Review: Prince and Pawn (Perilous Courts #3) by Tavia Lark

Rating: 4.25🌈

Prince and Pawn charts the course of romance for the third and oldest Sandrelle Prince and the current heir to the Kingdom, Audric.

This book differs from the others in that the younger brothers , widely considered vying for the throne themselves outside of inner circles, each traveled to find their own mates. Audric’s story takes place primarily at home.

This plot feels less complicated or perhaps less well explained with its backstories, while being more kinky within their personal relationship than the others.

This is a BDSM D/s relationship with pain play, even involving some interesting use of Audric’s plant magic , think tendrils , during sex. That aspect of their relationship comes into play quickly and with little discussion at first meeting. Only the timing and details surrounding that event keep me from bringing up more questions here.

Lark makes each man’s resigned, reckless emotional state a factor in their actions that night, both sides dismissing talk for sex. So the reader gets it.

What is more noticeable during the narrative is the lack of depth given to the details of Corin’s magic. There’s no information or hints as to the background for this type of magic. So it lessens in many ways the impact of Corin himself, at the end and throughout the storyline.

Whether it was Whisper the assassin in Prince and Assassin #1 (my favorite) with his believable tortured adolescent or the betrayed enemy dragonrider, Rakos, of Prince in Disguise #2, (a tight second), those strong personalities with their complicated pasts elevated their romances, built barriers to their relationships, and ultimately created a superior narrative for their storylines.

I wish I could say the same about Audric and Corin’s romance but something just feels lacking. Less depth, less focus on details about history and magic, more about their sex life.

Maybe that’s intentional and will be addressed in future books. I don’t know.

But as of now, Corin’s a bit of a weakness and not because he’s a submissive but because he’s existing in a bit of a narrative vacuum. And by hooking Audric to him, it pulls him into that as well.

The next book takes us away from the royal family of Sandrelle and to another Kingdom entirely. One we visited in Rakos’ story, and a Prince and bodyguard we met there. I can’t wait.

I’m highly recommending this series. This story moves the series arc forward and I believe that we will get more of the missing parts later on as the entire series is a complex one whose unique world is being explored book by book.

I didn’t love this like I did with the others but it was entertaining.

Read them in order for event, character, and relationship development. Just marvelous!

Perilous Courts:

🔷Prince and Assassin #1

🔷Prince in Disguise #2

🔷Prince and Pawn #3

🔷Prince and Bodyguard #4 TBD

🔷Prince and Betrothed #5 TBD

🔷Prince of Agony #6 TBD

Buy Link:

Prince and Pawn (Perilous Courts Book 3)

Description:

One night of bliss could unravel a kingdom.

Be obedient. Be grateful. As the neglected illegitimate son of a powerful family, Corin is expected to follow his magic-gifted brother to the palace as a servant. He’s unwilling but resigned—and allows himself one night of distraction in a stranger’s arms.

Corin never knew pleasure and pain could be so exhilarating. So comforting. Corin only regrets he’ll never again see the anonymous man who ruined him for anyone else.

Until the next morning, when Corin meets his brother’s new arranged fiancé.

Prince Audric doesn’t want a loveless political betrothal, but he’ll do anything for his kingdom. His last night of freedom is a rare indulgence—and a terrible mistake. Corin is sweet, beautiful, and sees Audric like nobody else does.

He’s also Audric’s fiancé’s younger brother. Audric’s arranged betrothal might be a relationship in name only, but he can’t touch Corin again.

Constant proximity hurts when they can’t be together. But avoidance is impossible when Corin might be the key to unraveling the conspiracy behind Audric’s betrothal—

And when Corin keeps fainting into Audric’s arms.

Prince and Pawn is a high fantasy gay romance with hurt/comfort, forbidden pining, inappropriate use of vines, and more magic tigers. The Perilous Courts series is best read in order, but each book follows a different prince and his Happily Ever After.

Review: The Wandering Prince (13 Kingdoms, #3) by H.L. Day

Rating: 5🌈

With The Wandering Prince, H.L. Day finishes up the incredible fantasy adventure series of 13 Kingdoms. I’m so so sorry to see this journey come to an end for us and for the loving, magical, and wildly messy relationship that is the couple, Jack and Sebastian.

I love a author who gives a nod to the beginnings of the series and the couple when plotting the finale book as well as solving most of the narrative mysteries created and ending it with a bang up celebration that brings so many great characters together.

The story opens in Jack’s farmhouse with the unexpected arrival of a Queen, the shattering of trust, and the sudden need for a imminent journey to help a dying King.

All that began at the very end of The Stubborn Apprentice in a shocking way.

So we’re prepared somewhat for the emotional fallout that begins this story.

Day’s characterizations are so well written. We’ve come to believe in these men, their strengths and their weaknesses. Especially Sebastian’s inability to face his responsibilities or the consequences of the lies he’s told . Especially the lies or in this case, the truth he’s kept from Jack.

So much here is Jack and Sebastian working their way back into the trust that was shattered and building a better relationship foundation, while dealing with royalty, rogues, monsters, Sebastian’s feelings of inadequacies with his family, and Jack’s fear of the sea! Not a quick or easy fix.

For The Wandering Prince Day has written many complicated narratives and then whipped them together so beautifully that you both want to slow down because you are sure you’re missing something and speed up because there’s something, some element so exciting coming at you just paragraphs away!

Run! No come back!

New and old characters appear to make you want at least 2 more books to this series, so rich and lush are the locations and wonderfully detailed the characters.

Earl and the Prince need their own story. Who says Troy needs a princess? I have questions!

Yes, it ends splendidly. But you just know the two of them will be off on another greater adventure soon. It’s part of them. Let us be a part of it too.

I adored these books and series. Those rich, glorious covers are everything.

I’m naturally highly recommending them, just read them in the order they are written.

13 Kingdoms series:

✓ The Reluctant Companion #1

✓ The Stubborn Apprentice #2

✓ The Wandering Prince #3

Buy Link Amazon:

The Wandering Prince (13 kingdoms #3)

Description:

An ailing father. A missing healer who might have the cure. Now would be a really bad time for Jack and Sebastian to be at loggerheads.

Jack never saw the truth coming. And knowing Sebastian has been lying to him changes everything. Yet, despite his misgivings over whether their relationship can be repaired, he finds himself on a ship to Padora, Sebastian’s homeland. Awkward isn’t the word. And peril, as ever, is just over the next wave.

Sebastian’s whole world is falling apart. His magic is broken. His father, the king of Padora, is dying. And Jack… Well, Jack hates him, and not in the usual Jack way. He’s really messed up this time, and doesn’t know how to put it right.

Can Jack and Sebastian survive to save the day once more? And if they do, will it fix what was broken between them?

The Wandering Prince is a 101k finale to Jack and Sebastian’s humorous MM fantasy adventure that started with The Reluctant Companion and continued with The Stubborn Accomplice. Travel with Jack and Sebastian as they encounter old friends, sea monsters, a future king who needs babysitting, dastardly pirates who have been polishing their plank, a double-crossing brother, and perhaps even a missing sister.

Review: Hot Head (Drake Security #1) by Mika Nix

Rating: 2.5🌈

Review note: This review contains several spoilers so please be aware prior to reading.

Mika Nix is the combined name of authors K.M. Neuhold and Mia Monroe who have co-written this series about dragon shifter brothers and their path to HEA with their fated mates.

Nico is one of a group of dragon shifter brothers who own and operate Drake Security. They live together in a complex/compound of single mansions and alternate taking on different clients as they are approved.

The latest is the son of wealthy businessman Lake Forrester II, Lake Forrester III. He’s a victim of a short term relationship gone very wrong, and now he’s got a stalker.

Nico been hired to protect Lake and stop the stalker.

I’m a fan of dragons and the authors so wanted to see what they had in store for us readers with the new series.

I found some interesting stuff, some problematic issues small and large, characters that I liked, and a overall good thread that was entertaining.

First the positives .

I liked the idea of brothers banded by clutches. That while they have other siblings, the stretch of years between clutches renders each group more relatives than close family.

The family is distinct, with each brother having a different personality. They have chosen names and their dragon names, which are supposed to be hard to pronounce but just end up being French which I found hysterical.

The romance is a found soulmate one so it’s a relationship that is quickly established and sweetly sexy if one sided dominant. I had some issues with the dynamics and relationship that begin with the character of Lake.

It has a HEA that will make most readers happy and it’s a swift read in the genre that gives you a new series to look forward to.

For myself there are some things that the story lacks or I had issues with. They include:

🔷The paranormal/human world history needs some work but I get the impression it will be addressed with each brother. This includes a lack of cultural context and knowledge here of dragon culture or history that lets soulmates fall into a almost mythological category but still be able to call “dad” up for soulmate bonding details.

🔷Dragon Bigotry. I was really surprised at this. Paranormal bigotry between two species, right down to ugly stereotypes and name calling. While I think the authors are setting up a dramatic narrative for a Romeo/Julian situation here, it leaves a bad taste for me. Especially when the authors chose to use a well known werewolf mating technique (knotting) as a dragon’s while making the werewolf/wolf shifter the lesser/ill-regarded species. it’s explained it’s only about territory and history but while making remarks about how they all “stink, are rank,..”. Humans too are not regarded highly. But it’s not as though the dragons exist within a isolated world. They live and do business within a human society.

So they come off as judgmental and prejudiced.

🔷A dragon that talks human when In dragon form. That bothers the wildlife biologist in me. Yes I’m aware dragons aren’t real but if a author is going to treat them as though they are (spaces big enough for them to transform etc) then narratively do so in other ways too. Perhaps have them speak telepathically , not like a human. Because what about a dragon’s bone structure, mouth and jaw shape makes that feel realistic or believable. Nothing. A telepathic form of communication has a far higher probability than than a dragon palette that’s able to throw flames and speak French.

🔵Issues that earns a huge narrative side eye:

🔷A big issue. Lake’s personality. He can seem like a giggly rich young man or an intelligent emotionally neglected one who’s absorbed just enough business sense from his family to make him a believable, layered figure. It varies honestly.

🚨 Spoiler alert 🚨

But he’s extremely likable which makes the events towards the end disturbing. He’s abducted, there is an attempted sexual assault that’s extremely real, followed by a death. The expected narrative response to this would be emotional trauma and some kind of needed recovery. Does that happen? No. It’s fluffed off, like a bad minute, and it’s onto some hot sex.

There’s so many things that are deeply wrong about this treatment but it starts with the fact that if authors use SA as a story element then give it the serious consideration it is due. To say nothing of being abducted and physically assaulted.

It all happens, then a watery eye, a giggle, and I’m fine. Let’s have sex. If as authors you needed Lake to be in danger, then surely another way could have been used that wouldn’t have made SA such a superficial element.

🔷And finally , that whole disposal of the body nonsense at the end — last spoiler🚨

What possible difference does it make if you remove a heart if you are going to burn the body and the scene of the crime to the ground so no one special “scents” are left. Might as well leave it in. It’s so nonsensical.

Yes got the heart out. Signature move. Now everyone who see it will know it is us. Well done. Now toss it back on the fire with the lot . Burn it all up. Ashes ashes, that’s all that is left. So glad you went to the trouble of digging out the heart that’s ashes now along with everything else. SMH.

The more I got into the storyline the more puzzled and irritated I was. Elements didn’t add up, aspects of the story were just not necessary or given the depth of exposition required, or the tale just swung fluffy and fantasy wise. Oh look, we’re flying.

It was almost as though the authors couldn’t decide whether to go serious, funny, romantic, sweet, mystical, murderous, and kept swinging between them instead of melding them.

They are setting up the “Quiet” shy Hemingway brother for the next book. It’s called Smoulder. Oh no.

I’m sure I’ll go there if only out of curiosity.

I’ll let everyone make their own decisions.

Drake Security:

✓ Hot Head #1

◦ Smoulder #2 – TBD

Hot Head (Drake Security Book 1)324Kindle Edition$5.99

Description:

Protecting him is my job. Finding out he’s my fated mate wasn’t part of the assignment.

Lake Forrester III entered my life like a wrecking ball. Drake Security, my firm with my brothers, was hired to protect him from a stalker ex, but what Lake doesn’t know is that he’s not dealing with your average unhinged human. The unhinged wolf shifter he unknowingly dated will stop at nothing to get Lake in his clutches.

Just another day in the life of a dragon body guard.

The one thing I never expected was for Lake to be my fated mate. To say my protective instincts are on overdrive is an understatement. I’ll move mountains to keep him safe and delight in tearing the wolf apart with my bare hands if he gets too close to my mate. If it unleashes all out war with the wolf packs, so be it. I never claimed to be the level headed one.

In the meantime, my only focus is Lake and his safety. If anyone hurts him, it’ll be the last thing they do. My dragon will make sure of it.

Hot Head is book one in the exciting new series, Drake Security. It features a dragon bodyguard with anger issues, a fabulous human with more money than friends, an ex on the loose, and fated mate goodness. Dive into Hot Head and feel the burn.

**Drake Security features dragon shifters with NO MPREG**

Review: Foxed by Jay Hogan

Rating: 3🌈

Foxed, Fuddled, Swallowed a Hare, and Other Words for “Drunk”.

Right from the title, Jay Hogan’s new release and I just couldn’t connect.

For me, foxed always has meant drunk. Hogan goes with a different definition.

FOXED: To be thrown into a state of uncertainty-flustered, bamboozled, bewildered, puzzled, vexed.

That’s how I felt about the book. As if the author and I were in different places here. Same place but different perspectives.

I normally enjoy Hogan’s work and was eagerly waiting on this novel with its older couple, the Wellington location, and some of the elements I’d heard of. But my disappointment with the characters and detachment started immediately.

Jed Marshall is discussing Harrison Ford with Nash Collingwood over lunch. During the conversation about his Star Wars movies gets dismissed because it’s just “sh**ty SciFi”.

Trust me, the book almost went down there.

But the really problematic issues, and they are many in my opinion, have to do with his character, and his family.

While Nash Collingwood is a well rounded, and layered personality with depth to his character, Jed feels almost ephemeral.

His family is homophobic, intrusive, controlling, and unable to respect boundaries. He’s unable to set boundaries, communicate, and stand up for himself. He’s in his fifties. He’s basically got the t-shirt that reads doormat.

He’s a bisexual man who’s hidden that part of himself from everyone but his ex-wife. When given the chance to tell his friends and family repeatedly that he’s in a new relationship, he lies about it. Setting up a dramatic explosion of emotions to come.

I’m left to feel bad for Nash who’s put his heart out there, after a bad experience,into the hands of a man who teeters between running away from any reasonable expectation of commitment because of his fears and his own inability to handle his family.

The ending, which was rushed a week timeline wise after the emotional explosions went off, felt simplified and unrealistic.

In all, this just wasn’t the book or couple for me. From my perspective, Jed was never someone I was going to respect so I felt disconnected from his story. The characters and the relationship was not realistic in its resolution.

I’m sure others won’t see it this way and have a different viewpoint on their romance.

But for me I’m setting my sights on the next Hogan release.

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Foxed-J…Foxed – Kindle edition by Hogan, Jay . Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks …

https://www.amazon.com › Foxed-J…Foxed – Hogan, Jay: Books

FOXED: To be thrown into a state of uncertainty-flustered, bamboozled, bewildered, puzzled, vexed.

AKA, me. Jed Marshall. 55-year-old successful classic car mechanic; divorced, mostly closeted, and whose wholly inexperienced bisexuality has suddenly awakened after one smouldering look and said, ‘Damn, who’s the hottie?’ Or words to that effect.

Cue, Nash Collingwood. 53-year-old scarily smart high school principal; out, gay, confident, and sexy as hell. He’s also my daughter’s boss. So, not complicated at all, right? Nash could ignite a bonfire with a single sultry look, comes fully accessorised with a charm offensive Churchill would be proud of, an easy-going flattery that thrills my heart far too effortlessly, and an impressive track record with men many decades my junior.

In short, Nash is everything I’m not, and everything I’ve avoided for roughly my entire life. He’s the hot rod to my sensible family car, that is if you like your family cars with a few dents, creaky suspension, unexpected backfires, and a dodgy stick.

The last thing I need is a relationship-especially with a man. I buried that pipe dream a long time ago and a little loneliness is a small price to pay. The festive season and long summer vacation are on our doorstep. I’m finally getting things right with my family who mean everything to me, and I don’t want to mess that up.

But Nash doesn’t care about my awkward inexperience, or clumsy excuses, or any of my insecurities. Nash only sees me. He wants me. For the first time in years, I feel alive and sexy and a whole lot more than just a good father and grandfather.

I should walk away, but the closer Nash and I become, the more he fills my grey world with colour, and the promise of a second chance at love I never thought possible.

Review: Jon and Mack’s Terrifying Tree Troubles (Jon’s Mysteries Case Book 5) by A.J. Sherwood

Rating: 4.75🌈

A crossover story with Sherwood’s Mack’s Marvelous Manifestations series, Jon and Mack’s Terrifying Tree Troubles is a great entertaining, somewhat terrifying white knuckle thriller of a murderous paranormal mystery story.

That it contains laughs, some kinky sex, cats, yeeted tombstones, multiple characters we’ve come to love between two series, and ghosts out the wahzoo! You should sort of expect that.

It all starts with Grant (who does get a story, see below) being called in to find a missing teenager, only to discover that she’s dead.

That leads to a phone call to the Psy gang , that includes Reader extraordinaire Jonathan Bane, his fiancée and anchor Donovan Havili , computer genius Cho and more.

Sherwood quickly turns a simple murder case into something that keeps building up into a chilling conspiracy of hate and violence. One body at a time. It’s a great element and storyline.

And it makes perfect sense to bring in all the other characters, like FBI medium MacKenzie Lafayette and his anchor and partner in every way,

Brandon Havili, to help with the cases and ghosts.

More familiar faces arrive to assist as the suspects, anxiety, and sheer body counts ramp up. So does the danger to our group.

The final chapters are really impressive in building to a narrative climax,making a high action, suspenseful, screaming banshee type of last play before everything is solved and the good guys can go safely home and enjoy their lives.

In other words, a fabulous tale.

Sherwood has mentioned she has one more book in each series and then they each are done.

So I’ll treasure this and wait for that.

And highly recommend the series. Read them in the order they are written.

Jon’s Mysteries Case series:

✓ Jon’s Downright Ridiculous Shooting Case #1

✓ Jon’s Crazy Head-Boppin’ Mystery #2

✓ Jon’s Spooky Corpse Conundrum #3

✓ Jon’s Boom Shaka Laka Problem #4

✓ Jon and Mack’s Terrifying Tree Troubles #5

Buy Link:

Jon and Mack’s Terrifying Tree Troubles (Jon’s Mysteries Case Book 5)

Description:

It’s like a bad game of Telephone.

Grant locates a murdered teen in McMinnville. He calls Jon.

Jon locates the girl’s ghost. He calls Mack.

Mack talks to the ghost who leads them to more ghosts. Who lead them to even more ghosts.

And why are all the murder victims buried under trees?

The boys are ready for this game to end, please. (Donovan especially.)

Tags:

Jon’s World crossover, hail hail the gang’s all here, oh look we meet Grant, trees are not to be trusted, according to Donovan, ya’ll pray for Donovan, there’s so many ghosts, the ghosts have some WORDS to share, car sex, bondage sex, Mack has plans, so of course they get ruined, BAMF female cops, Jon and Mack are ready for this case to be over, please and thank you, serial killer(s)? running amok, people get tombed, literally, Eli’s mad she missed the fun, Mack would like to say: Don’t use Jon as a battery, seriously don’t do it

Related series/books:

Alan’s Utterly Accidental Dream-Cute: A Jon’s Mysteries Side Story (Jon’s Mysteries Case)

Review: Rocky Start (A-List Security Book 4) by Annabeth Albert

Rating: 2.5🌈

I’m very fond of many of this author’s series from #gaymers to Portland Heat to her Out of Uniform series, all terrific.

But the men and relationships of the A-List Security have been mostly problematic for me, in multiple ways couple by couple, book by book.

It’s not that the writing has been anything but well done or that the characters haven’t been believable. For the most part, they have.

The issues have been that they aren’t either particularly likable, there’s been little discussion or groundworklaid down for them to have any kind of relationship that’s believable given the crafted personalities and histories. It’s been the odd relationship dynamics (weak, one-sided, off putting) as well as the one dimensional groundwork that’s been used.

As a formula, Albert has started to move them along a game board path and there they go, whether it makes a realistic or narrative sense.

It happens here almost immediately. This story was perilously a DNF almost at 10 percent. Just Albert’s previous books in other series kept me going.

But the character of Avery, his personality, which was at odds with his background as a SEAL and established team member of the A-List Security agency had me putting down the book several times. I have a low threshold for man-toddlers. I question how authors don’t realize they are perceived by their readers.

I can tell you how I perceived him.

By 11% I was throughly tired of Avery. And thinking why am I supposed to enjoy this character? So far his qualities are being clueless, borderline offensive about homosexuality (especially odd given the LGBTQIA agency he works for , a fact which Malik brings up and Avery has a inadequate answer for. To say nothing of the sheer naïveté he exhibits for a character that’s a veteran and a member of the A-List Security. He actually threatens the believability that it’s Malik that’s a new hire instead of an established team player.

I’m starting to zone out. Never a good thing. Only Malik is keeping me moving forward with the story.

From here we jump into a awkward “gay exploration” or worse GFY sex scene, which I abhor, because that’s what you do when you have been talking about homophobia, and laid no foundation for any relationship except a dinner. You jump into gay sex which Avery then uses to make everything awkward, miserable, pick your adjective.

It’s 14 percent and I’m about out the door.

I struggled with trying to get through the remainder of the story and did, barely. It occurred by a style I’d call “reading fidgeting”, haphazardly getting into the storyline until I had to drop it again. Repeat.

Whether it’s my reading preferences, the narrative choices made by Albert with regard to the character of Avery , his decisions with his sexuality, and their relationship, I found this book just didn’t work for me on multiple levels.

Malik was the only bright spot and he wasn’t enough to elevate the novel’s themes or romance to a well rounded storyline. I won’t go into his PTSD because that felt extraneous after the annoyance of Avery. I wanted to pull Malik out of the book and into a story he deserved.

If you’re a fan of the series or author, then I’m sure you’ll already have read or put this on your TBR list. It’s not one I’m recommending.

A-List Security series:

✓ Tough Luck #1

✓ Hard Job #2

✓ Bad Deal #3

✓ Rocky Start #4

Rocky Start: MM SEAL Bodyguard Romance (A-List Security Book 4)

Description:

I think I’m falling for my bodyguard co-worker. Now I need protection… from myself.

As a former SEAL intelligence officer, I’m supposed to be smart. Unfortunately, those smarts don’t apply to love. I did a nice thing and took my heartbroken fellow bodyguard out for a Valentine’s dinner. Just us bros. But my plan worked a little too well, and a night that ended with a scorching kiss has turned into the most awkward morning at the office ever. Now we’re working together as bodyguards on a remote mountain movie shoot. And we’re roommates.

I’ve never been attracted to a guy before, but something about Avery calls to every protective instinct I have. We’re not dating, but every night alone together, I fall a little deeper. It’s also Avery’s first time with a guy too, and while we’re both enjoying all sorts of new things together, I worry my heart will be broken when we return to civilization.

No matter how badly this may end, I can’t seem to stop wanting Avery. All of him. I want to see who he’ll become if he ever manages to get out of his own way. I want to be his biggest cheerleader, best friend, and the guy he comes home to. But going from secret hookup to forever after is a big ask. Are we both brave enough to take the leap?

ROCKY START is book four in the A-List Security series. It features TWO highly protective SEAL bodyguards, a double awakening, an exploration of the sexy, lacy kind, and all sorts of brand-new emotions. Get ready for all the high heat, big feels, and found family feels readers expect from this fan-favorite military romance author. Join A-List Security for this lower-angst series featuring former SEALs and celebrity clients. Happy endings and no cliffhangers guaranteed!

Review: Heppel Ever After (Learning to Love #5) by Con Riley

Rating: 5🌈

Charles and Hugo.

I should leave it at that but once more Con Riley has written a deeply emotional multi layered story that’s only supposed to be about a couple’s journey to get married.

With this author and couple, it’s never that superficial. Honestly, Charles and Hugo might not even have gotten married and the readers would have been surprisingly ok with that.

The reason why is because it’s always going to be about the relationship , the men, and the meandering nature of the path they take together towards any goal they’ve set for themselves.

Marriage? It’s been postponed several times already because of other issues, things we find out about here in this story as it gets discussed between Charles and Hugo. Yes, open communication is a great element here. It’s an aspect of the story that becomes key to understanding people and their motivations, important aspects of their lives.

We go through some surprisingly complex issues and topics. Death, grief, and coping. Or the lack of.

Riley threads the use of history, wildlife, wars, and the current victimization of refugees in a raw and brutal manner into a story of about love and compassion.

It ends on such a wonderful note of hope, laughter, and love that makes me want to bind all the Charles stories into one single piece so I’ll have them forever in place for continuing rereading.

I’m highly recommending this and all the Charles books and shorts. There are several out there, including free holiday ones that are among my favorites.

Learning to Love series:

✓ Charles #1

◦ Sol #2

◦ Luke #3

◦ Austin #4

✓ Heppel Ever After #5

Book 5 of 5: Learning to Love

Description:

Because every epic romance deserves an epic happy ending…

All Charles Heppel wants is a wedding. It’s not much to ask now that he’s set his playboy days aside for his almost-ordained fiancé. He can’t wait for a lovely, lazy beach honeymoon with His Holy Hotness to continue Hugo’s education in the bedroom.

Surely this third wedding date will be the charm and won’t get cancelled, will it? After all, Hugo’s followed his calling almost to the end of his path to ordination. Nothing should keep him from gaining his own parish with Charles as his husband.

Hugo’s calling thinks differently, demanding he leaves for the remote island of Kara-Enys without Charles.

That news should be shattering, but if Charles Heppel has one thing going for him, it’s that he’s relentlessly optimistic. And romantic. Most islands have beaches, don’t they? He’ll join Hugo to have the honeymoon first on their own version of Love Island. They can get married later!

All he needs to do is find him…

♥ This conclusion to the Learning to Love series features a host of heartfelt cameos, an embarrassment of romance, and in no way should be used as a guide to the ordination process, which likely involves much less kissing. ♥

(A content advisory can be viewed on the copyright page.)

Review: Froggie Went A Sailing (Fairy Tale Retellings) by Sam Burns

Rating 3🌈

I enjoy a retold Fairy Tale. I like a new twist or two if a author can manage it. Especially a fantasy writer who’s work I admire.

However, Froggie Went A Sailing (Fairy Tale Retellings) by Sam Burns, a sweet story about a prince who learned via a curse how to be a nice king, ambles thematically along while not reaching very high. Narrative levels, that is.

Nothing much unexpected happens. There’s the usual witch, a curse, some not very bad behavior although he’s a bit of a pity puss in the beginning. There’s a gorgeous guy who’s crushing on the Prince, with all types of excuses for his actions.

We get no idea what the Kingdom thinks of him until the end, and then it seems unlikely they have such kind thoughts. I mean he is known as Grumpy Gus and Froggie.

Nick, who was “wrongly accused “ of course, decides a really ugly frog is the bestest thing ever. But Burns gives the reader no relationship development, and it honestly makes zero sense.

Most of the events here have no foundation or layers and everything happens quickly. He’s a frog, he’s on a ship (why in a starving kingdom no one spears and eats him is never explained), he’s a man! Oh he’s in love.

It reads more like a Improv sketch that someone was told they had to write while in a competition with others.

Not my fav Sam Burns by a long shot.

Read it if you’re a fan.

Fairy Tale Retelling:

✓ The Cat Returns to Adderly #1

✓ The Fairest #2

✓ Froggie Went A Sailing #3

Froggie Went A Sailing (Fairy Tale Retellings)by Sam Burns

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showFroggie Went A Sailing (Fairy Tale Retellings, #3) by Sam Burns

Description:

Jasper Ferguson Conrad, much to everyone’s consternation, is the crown prince. He wasn’t raised to be king, and no one is sure if he’s up to the task, including himself. He certainly doesn’t want to be the kind of demanding, arrogant king his father has always been.

When a witch turns him into a frog and he finds himself on the run, he has to count on a near stranger—a man he may have wronged in a fit of pique—to protect him from a huge, frightening world.

He needs to break the curse and find his way home, but who can he truly trust to help him get back where he belongs, especially when his own future subjects may be plotting his death?

Review: Stephen’s Translator (Shadow Elite #0.5) by Jocelynn Drake

Rating: 4🌈

Stephen’s Translator, (Shadow Elite #0.5), is the story I wish I’d had been able to read before Charlie’s Doctor, the first in the series. This novella is the one that essentially sets off all the events that occur in the following books. Stephen’s Translator is the foundation story for the series because it gives us the basics for the mystery that launches everything else.

So yes, wish I’d had it earlier. Pout sorta over.

Stephen is the younger brother to Charlie Sands (the ex CIA, special forces commander of the Shadow Elite). We’ve seen/met him through phone calls when the team’s been on missions and needed the advice of a psychiatrist, albeit a pediatric one.

It great to flip the perspective and have Stephen as a fleshed out person. He does run perilously close to perfection as a character but a screw up here and there nicely balanced that out. Especially when he’s a hero in an adorable Meet Cute scenario at the beginning of the story.

That’s where we meet independent editor/translator and very cute Ehren Galanis is stood up by a ex at dinner and saved by a galant Stephen Sands.

From the cute, sweet, and normal, things quickly descend into chaos, danger, and mystery, enough that Stephen calls in for help in the form of members of the Shadow Elite.

Drake has a great sense of intrigue that meshes well with the characters and growing romance. It’s a definite instant or intuitive sense of belonging that I bought into. From the chemistry to the types of personalities, I could see the attraction.

I liked the group dynamics, we are the beginning here, as well as the complicated brother sibling history with hints towards Charlie’s pained past romance.

What was not as well developed was the disposal of the “big bad”, whose identity and reputation wasn’t clear to begin with. More a cardboard villain needed to fill a role than a actual person or threat. Disappointing.

Soren and his love, the assassin Alexei, make very brief appearances through a phone call. For their story, see Accidental Lover (Exit Strategy Book 5).

It ends with the team heading off to start book 1, Charlie’s Doctor, which now makes me want to start reading it all over again because I have a better understanding of what happened to bring them to that country.

Foundation is key!

So I’m highly recommending Stephen’s Translator (Shadow Elite #0.5), especially if you haven’t started the series yet to give it the foundation it deserves or if you have, for exactly the same reason. Never miss out on a chance to add more details to the series and characters you love.

Shadow Elite series:

✓ Stephen’s Translator #0.5

✓ Charlie’s Doctor #1

✓ Kairo’s Billionaire #2

◦ Edison’s Professor #3 – Feb 10, 2023

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showStephen’s Translator (Shadow Elite #0.5) by Jocelynn Drake

Description:

When Meet Cute leads to Meet Trouble.

Ehren is the most adorable man Stephen has ever laid eyes on. A chance encounter leads to an amazing first date and the promise of even more fun.

But all those hopes crash down when someone breaks into Ehren’s apartment.

With dangerous stalkers and rumors of a secret treasure hounding Ehren, Stephen will do anything to keep him safe. Even call his crazy half-brother Charlie and his mercenary friends for help.

Oh God, please don’t let his strange, extended family destroy the best thing that’s ever happened to him…

Stephen’s Translator is a Shadow Elite series prequel and features embarrassing first meetings, a shrink who can’t follow his own advice, hot elevator kisses, secret treasure, meddling brothers, and a scorching romance. This novella was originally part of the YBBB and the content has not changed.

Review: Reunion (a Demons-In-Law Prequel) by Louisa Masters

Rating: 4.5🌈

Demon Gideon Bailey decides it’s time to introduce Sam to his family. Long overdue but all the potentially world shattering events have kept them busy, including Sam finding himself the new Lucifer, head of the Community of Species Government. For their full story, see Demons Do It Better, first in Masters Hidden Species series.

In Reunion, a informative and entertaining prequel to Masters new connected series, Demons-In-Law, we get our first view of the family dynamics that make up the Bailey demon dynasty.

Turns out the exceedingly frightening Gideon comes from a hugely wealthy, influential demon family, one with a matriarch of nightmarish proportions, scads of relatives, uncles and aunts, and cousins, it turns out he’s close to.

It’s a eye opener. For the reader and his beloved Sam.

Of special importance is Gideon’s thoughts on how others, other species especially, mentally and emotionally translate his species facial expressions. Huh.

I’ll leave that bit of information to the story. Fascinating as one would say.

Reunion sets up the start of the next book but honestly I wasn’t ready to let this go yet. Sam’s interaction with the entire Bailey clan and his observations just kept spinning and sparking the story further into more paths and interesting layers.

More pls!

I’m recommending this and the Hidden Species series it has as its foundation.

Description:

I love Gideon. But do I have to love his family too?

Finally, Gideon is taking Sam home to meet his family… including his scary grandmother. But this reunion has some surprises in store.

Free story to be found here.

Grab it Now

Foundation Series:

Demons Do It Better: A Hidden Species Novel

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