Publisher: Entangled

Review: Hunter Avenged by NJ Walters

Posted February 13, 2023 by Casee in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Hunter Avenged by NJ WaltersReviewer: Casee
Hunter Avenged by N.J. Walters
Series: Forgotten Brotherhood #6
Also in this series: Fury Unleashed, Arctic Bite, Ancient Desire
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Publication Date: January 16, 2023
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 344
Add It: Goodreads
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three-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

It’s taken Viking hunter Sven Knutson six frustrating months to find her. To track down the angel responsible for compromising the Forgotten Brotherhood and waking the drakon. She may be clever. Resourceful. But no one ever gets away from Sven. Ever.
All Rivka longed for as an angel was a chance to serve on Earth and help humans. Instead, it all went impossibly, horribly wrong, and she still doesn’t understand how or even why. All she knows is that she’s on the run—not only from Heaven’s dangerous elite guard, but also from the Brotherhood, who want answers.
She might just have to trust the immortal Viking whose icy blue eyes make her feel almost wickedly human. Because someone wants Rivka dead and the Brotherhood eliminated. Someone powerful enough to take on the most dangerous assassins who have ever lived. Someone who could unleash the fury of both Heaven and Hell…and Rivka is the key.
Each book in the Forgotten Brotherhood series is STANDALONE:* Fury Unleashed* Arctic Bite* Burning Ash* Bjorn Cursed* Ancient Desire* Hunter Avenged

Sven Knutson is a Viking hunter that worked for as an assassin for the goddess Freya for a millennia. After he is released from her service, he joins the Forgotten Brotherhood. The Forgotten Brotherhood is a group of assassins that police the paranormal world. If someone or something paranormal needs killing, they are the ones that do it. They only have a few rules. One is to never betray a fellow assassin & the other is to only kill people that are guilty.

Sven has been tracking an angel for six months. She’s proven to be very resourceful, but Sven always gets his man (or woman in this case). As he follows her around the globe, he starts to wonder if she’s as bad as he is being told.

Rivka was the Keeper of Angelic Records. When she’s offered a chance to leave the celestial realm & go to Earth, she is thrilled. She’s given a chance to help people with the Angel Foundation. What she doesn’t know is that she’s being used by a higher power to find psychic women. When she realizes what the foundation was doing & that the Forgotten Brotherhood is after her, she runs.

I really liked Sven & Rivka, but the book was missing something. I read it quickly, but there was just no depth to this book. It was all very surface oriented to me, if that even makes sense. There was no delving into the past & learning more about these two. It was all very much in the present. I’m not sure if I’ll read the next book in the series. There is not another character that I am interested in reading about. It’s been several weeks since I read this book & I honestly don’t remember that much about it.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Forgotten Brotherhood

three-stars


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Review: Ancient Desire by N.J. Walters

Posted November 21, 2022 by Casee in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Ancient Desire by N.J. WaltersReviewer: Casee
Ancient Desire by N.J. Walters
Series: Forgotten Brotherhood #5
Also in this series: Fury Unleashed, Arctic Bite, Hunter Avenged
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Publication Date: August 15, 2022
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 325
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Nothing was supposed to wake half dragon, half human Lucius from his Deep Sleep. Nothing. And yet something, or rather someone has. The unexpectedly attractive human not only touched him. She kissed him. Now Lucius is awake, and more powerful than he has ever been in his 4,000 years of existence. And once he finds out who led her to his cave, he’ll deal with his 300 years of hunger…
College professor Raine Carson spent her life obsessed with myths and legends. And now she’s woken one up. Only, Lucius is nothing like anything she’s ever seen or read about in her history books. Because this man is part sexy badass and part terrifying…monster. Yet she wants him with a hunger like nothing she’s ever felt before.
Lucius used to be part of the Forgotten Brotherhood—a ruthless group of paranormal assassins. Now he’s unsure if his former Brothers are their allies…or enemies. All he knows is that someone is hunting him, and Raine is just as tangled up in this mess as he is. And he’ll protect her—even if it means unleashing his Dragon and all of its power.

Ancient Desire is book five in Walters Forgotten Brotherhood series. This series follows the Forgotten Brotherhood, a group of paranormal assassins. The members of the Brotherhood have strict rules that they follow, including not harming innocents. Ancient Desire follows the story of Lucius, a drakon who went into Deep Sleep with no intention of rising. There is only one thing that can rouse a drakon from Deep Sleep: the mating call.

Raine Carson is a professor at a local college, specializing in myths and legends. When she’s offered a grant to further her research, she immediately accepts. It almost seems too good to be true when she gets a tip that there is a legit stone dragon in a cave in some remote part of somewhere. She soon learns that when it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Her guide, who is the same man that tipped her off about the dragon, blows up the cave with her inside it. Now she’s going to die in a cavern with a stone dragon for company. She has no idea that it’s no ordinary dragon. It’s a drakon–half human, half dragon.

Lucius doesn’t want to leave his Sleep. He knows that he’s too powerful to exist in the world and has no desire to be hunted. On the verge of waking, Lucius has no idea how one human woman could have woken him. At first he fully intends to stay Sleeping and let her die. Then he listens to her talk to him (she thinks he’s stone, not real) and he realizes that she has brought him something that he hasn’t had in too many years to count. Peace. He feels peaceful in her presence.

Now that he’s awake, he and Raine have to answer one question. Why her? What is so special about Raine that she was lured to the cave then trapped and left to die. Not only that, but she’s in danger now, something that Lucius can’t abide. As he becomes more and more awake, he realizes that the only thing that could have called him out of his Sleep was his mate. Mates are rare to the point of almost non-existent to drakons.

This was a fast easy read. I enjoyed Raine and how she talked to herself, her cat, the stone dragon. The woman couldn’t stop talking and it was so endearing. I loved that about her. I also loved how protective Lucius was over Raine. Although it wasn’t hard to put down, it was still an engrossing story. I can’t wait to finally get Sven’s book.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5.

Forgotten Brotherhood

four-stars


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Review: The Rogue King by Abigail Owen

Posted September 12, 2022 by Casee in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: The Rogue King by Abigail OwenReviewer: Casee
The Rogue King by Abigail Owen
Narrator: Sarah Puckett, Alexandre Steele
Series: Inferno Rising #1
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Publication Date: July 30, 2019
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 400
Length: 11 hours and 58 minutes
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Kasia Amon is a master at hiding. Who—and what—she is makes her a mark for the entire supernatural world. Especially dragon shifters. To them, she’s treasure to be taken and claimed. A golden ticket to their highest throne. But she can’t stop bursting into flames, and there’s a sexy dragon shifter in town hunting for her...
As a rogue dragon, Brand Astarot has spent his life in the dark, shunned by his own kind, concealing his true identity. Only his dangerous reputation ensures his survival. Delivering a phoenix to the feared Blood King will bring him one step closer to the revenge he's waited centuries to take. No way is he letting the feisty beauty get away.
But when Kasia sparks a white-hot need in him that’s impossible to ignore, Brand begins to form a new plan: claim her for himself…and take back his birthright.

The Rogue King is the first book I have read by Abigail Owen. I was immediately drawn into this dragon world & just gobbled up the series.

Brand Astarot has had one objective in life. Revenge against the High King that killed his family. He is a rogue dragon with allegiance to no one except himself. As a rogue mercenary, Brand gets things for people that they couldn’t get otherwise. Now he’s on the hunt for a phoenix at the behest of the Blood King. Brand will do whatever it takes to get his revenge, even if it means turning over a phoenix. Legend says that whomever mates the phoenix is the true High King.

Kasia has been in hiding with her sisters and her mother the entire five hundred years of her existence. Her mother has been training them from the day they would have to run and now that day has arrived. While taking her last breath, Kasia’s mother sends her and her sisters away, teleporting them somewhere safe and far from each other. In all of dragon history, there has never been more than one phoenix alive at a time. Now there are four. Kasia wants to stay hidden, but she’s having trouble with the powers that her mother passed onto her in death. She goes to a local paranormal clinic for help, never believing that she would be outed. Then Brand shows up and she sees the man she’s been dreaming about for more than a year.

Brand is instantly drawn to Kasia, but his mission is clear. He has to bring down the High King. If that means he has to bring Kasia to the Blood King, he will do it. It will put him that much closer to bringing down the Rotting High King.

I really, really liked Kasia. I liked her strength and resilience. She knew that Brand planned to turn her over, but she never quite lost the hope that Brand would do the right thing. I really liked the relationship between the two. The instant connection between the two was very moving. I highly enjoyed this book and immediately picked up the second book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Inferno Rising

four-stars


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Review: Arctic Bite by N.J. Walters

Posted August 22, 2022 by Casee in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Arctic Bite by N.J. WaltersReviewer: Casee
Arctic Bite by N.J. Walters
Narrator: Joe Hempel
Series: Forgotten Brotherhood #2
Also in this series: Fury Unleashed, Ancient Desire, Hunter Avenged
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Publication Date: May 18, 2020
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 400
Length: 7 hours and 56 minutes
Add It: Goodreads
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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Being immortal doesn’t mean you can’t die. It just means you’re damn hard to kill.
When Alexei Medvedev joined the Forgotten Brotherhood — paranormals hired to assassinate other paranormals — he knew it wouldn’t be a cake walk. But his next target is one of Death’s own Reapers gone rogue. For the first time since he started this gig, “damn hard to kill” feels more like “damn near impossible.”
Tracking Cassie Dobbs brings him to a remote bar in small-town Alaska, where this hot-as-hell Reaper is casually serving drinks, as if she doesn’t have a bounty on her head from Death himself. Alexei is dangerously intrigued. Everyone in the Brotherhood knows the first rule: don’t fall for your target.
But Alexei soon has bigger problems to face than an unexpected attraction. They only send assassins after those who deserve to die…or so he’s been made to believe. Now that he’s met Cassie, though, he’s not so sure.
What if everything he’s been told is a lie, and the person he’s been sent to kill is the only one who knows the truth?
Each book in the Fury Unleashed series is STANDALONE:* Fury Unleashed* Arctic Bite

The Forgotten Brotherhood is the last line of defense against paranormal creatures gone rogue. Immortals going after immortals, if you will. They only take contracts to take out immortals who deserve it. When life and death is at stake, there can be no mistakes.

Alexei Medevdev is a vampire/polar bear shifter and he is on the hunt for an immortal in Alaska. When he arrives to the

Cassie has been on the run from Death himself. As a reaper, Cassie has been around since the dawn of time, reaping souls. Eventually it becomes too much for her to bear, so she runs. Hiding in a remote town in Alaska seems like just the thing. Then Alexei shows up in her bar. She immediately knows something is off about him, but she’s not sure what. If she uses her power to sense what and who he is, it will bring the reapers down on her head. So she acts like any other mortal, though that’s the biggest lie of her life.

It doesn’t take Alexei long to realize that something is not adding up and that Cassie is not what she seems to be. It’s not long before he is protecting her, though he soon learns that she is not someone that needs protecting. While this wasn’t my favorite book in the series, I really did enjoy it. I love the world that Walters has created here. There is a mishmash of lore in this series and it’s very compelling.

Additionally, the first two covers in this series are amazing.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Forgotten Brotherhood

three-half-stars


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Review: One Night of Scandal by Elle Kennedy

Posted February 10, 2022 by Holly in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: One Night of Scandal by Elle KennedyReviewer: Holly
One Night of Scandal by Elle Kennedy
Series: After Hours #2
Also in this series: One Night of Sin
Publisher: Entangled, Entangled Brazen
Publication Date: September 8, 2014
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 230
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Holly's 2021 Goodreads Challenge
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars


A sexy category romance from Entangled's Brazen imprint...

The wrong man never felt so right...

Ex-fighter Reed Miller has been secretly lusting over his best friend’s girl for months, but he refuses to jeopardize a friendship over a woman—especially one who doesn’t like him all that much. Now that Darcy’s on the market again, it’s even more imperative to stick to his strict hands-off policy. But the sizzling attraction between them is too powerful to ignore, and once he’s had a taste of her…all bets are off.

Darcy Grant is tired of walking the straight and narrow path. She’s on the hunt for passion, and there’s no denying Reed is just the man to give it to her. Although she has no interest in dating a bad boy, and certainly not her ex’s best friend, it’s impossible not to melt beneath Reed’s skillful touch. Now it’s just a matter of setting a few ground rules—and hoping her rule-breaking, sweet-talking bad boy agrees to follow them. But if she lets Reed into her bed, does she stand a chance of keeping him out of her heart?

One Night of Scandal (After Hours #2) by Elle Kennedy features Reed, one of the owners of the club. It was obvious to everyone in One Night of Sin that Reed had a thing for his best friend AJ’s girl, Darcy. I was curious to see how that would play out here.

Reed was immediately attracted to Darcy when he met her, which was really unfortunate since she was dating his best friend and business partner, AJ, at the time. He knew the only way to protect himself was to keep distance between them. When he discovers her out with another guy one night he loses his shit..until he realizes she and AJ broke up. He knows he can’t date his best friend’s ex, but when AJ asks him to step in and lead a self-defense class at the school where Darcy teaches, he knows he’s in big trouble.

Darcy doesn’t understand why Reed is such a jerk to her, until the share a passionate kiss and the truth comes out. She and AJ realized pretty quickly that they were great friends without any chemistry, but it still seems wrong to date one of his best friends. Plus, she doesn’t think Reed is the type to commit to a relationship and she isn’t looking to get played. The passion she was missing with AJ? Yeah, she found it big time with Reed. Now if she can just keep from falling in love with him everything will be just fine…

I really felt the chemistry between Reed and Darcy. I liked that they didn’t try to hide it (for long) and they were pretty upfront about things with AJ. AJ definitely deserved sainthood for his reaction. I didn’t love the additional conflict of Darcy thinking Reed was only good for a fling and the misunderstanding at the end was a bit contrived. Reed was good to Darcy from the start, so she had no reason to keep pushing him away.

Overall this was a good story, though. I liked Darcy and Reed together, I just wish they’d communicated better.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

One Night of Sin

three-half-stars


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