Reviews by SoCalReader

Pretty good book. I'd give it 3.5 if that were possible. THE GOOD: I loved King Baen and his consort Carr. The were HOT and deeply in love. I liked Jessica, but I didn't feel like I got to know her character much. I liked the world Baen and Carr lived in (Marek)---this realm of dragons and magic. THE BAD: The fact that Marek was set in medieval times, yet so much of Baen and Carr's language was not. Of course I wasn't expecting Old English, but it was jarring to keep reading the men using current terms and not finding Jessica's expressions strange. That the author just ignored this was disappointing. Also the fact that Jessica was so easily accepting of being stuck in another realm. She paid lip service to finding a way home but did nothing to really try to make it happen. She was attracted to the men but not in love at that point, so for her to so easily agree to marriage and not be super conflicted about staying or leaving was strange IMO. Finally, I thought the ending conflict was abrupt and Jessica's reaction toward the end was especially irritating. I think the author was going for "feisty" at that moment but I just thought she was petulant and ungrateful. So, in the end I did like the book, but felt there were holes that hurt the story. I would read the next book though.

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Eh, just OK. I liked the alpha heroes who had distinct, different personalities. Jason was OK. He had very realistic reactions to his situation which I appreciated. Still, I didn't find Jason especially compelling and definitely not as interesting as as Draco and Phobus. So, considering the entire story (and series) is focused on Jason as their mate---seducing him, protecting him, etc., that was a bit of a problem for me. Also, there wasn't much drama in the story. It was a a kinda boring . This book seems to just be set up for Book 2 which is too bad because I don't think I will buy Book 2.

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So far, I've liked this book the best in this series. Cynthia was self sufficient and independent, without being stubborn just for plot purposes. Yes, she kept secrets that she didn't have to, but her motives made sense to me. I felt her pain over her brother's death and the way he chose to live his life near the end. As for the heroes, the they were appropriately patient and alpha as this author's men always are. I did think the "guardian" notion was a bit much and overbearing as a concept but whatever. Another typically solid read from DLD.

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Good book. Took me a little while to get into but once I did, it was the usual good story with super alpha heroes I've come to like so much from this author.

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An OK book. I liked the characters but they all felt a bit cold to me. The men showed more emotion and were more open about their feelings (at least to each other) than I expected, yet there was something missing for me. In a lot of ways the men were too open considering their situation. They all fell for Victoria so easily, it didn't ring true form me. As for Victoria, I liked that she was learning about her own sexuality, but her ability to so eagerly jump into BDSM (with no experience) along with her almost instantly falling in love, just like the heroes was a bit much. Finally, the wrap up with the brother and is friend was super quick and easy and a bit of a let down. Overall, I just didn't quite buy the emotion in the story.

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There was nothing really wrong with this book. For some reason, I just didn't connect with the story. Not sure why. I liked the heroes but couldn't connect with Arabella much. She was definitely brave and self sacrificing, which was good, and I felt bad for her situation. So I don't know what it was, but I found myself skimming just so I could be done and move on to the next book in the series. It took me months to read this book as I kept putting it down to read something else. I love this author but for some intangible reason, this story didn't grab me.

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I'm honestly not sure exactly what to think about this book. I really didn't get a good grasp on the characters. Skye moves to a small town to start a new life. She was the character that made the most sense even though she is hiding a secdet past. The men, Rory and Charlie were very confusing. They were best friends and lovers, but didn't really consider themselves lovers per se. They were both educated and somewhat accomplished, but decided to stay in their hick town for....not very convincing reasons. The trio start a relationship, and pretty much fall in love (at least the men do) instantly. The men are sexually experienced, but neither have really had many girlfriends. Yet the men are very kinky, particularly Rory who is the Alpha it seems. It just didn't add up for me. These super kinky guys in the middle of nowhere. It all seemed very....WEIRD. I wasn't sure what tone the author was going for. When they are introduced, the men seem fairly innocent (if horny), but they are also playing sex games and acting out hostage fantasies with Skye. It was HOT for sure but confusing. Like there was some underlying weird subtext to the town. But the author doesn't go into that at all so I don't think that was her intent. So, I don't know...the book was hot but the story and characters were a bit strange to me.

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Very good book. So much better than Book 10 (I have no clue what happened with that one). This is the kind of DLD book I have come to expect--full of emotion and heart. Loved all the men, especially Jaxon who was their leader and Gabe whose struggle and fear was so realistic. I really appreciated that Gabe physically struggled and didn't have a quick fix. Alana was strong and more than capable of taking care of herself which was great. Overall, I really liked this installment of the series.

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So far, I've liked this book the most in the series. It was more realistic. Unlike the other heroines in the series, Mercedes wasn't overcome with insecurities and doubts, she had issues, but they felt proportional to the story. She made sense, something I couldn't say with some of the other women (e.g. Alicia in Dare to Succeed). Same tith the heroes. They were strong and very Alpha, but not overbearing and unreasonable. My only real issue was that the ending seemed rushed, especially the the last few sentences, literally. But overall, a good book and like I said, the best in the series so far.

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Just OK for me. Lena's story as well as Bryant's was very compelling. Unfortunately I thought Bryant's miraculous recovery wasn't realistic or dealt with well. His relationship with Lena was great, but the relationship with his parents and brothers felt really incomplete. After watching Bryant yelling and cursing his entire family for the longest time, suddenly having sex with Lena in a menage repairs those broken relationships? That's basically what happened. If there was a scene where Bryant apologized to his parents and brothers I missed it. It was like they all just decided to forget Bryant's horrible treatment of them. Sure he had PTSD, but still. The author was so detailed about Bryant's harshness, you'd think she'd have given us more closure about that. For example, he's now doing physical therapy but his he getting psychological help? Was Lena's love acruelly a cure-all for PTSD of all things? Hard to buy. Also, the ending g felt really rushed. Overall, not one of my favorites.

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Such as awesome book. I loved that Serena wasn't a typical, goody two shoes heroine. She'd made a a lot of mistakes but tried to make up for them and change. She also had a lot of pain in her past and the author was great at helping us understand why she acted the way she did. Loved the heroes, who were totally rational by being cautious but also open minded enough to judge Serena on their interaction with her, and not what other people said. A wonderful, emotional story of love conquering all.

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Good, thought he action was a bit anticlimactic. This book is on par with Book 1 of the series. It's definitely better than Book 2 which I did not care for. One issue I have had throughout the series: Have none of these women ever heard of call blocking??? I realize the women getting all of these badgering phone calls is a plot device but it's a little ridiculous when the heroines can easily push a button on their phones to block someone's number. It makes them look bad IMO, and kind of dumb.

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Loved this book. Each character had their own distinct personality. I loved Charity's strength (and the fact that London accepted it and let her show it), Ferus' loyalty but also his vulnerability after years of unrequited love, and finally London, who was strong and brave enough to recognize amd accept a bond with both Charity and Ferus immediately. There was no hesitation, he just went for it even though it would mean convincing both of them and cause problems with his family. It was so refreshing. Sigh.... I just loved this trio! My only issue: there was no MM aside from a brief kiss here or there. I thought that was disappointing b/c even though Londom and Ferus were lovers for yrs, London made it strictly about sex before Charity. Now that London was admitting his true, deeper, feelings for Ferus, I wanted the two men to have a scene acknowledging that new turn in the relationship. A love scene, something just for them or with Charity, but where the men were the focus. But all the love scenes were MFM. A strang choice by the author IMO and one that to didn't do complete justice to London/Ferus or the full dynamic of the trio. Still, this was not enough to for me to downgrade my rating as I still loved the story.

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Very nice wrap up to this series. In some ways I'm sorry to see it end.

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Good, though not as exciting and interesting as previous books in the series.

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Good book, in the same vein as the rest of the series.

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Good book. After loving Book 1 but being disappointed in Book 2, I'm so happy to say that this series feels like it's back on track IMO. I enjoyed seeing Brody and Hannah get their own stories after getting glimpse of them in previous books. Drew and was good I his own right and I really felt the love he and Brody felt for each other. My only complaints were 1) I wish the story had been longer. I wanted more of the trio's evolving relationship. 2) The ending was SUPER rushed. It actually did a disservice to a story that up to that point had been building slowly and well. Despite the ending, this is a good book and I hope there will be another installment.

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This was a an OK/Pretty Good book. If I could, I'd give it 3.5. It's definitely better than Average, but b/c of some issues, I can't say it's definitively Good. What I Liked: The heroes, particularly Con. He was the Alpha and I loved the way he was initially tortured about his feelings and then became so protective and loving. I liked that all the men got good "alone" time with Shelby to develop their individual relationships with her. LOVED Ty and Chuck--they were HOT. What I Didn't Like: Shelby wasn't very fleshed out, compared to the men. I liked her personality, but she didn't have much to do at all except have sex with the men. I wasn't into the somewhat crazy cast of characters in town (Gee, Erin, Gee's grandmother) and found myself skimming that. I also though the mystery of Shelby's family was a let down since nothing much really came of it. Still, despite some flaws, if the author makes this a series I would read it.

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I really, really liked Book 1 (Foul Play) of this series and decided to pick up this installment. Unfortunately, I was really, REALLY disappointed. Holly started over in Merrick after ending a bad relationship. She is a total klutz, which, you'd think would be sort of cute but it was most definitely NOT. She wasn't just klutzy, she was a walking DISASTER. I think one of the me. Even called her that! By her own admission, she had multiple car wrecks, numerous broken bones, one of which occurred in this story, she trips and falls all over the place.... Honestly it was so over the top it was annoying that she came across as so dumb and/or helpless. Then she did really stupid things like driving off into storms b/c she didn't hear from the men (hello, ever heard of cell phones??). UGH I could not get into her character al all. Then there were Chase & Jarrod. They are supposedly big time Doms at the local BDSM club yet lived with their parents. The author explained the reasoning which I got, but really? It just seemed so unnecessary and unromantic to have have their potential girlfriend living with them and their parents. What a turn off! Finally, the ending/danger---totally thrown in at the last minute. Overall, I feel like this was written more as a comedy than a sexy, dramatic or suspenseful read. I do not want my erotic romance novel to be a comedy. The ONLY saving grace? The glimpse of the new hot, gay doctor in town. He was interesting and hopefully he gets a book of his own---preferably a serious one.

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OK, though not as good as book 2. It was a bit too overwrought for me.

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First time reading this author. The story idea was good but the execution was off for me. There were too many holes in the story that were never filled. The biggest one was Keira herself. She was kidnapped and rescued by Malcom & Heath. They took her to their ranch to recover and then she just....stayed there. True, she had no family and no friends (convenient) but she also had a job, I assume an apartment, clothes, a tiny bit od money at least, etc., etc. Yet NONE of this was ever addressed by the author. Did the girl not have bills that she left behind or belongings? Also, after her rescue, NO ONE asked her any questions. No interrogation, NOTHING. These guys were SEAL'sbut didn't do a background check on her or Bradley...it was ridiculious! It took a week for the men to figure out Bradley's role in the plot which just made them all look foolish. As for the psychic angle, I didn't mind it, but it wasn't adequately explained. Perhaps it was all explained in Book 1? Why did Heath's entire team amd sister have different psychic abilities? Where did it come from? Even Keira had precognitive dreams--also not explained. I could go on and on but you get the gist. I was eager to read this book based on the excerpt but was ultimat,eu disappointed. I think the author has promise, but needs to work on fleshing out story and characters more.

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An OK book, but very little happened throughout the story. There was a tiny bit of action near the end but the story was essentially Angela working for Randy and Travis and the two men slowly trying to woo her, but in a subtle, almost undercover way. So subtle in fact, that their proposal felt like it came out of nowhere. Overall, not a bad book by ant means, just a bit boring and in need for more action.

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Disappointing. Love this author but her books can be hit for miss sometimes. This one just felt simplistic and the writing was clumsy IMO. The heroes didn't come across as very smart; the heroine was better, but was weirdly accepting of her situation. Well, to be fair, she was somewhat disbelieving of dragons but easily got over it. I think the main problem was the world building. Clumsy is the only way I can describe it. The fact that the dragons didn't seem to know or understand their own history until their mentor Lance explained it to them made no sense. Which makes you wonder, had they just been living in some blissful underground paradise with no one questioning their own existence, history, relationship to humans, etc.? An yet they had al the modern conveniences--video games, state of the art appliances, etc. Later, when the entire den (who just learned of their own backstory days before) turn around and explain it to Bid, it's in the most simplistic, shrugging way....I was like, "Really?" Then there was the villain, who was fairly cardboard-ish and not compelling. The wording amd phrasing throughout the book makes me think this had to be a re-issue. This book just didn't feel up to the author's usual skill...like it was an older work.. Maybe I'm wrong. All I know is, this was disappointing.

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Good book. The heroine was smart and independent and I really liked that about her. The men were pretty overbearing, perhaps a bit more than in some of the author's other books. But the heroine stood up for herself thank goodness. One thing I didn't like was that the author brought up a backstory of "issues" between Douglas and Pierre and it came up in a couple of scenes with Mikayla but it was never followed up on. I really wanted to know what that was all about but nothing ever came of it. In fact, I felt bad for Douglas. He had some kind of business mistake alluded to early in the story and then he made a but mistake with Mikayla later in the story. I didn't like that Douglas seemed to get the short end of the stick vs. the other brothers--especially since of all of them, Douglaswas perhaps the most intriguing, sensitive, and mysterious.

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Another good book from DLD. I enjoyed all the characters---Marlena was strong, despite being afraid to get into a relationship with the men, and the men were wonderfully patient. I am really looking forward to the books involving Marlena's friends. I did havea few issues with the book, but nothing that dampened my enjoyment too much: After Mike's past was brought up by one of his brothers, I thought that was foreshadowing--that we would see Mike finally share exactly what happened to him. I was disappointed it didn't happen and it made me wonder why it was included at all. Also, there were some grammatical errors/typos ("edition" instead of "addition"). Overall though, this is, as usual a winner by he author.

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