Review: Delta

Delta by Sybil Bartel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A complicated hero, a heroine with a not-so-apparent backbone of steel and a strategy of dominance

I love Ms. Bartel's writing style. Reading her books has my heart just a little bit clenched, beating just a little bit faster. You are able to get into the most profound emotional pieces of a character's mind and your breath is lost when reading the horror our characters have faced. And make no mistake, unlike many other romance books, the emotional arc for our MMC is one of the best I have read. Delta is the intellectual, able to strategise and foresee every move of an enemy (or friend), but Hanna surprises him, more than he expects. 

Two (seemingly lost) souls that found each other by both tragedy and happenstance, and were tested by time and circumstances, both in and out of their control. I love Delta. I love his heroine. This story gave me an escape and so much joy from the cast of characters that brought these two together! The backstory means this book has a great storyline of growth and strength.

An age-gap romance with an OTT alpha male, but not formulaic in the least. I love the secondary characters and the cameo from Talon was a treat. The book can be read as a standalone, however, you may enjoy the book more when the series is read in order.

Review: Running on Diesel

Running on Diesel by Melissa Foster
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Emotional, with a sizzling side of heat

Running on Diesel is the 9th book in The Whiskeys: Dark Knights at Peaceful Harbor series. The story stands well alone, but fans of the series would definitely enjoy it more.

Diesel is the quintessential biker; drawn to the open road, stoic, scary in appearance, with a super marshmallowy centre. Tracey is the survivor of domestic abuse, having grown stronger in the protective embrace of the Whiskey family in Peaceful Harbor. Their chemistry is off the charts. However, Diesel is feeling the call of the open road as he battles the pull of Tracey. He is afraid to open himself to love and the possibility of hurt. As a nomad, he has never stuck around as long as he has in Peaceful Harbor.

Diesel helps Tracey learn how to stand up for herself in a healthy way and in a safe space. Not only that, but he gifts her something priceless. In turn, Tracey breaks down some of Diesel's walls; accepting that it may not be so bad to become part of the community of friends in Peaceful Harbor and opening his heart to her. This does not mean that there are no hiccups along the way. Diesel has to acknowledge sometimes he needs to lean on Tracey; that a relationship is always a two-way street.

The book differs from most other MC romances as there is little action and no suspense to talk of. Here the story really is all about the couple, character growth and the emotional connection. It does mean that there is a dip in pace about a quarter through the book, but read it out!

And for fans of the series, you cannot miss the reveal in this book!!!!!

Other tidbits:

The cover is a depiction of one of my favourite scenes in the book. 

The Hobbit makes a couple of appearances in the book; given that the Hobbit is one of my all-time favourite top reads, it endeared the story to me even more.

Favourite quotes:

"You are the peace I never knew I was missing."

"You know a girl likes to be asked, not told."

I received an ARC from the author through Grey's Promotions. This is my honest review.

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Review: Tempted

Tempted by Renee Rose and Vanessa Vale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nerdy scientist? Check. Hunky cowboys? Check ..and check.

This is the first full-length book in the Wolf Ranch spin-off series, Two Marks. A shorter novella, Untamed, first published in the Dirty Daddies anthology in 2020, bridges the two series. The timeline for Unwanted and Tempted runs in parallel.

This is a paranormal menage series with fated mates and the mating mark. Add in some kinky fun times and the technically good writing, and the series is sure to have a substantial following.

This first book pairs Caitlin, our nerdy wolf scientist, with Landry and Wade, her scent mates and wolf shifters. Caitlin's research necessitates the tagging and following of wolves, some of which are on the land of the Two Marks pack. We know sparks will soon fly after Caitlin is denied permission to access the wolf pack, with Landry and Wade ordered to keep an eye on Caitlin and her research.

As a series starter, the book does overemphasise the premise of scent mates, 2 males mating one female and fated mates at the start. As a result, the sections became a bit repetitive, but I skipped some of these paragraphs as I liked the premise and the interesting unfolding story.

The story has some angst as Landry and Wade struggle to reconcile their fated mate being both a human and a scientist whose research may be endangering their pack. Keeping the original motivation of their meeting from Caitlin sets up the conflict in the book.

I loved the chemistry between our characters. I appreciated the time and care Landry and Wade took with Caitlin to ensure the relationship was physical and emotional. Unfortunately, the tension in the book was mostly emotional and could have been solved with better communication between our characters. Some danger is inevitable, and my adrenaline junky heart would have preferred more of it with the heroes riding in to save the day. But, alas, this was not to be. Still a good read that I really liked. I will keep on reading the series- just as I did with Wolf Ranch.

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Review: Heavy Crown

Heavy Crown by Sophie Lark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A 3 and a half star rating rounding up to 4.

This is the final book in the Brutal Birthright series. It definitely ends with a bang and also sets up the next series.

Sebastian Gallo (Italian mafia) falls for Yelena Yenin (Bratva princess) after a 'chance' encounter. The meet and fall in love is quick and the subsequent 'relationship' feels a bit shallow. For this reason the first half of the book was paced too slow and at times bored me enough to skim read.

The gut wrenching betrayal thereafter is what makes the story so gripping. The way Sebastian steps up to his responsibility while working through relationship issues with Yelena shows his character growth.

A side comment: in many respects Sebastian in this book is very different from how he was portrayed in previous books. This does not detract from the story but readers of the series may or may not like the Sebastian in this book.

I received an ARC from the author for an honest review.

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