Badger by Paige Warren & Harley Wylde

September 4, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Badger by Paige Warren & Harley Wylde
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Badger — I went to prison for ten years after beating a man to death. He deserved it, and then some. I only wish he’d suffered more. Now I’m free, but things aren’t the same as when I left. The little girl I once saved is now a tempting young woman with curves in all the right places. I should stay away, far away, but I’m drawn to her like a moth to a flame. The pres of my club adopted her, so she’s definitely a no-fly zone, but damn if I don’t want her with every breath I take. A little sample wouldn’t hurt anyone, right? As long as Griz doesn’t find out, I’ll keep breathing. Sneaking around should be easy enough. I never counted on falling for her, or finding out she was carrying my kid. Now what the hell am I supposed to do? I’m a longtime repeat offender. I can’t walk the straight and narrow. Can I?

Adalia — I’ve worshiped Badger ever since the night he saved me. But what started as a young girl’s infatuation has grown into something more. I know he’ll never see me that way, or at least I thought he wouldn’t. When we’re together, it’s like we just can’t keep our hands off each other. It’s probably against his parole for us to be together, but he doesn’t seem to care. The heat between us is undeniable. He didn’t promise me forever, just right now. But neither of us counted on me getting pregnant, something that wasn’t supposed to happen too easily, and I have no freakin’ clue what to do. I’m scared Badger will run for the hills. He never asked for this, but then neither did I. One thing is for certain. If he doesn’t man up and my daddy finds out, there will be hell to pay. No one can hide from the president of the Devil’s Fury MC.

After beating a man to death – and saving a young girl in the process – Badger didn’t mind the ten years he spent in prison to pay for what he never saw as a crime. Now Adalia is all grown up, but as the adopted daughter of the president of the MC she’s strictly off limits. Badger has never been one to walk the straight and narrow, and Adalia has always been in love with her savior. When she finds out she’s pregnant, life is going to change dramatically for them both.

This is a steamy short story that I really enjoyed. While Adalia had been very hurt in the past, Badger was her hero and despite his rough exterior I enjoyed that he clearly had a soft spot for the young woman. All grown up now, the heat sizzles between them so it’s no wonder they can’t keep their hands off each other. I really liked how they were on even footing when it came to their attraction to each other and it was clear their shared history had their mutual feelings more than just skin deep.

I really enjoyed how Badger and Adalia actually got to know each other – their histories as well as what they were like as people – and not just roll around between the sheets. This helped me feel like the story was more than just about two people coming together and having some fun, but more about two people falling in love and deepening the brief connection they had and their shared history. I really feel that readers looking for some spice – but who equally like a plot and some emotional depth to their story should find this a good fit.

With plenty of steam but an equal amount of deep conversation I found this a refreshing and interesting story with a solid plotline. Recommended.

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

Party Animal by Gale Stanley

September 3, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Party Animal by Gale Stanley
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, LGBTQ
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Casey can get just about any man he wants, except for the one he wants the most.

Casey Cox is a porn star legend. Life is a never-ending party and there’s always a hot guy or two willing to play. Then Casey meets the one man who isn’t interested and suddenly it’s a challenge he can’t resist.

Casey’s life is one big party – as a porn star he can have any man he wants and there’s always a few willing participants. But then he meets the one man who isn’t interested in some fun and games and the challenge is more than Casey can resist.

I found this to be a fun and lighthearted short story. A quick read, there is plenty of steamy sex, but readers should be aware that Casey and Lee don’t hit it off right at the start. Personally, I was pleased that Lee didn’t fall over himself to get into bed with Casey – much as virtually every other character did – and so that tension and discord between the two men made for some good chemistry.

Being honest I’m not sure I’d have liked Casey too much if he’d been a secondary character in a different couple’s story. While I enjoyed his lightheartedness and it was clear he had feelings beneath his carefree, playboy, pornstar exterior the fact he so frequently judged and made assumptions about Lee didn’t always sit well with me. Casey came across a little to me like anyone who had seriously different views – like Lee’s wanting to feel a connection and butterflies before having sex and not wanting to jump directly into bed after meeting for the first time and so forth – was wrong or a stick in the mud. In some respects, Casey struck me as a little obnoxious and while that was certainly interesting from a reading perspective, I’m not certain all readers will find him as a relatable or enjoyable character.

That said it was quite clear that Casey really did want connections – with his sister as well as his solid and lasting friendship with both Paul and Joey is proof of that. And while Casey could be a bit of a pain, I do feel the changes Lee brought out in him and made him look into himself we a real pleasure to read about.

Readers looking for a slightly different and interesting take on the “playboy can have everyone except the one he wants” style of story should give this quick read a shot. I really enjoyed it.

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

Pop Tarts and Mistletoe by S.L. Sterling

September 1, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Pop Tarts and Mistletoe by S.L. Sterling
The Happy Holidates Series Book 1
Publisher: Self Published
Genre: Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

Being stuck at the airport wasn’t part of my holiday plans.

I was on my way to stay with my best friend and his family for the holidays when a freak snowstorm hit. Now I’m stuck, all planes are grounded, and there are no hotel rooms available. I also have no clue of when I’d be able to get on another plane, so here I sit.

Then I saw her.

She stood in front of a vending machine, scrounging through her purse. When she found her last bit of change, she carefully made her selection. A disappointed look came over her face and she began to punch and kick the vending machine trying to get whatever she’d selected to drop. When it did, she threw her hands in the air as if she’d just made the winning touchdown. Then she bent down and pulled out a package of pop tarts. Pop tarts? Who buys pop tarts from a vending machine?

She was feisty and cute, and I knew I needed to meet her. So, I invited her to sit with me. The night passed quickly, with flights heading out the next morning. It was then I realized I’d missed an opportunity as I watched her disappear into the airport crowd.

However, Father Christmas smiled down on me once again when I discovered that the beautiful holiday angel, I’d met earlier was my best friends sister, and I only had a few days to make her mine.

Oh, my cuteness—Pop Tarts and Mistletoe was a wicked fun holiday treat! This short novel made my heart feel all gushy and left a goofy smile plastered on my face. I totally want to re-read it just to get that happy-ever-after glow all over again. A Pop-Tart! As a plot thread! So unique, so unexpected—and so perfectly delightful. If the synopsis pulls you in like it did me, go ahead and start reading. Just be warned: it’s too delicious to put down until you finish it.

Maya, the heroine, was laugh-out-loud hilarious. I could totally relate to her—I’ve beat up a vending machine or two in my college days myself. And yes, strawberry frosted Pop-Tarts are the best! Also, who drinks eggnog without rum? (Not me.) I won’t spoil anything, but her brother gave her a childhood nickname that had me howling when I read why. It reminded me of my own brother, and the family dynamics were spot on and so much fun.

Now Liam—the leading man—was 100% my kind of book boyfriend. I adored him from the moment he met Maya at the airport, but I fell head over heels at the Christmas festival. (You’ll know why when you read it.) He’s sincere, romantic, and totally transparent—no mind games, just honesty and heart. The chemistry between Maya and Liam? Hot enough to warm an entire horse-drawn sleigh ride in the dead of winter. Forget coats, the steam between these two was more than enough.

It took Maya a hot minute to realize Liam was the one, but when she did…? Chef’s kiss. I felt so completely satisfied and happy. I also loved the setup for book two—it’s a romance between Maya’s brother and her best friend, and now I have to know how that story plays out.

This was my first read by S.L. Sterling, and it definitely won’t be my last. I don’t think I’ll ever forget Pop Tarts and Mistletoe, and for that reason alone, I whole pop tart-ly recommend it!

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

Tome of Stars by Stargazer

September 1, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Tome of Stars by Stargazer
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

“Tome of Stars” is a poetic odyssey chronicling a tragic romance, told through 100 interconnected sonnets. The pages explore love and loss, belief and apostasy, trauma, madness, reason, myth, and memory. While written in classic Shakespearean form, its voice and vision are contemporary. It was written with the hope that it might resonate with those who have loved and lost on a transformative scale.

Sometimes love has thorns.

I enjoyed the fact that these sonnets followed the rules of this style of poetry so closely while seeing the characters through the course of their relationship. Normally, contemporary poetry does not include so much space for character and plot development, much less strict expectations about rhythm and rhyme, so it was interesting to watch the characters learn and grow as a result of their positive and negative experiences with love in this format.

With that being said, I did struggle to make sense of what I learned about the protagonist at times. Their mood shifted so rapidly that I found myself wondering how Stargirl, their love interest, would have described the same scenes. Did she find those moments as sweet and romantic as he did, or was this a case of a possibly unreliable narrator? While I wouldn’t expect the author to spell everything out directly for their audience, I did wonder if these other interpretations of the text were something that were intended or if I was reading too much into it. Having more guidance in this area would have gone a long way to encourage me to choose a higher rating as the writing style itself was beautiful.

The inclusion of various myths were a nice addition to this collection. They gave it a timeless feeling, especially once the author went into even further detail about these metaphors and how they were related to Stargirl. While I can’t go into a lot of detail about this without sharing spoilers, do keep an eye out for those lines and sonnets as they appear. They were well done and interesting no matter which myths they were referencing.

Tome of Stars was an adventure to read.

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

From The Other Side by Julia Harrison

August 29, 2025 By Leave a Comment


From The Other Side by Julia Harrison
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Romance, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Alyssa wasn’t ready to die. Snatched from her life and unable to access her most recent memories, she is cast into an afterlife that is very different from anything she expected. She is stuck on Earth, invisible to the living, and she is being hunted. Cornered by a malevolent being, Alyssa is saved by new friends who show her how to survive this strange world she never knew existed. A chance meeting leaves her inexplicably drawn to the enemy, and she starts to question if the line between good and evil is as clear cut as she’d been told. When she suspects her new family are lying to her, who can she trust?

Death was the beginning, not the end.

I enjoyed the ambiguity of this novel. There were many shades of grey in the characters, and few if any of them were purely good or bad individuals regardless of what my first impressions of them might have been. This meant that my allegiances shifted as I read and I changed my opinions about certain characters multiple times as I either learned new information about them or revisited old clues about what they were truly like.

There were some pacing issues that made it difficult for me to remain highly interested in what would happen next despite how excited I was when I first began reading. I liked the fact that so many different genres were included, but this did mean that some scenes needed to be stretched out in order to incorporate multiple themes and tropes, not all of which are necessarily easy to blend together. Patience was key while reading this, although there were times when I wished the next action scene would show up more quickly as certain sections included a lot of dialogue before and after these moments.

The ending fit the tone and themes nicely. While there were a few twists in it that I can’t discuss here for spoiler reasons, I enjoyed seeing how everything was woven together in the last few scenes as Alyssa learned a few more key pieces of information that helped to explain some moments that had been rather mysterious to this reader up until that point. It was satisfying to finally know why some characters behaved the way they did and why others sometimes made choices that didn’t always seem to fit what I already knew about their personalities.

From The Other Side was a wild ride.

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

Burn by Mychael Black

August 28, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Burn by Mychael Black
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Humans and vamps were never meant to be mates, but an accidental meeting changes everything.

Cam Sharpe is just trying to make ends meet. Living in the city can easily break the bank, but that’s where the jobs are. It’s also where crime runs rampant. One night, he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, putting him in the crosshairs of the city’s ruling vampire coven.

Nikolai Hart loves his job — maybe a little too much. When hunting a rogue proves to be a pain in the ass, he’s the one House Saridan brings in to find the unfortunate soul. The latest job, however, has hit a snag: a mortal has witnessed everything.

On his bike making a delivery, Cameron witnessed a vampire executing someone in a dark alleyway. Determined that it was none of his business, Cameron tried to not think of how appealing all those muscles were. Nikolai was well used to keeping the finer details of vampire enforcement under wraps – humans were already pretty skittish around them. So when Nik tracks Cam down it’s a quick matter of wiping the memory and moving on. Only neither Cam nor Nik knew that would not be the end – but the start of something neither of them expected.

I really enjoyed this medium length story. I found the world building fairly easy and quick to pick up – I don’t believe I’ve read anything by this author set in a similar vampire/human world so I was pleased to pick up the general gist of it quite easily. I also found it quite refreshing that Nik didn’t fall over himself from the moment he laid eyes on Cam. While Cam was certainly attracted to Nik early on neither of them were looking for a commitment – and certainly not a longer-term pairing – so I thought it gave the story a slightly different vibe and that was refreshing to me.

I did feel that both Cam and Nik embraced the whole mate thing fairly easily – but this isn’t a fuller length novel, and I admit I get a bit tired when characters spend a large chunk of the book running away or denying their attraction instead of owning it. I thought the author had some good balance with this book – thought I have to admit once they realise they’re mates everything moved really quite quickly.

Readers who enjoy a bit of world building should enjoy the fact we see quite a big of the vampire headquarters – and while there is ample steamy sex between Cam and Nik this doesn’t overshadow other aspects of the vampire plotline. I feel readers who like plenty of steamy M/M sex, male pregnancy and destined mates but also a nice amount of plotline should find this to be an excellent read and really enjoy it.

I found this to be a well-balanced book and an interesting read.

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

Paw Prints in the Ledger by Tara Choate

August 27, 2025 By 2 Comments


Paw Prints in the Ledger by Tara Choate
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Irene Lisner is a forensic accountant who could tell you all about fraud, corruption, and embezzlement in Oregon… if only she had the time. Between her wonderful dog, difficult family, and recent diagnosis, she barely has time to say hello to her best friend. When she is assigned a politically fraught case, Irene is sure the city’s problems go beyond staff turnover and governmental drama. The discovery of concealed expenses and forged bank statements make it apparent that this won’t be a simple fix. Confronting thieves is part of Irene’s job, but that doesn’t make it easy. She identifies the problem and faces the embezzler, but her family is not as easy to solve.

There’s nothing simple about municipal politics.

Irene was a well developed and interesting character who had a lot on her plate. I liked the fact that I was able to get to know her not only through her work but also through her close friendship with Sharon and her sometimes tense relationships with her sister and mom. These moments showed off parts of the main character’s personality that she’d never think to share at work but that were important for understanding how she faced health challenges, life with an aging pet, or people at work who weren’t always honest with her.

I struggled with the pacing of this book due to how unevenly certain clues were released and how much time Irene spent on things that weren’t panning out well for her. While I wouldn’t expect every conversation to be a fruitful one, it was challenging for me as a reader to keep my interest levels high when progress was so slow at times.

Dysfunctional relationships have many different appearances, and I liked the fact that this book explored multiple ways they can disrupt how a family, workplace, or community function. When people get used to bowing to the needs of one emotionally unhealthy person, the entire group can become unbalanced as healthier members steer clear of sensitive topics at all costs or overcompensate for someone else’s negative behavior. This added layers of meaning to all of the storylines and was a strong addition to the plot, especially once Irene realized what was going on and began trying to change the way she responded to unhealthy behaviors. Readers who have ever experienced these sorts of conflicts in real life, whether they were minor or major issues, may find plenty of food for thought here.

Paw Prints in the Ledger kept me guessing until the end.

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

Menagerie in the Dark-Stories by Chris Kauzlarich

August 26, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Menagerie in the Dark-Stories by Chris Kauzlarich
Publisher: Phantom Quill Press
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Holiday, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Life often appears darkest just before the dawn of a new day.

In Menagerie in the Dark, Chris Kauzlarich immerses us in a speculative journey that explores the darker aspects of the human condition before bringing us back to the surface with the light of a new day. Through fourteen stories, this menagerie of characters faces trials of sorrow, death, loneliness, regret, deception, murder, delight, wonderment, and bliss, revealing what will either strengthen them enough to survive or plunge them to their demise. A boy’s home burns down, forcing him to confront a terrifying new world. A man enters a door where he witnesses his wife’s death, leaving him devastated; yet, he cannot stop returning to the scene, convinced he can save her. A nurse’s patients continue to perish under her care, but she harbors a dark secret—an administered cocktail for nefarious purposes.

These and other stories will stretch the limits of your emotions, from heartbreak to horror, leaving you yearning for more.

Fear comes in many mysterious forms.

Katelyn was in severe pain and desperately seeking more medication in “Echoes.” What I found most interesting about her tale was how many different ways it could be interpreted. Yes, she had a back injury that could explain why she needed her pain pills so regularly, but she also showed some signs that her reliance on them had possibly grown past what they were originally prescribed for. There were also inconsistencies in her memories that had multiple possible meanings as well. Other readers should decide for themselves which explanations they think fit the clues best, but I sure enjoyed the process of coming up with my own theories.

I loved the twist on what zombies are like in “Scalpel.” This was actually one of the biggest reasons why I chose a full five-star rating for this collection as the cause of the outbreak was as creative as it was original. It’s not easy to surprise me with this subgenre, so I must tip my cap to the author for pulling it off and making horror feel so relevant to life in 2025. The references that were included about current events from the past several years not only fit into the storyline nicely, they also made me chuckle in a few places which isn’t easy to do when I’m simultaneously scared.

While they were walking around trick-or-treating, Connor told his friends a terrifying local legend about a supernatural killer in “The Legend of Chucky Mudd.” What made the tale even more memorable was that the main character lived in the same house Chucky used to live in! I enjoyed seeing how Connor’s friends reacted to this conversation and how they changed their Halloween plans as a result of it. These scenes reminded me of things like Bloody Mary that used to scare me as a kid, although, of course, these characters were in serious danger and didn’t realize what their games were going to lead to. This was deliciously spooky, just the right amount of gory, and made me want a sequel.

Menagerie in the Dark was a perfectly balanced mixture of genres.

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

Father of One by Jani Anttola

August 25, 2025 By 8 Comments


Father of One by Jani Anttola
Publisher: The Book Guild
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Review by: Astilbe

Maka, a young Bosnian soldier, has survived three years under siege. When the enemy forces launch their final attack on his hometown, he must escape to the hills. But traversing the vast woods is a task against all odds: to stay alive, and to find his infant son and his wife, he is soon forced to make a desperate move.

Set against the harrowing background of raging guerrilla warfare and the genocide in Srebrenica, Father of One is, at heart, a story of deep humanity, compassion and love. It is the account of one man’s desire to reunite his family, separated by war, and of bonds unbroken by trauma, sustained by loyalty and tenacity. Writing in a voice that rings with clarity and authenticity, Jani Anttola lays open a dark moment in Europe’s recent history.

Knowledge is a powerful weapon.

War makes many forms of communication difficult or even impossible. The most memorable scenes in my opinion were the ones that showed how the characters coped with not knowing as much about their loved ones and the world at large as they would normally expect. Whether it was knowing if someone was still alive or if they should trust a stranger, there were many moments that were filled with danger and uncertainty that would not have otherwise been there. This was where Mr. Anttola’s writing style shone brightly as he gave the audience many examples of how the characters dealt with all of these unknowns.

I struggled with the slow pacing, especially given the subject matter. War is a difficult topic to discuss, and there were times I thought the author’s thoughts about it would have been easier to understand if this were a shorter read. While the detailed descriptions did give me a vivid mental image of what Maka and his fellow soldiers were enduring, it also slowed down the storyline at times when I would have preferred things to move along a little faster.

This book did an excellent job of exploring how even seemingly tranquil moments can still be traumatic for a soldier in retrospect. Not knowing when violence is going to erupt again can make it extremely difficult to take care of basic human needs like eating, sleeping, bathing, or using the bathroom. Nobody should live on high alert twenty-four hours a day for years on end, and yet this was what Maka had to do in order to have any chance at all to survive. The effects on his mental and physical health were serious but left understated in some places so readers could figure out for themselves what was happening with him.

Father of One was a sobering read.

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Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

With A Whie by Stephanie Burke

August 25, 2025 By Leave a Comment


With A Whie by Stephanie Burke
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Evan Whie has a big brain, a big company and an even bigger issue… in his pants. Being that big can be a problem when it comes to dating… but he’s not interested in dating just anybody. He wants his queen.

Cleopatra Cockie has a big problem when it comes to love, and an even bigger solution to fix her woes… Seduce her business partner and man of her dreams, no matter what the rumor mill has to say.

They’re two gamer geeks on a mission and if they can work it out, Cockie will always be connected to a Whie.

Cleopatra Cockie and Evan Whie work together and are both smart gamer geeks on a mission. Each has been pining for the other, but for their own reasons haven’t quite yet taken the plunge. When they finally work out the courage, sparks will fly.

I really enjoyed this short story. With a small number of interesting and well-drawn characters and plenty of humour thrown in I found this to be a fun, quick read. Both Cleo and Evan made it crystal clear from the beginning their sights were on each other, so this didn’t feel like an intra-lust story with no real basis. I also really enjoyed that they were both smart people and pretty much on an even footing together work-wise.

The chemistry between them sizzled off the page and I think readers will absolutely feel as drawn into the story as I was. I enjoyed there were equal parts humour and connection between Evan and Cleo, and this helped me relax back and just enjoy the story – going with the flow.

Sit back with a deliciously cool drink, relax and enjoy the fun and sexy shenanigans – I thought this was a good short story.

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