by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 20, 2022 | Book Reviews
Alpha Wolf’s Fated Mate by Anika Skye is better than the other story of hers that I’ve read but still leaves me wanting more. It feels incomplete and the characters’ backstories aren’t fleshed out. As I am reading I have more questions than answers. This writing style makes sense if this book is part of a series but it still means that a lot more thought should be put into the back story of each character rather than the hodgepodge of information this book gives us.
The attempt at a non-linear story that gives Dimitri’s POV is a good attack but was clumsily executed. Even the POV of Helen always seems to be “wondering”. Once again, we have our lead female running away from an abusive relationship. This is the second story I’ve read that had that kind of backstory for the lead female but does not give enough information to make that factoid relevant.
And then a surprise factoid is given that is not substantiated in the story. Aside from the taste/smell of her blood, there are no other manifestations so … what is that?
While this book is better than the last one, it still needs a lot more work before it should be published.
Alpha Wolf’s Fated Mate by Anika Skye is on Amazon and can be purchased in Kindle format for 0.99 or you can read it with a KU account. I would recommend the latter if you are just curious about this.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 19, 2022 | Book Reviews
When I started reading Billionaire Revenge by Lacey Nash I found the pacing slow. I had to force myself to keep reading because there really wasn’t much happening. I said to myself that perhaps it is a case of a slow burn. Chapter 5 is when they first interact face to face and it isn’t until another 5 chapters before they agree to meet to “make a deal”.
This book is only 25 chapters (plus an epilogue) long so it is kind of like saying that it took half the story to establish that Scarlett is destitute, Xavier will get his pound of flesh, and they will somehow end up together.
From the title, we already know that Xavier will seek revenge. The thing is, though, as I read the story it wasn’t really “revengy” at all. It is as if from the moment they were intimate with each other he forgot all about his agenda.
This story is also supposed to be steamy and there are some love scenes but there weren’t enough descriptions of what was happening or the foreplay didn’t really last long enough to fog up my glasses.
If this book has a pulse it would more or less be steady. Despite the emotional roller coaster Scarlett is supposedly going through, the story is written pretty much one note with a possible minor movement up or down without much to really spike. I almost got excited at that critical scene toward the end but it lacked punch because she just keeps crying. Sigh.
I wish Scarlett was a stronger person. I also wish we could have sometimes seen the POV of Xavier. That would have elevated the story, I think.
Billionaire Revenge by Lacey Nash is not for me but it might just be right up your alley. For the beginner or intermediate romance readers, this may be good enough. It is available on Amazon for 0.99 but you can also read it for free with Kindle Unlimited.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 18, 2022 | Book Reviews
Non-linear storytelling is fun, and I thought that was what was happening with Alpha Wolf’s Secret Nanny by Anika Skye. The way the story began was a fumbling attempt at a flashback. As the story progressed, I had hoped to get more information about why Griffin, her ex who happened to be a werewolf and an Alpha, was hunting her down and killing anyone and everyone who protected her.
She shows us a glimpse of her past when Griffin singled her out from all the girls in school to go to the prom with him. After that nothing else was said except that he wanted her and would stop at nothing to get her back. For years she has been trying to hide from him and this last time is when she took a job as a nanny to the newborn child of Winston. Unbeknownst to her, he is an Alpha wolf, too.
Winston is drawn towards her but fights it. It is obvious that Charlotte knows a few things about wolves but not about mates. In this story a human-werewolf relationship is taboo and yet Griffin was still hellbent on having her despite her “rejection”. It is just too confusing!
The story feels incomplete and needs fleshing out and could be longer and better if the author takes the time to do it. You can read Alpha Wolf’s Secret Nanny by Anika Skye by downloading it from Amazon. You can buy it for 0.99 or read it with a Kindle Unlimited account.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 18, 2022 | Book Reviews
I downloaded Beauty and her Beasts by Lisa Cullen with Kindle Unlimited a couple of months ago more out of curiosity than anything else. First, I’ve never read anything from Lisa Cullen before, and second, I was curious if she would successfully execute the anticipated menage scene.
I don’t hate this story, but I don’t love it either. There are just too many inconsistencies that make my teeth hurt. The story tells us that Allana is a college graduate of a business course. She goes to a bar later for drinks with a couple of professors she had in college whom she became friends with. This tells me that the setting is the present day. However, she gets picked up by a CARRIAGE and their source of light is CANDLES. So this puts the setting in the past, pre-electricity.
Her three men are King, the one-armed lion shifter who owns the castle-turned-hotel, Gunnar the bear shifter who runs the kitchen, and Declan the half-wolf shifter who is the groundskeeper.
Upon meeting each one she gets instantly aroused and her first thought is to jump their bones. This is very forward-thinking and puts the timeline to the present … again. She was hired to be the hotel’s manager, which was considered a man’s job … present day, yet again.
Add to that all the incorrect word usage … surmised instead of summarized, flench instead flinch, smitten instead of smited … and those are just 3 words. Believe me, there are more.
And can I also say, how irresponsible for all three men to each just come inside her with no protection? Is pregnancy not something they have to worry about?
This could qualify as a reverse harem in that she finds herself involved with three men but never at the same time with more than one until the last chapter of the story where she finally gets to be with all three. A few seconds of foreplay is, apparently all they need before each man finds a hole and fills it to the sound of her moans and groans.
Beauty and her Beasts by Lisa Cullen is available on Amazon with KU but if you want to buy it, it costs 2.99. I’d recommend reading it on KU.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 16, 2022 | Book Reviews
Most romance novels start from the POV of the female. Two Sugar Daddies’ Virgin by Nicole Casey steps out of that box and instead starts from the POV of Matt who is in a committed relationship with Leandro. Matt and Leandro are in an exclusive relationship and yet from the start the author makes it clear that they are bisexual, not gay. I would suppose that this is to allow us to accept their later relationship with a woman.
Leandro is a self-made billionaire and often travels, leaving Matt at home. He is not out of the closet so he does not feel that he could bring Matt and introduce him to other people as his boyfriend without ruining his reputation. Matt loves Leandro very much but resents being hidden away like a guilty secret.
In his guilt, and perhaps as a way to ensure Matt isn’t lonely all the time, Leandro decided that Matt should get a sugar baby.
Jourdanne is a hardworking young woman who is trying to raise enough money to go to Yale. First, the many repairs to her father’s inn inadvertently meant she wasn’t going to receive a salary for a while then her second job was razed by a fire. Since her best friend showed her an app where she could apply as a sugar baby, she saw this as her only hope of making a lot of money quickly.
Luckily, the first sugar daddy she meets on the app and chats with is Matt and they click. She reveals to him that she is a virgin. If he still wanted a physical relationship that would increase her price but if not then they would just be companions. Unplanned, things heat up between the two later and Leandro walks in on them. While nothing much happened, this was even before the contract was signed so an amendment was made and this time she ended up with TWO sugar daddies!
With a reverse harem people mostly assume that it is all about steamy sex but while there are scenes here that would make you fan yourself, it is mostly about the developing relationship between Jourdanne, Matt, and Leandro together. This is a heartwarming story with very few lows and a guaranteed HEA.
You can find Two Sugar Daddies’ Virgin by Nicole Casey on Amazon for only 0.99 or free with Kindle Unlimited. Enjoy!
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 15, 2022 | Book Reviews
I’m so glad that I decided to pick up Frenemy Protector by Kate Lovelace. What was lacking from Fireman’s Secret Baby was made up for here. We first encounter Liam and Lauren there. Liam is the youngest brother of Michael, the fireman. In that story, he had a huge crush on Bree, who ends up with Michael. Lauren is Bree’s best friend and had a thing for Liam, but her feelings were not returned.
The story opens with Liam narrating. Yes! I’m glad this started from a guy’s POV. It is a welcome change and immediately lets us, the readers, find out what happened to Liam after he left.
In the first book, Kate Lovelace already established that Liam had a lot of issues to get through. This book tells us how much he has grown into the mature 24-year-old he is who is more than just “Michael and Ethan’s little brother”.
The premise for Liam’s return is to handle the problems their family is facing with an entity that wants to buy their family property by hook or by crook. Recent events have shown that they are not shy of being crooks. And yet, the story is really about the budding relationship between Liam and Lauren and how Liam desperately tries to resist the pull. This is despite interference from his family who are eager to bring them together and Lauren herself who is irresistible without even trying.
From the get-go, this story is written well. It is engaging and described so well that I felt like I was part of the story, not just a spectator. In the first book, I wasn’t a fan of Liam because he was being a dick about Michael and Bree. Frenemy Protector is his redemption story and Lauren’s HEA.
If I had any issues with this book it would probably be two things. I’m not keen on the title as it doesn’t seem to be a right fit, even as I get further along in the story. The second is the cover art. Liam looks grumpy, and why is he naked? Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with naked men but in context with the story, I think he should be wearing a button-down shirt to match the scenes. Just my two cents.
That aside, this was quite enjoyable to read. The book isn’t available for mass distribution yet, but hopefully, it will be released on popular platforms such as Amazon soon.
When I started reading Billionaire Revenge by Lacey Nash I found the pacing slow. I had to force myself to keep reading because there really wasn’t much happening. I said to myself that perhaps it is a case of a slow burn. Chapter 5 is when they first interact face to face and it isn’t until another 5 chapters before they agree to meet to “make a deal”.
Non-linear storytelling is fun, and I thought that was what was happening with Alpha Wolf’s Secret Nanny by Anika Skye. The way the story began was a fumbling attempt at a flashback. As the story progressed, I had hoped to get more information about why Griffin, her ex who happened to be a werewolf and an Alpha, was hunting her down and killing anyone and everyone who protected her.
I downloaded Beauty and her Beasts by Lisa Cullen with Kindle Unlimited a couple of months ago more out of curiosity than anything else. First, I’ve never read anything from Lisa Cullen before, and second, I was curious if she would successfully execute the anticipated menage scene.
Most romance novels start from the POV of the female. Two Sugar Daddies’ Virgin by Nicole Casey steps out of that box and instead starts from the POV of Matt who is in a committed relationship with Leandro. Matt and Leandro are in an exclusive relationship and yet from the start the author makes it clear that they are bisexual, not gay. I would suppose that this is to allow us to accept their later relationship with a woman.
I’m so glad that I decided to pick up Frenemy Protector by Kate Lovelace. What was lacking from 
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