Morgan A Skye

Superb!

Reviewed: 12-20-20

I LOVED this! I had been eagerly awaiting this title since I’d first read the blurb and it did NOT disappoint!
AE Via has just a magical way of letting these Alpha males be vulnerable in a way that does not mess with their ability to be bad-asses in the least!
In this case, we not only get to see the tender moments between Ex and Meridian develop but also some really touching moments between God and Day and Ruxs and Green, too.
The action is fast and the bad guys get whooped good and the smexy times are the perfect amount of steam and frequency.
I think her editing is getting better and better with each book and her covers continue to be top notch!
This is absolutely fine as a stand alone but even better in the series.

Audio

Just like all the others in this series – Aiden Snow does a fantastic job and is absolutely perfect!

6 of 5 stars

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my favorite of the series!

Reviewed: 12-20-20

I loved – LOVED – this book! Which is no surprise as I am a big fan of AE Via and this series. However, in that series, I definitely love some books/ couples more than others and I LOVED these two together.
First because the author isn’t afraid of a little COLOR! She absolutely gave these guys unique qualities that felt very authentic and special and could only be there because of their background experiences flavoring their expressions both verbal and outward appearances. It was awesome! As a reader I get tired of all the MCs falling into “boxes” of this type of character and that type and these two – while they absolutely had some characteristics of Alpha and twink/submissive – they absolutely were NOT the typical of either of those characteristics.

I kinda felt a Malcolm X vibe from Ty and a karate kid vibe from Kell. In either case it was unique and though sometimes Kell acted in ways that weren’t always explained – he was mostly consistent and so it was ok. I had to subtract ½ a star because at the beginning Kell is described as this tough, crazy, off the rails at times vigilante and Duke and Quick have to keep bailing him out. To me, he humbled a bit too quickly and I never saw that part of his personality again. I’d have liked to see that rise to the surface now and again and see how Ty handled it/used it to his benefit against the bad guys.

In any case – while I think you can read this as a standalone I don’t think it’d be as good. There’s just too much going on with the other characters and I think this is best read in order.
https://www.goodreads.com/series/164584

Highly recommended to fans of the series/author!

Audio

Aiden did both Ty and Kell to perfection! I adored the way he handles all the various characters and accents and personalities! He’s very talented and a joy to listen to!

Highly Recommended!
5 of 5 stars

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ae via is awesome!

Reviewed: 12-20-20

We met Duke in Judge’s book (Don’t Judge, Nothing Special Book 4). Duke is the bounty hunter who had a no-strings arrangement with Judge until Judge met his forever guy in Austin. Duke, who plays it like it’s no big deal, is actually pretty crushed by this relationship ending.

Vaughan is Duke’s work partner and best friend’s son. He’s almost 20 years younger than Duke and has had a crush on Duke since he can remember. Now that Judge is out of the picture, Vaughan is graduated from law school, he figures it’s his time to move in and make Duke his own.

At first Duke fights the attraction but when he’s reminded that life is short he’s willing to give it a try. They’ve almost begun dating when something so terrible happens it looks like the two will never be together… until Vaughan saves the day.

**

I just love AE Via characters. They continually surprise me. She’s totally willing to put an Alpha and Alpha together, make the older guy the less dominant, a criminal and a cop… you name it. She makes it work.

There is surprisingly little sex in this book but lots of sexual tension and when they do finally come together… HOT!

What I really appreciated about this was how honest everyone was from the start. With one exception, there was no BIG MISUNDERSTANDING or hemming and hawing about. Life got in the way and that was a real hurdle. I also liked that the boys took their time and wanted to do things right. No falling into bed right off the bat. They took the time to build the romance. It was really sweet.

I look forward to more from this series and am drooling over the sweet doc and cranky Quick getting their turn!

4.5 of 5 stars

Audio

Aiden Snow is awesome – again! Thoroughly enjoyable!

5 of 5 stars

Overall 5 stars

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cute series

Reviewed: 12-20-20

This was great! I really enjoyed the shifter politics, the world building, the “mine” moments and the rapid move to HEA. Usually I like it when shifters are still a secret, but this didn’t have the whole “dystopian” feel that a lot of stories do when shifters are known to humans.

It was really sweet with a load of side characters I can’t wait to read about again!

Highly recommended for fans of the genre!

Kenneth Obi did a nice job with the various voices and the “twang”.

4 of 5 stars

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great series!

Reviewed: 12-20-20

This is a fun series! If you’ve read and enjoyed book one you’ll absolutely love this one! We get to see the MCs from book one and the entire team again. Ryu is stoic and controlled he absolutely does NOT know what to do with the tempestuous Emmitt, aka Army.
The strike sparks off one another right away and that predominates their relationship. I was glad to see more humor in this and a fair bit of hockey to keep me satisfied until hockey season starts up again!

The emotions come, though they are a little overwhelmed by the smexy times and the angry sex. It was nice seeing the relationship between Tristan and Sebastian from a distance – it made them feel more complete than they had by the end of their story.

This is recommended to fans of hockey, angry sex, the authors and bratty goalies!


Audio

Kirt does a good job giving all the many characters a voice. I wanted Ryu to have more of an accent than he did but Kirt handles the foreign words and his parents’ accents well. Sometimes his narration is a bit stilted and the story always sounds a bit melodramatic. However, this is a great way to enjoy this story and I recommend it!

4.5 of 5 stars

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i love this author!

Reviewed: 12-20-20

Man I love AE Via! I LOVED Bishop and his relationship with his dad. I super loved how the author handled Bishop's learning disorder and I adored the relationship between Bishop and Edison.
While I'm not sure I really saw the creepy stalker co-worker thing working out quite like it did, I was psyched to see Edison begin to stand up for himself and I loved how Bishop was there for him.
The pacing and gentle progression of this love story are what kept me captivated and wanting to just keep reading.
This was awesome and 5 stars aren't enough!
Highly Recommended!
Audio
Tor Thom kicked butt in this! I love his voice and I thought he fit Bishop’s voice perfectly!
Thoroughly enjoyable and well worth the wait!


5 of 5 stars

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Super love this!

Reviewed: 12-20-20

This blew me away!
I loved this so much!
I gotta tell you – I was leery. This is a new author to me and though I’m a huge hockey fan – I’m wary of people who don’t know their stuff. I also don’t really love books where the romance has already started before you start reading. But…
First, the author knows her stuff! From World Juniors, to the Olympics, to the NHL and the major rivalries – she’s got it down! It took me a long time to figure out the nuances of the NHL system – it’s not a straightforward thing – and it’s definitely hard to explain – but she does it!
Second, as I said yesterday, the fact that she re-names our current NHL teams just lets us fall into the already understood world of team rivalries and playoff pictures and beards! Well done!
I will say that I’m not super in love with the fact that our MCs have off page sex with other people, but given the 8 year (?) time span, it’s rational and it’s not done in a way that is really all that bothersome to the romantic in me. But I do warn those of you who will hate that aspect.
Ilya is bi-sexual and Shane isn’t (I think he’s actually demisexual but he doesn’t label himself that way.). In any case the two of them are hysterical as rivals and it carries to the bedroom for some very hot smexy times.
I thought the way Shane handles his attraction to Ilya was one of the most “realistic” ways I’ve seen enemies to lovers handled. I’ve always thought that if a guy is struggling with his own sexuality to fall into bed with a guy (especially if he’s not drunk or has some other excuse) would be hard to do without some recriminations/shame etcetera.
Ilya, too, did a fantastic job with his own feelings and in the end I just melted at the way these guys found a way to be together.
I highly recommend this to fans of sports romance, hockey, enemies to lovers, Russian MCs (yum!), sweet HEAs and hot smexy times.


Audio

Tor Thom did such a great job with this! I loved how he depicted Ilya and his contrast with Shane was spot on!

Highly recommended!

6 of 5 stars

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how did I miss this?

Reviewed: 12-20-20

First I want to say “How did I miss this when it first came out????”
I’m a huge hockey fan and I’ll tell you I get really annoyed when authors don’t know the sport or do a crummy job integrating the sport with the romance.

Rachel Reid does neither.

I read book 2 first, because that’s what I’d requested but I immediately turned around and read this because it was that good!

I can’t say if this one or that one is better because they are so different.

In this we have a “good boy” but closeted and another pretty “good boy” but out who meet. Kip has no real knowledge of hockey and doesn’t even recognize Scott as the star he is.

The author does a terrific job of giving us the regular NHL cities with probable NHL teams with different names. It allows her to lean on our own knowledge of the city and the fan base and the experience without having to infringe on rights or create an alternate world.

I was very impressed by this and her knowledge of the sport.

The romance is really sweet with some smokin’ hot smexy times and the sweetest HEA ever!

I really can’t say enough about this!

If you like Cinderfella stories, hockey, sports romances, coming out stories and sweet love stories – this is for you!


Audio

Tor Thom did a fantastic job with this. He has a lovely deep voice and really tries hard to give all the characters a unique voice to match their persona. He’s a relatively new narrator (to me) but I’ll definitely keep him on my radar for the future! Recommended!


5 stars

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love this!

Reviewed: 12-20-20

Tom and Coop have moved in together but it’s not all roses and wine for the couple.
Coop is on a new project that literally takes all his time and patience. Tom has to diverge from his normally not so “in your face” stance and make a stand for himself as Cooper’s lover.

On the family front, Tom’s ex is still not exactly supportive and there are problems on the job as well.

When Tom makes a wild decision that ultimately affects both he and Cooper, it’s Coop’s mother who ultimately gives him the best advice yet as to how to handle Cooper.

**

I ADORED this final installment to the Thomas Elkins series. It was romantic and sweet and sexy.

NR Walker found a way to make us really believe that these guys have what it takes to be a long term couple and not just a hot May/December affair.

The final “sense of place” that they achieve is so well-won and touching… I just loved it.

Because of that last bit, this series remains one of my comfort reads when I want to be immersed in that happy place with the couple who you just know will be together forever.

5 of 5 stars

Audio

Well, I just can’t say enough positive things about Nick J Russo’s narration. He is just so good! I think what I appreciate most in this series is his ability to slow things down when the emotions get really high and how he’s able to move things along when the story picks up again. It’s very much like a person would do if reading it and makes it all that much more enjoyable to listen to.

Highly recommended!

5 of 5 stars

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Great series

Reviewed: 12-20-20

In my quest to give good books/authors/series more “press”, I’m reviewing books that I’ve loved and missed giving a formal review.

I’ve reviewed some of the later books in this series, but this is the book that started it all and this is a series you really need to read in order.

The over-arching premise is that Cloverleah (and it’s “sister pack” in San Antonio are special shifters (and others) who end up working together against common enemies. (I think something big is coming up but I’m not sure.)

It starts with Kane separating from his pack and joining with other gay wolves to make his own tiny pack. Even though, typically, we’d have one alpha, there are several in his pack and it somehow works.

Shawn is a Shifter Guardian (explained in the book) and that means he’s got some super extra special talents that get used A LOT (which is awesome!).

In addition to the over arching theme of banding together in a unique way, we get one (or several) enemy to be vanquished in each book as well as one couple (or triad) falling in love.

Shawn and Kane are two Alphas but they are equals to the core. Their love is sweet and fierce and tender all at the same time. I have to say that I don’t remember the other books in the series having nearly so much sex as this book – but Shawn and Kane have a LOT of sex. Most of it’s pretty hot, but I did skim it the second time around reading this.

For me, I love the magic and paranormal aspects in this series. Lisa Oliver remembers that these are unique beings and so they do unique things all the time. It’s wonderful! They also really love one another and are amazingly sweet to each other.

The BDSM stuff is hardly noticeable and is mostly a vehicle for people to meet in a gay club. Occasionally there will be reference to a Dom or a sub from the past, but none of the couples really do that on page.

I highly recommend this series to Paranormal Romance fans!

4.5 of 5 stars

Audio

John York is a new to me narrator. He does a fairly nice job with this and I didn’t get annoyed too much by his narration. Somehow he finds a way to make the lack of contractions and the stilted dialog that Lisa’s earlier works were plagued by fade into the background – which is excellent. I was definitely worried how that was going to play out.

He does a nice job trying to distinguish the many, many characters and for the most part he does a nice job.

I didn’t love his voice or accent and he definitely isn’t my favorite narrator, but he does a good job and this was a fair way to enjoy this series.

3.5 of 5 stars

Overall 4 of 5 stars

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