This was an OK read and quite well-written, but there was never really that much angst, and I found the heroine a tad boring. I mean, she kept talkingThis was an OK read and quite well-written, but there was never really that much angst, and I found the heroine a tad boring. I mean, she kept talking about how feisty she was, how she had to go against all her instincts to be submissive to her captor (who was a remarkably decent chap, I have to say, for the time) but I never really saw much of this supposed feistiness, and so she was rather disappointing. I skim-read some of it because it kind of meandered a bit. I'm going to give the author another chance and read another frm the series, but at this stage I am not super excited about it!...more
3.5 stars. This was a lovely story about two people I really liked. Thea had struggled with her health (asthma, by the sounds of it) as a child and alt3.5 stars. This was a lovely story about two people I really liked. Thea had struggled with her health (asthma, by the sounds of it) as a child and although quite healthy now, was considered fragile and actually doubted herself some of the time too, as she still had the occasional difficulty with breathing. She also happens to be a brilliant pianist. Gabriel was a spy who had worked for England in France. He had suffered some truly horrific experiences after he was captured, and now realises that someone is gradually knocking off his spy colleagues. He struggles to keep his distance from Thea, disappearing for over three months after their first kiss. Of course, she thinks his rejection is due to her weak constitution, or because she is not pretty enough. Or because he still loves his deceased wife. (view spoiler)[ It is more because he has dominant tendencies in the bedroom- yes, he even spanks a bit- which horrified his wife. He is worried Thea would not enjoy his sexual demands). (hide spoiler)] It's pretty soft on the kink, tbh- which is probably what I prefer!
[image]
She accidentally becomes embroiled in the murder drama when she foils an attempt to kidnap Gabriel’s son. And off we go on a mystery and romance adventure! He helps Thea to gain self-confidence and she teaches him to show affection and not be afraid of loving someone. (The relationship he finally builds with his son is especially sweet.) Yes, it is probably hackneyed and all that, but it was a fun read, with Callaway’s trademark sex-capades accompanying some nice emotional depth. I was rooting for these two all the way, and it was definitely one of the best in this series.
Merged review:
3.5 stars. This was a lovely story about two people I really liked. Thea had struggled with her health (asthma, by the sounds of it) as a child and although quite healthy now, was considered fragile and actually doubted herself some of the time too, as she still had the occasional difficulty with breathing. She also happens to be a brilliant pianist. Gabriel was a spy who had worked for England in France. He had suffered some truly horrific experiences after he was captured, and now realises that someone is gradually knocking off his spy colleagues. He struggles to keep his distance from Thea, disappearing for over three months after their first kiss. Of course, she thinks his rejection is due to her weak constitution, or because she is not pretty enough. Or because he still loves his deceased wife. (view spoiler)[ It is more because he has dominant tendencies in the bedroom- yes, he even spanks a bit- which horrified his wife. He is worried Thea would not enjoy his sexual demands). (hide spoiler)] It's pretty soft on the kink, tbh- which is probably what I prefer!
[image]
She accidentally becomes embroiled in the murder drama when she foils an attempt to kidnap Gabriel’s son. And off we go on a mystery and romance adventure! He helps Thea to gain self-confidence and she teaches him to show affection and not be afraid of loving someone. (The relationship he finally builds with his son is especially sweet.) Yes, it is probably hackneyed and all that, but it was a fun read, with Callaway’s trademark sex-capades accompanying some nice emotional depth. I was rooting for these two all the way, and it was definitely one of the best in this series....more
Just finished this after enjoying the first two in the series ( book 1 was better than 2- h had a backbone- but I liked the H more in book 2) but thisJust finished this after enjoying the first two in the series ( book 1 was better than 2- h had a backbone- but I liked the H more in book 2) but this one was SO disappointing! Mia became this pathetic loser making all the moves and H was a rich prick whose book was, frankly, a misogynistic piece of shit. Women are like DOGS? He wrote that! FFS. I was angry all the way through, waiting for Mia to really call him on it, but she became a weak apologist for all the stupid tips he wrote about getting the “hottest” girl. Making her the reason he wrote it does not excuse it, and says a lot about his true view on women. Writing a guide on how to be an arsehole while scoring is not how you get over a broken heart, especially when YOU were the one that destroyed the relationship. And the feud during high school? Ok, I will allow it when you are a teenager. But he was twenty and well out of school when he wrote the ultimate revenge-on-all-women tract. Also, a guy who is comfortable with giant framed posters and pictures of his face surrounding him? Of ads on busses where he is ringed by several beautiful women in a way that clearly states: I am the alpha and they exist just to serve me? His company, his choices. Is this how he sees the comparative roles of men and women? How does that make him a good guy and a good partner? He is just a giant narcissist. Forget about him rewriting the book. How about him begging her to forgive him for how he treated her in school? How about going public to declare the book was the product of a wounded ego and is sexist rubbish and then writing a retraction? How about Mia making HIM work for it instead of her crawling to him EVERY SINGLE TIME? On top of all that, I was sadly never convinced he loved her very much at all. Billionaire romances are not my jam, as a rule. They symbolise all that is wrong with our materialistic and selfish greed is good society. But I try to keep an open mind and look for the altruistic, caring rich guy who is all about charity and philanthropy. I guess they are just not sexy enough for most writers....more
Why won’t I read it? Because a bully can never be a hero in a romance. I can understand peer pressure that might have teens not stepping in when bullyWhy won’t I read it? Because a bully can never be a hero in a romance. I can understand peer pressure that might have teens not stepping in when bullying happens, but actively bullying a fellow student indicates an aspect of a personality that will never change. Once a bully, always a bully. Cowardly behaviour will never make a hero. And don’t get me started on the weird “bully romance” genre. Written for doormats, probably! Many of these authors are mums. Is that the relationship experience they want for their daughters? Can’t. Even....more
I could not get past 60% in this. If you want to read a book with a FMC who has zero self-respect and an MMC who is an insensitive prick with not enouI could not get past 60% in this. If you want to read a book with a FMC who has zero self-respect and an MMC who is an insensitive prick with not enough redeeming features, then this is your jam. The sex scenes made me feel so uncomfortable and were not hot at all. Doormat meet arsehole. You are well-matched. I am just going to spit up in the toilet now....more
KA books can veer from one star to five stars for me, and this one landed very much at the top end. My first book from the Colorado Mountain series, wrKA books can veer from one star to five stars for me, and this one landed very much at the top end. My first book from the Colorado Mountain series, written some time ago (2011) and I loved it.
Our heroine, Nina, was an unusual KA woman- a mature, successful lawyer, educated and articulate, rather than a stammering, orphan/foster child or potty-mouthed from the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks girl. She also had a damned sight more backbone than many of her heroines, which I appreciated.
Secondly, while the hero Max was KA's usual rough-talking, "g" dropping (as in, incapable of sounding out the "g" on the end of any word finishing in "ing"), sexy beast, he had tons of charm and more complexity than I was expecting.
I adored the English connection, and with Nina having lived many years in London, we had her using lovely English vernacular, all of which is very familiar to Australians. It was like we had the best of both worlds.
The back story of both protagonists was interesting and moving at the same time- KA always has her MCs struggling with major issues and this story was no exception. I felt a strong emotional connection to them and was really pushing for their HEA.
I have found that the earlier KA books appeal more to me. Not because she wears her political and social heart on her sleeve these days (KA is clearly an environmentalist, although if she were serious about this, she would be taking a long, hard look at the damage industrialised farming and its enablers, the meat and dairy industries, do to the environment, and have her characters change their -very unhealthy- diets!) but because there is a warmth and earthiness about the older books that seem to have gone missing.
Definitely one of the better KA books I have read, and I will be going on to the next in series with high hopes. ...more
I have been on a bit of a Sybil Bartel kick lately. I started reading her books during Covid lockdown days, and initially enjoyed the brutal but interI have been on a bit of a Sybil Bartel kick lately. I started reading her books during Covid lockdown days, and initially enjoyed the brutal but interesting alpha males paired with what I always hoped would be worthy female protagonists. Unfortunately, the women disappointed. Invariably, they would be submissive ( the author loves that Dom/Sub shit sprinkled in, and she certainly over-uses the words dominant and submissive) and border-line masochistic. They all seemed to suffer from endless self-hatred. Too many times, the rough sex in the steamy scenes became less than erotic and more than a little bit cruel. I figured I was grumpy from lockdowns, and maybe I would give the author another shot.
But this book was a disaster. The heroine was a petulant and self-pitying child. Yes, she was only nineteen, but her narcissistic, selfish behaviour towards the hero annoyed the hell out of me. If the author was planning to develop her character to show personal growth and some maturity, she should have started with this much sooner. At 55%, I threw in the towel.
It is strange, but the author seems to be much better at writing nuanced, interesting MMCs than she is writing strong, independent, modern women. Furthermore, the hero in this book was out-shone by the other MC, Talon, with whom the MFC seemed to spend much more time. ( I might read his book. Even as a man-whore, a personality I dislike, I found Talon made me curious.) I also felt the putative hero was far too honourable and caring for a heroine who claimed to love him but had a crush on the other guy at the same time. Frankly, she was a silly cow.
I would like to challenge the author to write less two-dimensional, wimpy females, and give her relentlessly domineering men the capacity for tenderness. A truly self-aware man, no matter how alpha and tough, should know when his caveman behaviour needs to be tempered with tenderness.
A unicorn Alpha? Maybe. But a woman can dream……...more
Having read the first few books in this series now, (and also, an- for me- unreadable dark mafia story by the same author) I can see with each book hoHaving read the first few books in this series now, (and also, an- for me- unreadable dark mafia story by the same author) I can see with each book how things become darker, more violent and ultimately quite off-putting. This author is probably no longer for me.
Admittedly, I do not have a strong stomach for gore, and I struggle when the putative hero of a love story actually (view spoiler)[physically tortures the heroine. Yet this is our first introduction to Ero, our hero warlord. Welcome- let me not only whip the skin off your back, but also heat a large knife in a fire and burn nasty wounds onto the inside of your forearm. (hide spoiler)]
[image]
Our poor heroine, an amazing character, is never really without pain throughout the whole story. With the stitches in her back constantly being torn open, and endless scenes of people being whipped or beaten to death, there was blood from here to Christmas in this book.
[image]
I did love the fact that she was an etymologist/linguist, and her Muslim Egyptian background was wonderful- so interesting both from a cultural and a linguistic aspect (I am a language teacher, after all). Great to have something different from our usual whitebread Anglo-American chick.
But that bloody warlord- yikes. I didn't care about the reasons for why Ero was the way he was. Just because you are raised violently does not make it ok to hurt innocents. He was not a likeable or sympathetic character, and frankly, this made his complete 180 degree personality change to a kind, affectionate and loving man hard to swallow. The author tried to make him less of a random murdering freak by having him "remember" every single person he had killed. Unfortunately, I doubt Ero could have remembered how many people he had tortured or those he had ordered be tortured. Or how many slaves he had "fed" to the crocs when these poor people had outlived their usefulness, because they were too sick or weak from lack of food and their appalling living conditions to do physical labour. Doesn't that count as killing? The author conveniently forgot about them.
[image]
Unable to suspend my disgust and disbelief, I ploughed through to the end, partly because I was praying for our long-suffering heroine to get her hard-earned HEA- even if it was with a psychotic, violent arsehole- and because, despite the horror of the setting, the world-building and backstory was very well-executed. I wanted to find out what had happened to get earth to this state. I gave the book two stars instead of one for that, and for the unusual heroine.
But be warned- this is not your typical alien/barbarian fantasy story. Interestingly, I had similar issues with the first book by Milla Vane in her Gathering of Dragons series, also a barbarian fantasy, but the mean hero in that one is positively sweet compared with Ero. And the hero in the Milla Vane book absolutely grovels for forgiveness- one of the most moving scenes I have ever read of the MMC deeply regretting his actions towards the FMC, desperate to atone for them and knowing that the heroine is totally within her rights to withhold forgiveness.
I think I am going to go off and re-read that one right now. Just to shake off the lingering distress I still feel for the heroine in this Elizabeth Stephens novel. Because..... [image] ...more
Yikes. Is this the same author who wrote then Xiveri Mates series? I am afraid this book was not for me. I thought I had found a new author to follow.Yikes. Is this the same author who wrote then Xiveri Mates series? I am afraid this book was not for me. I thought I had found a new author to follow. Maybe not, now ...more
3.5 stars. A new-to-me-author- and the first book in this series was good! I started with low expectations. There is so much awful alien smut out there3.5 stars. A new-to-me-author- and the first book in this series was good! I started with low expectations. There is so much awful alien smut out there and I have a list of authors I avoid, authors who churn out this schlock like painting by numbers.
This was a well-written, engaging story with relatable characters who developed and learned from their experiences.
I was worried at first, with the whole rapey vibe that started the book, (the Golden Dynasty-style hunt) but the hero really surprised me, and I loved his gradual change of personality from one of overbearing arrogance to a male genuinely trying to be the best that he can be for his partner. I expected brutality and insensitivity but ended up with sweetness, even tenderness.
The heroine was terrific and I loved her “hybrid” status- her skin colour (red) and tail(!)- yet she was still so very human. I got the feeling that we were being challenged to look beyond the physical when it came to all the strange life-forms that appear in the story, and to focus instead on the character of that person.
World-building was solid and the setting believable. I read a review which criticised the fact that the aliens on Voraxia lived in trees yet had amazing technology. I think the reviewer missed the point- they tried to live in harmony with nature on their planet and didn’t use tech as an excuse to turn their world into a concrete and steel jungle. I think the author’s blending of tech and nature worked very well.
Finally, it was a ripping good yarn with lots of action - some of it brutal- balanced by moments of tenderness and some nicely steamy scenes. Definitely a cut above the usual in this genre....more
I need to remind myself- regularly- how much I do not enjoy reading this author.
Lee: cookie-cutter, foul-mouthed, disrespectful-of-women, man-whore pI need to remind myself- regularly- how much I do not enjoy reading this author.
Lee: cookie-cutter, foul-mouthed, disrespectful-of-women, man-whore pro athlete hero? Check. Shayna: supposedly intelligent but actually stupid, spineless FMC who still hankers after the arsehole who mistreated her in college after 8 years have gone by? Check.
Moreover, both MCs still talk and act like they are in college, not pushing 30.
[image]
Let's look at an example of the deeply intellectual level of the conversations had between the hero (this is from his POV) and the lads on the footy team:
Chase shakes his head at me with a look of disgust. "There's more to life than pussy. Get over it." I lean in a bit toward him. "I take it you've never had pussy like Shayna's then." The words were crude and Shayna would castrate me of she overheard me, but I'm making a point. He guffaws. "Had lots of pussy, man, and you know it. One's no different than the next."
[image]
Firstly, the whole tone of the 48% I read was incredibly insulting to pro athletes. I guarantee there are more decent, hard-working and sensitive athletes than there are misogynist, promiscuous athletes. Secondly, Shayna would not castrate him- she'd probably feel flattered. She lacks the backbone required for castration. Finally, the last sentence of the quote in Italics could just as well describe the characters in this book as it does all the faceless, nameless pussy good ole Chase has had.
Really good sports romance is out there- Karla Sorenson, for example, is an author who does this genre well. So if you are looking for character development, an interesting and multi-layered storyline, well-written steamy scenes and an emotionally satisfying love story, I would definitely avoid this book.
It is was a little difficult to like either of the protagonists in this book: Casey was portrayed as a shallow, spoilt shopaholic, and Jake was a closIt is was a little difficult to like either of the protagonists in this book: Casey was portrayed as a shallow, spoilt shopaholic, and Jake was a closed off, soldier-grunt persona.
Casey had a shoe obsession, and the only thing that seemed to give her joy in life was the latest pair of Louboutins or Jimmy Choos. I just don't get this thing with shoes. I am never gonna drop a thousand bucks on a pair of shoes- I reckon that money would go a long way in some village in Africa, just quietly. It isn't so much me being judgey as just not understanding the attraction. So my connection with the heroine remained tenuous for much of the book.
Jake was, frankly, a bit of a prick. His choices were poor and I absolutely hated his actions towards heroine near the end of the story. Unfortunately, he never got the arse-kicking he deserved. Which brings me to the issues I occasionally have with this author: her heroines are a bit too forgiving and tend to do the chasing. The excuse for this is that the hero is so emotionally shut down, he needs the warmth and love of his woman to thaw him. I think those girls need to have higher expectations of their men. Just sayin'.
Casey did go through a transformation, although it took a traumatic event for her to heed the wake-up call.
Finally, not being American makes it hard for me to identify with all the stars-and-stripes patriotism, and the idea of being an active soldier's wife, where he is on deployment in a dangerous foreign country for a year at a time, not being there when kids are born and while they are growing up, is my idea of hell. Given we are talking Afghanistan here, and knowing, now, how that all turned out, the waste of human life and the destruction of relationships and families back home seems a very high price to pay. Yes, the benefit of hindsight, I know. From my Aussie/European perspective, I just struggle with it all. I am sure many will disagree with me- apologies. I know we need soldiers, but boy, it is a hard gig. I won't read the next in this series, as the Rachel character was so obnoxious in this book, I really don't give a FF what happens to her. I will give the third book a shot. ...more
3.5 stars. The premise of a fake marriage is a problematic one- these sorts of marriages can only really happen in Romancelandia- but I am a bit of a s3.5 stars. The premise of a fake marriage is a problematic one- these sorts of marriages can only really happen in Romancelandia- but I am a bit of a sucker for them. Close proximity, sexual tension (provided they don't jump into bed in the first 20 pages) and the guaranteed HEA generally makes the angst worthwhile. KS managed to pull this off quite nicely. Her character development was on point, and many of the familiar personalities from her previous linked series deepened my appreciation of the emotional drama that took place in this book. Beckett and Greer could not have been more different. She is an all-in, passionate, impulsive woman who tends to do things because they seem like a good idea at the time, and doesn't seem able to anticipate consequences or potential fall-out.
[image]
Beckett is the planner, the carefully-thinking-through-to-all-possible-outcomes kind of guy. She wore her emotions like a badge of honour, he was reserved and incredibly self-disciplined.
[image]
When they embark on their fake marriage, which is relatively early on, each of them do it for love- Greer for her step-dad, who is terminally ill and would like to walk one of his girls down the aisle before he dies, and Beckett for his 6 year-old daughter, Olive, who he wishes to have with him full-time for the year Olive's mother will be in England with her new husband. Having a stable relationship with a potential mother figure in the house will hopefully convince the ex to leave Olive with him, rather than taking her to England with her. (Their interactions with Olive were lovely to read. She was a sweetie) What follows is an agonised dance around each other. Serious attraction, painful sexual tension and plenty of frustration- it's all there. I was like .... [image]
I admit I was a bit annoyed by each of the MCs at different times in the book. Beckett was SO serious and disciplined, I wondered whether he was too repressed to actually commit to a relationship with anyone. On the other hand, I admired his integrity, and his profound love for his daughter. Meanwhile, Greer was so gutsy and prepared to go out and get what she wanted, I felt she was giving way more to him than she got in return. She hung in there, banking on Beckett finally acknowledging the future she could see for them all. It took him far too bloody long, if you ask me, and the pain this inner conflict caused him was deserved- Greer was braver than he was, but then, I guess she didn't have a child to factor into the equation. What I liked without reservation was to see Beckett's relationship with his ex: not together longer than a few months after their unplanned baby is born, their relationship clearly never going to work, yet ALWAYS focusing on the child's best interests. No animosity, just love for their child. Such a rare thing to see and read- it was great! Not my fave book by this author- I really didn't enjoy The Bombshell Effect- as I prefer the male to do the pursuing- but I will always give anything written by this author a shot....more
Loading...
