Mood
New World, Book #2
Heat Factor: Ana tells Kit she’s a good girl so you *know* there’s some heat here.
Character Chemistry: The Goddess has decreed it!
Plot: Kit escaped from a lab; Ana has hunted her down and is going to return her. Time for a road trip (to pound town)!
Overall: I liked that this book surprised me.
Heat Factor: It’s definitely not unusual for an old school trad published historical romance, but also they have sex in a cave before the 50% mark…so maybe it also is?
Character Chemistry: If you like that “I’ve been wronged and misunderstood, so I’m going to live down to everyone’s expectations” plus “I see through your mask and am the only one to call you on your b.s.” dynamic, this is that
Plot: Bluestocking spinster with no time for social niceties calls beastly and scandalous landowner to town because criminals are getting in the way of her archaeology; compromise and marriage ensues
Overall: Um, this book is awesomesauce.
Heat Factor: It is a not insubstantial amount of soul-searing lovemaking
Character Chemistry: OMG, I was so invested
Plot: There’s a global conspiracy to burn down the world, and the US president and his secret service detail lead find themselves right in the middle of it
Overall: The three primary books are a total of 52 hours and 48 minutes in audio plus there’s a 200 page holiday interlude story as well, and I devoured them all in 5 days. What even is sleep?
Continue reading “Review: The Executive Office Series by Tal Bauer (2016-2017)”Hexworld, Book #1
Heat Factor: They have a very good time. A very good time.
Character Chemistry: Tom is like, “Oh, I like him,” and Cicero is all hissing and spitting until he actually interacts with Tom a bit and is like, “Oh, he’s a sweet ogre! But also I can’t actually bond with him!”
Plot: A death on his beat looks eerily similar to the hex that destroyed Tom’s family, so against his self-preservation instincts, he gets himself transferred to the witch police HQ, where he meets his familiar, Cicero, who is looking into a similar mysterious death.
Overall: It took me a minute to get my head sorted with new worldbuilding, but once I did I couldn’t put it down
Heat Factor: Our trio is very creative about the ways they fit their bits together.
Character Chemistry: They didn’t seem like fleshed out characters to me, so it’s hard to say that they had chemistry. But they didn’t have negative chemistry either.
Plot: What happens when a woman comes to gold rush California, when men outnumber women 100 to 1.
Overall: Very expository.
The Smut Report 