[ 400 ]

[katara]

Title: Save A Life, Tell A Lie

Series: Flawed Fates Book 1

Author: Sedona Ashe

Genre: Romance, Vampires, Fantasy, Contemporary, Adult, Urban Fantasy

Warnings: Physical Abuse, Stalking, Obsessive Behavior, Knife play (?)

Date Started: February 6th, 2023

Date Finished: February 7th, 2023

Status: Finished

Rating: 5/5

Sypnosis: Stalker or vampire?
The choice is yours, but if you make the wrong one…
You die.

He’s spent months watching my every move. Stalking me from the shadows, waiting for the right moment.
When he strikes, I’m not ready.
I’m surrounded by strangers, and far from anyone who might have cared, or at the very least, noticed if I suddenly disappeared.
He’s closing the distance, leaving me with a terrifying choice: take my chances with my stalker, or seek help from a monster more powerful than him. Making the wrong choice could cost me my life.
Risking it all, I throw myself at an extraordinarily handsome stranger. A stranger who just happens to be a vampire. He also happens to be the crown prince of vampires, and he’s disgusted by humans.
I haven’t even been bitten yet, and my life already sucks.
It’s too late to rethink my plan, and I’m out of options. I beg the stranger to claim he knows me.
Instead, the vampire claims me.
But my stalker isn’t ready to admit defeat, and the vampire I sought refuge with isn’t willing to let me go.
A stalker. A vampire. A choice that might end my life.


SLTL is a new series focused on Journee and her vampire mate (yes, this series has only one guy! Don’t worry, he’s drool-worthy). This story has it all: a stalker, coming into power, vampire royalty, a protective mate, humor, heat, and eventually a HEA. For my naughty readers, this book is a medium burn that’s worth the wait… and you better be ready, because once they get started, things really get spicy! Journee's vampire mate falls in love with her the moment he meets her and will do anything to protect what is his.

Review: This has to be the first book in a series of monster romances that I actually enjoyed. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the book and that I was able to devour it so quickly.

Someone is stalking Journee. He has been stalking her for some time. Often he leaves her gifts here and there but it has become unnerving when he starts to enter the place she considers her sanctuary - her apartment. Things escalate one night when he decides to torment her by actually stalking her through a crowd. As Journee tries to find a way to escape her stalker, she finds a group of vampires and although she fears them, she sees them as her saviors.

Zyon, the Crown Prince of Vampires, is surprised when a tiny female launches herself and pretends as if they have known each other forever. At first, he is confused but when he takes notice of the woman's stalker, he feels the need to protect her. But there is something about the human female that causes all sorts of emotions within him to come to the surface and realizes that she is his Irenvyth. He will do anything to protect even if it means going up against his grandmother and the Hunters to keep her.

I loved Journee and Zyon. They were fun and well-written. Journee was not really some damsel in distress. No, she was being stalked and this scared her. Any woman would be scared if they were in her shoes. I can even imagine them finding someone - anyone - to help them shake off.

Journee and Zyon are flawed. They are not perfect characters and I like that. Journee is stubborn and refuses to be treated like anything but at the same time, you can feel the fear she has when she is being stalked. She should be scared of vampires but although there is some fear of them, she also sees them as someone to save and protect her.

Zyon is possessive of his Irenvyth. He is the ideal of an alpha male but he is also the Crown Prince. His grandmother is demanding he marries to give the throne an heir and Zyon has no desire to do so. He is not even fond of humans either. But when Journee comes into his life, he finds that she is his everything and he will do anything to protect her even send her away to protect her from his grandmother. And the great thing is that he doesn't even back down from her.

The world-building looks amazing. I would love about the whole vampire/human/hunter history. I know vampires are treated like celebrities but I would love to know how and why they rose to this status. I know we get some hints but the whole thing is really interesting.

Will we see more of Nathan? Perhaps his own tale?

This book definitely has deserved its five-star rating from me and it may even become my February book of the month.

[ 401 ]

[katara]

Title: Wings Once Cursed and Bound

Series: Mythwoven #1

Author: Piper J. Drake

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Mythology, Fiction, Vampires, Science Fiction, Fairytales, Magic, Urban Fantasy, Netgalley, Paranormal, Adult, Dystopian, Mythical, Historical

Date Started: February 6th, 2023

Date Finished: February 7th, 2023

Status: Finished

Rating: 4.7/5

Sypnosis: For fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer Armentrout comes a bold and captivating fantasy by bestselling author Piper J. Drake.

My wings unbound, I am the Thai bird princess
The kinnaree
And no matter the cost,
I will be free.

Bennet Andrews represents a secret organization of supernatural beings dedicated to locating and acquiring mythical objects, tucking them safely away where they cannot harm the human race. When he meets Peeraphan Rahttana, it's too late—she has already stepped into The Red Shoes, trapped by their curse to dance to her death.

But Bennet isn't the only supernatural looking for deadly artifacts. And when the shoes don't seem to harm Peeraphan, he realizes that he'll have to save her from the likes of creatures she never knew existed. Bennett sweeps Peeraphan into a world of myth and power far beyond anything she ever imagined. There, she finds that magic exists in places she never dreamed—including deep within herself.

Review: Before I even begin my assessment of this book, I want to take a moment to address something. I wish publishing companies would stop - comparing their authors. I think each author has a unique ability without comparison to other authors. Each author's story is different, and unique in characters and world-building and I think comparisons should stop there. I get it that some of the stories may have the same sort of world-building but these stories do not overlap each other. This story is one that does not feel or seem like something Sarah J.Maas or Jennifer Armentrout would write. It may be something similar but all stories have different paths and this is one of them.

Just my opinion on the matter. :D Now for the real review of this book.

I enjoyed this book immensely. The character development was absolutely great. I could see each character grow on their own causing their personalities to shine brightly but never overlapping each other. The world-building was amazing and I loved how richly the mythology and 12 dancing princesses fairytales were woven into the story. This book was actually a fun read.

Not everything is going to be perfect in the first book. I never expect it and I am quite sure the second book will be just as amazing as its first. I am really looking forward to seeing how the next book connects.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and their publishing company for a chance to read this book and give an honest opinion.