Wayside by A.A. Gordon

2.5 Stars

The Dowrra are human females descended from Inanna, a goddess of love, whose dormant desires erupt when they meet their destiny and mate with powerful, supernatural creatures.
Oblivious to her Dowrra heritage, curvy red-headed stunner, Gwendolyn Rhys never imagined there was a reason for her lack of passion and poor choices in boyfriends.
Then, 500-year-old Miguel Santos, vampire Prince of Wayside Coven, walks into the downtown Toronto diner where she’s serving and changes everything.
Gwen is blindsided by desire. Her heart beats so hard she can feel it pulsing in her fingertips. She’s unnaturally captivated by the tall stranger’s full mouth, rugged jaw, and sculpted body. Her hunger is confusing, disturbing, magnetic – intoxicating. She’s never known such fierce yearning.
Miguel is equally mesmerized by this bold human who doesn’t seem to fear him. The heat of her desire flushing under her soft skin is pure temptation, but it is her innocence and feisty intelligence that fascinates him. Such a powerful impulse can only be a Dowrra bond forming.
Miguel charms Gwen with the city’s glittering nightlife, black tie events, and luxury cars, but his obligation is to maintain the shaky truce between humans and the paranormal. As tensions rise, he’ll need to protect his Dowrra mate, but will Gwen accept Miguel’s dark secret before it’s too late? Can the proud, self-assured vampire prince humble himself for love? Will they survive the war that threatens to unravel their destiny?

This book had a good idea but wasn’t implemented well. It frustrated me that everyone knew what was going on but Gwen. Plus, Miguel is all in while holding this huge secret. When it’s revealed he’s just going to walk away from her because he doesn't think she can handle what he is. He doesn’t give her an option to stay. So frustrating. She deserves better. I might give book 2 a chance to see if it gets better and to see how everything plays out but I need a break from it.

Book 1 The Dowrra

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Bombshell by Jessica Prince

4 Stars

He’d hated me first, so I figured it was only fair I hate the stupid, sexy jerk back.
After ending the world’s worst relationship, Marin Grey had sworn off men. So it was rather inconvenient that she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes and thoughts off the Ice King himself, Pierce Walton—also known as her ex-boyfriend’s older, much hotter brother.
He was cold, callous, and rude. He was also the most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on, which made the fact that he’d hated her from first sight all the more unfair.
When circumstances dictate they put their swords away so Marin can help Pierce take care of his son, that ice-cold hate suddenly takes a turn into something much hotter. And if they aren’t careful, they could both be burned alive.

I loved Marin so much. Not so much Pierce. He is a judgmental ass, but he does love her. I loved the give and take between them and the eventual fall. It was a good and fast read. Worth checking out.

Book 1 Whiskey Doll

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Going Down Smooth by Dreia Wells

3 Stars

I’m an Alpha trapped in an Omegas body.
I never wanted to be anyone’s mated anything. I wanted to be in control of my destiny, not held down by the shackles of my biology. My father, unfortunately, had other plans. I was supposed to fall in line like my sisters, but I ran. The night of my mating ceremony I rejected my four Alphas and got as far away as I could. I gave up everything and walked away from my family and never looked back.
But even in death my father still wouldn’t let me be free. The day of his funeral I’m given an ultimatum. He offers me a chance to run the family business but under one condition. To accept the mates I left behind and reclaim what’s rightfully mine. Or I lose it all forever
Nothing’s ever easy in the Smooth family but I will find a way to get what I want.
I just hope my body doesn’t decide to betray me in the process.
Along with my heart.

This was an interesting take on omegas. I did struggle with the pacing in the book plus the guys. Mercy deserved better from everyone in the book. She just wanted to be her own person and everyone around her wanted her to fit the mold and stay in her box. The guys should have supported her but pushed and it led to problems. They didn’t have her back and it is hard to want them to get their HEA. The book does end with a cliffhanger ending and you will need to read book 2 to get the full story as nothing is resolved in this book.

Book 1 Smooth Pack

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Kurt’s Honor by Jade Thorn

 

2 Stars

Shop keeper by day, badass demon fighter by night. Grace's life isn't really that complex until the day Kurt sweeps into her supernatural store. Handsome, talented, and with an ego the size of China, he's a handful, but not more than she can cope with. He just needs a little 'attitude adjustment'.
Chicago, on the other hand, has more trouble than either of them can deal with, and if they don't get to the bottom of this sudden influx of demons, the whole city will be at risk.
Kurt is the best and brightest of The Brotherhood's elite corps and Grace packs a punch nobody expected, but even combined will they be enough to save the city?

I’ve liked so many books by Jade Thorn, this one hurts. I didn’t like this one at all. Kurt was an asshole throughout the book and doesn’t get any better. Grace deserved so much better than what she gets. It’s an interesting concept but when you hate one of the main characters it makes it hard to read. I did read the description for future books, and it looks like the main conflict continues with the men Grace is going to end up with being dicks and still getting her. I will be skipping.

Book 1 The Brotherhood

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His Curvy Rejected Mate by Cate C Wells

3 Stars

Flora

I’m at the bottom of the pack. I’m female, I have no family left, and everywhere a shifter is supposed to be hard, I’m soft and round. There’s one bright spot in my days—Alec Cameron.

He’s hard in every way—so distant that he’s ice cold—but once in a while, he gives me a nod, and we sneak off to the woods. He’s not cold then. Not at all.

I used to dream that Fate would make it official, but after so many years, I’ve given up hope. Then, at a pack run, heat strikes. Alec Cameron is my mate.

In front of everyone, he turns his back on me.

I didn’t know how cold he could be, but I do now, and I’ve got a choice to make. Do I hang around and deal with this messed up pack like I always do? Or do I take my new wolf, break free, and forge a new path of our own?

Alec

This pack is falling apart. Literally. I spend my days patching together buildings that are inches from sliding down the mountain. In my free time, I have to compete with the other two males vying for Salt Mountain alpha, the world’s worst job.

I’m constantly holding everything together, and until the night of the last full moon run, there was at least one bright spot in my days.

Then Flora Ritchie goes into heat at the worst possible time and place, and in all the chaos and revelations, I lose my grip. And my temper.

In the blink of an eye, my mate is gone.

I know how to fix things, not feelings, but if I don’t figure it out, and quickly, I’m going to lose it all.

Alec didn’t do enough to get Flora forgiveness. I needed more world building and character development, but it was a pretty solid rejected mate book. I want more in this world as I am intrigued.

Book 4 The Five Packs

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Tanglewood Witches by Genevieve Jack

3 Stars

Bound to each other by unexpected magic...

Hauled out of bed by a brutish soldier and tossed into a stone cell, the last thing Alena expects is to come face to face with wealthy businessman Orpheus. The rake almost tricked her into his bed once and is the one man she's tried to avoid ever since. To her utter dismay, she learns he's her new partner in a forced mission: to acquire a celestial weapon, one protected by the gods.

Orpheus never anticipated meeting anyone like Alena, let alone deceiving her. Could their immediate connection be due to a common secret—ancestral magic? To win this game of the gods thrust upon them, he'll have to earn her trust again and heal old wounds before it's too late.

The biggest surprise for both of them? Surviving their quest is just the beginning. Together, they have the potential to build a dynasty of powerful witches and wizards. All it will take is a book, a tree... and a dragon.

I loved the first part of this book with Alena and Orpheus. The story was cute and interesting to see how things they did led to what happens in future books. Where the book lost me was when it switched to one of their daughters. It just seemed out there because it wasn’t clearly marked in the book. All of a sudden we had new characters being named and I flipped back to see what I missed. It was ok. Interested in seeing how book two plays out.

Book 1 The Three Sisters

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