This is a fun novella and a nice follow-on from Shacking Up. It gives more insight into how Ruby and Bane are continuing to negotiate their relationship and find their happily ever after. Plus, it is a great way to revisit not just Bane and Ruby, but also Amie and how her relationship is going. All through a Halloween party and the insanity that is trying to organise a massive event.
Getting Down also provides a nice way to lead into Hooking Up. Not only does it highlight the challenges that Amie is already facing in her relationship, it also shows some of the connection she feels for Lex. The way that Amie and Ruby’s future mother-in-laws are constantly contrasted and their treatment of the girls just further drives home all of the difficulties that Amie is about to face.
Like Shacking Up, this was a fund, easy and light novella. One that adds to the series by providing closure and a foreshadowing of what is to come. Definitely a fun read, and one that I will revisit in the future.
This was one of those instances that I bought a book that looked interesting and got excited to read it. Only to find out that it was the fourth in the series, so then, of course, I had to buy the first three. And you know what? I’m not disappointed with this mistake at all. As the FIRST in this series, this was such an amazing story. It was fun, clever and cute. A tale that I most definitely enjoyed and will most likely read again in the future. One of those wonderful, easy reads that lets you go off on an adventure, without being so intense that you actually have to concentrate.
Ruby is a wonderfully off-kilter, loveable and sweet heroine. I love that although she comes from money, she is determined to make her own path in life. One that makes her happy and gives her her own sense of fulfillment. She is a wonderfully driven and content character who, although she is slowly and steadily falling for Bane, manages to still do it with her independence intact. I particularly love that when she realises her feelings, rather than continuing to “shack up” with Bane, she chooses to find her own place. That streak of independence is so damn admirable, and made me love the character that much more.
Bane (Bancroft) is kind of the perfect partner for Ruby – he’s also a little bit out of the “norm”, and so immediately accepting of Ruby’s decisions in life. In fact, he chooses to admire her for her wish towards independence. And, when he realises that some of his actions make her feel like her independence is being impinged upon, he takes a step back and lets her try and make her own way. Even his response to Ruby’s job as a burlesque dancer is driven by his hurt at being lied to rather than her actual job. I’ll be intrigued as to how Bane and Ruby’s relationship shows up in Hooking Up. Particularly since some of Bane’s forced cohort seem like absolute, complete and total wankas.
I love that Bane and Ruby originally find their common ground in Bane’s ferret. Any cute, show stealing pet is going to be a winner for me. And the way that she is able to drive some of the dialogue as the two get to know each other is really sweet. Actually, this whole enforced roommates romance is made all that much sweeter in the fact that Ruby and Bane, although they have the insta-attraction, spend time actually getting to know one another. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some wonderful, witty and steamy banter from the very beginning, but they still actually spend that time conversing before taking that final plunge.
There is a very obvious set up for Hooking Up in this in that Ruby’s best friend is obviously going to have her own story. I mean, the jerk fiancé? Puh-lease! And then there’s Bane’s brothers who are also getting a few parts of their backstory set up. It makes me want to dive right into the next tale in this series! Although, I do say that for almost every good book that I read…
This is my first Rebecca Jenshak novel – and I will most definitely be reading more. I fell in love with both Kaitlin and Lex from the very beginning. They were relatable and interesting, without being too overwhelming with their flaws. It was also one of those wonderful stories in which you can most definitely predict what’s going to happen, without it being a boring story. Honestly, one of my favourite things about reading a contemporary romance.
Kaitlin is a bit of an overindulged and spoilt girl, but I love that she’s actually aware of that fact. Plus, although there is the drama that led to her being at Moo U, she’s actually kind of innocent. Plus, alongside all of her flaws and spoilt ways, she’s wonderfully perky. Not in that, dear god no more kind of way, but the hopefully optimistic about the world around her. Which, of course balances out all of her thorns and trust issues perfectly.
Lex makes the perfect partner to work through Kaitlin’s trust issues. He is cockily confident, but beneath that he’s overwhelmingly kind. He also knows from the very beginning that Kaitlin (and I’m not even sure I’m spelling that right) has a whole lot of walls that he’s going to have to break down. Yet, he’s determined to show her that she is actually worth it. Alright, not necessarily the most realistic aspect of this romance, but it’s such a nice idea that someone is going to look at all of your thorns, and decide that you’re worth it anyway. There’s a reason I’ll be reading Jenshak again, and it’s those little moments of ooooooh that do it.
I most definitely predicted how the last minute hurdle was going to work out – not the exact details, but I knew it would have something to do with Kaitlin’s trust issues and her dad. But, I love how it was all resolved. I also love how Lex works on helping Kaitlin restore her relationship with her father, rather than just his relationship with her. Such an amazing novel, and I can’t wait to read not only more Jenshak stories, but more tales of the Moo U hockey team.
I love that this is a romance in which two people fall in love while training for a marathon. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a huge fan of running, but, I can understand how two people going through some pretty intense training can get to know each other quite quickly. Plus, there’s the whole sex immediately after running endorphins thing which is amazing. And the uniqueness of falling in love when marathon training – a pathway that I haven’t often seen throughout my many, many, many contemporary romance readings.
I do need to read more about The Stags though. I love that this is the beginning of the romances for the Brady Family, but there were so many allusions to the Stag family and how they all fell in love. Since Nicole is a peripheral character in some of their lives, I can’t wait to get to know that family all that much more. Plus, it just gives me yet another rabbit hole to dive into with my reading… because I don’t have enough of them already.
Isaac is so completely damaged by his mother’s abandonment and his perceived outside status in his own family. As with all of the flawed characters, there were times that this was incredibly frustrating. But I love how he manages to eventually find a way to work past his crap. In fact, he finally realises that a lot of what he is feeling is projected by himself, not caused by the people who actually love him the most. I’m so wonderfully glad that ultimately he doesn’t let this totally ruin his relationship with his family.
Nicole is an absolute supreme boss woman. Something that is incredibly difficult to be if I’m being honest. I particularly love the moment when she decides to actually take back control of her professional life. Yet, unlike many of the boss woman tropes I come across, Nicole isn’t nasty or totally closed of from others. She’s assertive and confident in herself, and uses that to stop people from completely railroading her. I also love that Isaac isn’t intimidated by this at all. In fact, he actually admires her power and encourages it, without finding it threatening in any way, shape or form.
Foundation is a wonderfully sweet and endearing story. It left me smiling and feeling incredibly comfortable when I turned that final page. The perfect late night read for when your brain isn’t quite firing on all cylinders. And one that has added a whole new author to my TBR.
This is such a fantastic collection, probably one of my favourite short story collections. Because, lets face it, anything that features the Mercyverse is going to be brilliant. A collection of novellas and short stories which visit the many, many wonderful characters… that’s just a wonderful adventure to go on.
Shifting Shadows is filled with stories of all lengths and tones. There are some pretty dark stories, some that are light, and some that are cute. I love that you are able to go through the gambit of emotions and pick a story of any length to suit your mood. Although, I would suggest digging into this when you’ve read the relevant novel in the series, that way you don’t get too many spoilers.
I love that if I need a Mercyverse fix, I can just pick this collection up and dive right in. It’s a bit of a shorter approach to diving back into the world without picking up a full-length novel. Plus, it gives you a bit of insight into the other, secondary characters throughout the series.
Shifting Shadows is one of my favourite rereads. It’s a wonderful and fun journey that I will take again and again and again as the years go by. Plus, there are some moments of closure and context that are provided in these tales that help to build upon the full-length novels.
This is a fun and light shapeshifter romance, one that is a very quick and easy read without all that much substance to it. And it was one that I very much enjoyed. The fact that it was such an easy and simple read had me smiling and just drifting away on a happy little cloud. Sometimes you’re in the mood for something that is incredibly action filled and dramatic. Other times, you just want something nice, simple and enjoyable. This fits that simple and enjoyable box perfectly.
Nell takes to the dramas of Grizzly Cove wonderfully well. She kind of just rolls with the punches and the shocks of the activities around her. Although, I did love that she’s kind of dense about what’s been happening around her – in fact, it was her sisters who knew almost immediately what was happening in their small town. And her outrage that her sisters just… neglected to tell her was even funnier. The sister trio and its dynamics had me smiling quite a bit throughout this story.
Brody is definitely a fun and dreamy lead – particularly since he can change into a massive Grizzly Bear. You imagine a kind of lumbering and hulking man, and although he is big, he’s definitely not hulking and lumbering. I love that his first drive is to protect his people, and the way he describes the town and pulls Nell into it is kind of sweet. But, it’s the dates and the moments of tenderness that made me appreciate him the most. Having said that, for all that Nell and Brody are wonderful leads who you want to get a happily ever after, I didn’t get overly attached to either of them. Maybe it was just the speed and simplicity of this story. Maybe it was that I didn’t have anything in common with the leads. Whatever it was, a fun story, but not a memorable one.
Except for the koala. I mean, a drunk koala who tries to get into a dominance battle with a Grizzly… that made me seriously laugh out loud. And now I really want more of his shenanigans.
Hollow is a wonderful short story that follows on perfectly from Night Broken. It fills in a few of the moments and questions that are left unanswered after the main battle and storyline are completed. It’s also just a bit of a cute story, the secondary characters that come in asking for Mercy’s help are very cute and you are gunning for their relationship from the very beginning.
One of the parts of closure that I liked from this story is just what happens to Mercy’s garage. I mean, crazy volcano god destroying your place of work and refuge is a pretty big plot point. And it was nice to know how Mercy and Adam choose to move forward with the structure. And Mercy’s future. It wasn’t a question that I necessarily wanted answered when I finished Night Broken, because I didn’t realise that it was a question I wanted answered…
Then there is the ability to get to know Zack a little bit better. After losing a submissive in another story, it was nice to get to know this new character. I’m hoping to spend more time with him throughout the future stories. That, and Mercy’s ability to constantly find out more about her supernatural abilities was brilliant. In fact, this very short fun dive into the Mercyverse was very much enjoyed and answered a number of questions I didn’t even know to ask.
This might be a reread, and my first time writing a review, but honestly, no matter how many times I read this, I will think it is amazing and wonderful. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I still couldn’t find it in myself to put this book down at any point while reading this. This is a high-energy, high-intensity story. I love that although Mercy has found her happily ever after with Adam, there are still constant challenges. The more she finds out about her heritage and assumes her role as part of an alpha couple, the more trouble that she runs into. Which is exactly what I love so much about this author, series, and book.
Christie damn well pisses you off from the very beginning of this story. Honestly, there are many moments throughout this that made me want to reach through the pages and smack the pettiness out of this antagonist. Actually, I disliked Christie more than I disliked the actual, dangerous villain. Probably because manipulative, annoying cow is horrible. And the way she tries to play the pack against Mercy to regain her “position”. Yet, I also love how Mercy is able to handle this with poise – I honestly wish that when I’ve come up against Christie-like characters in my own life, I could handle it with as much calm and control as Mercy does. There’s also the fact that Mercy does get her own petty revenge at the very end, which is nowhere near the level of discomfort she went through, but enough to make me smile and smirk.
I love how this story brings in a whole new form of supernatural being to contend with. Because vampires, werewolves, Native American shapeshifters and the ever-elusive fae aren’t enough. Then there’s the villain in this story. And it was truly terrifying in moments (even in a reread). Although, ultimately the villain was vanquished (or beaten), there are lingering aspects of this new form of supernatural in Mercy’s life. And I can’t wait to see how this evolves throughout the series. Night Broken is the last of the books in the Mercyverse that I haven’t read yet, so it’ll be interesting how this will evolve in the future…
Mercy and Adam are still one of my favourite literary couples. They are both feisty and powerful. Yet, even though they are wonderfully independent, they are also incredibly supportive of one another. They are able to see each other’s flaws and love each other in spite of them. The kind of relationship that I love reading about – after all, it’s not realistic to think that you can love someone long term and not ever get annoyed at them. I also love how although Mercy might be constantly fighting to have members of the Pack accept her, because they are important to Adam, they are important to her. And it’s this that makes for some great conflict, both within the social structure of the group, and the epic final battle at the end.
I love that even the name Castro implies a bit of a womaniser / ladies’ man. But, as his story unfolds, and you begin to understand just why he is not really interested in a relationship, it becomes a little less light and funny. Yet, there are still many heart lifting moments throughout this romance, that even with the sad backstory, you’ll still have a smile on your lips throughout the majority of this story.
One of my pet peeves throughout the romance tropes and frustrations is when a character makes decisions for another person. In this case, when Castro just decides for Heidi that she shouldn’t put up with his drama, past, and nonsense. I love that Castro’s friends actually call him on this and remind him that it’s actually not a unilateral decision. There are always two people in a relationship, so they both should have a damn say in how that relationship takes sense.
At the beginning of Brooklynaire, I found Heidi a wee bit too chipper. Probably because that was Bec’s original impression, and it’s written in her point of view. Yet, from the moment she enters the storyline in Overnight Sensation, I was kind of in love. The chipper, bubbly front isn’t everything that she is, although, she is still one of the most optimistic characters I’ve read in a long time.
I love that while Castro is working through his emotions and past, Heidi is going through her own dramas and challenges. And, regardless of what her father and the universe throw at her, she manages to come out on top. She is constantly having some serious obstacles to overcome, and yet she finds a way to not just deal with it, bit to thrive. In fact, I was so damn proud of how much Heidi thrives throughout this tale that I was kind of disappointed attending. I wanted an epic showdown and a reclaiming of independence with her father, instead it was very anticlimactic. But still good enough to read again and again.
Love, love, love the Alien Bachelor. I mean, you get introduced to a whole range of different peoples, there is ridiculous drama and it’s just all around fun. I might not be a fan of shows like The Bachelor in real life, but if they were like this with death and aliens… maybe I’d actually have half an interest in actually engaging with such nonsense. Alongside all of this drama, there is also some wonderful more clues to Dina and Caldenia’s pasts and how they ended up where they are.
For starters, I loved finding out more about just how Caldenia managed to end up having so many bounty hunters on her tail. And why she ended up being such a well-known murderess. And, without giving anything away. It was actually kind of sad. I mean, totally not the motivations that I had expected and it made me like this character even more. Which was surprising, because I freaking love Caldenia anyway – she is all sass, pomp and careful manipulations.
Then, you also get to fit another piece of the puzzle into just what happened to Dina’s parents. There are still SO many unanswered questions. And probably actually created a few more unanswered ones if I’m being honest. But, I finally feel like there is progress as to just what is going on in the background of the innkeeper world. The big mysteries continue, making me need to dive in again and again to this series… I’ll just have to continue doing rereads until the next one is published.
Although you do spend the whole time wondering just who from the Alien Bachelor is going to win, you also spend about half of that time wondering just who it is that’s trying to kill the bachelor. My first impressions are often fairly spot on in these instances and I thought I would be able to guess exactly what was going on… I was wrong on literally every single account. I loved that my first impressions were basically universally incorrect, and it makes me want to read this again all that much more. Now that I know the true motivations for characters, I want to see if I can pick up on all of these nuances!
Yet another book that I absolutely loved and can’t wait to read again. I also love that it gave a little bit of closure to the George and Sophie story and gave us a little bit more time with Gaston. I loved these characters in the other Innkeeper books and The Edge series.
Earth and Skye 