A Gathering of Dragons, Book #1
Heat Factor: ✋🩸🍆
Character Chemistry: Maddek wants to hate Yvenne, but he can’t
Plot: Epic fantasy revenge marriage of convenience road trip
Overall: Holy shit
Review: A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane (2020)
Tag: Road Trip
Trope
Review: Unsuspecting Target by Juno Rushdan (2021)
Hard Core Justice, Book #5
Heat Factor: They both definitely want it (a lot) but when they finally have time to hop in the shower we jump to the next scene.
Character Chemistry: They get over the past really quickly, but that’s because they’re soulmates, obviously
Plot: The cartel has issued a kill order on an innocent woman as a blood debt, and her ex (who has special skills, as one does) rushes back into her life to protect her
Overall: If you want to read an OTT action movie (or show) this is that
Review: The Lord I Left by Scarlett Peckham (2020)
The Secrets of Charlotte Street, Book #3
Heat Factor: I’m way too prim and proper to tell you how smouldering this gets, but it burns
Character Chemistry: I have never been so distraught thinking that two people were doomed to be apart in my entire life, honest truth
Plot: Alice learns that her mother is at death’s door and accepts Lord Lieutenant Henry Evesham’s invitation to deliver her home as quickly as possible despite his role as an evangelical reformer tasked with investigating the sex worker trade and recommending changes. This is nuts, because Alice is currently a housekeeper in training to be a whipping girl at a house of pleasure in London…
Overall: Look, take everything you thought you knew about sex work and faith and romance novels about the above and just toss it out the window because this book is about to shake you to your BOOTS, I’m telling you
Review: Whiteout by Adriana Anders (2020)
Survival Instincts, #1
Heat Factor: There’s only one sleeping bag!
But most of the heat comes from kisses because it’s too cold to actually remove clothing. (Don’t worry! There’s still danger banging!)
Character Chemistry: It’s amazing what stripping away everything but survival will do for a couple.
Plot: Trek across Antarctica in the winter while being chased by scary bad guys.
Overall: Starts with a bang, ends with…less of a bang.
Review: The Princess Stakes by Amelie Howard (2021)
Heat Factor: There’s a lot of sexual inneundo, and then they get busy on a ballroom terrace. And also in a closet.
Character Chemistry: They love/hate each other, so they torment each other.
Plot: Sarani’s on the run after her father’s murder, and ends up on the ship of her first love, who now wants revenge
Overall: Eh. I found the romance lacking.
