Tag: #newbookreleases

Review: The Real Kaimana (A Snowed Inn Romance) by Xenia Melzer

Rating: 5 🌈

The Real Kaimana by Xenia Melzer is a must holiday read. It’s a falling movie snowflake, a much needed hug, and that sexy fireplace burning ever so brightly in the cabin of your dreams. It’s the story that leaves you smiling, full of love and warmth at the thought of this couple and their happily ever after.

It’s low on angst, right on target with the balance between serious discussions about subjects such as body positivity, acceptance of one’s sexuality, and an emotional openness to life’s choices and new beginnings.

Melzer is a new author for me and I believe this is her first LGBTGIA story. I need to seek out what else this author has written because this is an amazing story.

The characters sing of life and joy while always staying grounded in a realistic foundation where families are capable of approving a son’s choices about his sexuality or career, and positivity about self image has no age restrictions or body types.

Travelogue blogger Quirin Brukmiller and businessman Kaimana Tilo will capture your heart from the start. They are so beautifully crafted, multidimensional personalities that I was swept into their lives and developing relationship and never stopped until the end.

I laughed with joy, stumbling along with them through all their discoveries and talks . And left them , far too soon, with their HEA.

I’m absolutely recommending The Real Kaimana (A Snowed Inn Romance) by Xenia Melzer and this collection. What a fantastic way to get into your holiday spirit!

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showThe Real Kaimana by Xenia Melzer

Description:

When a travel blogger with a serious love for color and a billionaire with the most gorgeous dark eyes serendipitously meet at a hotel in the Colorado mountains, could it be the start of a true holiday romance?


Quirin Brukmiller grumbles when he is told he must go into the snow and cold to write a travel report about The Retreat, aka The Rainbow Inn, an LGBTQ-friendly hotel high up in the mountains. After some gentle persuasion in the form of free clothing from his favorite company, he packs his bags and is now ready to brave the snow for the first time. At the hotel, he has the most perfect meet-cute ever to be written for a rom-com and chooses to make the best of this golden opportunity fate has given him.


Kaimana Tilo just sold his biotech company for several billion dollars and came out to his parents. Both decisions went down like lead balloons with his conservative, money-loving family. To get some distance, a clear head, and to have his first appearance as an out gay man, he takes a trip to a charming inn deep in the mountains of Colorado. Before he has a chance to check into his room, he meets the man of his dreams. For once, life is smiling down on him, and Kai has every intention of keeping the colorful man who practically landed in his lap at his side.


When an avalanche blocks the road to the hotel forcing them to stay together longer, it is just the last sign that what they have is bound to last forever.

All the books in the Snowed Inn collection are standalone stories and can be read in any order.

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

Snowed Inn story Collection:

All the books can be read as standalones and in any order and all are available to buy or pre-order

• RJ Scott – Stop the Wedding – https://books2read.com/StopTheWedding

• H.L Day – Five Night Stand – https://books2read.com/FiveNightStandHL

• V.L. Locey – Checking it Twice – https://books2read.com/CheckingItTwiceVL

• LC Chase – Breakfast Included – https://books2read.com/BreakfastIncludedLCC

• Xenia Melzer – The Real Kaimana – https://books2read.com/RealKaimanaXM

• Meredith Russell – Stuck With You- https://books2read.com/StuckWithYouMR

• Eli Easton – A Changeling Christmas – https://books2read.com/ChangelingChristmasE

Review: Charlie’s Doctor (Shadow Elite Book 1) by Jocelynn Drake

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Second chance at love along with lovers reunited are among my favorite tropes. I get both with a storyline that involves several long-time mysteries, stealthy mercenaries, explosions, many shootouts, and a extremely entertaining romance to boot.

It all starts with a mission in Buenos Aires , Argentina, with the former CIA, now mercenary team lead by Charlie Sands. They’re looking for leads on a missing famous artist for a friend. But soon their interests intersects with that of someone from Charlie’s past. The only man he’s ever loved and had to leave.

Drake has created two men who’s experiences in the time since they separated in Paris have seen profound changes in them personally and professionally.

Dr. Will Monroe, temporarily filling in for a friend in a poor clinic in the darker of districts in the city, hasn’t seen his former love in years. Then Charlie left him with an explanation that gutted him.

We follow the separate threads that ties Will to a past and present danger, and the group of men he’s reunited with.

Hint. It’s not a happy reunion. Realistically, it shouldn’t be with all the deep feelings and secrets still to be revealed. Plus the men are grown and changed since the initial romance. That’s real too.

I was kept throughly invested in the reignited romance, the mysteries, the investigations and the team dynamics.

It was a non-stop reading and the ending sets up the next character’s story while putting this couple’s relationship in very permanent happy status .

Charlie’s Doctor is a very entertaining, and solid story. I’m definitely recommending it to those who love action and suspense with their romance.

Shadow Elite series:

✓ Charlie’s Doctor #1

◦ Kairo’s Billionaire #2 – Dec 2, 2022

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showCharlie’s Doctor (Shadow Elite #1) by Jocelynn Drake

Description:

A second chance to say ‘don’t let me go’.

When paintings for an artist who disappeared roughly fifty years ago suddenly surface, Charlie and his friends decide it might be worth looking into what really happened. Besides, who isn’t up for adventure and fun in Buenos Aires?

But things go horribly sideways when Charlie stumbles across Dr. William freaking Monroe—the only man to claim and then destroy Charlie’s heart.

Now they’re on the run, dodging bullets and digging for the truth. Charlie wants nothing to do with Will. It’s his heart that’s screaming for a second chance.

Is it too late to get past years of anger and misunderstandings to grab the love that still burns between them?

Charlie’s Doctor is the first full-length novel in the Shadow Elite mercenary series and features stubborn men with poor communication skills, second chances, meddling brothers, explosions, and love on the run in Argentina

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

Review: Chasing Shadows (Daemons of San DeLain Book 1) by M.A. Church

Rating: 3.5🌈

Chasing Shadows is the first book in M.A. Church’s new Daemons of San DeLain series. A paranormal romance, the theme and background of the central characters hints at a darker story than it turns out to be.

A physically abused child is saved from his father’s continuing brutality by a monster that’s hiding under his bed. One who announces to the child that he belongs to him.

Church could have gone so dark with that storyline but instead the monster turns out to be a guardian who acts as protector, friend, and nothing more until the boy ages. He’s been a unseen companion, a voice and glimpses of darkness under the bed.

It’s not until Austin’s an adult with a career as a successful paranormal romance author that events cause a meeting that brings them finally face to face.

Church’s universe for this series has many of the usual paranormal characters as well as the new shadow daemons the author’s created. I found so many aspects about them interesting, the use of shadows to travel. Portals. The fact that there’s gender differences in appearances. That puzzled me btw. Why automatically assume or assign gender to daemons? Why not make coloration differences according to age?

At any rate, Kage, the head of his Daemons clan, aka the Monster under the bed, just doesn’t come across as all that monstrous. Courtly, old. Just not the feared being he’s supposed to be across all paranormal species.

That’s a factor here all through the various storylines. None of the hunters, werewolves, dragons, seem especially threatening.

The promise the dark elements threaded through the description shows never arrives. Which is fine if you like your paranormal romance on the light side.

Chasing Shadows , for me, is a lighter styled romance. There’s fated mates but no kink or wild sex that you’d expect from a daemon who’s claiming his long awaited mate. The story has some mystery, some suspense but ,again nothing chilling or high anxiety.

The relationships, the danger, even the mating bond itself was more along the quick entertainment level then anything with deeper narrative expectations.

If that’s what you want in a paranormal romance, or even something you’re looking for right now, check out the beginning of this new series, Chasing Shadows (Daemons of San DeLain Book 1) by M.A. Church .

Daemons of San DeLain series:

Chasing Shadows #1

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showChasing Shadows by M.A. Church

Description:

The monster: They say I am powerful. They say I am the darkness. They say I instill fear in the minds and hearts of many.

They’re right.

I am powerful. I am the darkness. I should be feared. Then I heard his cries and everything changed. Power can be tempered. There’s safety in the darkness. And the monster isn’t always the one under the bed.

Now only the heart and mind of one human interests me. He is mine. I wait, watching over him until the time is right to claim what belongs to me.

Austin: Do you believe there are monsters under the bed? I do. I don’t just believe; I know for a fact they exist. I’ve met one. Sort of. Okay, I haven’t actually seen the monster, I’ve only spoken to it.

Kind of hard to see much of anything when you’re hiding under the covers while waiting on your father to beat your ass. The monster saved me. Literally. He says I’m his, and he’s waiting for the right time to claim me.

Someone tell him to hurry the hell up.

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

Review: Breakfast Included (A Snowed Inn story) by L.A. Chase

Rating: 3.5🌈

Breakfast Included by L. A. Chase is another of the Snowed Inn holiday collection that shares a special weekend at a mountain resort called The Retreat and a avalanche as the dramatic event to launch 7 romances.

I enjoy seeing characters from the other stories gliding through each other’s romances, even if it’s just a mention.

Chase’s book has an unexpected reunion between friends who haven’t seen each other for 12 years. That’s when a passionate kiss , then a ghosting caused immense hurt when they were teenagers.

Now at a gay speed dating event held at The Retreat, composer Reno Pierce sees ex crush/friend Tate Boylan sitting across the table.

Like all the stories, it’s the avalanche that starts a conversation, reconciliation, and renews a shared passion for each other.

I enjoyed both characters. Oddly, I didn’t get as much depth from Tate Boylan as I did from the younger Reno Pierce as the one who was kissed and left. Reno’s still hurt by that years later, unable to move past it. Tate’s personality feels a bit less complicated but that could be contributed to the fact we have more “Reno” page time and history.

The dramatic element introduced near the end and Reno’s reaction felt less believable. As did Ricky, older brother to Reno’s, somewhat over the top response and immediate turnaround to the couple and events. Came off as contrived.

I enjoyed the story. It was sweet and romantic without leaving a long impression.

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Breakfa…Breakfast Included – Kindle edition by Chase, L.C.. Romance Kindle eBooks …

Description:

What’s worse than being stranded at a mountain resort by an avalanche three days before Christmas? Being trapped with your teenage crush—who kissed you and ran away.

Reno Pierce spends all his time creating music in his studio, quite happily alone, but at the insistence of his rom-com-loving dad, he finds himself at a Colorado mountain resort speed dating event. His dad wants Reno to bring his ‘Mr. Right’ home for Christmas, but what he finds instead is his teenage crush. Twelve years ago, he’d been head-over-heels in love with his older brother’s best friend, Tate. His straight best friend. But everything changed one magical night, when Tate kissed him like his life depended on it—and then ran away.

Six months after a bad breakup, Tate Boylan is still feeling the damage done to his confidence. Thanks to his hopeless romantic sister, who booked him a quaint cabin at a mountain resort and insisted he ‘boost his morale’ with a night of speed dating at The Retreat, he’s feeling much better. Until he sits at a table across from his best friend’s younger brother. The one he’d fallen for as a teen, kissed at a party, and never saw again.

Now that an avalanche has cut the hotel off from the rest of the world, Tate might have a chance to prove to Reno that this time he won’t kiss and run.

All the books in the Snowed Inn collection are standalone stories and can be read in any order.

Snowed Inn story Collection:

All the books can be read as standalones and in any order and all are available to buy or pre-order

• RJ Scott – Stop the Wedding – https://books2read.com/StopTheWedding

• H.L Day – Five Night Stand – https://books2read.com/FiveNightStandHL

• V.L. Locey – Checking it Twice – https://books2read.com/CheckingItTwiceVL

• LC Chase – Breakfast Included – https://books2read.com/BreakfastIncludedLCC

• Xenia Melzer – The Real Kaimana – https://books2read.com/RealKaimanaXM

• Meredith Russell – Stuck With You- https://books2read.com/StuckWithYouMR

• Eli Easton – A Changeling Christmas – https://books2read.com/ChangelingChristmasE

Review: Ruins (Wings ‘N’ Wands Book 1) by A.J. Sherwood and Jocelynn Drake

Rating: 5🌈

Ruins marks the outstanding beginning of Wings ‘N’ Wands series by A.J. Sherwood and Jocelynn Drake. It’s a spin-off or sequel series to their Scales ‘N’ Spells saga about dragons and their mages.

The Ice Dragon clan was introduced in the first series so we already have (if you’re a fan or reader of those novels) a solid understanding of the characters and foundation of the Ice Dragons history going into Ruin.

But for those who don’t, the authors weave the tragic past , the devastating wars and loss into the storylines here. It’s so satisfying to see King Rodrigo and Ha Na, as well as others again.

However, it’s Dr Samuel Hunter, archeologist, searching for the long lost Tupã dragon clan and the neighboring Sousa Mage clan, who’s so easy to connect with. From a mage family where his twin brother is favored because of his magical abilities and Samuel isn’t taken as seriously because of a broken core, Samuel is someone we can identify with and feel for.

Troubling family dynamics aside, his personality is lively and engaging. Which makes Dimitri’s drive to have a relationship believable .

The authors include an ongoing investigation into the disappearance of the missing dragon and mage clans, the research for a solution to Samuel’s broken core, and an entire clan of Ice Dragons with mage mate drama.

It’s an engrossing story, full of adventure, dragon flight, romance, and poignant moments. I loved every bit of it. And I’m looking to see what shape the next story takes.

Wings ‘N’ Wands series:

Ruins #1

Buy Now or Read in KU

Description:

Samuel has one goal in life: fix his broken core.

What does he not want? A bossy, overprotective, possessive, teasing dragon sticking his nose in business that is not his.

Even if he is sexy. And supports Samuel on his quest to find the lost Sousa Mage Clan.

Utterly beside the point. He does not need a dragon boyfriend.

(Un)fortunately, Dimitri disagrees.

Tags:

Ice dragons, Brazil, fated mates, dragon shifters, not mpreg, found family, true acceptance, hurt/comfort, broken cores, lost clans, magical creatures, beware of stompers, fun with waterfalls, snowball fights in summer, ice dragons know how to stay cool, Dimitri licked him and now he’s his, overprotective and grumpy, calming cuddles, seriously Dimitri needs all the cuddles, booby traps, Sam was not trying to seduce Dimitri, it was the cuteness that snuck under Dimitri’s guard, communication, because miscommunication is the devil’s trope, Dimitri has a weakness for sassy intellects, who knew, Dimitri is a walking air conditioner, Sam approves

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

Review: How I Stole The Princess’s White Knight and Turned Him To Villainy: Miracle 5 By A.J. Sherwood

Rating: 4🌈

It’s the penultimate story and Sherwood is giving us heartburn!

From Tan’s explosive attempts to fix his biggest mistake to being a jailbird then , well , nothing prepared us for this short frustrating story of fighting, explosions, heart eyes, and an evil princess.

It’s got a big cliffhanger ending too!

Sigh.

Actually that’s pretty typical of serialized stories but argh!

Just sayin.

How I Stole The Princess’s White Knight and Turned Him To Villainy: Miracle 6 will be out on November 25, 2022. I’m so ready for a Royal smack down.

The covers have been changing. Notice the heart! Hmmmm, maybe a clue?

I’m highly recommending the series, frustration and all. Bring on the finale!

How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy: Miracle 5

Description:

What’s Tan to do when an experiment goes wrong? Nothing. He’s unconscious and captured.

What’s Devan to do when his lover shows up in the palace prison? Keep calm and smuggle on.

Tan would say don’t put him into a box, but he actually does fit. Devan despairs.

Tags:

Tan gets himself into trouble, what? No one’s surprised by that?, Tan maybe forgot a teensy weensy promise, it bites him in the ass, in Tan’s defense, yeah I got nothin’, boyfriend to the rescue, Protective Devan, light angst, mostly as an excuse for cuddles, smuggling, cancuns saying inappropriate things, Serenity has successfully pissed Devan off for the last time, and then she does something even worse, magic battle, minotaurs, portals, Fa actually fixes her hair, it’s a miracle.

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

Review: The Christmas Leap by Keira Andrews

Rating: 4.5🌈

My holiday reading continues with the heartwarming romance by Keira Andrews, The Christmas Leap.

Containing a number of favorite themes, best friends to lovers, fake boyfriends, bisexual awakening, this sweet romance is low angst and high on good feelings.

Long time friends ,Will and Michael , reunite after a two year separation caused by Michael’s relationship and his determination to lose his unrequited love for Will. A breakup, a breakdown (a car), and a business holiday weekend ensues to reinstate their tight bond and turn it into something else, a HEA.

Andrews gives us two remarkably engaging characters, surrounds them with a supportive cast of charming personalities (especially Will’s boss and her family), two fantastic locations, and all the right elements to make real Will’s bisexual awakening as well as Michael’s bravery in finally confessing his love.

I loved ending my night on the happy feelings this story left me with. For those looking for a holiday story, I’m definitely recommending A Christmas Leap.

Happy Reading.

Festive Fakes series- 2 books to date

◦ The Christmas Deal #1

◦ The Christmas Leap #2

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showThe Christmas Leap by Keira Andrews

Fake romance shouldn’t feel this real…

Will: I’ve never been with a man.

Sure, I’ve thought about it. Wondered. Daydreamed. Imagined. But I wasn’t ready to take the leap.

I have a reputation as a “ladies’ man.” No one has any idea how curious I am about men—not even my openly bi best friend. Make that former best friend. Michael ghosted me, and I have no idea why.

Michael: The man I love is straight.

It hurt like hell when I had to distance myself from Will. I’ve tried desperately to grow up and get over him, but my carefully constructed life just fell apart—and Will rushes to my rescue.

Now we’re pretending to be a couple to impress his boss at a holiday retreat. We’re holding hands and hugging.

We’re sharing a bed.

And Will just kissed me.

Is my best friend falling in love with me after all?

The Christmas Leap by Keira Andrews is a Christmas romance featuring friends to lovers, bi awakening, first times, and of course a happy ending. This standalone novel takes place in the same universe as The Christmas Deal.

Review: Conspiracy of Dragons (Here Be Dragons Book 4) by Louisa Masters

Rating: 4.5🌈

Conspiracy of Dragons marks the end of Louisa Masters’ Here Be Dragons series and it’s Steffen’s story that brings everything to a surprisingly strong and emotional close.

Steffen is a dragon who’s character has always ridden that edge of humor with a element of mystery and pathos about him. His overly suspicious, oftentimes paranoid tendencies, even as the head of security for Brandt and Here Be Dragons, brought about some comic scenes as well as sad ones over the previous novels.

But here we get to travel next to him, see into his traumatic past, and realize what a tremendous character of depth has been lurking around the periphery all this time. From the heart tugging revelation of what constitutes Steffen’s hoard to a hidden love that’s enduring all his fears and pain to continue to nurture and support him, Steffen’s romance extends beyond the couple backwards to their history, encapsulates their current relationships, and then tries to envision a new future for all.

That’s quite a story.

It picks up shortly after The Dragon Experiment where the life force has shown them that humans must re-learn how to use their magical abilities, otherwise all the other beings, except dragons, will eventually perish. That humans should regain magic has Steffen terrified.

Weaving that overall species goal, as seen through Steffen’s perspective, as well as through others trying to figure out best to slowly and safely implement this is wonderful. We get to have many of our favorite characters from all the stories involved (Alistair, Gideon,Sam…) as well as those so important to Steffen and his growth here.

That’s Wil. A gentle, warm-hearted dragon who’s essential to Steffen in every way. While Steffen is the center here, Wil is Steffen’s heart. Their story is painful, sexy, quietly strong, and loving. Perfect for a finale.

A suspenseful hunt, a surprise character, and a joyous element previously revealed in an earlier story help round out the narrative themes and bring the series to a satisfying close.

I will be very sad to see these characters go. I have come to love them so.

If you haven’t found this series or author, there’s a reading list of connected universe story/series.

Read all the stories in this universe so you’re familiar with the events that have occurred and the characters and relationships that are referred to.

I’m highly recommending them all, including this one.

Happy Reading!

🔹Hidden Species Series first, followed by…

Here Be Dragons

1. Dragon Ever After (2021)

2. The Professor’s Dragon (2021)

3. The Dragon Experiment (2022)

4. Conspiracy of Dragons (2022)

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showConspiracy of Dragons (Here Be Dragons #4) by Louisa Masters

Description:

There’s only one person I trust…

It’s no secret that I’m hard to handle. People get annoyed by me. Sometimes they’re amused, but not for long. It’s not easy to deal with a paranoid conspiracy theorist, and I stretch everyone’s patience.

Everyone except Wil. He was there at the beginning, when I left my old life behind, and he’s stuck with me since. He’s been my friend when no one else wanted to. Patiently taught me how to fit in. He’s the one person I know I can rely on.

He’s the only man I can see myself ever being with. The only man I would want to spend eternity with.

But when my past rears its ugly head and the stuff of my nightmares rises from the dead, the hope of a happy future rapidly fades. I need him more than ever, but I can’t risk him. I can’t let anyone use him against me.

Torture doesn’t have to be physical to hurt. And I’m not going to let myself be hurt again.

—-

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

Review: Checking It Twice (A Snowed Inn story) by V.L. Locey

Rating: 4🌈

Checking It Twice is a heartwarming holiday story about two long time friends getting their second chance at love in their fifties.

One of the wonderful Snowed Inn collection featuring multiple authors, much like the rest, it includes The Retreat Inn, a Colorado mountain resort also nicknamed The Rainbow Inn, a avalanche that cuts off the Inn and it’s inhabitants for a prolonged stay, and all the couples and events from all the stories.

Sutter Thompson, his longtime friend and coworker at Red Pine U, Watley, are driving a group of young boys for a regional hockey medal presentation being held at the Inn. Among the boys up for hockey honors is their sons. Sutter’s boy Zachary with his ex wife , and Watley ‘s son, Adam with his ex husband. The boys are best friends as well.

Locey’s men have a complicated past history. A deeply closeted Sutter decided to come out after his child was born. But he’s never revealed his last hidden truth. He’s always loved Watley.

Checking It Twice gives the reader a delightful depiction of a number of types of heartfelt relationships. Those of realistic loving father/son dynamics, especially as seen between both sets of parents and sons. You get the funny, too real, close knit relationship that happens with team members and their coaches (hurting stomachs, road trips, bunk bed assignments). Then there’s the one the men themselves have waited close to thirty years for. Their own romance.

It’s a halting , stumbling path full of slow revelations, first kisses, and , passion at last fulfilled. The men with their aches, trick knees, aged playlist, and glimpses of grey , are charming and engaging. It was a real joy to read their romance.

This collection is turning out to be a great way to dive into my holiday books, and I’m definitely recommending Checking It Twice as a heartwarming HEA!

Snowed Inn story Collection:

All the books can be read as standalones and in any order and all are available to buy or pre-order

• RJ Scott – Stop the Wedding – https://books2read.com/StopTheWedding

• H.L Day – Five Night Stand – https://books2read.com/FiveNightStandHL

• V.L. Locey – Checking it Twice – https://books2read.com/CheckingItTwiceVL

• LC Chase – Breakfast Included – https://books2read.com/BreakfastIncludedLCC

• Xenia Melzer – The Real Kaimana – https://books2read.com/RealKaimanaXM

• Meredith Russell – Stuck With You- https://books2read.com/StuckWithYouMR

• Eli Easton – A Changeling Christmas – https://books2read.com/ChangelingChristmasE

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

Review: The Trials (The Spell Saga Book 4) by Cari Z

Rating: 4 🌈

The Trials is the fourth and looks to be the final story in Cari Z’s Spell Saga series. The author’s note sort of leaves it open as to whether we will return to this universe and couple or not.

So I’m treating it as a finale. And that comes with additional expectations. The Tank, the previous book, showed us different characters, a unique location, and deepened the histories and dynamics between the people involved. But in some respects it restricted it’s narrative down to further explore on a different, more detailed front what was happening with the war, magic, and our characters.

Here we get to see the consequences of those actions and decisions in The Trials. The Trials refers to the magical spell weapon Anton Seiber promised to deliver, under threat, to the Emperor of France. A spell not even his lover, Imperial Investigator Camille Lumière, wanted to see in their hands.

The Institute, that locked down tight magical fortress, is the main location once more, albeit more research prison than educational institution.

Where this story absolutely excels is in the tormented status of Anton Seiber, the horrifying reasons behind it, and the new dynamics it forces into the relationship between Anton and Camille.

The author’s creativity when crafting both the new spell and it’s effects upon others, Anton included, are so terrifying because it’s the readers imaginations that fill in all the horrors and unimaginable emotions that the spell initiates. Then we see what is doing to Anton, someone we’ve come to connect with, and the spell becomes vile beyond belief.

When Anton and Camille, and the spell are at center, the story is incredible.

However, for one that’s a finale, other aspects seem lackluster, rushed, or just one dimensional.

The entire element with the old and new emperor is lacking any grounding here. The actions of various characters (important ones) seem oddly flexible considering it’s war, the fact that the Lord in question is acting beyond rational thought into obsession about the magical weaponry and it’s devastating effects. Dr. Grabler, in particular, goes from one stance in The Tank, to another where his prize former student/friend is almost expendable without any foundation laid out for any of the elements here. These haphazard storylines (magical corruption, major characters who sort of disappear at the end, rushed exposition in the epilogue) all works against the finely crafted parts of the series and main storyline. That of Anton and Camille’s romance and history.

It all feels just so unfinished. Not at all what a finale book should be.

It was exciting, truly excellent in sections, and absolutely entertaining.

For that I’m definitely recommending The Spell Saga series and this novel.

The Spell Saga series:

✓ The Train #1

✓ The Tower #2

✓ The Tank #3

✓ The Trials #4

Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com › Trials-S…The Trials: The Spell Saga: Book Four – Kindle edition by Z, Cari. Romance Kindle eBooks …

Blurb:

All Anton Seiber, newly-minted Master Thaumaturge, wants is to use his training to support himself out in the world. Well, that and to see the man he loves, Imperial Investigator Camille Lumière, more than once every six months.

What he gets instead is an invitation to visit L’Institut D’Ingénierie Technologique in Paris, the foremost research institution for thaumaturgy and the arts of war in the world. It’s an offer he can’t turn down…quite literally.

Getting to the Institute is a mess that Anton barely survives, and that’s just the beginning of his troubles. Drawn into a web of lies and betrayals, Anton will have to use every trick he can conjure to survive—and perhaps hand over the most diabolical spell in the world in exchange for saving the life of someone he loves.

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