Happy weekend! I read five books this week. All by authors I have read previously. I have continued with the Arranged Monster Mates novella series, gone back to the beginning of the Howl's Edge Island series, and read one of Susie Tate's that has been on my TBR. I also read an ARC by Harlow James that was amazing and Lilian Harris' new release which kept me n the edge of my seat.
My dad is doing much better and I get to fly home tonight and resume all of my regular life duties and responsibilities. I look forward to the books I have planned for the next week. Have you read anything great lately? If so, give me the recs in the comments on this post. Until next week, happy reading.
Sometimes You Fall (Carrington Cove #3)
by Harlow James
ARC: Release Date- 01/17/2025
#FriendToLovers #SmallTown #SingleMom #SurprisePregnancy
#ARC
Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this
can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.
Grady is an amazing hero.
He is easily my favorite hero of the series so far. He is a little
gruff, has a loyal and fierce heart, and is an upstanding guy. Scottie is a
single mom who divorced her loser ex not too long ago. She is a good mom who is
brave and independent after years of being smothered. It takes Grady some work
to get past her walls and for her to admit he has been in her heart for a very
long time. I really appreciated his patience and his devotion to showing
Scottie that she was it for him until she believed it too. This man worked for
it. They share a hot chemistry and steamy times. I loved that they embraced the
physical relationship while they worked out the rest. I will also say that
these two are good for each other. I loved Grady’s relationship with Chase too.
He worked for that, and the epilogue was everything.
This was beautifully written, and I couldn’t put it down. I love
this series and this book was a joy to read.
Daydreamer by Susie Tate
#BrothersBestFriend #OppositesAttract #Workplace
Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this
can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA. The timeline of his book
overlaps with the timeline of Gold Digger so there is a lot of character
overlap and some scenes are overlapped/duplicated from another POV. This is my
third book by this author. Unperfect blew me away. Gold Digger was a very good
read. This one was enjoyable, though my least favorite of the three.
Lucy is a creative type of person. She does a lot of
thinking as she creates her stories which readers learn become books, making
her in international best-selling author. Felix is a cut-throat corporate type who
values action, precision, and positive cash flow.
I liked Lucy, though I felt like her entertaining a
corporate position for what was essentially socialization felt a little
farfetched. Felix, on the other hand, was really not a likeable character for
the first half of the book. I decidedly disliked the way he treats Lucy under
the guise of helping her. When he does the despicable thing that this author’s
heroes tend to do, I only felt bad for Lucy. I was very proud of her for
FINALLY taking a stand, recognizing her worth and feelings, and making the
change for a better existence for herself. I recognize that the extreme
characterization of Felix is there to demonstrate how much he grows and changes
for the better in the second half of the book. It was just tough to swallow.
Lucy makes him grovel-and he does that fairly well. She makes him prove himself and earn it as
she should. Though there are time jumps in the book that let a reader know that
the restoration/reinvention of their relationship takes time, but it feels like
it happens fast.
I loved the cast of characters, the spicy times, Lucy’s
enthusiasm, and the humor incorporated. If you like an atypical heroine and a
hero with a redemption arc, this is your book. You need it.
Filthy Savage (Savage Kings #3) by Lilian Harris
#AgeGap #CurvyGirl #FamilySeries #Mafia #SingleMom
#SurprisePregnancy #SecretBaby #RomanticSuspense
Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this
can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.
Amara and Fionn first meet when he stops her then boyfriend
from taking abuse farther and then takes care of her. Their chemistry is off
the charts from the beginning and leads to a hot ONS.
I liked Amara’s character. She is resilient. Her home life
growing up has been a nightmare. I love that she breaks away and breaks the
cycle when she discovers that she is pregnant. Fionn is consumed with finding
her. I loved his obsession. I appreciated that underneath the violence of his
life he is soft for her. When he finds her, he immediately accepts her daughter
as his own. He worships her, despite forcing her into marriage.
I couldn’t put this down. I loved Amara’s complex past. There are twists I definitely did not see coming. I loved Fionn’s passion for her and his uber-protective nature. This was a thrilling read.
Stolen by the Pack: An Omegaverse Reverse Harem Romance (Howl’s Edge Island: Omega for the Pack #1) by Layla Sparks
#Kidnapping #Paranormal #Shifter #Virgin #WhyChoose
Written in first person from multiple POV, this book one in
series can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.
Tiana (24) has grown up knot knowing about her true self.
Hidden by her parents and raised in the human world, she just believes her
parents are overprotective. When she finally rebels, it leads to consequences
she never imagined. I found her character to be somewhat immature, maybe due to
the secluded way she was raised. I also found her naïve. There are many things
most would question before she reached 24. Her character could have used more
development and perhaps this was limited by the short length of the book.
The pack, led by Grant (39), includes Tony, Wesley, and Sam.
All the male characters are underdeveloped. I would have loved to see more
about each of them and their individual relationships with Tiana outside the
physical interactions. The dialogue was
sometimes a little stilted, which I attributed to the omegaverse setting, but
maybe not. There were also several plot inconsistencies. I did enjoy the smutty
scenes (although consent is questionable at times) and readers should check the
author’s content warnings. I allowed myself to not focus on the details and
enjoyed the story. I initially started this series with book 6, so it was nice
to go back to the beginning and meet Alana’s parents.
Overall, I enjoyed the world that begins in this book, and I am excited to read more of it.
Auctioned to the Pack: Dark Why Choose Romance (Howl’s Edge Island: Omega for the Pack #2) by Layla Sparks
#Paranormal #Shifter #WhyChoose
Written in first person from multiple POV, this book two in
series can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA. The author does
recommend reading the series in publication order for the most reader enjoyment.
Keera (27) is a doctor and an omega who lives with her
controlling and abusive father. She has a dark past and the abuse at the hands
of her father is extensive. (Sensitive readers should check the author’s
content warnings and possibly reviews containing spoilers.) Her father auctions
her off at an omega auction and the Lustfur pack buys her. Jatix is the alpha,
and at 44 he has waited a long time to look for an omega to settle down with.
Readers are told he had a difficult childhood with an alpha mother, but few
details are filled in. His pack includes Darius (a Delta) and the twins Shawn
and Silas.
I liked that Jatix is enamored by Keera from their initial run-in. I appreciated that she felt comfortable with him and was her sassy self with him from the start. Like book one, I felt like that the male characters were underdeveloped. I did feel like Keera was better developed than Tiana was in book one. Darius was a character that I really liked. His protective instincts over a marshmallow heart were pretty special. The physical scenes were hot and plentiful. There were some underlying suspenseful plotlines that felt incomplete. I did enjoy the story. This is my first omegaverse series and I am finding it interesting. Like in book one, because I started with book 6, it was good to get a better understanding of Lio’s parents.
Wed to the Lich (Arranged Monster Mates #8) by Layla Fae
#ArrangedMarriage #Paranormal #FatedMates #HealingLove #Virgin
(x2) #Novella
Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this
can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.
May and Virgil’s story was a special one. Longer than most
other novellas in this series, it tackles some darker and bigger issues.
Included in the author’s content warnings are an eating disorder, body
dysmorphia, verbal abuse by a guardian and death of an animal. Sensitive
readers should consider these before reading.
May is frail and almost to the point of not surviving her
upbringing when she goes to the temple. Virgil is an ancient lich who wishes
for companionship and a happy eternity instead of the lonely existence he
currently has. He understands that most
humans view him with horror and disgust. However, May does not. I loved
Virgil’s golden retriever heart. He is so enamored and protective of May. Their
intimacy both physically and emotionally is precious. I loved how the author uses his shadow to
make the steamy times hotter. I loved that he encouraged May and helped her
heal from her past. I was a little nervous going into this one, but it turned
out to be a beautiful story.
Wed to the Bullman (Arranged Monster Mates #9)
by Eden Ember
#ArrangedMarriage #Fantasy #FatedMates #SciFi #Virgin
#Novella
Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this
can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.
Vozak is the brother of Vraikus from Wed to the Minotaur.
Agnes is the sister to Auryn from that book as well. Vozak matches Agnes through the temple. He marries his bride and brings her back to his
ranch. Vozak is the grumpy her while Agnes is the hopeful, romantic heroine. I
liked how they learn quickly to communicate with each other in the bedroom and
then in their life. They are figuring it out when Agnes is kidnapped by another
Alien group and taken to space. I will say no more about the story line itself.
This book had some issues with the writing that were not
present in the other books. It needed another proofread at best and a full edit
at worst. It felt choppy with occasional all-out errors. For example, the
person speaking has the wrong name. The entire segment that takes place in
outer space felt thrown together and felt like a battle from Star Wars. I didn’t
feel like the whole space segment was necessary at all. I skimmed a lot of this
one as it was disappointing to me. On to the next.
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