Havoc

by Kindle Alexander

Series: Tattoos and Ties Duet

Published by: Author

November 25th, 2018

Genre: GLBTQ Romance

Format: eBook

Source: Kindle Unlimited

Rating: 2.5 Stars

     Keyes Dixon’s life is challenging enough as a full patch member of the Disciples of Havoc Motorcycle Club but being a gay biker leaves him traveling down one tough road. With an abusive past and his vow to the club cementing his future, he doesn’t believe in love and steers clear of commitment. But a midnight ride leads to a chance meeting with a sexy distraction that has him going down quicker than a Harley on ice.

     Cocky Assistant District Attorney Alec Pierce lives in the shadow of his politically connected family. A life of privilege doesn’t equal a life of love, a fact made obvious at every family gathering. Driven yet lonely, Alec yields to his family’s demands for his career path, hoping for the acceptance he craves. Until he meets a gorgeous biker who tips the scales in the favor of truth and he can no longer live a lie.

     Can two men from completely different worlds…and sides of the law…find common ground, or will all their desires only wreak Havoc?

     If I had known this was a duet before starting the book I might have enjoyed it more.

     You have on one side Keyes who is a motorcycle club (MC) member. The Disciples of Havoc is not an all together up and up club but they have improved since the olden days. The members of Havoc have been in the eye of the DA for years (which has helped on their being in the "right" path) but something else happened and they get raided by the FBI and ICE.

     Enter Alec, who is a lawyer with the DA's office and you get a recipe for disaster and who doesn't love a good forbidden romance story.

     This book started strong and I loved it but then I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop as to Key and Alec's forbidden relationship (I mean you know this is not going to seat well with the other members of the club) but nothing was happening.

     They've had a relationship for months and nothing happened apart from some small things here and there and the rest was them having sex. Now like I said at the beginning if I'd had known this was a duet I might have realized that their story continues and I wouldn't have been so disappointed after all this was the "getting to know each other" part of the story and where you connect with the characters and such.

     It was a great story but not what I was hoping for. I will be reading the second part of their story to see how it ends and since I know what to expect now, hopefully, I'll enjoy it more.

     Lena Todd is the perfect spy. Nobody suspects the flirtatious debutante could be a rebel against London's vicious elite—not even the ruthless Will Carver, the one man she can't twist around her little finger. 

     Will Carver is more than man; he's a verwolfen, and he wants nothing to do with the dangerous beauty who drives him to the very edge of control. But when he finds Lena in possession of a coded letter, he realizes she's in a world of trouble. To protect her, he'll have to seduce the truth from her before it's too late.

     This is the third steampunk book that I've read and I have to say that I liked it, especially this series because it has paranormal elements.

     In this book, we have Lena who is the sister of the heroine from the first book who, after the events of the first book, decided that she wanted to go back to the Echelon to look for someone to take her as their thrall.

     And Will, who is I'd say the Bodyguard of the hero of the first book. He has had strong reactions to Lena and so she was sent away to help him behave.

     After a year of being separate, there are things bringing them together even when they try to avoid it. Lena, unbeknownst by her sister, gave up her dream of being a thrall after just a few weeks within the Echelon. And now she is helping a secret society that wants human equality.

     I really like this series and I cannot wait to read the next one. The way Bec McMaster has interwoven the different plots within the books making them flow from one book to the other it is something that grabs my attention because even if the books are connected they can be read by themselves.

     They don’t play for the same team. Or do they? 

     Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died. 

     Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever. 

     Jamie has waited a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions—can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend... and a big one to learn about himself.

     In a city full of vampires, trouble never sleeps. 

     At the tender age of twenty-seven, Merit became a sword-wielding vampire. Since then, she’s become the protector of her House, watched Chicago nearly burn to the ground, and seen her Master fall and rise. Now she’ll see her mettle—and her metal—tested like never before. 

     It started with two . . . Two rogues vanishing without a trace. Someone is targeting Chicago’s vampires, and anyone could be next. With their house in peril, Merit and her Master, the centuries-old Ethan Sullivan, must race to stop the disappearances. But as they untangle a web of secret alliances and ancient evils, they realize their foe is more familiar, and more powerful, than they could have ever imagined.

     I swear, this series keeps getting better and better with every book I read.

     In this installment, the Cadogan house vampires start getting everything ready for the ceremony that will cut their ties to the vampires governing body and trying to form an alliance with the Rogue vampires since the house is going to be rogue themselves after leaving the GP.

     While at the party, the de facto leader of the Rogues lets Merit and Ethan know that two of their vampires are missing. In the midst of it all is a new evil that is killing off vampires. It is in the best interest for all vampires, that Merit along with others like her; guardians and soldiers of the houses; put a stop to this new threat.

     Merit and Jonah her RG partner along with Ethan and others (umbodies?) race against time and the disappearance of many other vampires to find out who is behind these murders.

     I cannot express how much I love this series. This books are packed with action and the mystery behind every act against the supernaturals. The writing of these books is superb and every single detail connects at the end or it is explained so that you don’t wonder at why that particular thing happened. I love the angst that Neill creates and how even as this books concentrate mostly on Merit she is not this super vampire that doesn’t need others to help her solve the problems.

     Every time you think you have the bad guy pin down there is a twist and a surprise around the corner.

     I especially love the camaraderie between Merit and her fellow Cadogan house guards. I also love that even though they argue a lot and have big fights; like every couple; Merit and Ethan always find a way to each other.

     I don't like books that are told in first-person point of view but I don't mind being just in Merit's head. She is constantly trying to figure out what is going on at the same time that she is trying to figure out who is behind all.

     I can’t wait to read the next book in the series and see what else is in store for the supernaturals of Chicago.

     Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals—and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan, are tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else. 

     Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn't help that she can't tell who's on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who's tall, dark, and part of an underground vamp group that may have some deep intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the heady, dark heart of Chicago's supernatural society—a world full of vampires who seem to be ready to fulfill the protesting human's worst fears, and a place where she'll learn that you can't be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands.

     This book was one surprise after the other. I couldn’t believe how it ended!

     But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, let’s talk about the book. Merit is now tasked with investigating what is going on with a supposed rave gone wrong where vampires attacked people and killed three humans. At the same time, the house has to deal with one of the head honchos that is making all the more difficult because whatever has happened is not the vampire’s problem. And so Merit is working by herself to avoid Ethan getting into more trouble. You know possible deniability and all that chticks.

     I loved how Merit dealt with the situation and how she was always true and loyal to Ethan and the house. But I also liked the fact that she had help from others, not just from her own house but from others including the houseless vamps.

     Now let’s talk about that ending, don’t worry no spoilers. I did not see that coming! But it does make for an interesting story when you get a twist like that. I am just happy that this series is finished and I don’t have to wait long to see how Chloe Neill fixed that one.

     If you have not started this series I highly recommend that you do. Just a warning, be ready to face anything.

Hopeless

by Colleen Hoover

Series: Hopeless (#1)

Published by: Author

December 18th, 2012

Genre: New Adult

Format: ePub

Source: Purchased

Rating: 5 Stars

     Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…
     That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past she wishes could just stay buried.
     Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

     It has been many years since I read this author who I fell in love with. The other books were the Slammed series. If you haven’t read those I highly recommend that you do.

     I went to my TBR list -here I come again with the list-, but I feel it doesn't end. If I tell you that this story it's an old release (as you noticed from the published date), please don’t be surprised. I have more old releases that I haven’t read yet. Sometimes I get distracted by other stuff or with other recommendation that I forget the list.

     Lets stop talking about the list and more about the book. If I can rate this book 10k stars I will do it. I loved the book. Once I started reading it I couldn’t stop. This story will drive you on a very emotional rollercoaster. I cried like a baby. And yet you will think that it's just fiction and doesn’t happen in real life, but sadly how its sound happened and happens to many girls.

     Sky, after she went to unspeakable, horrible, heartbreaking, terrible -yes, I can continue- things she manages to go through life. She is now one of my favorite heroines.

     The male role is Holder. He is a wonderful, strong, prince charming that all girls need. He deserves a gold start just for being there for Sky. He went for so much on the story.

     Colleen Hoover deserved standing ovations for the Slammed books, but with this one, she deserves a movie and nominations to Oscar's, Emmy's and all the nominations to ever exist. I have a daughter and a son and if something like this ever happens to them, I will blogging from prison because I'll kill in the blink of an eye and with a smile on my face (I have been watching so many horror movies) to whoever does this kind of atrocity to my babies. Makes me open my eyes and don’t be so confident because we never know a person. Colleen thanks so much and my respects to you. Let me know guys what do you think? Please leave your comments below!

     Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father—an elusive European warlock—only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.
     By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tag-along ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.
     As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

     From the moment I started this book, I was engaged with what was happening in Sophie's life and the mystery of all that followed on Hex Hall. From her absentee father to her powers to Archer and his mysterious change of heart in regards to Elodie.

     I love the teen school fantasy trope and I found that this story had all the elements I look forward to on such stories. The biggest being (since most this types of books are first person POV) that even though you are it the head of just one character there is so much going on around that particular character that you don't have time to get annoyed because you want to know what's going on with other characters.

     I will definitively be reading the other books on the series as I what to know what is going to happened with Archer and I want to know more about Cal (I'm rooting for Cal on this one) since he was such a mysterious character and I like the way Sophie described him. And last I'd like to see how the school is going to deal with the fallout of that ending with Elodie.

How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days

by Kerrelyn Sparks

Series: The Embraced (#1)

Published by: St. Martin's Press

March 7th, 2017

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Format: eBook

Source: Purchased

Rating: 5 Stars

     Luciana grew up on the Isle of Moon, hidden away because of her magical powers. But when her father arrives, he offers her a choice: remain on the island or return with him and marry the Beast of Benwick in order to save their legacy—and her father's life.

     Lord Leofric, the Beast of Benwick, has not been touched since he was a child. Born with the power to harness lightning, he is a danger to everyone he touches. When he meets his betrothed, he expects a loveless, lonely marriage...until he discovers she's vastly more powerful than he realized. But is she strong enough to withstand his touch?

     If they can survive, their love will alter the future of the kingdom. But will their extraordinary powers cost them everything.

     After reading Kerrelyn Sparks' Love at Stake series I found myself reluctant to start reading another series by her since its been my experience when I love a series from an author so much and it ends, the next one they release is not as good because I go in with high expectations. I am so glad I decided to try this one.

     Luciana thought she was an orphan raised by nuns from the Isle of Moon. She and her four sisters (they have adopted each other as such) have been together since birth with Luciana been the oldest at nineteen and Maeve been the youngest. But then in the middle of a rainstorm, Luciana discovers that she is not at all an orphan and her father has come to take her back home.

     Then we have Leofric of Benwick best known as the Beast. Everyone knows he is Embraced and he by law should be dead but his power makes him almost invincible. He can absorb lightning into himself and harness it to move really fast or shoot it from his hands. Nobody can touch him or they'll die.

     It was interesting seeing how this story developed, the rules of this world, how the Embraced came to be and what makes them special. As you can imagine there is not a lot of sexy scenes between the characters because of Leo's power and he doesn't realize that he can touch Luciana without harming her until later in the book but it gives the author time for world building and to explain many facets of this new series.

     I was so into the story with all the things that were happening that I didn't care about it. I think it was well written, the characters well developed and it left me with enough curiosity to want to keep reading the series. I can't wait to get my hand on the second book "So I Married a Sorcerer" and the release of the third one "Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon".