No Matter the Cost by Anna Hackett

4 Stars

Bastian

I came from nothing and became known as the Reaper. The most feared CIA assassin in the business. Then I retired, faked my death, and now spend my time running my casino.

But there’s one part of my past I can’t let go—the tiny female assassin who’s vowed to kill me.

We were mentored by the same man, a man we both considered a father, but there’s nothing brotherly about what I feel for

Lark.

Now, we’re enemies and she won’t rest until I’m dead.

I won’t rest until she’s mine.

Lark

I have one mission—kill Bastian Thorne.

I lost everything when my parents were murdered. Until a grizzled CIA agent took me in and molded me into a deadly assassin.

Then Bastian executed him.

My plan: infiltrate Bastian’s luxurious life and take him down. But he proves hard to kill and forces me to face an ugly, tangled truth.

Secrets from my past collide with my blood-drenched present. I find myself in the sights of a dangerous killer. One with twisted reasons for wanting me dead.

Now, the only man I can trust is my enemy.

But I know getting close to Bastian is the biggest risk of all.

I really enjoyed this book. Lark may have been trying to kill Bastian but she had reasons and they were good reasons. Just like Bastian’s reasons for what he did were justifiable. I enjoyed how kickass Lark was and how much Bastian let her spread her wings. He just wanted to be her support and that is what happens. When the ending came about it was not a surprise how things played out but I enjoyed reading it.

 

Book 2 Unsanctioned

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Jagged Lies by Evelyn Flood

4 Stars

Six months ago, I had my life all figured out.

I was going to be free of this horrible town, away from the small-minded, perfect people who judged me at first glance without bothering to look again.

Nothing has changed.

And yet everything has changed.

The alphas that once acted as my shield now look at me with hatred in their eyes.

They say it’s my fault.

All of it is my fault.

But when fate decides I haven’t suffered enough, she slaps me across the face with a mating bond none of us wanted.

All of us are drowning in our pain. If we’re not careful, none of us will survive.

Not that I care.

I’m dying anyway.

I can’t believe it took me so long to read this duology. I loved the heartbreak in book one. I questioned so many things about the alphas and why they didn’t make an effort to talk with Kennedy. They just decided she was horrid and walked away. When they do finally start to realize something wasn’t right and started question I might have been super mad at all of them. When she reveals to them everything she went through my heart broke for her. She went through it and then lost them, her only family. The ending was just so much and I was glad book 2 was out and I could jump into it immediately.

Book 1 All These Broken Parts

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An Accidental Nest by Letty Frame

3 Stars

A surprise heat shouldn’t lead to two little pink lines…

As a successful Omega, I take pride in my work. With my upcoming heat edging closer, I had everything organized. Well, I did—until a company restructure sends me scrambling at the last minute, and fate lands me in the hands of Uri Rothschild, our COO… and my new scent match.

One scorching moment, one unexpected heat flare-up, and now I’m pregnant—with my boss’s baby.

Before I can even tell Uri the news, Opus Media’s Chief Security Officer, Sterling Carter, intercepts me, assuming I have ulterior motives. Turns out, he’s one of my new mates too… along with Paxton, the CEO, and Oscar, the CFO.

Four powerful men, all driven by the instinct to protect me and our baby, could unravel everything I’ve worked for. They want to build a future together, but I’ve spent my entire life proving I’m more than just my Omega instincts.

They’re willing to give me everything—but can I let go of the life I built to embrace the one created by our Accidental Nest?

I enjoyed reading this but it was too long. Things could have been cut to make it a better book. I also shouted at them several times that they all needed therapy. Sterling was my least favorite and he needed a wake up call and a redemption arc to make up for everything he put Emmaline through. Uri was a dick but he had reasons for it. I did like how they all came together in the end.

Book 1 Tying the Knot

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Second Shot by Violet James

3.5 Stars

Liam never got over Grace. Is this his second shot to finally get the girl?

Grace Knight thought nothing her tech billionaire twin brother did could surprise her anymore—until the day he bought a professional hockey team and moved it to Austin, Texas. Even more shocking? He just signed Liam O’Conner, the league’s star center…and the only guy Grace ever truly loved.

Liam O’Conner doesn’t care that Texas isn’t exactly a hockey hotbed. After a brutal divorce, all he wants is a fresh start for himself and his eight-year-old daughter. But his new life gets complicated fast when he discovers two things: the team owner is his old rival, and the team owner’s sister—his teenage best friend, his first love, and the woman who got away—is now his daughter’s third grade teacher.

Grace has no intention of getting involved with Liam again. He’s her brother’s player, her student’s dad, and the same man who shattered her heart years ago. He’s completely off-limits.

Except Liam can’t make himself care about limits. The spark he always felt with Grace is still there, stronger than ever before. When she starts to let her guard down and allow him into her life—and into her bed—Liam knows this is their chance to finally get it right.

But old mistakes and messy circumstances stand in their way. Can Liam convince Grace to risk her heart one more time? Or will the past steal their second shot at happily ever after?

I enjoyed Grace and Liam’s journey to HEA. His kid was amazing. I loved that her brother bought the team specifically to bring them back together. I will try the next one in the series.

Book 1 Austin Sting

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Fawn by L.V. Lane

3 Stars

The wolf thought he claimed her.

The stag king knows she was always meant to be his.

Fawn is not the harmless human beta she pretended to be.

She is a hidden omega doe—

and her scent is rewriting the balance of power between wolves and stags.

Five powerful males.

And none of them are willing to let her go.

Enemies will learn exactly what happens

when you threaten a king’s queen.

I struggled with reading this one. The pacing was slow and it frustrated me. I liked all the men and her being used was interesting. It was just an ok read.

Book 12 Coveted Prey

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The Wrong Wife by Maya Aiden

2 Stars

Sometimes the wrong choice leads to the right love…

Bound by duty, drawn by desire. Can love rewrite their story?

Even the wrong path can lead to the right love.

Declan Knight always knew he would have to marry a Hartley.

But when the Hartley he loves leaves him the night before their wedding, he’s forced to marry the other sister. She’s not the Hartley he wanted but he can fake it for a year. Can’t he?

Growing up in the shadow of her glamourous sister, Esme Hartley learned to bury her own desires, including her secret crush on Declan Knight. Suddenly thrust into a marriage with him, a glimmer of possibility ignites within her. But can she ever truly capture his heart, or will he remain haunted by her sister’s memory?

Caught between family duty and past scars, can Declan and Esme overcome the ghosts of their pasts and find love in the unlikeliest of places or will their tangled emotions tear them apart?

There was not enough groveling done by Declan let alone Esme’s family. They were all so horrible to her and none of them made up for it. Declan is hot and cold with her because he wanted to be with Viv. When he finally figures out he didn’t love Viv but Esme for me it was too little too late. She is supposed to be a sweetheart with a heart of gold but she came across as a doormat and basically took him back immediately.

Book 1 Golden Knights

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Hunt on the Dark Waters by Katee Robert

3 Stars

Evelyn is a witch with a perfect storm of impulses: terrible taste in bed partners, sticky fingers, and a lust for danger. After she steals from her vampire ex and falls through a portal to another realm, she’s fished out of the waters by a band of seafarers and their telekinetic captain. She’s immediately given a choice—join their ship’s crew or die.

Bowen has no memory of his life before he became one of the Cŵn Annwn. He and his band of pirates are bound by vow to patrol through Threshold, the magical sea in between realms, keeping the portals to other worlds safe. When he rescues Evelyn, he doesn’t expect to be attracted to the unflappably brassy pickpocket. The longer he spends in her presence, the more he begins to question if his heart is the next thing she’ll steal.

But as tension heats up between Bowen and Evelyn, the danger at sea escalates as well. Because Evelyn has no intention of keeping her vows to the Cŵn Annwn, and if she betrays the crew, both she and Bowen will pay the ultimate price....

I wanted to like this more than I did. I loved the world and the world building. It was the characters I had issues with. I really hated Evelyn and never got past her behavior throughout the book. She was so selfish and it frustrated me. I also struggled with the pacing of the book. I will give book 2 a chance because I love other books by her.

Book 1 Crimson Sails

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