Tag: DNF

Review: Forbidden Magic (Magic and Claws #1) by Liam Kingsley and Jill Haven

DNF 46%. The enemies-to-lovers idea was all enemies no lovers. Literally no romance at all.

2.5 out of 5 stars

DNF 46%

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 230 pages. Published April 15th 2020

Blurb:

How can my enemy want me when no one else ever has?

Oil and water. Shifters and mages. There are certain things that just don’t mix. But I’m in Porter’s Peak for a reason, and I’m not about to let a pack of wolves drive me away. And I’m certainly not going to fall into bed with the alpha … not even if he says we’re fated mates.

But evil magic is swirling around town, and the only way to keep my new home safe is to team up with the alluring older shifter and try to find the cause of the problems. As we grow closer, my resolve to stay out of his arms is slipping. No one has cared about me enough to stick around before … why should I trust an old enemy to be any different?

But evil magic is not the only problem, and when secrets threaten to tear us apart, we might bring the whole town down with us. Can we put aside ancient hatred and forge a new path? Or is our bond doomed from the start? 

Likes:

  • The reason shifters and mages don’t like each other.

Dislikes:

  • Unnecessary prologue.
  • Little world building.
  • Writing doesn’t flow well.
  • Leo has the emotional maturity of a teenager.
  • Leo’s inconsistency.
  • No romance or building to romance.
  • Blind belief that an entire group of people are evil.

DNF 46%

This book’s basic premise had potential. I liked the idea that shifters and mages had been at war. I also liked the reason why, as well as how the world turned out after the war ended. It was different and unique. I was excited to read how a shifter and a mage would fall in love. It definitely had hints of Romeo and Juliet.

Except there was no romance. No romantic feelings. Just Leo and Zac hating each other for what they were. Obviously the romance would have shown up if I continued reading, but I got to 46%. It’s not like I stopped early. And there was literally nothing romantic at all. No flirting, no trying to get to know each other, no tender moments.

The blame falls squarely on Leo. He’s got the emotional maturity of a teenager. He knows Zac is his fated mate, but he doesn’t want to admit it. Instead, he’s a douchebag. He acts like he can barely tolerate Zac’s presence, and does nothing but glare and threaten Zac whenever they’re together. Take this quote from Leo, who remember, is the pack alpha and a father.

“Zac didn’t say another word. And just like that, we were right back to our usual attitudes. I sat down and crossed my arms, and Zac didn’t spare me another glance. I gritted my teeth. Fine. It wasn’t like I wanted to get to along with him anyway. I was only being nice because he’d been hurt.”

I get that the romance is supposed to be enemies to lovers, but it didn’t work. Add in the fact that Leo keeps oscillating between wanting Zac to leave and knowing its his duty to protect him. It would be one thing if Leo had conflicting feelings but was a mature, responsible adult who did what he was supposed to. But no. Leo is unable to stop himself from voicing exactly what he’s thinking. He has no diplomacy and no patience. Several times, when his wolf’s instinct to mate Zac gets out of control, he calls himself a Neanderthal. I disagree. He’s just immature. The only reason he’s pack leader is because it was passed down to him by his father.

Blame where it’s due, Zac isn’t exactly a scintillating character either. He’s a mage who doesn’t use magic much, works as a mechanic, and was a foster kid. The book’s prologue, which was unnecessary, shows him at sixteen, right before he’s taken in by the mysterious Dylan. Then there’s no real talk about what he’s been up to for the past decade. He finished high school, learned magic and mechanics, and has been moving around from place to place. That’s about it.

The whole book has a very surface level feel to it. There’s no real world building. The magic isn’t explained, the fact that the human townspeople know about shifters is revealed like it should have been obvious which it totally wasn’t, and the shifted werewolves are somehow bigger than people. There aren’t even any physical descriptions given, aside from Leo and Zac.

This book would have problems even if the romance and main characters were well written. The writing doesn’t flow well. Its not terrible, but it’s not as polished as I’m used to. I also didn’t like that both Leo and Zac blindly believed what they were taught about their enemies, and had no problem thinking that an entire group of people were pure evil. I know neither of them have interacted with people from the other group. It’s the fact they believed it without question that annoys me.

I feel kind of bad for not having much good to say about this book. I usually try not to focus solely on the bad things, but all of my notes are complaints.

Review: Pumpkin Rolls and Porn Sounds by Kris T. Bethke

I felt disengaged and ended up giving up halfway.

2 out of 5 stars

DNF 50%

Kindle Edition. 53 pages. Published September 21st 2019 by JMS Books LLC (first published February 11th 2015)

Blurb:

Will Grant only attends the PFLAG meeting because his mother guilts him into it. But the instant he hears the night’s speaker, Will is glad he showed up. Joshua Rhinehardt is dynamic and engaging. Although Joshua isn’t physically Will’s type, Will can’t get the man out of his head.

Joshua may be comfortable in his own skin, but it isn’t often men like Will are attracted to him, and he’s not comfortable changing for someone else. He wants to make a life with Will, but his own insecurities keep getting in the way.

Will’s unwavering acceptance helps Joshua see that when two people connect, physical appearance just might not matter at all. 

Likes:

  • Will was willing to go at Joshua’s pace.

Dislikes:

  • Didn’t click with Will.
  • No tension.
  • Will feels like a chick with a dick.
  • Didn’t care.

DNF 50%

I once had to listen to a newly engaged couple gush about how they’d met and fallen in love. Reading this story was similar, in that I didn’t care and ended up bored. Now, to be fair to this story, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it in technical terms. But I felt massively disengaged from Will right from the start, which was really strange given that the story was told from his point of view.

Will and Joshua seemed like okay characters. They simply didn’t have anything interesting about them or their lives. Will isn’t exactly the kind of character I generally gravitate to – he’s hot and he knows it, is a self-professed attention whore, and his reaction to the first date gave me strong ‘chick with a dick’ vibes.

“I stood there for a moment, letting the giddy “first date” feelings wash over me. It had been so good, and I had to trust there would be more. I was still hard, but I didn’t do anything about it. I just puttered around the house, slowly getting ready for bed while my brain replayed that kiss over and over.

Eventually, I stripped off my clothes and crawled into bed. It wasn’t that late – not even eleven yet – but I wanted to lie in the quiet and remember every moment of our date. I didn’t care if that put me in the same category as a teenaged girl. I relieved it as though it were happening all over again. I fell asleep several hours later, a smile on my lips and anticipation in my heart.”

I think the strangest part of the passage above is that it doesn’t mesh with my overall impression of Will. He’s bold and flirtatious, going for what he wants because he knows he can get it. His willingness to go at Joshua’s pace was nice, but he admitted several times that he wasn’t good at waiting and got impatient easily.

I’m not used to romance stories that don’t have anything else going on besides the romance. Even in short stories like this one, there’s background stuff happening. I think that contributed to my feeling of boredom, as did the fact that the story is stretched out over the course of weeks. There was a lot of jumping around, from Joshua and Will’s initial meeting, to their second meeting, to the first date, a random phone call, etc.

I honestly feel bad for not finishing such a short story, but I had to force myself to even make it halfway. I kept putting the story down and finding any excuse not to pick it back up. It simply wasn’t worth the time to finish.

Series Review: Future Series by Kate Hawthorne and E.M. Denning

I can’t actually rate this series, seeing as how I DNF-ed the last two books.

Series rating: Not Recommended

Books in order:

Likes:

  • Low angst.
  • Romance started fast.
  • No open homophobia.
  • Hot smut, and lots of it.

Dislikes:

  • Not much tension.
  • I didn’t finish the last two books.

For the first time since I’ve started doing series reviews, I didn’t feel like it was fair to give an actual number rating. Mostly because I didn’t finish two out of the three books. So, simply put, I don’t recommend this series.

The first book was nice. Not the best thing I’ve ever read, but it made me excited about going on to the next book. And then I was completely disappointed to not click with either of the other to books.

My disinterest in the second book came squarely from the lack of tension and conflict. The book was mostly about sex, or the lack of it. It simply wasn’t enough to keep my attention.

The third book turned me off almost from the first page. Luis was not a character I could root for or care about. And I’ve learned from years of reading romance that if I don’t care about one of the men, I won’t enjoy the romance.

To be fair to this series, I think a lot of the problems I had with the books were specific to me. Someone who doesn’t have the same pet peeves as I do wouldn’t have disliked Luis so intensely. That being said, the fact that I dropped two books in a row makes me hesitant to read anything from either of these authors again.

Review: Future Ex Enemy (Future Series #3) by Kate Hawthorne and E.M. Denning

I hated Luis from the start.

2 out of 5 stars

DNF 12%

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 210 pages. Published August 8th 2019

Blurb:

If there’s one thing David Cranston hates, it’s Luis Montgomery.

When he finds out they’ve both been invited to participate in a floral contest that could make or break both of their careers, David dives in, ready to win.
But there’s only one problem, and there’s only one bed.

David and Luis are forced together and tension isn’t the only thing running hot between the two of them. David realizes he wants to come out on top…in more ways than one.

A drunken night and a hungover morning leave both men regretting actions that found them a little bit too close. Unfortunately, they keep getting closer, and closer, until the lines between hate and desire blur into something far more complicated than either of them bargained for.

Back home, Luis and David struggle to make sense of their feelings, and Luis has to face some hard truths. He thought he hated David and his roses and his baby’s breath and his lemon verbena lotion, but he was so wrong.

Because if there’s one thing Luis Montgomery loves, it’s David Cranston. 

Likes:

  • Tangential to the Kingston brothers without feeling forced.

Dislikes:

  • Literally everything about Luis.
  • David was presented as someone bland and boring.
  • More formatting issues.

DNF 12%

Because I DNF-ed the previous book, Future Gay Boyfriend, I knew that the best way to give this book a fair shot was to read something else as a palate cleanser of sorts. After a few days and a nonfiction book, I felt good as I cracked open Future Ex Enemy. And experienced an instant and almost visceral hatred of Luis.

To be fair to the authors, my hatred of Luis is entirely my own. He embodies so many of my pet peeves that it’s unreal. I’m a millennial, so I don’t hate on millennials, but Luis is like a condensed version of all the things people hate millennials for. And it’s not just because he showed up late to his interview because he tried and failed to satisfactorily tie his bowtie. (But I mean, come on. If you can’t tie a bowtie, don’t wear one. It’s that simple.)

No, what made me hate Luis was that he was just a random employee at Kingston Party Rentals and one day he decided to rearrange a bride’s wedding centerpieces without her permission because he thought they were dated. WTF?? I don’t care that it turned out well in the end. You don’t touch other people’s stuff without permission. And at that point, Luis was not interested in flower arrangement. He was just a random guy who thought he knew better than anyone else.

This backstory is probably meant to make Luis seem like he has a natural talent for design. To me, he seemed like an entitled asshole. But I was still willing to give him a shot. And then he walks into his interview with David like he’s hot shit, when he still had literally no experience in flower arrangement. He didn’t even want to work at Designs by David, but “A job in a place like this wasn’t his ideal first gig, but he needed to start somewhere, and this place was hiring.”

This is why people want to punch millennials in the face. Luis has no training, formal or otherwise, only picked up the idea to work with flowers recently, and has an ego the size of Texas. Sure, he knows a little about flower symbolism. The story doesn’t say how he picked that info up. If it had hinted at him actually doing some research, maybe reading a book, I wouldn’t be so mad. But as he’s presented, I hated Luis.

Then there’s David, “overall, a pretty standard looking guy.” Not exactly an exciting start. But at least I didn’t hate him. If anything, I liked David. Middle aged, worried about his business, and he also hated Luis.

I might have continued to read a bit more of the book just for David, if the spark between the two men hadn’t felt so fake. There was absolutely no spark or even sign of interest between the men during their first meeting. Which made the line “If David Cranston was younger, or even less disagreeable, Luis would have had half a mind to pin the man against the wall and fuck the contrariness right out of him” seem even more out of place. I literally said, “What?!” when I read that line. It comes out of nowhere. A blatant, heavy-handed attempt by the authors to generate a spark when it’s not coming naturally.

I don’t even remember the last time I gave up on a book so quickly. I actually felt a little bad that I didn’t get farther. But I could just tell that I wasn’t going to enjoy the story.

Review: Future Gay Boyfriend (Future Series #2) by Kate Hawthorne and E.M. Denning

DNF 61%. The romance never hooked me.

DNF 61%

2.5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 236 pages. Published April 11th 2019

Blurb:

Ryan Kingston is having a terrible year. His twin brother and his best friend just got engaged, leaving him feeling adrift and out of place. Prepared to ring in the New Year drunk and without a date at the annual Mallory Vineyard party, Ryan is blindsided by desire when he shares an unexpected kiss with the last person he expected…another man.

With his darkest years hopefully behind him, Darian Fulton is finally ready to step out of the shadows and embrace his true self. Armed with pink lip gloss and a snazzy silk tie, he is determined to keep his New Year’s resolution and find his own slice of happiness; one that shows up in the form of Ryan Kingston, an alluring and apparently not-so-straight-after-all man.

Darian sets his sights on making Ryan his future gay boyfriend after a simple kiss, which quickly turns into two, then three, then more. Ryan and Darian find themselves more involved with each other than they’d ever planned. But Darian worries that Ryan is going to change his mind about being with a man—and after a surprising job offer, Ryan is worried about losing Darian for the temptations of a big city career.

Between impromptu shopping trips, midnight ice cream runs, and a long list of firsts, Ryan and Darian are faced with the choice of conquering their fears together or missing out on all of their dreams. 

Likes:

  • Darian is a cancer survivor.
  • Ryan was interested in being verse.
  • The way their families didn’t make a big deal out of their relationship.

Dislikes:

  • Never hooked me.
  • Slow character development.
  • Too much sex.
  • Sex happened too fast in the story.
  • There wasn’t enough time given to introduce the reader to the characters.
  • Formatting issues.
  • Nothing about their lives was shown.
  • Darian and Ryan felt incomplete.

DNF 61%

I had problems with this book right from the start. I don’t immediately like main characters when I start reading something new. I have to get to know and like them. Even Ryan, who appeared in the previous book, needed to be introduced as a main character and not just Rhett’s twin brother.

Unfortunately, the book starts off with insta-lust. I didn’t get the chance to connect with Ryan and Darian before they started having sex. Which meant that I didn’t care about the sex. As much as I love smut in my romance books, it doesn’t pack a punch if I’m not invested in the relationship.

But I kept reading, because the book can’t all be about sex, right?

It wasn’t until chapter five – more than 20% into the book, that serious character development and relationship building started to happen. And even that was lackluster. Ryan and Darian are both directionless. Ryan’s life isn’t terrible but isn’t great. Darian has finally beaten cancer and now has to decide what he wants to do with his life. Kurt Vonnegut famously advised writers that “Characters must want something, even if it’s just a glass of water.” Neither Ryan nor Darian had something they wanted. It made them feel incomplete.

The lack of goals meant that both men had boring lives, and so not much of their lives was shown. It also meant the story lacked a subplot. Sure, eventually Darian’s desire to go to college comes up, but it happens after the 50% mark.

The entire first half of the book was focused solely on the relationship. Which would have been fine if there was some tension there. But there wasn’t. Ryan, who had always been straight, adjusts to his newfound sexuality in the blink of an eye, which isn’t a huge surprise. His twin and best friend are both gay, so Ryan is obviously fine with gay men. But I’m not a big fan of ‘gay for you’ stories, and this definitely is one. Ryan had literally never been attracted to another man before.

Since neither man has a problem with the budding romance, they had a lot of sex. Too much sex. So much that it became ridiculous. Everything Darian did got Ryan hard. I got so tired of reading about Ryan needing to adjust his boner. Sex is not substance. It didn’t matter that they were both trying to work out the intricacies of anal sex. A romance isn’t built on sex alone, and there wasn’t enough time spent developing the relationship to get me invested.

The only reason I got as far as I did in the book was because I skimmed. A lot. I never got invested, and gave up because it wasn’t worth my time to finish reading.

I am especially disappointed that Darian wasn’t more fleshed out. He was the more interesting of the two men. As a cancer survivor, he had a unique view on life. It was mentioned a number of times that he was finally wearing the kinds of feminine clothes he’d always wanted to wear, but that wasn’t delved into. And for a guy who just got over cancer, his family was noticeably absent. And I hated that Kristen, who’d been portrayed as a bitch in the first book, was Darian’s BFF. I know people act differently depending on who they are around, but she was still a bitch to Ryan, and her character just felt inconsistent.

I did appreciate that Ryan was verse. He didn’t immediately assume he would top, which is noteworthy, especially since Darian was so feminine.

I also have to point out that this e-book had a lot of formatting issues, especially at the beginning. Paragraphs were indented differently, or not indented at all, in a very noticeable way. I also didn’t like that the book started with a prologue when the story continued without any sort of time break into chapter one.

After reading some reviews from people who actually finished this book, I’m glad I gave up when I did. Apparently things happen in the last few chapters that made people super mad.

I will finish the series, but I’m definitely less excited about the final book now. Hopefully it will be like the first book and not this one.

Review: The Emerald Prince by Kayci Morgan

DNF 68%. Not worth it.

1.5 out of 5 stars

DNF 68%

E-book. 192 pages. Published April 19th 2014 by Forbidden Lust

Blurb:

In a kingdom faced with civil war, an idealistic prince must abandon the foreign princess he desires for an arranged marriage to an influential knight. Together, the prince and knight travel north to deal with an army marching on the kingdom’s borders, only to discover the biggest threat to the crown is the princess they left behind.

Prince Elliot had everything—wealth, power, the love of a beautiful woman. It wasn’t enough. More than anything he wanted to prove himself worthy of his crown. When negotiations for his sister’s arranged marriage to Sir Blaine fell apart, he was asked to take her place and marry the knight.

Sir Blaine was adored throughout the kingdom for his strategic mind and feats of bravery. He was rewarded with the greatest gift a king could offer a knight—the princess’s hand in marriage.

But Blaine found the brazen Prince Elliot far more enticing. 

Likes:

  • Female villain.
  • Victoria is the smartest of the bunch.

Dislikes:

  • The blurb is misleading.
  • Overused tropes everywhere.
  • Zariya’s evilness is heavy-handed and unrealistic.
  • The lack of magical protection is ridiculous.
  • Plot holes are “covered” with bullshit excuses.
  • Can’t tell if Elliot even likes men or he’s just being manipulated.
  • Never got invested in the romance.
  • Elliot was an idiot.
  • Rape scene.
  • Heterosexual romance subplot, complete with sex scene.
  • No idea why Blaine loves Elliot, or if it’s just him being manipulated by magic.
  • Lots of little writing mistakes.

DNF 68%

This book was to fantasy romance what light beer is to alcohol.

I was a few chapters in when I realized that the writing reminded me of being back in college creative writing classes. So many people thought they were being different, when really their stories were full of overused tropes. That’s what this book is. The only reason I read so far into it was because I wanted to see Zariya get her due. But eventually, I got so disgusted I had to stop.

The actual writing itself isn’t too bad, if you ignore little mistakes like ‘fficers’ instead of ‘officers’. And I did actually like Blaine. He was completely gay but was being forced to marry a woman, knowing it would make them both miserable. He didn’t fight back against his father’s lust for power, only getting mad when it came to how stubborn Elliot was. When Blaine’s mother pointed out that only Elliot could get under Blaine’s skin, I thought that was a great bit of character building.

Unfortunately, Elliot didn’t interest me at all. My first note about the book is literally that Elliot seems like an idiot. Of course, he’s being controlled by Zariya’s magic, but still. He’s an idiot. He “wanted to be more than a toy prince in a paper crown.” Yet he’d never been in battle and even had to be told why the Ghas were trying to attack the fort.

It honestly felt as though the author wanted to write two different stories – one about Blaine and Elliot and one about Victoria. Victoria is Elliot’s sister, and she gets her own chapters and her own story. She even gets sex scenes, which was a huge surprise to me. Victoria isn’t even mentioned in the blurb, and here is a heterosexual romance in the middle of a gay romance. It’s 1.) weird. 2.) not why I picked up the book. And 3.) filled with exactly the sort of traditional misogyny that made me turn away from heterosexual romance in the first place. As much as I liked Victoria as a character, her story wasn’t the one I wanted to read.

I wanted to read a romance. I honestly don’t feel like I even got that. Elliot gave no indication that he was attracted to men at all. It made me wonder if his attraction to Blaine was purely because of Zariya’s magic. The fact that I couldn’t tell even after reading more than half the book is telling. Because if he was being controlled, then there’s no romance, just manipulation.

I’m not even sure why Blaine even liked the prince. They barely knew each other, and yet Blaine is head over heels. He also got whammied by Zariya’s magic, and again I have to wonder about what his real feelings were.

I did like that there was a female villain. I didn’t like that she was basically just a seductress with vague powers of suggestion. The fact that her powers only worked on those who didn’t see her as a threat was cool. But it did raise a lot of questions. Like, why no one was protecting the king and prince from magical attacks?

That ties in with the feeling of being back in a creative writing class. The lack of magical protection is a huge plot hole. And trying to cover it up with a throwaway line about how all the people with magic serve in the temples and they should be protecting the castle from there doesn’t cut it. If anything, it’s like slapping a Band-Aid over a crack in the sidewalk. We can all still see that there’s a problem.

A combination of things finally made me give up on this book. First, the rape scene. It didn’t involve either of the character, not that that made it better. Once Elliot and Blaine got to the fort where the battle was happening, the book got preachy about how bad war is. Death, destruction, and rape. Elliot, who if you remember, has never been to a battle and had to be told why the Ghas were attacking, immediately came up with a brilliant idea to fix everything. And that moment was what made me drop the book. The toy prince who knows nothing and has no experience is going to save the day? Yeah right.

To say I’m disappointed in this book is a massive understatement. I’ve given up on plenty of books in the past, but this one just annoys me for some reason.

Review: Seeker’s Portrait (Elements of Dragonis #2) by Hannah Walker

DNF 63%.I lost confidence that the author had thought through the story. It’s a shame because the base idea was good.

2 out of 5 stars

DNF 63%

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 481 pages. Published December 15th 2016

Blurb:

Prince Elijan has spent his life protected by castle walls, prevented from fully experiencing the world outside. He longs to see the empire he will one day rule, but his only view is from the safety of the windows in his suite. He yearns to find out what life has to offer. When he’s given the chance to work with the dragons, and a desire to learn their language flares to life, he is finally granted some freedom.

Aldren’s life has always been about the dragons. As a Rider, he is dedicated to the protection of the kingdom. He’s always been willing to step up when he is called upon, but his latest orders come directly from the king, and for once, Aldren isn’t sure he the right man for the job.

Protecting the king’s only son is not something to be taken lightly, and when Aldren meets Elijan, the instant attraction he has for the man complicates matters even more. Still, he’s never refused a job before and he isn’t about to start now.

Working and living side by side brings Elijan and Aldren together, forcing them both to admit to the emotions stirring inside them. It only takes one kiss and no matter the risk, the two of them refuse to ignore the chemistry between them.

When danger comes calling, and Elijan experiences strange visions that manifest in his drawings, Aldren worries. How does he protect the prince from an enemy he can’t see?

With friends, both man and dragon, by their side, the two must learn who seeks them out and what the information they’ve gained from Elijan’s drawings might mean, but at the same time, they must protect the dragons. Evil lurks around them, but so does salvation. Drawn into a dangerous destiny, Aldren and Elijan find that love and friendship really can conquer all.

Likes:

  • The relationship between Andren and Elijan.
  • The dragons.
  • The seeker plot.

Dislikes:

  • Insta-love.
  • Both Aldren and Elijan feel two dimensional.
  • Didn’t hook me.
  • No forward momentum.
  • Aldren’s resolve only lasted two days.
  • Too many pronouns.
  • Elijan doesn’t act like a prince.
  • Huge chunks of dialogue.
  • No drama, tension, or suspense with the romance.
  • Both Elijan and Aldren are *perfect*
  • The ‘seeker’ part of the plot started way too late.
  • Scenes with Frode came to feel like filler.
  • Elijan’s romance issues became just as annoying as Con’s in the previous book.
  • So many open, honest emotions in every conversation.
  • The alternating POV isn’t always followed.
  • All romantic tension wrapped up early.
  • Guards don’t have magic.

DNF 63%

This book didn’t hook me. I would read half a chapter, then put it down. If I’m invested in a book, I don’t want to stop reading. But I thought that, since the characters, plot, and romance were all fine, I’d be able to finish the book eventually.

And I tried. Even as I came across more things that turned me off, I kept going. Because I wanted to know how things turned out, not just with the romance but with questions left over from the previous book, like ‘Who sent Rillian the spell book and why?’

In the end, the number of things I disliked about the book were too many. It ended up feeling like each chapter had something new that didn’t make sense. I don’t know anything about what the author was thinking when she wrote this book, but it felt like she didn’t stop to ask herself, ‘Does this make sense in a larger context?’

Despite that, there were some things I liked about this book. First, Elijan is a virgin who’s never been kissed, and Aldren takes things slow. Everything they did together was designed to make it good for Elijan.  Second, the dragons. Grith was my favorite this time around, but Frode was super cute too. Third, the non-romantic plot about who sent the spell book and the whole ‘seeker’ thing was interesting.

As for my dislikes, it started with the way the book is structured. The first 34% is all about two things – Elijan and Aldren’s romance and Elijan hanging out with the dragons. Compared to the previous book that had action and mystery right from the start, the beginning of this book had no hook.

The reason why it took so long for the seeker part of the book to begin was because Rill and Con were away on their honeymoon. Nothing with the nonromantic plot advanced until they returned. Looking back on the first third of the book, a lot of it felt like filler. Especially the stuff with Frode. It was like ‘Look! A baby dragon! Focus on how cute he is and ignore the immobile plot.’

Then there was the insta-love. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but Aldren’s resolve not to get romantically involved with Elijan only lasted two days. Which meant that there was almost no tension, drama, or suspense. Once the romance began, it developed incredibly quickly, so that by the 48% mark, the only thing they had left to do was tell the king and queen.

The fact that Elijan and Aldren felt two dimensional didn’t help me get invested in their romance. Aldren is a strong, brave, loyal, dedicated dragon Rider. If he has family, hobbies, or plans for the future, we don’t get to see that. Though to be fair, we didn’t see that for Rill and Con in the previous book, which just goes to show that it’s easier to ignore some things when you’re hooked on the story.

But it’s Elijan’s character that really bothered me. Elijan is sweet, innocent, good natured, friendly, open, and wears his heart on his sleeve. Oh, and he’s also the crown prince. And if it seems weird for a crown prince to be completely guileless, you’re right. It is weird. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that Elijan never once acted like a prince. Hell, his every emotion was visible on his face. It felt as though the author didn’t stop to wonder if this was the way a prince would act.

That aside, my biggest problem with Elijan was how *perfect* he was. Everyone loved him. He fit in with the stable lads without even trying. Aldren fell for him right away. The dragons loved him.

He’s Frode’s Eithreadal. The dragons claimed him. He’s Aldren’s bond mate. He’s the seeker. He’s a mage with great powers. He’s the crown prince.

Elijan literally has no flaws. And you can’t root for someone who has no flaws, because they don’t struggle with anything. The only things Elijan struggles with are A.) getting people to treat him like an adult and B.) believing Aldren’s heartfelt confessions of love.

Which brings me to the dialogue, which can accurately be summed up as the ‘Why use one sentence when you could use five’ approach. The book could use some serious editing, both for length and content. Because it wasn’t just the long chunks of dialogue, it’s what was said. Everyone spoke openly and from the heart all the time. Not only was it unnatural, it significantly lowered the impact of what was being said. Add in the overuse of pronouns – “The fact he gave up all control to him, allowed him to do what he wanted, was an exquisite form of trust and one he received reverently.” – and the writing could be a little hard to read sometimes.   

The final straw that made me lose all confidence in the author was the whole ‘guards can’t protect Elijan from magic’ argument. Which is crazy. You’re trying to tell me that in a world with magic and mages, that not a single palace guard is capable of doing magic? This smacks of not thinking thing through. Of not asking ‘Does this make sense in a larger context?’

I have to admit, I’m incredibly disappointed with this book. It has all the ingredients of a great story, it just didn’t come out well. But if there’s one thing I’m grateful for, it’s that now I don’t have to read the next book in the series, which is a whopping 676 pages long.

You can find the review for the first book in the series, Booker’s Song, which I enjoyed, here.

Review: The Honest Knight (Knight Trilogy #1) by Annie Lindwurm

Needed good beta readers. DNF at 40%

3 out of 5 stars

DNF 40%

E-book. 85 pages. Published March 31st 2020

Blurb:

More than jousting will determine whether love and loyalty wins…

Brien is a proud knight of Fenton castle, but his brash nature and say-it-as-it-is attitude push most people away. When his princess Eleanor returns with her wife, the festival preparations are almost ready when they receive news that their foreign in-laws insisted on a gift of more knights – will Brien make new friends or enemies? With a menial job to keep him in line, Brien is brought closer to a man who is out of his reach.

Devon is the stable master, but his confidence is only with the animals in his care. With the new faces arriving at the castle his anxieties rise when he finds out firsthand their opinions on half-Fae mingling with humans, let alone other knights. While trying to deny his feelings for Brien, will Devon be able to assert his rightful place in the castle?

The two of them work together for the festival’s success but the more time they spend together, Brien and Devon can’t deny their growing attraction. With the new knights proving troublesome, will the festival be a success? Or will the fun and games take a darker turn?

This series is intended for mature readers. It is a Steamy MM Fantasy Romance featuring explicit scenes and adult themes. 

Likes:

  • Medieval/fantasy theme.
  • The base idea is good.

Dislikes:

  • Descriptions weren’t as good as they could have been.
  • Could use a line editor.
  • Could use beta readers.
  • Needs more work to convey everything to the reader.
  • Hard to keep all the Knights straight.

DNF 40%

Despite the fact that I didn’t finish the book, it wasn’t bad. I’m just used to better quality. After I found myself putting the book down for the umpteenth time, I decided to cut my losses.

The overall plot is interesting. A knight and the stable master, one fully human, the other half-Fey. The book has a lot of medieval flair along with a dash of high fantasy, which is normally right up my alley.

Unfortunately, the writing needs work. I do feel like the author knows what’s going on and has a solid idea of what the story is about. However, there can be a loss of information when the story gets translated from idea to written words, and it feels like that’s what happened here. The bones of the story are there, it just needs to be fleshed out.

A lack of description is probably the thing this book’s biggest problem. A little of that is physical description, but it’s more than that. I need a book to paint a picture in my mind. Use all five senses and ground the story firmly in a place. I got a good idea of the stables and the palace walls, but not of the bigger picture. I needed even a brief glimpse of the ecosystem existing within the castle, even if that ecosystem isn’t important to the story.

That bigger picture would have let me get closer to Brien. I feel like I don’t know him at all. He’s a knight, and kind, but I only see him when he’s around Devon, which is mostly in the stables. I can’t help being annoyed at how small a window I have into the world of the story, given that I know there’s so much more I’m not being shown.

To this end, I think a few good beta readers would help this story immensely. That could have pointed out that people might have trouble remembering which knight is which, since there are a lot of them. A good line editor would come in handy as well, to smooth out the clunky sentences and remove extra punctuation.

I’m giving the book 3 stars because it’s definitely not the worst self-published book I’ve tried to read, and I am more lenient with self-published stuff. But with so many better books out there, it simply wasn’t worth finishing.

Review: Broken (Cursed #1) by X. Aratare

A disappointing retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

1.5 out of 5 stars

DNF 19%

Ebook. Kindle Unlimited. 250 pages. Published June 1st 2016 by Raythe Reign

Blurb:

Nick Fairfax vows to do whatever Lord Bane Dunsaney desires for one year. In exchange, Nick’s family gets a chance to regain their fortune. Is this the worst mistake of Nick’s life, or will it lead to a love only found in fairy tales? A modern, M/M retelling of Beauty & The Beast.

Sensitive, aspiring photographer Nick Fairfax wants nothing to do with his family’s corporate business, or their vicious, cold-blooded lifestyle. Intending to give up his inheritance and pursue his art, he arrives at his father’s office, only to find that Fairfax Industries has fallen to a scarred man in a hooded cloak.

The man is the reclusive billionaire Lord Bane Dunsaney, and he is bent on destroying the Fairfaxes. But when he sees Nick, everything changes. Bane offers the Fairfaxes the chance to regain their fortune if Nick will reside at Moon Shadow, his secluded mansion, and do whatever the billionaire wants for a whole year. Nick has no real choice other than to agree to Bane’s terms.

At Moon Shadow, Bane lords his power over Nick, going even so far as to take Nick’s phone, computer and beloved camera away. The billionaire claims such measures are to protect his privacy, but Nick is convinced they are so Bane can control him.

Each is determined to see the worst in each other. But as time passes, Nick glimpses a Bane that is much more than the cold-hearted figure that he met in his father’s office. He discovers that Bane is a man betrayed by love and no longer believes in it.

But what Nick comes to know about Bane is nothing compared to the man’s true secret. Bane is cursed. He is a tiger-shifter who has no control over his beast. And that beast wants Nick. 

Likes:

  • That no one is named Beau.
  • The introductory chapter was intriguing.
  • The overall setup wasn’t bad.
  • Jade was a breath of fresh air.

Dislikes:

  • I never connected with Nick.
  • The characters didn’t feel realistic or authentic.
  • It felt like the author was forcing the characters to fit the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ mold.
  • Clichés abound.

I should probably stop reading fairytale retellings. Most, like this one, don’t live up to my expectations. But it’s the few that do that give me hope for the whole genre.

Props where it’s due, the overall setup of this book wasn’t bad. The introductory chapter piqued my interest. The way Nick ended up in Bane’s house was unique. And I was incredibly happy that no one was named ‘Beau’, which is the male version of Belle.

That being said, nothing about this book hooked me. Nick’s personality turned me off right away. He’s a 21 year old photographer who still relies entirely on his father’s money, despite detesting the work his father does. And, in all fairness, his father is an asshole. He’s basically a business shark, hunting down struggling companies, buying them up only to tear them apart and fire all the employees.

The fact that Nick is finally going to walk away from his family – family he “never fit into” – is made significantly less impactful by the fact that it was his father’s ultimatum that set everything into motion. To me, Nick came across as someone who talked a big game about how shitty his father’s work ethics were, but who liked his cushy life paid for by the fruits of that business.

Nick is essentially a spoiled rich boy. He’s a college student living in his parent’s multi-million dollar house. He rides a motorcycle and has lots of expensive camera gear, plus the free time to travel and take pictures of old ruins. Sure, he’s got an artist’s sensitive soul. “Nick thought imagination was the closest one could get to the sublime.”

That’s great and all. But Nick also deliberately turned a blind eye to all the suffering his father’s business practices caused other people. “He had tried not to know the cost of his family’s business practices. He wouldn’t even look at the news about jobs lost, lives ruined, and pensions disappeared by keeping his gaze on the horizon and the time when he would be free of them.”

When I think of the story of Beauty and the Beast, it’s not just about their physical appearances. It’s about who they are on the inside. A beautiful soul, versus one that’s been twisted by its experiences. Nick might be physically attractive, but there’s nothing special about his soul.

Knowing this, I was at least hoping that Bane would be an interesting character. I actually liked that he gave the Nick’s father a taste of his own dirty business practices. I had hoped that he had a reason to demand Nick work for him for a year. Or at least, a reason other than to punish the Fairfax family. I was incredibly disappointed to realize that Bane didn’t have a plan. Not only that, but having Nick in his home was dangerous to him.

This is one of my main problems with fairytale retellings – heavy handed author manipulation. Because the book must follow a specific pattern, the characters aren’t free to grow however they want. The author must keep a tight leash on them, to keep them on the chosen path, and it shows. From Nick’s willingness to do anything to help the family he was about to turn his back on, to his assumptions about Bane’s character minutes after their meeting. It felt forced, unrealistic, and clichéd.

At the end of the day, there was nothing about this book that made it worth finishing.

Review: Misfit Mage (Fledgling God #1) by Michael Taggart

The concept isn’t bad, but the book is in serious need of a good editor. DNF 49%

3 out of 5 stars

Ebook. Kindle Unlimited. 339 pages. Published April 26th 2019

Blurb:

He went searching for a fresh start. He didn’t expect to find unusual friends, fierce enemies, and primal powers.

Jason thought that it was the end of his life after being hunted and attacked by a band of ruthless thugs. Instead, he tapped into the source of creation and emerged from his Death Experience with magical powers.

As a new mage, Jason finds himself part of a wonderful – and dangerous – new supernatural world. He also finds himself in the middle of a mage war as he becomes part of an unlikely group of protectors who are defending a mystical mansion from those who want to destroy it.

Jason has little power, and the band of misfits are on the losing side, until he discovers he can see and manipulate magic at a remarkable level. What he detects begins his journey into discovering how his new powers really work, and just might be the edge that they need to survive.

Likes:

  • Started off great.
  • The Fog of Jonah.
  • It’s obvious that the author put a lot into building the world and magic system.
  • Unique story premise.
  • Interesting characters.

Dislikes:

  • Graphic torture scene.
  • Not a romance.
  • Constant info dumps.
  • Lack of contractions make dialogue feel stilted.
  • Huge chunks of explanatory dialogue were a slag to read.
  • Too much repetition.
  • None of the ‘teachers’ actually had all the answers.
  • Book needs to be edited by a ruthless professional.

DNF 49%

I’ve never given a book I didn’t finish three stars before. Usually, if it’s bad enough for me not to finish, it’s so bad I didn’t enjoy it. I did enjoy this book…to a point.

The premise of this book is interesting. It hooked my attention right from the start. The naked chase scene was funny. I was curious about what was going on.

Then the graphic torture scene happened. I don’t consider myself squeamish, but it was almost too much for me. This book popped up on Amazon when I went looking for a romance. The torture scene almost made me dump the book. Romance and torture is not a fusion I enjoy. But I forced myself to get through the scene because I wanted to see of the book could hook me again.

It didn’t, not like at the beginning. I began reading this book on February 15. I gave up on it March 24 after reading 49%. There were just too many things that turned me off. I’d pick up the book, read a few pages, get annoyed at the info dump or the repetition, and put it down again.

I think there is a fantastic book buried under all the amateur mistakes. It’s like a diamond in the rough. But like a diamond, to get it to sparkle you have to cut away the excess and polish the rough spots.

The biggest issue is the info dumps. It’s not just one or two. They’re everywhere. It’s like the story moves forward as something dramatic happens, usually involving Jason getting hurt, followed by long passages of explanations about magic. Normally I’m all for world building. I love it. But this was too much. It slowed the story down to a crawl. The explanatory dialogue was the worst. It was dense and I knew I wasn’t going to remember most of it. Maybe that’s why there was so much repetition.

A lot of the need for explanation came from Jason being special. He can do things that Sandy – Jason’s magic ‘teacher’ – has never encountered before. That got annoying as well. Just once I wanted someone to give Jason – and me – a simple answer instead of having to investigate every little thing because it’s totally new to them.

That being said, I did like the side characters. They were all interesting. As was the Fog of Jonah, the magical protection that prevented normal humans from finding out about magic.

It’s probably a good thing this book wasn’t an actual romance. It has a thread of romantic possibility, but nothing big. There’s honestly no room for a fully-fledged romance, not with all the magic.

If this book ever got the professional edit it needed, I would absolutely give it another shot. I don’t picture that happening since a lot of people rated the book five stars. Good for them for sitting through the info dumps. I just couldn’t. With so many books out there that have fewer problems, it wasn’t worth forcing myself to finish Misfit Mage.