Review: The Outcast Prince

The Outcast Prince by Shona Husk

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



If you like stories of fae, romance, mythology, and action, this book is for you.

This is the start of a series that revolves around Annwyn, a sort of heaven/hell dimension that is inhabited by the fae. Caspian is the product of an adulterous union between the fae prince and a human female. Raised in the human world with the power to view the history of an object by touch, Caspian becomes someone who puts value on antique objects by trade while trying to keep his power a secret. Still recovering from a divorce from the woman who he didn't even share his fairy lineage with; he throws himself into work, which is where he meets Lydia.

Lydia is a strong woman raised with a family name that has earned a bit of a bad reputation. Her grandmother (who raised her) used her large house as a "mistress hotel" for some years before Lydia was born. This, of course, led to a lot of secrets and intrigue, which Lydia is hoping to avoid while grieving for her recently deceased grandmother. In order to settle the will, she must put value to the objects in the house left to her, which is where Lydia meets Caspian.

Their chemistry is sizzling and the story is completely addictive. There is fae court intrigue, secrets, and oodles of fun characters introduced along the way. I love the seamless sort of way the author introduced Lydia to the world of the fae, without having her immediately exposed. I am eager to see what comes next for the rapidly deteriorating world they live in.




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Review: Southampton Swindle (Blood Drops)

Blood Drops by Tracy Cooper-Posey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This little read was a fun way to fill in the gaps of Nathanial and Sebastian's story. They meet and are instantly aware of the draw they have for one another. Their story is a lot like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, with a lot more sizzle and way more paranormal elements. While I don't usually like historical paranormal romance, I will always make exceptions for this author. I trust that no matter what, it will be a hot and entertaining read.

Sebastian and Nathanial run into each other while running a scam on the same widow. At this point, Nathanial is already a vampire, but Sebastian is still a human running from his past. Through a series of misunderstandings and breaks in "propriety," Sebastian and Nathanial find themselves inexplicably entangled.

I love this series and would eagerly gobble up even more from this world. I can't wait to see what else the author has lined up!



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Review: Sunroper

Sunroper by Natalie J. Damschroder

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Having picked up this series at book 2, I was really eager to get my hands on more from this author. The writing style is great, the pacing is quick, and the story is addictive. This world that these books takes place is really unique and interesting, too.

This book picks up with Marley, who we were all worried about at the end of book 2. She's toughed up considerably and is now working with the most unlikely of partners. While on her mission to nullify as many possible leechers as possible, she runs into Gage. Gage is looking for his brother, who went undercover to infiltrate a group of guys who are getting high off power doled out by a rogue sun goddess. He crosses paths with Marley and is immediately ensnared.

Marley sees herself as damaged, but Gage sees her as perfection. Their reluctant love story was sweet, gritty, and real. There were a lot of characters from previous books, too, which was a nice little treat. Marley started the book so hard, I'm glad that we get a pretty good HEA out of this one. She deserved it.



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Review: Heart of the Incubus

Heart of the Incubus by Rosalie Lario

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this little paranormal read. I've not read any of the other books in this series, so all the characters were brand new to me, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment of this really well written novella.

Cresso is an incubus who has fallen in love. He also happens to be a coworker in a large scientific organization with the object of his affections. The problem, of course, is that she seems completely uninterested in him. Genevieve is a researcher with a small amount of magical gift. She was recruited for this rather hidden organization and thought it was a great time to run away from her cheating fiance and all the problems associated with it. This left a very scarred and broken woman that obviously thinks herself unable to draw the attention of one very sexy incubus.

There is some fun back and forth where both characters think they are unworthy of the other that ends in some rather explosive and sizzling scenes. There was mystery, romance, action, and some amazing chemistry. While I wasn't familiar with this author before this short story, I'll be sure to remedy that in the future. I would love to see what the author can really do with a full length installment in the series.



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Review: Dragon Awakened

Dragon Awakened by Jaime Rush

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this book really takes off from page 1 without letting up! I've read one of the short stories that takes place before these books (I think), but even that didn't prepare me for diving right into this book. You get thrown head first into the deep end of this new world of the hidden -- where dragons and magicians are real things.

Raised on fairy tale stories by her uncle, Ruby never knew anything was different about her, other than her orphan status. When she watches something unexplainable murder her Uncle, Ruby's world starts to tilt on its axis. Chasing down leads on his Uncle's murderer drags her to Cyntag. Years previous, Cyntag was just going about his duties as a sanctioned assassin when he found the child of his victims still alive in a boat. Since then (and after quitting his job) he's been duty sworn to protect her. But can it actually be possible for a romance to happen between a woman and her parent's killer? I was skeptical too, but this book completely sold me on it.

The romance is really wonderfully done, with just the right amount of sizzling scenes thrown in to keep the dragon's sensuality just right. The fighting and training made for some really hot story. I'm so sad that the book came to such an abrupt end -- I want more! There was some resolution, but I guess I should've waited until I had the whole trilogy before starting the first one. Now I've got to worry and wonder about these characters that I've grown to love.



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Review: Legend of the Highland Dragon

Legend of the Highland Dragon by Isabel Cooper

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest, I'm not usually a fan of historical paranormal romance, but since I was on a dragon kick, I figured I'd check this one out as a change from my typical reads. This was a fun little story that was a mix of romance, paranormal, and mystery. There's lots of magic and strong female characters, along with a good start to a few dragon book follow-ups.

Mina begins the book as a tough little secretary to an aging professor. One day, Stephen MacAlasdair walks into the office and turns her life upside down. Drawn into his mysterious conversation, she ends up ultimately working for him and living in his house. While I'm used to a more contemporary romance that has a few hot scenes leading up to some sort of culmination, this was certainly a book with "propriety of the times" in mind. Mina certainly can hold her own, and there is a lot of feminism that pops up along the way.

All in all, this was an interesting read, especially for the historical romance fans out there.



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Review: Caged in Bone

Caged in Bone by S.M. Reine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



These books are completely addictive. They suck you in and just won't let you go! Elise and Rylie once again joined forces in what seems like a small task, but ends up exploding to apocalyptic proportions.

Abel has gone missing and the only clue they find is a rune that indicates the ever elusive James Faulkner has been somehow involved. Rylie obtains the ruler of Dis's help (aka Elise) in a cross country search for her missing mate. Elise, of course, has an agenda of her own that is a mix of guilt, rage, and conflicted love/hate feelings that still bounce around between James and Elise.

I pretty much read these books for the heartbreaking little scenes we get between James and Elise. Every time James enters on the scene, I smile. As much as I know we should all hate James by now (especially Elise), I'm rooting for every small sign of affection between the two of them. I think I finally figured out what first drew me to this book two-some. They completely remind me of Aeon and Trevor from the Aeon Flux series. It's a tortured love/hate relationship, but you still can't help but root for a happy ending. If that brings back fond memories for you, this series can't be missed. Start from the beginning, though, because all the torture is really worth it for the moments of true happiness.

There are some truly big events that happen in this book, further progressing the storyline and pushing us towards whatever massive ending this series has in store for us. We get slightly more happiness and slightly less torment by the end of the book. It's still a gritty and awesomely action-packed read that you've come to expect from S.M. Reine, with a little ray of sunshine to keep the HEA-chasers holding on to hope. I can't wait to see where this series ends up!



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