Review: Givers (Upper Echelons Book One) by Casey Cox

Rating: 3.5🌈

Casey Cox is diving further into the billionaire romance trope with the first in Cox’s new Upper Eschelons series, Givers.

I’m a fan of this author from the Vet Shop Boys and thought I’d see what sort of perspective they’d bring to this popular contemporary romance trope.

There’s some good elements here with respect to the characters and their personalities that made for some interesting moments. I also enjoyed the You’ve Got Mail approach the author took with the dating app, something Cox admits to. It’s a charming ploy , and works here as well as it does on screen.

However, my thoughts after finishing the story is that every element, each neat aspect of the narrative I thought special or outside the usual plot line never got the attention of detail or was carried to its fullest potential that the author was capable of achieving.

Robbie Small (he’s also short in stature) is involved in the Wellness business (his company) , working out, and extremely conscious about diet. It relates back to a painful family history and his mother. This is an important part of his life and personality. It’s made him what he is today. Yet once it’s out in the story, it’s over. And this topic disappears completely.

This is a trend within the narrative. A storyline or aspect of one that may strike a reader as a compelling element is only partially put into use, and then discarded.

When both Dunlop and Robbie Small are matched up by the dating service we get an enjoyable, engaging conversation that adds to the anticipation for these men to share more of themselves and gain a deeper understanding. But that doesn’t happen. Spoiler alert. This element is stopped short.

The book actually contains a scene where Dunlop and Robbie go to meet a couple from another book (Heart Unbroken). It makes no sense if you haven’t read that story. And really, except for the author’s own need to include it so a brother can be yelled at twice, it’s hard to understand why it’s included here. The argument that the company and brother are ā€œcold heartedā€ has been made satisfactorily.

It’s choices like that, extra page time that makes the book dense, less interesting, less focused on the characters and central themes of this story.

Dunlop wasn’t a character I was immediately drawn to. It took time to find any type of connection with him, unlike Robbie Smalls who was engaging and likable from the start.

The billionaire trope is , imo, a type of contemporary romance that’s harder to find a realistic connection with , so the author has to look deeper into the characters themselves for elements for readers to understand and be drawn to. I’m not sure Cox was able to find those elements and make us or at least me, care about the billionaires here. That’s a hard sell any day, but more so now.

So it’s a good romance. If you’re a fan of Cox or this trope, give it a try. Otherwise, check out the Vet Shop Boys! There’s a series I can recommend.

Upper Eschelons:

āœ“ Givers #1

ā—¦ Takers #2 – Aug 7, 2023

Buy link:

Givers: MM Billionaire Romance (Upper Echelons Book 1)

Description:

I’m so bad at love, I’ve resorted to outsourcing it.

ALGRL is a next-level, algorithmic-based online dating service with a 97% guaranteed success rate! With odds like that, even I can’t mess it up. Right?

One thing I’m sure of—Dunlop Palmer is not the Mr. Forever I’m looking for.

He’s a billionaire alpha playboy. Filthy rich, criminally attractive, and 100% not settle-down material.

He irritates me from the moment we meet. He gets under my skin once we start working together. And he totally catches me off guard when I start catching glimpses of the real him.

Turns out, my first impressions of him were way off-base. There’s a lot more to Dunlop than meets the eye. And see? This is why I can’t be trusted when it comes to men.

I should be focused on the perfect guy I’ve been matched with online—hello, 97% success rate—and not the walking, talking, sex god of a disaster that is Dunlop.

Am I about to make another huge mistake?…

GIVERS is an opposites-attract billionaire MM romance with You’ve Got Mail rom-com vibes. It features an alpha billionaire who’s guarding his heart, online dating, a ginormous size difference, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Review: Wolf Soul (Outcast Pack, #3) by T. J. Nichols

Rating: 4.5🌈

Wolf Soul , third in the Outcast Pack series, is my favorite to date. It changes up things by introducing a cat shifter, in this case, a leopard shifter as a mate. It also brings in toxic male sexual stereotypical roles, hypermasculinity, all within a werewolf pack or rigid community.

And the idea of what constitutes a leader within that rigid hierarchy.

So yes, this story covers a lot of ground with a short amount of length and does a great job of describing the issues and resolutions. It , the drama, will be also carried over to the next book.

Kyle Ashfield, supposedly head of the Outcast Pack , but not officially, as the group has not been recognized by the Coven, the Paranormal governing board. With all the attacks on its members and home, the Coven is sending a agent to investigate the situation and make recommendations.

That’s Cooper Badr, the leopard shifter.

The romance and relationship that comes from a meeting between Kyle and Cooper is sexy and full of emotion, especially when it’s fraught with questions about leadership roles and toxic masculinity from past history.

I read the story right through. It’s exciting, full of a great action and excellent relationship growth. The characters are very well written and the supporting cast are equally memorable.

It makes me want to reach for the next book immediately.

If you’re a fan of paranormal fiction and romance, here’s a series you will want to check out.

Read them in the order they are written for events, and relationships growth and development:

Outcast Pack:

āœ“ Wolf Heart #1

āœ“ Wolf Blood #2

āœ“ Wolf Soul #3

āœ“ Wolf Mate #4

ā—¦ Wolf Lust #5 – March 28, 2023

Wolf Soul: mm opposites attract wolf shifter romance (Outcast Pack Book 3)

Description:

With the rival wolves closing in, fighting attraction is one battle they can’t win.

For the last couple of years, Kyle Ashfield’s friends have used his rural property as a place to gather and run beyond the territory of the official wolf packs. But now, their numbers have attracted attention, and some packs are not happy that a bunch of outcast wolves are living so freely.

Cooper Badr is a leopard shifter and the Coven agent tasked with interviewing and investigating the pack so the Coven can make an informed decision about its future. He’s supposed to be impartial, but around Kyle, he wants to do other things than talk.

Will Coven grant the pack of gay wolf shifters territory, or will they be shut down and banned from running together?

Discover the Outcast Pack mm paranormal wolf shifter romance series. Join the wolves as they fight to make their pack official and fall in love along the way. Each book has a new couple and a HEA/HFN with no cliffhangers and no mpreg.

Wolf Soul is a steamy, gay opposites attract, age gap romance between a wolf who should know better and a leopard who has to learn to fight for what he wants.

Review: Accidental Lover (Exit Strategy #5) by Jocelynn Drake

Rating: 4.5🌈

Alexei Prescott , assassin and nephew of assassins extraordinaire, has a target. Gabor Kalman, shady arms dealer.

Soren Jessen, cat burglar, ex CIA, has a target. Gabor Kalman, shady arms dealer.

One will kill him, the other will steal from him. At the same time. The mission puts both men on a collision course to unravel labyrinthine mysteries that center around a stolen hard drive while keeping each other alive and able to fall into mad passionate love.

This is one of those stories I backtracked into. Soren and his assassin lover, Alexei, are important characters in Drake’s Shadow Elite series. They’re a fascinating and eclectic couple. So naturally when I learned that they had their own story, I needed to read it. And I wasn’t disappointed.

The last of a series (which had me backtracking even further), Accidental Lover not only gives us the complete window in Soren, the man who just happens to be a cat burglar now, but the complicated personality that makes that career so understandable.

The story also gives us an astonishing assassin in the person of Alexei Prescott. A diminutive gorgeous killer who has been raised by two of the world’s most notorious assassins, Alexei is as fascinating a character as the man he’s coming to love.

A thriller of a suspenseful romance, equally intriguing with snarky humor and lusty chemistry, Accidental Lover was a book I couldn’t put down.

Plus it ket me know that those scary assassins, Justin and Gabriel, Alexei’s uncles, were actually the main focus of the Exit Strategy series so I could happily backtrack once more for their origin story and romance.

I’m highly recommending this story and onto the first one in the series.

Exit Strategy series:

āœ“ Deadly Lover: Special Edition #1

āœ“ Vengeful Lover #2

ā—¦ Final Lover #3

ā—¦ Forbidden Lover #4

āœ“ Accidental Lover #5

Related/sequel series: Shadow Elite books

Accidental Lover (Exit Strategy Book 5)

Description:

Rule No. 1 of being an assassin: Don’t sleep with your mark.

Eh. Alexei has never been big on rules.

It’s not his fault Soren is too sexy for words.

And it’s not like he knew Soren was the cat burglar he’d been hired to kill.

But as they dodge other assassins, the CIA, and even the Russians to keep Soren alive and a stolen hard drive out of their hands, Alexei might be in even greater danger of breaking

Rule No. 2.

Never fall for your mark.

Review: The Christmas Rescue (Laurel Holidays #4) by V.L. Locey

Rating: 4.25🌈

Part of Locey’s Laurel Holidays series, The Christmas Rescue is a story that allows the author to explore her love and knowledge of the realities of farm life and winter in the Pennsylvania hills through the characters sweet holiday romance.

The barns and farm living is realistic, accepting of the early hours and hard work that’s required to make things run. But you get the wonderful insight into the animals that make such a living a passion. The chickens , a duck, the goats, even a blind farm cat. And then there’s the setting. Cold, bitter at times, snowy, and gorgeous.

The manure and the magnificent. It’s both there.

Both are an important part of the story and integral element of Acosta Melios, owner of the farm rescue facility, Happy Laurel Farm. Acosta and his rescue farm are my favorite elements here. He’s so believable in his personality and abilities to exist within that environment.

I also felt that his background added the right amount of pathos and family uniqueness to give him extra depth.

Decker Fitzgerald, younger son of a highly successful Pittsburg business family, Fitzgerald & Sons Well Services, is the lesser character.

I liked him but felt he had a bit of a weakness with regard to his foundation. I throughly enjoyed reading about his journey as he explored Acosta’s farm and got to know the animals and life there. There was a odd bit about a homophobic encounter in town that seemed out of place but the real issue here is his family.

Decker’s mother’s side is Greek. His best memories are of his grandmother. However, his family is dysfunctional in the extreme. They are horrid for horrids sake. One note characters with little basis other than greed for their actions.

The Melios, a first generation Greek family, is on the other side of the spectrum. They are the inviting, warm, accepting , quick to welcome a man so clearly in need of loving support. Especially when Decker is so clearly showing the pain that comes from his family dynamics.

The ending comes about quickly. And there’s no satisfying scene with Decker’s family that feels realistic.

The epilogue left us with a wonderful holiday feeling and a great sense of the future for the couple.

I’m definitely recommending this for all fans of the author and contemporary romance holiday stories.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showThe Christmas Rescue (Laurel Holidays #4) by V.L. Locey

Description:

A city boy is about to discover the true meaning of Christmas from a man with a heart as big as the snow-covered farm he calls home.

Decker Fitzgerald is all about the job. Which explains why he’s out cruising around the snowy hillsides of the Allegheny Plateau looking for a rundown farm in the middle of a whiteout. If not for his need to prove to his father—and himself—that he is worthy, he could be down in Rio with his friends over the holidays. But no, he’s creeping along winding country roads in search of some two-bit farm animal rescue parcel that Fitzgerald & Sons Well Services is desperate to contract. Seems the owner, some long-haired hippie sort, is refusing to allow them to set up a natural gas fracking pad on his acreage. Foolish tree-hugger types. Why anyone would choose a three-legged goat over thousands of dollars of royalty checks is beyond him.

He quickly finds himself stuck in a ditch and at the mercy of the elements as the snowstorm shifts into blizzard status. It’s then that a lanky stranger with a beat up tractor comes to his rescue. When the greeting and handshake reveal his rescuer is Acosta Melios, the peculiar hipster who owns the farm rescue facility he’s here to sweet talk into signing a contract, the instant pull of those cordial gray eyes falters. That is until Decker is forced to spend several days with the genial and outgoing husbandman. Between the gentle warmth that is Acosta and the loving pull of the abandoned farm animals, Decker is finding it harder and harder to persuade the outgoing farmer into allowing his father’s company to have access to his land. What isn’t hard is falling in love with the man and his throwaway charges. That, it seems, is as easy as falling off a cranky, diabetic llama.

The Christmas Rescue is a standalone small-town gay insta-love Christmas romance with forced proximity, two incredibly opposite men, a barnful of rescued farm animals, oodles of snow, strings of popcorn on a cockeyed tree, and a festive happily-ever-after.

Review: Eldon (Christmas Sprites #3) by Macy Blake

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Oh those fabulous Christmas sprites! Eldon, the serious one, gets his mate, in a story that runs almost concurrently with all the others. So we get mentions of events we know happened in the other Sprites romances.

Here in a not really ā€œfrenemies to lovers ā€œ trope, it’s Tatum William Bixby III , new owner of the Snowda Shoppe, that has Eldon in a snit.

Tate won’t tell Eldon his plans for the shop and the mystery is making Eldon nuts, along with all the magical drama his cousins are causing.

Tate has his own personal reasons for fleeing to Mistletoe Falls. Tate grows on the reader as he wanders about town, falling into the charm of the town and its inhabitants, learning to love it and Eldon.

Once more, Blake has built on the previous books and storylines, and made this story and characters stronger. It’s a lovely romance and it’s leading up to the very last cousin, Linus, and his romantic partner. He’s here too.

Can’t wait for the finale.

I’m highly recommending this and the series.

Christmas Sprites:

āœ“ Nyall #1

āœ“ Oberon #2

āœ“ Eldon #3

ā—¦ Linus #4 – Dec 22, 2022

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showEldon (Christmas Sprites #3) by Macy Blake

Description:

Yule be sorry.

Eldon doesn’t care what Tatum William Bixby the third thinks, he absolutely will not allow the Snowda Shoppe to become some corporate monstrosity. Mistletoe Falls is Eldon’s home, his life’s work, and some stuck-up, irritating, rich grinch will not ruin their small town spirit—no matter how gorgeous and intriguing Eldon finds the annoying newcomer.

Baby it’s cold outside. Frigid even, if the adorable Eldon’s reaction to Tate’s arrival in Mistletoe Falls is anything to go by. His plan to secretly escape to the small town for a much needed break has turned into a challenge to drive Eldon over the edge.

Sweet Eldon has a bite to him, though, and when Tate’s secret emerges, he and Eldon reach a holiday crisis of their own. Will the magic of Mistletoe Falls finally miss its mark, or did Eldon and Tate find love at frost sight?

If you love fated mates, enemies to lovers, and magical elves, er, sprites, who make the season bright, this holiday romance will leave you in pepper-mint condition.

Review: Nyall (Christmas Sprites Book 1) by Macy Blake

Rating: 4🌈

Nyall is a sweet holiday romance, an adorable beginning to a new Christmas series about a holiday village, Mistletoe Falls, and a special magical family of sprites looking for their HEA’s.

First up is the village baker, Nyall, who meets reporter Aaron Newton, banished to the village to write holiday fluff by his father for a past byline mistake. It becomes a delightful romance as Nyall , and his cousins, show Aaron the Christmas experience by way of all the events and the festivities that happen in Mistletoe Falls.

Of course, there’s a certain magical charm and glamour that occurs to spice things up. There’s a tiny mystery (not much of one) as well as a itty bitty drama about their relationship.

This is pretty much angst free, and a quick easy holiday read. It also sets up the next story which is cousin Oberon’s romance. There’s four books in total. I’m looking forward to reading them all.

Christmas Sprites:

Nyall #1

Oberon #2

Eldon #3 – Dec 15, 2022

Linus #4 – Dec 22, 2022

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showNyall (Christmas Sprites #1) by Macy Blake

Description:

Good things come to those who bake.

At least that’s what the sign hanging in Mistledough, the bakery owned by the gorgeous and mysterious Nyall claims.

When reporter Aaron Newton is banished to Mistletoe Falls for the holidays and forced to provide fluffy and lighthearted stories without a hint of scandal, or else, he finds himself drawn to both the bakery and the sweet taste of the man who runs it.

Aaron may not have come to the small Christmas town for love, but a little holiday magic is in the air, and the season may bring Aaron everything he’s ever wanted… if he’s willing to get whisked away by the handsome baker whose family has a secret to rival Santa Claus himself.

If you love opposites attract, small towns with holiday traditions galore, and magical elves, er, sprites, who make the season bright, you’ll fall head-over-mixing bowl for this feel good Christmas romance.

Author’s Note: Although this series takes place in the Chosen Universe, it is completely stand-alone.

———-

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

Review: This Is Real by Barbara Elsbourg

Rating: 3.75🌈

I like Barbara Elsborg, so I didn’t want to pass up her latest holiday romance, This Is Real.

A contemporary romance, it’s got a late coming out element, a snarky Englishman, a closeted American actor and a holiday movie set that brings them together.

I found it entertaining and sweet with characters that engaged me with their different backgrounds . Pasts that included aspects to their histories that were painful and believably difficult so they felt realistic .

Murdo Jenkins is a maths lecturer at Harvard. He’s got a vacation booked to see his bestie who’s also an Assistant Producer on a holiday film. He’s English with a painful history as an orphan whose adolescence was one of torment and neglect. Christmas is not his thing for reasons that will be revealed.

I liked the character of Murdo, feisty and highly intelligent. He had a welcome depth and interest to his personality that kept me involved in his life.

Lukas Olsen, actor and deeply closeted gay man, was a bit harder to get into. Not that he wasn’t understandable but at first I simply didn’t like his character. That changes as the story progresses and we get more of the background that made him into the man he’s become.

Their relationship and developing romance is fun, the dialogue is lively, personable and charming. It pulls us into their lives with a warm immediacy. The pitfalls to trying anything with a closeted partner is out front in both men’s minds. It won’t work.

Obviously the obstacles and drama will occur to change that. It happens towards the end of the story and I suppose that’s where my issues set in.

I realize this and others like it are holiday stories. That they come with a certain amount of glow and holiday spirit that sometimes glosses over some of life’s harsher realities.

But maybe it’s a bit of the Scrooge in me that thinks a holiday spirit shouldn’t be the panacea for all the things the bad people do or troublesome events that occur in these stories. That there’s another way to work through these elements realistically without having to do the whole ā€œ let’s forgive the incredibly stupid or highly irresponsible/illegal acts that happened ā€œ in order to have that golden moment(s) at the end.

Spoiler Alert. If someone in a position of authority takes advantage of a severely wounded person to then use that to a monetary advantage to potentially inflict great emotional harm as well as huge damage in other avenues? Then it’s , aww , it’s the holidays, and his excuse, well , doesn’t hold water either. So no, please stop with this type of narrative nonsense. Just because it’s a holiday story doesn’t excuse this behavior. Let’s be real.

So you had me almost to the end. I liked the epilogue. It’s just that bit towards the end. Eliminate that or change how it’s handled, and my overall opinion would be different.

Maybe you will find that aspect not as off putting as I do and will love this.

I will leave it up to you. I did enjoy the majority of the story.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showThis Is Real by Barbara Elsborg

Description:

A snarky English nerd. A hot American actor. When Christmas brings them together, they have more in common than they know…

Murdo doesn’t do Christmas, but this year, he’s looking forward to spending time with an old friend. Elodie’s working on a film starring Murdo’s Biggest Crush, the gorgeous Lukas Olsen. When Elodie asks him to give Lukas a lift from Logan International, Murdo can’t believe his luck. Lukas might be straight, but ogling’s acceptable—right?
Lukas arrives at the airport to find a gaggle of fans but no driver waiting and when he does turn up, the snarky Englishman can’t even remember where he’s parked. When they finally reach their destination, Lukas tries to tip him and Murdo makes his current opinion of Lukas very clear. His crush is over.

Things move from bad to worse when Murdo tells the director that Lukas’s English accent isn’t authentic. But a pang of guilt, and maybe a remnant of lust, has Murdo offering to give dialect lessons to a resentful Lukas. Only once they’re in Lukas’s house, annoyance turns into something far more dangerous, because Lukas isn’t out and never will be. He has too much to lose: career, fans, family and friends.

Yet something about Murdo makes Lukas want to risk it all…

Review: Sass (Style Book3) by Jay Hogan

Rating: 5 🌈

Sass is definitely my favorite of the three Style novels. The writing is tight, the scenes runs the gamut from wryly funny to serious discussions to emotional pathos, all done so beautifully. The superbly crafted characters are ones we’ve gotten to know superficially in the previous books but now get their own stories and romance in a way that makes sense and gives them personal growth. All the other cast are equally strong as well.

When it comes to Kip/Chris , the store manager at Flare, Hogan’s skill at artfully threading multiple important character issues through his storyline without ever letting the exposition overwhelm or drop one of them is outstanding. Kip has always had a quick snarky attitude and a witty quip to go with it. A verbal shield to amuse or bruise or sass to go along with his fabulous sense of style and rotating bedroom door.

The reason why Kip is never Christopher is slowly revealed here through mending a broken relationship with tattoo artist Leon Steadman. Leon too has deep issues he’s not been able to deal with. Ones that led to his argument with Kip and 2 yr long feud. There’s aspects to Leon’s life and history that beg for more page time. He’s that big a infusion of life and energy into the story and Kip’s pattern. I love him and them together. Especially as they worked through their emotional blockages and mental barriers together, inching forward towards a future.

Drew, a young trans character who’s been an integral part of the universe since Flare also has an emotional storyline. Drew has matured from a frightened, bullied teen with a transphobic family into a stylish happy nineteen year old getting ready for his top surgery, knowing he’s loved and supported by his found family at Flare. He’s a remarkable person and character. I heart him so much.

We also see our other couples too . And get a lovely epilogue.

There’s a mention of past sexual assault. But it’s not on page. A warning for those for whom this might be a trigger.

Sass is a story for me with a wider reach. It’s range of serious issues and subject matter goes from dealing with grief and loss, anger and guilt over those same feelings of grief, sexual assault and how the emotional ramifications can effectively impact you in ways if May take decades to understand. Found family, the importance of the right clothes in helping people transition. All that for starters.

I know I missed some.

And it’s beautifully woven together.

Sass is the third book and I do believe you should read them in the order they are written to understand the characters, their growth, and all the relationships.

Happy reading. I’m highly recommending Sass!

Style series:

Flare #1

Strut #2

Sass #3

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showSass (Style #3) by Jay Hogan

For two years I’ve kept Leon Steadman at a safe distance, ever since the night he turned me down flatter than a pancake with a side order of syrupy disapproval. His loss. The world is full of sexy men. One and done is simply good math and efficient use of my time. Or it would be if I hadn’t been lusting after the irritating, judgemental, gorgeous, mountain of a man, ever since.

The less I see of Leon, the better. Bad enough that his tattoo business sits next to Flare, the fashion store I manage, and that he’s friendly with my boss. But now he’s apartment-sitting above the shop, as well. Every time I turn around, Leon is there. In my store. In my space. Messing with my head. Being all nice and charming and acting like maybe he’s not the biggest jerk to walk the earth, after all.

Well, I don’t want or need Leon’s apologies, but maybe if I can have him, just once, it might put an end to this ridiculous hunger that sparks every time I lay eyes on him.

Yeah, I’ll get back to you on that.



Note: This book contains limited discussion of off-page past trauma.

———-

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

Review: Spring Strings by Lily Morton

Rating: 4🌈

Another wonderful contemporary romance from Lily Morton, Spring Strings is situated in the same model universe that has such wonderful characters as the incredibly beautiful always stoned Dean, Jude, and the effervescent Pip.

It’s a novella so unlike some of Morton’s longer fabulously memorable stories, Spring Strings misses in some of the depth of character history and layering she’s able to bring to her novels.

But Malachi Booth is such a striking character, in strong wry personality as well in beauty, that it goes a long way in helping her readers through the narrative shortcomings. Cadan Landry, his farm in Cornwall, do the rest of the heavy lifting for the romance and storytelling.

The charm of the farm and it’s setting, gruff Caden, his precarious financial situation, everything makes him and his predicament relatable.

Throw in Mal and the romance becomes a lively, sexy dance to love and HEA.

I found it entertaining and lovely.

I’m definitely recommending it for lovers of contemporary romance and Lily Morton.

Description:

Malachi Booth is a supermodel. He’s used to moving about the world, sleeping with whoever takes his fancy and watching the money roll in. The last place he expects to find himself is on a run-down farm in Cornwall, but a bad bout of bronchitis means that he’s stuck there. The only compensation for this dismal state of affairs is that the farmer is very good looking, even if he’s the grumpiest person that Malachi has ever met.

Cadan Landry’s farm has been in his family for hundreds of years but that doesn’t make it any easier to make ends meet. As a consequence, Cadan could be called grumpy. Most men would consider a supermodel collapsing at their feet while dressed in the skimpiest pair of briefs ever made to be a sign of good fortune. Cadan just resents the fact that the young man is taking up space in his cow field.

These two men are from different worlds, but can they ever meet in the middle?


From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a novella about snarky models, misconceptions, and finding a home in the most unlikely of places.

Review: How I Stole The Princess’s White Knight and Turned Him To Villainy: Miracle 3 By A.J. Sherwood

Rating: 4.5🌈

A.J. Sherwood’s serial fantasy story continues with Miracle 3 as Tan and Devan ride off together on the back of Dan the Stallion to search for the thieving rapscallion adventurers who stole the powerful, magical Sword of the Sea from a mage friend of Tan’s who was its keeper.

Devan is needed, not just because Tan would have him with the Black Sorcerer 24/7 as he would, but because the Mighty Sword of the Sea can only be wielded by a Knight who’s heart is bright and true. That’s definitely Devante Salvino, First Knight of Goodwine. The Sword, which is a tad naughty, would actually consider Tan a enemy and number one target.

The journey to recover the Sword also leads to increased closeness between Tan and Devan as well as launching considerable introspection about Devan’s occupation and his happiness.

I love how this slow burn romance is starting to heat up through Devan’s realizing how much Tan has become a part of his life.

It makes my need for the next installment and step forward in their relationship even greater.

Plus we got a new look at the King, and a hint he’s as bad as the Princess.

All the stories are called the same , only the number of the Miracle changes.

What else changes? Subtle changes to the cover! Love this aspect too!

Yes, I’m highly recommending the series. Yes, they must be read in the order they are written.

It’s a quick, highly entertaining fantasy series! Start in and get caught up with us heading into Miracle 4 today!

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showHow I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy: Miracle 3

Description:

What’s Tan to do when he has to reclaim a holy sword he can’t touch? Call upon his White Knight to save him.

What’s Devan to do when he learns the sword was stolen in order to defeat Tan? Save the poor fools from utter annihilation.

Tan is not amused by this quest line. Devan can’t stop laughing.

Tags:

Tan’s turn to need help, what are they teaching these adventurers?, I’m not saying baby adventurers are stupid, but if you put a candle next to their ears their eyes will shine, Tan has all the plans, Devan laughs for the first time, Tan loves it, even if it’s at his expense, Tan is banned from Osedon Conclave, for reasons, Tan disguises himself as a girl, also for reasons, no one likes to be drowned, no one, even magic swords knows who’s boss

———-

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