The Unseelie King by Heather Killough-Walden

The Unseelie King by Heather Killough-Walden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I have to say that I feel sorry for all of Killough-Walden’s fans who read The Seelie King and then had to wait eight months for the release of The Unseelie King because I could barely wait the five minutes it took my Kindle to download and open the book. Okay that’s an exaggeration … it probably took a minute and that was too long of a wait. While it’s true that I have wanted the next book in the series each time I finished reading an installment, the fact that books five and six are so closely entwined made the need to go from one book to the next even stronger. And in true storyteller fashion, the author kept me on edge and at rapt attention the first page to the last.

The Unseelie King picks up where The Seelie King left off, with the discovery of the death of Selene and Minerva’s parents, but this time we’re seeing firsthand Minerva’s reaction and when her grief turns to rage, you come to understand why the old fae kings feared the power of the wishers so much. Unlike her sister, Minerva taps in to her innate fae knowledge almost immediately upon her transformation and sets out to make the world pay for its injustices. Fortunately Caliban understands his queen’s darkness better than his brother understood his bride’s and he’s ready to do what it takes to keep her from regretting her actions, even if it means he’ll never be able to claim his queen. And I must admit, even knowing that the queens are fated for their kings, I was right there with Caliban in doubting that their pairing would come to pass. Surprisingly, it was something as simple as food that breaks Minerva’s resolve and I for one want to know what the heck rainbow crepe cake is and where I can get some. But it is witnessing the potential of her power that shatters Minerva’s final wall and Caliban begins to make inroads in the claiming of his queen. And oh what a claiming it was!

I appreciated the author’s symmetry between The Seelie King and The Unseelie King. While all of the queens have been targeted once their identities were discovered, in both Selene and Minerva’s cases the threat against them came from within the fae realm and we finally learned who it was and why. And I just have to say … creepy! I really liked the author’s take on the myth of the unicorns. It’s not the first time that I’ve seen unicorns presented as the less than idyllic magical and gentle creatures we like to see them as, but it is a rarity and I found the reason behind it to be quite fascinating as was Minerva’s wish. Lalura’s discovery that there is another traitor among the kings’ ranks was disheartening to say the least, especially if it is as they suspect, motivated by jealousy. But it does keep the suspense level high in the series, especially in light of Imani’s divination. We also learned a bit more about the realms of the various kings and that the ever elusive Shadow King will soon be revealed as his bride is the next to be found. But the best part – aside from Caliban and Minerva – was learning Lalura’s secret and I was both surprised by it, yet not. As always, I’m ready for the next installment now!

I reviewed my personal copy of this book.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out The Unseelie King (The Kings #6) by Heather Killough-Walden blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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Discovery by Thianna Durston

Discovery by Thianna Durston

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


As a fan of Durston’s writing, I was excited to get the opportunity to review Discovery. While I love paranormal romances, most of my reads have been of the MF variety. After finishing Discovery I now have another MM vampire book to add to my reread list. While human-vampire hybrids are not new to the genre, I liked the way in which the author added her own personal twist to make the creatures her own (or at least it’s nothing I’ve encountered before). Actually I enjoyed it so much that I was again up until 2am reading and was nearly late to work because I got caught up in the story while I was reading it over breakfast.

Discovery is an odd combination of intense actions scenes balanced with really calm day-to-day life scenes as the author introduces us to Jaret and Aaron. Jaret is a centuries old drakyl who really doesn’t remember how old he is but knows it’s been at least five centuries since his change. Aaron is a 32 year old Montana man who suffers from a sun allergy and feels as though he may very well beat his 86 year-old uncle to the grave. Or at least he thought he was human until Jaret stumbles upon the Drakyl Ranch and finds out that the man who so entranced him a few nights earlier has no idea of what he is. Once Jaret learns why Aaron’s uncle kept his true nature from him, Jaret stays on to help out at the ranch and to be closer to Aaron because while he understands why Davis didn’t tell Aaron that Drakyl is more than his last name, he will no longer allow the man to suffer as he has been for over a decade. And while Jaret’s clock is ticking for Davis to ‘fess up, there’s an even deadlier countdown taking place that may put everything that Jaret’s found at risk.

That the author chose to open the book with a fast-paced action scene as Jaret is attempting to evade capture by vampyrs sucked me right into the book and my attention never wavered, not even when the book was forced to slow down. Because this is the first book in the Drakyl Ranch series, there is a bit of world building which provides for a slow build to the book (after its initial scene). The author takes the time to introduce us to the main players amidst the action and the day-to-day workings of the ranch. I liked the chemistry between Jaret and Aaron and obviously enjoyed their sexy fun times. I also liked how well Aaron handled his transition and was willing to reassess his stance on human blood when Jaret’s continued survival was at risk. The lengths to which a man in love will go is almost always entertaining. I LOVED that the author chose to include the attack on Jaret and Aaron at the end of the book rather than making readers wait for book two and the scene itself was intense (and highly satisfying for my blood lust). Discovery was an excellent read for me and I need book two NOW!!!

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 Discovery (Drakyl Ranch, #1) by Thianna Durston blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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Master of Freedom by Cherise Sinclair

Master of Freedom by Cherise Sinclair

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Can I just say that I love it when Sinclair writes a “novella” for the 1001 Dark Nights series? Why? Because fans are treated to a full-length novel (over 200 pages here) for the price of a novella and the author does not skimp on the action, the domination and submission, the erotica, or the romance just because it’s called a novella. And Master of Freedom was an excellent addition to the Mountain Masters & Dark Haven series and the 1001 Dark Nights series.

Because Master of Freedom was written for inclusion in the 1001 Dark Nights series, it can be read as a standalone (like most of Sinclair’s novels). That said, fans of the Mountain Masters & Dark Haven series will enjoy it even more because we get to find out more about Atticus, whom we met in Edge of the Enforcer when he assisted in finding Lindsey after she was abducted. A bonus being that we get to catch up with many of the doms and subs from the earlier books in the series. I will readily admit that while I understood the mental components of sadism and masochism due to my degree in psychology, when I first began reading BDSM romances years ago I had a similar mind-set to Gin’s – this can’t be real. Of course I was quite jealous of Gin in the way she found out just how real BDSM was. Holy heck! Between Atticus’s dominant nature, military background, and assuming the mantle of adulthood at too young of an age, the natural submissive in Gin did not stand a chance when he began issuing commands. Boy howdy was she a lucky girl. But Gin’s daddy issues and Atticus’s well, daddy issues, made for several misunderstandings and miscommunications that nearly derailed their fledgling relationship more than once. Thank goodness doms are all about the communication [insert sarcastic eye roll there because Atticus needed a swift kick in the rear at times] and they power through the incidents to come out the better for it. Yet the greatest threat to their relationship comes from outside forces and Sinclair kept me hanging for far too many pages before I found out what kind of happy ending she had in store for the couple. I’m glad I can always count on this author for a happy, if somewhat unconventional, ending

I loved the chemistry between Atticus and Gin. Despite their mutual hang-ups, when they let go and relaxed they were such a comfortable couple to read about. Their banter had me cracking up regularly throughout the book. This is what made their misunderstandings so intense – it was as though I could feel the anxiety, hurt, and distress rolling off my Kindle. Of course this made for a couple of really hot bouts of make-up sex on top of the already steamy BDSM scenes. As for the events that made up the action and suspense part of the storyline, I saw part of it coming but I didn’t expect Sinclair to take it quite as far as she did, which kept that part of the storyline from being predictable. Needless to say the author crafted the perfect ending for Gin and Atticus – one that had me laughing out loud, jealous of Gin, ready for the next installment in the Mountain Masters & Dark Haven series, and praying that it’s already in the works. Another enjoyable read.

I reviewed my personal copy of this book.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the #WhipIt: Master of Freedom blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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Groomzilla by Sam Kritzer

Groomzilla by Sam Kritzer

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I feel the need to explain that a 2-star rating does not mean that this is a bad book. For me, 2 stars is indicative of a book that is just okay and that’s how I felt after finishing Groomzilla – it was just okay. There were several things about the book that kept me from enjoying it more, the biggest being Aaron. I had a really hard time reconciling the hard-nosed ADA Aaron was supposed to be with the child-like brat that often appeared when things didn’t go his way. At one point in the story, Aaron pouts because Peter gets called in to work a homicide – this was too childish, especially for an ADA who prosecutes homicide cases. This is not a matter of Aaron being submissive to Peter, but more that Aaron’s work personality and brat personality are so contradictory that it didn’t ring true for me. There’s a difference between submissive behavior and childish behavior and Aaron’s behavior was often too juvenile for the adult he was purported to be. Now had Groomzilla been marketed as age-play rather than (or in addition to) spanking, it would have perhaps been more believable. I wouldn’t have read it because I don’t enjoy age-play books and while I won’t say that it’s full-on age-play, it is close enough for me to keep me from enjoying it. Those who do enjoy age-play books may find this to be a very enjoyable read.

My other big issue was the memory of the first time Peter spanked Aaron. Except for Aaron yelling at the rookie cop – the offense which triggered the spanking – there was absolutely nothing about that scene that was believable to me. Even though they had been dating for a while and the reader is told that there is an understanding between the two men regarding the power dynamic in their relationship, there was nothing to indicate that spanking had been discussed, much less agreed upon. Furthermore, the spanking occurred in Aaron’s office – which is a public office where his subordinates could hear it. The whole scene violated professional workplace standards as well as consent between the parties and it really bothered me.

Other than that one scene, Peter was actually what I enjoyed most about the book. He was attentive to Aaron’s moods and followed through on punishment when earned, even when he didn’t want to. That said, I felt there was too much of an emphasis on punishment in the book. Yes, I get that this is a spanking book so spanking will be a large part of it. But for me there was not enough emphasis placed on the actual relationship between Peter and Aaron. It seemed that most of the scenes between the two revolved around Peter punishing Aaron for yet another infraction. I just didn’t feel the connection between Peter and Aaron that I should have from a long-term couple about to get married. I feel like Groomzilla has been marketed wrong, with too much emphasis being placed on the spanking and not enough on the brat/age-play aspect. Groomzilla is not a bad book, it’s just not a book for me.

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 Groomzilla by Sam Kritzer blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers!


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Nuts by Alice Clayton

Nuts by Alice Clayton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Clayton has done it again! Granted I have only read her Cocktail series, but that will soon be remedied as the brief meeting of Grace and Jack in Nuts has guaranteed that the Redhead series (which I apparently snagged on sale) will be gracing my vacation reading list this holiday season. But I am happy to report that the same level of humor that Clayton brought to the Cocktail series is as present as ever in Nuts and I for one am already salivating over the plethora of plots that Hudson Valley has to offer. Before I get to the actual story, I STRONGLY recommend you read the Acknowledgements. I rarely do, yet for some reason I found myself reading (and snorting) my way through it and it gave me a frame of reference that I think increased my enjoyment of the book.

Roxie is a blast. She’s a hoot. A one-woman comedy act, whether she means to be or not. She’s the kind of woman you want to count as one of your closest friends because you know your life will never be dull as long as she’s in it. Yes, I may very well have a girl-crush on Roxie. But it’s only fair as I was seriously crushing on Leo too … that man could farm my dell any day. What starts out as an extremely reluctant (and that’s putting it mildly folks) Roxie returning home to Hudson Valley for the summer to run the family diner while her mother runs The Amazing Race (I know!!!) quickly shapes up to be one of the best summers of Roxie’s life, all thanks to a man who really knows his nuts … and fruits and vegetables and come on, you might as well get used to it because Clayton’s writing insures that there are more opportunities for double entendres than I can possibly resist. But seriously, Leo’s passion for organic and sustainable farming was well-matched by Roxie’s passion for cooking, so their relationship made sense. Despite the built-in expiration date on their relationship – because Roxie was going back to California as soon as the summer was over – Roxie found herself falling for Leo and beginning to wonder if maybe, just maybe, the small-town feel of Hudson Valley was less suffocating and more comforting than it was in her youth. Yet when Roxie learns Leo’s secret, she feels as though her world is imploding once again and she’s left feeling confused, betrayed, and stung.

While there are tons of laughs throughout, it’s Roxie’s reaction to bees that had me chuckling fondly as they reminded me of a childhood friend. The chemistry between Leo and Roxie is perfect both in the bedroom and outside of it. Their first and second meetings were priceless and had me in stitches. Roxie’s reaction to Leo’s secret felt realistic and we learned far more about her in that moment than I think she was even aware of herself. Even when she decides to give Leo a chance to explain, the resolution isn’t instant as they are both hesitant as to how to move forward. Although the book is told from Roxie’s point of view, I love that Clayton tends to reserve the Epilogue for a different character’s point of view and in the case of Nuts we are treated to Leo’s. And it was perfect as was this book. I cannot wait for the next book in the Hudson Valley series. Until then, I leave you with this: ZOMBIE PICKLES!!!

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 Nuts (Hudson Valley #1) by Alice Clayton blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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