Tag: trigger warnings

Review: Taste of Fear (The Unwilling Adventures of Harlow & Foxx Book 2) by Shelby Rhodes

Rating: 5🌈

Before getting into the review, two things. One, these books definitely need to be read in the order they are written in. Secondly, heed the author’s trigger warnings. If you’re familiar with the series or author, then as a reader the content won’t necessarily be as much of a surprise but emotionally it’s still powerful and moving. Especially as it’s got extreme torture, mental, physical and traumatic moments at its core. On page scenes. So read the notes.

This isn’t to dissuade a reader from diving into the story but to inform those who will have issues with those elements in advance so informed choices can be made.

Now as to Taste of Fear. Its excellent. Heartbreaking and a stunning story that will stick with you for some time after you have finished reading it.

Possibly because the manner in which Rhodes does two things simultaneously. The relationship between vampire Foxx Honeywell and scarred human hunter Harlow is progressing uniquely, given each of their respective personalities and histories. Harlow is the one that’s the most perplexed about his odd behavior and feelings towards his vampire partner. Foxx represents so many new aspects to his life he never thought he would have. First sexual encounter with a man, then lots of sexual encounters. Now he’s living with him. And thinking about the vampire, a lot. A stunning reversal of his previous life. The growth and development of the dynamic of this weirdly complex duo is compelling and powerful.

While Rhodes, through scenes both humorous and murderous, give the reader a sense of deepening affection between Foxx and Harlow, a case arises that, adjacent to everything else that has been going on, starts to build a sense of high anxiety and suspense. That something truly horrific is coming.

And it’s target is Foxx.

I can’t begin to tell you how effective Rhodes narrative is here, as chapter by chapter, like a disastrous tragedy we see coming but are unable to stop, the horror slowly creeps in, deathly clues dropping. The reader is deeply apprehensive but still needing to read onward.

I won’t go further into the story line or the reasons for the trigger warnings. Yes, they are necessary for the situation, the plot, and for readers because it’s so real, the emotional connection between us and the characters are very impactful and profound. It will hurt.

I won’t say I enjoyed this. But I did love it on another level. Such outstanding work. It changes the characters fundamentally. It’s shattering. And now I’ll have to wait for the next one for the ramifications to set in.

If you love Shelby Rhodes, dark paranormal fiction. This is the series and story for you. I’m highly recommending this.

If you love paranormal romance but in a lighter vein ( real pun intended), there are other equally terrific books to explore.

Happy reading!

The Unwilling Adventures of Harlow & Foxx:

✓ At First Irritation #1

✓ Taste of Fear #2

◦ Unusual Emotions #3 – April 12,2024

◦ Thirst Quenched #4 – June 24,2024

Buy Link:

Taste of Fear (The Unwilling Adventures of Harlow & Foxx Book 2)

Blurb:

Foxx Honeywell here. You know those fun stories where nothing goes wrong and everything is happy and joyful…yeah, that is not this book. This book is where everything goes wrong—multiple times. Horribly wrong. Because sadly, there are people out there who hate others simply for existing. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Our story picks up a few months after the whole crazy cult thing, right before the horrible, terrifyingly awful holiday called…Christmas. Because, of course, why wouldn’t we end up back on the job right when not only is it bloody cold outside, but when the ho-ho-hoing menace is plaguing poor innocent vampires everywhere?

Anyway, we go on one hunt, and things are relatively normal-ish. It’s not until the next one where…well, I maybe almost die. What follows is some resurfacing trauma…and a fair few meltdowns. No doubt terrifying my psycho of a partner, Harlow. Who, by the way, through all this seems okay…maybe. A big maybe. So, yeah, that happens. And you know, if that was all that happened, it would have been fine. Really, it would—mostly. It’s just that what followed…really drove home all those years of no therapy. Like a blast in the face from my past nightmare-inducing trauma. I’m sure it will be fine?

CONTENT WARNING: This is a slow burn M/M paranormal romance series with heat. This book ends on a soft cliffhanger. There will be blood, violence, death, trauma induced panic attacks, and mentions of SA (no on page details). PLEASE SEE INSIDE OR CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE FOR THE FULL CONTENT WARNING!

• Publisher: (December 15, 2023)

• Publication date: December 15, 2023

• Print length: 369 pages

Review: Mind Scrambler by Ofelia Gränd

Rating: 3.75🌈

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

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

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

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

He’s already in enormous danger and physical pain.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then came the epilogue.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stories in this series:

✓ Soul Eater

✓ Ghost Dater

✓ Mind Scrambler

Buy Link:

Blurb:

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

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

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

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

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

• Publication date: January 30, 2021

• Print length: 198 pages

Review: Body Count (Wayward Sons Book 1) by L Eveland

Rating: 4.5🌈

The blurb for the book is what drew my attention immediately. The subject matter and characters of L Eveland’s series are so dark and detailed in their histories that my mind made a swift connection to another author’s terrific books that offer up the same type of murderous psychopaths (Onley James’ Necessary Evils series).

I was so excited to see what Eveland did with this terrifying type of character and found family, and how given the same traits and motivations, what twists this author took their story.

It doesn’t take long to see the differences and similarities. When you are writing a psychopath realistically, there’s defining characteristics built into the personality. That includes an inability to understand love as a normal person would. None of the characters in this book, and I expect, the series, will fall within the category of normal human emotional development.

There’s a long list of trigger warnings at the beginning of this book and if a reader is even a tad squeamish, this isn’t the story and series for you. This is dark fiction about psychopaths killing people, and maybe eating them.

The family that forms the basis for the individuals is a very different and unique group of people. One, it’s a polycule, the likes of which I haven’t read about in a story before. Those strong men and women ,who have big backgrounds of their own, are people who the reader will get to know more about over the series. From them comes the adult children , natural and adopted, who will get their own stories. Their legal business? A funeral home.

Wayward Sons’ Body Count begins with adopted son, mortician River Laskin on the prowl in a sketchy dive bar at the edge of town. One of the book’s two pov’s, his voice is telling the reader of his need for violence but not the a clear target until he spies a group of men and a collared youth cowering at their feet. That’s our second main character, Theo of no last name.

Theo is a victim of child trafficking from a very early age, 5 years old. He’s been in the custody of the same trafficker since he was sold and his mental state is that of someone who has been broken down to the barest extent that even when River “frees” him, Theo finds he can’t cope with his new situation and world that’s open to him.

Nor can River bring the person he is have the empathy to help him but he does have the support system.

Eveland does a remarkable job getting into the headspace of both men as they navigate through the process of their relationship and Theo’s trauma. That it happens to include finding out that the murderous psychopath who rescued you is part of a larger group of people who exhibit a range of abnormal psychological disorders which are slowly revealed in the book. That’s in addition to the mafia family connections they rely on heavily.

I’m actually astonished that Body Count moves along so quickly and isn’t weighted down by the author getting dragged into clinical details about the different disorders the brothers have been diagnosed with. Whether it’s the triplets’ schizophrenia or Shepherd’s DID, multiple personality disorder, it’s folded into the narrative in such a way that it’s natural for Theo to hear it, and not a info dump. Eveland’s narrative flow is due to such great depth and writing choices in how these elements are handled.

Theo and River’s relationship is rife with trigger potential for readers, however much it makes sense within the dynamics that Eveland is framing out for the couple. Does Theo understand the concept of consent? Maybe, it’s a very gray area. Would River be able to let him go? Maybe not. So how free is he? There’s pain play involved here but it’s brought into the equation in a way that makes it easier to see how much trauma Theo is trying to process.

Towards the end I felt that Theo’s “recovery “ was more advanced than an actual traumatized person in this situation would be. Maybe not.

Theo became a member of a family of traumatized individuals who were able to support him and his unique relationship with River.

Eveland took a dark topic and even more twisted characters and is giving them a very interesting look in this series, complete with mushrooms with have a revolting starter. Word to the wise. Don’t eat anything with mushrooms from this family.

I’m so sorry that I have to wait until next Spring for the second installment in this series. I could have easily binged this had the books been written.

It’s an absolute recommendation. But only for those who want to read dark fiction and appreciate the more murderous of natures in the characters we read. The list of trigger warnings is at the beginning and it’s appropriately long. Read them first before making your decision. It includes torture, child sexual abuse, murder, and hints of cannibalism.

Wayward Sons:

✓ Body Count #1

◦ Skin Deep #2 – April 30,2024

Buy Link:

Body Count: A Dark MM Romance (Wayward Sons Book 1)

Blurb:

Death is his business, and I live to serve.

Theo

Mortician River Laskin is a monster, a narcissistic sociopath with blood on his hands, but he’s also my savior.

When he rescues me from a human trafficking ring, the last thing on my mind is vengeance. I need to pull my life together and figure out how to survive in a world where I don’t exist. Without someone to tell me what to do, I’m lost. River is all I have to cling to, the only thing that makes sense in this terrifying new world.

But he and his family of murderous psychopaths have other plans, mafia connections, and murder on their minds.

River Laskin

I knew from the moment I saw him that Theo was mine. Mine to protect, mine to break, mine to put back together again.

My favorite toy.

I will use every resource at my disposal to find the men who hurt him and make them pay, whether he wants me to or not. It’s not up to him.

I’ll burn every bridge, turn over every stone, dig up every body until I get what I want.

And what I want now is vengeance for Theo. The Devil himself couldn’t stop me. I dare him to try.

Body Count is the first novel in the Wayward Sons series, a series standalone of dark MM romances that follows the Laskin brothers as they battle their inner demons and find love.

Review: A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro

Rating: 5🌈

A Ruse To Unchain Us brings The Magi Accounts near the end of this incredible dark saga. Two more stories to follow and we’ll see what happens to all the characters who have suffered and survived through this perilous, harrowing journey.

A Ruse To Unchain Us is emotionally draining and powerful in the wrenching scenes that Notaro delivers, one after the other, as the Ono-Nai tribe fights against government and witches alike to survive the battles against both and the tear in the universe. There are moments of such brutality and violence, common in this series, that hit you hard in the heart. As they should. Tissues should be issued along with the story.

Repeatedly, the author reminds the reader exactly what’s at stake, often graphic detail , what type of treatment the non humans have had to endure for decades. Along with the past traumatic history, there’s the current horrors they continue to endure, suffer under, as they battle to get their rights and freedoms.

As Notaro notes, read the trigger warnings because they definitely apply, as they have for the series. Torture, sexual assault and abuse (some off page) as children and adults , brutality , beatings, and horrific death is a common occurrence too. These beings have been and are continued to be subjected to the entire spectrum of the worst humankind is capable of simply because they aren’t human and are regarded as tools for the humans to use as they see fit.

To counter such agonizing moments and scenes, it’s balanced with those of pride, found family, bonds of deep affection, friendship, and abiding love. All of which have had to endure the pain and horror of the world they live in and survive to come together as the strong forces we see now.

Cosmo Ono-Nai, Mads, Jude, and the rest of the Ono-Nai pack must deal with the toughest challenges yet their pride has faced when The Red Cloth ups it’s attacks against the government and its citizens.

I won’t spoil the high stakes and action that occurs here. It’s intense, fast paced, incredibly emotional, and very suspenseful. And yes, filled with love and pain too , because this is a battlefield and people/beings are hurt and sometimes they die.

Notaro’s vision and realistic writing makes sure we don’t forget about the pain as well as the love, the loss that goes with the wins, such as they are. It’s raw, dark fiction and it rings so true.

Two more novels to go. One’s a companion story, Logan and Haiden get a book of their own. And then onto the finale. I can’t imagine how the author will tie up all the characters and storylines still moving forward but I’m sure it will be amazing. I’ll be so sorry to see this series end.

What a fantastic journey it’s been.

Until then, I highly recommend you read this series in the order it’s written if you haven’t already done so. Then read the intensely powerful A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro. Just a great example why this author is an auto read.

The Magi Accounts:

🔹The Scars That Bind Us #1

🔹The Shackles That Hold Us #2

🔹A Date To Impress Him #2.5

🔹A Purpose That Restores Us #3

🔹A Holiday to Sustain Us: A Magi Accounts Holiday

🔹An Embrace To Hearten Me: The Magic Accounts 3.5

🔹A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts # 4

🔹A Heart To Revitalize Me #4.5 – September 20, 2024 (Logan and Haiden companion story)

🔹Only Unity Will Spare Us #5 – Sept 20, 2024

Buy Link:

A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts 4

Blurb:

It’s time to fight back, and by the goddess, I will help free my people.

The Cloaked Freeway is finally in a position to effect real change, and I want so badly to be a part of it. Since I was a little kid, it’s been my dream to free my people from under the human’s rule. And now I have the chance to make that dream a reality.

But helping them means giving up so much. I have a family now—a pride—and I don’t want to put them at risk. Luckily for me, my mate wants to be a part of the revolution, too, but that still leaves everyone else.

The world is turning into chaos around us and our family is being pulled in different directions, but I know one thing for sure. The Ono-Nais are fighters, and we’ll do everything in our power to keep each other safe and help those around us.

A Ruse To Unchain Us is the fourth book in the MM urban fantasy series, The Magi Accounts. It’s recommended to read the series in order because the romance progresses through the series and it has an ongoing storyline, but there is NO cliffhanger.

*Intended for adults only. Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of this novel.

Review: A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro

Rating: 5🌈

A Ruse To Unchain Us brings The Magi Accounts near the end of this incredible dark saga. Two more stories to follow and we’ll see what happens to all the characters who have suffered and survived through this perilous, harrowing journey.

A Ruse To Unchain Us is emotionally draining and powerful in the wrenching scenes that Notaro delivers, one after the other, as the Ono-Nai tribe fights against government and witches alike to survive the battles against both and the tear in the universe. There are moments of such brutality and violence, common in this series, that hit you hard in the heart. As they should. Tissues should be issued along with the story.

Repeatedly, the author reminds the reader exactly what’s at stake, often graphic detail , what type of treatment the non humans have had to endure for decades. Along with the past traumatic history, there’s the current horrors they continue to endure, suffer under, as they battle to get their rights and freedoms.

As Notaro notes, read the trigger warnings because they definitely apply, as they have for the series. Torture, sexual assault and abuse (some off page) as children and adults , brutality , beatings, and horrific death is a common occurrence too. These beings have been and are continued to be subjected to the entire spectrum of the worst humankind is capable of simply because they aren’t human and are regarded as tools for the humans to use as they see fit.

To counter such agonizing moments and scenes, it’s balanced with those of pride, found family, bonds of deep affection, friendship, and abiding love. All of which have had to endure the pain and horror of the world they live in and survive to come together as the strong forces we see now.

Cosmo Ono-Nai, Mads, Jude, and the rest of the Ono-Nai pack must deal with the toughest challenges yet their pride has faced when The Red Cloth ups it’s attacks against the government and its citizens.

I won’t spoil the high stakes and action that occurs here. It’s intense, fast paced, incredibly emotional, and very suspenseful. And yes, filled with love and pain too , because this is a battlefield and people/beings are hurt and sometimes they die.

Notaro’s vision and realistic writing makes sure we don’t forget about the pain as well as the love, the loss that goes with the wins, such as they are. It’s raw, dark fiction and it rings so true.

Two more novels to go. One’s a companion story, Logan and Haiden get a book of their own. And then onto the finale. I can’t imagine how the author will tie up all the characters and storylines still moving forward but I’m sure it will be amazing. I’ll be so sorry to see this series end.

What a fantastic journey it’s been.

Until then, I highly recommend you read this series in the order it’s written if you haven’t already done so. Then read the intensely powerful A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro. Just a great example why this author is an auto read.

The Magi Accounts:

🔹The Scars That Bind Us #1

🔹The Shackles That Hold Us #2

🔹A Date To Impress Him #2.5

🔹A Purpose That Restores Us #3

🔹A Holiday to Sustain Us: A Magi Accounts Holiday

🔹An Embrace To Hearten Me: The Magic Accounts 3.5

🔹A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts # 4

🔹A Heart To Revitalize Me #4.5 – September 20, 2024 (Logan and Haiden companion story)

🔹Only Unity Will Spare Us #5 – Sept 20, 2024

Buy Link:

A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts 4

Blurb:

It’s time to fight back, and by the goddess, I will help free my people.

The Cloaked Freeway is finally in a position to effect real change, and I want so badly to be a part of it. Since I was a little kid, it’s been my dream to free my people from under the human’s rule. And now I have the chance to make that dream a reality.

But helping them means giving up so much. I have a family now—a pride—and I don’t want to put them at risk. Luckily for me, my mate wants to be a part of the revolution, too, but that still leaves everyone else.

The world is turning into chaos around us and our family is being pulled in different directions, but I know one thing for sure. The Ono-Nais are fighters, and we’ll do everything in our power to keep each other safe and help those around us.

A Ruse To Unchain Us is the fourth book in the MM urban fantasy series, The Magi Accounts. It’s recommended to read the series in order because the romance progresses through the series and it has an ongoing storyline, but there is NO cliffhanger.

*Intended for adults only. Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of this novel.

Review: A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro

Rating: 5🌈

A Ruse To Unchain Us brings The Magi Accounts near the end of this incredible dark saga. Two more stories to follow and we’ll see what happens to all the characters who have suffered and survived through this perilous, harrowing journey.

A Ruse To Unchain Us is emotionally draining and powerful in the wrenching scenes that Notaro delivers, one after the other, as the Ono-Nai tribe fights against government and witches alike to survive the battles against both and the tear in the universe. There are moments of such brutality and violence, common in this series, that hit you hard in the heart. As they should. Tissues should be issued along with the story.

Repeatedly, the author reminds the reader exactly what’s at stake, often graphic detail , what type of treatment the non humans have had to endure for decades. Along with the past traumatic history, there’s the current horrors they continue to endure, suffer under, as they battle to get their rights and freedoms.

As Notaro notes, read the trigger warnings because they definitely apply, as they have for the series. Torture, sexual assault and abuse (some off page) as children and adults , brutality , beatings, and horrific death is a common occurrence too. These beings have been and are continued to be subjected to the entire spectrum of the worst humankind is capable of simply because they aren’t human and are regarded as tools for the humans to use as they see fit.

To counter such agonizing moments and scenes, it’s balanced with those of pride, found family, bonds of deep affection, friendship, and abiding love. All of which have had to endure the pain and horror of the world they live in and survive to come together as the strong forces we see now.

Cosmo Ono-Nai, Mads, Jude, and the rest of the Ono-Nai pack must deal with the toughest challenges yet their pride has faced when The Red Cloth ups it’s attacks against the government and its citizens.

I won’t spoil the high stakes and action that occurs here. It’s intense, fast paced, incredibly emotional, and very suspenseful. And yes, filled with love and pain too , because this is a battlefield and people/beings are hurt and sometimes they die.

Notaro’s vision and realistic writing makes sure we don’t forget about the pain as well as the love, the loss that goes with the wins, such as they are. It’s raw, dark fiction and it rings so true.

Two more novels to go. One’s a companion story, Logan and Haiden get a book of their own. And then onto the finale. I can’t imagine how the author will tie up all the characters and storylines still moving forward but I’m sure it will be amazing. I’ll be so sorry to see this series end.

What a fantastic journey it’s been.

Until then, I highly recommend you read this series in the order it’s written if you haven’t already done so. Then read the intensely powerful A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro. Just a great example why this author is an auto read.

The Magi Accounts:

🔹The Scars That Bind Us #1

🔹The Shackles That Hold Us #2

🔹A Date To Impress Him #2.5

🔹A Purpose That Restores Us #3

🔹A Holiday to Sustain Us: A Magi Accounts Holiday

🔹An Embrace To Hearten Me: The Magic Accounts 3.5

🔹A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts # 4

🔹A Heart To Revitalize Me #4.5 – September 20, 2024 (Logan and Haiden companion story)

🔹Only Unity Will Spare Us #5 – Sept 20, 2024

Buy Link:

A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts 4

Blurb:

It’s time to fight back, and by the goddess, I will help free my people.

The Cloaked Freeway is finally in a position to effect real change, and I want so badly to be a part of it. Since I was a little kid, it’s been my dream to free my people from under the human’s rule. And now I have the chance to make that dream a reality.

But helping them means giving up so much. I have a family now—a pride—and I don’t want to put them at risk. Luckily for me, my mate wants to be a part of the revolution, too, but that still leaves everyone else.

The world is turning into chaos around us and our family is being pulled in different directions, but I know one thing for sure. The Ono-Nais are fighters, and we’ll do everything in our power to keep each other safe and help those around us.

A Ruse To Unchain Us is the fourth book in the MM urban fantasy series, The Magi Accounts. It’s recommended to read the series in order because the romance progresses through the series and it has an ongoing storyline, but there is NO cliffhanger.

*Intended for adults only. Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of this novel.

Review: Not Dating Material (Accidental Love, #2) by Saxon James

Rating: 4🌈

I struggled with the rating for many reasons. I had been looking forward to a story that was about the strange dynamic between Seven and Xander, two of my favorite characters. And I wondered how James would create a perfect person to fold into the existing tight relationship. And what that personality would be like.

Honestly, Molly wouldn’t be my choice of person or character to fit into the tight family. But that’s just me. I found Molly swung between irritating or grating while still appreciative of some of the aspects of his personality that James’ wrote into his character.

I thought her portrait of Seven’s as someone afraid of being hurt, again was so well done. Of being open to the exact same emotions that ended up being the thing that damaged him was so beautifully written. It goes perfectly with the well established abuse suffered by Xander. The reader can understand how their dynamic developed and why they are so codependent upon each other still, deeply emotional as family/brothers.

It’s such a strong element here that Molly , is a lesser player just by being himself. I liked that James wrote in the way he was able to examine his own actions and past experiences. And then try to understand how to use people’s help to move on. But he equally at times just feels too superficial in comparison.

I don’t know. I just felt that his character, the“I’m so cute “ personality came across as too much so often of the time. Couldn’t invest in his character or his romantic life.

Which was a shame because I adore Seven and Xander. So two thirds of this story I was anticipating a different kind of partnership. Oh well.

Many will feel differently.

I’m enjoying the series and look forward to the next book.

Accidental Love:

✓ The Husband Hoax #1

✓ Not Dating Material #2

◦ The Revenge Agenda #3 -Feb 28, 2024

Buy Link:

Not Dating Material (Accidental Love Book 2)

Blurb:

MOLLY

Moving to Seattle is supposed to be all about getting a fresh start and leaving the bitter man I was becoming behind.

I have new roommates–quirky, sometimes strange, roommates–a nosy, next door neighbor and a grumpy kitty for company, but even surrounded by people, I still don’t feel like I belong. Plus, it turns out the men in Seattle are exactly the same as the ones I left behind, and my string of romantic disconnections continues.

It’s not until one of my roommates, Seven, hits me with some hard truths that I realize where I was going wrong.

Maybe the men aren’t the problem.

I am.

And there’s only one way to fix that.

SEVEN

Being found tied up naked to my bed by my cute new roommate isn’t an ideal way for us to start a friendship.

But apparently a quid-pro-quo is.

He keeps his pretty lips zipped about the compromising position, and I step in as his dating coach. We go out, I note where he’s going wrong, and he magically becomes dating material.

The problem is, between my codependent brother Xander and a new best friend I can’t get rid of, Molly and I are the target of a matchmaking scheme. My life is way too busy to add another person to it, and Molly is the kinda guy who needs to be made a priority, which I just can’t do. Xander’s medical anxiety takes up too much of my time, and I’ve never found a partner who doesn’t resent it.

I’m determined to help Molly find his ever after.

But that guy will never be me.

Review: How the Necromancer in the Gold Vest Saved My Life: Disaster #2 (Princes of Mayhem) by Jocelynn Drake

Rating: 4.75🌈

How the Necromancer in the Gold Vest Saved My Life is a marvelously humorous, sometimes romantic, often horrifying serialized 4 piece story. Last one ending on a cliffhanger!

Which is where Pet Problems picks up. Pets, as in vampire human pets whether they want to be or not. There’s a trigger warning that comes with the story and it’s at the beginning of the book. It concerns a vampire’s actions that are non-con, can be defined as assault. The author mentions where they will occur so a reader can choose to read those pages or not.

It’s totally appropriate.

The book deals with secrets and a huge danger that Nolan has fallen into trying to free his scrounge of a brother from his debts. We get to see more of Nolan trying to deal with a shattering revelation about the paranormal world that has always coexisted with his.

But the real story is Sky. Sky who on the surface is sweet, small, adorable Sky the Necromancer. Here we get to see what’s been bubbling darkly underneath, just emerging in hints with demons who like sandwiches, or shrubbery gone cannibalistic. And it’s wonderful!

Finally! A dark raging necromancer and it’s fabulous! I so wanted more of this Sky! And the blood witch that showed up too. Ok all that is towards the end but what a climax!

The middle of the story is pretty good too. Oh, yes, Nolan does something predictably dumb but you knew that was coming. And since it sets up that amazingly awesome battle? I say let’s do it again.

This series is so much horrifying fun! But a reader needs to remember that it’s dark fiction as well so heed any trigger warnings the author includes.

It’s a definite recommendation. But you need to read them in the order that they are written.

How the Necromancer in the Gold Vest Saved My Life:

Disaster #1: Fun With Family

Disaster #2: Pet Problems

Disaster #3: Date Night -Aug 11

Disaster #4: Who Woke the Dead?-Aug 28

Buy Link:

How the Necromancer in the Gold Vest Saved My Life: Disaster #2 (Princes of Mayhem)

Description:

Disaster #2: Pet Problems

Nolan has been keeping a secret.

In his defense, he wasn’t sure if he could trust Sky at first.

And then, well…his life got pretty crazy for a while. He might have just forgotten.

But that secret has come calling and it’s about to take a big bite out of Nolan.

Of course, there’s no way Sky’s going to let anyone hurt his neighbor, friend, and possibly one-day baby daddy. He’s hitting back hard to keep Nolan safe.

Even the roses are angry in this one. (Just trust me on this one. Beware of the roses.)

How the Necromancer in the Gold Vest Saved My Life is a serial comprising four novellas that follow the insane adventures of necromancer Skylar Wallace and his next-door neighbor Nolan Banks. This is book two of four and contains vampires, werewolves, witches, underworld minions, danger, a meddling ghost grammy, aggressive roses, and one very angry necromancer. Seriously, nobody better touch his man.

Trigger Warnings:

“Just a warning to sensitive readers: some of Christoph’s actions can be viewed as aggressive, verging on assault. You might want to proceed with caution in chapter one and the last half of chapter seven. Thanks,”

— How the Necromancer in the Gold Vest Saved My Life: Disaster #2 (Princes of Mayhem) by Jocelynn Drake

Review: Fool Me Twice (Court of Pain Book 2) by Ariana Nash

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Well, that was brutal. And ultimately satisfying.

It’s been a while, from the beginning of the year, since the first book of this two story series was released . So it took me a while to mentally catch up on the events that Fool Me Twice opens up on.

That the cliffhanger that Fool Me Once ends on and this novel opens up with. Our three characters , Lark, Arin, and Draven, fighting for their lives in a sandstorm.

But first a note about the triggers and the fact this is dark, dark, fiction. The author states that the reader should go to her website for all warnings pertaining to the subject and books but there’s only one for the first book and imo, the second warrants far more serious warnings.

From Ariana Nash’s website:

Potentially triggering content for Fool Me Once includes but is not limited to: attempted suicide (main character), incest (non-consensual, off-page, not between main characters), dubious consent (main characters).

Assume triggers are on-page, unless off-page is specified above.

However, in Fool Me Twice , there’s on page rape, rape of a corpse, torture, dismembering, murder . Make no mistake, this is extremely disturbing reading at times.

The person who’s the main villain here is Razak, the head of the Court of Pain. It’s a role he’s embraced, and embedded deeply within himself.

There’s so many storylines to keep track of within this universe. Each court in the Shatterlands have their own internal politics and affairs that are affecting the overall outcome of the game Razak is playing for total domination and the power of a god.

There’s the Court of Love, Justice, War, and Pain. Trying to remember who and what has happened to all the various groups and characters can be narratively burdensome.

But when Nash narrows her story line down to the traumatic events and harrowing relationships between the prince of Pain, physically and emotionally damaged Lark, brother to Razak, Prince Arin of the Court of Love, and Draven, warlord of the Court of War, as they navigate the treacherous landscape of their lives.

This is a story full of people who can’t or won’t communicate, people believing in the power of lies over truth, manipulation over trust, and fear over hope. It’s a compelling, tough and brutal journey Nash takes the reader on, twisting these men’s perceptions of life around. To do this, the author puts them and the reader through some truly dark, horrific situations and terrifying moments, which make such changes believable and raw.

Finally, after a hellish epic climatic battle , are the characters able to say they survived and won out when even they thought everything was over.

Bloody, done in, exhausted, and almost dead.

Oddly satisfying and the reader feels just as exhausted.

Not sure I would want to read it again. But it’s so well written I’m glad I read it once.

Who should I recommend this to? Those that love really dark LGBTQIA fantasy romance. Take those trigger warnings seriously and realize that Fool Me Twice is twice as dark.

If you’re seeking a light fantasy fiction, this isn’t for you.

They must be read in the order that they were written to understand the storylines and character development.

Court of Pain – 2 book series

✓ Fool Me Once #1

✓ Fool Me Twice #2

Buy Link:

Fool Me Twice (Court of Pain Book 2)

Description:

The epic, heart-wrenching conclusion to the Court of Pain duology. Spanning four courts, devious and doomed royals, and the most unlikely of loves between a prince and his fool.

They say in the darkest of times, the brightest star has no choice but to shine.

I’m no star, nor am I a hero. But I could be the villain. To protect Arin from Razak’s scheming, I’ll have to be.

He’s my shaft of sunlight through the storm, my hope in the darkest of times, but Prince Arin is also my weakness. And Razak knows it.

The shatterlands are under threat, the crowns are missing, and as the pieces of Razak’s puzzle begin to fall into place, its picture becomes clear.

It was never about the crowns, or the courts.

It was never about vengeance, or spite.

It was always about love.

And Razak will not stop until he’s destroyed mine, and all the shatterlands with it.

*

Court of Pain is a dual point of view, dark MM fantasy duology brimming with courtly spice, morally ambiguous characters, and the fool who plays them all.

This is a dark world with potentially distressing content. For more information on content warnings, please visit the author’s website.

Review: Must be Clowning Me (Once Upon A Bite Book 3) by Charity Parkerson

Rating: 2 🌈

Must be Clowning Me needs trigger warnings.🚩

Review contains spoilers.

Charity Parkerson’s Once Upon a Bite series are meant, in her words, to “be short, fun paranormal romps to brighten your day.”

I think I’d like to ask the author if she knows what a romp is? If you consult a dictionary it’s often found as something that’s enjoyable and lively, often humorous. Maybe sexual and fast paced.

That does describe her first story, Little Pest.

But after that the series definitely removes itself from the romp category. And while the middle story has some interesting elements and a relationship that evolves from bite /bang into something approaching realness, this finale book is a series of moments where I ask myself should I DNF here.

And it’s a very short story.

This story has a teenage vampire , Aaron (Cosmic Cardio) who hasn’t recovered from the rape he suffered when he was turned . He falls into instant lust/love with a traumatized older psychologist who was bitten and turned by a vampire clown.

Wait it gets worse. And spoiler alert 🚨

The older psychologist, Jake, who’s now a baby vampire himself and dealing with that forced change , is also hiding the major issues. One being that he’s a heavily traumatized man, dealing with years of domestic abuse and violence. Oh yes. And he’s instantly having sex with, yes, the teenage vampire who found him.

The teenage vampire can hear Jake’s thoughts but he doesn’t tell him he’s listening instead he’s just pretending he’s hearing normally. Any flags here?

But wait there’s more! The teenager, Aaron ,who found Jake, the psychiatrist, was on his way to see his new , yep, psychiatrist. Who is Jake. Who starts to counsel him.

Much is made of the fact that now they are vampires, that changes perspectives on many things. Uh maybe not. I stopped throwing flags a while back. My arm got sore.

Then to wrap up, tiny fast forwards in time where everyone is in love, a bad guy has been vanquished, and HEA.

It’s a story where you read and you think it can’t be this bad. It will redeem itself and then it doesn’t.

Nothing narratively flows. That bit with the ex boyfriend is horrifying and should come with ginormous trigger warnings. Especially for anyone who has been a victim of Domestic violence or abuse. Especially the use of a deeply seated phobia against the victim to further increase the physical /emotional traumatic damage his stalker is causing. All of which the reader will experience with the victim on the page through his eyes and emotions.

That’s as far from funny or a romp as anything I can think of.

So no recommendations here, except for the first one in the series, Little Pest. Skip the rest.

Especially the last. It should come with trigger warnings for domestic violence and abuse, as well as rape recovery.

Once Upon A Bite:

✓ Little Pest #1

✓ Cosmic Cardio #2

✓ Must be Clowning Me #3 🚩

Buy Link:

Must be Clowning Me (Once Upon a Bite Book 3)

Description:

All Jake wants is a fresh start. He REALLY gets his wish. Now he’s trapped for eternity as a night dweller.

Only Jake could get attacked by a vampire clown the moment he moves his therapy practice to New Orleans. Fortunately, the town is rife with supernatural clients to keep his business afloat. But life has always enjoyed a good laugh at Jake’s expense, and he can’t stop thinking about one client in particular. The vampire who found him and saved him.

Having a vampire therapist is a bit of a dream come true for Aaron. He’s been needing one for a while. Aaron has a barrel full of issues to work out, and it’s easier if his therapist knows about the supernatural world. Unfortunately, Aaron never expected his therapist to be so hot, and they have a connection from day one. There’s no way for him to stay on task. Aaron doesn’t know if he’s getting better or if he’s falling in love. Truthfully, he’s also not sure if he cares anymore, as long as he gets to keep seeing Jake.

Must be Clowning Me is the third book in Charity Parkerson’s Once Upon a Bite series. These books are meant to be short, fun paranormal romps to brighten your day.