redhairedashreads's reviews
4728 reviews

 

4 stars - It was really good

In this book we jump back to the OG couple, Dragos and Pia. Pia is setting out to visit the elves and try to repair their relationship with the wyr. Dragos is remaining in NY to preside over the Sentinel Games, which will find new sentinels for the people he recently lost. As the games heat up, Pia’s negotiations take a dangerous turn. 

I love this couple so I was really excited to get another book with them, especially since they have been together for a while now and are starting to settle into their partnership. While they are getting used to being a couple, we see in this that they are still finding their way. Dragos has to fight his instincts to make demands of Pia. I really love that we are getting to see them work out the kinks in their relationship and becoming a stronger couple. 

For most of this book these two are apart working on different issues for the wyr but like I said, we still see their relationship building and becoming stronger because of it. Pia is in the elven kingdom meeting with Beluviel and Calondir but it doesn’t go well and she finds herself dealing with a threat to not just the elves, but the whole world. The prophecy that was given to Dragos in Oracle’s Moon finally comes into play and involves powerful god machines. I enjoyed learning more about this world and the gods that are worshiped. Also seeing Dragos work with the elves, even though he hates them, really shows how much he has changed since meeting Pia. 

While Pia is with the elves, Dragos is in NY dealing with the Sentinel Games and showing the world that the wyr are still powerful. This eventually leads to two new sentinels who I am eager to learn more about. While I enjoyed the Sentinel Games, I kind of wish we had gotten more chapters about it because I wanted to know more about the fighters. But I understand why it wasn’t included more since there were bigger issues going on in the world. 

Overall, this was another amazing book for this series. I can’t wait to read more and see how these couples and characters grow and change. Also I can’t wait to see Pia and Dragos baby! 

TW: mass death and brainwashing; 

 

4 stars - It was really good

When Oscar-winning actress Hollis Stanton realizes someone is after her, she escapes to Maui to lay low. What she doesn’t expect is the handsome and muscular deputy sheriff next door or that she is seriously attracted to him. 

This was an enjoyable romantic suspense story. Hollis was a talented and determined woman who just wanted to feel peace again. She goes to Maui in the hold of decompressing and hopefully letting things die down in LA. I liked Hollis. She was a hard worker who is realizing she is tired and burnt out but still has passion for her job. Meeting Sawyer and being stalked makes her reevaluate what she wants and eventually find a healthier life/work balance. 

Sawyer is a former Ghost Ops and still struggling with the aftereffects of being a soldier. He barely sleeps and has survivor's guilt. He finds some peace in Maui, especially with his cousin’s large family looking after him. After meeting Hollis, he finds himself with a different outlook on life and actually hopeful for his future, whereas before he was more just going through the motions. 

 

Hollis and Sawyer had a really wonderful relationship that healed both of them in different ways. I really loved how they fell for each other as they dodged danger and brought down their enemies. This was just a really great romance with some great characters. Also I loved that we got to see more of Vander and the Sentinel Security guys since they end up helping with this case. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and look forward to reading the next book. Parker seems like an interesting and damaged soldier who needs love and I can’t wait to learn more about him. 

TW: PTSD and nightmares; death of family members mentioned (one by drug overdose); attempted drowning; gun and knife violence; toxic mother mentioned; mentioned of torture, mass death, and death of a friend during military service;

 

 

3 stars - I liked it

Pippa is a glass artist and she can’t afford to lose any work or clients right now. When her workaholic wolf shifter ex shows up in town raising concerns about her client being a vampire, she has to reevaluate everything. 

Pippa is a talented woman who believes she didn’t inherit her father’s pyromancer abilities but as the story progresses she realizes that isn’t true anymore. Her fire abilities, on top of her glass work, made Pippa a unique heroine that I was interested in learning more about. Ingo is a wolf shifter and agent with the Agency for the Detection and Monitoring of Supernatural Activity (ADMSA) who has recently been stationed in Sedona. He is unofficially following leads of a vampire who eluded capture. Ingo was a man who was burnout and lonely but still determined to stop injustice from happening. He is also a workaholic and that got in the way of his and Pippa’s relationship 8 years ago. 

While second chance romances are not my favorite, I still enjoyed this one overall. Pippa and Ingo reluctantly start working together to figure out what is going on with missing women and a vampire in town. I enjoyed the adventure of bringing down the evil vampire and how it brought them back together. I also liked that while Pippa wasn’t a fighter she still played a solo role in bringing the vampire down and fought when necessary. 

Overall, this was another enjoyable Spellbound in Sedona book. I can’t wait to read Abby’s book and see her fall in love. 

TW: death;  absentee mother mentioned; 

 

 

3 stars - I liked it

Serena has spent her time trying to help her newly-pregnant friends and settling in. When she stumbles upon an alien forge and meets the quiet weapons master Xyan, she asks if she can study his Sea Sand biology. As they spend time together, Serena is focused less on science and more on Xyan. But can she still love him if he isn’t her mate. 

This was a pretty sweet romance between Serena and Xyan. Xyan knows she is his mate but is determined to not pressure her into anything because he wants her love more than just acceptance of a bond. I really like Xyan. He was sweet, kind, and protective. I adored that he wanted to build their feelings without the pressure of the mate bond. It was a nice change from some of the other characters who just expected full adoration and love upon announcement. Also drunk Xyan was really amusing. 

Serena is an older woman compared to everyone else. She was smart and was focused on learning how the Sea Sand men are different, but also wasn’t completely obsessed with her job, which I liked. While she doesn’t hate her body, she also doesn’t expect anyone to really like it and is really surprised when Xyan loves everything about her. I enjoyed their relationship and how Xyan’s complete acceptance of her gave her more confidence.

In this one we also finally get to see the start of the upcoming attack from humans. It is about time there was something on that front and I am very interested in seeing how this upcoming battle goes. Overall though, I enjoyed this book and this couple a lot. I look forward to finding out who falls in love next and how they deal with the humans. 

TW:  gun violence and injuries 

4 stars - It was really good

The crew of the Lovesick Fool have all paired off except the navigator Sentorr. What they don’t know is that for months he has been talking to a female navigator on the ship Little Sisters. He is determined to meet up with her and claim her as his mate but how will he react when he realizes she is human. 

<i>“I’m drawn to her like a planet to its star, trapped in the celestial pull of her radiance.”</i>

Sentorr and Zoey’s story was such a fun one. These two have been flirting online for months but they both are starting to want more. This causes problems because Zoey is human and Sentorr doesn’t know. I really loved their relationship and how they worked through their job dynamics. I found it fascinating that Zoey believes she is ugly because she doesn’t look like a messakkah. 

I really liked Zoey’s three brothers. They were great brothers who saw a child needing help and adopted her. They were supportive, caring, and picked on her like big siblings do. I now plan to read their stories so I can see them fall in love and how they are getting along without Zoey. 

Overall, this was a fun and quick read. I finished it in just a few hours and really enjoyed it. It was a great distraction from the world and a good ending for this series. 

DNF pg 121 (36%)

While I did enjoy the first book, I am finding myself bored and a bit annoyed with this one. So far, nothing has really happened in this book and I am bored because of that. Second, Josephine keeps doing dumb shit that just makes me frustrated with her. LIke putting her glasses under her pillow when she sleeps, like why would you do that. Also leaving a bandage on a wound for days and just hoping it is fine. This is disgusting and why would you want to risk infection?  Also the relationship with Eudwulf that started at the end of the last book has not gone anywhere and it continues to feel like they are just a boss and employee. 

Basically I am bored by the story and annoyed by Josephine so I am stopping here. 

 

 

 

This was my first book by Davis and I think while it was a good book, I don’t think this was a good choice for my first book by her. This book covers a wide range of topics through interview questions and speeches done by Davis. It was good for quickly touching on a wide range of topics that Davis is passionate about but if this is your first book by Davis, you might struggle to understand some of the references and acronyms because you don’t know anything about her work. 

Also because this was done in speeches and interviews, I found it to be a bit repetitive at times, especially since it would constantly touch on the same topic but not explain more about it. I wish there had been less repetition and more in depth sections on what she was trying to convey. 

 

 

3 stars - I liked it

Xanthe, a Dark Fae assassin, has always hidden her emotions to do her duty. But when her identity is compromised and she trades undercover work for guarding the Queen, she finds herself showing emotion again, especially around Chancellor Aubrey Riordan. When an attack on his life happens, Xanthe finds herself taking care of him and fighting her feelings. 

This was an enjoyable dark fae story. I like that we are revising the Other land and the Dark Fae court. Xanthe was introduced in the previous story, Devil’s Gate, and she is now returning home after her mission. I liked Xanthe. She was strong and capable but also compassionate and kind. She has had feelings for Aubrey for a while but taking care of him makes them grow and bloom into real love. 

Aubrey slowly falls for Xanthe as she watches over the queen then takes care of him while he was injured. I liked how once he realized he wanted her, he didn’t hold back and let her know how he felt about her. Their relationship was sweet and low-angst, which is always great. 

Overall, this was a good novella and I liked revisiting the Dark Fae court. It was also great to see how it has changed and how Ninaine and Tiago are doing. 

 

4 stars - It was really good

Seremela Telemar has always been more comfortable chatting over a dead body than drinks but when her niece goes missing she has to step out of her comfort zone. She finds herself headed to Devil’s Gate with the handsome and attractive vampire Duncan Turner. While they are both attracted to each other, they have to put it on hold while dealing with saving Vetta and themselves. 

While short, this was a wonderful Elder Races novella. I really liked Seremela and Duncan in the previous books so I was so excited that they were going to be the next couple in the series. Seremela is a shy middle-age medusa who just wants to rescue her wayward niece. I really enjoyed seeing her step outside her comfort zone and brave the dangers of Devil’s Gate. Also I love how her snakes acted around Duncan. They were so smitten with him it was adorable.

Duncan is a vampire lawyer and Carling’s youngest progeny. He has been one of the main vampires in this series so I was excited that he was finally finding love. Duncan is smitten with Seremela from the beginning and he uses this trip to assess her feelings and plan out how to get her to go out with him. I really loved how hard he fell for Seremela and how protective he was of her. It was sweet and perfect.

Their relationship is fast paced and they don’t get to spend a lot of time working on it until the end of the book but I still really enjoyed all the dialogue and adventure they had until then. I really loved this couple, even if we didn’t get a ton of time with them just focusing on the relationship. 

Overall, this was a really enjoyable novella and I loved this couple. I hope these two show up in future books so we can see how their relationship has progressed. 

TW: runaway teenager; violence and death; 

 

2 stars - It was ok

When Claudia was driving through the Nevada desert she didn't expect to find an injured dog on the side of the road. She is determined to save it and with the help of a nearby vet she does. But she also begins to suspect that this isn’t a normal dog, she thinks it might be a wyr and if so that means this wasn’t just animal cruelty, but attempted murder. 

While I did enjoy this book, I had a few issues with it around the romance part. First, I really liked Claudia. She was competent and knew how to take down her enemies. She was just a badass, 40 year old veteran who doesn’t take any shit. Luis was a 27 year old wolf shifter who was sent to investigate the mines in this town but ran into trouble.

The fight to determine what was going on at the mine was interesting and I enjoyed that part of the book. What I didn’t really enjoy was the romance between these two. Yes the attraction was there but Claudia knows right away that as a human she will die before he does and doesn’t want to continue their relationship. As you can imagine, Luis wasn’t happy with this and just refuses to accept her decision. I was expecting more of an actual conversation between these two about what they wanted in their relationship or lack thereof, and it was just disappointing to not have any of that happen. I felt like they turned into stupid teenagers at the end who don’t know how to communicate. 

Overall, this was just ok as I was executing more from this couple. I am interested in seeing what the young Medusa at the end has to do with this world though. 

TW: animal torture; death of friends/comrads mentioned;