Month: June 2021

Review: Spice by Lilah Suzanne

The ending was unsatisfying and preachy.

2.5 out of 5 stars

E-book. 250 pages. Published April 2nd 2015 by Interlude Press (first published March 28th 2015)

Blurb:

As writer of the popular “Ask Eros” advice column, Simon Beck has an answer to every relationship question his readers can throw at him. When it comes to his own life, the answers are a little more elusive—until computer troubles introduce him to the newest and cutest member of his company’s IT support team. Simon may be charmed by Benji’s sweet and unassuming manner, but will he find the answer to the one relationship question he has never been able to solve: how to know when he’s met Mr. Right? 

Likes:

  • Most chapters start with an Ask Eros question.
  • Benji and Simon.
  • A fluffy read.
  • Reminded me of Sex and the City.
  • Nerd references.

Dislikes:

  • Low/no tension.
  • Ending felt preachy to the point of being a little insulting.
  • Some chapters were nothing but sex.
  • Saw a lot of the tension coming.
  • Tension was always wrapped up fast.
  • Romance moved really fast with big time jumps.
  • Didn’t get to see the wedding.
  • Simon only had one friend.

I enjoyed the majority of this book. The setup was fun and the characters were likeable. But the ending was unsatisfying, preachy, and a little insulting. It negatively colored my perception of the entire book, hence the lackluster rating.

The story gives me Sex and the City vibes, with Simon’s job as the Ask Eros columnist. I was glad that he liked his job, even though it wasn’t exactly hard-hitting journalism. He felt like he was helping people. And I loved that each chapter started with an Ask Eros question and answer.

Benji was adorkable, with his endless supply of random facts and love of nerd culture. The guys were a good fit. I was cheering for them from the start, despite Simon dating someone else at the beginning.

There’s a lot of potential trouble both at the start of the book and throughout it. Enough to keep the plot engaging. Unfortunately, everything gets wrapped up fast. This wouldn’t be a bad thing, except the tension completely disappeared once Simon and Benji move in together. The only thing moving the plot along is Simon’s need to try out different types of sex acts for his new column. Which meant that there were multiple chapters in a row containing nothing of substance.

The romance in this book moved very fast. The first ‘I love you’ came at the 45% mark. Then there was a time skip, and suddenly they’ve moved in together. We don’t get to see a lot of little details about their relationship, like the first time Simon meets Benji’s family, again thanks to time skips. It didn’t bother me when I was reading, but looking back it feels like the author was really focused on ending the story after Benji and Simon had been married a while.

There’s nothing particularly wrong with ending the book beyond where most romance novels have their HEA. If it wasn’t for the preachy vibe, I wouldn’t have minded so much. Of course, we don’t get to see the wedding, which absolutely pissed me off. We got to see Tia’s wedding (she’s Simon’s only friend) but not Simon and Benji’s? That’s a major foul.

The end of the book, both Simon’s point of view and his final Ask Eros, really pushed this idea that boredom and monotony are going to happen in every relationship, that’s the reality, and you just have to deal with it. And while I do agree with that to a certain extent, it made for an incredibly unsatisfying ending. After all the fun types of sex Simon and Benji had, Benji wants to just do a puzzle at night instead.

Maybe I’m just sensitive to this topic because romance readers get shit on by everyone, but the ending felt like it was written by someone who was tired of the cheesy happily ever after endings and decided to show romance readers what ‘real romance’ looks like. Both Simon’s final POV section and his final Ask Eros column were pushing this narrative hard.

“He could get used to boring married life. As long as it’s with Benji.”

“But don’t forget why you were in that rut in the first place: Because sharing your life with someone means sharing everything: the good, the bad, the thrilling and the monotonous. Some days will mean paying bills and picking up prescriptions. Some days will mean handcuffs and blindfolds and riding crops.”

It felt preachy to me. Worse, it felt insulting. Like romance readers don’t know that the romance in novels isn’t what real life looks like, and the author is out to educate us. Including adding seven “Questions for Discussion” at the end. As though this is a book for middle schoolers who need to fully understand the points being made in the book.

The ending negatively colored me entire view of the book. It made me think back and wonder if everything that had happened, all the tension that was wrapped up quickly and not allowed to go anywhere, was because that was what would happen in ‘real life’. The book’s definitely not set up in a typical style and doesn’t flow in a typical way.

I’m sure other people have loved the way this book ends. That it feels realistic. But I don’t read romance to be reminded that everything ends up becoming monotonous. I read to escape the monotony of life. I read romance to watch people fall in love and struggle to make their love work and find compromise. Simon and Benji didn’t have to struggle for their romance. They had an instant connection, smooth sailing with their romance, and didn’t have to compromise at all. For a book that feels like it’s trying so hard to show what ‘real romance’ looks like, that’s a glaring failure.

Review: Hell Freezes Over (Hellhound Champions #3.5) by Macy Blake

A teaser novella that’s no longer available or listed as part of the series.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Blurb:

Safe to say Achim’s day wasn’t what he planned. First, his mission for the fire goddess ended up with him—a hellhound who’d never actually been to hell—being sent precisely there. Worse, he found himself stuck in the strange hellscape with Ozias, a guy who’s a) hotter than the fire of both suns in the hell-realm, b) really, really likable, despite his arrogance, and c) oh yeah, the actual prince of hell. Now, Achim needs to keep them alive until he can figure out how to get home… which isn’t as easy as it sounds, since Ozias’s magic isn’t working and Achim is just a wee bit distracted keeping his hands off the gorgeous-but-cocky prince. Achim will do whatever it takes to complete his mission, but getting involved with Ozias? Ha. Maybe when hell freezes over.

Likes:

  • A new realm.
  • Hot smut.

Dislikes:

  • Insta-love.
  • More of a prequel/teaser than a full story.
  • The novella isn’t listed as part of the series anymore.
  • Left me with more questions than answers.

I’ll admit, I’m not the biggest fan of teaser stories in general. I get that they’re a great way for an author to give out something free to attract new readers to try their series. And honestly, this one worked, because getting this novella for free from Prolific Works was what made me start the Chosen One series to begin with, since I hate reading series in the wrong order.

So I’ve been sitting on this novella for months. And when I went back to get the info on it, including the Prolific Works link, I couldn’t find it. It’s not listed on Goodreads anymore either. Which seemed strange until I realized that the actual novel this story was teasing came out about a month ago. I’m guessing that the events of this novella have been incorporated into the novel, since this story is about how Achim and Ozias first meet.

While I think it’s a little strange to completely remove the novella to prevent new people from reading it, that might be for the best. Ozias and Achim needed a longer story. This novella was just about their first meeting, their insta-lust, and insta-love. Neither man was well fleshed out, and I was left with more questions than answers.

As per the Chosen One series, the smut was hot. And I was excited about a new realm, especially one the hellhound champions aren’t familiar with. As a teaser to the novel Hell Breaks Loose, it did its job. I’m curious to see what’s in the full novel.

Be sure to check out the rest of the series – Sweet Nothings (The Chosen One #0.5), The Trouble with Love (The Chosen One #0.75), Santa Trouble (The Chosen One #0.76), All or Nothing (The Chosen One #1), Nothing Ventured (The Chosen One #2), Hell on Earth (Hellhound Champions #1), Double or Nothing (The Chosen One #2.5), Next to Nothing (The Chosen One #3), Give Him Hell (Hellhound Champions #3), Nothing Gained (The Chosen One #4),  Stop at Nothing (The Chosen One #5), Sweet Spot (Paranormal Sugar Daddy #1), All Kidding Aside (Magical Mates #1), Stop Kidding Around (Magical Mates #2)

Review: Stop Kidding Around (Magical Mates #2) by Macy Blake

A good story, even if the romance wasn’t enough to fully carry the story.

4 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 307 pages. Published December 15th 2020

Blurb:

His so-called mate thinks it’s fate. Toby has other ideas.

When Toby Sanders shows up to interview for a teaching job at a mysterious estate, he’s not expecting his world to flip upside down and backward.

Shifters are real… and the hottest, most protective wolf of all is claiming him as a mate.

Toby can’t deny that Brooks is everything he ever wanted and never thought he could have—loving, strong, drop-dead gorgeous—or that the two little girls Brooks wants to adopt give Toby a glimpse of the family he’s always dreamed of…
But how the heck is he supposed to believe in this mating magic stuff when life has taught him that the only person he can count on is himself?

As dangers from multiple sources threaten everything he’s come to care about, Toby learns that being part of a pack isn’t just about accepting his fate, it’s about choice: choosing to trust Brooks, choosing to believe in himself, and choosing to fight for the life and love he deserves, even if he has to cross the entire fae realm to do it. 

Likes:

  • Toby and Brooks, together and separately.
  • Toby’s hang-ups with sex.
  • How Brooks was willing to take it slow.
  • Toby was a good teacher.
  • The side characters, especially Ollie and Jeremy.
  • Toby added a lot to the pack.

Dislikes:

  • Not as good as All Kidding Aside.
  • A lot of extra non-romance things added in to stretch the length.
  • Some issues not resolved at the end.
  • The statement at the end about Zachary and Toby becoming good friends.
  • Daisy and Marigold weren’t central to the story.
  • Toby was only introduced to one other human who learned about the supernatural world.

I read this book right after finishing All Kidding Aside, and I have to admit that it’s not as good. That doesn’t mean it’s bad. I liked Toby and Brooks, and their romance was sweet. But their romance wasn’t enough to fill up the book, which meant that other, unconnected issues were brough up to take up space. I wouldn’t exactly call it filler, because it is important to the pack’s overall story. But it definitely wasn’t related to Brooks or Toby.

Stop Kidding Around might be the second book in the Magical Mates series, but it’s the 15th in the Chosen Universe series. Which made it an unusual choice to have Toby be a human with no knowledge of anything supernatural. The Magical Mates series is deeply tied to all the books that came before, but I guess people might come into the series without reading the earlier books. Then why not have Toby be the main character of the first book? I guess I always assume that characters who are introduced to a new magical/supernatural world are there to also introduce the world to the readers, and Toby doesn’t fulfill that purpose.

Despite that, I liked Toby. He was passionate about teaching and good with the kids, especially Jeremy. As an outsider, Toby added a new perspective to the pack meetings, and Nick and the others listened to him. Toby did need time to adjust to the new world he found himself in, and thankfully did so without any major freak-outs. I wish he’d been able to sit down and talk with some of the other humans who’ve learned about the supernatural world. He briefly met Shelly, but I would have liked him to meet Cody. I think they could have become friends.

Brooks was a good guy, but is definitely less developed than Toby. He’s a member of the Jerrick pack, and wants to adopt two little girls who Nick rescued. Being single, he doubts he’d be considered a good pick. Throughout the book, his main focus is on wooing Toby. Besides that, he doesn’t really have much else going on.

The little girls, Daisy and Marigold, are also less developed than I expected. Since Gus was such a cutie in All Kidding Aside, the girls felt bland. They’re there, and Brooks and Toby dote on them, but personality wise they were lacking. On the plus side, they weren’t annoying.

Jeremy made much more of an impact on me than the girls. I liked Jeremy, and the way Toby saw himself in the boy and made sure to include him. It was nice to see Jeremy get a happy ending as well.

Brooks recognized Toby as his mate right from their first meeting, which was both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because I was annoyed at how long it took Riggs and Victor to realize they were mates in the last book. Bad because the romance wasn’t enough to carry the book on its own. Yes, Toby needed a lot of time to get used to all the new things in his life. Plus, Toby had hang-ups about sex. And I loved that Brooks was willing to take things slow for him. But the romance could only be stretched so far, which led to the other, unrelated plot points being added in.

Jeremy’s story was one such extra plot point. As was the entire trip into the fae, and how they couldn’t just go back once the danger was over. Seriously, the whole ‘you can’t leave until the Lady says so’ thing was super heavy handed and definitely added to the page length despite not having any bearing on Toby’s life.

I do wish the issue of Toby and Brooks belonging to different packs had been cleared up. It wasn’t even addressed, and it left me with questions like where they’ll live and what pack the girls will belong to. I also didn’t appreciate being told that Toby and Ollie became besties with Zachary when Toby never interacts with Zachary on page at all.

I am curious about Zachary and Rowan, and am glad they’ll be getting a novella eventually. I also hope Ollie gets a story one day. He was the standout character of the book. Ollie is as cute as an adult as he was in the first book of the series, and it was nice to see him and Toby be friends.  

There’s no word yet on when the next book will come out, which is a little strange as Blake seems to have been putting out three books a year and it’s been six months since the last book. Still, I’m hoping the next book will be worth the wait.

Be sure to check out the rest of the series – Sweet Nothings (The Chosen One #0.5), The Trouble with Love (The Chosen One #0.75), Santa Trouble (The Chosen One #0.76), All or Nothing (The Chosen One #1), Nothing Ventured (The Chosen One #2), Hell on Earth (Hellhound Champions #1), Double or Nothing (The Chosen One #2.5), Next to Nothing (The Chosen One #3), Give Him Hell (Hellhound Champions #3), Nothing Gained (The Chosen One #4),  Stop at Nothing (The Chosen One #5), Sweet Spot (Paranormal Sugar Daddy #1), All Kidding Aside (Magical Mates #1)

Review: All Kidding Aside (Magical Mates #1) by Macy Blake

A great start to this spinoff series.

5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 264 pages. Published July 28th 2020 by Macy Blake

Blurb:

Building houses for a pack of orphans might lead one griffin to find his heart’s home.

Victor Eastaughffe knows three things for a fact:
-He does not have a mate.
-He does not like children.
-His duty is to his griffin clan.

When Victor meets Orsen Riggs, a scruffy bear shifter, and little Gus, an orphaned red panda cub, his orderly, structured world becomes messy and chaotic. All the things he once held true suddenly don’t make sense.

Asked to help the Smith pack navigate the difficult world of shifter politics, Victor realizes he might not know himself as well as he thought. Magic is in the air, and it’s making him long for things he never wanted before. But duty comes before all else, even at a price Victor no longer wants to pay. 

Likes:

  • Victor’s dislike for germy kids.
  • Smith Academy.
  • How careful Nick is with the kids.
  • Got to see some familiar characters again.
  • Victor and Riggs, together and separately.
  • Gus.
  • Good start to the series.

Dislikes:

  • How long it took for Riggs and Victor to realize they’re mates.
  • How much pressure Victor put on himself.
  • Riggs caused the same problem twice.
  • The way Victor just assumed he and Riggs would share a house.

This series is the logical outcome of Give Him Hell. All the kids Nick and Jedrek ended up rescuing need forever homes. So this is definitely not a series for people who don’t like kids in their romance. Luckily, it seems as though the Chosen One’s story really is over, since Sawyer and his mates didn’t make any noticeable appearances. But, like the Hellhound Champions series, Magical Mates makes more sense if it’s read in conjunction with the entire Chosen One Universe.

Victor is a familiar side character from the Chosen One series, and the thing I remembered most about him was that Eduard trusted him. That’s the same vibe Victor gives off at the beginning of this book, as well as having a griffin’s expensive tastes. Thankfully, Victor was more than a rich guy. He was easy to like, in part because he genuinely wanted to help Nick make the Smith pack’s lives go as smoothly as possible.

I have to admit, I sympathized with Victor’s shudder of disgust when Gus demanded to be held and then started sucking his thumb. Children are so full of germs. But Gus easily won my heart. The little guy is just so cute, without any of the annoying whining, crying, or cockblocking a lot of other children in romance display.

Riggs was a nice guy despite his rough-around-the-edges demeanor. He was exactly the person the pack needed to help keep the construction moving smoothly, even though the way he got the job was a little unusual. I like competent people, and Riggs easily earned my respect. Then he won me over completely with how quickly he bonded with Gus and Victor.

It did strike me as strange that Victor would assume he and Riggs should share a house at the beginning. Despite sleeping in different bedrooms and being essentially roommates, it felt a little odd that Victor would be fine living with someone he didn’t know. The reasoning was sound, I was just surprised by the lack of hesitation.

The physical side of the romance happened fairly quickly, which I didn’t mind. Victor and Riggs had good chemistry, both in the bedroom and as potential family material. But I was a little annoyed at how long it took for them to figure out they were mates. I mean, I know mates are still rare, but 44% felt like a long time.

The idea to call the pack’s compound Smith Academy was a great idea, because it explained all of the obvious security measures. I also loved the intensity that Nick felt towards making sure the kids weren’t forced to deal with asshole alphas. During Give Him Hell, I felt like Nick and Jedrek’s romance wasn’t given the page time it deserved, so I’m glad to see that Nick really is an amazing alpha.

While I thought this was a great start to the Magical Mates series overall, there were some things that I didn’t love. First was how much pressure Victor put on himself. It’s always hard to see a character you like wearing himself thin, and I’m glad a solution came up at the end to prevent that in the future. The second thing was that Riggs essentially caused the same sort of problem twice with his overprotectiveness. It worked for the story both times, but it felt like a lot for the usually easygoing Riggs.

It was great to see some familiar side characters, especially Walt and Shelly. I’m really looking forward to the next book, and to the rest of the series when it finally comes out.

Be sure to check out the rest of the series – Sweet Nothings (The Chosen One #0.5), The Trouble with Love (The Chosen One #0.75), Santa Trouble (The Chosen One #0.76), All or Nothing (The Chosen One #1), Nothing Ventured (The Chosen One #2), Hell on Earth (Hellhound Champions #1), Double or Nothing (The Chosen One #2.5), Next to Nothing (The Chosen One #3), Give Him Hell (Hellhound Champions #3), Nothing Gained (The Chosen One #4),  Stop at Nothing (The Chosen One #5), Sweet Spot (Paranormal Sugar Daddy #1) 

Review: Sweet Spot (Paranormal Sugar Daddy #1) by Macy Blake

Wish it had been turned into a novel or novella.

3 out of 5 stars

E-book. 53 pages. Published May 1st 2020

Read for free on Prolific Works: https://claims.prolificworks.com/public/JqPtPBne

Blurb:

When the goddess tells Augustus Eastaughffe to go to the mountains to find what he needs, he’s more than happy to comply. The billionaire griffin is in the midst of a deepening mystery and expects to find some of the answers he seeks. Instead, he finds a captivating human who proves to be sweeter than any he’s ever met. 

Likes:

  • Good setup.
  • Hot smut.
  • Bebe.
  • Jamie and Augustus.
  • The way Augustus defended Jamie.

Dislikes:

  • Not long enough to be a novella.
  • Abrupt ending.
  • Not a necessary read.
  • Why not make it into a full story?

When I first got this story, I thought Augustus was the perfect choice for a novella. He’s a familiar figure to those who have read the Chosen One novels, and wealthy enough to make just about any problem disappear.

The story’s setup was good, with Augustus getting direction from a goddess, and finding Jamie in need of minor rescuing. I didn’t mind the insta-lust, especially since the two had great chemistry. Seriously, the smut was great. Augustus was more than ready to shower Jamie with gifts and attention, even before he realized they were mates. And once he realized what they were? Well, Augusts showed everyone that Jamie was his, and it was hot.

Jamie was cute and easy to like. He was more than a little overwhelmed by the way Augusts spoiled him, but it was nice to see Bebe again. And I loved that Augustus defended Jamie from some ruch assholes who looked down on him.

Jamie had no idea about anything paranormal, and unfortunately, we don’t see him learn about it. The story has an abrupt ending without Jamie ever learning a single thing. It’s heavily implied that Jamie will find out soon, but we don’t get to see it.

This story really doesn’t deserve the to be called a novella. A novella has all the same basic components as a novel, minus a side plot or two. This story didn’t wrap up Jamie and Augustus’s story. It just kind of stopped. Which honestly bothers me, because I liked both characters. I would have happily read a complete novella or novel about them.

I honestly don’t know why Macy Blake chose to make this into a free story. I get that freebies often attract new readers. But I don’t think the story would make a ton of sense for people who haven’t read the series. There’s practically no world building, and little mention of anything related to the main Chosen One storyline. Augustus doesn’t shift into his griffin form, and there’s no magic. It’s mostly sex and dates and more sex. I get not wanting to put a ton of time and effort into writing something that won’t make money, but this story could have been good.

Needless to say, this isn’t a necessary read. There’s a one sentence mention of Augustus mating with Jamie in the next book, All Kidding Aside, but it’s not a big deal. And it’s not even Augustus’s son speaking about the mating, it’s Victor.

Be sure to check out the rest of the series – Sweet Nothings (The Chosen One #0.5), The Trouble with Love (The Chosen One #0.75), Santa Trouble (The Chosen One #0.76), All or Nothing (The Chosen One #1), Nothing Ventured (The Chosen One #2), Hell on Earth (Hellhound Champions #1), Double or Nothing (The Chosen One #2.5), Next to Nothing (The Chosen One #3), Give Him Hell (Hellhound Champions #3), Nothing Gained (The Chosen One #4),  Stop at Nothing (The Chosen One #5) 

Review: Stop at Nothing (The Chosen One #5) By Macy Blake

A good ending to the Chosen One series.

4.5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 246 pages. Published February 4th 2020

Blurb:

Series Finale

With all of his mates assembled, Sawyer Smith should be ready for his own version of the end game. He must defeat the god of air and restore both of their broken magics to all of the realms. There’s only one problem: he still doesn’t know how to do it.

HIs brother is a god and is raising the forces of darkness against Sawyer and his mates more quickly than he can mount a defense. It’s time to fight, but Sawyer has too much to lose to risk disaster. As the final pieces of the puzzle fall into place, Sawyer is faced with a task that seems impossible. He must go into battle without the knowledge or power to win.

So many of his questions remain unanswered, but Sawyer knows one thing: He will stop at nothing to keep his mates safe. 

Likes:

  • Pip.
  • It’s not easy for Sawyer to defeat Palinourous.
  • Dakota’s family.
  • Good solution to Sawyer’s problems.
  • Good end to Sawyer’s story.

Dislikes:

  • 9 versions of the fight.
  • Wanted to see Pip and Dakota together.
  • Felt like Pip got shortchanged.
  • What is Pip?
  • That Sawyer’s the god of metal.
  • Not a ton of planning for the fights.

I didn’t talk about the things that happened at the end of Nothing Gained in that review to keep from spoiling anything, so I’ll mention them briefly now.

First, I loved Pip. He was cute, and the way he so desperately wanted one of the guys to be his mate was adorable. Watching him realize that he got to be mated to all eight of the guys was fun, and I’m glad he got a hot smut scene. I did hope that Pip and Dakota would have a smut scene together, since it seemed like they had chemistry, and were the two newest guardians.

In the end, I felt like Pip got shortchanged. He was barely in the story at all, even less than Dakota, whose wonderful family got featured heavily. Plus, I don’t know what type of being Pip even was. He didn’t shift, but could manifest otters. If the book named his species, I totally missed it.

I was, and still am, less than thrilled at Sawyer being the god of metal. Typically, when five elements are introduced, the final one is ether/aether, as metal comes from the ground and is seen as a part of the earth element. I get the feeling Sawyer’s connection to metal was so he could do a kind of quasi-bloodbending, but I also feel like that could have just as easily been associated with ether if the author had chosen to do so. Normally I don’t mind when authors subvert expectations, but in this case I just don’t get the choice to have Sawyer’s godhood be connected to metal.

Despite those two complaints, I was excited for the big showdown in this book. Sawyer has a lot of worries, both about the fight against Palinourous and what would happen after it. I liked his solution for what happened after the fight. It worked with the stories and the characters involved.

However, I didn’t love the first fight scene. Or rather, scenes. Each one of the nine main characters got a point of view section for the same fight, which got super tedious. Especially since it was basically the same thing happening nine times. Totally unnecessary in my opinion.

That being said, I’m glad that it wasn’t easy for Sawyer to defeat Palinourous. Sawyer has had it fairly easy throughout the series, getting help from his mom and sisters, his mates, hellhounds, vampires, griffins, and more. I was a little worried that he’d just come up with a plan and it would go off without a hitch. Especially since there’s not a ton of planning involved. They definitely had a ‘just show up and fight’ kind of mentality. But Sawyer really does struggle to come up with a solution to the fight with Palinourous and the ramifications of his victory.

In the end, I was pleased with how the book, and the Chosen One series ended. Do I still have questions? Yes, a few, but they’re minor. I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing glimpses of the guys in later books, especially given what happens in the epilogue. But I will point out that part of what makes this ending work is knowing that there are more books set in the same universe. Despite the bad guy being defeated, the magical world is still messed up, and it will take time to heal.

Be sure to check out the rest of the series – Sweet Nothings (The Chosen One #0.5), The Trouble with Love (The Chosen One #0.75), Santa Trouble (The Chosen One #0.76), All or Nothing (The Chosen One #1), Nothing Ventured (The Chosen One #2), Hell on Earth (Hellhound Champions #1), Double or Nothing (The Chosen One #2.5), Next to Nothing (The Chosen One #3), Give Him Hell (Hellhound Champions #3), Nothing Gained (The Chosen One #4)

Review: Nothing Gained (The Chosen One #4) By Macy Blake

Lots of new information presented as the buildup to the final battle begins.

4 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 232 pages. Published July 23rd 2019

Blurb:

Sawyer Smith’s life is a hot mess.

Hot, because he’s found six of his eight mates. To say things are heating up between them is putting it mildly.

A mess, because he’s the Chosen One, the son of a goddess with no powers of his own, tasked with fixing the broken magic in his world… and he has no clue how to do it.

With every new layer of mystery that’s revealed, Sawyer’s doubts about his abilities get stronger. To complicate matters, Sawyer is growing weaker by the day. Meanwhile, his newest guardian, the one he’s calling Yellow Eyes, refuses to reveal himself.

With time running out, Sawyer’s desperate enough to make a daring move — one that’s potentially deadly for him and his mates. Because at the end of the day, if there’s nothing ventured… there’s Nothing Gained.

Likes:

  • Yellow Eyes.
  • More information revealed.
  • Good to get back to the main story.
  • Sawyer finally takes action.
  • Got to meet Draco’s parents.
  • Good action at the end.

Dislikes:

  • Lots of recap.
  • Joash’s name.

I always have a notebook nearby when I’m reading so I can jot things down about the story. And my first note is literally ‘lots of recap.’ Which sums up my feelings towards the beginning of the book.

I understand the need for a refresher. For those reading the books in the author’s suggested reading order, there have been two books since the last Chosen One novel. Not to mention the big reveal at the end of Next to Nothing that Sawyer is the son of the Mother goddess, and that his past self intentionally wiped all his memories. The way the recap was worked into the story did make sense, but it definitely dragged down the beginning.

Things soon picked up, at least in terms of new information. Sawyer meets with all kinds of people, gathering little tidbits of information or gifts to help him in the coming fight. It was nice to see the story finally coming together. The tension has slowly been rising, and now the final battle is in sight.

It was nice to finally meet Draco’s parents and learn a little about dragons. I absolutely hated that one of Draco’s fathers was named Joash. Every time I saw it, it looked like a typo of the name Josh.

The whole deal with Sawyer’s seventh guardian – who he called Yellow Eyes since the guy wouldn’t come close – was an interesting twist. Normally, Sawyer’s mates have been drawn to him. To finally have one who doesn’t immediately get in his pants was a nice change. Not to mention the reason why he was so reluctant.

The book does have some good action at the end. It set things up nicely for the final book, which I’m eager to get started on.

Be sure to check out the rest of the series – Sweet Nothings (The Chosen One #0.5), The Trouble with Love (The Chosen One #0.75), Santa Trouble (The Chosen One #0.76), All or Nothing (The Chosen One #1), Nothing Ventured (The Chosen One #2), Hell on Earth (Hellhound Champions #1), Double or Nothing (The Chosen One #2.5), Next to Nothing (The Chosen One #3), Give Him Hell (Hellhound Champions #3)

Review: Give Him Hell (Hellhound Champions #3) by Casey Drake and Macy Blake

Wraps up a lot of loose threads, but not the end I wanted for the Hellhound Champions trilogy.

3.75 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 232 pages. Published May 7th 2019

Blurb:

Nick Smith is a man with a mission: find the place where he’d been held captive as a child and discover what happened to the kids he left behind. His memories are in flux, returned to him after being blocked for the past fourteen years, along with his ability to shift into his lion form. Nick is ready for answers. Instead, he finds a huge Viking of a man with flaming eyes and more power than Nick knew existed.

As a hellhound, Jedrek is often sent on missions that lead to nothing. It’s part of the gig. He’s a champion of the fire goddess, tasked with keeping the secret of the supernatural world safe. When he gets called to a house of horrors he’d not visited in years, the last thing Jedrek expects to find is an out of control alpha lion who brings to life feelings he’s never felt before.

The mysteries of Nick’s past collide with a powerful, evil force causing havoc in the supernatural world. Nick is convinced he can determine who is behind the current rash of dark magic–especially if he has the strength of a hellhound at his side. And if that hellhound is one he can’t keep his mind or hands off? Well, that suits the lion instincts roaring back to life just fine.

Likes:

  • Nick and Jedrek, together and separately.
  • Some interesting surprises.
  • Nick’s mission, both at the start and the end.
  • Good setup for the Magical Mates series.
  • Nick learning about his lion.
  • Leandra and her cubs.

Dislikes:

  • Didn’t do justice to the characters or their relationship.
  • Felt like a way to tie up loose ends.
  • Not sure if everything lines up properly.
  • The way the mating happened.
  • Not a fantastic end to the Hellhound Champion series.

One of the problems with a long series like the Chosen Universe is that it can be easy to tell which couples the author isn’t as invested in. And while I don’t know that Blake wasn’t as invested in Nick and Jedrek as she is in the other couples, that’s the feel that I got.

It’s a shame really, since I liked Nick and Jedrek. They’re both good guys, and it was easy to root for them. Nick was especially sympathetic, and I loved the way he was tied in to everything that’s been going on. He’d been given slivers of information, but didn’t know a ton of stuff. That didn’t stop him from his quest to find and rescue the other kids who were kidnapped by Mrs. Foote.

Watching Nick learn about his lion was both sweet and sad. I understood why he was kept from shifting, but it deprived him of so many experiences. The way Jedrek stayed by Nick’s side and helped him was adorable, as was the way Nick bonded with Leandra and her cubs. I was glad for the mission he was given at the end. It suited him, and made up for the fact that he didn’t get the chance to rescue Ben and the other kids.

After reading this book, I understand why Jedrek wasn’t really introduced in either Hell on Earth or Hell to Pay. While Jedrek is a part of the hellhound pack, he’s Nick’s mate, and Nick is an alpha lion. So Nick didn’t seamlessly fit into the hellhound pack the way Drew and Cody did.

The book’s ending nicely set up the Magical Mates series. That was good. What wasn’t good is how I felt like this book was designed solely to tie up loose ends and set things in motion. Nick and Jedrek’s relationship sometimes took the back seat to everything else going on. It meant less page space for the relationship, and is part of why I feel like the author didn’t care about this couple as much as the others.

There have been loose threads dangling from all the other books in the series, and so many were dealt with in this book. I’m not entirely sure they all line up properly, and I still have questions, but I’m glad with what I got. Still, it wasn’t fair not to give Nick and Jedrek’s relationship the focus it deserved. Nick didn’t even know what he was doing when he mated Jedrek, which I didn’t like. Even though Jedrek was fine with it, since Nick didn’t know the meaning behind his actions, it was still lacking consent.

As an ending to the Hellhound Champions series, this book wasn’t what I hoped for. There wasn’t a big fight scene like with the other two books. And Nick and Jedrek didn’t actually spend much time with the hellhound pack. They were too busy with Leandra and the coven. This book felt more like a prequel to the Magical Mates series than a solid end to the Hellhound Champions.

Be sure to check out the rest of the series – Sweet Nothings (The Chosen One #0.5), The Trouble with Love (The Chosen One #0.75), Santa Trouble (The Chosen One #0.76), All or Nothing (The Chosen One #1), Nothing Ventured (The Chosen One #2), Hell on Earth (Hellhound Champions #1), Double or Nothing (The Chosen One #2.5), Next to Nothing (The Chosen One #3) 

Review: Hell to Pay (Hellhound Champions #2) by Macy Blake

Good to finally get Solomon and Cody’s story.

4.5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 264 pages. Published March 5th 2019

Blurb:

As a hellhound beta, Solomon has no complaints. Life is fine. His pack and his goddess-given duties as a protector of the human realm are enough. So what if he’s a little bored and a smidge lonely? Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. When his alpha’s mate suggests he pull his head out of his ass where one of their human pack mates is concerned, Sol cooks up a scheme to break through the wall between him and Cody, but it comes at the worst possible time.

Cody is convinced the bar he works in is run by a group of elite mob enforcers. Nothing else makes sense. The funny thing is: he doesn’t care. They treat him well and he’s come to consider them family, but like any family, there’s always someone who stirs up trouble. For Cody, that’s Solomon, the bouncer who is constantly glaring at him from the back of the bar. Something is going on, but Cody has a new distraction in the form of an anonymous online lover who knows how to push all the right buttons.

A magical attack causes havoc for their pack, dragging Cody into a world he didn’t know existed. His new family is involved in a much more dangerous life than he could ever have imagined. Hellhounds and humans must join together to stop a terrifying creature hell bent on raining destruction down on them. Solomon and Cody must step up and fulfill their destinies, or risk losing the one thing they desire most: each other.

Likes:

  • Knew the couple from the previous book.
  • Cody and Solomon, together and separately.
  • The side characters.
  • Hot smut.
  • The non-romantic plot.
  • Cody’s reactions to finding out about the supernatural world were believable.
  • Solomon really got the chance to shine.

Dislikes:

  • All the secrets.
  • Drew not being pregnant.
  • Solomon searching for Cody on the dating site.
  • Didn’t do a good job of setting up the next book.
  • Wish there was more backstory for Cody and Solomon.

I like when a romance series sets things up so that I’m excited about the next couple. Both Solomon and Cody were present in Hell on Earth, and I was looking forward to their story, especially since Cody didn’t think Solomon liked him.

Solomon has been in a fair number of the Chosen Universe books, and is a familiar figure. He gives off a similar vibe to Meshaq – a strong, talented warrior dedicated to those in his pack. I loved that Solomon got the chance to really shine in this book, since Meshaq and Drew are gone for a significant chunk. As Meshaq’s second, Solomon is leader material, and he got to prove that when the bar was attacked.

Cody was also easy to like. It’s clear that he’s had romantic trouble in the past, though we don’t get to learn much about his (or Solomon’s) backstory. It’s equally clear that Cody wants someone to love. He’s jealous of what Meshaq and Drew have, and not just because he had the hots for Meshaq. Thankfully, Cody shows early on that he’s not going to let guys push him around.  I cheered when he blocked a jerk who was trying to be all alpha asshole towards him on a dating site.

I don’t love that Solomon intentionally found Cody on the dating site and began flirting and sexting without Cody being aware that he was dealing with someone he knew. It was definitely sexy, and I guess it was consensual since Cody was fine without knowing the name of the guy he was flirting with. Still, Cody would likely have acted differently if he’d known it was Solomon, so the situation was a little suspect. At least Solomon knew it too, and wanted to tell Cody the truth.

Aside from the anonymous flirting, I liked the progression of Cody and Solomon’s relationship. Solomon had liked Cody from the start, but hid it when he saw that Cody liked Meshaq. It took Solomon a while to figure out how to interact with Cody in a way that Cody would appreciate, and I liked that Solomon was willing to change how he acted to make Cody more comfortable.

The attack on the bar and Cody subsequently finding out about the supernatural world was interesting and kept me hooked. I thought Cody’s response to finding out the truth was realistic. I also loved that he thought the hellhounds were either mob or a former military troop.

The side characters were fantastic, especially Walt and Shelly. Like Cody, Izzy’s reaction to finding out about the supernatural world was realistic, even if her response was different than Cody’s. It was clear that the pack cared as much for their human members as the hellhounds, despite all of the secrets kept from them.

I was sad to find out that Drew wasn’t pregnant. I did expect Drew and Meshaq to be in the book more, but I’m not mad that they weren’t, considering how things ended. I do wish that the next main character got more page time. I know next to nothing about Jedrek, but I’m still looking forward to reading his story.

Be sure to check out the rest of the series – Sweet Nothings (The Chosen One #0.5), The Trouble with Love (The Chosen One #0.75), Santa Trouble (The Chosen One #0.76), All or Nothing (The Chosen One #1), Nothing Ventured (The Chosen One #2), Hell on Earth (Hellhound Champions #1), Double or Nothing (The Chosen One #2.5), Next to Nothing (The Chosen One #3)