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Meik & Sebastian (Obsessed #4)
Meik & Sebastian (Obsessed #4)
Quin Perin | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
a very fitting end!!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 4 in the Obsessed series, and you MUST read book one through three before you read this one. You need to know how Meik ended up in this position. And they are all 5 star reads from me! I would STRONGLY recommend you don't read these unless you have all 4 parts in your possession. They are addictive, and cliffhangers and you will NEED that next part so badly, it will hurt. So, yeah, all FOUR parts, ya hear me??

But this one?? Not so much. Still really great, just not quite hitting the spot that the others did.

Why?? Because I was CONFUSED!

At the beginning of this book, Meik is drowning his sorrows in booze and sex. Or at least he's TRYING to. The sex thing seems not to be working so alcohol is his drug of choice. What I was confused about was WHY! At the end of book 3, Sebastian tells Meik he loves him, and Meik responds. . .not badly, but with the wrong words. Here, Sebastian is just GONE!!! It took me far too long to figure out Sebastian must have left Meik, and that was why he is drowning in galleons of whiskey. FAR too long, and it spoilt it slightly for me.

BUT!!! We get another side of Meik, while he's drowning his sorrows: the loving, sweet teenager about to have his whole world broken by the loss of Gabe. We get all that, in the memories that flash up between the now bits. Gabe's illness and diagnosis. His failing health as time goes on. Meik and Gabe's growing physical relationship, despite Gabe's illness. The total and utter LOVE that Gabe and Meik have for each other screams at you in every snippet of those memories. And you get to understand a little bit more why Meik fights so bloody hard against the love that he has for Sebastian. So bloody hard! He doesn't want to feel that kind of pain again.

And he does LOVE Sebastian. He just needs to find him to tell him. Pulling himself out of a week long bender took some doing, but I'm so glad that boy did it! Just when he thinks he's lost Sebastian for good, he finds him. And with the RIGHT words, tells Sebastian he loves him.

It would be nice to catch up with these two later down the road, it really would. But for now, a very fitting end to the story of Meik's Obsession with Sebastian.

4 solid stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Behind the Iron Cross
Behind the Iron Cross
Nicola M. Cameron | 2018 | History & Politics, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
love love LOVED this one!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

A sensual heiress, a wounded playboy and the soldier who will serve them both.

Oh I liked this one, I liked it a LOT!!!

Meet Kat, a wealthy business woman trying to help expand her company and repair a very damaged Germany after WW1. Meet Sam, Kat's best friend, fiancee, and her dead brother's lover. And Friedrich, a decommissioned soldier forced to sell his body to keep his widowed sister-in-law and her baby fed.

Like I said, liked it A LOT!

The scene is set with Friedrich going to the club Kat and Sam frequent for the first time. There is am immediate connection between the three, and it burns bright through the whole book. I didn't find it as explicit as some BDSM or menage books, but that might be just me. It IS sexy, oh yes, don't think that it isn't, and what is here is very well written. Maybe it's because a lot of words used were from that time, and not today's words for things. I didn't mind that I didn't find it as explicit, I just needed to mention it!

I LOVED how it all worked though! Kat is a Dom; Sam, a confirmed homosexual (but he can be with women, should he and Kat actually get married and need to produce an heir!) and Friedrich is the glue that binds all three of them together. Kat shows him all kinds of things that he didn't even know existed and Sam shows him just how good it is to be with a man.

I liked the business espionage line, wasn't sure how that was gonna go and I do so love being kept on my toes!

And I absolutely LOVED the solution that Sam comes up with to get Friedrich, Elise and Rudi out of Germany; to give Kat a husband; to give Sam a wife AND heir and for the three of them to be together back in the States. I was reading when Sam was talking and I'm thinking "What the bloody hell is he going on about?" And then, ping! Light bulb moment just a fraction of a sentence before Sam laid it out! Loved it!

First I've read of this author, unless there is something tucked away in a bo x set I might have read. I'd like to read more!

You know what?? I wrote 4.5 stars at the top pf the page when I sat down to write this up, but now? I can't think why I did that, or what to take the half star off for, so . . . .

5 full stars!

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Forged Decisions (Tribal Spirits #2)
Forged Decisions (Tribal Spirits #2)
Katherine McIntyre | 2018 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
not quite as good as book one
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book two in the Tribal Spirits series, but you don't need to have read book one: Forged Alliances, for this one to make sense. It would HELP, but not totally necessary.

Finn is beta to the Red Rock pack, but is restless since his Alpha, Sierra, mated Dax, Alpha of the Silver Springs pack. The Tribe are in town to bles their union, and Navi takes advantage of Finn's local knowledge to crack a drug smuggling ring. The more they work together, the more the attraction builds, and soon neither can deny it. When Finn's past comes crashing down around him and clashes with Navi's mission, will she let him have the revenge he so desperately needs? Will Finn be able to walk away from Navi, when her mission is done, now she holds his heart??

I LOVED book one, loved it, and looked forward to reading this one. But while still a very VERY good read, it doesn't quite hit *THAT* spot that Forged Alliances does. And *insert wailing* I don't know why! And ya'll know how much the drives me nuts!

Finn and Navi had that one night together, after Dax gets his pack back, and it plays on both their minds. They are both profoundly affected by that night and the passion they shared simmers along for the first half of the book. They fight it, oh BOY do they fight it, but it really is inevitable, working in close quarters, that they will give in. It is just a matter of when.

Finn is dealing with some emotional baggage, after his parents death when he was a child and the restless feeling he has been carrying for the last month. Navi too, but hers is different. Being raised as Tribe from a very young age, she had no childhood, she has no attachments save the other Tribe members. She cannot have a mate, since she has to leave all the time. Yes, she has a powerful panther spirit within her, and she can control water, but once, just once, she wants someone who sees Navi the WOMAN, rather than Navi of The Tribe.

And by god, does Finn SEE Navi the woman!

Loved that, while it broke her to ask the words of Finn, she does.

The next book is laid out very nicely, thank you, and I suspect that might be more of an emotionally difficult read, given what Raven goes through here, and with the hints to her past.

A really good read, just not as good as book one, so...

4 solid stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Thicker Than Water
Thicker Than Water
Becca Seymour | 2020 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I needed Thatch!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Callen finds Thatch, the leader of a black ops task force, bleeding and bitten when he goes against orders, again. But Thatch was bitten by Callen's sister, and his niece is now missing and Thatch might be the only link to finding the child. But as the investigation spreads its net, Callen is forced to make some decisions, decisions that could cost him his heart.
I really REALLY enjoyed this from Ms Seymour! She usually writes fairly fluffy, contemporaries and this isn't fluffy, nor contemporary but it is great!
I loved the twist to werewolf lore, that the oly way for a wolf to be made is to be bitten. But that act kills the wolf and transfers all their memories to the new wolf.
I loved the supporting cast, and all the little . .hints/clues/dropped comments . . .about them. Some questions wre thrown up, that haven't been answered here. However, in my personal experience, its best not to wait for those questions to be answered cos the last time I felt like this, I had a right proper hissy fit when those questions were NOT answered LOL So I won't voice those questions, and then I can't be dissappointed, right?
I loved Callen. He is funny and hilarious, and dark and deadly. He is deep and meaningful, but takes great pleasure in winding his friends up.
I loved that fact tht the bond between Callen and Thatch creep up on them, and there isn't that MINE moment at first meeting. It DOES come, but it's more growled out of Callen in reaction to someone else touching Thatch.
So why only 4 stars with all those things I loved?
Thatch isn't given a voice.
Now, I know I say it a lot, and I will continue to say it where I think it necessary but HERE I think it really needed. Thatch takes ALL of his Hazel's, Callen's sister, memories and thoughts and feelings. ALL of them. And that had to be confusing when they start to come through! When those memories sends them far north to find Hazel's daughter. When he comes face to face with that daughter. What was Thatch feeling? I needed that, I really did, and if I HAD Thatch, I have no doubt, not a single one, that this would have been a 5 star read.
I don't know if this is a stand alone, or there will be more of this group of people, I hope so, I really do!
But I don't get Thatch, and so. . .
4 good, great solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Shadow and Light (Arizona Raptors #3)
Shadow and Light (Arizona Raptors #3)
RJ Scott, V.L. Locey | 2020 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
best of the three!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book three in the Arizona Raptors series. It says that it is not a stand alone and you should read books one and two first, however, I don't think its entirely NECESSARY, but it certainly would help. I have read those two books, and they were both solid 4 star reads.

THIS one, though, is a whole different kettle of fish!

I LOVED this book!

You feel for Henry. His life has taken a turn he didn't expect. The man who was using him, almost killed him. His money is all gone, and he is living in someone else's house, mansion, all by himself. His hockey is on the line, because of the accident and his mind is on a downward spiral.

Enter Apollo.

Apollo is the best friend of Adler, the man paying for the house, who is Henry's brother's friend. Apollo is at a loose end since Adler is all loved up, and Apollo needs some sun. So Apollo goes to Arizona to look after Henry while he gets backs on his feet and back onto the ice.

Apollo is just the kind of man Henry wants, but who would want a washed up hockey player who might go blind? Apollo clearly wants Henry, but he is supposed to be going home at the end of the summer. Can he let his heart take the break?

This one is my favourite of the three, it really is.

It had me crying in places, laughing in others. Shouting at the kindle, and cheering away. I wanted to wrap Henry up in cotton wool and I wanted to smack him upside the head. Apollo too!

There are numerous references to The Harrisburg Railers players and pop ups from all the major players and team from this series. I loved that.

The relationship between Apollo and Henry is slow and sweet, and I loved that. They grow into each other, you know, as the book progresses. It's beautifully written, and gave me so many feels!

Ryker Madsen is Henry's team mate, he plays the same line (although, to be honest, I have no idea what that actually means, I just thought someone MIGHT!) and HIS book was in the Owatonna U Hockey series. I did NOT like Ryker in that book. He does redeem himself in that series somewhat, but HERE? As Henry's best friend, that kid done good! So, as a totally irrelevent point, Ryker? I forgive you!

So, my favourite of the three so far, but I know there is one more out later this year.

5 stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
His Accidental Daddy
His Accidental Daddy
Luna David | 2020 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
so very nearly 5 stars!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Thornton runs into the side of Asher's car and neither man will ever be the same again. Thornton is a Daddy, and he wants Asher for his boy, but Asher doesn't have a clue about the lifestyle or what being a little means. Can Thornton make Asher see that he needs him, that they need each other?

I really REALLY enjoyed this book!

I've been struggling with a lot of reading at the moment, and to be honest, Daddy/littles haven't really been my thing but this one twanged something when I read the blurb, and I am so glad I gave it a go!

Poor Asher! He really is a wreck about most things, everyday things cause him into meltdowns and he is struggling just to function. Cue getting sideswiped in the rain, and Asher is losing it, big time. Then a voice cuts through the panic and Asher can just breathe (as much as fractured ribs will allow) and Asher falls hard and fast for Thornton.

Thornton, while feeling incredibly guilty for crashing his car into Asher's, feels a pull to Asher that he never felt before. Just seeing him in that wreck calls to his inner Daddy so far and so deeply, Thornton cannot resist. But Asher thinks he is damaged, and Thornton knows that isn't the case, he just needs to make Asher see.

I've tagged this BDSM but there is actually very little of the "usual" stuff, just some spanking, and talk about power exchange and a Dom/sub relationship that is in this book for Thornton's best friends.

It is HEAVY on the emotional side of things though, and I think that's what carried me through, watching Asher get out of his head, and into his little for his Daddy. Thornton's emotions are all over the place too, but I didn't feel them as deeply as I did Asher's.

It is also incredibly SWEET in places, hence the warm and fuzzies tag.

Both voices are clear and you really do get into Asher's head when he starts to meltdown. Very well written scenes when Asher loses it and Thornton brings him back.

I'm interested in reading about Damian and Syed (the D/s relationship here), Thornton's best friends, but MORE so about another pairing that blossomed towards the end of this book. Madi, who is Asher's best friend, and Trent, who is Thornton's younger brother. That pairing would be a Mummy/little relationship, and I'm really rather curious about that one!

Not quite hitting those 5 stars, but so very nearly!

4 stars

**same worded review will appear elsehwere**
  
Ready For It (MacAteer Brothers #2)
Ready For It (MacAteer Brothers #2)
ML Nystrom | 2020 | Contemporary, Romance
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
a much more enjoyable, but darker read than book one, and I loved it!
Indepedent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 2 in the MacAteer Brothers series, and it would help to have read book one, Run With It. Not totally necessary, but I would personally recommend you do. You'll get a better feel of Melanie, and Owen and his brothers, I think.

Melanie is Bev's best friend, and looks after herself and stuff anyone else. Owen is one of Connor's younger brothers. Owen has had a bit of a crush on Mel for a long time, and when Mel is left in a difficult place, he steps up. Then the reasons WHY Mel is the way she is with men comes out, and Owen is all Alpha-Male-Protect-Whats-Mine.

I found this a much darker read, given Mel's history, but also I bloody LOVED it!

Mel has a voice in the first person, and Owen in the third. I knew this going in, and expected it, and I enjoyed reading Owen's voice so much more than Connor's. Owen is a gentle giant with a stutter and a speech impediment, that leaves him somewhat tongue tied amoung people he doesn't know, or isn't comfortable with. VERY quickly, Owen is speaking with mel in full sentences, with no sign of his problem. That should have clued him up, right quick, that somethign special was happening between them.

It takes time for Mel and Owen to fully commit, and to get together, and I LOVED being made to wait for it. I think I would have loved it even they had NOT got to the smexy times, I really do. Mel's little problem not withstanding. But once they do? OOOOEEEEE! They are committed and all in. I loved that.

Owen doesn't say much, verbally, but when we get him in his chapters, he is deep. He was hurt before, and you understand why he holds himself back some, but he loves Mel, from very early on, and it pained me when she kept friend-zoning him!

We get a bit more of Garrett, Owen's twin, and his book is next. We also meet the lady who will steal his heart. THAT book is next on my list, and given what we learn here, and reading the blurb, I think it may well be a bit darker than this one!

Billed as s spin off to the Dragon Runners series, it's not necessary to read those. I didn't like them, to be honest, but I'm loving these and I look forward to reading about the other set of twins further down the series!

5 full and shiny stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Tristan (The Hawks, #1)
Tristan (The Hawks, #1)
Jennie Lynn Roberts | 2021 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book, right? This book is bloody AMAZING!!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This book, right? This book is bloody AMAZING!!

I mean, this is the author's first book, that I can see, and it blew me away, it really did.

It's told from Nim and Tristan's point of view, with two others getting a say for a short time. They have clear and concise voices, and you get the setting of this world in dribs and drabs. You do NOT get everything all at once, and I really loved being able to process every little bit as and when it came at me.

And you can process it, just in time for the next bit to be thrown at you. And I really LOVED getting thrown at! I can't tell you how much I love being able to take steps into a new world a bit at a time, I really can't.

There is something much bigger going on here, that is revealed, I'm sure. The clues are there, I think, but I'm not sure I put it all together in the way it's meant to be put together. I mean, SOME things are totally clear, but it's the other bits and pieces that are a little fuzzy and I love that they are, cos I NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED the next book to make things unclear!

Tristan and Nim's story is dark and deadly, and somewhat graphic in it's violence in places, but it really is needed, for you to get what has happens to the Blues since the ambush and death of their king. There is passion and love here, but it's not especially explicit, but as much as the violence IS needed, the sex is NOT. You get all you need between Nim and Tristan with what is here.

The people in this world are varied and different, with their own skills and powers and traits unique to their race. Some hints about dragons and Nephilim. Wings for Nim, her brother Val and a couple of Tristan's men. Those things are just *there*, you know? You don't get a big long winded explanation, just Nim stretched her wings. And I loved that!

Like I said, I bloody LOVED this book, and if this really IS this author's first book, she nailed it! Absolutely NAILED it and I cannot wait to see what comes next. I know that Val is next, Nim's brother, and given what happens to him in this book, I think that one might be a much more difficult read.

5 full and shiny stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Risk It All (MacAteer Brothers #4)
Risk It All (MacAteer Brothers #4)
ML Nystrom | 2021 | Contemporary, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I liked this, I liked this a lot
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 4 in the MacAteer brothers series, and they can all be read as stand alone books. BUT, as a personal point, I would recommend you read the previous three books before this one. It's fun watching these guys fall hard and fast, but there was some things they said in the other books that don't come up here, and I think they should have. Some history and legends revolving around the MacAteer men! And cos, I said so! :-)

Patrick and Angus are the youngest brothers, identical twins, and are both a bit free with their bodies and are, in essence, men whores. They makes no bones what they are offering, and they enjoy themselves. Coming home to work with Connor, Owen and Garrett puts Patrick in direct contact with Sloane, who runs their favourite Irish bar. And the man falls hard and fast but she keeps pushing him away. Will he walk away from her like her ex did?

I liked this, I liked this a lot. And while emotional, it doesn't quite pull the punch that Owen and Garrett's book do.

What I did love about this one was, that Sloane's history isn't made clear to US til she tells Patrick about it. And I LOVED that, I really did. You knew she was hurt, badly, by her ex, but the WHY and what he did?? I freaking wanted Patrick to punch that man so bad, so VERY bad!

And Patrick's reaction to finding out Sloane's pain?? He literally wraps her up, and pulls her close. And it's then, right near the end, that they get their moment. I loved being made to wait for it, I really did! I think, as with Owen and Mel, had they NOT had their moment, I'd have still enjoyed it.

Patrick has his voice in the third, and Sloane in the first. I'm loving this, I really am. It's different, yes, but it works so well here! It's a bit shorter than the other books too and I read it in one sitting.

Angus, the final brother is next and he meets Rhyleigh here. Smitten they both are, but there really isn't anything given away about them! Can't wait to get my hands on it!

I might go back and read Eva's book, the MacAteer sister who falls in love with Stud from The Dragon Runners series. I tried before, but I'd like to round this family out by having read ALL their stories.

4 stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**