List Me with Your Best Shot: Best Men Book 2, Isla Olsen

I'm generally a die hard fan of this author's books because they can blend snark, banter, spicy times, and romance all into a short book.  But here it felt off for me.  And that's not because of the typos and formatting issues, of which there were many, but unless the book is unreadable because of them they are never a reason for a lower rating or poor review.  This was purely because there was so much animosity, arrogance, antagonizing, denials, and almost a feel of coercion, that dominated so much of the book before any feels or complicated stuff entered the picture.

There was a family issue with Jack that really should have been a bit more settled, and not just by Alistor's assistance and support later in the book as a sweet aside kind of thing, but by Jack.  He needed to find his own inner strength and acceptance.  Without that he felt incomplete.

Alistor's deal was more on-page in how he went from needing all the extra to just needing Jack, and that was fine, but again, the actual change was mentioned in an aside from Jack's question rather than really seeing that evolve.

And the confrontations between them with misunderstandings and hurt feelings...those were brushed off with punishingly pleasurable distractions.  The biggest frustratingly unsatisfying confrontation was the reunion bit.  Initiated by the "wrong" character, and resolved with more spicy time and not given any time to settle.  The epilogue was necessary but was also ended so very abruptly.

I should probably give this book only two stars for all those issues, but there were some very sweet moments, the possessive bits, the absolutely incredible spice, and Xavier calling Alastor out, that made me bump it up to a three.  It could have been better, it should have been better.  I wish it had been what I've come to love and expect.

*$4.99 on Amazon or FREE on KU!

Reckless Roulette: The Elite Book 1, Alice Winters

There really isn't much I enjoy more than a book by this author.  And when they make it amazing, full of silly shenanigans, endearing characters, badassery, snark, charm, spice, and a hint or flashing neon sign of danger, well, then you've got magic.  But here we also get a redemption of the soul too and that, my friends, made it one of my absolute favorite reads of the year so far.

Kade was suitable annoying with all his arrogance, attitude, and entitlement.  His rage was humorous and the only reason this isn't a full 5 stars is because a lot of his rage went on just a liiiittle too long.  It almost got to the point that I was going to have to settle for Len's love of Kade just being excused as his own tragic backstory altering his preferences.

So while I loved Len and his utter ridiculousness, his sense of justice, his skill with weaponry, his ability to keep Kade off balance and put in his place without public humiliation, my heart was Kade's to lose.  See, my attention and heart was charmed by Len but was ultimately stolen by Kade.

Now, I know it's hard to get through the difficult bits that are Kade in his nurtured awfulness, but there are glimpses of the awkwardness not bred of disdain or contempt, but of the "hurry and look away so you're not affected" kind, the kind that tell you he was taught to look away by others and himself.  That truth is revealed when Len gets rightfully upset by it and puts him on his back in the parking lot.  There's something in him that only Len seems to make him face, and ultimately accept.  Those glimpses are small but so weighty that it made his turnaround absolutely believable to me in this short story.

This book was so damn good.  Kade's turnaround was beautifully written, his honesty and dumbness were beyond endearing, once he pulled his head out, and he was the rock our Len needed to find his own freedom.  I want to read it again right now, actually.  A solidly amazing book at 4.8 stars.

*$3.99 on Amazon or FREE on KU!

Westin's Prince: Shadow Elite Book 4, Jocelynn Drake

I liked this book, I did.  Overall the best bits were West finding his peace, the team finding the jumping off point to the next phase, and the involvement of all the team and the interconnected members.

There was quite a lot of sweetness.  Not all of it was out of place, most was fantastic, but it was oftentimes so idealized when it came to describing the country, its people, its politics, and its effect on those who come in contact with it.  It was the kind of cheesiness that I skim rather than crave.  A country where its name literally means "happy", a people who embody their country's name, the ultimately self-sacrificing royal family...it was all a little too much at times.

And then there was the predictable villain(s) where when we got to the moment(s) of confrontation we were  thrust into those moments with seemingly no lead-in and then everything became like a flash in the pan only to be there and gone again.  Definitely unbelievable.

But that being said, the point of the story wasn't the outlandishly idealized perfect country with its royalty that truly cared about their people or were too kind and sweet for the real real world, it wasn't that bad guys get their due, and it wasn't only about finding a nice way to wrap up the series.  It was a way to bring the whole team a sense of peace, a sense of possiblity, and a sense of home where they can truly fulfill the happiness that each group found up to this point.  And West's personal journey was the one that got them all there.  I loved the ending of the series.

*$4.99 on Amazon or FREE on KU!

What He Finds: Desires: New Beginnings Book 2, E.M. Denning

Quentin and Toby had an adorable beginning and I loved watching them evolve. Seeing how Quentin's Dom was just right for Toby's sub made me believe in their dynamic, that it wasn't contrived, it fell into place naturally.

There were a few scenes that I skimmed over when it got spicier, but that's just because my flavor of spice isn't quite in favor of the types of names used. Totally doesn't bother me at all, it just wasn't something I felt like reading every word of the scene. That being said, it was some dang good steam. It was both spicy and sweet and that's definitely my favorite flavor.

Overall I felt that there were a couple things that detracted from the story for me, the first was the constant returning to the same "problems" again and again. It seemed to be either resolved or on hold for that resolution and then it got brought up again as if we hadn't just rehashed the same issue a few pages prior. And second, I kind of don't know if I felt the scene with the former partner of the former boyfriend was necessary because it didn't bring answers, closure, or peace.

But if you're looking for quick, sweet, dirty spice, then this is the story for you. Even though there are cameos from other characters in other stories related to this world this is absolutely a standalone.

*$4.99 on Amazon or FREE on KU!