So ‘Operation Free Booga’ is also extended to freeing my nook; the poor dear. I did email B&N support to ask them if I could add my books to my SD card to free up some space but I’ve yet to hear back from them.
Even so, I shouldn’t be buying any more books. Has that stopped me? Of course not. These free deals don’t last forever and heck, even the books I purchase that aren’t free sometimes disappear if I add them to my wish list to get later.
I have been reading fast and I have a bunch of reviews to post so stay tuned!
Saru Solan, a private detective, is tasked with finding a blue eyed girl by the interdimensional beings called Gaespora. The fate of the world rests with this mysterious girl who is also being hunted by the elizi, who have been killing every blue eyed girl they find. With a creature that can eat their universe threatens, Saru has to find and protect this girl at any cost.
When I saw this titled as a “Lovecraftian, cyberpunk, noir” I bought it immediately and I was not disappointed. If you’ve ever read Jeff Somers’ Avery Cates series, this book has a similarly dark and rough feel. The world isn’t pretty, people get very dead very quickly, and life in general doesn’t seem worth all that much.
The blend of magic and tech is handled very well and Saru is a kick ass main character. The dystopian world she lives in is the same balls out, straight forward, cutthroat tone as the character herself. The writing is nearly perfect and I was hooked from start to finish. A solid 4.5 out of 5 and I can’t wait to read the next one.
I purchased this book for free from All Romance Ebooks and is intended for 18+.
Jesse is a covert agent who promised his boyfriend of seven years, Dan, tat he would retire without taking another assignment. When he breaks that promise, Jesse expects Dan to be waiting home as usual when he returns despite arguing before he leaves. This time Dan means business and when Jesse returns, Dan has moved on and has a new boyfriend. Now alone, Jesse adopts Norman at the convincing of his friends Evan and Peter (from the first book). Even with Norman for comfort, will Jesse be able to cope seeing Dan with another man when they share the same group of friends?
This book puts the series back on track. The last book felt so dull but Jesse, Dan, and the little bundle, Norman brought it right back to cute guys and cute dogs. I would love to have more detail on Jesse’s job but the focus really was on somehow getting Jesse and Dan to face their relationship. I give this one a 3 out of 5 for getting back to the tone of the series and telling a sweet – yet standard – love story.
I purchased this book for free from All Romance Ebooks and is intended for 18+.
This book brings us back to Evan and Peter from the first book in this series. Now that Peter has settled into his new life, he is surprised Evan doesn’t bug him about getting a new pet. After Harry’s death, Peter still doesn’t feel ready. But Evan isn’t the type to wait until Peter is ready and brings Hazel into the picture, insuring Peter falls in love with the pup and can’t say now. Peter isn’t happy having these plans made behind his back so the hope is he will overcome his past pain and love this little one as much as he loved Harry.
While the book makes you think the book will be mostly about Hazel, the only interesting conflict in this book is Peter’s ex-wife, Toni, getting abused by her current boyfriend. The rest of it is mundane everyday stuff. While I have been known to enjoy a little slice-of-life story, this was all fluff and boring as all get out. Getting a new puppy and learning to live with it would have been a fitting epilogue to the first book. I just couldn’t get into it. I feel generous in giving this one a 2 out of 5 for taking a step forward in the character’s lives, written well, but ultimately boring.
I purchased this book for free from All Romance Ebooks and is intended for 18+.
Will Duffy is the owner of a Beagle named Bob who is terribly behaved. He loves to break his lead and force his owner to chase after him. One day, Bob’s little adventure results in him getting hit by a car belonging to Lawrence Taylor; a dog trainer. After a scolding, Lawrence offers to train Bob. But this dog is known for breaking trainers and Will isn’t exactly grateful to Lawrence for interfering with his solitary life.
If you look at this story in the context of Will learning to accepts happiness after closing himself off for so long after the tragic deaths of his parents at age 17, the story feels better. It’s gratifying to see Will happy but holy shit, did I want to throttle Lawrence. The character is a pushy type of person but he comes off as a rude asshole sometimes. I know he’s a trainer but the time to remark on the poor behavior of the dog is not when the dog is bleeding in the street! That’s not ‘pushy,’ that’s just insensitive and borderline cruel. That initial event made it difficult for me to want Will to be with him at all! But, that aside, it is a cute set for the couples in this series to center around dogs and the vet. Evan and Peter from the first book make an appearance to tie them together. I give this book a 3 out of 5.
I purchased this book from Amazon and is intended for 18+.
Divorced father of two, Peter, has to say goodbye to his best friend and Wolfhound/Terrier mix, Harry. When Peter takes Harry to the vet, he is attended by a new doctor; Evan Wells. The pair become friends as Even helps Peter deal with losing Harry and Peter notices he doesn’t quite mind when Evan casually touches him despite the fact he’s straight. Will Peter be able to reconcile having feelings for a man after considering himself straight for so long?
I really empathized with losing a pet and it was sweet to see happiness come out of grief but I would have liked if it wasn’t ‘gay for you.’ Those always strike me as a little strange. Not entirely off-putting, but strange. I guess it’s nice to be attracted to someone for more than the presence or lack of dangly bits but Peter and Evan are nice enough characters to read to keep my focus off that strange trope. They’re a sweet couple and the intimate scenes aren’t too over the top. I give it a solid 3 out of 5 because it can be a little frustrating if a character just doesn’t come out and say what they feel and I selfishly would have liked Paul to also fall in love with another dog as well.
Jacob is a smuggler who ends up imprisoned when a job goes bad. Once there, is meets a man called Whistler who is a member of the Resistance. In his world, The Regime controls everything, right down to women’s wombs. Humans can no longer give birth to humans, only demons and they are slowly taking over the population. Guilt prompts Jacob to stay and help fight, taking on a mission to destroy one of the factories where the demons manufacture the drug Hope with the aptly named experimental landship; Hopebreaker.
The mission to destroy the factory is an interesting story and written well, but I could have used a bit more world-building. I didn’t get a real sense of the demons other than they’re bad and trying to overtake the human population. Overall, this is a pretty cool story. I got just invested enough to want to know what will happen at the end. Jacob is a typical bad boy turned rebel and provides an entertaining read in his perspective. A little snarky with his teasing sometimes but once he gets to business, he’s fun and determined. The steampunk elements are technical enough to be believable but don’t bog down the story or interrupt the narrative. The spy and espionage elements hit all the right notes and of course the story ends in a way to lead right to the sequel. And I certainly wouldn’t mind reading it. Solid 3.5.
I purchased this book for free from All Romance Ebooks. Mature audiences only.
Aislinn Cavett is the daughter of the leader of a human supremacy group that has begrudgingly accepted peace talks with Darius Bishop; the alpha of the North American werewolf pack. When Darius sees Aislinn serving food at this meeting, he recognizes her as his mate and she is intrigued by Darius despite her father being a complete bigot. When the talks break down and it looks like there’s gonna be a massacre, Darius ends up taking Aislinn as a hostage. They grow closer as she with him and they both have to decide if their love is worth risking all-out war between humans and werewolves.\
This is a well written forbidden love story. Darius and Aislinn make a good couple, they make rational decisions despite the whirlwind romance, and I give major props to Conall for writing Aislinn as a strong character. She doesn’t kick ass but when the chips are down, she’s no damsel. You also get your happy ending but there is still an overarching conflict in the world that’s been built. I give this a 4 out of 5 for being fun and unexpectedly practical in some ways.
I purchased this book for free from All Romance Ebooks and is intended for 18+.
Clement, a werewolf, is in dire need of a pumpkin for a pie he plans to bake for a Thanksgiving baking contest. And only the best pumpkins grow on Dall’s farm; a reclusive bear shifter affectionately nicknamed ‘The Beast.’  Intending to steal it, Clement sneaks on to the farm in wolf form and ends up not only ending up at the wrong end of Dall’s gun but senses the werebear is his mate.
This story is so short (18 pages) it’s hard to really rate it. The conflict – such as it was – could have been developed more so that the ending provided more satisfaction. It felt so fast, I didn’t get enough time to care if these two got together. I’d call it ‘drive by erotica’ with just enough smut to titillate if not completely entertain. Not bad but not really good either. I’d give it a 2 for having potential but being too short to really leave an impression.
Carter and Thilo are very different so when the straightlaced and shy Thilo asks to see Carter dance at the strip club where he works, Carter is understandably taken aback. Carter is worried his profession will cause a problem in their new relationship and that the prim accountant wouldn’t be able to handle watching such a spectacle. However, Thilo is determined to show Carter he can look beyond the job and still treat Carter the same. On New Year;s Eve, Carter arranges for Thilo to watch a show. Will the reserved Thilo be able to see Carter at work and stay in the relationship?
This was a short and sweet read with a relatable situation. Carter and Thilo are as fleshed out as characters can be in 23 pages. And it’s honestly not that graphic. Of course, the story takes you to the strip club and describes what happens in one but I’d rate this a PG if I was feeling very judgemental. Out of 5, I would give this a vague 3 because I enjoyed it despite it being really short and it was nice to read something sweet without it being overloaded with smut.
