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Beautiful Beast by Devyn Sinclair | ARC Book Review

May 9, 2024

Beautiful Beast (Dragons of Viria, #1) by Devyn Sinclair

Pages: 367
Publish date: May 2, 2024
Publisher: –
ASIN: B0D2VZ5RDJ
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Standing in front of a dragon means dying by fire, but the heart knows there’s more than one way to burn.

Humans and dragons are at war, and I am a pawn in the battle.

Princess of a dying land, my life is not my own, and a marriage to a vicious, dragon-hunting prince will save my people from deadly famine or death by fire.

But before I can vow my life to a monster, dragons drop screaming from the sky with a single aim. End the alliance. Kill me. I welcome the flames, relieved to burn instead of rot.

But the flames never come.

One look in the dragons’ eyes, and they carry me away. Three dragons whose gaze burns with hunger and fills me with fire.

They’re not what we were taught, and every passing day I learn more of the truth. Dragons are not the enemy we thought they were.

Still, one question for centuries no one has stood before a dragon and survived. If these dragons were sent to kill me, why am I still alive?

Beautiful Beast is the first book in a why choose trilogy. All content warnings are available on the author’s website.

Beautiful Beast:

I received an earc of Beautiful Beast by Devyn Sinclair in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

It’s rare that I don’t love a Devyn Sinclair book and today wasn’t that day. I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading Beautiful Beast, I honestly didn’t even really read the synopsis, but as soon as I started it, I knew I was going to love it. It has dragons, mates, princesses, enemies to lovers and so much more.

Beautiful Beast follows Lena as she is about to marry a neighbouring Prince, but the dragons have other plans that go a little array. And instead of being killed Lena is taken captive. And that is when all the fun begins. Unable to fill their mate, Endre, Sirrius and Zovai now have a little problem on their hands, but they can’t help but fall for Lena, she is not only their mate, but something so much more.

I loved Lena from the moment I started reading, she is a bad*** princess who’s strong-minded, will say what she is thinking and happens to fall for 3 dragons. Endre, Sirrius and Zovai were also fantastic, I liked they each had their own personality and their own stories. They have all been through hell, each in a different way. And I’m excited to see where they are taken.

The side characters were also fantastic. I sometimes feel that they can be left behind, but I think they added some really good scenes and character growth for all of them throughout the book. I will also say that I would like a Varí for myself, thank you very much.

Things did move faster and slow down all at the same time. This is so hard to explain, for about 80% of the book I felt like not much happened plot-wise. There was heaps of character development which I loved! I thought it was necessary, but not a lot happened. And then everything happened. I would have liked it to be paced a little bit better. But honestly, it wasn’t a massive deal.

I have always really enjoyed Devyn’s writing style and plot and this was no different. There is something very easy about their writing that makes the book flow easily and makes for a great reading experience. I loved the world that Devyn has created here and I am excited to explore it that little bit more. It was slow in the world-building, but I think that fits the book and series quite well.

The ending though! If you are not good with cliffhangers, maybe reading this book right now isn’t for you. It was done fantastically though. I honestly wasn’t able to put the book down and I just wanted to know what was going to happen next. And now I have to wait!! I knew I was going to like this book, but I didn’t know how excited I was going to be for the rest of the series. And impatient.

Overall I loved reading Beautiful Beast by Devyn Sinclair, it has high stakes, dragons, fated mates and a why-choose romance that hits all the right spots. I cannot wait to read more in this series and it’s going to be fantastic, I can already tell. If you are looking for a new paranormal/fantasy romance series to pick up, this one might just be it.

Tropes and Themes: Paranormal Romance, Dragons, Fated Mates, Age Gap, Multiple POV, Enemires to Lovers, Princess FMC, Instant Connection, Mid-Slow Burn

⚠️ Trigger Warnings Include: Self-sterilization, discussion of sexual assault (potential), death outside of the harem, kidnapping, violence

And there we go! Have you read Beautiful Beast by Devyn Sinclair? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it soon? Let’s chat!

Midnight of Ashes by Tessa Hale | ARC Book Review

Apr 26, 2024

Midnight of Ashes (Dragons of Ember Hollow, #2) by Tessa Hale

Pages: 252
Publish date: April 19, 2024
Publisher: –
ISBN: 9798872360261
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

One moment changed everything. A split-second decision to try to save one of my five dragon mates nearly cost my life. And now nothing is the same.

Knox, Cáel, and Cillian treat me like I’ll break at any moment, while Maddox keeps a careful distance. And Easton won’t look at me at all.

We’re supposed to be fated by the stars, but we’re falling apart. Enemies still lurk around every corner, but the guys vow we’ll be ready when they come.

But evil has a way of striking when you least expect it. And none of us are ready for who might be pulling the strings…

Midnight of Ashes (Dragons of Ember Hollow, #2) by Tessa Hale:

I received an earc of Midnight of Ashes by Tessa Hale in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I tried to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible, but there will be some slight spoilers from book one.

I’m so glad that I discovered Tessa Hale earlier this year because this was another fantastic read. After the ending of the first book, I was hanging to read this one and I wasn’t disappointed. Not only does Midnight of Ashes have high stakes, but it also lets the reader explore the world. We find out so much more about the world and I loved that part. We also obviously get more of the romance that has been brewing and it was fantastic.

Hayden and her mates; Knox, Easton, Caèl, Cillian, and Maddox started to come into themselves in this one. We also get to know some of the ones who like to keep things hidden. It was nice to start seeing them all create a narrative for themselves. Sometimes I was confused a little about who was who, and whose POV we were in, but by the end, I felt like they had their own voices. Hayden not only gets to know herself in this world more, but she also gets to know her men more and that just hit on so many levels.

The characters go through a lot not only in this series but before it. So there is a lot of trauma running through each of them. They slowly start to heal each other or on the way throughout the book. It was hard to read at times, but they all needed to let it all out. And while there is still a lot stopping some of them from completely letting go, walls are being broken down.

The romance in this one heats up and I was so here for it. The first one was pretty tame but here, we finally get to see them have a little ‘fun.’ It was steamy, sexy and romantic all at the same time. We get to see her with more than one a few times and I liked seeing that. We get to see how they care for her as well in this one. And how the bonds are affecting them.

Midnight of Ashes starts where the first book left off and we are right into the action. I actually really liked that. We didn’t miss anything and it wasn’t just explained to us. We were taken on the journey together. It’s intense and addicting right from the start. And honestly, it doesn’t let up much after that.

I did feel that at times the pace was a little off. I can’t pinpoint exactly why, but it was all very fast-paced and then something slowed it down and I was left a little deflated. It’s nothing too major, and won’t stop me from reading more, but I had to stop my own reading pace and just try to assess what was happening.

We get more romance, more about mating and bonds, and we get to see some other hordes, and the council which was … interesting. There were a lot of layers in this one and I liked when each one was peeled back and showed more depth to the world and characters.

As I was saying before we get to see more of the world in Midnight of Ashes. One of my favourite things in books especially paranormal and fantasy is politically intrigued and we got a little of that here and I gobbled it up. It added even more layers to the book. We get to see her men in action at what they do best.

Overall though, I highly love Midnight of Ashes. I think it’s going to end up being one of my favourite series. Because honestly I can’t stop thinking about it and it hits all the right places. I am both prepared and terrified for the adventure Hayden and her men and in for in the last book. If you are looking for a new paranormal series that has dragons, is why choose and has lots of high stakes, then pick this one up.

Tropes and Themes: Paranormal Romance, Dragons, Fated Mates, Age Gap, Touch Her and Die, Multiple POV, Dislike to Love, Academic Setting.

⚠️ Trigger Warnings Include; Dark Themes, Murder, Blood, Torture, Past Abuse, Neglect

Have you read Midnight of Ashes by Tessa Hale yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading this series? What are you loving at the moment? Let’s chat!

Wild Love by Elsie Silver | ARC Book Review

Apr 18, 2024

Wild Love (Rose Hill, #1) by Elsie Silver

Pages: 464
Publish date: April 9th, 2024
Publisher: Hachette Australia
ISBN: 9780349441634
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

She’s been driving him wild for years.

The good kind of wild. The bad kind of wild.

But mostly, the kind of wild that comes with wanting your best friend’s little sister and knowing you can’t have her.

Forbes may have labelled Ford Grant the World’s Hottest Billionaire, but all he cares about is escaping the press and opening a recording studio in gorgeous small town Rose Hill. Something that comes to a screeching halt when he ends up face-to-face with a young girl who claims he’s her biological father. Now, he spends his days balancing business with parenting a sullen twelve-year-old, all while trying desperately to keep his hands the hell off his best friend’s sister, Rosie Belmont.

After living in the city, Rosie came blasting back into town like a storm. Beautiful, messy, and chaotic. And one wide-eyed, desperate plea for a job is all it takes for Ford to hire her. He vows to keep her at arm’s length. Tries to stick to scowls and grumpy one-liners. But with her, verbal sparring is a type of foreplay―friction that soon turns to blistering heat.

Ford knows damn well he shouldn’t cross this line. But shouldn’t and can’t are two very different things.

And the only thing he truly can’t do is resist her.

Wild Love:

I received an earc of Wild Love from Elsie and her in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts or feelings about the book.

The way I screamed when I knew that I was getting an arc of one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I cannot tell you how happy I was to receive Wild Love by Elsie Silver. And I wasn’t disappointed.

For me, it’s hard for Elsie Silver to do wrong. I was hesitant about this book because I loved the Chestnut Springs series, but I had nothing to worry about because it had so many things that I love. From brother’s best friend to single dad and billionaire this had all the right elements and it all worked.I am not going to lie it, it did take me a little while to get in, but honestly, it didn’t take that long. I think once I was in the story, everything fell into place.

Ford was made to be a dad. It didn’t come right away, but he just fell into it. There were a few missteps and it took him a while to get there, but when he did, it was oh so right. It was really nice seeing him slowly fall in love with being a father and his daughter.

Rosie is just what this story needed. She was this brightness that added another layer to Wild Love. I loved seeing her grow throughout the story and understand that some of the things that happened weren’t her fault and that it’s okay to ask for a little help.

The romance!!!! The romance was fan fucken fantastic. The pining!!! The pining is some of the best I’ve read in a love time. We know they both love each other, but they both won’t admit it for a while and when they do. Bam! It was brilliant, hot, smokey. It was everything that an Elsie Silver book is and more. They were hot together that is all that needs to be said. Elsie knows how to write smut that just bangs.

The dynamics between all the characters were exactly what I wanted. But the dynamic between Ford, Rosie and Cora was next level. The banter was fantastic, they were a family before they even knew they were a family. They just fit with each other. But also had different personalities and were their own people.

I did have a few little issues here and there, but honestly, they weren’t super major. The writing felt a little clunky at times, and there were times when I didn’t feel like Cora was a 12-year-old. But then she had to grow up very quickly, so it’s a give or take here.

Honestly, I loved reading Wild Love by Elsie Silver, it was what I was hoping for and it was fantastic. The romance was fantastic, the family and small-town dynamics hit and I cannot wait to read more in this single-dad series. I want it all now.