MF Romance

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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The Tea Witch’s Promise by Laura Greenwood and Arizona Tape

Posted on by DragonSusie

Somewhat Disappointing

I absolutely hated the start, and I’m unsure why. There was something missing, that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

The romance was also a too-slow build up for me, with all the “will they, won’t they?”, which is known to annoy me somewhat. It just felt like they kept recircling around the same ideas, not asking the right questions, before finally deciding all was OK. Once they got to that point, the flow was better, until it came to the issue of Oliver…

Banjo is a fun character, and I would have liked to have seen him fleshed out a bit more. Hopefully we’ll get more of other familiars, including Howie, quite soon. They’re magically-bonded familiars, but what that actually means, apart from a tattoo (no spoilers), and whether there are actually any magical properties there outside of that, I’m not too sure right now.

And I was a little confused about how the magic works, but hopefully that will come along, too.

This doesn’t mean that I will just dump the series. But I will just see it all as an introduction, and hope that the next book finds me better. We are all different in our likes, after all!

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

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Alpha’s Blood by Renee Rose and Lee Savino

Posted on by DragonSusie

Fun yet predictable read

I haven’t read any other books in the Bad Boy Alphas series, Midnight Doms neither, yet it’s not necessary – this book certainly works as a standalone and, as far as I’m aware, all the other books in the two intertwined series do, too.

We start off with a slave auction, where wolf shifters are set to be auctioned off to a vampire master. They’re known as “sweetbloods”, generally for the fact that adrenaline makes their blood taste sweeter, and with shifters, it’s apparently more potent. These slaves are either forced, or are sold off by their families. They receive training, to make sure that they can please their new masters, but this one female wolf is neither a slave, nor truly willing.

Selene has been trained in warfare since the massacre of her family, and trained in submission since she turned twenty-one, by a vampire who apparently wants to help her get back at the vampire who conducted the slaughter: the Vampire King. Her goal – to be bought by the King, so she may have a chance to end his life in turn. Although things don’t quite go as planned, and her attraction to this vampire means that she’s going to have a hard time fulfilling her half of the bargain.

So then, enter Lucius, the infamous Vampire King. He knows something is up when he’s not only enticed towards the auction, which he isn’t particularly a fan of, but is shown a werewolf that is just to his tastes. She reminds him of someone, so of course he presumes it’s a trap. Yet how can he possibly resist? And how can he tame this defiant she wolf, so unafraid of him?

There’s plenty of fun back and forth. Indeed, the training sessions are as steamy as they are fun. Selene is so stubborn, yet can’t resist the lure, each new scene bringing something unexpected to her, despite her previous training.

Yet, somehow, once they appear to “fall in love”, things start to fizzle out, as they both start to settle and become “domesticated”. There’s a twist, which can be seen coming a mile off, and the ending is pretty unsurprising. Once you get into the final third, apart from a couple of little pieces, it becomes quite predictable.

Although, despite the ending, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable read. Maybe I will pick my way through the rest of the two series…

Final rating: ★★★★☆ – Really liked

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

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Midnight Surrender by Nikki Landis

Posted on by DragonSusie

Really hard hitting

This is now book two in the “Freedom Fighters” series and is just as dark, just as filled with graphic violence.

One thing I can’t deny is that it is a page turner. I just ended up flipping through pages, even when it became uncomfortable. Having read the first book, I had a better idea of what to expect, yet some scenes were still shocking and brutal, especially as most consider this a “romance”.

I also questioned the reactions of some of the characters at every turn. Alex was never truly honest with Lizzie, which led her to doubt him greatly. Lizzie makes many questionable decisions, partly because of this, partly because of her weakness of character in general.

Despite all this, mind, the majority of readers seemed to enjoy this. I can’t deny being pulled along as the story progressed, and annoyingly it means that I’m invested enough in the story arc that I want to read the next, the third book. Yet I still wish that all of these books came with the necessary warnings.

Final rating: ★★★★☆ – Really liked

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

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Refugee Road by Nikki Landis

Posted on by DragonSusie

Too much violence

This book needs to come with warnings. There are really a few things that grate on me here, the first being the amount of domestic violence, which we have absolutely no warning about in the blurb. We are told that Darren is dangerous, but not how dangerous and violent he is. He also isn’t the only one, with another character injuring Lizzie for the fun of it as well. If you have any issues with any of this, best to walk away and stay away.

The next is that, after three years, two people suddenly seem to decide that they’re in love with Lizzie, and want to make their intentions known, just at the point she rediscovers the one she lost, who she fell in love with at 15. It’s damned confusing! Lizzie obviously chooses Alec, as the blurb indicates, but Darren appears to use his sudden increased interest as an excuse to dominate her, and physically punishes her, despite his declared feelings, for insubordination.

Then there’s the timeline. I misread it at first. I assumed that it was all supposed to be taking place around 1945-6, but then Lizzie’s home on the Militia base doesn’t add up to that – domestic appliances that wouldn’t have been available then. So I went back and reread the description: “It was nineteen forty-five, or similar enough.” The Militia movement has been going on since then, when Hitler apparently surrendered and WWIII started. So this war has been fighting for all those decades up until the modern era. The USA is in ruins, with the President firmly in charge of the Militia, who control everything. Except the Refugees. But they try. But this is the thing that gets me most: if they’re stuck in this time warp, how on Earth do they have mobile phones, modern appliances, etc.? They have antibiotics, modern medicines, sonograph. It’s extremely confusing. Yet they still apparently dress like it’s 1945, too.

The romance itself was great, but would have been so much better if it wasn’t for the distractions mentioned above. I was actually shocked by the domestic violence. Now I can cope with it if prewarned, but I don’t expect to be thrown into someone being abused. As I mentioned above, for those triggered by these sorts of scenes, there really needs to be some warnings.

Lizzie settles into domestic life quite easily, despite the fact that she used to train daily, keeping fit to a high level. But, of course, everything is far too easy…

Really, this needed a far more concrete background. All the scenes were descriptive, but those little niggles kept me from enjoying the story completely.

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

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

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Secrets and Sorcery by Lori Whyte

Posted on by DragonSusie

When everything you believe in is wrong

Avery, a cat shifter, has grown up believing that her magic is rare and that she should hide it at any cost. When her brother is recruited by the so-called Dark Guards because of his strong gifted and inherited magic, Avery is forced out into the open, something which she’s always been terrified of. Can she keep her secrets, and her sanity?

Mike is initially drawn to Avery wanting to uncover what she’s hiding. But he doesn’t expect to be drawn to her in other ways, too. When Avery’s brother goes missing in a surprise attack, it takes some time for Avery to trust Mike, but before long, they’re not only sharing a mission, they’re sharing a bed.

The connection between Mike and Avery is sizzling! This story has a “Fated Mates” edge to it, which can be seen as the dynamic between the pair increases. Not that Avery really wants to believe, let alone have anything to do with that. She’s grown up as one of “Castor’s Kind”, aka “human”, and was always taught that she should never mingle with the rest of WaW (Witch and Warlock) society, as she would be caught and tortured.

But the true secrets come out, turning Avery’s world upside down. Because, as it turns out, she’s not the only shifter around…

What I also found great about this book was the glossary at the back. I bookmarked it, and referenced it several times. Even though the terms are explained as the story goes along, having a list of them all in one place definitely helps if you forget a little! The entire story is based in the modern world with elements of Greek mythology thrown in. Everyone in the WaW world is gifted a magic by one of the Greek gods, and inherits a second, weaker, magic from one of their parents. Quite an interesting concept!

Although I must admit the ending disappointed me. It was weaker than the rest of the story. I understood that it was a lead-in to the next book, but I wasn’t so enamoured on it. However, it will be interesting following the stories of the other characters, definitely, and this book was more than enough to want me to read further.

Final rating: ★★★★☆ – Really liked

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

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Road Rage by Jessica Veen

Posted on by DragonSusie

What happened there?!

First off, I’ll start by commenting on the author, as she is listed as Jessica Veen on Goodreads and Amazon, but as Scarlette Hunt on NetGalley. There is an older book around written under the second name, so I assume that either can be an alias.

Anyway, on to the story itself. Well, it’s a… It’s… Yeah, it’s that. Pretty much. That’s to say that it had interesting parts, but was for the most part unbelievable. I mean, seriously, Rand is the only one that knows anything is off with this guy? And she is recruited by the FBI just like that, just because she happened to bump into and start a “relationship” with a guy who’s on the hunt for the same guy she is. And her first “mission” is something ridiculous to put her not only in danger, but at odds with everyone. Right, yep, that goes. Then there’s the time jumps, meaning that we learn more of what happened before, in a sort of chronological way, but at later points. There is no overall chronological story arc, which might have made it easier to read.

The story had potential but, to put it bluntly, was a raving mess! It’s supposed to be some sort of action-adventure-crime-thriller. OK – there’s crime, check. There’s action, check. Adventure? Thriller? Perhaps a little bit of thriller, but not so much. I think with how unrealistic everything was, it detracted from its thriller potential, big time. I ended up more bored at points than waiting with my heart racing for the next to happen.

With everything considered, there is nothing that surprises me about the book’s average rating.

Final rating: ★★☆☆☆ – Disliked

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

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