An ancient dark power. Three species at war. A witch to unite them all.
Life in Devil's Gate is hell on earth. With no Regent to maintain order between the species, humans live in fear of what lurks in the shadows while the vampires, wolves, and fae that inhabit Devil's Gate battle for territory and power.
And 19-year-old Estelle Cotillard is caught up in the middle.
Harboring a dark secret, Estelle tries to stay out of trouble, but when vampire Gage Coreil starts showing up insisting she needs protection, she has to decide: stay in the shadows or become who she was always supposed to be.
Blood Lust is the first book in the Devil's Gate trilogy, a dark and sexy reverse harem paranormal series featuring a kick-ass heroine plus a brooding vampire, an alpha wolf, and a cunning faerie you won't have to choose between.
Blood Lust is the start of a paranormal reverse harem. However, she is only kind of building her harem in this book! There is a lot of groundwork to be laid in order to start the story. First, the world building: town is sort of divided into areas for vampires and humans and shifters. There is also Fae. Celeste has a best friend who knows she is the head witch. Celeste can’t quite make her magic work like its suppose to and therefore she is unable to take control as leader like she should. Enter Gage, the vampire, Lucas, the fae, and Laken, the shifter. All of them want to find a way to bring peace to Devil’s Gate but Celeste seriously doesn’t think she can do it.
I liked Celeste as a heroine. She is still mourning her sister’s death and dealing with her power struggles. She doesn’t know what to do or who she can turn to. She is leery of Gage in the beginning and that felt realistic. Gage is the man who takes center stage for most of this book. He is surly and kind of grumpy. Lucas was a fun foil to Gage though which I liked. The ‘harem’ aspect isn’t really solid yet; you can see where White might take it, but its in its infancy in this book. The story ends with a cliffhanger, so be prepared!
Sarah Puckett was a good narrator. She had a slight southern twang on occasion. I’m not sure if that was part of the way the story was suppose to be read or her natural speech. Because it was inconsistent, it seemed to stand out a bit more. However, aside from that, I found her narration to be a good listen.
Dark secrets and forbidden love threaten the very survival of the Shadowhunters in Cassandra Clare’s Queen of Air and Darkness, the final novel in the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling The Dark Artifices trilogy.
What if damnation is the price of true love?
Innocent blood has been spilled on the steps of the Council Hall, the sacred stronghold of the Shadowhunters. In the wake of the tragic death of Livia Blackthorn, the Clave teeters on the brink of civil war. One fragment of the Blackthorn family flees to Los Angeles, seeking to discover the source of the blight that is destroying the race of warlocks.
Meanwhile, Julian and Emma take desperate measures to put their forbidden love aside and undertake a perilous mission to Faerie to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead. What they find in the Courts is a secret that may tear the Shadow World asunder and open a dark path into a future they could never have imagined. Caught in a race against time, Emma and Julian must save the world of Shadowhunters before the deadly power of the parabatai curse destroys them and everyone they love.
Seriously, do NOT read this if you aren’t caught up on the series! I have decided to break Queen of Air and Darkness into characters. There are spoiler tags when necessary; if you are like me and need to know, check the spoilers. If you don’t want to know, then DON’T CLICK THE SPOILER. You can also check out my review of the previous books, Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadow.
Ty and Kit: These two are heartbreaking. Ty’s pain is difficult to even read. The scene with Livie’s funeral was gut wrenching! Ty’s choices are tragic too. View Spoiler »He attempts the spell to bring Livie back. It only partially worked-she comes back as a ghost. Turns out Kit is also part Fae. He comes into his powers near the end in the battle! He then decides to leave LA and live with Tessa and Jem. « Hide Spoiler
Mark, Kieran, and Cristina: Kieran grew on me throughout the books. By this one, I loved him as much as Mark and Cristina! Clare always writes diverse characters and that includes LGBTQ characters. So, I could see where she would take these 3 coming. The choice they make to be together is unacceptable even in their world (which, lets be honest is pretty liberal). I also liked seeing them grow into their own powers. Cristina became more than just a sidekick type character. She has a few lines that harken to Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride! Kieran accepted the responsibility of his people. Mark matured a bit, accepted his feelings and accepted what he desired. View Spoiler »Cristina kills Oban, Kieran’s brother. Kieran becomes king of the unseelie court and they use his brother’s cabin as a meeting place so they can still be together. « Hide Spoiler
Jace and Clary: Yall know I love them so freaking much so their extended presence in this book was AWESOME! You also get a good dose of Alec and Magnus, and a glimpse of Izzy and Simon. View Spoiler »Clary’s vision of her death is of Thul, the other world. Thankfully, she doesn’t die and neither does Jace. « Hide Spoiler
Emma and Julian: Things are getting worse for them. The curse is surely going to kill them and now no one in power will help them. They travel to Faerie and then unwillingly end up in a parallel world. This was a fascinating twist! Clare used this as a way to envision how the world would be if Sebastian had won, Clary had died, and demons roamed free. For me though, the wonder of what will happen with these two was painful. Was there a way for them to be together that didn’t require them to either be exiled or destroy all the parabatai bonds.View Spoiler »They survive the battle by becoming literal Nephilim. This change actually cuts their parabatai bond. Also, its discovered that the ‘curse’ is exaggerated to keep people from taking advantage of the power to become Nephilim. « Hide Spoiler
Dru: Listen, she is kind of my hero. Her family underestimates her. She is ALWAYS the forgotten one. She is mocked for her weight, her clothes, her personality. In the previous books, while I felt sympathy for her, she was still a moody, annoying pre-teen. In QOAAD though, she matures. She begins to find ways to support her family without changing who she is. She saves Emma and Julian.
Annabelle Blackthorne: So, after she murders people in the previous book, she continues to be a dangerous character. She escapes into Faerie, then escapes to Thul. She continues to be the most dangerous person. She has a level of magic that is scary, plus, she still has the Black Volume. View Spoiler »She is determined to rescue Ash, the son of the Seelie queen. Ash has the power to do terrible things. « Hide Spoiler
Woven throughout the story’s plot is some hilarious one liners (“It was made by a very powerful warlock called Office Max”) and some beautiful lines that connect all the stories (“I love you. I love you. I love you.”). Clare is a powerful writer who uses words in a way so intricately beautiful it brings tears to your eyes. Queen of Air and Darkness served to remind me why I enjoy Clare’s books-they are always stunningly well written.
Like the previous books in the series, I listened to the audio. Like the other books, the audio is one of the best things I have ever heard. James Marsters is a master. His accents are perfect-Cristina, Diego, Jaime’s latin accent, Kieran’s Irish lilt, Mark’s English accent, and each character had their own individual sound. Its quite amazing really.
POV: 3rd
Tears: yes, so many
Trope: supernatural, magic, taboo love, family saga
Four elite fae warriors. One mortal female. A magical bond they can’t allow—or resist.
Orphaned and sold to a harsh master, Lera’s life is about mucking stalls, avoiding her master’s advances, and steering clear of the mystical forest separating the mortal and fae worlds. Only fools venture into the immortal realms, and only dark rumors come out... Until four powerful fae warriors appear at Lera’s barn.
River, Coal, Tye, and Shade have waited a decade for their new fifth to be chosen, the wounds from their quint brother’s loss still raw. But the magic has played a cruel trick, bonding the four immortal warriors to... a female. A mortal female.
Distractingly beautiful and dangerously frail, Lera can only be one thing—a mistake. Yet as the males bring Lera back to the fae lands to sever the bond, they discover that she holds more power over their souls than is safe for anyone... especially for Lera herself.
Power of Five is a full-length reverse-harem fantasy novel.
The Power of Five is a unique reverse harem that mixes fantasy romance with a bit of a historical romance feel at times! Lera, our heroine, lives in the mortal world as a slave. Her master is not a good guy and she fears that soon she will not be able to avoid his advances. This aspect gives the story its historical feel. The way Lera lives and speaks gives you the impression of hundreds of years ago. The mortal world Lera lives in is obviously NOTHING like our world today.
She is rescued by 4 Fae warriors who claim she is their fifth-a warrior magically bound to them to form their powerful quint. They are sure this bonding is a mistake because never has a mortal been bonded as part of a quint (or a female in a male quint for that matter!). They meet/rescue Lera and travel to The Citadel (their ‘headquarters) to have the bonding reversed. Of course, along the journey, they begin to have feelings for Lera.
Lidell did a pretty good job of world building without making the reader feel like they are getting information dumped upon them. Lera isn’t exactly a tough, strong heroine. She is determined and she does want to learn how to survive and be independent. The guys are all unique enough to make them easily discernible as you read. Sometimes in RH books I find the heroes can be too similar at times and thus easy to mix up. Lidell did a great job of making each of them standout amongst the rest.
The author uses a blend of 1st person and 3rd person. I have seen this frequently in RH books of late. The heroine is always in 1st person and then random chapters that are from one of the men are written in 3rd. It doesn’t bother me, but I think this might be irritating for some readers who prefer books to have consistency and flow.
Sadly, I really did not care for the narrator. Her voice was grating and her attempts at accents was painful to hear. She attempts to give each guy a different ‘voice’ which is always important in an RH audio, but her attempts made listening distracting. I think the mark of a great narrator is one you never actually think about. A great narrator has you so wrapped up in the story you aren’t noticing their accent or their pitch or their tone. I plan to continue with the series, but not the audio.
POV: 1st (Lera) and 3rd (Coal, River, Slade, Tye)
Tears:
Trope: reverse harem, fae
Triggers: View Spoiler »Lera is beat by her master in a scene in the beginning that might be a trigger for some readers « Hide Spoiler
fantasy reverse harems like Elements of Mischief by CM Stunich/Tate James, Claimed by Gods by Eva Chase, Dark Glitter by CM Stunich/Tate James…then you will probably like The Power of Five!
Ewan's shock revelation sends Vee's life further into chaos, and she faces an uncertain future in a secret world she never knew existed.
Vee joins the Four Horsemen's hunt for those behind the plot to murder a fae queen, where she discovers society faces bigger dangers than she realised.
One night changes everything and increases Vee's determination to harness her power and step into her new role.
The Four Horsemen now have their missing link and will each do anything to protect and support her, but Vee's determined to show them she can be their equal.
The group are about to find out exactly how powerful Truth is.
Bound is book 2 in the series and picks up where book 1 left off. It took me a moment to remember exactly what happened, but once I had a few reminders! Vee is struggling with what she is and dealing with the new world suddenly open to her. She has her first encounter with incubi and it makes her realize she needs to get a crash course in how to handle her new reality.
During the group’s continued search for the demon and Vee’s attempt to understand her power, Vee is also struggling with her attraction to the guys. There is a paranormal pull to each of them. The guys feel it too, but fight it because they are unsure. Not only does Vee not understand her power, the guys don’t really know what to expect either.
The plot of the story is more world building and relationship building so not as action packed. I think this caused me some struggle to really stay in the story at times.
Ciarah O’Rourke was born into torture. A human spirit reincarnated in the body of an ancient fae goddess, she’s spent the last five years in iron shackles, her mind poisoned with magic for secrets she doesn’t know.
Waking up in a dirty alley with no memory of her escape, Ciarah finds herself in the hands of The Wild Hunt Motorcycle Club--a ruthless and violent group of bikers with faerie blood in their veins.
Arlo. Reece. Killian. Three men drenched in death, sin, and old magic. From their clubhouse in the middle of the Louisiana bayou, they’ll offer Ciarah the keys to unlock her memories and control the veil between worlds. But even her knights can’t erase the twisted scars that remind her they aren’t the only ones who hunt.
When The Wild Hunt rides, the souls of the dead join their parade. All that’s missing now is their queen.
DARK GLITTER is the first of three books in THE WILD HUNT MOTORCYCLE CLUB series, a full-length reverse harem novel with dark faeries, werewolves, goddesses, voodoo magic, steamy scenes, graphic violence, cursing, and a supernatural motorcycle club.
Dark Glitter is a super sexy Reverse Harem with a paranormal twist. Its a bit darker so if you like your reverse harems to be gritty and dangerous, Dark Glitter is a good pick!
Ciarah was a human girl; that ends the night she was murdered and she becomes reincarnated as The Veil Keeper and leader of the Wild Hunt. If you have read books about the Fae, you are familiar with this concept. I was fascinated by James and Stunich’s take on this mythology. The combine the fae with witches and werewolves and turn New Orleans into this compelling place of normal humans and paranormal beings.
The men that make up her harem are all mythical creatures as well and part of the wild hunt, which now is an MC club as well as the farie soul gathering riders. I struggled with the characters though. Ciarah is suffering from memory loss and she gets it back in pieces. So, you are never quite sure what the hell is up with her. The guys are not well developed as characters either. I think a lot of time was built on the world and setting up all this interesting connections but the characters didn’t really hook me. Ciarah was at times cowering, confused girl and at others sassy dominatrix. It just was odd.
Character issues aside, the story and plot is interesting. Maybe the characters will be better fleshed out as the story goes on and I won’t be as bothered. If you like erotic stories with paranormal twists, Dark Glitter might be the book you have been looking for! Its different and intriguing and great for a weekend binge.
POV: multiple 1st
Tears: no
Trope: Fae, reverse harem
Triggers: none (but it is darker and contains some brutality)
C.M. Stunich is a self-admitted bibliophile with a love for exotic teas and a whole host of characters who live full time inside the strange, swirling vortex of her thoughts. Some folks might call this crazy, but Caitlin Morgan doesn't mind - especially considering she has to write biographies in the third person. Oh, and half the host of characters in her head are searing hot bad boys with dirty mouths and skillful hands (among other things). If being crazy means hanging out with them everyday, C.M. has decided to have herself committed.
She hates tapioca pudding, loves to binge on cheesy horror movies, and is a slave to many cats. When she's not vacuuming fur off of her couch, C.M. can be found with her nose buried in a book or her eyes glued to a computer screen. She's the author of over thirty novels - romance, new adult, fantasy, and young adult included. Please, come and join her inside her crazy. There's a heck of a lot to do there.
Oh, and Caitlin loves to chat (incessantly), so feel free to e-mail her, send her a Facebook message, or put up smoke signals. She's already looking forward to it.
Tate James was born and raised in the Land of the Long White Cloud (New Zealand) but now lives in Australia with her husband, baby and fur-baby.
She is a lover of books, red wine, cats and coffee and is not a morning person. She is a bit too sarcastic and swears too much for polite society and definitely tells too many dirty jokes.
Blood lust by Grace White 
Queen of Air and Darkness by 
Power of Five by 
Bound by 
Dark Glitter by 
