Tag Archives: romance

Dragon Consultant Banner

Book Review: Dragon Consultant, by Mell Eight

Last month, I won a $10 gift card from Nine Star Press. I chose to buy the first few books in Mell Eight‘s Supernatural Consultant series. I started with Dragon Consultant.

 

The FAA has been struggling with dragons attacking their planes, and hire Dane, a supernatural consultant, to look into the matter. What Dane finds in the woods is not quite the problem he expected: a group of dragon kits and their sick father.

When he learns the real reason the family was in the woods, his case only grows more dangerous, and while Dane is plenty experienced at watching his own back, taking care of baby dragons and their handsome, distracting father almost makes danger look easy

 

This was very sweet, however, it’s also very shallow with very little in terms of world-building or character and relationship development. The first time one of the characters mentioned wanting the other romantically and thinking perhaps the sentiment was returned, I literally looked around and said, “where did that come from?” They’d barely even spoken. The same is true for characterization. There basically isn’t any. Why does Mercury seem immune to the territorial urges of the rest of the dragons? How is Dane what he is (redacted to avoid a spoiler)? I don’t know, and I don’t know a lot more than I do, even having finished the book.

The kits are adorable and the characters are likable. Plus, I really appreciate that there is very little angst. Both characters say what they mean and the author doesn’t force them to be oblivious to the obvious to drag out the plot. I have the rest of the series, and I’ll finish it, but this was only a middle-of-the-road read for me.

alien captive banner

Book Review of Alien Captive, by Lee Savino & Golden Angel

I picked up a copy of Lee Savino and Golden Angel’s Alien Captive from Amazon, I think on a free day.

Who knew reading sexy alien abduction stories could get a girl into trouble?

Or that an e-reader could also be the gateway to another galaxy? I definitely didn’t… but here I am anyway, mated to the Tsenturion High Commander just like the unwilling human heroines in my favorite sci-fi romances.

The Commander demands obedience. He intends to claim me, train me, and turn me into his perfect little pleasure trophy.

He doesn’t believe in love. I don’t believe in giving in without a fight.

There’s no amount of discipline or ecstasy that could break me to his will… I hope.

Alien Captive is a hot alien abduction romance, starring one feisty human and the Tsenturion Warrior strong enough to master her.

Utterly ridiculous, but not taking itself too seriously either. Meta enough to make it interesting, as Dawn is well aware that her predicament is predicated on her favorite fictional erotic books (which are just like this one), but that fantasies aren’t necessarily what one wants in reality.

Unfortunately, the book lacks in connection. Several of the important conversations that need to be had either aren’t had or are had with the wrong person. Essentially, Dawn and Gavrill may speak to others, but when together they’re entirely inside their own heads. They don’t have conversations, they just fuck. I couldn’t feel their love grow in the slightest. Further, all that sex got boring. It’s not just that there’s so much of it (I would expect that in an erotic novel). It’s that it’s all basically the same and eventually it felt redundant. Lastly, Dawn’s ‘misunderstanding’ felt forced and artificial. It’s been done better a thousand times before.

The writing is pretty sound though. And I feel like the authors tried to grapple with the fact that the ‘brides’ will be enslaved, even if that word isn’t ever used The reader is supposed to understand they love their situations. I never could quite make the leap, personally. I also thought some of the BDSM tropes felt shoehorned into the plot, honestly.

All in all, not great. But not a horrible version of what it is either.

dark king

Book Review of Dark King, by C. N. Crawford

I picked up a copy of C.N. Crawford‘s Dark King (Court of the Sea Fae, #1) when it was listed as a freebie on Amazon, mostly based on the cover alone.

A snarky fae, a sexy king, and forbidden desire deep as the sea.

Once, I was a fae princess with sea-magic at my fingertips. Now? I’m a hunted supernatural in a squalid shop, stripped of my power. My only comforts are stale cookies, Elvis records, and my hula-hoop. Until a lethally sexy fae king arrives and rips even those away.

After the brutal king throws me in prison, I strike a bargain with him: my freedom in exchange for helping him find a magic blade. What Lyr doesn’t know is that the blade might restore my stolen magic.

But as we journey, the gorgeous jerk is starting to make me feel things I’ve never felt. When Lyr touches me, desire ignites. I see raging passion in his eyes, too. If I give in, I risk losing my chance at reclaiming my power. Even worse… I could be forfeiting my life.

I was surprisingly amused by this. Yes, it’s not particularly deep and a little cliched in the “protector of abused women” department. But I also liked Aenor’s snarkiness and refusal to do as told. And Lyr was plenty sexy for a fae king, if a little cardboard. I had a hard time suspending my disbelief that a whole kingdom just up and believed an implausible lie for over a century and a half and no one ever mentioned it to Aenor. Seems exceedingly unlikely. But it didn’t ruin my enjoyment any. I thought the brothers were funny, but a little over the top. All in all, a book that’s not topping my favorites list but that kept me entertained enough that I’d be happy to read more.