Barely Restrained by Brenda Cothern

Barely Restrained by Brenda Cothern

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Yet another awesome installment in the Shadows series. In Barely Restrained we are treated to Roni’s story. Because this is the third book and Roni is a bartender at Shadows and has been in the previous books, I knew what she was and what it meant for her to be a changer as we have met her preferred male and female forms before. But knowing that Roni is a changer doesn’t mean that Roni wasn’t a mystery because she has been a woman of few words despite her constant presence and we find out rather quickly, that there’s a lot about her that she hasn’t told her Shadows family about.

Despite the happiness of the couplings of her friends and co-workers, Roni only dates norms and by all indications, date is a rather generous term for those relationships. So when Zac happens to take notice of her and catch her eye while she’s bartending the Swingers’ Night event at Shadows, she’s relieved that he’s human. However, upon learning that he’s not unattached, she’s not sure that she wants to see where the mutual interest leads. When Zac returns not once, but twice and refuses to be dissuaded by the way she treats him in two of her alternate forms, she gives in to her curiosity and goes home with him. Because she recently accompanied Nick on an undercover venture – in yet another form – she was aware that Zac was in the kink lifestyle, even if she didn’t actually know what that meant. I appreciated that not only did Roni ask questions about Zac and Hunter’s lifestyle throughout the entire book, but also that they encouraged her questions, answered them, and made sure that she understood the information they gave her. This helped to forge a bond of trust between the three that was apparent during their play scenes – scenes that I must say were freaking hot.

There was more of a suspense element in Barely Restrained than in the previous books because Roni’s past was literally stalking her – and while she knew who it was, her refusal to think about it in order to preserve her sanity meant the reader was kept in the dark for quite a while. But when her stalker puts Zac’s life in danger, he learns that Roni is not the same scared pet he controlled years ago and I will only say that Roni proved just how big and bad she could be. As much as I hated the punishment that she was dealt because she thwarted her attacker permanently, it did set the occasion for Zac and Hunter to take care of her and prove to her just how important she was to them – especially when they saw her true form (which sounded pretty creepy when she described it) and did not reject her as she feared they would. Their acceptance of her made it easier for Roni to accept their offer to start a life together – one I expect to hear more about in the next book in the series, Embracing Sin.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Barely Restrained (Shadows, #3) by Brenda Cothern blog post at Crystal's Many Reviewers!


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When Beasts Bite by Brenda Cothern

When Beasts Bite by Brenda Cothern

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Another enjoyable installment in the Shadows series. In When Beasts Bite, we learn more about the mysterious garouls, Nick and Jordy, and what was behind the anger we saw from Jordy in Soul Stealer. In Ms. Cothern’s supernatural world, garouls are what most of us refer to as shifters – which I figured out once Jordy shifted into his panther form and Nick became a wolf. Where Ms. Cothern’s garouls differ from most shifter books I’ve read is that they can become stuck in their animal form if they spend more than 24 hours in that state; while it’s not unheard of for shifters to go “feral,” embrace their inner animal, or whatever particular term is used to indicate that the individual is no longer able to return to their human form, 24 hours is the shortest period of time for permanency to set in that I’ve ever encountered, but it certainly ratcheted up the suspense factor of the book. But I’m getting ahead of myself here.

Nick and Jordy are best friends and have been pretty much since the moment they met five years earlier. I found Nick’s telling of their meeting rather interesting and would have loved to have heard the entire story of the events of that night. Because of their bond, we learn that they engage in ménages on a regular basis (2 or 3 times a week), but that there was never any sexual contact between them … until their last encounter three months ago. While we don’t get to sit in for that particular encounter (or any of their ménages = sad, sad me), the guys discuss it a couple of times once Nick realizes that it is at the heart of why Jordy began distancing himself from Nick. As the book is told from both characters’ points of view, it was easy to feel Jordy’s frustration as he struggled to come to terms with what it was about that encounter that was bothering him and Nick’s feeling of loss as his friend asked for space while he tried to figure it out.

The book really got interesting when Jordy took his need for space literally and headed out to his cabin in the middle of nowhere (i.e., a national park in Florida). Apparently it’s true even for garouls that distance makes the heart grow fonder and Jordy invites Nick out to the cabin so they can hash things out once and for all. When the men realize that they are not gay in the traditional sense but they are certainly gay for each other, the situation come to a head (pun intended) and things get hot and steamy real quick. Ultimately it is the bond of intimacy they forge that becomes Jordy’s only chance for survival when the outside suspense element is introduced. Ms. Cothern has crafted a novella that strikes the right balance of paranormal, suspense, and romance elements with hot M/M action in When Beasts Bite. Yet again, she has left me anticipating the next novel in the Shadow series, Barely Restrained, where the even more elusive Roni’s secrets will be revealed.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Shadows Series Books 1 & 2 by Brenda Cothern blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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Soul Stealer by Brenda Cothern

Soul Stealer by Brenda Cothern

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Having read book five in the Shadows series first, I was excited to get the opportunity to go back and read the rest of the series. As the first book in the series, Soul Stealer sets the stage for the series as it introduces us to Alec and his night club, Shadows. Enough time has passed since I read Shattered Illusions that I didn’t remember right off who Alec and Kira were, which made reading Soul Stealer feel exactly like I was delving into a brand new series for the first time. As Ms. Cothern has written the books as standalones, this feeling of newness remained with me the entire time and I must say that, as usual, it was an extremely enjoyable book for me.

I found Kira’s character absolutely fascinating. I wasn’t quite sure what she was in the beginning of the book and was rather stunned when Alec had the same lack of recognition as I did. Whereas my confusion was cleared up after her first feeding, Alec remained in the dark far longer. What surprised me was that even after he witnessed Kira feeding, he still didn’t know what she was. While Kira calls herself a Soul Stealer, the description of her feeding coincides with what I typically consider a succubus. However, her ability to detect auras and use them to choose her next “meal” and her behavior immediately after her feeding differ greatly from the succubus legends I am familiar with and made her designation as a soul stealer feel like a more apt name. But what really surprised me was the connection between Kira – one who feeds off souls – and Alec – one who has no soul and who feeds off human blood. It would seem that the two would not be a good match as neither could feed the other, and yet the chemistry and physical connection between the two was IN. TENSE! Vampire sex is hot for the same reason M/M sex is – the participants tend to be equally matched in strength, which tends to lead to really aggressive sex. Yep, you guessed it. The sex between Alec and Kira is HOT! HARD! and deadly.

I must give Ms. Cothern serious kudos for writing in scenes from Kira’s past that added to the story rather than detracting from it. I tend to find such flashbacks disruptive to my reading flow and the storyline, yet in Soul Stealer this was not the case and I actually relished reliving parts of Kira’s life. Equally impressive was the extremely human nature of the conflict of the story that enabled Alec to work his way into Kira’s life, especially considering their non-human natures. As I expected, I was sucked right into the story and was glued to my Kindle until I reached the final page. Well done Ms. Cothern. I cannot wait to read When Beasts Bite next.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Shadows Series Books 1 & 2 by Brenda Cothern blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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Shattered Illusions by Brenda Cothern

Shattered Illusions by Brenda Cothern

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Having read a couple of Ms. Cothern’s contemporary m/m romances, the most recent being Guns & Hoses in which I first “met” John, I jumped at the chance to read Shattered Illusions. As it has been a couple of months since I read the book’s blurb, I forgot that it was a paranormal m/m romance, but within a few pages the paranormal aspect was front and center so I hunkered down to find out whether or not Ms. Cothern would be a successful cross-genre writer. I am pleased to report that she absolutely is.

After Simon interrupts an assault, saving John from even more pain and possibly death, he helps him get home and calls in John’s estranged friend, Flame, to take over. While Simon finds John attractive, he refuses to ask for his number because he is disturbed that his libido is targeting a badly beaten man. Through a series of events, John and Simon begin communicating via text and spending time together … in their dreams. Oh yes, in their dreams. Simon is a dream walker (among other things) and is able to enter John’s dreams. As John engages in lucid dreaming, he and Simon have a couple of “dream dates” that don’t stop at the front door. Good grief! Who knew astral sex could be so freaking hot? Unfortunately when Simon informs John of their shared dreams and his ability to dream walk, John assumes that Simon is crazy and breaks off their budding relationship. When presented with proof that Simon is not nuts, John must figure out what to do, how to proceed, and whether or not he can open his mind to the possibility of Simon and his abilities.

I absolutely loved this book. The interactions between Simon and his supernatural co-workers were great. The camaraderie and protectiveness revealed how tight-knit of a group they are – they are one another’s chosen family. This is very apparent when they begin to meddle in his personal life – especially when it comes to John. As the cherry on top, Flame and Tig (from Guns & Hoses) make several appearances in Shattered Illusions, giving its readers a chance to catch up with the guys. While this is the fifth book in the Shadows series, it can be read as a stand-alone book without issue. However, I enjoyed this book so much and the other employees of Shadows that I have to go back and read the previous books in the series so that I can find out their stories. Once again Ms. Cothern you have delivered a wonderfully written novel that has been added to my re-read list.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Shattered Illusions by Brenda Cothern blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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