Mini Review: Dark Alpha's Night (Reaper #5)

Dark Alpha's Night (Reaper #5)

by Donna Grant 

Blurb:

There is no escaping a Reaper. I am an elite assassin, part of a brotherhood that only answers to Death. And when Death says your time is up, I'm coming for you...

To some Fae, I am their worst nightmare. For I do Death’s bidding. But for all our strength and skill, a powerful enemy has risen up. Finding Ettie could change everything. The Half-Fae is our one chance. She’s sharp and strong and fierce. She steals my breath every time I'm near her. And looking into her eyes is like a bolt of lightning right through me. She’s what I’ve been waiting for my long, dark existence. But for us to be together, we must first stay alive…

Themes: Paranormal, Fae, Dragon-shifters

Rating: 3.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

For fans of the Dark World that Donna Grant has built, the newest addition to the Reaper series, Dark Alpha’s Night, is another masterpiece, even though its shorter length could be somewhat misleading.  Daire and Ettie were a joy to get to know and to see fall in love through the drama and danger hunting them.  I have been wondering when Daire would find his love and was thrilled to get to know him more. Ettie was a great match for him and together they made true magic, but the love between them was the most magical part of this story.  I was thrilled for all the interactions of characters from the Dark Kings series of course and love seeing how these two series have become so intertwined of late.  Daire is a sexy and alpha hero with just the perfect level of vulnerability that makes a woman lust after him while at the same time wanting to protect and care for him. For anyone that hasn’t read these two series the little bits and pieces of each that interact together might be a bit confusing, but in the end there is enough greatness and backstory in each, that the reader can love it anyway.  I love this series and cannot wait for whatever story comes next, but I can guarantee that anything from Donna is going to be magic.

*ebook provided by publisher (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.

Review: Ace of Hearts (The Cursed Ravens MC #1)

Ace of Hearts (The Cursed Ravens MC #1)

by Chantal Fernando

Blurb:

Erin Dawson had the perfect life growing up in a perfect home with a perfect family. Her parents gave her and her sister everything a child could want. But after learning that the man she’s called “dad” her whole life isn’t actually her biological father, Erin is determined to find the man who is.

Armed with her original birth certificate, she finds her father, but begins questioning if her mom had been right all along to keep this information buried. It turns out he is the president of a motorcycle club, which could not be further from the life Erin leads. But, she’s determined to get to know the man who she gets her striking blue eyes from. Despite getting what she wants and finding her biological father, it’s the slightly older, much rougher but incredibly sexy biker Ace that catches Erin’s eye.

As the new “princess” of the Cursed Ravens, Erin is learning a whole new world, but her father has made it clear she is off limits. Will Ace follow his President’s orders or will he put his heart ahead of his duty?  

Themes: Contemporary

Rating: 4.25 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Ok, so I wasn’t too sure about this new series, not to mention a new author, but when the comparison was made to one of my favorites, Kristen Ashley, I figured I’d give it a try.  Plus the story blurb and the cover were too hot to resist, so I figured what-the-hey.  I also need to add that I am rarely a fan of first-person POV in a romance because it takes a truly gifted author to make me enjoy it as much as I would if it was written in third-person, so that gave me a bit of trepidation as well.   All that said, I truly enjoyed Ace and Erin’s story and I look forward to reading more in this series and by this author as well.  Erin has thrown caution to the wind and run away from home to meet her birth father, now that she knows she has been lied to her entire life, but she never knew the world she would find herself embroiled in when she found him. Erin has led a mostly sheltered life and finding herself suddenly the princess of a motorcycle club and instantly in lust with an overbearing and sexy biker is way out of her comfort zone.  Ace has no idea what he is getting into when he takes it upon himself to lead Erin into her new life and he is falling for her quickly, but when Erin runs from him, he learns that the connection has become a part of him that he cannot live without.  Erin was a bit of a wishy-washy one, even if she had moment or two of strength and I found myself unsure if I liked her or not right up until the end when she truly proved to me that she is going to grow into a woman that will be a bitch in the best sense of the word! Ace was a tricky one, but once I got to know him I loved him, even more than Erin did and I want to find me a man just like him for myself.  Bad ass bikers, drama, danger, and amazing men leading life their own way is going to lead to an interesting series, so I am looking forward to the next story in the series, Knuckle Down, which I intend to read very, very soon.  I think I may have another author quickly becoming a favorite. 

*ebook provided by publisher (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.

Review:X-Ops Exposed (X-Ops #8)

X-Ops Exposed (X-Ops #8)

by Paige Tyler 

Blurb:

HE LEFT TO KEEP HER SAFE

Believing he’s too dangerous to be among people, feline hybrid Tanner Howland retreats deep into the forests of Washington State—with no choice but to leave behind the woman who’s captured his heart. What he doesn’t know is that she followed him…

SHE WOULDN’T STAY BEHIND

Heartbroken and determined, Dr. Zarina Sokolov tracks Tanner into the wild. Her presence unleashes Tanner’s protective instinct—big time. Locals have been disappearing and he is desperate for Zarina to leave. As the kidnappings escalate, Tanner must embrace the dangerous instincts he fears so much. But with Zarina at his side, he’ll have to learn to control his animal impulses, or lose himself—and the woman he loves—to the beast within.

Themes: Paranormal, shifters

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

This romance has been a truly long time coming and we have been waiting to see what will happen with these two for a long, long time now.  I personally wondered how Ms. Tyler was going to reconcile these two very different personalities and give them a truly lasting HEA which we expect from all her pairings.  The series has evolved and changed greatly since the very beginning, with so many twists and turns I could never have seen coming, but each one was magic and I enjoyed reading each new installment. The last book in the series sent the reader into a tailspin with all the changes coming at us at once, but when Tanner left the DCO, leaving behind Zarina, we all knew that there was no way she was going to let that stand.  So if you are a fan of the type of story where a woman refuses to let her man get away, no matter why he wants to leave, especially when she knows he’s simply running scared, you have found the right story.  I loved this story and enjoyed seeing Zarina stand up to Tanner and make him pull his head out of his ass and see that they are meant to be together.  I am dying to see where the series heads now, but after the magic of Zarina and Tanner’s story, there’s no way to go wrong with whatever happens next.

Zarina cannot believe that Tanner has run off, leaving her behind even though they were slowly beginning to have feelings for one another.  She is determined to force him to return and sets out to succeed in her goal, traveling across the country and hunting him down in the forest, letting nothing stand in her way. When she stumbles upon him in the forest, thankfully just in time for him to rescue her, she didn’t realize his anger would fuel her own, but there you go.  Tanner is beyond pissed that Zarina has come after him, and when he finds her alone stumbling in the dark forest, he knows he needs to send her on her way, but soon, they are pulled into a dangerous and deadly situation that forces them to see how well they work together as a team.  I loved seeing how Zarina refused to let Tanner cow her, standing up to him left and right, but its obvious from the beginning that Tanner loves her too much to ever actually hurt her, even just her feelings. Tanner has so many issues to work through, not the least of which is fear of his own inner beast attacking the woman he has come to love.  He fears that he will harm her if his beast ever defeats his control, but there is no way he can leave her alone either.  The inner and outer conflicts are what make this story so unique and engaging and I loved all the danger, plot twists, and amazing mini-stories within the larger one that were wrapped up.  If you are looking for a story that will thrill you and amaze you all at once, then you have found the right story for sure.  I am dying to find out what comes next and which of the heroes or heroines find their mates.  Paige Tyler brings magic to the page every time and I never doubt that I will fall in love with her work.

*ebook provided by publisher (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.

Review: Tempting Danger (Retribution #2)

Tempting Danger (Retribution #2)

by Katie Reus 

Blurb:

They’re enemies.

Alena Brennan’s relationship with Andre Makarov is… complicated. The casino magnate was a means to an end. Nothing more. At least that was what she tried to tell herself. Then she fell for him. Hard. But he kicked her out of his life when he discovered her lies.

Now she’s pregnant with his baby.

Andre understands why Alena wanted revenge. His father took everything from her, leaving her an orphan at a young age. But Andre still had to cut her out of his life. Now that his father is dead, she’s safe. He should just move on. But when he learns she’s carrying his child, all pretense is gone—he’ll protect Alena whether she likes it or not. She may kick up a fuss, but Andre knows the gorgeous model with a party-girl rep attracts attention…including the dangerous sort.

Themes: Contemporary 

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

I didn’t realize when I read the previous book in this series that it was in fact going to be a series, but was thrilled to see that I would get to see not only Alena and Andre, but also her sister and new brother-in-law again.  The series kicks off with the big secret that Alena has been keeping leading her back into the arms of her family and unintentionally back into the life of the one man she is in no way ready to reunite with.  As soon as she sees him again she knows she is in trouble, but she brazens it out, until he discovers her secret and forces her to come back to him. Andre is obsessed with Alena, even though he really cannot understand why, until he find out she is carrying his child.  Coming back together they are faced with the truths neither of them is ready for, but with the world around them clamoring for a piece of their romance, they are both going to have to decide where they stand as a couple and fast.  I really enjoyed this story, even though it wasn’t as long as I would have hoped, and enjoyed reading every page.  The magic of Katie Reus is that she can take her readers into any world and make them believe they are a part of it, whether it is the magic and danger of the paranormal or the glitz and danger of the Miami rich and elite.  Alena is a woman that has to come to terms with the choices she made in her quest for vengeance and decide if she is ready to take a new path in life and I loved watching her go through that thought process to come to those decisions.  She is smart, sexy, and brave, but she obviously needs to find her own inner strength in order stand up to Andre and be the match that he needs in order for them to be a happy couple.  Andre has lived a life of danger and deception, but has found a way to live in the shades of gray and still maintain his own integrity.  When he was faced with Alena’s deception, he felt betrayed and flayed to the bone, but knowing she was the one that got away left him a bit obsessed, so once she finally resurfaced he finally decides it’s time to bring her back into his scope—though his ultimate goal isn’t clear yet, even to him.  A child changes everything for them both and soon Andre’s obsession turns to love and Alena’s love is no longer deniable. I enjoyed seeing both Alena and Andre evolve and come back together, dealing with their fear and issues, and finding a way to embrace their love and future.  I know their won’t be more in the series, but I know there will be more contemporary love stories from Katie and I am dying for them.  For fans of drama, love, emotional turmoil and sensuality, this story is unbeatable.   

*ebook provided by publisher (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.