Going Underground

 

Rayleigh Mann in the Company of Monsters by Ciannon Smart

My Rating: Three out of Five Stars

My Review on Goodreads

I’m embarrassed that I got an ARC of this in ebook format on Netgalley back in 2023, and I unfortunately did not get a chance to read it until this summer. Fortunately, my library had the audiobook on Libby, so I was able to listen to this. I am sad to say that I didn’t enjoy this as much as I would have liked. I don’t know what it was. I never got truly sucked into the book. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I will say that I felt a little disconnected from it. I don’t know if it was the narrator, because I did like his voice. I’m a sucker for Black British actors and narrators, and he did a very good job with all the accents, be it posh English, Caribbean, working class Londoner, Irish, you name it. But despite that, the book just felt dry.

I did like the concept of Rayleigh’s father being the actual Bogey Man, and his heritage as a “monster”. Yes, it does have some aspects that bring to mind Harry Potter, and Percy Jackson but with a different spin. And I loved the ethnic diversity. Rayleigh is a young black boy Londoner whose paternal family hails from Jamaica. I loved the notes about family and heritage, but I feel like for the book being about Rayleigh’s relationship to his father, he doesn’t play a very large part. And Rayleigh’s mother is hardly in the book at all. What I did like was the strong bond between Rayleigh and his uncle. I love how his uncle calls him “Nephew Mine.” I also enjoy some of the side characters, such as Bloody Mary (and I like what the author did with her). There are some trolls, one of which likes to cook. The big bad character had a nice sinister, almost spooky edge. And there were a couple of interesting twists in the story.

But I was just underwhelmed. I just wanted something deep and to be more drawn into the story. It was a bit of a slog to listen to, and the end, when it comes, sort of arrived out of nowhere, with a pretty big cliffhanger. I really liked the pieces of this book, it just came together in a way that was disappointing. That said, I will definitely continue to read this series because I do like the characters and the concept.

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Claws and Fangs

 

Kinked by Thea Harrison (Elder Races #6)

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

I've been waiting for Aryal's story for a long time. I was not disappointed. She reminds me a lot of Xhex from JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood books, which is a huge complement as I am a Xhex stan. Rereading Dragon Bound, I can see how hard she was on Pia, but I think her rough, abrasive personality is very in character, as she is a harpy. I love the description of her with perpetually tangled glossy black hair. I did an ink sketch of her in my sketchbook. I hope to do a painting of her as well. Yes, I'm a little obsessed with Aryal. I love a badass heroine. I love me a grumpy hero, so why not a grumpy heroine? Very true to her nature.

Anyway, I had the suspicion that she would end up with Quentin, ever since he steps up as a future Sentinel, as they have a fierce hate but fierce desire dynamic. At the beginning of the book, I wasn't sure I was feeling it. But after trusting Thea Harrison on the journey, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they grow to love each other deeply. Their virulent relationship is causing issues for the Sentinels and others who work and live in Cuelebre Tower, and Dragos gives them an ultimatum. They have to work together on a mission, and if they don't work things out, then bad stuff is going to happen. Let's just say, you don't want to be threatened by Dragos. Also, Aryal gets a talking to by her good friend and boss, Graydon. Aryal knows she has to make it through this if she doesn't want to lose her status as one of Dragos' sentinels.

I was much more predisposed towards Aryal although she was pretty mean to Quentin. Although I liked him as Pia's boss, he comes off as pretty arrogant when he works his way into the inner circle of Dragos' empire. And his thoughts towards Aryal were really gross, in my opinion. I was legitimately worried that I would hate this book, and I was so looking forward to it and Graydon's books. Fortunately things change wonderfully.

As they work together, these hated foes develop a relationship of respect and trusting that becomes a genuine love. Their scenes of tenderness together touched me on a deep level. I am a big time fan of enemies to lovers, because of such a possibility.

I was glad that I was not disappointed. On top of the satisfying romance, the storyline of Aryal and Quentin exploring the elven lands decimated by the insane elven lord who committed atrocities in the last book was a great mystery and there was so much suspense. These are two highly capable warriors, and Aryal is an investigator. Solving crimes is what she does. But it's evident that they might be in over their head. And it's only working together that can keep them alive. She pegged Quentin as a pretty boy, and he was, but he proved himself as a powerful wyr. It totally makes sense what kind of shifter he is. I think it would be a spoiler to discuss what he is, but it fits. When he acknowledges her as his mate, it is a huge change, so great to see him tender and loving towards her. But also seeing Aryal's soft side that was only reserved for Peanut.

Thea Harrison is such a good writer. She is excellent at building in subtleties into the moments that mean something. I think this is why I like listening to them. I admit sometimes my eyes skip over words when I'm reading. But with an audiobook, you can digest every word.

I think this book has a very different vibe from previous books, even though every one is different. I feel like the story is crafted somehow on a more intimate scale, which this couple benefited from. If they hadn't had that time together, I think they would have gone on hating each other. Well, maybe they would have started sleeping together, but still hated each other, and may have eventually fallen in love. I think it would have taken a while. Since they are immortals, maybe fifty years. Who knows.

I ended up giving this five stars because I really was satisfied and happy with this romance. I was able to exhale.

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