Mini Reviews: Broke Down, The Spanish Love Deception, and Drag Me Up

I've read a few books lately that I want to talk about, but I don't think I'm quite in the mood to write an entire long-form review. So...here we are with mini reviews! :)

Broke Down by Sharan Daire

Source: KindleUnlimited.

My car broke down on an icy road in the middle of nowhere. I’ve got no money in the bank, no place to stay, and no food for my kids. Can it get any worse?

Sure. A police car pulls up.

The county sheriff calls his twin brother to tow my car for repairs that'll probably cost more than the beater is worth. They say don’t worry about it. They only want to help.

Sure they do.

These gorgeous guys just happen to have two friends who own a luxurious motel called Little Cypress Lodge. I walk into this incredible hotel and it's like I've entered a new fantasy world. It's warm, there's plenty of food for my kids, and they say I can stay. For free. As long as I need a place.

The four of them even want to hire me to do some modeling work for their new fashion line. Crazy, right?

Me. The broke down, homeless single mom.

If I can keep up the act long enough to make some deposits on a new place, I can start a new life for me and my kids. If I don't lose my heart first.

Goodreads | Amazon

**Available through KindleUnlimited!**

I picked this one up as a brain candy read right before the new Mariana Zapata book released. I started it and it was so fun. Then the MZ book released, so I put this one aside for a few days before picking it back up. It was just as easy to get into the second time as it was the first. It doesn't have loads of depth, and it falls on rather simple tropes that tend to be present in books like this, but it really did hit the spot. If you're looking for a quick read that will make you smile and, yeah, probably roll your eyes too...but that's part of its charm, then I say definitely give this one a try!

3 stars - A fun, brain candy RH!

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

Source: KindleUnlimited.

A wedding. A trip to Spain. The most infuriating man. And three days of pretending. Or in other words, a plan that will never work.

Catalina Martín, finally, not single. Her family is happy to announce that she will bring her American boyfriend to her sister’s wedding. Everyone is invited to come and witness the most magical event of the year.

That would certainly be tomorrow’s headline in the local newspaper of the small Spanish town I came from. Or the epitaph on my tombstone, seeing the turn my life had taken in the span of a phone call.

Four weeks wasn’t a lot of time to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic–from NYC and all the way to Spain–for a wedding. Let alone, someone eager to play along my charade. But that didn’t mean I was desperate enough to bring the 6’4 blue eyed pain in my ass standing before me.

Aaron Blackford. The man whose main occupation was making my blood boil had just offered himself to be my date. Right after inserting his nose in my business, calling me delusional, and calling himself my best option. See? Outrageous. Aggravating. Blood boiling. And much to my total despair, also right. Which left me with a surly and extra large dilemma in my hands. Was it worth the suffering to bring my colleague and bane of my existence as my fake boyfriend to my sister’s wedding? Or was I better off coming clean and facing the consequences of my panic induced lie?

Like my abuela would say, que dios nos pille confesados.

The Spanish Love Deception is an enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating romantic comedy. Perfect for those looking for a steamy slow-burn romance with the sweetest Happily Ever After.

Goodreads | Amazon

**Available through KindleUnlimited!**

Before I say anything else, I must tell y'all that THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. It was such an absolute delight. So many of my favorite romance tropes thrown into one beautiful book: grumpy hero, fake relationship, office romance, SLOW BURN! I'd been looking forward to reading this one, and I'm so glad it delivered. I give it 4.5 stars (rounding up to 5) only because of a couple of tiny things that don't entirely matter but did take it from being a definite favorite to only a *contender* for favorite. Even so, I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the tropes I listed, and also to fans of Mariana Zapata.

4.5 stars - A delightful slow burn romance!

Drag Me Up (Gods of Hunger #1) by R.M. Virtues

Source: Purchased.

They say he’s a myth...

And Hades prefers it that way. He may do all the work, and Zeus may get all the credit, but at least it allows Hades to preserve the one thing he truly cares to have: his solitude. The mere mention of the Wraith of Khaos Falls is enough to keep order, and he is rarely forced to leave the shadows of Casino Asphodel.

She belongs in the spotlight...

And Persephone clawed her way out of Demeter’s shadow to reach it. Now she’s lead in Calliope’s Cirque production but not without great cost, and there is not enough money in the world to pay off the debt accrued for the simple mistake of trusting Zeus. Though it’s easier to ignore the bars when she still has room to fly.

Landing a residency at the legendary Casino Asphodel is everything she trained for. Meeting a man she’d been convinced didn’t exist? She could never be prepared for that. Hades isn’t prepared for her either, but it’s soon evident they’re a force when together. He gives her a soft place to land, and she makes him want to reach for the stars. But when Zeus ups the stakes, they must be willing to go all in, even if it means coming down from the sky. Or stepping into the light.

Goodreads | Amazon

I've been seeing this book all over Twitter lately, and I was intrigued enough to download the sample. Then, of course, the sample intrigued me enough that I bought the ebook. And I must say that I'm glad I did, because I really enjoyed it. Mostly because the romance was so well done. Hades and Persephone (yes, THE Hades and Persephone!) connect right away, and I love that neither of them play games with each other as they ease their way into a relationship. It was sweet and lovely. Drag Me Up also uses Greek mythology in a unique way. I liked it, but I wish I'd been more drawn to the inner workings of it all. Maybe as the series goes and I get to know the characters better, I'll grow more interested in that aspect. Overall, I really liked Drag Me Up and I'm excited to read more of the series as it releases! I definitely recommend y'all give this book a try!!

3 stars - A well done Hades & Persephone romance!

You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle ~ Review

You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle

Source: Purchased.

When your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé, happily ever after becomes a lot more complicated in this wickedly funny, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy debut.

Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They're preparing for their lavish wedding that's three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.

Naomi wants out, but there's a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.

But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they're finally being themselves--and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound

You Deserve Each Other is one of those books that I've seen people say nothing but great things about. I've had my paperback since last summer, but it was pretty intimidating to pick it up because hype. But after finishing All Rhodes Lead Here I was in such a mood for something contemporary that could give me feelings and make me fall in love. In a way, You Deserve Each Other delivered that, though not quite the way I'd hoped it would.

I'm going to start with talking about what did not work for me because it was the first half of the book. The first half was...really tough to get through. It's a lovers-to-enemies-back-to-lovers situation. Which sounds fun in theory. However, it took me a while to figure out why they were a couple in the first place, let alone in love enough to get engaged. And when they were enemies? It was rough. There was so much hate, and it made it hard to root for Nicholas and Naomi as a couple. 

That was one of my biggest issues. The things they said and did to each other in the first half. It kind of tainted the good that was to come of them together later. For me, at least, because that stuff was still on my mind and while some of it gets addressed, some of it wasn't. 

But that brings me to the second half. Which is the wonderful, beautiful saving grace. And this is rare for me, because like I said the first half was tough, but the second half truly makes the first half worth it. There's so much character growth. So much relationship growth. It's honestly perfect.

Thinking about Nicholas and Naomi becoming best friends? And that friendship blooming into love that was always meant to be there? It warms my heart beyond measure. Things they got so wrong in the beginning are learned from, turning them from a couple I couldn't understand to something so precious.

It's also worth a big mention that Sarah Hogle's writing is top notch. It'd have to be to pull off this story so precariously. It could have gone so wrong. But instead it hooked me enough to pull me in and kept me interested long enough for it to all start paying off. And it gave me so many emotions. I'm still processing them. But I definitely fell in love by the end.

Overall, You Deserve Each Other is a lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers story that really leans into the enemies, but the payoff of love in the end is well worth it. Just be prepared going in that even though they're difficult to root for in the beginning, Nicholas and Naomi's relationship is something beautiful...they just have to discover that for themselves first. 

3 stars - A tough beginning, but the perfect second half makes it worthwhile :)

Pack Heat Volumes 1-3 by Sam Hall ~ Review

Source: Downloaded through KindleUnlimited.

Pack Heat Volumes 1-3 by Sam Hall

What's a girl to do. Jules is down on her luck, desperate for work when she stumbles onto the little town of Sanctuary. They offer her work, a place to stay, a steady source of income and them: a legion of hot men all looking for their mate. She's given the green light, no, outright encouraged to select as many as tickle her fancy to create a harem from.
If you like super, super steamy reverse harem romance, sinfully hot werewolves who are ready to please, you'll like the Pack Heat series. 18+ only because these pages are scorching with frightening regularity!

Goodreads | Amazon

*Available through KindleUnlimited!*

I realize that this is three books in one, but since I read this omnibus version, the separation between books didn't mean much--I binged the whole thing. So I going to review this all together as one big book. I found this one in a thread on FB for recs of reverse harems where females were rare. The rest went down the way things normally do for me--I downloaded the sample, liked it enough to want more, and then grabbed the entire book. As a whole, I have very mixed feelings about Pack Heat.

This is one of those books that ended up in the middle of the road for me. There was stuff I LOVED, but there was other stuff that put me off. 

Let's start with the stuff I loved:

- The premise. This was the whole reason I picked up the book in the first place. It was a promising idea, and it did deliver in the ways I care about most. The RH romance was great. They were all devoted and loyal. The ultimate goal was happiness with their pack.

- The harem. These guys were so worth everything. Understanding, hot, caring, and protective all while letting Julie do whatever she needed to do to find her footing and figure things out. And there was such a variation of personalities that I think were displayed well throughout the entire trilogy. 

- The growth of the relationships. There is a whole heck of a lot of insta-lust (and just a lot of lust in general, which I'll mention later), but the rest of the important emotions took time to develop and I appreciated that. I also greatly respect that Julie had a mind to that as she selected her pack. 

- I especially love the evolution of things with Hawk and Jack. I'm not going to say too much because it's quite the experience to read, but that was my FAVORITE. 

- I appreciated that she didn't end up with everyone she was interested early on. *not saying anything more for the sake of not spoiling!*

Now for what didn't quite work for me:

- I feel like there was a lot I didn't care about. This is likely a personal preference, but a lot of what made up the ~big serious plot~ didn't entice me too much beyond how it affected Julie and her pack. I skimmed through a bunch to get to the stuff I cared about in the later portion of the trilogy (book 3).

- Sylvan...I wanted to like him especially, when we learned about what his bite meant but I got over that super quick. There was so much about him that turned me off. I felt for his situation, but...meh. Maybe in future books he'll be redeemed for me? idk. But in this trilogy I wasn't a fan.

- Okay. So. I am not afraid of steam or smut or straight up erotica. But in this series, I was here for the building of the relationships--like I said in the first half of this review. However, this trilogy is so heavily filled with sex. It wasn't bad. They were great, well written scenes. But once we got to the third book and important things are supposed to be happening and things were already hindered for me...it just got too repetitive. I'm conflicted about listing this, though, because this is entirely a mood thing. Like if I re-read I probably won't be too bothered because I won't have to wade through all the sex to get to the important emotional bits--and I also know how important a lot of those scenes are. But for my first read-through, particularly in the third book, it was only okay.

Overall, Pack Heat was like crack for me. I picked it up and couldn't put it down. I loved the premise and the evolution of the relationships. But I also had to skim more than I'd prefer to get through to the stuff I liked the best. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a super steamy, fast-burn RH read. I did like it a whole lot. And I'll most likely be picking up the next book in the series. But this was not a favorite for me. 

3.5 stars - Super steamy fast-burn RH that I liked but unfortunately didn't love

Blood & Honey (Serpent & Dove #2) by Shelby Mahurin ~ Review

Source: eARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Blood & Honey (Serpent & Dove #2) by Shelby Mahurin

After narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Dames Blanches, Lou, Reid, Coco, and Ansel are on the run from coven, kingdom, and church—fugitives with nowhere to hide.

To elude the scores of witches and throngs of chasseurs at their heels, Lou and Reid need allies. Strong ones. But protection comes at a price, and the group is forced to embark on separate quests to build their forces. As Lou and Reid try to close the widening rift between them, the dastardly Morgane baits them in a lethal game of cat and mouse that threatens to destroy something worth more than any coven.

The hotly anticipated sequel to the New York Times and IndieBound bestseller Serpent & Dove—packed with even steamier romance and darker magic—is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound

Since Serpent & Dove was one of my favorite books of 2019, naturally Blood & Honey was one of my most anticipated books of 2020. My expectations were understandably high...but I ended up not loving it. In fact, Blood & Honey has been my most disappointing read so far this year.

My biggest issue with this book was the characters. They didn't draw me the way they did in book 1. Especially the POV characters, Lou and Reid. MOST specifically Reid. His development took a couple steps backward and stayed there for most of the book, which was frustrating. Lou was mostly the same, with a tiny backslide, and then a smidgen of growth. But as the two main characters, I expected more. Or at the very least, I expected to be enthralled by their journey as they figured themselves out...and I just wasn't.

The side characters weren't bad, but they also weren't as great as I felt they were in book 1. There were some characters I was done caring about that were brought back, and I didn't care for them. There were a couple carried over from the last book that I'd liked, but didn't capture my attention the way they did before. 

The best character in this whole book was 100% Beau. He was funny and entertaining. My only qualm with him is that he didn't have more page time. 

I was also a fan of the writing. Shelby Mahurin has so much talent. The vibes of the book were deliciously dark and witchy. Plus, she inntroduced a slew of new characters, some of which I loved and am looking forward to seeing more of. And I never stopped caring about Lou and Reid as a couple. I'd absolutely go down with that ship.

But while the writing was great, the plotting...wasn't. The problem was partly the pacing--which made the book something of a chore to pick up most of the time. But then there was the fact that the closer we got to the end, the more obvious it was that this series could have concluded with book 2 instead of continuing to book 3. I could clearly see where things were contrived in order to leave things hanging for another book. This made it harder to be pulled into the story because the decisions made by EVERYONE were frustrating.

Overall, Blood & Honey was sadly disappointing, though it did have some good parts. The writing was as atmospheric as the first book, and I'm forever in love with the romance. The character growth was a negative sticking point for me, however, along with the ending. I'm unsure whether I'll pick up book 3 at this point...but I suppose I have about a year to think about it. And with all this said, I do still ADORE book 1, Serpent & Dove.

3 stars - A disappointing read for me :/

Delta Force Defender by Megan Crane ~ Review

Return to Alaska's Grizzly Harbor where danger strikes with arctic precision and love thaws the coldest hearts in the new romantic suspense from USA Today bestselling author Megan Crane.

After an explosion that should have killed her, Caradine Scott barely escaped her criminal family by leaving her old identity behind her. These days she runs the Water's Edge Café in a rugged little town on the edge of nowhere, vowing never to let anyone close to her again.

Isaac Gentry is back home after his career in the military, playing the part of an unassuming local in Grizzly Harbor, while also overseeing Alaska Force's special ops work as the leader and commanding officer he was in the Marines and beyond. He has better things to do than obsess over a woman who claims she hates him, but every glimpse he gets of the vulnerability beneath her prickly exterior is a distraction...and a challenge he can't ignore.

When Caradine's demons catch up with her, her café isn't the only thing that blows up. Her past pushes them together, and closer to a future that's been waiting for them all this time. They just have to survive long enough to enjoy it.

Goodreads

Amazon | B&N

Available tomorrow from Berkley

The beginning of this book captured my attention and pulled me into an interesting story.  I haven't read the previous books in this campaign series and that wasn't a problem.  I learned about Alaska Force and the small town of Grizzly Harbor along the way.  I was mostly interested in the mystery that was Caradine Scott and that kept me turning the pages.

There are a lot of alpha males in this book, Isaac being chief among them.  It's clear Isaac and Caradine have or have had a relationship though it seems neither of them will admit it, even to the other.  Isaac is a calm man that just gets calmer when things get bad but Caradine has him rattled.  He spent 20 long minutes believing she's dead and he's not going to let her forget it.  But then she ran.  

Alaska Force men (and one women) are all ex-military that don't quite fit in other places.  They fix problems with no solutions.  Caradine has one of those problems but she isn't willing to let them fix it.  It's all about who stays safe and what's chasing her.  Then there's the little matter or who she actually is.  

While I really liked Isaac, I wasn't a fan of Caradine.  She poked at Isaac just to get a reaction and while some of that is fun she got on my nerves.  Some of it was her trying to be in character because she is on the run.  I get that but sometimes it's too much.  Really, I was fine with her until near the end of the book when she poked him some more.  It was where I drew my line.  I'd had it with her.  I think I stopped caring about whether she got the guy.

On the other had, I did want Isaac to get the girl.  Isaac is a man with lose in his life.  He has fought for everything and doesn't really know how to stop fighting. He needs to figure out if he wants to have a life with another person.  It's a lesson he learns the hard way and at the hand of a lot of that poking from Caradine.  That may have been my real problem.  She poked him where it hurts a little too hard.  I know it came from love but I just didn't appreciate it.

The story was pretty good.  There was some unknowns that needed to be flushed out.  I enjoyed that part of the story.  Who was doing what and why.  A little suspense, though really mystery.  There was some action when things went south a few times.   All of that was enjoyable.  There was this touch of chic-lit in there about figuring what's important and what you actually want.  That's the part that I didn't really enjoy.  I felt like that part was too contrived.  It came after the climax and felt like a delaying tactic.  I guess it was so the characters could grow and develop.  But it felt out of place to me.  I wish that the issues that Isaac was struggling with were more integrated into the story itself and not left to the end.

Don't get me wrong, it was an enjoyable read.  I may go back and read more from this series.  

                     

Black Dagger Brotherhood #1 - #5 by J.R. Ward ~ Review

The only purebred vampire left on the planet and the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who killed his parents centuries ago. But when his most trusted fighter is killed—orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate—Wrath must put down his dagger and usher the beautiful female into another world.

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn’t there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of the Brotherhood and blood frighten her. Yet his touch ignites a dawning new hunger—one that threatens to consume them both…

Goodreads

Amazon | B&N

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war raging between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Possessed by a deadly beast, Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He's the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover-for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Owned by this dark side, Rhage fears the time when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage's protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. She lost her faith in miracles years ago. But when Rhage's intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves... 

Goodreads

Amazon | B&N

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Of these, Zsadist is the most terrifying member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion—until he rescues a beautiful aristocrat from the evil Lessening Society.

Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for one another begins to overtake them both, Zsadist’s thirst for vengeance against Bella’s tormentors drives him to the brink of madness. Now, Bella must help her lover overcome the wounds of his tortured past, and find a future with her…

Goodreads

Amazon | B&N

Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard-living ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world—to engage in the turf war with the lessers. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have Marissa, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers...

Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, he's found by a miracle, and the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back. But even her love may not be enough to save him...

Goodreads

Amazon | B&N

The ruthless and brilliant brother Vishous possesses a destructive curse and a frightening ability to see the future. As a member of the Brotherhood, he has no interest in love or emotion, only the battle with the Lessening Society. But when a mortal injury puts him in the care of a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb compels him to reveal his inner pain and taste true pleasure for the first time-until a destiny he didn't choose takes him into a future that does not include her...

Goodreads

Amazon | B&N

I know I'm late to the party but I finally started reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood.  I've read the first 5 books in the series and I think I'm done.  I may change my mind later and return to this series but as of right now, I'm done.

Overall, the books are good paranormal books.  It's a different take on vampires with a dark world tucked inside our own world.  There are civilian vampires and warrior vampires.  The brotherhood is the later.  Vampires only drink from other vampires of the opposite sex.  The civilian world has a old world snobbery where bloodlines are more important than individuals.  Add in the lessening society, who are headed by the Omega.  Yeah, he's the badest baddy you can think of.  Some of humans mythology is there.  Heaven and hell.  But there is also the scribe virgin who is the creator of the vampire world.  

In the first book, we have Wrath (the blind king) and Beth's (half-blood) story.  This book does a good job of setting up the world while still driving the story along.  I loved Wrath.  But I wanted something to happen that didn't and it really made me angry.  I thought his scribe virgin was uppity and not as willing to support the vampire society as she should be.

The second book is Rhage (warrior) and Mary (human).  This one touches on some of the weirdness that these books deal with.  Rhage can't feed from a human.  I was never completely happy about how it was resolved or the lifespan issue.

Book three is Zsadist (former blood slave and warrior) and Bella's (civilian) story.  Poor Zsadist.  His past is beyond brutal.  I felt for him so much but it was hard to care for him.  He was so hard and at times cruel.  And the whole thing with Phury was just awkward.  

Book four is Butch (former human cop) and Marissa's (Wrath's former shellen) story.  So humans can't become vampires, or so we have been told.  But there is some convenient clause that fixes things for Butch.  Yeah, he's a warrior now.  A lot of rules just get overlooked for the good of the war with the lessening society.  I really don't like it when everything is "no that can't be" and then someone just changes it because it's convenient.  I will admit to liking Butch and I'm glad he got Marissa.  They are a well mated pair.  It just too convenient for my liking.

Book five is Vishous (warrior with interesting mother issues) and Jane's (human doctor) story.  I think that while I liked this story the best, it was the one that caused me to decide to stop reading this series.  At this point, I can't stand the scribe virgin no matter her "sacrifice".  What she allowed to happen to Vishous went over a line for me.  It's one of those trust issues that can't be fixed for me.

While I liked the series, I grew tired of the slang, true?  Yeah, that came up a lot.  I get that this series is older and these books were releases in the early 2000's but it got old after a while.  I just couldn't take one more "feel me?".  The vampires were stuck in the 90's watching old (even then) reruns and talking like the million dollar man.  

And those breaking of trust issues I had?  I learn to trust certain authors not to do things that I can't get past.  While it may be more like real life, it isn't what I want from my books.  Things like guys having sex with another girl while crushing on someone else.  Yeah, it was in the book before their story, but I couldn't let it go.  And impossible situations.  I get that this is fiction and an author can write whatever they want but some things go too far.  The example of this is a spoiler so I won't say it but it really deflated me to the point I didn't want to read.  Not good.

Also, it was just too easy to see things coming in these books.  I really wasn't surprised, even with what should have been major events.  I like hints and they are necessary but these were too obvious.  

I guess the last think has to do with how much the stories are tied together.  You learn so much about other heroes well before their story.  While that's usually a good thing, it started to bug me.  I wanted the story focused on this couple.  These books are not so much companion as they are slices of a vampire soap opera.  I guess I bore easily and this one had me yawning.  

If you are a vampire book person, I would guess this series would still interest you.  The writing is strong and the sex is always hot.  I'm not sure the romance is strong, it wasn't for me.  But a lot of people love these books.  I kept hoping I'd love them more.  It just didn't happen.

                     

Ice Planet Holiday, Barbarian's Prize, Barbarian's Mate (Ice Planet Barbarians #4.5-6 by Ruby Dixon ~ Review

Hi, friends! I've been working on the Ice Planet Barbarians series since December, as I'm certain I've mentioned once or twice or twenty times. Since I've been binge reading them for a while, I'm kind of far into the series. I'm on book 17, and I'm also 4 books into the Icehome series. So instead of trying to wrack my memory to write a long, full-length review for each book, I'm going to write little mini reviews instead. Just a paragraph, maybe two if I'm feeling wordy. But it'll give my overall opinion of the book.

I did this for books 2-4 as well, if you'd like to check it out. 

Ice Planet Holiday (Ice Planet Barbarians #4.5) by Ruby Dixon

All this snow and no holidays? What's a stranded human to do?

Create a new holiday, of course. Georgie and the other women decide to bring some new traditions and cheer to the sa-khui. More babies are born, presents are exchanged, and a new romance blossoms between a human woman desperate for a change, and the alien determined to protect her.

This 25,000 word novella is NOT intended as a stand-alone. Looking for a place to start? Try ICE PLANET BARBARIANS, Book #1 in the series.

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*Available through KindleUnlimited!*

Loved the idea. I'm always here for a holiday story, especially since I read this one during the holiday season. That said, the execution didn't quite hit the mark for me. I was glad to get Claire's story. Her situation and seeing her romance with Ereven was interesting and great, and I wish this story had focused on more of that instead of spending as much time with Georgie. Georgie got her own entire book--it felt a bit unnecessary to give Georgie so much screen time when what I truly wanted was more Claire and Ereven. I definitely like getting to see past characters as the series progresses, but the balance in this one didn't work for me. A nice, fun interlude of a story, but I wish Claire and Ereven's portion had more time to be fleshed out.

Barbarian's Prize (Ice Planet Barbarians #5) by Ruby Dixon

It’s hard being the most popular girl on the ice planet. The alien men are falling all over themselves to impress me in the hopes that I’ll take them to my furs. But they don’t know my secrets – none of them do. And they don’t realize that behind my smile, I just wish they’d go away.

I don’t want any of them. I want someone else – someone with a gorgeous blue body, big horns, and the most intense gaze ever. He’s the only one that knows the truth. Maybe with him, I can work through my fears of the past…. but I’m pretty sure he wants more than just friendship.

He wants forever, and I’m not sure I can give it.

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Such a sweet one. I very much appreciated the patience given to Tiffany, and the gentle build of the romance. Tiffany's lack of communication with others was a tad annoying but very understandable. And it was part of what led to the fun of the competition, which I had fun reading. A strong installment, though while I ended it happy for the couple, I was mostly super excited for the next book--Josie's story.

Barbarian's Mate (Ice Planet Barbarians #6) by Ruby Dixon

'Resonance' is supposed to be a dream - that's when your soulmate is chosen for you. And everyone on the ice planet has hooked up with a big, hunky soulmate of their own... except me. So do I want a mate? Heck yeah. More than anything, all I've ever wanted is to be loved by someone.

Except that the soulmate chosen for me? My least favorite person on the darn ice planet. Haeden's the most cranky, disapproving, unpleasant, overbearing male alien... so why is it that my body sings when he gets close? Why is he working so hard to prove to me that he's not as awful as I think he is?

I hate him... don't I?

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A perfect example of instalove done right. I'm STILL, months later, head over heels for this one. I smile as I write this. Ahhh it was so good. This whole series does instalove so well, but this installment... *chef's kiss* There's hate to love vibes and banter. And their growth as a couple? Leading into how close they were and how comfortable they got with each other and how much they cared? It slays me. The cutest. One of my favorites of the series!