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Book Review: The Alpha of Bleake Isle, by Kathryn Moon

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I received a copy of The Alpha of Bleake Isle by Kathryn Moon in a Renegade Romance book box.

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He’s waited half a century to choose an omega.

Lord Ronson Cadogan can stall no longer. He needs an omega and he needs an heir.

Settled on the obvious perfect choice, and determined to see his fate through, Ronson can’t afford to wait for the next ceremony to claim what he is owed. If only he was more excited about the match.

They call her the mouse.

Mairwen Posy knows precisely who the Alpha of Bleake Isle will choose, and it certainly isn’t her. In fact, it’s so predictable it’s almost boring.

Resigned to her fate of disappearing into the background, Mairwen takes the role of observer, distracting the ache of being left out with the entertainment of dragonkin society’s unfolding stories.

All is as expected, until the sudden twist in a familiar plot sends Mairwen in the least likely direction, right into the arms of the alpha.

my review

This is light porn-with-plot, I think. But it’s enjoyable PWP. Mairwen and Ronson meet and then spend the rest of the book being kind and wonderful to one another. It’s very low-angst and very sweet. What angst that does exist originates entirely outside their relationship (the community’s dismissal of her or challenge to his rule, etc). At the end of the day, I gave a happy sigh, having enjoyed my time with the book.

I had a couple of gripes, however. A significant component of the plot requires that specific knowledge be lost to dragonkin, and I had trouble suspending my disbelief enough to believe this would be possible. And, honestly, as lovely and complementary to one another as the two main characters were, I got bored with all the mush.

None of this put me off too much, though. There were several other interesting alphas I imagine could get their own books in the future (I think Torion is next), and I would happily read them.

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Other Reviews:

Amy Imogen Reads: The Alpha of Bleake Isle

 

 

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Book Review: Vigilance, by Etta Pierce

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I received a copy of Vigilance, by Etta Pierce, in a Renegade Romance Book Box. This is book two in the Intersolar Union series. I reviewed book one, Convergence, here.

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Still reeling from the upending of her life, Dr Amelia Ahlberg finds herself the sole physician of the new human colony on Yaspur. Luckily, a medical delegate was assigned to help her settle in after the trauma of the Paramour. When a young girl falls ill because of a common flower, Amelia begs him to take her on his research excursions into the jungle. She needs to learn how to care for her people first hand.

But Ezraji Zarabi is confusing. He’s erratic, distant, and increasingly hot-headed. He refuses, leaving her to fend for herself as the stress threatens to crack the good doctor’s reality. When she starts to hallucinate, she has to wonder…Is it her? Or is it him?

Amelia’s instincts are put to the test. Does she trust the one person that’s always there when she needs him, or does she question why he’s there in the first place?

my review

I like the characters in this book. The series is interesting because the aliens are truly alien, and I very much like that about them. I enjoyed seeing Ezraji’s alien instincts come to the fore. He’s lovely and sweet and trying his best to do the right thing. Amelia, too, is doing her best in a challenging situation, and I appreciate that she is clearly able to learn and grow with new information and experiences.

However, where is the actual romance? There is no romance here. Nor is there any significant spice. So, it’s not erotica where sex (rather than romance) might be the point. This is intended to be a slowish burn romance, but it isn’t. The reader never really gets to see any of it. The closest we come is an accidental chemical attachment that Ezraji tries to hide. We barely even see the two interacting with each other. Yes, Ezraji goes above and beyond to protect her. But she’s unaware of that. Yes, she decides to give a relationship a try, and he’s happy with that, and the reader is led to expect an HEA. But we see none of it. I felt very little attachment to the characters, even if I liked them, and had no investment in the relationship. And what good feelings I was left with at the end of the story were destroyed by the epilogue, which appears to be the hook for the next book in the series.

All in all, I didn’t hate it, and the series seems interesting. But I was only actually so-so on the actual story as told.

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Other Reviews:

Review: Vigilance by Etta Pierce

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Book Review: Murder Wears Mittens, by Sally Goldenbaum

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Sally Goldenbaum‘s Murder Wears Mittens has been on my bookshelf for a few years. I’m relatively sure I won a copy on Goodreads.

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As autumn washes over coastal Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, the Seaside Knitters anticipate a relaxing off-season. But when murder shatters the peace, the craftiest bunch in town must unravel a killer’s deadly scheme . . .

After retrieving fresh lobster nets from a local Laundromat, Cass Halloran rushes to attend a last-minute gathering with her knitting circle. But Cass can’t stop worrying about the lonely boy seen hanging around the dryers, and the school uniform he left behind in a hurry. When the ladies return the lost clothing the next day, they find the child and his younger sister alone, seemingly abandoned by their mother . . .

The knitters intend to facilitate a family reunion, not investigate a crime. But the death of Dolores Cardozo, a recluse from the edge of town, throws the group for a loop. Especially when the missing mother and one of their own become tied to the victim’s hidden fortune—and her murder. It’s up to the Seaside Knitters to string together the truth about Dolores—while preventing a greedy killer from making another move!

my review

I didn’t hate this, but I didn’t particularly like it either. Honestly, I found it a little exhausting. I’ll grant that I’m an introvert. But, my god, the social lives of these characters never stop—brunch, coffee at the club, drinks at the pub, fancy dinners, the market, volunteering together, hiking, knitting circles, dinners on the deck, etc. They feel very much like a bunch of wealthy socialites, filling their time by volunteering and sticking their noses in other people’s business. Exhausting.

The mystery itself was interesting enough. Goldenbaum threw in enough red herrings that I wasn’t 100% sure who the murderer was. But I also wasn’t at all surprised when it was revealed. I found the rest of it pretty predictable. I had it figured out very early on. All in all, as I said, I didn’t hate it. But I’ll probably never bother to pick up the rest of the series.

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Other Reviews:

Bibliophile Reviews: Murder Wears Mittens