Dark Thoughts by Cynthia Sax

Rating -
Book 1 of the Refuge series
Genre - Scifi Romance / assassin
POV - dual 3rd person
Heat - descriptive
Source - Amazon ebook
Length - 232 pages



This was such a great read! It was darker than I'm used to from this author, but I loved every moment I spent with Kralj and Dita.

Kralj was a unique being, possibly the most deadly being in the universe, and he thought he was destined to live his long life alone, protecting those in his refuge with a code of honor and deadly intent. Then Dita makes her presence known, constantly crawling up the wall of his oasis, a human assassin determined to keep her word and take revenge against three men who reside in the refuge. She's immune to his most lethal power and suddenly his life doesn't seem so lonely.

I enjoyed both the dark and light elements of their relationship. The author did a wonderful job of capturing their lethal beauty and their vulnerabilities. My only real complaint was that I wanted to spend more time with these two.

Knowing Zip

dual pov, explicit heat, 42 pages

Knowing Zip is a short companion story in the Cyborg Sizzle series and is meant to be read after Seeking Vector. It is also a BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes violent universe.

Surrounded by his brethren, their females, and their offspring, all Zip wanted was a female of his own. A future like the ones he had to bear witness to. When he finally finds her after diligently searching every database he had access to, he immediately sets off to find her. Lucky for him, Ryssa had always dreamed of being kidnapped by a cyborg. This book definitely had tons of instalove vibes and with an edge of danger, it was very entertaining.

Dark Arsenal

dual pov, explicit heat, 65 pages

Dark Arsenal is a short companion story in the Cyborg Sizzle series and is meant to be read after Taking Vengeance. It is also a Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes violent universe.

Arsenal has seen himself as disposable. He's got no female, no offspring, no future. He signs up for dangerous missions, taking risks that those with families should avoid, and almost invites death. His future starts looking up when his latest mission brings him in close contact with the one woman meant for him. Vicuska is beautiful and determined and the perfect match for him. Their adventure together was scary and fun. I wonder if the Nora A.I. will feature in any other books?

Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione

Rating - 1/2
Standalone - Demonica #7 / Lords of Deliverance #2
Genre - Paranormal Romance / marriage of convenience
POV - multiple 3rd person
Heat - descriptive
Source - library ebook
Length - 433 pages
Previous books in the series: - Pleasure Unbound * Desire Unchained * Passion Unleashed * Ecstasy Unveiled * Sin Undone * Eternal Rider



Arik had a thing for Limos, she seemed to have a thing for him, he moves in for a kiss, and he's taken immediately to hell.
He's tortured, healed, tortured again.
And that's just the very beginning of this book.

Obviously he gets rescued, but this was only the start of the hot mess in store for these characters. Limos was betrothed to the ruler of Hell, who actually isn't Lucifer, from birth. At first eager to be with him, when she meets her brothers and experiences true humanity, she can't get away from him and her commitment fast enough. Too bad she wears a chastity belt which would maim any man who attempted to get it on with her. Not to mention her jealous fiance who would love to torture her wouldbe suitors (see Arik?).

A loophole is discovered, Arik gains the upperhand, yadda yadda yadda.
This was such a small part of the story.

Pestilence is going strong. He's absolutely devastating the world and his siblings on a regular basis.
Harvester is holding Reaver captive for some reason and things aren't looking too good for our favorite angel.
The Aegis (boy, do I freaking hate this organization SO MUCH) come up with a really dumb plan that Regan has to put into play. Things take a dark turn and I'm kind of hoping that Thanatos tortures her and everyone involved. If the roles were reversed, people would be clutching their pearls and rioting, but because he's not only a male, but a Horseman, it's okay?

And seriously there was tons more going on. This series is one of those stories that I could tell you everything that happens and I still wouldn't be able to tell you what was what. Every book develops the story more and I'm eager to get the big picture because everything I've learned so far has blown my mind in the best way.

Vampire Fight Club by Larissa Ione

Rating -
POV - Dual 3rd person
Heat - descriptive
Source - library ebook
Length - 100 pages


I found Lena to be quite silly throughout the story. She knew that her days were numbered and decided to investigate her brother's death. She goes undercover and a slipshod kind of plan to find out the truth, unprepared to defend herself or snoop wisely. Nathan was okay, but it was hard to find depth behind either of these characters. I was entertained by the story though. I liked the idea of this club that caters to a certain type of clientele, which is a front for an underground supernatural fight club. The big bad was suitably scary and there was plenty of action that moved the story along. I loved how subtle the author was with providing links to the main story. Now that I know that there's a link between Nathan and Thanatos, I wonder if he'll be making an appearance in Death's book.

Apocalypse: The Lords of Deliverance Compendium

Rating -
Source - library ebook
Length - 76 pages


I loved all of the tidbits explored in this book, but it was the short story of how the Horsemen were conceived that really grabbed me. Can someone please get rid of Lilith already???

I know I'm late to starting this series, but the story gave me such a huge clue and I'm freaking out. So... Verrine = Harvester? And Yenrieth = Reaver?

Amiright??!!


Air Force veteran Larissa Ione traded in a career in meteorology to pursue her passion of writing. She has since published dozens of books, hit several bestseller lists, including the New York Times and USA Today, and has been nominated for a RITA award.

She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case.

She lives in Wisconsin with her retired U.S. Coast Guard husband, her son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhounds, a King Shepherd named Hexe and a Belgian Malinois named Duvel.

Visit https://www.larissaione.com for more information.

Sin Undone by Larissa Ione

Rating -
Standalone - Demonica #5
Genre - Paranormal Romance / assassin
POV - Multiple 3rd person
Heat - explicit
Source - library ebook
Length - 433 pages



This just might be my favorite of the series so far!
It's not to say that I didn't love the previous books, because I did as evident with all of my five-star ratings.
But I found so much growth of character in this book, for all of the characters, and the plot has reached a peak that is heralding the apocalypse and I'm truly excited to keep reading.

Unlike Lore, Sin hasn't found her place with her Seminus brothers. She's now leader of the assassin network and finds herself at odds with pretty much everyone but her family. People are out for blood, her blood, and luckily Sin lives for a good fight. It doesn't hurt that the one man who has sparked anything within her, Con, is on her side too.

Previously, Sin was ordered to take out a warg. Her Seminus gift allows her to create disease so she gave him one. This disease took on a life of its own, infecting the world's population of wargs at a rapid pace. It was an accident, obvious to us and not so obvious to others. When Con, a dhampire (half-vamp and half-warg), realizes the truth of her actions, he helps her and along the way, finds all of that beautiful hidden depth behind Sin's cold and detached face.

These two together were so freaking beautiful. I was in awe of the cracks in her facade that Con caused and the way it freed her to finally feel and embrace all that she was. The lengths these two would go to for each other were enviable and I'm fervently wishing to see more of them in the books to come.

I'm off to read about the Lords of Deliverance and I hope to see you there!




Air Force veteran Larissa Ione traded in a career in meteorology to pursue her passion of writing. She has since published dozens of books, hit several bestseller lists, including the New York Times and USA Today, and has been nominated for a RITA award.

She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case.

She lives in Wisconsin with her retired U.S. Coast Guard husband, her son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhounds, a King Shepherd named Hexe and a Belgian Malinois named Duvel.

Visit https://www.larissaione.com for more information

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A Heart of Bitter Poison by Brynne Weaver

An executioner and a bounty. A soldier and a weapon.
The hunter and the prey that won’t go down.

After centuries in hiding, the last of the original sirens took a chance on love.

And it blew up in her face.

Imprisoned by the Shadow Realm, Lu's days now pass in a haze of torture and tears. She's the most ancient vampire siren, the weapon they can't work out. Halfway to a hybrid of immortal creatures, she could be the key to their plans for war against the Realm of Light... if only they could figure out how to finish the transformation.

After a daring escape, Lu finds herself on the run with an unlikely set of allies. Their enemies have a head start in the race to find the oldest vampires, and Lu will stop at nothing to keep them safe from a fate worse than death. If they can't find them in time, it will end in the war of the ultimate superpowers. But every move she makes, Ashen is there. The demon that she trusted. The executioner she loved. The Reaper that poisoned her heart with his betrayal. And as secrets of the Shadow Realm and her own history start to collide, Lu begins to question everything she knows... including the motives of the enigmatic demon she can't seem to escape.

She's promised herself she'll never go back.
She's determined not to fall in love.
If only she knew whom to trust...



When I found this new-to-me author, when I read A Shadow in the Reaping, I knew that she was someone to keep my eye on. She had me hooked to this story and I was willing to give her just about anything to get my hands on the next book. Well here it is and thankfully the wait wasn't that long.

Seriously, if I thought she had the goods in the first book, I KNOW she's got them after reading this one. HANDS DOWN one of THE BEST sequels I have ever read!!

You already know I can't stand a story told from just one perspective, but the author made it work!

Picking up right where the last one left off, this book was full of angst, torture, heartbreak, fighting, bravery, evil, and so much freaking love. So much love!

Lu and Ashen... I cannot get enough of this couple and I'm hoping (I'm looking at you, Mz Author Lady) that there will be another book in this series. It's necessary!!

Reapers are after Lu. Ashen, also a reaper, is determined to keep her safe. Her friends are also there to lend support and their might. And there's the love again. I'm so in love with all the love in this book. And the sexy times between Ash and Lu... Damn, these two were so freaking hot together.

And I want more. The end (yes Queen) was great, but not enough. Not for me. I'm greedy, I've never denied it, and I need more.

The writing... magnifique. The plot... incredible. The characters... stunning. And I want more!!

"Stop," I whisper. Fat tears are still rolling across my skin. He brushes one of them away.

"Stop what?"

"Just stop," I say. I don't know whether I'm talking to Ashen or myself. It felt like a game only this morning. But I can't play and win like this. My gaze falls away from him but I don't move from his touch. "Stop making me want to feel for you what I shouldn't."

Ashen sweeps stray locks of hair from my cheek and holds my face in his palms. I meet his gaze for only an instant and regret it as soon as I do. I'm not the only one hurting. It's all laid bare in his eyes. "Feel what, vampire?"

"Don't." I pull from his grasp and keep my eyes down on the stone beneath my feet. I don't want to be so vulnerable out here in the open. I feel like a tiger without claws. A snake without fangs. My legs feel leaden when I back away and skirt around him to slip into the solitude of night.

"I will tell you one more thing I did not do, vampire," Ashen calls after me. There's a note of anguish so pained in his voice that I stop moving. The silence between us stretches long enough that I turn to look at Ashen where he stands shrouded in the shadows of the tunnel. But I can still see him clearly. I see the tension in his jaw, the way his brows knit together. I see how hard it is for him to gather a breath. "One more thing I did not do, it was the worst thing."

My heart plummets. Fingers of ice trace my spine. I don't think I can handle some deadly admission right now. But I guess that makes it the perfect time to strike. I steel myself for something awful but my voice comes out weary rather than strong. "What?"

Ashen comes forward from the shadows. Every step is careful, like I might run, or combust, or simply disappear. "I never told you how I felt. You asked me, in your ways, and I never answered."

He stops in front of me. The light of a nearby streetlamp casts his face in a haunting glow.

Ashen's eyes search mine, probably finding all the evidence of fear and distrust and confusion that lurk within them. Centuries of loneliness seem to surface in Ashen when he finds it, and he takes a steadying breath. "I never told you how the lifetimes I have spent taking souls have eroded my own. I did not tell you about everything I have lost over decades of time. I should have told you then, how every moment spent with you brought me out of the shadows. How being with you was like landing on a paradise shore after swimming through a sea of grief. How being apart from you is like being cast into a cold and merciless darkness." Ashen's fingers trace my cheek and I close my eyes. I want to lean into his touch. I want to fall into his words. I fight myself with every heartbeat. "I tried to stay away and could not. I tried to push you away and failed. I tried to protect you and failed at that too."

Ashen steps closer. His palms warm my cheeks. His breath heats my skin. He places a gentle, careful kiss to one closed eye, then the other.

"Look at me, Lu. Please," he whispers. And I do. He looks back at me with such determination and longing that I know without any doubt that what I see is true. "The worst thing was that I never told you I love you, Lu."

Brynne is a fan of velociraptors, the Alien movies (well, most of them), red wine, and wild adventures.

She can relate nearly anything you say to a line from the movie Hot Fuzz. She has been trying unsuccessfully for years to convince her husband that they should acquire a pet mink to add to their menagerie of animals (what could possibly go wrong with that plan?!).

Brynne has been everything from an archaeologist to a waitress, a deep-sea core analyst to an advertising account executive. For the last several years, she has been working in the field of neuroscience clinical research. Brynne has been writing since childhood and has published a non-fiction book under her real name, but she won’t tell you what it is unless you provide a live, fully trained velociraptor.

When not busy at her day job or writing, Brynne can be found working with her husband and their son on their family farm in Nova Scotia, Canada, or enjoying her other passions which include riding horses, reading, and spending time with family and friends around a raclette and a bottle of wine.

The Diviner is her debut novel.

Find Brynne Weaver here:
Goodreads * Facebook * Instagram * Amazon