To Court A Queen by H. L. Burke

May 20, 2022 By 2 Comments


To Court A Queen by H. L. Burke
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Chamomile

Devin doesn’t want to get married, but he wants to be a frog even less.

Knight errant Devin takes a shortcut through the woods, only to be captured by fairy forces. The fairy queen has run out of breathing males to fight for her hand, and Devin, while not ideal fairy stock, is breathing—for now.

Telling a vain fairy queen you’d rather not be her one true love is a ticket to life on a lilypad, so the knight agrees to face three challenges to win Queen Agalea’s hand. When a clever servant girl offers to help him navigate the trials in order to stop the constant bloodshed of the courtship ritual, Devin jumps at the chance.

Cat-Elf Sevaine’s only goal in life is to stop Agalea from killing off every male she gets her hands on. When cocky but quick-on-his-feet Devin stumbles into her world, she may finally have a champion who can beat Agalea’s cruel games—if she can resist falling in love with him herself.

With Sevaine’s help, Devin balances “flirting” with his “beloved” and overcoming tasks specifically designed to kill him. But even if he defeats Agalea’s challenges, will happily ever after be possible if he’s fallen for his new partner in survival?

To Court a Queen is a quick read and I loved the original take on Fae and Faeries in this fun story!

I read this one in only a couple sittings and found it to be quite an enjoyable read and a humorous romance! A sweet and lighthearted read, I loved reading the adventures (and misadventures!) of Devin the Knight as he finds himself in quite the conundrum! He finds himself promised to be married to a Fae Queen!

Not at all the ‘short-cut’ he had planned, but it leads into this delightful story and one I found myself actually laughing aloud at more than once! Cute and endearing, I’m glad I got the chance to read this one! I look forward to reading more of H. L. Burke’s stories soon!

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Caj’s Angel by Nikki Prince

May 19, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Caj’s Angel by Nikki Prince
Eternal Lovers Book 1
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Caj was once human and in love with an angel named Mercy. Having committed an unforgiveable sin, Caj is punished by The Maker to take on the sins of others so that those souls can be ushered into heaven by an angel. Caj is finding it hard to reconcile who he used to be with what he has become and feels he should let Mercy go.

But can he?

Mercy sees Caj as she remembered him. She knows that he beats himself up daily for his own sins, let alone having to take on others’ sins as a penance. The only way for them to be together is for him to go before The Maker and make amends or their love will be lost forever.

Will The Maker allow them their happiness or are Caj and Mercy forever doomed to have loved and lost?

Short, but packs a punch.

I picked up this book because I hadn’t read one by Nikki Prince yet. I’m glad I rectified that situation. This one is short, but as I said above, it packs a punch. The writing is good and the idea fantastic. This took me a lunch hour to read, but it was time well used.

Mercy and Caj have so much potential and should be together. I loved the almost fated romance of this story. They have history and they have problems, but it’s relatable. We all have things we wish we could change and end up taking on more strife or stress to make up for that–like Caj. I felt for them both and wanted to see them have a happy ending. That’s how much I got involved in this short story.

If you’re looking for something hot, but sweet and good for a quick read, then this is the one for you.

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Unsalvageable by J Hali Steele

May 16, 2022 By 1 Comment


Unsalvageable by J Hali Steele
Sanguine Blood Seekers Book 1
Publisher: Changeling Press/Razor’s Edge
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, LGBTQ
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Vampires are real! Sten Majkovic has lived longer than he ever dreamed possible. Among his kind it isn’t easy having a slim, lithe build, but it does have advantages in the human world. He welcomes attention of men who appreciate his appearance. Their mistake is expecting to hold the upper hand. None ever do. And not a single one of them realizes his rabid need for blood — until it’s too late…

Drew Riles’ life is shitty. Mid-fifties, passed over for promotion, he struggles to stay afloat until, nearly beaten to death, he’s rescued by a monster. Unsure how to survive, he flounders in unfamiliar territory. Anger soon replaces what little fear the beast allows as Drew comprehends the fiend has no intention of releasing him. Both emotions quickly evaporate as he watches the bloodthirsty creature use men in a way… God, I want to be those men!

Hot, hot, hot.

I love a good J Hali Steele book and this one didn’t disappoint. It’s hot. It’s right there in the blurb and the book delivers. The writing in this story flowed well and I read it in a matter of an afternoon.

Drew and Sten aren’t men that would normally be put together, but they work together well. Drew is cranky and older, but Sten is much older and not as cranky, but he’s a vampire. I liked that they danced around each other throughout the story and the slow burn quality was good. But this is a hot book and there is plenty of steam, too. I hope to see more of the other vampires in this story. They really captivated me, and I want to see them happy or at least sated.

If you’re looking for something quick, hot and guaranteed to singe the screen, then this might be the one for you.

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The Wrong Mate by Jade Marshall

May 11, 2022 By Leave a Comment


The Wrong Mate by Jade Marshall
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Finding your mate should be the happiest time in any wolf shifter’s life. But what if your mate is the wrong mate?

Raine is finally old enough to find her mate, and she couldn’t be happier. Being in love with Max since the first time she met him, he is the only male that she has ever wanted. Now she has to convince Max that they’re meant to be together. Getting Max to accept their mating bond is the least of Raine’s problems, especially with the hunters closing in again.

Max loves Raine, but she can’t be his mate. He isn’t worthy. He can’t offer her the life that she deserves, so he leaves. Now he only has to convince his wolf to stay away because he knows he will never be able to refuse her. But when Raine is in danger, will he really have a choice?

There might be a ten-year difference between Max and Raine, but they’ve been best friends for a very long time and Max is not looking forward to the fact now Raine is about to turn eighteen her fated mate will likely claim her, and their friendship will be at an end. When Max meets Raine to give her the present he bought for her birthday, he discovers to his shock it’s he who is her fated mate. Certain this must be a mistake, can Max and Raine retain their friendship but still be what the other needs in a mate?

This is a very steamy and short shifter romance. While the plot was certainly little cliched to my mind, I still found this was an enjoyable read. Max needed to fight his own lack of self-confidence and realize that he and Raine were very well suited. Raine, for her part, was a modern woman – and confident enough in herself to know what she wanted. I enjoyed this balance of power and felt it added a good amount of conflict to the plot.

I was pleased the author added an interesting secondary plot once Max and Raine finally started to come together and work on their intimacy and their relationship began to grow. Rather than have the second half of the book just be purely sex-based I felt this really added a welcome depth and complexity to the short story that helped make it stand out amongst the other man paranormal shifter types of books out there. With a number of strong secondary characters and an interesting shifter world I feel this could be an interesting place for this author to set more future stories about other members of the pack.

With interesting characters, a bunch of steaminess and an interesting plot this was a great, albeit quick read. I’d definitely read more by this author.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Across Everlasting by Beth D Carter

May 5, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Across Everlasting by Beth D Carter
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Kellen Tavist has had the same dream most of her life. A dream of battle. Of war. Of loss. During a Halloween séance, she and her friends try to conjure the spirit of a departed loved one. Instead, they conjure a ghost from Kellen’s past life.

Unnerved, Kellen’s life soon begins to unravel. Not only are her dreams growing stronger, but someone seems to want her dead. She turns to freelance journalist Raney Williams to help her figure out what she saw that warrants her silence.

The past and present are intertwined, and she can only have a future if she can figure out the conflicting feelings that have come across everlasting time.

Spooky, suspenseful and hot!

I love the work of Beth D Carter. Her writing flows well. It drew me right in and made me want to know what would happen next. This story was no exception. I flew through this story in an afternoon and only wish the story had been longer.

I liked the characters of Raney and Kellen. They’re hot together and the descriptions of them made them pretty much leap off the page. I liked the suspense in this story. The spookiness of the story helped, too. I also loved that Kellen is a strong heroine. She might be in it up to her eyeballs, but she can take care of herself.

The thread of reincarnation and understanding the past is a great addition to the story. I’m glad I picked up this novella.

If you want something that’s sexy, a little spooky, suspenseful and smooth reading, then this is the book for you.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Beautiful Sight by Cooper McKenzie

April 27, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Beautiful Sight by Cooper McKenzie
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Mystic’s All Night Café—where the city’s supernatural world meet for the best coffee, tea, and pastries.

Blind for the past five years, Tessa Dubois has become a recluse, comfortable only in the home she shares with her son. When he gives her to a slave trader to pay a debt she had no idea about, she finds herself in a dark, menacing world with no one to ground her.

Jefferson Carstairs had just about given up finding his destined mate. Then he joins the council in raiding an abandoned airport warehouse where a solitary figure on the makeshift stage calls to both his man and wolf.

Will Tessa be able to survive outside the comfortable environment of her own home? Will Jefferson and his army of shifters be able to find Sonny and the rest of the traffickers? Can Tessa allow herself to love after so many years alone?

Tessa had been shocked when she accidently overheard her son, Theo, selling her to a stranger to help cover the debt he owed. Tessa was blind, but determined to not let her new situation break her down. When the auction of kidnapped women had ended in bloodshed, Tessa is surprised when she meets Jefferson. There is an instant calm and sexual chemistry between them. Will they each be able to fit comfortably into the new life they’ve discovered?

Grab a lovely large drink, settle down somewhere comfortable and disconnect your brain. I found this to be a deliciously sexy paranormal story with a very fast-moving pace and a fairly light hand to the story telling. Readers looking for a convoluted plot or a whole bunch of realism probably won’t find this fun story quite to their tastes, but rather this is a steamy “insta-lust” sort of quick read that is an enjoyable way to pass a lazy weekend.

While this is the third book in the “Mystic’s All Night Café” series it can absolutely be read as a stand alone. Tessa’s character and situation is explained right off at the start, and after the trafficking auction goes pear shaped Jefferson’s character is also introduced. Indeed the Café itself doesn’t appear until properly within the story – so readers who haven’t read the previous two installments don’t have to worry at all. I really feel they’ll be able to grasp the story from the first page.

There were a number of sub-plots swirling around this short story and I enjoyed some of the interesting developments shown about how the supernatural world works. There was also some fairly standard conflict between Tessa and another shifter who felt she was better suited to Jackson, as well as the original plotline about Tessa and her son – so I felt there was plenty going on in the story, especially when you added all the chemistry and sexy shenanigans between Tessa and Jefferson.

Fun, sexy and quick paced, this was a lovely short story and I found it an enjoyable read.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Frosty the Snow Dom by Angela Knight

April 25, 2022 By 2 Comments


Frosty the Snow Dom by Angela Knight
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Steaming up the ice…

When ice artist Judith Dane is hired to create a kinky version of Michelangelo’s David, she thinks the ice sculpture is just another Christmas party centerpiece. But when she delivers the work she’s nicknamed “Frosty the Snow Dom” to the BDSM club Valhalla, the party turns out to be a lot stranger than she expects.

When Frosty comes to life just like a certain snowman, she discovers just how hot ice can be. But what happens when the spell breaks?

Hot guy in ice and a hot time for a spell…read this book!

I picked up this book because I wanted something steamy for an afternoon. This doesn’t disappoint. It’s hot, steamy and the writing leaps off the page. Ms. Knight has always been a favorite author of mine and this one was another great story.

Judith thinks she’s making an ice sculpture of Michelangelo’s David, but this isn’t just another ice guy. Oh, no. There’s a ritual, spell and things get heated quickly. I liked the interplay between Judith and the other characters, but especially Tor. He romances her in such a short time that I loved it. I wanted to see what would happen next and rooted for them to be successful.

If you’re looking for something that’s hot, sexy, Christmassy and a little quirky, then this is the story for you!

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Ghost Writer by Stephanie Bedwell-Grime

April 21, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Ghost Writer by Stephanie Bedwell-Grime
Romance on the Go
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Erotic Romance, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Alice plans to spend the holidays in a tropical paradise. But her car breaks down en route and she seeks haven in a quaint local hotel.

Trapped forever in his writing room, the ghost formerly known as Clayton Grayson wants only to finish his last novel. His typewriter is still sitting on his desk, a stack of blank white paper beside it.

Alice is the first person who can see anything Clayton Grayson attempts to type. If he’s going to finish his book, he needs to convince her to stay long enough to help him.

The more Alice learns about the author the more she is drawn to him. And as he works with Alice, Clayton realizes he wants more than one last book.

Some stories demand to be told.

The world building was quite well done. In my experience, this can be something that’s overlooked in erotic fiction, so I was thrilled to have such clear descriptions not only of the inn that Alice was reluctantly staying in but of the habits of the people who worked there and how the rumours that the building was haunted affected how guests and employees interacted with certain rooms. Knowing all of this information was critical for understanding later scenes, so I was glad to see how much attention was paid to it.

I would have liked to see more character development in this tale, especially when it came to Clayton. For example, I wish he’d gone into deeper detail about what his life was like when he was alive and how he died. They both seemed to be such important parts of his identity that I was surprised they weren’t explored in depth. This was the only thing holding me back from giving a five-star rating.

The chemistry between Clayton and Alice was perfect. Not only did they have a great deal in common as far as their interests and values went, but their personalities also complemented each other nicely as well. He seemed to be a little more extroverted than she was, and she seemed a bit more diligent than he’d been when he was alive. Their strengths brought out the best in each other as they got to know one another better. I loved these characters as individuals and as a couple.

Ghost Writer was a satisfying read that made me yearn for a sequel.

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Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers by Kate Wolford

April 19, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers by Kate Wolford
Publisher: World Weaver Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

We remember her best as the generous fairy who dresses Cinderella and handles transportation while she’s at it. But that’s just the most famous fairy godmother’s tale. With a little imagination, you’ll find that fairy godmothers and godfathers appear in many varied forms. The authors in this anthology have crafted new tales that re-imagine the fairy godmother and her role.

A young fairy grapples with imposter syndrome as she takes up her new appointment as godmother. Immortal sisters bestow blessings and curses on princesses as a way to battle the patriarchal fairy godfathers. A struggling artist receives a godmother’s help to impress at her high school reunion. Sparing the life of a moth leads to magical help from an unexpected protector.

Retellings of Pinocchio, Rumpelstiltskin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Frog Prince show the magic of these stories in a whole new light. Infused with modern sensibilities but honoring the tradition of fairy tales, these dozen stories will enchant and inspire you.

Magic is for everyone.

“Face in the Mirror” was one of my favorite stories in this anthology because of how cleverly it reinterpreted Beauty and the Beast. The Beast was just as belligerent and spoiled as he should have been when I first met him, but the real magic happened after the spell was cast upon him and he had to earn the love of someone else in order to break it. I can’t go into much detail about how the later portions of the storyline unfolded, but I was impressed with how much effort Ms. de Soto put into finding a fresh perspective to describe him and his adventures. This could have easily been the first chapter or two of a full-length novel, and yet I was quite satisfied by how everything was resolved at the same time.

I enjoyed every retelling in this book, but there were a small number of them that I did wish had been given more time to develop. “In the Name of Gold” was one of them. A retelling of Rumplestiltskin intrigued me, especially since the author chose such an uncommon narrator for it. I only wish that it had been longer and dove deeper into the themes and characters of this world. There simply wasn’t enough space to show how this retelling was different from the original, and that made it tricky for me to remain as interested as I would have otherwise been.

Fairy godmothers rarely show up in contemporary settings, so “Modern Magic” grabbed my attention as soon as I realized the main character was standing in a Starbucks waiting for her Frappuccino to be made in the first scene. It was such an unusual way to introduce this sort of character, and somehow the plot only became better from there! I loved seeing how a fairy godmother would behave in an urban setting among people who don’t always necessarily believe in magic or that anyone is looking out for them. The heartwarming moments were only surpassed by the surprises that were in store for everyone this protagonist met during an ordinary day of granting wishes and making dreams come true.

Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers was an imaginative anthology that I’d recommend to anyone who loves fairy tale retellings.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Burn by Tamsyn Roe

April 14, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Burn by Tamsyn Roe
Publisher: Razor’s Edge/Changeling Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, LGBTQ
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

The only survivors of a terrible crash, two women from Earth become the unwilling guests of a tribe of aliens who’ve lost all their women.

Will Bianca and Coreen escape the Sloth-King before he makes them the “goddesses” of his tribe, or will they embrace their slavery?

This story is something out of the ordinary and it is quite the read.

I’m still new to the monster genre of romance thought I wouldn’t call this romance, per se, but it’s certainly got monsters. I liked the sci-fi edge to this story and how it’s actually rather believeable that humans could encounter just about anything out there in the vastness of space. But these monsters aren’t exactly Tribbles. Nope. These sloth-kings are beasts.

There is an element of coercion to this story. Bianca isn’t exactly interested in being with the monsters at first, but a change happens and she does. I liked how Bianca isn’t exactly wanting to be with them, but she falls into it and I liked how she adapted. There’s lots of sex, some swapping, some getting out of comfort zones and plenty of heat.

This is erotica, straight up, so there’s little romance to it. That’s okay. I wasn’t looking for sweet and stick romance. I wanted heat. I wanted to melt my screen. This one did. I also wanted to know more about Coreen and Bianca and the sloth-kings.

If you’re interested in something hot that will satisfy for a lunchtime read, then this one might be the one for you.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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