Paranormal Romance

Review: Pretty Little Lion by Suleikha Snyder

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Title: Pretty Little Lion (Third Shift #2)
Author: Suleikha Snyder
Genre /Tropes: PNR, politics, mafia
Release Date: 26 Oct 2021

Author's links:

My rating: 3 Stars


Blurb 

Never fall for your mark. It's rule no. 1 of undercover work...and the rule Third Shift co-founder Elijah Richter breaks the moment he sees Meghna Saxena-Saunders across the room at an arms dealer's VIP party.

Lion shifter and Third Shift operative Elijah Richter has an easy but vital mission: seduce arms dealer Emeric Aston's gorgeous girlfriend, use her as an entry point to the organization, and find out what the global terrorist is planning.

Unfortunately, he doesn't know that Meghna Saxena-Saunders is no ordinary celebrity influencer. She's trained as an assassin and spy, and she has her own reasons for cozying up to Aston. She immediately clocks the mysterious stranger watching her at a VIP party and the two fall into their lusty bed of lies. When their morning-after is interrupted by one of Aston's goons, both of their missions are thrown into jeopardy. Now Meghna must team with Third Shift to cover her tracks and discover the truth before it's too late.

Review 

This is the second book in a paranormal shifter romance series. The first book was just OK for me but it prepared me for the tone/style of the series. I liked this one better since I already knew the world building and I could ignore the things that annoyed me in the first book. 

The suspense is intense, and I like the MCs, we get to see more of the abilities of the supernatural beings (I still don't like the abbreviation sup used in the book). Everything was on high level here - high stakes chase, high heat and chemistry. The romance itself was great. It started with intense chemistry between two supernatural beings with unique abilities and gradually grew into honest intimacy and care for one another. 

I liked getting to know better the rest of the Third Shift crew. We get a side romance between Finn, Grace and Nate and liked seeing the complexities of that budding relationship. I wish they had gotten a book of their own though.

On the plus side, this story has a more developed paranormal aspect, dives deeper into this new dystopian world, gives us a better look into the maze of relationships in the 3S team. The juxtaposition of messed up vs loving supporting family dynamics was another in this story that I enjoyed. 

On the negative side, I have the same complaints as with the first book in the series - too many news quotes and current (US) media discord. For me this series reads more like romantic suspense/mafia romance with very in-your-face political messages rather than an escapist shifter romance. 

It is a solid action packed, high heat, diverse romance but it is not my favourite shifter romance I have read. 

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Paranormal Romance

Review: Big Bad Wolf by Suleikha Snyder

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Title: Big Bad Wolf (Third Shift #1)
Author: Suleikha Snyder 
Genre /Tropes: PNR, politics, mafia
Release Date: 26 Jan 2021

Author's links:


My rating: 3 Stars


Blurb

In 2016, New York became a Sanctuary City for supernaturals...but things quickly spun out of control. Now, Third Shift is an elite team of operatives tasked with exposing the gritty underbelly of New York's criminal-supernatural underworld, taking down the worst of the worst and protecting human- and shifter-kind alike.

Joe Peluso has blood on his hands. But lawyer and psychologist Neha Ahluwalia is determined to help him craft a solid defense...even if she can't defend her own obsession. Because Joe took out those Russian mobsters for good reason--they were responsible for the death of his beloved foster brother. Those six bad guys were part of the ruthless clan of bear shifters who control Brooklyn's Russian mafia, so his vigilante justice has earned him countless enemies in New York's supernatural-controlled underworld, and no friends in a government that now bends to Russia at every turn.

Joe knows that creatures like him only deserve the worst. Darkness. Solitude. Punishment. But meeting Neha makes him feel human for the first time in forever. He's never wanted anything in his life like he wants Neha, and he'll break almost any rule to spend a minute alone with her. But when the Russian mob attacks the jail for payback, Joe and Neha are forced to escape. Before long they're on the run--from monsters who want him dead and from their own traitorous hearts.

Review 

This is an intriguing PNR that I read in one sitting. It's action-packed, engaging, with a wonderful cast of supporting characters. Despite enjoying a lot of elements in this story, there are also some things that  didn't work that well for me.

This a paranormal romance set firmly in the politics of present-day America. I found the political messages, which I understand and fully support, to be very heavy handed in the text, very in your face, overshadowing the paranormal and romantic aspects in the story. Quotes from the news is not is not what I am looking for in PNR. 

It's the first book in what shapes to be multi-book series and I felt the world building was very sketchy and was overshadowed by the thriller aspect. I am sad to say at times it read more like a mafia book than a PNR. 

I did like the diversity of the cast, the fast pace and the whole secret operations/team of super soldiers aspect worked very well for me. There was tension and intrigue and humour, a side romance that I very much liked. 

I have mixed feelings about the main romance though. It was steamy and the sexual attraction was off the charts. At the same time, I was not a fan of the danger banging and felt there is not enough substance in Neha and Joe's relationship. It was a fated mates sort of situation though both Neha and Joe very much insisted in entering the relationship on their own free will. Both Joe and Neha acted on their attraction their own, not just being led by some supernatural forces. 

Yet, I didn't understand fully her attraction to him and they kept having the same argument over and over again of him not being good enough/worthy of her. It was repetitive and didn't really show any growth of their relationship beyond the sexual attraction.

I was not bothered by Joe being  grumpy, surly, mostly unrepentant about his past. Giant surly heroes with the softest heart are my catnip. What I was bothered by was his lack of trust in her, no growth in their relationship. 

On the positive side, I absolutely loved the side characters, all of them, Neha's friends/bosses and relative, the whole third Shift crew, they were all great, full-fledged and I can't wait to read more about them. 

Overall, this book was not what I expected and it had both things that worked great for me and things that I found annoying, making it very hard for me to review it. It's very much a YMMV situation, so I would suggest you give it a try if you like high-stakes, fast-paces, PNR with strong political aspect and diverse cast. 

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EE Ottoman

Mini Reviews and Reading Recap #13

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A long overdue set of mini reviews and reading recap. Work has been too intense over the past few months and I have fallen behind both on my reading and blogging.

A Summer for Scandal by Lydia San Andres

I lovely historical romance set on an imaginary Caribbean island in the early 1900s. It features two MCs who are rival writers under pen names. I loved the strong strong, independent, modern heroine. They made a nice match with hero though he came off as weaker, more confused and uncertain. The story is very atmospheric and you could literally feel the heat coming off its pages. It's fun and relatively low on angst with emphasis on women's issues. hero needed to do more groveling to heroine and to his best friend from make up for his awful behaviour before. I wish his father's mistakes were more strongly condemned. I could see it a movie - the heat in the area at all times, the turn of XIX c fashion, the buildings the scenery - very present without being overly descriptive.
4 STARS

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Tikka Chance on Me by Suleikha Snyder

This has been a pure awesomeness in a bite size. My first by this author and it won't be my last for sure. 
It's a very sexy and intense story with a cinnamon roll hero in disguise and an active, adventurous Asian heroine

This novella is all about the choices we make, obligation, loyalty and following your dreams, taking chances at being happy, loved. Both MCs felt like real - messy, making mistakes but ultimately good people. 

Lots of sexy times where consent is central, never implied but alwasy explicitly discussed, something that I appreciate so much.
5 STARS

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The Craft of Love by EE Ottoman
This is a sweet m/f historical romance with a trans MC. It's quiet, low on heat and angst, high on kindness and happy-making. I loved the mutual respect the MCs had for each other as professionals. The story is rich on historical details on blacksmithing and embroidering. We get a strong feminist heroine who genuinely cares about other people and their well being. At the same time she someone who is focused on her profession, proud of it, striving after the same respect and acknowledgment the other craftsmen out there get. 

I very much liked how fundamental for the love relationship was the friendship between the hero and heroine. Both had things in their past making them hesitant to fall head fast in love but they slowly built trusty and intimacy which made them feel comfortable and happy to be together. 

HFN ending and to be honest, I wanted more resolution from it, but it still felt fitting to the characters and overall quieter nature of the characters. 
4 STARS
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