Un Match  

       by Eden Dunn

He was different from his public persona, at heart he was a nerd, he just hid it well. He was easy on the eyes, a tough player on the ice and a good time for a lot of women. But they ran through his life faster than fire could melt ice. He wanted what he saw others have in their close relationship with one woman in their life. How to get started was the problem his was too well known and he didn’t want any of the women who just wanted a bit of him, a part of his fame or a good chunk of his money. So, he asked for help and his brother suggested an online dating service. He’d even let him use his picture so no one would recognize him. 

But then he ran into her. A good friend of one of the other hockey players fiancés; she was a single Mom. Those two things alone should have sent him running in the other direction. But there was something about her.

Characters from the first four books come back to play a part in this Tommy and Eleanor story, I enjoyed playing catch up.

This is a turn down the lights low, put on some good music, curl up in a chair enjoy this storyteller’s steamy tale.

Available now on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BKP5KP2L?notRedirectToSDP=1&ref_=dbs_mng_calw_4&storeType=ebooks

 Snowlit Christmas Kiss

       by Larrissa Lyons

 

She’s thought her
self free of the betrothal her father had tethered her to as a small child. With the death of Robert her intended, the ties binding her should have been severed. It was Lady Redford, Robert’s Mama, that had asked her to consider accepting her youngest son, and now the standing Lord Redford, as her husband. Anne Larchmont, at 24 years old, was held to be on the shelf at such a great age. Robert not inclined to an early marriage had put the nuptials off several times in the last eight years. Anne was looking forward to searching out a husband of her choosing, but after meeting, spending time with Lady Redford, she found she quite liked the woman and after losing two sons and her husband within months of each other, Anne couldn’t bring herself to refuse the request to at least meet Ward, Lady Redford’s youngest son, just back from the war with Napoleon. Why he was still recuperating from serious injuries he’d received during the war.

For a small reprieve, Anne took off walking to visit her closest friend Isabella Spier, who lived several miles away. She hadn’t counted on the late snow, nor having to assist a tenant farmer’s wife bring her children into the world, nor even the death of the family’s beloved cat, which she promised to bury before heading to her own home. The night was filthy, icy cold, damp with snow and no Moon to light the frozen ground where she was trying to dig a spot to bury the cat. When out of the dark night a man stepped into view. Walking with a pronounced limp, he was missing part of his right arm and looked as weary as she.

Edward, now Lord Redford, had been making his way home after being released from long term care in London. Still not in the best of shape, his left hand still healing after being pinned under an enemy’s horse in battle, his leg to had been broken in a couple of places, and he had lost part of his right arm, but he was determined to find the game keeper’s cottage close to his home. A fellow solider knew Edward needed just a bit more time alone before facing his intended bride and the responsibilities of running the Redford estates and offed him the use of the game keeper’s cottage on his estates close to Edwards home. 

And so, the betrothed couple meet, not by accident though, without realizing who they really are. They spend the night in the game keepers’ cottage and find warmth, laughter, acceptance, compassion for humans and beasties alike. After spending time together, they find they have a very special connection they are comfortable and can talk of anything. They are also physically drawn to eat other. Regretting that they must part come morning but enjoying the hours they have out of time, just being themselves.

Neither realizes that their meeting, strange as it may seem, wasn’t an accident. A beastie had scared Edward’s horse, leaving him on foot, to make his way to the game keeper’s cottage, which in turn led him to making the acquaintance of Anne as she tried to dig the grave for young Owen’s cat, Lord Grayson. There was something in the air, Phineas could smell it.  He had even let out a loud roaring sound to hurry the two young humans through the night so that they might reach the cottage before they froze to death trying in vain to eek out a hole in the frozen ground.

War has taken its toll on Edward and his comrades. He is heartsick, from losing friends in battle, trying to adjust to the lose the better part of his right limb and the slow healing of his other injuries and now to come home to a position of responsibilities he’d never wanted, with the death of his siblings and father. Then to be forced into marriage with a young woman he had yet to meet. Anne is in no better shape. After expecting some latitude of freedom to search out a man of her own choice, she is now considering how she can make her refusal, to marry the newly appointed Lord Redford, her hand in marriage.

We meet an outspoken heroine, who has compassionate nature for all those, no matter their station in life, determined to set her world right. She gave up on having a London season when she found her best friend Isabella was slowly going blind. Isabella’s father just wants to hide her away, as if he were ashamed. But Anne visits her whenever she can, to help her keep up her spirits, but Isabella won’t let a little thing like losing her sight to stop her from enjoying life. Ed has come away from a war that has cost him friends, pain and lose of limbs but he pushes himself to become the head of the family. I loved to fact that several of the chairs in the tale have disabilities but show their strengths by finding ways to pick up life after the horrors of war. This romance that takes place around the holidays makes you want to believe that good things can still come out of the tragedy that is our world.  Larrissa Lyons made me feel like I was back in time, as she wrote of the situations the characters find themselves in, a blind friend whose father appears ashamed of his daughter’s failing sight, no doctor to help a woman in labour, using a shove to dig out a grave in the frozen ground and betrothals where parents choose who you are to marry.  The wording she uses also sets the pace and time for the tale words that I was very comfortable with and enjoyed seeing in print since it had been years, she I had heard or saw in print some of the terms she used.

I enjoyed this romantic story, with a veteran of war who wouldn’t allow his disabilities identify who his was as a man, an outspoken spinster and a shifter that just had to step in and do a little meddling. I was given an advanced readers copy in exchange for my opinion of the book. I found humorous, touching, romantic with language and a few lightly steamed scenes, along with a HEA ending. Enjoy it, I did.

 

The Dance: the Chase Duet

      By Kimberly Knight

Release Date: December 8, 2022

Stacy is a free spirit. A dancer at heart, but her practical side had sent her to college for a degree in business with a miner in dance. She still had little more than a year left at college.  She’d gone to a couple of auditions but hadn’t placed in either. The plan had been to finish school and then find a job. Hopefully as a backup dancer for a group, but if not, she’d have her degree in business.

Blake was a bartender at the Wild Pony Bar. He had a dream too. He wanted to own his own bar or possibly a club, but raising the money needed for his venture was slow going. He’d been walking in the shadow of his older, very successful, brother for some time now making it hard for him to seriously focus on anything, but his dream.

Stacy and Blake had been spending some recreational time together when they needed to let off steam. And he was good at listening when she needed to talk.

 Stacy’s Mom was paying her part of the rent on the apartment, she shared with her friend Molly. When out of the blue her mom called with the bad news that her business had fallen off to the point where she would have to close it soon. Both she and her mom would be in trouble if that happened. It was time for Stacy to step up, try to help give her mom’s business a boost with some new marketing ideas. Soon going to school during the week and helping her mom on weekends started to take its toll on her energy.

In the end it was Molly who suggested a solution for Stacy’s shortage of funds, that might keep her in  school and pay the rent. She introduced her to Sweethearts, a high-end escort service, that paid very well if you were willing to play the game. And she was in…

Blake had asked Stacy to go with him when he visited with his family a couple times to keep his parents from harping on his lack of ambition, higher education and single state. She’d done it, even If, she didn’t agree with his strategy. It was one of the reason’s she had told him about her work with Sweethearts. Until the night she came to the bar to find him after one of the men she dated turned out to be a rapist… leaving her battered, beaten and terrified. He was the one to comfort her, try to get her to report the man and finally took her home and helped her forget.

Then Stacy ran into Eddie, an old friend, the son of a man her mother had lived with when she and Eddie had been teens and their lives took another sharp turn. Eddie had loved Stacy as a teen and wanted to try again to reach her.

The tale takes place over several years, with long stretches between seeing each other, picking up months later. Their lives change and each tend to go their own way at times only to come back together again. There are triggers such as rape, high-end escort services, spicy scenes with open doors and abuse. But the story has heart, characters gradually change trying to learn from past mistakes. There is heartbreak and at times each of them lets the other down. Their lives mesh off and on, but each of the characters have a way to go before they can find themselves on a path to a better life.  But will they ever end up on the same path wanting the same thing, at the same time?  The last page isn’t the end of the story, for me the cliffhanger was heartbreaking. The story will continue with the next book.

This is a book I probably wouldn’t have picked up on my own if I hadn’t been given an advanced copy to read and review. I can’t pinpoint any particular part of the tale when I realized that I really cared about the characters and wanted a happy ending for all of them. I recognized their pain and understood some of the poor decision making while struggling to make their lives work and their dreams come true. I recommend this story if you can get past the triggers, because for me the people felt real; the story snuck up on me, wrapping itself around me, drawing me in.

 I gave it four stars only because I found the blank time slots a bit disorienting to the flow of the story for me.

Shattered Wolf (Shadow City: Silver Mate Book 1) 

by Jen L. Grey

Release date December 8, 2022

 Silver wolves, descendants of an Angel, were more powerful than other shifters and had been hunted for eons, spending their lives moving around to keep hidden from outsiders when possible. They lived by the rule that they would harm neither humans nor supernatural beings, they were the protectors of life. But war had come to them in the form of demons and brought them to the attention of humans, telling others where they could be found. There were others, mostly humans, who coveted the power of the shifters and would go to any means to find a way to acquire the secrets of shifting. And so, begins a new world where supernaturals are hunted and they will have to fight for their freedom. After Jewel’s father, the Alpha of the silver wolves, died trying to save others, her Mother Mila, went on a rampage, blaming those for whom her husband had died. She made life so miserable that Jewel had to get away in order to sort out her pain and find a way to better cope with her loss. What would it mean to their world?

For months she lived with her grandfather’s pack, hours from her home, until one night a friend convinced her to go to the city for a night out, upon their return to the encampment only silence greeted them. As they searched the nearby cabins, they could find no sign of anyone, no signs of struggle. Something was very, very wrong. After noticing the television was still on running a news report Heather and Jewel turned up the volume to listen.  The man in the video would have grabbed anyone’s attention his was gorgeous, but when she realized he was a shifter speaking to humans about the reality of supernatural beings living around them, she realized they needed to get away fast and find help.

But as they left the encampment a black SUV came barreling down the road after them, they were being followed, the driver tried to run them off the road. Barely managing to escape with their lives, they headed for the new home of the silver wolves. Jewel’s terror turned to full blown anger when they finally reached Shadow City and one of the first people she saw was the man, Killian, from the news video. It was all his fault, why was he here with Sterlyn, her Alpha, and other supernaturals?  She blamed him for the disappearance of her family and the pack. Even as her mind told her she despised the traitor, she was strangely drawn to him.  Why was he watching her with such a strange look of longing? She told Sterlyn about finding the empty encampment and the SUV that tried to run them off the road.  Finding the pack members would require Eliza’s, a witch, help but to assist she needed something tangible from at least one of the shifters. They would have to return to the encampment, get in and get out fast for someone fear that those who had followed them would be back with others. Together with Sterlyn, Griffin, her mate, Heather, Jewel and several others they would drive back to the cabins and find what they could.  Killian insisted on going along on the journey, much to Jewel’s consternation.

They’d almost reached the encampment when they saw the smoke and the bright glow from a fire. Most of the cabins were a blaze and falling in unsalvageable by the time they reached them.  Jewel and the others knew that time was short, they had to try to find something they could use in their search and get out before the humans who had torched to cabins came back. But it didn’t take long to realize once again they had run out of time.  The humans came with guns and tranquilizer rifles. It didn’t take a genius to realize that the humans wanted to capture them but wouldn’t hesitate to kill them if they couldn’t. The fight to escape would cost them, they would lose a couple of their comrades before they succeeded to break away and escape.

The story begins with a tale of treachery, hatred towards supernatural beings, hits the ground running with action, blends in romance that blooms even in the midst of terror and fights to bring about justice for everyone.  This paranormal trilogy is full of action, suspense, romance and edge of chair terror. Jen L. Grey doesn’t hesitate to make hard decisions by creating situations where bad things happen to good people in their struggle to remain free. The supernatural world comes together with angels, demons, vampires, shifters and more. She has built a world where there is good and evil on both sides, humans and supernatural beings. Peopled with characters whose lives are very different from each other while they draw strength from their diversity, find mates with whom they can forge loving bonds and join forces to fight for their freedom to live in peace. The story unfolds with light touches of humor, sadness, pain, death and uncertainty in a world ruled by fear, greed, and hatred. But there is also hope.

For a time, I felt like I’d stepped into the world of Indiana Jones, wherever you went you ran into trouble, with no clear end in sight, and an army of elite fighters without mercy, interspersed with people you will come to admire and for whom you are rooting to come out on top. I had a hard time sitting still reading it, I found myself with the tale in hand pacing the floor, laughing, crying, and scared for those held in captivity. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy paranormal situations, romantic suspense and action stories. There are some twists and turns so don’t get too comfortable, you may be surprised at what happens next.

This part of the story ends in a cliffhanger that may leave you feeling like someone pushed you off a high ledge only to catch you and secure you in a net. Just know that the next edition won’t be far behind.

 Books on my mind...

A new book by L. L. Hunter, The Midnight Ball, will hit the streets on Dec. 13, 2022.

 

"In the magical kingdom of Sydlandia, 17 year old Grace is hiding a secret.

When a devasting event upends Grace’s world, it will force her to rethink everything

she’s ever known.

And question everyone around her.

After all, she’s not the only one hiding secrets."

From the bestselling author of The Dragon Heart series and the Legend of the Archangel series, comes the complete Midnight Ball trilogy in one magical collection.

Reign of Secrets

Crown of Lies

Queen of Midnight

A Blaze of Fire 

  By Karina Espinosa

                                                         review by Katy Grant

                    AVAILABLE: Friday  November 4th, 20022

She had left her human world behind to save Ansel. But who would save her from those in the Unseelie Court who would see her dead. First, she was half fae, an abomination in the eyes of the humans as well as in the eyes of the fae. It could be a death sentence for her sire and herself if any found out her father was Kazimir, the Unseelie King’s General. Thankfully, even though she looked exactly like her mother, Kazimir didn’t appear to recognize her.

After speaking to the Seelie Queen, Ansel was allowed to attend the Unseelie Court as an Ambassador, so he could keep watch over Violet. He didn’t like how close his brother was becoming to her. After sneaking into her room to see her, where their passion for each other took over, Alec warned Ansel to stay clear of Violet or he could be the means of all their deaths.

Now within the Unseelie Court, Alec had promised to protect her and to that end he had two loyal fae to stand watch over her. Rose was a Pixie with no powers, a low fae, as her handmaiden and Rook who size and fighting strengths were a bit terrifying. The plan was to demonstrate to the Unseelie King that Violet did hold the Orb within her, therefore having the ability to control and use all four elements, Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. The second purpose, to have her offer fealty to him; the third, to prove to the King that once she was completely trained and in control of her elemental powers, she would be an asset to the Unseelie and not a threat.

To this end, her training began with Kazimir, as an elemental fire fae. When she didn’t show promise soon enough, he pushed her off a cliff towards the rocks and water below. Her elemental wind power stood her in good stead, thankfully. But now she was more than ever, weary of him. As another form of testing, the King decided to send Violet along with Kazimir to collect the taxes from the lower fae. Kazimir and Alec both tried to object, to no avail, since Violet herself stood before the King and accepted the task, unknowing of the cruelty behind the act.

The journey would only take a week after all, what could be so hard about collecting taxes. The first village they came to, Violet realized why both men had objected to her going.  The villagers looked as if they were starving, the huts and town looked to be falling down.  She watched as a villager was being whipped half to death because he had no tribute to offer and refused to give up his young daughter. She couldn’t just stand by and watch. She tried to stop the lashing but was pulled away by Alec and ushered off to the Town Hall. Later, the beaten man lay on the ground, where they dropped him after his lashing, as if dead.  While the others were distracted, Violet asked Rook to help her bring him into the Town Hall where she could tend him. The Fae showed no signs of humanity, no compassion to those who they considered beneath them.

As they left the village and headed for the next, along the trail, they were attacked by creatures of death, Wraiths, flying down from the sky with claws extended. Kazimir ordered men left behind to fight them off to give the rest of them time to get away. But as Violet looked back, she could see those left behind would not survive the attack without help. She broke free of Alec and ran toward them to help even if it meant her death….but as she was throwing fire at the creatures a strength broke free from within her….

She was now in mortal danger if the King found out what she had done.

In these chapters, the Unseelie Court unfolds with all its warts, starting with their cruel monarch pulling the strings of control. From the high fae and their arrogant ways to the inhuman treatment of the low fae, to those who look to a legend to somehow change their realm. She knew she couldn’t stand by and watch this inhumanity continue, she would help where she could, while she was here. Violet never intended to stay in this world. Somehow, she would return to the human world.

 The conspiracies, intrigue, secrets, heartbreak and caring hearts will show themselves. Living among these beings had showed her that they were not always what they seem on the surface. Karina Espinosa has put her own imaginative twist to good storytelling, envisioning the Unseelie Court in her own way. Evil is not always fully evil, characters will grow and change, but will it be enough to save those under the King’s oppression, for any to join in to protect Violet or is there too much fear, self-importance, or self-preservation of the old ways. This tale ends in a twisted cliffhanger that sends a dagger to the heart of this reader.   I love the beginning of this tale “A Hint of Delirium”, the first in this trilogy.  But “A Blaze of Fire” had me wanting to hide in the shadows of this tale to watch, listen and somehow become part of this riveting story.

I was given an ARC to read so that I might share what I saw in this tale. This is what I found. 

Wolf Protector (Moon Kissed #3) by Harper A. Brooks

 Edmund is alive and Carmen is by his side, his lover. But that isn’t the hardest part to swallow for Tasha, it is the look of triumph and hatred in her younger sister’s eyes as she faces her. Everything she had done, was to help in her search for Carmen, to bring her home. It was almost incomprehensible to Tasha that Carmen had been with Edmund the whole time.

Tasha and Reid are caged in separate cells, in the dungeon. How did this happen? Reid had promised her he would protect her. Where was the strong Alpha, she had come to love? It’s as if he has accepted defeat without a fight. Fury and pain washed over Tasha, as she looked at Reid. They were the companion’s trying to block out the love she had for him.  At this moment she hated him. She had trusted him and again he had failed her.

Reid watched as his father parades Carmen, pawing her, in front the cells, easily demonstrating his total dominance over the young witch. He sees the pain in Tasha’s eyes, as she watches the disgusting display. All he wants to so is reach out to touch her, to take away her pain. His pain almost overwhelms him as he faces his father. Once again, he is the small child cowering as his father stands over him, with his threats, beatings and punishments. His father is once again in control, the pack following his orders, their jailers his father’s henchmen. Even Mae and her coven of witches are at Edmund’s beck and call.

Even if Tasha and he could somehow free themselves, where would they go? How could they defeat so many against them. Finally left alone, to starve in the cold cells, Tasha’s mind returns to the change in her younger sister. Carmen had been the stronger of the two witches, but she had never been cruel, so filled with hatred. What had Edmund done to her? She didn’t have to wait too long. Carmen came down to share the horrors she had faced, as she accused Tasha of abandoning her. She had a proposition for Tasha, kill Reid and she could go free. Tasha took the knife from Carmen, as she was released her from the cell. Tasha watched Reid’s face as she approached his cell.

 The look on his face told her of his love and his acceptance that by his death, Tasha would be free.

In the end there is a battle coming. Not everyone will come away unscathed, for there has been treachery a foot, as well as fear, that will hold some back.  Can Reid and Tasha together break the chain of horror Edmund has wrought?  Though Tasha loves Reid, she has had a hard time accepting him as her mate, will they finally come together as one or will all that fight against them separate them?

 

With this final tale that began with “The Wolf Hunter,” we will get answers we won't always want to hear, there is heartbreak, betrayal, abuse for those who couldn't defend themselves and a fight to end the reign of tyranny. Shifters, witches, heroes with flaws, evil incarnate, Tasha and Reid will face this and more in their fight to offer a better life for the pack.

The journey that Tasha and Reid have traveled had me following closely on their heels, sharing their ups and downs, sitting on the edge of my chair in fear that one of them wouldn’t make it to the end. The ending was so full of suspense, I had to sit on my hands so I wouldn’t rush to the end of the book to see what happened.  

Casey L. Bond has a captivating new tale that will be available beginning October 13th. And this is just the first. There is such much happening within this tale a second book to finish the story will come out soon. 

“Where Oceans Burn”

“ With these three virtues, we shall rise. With these three, we shall conquer: Truth. Honor. Blood.

To my people, the sky-reigning Empyreans, Intention Day is sacred... To me, it’s the day my carefully

 crafted lie crumbles and my truth gives way to my ruin. The great scale of the goddess Neera has tipped out of my favor. The pans teeter between weighty punishment and deadly opportunity. My choices? Capture my most formidable enemy before next Intention Day, or forfeit my wings.

But life’s loftiest plans are often a breath away from disaster, and tragedy strikes as unpredictably as a bolt of lightning. When I find myself at the mercy of the Shark of the Sea, the monster who killed the person I loved most, I accept my fate. My death. But the Shark does not lash out in revenge for all I’ve done. He tells me his true name is Crest. And while he calls me a Scourge, he honors his orders to guard me.

I am Elira, great Scourge of the Sky.

He is Crest, cunning Shark of the Sea.

Together... we could be unstoppable.”

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1muuOSTFyut1Np64S7IyoXhkTug-cYSYk/view?usp=sharing

"Where Oceans Burn
With these three virtues, we shall rise. With these three, we shall conquer: Truth. Honor. Blood.

To my people, the sky-reigning Empyreans, Intention Day is sacred... To me, it’s the day my carefully
crafted lie crumbles and my truth gives way to my ruin. The great scale of the goddess Neera has tipped out of my favor. The pans teeter between weighty punishment and deadly opportunity. My choices? Capture my most formidable enemy before next Intention Day or forfeit my wings.

But life’s loftiest plans are often a breath away from disaster, and tragedy strikes as unpredictably as a bolt of lightning. When I find myself at the mercy of the Shark of the Sea, the monster who killed the person I loved most, I accept my fate. My death. But the Shark does not lash out in revenge for all I’ve done. He tells me his true name is Crest. And while he calls me a Scourge, he honors his orders to guard me.

I am Elira, great Scourge of the Sky.
He is Crest, cunning Shark of the Sea.
Together... we could be unstoppable."

 Wolf Tamer: Moon Kissed Bk 2

          by Harper A Brooks

My Review

Well Tasha, this is another fine mess you’ve gotten yourself into; about to be burned at the stake and still she couldn’t get her magic to come to life.   In the meantime, back at the Redcliff mansion Reid is in his own life or death struggle fighting not one but, two Pack wolves intent on ending the Alpha’s reign and his life.

…. back where they started, a bit singed, scraped up and bruised; they still don’t have a clue as to where Carmen may be held, by whom. Nor have they found how the Redciliff boundaries are being breached or the reasons behind it.  Reid is well aware of the dissention among the wolves, not the least of it being their mistrust and hatred towards Tasha and the witches. Now he must show his strength as Alpha to prove to the wolves that he is in control, to be feared and obeyed. For this reason, the Pack has assembled in the mansion to watch as he metes out pack punishment to Tasha for “escaping”.  It is harsh, cruel and painful while, many watch in satisfaction with glee and lust in their eyes.

 Matching Reid’s reasons for this act of cruelty with his tender words and care of her afterwards makes trusting Reid even harder for Tasha.  As the days progress, she tries to make friends with the wolves starting with Liam and Julius.  She struggles to find her place within the Pack, to stand by Reid’s side.  Reid spends most days with the Pack and even when he returns to her at night, he keeps his counsel and his secrets tucked away.  Uncertain, of his feelings for her, Tasha fears she has let herself begin to care too much for Reid.  What if his need to control and lead the Pack means she might, just be collateral damage in the end?

Something is off about the Redcliff mansion. Keeping herself busy during the day helps to calm the thoughts of her sister, the distance she feels is forming between her and Reid, along with concerns the enemy is circling ever closer.  So, she quietly searches, looking for hidden passages, listening for sounds out of place, smells that don’t belong. The old mansion holds secrets within its walls that portent danger to all.

 “Wolf Tamer” offers some answers, while it draws a tighter bond around the Pack and our heroes. As any good tale there is still more to learn, and the end may not yet be foreseen. There are still questions, secrets and even a few surprises. Emotions are right up there with the struggles and secrets that push everyone to the limits of their endurance. Tasha and Reid’s strengths, the Pack’s burgeoning acceptance as some come to see the outside dangers pressing in, others accepting Tasha as someone who wants to help, the hatred the witches seem to have for all, carry the storyline forward on a winding path and made me want to see how it may be resolved.

I was given an ARC to share, through my point of view, with others. So, first let me say, the book kept me reading well into the night and I read it again in case I missed something before stopping to write the review. The storyline is tough, there are those who may have difficulty with the Pack’s way of dealing with disobedience or what they see as weakness or treachery, but leading means making the final tough choices for the world in which they live. For this reason, I gave the book four stars.  Harper A. Brook doesn’t pull her punches, which is why I really got entangled in the story. For myself, I give it five stars. The next reader needs to be their own judge, so give it a chance. 

A Hint of Delirium by Karina Espinosa review

 A Hint of Delirium (Fated Fae Elementals Book 1) 

by Karina Espinosa

                                                  My review follows:

Seeing the world through Violet’s eyes may make you feel like your crazy, but there is more to our world that mortals may never know or see. It sucks to see things others can’t, to be diagnosed as a schizophrenic all your life. Makes holding a job tough. Be that as it may, when some Adonis, at the bar where she worked, tried to pay with leaves, Violet had had enough. She called him out, crumbling the leaves in front of him. Others, including her boss, around her didn’t see what she saw, they only saw a couple hundred-dollar bills destroyed by her. Once again there went her job. And now the Adonis creep had followed her home.

Ansel was on a mission for the Seelie Queen and while interrupting his mission for the her wasn’t a smart move on his part; he had gotten sidetracked after his run in with the young woman at the bar where he was meeting an informant. There was something about this girl that was off. How had she seen though the glamor that masked him and the leaves? He soon found he wasn’t the only one interested in learning more about who or what she was, and some of the others simply wanted her dead.  When he saw the iron ankle bracelet she always wore, he was quick to seek answers that would change not only Violet’s world but could bring real danger to the realm of the Fae as well.

 More trouble comes when his brother Alec, turns up. Alec who chose to side with the Unseelie King despite his family’s allegiance to the Seelie Queen.  It turns out that Alec and Ansel were looking for the same thing, a powerfully dangerous artifact. Legend has it that the orb holds sway over all four powerful elements (earth, wind, fire and water) part of the magic of the Fae. In ancient times, it was believed to be too powerful for any one Fae to control all the elements. So, it had been entrusted to a small group of humans to carry it within them, passing it on from one generation to the next at birth. While a league of humans were to protect the secret of the current generation’s carrier or killing the carrier if need be to stop the Fae from getting their hands on the orb.

Built around the legend of the orb and the hunt for it by both the Seelie and the Unseelie, with a group of humans who will stop at nothing to keep it from the Fae, including murder. Violet is at the center, at twenty-five she still lives with her mother, who was feeding her pills for her “hallucinations” and regular visits to a shrink all along keeping dangerous secrets from her. Each of the characters have flaws, that enrich the story keeping you guessing how they will handle situations that come up. As Ansel and Violet draw close, Violet will have to make some tough choices the protect the two people in her life who are most important to her, while withholding the complete truth from them. There are cultural differences as well between Violet and Ansel they will have to come to terms with. One is their view on human life forms. As a Fae being, for Ansel, human life holds very little value and may be easily disposed of.  

This is the first book in the series with Violet learning secrets long kept from her, a danger filled world where making the right decision could lead to even worst turmoil for everyone. So, hang on to your seat the ride has just begun.

If you are a fan of Karina Espinosa, you might find a few changes way she tells this beginning tale. For me these changes enrich the telling through dialogue, that at times is snarky, charged with under currents and thoughtful, descriptions of sets that quickly place me at the scene, and interaction between characters feels closer. I am even enjoying one of the main antiheroes. I loved the fact that Karina doesn’t let the reader get comfortable before snatching the rug out from under my feet, dangling more trials and tribulations in front of Violet and Ansel along with a heathy dig from Alec. While the steam between Ansel and Violet has just started heating up, which can be a catalyst for misunderstandings with the best intentions at its core. Definitely a series to pick up and share, since one book will lead into the next. Along with storylines that leave a lot of room for What if?  What will happen next? and Who do I really want to strangle?

 Wicked by Karina Espinosa ....its the shelves Friday, June 5th. But here is a short clip about the end of this really good read.

 

If you believe being immortal will give you all the time you will ever need to fix whatever is wrong in your world, you may find that time slips away from you without anything ever being accomplished. Change has come to Joey’s world and not for the better. She isn’t dead, good. She has become an immortal, not so good. The Seelie Queen has promised to help her, good; when she is ready and not a moment before, not so good.  

So how do we find Joey after she has saved the Supes from the Compound and the Humans United? Just at the moment of their freedom, at the stroke of midnight Joey turned twenty-six years old.  She became immortal, unloved, hated by those who had once cared so for her. With no true understanding of a way to break the curse, returning herself to just plain human and restoring the love she lost, the friendships and no means of prodding the Seelie Queen to reveal the secrets to breaking the curse, Joey has spent quiet weeks in the Seelie Garden away from all that she knew and those for whom she cared. Reed is once again on track to marry Ava, who can’t wait to drag him down the aisle. Even her friends are indifferent to her as if she barely registers with them. Elliott still sees her as part of the Pact and as such she must attend the meetings, offer her input on ways to protect her people and join any battles that may come.

When we are at our lowest, there may be help from some unexpected places. A single blue butterfly hovers over Joey in the Seelie Garden…and speaks to her briefly of hope. Then Levi, with whom she spent agonizing days in the Compound, has offered to help her. He was never a fan of Joey’s but now that hatred has somehow passed. He can clearly see the strangeness of the others around him and the way they are reacting to her. He listens when Joey tries to tell him humans are plotting to round up and destroy all the Supes. That the promises of a shared world with humans and Supes are shadowed in lies and treachery. Levi and Joey will work together to find a way to persuade the leaders of the Supes to take cautions and find answers before they agree to follow the human’s lead. Perhaps with a little help from the undead? What of the Fae?

There may be help from another source as well, as Reed is starting to have dreams/glimpses of his life before with Joey, while Ava is beginning to wear on him. But a dark entity is on the horizon and if it is awakened, all could be lost to Joey. Beware the Fae that holds out a hand to help.

The conclusion of the Joey Santana series has all the twists, turns, secrets, unexpected friendships and surprises of the first three books. I sat on the edge of my chair, just bargaining with the gods, for five minutes with Ava under my hands at her throat, a frying pan to knock Reed in the head and a chance to run with the Supes as they battled the humans. This series gave me hours of grand tales, friends, those I wish could be part of my family, enemies I really wanted to have a go at, scary times and sheer bouts of hatred for the bureaucracy. The ending is rich and complete. In some way, I would hope Katrina Espinosa might revisit Joey and Reed’s world. But I am happy their story has been fulfilled.

 

 Casey L. Bond has a new book coming out this month. Check out this beautiful book trailer. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/136SXahjUCPz5xpCpJn8hiuzvu4UKZNMH/view?usp=sharing