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Wolf Hunted (Bound to The Shadow King 2)by Felicity Heaton-review

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Wolf Hunted (Bound to The Shadow King 2)by Felicity Heaton-dual review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 17, 2026

My fated mate will die by my fangs.

I went back for my pack—for vengeance against the mate who rejected me, and for the family I may have already lost.

But some bonds refuse to be broken.

The unseelie king I left behind still haunts my blood and my thoughts, and when we’re pulled back together, he makes one thing devastatingly clear: I am not facing the coming storm alone.

Kaeleron is shadow and steel, ruling his court with ruthless grace—yet with me, he is something else entirely: fiercely protective, dangerously tender, and willing to burn worlds to keep me safe.

But as tensions rise and I’m drawn deeper into his world, I’m forced to confront what power truly costs—and how easily love becomes a weapon.

Loving Kaeleron means standing at the edge of a blade forged long before either of us had a choice.

Because the fae do nothing without blood, bargains, or betrayal.

And the closer I come to claiming it, the clearer it becomes that vengeance will demand more than I’m prepared to give.

This time, it isn’t just my freedom at stake.

It’s my heart.

His crown.

And a truth that could tear the realms apart.

••••••

Sandy’s Review

WOLF HUNTED is the second instalment in Felicity Heaton’s adult BOUND TO THE SHADOW KING erotic, paranormal, fantasy trilogy focusing on wolf shifter Saphira, and unseelie King Kaeleron. WOLF HUNTED should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up after the cliff hanger and events of book one WOLF CAGED.

SOME BACKGROUND : Weeks earlier, Saphira was preparing to marry her fated mate but said fated mate had other plans. Saphira was sold to the highest bidder, bought by unseelie King Kaeleron who promised a life without cages or betrayal. Having fallen in love, our couple must work together in an effort to save the wolves held captive and tortured by the wolf now in charge.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Kael and Saphira) WOLF HUNTED picks up after the events of WOLF CAGED wherein Saphira, with the unexpected arrival and help of fellow wolf shifter Morden,journies towards the pack she left behind but all is not as it appears to be, betrayal with come at the cost of family and friendships, as Saphira and Kael struggle to stay one step ahead of the people working to take them down.

The world building is detailed as Saphira, Morden and Kael travel towards their final outcome but arriving at her former home, devastation and destruction will greet the trio as they must come to terms with what happened and why.

The relationship between Kael and Saphira is one of building love but struggles with issues of trust. Kaeleron is keeping a secret that could destroy Saphia’s heart, a heart that has already suffered with too many losses and betrayal. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

Once again, there is a large ensemble cast of energetic and magical secondary and supporting characters including Seelie, Unseelie, Demons, elves, dragon, vampires, wraith, lich, minotaurs, and wolf shifters. We are introduced to Kael’s spymaster Demon Malachi, vampire Riordan, and Kael’s sister Jenavyr, Oberon, and Saphira’s wolf shifter friends Everlee and Morden. The requisite evil has many faces.

WOLF HUNTED is a story of betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, power and control, obsession and madness,loss and grief, mistrust and heart break, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is detailed and intriguing; the romance is impassioned; the characters are determined and dynamic. WOLF HUNTED ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Julie’s Review 🦋

Quick Recap …. Wolf Caged launches the trilogy with a gripping blend of betrayal, captivity, forbidden attraction, and high stakes romantasy tension. (Hooked yet? 😉)

The story centers on Saphira, a fierce wolf shifter raised with one clear destiny, to mate with the alpha of the rival pack (her fated mate and someone she loved) to secure lasting peace between their packs. On the night they’re meant to seal the bond and solidify that alliance, everything shatters. Her supposed fated mate rejects their bond, betrays her trust, and sells her at a black market auction to the highest bidder. (I sobbed and cried through that scene!)

That buyer is Kaeleron (Kael), the ruthless, cold, and brutally beautiful Unseelie king of the Shadow Court. He purchases Saphira, bringing her into his dark, opulent world as his prisoner, kept in a gilded cage within the fae realms.

What begins as pure enmity and captivity slowly shifts.

The plot weaves personal vengeance, pack politics bleeding into fae realms, and an evolving bond that neither can ignore, setting up the unbreakable pull that carries into Wolf Hunted.

And now onto book two…

Wolf Hunted (Bound to the Shadow King Book 2) by Felicity Heaton picks up the intense, addictive momentum from the first book and cranks it up several notches. 🔥

If you devoured Wolf Caged (and I did 😉), the sequel delivered exactly what i craved….. deeper enemies to lovers tension, scorching chemistry, high stakes fae politics, and that irresistible “touch her and die” 💀 protective vibe from a morally grey shadow king. (Be still my beating heart 😝)

The story follows Saphira, our fierce wolf shifter FMC, as she returns to her pack driven by vengeance against the mate who rejected her and the threats to her family. And let me tell you, I’m there for that beat down (he’s a total dirtbag!)

But the bond with Kaeleron, (our the ruthless Unseelie king) pulls her back into his shadowy world. And what starts as a reluctant alliance evolves into something far more dangerous! There is a fierce protectiveness, and a love that could cost them everything. I’m telling you, I couldn’t put this book down!

The dual POV works, letting us see Kaeleron’s steel exterior crack just enough to reveal the tender, world burning devotion underneath, while Saphira grapples with her own anger, and the price of claiming what’s hers.

We have fantasy elements (modern world meets fae realms) with classic romantasy tropes…. rejected mates angst, forced proximity, mating heat, and betrayal laden bargains. Oh we got most things thrown at us 😝

The pacing is relentless, the book hooks you immediately and doesn’t let go, making it a one sitting read. (Thank goodness it was a day off, otherwise it would have meant a sick day 😜)

The banter crackles, the steam is toe curling without overshadowing the plot, and the emotional stakes feel real, Saphira’s refusal to break and Kaeleron’s quiet tenderness amid his darkness create a compelling Beauty and the Beast dynamic with extra bite. (Yes please)

Saphira as an unyielding layered heroine, she wants her family safe, her mate cast into the same cage she was, and maybe a certain fae who drives her mad with his need to keep his “little wolf” safe.

And Kaeleron, he is just pure devastation in the best way. Starting out as a cold/manipulative/unfeeling alphahole, growing into someone not so unfeeling and cold.

While Wolf Hunted builds a lot of the world in book 1 (so it’s best read in order), this book adds to the realm, with its escalating tension, world building depth, and a cliffhangerish tease that promises more.

There are characters from book one that are still here in book two, there are also a few new faces. 🤐

If you’re into addictive, romantasy with heart pounding danger, obsession, and a slow burn that explodes into passion, this one will not disappoint.

I was hooked on the fae drama, rejected mate tropes, and protective anti heroes who’ll burn worlds for their mate. There is so much going on within this book, back stabbing, double dealings, and

And I’m now ready for book 3!

Felicity Heaton is a New York Times and USA Today international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books, she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons! If you’re a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.

If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Eternal Mates series.

If you want to know more about Felicity, or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:

WEBSITE|BLOG| FACEBOOK| TWITTER| GOODREADS| INSTAGRAM

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Her Wicked Highwayman by Lauren Smith -a Review

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Her Wicked Highwayman by Lauren Smith -a Review

 

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Description:
Rafe Lennox:

Notorious highwayman…

Infamous rake…

Adopter of orphans…

If there’s one thing about Rafe Lennox that the women of London know…it’s that his heart cannot be tamed, except perhaps by the little Scottish orphan he has claimed as a daughter. That doesn’t stop every eligible woman in London from trying to convince the outrageous flirt to put a ring on their finger after they tumble into his bed.

But Rafe has never been tempted by love to marry, until he robs a coach one night and he steals a necklace from a brave and beautiful woman. Rafe wants nothing more than to seduce the young lady into his bed, but another highwayman is encroaching on his territory, robbing the rich before he can get to them, and until he can stop this his competitor he has no time to woo. When he discovers the other thief is a woman…the infamous rogue’s heart is stolen forever. 

Has the black sheep of the Lennox family finally met his match and perhaps his end?

 

 

Review 

Her Wicked Highwayman by Lauren Smith is the 19th book in her wonderful The League of Rogues series.

Notorious Highway man, rake and womaniser, Rafe Lennox is all that and more, but what most people don’t know is that he adopted a young girl and calls her “daughter”.  He’s sworn never to love or marry…..

But all that changes when he holds a coach up and meets Diana, young, brave and beautiful. He’s instantly smitten and has plans to woo this young creature. But there is a fly in the ointment! Another highwayman is also robbing stage coaches! Does he ignore this fact, or does he plan to uncover this new rival and set him up to take the fall in both his and this new highwayman’s misdeeds? 

What happens when he uncovers the mystery man’s identity and finds out it’s a woman?! (Sort of guessed that one almost immediately 😉) 

Diana is now mistress of the manor, but it’s failing fast! She needs an income before the creditors come and take it away from her. Marriage is an option, but Diana wants to marry for love and that doesn’t look like it, so another avenue needs to be found and fast! 

This one has been my favourite in the series so far. We’ve met Rafe throughout the series, and I was thrilled to finally read his story. And for a few questions to be finally answered. Their first meeting might have been by chance, but Rafe wants to know more, and will do anything to make that happen….

The main characters are really likeable. And i absolutely loved how they found one another. Both have sad pasts, and that is yet another connection between the characters. Additional characters (especially Rafe’s daughter Isla, who was absolutely adorable) are never added for filler sake. And catching up with his brother and sister was a nice surprise (Ashton “Wicked Rivals” book 4 in the series, and Joanna’s book “Never Kiss a Scot” is book 10) 

And the villain of our story? Well, you’ll need to read the book in order to find out. 

Heartwarming and sad at the same time, angst filled and with loads of adventure, (all the things I’ve come to expect and love about this author). You’ll be rooting for the highwayman and booing at the “supposedly” good guy 😉 

I’m hoping Rafe’s friends will get books soon 🤞

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommended this book and the whole series (which you can dip in and out of, no need to really read in order.) 

🦋 Julie 

 

 

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The Shadows Rule All by Abigail Owen – a Review

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The Shadows Rule All by Abigail Owen – a Review

 

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Description:
King Eidolon has taken everything.

My throne, my Shadowraith, and even my kingdom. I am a queen with no one to rule, and a tattered army that’s not even mine. And hope is fading fast.

Now the shadows who once tormented Reven live within me, hissing and wheedling—and enticing me to betray my friends. Which could be deadly for us all. Because without the wraith I fell for, without Reven, I am all shadows…and no light.

And the Alignment is almost upon us—the culmination of centuries that have fueled a vengeful king’s festering rage.

We’re outnumbered. We’re underpowered. And even if we could unleash the trapped goddesses, they could destroy the kingdom and everything in it.

 

 

Review:

The Shadows Rule All by Abigail Owen is the final book in her Dominions series. Oh my…. Final book in this trilogy, and I’m going to miss it 😞 

I loved reading the storylines, watching Meren grow into a real kicka$$ character. Faced with challenge after challenge, she never gave up, although it did come close a few times!! 

This book picks up from book two. Can you read this one without reading the first two? You could, but I think you’d be missing out on two fantastic books, and there is information that I felt pertinent to the story (but that’s just my opinion.) 

So many characters have come and gone in this trilogy, some I’ve cried over, some I shrugged and moved on…. But all were integral to the story, one was a filler, everyone had their role to play. 

Meren and Reven have become one of my favourite couples. Their relationship hasn’t been easy, they’ve fought one another and against this world to be together. And in this book, it’s still no easy task! 

Eidolon is still a force to be reckoned with! Although on the ropes, I still wouldn’t count him out just yet! (And I did feel a little sad for him in the prologue 🤫) 

The action is nonstop, the pictures in my head were painted so clearly due to the details given by this author. She creates a world you just want to live in, sights and sounds play like a movie in my head. (In fact at some point I’m going to grab the audios.)

Betrayal/suspense/mystery and battles will have you hard pressed to put this book down until the last page! Friends can’t always be trusted! Allies can turn against you, and even family needs to be watched! 

There are lots of loose ends that need tying up. There are moments that need to be explained. And there are still loved ones to be rescued! And the author does all that and more! 

I don’t want to give too much away, but be prepared for 🤧 and 😱 moments. I’d also say that this book is a little darker than the previous two, there is a warning at the beginning of the book. 

I really enjoyed reading this book. I highly recommend it and the previous two. It’s definitely an adventure I’ll be revisiting at some point. 

Reviewed by Julie 

Copy supplied by Author

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Stranded by Lauren Smith – a Review

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Stranded by Lauren Smith – a Review

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This is an anthology with a number of authors.  But Stranded by Lauren Smith is the only book we are reviewing.

Songs of the Deep (book 2) anthology
Travel back beneath the waves with those who lost their lives beneath them. Saved by Posideon himself, these merpeople are more than they appear. The tides welcome you back for tales of revenge, love, and more.

Songs of the Deep Anthology – volume 2 brings tales from talented authors:
D.C. Gomez
MK Mancos
JC Brown & Lena Lane
Brigit Rosé
Nicole Zoltak
Lexi Ostrow
Whitney Gayle
Feral Thorne
Casia Pickering
Lauren Smith (Stranded)
Destinee Nagel
Laura Hawks
Laura Greenwood
Marie Catherine Regalado

 

Stranded Review:

Stranded by Lauren Smith is a novella, which is part of the Songs of the Deep Volume 2 Anthology.  Hudson doesn’t believe in mermaids. But he knows something took his parents from him on a dark and stormy night. And his uncle that was on the same boat was found muttering about something, and he doesn’t ever go on the water! And on stormy nights, his uncle hides in his home! 

And that’s where we find Hudson, on a boat in the middle of a storm! He’s sure he can hear his name being called…. He’s also very certain he’s seen something in the water! But nothing prepares him for finding a mermaid on his boat! A freaking mermaid! But she’s hurt! And Hudson’s instincts are to help, he’ll sort the rest out later…..

Talia was once human. Falling overboard one night at a boat party, she’s given the option of drowning! or becoming a mermaid! Living with her pod (group of merpeople) she’s happy, but she also longs to walk along the shore and return to being human…. 

It’s also instant attraction for Hudson, he’s totally besotted with his little mermaid. For Talia it started out as a vow to watch over him, slowly it turned into something else….

So how will a mermaid and human ever be together? 

This is a really short story, and I’d love the author to continue the story into a series (so much potential) it’s also in an anthology based on the sea. I haven’t read any of the other authors, but I’ve added it to my TBR list (I’ll return at some point.) 

It’s based really loosely on the little mermaid fairytale. 

I throughly enjoyed it, and I’m left wanting more (but in a good way 😉) 

🦋 Julie 

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Tangled Up with the Highlander by Julie Johnstone-review

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Tangled Up with the Highlander (Return of the Highlanders Book 2) by Julie Johnstone

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 30, 2024

He thought he would never love again… Then he fell for the lass he must give up to save his clan.

Desperate to keep his children and clan from starving, Laird Alasdair MacLachlan joins the ranks of mercenaries searching for the missing lass of a powerful clan. The mission seems simple—find the lass, return her to her family, and claim the hefty reward. But when fate throws bow and arrow wielding Sorcha MacGregor in his path, he’s about to discover how complicated one mule-headed, beguiling beauty can make things. For a man who has lost and loved and has no interest in doing either ever again, he’s confounded by the desire the opinionated woman awakens in him, and he’s shocked to discover his heart might not be permanently frozen after all. But his duty to his family and clan must come before all else, and that means sticking to the plan. Or is that just an excuse to avoid burying his painful past and taking a risk on a new future? One thing is certain—if he doesn’t figure it out soon, Sorcha will be lost to him forever.

Life has taught Sorcha MacGregor that only a harebrained fool would wish to wed and become a man’s chattel to control. So when she’s kidnapped by a Highlander who intends to deliver her like a trussed pig to a family she’s never known, she instantly decides he’s a selfish barbarian like all other men. Her opinion becomes harder to maintain, though, when the devilishly handsome warrior risks his life for hers. Still, she has no intention of lowering her well-placed guard and making herself vulnerable. But with each act of kindness Alasdair shows her, every moving interaction between him and his children, and the simmering way he looks at her, not to mention the toe-curling kisses, she comes to see the gentle, brokenhearted man behind the hardened exterior, and she does the one thing she swore she’d never do: falls in love. When the time comes for Alasdair to make the ultimate sacrifice for her, for love, will he prove he’s really the man of her dreams or just a fantasy that is too good to be true?

••••••••

REVIEW: Although second book in the series, and a slight continuation from book one, this book can be read without reading the first one.

With this author you can be assured of a great story. Set in beautifully written backdrops, this historical romance will have you on the edge of your seat with the drama/suspense and romance.

Widower Laird Alasdair MacLachlan is at his wits end! His clan is starving! He sees no other option than to join a band of mercenaries ordered to find a missing woman of another clan. The reward will feed his clan. Sorcha is sick and tired of her life! Her mother 💀 leaving her and her sister to a father who likes to drink and use his fists! Entering a competition will ensure both her future and her sister a dowry to marry the man she loves.

The thing I love the most about this author’s storytelling is her attention to detail. The sights and sounds of the highland can transport you there. Both Alistair and Sorcha have no intentions of marrying, his heart is hardened after losing his wife to childbirth, and she has seen what marriage can do to a woman. But as they spend more and more time together, it brings the best out in both of them, they also see a side to one another that makes them stop and think!

So will Alistair do the right thing? Will he hand over the woman who has made him see the good around him? To become a better father to his own children. Or will he take this opportunity of happiness?

Click HERE for Julie’s review of book one SECRETS OF A HIGHLANDER’S HEART

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Julie B 🦋

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Author Julie Johnstone first fell in love with romance fifteen years ago when she picked up her first romance novel in an airport gift shop on the way to Conroe, Texas for a family reunion and spent her whole weekend reading rather than water skiing, which up until then was one of her favorite things to do.

Julie is staying up way too late and typing furiously on her keyboard to finish her next book or blog with her fellow authors at Ladyscribes. Julie is married to an amazing lawyer and when she is not running her two precocious children to one activity or another she is trying to seek out some time to stay in shape and see her dearest friends.

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The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen – a Review

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The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen – a Review

 

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Description:

The gods love to play with us mere mortals. And every hundred years, we let them…

I have never been favored by the gods. Far from it, thanks to Zeus.

Living as a cursed office clerk for the Order of Thieves, I just keep my head down and hope the capricious beings who rule from Olympus won’t notice me. Not an easy feat, given San Francisco is Zeus’ patron city, but I make do. I survive. Until the night I tangle with a different god.

The worst god. Hades.

For the first time ever, the ruthless, mercurial King of the Underworld has entered the Crucible–the deadly contest the gods hold to determine a new ruler to sit on the throne of Olympus. But instead of fighting their own battles, the gods name mortals to compete in their stead.

So why in the Underworld did Hades choose me–a sarcastic nobody with a curse on her shoulders–as his champion? And why does my heart trip every time he says I’m his?

I don’t know if I’m a pawn, bait, or something else entirely to this dangerously tempting god. 

How can I, when he has more secrets than stars in the sky?

Because Hades is playing by his own rules…and Death will win at any cost.

 

 

Review :

The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen is the 1st book in her new Crucible series. Can’t tell you how much I was looking forward to reading this book. It’s from one of my favourite authors, and it’s a brand new (no spin off or rerelease) series. I love her Dominion series (that’s a YA read) and adore her Fire’s Edge and Inferno Series (Paranormal/shifter series).

But this book, has them beaten, this has the makings of an awesome series (well I hope it’s a new series, but I’ll take a trilogy/duet/or whatever the author throws my way) 

Myth with a modern day twist, can sometimes come off a stilled or weird! But not this author, she knows how to play the story out, give you just enough information without overload or boring page fillers! 

Characters are finished off to a tee. They jump off the page and into your heart. I read (no, inhaled the book) then sat and read it again, noting all the details that I might have missed. If a movie (true to the book) ever came out, then I’d be first in the queue. 

Details about the world had me clearly visualising it. You could almost smell and hear the story pan out with such great descriptions. 

Gods can be cruel and fickle beings, playing with mortals like dolls. Messing around with their lives, meddling and then watching with fascination. The Crucible is a game held every one hundred years , and the gods get to pick a mortal to be their champion. The mortal gets a prize, (and it’s an amazing prize 🤐) but the winning god gets to rule Olympus! So the gloves come off, cheating/rule breaking/ bending the rules, all in the name of winning!

I loved the games aspect of the story. (No Percy Jackson or Harry Potter challenges I’m afraid, it’s way better than that.) The champions have to do trials set by the gods, and they aren’t easy. The champions can 💀 and some do 😱 it is a little harrowing in places…. But the excitement and anticipation had me on the edge of my kindle 😜 

This isn’t a retelling of Hades and Persephone (which at first I wasn’t too keen on, theirs is a story I love reading) but of Hades and Lyra. Persephone is in here, along with many familiar gods, but we mix them up a little. (Which kept it fresh.) 

Morally grey hero/villain/or just misunderstood? Hades is the god of the Underworld, no surprise there. He’s devious, he’s cold, unfeeling and a total bast@rd!! Lyra maybe his champion, but to him (at first) she’s just a pawn, a tool to get him his prize…. The crown and throne of Olympus! He needs her to stay alive, so his investment of her training is just that, well that’s how it starts 😉

The main female character Lyra, took me a little while to warm up too. She’s a thief, but she doesn’t actively steal, she’s more of a watcher (she watches and helps the Den she comes from to navigate and avoid detection) The character came across too wishy washy, but with most of the author’s characters, they grow, they adapt, and they become one of your favourites. 

And what exactly happened to make Zeus curse her? 🤫 

The story is told by Lyra (which had me missing what Hades thought of his little star) and in one way it makes it a little one sided. (My opinion)  

A slow burn romance has to balance the chemistry with the eventual moment taking place… The sparks, the banter and the pure chemistry these two had, made me a little giddy! I giggled like a schoolgirl, I blushed and I had a nervous cough when things got heated. (Well that’s my fault for reading it on the train 😜) 

Additional characters are many!! Too many some would say. I would love a glossary maybe of the characters, but that’s my wish 😉 but none of them seem superfluous, even the champions of the gods. So as numerous as there are, they all seem to fit into the book. 

So why would Hades pick a regular mortal to be his “champion”? He’s got his pick of anyone! 

Cliffhanger warning for anyone who thought it was going to be easy 😝 a one and done read. Oh no! It’s not going to be that easy. There is also twists, turns, treachery, and betrayal! This isn’t a short read, at over 500 pages long, you’d think it would get bogged down. It doesn’t, the pages seemed to fly by, and I was wishing for more pages! 😆 I’m now hoping the next book is soon (though probably not 😔) 

Would I recommend this? In a heartbeat … open this new world … you won’t be sorry 😍

Reviewed by Julie

Copy supplied for review.

 

 

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The First Herald by Carol T. Luna – a Review

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The First Herald by Carol T. Luna – a Review

Amazon

 

Description:
What price would you pay to protect your country?

When his city burned around him, Zacharias Eld swore on his life it would never happen again. Sworn in as the First Herald, there is no camera he cannot access, no idle chatter he cannot hear.

No secrets he cannot unearth.

But a break-in at a lab reveals the hole in the network he spent seven years to build. Worse, the evidence is contaminated, the suspects missing, and the innocent refuse to speak. Zach soon finds himself in a world he thought he had purged years ago, festering in the shadows he once scoured.

As the layers of the conspiracy peel back, so too, does the safety of Zach those around him. Either Zach finds the culprit or he will witness the fall of the city he’d spent his life to protect.

 

 

Review:

The First Herald: A Project Blue Novel by Carol T. Luna. This is a Spin off/related to the author’s previous series. (Which you don’t need to read before reading this one.)

This book just kept me reading until the last page. It has intrigue/suspense and a puzzle that needs solving. A dystopian read, a floating city and a character you can really get behind.

Loved the glossary and character list at the beginning of the book. I did have to go back and check who was who a couple of times. It’s full of background information and it’s got the potential to be a great series.

If you’re looking for a fluffy and light read, then this book isn’t for you. It needs total concentration and a willingness to put the time and effort into it. But I promise you, it will be worth it.

The transcripts that are added to the story was a really good addition to the book. Although a time date might have been helpful (you have to assume they are read in date order, it’s a picky thing, my opinion only). When power becomes absolute, then it can corrupt. But how do you know? Is there a sign? That’s what Zach is on the trail of, but there are blocks that prevent him from gathering all the information.

The characters were very interesting, and I was totally hooked on this story from the start. I really liked Zach, He is complicated, and very dedicated to his job.

A dark sci-fi that’s really thought provoking. And I’m hoping there will be a series or another book 🤞

🦋Julie

 

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Broken by Kaitlyn Legaspi – a Review

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Broken by Kaitlyn Legaspi – a Review

 

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Description
The world of the fifty-two domains finds itself fractured.

After the awakening of the rogue leader’s powers and the invasion of the dark creatures known as Vain, Neela answers the summons of the Card Holder of the Ace of Spades. He seeks to rigorously hone and strengthen her powers for the arduous battles to come as she plays her part in the prophecy of sibling gods.

Neela is put through a series of trials that not only challenge her physical abilities, but push her to an emotional limit. Doubts of past decisions fester as her morals are tested. Her fears of becoming someone unrecognizable grow with each passing day. As she reflects on her unsettling changes and increasing isolation, she can’t help but think…

Just one small push could send her plummeting over the edge.

 

 

Review

Broken by Kaitlyn Legaspi is the 4th book in her Card Holders series.  It’s been a while since I read the previous books. But once I dived into Neela’s world, I soon became engrossed…You definitely need to read in order as it’s an ongoing story.

It’s paced pretty well, we get a little back history, but not too much (that’s why I recommend reading in order.) Action is written really well, and we have the side characters that just add to the story. We have our love interest, but it’s not at the forefront, the story is Neela’s up and coming battle (with herself and what lies ahead.)

It’s really hard not to just spill out the story, but that ruins it for others, so I’ll just give my thoughts on the book and try really hard not to give away anything 😃

Neela is still fighting, surviving and trying to live as normal a life as possible. But losing loved ones take its toll, it takes a piece of you that you never get back 😔 she has people she cares about, but through the books Neela has lost people she truly loved. Her powers grow ever stronger, and a side that we don’t expect appears 🤐 and Neela finds herself scared and worried for the people around her!

And the ending…. Although not a cliffhanger in anyway, it does make me sad for Neela!

What a great addition to this series. I’m thinking of going back to the beginning to reacquaint myself with it all, as I’d forgotten how good they were. A highly recommended read. I’m fact I’d recommend the whole series. And at the end of the book, we find out there is another one to look forward to 😁

Reviewed by Julie

Copy supplied for Review

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