This book was tracking toward 4 stars until the abrupt ending. Excuse me, but where's the rest? Where's the part where we see Tony and Augustin cement the bond? Don't give me a vampire novel without biting. I was waiting for that, especially since we know from the prologue that Augustin and Tony did create that bond.

I liked this quite a bit (until the ending), with Augustin's snark and sarcasm taking front and center, and Tony's vampy friends bringing up the rear.

A fun read, definitely, and some sexy times as well. Loved the writing, loved the well-developed characters. Didn't quite buy the rapid romance blossoming that quickly. I really liked that the author created a character who knew his shortcomings, but didn't let those define him, and wouldn't take crap from anyone, not even a vampire. That was fun. The mythology was not completely new, with vampire being fast, able to float, and turning into bats, but the author used the traditional vamp traits and integrated them into the fun parts of this book.

Abysmally disappointed that the book ended so abruptly. I would have liked a bit more.


** I received a free copy of this book from its publisher. A positive review was not promised in return.

Vann's Victory picks up shortly after the first book, with Vann and Kip, plus some of the Highgate wolves, flying out to Crossways to liberate the pack that the two men escaped.

Most of the book elaborates on Vann and Kip's relationship, their dynamics with each other, their fears for the future, and struggles with their freedom, as well as insights into their bond, and how it came to be.

The author spent some time revisiting (as part of the plot's progression) how Vann and Kip met, what they went through at Crossways, and how their relationship works with Kip assuming a submissive stance, and Vann being Dominant. For those not in the lifestyle, or those who don't know much about a true BDSM relationship, about power exchange, their bond might seem strange, but for me (even though I don't practice BDSM myself), it was very clear how much these two loved each other.

The main plot about liberating Crossways almost seemed too easy for my taste, especially with how much build-up there was in Vann's and Kip's minds.

The characterizations felt a little uneven at times, but overall this was a good sequel to the first book, and a promising installment to the series. It's shaping up to be a rather nice combination of M/M romance and action novels.

** I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. A positive review was not promised in return. **

This book, the 3rd in the Highgate Shifters series, focused on Dillon, married to Sergeant (Alpha), who is their security expert.

The men have just recently returned from their expedition to the Crossways pack's compound, liberating the wolves there, and are hoping for a bit of peace and quiet, when Dillon spots a lone wolf on the security cameras who looks like the one they left in charge at Crossways. Upon further inspection, they determine that the young man, confused and dazed, is not actually Caleb, and that he's been apparently sent by the Agency for which Dillon used to work.

The explanations and science behind the young man's confused and strange state were over my head, with face changes (like, plastic surgery?) and some drug I've never heard of that seems to be capable of transmitting data (??) - it was a bit too complicated for this reader. YMMV.

The plot progresses swiftly, and I read with increasing anxiety how Dillon and Sergeant try to solve the mystery, but was ultimately let down when the villain and motives were revealed. They were simply too far-fetched for my taste, and left a sour taste in my mouth, especially combined with the swift and almost too-easy resolution to the threat the villain posed.

Hot man-on-man loving is included, and worked well with how it was fit into the plotline. It didn't feel gratuitous, but expected for these two men, who've been together for a long time and love each other very much. The writing is engaging, and the author did a good job with the strong relationship between Dillon and Sergeant, the pack dynamics, the characters (except the villain), and the mystery (which blind-sided me), and I'm def interested in future installments from this series. These books are a nice combo between M/M Romance and action novels. 

**I received a free copy from the publisher. A positive review was not promised in return. **

This was a nice start to a new series.

Jace has grown up in the Highgate Shifter pack, after having been found abandoned by the side of the road when he was but a pup. Rescued by the Alpha of the pack and adopted into his family, Jace has no recollection of his birth family. As he comes of age, his love for Louie only grows, but the other man gives no indication that he feels the same pull of a mating bond. Jace also struggles with the knowledge that he's adopted, that he doesn't really belong.

Louie, a member of the Highgate pack, has been in love with Jace for as long as he can remember, but dares not show his feelings for fear that Jace's birth family will return to claim him and take him away.

Then a stranger shows up who looks much like Jace and brings a mate with him.

Jace and Louie finally open up to each other.

The Highgate pack becomes involved in an issue with another pack (can't say much bc spoilers).

For this being the first in a series, the book did some nice world-building that was fully integrated into the plot. There wasn't a massive amount of explanation or history, and everything the reader needed to know was explained as part of the plot/narration/dialogue without getting tedious.

It just felt a bit too fluffy, too easy how everything fell into place, after such a strong start, and by the end of the book, I felt a bit let down. The villain was shallow, one-dimensional. The supporting characters also felt as if they needed some additional fleshing out.

I did like that Jace did some growing up, and made amends with those he had hurt.

I look forward to the next book from this series.

** I received a free copy of this book from its publisher, Totally Bound. A positive review was not promised in return. **

I didn't realize this was set in the 1920s when I asked for a copy for review, but after the first few pages, I rolled with it. I didn't mind the setting, but I minded that it wasn't described better, in more detail. I never felt as if this was actually taking place in the roaring 20s, the heyday of Hollywoodland. Some things were addressed, sure, and there weren't any modern conveniences (though showers and heaters that didn't run out of hot water made me question the veracity of those situations), but we didn't get any descriptions of the glamorous side of that era. Perhaps that was intentional. 

I also didn't realize that this was the fifth installment of a series, but it worked well enough as a standalone, as it focused mostly on Vincent and Juan. There was sufficient backstory given, with a bit of infodump, that I didn't have any trouble following along and understanding what was going on and what had happened before.

The romance smacked of insta-lust that turned into love too quickly for my taste, though I liked how the relationship was explored. The BDSM aspects of the story were done well enough for my liking, though a nagging voice in the back of my head wondered for a little while if Juan was so accepting of his role as Vincent's submissive out of fear of losing his job, but then that was addressed. The descriptions of the sexual situations were sufficiently emotional, considering that they were rather explicit, and I believed that the two men truly loved each other. Vincent exhibited the qualities of a good Dom, so I was happy with how he was described. 

The drama and angst - well. Some of it was a wee bit over the top, though I could believe that Juan would resort to extreme measures to keep Vincent safe, and I guess the story needed that sort of breakthrough to get them to where they ended up. 

The writing and dialogue were a little flat on occasion, and felt inorganic, but that may have been because of the time period in which this story took place. 

Overall, not a bad little story from a new to me author.

** I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Pride Promotions in preparation for the upcoming blog tour. A positive review was not promised in return. **