Audio Book Review: Merged With Him by Kylie Kent

Merged With Him by Kylie Kent
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is out of my normal wheelhouse of reads. It was recommended for a book challenge. So nothing Fantasy or magical about this book. :)

It's set in the real world. I feel the focus of this story is the romance. It is a little...okay a lot steamier than what I normally read.

There's a plot that comes through as the story gets going and the characters get to know each other. You don't see it at the beginning as much, but it will be there. I recommend this book for those who like their romance and steamy moments before plot. Very character driven book.

It didn't feel like it was really deep into things, so a little fluff to enjoy the character connection.

I was curious as Alyssa doesn't know all that Zach is connected to or what he does. So I'm curious how that will come out as they are together longer. Is she going to be okay with it all as the series goes?

There's a "Mine" trope to the story. And get the feel of a mafia trope, without the full mafia.

Going in with an open mind and it was okay for me. I do like thicker plots but okay for a quick listen.

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Audio Book Review: Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry

Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was more of wanted after the ending of the first book. Especially the audiobook version. I was taken with the three narrators. I love when the male part and female parts are spoked by male and female narrators.

We get the book 50/50 with Odessa and Caspia's POV.
I loved the things Odessa saw. However I was frustrated with the Voster not explaining anything. I know they are bound not to speak it. But something would have been good to let Odessa know. It seems no one trusts Odessa's ability to keep silent. Except Ransom. If more was shared with her she could have put things together easier or found things for them. This goes for the Voster and her father. And a little bit for Ransom too, though he's coming to understand she needs to know and trusts her.

As we grow closer to the end of the book we learn why everyone holds back and doesn't tell their secrets.

Caspia looks a lot like Odessa. Following her story was a struggle for me at first. I wasn't feeling her tale. But somewhere along the way I became drawn to her story when she finally found a mission in her life. I had questions and suspicions which came to what I thought it would be in the end. Her story is ultimately very important with Odessa's.

Odessa gets answers to things she's been searching for. The connection and a few secrets of her family. And herself. In the end we get more answers from the Voster as well.

I found there was much more plot and story growth in this book, which is what I love. That's what held me to the story this time. I even kept the speed at 1.2 so I could catch the details of different things. I wanted to listen to get these details.

There is romance here. Both Caspia and Odessa have their moments. It's not heavy into the romance side, but there as they fight for what they want and each other.

Where Ransom was the one to have secrets from Odessa. Now Odessa has her own secret to keep. And could be dangerous to her, and maybe him.

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Book Review: Dragon's Heart by S.M. Shadow

Dragon's Heart by S.M. Shadow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm in love with this series. I love that the female characters are strong in that they carry on. They move forward and get things done.

Beryl is my favorite female lead so far in this series. Oh I've loved them all, but she pulls no punches and this is what I love. She knows she's rough and she's excellent with being this way.

She's a dragon, for goodness sakes. And you wouldn't have a dragon any other way.

We see another side of the Elysium world, the Faerie realm. Things are complicated here with how they treat their woman and how Faerie feels about it. And the person to rule... is male. This is a whole story of it's own in this book.

Then we learn pieces to go with the over all arc of what's happening in Elysium with Darkness, along with the closed off sections now.

Then we have the romance story for Beryl. There's a history with her and Mavrien. And it's not as pretty as one would like to think. She did scar him. But! There's a reason for it! And I found this reason interesting as it adds to the world and magic of dragons. I love that there's a connection to them to have a foundation for the romance.

There's a lot to juggle in this series, and it's extremely well done to balance out the books. I love the overall arc and the shorter stories in each book for each part of Elysium and the couples that come together.

The world is what's driving the reason these characters are going through what they are. The women are strong, and I do love strong women, who make changes in the world.

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Audio Book Review: Death and Devotion by K.M. Merritt

Death and Devotion by K.M. Merritt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a fantasy adventure of heroes that aren't your normal heroes. They are a little... clumsy. lol. And I love that about them. Which is what brings us to the series name, Mishap's Heroes.

They don't have it all together yet. They're still learning. But they are becoming their own family and learning to trust each other.

We learn more about the group through this book. We get to see what Sorrel's history is and what she's running from. Also, we learn what Talon is hiding from too.

This group makes me feel comfortable. It's nice to see a group of what others would call misfits coming together and finding the friendships they didn't know they needed.

In thinking back, I realize the adventure is more than what I realized while listening. The story is tightly woven with their life stories that it's not always easy to see there's more happening. There's a great balance of personal for the characters along with the adventure/mission they are on.

I do enjoy when the mistakes happen and how they come out of them still gleening information and more.

A nice relaxing listen for me. I'll be listening to the rest when I need a book that's not heavy and looking for a little light fantasy fun.

Kristin is the narrator and I always love her work.

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Audio Book Review: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was nervous through this whole book. I didn't know if anyone was going to make it. Or what to expect with everyone.

I knew what I wanted. But so, so much doom and gloom. It didn't look like Alina and her friends would come into the power needed to defeat the Darkling.

I couldn't stop listening to this to see what would happen next. So much action and reveals here. We learn what the third amplifier is! I wasn't overly surprised in this, yet I was as it was nice to have that feeling that I just wasn't sure of confirmed.

This book tied the trilogy up nice. It brought Alina, who started the trilogy with no friends to finding friends. Friendships aren't easy, and Alina starts to see how this goes. There are people who do believe in her and will follow her. Alina has become a leader. Alina learns the history of others as well. This history is a huge part of the story and explains so much as well.

This was full of fantasy with adventure and danger, so if those are something you'd like, I recommend this series.

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Book Review: The Wicked and The Damned by Rebecca Robinson

The Wicked and the Damned by Rebecca Robinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wasn't sure what to expect coming into this book. Vaasa made a bargain at the end of the first book and I wasn't sure how that would come to pass. I had questions. And, honestly, I still had many questions that grew as I read this book.

I didn't know how the magic would be... given? Then I didn't know how it was working the way it was in this book. And why was the person doing what they were doing?

I grew more and more curious as the book went on. Things were going a different direct that I had thought it might at the end of the previous book. And I'm great with this. Especially after finishing the book.

Let's talk about Vaasa. She's an amazing woman. She's smart. And men seem to miss that and think she's just a pretty face. She plays these men to get what she wants. That brings us to Reid. Reid knows she's smart and so much more than the men of her country give her credit for. And he loves her for all the reasons.

Reid... I said in the first book we didn't get to see the deadly and dangerous warrior he's said to be. We get to see that side of him here. He's calculating too, even though he thinks he's not. He knows when to lay low and when to attack.

In the end I got insight into why things were set to happen as they were. And the Epilogue helped fill in gaps at the end for this. I like this direction. And I'm looking forward to the next books to see what Vaasa does with what she's learned. Because I feel there's more that's not told to her, something that could be danger for her.

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Audio Book Review: Eros Element by Cecilia Dominic

Eros Element by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was a good one for me to get a taste of Steampunk I've been missing.

If you're looking for romance, this book is very, very light on romance. The potential pair hardly spend time together. I know the time period set here has limits, but she works more with his friend than with the love interest. They get glimpses of each other and have a few starts to solid conversations to get to know each other, but it's limited.

I like that there's a steampunk element in the world for how things work and function. The world is something I enjoy. There's also a connection to history, which brings us to what the mission is for the expedition the crew goes on. There's hints in history that will help stabilize Aether and be cheaper to use as energy.

There's a science to the way things work and that's something that's talked about. At times when we learn about connections that draw us to different places and a device I did listen to the areas twice so I didn't miss anything.

There's an interesting "magical" aspect to what Iris can retrieve from artifacts. And Marie has me curious as to what she can do as well.

The group end up working together and becoming a group of friends to help each other.

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