Tag: fated mates

Review: Mind Scrambler by Ofelia Gränd

Rating: 3.75🌈

Mind Scramber is in the same universe/series as the wonderful Soul Eater and Ghost Dater. Where the other books involved the fated mates couple of mage Detective Thaddeus Ezax and werewolf ghost Sandulf Hunter, Mind Scrambler focuses on the boss of the Rockshade Paranormal Investigators Department, panther shifter Kol Jaecar.

Kol Jaecar has always presented himself as a dominant, formidable figure in the mixed team of beings that includes a psychic, shifters of several species, a mage and his ghostly mate. It’s a team that doesn’t always function well together with the different pack dynamics in play.

Gränd is able to bring a more complex picture of the personalities and the squad into the storyline here than was previously shown. Maybe that’s because the author was laying out the foundation for the universe and the characters. Elora, the psychic, becomes a more interesting and fully explored character here . We understand her reluctance in using her powers and how the shifters see her interactions with them in regard to their own power dynamics. It’s a great window into into both individuals.

The author opens up her universe and storytelling by enlarging her perspectives even as we meet Elora’s empath brother, Elijah.

He’s already in enormous danger and physical pain.

Trigger warnings for readers should include that this character has undergone extreme domestic abuse and violence, physical and psychological. He’s kidnapped and the implications are unclear for his future. For those readers who are uncomfortable about these issues, please take note.

Elijah has been written as someone who is fundamentally different from everyone else, even his twin. His empathy makes it difficult to tolerate the constant company of beings and their emotions pressing against him. Then pack on a history of abuse and little education of the paranormal species around him, and he becomes a traumatized victim in more than one way.

I thought that the characters and the mate relationship between Kol and Elijah was sensitively handled. Elijah couldn’t just fall immediately into an instant intimate relationship with Kol after the horrible abuse he’s endured under the ex he’s been hiding from. That would negate so much of the trauma and damage. So having it slowly grow made sense.

But I had issues with some of the other things that the author wrote into the narrative. Some felt like drama for drama’s sake. That (spoiler alert) second kidnapping was a bit of an eye roll in every way.

And for a group that’s a part of the Rockshade Paranormal Investigators Department, aka Paranormal police, there felt like very little procedural work going on. Especially when they were trying to find a certain person at the end. Some things were too easy to figure out. Had it been a tv show, I would have been throwing popcorn and shouting out the answer.

The drama there was the showdown in the Interrogation room where Elijah and Kol could have their say with the villain. That is what it was there for, exposition and dramatic moments.

Then came the epilogue.

I really liked the story but came away feeling there were quite a few loose ends that needed some work and explanations.

We are left not knowing what happened to certain important characters and certain magical abilities that were employed by the villain.

Is Ofelia Gränd going to follow up on these elements with another book? I don’t know and that’s more than a little frustrating.

So while I thought this was a better written story In some ways, with more well rounded characters, there were also some narrative elements that were not fully explored or characters that were left without closure.

Hopefully there’s another book to come along that will pick up where this one left off to answer some of these questions.

This author writes some really interesting stories and this is one of them. Pick it up, read the warnings, and enjoy.

Stories in this series:

✓ Soul Eater

✓ Ghost Dater

✓ Mind Scrambler

Buy Link:

Blurb:

Years ago, empath Elijah Long made a bad decision, and he is still paying for it. He’s kept hidden from his abusive werewolf ex for years, but when he wakes in a dark room, cuffed to a wall, he knows he’s out of luck. Elora, his psychic sister, will come for him, he just has to endure long enough to give her a chance to find him.

Captain Kol Jaecar of Rockshade’s Paranormal Investigations Department detests slow times at work, so when Elora wants time off to search for her brother, Kol treats it as if it’s a real case and starts an investigation. What he assumed was a brother not picking up when his sister called turns out to be something else.

Elijah experiences people’s emotions so strongly, it prohibits him from living a normal life. Spending time in the city is out of the question, yet it’s where Elora takes him once she finds him. Elijah does his best to keep his distance, especially from the growling man Elora brought to his rescue. Elijah will never make the mistake of getting close to a shifter again.

The moment Kol smells Elijah, he knows he’s his mate, but how to get close to someone who doesn’t want to be near you? The man who abused Elijah is still on the loose, and Kol calls in the entire team to hunt him down. But how are they to keep Elijah safe when he can’t be around people? And how will Kol stay sane if he can’t touch his mate?

• Publisher: JMS Books LLC (January 30, 2021)

• Publication date: January 30, 2021

• Print length: 198 pages

Review: Cair (Veiled City #1) by Eryn Hawk

Rating: 4.25🌈

Eryn Hawk is a new author for me so I was really curious to see what her Veiled City series was going to be like.

From the description, the LGBTQIA paranormal romance has many familiar themes that readers of this trope will recognize. The human raised by a single mother told to stay away from the Otherworldly side. He’s recently been dumped and is jobless and needs a new home as well.

The other main character is royalty, has made a promise he’ll regret, and will find his soulmate in the human.

That’s familiar in this genre. But Hawk has done some really interesting things with it in the book and series, enough that it makes the story and characters feel fresh and a narrative I could get connected to.

That cover gives the reader hints as to where Hawk is taking her Fae physically. I like a different approach to the Fae and this is certainly that. Cair is all about his physicality and approach he takes to the fact that his soulmate has shown up unexpectedly. I wish Hawk had spent as much time on deepening Cair’s history and how he has spent his time on this side as the author has building up Cair’s half brother Teighan.

I felt I actually had a better understanding of that brother than I did of Cair and his status within the family. The coloration, the sister, that all needed to be enlarged.

Luca was a great character from the beginning. Endearing, intelligent, curious, and written with a snarky dialogue with captures the attention of the reader, he’s quickly the most interesting character of the story.

Then, surprisingly, it’s Teighan, the half brother of the broken horn, sarcastic manner, and one way ticket out of the Fae family, that’s next in line for my favorite and invested emotional connection. Cair , the royal soulmate, and Alex, the human bff, fall in afterwards.

The story has a few formulaic elements , some wonderfully sexy and funny ones, and just a great romantic atmosphere overall.

Hawk plans for a lot more books so it’s hard to tell if some of the elements I found missing are ones the author intends to write into the novels in the future. The hints of danger towards the couple and the mystery about Luca’s past are all left hanging here.

I really enjoyed Cair and am looking forward to seeing what the next in Eryn Hawk’s Veiled City series brings. This is a definite recommendation for people who read fantasy or paranormal fiction and romance.

Veiled City:

✓ Cair #1

◦ Teighan #2

◦ Luca #3

Buy Link:

Cair: MM Paranormal Romance (Veiled City Book 1)

Blurb:

Twenty-five-year-old Luca Elliot lives in a city divided. The humans and the supernaturals mostly keep to their own kind, but Luca—curious and desperate for work—crosses the border and finds himself employed by a tall, stupidly handsome Fae with killer horns. He should be intimidated, but instead, Luca is utterly captivated. Falling for the boss is a bad idea though, right?

Cair Haryk is only a visitor to the human world and, between his position in the Fae kingdom and a bargain he made years ago, he can never remain. He’s content with that until he meets Luca—his soulmate—and hires him to work in his high-end lounge. Cair tries to guard his heart, but fate has other plans and, despite his best intentions, he falls for the pretty little human. Hard.

Luca can’t enter the Fae realm, and Cair’s time in the mortal lands is drawing to an end, so while the attraction between them is irresistible, their situation is impossible. They can’t be together. It’s tragedy and heartbreak just waiting to happen.

Isn’t it?

CAIR is a MM paranormal romance with spice, size difference, and soulmates. It features a lovable human trying to find his place in the supernatural world, and a secretive Fae who’s not as detached as he pretends to be. CAIR is first in the VEILED CITY series, which is best read in order due to the overarching plot. Each book focuses on its own pair and their HEA.

If you want to know more about this story’s tropes, kinks and warnings, visit my Instagram (authorerynhawk) for a full content list—or check the content warning at the beginning of the book.

No mpreg.

Review: Angels and Anarchy (Hunters Hollow, #1) by Arden Steele

Rating: 4.25🌈

If you’re a fan of this author and the series, Blackhaven Manor, or if you just enjoy an entertaining paranormal mystery, then this is the book for you.

It’s a terrific otherworldly thriller with a fated mates romance that has characters from that connected universe and references dramatic events that saw the creation of Hunters Hollow.

Now that one of the three Maddock dragon siblings has established a town and new hotel called Hunters Hollow as a sanctuary for the otherworldly community, the author is set to place a new set of fated mates romances inside the warded township and hotel.

It starts with Angels and Anarchy and a serial killer on the loose. A dead vampire Councilman brings together human waiter/bartender Braeden Burke and nephilim Detective Zarrik Cox . One as a witness , the other as an investigator.

Steele does an excellent job in defining the characters, their personalities, the magical bond that makes them gravitate towards each other, and the messy investigation that follows the murder.

I normally have a issue with couples that don’t communicate but, as friends and family point out, on top of an immediate bond, there’s a serial killer racking up the body count that’s taking up most of Zarrik’s time.

I wish that Braeden had been more open to the idea of therapy than he was, considering that as written, he comes across as severely traumatized by his experience. That was dropped as an element and not addressed again, a weak point here in an individual who has a number of great qualities.

In fact, Steele has potentially so many wonderful storylines threaded in here that not all could be fully realized or explored in the length given. I can only hope that the author will pick them up in the books to come.

The relationship ,once the communication ,begins is wonderful, the chemistry is warm and believable. They make a terrific couple.

The mystery, the dramatic finale, is exactly what you want to see and what the author delivers. With a bit of an unexpected twist.

I can’t wait for the next one in the series. Im definitely recommending Angels and Anarchy (Hunters Hollow, #1) by Arden Steele, it’s a winner.

Hunter’s Hollow:

✓ Angels and Anarchy #1

◦ Beauty and Bad Blood #2

Connected To:

Blackhaven Manor series-9 books

Blackhaven Manor9 booksArden Steele

Buy Link:

Angels and Anarchy (Hunters Hollow Book 1)

Blurb:

Slinging drinks in New Orleans’ French Quarter isn’t the most glamorous job, but Braeden Burke loves the lights, the music, and the excitement. As a long-time believer—even before Otherlings had waltzed out of the paranormal closet—spending his nights flirting with gorgeous werewolves and smooth-talking vampires isn’t exactly a chore. His life is easy, colorful, and for the most part, free of drama.

Until fate throws him a curveball.

It was supposed to be his day off. Instead, Zarrik Cox is called in to investigate the murder of a high-ranking member of the Ministry of Otherling Affairs. Tracking down the only witness to the crime is easy. Discovering the vulnerable human is his mate is a complication he wasn’t expecting.

He might be a nephilim, but he’s no angel, and he’s damn sure no one’s savior. But with a killer on the loose, and Braeden caught in the crosshairs, there’s no limit to how far he’ll go to keep his new mate safe.

Review: Spell It Out ( Mages and Mates Prequel) by Andy Gallo

Rating: 4.5🌈

Spell It Out is less a prequel but more a side story to the wonderful Mages and Matea series by Andy Gallo. This dives into a great couple of teachers at a interspecies high school connected to the university central to the series. Here mage Dylan Jurgenson, cousin to Bart Hollen (Break The Spell), has found out that he’s one of the teacher chaperones on the high school camping trip this year. Each year he’s managed to evade the duty by passing it off to another, like his cousin. But this time, Bart’s busy, so he has no other option. And math teacher , Minotaur shifter Xavier Tollis, is going as well.

Those are the basic facts. With the characters in place, Gallo begins to give us a lovely romantic story, filled with all the details that come with new relationship building, the discovery and discussions, and the joy. That Xavier and Dylan have young teenagers in their charge too adds a wonderful dimension. Gallo allows the kids a youthful energy and enthusiasm that makes the adults feel even more connected.

There are some fantastic teens here with their own issues, some of which coincide with that of Dylan’s poor self esteem. And there are other storylines about family, child neglect, and pack culture. All woven together into a story that has romances, humor, teenage angst , adult drama , mate bonding, and HEA.

Im hoping to see more of this couple together in the series, especially as Bart makes an appearance here. They are both really great characters and have such warmth about them. Actually I’d love to see the students too.

Novellas like Spell It Out ( Mages and Mates Prequel) by Andy Gallo just wet my imagination and enthusiasm for the series and characters I meet. It makes me want to go back to the beginning and start reading again.

This is a definite recommendation. So is the series. It’s listed below.

Mages and Mates:

✓ Spell It Out ( Mages and Mates Prequel)

✓ Break The Spell #1

✓ It Spells Trouble #2

◦ Under A Spell #3 – March 26,2024

Buy Link:

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Spell-O…Spell it Out: An MM Paranormal Romance Novella (Mages and Mates)

Blurb:

Sometimes success is a matter of life or death.

Dylan Jurgenson hates camping but is stuck chaperoning his practical magic class on their fieldtrip. Worse, he’s bunking with sexy math teacher Xavier Tollis. You know, the hot Minotaur shifter who barely knows Dylan exists. Not that Xavier’s lack of interest comes as any surprise. Who’d be interested in a mediocre mage, anyway?

Xavier can handle crazy teens and camping. Who he’d like to handle is the cute mage giving him morning wood so often he could build a house. Unfortunately, even in human form Xavier scares Dylan. Minotaurs have terrible reputations and even worse track records in love. Who’d be crazy enough to take a chance on a big guy like him, anyway?

Just when Dylan and Xavier are finally moving beyond their insecurities and misunderstandings, two students disappear under mysterious circumstances. Working together, they put their newfound feelings and lives on the line to save their wayward charges.

Failure is not an option but playing hero can sure have unintended consequences.

Review: Hellhounds Never Lie (Willow Lake Supernaturals, #1) by Lori Ames

Rating: 4🌈

Hellhounds Never Lie is the first in a new series, Willow Lake Supernaturals, by Lori Ames, an author I’m not really familiar with. I really enjoyed getting acquainted with her writing with Hellhounds Never Lie. It’s location is the town of

Willow Lake, a mixture of humans and supernaturals living together, albeit unknowingly by the small group of humans. It’s considered a haven for supernaturals, a safe sanctuary for all , regardless of pack or political affiliation.

Into this comes a badly wounded fire mage looking for a new home. This is Ash, whose escape from a criminal ex, and a DV and DA situation , has left him with scars inside and out. Ash is a lovely character and one easily invested in.

Ames has created an entire community of characters here to carry over from book to book. Alpha werewolf without a pack that’s part of the entire series arc, a Hellhound police captain, a cat whose supernatural identity isn’t revealed, and on it goes. So many magical hijinks afoot here, especially in the bar that’s the watering hole and gathering place for the town.

Dillon, the new Hellhound the arrives seeking Willow Lake, but ends up a misdirected at the beginning, is also a good character. He fit in well with a wounded fire mage and they have great chemistry. It makes the fated maté’s aspect easy to accept.

Some of the elements here by Ames just telegraph their intentions too easily. As in certain characters might as well have narrative red arrows above them pointing downward saying “bad guy, something wrong here”. So when at the point in the storyline they , gasp, show up as , well, bad, you’re not surprised. That’s why the ratings not higher.

But Ames is able to make a reader feel connected to the town and enough of the characters that, even with the predictable aspects of the plot and some minor characters, the enjoyment isn’t lost. Plus I’m curious about Ash’s best friend on the other side of those texts and he gets the next novel! And there is the ongoing mystery left to solve.

So I’m definitely invested in this series and author going forward. The DV/DA (off page) was handled with sensitivity and the mystery is good. I like the characters and the relationships as they develop. So onward to the next!

And a definite recommendation for this!

Willow Lake Supernaturals:

✓ Hellhounds Never Lie #1

◦ Wolves Always Bite #2 – Nov 1, 2023

Buy Link:

Hellhounds Never Lie: MM Paranormal Romance (Willow Lake Supernaturals Book 1)

Blurb:

A mage without magic. A hellhound without a home. A greedy wolf pack in the hills.

Ash is technically a fire mage, but he can’t do much. Turning his bedroom lights on and off without having to get out of bed isn’t exactly awe inspiring, not when anyone with the right gadget could clap and do the same thing.

Worse, sometimes he senses something bigger and brighter lurking under his skin, and it feels so familiar he knows it has to be his magic, but then he burps or sneezes, and the feeling passes. So it’s probably just allergies… or gas.

Yeah… Not exactly brimming with magical oomph. Not anymore.

It sucks.

But things start to change when he finds Dillon, a hellhound, being chased through the woods by an angry wolf pack. He is instantly smitten and it’s like something inside him unlocks. What’s even crazier is Dillon seems to think Ash still has magic… and now Ash isn’t sure what to believe.

What he does know is he’ll do what needs to be done to protect his friends and the little supernatural town of Willow Lake from the dirtbag wolves in the hills. Even with his magic on the fritz he can help, right? And, with Dillon at his side, what could possibly go wrong?

Tags: a hellhound looking for a home, a fire mage without magic, a talking cat, a small town full of supernatural beings, size difference (BIG hellhound, small mage), fated mates, Ash has scars inside and out, Dillon wants to hurt people who hurt Ash, Ash is always cold (hello, big fluffy pink sweaters even in summer), and a curious human BFF who knows nothing about supes but has a very active imagination.

Review: It Spells Trouble (Mages and Mates #2) by Andy Gallo

Rating: 4.5🌈

The second in Andy Gallo’s Mages and Mates series, It Spells Trouble picks up after the events of the first book. There we met the renowned Hollen family, one of the world’s most powerful group of mages. That book set the series theme of a Great Group of Guardians made up of a certain kind of mage/fated mate pairing, one that’s in need of replacing the current ancient pair with a new one.

Mage Jannick Pederson is half brother to Mage Bartholomew Hollen of book one. We met Jan there and got to know him, along with his troubled background and impetus personality.

Here we see the growth and maturity those events have brought on and get a new understanding of the man we barely knew. Gallo also provides a deeper perspective into the Hollen family dynamics and Jan’s relationship within their inner circle.

The framework of the story is a frightening one. Human children are being kidnapped and the reasons are unknown. Magic is at work here. So mages are needed to track down the missing.

Gallo introduces a new faction of paranormal beings, Gryphons and a conservative pack that has become a nightmare for those who live under it. It’s a relevant aspect of a fantasy world.

Gryphon shifter Conall Arwan is assigned by the Alpha, his father, to help Jan investigate the kidnappings. Conall is another layered, fantastic character as is Jan and each forms a strong bond with this investigation.

Gallo dives into the juxtaposition of families, issues of loyalty and obedience, and heritage and identity here with these two beings. All that laid next to an investigation into missing children and the dangers they may represent.

I was absolutely into this story and their relationship. Several times I was reaching for a couple of tissues.

This series and theme has me hooked. Plus love those covers!

If you’re a fan of fantasy, fated mates, and great world building, Andy Gallo has a series for you.

One I’m definitely recommending.

Mages and Mates:

✓ Break The Spell #1

✓ It Spells Trouble #2

◦ Under A Spell #3 – March 26,2024

Buy Link :

It Spells Trouble: An MM Paranormal Romance (Mages and Mates Book 2)

Blurb:

Mage Jannick Pederson thought it was a simple assignment: help the gryphon leader find some missing human children and then go home. A noble cause, even if he didn’t much like the abrasive jerk. So why didn’t someone tell him he’d be working closely with the leader’s son instead? That hot piece of perfection could make even happily-single Jannick give up his no-strings-attached ways.

Gryphon shifter Conall Arwan has simple goals for his life: get his PhD in pediatric shifter social work and stay off the radar of his disapproving father. When his father orders him to work with a hot but arrogant mage to find missing human kids, all Conall sees is how it pushes back his graduation date. Again. And even if the mage unexpectedly turns out to be not so bad—and maybe even a little sweet—there’s still no future for them. Conall’s dad has plans for him and they don’t include getting involved with a sexy, infuriating mage.

But fate has other ideas.

It Spells Trouble is a 75K word fated mates romance with a hearty dose of steam and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. This book is part of the Mages and Mates series and includes a plot to destroy the world, a desperate decision with far-reaching consequences, and one pissed off gryphon father.

Each book in the series can be read alone, but they are better read in order.

Review: Wild Fire (Drake Security #3) by Mika Nix

Rating: 4.75🌈

This series just got immeasurably better. Wild Fire, the third in this series about a clutch of dragonshifter brothers finding their fated mates, is my favorite to date.

It’s not that I find the authors, K.M. Neuhold and Mia Monroe, have just written two really fascinating characters, it’s that I don’t remember reading anything that resembles them in another book before. And that’s even more compelling here.

A dragon who’s uncaring about assembling his own hoard , and thrives in the cities and masses away from the smothering isolation of his brothers. And a wolfshifter who has a compulsion to amass a hoard , who needs his space away from his pack, who’s more interested in his own world than his pack’s. A yin looking for their yang.

This switch in characteristics is unexpected and so narratively rewarding.

It makes for a sensational journey or hunt when both Arson Drake and Draydon start on their remarkable continental quest for art treasures and find themselves falling into a surprising relationship with each other. One that carries definite overtones of Romeo and Juliet, as dragons and wolves are enemies up to this stage.

The two person perspective works so well as Arson and Draydon fight the attraction that pulls them together from country to country, their inner beasts empowering their decisions as well. The authors writing as Nix have given the reader two powerfully defined beings that are unique and unable to stay apart. And are trying to explain to themselves why, and if it even matters anymore.

Anything outside of that narratively has to come across as being less interesting because of how rich and powerful these two are.

The elements with the vampires are necessary for being the tool to bring the Montagues and Capulets together, I mean , dragons and wolves , but it comes across as just that. A narrative tool.

Could have been anything, unless it’s going to be included in another story.

Which is set up here by bringing in a new character and younger brother from another “clutch” who’s in trouble.

Interesting but there’s still a couple of unmatched brothers from the original group needing mates. Guess Lord and Tino will have to wait.

Anyway, Wild Fire (Drake Security #3) by Mika Nix is a sure fire winner. Fabulous characters, marvelously plotted romance, and twisted personality traits I really appreciated.

It helps to read the series in order to understand the characters, the events, and the relationships. Lake especially. He’s so over the top divine!

Highly recommended!❤️

Drake Security:

✓ Hot Head #1

✓ Smoulder #2

✓ Wild Fire #3

Buy Link:

Wild Fire (Drake Security Book 3)

Description:

He’s my nemesis, my rival, and the man I can’t get out of my head. We may be star-crossed but there’s enough heat between us to start a wildfire.

I’ve never been one to follow the rules, but sleeping with a wolf shifter might be over the line, even for me. So, why can’t I get him out of my head? Or his scent out of my nose. Even on the other side of the world, I swear I can still smell him.

Everyone has a hobby, mine just happens to be stealing from the rich and powerful to give back to the rightful owners. A native art exhibit in Sydney is the last place I expected to see Draydon again. I can’t shake the feeling that he’s here for the same reason I am… and here I thought larceny couldn’t get any more fun.

I’m a dragon without a proper hoard and he’s too jaded to even trust his own pack. But we’ve already lit a fire that’s getting out of hand.

Stealing Draydon’s heart might be my most impossible heist yet.

Review: Guarding Axel (Dark Forest Pack #3) by Annabelle Jacobs

Rating: 3.5🌈

Guarding Axel is the penultimate book in Jacobs’ Dark Forest Park series, so the series arc themes, which are plentiful, need to start coming together.

Axel Molhieth, a tormented Fae with full of secrets and a dark past has been a great source of mystery and interest for me and I think most people. Especially when it comes to the complicated relationship he has with the wolf shifter Talis.

Best friends until the enemy captures Axel , Talis, and others with a toxic Fae plant . The fallout from that traumatic event, destroys their close relationship, and sets the pack to guarding Axel against an old betrayer from his past.

I was looking forward to this story because of the hot chemistry between the were Talis and the Fae Axel but something happened and along the way, it dissipated under the weight of Axel’s overly complicated “secret “ and inability to trust within the storyline.

While Talis remains the tormented soul, denied his bond by Axel, by circumstances, hurt by the close proximity of Axel, Talis is the strongest character in the story. The most compelling.

That’s partly the reason why the story doesn’t work out as well. Both main characters need to balance out each other and, for me at least, they don’t.

Jacobs builds up this enormous amount of narrative suspense and anticipatory anguish around a secret that Axel’s been holding onto. It’s the one keeping him from having a relationship with Talis, why he’s causing so much drama and damage within the pack structure, so it should be something so earth shattering, so emotionally and physically traumatizing to makeup for all the harm the reader sees him causing for us to make sense of it all.

It’s one his cousin knows about. Btw.

But when it’s revealed, I kept waiting for the rest of the reveal. Thinking surely there’s more. There wasn’t.

And when his own cousin and the mate of the Alpha both tell Axel , the equivalent of “snap out of it” because you know better, this has been going on for too long, then either the secret wasn’t written well enough or this element was executed in a way that made Axel a character I just couldn’t connect with.

There’s far too many loose ends. I’m sure Jacobs will pick them up in the next book. But this just didn’t have the same feeling as the previous stories, at least as far as the main couple. I didn’t feel like Axel had a great relationship with either the pack or Talis, given his actions and inability to understand how they impacted those around him.

Usually Annabelle Jacobs does a great job explaining the dynamics behind those decisions and how the character comes back into balance. Here I never thought that happened.

I’m looking forward to Loving Jake, the series finale. And to seeing how everything plays out.

Dark Forest Pack series:

🔷Claiming Rys #1

🔷Redeeming Nick #2

🔷Guarding Axel #3

🔷Loving Jake #4 – Sept 28, 2023

Buy Link:

Guarding Axel (Dark Forest Pack Book 3)

Description:

A silver-haired fae with a shattered heart—a green-eyed shifter with enough love to heal him.

Axel

Burnt by a past betrayal, I’ve learnt the hard way to keep my heart locked up tight. As tempting as Talis is, all I can offer is friendship, because trusting someone again is a risk I can’t take. Love means sharing the true nature of my magic, and the last time I did that it almost cost me my life.

Talis

I want what every shifter wants.

A mate, a partner. Someone I can call mine.

Axel Molhieth, beautiful and free-spirited, makes it crystal clear that isn’t him. Will never be him.

I know it’ll end badly for me, but I want him anyway.

One night is all it takes to ruin their friendship, and avoidance is the easy way out. But when Axel’s past catches up with him, putting his life in danger, they’re forced to finally face the consequences of their night together.

Guarding Axel is an MM paranormal romance featuring a protective shifter desperate for love, and a beautiful fae afraid to trust. Full of magic, suspense, and sizzling UST, with a guaranteed HEA.

Review: Brimstone (a Culinary Creatures novella) by L. Eveland

Rating: 4.25🌈

L. Eveland was a new author for me when I stumbled across the covers for this series. Another example of never underestimating the power of great graphic cover design .

Then come the blurb. Food, high grade restaurant , cooking, and demon chef. Like that doesn’t confirm something I’ve suspected for years! I was definitely checking it out.

Human Chef Adam has worked and strived and cooked his entire life in order to achieve his dream of becoming a professional chef and working with the universally renowned restauranteur and chef, Chef Inzo Amoretti, owner of the famous 3 star Michelin restaurant, Brimstone.

Chef Inzo, an immortal incubus, hired the immensely talented human chef, Adam, when the passion Adam has for his profession and the meals he creates, ignited Chef Inzo Amoretti ‘s flagging energies and own passions .

But the the presence of Adam in Inzo’s restaurant reveals something far greater, and dangerous to them both.

Eveland has delivered a delicious, kinky paranormal romance. It’s awash with sensuality, threaded with the riches of the senses through foods, sauces, aroma, differing sexual desires and kinks. The author doesn’t fail the romance, powering up an equally fierce love for each other as well as all the high quality ingredients and sensational flavors .

Be prepared to drool over the preparation and recipes of the new dishes that have unexpected touches inspired by Adam and his demon Chef.

All the above combines into a mate bond tale of lusty romance and satisfying relationship, at least in that we have only a few questions left unanswered about their life spans together.

This story will happily continue into the next book, Beefcake. That will feature another couple and a wedding cake.

Can’t wait.

This is a definite recommendation!

Culinary Creatures:

Brimstone #1

Beefcake #2 – Dec 31, 2023

Buy Link:

Brimstone: A High Heat, Low Stakes MM Monster Romance Novella (Culinary Creatures Book 1)

Description:

One taste is never enough.

Becoming Brimstone’s head chef is a dream come true, even though I’m the only human on the staff.

Working for Chef Inzo Amoretti? Not so much. Sure, he’s a talented genius and distractingly gorgeous, but he’s also a demanding incubus with impossibly high standards, especially when it comes to me. It seems nothing I do in the kitchen is good enough for Chef Inzo.

Yet he’s so sinfully attractive, I can’t stop thinking about him, even when he’s shouting at me.

Falling for my boss is bad enough, but for an incubus? Is it worth putting my soul on the line for a little taste of heaven?

Brimstone is the first book in the Culinary Creatures series. Each novella in this series is a standalone MM monster romance that features high heat, low stakes, and a delicious recipe you can try at home!

Review: Lost and Bound (Mismatched Mates Book 7) by Eliot Grayson

Rating: 4.5🌈

Lost and Bound has to be one of my favorites of this series so far. It’s got a horrifying beginning. We get dropped into a nightmare where a character previously thought dead is imprisoned, tortured, and experimented on.

Jared Armitage, a problematic character who’s caused no end of heartbreak and issues for his own family and pack is now close to dying. He’s cognizant that he’s made many wrong choices to get where he’s is but doesn’t want to die.

I like that Grayson’s creation of Jared reflects the fact that Jared’s made enormous mistakes and that he realizes exactly why he made them, the flaws in himself that made his betrayals possible. Jared is such a tortured , damaged soul but his acceptance of his guilt lays the way towards his forgiveness and acceptance.

Calder is a striking figure. From the first dark, fearsome impression of a starving monster to the being that we continue to see grow beyond our understanding, he’s such a formidable force. And my favorite.

Watching these two together, as they work through traumatic events, family disputes, and further emotional devastation, well, it’s gripping, sexy, and deeply satisfying.

More about these two please because I feel their story is far from over.

Arik and Matt, Ian and Nate make strong appearances here. But the book belongs to Jared and Calder.

I’m highly recommending it. The series too. Read them mostly in order . Skip First Blood. For many reasons.

Mismatched Mates:

The Alpha’s Warlock #1

Captive Mate #2

A Very Armitage Christmas #3

First Blood #4

The Alpha Experiment #5

Lost and Bound #6

Lost Touch #7

The Alpha Contract #8

Twice Bitten #9

Buy link:

Lost and Bound (Mismatched Mates)

Description:

Kidnapped, imprisoned, and experimented on for two years, Jared Armitage has lost the will to live. When his captors give him to another prisoner, one who can and probably will take Jared’s life, he comes face to face with the most terrifying thing of all: hope.

Calder’s warlock captors meant to turn him into a monster, and they nearly succeeded. Starved, desperate, and filled with rage, Calder hasn’t cared about anyone in years. Until Jared. Together they have a chance at escape and Calder has someone to fight and kill for. To cherish. Someone he doesn’t want to hurt.

Life after captivity isn’t easy. Jared never wanted a mate like Calder, but he craves Calder’s intense attention, his ability to take Jared apart…and then put him back together again. Even if their mate bond is only temporary.

But Calder’s made a promise—one he’ll die before he breaks—never to hurt Jared or let him be hurt. Unexpected enemies are lurking, targeting Jared, Calder’s one weakness. Their intense bond—and maybe even love—are worth everything, and they’re both willing to fight for it…or die trying.

Lost and Bound contains dubcon and graphic violence. It also includes a monster who torments his mate by being too gentle, the werewolf who can’t stop craving him, and knotting—and a guaranteed HEA. The book has new main characters, but it is best read in series. This series does not contain mpreg.