28- 32/100 New Species Series by Laurann Dohner

Honestly, this review could be for all of the books so I’m just going to list them and then copy and paste the review at the bottom. They all feature different male and female leads, and I find the world building to be amazing, however the explicit sex and almost rote format of these books left me bored after five. The books that I read are: 1) Fury; 2) Slade; 3)Valiant; 5) Brawn; and 6) Wrath. I did skip over Justice because I was a little squicked by the power imbalance between the male and female protagonists.

I first read this series years ago, about a decade ago as it happens. Back then I was totally into paranormal romance, and racy romances. Essentially these are erotic romances. I re-read these because I saw them at the bottom of my kindle books reads and wanted to get back into them. The world building is fascinating, I love how Dohner manages to make the main paranormal characters both relatable, and yet totally not what is expected. If you do not read this series in order I believe you will get quite confused. A new race of people was created in laboratories funded in part, unknowingly, by the US Government. This series of books takes us through the discovery and freeing of various individuals as new labs are found, as well as the individuals falling in love. I read several of these books in quick succession before I could not deal with the explicit sex scenes as well as the, sameness?, of the books. I’m not sure how to describe it, I just don’t find them enthralling after a few.

13/100 Random in Death by J.D. Robb

Unlike many books in J.D. Robb’s In Death series this book could almost be set in modern times. The drugs involved are ones that we have heard of, the methods of tracking are similar, etc. If you are triggered by Sexual Assault, death, gore, etc. then…well this isn’t the series for you. In this addition to the series Dallas is confronted by a killer that is striking in a crowd, seemingly at random, and killing using a devastating cocktail of drugs. While there is resolution this is a sobering look at the fact that these types of crimes have been around essentially forever, and will likely continue to be so. If you’re looking for a mystery with some intrigue and amazing characters then don’t overlook this series. Also, don’t be daunted by how many books she has out already, once you get to know the characters you will devour them!

9/100 Dark Stranger: The Dream by L. T. Lucas

This is a fascinating new world with some quite interesting world building. I would be very interested to hear more about this world, however, this book ends in a cliff-hanger. Without the resolution of what happened to the main couple I see no real reason to continue reading this series. This series is a new version of mythology, immortals, and so much more. While the jumping point of view is quite annoying I did find the characters to be interesting. As stated above there is no resolution to the story so I find it irritating, which negates all of the good aspects to this story. There are some bits of semi-graphic sex.

53/100 Desperation in Death by J.D. Robb

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I don’t think anyone can accuse Roberts, aka. Robb, of shying away from hard topics after reading this book. If this book were not a part of the In Death series there is no way in Hell I would have read it. This book deals with sex trade and modern day slavery. These are topics that we, as modern Americans, would like to think are of the past. The book, though set in the future, is a stark reminder that women and girls disappear every day not to be found again. If you have read any of the previous books in the series you will know that Dallas has a history of abuse and if she were not as strong as she is she would have been a part of this ‘industry’. If you’re looking for a straightforward mystery, a murder with some character development and a happy ending, then this is not the book for you. Thought the ending is not sad, I found the book overall difficult to get through because of how heavy the topics being discussed were. Realistically, I am going to have to force myself to listen to this one again, but probably not for a couple of months. It was, as always, a good book though on a tough topic.

43/100 Dark Archives by Megan Rosenbloom

Dark Archives

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If you enjoy reading or hearing about the macabre then this is a great book for you. This is a book about books bound in human skin. I adore respectfully this author manages to handle a very sensitive topic. She goes through the history of books bound in human skin, as well as clearing up quite a few misconceptions. There is a very tiny amount of gore. However, that actually has nothing to do with the human skin aspect unless you know tanned human skin creep you out. Of course if the idea of tanned human skin creeped you out, you probably shouldn’t read this book anyway. If you are an avid bibliophile, a fan of the creepy, or just interested in historical oddities then this might be a good book for you. I love how author explains that often materials are not actually bound in human skin, but they are claimed to be so for financial gain or just a great story.

29/100 The Dark Queens by Shelley Puhak

This is a fascinating treatise on history that mentions the bloody actions of several queens that tried to get power for themselves despite the machinations of men trying to wrest all power from the women no matter the consequences. I love reading about strong women, however I feel that these women take it a bit far. I do understand that times were different, social mores were different, and people needed to be in power or they will be destroyed. This history where these women cut a bloody swath throughout Europe, manipulating men all over while making the world better in their own ways is fascinating. If you like history, strong women, and don’t mind violence and manipulation, then this is the book for you. If blood or manipulation bother you then perhaps give this book a skip.

28/100 With Pride by Megan Derr

The below review is from a previous reading of this book, the only change I would make is that From Fear, Book 4 should now be read first with this book being read second to get the fullest view of the series (without any jumping around).

This should be read as the first book in the series, start with this then read Of Last Resort, then since you will love the characters read In Despair. The characters are stubborn cusses that will test your patience even as they test each other. This has a fascinating twist of self-derision that turns out to be an allergy…it is an interesting concept. The ending winds up a bit abrupt but it is certainly worth reading…if you are completely squicked by homosexuality then you might want to give it a skip. Honestly it is almost a background thing, if you imagine that Kristof could be a girls name then you would enjoy this fantasy novel greatly. There is one, extremely brief, semi explicit scene but that is near the beginning and the rest is a fascinating character study.

27/100 Of Last Resort by Megan Derr

This is a previous review of this book, it still stands true today. I love this series and I am enjoying re-reading them.

Honestly, if the ‘Priests’ were ‘Priestesses’ then this entire series would be on the fantasy best seller lists. If you are just starting, read the series backwards. Yes, its a little series but somehow the author wrote this thing backwards so this is the book you should read last. If you are not offended by guys being with each other romantically then this is a wonderful fantasy book, upon rereading there are more explicit scenes than I would really enjoy (I skipped them the first go round because the characters were so interesting). The plot moves quickly the characters are fleshed out even though they are a bit strange and there are explanations for all of the strange occurrences. If you ever felt sorry for the geeky kid and wanted him to get a better lot in life (or if you have ever been the geeky kid) you want to read this book.

26/100 From Fear by Megan Derr

This is the newest addition to Derr’s Princes of the Blood series. Strangely enough though it is the fourth book in the series it is set before the first book that was written, Of Last Resort. This does mean that these books can, in theory, read in any order. The Third Book seems to take place before the fourth (which is set before the first). In Chronological Order within the Princes of the Blood universe you would probably read these books: From Fear, Book 4, With Pride, Book 2; Of Last Resort Book 1; Finally In Despair, Book 3 (though the majority is set after book 1 parts to refer back to a time before book 4).

If you can follow all of the time jumps within the series, then this is a good LGBTQ+ series with several graphic sex scenes per book. From Fear manages to add quite a bit to the universe and adds onto a very rich fantasy series. Derr manages to add in a form of werewolves without losing any of her fascinating world of demons, angels, and various magic users. The Wolves have managed to keep themselves safe for generations, however recent events have changed this status quo. I loved getting to know these characters that were briefly mentioned when reading Of Last Resort. If you like LGBTQ+ books with fascinating warriors that fight demons and find love then this is a great series for you. The action is fast paced and I could not focus on anything but finishing this book once I’ve picked it up.

23/100 The Westies by T.J. English

If you anre into true crime, or gang life then this might be an interesting book for you. The author manages to paint both a realistic and relatable view of the characters/individuals involved. While I will never personally become involved in criminal activity, this author manages to bring me inside the mind of many of the individuals involved, as well as many of the challenges that they faced that led them to the paths that they follow. The author starts with a single story line. Then, when that storyline interacts with another character, he backtracks to the beginning of the second characters or next characters storyline. This results in a lot of time jumps that can be a little hard to follow if you aren’t paying attention. This book essentially follows three generations of the Irish mob in New York, and New Jersey through the conception, heyday, and finally demise. Internal rivalries and external troubles are both explored as well as the steps that the police and FBI took to eventually bring down these organizations. Well, I found this extremely fascinating. I also found it to be a bit of a slog to get through. If you were bothered by racial, slurs and cultural rivalries, probably don’t listen to this. At this time, the Irish individuals involved did not consider the Italians “white“. This is a very real and upsetting. Look at a time in New York City history, so it probably is something that should not be forgotten lest it be repeated.