“Who knew getting murdered would be so awkward?” Alexis: the 19-year-old girl who almost, kinda, wants an act of God to kill her and end her torture. “Who knew getting murdered would be so awkward?” Alexis: the 19-year-old girl who almost, kinda, wants an act of God to kill her and end her torture. Her early years were spent in a cardboard hovel in the woods. Her foster parents only kept her for the cash handouts, but there was never enough food. After an old woman [Fate] brought another mouth to feed, Alexis was the only one to cherish him. After all, humans were expected to be grateful for kitchen scraps and life in the gutter.
What she didn’t know is that Alexis was not human, and I suspect her brother was also not. Testing positive for godness turned into a curse as she was tossed into a gladiatorial slaughterhouse [academy].
Yes, there is gore. There is torture and surprise gifts of eyeballs and fingers. this book is not for those with a queasy stomach. However, if you love a dark romance filled with blackmail, plot twists, and political machinations, you will love it as well. The writing is superb, and Alexis’s character just shines. I hope book 2 will have her brother play a roll, but I can see a reverse harem in the making.
Now the interesting part of the world-building: The promiscuous gods actually have a new marriage law that requires anyone 26 years old to marry, but they don’t need a traditional duo. The contract requires specific gifts and a ceremony.
⁃ Marriage law at 26 ⁃ I must be a deviant ⁃ Bullying ⁃ Greco Roman god academy romance ⁃ Trials ⁃ rich boys poor girl ⁃ Stutterer, not beautiful, scarred, depressed ⁃ Snake familiar ⁃ Touch her and die ⁃ Forced Proximity ⁃ Dual POV ⁃ MMF ⁃ Digthedialogue ⁃ Not a romantic comedy (but close)
And if you, like me, are completely demoralized by the year-long wait for book 2, try any of these books: ⁃ {The Stone God by Erin Kellison} ⁃ {Academy of the Divine by Isadora Brown} ⁃ {The Elysian Trials by D. N. Hoxa} ⁃ {The Coven of Ruin by T. K. Tucker} ⁃ {Gods of Mists and Mayhem by Chani Lynn Feener} ⁃ {Bad Things Play Here by Chani Lynn Feener}...more
I hate MCs who drink, smoke, and do drugs as if you have to in order to be “cool”. I hate malicious, back-stabbing villains as MCs because I want the I hate MCs who drink, smoke, and do drugs as if you have to in order to be “cool”. I hate malicious, back-stabbing villains as MCs because I want the average person to be caring, conscientious, and empathetic...things I don’t see when I watch the news.
Yet here I am reading House of Pain. The MCs are a group of witches in a school clique called the Snakes. They lie; they back-stab each other with a smirk. Even sex comes with strings. They summon a demon. One of their projects involves arson. These are not people I want as role models.
Do I want them to win their competition? Heck, no. There are no winners in this game.
But I loved it anyways. The characters are fleshed out, complicated, and deep. Alecto, for example, is half-human and all mean. She won’t let a pindrop of sympathy infect her lest she be seen as incompetent. Every trial she is given she has to have the most creative answer, even if it means burning a dormitory down.
Her nemesis, Blaze, is supposedly on her team, but he treats her as one of the competitors, and there are no rules in the competition. His father keeps tabs, and Alecto is not desirable as a wife. Despite his attraction, he bullies and almost kills Alecto. What a catch! Yet Alecto is lonely enough to want his touch.
“What did Alecto ever do to you that you have to behave this way?” She was there. Always. F---- There. Alecto had things Blaze didn’t. And she made him feel things he didn’t want. ”
“Alecto’s eyes followed Blaze’s thumb resting on her thigh, making lazy circles and lines as if he were writing poetry on her skin. The kind that was invisible and could only be read by heart.”
What lovely writing. What dark and delicious phrases. I was surprised by some of the backstabbing, and want to know more about the demon.
Having grown up in a convent, abandoned until her 20th birthday, Briary Rose discovered that she was actually Rosemary Briar, the princess to a throneHaving grown up in a convent, abandoned until her 20th birthday, Briary Rose discovered that she was actually Rosemary Briar, the princess to a throne. And how many young women had pined to discover that she was special, a princess? But being a princess meant responsibilities beyond the usual. Before coming of age, her choice had been between joining the convent and becoming a governess. Now it seemed there was no choice. Her path had been planned for years, and her mother and father had hidden her away until the day of marriage…to a stranger.
This hit too close to home, in a way. Parents have expectations for their children, and I just wanted Briary to choose her own path. Every time she was told she would get married, Briary felt her stomach churning. This had not been what she hoped for.
What she wanted was a Victorian “coming out” for upper class women. I am not sure exactly what that comprised, but I get the idea she wanted a time of dress-up barbie interspersed with speed dating. Not in the cards.
In her new world of fae courts, her escort Thorn gave her a quick but forgettable introduction: she was hidden as the result of a feud, and a curse. Iron would kill her. What he didn’t mention was that she had cursed him by accident, and he was forced to engage in her dreams.
I love her power! She captured scenes like a camera, and she could relive them at will in her dreams. But like any siren, she could capture single men, too. It changed him.
Thorn warned her that her parents were manipulative little suits, but made her forget. How does a human have that skill? I could only imagine he was a halfling. No wonder Briary couldn’t see the untruths:
My mother must take my silence for disapproval, for she sidles closer to me, hugging my arm tighter. “My dear, I am trying to change. I hope you believe that.”
How hard was she trying? I don’t believe that ...more
Why oh why did she end it this way? I am in tears. Be warned that this novel has a plot twist that I failed to expect and became completely torn up. I Why oh why did she end it this way? I am in tears. Be warned that this novel has a plot twist that I failed to expect and became completely torn up. It’s cruel; I want my HEA.
Headmaster Alaric Grayson Thorne: a demon made flesh by the witches, 329 years young (LOL).
The overriding council called the Covenant: Two witch leaders, a bonded pair, more like revenants housing souls than persons. Raised from their graves, and the sunlight filtering through their bones dictated how hard their afterlife was. “George Collins had no descendants to his name to be defensive of—not with the rules that prohibited male witches from procreating if they chose to keep their magic.” Susannah Medizza
Willow: one of the new, invited students to replenish a dying race. Her brother, Ash: doesn't know his witch heritage
What an interesting premise! The world as Willow knows it: ============================================== Witches could be either male or female, but males could not keep their magic if they wanted children. I don’t understand that so much, but I do understand the other side of this coin: whoever keeps the power divides it among family members, and often the strongest one is the last person standing. It’s a harsh world, but allows witches to live far beyond what their bodies are capable of (see the Covenant above). In this world, witches made deals with demons to support their infighting, and now vampires house those souls.
As such, there are so few witches left that two seats are unfilled, and the two leaders declare that 12 new students will be accepted *cough* kidnapped. Tasked with collecting them, the headmaster finds Willow is much more advanced and unwilling than expected, and he realizes he missed the chase and capture. Willow’s headstrong rebelliousness appeals to him, so he decides she would take his bite and like it, wooing her with attention and food. Right; she sees right through this.
But it would be boring without a twist! She wants to seduce him to find the bones of her aunt, for she is secretly also a necromancer in disguise. He is playing with death. Twist 2: As part of the schooling, Willow is expected to pair up and have a baby, and Iban, a young man of the same powers as her, is a rival for her attention. I love two men fighting over the woman!
Iban: ““Enjoy your games, Willow, but just know I play to win.” Alaric: ““She was the worst kind of danger, a temptation that would push me to do stupid, foolish things just to get my [cookie ...more
IN HER WORDS: Trigger Warning: dub/non-con, cavity drug-smuggling, physical assault, murder, restraints, references to primal play, grooming, domestic IN HER WORDS: Trigger Warning: dub/non-con, cavity drug-smuggling, physical assault, murder, restraints, references to primal play, grooming, domestic abuse, and violence-induced miscarriage
I don’t normally choose anything that could be a mafia-like romance, unless it’s a PNR. But the unique title and concept just hit me at the right time. On the way to meet her son, Nadia is too distracted from worrying to notice the prison transport vehicle and causes an accident. Someone quickly appears to help, but to her horror, he is the escaping prisoner. Shoved into the other seat, he takes her in the busted car to a rural location. The complication is that she was not just visiting, she was supposed to deliver drugs under threat that her son would be assassinated if she failed.
Held as hostage, Nadia is as messy as a scattered jigsaw puzzle. She thought she had escaped the years of spouse abuse, but the memories all returned as Malakai refused to let her escape. Not only was her son in prison, but now she had returned to hers. On his part, Malakai recognized that she was a Mule and forcibly extracted the bags of drugs. This led to a rape scene…but don’t stop reading. Nadia might be a 45-year-old, plain in features, have sagging skin and an adult child, but she had never had decent sex before.
I don’t know how Layla Simon can make the act of removing drugs from a body so intimate. I feel so embarrassed for her. And then the guy thinks about his own lover about to give birth, and I feel guilty again because how can I root for a romance between them when he’s already involved?!? For once, I actually enjoy the dual POV.
At times the characters seem so real that I expect them living next door. As a schoolteacher, she sees things in Malakai that he wouldn’t admit. He recognizes what she needs, too, and together they seem to heal each other. I love this story!
The writing style is excellent. After reading two other novels that had less sophistication, I really appreciate a well-written novel. Plus, the sexy scenes are well-done. As Nadia struggles to escape out a window, she is grabbed: “the hard muscles of his torso flush against my back.” Did you mention “flush”? ...more
Tropes: ============================== • Pretend plaything/ arm candy • Find the crown defeat the Aurora king • Enemy of my enemy is my friend..sort of • FTropes: ============================== • Pretend plaything/ arm candy • Find the crown defeat the Aurora king • Enemy of my enemy is my friend..sort of • Forced proximity • Dual POV (per couple) • To Be Continued... ===============================
Characters: ====================== Lor willow tristan (siblings) Nadir Amya Mael ====================== The plot: =================== I have to say, it is all about the romance. I literally remembered nothing from book 1 and was able to pick up the plot. Lor, the chosen one, or most powerful fae of her family, had gone from one dungeon to another. In this case, Nadir’s home. Lor recognized it as just another prison, despite it being stocked with bonbons and fluffy pillows.
In the previous book she had found a talking mirror, and now Her only desire was for release so she could search for a crown. Nadir, however, decided she knew something, and he refused to release her until she divulged why Atlas found her so important as to lock her up.
Lor refused unless her sister and brother were released from imprisonment. Amya found a way to release the siblings, and then Nadir finally allowed Lor some freedoms. But release? No. Nadir had his own plots, and he needed her in his attempts to gain control over the Aurora kingdom.
He agreed to search for the crown if Lor would play his pet during the social events. It did not work out well. For fated mates, they sure hated to hate.
“I hate everything about you and your wretched family and this horrible place. Once I leave here, it’ll be too soon if I ever see The Aurora again.” “I know that. And you hate how much you want me.“ He presses in closer so his body is now flush with mine…
I felt the petty hate and tortured teasing through several chapters before things changed.
The plot alternated between current time and her ancestor Serce and her fated mate, Wolf. At first I hated that idea. Serce was a fierce, almost evil woman because she made decisions that only a leader can make. Serce made what I think is a harsh, cruel mistake regarding the visiting oracle. The poor oracle...if Lor were alive during the same time, she would be appalled! At the same time, their sex is the most beautiful kind that makes you want to experience it right now. This contrasts with the enemy hate-love we see with Lor and Nadir. At the end, I think i enjoyed the scenes with Wolf and Serce more, because the contrast between the two couples was poetic, and my emotions were all over the map with Serce. Hello, karma.
Why this rating? My new system: 4⭐️: I liked it. I found enjoyable characters, original writing, good plot....more
I can always tell when a novel is going to be wonderful. The first sentence or paragraph are captivating and lyrically written. "The most beautiful liI can always tell when a novel is going to be wonderful. The first sentence or paragraph are captivating and lyrically written. "The most beautiful lie I've ever heard is that monsters are made, not born." What a perfect beginning for a woman taking a psychology class.
Daria is a girl in hiding from her court of assassins. Two schoolmates are hounding her: "Words have power. I learned that before I met Rovan Briar,” a prince sometimes teased her, and "Aeron Sinclair, newly dubbed heir to the throne of Dorath, and therefore, my liege—as far as he sees it, anyway—started to pick on me the moment I set a foot in Five."
Luckily, she is self-assured, so snide remarks about her looks are dismissed. And how can she not be? She was trained as an assassin, even though she would rather explore the sciences. “Reiks offered me what I never thought to wish for: a place here, in the prestigious Five Kingdoms’ Superior University. In exchange, he asked only for one favor he wouldn't name then.” Ah, this story involves fae who demand favors! Too many stories forget why fae are special and unique.
One thing I crave in fantasy romances is the grand ball, and I am not disappointed. After taking an arrow in the shoulder, Daria is invited to a birthday party. And Daria’s attempts to find a gown are my favorite part! Forgive me a long quote, but I love this one: ““The rest of the world spends so much time fantasizing about dancing with princes that they easily overlook the fact that the highborn ancients don’t know how to throw a freaking party. ”
• Science Fiction Fantasy with hovercraft and fae! • M/F • Starts as a bully academy romance • Self-assured and capable female • Costume Ball • Assassins, princes, and family politics • Steam: ...more
• Trash Griffin: “I called him French Fry, because he somehow always seemed to be carrying a couple of old fries, and he was about as smart as the pap• Trash Griffin: “I called him French Fry, because he somehow always seemed to be carrying a couple of old fries, and he was about as smart as the paper bags they came in.” • Dig the Dialogue • Wonderful side characters • Single POV • Donut obsession
The blurb accurately describes the plot. But there is so much more. I loved the humor:
Snappy Dialogue. =============== Ker, Aristide, and Noctus make a wonderful set of friends. Who would have thought that shifting into a cat…not a wolf, lion, or panther…would soften the “ice” king, bring together a city, and be an endlessly entertaining topic between the three stooges (oops, sorry, friends). “Maybe I would if you hadn’t made fun of me for listening to history podcasts.” “Why would you listen to history podcasts when we lived through it?”
The world-building: ============== The fae realm is a pocket realm inside Noctus’s mansion. The fae can use artifacts. The wizards have manipulation spells but cannot use artifacts. Why does this matter, you ask? Because despite this little kitty not wanting to get involved for fear of abuse, Noctus keeps picking her up and taking her along while he investigates the increasing supply of exploding artifacts. They are harming fae, and he feels responsible.
And kitty is actually none-of-the-above when it comes to magic. No one, including shifters, know what she is, so she gets tormented by fae and chased by an assassin. Noctus, despite being the most powerful being on the planet and a known mass killer, is the least likely option to get her killed. What is a girl to do?
If you are in the mood for a nice romance, this is supposed to lead into that, but book 1 barely touches on it. If you are in the mood to laugh yourself into a coma, this is the book for you.
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