Tag: enemies to lovers

Review: Monstrous Intent (Monsters and Mischief Book 1) by Alice Winters

Rating: 4.5🌈

If you’re familiar with Alice Winters, you know her writing often grounds itself in dark topics like murder, assassination, torture, themes of mass destruction, whether it’s in a contemporary world or that of an alternate reality filled with the paranormal.

Blending snarky, sharp, irreverent humor with moments of serious reflection and empathy, however, brief, the author imbues her characters and storylines with a slightly demented vitality that goes well with her high action packed narrative.

Declan is a former monster hunter for the Department of Research and Defense (DRD). But he became disillusioned with the constant attacks and killings so he left to become a teacher. Now with an increase in Chimeras sightings and killings, the DRD wants its best hunter back and won’t stop until he’s part of the organization again.

Lake, an enigma, works for the DRD , but Declan is instantly aware Lake is much more.

Winters’ complex plot, increasing cast of characters, and series foundation that’s being laid out as the storyline deepens, is a tale guaranteed to hold the reader’s interest and keep them engaged with the characters growing relationships.

Plus there’s fish again. That’s a odd reoccurring trend that’s got me wondering about undercover fish goals and other weirdness. Sort a love it.

Anyway, I really enjoyed Monstrous Intent and the open threads it left in this story that will drive the next part of the series.

If you’re a fan of Alice Winters or if this sounds like a tale that’s your jam, it’s one I’m definitely recommending.

Alice Wintershttps://www.alicewintersauthor.com › …Monstrous Intent

Description:

Declan
It’s really hard to pretend like life is normal when you’re staring a monster in the eyes, though he’s both tempting and irritating in his human form. I put my days as a hunter behind me, unable to cope with the death and pain anymore, to become an upstanding citizen and for what? To assist Lake, a man who claims he’s not a monster but keeps talking about me like I’m edible and–even worse–wants to woo me? Between my old organization trying to pull me in and Lake proving that things aren’t quite what they seem, I’m dragged back into this world of fighting the things that humans fear the most.

Lake
The human is exquisite. The first moment he told me he was going to hunt me down, I felt my heart burst. He’s beautiful, sassy, angry, and going to be mine (even if he thinks he can refuse my charms). But what Declan doesn’t know about me is that there’s a reason I’m hiding as a human among monster hunters. And while he definitely doesn’t know why, he’s willing to work with me because the people around us strangely want Declan and me dead at the end of this (I mean, who would want to kill us? We’re amazing).
But honestly… what’s more fun than dragging a hunter off to the dark side?

Warning: This is a chaotic monster and a chaotic human. Stuff happens. People die (but they were bad, so it doesn’t matter, right?) and there’s plenty of humor alongside a budding romance.

AMAZON

GOODREADS

—-

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

Review: The Dragon King’s Assassin (The Dragons of Serai Book 1) by Amy Sumida

Rating: 4🌈

Amy Sumida is a new author for me. My introduction to her writing is the first book in her series, The Dragons of Serai. I found many things here to recommend and some aspects that are just a bit much.

Sumida gives us a world where dragons are the apex being and humanity is among the lowest. Magic is taken for granted and the form of government among the various kingdoms is the Dragon Kings, a title hard fought for in a tournament.

The first story begins in the Kingdom of Racul where assassin Locrian Mahvis has been hired to kill dragon King Tarocvar Verres.

The characters and descriptions are lush and well defined. You can picture each immediately. Loch the King is all self assured power and amusement.

Everything the failed assassin is not. Except that he’s incredibly attracted to the King.

Instant lust , not love, but lust, is understandable here. The author makes a good case for Locrian’s feelings.

But this is the first instance in the book where the author’s leaning towards a certain type of purple prose starts to appear.

“Speaking of thrusting, that piece of man-flesh between those thighs would fill me as I’d never been filled before.”

— The Dragon King’s Assassin: An MM Fantasy Romance (The Dragons of Serai Book 1) by Amy Sumida

Shouldn’t that be dragon flesh? And why do those florid statements make me want to giggle instead of sigh?

There will be other instances where “he painted me with his hot desire.” So you see a pattern here.

Luckily, the fast paced action, terrific characters, magical storylines, and charisma between the leads overcome the tendency towards purple prose. Or maybe just make you accept that’s the world where that’s a statement would flourish!

I almost wish this had been a two being pov because I’d love to have had the King’s perspective on his “little mouse” throughout the relationship as it built. As it is, we only get Locrian’s and I think by not including the Dragon it lessens the impact.

There’s a great guardian hound, Ran. A group of pirates, and a setup for the next novel with a Necromancer sailing to help out a friend of the King, another Royal Dragon.

I found this and the couple entertaining so I’m onto the next. Honestly, it’s Dragons. I find them hard to resist.

I’m recommending it!

The Dragons of Serai series:

✓ The Dragon King’s Assassin #1

◦ The Dragon Prince’s Necromancer #2

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showThe Dragon King’s Assassin by Amy Sumida

Description:

My life changed the day I tried to take his.

Mhavenna is a glorious city but, like every city on the face of Serai, it’s run by Dragons. As a human, I’m on the lowest rung of the racial ladder here, as far from an illustrious Dragon as I could be, and I’ve made me peace with that. I don’t like Dragons much, but like or dislike has nothing to do with my work. So when my broker offered me the task of killing the Dragon King, I took it. It was the sort of kill that could make an assassin’s career, and I was certain that I had the skills for it.

I was wrong, nearly dead wrong.

The King caught me before I could finish the job, but instead of killing me, he made me his. I’m now the Dragon King’s assassin. A warning and a weapon. A way for him to bypass his own laws without personally breaking them. But that’s not all. He’s tasked me with guarding him against future attacks. Who better to stop an assassin than another assassin? And who better to find the one who hired us? If only the King didn’t have a body that made me salivate, a face that made my knees weak, and a pair of teal eyes that made me whimper. If only he didn’t stare at me with those stunning eyes as if I could be more than property to him. Maybe then I could do my job, find the person who wants him dead, and save my own life. But I don’t believe in miracles.

———-

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

Review: Playing Games ( Franklin U #1) by Riley Hart

Rating: 4 🌈

Playing Games is a wonderful enemies to lovers romance from Riley Hart. It’s the first in a multi-author series called Franklin U that can be read in any order, the only main factor is the campus all the characters live on and the college they attend.

I enjoyed the layered approach Hart takes here to both the characters, their differences in social status and histories, as well as how often even the harshest of arguments and familial divides worked their way out in areas of grey, adult relationship style instead of stark black/white divisiveness.

That same narrative outlook was applied to Braxton Walker, who’s tough upbringing and history is one he’s working hard to rise above. Despite his rough appearance, he’s set goals to achieve.

Tyson Langley is his opposite. Rich, sliding through his studies, a star on the college LaCrosse team, he represents everything Brax is fighting hard for and yet Ty seems to appreciate none of it.

The characters are well defined. And when a believable crisis causes Ty to seek a job that brings him into Brax’s orbit, the enforced intimacy that breaks down each other’s walls has a realistic feeling to it.

The romance happens a tad fast but the groundwork is laid for it and a relationship. It does work.

I ended up really enjoying their story and the characters. They each make a couple of “guest” appearances in other books in this series.

If you’re a lover of contemporary romance, add this sweet book to your list!

Franklin U series:

✓ Playing Games #1 – Riley Hart

✓ The Dating Disaster #2 – Saxon James

✓ Mr. Romance #3 – Louise Masters

◦ Bet You #4 – Neve Wilder

◦ The Glow Up #5 – A.M. Johnson

◦ The Learning Curve #6 – N.R. Walker

◦ Making Waves #7 – Christina Lee

◦ Football Royalty #8 – Eden Finley

https://www.goodreads.com › showPlaying Games (Franklin U #1) by Riley Hart | Goodreads

Brax

Tyson Langley thinks the king in Franklin University Kings is in reference to him. Star lacrosse player and God’s gift to the female and male population, there’s nothing the spoiled jock can’t have.

It’s impossible for us to be in the same room without talking crap to each other. But I also have a secret… As much as I despise Ty, I want him too. I revel in our banter and in never knowing what he’ll say next.

I’ve spent too much time on the wrong side of the law for someone like Ty, though, and if I want to make it through college and escape my past, he’s a distraction I don’t need.

Ty

Braxton Walker needs to learn to lighten up. If you search brooding online, his name pops up. He’s the bad boy with a leather jacket and a scowl. We couldn’t be more different.

Finding ways to annoy him is like the longest foreplay session of my life. And when we end up working together, it gets harder to deny how hot he makes me.

What’s a little hooking up between enemies?

We weren’t supposed to become friends or share secrets. We weren’t supposed to understand each other and all the complicated stuff we’re going through.

I’m used to playing games, only the more time I spend with Brax, the less it feels like playing around and the more it becomes something real.

**

This series takes place across a calendar year. The books have been released in chronological order but are all stand alones and can be consumed in whichever order you choose.

———-

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

Review: Rough (Operation Justice Force #2) by Reece Knightley

Rating: 4🌈

I throughly enjoyed Lethal, the first book in this series. It had a sweet twist as far as the main characters, which directly affected their dynamics and relationship.

It was also my introduction to this world of undercover ops, twin semiautonomous agencies, and their operatives who all seem to have a sort of connection between themselves.

The operatives are all ex-professional military personnel, fierce , intelligent and highly effective in their areas of expertise.

Pegasus, the agency here is more undercover and newly established.

That’s the background. Gage and Mason Taylor are our main characters and POVs in Rough. We watched them bicker and circle each other in Lethal, their chemistry obvious. It’s a opposites attract story.

Mason Taylor is old rich money. He’s a known entity and that’s been used as part of his cover in the past. Gage’s past, other than career, isn’t as clear.

This is one of my issues with the series that starts with this story. I’ll table it for now.

Knightley does a excellent job creating interesting, connectable characters, outfitting them with emotionally laden issues, and then pulling it altogether in a fast-paced , suspenseful espionage thriller.

Gage’s family issues are heartbreaking and the character that acts as a bridge to bring them into Mason’s home is everything.

But this is where the suspension of belief sets in. Pegasus is a semiautonomous organization. High security with all that entails. Including high security clearances. Background checks on every operative to ensure they don’t have anything that would make them a security risk. Like a ex with addiction issues, money problems, and an employee with living quarters in risky area because of money flow issues.

Uh no. Red flags. Nope. Not hired.

And this is a narrative problem that carries over into the following stories.

There’s a few other things that’s problematic but that’s such a glaring example of a major issue that I’ll leave that out there.

Does that balance out a hot romance and terrific characters? Along with a fast paced storyline? Well, if this type of book is your jam, probably so.

Opposites attract, Blk Ops adventure, chemistry and hot men, heartwarming romance.

But a little eye roll as well.

I enjoyed it for what it was. And recommending it for that too.

🔹Operation Justice Force series:

✓ Lethal #1

✓ Rough #2

◦ Honor #3

◦ Rebel #4 – Nov 17, 2022

*there’s connecting series that precedes this, Code of Honor Justice Force series as well as Out for Justice Cobalt Security series.

https://www.goodreads.com › showRough (Operation Justice Force #2) by Reese Knightley – Goodreads

Synopsis:

After circling around each other for so long, are they ready to take it to the next level?

Mason can admit that he’s had the hots for rough and gruff Gage Hillcrest for well over a year now. Only Gage is bossy and overbearing as all hell. Not to mention that Gage is a closed book and Mason doesn’t know anything about the man.

Gage has wanted smart mouthed and sexy, Mason Taylor since he first laid eyes on him. But the two of them are like oil and water. Mason is wild. And well, Gage is not. Mason also has a big house and more money than he’d ever need while Gage is drowning in debt.

When Pegasus is asked to help the local police find a missing undercover officer, the unit leaps in with all hands on deck. Lives collide when they roll out on the mission and Mason finds out that Gage needs aid taking care of his family. Of course, Mason jumps in to help.

As the pair grow closer, life gets more complicated when Gage’s son goes missing. With loved ones in jeopardy, Pegasus will do everything in their power to find the little boy and recover the missing undercover cop before it’s too late.

Because in the end, it’s all about family and taking care of those in need.

———-

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

Review: Lethal (Operation Justice Force #1) by Reece Knightly

Rating: 4.5🌈

The cover and description give the reader a pretty good indication of what Lethal, the first book in Reese Knightly’s new Operation Justice Force , has in store for them.

Dark alley, hot, muscled men, with tattoos (some of them), just a hint of danger. Works perfectly for a undercover operation filled with ex Black ops, ex Marines , ex CIA agents, you name it, this agency has the law enforcement type employed there.

I wasn’t aware there’s connecting series that precedes this, Code of Honor Justice Force series as well as Out for Justice Cobalt Security series. Neither of which I’ve read but some of the characters from those series do make appearances here.

The agency here is a twin operation of one referenced above, only a tad more under the radar. They are run by the same person and under the same government auspices .

Luckily, Knightly puts all that knowledge in place here so the new reader like myself doesn’t feel like they are scrambling too much to pull together the foundational structure.

Lethal is a two person POV, a dynamic format which works tremendously well with this type of story and characters.

It’s a dark explosive opening, and we’re off to a highly suspenseful, intense storyline diving into a mystery that has a murderous cat and mouse game already in progress.

While the transitions between the differing POV may seem abrupt at the beginning, I found it increased the pace of the exposition, heightened the sense of danger to the men involved, and laid a layer of dark rawness over this section of the storyline.

Dalton Weber, 38, second in command of Pegasus, is chasing Sphinx,a ex CIA suspected of being a traitor and stealing a important in-house list of names. That’s the situation we start at. A meeting between Dalton and Sphinx gone wrong.

Adam Campbell, ex CIA, is on the run, unsure of who he can trust, with information he needs to protect. He’s such a interesting character, exhausted, alone, fighting to survive. Who he is and what his connection is with Dalton makes this story. It’s such a great twist.

I won’t spoil the book but it’s a fast paced , highly entertaining, very suspenseful story. It’s got terrific characters, themes , and a fabulous ending.

There’s a few questions about Dalton’s family history, and his background but in general, this is a story that will keep you entertained and invested right until the end.

And it’s one I’m recommending!

The list of the series to date is below. Check them out.

🔹Operation Justice Force series:

✓ Lethal #1

◦ Rough #2

◦ Honor #3

◦ Rebel #4 – Nov 17, 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showLethal (Operation Justice Force, #1) by Reese Knightley – Goodreads

Synopsis:

A traitor with stolen information.
Adam Campbell, 33, blacklisted CIA agent, needs to get covert information into the right hands. Alone and on the run, his world suddenly stops when he discovers the identity of the Pegasus operative who is on his tail. Arranging a meeting just to gaze into the eyes of the man he’s always loved, Adam is set up and almost killed. Out of resources and nowhere to turn, Adam returns to the only home he’s ever known.

An operative who always catches the bad guy.


Dalton Weber, 38, second in command of Pegasus, has a job to do: Stop ex-CIA agent, code name Sphinx, from selling classified information. When Sphinx disappears after Dalton’s botched attempt at contact, Dalton takes a much-needed break. Going home for the holiday, Dalton finds Adam, the man he’d walked away from years ago.

A surprising encounter.
Imagine Adam’s shock when Dalton shows up. Imagine Dalton’s disbelief when he finds out the facts about the man who has always owned his heart. When explosions, secrets, and attempted murder hit close to home, Pegasus opens up a lethal dose of ass kicking. Will that be enough to stop the bad guys and give Adam a chance to come clean?

———-

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

Review: How I Stole The Princess’s White Knight and Turned Him To Villainy: Miracle 1. By A.J. Sherwood

Rating: 4.5🌈

How I Stole The Princess’s White Knight and Turned Him To Villainy: Miracle 1. By A.J. Sherwood is a new wonderfully entertaining fantasy story. It’s free at the moment but soon it will be pulled, and made part of a series Sherwood’s writing about a white knight and the black sorcerer who’s falling for him.

It’s got Sherwood’s tell tale humor, magical characters, snarky dialogue, action, and remarkable heart added to this enemies to lovers romance.

Honestly, the bad guy’s not so bad, well, really, the princess isn’t very nice, and the White Knight? He’s caught trying to do the right thing, and falling in love with the wrong person.

I couldn’t put this rollicking fabulous tale down . And when it was time for the Knight’s next mission? I found I needed that story that hasn’t been finished yet.

Oh the anticipation. Luckily, when the books come, they will be released, one after another.

So grab this up. Read it and enjoy.

Then wait with me for the announcement of the books to arrive!

I’m highly recommending it.

https://www.smashwords.com › viewHow I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy: Miracle 1

Synopsis:

What’s a white knight to do when his princess wants to sacrifice a town to barbarians? Go to the famous Black Sorcerer of Grimslock for help, apparently. What’s a black sorcerer to do when the white knight comes to him for help? Keep him, naturally. Devan does not approve of this payment plan. Tan does. Less

What’s a white knight to do when his princess wants to sacrifice a town to barbarians? Go to the famous Black Sorcerer of Grimslock for help, apparently.

What’s a black sorcerer to do when the white knight comes to him for help? Keep him, naturally.

Review: Prince and Assassin (Perilous Courts #1) by Tavia Lark

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Tavia Lark’s latest fantasy romance, Prince and Assassin, lives up to its exciting description and surpasses it.

The first in Lark’s Perilous Courts trilogy, Prince and Assassin is the perilous romance between Prince Julien and the assassin sent to kill him, Whisper.

I love a marvelously told high fantasy tale and Prince and Assassin ticks the exposition boxes with glee and fervor!

This is a two voice narrative, so important when the men and situations are so dire and opposing. Also to really get a firm idea of how each person really looks like, at least through each other’s eyes.

Whisper is the product of a House of Assassins. He’s one of the infamous Hounds of the Kennel. Owned by a famed Blood Mage, Reo Barnaby, who now trains and sells the services of his specialized Hounds. Killers only the richest can afford.

Lark has built a fascinating background for Whisper that honestly cries out for its own series. The other Hounds briefly mentioned, Lily (a boy), Adder, along with their looks and specialties, were just tantalizing as anything else in the story. We continue to hear about their missions, well as the rules and training they lived under. It’s both mesmerizing and heartbreaking.

The Whisper we meet has been a Hound since he was 6 years old. And it’s breaking him down.

The author gives us memories of Whisper’s missions. The emotional impact it’s having on him, and the turmoil the current circumstances of his new target is creating within him.

Every scene, each phrase chosen brings us closer to the assassin breaking apart because of his unexpected feelings about his role and his target.

And his target? Not as expected either. Prince Julien Sandry has the layers one would think a Prince would cultivate and still be able to survive politically in a highly stressful, and sometimes deadly level.

Prince Julien, his female guards who are wonderful, are terrific characters, and a great balance for Whisper at each stage of the storyline. Julien has his own issues, with the court’s maneuvering between themselves to put different brothers on the throne, his own investigations into disappearances prior to his arrival, and an overall air of unsettling atmosphere that hangs over the area.

Lark has written great characters, put them into situations that create emotional and physical impact with humor, a romance with sizzling chemistry, and fantastic magical action.

Plus two fellcats that will utterly charm you! I really needed more of both of them, Rumi and Fisk. Their histories and, well, everything.

If I had a issue, it would be that Julien and Whisper’s story is relegated to one book. It has the characters, elements, and storylines for its own series, to see their relationship grow and deepen. Instead we get a HFN.

Which is suitable for all that went before.

Each book in the trilogy is going to a Sandry Prince brother of Silaise. This is the middle brother’s story. I adored it and them. And wished for more.

Prince and Assassin (Perilous Courts #1) by Tavia Lark is a book I’m highly recommending. Pick it up and enjoy before the next is out in September!

Perilous Courts:

✓ Prince and Assassin #1

◦ Prince in Disguise #2 – Sept 30, 2022 (Prince Bellamy and Rakos)

◦ Prince and Pawn #3 – Jan 30, 2033 (Prince Audric and Corin)

https://www.goodreads.com › showPrince and Assassin (Perilous Courts, #1) by Tavia Lark – Goodreads

Synopsis:

He’s supposed to kill Prince Julien. Not fall for him.

Whisper doesn’t remember his real name. All he knows is the elite assassin guild that raised him—and controls him with the threat of blood magic. Plagued by nightmares, he doesn’t get to refuse assignments, even when his new job doesn’t make sense:

Infiltrate Prince Julien’s court, protect him until the signal arrives, then kill him.

Julien hides his own schemes behind a sordid reputation. He trusts nobody besides his brothers, and he certainly doesn’t trust the aloof, beautiful new stranger at court. But he doesn’t have to trust the stranger to be drawn to him, especially when he saves Julien’s life.

Then Julien saves Whisper too, and Whisper’s reserve shatters.

Beneath Julien’s playboy facade is a warmth Whisper can’t resist. Whisper’s never been comforted before. He’s never been cared for like this. As his nightmares darken, Julien’s touch is his only solace—but falling in love could ruin them both.

Because Whisper’s mission hasn’t changed, and the price for failure is worse than death.

Prince and Assassin is a high fantasy gay romance, with secret identities, hurt/comfort, and magic tigers with attitude.

The Perilous Courts series is best read in order, but each book follows a different prince and his Happily Ever After.

———-

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

Review: Dusk’s Devotion (Blue Ice Ranch #3) by V.L. Locey

Rating: 4🌈

Dusk’s Devotion is a terrific way to wrap up this western romance trilogy with its roots in another hockey romance series.

Locey ties up all loose storylines and manages to end the nasty ongoing feud that’s been a persistent flashpoint point of so many troubling events between the two major neighboring ranchers.

Told from one point of view, that of Kyle Abbott, long time ranchhand/irrigator and well established character from the preceding books.

It seems to be winter, the prodigious amounts of snow falling is about right for a Wyoming winter, especially around the Tetons. And the storm that blew in on Kyle as he went out to the furthest part of Blue Ice Ranch to feed and water the herd of cows pastured out that way until they could be brought in for calving and market.

I got into this section of the story. I love the Tetons, have ridden out there, and find its beauty beyond compare. Whatever the season. But to stay in Wyoming and be someone who has to work outside during the winter takes a certain fortitude. And love for the land which Locey captures very well.

It’s out at this remote cabin where Kyle’s staying, that as a blizzard arrives, so does a visitor.

What a fantastic idea and dramatic element!

It has so many different aspects to the idea of this entrance and it’s ramifications.

Shep McCrary comes from that despicable neighboring family of ranchers known for their bigotry, racism, homophobia, and actual crimes committed against the local indigenous peoples.

He’s not one readers are immediately going to get involved with, unless the conditions are right.

Well the conditions are right.

Although it takes a minute, Shep and his Dun stallion invade Kyle’s cabin, and then the blizzard keeps them all there.

I wish we actually had more of their developing relationship during the time they had alone. Instead we get a good start, then told of the passing of time, boom , someone is knocking on the cabin door with food and times up.

What should have been drawn out and intimate moments is over too soon imo.

Understandable, as there’s a bunch more exposition to get through.

It’s back at the ranch. Where multiple characters are processing feelings about seeing a hated McCrary in their midst. There’s also some sort of minimal communication about a future between Kyle and Shep because of family issues.

No spoilers.

And then there’s still major thefts going on to be solved as well as past enormous ones regarding the dinosaur digs to uncover.

So that’s quite a few storylines to process and then resolve.

Locey does, everything gets a investigation, there’s a huge dramatic development that’s potentially devastating, and a final expose’ that solves everything.

I only wish that ending and the culprits had felt more fleshed out , and believable. Not the rationale but the people. They felt too one dimensional to care about.

That’s a bit of a shame because the story is well done . It just has a lot of work to carry as the last book in the trilogy. I loved the romance! I just wish that had been given more focus.

If you love contemporary romance with a cowboy twist, this is a terrific series. Put it on your TBR list!

Blue Ice Ranch (previously named Prairie Smoke Ranch series)

✓ Dawn’s Desire #1

✓ Twilights Touch #2

✓ Dusk’s Devotion #3

ALL BUY LINKS

https://www.goodreads.com › showDusk’s Devotion (Blue Ice Ranch #3) by V.L. Locey – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Can love warm the hearts of two enemies facing the wrath of a Wyoming winter storm?

Kyle Abbott is slowly discovering that being midway through his thirties and being married to your job isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. There has to be more to life than random hookups, horses, and cattle. If only he could find a person who excites and ignites his passions like everyone else has at Blue Ice Ranch, he’d be a happy man. He hopes. Confused about his life, he volunteers to spend a month out with the cattle to sort through his bewilderment. Knowing there’s a blizzard on the horizon, Kyle sets out fully prepared and ready for anything.

Anything except the unexpected arrival of rival rancher Shep McCrary. When the half-frozen man shows up at the remote cabin where Kyle has hunkered down with the herd, his conscience demands for him to allow Shep to come inside. Offering food and warmth to another human being is the least he can do, right? Even if the man is a swaggering, hateful jerk who’s far too pretty for his own good and knows it. When the two are forced to spend time together, Kyle begins to see that there is more to Shep than he ever imagined. He might actually kind of like the pompous creep at times. Whoever said there was a fine line between love and hate sure knew what they were talking about…

Dusk’s Devotion is the final book in the Blue Ice MM contemporary western romance trilogy with enemies-to-lovers, a blizzard, lots of forced proximity, family dynamics, suspense, a mystery solved, and a happy ever after.

———-

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

Review: Much Ado About Lady MacBeth by Rebecca Cohen

Rating: 4🌈

Rebecca Cohen dives back into Elizabethan England with Much Ado About Lady MacBeth. A enlarged, rewritten version of a short story, it takes place in the same universe as Cohen’s historical Crofton Chronicles.

Those are favorite books of mine featuring a certain Earl and actor Sebastian, who is very present here! It’s wonderful to see him again, and the Earl, if only in mentions.

Cohen centers her story around the activities and actors of King’s Men, the company of players at the Globe theatre, in London, England. The two main characters are actively hostile towards each other, upcoming actors who each seek the same roles.

David Bell, who’s family lives in the slums, barely surviving, is about to age out of female roles. But he’s still wanting to play Lady MacBeth before he leaves female roles behind. The descriptions of the poverty and living conditions are concise yet impactful.

His rival for that role and others? The person known for making disparaging remarks about him? That would be the lovely Jacob Milner. Pretty of face, but with a nasty word for him. And the current favorite with plenty of money behind him. His middle class background is also well defined and believable.

Cohen sets the stage with Shakespeare’s verse, plays, good old fashioned mystery, misconceptions, and a healthy sexy romp or two.

All while keeping within the laws and morals of the times where same sex relationships were illegal and men could be gallows bound if caught.

It’s still got the feeling of a shorter story but with a fuller heart. The characters are well done and Cohen’s universe and understanding of the times is well established.

It’s a sweet historical romance and a lovely edition to The Crofton Chronicles , especially if you’re a fan like me.

I’m recommending it!

https://www.goodreads.com › showMuch Ado About Lady Macbeth by Rebecca Cohen – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Jacob Milner might have the face of an angel and the legs of a sinner, but his poisonous tongue would taint even the prettiest visage.


A Shakespearean era enemies to lovers MM Romance

David Bell has risen from the London slums to be one of the up-and-coming stars of the King’s Men, the company of players at the Globe theatre. On the cusp of being too old for female roles, he yearns to play one more part before he leaves the skirts behind: Lady Macbeth. But he is not alone in that desire, and his nemesis, Jacob Milner, a soft-bellied popinjay who has never known day’s work in his life, is also vying for the part.


Sparks have flown between them before, but the fiery barbs and risqué name calling are hiding a different passion. But even if they do manage to put their animosity behind them, Jacob has another problem, his father is trying to marry him off to the daughter of Baron Runcorn.

Modern Crofton series:

🔹Saving Crofton Hall #1 (orig released 2014

🔹Making History at Crofton Hall

🔹Below Stairs at Crofton Hall

🔹Getting Married at Crofton Hall-TBR September 2022

A spin-off from The Crofton Chronicles-historic romance series

🔹The Actor and The Earl #1

🔹Duty to the Crown #2

🔹Forever Hold His Peace #3

Review: Chef Vs Chef (Sizzle in the Kitchen #2) by M.J. O’Shea

Rating: 2.5🌈

Chef Vs Chef is the second of the four book Sizzle in the Kitchen series by M.J. O’Shea and it’s the one I’m stopping on.

Honestly I’m dumbfounded by this book. All the characters and elements I admired and found charming in the first book, which set the foundation for the series,have been deconstructed to fit a new narrative path for this and the following novels.

I see the author’s rationale for this. It’s the only way to make the other plots and characters work now. But it changes the person I loved the most, at his most fundamental level.

That’s Peter Baldwin Powell.

When we left him. And throughout Chef in the Wild, he was done. All Peter wanted was to cook, go home, get involved once again with his family’s lives, have his restaurant.

“”I don’t want to be somewhere high pressure again. I don’t want to have to care about Michelin stars or shaking hands with celebrities, but I miss cooking for people.””

— Chef in the Wild: Sizzle in the Kitchen Book One by M.J. O’Shea

There’s quotes after quotes to the same depth of feelings.

Here? Peter’s turns his beloved now successful Hearth&Oak restaurant in Montpelier, Vermont, over to be run by others. Why? He’s become a TV Food Network Celebrity Chef filming a TV show back in NYC, and more.

He’s the opposite of the man we saw at the end of Chef in the Wild. Content, home. With family and a new love at his side, every bit a man fulfilled and passionate again.

While you can connect with the men, Peter, Murphy, and Bobby, his former sui chef now almost a partner, a threefold force in the Hearth&Oak kitchen and restaurant, that strength is quickly lost in the story.

Murphy and Peter leave to NYC and TV, while a shaken Bobby remains behind to deal with a badly handed decision to bring in another chef to fill the void.

Issues here immediately:

1. Bobby is a close knit friend and part of the trifecta that runs the restaurant. But he’s not involved in the decision process or Informed that another is coming into the management?

This again seems to be storytelling by drama lottery. It happens throughout this book and the next which I just stopped at partway. It’s as though a drama was needed at this point in the story, so regardless of whatever went on before, a new narrative was created to fit the picture.

All of a sudden, Peter’s a different type of careless personality, the type to hurt his friends. He will change again with regard to a “old enemy “.

Continuity has little impact here.

Unless it’s the author’s fondness for characters that are unable to communicate and run constantly from any conflict.

That was Murphy in book 1. It’s Cal here.

That’s a dynamic O’Shea’s couples follow in the two books I’ve read in this series . One’s a steady , established personality, the other someone who uses their past history as an excuse not to communicate and to run from the relationship at each moment possible.

Then of course come back and be immediately forgiven.

With little discussion.

I like Bobby. But there’s very little building here when it comes to a relationship to make the reader care about them and their future. Especially Cal.

And the manner in which he returned and who he works for. Nothing made sense except the author needed it that way for the next even more unreadable and unrealistic novel.

These are supposed to be contemporary romance not fantasy. Narratively speaking, things should at least make sense, have some exposition, and a little character depth.

And without deconstructing a previous story to get it.

“Baldwin didn’t know how to say that when he pictured his restaurant, it wasn’t in New York. Not anymore. He didn’t see flashing lights and packed houses. He saw something a lot more laid back and gentle. In the country, maybe. Or, at home.

He’d been daydreaming about it more and more–a small town restaurant, touring farms and working with local producers. He’d imagined waking up every day with Murph, creating new dishes with Murph and Bobby… watching his nieces grow up from a few blocks away instead of hundreds of miles.”

— Chef in the Wild: Sizzle in the Kitchen Book One by M.J. O’Shea

That’s the character and book I remembered and the one that’s vanished from the series here.

I think I’m going too.

If you’re a fan of this author, then pick it up and decide for yourself. As I said, I’m stopping here.

Sizzling in the Kitchen:

✓ Chef in the Wild #1

✓ Chef Vs Chef #2

◦ Chef On Top #3

◦ Chef In Love #4

https://www.goodreads.com › showChef vs Chef (Sizzling in the Kitchen, #2) by M.J. O’Shea – Goodreads

Synopsis:

They say oil and water don’t mix.. with these two it’s more like oil and a blow torch.

Bobby Diaz has worked his whole life to get where he is – running a restaurant with his two closest friends, no boss, no stress. When his best friend Baldwin gets the opportunity of a lifetime, he asks Bobby to take over the restaurant while he’s gone. Bobby can’t wait to see if he has what it takes to do it on his own.That is until Baldwin tells Bobby his cousin Cal is coming to help run Hearth&Oak.

Awesome.

Bobby and Cal don’t exactly hit it off—to put it lightly. Bobby resents getting Cal dumped in his lap. Cal doesn’t appreciate Bobby’s frosty attitude. They’re stuck together day and night, and their chemistry is undeniable… but will it be sweet summer love or a case of too many chefs in the kitchen?

———-

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