Kate Rudolph

HOLY SMOKES! I loved Mel and her sassy mouth, but she was offered a deal that she couldn't refuse. A chance to steal The Scarlet Emerald! Tina had only given her a small amount of time to steal the emerald from a lion alpha whose place was tighter than Fort Knox and she only had two of her crew to help her. Mel was a leopard-shifter and she intended to break into the Alpha-lion shifter's domain and she loved a challenge but she hoped she wouldn't be killed in her eagerness to pull off the show more perfect heist. I fell in love with the brooding Luke the moment that he entered the bar, and I hated that he was attracted to Mel as I wanted him for myself! I was so busy reading that book one ended way before I was ready to let go, and I can't to read book two! show less

I scooped this up because I needed a book with a cyborg character, and aside from Lunar Chronicles (which I've previously read and enjoyed), surprisingly most cyborg books I found were romances. I had no idea what to expect, and it turned out to be fun, a great mix of space adventure and romance while forming part of a grander saga (the fate of the Detyens). I liked the rapport between human cyborg Max and reformed pirate Detyen Inrit. Even though Cyborg is fourth in the Mated to the Alien show more series, each book can be read as a stand-alone novel. I suspect I'll end up reading at least another one or two in the series, as I cannot usually tolerate contemporary romance but add some mystery and/or aliens/paranormal content and a romance becomes much more appealing. Audio available on hoopla! show less

I read Witch Switch by Louisa Bacio in this anthology.
This book was intriguing. Love, mystery, revenge…toss in hidden powers, unknown siblings and losing yourself and having to refind yourself, you have the makings of a good tale. This is a novella but the author didn’t quite leave us hanging. It is the start of a series. HOORAY! I can’t wait to read more. This was like a bad fairytale that you can root for good to win. Rafe, Cheyenne, and Jupiter can kick butt with the best of them. I show more loved the fact that Cheyenne and Jupiter are strong and can basically do things on their own (together-sister power), there’s another sister later in the story. The characters have strong personalities. Meredith may have evil powers yet she’s pretty much a spoiled brat not getting her way. The plot had a really good flow. The story wasn’t choppy. My favorite part was the scene in the forest. The whole tone of the story kept you on the edge of your seat. It’s a very romantic tale with some spice scattered throughout so there’s a little of everything for everyone (if you love romance). I think you need to buy this book and check it out. It’s a new favorite for me. show less

One-line synopsis - Ex-military wolf shifter (turned shifter through nefarious means) and his pack, are hired by a coven of witches as bodyguards for a meeting with another coven at a forest retreat and meets his mate (a witch) while trying to discover who is using dark magic and trying to hurt the covens.

I wanted to like this one more than I did because the idea and story were actually pretty fun, but I couldn’t identify with the characters, everything happened too quickly, and the flow show more and delivery seemed off.

Also, I was a bit aggravated by how inept the characters seemed at points. Like I know that the shifter bodyguards were at a disadvantage because they couldn’t practise magic but they honestly seemed almost useless at points, and it did not seem like they had any military training whatsoever despite previously being a military unit! And why is it that Julian is almost frantic looking for Nora at one point and then all of a sudden she is just there when they go to her cabin!!!!

Anyways, despite its flaws, I am giving it a 3 because the story still felt unique despite the number of shifter books out there.

Thank you to BookSirens and Kate Rudolph for the ARC I received and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily. show less