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Book Review: Sins That Define Us (Madly Ever After #3) by E.M. Lindsey
Read my reviews of the previous books in the Madly Ever After series: Sins That Find Us (#1) | Sins That Bind Us (#2) In another world, more of this trilogy delved deeper into the history of and relationships between the complicated dynamics between Kane, Phoenix, James, and Ari. I will never penalize an author in a…
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Book Review: Sins That Bind Us (Madly Ever After #2) by E.M. Lindsey
Read my review of the first book in the Madly Ever After series, Sins That Find Us. Lindsey doesn’t leave us hanging off the cliff they left us in the previous book for long. However, while Kane’s kidnapping is established, his rescue isn’t quite so straightforward. The guys go through a lot to find him,…
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Book Review: Sins That Find Us (Madly Ever After #1) by E.M. Lindsey
The first installment of this nontraditional fairy tale retelling has a lot of work to do. Multiple characters to introduce, both individually and their previously established dynamics, along with the politics of an underworld to set up. Lindsey pulls no punches by immediately showing how dark and kinky these guys are, already with each other…
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Review: Four Mercenaries Series by K.A. Merikan
Their Bounty (Book 1) I’m a sucker for found family stories, and even though this book is only partially that, it ensured my interest beyond the main plot. Clover is kind of a disaster, but he quickly becomes THEIR disaster despite lots of kicking and screaming on some sides (looking at you, Drake). Despite their…
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Review: Blood Series by Brea Alepoú
More Than Blood (Book 1) This paranormal romance story includes a cast of intriguing characters and plenty of sexy bits. However, is it wrong to wish that the book had included more of the worldbuilding and plot than romance-related drama? As much as I enjoyed meeting Karter and the vampire den to whom he finds…
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Review: Rise of the Iliri Series by Auryn Hadley
BloodLust (Book 1) This story that blends science-fiction and fantasy elements to create a world with unique characteristics immediately sucked me in. Though it’s advertised as a fantasy epic, all the “fantastical” tropes can be traced back to a very science-fiction origin, in which humans do what they do best: Sweep in and take over…
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Review: Clockwork Dragon by Kaye Draper
Having previously only read serial novellas by this author, I was delighted when she announced a stand-alone novel-length project. This book contains all of the elements that I have come to love this author for, such as satisfying paranormal romance arcs featuring unique and fantastical characters. Draper is still one of the few “reverse harem”…
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Review: Horns, Hugs, and Hunger (Gods & Demons #3) by Kaye Draper
Read my review of Gods & Demons book 1, Fates, Fins, and Fangs. Read my review of Gods & Demons book 2, Wishes, Wings, and Woes. Events pick up steam in the latest installment to this serial epic, which I appreciated. Action, adventure, and sexiness galore, which is what we’ve come to love and expect…
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Review: Dark Orchid Trilogy by Auryn Hadley
Power of Lies (Book 1) The easiest way to include a lot of erotica in a fantasy novel is to toss in some lust magic. But Hadley doesn’t keep things quite so simple, by layering in other elements of magic to her excellent world-building. The erotica always makes sense, based on the rules of the…
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Review: Demons’ Muse Series by Auryn Hadley
The Kiss of Death (Book 1) The “angels are bad, demons are good” trope is not unfamiliar in paranormal romance, but this series puts a different spin on things by including a unique magic system, multiple dimensions, and a new way to look at how angels and demons affected religion on Earth. The heroine’s power…
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Review: Not Quite Hunter (Not Quite #3) by Kaye Draper
Plenty of things happened in this installment to the Not Quite series, but in the end, nothing changed. I didn’t see much character development, and though Sam had a sexy interlude with a new character, nothing about the conclusion hinted that there might be more to the relationship. I got the feeling that Draper doesn’t…
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Review: Wishes, Wings, and Woes (Gods and Demons #2) by Kaye Draper
As usual, I devoured the latest installment of this series as soon as possible and enjoyed every moment of it. Troya continues to grow as a character as she regains more memories of her previous lives and Derek White’s connection to it. Her relationships with her boyfriends grow deeper and more solid. And Draper’s world-building…
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Review: Not Quite Beast (Not Quite #2) by Kaye Draper
This is a solid continuation to Sam’s story, action-packed and filled with answers to some questions while teasing even more questions that need answers. Draper also expands upon her world-building and introduces an intriguing political element to the plot line. I look forward to seeing how Sam and their “guild” play a role in Theo’s…
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Review: Not Quite Human (Not Quite #1) by Kaye Draper
Kaye Draper’s latest urban fantasy/romance series is going to be another hit for me, I think. This author includes a note in her book blurbs about being tired of tropes, and she puts her money where her mouth is — once again, the characters in this story were unique, fascinating, and flawed. As an added…
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Review: Fates, Fins, and Fangs (Gods & Demons #1) by Kaye Draper
I tore through the Gesa’s Menagerie series while home sick a few months ago, so it seems appropriate that I would start this next series while working full-time from home during a pandemic. This novella was a wonderful afternoon of escape, full of intriguing characters and excitement. The author states that this can be read…
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Review: The Dragon Mistress: Book 4 (Eburosi Chronicles #11) by R.A. Steffan
As is typical for me with the books in this series, I devoured this installment in a single evening. This story does an excellent job of tying up multiple story lines and plot points, beyond the obvious of the overall “get Rayth’s throne back from his evil brother.” Frella finally bonds with her dragon and…
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Review: Sapphire (Jewels Cafe #2) by Eva Delaney
I think this series is definitely less on the serious side and more on the absurdly ridiculous spectrum of the fantasy genre. Once again, this “reverse harem” actually means over-the-top and unbelievable wish fulfillment rather than real relationships. I honestly would have enjoyed this more without the sex, if it was just about Sapphire the…
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Review: Amber (Jewels Cafe #1) by Mia Harlan
I checked out this series because I saw it recommended in another author’s mailing list. I’ve previously enjoyed other reverse harem series, so why not? It turns out I enjoy the conflict and drama that can accompany polyamorous relationships rather than the wish-fulfillment/escapism of one girl with a handful of dudes swooning over her. Amber…
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Review: Wolfromance (Reluctant Necromancer #3) by Kaye Draper
I understand that authors are always warned not to “info-dump” to their readers, that they should include the information the reader needs to know naturally through the story. But there’s a downside to that, when so many things are going on that everyone EXCEPT the main character knows about. At some point, someone needs to…
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Review: Vampromance (Reluctant Necromancer #2) by Kaye Draper
I don’t get to binge-read this series like I did Draper’s previous reverse harem epic, but I’m enjoying it all the same. Esper is an intriguing character, and I appreciate the set-up of her being lost from her family line as a way for the audience to learn about the greater magical world through her…
