A Heart of Blood and Ashes (A Gathering of Dragons) by Milla Vane

My Rating: Four out of Five Stars

My Review on Goodreads

I started this one on audiobook a long time ago and it had to go back to the library before I was very far into it. But I was intrigued enough to buy a copy on Audible. I have been listening to this at night, which is not something that I'd advise. I would fall asleep and have to rewind it multiple times. I think I fell asleep on the same scene at least twice and had to rewind it. However, sometimes I do this when it takes a while for my brain to unwind. This alone is is why it took so long to finish. I was very torn about the rating and I'll discuss why.

Do you ever read a book where you instantly fall for one of the characters, but are rather 'meh' about the other? That was me with this book, I loved Yvenne. I love me a tormented heroine. I love when the heroine is vulnerable and unsure, but has a core of strength and has to gain confidence in herself. I was fully onboard for Yvenne and watching her evolution. I honestly didn't think that Maddek deserved her. By the end of the book I was a little more okay with him, and I loved how he proved himself at the end. But he put Yvenne through a lot of crap along the way.

While some aspects of the worldbuilding were not super clear, I did appreciate the uniqueness of the setting and the overall backstory. Honestly, I would have loved more of the dark fantasy aspects, but I get this was a romance book, so that had to take a back seat to the romance story. At times, that was what kept me reading. I was not always feeling the romance, so the fantasy aspect captured me. I loved how Yvenne was goddess touched and the goddess saw through her eyes. Her eyes were a very unique moonstone/silver blue color. Loved that. It seems like reptiles fill a lot of the ecological niches and that was weird in a good way. Would I want to eat some of the meat they ate? Nope! I liked the concept of the way Marrek's society/tribe worked. They felt kind of a like a semi-nomadic kind of group. I did get some Khal Drogo Dothraki vibes, and I'm okay with that. I liked their warrior culture. What I didn't like was how crappy he treated Yvenne. I realize that he was grieving and was angry and was looking for someone to blame, but I think it was pretty clear early on that Yvenne was a good person wasn't responsible for his parents' betrayal. But he just wanted revenge and that's all he saw.

I like a sexy bargain, I won't lie. I liked how Yvenne used what she had available to make a deal with Marrek. She knew he hated her, but he hated their mutual enemy more. I can see why he fell for her, but I don't see why she fell in love with him. Sorry, but I just didn't buy it. He was too mean and the safety he offered was negligible, only slightly better than what she faced with her father and brothers. However, she was in between a rock and a hard place. Having said that, it had kind of a Harlequin Presents (mean hero, sweet heroine) vibe in a fantasy setting that I was intrigued by.

I know it's a me thing but it was too focused on the eroticism for me. I know a lot of it is because I haven't been in such a romance novel kind of mood lately. I found myself getting pulled out of the story when the love scenes happened. Maybe because it seemed more like hate sex on Marrek's part. I liked how Yvenne told Marrek exactly what he needed to hear. He needed that "come to Jesus moment," although he still needed to pull his head out of somewhere. I loved the other members of his Dragon (which is his band of warriors). I grew to appreciate each and every one of them. I loved that they saw Yvenne more clearly than dumbo Marrek did.

The audiobook narrator was very good. They got me very engrossed into the storyline and I feel like they nailed the voices. She captured the fantastical moments and the action really well.

This is one of those books where the conclusion saves the book. I was thinking this would be a three star, but the ending bumped up the rating for me. I can do without a lot of the sex scenes, which were high on the erotica scale but it felt kind of excessive to me (ymmv), but I was intrigued by the story and I want to read future books in the series.

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Love Me Tender

 

Barbarian's Prize by Ruby Dixon (Book 5 in Ice Planet Barbarian's series)

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0 stars

My Review on Goodreads

In book five of the "Ice Planet Barbarians" series, almost all of the Earth women who crash-landed on the planet have found their mates with the local species of blue humanoids. Tiffany is far from eager for her turn.  In fact, she just wants to be left alone. The unmated males are buzzing around her like bees around a flower, and she's feeling overwhelmed. Salukh knows that Tiffany is his mate, even if his symbiont hasn’t resonated for her.  He is playing the long game and more than willing to give her time. He is happy to woo her and to be there for her.  Tiffany hates all the male attention, but she feels strangely drawn to Salukh, even knowing it’s not to meant to be. 

Barbarian’s Prize is a short but spicy-sweet romance story.  Spicy in that the love scenes are very frequent and very detailed. Sweet in that Tiffany and Salukh seem to have a very meaningful connection that goes beyond sex, even if the symbiont isn't saying so.  Despite the short length, the characters are well-developed. Salukh’s a gentle giant who would do anything for the woman who has his heart.  Tiffany is a trying to find her feet after a terrible event, and seeking a sense of purpose in her new life on the planet she dubs Not-Hoth (a call out to Star Wars's ice planet Hoth). Despite her issues, she does trust and loves spending time with Salukh, and he grows in her affections with each moment they spend together, getting past her feels and mental barriers against romance. Readers who love a sweet, kind hero who always puts the needs of his heroine first will fall head over heels for Salukh.  Tiffany’s reticence and fears are very understandable, given her past.  Their courtship is well paced as this couple take careful steps into deeper intimacy, rendered in spicy and steamy detail on the page.  The love that develops between them is believable, and Tiffany’s trauma is dealt with in a respectful, caring way. Readers who dive into this series with this book won’t feel confused as the storyline gives context to previous happenings.  

I wasn't in the mood for a book that's primarily focused on sexy times, so I was ready to move on from the love scenes at a certain point, and I wanted a little more plot.   My mind wanted to know more about the planet and if there are other humanoid cultures in other geographic regions.  I want to know how they established their communities on the planet.  I have to remind myself that's not the point of the book.  It's probably also the fact that I haven't been reading as much romance lately and I've gotten used to other parts of the story being equally explored. There's no real external conflict, so if you want a story that's more low stakes, this is for you. That said, I enjoy Dixon's writing.  I love stories about true love winning the day and this definitely fits the bill. Readers looking for a quick, very steamy and heartfelt paranormal romance that spends its time mainly on the couple interactions with a few meaningful interactions with side characters will enjoy this book.   I do plan to read other books in the series, and I'm ready for Josie's story now!

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.

Femme Fatale

 

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

I was legitimately going to give this book a three star rating, but damn, the romance part really got me. I know, I'm a sucker. I mean, honestly this is about the villains. Yes, the hero is a villain (sort of) and the heroine is a villain (sort of). The heroine Alessandra, has a Cruella de Vil (but without the puppy killing) or the wicked stepsister vibe. Maybe a little like real life Lucrezia Borgia. Some of their actions really bothered me. For instance, they throw this guy in prison and forget about him (for robbing from the rich and feeding the poor). In my mind, the guy was kind of a bore, but he was helping people. The King orders the deaths of people like it isn't a big deal. I like a possessive hero who will kill when the heroine is threatened, but he was really cold blooded about it. I'm glad he didn't order the peasants' deaths, but he comes off as a power mad dude who is bent on conquering other countries. I realize whether those villainous traits is up to interpretation, but I found it cringeworthy. I think that if the author wanted us to believe it was the influence of the Shadows, she didn't really make that clear, so it feels cringey.

One thing I really did like was that Alessandra is not an innocent sweet type. She's been around the block a lot. She's slept with dozens of men (and she was only 18), in her own words. I'm always torn about that a little. I like to think I'm enlightened, but still I am not pro-sleeping with a lot of people for lots of reasons. However, I do like that it has a good message about not judging women for who they sleep with (or don't). Also, it speaks about how our patriarchal society makes women so competitive with each other when it's not really necessary. Especially when no one judges men for doing worse. I liked her unapologetic nature and how she doesn't let what others think about her drive her. I also appreciated how goal-driven she is, although I didn't like some of her methods. It was so cool that she made her own clothing and everyone was following her fashion because she chose to stand out, and the King noticed her. And she was a badass.

I was confused about the setting. I wasn't sure if the writer was going from a Renaissance Italy kind of vibe or early 20th century. I felt like she needed to choose which one she was going for. I realize that this was a made up kingdom and world, but it just got weird when one part of the book seemed fairly modern and the other part had them going to a tavern, and they ride in carriages. It's not a major thing by any stretch, but It did stand out to me.

The fantasy aspect was very subtle. I mean, basically it was the fact that the King could manifest shadows. I would have liked a little more fantasy in the book. However, I thought that was interesting. I feel like it was not well-explained how the touch thing worked. I finally worked out what I thought was the mechanism. I think the story would have benefitted from a few more touches of magic to make the world-building a little more solid.

The romance was far and away the best part of this story. Quite frankly, I think this should be labeled as a paranormal romance. I loved how the relationship between Alessandra and the Shadow King builds so beautifully. I really enjoyed how they spent time together and talked a lot. Part of it was because they couldn't touch, but that was such a different dynamic for Alessandra as so many of her interactions (I hesitate to call them relationships) were physical. In this case, the not touching gave them time to build their feelings and that unconsummated tension really came through. Also, the King clearly respected Alessandra and valued her. She had gotten so little of that in her life. Alessandra's walls were coming down and she was finding it harder to remember she wanted to woo and marry the king so she could take his thrown. I really believed in their love for each other. And wow, the chemistry was so good between them. There aren't any on scene love scenes, but the author manages to keep things hot enough that I didn't even miss them.

The sucker punch of the mystery was very well done. I figured that things weren't going to be as easy as it seemed. While I had a feeling about what was going on, it wasn't a gimme. I like my mysteries to keep me guessing and wondering, and this fulfilled that for me.

I'm glad I hung in there with this book. I was turned off by the beginning, and honestly, I didn't like the narrator's voice for Alessandra at all. She wasn't a bad narrator, but I would have liked a deeper, more sultry narrator for Alessandra. I think it would have been more in keeping with her personality. However, I think the narrator did a good job with the male characters.

Yeah, if you are looking for a romance with morally questionable lead characters, you'll probably like this book. While I rooted for their romance, I was still queasy about some of their life choices (like ordering the deaths of people so casually).

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