A lovely glimpse into the lives of Ori and Raynard one year later. Every day with Raynard is a day of happiness for Ori. Ori is so sweet and powerful, and yet he still lacks self-confidence. Fortunately, Raynard knows how to remind Ori of just how much he’s loved.
Very enjoyable romp through the lives of an angel, a demon, and Hell itself.
Roman is a angel who serves as judge, jury and executioner for any paranormal creature who causes trouble. When a group of demons come up to the Earth’s surface, Roman is tasked with capturing the demons and returning them to Hell before they cause trouble for humans. Ezra is a rare demon who was raised in Hell. Having never been to the surface before, he jumps at the chance to finally see what it’s all about. These two certainly shouldn’t be attracted to each other, but there’s more going on than meets the eye.
Roman is not very happy with his life. He’s living with past regrets and not thrilled with his days dealing with the bad parts of society. Deep down, he’s a good guy and spends his time trying to do the right thing. Ezra has no recollection of ever being anywhere outside of Hell, and no memory of ever doing anything wrong in his life that would have caused him to be sent there. He’s an extremely nice guy with an optimistic view on life. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have any friends and is picked on constantly. He spends his days in Hell fixing clocks and time pieces. When he gets the chance to go to the surface, he makes the most of it. If you had any doubt Ezra was good to the bone while he was in Hell, it’s even more obvious once he gets to Earth and goes out of his way to save and help other people.
Ezra and Roman are very well developed characters, and I felt like I really got to know them before they connected about halfway into the story. Roman’s negative vibe was a bit too much, and I enjoyed the story more when I wasn’t in his head. The romance was front and center of the story, and it was believable that these two should be together. I really enjoyed the suspenseful plot with little surprises around every corner. The world this takes place in was interesting, and there was plenty of action.
I also read Bloodline, the story that precedes this one. It’s not necessary to read them in order, but I loved Bloodline and highly recommend it. This story wasn’t as violent which I was happy about.
A very enjoyable paranormal tale with a variety of creatures, including demons, angels and faeries, where love doesn’t always follow the rules.
Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb
5 Stars! Perfect from beginning to end, this was an extremely engaging and beautiful love story that I found impossible to put down.
Axel Carmichael owns a pub and leads a motorcycle gang. The gang is his family, and he’s generally a happy person. He’s also an amazing Dom, and he’s fortunate enough to find the perfect sub in Bayden. Bayden Wolf is completely focused on the single goal of making enough money to take care of his mom and grandfather. The fastest way to make the money he needs is by winning fights and getting paid for sex. As a wolf shifter, he heals quickly from physical damage, but the psychological damage these activities has caused is a different story. Fortunately, the love and support of Axel will eventually help him heal.
The focus of the story is on Axel trying to help Bayden heal and learn to respect himself. I enjoyed the dialogue between Axel and Bayden and felt it really helped to make the characters and their relationship believable. The aspects related to the wolf shifter world were extremely interesting. There was rampant discrimination against the wolf shifters and it was heart-breaking reading about how it affected their lives. The same type of discrimination continues to take place in the real world making it even harder to read about. Seeing the direct impact it had on Bayden’s life, including his battered-down emotional outlook, was very challenging. Axel recognized this and spent the necessary time trying to truly understand the world Bayden lived in. It was just one of the many ways that Axel showed his love for Bayden. Bayden thought it was an acceptable part of his life to fight and have sex for money as long as he felt he was controlling the situation. It was very hard to watch Bayden endure, among other things, sadistic knife play without the use of a safe word. Watching Bayden heal under Axel’s guidance was touching. Bayden’s desire to truly and completely submit to Axel was the best gift he could give Axel.
The majority of the story was spent in Axel’s pub but they also spent time riding their bikes and visiting Bayden’s family. The interactions with the other friends and family helped to further develop the world and the characters.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the steamy sex scenes between these two people who cared about each other so much. There was bondage, spanking, caning, and some breath play. Although Bayden performed sexual acts with other people at the beginning of the story, it was only related to his need to earn money.
You have to wonder when you read a story of this length if there is going to be unnecessary filler, endless narrative and wasted pages. You definitely won’t find that in Axel’s Pup. No doubt, it’s a hefty book, but I was so consumed by the story that the pages flew by. Every word and scene contributed to the building of the relationship and the deeper understanding of the characters. It will be in my top reads for 2015! I’m thrilled that this is the beginning of a series which means I might get a chance to see these two characters again.
I highly recommend this Dom/sub love story with its richly developed characters and interesting shifter world.
Originally reviewed for Swept Away By Romance. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb
True love is always worth the wait.
I absolutely loved Mitch and Simon. Simon was such a sweet guy, but he had such a heart-breaking existence before Mitch found him. The author did a great job keeping this relatively angst-free while still giving you a good understanding of Simon’s sad and lonely life. Mitch was an extremely gruff alpha, to the point that most of the pack was wary of him. However, when it came to the mate he thought he would never find, he’s as tender and patient as they get. It was unbelievably romantic watching Mitch court Simon. Of course, once they finally make the full connection with each other, there is plenty of steamy sex.
I loved the pack setting, and really enjoyed Mitch’s brother, Freddy, who added some interesting dynamics to the story.
One of my favorite authors writing one of my favorite genres!
Originally reviewed for Swept Away By Romance. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb
kindleromance Book Reviews 