MF

Ensnared by the Stone Freak by Vala Stone

Posted on by DragonSusie

We Want More!!

So, we have two drastically different people, meeting in colourful circumstances, but neither are who they seem from the outset.

We have Camryn “Cammy” Mayfield, a top-tier lawyer, who’s a workaholic but secretly fed up with her job.

Then we have Halvard the “Stone Freak”; no surname, but has Gargoyle* lineage.

And with a host of side characters, including a Seer, Cammy’s friend who she doesn’t know is a Siren, a Warlock stalker ex, and the absolutely fabulously wonderful and cute Wild Boar Hogzy!

So, Halvard is cursed to turn everyone he gazes upon to stone. Yet he’s told that his curse will be lifted with one glance. He doesn’t believe it one bit but, considering who the two main characters are, we know who it has to be… And she pushes his belief to the limit, just as he pushes hers, she having never known that magical creatures really existed.

And, with them together, she finally has the courage to face up to her stalker ex, whose powers have made him overly obsessive and on the edge of sanity.

I suppose there’s a little bit of adventure in here (perhaps I don’t see it completely so, as I’m so used to fantasy). But it’s romance with an edge of danger, really, overcoming themselves plus adversity, with a little nudge and help now and then.

Of course, the adult part was fun, too, and once they started they had to push all the way… But it felt a little unfinished, missing a couple of descriptors, going from all guns blazing, to just… Ending. I expected as much fire to end the second scene as the first.

Additional notes:
* Gargoyles are a pretty specific type of Grotesque, Grotesques being the statues you find on ancient buildings, and Gargoyles being the water features found at the end of guttering (think “gargle”, which has the same root). It’s a common misconception, so I thought it best to educate everyone at the same time.

All that aside, it took me time in the beginning to get used to the author’s voice but, once I had, the words just flew by! I was fully entranced and captivated, apart from the couple of niggles mentioned above, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Ms. Stone has a new fan.

Final rating: ★★★★☆ – Really liked

*I received a free digital ARC via the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

Rite of Blood and Secrets by Laura Greenwood

Posted on by DragonSusie

A Bit of a Miss

I always write reviews from a personal space, which means that it’s to do with how I feel, and not a blight on the author in any way. Because, the truth is, not every book gels with everyone, and we all come away with our own unique impressions.

So, these are mine and, as you may have realised by now, they weren’t entirely good. But that’s not to say that they were entirely bad, either.

The problem for me personally was that it felt hollow. It’s understandable how Beatrice is being pulled around like a marionette, especially in the vampire stages of the book. It’s understandable how Beatrice’s relationship with her brother changes after he’s brought her into something she wants no part of. Her relationship with Lord Fallmartin, a complete stranger who now has such control over her life, is to be expected, too. But why do I feel like there’s something missing as I move through the pages?

The story, at a base level, is brilliant; I love the ideas, the interplay. It sounds like there is much political intrigue to come. Beatrice makes a couple of friends along the way, too, although we only really get to hear about one of them. Yet, still, for all that brilliance, I couldn’t bring myself to love this. Very good books keep me reading far beyond bedtime. With this, I just couldn’t connect to it!

My favourite part, mind, has to be vampire pets! Having lost two of my beloved cats, being able to keep them around forever is always a pet lover’s wish. The only true perk of being a vampire.

Yes, somewhat of a disappointment, because I couldn’t make that full connection, but it still has so much potential.

Final rating: ★★★☆☆ – Sort of liked/OK

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Deadly Storm by E.W. Saloka

Posted on by DragonSusie

An Unending Disaster

I am unsure of my feelings for this book. It annoyed me most of the way through, after first completely throwing me off with the Regency-style language at the beginning, then annoying me with the amount of out-of-place modern Americanisms. I will list: ‘sass’, ‘tush’, ‘biscuits and gravy’ (in England, biscuits are for tea!), ‘earbobs’ (I had absolutely no idea what they were, until I found out on Google that it’s a word from the Southern US), ‘gee’, and the rather referential ‘gorgeous, darling’. If one is writing a Regency-style novel, I think it best to get the language right! I am unsure if I’m offended with cream in tea or not, as I’ve read that that might be an upper-class thing.

The story itself, the raw bones, is a good idea. There was absolutely far too much “s/he loves me, s/he loves me not”, so much back and forth, done in an overdramatic way each time, lots of repeated deceit and betrayal, with barely a word different. I actually did enjoy the intrigue part of the story, who’s pulling the strings. The reveal of who Lady Osprey is might have worked better if the rest of the story wasn’t so chaotic.

Then there were all the trysts, all the repeated words, mostly feelings; is it possible that someone can feel the same, but not in a completely identical way each time?

Some additional notes: a bizarre typo ‘cardsharp’. Then, whilst they’re at sea, they’re told to stay in their cabin but don’t…?

Add to this, all the sheer editing work that hasn’t happened yet meant that it was a headache at times trying to work out where each person’s speech began and ended.

There is potentially a solid story lying within these pages. A solid, interesting story. But it’s not ready yet.

Final rating: ★★☆☆☆ – Disliked

*I received a free digital Beta copy via the author in exchange for an honest review*

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Wicked Steel by Harper Lynn

Posted on by DragonSusie

An Interesting Start

There is a warning about the world right from the start, but I’d just come out of reading a different steampunk novel, so it’s pretty much run of the mill for me. There are steampunk elements throughout, including manpowered cabs, and driverless shuttles.

So, saying that – this is an interesting world, with magic based on eleven elements. In this story, the element is steel.

So, steel is absolutely everywhere, used in almost everything, giving the advanced users, the Heirs, much to play with.

The two main characters are Cara, Heir and daughter to one of the most powerful magnates in the city, and Derron, an odd-job guy who takes his money from whoever pays the most, currently Cara’s father.

And so the two meet, Derron learning that Cara isn’t a stuck-up good-for-nothing heiress, and Cara learning that Derron may not just be out for himself and may have a heart overall.

It is a story of love, loss, and betrayal. The betrayals were somewhat expectant, as there was clever foreshadowing. But, yes, they’re completely blind to it, and we see them get out of a few scrapes because of it.

All in all, not a bad read, but it definitely needed extra editing before it reached the ARC stage, as there were huge chunks of repeated text.

Final rating: ★★★★☆ – Really liked

*I received a free digital ARC via the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

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If I Love You by Tmonique Stephens

Posted on by DragonSusie

From bitter to sweet

A story that starts off with resentment, which we do learn the reasons for as the story moves along, yet resolves in a good way.

Kensley and Noah were once friends, having grown up together, along with her brother. Yet her brother didn’t come back from Afghanistan. Noah did. So when Noah returns to their hometown barely months after her brother’s funeral, he’s the last one that she wants to interact with. Yet, somehow, he’s there at every turn.

Will the truth set Kensley free? Can she forgive Noah?

There is plenty of heat here. Even though the two main characters are most definitely attracted to one another, it takes time for both of them to come to terms with what they have.

Love, loss, intrigue – this book has it all!

Final rating: ★★★★☆ – Really liked

*I received a free digital ARC via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

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Statuesque by Chera Zade and Fanny Mills

Posted on by DragonSusie

Yet more Infernalis fun!

As to be expected from the Infernalis Club books, this was not shy on fun and detail. I’ve been loving all the books in the series so far and, whilst it helps to have some background knowledge of the main characters, it shouldn’t spoil the read if you haven’t yet read any other books in the series.

In this edition, we have young Gillian, currently living with her strict aunt and uncle after her parents died and left her penniless. Being the poor relation, she gets treated as a lesser being, being made to look ugly and unpresentable at balls, so that her cousins (who she also has to wait on) are chosen first.

But, oh, poor Gillian doesn’t know what she’s in for one evening, when deciding to confine herself to her rooms rather than put up with her family’s demands. Sneaking out of her room so she can hear the music better gets herself into more trouble than she ever expects, after discovering a rather delicious gentleman engaged in acts she couldn’t even dream of!

Yet Gillian, even upon discovering the Infernalis Club after deciding to follow the carriage of the one who taught her a lesson, is kept perfectly intact, apart from the severe bottom bruising. Lord Standish, ever inventive, finds a way of allowing her to participate whilst allowing her to keep her precious flower… Although, we all know that that’s unlikely to last for long!

Great fun with plenty of heat, it should keep you panting for more!

Final rating: ★★★★☆ – Really liked

*I received a free digital ARC via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

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Reigning Magicks by Candace Osmond and J.J. King

Posted on by DragonSusie

An interesting start to the series

Front cover

This is an alternative take on the time-travel romance (from what I’m aware of and have read, anyway), where the female of the pair magically travels into the future instead of the past, in order to find her true love.

Well, OK, it is somewhat more complicated than that, but that is at least part of the basic principle behind the story.

Ashlynn searches for the local seer in order to find a way to not be forced to marry a Warlord from another clan. She is granted one wish, which unexpectedly catapults her into the future. Does she find a way to return to her family, after her sister has taken her place in the union, or does she choose to stay and create her own path?

I was a bit sceptical of the storyline at first, but it rounded off nicely. Am looking forward to the next book!

Final rating: ★★★★☆ – Really liked

*I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

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Secrets and Suitors by Joanna Barker

Posted on by DragonSusie

Beautiful

Typical me, I’m behind on my reviewing again! Yet this one sticks in the mind plenty enough for me to still be able to give my thoughts and opinions on it.

I will start by saying that I usually avoid Regency romances as, quite like contemporary billionaire romances, they can be unrelatable, reading more like a fantasy world. The description and the cover sucked me in on this one and, I am relieved to say, that the writing made the story relatable. The characters felt real, fragile yet headstrong, each with their own unique characteristics.

It is hard to understand from a modern perspective a time period where men, particularly the heads of the family, very much had a final say in anything that women did. Despite having read so much, I’d hate to live without my modern freedoms. Yet here we have a young lady who is willing to test her father’s resolve so she can marry the man she loves, rather than the one that may give her the greatest comforts.

We have a great main character, accompanied by a slew of side characters who make the story even more colourful. I especially like the Countess – quiet and calculating, with a great sense of duty, but with an even greater sense of humour.

All in all, I have to say that I’m very glad that I picked this up!

Final rating: ★★★★★ – Loved it/couldn’t put it down

*I received a free ARC via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

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