Review: Shiver by Jocelyn Drake & Rinda Elliott

Shiver (Unbreakable Bonds #1) by Jocelyn Drake & Rinda Elliott
Amazon, Goodreads
Novel: 330pgs

4 Pants Off

Blurb: Lucas Vallois is always in control. He’s building an empire in the glittering city of Cincinnati and created his own family from his three close friends. The self-made millionaire has everything he wants within his tight grasp. But his world starts to crumble after he’s jumped by a trio of thugs late one night after leaving a club. The warning is clear—give up his new property venture or end up dead.

Caving to the demands of his friends, Lucas accepts the help of bodyguard, Andrei Hadeon, as as he hunts for the source of this new threat. But as Lucas gets closer to uncovering the danger, he realizes the sexy Romanian bodyguard poses an even bigger risk to his carefully constructed world. Trapped by a need he never expected, Lucas must find a way to deny the shiver of longing he cannot control.

His brother. His warrior. His heart. Four friends. Unbreakable bonds.

Review

SHAKING AND QUAKING 

Well, well, well what have we here? I was never expecting to enjoy this book so much so I went in with little expectations. The last time I went in thinking I’m gonna love a book (ahem Try) I was very disappointed so I went in to Shiver expecting nothing and man was I surprised. The book was hella enjoyable and I am so looking forward to reading the entire series. Let the hot man fucking commence. 

Lucas Vallois, hot man and millionaire. He doesn’t have many things that he loves in life. His love boils down to his three best-friends and his job. Life is good until Lucas finds himself being jumped on a night out with his friends. In a fight Lucas can most definitely handle himself but against 3 seasoned fighters it’s a bit of a stretch, plus the men have intent to do some serious damage. He gets away (barely) and land in the hospital with some serious injuries. Seems someone wants him to hold out on his business ventures and Lucas doesn’t take threats easily.  But it seems his life is in danger and needs to protected, in comes Andrie Hadeon bodyguard extraordinaire. 

Andrie Hadeon knows how to do his job but Lucas is making it hard. First he’s got him all tied up in knots, and second he can’t seem to do his job properly. Lucas Vallois is a problem, a serious problem. Andrie has never been this attracted to a man before and it’s messing with his head, add to the fact that he’s supposed to be protecting his body not effing watching and drooling over it. Complicated shit is complicated. Lucas is more dangerous than the crazy situation they’ve landed in. 

When I say I wasn’t expecting this level of story telling and enjoyment, believe me because I wasn’t expecting it. A few pages in I knew I found a new series to get lost in and fall in love. I really enjoyed Lucas and Andrie together they were cute as hell, and Lucas’s makeshift family is already the best.  

I love the push and pull dance both men do. Is it just fucking? Is it a relationship? Is it just a strong feeling of like? I love that I got to figure it out with them. The plotty device of the thugs trying to stop Lucas’s shine was enjoyable but it was my least fave part of the story. The bad guy reveal had me giggling cus I was like “look at this fool”. While I was a little surprised, his ass was effing amateur. 

Overall, really enjoyed this one and  am looking forward to the rest of the series. Unsure if Shiver is the authors first foray into M/M and if it is, I gotta say, job well done. While it still has that hyper masculinity that some new m/m authors who predominantly write m/f books possess, I find that I didn’t mind that much and there was a nice balance. These new to me authors have found a fan in me and I am looking forward to reading about my man Snow. I’m Canadian so I can handle the cold 😈

Audiobook Review: Slow Heat by Leta Blake

Slow Heat (Heat of Love #1) by Leta Blake, Narration by Michael Ferraiuolo
Audible, Amazon, Goodreads
Time: 14hrs and 7 minutes

4.5 Pants Off

Blurb: A lustful young alpha meets his match in an older omega with a past.

Professor Vale Aman has crafted a good life for himself. An unbonded omega in his mid-30s, he's long since given up hope that he'll meet a compatible alpha, let alone his destined mate. He's fulfilled by his career, his poetry, his cat, and his friends.

When Jason Sabel, a much younger alpha, imprints on Vale in a shocking and public way, longings are ignited that can't be ignored. Fighting their strong sexual urges, Jason and Vale must agree to contract with each other before they can consummate their passion.

But for Vale, being with Jason means giving up his independence and placing his future in the hands of an untested alpha - as well as facing the scars of his own tumultuous past. He isn't sure it's worth it. But Jason isn't giving up his destined mate without a fight.

This is a stand-alone gay romance novel, 118,000 words, with a strong HFN ending, as well as a well-crafted, non-shifter omegaverse, with alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, heat, and knotting. Content warning for pregnancy loss and aftermath.

 Review

SLOW HOT FIRE

Squeeeeeeee!! This review will probably just be all gushing cus of reasons. What a surprise to my senses and my feels Slow Heat was. I’ve read a lot of non-shifter omegaverse in fanfic and I don’t see it a lot in published works and when I do they’re not that great. But this book and the narration was a slam dunk.  

Micheal Ferraiuolo is the TRUTH!! 

The Story: 4.5 Pants Off 

Jason Sabel is a young Alpha not yet into maturity. He attends universiy to learn how to finally care for his Omega when they meet. As an Alpha he’s got urges but Omegas are to remain pure until they meet their one true match so he’s getting no love on that part. But that doesn’t stop Jason from getting himself into something warm. So he gets off with his best-friend Xan another Alpha, which is a forbidden complication, but horny growing boys. 

When Jason meets his much older omega Vale, a professor at his university it’s quite unexpected and everything is set to work against them but instinct is a hard thing to deny. To the world their union would be a disaster because Jason is a young Alpha, and to everyone else Vale is a used up Omega who has been through many heats but Jason will not be denied his true match and he’s very much willing to risk it all for Vale. 

Vale Aman has his hang ups, after going through two very traumatizing heats. An omega is required to bare children and that’s something he can never do. So, he will not let Jason suffer a childless union no matter how much his heart will hurt. For each day he spends getting to know Jason, it’s a little bit of himself that he loses to the young man. Walking away will be hard but it’s for the best even though it will break him. 

So like wow, what a rollercoaster this was. I’m all about the older guy poking younger dude, but this one had a case of younger guy poking older dude. Along with heartache and miscarriage, a very bloody sounding miscarriage. 

Things I Liked: Pretty much everything. The story is entertaining, while a bit on the very long side it really kept me entertained all through. 

I enjoyed Jason and Vale as characters and their slow burn coming together. 

The writing is amazing. Leta Blake delivered a complex and very unique novel with so much undertones about serious topics like gender, and society norms. There’s a richer meaning, and it’s so much more than dudes who get pregnant.  

I enjoyed all the supporting characters and they added more spice to the story (but sometimes they were there just a little too much).  

Things I didn’t Like: Jason’s sexual relationship with his best-friend. Initially I really disliked Xan but there is so much to his character that I’m looking forward to his story. I just find their relationship contradicting, especially after Jason meets Vale. Like the Alpha/Omega bond is this undeniable sacred thing so Jason and Xan together just seemed wrong. 

So much story about other people that wasn’t Jason and Vale. The most intense and heartbreaking moments in the book really had nothing to do with the main MCs and that really bothered me. Their entire story could have been wrapped up in 150pgs or less. 

It also didn’t need to be so depressing and angst filled through out. For once I needed something to go easily, but every aspect just had to have some obstacle to get over.  

Vale! At a certain point his negative thinking and woe is me attitude really started to irk me. He was way too into his feelings and by the end I was over him. I would have been on board if Jason said “adios you whining omega”.  

It’s not a perfect 5 ⭐️s because it really did get draggy and Vale got super whiny and I swear he became the one with the lower mental age.  

Overall, I really loved the story and there is just so much more to discuss but then this review would be a 10pg review and ain’t nobody got time for that. I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in the series. 

The Narration: 5 Pants Off 

Michael Ferraiuolo is my favourite narrator ever!! While I am new to the whole audiobook movement, Mr Michael is the best I’ve ever heard. He made the story so freaking epic and I am convinced I love it for the sole reason of his narration (Maybe). 

Each character voice was unique and exciting and there was never a moment where I was confused about who’s who. He really brought his a-game and I want to dive into any audiobook he’s done. 

Even if the story wasn’t very good Michael Ferraiuolo would have made it enjoyable regardless, he brought Slow Heat alive.  This is one story I will be listening to over and over again and eagerly anticipating the second book in audio form. 

Audiobook Review: The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles

The Magpie Lord (A Charm of Magpies #1) by KJ Charles
Amazon, Audible, Goodreads
Time: 7hrs and 56 Minutes

4.5 Pants Off

Blurb: A lord in danger. A magician in turmoil. A snowball in hell.

Exiled to China for twenty years, Lucien Vaudrey never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He’s also inherited his family’s enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn't expect it to turn up angry.

Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane’s family. Unfortunately, it’s his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he’s ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude... and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed. That’s definitely unusual.

Soon Stephen is falling hard for the worst possible man, at the worst possible time. But Crane’s dangerous appeal isn't the only thing rendering Stephen powerless. Evil pervades the house, a web of plots is closing round Crane, and if Stephen can’t find a way through it—they’re both going to die.


Warning: Contains hot m/m sex between a deeply inappropriate earl and a very confused magician, dark plots in a magical version of Victorian England, family values (not the good kind), and a lot of swearing.

Review

THE LORD ASSHOLES 

So I’m so glad I decided to listen to this on Audio. The story is already magnificent and the narration made The Magpie Lord all the more magnificent. 

The Story: 5 Pants Off 

I really do love the heck out of this book. I am a fan of things creepy and a story filled with twists and turns and The Magpie Lord had it all. The characters are deeply rich, the storytelling topnotch, and the sexy time is definitely sexy. 

Lucien Vaudry aka Lord Crane on more than one occasion has tried to kill himself while deeply asleep and each time becoming more successful than the last. He knows he needs help and so he calls in local magician that comes highly recommend. Seems the title of Lord is deeply cursed which has Lucien feeling some sort of way because the sins of his father and brother shouldn’t fall on him since he’s been exiled for quite sometime. But in order to stay alive he will the need the help of Stephen Day, the tiny feisty magician who also hates his guts (sins of his father and all). 

What then transpires is next level creepy shit, ghosts of old, and magpies. Crane and Stephen clash in a most delicious type of way and they make the story all the more worthwhile. They got so much chemistry I was in flames. While I would call this a slow burn you won’t mind cus it burns so good and it’s quite delicious enjoying it for a second time. 

Let me also mention it’s freaking hilarious. The greatest balance of creepy with hilariousity.  

The Narration by Cornell Collins: 4 Pants Off 

Yes, yes, and yes. Having read the book previously, listening to it brought a very different level of excitement. The narration was so on point, each character so very well developed in both uniqueness and personality.  

I am all for this and I’m so much looking forward to listening the rest of the series.  

I am both happy in my pants and my ears.