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Book Review: The Mountain’s Mate, by Sara Ivy Hill

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I picked up a copy of Sara Ivy Hill‘s The Mountain’s Mate as an Amazon freebie.
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He’ll move mountains for her…

When Patrek, a giant Skarr alien, hires a human for a covert mission, he doesn’t expect a female to take the gig. Nor does he expect his long-dormant mating instinct to ignite for someone so tiny! When the heist goes awry and they’re forced to hide out together until the heat dies down, the close quarters reveal that, though they’re vastly mismatched in size, their hearts are a perfect fit.

To escape with his freedom, Patrek must flee the city. But leaving her behind will break him. Can he convince her to join him in the mountains and take a monster as her mate?

my reviewIf you’re looking for a book that is absolutely absurd but also super low angst and sweet (even if set in a rather bleak world), The Mountain’s Mate is for you. Both main characters are open, honorable, and loyal. Both are willing to overlook the other’s differences and offer all they have, even if it is very little materially. The two of them play no names, have no misunderstandings, hide nothing of their emotions, and as a result, the romance flows unabated and unimpeded.

The sex scenes made me laugh more than anything else. So, while I appreciate that the author allowed for sex being sex, even if it involved no P-in-V (for obvious reasons), I didn’t find them erotic at all. And Skarr’s size was really inconsistent. It’s stated in the beginning that she came up to his hip. By the end of the book, you’d think he was something coming from Easter Island (but he still fits through doors and into transports).

All in all, while there were aspects that didn’t appeal to me, for the most part, this was a sweet, enjoyable read.

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Book Review: Cruel Shadows, by Harper A. Brooks

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I picked up a freebie copy of Harper A. Brooks‘ Cruel Shadows through Amazon.

cruel shadows coverI’m caught in the shadows…
…and the shadows want to play.

I thought I’d dreamed up the shadow realm and the place I called Dark Castle.

But it’s very real. And he’s still here.

My prince, my savior, my captor…

The monster in my bed.

But this time, he’s not alone.

I must escape, but first, my prince and his shadow men want me to fulfill their demands.

All of them.

The longer I stay, the harder it is to resist their dark promises, their insatiable hunger. Because, while these monsters’ smiles are cruel, their touches are the most delicious torture.

But they aren’t the only threat in this world. The darkness that wanted me before has found me again, and like my Shadow Prince, it’s ready to claim me as its own…forever.

my review

This was a pretty big “meh” for me. It held my attention for about half the book, and then it lost me to boredom. I only finished it to finish it. The writing is fine. There’s a little inconsistency to it, but it’s perfectly readable. The characters could be interesting if they weren’t just cardboard cut-outs. The world could be intriguing if it were actually developed. The plot might have been fun if it actually materialized before the ~85% mark.

Let me be clear here that I’m not actually complaining about the lack of plot. I know what kind of book I picked up. But, for a book this length, I needed something to make me care about the characters and all the sex they were having. I don’t even necessarily need to like them, but I need to care. And that’s where Cruel Shadows fails. I didn’t care. No one grabbed my attention. Nothing kept me interested. All in all, like I said, “Meh.” It’s a thing I read and will quickly forget.

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Book Review: Wilde City, by Evie Marceau

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I won a copy of Evie Marceau‘s Wilde City…on Instagram, I think.

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One job application turns into me falling for my wickedly hot *fae* boss…

When Willow answers a mysterious nanny ad, she’s shocked to learn the employer is the handsome and reclusive billionaire Severn Wilde—and even more surprised when he reveals himself to be a fae prince in disguise.

Willow never dreamed that the fae bedtime stories her mother told her as a child were real. Now, Severn grants Willow the fae sight, allowing her to see the hidden magical world of the Gifted Ones. But as wondrous as his realm is, rival fae courts, witches, and shifters make it fiercely dangerous. Willow and the children she’s been hired to care for are targeted by Severn’s Los Angeles-based rivals and their merciless leader, who will stop at nothing to strike Severn where it hurts most—those closest to him.

Swept up in a dangerous new world, Willow discovers that the greatest risk of all might be falling for her arrogant, cold, achingly handsome employer—the one person she can’t have.

Review (with spoilers)

I’m not going to go so far as to say this book is bad. The writing is perfectly fine. But I will say there’s absolutely nothing new or interesting here.

Young, innocent virgin is hired by hundreds-of-years-old, powerful paranormal. By virtue of (literally) nothing more than her ability to say no to him when no one else in his life can, he becomes enamored with her. And, despite never previously choosing love or a relationship, he does so for her. (Because she’s special.) Based on seemingly nothing but his beauty and toxicity, she falls in love with the walking red flag. She is then kidnapped by his enemy, who she also Wilde City coverfeels drawn to for reasons. There the book ends.

See, there’s nothing new, which makes it predictable. And since it was originally written for Vella, it is full of filler and thus far longer than need be, on top of it.

The interests of a reader who hasn’t read as widely in the genre might have been held more than mine. But I was just kind of bored by it. So, I’m calling this a ‘Meh.’

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