Elisabeth Naughton

You know a book is good when you want two people to be together and these two people haven't really met. I am going to explain what I mean. Prometheus is practically a hermit and our heroine, Circe, is Zeus's prisoner trapped in a cave. In order to get free she must give Prometheus to Zeus, so there is plenty of conflict.

This is the first story I read in the series, but I loved the writing and the characters so I will be back for more. I am not usually a fan of books based on the Greek show more mythology, but lately I have started to like them. The author has talent and you can see it even in this novella. You think you know the characters, but they manage to surprise you with their actions. They are complicated and despite their flaws they were likeable. I was happy to not have another annoying heroine, but one with motivation even if it wasn't exactly the right one. I will definitely recommend the novella not only to the fans of the series, but also to someone who wants to read a very good short story. show less

****Full Review****

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Olivia is experiencing a little bit of wrong place and wrong time. After being taken hostage because of issues to do with her CIA sister Eve and then rescued by one hot operative named Landon (Extreme Measures), Olivia's normal staid existence isn't cutting it anymore. With months of flirty texting back and forth between them, Olivia show more decides to surprise visit Landon in Spain where he is just finishing up a job. The surprise is on her though when a sexy woman appears in his hotel room and Olivia finds herself taken hostage once again as she runs down the street trying to get away from Landon. Landon barely has time to process Olivia showing up in Spain before he is battling a lethal woman in his hotel room and then taken in a van with Olivia. Landon and Olivia not only fight for survival but for a chance to prove to one another what they're really made of.

The suspense aspect of this gets rolling right away, the Red Brotherhood terrorist group makes a splash and our characters are running and fighting for their lives. Not only is a highly feared terrorist group involved but also a world defining serum that can be injected into a human body that would be able to track them undetected (think political leaders and knowing exactly where they are for assassination purposes). Dani, a girl that Landon once saved, is the only one who can create the antidote and perfect the serum and only he knows where she is, hence the abduction and leverage Olivia can provide. The Red Brotherhood injects Olivia with the serum to force Landon to travel to Dani for the antidote, the serum kills whoever is injected with it right now, thus revealing her hideout. A bunch of secondary characters from the previous book and future books make appearances (mostly operatives in the Aegis Security Agency) and help Landon and Olivia fight the good fight. Is this all a wee bit farfetched and possibly not very accurate? Yes, but Jason Statham movies are extremely popular for a reason, they are exciting and fun. If you're willing to roll with this story it will provide a quick rip roaring good time.

As with the suspense scenes, the sex scenes don't mess around and come up quick. There is a little bit of missed them falling in love as Olivia and Landon met in the previous book but the author does a credible job of showing and telling why these two characters feel so connected to one another. Olivia has a few annoying moments when she balks at the killing and violence (if I'm ever taken hostage by a terrorist group feel free to snap as many necks as you need to free me) of it all, making it a bit heavy handed with her innocence and goodness. She also has a couple TSTL moments with unnecessarily endangering herself, listen to the professional lady! Landon is the star of the show in this book, think of it as if Quinn from Homeland got placed in a romance story. He's a trained assassin who has had emotion systematically trained out of him but after meeting Olivia his heart is starting to beat again. He is strong, capable, and interesting to follow and read about. Olivia and Landon are very black and white but together they work.

If you like action movies with some precision timed sex scenes are willing to go with the flow and want a quick thrilling read, Lethal Consequence is for you. There seems to be plenty of heroes in the wings too, I’m especially going to be on the lookout for Jake the boss and Marley the sassy assistant's book.


*I was able to mention Jason Statham and Quinn from Homeland in one review! Such a big win for me :) show less

Somehow, Some Way by Jennifer Probst

So much fun--loving this series! Brady and Charlie absolutely did not disappoint--they were just amazing together. Watching them go from can-barely-tolerate to can't-stay-away was soooo much fun. Their relationship conflict was believable, and nicely resolved. (Brady's sit-down with his parents was looooong overdue, though. How did he get to be his age and still not truly understand his parents' relationship? Poor, deluded man...)

If you haven't read the show more other books in the series yet, this one would be a fine way to start--a great intro to the series, without being too spoiler-y for the others. As a novella, it really focuses on the main couple over the previous two. If you have read the others, though, you've been looking forward to seeing what would happen when Brady and Charlie were forced to spend time in close proximity--so settle in and wait to be entertained!

Rating: 4 stars / A-

Too Close to Call by Tessa Bailey

Too Close to Call is a sweet second chance romance. It's #3.5 in theRomancing the Clarksons series, but since there isn't a single Clarkson to be seen here (unless I missed them? I was really trying to keep an eye out, though...) I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it absolutely works as a standalone.

Too Close has a very short time frame--making it perfect for a novella--which gives Kyler's "I'm here to talk her into marrying me before I have to leave again" agenda special urgency.

Which makes his hesitancy to talk to her about a relationship that goes beyond friendship? Kind of confusing.

Still, this book has plenty of hot, steamy moments and Kyler and Bree clearly have an abundance of chemistry, which makes this a quick, fun summer read. Their lack of communication gets frustrating at times (Just talk to her, already! was a common refrain for both this reader and Kyler's mom...) but seriously, everything is made better by an absolutely adorkable epilogue, which made every aggravating moment before that fade to black.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars / B

Hunted by Elisabeth Naughton

I've been meaning to read this series for a while now, and reading one of its novellas seemed like it might be the perfect way to ease into it.

I'm happy to say I wasn't wrong!

Though Ms. Naughton has definitely created a fairly complicated world here, enough of it is revealed in this novella to both satisfy newbies and not bore series readers. Some of the other series characters play side roles, but Erebus and Sera are really the focus of this story, and their backstory is the only one you really need to know to enjoy this book. And enjoy it I did. I have to admit, that the resolution to their big, almost life-as-we-know-it-ending drama practically had me doing a fist pump. (But just almost, because I was lying on my back, using both hands to hold up my e-reader. That would have hurt...) Well played, Ms. Naughton!

Rating: 4 stars / A-

Eyes on You by Laura Kaye

Eyes on You is a quick, hot, sexy and surprisingly sweet read, though I almost wish that Wolf and Liv had a full-length book because I really liked their characters. I loved their meet-cute (Olivia's bad date is truly of epic proportions) and though things moved fairly quick for them, their relationship somehow didn't feel rushed. Like the other books in the series, this one works just fine as a standalone--though if you have read some (or all) of the other books, the little glimpses you see of prior books' MCs adds to the fun.

Rating: 4 stars / A-

The Marriage Diaries by Erika Wilde

For what it is--a series of interludes in which a long-married couple explore their sexuality now that their children are out of the house--it is entertaining. It's lovely to see two people stay together and still have this much heat even after almost twenty years and two kids. However, it's really not a story. There's zero tension here (other than sexual, of course) and absolutely no conflict. Perhaps if this had been a couple that I'd seen struggle through an actual plot in previous book(s) this would have had more of an impact, but as it is it's just two people in a loving relationship having sex.

Which can be fairly fun to read, but is not an actual story. (Plus, aren't their boys going to come home on leave and breaks and such? How the heck are they going to explain mom and dad's new basement playroom to them???)

Rating: 3 stars / C+

Overall bundle rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. show less

Twisted
4 Stars

Elisabeth Naughton's Eternal Guardians is an excellent amalgamation of classic Greek myth and contemporary paranormal romance. In this installment, the focus shifts to Nick, son of Kronos and Atalanta, unclaimed bond-mate to Isadora and leader of the Misos. Incarcerated in the dungeons of Hades' son, Zagreus, Nick has finally met the woman who can soothe his internal darkness - Cynna. Unfortunately, she is also his jailer and torturer.

The ongoing arc revolving around the show more search for the final element to complete the Orb of Kronos is put on hold in this book, which is disappointing as I was looking forward to some closure in this regard. Nevertheless, Cynna and Nick's romance is more than engaging enough to compensate.

Despite the rather inauspicious beginning to their relationship, Nick and Cynna have a strong and appealing bond that weathers all obstacles. There is the potential for an annoying secret keeping trope, but Naughton skilfully avoids the angst inherent in this pitfall by writing mature and sensible characters.

All in all, this is an entertaining addition to the series, and the updates on the other Argonauts and their mates are an added bonus. Finally, it appears that this is the final book in this particular arc, and the next book jumps ahead 25 years to the next generation. I look forward to seeing how Naughton merges past and present. show less