Monthly Archives: September 2025

5 star reads, Alien Romance, Aliens That Look Like Aliens, Erotic Sex Scenes, Review

The Quarry Master: A Grumpy Boss Romantic Comedy – Amanda Milo

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The Quarry Master:
A Grumpy Boss Romantic Comedy
(The Grumpy Heroes Book 1)
Amanda Milo

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Super Cute, Funny, Re-Readable SciFi Romantic Comedy

Blurb:

BASH: I dislike people.
I despise humans.
A cruel mandate from one of my region’s rulers has saddled me with a slew of little alien humans: I’m to put them to work.
One problem?
I run a rock quarry, where humans’ thin skin is a detriment to productivity.
Overseeing these humans is like trying to herd yanaks. If I don’t burn, beat, or strangle them to death by the day’s end, it will be a miracle.

ISLA:I can tell the boss likes me, because I’m not dead. Bash is abrasive and acerbic, like some sort of alien love child between Michael Caine and Miss Hannigan. And maybe Ebenezer Scrooge. Bash is a little… anti-human race.
But he’s not all bad. Sure, he’s a little growly and he sets things on fire when he gets mad, but even villains need a friend. And here? Bash is everybody’s villain.
Everybody’s but mine.

Warning: This book is the slowest of slow burns. It’s a 127K standalone story with the personal puzzle parts not snapping together until the last stretch of the book. If you want to sink your teeth into a romance that hits the fireworks level fast, skip on this one. But if you want a sweet slow burn, then this one might be the book for you. (Especially if you love super grouchy heroes with big horns and bigger attitudes.)

Amanda Milo remains one of my all-time favorite authors! This is extraordinarily funny and cute. It continues and is an off-shoot of the best scifi romantic comedy series I’ve ever read: the Stolen By An Alien series. I loved that we got to see many of the stars from past books here.

Bash is a Rakhii, one of the very alien aliens we first met in Stolen By An Alien. Milo has done a terrific job of galaxy-building, giving the Rakhii a rich culture. I loved the grumpy Bash and the perfectly-imperfect Isla. Isla was born with only one and a half arms and has adapted wonderfully.

As the blurb said, it’s a slow burn. Isla starts off as the only human that Bash can tolerate, mainly because she is a diligent worker. Isla’s attraction to Bash is evident from the start, but she gets friendzoned.

I still do a whole lot of Bash-ogling though, because who would miss this opportunity to ogle his acres of muscle? I know for a fact a whole slew of women do it with me when Bash raises the hem of his shirt to wipe a speck of dust from the corner of his eye.

Rocks clatter to the quarry floor, and there is this giant collective sigh. It sounds like fifty women just had a polite orgasm.

But Bash is a cool friend to have.

He’s like the first cactus plant you ever get to see: you know it’s spiny and prickly and could hurt you, but you’re driven to poke at it anyway.

One of these characters wants to wait until marriage, and it’s not the one you’d think! Which is a great twist.

I do love a good pun! This time based on a pitchfork.

“They were fine until you panicked. Settle yourself—and let’s fork.”

A chuckling cough has me glancing to the Rakhii leaning against the kiln’s doorway. He folds his arms over his chest and sends me a shit-eating grin. “Sorry. That word still sounded like something else to me.”

Bash’s hand tightens on my thigh before he lets me go with a grunted, “Isla. Chatter.”

I start talking. And we fork. We fork for a long time. There’s a lot of vines.

Now Isla says herself that if she were willingly abducted, chained to a bed, and put into a chastity belt on Earth, she’d have the man responsible for this arrested and herself in therapy. But this is an alien world with an alien culture and Isla is very much aware of the cultural meanings of these things there. They very much equal the committed relationship she desperately wants! So if you can’t see beyond these things, this is not the novel for you! Some reviewers have complained that Bash is abusive, and he would be considered as such here on Earth! But context is everything. If Isla is happy about it, I’m happy for her. I’m a fan of “dark romance”, so these things don’t bother me, especially in this context. Bash is very vocal about hating humans, but it’s really the Gryfalla that he hates because one broke his heart. Humans can be mistaken for Gryfalla, so this hate gets transferred. But we learn that Bash actually has a gooy soft center and a heart of gold.

I can’t recommend this enough. These will always be re-readables for me!

Contains graphic sex scenes, really only one.

Occasional foul language.

1st person present tense from Bash and Isla.

Errors: 1 comma that should be a period. Amazing!

452 Pages

$3.99 at Amazon and part of Kindle Unlimited.

4 star reads, Erotic Sex Scenes, Paranormal, Review, SAFE

How to Ruin a Librarian – Tansy Applewood

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How to Ruin a Librarian
The Hollow Heart Series: Book 2
Tansy Applewood

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Very cute, whimsical romantic comedy fantasy

Blurb

A cozy spicy monster romance with small town autumn vibes, found family, and a gnome book club.

I’m Roslyn Vellore. Librarian. Lorekeeper. Emotionally repressed human-shaped disaster.

I do not have time for monsters who flirt with their eyes and unpack your trauma with cocoa-dusted confidence. I especially do not have time for Santos Wildmere, Wren’s Hollow’s dangerously tender Velvarkin chocolatier whose magic-infused truffles taste like everything I’ve tried to forget.

My boundaries are ironclad. My wards are gnome-certified.

And I’ve never once accidentally made out with a man behind a bookcase.

Until now.

Because the soulbond between us? It’s real. It hums beneath my skin every time he looks at me like I’m made of sugar and starlight. And when ancient tomes go missing from the Loreloft, stirring long-buried magic in Wren’s Hollow, I’ll have to work with the one monster who makes my knees weak and my shields glitch.

Together, we’ll chase down forbidden magic. Unravel the mystery. And I absolutely will not kiss him in the back of the library.

Or the chocolate shop.

Or… okay, listen. This is getting very inconvenient.

A spicy cozy monster romance about a feral librarian, a chocolate empath Velvarkin with wreck-me eyes, and the most dangerously sweet soulbond Wren’s Hollow has ever seen.

This is filled with very whimsical similes and metaphors that mean we can only guess what. But I like them. It makes me feel immersed, like I’m part of this world, so I should know what they mean. For example, “Sharp with cinnamon want. Laced with spice and sorrow.” And, “And it tasted like library dust and bare skin, whispered arguments and pressed spines.”

This is a very sweet romance and is SAFE. No cheating, Other Person Drama, or coercion. Santos is very patient and waits for Ros to come to him.

Because he’s patient and tender and absurdly respectful and I HATED HIM. (Not really. Just enough to want to climb him again and set myself on fire.)

Ros takes an emotional journey to get to Santos, cheered and jeered along by a great many gnomes, small creatures that can hide within bread boxes or ride dogs. They have a Smut Book Club and provide commentary. I feel like the gnomes are us readers. “your gnomes are reading reverse harem again.”

“You’re the future star of this week’s reading,” Letty said cheerfully.

“I am not in the book,” I said immediately.

Every gnome screamed like they’d been hit with a romance novel cliffhanger.

It’s filled with terrific humor. I highly recommend this for a feel-good, entertaining read. I really liked it and will definitely read more in the series. But I don’t think it’s a future re-read for me, so 4 stars.

Contains graphic sex scenes.

Occasional foul language.

1st person past tense from Ros and Santos.

Errors: 10 – 3 punctuation, 1 spelling, 2 tense changes, 1 inconsistency, 1 transposed words, 1 missing space, 1 missing word. Totally readable.

I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

270 Pages

$3.99 at Amazon and part of Kindle Unlimited.

5 star reads, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Sex Scenes, Review, SAFE

Beginning of the End AND End of Story – Kylie Scott

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Beginning of the End, the prequel,
and End of Story
Kylie Scott

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Hilarious contemporary romantic comedy with a cat!

Blurb for Beginning of the End:

When her boyfriend announces he’s accepted a yearlong contract in London, Susie’s relieved that Aaron suggests a long-distance relationship. But then it makes her think. Is it her imagination, or does he seem just a little too eager to leave? Is she reading too much into his excitement to hit the British pub scene? And all relationships cool off after a while…right? As Aaron’s departure approaches, Susie confides in her favorite aunt and best friend to help her figure out—is this the beginning of the end or just the beginning of something even better?

This is a short story prequel to “End of Story”.

Susie has no filter, which makes her snarky and humorous – something Kylie Scott writes so well. It starts off with Susie dating Aaron. But it is obvious Susie and Aaron are not meant for each other. Susie has a heavy case of denial. Even the sex has gotten bad.

“He came, and I did not. Or, at least, I didn’t come until later when I could take care of business alone.”

Lars is Aaron’s best friend, “lumberjack hot” and a contractor. But he has a seemingly great girlfriend that Susie really likes. Susie and Aaron have a very public break up at Aaron’s going-away party. But it was a good thing that needed to happen.

At the end, Susie’s hoarder aunt died and left her a house, which is the setup for…

Blurb for End of Story:

When Susie Bowen inherits a charming fixer-upper from her aunt, she’s excited to start living her best HGTV life. But when she opens the door to find that her contractor is none other than her ex’s best friend, Lars—the same man who witnessed their humiliating public breakup six months ago—she isn’t exactly eager to have anyone around whose alliance is with the enemy. But beggars can’t be choosers, and the sooner the repairs are done, the sooner she can get back to embracing singledom.

Things go from awkward to unbelievable when Lars discovers a divorce certificate hidden in a wall and dated ten years in the future—with both their names on it. It couldn’t possibly be real…could it? As Susie and Lars work to unravel the document’s origins, the impossibility of a spark between them suddenly doesn’t seem so far-fetched. But would a relationship between them be doomed before it’s even begun?

Lars shows up to work on the house Susie inherited when Susie expected a different contractor from the firm. Awkward. We quickly learn that he is no longer with the girlfriend he had in the prequel.

“Lars went through various girlfriends during the year I’d been with what’s-his-face. Neither he nor his friend were down with commitment. Which was fine if you just wanted to have fun. But Jane was a keeper, smart with a wicked sense of humor. Lars definitely had a type. All of his girlfriends were petite, perfect dolls who behaved in a ladylike manner. The opposite of buxom, loudmouthed me.”

The best friend of my ex is not my friend. Confucious probably said that.

After pulling away a section of sheetrock, Lars finds a very old piece of paper. But, upon reading it, discovers it is a divorce decree for him and Susie, dated ten years in the future. Crazy!

Finding the divorce certificate raised about a billion questions. But it also made Lars and me look at each other in a new, different, and unwelcome way. It brought hearts, flowers, and sexy times to mind, rather than a you’re an okay human being whom I don’t object to spending time with mind-set. The idea that someone might be your everything was a lot. Same went for finding out in advance that a relationship would fail. Messages from the future weren’t as helpful as you’d think.

There is a cat that visits the house. I always adore the addition of a cat in a story!

The cat was crouched at the other end of the porch with the bowl of milk I’d left for her. It seemed rude not to offer her something to drink too. We discussed the weather for a while, but she didn’t have much to say. She mostly flicked her tail, watched the occasional car go past, and kept an eye out for birds.

It was clear to me that the cat was Aunt Susan, and she devised this whole scheme to get these two together. But this is never said or hinted at in the story itself. See if you agree with me or not.

I really loved the way the relationship grew out of friendship. It was organic, sweet, fun, and humorous. I really felt like I got to know the characters, and they had both great qualities and flaws that they accepted about each other.

I’ve never been accused of being deep. My talents consisted of having great style and saying weird shit.

This is a slow burn, with the intimate scenes not starting until about halfway through the book. But they are worth the wait! Foreplay is in no way skipped like I see too much in movies and TV these days. Has anyone else noticed that? It seems to go straight from a hot kiss to penetration and it’s over in 2 minutes. That is not good sex! But here…

His past lovers and girlfriends deserved thank-you notes. And cupcakes, maybe?

The humor in this is what really makes it so great. I love the snark! Some of my favorite quotes:

“Are you saying she was correct when she said we’re horny for each other?”

“There’s no way in hell I’m answering that.”

“You’re smarter than you look.”

“Thanks.” He laughed. “Why are you always picking on me?”

“Why are you always picking on me?” I asked. “It’s like that old nonsense about how the kid in third grade who pushes you over is secretly crushing on you. They’re not. They’re just an asshole. And yet we cannot seem to stop poking at each other.”

He grinned. “Maybe we’re both assholes.”

“Maybe,” I said. “Isn’t it nice that we have things in common?”

Wait a minute. That was not me getting poetic about a male. Heck no. Wash my mind out with soap.

Overthinking things was such a joy.

He grinned down at me. “Thank you for holding my man feelings in such high regard, Susie.”

“You’re welcome, Lars.”

How dare he not manhandle me. This was outrageous.

…he glared at my cute black sleep shorts and tank. Never had my sleepwear been so maligned. The lack of a bra seemed to particularly upset him.

If only people had mute buttons. That would be so useful.

“He should press charges,” hollered the evil witch. Though that was being too mean to witches. Even the ones that were evil. Like I’m sure they had their reasons.

Read this for a cute, feel-good story with a lot of laughs! And come back for more great books by Kylie Scott: Wildflowers, Flesh, and Skin.

Contains graphic sex scenes.

Occasional foul language.

Both the prequel and novel are 1st person past tense from Susie.

Errors: 1 repeated word in the novel “Make sure it hasn’t been accidentally been tucked away…”

195 Pages

$14.99 and $1.99 at Amazon.

I borrowed both of these from Hoopla, a terrific source of free books and audiobooks likely available to you if you have a library card.

Hoopla – Beginning of the End

Hoopla – End of Story

5 star reads, Apocalyptic or Post-apocalyptic Romance, Erotic Sex Scenes, Review, SAFE

Wildflowers – Kylie Scott

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Wildflowers
An End of the World Romance
Kylie Scott

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Hot apocalyptic romance, no zombies, with fantastic snarky humor!

Blurb:

There’s only one person Dean Wallace wants to save from the end of the world: sunshine girl from across the street. She’s always smiling. Who knows, maybe she can teach him a thing or two about how to live? But saving her against her will is harder than he expected.

Astrid Hardy doesn’t know what to think when she wakes up in her hot neighbor’s basement. He says he wants to protect her from the deadly virus threatening to collapse society. But that sounds like paranoid conspiracy theory nonsense, and losing her sh*t seems like the correct response.

As they watch the downfall of the world play out online, hear approaching gunshots, and smell smoke from nearby burning buildings, it all starts to seem horribly realistic. With almost everyone they know dead, and law and order gone…how will they navigate this new world together?

Wildflowers starts off with Dean drugging Astrid, and Astrid waking up in a makeshift jail cell in Dean’s basement. On first glance, this may say “Dark Romance”, but it’s not. There is no forced touching, nothing sexual or evil about this captivity. Dean is saving Astrid from catching a virus at the real end of the world.

I absolutely adore the snarky humor in this!

My current position isn’t exactly one of strength, what with me sitting in an enclosure. Seems spending all of those hours watching cute animal videos and contouring tutorials instead of learning negotiation tactics and tips and tricks from escape artists might have been a mistake.

I never did like zoos as a child. All of the watching wild animals pace back and forth behind the bars. Having now been on the receiving end of just such a situation, I can confirm it is complete and utter bullshit. Zero stars. Do not recommend. Big jungle cats mauling their keepers makes so much more sense to me now. I am surprised it doesn’t happen more often.

It is exceedingly realistic with the credible speed at which society and all our modern civilization would break down. In a little over a week, Dean lets Astrid out of the cell, and it seems prudent to stick with someone who knows what they’re doing. At least for a while.

Dean is such a great character. He’s exactly the sort of man I would want at the end of the world – skilled with guns, knowledgeable on prepping, can cook, and he’s a contractor, so he knows about construction. All this, and he’s a genuinely good guy. He agrees to saving a child, instantly accepting a lifetime of responsibility, and agrees to saving a lap dog, not the kind of dog he wanted. He never forces Astrid to do anything romantic or sexual.

He stares down at me… and huh. He really is a prime example of a man. Tall, strong, and handsome. When I dreamed of meeting “the one,” he looked a lot like Dean. Guess the whole tall, dark-haired, and handsome ideal has always had me in a chokehold. Half-intelligent things often come out of his mouth. He can cook and shop. Ignore the whole kidnapping-and-caging thing and the man’s a miracle. I bet he even knows what to do with his dick.

But after everything he’s done, I do believe I have officially shelved all of the lust I previously felt for him. Which would honestly be the smartest decision to come out of me in forever.

There’s no expression on his face, but there’s this kind of knowing in his gaze. This all-consuming awareness of me. Like I am the only thing in the world that matters to him. The only thing he is thinking about and all that he’s living for.

I don’t know how to describe it. But it’s as if someone finally sees me, all of me, and is willing to accept me for who I am. The good and the bad. Including the frequently weird and occasionally cranky. Not a thing I honestly thought would ever happen. And the way this knowledge settles inside of me is honestly staggering.

Of course, he couldn’t just leer at my breasts and eye-fuck me. No. He had to go straight for my soul.

“That’s cheating,” I say.

And Dean is funny too!

Astrid: “I hate guns.”

Dean: “You wouldn’t believe the shit I heard it saying about you earlier. Some of it was downright mean and petty. I was surprised.”

Astrid’s philosophy on the end of the world and her sense of humor really endeared her to me. She’s hilarious and kicks arse when needed. She says what’s on her mind, which means no game playing or silly week-long fights from not communicating. She does a great job of teaching Dean how to live and be in an adult relationship.

I highly recommend this to everyone! It is SAFE.

Contains graphic sex scenes.

Occasional foul language.

1st person present tense from Astrid.

Errors: Zero! Brilliant!

262 Pages

$4.99 at Amazon.

4 star reads, Alien Romance, Aliens That Look Like Aliens, Erotic Sex Scenes, Reverse Harem / Menage, Review

Her Alien Delegate – Sky Robert

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Her Alien Delegate
Sky Robert

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Truly alien aliens reverse-harem romance

Blurb:

When her mating contract is sold to the highest bidder, her future and freedom are uncertain until she falls for an alien diplomat that would scour the universe to keep her.

Protective partners, bonding rituals, power dynamics, fated mates, wrapped into a spicy alien romance!

Evie joined the H.E.T. (Human Exchange Trade) to marry an alien trill diplomat after her miscarriages on Earth have led to her housing credits being revoked. Shortly after her arrival, her husband sells her contract at the Blue District where she is to be mated to a stranger or struggle to survive after a terrorist attack on the latest human trade ship, making humans a target for abduction, or death. Her trill husband comes back to forcefully mate with her, but she is saved by a warrior species called the unGor that help heal the betrayal of her last alien mate. Only, the unGor believe the best way to care for their mate is to share the responsibility of her happiness with more than one unGor, and she may have not one, but three fated mates who will stop at nothing to keep her.

A standalone sci-fi fated-mates alien romance from Sky Roberts. This steamy, page-turning romance between three diplomat aliens and the smart human that captures their hearts and tentacles, will have you devouring every morsel towards their HEAFN.

World building sci-fi adventure but with a sexy twist. Strong females, and possessive (but respectful) love interests. For all you alien lovers out there that like vibrating, pulsating extremities, and mates that bond for life. The steamy bare chest should be evidence enough of what you are getting yourself into.

Sky Roberts continues to give us truly alien aliens, but this time we’ve got a human to look at the novelty of it through. I enjoyed this one a lot more than “Her Alien Starbreaker”, with much less confusion.

The Trillume Universe is extremely creative with unique alien species and far-out customs. I did find myself struggling to picture some of descriptions given, but I identified with Evie, her confusion, and the misunderstandings this very alien universe occasioned. It’s truly culture shock. I definitely understood Evie’s emotional journey, and that is the core of this story. It’s an emotional comedy of errors rather than an action story— mistaken identity and misunderstood intentions everywhere.

There was some good humor sprinkled around, but I wouldn’t call it a full-on romantic comedy. I appreciated what there was, especially the very funny AI computer and Vaquel, one of the unGor suitors.

The spicy scenes were hot! Everything was consensual, respectful, and very inventive!

I do join other reviewers in wishing the cover more clearly illustrated the tentacle-like hair. The current cover has hair that is too wispy to match the written descriptions, and it doesn’t have any of the objects that are supposed to be woven in them.

Contains graphic sex scenes.

1st person past tense from Evie and Broma.

Errors: Too many to count. Misspelled, wrong, extra, and missing words. Sudden changes in tense. It wasn’t unreadable.

253 Pages

$3.99 at Amazon.

I received an review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

3 star reads, Erotic Sex Scenes, Paranormal, Review, Shifters

A Luna’s Dynasty – JM Snap

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A Luna’s Dynasty
Celestial Book 1
JM Snap

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Great lore-building werewolf romance marred by errors, repetition, and slow pacing

Blurb:

OUTCAST. REJECTED. UNWANTED.

Pack life wasn’t for Lita. A fated mate would only mean heartbreak. Until she met HIM. The alpha who fought for her when no one else would. But her secret? It’s powerful, and a demon wishes to covet her for himself. Their love could save everything, including the world. Their destiny is for their line to bring balance but, in order to do that, they’ll have to win the war.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and they are much loved. So the fans are going to hate me!

I wanted to love this book! I’m a huge fan of werewolf romances and paranormal romance in general. But I just couldn’t even like it very much. 😦

The Pros:

Great lore-building! There were some very creative additions to the usual werewolf lore, including fairies, centaurs, kelpies, selkies, and more, with twists on the usual lore as well. I did love that!

A Great Start!
At its heart, this is a great story. It’s interesting, with some spicy romance, good action, and some laugh-out-loud humor.

Both main characters are virgins!
I love this! While there is irritating Other Woman Drama, neither main character has been sexually active with anyone before. It’s a very nice diversion from the all-too-often used manwhore cliché.

The Cons:

Omniscient Narrator
I can’t remember the last time I read a romance novel in omniscient narrator, and it really bothered me. We dip into everyone’s head! Secondary characters, tertiary characters, villains, and characters that only appear for a paragraph or two. And all within the same chapters. It’s so confusing and feels so very wrong.

It’s an author’s choice. But I personally can’t stand it. Most modern romance novels are written in 1st or 3rd person close narrative from one or duel POVs, and I vastly prefer it that way. I think the book should come with a warning in the blurb saying it is in omniscient narrator because I would have avoided the book and therefore not left a negative review.

Conflictingly Sometimes Weak FMC
Lita, the FMC, can be strong at times, very strong. So when Lita is weak, it conflicts with the character I want her to be. She passes out three times! Fainting is ridiculously weak unless someone has been choking you for a while or knocks you out with a hit to the head. Lita faints for poor reasons.

Lita is naïve and clueless. It’s kind of funny at times but often irritating. Her self-esteem is very poor. She is at times Too Stupid To Live.

Other Woman Drama
Asher had a fiancé until he found Lita. And then this Other Woman is a villain in the story. I hate Other People Drama, especially in a fated-mate world. If werewolves have fated mates, they have no business starting romantic relationships with Other People. The jilted woman villain is a very tired cliché that bores and irritates me.

Repetition, Length, and Pacing
There is far too much repetition, adding to the length, and slowing the pace. The book is 679 pages long! I got very bored at around 400 pages but kept at it because I wanted to discover what happened with the overall story arc, with the bad guys, but then— I never got it! The romance part gets a Happy Ever After ending, but we never get a final resolution. This will come in Book 2 of the series I presume. But I don’t think I can stand to read the omniscient narrator any more to find out what happens, which makes me very sad.

As I said before, this is a great start to a novel. But it is in severe need of an editor and a re-write. I would prefer the omniscient narrator and Other Woman Drama be removed. But at a minimum, the repetition needs to be taken out and the length cut massively. If I were editing this, I would slash paragraphs left and right, whole scenes, and entire chapters. There is one chapter where they go to a water park, and it feels like a teen romance.  

Hate me if you must, but I can only give this three stars. I hope my criticism is constructive. If it ever did get that re-write, I would be thrilled to change my review!

Contains graphic sex scenes. They start off with somewhat flowery language but get a little more “graphic” later. There really aren’t many of these scenes. Some intimate moments are fade-to-black.

Occasional foul language.

Omniscient narrator past tense.

Errors: Far too many to count! It’s readable but sloppy, with commas instead of periods at the end of sentences and other, easily avoidable, errors. These are things even Word should find if spell check is run! All CAPS and double punctuation marks, ?!, are used for shouting or emphasis. SPLAT, SPLASH, and the like are used like this is a comic book. And there are some inconsistencies and contradictions in the story.

679 Pages

$4.99 at Amazon.

I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

2 star reads, Action, Erotic Sex Scenes, Military Romance, Paranormal, Review, Shifters

Ranger’s Justice – Delta James

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Ranger’s Justice
Lone Star Wolf Rangers: Book 1
Delta James

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Wolf-shifter action romance marred by too many story inconsistences

Blurb:

They told me to stay out of it… I should have listened.

I was raised to believe in justice. To hunt down the truth no matter the cost. But when that truth led me straight into the sights of the Del Toro cartel, I realized too late, I might have bitten off more than I could chew.

I was tracking a shipment I thought would lead me to my corrupt stepfather. Instead, I ended up in the middle of a bloodbath, staring down the barrel of a gun. And then he showed up. Zane “Rush” Rushton, Lone Star Ranger, all raw power and barely restrained fury. He dragged me out of that hellhole, kicking and cursing, warning me that I was in way over my head.

I don’t like taking orders, least of all from a man who thinks he can control me. But Rush isn’t just any man. There’s something different about him, something dangerous simmering beneath the surface. When he shifted, right in front of me, I realized just how deep this danger runs.

Now I’m entangled in something far bigger than I ever imagined; cartel secrets, human trafficking, and the undeniable truth that my own bloodline is tied to it all. I should run. But Rush won’t let me. He says he’s the only one who can protect me. That he won’t let me go.

The scariest part?

I don’t want him to.

A pulse-pounding, western paranormal, romantic suspense, for fans of fated mates, fierce heroines, and ruthless alpha protectors.

The good: Most of the action scenes are suspenseful and well written. The writing itself is good, and the pace is fast. This is a quick read. I also liked that Cassidy isn’t weak. She knows some self defense and how to shoot.

But then there’s the bad:

Far too many inconsistences in the story!

  • How the hell were they tracked? Are they tracking a phone? If so, they will track them to the next location. – But that doesn’t happen, and we never find out.
  • Why did he shift to show her the truth and then immediately try to lie about it?
  • And then Cassidy is shocked by seeing Rush transform into a wolf two more times as if she hadn’t seen it already.
  • How would he know what’s in shifter romance novels?
  • A character studies a laptop and turns fully around in his seat while he’s driving. Pay attention to the road!
  • The sequence of things is rewritten in places and timings change.
  • Other things happen with no explanation. For example: Rush and Cassidy get out of the SUV, he pushes her up against the back of it, and then suddenly the back hatch is open, but no one opened it.

There are some graphic sex scenes, but they are over far too quickly. There is hardly any foreplay and no dialogue, which is usually the hottest part for me.

There are some interesting differences from the most common werewolf lore, but they aren’t explored in detail. The world-building and lore-building is lacking, as is the character-building. I don’t feel like I really got to know the characters. This has fated mates, so the instalove is expected but not fleshed out.

The climax action is over far too quickly and leaves questions unanswered. We don’t get an epilogue, which leaves me with more questions about the overall story arc. I’d really like to know what Cassidy’s mother has to say for herself.

So overall, I was disappointed. It’s the start of a good novel. The inconsistences could be fixed easily, which makes it feel like the author didn’t care enough to critically re-read through it.

Contains graphic sex scenes.

Occasional foul language.

1st person present tense from Rush and Cassidy.

Errors: 5 – 1 missing ending quotation mark, 1 misspelled word, 1 wrong name, 1 missing verb, 1 dialogue formatting error. So not bad.

I received a review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

211 Pages

$5.99 at Amazon and part of Kindle Unlimited.

3 star reads, Dark Romance, Erotic Sex Scenes, Review

Maidens and Mercenaries, Greywood Legionaries: Book 3 – Rose Gravestone

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Maidens and Mercenaries
Greywood Legionaries: Book 2
Rose Gravestone

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Blurb:

Connor Ward is Greywood’s resident psychopath. And now, he’s my boyfriend…

One impulsive decision is all it took. I needed a ‘boyfriend’ for the year; Connor needed a redemption arc with his legion. So I announced to the world we were dating… before he even agreed.

Connor nearly strangled me for my gall. Then, he named his price: my body, my choices, my complete surrender.

Who am I to refuse such a delicious deal?

Everyone sees him as a monster. Cold, calculating, untouchable. But as our twisted game begins, I start spotting cracks in his armor. He’s undoubtedly brutal, but he’s also beautifully broken.

The longer we fake a relationship, the more real it becomes… and then our pasts catch up with us. My ex wants me back, and he’s getting violent. Connor’s enemies are circling, and I’m caught in the crossfire. The legion’s fed up with Connor, leaving him without backup.

In the face of our conflicts, Connor reminds me that I don’t matter to him and never will. That he only knows how to destroy, not love.

Realizing he can never give me what I’m starting to crave, I try to walk away from Connor… only he changes his mind and doesn’t let me go.

Now, I have to choose my destruction—my ex’s fury, Connor’s ruthless enemies, or Connor himself… who’s breaking me apart piece by piece.

Maidens and Mercenaries is a dual-POV spicy dark college romance featuring a morally grey MMC and a strong, cunning FMC. If you enjoy Rina Kent’s Legacy of Gods or Shantel Tessier’s LORDS, you’ll turn feral for the men of the Greywood Legionaries!

I knew going into this that Connor, the MMC, is the darkest of the legionaries. And true to form, he got too dark for me. This contains unsafe BDSM with a lot of pain and choking. It was a turn off for me. So I can only recommend this if you like this content. If you do, go for it!

It didn’t stop me from finishing the book, but it did curtail my enjoyment. I’m glad I got a resolution to the overall story arc that began in Book 1. This is well written with fleshed out characters, a nice sprinkling of humor, and some good action.

But for me, it just wasn’t right. Kresley Cole is one of my absolute favorite authors, but I wasn’t into her Gamer Maker series.

Contains graphic sex scenes.

Frequent foul language.

1st person past tense from Cara and Connor.

Errors: Very frequent issues with dialogue formatting – not capitalizing and separating action sequences, 1 wrong word, 1 missing word, and 1 missing space between words. So not awful.

366 Pages

$4.99 at Amazon and part of Kindle Unlimited.

3 star reads, Alien Romance, Aliens That Look Like Aliens, Erotic Sex Scenes, Review

Her Alien Starbreaker, Treasures of Trillume Book 0 – Sky Robert

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Her Alien Starbreaker
Treasures of Trillume Book 0
Sky Robert

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Truly alien aliens romance

Blurb:

There’s a threat to the Trillume Universe and the “cure” may just be the beginning of the end.

Commander Yueril of the Galactic Authority was on a mission that he never expected to return from, all in the name of protecting the universe against the Solungors, an invasive species destroying every planet they touch. Though, when he arrives at the outlaw planet Delta-Fal, he comes across someone he least expected to meet, a mate that makes his instincts scream to protect her, but she may just be the one protecting him.

Hazel is snatched from her home planet Estreldez by the krelis horde that seeks to invade her planet, but when she arrives to be sold off to slavers, one takes pity on her and sneaks her off ship, only to find herself trapped on an outlaw planet with no one willing to help her now that she holds the mark of the Birds of Zorn.

For those of you monster fudgers that love something different and like your aliens more alien than human, this spicy romance is for you. The trill are a reptilian species with sharp teeth, scales, fancy equipment, and exceptionally playful tails. There’s a bit of a breeding kink, but there is no “oops I’m preggers”, none of that in these pages. Fated mates, mating marks, biting, tail play, knotting, and even a bit of exhibitionism. All the fun stuff.

This is a standalone alien romance spice that will have you curling your toes, and a fascinating universe that unravels the more books you read in the Trillume Universe. No, you do not have to read any other book before reading this one, in fact, this book takes place before every other book I’ve written in the universe so far!

I love aliens that are truly alien, not just humans with a different skin tone or any other equally subtle change. But I do now know that I prefer one of the main characters to be human so I can more easily relate to the narrative. I was so confused by this that I didn’t know the sex of the narrator until near the end of the first chapter. I was intrigued enough to continue reading, but my confusion remained high throughout. Frequent errors in the text didn’t help matters.

I didn’t feel like I really got to know the characters because I had no human filter to view them through. The graphic scenes were interesting but not overly stimulating for the same reason.

Contains graphic sex scenes.

1st person past tense from Hazel and Yueril.

Errors: Too many to count. Misspelled, wrong, extra, and missing words. Sudden changes in tense. It wasn’t unreadable.

204 Pages

$3.99 at Amazon.

Free copy provided by BookSirens for honest review.

4 star reads, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Sex Scenes, New Adult, Review

Vixens and Vipers, Greywood Legionaries: Book 2 – Rose Gravestone

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Vixens and Vipers
Greywood Legionaries: Book 2
Rose Gravestone

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Cathartic daydream of justice for RTC victims

Blurb:

Desire is my downfall. Vengeance is my weapon. And trusting him could be my ruin…

Vengeance fuels me, desire tempts me, and trusting him could be my greatest mistake…

Greywood University was never meant for someone like me. Getting in was a miracle; surviving premed unnoticed was the plan, but life had other ideas.

A lawyer approaches me with an astonishing offer to lead a lawsuit that could dismantle some of the most corrupt corporations in the country. Saying yes could change everything—saying no would mean forfeiting the justice stolen from me years ago.

Then there’s Seamus. The most dangerous student on campus, he’s feared and worshipped in equal measure. His voice is silk, his smile sunlight, but beneath the golden veneer lurks darkness. Seamus is part of a vigilante legion that thrives on chaos and wreaks havoc. He says he wants something real with me, but I know better. Falling for him isn’t just reckless—it could be deadly.

When a demon from my past resurfaces, threatening to drag me back into the life I barely escaped, the pressure around me builds. The walls close in. Yet every time I teeter on the edge of a breakdown, Seamus is there, promising I’m worth fighting for.

As the ghosts of my past collide with my present, I’m left with only one option. I give myself to Seamus, trusting his protection…

… even as I question if he’s the mistake that’ll cost me everything.

I love “The Beekeeper” movie and recommend it to anyone who has been scammed. This reminded me of that, a cathartic daydream of justice and revenge for victims of RTCs (Residential Treatment Centers) – horrific forced “rehabilitation” of “out of control” teens. We discover in the ending Author’s Note that Rose was trapped in one of these for most of her young adult life. I felt that in the realistic emotional journey of the FMC, Valerie.

My only previous knowledge of RTC’s was years ago, watching Dr. Phil shows where teens were often “transported” (kidnapped) and forced into vans heading to these places while tearfully begging and/or threatening their parents. So midway through this novel, I watched the documentary “The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping”. It was eye opening and horrifying.

I hope there are other cathartic release books without BDSM and explicit content for those who don’t enjoy reading these things. But this content did bring notice to the topic from me, someone who didn’t have much knowledge of it before.

Trigger Warning given at the beginning of the book:

Please be advised that this book contains some dark and triggering content. If any of the following triggers bother you, this book probably isn’t a good fit for your library.-Mentions and depictions of the abuses that take place at Residential Treatment Centers (RTC’s).-Obsessive anti-hero.-Mentions of sex trafficking (not perpetrated between MCs).-On-page depictions of anorexia nervosa.-On-page depictions of reactive attachment disorder (RAD).-Gun fights, knife fights, and gore. Seamus is a character with questionable morals and a skewed perspective of the world. Valerie has endured intense emotional traumas and struggles on a daily basis because of her past. Only proceed if you enjoy your MMC’s morally grey.

This contains explicit scenes of consensual BDSM. But I would not call it hard core. I’m not a frequent reader of this content, having wound up here because I liked the first book in the series. Book 2 focuses on two of the secondary characters in Book 1, so we get snippets of updates on the first couple.  I’m not a fan of pain, so I wasn’t excited by some of the acts depicted. But I was excited by the dialogue! And the acts didn’t bother me. They contained no degradation, which would have turned me off it.

The graphic content spiced up an otherwise terrific depiction of survival, emotional growth, and strength for Valerie. I really enjoyed this character. She’s far from perfect, which makes her realistic and relatable. Seamus is a bit less fleshed out of a character but an ideal rock for Valerie who pushes when he should and always supports. He comes up with a nickname for Valerie, which I loved:

“Valk is short for Valkyrie. Legendary female warriors known for slaying thousands of men. Seems appropriate.”

There is a lot of humor in this. Seamus is hilarious.

Valerie: I give my head a shake. “I’m… happy to see you.”

Seamus: He tilts his head to the side. “Why do you make it sound like such a surprise? I’m marvelous, I f–k like a god, and I make you smile.”

I like that these two don’t have instalove but have actually gotten to know each other a bit before feelings developed.

Valerie went through horrific abuse at a Troubled Teen Center that her mother sent her to. They have been slowly working on their relationship. While there, they broke her ankle and withheld proper medical care until she was sent to a hospital and her mother arrived. The story begins with Valerie speaking to a lawyer who is representing her case against the center.

I’m used to the disbelief of others; it’s one of the fears that was ingrained in me. After all, Wasatch staff members told me that nobody would believe me as they were abusing and neglecting me. At the time, I was a minor, and Wasatch was a reputable treatment center for troubled youth, protected under the umbrella of the Troubled Teen Industry, commonly referred to as the TTI. Their word would always be taken over mine.

The lawyer fortunately does believe her, and the case moves forward. It dregs up issues Valerie was previously fighting, including anorexia. Valerie believes she is incapable of having a serious romantic relationship because she can’t trust anyone enough. I found this storyline very believable and thoroughly enjoyed Seamus’ tempts, nudges, and fights with Valerie over it. Valerie has the chance to walk away but doesn’t take it. There is no dub-con here.

I don’t want to give spoilers, but I was thrilled at the ending. Valerie is a strong character who doesn’t require a man to save her. There is a partnership between Valerie and Seamus rather than a hero-victim dynamic.

Contains graphic sex scenes.

Frequent foul language.

1st person past tense from Valerie and Seamus.

Errors: There were a couple of contradictions in the text, frequent capitalization errors in the dialogue formatting especially towards the end, 2 misspelled words, 1 missing word, and an extra comma.

388 Pages

$4.99 at Amazon and part of Kindle Unlimited.

Received free from BookSirens for my honest review.