Paranormal Romance

Not the Witch You Wed

Not the Witch You Wed (Supernatural Singles #1)

By: April Asher

Blurb:

A fake relationship between a magic-less witch and a wolf shifter turns to more in the start of a bewitching new paranormal rom-com series.

Magic-less witch Violet Maxwell wants nothing to do with alpha wolf shifter Lincoln Thorne—the man who broke her fragile, teenage heart. But when the two of them are forced by arcane Supernatural Laws to find mates, Violet and Lincoln agree to fake-date their way to a fake-mating in order to conjure themselves some time.

The joke’s on them. When old feelings make a reappearance—along with Violet’s magic—they both realize there’s nothing fake about their feelings. But there are old secrets and looming threats that could snatch away their happily ever after, again. One thing’s for sure: magic doesn’t make dating and love any easier.

In Not the Witch You Wed, April Asher brings all the hilarity and sweet, sexy moments you love in a romantic-comedy—plus a fun dose of magic—to this spell-binding new series about being sexy, single, and supernatural in New York City.

Review:

I’m learning that I am incredibly picky when it comes to supernatural romance books. I apparently have something I’m looking for and if it’s not that, whatever it is, then I’m not a fan of the book. I honestly could not tell you what it is either. Just that Not the Witch You Wed didn’t have it.

Alright, I’m done italicizing. There was absolutely nothing wrong with Not the Witch You Wed. A witch with no powers and an alpha wolf. Sounds perfect. Witch ends up getting her powers, sounds even better. I was bored, though. There’s even a whole thing with them working to overthrow outdated laws, and still I couldn’t get invested.

I think part of my issue was that the reasons behind the fake dating didn’t make sense. They both either needed to overthrow laws or find mates to avoid being married off too people they didn’t know. So, lets fake date. Somehow that was supposed to help? I guess it was supposed to keep the powers that be from trying to force them to marry sooner? It didn’t make sense. The magic laws and setup were not to my liking and not because they were old and dated, but because they just didn’t make sense.

The romance was fine. There was lots of chemistry between the two characters. The friends were alright. I liked a lot of the “ingredients” I just didn’t like how they were used. I’m giving Not the Witch You Wed 2.5 stars because I didn’t hate it and it wasn’t bad, but it was not for me, and I don’t see myself reading the next books in the series anytime soon, if ever.

2.5/5

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In the Company of Wolves (SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team #3)

In the Company of Wolves (SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team #3)

By: Paige Tyler

Blurb:

He opened his mouth to order her to drop the MP5 she had aimed at him, but nothing would come out. It was like she’d robbed him of the ability to speak. Shooting her wasn’t an option, though. And the idea of arresting her didn’t make him feel any better.

There’s a new gang of criminals in town who are organized and ruthless in the extreme. When Eric Becker, along with the rest of the Dallas SWAT team, ends up in the middle of a shootout, he immediately senses werewolves-a lot of them. Turns out, the new bad guys are a pack of wolf shifters.

In a spray of gunfire, Becker comes face-to-face with the most gorgeous woman he’s ever seen. Becker does the logical thing. He hides her and leaves the scene with the rest of his team.

Jayna Winston has no idea why that SWAT guy helped her, but she’s glad he did. Ever since she and her pack mates got mixed up with those Eastern European mobsters, everything had pretty much fallen apart.

So what’s a street-savvy thief like Jayna going to do with a hot alpha-male wolf who’s a police officer?

Review:

I didn’t like In the Company of Wolves as much as the previous book in the series. Wolf Trouble was one of my favorite books of the year, so there was a lot to live up to. I still enjoyed In the Company of Wolves, but I wanted certain things more fleshed out. It also dragged in a few places.

I wasn’t expecting Becker to be the next wolf to find love. He’s been almost a running joke in the series up till this point. He’s obsessed with yoga pants and a young werewolf, but he came off as almost an oober alpha in the book. It was unexpected, to say the least.

Jayna believes she’s a beta wolf in a pack with other beta wolfs, whose lone alpha has made a series of bad mistakes. It comes as a surprise to her that she’s actually an alpha, and it’s never clear if she became one when her pack needed it or if she was born one.

Like the previous books, their attraction is instantaneous. As soon as they meet, Becker is doing something completely stupid, and it just goes from there. After the last book, I don’t understand why he didn’t go to his own alpha. Dixon is coming off as an utterly inept alpha at this point. His pack does not share anything with him.

I liked the idea of a pack of betas and enjoyed the werewolf lore being expanded. I wanted more of that, though. Jayna barely had her alpha moment, where she embraces her role and is a total badass. The moment she takes out the previous alpha is anticlimactic and glossed over because of what else is going on.

The book’s plot holes and how slow certain things took to develop made this book less enjoyable. It was a shorter book than the previous one, and I wonder if it was longer if Tyler would have been able to fix things. Fleshed some things out and added more. Or maybe this book should have been a novella. Honestly, I’m not sure.

I don’t have the next book checked out, and considering how many books I have out from the library right now, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to read the next in the SWAT series. So far, there have been two books I’ve found to be okay and one book I’ve loved, so I’ll be continuing. I’m just not sure when.

3/5

Wolf Trouble (SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team #2)

Wolf Trouble (SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team #2)

By: Paige Tyler

Blurb:

He’s in trouble with a capital T…

There’s never been a female on the Dallas SWAT team and Senior Corporal Xander Riggs prefers it that way. The elite pack of alpha male wolfshifters is no place for a woman. But Khaki Blake is no ordinary woman.

When Khaki walks through the door attractive as hell and smelling like heaven, Xander doesn’t know what the heck to do. Worse, she’s put under his command and Xander’s protective instincts go on high alert. When things start heating up both on and off the clock, it’s almost impossible to keep their heads in the game and their hands off each other…

Review:

I loved Wolf Trouble. Soooo much. I flew through this book and had such a hard time putting it down when life called me away. I liked the last book, but this one was so much better.

Khaki, the heroine, was a werewolf and a police officer. She was also dealing with a crazy ex-boyfriend that was doing his best to get her killed on the job. She was smart and strong. She was able to hang with the dudes but not lose her femininity. She balanced a very careful line perfectly. Least favorite part was her name.

Xander was an alpha male, like all the others, but he recognized that Khaki was also an alpha. He didn’t dominate her at all. If anyone was dominant in the relationship, it was Khaki. He fought his attraction because he didn’t understand it, but he never stood a chance the way things work in this universe.

As a couple, they worked out perfectly because of how soulmates work. It didn’t even bother me that he was her superior officer. There was never any question that they were both attracted to each other.

The action was great. I loved the crazy ex storyline. The team dynamic was a lot of fun. I’m so glad I already have the next book in the series and can’t wait to read it.

5/5

Hungry Like the Wolf (SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team #1)

Hungry Like the Wolf (SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team #1)

By: Paige Tyler

Blurb:

The Dallas SWAT team is hiding one helluva secret . . . they’re a pack of wolf shifters.

The team of elite sharpshooters is ultra-secretive—and also the darlings of Dallas. This doesn’t sit well with investigative journalist Mackenzie Stone. They must be hiding something . . . and she’s determined to find out what.

Keeping Mac at a distance proves impossible for SWAT team commander Gage Dixon. She’s smart, sexy, and makes him feel alive for the first time in years. But she’s getting dangerously close to the truth—and perilously close to his heart…

Review:

First, I want to say that I really like the way werewolves are created in this universe. They aren’t born or made. It’s a genetic anomaly that surfaces when they experience something horribly traumatic. I haven’t read a werewolf story like that before, and I like it.

Mac is a reporter that had to have been inspired by Lois Lane. She goes where she shouldn’t and gets in trouble. Chasing a new story, she finds herself studying the amazing SWAT team. They’ve won awards and excel at their job, so clearly, something is wrong.

Gabe is the leader of his SWAT team pack. He’s built his team up over the years, and they’re all werewolves. He’s immediately attracted to Mac, almost overwhelmed by her amazing scent. If you are not into instant attraction, I’m going to guess you’re not going to want to read any of the books in this series.

In the Hungry Like the Wolf universe there is a myth of The One. Your fated mate. The only person in the entire world perfect for you. Unless you meet that person, it sounds like you’re pretty much shit out of luck. Kind of depressing if you think about it, but based on the number of books in this series, I’m hoping everyone on the team finds their person.

This was a paranormal romance spliced with action. It didn’t have as much action as Wolf Under Fire for which I appreciated. I love action, but in this type of book, I prefer the romance to be more of a focus. Honestly, I wish books like this would be made into movies. I can so easily imagine a nice B movie with this plot, and it really bums me out that we don’t get these kinds of movies. I’m not asking for much Hollywood!

Anyway, a good book and I’m looking forward to the next.

3.5/5

Ocean Light


Ocean Light (Psy-Changling Trinity #2) By: Nalini Singh

Plot:

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh dives beneath the surface of her Psy-Changeling world into a story of passionate devotion and selfless love…

Security specialist Bowen Knight has come back from the dead. But there’s a ticking time bomb in his head: a chip implanted to block telepathic interference that could fail at any moment–taking his brain along with it. With no time to waste, he should be back on land helping the Human Alliance. Instead, he’s at the bottom of the ocean, consumed with an enigmatic changeling…

Kaia Luna may have traded in science for being a chef, but she won’t hide the facts of Bo’s condition from him or herself. She’s suffered too much loss in her life to fall prey to the dangerous charm of a human who is a dead man walking. And she carries a devastating secret Bo could never imagine…

But when Kaia is taken by those who mean her deadly harm, all bets are off. Bo will do anything to get her back–even if it means striking a devil’s bargain and giving up his mind to the enemy…

Review:

Finally, I get a book with a human love interest! I was so happy about that, and then the leads wound up being so awesome it made me even happier.

I devoured this book, it was so sweet and hopeful and exciting. Not much happened in the world, though definitely enough to move things forward, but the love story was very much the heart of “Ocean Light.”

Bo and Kaia were not perfect for each other on the surface, but it was an immediate attraction on both sides. Bo was dying and Kaia had already suffered so much loss. Bo has a secret and so does Kaia and it’s just more reason for them not to be together. None of that ever matters though. You know that Bo is going to live and that they’re going to live happily ever after, there was really never any doubt in my mind, but it didn’t make the story any less. I was swept away in the romance and love. It was perfect.

5/5