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Book Review: Mates & Other Obstacles to Accidentally Saving The World, by Emma Eden

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I picked up an ecopy of Emma Eden‘s Mates and Other Obstacles to Accidentally Saving The World as an Amazon freebie, probably during a Stuff Your Kindle event.

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All I wanted for my birthday was a cake. Instead, I’m a snake… on a quest.

Yep, an honest-to-scales, snake. Did I mention I hate snakes?

Apparently not everyone does, because when my birthday explodes along with the bar, I’m stolen by a smoking hot shifter to his bear lair against my will.

I was supposed to be keeping a low, low profile before heading back to my secret human village. Instead I’m on a magical quest with Ward who claims we have a Fated Mates situation.

A what now?

I didn’t sign up for that. Or the uncontrollable shifting. Or his Goddess spritzing a rampaging shifter problem across the realm. Somehow I end up the only person who can find her relics because I maybe, accidentally, ate the first one. Though I don’t think they’re in the one bed we end up in. Which is probably a good thing since they don’t seem to fix my snake problem, they only make me stranger.

The quest wouldn’t be so bad if the whole continent wasn’t determined to separate my soul from my body. Even if I don’t trust him, sticking with Ward is the only chance I have to not be a snake and stop the realm from being torn apart by claws and fangs. What choice do I have? I’ll need to find a whole bucket of courage with some trust on the side to try out this mate thing and maybe save the Harrowlands.

my review

Meh, I mean, I’ve read worse, but this one just didn’t do it for me. It’s trying to be silly like Kimberly Lemming’s books, but it didn’t manage the balance. Yes, it’s meant to be funny and lighthearted, but it too often leaned into humor when plot or character development would have served the story better (not every time, but maybe some more of the time would have been nice). Plus, it went on far too long, considering how little variation there is in events, dialogue, or internal monologues. Frankly, the bottom line is that I’m sure this will be great for the right reader. I thought it was cute the way the characters supported one another, but I was ultimately bored with the whole thing.

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Book Review—Mates and Other Obstacles to Accidentally Saving the World by Emma Eden

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Audio Book Review: Reckless, by A.J. Merlin

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I received a free Audible code for A.J. Merlin‘s Reckless through FreeAudibleCodes. And, honestly, I probably owe the author an apology because I received the code when I was doing a ton of diamond paintings. But then I got accepted into graduate school and all of those opportunities evaporated. So, this book has been waiting in the wings for a while. But I’ve started walking now, which means time to listen again.

Maned wolf shifter Alek Sawyer is a pro at landing on her feet. From being dropped into foster care as a child, to tripping over her hopeless romantic tendencies as a teenager, she’s an omega with no need of an alpha or a pack. With a curvy figure and a mean right hook, she’s also not the omega that most alphas expect her to be.

But Hades, Roman, and Wilder aren’t ‘most alphas.’ When Alek is unexpectedly and irrevocably drawn to the exhibitionist panther, the quiet but firm coyote, and the secretive dire wolf, she can’t help but be reminded of the fairy tale romance she’s always wanted. But when things start heating up, she starts to realize her day dreams are drifting to some darker corners than she remembers. Corners with collars and cuffs and a strong dominating presence.

But her new romance isn’t all kinky games and bdsm parties. Her new alphas come with secrets of their own and lead lives that Alek has never considered for herself. At the end of the day, will their sudden and powerful connection be enough to keep them together?

Or will their pasts, or Alek’s own skeletons, force them apart?

my review

This is a great big “Meh” for me. And I cannot tell you how disappointed I am about that. Because the book has all of the elements to be a winner, but it just never quite manages it. It has the ingredients for interesting characters, but they remain shallow cardboard cutouts (the men especially). It has a lead-up for a strong romance, but the characters basically only come together for sex, so even that never appears. It has the structure for an interesting plot, but it never quite develops. The writing is mechanically fine, but never memorable. Same for the narration. Nothing is wrong with it (other than the alphas not sounding particularly alpha-like), but nothing stands out. The book almost says something noteworthy by being such a clear analogy with alpha/omega standing in for men/women in a patriarchal society, and how women are treated. But pulls back before actually saying it, such that it ends up just feeling like a cheap plot device rather than a meaningful comparison. There are so many almosts here. But ultimately that’s all.

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Other Reviews:

Reckless by A.J. Merlin – Book review

 

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Book Review: Kiss of Smoke, by Amy Pennza

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I purchased a copy of Amy Pennza‘s Kiss of Smoke from the TikTok shop.

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What was supposed to be a dream vacation just turned into a nightmare. It’s not every day you board a private jet for an all-expenses-paid trip to Scotland with your two gorgeous bosses. And it’s not every day you spot your fiancé kissing another woman across the terminal.

The man I was ready to marry has been cheating on me for a year. Dumped and humiliated, the best I can do is get on the plane and lick my wounds. Fortunately, my bosses are more than willing to help…and in more ways than I ever imagined.

But Lachlan and Alec can’t possibly be interested in me. They’re in love with each other…right? Scotland is cold this time of year, but these Scots are bringing the heat in ways I’m not sure I can handle.

And as they continue fanning the flames, it’s clear they’ve been hiding more than their attraction to me. Where there’s smoke there’s fire. Now I have to hope I don’t get burned.

my review

Oh, what a disappointment. I really wanted to love this, but I just didn’t. Some of the issues are first-book-in-a-series syndrome, setting the world, introducing the magic system, etc. However, it’s mainly that the book felt poorly balanced in two ways.

First, it’s about 85% sex, which is fine. Except that the author didn’t seem to recognize that it’s an erotic novel and kept trying to insert plot points. Unfortunately, they felt random and ill-supported, since it’s otherwise an erotic fantasy novel. The end result is that the book neither excelled in plot nor erotica, as it could have if it had chosen one or the other.

Second, this is a polyamorous relationship in which the two men are an established couple trying to find a female mate to bring into their bed. You feel this a lot. From start to finish, this was Lachlan and Alec, plus Chloe. At no point did I feel like she was equally as important in the relationship as the two of them. This comes out in the sex scenes, especially. There are a lot more of just the two of them than the three of them, and none with just her and one of them. They are a couple outside of her; she is not a couple with either of them outside of the other, and they never form a balanced trio, in my opinion.

Lastly, though not a matter of balance (and this is a spoiler), I really disliked the solution to the sticking point over her humanity. One of the men does not think a human is good enough to be a dragon mate. Meanwhile, she is experiencing significant issues with self-worth. Instead of writing a solution in which her self-confidence is improved and he comes to appreciate humans, kiss of smoke photothe author instead threw in a sudden and random “Oh, she’s not human after all,” which did nothing to solve the underlying problems.

All in all, this was a flop for me. I appreciate that some of the author’s random attempts as plot made obvious attempts to normalize some contentious real-world issues of contemporary America. But that wasn’t enough to save this for me. I was hoping for a new series to dive into. But I will be stopping here instead.

Other Reviews:

Review: Kiss of Smoke by Amy Pennza