Tag: LGBTGIA paranormal series

Review: Devil’s Mark (The Reckless Damned #1) by Lark Taylor

Rating: 4🌈

I had such a mixture of feelings when I finished this story. I couldn’t quite decide what I’d just read. The first of a new series by Lark Taylor, its such a remarkable grab bag of paranormal and contemporary elements that I’m not confident all the various aspects of the storyline fit well all the time.

The series is focused on the four sons of Lucifer, each of which will have their own book/romance. This is Cal’s, the eldest. He’s the Butcher of the Ninth Circle. Or was. Until he and two other brothers made their escape from Hell, displeasing Lucifer greatly, leaving a fourth brother behind.

Cal runs a bookstore, Mori a bar, Harlow, their business partner. Anyway. They are all different, in temperament and physique.

One’s elegant, one a lumbersexual, one a tiny glam demon. You’ve seen the types before. You don’t really get to know them early on as far as a detailed background. It’s an instant jump into a dead body on the floor with a scramble to assemble a sense of who these characters are and what’s the current drama they are involved in.

Then we go to Oscar, a teacher, our other narrator. Oscar is human and represents the contemporary aspects of the story, which, until the end, are consistently written in a believable manner with respect to someone who’s been a victim of domestic abuse and now suffers from low self esteem and anxiety attacks. Oscar realistically not yet recovered from his trauma as a domestic abuse survivor. That violence has caused his severe anxiety attacks,one’s he’s not even sure what might still trigger them.

These are on the page attacks with memories associated with his domestic violence, so if this is a element that’s a sensitive subject for you , take note and decide if this is a story for you.

Oscar and Cal’s relationship has its great moments, especially when Cal’s (a demon Prince) is being supportive in exactly the right way , and the author uses Cal to demonstrate the correct manner to help someone having a anxiety attack. All terrific.

But this is a story and series about demons, Princes of Hell. Not puppy dogs. So there’s death and torture too. Especially since Father’s insisting they come home.

Also humor, and mentions of other authors books because there is a romance novel connection too.

Yes, as I said Devil’s Mark has got a carryon’s worth of exposition to dump into this story. I haven’t even gotten to the Devil’s Mark itself, think bondmate bite of a werewolf sort of thing. And brotherly dynamics. And father/sons dynamics. So much here left without a firm foundation.

I’m hoping to get that in the next book.

If you’re a lover of paranormal romances, hurt/comfort, with some dark aspects, this might be for you. Please take note of the comments about trigger warnings.

I enjoyed this and am looking forward to the next installment.

The Reckless Damned series:

✓ The Devil’s Mark #1

◦ The Devil May Care #2 – Nov. 9, 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showDevil’s Mark (The Reckless Damned #1) by Lark Taylor – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Cal and his brothers turned their backs on the family business over a hundred years ago. Hell is tired of waiting for them to return.

Cal

I’ve never wanted a relationship—especially not with a human. With my father demanding my return to Hell and a demon leaving dead bodies in my bookshop, now is not the time to lose my heart. But one look in Oscar’s broken eyes, and I know I’m in trouble. Oscar’s been hurt before, and everything in me screams to keep him safe. How can I do that when I know being with me will only put him in more danger?

More importantly, am I strong enough to walk away from him?

Oscar

After escaping my last relationship with broken bones and an anxiety disorder, I’m tired of living half a life. My world revolves around my classroom, flat, and best friend. When fate throws Cal in my path, he seems too good to be true. He looks like he’s been pulled from my fantasies, and my baggage doesn’t scare him. Ok, so there’s the tiny issue of him being a demon, but I’ve dealt with far scarier.

I’ve been broken once before, and I don’t think I’d survive it again. Can I let down my barriers enough to let Cal in?

Devil’s Mark is a thrilling high heat, hurt/comfort, M/M contemporary paranormal romance with a HEA and no cliff-hanger. It features a possessive demon and the broken teacher who captures his heart. ‘Devil’s Mark’ is the first in The Reckless Damned series but can be read as a standalone. Each book focuses on a different couple and will have a HEA.

Trigger warning for emotional abuse and domestic violence in a previous relationship, anxiety attacks, and descriptions of violence.

———-

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

Review: The Chosen One : Volume Three by Macy Blake

Rating: 4.5🌈

Volume Three:

🔹Give Him Hell,Hellhound Champions #3

🔹Nothing Gained, Chosen One #4

🔹Stop At Nothing, Chosen One #5

🔹Sweet Spot, single

I really debated about that rating because this is an fantastic series and , from a overall perspective, it deserves a 5 rating.

However, this collection has a few elements that, as a group I feel tended to take away from the anticipation and potential of a powerful finale.

Give Him Hell, Hellhound Champions #3, is actually my favorite of the three. Nick’s story has it all. A traumatic adolescence, a damaged man who’s history has given him a mission in life that’s as much mystery as he is. It’s full of found family, magical beings, a great relationship, and , really, a huge amount of character growth.

Nick and Hellhound Jedrek are perfection. And now I understand all Nick’s Alpha appearances in the other series. This book is that foundation.

Now to the rest.

Nothing Gained and Stop at Nothing are the two books that essentially tie up Sawyer’s Chosen One storyline. Sawyer needs to complete his circle of Guardians, get his guide, figure out how to defeat his brother , and win the war.

So huge! Right? There are some fantastic elements here. Ones that mix mythology, spirit animals and communication, even past lives to a very fascinating degree. How does someone correct past mistakes if past knowledge has been purposefully erased… by them? Interesting , deeply complex questions. With equally labyrinthine answers. That takes two books to unravel.

Great stuff.

Other beautifully crafted sections? That regarding the wounded, wary Guardian Dakota. He was so well written, so intriguing that you wanted more. Of his history and that of the family we got introduced to. They were all so interesting and unique.

And that was a issue with the last Guardian. All the other great Guardians had powers, some had wounded backgrounds, fascinating personalities, and, honestly, a visible reason to be a part of the Guardian circle. And not just because each represents a Element. The last missing Guardian? Cute as a button but made no sense other than as a “plug-in “ storylight character, who’s aspect could go comedic “high maintenance twink” or “adorable boy toy”. No history. No layers.

Even his “animal “ had me scratching my head in the manner he called it/them.

But even that part , as one dimensional as it is compared to all the other Guardians, doesn’t seem as overdone as all the ongoing multi-partners sex scenes.

When they started, it was sexy and a way to cement the polyamory relationship between Chosen One and his Guardian mates. It made sense.

But here, as the danger grew overwhelming, the partners were wounded, tired, even hospitalized, the orgies never abated. Research continues around them, or on top of them. People get called away from them and return to them.

It makes them less sexy. More like slot A into Slot B type of activity when the amount of sexual activity exceeds story plot. It was almost at that level. A “really.. again?” type of sex scene.

A lightweight major character , too many sex scenes seemed to slow the narrative’s forward motion as it moved towards its tumultuous and scary series finale.

Blake does a outstanding job with formatting that momentous battle into something truly heart stopping and highly suspenseful. From that battle onward it’s a careening, wild ride to the finish. A very satisfying one too.

The epilogue is the only aspect, that has , again, just a few things that bothers me. The Guardians and Sawyer have their happy ending. But a character, who’s played a huge part in this series, and was involved in a traumatic incident, gets written off with a sentence. That struck me as all sorts of wrong and , frankly, undeserved, given his status within the group. More about his situation was definitely called for. The reader was invested in him. As was Sawyer and the group. I don’t get it.

Other characters also just disappeared. I don’t know if it’s Into future storylines and novels but precious time was spent here getting us involved in them so don’t we deserve to know more?

I think what was missing overall in the last Chosen One stories is a sense of narrative flow and emotional balance. Sex scenes over plot and character resolution. A rush story wise because so much went forward quickly , narratively speaking.

And this is why I had issues with the rating. I read them together, and whether that made the issues I had more glaring or not, I won’t know. The whole series is incredible. The maxed out battle and finale absurdly fantastic! A true “I’m crying, hold your breath “ battle!

Then there’s Sweet Spot.

The fourth is a standalone novella , about Guardian Eduard’s widower father, Augustus, and the young man he meets on a island getaway. It’s a second chance at love, age gap sweet story with a slice of kink. I love it.

I’m highly recommending this series. You would be reading the last Chosen books in the order anyway so you might as well read them in this collection and get the wonderful other books as well.

The other series in the Chosen One Universe are ongoing which I’m thrilled about. That’s Magical Mates and Chosen Champions. Stay tuned for more Chosen goodness.

Happy Reading!

The Chosen One Universe Volume Three – Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › book › show

Have You Been Chosen?

For the first time, Macy Blake’s two bestselling paranormal fantasy series are being published in a three-volume mega-verse box set!

Each volume will feature three full-length MM novels with dragons, hellhounds, vampires and more, with never before published bonus material. All in reader-requested chronological order.

Volume Three:

Give Him Hell: Hellhound Champions Book Three

Nick Smith is a man with a mission: find the place where he’d been held captive as a child and discover what happened to the kids he left behind. He needs answers, especially since he discovered he can shift into a lion. Instead he finds a huge Viking of a man with flaming eyes who threatens Nick’s shaky hold on his control. When Nick’s past collides with a powerful, evil force causing havoc in the supernatural world, Nick races to find who is responsible for the current rash of dark magic. With a hellhound at his side, what could go wrong?

Nothing Gained: The Chosen One Book Four

With the truth finally revealed that Sawyer is the son of a powerful goddess, Sawyer must find the strength to fix the broken magic in his world. There’s only one problem: he has no clue how to do it. Even with six of his eight mates at his side, Sawyer doubts he has what it takes, especially as he is growing weaker by the day. With his newest guardian hiding in the shadows, Sawyer has to find the answers before it’s too late, for both him and his mates.

Stop at Nothing: The Chosen One Book Five

Rising forces of darkness are attacking faster than Sawyer and his mates can mount a defense. It’s time to fight, but Sawyer has too much to lose to risk disaster. The final pieces of the puzzle are falling into place, but they leave him with more questions than answers. He heads into the final battle without the knowledge…or the power…to win. Sawyer only knows one thing: he will stop at nothing to keep his mates safe.

Includes bonus short story:

Sweet Spot

When the goddess tells Augustus Eastaughffe to go to the mountains to find what he needs, he’s more than happy to comply. The billionaire griffin is in the midst of a deepening mystery and expects to find some of the answers he seeks. Instead, he finds a captivating human who proves to be sweeter than any he’s ever met.

❤️Chosen Universe Multi-series Reading Order:

1. Sweet Nothings- Prequel
– The Chosen One

2. The Trouble With Love
– Nothing But Trouble, Book 1

3. Santa Trouble
– Nothing But Trouble, Book 2

4. All or Nothing
– The Chosen One, Book 1

5. Nothing Ventured
– The Chosen One, Book 2

6. Hell on Earth
– Hellhound Champions, Book 1

7. Double or Nothing

8. Next to Nothing
– The Chosen One, Book 3

9. Hell To Pay
– Hellhound Champions, Book 2

10. Give Him Hell
– Hellhound Champions, Book 3

11. Nothing Gained
– The Chosen One, Book 4

12. Stop at Nothing
– The Chosen One, Book 5

13. Sweet Spot

14. All Kidding Aside
– Magical Mates, Book 1

15. Stop Kidding Around
– Magical Mates, Book 2

16. Hell Breaks Loose
– Hellhound Champions, Book 4

17. Logan
– Chosen Champions, Book 1

18. Gideon
– Chosen Champions, Book 2

19. Jamal
– Chosen Champions

20. Cosmo and the King

21. Aleron
– Chosen Champions, Book 3

Review: Ghost of Truth (Medium Trouble #2) by Alice Winters

Rating: 2.5

It’s always the second book that seals the deal one way or the other. In this case , it the flag that tells me go no further.

I like Alice Winters. Her books are normally characterized by such great elements like well-developed complicated plots, multi dimensional characters with great chemistry , and snappy intelligent dialogue.

None of which is on display here.

Based on the two books I’ve finished, the series reads like something scribbled off while completing other high priority books. The storylines are plodding. The culprits spotted easily and immediately. And any supposed mystery is so far from some being a surprise that it’s less a revelation, more a eye roll.

But the real issue lies with the main characters.

I had an issue with Hiro in the first story but thought that his lack of communication with his partner and friends had been worked through.

No. Hiro is, apparently, what I term a TSTC character. That’s a To Stupid To Communicate character. A type that’s right up there with the TSTL characters, often they are the same .

Aspects of their personality include a inability to tell anyone around them major plot points that they need to know, often to survive, even though every rational person would do so immediately.

Especially the person closest to them, which proceeds to put that person (and others) at the greatest risk. Duh.

Other elements include running into danger ; for example when you suspect a person , someone who has been acting VERY differently ( like pulling a gun on you) , then asks you to get in the car. You know things like that. Then… not telling or communicating that to anyone!

Yep. TSTC. That’s Hiro. For the entire book.

What does poor Maddox do? Spend the book angry and chasing after him. Plus wondering where he is, because, you know, no communication.

Even the ghosts are irritated with him.

I get that.

At the end, with a miserable sort of pulled together finish to their case which gives no one any satisfaction, the author tries to offer up a hint of a mystery about the final days of a major character. But , to show you how bad this series is, you can already guess the answer and who exactly the bad guys are.

Before that third book is even out! Because everything here is one dimensional, even the mysteries. Nancy Drew would have passed on this one as being too easy.

So if you’re like me and you like this author, I’m not recommending this book or series. There are , imo, far superior series and novels in her library.

Instead head over to her Hitman’s Guide or the fantastic VRC: Vampire Related Crimes series. Her character , Finn, a double amputee, is as engaging and complex as they come.

Medium Trouble series:

✓ Ghost of Lies #1

✓ Ghost of Truth #2

https://www.goodreads.com › showGhost of Truth (Medium Trouble, #2) by Alice Winters – Goodreads

Hiro
When I first realized that I could see the dead, I never imagined that it would allow me to help save the lives of others and pull me into Detective Maddox Booker’s path. Through my ability, ghosts have become some of my greatest friends and allies.

But now, someone’s dead and his ghost is gone. Ghosts have sought my help for my entire life, wanting to be heard, but something is keeping them quiet, almost hostile as our search for the ghost of the dead man leads us to a small village. Even though everything looks normal on the outside, I’m starting to wonder what’s happening on the inside.

Maddox
Life is better than it’s ever been. Hiro’s by my side and has brought my best friend Reggie back into my life—if we can consider Reggie’s harassment (even as a ghost) a positive. And even Hiro’s horde of ghosts won’t keep me from asking him to move in with me. The only issue is that work is never quiet, especially when Hiro is able to dive into a whole new side of a case by speaking to the victims of the dead.

But when someone takes Hiro from me in the middle of the night, I know that I will do absolutely anything to get him back, and I will make them pay for what they’ve done.

Ghost of Truth is full of action, mystery, humor, and romance. Though more is planned for this couple, the mystery is solved and there is a happy ending.