Bear Country by Mary Hallberg

May 6, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Bear Country by Mary Hallberg
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Woman versus nature

Casey doesn’t want to go on the camping trip. She’s not a big outdoors person, and would rather stay inside with her paintings — and her air conditioning. But it’s her high school graduation trip, and her mom is making her go.

When one of Casey’s classmates disappears during the night, the teachers and park rangers assume she’s at the library and aren’t concerned. But Casey’s crush, Trevor, isn’t so sure and wants to go looking for her. A handful of others agree to join him — including Casey, despite her disdain for the woods.

But the trek turns deadly when the group encounters the reason their classmate went missing — an enormous, predatory grizzly bear, hellbent on destroying everything in its path. Now Casey and her classmates must find their way back to civilization without becoming bear food.

Never turn your back on nature.

There were some entertaining plot twists along the way as Casey and her classmates attempted to outrun and outwit their pursuer. Readers who are already familiar with this genre may be able to predict some of them ahead of time, but this wasn’t something that relied on the element of surprise in order to shock and frighten its audience. Instead, it was the journey from beginning to end that mattered with the plot twists providing the characters extra opportunities to learn from their most recent attempts at escape and try something different the next time they were attacked. I thought that was a good way to prolong what could have otherwise been a much shorter work.

The explanation for why the bear was so strong and aggressive was what held me back from giving this book a higher rating. While there were a few hints shared about its possible origins, they were not developed enough for its behavior to make sense to me. Knowing this information was critical in order to understand why a bear would suddenly begin attacking so many humans in a busy national park, especially given that none of the attacks were provoked or included usual reasons for an animal to behave this way such as a mother protecting her cubs.

With that being said, I loved the man (and woman) versus nature themes. Most of the characters knew little to nothing about camping, hiking, or coexisting with apex predators in the wild, and they did make a few mistakes early on that more seasoned campers would have avoided. The plot explored both the fear of the unknown and the anxiety some people feel when surrounded by nothing but trees and wildlife. These are themes that aren’t included in the horror genre as much as I’d prefer to see, so I was thrilled to find them here.

I should note that this was a pretty gory read, just as it should have been given the subject matter. Fans of that type of horror, take note!

Bear Country kept me perched on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Artificial Elephant by Eric J. Hull

April 28, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Artificial Elephant – stories of loss, magic, and hope by Eric J. Hull
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, LGBTQ, Horror, Paranormal, Romance, Holiday, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Character-driven literary speculative fiction for readers who crave haunting emotional payoffs.

A boy grieves the impossible beast that healed him. A house searching for its lost family. A vampire steals back her lovers’ tears. A scavenger hunt gone hilariously awry. Two lovers dancing at the end of the world.

Ghosts. Love. Winter. Hope. These 22 stories of fantasy, science fiction, and horror cast flickering light against the crowding darkness. They embrace the transformations between grief and love, kindness and bitter fate.

Sometimes the line between facts and feelings is paper thin.

In “Christmas Lights,” a smart house searched for its missing family for many years. I loved the fact that this was written from the perspective of a building instead of a human one. It was a unique way to frame the storyline and made me wonder if the house would ever find out what happened to the parents and two children who had once lived there. The twist ending was as poignant as it was logical for this universe as well.

Katie was a three-year-old girl whose body grew so impossibly cold she couldn’t eat anymore in “Katie Dreams” because any food or liquid she tried to consume froze solid when it was moved too close to her. I was nearly as fascinated by the scientific attempts to understand and reverse her condition as I was by her mother’s response. The strong emotional bond between them made this something I couldn’t possibly stop reading until I knew how it ended. In my opinion, memorable science fiction begins with the relationships characters have with each other before anything unusual occurs, and I would have happily read a full-length novel about Katie’s family and how they coped.

A teenager’s grief for his dead sister took on a new form in “Charcoal.” As he recalled a few of their shared childhood memories during his last few days at home, strange things began happening that were as bittersweet as they were inexplicable. This was a beautiful metaphor for how gut-wrenching it is to say goodbye to someone who died far too young in life, and the plot worked just as well on that level as it did when read from a paranormal perspective.

What ultimately convinced me to give this collection a five-star rating was the breadth of characters and experiences that were included here. I wish I had the space to mention all of them in my review as there were so many other gems to discover that included genres ranging from romance to horror. It takes talent to imagine such a wide variety of characters, all of whom remained distinct in my mind.

The Artificial Elephant – stories of loss, magic, and hope was exactly the sort of diverse speculative fiction I enjoy reading, and I can’t wait to see what Mr. Hull comes up with next.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Kiss Me at Sunset by Laura M. Baird

April 17, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Kiss Me at Sunset by Laura M. Baird
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Michelle Bosak is finding her way again at age fifty after being widowed. She’s always had an adventurous side, but entering a wet t-shirt contest among twenty-somethings? It was meant to be harmless fun. She never factored in the instant attraction to the sexy mountain of a man acting as bouncer. And then to discover he’s a talented musician who makes her heart yearn again? Yeah, the night just got a lot more interesting.

Xander Phillips enjoys playing music with his band, helping his sister at her bar, and living life freely on his terms at age fifty-two. But one look at the hot little woman on stage has him all out-of-sorts. He can’t resist staring at her gorgeous body, touching her flawless skin, and finding a way to learn all there is to know about her.

When they go from get-to-know-you conversation to a night together that’s hotter than the Florida sun, will these seemingly opposites—who discover they have much in common—make room in their lives for more?

Everyone deserves to live happily ever after.

The chemistry between Michelle and Xander was sizzling. Given how quickly their romance heated up, the early scenes that explored the spark between them was essential in order to explain why they were both interested in moving fast with each other. Ms. Baird couldn’t have done a better job at setting up their mutual interest in the first scene and then allowing her characters to escalate their interactions from there.

I did find myself wishing that a bit more time had been spent exploring why these two protagonists would make a good longterm match. Yes, they were great in bed together and shared some common interests, including the conscious decision to remain childless by choice which is something I’d love to see more of in the romance genre, but it would have been nice to see an extra scene or two that discussed what they hoped to be doing five years in the future as well to see how compatible those dreams were. Had this been included, I would have happily gone for a full five-star rating.

This book was filled with funny, playful banter that made me chuckle. I especially enjoyed seeing how their friend groups merged together and what everyone thought of each other as there were some humorous moments included there, too. Everyone in their social circle was in a stage of life where they had the time and money to enjoy late evenings out which made their adventures even more amusing.

What a heartwarming read Kiss Me at Sunset was.

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

Devil’s Gambit by Jade Rowe

April 9, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Devil’s Gambit by Jade Rowe
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

My abusive husband lost me in a poker game.
Now I belong to the most dangerous man in New York.
And he only has one condition:

Give him two weeks.

Two weeks under the constant watch of his whisky-colored eyes.
Two weeks next to his perfect, tattoo-covered body. In his billion-dollar bed.

Two weeks to be treated like a queen. And dominated like his toy.

Two weeks. That’s all Dante Caruso demands. Then I can make my decision.
Leave this dark life behind and never look back. Or become his forever.

But there’s one secret he doesn’t mention. Something I could never have predicted.

He’d burn the world down to make me stay.
And I’ll yearn to melt in the fire.

Bella’s life is a series of being constantly on edge. When her abusive husband – whom her father sold her to in order to settle his debts – then puts her up as a last stake in a poker game, she finds herself sold on to another unknown, tattoo-covered mafia man. Dante demands very little, and insists at the end of the two week period Bella can make her own decision. Leave this dark life behind, or become his forever.

I have to admit this is my first foray into the dark mafia romance genre and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. While there are certainly dark themes in this book, and some of the action, fighting and bloodshed in certain key scenes is descriptive – I have to say this story wasn’t as dark as I was expecting. Yes, there is shooting and fights, mafia style scenes and posturing. There is also some violence against Bella in a few scenes – but there is nothing titillating or over-indulged to my mind. The violence is there and not shied away from, but it’s also not drawn out or dwelled on. So I feel this was a good balance between what I was expecting and not hiding it away, either.

This is also a fairly spicy book. I don’t feel this is as explicit (or as sex-heavy) as many erotica stories I have read. That said, it’s not a mafia story with a little romance. I definitely feel it rates a spicy level and not “mainstream romance” sort of heat level, but neither would I slot it in with the erotica genre or more sex-based-plot sort of books either.

I was particularly pleased that the plotline – the mafia fighting and posturing – was absolutely front and center though much of this story. Dante and Bella’s romance is equally prominent, but I feel the plot had about equal amounts of time and this gave the book a better foundation to my mind that had the author primarily focused on the romance between the two main characters. There was also a good number of strong secondary characters and I absolutely felt the next book was set up towards the end of this one – likely featuring Marco, Dante’s older brother and Grace. I’d absolutely be keen to follow on with that book.

Readers should also be aware that while I did find Dante’s character to be fairly straightforward, Bella’s character is quite complicated and might not be to everyone’s tastes. I found she really grew on me but Bella was not what I would think of as a traditional heroine. She is complicated and layered – and what I found brilliant (and slightly difficult) is that in many ways she’s just as morally grey as Dante. Bella is a survivor. She is intelligent and strong. These are brilliant things, but in the difficult mafia world she finds herself embedded in – that means making difficult decisions and not necessarily walking a pure and white path. I’m not sure this will appeal to more traditional romance readers and is likely why it comes more under the dark mafia genre heading – even though I, personally, didn’t find it as dark as I was expecting it to be. Readers who enjoy complicated plotlines and character journeys and growth should likely find this as engrossing as I did.

With a good balance between plot and spice, I found this to be an interesting story and a good “first try” of the dark mafia genre that seems to be everywhere lately. I enjoyed this book and will absolutely be looking at others this author has written. Recommended.

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

The Abnormal Gumshoe by Tamar Anolic

April 1, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Abnormal Gumshoe by Tamar Anolic
The Fayetteville Series, Book 2
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Chloe Weaver is the oldest daughter in a conservative Christian family of Fayetteville, Arkansas who lives biblically: long skirts for the women, home-schooling for the children, weekly church attendance and old-fashioned courting rules that lead to marriage.

As she turns thirty and remains unmarried, however, Chloe begins to wonder if she’ll ever have the happy marriage and many kids that she has been led to believe constitutes the perfect life. When her parents allow her to court Barnabas Anderson, Chloe knows she should be ecstatic. Instead, she is uncomfortable with the twelve-year age gap between her and Barnabas. Besides, Barnabas has always been a little… weird.

When Barnabas’ brother visits the Weavers, bringing tales of Barnabas’ previous wife and her untimely death, Chloe realizes how little she knows about Barnabas. As she prepares for a prayer assembly in San Francisco, where Barnabas used to live, Chloe decides to investigate his past and his wife’s death. With the help of Detective Logan Cartwright of the San Francisco Police Department, Chloe steps out of her comfort zone to find the truth- and find hope for her future.

What’s done in the dark will always be brought into the light eventually.

Chloe’s character development seemed weak at first, but after thinking about it I have come to the conclusion that this could very well have been done intentionally in order to show how emotionally and socially stunted she was as the result of growing up as the eldest child in a large family, being homeschooled, and otherwise being sheltered from the outside world. Having known a few kind but also quite naive people who grew up in similar Quiverfull households, so many of her mannerisms and habits reminded me of them from the parental role she took on for her fourteen siblings to the joy she felt when doing perfectly ordinary things like going out to dinner or ordering a coffee from a cafe. Kudos to the author for not only portraying this subculture pretty accurately but also for trusting the audience to pick up on the clues and understand why Chloe felt kind of flat in the beginning.

Another round of editing would have helped to clean up the typos in this novel. While all of them were mild errors that did not interfere with my understanding of the storyline, they happened often enough that I felt compelled to mention it in my review and refrain from giving this the higher rating I would have otherwise happily chosen for it.

The mystery was straightforward and, to be honest, felt rather realistic when it came to the authorities not always paying attention to the clues before them or knowing the right questions to ask when interviewing someone who lives a very different lifestyle than their own. Being a police officer does not automatically mean someone understands the nuances of every subculture or can easily pick up on small signs that something has gone terribly wrong in a case even if they are genuinely trying to understand, after all!

The Abnormal Gumshoe has piqued my interest and made me want to read the rest of this series.

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

The Demon’s Delight by L. Alexander

March 30, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Demon’s Delight by L. Alexander
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Action/Adventure, Historical, Paranormal, Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Summoning a demon may be my only option for survival.

Captured.
Exploited.
Bonded to a Demon Prince.

After being taken from the forest near my home, I’m tormented in the name of research, and forced to use my healing gift for my captor’s profit.

Desperate to escape, I risk it all. I steal a spell book, and summon a demon for aid.

I’m prepared to beg a creature that’s vicious and cruel for help, but a Prince of Hell arrives instead. One that’s devastatingly charming. Kind. It’s easy to forget he’s a demon at all.

Though the contract demands he travel with me on my journey back home, I start to wonder if our bond is more than just obligation. I can’t resist his charm or his thoughtfulness, and his protective flirting seems genuine.

What awaits me back home will test not only our connection, but everything I know about myself and my magic.

Have the fates forsaken me altogether, or have they given me the greatest gifts of all?

Hailon is a healer, but having been captured and sold, trafficked and experimented on these last few months for her powers and gift, she’s on the edge, utterly desperate. When she manages to steal a small notebook she discovers in it enough knowledge to piece together how to summon a demon. Seir is the demon prince from Hell who answers her call. Both of them embark on an adventure, one that neither of them had ever expected.

After picking this up on a whim I discovered it’s the third in the series – but having never read anything previously by this author I found this book stood very well on it’s own. I found Seir to be an enjoyable and amusing main lead character – totally different to the “demon prince” I was half expecting – and I thoroughly enjoyed how he simply relished experiencing everything on Earth. Hailon was in many ways a far more normal and relatable character to me and one I could empathise with for much of the story.

Readers should be aware that while this book does have romance and “fated mates” and a bit of spice – for much of the first ha;f of the full length novel it’s primarily Seir and Hailon getting to know each other and travelling. Readers looking for a “dark romance” novel or something heavily erotic might not enjoy the pace of this story. I greatly enjoyed the almost epic traveler/fantasy sort of style and thought it was quite well written. The fact Seir and Hailon were interesting characters and learned to trust each other was well worth the time and read to my mind.

Once the action kicked off I felt the pace of the book really did speed up a bit. Admittedly a number of secondary characters also appeared (like Seir’s brothers and their wives, whom I presume are from previous books). There is some spicy romance scenes in this but I strongly feel the book is predominantly a paranormal/adventure style of book. While the romance is present it felt very much “in addition to” the plot and actual progress of the book – not front and center or taking up an enormous portion of the storyline.

An interesting blend of paranormal, alternate reality and romance, this was a fun and enjoyable full length novel and a book I really enjoyed. There appears to be two connected series with this book and I’ll be looking into both of them. Recommended.

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

The Baby Box by Linda Palmer

March 23, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Baby Box by Linda Palmer
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Camryn Jacobs, direct descendant of witches persecuted at Salem, has a problem. Fireman Declan Walsh, a lycan, is standing on her front porch at two in the morning with an infant car seat hanging off his arm. Asleep inside it is a baby witch who was surrendered in accordance with the town’s “baby box” law, which states that infants may be left in a customized vault at the fire station—no questions, no blame, no repercussions—if the parent/s cannot care for it.

Declan isn’t about to hand over the baby to human foster parents, the reason he braved a winter storm to get to Camryn. He asks if she will consult her coven tomorrow and, until then, take in the baby. He even volunteers to stay over and help. Camryn can only agree that this magical baby can’t go to foster parents who aren’t preternatural. She also agrees to let Declan stay over, a happy surprise for him. He’s been careful not to confess the reason she popped into his head the moment he saw the baby–he’s had his eye on her for a while but wasn’t sure if she’d go for a witch-wolf relationship.

As the hours pass, they all get to know each other. A definite spark ignites between Camry and Declan, but the coven’s head witch has a shocking personal agenda that threatens not just their budding romance, but the baby and Camryn’s ancestral home, as well.

There’s a fine line between being busy and being overwhelmed.

Turning a baby box deposit into a mystery was what originally drew me to this title, and I thought this conflict was handled nicely. It’s difficult to go into much detail about why the baby was abandoned without giving away spoilers, but I enjoyed mulling over the possibilities as Camryn and Declan received a crash course in infant care and tried to figure out where that little one came from. I certainly wouldn’t know what to do if an infant showed up in my life, especially under such mysterious circumstances. This was a unique romantic mystery that relied on new life to keep the characters guessing instead of the usual homicide that I’d expect to find.

Due to how many different genres were included in this story, there were a few times when I felt as though that worked against the cohesiveness of the plot because of how much was going on simultaneously. Focusing on the romantic elements could have been a good way to tie everything together more securely. Love, both romantic and platonic, was what kept Camryn going when she was in a tight spot, so having a few additional scenes that explored her budding romance would have felt completely appropriate to me. With that being said, this was a minor criticism of something I thought was otherwise well done.

The strong world building here was a huge draw for this reader. There was never a good stopping point which meant that I was always eager to come back when I did need to take breaks. I especially enjoyed the scenes that explored the complicated historical relationships between witches like Camryn and lycans like Declan. It was something I could have kept reading about for dozens of pages due to how complex it was and how each community reacted to members who dated out.

The Baby Box was heartwarming.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Falcon of the Faroe Islands by Jennifer Ivy Walker

March 17, 2026 By 1 Comment


Falcon of the Faroe Islands by Jennifer Ivy Walker
Publisher: Green Mermaid Publications
Genre: paranormal, historical romance
Rated: 5 stars
Review by Rose

Haldor Falk, fierce warrior and powerful vitki blessed by the Goddess Freyja with the extraordinary ability to transform into a falcon, has been charged with forging Skjöld, grandson of King Harald Bluetooth, into a rugged warlord in the wild north of Norway.

With his acolyte’s training now complete, Haldor intends to return to the Viking stronghold of Normandy. But when a vision reveals an imminent attack on a dwarf guarding a hidden treasure trove in a secret cave, Haldor and Skjöld gain Dwarven-forged weapons and an unexpected, invaluable ally.

Úlvhild, a völva of formidable seiðr magic and Haldor’s lover of nearly twenty winters, foresees that the Dökkálfar Dark Elves will strike to prevent the fulfillment of a prophecy. When the Norns unveil the terrible price of her fate, Úlvhild must confront a crimson-eyed witch to save her beloved falcon and ensure that the prophesied Son of the Dragon fulfills his destined path.

Falcon of the Faroe Islands is the sweeping, epic conclusion to the award-winning Valiant Vikings trilogy set in tenth century Normandy.

A sizzling blend of historical fiction, paranormal fantasy, Norse mythology, and steamy Viking romance!

I was so excited when this came up for review because it features my very favorite couple. You can see the reviews for the first and second books here.

Ms. Walker’s skill is making the history of this time period come to life is even more evident in this volume. I truly felt like I was immersed in the history and the spiritual practices.

It was also great to see repeat appearances from the characters from the previous books. Never fear, though, the book can still be read as a standalone.

I truly enjoyed this finale to the trilogy…. it’s the best of them all! Thank you for sharing this world with us.

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

One Last Dance by Ernesto Patino

March 10, 2026 By Leave a Comment


One Last Dance by Ernesto Patino
Publisher: Paper Angel Press
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Devastated by the tragic death of his fiancée, Marco Anissi sets out to find the woman who received his beloved Susan’s heart.

Marco Anissi comes out of a coma, days after his car slams into a light pole-the same pole he had crashed into exactly ten years ago, killing his fiancée, Susan.

Convinced that her spirit has reached out to him in a way he would understand, Marco embarks on a search to find the woman who had received Susan’s heart. He finds her in Tucson where she works as a dance teacher. Her name is Julia. He signs up for lessons, hoping to develop a relationship. Now, Marco must make a decision: tell the truth about himself and risk losing Julia with whom he’s falling in love, or remain silent and enjoy his new life with her.

Can two hearts that beat as one in life be parted by death?

Love is limitless.

There aren’t enough romance novels out there about characters with serious chronic illnesses for my tastes, so this was something I was determined to read as soon as I finished the blurb. It was interesting to get to know Julia as she coped with the health complications that can come after an organ transplant and attempted to fulfill her dreams while also accepting that there were limitations to what she was physically able to do. Figuring out the balance between the two isn’t always easy, but it sure does make for some good storytelling.

I struggled with how different the ending of this book was when compared to the beginning or middle. It almost seemed to be something written in another genre entirely, especially when I considered how out of character certain individuals behaved when compared to their choices earlier on in the storyline. While it’s difficult to go into much detail here without sharing spoilers, I can say that one of the things that surprised me the most had to do with how slowly one of the characters responded to a life-threatening diagnosis. This didn’t seem to match up with what I’d learned about him earlier, and it led to consequences that could have been easily avoided. As much as I wished to give this title a higher rating, the plot holes and sudden shift in tone and themes at the end were an obstacle for me to do so.

The subplot about how an organ transplant can change a recipient’s personality, habits, and interests caught my attention. This was something I’d heard of before, but I wasn’t aware of the many different ways this medical procedure can alter someone’s life or that the reasons for it are still being investigated. Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that dove into not only how the patient can respond to these changes but how people who once knew and loved the donor might react as well. This was a unique twist on the romance genre that piqued my interest in the author’s past, present, and future work.

One Last Dance was a thought provoking read.

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

Colton by Jenna Myles

March 9, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Colton by Jenna Myles
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Love men who fall first? Like strong curvy heroines? How about I throw in a high rise full of billionaires and a hero with some serious golden retriever energy?
Evie did the right thing, she saved a life, and it cost her almost everything. I’m going to make damn sure she’s made whole again.

So I’ve been carrying her picture around with me for a couple of months.
So I argued with the guy at the hardware store over glitter paint for her little girl’s bedroom, a bedroom in an apartment I want to give them.
So I’ve been checking on that empty apartment every night for months.

That doesn’t mean anything though. I’m not obsessed.

When I finally get the call she’s ready for our help, I hop in my jet and go get her.

I expected to find a worn-out, exhausted woman. And I did. But she also called me Conan (as in barbarian) and didn’t tolerate any of my bullshit. And that little girl, well she has me acting like an idiot just to make her smile.

Ok, so maybe I am obsessed.

Colton Brash has been focused on Evie and her toddler daughter Mia for months now. A nurse and good friend of his sister-in-law, Evie’s living situation is dire after she risked everything to help Holly out of her abusive relationship. Colton and his brothers desperately wanted Evie and little Mia in the safety of their apartment high rise, with a secure job and plenty of safety. Can Evie accept their help, and can Colton be patient enough to wait things out?

I picked this book up on a whim and found it an enjoyable romance. With a slow burn and Colton absolutely the first to fall in love, I found this a fun and enjoyable story. I loved the strong cast of secondary characters – mostly Colton’s eight brothers and the two partners (presumably from the two previous books in this series). Having not read anything prior to this I can absolutely state that this book stands well on its own and I found it a fun and steamy book.

I will admit towards the halfway point I was getting a bit tired of Evie’s distrust and her unwillingness to rock the boat or admit to her growing feelings for Colton. While a part of me understood I think some of her choices began to grate on me a bit. While in real life there is sense in being cautious and hedging your bets, and some of that needs to drip into books for reality’s sake – I personally feel there really comes a time when you need to just throw caution to the wind and go with the plotline and enjoy the fact it’s a book and not real life. Evie held out a bit too long for my personal tastes. And while Colton is not blameless here (he could have just as easily expressed his feelings more clearly to Evie) I’m willing to grant him the fact Evie was the vulnerable one here and so it was up to her to make the first move and show Colton she wanted more and allow him to take those steps.

When Evie finally pulled her head out and she and Colton finally admitted their feelings to each other the rest of the book moved well and I enjoyed it. The romance was spicy and fun, and the huge cast of family just made the whole read even more enjoyable to me.

Readers looking for a spicy romance with a slow burn and a seriously smitten hero should find this to be a fun and enjoyable read. I’ll be interested in some of these other brothers and books in the series. Recommended.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,
Next Page »