The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea (The Azantian Trilogy, #1), Katherine Quinn

 

The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea (The Azantian Trilogy, #1)

By: Katherine Quinn

My Recommendation: 👍👍👍👍 - (Out of 5 👍)

The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea is the first book in Kathering Quinn's new 'Azantian Trilogy'. Quinn has created a beautifully developed world with a unique mythological background, full of characters with great depth. 

Margrete has grown up her entire life with an abusive father. To save herself and her younger sister, Margrete agrees to marry Count Casbian, a man hand packed by her father and home she has never met. Prior to her wedding day, Margrete makes a silent please to the gods to save her and they answer.

Bash, a king looking to save his country, crashes Margrete's wedding in the hopes of retrieving a relic her father had stolen from his people. In the chaos of the raid, Bash kidnaps Margrete in the hope that he could use her as a bargaining chip.

This is the first time I have read Quinn, I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy. I love the selflessness and strength of Margrete.

Shadow Kissed (Marked by Blood, #1), Rebecca L. Garcia

 

Shadow Kissed (Marked by Blood, #1)

By: Rebecca L. Garcia

My Recommendation: 👍👍👍👍👍 - (Out of 5 👍)

Olivia has lived a pretty sheltered life. As a sorceress, she is pretty rare but her powers have never held much strength. It has been less than a month since her boyfriend allegedly committed suicide, Vampires are attacking the kingdom she lives in, and her mother who is also a sorceress has left with the other members of the guild to defend their home. Unfortunately, her mother winds up captured.

When the guard left protecting Olivia gets carried off by one the Vampires she is left alone and defenseless. Before she can escape, a Vampire named Sebastian takes her captive and back to his home in the City of Nightmares. Sebastian swears Olivia is not his prisoner and he and his friends are only trying to protect her from Nightshade, a group of Vampires who have been hunting Olivia for nefarious reasons. 

Olivia has slowly come to realize that her entire life people have kept secrets from her; her mother would never talk about her father and the rest of the guild would get cagey when asked questions. Slowly, Sebastian reveals what those secrets are but he has been keeping a few secrets of his own, like the real reason he 'kidnapped' Olivia. Can Olivia trust Sebastian enough to help save her mother and friend? Olivia must learn to trust in order to save herself, her mother, her friends, and Sebastian.

Rebecca Garcia has written a wonderfully well illustrated world. Olivia is a completely likable character. It is easy to recognize she has low self-esteem when it comes to her magical abilities and how those doubts about herself came to be in her young nineteen years. Sebastian and his friends are lovable 'villains'. They all have had difficult pasts that they are attempting to overcome. There are moments you want to hate Sebastian and yell at him to get his head on straight but he is flawed and still learning to cope with the painful conditions of his transition from Human to Vampire.

I loved Shadow Kissed. It was one of those books that sucked you in and wouldn't let you escape; I read it in one afternoon as I didn't want to put it down. I am excited to read the next installment in the Marked by Blood series.

Shadow Kissed by Rebecca L. Garcia will be available April 15,2022

Purchase:

Amazon

Hot for the Fireman, Gina L. Maxwell

 

Hot for the Fireman

By: Gina L. Maxwell

My Recommendation: 👍👍👍 - (Out of 5 👍)

Erik Grady was an Army Ranger, he now is a fireman for the Boston Fire Department and he takes his job seriously. He has been suffering with PSTD from his time in the Army and his chief gives him an ultimatum, either he attends therapy sessions or he is assigned a desk job. Erik agrees to see the psychologist but only because he thinks he can play the system. 

Olivia Jones is already familiar with Erik Grady. So, when he walks into her office and threatens to blackmail him she agrees to go on three dates with him. Little does Erik know she is still going to play hard to get. She has worked hard to earn the professional reputation she has and is not going to let a hot fireman ruin her career.

Hot for the Fireman is a steamy read with two very likeable characters. The meet up at the beginning of the story is incredibly interesting and the chemistry between the couple throughout the book is insanely hot. Livvie is a strong female character who has worked hard to get where she is in her industry. It is hard not to fall in love with Erik while feeling empathic for his difficult situation. Overall it was a fun read. 

Purchase:

Amazon

Angels of Ashes and Ivory, Raye Wagner

 

Angels of Ashes and Ivory

By: Raye Wagner

My Recommendation: 👍👍👍👍 - (Out of 5 👍)

Sanaa is an orphan in Midri, a place riddled with evil. All she wants is to earn her freedom outside of V district. Unfortunately, luck is not on her side when an acquaintance she once considered a close friend sells her out and Sanaa finds herself on the action block being sold to the highest bidder.

Amongst the Angels Rynk has earned his way up the ranks of the Power hierarchy. When he was a small child he was betrayed by his uncle and he has been attempting to make amends ever since. The Council has requested that Rynk retrieve the celestial token, an item he was responsible for losing. In his search he discovers that Sanaa is his long awaited Beloved. Because of Sanaa's stormy past she finds it difficult to accept Rynk. They must learn to work together to overcome the evil that is engulfing Midri.

I am generally not a fan of books with angels but for certain authors I will read anything. Wagner did not disappoint. This story was edge of your seat, action packed, hold your breath because you are now in for the ride of your life. It appears to be a stand alone. I am a little bit happy for that because I don't think my heart could take more of the insanely intense drama. I am a little bit sad that I won't be reading more about these wonderful characters. All in all I am happy for their happily ever after.

Ancient Retribution (Ancients Rising, #5), Katie Reus

 

Ancient Retribution (Ancients Rising, #5)

By: Katie Reus

My Recommendation: 👍👍👍👍 - (Out of 5 👍)

Zephyr is an ancient dragon shifter who was in hibernation during The Fall; an event in which certain dragon clans attacked cities all over the world in the hopes of taking control while annihilating humanity. His three brothers have all found their mates and settled down to live happy lives. Although Zephyr is incredibly happy for his family he doesn't quite feel like he fits in to this new world until he meets Juniper. 

Juniper is a dragon shifter who has no memories of her childhood prior to living with her adoptive mother and father who happen to be wolves. Her parents were incredibly understanding and willing to do anything for Juniper, even if that meant switching clans to stop the abuse Juniper was experiencing from the other children. Her childhood might not have been perfect but she never had any desire to learn who her birth parents were. Juniper and her friends are now members of a Black Ops team fighting against supernaturals who want to do harm to others. Their current mission is to uncover a human trafficking ring. Their search brings them to New Orleans and right to Zephyr's door step. 

I continue to be blown away by this series. I enjoy the premise and the world Reus has developed post apocalyptic event. All of the main characters are incredibly mindful of creating a world that is better than it was prior to the dragon attack. There is a great amount of compassion and a desire to treat one another with respect regardless whether you are a vampire, shifter, or demon. Juniper is a strong female character with a unique background. I loved revisiting characters from the first four stories and I look forward to the next installment.

Purchase:

Amazon

Unforgiven (Deep Ops, #5), Rebecca Zanetti

 

Unforgiven (Deep Ops, #5)

By: Rebecca Zanetti

My Recommendation: 👍👍👍👍 - (Out of 5 👍)

Emma Falls has a secret; one that has her on the run. She and her friend Serena have a plan. Emma will take over teaching Serena's statistic and game theory classes at DC University while living in her home. This will give Emma and her daughter Trudy a reprieve while earning some much needed cash to help her in the next leg of her journey.

Jethro Hanson has many secrets. He and Serena are both professors at DC University as well as members of the ragtag team of agents known as the HDD. When Serena suddenly leaves the group with no real explanation Jethro becomes curious about her replacement but he learns Emma is a tough nut to crack. As Jethro and Emma begin to warm towards each other and Emma learns that she can rely on Jethro a monster from Jethro's time with M16 emerges. Can Jethro and Emma work together to overcome both their demons?

In the other Deep Ops stories, Jethro has been a steady and reliable character. Obviously, with this fifth installment being his story we really get some great insight in to his character and where he comes from. Jethro has great snark and a huge heart. The relationship that develops between Jethro and Emma's daughter Trudy melted my heart. Emma is a woman with great strength. Her past could have damaged her but she has overcome many hurdles in the hopes of giving her daughter a life better than she has had. 

Unforgiven is a fast paced read that I completed in one sitting. Zanetti is great with both character and world building. Having continuous stories in a series where the characters appear in each certainly eliminates the confusion one feels at the start of a new story. I felt like I was revisiting old friends.

Purchase:

Amazon