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!

Ash (Hive Trilogy book one) by Jaymin Eve & Leia Stone ~ Review

Source:  Purchased the audio book.

Are you an Ash?
*Increased stamina
*Lack of appetite
*Anger outbursts
*Insatiable thirst
*Beauty & Strength
*Male
Call the hotline if these symptoms come on suddenly!

Turns out Charlie Bennet was all of those things except the last. Don’t let the name fool you, Charlie was all woman and she wanted nothing to do with the ash … until the day she found out she was one.
It all started when infected bats bit a small group of humans and created what are now called vampires. Then, the male vampires knocked up some female humans and the result was a gorgeous race of all male ash. Superhuman freaks that had looks to kill.
Charlie is the first female ash, aka unicorn of the Hive – the gated compound in Portland that the humans have designated to isolate vampires and ash from society.
Problem? The Hive is full and only a select few will be allowed to live there. To live at all, really. If Charlie wants to earn the right to become a citizen of the Hive, she will have to survive the culling – a series of fights to the death. And guess what? Just because she’s a girl doesn’t mean she’ll get special treatment.
Good thing there’s Ryder, the mysterious lead ash enforcer, who seems to always have her back. But when secrets bubble to the surface, it will take more than one guy to save her.

**Recommended reading age is 17+ due to language

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So Charlie is a unicorn.  Something that just doesn't happen.  A female Ash.  Father a vampire and mother human.  She grew up believing her father died in the military.  And since she is... well a girl, she didn't pay much attention to the list of warning signs that something was wrong until it was too late.

I enjoyed Jaymin Eve's Supernatural Prison series so I decided to give this one a shot.  Vampires are hit or miss for me but this one was a hit for sure.  I loved how the lore of how vamps came to be was woven right into human culture and it just made sense.  I loved how very real issues that human really have getting along with each other is mirrored in this book.  We are afraid of what we don't understand.  Humans, Ash, Vampires.  They definitely have issues in this book.

I enjoyed the characters in this book.  Jayden is Charlies best Ash friend forever (BAFF) and I adore him.  He's got a thing for Oliver in the sexy six.  He loves to dress Charlie and he's a great roomie.  They make a pair that's unusual and important as they try to survive the culling.  It's clear to Charlie that this Ash thing sucks big time.  Lost are all the human rights she's grown up having.  She's allowed to life at the pleasure of the vamps.  And the whole thing sucks.

Of course, the best part of this book is another one of the sexy six - Ryder.  That boy is all kinds of yum!  And for some reason he wants Charlie to stay alive.  I'd take my chances with him on my side any day.  

This book is for mature YA and could be called NA.  It's heavy on the creative slang and has lots of suggestive comments but stays out of the bedroom.  I enjoyed it and definitely want to dive right into the next book.

                               

Broken Compass by Jaymin Eve ~ Review

Broken Compass is a spinoff within the Supernatural Prison World. Told in dual POVs from Maximus Compass and Mischa Lebron. This is full length and standalone. You do not need to read the Supernatural Prison trilogy first.

Maximus Compass is a vampire without direction. Without heart. And without soul. He lost his true mate in the great battle against the dragon king, and now must face life alone.

And yet … something is happening to his agony. It’s fading away, leaving him with barely a memory of the female he believed to be his one and only.
As his mind clears he starts to wonder if the mate bond had been nothing more than a manufactured ploy? This suspicion explodes within him right around the time he runs back into a certain wolf shifter.

Mischa Lebron is a complication he doesn’t need in his life. He can’t erase her from his mind though, and while memories of his supposed true mate continue to fade into mere shadows, his one night with Mischa is blazingly strong. But they’re not of the same supernatural race, so there’s no way for a a true bond to exist between them.

Right?

When an old threat rips apart their pack, Maximus will come to realize that he would do anything to save Mischa. That the mate he thought was perfect and precious was nothing on the shifter he walked away from. Now Maximus truly has everything to lose.

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I have loved all of the books from the Supernatural prison series and I think I loved this one just a little bit more.

First, this book can be read as a stand alone.  There is enough detail from the previous events that you won't have an issue understanding what's going on.  That being said,  but why? WHY?  The series this spins off from is totally worth the time to devour it first.

On to this book.  I think what I loved best about this book was the dual point of view.  The first three books were totally from Jessa point of view.  This book goes back and forth between Max and Mischa.  That was a big change and I think it was brilliant.  I enjoyed it just that little bit more that brought it to a 5 star book for me.

I love this world that Jaymin Eve has created.  I love how it is a mix of all the supernatural races all trying to get along.  I love that there are power hungry sups that make that world a mess just like happens in our world.  When a paranormal world parallels the real world, it becomes very very interesting. This world does that.

I have already fallen for these characters from the precious books but I would really love Max even if I'd just met him in this book.  He experienced something that is truly horrible.  I felt for him.  I cried with him.  And I wanted to hold him.  He beats himself up a lot in this book.  It's his protective side that failed to see and protect that he's upset about.  I love him for it even though I forgave him.

I love how Mischa comes into her own personality in this book.  During the first three books, I wasn't sure I even liked her.  She seemed weak and made some pretty bad mistakes.  But in this book we get caught up on what was going through her head and how those things went down.  It's always better to have the whole story.  And strong?  There girl is seriously strong.  Her sister has nothing on this girl.

Of course, I still love Braxton and Jess, the other boys and Luis.  Jonathon did some redeeming in my eyes and I finally get Mischa's mom.  Yeah, I didn't like her much but I get her now.  That's one thing that makes these characters real.  They do make bad choices at time but when you stand in their shoes you get perspective, you see their why.  Then it makes sense.  An important lesson for anyone.

As for the story?  Loved it.  Something I've finally noticed about this author is her ability to resolve the couple problem before and away from the actual climax of the story.  I really don't like books that make you wait till the bitter end of book for the couple to figure things out and then it ends.  I like to see the couple together, being a couple.  And I like it even more when they work together to resolve this problems they both face.  That's what this author is a master at doing.  Again I am reminded of JLA books.  And if you know me?  That's some very high praise right there.

Really you need to read this whole series and this spin off.  Anyone who enjoys a good paranormal romance needs to gets these in their library and then move them to the top of the TBR list!



                                         
Teaser (SPOILER ALERT FROM DRAGON MATED!)

Mischa:

Dark blue eyes followed my movements, and Braxton's concern was barely concealed. He was shrewdly watching me, but every now and then his eyes would dart back to his brother.

I wanted to ask them what they were fighting about, but instead decided to act like it was normal. No big deal. Which for supes, it probably was.

Needing some relief from the tension I moved closer to Braxton and murmured: "Jessa is out of cake."

Which was our code for, “Jessa is out of cake, get her some freaking cake, she's actually going to kill someone if she doesn’t get some cake.”

The dragon shifter's eyes widened and a tendril of what looked like panic fluttered across the dark depths. I could see he was torn about leaving straight away to find his mate, but in the end he remained where it was. He must have decided he couldn't leave me with Maximus, in his current state of mega-pissed vampire.

Before I could think up anything else as a distraction, the furious vampire super-speeded toward me and suddenly I couldn’t ignore Maximus Compass any longer. I lost my breath as he towered over me. His broad shoulders filled the space, and his presence sucked all remaining oxygen from around me. I worked extra hard to keep a calm face.

Maximus’ hands twitched at his side as he finally growled out. “Who do I need to kill? Whose baby is this, Mischa?”

The whole series plus spin-offs

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Dragon Mated by Jaymin Eve ~ Review

It is said that if you lie with snakes for long enough, you either become a snake or you get bitten and die. Makes perfect sense. Except if you are a wolf. If you are a wolf, you lie in wait, you bide your time, and right when their guard is down you kill that f#@king snake.
Jessa Lebron – currently prisoner of asshole dragon king.

In the epic conclusion to the Supernatural Prison trilogy, Jessa Lebron finds herself deep in the world of Larkspur, the dragon king. She will have to play it smart and fight with everything to stay one step ahead of him and while at times it’s tough to keep her focus, she will do anything to escape and reunite with her boys, the Compass quads.

Of course, it’s impossible to be where she is and not dig deeper into the curse of the dragon mark. As more information is uncovered, she starts to understand why she, of all supernaturals, was the one to be singled out. And this changes everything she thought she knew.

Turns out she doesn’t know a damn thing.

There will be decisions to make. Tough decisions. Jessa has to be strong enough for the sake of the supernatural races, but sometimes that’s easier said than done.

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I admit to being nervous when I started this book.  I loved the first two in the series but I don't know this author enough to be sure that the ending of a trilogy will work out well.  And there is this little matter of a choice that Jessa will have to make in this book.  Yeah, I shouldn't have worried.

I love it when an author can surprise me.  It doesn't happen often but this time it did.  I was expecting one thing and got something completely different.  I was happy about the choice and though Jessa is forever changed, I was relieved.  It brought her story to a close with perfection.

As I have said before, I love these characters.  The idea of a quad of boys all willing to die for their best friend Jessa?  It speaks to my reader heart.  And I adore all four of these boys.  There never was anyone but Braxton for Jessa - so no worries there.  The other three deserve their happy as well.  I was excited that Max will have his own book with Broken Compass and Ty will get his with Magical Compass.  I am hoping that another book will happen for Jacob.

This author uses a lot of details.  It's nice to have the whole story and see it clearly in your mind.  It sometimes feels like it breaks the action but it also makes everything clear.  There were a couple of details that I hope get cleared up with Max's story.  His mate didn't make sense to me.  So while this book ends Jessa and Braxton's story, there are still things to be explained.  A broken compass to fix.  I'm excited to dive into the next one.

I really belief that anyone who reads PNR will love this book.  It has every magical being you could possibly like and combines them into a great world where there are still so many possibilities.  This is the good stuff.  Don't miss it!



                                         

The whole series plus spin-offs

click covers for Goodreads links