Love is Love Reviews

Review: Hiding in Plain Sight (Camp H.O.W.L. #3) by Bru Baker

My favorite book in the series. A good way to end things.

4 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 256 pages. Published September 18th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb: Harris has been keeping a big secret for years—his unrequited mate bond with his best friend, Jackson. He’s convinced himself that having Jackson in his life is enough. That, and his work at Camp H.O.W.L., keeps him going.

Things get complicated when Jackson applies for a high-ranking Tribunal job in New York City—far from Camp H.O.W.L. The position requires he relinquish all Pack bonds… and that’s when his wolf decides to choose a mate. Suddenly Jackson sees his best friend in a sizzling new light.

Their chemistry is through the roof, but they’re setting themselves up for broken hearts—and broken bonds—if Jackson can’t figure out a way to balance his career and the love that’s just been waiting for him to take notice.

Likes:

Both Harris and Jackson are interesting characters in their own way.
Expanded world building.
The subplot was interesting.
The romance moved at a more natural pace.

Dislikes:

I was expecting more angst.
Another set of characters whose problems stem from their own inability to deal with reality.
Another ending that uses violence as a way to force the romance forward.

It’s finally time for Harris’s story. He’s been a side character from book one, and the second book in the series hinted heavily at his feelings toward Jackson. I was a little surprised, and pleased, at the racial inclusion, when Harris was identified as being non-white. But since this is the first time that it’s been brought up in all the books I can’t help but wonder if it was decided on just for this book. It also wasn’t a big part of his identity in any substantive way.

This was probably my favorite book in the series. The first two books just didn’t hit the right romance notes that I’m used to. This one does. From the characters being equally interesting to the romance progressing at a good pace, all of the technical details were there. Not to mention the friends to lovers story working really well.

I loved the premise of the story. Honestly, I was hoping for some good angst, which turned out not to be there because the unrequited mate bond had existed for two years by the time the story began. So Harris was totally used to it. Which made the unrequited mate bond feel more like an unacknowledged mate bond, and that’s exactly what the last two books have been about.

This book did have the couple be equally interesting, Harris with both his work at Camp H.O.W.L. and his feeling for Jackson, and Jackson with his job and awakening feelings for Harris. Their relationship also progressed at a better pace than the other books, with actual on the page sex! Not only that, but sex that was important to the plot. Plus, once the two got together, there was no hot and cold. They both liked each other, with Jackson’s job being the fulcrum trying to tear them apart.

I was a little surprised that neither of them told the other about knowing the mate bond was forming. This book did have its instances where assumptions and lack of communication were driving the plot.

And the incident at the end felt reminiscent of the danger Drew was in at the end of the previous book. I understand that the introduction of the Fey was a part of the overall subplot, but it felt disconnected from the romance. Like the romance would have been fine without it.

And speaking of the Fey, while I liked the expansion of the supernatural world this series is set in, it felt a little like it had been tossed in because it worked for the plot, not because it had been there the entire time. I’ve felt from the beginning of this series that it was intended to be a standalone that was expanded into a series, and that major world building had not been done in advance. So whatever world building showed up was just there because it was convenient to have it. And I don’t know for sure if that’s true or not with how the books were written, but for me to even think that might be the case means it wasn’t done well.

I am glad that this is the last book in the series because I don’t know if I would have read much more. I may pick up some of Bru Baker’s other standalone books to see what they’re like. I don’t know if I’d pick up the new series mentioned at the end of this book, focusing on pack life and not on the camp. It might be a great way to get all of the details I felt were missing from the Camp H.O.W.L. series.

Be sure to check out the reviews for Camp H.O.W.L., Under a Blue Moon, and the series review.

Review: Under a Blue Moon (Camp H.O.W.L #2 ) by Bru Baker

Better than the last. Drew was a good character, but Nick could be a massive asshole.

4 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 228 pages. Published June 19th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

Once in a blue moon, opposites find they’re a perfect match.

Nick Perry is tired of helping people with their marriages, so when a spot opens up to work with teens at Camp H.O.W.L., he jumps at it. He doesn’t expect to fall in lust with the dreamy new camp doctor, Drew Welch. But Drew is human, and Nick has seen secrets ruin too many relationships to think that a human/werewolf romance can go anywhere.

Happy-go-lucky Drew may not sprout claws, but he’s been part of the Were community all his life. He has no trouble fitting in at the camp—except for Nick’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge the growing attraction between them and his ridiculous stance on dating humans. Fate intervenes when one of his private practice patients threatens Drew’s life. Will the close call help Nick to see a connection like theirs isn’t something to let go of?

Likes:

Drew’s character.
A little more world building.
A different kind of couple from the last book.
Nick getting a taste of rejection near the end.
Really set up the romance for the third book.

Dislikes:

How long it took Nick to admit to what he was feeling.
How much of an asshole Nick could be.
The trop of ‘one night stand turns out to be new work colleague’
It didn’t feel like Nick was a psychologist.

I definitely liked this book better than the last, because the romance was much more developed. It was another romance where the only thing stopping the couple from getting together was themselves, but there was a lot more flirting and little moments that made it clear how much they were falling for each other.

The book started out with the trop of having a one night stand with someone who turns out to be a new coworker, which isn’t a trope I really enjoy because I feel like it’s so overdone. But it worked for the story. Dew and Nick have chemistry right from the start, although the actual sex scene happened off the page. But the blowjob was written about, and again at the end, so maybe Bru Baker just doesn’t like writing penetrative sex scenes?

Drew was definitely my favorite character. As a human living among werewolves, he’s constantly at a disadvantage, same as Adrian from the first book. In fact, there is mention that Drew and Adrian are friends because they were both part of the small number of humans living with werewolves, which was nice. I always like seeing little hints of previous couples in series romance.

Drew didn’t let his status as a human keep him from being able to deal with werewolves, a fact that Nick just couldn’t seem to understand. And I’m honestly not sure why Nick was so completely convinced that Drew was incapable of certain things just because he was a human. The book stated that humans living with werewolves was a rare thing, and that while Nick had dealt with a lot of humans in his private psychology business, he’d never known a human who had grown up with werewolf step-brothers. I get that he thought that Drew could never understand him fully since Drew is human and Nick is a werewolf, but do two people ever fully understand each other?

There was actually a time when I got completely disgusted with how much of an asshole Nick was being, when he doubted that Drew could set up a werewolf scavenger hunt. Nick had no reason to doubt Drew’s abilities. He just had these preconceptions that he couldn’t let go. It was almost too much. It takes Nick half of the book (51%) to admit that Drew isn’t some helpless human.

I have to admit, mean person that I am, that I liked it when Nick thought Drew wasn’t interested in him anymore. For all the trouble that Nick caused Drew throughout the book it was nice to see Nick feel like he was rejected.

I actually kept forgetting that Nick was a psychologist because he just didn’t seem like one. He even acknowledged a few times that he was not doing the things he’d tell a patient to do. This was in direct contrast to Drew, who I never forgot was a doctor.

Despite all my complaints (mainly about Nick’s bullheadedness) I really liked this couple. Once things begin to heat up between them, the story really gets going. I was glad to see them get together in the end and look forward to seeing a bit of them in the next book. Drew is Jackson’s step brother, and since Jackson is one of the main characters in the next book, I hope we’ll get to see a bit of how Drew and Nick are together. Unlike Tate and Adrian, Drew and Nick are staying at Camp H.O.W.L.

Be sure to check out the reviews for Camp H.O.W.L., Hiding in Plain Sight, and the series review.

Review: Camp H.O.W.L. (Camp H.O.W.L. #1 ) by Bru Baker

Loved the concept of the camp, but the slow burn romance was too slow for me.

3 out of 5 stars

Ebook. Dreamspun Beyond #7. 238 pages. Published November 1st 2017 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

Moonmates exist, but getting together is going to be a beast….

When Adrian Rothschild skipped his “werewolf puberty,” he assumed he was, somehow, human. But he was wrong, and he’s about to go through his Turn with a country between him and his Pack—scared, alone, and eight years late.

Dr. Tate Lewis’s werewolf supremacist father made his Turn miserable, and now Tate works for Camp H.O.W.L. to ease the transition for young werewolves. He isn’t expecting to offer guidance to a grown man—or find his moonmate in Adrian. Tate doesn’t even believe in the legendary bond; after all, his polygamist father claimed five. But it’s clear Adrian needs him, and if Tate can let his guard down, he might discover he needs Adrian too.

A moonmate is a wolf’s missing piece, and Tate is missing a lot of pieces. But is Adrian up to the challenge?

Likes:

The focus on helping kids manage the Turn and the talk about how to navigate social media without revealing the secret of werewolves to humans.
Adrian’s life as someone who didn’t Turn when he should have and his trouble adjusting to it as an adult.
The plot of the first half of the book.
That Adrian and Tate didn’t immediately fall in love despite being moonmates.
The whole idea of moonmates being a different thing from those who just have a strong bond.
Camp H.O.W.L. itself was an interesting concept.

Dislikes:

The slow burn romance was too slow.
The plot of the last third of the book was slow.
There was no substantial character development for either Adrian or Tate.
Lots of missed opportunities to make the story better as a whole.
Tate’s aversion to being moonmates was a bit over the top.
No conclusion about why Adrian didn’t Turn when he was nineteen and no real talk about how or if he will continue to be different from other werewolves going forward.

The premise of this book is great. Adrian is the prefect character to introduce the readers to Camp H.O.W.L. As an adult, he is more clearheaded than any of the teens who are going through their Turn. He’s also just an interesting character. He spent eight years being different from his entire pack and family. It bothers him both because it makes him different from everyone he loves and because no one knows why it happened.

Tate is a less interesting character at the start, but he does have an unusual past. A past that prevents him from embracing the moonmate bond he quickly forms with Adrian.

I really did like that, although the bond formed quickly between Adrian and Tate, there was no rush into a relationship. They might be werewolves, but that wasn’t an excuse to jump into bed. Unfortunately, Tate was so against having any kind of relationship or bond with Adrian that the romance throughout the whole book was lacking. The two men basically became friends and roommates who wanted to bone but didn’t.

Instead of the romance being two steps forward and one step back, it was more like Tate ran hot and cold. The first kiss – which didn’t happen until chapter 12 – was the only intimate moment I remember them sharing before they finally got together at the end. And even then there was no penetrative sex, which wouldn’t have been a problem except that I felt like full sex would have had more of an emotional impact. Their quick mutual masturbation just didn’t have the intimacy the story needed.

And that’s the crux of what I felt was missing from this story – intimacy. It was great that they didn’t jump into sex, but there weren’t nearly as many little flirty moments where you could tell their feelings for each other were growing.

Tate’s hang-ups with his family seemed to affect his relationship with Adrian to an unusually high degree. Tate was able to separate himself from his former pack in every other way, rejecting their teachings because he knew it was wrong. Except when it came to being moonmates with Adrian. Even when Tate finally embraced their bond, it was only after telling Adrian his great secret, which didn’t seem like it was that big of a deal. The secret wasn’t something Tate did or even something bad that happened to him. It was just another example of how messed up his pack and their way of life was.

Overall, I did enjoy this book when I was reading it. It was only after reaching the end that I noticed how little the romance and characters had progressed. The epilogue did have some of those little intimate touches that added to the romance overall, but I was still left vaguely unsatisfied. Adrian didn’t even get the chance to be with his family’s pack as a werewolf.

I will definitely be reading the next book in the series because I really did love the idea of Camp H.O.W.L, especially the focus on teaching the teens how to navigate social media without revealing their furry bits.

Be sure to check out the reviews for Under a Blue Moon, Hiding in Plain Sight, and the series review.

Review: Bro Job: MM Erotic Romance Novella by B.J. Wood

Hot smut, but both men lack depth.

3 out of 5 stars

Kindle Unlimited. 68 pages. Published February 3, 2020

Blurb:

Talk about taking friendship to the next level!

Logan and Cade have been best friends since childhood. Now, they work side-by-side as park rangers during the day, and at night, they pick up girls together. When they both strike out at a bar, drunk and desperate, they end up having a one-night-stand neither will ever forget.

There’s no going back now that Logan and Cade have slept together. They can deny their feelings as much as they want, but they can’t ignore the fuse that has sparked between them. Things are going to explode one way or another.

As their small town sets up for Valentine’s Day, the cardboard hearts and flowers remind Logan and Cade of everything they could have together… If they weren’t straight. Because straight guys don’t bone their best friends. Even if they really, really want to.

Bro Job is a 20,000 word gay erotic romance novella about two straight friends who become gay lovers. There is no cheating or cliffhanger, and there is a happy ending. This book features explicit gay sex scenes, including mild exhibitionism and voyeurism.

Likes:

Hot smut.
Friends to lovers.
Short.

Dislikes:

Both men lack depth.
The story is missing a lot of detail.
Drunk sex.
Unsafe sex.
The men feel dumb but I know they’re not.

I chose this novella because I wanted something short and sweet. I like friends to lovers stories, and the basic plot of this novella was classic. Two guys who’ve been ignoring the ‘more than friends’ vibe they’ve got going, finally get to a point where they can’t ignore it anymore.

I don’t love that they were drunk during their first time. For starters, drunk people can’t give consent. Second, it leads to risky sex practices, like the lack of condom. Despite that, the sex was hot, even if it always took place in unusual locations.

As for the men themselves, they lacked depth. I don’t feel like I got to know them. I also didn’t understand the reasoning behind a lot of their decisions, worries, and actions. Neither man was stupid, but there were times when they felt incredibly dumb. Like ‘fraternity boy who cheated on his SATs’ dumb.

Part of this has to do with the writing. There was a lot of inconsistency with the men and whether they were really straight or not. I couldn’t tell if they honestly thought they were straight or were choosing to ignore how much they thought about each other in sexual ways. This led to a lot of ‘I’m totally straight except for thinking about kissing my best friend, getting horny around him, and staring at his ass.’ That got annoying fast.

Both men are resistant to the idea of being anything other than straight. But I have no idea why. Is it a masculinity issue? Are they worried about what people will think? It’s not discussed. I know they live in a small town, but later in the book there’s reference to a lesbian couple and it’s treated like it’s no big thing.

Overall, I’m unimpressed. This wasn’t a bad read, especially for how short it was, but there are better novellas out there. Not sure if I’d go back to this author.

Review: The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings (Black and Blue #1) by Lily Morton

So glad I picked this book up. Everything was so well woven together that the romance was perfectly paced and natural.

5 out of 5 stars

Kindle Unlimited. 301 pages. Published November 14th 2019

Blurb:

Levi Black is at a crossroads. After suffering a loss and breaking up a long-term relationship, he’s looking for a change. When he receives the news he’s inherited a house in York, he seizes the opportunity to begin a new chapter in his life.

However, when he gets there, he finds a house that has never kept its occupants for very long. Either through death or disinclination, no one stays there, and after a few days of living in the place, Levi can understand why. Strange noises can be heard at all hours of the day and night, and disturbing and scary things begin to happen to him. He never believed in ghosts before, but when events take a sinister turn, he knows he must look for help. He finds it in the unlikely form of the blue-haired leader of a ghost tour.

Blue Billings is edgy, beautiful, and lost. Utterly lost. He conceals so many secrets that some days it’s a miracle he remembers his own name. He knows that he should ignore Levi because he threatens the tenuous grip Blue has on survival. But there’s something about the kind-eyed man that draws Blue to him. Something that demands he stay and fight for him when he would normally run in the opposite direction.

As the two men investigate the shocking truth behind Levi’s house, they also discover a deep connection that defies the short length of time they’ve known each other. But when events escalate and his life is on the line, Levi has to wonder if it was wise to trust the Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings.

Likes:

Creepy house without being too scary.
Hooked me.
Loved the entire cast of characters.
Epilogue made me happy.
Difficult subjects handled well.
The romance progressed naturally.

Dislikes:

Blue didn’t make a great first impression.
First person present tense gave me a bit of trouble at first.
Some of the mystery behind the ghost was obvious.

I honestly wasn’t looking for a supernatural themed book when I stumbled on this one. It was literally the first book I came across that piqued my interest. And I’m so glad I picked it up, because I loved it.

Strangely enough, the book didn’t hook me right from page one. The beginning was interesting, but the real hook for me didn’t come until a bit later. I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but I realized I was deeply invested around the 12% area.

This book had the perfect amount of creepy ghosts without verging into scary territory. I don’t do scary. I was a little worried at first that things would get too scary or gory. There is some gore, but not a lot. And there are some tense/scary moments, but nothing that’s going to give me nightmares.

The haunting and romance were so finely interwoven that there was enough time to develop the relationship at a natural pace and to deal with the ghosts without anything feeling rushed. The book was wrapped up well. I smiled my way through the epilogue. It was definitely a HFN and I hope the next book in the series will be about Levi and Blue again. I would love to see more of them.

Levi and Blue were both great characters. Blue didn’t make the best first impression, but he quickly recovered. In fact, the entire cast of characters was great, especially Tom. I appreciated that the difficult subjects in Blue’s past were handled well, without judgement or condemnation.

I’m not used to seeing first person point of view combined with present tense narration. It gave me some issues at first, but I was quickly able to adjust. I appreciate that both Blue and Levi got POV chapters. It added depth to the story.

The mystery in the book was both obvious and a source of suspense. Even thought I guessed a lot of what was going on, the ending still managed to surprise me. I was a little disappointed when the book ended. I want more, and am eager for the next book in the series!

Review: Remember Him (Honey Bay #1) by Steve Milton

Wasn’t hooked, didn’t care. DNF 55%.

2 out of 5 stars

Kindle Unlimited. 153 pages. Published December 23rd 2019

Blurb:

Baxter Rawlins: a real heartbreaker.

He broke my heart ten years ago.

Back in high school, Baxter pretended he didn’t know me. I was a skinny, plaid-shirt-wearing nobody. I was openly gay, but nobody even cared — except Baxter, when he wanted a hookup. That was all a nerd like me could expect from the star quarterback and prom king. He treated me as his shameful secret.

I’ve stayed away from Baxter for a decade now, even when he came back to visit Honey Bay.

I’m older now. Wiser. I know I deserve better. But I can’t stop thinking about those fleeting moments in Baxter’s arms.

Andy Silver: my one weakness.

Every time Andy smiled at me from under his floppy hair, I couldn’t help myself. How could a nerd in wire-rimmed glasses be so hot?

It was a high school fling. I spent ten years running away from it. My parents never would have understood who I really was. Disappointing my father was out of the question. I couldn’t live the life I wanted, even if I loved Andy more than he ever knew.

Bumping into Andy ten years later was the shock of my life. That shy nerd is a celebrity now? And he works out? I shouldn’t dwell on how much I miss being with him, even if every sight of him sends me there.

My parents sent me to Honey Bay for business. I might just stick around for a second chance at love.

Remember Him is a 42,000-word small-town second-chances gay romance. On their way to a feel-good happy ever after, a jock and a nerd dodge windmill blades, fog up the windows, and discuss the fine points of timber, lumber, and plain old wood.

Likes:

Two classic tropes – second chance at love and jock/nerd.
Baxter realized how much he hurt Andy.
Baxter is no longer the big man in town.
Andy’s new lifestyle.

Dislikes:

Andy and Baxter acted like teenagers.
Neither man was particularly interesting.
Despite first person POV, the story lacked depth.
Lots of little inconsistencies.
No reason given for why Baxter was afraid of disappointing his dad.
Andy’s nerdy/geeky/dorky/quirky/cuteness got old fast.
Unexplained celibacy.

DNF 55%

I didn’t hate this book. Most books I DNF because I can’t stand them. This one I just didn’t want to keep reading. Put simply, I wasn’t hooked. Not by the characters, the plot, or a desire to see how it would all turn out.

To be fair, before I get into my many complaints, I will say that the plot itself isn’t bad. It’s got two classic tropes – second chance at love and jock/nerd pairings. Plus, Andy isn’t the skinny nerd he was back in high school. He’s got muscles now! And I do love when an ugly duckling grows up into a beefcake.

Even better is that Baxter is well aware of how much he hurt Andy, without needing to be told. He apologizes numerous times, and even came to town with a gift for Andy, even though he didn’t know if they would see each other. It really showed just how much Baxter never forgot Andy. The only forgetting was done by the townspeople, who no longer treat Baxter like he’s the prom king golden boy.

On the downside, this book suffers in the same areas as a lot of other self-published books. The line editing was good – no spelling errors or missing punctuation – but the story needs a good editor and some honest beta readers.

Despite being first person point of view, the story lacked depth. Andy and Baxter haven’t seen each other since high school. I was expecting lots of emotional turmoil. I was disappointed. The story didn’t delve into either man’s emotions. It made for flat, bland reading.

Andy and Baxter were twenty-eight and acted like teenagers. Dick jokes galore. I understand that they haven’t seen each other since high school and it’s easy to fall into old habits. The immature joking would have been fine in small doses, but it was constant. Neither man felt like an adult.

Andy was especially cringy. I felt like I was constantly being beaten over the head with how awkward yet adorkable he was. I didn’t find him adorkable. His ironic thumbs up and constant eye rolling got annoying fast. It also didn’t feel realistic. Yeah, he’s a nerd, but he’s not the socially awkward guy he was in high school. He’s a well-liked fixture in the community.

Baxter was fine without actually making it to ‘likeable’. He’s terrified at his dad finding out that he’s gay and lives in fear of being a disappointment. But it was never explained why. Baxter basically let his dad plan his life. He never tried to do anything other than follow orders to get a business degree and join the family business. He even married a woman as camouflage (which I think is a really shitty thing to do and didn’t improve my opinion of him).

The sex scene needed work. It’s not always easy to get it right. For me, words like ‘dickhead’ are a weak insult, not an actual description to be used in smut. Don’t even get me started on ‘cockshaft’. Also, both men are gay but for whatever reason, neither of them was ever with another man in the 10 years they were apart. But don’t worry, despite never having sucked a dick in his life, Baxter is fully capable of deepthroating on his first try.

My final complaint is about all the little inconsistencies and things that don’t make sense. There’s a fair amount of things like rolling down the car windows although they were rolled down just a few pages prior. Baxter also drove his car from New York City to Florida just on the off chance he saw Andy. According to Google, that’s an 18 hour trip. That’s just plain stupid.

Overall, it was the little things that sunk this story. I stuck with it as long as I could, but there are so many better books out there, I couldn’t justify spending the time to finish it. Which is a shame because I think the author has talent. They just need better editing.

Review: His Consort by Mary Calmes

Hooked me with the deep world building. Sadly, all that world building took time away from the romance.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 284 pages. Published November 20th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

A new life in New Orleans is all Jason Thorpe had hoped: his quaint little store attracts a devoted staff and his warm, loving heart grants him a loyal circle of friends. He’s perfectly content, having left behind the chill of a confusing and danger-filled night in Washington, until he discovers something unbelievable lurking in the steamy darkness of the shadowy streets of the Vieux Carré, something that turns out to be terrifying… and utterly mesmerizing.

The prince of the vampyrs, Varic Maedoc, is visiting New Orleans when he finds out the man who once helped his counselor is there in the Quarter. He thinks to simply meet and thank Jason—until he lays eyes on him. Varic’s devoted himself to protect the honor of his race, and he’s never wanted a mate before… but he immediately knows he must have this man, and no one else will do.

Varic may want to bring Jason safely into his world, but someone who doesn’t like the human’s soothing influence on vampyrs has deadly plans that would disrupt Varic’s dreams. Now, unable to tell friend from foe, Jason finds himself wondering how to hold on to the prince’s heart when he’s fighting for his life.

Likes:

Got deep into the world of vampyrs, from their origin to their current political status.
Jason is an interesting character.
Good supporting cast.
Jason had the military training to keep up with the threats of violence.
Captured my attention from the very start.
Good smut.

Dislikes:

Varic wasn’t a very interesting character.
The romance wasn’t as interesting as the rest of the story.
From the blurb, I thought the story would be told half from Jason’s point of view and half from Varic’s, with them switching off. Instead it was all from Jason’s point of view.
Vampires feeding off each other doesn’t make sense.

I’m not a huge fan of first person point of view books, but this book was written so well that most of the time I didn’t even notice. I really enjoyed Jason as a main character, from his instant action the moment he heard a scream in the woods to his acceptance that vampyrs were real. Best of all, Jason’s military experience give him the training he needs to deal with the threats that come at him all through the book. I hate characters who have no training who somehow manage to outwit trained attackers.

Despite being ex-military, Jason wants to live a gentle, quiet life. His kindness makes it easy to make friends, including multiple vampyrs. Jason’s desire to know a lot about vampyr culture and society might be a snore to some people, but I really enjoyed the info, even though it had no point in terms of plot.

I liked Jason’s delve into vampyr society – and the role he came to play in it in New Orleans – and was almost disappointed when Varic finally appeared in the story. Because it took a while for Varic to actually show up. He gets mentioned a few times, but it isn’t until the end of chapter five, which was 38% into the book.

Then it’s the usual insta-lust, which I don’t mind. But that quickly turned into insta-love. It doesn’t matter if even the characters realize it’s fast, I’m still not a fan of insta-love. At least the sex was hot.

Varic is very alpha male. He’s a vampyr prince, old and used to getting his way. I was a little surprised at how submissive Jason turned out to be because I hadn’t seen many signs that he’d be willing to let Varic take the lead in their relationship. Jason doesn’t lose his personality, he still does what he wants and challenges Varic, but he is overly accommodating.

Honestly, their relationship didn’t have much time to develop. Eight chapters in and they finally get together. They had less than half a book from the first time they had sex to merge two wildly different lives. Varic doesn’t even live in America! And Varic, for all that he’s a vampyr and a price, doesn’t get much in terms of character development, because everything to do with him centers around developing the relationship. I know more about some of the side characters than I do about Varic.

The relationship was so rushed that the few minor misunderstandings are quickly and easily overcome with an honest and open heart to heart talk. Which felt very strange for two men with lots of baggage to be having so soon into their relationship.

My biggest complaint is about how vampyres feed. It’s illegal for them to feed from a human unless they’re mated or married to the human. This means that vampyres feed from each other, which makes no sense! If a vampyr ingests blood to get nutrients, and they then use up those nutrients, their blood should not have enough nutrients to give to another vampyr for feeding. It’s a little point, but it bugs me because it doesn’t make sense. It’s a closed loop with no fresh input of nutrients.

Overall, I think this book would do well as the first in a series. The relationship between Varic and Jason could use a lot of additional page time, and the book was so full of world building that it would almost be a shame not to see what else is going to happen.

Review: Cataclysmic Shift (The Aloysius Tales #3) by Tara Lain

A disappointing story for my favorite character of the series.

3 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition, 201 pages. Published September 13th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press (first published July 23rd 2013)

Blurb:

An Aloysius Tale

Aloysius, the magical black cat and powerful witch’s familiar, isn’t afraid to go into battle to protect his master, but the outcome of the fight turns his feline world upside down. A direct hit of magic steals not only his memories and power, but even the body he’s lived in for several centuries. When he wakes up naked on the floor of a veterinarian’s office, it isn’t as the cat Aloysius, but as the sixteenth-century French gentleman Alain Bellarose. And when Alain sees sexy and enigmatic veterinarian Luke Elliott, he decides he’ll make the best of his time as a human.

Luke is a man with secrets who generally prefers the company of animals—though the flamboyant boy who washes his face with the side of his hand and tries to lick his own privates might prove an exception.

Meanwhile, Witch Master Killian Barth and his secret weapon, Sammy, struggle without Aloysius’s power to draw on. Two evil females are circling, and seeing the coven’s weakness, they’re about to move in for the kill. When Alain’s memories return, he’s faced with the ultimate dilemma: protect his community or stay with the man he loves.

Likes:

Pets.
How everything was wrapped up in the end.
Good smut.

Dislikes:

How unimpressive Alain was.
Luke’s past was cliché.
Wasn’t hooked.
Constant reminders of how handsome and gay the men are.
Tone felt sophomoric.
Never felt like the stakes were high.
Little magic.
No new world building.
Selective amnesia.
Overuse of pet name and dumb swear words.
Significant chunk of the story was about Killian.
Luke’s timeline doesn’t feel right.
Luke’s questionable choices.

Aloysius has been my favorite character for the past two books, and I was really excited for his story. I set the bar higher for this book, which I now regret because overall this book is a bland disappointment.

As a cat, Aloysius is fierce, cocky, self-assured, and a force to be reckoned with. As a human, he’s a basic twink. Alain’s not a bad guy, but he’s not memorable the way Aloysius is. I think a big part of that disconnect is that Alain’s amnesia took away a lot of his agency. With no memory of who or what he was, no money, and no clues about his past, he attached himself to Luke like a limpet. He was never really given the chance to be anything other than a weird boyfriend who got the occasional overwhelming urge to protect.

I feel like neither Alain nor Luke grew or changed much during the book. Though, to be fair, they weren’t the only focus. This book is the final one in the trilogy, and it needed to wrap everything up. That meant a lot of time spent with Killian and the gang, including a significant amount of time in Killian’s point of view.

Luke wasn’t a bad character either, if you ignore his clichéd past and how his timeline in New York working for Nicky and going to vet school doesn’t seem to add up. Pets are a good way to win my affection, and Luke being a vet was nice, as was Alain’s ability to speak with the animals. Like most Tara Lain novels, the smut was good, and there was a lot of it.

This book didn’t hook me at all. I put it down and forgot about it for a few days. The stakes never felt high, even when Killian was fighting the European witches. Never once was I worried about any of the characters, despite some dicey situations. The tone also didn’t work for me. I can’t explain it well, but it reminded me of high school. Maybe because it felt like I was constantly being reminded of how handsome the men were, like their appearance was the most important thing in the world.

There were a other little things that bugged me, like the overuse of the pet name ‘kitten’ and swear words ‘shitfire’ and ‘she-it’. There was little magic outside the occasional fights, no new world building, and no inclusion of the larger witching community. Not to mention Alain’s selective amnesia. He completely forgot who he was, used old-fashioned words and phrases, but remembered what plastic was.

My final complaint was about Luke’s questionable choices. He lived in fear of being found by Nicky, but didn’t move out of New York. He also didn’t have any sort of protection. I know that guns are illegal in NYC, but what about a taser? Pepper spray? A baseball bat? Hell, even a basic self-defense class. But no. That would have gotten in the way of valiantly standing up to the bad guys and saying he’d die. Literally.

“And what will you do to stop us, human?”

“Die.”

It was a good thing that moment came near the end of the book, because I was so done. I know Luke was a human standing up to powerful witches, but still. Done.

I wish I had more good things to say about this book. And honestly, it wasn’t terrible. I finished it. But it wasn’t anything better than ‘just okay’. At least the ending wrapped up well and everyone was happy.

Be sure to check out the reviews for Spell Cat (The Aloysius Tales #1), Brush with Catastrophe (The Aloysius Tales #2), Cataclysmic Shift (The Aloysius Tales #3), and the series review.

Review: Brush with Catastrophe (The Aloysius Tales #2) by Tara Lain

The mystery kept me hooked. The rape made me hate the book.

3 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition. 222 pages. Published April 14th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press (first published September 30th 2012)

Blurb:

Sammy Raphael is a crappy witch, and on top of that, he can’t seem to get a boyfriend. Where other supernaturals can bring down lightning and manifest wealth, Sammy can paint. Granted, the “prophetic” paintings he creates at night always come true, but they never predict anything important. Sammy feels like a total loser with a worthless ability.

One night he paints a gorgeous guy who turns out to be his secret crush, the human Ryder, but Ryder’s changed so much he’s almost unrecognizably beautiful. Then Sammy paints an angel who turns out to be a witch. But is that witch also a devil—a devil who can bring down Sammy’s whole community and everyone he loves? And why the hell does Ryder keep changing? Aloysius, the black cat familiar, always backs a winner. So why is he backing Sammy?

Likes:

Aloysius.
The mystery surrounding Ryder and Lucien kept me hooked.
Good smut.
The occasional points of view from Ryder and Lucian kept me curious.
Good to see the changes in the witching community since the last book.
Sammy’s powers were interesting.
More magic than the last book.

Dislikes:

Sexual assault and rape.
Sexual assault and rape that weren’t addressed.
Main romance didn’t start until halfway through the book.
Romance between Ryder and Sammy went from 0 to 60 in a flash.
Time jump between books not addressed at first.
Ryder constantly turning to sex instead of answering Sammy’s questions.
The romance felt like a subplot.
I don’t think it would be a good reread.
Lots of little inconsistencies.

After my horrible experience rereading Spell Cat, I was a little hesitant to read Brush With Catastrophe. To my surprise, I enjoyed the book. Sammy was relatable and his powers were cool. Best of all, I was hooked by the mystery surrounding Ryder and Lucian. Finding out who they really were and what they were up to was what drove my interest in the book.

The romance is wildly different from what I’m typically used to, and not in a good way. Sammy spends literally half the book with Lucian, with Ryder solidly in the ‘straight and completely untouchable’ category. Right up until that changes. When Lucian’s kicked to the curb and Ryder’s suddenly available, there’s a lot of sex, but little romance. No flirting, no getting to know each other as lovers, and no internal conflict. Just boom, they’re together, and the only problem between them is Ryder’s family issues.

Credit where it’s due. The sex is hot. And there’s a lot of it. So much so that Ryder uses sex as a way to distract Sammy when he starts asking questions. That got annoying fast.

You can’t talk about the sex in this book without bringing up the sexual assault and rape. Like in Spell Cat, the sexual assault goes unpunished. Hell, it’s practically unmentioned after the fact. As is the rape. It’s my least favorite thing about Tara Lain as a writer. This is not the first book where the main character is sexually assaulted and it’s not dealt with. But it’s especially noticeable in this book.

Spoiler

Sammy’s not without his faults, but I liked him. Does he do some stupid things? Sure, but it’s established early on that he has low self-esteem and is desperate for a boyfriend. There are a ton of red flags with Lucian, but I don’t fault Sammy for staying with him. Lucian knows how to turn on the charm. Even Killian fell for the act.

Once again, Aloysius was awesome. He’s undoubtedly my favorite character. Seeing Blaine and Killian again was fine. I don’t particularly care for them, but with how prominent they are in the coven, it would be hard to leave them out.

I do think a lot of the magical culture has been improved on. There’s more of it, for one. More magic, more time spent discussing issues in the magical world, and more people in the coven. Seeing the changes made to the community since the last book was nice. I would have preferred to know about the one year time gap between this book and the previous one sooner than at the 37% mark, so it would have been easier to put things in perspective.

There are a bunch of little inconsistencies and things that don’t make a lot of sense. Like when Ryder comes back from summer vacation with his big change, and even his eye color is different. Everyone just accepts it like it’s no big deal. You’re telling me that Ryder didn’t even bother wearing colored contacts to at least make his transformation seem normal?

When I’m reading a really good fantasy novel, it’s easy to know which authors spent a lot of time with their world building, and which ones didn’t. This book, and the previous one as well, did not feel like it was fully flashed out in the author’s mind.

Spoiler

Sadly, like the previous book, I don’t think Brush With Catastrophe would make a good reread. The romance alone isn’t strong enough. With the mystery surrounding Ryder and Lucian gone, the book lacks a hook.

I hope the final book in the trilogy will be good. Or at least has no sexual assault. With Aloysius as one of the main characters, I have high hopes.

Be sure to check out the reviews for Spell Cat (The Aloysius Tales #1), Cataclysmic Shift (The Aloysius Tales #3), and the series review.

Review: Spell Cat (The Aloysius Tales #1) by Tara Lain

This didn’t work as a reread.

2 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition. 201 pages. Published October 31st 2016 by Dreamspinner Press (first published March 19th 2012)

Blurb:

When Killian Barth, history professor, meets Blaine Genneau, quantum physicist, they ignite their own big bang. But sadly, Killian walks away. He doesn’t do physics professors. In fact, he doesn’t do humans, because Killian is the most powerful male witch in 10 generations and, though gay, he’s expected to save his declining race by reproducing.

He can’t even have sex with Blaine, because he’s been taught that sex with humans depletes his power. But if that’s true, why can young human, Jimmy Janx, dissolve spoons with a thought? Somebody’s a lying witch.

With his powerful cat familiar, Aloysius, on his shoulder, Killian brings the lightning against deceit and greed to save Blaine from danger and prove love is the greatest power of them all.

Likes:

Aloysius.
The non-romantic plot.

Dislikes:

Insta-lust.
Can’t keep my attention.
Killian ended up sounding whiney.
Nonconsensual BDSM.
Random POV changes.
Not much magic.
No world building.
Killian doesn’t feel like a master witch.
No real romance.
The characters feel 2 dimensional.

This was a reread for me. I remember liking the book, which was why I was so surprised when I couldn’t get into the story. After finishing the book, I realized that I dislike almost everything in it. The only exceptions are the cat, Aloysius, and the non-romantic plot involving the witch community.

The first thing that really turned me off was the insta-lust. This might have been the most extreme example of it that I’ve ever encountered. Added into the mix is Killian’s lack of experience with love and long romantic relationships. It makes him act like a teenager, including the “No reason for him to exist” moping when his on again/off again relationship with Blaine is off again.

Their relationship was fueled by lust and didn’t go much farther. There was no building of their relationship, none of that feel-good falling in love. They spent very little time together that wasn’t having sex or trying desperately not to have sex. Sure, they confessed their love, but I didn’t see it. It felt more like they decided they were in love because that’s what the plot needed.

Killian’s attraction to Blaine was based a lot on the fact that Blaine liked him without knowing that Killian was the Witch Master. Basically, Blaine was the first person to be nice to him without an ulterior motive. That’s not the building blocks of love. It just highlighted how sheltered Killian was.

Killian doesn’t act like a Witch Master, or much of a witch at all. The magic in this book is basically just a plot device, and a boring one at that. There’s no world building, no explanation of why witches exist, and no exploration of the witching community at large.

I have liked a lot of Tara Lain’s books in the past, but there is a trend in some of her books that I just hate – sexual assault that goes unpunished. Off the top of my head, I can think of two other examples besides this book that include sexual assault where the character doesn’t report the matter. Killian basically does the same thing, so instead of putting that down to his character, I put that on Lain. Killian had the power and position to punish his attacker, who tuned a consenting sexual encounter into a nonconsensual one involving BDSM. It’s the lack of punishment that bothers me so much, and the fact that it feels like a pattern in Lain’s writing.

My final complaint is how two-dimensional the characters are. Power hungry women, faux Russian mobsters, creeps, and college students. Looking back on the book, it doesn’t feel like any of the characters had depth. The worst was Jimmy, not because he was 2D but because he didn’t sound like a college student majoring in physics. Not when he says things like “Jeez” and “I can’t believe you still loved me when you thought I might be the death of everything you hold dear.”

I wanted to like this book. I did before. But I need the romance to be more important than the lust. Because I knew what would happen with the plot, the curiosity that fueled my interest was gone. I’m going to assume that the question of ‘how will this relationship work’ was what made me like the book the first time. I hope the next book in the series will be better, but my excitement for it has dulled significantly.

Be sure to check out the reviews for Brush with Catastrophe (The Aloysius Tales #2), Cataclysmic Shift (The Aloysius Tales #3), and the series review.