Happy August! I hope the first week has been going well for you all.
I had forgotten I missed a post last Friday, so this one is packed full of books I’ve read these last 14 days. I’ve had family in and out of town, and continue to do so, so I’ve not been reading as much as I usually do. Things will settle down again once school starts, and hopefully, I can get back into the rhythm of these posts.
Have you read anything really good lately? I’d love to hear about it!
Be well, and happy reading!
Paige
P.S. As usual, all images and descriptions are from Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases.
They gave me the power of love. I wasn’t supposed to use it for myself. What can I say—I’m just that cupid!
Going to heaven is supposed to be great, right? But apparently I pissed the Big Genderless Whomever off, because I’m serving an afterlife sentence as an invisible matchmaker. These useless wings and flimsy halo don’t make the drudgery of love any better.
Then one day, I spot a trio of scorching hot mateless shifter men and decide to have a little fun. I didn’t know that my arrows, without a flavor, default to pointing back at me.
Turns out, making shifters hopelessly in love with a scent that doesn’t exist on Earth is a pretty bad thing. Who knew? Not cupid ol’ me.
So I’ve been ordered to go down to Earth to fix it. They’ve picked a body for me and everything. Except this other body just looks so tempting, and I can’t just stop my cupid self from jumping in.
Too bad the body I’m in has a few thugs out for it. Looks like I’m in big trouble—just my luck that three strong shifters are already in love with me and ready to save the day.
Maybe I’ll stick around on Earth for a little longer. Who could it hurt, after all?
Heaven Scent is a complete novel with an HEA. The sassy heroine gets into sticky situations, makes bad puns, and has steamy scenes with multiple love interests. No choosing required! For fans of Sedona Ashe, Raven Kennedy, and Katie May.
Paige's Perspective
Progress: Finished
Prospect: Will read more
Positives: This was a sweet love story. I especially loved the talk about fated mates.Â
Problems: Can't think of any, I read this when it came out. Â All I have are fond memories.Â
Everyone around me seems to be landing their dream pack.
Not me.
I’m destined for a life of stress baking with only cats and books for company.
Why?
No pack wants to date the little sister of the notorious Stormgate brothers.
Especially when that sister is an omega with a smart mouth and a scent that’s – now how did the last alpha describe it? – spicy.
Yep, no pack wants a mouthy, spicy, little Stormgate.
In fact, the only alphas I seem capable of attracting are self-proclaimed lone wolves.
My grumpy boss … the city’s notorious motorcar-champion … and the man assigned to keep me safe.
All three alphas may be hot, available and chasing me. But all three are not prepared to share.
They don’t want a pack.
Which is fine.
Just dandy.
Ay okay.
Because I most definitely do not want them.
***
If you love the sauciness and steam of omegaverse with the sweetness of contemporary romance, heroes with hard shells and soft interiors, and heroines who fight for what they want, you’ll love Hannah Haze’s soft and steamy books – omegaverse set in our world.
Paige's Perspective
Progress: Finished
Prospect: will read more in this series
Positives: I really liked our FMC and her motley crew
Problems:  I somehow read this book before book 1. Oops.  It was okay, but I was so intrigued by some of the things the characters were saying, I had to go and read book 1. 🙂
I’ve been selected. One of forty Omegas from academies across the globe.
…a one in forty chance to be bonded into the royal pack.
It has to be a mistake. The selection committee never would’ve chosen me. I don’t even pay my own tuition. I’m a scholarship student from the bad side of town.
I should know better than to hope, but after I meet the royal alphas, I can’t help it.
Kaz, Wolf, and Tai are everything I’ve ever wanted, and our bodies call to each other in ways we’re powerless to control.
Not that it matters since the Queen herself has forbidden them from claiming me. I’m too clumsy. Too opinionated. Too poor.
But when the royal pack continues to send other Omegas home instead of me, it becomes harder to accept the inevitable truth…that I’m Knot Their Omega.
SELECTION is a standalone Omegaverse romance told in multiple points of view. It includes MM and MMFMM and a happily ever after is guaranteed.
Paige's Perspective
Progress: Finished
Prospect: Will read more by this author
Positives: Super sweet book, I loved all the relationships.Â
Problems: Can't remember 🙂
I live in a magical world. A world filled with vampires, shifters, and mages.Mysteriously, I was born without powers.
After living the past two years in a personal hell, enduring abuse from a fiance I didn’t choose, I finally snapped. An act of self-defense against my fiance angers my father, and in retaliation for my actions, he creates the ultimate contest. One that only the most powerful magicals can compete in to win my hand in marriage.
It sounds bleak, but anything has to be better than my current situation. At least, I thought so, until they appeared in the middle of the night to whisk me away.
A vampire prince.
A wolf without a pack.
A powerful mage.
My three captors do everything they can to win the contest, and as the attraction between the four of us grows, so does their desire to keep me safe.
When the mystery of my birth comes into play, we begin to question everything I thought I knew about my life. Am I just a human with no magical powers? Or am I something else entirely? One thing is certain, if my captors cannot keep me safe, more than my heart is at stake: my life is on the line.
Warning: This book is a dark and gritty paranormal romance. It contains on page sexual assault, non-consent, sex, drugs/alcohol, violence, language, and blood. This is a why choose romance, meaning the main character will end up with at least three guys by the end of the series. If you enjoy tattooed bad guys who’d do anything for their girl, MM relationships, and plenty of heat, then join the fates in These Dangerous Fates.
AUTHORS NOTES: Please refer to the author’s website for all tropes and trigger warnings.
Paige's Perspective
Progress: Finished
Prospect: Will read the next one
Positives: I remember devouring this book
Problems: I can't remember the end!! I feel like this is a book that's actually a series, and not a standalone, which is why I can't remember how it ends. Â
Twenty-four years after the outbreak…
River is shaken after her father’s death, adrift after the one constant in her life fell victim to the harsh landscape, just like so many others. She’s living day by day, dodging both the undead and the alive, and trying to find some sense of purpose or direction.
A single decision changes her life…
It should have been impossible for her life to get any worse, but upon scouting the city for resources, she finds herself in a situation that quickly turns sour. River commits the ultimate crime and, despite her protests, is brought back to a stranger’s camp in penance for her actions.
For the first time in forever….
She has friends, safety, and comfort. Can she really go back to sleepless nights spent alone, starving, and constantly on edge, when she’s found the shelter of her dreams? And what is she going to do about the four larger-than-life men that haunt her every move and make her feel things she never has before–the ones that took her in the first place?
As her relationships grow and secrets are revealed, River is left with a huge decision, all while battling an even bigger threat looming outside the walls of her refuge. One that has the power to take away all she’s come to care about.
*This novel includes content that may not be suitable for all readers.Content warnings are available in the beginning of the book, please don’t forget to check them! This is a why choose romance with plenty of spice.
Paige's Perspective
Progress: Finished
Prospect: Read book 2
Positives: I liked the book, and I enjoyed seeing how this area functioned after the collapse of society.Â
Problems: Â I HATE the miscommunication trope. Â And I include the leaving out very important information as part of that trope. Â So much could have been avoided. Â But I digress. Â Our FMC also has a few choices of TSTL, but it was needed to move the story along.Â
Avery Walker has lived a life of being bullied, abused, and taken advantage of by people. Because of how early it started, and with her family being the worst offenders, she stopped pushing back or expecting anything else from life. But when a student slaps her in class and the school tries to sweep the incident and her feelings under the rug, Avery hits the breaking point.What a perfect time to play the lottery, right? All of Avery’s bad luck she’s suffered with her whole life gives her one moment of good luck and she actually wins the largest jackpot on record… But what now? Ryder James is a vampire who is trying to make changes in his life when he meets Avery who helps him see the world in a different way. Griffin Peterson is an Alpha werewolf that has been so focused on his pack that he forgot he needs things as a man until Avery stepped into his life. And Lorenzo Ganan is a warlock suffering because of the tragedies that have struck his family and Avery makes him feel as if he might be able to open his heart again. But can any of these men be the right one for a woman who has been so beaten down by life?
When the family you’re born into is the literal worst, you hold on tight to the one you choose.
Everything changes when I receive an acceptance letter and a full scholarship to a school I’ve never heard of, much less applied to. But that single sheet of paper declaring my admission is the lifeline I desperately need.
A way out. A new life.
A new roommate and self-proclaimed best friend.
But things take a turn for the worse when my new employer fails to mention mandatory intercourse in the official job description, and now he’s hellbent on making me pay for losing him an important client.
On top of that, I’ve managed to earn myself an honest to God stalker. Mysterious texts and veiled threats put me on edge while I ignore the demands of my vile ex-boss, but things start looking up when I meet Gage Ashford.
Gorgeous, smart, a devoted book lover, and the head of the university’s most prestigious fraternity, he’s the whole package. I can’t resist him. I don’t even try.
But he has ulterior motives, and when he reveals his true self, I’m livid.
I’m convinced he and his frat brothers are the ones terrorizing me with threatening messages, so I confront them on their own turf.
But they’re innocent. In this, at least. And for some reason I can’t fathom, they insist on becoming my saviors. My protectors.
My everything.
They are the Dukes, and they make me their duchess…in every sense of the word. I’ve never been happier. Never felt as cherished. Sheltered. Appreciated. Desired.
But when something seems too good to be true, it usually is.
And I’m about to learn that the hard the way.
Author’s Note: This is a college romance where the main character ends up with multiple love interests. The book contains darker themes and situations to which some readers may be sensitive. Please read the author’s note at the beginning of the book or check the author’s website for more information and TW’s.
Paige's Perspective
Progress: Finished
Prospect: I'll read this author again
Positives: Loved the twist. I think this was free of too many errors, and I liked our FMC, mostly.
Problems: I didn't like one of the MMCs, and I felt the relationship with the fourth MMC was quite rushed. Â I actually would have preferred this to be a duet, so that we could flesh out the characters more. Also, the wrap up at the end was a big ol' plot hole.Â
Two years ago, I thought I’d found the one thing I’d been missing—a pack. Except they didn’t want me.
Now, it’s time to leave them in the past where they belong and find my pack with the help of Heated.
As the second season’s omega, I have twenty alpha and beta suitors vying for a spot in my pack. We have eight weeks to get to know one another, to unpack each other’s baggage, and to see if we can be one another’s forever.
Except, there are surprises being thrown at me left and right—leaving me completely off balance. I’m sure it’ll make great television, but can I make it through this? I want to—no, I need—to make this work. One thing they’ll learn about me is that I don’t give up.
I will find my pack, but I’m quickly realizing that leaving the past behind isn’t as simple as I once thought it would be.
Paige's Perspective
Progress: Finished
Prospect: Will read the next
Positives: I like these bachelor-style books.Â
Problems: I didn't like what happened, something didn't seem to add up with the two show producers who we met in the first book. I also didn't like how the pack was formed, but I can't say anything else about it, I got over it, but didn't love it.Â
The whole world watched me lose it all…
After spending the last three months on My Fairytale, a show that promised I’d find my future pack and finally get my happily ever after, I realized it was too good to be true.
My chosen pack humiliated me in front of the world and now the only thing I can do is outrun the spotlight.
I find myself moving a few hours away, ready to start a new life.
But the past isn’t ready to let me go. Family is using me for their fifteen minutes, I have interviews I still have to conduct, and it’s starting to feel like I’ll never truly get away.
My trust was broken and I’m not sure if I can let anyone in again. The issue is there are several men in this town that don’t care about my past… in fact, they have skeletons of their own.
Can we stop living in the past and give this pack a chance, or will this once again end in heartbreak?
This duet will be full of betrayal, moving on, steam, strong omegas, and will end with a HEA. This is an omegaverse world that includes male omegas, female alphas, a jaded pack that struggles to move on, and one omega who is tired of letting the world tear her down.
Paige's Perspective
Progress: Finished
Prospect: Started book 2
Positives: I liked the character growth. Â
Problems: Â The ending was quite a cliff. Â This is the second book I've read recently with two omegas. Â I gotta say, I think I'm a selfish hoe because I'm not loving the idea or our FMC sharing all the affection LOL.
What would you do if the world plunged itself headfirst into a zombie apocalypse? Would you survive? Or would you wither away like everyone else did?
I have no idea how, but I survived and let me tell you, it SUCKS! Being stuck on an endless road of disappointment, misery and loneliness can only be summed up in one word- Purgatory.
Well, that is until I meet them. Hawk, Cole and Jax. Three Marines who, against all odds, survive to take me in and show me the way to paradise.
Purgatory is a MFMM “why choose” romantic literary work of fiction intended for adult readers (18+). Sensitive content and triggers contained within.
Triggers include: PTSD, Loss/ death, anxiety, mentions of suicide, kidnapping, sexual assault, and various kinks/ fetishes.
Kinks/ fetishes: BDSM, degradation, praise, edging, breath play, choking
Paige's Perspective
Progress: Finished
Prospect: Will read more
Positives: Zombies. Â If you are familiar with me, you'll know of my unending love for zombie books.
Problems: Could have been more character development, one of the MMCs didn't act in a way that totally made sense, but what do I know about the end of the world! Also our FMC was TSTL, like I seriously don't know how she survived on her own.Â
I never thought I’d come back to this place. The place where I lost everything, and yet the only one I ever called home.
Then they came to me for help. Three desperate men on a journey to rescue their brother. I was the only one who could get them through the portal, and as much as I wanted to turn them away, I couldn’t.
Something about these men called to me. I could sense a whisper of Nymeria inside of them, but that didn’t make sense. They were only human.
For now, at least.
To find their brother, they’d need to change. No human had ever survived stepping foot in Nymeria.
In a world filled with magic and treachery, it’s more than just the monsters we had to worry about. Everything has changed since I was last here. The people are afraid, and they should be. A madman was on a mission to seize the land, and they had no one left to fight for them.
Because I ran.
But now I’m coming back.
Paige's Perspective
Progress: Finished
Prospect: Will likely read book two
Positives: I liked the story, a lot of interesting twists and turns.Â
Problems: Writing this, I remember the end. Â Holy shit. Â I cannot wait to see what happens.Â