nikkisbooknook's reviews
4797 reviews

Kale, oh you glorious, grumpy, morally grey, revenge fuelled fool!  The centuries of stored up energy from not shifting is being saved to keep him stronger and faster than his foes.  But it also makes Kale one grumpy motherfluffer!

He may think he's the boogeyman, and he really is, but he is also kinder than he knows and the brotherly relationship he has with Izzy is just mwaaah!  The hiding of sweeties, the insults, the riling up of her mate, he's just so good at winding everyone up!

Poor Ashley.  Trapped in the body of a child, hunted by those who want to use her, kidnapped by a cranky werewolf!  Her only friend, Jacob, has the same relationship with her as Kale does with Izzy - it's like history repeating itself.  But as Ashley gets used to her new body, new senses and abilities she also has to come to terms with her unlikely attraction to her captor.  When he finally admits to her just how enmeshed their futures are, Ashley shows she may be sunshine personified but she is ruthless at making men grovel!

This series is intertwines with several over arching storylines and just as you think you have things sussed (Logan and Cade I am looking at you two!) they go throw a spanner in the works!  Found family vibes all the way and so much chemistry and sizzle you're hair will curl!

Charles is essentially being held ransom by King Louis, obligating Hildegarde to undertake a harrowing mission - get back Charlemagne's Cross!

The political shenanigans are complicated with King Louis, Finn the Bore, Sven and even Hildegarde all getting involved in the overlapping plots.  Poor Charles is the pawn in all the plots and has the most to lose in my opinion.

Charles has few things he can count on but with Thora nearby he feels a bit safer at least. He certainly leans into his faith and after the tumultuous ending to the tale, it seems to have been the thing that got him through the worst of days.

I'm pretty sure the Shetlands Isles got a few more inhabitants when things calmed down for Charles and his little found family.  The the history merges with the fiction seamlessly and as records during this period are minimal you can't help but wonder...is it so far fetched!

I really hope we get to see more of an older Charles in a later book, hopefully with his new friends in tow. 

Temptation comes in many forms and for Dagen, that form is Onyx.  They're frequently rivals, going after the same information or artefact.  And just when he thinks he's pipped her to the biggest prize yet, some magical slight of hand leaves her holding the prize!

Onyx is a reluctant mage.  With the childhood (see t0rtur£) she endured you can understand why she tries to stay under the radar.  But with their joint enemies closing in, it's time for Dagen and Onyx to join forces and rout out the enemy.

There are still some big twists and reveals to come - totally called one of them!  However, there are plenty of layers to the story to get stuck into - blood debts, finding out who the true Lone Wolf is, Onyx background, etc.  

Solange and Charles are back to their murky best and you really can feel no redemption from them at all!  There is some serious mistrust for Dagen and Onyx to wade through, perfectly warranted on both sides.  But the chemistry between these two is palpable.  The ribbing between the three lone wolfs was really enjoyable but it's their other halves who really bond them together.

I'm hoping that the Lone Wolves will pop up somewhere in the future.  But I'm really intrigued to see if a certain vault owner gets a book in some future series?!?!?!

 Zylah, is one determined female. She may be at the mercy of Vampires who think she has certain abilities but she refuses to accept her fate. She also refuses to face the idea that she has lost Holt.
Her mate survives and she won't give up on getting back to him, wherever he may be.

Holt has to be the perfect book boyfriend, I'm talking zero red flags! He has flaws and accepts them and attempts to improve himself. He doesn't gaslight others into taking blame for his actions or decisions.

Zylah and Holt may be end game for fated mates but Zylah has a little found family of friends, old and new, to giver her support and assistance when she needs it. And whilst Holt is a gentleman in the street, he's most definitely a devil in the sheets!

Diverse representation on just about every level and I am here for that! Beautiful story and so well paced, even when our MC's have to fight to get back to each other. 

 

Lexi is determined to make a success of her cleaning business, Sparkle, and if she manages to nab the contract for the club she may just set a new high for herself.

Visiting the club with her bestie the night before the big meeting may not be her best move but she needs to left off some nervous energy somehow. Enter the smexy Max. He does "settling of the nerves" in style I must say. Office smexy times have never been so hot.

But the next day all Lexi's plans may crumble to dust cos Max just happens to be the owner that she was meeting with! From that epic "first" meeting these two are fire and petrol. The chemistry is insanely hot between them and Max is at times sweet and insufferably confident. Lexi is such a hard worker and deserves every good thing in the world.

Absolutely loved it!

 

 

OML this was just about a picture perfect best friends sibling, small town romance, friends to lovers story with a suspenseful mystery tying it all together.

Sawyer was the boy from the wrong side of the tracks, barely tolerated as a friend for the son of one of the founding families of Hatterwick, NC. He and his fellow Wayward Sons weren't so much troublemakers but typical teenage boys looking for fun in a small town. But an escapade almost led to tragedy when Willa almost died and another girl went missing.

After a stint in the Navy Sawyer has returned home and he and Willa soon find a reason to spend more time together - he's going to marry her to keep her awful parents from sticking her in an institution so they can gain control of the family fortune!

Once these two get on the same page, it isn't long before make believe becomes reality. I loved how they were basically the last to know, the entire town knew what was happening between them! There is an epic found family vibe with this series and I really want to know more about everyone!

I loved the LGBTQIA+ representation - although not a main character Ford's moms were an absolute blast and completely non-stereotypical. Although Willa's family drama is resolved, the bigger mystery is still ongoing and that sounds super intriguing.

Swoony, smexy and "My Wife" vibes!

 Cal, our intrepid podcaster is back in action.  He's dealing with the trial of sister's killer, his daughter leaving for Uni, dealing with his difficult and ageing mother and Shona, his new partner who wants them to live together.  More than enough problems for one man to handle simultaneously.

A friend of Shona hands Cal a case of her missing son, 19yr old Arran. Is it fate that Cassie is going to University in the very same city? He can maybe grab another couple of moments with his daughter whilst helping another family learn the whereabouts of their missing child.

I really enjoy the overlapping time periods - we get to see Arran going to Uni, making friends, seeing the problems he faces.  We then see Cal in the present trying to untangle the story and find fresh leads. I struggled with identifying the "baddie" - I usually have some kind of an idea but I was completely stumped this time!  Since I work in the world of law and order, I'm keeping that quiet from my colleagues!

I'm thoroughly enjoying this series.  It's based on enough real world fact and procedures that you can easily immerse yourself in Cal's world.  Well paced and twisty enough to keep you guessing! 

 

I dropped into this world cold, having not read book#1 (bad Nikki)!  However I was soon at home in this world of magic, shadows and epic adventures.  I soon felt that I had traversed the world with Wren, Finn, Elodie and co.  I soon new their quirks and habits and what buttons we should NOT push!

Learning about the various courts and politicking between witches and animosity but political niceties between kingdoms.  It was like medieval Europe had come to life on the pages - just with a bit more magic added! 

I really felt for Wren, she's so used to being free to do what she wants, she feels trapped in "her" castle.  But she still manages to undertake little rebellions to annoy The Maidens et al.  I did wonder how she'd react to all the royal retinue and she handled just as I thought she would, with huge disdain!

As in life nothing is completely black and white, good or evil.  You can see how both sides in this tale feel they are the good guys.  There is going to have to be a lot of compromise made to keep any kind of peace!

Spicy but not heavily so.  There are a lot of what I would call "hand clenching" Mr Darcy moments by Finn and to a certain extent Roland.  There is a big cliffhanger but the 3rd book is out soon so there won't be a huge wait to see where things go. 

Adina is a firefighter and she meets Solomon, a local hickey player.  They have an intense chemistry but both are wary of relationships. 

I did like our MC's, I just found it hard to love them, I felt that they both went to extremes sometimes.  Solomon was icy and then spicy and Adina went from bada$$ firefighter to cowed.  I did enjoy the band of brothers vibe she had with her fellow firefighters/family but could not understand her hesitancy to ask them for help. However, Khalil, well he just stole every scene he was in!

Highly emotive and dealing with major issues. I found it was more of a romance with sporty characters than a sports romance.  There is a heavy strain of religion to the MC's, which while not really something I would automatically search for, didn't affect my enjoyment of the story too much. Well worth a read but research for your TW.

 Skye has been dealing with all manner of dangers lately.  Rebellion within their own people, interference from the London Druids and ,of course, the Others.  This time round Ariah and Killian are getting another chance at HEA.

Killian always regretted letting Ariah go.  He really wanted her to stay with him and did not understand her determination to stay on Skye.  So he caved to family pressure and they parted ways. Ariah had not felt secure enough to reveal her druid talents to Killian and that cemented her reasoning to stay on Skye.  But now Killian has thrown off family tradition and expectation and arrived on Skye, determined to see Ariah again and hopefully have a second chance at a HEA.

But before that can happen they are going to have to fight of a shadowy monster, the further revelations of Edie's involvement and more interference from London.  

I really enjoyed this storyline.  Killian is all in with Ariah.  He has given up everything with no guarantee that she'll even see him, never mind restarting their relationship.  He owns his part in their break-up and never tried to shy away from it.  Ariah doesn't want to dump Killian in the murky mystery that she and her fellow druids find themselves in but she soon sees Killian as a worthy ally, friend and potentially more.

Lots of action, shadowy monsters, family feuds and curses.  I really need to get myself to Skye and see where all this happens!

I'm loving the slow unfurling of all the strands of the story.  I cannot wait to see Sabryn's reaction to who their tech genius helper is!