He’d once called her dangerous. And he had been right. Aya was not a pawn. She was a spy. A warrior. A weapon.
Aya has returned home at last. But she is not the same person who left Tala all those months ago. And Tala isn’t the same either. The threat of war that could destroy the realm continues to grow and she is the only one who can save it. Because she is the Second Saint. The bringer of hope. The light in the darkness. Blessed with powers not seen in centuries. But there are those who stand to use her power for their own gain and Aya learns that danger is closer to home than she ever could have imagined.
Whilst I hadn’t read book 1 in the series, I didn’t struggle too much with keeping up with the main plotlines and character development.
Aya and Will are essentially committing treason against their Queen for the good of their realm. The Queen is on a power-trip and claiming to hear the voices of the banished Gods (never good when someone is hearing voices!). They have only just made new allies with Aiden and his sister Jodie. It’s hard work overthrowing cruel and corrupt despots!
But now they have to attempt to fit back into their lives, keeping their new found romance a secret and try to find ways to save their realm. I have to say Gianna is a complete dictator and she had no compunction torturing Aya’s friend for her own ends.
The plot is windy and twisty and I did get confused a few times. However the pacing is good and I enjoyed the variety of characters. There is representation for LGBTQIA+ and a few of them could also possibly be neuro-diverse.
I did find Tova quite hard to like, even after being tortured! Similarly Lena was a bitter pill but I quite liked her brother, even when they were on opposing sides. If Aya is going to be a SpyMistress, she really needs a lesson in subterfuge and subtlety – she is sometimes as subtle as a brick to the noggin! LOL
She pulled him close, in a desperate, perfect embrace. She loved him. And she would burn this world for him…
Gwen must free the Prince in Iron, before his mind is torn apart.
For centuries, Mordred ruled over Avalon and caged its magic. Now the elementals have seized power, sentencing him to an eternity of torment in his own magical prison.
Gwen accepted Mordred’s punishment to save his life. But the love that binds them cannot be denied. She vows to find him and release him, whatever the cost.
Mordred’s time is quickly running out. Trapped inside the Iron Crystal, he burns with rage and desire, haunted by shadows of the past. His sanity hangs by a thread.
Gwen will destroy anyone who stands between her and the crystal. But is she freeing the man she loves? Or unleashing a power more vicious and terrifying than Avalon has ever known?
What an ending to a great fantasy series! Be ready to let out a sob or two ‘cos not all of your secondary character favourites are going to make it to the end!
Gwen and Mordred have kept us hopping over these 4 books. They are at odds as often as they are working together. They love and hate each other in just about equal measure. Mordred is just about ready to blow up his world – talk about morally dark! Gwen just wants everyone to get out alive – neither are going to get what they want.
Mordred really was put in an untenable position and tried to do what he thought Arthur would want and then when that reveal comes alone – blam his whole reason for being in the state he is, well it’s kind of whipped from under him!
There is more than enough action and I loved that the human inhabitants of Avalon and Camelot are finally getting involved – as outmatched as they are they are saying ENOUGH! There is spice and smexy thoughts and some hates&x at times.
At times I wanted to cry and hold Mordred’s hand and others times I wanted to smack him on the head. Gwen was still quite naïve in her dealings with these duplicitous Fae – I had hoped she would have grown a few more callouses on her soft heart but then she wouldn’t be Gwen I suppose.
My favourite secondary characters remain Eod, Mae and Tim – I really loved the rickey buckets of bolts that made up Gwen’s army!
Ava Bellerose may use men to charge up her healing magic, but that doesn’t mean she wants to date one. She’s fine living life as a single witch working a day job as a college librarian and spending nights as the masked performer Pearl at The Jewelry Box. Every routine on the stage means more magic power in the bank, courtesy of the customers craving her body. One man in particular can’t seem to get enough. Ava finds perverse pleasure in ignoring his money and denying him anything more than a distant dance with zero eye contact. His admiration is intoxicating and the magical boost is all she needs from him. But the guy becomes impossible to ignore when he shows up outside of her apartment.
Their meeting must be fate…
Sammy Reyes can’t believe his luck. While visiting a new build site for work, he spots a heart-shaped behind and a pouty set of lips he’d recognize anywhere. Unfortunately, Pearl–or Ava–seems less than enthused to have her secret identity revealed, even if he promises to take her secret to a watery grave. From her hostile greeting, the gorgeous witch might be the one to bury him at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. But Sammy has spent his whole life charming people, and he’s determined to prove himself as more than a faceless fuel tank of lust. Especially when Ava makes it abundantly clear his money has no sway on her affections.
To woo the librarian, the water elemental will have to dive deeper than his normal surface-level charisma. But just as Sammy starts to show the vulnerable heart behind his confident mask, Ava’s two lives collide in the worst way. Can she risk stepping out from behind her own protective walls, or will she leave him wanting?
Genre: Contemporary Romance Tropes: Small Town/Neighbours/Tattooed Bartender/Hollywood Alpha Release Date: June 20, 2024
Celebrity dog trainer Prudence Cassidy never imagined her life would be like this. Filming in Hollywood went haywire when she caught the charismatic Mr Hollywood’s eye—but Prue doesn’t have room in her life for complications. She’s still recovering from retrograde amnesia so she flees to Robertson, home of the ‘Big Potato’ in country Australia, determined to start anew.
For Darius Dalton, family comes first. Always. His architectural dreams can wait while he tends bar in the family restaurant in Robertson, dazzling patrons with his cocktails whilst maintaining the complex he built with his late father. Day in, day out, work is all he sees—until Prue.
When she moves into his apartment building, Darius falls head over paw for the animal-loving brunette—and it seems she feels the same way. Their chemistry is undeniable. The more time they spend together, the more Darius questions if he can have it all: a life outside of work, and love.
When Mr Hollywood himself comes to town, intent on winning her back and casting her simple life in the spotlight, who will Prue choose?
That’s the thing about the past—your dirty laundry will always find you.
Jennifer Ryder is a bestselling romance author who loves to write about small towns, swoony heroes and strong females who aren’t afraid to fight for what they want.
A born and bred Canberra girl, now living on a rural property in New South Wales, Australia, she enjoys the best of city and country. Her loving husband is ever willing to provide inspiration, and her two young cherubs, Jack Russell named Buddy and sheep that don’t see fences as barriers, keep life more than interesting.
Genre: Romantic Suspense Tropes: Small Town/Opposites Attract Military Protector Romance Release Date: June 18, 2024
Dead to their pasts. Ghosts. No family ties. No connections.
Six men with a top-secret mission move to a small town where they have to navigate local life, protect their secret, and, above all, stay single.
Former Hostile Operations Team soldier Blaze “Shadow” Connolly knows what it’s like to lose everything. He’s got nobody except his job and his team and that’s the way he likes it.
But when he walks into a gas station during a robbery and locks eyes with Emma Grace Sutton, he knows he’ll do anything to protect the pretty girl with the blue glasses.
ER doctor Emma had a bright future until her ex-boyfriend became the kind of nightmare she was certain could never happen to her. With her self-esteem shattered and her confidence in ruins, she left a promising career and returned to her hometown to take over her dad’s small family practice. It’s not what she wants, but it’s what she needs to rebuild her life.
Until she gets that prickly feeling she’s being watched again. Did her ex follow her to Sutton’s Creek or is she imagining things? Is she in danger or is it PTSD? She doesn’t know, but she knows a man with the skills to find out. The ruggedly handsome sexy protector who saved her from a bullet once before.
Blaze isn’t supposed to get involved. Doing so could put the mission at risk. But how can he turn Emma away when the desperation in her eyes hints at even darker secrets? He can’t — and that might just be the final nail in his coffin.
A small town, nerdy girl, opposites attract, military protector romance from NYT bestselling author Lynn Raye Harris
“Attraction and arousal are complicated phenomenons. You have to have the right amount of sympathetic nervous system activity. Your heart races, you tingle, and feel jumpy. That’s the fight-or-flight reaction. But then you have the parasympathetic nervous system which regulates the physical signs of arousal, like genital swelling and releasing sexual fluids. Add in the dopamine hits that come from being around you, and it’s a perfect storm of need and desire.” “That’s your reason?” he asked, his voice hoarse. “It’s biological?” “Mmm,” she said, dropping her mouth to kiss his chest. God, this was so unlike her, but it was also precisely what she wanted to do in the moment. His breath hissed in, his hands closing gently around her upper arms. He didn’t push her away, though. “It’s biological, yes,” she said. “But it’s mental, too. Because you’re you, and everything about you makes me want you. Whether it’s biological, evolutionary, chemical—I don’t really care. It’s a need in my belly, in my core, that I haven’t felt before. Nothing about this makes sense to me. And I feel like, if I fight it, if I don’t express to you that I want whatever you can give, that I’ll regret it on some level. I’m tired of living scared. I want to live with the kind of wild joy that comes from choosing to get on the rollercoaster.” His hands slid around her body to cup her ass. Emma had to bite back a groan at the feel of those big hands on her bottom. “I’m a rollercoaster, now?” he asked with a laugh before he bent to nibble her earlobe. “You might be,” she breathed. “But I want to take the ride.”
AUTHOR BIO
Lynn Raye Harris is a Southern girl, military wife, wannabe cat lady, and horse lover. She’s also the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the HOSTILE OPERATIONS TEAM Ⓡ SERIES of military romances, and 20 books about sexy billionaires for Harlequin.
A former finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award and the National Readers Choice Award, Lynn lives in Alabama with her handsome former-military husband, one fluffy princess of a cat, and a very spoiled American Saddlebred horse who enjoys bucking at random in order to keep Lynn on her toes.
Lynn’s books have been called “exceptional and emotional,” “intense,” and “sizzling” – and have sold in excess of 4.5 million copies worldwide.
To sign up for Lynn’s VIP Reader List – where you’ll be kept up to date about all of Lynn’s books – go to http://bit.ly/LRHNews.
This series is an off-shoot of the ever popular HOT series and I LOVED it. This time around the team is in deep cover, giving deniability to the President. You wouldn’t think small town Alabama would be a hotbed of espionage, would you?
Blaze aka Shadow is a man who overcame his upbringing. He went from the unwanted and neglected child to an overprotective, special forces soldier. He and his team have orders to stay free and clear, no relationships to leave behind if things go pear-shaped. Sadly, fate said “screw” that and dropped the delightfully nerdy Dr Emma Grace Sutton in his path!
Emma has trauma of her own that’s she’s running home to her small hometown to escape. Now she has a hulking, protective, overbearing and slightly demanding neighbour who seems determined to protect her, even when she tries to head him off at every opportunity.
Emma is an incredibly intelligent, nerdy, determined ER doctor who made a bad choice in the romance department (who hasn’t!) but she refuses to let her skanky ex ruin any more of her life. But the attraction to Blaze is derailing her no men policy fast. Her outgoing best-friend, Rory, adds a splash of colour and humour to her life and I can totally see why these opposites are besties!
I did guess the bad guy but had a great time trying to figure out when Blaze and Co would twig to who he was. The underlying espionage storyline is flowing nicely and I’m intrigued to see what happens in book 2. Fab new story and I heartily recommend this to all my protector romance trope bookdragons!
A fleeting first glance could become a forever connection…
Former SEAL Lane Benning and his friends are in Hawaii for a retirement party hosted by the renowned Brotherhood Protectors. Everything is sunshine and surfboards until a volcano on the Big Island unexpectedly erupts.
Diving in to help, Lane rushes to answer a distress call from the woman he’s been flirting with at their beachside resort.
When Guardian Agency protector Cassie Marner loses contact with her partner and the child he was protecting, she needs backup–fast. The sexy tourist who responds is a surprise, but his military experience quickly proves invaluable.
Rescuing her missing partner and the child are big wins, until gunfire cuts the celebration short. Lane is convinced Cassie is the real target and escalating attacks confirm his theory. Together, they must rely on each other to bring her hunters out of the shadows. Only then will they have a chance to see if paradise can nurture new love into something strong and lasting.
A retirement party for a friend takes on an element of danger when a nearby volcano clears its throat. But when a call from a friend highlights that a child is in danger, Lane jumps into help. When he realises that the Guardian he is set to help is the woman he’s been flirting with, it just amps up his determination to help.
Cassie’s not sure what to make of Lane. He’s been flirty and now she finds out he’s an ex-SEAL. She expects him to take over but finds he is more of team player than she gave him credit for. But when the real target of the plot is revealed she soon finds she needs a protector herself!
I do love a cross over and the Guardian Agency/Brotherhood Protectors world is great one to visit. Cassie is determined, independent/stubborn, a warrior and planner. She is a great partner to Lane, although she is a bit slow to warm up to the teamwork. She wants to see the best in everyone she works with but is willing to see reason when there appears to be a mole.
Brilliant chemistry, witty dialogue and genuinely likeable MC’s. Older than our usual MC’s so they come with a wealth of experience and emotional baggage!
Justus Killion thought things were looking up when she was rescued from human trafficking, but now she must face some of her captors at trial. When someone tries to stop her, Hank Patterson assigns her own Brotherhood Protector, Rafferty Grainger. Justus is furious, believing she doesn’t need or particularly want his protection. But as the days pass, she wants him more and more, and her defenses crumble. Can she handle the passion heating up between them as the trial date approaches?
Rafferty Grainger, a medically retired Army Ranger, is determined to keep Justus safe whether she wants his protection or not. He understands he needs to be careful to not trigger any buttons brought on by her abduction and trauma. But her continuing refusal of his help is frustrating, and yet his heart is threatened to be lost with each passing day they are forced to spend together.
Can the two work through their differences to find a future together or will the danger they face pull them apart forever?
Justus is determined to live life her way after being rescued from human traffickers. She is over having her life dictated to her. So when she is given a bodyguard leading up to testifying against her abductors, she throws a wobbly and refuses to cooperate initially.
Rafferty, and his twin, are deployed to guard against any foul play towards Justus and her best friend. But there is only so much one man can do when his protectee gives him more trouble than the bad guys!
Again, I hoped to like Justus more than I did. She came over as ungrateful and bratty. If I’d been through the heck she had, I hope that I’d take every bodyguard thrown at me! I get that she wanted to get some control over her own life but it just seemed she went too much the other way! I love a girl who can look after herself but everyone has to have help occasionally!
Clark Riceman had finally retired from the military. It was time to get out and go home to support his sister and see what she had done with the family ranch while he’d been doing what he loved. The day he returned, he hadn’t even reached his home when he suspected that someone on The Broken Wheel Ranch was in trouble. Armed with that knowledge, he finally headed home, making a silent vow to protect everyone on the Riceman Ranch, regardless of which business they worked.
Naomi Alcott had been in an accident years ago and was confined to a wheelchair, but she didn’t let that stop her from doing what she loved—working with horses. Her biggest concern when she realized Clark was home was that he would take her position away from her. When she got to know him, she realized her friends had been right, and he wasn’t like that.
It shocks her that he wants to help her when she starts having trouble with her previous injuries. Can she really fall for the owner of the ranch and not be accused of trying to further her career? Will Clark be there when she finds out who is after her?
Clark has retired from the SEALS to the family ranch, Erin’s Way A lot has changed and he carried some guilt for leaving his sister to shoulder all the responsibility. Bur Erin comes from a long line of strong women and the longer he’s at the ranch the more he realises just how much he missed out on.
His former team-mates have all found love at the ranch and these women, like his sister, all have challenges, disabilities and mental health issues. Naomi has been paralysed after an “accident”, one that she’s pretty sure was a set up by her nightmare of a father. She has overcome most of the hurdles life threw her way but Clark could be another obstacle to overcome with his protectiveness – she wants a partner not a protector.
This hasn’t been my favourite book in the BPW. I really wanted to enjoy it more as a fellow spinal injury warrior but I just felt really disconnected from Clark and Naomi and I’m still struggling to find out why. I don’t think the cover helped as Clark is described in his 30’s and the cover model I’m afraid had me thinking he was nearer my age (late 40’s)
As a Royal Marine, I’ve taken on countless missions, but navigating life as a civilian might be the biggest challenge of all. I need to stay focused and figure out what the hell I’m doing with this early retirement. Then she crosses my path. A stranger on a train, she instantly captures my imagination. A beautiful, vibrant distraction I didn’t know I needed. And maybe something more…
When my charming companion faces unwanted advances, I step in, pretending to be her boyfriend. But the connection between us is too real to be an act.
What might have been only a brief encounter turns into an unforgettable night as we both find far more than we were looking for, if only we both have the courage to hold on.
Meet Kait Nolan: Kait Nolan is a USA Today best selling, RITA® Award-winning Mississippi author who calls everyone sugar, honey, or darlin’, and can wield a ‘Bless your heart’ like a Snuggie or a saber, depending on requirements. She believes in love, laughter, and that tacos are the world’s most perfect food. When she’s not writing, reading, or wrangling family (both the two-legged and the four-), you can find her obsessively watching The Great British Bake Off.
Meet-cute on a train, instant chemistry and a ONS that grew from a fake relationship. Alex may have left the Royal Marines but he’s still a super protective male. Ciara is on her way back to Edinburgh for Uni.
With them both needing a bit of direction in their lives, they find a common ground and before they know it they are chatting like old friends. The chatting leads to more… but they’re not about to get a HEA right now – their full story isn’t out until October!
I cannot wait to read the rest of Alex and Ciara’s story! Less of a HEA and more of a HFN with more to come!
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