HUDSON

Hudson finally gets the news he's been waiting for for so long—he's been matched. When he meets her, he finds out he's been matched to a beautiful little woman who smells of dead things. A veritable perfume for a hunter.

Macy's been pimped by her own sister. Her twin, Stacy, had applied her for a mail-order-bride deal posing as her, and now that she's been matched, Macy cannot find it in herself to renege on the "deal". Especially when the deal comes in a package like Hudson.


After the first story in this little trilogy, Cutlass, that was cute, sweet, sexy, and funny, this came as a disappointment. I liked the hero, although he lacked the humorous cultural-gab moments of his predecessor, but I disliked the heroine with her codependence with her manipulative sister, and her complete inability to send the aforementioned sister to hell.
I understand the whole cancer-scare thing, but it was a long time ago, and letting her twin walk all over her, making everything about herself, literally cockblocking her on the date Stacy herself helped put in motion, was a bit too much.

Also, the story lacked the ease and fun of its predecessor, sounding rather forced.

MAVERICK

I was looking forward to Maverick's story since the beginning of this trilogy, because the grumpiest usually fall the hardest, but I couldn't have been more disappointed if I tried.

I hated his heroine with a passion. Bossy, brash, self-centered, egotistical and bitchy Stacy couldn't have been redeemed no matter what happened. I felt a sliver of empathy somewhere around the half mark, but she ruined it all soon afterward when she couldn't have been bothered with actually sticking around and listening, preferring to wallow in self-pity.

It was always and all about her. Maverick sure deserved better.

Savage Sacrifice: A Dire Wolves Mission ...

A few months after their mating, Thaus has to leave Ariel for an important mission, and the only one he trusts to protect his mate and their unborn child, is his Dire "brother", Phego. Phego who, despite his trust issues, accepts, since he owes Thaus his life...And Ariel is the only Dire mate he's taken quickly and easily, his best friend.

The problem is, the woman is close to birth, and he'd be damned if he helped deliver the baby, so he has no choice but to accept Ariel calling her friend and midwife, Michaela, for help. Michaela who happens to be an Omega, Michaela who travels with an unwanted bodyguard, Michaela who is Phego's mate.

But Phego has too many trust issues to accept being mated easily...And even if he wanted to push those issues aside, there's something stalking them in the woods. So now Phego has to protect his brother's mate and unborn child, all the while fighting his most basic instincts of taking what is rightfully his.

But is Michaela really a dream come true, something he never expected of having for himself, a gift from Fate...or is Fate playing a cruel joke on him, determined to ruin him once and for all?



Compared to the rest of the series, this book left me wanting. There was the requisite attraction-at-first-sight, reluctance to get close to the woman until the passion got out of control, the remote setting, a woman in need of protection, something dark and deadly stalking in the woods...But somehow it all failed to deliver.

I didn't feel the connection to the leading couple (probably because Phego only appeared in one book before his own, and didn't get the time to really "know" him, which makes me leery of the next book in the series about Deus, who also only made his appearance in this one), the whole mating thing left much to be desired, there was too much going on to actually make the two of them connect together as a couple, and the danger left me cold. There was no ominous feel, no sense of urgency as the danger lurked closer and closer, and the big reveal didn't pack a punch, didn't bring the shock and surprise it was probably supposed to.
Also the whole revelation that maybe, just maybe, the Dires weren't alone came across as a cheap and easy plot device, that hopefully won't be used to perpetuate the series.

I was glad for Thaus and Ariel, and although the epilogue offered a cute little insight into Phego and Michaela's relationship post mating, I felt the story was definitely too short as far as their "romance" was concerned.

Feared by even his own kind, Bez of the Dire Wolf shifters knows exactly how to succeed in any battle. Even if that means racking up collateral damage along the way. A simple mission into the swamplands to save a teenage wolf shifter should have been an easy track and retrieval for a man with his training, but nothing comes easy when the fates get involved.

In one night, Omega Sariel went from a free, single shewolf to a captive with a teenage girl to watch over and a couple of guards intent on making her life miserable…what little is left of it. Then a soldier with ice in his eyes walks in, and the mating call begins. He’s too tough, too harsh, too murderous…but when your life hangs in the balance, a lethal fighter in your corner is better than battling alone. Especially one who isn’t afraid to get a little dirty with her.

Two kidnapped women, one dangerous soldier unknowingly about to come face-to-face with fate, and a monster set on destroying everything in its path. In the world of the Dire Wolves, a retrieval is a simple mission for the unit of soldiers that make up their pack. But this time, a single glance blows simple right out of the swamp and forces Bez to make his stand alone.

One soldier, one fight…one chance at forever.

Her Gingerbread Dragon by Elianne Adams (2 stars)
This one started really promising, then lost its way a little by slowing down (a lot), then got interesting again with the hole dragon-hating thing...That unfortunately didn't lead anywhere.
I guess that's for the full-length novels in the series (which I won't be reading anytime soon).


God of Nightmares by Calle J. Brookes (DNF)
I cringed at the blurb...And threw in the towel at the end of the first chapter. I guess I wasn't in the mood for so much "world-building".


Bringing Christmas to the Dragons by Rinelle Grey (DNF)
There's a limited amount of time to grab a reader's attention in a novella. For me, that's one chapter. If the first chapter leaves me cold, the rest won't be any better.
The first chapter in this one, was the equivalent of the Ice Age. Next!


Solstice Wolf by J.K. Harper (1 star)
Rather iffy, but manageable with a slightly PWP-ish "love" scene (no context and rather "cold" characters), and a heroine that didn't know what she wanted until she lost it, and didn't realize that what she thought she wanted turned out to be too good to be true. Lesson learned.


Mated By Christmas by Loribelle Hunt (DNF)
Yeah...No.


Claiming Their Christmas by Ellis Leigh (3 stars)
It was a little heartbreaking reading about Beast and his lingering feelings about Amber and her death. One one hand he felt guilty, because the witch died instead of him, on the other he still felt rage toward her for having manipulated him, and on the third a complete inability to comprehend just what Amber was supposed to mean to him.
It was a little heartbreaking, and a little angering, really, because I just didn't understand the reasoning behind everything. Why didn't he simply talk to his mate, talk it through with her, when he knew it was hurting her, when he knew he was hurting her. Why did it take him so long to just talk to her, why did it take everybody and their aunt to drum some sense into the guy? I loved his story so much, I loved the ending of Claiming His Desire, and he ruined everything, he even ruined Amber's sacrifice, in this short story.

Damn.


Desert Yule by Anna Lowe (DNF)
An obvious collection of Christmas-themed epilogues to previous stories in the series. Since I'm not familiar with either the series (the context) or the author, these snippets did nothing for me.


Claimed by Heart by Eris Sage (DNF)
Something was off with this one. Maybe the "older" h/H, maybe the fact they has children from previous relationships, maybe the very slow and uneventful start...Or maybe the bland character and zero chemistry between them.


A Beary Merry Christmas by Vivienne Savage (DNF)
It was rather disappointing that even such a short story didn't really grab my attention. There was just something off, maybe even the fact we're thrown into the story in the middle or after it already happened. The two already got their HEA, what's there more to tell?


Healing Christmas by Bethany Shaw (DNF)
Another one that didn't register on the radar. I didn't care what was the heroine's problem with Christmas, I didn't care how h/H might have gotten together (I didn't get to that part), I didn't care how the plot with the robbers would end...I simply didn't care.


Celebrate Me by Kristen Strassel (DNF)
I know it's a novella, but still, pacing is key. Even knowing when to slow down the story. If you rush things, you'll blow it. And insta-love is rushing things, simple as that. Add to it the fact I didn't understand nor feel the insta-love, and the Romeo-and-Juliet vibe with everybody trying to keep the two apart...I couldn't finish it.


Fascination by Elle Thorne (2 star)
It started well, but then went astray with the main conflict and the slightly silly attempts at arresting the burglar. Also, the connection between h/H didn't really click for me...And the whole panther-polar bear combo was a tad odd.


Maker by Holley Trent (DNF)
The narrative was juvenile, making the characters more young adult than new adult (or whatever the new category is). The style and voice made my teeth ache, the MCs left absolutely no impression and somewhere close to the middle, I stopped caring...And reading.


Furever Yours by Catherine Vale (DNF)
The surprise bun in the oven screamed Harlequin for me, and the fact it happened in a novella wasn't encouraging. To top it off, the narrative style and voice didn't work for me.


Snowbound at Solstice by Lori Whyte (DNF)
I don't share and don't really understand those that do. Fictional or not. Pass!

Earth is the new addition to the Intergalactic Dating Agency's list. The planet it apparently filled with single women waiting for that special guy, that Mr Right. Women who apparently aren't that picky about Mr Right not being human. So the powers that be at the IGDA are starting to accept applications of aliens of male sex from around the universe to be matched with human women.

Cutlass or whatever the hell his true (long) name is, is the first, and he's matched with Chloe who managed to beat "the rush", since female applications have also started pouring in. They have two weeks to make it work, and then it's mate or bust.


I simply adored this story. Adored it to bits. The MCs were wonderful, and funny (especially with the whole culture and language barrier thingy), Cutlass was just perfect (oh, my), Chloe and her inner monologues quirky as heck, the story was super cute, and super hot (oh, my), and the length spot on.

Loved it and looking forward to more.