Review // Wed to the Ice Giant, What is Love?, The Midwinter Mail-Order Bride, and The Wastelander
April 25, 2024
Hello and Happy Thursday and I hope your week is going well so far. I should have posted this yesterday, but my life's a bit messy which is messing with my schedule. I'm sharing four books I read and quite enjoyed and maybe you'll find something here to read this weekend.
Wed to the Ice Giant by Layla Fae
Arranged Monster Mates #1
Paranormal Romance, dual POV, explicit heat, 137 pages
As king of the ice giants, I must have heirs. But our customs do not satisfy me. I do not want a giantess who will bear me a child and then leave to be with another. I would much rather pursue a union the human way: find a partner who will share my bed, bear my children, and stay by my side.
Until death do us part.
One drop of blood is all it takes to get a match. And when I see her, my cool blood rushes faster in a daze of heat. Only one thought is clear in my mind: she belongs to me. I must claim her before my subjects to prove once and for all this female will not take lovers. She will be mine forever.
I will show her vigorously how different I am from puny human males. And once she knows what it means to be with the king of the giants, she will never want to leave.
Rating - 
I love when a new-to-me author is a discovery worthwhile. I easily fell in huge like with the world created here, no matter how odd I found it. Aldrig was an ice giant who wanted to eschew the mating ways of his people. There are so few female giants that they have their pick of the males and often take on several. Aldrig wanted someone who would be his alone. Lucy was a desperate maiden who grasped onto an opportunity to better the lives of her loved ones. All she has to do is marry the ice giant who is easily twice (maybe three times) her size. I even liked how ill-matched they seemed to be, at least sexually. The author didn't spare the details and I was definitely entertained.
I love when a new-to-me author is a discovery worthwhile. I easily fell in huge like with the world created here, no matter how odd I found it. Aldrig was an ice giant who wanted to eschew the mating ways of his people. There are so few female giants that they have their pick of the males and often take on several. Aldrig wanted someone who would be his alone. Lucy was a desperate maiden who grasped onto an opportunity to better the lives of her loved ones. All she has to do is marry the ice giant who is easily twice (maybe three times) her size. I even liked how ill-matched they seemed to be, at least sexually. The author didn't spare the details and I was definitely entertained.
What is Love? by Jen Comfort
Answer: From the Latin word for crossroads, this is knowledge so common as to be obscure, the pursuit of which engages millions daily. Question: What is trivia?
Trivia is the magic in the mundane, the connection in the commonplace, and Maxine Hart’s second-favorite pastime. A self-proclaimed Brooklyn street rat and a high school dropout, Maxine has never been a fan of formal education, but thanks to her ADHD “superpowers,” she’s a glutton for knowledge—and a good fight. And when Maxine enters the trivia game show Answers!, her brilliance, coupled with her penchant for big bets, devastates her competition. Even record-holding, 76-time-winner Teddy Ferguson.
Or was it their kiss the night before they faced off that threw the buttoned-up professor off his game?
Now, Maxine and Teddy cross paths again in a high-stakes tournament against all-time Answers! winners, including undefeated champion Hercules McKnight. With nothing in common but an insatiable appetite for knowledge and a desire to win, Maxine offers Teddy a deal: combine their strengths to shore up their weaknesses. She’ll push his tolerance for risk and improve his buzzer speed, if he’ll find creative ways to fill in the gaps in her education.
Except neither one of them foresaw just how scintillating learning could be…
Rating -
Standalone
Romantic Comedy, dual POV, vague heat, 345 pages
As a monthly pick from Prime Reads, this is the first winner I've come across. After many years, I found a story I could enjoy!
Harsh, I know.
But very true.
And while I didn't love this story, I found plenty to like. Okay, that's a lie. I really liked Teddy. For someone so uptight, he was a lot of fun. Mostly because Maxine was there to stir him up. And while it was hard to like Maxine for most of this story, I enjoyed the combative relationship between these characters. It made for an entertaining book. I don't think I've come across a story that focused so much on trivia and the world, real or imagined, behind a game show and its entrants. I didn't know who I wanted to win (that's another lie because it was Teddy, of course), however, I'm a fan of the way it all worked out.
Standalone
Romantic Comedy, dual POV, vague heat, 345 pages
As a monthly pick from Prime Reads, this is the first winner I've come across. After many years, I found a story I could enjoy!
Harsh, I know.
But very true.
And while I didn't love this story, I found plenty to like. Okay, that's a lie. I really liked Teddy. For someone so uptight, he was a lot of fun. Mostly because Maxine was there to stir him up. And while it was hard to like Maxine for most of this story, I enjoyed the combative relationship between these characters. It made for an entertaining book. I don't think I've come across a story that focused so much on trivia and the world, real or imagined, behind a game show and its entrants. I didn't know who I wanted to win (that's another lie because it was Teddy, of course), however, I'm a fan of the way it all worked out.
The Midwinter Mail-Order Bride by Kati Wilde
The Dead Lands #1
Fantasy Romance, dual POV, explicit heat, 180 pages
Some might call Princess Anja of Ivermere brave for offering herself up as a bride to Kael the Conqueror, a barbarian warlord who'd won his crown by the bloodied edge of his sword. It was not courage that drove Anja from her magic-wielding family’s enchanted palace, however, but a desperate attempt to secure a kingdom of her own — even if she has to kill the Conqueror to do it. She expects pain beneath his brutal touch as she awaits her chance. She expects death if he discovers the truth of her intentions.
Raised in the ashes of the Dead Lands, Kael fears nothing — certainly not the beautiful sorceress who arrives at his mountain stronghold. And no matter how painful his need for her, he has no use for a bride who would only tolerate his kiss. Yet the more of Anja's secrets he uncovers during their journey to return her home, the more determined he becomes to win the princess's wary heart.
Rating - 1/2
I wanted more. King Kael was a possessive, aggressive, warrior of a man. But his heart was solid gold. He knew what it was to be oppressed and refused to allow anyone in his kingdoms to suffer that fate. All he needs is a bride... too bad he didn't know it. With subtle manipulation, Princess Anja enters his life. She grew up believing she was nothing, but to Kael she was everything. And he wasn't afraid to share it or show it. I really liked this couple and would have kept reading if there was more to their story. Hopefully they make an appearance in the other books of the series.
1/2I wanted more. King Kael was a possessive, aggressive, warrior of a man. But his heart was solid gold. He knew what it was to be oppressed and refused to allow anyone in his kingdoms to suffer that fate. All he needs is a bride... too bad he didn't know it. With subtle manipulation, Princess Anja enters his life. She grew up believing she was nothing, but to Kael she was everything. And he wasn't afraid to share it or show it. I really liked this couple and would have kept reading if there was more to their story. Hopefully they make an appearance in the other books of the series.
The Wastelander by E.S. Luck
Book #1
Post-Apocalyptic Romance, dual POV, explicit sex, 356 pages
Born in a secure compound amidst the ashes of a world long dead, Claire Ainsley knows her place in the world: work her assigned job, live with her assigned husband, and keep her head down and her mouth shut. She knows what every compound resident has been the world outside is a Wasteland, and the only thing more terrifying than leaving the compound is being forced to confront those who live outside—the ones left behind.
But her safe, contained life is destroyed when she narrowly survives an attack conceived by a conspiracy from within the compound itself. Only by fleeing into the terrifying Wasteland, a vast wilderness peopled by bloodthirsty, cannibalistic Wastelanders, can she escape a violent end at the hands of her fellow compound dwellers.
Captured by the very savages she feared, she is saved by John Madigan, a mysterious and capable survivor—and a Wastelander. She tries to deny the instant chemistry she feels with a man that is one moment terrifying, the next patient and caring, but eventually, neither of them are able to resist the blazing passion between them. But the Wasteland is harsh, and her time with John fleeting. As his own personal mission comes to an end, he must return to his ancestral homeland, leaving her with little choice but to learn to survive without the man whose protection is her only salvation in a harsh, uncompromising post-apocalyptic landscape.
The Wasteland of this world has not been kind to those unchosen.
Rating - 1/2
The world as we know it is over and the only home Claire knew was behind the walls of a compound. She was sheltered and didn't know how much until she was shoved out of her safe haven and had to figure out how to survive in the Wasteland. When she was attacked and taken by cannibals, John saved her and brought her to his own slice of safety out in the wild. There she learned true survival and her warped views on those who lived beyond the walls she called home started to change.
I will admit that Claire's prejudice skewed my opinion of her for most of this story and I was just glad that by the end she had learned to appreciate how wrong she was. It didn't make up for everything she said or did, but it did give me hope for the future of this series.
The world they live in is a dangerous place and I can't begin to imagine what happens next as they travel to John's real home.
1/2The world as we know it is over and the only home Claire knew was behind the walls of a compound. She was sheltered and didn't know how much until she was shoved out of her safe haven and had to figure out how to survive in the Wasteland. When she was attacked and taken by cannibals, John saved her and brought her to his own slice of safety out in the wild. There she learned true survival and her warped views on those who lived beyond the walls she called home started to change.
I will admit that Claire's prejudice skewed my opinion of her for most of this story and I was just glad that by the end she had learned to appreciate how wrong she was. It didn't make up for everything she said or did, but it did give me hope for the future of this series.
The world they live in is a dangerous place and I can't begin to imagine what happens next as they travel to John's real home.
Hello hello! I'm back with some more books that didn't really work for me, but might be winners for you.
Let me know if you've read any of these or plan to. I'd love to know your thoughts :)
Cut & Blow: Book Two by Ashleigh Giannoccaro
Tangled up in a dangerous love affair, Chelsey can’t seem to catch a break. Alone and afraid, with everything on the line she’s going to have to make some grown up decisions.
Sal has a second chance to get it all right with Chelsey. His do over to fix the mistakes of his past. Will his family approve? She’s very young, but he’s determined to do the right thing, even if it’s for all the wrong reasons.
There’s a Rat amongst the pigeons and no one has smelled him coming. Revenge is such a dirty business, but someone has to do it. When the person you hate the most in the world, has the one thing you want more — you take it.
My Rating -
With how much I couldn't resist the mess of book one, I thought I'd give the next book a try. However, this one didn't work as well for me. Chels was worse than a mess and I didn't care enough about her much older man relationship. There wasn't anything hot or attractive about it. Throw in his son and I still didn't care. Ewww.
With how much I couldn't resist the mess of book one, I thought I'd give the next book a try. However, this one didn't work as well for me. Chels was worse than a mess and I didn't care enough about her much older man relationship. There wasn't anything hot or attractive about it. Throw in his son and I still didn't care. Ewww.
Security Breach by Evan Grace
It was only one night. One night, and I was sure I’d never see her again.
Fast forward six months and I’m staring into those same eyes. Only this time Delilah is my boss’s daughter. But the real kicker…she’s very much pregnant.
Now my only goal is to stand by her, protect her, and make sure my new family is taken care of.
But there’s a certain danger lurking in the shadows, threatening everything I hold dear.
I won’t rest until my family is safe. I won’t stop until I’ve annihilated every threat.
Delilah is mine. The child she’s carrying is mine…and I’ll be damned if anyone takes them away from me.
My Rating -
It read very stilted.
He said... She said... I did this... And then...
No chemistry. No connection. Great premise though.
It read very stilted.
He said... She said... I did this... And then...
No chemistry. No connection. Great premise though.
Sex Material by Victoria Ashley
Sex Material…
It’s what I’m known around town for.
A rock-hard body, covered in tattoos with a sizeable bulge that women spend their nights fantasizing about.
Women track me down, needing someone that will take them rough without holding back.
They find me because they need a distraction from reality. They need something to get their mind off of the boyfriend who screwed them over or the job promotion they got passed over on at work.
Sometimes it’s just because they need someone reckless in the bedroom before settling down with the right one.
‘Cause I’m not that guy.
Nowhere close.
I’m not the suit wearing, flower-buying guy you take home to meet the parents. I’m not the guy who will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Not anymore.
I was boyfriend material once. Would’ve even made a good husband. Until one night changed everything.
These women come to me because they need an escape to cope with the real world, but none of them know I need it more than them. I need something to make me feel alive. Something to get my heart beating again.
Then Cami shows up in my hometown, broken-hearted and pissed off at the world, needing an escape from her cheating ex.
She’s the only one that doesn’t want to use my body. In fact, she wants nothing to do with it and has no problems telling me so.
She’s interested in one thing only from me—to move into my rental property. But the problem with that is the more we fight, the deeper she buries herself in my soul.
Sex material is what I’m good at, but for the first time, it may not be enough.
My Rating -
That cover... YUM!
It was easy to picture that delicious man as Jensen.
And that's where my good thoughts end.
Jensen was a mess. Cami was a mess.
ANDDDDD... he has a descriptive sex scene in the beginning with some other woman.
Now I get that I'm supposed to be all about him and his growing feelings for Cami because he hasn't kissed a woman in years (bones them no problem tho) and he kisses her. He even loves kissing her.
But when his sex scene with another woman, which did happen before he met Cami so let's give him some points for that, is hotter than anything he shared with THE HEROINE OF THE STORY, overshadowing what they share like a muhfuqqa and making their 'sexy scenes' seem like straight out of a Sweet Valley High book...
I'm gonna have to pass.
That is all.
That cover... YUM!
It was easy to picture that delicious man as Jensen.
And that's where my good thoughts end.
Jensen was a mess. Cami was a mess.
ANDDDDD... he has a descriptive sex scene in the beginning with some other woman.
Now I get that I'm supposed to be all about him and his growing feelings for Cami because he hasn't kissed a woman in years (bones them no problem tho) and he kisses her. He even loves kissing her.
But when his sex scene with another woman, which did happen before he met Cami so let's give him some points for that, is hotter than anything he shared with THE HEROINE OF THE STORY, overshadowing what they share like a muhfuqqa and making their 'sexy scenes' seem like straight out of a Sweet Valley High book...
I'm gonna have to pass.
That is all.
I missed releasing this post last week so here it is. I'm back with a series of books that I read a long time ago, but I remember enjoying them. What can I say? I go through a rockstar romance phase every once in a while. Have you read this series before? Have you tried this author? Hopefully my reviews inspire someone to give Nora Flite books a chance.
Hard Body Rock
She thought she was stepping into fame.
Meeting Drezden Halifax should have been a dream. But dreams are supposed to be sweet, fragile things that whisk you away. Not monsters crafted from hard fingers, gritty vocal cords and a voice so powerful it could tear my guts right out.
Maybe my heart, too.
Becoming the guitarist for Four and a Half Headstones was everything I needed.
Too bad the band's lead singer is doing his best to ruin everything I am.
He thought she would solve his troubles.
Lola Cooper, god damn Lola Cooper. She was the perfect guitarist, fingers that could summon a sweet song or punch a chord. She's supposed to save my band, make us come out of this tour in one piece...
But I just want to tear HER to pieces.
No one should make me feel this way. One look at her, one smell, and I knew I'd have to have her. She does things to me that scare the shit out of me. Make me want to slam her on a wall and listen to her cries: eager or fearful, it doesn't matter.
I'm a monster...
And I don't even care.
Rating -
I'm new to this author and found her writing edgy, funky and unique. I can't recall reading anything else like it. That being said, I kind of got lost in translation. I felt like the book was too descriptive that I kept getting confused about what was really going on. Where Drezden's POV was pretty clear and direct, I found Lola's was convoluted. It was all over the place, especially the scene in the bathroom. Wth was that?! A bunch of useless words to say that you fell in the bathtub and felt his hard-on. I hope the next book is clearer because I feel like I just walked out of a fog!
I'm new to this author and found her writing edgy, funky and unique. I can't recall reading anything else like it. That being said, I kind of got lost in translation. I felt like the book was too descriptive that I kept getting confused about what was really going on. Where Drezden's POV was pretty clear and direct, I found Lola's was convoluted. It was all over the place, especially the scene in the bathroom. Wth was that?! A bunch of useless words to say that you fell in the bathtub and felt his hard-on. I hope the next book is clearer because I feel like I just walked out of a fog!
Slow Body Rock
He knew he was addicted.
I thought it'd be smoking that killed me. Lola is more addictive than tobacco could hope to be.
After feeling her warm body, touching her skin... even if it was an accident, I've given up.
The monster inside of me is going to consume her.
I'm too tired to fight it.
And I honestly don't want to.
She knew it was risking everything.
Why is he trying to mess up my ONE opportunity at success?
My very god damn existence?
I can't handle this pull between us... a gravity that wants to knot our bodies together and leave me merged.
Ruined.
I thought Drezden cared about his band, that he wouldn't dare do anything that might break them-- and me-- apart.
When did I become the one thing worth losing it all over?
Rating -
Once again the author has wowed me with her words... gritty and raw. The way she weaves the music, the talent, the performance into what is happening in reality makes for an intense read. I'm starting to get a better picture of what makes Drezden and Lola tick. They both seem really broken and I can now understand the draw, the fascination they have with one another. Now that they've taken a risk, I wonder how it will play out.
Once again the author has wowed me with her words... gritty and raw. The way she weaves the music, the talent, the performance into what is happening in reality makes for an intense read. I'm starting to get a better picture of what makes Drezden and Lola tick. They both seem really broken and I can now understand the draw, the fascination they have with one another. Now that they've taken a risk, I wonder how it will play out.
Flawed Body Rock
She wanted to be a rockstar:
I finally have everything.
Fame, presence, the world knows who I am.
Now my life is even harder.
What do you do when every eye watching you is full of jealous hate?
I'm strong enough to not let strangers hurt me...
But when it's my own brother, the stakes change entirely.
He just wanted her to himself:
My claws are in her, but I'm trapped, too.
Waking up, my first thoughts used to be about music.
Lola's changed all of that.
She consumes my dreams; my existence.
My band... the girl I'm obsessed with...
Is there room in this world for both of them?
If not, which do I choose?
Rating -
With patience comes great reward. That is definitely proven when reading this series. Through this book I feel like I finally have a clear picture of both Drezden and Lola. What she went through (and what it seems he went through) was terribly unfair. I really like how this author writes. I was completely absorbed right until the cutoff. I like how the music is such an integral part of each piece of the story. I feel like there is so much more story to read. Hopefully I'm left satisfied with the next and last book.
With patience comes great reward. That is definitely proven when reading this series. Through this book I feel like I finally have a clear picture of both Drezden and Lola. What she went through (and what it seems he went through) was terribly unfair. I really like how this author writes. I was completely absorbed right until the cutoff. I like how the music is such an integral part of each piece of the story. I feel like there is so much more story to read. Hopefully I'm left satisfied with the next and last book.
True Body Rock
He never wanted to look back.
I've always run from my past. It's what keeps me sane; whole.
But what if not facing it means losing the girl I love?
Telling her the truth must sound so simple.
It's a request that could leave me more broken--more hollow and wrecked--than ever before.
She never saw it coming.
Answers.
Answers answers god damn answers.
How far do I have to go to find out what I need? To get to the bottom of the filth and finally find the real person waiting? The man behind those delicious green eyes and intoxicating lips?
If Drezden won't talk to me...
I'll find someone who will.
But why does it feel like they're the one who's been waiting for me?
Rating -
While this conclusion embodied what I've come to know as Nora Flite's raw and gritty talent, the only complaint I had was that I wanted more!! Her theme of honesty ran through this series from beginning to end and I love how it tied in to Drezden and Lola's HFN. And how great was it for her brother Sean to come full circle with the Four and a Half Headstones??? Awesome!
While this conclusion embodied what I've come to know as Nora Flite's raw and gritty talent, the only complaint I had was that I wanted more!! Her theme of honesty ran through this series from beginning to end and I love how it tied in to Drezden and Lola's HFN. And how great was it for her brother Sean to come full circle with the Four and a Half Headstones??? Awesome!
"Viggo is a blast. He's like... the opposite of how we grew up—talkative, affectionate, playful. Every time I see him, I'm happier. He's the huan embodiment of serotonin."
Find it here: Goodreads * Amazon
Find it here: Goodreads * Amazon
Only and Forever by Chloe Liese
Standalone - Bergman Brothers #7
Rating -
Release - April 2, 2024
Genre - Romantic Comedy / opposites attract / forced proximity
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - descriptive
Source - eARC provided by the publisher
Length - 366 pages
Viggo Bergman, hopeless romantic, is thoroughly weary of waiting for his happily ever after. But between opening a romance bookstore, running a romance book club, coaching kids' soccer, and adopting a household of pets—just maybe, he’s overcommitted himself?—Viggo’s chaotic life has made finding his forever love seem downright improbable.
Enter Tallulah Clarke, chilly cynic with a massive case of writer’s block. Tallulah needs help with her thriller’s romantic subplot. Viggo needs another pair of hands to keep his store afloat. So they agree to swap skills and cohabitate for convenience—his romance expertise to revive her book, her organizational prowess to salvage his store. They hardly get along, and they couldn’t be more different, but who says roommate-coworkers need to be friends?
As they share a home and life, Tallulah and Viggo discover a connection that challenges everything they believe about love, and reveals the plot twist they never saw happily ever after is here already, right under their roof.
Enter Tallulah Clarke, chilly cynic with a massive case of writer’s block. Tallulah needs help with her thriller’s romantic subplot. Viggo needs another pair of hands to keep his store afloat. So they agree to swap skills and cohabitate for convenience—his romance expertise to revive her book, her organizational prowess to salvage his store. They hardly get along, and they couldn’t be more different, but who says roommate-coworkers need to be friends?
As they share a home and life, Tallulah and Viggo discover a connection that challenges everything they believe about love, and reveals the plot twist they never saw happily ever after is here already, right under their roof.
I'll be honest... I never knew I would fall for a softie the way I fell for Viggo. This was a bear of a man who believed in the magic and power of love. He adored romance novels almost as much as we do and I loved his love of love.
Tallulah was a bit harder to like, but she quickly grew on me. It seems that not even she could resist the powerful allure of the irresistible Viggo. Seriously, who could resist a man who wears his beautiful heart on his sleeve?
"Our love story is the only one I want."
It can only be me who would fall in love with such wonderful characters and such an incredible family by reading the last book of a series. Where was I for books one through six??? I guess I know what I'll be reading next.
Chloe writes romances reflecting her belief that everyone deserves a love story. Her stories pack a punch of heat, heart, and humor, and often feature characters who are neurodivergent like herself. When not dreaming up her next book, Chloe spends her time wandering in nature, playing soccer, and most happily at home with her family and mischievous cats.
Visit https://chloeliese.com for more information.
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