The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson

July 27, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A serial killer and his copycat are locked in a violent game of cat and mouse. Can DI Anjelica Henley stop them before it’s too late?

On the day she returns to active duty with the Serial Crimes Unit, Detective Inspector Anjelica Henley is called to a crime scene. Dismembered body parts from two victims have been found by the river.

The modus operandi bears a striking resemblance to Peter Olivier, the notorious Jigsaw Killer, who has spent the past two years behind bars. When he learns that someone is co-opting his grisly signature—the arrangement of victims’ limbs in puzzle-piece shapes—he decides to take matters into his own hands.

As the body count rises, DI Anjelica Henley is faced with an unspeakable new threat. Can she apprehend the copycat killer before Olivier finds a way to get to him first? Or will she herself become the next victim?

Drawing on her experience as a criminal attorney, debut novelist Nadine Matheson delivers the page-turning crime novel of the year. Taut, vivid and addictively sinister, The Jigsaw Man will leave you breathless until the very last page.

DI Anjelica Henley has had a rough few years, with her marriage on shaky ground, a toddler daughter and recovering from serious wounds – both mental and physical – which she sustained capturing the infamous Jigsaw Killer. While outwardly normal and calm, Henley is barely keeping everything together. So when a copycat killer is leaving dismembered body pieces in highly public places all over London, Henley and her colleagues are drawn back into a psychological game they thought was long over.

I’m often a bit hit or miss with “psycho killer is helping the police – or is he?” style of stories. It’s such a delicate balance to my mind between having your bad guy actually be a bad guy (and not an anti-hero, which is a different thing for me) but also making sure your villain doesn’t appear to be a cartoon character or overdrawn. It’s incredibly hard and that thin line is different for so many readers, and thus a lot of various books out there fall short of the mark for me. I was delighted that – from my perspective at least – this book delivered on many levels and I am already eagerly anticipating hopefully a next book.

I think a large part of this books success for me was much of the story focused closely in on Henley. I loved how her character was flawed – deeply, in a few respects – but Anjelica was trying so hard to keep everything together just as so many women nowadays are. Keeping numerous balls up in the air – husband, child, career, mental health, her own personal happiness – all the while struggling with some serious emotional baggage and well-deserved fears I found her character to be both incredibly relatable but also someone I could hold a deep empathy for. I was particularly pleased that many of her actions weren’t necessarily the “right” choices. I found it deeply relatable but also quite difficult to read about her denial about her mental health and how she managed to juggle these various aspects of her life. While Anjelica thought she did both of these things successfully I wasn’t so sold and this made gripping reading for me. Thankfully, while I didn’t agree with all of her choices, at no time did I feel she was being outrageous or blindly stupid. The author did an amazing job to my mind in showing the reader why Anjelica was making her various choices and how they might not be the “right” thing they were the best decision for her in the moment.

I also was delightfully frustrated but in awe of how well the author doled out the backstory – and particularly the information related to Peter Olivier – the serial killer Anjelica and her coworkers incarcerated a few years previously. Indeed I think much of my enjoyment of this story was learning about Olivier – and what, exactly, was going on – in a slow, drip-feed style of manner. There was no massive info-dump early on, explaining the scene or letting the reader in on the machinations of what was occurring. And while a few times I was frustrated that I had no idea of some of the aspects of the past related to the case, it’s closure and exactly how everyone came to be in the situation they were, the author was exceptional in slowing fleshing out that history as it became relevant to the current circumstances. For a debut book I feel this was handled masterfully and while I’m not sure it will be every readers cup of tea (it really was annoying at times to know I was missing pieces of the puzzle – heh – and having to wait for the author to give it to me rather than having everything up front) it also kept the tension, pace and eagerness for me to continue reading really high. This could easily be a story readers devour in a sitting or two mainly because the urge to discover what’s going on, to solve the puzzle and get those answers was huge. This was a page turner in many respects.

Finally, I really enjoyed how the plot itself was fairly simple the story as a whole was so much greater than that. The way the characters – Henley’s colleagues at the Serious Crime Unit in particular – all interacted and how all the moving parts of the story wove together. This book was refreshing and different but familiar enough I didn’t feel out of my depth. In particular Olivier’s character – even though he’s nowhere near as prominent in the story as Anjelica and her team mates – were all handled exceptionally well and I am really hoping there’s not a big lag before the next book comes out. This story doesn’t end on a cliff hanger as such – the plot is rounded out nicely, but Henley does make a large and serious personal decision in the last few pages of the story. It’s obviously the set up for the next book, and I am deeply intrigued how the author will handle it.

Readers who like a gritty, complex and character-driven mystery story should find this as wonderful as I did. I am eager for more stories from this author.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Back To Life by John Carson

July 21, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Back To Life by John Carson
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

It looked like a simple murder case. But the victim’s false identity is just the beginning…
Edinburgh DCI Harry McNeil’s dangerous job wasn’t made for relationships. So when a female officer’s mutilated remains wash up in a canal, it feels like proof he was right to leave his long-time girlfriend. But the investigation takes an unexpected turn when he discovers the corpse was carrying a police ID belonging to a cop already dead and buried.

Digging deeper, McNeil learns the woman was actually a software engineer nosing around high-tech, classified projects and poking into murky government corners. So when a second body surfaces, he fears the truth lies in the darkest corners of greed and corruption. And someone is determined to make certain those secrets never come to light…

Can McNeil catch the killer before the deadly tables are turned on him?

BACK TO LIFE is the second book in the gritty DCI Harry McNeil Scottish crime thriller series. If you like hardboiled detectives, dark humor, and snappy banter, then you’ll love John Carson’s unputdownable tale.

I really enjoyed this second story featuring DCI Harry McNeil and DS Alex Maxwell. While there is an interesting and decent plotline surrounding a new Artificial Intelligence company involved in making driverless cars and the complicated murder of a police officer – Linda Smith, who oddly actually died more than three months ago yet her police warrant card was found on this new body – I actually mostly really enjoyed the growth in both Harry and Alex’s characters.

While both were enjoyable in the first story (Sticks and Stones) in this second outing I really feel the author had the time and space not just to allow us as the reader to spend more time with them, but also helped flesh out their working relationship to a greater degree. I admit that each character felt more three-dimensional this time around and I became a lot more attached to them both. Harry is dealing with his recent break-up and complications arising from extracting his life from his ex – who still lives just around the corner and they frequent many of the same places. I also feel Alex really comes out to be her own character, I got a better understating of who she is and enjoyed the fact her personality shone through a lot better and she wasn’t just the underling learning from a decent boss and trying to grow her career.

Readers looking for a strong romance in their mystery story probably won’t find this fits their needs. While there is certainly more dancing around Alex and Harry’s feelings in this story there is no overt motion on either side to instigate a romance. That said, there did feel to me like some chemistry might be bubbling away in the background and I feel the author might be leaving their options open in that regard as the next few stories progress.

What I did really enjoy though was the deepening of the working – and friendship – dynamic between Alex and Harry and by the end of this story they each felt a lot more “real” to me and I was committed to seeing a lot more of this series through. The plot was strong and well-woven, but in some respects I feel it actually took a back seat in this book to the relationship and character growth of the two main characters. And for a series like this, having a book where the focus is on the characters and their growth isn’t a bad thing. Particularly since I didn’t feel the plot suffered in any meaningful way.

For a well written police-procedural mystery with some deeper than usual and interesting character this is a great book to try.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Verses For the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

July 19, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Verses For the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

In this #1 New York Times bestseller, FBI Agent Pendergast reluctantly teams up with a new partner to investigate a rash of Miami Beach murders . . . only to uncover a deadly conspiracy that spans decades.

After an overhaul of leadership at the FBI’s New York field office, A. X. L. Pendergast is abruptly forced to accept an unthinkable condition of continued employment: the famously rogue agent must now work with a partner.

Pendergast and his new colleague, junior agent Coldmoon, are assigned to investigate a rash of killings in Miami Beach, where a bloodthirsty psychopath is cutting out the hearts of his victims and leaving them with cryptic handwritten letters at local gravestones. The graves are unconnected save in one bizarre way: all belong to women who committed suicide.

But the seeming lack of connection between the old suicides and the new murders is soon the least of Pendergast’s worries. Because as he digs deeper, he realizes the brutal new crimes may be just the tip of the iceberg: a conspiracy of death that reaches back decades.

Agent Pendergast finds himself sent down to Miami, Florida in charge of an unusual case – where a young woman was brutally murdered and her heart removed, only to be placed on the gravesite of another young woman who committed suicide more than a decade ago. The letter indicates the heart is a gift, but clearly a lot more than meets the eye is going on. Can Pendergast and his new partner, Agent Coldmoon discover what’s really going on?

I’ve been a long-time fan of Preston and Child’s and followed along the many ups and downs of their Agent Pendergast series. I’ve been particularly enjoying their more recent work – both City of Endless Night (the story directly preceding this) and this book. In many ways I feel it is Preston and Child returning to their roots with Pendergast – in that the main focus of the story is on the central the mystery and the complications that arise with Pendergast’s unusual but highly effective investigative mannerisms. I really enjoyed this addition to the series.

Indeed, this and the previous book (more than many others in the series) could perhaps even be read as a stand alone. While for sure a reader having read the numerous previous installments will have a far greater understanding of Pendergast and his foibles – unlike a number of the previous books in this series, the plot and majority of aspects to this story can be read just by themselves as the plot is contained within the story and not linked directly either to previous books nor left open-ended in a trilogy or sequenced manner.

I also admit to greatly enjoying seeing Pendergast do what he does best – solve murders, piece together complicated parts to a plot and forge his own path. Even more exciting for me was seeing a really great partner for Pendergast (though no one can outside D’Agosta, of course) in Agent Coldmoon. Left of center, I feel this character was an excellent support character for Pendergast. Highly intelligent, stable and not prone to leaping before carefully looking I felt in many ways Agent Coldmoon was a suitable and indeed worthy match to work with Pendergast. The two men also thaw to each other as they work and I believe come to respect and enjoy working together – something I would love to read more of.

This story was at last a really good, interesting and complicated murder mystery, but I feel a lot of the flair comes from Pendergast and Coldmoon’s characters in particular. Working with the new dynamic growing between these two men and having Pendergast taken out of his usual element of New York was lovely to read and while I didn’t initially have high hopes for Coldmoon (all too often there are significant flaws and/or failings in newly introduced FBI or police characters in this series) I was really impressed and, in the end, thrilled with his character and I really hope to see more of him again someday.

With the vibrant backdrop of Miami and the Florida surrounds, a really interesting and complicated murder case spanning the past and present day and a number of strongly written and intelligent characters this was a great book and an excellent addition to the series. I feel readers could certainly pick this up as a stand alone novel (though admit they might not find it quite as exceptional as I did) this is a fast-paced and excellent mystery/suspenseful read. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Land Of Enchantment by Jodi Payne and BA Tortuga

July 13, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Land Of Enchantment by Jodi Payne and BA Tortuga
Publisher: Tygerseye Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, LGBTQ
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

What if you had to leave everything behind to find your way home?

Opposites definitely attract, but can an east coast kid on the run and a southwest rodeo cowboy learn to speak the same language, let alone learn to trust each other?

When Mason Wild has to get out of Jersey fast, he heads west without a plan or a penny to his name. Luckily he finds a job with a roofing company run by a rodeo cowboy who’s kind, easy to work for, and even with his jaw wired shut, hotter than July in the high desert.

Bull rider Levi Yost knows what it’s like to be down on his luck. He’s not much older than Mason, but he’s been around the block a few times–or at least around the rodeo arena. He takes a chance on Mason, giving him a job and a place to live on his ranch. The two of them discover a surprising amount of common ground, but trouble has a way of finding each of them. Mason has to decide whether to trust Levi with his past, and Levi has to come to terms with the fact that he’s not just riding out for himself anymore.

On the run and having been on the road for a while, Mason is hungry and pretty desperate for some steady work when he finally gets some luck while hitchhiking out in the desert. Levi takes a step of faith and hires Mason onto his regular crew doing some roofing work and quickly both men realize they can truly trust each other in all the important ways.

I really enjoyed this full length cowboy story and loved the slow, emotional pace. From the start it’s clear that Mason has more than a few secrets and is in dire need of people he can trust and who will do right by him. Levi, also, is recovering from a bad fall while rodeoing and I loved how the longer length of the story let the two men ease into a true and deep relationship. While sexy and hot, I loved how the co-authors took their time to let the two men learn and trust each other first. This really helped me as a reader get a good feel for them both and get excited as they trusted each other inch by inch.

With a few really strong secondary characters I loved how Mason in particular flourished after he found his feet. The pace around the reader learning his backstory was lovely, snippets here and there that added up into an interesting and intense sub-plot around where and what Mason had left behind him. Levi also was a delight, and once we finally get back onto the rodeo circuit with him I loved how the reader could see it all fresh and learn through Mason’s eyes. Personally I have zero knowledge about real cowboying and rodeos (short of what you’d see on tv) so I loved how much detail and authentic description the co-authors added into the story without it feeling like a massive info-dump. I loved these scenes and felt they really added hugely to the story as a whole.

While it took a while for the plot (both Mason’s past to return and Levi to realize maybe his time for being on the rodeo circuit was a limited thing) to really blossom and come to fruition but I didn’t mind this at all as the growing relationship between Levi and Mason was given ample time to really come around and not be rushed. This book is really like a lovely long, slow drop and I adored this pace.

Readers eager for a character-centric story with vibrant and different characters, plenty of hard work, desert settings and authentic cowboys along with some complicated personal plot-lines and a loving and emotional, deep M/M romance should find this story really fits the bill. I loved this story and can’t wait to reread it again soon. Recommended.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

When All The Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz

July 12, 2021 By Leave a Comment


When All The Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz
Publisher: Jove
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

When Charlotte Sawyer is unable to contact her stepsister, Jocelyn, to tell her that one of her closest friends was found dead, she discovers that Jocelyn has vanished.

Beautiful, brilliant, and reckless, Jocelyn has gone off the grid before, but never like this. In a desperate effort to find her, Charlotte joins forces with Max Cutler, a struggling PI who recently moved to Seattle after his previous career as a criminal profiler went down in flames—literally. Burned out, divorced and almost broke, Max needs the job.

After surviving a near-fatal attack, Charlotte and Max turn to Jocelyn’s closest friends—women in a Seattle-based online investment club—for answers. But what they find is chilling…

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Max Cutler enjoys his work as a PI even though his first career as a profiler for the FBI – along with his marriage and the home he’d made for himself – all went down in flames during his last case. When he agrees to take on a client who insists his cousin’s death isn’t what it looks like Max meets Charlotte and together they discover the unusual link between Charlotte’s step-sister’s mysterious vanishing and Max’s suspicion, death. Soon they’re working together, each determined to find some answers.

Jayne Ann Krentz has been a staple of my reading material for more years than I’m comfortable remembering. This book really brought home to me just how amazing she is as a writer, because over the years (gulps: decades!) she has continued to grow and thrive in her writing style. She has always been an exceptional writer but I found this book really exceeded even my own high expectations.

For example – this book had a good number of strong, varied and interesting secondary characters (the investors group of four friends, the nursing home residents and Max’s family as just a few). Whereas there is almost always some secondary characters to help flesh out the world and situations – I thoroughly enjoyed that this book really had a higher than usual number and yet the quality and interest in this large group remained high. I also really enjoyed how the plot wasn’t linear – numerous threads all wove slowly but steadily together and the story-telling around this and weaving the pieces together was not just artful but entrancing to me.

As I admitted above I’ve been a fan of Krentz’s for ages, but like all relationships it ebbs and flows. Some books hit the mark better than others and while they’re all good – there are different levels of “good”. I adored this book and it really hit a number of my “excellent” buttons so I rate this book above a number of her other recent works. Now sure, there are the usual tropes which are as comforting and enjoyable as they are predictable – Charlotte is smart, savvy and has a “crash and burn” relationship in her near past, Max has his own issues and a far bigger “life-altering moment” in his past and they each are dealing well with their respective histories and baggage. They’re both strong characters, attracted to each other but cautious of getting burned again and focused on the mystery and task at hand – all the usual tropes. But that doesn’t detract (for me, at least) one inch from the enjoyableness of the story, and for sure it doesn’t lessen the intensity of their characters or the situation at all. Indeed the comfort and known quantity of these aspects helps me enjoy the tension and weaving of the multiple plots more than if I was trying to grapple with their character and objectives. I know this style of characters and can enjoy the plot and circumstances more because I’m not questioning or catching up on other parts of the story.

Readers who love a fairly traditional style of romantic suspense should definitely give this book a whirl. If you haven’t read Krentz before you can pretty much look into anything of her backlist in the last 10-15 years and chances are good there’s a number of decent stories there awaiting your perusal. Krentz is a go-to for me for solid, enjoyable, believable and interesting romantic mystery/suspense. This is definitely one of my favourites though they’re all of a high quality. The romance is a slow-burn and while the bedroom door is left open the focus of the romance is more emotional and Charlotte and Max connecting and working their investigation together with a bit of bedroom sizzle thrown in – this is not an explicit or heavily graphic romance story, but a solid mystery/suspense with a good dash of romance woven in and balanced well.

A solid and thoroughly enjoyable read, I was delighted by this and can heartily recommend it.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Perfect Gift by Raven McAllan

July 8, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Perfect Gift by Raven McAllan
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Erotic Romance, Historical
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

My lord. Let the battle commence.

You wish to play games?

So do I.

But be warned, you may be the overall winner of the battle, but I, my lord, well, I will win the skirmishes.

Are you ready?
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He thought at first there was no signature, but then he saw inscribed in tiny letters at the foot of the page—

I am not, my lord, your obedient servant. I am, however, your willing partner. In all manner.

Judith

Judith knew Stephen had extreme tastes. Tastes he thought not suitable for one so innocent as her.

However she had other ideas. How could he know, how could she know, if he didn’t share them?

Stephen knows his sister has a hidden motive for changing her house party at the last minute to be held at his place – their family estate – rather than her own perfectly suitable marital home, but Stephen can’t fathom what his sister’s reasonings might be. Even when Stephen starts to suspect what his sister’s machinations might be, he still refuses to indulge in his more secret desires with the innocent and sweet Judith. Eleven years his junior Stephen struggles to express his needs to far more worldly paramours, yet when Judith shows every indication of not only welcoming but wanting those harder desires but reveling in them as well, Stephen can’t turn away this perfect gift.

This is a racy and explicitly spicy historical romance story. While the first half of the book is mainly setting up the scene between Stephen and Judith, I really did enjoy the slower pace to get them together. It helped feel that the lightly kinky BDSM desires they each harbored were not just added into the story for extra heat but was something they each truly desired and – true to the historical setting – each feared somewhat to express even in privacy between each other. While light dalliances might have been fairly common in those days gossip was rife and each could have been thoroughly ruined had their true desires been exposed. I felt this aspect of the plot was really well handled – though readers wanting a faster paced story or something a little less realistic and more bedroom-based might find it a bit too slow for their tastes.

Once Stephen and Judith do hit the sheets, however, things move between them at a very fast – and fiery – pace. Readers should be aware while the main physical relationship is between Stephen and Judith, a female maid is sometimes a third in a quasi-ménage style of situation during much of their play. With some seriously sexy scenes – spanking, restraints and a few BDSM kinks – and an exceptionally fast-paced second half of the story this was a great and quick historical read. I also enjoyed the epilogue which hinted at a following book revolving around one of the other characters that I’d be interested to keep an eye out for. Recommended.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Love In Chaos by Sam Crescent

July 6, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Love In Chaos by Sam Crescent
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

After the world’s population is nearly wiped out, Maggie has been able to protect herself—until now. Captured in the dead of night, she is offered to a man. A leader. Only this man isn’t a stranger. Three years ago, he was the first man she ever had a crush on. Her teacher.

Clayton would recognize Maggie anywhere. In all his years, Maggie was one who got under his skin. He thought she was dead, perished like so many others. But she’s back, and he’s not going to let her go. He wants every single part of her, hoping she won’t hold back.

She always imagined love, but she must settle for what she can get. When Clayton realizes his carelessness and that his woman could be pregnant, he screws up. His fears keep him from admitting his love for her.

Heartbroken, Maggie plans to have her baby, but she’ll protect her heart from Clayton. Is it too late, or does he already have the key to her heart?

Three years ago – when she was barely eighteen – the world as everyone knew it ended. Maggie had travelled, mostly alone and avoiding men, and until now had survived far beyond her expectations. Kidnapped while she was sleeping, Maggie is dragged as an “offering” and she’s completely shocked when she’s dragged before her old History teacher – and major crush – Mr Knight. She hadn’t expected him to remember her at all, but he does, and now the world has ended there’s nothing stopping either of them from acting on their very mutual, very adult attraction.

Readers will need to understand that this is set is a very harsh, post-apocalyptic world. There are no hearts and flowers here, no rainbows and glitter or soft, sweet world and gentle love-making. Readers who want a softer or more romantic style of story probably won’t be very satisfied with this quick read. It took me a moment to adjust my own expectations of this story, but once I did I found it an interesting albeit harder read than I had expected. I was surprised how in such a harsh and forbidding world the author did a decent job of creating a sense of intimacy – albeit one heavily laced with survival and the human instinct to band together, not a more traditional style of romance – between Clay and Maggie.

While much of the intimacy – at least initially – wasn’t overly romantic to my mind, I was really pleased when as Clay and Maggie worked together to survive and keep their crew safe and fed they slowly really did begin to built a more lasting relationship together. With the world so completely different to what we’re used to this relationship and the romance/attachments that grew weren’t what anyone could feel were standard or traditional, but I slowly came to believe with more and more strength that both Clay and Maggie truly did love each other and that their bond could survive through anything.

By the end of the story I was not only convinced that Clay and Maggie were perfect for each other, but I really genuinely believed they had a healthy and loving relationship together. That was an awesome high note for me to end this quick read on and while I admit this won’t be good for all readers, those who want something completely different and enjoy post end-of-the-world style of stories I feel it’s well worth the effort to read this.

A good albeit quite different style of story.

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Craving Tara by Lila Fox

July 5, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Craving Tara by Lila Fox
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Since her mom became sick, Tara’s had to work hard, even doing things she never thought she would consider in order to pay the bills.

Soon after meeting Traeger, the sexy and broody VP, she agrees to come live with the Devil’s Sons MC and cook for them. She moves to the clubhouse, but she’s unsure if it’s the right place for her. While her mom is being taken care of by professionals, Tara needs to find out where she fits in.

Traeger takes one look at Tara and knows she’s his. He just has to get over the guilt of his last girlfriend’s death to move on with Tara. Can he make peace with his past before he loses his chance at love again?

Tara had needed to quit her regular job when her mother got sick, needing to earn more money with less hours left her with only the one option – stripping. While she adored dancing, she hated how tiring it was and how little she enjoyed the stripping. Still, she was determined to do everything she could for her mother. Traeger had been devastated when his previous girlfriend had been killed right in front of him. For years, no one else had stirred him since that moment until he met Tara. Innocent but strong, self-conscious but full of fire she drew him and Traeger almost felt as if he was ready to try again for something as difficult and painful as love.

I really enjoyed this longer length MC story. Tara and her bff Amelia are interesting and modern women who are both in difficult situations but don’t let the stress of their positions drag them down too much. I particularly enjoyed how while there was attraction between Tara and Traeger (and Amelia and Fury) neither women just rolled right over and jumped into bed with their respective men. They all took some time to interact together and try to adjust to their new positions and lives before making a commitment or delving into something that would have been painful and messy to undo. It helped me as a reader to get a bit more comfortable with their respective situations and allowed me to see the depth of friendship and genuine love between Tara and Amelia as they both navigated their new and rocky romantic relationship with their respective men.

I also felt there was plenty of conflict and tension in the plot – Traeger still feels guilt a number of years later about the murder of his previous girlfriend, which was a different and really interesting plotline for me reading an MC romance. I also thought while a little predictable, the club whores being so antagonistic to Tara and Amelia added a good bit of tension to the story as well.

While the sex was hot and intimate I was pleased that Tara and Traeger both clearly became emotionally connected to each other and it wasn’t just purely physical. Readers looking for a spicily hot, explicit MC style of romance novel should find this really suits their purposes. I enjoyed the other guys in the club and even thought the author did a good job introducing what I expect might be the next story’s heroine toward the end.

With realistic and interesting characters and plenty of steamy sex this is a great read and a story I really enjoyed.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Kaito’s Silence by Emily Carrington

July 1, 2021 By 1 Comment


Kaito’s Silence by Emily Carrington
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, LGBTQ, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Kaito has always been attracted to werewolves of the opposite gender — until he meets his new sign language tutor, a flamboyant wolf named Stefan.

As Kaito struggles with his own sexuality, Stefan starts to feel like an experiment. Can their love thrive or will Kaito’s indecision push them apart?

Kaito had always been attracted to women, until he meets Stefan. Having requested to be placed in the immersion sign language class Kaito is pleased but puzzled when Stefan is assigned to assist him and help teach him. Now questioning his sexuality, Kaito is confused and trying to sort his emotions out, but Stefan is beginning to feel like he’s simply an experiment. Can these two men learn to communicate together properly before it’s too late?

I found this an interesting and well plotted short story. Even though both Kaito and Stefan were in college and adults this story had a bit of a YA feel to me, personally. I think this was in large part because Kaito was still clearly learning and discovering who he was – for his career as well as his sexuality. I think the fact we followed along as he learned both sign language as well as the basics of being a tracker and all the responsibility and meaning that has in this story’s paranormal world meant this came across to me as a bit of a coming-of-age style of story. I found Stefan’s character to be well researched and quite relatable, and while I admit I don’t know much about the deaf community it felt to me like the author did an excellent job and had done her homework when it came to this aspect of the story as a whole.

There are a number of various paranormal creatures at the college – not just werewolves – so I feel readers who enjoy a rich paranormal world and lots of various entities should find this story quite satisfying. While the main thrust of the story is around Kaito and Stefan – and therefore werewolves – I was surprised and pleased by the other creatures and felt it really added a strong element to the story and helped really sell the world-building and paranormal aspect of the world in general. Although it takes quite some time for Stefan and Kaito to become intimate – and it mostly happens off screen – I feel that fits perfectly with the story, both with Kaito’s uncertainty and Stefan not wanting to merely be an experiment or passing fancy. If readers are willing to explore and move along with Kaito and Stefan as they both learn more about each other and themselves then I feel readers will be happy with the pacing of the story and I know I personally found it exactly right.

A good, short coming of age style of story about two interesting men discovering who they are. With great world building and a strong cast of supporting characters this was a good read and an author I will happily try again.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Stranded With Her Bullies by Sam Crescent

June 30, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Stranded With Her Bullies by Sam Crescent
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, LGBTQ
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

When a lockdown is declared, Daphne is forced to close her successful bed-and-breakfast for the foreseeable future, which she expects to spend alone. However, three men from her past didn’t leave with all the others. After twelve years, her high school bullies are back. She doesn’t know what game they’re playing, but she won’t be part of it.

Eric, Micah, and Dean intend to win her heart. What started as a challenge soon turns into more as the three friends band together to claim the woman of their dreams. There was only supposed to be one victor, but now they will all win.

Daphne doesn’t plan to fall for them, but when an opportunity opens up, they’re just too damn hot to turn down.

It’s a lockdown full of promise. Three guys, one girl, and many possibilities. Why not enjoy the moment, even if she doesn’t intend for it to last forever. Or will it?

Daphne had carried on with her grandmother’s B&B, a beautiful quaint place near the mountains. Closed until further notice due to the pandemic and the lockdown, she’s looking forward to the quiet as a chance to recharge her batteries and tinker with the B&B and be ship-shape when they reopen. She hadn’t counted on the three very determined men who flatly refused to check out or leave her premises. Eric, Micah and Dean had been her high school bullies – the three handsome, popular, intelligent men who had made her teenage years miserable. They were determined to win her over, but Daphne was equally determined never to let them have any sort of power over her ever again. Can they weather this storm together?

A part of me wasn’t sure if this was a little too soon for me. With much of the world still in dire trouble from the pandemic – and lockdowns and clusters still popping up here and there to keep society as a whole on their toes – I really wasn’t sure I wanted to read a story where, even loosely, the pandemic and lockdown was a part of the fictional world I immersed myself in. I feel strongly for some readers this won’t be the right fit – yet – and so I’m grateful the author was quite up front about those settings. I still don’t think I want to be reading too much about pandemic life and lockdowns, but I have to admit the references were fairly fleeting and limited to only sporadic comments throughout the story which I was grateful for.

I also wasn’t really sold on the idea that Daphne could overlook such horrible treatment through school from the trio of men and give in to her sexual craving for them. To actually enjoy the story I really needed to just disconnect my brain and try to go with the flow. I didn’t question the logic – regardless of how sexy they were or how hot the attraction, how could someone fall in love with the bullies who made her childhood hell? – and I just relaxed and enjoyed the sexy shenanigans.

Once I got to this place, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Three hot and handsome men with no one else around to judge or criticize Daphne or her choices… It was a decent fantasy. Readers looking for a steamy hot menage style of story – three men with one woman – should find that this suits their needs delightfully. While the three men are best friends, they are not sexually intimate, but they are open and communicate their desires and talk about the changing scenarios of their desires with Daphne, so there’s no real cheating (in the traditional sense) and while Daphne is kept in the dark about their discussions and bets/deals for some time, the men are all honest with each other.

I really don’t feel this will be enjoyed by every reader – both the style and plotline are a bit on the edge of what’s romantic verses what’s erotic/dark-romance, but for readers who want something a little edgier I feel this is a well written and quite intense storyline that should appeal to many. With plenty of intimacy and some intense scenes this is a very explicit story but a full length novel that should appeal to many.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,
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