Hooked on the Game (Sterling Shore #1): 3 Stars

Author: C.M. Owens
Length: 204 pgs.
I picked this book up as a freebie and it was chosen for me to read for a March buddy pick. I’m surprised honestly that I downloaded this book because it’s NA romance which is outside of my usual favorite genres but it’s pretty short and I’ll give most anything a try if it’s not going to take up too much of my time.

The story is propelled forward by a series of very unlikely events. Raya is a college…freshman, I think? Living on her own due to her roommates abandoning their shared home for one reason or another. She lives next to a rich boy named Kade who’s constantly throwing loud parties. One day a few of his partygoers actually run a bulldozer into Raya’s home. Her house is destroyed, even her clothes have remnants of fiberglass in them due to the insulation imploding. They go to court and the judge is persuaded by Kade’s father, Paul Colton (who has his own fashion line) to make Raya live with Kade as punishment. He says that Kade will need to cater to Raya’s needs, drive her wherever she wants to go, and ask her for permission to throw parties. No judge would ever take this into serious consideration, but in the world of Sterling Shore it is agreed upon by all parties. Raya agrees because Mr. Colton tells her that if she lasts until the end of the semester, he’ll buy her a house. Heck yeah!

Kade and Raya butt heads immediately but eventually he warms up to her when he realizes she’s being teased relentlessly for moving in with him. I found the teasing to be a little exaggerated since this is a college setting and not high school, but basically the town they live in is all about appearances and status.

I liked watching Kade and Raya grow close, although it does irk me with these type of stories that the male character starts off so over-the-top assholish (pretend that’s a word for the purposes of this review) and inevitably transforms completely into a doting gentleman, even before there is an official romantic relationship in place. But on the other hand, Owens did give us some explanations for Kade’s behavior that weren’t included in my first assumptions and made me look at him differently.

Raya is definitely someone who’s insecure and her second-guessing the intentions of everyone around her and misconstruing them so badly definitely grated on my nerves after a while. She is convinced everyone’s looking down on her, including Kade. Even after he makes completely obvious romantic overtures, she still manages to wallow in self pity and rejection.

There is a very unlikely misunderstanding between Raya and Kade towards the end of the book that sends them on a path towards the inevitable reconciliation. I actually found the last 15-20% of the book to be the most interesting as Raya has to take matters into her own hands to solve a problem. This part was exciting, it made me wish that more of the book had been the same way.

Overall it was an okay read for me, I’m sure others who enjoy YA romance will like it more than I did.

Off the Record (Record #1): 3 Stars

Author: K.A. Linde
Length: 12 hours 10 min
Off the Record is the first book in the ‘Record’ series. I don’t usually read contemporary romance, it’s not really my thing. But this one sounded interesting and I was able to listen free with Kindle Unlimited so I gave it a try. It follows a college reporter, Liz Dougherty, as she begins a secret relationship with Brady Maxwell, a politician who’s in the middle of running for…something. Ha! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic.

The main character, Liz, was immediately likable. She had a good head on her shoulders and her inner voice spoke common sense to her even if she didn’t always listen to it. As the reader we’re along with her for the ride from the beginning of the affair, when she is head over heels for Brady. As time goes on however, her feelings do get stronger but that common sense I mentioned starts to kick in. She starts to realize that she maybe doesn’t want to be somebody’s secret girlfriend. But every time she meets up with Brady her feelings for him intensify so she just ends up torn and confused.

Brady doesn’t do too much to make it any easier on her. He’s gentlemanly, but mostly he has the ‘this-is-what-you-signed-up-for’ attitude whenever she tells him how she feels. He’s also in the habit of bringing other, more “appropriate” women as his date to public functions, which further hurts Liz. He explains it away by saying he was pressured by his campaign manager (who is a BEEYOTCH) or even his mom to bring this person or that person on his arm, but my response to that is really? He is a grown man. And it’s not like Liz is some shady character – although she previously wrote some not-so-favorable articles about Brady’s education policy for her college newspaper, she doesn’t have any skeletons in her closet. But she continues to be treated like some dirty little secret and I could just feel myself getting angrier and angrier on her behalf as the book went on. Especially when I felt like she connected well with Hayden, another male character. I also enjoyed her being charmed by Clay and thought they were both better candidates for her attention than Brady. But the heart wants what it wants and all that crap…

I’ve never read K.A. Linde before and she brought a very human feel to every character. Her writing combined with the great narration made this a solid three star book for me. Maybe if I was more a contemporary romance girl I’d give it a higher rating but honestly that’s the only thing that kept me from getting immersed in this book. I’d like to know what Liz decides in the future (as this book ends in a cliffhanger) but not so much that I want to continue on in the series.

Black Annis: Demon Slayer (Revenge of the Witch #2): 4 Stars

Author: Aubrey Law
Length: 102 pgs.
This is the second installment in the Revenge of the Witch series, and I jumped right in to this after finishing up #1, not even moving from my spot on the couch between books. This is novella length so I tore through it in less than an hour.

This book is just as exciting as #1, even more so as Aubrey Law adds yet more fantastical creatures to the story (who would’ve thought frogs would be so deceitful?). Annis is somewhat in hiding due to the events that unfolded a the close of the first book and she finds herself in constant danger from one magical being or another. As I said in my review of book one, it’s so much fun being on this adventure with Annis. Her dark powers range from being able to explode hearts with the snap of a finger to imploding a body or causing all the blood in someone’s veins to drain from their orifices. She is an extremely powerful ancient Black Witch, but how long can her power and kill spells save her from the demons, Arch Demons, necromancers and vampires that are after her?

Short review here but this was a very short book, and ends on another giant cliffhanger. I’m dying to find out what happens and continue on with the series the but I don’t think #3, Demon Destroyer, is out yet although #4 already has a title (Demon Punisher). THIS IS VITAL INFORMATION so if anyone knows more about the release date of #3 PLEASE LET ME KNOW IMMEDIATELY. =) In the meantime I will check out Aubrey Law’s other series as I have become an instant fan!

Black Annis: Demon Hunter (Revenge of the Witch #1): 4 Stars

Author: Aubrey Law
Length: 206 pgs.
This was such a fun book!

I picked this up as a freebie on Amazon and I download a ton of freebies every few days, but this one stuck out to me and I made a point to get to it sooner than later. It begins with our main character Annis, a Black Witch, who was executed roughly 400 years ago. She’s been hanging out in the Lake of Fire ever since, just, you know, being tortured and stuff in Hell. One day a girl named Ashley, who’s being kept as a sex slave by members of the deranged Priesthood, is attempting to escape her prison and accidentally opens a Hellgate in her desperation. Annis is waiting behind the door – and immediately snatches up Ashley’s body as her own, thus returning to the land of the living.

From there, the adventure never stops. Annis tears through priests and demons alike, exacting her long-awaited revenge. She befriends Sonja, Ashley’s friend and fellow prisoner, though she explains that Ashley no longer really exists. Together they bust out of their prison and begin Annis’s mission of punishing everyone (or in some cases at least the descendants of everyone) who had a had in her torture and execution.

This was fun to read for many reasons, one of them being that Annis has so much power that we get to watch her destroy demons, kill supernatural beings and some humans with different spells and weapons in her magical arsenal. It’s fun being on the powerful end of things when we’re normally reading from the point of view of the character who has all the odds stacked against them. And while there are many odds stacked against Annis, she’s too powerful for them to stop her completely. Watching her get around the obstacles that are in her way is exciting. Aubrey Law’s creativity here makes the book a blast to read.

The world building with its many different supernatural creations is enthralling. We’ve got everything from the everyday vampires and werewolves to fallen angels, dark cherubs, goblins, demons and Archdemons, necromancers, Hellhounds, and many other beings, and pretty much every one of them is after Annis for one reason or another. The excitement doesn’t stop for a second which is great for the reader, not so much for Annis and Sonja.

Speaking of, Sonja was not really my favorite person. She became quite grating after a while, although I understand the purpose of her existence. She was just sort of unlikable and Annis is drawn to her, though she’s not sure if that’s due to the lingering remnants of Ashley’s soul or because Annis herself genuinely likes her.

This book ends on a giant cliffhanger and you can pick up the second for free, but fair warning that book ends on a cliffhanger as well. However you won’t be able to stop at just one, so make sure you have #2 downloaded before beginning this one! I am hooked and will be looking out for the third book as soon as it’s released!

Sold to the Sheikh (Club Volare #1): 3 Stars

Author: Chloe Cox
Length: 5 hrs 12 mins
I borrowed the audiobook for Sold to the Sheikh via Kindle Unlimited. It was on the shorter side so I figured it wouldn't be a waste of too much time if I didn't care for it. It’s the first in the Club Volare series, and starts off pretty routinely for what I’ve read in this genre. An innocent(ish) female-in this case Stella Spencer, who gets a job at Club Volare after going through a divorce-meets a wealthy Dom who decides to introduce her to the world of BDSM. In this book, that Dom is Sheikh Bashir, and he decides to fork over $50,000 to spend the weekend with Stella, choosing her over any other willing BDSM participant because of something he sees in her eyes when they first meet, etc etc.

Continuing with the formula, the female MC is at first uncomfortable and embarrassed about everything, before the Dom slowly brings down her walls and converts her to a BDSM lover. And they all live happily ever after.

I knew what I was getting into with this book. I wasn’t expecting mind-blowing excitement or surprises, and my expectations were pretty much met. I admit however that Stella began to grow on me about an hour or so into the book. She was ditched by her husband and still carries the pain of his rejection, as well as memories of a painful childhood. She’s a sweet character and I liked her.

Sheikh Bashir is a pretty typically written Dom. He promises Stella that he’ll have her begging by the end of the weekend. He pushes her boundaries and forces her to do things she’d never do under normal circumstances. He does his research on Stella and makes a few grand gestures based on what he learns. He isn’t cruel or Alpha-like. He comes across more determined and protective. He also has a personal history that keeps him from giving his heart to anyone.

You can pretty much guess how the book ends but it was a decent read. The Audible narrator did a great job, it’s not easy to find a good erotica narrator and she’s definitely one of the better ones. The writer gave sufficient backstories to both characters and I liked the two of them together. I think the worst I can say about the book is that it’s just not overly memorable.

The blurb for the third book Disciplined by the Dom sounds pretty interesting so I think I might continue with the series if I need to bust out of a reading/listening slump.

Rolling in the Deep (Rolling in the Deep #.05): 4 Stars

Author: Mira Grant aka Seanan McGuire
Length: 128 pgs.
"They saw a great adventure. They saw a glorious and entertaining hoax. They saw profit, ratings, everything but the disaster that awaited them. The Atargatis sailed blithely on, out of the harbor, and into history."

Rolling in the Deep is a novella-length prequel to Mira Grant’s novel Into the Drowning Deep. It revolves around a network documentary crew and a group of scientists who sail via the Atargatis into the Mariana Trench to try to verify the existence of mermaids. They sail there, but they don’t ever come back, and they’re never seen alive again.

The Mariana Trench is something that truly fascinates me. If you aren’t familiar with it I’ll give you the basics. It’s the deepest part of the ocean in the world. Per Wikipedia, if Mount Everest were dropped into the deepest part of the Mariana Trench (called the Challenger Deep) its topmost peak would still be over 1 mile underwater. Its contents and depths are shrouded in mystery and darkness.

Maybe this doesn’t interest you. If that’s the case you definitely won’t be fascinated by the premise here as I was. Actually I purchased Into the Drowning Deep first, which follows another expedition seven years later. I haven’t read the novel yet as it’s been buried under several other titles on my TBR, so when I stumbled onto Rolling in the Deep on Goodreads and saw that it was a novella prequel, I purchased it so that I could get a taste of the story before attacking the novel.

Other reviewers say that the tone here differs from Into the Drowning Deep which I can’t attest to. I will say that Rolling in the Deep, once the danger becomes apparent to the unfortunate souls aboard the Atargatis, is satisfyingly creepy. I would’ve liked more detail, more graphic violence at some points, and I felt it was kind of a cop-out how the exact details of one big scene at the end were left to the reader’s imagination. But I understand that this is a prequel, and I hope that my desire for more gore is satisfied in the full-length book. This novella serves its purpose; I gobbled it up quickly and it definitely whet my appetite for what’s to come. Chill-inducing.

Highlander Betrayed (Guardians of the Targe #1): 2 Stars

Author: Laurin Wittig
Length: 9 hrs 13 min

Highlander Betrayed is the first in the Guardians of the Targe trilogy, about a powerful stone controlled by the chosen Guardian, that protects Scotland from its enemies and invasion. I listened to the audio version courtesy of Kindle Unlimited.

The book’s main character, Nicholas Fitz Hugh, is an English spy sent by the King to Scotland to pose as a Highlander in order to track down the Targe so that the King can invade and claim the land. Nicholas’s dad was an Englishman who raped his Scottish mother, so he was raised in Scotland for a bit before ending up in England. He quickly adopts a Scottish accent and uses his abbreviated experience as a Scotland native to infiltrate the MacAlpin clan after he and his fellow spy Archie witness a stone wall collapse. This leads to Nicholas saving two women, Rowan and Scocha, who turn out to be the niece and daughter of the current MacAlpin clan chief, respectively. Archie, however, stays hidden and grows resentful while Nicholas begins to grow fond of the Highlanders and Rowan.

Nicholas is not the most sympathetic main character. Rowan is hesitant to trust him but after he says and does all the right things, which include appealing to the needs of Rowan’s very sick aunt Elspeth-current Guardian of the Targe and wife to the chief -she eventually falls for him. Nicholas is constantly mulling over the inner turmoil of having to decide whether to betray Rowan or England, and it becomes tiresome after a while. He’s one of the few duplicitous main characters I’ve read where I actually wouldn’t mind him getting found out and punished for it, because he is clearly in the wrong and only bringing harm to the unaware MacAlpin clan. Who is he to deserve love with Rowan, and acceptance into the clan after he’s led a life of lies?

In addition to rooting against the main character, the plot itself never really grabbed me. There’s a “twist” about the new Guardian of the Targe that I guess we were not supposed to see coming a mile away? There’s no action really until the very end of the book, which is resolved enough to close out this first installment but not so much that the trilogy can’t continue. Every time I would put the audiobook on I was never really excited about it. I just had gotten so far into it that I was committed to seeing it through because I’ve marked several recent audiobooks through KU as DNF and I wanted to be able to finish one.

The story has potential, but ultimately was just too boring for me, with a main character I didn’t really care about.

Pure Healing (Pure/ Dark Ones #1): 4 Stars

Author: Aja James
Length: 248 pgs.
Pure Healing is an elegantly written dark fantasy novel about a vampire-like race called the Pure Ones. They’re different from vampires in many ways however; there’s no feeding off humans in dark alleys or anything like that here. The Pure Ones are a more refined group of beings, and the tale of their origin is just one of the many unique elements that add to the book’s world building.

The world building is what I really enjoyed here. Even the ages-old vampires were given an interesting twist that sets them apart from other books in this genre, with a truly creepy genre-blurring villian in their midst. I loved reading about how everything came to be, how each character got to where they are now. Everyone has a story, a gift, and a specific purpose in the organization that serves their race.

The story alternates between viewpoints so we get a little bit of everyone’s perspectives, even the villain’s. I see other reviews comparing it to Black Dagger Brotherhood but for me, Pure Ones was better. I found that it just resonated more with me and elicited more of an emotional reaction than the three BDB books I’ve read, especially at one point towards the end when one of the characters tearfully begs another to stay. I won’t lie and say I wasn’t sobbing at that part.

There is action here, but there’s also foreshadowing and build-up to the next installment in the series, with a certain character giving me the heebie-jeebies so I just know something is going to happen there unless my instincts are way off. Must. Keep. Reading!

If you are looking for a superficial, quick urban fantasy read with a cross-species instalove storyline (so, like, any other vampire story), this is probably not the book for you. If you want a carefully thought out, layered fantasy novel with seamless prose, I would recommend Pure Ones.

Audio Add-ons

If I haven't already mentioned it, I love audiobooks.

They're all I listen to on my commute to and from work. It's a whole new way to enjoy books, and if you haven't tried listening to audiobooks yet I highly suggest it.

Today I browsed the list of available narration add-ons for kindle books that I own and got all these audiobooks for $1.99. Maybe I should unlink my credit card with my Amazon account, because it’s so easy to hit that 1-Click button!

The Blue Blazes by Chuck Wendig
Meet Mookie Pearl. Criminal underworld? He runs in it. Supernatural underworld? He hunts in it.

Nothing stops Mookie when he's on the job. But when his daughter takes up arms and opposes him, something's gotta give....
Justice Calling: The Twenty Sided Sorceress Book 1 by Annie Bellet
Gamer. Nerd. Sorceress.

Jade Crow lives a quiet life running her comic book and game store in Wylde, Idaho. After twenty-five years fleeing from a powerful sorcerer who wants to eat her heart and take her powers, quiet suits her just fine. Surrounded by friends who are even less human than she is, Jade figures she's finally safe.

As long as she doesn't use her magic.

When dark powers threaten her friends' lives, a sexy shape-shifter enforcer shows up. He's the shifter world's judge, jury, and executioner rolled into one, and he thinks Jade is to blame. To clear her name, save her friends, and stop the villain, she'll have to use her wits... and her sorceress powers.

Except Jade knows that as soon as she does, a far deadlier nemesis awaits.
Lost to the Night: The Brotherhood Series Book 1 by Adele Clee
An earl with a terrifying secret....

Alexander Cole was a man ruled by his voracious appetite for carnal pleasures until a golden-haired devil in the guise of a goddess lures him into an encounter that costs him his humanity. With nothing left but bitterness in his heart, he locks himself away in his dilapidated Elizabethan mansion and chains the gates to all intruders.

A lady hoping to prove love conquers all....

When her aunt suffers an injury in a carriage accident, Evelyn Bromwell rushes through the forest in search of help. Drawn to the mysterious old mansion, she is left aghast to find such a frosty reception. Yet despite the earl's rude and brusque manner, Evelyn is eager to discover the reason behind his austere façade.

Once desire begins to burn, Alexander and Evelyn are unable to deny the soul-deep connection that exists between them. But Evelyn must make a choice - marry the kind and affable Mr. Sutherby or risk everything in the hope of thawing an immortal's frozen heart.
Heiress Without a Cause by Sara Ramsey
One title to change his life...

A disgraced son with a dark reputation, William Ferguson Avenel is content to live in exile in Scotland - until his father dies in the scandal of the Season, making him the new Duke of Rothwell and leaving him in charge of his young sisters. With rumors of insanity swirling around their family, the girls desperately need a chaperone. And he thinks he's found the lady for the job...until Rothwell discovers her dangerous secret life.

One chance to break the rules....

Lady Madeleine Vaillant may be the perfect chaperone, but she can't face her blighted future without making one glorious memory for herself. In disguise on a London stage, she finds all the adoration she never felt from the ton. But when she's nearly recognized, she will do anything to hide her identity - even make a devil's bargain with Rothwell, who saves her from discovery by claiming her as his mistress. She'll take the pleasure he offers - but Madeleine won't lose her heart in the bargain.

One season to fall in love...

Every stolen kiss could lead to discovery, and Rothwell's old enemies are determined to ruin them both. But as their dangerous passion ignites their hearts and threatens their futures, how can an heiress who dreams of freedom deny the duke who demands her love?
You Loved Me At My Darkest by Evie Harper
lood is thicker than water...

Having endured more than their share of tragedy, sisters Lily and Sasha embark on a dream holiday - only to find themselves in hell. Kidnapped by a rich madman, Sasha is sold into slavery, while Lily is forced to join The Collection, a unique bevy of exotic beauties enduring frequent horrors at the hands of elite bidders. However, no amount of pain and suffering will break Lily, who will stop at nothing to save her younger sister. Possibly with help from an unlikely ally.

Love is stronger than loyalty...

Attempting to prove his allegiance to his employer, Jake is tasked with guarding the unruly and uncontrollable Lily. He can't afford to help her in her quest to free Sasha - not if he hopes to fulfill his own agenda. But in their dark, gritty, tension-filled world, solace is taken wherever it's found. Bonds are formed and hearts engage despite Jake's resistance and both their attempts at self-preservation.

When certain secrets come to light, the resulting explosion has breathtakingly bittersweet consequences that, by the end, may not leave everyone whole...or alive.
Withering Hope by Michael David Axtell
A crash landing leads to a crash course in survival...and passion.

En route to a tropical paradise, overworked and dedicated Aimee Myller is ready to begin her new life. But when the plane defects, the pilot, sexy Tristan Bress, needs to make an emergency landing in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Aimee Myller's dreams of a fairytale getaway in Brazil come crashing right down with the plane.

Forced to fend for themselves with no civilization in sight, together Tristan and Aimee begin to forage for food and shelter. As they fight for survival, one thing becomes clear: Passion and desire grow faster than vegetation in the rainforest. As they get closer and begin to rely on one another, secrets are revealed. Secrets that neither of them can ignore. Secrets that could destroy them both.
Insidious by Aleatha Romig
Dark desires... Deadly secrets... Devious deceptions... Nothing is exactly as it seems in Insidious, the new erotic thriller from New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Aleatha Romig!

When a powerful man is willing to risk everything for his own satisfaction, only one woman can beat him at his own game: his wife. Or so she thinks... "Let's start with you calling me Stewart. Formalities seem unnecessary." Stewart Harrington is rich, gorgeous, and one of the most powerful men in Miami. He always gets what he wants. Anything is available to him for the right price. Even me. Being the wife of a mogul comes with all the perks, but being Mrs. Stewart Harrington comes with a few special requirements. I've learned to keep a part of myself locked away as my husband watches me submit to his needs. But the more he demands of me, the more beguiled he becomes and that's to my advantage. So I keep fulfilling his fantasies and following his rules because he doesn't know that what he's playing is really my game. And winning is everything, right?

And that’s where I had to stop myself! So between these and the Kindle Unlimited audiobooks I was trying to decide between, I should be able to keep my ears occupied for a while.

The Pawn (Endgame #1): 4 Stars

Author: Skye Warren
Length: 314 pgs.
The Pawn is the first book in Skye Warren’s Endgame series, and it’s available for free on Amazon. I picked it up after seeing good reviews of other books in the series and later added the audible narration for $1.99. Most of the time I get to my audiobooks much quicker than my kindle books, so if I’ve had the book for a while and the narration is cheap I’ll add it on.

After mulling over a few options from my Kindle Unlimited library when trying to decide which audiobook to start two days ago, I scrolled through my cloud and saw this title in my library. It was pretty short at 5 hours and 49 minutes, so I started it on my drive home from work. I was immediately hooked!

We’re introduce to the book’s heroine, Avery James. Everything in her life seems perfect – her father is rich and important, her future is secure, she has a doting boyfriend, Justin. Time quickly shoots forward and we find Avery begging for financial assistance from a notorious “businessman”, Damon Scott. We learn that Avery’s father was found guilty of fraud and they lost everything except for their house. Additionally, her father was severely beaten by a group of men who we assume were striking back after finding out that he stole their money. So now Avery spends her days trying to keep the bill collectors at bay, make ends meet, and take care of her father, who’s bedridden and needs assistance with the normal activities of daily living. It’s quite the social fall from grace and Avery has no one to turn to, her mother having died when she was younger.

Damon Scott and and his cohort, Damien Miller, decide to “help” Avery by auctioning off her virginity. She’ll make enough-hopefully-to save her childhood home and of course, Scott and Miller take a percentage. She’ll live for one month with the man who purchases her, and be subject to their every whim. It’s not a question of if she’ll lose her virginity but when and to whom. Unfortunately this may not be the super solution Avery hopes it will be.

I won’t spoil the rest but I enjoyed going down this twisted rabbit hole with Avery. The only thing I’ll say is that the book leaves off on a MAJOR cliffhanger. The next book in the series is The Knight and I can see how smart it is to have the first book available for free download. I definitely got sucked in to this one. Won’t be jumping into #2 right away but will definitely keep my eyes peeled for other Skye Warren book deals and keep it on my TBR.

Her Highland Master (The Dungeon Fantasy Club #1): 3 Stars

Author: Anya Summers
Length: 202 pgs.
I picked this book up as an Amazon freebie (still is), apparently it’s the first of a series and I pick up pretty much anything that’s free with “Highlander” in the title. This isn’t historical romance though-which is obvious from the blurb, and I was reminded of that when I was going through the freebies I load onto my kindle at heart-stopping rates. It still sounded worth a read though (despite its apparent lack of blood-soaked kilt-wearing Highland warriors) and at the short length there wasn’t much to lose. One of my Goodreads group friends assigned it to me for a March Buddy Pick so I was happy to get to it.

The story begins with Zoey, an American on a solo vacation, crashing her rental car in a Scottish storm. She makes her way to a nearby mansion and is welcomed by the handsome butler, Jared. She soon meets Declan, who owns the mansion which is actually a BDSM retreat. Since it’s just over novella length, the story moves very quickly, with Zoey agreeing to act as the sub to Declan's dom for a week in exchange for somewhere to stay after she loses her hotel reservation (okayyyy, so he did tell her she could stay without being his sub, but what’s the fun in that).

Steaminess ensues once Zoey wanders into a forbidden dungeon floor, and there’s no lack of erotica here. I mean they only have a week to pack all this in so Declan takes advantage of the time constraints, and Zoey finds out she quite enjoys Declan’s lifestyle.

My favorite parts involved both Declan and Jared. If you know what I mean.



And we get treated to that situation more than once.



Ultimately, there is a misunderstanding which creates some conflict, but of course that’s all resolved because Zoey and Declan are in instalove. It’s not very believable but is that really the point here?

Her Highland Master is a fun little freebie involving hot Scottish dudes, and at 202 pages won’t take up too much of your time.

BRB, going to crash my rental car in the Highlands.

Up Next: Audiobook??

I’m having a hard time finding an audiobook via kindle unlimited! If I’m being honest I don’t really utilize my KU subscription like I should. I mostly use it for audiobooks so I have a wishlist on Goodreads specifically for KU books with audio companions. However none of the ones I’ve tried have grabbed me like I want them to. I tried listening to Sanctum (Guards of the Shadowlands #1) but barely made it 10 minutes in because the narrator, Amy McFadden, is one of my least favorite narrators of all time (let’s just say she completely ruined The Paper Magician for me) so I quickly gave up on it. I do love the premise of the book though! Here’s the blurb:

”A week ago, seventeen-year-old Lela Santos’s best friend, Nadia, killed herself. Today, thanks to a farewell ritual gone awry, Lela is standing in paradise, looking upon a vast gated city in the distance—hell. No one willingly walks through the Suicide Gates, into a place smothered in darkness and infested with depraved creatures. But Lela isn’t just anyone—she’s determined to save her best friend’s soul, even if it means sacrificing her eternal afterlife.

As Lela struggles to find Nadia, she’s captured by the Guards, enormous, not-quite-human creatures that patrol the dark city’s endless streets. Their all-too-human leader, Malachi, is unlike them in every way except one: his deadly efficiency. When he meets Lela, Malachi forms his own plan: get her out of the city, even if it means she must leave Nadia behind. Malachi knows something Lela doesn’t—the dark city isn’t the worst place Lela could end up, and he will stop at nothing to keep her from that fate.

I will have to move that book to the wishlist I have for Kindle Unlimited books that don’t have audio companions, because I can’t listen to a whole 12 something hours of Amy McFadden but I still want to read the book.

Then yesterday I started listening to Shadow’s Edge (Night Prowler #1) and I just couldn’t get into it. I made it about 100 pages in via the audiobook but it’s a lot of internal monologue with one of those instant attractions between her and the male MC whom she’s not supposed to like but can’t help it. So far nothing happened to really move the story forward except the main characters meeting. Other than that it’s been kind of banal. The scenes seem to be very drawn out or maybe it’s just that way to me since I’m not really interested. I zone out during the narration and when I come back down to earth the characters are still going on about the same damn thing. So I moved that to my DNF graveyard this morning because I’ve no interest in reading the kindle version.

So right now I have five other audiobooks from Kindle Unlimited on my phone and they are:

Never Kiss A Rake Historical Romance
Sold to the Sheikh BDSM/Erotica
Off the Record Contemporary Romance – not really my jam, but it sounded cute so I thought I’d give it a try.
Reliquary Paranormal/Fantasy
Highlander Betrayed (Guardians of the Targe #1) Historical/Fantasy

It will just depend on what kind of mood I’m in when I leave work today which book I start listening to because I’ll start listening on my commute home.

Fingers crossed the next one is a winner!!

My Fierce Highlander: 2.5 stars

Author: Vonda Sinclair
Length: 245 pgs.

I picked this book up as a freebie on Amazon and added the audiobook companion for $1.99.

This book was decently written, it was just…boring.

The story begins with the heroine, the English Lady Gwyneth, finding an unconscious man from a rival Highlander clan following a skirmish on her own clan’s land. The ruler of her clan, a distant relative named Donal MacIrwin, is cruel to his own people and she has no loyalty to him. She finds a peace treaty in the unconscious Scot’s pocket and decides to save his life so she hauls him back to her home where she and her friend Moira live along with Gwyneth’s young son Rory. Her own husband died in a previous battle, so she is a widow. However Gwyneth’s history is a little complicated – she apparently became pregnant by an English Lord out of wedlock, which was quite the scandal. When said Lord shuns her, she’s banished by her father to the Highlands where she’s married off and her new husband raises Rory as his own. Sounds sweet and all that, except the new husband is abusive and married her for his own conniving reasons. So it’s not that tragic that he’s dead by the time we start our story.

When the unconscious Highlander awakens we learn that he’s Laird Alistair MacGrath, head of the rival clan. He and his men were ambushed after attempting to broker a peace meeting with the MacIrvins– hence, the presence of a peace treaty in his pocket.

Anycrap, Alistair and Gwyneth have an immediate chemistry according to their internal dialogue, but he takes off in the middle of the night for his own clan’s land. The MacIrwins see him escaping and trace Alistair back to Gwyneth’s cottage where they burn it down and murder Moira. Gwyneth and Rory run for their lives and end up on Alistair’s land, where he takes them in. Many people in Alistair’s clan aren’t too happy about this.

The next 50% of the story is Alistair and Gwyneth internal monologuing about their feelings for each other, with a few skirmishes thrown in to cause more conflict between the clans, and a side plot in which Rory’s real father concocts a scheme to steal his son from Gwyneth as he’s no longer able to produce an heir for whatever reason. But mostly we get to listen to Gwyneth’s excuses why she can’t be with Alistair, despite having amazing sex with him on more than one occasion. There’s only so many times you can listen to her shame and anxiety about being socially shunned for hooking up with another dude out of wedlock. I understand this is historical romance, and a very different time for sexuality, but Gwyneth comes across like a total limp noodle who has to poop on everyone’s party. Even when Alistair asks her to marry him she whines and acts conflicted, saying she wants Rory to have a good life outside of the Highlands, and blah blah blah. Then she hooks up with Alistair yet again, and we get to hear about her post-coital guilt, again.

Gwyneth is a very tiresome character, and the slowly-built side plot combined with a hasty resolution that still somehow manages to seem drawn out made this feel like the book that would never end. At under 250 pages it should have been a quick read, but by the time I had less than 20 pages to go I was near ready to tear my hair out.

Maybe a feistier, more interesting main female character and better executed climax and resolution would have made this book a little more exciting. But as it was, 2.5 stars is all I can give.

Enthrall Her (Enthrall #2): 5 Stars

Author: Vanessa Fewings
Length: 364 pgs.

I received a free copy of this book for an Author of the Month Read & Review, I LOVED the first book and was eager to see what happened next.

Enthrall Her is like a delicious treat. It gives you everything you want, and things you didn’t know you wanted. Some things I didn’t even know existed until seeing them through the main character Mia’s eyes.

This book is even better than its predecessor in my opinion, not just because Mia has embraced her own power but because it gives us so much more Cameron. We met him in Enthrall and it’s obvious at that point that he and Mia have undeniable chemistry. However, it’s Richard who she falls in love with, and Enthrall tells the story of overcoming their own personal obstacles to build a relationship together. But nothing that Mia feels for Richard can erase the fact that she’s inexplicably drawn to Cameron. And who can blame her? He oozes sensuality, power, masculinity. He’s the ultimate alpha.

In this second installment in the series it’s decided between Richard and Cameron that Cameron will use his special set of skills to train Mia as a submissive. He also vows to unlock her suppressed childhood pain to help her overcome inner conflict. She’s to stay for two weeks at Chrysalis – where she was strictly forbidden from going in book one– and return to Richard when it’s all over. But a lot can happen in two weeks.

I absolutely love Vanessa Ewing’s writing style. It was so easy to read for ages without coming up for air. The dialogue flows seamlessly. She manages to write Mia as an inherently sweet person without making her seem naïve. In this book Mia has a stronger voice and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself more often (one scene involving her, Cameron, Shay, and a water hose had me laughing out loud).

Cameron is also a well thought out character with his own inner conflict going on. He can’t deny his feelings for Mia, but he tries to mask them with dominance and sternness because Richard is his best friend. Over their time together, however, it’s hard not to forget about Richard and root for Cameron and Mia, who at times seem much more suited. But maybe it’s just the fact that the spotlight is on these two this time around that has me saying that. The readers may find themselves just as confused as Mia in this aspect. In fact when her “training” is over, even Richard is confused. He realizes this agreement he made with Cameron may have backfired and his regret is palpable when we see him understand that Mia is slipping through his fingers.

The erotica here is mind-blowing and fun. I was just as curious as Mia to find out what actually goes on in Chrysalis. Enthrall Her does not disappoint in this aspect. It’s like unwrapping a decadent piece of chocolate…every little piece is a tiny explosion.

I admit, I fell hard for Cameron in this book and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t rooting for him. I’m excited to see where the third book will take everyone and can’t wait to read it!

Demon Lover (Fairytale Fantasies #2): 3 Stars

Author: Marie Treanor
Length: 232 pgs.
I borrowed this book via Kindle Unlimited.

This was a cute little read. I give it a solid three stars. It puts an interesting twist on the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale in which he turns straw into gold. However in this story his name isn’t actually Rumpelstiltskin but Ragnorak-if you know his true name, Svartan if you don’t.

Ragnorak comes to Gwyneth’s aid after her father’s boastful words put her in front of the king, who thinks she’s able to spin straw into gold. She’s locked up for 3 nights in order to do this, and as the story goes Ragnorak shows up after she pleads with God for assistance.

There’s instant chemistry but of course, on the third night Ragnorak asks for Gwyneth to promise him her firstborn in order to turn the straw into gold one last time. Desperate, she agrees – and months later Ragnorak returns to take her new daughter, Brea, back with him to his underground realm of Elohim. Only in this story, Gwyneth is given and accepts an offer of accompanying Brea.

Over the course of the story Ragnorak and Gwyneth of course fall in love and make an erotic deal which Gwyneth at first hopes will get her out of Elohim and back to the outside world. As days go by, however, she begins to fall for Ragnorak, and finds that he treats her and Brea much better than the King ever did.

I liked reading about Ragnorak’s underground world. I found Gwyneth to be likable and I enjoyed seeing them fall in love, albeit delayed for a bit due to the fact that both are playing their cards close to their chest. I did like that they threw in the storyline of Ragnorak’s secret ties to the King and his attempt to make a deal with King Midas. It was good to see some outside conflict after reading about Gwyneth and Ragnorak hanging out underground for a while. Unfortunately the downside was that there was nothing going on that really grabbed me, gave me that feeling of I NEED TO KEEP READING. But it wasn't unenjoyable, just a little middle of the line.

A short, fun 3 star read if you like fairytales and erotica.

When You Disappeared: 4 Stars

Author: John Marrs
Length: 350 pgs.
Wow, that was insane.

This book was a lot of fun to listen to -I downloaded the audio version from Kindle Unlimited – up until the last 2 hours or so. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t lose steam or go off track at the end. Rather, the story goes from mysterious to just plain depressing and torturous to hear. It was extremely hard to listen to the end of the story due to the events that are finally revealed at that point. I wish I could explain why but that would be spoiler-y and this book is best if you go into it blind.

Having just listened to another Marrs book, The One, I can say that When you Disappeared is not really a thriller per se, but more of a years-long mystery that is unraveled throughout the book. It’s still in the vein of psychological thriller as it does play with our heads but it’s not particularly fast-paced and doesn’t have that edge-of-your-seat vibe from Marrs’ other brilliant book Good Samaritan. However I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story centers around a woman, Catherine, who wakes up to find her husband Simon missing. Just gone. Was he killed in an accident? Did he run off? Did he leave her for another woman? Was he abducted? There’s a years-long search, but at its end Catherine accepts she’ll never know what happened to her husband.

25 years after he disappears, Simon shows up on Catherine’s door step. He needs to tell her the story of where he’s been, and in turn she tells him the story of how her life and the lives of their three kids fell apart after he left them.

Marrs has created a true monster in the character of Simon. Never have I had such a strong dislike for a character. His excuses as to why he left made me scoff. His proclivity for blaming Catherine for “making” him leave his whole family in the lurch is infuriating. And as the book goes on, he cements himself as a truly despicable person who has done despicable things.

On the other end of the spectrum is Catherine, whom I can’t help but feel for as we hear her struggle. And we soon learn that Simon disappearing may or may not actually be the worst thing that has ever happened to her.

Marrs has a definite way with both character- and mystery-building. He also has a talent for writing women: their inner voices, their unspoken anguish at experiencing loss or deceit, the day-to-day feelings of uncertainty, unworthiness and second-guessing. Catherine is as well-written a female character as I’ve ever read from a female author.

As I mentioned above, the last 1.5 – 2 hours of the book are incredibly hard to get through. I cried on my drive to work as I listened to the narrators reveal their biggest secret, the heartbreak from that day now coupled with regret as their truth is finally shared. It reminds us we shouldn’t jump to conclusions, and you can’t make life-changing decisions based on suspicion. It also makes me want to hug my kids tightly and never let them out of my sight.

If you’re like me you’ll find yourself struggling to come to terms with the story after it ends, in a state of shock and/or mental anguish. My recommendations are just to silently repeat the words these are not real people. These are not real people over and over.

The Broken Puppet (Elite Kings Club #2): 3.5 Stars

Author: Amo Jones
Length: 274 pgs.

3.5 stars

This book picks up immediately where Silver Swan left off, and I enjoyed that aspect of it as most sequels automatically jump forward months at a time and simply give us a quick wrap up of what’s been going on (although to be fair it does jump forward a bit, AFTER it picks up from where #1 left off).

Madison and her friend Tara use their power as rich kids to generate fake IDS/passports to leave the country and flee to New Zealand. They only last a few months before being tracked down by the Elite Kings, and they’re dragged back home. Bishop is still his mean old self that he was in the first book, and although Jones writes him as being more affectionate towards Madison as the book goes on, there’s still a lot of scenes where he chokes Madison, or physically forces her to do something or accompany him somewhere.

As for the mystery surrounding the Kings, we do get some answers to questions that were asked in Silver Swan. Some new mysteries are introduced however, and it’s hard to mention them in a review without giving too much away. Madison discovers she has more than one family member that she never new existed. She learns more about her heritage. She also starts having flashbacks of childhood torment at the hands of a man only known as Lucan who called her “Silver”. It’s all very creepy as memories that Madison’s subconsciously been suppressing for years slowly come to the surface.

There’s a lot of action in this book – someone is shot, someone who’s dead apparently really isn’t, more than one character goes missing, etc. We find out why a certain King has been treating Madison as if he hates her. It definitely gets crazy but these kids still take the time to party and hook up while it’s happening. The book’s storyline pushes the boundaries of reality-which I think I said in my review of Silver Swan- but there truly is never a dull moment or one in which you don’t feel like Madison is in imminent danger. Who can she really trust? What do the Kings plan to do with her? Why is her dad such a selfish asshole (seriously, he spends about 5 minutes checking on Madison after she’s injured at one point in the book, before saying “we better go” and leaving with her stepmother)?

Unfortunately these questions are never answered due to the giant CLIFFHANGER this book ends on. Imagine my mental pain and anguish when I learned that the third book won’t be released until May 2018!! (I have already pre-ordered it lol). I’d be lying if I said that Amo Jones hasn’t completely piqued my curiosity and left me dying to find out the rest of the story.

Enthrall: 4 Stars

Author: Vanessa Fewings
Length: 277 pgs.
This book is FREE on Amazon.

I loved this story! I devoured it in about 48 hours.

It opens with our heroine, Mia, at a job interview for a secretarial position at a BDSM club called Enthrall. She bombs the interview but soon learns she actually go the job and her adventure begins. Mia’s 21 years old and a virgin, completely naïve to anything BDSM (she wanted the job for its awesome salary, to help pay off her stepmother’s medical bills). This can be annoying if you have read a lot of books in this genre and don’t feel like watching another naïve doe witness kinky sexual activity with bug-eyed shock but fortunately, Mia’s not like that. In fact when she’s fired from her job within the first few days she does something extreme to try to get it back. She learns quickly that she enjoys having her boundaries pushed and is up for many things she’s never experienced or even heard of. She may start off her journey as a virgin but her naivety is quickly replaced with a growing sense of sexual adventure.

The biggest reason I liked this book so much were the male leads- we have not one, but two captivating, interesting men who enhance the story tremendously. Readers of this genre know that the male characters are usually only there to say something cheeky or smartass to try to get the female character to jump into bed with them. In Enthrall, both men Richard and Cameron are fully developed with backstories and with dialogue to back it up. Additionally, Cameron is a psychiatrist and one of my favorite parts of the books is where he psychoanalyzes Mia to the point where he unlocks her secret childhood pain and helps her see herself in a new light. This was written so believably that I wonder what research Ms. Fewings did in the psychiatry field to make this scene so authentic. You won’t find any two-dimensional men as the main characters here and that is what made me love this book so much and be able to immerse myself in it.

I also loved the author’s writing style as everything seemed to flow seamlessly and it was effortless for me to get through page after page. It was the perfect combination of BDSM/erotica, drama, romance, coming of age (in a sense) and mystery (as we don’t know everyone’s secrets at first). It had much more depth than I anticipated.

Richard and Mia are quickly set up as the soon-to-be-couple which is a good match, but I also enjoyed the way that chemistry developed between Cameron and Mia even as Cameron encouraged her relationship with his best friend Richard. I have a sense that there is much more there to be explored and based on the summary of the second book, Enthrall Her, (which I cannot WAIT to read!!) this will soon be addressed.

Can’t wait to continue the series.

The One: 4 Stars

Author: John Marrs
Length: 416 pgs

I’m officially a John Marrs fan and will be adding him to my list of authors whose new releases go straight to my wishlist and/or kindle collection depending on how much money is in my bank account.

My book relationship with John Marrs began with his book The Good Samaritan late last year and reignited my love for psychological thrillers. There’s nothing quite like a GOOD thriller that messes with your head and throws you for a loop a handful of times. The Good Samaritan was thoroughly enjoyable for that reason, so I jumped at the change to listen to The One thanks to a Goodreads friend (hi Pam!) letting me hijack her library subscription.

The story here revolves around several people who have been “matched”. In the world Marrs has created, there exists a technology that uses DNA to match people to their soul mate. Of course everyone jumps at this chance to find their true love without thinking twice. The whole idea has its pros and cons that are explored throughout the book. But in true Marrs fashion he does so via some characters that may seem innocent or naïve at first glance but turn out to have many layers to them.

The book alternates POVs in each chapter and at first you wonder how you’re going to keep track of everyone but I adapted quickly to the revolving viewpoints. We have Ellie, who is a rich and powerful CEO – but of what, exactly? Mandy, whose husband left her for his DNA match and who wants to find her true own love and settle down to have a family. Nick, who’s perfectly happy with his fiancé Sally until she insists they test to see if they’re a match. Jade, whose match is halfway around the world in Australia and who will text her but won’t Skype or Facetime- what is he hiding? Christopher, a serial killer who’s just found his match – but will he fall for her or add her to his list of victims?

I thought I had certain storylines nailed down at some points in the book, but in typical Marrs fashion he caught me completely off-guard more than once (and of course the way the stories actually went was so much better than what I’d imagined). When I was finishing up the audiobook on my commute home yesterday I had a visceral reaction to some bombs that were dropped at the end. I was angry. I was upset at and with some of the characters. And others completely shocked and impressed me with the way they had handled some insane situations.

There were times when a characters’ narrative would start heading towards happily-ever-afterville and I’d wonder how Marrs would give it his “touch”, and again he’d add the perfect little twist or wrap it up in a way that didn’t feel forced or cheesy.

I have listened to the audio version for both of the Marrs books I’ve finished and they are as enjoyable as the actual story. The narrators each speak in a clear, soft British accent and intuit their character’s emotions perfectly.

I now have to add every book Marrs has ever written to my TBR. Up next is the audiobook for When You Disappeared which I downloaded via Kindle Unlimited and started almost immediately after finishing The One. If I love this book as much as the other two I really don’t know how I’m going to keep my own head from exploding at excitement from finding a new favorite suspense/thriller author. Why his name isn’t yet up there with Paula Hawkins and Ruth Ware I have no idea. Please, someone make this a movie.