get one over me.
Even if he is so sparkly and gorgeous, I can barely help myself.
Shiny Things is part of the Texas Magic shifter novella series. This 17k word novella contains reluctant mates, undeniable attraction, and an unhinged crow shifter ex.
Deep Impact is the finale story to Fox’s Wrecked:Guardians series and the author sees her characters off in their new roles and pathways in a totally satisfying manner. This comes complete with a great epilogue that lets us see our couples happily together in the future.
It makes sense to save the head of the agency, DeShaun Blaylock , of the legal firm Blaylock Security and Investigations, as the last person to concentrate on for a story.
Well , DB as he’s known,boss of Wrecked:Guardians, and the man who’s loved him for years not so secretly.
That’s Odd Bash. Twin brother to Anders Bash. Where Anders is the medical doctor, Odd is the technical genius. Both men working for Wrecked as well as the Guardians.
Throughout the series there’s been a serious underlying romantic connection between DB and Odd that’s never been acted on or acknowledged. Just sexual tension everywhere that is the talk of the team.
Why DB doesn’t engage with Odd has been a question.
Fox wraps her story around that answer here, one that rests in DB’s current disabilities and mental state.
The author does offer a trigger warning about the subject matter involved here with DeShaun. It goes back to a military mission that goes horribly wrong. A bomb explodes, a team is destroyed and DeShaun will survive having to go through multiple surgeries, savage wounds, burns , and ongoing medical issues that are believably described and discussed.
This is the author’s note:
“DeShaun (DB) has serious physical issues, as noted in earlier books. In this book we find out the full extent of his injuries, and in describing them I endeavored to use frank, accepting, often wry language. While I specifically avoided being overly graphic, the depictions may still be disturbing to some readers.”
FYI. DB also has PTSD and reoccurring nightmares about the mission. This element includes Jake , a character that DB blames himself for the failure of that man’s mission as well. It’s a package of guilt, nightmares, old history, and inability to heal.
This makes for compelling reading and gives us real insight into DB’s actions all this time.
Odd, whose personality is the opposite of his brother, has been giving DeShaun the space he’s indicated he wanted. Have to admit, I adore Odd, the quiet man to Anders wild one. But Fox’s interaction between the brothers here is wonderful, playing up their love for each other, their friendship and support. It also showcases Anders in a better light than Anders own book did. Great to see Anders and Omar again.
Every aspect of this team was spot on. Seeing the couples, getting DeShaun and Odd together, the missions to save the children being trafficked, it’s all here.
If the one thing, the “bad guy” felt a tad weak, well , I think he was just a little bit of a narrative ploy more than an actual good villain.
But everything else was so solid. The action, the ending, the epilogue. Absolutely satisfying. And there’s a new series getting ready to start where we’ll see these characters again.
I felt Deep Impact (Wrecked: Guardians, #4) by Kelly Fox might be the strongest story of the series and the great way to finish. I’m absolutely loving it and recommend it.
Read the series in the order that they were written.
DeShaun and I have been locked in a mutual imaginary affair since the day we met.
So many close calls, drunken flirtations, exchanged glances…and then his unfailing sense of duty would kick in. He has always outranked me and was never going to cross that line.
Even though we’re no longer in the service, he insists he’s not good enough for me. And sure, he’s still the boss…of our highly illegal mercenary organization. But that’s not the only thing holding him back. He’s scarred and in pain and believes his physical limitations should deter me.
What he doesn’t seem to get is that I would sacrifice a limb for him. Major organs. My entire heart.
If he thinks he can push me away for good, he doesn’t know Odd Bash.
Odd, the quiet man with the strange name, believes he can love me as I am. I will never let him do that to himself.
The bad guys never take a break, and every time he’s in danger I lose another night of sleep. Fall apart a little more.
Physically, let’s just say my knee isn’t the only problem. There’s an experimental surgery, but…I’m not going through that again.
In a perfect world, no one would ever know the extent of my injuries or the toll it has taken on my mind. Odd insists he loves me without reservation, but he doesn’t understand the reality of my life.
And I love him way too much to ever put him through that.
Deep Impactis a mercenary MM romance set in Austin, Texas. It features a nineties sing-along, an interfering sociopath, a surprise marriage, and a machine perfectly engineered for the bedroom.
This is the fourth and final book in the Wrecked: Guardians series. Several characters from my series about a gym for combat vets, Wrecked, crossover in this series. While you don’t need to read the Wrecked books to enjoy the slightly more nefarious Guardians, most folks end up wanting the juicy backstories.
Most Wanted picks up from the events of the last book, Full Contact. There we met US Marshals Ronan as he quietly aided the Guardians on a mission to rescue sex trafficked kids and take down the federally protected pedophiles.
Now cut loose, Ronan is reunited with his past boyfriend, Guardian Thane Ashford in the aftermath of those events.
Fox’s characters are emotionally attached to each other even as they are separated by their feelings and past trauma. The story, which helps us see their relationship over the years from both sides, goes into Thane’s damaging relationship with his father, his insecurities about his body image which date back to his childhood, and why he was so against any idea of a commitment.
The characters are still working through their past differences and what that means to the current group dynamics. It makes for interesting interactions and sexy encounters.
I like that the entire team is involved here, new teammates are added, and Fox smoothly moves the story forward while also introducing the thread for the book to come. Which involves their boss, DeShawn, who’s emotionally weary and in need of retiring from the daily operations.
Fox writes characters that seem simple yet have layers. It may take a while to reveal but they do surface. Same with each couple’s relationship, there’s always that extra backstory that adds an element you might not expect but appreciate once you’ve got it.
I found Most Wanted highly enjoyable. I really like the strong women characters that continue to appear. The themes , especially of
sexually trafficked children and women are ones some will find disturbing so be aware of the nature of their investigations.
I’m recommending this and looking forward to the next.
That’s for Odd , Anders’ twin, and DB’s relationship.
Letting Ronan go was the biggest mistake of my life. Giving me a second chance might be the biggest mistake of his.
I’d spent a year as Ronan’s friend-with-benefits, convincing myself that he could never feel the way I felt. I was floored when those three little words flew out of his mouth.
So, I ran. And have regretted that decision every day for the last five years.
Now fate has led him back to me and to the Guardians, the merry band of mercenaries who have become my family. Our last several missions have gone sideways, and Ronan is convinced that he needs to go back into the field to understand what our team is dealing with.
He’s putting himself in harm’s way and we can’t keep our hands off each other. God help me if anything happens to him.
I can’t think of anything more dangerous than giving my heart to a man who’s already destroyed it.
Then again, I might not have much say in the matter. My life’s been upended, and the only place that’s safe is with Thane and the Guardians.
It doesn’t take us long to figure out that our passion burns just as hot as it always did. Undeniable. Unstoppable.
I can’t keep my hands off him, but I can’t go back to being his friend with benefits. And I have no clue how to trust him.
Thing is…if we could learn to trust each other, I might actually have something to offer this team of morally flexible do-gooders.
Most Wanted is a mercenary MM romance set in Austin, Texas. It features a gentle (if slightly murderous), muscle-bound giant, a beautiful, wickedly flexible man, and more chemistry than a high school science lab.
This is the third book in the Wrecked: Guardians Series. Several characters from Wrecked, my series about a gym for combat vets, crossover into these books. While you can enjoy the slightly more nefarious Guardians without reading Wrecked, lots of people end up wanting all the juicy backstories.
I’m a fan of the black op action team romance series and Full Contact is the second in Kelly Fox’s Wrecked:Guardian series of the same trope.
The characters were encountered in the first book, Hard Target, when the mercenaries were assigned to help Rafi, then an associate linguistics professor who falls for one of the team, Everett.
We met Anders, a medical doctor with his twin brother, Odd. And Rafi’s tightly guarded cousin, Omar.
This is Omar’s and Anders romance, definitely an opposites attract, frenemies to lovers sort of relationship. That’s all on Anders who started out a very problematic character.
Fox makes Anders by definition a man who doesn’t have any real idea of the way he’s acting is being seen by others. He acts impulsively and childishly, pranks frequently getting out of hand. And in the case of the pranks he plays to get Omar’s attention, they are hurtful and disrespectful, in one case dangerous.
So I really didn’t think that I could relate to Anders at all.
But Fox does a terrific job here, taking the reader’s frustration and the other people’s and makes it part of the story. There’s feedback for Anders over his behavior, communicating how impactful his actions are being, and the changes it brings about to his personality.
I love when an author takes that approach.
There’s more here. It’s also about Omar’s horrific background, the terrors he’s been through, and the PTSD he’s enduring.
Fox’s stories include a fast tracked high action plot, filled with the team following the events around an investigation, many things go boom, bullets fly, and yes, people end up in the hospital.
It’s very satisfying. I liked the character growth and that it sets the stage for more interesting things to come for them as the relationship progresses.
I’m recommending this and the series to date. A fun, exciting mercenary adventure romance romp!
If that joker doesn’t stop annoying me, I’m going to give that mouth of his something better to do.
The first time I saw Anders F***ing Bash, he was shirtless, armed, and simultaneously the most beautiful and frustrating man I’ve ever met.
He has not gotten any uglier. Or any less frustrating. And today I finally took a swing at him.
Our boss thinks a simple op in East Texas is exactly the thing we need to mend our relationship and restore the team dynamic.
I think two men are driving to the Pineywoods and only one is coming back.
Look y’all—sane isn’t really where I shine.
Does it make sense to mess with the Guardians’ new hired gun every chance I get? No. Does it mean I’m going to stop? Also no.
Honestly, there’s nothing more fun than irritating a sexy grump who can’t stand how pretty I am.
That said…the more I get to know him, the more I realize how much he’s hiding behind those walls of his. And this little road trip is the perfect opportunity to thoroughly explore the real Omar.
I just hope I haven’t pushed him too far this time.
Full Contact is a mercenary MM romance set in Austin and the Pineywoods of East Texas. It features smoking hot mortal enemies, a small vehicle fire, inappropriate bumper stickers, and a couple of alligators named Millie and Dave.
This is the second book in the Wrecked: Guardians series. Several characters from Wrecked, my series about a gym for combat vets, crossover in this series. While you don’t need to read the Wrecked books to enjoy the slightly more nefarious Guardians, most folks end up wanting the juicy backstories.
Liar’s Gambit by Kelly Fox is one of the top highlights of The Elite series, nine novels written by different authors. At the heart is The Anonymous, a mysterious club housed in a historic art deco hotel that caters to the needs and whims of the wealthy, who are often of the blackest or at least grey natures. That extends to their businesses, professions, and perhaps proclivities.
Within the boundaries of The Anonymous, all are protected.
Liar’s Gambit begins where a Hitman’s job ends. Nigel , a hitman with a sorta conscience, heads towards a potential new assignment and company that his handler has passed on to him. It’s shortly after his latest job ends, and he’s in need of a hotel room, something to eat , to go along with his meeting.
It’s all about to take place at The Anonymous. His client , Wilhelm, a gorgeous billionaire, with a mission that’s a bit quirky, retrieve a rare coin, maybe hit a couple of people. All sounds very nebulous, and yet he’s still on board with the idea. Must be Wilhelm.
I have to say Kelly Fox must be inundated by now with requests to write further novels about these characters. They definitely deserve it. They are simply sublime.
From their dangerously wry and sometimes disturbing inner commentary, about the events and each other, to the kinky , hot sex, and fast paced games of thrilling suspense and violence, this is an incredible story!
The men, their swift building relationship, and , that stunning “I never saw THAT coming “ twist at the end which made you go immediately back to the beginning and start all over.
Do NOT read anything with spoilers because that ending shouldn’t be given away. It’s that great!
What can I say? Outstanding characters, tightly packed and plotted storylines, an out of this world twist, and fabulous ending.
Liar’s Gambit ( The Elite Universe) by Kelly Fox is top notch entertainment! I wish I could rate it higher!
The Elite Multi-Author series (9 Books):
✓ Reckless Roulette by Alice Winters
✓ Leave No Trace by Michelle Frost and Sammi Cee❤️
He’s a liar. I’m a hitman. And there’s a game afoot.
After seeking sanctuary at The Anonymous, an elite club for lawless types, the elegant, beastly Wilhelm invites me to help him with a simple mission: retrieve the priceless artifact that was stolen from one of his billionaire friends.
I’m bored, there’s potential for violence, and his terms are generous, so why not?
I quickly discover, however, that Wilhelm has been slightly mischievous with the details, and there’s nothing simple about this mission. He’s betting I’ll go along with his insane plan; I’m still deciding whether or not to slit his throat.
Could be fun either way.
Liar’s Gambit is a 22k-word novella that is part of the multi-author series The Elite. Each book can be read as a standalone and in any order. What links these books together is The Anonymous, a club beneath the gritty city where only the elite are welcome.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 