Publisher: Self-Published

Review: Untamed Delights by Suzanne Wright

Posted October 2, 2023 by Casee in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Untamed Delights by Suzanne WrightReviewer: Casee
Untamed Delights by Suzanne Wright
Narrator: Jill Redfield
Series: The Phoenix Pack #8
Also in this series: Wild Hunger, Wild Hunger , Carnal Secrets , Untamed Delights , Savage Urges, Fierce Obsessions, Wild Hunger
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: July 16, 2019
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 384
Length: 13 hours and 17 minutes
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Return to the sensual and feral stirrings of the Phoenix Pack as a woman who’s already bound to one man is tempted by a wolf who’s bound only to his nightly desires. Cat shifter Mila Devereaux can’t help but see it as a betrayal. That her one true mate imprinted himself on another female was hard enough to accept. Struggling to be at peace with her loveless fate, she doesn’t fight the suggestion of entering an arranged mating. Then she meets Dominic, a pack enforcer with a notorious reputation. It’s in his very scent. This irresistible playboy―and delicious badass wolf―is making Mila’s fantasies come alive again. Alarming, compelling, and heady with sensual energy, Dominic is an expert at making women shed their inhibitions. Now everything about him―his killer smile, his perfectly sculpted body, and his smooth-as-honey voice―is drawing in a captivating new catch. But for the first time in his life, Dominic is feeling more than a fling. He finds himself tantalized by a female who makes him think of forever. He wants all of Mila and won’t be satisfied until he has it. As the passion grows wild, so does the risk. They’re falling in love in the shadows and secrets of their pasts. And it’s threatening to destroy everything Mila and Dominic are fighting for. And are destined for.

Dominic has been a prevalent character through both The Phoenix Pack and The Mercury Pack series. He’s always been a fun-loving, funny, and loveable character. I wondered who was going to tame him and Mila couldn’t have been more perfect for him.

Mila has found her true mate. Unfortunately he has imprinted on her cousin. She doesn’t want Joel, but she also doesn’t want to see Joel and Adele around the pride every day. Deciding to move to Russia and enter an arranged mating, Mila only has a few weeks left in California. Then she meets Dominic and her world is turned upside down. Mila knows that Dominic is not for her. He’s not a player, but he makes no bones about the fact that he doesn’t want commitment. Mila doesn’t want commitment either, so they decide on a no-strings attached fling.

After they get together, it doesn’t take Dominic long to realize that he doesn’t want to let Mila go. He’s sad that her true mate is out of her reach, but he’s also fiercely happy that they aren’t together. Pretty soon, Dominic and Mila are having a full-blown, strings attached, affair.

I really liked Mila in this book. She was such a strong, fierce character. I love the pallas cat shifters. They are so adorable, yet so blood-thirsty. There were a number of times where Mila shifted and kicked ass, and I loved that Dominic just let her be who she was.

Of course there were shenanigans with the human extremists. It didn’t detract from the story, it actually opened a storyline, which I really enjoyed. I honestly thought Mila was mistaken about Joel and that Dominic was her true mate. That wasn’t the case, but it really didn’t take anything away from the story of Dominic and Mila. I enjoyed both of the immensely and thought this was a fitting ending to The Phoenix Pack series.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Phoenix Pack

four-stars


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Review: Wild Hunger by Suzanne Wright

Posted September 25, 2023 by Casee in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Wild Hunger by Suzanne WrightReviewer: Casee
Wild Hunger by Suzanne Wright
Narrator: Jill Redfield
Series: The Phoenix Pack #7
Also in this series: Wild Hunger, Wild Hunger , Carnal Secrets , Untamed Delights , Savage Urges, Fierce Obsessions, Untamed Delights
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: May 29, 2018
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 320
Length: 11 hours and 1 minute
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

When half–wolf shifter Frankie Newman receives an e-mail from a family member she didn’t know existed, a secret is revealed: as a child, Frankie witnessed her father killing her mother…and then himself. Frankie was torn from her pack by her mother’s human relatives, and the trauma was erased from her memory. Realizing that she’s been lied to her entire life, she’s never felt more alone. Until she catches the scent of an old friend—warmly familiar and intoxicating.
Trick Hardy, enforcer of the Phoenix Pack, can sense the rush of mutual attraction when he sees Frankie again. He knows immediately that she’s his true mate. But he also knows that, given her fragile state, he needs to tread with care—no matter how fierce his surging desires.
As aroused as Frankie is by Trick’s darkly dominant air and simmering desire, her priority right now is her past—not her future, no matter how tempting. But as more secrets emerge and Frankie’s life is threatened, Trick must do everything he can to keep her close and safe. After all, it’s their destiny.

Frankie Newman is a half-shifter, half-human that grew up in the human world. After her father killed her mother, then himself, her grandparents took her from the pack and never let her go back. It was only after years of being fed lie after lie that Frankie finds out the truth. For years, she had no memory of her childhood. Now her shifter aunt has contact her because Frankie’s paternal grandmother is dying. She’s not sure that she wants to get involved in shifter life, even as she’s always felt like something was missing from her life.

The moment Trick sees Frankie, he knows that she is his true mate. He also knows that if he tries to claim her, she will run. He knows he has to be patient with Frankie, but as secrets about her life start coming to the forefront, Trick knows he can’t wait too much longer to claim her.

When Frankie and Trick return to the pack that she was born into, it’s readily apparent that someone wants her dead. Or at least injured. She doesn’t know who or why. What she does know is that Trick doesn’t leave her side while she’s dealing with the shitshow that has become her life. As they get closer and closer, so does Frankie’s past. The question is, can she accept what she’s always known about her parents death?

I did enjoy this book, though it wasn’t my favorite in the series. The best thing about this book was seeing the pack interact. I love being able to see the characters from previous books. Overall, I was happy with this book, but I didn’t love it.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5.

The Phoenix Pack

four-stars


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Review: Soul of the Witch by Deanna Chase

Posted September 11, 2023 by Holly in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Soul of the Witch by Deanna ChaseReviewer: Holly
Soul of the Witch by Deanna Chase
Narrator: Gabra Zackman
Series: Witches of Keating Hollow #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: March 14, 2018
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 242
Length: 6 hours and 12 minutes
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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Welcome to Keating Hollow, the village full of love, magic, and cupcakes, and where nothing is more important than family.

At age eighteen, after a potion tragically backfired, Abby Townsend left Keating Hollow and her magic behind to find redemption. Ten years later, after being summoned by her family, she’s back. As soon as she drives into town, she’s already plotting her inevitable exit, but she can’t quite escape the pull of the tightly knit magical community or the soulful gaze of the one man she’s never forgotten. And when an eight-year old witch not only leads her back to her magic, but also steals her heart, Abby’s about to learn what it means to embrace the soul of a witch.

I found this while browsing KU and decided to give it a try after reading the blurb. After an incident just before high school graduation that left her best friend dead, Abby left Keating Hollow and has spent the ten years since running from her past and her magic. When her father becomes ill she agrees to come home to help him and her sisters. Seeing “the one who got away” the second she comes into town doesn’t help her feel any better about the situation, but she can’t deny there’s a certain appeal about being back home with the people who know and love her best.

Clay was devastated when Abby left town, even though he knew why she felt she couldn’t stay. Now that she’s back home he’s having a hard time keeping away from her, but his daughter has to be his priority and he can’t risk letting her get attached to Abby when she’s made it clear she won’t stay.

As Abby works to unlock her magic and forgive herself, they both realize what they have might be enough to save them both.

This was a quick, light read. I enjoyed the town of Keating Hallow, as well as Abby and her sisters. I didn’t love that the “mystery” of what happened in the past was drug out until almost the end of the book, but I still enjoyed reading about Abby settling back in the town. I do wish we’d had more of Olive, Clay’s 8-year-old daughter. The romance was sweet and I liked the story overall.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Witches of Keating Hollow

three-half-stars


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Review: Queen of Snow by Laura Burton & Jessie Cal

Posted September 4, 2023 by Holly in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Queen of Snow by Laura Burton & Jessie CalReviewer: Holly
Queen of Snow by Laura Burton, Jessie Cal
Narrator: Emma Faye
Series: Fairy Tales Reimagined #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: March 2, 2021
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genres: Fairytale
Pages: 154
Length: 4 hours and 37 minutes
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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Before she was The Snow Queen... she was a Princess on the run.

Princess Aria has one goal: collect the mirror shards to the Mirror of Reason to create a portal that will take her far away from the Chanted Kingdom. Before The Evil Queen kills her like she did to Aria's family.

But when Jack Smith from Oxford stumbles into her life through a portal in his grandfather’s study, there’s something familiar about him. A connection so strong, she can't ignore.

Jack is not only shocked to discover that fairytales are real, but confused as to why a pirate is after him.

So, if he wants to survive in this foreign land, and return home, he needs to help Aria complete the Mirror of Reason.

But as Aria struggles to control her ice powers, something awakens inside of Jack.

As his heart stirs for the young Princess, he cannot help but wonder if he’s found his true home, after all?

Another book in this series came up as a recommended read on Kindle and I was intrigued, so I figured I’d start with the first in the series. I don’t know if I would have read it if I’d known it was YA, but I ended up enjoying it regardless, so I’m glad I didn’t know. The pacing is a little off. Sometimes it felt like a drag to get through and other times things seemed to move too fast, but the writing was good and I found myself invested in the story of Jack and Aria.

Jack gets pulled into a magical land through a mirror he finds in his grandfather’s home after he passes away. He ends up with Aria and follows her as she attempts to collect shards of the Mirror of Reason, which will act as a portal between his world and hers. She wants to get out of her world before the evil queen finds her and he wants to get home.

This is a mashup of various fairytales. I enjoyed the way the story wove around everyone. It kind of reminded me of Shrek, in the way that the fantasy characters are all together. I have to be honest, the end…wasn’t my favorite.

View Spoiler »

That aside, I liked the story enough to download the next in the series.

Rating: 3.25 out of 5.

Fairy Tales Reimagined

three-half-stars


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Review: Fierce Obsessions by Suzanne Wright

Posted August 28, 2023 by Casee in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Fierce Obsessions by Suzanne WrightReviewer: Casee
Fierce Obsessions by Suzanne Wright
Narrator: Jill Redfield
Series: The Phoenix Pack #6
Also in this series: Wild Hunger, Wild Hunger , Carnal Secrets , Untamed Delights , Savage Urges, Wild Hunger, Untamed Delights
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: June 13, 2017
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 303
Length: 10 hours and 25 minutes
Add It: Goodreads
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three-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

When raven shifter Riley Porter was given sanctuary by the Phoenix Pack, she let them believe she had left her flock. Reluctant to divulge the secrets of her past, she was still embraced as family. Only Tao Lukas, the protective and passionate Head Enforcer of the pack, was resistant to the enigmatic shifter. Until Riley started to arouse in him something other than suspicion...
Tao doesn’t trust lone shifters, especially ones so guarded - and tempting. But the sexual tension between them is making them both come undone, and vulnerable to more than desire. All Tao wants is for Riley to stay with him and to trust him with the truth of her past...
As Riley’s mysteries come to light, so does a danger that threatens not only her life but the safety of the entire pack. For Tao, keeping Riley safe means keeping her close - forever - as his mate!

I really thought I would love this book. I enjoyed Riley immensely when she was introduced in Savage Urges. I loved how Dexter and Savannah loved her. I loved how protective she was of them. I just loved everything about their relationship. I don’t know what it was that I didn’t really like. Maybe it was that Tao never particularly interested me or jumped out at me as a character that I wanted to read about. Shrugs.

Riley is a lone shifter that left her flock. She doesn’t have any dark or dirty secrets, she left the flock because she wasn’t happy. Honestly, I don’t remember that much of this book because it just wasn’t memorable. I’ve been reading some reviews on GR to try to jog my memory, but it’s not working. This is my least favorite of The Phoenix Pack series. Pretty disappointing after loving almost all the other books.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

The Phoenix Pack

three-stars


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