Not Your Ex’s Hexes

Not Your Ex's Hexes by April Asher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having met Rose in the previous book in this series made me very curious how she would find her HEA, but have no fear! This book definitely delivers in both the heat and the happy ending.

Rose is floundering a bit. She spent so much time getting ready to be the next leader of the witches that when her newly powered twin gets the title, it’s taking some time to figure out what her “thing” is. Having failed at most of the things she’s tried, she takes up animal rescue (in the middle of the night) and ends up arrested, facing her sexy one night stand. Damian, a vet and half-demon, is the owner of said animals in need of rescue, and these two definitely remember each other. Unfortunately for them both, Damian has been hexed in a way that prevents him from searching for love.

Rose and Damian adorably circle around one another (and then with the smutty goodness), and it is awesome to watch. There is the additional adorable animal angle, too! With magic, attraction, and a seemingly fated love story all rolled into one - this story really had me hooked. Even the assumed bad guys end up ok in my eyes by the end of this one. If you like adorable puppies, love, smut, or any combination thereof (with magic), this is definitely a book worth reading. I can’t wait to see what happens for the other sibling when the dust settles here!

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The First Classman: West Point Tour of Duty

The First Classman: West Point Tour of Duty by Tawdra Kandle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow - this book really changed my mind about what to expect from a book revolving around pregnancy. I am obsessed with Dean and can’t wait to see where this series goes next.

Dean has his life planned out and is executing flawlessly on said plan. He is even spending time at home before heading back to West Point for his last year. It’s at a terrible party that his entire world changes. Willow is also executing on her carefully planned life - having just completed her masters abroad with plans to get her doctorate next. She’s also found herself at a terrible party while visiting friends from home before taking the next step in life. These two make what seems like random decisions that night that set them both spiraling.

Willow gets some surprising news, but has little information to inform Dean about it until he ends up in her living room seemingly by fate. Dean, it turns out, is on her dad’s football team and ended up invited for dinner. There are so many secrets, twists and turns, and magical moments that I don’t want to spoil any of it for you. Just sit back and enjoy the ride that is Dean and Willow’s love story. If you like books that melt your heart and bring back your faith in happily ever after, definitely check this one out!

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Siren’s Song

Siren's Song by Karen Chance
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In an effort to completely complete both the Dory series and the Cassie series, I ended up diving into what is referred to as a novella but is really the length of some novels. This story tells Pritkin’s side of what I previously read from Dory’s perspective. As expected, this is full of insane action, a stupid amount of mind and time jumping, and more damage than you get in a Jim Butcher novel.

Pritkin is dealing with a lot in the fallout from his having survived the most deadly curse out there from the demons. His mind, it turns out, is working through some stuff and has been sending him on sleep-magic-ing mayhem and uncovering previously covered up memories at the same time. To make matters worse, there’s been attacks, war, and just general badness going on. So roll all that together with some mind control spell cast on all his mage allies, and you get where we start here.

Pritkin ends up befriending the most random of magical characters, stumbling upon vampire drama, but ultimately doing what he does best - beating things up or blowing them up. This story is exactly what you’d expect from a Pritkin novella but, honestly, can be skipped over without any issue (as shown by me being able to read the next Cassie book then circling back here when I caught up with Dory’s story). It was nice to see how he feels about Cassie, but just ended making my head hurt with even more time jumping and memory stuff to keep straight.

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Ancient Sentinel

Ancient Sentinel by Katie Reus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was yet another short and sweet installment in this Ancients Rising series. This series has somehow convinced me that post-apocalyptic books aren’t all bad (or all zombies and marauders).

Ren has been being a good friend to Grace since he saved her from attackers. They have a wonderful relationship but they are both (unbeknownst to each other) hoping for more. Ren is hesitant to make a move because Grace very loudly swore off guys. Grace is hesitant to make a move because she doesn’t believe he could be interested in her. While Ren is a shifter, that really isn’t big news or a secret in this world where supernaturals are common enough. It takes a road trip, lots of pushing from their friends and family, and another life-or-death situation to get these two to take the leap.

The romance and wrap up happen quickly, so you get a nice HEA without much frustration in this one. I liked seeing familiar faces, getting fun banter, and some good sizzle. Overall another great, short, sweet romance.

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Hunter Avenged

Hunter Avenged by N.J. Walters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a wild and crazy ride this series has been. While you can certainly pick up any book in the series and start there, it is so satisfying to watch this group of broody boys all find their matches.

Sven is the Viking warrior we met in a previous book. He somehow manages to be a loner even after getting his family back. As part of this loner mentality, he offers to try to track down the Forgotten Brotherhood’s “person of interest” in the form of an Angel named Rivka. Rivka has been known all her life as a bit broken or at least not meeting expectation. She accepted her station as a librarian until finally getting a chance to help others in a non-book capacity. Unfortunately for her, she was a cog in a larger revenge-machine. Knowing she needed to avoid the necessary fallout from a dragon/mate situation (read the previous books), she eludes the determined Viking until an unfortunate series of events.

I guess it ends up being fortunate for them both because the recluse and the loner are a match made in… heaven? Does that still apply to the Viking? Either way, they sizzle and pop from the start. This book manages to tantalize *and* tie up loose ends of the overall series. I was very sad to see this world end but happy with all the wonderful stories along the way!

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