I am COMPLETELY in love with the crazy that pops up in these books. I mean, I was smitten with the treasure hunting alone. When cyborgs get thrown intI am COMPLETELY in love with the crazy that pops up in these books. I mean, I was smitten with the treasure hunting alone. When cyborgs get thrown into the mix, I'm downright giddy. (That's a not-so-subtle hint to all the authors reading this that I am LONGING for more cyborg books. LONGING FOR THEM!)
So. Xander and Malin. Malin is an adventurous woman with a big heart. Xander is the supposedly emotionless cyborg who needs her help. Given his lack of social skills (because what do emotionless cyborgs need with social skills?), Xander makes plenty of mistakes with Mal. But his brutal honesty about what he wants also wins her over. His muscles might have helped, too.
Flat out, I liked Xander's battle with his feelings. He clearly feels something, but a good CenSec can't let emotion get in the way of his mission. But Mal's like magnetic north and he can't resist her.
I love it when the big, stoic ones fall.
Sexy times, a dangerous game of cat and mouse (err, person and robot?), and Xander's mission to save his planet had me hooked. *slow thumbs up*
I have to say I've been consistently in awe of the level of story Thea Harrison packs into her novellas. There's a lot going on here and we don't get I have to say I've been consistently in awe of the level of story Thea Harrison packs into her novellas. There's a lot going on here and we don't get cheated out of either the sexy times between Dragos and Pia or the political issues that have flared up since book 8.
Frankly, the Elder Races are in a sticky place right now. The humans don't entirely trust them given the volatile atmosphere of the last several months. The different factions within the Elder Races butt heads upon occasion as it is. And Dragos isn't known for his diplomacy.
What better time to invite a group of politicians and heads of the various factions to a party, amirite?
Pia's dealing with some issues. Dragos is dealing with some. The Wyr are on edge. One thing's for certain, Dragos's party will be one people talk about for a long time.
(For the record, I'm both excited and worried about what Pia's novella is going to bring. *scared eyes*)
I loved loved loved Drew and Anna in book 1. So I went into this books with some pretty high expectations. Gray was going to have to pull out all the I loved loved loved Drew and Anna in book 1. So I went into this books with some pretty high expectations. Gray was going to have to pull out all the stops to top the quarterback's book. AND HE DID. Well, maybe he didn't top it, but he certainly pulled his own weight as far as making me adore him went.
Gray Grayson could have been a typical shallow, jock, man-whore, but he ended up having a lot of depth. Yes, he had a reputation. Yes, it was well deserved. BUT... once he starts talking to Ivy all the other women cease to exist for him. Which is adorable. The fact he doesn't want to jeopardize their friendship even though she's his everything killed me dead. I just flat out loved the guy. Sexy, sweet, and with a ginormous brain. YES!
And then there's Ivy. She convinces herself Gray is nothing more than a friend and she tries her hardest to ignore the simmering sexual tension between them. Let's just say that doesn't work so well. I mean... the guy is sex on a stick. He walks across a room and her panties spontaneously combust. It was awesome.
I loved revisiting the team and seeing big, introspective Dex doing his thing. (I'm crazy ready for his book. It's going to be the next book I read. JUST YOU WAIT.) I loved spending time with Drew and Anna again. I'm just all flaily hands and sparkly hearts for this series. *proudly waves my fangirl flag*
One thing I am IN AWE OF with the interconnected series S.M. Reine is giving us is getting to see how events played out to bring things to the point tOne thing I am IN AWE OF with the interconnected series S.M. Reine is giving us is getting to see how events played out to bring things to the point they are later in the series. Serieses? Down the line. I knew how Ofelia fit in (although not how she'd reach that point), but I couldn't figure out Jaycee. I had it in my head I'd heard her name before and it was bugging me something fierce.
Then a big thing happens late in this book and things sort of clicked in place in my head and OMG! S.M. Reine is a mad genius, my friends. A MAD GENIUS. I imagine she's steepling her fingers right now and cackling diabolically as she thinks up more mad plots and shenanigans to throw her characters into.
Mad genius.
*ahem* So. Let's take a look at this book, shall we?
Frankly, Jaycee is the very epitome of repressed at the beginning of this book. She's rebuffing Pierce's advances and trying to pretend her panties don't spontaneously combust whenever he's within eyeshot. She's judgy and close-minded and Pierce wants her anyway.
Then things get crazy. Wolves. Magic. Packs who aren't very nice. Ladies getting turned on by thinking about a biker dogpile (heh. Literally. Because, you know, they're wolves.) on top of her. And one really big thing that sets up so much awesomeness you won't get to see until later. Oh, and a lady orgy. What? Witches need love, too. More than most, it seems.
Holy crumb, guys. HOLY CRUMB. Stacy Gail has the ability to reduce me to tears so easily. It's like her superpower or something. This book was no exceHoly crumb, guys. HOLY CRUMB. Stacy Gail has the ability to reduce me to tears so easily. It's like her superpower or something. This book was no exception. Sass's story grabbed me and held on tight. It wasn't just the things she'd endured (which were awful), it was that Rude so inadvertently made her crawl back into herself and hide at their first meeting.
My heart seriously broke for both of them.
Especially when Rude realized what he'd done. Years later, sure, but he knew he'd hurt her with his careless teenage anger and he went about trying to repair the damage.
Watching him carefully dismantle her defenses and get her to trust him had to be one of the sweetest things EVER. Because a big, strong Marine who sets his sights on a skittish woman who's perfect for him never fails to hit me in the feels.
Now, this is totally Sass and Rude's story. TOTALLY. And I loved it. But there was this little, minor character who took a turn I wasn't expecting and I am BEYOND excited to know we'll see more of Marco Polo Scorpeone in future books. His own series arc, if I'm reading the signs right. YASSSSSSS!
This is probably my favorite of Stacy Gail's books to date. That's saying a lot since I love the way this woman writes. This entire series has been fantastic and this one was like the cherry on top.
I have mad, MAD love for this series. It's sad and sweet and feels terribly real as these characters struggle through their issues. *gives Staci Hart I have mad, MAD love for this series. It's sad and sweet and feels terribly real as these characters struggle through their issues. *gives Staci Hart big, sloppy kisses for all the awesome*
I understood Maggie. Was it hard watching her keep Cooper at arm's length even though it was obvious he adored her? Yes. Yes, it was. But I could understand her reasoning. I could totally see where she was coming from. After the debacle with her fiancé, she doesn't trust herself or her judgement when it comes to men. So she throws herself into the idea of a physical relationship with a very real deadline and refuses to allow herself to be hurt by pushing aside all the signs she's falling for Coop.
And Cooper. Oh, Coop. For a playboy with no history of commitment, he sold me on his devotion mighty quickly. I loved that Maggie's presence in his life gave him purpose. Honestly, there was a lot about Cooper to love. Sexy, filthy rich, and willing to make big changes in his life in order to have Maggie beside him. <3 <3 <3 *draws sparkly hearts around Coop*
We got face time with West and Lily (for the record, I still love West's man bun) and have some great set-up for Rose and Tricky's story. I love, love, love the relationship between the friends (even when it's a little rocky) and want to spend oodles of time in this world. Between now and the next book, I guess I'll have to tide myself over with a reread or two.
I am RIDICULOUSLY in love with this series. Something about it worked for me on many levels. The characters, the couples, the crazy they had to deal wI am RIDICULOUSLY in love with this series. Something about it worked for me on many levels. The characters, the couples, the crazy they had to deal with. I'm terribly sad to see it end, but at the same time we got such an outstanding ending I'm... happy with it. I'm very conflicted about this. I didn't want it to end, but I'm happy it did.
The last book almost killed me with its ending. This one picks up straightaway and things are NOT looking good for our heroes. Steve's fate seemed the most tenuous, but they're all trapped in situations that threaten both their lives and their sanity.
With nightmares infiltrating both the safe dreamscapes and the waking world, things look bad. BAD BAD BAD. Weirdly, I loved how things didn't end up easy for our heroes. From Steve's transformation to Rook's issues to... okay, I feel like I'm going to give something away. Instead, I'll say I liked that things weren't perfect once they'd gotten past their main hurdle.
Saving the day doesn't fix everything and each of these characters had to make sacrifices in one way or another.
This series works for me so hard. I LOVED Charlie and Gabriel from book 2 and very curious if Noah and Kit could replace them as my favorite couple. TThis series works for me so hard. I LOVED Charlie and Gabriel from book 2 and very curious if Noah and Kit could replace them as my favorite couple. They didn't quite claim the top spot, but it was a close race.
Frankly, Noah and Kit have A LOT of baggage. Noah did something terrible to Kit (he had his reasons) and it took guts for her to choose to be there for him when he was down. Needless to say, their early interactions are rocky. Kit's pain is very real and Noah hurts because he felt he had no choice but to hurt her.
What can I say? It's complicated.
I loved seeing Noah give his all in the limited way he thought he was capable of. I loved even more when Kit forced him to push harder and showed him that the things he didn't think he could handle were within reach. (And, yes, his reasons for doing the things he does were explained and it made me want to rage for him.)
There's some seriously intriguing setup for Abe's story and I'll be all too happy to revisit these rock stars and the woman who fall for them in his book.
This is one of those books where I don't even know where to start with the review. (and please don't point out the obvious and say I did know where toThis is one of those books where I don't even know where to start with the review. (and please don't point out the obvious and say I did know where to start and it was by saying I didn't know where to start. I mean, I did that for you. I GOT THIS!) This book is insanely good. It has blood (as one would probably expect from a book starring the son of a serial killer and with a title that references blood not once, but twice... or maybe you don't expect that. I don't know. I try not to judge.) and HORRIBLE THINGS that happen (again, expected considering what Billy did to his victims back in the day) and a young man walking a very thin edge between being the man he wants to be and the one he was trained to be.
GOOD GRAVY, JAZZ! That boy kills me. Not literally. He has choices and he makes the ones he feels he has to. All the while he's wondering if he's doing it because Dear Old Dad is goading him to the endgame HE wants or if Jazz doing it because someone has to end Billy's reign of terror.
Honestly, it's enough to drive a kid batty, isn't it? As if having Billy in his head isn't bad enough, now he's second guessing himself and trying to piece together the string of clues Billy's leaving him. BAD, BAD CLUES. The type with blood and viscera.
I adore Jazz. I like that time and time again he was faced with his own morality and had to decide if what he was doing was right or if he'd crossed the line. Separated from Connie and Howie (his touchstones to normalcy), he has to rely on himself and, yeah, he does some questionable things.
Dark and riveting, I highly HIGHLY recommend this entire series for those who don't mind blood and guts. Jazz is incredibly complex and his story killed me. Again, not literally.
Maddie and Logan were so CUTE. Even when Logan was convinced he was heartless and Maddie was trying to figure out how to get out of the pickle she fouMaddie and Logan were so CUTE. Even when Logan was convinced he was heartless and Maddie was trying to figure out how to get out of the pickle she found herself in. SO CUTE.
Quite frankly, Logan won my heart the first time Maddie found him reading in bed. *swoon* Muscles, a verra sexy accent, and a bed reader? *triple swoon* And that doesn't even scratch the surface of the guy! He's all concerned about his men and needs to make things work and swoon swoon swoon.
And Maddie. Yeah. I get her. Inventing a beau might have been an accident, but there reached a point where she couldn't gracefully back out of it without doing something drastic. And that drastic thing both saved her a life in society and ended up hurting the man she didn't know was real. Which is a complicated thought if you start thinking about it too long.
I genuinely adore all the heroes and the heroines in this entire series. Logan and Maddie hit the spot--socially awkward girls and the men who fall for them, FTW!--and I loooooved Logan's men. They all might be a little broken, but they're a solid unit when they work together.
I think a full series reread might be called for, don't you?
Holy wow, this was a good book. Not a little good. A LOT GOOD. Like, I want more good. Basically, it was a punch to the emotional gut in the most wondHoly wow, this was a good book. Not a little good. A LOT GOOD. Like, I want more good. Basically, it was a punch to the emotional gut in the most wonderful way. It's painful at times and sweet at times and always heartbreaking in one way or another. I'm not saying I teared up or anything, but you might want to have a tissue or two handy. Just in case.
Hannah's circumstances were just painful. Her reaction to a friendly touch said so much about her. And her parents, come to think of it. All the lies she's been forced to tell, all the times she felt like she fell short, they hurt. As the truth began to come to light, it hurt even more. Because no child should be expected to do the things she had to do to maintain the facade of perfection for her family.
And Sean. SEAN. Trying to reconcile these new feelings he's having for Hannah against EVERYONE reminding him he needs to stay away from her because of his history with her sister was rough. I honestly adored him and could NOT get enough of his sweetness. Sweet as hell bad boys do it for me, apparently.
Loved, loved, loved the small town setup and all the characters. Given how this book emotionally gutted me, book 2 is going to kill me dead. I can feel it.
I genuinely love Cherise Sinclair's characters. Whether they're Doms or subs, they're strong and sweet and they make the wrong choices sometimes and tI genuinely love Cherise Sinclair's characters. Whether they're Doms or subs, they're strong and sweet and they make the wrong choices sometimes and they feel so real. SO REAL.
It thrills me how perfectly she makes the strong, dominant characters come to realize they're not only NOT infallible, they don't have to be. They have people they can turn to. They have people who will have their back. Likewise, the subs aren't doormats, they're strong in their own right.
Ben and Anne are the perfect example of this. Anne is known for being a strong Domme with a taste for pretty boys. Ben claims he's vanilla, but for Anne he'll give the lifestyle a chance. On the surface, they don't seem like they'd be a good match, but they work so perfectly together. Watching Ben wage his campaign against Anne's heart was awesome. And, yes, there were some stumbles along the way, but things worked out in the end.
All these characters make me smile and I'm looking forward to seeing what's coming up for them in the future.
OMG, I LIKED THIS ONE. There's something about an ancient, mostly feral dragon putting a leash on his desires that worked for me. You know, Thane justOMG, I LIKED THIS ONE. There's something about an ancient, mostly feral dragon putting a leash on his desires that worked for me. You know, Thane just worked for me. He's ready to go to the big dragon meadow in the sky until he gets drawn into Ember's orbit. Given that she's clueless about what to expect from her life as a dragon, she needs him as much as he needs her.
*swoon*
I really liked them together. I liked that Ember was leery of Thane when they first met. I liked that she wanted nothing to do with dragons in general and had no idea what she'd gotten herself involved in.
Heck, I liked that I was kept guessing on who the bad guys was right up until it was revealed. Kinda even after it was revealed because I don't trust twisty plots.
Anyway. Total winner of a new series and I hope to see more of these dragons in the future.
You had me at West's man-bun, Hart. You had me hard. And then you tightened that noose when you brought in all the other beautiful, quiet moments thatYou had me at West's man-bun, Hart. You had me hard. And then you tightened that noose when you brought in all the other beautiful, quiet moments that made the friendship of this little group shine. They are far from perfect, but they are absolutely delightful with all their quirks and mistakes.
(Holy bananas! Book 3 is going to KILL me isn't it? *emphatically shakes fist at Staci Hart*)
Soooo. Things that worked. Lily. West. West's man-bun. Lily's appreciation of West's man-bun. West's appreciation of Lily's legs. And neck. And all the places in between. These two are seriously adorable together. SERIOUSLY. I loved the little moments they shared. Watching TV. Leaning on one another. Being there in silence. It worked for them so well.
Then there was the BOOM moment where they both realize what they feel *might* go beyond friendship and my heart melted.
This might be a weird thing to say, but I loved that Lily's fantasy of Blane was so far from reality. I didn't like what he did to her, but I liked how real it felt as Lily had to come to terms with her idealized picture of them vs Blane in real life. 'Cause that dude was meh on so many levels. (Actually, he's the character I loved to hate. There's always one, isn't there?)
Loved loved loved this book, these characters, the friends to lovers awesomeness. I can't wait to find out what Cooper had to do to get his HEA.
Holy bananas, I love these books. Ridiculously so. I reread all the previous books in the series this year just so I could be (re)caught up when this Holy bananas, I love these books. Ridiculously so. I reread all the previous books in the series this year just so I could be (re)caught up when this book came out. To be fair, I'd have probably reread them even if there hadn't been a new book on the way, BUT STILL.
*draws sparkly hearts around the Elder Races*
Anywho. Julian and Melly. Those two have some history they have to get over. Tangled, angry history. Being that they have to have contact with one another every so often because of their positions, this makes meetings fun. Or shouty. You decide.
Picking up almost directly from Xavier's book, we get to see a darker, more feral side of the Nightkind. Justine will use whatever she can to obtain her goals. Melly and Julian are simply obstacles she needs to remove or use to get to where she wants to be. Which is not a good thing for the two of them. Because Justine is pretty ruthless and whacked.
As bloodthirsty vampyres often are.
Speaking of ruthless, previous books have drawn Julian in that light. Which isn't entirely untrue, but he had his reasons for acting as he did. Seeing his reasoning puts some of those earlier actions in perspective and I completely understand why he did what he did to Carling and why he's so volatile.
As for Melly, I genuinely liked her. I liked that she saw her own limitations and decided to forge on despite them. She knows she's a B-grade actress at best, but she loves doing what she does. As the heir to the Light Fae Queen, she's toed the line her entire life except for when it came to Julian. So their breakup decades earlier shattered her.
*draws sad sparkly hearts around Julian and Melly*
Loved loved loved seeing the maneuverings and setup for the next book, not to mention revisiting familiar faces. *slow thumbs up with a side of sparkly hearts*
This book. This book made me emotional. Not just because it was a good story (it really, really was), but because it had all the elements that make meThis book. This book made me emotional. Not just because it was a good story (it really, really was), but because it had all the elements that make me slide it onto my "NA done right" shelf. There aren't many books on that shelf as of yet, so adding one to it makes me happy.
Things that worked: The romance. So sweet. So sexy at times. Just... so perfect for the Corey and Hartley.
The circumstances that brought them together. *sniffle* As terrible as Corey's accident was, I loved how she decided to push forward with her decision to go to college just so her parents could start moving forward with their own lives. Seriously, Corey's accident was awful and I totally commend her for not falling into a black hole of despair after losing everything she held important.
The complete lack of embarrassment Hartley felt over, well, everything. Which led to the moment where things changed between the two of them. Also, I love when a guy makes an effort to share the things he loves doing with his lady friend. *snicker*
This book worked for me on a lot of levels. Corey and Hartley were pretty darn awesome and I am SO looking forward to seeing how the other couples come together to get their HEA. Bridger's up next and I already want to pet him for the things that were mentioned here. Poor guy.
I gave myself a day between reading this book and writing the review and I'm totally, totally, TOTALLY still all tangled up about it. I mean, I'm in NI gave myself a day between reading this book and writing the review and I'm totally, totally, TOTALLY still all tangled up about it. I mean, I'm in NO WAY a Stark fangirl, but I kinda get why he's doing what he's doing. I don't agree with his methods, but he has his reasons and I kinda hate S.M. Reine for making me feel sympathy for this guy who exhibits classic signs of an abuser AND is more than a little psychotic to boot.
*side eyes S.M. Reine for a moment*
Soooo. Deirdre is still caught in a rough place. She's mourning. She's angry. She waffles between hating Stark and appreciating that he's taking steps to give all shifters a chance. She's iffy on his methods and she challenges him repeatedly because of it, which gives him a reason to beat her to within an inch of her life. CONSTANTLY. Seriously, Deirdre is not in a good place.
Or maybe she's exactly where she needs to be.
As an aside, I can't say I like the mistakes Rylie's made in her years as the Alpha, but I can see why all the responsibility that was suddenly thrust on her shoulders after Genesis might have been overwhelming. I can see how easy it would have been to take the route that she did. She went from being the Alpha to a handful of wolves to being expected to make decisions for the good of an entire population.
So, yeah, I can see how Rylie stumbled in some of her choices. And now those decisions she made that didn't protect children like Deirdre have put her in a dangerous situation.
Big things were revealed in this book that are going to make book 3 VERY interesting. Deirdre, Stark, Rylie... everything's tunneling toward a showdown and I'm all crazy eyed because of it.
OMG! I LOVE THIS SERIES SO HARD. It's dark and dangerous and with the collapse of the black market and the infiltration of the nightmares into the wakOMG! I LOVE THIS SERIES SO HARD. It's dark and dangerous and with the collapse of the black market and the infiltration of the nightmares into the waking world, it just keeps getting worse.
Plus, there's that whole Sandman thing. Which is NOT GOOD for anybody who hopes to, you know, come out of this alive.
This deep into the series, we get to see more and more of the group as they struggle to get a handle on what's happening. While there's a focus on Maisie and her amazing dreamscape, we also see Jordan and Rook, Harlen and Sera, and Vince and Mirren fighting to help right things as the world around them crumbles.
Sometimes literally.
And Steve. STEVE. I have no clue how things are going to play out down the line. He's in a terrible position and Maisie's liable to fall and take her dreamscape with her if something can't be figured out.
Both the dreaming and the waking world are now deadly and I'm DYING for the next installment of this series.
I'm not going to pull any punches, guys. I could totally read about how insanely hated Novikov is by PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE until the cows come home. I I'm not going to pull any punches, guys. I could totally read about how insanely hated Novikov is by PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE until the cows come home. I don't even know what it is about the guy that makes me like him so much, but whenever he's brought into the story I perk up.
But Novikov is just a side treat I get to wallow in. This book is all about Livy and Vic. Well, and the conclusion of a pesky problem that's been plaguing the hybrids for the past few books.
For the record, I do love how the honey badgers took care of business when one of their own was....err, threatened, I guess you could say. The point being that you don't want to cross a honey badger. Pretty much ever. Whether it's over a priceless treasure or a jar of honey. Just... no. Don't. Those guys are vicious.
Anyway. Let's get back to Livy and Vic. Livy's feeling the strain of her muse deserting her. Vic keeps finding her in his cupboards. I ADORED how Vic's feelings for Livy sort of snuck up on him. I loved how he was okay with her eating all his high-end honey. As with most of the crazy hybrid mish-mashes, I LOVED Vic's hybrid form.
Did I mention the whole Novikov thing? Because, yeah. That guy and his OCD issues makes me weirdly happy.
Now that I've reached the end of the currently published books, I guess I need to go back and dive into a reread. Because that's what one does.
I ADORE Crush. I don't know if it's the whole thing where he's often mistaken for a crazed meth dealer, a badass biker, or what, but I got such a kickI ADORE Crush. I don't know if it's the whole thing where he's often mistaken for a crazed meth dealer, a badass biker, or what, but I got such a kick out of how such an easygoing, upstanding guy could tangle with the worst if needed and come out on top.
Plus, he went all fanboy on his favorite hockey players and I just couldn't resist him after that.
On the other end of the spectrum is Cella. She likes to talk with her fists more often than not and she sends poor Crush into a tailspin whenever she's around. Which is adorable. C'mon, guys, lets all indulge in a collective Awwwww.
So, yeah. They seem like an unlikely pair until you see the sparks that sizzle whenever those two are around. And the whole pretend boyfriend thing? HA! Poor Crush. Cella's brutal with those she likes.
LOOOOVED Crush making friends with Novikov and how he had to put up with the other bear's OCD tendencies. ADORABLE. Also, the way Novikov manages Blayne. OH! And Cella's dad making Crush all tongue tied because he's such a hockey great.
We got to see more of the Dee-Ann/Cella dynamic (HEH! THE RANDOM PUNCHES! LOLOLOL!) and see how some of the hybrids Blayne and Dee-Ann rescued are getting along. Hannah. HANNAH.
I feel like I'm devolving into extreme caps locking, so I'm just going to say... STILL LOVING THIS SERIES HARD!
Loading...
