Tag: 4.5 Reviews

Review: Beyond Destiny by Georgia Lyn Hunter

Posted February 20, 2023 by Casee in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Beyond Destiny by Georgia Lyn HunterReviewer: Casee
Beyond Destiny by Georgia Lyn Hunter
Series: Fallen Guardians #8
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: December 27, 2022
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 480
Add It: Goodreads
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

Can a creature of the dark and an angel conquer a forbidden love?
As a new Guardian, bloodshed and death have become Ely’s way of life. During a skirmish, she faces off with a demon unlike any, whose sexy swagger and wicked smile throw her off her stride. Until he opens his mouth. Then she wants to kill the maddening male. Yet, every time he’s near, the draw to him is inexorable…but he’s her sworn enemy.
They call him Sicari, an assassin. Except he is something worse—a monster. Bound to a hellish existence, Nate shuns entanglements of any sort until a female who’s as lethal as the weapons she wields cracks through his armor with just a glare. Their attraction is undeniable, but they can never be. Not when his all-consuming desire for his beautiful nemesis becomes as dangerous as his need for gore and death.
As their emotions unravel and eternal heartbreak looms, both succumb to a dark passion, awakening Nate’s sinister side. With enemies closing in and time running out, Nate must sacrifice everything to protect the angel he loves. But Ely will battle the entire Dark Realm to save him, even if it means facing a fate from which there is no escape…
Another slow-burn dance in this 126k+ words enemies-to-lovers story!

Ely is an Empyrean princess who escaped her realm to Earth after her parents tried to force her to mate. It’s taken Ely time & effort to prove to her fellow Guardians that she is worthy of the job. After months in Gaia’s realm, Ely is finally gifted with her Guardian weapons. All Ely wants to do is fit in with her brethren & protect humans from an evil they don’t know exists.

Nate was left for dead as a child & his savior gave him a demon symbiont to save him. Aba had no idea when he gifted Nate with the symbiont that it would have been better if he let him die. Nate’s life is not easy, in fact it’s hell. Being bound to an archdemon in the Dark Realm, Nate is known as Sicari. Assassin, killer, demon. Then he meets Ely & she turns his world upside down.

Ely is drawn to Nate even as she’s repelled by her feelings for the demon at first. As their paths cross again and again, Ely begins to suspect that Nate is her mate even if he is not her destined mate. When Nate’s wyvern side comes out in the Dark Realm, Ely will do anything to save him, even give her own life.

The author mentioned in the Afterword that this book was long than she intended. I think it was the perfect length as we got to know Nate’s story & how Ely has been a part of his life for far longer than either of them have realized. I loved this book from the first page to the last. I can’t wait for the next book in this series!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Fallen Guardians

four-half-stars

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Review: Garrett’s Destiny by Rebecca Zanetti

Posted December 19, 2022 by Casee in Reviews | 3 Comments

Review: Garrett’s Destiny by Rebecca ZanettiReviewer: Casee
Garrett's Destiny by Rebecca Zanetti
Narrator: Mia Barron
Series: Dark Protectors #15
Also in this series: Marked (Dark Protectors, #7), Fated (Dark Protectors, #1), Claimed (Dark Protectors, #2), Hunted (Dark Protectors, #3), Consumed (Dark Protectors, #4), Provoked (Dark Protectors, #5), Marked (Dark Protectors, #7), Shadowed (Dark Protectors, #6), Vampire's Faith (Dark Protectors, #8), Demon's Mercy (Dark Protectors, #9), Alpha's Promise, Hero's Haven, Guardian's Grace, Rebel's Karma, Immortal's Honor
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: October 25, 2022
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 304
Length: 11 hours and 27 minutes
Add It: Goodreads
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Pulsing with passion, adventure, and paranormal suspense and romance, the latest novel inaward-winning and New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti’s Dark Protectors series delivers an immortal hero and a dream come true . . .
Love and danger . . .For most of his life, Vampire-Demon Garrett Kayrs, nephew of the King of the Realm, has carried a heavy mantle of responsibility with ease and control. Fate declared him heir to the throne, Fortune marked him with the power of the mysterious circle of Seven, and Chance promised more surprises to come. Nothing deterred him from his path. Until the nightmares began--agonizing dreams of having a female, the female, his mate, on the back of his motorcycle—only to have her torn away from his protection. He feels the menace around her, the danger she’s in, and he can’t rest until he finds her . . .
Duty and desire . . .Destiny Applegate bears the weight of her name with a respectful balance of fear and purpose. She has been given some direction, but not nearly enough to truly understand her duty, what she was born to do. Even as a child, she had a sense of him. The him, her mate. A dream moment or two with him that might have saved her—or possibly cursed her. So now, when he finds her, she has no choice but to jump on the back of his bike and do her best to hold on until she discovers her path—even if that means ending his.

I read this book when I first got it on NG, but didn’t review it. So I reread it. It was just as good the second time around.

Garrett Kayrs has been pulled in different directions his entire life. As the future King of the Realm, a member of the Seven, and a member of the Grizzly MC, Garrett’s loyalties are divided. When he meets Destiny Applegate, a human of all things, he is immediately drawn to her, but he doesn’t know why. For years he has been having dreams of his future mate being on the back of his bike, then trying to kill him. Destiny is as far from a murdering warrior as you can get, yet Garrett is drawn to her as he has been drawn to no other in his life.

Destiny is going to die. She has accepted it and only wants to enjoy the month she has left. When she meets Garrett, she immediately recognizes him from a dream she had years ago. He saved her from falling off a cliff at her school. Destiny has never forgotten that face & when she meets him, she wonders WTF is going on. Why did she dream of him? Was he just a figment of her imagination? When she propositions Garrett, she has nothing to lose. The tumor in her head will kill her sooner rather than later and she wants to really live and enjoy the time she has left.

When Garrett learns about Destiny’s tumor, he is convinced that his Aunt Emma, the Queen of the Realm and a doctor, can fix whatever is wrong with her. He doesn’t expect that Emma won’t be able to help. While he still hasn’t considered that Destiny is his murderous mate, he knows that he can’t let her die.

I really enjoyed Garrett & Destiny’s story. Destiny was everything that Garrett never expected. He knew that his mate would try to kill him, so he expected a warrior. Which means that he didn’t expect Destiny at all. Destiny was so sweet, the fact that she was Garrett’s mate never crossed her mind. She knows that she would never hurt him. Or would she?

I can’t wait to read Hope’s story next & I really hope she ends up with Pax. I don’t like Drake at all. I was perfectly happy when I finished the book. RZ has another hit on her hands.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Dark Protectors

four-half-stars

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Review: Shatter the Dark by Jenna Collett

Posted May 30, 2022 by Holly in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Shatter the Dark by Jenna CollettReviewer: Holly
Shatter the Dark by Jenna Collett
Series: Ever Dark Ever Deadly #4
Also in this series: Spellbound After Midnight, Wolfish Charms
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: April 16, 2021
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Point-of-View: Alternating First
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Fairytale, Fantasy
Pages: 297
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Holly's 2021 Goodreads Challenge
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

The path out of darkness lies with each other.
Liana Archer knows the kind of evil that lurks in the dark. Kidnapped by a witch and forced to leave behind her twin brother to escape, she vows to live her life with purpose even as the past haunts her nightmares. Years later, her adoptive family and her skills in weapon forgery have put her on a fresh path, until her father is thrown in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Now, she'll do anything to gain his freedom, even if it means bargaining with a beast.
A scarred and broken man, Bowen Mackenzie only wants one thing: revenge on the man responsible for his scars. It's finally within his reach when a merchant delivers the mystical blade he's been searching for. But a new plan forms when he learns the merchant's daughter forged the magical weapon.
Living together in a remote manor by the sea, Bowen gets more than he bargained for as the tempting beauty upends his cold existence. When buried secrets threaten to destroy their fragile bond, and an old enemy from Liana's past returns, he must choose between his revenge and the woman who could be his salvation.
Hansel and Gretel meets Beauty and the Beast in this exciting new retelling!

Shatter the Dark (Ever Dark, Ever Deadly #4) by Jenna Collett is a fairytale reimagining with Hansel and Gretel and Beauty and the Beast elements. This is my favorite book of the series to date and one of my favorite reads from 2021.

Liana and her twin brother were kidnapped by a witch. He sacrificed his own escape so she could get away, and then he and the witch disappeared. Liana was found and taken in by a kind family and she became a premier weapons maker. Bowen Mackenzie was one of the world’s leading adventurers until he was left scarred and broken. Now his only obsession is finding revenge against the man who is responsible for his scars. When a magical blade turns up, one that will lead him directly to his nemesis, and Bowen realizes Liana made it, he ensures she’s forced to stay with him to make another.

This is a really well-written fairytale series. Liana was such a strong character. I really loved how she overcame her past trauma and how capable she was. Although Bowen engineered her stay with him, Liana didn’t let him get away with anything. Bowen was a beast in the beginning, but watching him grow into more was sweet and adorable. They were both a little broken and scarred, but I loved the way they came to lean on one another.

There is some overlap between this book and Wolfish Charms, book 2, but I don’t believe they need to be read in order. I’m really looking forward to reading more in this series.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Ever Dark, Ever Deadly

four-half-stars

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Review: Say It’s Forever by A.L. Jackson

Posted May 16, 2022 by Casee in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Say It’s Forever by A.L. JacksonReviewer: Casee
Say It's Forever by A. L. Jackson
Narrator: Andi Arndt, Joe Arden
Series: Redemption Hills #2
Also in this series: Give Me a Reason, Promise Me Always
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: March 28, 2022
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating First
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 414
Length: 11 hours and 33 minutes
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

Jud Lawson found me stranded in the rain.
Broken down on the side of the road in a deserted neighborhood with my piece of crap car.
I wasn't looking for a hero, and definitely not one who looks like him.
An obscenely hot, mountain-of-a-man who screams danger.
But I have little choice other than climbing onto the back of his bike.

One look at Salem Aguilar, and I'm hooked.
The girl is devastation wrapped in a black, seductive bow.
A knockout.
A dream.
Turns out, she needs a job, and I need the help.
Now I have a vixen strutting around my shop, and I'm the fool who's itching to reach out and take what he can't have.

But neither of us can ignore the burning attraction.
The fire that leads to a kiss.
A kiss that has us falling into my bed.
The connection that has me wanting the one thing I'd never thought I could have again.
Because monsters like me don't deserve love.

Only Salem has a secret, too.
She's been running for years, and her past just caught up to us...

Salem Aguilar is on the run from a husband that wants her dead. After four years of running, her brother talked her into coming to Redemption Hills & starting over. To say that Salem is nervous about staying in one place is an understatement. She has been on the run for so long, it’s hard for her to stay in one place for very long. It was a rainy night when her car broke down and her knight came to the rescue. Initially she’s very wary of Jud, which isn’t surprising. She learns that not only is a he a good person, but he is a genuinely good human. That doesn’t mean she’ll take a handout, so she talks Jud into letting her work for him in his office.

Jud is tortured af. He lost the thing that meant the most to him in this world. For years he’s been waiting, hoping that his ex-wife will bring his daughter back to him. Letting Salem and her little girl into his life is something that he is very leery of, but he can’t stay away from Salem anymore than he can stop himself from loving her little girl.

I read this book when it first came out, then I listened to it on audio. Andi Arndt & Joe Arden are two of my favorite narrators, so I was really excited to listen to it. It didn’t disappoint, in fact the audio was better. I really feel that I’m not doing this book justice in this review. It’s been a minute since I read it, but I still remember that it stayed with me for days after. Salem is such a strong female character. She’s been keeping herself & her daughter safe for the last four years. Jud wants to take some of the burden off her, but she doesn’t know how to let him.

I loved Jud & Salem together. I loved being able to see Trent, Eden, Gage, & Logan. I am so excited for Logan’s book!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Redemption Hills

four-half-stars

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Review: Reckless Miles by Claire Kingsley

Posted April 18, 2022 by Casee in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: Reckless Miles by Claire KingsleyReviewer: Casee
Reckless Miles by Claire Kingsley
Narrator: Stephen Dexter, Desiree Ketchum, John Lane
Series: Miles Family #3
Also in this series: Broken Miles, Forbidden Miles
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: November 18, 2019
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Point-of-View: Alternating First
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 342
Length: 9 hours and 27 minutes
Add It: Goodreads
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

“I love being naked. Naked is awesome.” ~Cooper Miles
For Cooper Miles, life used to be an endless party. He worked hard and played harder—as often as possible. But things change—people change—and lately the party life isn’t doing it for him.
Enter Amelia Hale. Cooper doesn’t see her coming. But it isn’t every day you meet a girl in a wedding dress in a bar. A girl whose life just took a sharp left turn she wasn’t expecting.
Kissing her is totally no big deal. She’s had one hell of a day and a little kissing lesson by Cooper is bound to make her feel better. The invitation back to her hotel, however… that, he wasn’t expecting.
Saying yes to her is reckless. Not because he’s a stranger to a one-night stand. And not because she’s in a wedding dress, and the words this is my first time cross her lips.
It’s reckless because she makes him feel things he’s never felt before—big things. Nothing scares Cooper Miles. But this girl? She might be magic, and he has no idea what to do with that.
Author’s note: Cooper Miles. He’s sexy, hilarious, and deeper than you think. This former playboy has a heart as big as his personality, and when he finally falls in love, he falls HARD.
The Miles Family series is best enjoyed in order.

Cooper first meets Amelia in the local bar. She’s in a wedding dress which is the first thing Cooper notices. When they start talking, Cooper can also tell she has a good heart. He’s shocked when she propositions him with a one-night stand. Now Cooper is a good guy, but he’s not a saint. She might ask someone else and he can’t have that. So he comes up with an idea for a Coopermoon instead of the honeymoon Amelia was supposed to go on.

What starts as a one-night stand turns into something much more as the two get to know each other. Cooper is a hero that has layers. He’s funny and a little much, but his loyalty to his family is one of the best things about him. Cooper seems like such a straight-forward hero, but man, does he have layers. He will do anything to protect his family, even help his criminal father behind his family’s back. He doesn’t like hiding it, but he has to save the vineyard that is everything to him. To the family. All the while, Amelia and Cooper get closer. Amelia gets Cooper in a way that few people do. I adored them together.

Again, I love that Claire Kingsley rarely does misunderstandings and/or miscommunication. If there is any miscommunication between her characters, it is quickly cleared up. I love that about this author. There aren’t pages and pages of miscommunication. Ugh.

This book. Holy shit. This book had everything. I loved it from start to finish. LOVED IT.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Miles Family

four-half-stars

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