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Auburn (57 KP) rated Beyond a Darkened Shore in Books
Apr 10, 2019
Enemies to lovers, mythology, and bloody battles are just some of the amazing things you will find in these pages. The best part? It doesn't leave you with a gigantic cliffhanger. Basically if you enjoy anything I listed above. ^^^ you will love this book. The writing and flow mash with a plot that is so wonderfully written you won't feel bored.
One of the best 2018 books I have read. Highly recommend!
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Her Summer with the Marine (The Donovan Brothers, #1)
Book
The last person Ellie McDermott wanted to run into after returning to her hometown is Finn Donovan,...
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Flame Kissed (Phoenix Rising #1)
Book
You can’t outrun fate. As a phoenix on the run from her Legion, I’ve done my best to stay one...
Paranormal Romance Enemies to Lovers Urban Fantasy Forced Proximity Rejected Mates
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Outlaw Witch (Enchanted Bargains #1)
Book
In a city of magic users, I’m a freak—a sponge with the ability to absorb the powers of others....
Reverse Harem Why Choose? Cliffhanger Ending Paranormal Romance Forced Proximit
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Insatiable Incubus (Lads and Monsters #1)
Book
A sadistic incubus; a young monster hunter. Sometimes love can be more complicated than murder. ...
MM Monster Romance Enemies to Lovers Fated Mates BDSM
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Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated The Fractured Empire in Books
Oct 25, 2021
“Clark and Adelaide think their lives can’t get any worse. Until they meet each other.”
The style of this book is distinctly steampunk rather than the medieval style that I am used to with ElBin books. I was nervous about this as I generally don’t read books in a steampunk setting but I did find I really enjoyed it. To me the world building wasn’t quite as clear in my mind but I’m not sure if this was because I wasn’t reading a physical book.
Despite this, The Fractured Empire met all my expectations and more! How can it not when it includes all my favourite tropes such as enemies to lovers and, of course, the old forced shared-bed situation.
“who kidnapped someone and then introduced themselves? Yet here we were”
The characters are amazing, of course they are! There isn’t an underdeveloped or “2D” character in sight as we follow Addie, Clark and his 2 brothers around the Ceithren Empire, desperately seeking answers … and finding some that they didn’t expect!
Clark and Addie’s relationship is a rollercoaster! The term enemies-to-lovers does not do this pair justice, it’s more like enemies-to-almost lovers-to- definite enemies- to- begrudging colleagues. There is a definite attraction though and it is very physical to begin with: there are a lot of references to Clark’s muscles, Addie’s dress slipping down etc. I have read other reviews where they use this to say that the romance relationship is shallow but I don’t believe this is the case, they are both quite young as characters and it merely demonstrates, in my opinion, how they are constantly drawn to each other.
The best thing about Clark and Addie’s dynamic is 100% the amount of bickering and sarcasm. Oh the amount of sarcasm in this book speaks to my soul and it is here where I think the audiobook may have been better than a physical book (I know, I know! Don’t shoot!) The narrators for Clark and Addie really captured the personalities of the characters, even down to the pacing of their reading and, in Addie’s case, the haughty tones.
From the mysterious best friend Nell (who I’m still not sure if I trust or not) to Addie’s oppressive Director father to the playboy prince: the cast of supporting characters deserves an honourable mention, particularly Gunther. If you aren’t in love with Gunther we can’t be friends – it’s as simple as that!
“I gave them a mocking salute before I turned and jumped, right out the hundredth story window”
The Fractured Empire presents twists upon twists and constantly changes who you can trust but still manages to flow really well and keep the reader engaged. This is a testament to the writing of Robin but also to the narrators of the audiobook, Cris Dukehart and Graham Halstead. Some small snippets felt like they were recorded in sections and sounded out of place but on the whole the pair really embodied the characters and kept me hooked.
Thank you to Robin Mahle for providing a free copy of the audiobook of The Fractured Empire. My TBR list however, does not thank you as it now has 3 more additions to it! (*Edit* 4! I found out about the prequel!)
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Witch’s Rebirth (Unholy Trinity #5)
Book
I’m done running. It’s time to end this. The only problem? Our enemies have weapons that can...
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Reece (The Hawks #5)
Book
She’s everything he doesn’t want. Honorable. Beautiful. Strong… wait, what? Reece lost...
Adult Fantasy Romance
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The Roman ( Florentine Series, Book 4)
Book
Raven and her sister, Cara, are at the mercy of a small detachment of Florentine vampyres, who are...
romance paranormal vampire fantasy Florence Uffizi
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Lone Wolf (Strength of the Pack, #6)
Book
When his alpha invites a bunch of cougar-shifters to visit, wolf-shifter Karl Griffin is not happy....
MM Paranormal Romance Shifters Enemies to Lovers Hurt/Comfort