Megan's Media Melange

Stone Wings: The Gargoyles of Arrington Book 1, Jenn Burke

There was something full of yearning in this story underneath the denial, the fake situation, the danger, and the reconciliation of curses, pasts, and hearts. I truly enjoyed the book and am eagerly jumping into book two, quite glad it's on KU.

Drew and Josh had a slow, nice road to travel romantically and I can't say it was riveting, incredibly spicy, or even all that captivating. It slowly swelled and filled my mind until I couldn't imagine they had any other option than to fall in love and make everything work.

There are other reviewers that have feelings about what happens when the curse breaks but I honestly don't have an issue with that. I read so often when the temporarily supernatural being retains certain supernatural traits rather than the author letting the curse just break. To me it seems that letting the curse break and return them to their original state prior to the curse is more believable than trying to come up with a reason as to why they should keep part of their cursed state merely because it would be helpful in the issues they were going to face, you know?

The drama surrounding the pride in their area and their distant past was interesting and a little too simplistic in their connection, but the biggest piece of interest was the element of their past. When the story of their curse was related to Josh it was pretty obvious to me that there was going to be a piece of it that would return and despite being right I didn't predict the reason for all the turmoil. I appreciated that.

Overall I thought the story was very sweet and I admired the person who initiated the reconciliation, feeling that the appropriate person stood up to the other to call them out for their choice made out of fear. And ending the story with the lead-in to the next book in the series felt right as well, that it wasn't just a HEA for the couple and a vague forboding for what's coming, it was something concrete, something that was a bit more believable as what could happen next.

And, side note, the wolf pack being involved really added something intriguing to the story and has me all kinds of curious. It answered some questions, raised some interest, and brought a lot of elements of the story to life. I'm eager to see where Rian's story takes us and how things will evolve around their clan.

*$4.99 on Amazon or FREEon KU!

The Raven & His Selkie, Amelia Bishop

It actually took me a few tries to sink into the idea of finishing the book. Not because it was bad or disappointing, but because it wasn't captivating for me at all. I liked it by the time I finished it, but it didn't grab me at the start or hold my attention in the middle either. It was a truly interesting start to a series and I will be continuing with it if more books in the world are written, it's just that it'll probably be a case of me being willing to wait for it to be on KU instead of requesting an ARC of it.

Murdoch was playing the game of the Selkie Prince and playing it well despite his intense desire to not come into the ruling leader's seat. His reluctance was intriguing to me and I wanted to see how that played out. It went fine enough, but the moment of challenge seemed so forced and far-fetched with characters playing a role instead of being something organic. Forcing Murdoch to make a choice between blood and heart was one thing, but the way it played out was unnecessary and it felt overly dramatic.

The bonding issues between Murdoch and Grigory were far more intriguing because of the species difference and the lack of knowledge of fated mates. I was constantly being disappointed in Murdoch's impatience and Grigory's inconsistency. The misunderstandings were believable though juvenile and when Murdoch was finally educated about Grigory by another source things started really coming together. I liked their journey from that point. Though I actually dislike how the dominance switch thing played out...it just felt kind of icky and more forced than accepted and given. I had to start skimming because it made me uncomfortable.

Grigory was actually my favorite of the two men because he was written in a way that actually made me feel both for and about him. His upbringing, his longing, his control, his care...all of it made him far more real and complex than Murdoch and he was why I finished the story. Seeing his evolution was worth it.

The overall story and plot and complications in their world are why I want to continue the series, if it becomes one. I'll be back for more...eventually.

*$3.99 or FREE on KU!

Murdoch, a Selkie, joins the Immortal Alliance of Six, an otherworlder task force. There he meets Grigori, and the two soon realize they are fated mates. As they fight threats to the otherworlder population, they also fight to come to terms with their unexpected mate bond.

Omega Alone, S. Rodman

I very much wanted to like this book. The premise grabbed my attention and I was curious about how the rescue would become love, how Luca would find his strength, and how Erik would find his softness. While those three things happened, I found far too much that bothered me deeply to truly enjoy the story and the outcome.

Trigger warnings not mentioned in the synopsis:

Dubious consent during matings, yes, on more than one occasion and each time it bothers

Attempted rape

Stockholm syndrome

Administration of drugs without consent

Forcible invasion of memories through magical means

Physical abuse

Trafficking of a person

Uninformed consent at every freaking turn

Just with that list alone this book should be a one star review. There were huge issues with how Luca was sold in the first place, bound to a vampire, then sold again to the wolf shifter who becomes his mate, beginning with Luca's time with the vampire, not dealing with Luca's fear, obvious distress, lack of knowledge, his reaction to Erik's pack, and his silence in reaction to virtually everything if he's not either crying or trying to escape, seeing nothing of his own innate magic or talents in general, getting virtually no dynamics of Erik's pack...

The thing is though, I didn't hate the story. It's a long list of what was missing and inadequate, but there are moments of sweetness and hope and one tiny bit of humor after Luca does a really cool thing near the end and other characters that managed to grab my interest insomuch as to make me actually consider continuing with this world if there is to be a series to follow.

...yeah, I know.

So yeah, huge red flags, incredibly disturbing scenes that are not addressed constructively or satisfyingly, and a lack of character depth or growth that really doesn't inspire me to recommend this story at all. But...I might actually read more from the world at some point, so there is that.

*$4.99 on Amazon

A Veiled & Hallowed Eve: Soulboud Book 7, Hailey Turner

Everything has a price, every debt always comes due, and it's finally time for Patrick to pay his.

This. Just so much this. I'm in love, I'm in agony, I'm grieving, I'm elated, I'm soaring, I'm astounded, I'm just...overwhelmed. I hate that the series is over and I feel that way each time I end a series by this author because they've sucked me in, chewed me up, spat me out, and enjoyed every moment of my torture, it seems, because they do it over and over again. But honestly, I must love that too because I just keep coming back for more.

Patrick is everything. He's come a long way and his heart has been maturing and growing and deepening up to this point of reckoning and I can't see any other way this should have gone. I ache for him and for everything he's gone through and to come out triumphant in some ways and desolate in others is beyond my comprehension or ability to empathize.

And then there's Jono. He is also everything. Everything to Patrick, everything Patrick needed, and stunning in a way that was unique to this world and made him unlike any other. No one else would do, no one else could get into Patrick's heart they way he has and no one else could support him or get him through everything that needed to be done.

There's nothing I didn't love about this story and am profoundly in awe of the world that has been saved and decimated and put through the wringer, for this masterpiece of a series to be written, and for me to be so moved. I'm not sure anything I can say that would do it justice. This author has abused and saved this world and the vehicles they chose to break it apart and remake it through their journey toward redemption.

A Veiled & Hallowed Eve by Hailey Turner is now live!

*Download today for $6.99 or read for FREE with KU

Amazon Worldwide: mybook.to/Soulbound7

Death is the last lover you will ever know.

SOA Special Agent Patrick Collins has lived a life full of lies, and it has finally caught up with him. There's no denying his past any longer, not after giving up the truth to save himself from a murder charge. But truth alone can't set Patrick free, and time is running out to stop the Dominion Sect from turning his father into a god.

Jonothon de Vere knows survival isn't a guarantee, but he's desperate to keep Patrick safe, even as hope slips through his fingers. With the future unknown, Jono will follow Patrick wherever he goes, even to Salem, where a family reunion reveals a bitter secret that was never going to stay buried.

With New York City under control of their god pack, Patrick and Jono must fall back on every alliance they've brokered to fill the front lines of a war coming directly to the city streets. The veil is always thinnest on Samhain, and what awaits them on the other side is the stuff of nightmares. For when it tears, all hell will break loose, and the gods will be summoned to face a reckoning the world isn't ready for.

The stakes have never been higher, failure has never been so deadly, and the Fates have never been kind to heroes. Patrick knows that better than anyone--because everything has a price, every debt always comes due, and it's finally time for Patrick to pay his.

Don't forget to add it to your Goodreads TBR list!

About Hailey...

Hailey Turner is a big city girl who spoils her cats rotten and has a demanding day job that she loves, but not as much as she loves writing. She's been writing since she was a young child and enjoys reading almost as much as creating a new story. Hailey loves stories with lots of action, gritty relationships, and an eventual HEA that satisfies the heart.

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What We May Be, Layla Reyne

This author has a way of writing relationships that I adore when I was initially incredibly hesitant of the dynamic. While I'd love to say this story became one of the same, it turned out that I only enjoyed the relationship and didn't come to adore them as I'd hoped. I'm pretty sure this came down to the amount of pages devoted to them versus the pages to the mystery. There's a feeling in me that would have loved for this to be a duet. The dynamic of the three worked so well and their path to reconciliation wasn't without pitfalls, but there were some things I would have appreciated to see take a little slower to delve into. There was an incredible amount of spice and I'm certainly not ashamed to say I wanted more of it. There were also some incredibly tender moments of love and forgiveness that could have really blossomed if the preceding and the following moments were given a little more time to unfold. Similarly with the serial killer mystery. I think it was a little bit rushed and could have really been given an extra element of suspense and fear if it had more time to develop. This author has an amazing way with words that I wanted more of for nearly every situation. And really I think that's what this comes down to. Layla Reyne is an incredible author with fantastic characters and wonderful plots and I always want more for each story.

*Download today for $4.99 or read for FREE on KU

Amazon Worldwide: mybook.to/WWMB

What We May Be by Layla Reyne is now live!

What we were...

Sean found love once, with his college roommate, Trevor, and Trevor's best friend, Charlotte.
The missing piece, Sean made it possible for Trevor and Charlotte to find love too.
But then Sean left and took the love with him.

What we are...

Now an FBI agent, Sean is back in town, ten years later, to investigate a murder.
A case that pits him against his ex-lovers--Charlotte, a local detective, and Trevor, a literature professor sucked into the Shakespearean mystery.
Everyone guards their hearts, but before long, desire sparks anew the feelings that burned hot a decade ago.
That still burn true.

What we may be...

Love is within their grasp again, but as the killer escalates, it's more than just their hearts and futures on the line.
Sean, Charlotte, and Trevor will need to work together to solve the case.
If they can't, lives will be lost and pieces of their love gone for good.

Don't forget to add this to your Goodreads TBR list!

About Layla

Layla Reyne is the author of the Fog City, Agents Irish and Whiskey, Trouble Brewing, and Changing Lanes series. A Carolina Tar Heel who now calls the San Francisco Bay Area home, Layla enjoys weaving her bi-coastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart-pounding romance.

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