Tag Archives: romance

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.

 

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Review of New Moon, by Megan J. Parker & Nathan Squiers (+ Giveaway)

I accepted a copy of New Moon for review. It was also featured on Sadie’s Spotlight.

New Moon
Megan J. Parker & Nathan Squiers
Urban Fantasy, Reverse Harem

 

A Crimson Shadow & Scarlet Night spinoff novel…

It’s hard to hide when the forbidden magic you wield is written on your skin…

Skin witch” Mikkie Locke has spent her life running; running from her past, running from hunters, and running from a destiny she doesn’t want. And when you’re a Taroe working in an “in plain sight” magic shop, that’s easier said than done. Every day she’s away from the protection of her tribe is a day she’s risking death. The enchanted tattoos that cover her body are a constant reminder of who and what she is are a beacon to her enemies that scream “KILL ME!” to those who hunt her and other nonhumans; other creatures of the mythos community.

And the danger has just become more severe.

A new group of anti-mythos hunters have come to town, and she knows that the time has come once again to run. But Mikkie is tired of running, and between her anger, her assets, and the small team of four strong, sexy men who have her back, she’s beginning to think she might have a chance.

But in an ever-changing world, this breed of hunter has decided to make changes of their own. The stage is set for a war, and there’s more on the line than their lives…

**Only .99 cents until Nov 3rd!**

Megan J. Parker lives in upstate New York and is normally found lounging in the writing office with her husband and fellow author, Nathan Squiers.

Since the debut of her first novel, Scarlet Night, Megan J. Parker has gained international recognition and has been a bestseller in paranormal romance and dark fantasy. Her first novel, Scarlet Night, also was a runner up for 2013’s Best New Series Award on the blog, Paranormal Craving. In 2016, she became a USA Today bestselling author and since then, has been on the list three times.

In her down time, she likes reading and designing new logos and videos. Her passion for telling stories is portrayed in all her work and when there’s a story to tell, you can be sure she’ll tell it to its full extent. She is finally fulfilling her dream of owning a design company along with her literary career at EmCat Designs.

Nathan Squiers, along with his loving wife & fellow author, Megan J. Parker, two incredibly demanding demons wearing cat-suits, and a pair of “fur baby” huskies, is a resident of Upstate New York. When he isn’t dividing his time between writing or “nerding out” over comics, anime, or movie marathons, he’s chasing dreams of amateur body building. If he can’t be found in a movie theater, comic shop, or gym, chances are “the itch” has driven him into the chair at a piercing/tattoo shop… or he’s been “kidnapped” by loving family or friends and forced to engage in an alien task called “fun.”

Ok, I have an admission before I get into this review. I did not know that this is a spinoff novel when I accepted it to read. But having read it, I don’t believe that it IS a spinoff. I believe it is part of a series, probably Behind the Veil if I had to guess. This book, in my opinion, does not stand on its own. It’s readable; I read it. But up until the VERY end, references are made to past events, comments are made that make little sense without the history, characters the reader has no attachment to come and go because they’re from past books. Being readable isn’t really enough when you’re reminded on every other page that you’re missing something important.

It’s such a shame that I had a deadline to review this book too. Because (after I got done raging at having unknowingly picked up what is, IMO, probably book 5 in a series) I quickly decided I liked the writing style and the authors’ obvious sense of humor. I would have otherwise set it aside to start at the beginning of the series. (I even have books one and three; though I have no idea why only those two.)

Once you get past the first ~8-10% and into the meat of the plot, you find a very sweet story, with characters you really just can’t help but like. Yes, there’s too much exposition and the plot remains quite shallow. But there’s an interesting discourse on what is a relationship and what qualifies as love. Plus, finding a polyamorous relationship in an M/F PNR is nice too. It calls itself a “reverse harem,” which is kind of a fad right now. But somehow, though the exact definition of RH is hazy for me, it feels more honest to call Mikki and ‘her boys” relationship polyamorous than a reverse harem. But I understand branding, so whatever.

I read an Advanced Readers Copy, which are usually pre-final edits, so, I can’t speak to editing. But all in all, as I said, I have some of the previous books and I plan to move them up the TBR and read them soon than later, which really tells you everything you need to know. I had complaints, but I want more.

Follow the tour dates HERE for further special content!

 

$25 Amazon gift card & hardcover copy of NOIR (book one of the Crimson Shadow series) & paperback of Scarlet Night
OR
$25 Amazon gift card & e-copies for both books if international winner


 

 

The Rules of Enchantment

Book Review of The Rules of Enchantment, by Wendy Tardieu

I accepted a copy of The Rules of Enchantment, by Wendy Tardieu, for review.

Description from Goodreads:

When a Sorcerer and a Scribe Team Up to Fulfill an Ancient Prophecy, The Fate of The World Lies in Their Hands

In the mythical kingdom of Salyndria, an exiled sorcerer named Leith plots to overthrow the restrictions placed on the use of magic by the Academy. Suspecting the worst, the Academy sends a beautiful young scribe, Kyler, to be his apprentice and act as an unwitting spy.

Leith tries to drive her away by proving his reputation as a vicious and unforgiving master, but he soon discovers his new pupil is far more useful than she appears. As her charms and magical abilities become all too tempting for him to resist, the two join forces to fulfill a hidden prophecy that will grant them incredible power.

Together, the sorcerer and the scribe will change Salyndria’s history forever.

Review:

I am utterly confounded by this book. Not because it’s bad, but because it goes to such lengths to declare itself something it’s not. At its core, it’s a student/teacher romance. So, if that’s your thing you’ll probably love it. But for me, my confusion started before even page one, with the cover.

For a book with “erotic fantasy adventure” on its cover, there is remarkably little eroticism in it. There isn’t even so much as a kiss until 60 pages into a 142-page book. And when it shows up, it’s totally abrupt and feels out of nowhere since there hadn’t even been any sexual tension up until that point. Nada-none. What’s more, it felt like he creepily lept on her the moment she showed weakness.

Then, there’s no more until 20 pages later. And though she’s the instigator, it’s again in a moment of weakness and felt like him taking advantage. Annnd the next time she’s asleep when he starts. She wakes up to him panting and “prying” under her robe. (There’s only one more sex scene after that, but I’m pleased to say it’s not creepy.) None of these scenes are explicit or frequent enough for me to consider the book erotic. It’s not even as titillating as a standard romance novel.

I don’t usually chronicle every episode. But I’m trying to make two points, that almost every single sexual encounter seems to be icky and problematic in a way that compromises its appeal for me, and that the book does not earn it’s “erotic” stripes.

And honestly, there isn’t really much adventure in this supposed “erotic fantasy adventure” either. And what very little there is, the heroine doesn’t much participate in. (The book is definitely a prime example of a book with a female main character that is overshadowed by the male characters.) So, considering the book doesn’t live up to either claim of erotica or adventure, I can’t begin to imagine why someone would put it on the cover. It leads the reader to false expectations and then disappointment. The book stands fine as what it is. So, why claim it’s something it’s not?

The book also is guilty of one of my biggest pet peeves, something I seriously consider DNFing books over. The heroine is 21-years-old. She’s basically whored out, though she isn’t told she’s being sent as a honeypot. And she is repeatedly referred to as a young girl. (Her personality is even described as child-like.) A woman being sent into a sexual situation in a (supposedly) erotic novel should never be referred to as a young girl. She isn’t 6-years-old. She especially shouldn’t be referred to as a girl in the sex scenes. She’s an adult.

What’s more and making it worse, it’s not like the hero is sooo old. He’s 30; not that much older than her. But he is presented as fully mature and adult. I don’t know what twist of modern toxic culture makes authors equate female childhood and sexy, but I hate it more than I can express. It’s not even that I’m particularly prudish. I just super hate seeing women infantilized, especially during sex. Let women BE women for god’s sake!

Outside of the cover giving me a false expectation and my one BIG pet peeve, the book is pretty good. The writing is sharp and well-edited. There’s an interesting world and it concludes nicely. I’d give Tardieu another shot.