The New Guy by Sarina Bowen

4 Star

Hudson Newgate is tired of being known as the new guy. Every year he’s traded to a new team. The latest move is to Brooklyn. He’s trying to keep his head down so that they will sign him with a no trade clause, but an injury might not get him what he wants. On a night out he meets single dad, Gavin, who just so happens to be the newest athletic trainer for the team. He shouldn’t want something with Gavin as that isn’t keeping his head down but there’s just something about him that he can’t walk away.

I really enjoyed reading this book. There are a lot of struggles Gavin and Hudson have to deal with in their lives which makes for all the drama in the book. The relationship between them was super sweet and you are rooting for them to get their HEA. My biggest issue with the story is something I can’t talk about without ruining the ending. Let’s just say that the ending frustrated me and also disappointed me. The part that did doesn’t have to do with the relationship but something secondary to the plot but it is a big tell so read the book and see my frustration.

Book 8 Brooklyn Hockey

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Love and Curse Making by Kelly St. Clare

 

2 Star

Cerys runs a paranormal dating agency with her BFF. At only 22 she can find anyone their one true love. When a detective starts investigating her what shall she do?

Alright maybe I am getting old but a 22-year-old running a dating agency just is a no for me. I also didn’t like how shallow the characters were. To top it off it ends on a cliffhanger. The trifecta to knock the book down to a 2 and makes me not read the rest of the books.

Book 1 Magical Dating Agency

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Fake it Till You Mate It by Flora Quincy

 

3.5 Stars

She was supposed to marry her perfect pack and then it all went to hell. Years later she’s back in town looking for a divorce so she can marry her new mates. When the courts throw a wrench in the works what will happen?

I loved this second chance romance. There is so much to unpack and figure out where everything went wrong. I loved the process to get to the happily ever after. There are so many personalities in the book, and they just mesh well. There are some grammatical and spelling errors that should have been caught in editing. I caught several and usually I miss these issues. I knocked off a half star for that. Other than that it flowed nicely and I fell into the book. I can’t wait to see the next book.

Book 1 A Package Deal

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Worse Guy by Ruby Dixon

 

3 Stars

A vicious and amoral clone of Crulden is being held in prison to see if he can be rehabilitated. Bee is a social worker who is trying to do good when she is called in to tame him. Will she be able too?

This was a cute quick read. I liked Bee and Crulden. He’s a bit of a dick but there is a reason for it. Bee is trying to be a social worker for human woman but has to prove she can by rehabbing Crulden. They have a lot of steamy bits but not a lot of plot based story. If you are looking for a sexy story then this is a good one to read.

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Party Girl by Rory Miles

 

2 Star

Whitney is about to be forced into a mating she doesn’t want. She decides to have one more hurrah before she won’t be able to enjoy life when the party is raided. She ends up arrested. The arresting cop takes pity on her and takes her home since she has nowhere to go. The problem now is they feel connected but the cop and his pack have their own secret and the rest of them aren’t sure they want to keep her. Will they find their HEA?

This book had so much potential, but it just fell flat to me. There were too many inconsistencies in the story. One such issue is with Whitney and her granny. She inherited things from her but at one-point states she destroyed everything she got but later talks about selling everything. Which was it. Another issue was how did Whitney’s mom find her? Her BFF knew she left but not where she had gone but somehow her mom found her. It was hard to believe. I also had a hard time matching the character development. She was so abused and beat down with a lot of triggers but so feisty and willing to hook up with guys it was like whiplash.

Book 2 Omega Love

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Love, Pucks, and Other Stories by Elise Faber

 

4 Stars

Billie hates hockey players. They cause nothing but problems for her town. With a wildfire destroying the town Billie doesn’t have time to fight with anyone particularly hot as sin Joel. He’s too distracting and just rubs her the wrong way. The more time they spend together the more she likes him but when secrets come out will they find their happy ending?

I need the next book stat. This enemies to lovers is so good and then it just ends. I love the growth between Billie and Joel. It starts with a hook up and a whole lotta anger and it slowly heats up to falling in love. The big reveal on the last page is horrible because now I have to wait for the next book. If you liked Billie Rose in the series first three books you will like the beginning of her story.

Book 4 Rush Hockey

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The End by Ruby Vincent

3 Star

There’s war coming. Problems seem to be getting bigger with more lies, more secrets, and more pain. Will the horsemen be able to keep Ember safe?

The book tied up all the loose ends even if some of the ending was a bit farfetched. There were some interesting twists and turns in the book. Ultimately if you like dark and academy this ticks off a lot of boxes and kept me interested in it.

Book 3 Raven River Academy

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Entranced by the Basilisk by Lillian Lark

3 Stars

Emilia was a human who was just doing her job when she opens the wrong thing at the library and ends up cursed. Her boss knows someone who may be able to help her. Ari and Jasper will have to live with her to help her control her snakes. Will they be able to keep their hands on to themselves while working on control?

This book was good and I enjoyed it but it was also incredibly slow. I found there to be a pacing issue. There were many times I wanted the story to hurry up but not in a I can’t wait to find out what’s going to happen but in a can we move on already. The writing itself was good and I enjoyed the story. I wanted them all to get their happy ending and they eventually do. Overall it was a fine read.

Book 4

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Sinners by Ruby Vincent

 

3 Star

There are drugs throughout campus and tension is brewing between the factions. New secrets are taking over Ember’s life. There’s more happening then she ever thought was happening and they are all out for her.

Ember is still a massive idiot. She’s running around throughout this book trying to decipher her parents message and isn’t getting very far and it allows more drama to unfold. The relationship between Ember, Cas, Clay, Hiro, Cassius don’t really mesh for me. It was an ok read and at this point I am too invested to quit before the last book.

Book 2 Raven River Academy

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Reject Me by Kel Carpenter and Aurelia Jane

 

3 Star

When Dannie rejects the alpha’s son she’s cast out of her pack. She refuses to be mated to the man who has bullied her throughout her life. She turns to the Dark Vampire King of Blood and Beryl and agrees to marry him. She will become his fake mate. The more time they spend together is it really a fake mating? When trouble comes their way will they be able to weather the storm?

This was a pretty good read. There were a couple issues of communication between the main characters that led to ALL the problems. It got old very quickly. I did like them and they eventually figure out what they need to do but it took way too long. I liked how things worked out and it is a complete story that was well written with an interesting world. This book is in a shared world with other authors. It stands by itself but I am interested in the world enough to check out the other books.

Book 1 Immortal Vices and Virtues

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The Angels by Ruby Vincent

 

3 Star

Ember was used to a better life until her parents ran away with a fortune. Now she’s living with her uncle and aunt. She’s sent to the local academy for school where everyone from the haves and the have nots agree they want her to pay for her parents sins. Will she survive?

Ember frustrated me throughout this story. She was very pampered until her parents disappeared and then had a bunch of things thrown at her. I understand that but she doesn’t seem to understand that not everything is as black and white as she seems to think things are. She thinks that all it will take to fix everything is to turn them into the police but there is always corrupt cops but that doesn’t factor into her plans. I enjoyed it enough I want to continue.

Book 1 Raven River Academy

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Romancing the Alpha by Alicia Montgomery

2 Star

New Jersey Alpha Francesca “Frankie” Muccino is the head of her family and not looking for a relationship let alone a fated mate. When she runs into New York Alpha Grant Anderson they are immediately drawn to each other. He wants her in his bed and doesn’t want to walk away from her, but can she let go enough to let fate take its course?

I enjoyed the first two books in this series and there are still 3 more left and this book is making me take a break as it frustrated me so much. When Frankie was introduced in book one, I looked forward to her getting her book and I ended up hating this pair. I hated that Grant kept apologizing to Frankie. She would misconstrue something but he would end up apologizing. It got old real quick. The evil villains were also kind of badly portrayed. They were incredibly stupid but still able to cause problems. Going to take a break and see if that will make me fall back in love with the series.

Book 3 True Mates

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Claimed by the Alien Chieftain by Ella Maven

 

3 Star

Sherif is looking for his brother but instead he finds his mate, Zuri. Zuri isn’t interested no matter how she feels about him. He will never understand and forgive her for how she escaped her captors, but she wants him. Will they find a way to make it work?

If you are looking for an alien romance this is a pretty standard romance set on another planet with aliens. Writing was fine but I think my biggest issue was I binged read the other two right before this and that led to me being more meh about this as they are all very similar.

Book 3 Mates of Kaluma

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Star Cursed by Elizabeth Briggs

2 Star

Leo pack is keeping Ayla hostage. Her fated mate may be there, but she’s not interested in him at all and wants to be with Ophiuchus pack. Secrets are revealed and more problems have arisen that need to be resolved. Will Ayla and the Ophiuchus pack survive?

There were some majorly messed up things revealed in this book. The story between Kaden and Ayla was good, particularly the smexy scenes. My issue with when she’s rescued is Kaden treats her like crap again. Like it was her fault she was taken. In addition, there was a lot of repetition and telling me stuff again when I’ve already read/scene it. Which would have just frustrated me but it ends in another cliffhanger. I am so over cliffhanger endings.

Book 2 Zodiac Wolves

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Taming Chaos by Anna Carven

 

3 Star

Torin Mardak is looking for who is selling Callidum weapons so they can discover who is a traitor. He hates being on the planet surrounded by cheats and thieves. When he discovers humans there, when they shouldn’t be there, his priorities might have changed. The woman with them is his type and he will do anything to keep her safe.

Where I loved the original series, I struggled with this one. I kept putting the book down and doing other things while I was reading it. It was just really slow and repeated a lot of info from the original series. This might have been a problem because of binge reading the series. The writing was still good and on par with the other books I’ve read so going to give it a break and come back to read the rest of the series.

Book 1 Darkstar Mercenaries

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Taming the Wolves by Lyx Robinson

 

3 Star

After finding out the truth of her marriage Tamsin knows everything is changing whether it be good or bad it has been yet to be seen. Tamsin’s people have been discovered and people want her kinswomen. Can she find a way to keep them safe?

This started right where the first one ended. It was an enjoyable read but there was a pacing issue. There were times the book moved nicely but then other times the book just dragged which made it difficult at times to read. I still enjoyed the story overall. There isn’t that much spice so far. It is very much a slow burn so far. You can see who she’s going to end up with at this point and it will be interesting to see if all plays out. Can’t wait to read the conclusion of the story.

Book 2 Viking Omegaverse

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Love to Hate Her by J. Saman

 

4 Star

Seven years ago, the woman I love broke up with my brother and walked away from both of us. Viola Starr is everything that I want but she’s my brother’s ex and I can’t have her. My band is about to go on tour and I need a nanny for my autistic daughter. Viola is perfect for the position and she is desperate for a job. To keep myself at a distance I have to make her think I hate her but it’s hard when all I want to do is take her and keep her. Will I find a way to walk away, or can we find a way to make it work?

I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the mix Jasper and Viola had about starting a relationship. Jasper didn’t want to hurt his brother who had her first, but he was so in with her that he just couldn’t keep walking away from her. I loved the back and forth and I even liked the interactions with Gus. He was so gracious about them getting together. I can’t wait to see him find his happy ending.

Book 2 Wild Love

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Fevered by Devyn Sinclair

 

1 Star

Left for dead after a rogue fae attacked me. Four fae men rescue me and vow to keep me safe. Their touch brings me more pleasure than I ever dreamed but time is running out to save my life. Will they be able to keep their promises or will the rogue fae win?

I wanted to like this book and the first chapter drew me in so nicely. Then the book just fell apart for me. There was no world building or character development. I quickly lost interest in the book and started skimming to see if it would get better. It didn’t. The FMC spends 80% of the book in crippling pain or unconscious. So how was she falling for these guys? I’ll skip the rest of the books.

Book 1 Carnal Court

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Stolen by the Wolves by Lyx Robinson

 

3.5 Star

Hordes of Vikings are pillaging through the countryside of Northumbria and Ireland. Tamsin has always yearned for adventure. With the looming threat of the Vikings her community is looking for allies. When three lords of Dublin show up with a promise of help Tamsin is unsure if they can be trusted but she is drawn to them. Are they really the saviors for her people or will they cause more problems?

I liked this story a lot and if it didn’t end in a cliffhanger I would have rated this a solid 4 but it does end on a cliff. The writing is fantastic with amazing worldbuilding. I loved that we went historical in this omegaverse. The characters are well developed. The pacing is spot on, and it moves nicely. I was really digging the whole story when we got to the end and said NOOOOOO because it just ended. Can’t wait to read the next book.

Book 1 Viking Omegaverse

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King of Flesh and Bone by Liv Zander

 

3 Star

Enoch is the God of Death and has taken a break from collecting souls. Humans when they die are left to wonder the earth without rest. The only way he might consider going back to collecting souls is if he gets a wife. Ada ends up in his kingdom asking for his help and in return she will become his wife. Will they find their happy ending?

This is very much a horror dark romance. It hit all the right notes for me. The story was intriguing. I loved the villain as the love interested. The 3 stars is because of the cliffhanger ending. So tired of having to wait for the next book in a series. When I read this there was almost a year before book two was set to come out. It is now out, and review is forthcoming. I liked seeing Enoch coming out of his anger to be with Ada and then the ending where he thinks she’s betrayed him chef’s kiss. If you enjoy dark gory stories this one hit all the notes for me and was worth reading.

Book 1 Pale Court

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Quarantined by Drethi Anis

 

1 Star

Milo has been in love with his stepsister Raven, for years. He had her once and lost her. Now she’s home and he’s determined to have her again.

I love a good dark romance with dub/con. This was not one of them. It was straight up SA. I couldn’t get past the hero of the story assaults the heroine. Beyond this the author also jumps back and forth in the timeline which makes it hard to keep track of where we are and what the hell is going on. Beyond the story there is also the money grab the author has on this one. This one is 184 pages, and nothing really happens in it. It’s all set up. There are two more books in the series, and each is $3 so all in a $9 book. They are also all on KU and I could borrow them to finish the series but I really didn’t enjoy the first book enough to waste a spot on my check out.

Book 1 Quarantine

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Love in Due Time by L.B. Dunbar

2.5 Star

Naomi Winters is about to hit the big 4-0 and has only ever been with one man. One night a long time ago. He’s now back and she is still drawn to him. Nathan isn’t that same teenager from years ago. He’s always been a rule breaker but Naomi is the one woman he’s willing to change for. He doesn’t want to lose her again. Will he be able to keep her or will the due date come for their relationship?

I wanted to like this book, but I just couldn’t get past how different the two are. Plus it didn’t seem like Dunbar knew a lot about Wicca as some of the things she mentions Naomi doing things that aren’t necessarily things a Wiccan would do. I also didn’t like the fact that MC wasn’t mentioned anywhere until you get into the book and then that is the main part of the book. All of the issues made it a slow read for me and I kept forcing myself to push through the book. I will try other books in the Penny Reid world as I love a good library setting.

Book 1 Green Valley Library

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Muscles and Monsters by Ashley Bennett

 

2 Star

After an accident where Tegan drops a wedding cake due to her weak arms she decides she needs to start going to the gym. She finds Leviathan Fitness and Atlas. He knows she is his mate and wants to help her be her best self. Will she be able to accept him as his mate?

I wanted to like this more than I did. The plot was lacking. It might be because the length of the book does not allow the plot to be fleshed out, but other short stories do better with less pages. Another issue is that all issues are just magically resolved without any work done. It just frustrated me. I also objected to the excessive use of baby. I like terms of endearment, but it was used so much. I did find it adorable that Atlas’ tail wags when he is happy. The cover was also one of the best covers I’ve seen. Overall, I’ll skip future books.

Book 1 Leviathan Fitness

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Omega’s Obsession by Sarah Blue

 

3 Star

Liv DeSoto has been in love with her brother’s best friend forever. It only got worse when she perfumed as an omega and him an alpha. The problem he’s not interested in her. She finds out he and his trial pack joined Heat Haven she figures this is the ideal time to try to get her forever with him, River, and Grayson. She steals their clothes for her nest and everyone but Dean is happy about her stalking habits. Now she just needs Dean to get on board and her father to back off.

This was a good book. As you read it you can understand why Dean tried to stay away from Liv. You feel a lot of empathy for her as her Father is crazy. You want to deck her brother for not protecting her. Liv has so much more strength than a lot of characters. Everyone gets what they deserve in the end but it’s heartbreaking what Liv has to go through to get her HEA.

Book 2 Heat Haven Omegaverse

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Darkest Night by Alessa Thorn

 

3 Star

Athena Edgeworth is not someone you want to cross. She was found as a child covered in blood in the forest and was raised to be a ruthless mercenary. When she is seduced by ex-assassin, Kon so he could steal a magical manuscript she is determined to get him back and then some. She steals one too many relics out from under him that Kon’s boss decides to take them both out. They will have to work together to get out of it alive.

This book started off so slowly for me. It did pick up and I ended up falling into the story and loved Athena and Kon. I also felt like we started a couple chapters into the story which might have been why the story was slow. I kept trying to figure out what was going on. Once I sorted everything I enjoyed the story and seeing how Athena and Kon get their HEA. I loved Alessa Thorn’s writing so I will be checking out book 2.

Book 1 Mercenaries and Magic

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I think Knot by Sinclair Kelly

2 Stars

Bexley Carter has her own dreams and goals. These goals don’t include finding her pack. She wants nothing to do with alphas. This led to her creating the PackChat App which shows all the things wrong with packs and created her rival RideAnAlpha. When her friend encourages her to attend an influencer conference where she will be a keynote speaker with the pack from RideAnAlpha. What she wasn’t expecting was finding a scent match to her nemeses. Will she accept them or walk away from them.

This book frustrated me. There was too much going on. On one hand you have the rivalry, and the guys are trying to win her over. On the other hand you have a stalker who wants her and will have her. Either of these would have made for a good story but with both the book becomes convoluted. You have Bexley working through her feelings for the guys but then you have this stalker who comes in and steals her. Spoiler ish from this point on. They get her back but then leave her at her home because they don’t want to force her. Great she needs time but they make it seem like they don’t want her. When she finally made her way back to them, they knew she was coming but didn’t really greet her in a happy way when she shows up. It just overall left me feeling blah about the book. I liked how Sinclair Kelly writing style so I might give book two a chance to see if it is better.

Book 1 Knot Yours Omegaverse

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Heat Haven by Sarah Blue

3 Star

Emily is about to go into heat, and she needs to find some Alphas to help her through it. Since she doesn’t have a pack she will have to rely on organization to find her the alphas to get her through her Heat. A chance meeting with Griffin makes her wish he was her alpha. Once her heat is over will they find their forever or is it a one off?

This was a quick and dirty romance. I enjoyed the book but it isn’t anything deep. I didn’t like how it ended. I felt there was too much left up in the air. I subscribed to her newsletter and got a short story that concludes their love story. If you choose to read this one, I highly recommend doing this as it made this a more enjoyable.

Book 1 Heat Haven Omegaverse

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