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Book Review: Syndicate Princess, by Kira Stanley

I picked up a copy of Kira Stanley‘s Syndicate Princess as an Amazon freebie.

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Being a vampire boss’s daughter was a lot of work. Being the only girl heir from the five families, I’ve always had to work harder, fight dirtier, care less. It made me into the woman I am today, causing fear in my enemies and a bloody trail for those who betray us.

Then my dad sprung on me that the other bosses and their sons were coming into town. That they wanted us heirs to all meet, to bond with each other.

To top it all off, my dad shocked the hell out of me by throwing out a challenge to the other heirs. Whoever could keep me in their possession, by force or choice, for twenty-four hours, would win the right for my hand in marriage.

The other bosses are all for it, wanting to get their man whoring, untamable, or workaholic sons to settle down finally, but I was not some prize to be won.

I was Rayla Desmond, a force all her own. A Syndicate princess that was not to be messed with, so these boys better be ready for me because I’m coming in for blood.

my review

I really wanted to like this, but I just couldn’t. I get that it is probably intended to have a certain humor element, but it just felt over-the-top ridiculous to me. As in, I just kept thinking, “This is so stupid” the whole time I was reading it.

The fathers are caricatures. Rayla and her men are all supposed to be in the 27-28-year-old range (which I was initially happy about), but they literally act like children. But more importantly, they are treated like children. Considering there is relatively little actual sex in the book, I don’t see why Stanley didn’t just make them teens or new adults, at most, to match what she wrote. Plus, while I like a morally grey character, Rayla has the overblown emotional capacity of a toddler.

Other than the whole thing just being roll your eyes and cringe ridiculous, my main complaint is that the three men don’t come together until late into the book. This means that Rayla does everything three times. She escapes each man. She goes and sees each father. Then, she goes and does each challenge. Then she goes and seduces each man. (Then they talk about it all). Everything was done in triplicate, and I was bored.

Literally, the only things in the whole book I cared about were Cosmo and Lex, and neither of them gets much play here. But I’m not interested enough to read the next book to see how things work out. Plus, it could use a little more editing, both copy edits, and to catch the occasional consistency issue.

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Book Review: Bleeding Hearts, by Emma Hamm

I bought a copy of Emma Hamm‘s Bleeding Hearts, way back in late 2021.

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Find the Duke. Prove he’s a vampire. And kill him.

Maeve Winchester is out of the vampire hunting game. She’s killed enough of them, and risked her life for long enough. Working for the Holy Brotherhood didn’t make that easy, however. Especially when she has witch blood. Regardless of her past, the Inquisition agrees to release her and her magical sisters, under one circumstance.

She has to complete one more job.

Through the moors and mire, she travels to the illusive Castra Nocte. Home of the Carmine Duke. His gothic castle has stood for centuries with a single rule. If you enter, you will never leave. It is here Maeve makes her last stand. She must prove the Duke is a vampire and then kill him as she has so many others.

When she enters the castle, not all is as it seems. The Duke is charming. The castle grounds clean. His words tantalizing. She will have to keep her wits about her if she is to save her sisters… and her heart.

my review

This was entertaining enough. I generally enjoyed it. I didn’t quite feel Maeve’s transition from enemy to lover, though. It was too abrupt and required she show a level of trust and naivete that everything up to that point suggested she would not do. I also felt that she was seduced as much (if not more) by the glitz, glamour, and wealth that the Duke could provide her as by the man himself, and that didn’t feel very romantic. I did appreciate that he fell first in a truly obsessive way. It felt a little like love-bombing. But I also thought the banter between him and his butler provided the levity the plot needed.

I liked the world Hamm created, though it’s only lightly sketched out and doesn’t stray far from ‘the church’ as we are all familiar with it as the villain. However, the side characters that are in the future books look fun. I’ll probably read their books.

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Other Reviews:

Myth and Magic Bookclub: Bleeding Hearts, by Emma Hamm

 

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Book Review: Taken by the Dragon King, by Amelia Shaw

I picked up an audiobook copy of Amelia Shaw‘s Taken by the Dragon King on Google Play Books. (As it happens, I also have an e-copy. But when it came down to it, I went with the audio.)

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Stavrok won’t let anything stand between him and his mate.

There’s a beast inside of me, and there will be a time when I can’t control him.

That’s what my father told me happens when my dragon finds his mate. He will claim them. He will not be gentle. He will not be sweet.

My dragon will do whatever it takes to ensure his mate doesn’t leave, no matter the cost.

Lucy thinks soulmates are only for her dreams.

When a stranger breaks into my home and comes after me, I recognize his face. He’s the man from my dreams—the one I’m destined to fall in love with.

But I don’t believe in soulmates. That’s why I try to flee.

Stavrok takes Lucy to the snowy mountains, hellbent on proving she’s his mate.

But then his kingdom is attacked, and Lucy is stolen away from the Dragon King.

Now her only hope lies in knowing Stavrok will turn the world to ash and brimstone looking for her…and his dragon babies.

my review

Meh, this was fine, if a little bland and predictable. I don’t have a lot to say on this one. It is exactly what the title describes—no more, no less. I liked that he falls first and that she has a backbone. The writing is readable, and the plot holds together. But it is simply made up of a series of tropes we’ve all read before, and nothing feels original or even combined in a new way. So, honestly, I was bored by it. But if you happen to particularly like the tropes used, I imagine you’ll be more invested than I was.

Lastly, I listened to the audio version. Catherine Bilson did a fine job with the narration. But I rather feel she wasn’t a good fit styalistically. She was a little too prim and polite, as if she should have been reading a cozy Ms. Marple-style mysteries or sweet historical romances instead of mildly spicy PNR.taken by the dragon king photo


Other Reviews:

Taken by the Dragon King, by Amelia Shaw | Book Review