Warping Minds and Misdemeanors by Annette Marie and Rob Jacobsen

4 Star

Kit Morris had no idea what he was until he joined a guild.  If only he had joined a different guild he wouldn't be screwed.  He's wanted by Agent Lienna Shen for conning people out of their money.  Agent Shen needs him to get his former best friend.  She is willing to cut a deal if he helps.  He may be saying he's helping but he's really looking for a way out to save him self.  That is until he sees the true consequences of what his former friend is trying to do.  Will his change of heart come in time?

This is a spin off of the original series and I enjoyed it a lot.  It does help to have read at least a couple in the other series as the world building is all in those books and not this one.   I really enjoyed the process Kit went through from I need to rescue myself to I need to rescue the world.  The pacing was good in this book.  I didn't want to stop listening to it to do other things.  It will be interesting to see where the series goes.   

Audio Book: 4 Star

Loved Iggy Toma.  He did a really good job with keeping the story moving for me. Even faster paced he brought nuance and character to the people who was speaking for.

Book 1 The Guild Codex: Warped

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The Siren Saves the Billionaire by Kristen Painter

 

3 Star

Undrea Seeley, makes custom aquariums and creates amazing collections of sea creatures for people to admire.  When she is hired to fit a new aquarium into the newest resident of Nocturne Falls she is surprised he is the man who tried to "save" her when she was swimming in the lake.  She is afraid he is smitten with her because of what she is and doesn't want to break Ethan and his girlfriend up.  Ethan wasn't sure about moving to this small town but after meeting some of the locals he's reevaluating his life choices including who he is dating.  When he tries to break up with his girlfriend she refuses.  He takes refuge with Undrea.  When he disappears from her home she calls in a group of the supernatural beings in the community to figure out what is going on.  Will they figure it out before it is too late?

I wanted to like this book more but a lot of the build up to the ending is given away in the title of the book and also kind of obvious.  I didn't really feel connected to Undrea or Ethan and I really didn't like how they got together.  Maybe this is one of those times a series should be ended as I used to love these books and it's gotten very obvious what is going to happen.  The love interests are also not that loveable.  You don't need to read the rest of the series to read this one BUT there are better books in the series to read.

Book 13 Nocturne Falls

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Hell Hounds Don't Heel by Kim McDougall

 

3 Star

Kyra is still waiting on Mason to return from France.  It's been months with no word.  To top off the stress of not knowing what happened with Mason his ex wife is creating chaos in town for all the guardians.  Kyra will need to find away to keep everyone safe and take out the ex before she gets too powerful.

There were too many too stupid too live moments in this book.  I don't know if this is the last book in the series or if McDougall will be continuing it but this is my last book.  It finished the arc from book one with the stone and Mason's ex wife and I am good with being done.  Considering all of the training Kyra and Mason should have had they shouldn't be as stupid as they are.  They nearly die way too many times and it got old.  I am still unsure about the world and characters as there is no development with either in any of the books.  The best I can say is the book concludes the arc nicely and there is somewhat of a happy ending.

Book 3 Valkyrie Bestiary

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The Bodyguard by Anna Hackett

 

4 Star

Princess Sofia of Caldova is visiting San Francisco under the guise of displaying the Caldova jewels.  What she really wants is to find the men responsible for the rape of her friend that lead to the friend killing herself.  She needs them to pay even if it means putting herself at risk.  What she doesn't plan for is being watched by Rome Nash.  Rome is the ultimate professional.  Even after Sofia had kissed him he kept it professional but he didn't want to.  He wanted her but shouldn't have her that is until her life is in danger.

I really enjoyed finding out who was out to get Sofia.  The struggle Rome had was fun to read.  There weren't any time in this book that I felt Sofia was to stupid to live.  She actually kicked ass and listened when Rome told her to run.  The big bad was interesting and wasn't who I thought it was and I love being surprised.  Overall, a good addition to the series and definitely a good read.

Book 4 Norcross Security

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Dervishes Don't Dance by Kim McDougall

 

3 Star

Kyra Greene is doing what she always does.  Tracking down creatures that are causing trouble and moving them outside the city where they won't bother others.  While performing this task she discovers that those with major magic are going missing.  Human, Fae, and others alike are missing and no one is interested in finding them.  She decides to try and track down where these people are going and why.  

These are books you really need to read in order.  This book builds off of the last book.  Kyra and Mason are still sniffing around each other.  I felt there was a bit of a pacing issue with this book.  The beginning was incredibly slow and then about the halfway point it picked up and ran.  The book also leaves a lot strings left untied and makes it so I have to pick up the next book to see if things are resolved.  Some of it makes sense but others not so much.  The issue with book one where Kyra didn't want to kill anyone continues into this one but also trusts everyone even when they shouldn't be trusted and have shown they shouldn't be trusted.  It was very frustrating.  Overall, if it weren't for cliffhanger esq ending I would not have picked up book 3.

Book 2 Valkyrie Bestiary

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Sex on the Seats by Elise Faber

 

4 Star

Dominique didn't know why she was at the bar.  It's not her scene but she can't leave as the bartender is making her long for more in her life.  Archer stayed late because this woman enthralled him.  When she offers one night he can't say no.  One night isn't all he wants he just needs to talk her into more.

I really enjoyed this story.  In fact I got to the end and said wait that's all of it.  I got through it so fast it didn't feel like a long story.  I enjoyed seeing Dominique work through her issues and move to wanting more than a one night stand.  Everything just worked for me with this story.  You don't need to read the rest of the books in the series to read this one but it will help.  If you're looking for a quick light read this is a good book to pick up.

Book 4 Love After Midnight

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Dragons Don't Eat Meat by Kim McDougall

 

3 Stars

Kyra Greene is still saving as many creatures as she can.  When she is releasing her latest rescue in the forest she stumbles upon dragons digging up graves eating gold and jewels.  She soon realizes they are being enslaved for some purpose and she can't let the slavers win. Kyra gets more than she bargains for with her rescue.  She ends up on poop watch with a baby dragon as the poor baby ate a very dangerous gem stone and Mason, head of the Guardians, needs that stone back NOW.  They will have to team up again to search for the dragon's family while they wait for the stone to pass.

This was an ok book.  There were parts that really frustrated me.  Kyra refuses to kill anyone for reasons but yet she runs headlong into battles.  You can't have it both ways.  Some of the "issues" wouldn't have been as anticlimactic if she actually was willing to kill.  You kind of get the world has been flooded with magic and everyone has to live in specific cities that have huge protections on them.  That is the extent of the world building.  I need more information.  The other big glaring issue I had was Kyra and Mason are on this quest.  Kyra is kidnapped and Mason goes back to the city.  Doesn't really try and find her or the dragon.  Ummmm please don't go on a quest with Mason because you will end up lost and no one will care.  The story itself was interesting and I enjoyed it enough to read the rest of the series but there could have been things tightened.  Plus it needed some world building to make it more enjoyable.

Book 1 Valkyrie Bestiary

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