Call of the Deep - JC McKenzie

Standalone cosy paranormal romance 

This is a standalone Cosy Paranormal Romance set on a small island on Canada’s Sunshine Coast. There is romance and there are some scenes of a sexual nature.

I enjoyed this book. It encompassed all the things I wanted from an evening with my feet up and a book in my hands; interesting characters, family drama, secrets, betrayal, an element of danger and an unusual supernatural love interest. 

The writing is easy to read and I quickly found myself lost in this world filled with fae, witches, sea sprites and mermaids.

Willa has finally ditched her cheating ex and needs to get away from her controlling Mother. A stay on the island helping her aunt run her small bookshop seems like just the place to get over all that and try to get back to being herself again. She arrives on the island only to find that her aunt has gone missing and she’s left trying to hold the reins in the bookshop while helping to look for her aunt. 

As if that’s not enough stress, her life is thrown into even more turmoil when her aunt’s very large and very good looking friend Lon turns up looking for her during a storm at 3am. Willa finds herself wildly attracted to him, which she feels is inappropriate, especially as he offers to help look for her aunt. Her time with him uncovers some family secrets which throw everything into turmoil and change Willa’s perspective on her entire life.

This book presents itself as a standalone novel but I’m really hoping there will be more. I love the setting, I really like the characters and I feel that there is so much more potential from them. I want to know more! One book isn’t enough.

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Morning Glory Milking Farm - CM Nascosta

A light hearted, fun and steamy Monster Romance. It’s smutty and I love it.  

This is the first book in the Cambric Creek series. It’s a Monster Romance, for those who like their fantasies with a bit of a growl, possibly a bite and definitely some stretching. There is romance, fun and quite a lot of descriptive consenting sexual activity between human and monster beings.

The writing is excellent, witty and flows really well. The story is well paced, the world building is good and believable, and the characters are well developed. As a reader, I actually wanted to get to know them.

In an effort to avoid having to move back in with her parents, Violet finds herself taking a job at the Morning Glory Milking Farm. Yes, it is exactly what you think it might be. Turns out that minotaur semen has many pharmaceutical uses and many young males who are willing to get paid for what they’d just splash down the drain anyway. Violet is a bit shy about these things but sees her role as more of a medical one than a sexual one and she’s soon a very popular assistant at the farm.

The story is about the lengths some of us have to go to in order to pay the bills and how love can be found in the most unlikely of places. I laughed out loud in several places and was also intrigued about several other things.

Light hearted, fun and steamy. It’s definitely worth a read. I’ll be looking into other titles from this author.

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What If? - Bethany S Casey

A poignant, evocative and educational look at the impact of mental illness. 

This is a beautifully written short standalone novella covering the very emotive topics of childhood neglect, mental illness and suicidal ideation. The book does have a content warning for those who may find the subject difficult.

The book is written from the perspective of a young person who is discussing their trauma whilst deciding whether or not to end it all. It’s not all doom and gloom though. It’s a fantastic insight into the human condition and how fragile we all are at times.

I read through this in an hour and spent the next hour processing the feelings it evoked. Even if you’ve never experienced the subjects raised in this book, I’d definitely recommend reading it. It’s educational, thought-provoking and for me personally, I hope its helped me see the world more clearly through the eyes of others who had less fortunate upbringings than I did.

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The Intergalactic Guide to Humans, Volume 1 - Skye MacKinnon

A hilarious, ridiculous and quite steamy romp through space with the most adorable and inept aliens. I loved it.

This is a Reverse Harem Sci-Fi Romance box set containing three books: Alien Abduction for Beginners, Alien Abduction for Professionals, Alien Abduction for Experts. The books are set primarily on a spaceship and a few planets throughout the galaxy and feature both alien and human beings. There is romance and several descriptive scenes of consenting interspecies sexual activity between several beings. 

I absolutely loved these books. The characters are very individual and there were many moments when I actually did laugh out loud. The concept of inept alien abductors is not one I’ve come across before when reading this genre. The writing is witty, the world building is great and the characters are all very well developed. I read through all three books in this set over the course of two evenings and that was only because I was forced to put it down to do real life things.

This is a tale of discovery for all the main characters; each of them developing their strengths and improving their lives along the way, often purely by accident.

This is the story of three almost incompetent males who have enrolled at the Inter Galactic University on a course to learn how to abduct other beings. Its a point of pride for them. Something their race is expected to excel at and they need the qualification. 

They target Earth and human females in particular because, well, boobs. That’s it basically. They are fascinated by boobs. Fortunately for them, their human abductee is found unconscious and lying by the roadside near a spaceport after crashing her bike. As a bonus, she has boobs in abundance and luckily for the males, she is more than happy to have been swiped from her poverty stricken existence on a desolate Earth to travel the galaxy with them. 

This book is entertaining, ridiculous and funny. I’d definitely recommend it. I’m off to check out the rest of the books from this author.    

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Bound in Death (The Minerva Chronicles, Books 1) - Kaylin Peyerk

Gods and Monsters. A great start to a new series, mired in the mythology of the ancient Romans.

This is the first book in a New Adult Fantasy series from Kaylin Peyerk. The book is primarily set in the Underworld, with brief flashes of memories in the land of the living. The possibility of romance is alluded to but in this book it is not explored and there are no scenes of a sexual nature.

Peyerk has a very easy to read style of writing. The book is well paced and I enjoyed the world building. The characters are interesting and their stories and motives become clearer as the book progresses.

Growing up an orphan, Diana doesn’t know much about her family line; only what she’s read in a small journal that was found with her. Her family seems to be cursed and she somehow seems to possess the ability to mimic the magic of those she touches, which is handy in a fight and fighting is something she does a lot of. She’s eight years old the first time she dies in battle and meets the King of the Underworld, who sends her back to the land of the living to fulfil her destiny as a hero.

Diane is angry, rebellious and has no interest in being a hero for a race she has little time for. She spends much of her time fighting those she wants to fight instead of fulfilling her destiny and consequently ends up dead again, back in the offices of the King of the Underworld and instead of being sent back to her mission, she’s sent to school. Much to her annoyance.

What follows is an exploration of her past, her lineage and their curse. Along her journey she comes across a variety of other beings, including some children of the Gods. She’s drawn to some more than others and her relationships with them lead her to a better understanding of herself and the crucial role she has to play. The family journal makes much more sense to her now. 

I really enjoyed this book. Although it’s set in the Underworld, it doesn’t have the feel of the plethora of Hades / Persephone stories which seem to be popular at the moment. Diane is a very relatable character and I’m looking forward to seeing how she develops over the course of the series.

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Dark Deception (The Dark Creatures Saga, Book 3) - Ella Stone

Naz is in trouble. Yet again. What’s New? She’s out of the Packs, out of the Country and almost out of friends. 

This is the third book in the Dark Creatures Saga, an Urban Fantasy from Ella Stone. This book is set primarily in modern day Europe. There is no romance and no scenes of an adult nature.

I’m really enjoying this series. Ella Stone’s fluent style sets a good pace and the change of scenery in each book so far has kept her world interesting. The story arcs are well thought out and her characters have continued to grow and develop throughout. 

In this book, Naz has outdone herself. Her existence and her actions seem to have riled up all supernatural beings. Not only does the Vampire Council want her dead but they’ve effectively destroyed the Werewolf North Pack and recruited the help of the Werewolf South Pack to try and flush her out. 

She’s out of the packs, out of the country and on the run, reluctantly helped by her long time friend, Oliver, who it seems is still furious at her for the whole situation. Former vampire lover, Calin, continues to work behind the scenes in London to see what he can do to clear her name with the Council but it looks like the odds are stacked against her. Time is running out, friends are scarce and the Vampire Council is hot on her heels.

We see a lot more of Oliver’s character in this book and I am so happy about it. He appeared in book one but was a very secondary character. His appearance in book two was fleeting. In this book he is a main character and we really get to see what makes him tick, as well as how he feels about his friendship with Naz, who seems to make a habit of throwing his orderly life into absolute chaos.

As ever, there is a nice big, shiny hook at the end of the book which just reels me in and I find myself wanting to read the next one immediately. I can’t wait for the next installment!

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