Tag: fated mated

Review: Wolfsbane (Werewolves of Boston #1) by S J Himes

Rating: 3.5🌈

Wolfsbane is in the murky area that the characters and locations are familiar to those who have read The Beacon Hill Sorcerer series, and yes , that main character makes an important contribution here.  So while you might say it’s a standalone story, it’s also not really one as many elements crossover.

Wolfsbane (Werewolves of Boston #1) by S J Himes is also a series of one novel.  The characters themselves will make appearances elsewhere but this is it for them. 

Rael, a young person whose heritage has made him unwelcome in his pack (his mother is a werewolf and deceased father human).  He’s unable to shift, or show other otherworldly traits that would make him acceptable. 

The author sets up an emotional showdown at a pack meeting that goes unexpectedly sideways with Rael and his mother not leaving but instead Rael has a suitor.

This all comes together rapidly , and while Rael and Jameson Mercer, his suitor, agree on a set time to get to know each other, there no “feeling “ of them being able to communicate or interact because of the dramatic events that soon followed.

The short length rushes the narrative smartly along to the detriment of much depth of character or relationship development. It’s just everything falling into place. 

Drama. Romance. Villains identified. Help offered and accepted for various elements of the plot. New final surprise scene and wrap up. 

It’s lively, fun, and a fast paced read. The couple is cute and the mom wonderful.   For more than that it needs details, depth, and story length. 

For which I recommend The Sorcerer of Beacon Hill series. Just excellent. 

I do recommend it if you’re a fan of the series and author. I enjoyed it.

Werewolves of Boston (1 book series)

Related series/universe:

The Beacon Hill Sorcerer (8 book series) by Sheena Jolie writing as S.J. Himes

Buy link 

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comWerewolves of Boston (1 book series) Kindle Edition

Blurb 

Introducing a new series, Werewolves of Boston, set in the same universe as The Beacon Hill Sorcerer!

Rael Morrow is a human-werewolf hybrid, and he’s about to be kicked out of his pack. Unable to transform, Rael is left with few options. He can accept the Alpha’s ruling and be banished, pulling his mother with him—or agree to a courtship with Jameson Mercer, heir presumptive of their Boston Southside Pack and the object of Rael’s longtime unrequited crush.

If he mates with Jameson, he can remain in the pack, and he and his mother won’t have to suffer the indignity of being forced to uproot their whole lives. 

Rael reluctantly agrees to the plan. He’s been in love with Jameson since he was a kid, and there’s no way Jameson cares about him in the same way. Rael is afraid he’s setting himself up for a lifetime of misery.

But then begins a seduction that breaks down every preconceived notion that Rael had about Jameson, and he dares to hope. 

Of course, things are never that easy. Jameson is the perfect alpha, and Rael’s human heritage hides a secret that threatens his life. The Southside Pack is primed to fracture as power dynamics shift. And Rael is forced to reconcile who he always thought he was with who he could become.

WOLFSBANE is a 37,000 word novella set in the Infinite Arcana, an expanded universe shared with The Beacon Hill Sorcerer, but can be read as a standalone.

  • Publisher: S.J. Himes (July 25, 2020)
  • Publication date: July 25, 2020
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 140 pages

Review:  Death Song (Tales from the Tarot story) by B. Ripley

Rating: 3.5🌈

Based on the major arcana card Death.

If nothing else, that gorgeous cover, which plays into an element of the story, would have drawn me to the book.  

But so do the themes of eternity, love, grief, mourning,fated mates, and death as they play out interestingly over the course of B. Ripley’s Death Song, another in the series, Tales of the Tarot.

While I’m not sure if all the storylines and components end up working smoothly together or feeling as though they were throughly understood or well defined at the end of the story, it’s interesting and written in such a manner that I was invested right to the finish. 

The haunted artist, Charlie, who’s compelled nightly to paint the same subjects, is especially endearing.  If anything, the author fashioned this character with an over abundance of traits and unusual features that threatened to overwhelm his storyline and the poignant nature of his situation.   Charlie is this, and this, and wait, Charlie’s this too. And somewhere along the way, parts of his narrative gets lost or overlooked in the process of developing one of the newer aspects of the storyline.  

It’s a shame, because Charlie’s story, at its baseline, is easily one of the most powerful and emotionally compelling.  A artist paints the same character over and over because he has no choice. 

Rex, the subject matter, is also a great character, one that also gets the kitchen sink treatment.  Everything gets attached to him as well, his haunted, savage past, a found family and his current life that’s not exactly clearly defined.  I enjoyed his relationship with Charlie.

However, Ripley is using this to launch a new series. So Charlie and Rex’s story turns into something muddled and confusing by the end. 

There’s missing souls (this is a major question for me), Reapers, werewolves, dropped storylines, and, imo, while I enjoyed the romance, the initial potential and plot offering was never obtained. 

So there’s a continuation of this series with the same characters with a book called Finn to come.  

Death Song (Tales from the Tarot story) by B. Ripley was a good read but the author tried to jam it into too many different slots.  One for the first book in a series so it needed lots of foundation information and extraneous details (characters), and one standalone book in a multi-author series.  I’m just not sure it was great in either category.

Read it and decide for yourself.

 Cover art: Fae Quin 

Cover design: Amanda Meuwissen

Tales from the Tarot is a massive multi-author paranormal & fantasy MM romance collaboration. These 22 books, each by a different author, highlight the Major Arcana cards in a traditional Tarot deck – with some liberties taken, such as The Empress card being The Consort, for an all MM or gay romance focus.

Tales from the Tarot- 22 books 

🔷 Where Fools Have Tread by Jennifer Cody❤️

🔷The Magician’s Heart by J.P. Jackson

🔷Cleric of Desire by Amanda Meuwissen❤️

🔷The Nephilim’s Touch by Morgan Lysand

🔷King of Hollywood by Fae Quin

🔷My Minotaur Daddy: An MM Romantasy by Laura Lascarso

🔷Across Space and Time by Kit Barrie

🔷Chariot of Souls by Morgan Mason

🔷By Rude Strength ❤️by K.L. Hiers

🔷Found in Obscurity by A. M. Rose

🔷Twisted Fates by Adam J. Ridley

🔷No Justice for the Damned by Hellie Heat

🔷The Angel’s Kiss by Nicholas Bella

🔷Death Song by B. Ripley 

🔷Arcanum by Ashlyn Drewek

🔷The Devil’s Dilemma by Alex J. Adams

🔷Camelot’s Tower by Brooke Matthews

🔷A Highland Gargoyle’s Lucky Star

by Chloe Archer

🔷Trust in the Moon by Delaney Rain

🔷Raising the Sun by Eryn Hawk

🔷Zero Judgment by Kota Quinn

🔷The End of the World by Drake LaMarque

Buy link

        Death Song

    

Blurb

CHARLIE

Art is my livelihood, but the things I paint in the dead of night might just kill me.

Night after night, I am pulled from my sleep and compelled by some unseen force to paint the face of the man who haunts my dreams. I cannot resist the urge to capture his life on canvas, and the song of grief and mourning that he sings is forever stuck in my head. I don’t know who he is, but meeting him face to face feels like fate.

Rex. I finally have a name. If I can keep it together long enough to finish the commission he hires me for, I might be able to earn the rest I desire – and learn the truth of who I am and why my dreams of Rex include the pierce of fangs and a throne from the distant past.

Death Song is a standalone MM paranormal romance novel as part of the multi-author collaboration Tales from the Tarot. This book is based on the major arcana card Death.

  • Publication date: October 3, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 226 pages

Review: Rago: An Order Universe Short Story by Kasia Bacon

Rating: 4.5🌈

Utterly charming. Kasia Bacon’s short fantasy stories are succinct well developed windows into her established, ever widening Order Universe. Each has its own unique narrative with a different location, couple, often complete with cultural references and fleeting hints from past events.

Always my main issue is they’re over too soon, leaving us wanting more with a couple we’ve just connected with, and learned to love.

Rago brings that home because this contains too such beautifully crafted characters, totally different, yet so perfectly balanced and defined that they’re immediately recognizable, real and breathtaking in their fated mates magic.

There’s Lieutenant Laahn Ĉortez, with a background the author so delicately hints at, one of a family he’s risen above and a recent traumatizing past as a prisoner of war in a brutally, cruel enemy prison. She fleshes him out as a highly respected soldier and man of character in just mere sentences.

It’s a fabulous layered portrait . We know exactly who Laahn is. But we aren’t prepared for the sheer adorability , the absolute magic that is Rago! The dragon shifter that’s recognized it’s mate and is crying out its need!

They are so sweet and perfect for each other. Laahn who hasn’t felt safe before now and the sweetness of the dragon warrior who has found his mate.

I was entranced by their meeting, charmed by their love, and wanted to know what happened next. And about Rago’s people.

Laahn and Rago are magic and I hope Bacon brings them back in another story.

There’s a guide to the Order Universe at the back but it’s not necessary to have read any of the other books to enjoy Rago!

I’m highly recommending it to all lovers of fantasy, fated mates, and dragons.

Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com › Rago-O…Rago: An Order Universe Short Story eBook : Bacon, Kasia: Kindle Store

Description:

Lieutenant Laahn Ĉortez is about to sit down to his well-deserved supper when destiny hits—winged, scaled and more than a little tipsy.

Rago is a fated mates/forced proximity short story from The Order Universe, featuring a puffing dragon shifter and a romp in the fencing hall.

Review: The Dragon King’s Philosopher (The Dragons of Serai Book 3) by Amy Sumida

Rating: 4.5🌈

With The Dragon King’s Philosopher , Amy Sumida expands her universe and basic foundation knowledge her readers understood for The Dragons of Serai series. That new depth alone makes this a fascinating book.

Each book picks up directly from the events of the last, the narrative backtracking a scene or two to refresh the reader’s memory on every aspect of the novel’s story.

So we’re ready to jump into Prince Thais’ life, knowing the humiliation and pain his twin sister has caused him and his family in the aftermath of The Dragon Prince’s Necromancer (#2).

He’s sworn off his crushes on warriors, and needs an immediate diversion, preferably away from family, home, and sister. He’s answered by a official missive from The Kingdom of Ha’tezan asking for his help on a archaeological project of great significance.

It’s yes and he’s off to a place few have made voyages to.

By traveling to the country (an island) and kingdom of Ha’tezan, Sumida creates an entire new continent of different niche environments along with new races, cultures, and histories that inhabit it. Ones that both challenge and entrance Prince Thais.

Lord Thas Thorncal, family enclave Fyrehollde, of Zaru, scholar, linguist, philosopher, but not warrior, isn’t exactly ready for the King or Kingdom he’s flying into.

It’s one of remarkable ancient traditions and architecture, wonders and marvels that rival nothing Thas has ever seen. Yet the culture he’s meeting is steeped in mistrust, a lack of scientific vision, as well as superstitious, beliefs passed down through generations until they’ve become so rigidly accepted as non-refutable.

It’s also built upon the notion that power and fear rules. A society hard for a non-warrior to understand and find a place to fit in.

I found myself really thinking about the layers Sumida is adding in here to her world building. Ones that not only layers over prior foundation knowledge, but new ones that can substantially change , enhance, or even twist that she’s already given us.

So that our minds are occupied with all this rich tapestry of knowledge when we are also involved in other equally complex storylines involving our characters , their lives, and potential relationship.

I wasn’t a complete fan of King Xa’din of Ha’tezan. I found myself thinking there’s at least one other candidate I prefer for Thas here over a superstitious brute of a King with the communication skills of a toddler. Honestly, that never went completely away. And is the reason this story didn’t get a 5 star review.

Because Sumida handles so many other issues and tricky elements of the story with a deft narrative hand. The format, the amazing imagery, the fantastic storytelling and new characters!

I was enthralled.

Thas Thorncal, and the new characters (which I absolutely cannot speak of without giving away huge spoilers) are beautifully written, captivating in their portrayal of men in a momentous moment in their lives, and a yet , in a fantasy world, made believable by their circumstances and choices.

I can’t wait for the next installment and this journey to unfold.

I’m highly recommending that you read these book in the order that they are written to understand the history, characters, relationships, and world building.

The Dragons of Serai series:

✓ The Dragon King’s Assassin #1

✓ The Dragon Prince’s Necromancer #2

✓ The Dragon King’s Philosopher #3

◦ The Dragon God’s Sacrifice #4 – Jan 30, 2023

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Dragon-…A Gay Fantasy Romance (The Dragons of Serai Book 3) – Kindle edition by Sumida …

Amy Sumidahttps://www.amysumida.com › the-…The Dragon King’s Philosopher → New Book Release by Amy Sumida

Description:

A broken heart sent me running right into his arms.

I live in a world of magic, but I’m a man of science. Nothing thrills me more than learning, be it a new language, culture, or the way something works. That is, until I fell for the Dragon Prince of Zaru. After he mated another man, I found myself listless, searching for something to ease the heartache. So when the offer of an archaeological job in Ha’tezan came to me, I accepted it instantly. I didn’t ask what it paid or who was hiring me; I didn’t care. I just needed to get out of Zaru.

My employer is a king—King Xa’din of Ha’tezan. At first, he seemed brutal, ruling his kingdom with an iron claw and a pair of cursed, mismatched eyes. But I sense there’s something magnificent waiting behind his hard exterior, just as there is behind the ancient doors he’s unearthed. And as intriguing as King Xa’din is, so is his island kingdom. It’s full of exotic creatures and people I’ve never seen before. I intend to uncover all the secrets of Ha’tezan, especially those of its King. I just pray that I haven’t traded heartbreak for something more fatal.