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Merissa (11800 KP) rated Blood Moon (Wildeward Academy #3) in Books

Jan 5, 2021 (Updated Aug 7, 2023)  
Blood Moon (Wildeward Academy #3)
Blood Moon (Wildeward Academy #3)
Gwyneira Blythe | 2020 | Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
BLOOD MOON is the third book in the Wildeward Academy series and we find Victoria bonded to Doyle, engaged to Hyde, Jekyll being obstinate, Achoris still MIA, and Frankie avoiding her, considered a traitor by the others. Are you with me? You really, REALLY, need to read this as a series! Trust me.

If you follow my reviews, you'll know that I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books, but they just never quite managed to reach five stars, you know? Well, let me tell you, this one couldn't be anything but!!! So many factions, good and bad, vying for either Victoria's attention or trying to bring her down. It was fun and sassy, heartbreaking and full of sorrow. New characters are introduced, and others die off. This story simply didn't stop! It was all go from the very first word to the last - and I LOVED IT!

I adored the addition of Evetta and Gemma to Victoria's coterie, but now they need to get the Lodge back. I'm not ashamed to admit I was so sad at that part. The Lodge had made Victoria so welcome! I hope Lorna has a really bad time there! Victoria grows in leaps and bounds, becoming more comfortable both in her own skin, and who she is with the others.

Like the other two, this one ends not so much on a cliffhanger, but more so a teaser, tempting you with the continuation of the story that will definitely leave you chomping at the bit. A character-driven story that is full of action with steamy moments interspersed, this series just gets better and better.

BLOOD MOON is the best so far, but I honestly CAN'T WAIT for the next. Come on - read the series! I promise you, you won't regret it.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 5, 2021
  
Hanging with Daddy (Pride Pet Play 2023)
Hanging with Daddy (Pride Pet Play 2023)
JP Sayle | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
6
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
cute and sweet but maybe not for me.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, i was gifted my copy of this book.

I love JP Sayle, you know I do. I've watched the skill this author has grow from the very beginning, and I'm incredibly proud of the work this author continues to produce.

But!

This one I found a little too sweet for me, and I hate that I did.

It's well told, from both Gaines and Austin's point of view. It's the first I've of a koala as a chosen pet for play, and at times, I did find the koala stuff too much. There were koalas in everything, EVERYTHING Gaines did, and it was a bit overpowering.

I loved that both men had an immediate and powerful reaction to the other, and both men, once they started to get to know each other, were fully able to adapt and bend to the others' needs, without sacrificing their own. I liked that Austin gave Gaines time to work things out in his head, before he came to Austin, even if it killed Austin to wait.

I loved that we got to catch up with Terrence and Warner from A Little Christmas, Terrence. It's always great catching up with characters fromprevious reads, even in those that can stand alone from others.

I really liked that, while some things *little* were mentioned in passing, and others were talked about, Gaines doesn't slip far into little-space. He's more a pet-space kinda guy and I did like that. LOVED the descriptions of Gaines climbing Austin like a pole! LOVED them!!

It's steamy and smexy, not overly emotional and there is no real drama, save for Gaines getting his head straight to talk to Austin.

It just didn't really work for me, and I hate that it didn't! I'm sorry, Jayne!

3 good, but not really for me, stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
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Merissa (11800 KP) rated Thick as Thieves (Aster Valley #4) in Books

Mar 2, 2022 (Updated Jul 3, 2023)  
Thick as Thieves (Aster Valley #4)
Thick as Thieves (Aster Valley #4)
Lucy Lennox | 2022 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
THICK AS THIEVES is the fourth book in the Aster Valley series and we meet Julian and Parker. Now, for me, I met them for the first time, although readers of other books in the series may have met them already.

Julian is gay and has no reason to hide it. He has been in love with Parker since they were young. He watched from the sidelines as Parker went to Prom with Erin and had an on-off relationship with her through the years, culminating in the wedding they are all there to celebrate.

Parker has always known Julian will be there for him. He is his best friend and nothing could ever change that - could it? Apparently so. Although the wedding doesn't happen, it does open Parker's blinkers. And once they're off, boy, are they off!!

I loved that once Parker chose Julian, that was it for him. Of course, we have to go through his oblivious times too. My heart hurt so much for Julian. I also wanted to slap both of them upside the head at times. Yes, both of them. Parker because he's just too darn nice at times, and Julian because he doesn't trust in Parker and pushes him to his ex. I guess that means I'm not so nice!

This was a hot and steamy book, full of emotions, that made me laugh out loud and shake my head in dismay at the antics of these two and their friends. So, basically, it was a great read that kept my attention fully entertained and engaged.

A great addition to the series and absolutely recommended by me.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 2, 2022
  
A Little Christmas! Matty's Secret
A Little Christmas! Matty's Secret
JP Sayle | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Loved the way Wes fit Matty's foxes into his life.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This book is part of the 2nd season of A Little Christmas. You don't need to read the others, they all stand alone within the series. I would recommend you read Hanging With Daddy, by JP Sayle though before this one. We first met Matty there, he is Gaines' best friend. And since Gaines and his Daddy Austin play a large part here, it might help to have their story first. Not necessary, just a personal point.

Matty keeps picking the bad ones, and now questions everything. Weston comes across the cute little Pumpkin in the park and is smitten. But can Matty let Weston in??

What this is, is a wonderfully written, delightfully told tale of letting someone into your heart, even though you know it might get broken.

It's sweet and smexy, cute and cuddly, and all sorts of things that might take too long to type!

I loved catching up with Gaines and Austin, but also with Terrence and Warner, for the first Little Christmas series. Austin, Warner and Weston turn out to be very close friends, and I loved how they all slot into each other's lives here.

There is very little drama between Wes and Matty. The drama is called by Matty's ex, Putrid Peter. Have to say, that did make me laugh, calling him that but it fits perfectly!

Loved the way Wes fitted Matty's foxes into his life. The plates were a particularly cute touch. But Weston wants Matty happy, and he will do what Matty needs him to.

I did like being made to wait for the main event though! While there are smexy, steamy times, they don't go all the way til very near the end of the book, and I loved that!

I loved it, exercises and all! (But I'm with Matty on that front, walking is enough :-) )

5 full and shiny stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
M(
Moonville ( Gold Prophecy 1-4)
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
40 of 220
Kindle
Booksirens arc
Moonville (Gold Blood Prophecy 1-4)
By K.J Devoir
⭐️⭐️

Please check Trigger warnings

Psycho gets the girl.

Leena Sperling has fallen into darkness. Darkness has a name...

ZAND BYRON

He’s larger than life. He’s also a deeply dangerous, twisted soul, a textbook psychopath. But, somehow...she makes him feel.

"You can run, Leena. But I will find you."

Leena: When I arrived to the City of Souls, the tiny cemetery town wrapping the Bay Area foothills where Moonvine Manor is located, I had no idea what to expect or how insane my life would become after moving into the former, Queen Anne, funeral home that belonged to my missing sister. I should have known that being greeted by a tombstone-shaped granite welcome sign was either a sick joke or a bad omen. But I could never have predicted that I would fall in love with the darkness.

Zand: I don’t want to ever stop making her cry. Her tears are full of human feelings, and I love the taste. She makes me feel, but part of me wants to end the human in her that brings out the human in me. In a heartbeat, I could make her nightmares infinitely darker. I'm a bad man, trying to be good.

Ok so this premise was good it gave me very much Morganville vibes but a little darker and steamy. The characters were ok and certainly lived up to the dark paranormal romance vibe.
But I had a few issues and I can only be honest. There were bits of the book that didn’t quite add up and there was something really off about it all. A few times I wanted to stop reading. It just wasn’t for me.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Please check Trigger warnings
  
Royally Arranged (The Royal Series #2)
Royally Arranged (The Royal Series #2)
Amber Malloy | 2024 | Contemporary, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
sometimes, you need to see whats coming at ya!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 2 in the Royal Series. I have not read book one, Royally Screwed and a quick read of that blurb tells me you don't need to read that one before this. Those characters do not appear in this book. It's also the first book I've read of Mallory's. I'll come back to that.

Rafe needs a wife, a temporary arrangement, while his twin brother, his ELDER twin, gets a clean bill of health. A business arrangement which Astoria enters, with a shelf life to the arrangement. At least it started as such.

I liked this. It follows a proven track: an arranged marriage; they have sex (which wasn't part of the arrangement) there is a major fall out, and then a make up, and all is happy in the world. And sometimes you need to see what's coming at ya, like a freight train, and ain't nothin' you can do to stop it. And I LIKED that in this book!

It's steamy in places, but I didn't find it overly heavy on the smexy times. I didn't find it particularly emotional, either. Rafe lost his wife and son, but you don't FEEL that pain from him.

I think that is what I missed the most in the book: emotional connection. Yes, they have smex and do all the things they are supposed to, but I didn't find an EMOTIONAL connection between them. They do say those three little words, but again, I didn't FEEL the love between them.

As I said, my first book by Mallory. I'd like to delve into the backlist of this author to see if I can find that connection. Might just be how the author writes, is all.

So, because I felt that was missing, I gave this book

4 stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Lonestar's Lady
Lonestar's Lady
Deborah Camp | 2017 | Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
delightful historical romance
I was gifted my copy of this book, that I write a review was not required.

Gussy travels across the country to find the man she was supposed to marry a liar, and a drunken fellow. Max Lonestar offers Gussy an alternative, one that would get them both what they want. Can Gussy see past Max' history, his prison time, his heritage??

I thoroughly enjoyed this!

Gussy is a bit of a headstrong young lady, and for her time, maybe too much, but she wants what every girl of her age wants: a husband, a permanent home, children. Granted, she went across country as a mail order bride to get what she wants, so maybe not the best way, but Lonestar's alternative is better than a trip home. And let's face it, Lonestar is a much better looking man than her original intended! So she puts her heart and soul, and indeed her body, into making this work, even when Lonestar pushes her away when things get dangerous.

Pulled to Augusta like no woman has ever pulled him, he hopes and prays that this will work, that she will give him what he craves. I liked that he gave her an "out" option should they not be able to work it. I liked that he, and he alone called her Augusta.

It's quite obvious who is causing the trouble to Max and Gussy, to me at least, I just didn't think he would go THAT far! I LOVED that the town pulled together, finally, to help Gussy and Max rebuild.

Not overly explicit, it carries the right amount of steamy stuff that is proper for this book, and for the time this was set. Just enough, I thought! It does carry some prejudices but they were common at that time (some still today!)

Not a difficult read, just one of those books you can fall into and lose a couple hours, I managed to read this in one sitting. But well written, from both Gussy and Max' point of view, so you get to hear from both of them.

Thank you to Ms Camp for my copy, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

4 solid stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
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Merissa (11800 KP) rated Dustwalker in Books

Aug 25, 2017  
Dustwalker
Dustwalker
Tiffany Roberts | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dustwalker by Tiffany Roberts
Dustwalker is a post-apocalyptic dystopian novel, set around the community of Cheyenne. The humans scrimp through their living as best as they can, ruled over by the bot Warlord. Our main female, Lara, is worried about her missing sister, and surviving the best way she can, by finding scraps and trading them for food. Ronin is a dustwalker, a bot who goes out into the Dust. Some say the dustwalkers are a crazy lot, but Ronin knows that he is alone. No one will come looking for him if something happens to him out there. Through fate, Lara and Ronin's live connect, and what happens next is something that neither of them saw coming.

This is an amazing story, with world-building that is second to none. Every scene is 'real' and completely believable, even when they involve bots ;) This book is a bit of a slowburner, but in the best possible way. You get drawn into Lara's world, with all the hunger and pain and loss that goes with it. You feel for Ronin as he tries to understand what he has said to upset Lara! Most of all, you root for these two, and everyone else in Cheyenne, to get their HEA. After all they have been through, they deserve it; and as a reader, you will want it for them.

The pace is smooth, slow and gentle to entice you into their world, and building up as the story progresses. There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The characters are all highly developed and completely distinct. There is simply no way you could confuse one character with another. There are some steamy bits but they are completely in keeping with the story, not superfluous in any way. This book had me right up until the last word - which I had to reread once I had wiped my eyes! Absolutely outstanding, I am so pleased I was given the opportunity to read this book. Highly recommended by me.
 
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!