The Nightborn Duet by Carissa Broadbent

May 10, 2024

The Nightborn Duet by Carissa Broadbent

For humans and vampires, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always – always – guard your heart.

The Serpent & The Wings of Night/The Ashes & The Star-Cursed King of the Crowns of Nyaxia series


The Serpent & The Wings of Night by Carissa BroadbentThe adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.

But winning won’t be easy amongst the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival.

Everything about Raihn is dangerous. He is a ruthless vampire, an efficient killer, an enemy to her father’s crown… and her greatest competition. Yet, what terrifies Oraya most of all is that she finds herself oddly drawn to him.

But there’s no room for compassion in the Kejari. War for the House of Night brews, shattering everything that Oraya thought she knew about her home. And Raihn may understand her more than anyone – but their blossoming attraction could be her downfall, in a kingdom where nothing is more deadly than love.





The Ashes & The Star-Cursed King by Carissa BroadbentIn the wake of the Kejari, everything Oraya once thought to be true has been destroyed. A prisoner in her own kingdom, grieving the only family she ever had, and reeling from a gutting betrayal, she no longer even knows the truth of her own blood. She’s left only with one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn.

The House of Night, too, is surrounded by enemies. Raihn’s own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood digs their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside.

When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom–and gaining her vengeance against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she’ll need to harness a devastating ancient power, intertwined with her father’s greatest secrets.

But with enemies closing in on all sides, nothing is as it seems. As she unravels her past and faces her future, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power – and the devastating love that could be her downfall.



Rating -

After sooo many people recommended this series to me, I finally took the plunge... and I enjoyed it!

Everyone and their mama knows that I'm picky about heroines and Oraya had plenty for me to pick apart. But for every moment she irked me, she made me so proud of her too. She was the human daughter of the vampire king and her whole life was lived in terror. Constantly looking over her shoulder, trusting no one, and always on the brink of having to defend herself. When she joins the Kejari, she goes in with one goal — win at all costs. It was the start of a horrifying adventure and a journey toward her true path. She annoyed me to no end, but I was excited to see her triumph.

Raihn was hard to like in the beginning but this male quickly grew on me. He did a lot of the unexpected and I didn't doubt for one minute how much he truly valued Oraya. I loved whenever they got the chance to fight together. It was them against the world... until it wasn't. Raihn did some things that were hard to forgive and boy did Oraya make him work for it.

When I got to the end I found myself wishing for more. Raihn and Oraya had fought for most of this story and I wanted to spend more time with them as a couple. I can only hope to see more of them in the books to come.

My personal notes on the book:
* am I the only one tired of the whole "the heroine is the most beautiful, strongest, powerful person on Earth and the hero worships at her feet" trope? What is wrong with them being on equal footing?
* the amount of times Oraya said she won the Kejari when she only won because Raihn gave her the win.
* will all of the side characters get a story? Oops, just checked and saw that The Songbird & the Heart of Stone is about Mische.


Carissa BroadbentPER THE AUTHOR:

I’ve been freaking out teachers and parents with mercilessly grim tales since I was roughly nine years old. Since then, my stories have gotten (slightly) less depressing and (hopefully a lot?) more readable. Today, I write fantasy novels with a heaping dose of badass ladies and a big pinch of romance. My books include the Crowns of Nyaxia series, the War of Lost Hearts series, and hopefully many more to come!

I live with my husband, one very well behaved rabbit, one very poorly behaved rabbit, and one perpetually skeptical cat in the extremely underrated state of Rhode Island.

You can find me around the internet on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Visit carissabroadbentbooks.com for more information.

Review // The Hellfire Riders: Saxon & Jenny

May 09, 2024

The Hellfire Riders

Collecting the first three novellas in the Hellfire Riders series, this box set features the complete story of one couple -- the president of the Hellfire Riders MC, Saxon Gray, and Jenny Erickson, the woman he'd cross any line to have.

Find it here: Goodreads * Amazon


The Hellfire Riders

The Hellfire Riders: Saxon & Jenny by Kati Wilde


Books 1-3 - The Hellfire Riders
Rating -
Release - December 1, 2014
Genre - MC Romance / instalove
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - explicit
Source - Kindle Unlimited
Length - 406 pages

Wanting It All

He's the one man I can never have, but the only one I crave...

Saxon Gray has reason to hate me. He spent five years in prison after saving me from a brutal violation at the hands of a rival motorcycle club - and he paid for that rescue with his freedom. I've never been able to settle the debt I owe him...until now.

The menace of that old rivalry is flaring up again, and as president of the Hellfire Riders, Saxon is the one man who can keep me safe. But I want more than his protection. I want his heart.

Taking It All

Heaven is finally having Saxon Gray in my arms. Hell is knowing that I might lose him.

After I spent years loving him from a distance, the president of the Hellfire Riders MC is finally mine. Every day he's at my side; every night he's in my bed. It would be everything I'd ever wanted, except my dad is sick, and trouble is brewing now that Saxon's club is taking over my father's. Because bad blood between the two MCs still lingers, and an old rule requiring Saxon to share me with the other club members is being used as a weapon, forcing him to choose between me and the Hellfire Riders.

And I don't know if he'll choose me... or how far I might go to keep him.

Having It All

Now that Jenny Erickson is mine, I've got everything I want. Until one shotgun blast almost rips it away...

As president of the Hellfire Riders, there's two things I care about: protecting my woman and destroying the Eighty-Eight before they take everything I've fought for. They've hurt Jenny before and I swore that I'd rip out my own heart before they hurt her again. Every heated touch, every scorching kiss is a promise to keep her safe.

Now the Eighty-Eight is coming for me--and no matter what it takes, I'm not going to let them lay a finger on her. I'll sacrifice anything to protect her. My freedom. My heart.

Even my life.


When Saxon and Jenny first met, he was defending her from an attack. He spent years in prison because he saved her and he didn't regret one moment of it. While he served his time, Jenny was free to live her life, pining for the man who stepped in when no one else did.

Years later, the danger is back and only Saxon can give Jenny the protection she needs. And finally, the stars aligned because they both reveal their true affection for one another and it was really sweet. I loved how this big, tough biker was such a softy for the woman he loved. I really liked how the author imbued this hero with the qualities of a very honorable man and the heroine with the perfect features to complement her other half.

This story was a bit scary, but full of heart, heat and hope. I love when Amazon gives me a recommendation that is just right for me. I'm new to this author, but after reading this story, I'll definitely be back for more.


Kati Wilde is a tight-lipped, loose-hipped woman of indeterminate age and low breeding. Born into a very large family, she now has a very small family (no laws were broken in this transition), and she writes romantic fiction to assuage her darker urge to write Transformers erotica.

Visit katiwilde.com for more information.

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.


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.


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.


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.

Books That Didn't Make the Cut Pt.22

April 16, 2024


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.


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.


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.