Revisted: Hot Mess-Expanded Edition (Hostile Operations Team #2)

Hot Mess-Expanded Edition (Hostile Operations Team #2)

by Lynn Raye Harris

Blurb:

English professor Dr. Georgeanne Hayes has a problem. Her star pupil, an Army sergeant who works in a Top Secret government program, is missing—and someone tried to push her in front of a train last night.

Sam “Knight Rider” McKnight is used to looking out for Georgiee. When they were kids, she was just his best friend’s baby sister. But Georgiee’s not a baby anymore and Sam is getting some very male—and very dirty—thoughts about the girl he knows he can never have.

When someone threatens Georgiee’s life again, Sam will do anything necessary to keep her safe. Even if it means spending the next few days locked up in a remote house on Maryland’s Eastern Shore with her.

Sam might be used to denying himself what he wants, but he’s about to find out that being cooped up with Georgiee will push him to the limit. And maybe beyond.

Themes: Contemporary

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating:  

Review:

Just to be clear, this review is for the expanded version of this story, not the original, because of course Lynn heard our cries that this story had a few little pieces that needed fleshing out to make it even better and giving us the magic that we have found in the later installments of this series.  If you would like to see my review of the original from way-back-when, please see the original blog post here.

This story kicks off shortly after the first story ends, with a few new additions to the HOT alpha squad joining the boys, including Sam “Knight Rider” McKnight and we have an all new adventure as we get to know him and the woman that stole his heart so long ago.  I enjoyed every second of revisiting this story and getting to re-experience Sam and Georgie falling in love, mainly because it was so long ago when I read it the first time that I’d forgotten how much I loved them. Harris has evolved so much as a writer and her story plots have becomes so much more complicated that I’d almost forgotten the beautiful simplicity of her first few novels.  For first time readers I can promise you that the love between Sam and his Georgie will reel you in from the very beginning and the passion between them will leave you just a little bit hot and bothered yourself. If you are a fan of friend-to-lover stories and action revolving around bad-ass special operators, Hot Mess will be just the ticket.

Sam and Georgie were basically raised together, but when they started to notice one another as more than just children Sam knew he was never going to be good enough for her.  Georgie wanted nothing more than to be claimed by and claim Sam when she was a young woman, but once he walked away she grew up and moved on, more-or-less.  Now that her life has changed coarse again she finds herself in the same place and time as the sexiest version of Sam she could have ever imagined, and suddenly in a serious amount of danger that only he can protect her from.  As they are forced to come to terms with their past and their current attraction to one another, they have to work together to be sure that they have a chance at a future together, if they can get past their fears and hang-ups to have one.

I loved getting to know Sam and Georgie again, seeing how their chemistry remained so obvious, but their fears and insecurities were a bit more obvious now that I recalled them being in the past.   Georgie is a woman that has had her world rocked recently and she is trying to find her place in it again, but in the meantime she refuses to let anyone speak for or make decisions for her ever again.  Her strength might be a little bit hidden behind some of her fears and insecurities, but with the self-confidence that Sam encourages, it slowly begins to come out and her backbone becomes more and more obvious as the story progressed.  Georgie was definitely the type of woman that made a perfect match to Sam and you can see that despite all the challenges coming their way, they were going to be together a long time (even for those of us that haven’t followed the series all the way to the present *wink wink*).  Sam returns to Georgie’s life, quite reluctantly, at the request of his best friend Rick who is concerned about his little sister being all on her own in DC after her divorce, but he never thought that her appeal would have multiples so much in the past decade.  When he discovers she is in danger, there is nothing that will stand in the way of him keeping her safe and thankfully he is able to bring in his team to help.  His continued denial of his attraction and feelings for Georgie were STILL a bit annoying, but I understand if fully knowing his past and hang-ups, but I am glad that he finally accepted that he couldn’t live without her a single moment longer.  His ability to kick ass and protect his woman at all costs, boost her self-confidence, and bring down a serious bad guy all in one fell swoop are incomparable. Sam and Georgie remain one of my favorite couples and I was glad to get a chance to return to their love story.

HOT Mess is the type of story that we all hunger for—filled with passion, action, and intrigue—and both Georgie and Sam are fantastic characters, all pieces that come together to make this story into a masterpiece.  The action of this series certainly becomes even more deadly and the drama more terrifying, but this early story in the series is wonderful even in its infancy to the beginnings of the HOT missions. Sam has spent his life trying to make something of himself to prove that he is better than his parents, and even though he doesn’t think he is good enough for Georgie, when he accepts that his love for her is too strong to let her go he fights more to make sure he continues to earn her love.  Georgie has never cared how Sam began, she has always seen the kind of man he would grow into and has loved that man for more than half her life, but when he broke her heart and left her behind, she tried to find happiness with another.  Having a second chance to find their HEA together, despite all the danger they are facing, give Georgie and Sam an even greater reason to fight the evil coming for them.  I enjoyed every romantic and passionate moment of Georgie and Sam’s return to love, even when they were fighting together, because the obvious chemistry between them is just too good to deny.  I can recall from my review that there were a few issues with the drama plot points being a bit abrupt and leaving me wanting, but this expanded version gave me much more and filled in much of that need, taking away that lack and making this story into the fully rounded and fleshed out story that I wanted from the very beginning.  If you haven’t tried this series yet, I recommended grabbing this story as the beginning of your adventure with the HOT guys and if you are a longtime reader you will enjoy this expanded version as much as I did and not regret grabbing it.  I am dying to see what comes next in the series overall and of course continuing to see more and more of Sam and Georgie in their present lives even in those stories.

*ebook provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided. 

Review: Wolf Instinct (SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team #9)

Wolf Instinct (SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team #9)

by Paige Tyler 

Blurb:

He's a wolf shifter.

She hunts monsters.

How can she be The One for him?

SWAT werewolf Zane Kendrick will do whatever it takes to take down the man who attacked his pack. His search takes him to Los Angeles, but when he meets Alyssa, the smart, sexy agent who comes to his aid, he's immediately interested in pursuing more than just the next lead. All his wolf instincts tell him that she's The One.

FBI agent Alyssa Carson has investigated some weird stuff lately, and finding missing people drained of their blood definitely falls into that category. When following a clue leads her to Zane, she agrees to work with him and his team. She's attracted to the gorgeous Brit, but she doesn't have time for anything but finding answers.

When Zane and Alyssa discover the sinister truth, it'll take everything they have to make it out of this mission with their lives―and hearts―intact.

Themes: Shifters, Wolves, Paranormal

Rating: 4.25 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Well that was a bit of a twists that I didn’t see coming and I really don’t think the wolves did either. Tyler has taken readers on an amazing journey as her SWAT wolves have fallen in love and found their One again and again, and it has only gotten more and more interesting as we’ve developed. Each of the couples has brought their own unique spin to the story and we definitely never get bored watching them chase after each other and fall in love, but there were some new challenged in this story and an all new cast of supernatural characters that expanded the horizons of one and all.  Zane has traveled with some of his teammate to LA on the trail of their murderous chief after his ultimate betrayal in the end of the previous novel.  Close to giving up their search, Zane encounters a woman that rocks his world and makes his inner wolf howl, but soon they are both dragged into a much bigger investigation that either of them ever imagined.   Alyssa has spent the last several years chasing down the things that go bump in the night and when she encounters Zane and his pack-mates she knows immediately that they are most than just the humans they are pretending to be.  She is willing to work with them, but she doesn’t trust them right off the bat, however it doesn’t take long before they are both fighting an attraction that is undeniable.  Once they both give in to their needs, Alyssa and Zane come to realize their passion is not simply hormones and lust, but something much bigger and that connection becomes the only thing that can save them from their new deadly enemy.  I LOVED new direction this story took, brining in an all new cast of characters and leading us into a whole new world of danger and intrigue.  I am looking forward to seeing more of that storyline for sure. Zane was a sexy as hell British wolf, with a sense of humor under it all, and sweet protectiveness that made those he loved and cared for feel ultimately safe and loved beyond measure. He was always a kickass and deadly foe to his enemies and I loved when he teamed up wit his pack and friends in order to bring an end to threat facing LA. Alyssa was an odd character in the beginning, but in end I came to like her a lot, especially as she fell in love with Zane and showed how accepting she was of her male, and of course her courage and determination to protect those she deems innocent made her a true hero.  I am dying for the next in this series and cannot wait for the next in this newly reimagined and reinvigorated series.  Paige has definitely struck gold again and this series is going to be one of my favorites for a long time to come I have no doubt.

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

Review: Sweet Wild of Mine (Where the Wild Hearts Are #2)

Sweet Wild of Mine (Where the Wild Hearts Are #2)

by Laurel Kerr 

Blurb:

Love runs wild at the Sagebrush Flats Zoo...

In a bid to revitalize his career, bestselling author Magnus Gray has come to Sagebrush Flats to write about the local zoo's latest rescue―an orphaned baby polar bear. But Magnus dreads the drama of small towns and is bullishly determined to keep to himself.

June Winters is a people person, and delights in welcoming Magnus to Sagebrush Flats, though it seems unlikely she can get the handsome stranger to crack a smile. Then a mishap with an open gate forces Magnus and June to deal with a stampeding flock of fainting goats, an adorable but clingy polar bear cub, a cranky pregnant camel, and two star-crossed honey badgers. Never mind small town drama―the lively animals may just convince these two that opposites really do attract...

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 4.25 stars

Heat Rating:  

Review:

 A surly, sexy Scotsman and sweet innocent Polar bear cub come together to teach a woman that all she ever knew about herself and her life was wrong.  I have been looking forward to this story for a long time for these two exact reasons because I am a huge animal lover and come from a Scottish background so I always have a special fondness for those characters.  I enjoyed the first in this series, despite all of the heavy childhood traumatic issues that were dealt with and was looking forward to a story that dealt more in the current and future, but this story also relied heavily on the family dramas to carry the day.  Thankfully I can relate in a lot of ways to both of these characters and the writing was good enough that the story was carried through as June and Magnus slowly made their way through their individual minefields and the ones they encountered as they because a couple.  Magnus has traveled to Sagebrush Falls to volunteer at the zoo and chronicle his time there as the works with its newest resident –the cute and cuddly polar bear cub Sorcha—in order to find his way back to his writing roots, but otherwise he has every little interest in socializing.  Sadly he has no idea that June has set her mind to becoming his friend in order to ask for his help with her aging grandma.  As they work together on their individual projects, they decide to explore their attraction, despite the end date on their affair, but soon they are in way deeper than either ever imagined they could be.  When a true challenge to their relationship presents itself, they have to decide if they are willing to compromise and be together or if they will walk away despite the emotions that grown so strong between them.  I enjoyed getting to know both June and Magnus, despite there being a few issues that I had with them both on a personal level.  Magnus was a bit of an ass through so much of the story and I would have like more time to explore the reason for it, instead of it not being uncovered until almost too late, but once we know about his past we are able to forgive him and see that he was truly just protecting his unexpected vulnerability all along.  June was just such a clueless woman, forging ahead and knowing that she knows what is right for everyone else without question, that many times I wanted to tell her to open her damn eyes and for once shut up and just listen instead of talking all the time.  I understand that some people are just too social for solitude and quiet, but I am not one of them so she truly was an anathema to me to be able to understand her, though thankfully Magnus is able to appreciate her despite that lack of fully understand her himself.  I enjoyed the fiery chemistry between these two from the very first page, though I would have liked more time for them to explore an open and honestly loving relationship before the ending.   I am looking forward to seeing who comes next, though I have my suspicions and I will enjoy seeing this author grow and develop as she continues to produce interesting stories.  I also LOVED the little side story for the honey badgers and look forward to much more for Honey and Fluffy in future novels.

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

Review: Beware the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #14)

Beware the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #14)

by Alexandra Ivy

Blurb:

The enemy may have changed, but the battle between good and evil burns hotter than ever in this scintillating new installment in Alexandra Ivy’s Guardians of Eternity series.

 There is only one thing more precious to vampire Tarak than his newfound freedom after five centuries of captivity, and that’s the promise of revenge. At last, he can destroy Riven, the merman who has drained his power in order to make himself king. But at the very moment when justice is a fang’s breadth away, Tarak’s quest is complicated by the beautiful mermaid princess who kept him sane and fed during his ordeal.

 Waverly hoped that once Tarak escaped, he’d return to his own kind and enjoy the rest of his immortal life. She also hoped she might one day stop dreaming about the darkly handsome vampire. Instead, Tarak’s return draws Waverly into an unlikely alliance—and a passion that eclipses all her fantasies.

 Hatred for Riven has sustained Tarak this long. But only Waverly’s love can give him the strength to claim eternity with her . . .

Themes: Paranormal

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

 So the saga continues with the long awaited return of the former right-hand man of the previous Anasso of the vampires, returned from centuries of imprisonment. I have been looking forward to this story for a while now, not only because I knew that Tarak would be an interesting character but because I knew that it would open up a whole new plot arc for a series that I have loved for years and I feared had ended.  Alexandra Ivy has a way of pulling readers in and investing them in the lives of her characters and making us root for not just their HEA but their overall growth as a community and family.  The strangest of bedfellows become lovers, brothers, and best friends and I think that makes it the best of moral in the truest sense of the word. Tarak’s story began in the previous novel when his best friend managed to free him from his prison, but there is a bit of time overlap in that we get to see him running from those chasing him in this novel and how he manages to evade those after him while he is on his own hunt—for those that captured him and kept him jailed all these centuries.  While on the hunt he finds himself crossing paths with the sweet and sensual merwoman who has been feeding during his imprisonment and while he has resented her role in his life, she has also been the closest thing he had to a friend during all that time so he doesn’t want to cause her trouble, but she just won’t stand down.  Waverly has been trying to protect the stubborn vampire from himself since his escape and she refuses to give up, even though she won’t admit even to herself why she’s so determined to see him survive. When they are continuously thrown together in dangerous situations, they soon see that the attraction they both fought all their acquaintance wasn’t just a side-effect her feeding him, and only by working together will they have a chance of surviving the danger they face in order to explore it. Waverly and Tarak were both intriguing characters, with their flaws certainly, but their strengths greatly outweighed those and made them more human.  Waverly has been trying to keep her people safe from a tyrant, but her rebellious nature won’t allow her to fully bow to that bastard, so siding with Tarak seems perfectly natural, but when she starts having feelings for him she isn’t sure how to handle it, but she refuses to let the idiot get himself killed or recaptured.  Her determination, dedication to her people, sweetness without being a wimp, and sensual draw made her the perfect foil for Tarak.  Tarak is in kind of a nasty mood—but to be fair he was imprisoned for a few centuries and drained of his magical strength to feed an ego maniacal tyrant, so I can forgive him the attitude. He is obviously a kick-ass-and-take-names kind of guy and I liked that about him, even though I wished he’d think through a few of his choices a bit more here and there.  When he finally accepts that the pull toward Waverly isn’t just gratitude for her friendship and service to him during his imprisonment, and that she means so much more to him, he become so sweet and loving but that love for her only made him a  stronger opponent when his woman was threatened.  I loved seeing these two come together to fight their enemies, but even more I loved the side story that led to some SERIOUSLY surprising changes for Waverly’s people.  I am looking forward to reading more about the Mer in future stories and possibly getting to see them more integrated into the overall world of the Demon’s.  Another masterpiece of Magick and mayhem Ms. Ivy!

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

Review: Bishop's Knight (Endgame Trilogy #1)

Bishop's Knight (Endgame Trilogy #1)

by Katie Reus

Blurb:

The Bishop siblings' family is on the verge of collapse as all three find themselves embroiled in danger. Family bonds may keep them alive...but only love can give them something to live for. Read BISHOP'S KNIGHT, the first novel in this ALL NEW heart-pounding Endgame trilogy!

She needs his protection...

Thanks to years of government training, Evie Bishop knows how to get into places she doesn't belong—and she's very good at it. But years of doing black ops work burned her out so she returns home—to unexpected chaos. One of her brothers is in a coma and the other is in hiding, wanted for murder. Then a fellow operative from her past shows up shot and bleeding with news that an assassin is gunning for everyone involved with a past op. She's forced to turn to the one man she knows she can trust—the man whose heart she broke.

But it will come with a price...

When Dylan Blackwood proposed a year ago, Evie turned him down flat and walked out of his life. He's stunned when he finds her on his doorstep covered in someone else's blood, needing his help. He always knew there was more to her than met the eye—that Evie was never simply the pampered society princess she wanted people to believe she was. But he never expected this. If she needs help, he'll give it. Even if he can't forget her betrayal. Even if he isn't sure he can trust her. But his protection will come with a price—her heart. Before they can have a chance at a future, they'll have to work together to take down a faceless enemy who has Evie firmly in his crosshairs.

Themes: Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

An all new trilogy by one of my favorite authors has begun in a big way and I am already hooked and dying for the rest of this series.  Katie Reus has been one of my favorites for a long time and once she ended her last contemporary series I was a little bit sad, but I knew there was a bright light on the horizon with this new series coming our way.  The series revolves around the Bishop siblings, three amazingly unique and interesting people all in their own way, but begins with the youngest and only girl Evangeline 'Evie' Bishop. Evie is dealing with a lot in the present, but when her past comes back to haunt her and she is faced with having to turn to the only man she has ever loved and the one man she hurt the most for help, Evie knows she is in for a rough road.  Dylan Blackwood thought he was over his pain from losing Evie and his anger at the way she shattered his heart when she left, but when she appears on his doorstep in need of his assistance he discovers he has been lying to himself all along. Now both Dylan and Evie are wrapped up in a deadly hunt for the person trying to kill Evie and her former teammates and at the same time Evie and Dylan are forced to come to terms with their past and find a way to deal with one another in the present.  Evie never stopped loving Dylan, but she knows when the truth of the first time they were together comes out he will turn from her and she will truly lose him forever.  Can they find a way to forgive and have a future, before the enemy comes out of the shadows and truly destroys their one chance for a happy future?  I LOVED every second of getting to know Evie and Dylan, even if I had to reach for the tissues way too many times.  I knew this wasn’t going to be a story full of happy fluff, but my gods the feels and fears in this one could have sent anyone into a tailspin.  Evie was the type of woman that I have always aspired to be, finding her way to protecting not only those she loves, but the world as a whole and doing what needs to be done even if she has to sacrifice her own happiness to do it.  Her wit and intelligence, strength and bravery, not to mention badassness and ability to bring down a traitor are way cool. Dylan was such a sexy guy that I found myself using those same tissues to catch drool a couple times, but his sweetness and willingness to stand strong for his friends and loved-ones is beyond reproach.  I loved seeing him work with Evie and her team to bring down the bad guy while keeping his woman safe and at the same time being just a little sneaky at bringing Evie back into his life and bed.  The heat and passion between Evie and Dylan was so deep and fulfilling that there was way to miss it even when Dylan was trying to pretend he hated Evie, but Evie’s love was such a bright light that you could feel that burn right through the pages.  I am dying to find out what happens in the next book and see the male Bishop siblings find their way to (or back to) love and I hope that Evan pulls his head out of his ass soon.  Katie has struck gold again and I cannot wait for the rest of the series. Magic as usual Katie! 

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

Review: Hard-Riding Cowboy (Kinky Spurs #3)

Hard-Riding Cowboy (Kinky Spurs #3)

by Stacey Kennedy

Blurb:

Megan Harrison is the owner of Kinky Spurs. She’s mortgaged up to her eyeballs and works long days and nights, but she’s living life on her terms, not on her wealthy father’s. She’s done being in the cattle rancher’s shadow. She’s got it all figured out, except for the part that involves Nash Blackshaw. He’s a sexy as hell cowboy whose smile can easily charm her out of her tight jeans. The only problem is—their fathers were business rivals, and Megan and Nash have been taught to hate each other since birth.

Nash Blackshaw, a retired professional bull rider, has responsibilities on top of responsibilities. With his PBR career over due to back injury, and his focus narrowed on heading up the Blackshaw Cattle Company’s Guest Ranch, he shouldn’t have time to think about all the ways he wants Megan. But it’s all he thinks of around the sassy and sweet woman. She might be forbidden to him, but Nash wants to take her for a hard, kinky ride.

But small towns have a way of spreading gossip like wildfire, and not everyone is happy about their relationship. Especially when Megan drops a bombshell on Nash after one heated night between them. As much as Megan and Nash want to forget the old feud between their fathers and lose each other in explosive passion, they can’t escape reality. They are meant to be enemies, and Nash’s sizzling, dominant touch might not be enough to keep them together.

Themes: Contemporary

Rating:  4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

 The finale of the series that has left us all a little breathless and wondering about these sexy Blackshaw cowboys has finally found an ending. We all saw a bit of this coming, but I certainly was surprised by all the emotional upheaval in this story and enjoyed seeing the softer side of the Hard-Riding cowboy and his sexy bar-owner. I have enjoyed several of Ms. Kennedy's series in the past, and while some have been hit or miss, Kinky Spurs definitely hit the mark with me in a lot of ways and I was sad to see it in, but hope for something similar or related in the future.  Nate and Megan have been circling each other for years, picking and pushing at one another in different ways, but keeping their distance mainly because of Nate’s intense hatred for Megan’s father and his unwillingness to let go of the feud between their fathers.  Megan has lived with the knowledge that the one man she has always wanted, that has always had a piece of her heart, can never be hers because of the divide between their families and that burning rage. Nate has burned for Megan for years, but he has no desire to really settle down and while he wants her, he never imagines that their lives are going to change so much after the single night they give in to their passions for one another.  Now they are forced to decide if that long-standing feud is strong enough to keep them both from the love and passion they both want so badly in their lives and to build on, or if they can find a way to let go of the past and move on together to a healthy and fulfilling future relationship between their families.  I loved seeing Megan slowly letting go of her hang-up and longstanding beliefs in men in general and Nate in specific, learning to lean on someone else when she needed to and letting go of some of the things she couldn’t change.  Nate had a log of growing up to do in this story in order to be man enough for Megan and their new family, but I enjoyed getting to experience that growth with him.  He managed to find a way to prove himself not only to his family, the town, and Megan, but to himself as well, his greatest critic, and become the kind of man that would have made his father produce to call him son.  The passion and fire between Megan and Nate is off the charts in every moment they are interacting, but I also enjoyed watching them find their softer emotions as they fell so deeply in love that they couldn’t separate one from the other.  I loved this conclusion to the Kinky Spurs series, even though I am sad to see it end, but I kind of got the impression we might see some of these characters sometimes in the future and will hold on to that hope.  Another series I can call a great work and one I can see myself rereading in the not to distant future for sure.

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

ARC Review: Enter the Dragon (Fire Mates #4)

Enter the Dragon (Fire Mates #4)

by Lexxie Couper

Blurb:

Look, no one ever said fighting your destiny was going to be easy. But surely it was never meant to be this pleasurable either? What’s a dragon shifter to do when every plan she has goes up in smoke?

Producer Reece Collier is brand new to her position on Sunrise in Sydney when a chance meeting with her fated mate threatens everything she’s worked for. Never mind that Kellan Donovan is the most gorgeous thing on two legs; her parents were a prime example of how finding your Fire Mate can ruin your life. Still, despite employing every trick at her disposal, Reece is completely unprepared for the mating fire…and just how much it makes her burn for the dragon.

Thanks to his good looks and a koala video gone viral, firefighter Kellan Donovan is the “face” of the state’s fire brigade and rescue service. Not exactly the normal job for a dragon shifter to be sure, but Kellan loves it —but it’s seriously in jeopardy when he meets his Fire Mate, unexpectedly, just minutes before being interviewed on live TV. Hell, how is he going to control himself?

No one said finding a mate would be easy, and Kellan and Reece have more than one obstacle keeping them from consummating their destiny. His coworker…her reluctance…a few deadly crossbow bolts…

Themes:  Paranormal, Dragon Shifters

Rating: 3 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

 So I have to be honest… I REALLY hate reading stories out of order, but when this story came up for review, unfortunately I thought it was the next in another series I was reading and jumped right in without checking first. So now I have to deal with the fact that I read this story and review it based solely on its very own merit. While I am a huge fan of just about everything Lexxie Couper writes, I have noticed lately that a lot of her stories have gotten shorter and shorter and this makes me sad because her longer stories are always so full of heart and heat that make me want to come back for more and more. This story was a good one and the series seems to have an interesting premise, but there just doesn’t seem to be enough time for true character or emotional development in such a short story.  Kellan and Reece are both interesting characters and could have been amazing to get to know, but in the time I had with them I feel I just scratched the surface sadly. Kellan is a Dragon-shifter firefighter that has gotten roped into being the face of his department and is now stuck spending time on camera.  When he travels to do a morning show he is more than surprised to find himself with a female dragon that instantly ignites his mating sense and they are both pulled into an attraction so intense neither of them are able to function.  Reece has been determined her entire life to never let her mating sense lead her into a forced mating with any male and now that she has to deal with the true intensity of the pull she can’t face the pain. Only together can they decide if they are going to give in to the mating or deal with the lifelong consequences of giving up their mating.  I liked Kellan’s sweetness and willingness to understand why Reece is resisting, not to mention his nobility and alpha sexiness but I just didn’t get enough time to dig deep into his psyche.   Reece is a bit silly in her stubbornness and unwillingness to even consider mating with her fated mate just because her parents were assholes, but I guess everyone has a hang-up to deal with.  She might have been redeemable, after all there were several times she came to Kellan’s defense despite her resistance to their mating, but again I just didn’t get enough time with her.  The heat and passion was there of course and more than undeniable, but I would have liked a little more than just raw passion. I probably won’t go back to this series, but I am looking forward to the next in Lexxie’s other series I am already buried in and always enjoy most anything by Lexxie, though I am wishing for more length lately.  Maybe she will hear my pleas and give us some longer stories, even if we have to wait a little longer between them.   

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