Seduction (Curse of the Gods #3) by Jaymin Eve & Jane Washington ~ Review

Source: KindleUnlimited.

Seduction (Curse of the Gods #3) by Jaymin Eve & Jane Washington

Willa Knight: Dweller? Sol? Accidental evolutionary hiccup? 

Willa has never been a particularly useful dweller: she isn’t very good at chores, she isn’t very good at worshipping, she isn’t very good at not having opinions, and she isn’t very good with rules—but none of that matters anymore. 

The rules are changing. 

The dwellers are trying to make their own way in the world, and Willa can’t seem to help getting tangled up in their plans. 

Luckily, she has the Abcurse brothers to help her out—until she doesn’t, and suddenly she’s alone again in a world on the brink of chaos. With the Abcurses gone, she’ll have to rely on her wits, and her sister Emmy, to stay under the radar and survive. 

Because someone wants her dead. 

But, really, what else is new?

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I read books 1 and 2 of this series a couple of months ago, but took a break after book 2 because the plot was kind of a mess and I needed a break before continuing on. Well, I've been in a reading slump lately and the book that came to mind when I decided it was time to pull myself out of it was this one. Seduction. I was finally ready to find out what comes next for Willa and her Abcurse brothers. And you know, I'm happy I picked it up!

First, foremost, and most importantly, it was very easy to get into this book. I needed something that hooked me quick and this third installment did just that. The story gets rolling pretty much right away. Secondly, this was a quick read--I read it in just over a day. Exactly what I needed! And enjoyable too.

The characters are still who they were in the previous books, of course, and I still liked them. I especially liked that the Abcurse brothers are becoming more defined and instead of me getting them mixed up all the time, I can follow who they are and how they act/react. I also loved how Willa's powers so naturally fit with HER. She's a clumsy mess, so of course her powers would be random and chaotic just like her. It added a layer of humor to the book.

One huge positive aspect of Seduction was the relationship progress! I love a good slow burn, especially in RH since there's so many characters to get to know and settle into a relationship, but I also love a good defined relationship. I mean, in general the Abcurses and Willa have totally already claimed each other as their people. But how it is discussed and decided and done in this installment? I am SO HERE FOR IT and I LOVED it! (Also, my current fav is Rome. I heart him.)

As for the actual plot. Well. It's still a mess. I've kind of decided to stop trying to figure it out or expect anything, and now I'm just along for the ride. However. The storyline feels so contrived. Like, the RH aspect flows so easily, but then whenever anything plot-related happens it feels forced. Which means that I didn't quite enjoy the parts minus the guys as much as I'd have liked. Luckily, there was a fair amount of them in the novel as a whole so I enjoyed it.

Overall, Seduction is a great addition to the Curse of the Gods series! Awesome characters, top notch relationship progression, and heaps of good humor make this such a fun read. I'll definitely be continuing to book 4!

3.5 stars - Such a fun read!

Persuasion (Curse of the Gods #2) by Jaymin Eve & Jane Washington ~ Review

Source: Purchased (through my KindleUnlimited subscription).

Persuasion (Curse of the Gods #2) by Jaymin Eve & Jane Washington

Willa Knight: Dweller? Bad-ass? Notorious pet to five magical beings?

In Blesswood, there are rules, and someone is trying to teach her how to follow them. The only problem is Willa. Which shouldn’t be anything new, since she has been a problem since birth—something her pseudo-sister Emmy would agree on.

So it definitely shouldn’t be new … but it is.

Because things are starting to happen that have never happened before.

Things are starting to get …chaotic.

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After finishing Trickery, I wasted no time diving into Persuasion. I'd been excited for more Abcurse brothers and growing relationships and humor and all the fun stuff. You know, since book 1 had been such a pleasant experience. Unfortunately, book 2 didn't capture me nearly as well.

Like the book that kicked off this series, Persuasion was loads of fun. and I actually think this one used Willa's clumsiness in a way that was funny while also not being TOO MUCH. So that was a good improvement. Another positive aspect was the growth of the relationship with the brothers. She was already in their fold, but seeing them warm up even more (especially a select brother or two...Yael & Rome...) to her was quite nice. They're all heading in a direction I very much enjoy, and I'm looking forward to seeing things get to the point where they're, you know, actually a committed RH.

Now let's shift to the aspect I liked but am on the fence about as a whole--the plot. So I LIKE the premise. I like where things are going. There's a lot of potential for the rest of the series. However, there was a lot of potential for this installment, too, but I don't feel like it was reached. Hence my so-so opinion on the plot. I liked it...but it wasn't as great as it could have been.

Which brings me to the things I didn't like about this book. First and foremost was the way the plot was executed. I get the idea. I get that there was supposed to be chaos. It was supposed to be a mess. But the way it was done felt kind of...lazy? It was random stuff happening and happening and happening, so while I was trying to keep track of what was going on and what might come next (because part of the reading experience is anticipation, after all) I didn't feel like the novel itself was following the same lines. Like there were hints dropped for things that were never addressed on the page. So maybe it was simply me holding onto things? Or maybe the authors didn't think too hard on them the way I did and therefore didn't carry the threads that I was keeping track of? I don't know. But it made the execution seem, as I said, lazy.

Then there was the fact that this book, quite honestly, was so easy to put down. When I was reading Trickery, I blew straight through it. But with Persuasion, I almost didn't even want to keep reading. It was all over the place and I was worried as to where things might go--and as a whole this one just was not as enthralling to me.

All that said, Persuasion was fun and I did appreciate the relationship growth -- and I will continue this series. Probably not right away, but I am looking forward to seeing them get together and by goodness I will GET THERE even if it takes me until after a little break to gain my interest back.

3 stars - A fun read, but the execution was messy.

Trickery (Curse of the Gods #1) by Jaymin Eve & Jane Washington ~ Review

Source: Purchased (through my KindleUnlimited subscription).

Trickery (Curse of the Gods #1) by Jaymin Eve & Jane Washington

Willa Knight: Dweller. Slave. Non-magical being.

In Minatsol, being a dweller means that you are literally no better than dirt. In fact, dirt might actually be more useful than Willa. Her life will be one of servitude to the sols, the magic-blessed beings who could one day be chosen to become gods.

At least her outer village is far removed from the cities of the sols, and she won’t ever be forced to present herself to them... Until one small mistake changes everything, and Willa is awarded a position to serve at Blesswood, the top sol academy in the world—a position that she definitely did not earn.

Under the sudden, watchful eye of the gods, she will be tasked to serve the Abcurse brothers, five sols built of arrogance, perfection and power. They are almost gods themselves, and under their service she is either going to end up sentenced to death, or else they are going to ruin her so badly that she will wish for it.

Either way, she is in trouble.

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After getting into the Kit Davenport series, and then quickly catching up on it, I went looking for more reverse harem books/series I needed to read. I asked a couple of friends for recs, because it can be TOUGH to find quality RH, and one of them directed me to the Curse of the Gods series. I'd seen the books around since the first had released and for some reason never picked it up--but now I was like, why not? And now that I've read Trickery, I can very solidly say that while it was such a strange reading experience, I really enjoyed it!

But why was my reading experience so strange? Well. Because I spent so much of the book unsure about it. Was I enjoying it? Was I going to continue the series? Did I actually like what was happening or was I just unable to look away? I read the whole book in a few hours, mostly while watching the Yankees/Braves game. And I was SO entertained throughout it. When I reached the end, I was like "you know...that was actually great." Then I decided to start book 2 tomorrow (which is now today, and I will be starting it just as soon as I finish writing this review).

Now I'm going to break down a few things I liked and a couple of things I didn't like/was on the fence about so maybe y'all can understand why I was so torn about how I felt as I read the book.

Things I liked:
- Willa and Emmy's friendship. This is what the book starts off with, and I was such a fan of how close they were. Like sisters. Devoted and supportive, even while Willa is an annoying clutz and Emmy lectures all the time.
- The Abcurse brothers. First and foremost, they were entertaining as all get out. But also they were so interesting. I loved the time Willa spent with them, and I loved learning about them.
- The...friendship formed between the brothers and Willa. This is my FAVORITE thing. They are so cute and funny and I am here for this dynamic all day every day. Them always sticking together? Yes, please.
- The plot, once it started to shape up. As I said before, I was entertained and could not look away from the pages. I don't know where the series is going next, but I am beyond ready to jump on board for it all.
- The premise. This ties in with the plot, but the ideas in and of themselves that were executed in the novel were so good. Its part of what kept me reading even while I wasn't quite sure how I felt about everything.

Things I didn't like/was on the fence about:
- The world-building. This is kind of a ME problem--I have no patience for world-building. But I feel like the beginning of the book in general is a lot of info-dumping that wasn't necessary considering I just skimmed a lot of it to get to the good stuff and I got the gist just fine.
- Willa's clumsiness...kind of. For the most part it was entertaining and I liked how her friends were like "ugh of course she fell again." Like, it was cute. But it was also...a lot? I don't know. I'm on the fence on this one.
- The Abcurse brothers...kind of. Everything I said in the "Things I liked" section is true. But also, I feel like they're individual personalities need to get more defined because sometimes I had trouble telling them apart. Something would happen and I'd thing it was, like, Siret and then I'd look back and oh, it was actually Yael. I suspect this is something that will improve as the series continues, as we get to know them better and learn more about them individually and they get closer to Willa. But for now, it was a little bit of a qualm I had.

Overall, Trickery was a funny, entertaining series starter, and can't wait to dive into book 2! If you're looking for a reverse harem that isn't insta-love, starts as super great friends, and is borderline addictive, I'd say you've found what you're looking for. And it available with KU! ;)

4 stars - Fun, entertaining, and oh so good!