Months after being forced to leave his lover and mate Ari Jannsen behind, Hunter Devin settles into his role as Enforcer for the newly formed Deagan Clan under the rule of his new Alpha and best friend Tristan “Trip” Hagan. Along with Hunter’s brother Boone, their nephews, sister, and mother, Hunter finally has the family he’s always wanted, but without his little rebel Ari, his heart is incomplete.
The Hagan Clan is unable to accept the Deagan Clan’s betrayal for walking away and taking the clan’s pups with them. War looms. As both clans plan their attack, a greater enemy plots against them. But Hunter is determined to get his Ari back. Bonds are put to the test and unexpected alliances are made as Hunter and his clan set out to protect their own and end the spreading heartache.
Review
First – you MUST have read book one for this book to mean much to you.
We met Hunter and Ari in An Intrepid Trip To Love, the mates who couldn’t mate because of politics and were then separated by an evil mother and a clan war.
This book is about their back-story and their coming together.
**
Charlie Cochet has to be one of my favorite authors! She is so witty, so giddy and yet careful with her dialog. I adore her characters and find her creativity astonishing.
I was so glad to see that she didn’t keep Ari and Hunter apart for long in this book and was grateful for the back-story – it was sexy and hilarious at the same time.
The evil in this book is REALLY evil and I am looking forward to seeing more about this clan war and possibly another match with our wolf leader in the future.
It’s tough being a vampire. For one thing, there’s so much time on your hands. And for another, being undead for centuries means that you meet way too many stupid people…
Socrates Delis, since he has to be awake at night, wonders why he shouldn’t make better use of his time. So to ease his loneliness and hopefully meet a more educated group of people, he enrolls in night school at UCLA’s extension courses and quickly finds that poetry isn’t the only thing on the agenda. Somebody is killing off young gay men around town, and students are nervous. And by the way, didn’t Socrates swear off love? So why’s he finding himself attracted to his hot, human teacher?
Devin Gold loves his work. The great poets are his favorites to share with his English lit students, and while teaching, his life often seems just about perfect. But holy heck, his crazy Uncle Vince just blew into town and has even invaded Devin’s night classes, disrupting his life. Uncle Vince and Devin’s mom think they’re vampire hunters. Devin knows there’s no such thing, and has lived with the shame of their insanity all his life. Now his uncle swears that LA, even night school, is swarming with fangers.
How can Devin keep his sudden attraction to his handsome new student, Socrates, a secret? He’s not sure, but he has to try, especially since his obsessive uncle will undoubtedly insist that Socrates is a vampire. It’s tough being a sane human in La La Land…
Review
Socrates is an old vampire living in LA. He wants to be as “mortal” as possible and has always enjoyed writing, so he decides to spend some of his time at night school learning how to be a better writer.
There he meets the delicious teacher, Devin, but also runs into the crazy Ivan – a vampire hunter out for his and his friend’s heads.
Turns out there is more to Devin than just a dreamy teacher, he has connections with Ivan and Devin that could make a lot of trouble for Socrates. But that doesn’t stop the pair from connecting…
**
This really wasn’t my cup of tea. I thought I’d like it at first – Socrates is a great character – funny, clueless, sincere, sexy… but Devin is too wishy-washy and I really felt uncomfortable with the sort of love triangle that gets formed between Devin, Socrates and the mutal “ex” Lucky.
I enjoyed the dark humor but found the romance lacking and the ending… not really a HEA, maybe a HFN…
Anyhow, I give it 2.5 of 5 hearts for the character building.
You don’t greet your new boss dressed like an underage rent boy. But when Jack Horwood—ace hacker and ex-MI6 operative—opens the door to Gareth Flynn, he’s too busy to worry over details like that. And anyway, his potential new boss is his former Commanding Officer – the same guy Jack has had a crush on since he was seventeen. So he should understand, right?
When he applied for the job in Nancarrow Mining’s corporate security division, Jack had hoped for peaceful days repelling cyber attacks. Maybe a bit of corporate espionage on the side. His plans didn’t include rescuing abused children, hunting pimps, or dealing with his overly protective and hot-as-hell boss, Gareth Flynn.
Walking away is not an option. Jack never takes the easy way out. More than that, meeting Gareth raises old ghosts that Jack needs to put to rest. Rescuing kids. Taking risks. Saving the day. Jack can do all that – but deciding what to do about his attraction to Gareth isn’t the sort of cloak-and-dagger game Jack plays well. Yet Gareth, strong and smart and always on hand when needed, might be Jack’s salvation.
Review
Jack used to be under Gareth when they both served in the military. Jack got out of the military because he couldn’t hide his attraction to his officer any more. Now Gareth is out as well and went searching for and found Jack on the outside. Gareth wants Jack both as his work partner and hopefully more.
The couple quickly moves from heated attraction to attempts at consummation that get interrupted time and again.
The rest of the story is the spy/mystery stuff and I will tell you that I honestly skimmed it and wasn’t that interested in it.
I like romance and read romances. There is nothing wrong with this book – per se. But it is mostly a suspense/spy/thriller with some romantic elements thrown in. Not my cup of tea.
I thought having their sex interrupted time and again was frustrating and unnecessary – the sexual tension had been eased early on in the story and it was only “penetrative sex” that they lacked at this point. There wasn’t a lot of emotional attachment gained when they do finally get around to “doing it” and I was disappointed.
Jack tells Gareth he loves him early on in the story and then emotions and feelings are never really discussed again.
Again, this is great if you are in the mood for a spy novel – it’s like a gay James Bond! – but that wasn’t what I was looking for when I read the blurb.
The writing was excellent and the characters interesting. If you are looking for a spy novel – pick this one! If you are looking for romance – keep looking.
Blurb
Book Nine of The Vampires in America Series
Kauai, Hawaii—tropical paradise, vibrant jungle, turquoise sea… and sensuous nights that hide vampires so powerful they can change the world.
Raphael—powerful, extraordinary, arrogant. He’s been eliminating rivals and gathering allies, determined not just to survive, but to demolish the Europeans who think they can steal what he’s worked for centuries to create. In a final bid to avert a war that seems inevitable, Raphael agrees to meet an enemy he knows of old. She is formidable, wily, and not to be trusted. But in his arrogance, Raphael believes he can foil whatever treachery she has brewing.
Cynthia Leighton—Raphael’s human mate, beautiful, smart, and deadly when threatened. She doesn’t trust anyone, much less a powerful vampire claiming to want peace. So while Raphael prepares to negotiate a treaty, Cyn is preparing for the inevitable double-cross that she knows is coming. Raphael worries about saving thousands of vampire lives. She only cares about one, and she will do anything to keep him alive and in her arms.
When Cyn is proven right, when it all falls apart and Raphael’s enemies draw on ancient magic to trap him, taking him away from Cyn and out of the war, it all falls to her—to find Raphael, to save the thousands of vampires who will die if she doesn’t succeed… and to kill every single being, human or vampire, who gets in her way.
Review
This is one of my favorite m/f romance writers and this series is amazing. In a nutshell we have a very, very tough Cyn mated to the uber-alpha Raphael, the most powerful Vampire in American and possibly in America. Throughout the series we have seen Raphael’s enemies fall as his allies have taken over the various parts of North America into Mexico and Canada as leaders, each time finding their own mates, always a powerful woman.
(In one case the woman was the vampire!)
What I love about DB Reynolds is that her women are tough but still feminine and the alphaness of the vampire does not require them to fold and quaver. The sex is really hot (and plentiful!) and the action is always exciting.
Cyn and Raphael have had several novellas and this is their second full length novel. Their relationship is not usually at question, but their safety is always at risk.
In this, the ninth book in the series, Raphael is facing off against the Europeans and has been taken captured by them. Cyn and the remaining vamps have to find him and rescue him and then defeat the evil vamps.
I love that each time Cyn and Raphael come together it’s like they’ve been apart for days. They are always so hot for each other, yet caring.
The final scene is an epic battle and victory for our team… but there’s the hint of the next phase to come…
New York City’s streets are more dangerous than ever with the leaderless Order of Adrasteia and the Ikelos Coalition, a newly immerged Therian group, at war. Innocent civilians are caught in the crossfire and although the THIRDS round up more and more members of the Order in the hopes of keeping the volatile group from reorganizing, the members of the Coalition continue to escape and wreak havoc in the name of vigilante justice.
Worse yet, someone inside the THIRDS has been feeding the Coalition information. It’s up to Destructive Delta to draw out the mole and put an end to the war before anyone else gets hurt. But to get the job done, the team will have to work through the aftereffects of the Therian Youth Center bombing. A skirmish with Coalition members leads Agent Dexter J. Daley to a shocking discovery and suddenly it becomes clear that the random violence isn’t so random. There’s more going on than Dex and Sloane originally believed, and their fiery partnership is put to the test. As the case takes an explosive turn, Dex and Sloane are in danger of losing more than their relationship.
Review
Chaos in THIRDS land.
The Coalition has a mole from inside THIRDS and some Therian is killing humans. And if that isn’t enough, things inside THIRDS are in chaos as well.
Dex and Sloane are navigating their budding relationship. Sloane is trying to get the rest of his team to pull it together and leave personal business at home. Dex is trying to help Cael with his feelings for Ash. Letty and Rosa are … okay, they’re fine. Taylor is sexually harassing EVERYONE. The new guy Levi might be hooking up with Lou, and Dex has to plan for his pre-birthday-party-party. It’s a lot to deal with.
In this installment we get to see a lot of Sloane and Dex and most of it is really, deliciously, ooey and gooey. Sloane even purrs! (Wait til you read that part – so fantastic!) They seem solidly on the forward track until… well… Sloane runs … again. Dex inadvertently moves the relationship forward and Sloane isn’t prepared for it, so Sloane takes off for a bit, but eventually, with the help of Ash (of all Therians) figures out what a good thing he has in Dex.
The sex is super hot and Dex and Sloane as a couple are hilarious. (My favorite is the closet scene: “This isn’t what it looks like. I dropped some change, it rolled under the closet door, and when I went to pick it up, my clothes fell off. True story.”)
Ash has something going on in his life that is making him distance himself from Cael and Cael is heartbroken and making potentially fatal mistakes as a result.
When the dust settles and the bad guy (for the moment) is disposed of, we’re left with a cliff hanger. We’re going to have to wait til next YEAR to see what happens – that Charlie Cochet, she’s naughty!
Now, we can all probably guess the outcome, but in addition to the main worry, we also have to worry about Cael and Ash – will Ash ever figure things out and get it together enough to be with Cael?
And, really, what is going on with Calvin and Hobbs? Inquiring minds want to know.
Overall, this was a wonderful third installment to the THIRDS series and I really enjoyed it. There was lots of Therian shifting which I like, Sloane acting like a happy kitty, which I liked and some tricky spy stuff, which I like.
Audio
Mark Westfield narrates this entire series and I love his work. I think it’s great how he augments the sound for microphone or telephone etc and his delivery is great.
Admittedly, after counting down the months, then weeks, days and hours until this book came up for review, I almost convinced myself that perhaps… just perhaps, Cody Kennedy would have at least one flaw, and that maybe this book would not be what Omorphi was to me. I laugh as I write this review, because I can’t believe I even entertained the idea that he wouldn’t hit it out of the park! I simply just sit here in the dark of my bedroom, AMPED to write this review. I must begin, as one does, at the beginning. The moment I laid eyes on the cover, I was sold by Reese Dante’s intense vision of the novel. Isidore’s beautiful soul, his tragic pose, calls as hauntingly as Christy’s eyes do from the cover of Omorphi. The prologue grips you from the few pages it takes up… and explosively, the novel takes flight.
Declan and Isidore, tied to one another by common misfortune, find new life as they begin to share a life. Declan has always been strong, but wary of people due to being a “dip kid,” as he terms being the child of a diplomat. He is quick to speak his thoughts, quick to defend those he loves—his friends, his mother, and his boyfriend—and yet, he does not commit to violence unless pushed to great lengths. Isidore grows so much during the novel that it’s hard to picture him at the beginning, wishing only for the day to be over, so that the pain can stop. When Declan moves to take him in, to protect him, and when Sorcha—my gods, she’s a beautiful character and truly, goddesshood would behoove her!—when Sorcha meets him and decides the de Quirkes are not ever going to let him go, I lost my heart. To watch him bloom as Isidore begins to know a completely different life, one where he is loved and valued, where he is a part of a family that loves and cherishes one another; watching Isidore, tiny Isidore, start to shine so brightly, I swear that my eyes teared up almost every single time he laughed.
Master Kennedy, having advertised Slaying Isidore’s Dragons as a young adult Jason Bourne novel, spoke truth. It had everything I wanted from the advert: suspense, romance, action, truth, cliffhanger chapters… the works! As was expected, Kennedy crafted a balance that never tipped once in these wonderful pages, and he knew exactly where to place breathing moments. And, you know, I have to say that even knowing as I went into this book that it would end in a beginning, one where, as a beloved Doctor from Gallifrey once put it, “everybody lives!” I love the spin that Kennedy puts on things. I love how his masterful storytelling sucks you straight the characters’ world and you forget that he’s going to give you that HEA at the end. You get so lost in Declan and Isidore’s lives that you worry if Isidore’s going to be okay or if his evil dragons are going to get a win, and that though Declan fights valiantly, he will be vanquished!
Then, of course, you remember that like life, Cody Kennedy finds a way. He will bring you back to the beginning at the end, and he will remind you that though life has dark moments (that sometimes, feel like dark lifetimes), the sun will shine through, that all you have to do is fight. Hope is real, and everyone has a chance to be victorious, to slay their dragons… if you just believe, if you hold to hope, if you act.
I always include a “what I liked and didn’t like” paragraph in my reviews, and being mindful not to tell too much, I must include one here. First, there wasn’t a single word I didn’t like. Not one. That being said, on to what I did like. I loved the allusions to David and Jonathan from the Books of Samuel in The Bible. I loved the mentions of Alexander the Great and Hephaistion. I simply loved the conversation Isidore has with first Declan and then Sorcha about how to write his paper on Hephaistion without lying. I loved the intensity of the chemistry between Isidore and Declan, and I love the way that it culminated in beautiful displays of both affection and lovemaking. I loved the relationship between Declan and Sorcha. I love the description of Declan’s coming out to his parents. I loved Mike and Bobby. Heck, I even loved Professor Lowe.
Naturally, I’m going to have favorite parts. One of my favorite scenes in the entire book is Isidore defending Declan in the school cafeteria. I loved watching Declan challenge Isidore’s four half-brothers, willing to take all of them on at one time, holding Isidore behind his back in a daring, “just try to take him from me; I dare you!” move. I loved the tender moment where Declan breaks down in Isidore’s arms. I loved the gift that Declan makes for Isidore. I loved Isidore meeting Mike, and I loved Isidore protecting Caleb. And there are so many, many, many more moments that I loved.
But… now it’s over. I’ve reached the hated last page and the moment where I just don’t know what to do with myself. I guess it’s a good thing that I bought a hard copy, then. I will just pick that baby up and start an immediate re-read. After all… this is a Cody Kennedy book. Cody Kennedy books are meant to be read over and over again. Just like Nico and Caleb, and Christy and Michael before them, Declan and Isidore bring a message of hope, a message of it gets better… and really, don’t we all need a reminder every now and again that we are strong enough to weather the storm?
All I can say, in conclusion, is THANKEE, MASTER CODY!!!!! This book was well worth the wait and it was a total honor to review! Also… when is Tharros going to be released?
Blurb
Embrace the danger.
Sean Rush is an adrenaline junkie. That’s why he was in the Army, why he steals and races classic muscle cars . . . and why he can’t stay away from bad boy Ryker, a Havoc Motorcycle Club lieutenant. Fortunately, Ryker can’t seem to stay away from Sean—he’s spent the last eight months breaking into Sean’s apartment and stealing into his bed, leaving Sean physically satisfied but increasingly restless.
Sean has always avoided relationships. He likes to come and go without being controlled. And Ryker is possibly the most controlling man he’s ever known. Still, he finds that he wants more from Ryker than their silent nighttime encounters.
Then one of Sean’s thefts goes bad, and Ryker’s protective instincts kick into overdrive. He takes Sean to the Havoc compound, determined to keep him safe. But Sean’s past threatens the safety of Havoc—and everything Ryker holds dear. Worse, Ryker’s hiding secrets of his own. Soon it’s obvious that the adrenaline rush can’t keep them together anymore. But maybe love can.
Review
(from previous site)
SE Jakes has done it AGAIN. This series may even top/tie with the Hell or High Water series for me. Ryker is absolutely on par with Prophet for hot, bad ass, awesomeness… but maybe I should compare him to Mal… or Cillian… he is so bad ass that he always knows what to say and when to say it and what he does is ALMOST always right. Almost. Ryker is a SEX GOD and yet so amazingly sweet that you just want to take him home with you. He. Sends. Flowers. (Insert swoon)
Sean is another great character. He is funny, and caring, and a little crazy and vulnerable, and tough… just like a good SE Jakes character should be. He is a great friend, a neurotic lover, an adrenaline junkie and an ex-soldier who suffers from PTSD. He also is Bad. Ass. He has ninja car skills and can steal a car with one hand tied behind his back. His relationship with Ryker is sweet and funny and very, very hot, and sometimes frustrating.
The story is completely amazing. It grabbed me, threw me on the back of the bike and told me to hang on! There was literally never a slow moment or place I felt I wanted (or even could) skim. It was all vital, wonderful and riveting.
The love story is so completely satisfying and … hot. Enough said.
Jakes has added some vaguely paranormal stuff to this story that added a distinct charm and mystique to Havoc and its compound. I hope for future stories from Casey, maybe Sweet, maybe Noah – you never know right?
I totally recommend this book (and all SE Jakes books) and give this book 6 out of 5 hearts – it was that good. Really.
In a dystopian near future, New York City has become the epicenter of decadence—gambling, the flesh trade, a playground for the wealthy. And underneath? Crime, fueled by “Dead Bolt,” a destructive designer drug. This New City is where Nox Boyet leads a double life. At night, he is the Vigilante, struggling to keep the streets safe for citizens abandoned by the corrupt government and police. During the day, he works in construction and does his best to raise his adopted teenaged son, Sam.
A mysterious letter addressed to Sam brings Nox in direct contact with “model” Cade Creel, a high-end prostitute working at the Iron Butterfly Casino. Suspicion gives way to an intense attraction as dark figures from Nox’s past and the mysterious peddlers of Dead Bolt begin to descend—and put all their lives in danger. When things spin out of control, Cade is the only person Nox can trust to help him save Sam.
Review
(Book reviewed previously on this site)
Nox is a vigilante in dystopian New York after a massive flood has left the big Apple in ruins. He has a “son” that he cares about above all else and a desire for justice.
Cade is a “model”/rent boy who ends up bringing a letter to Nox’s son, Sam, and getting involved with Sam and Nox in a dangerous game where things aren’t as they seem.
The end is sort of a cliff hanger – so be warned – that hopefully leads us to the next book.
**
It took me forever to get through this book because I love Tere Michaels but I’m just not a big fan of the dystopian future storyline. So take this review with a grain of salt and here are my impressions:
1) Tere Michaels is a great writer who writes fantastic, gritty, sensual characters with a lot of depth
2) Even her secondary characters are fully developed and engaging
3) The smexy times in this story are hot – another of Michael’s skills
4) This is a little different than the previous books I’ve read by her in that it is more dark and lies more heavily on the non-romance/thriller portion of the story
5) Sometimes the story was twisty, turny and confusing to me, but it leaves a lot of potential for future segments in the series.
Audio
Jonathan Young is a new narrator for me, but he has won me over! I really, really enjoyed his narration here. He does a sweetly southern accent for Cade and a nice dark growl for Nox. He differentiates nicely the other voices as well and did a truly amazing job with the smexy scenes. Even though the story is still very dark and not exactly my cup of tea, I really enjoyed the passion in the narration and enjoyed listening to the story despite the darkness.
This narration absolutely added to my enjoyment of the story and bumps my rating up to a 4.5 of 5 hearts.
Called before the new king, Laird Artúr was shocked to see his old lover walking through the door. His anger ignites when the king commands them to mate and fortify his borders to the north. He is heartbroken when he discovers that his new mate has no recollection of their time together. Can he forgive Dainéal and let go of the past to build a future or will his resentment end what they could have before it begins?
Laird Dainéal balks at being commanded to mate, especially to a man he knows has to be insane. Despite how much Artúr insists that they have met before, Dainéal has no memory of the man. And he would have remembered a man that was so sexy he made Dainéal’s teeth ache.
Commanded by their king to establish a stronghold to the north, Artúr and Dainéal have to fight not only their past but those that want to keep them from their future. When betrayal comes from within, the bond between them may be the only thing that saves them.
Book Two: Eastern Embrace
Blurb
By the King’s Command… Daimyo Akihiro Shimada didn’t have the hatred for humans that many of his kind did. It was a known fact that humans were weak. Every dragon knew that. When the king commands him to take a human as a mate, Akihiro is instantly smitten with Isei but fully aware that he must treat his mate with gentle care, even if his gut instincts say otherwise. Isei Hironaka is a second son. He has no chance of ever being anything more than he is until he is forced to impersonate his brother at the King’s coronation ceremony. When the new king orders him to mate with a dragon, Isei is positive his ruse will be discovered. Mating to strengthen the bond between clan and clutch is one thing. Staying mated is an all together different story, especially when those around Akihiro and Isei believe dragons and humans have no business falling in love and they will do everything within their power to keep them apart.
Book Three: Southern Heat
Blurb
By the King’s Command…
Diego de la Vega is quite pleased with the king’s command to mate the dragon leader, Xavier Rodriquez. The man’s strength and bravery in battle were legendary, as were the scars that marred his massive body. But there is a vast distance between admiration and love, and despite Diego’s efforts, he’s not sure the two of them can find a middle ground.
Xavier Rodriquez is a man used to the rigors of battle and being alone to lick his wounds. Experience has taught him that the scars littering his body would disgust even the most indiscriminant of lovers. When Diego says he sees them as symbols of valor, Xavier is skeptical, growing even more so when Diego’s gorgeous ex- lover appears, claiming to want Diego back.
Trust is not an easy thing and neither is accepting a mate with all their faults. Stubbornness and the need to protect their hearts might be more dangerous to their mating than the mysterious foe bent on stealing their territory, and maybe even their lives.
Book Four: Wicked West
Blurb
By the King’s Command…
Prince Grigory Krayev is thrilled when the king mates him to a handsome dragon prince. His excitement quickly turns to uncertainty when he learns there are two of them. How could he ever hope to please two dragons that didn’t need him when they had each other?
Prince Konstantin Victorovich is angered when the king orders him to mate a human. He already has a lover. He doesn’t need another one. When he discovers just who the king wants to mate him to, Konstantin realizes he might have to rethink his objection.
Prince Mikhail Dubolazov has loved Konstantin for years, serving the man faithfully as his manservant just to be at his side. When the king orders Konstantin to mate, Mikhail sees his life slipping away. Even when his status is elevated to that of a prince, Mikhail worries he will never have what it takes to keep them.
When forces beyond their control threaten all they hold dear, they will need more than trust to keep them together. They will need the belief that only by standing with each other do they have a chance of beating a foe that works in the shadows.
Book Five: Mate Challenge
Blurb
By the King’s Command…
When the high council orders a mate challenge in his name, King Críostóir is furious. There is only one dragon he wants as his mate. But in order to have the man he’s loved for years, he’ll need to enter his own mate challenge as one of the contestants.
Trust doesn’t come easy for Kurgan. Only one man has ever held his loyalty. When a mate challenge is ordered, Kurgan is enraged until he arrives and discovers one of the contestants is the man he has had an on-again, off-again affair with, and then he is enraged. If he beats his lover then he becomes the king’s consort. If he loses, he loses the man he loves.
When an attack comes and the mate challenge canceled, the truth King Críostóir has kept from Kurgan for over twenty years is revealed. Despite the betrayal burning in Kurgan’s eyes, King Críostóir must depend on the dragon to help him save his kingdom and hope Kurgan will listen to him if they survive
Review
This is one of those “guilty pleasure” book series.
First, know that in each book the king pairs a human with a dragon (or two) and there is initially disgust by one or both at the pairing with another species. Second, the general theme of hate, insta-love, problem/separation, reunion is the same in all 5 books. Third, there are some pretty fun “differences” between human anatomy and dragon anatomy. Fourth, everyone ends up pregnant at some point.
That being said – this is a GREAT series. I LOVED it. The writing pair of Stormy Glenn and Olivia Black is an excellent one. Stormy (I think) tempers some of Olivia’s darker tendencies and Olivia seems to add some grounding to Stormy’s more fantastical nature. Both are great at hot male on male romance and so, so creative!
In book one the world is set up – sort of Medieval with a twist – where the King is magical and is protecting his boundaries by pairing up humans and dragon-shifters so that all the beings in the area will be on the same “side”. When the King mates the couple they have 24 hours to bond then they must go to their home to present a united front to their “subjects”. In this case the couple has previously met but there was a big misunderstanding and now they must see if they can find that love again.
In book two the human is not the actual leader of his people, but a stand in for his brother. He ends up being mated to the dragon and therefore the new leader by default – even though he is quite small and timid. It’s this timidity that makes his new dragon keep him sequestered away (at the advice of the evil midwife) which ultimately leads him to believe he is not good for anything and thus gets him almost killed. (This is my favorite of the series!)
Book three has a scarred battle hero mated with a gorgeous man whom the dragon has been admiring from afar for years. The dragon believes himself to be too ugly for love and the human has to show the dragon that love is more than skin-deep.
Book four is the first (and only?) menage in the series. A pair of lovers (dragons) must bond with a human. In order for the royal dragon to have his lover of many years become his mate, he must become royalty. The King makes the dragon commoner a prince, then binds the pair of dragons with a human prince. Of course the human feels like an outsider and the struggle here is for all three to accept their new roles and to truly believe that all three are necessary for the relationship to work. (This was the weakest of the series IMHO.)
Book five (hopefully not the last) is the King himself becoming mated to save the throne from being taken over. The King disguises himself as a competitor for his own hand in marriage and pairs himself with the lover he’s had over the years but never in public. When the competition gets called off after an attack, the King reveals himself to his lover and now must face whether or not his lover can accept his true status.
**
If you are a fan of shifter/insta-love/medieval type fantasy with dragons, sword fights, male pregnancy and lots and lots of sentimentality – this is the series for you. It’s very well written, well edited and though it does follow a similar trajectory in each book, there is enough of a difference to make each book well worth the read.
I highly recommend the series and give it 4.5 of 5 hearts
Thanks to his good-for-nothing brother, Andrew Hughes is up to his eyeballs in debt and needs a job fast. When a nursing position opens up in Myerson, Arizona, Andrew has no choice but to take it, despite a warning about how difficult a patient Caleb DiMartino can be. Andrew can deal with a little trouble—but Caleb’s strange family, the armed guards, and the unknown cause of Caleb’s mysterious illness may be beyond his skill set.
Landslide by Mary Calmes
For three years, paranormal courier Frank Corrigan has been working for incubus demon Cael Berith. Cael knows Frank is his mate, but Frank is pretty sure Cael doesn’t even like him, never mind want to spend the rest of his life with him, so their personal relationship is at an impasse. When Frank’s sister, Lindsey, gets bitten by a werewolf she’s sleeping with—and possibly witnesses a murder—Frank rides to her rescue. If he’s lucky, he might just save his love life too.
Review
(From Previous Site.)
Diagnosis Wolf:
Andrew is a nurse sent to the house of a shifter (not a werewolf) who has been possibly poisoned by enemies of their family. Caleb (the shifter) finds Andrew to be very attractive and it’s his protective instincts of Andrew that help him to start the recovery process. Andrew’s brother has gotten into deep water and is hoping to use Andrew’s connection to the rich DiMartino family to get out of debt. When push comes to shove, Caleb and his family manage to solve the medical mystery and defeat the bad guys (with Andrew’s help, of course.)
Landslide:
Frank is a special human, immune to most effects of paranormal power and as such acts as a liaison between the various “species”. On one mission he meets Cael, a demon of great power, who claims to be his mate. Frank doesn’t believe him and makes the poor demon wait 3 years before finally succumbing to seduction and finding true love. In the meantime they defeat some bad guys and mostly make you giggle.
**
This is the first time I’d read anything by Poppy Dennison and it was wonderful. It is a full story, richly detailed, and though it lacks the “fated mate” scenario in some shifter stories, it has enough of those elements to keep my sappy heart happy. The love was sweet and the sex was hot and the action exciting.
And then there’s Mary’s story… how can you NOT love a Mary story. Frank is hysterical. Ever the doubting Thomas, he thinks Cael (like the vegetable Kale) is “repulsed” because he’s not a twink and therefore not Cael’s type. Of course, Cael is ridiculously patient and let’s the misunderstanding go on for three years… three years! (Mary must have a thing for three years… remember Sam and Jory?!? ) But when they do get together it is sweet and sexy and very, very satisfying.
Audio
Jeff Gelder does a nice job with both narrations. The recording takes a minute to get used to, there is a vague tinny sound to it, but it kind of lends itself to the creepy nature of the stories and it blends into the background after awhile.
He didn’t do any over the top voices or any serious “acting” but he doesn’t distract from the stories themselves either and it was a nice listening experience.
I give the book a 5 of 5 hearts, the audio a 4 of 5 hearts and an overall 4.5 of 5 hearts. I highly recommend both the book and the audio version.
Blurb
