Independent reviewer for Gay Romance Reviews, I was gifted my copy of this book. So, cute! Really a rather amusing read, not laugh out loud funny, but one of those that kept me chuckling at random points long the way. Twig is half dragon, half fairy and cannot shift. Quinn is traded (yes, traded) with Twig as payment for services to find the unicorn's horn. Quinn thought he was a wizard, but failed the last test to find a familiar, and was bought by said unicorn as a slave. Twig and Quinn must work together to find the horn, but also to find themselves. I liked this, a lot. It is busy though! Lots going on, lots of side characters, and lots and lots of action! I got a bit concerned when zombies were mentioned! Usually I steer clear of book that mention the Z word in the blurb and I must have missed it in this one, but the zombies here are only on page long enough to be . . destroyed . . by someone(spoilers, don't ya know!), so I didn't have to worry about them too much. I liked all the twists that were thrown at Twig and Quinn. The shifting, or not as the case may be for Twig. The wizard thing for Quinn. What I didn't like was how FAST the book moved. There was no let up, once Quinn and Twig were off after the horn, not one! It was one thing after another and another and they had no time to process what happened at each encounter before moving on to the next. I also didn't like we didn't get to hear from Quinn. Yes I knw that might have given some things away way before they were literally thrown at us, but still. I wanted to know about what the unicorn had done to Quinn, it is hinted at, and then . . left. So while you can put the pieces together, I still wanted to hear it from Quinn, you know?? A fun read, just far too fast moving, and I wanted a page or three to catch up! 4 good solid stars **same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book. For the most, I did enjoy this. Couple of things let it down, for ME, and I'll enplain shortly. Dallas is called up by an acqaintance, is best to describe him, to cash in on a favour owned. Someone needs protecting, and the acquaintance needs something from this someone to keep her safe. There follows a lot of double crossing, back stabbing and general underhandedness you would expect from an organised crime boss, and an organisation that walks under the radar of most things. From what I can gather, this is actually a spin off from another series, The Nicci Beauvior series and Dallas plays a huge part in the 2nd and 3rd book in that series. Some reviewers of THIS have said you should read THOSE books to get the full picture of what Dallas went through, and how he came to where he is now. Personally, I don't think it's really necessary. There is enough recapped and retold here, for you to get the picture, or for ME anyway, to get enough of the picture to fill in the gaps and for this story to flow. I was a little concerned at first that this would be a bit too complicated for my addled brain (April 2020, you get my drift?) to cope with, but it's good. There is a good, intriguing plot to follow, but it's not ever so complex that you have to concentrate too hard on, you know? It's ENOUGH to make you think, to excerise the grey matter, and just enough to keep you engaged til the end. What let it down for ME were two things. Only Dallas has a say. I would like to have heard from Gwen, the someone who Dallas is called to keep safe. I get maybe some of the plotline would be given away, yes, but still I wanted to hear from her, and (job aside) what she thought of Dallas and what leads her to make the offer she does. And Dallas himself was very . . standoffish? . .maybe not quite the right word, but I struggled to connect with Dallas, made more difficult because only his voice is heard. Had Gwen had a say, I could have coped better, or maybe connected earlier, with Dallas. I LOVED Cleveland and Stokes, two of Dallas' operatives. Their banter has, I'm sure, far deeper roots and far further reaching branches, than is currently showing. A very engaging 4 stars **same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book. *insert sigh* *insert another sigh* I wanted to love, to even LIKE this book but I struggled, to be honest. Mostly, because of two things. Only Sasha has a say, and she grated on me, she really did. I can't say WHY, and I'm more annoyed that I cannot voice WHY she got my back up and got on my nerves, but she did. And because Caleb isn't given a voice, I very nearly dumped it, because she drove me nuts at points! AND First person/present tense. Even if caleb had been given a voice, with the book written this way, I would have enjoyed it a bit more, I think. You could see the "situation" developing at the hospital, with the other nurse, coming at ay like a train wreck, and you can't stop, but it is nice for everything to be laid out for you once in a while. There were SOME surprises though, so i enjoyed that. I'm sorry, a short review, but I really am struggling to make sense. I finished it, though, and I promised myself that I would give a book 3 stars if I finished it, even if I didn't really like so. Will I read other books in the series? Probably not, no. By this author? I'll give Ms Smith another try, certainly. 3 stars **same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book. I am struggling with my review for this one, and I have no idea if any of this will make sense you, since I'm struggling to make sense of the book. Positives: It's well written. I saw no spelling or editing errors. It plays well with the Sherlock Holmes and the characters all to do with him, the good and the bad. There is a huge supporting cast of well rounded and developed characters, that fit in, in all the right places. It's very different to my usual reads. I DID like the twist that I did not see coming, not in the slightest! And I finished it! Negatives (for me): Single person point of view, in the first person. And I have not a single clue about what was the point of the whole book! I kept on reading, since I thought *something* will make sense soon. Something will give me a sign what the whole point of this tale is. And I got nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero clue. There is an EXTREMELY tangled web within the book, and I tried to keep up, I really did, but I got lost somewhere around a key player's murder. I can see HOW everything came together, I just can't see WHY, you know? Maybe it was just a little TOO far out of my corfort zone, although, pre-kindle days, crime/thriller/police books were my main stay, so I don't know! Will I read anything else by this author? Probably not, no. Someone will be fully engrossed in the book and it will make total sense to them, but for me? Sorry. 3 stars, since what I read WAS well written, and I DID finish it. **same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book. And just like that, back up to 5 full stars AND it's single point of view! I LOVED this instalment of these hockey players, I really did. Kye returns home after retiring from professional hockey with two things on his agenda. Look after his grandad, Dunny. And get his man back, David. First one is fairly easily sorted but the second one? Not so much. David is, even after 20 years, angry with Kye. So angry for leaving him, but more so for not even coming home in all that time, not ONCE. David would have had a long distance relationship, but Kye was still in the closet and did not want to ruin his career. Leaving Davey all that time ago killed Kye, but now he is on a mission to get his man back. Will David as he likes to be called, want him, though? Kye is very vocal about many things, but the biggest thing he has a say about is his regret for leaving David and not coming home. He needs David to understand, even after all this time, he LOVES David, deep within his soul and he just needs a chance to prove that. There follows a delightful tale of a man on a mission, a woo-ing mission, to get his man back and Kye does it so beautifully! He can see David giving in, with the little twitches of a smile, the sparkle in his eye, the way he wants to go slow about kills Kye, but he knows he has to play David's game if he really has any sort of chance. Only Kye has a say, yes, I know, but his voice is strong, and fills in all the gaps that David NOT having a voice leaves. David manages to get his point across, though. I didn't find it as explicit as a couple of the others, but it's not missed. This is more about the LOVE between these two men, rather than that sex. Some difficult reading about the poachers and what David, as a wildlife conservation officer finds, but I think that probably is needed, to explain a lot of how David feels about his job and what he has to deal with on a day to day basis. Also, Dunny, Kye's grandfather, is ailing in body and mind, and that is also difficult reading, but extremely well written and absolutely needed. Arn pops up, and I loved the little digs to Kye about the other couples in this series, I really did! Made me chuckle, what Arn comes out with! Kye had no clue what he was talking about, though, and it shows that there really is no link between the series bar Arn and the colour theme. Who's next? No idea, but please, keep these guys coming! 5 full and shiny stars **same worded review will appear elsehwere**