Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson #1)

Mercedes Thompson, aka Mercy, is a talented Volkswagen mechanic living in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. She also happens to be a walker, a magical being with the power to shift into a coyote at will. Mercy's next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a bus for a vampire. This is the world of Mercy Thompson, one that looks a lot like ours but is populated by those things that go bump in the night. And Mercy's connection to those things is about to get her into some serious hot water...

I read this book well over ten years ago, and although I don’t remember why, I didn’t like it.
Needless to say, I haven’t read another Mercy Thompson book since despite quite enjoying the sister series - Alpha and Omega.
Deciding to give the series another try was based upon the fact that my reading preferences have shifted a lot over the years and UF has become an enduring love of mine, so much so I’d say it’s probably my favourite genre. Back then, I was more of a paranormal romance lover and that probably explains a lot of my original problems with the book: It is not a romance. Not that UF should be a romance but the UF I read always has a strong romantic link - or great potential - otherwise it loses me quickly. I am what I am and I am a romance junkie.

Anyway, re-reading it was a gamble but seeing as I own up to book six already it seemed like a worthwhile thing to do.

And I’m glad I did! This time around, I really enjoyed the book. It’s nothing like I remember… Which is so odd! I usually have good recall of books I’ve read but with this one, even though I remembered key facts, the detail completely escaped me and the devil was in the details with this book.

Mercy is a shapeshifter. She’s fiercely independent, owns her own business and, for the most part, seems to mind her own business right up until a young werewolf turns up at her garage seeking cash-in-hand work. She helps him and inevitably gets sucked into his business thus introducing him to the local alpha - a sexy wolf named Adam - who just so happens to own the property next to hers and who seems to be a source of friendly irritation for Mercy. As it’s UF and nothing can ever be simple, bad things happen and Mercy is forced to return to the pack she grew up in - despite not being a werewolf - with a wounded Adam in tow and then gets further embroiled in werewolf politics and dastardly plots.

It was a lot of fun for despite being a shapeshifter, Mercy does not have ‘superpowers’. She isn’t super strong, she doesn’t heal super fast… She is human in those respects and very breakable. A very breakable human playing with ‘monsters’ who are very strong and can recover from pretty much fatal wounds and are incredibly volatile and violent… Not to mention exceedingly prone to the proverbial pissing contest.
As I said, it was fun.

The story moved smoothly, the world building was delivered in digestible chunks, the characters were all introduced in a way that told you they were important - either now or in the future - and nothing felt pointless. Every detail mattered, every character had their part to play and from reading the Alpha and Omega sister series, I was able to pick up on details directly linking into that storyline too which amused me greatly.

It’s clear from the events in Moon Called that Mercy’s time of avoiding the pack and living her life mostly outside of pack politics is over. She’s clearly back in the fold and she’s going to need all her wits about her to survive!

While romance is pretty much non-existent in this book, I have high hopes for Mercy and Adam hooking up in the future. They had nice chemistry and I’m rooting for them. However, if Mercy and Sam - the head honcho werewolf of North America’s son - hook up, I’m going to be ragey! His past with Mercy - i.e courting a 16 year old girl when he’s hundreds of years old! - was just too weird…

Anyway, if you like werewolves and shifters with a side of fae and vampires then you should give this series a try!

Review: The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

He's b-a-a-ack! Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sadie Kane can't seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down. Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness, and the Kanes are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all.

Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the forces of chaos.

The Kanes' only hope is an ancient spell that might turn the serpent's own shadow into a weapon, but the magic has been lost for millennia. To find the answer they need, the Kanes must rely on the murderous ghost of a powerful magician who might be able to lead them to the serpent's shadow . . . or might lead them to their deaths in the depths of the underworld.
Nothing less than the mortal world is at stake when the Kane family fulfils its destiny in this thrilling conclusion to the Kane Chronicles.

Audiobook Narrated by: Jane Collingwood & Joseph May

Another few months have passed since the events in The Throne of Fire. The death of the previous chief lector and the appointment of the new chief lector has caused a schism in the House of Life that has serious implications in the battle against Apophis and the forces of Chaos.
Carter and Sadie Kane are once again thrust onto the front lines in the war against Chaos and desperately searching for a way to eradicate Apophis - and save the world - before it is too late…

With The Serpent’s Shadow being the final book in the Kane Chronicles, I knew that it was going to be one hell of a ride but I wasn’t quite prepared for how emotional this final journey with the Kane siblings would be!
From the first chapter to the last there was action, magic and drama. Love, loyalty and sacrifice.
A raging cacophony of emotions that has you paralysed to turn off the audiobook or stop reading! It’s full on and a whole load of fun! A wild ride, peppered with touching intimate moments, from the beginning all the way to the end and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

I thought Riordan did a fantastic job of wrapping up this story while leaving the House of Life - and the Kanes - in a place where future stories could be born.
I’m sad that it’s over but so so happy that I got to enjoy it.
Percy and his nutty band of Olympians will always be number one for me but the Kanes have won a special place in my book loving heart.

I recommend this series to those who love mythology, to those who love fantastical adventures, to those who enjoy middle-grade books, and to those seeking diversity in their stories. The Kane Chronicles has it all and so much more.

Oh! And if you listen to it on audio, you’ll get the added pleasure of fantastic narrators who effortlessly bring it all to life! Double win!

Favourite Quotes:

“Met them. Killed them. Got the T-shirt.”

💬

“For what it’s worth: trust your feelings. I can’t promise that you’ll never get hurt again, but I can promise you the risk is worth it.”

💬

“A person's shadow stood for his legacy, his impact on the world. Some people cast hardly any shadow at all. Some cast long, deep shadows that endured for centuries.”

Review: Glass Half Full by Katia Rose (Barflies #2)

You win some, you lose some.

Back at home with half a college degree after the fiasco of the century sent her packing, it’s safe to say that Renee Nyobé is losing some. She’s a hot mess, and not the cute kind. No, if hot messes had categories, hers would be ‘littering the stairs of the metro station with your sweaty underwear because you were too busy rushing to the job interview you’re already late for to zip up your yoga bag.’

A job—any job—is just what she needs to get her life back on track, and it might as well be at Montreal’s most famous dive bar, Taverne Toulouse.

Dylan Trottard is winning some. As Taverne Toulouse’s new manager, he’s got one rule for himself: don’t screw up. Following that rule gets a lot harder when the woman he’s spent the past three years trying to forget starts working behind the bar.

They were never supposed to want each other, and they sure as hell aren’t supposed to want each other now. She’s the girl that got away before he even had her, and he’s the guy she didn’t think would ever give her a second glance.

Now they can’t keep their eyes off one another, and the stakes are even higher than before. There’s a lot to lose, but as the pull between them gets harder and harder to ignore, Renee and Dylan start asking how much winning is worth.

*ARC received in exchange of an honest review*

Glass Half Full is book two in the Barflies series featuring the staff of Tavern Toulouse and this book is Dylan's book.

Dylan is a sweet, fun, and hard-working guy who writes spoken word poetry and has a carefully concealed chip on his shoulder about mistakes he made as a teenager that saw him serve some jail time.

Renee is about seven years younger than Dylan, another lover of spoken word poetry, who has returned home to Montreal after developing severe anxiety and essentially having a breakdown while studying in the UK.

Dylan and Renee were friends in the past and that connection shines through from the first moment of their reunion and grows stronger throughout the book.
They're both imperfectly wonderful people just trying to live the best life they can live while being a little bit lost. Throughout the book they slowly begin to find themselves, they begin to heal and they fall in love. The falling in love was not a magic bullet to cure all ills but a reason to keep fighting to be better, to move forward, and achieve all the things.

The book is packed full of emotion but the key themes of the book are healing and forgiveness.

I found that it was a bit harder to read than other books by the author as it felt so raw (and probably because the anxiety elements hit so close to home) but it was beautifully written.

If you haven't read anything by Katia Rose before, and you enjoy contemporary romances with believable characters, then you are missing out and I suggest you get right on that.

Review: The Wicked King by Holly Black (The Folk of The Air #2)

Minor spoilers ahead for both The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King!

You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.
The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.

I immediately began reading The Wicked King upon finishing The Cruel Prince as I don’t like cliffhangers and being a procrastination queen, I had the entire trilogy at my fingertips when I began this mad journey into the land of the fae. (Which was, with hindsight, a masterstroke of bookish brilliance, btw.)

After the epic ending of the last book, I had high high hopes for this one and, once again, I wasn’t left disappointed!

Cardan is king and Jude has reached a position in fae society she never dared to dream was possible - that as his seneschal, the right hand of the king. But, Cardan never wanted to be king and Jude never really intended to let him. He’s a placeholder and they’re both all too aware of this throughout the book and it made for pretty uncomfortable reading. Enjoyable but… yeah.

I liked Jude in The Cruel Prince. I understood her motivations and believe I said something about her being painfully human even with her fae-mortality but in The Wicked King… I liked her much less. She goes power mad. She becomes obsessed with maintaining power. Of maintaining her position. Of controlling Cardan and the world of the fae. Yes, it’s all with the goal to put her little brother on the throne when he’s old enough but I feel that she often lost sight of that. Not to mention the fact that her little brother doesn’t want to be king either!
It made Jude a power-hungry puppet master and it rubbed abrasively against the tired, scared, scarred, young woman she was. I didn’t like it and just wanted her to either let Cardan in or to walk away from the world of faerie all together.

Cardan, however, went up in my esteem in this book. I understood why he was acting the way he was. I understood his frustration and his pain and when push came to shove, with rival monarchs and his corrupt brother, I understood his actions. Seeing Cardan accept who he is, accept the position he never wanted and find a way to take back control felt good.
Seeing Jude get more than she bargained for, felt good. I squeeed in happiness when she finally seemed to have come to an understanding with Cardan! I was so excited to see what they could become, what they’d do together, because they made quite a team! But then… That freaking ending!!!!

I almost died in despair of that ending! It was epic and then it sucked! Why?! Why Cardan, why?! I mean, I can’t completely blame him but jeez…

I felt like there was a lot more scheming in this book. More betrayal and much more politicking.
Jude’s sister. Her step-father. Cardan’s friends.  Ex-lovers. Allies. Friends. Jude. Cardan. It never ended and came from every direction and from everyone! It was a lot to absorb at times but it kept me tirelessly turning the pages and desperately seeking more!

I wouldn’t say I particularly liked this book but since I'm apparently a twisted bunny I thoroughly enjoyed it regardless... Maybe even kinda loved it. I know, it makes no sense to me either!

I have no idea where the story is going to go next but I’m super excited to find out!

❤

“Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold on to.”

💬

“He looks up at me with his night-colored eyes, beautiful and terrible all at once. “For a moment,” he says, “I wondered if it wasn’t you shooting bolts at me.”
I make a face at him. “And what made you decide it wasn’t?”
He grins up at me. “They missed.”

💬

“The Folk doubtlessly learned this lesson long ago. They do not need to deceive humans. Humans will deceive themselves.”

Review: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (The Folk of the Air #1)

Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

I wanted to read this book for so long but was also terrified of reading this book because of HYPE. All the hype! So much hype… Hype overload. Hype poisoning! But it came to a point, with the release of the final book in the trilogy, that I had to bite the bullet and read it or consign it to the pile of Never To Be Read.

I didn’t want to put it in that pile so it was time to read.

And….. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I loved it but… Oh yes. I liked it very very much.
It was delightfully twisted. Wrong… And not always in the right ways.
Reading it was an experience.

I’ve seen a lot of people say that they didn’t like Jude but I did. She’s a human living in a world of non-humans. She’s treated by the fae as lesser… Like she is nothing. Lowlier than the dirt beneath the gentry’s feet. I completely understood her desire to raise herself up. To be more. To not let them see her fear, even when she was terrified. To prove that she was equal - if not better than - them. I got it. I understood. And I’m honestly mystified as to how people could criticize her for it. The fae are not human but Jude - despite her fae-tainted morality - was very much so.

What I couldn’t understand for the majority of this book was why people liked Cardan so much! He starts off as a right prick. An epic asshat of the highest tier of asshattery! I disliked him so freaking much! But then… As it goes on… He changes. Or, you, the reader, change. Your perspective on him and his actions changes until you’re like, “OMG! Huh!” And then you kinda like him, even if you don’t love him. When I finished the book, I immediately went back and re-read some of the worst Cardan being a dick scenes and I could see it! I could see what I’d missed! It was right there for me to see… If only I looked properly!

Holly Black’s writing shot up in my estimation with that trick. She created a richly detailed world with vibrant characters, yes, but it was her skill with the smoke and mirrors that won me over completely.

And I’m so glad that I waited to read it and didn’t have to endure a years wait after that freaking ending!  I actually didn’t see it coming. I should have. I owned the second book, I knew the title and had read the blurb and had even read reviews! I knew who became king but… Nope! I actually spent a nice period of time while reading pondering who exactly the Wicked King would be (and then reminding myself) and then bam! Death and madness and then another bam! Twisty twisty goodness and then a king! And I felt stunned by it all despite knowing the outcome! I guess I just didn’t know the journey to the destination and that’s what shocked, surprised and delighted me.

It was all a lot of fun.

I found the entire book gripping and easy to immerse myself in. I never had any trouble with all the scheming and I didn’t find the lack of romance - the fox freak flirtation doesn’t count - a detraction. The possibilities of what could happen in each chapter were endless, the push/pull connection between Cardan and Jude was riveting and the possibilities for the rest of the trilogy are the same.
I finished the book genuinely excited for what comes next and thanks to my procrastination skills, I have the rest of the series waiting for me to dive into! Hurrah!

So, yeah. Needless to say, I recommend this book, lol.

❤

“What could I become if I stopped worrying about death, about pain, about anything? If I stopped trying to belong? Instead of being afraid, I could become something to fear.”

💬

“Because you’re like a story that hasn’t happened yet. Because I want to see what you will do. I want to be part of the unfolding of the tale.”

💬

“Have I told you how hideous you look tonight?” Cardan asks, leaning back in the elaborately carved chair, the warmth of his words turning the question into something like a compliment.
“No” I say, glad to be annoyed back into the present. “Tell me.”
"I can't.”

Mini Reviews: Tracker's End & Dirty Ride by Chantal Fernando

The Wind Dragon's MC books are the type of MC books that are heavily focused on the romantic relationships and the brotherhood within the MC. They're not super violent (there is some) and any major shady business the club is involved in happens 'off screen' and isn't a key component of the story which I like... Some MC "romances" really dive down a rabbit hole of depravity but the Wind Dragon's does not.

A warning though: The books are super sexualised and the guys can be whorish assholes who treat the women they are not involved with like sex toys without feelings.

Both Tracker's End is a full-length novel told from an alternating pov between the two main characters. Dirty Ride is a novella. Both have HEAs.

Below are my mini-reviews for them both!

(My thoughts on Book 1 and book 2 in the series can be found here.)

Tracker is everything I’ve ever wanted.

I see him. I’ve watched time change him.

I’ve been patient, but he still hasn’t noticed me. Not the way I want him to. The more time I spend with the MC, the more I understand.

When you want something, you have to take it. You have to fight for it.

And Tracker is more than worth fighting for…

I've loved Tracker from book one. He seemed like one of the good ones... Then in book two, he annoyed me with a girlfriend (even if she was a horrible skank) who he wouldn't/couldn't get rid of when he was obviously falling for Lana.

Then, we get to this book - his and Lana's book - and I loved Tracker wholeheartedly once more... Until he does something epically stupid near the end of the book which inspired complete rage.

A stupid stupid misunderstanding and a betrayal of trust was so out of character and thrown into the mix by the author for no other reason that I could see than creating drama for drama's sake and it almost ruined the book for me.

This book would have easily been a five star read if not for that epic mark of stupidity and if I'd have reviewed the book before I calmed my shit down it would have demoted it to a 2/2.5 star. But I took a breath and here I am, still spitting mad, but able to be more balanced.

I really did enjoy it.

Lana was fun and sweet and Tracker was perfect for the quiet chick with a wild side.

Their chemistry was explosive and the heat level of the book was off the charts!

I loved how they balanced each other. I loved their banter and how Lana fit with the MC even though she is 100% not a typical MC chick.

It really was such an easy, sexy, and fun read until we got to the stupid.

The author somewhat managed to pull it back from the stupid but I'm still salty about it.

Regardless, of the stupid, it was probably the strongest of the series so far and I'm definitely in for continuing.

I want to see more of Talon - the other MC's President. He seems yummy and hopefully, his book won't be almost ruined by stupid.

Even by Wind Dragon Motorcycle Club standards, Irish was always a bit of a dark horse. Not one to confide his secrets, such as where he got that mysterious scar across his neck, he’s quick with his fists and even quicker to jump to the defense of his MC. But is he nimble enough to handle the woman he never saw coming? Or will she leave him with a matching scar across his heart?

I like Irish.
He's the quiet one in the background with a funny sense of humour and a backstory that is obviously dark, dangerous, and interesting. Or, that's the way he seemed in the earlier books of the series but it's a damn shame that in this novella we get to know exactly nothing about his past, how he got his scars or anything about him that we didn't already know!
Did the character development all get spent on Valentina then?
Nope! We get to know as much about her as is absolutely necessary for the plot and no more, no less.

The novella was fast paced and everything happened so fast between Irish and Tina that it may as well be classed as instalove.

It wasn't a bad novella. It was quick to read, it was enjoyable and it was hot but it was completely unsatisfying really. There was so much here that, if properly explored, would have made a fantastic novel.
Valentina was running from an abusive ex who happened to be a dirty cop! Irish has a heart of gold but is a bad boy biker! Think of all the possibilities... All wasted.
Sigh.
As I said, it wasn't bad and it passed the time quite nicely but it could have been so much more than it was.

Review: The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan (Kane Chronicles # 2)

Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven't given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians.

And now their most threatening enemy yet - the chaos snake Apophis - is rising. If they don't prevent him from breaking free in a few days' time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it's a typical week for the Kane family.

To have any chance of battling the Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra. But that would be a feat more powerful than any magician has ever accomplished.

First they have to search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is exactly?

Narrated in two different wisecracking voices, featuring a large cast of new and unforgettable characters, and with adventures spanning the globe, this second installment in the Kane Chronicles is nothing short of a thrill ride.

Format:

Audiobook

Narrated by: 
Joseph May & Jane Collingwood

Duration:

12 hrs and 15 mins

I don’t think it’s any secret how much I love Rick Riordan’s books. He beautifully blends mythology and fantastical adventures that are packed full of action with a healthy dose of real-life teenager and all that goes with it.

The Throne of Fire is no exception!

Picking up months after the events in The Red Pyramid, we find Sadie and Carter Kane as the de facto leaders of Brooklyn House while their uncle Amos is back at the first nome in Egypt recovering from his ordeal with Set.
Sadie and Carter are mistrusted by the Magical community due to their insistence on following the path of the Gods but have managed to recruit a cadre of untrained young magicians who they are training to use their magic while preparing for whatever the evil god Apophis has in store for them next.

It doesn’t take long for Apophis’s evil plan to begin unfolding which thrusts the Kane siblings and their recruits into a high stakes race against time to bring back the Sun God, Ra.
Here we have a tale of friendship, family, and first-loves. Of growing up and never giving up… The characters shoulder so much responsibility but they’re still kids. It results in a fast paced story that entertains from start to finish packed full of wacky humour and soul.
Riordan has an amazing gift… His story-telling is absolutely wonderful and I’m left in happy awe whenever I dive into one of his worlds.
If you haven’t read this series - and Egyptian mythology is your thing - then you absolutely must give it a try! You won’t be disappointed. The characters may be teenagers but the themes represented are universal.

On a side note, I’ve been listening to this series in audiobook and the narrators are absolutely amazing! They both do such a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life, giving each a distinct voice and, where applicable, a different accent. Even more amazingly, they mimic the other narrator's accent, tone and inflection, for a character so well that even though the narrator switches between male and female - Sadie and Carter - you are never in doubt who is speaking regardless of who is narrating that chapter. It is a freaking skill!

❤

“The right choice is hardly ever the easy choice.”

💬

“Sometimes, it takes us a while to appreciate something new, something that might change us for the better.”

💬

“Sometimes you have to lose a piece to win a game.”

💬

“Don't get starry-eyed about somebody you can't have, especially if it blinds you to somebody who's really important.”

Mini Reviews: Dragon's Lair & Arrow's Hell By Chantal Fernando

The Wind Dragon's MC books are the type of MC books that are heavily focused on the romantic relationships and the brotherhood within the MC. They're not super violent (there is some) and any major shady business the club is involved in happens 'off screen' and isn't a key component of the story which I like... Some MC "romances" really dive down a rabbit hole of depravity but the Wind Dragon's does not.
A warning though: The books are super sexualised and the guys can be whorish assholes who treat the women they are not involved with like sex toys without feelings.

The series reminds me of Joanna Wylde's Reapers MC books in that they have the perfect balance between the darkness and light.

Both Dragon's Lair and Arrow's Hell are full-length novels told from an alternating pov between the two main characters and both books have a happy ever after with no cliffhanger. 

When I found my boyfriend cheating on me, I did something stupid.

Or should I say, someone?

Because of that mistake, I’m now stuck in a world I don’t belong in.

I’m a law student. They’re criminals. He’s the vice president of a motorcycle club. I’m a good girl with a strict upbringing. He’s my ex-boyfriend’s brother.

And I’m screwed.

This is the type of MC book I like!

It's a little bit gritty, but it's not mired in darkness.

The biker bad boy is a little bit of a moody, broody, asshole but he's all squishy in the inside for his girl and his girl is a firecracker with a brain.

I didn't like how Faye and Dex came together as adults (he picked her up a couple of days after she dumped his brother's ass for cheating on her) but I loved them as a couple.

I loved their history and I loved their chemistry.

They were sweet and sexy and a lot of fun to read about.

Faye is not the type of girl you'd expect to become a biker's old lady but she quickly fit right in and the bonds she built with the rest of the brothers was a highlight for me.

As a whole, the book was far from perfect. The characters could have done with some fleshing out and the plotline and execution could have been less messy but it was entertaining enough that it didn't bother me as much as it probably should have.

I liked the men of the Wind Dragon's MC and I want to read more about them.

I'd like to read more about what makes them tick and I want to see them get their HEAs!

If future books in the series could come with a bit more substance then that'd be the cherry on the cake for me but I'm going to keep reading regardless!

Being the younger sister of a Wind Dragons MC member isn’t as great as you’d think it would be.

I can’t escape the details of my brother’s exploits. No one tells me anything. Men who know who I am tend to stay away from me.

And worst of all: the members of the MC are off-limits.

When Arrow catches my eye, I make it my mission to make him happy again.

When I fall head over heels in love with him, I just hope he will be there to catch me. And that my brother doesn’t kill him…

This book wasn't as good a read as book one.

I found the way Anna's brother (Rake who is part of the MC) babied her with his overprotective controlling absolutely infuriating.
I didn't like how Arrow was determined to keep his distance from Anna (despite being completely gone for her) and did some pretty shitty things to try and maintain that distance which backfired spectacularly.
I didn't like that Anna was supposed to be an intelligent woman  - a PhD science student - but acted like she barely had two brain cells to rub together more often than was tolerable.
However!
I enjoyed the banter between all the characters. I loved Anna and Lana's friendship and the bonds between the brothers.
I enjoyed Anna and Arrow's relationship and I liked them as a couple despite my grumbles above.
It was super easy to sink into the book and just enjoy it, even when it annoyed me, and it was such a guilty pleasure... The kind of book where you think you probably shouldn't enjoy this but do anyway.
There are so many things I wish had been done differently but if you're looking for an MC romance that has a good mix of drama, hilarious ridiculousness and intense chemistry then give it a try.

Review: Druid Vices and A Vodka by Annette Marie

It's almost impossible to avoid spoilers now but I'm going to try!

That said, be cautious just in case I fail, lol.

I've said it before, but sometimes I'm a bad person. I cheated on my twelfth grade math final, I've run countless yellow lights, and I gossip about how hot my kickass best friends are. (Good thing my job as a guild bartender doesn't require moral perfection.)

But there's bad, and then there's bad. And I'm not sure which applies to a certain dark druid/wanted criminal/reluctant friend of mine. His transgressions include black-magic dealings, kidnapping, and murder, and he's about to add "revenge-fueled killing spree" to his resume—if I don't stop him.

Should I stop him?

He and his nemesis are gearing up to tear each other apart, rogues and vultures are converging with their sights on the spoils, and the guilds that would normally stomp them into the ground are under attack. We're on the brink of an all-out criminal turf war, and my time to decide is almost up.

Who's the real bad guy ... and do I dare stand in his way?

*eARC granted in exchange of an honest review.*

So many emotions!!!
I'm in shock. I'm exhilarated. I'm terrified. I feel betrayed. I feel hopeful. I'm curious and I'm desperate for more!
OMG! This book, guys! This book! It almost freakin' killed me with all the feelings!
It was so good!

The series has reached its boiling point. Everything is starting to come together. Some things are answered. GC Spellbound is growing ever more intwined with GC Demonized and you can just about see how it's all going to come together but key pieces of the puzzle are still surrounded by mist, so close yet so tantalisingly out of reach... I want to scream, I want to sob and I want to dance a happy dance because Annette Marie is delivering an amazing story that I cannot get enough of!

Druid Vices and A Vodka really drives the series forward and fans of the series will undoubtedly adore it!

Tori is put through the wringer, trying so hard to save Ezra and be there for her friends. Her loyalty knows no bounds... But actions have consequences and people can't outrun their pasts forever.
  Ezra is almost out of time. Kai's family has finally caught up with him, and strong, firey, Aaron is breaking by his inability to help his friends.
Not to mention our beloved but asshole-ish Druid, Zak, who was the catalyst for so many things coming to a head in this book... He completely and utterly broke my heart and it'll take something special to redeem him from this.

There is action galore, personal growth, sacrifice, and shippers rejoice! There is some bittersweet loveliness for our (hopefully not) doomed lovebirds.

I want to wrap myself in a blanket and rock in a corner at the thought of not getting book seven until July BUT book three in the Demonized series releases in April and it'll drive everything forward some more. Based on Robin and Zylas encounters in this book, I imagine that their next book (Hunting Fiends for The Ill-Equipped) will cross over the events in this one heavily.
(Yes, that means there is a nice amount of Tori/Robin interaction in this book AND Zylas!)

All in all, I'm super happy with this instalment.
I absolutely loved it and while things seem a little bit dark and hopeless for our beloved characters, I know that the author is going to bring it home in a big way and it's going to be awesome.