Tag: book 2

Sisters of the Fire (Blood and Gold: Book 2) by Kim Wilkins

Sisters of the Fire (Blood and Gold, #2)

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Ray

Date of publication: February 5th, 2019

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Blood and Gold

The Crown of Rowan—Book 0.5

Daughters of the Storm—Book 1 (review here)

Sisters of the Fire—Book 2

Queens of the Sea—-Book 3 (expected publication date: 2019)

Where you can find Sisters of the Fire: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

An action-packed, compelling historical fantasy, from the pen of an award-winning author

The battle-scarred warrior princess Bluebell, heir to her father’s throne, is rumoured to be unkillable. So when she learns of a sword wrought specifically to slay her by the fearsome raven king, Hakon, she sets out on a journey to find it before it finds her. The sword is rumoured to be in the possession of one of her four younger sisters. But which one? Scattered as they are across the kingdoms, she sets out on a journey to find them.

Her four sisters all have their own paths to tread, the gifted magician Ash is on a journey to find a dragon that could determine her destiny. The beautiful, unhappy Rose has left her undermagician Aunt and is speeding to the aid of her daughter, Rowan, who has been lost to her. Ivy, sold into marriage for the sake of an alliance, is now set to become the ruling Duchess of Seacaster with the imminent death of her older and sick husband, and the power-hungry Willow is raising her infant child as a potential trimartyr king and training to be a warrior for the fanatical religious order Maava.

From wild rocky coastline to granite-topped tors, from bustling harbours to echoing ghost towns, from halls of kings to ancient primal woodlands, this story follows five sisters upon whose actions kingdoms will rise and fall.

My review:

Sisters of the Fire takes place 4 years after the ending of Daughters of the Storm. Each of the princesses has gone to different lives. Bluebell hasn’t changed much from the last book. She is charged with protecting the kingdom and she takes that seriously. After a battle that ends with a randerman raider held captive, Bluebell learns something interesting. She learns that one of her sisters has possession of a sword that can kill her. But which one hates her that much that they want her dead? Is it Rose? Who’s actions caused her to be separated from her daughter Rowan and live in isolation with her undermagician aunt. Or is it Ash? Ash has kept herself isolated from her sisters. She fears that the prophecy she saw in a vision will not only kill her but her sisters. Plus, she has a dragon to kill and a vision that she is determined not to come true. How about Ivy? Ivy who was the reason Rose was sent away from her daughter. Ivy, who’s scheming will end up costing her more than she thought it would. And then Willow. Meek, mousey Willow whose outer appearance doesn’t hint at the fanatic inside. Willow, who is willing to do anything to bring Maava to her father’s kingdom. Which sister will betray her?

I enjoyed reading Sisters of the Fire but it did take me a while to get into the book. The book got off to a slow start. The author had to give the background on 6 separate storylines before the book could get off the ground. She had to explain what happened to the sisters and Rowan in those 4 years. I would say that the first 30% of the book crept by for me. But, when Bluebell met with Rose, then I saw the book pick up steam. After that, the book flew. I couldn’t put it down.

If I had to have a sister that I disliked the most, it would have to be Willow. I knew that her mind wasn’t well during the first book. I mean, she heard flipping angels for crying out loud. What she morphed into in this book frightened me. She was what I call an uber fantastic. I felt so bad for her child. Look at what she put the poor thing through. She cut off eyelashes, gave the kid a bath and used a wire brush and refused to let the kid act like a child. But, what shocked me the most, was what Willow did. Even though she was bat poop crazy, I wasn’t expecting her to do what she did. I was saddened and surprised by it.

If I had to have a favorite character, it would have to be Rowan. For a small child, she was very wise. She saw what people were like. She also suffered from Rose not being there. Snowy was a good father figure but it wasn’t enough. She needed her mother. I thought her hearing the singing tree was interesting. Even more interesting was her connection to the First Folk. I wish more time had been spent explaining her time with the First Folk.

I can’t even get into all the storylines. If I did, this review would be way too long. Let me say that I thought they were amazing. I also thought that the author did a fantastic job at merging all them.

There was even a bit of romance in the book. I wasn’t expecting who the characters were (took me by surprise) but I thought it was sweet. I can’t wait to see if that romance will survive the next book.

The end of the book was good. I liked how the author took each sister and left their storyline open. The epilogue fascinated me. It left more questions than anything.

I gave Sisters of the Fire a 4-star rating. This was a good read. It did get off to a slow start but once the book got rolling, it took off. It was well written. I liked (or hated) the characters. The plotlines were intriguing. I did wish that there was more of an explanation of Rowan’s time with the First People. Other than that, I enjoyed the book.

I would give Sisters of the Fire an Adult rating. There is sex (not graphic). There is graphic violence. There is language. There are triggers. They would be the talk of child abuse. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Sisters of the Fire. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Del Ray, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Sisters of Fire.

All opinions stated in this review of Sisters of Fire are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Have you read Sisters of Fire?

Love it? 

Hate it?

Meh about it?

Let me know!!!

Illegally Yours (Laws of Attraction: Book 2) by Kate Meader

Illegally Yours (Laws of Attraction, #2)

3 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: January 22nd, 2019

Genre: Romance

Series: Laws of Attraction

Down with Love—Book 1 (review here)

Illegally Yours—Book 2

Then Came You—Book 3 (expected publication date: May 7th, 2019)

Where you can find Illegally Yours: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

Rule #1: Never fall for your client.
Rule #2: Never fall for your client’s fiercely protective, smoking hot sister-in-law.

I’m the kind of guy who believes that everyone deserves the best legal representation money can buy—which just so happens to be me, Lucas Wright. Give me your henpecked, your cuckolded, your irreconcilable differences yearning to break free! And if you’re the bad guy in your marriage, that’s cool too. Your green is as good as anyone’s.

Tell that to Trinity Jones. It’s my job to destroy her sister—the soon-to-be ex-wife of my a-hole of a client—and Trinity’s “big sis” instincts are dialed up to the max. I admire that. I admire her. But she won’t stop me from representing my client to the best of my ability.

Not even if my chemistry with Trinity is undeniable. Not even if we can’t keep our hands off each other. Not even if she injects life into a heart assumed to be long dead.

Because when faced with a choice between love and duty, the job will always win—or at least that’s what I thought before I met Trinity . . . and suddenly conflict of interest never felt so right. 

My review:

Lucas wasn’t looking for a relationship when he met Trinity. Immediately taken with her, he decided that he would charm her into going on a date with him. But that was easier said than done. Lucas is a divorce attorney who is representing Trinity’s soon to be ex-brother in law. If he started a relationship with Trinity, it would be a violation of the ethics oath that he took. The only way around that is if his client agrees to let Lucas date her. Will that happen?

Trinity was working as a whiskey sommelier. She was also happy taking care of her niece and nephew while her sister is going through a bitter divorce. She wasn’t expecting the hot British man that she is lusting after to be her soon to be ex-brother in law’s attorney.  A conflict of interest arises for her. If she dates Lucas, she will risk hurting her sister. If she doesn’t date Lucas, she could miss out. What will she do?

I was wondering who was going to be the next book in the Law of Attraction series. I had it between Grant/Aubrey or Lucas. So when I saw that it was Lucas’s story, I was interested. Lucas had caught my attention in Down with Love. I needed to read it. 

I was a little disappointed with Illegally Yours. Why was I disappointed? It didn’t deliver on the blurb. When I read the blurb, I got the sense that this was going to be a fun book. A book where the characters find themselves in situations that would make me laugh. Not the case here. The majority of the book was spent with the both of them stressed out over being together. Not to mention that individually, they each had major stress.

I did like Lucas and Trinity together as a couple, though. They were cute together. Together, they made me laugh. Their personalities meshed. They made me smile. I rooted for them too. Everything was balanced against them. I was hoping that their story would end up a happy one. I was worried at one point (after that scene with Brian).

 They also had insane chemistry together. Sparks flew when they were together. I had an inner bet going with myself about when those sparks would combust. When they did combust, it made for some pretty awesome sex. 

I liked Trinity. She put up with a lot throughout her life. Because she was biracial, she dealt with that crap (from family and general public). She dealt with crap from being a woman sommelier. She had issues with her brother in law. The depth of those issues stunned me. I wasn’t expecting it to be that, which in turn made me want to smack her sister into next Tuesday. I liked her humor with the age range. She wasn’t exactly a cougar….lol.

I thought Lucas at the beginning and middle of the book was immature. Every scene that he was in, he grated on my nerves. He had to be the center of attention. I have to keep this Amazon PC but I would call him an “Attention W***e”. Just saying.  I did feel bad for him when it was revealed what happened to Lizzie and how his childhood was. I wouldn’t go as far to say that he matured towards the end of the book but he did get better. His restraint at the end of the book made me laugh.

There were dropped storylines. Also, important elements of the storyline not talked about until almost the end of the book. Take for instance Trinity’s attacker. It affected her to the point where she had nightmares about it (years after the event). Lucas took notice when he stayed over when she was sick. Then there was no mention of it after that, even though it was mentioned a few times in the first half of the book. 

The end of Illegally Yours was bittersweet. I am glad that Lucas and Trinity got their HEA but I wished things could have been different with Lizzie. That broke my heart. The epilogue was awesome. I loved it. I also liked how the author set up for the next book!!

I gave Illegally Yours a 3-star rating. This was not my favorite book by Kate Meader. It didn’t deliver on the blurb. There were dropped plotlines. I also thought Lucas was immature. There were things I liked about the book. I liked Lucas and Trinity together as a couple. The sex scenes were hot. The ending was bittersweet. The epilogue was awesome!!

I would give Illegally Yours an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is language. There is violence. There are triggers. They would be divorce, cheating, neglect of a child and parental alienation. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book. 

I am on the fence if I would reread Illegally Yours. I am also on the fence if I would reccomend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Illegally Yours. 

All opinions stated in this review of Illegally Yours are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Have you read Illegally Yours?

Love it? 

Hate it?

Meh about it?

Let me know!!!

Can’t Stand the Heat (Welcome to Otter Tail: Book 2) by Margaret Watson

4 Stars

Publisher: Dragonfly Press

Date of publication: September 12th, 2018

Genre: Romance

Series: Welcome to Otter Tail

An Unlikely Setup—Book 1 (review here)

Can’t Stand the Heat—Book 2

Life Rewritten—Book 3 (review here)

For Baby and Me—Book 4 (review here)

Where to find Can’t Stand the Heat: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

When Walker Barnes walked into Jen Summers’ catering event, all the shame, guilt and regret for what she’d done to him in high school roared back to life. As well as the feelings she’d once had for him. 

But this Walker isn’t the shy, awkward geek from high school — he’s tough, successful, brilliant, confident… and sexy. And he hasn’t forgotten how she used him. Hasn’t forgiven her, either. This Walker is looking for payback. 

How on earth can she be falling for him all over again? 

My review:

Jen is a hardworking divorced mom of 2 who dreams of opening her own restaurant. When she sees Walker at her friend’s wedding, Jen is filled with regret and shame. What she did snowballed into something that affected 3 lives. It has haunted her for years. How can she make it right? Will there be more fallout from her actions all those years ago?

I loved this book. Honestly, I was expecting it to be a fluff book. You know, a book where the plot is forgettable and the sex is hot. Instead, I got a book with an intriguing plotline and hot sex. I was hooked from the first page.

The plotline of Can’t Stand the Heat was interesting. I thought that the author did a great job at creating a situation where paternity could be questioned. But I didn’t like how Walker made assumptions about things. He saw Nick and assumed that was his son from the first glance. All because of a grin. Then he treated Jen horribly when she got defensive when confronted. Heck, any normal woman would have acted the same way. I know I would have if an ex-fling (technically it was) came back into my life and started making claims that one of my kids were his.

I did feel for Jen. She was put in a hard situation. How does she explain to her ex that Walker might be Nick’s father? And how would she explain that to Nick? It would open up a can of worms that could backfire on her. No wonder she didn’t want to do the DNA test. I didn’t blame her one bit.

I am going to admit that I didn’t like Walker until halfway through the book. I thought he should have left well enough alone. But then came the scenes where he was looking through his mother’s album. I got teary-eyed because his regret over the past was palpable. It was at that point where I started to like him. He redeemed himself in my eyes.

I liked Jen. I thought that she was a sweetheart. Yes, she made mistakes and yes, she paid for them. But she was making an effort to try and move past them. She was a good mother. I loved the scenes where she went all mama bear on Walker. I was doing fist pumps and saying “You go, girl”.

Walker and Jen definitely had some serious chemistry going on in the book. The sexual attraction was there and was kept up until they had sex. Now, talking about the sex scenes, I was actually happy that they weren’t graphic. There is a time and a place for graphic sex scenes and I am glad the author went the less graphic route with this book.

The end of the book was emotional. I am not going to get into it. But I will say that I thought everything was handled perfectly. Also, the epilogue made me smile.

I would give Can’t Stand the Heat an Adult rating. There is sex (not graphic). There is language. There is mild violence. There are no triggers. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Can’t Stand the Heat. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review Can’t Stand the Heat.

All opinions stated in this review of Can’t Stand the Heat are mine.

The House of Fire and Rain (Firemountain Chronicles: Book 2) by Victoria Lynn Osbourne

The House of Fire and Rain (Firemountain Chronicles, #2)

4 Stars

Publisher: Azure Spider Publications

Date of publication: November 15th, 2018

Genre: Paranormal, Mystery, Thriller

Series: Firemountain Chronicles

Whispers in the Woods—book 1 (review here)

The House of Fire and Rain—Book 2

Where you can find The House of Fire and Rain: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Amazon synopsis:

Dave Dobrowski is a detective in Firemountain. Things haven’t been the same in Firemountain since Dinah Steele took down Gleebelix. Now illegal prostitutes are dying in droves. Yet the legal brothel, The House of Fire and Rain, on tribal land is immune to a curse that is killing not only working girls but their clients. Dave and his alchemical partner Jolene Anderson, race to discover why legal girls are protected why illegals are dying and discover there is more than just morality at stake.

My review

Prostitutes and their customers are dying in Firemountain. But the girls who work at The House of Fire and Rain are immune. Dave, a detective, is put on the case to discover what is exactly causing the deaths. When it is discovered that a curse is responsible, Dave must figure out why the “illegal” girls are being targeted. As the curse goes worldwide, Dave and Jolene are racing against the clock. Can they discover who or what is behind the curse? 

 When I was approached by Victoria to review The House of Fire and Rain, I immediately jumped on it. Not because I had reviewed Whispers in the Woods. It was the blurb. It caught my attention. I wanted to know why the girls at The House of Fire and Rain were immune to the curse. I wanted to know what Dave and Jolene were going to find out about the curse. So, yes, I was thrilled to be reading this book.

I liked Jolene. I thought that her backstory was heartbreaking. Unfortunately, it is only too common. But, Jolene overcame her past. She was going to school to be an alchemist and had a job that she loved. I was surprised at her connection to The House of Fire and Rain. When it was revealed what she did for her second job, I had to stop and process it. I also liked how the author worked that into the plotline. 

I didn’t know what to think about Dave. I was apathetic towards him at the beginning of the book. My initial observation was that he was weary of everything that was going on in Firemountain. But, as the book went on, my apathy towards him lessened. I actually felt bad for him, at one point in the book. I also thought that he had good instincts when it came to Lucas Dawnstar. My heart broke for him at the end of the book.

The main storyline of the book started off shortly after Dinah defeated Gleebelix in book 1. The author wasted no time in getting the plotline going. The plotline stayed fast until the middle of the book.  The plot did falter when the curse was cured but the author did a great job at getting it back on track. 

The secondary storylines were wonderfully written. They added depth to the plotline. They also gave me more background on what was going on.

I liked that the author chose to highlight what and how people view sex workers. She made some valid point about how society treats them. She also made a very valid point for legalizing prostitution.  I will say that the cleansing camps that sprung up reminded me of the concentration camps in WW2. I got shudders while reading those scenes.

I will say that I was amused by the inclusion of Kirk Cameron in the plotline. I got a couple of good giggles out of it. Actually, I didn’t put two and two together until Dave mentioned it while watching him on TV. It was light a lightbulb went off over my head…haha.

I wasn’t expecting what happened at the end of the book. I was shocked by what Jezebel did. It went against everything that I thought about her. My heart broke for Dave. For a minute there, I thought that he was going to be happy. I hope that what happen fuels his need to find out what is going on. 

The author did a fantastic job of wrapping up plotlines. She also left some plotlines open. The very end of the book made me go “Hmmm”. I can’t wait to read book 3!!!

I gave The House of Fire and Rain a 4-star rating. This was a fast moving book. It had complex characters that I connected with. I did have an issue with the plotline lagging halfway through the book. But the author did a great job picking the plotline back up again. 

I would give The House of Fire and Rain an Adult rating. There are sex and sexual situation. There is violence. There is language. There are triggers. They would be sexual abuse and rape. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book

I would reread The House of Fire and Rain. I would also reccomend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review The House of Fire and Rain.

All opinions stated in this review of The House of Fire and Rain are mine.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Have you read Keep Her Close?

Love it? 

Hate it?

Meh about it?

Let me know!!!

Rend (Riven: Book 2) by Roan Parrish

Rend (Riven, #2)

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: November 27th, 2018

Genre: Romance, LGBTQIA

Series: Riven

Riven—Book 1 (review here)

Rend—Book 2

Raze—Book 3 (expected publication date: July 2nd, 2019)

Where you can find Rend: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

After a whirlwind romance, a man with a painful past learns to trust the musician who makes him believe in happy endings.

Matt Argento knows what it feels like to be alone. After a childhood of abandonment, he never imagined someone might love him—much less someone like Rhys Nyland, who has the voice of an angel, the looks of a god, and the worship of his fans.

Matt and Rhys come from different worlds, but when they meet, their chemistry is incendiary. Their romance is unexpected, intense, and forever—at least, that’s what their vows promise. Suddenly, Matt finds himself living a life he never thought possible: safe and secure in the arms of a man who feels like home. But when Rhys leaves to go on tour for his new album, Matt finds himself haunted by the ghosts of his past.

When Rhys returns, he finds Matt twisted by doubt. But Rhys loves Matt fiercely, and he’ll go to hell and back to triumph over Matt’s fears. After secrets are revealed and desires are confessed, Rhys and Matt must learn to trust each other if they’re going to make it. That means they have to fall in love all over again—and this time, it really will be forever.

Roan Parrish’s pitch-perfect Riven novels can be read together or separately:
RIVEN | REND

My review:

Abandoned as a child, Matt is used to being alone. He has formed no lasting relationships with anyone other than his best friends, Grin and Sid. But that changes when Matt meets Rhys at a bar one night. Looking for a casual hookup, Matt finds himself heads over heels in love with Rhys. Rhys makes him feel safe and secure. Something that was missing when he was a child. But that is soon tested when Rhys, a talented musician, goes on tour. Doubt if Rhys’s will come home takes over Matt’s life. Matt’s life starts to spiral out of control during the last weeks of Rhys’s tour. Which worries friends and Rhys. Matt finally comes clean with his fears and his awful childhood. Can Rhys convince Matt that he is there forever? Can Matt overcome his past? Can Rhys convince Matt that his love is forever?

I was pretty excited to read Rend. I was wondering what the story was behind Matt and Rhys’s relationship. So when I saw that this book was about that, I didn’t even hesitate to request it. I will warn you all. This book gets off to a slow start. It creeps the first couple of chapters. Normally, I would be complaining about slow starts to books. But, in this case, it works. It lays the groundwork for Matt and Rhys’s relationship. It also showed how Matt’s childhood affected him as an adult.

I didn’t exactly like Matt when I started reading the book. Without knowing his background, he came across as needy and insecure. But, as I read the book and as I started to learn more about his background, I realized that he was a damaged person. What clued me in was how he acted when Rhys was on tour. His mental state, which was not great when Rhys was there, disintegrated to the point where he couldn’t even function. When he finally told Rhys about his childhood, my heart broke. It broke for the child he was and the damaged man that he became. What I liked is that the author didn’t have Matt’s issues go away when he told Rhys. Instead, it showed Matt working on getting mentally better with Rhys’s help.

I liked Rhys. He was so devoted to Matt. His confusion over Matt’s breakdown was sad. I do think that he should have pushed for more answers about Matt’s past. Especially since they had known each other for only 2-3 months before getting married. I didn’t agree with his reaction when Matt broke down and told him about his childhood. Leaving was the worst thing that he could have done. I did understand why he left. He needed to get his thoughts in order. I would have done the same thing. The talk that Caleb had with Rhys was blunt but true. Rhys couldn’t save everyone from themselves.

Rhys and Matt had their ups and downs in this book. There were points in the book where I wondered if their relationship was going to make it. It showed that while love is great, it is work. I loved it. It wasn’t showing a happily ever after where everything is fine. Matt had some major issues that needed work. While all was fine at the end of the book, I couldn’t help but wonder if they would stay together.

Of course, the sex was insanely hot in this book. Matt and Rhys didn’t lack sexual attraction or chemistry. Put it this way, I had to fan myself after reading some of those scenes. I will warn that some of the sex scenes are explicit.

I loved that Theo and Caleb were in this book. I was wondering if they were going to be. Theo was just as adorable in Rend as he was in Riven. I loved that he took a liking to Matt and looked out for him. I loved that Caleb was able to talk to Rhys about what was happening with Matt. The advice he gave to Rhys was blunt but true.

The end of the book was a tear-jerker. I won’t say exactly what happened but it was amazing. I felt the love!! Besides making me cry, it did make me smile too.

I gave Rend a 4-star rating. I enjoyed reading this romance. This was a gritty, darker romance that resonated with me. I came to care about the main characters. The plotlines were engaging. I did get irritated with Rhys and Matt during separate parts of the book. But, it was nothing that affected my rating of the book.

I would give Rend an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is language. There is violence. There are triggers. They would be an abandonment of a child. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Rend. I would also recommend this book to family and friends. I would include a warning about triggers.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Rend.

All opinions stated in this review of Rend are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Have you read Rend?

Love it? 

Hate it?

Meh about it?

Let me know!!!

Aaru: Hall of Hel (The Aaru Cycle: Book 2) by David Meredith

Aaru: Halls of Hel (The Aaru Cycle #2)

4 Stars

Publisher: Amazon

Date of publication: July 27th, 2018

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia

Series: The Aaru Cycle

Aaru—Book 1 (review here)

Aaru: Halls of Hel—Book 2

Where you can find Aaru: Amazon

Goodreads synopsis:

“… Let them have everything – health, food, a place to live, entertainment. They are and remain unhappy and low-spirited for the demon waits and waits…”
-Friedrich Nietzsche

Rose is a Veda.

In Elysian Industries’ virtual paradise of Aaru, that means she’s practically a goddess. She is immortal. She is powerful. A limitless paradise is hers and her friends’ to command. They are free from sickness and pain, old age and death. She should be ecstatic over her prestige and privilege, but the gilded utopia has lost its luster.

In a reality where anything can be hers with a thought, and Rose can master any skill instantly with nothing but her imagination, to what can she still aspire? She has all of eternity to fill, but what will her purpose be? Rose adores her sweet, Latin boyfriend, Franco. She loves wiling away endless immaculate days with her friends, but shouldn’t there be more to life than mere play? Also, Rose is dogged by a deep concern for her little sister, Koren, the Elysian Industries spokes-model and reality star back in the “Before” world.

Though Koren is wealthy, famous, and idolized by millions of adoring fans, her life is spinning out of control. Her parents’ marriage is on the rocks, and the boyfriend of her dreams, Jonas Perry, seems suddenly indifferent. Koren finds her celebrity increasingly isolating, her grueling work schedule exhausting, and the constant scrutiny of her personal life unwelcomed and intrusive. To top it all off, she has regular nightmares about the death of her friend, Kiku, and the still-at-large Magic Man who nearly stole away her everything.

Koren and Rose have more to fear from this quarter than they know. Magic Man’s obsession with the teenage idol has not lessened, and he is far from defeated. With vital aid from an unexpected source, his nefarious schemes to make Koren his own and to hack the Aaru mainframe are on track and moving forward. Unless the sisters can thwart his sinister designs, everyone and everything the girls hold dear could be destroyed.

My review:

I was so excited when I accepted the invitation to review this book. I will admit that I hyped up Aaru: Halls of Hel in my mind more than I should have. Usually, I get burned by the book. It ends up not being as good as I thought it would be. Not in this case. Aaru: Halls of Hel lived up to my mental hype.

Aaru: Halls of Hel takes place shortly after the events of Aaru. Rose has been made into the Arch Veda of Aaru. As she grows into the role that she was given, Rose deepens her relationship with Franco. She also becomes aware of Residents who were not allowed past the firewall because of different issues. While she is concerned about Koren, her first responsibility is Aaru and its Residents. Koren is not doing so well. She barely speaks to Rose. Her mother is cheating on her father. Her father is content to sit home and drink all day. Her boyfriend isn’t there for her and is seen stepping out with another girl. On top of it, she is having disturbing nightmares about Kiku’s death and the Magic Man’s assault. It is taking a toll on her and she is about to break. Hel is the Magic Man’s creation. Kept isolated in another computer, she is tortured and maimed. She has a dual nature. While loving and kind, she also is vicious. It is her dark nature that shows when she is in Aaru. How is Hel connected to Koren and Rose? Will Rose be able to look out for her sister and the Residents of Aaru? Will Koren reach a breaking point with her life? What is the Magic Man’s end game? And more importantly, who is the mysterious man helping him?

I was disappointed that I didn’t see as much as Rose as I did in the first book. I wanted to see more of what an Arch Veda could do in Aaru. I did like seeing her interactions with the other Vedas, though. I thought it was interesting what they could do and how much control they had over the Aaru’s landscape. I also liked reading about her relationship with Franco. I also wish that there was more interaction with Koren. But, that did come towards the end of the book.

Koren was a hot mess in this book. I felt so bad for her. She was spiraling out of control and had no safety net. I wondered as I read about her intense guilt over Kiku’s death and the Magic Man’s assault if she had received any sort of therapy for it. It seemed like Elysian Industries kept working her and turned a blind eye to what she was going through. She acted like the adult in her relationship with her parents. Which is sad for a barely 15-year-old. What I did like was how she was able to interact with Rose. Loved it!! I also got her confusion over meeting Hel. I would have been confused too.

I was a little confused when Hel was introduced. At first, I thought her chapters, which were brief, were Koren having nightmares about the Magic Man. I didn’t put two and two together until the Magic Man started interacting with Hel. He couldn’t have done that with Koren. Then I started to feel bad for Hel. What the Magic Man did to her was awful. What she was used for was awful. What she was programmed to think about Rose and Koren was frightening. Her skills were frightening. I winced at what she could do to the other Veda’s and Residents.  But, I am curious to see where her character development goes.

The Magic Man was as slimy as he was in the first book. What he did to Hel was awful. What he wants to do to Koren was as bad. I thought he got what he deserved when he was left in Mexico. But, I was also interested in his backstory. I wanted to know how he got the way he did. There were hints and I hope that more is explained in the next book.

As always, the secondary characters added more depth to the story. I will say that I thought Koren and Rose’s parents were awful in this book.

The first plotline in Aaru: Halls of Hel was the one with Rose. It showed Rose’s rise to Arch Veda. It detailed her relationship with Franco and the other Vedas. It shows her confusion about Quarantine after Dani was snatched away from her. Her relationship with Koren was also discussed even though they didn’t interact much with each other. It also showed her confusion when Hel arrived and wrecked havoc in Aaru.

The second plotline in Aaru: Halls of Hel detailed what was going on in Koren’s life. It showed how bad Koren’s life had become. She had no relationship with her mother and barely had one with her father. All she did was work. When she did decide to take a vacation, she ended up going back after a couple of days. Because of her work schedule, she wasn’t able to talk to Rose as much as she could. Her boyfriend was a huge jerk. Things did start to get better for her towards the end of the book but man, she was a mess.

The third plotline was about Hel. It showed how much she was tortured by the Magic Man. What happened to her when she was behind the firewall was horrific. Her joy at seeing Koren was heartbreaking because of what happened to make Hel react the way she did. The same went for when she saw Rose for the first time. She loved her and she hated her. All because of what the Magic Man did to her.

The secondary storylines, like the secondary characters, added depth to the story. The author did a great job at wrapping them up and incorporating them into the main storylines. I will say that I have a good idea at who Simon was, or at least who he is in Aaru.

The end of Aaru: Halls of Hel was insane. The author left all the storylines up in the air. Which in turn left it wide open for book 3. There was a twist in the plot that I did not see coming. It took me by complete surprise when Hel introduced that person in the book. I went “No way“. Then the book ended. So, yes, a bit of a cliffhanger but man, it was good.

I gave Aaru: Halls of Hel a 4-star rating. This was a fast paced book that I enjoyed reading. The characters and their situations were relatable. I will say that the twist at the end of the book took me by surprise. It left me wanting to know more.

I would give Aaru: Halls of Hel an Adult rating. There is sex and sexual situations that were not graphic. There is violence. There is language. I would suggest that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Aaru: Halls of Hel. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review Aaru: Halls of Hel.

All opinions stated in this review of Aaru: Hall of Hel are mine

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Have you read Aaru: Halls of Hel?

Love it? 

Hate it?

Meh about it?

Let me know!!!

Swagger (Milwaukee Dragons: Book 2) by Liz Lincoln

Swagger (Milwaukee Dragons, #2)

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: September 18th, 2018

Genre: Romance

Series: Milwaukee Dragons

On the Line—Book 1 (review here)

Swagger–Book 2

Where you can find Swagger: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

“Tight end,” noun: 1. a position in American football, 2. NFL star Marcus James, 3. what any hot-blooded woman can’t stop staring at every time Marcus walks by.

Bree Novak is so close to earning her Ph.D. she can taste it, but she’s supposed to be writing her dissertation, not giving lectures while her advisor slacks off. The semester gets even crazier when veteran tight end Marcus James—Bree’s celebrity crush—enrolls in her “Intro to Physics” class. The man’s even hotter in person than he looks on Sunday Night Football. So why is Bree hoping he drops out? Maybe it’s because Marcus, with his cocky smile and chiseled body, is the ultimate distraction. . . .

Drafted out of college years ago by the Milwaukee Dragons, Marcus is taking advantage of a season-ending knee injury to finish his bachelor’s degree. Plus, thanks to a required science credit, he’s also getting to know the geek goddess who teaches physics. With brains and beauty, Bree is living proof that opposites attract. She’s even kind enough to give Marcus extra help with the material, as if she didn’t have anything better to do. And the more time Marcus spends with her, the more he realizes he’s not just crushing on his teacher—he’s falling for her.

Don’t miss any of Liz Lincoln’s mouthwatering Milwaukee Dragons novels, which can be read together or separately:
ON THE LINE | SWAGGER

My review:

Let’s start this review by looking at the cover. Mmmmhmmm. That is a fine specimen of a man right there. Definitely caught my eye on NetGalley when I was browsing Loveswept’s page. My only issue with covers like this, they overshadow the book and they tweak my mental issue of the main male character. And I have the same issues when it is the female main character on the cover. But, the cover did not overshadow the book. Nope. My mental image of Marcus was as good as the cover.

I was thrilled with how the author wrote Bree’s character. To have her teaching physics classes while working on her dissertation was empowering. But, the author didn’t make it easy for Bree. She showed exactly how hard it is for a woman to break into male-dominated careers. The attitude that her advisor and father had is unfortunately commonplace everywhere. I admired Bree for the perseverance in going after her dream and achieving it. I also could relate to her.

Marcus, oh Marcus. Is it possible that he can be brought to life from the book? Because I need someone like him in my life, pronto. I loved him. I liked his restraint with Bree. Even though he was attracted to her, he was willing to be her friend. He let her call the shots in the bedroom. He realized that he loved Bree before she did, which is amazing for a romance novel. Usually, the woman has the revelation first. When he screwed up (which I didn’t think was that bad), he gave Bree space. He understood that she was under a lot of stress.

I loved the secondary characters in this book. Bree’s friends were awesome. I wish I had a friend like Reina. I loved her spunk and love of life. I was a little peeved with Bree’s male friends. They saw how she was being treated by her advisor and didn’t do anything. Well, Kevin did something and Bree reamed him a new one. I have always said that secondary were the lifeblood of the book. And these were. They added more depth and humor to the storyline.

The chemistry and sexual tension that Marcus and Bree had were insane. You could cut it with a knife. I normally don’t do cheerleader chants in my head but I did with this one. I kept chanting “Do it, do it, do it“. I wanted them to have sex so that sexual tension and chemistry could be spent. But, once they did, it surged back up. The author did a fantastic job of keeping it up and going.

The sex scenes were beyond hot. That first sex scene was insane. Marcus had Bree screaming in pleasure. I had to put my Kindle down a few times and fan myself, the sex scenes were that good.

I do want to add that I loved that CTE was discussed in this book. CTE is something serious that athletes should worry about. I loved that Matt and Cassie had a foundation set up to do research on it.

The end of the book was great. The author did a great job at ending all the secondary storylines except for the one that involved Bree and her family. I got no sense of closure. I also wish that there was an epilogue. While Marcus and Bree made up, I wanted to see if they had their HEA.

What I liked about Swagger:

A) The cover

B) Bree’s career

C) Marcus

What I disliked about Swagger:

A) Bree’s freak out

B) Bree’s advisor

C) Bree’s family

I gave Swagger a 4-star rating. This is a sexy, fun read with relatable characters. Be ready for some steamy sex scenes!!

I would give Swagger an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Swagger. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Loveswept, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Swagger.

All opinions stated in this review of Swagger are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Drawn to the Marquess (Imperfect Lords: Book 2) by Bronwen Evans

Drawn to the Marquess (Imperfect Lords, #2)

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: September 4th, 2018

Genre: Historical Romance

Series: Imperfect Lords

Addicted to the Duke – Book 1 (review here)

Drawn to the Marquess – Book 2

Attracted to the Earl – Book 3 (expected publication date: February 26th, 2019)

Where you can find Drawn to the Marquess: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Destined to go blind, a rake sets his sights on the toast of society, lighting a fire of passion that scorches the night, in this captivating novel from USA Today bestselling author Bronwen Evans.

Stephen Hornsby, the Marquess of Clevedon, has one goal: to see every exquisite thing he can before he goes blind. His greatest joy, watching a woman shuddering in the throes of passion, will be gone. But before the darkness descends, he is determined to seduce a magnificent widow, Lady Penelope Fisherton. Unfortunately, his rakish reputation has preceded him; Lady Penelope spurns his advances. Being a man who relishes a challenge, however, her reluctance adds only luster to his desire for the last beautiful sight he’ll ever see.

Considered the belle of London society, Lady Penelope was married to a scoundrel who cared for no one but himself. Now that she’s free, she wants nothing to do with love, passion, or desire—emotions that abandoned her with a cruel husband. So why does her body react when Stephen smiles? As much as she’d like to avoid the rogue, her brother-in-law wants her fortune, and he’ll kill to get it. Stephen is willing to help, but he’ll take only one thing in return: Her. In his bed.

My Review:

I love historical romance. Something about reading about love in Regency/Victorian England gets to me.  I love reading about the ton and its many rules about how a woman in Society must act. I love reading about how some women chose to either toe the line or ignore the strict rules that were set in place. I love reading about rakes and how they become reformed. I loved everything about them. Of course, there are some historical romances that I don’t like. But for the most part, they are some of my favorite books to read.

I enjoyed reading Drawn to the Marquess. What I liked the most about this book was that the characters were damaged. Stephen was going blind. Penelope was a battered wife. The author was able to take what happened to these characters and turn them into strengths. This book was nowhere as dark as the earlier book, Addicted to the Duke but it was dark enough for me.

There were things that I didn’t like about Drawn to the Marquess. I didn’t like how no one knew that Stephen had issues with his eyes. He couldn’t see anything off to the side and couldn’t see in low light. Wouldn’t that have been an issue when he was at balls? Because electricity hadn’t been invented yet and candlelight is dim. But, Penelope figured it out soon after meeting him? Didn’t make sense to me. I am sure that his mother and sisters would have noticed something. Because of what their father went through years ago. The other main thing was Penelope not telling Stephen about her husband’s death until after the Frenchman hinted about it. While I could understand her reluctance and embarrassment. But still. Stephen was working to clear her name and he finds that out. I would have been furious too.

I did connect with Penelope. I understood what she went through after her husband died. I also understood her absolute horror and disgust when she found out what he was doing. I wouldn’t have been so….restrained….in my response to that. I wanted to hug her and tell her that it wasn’t her fault. That he hid it well. But, she also annoyed me a little. As I stated above, I thought she should have been more upfront about her husband’s death to Stephen.

I liked Stephen but I also pitied him. I couldn’t imagine knowing that I was going to go blind and seeing my vision go. I understood why he wanted to experience everything. He wanted those memories of what a sunset was like before he went blind. I even understood why he didn’t tell his family about going blind. He didn’t want to put his mother or sisters through that again.

While I figured out what role Penelope had in her husband’s death about halfway through, I was still surprised by it. It wasn’t exactly what I thought. As soon as she realized what a monster her husband was, she went out to take care of it. As she should have. Those people were her responsibility and she lived for 6 years without knowing what was going on. To me, that made her a hero.

The sex scenes were fantastic. Penelope was a wildcat in bed, once she realized that she could get pleasure from it. I loved the scene where she started describing what was going on while Stephen and she were having sex. That upped the hotness factor for me (and them).

The chemistry and sexual attraction between Penelope and Stephen didn’t go away after the first time. The author kept that amped up for the entire book. Even in the epilogue, all he had to do was look at her in a certain way and her toes curled. Loved it!!!

The end of the book was great. Stephen showed such courage when he went after Penelope. I thought the scenes after everything had happened was awesome. The author did a fantastic job at ending all the storylines. One storyline, which was a minor one, got wrapped up in the epilogue. I had tears in my eyes when I realized that both Penelope and Stephen had their HEA. I am also looking forward to book 3!!

What I liked about Drawn to the Marquess:

A) Characters were relatable

B) The connection I felt with both Stephen and Penelope

C) The sex scenes!!!

What I disliked about Drawn to the Marquess:

A) Stephen not letting people sooner about his eyesight issues

B) Penelope not being truthful about her role in her husband’s death

C) Penelope’s husband (what she found out he did).

I gave Drawn to the Marquess a 4-star rating. I enjoyed reading this book. I felt a strong connection to both characters. The storyline was great and easy to follow. I did have some issues with Penelope and Stephen but that didn’t factor into my rating.

I would give Drawn to the Marquess an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is violence. There is mild language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Drawn to the Marquess. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Loveswept, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Drawn to the Marquess.

All opinions stated in this review of Drawn to the Marquess are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

The Breakup (The Jordan Brothers: Book 2) by Erin McCarthy

The Breakup (The Jordan Brothers)

3.5 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: August 28th, 2018

Genre: Romance

Series: The Jordan Brothers

The Hookup – Book 1 (review here)

The Breakup – Book 2

Where you can find The Breakup: Amazon | Barnes, and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Can two wrongs feel oh-so-right? This bride is about to find out—with the bad boy who makes an epic breakup worth her while.

Bella: I know I’m a princess. I’m used to getting what I want. But all I ever really wanted was a husband and a family. Unlike my sister, Sophie, I’ll never have a brilliant career to fall back on. So what’s a bride to do when she learns that Prince Charming is a cheating snake just a few days before her fairy-tale wedding? With my fiancé begging for another chance, the only way to save the wedding is to even things out with a little revenge sex—and local bartender Christian Jordan seems like the right man for the job.

Christian: If gorgeous Bella Bigelow thinks sleeping with me will somehow lead to happily ever after, I’m not going to turn her down. The guy she wants to marry is a jerk, and her sister is fooling around with my estranged twin brother, Cain. So what’s the problem? Besides falling for a woman who doesn’t know what she wants out of life? All I want to do is whisk her away from that church, take her to a cabin in the woods, and act out all our naughtiest fantasies. And I may just get the chance. . . .

My Review:

I enjoyed reading The Breakup. It was a book that was straight to the point. It had an easy plot to follow, likable characters and some steaming hot sex scenes. I needed to read a book like The Breakup. After some of the books I have read, it was a welcome turn of pace for me.

What is interesting about The Breakup is that it starts halfway through The Hookup. That was interesting to me because I haven’t seen too many books written that way. I got to see everything from the bar scene from Christian and Bella’s POV. It added an extra insight not only to the stress that Bella was going through but to Christian and Cain’s complex relationship.

I could not stand Bella’s fiancée. I wanted to kick him in the nads and punch him in the face. I couldn’t believe the stuff he put Bella through. The things he said to her. I felt so bad for her when she found the text messages and told Sophie why he did what he did. He tried to justify his actions to her. “Baby, you made me do it. You are boring in bed“. What the actual frick frack???? No wonder she was so insecure about sex. Then to get her parents involved? W.T.F. So, yeah, I was happy when she left him at the altar. He deserved it.

Bella and Christian had insane chemistry. Every scene that they were in was through the roof. I found myself chanting “Do it! Do it!” What made it even hotter was that Christian refused to do anything with Bella until she was single. She came to him for a “revenge screw” and he turned her down. What guy does that?? A guy who has morals. Loved it!!

When Bella and Christian finally had sex, it was explosive. I knew that certain things were coming since Bella had told Christian that she didn’t like oral sex or butt play. Him teaching her to like oral was a no-brainer. But, I was surprised that anal wasn’t touched. Maybe because it was a line that she didn’t want to cross. Who knows. What I also liked is that the sexual tension continued. It wasn’t as red-hot as the first time but it was still there.

I liked that Christian was a bit of a straight arrow. He carried incredible guilt over what happened with his brother. He felt that he was the blame for Cain’s drinking. At the same time, though, he also stood up and took responsibility for his son. I did find it interesting that they wouldn’t know if Cain or Christian was the little guy’s father. Because they were identical twins, they have identical DNA. But he decided to take the responsibility. I loved how he handled baby mama drama. He wasn’t willing to rock the boat because he was afraid that she would go for full custody.

Bella was awesome in this book. I got a strong Runaway Bride vibe from her at the beginning of the book. I understood what she was going through, relationship-wise. She didn’t want to stay because he was a jerk but he was also familiar. Her taking off right before the wedding made me go “Oh yeah” and do a fist pump. The same thing when she let loose on Christian’s baby mama. I thought she was a little innocent for Christian, as weird as that sounds. Some of her phrases made me think “Is she from the ’50s?“.

I was disappointed by the last half of The Breakup. I had a feeling something like what happened was going to happen. I did an “ugggh” when it came around. A typical romance theme that I was hoping wouldn’t be in the book.

The ending of The Breakup was your typical HEA. I liked seeing what happened with Sophie and Cain. I also wonder if there is going to be a book 3. There are a brother and a sister that need romance!!!

What I liked about The Breakup:

A) Easy to follow the plot

B) likable characters

C) steamy sex scenes

What I disliked about The Breakup:

A) Bella’s ex

B) Christian’s baby mama drama

C) The last half of the book.

I gave The Breakup a 3.5–star rating. This book was a great read. It had an easy plot to follow. It had likable characters and some steamy sex scenes. I didn’t like Bella’s ex or Christian’s baby mama. I also didn’t like the last half of the book. But, overall, a good read.

I gave The Breakup an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Breakup. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Breakup.

All opinions stated in this review of The Breakup are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Dagger’s Edge (Brute Force: Book 2) by Lora Leigh

Dagger's Edge (Brute Force #2)

2 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperback

Date of publication: August 28th, 2018

Genre: Romance, Suspense

Series: Brute Force

Collison Point – Book 1

Dagger’s Edge – Book 2

Where you can find Dagger’s Edge: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

#1 bestselling author Lora Leigh is back–with a vengeance–in her latest novel of passion and intrigue, Dagger’s Edge, featuring the men of Brute Force. 

Ivan Resnova wants nothing more than to escape his hard, brutal past. Starting over is not so easy once you’ve been a powerful crime boss but now, instead of being punished for his alleged crimes, Ivan fears that the one woman he can’t forget is in danger of paying the price.

Crimsyn “Syn” Delaney thought the danger she’d faced was over, and that she could resume her life. She never imagined it would return with a vengeance and throw her back into Ivan’s world. But when an attempt is made on her life, she needs Ivan more than ever to keep her safe–even if she is in danger of falling deeply and dangerously in love. . .

My review:

I have a personal goal of not DNFing any book. I like to give books a chance. Sometimes a book will start rocky and then morph into a great book. I have never been challenged to finish a book until Dagger’s Edge. I had to talk myself out of deleting this book and sending a DNF to the publishers. I had to force myself to finish this book.

Dagger’s Edge is the 2nd book in the Brute Force series. Journey (aka Crimsyn “Syn“) is on the run from her family. Being pressured to married Beauregard and to restore favor to the Queen Mother, she leaves. She runs into Ivan, who she has always had a thing for. Besides being her best friend’s father, Ivan is the one man she wanted to run to. But can she trust this dangerous man? Will he be able to protect her?

When a book leaves me confused after the prologue, I know that it isn’t going to be good. That is what Dagger’s Edge did to me. Left me confused and going “What the heck is happening here” I reread the prologue to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I paged back to see if there was something before the prologue. Nothing. So I was left confused. And I stayed confused the entire book. I have a feeling that if I read book 1, then I would have a better understanding of what was going on. But I didn’t….so yeah.

That confusion trickled down to the characters and their relationships. I could not connect with Journey. At. All. She went between acting like a child and a mature woman for most of the book. She made life choices that had me questioning how she survived so long on her own. Seriously.

I respected Ivan but I didn’t like him. He rubbed me the wrong way. I did think at one point “He must have a lonely life.” So when he went all in with Journey, it didn’t fit in with the image that was projected.

There was sexual tension between Journey and Ivan. What I liked is that the author was able to keep the level of sexual tension for the entire book. There was no dip. It was thick in this book, which was one of the few enjoyable things in the book.

Let’s talk about sex. Journey and Ivan had a lot of sex. They were like freaking bunnies. In a van, in a plane, in a limo, the list could go on. One look and he was ripping her panties off. Which would have been great except, sex was related to pleasure/pain in every sex scene. I couldn’t get past it. Listen, I know a little pain is good during sex. I also know that there are people who get off on pain. But in this book, nothing was mentioned about that. It seemed like having sex was actually hurting her. To have it brought up all the time ruined the sex scenes for me.

The secondary plotline involving Journey’s family made me sick. The abuse she suffered at their hands was horrible. No wonder she took off. I don’t understand why she didn’t tell the Queen Mother?? Going with the plotline involving her family, I couldn’t understand why her cousin didn’t scoop her up like she said she could. Instead, she got bent over Ivan having her and got in his face. Which almost didn’t end too well for her.

The other storyline, which I won’t talk too much about, I saw coming from a mile away. Even with Ivan telling himself certain things, it still happened.

The end of the book was a cluster. Storylines were left wide open. I am hoping that is because the author is going to write a 3rd book. Minor things got resolved but all the major things didn’t. I was left scratching my head and going “OK” after the last chapter.

What I liked about Dagger’s Edge:

A) Ivan. Well, I respected him. Doesn’t equal to like

B) The sexual tension was kept up for the book

C) The ending. Because the book was over.

What I disliked about Dagger’s Edge:

A) Confusion while reading

B) The sex.

C) The secondary plotline

I gave Dagger’s Edge a 2-star rating. This book was a mess to read. I was confused for most of the book. Which is a turn off for me while reading. But, saving it from a 1-star review was that  I respected Ivan. Also, the sexual tension was kept up for the entire book.

I gave Dagger’s Edge an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is explicit language. There is explicit violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would not reread Dagger’s Edge. I also would not recommend this book to family and friends. I also wouldn’t read any more of this series.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperbacks, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Dagger’s Edge.

All opinions stated in this review of Dagger’s Edge are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**