Operation Owl by Tara Quan

A Beyond Fairytales Adaptation of Grimm’s The Owl

Five years ago, Maya Jain kissed her best friend only to have him run out of her dorm room and leave the state. When he shows up in Washington, D.C., a wanted fugitive sought after by every branch of the US government, she can’t bring herself to ignore his plight. As their physical relationship picks up where it left off, she decides it’s time to make him see her as more than the bespectacled, bookish girl he once called “Owl.”

After being accused of espionage and treason, Zack Strong needs a forensic accountant to help clear his name. Not knowing who he can trust, this white-hat hacker has no choice but to ask his former best friend and math tutor for help. Together they unravel a cyber conspiracy at the Barn, an NSA facility tasked to intercept electronic communications. But as they traverse the nation’s capital to avoid capture, Maya insists on letting their simmering sexual tension take its natural course. Even though he’s never been able to shake the memory of their one kiss, he refuses to let her give up her life for a man with no future.

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Decadent Publishing

I'm a fan of fairytales that are retold with a modern twist, but while this story technically qualifies as such, it's not incredibly obvious that's what it is. To be fair, the story it's based on is a rather obscure one that few are likely to be familiar with--I know I'm not--so perhaps that's why it lacks a true fairytale feel to it, at least to me. This isn't to say I didn't like the story, for I did enjoy it quite a lot, I'm just noting that it doesn't entirely fit its billing.

The Fox's Mate by Elaina M. Roberts

Alpha Draike Weatherby has enjoyed many years of peace in his districts. He’s made agreements with the various shifter races as well as the Vampire Lord of London to keep crime down and their existence safe from human knowledge. Until now. A loyal gang of nonhuman runaways are systematically losing members. Rat shifters have grown bold, increasing crime in his area and risking their secret. Then there’s Olivia. Naked, bleeding, and fleeing a trio of unsavory characters, she runs straight into his arms…and stirs his most protective instincts.

As he digs deeper, he discovers an interconnecting web with a single common thread: Olivia. To uncover the truth, he must gain the trust of the terrified woman who entices his fox. But she guards a secret that could destroy or save her.



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Taliesin Publishing

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I started this book but it wasn't the richly nuanced story that I found within. On one level it's a typical "find the bad guy and stop him before he does something worse" story, but there are all sorts of smaller stories tied up in it, along with hints that there's a bigger story going on that is only seen in fleeting glimpses and references. Most importantly, all the stories big and small are presented in a way that gets you interested in them, makes you care about the characters and what happens to them, or what has happened in the past to them.

Craving by Sofia Grey

A deal with a demon, a biker psychic and the girl who might just be his salvation… if the demon doesn’t get to her first.

Dante isn’t your typical medium. With his leather jacket, tattoos and piercings, he looks more at home on his motorbike than he does holding a séance and Katherine has no intention of getting involved with him. He’s the complete opposite of the kind of man she wants and represents everything she’s tried to leave behind, but she needs a medium and he’s the best one around.

Dante’s never allowed himself to get close to anyone for fear of putting them in danger. His craving for Katherine is about to bring his worst nightmares to life.




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Indigo Books & Music (Canada)

Like the first book in this series, this one immediately sucks you in, getting you caught up in the lives of the characters and in trying to puzzle out what's going on around them. You'll quickly find yourself lost in all the labyrinthine twists and turns, sure that the answers are just around the next corner as it were only to find that they're still nowhere in sight. But you won't care because the tapestry that's being woven is so fascinating that half the fun is watching to see which threads will be chosen and where they'll be laid in at.

Conflicts of Interest by Nulli Para Ora

A woman afraid of another broken heart, a vampire afraid of losing the man he loves, and a lion shifter who wants them both. Can a woman scorned trust not one, but two men with her heart? Will fate tear one relationship asunder in order to build a new one? How can love succeed with so many conflicts of interest?

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Taliesin Publishing

This is as much a relationship study as it is a novel. Perhaps more so in many ways since the bulk of the story involves a very honest and realistic look at the various relationship dynamics that need to be addressed and worked out when adding a third person into an established two person relationship. Curiously though, despite the story being solely about the three main characters and how they come together and make things work, we don't necessarily learn that much about who they are as individuals.

Predator's Claim by Rosanna Leo

For years, wolf shifter Bart Cairo has harbored secret feelings for his co-worker, Charlotte Moffatt. Even though he thinks he’s been discreet with his affections, everyone at Gemini Island’s Ursa Fishing Lodge knows he and Charlotte, a fellow wolf shifter, are meant to be mates. Everyone but Charlotte.

Charlotte couldn’t be less interested in mating. A free spirit, she wants nothing more than to succeed at her new career in the big city and leave small-town Gemini Island behind. However, she can’t deny Bart stirs up unwanted emotions inside her. Emotions she swore she’d never feel again.

The occasion of Bart’s family reunion compels him to assume new responsibilities, and to consider a role he never envisioned for himself. Family tensions rise to the surface as a new Alpha is proclaimed in his pack. And when old grudges escalate, Bart must stake his claim.

Charlotte resists as he stakes a claim on her as well. But when he begins to employ sexual tactics of temptation, she wonders if the only solution is submission to the enticing wolf man. Can she trust her heart again? And can they find their happy ending before an enemy cuts their story short?

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Liquid Silver Books

Warning: This review contains a few mild spoilers.

Fans of the Gemini Island series know that Bart and Charlotte's story was inevitable. They've been fighting/flirting with each other since book one, and it's clear that such had been the case for them for some time even then. What I found most interesting in this one was the revelation that they aren't really the people we thought they were from previous books, for we really only ever saw that one facet of their personalities -- the way they interacted with one another.

Predator's Refuge by Rosanna Leo

Lynx shifter Marci Lennox has worked at the shifter-friendly Ursa Fishing Lodge and Resort all her adult life. It’s more a home to her than a job. When her boss goes on vacation, putting her in charge, Marci is thrilled. Finally a chance to prove she has the mettle to run a resort.

Her confidence is shaken when new employee Anton Gaspar appears. One look at the mysterious tiger shifter spells trouble for Marci and for her sex-crazed lynx. Anton is judgmental, condescending, and a little misogynistic. Unfortunately, Marci’s lynx thinks his tiger is more delicious than an oversized bag of Maltesers.

It becomes difficult for Marci to remain neutral near Anton, especially when she learns of his troubling past and unusual family circumstances. However, when dangerous incidents occur on the resort, the lynx woman and tiger man join forces to combat the threat to the lodge and its guests. Harder still is the quest to combat their explosive feelings for one another. As they explore their mutual passion, they realize the danger at the resort is more insidious than they ever envisioned. Their dreams, their love, and their very lives are at stake.

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Amazon
Predator's Refuge
All Romance eBooks
Liquid Silver Books

Rosanna Leo's books rarely disappoint, and such is very true of this third addition to her Gemini Island Shifters series. This time we get Marci's story, a woman that we've met in the previous books, though she had yet to come into her own then. In this one she's all grown up and finally starting to realize her potential. The choices she ends up making, however, are a bit surprising, not only to the reader but to Marci herself.

Succubus Revealed by Richelle Mead

Georgina Kincaid has had an eternity to figure out the opposite sex, but sometimes they still surprise her. Take Seth Mortensen. The man has risked his soul to become Georgina's boyfriend. Still, with Lucifer for a boss, Georgina can't just hang up her killer heels and settle down to domestic bliss. In fact, she's being forced to transfer operations...to Las Vegas.

The City of Sin is a dream gig for a succubus, but Georgina's allies are suspicious. Why are the powers-that-be so eager to get her away from Seattle - and from Seth? Georgina is one of Hell's most valuable assets, but if there's any way out of the succubus business she plans to take it - no matter how much roadkill she leaves behind.

She just hopes the casualties won't include the one man she's risking everything for....
Spend some more time with Georgina Kincaid...if you dare.

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Ebooks.com
Audible

The final installment of this series does not disappoint. The large plot that has been gradually revealed over the last several books comes to a head and most of the questions are finally answered. For the most part, the outcomes are what you would expect if you've been paying attention to all the little clues that were dropped along the way, though there are a few surprises here as well. By the end, to say that nothing will be the same again is a huge understatement.