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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Cursed Vampire by Brogan Thomas

3 Stars

Half unicorn, half bloodsucker, all trouble.

When her secret gets out, can this feisty teenager survive?

Tru Dennison’s life feels like a sick joke. Still grieving her adoptive grandad and kicked out by her useless uncle, the seventeen-year-old is juggling two jobs just to afford a roof over her head. The last thing she needs? A shifter customer biting her during a shift.

Already battling a strange illness she can’t seem to shake, Tru’s terrified the bite will expose her hidden bloodline to the supernatural community. And when the wound makes her condition even worse, she starts to realise there’s far more to fear than just discovery.

Now everyone wants a piece of her—and they’re not playing nice.

Can Tru’s rebel spirit save her when she becomes the prize in a deadly supernatural tug-of-war?

Cursed Vampire is the thrilling third standalone novel in the Creatures of the Otherworld urban fantasy series. If you love snarky heroines, forbidden romance, and magical mayhem, you’ll adore Brogan Thomas’s feisty adventure.

I’m so angry with this one. It ended but Tru doesn’t end up with the guy. I was so confused that I looked it up to see if the next book was hers and it wasn’t. which led to a deep dive into published books by this author. She spun this one off into another series. Just why? Why wouldn’t you continue the story in the next book and conclude it. Instead, the next book is a different set of characters in this world and I have to pick up the other series to get the conclusion for Tru. It kind of turned me off and I am going to take a break from this author for me.

Book 3 Creatures of the Otherworld

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Cursed Demon by Brogan Thomas

3 Stars

She enjoyed life as a demon’s pet. Until the cries of an innocent tore her world asunder…

Emma Case is freaking out. Being surrounded by monsters is risky enough without breaking the rules, but when the soft-hearted girl hears a pup in distress, she can’t resist trespassing on forbidden ground. And after discovering the unfortunate creature is a wolf-shifter, she’s stunned when the child’s pack accuses her of the crime and abducts her for interrogation.

Tortured for information she doesn’t have, Emma pleads desperately for her handsome tormenter to believe her. Yet as the naïve young woman tumbles deeper into the realm of supernatural intrigue, she unexpectedly manifests frightening powers she has no idea how to control.

Will Emma’s hidden heritage prove a blessing or a bane?

Cursed Demon is the second standalone book in the character-driven Creatures of the Otherworld urban fantasy series. If you like sassy heroines, laugh-out-loud humour, and white-knuckle thrills, then you’ll love Brogan Thomas’s action-packed tale.

I loved book one but this one wasn’t as good. This is the brother from book one and he was a dick in book one and he’s a dick in this book. FMC deserved so much more than him and his bull. I noticed with book one there’s no real conclusion to the story and book two continues that which left me wanting. I still enjoyed the overall story and will try the next one.

Book 2 Creatures of the Otherworld

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Vampire Librarian by Kristin Kova

4 Stars

Save London from an impending vampire apocalypse? Sorry, my week is all booked.

That’s a book pun—I’m a librarian. Specifically, the arcane archivist at the Witching Library in the heart of London.

Humans don’t know about the secret magical world of witches, shifters, and seers like me. So when vampires steal a dark codex from the library, no police come to save me when I’m caught in the crossfire. I’m left in a pool of blood, with a searing scratch on my arm.

When I transition and lose control of my new thirst, a dangerously powerful—and hot as hell—vampire pulls me back from the edge. Lazarus has a proposition for me: if I help him track down my sire before he can expose the supernatural world, he'll teach me to control my hunger.

If we fail, the council’s terrifying Shadowhounds will execute my monstrous sire and all his progeny. Including me.

I miss my library already.

Fans of urban fantasy with slow burn romance will love Karina Dobrev, our reluctant, introverted heroine; Lazarus Kaine, our deadly, irresistible hero; and Keith, a magical cat with impeccably high standards. The Shadow Order: Vampire is a complete four book series.

Weird but good read. Very enjoyable urban fantasy. No romance in this one at all but hints for future books that there will be a romance. Loved the references to the Mummy Movie about no harm reading a book. I loved the characters and the world so far. It’s a different kind of vampire book but a good read. It ends kind of on a cliff but not a bad one.

Book 1 Shadow Order

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Swipe Right for Monsters by R O’Leary

4 Stars

“Download Monstr and slither into your future mate’s DMs!”

Tequila shots and dating apps don’t mix. Celebrating the end of grad school, Drunk Nicole thought it would be a brilliant idea to find a monster sugar daddy to help her pay off her student loans and help her fix up the rundown house she had inherited.

Surely there was a rich vampire or gold-laden dragon out there who might have a thing for messy brunettes with threadbare sweatpants and a caffeine addiction?

 

But in the light of day (and her crippling hangover) Sober Nicole thinks Drunk Nicole was an idiot. Especially now that her notifications are blowing up and five fanged hotties want to take her to dinner… or eat her for dinner.

It is a dating app for monsters, after all.

I loved this book so much. FMC is looking for sugar daddies basically and it comes to bite her in the butt and she does make it up to the men she falls for. Loved this little twist as it’s normally the guys screwing up. I really hope more books will be written in this world as I really liked the premise.

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Save a Vamp Take a Crown by Sedona Ashe

4 Stars

A week ago, if someone told me I’d be trying to talk a vampire into feeding from me…

I would’ve laughed in their face.

Love has a way of making people do crazy things.

Zyon is my vampire soulmate, and I have the bite marks to prove it.

But we have to keep our romance a secret… for now.

I can’t imagine being with anyone else, but the vampire queen commanded me to step back and pretend Zyon hasn’t already claimed me as his mate.

I swear, if I see one more woman fawn over him, I might just snap. The only reason I haven’t lost it is because Zyon is making it very clear to every single person in the castle that he only wants me… so the vampire women trying to steal him away from me can suck it!

Adding to my list of worries is the way my body seems to have a mind of its own… as though something inside me is desperate to get out. I have a feeling that whatever is locked away isn’t interested in playing nice with my soon-to-be vampire family.

And did I mention I feel like I’m being watched?

But that’s impossible, right?

Journee puts up with so much in this book. MMC had 0 backbone and that frustrated me soooooo much. The twist at the end was a major surprise and was very interesting. Interested in seeing where the next book takes us.

Book 2 Flawed Fates

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Save a Life Tell a Lie by Sedona Ashe

4 Stars

Stalker or vampire?

The choice is yours, but if you make the wrong one…

You die.

He’s spent months watching my every move. Stalking me from the shadows, waiting for the right moment.

When he strikes, I’m not ready.

I’m surrounded by strangers, and far from anyone who might have cared, or at the very least, noticed if I suddenly disappeared.

He’s closing the distance, leaving me with a terrifying choice: take my chances with my stalker, or seek help from a monster more powerful than him. Making the wrong choice could cost me my life.

Risking it all, I throw myself at an extraordinarily handsome stranger. A stranger who just happens to be a vampire. He also happens to be the crown prince of vampires, and he’s disgusted by humans.

I haven’t even been bitten yet, and my life already sucks.

It’s too late to rethink my plan, and I’m out of options. I beg the stranger to claim he knows me.

Instead, the vampire claims me.

But my stalker isn’t ready to admit defeat, and the vampire I sought refuge with isn’t willing to let me go.

A stalker. A vampire. A choice that might end my life.

This was on the shorter side but such a good read. It’s not a complete story and you do need to read the next one. There’s no development in the characters or world building but it still worked for me. I do wish there was some world building to explain things but still loved it.

Book 1 Flawed Fates

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Your Coffin or Mine by Jacklyn Hyde

3 Stars

A runaway bride. A grumpy 600-year-old vampire pretending to be human. A disaster waiting to happen.

What could possibly be the most infuriating thing to a vampire disgusted by the internet? A twenty-six-year-old social media influencer that just ran out on her cheating ex-fiancé and insists on staying in Vlad’s quiet castle.

But he needs money to repair his ancestral home, and Aubrey needs a place to lick her wounds after getting her heart broken.

He is ready to have humans invading his space. He is not, however, ready for her.

She wants to feed him garlic, parades around in tiny shorts, and incenses him at every turn. Can he really playhouse with a human? Especially one he just can’t seem to fight the urge to stay away from?

Pretty fun vampire read. Need more world building and wanted more information on Vlads’ neighbors. Plus, I wanted to know what happened after they got together. Maybe additional books will give me what I felt this book was lacking.

Book 1 Monster Bae

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Cheating Death by Sarah Reynolds

4 Stars

Sunday is an empath and she knows the rules to stay away from the other supernaturals but she’s not given a choice when her brother goes missing. She now has get help from a vampire. This brings her too close to other supernatural world and she must rely on Grayson to help get her brother back. But can they keep their hands to themselves?

This was a weird book I couldn’t put down and when I finished, I wanted to start the second book immediately. I wanted more world building and some things explained. I also with the author used the characters names vs pronouns because there were times it was difficult to determine who was speaking or being spoken too. I have zero problem with the one character asking to be referred to as they/them however, when the author is talking the collective plus this character it made me reread the paragraph a couple of times to figure out who was involved. It does end on a cliffhanger which was a bit disappointing but book 2 is out.

Book 1 House of Marchese Saga

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Blood Moon by Jillian Graves

3 Stars

Hazel loves working her bar and seeing her supernatural regulars. She occasionally needs to blow off steams, but anonymous strangers work for that until she meets Vlad. She thinks he’s an excellent lay but is definitely running away when she finds out he’s the owner of the night club that just opened a crossed from her bar that is trying to close her down. Will they find their HEA?

This was a super spicy short story. I wanted more world building and character development but for a short story it was really good. Loved the main characters story and seeing them get their HEA. Will definitely check out other books by this author.

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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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Seductively Undead in Dark River (Dark River Days, #4) By Grace McGinty

 

4 Stars

Twenty years Raine has been dealing with being the leader for those with weird supernatural powers. She is DONE! She wants out of this responsibility so she can have time with her family. The council agrees to let her step down BUT only after she finds someone to take her place. This person must be stronger than she is and be able to take her in a fight. The only one anyone can think of is The Night Demon. Since he is in Amsterdam Raine and her men will have to go there and talk him into taking over for her. When they meet him for the first-time things don’t go the way they plan but will it work out?

Book 4 picks up much later in Raine’s timeline. She's been on the council for a while and she's just really tired of dealing with all of them. I found this hilarious because no one who should be on the council should be happy about being on the council.  This book is literally a journey of finding out if she can find someone who's strong enough and better who will sit on the council and take over. Without spoilers she does not get what she wants in the most hilarious way possible. I like how the series ended and it makes me want to go and read the rest of the books that are linked to the series but aren't part of the series. It very much was a good ending to complete the overall arc of rain's life. The only aspect I miss and wish that had been touched upon was what happened with her original family. But that's something that I'm curious about and not necessarily everybody else would be curious about

Book 4 Dark River Days

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Pleasantly Undead in Dark River (Dark River Days, #3) By Grace McGinty

 

4 Stars

Raine is trying to settle down and not have so much chaos in her and her guys’ life. She needs to open the Immortal Cupcake shop but she needs to learn how to bake first. It would also help if psychos would stop leaving dead bodies and animals on her doorstep. She’s also dealing with long lost relatives wanting time with them. Can she just get some peace and quiet?

I like the balance of psycho to nice guys in her harem. This balances her out and gives her both the nice and the naughty all in one relationship. I like the growth that each of the guys have made since book one. Raine has also grown and changed since book one, but she still has her issues that she's working through, which is nice because nobody is going to make massive changes in 2.5 seconds. Overall, it was a really good story. Meshed well with books 1 and 2. Still ended on a cliffhanger but not really a cliffhanger. If you don't want to read past book 3, you don't necessarily need to read past book 3. I, of course, still want too, and I will be picking a book four.

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Happily Undead in Dark River By Grace McGinty

 

4 Stars

Raine has discovered her maker and killed her to save her lovers. They are not in the clear. Vampire council has questions she and the rest of the town need to answer for.

This book starts where the first one ended. We are starting to see the fallout of the doctor kidnapping humans for blood. I enjoyed seeing Raine with her two non-vampire mates. Even with the two shifters things get crazy and she roles with it. Still enjoyable to see Raine coming into her own. Can’t wait for book 3.

Book 2 Dark River Days

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Newly Undead in Dark River (Dark River Days, #1) By Grace McGinty

 

4 Stars

Mika McKellen wakes up dead in a stormwater drain outside a small Canadian town. She finds out she’s been changed into a vampire and will need a new name. She decides to be known as Raine and has to start learning about her new life. The sheriff is trying to figure out who turned her as it goes against everything the town believes in. She’s not sure what she wants out of her new life and she’s missing her old one. Will she find who turned her and will she be able to accept her new life?

I very much enjoyed this story. Mika/Raine was going through a lot throughout this book and life keeps throwing new things to deal with at her. It makes her seem more real. She isn’t perfect and she has doubts and flaws. I loved how real she was about the change and how hard it was for her. She has breakdowns about not seeing her family again but also found joy in her new life. I liked the guys who she’s interested in, Tex, Brody, Judge, Walker, and X. They each have their own personalities and meld well together. It does look like she is going to keep acquiring new guys into her harem starting with X. Even though this ends cliffhanger esq it wasn’t a cliffhanger. If you hate it you find out who killed her but the ending does open up the plot for the next book.

Book 1 Dark River Days

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Plaidypus by R.J. Blain

3 Star

Nadine and her brother have a close encounter with a hotspot that transforms them. Nadine becomes a platypus shifter While her brother becomes a Vampire. She has to convince the CDC not to take them in and separate them. The one thing they can all agree on is their hometown is to small, too judgmental, and too quick to kill those who are different. Once a decision is made her path is set and it's not quite what she was expecting.

This is a generous 3 star as the first 60% of the book was good and I enjoyed it but then she does what she always does and gets bogged down with the details. It was an interesting story, and it brought more information to the overall series which was great. We finally get to have more information on vampires which was also awesome. The problem you get to a certain point and the story just stops and it sits in one spot and there are tons of conversations about what the plan is. When it comes to the big confrontation it doesn’t happen on the pages, they just freaking talk about it. WHAT! How do you lead your story to this big confrontation and then not even have it be active part of the story but as a hey this is what happened with them. GRRRRR. It was worth reading just to get somethings explained but if you haven’t invested in the story just skip.

Book 19 Magical Romantic Comedies

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Hexed by Yve Vale

 

4 Star

Shayla has been abused her entire life by her mother. She's just waiting for her 20th birthday to be able to get out. Her friend drags her out for one last night out before going off to academy where she decides to lose her virginity and ends up finding her fated mate. This changes all her plans. Forced to go to Academy and learn magic she doesn’t want to have. Will she find her way and her mates without losing herself?

I liked this one a lot. It was a new take for me on academy. It is very much a slow burn and only brief moments of fun times between characters. There is some MM so if that's not your cup of tea give this one a pass. I wanted a little bit more world building to explain some aspects of how this world works but nothing so drastic that it detracted from my reading. It does end on a cliffhanger esq ending. You find out a bunch of things but left hanging on some very big important things. Definitely worth the read.

Book 1 Shadowcraft Academy

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