Tag Archives: romance

fate of perfection breene

Book Review: Fate of Perfection, by K.F. Breene

I borrowed a copy of K.F. Breene‘s Fate of Perfection through Amazon Prime Reading.

fate of perfection kf breene

In a corporate-controlled future where the ruling conglomerates genetically engineer their employees, Millicent Foster is the best of the best.

Physically perfect and exceptionally intelligent, Millicent is granted the uncommon privilege of breeding. But her daughter inherits more than superior genetics…little Marie has a rare ability that the world has never seen, and her conglomerate, Moxidone, will stop at nothing to have sole possession of the child.

Teamed with Ryker, the formidable master of security, Millicent must risk everything in a life-and-death struggle to tear her daughter away from the ruling force who wants to own them all. The odds are stacked against them, but Moxidone will learn that the pursuit of perfection comes at a perilous cost—and that love can’t be bought at any price.

my review

I enjoyed this. It’s pulpy sci-fi romance, so no one would call it great literature. But I still enjoyed it, even as I see flaws in it.

Ryker was an alpha a-hole, which I didn’t appreciate. But he also decided to protect ‘his family’ and went about doing just that, which I did appreciate. I also liked that for a lot of the book he, Millicent, and Marie are a family by virtue of a baby between them. That means they are a family unit because they decided so, not because of any romantic connection or a legally binding marriage, etc (that comes later and is a super weak—though not insignificant—part of the plot-line). Ryker and Millicent are two adults who decide to function as a pair because they have a child to protect. It ticked a lot of emotional boxes for me.

Trent’s sarcasm cracked me up and, though not all of Ryker and Millicent’s banter was a bullseye for me, I generally thought it amusing. The science was super hand-wavey, but the book didn’t really need much more. All in all, a winner. I’ll happily read another.

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Other Reviews:

https://lj-holmes.com/2017/01/23/review-fate-of-perfection/

Fate of Perfection (Finding Paradise #1) By: K.F. Breene

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Book Review: The Alpha’s Warlock, by Eliot Grayson

I saw The Alpha’s Warlock, by Eliot Grayson, recommended on Instagram. So, I borrowed an audio copy through Hoopla. It was narrated by Chris Chambers.
the alpha's warlock

Cursed, mated, and in for the fight of their lives….

Warlock Nate Hawthorne just wants a cup of coffee. Is that too much to ask? Apparently. Because instead of precious caffeine, all he gets is cursed by a pack of werewolves who want to use him for his magic. Now the only way to fix the damage is a mate bond to a grumpy and oh-so-sexy alpha in the rival pack, who happens to hate him. This is so not how he wanted to start his day.

Ian Armitage never intended to take Nate as his mate. The Hawthorne family can’t be trusted. Ian knows that better than anyone. The fact that he’s lusted after the way-too-gorgeous man for years? Totally irrelevant. Ian’s just doing what is necessary to protect his pack. This whole mating arrangement has nothing to do with love and never will. That’s his story and he’s sticking to it.

Nate and Ian will have to work together if they have any hope of staving off the pack’s enemies and averting disaster. That’s assuming they can stop arguing (and keep their hands off each other) long enough to save the day….

my review

This wasn’t very good.The idea underpinning it was fine and the writing seemed readable (though I had an audio copy, so that’s hard to judge), and the narrator did a good job. But the execution was simply lacking. The book felt like a second book, though I don’t think it is. The plot is far too focused and centered in a small room with two people and far too little on what is happening in general, such that whole swaths of the plot fell flat and there wasn’t any resulting tension (even in scenes where there should have been). The bickering between Nate and Ian didn’t feel like appreciable banter, but like two adolescents sniping at one another and I didn’t feel the love at all. I gathered that the author was trying to infer the two had had crushes on one another for a while, but you don’t feel it. All in all, this one was a flop for me.

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Other Reviews:

Review: The Alpha’s Warlock (Mismatched Mates #1) by Eliot Grayson

Review: The Alpha’s Warlock by Eliot Grayson

Book Review: The Alpha’s Warlock (Mismatched Mates Book 1) by Eliot Grayson [Audiobook]

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Book Review: Paladin’s Grace, by T. Kingfisher

I borrowed an audio copy of T. Kingfisher‘s Paladin’s Grace through Hoopla. It was narrated by Joel Richards.

paladin's Grace

Stephen’s god died on the longest day of the year…

Three years later, Stephen is a broken paladin, living only for the chance to be useful before he dies. But all that changes when he encounters a fugitive named Grace in an alley and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now the pair must navigate a web of treachery, beset on all sides by spies and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind…

my review

I was initially befuddled when I started listening to this book. Not because of anything the book did or didn’t do, but because I had confused which recommendation list I got the title from. I thought it was martial women defending not-fighter men. But that’s very clearly not the case since Stephen is a paladin and Grace a perfumer. Eventually I realized it was fantasy with older hero/heroines, and after that, the book and I got on like a house on fire.

I adored Stephen (38) and Grace (32, I think). They are both emotional basket cases trying to do their best in a world not ready for them. I liked that world a lot and the unvarnished, but sarcastic kindness of The Rats, and the side characters were all a joy in and of themselves.

The writing is marvelous and flatly funny in an often dry way. I have to compliment the narrator, Joel Richards, for bringing it to life in the audio version too. All in all, I went right back to Hoopla and rented another Kingfisher book because I’m a new fan.

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Other Reviews:

https://mousaibooks.com/2021/08/11/review-paladins-grace-by-t-kingfisher/

Review: Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher