Dream With Me by Kristen Proby Blog Tour

From New York Times Bestselling Author Kristen Proby comes Dream With Me, an all-new addition to the series that has sold more than a million copies to date, her beloved With Me In Seattle Series!

Kane O’Callaghan knows what it is to have his work shown all over the world. His pieces are on display in palaces and museums, including the O’Callaghan Museum of Glass just outside of his beloved hometown of Seattle. Kane is a bit of a recluse, spending time on his farm alone and committed to his art. His life is full.

Until the day he meets her.

Wandering through museums is Anastasia Montgomery’s favorite way to spend her time. Not only does art feed her soul, but it inspires her own art of designing wedding cakes. When her muse seems to be gone, she finds her again among the beauty in the museums of Seattle, and the O’Callaghan Museum of Glass is her favorite. She’s never met the artist, but he must be absolutely brilliant, if he can make such beautiful things out of glass.

Bumping into a grumpy stranger at the museum wasn’t in Anastasia’s plan. And then discovering it was Kane himself was absolutely humiliating.

But when she sees him again at a charity fundraiser, and ends up spending an incredible, unforgettable night with the mysterious glass smith, Anastasia finds herself thinking of Kane and little else, even her precious work. Will this relationship bloom into the romance of a lifetime, or will their dreams of success get in the way of true love?

Book 13
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Okay, so the man has moves. It shouldn’t surprise me that someone who creates such amazing works of art can also lead a girl around the dance floor. With one palm firmly planted on my lower back, and the other clutching my hand, Kane keeps his eyes on mine.

“You’re a good dancer,” I murmur.

“You’re nervous,” he replies softly. “There’s no need to be. It’s just a dance.”

I take a deep breath and offer him a smile. He’s right. It’s just a dance.

The fact that he’s maybe the hottest man I’ve ever seen is a huge bonus.

And if he can move like this, with all of our clothes on, I can only imagine what it could be like if we were naked.

Mercy.

“I never got your name,” he says and guides me closer to him so we can talk into each other’s ears. I glance around the room, seeing my sister and the other girls smiling at us, watching us dance.

“Anastasia,” I say and turn my head, not quite planting my nose against his neck. The smell of this man is going to kill me.

And not because it triggers my asthma.

Because it’s too sexy.

I watch the pulse in his neck and enjoy the feeling of his strong arms holding me.

“That’s a lovely name.” The accent is thicker in his voice now. Irish? I’m not good with accents, but I’d bet he’s Irish.

His last name might be an indicator.

“Thank you.”

The song ends and flows into another ballad. Adele sings about finding another lover, as Kane moves against me, with me.

I wonder if it looks as sexy as it feels.

“You said yesterday,” he whispers against my ear, “that you’d be using your sketch for something else. What will that something be?”

“A cake.”

He pulls back far enough to smile down at me in surprise. “A cake, is it?”

I nod, more comfortable talking about what I do for a living than just dancing in silence.

“I design and build wedding cakes for a living. I can do them for other occasions, as well, but wedding cakes are what I’m known for.”

“Interesting.”

“I have a client who came into my shop about a month ago to hire me. They didn’t give me any direction at all. No colors, no requests. It just has to feed about two hundred guests.” I shake my head in disgust. “Not that I want them to tell me to copy a photo. I won’t do that, but usually, they have colors they like or flowers in mind. Something. Not these two. When I need inspiration, I like to look at what others have created. Or have conversations with people I enjoy.”

“That makes sense,” he says and leans in to kiss my forehead, which sends a shiver right down my spine to my lady parts—which had already sat up and taken notice of Kane.

“What was that for?” I ask.

“An apology,” he replies. “For being difficult yesterday.”

“Apology accepted.”

His lips quirk into that half-smile, his green eyes shining. The song is almost over, and I know I should thank him for the dance and find Lia and the others.

“Thanks for the dance.”

The last note plays, and I pull back, immediately wishing I was back in his arms.

He’s a stranger, and it’s crazy, but it’s true.

“Do you belong to a man, Anastasia?” Kane brushes his knuckles down the side of my cheek.

I frown. “I’ll never belong to anyone.”

“You know what I mean. Are you taken?”

“I’m single if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Good.” He kisses the back of my hand.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

I absolutely love this series. I have read each and every story and while it isn’t necessary to understand what happens in this story, I would recommend it because you get to see characters over and over and will understand the family relationships much more.

Anastasia is an amazing baker. She loves what she does and while she is sometimes super busy, there just isn’t anything better than spending time creating beautiful cakes. Anastasia is very close with her family and would do anything for them, and they would her too. When she finds herself needing inspiration, she heads to one of her favorite places – the art exhibit of Kane. The beauty helps her find her own creativity.

Kane is a hard man to know. While he is also incredibly close with his family, he likes to be alone most of the time. He works hard and loves what he creates. But there is something missing. When he is at his exhibits, he finds himself drawn to watching a woman who is so engrossed in her creativity that she doesn’t realizes he is there until he is rude to her.

These two are such great complements of the other. They find that they have such passion – both are super creative and love what they do, but they also find time to relax and cut loose. When Kane finds himself enamored with Anastasia, he can’t help himself. These two have amazing chemistry and you can’t help but feel their passion rise off the pages.

With family drama and their new relationship, it’s wonderfully written with a lot of character development. You get a glimpse in to their siblings’ lives, as well as the whole With Me in Seattle gang. I couldn’t put it down and can’t wait for the next one to be released!

Kristen was born and raised in a small resort town in her beloved Montana. In her mid-twenties, she decided to stretch her wings and move to the Pacific Northwest, where she made her home for more than a dozen years.

During that time, Kristen wrote many romance novels and joined organizations such as RWA and other small writing groups. She spent countless hours in workshops, and more mornings than she can count up before dawn so she could write before going to work. She submitted many manuscripts to agents and editors alike, but was always told no. In the summer of 2012, the self-publishing scene was new and thriving, and Kristen had one goal: to publish just one book. It was something she longed to cross off of her bucket list.

Not only did she publish one book, she’s since published close to thirty titles, many of which have hit the USA Today, New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists. She continues to self publish, best known for her With Me In Seattle and Boudreaux series, and is also proud to work with William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins, with the Fusion Series.

Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their two pugs and two cats.

Connect with Kristen

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Hosted by

Avid Reader reviewed her personal copy of Dream With Me (With Me in Seattle #13) by Kristen Proby for this tour.

The Nature of the Game by Amy Aislin

Six years ago, an ultimatum forced Dan Greyson to make a choice that cost him everything he loved most. One of those things? His boyfriend, hockey player Ashton Yager. Now that they’ve crossed paths again, Dan isn’t about to let the opportunity slip away. Ash’s reappearance in his life is just the catalyst Dan needs to escape the rut he’s fallen into… and win back Ash’s trust and love.

Ashton Yager, once burned and now a little bit shy, didn’t mean to publicly come out as bisexual. But now that he has, he’s got to deal with the consequences, including the fact that it might’ve cost him his NHL contract. With his job on the line, he needs to keep his head down, work hard, and play the best hockey of his life. Rekindling things with Dan? That’s not exactly keeping a low profile. It’s also never going to happen, not after Dan walked away once without an explanation.

When a hurricane forces Ash to seek shelter out-of-state, he and Dan find themselves in the same B&B, where old feelings resurface. But with everything Ash has on the line, does he dare play with fire again?

Book 2
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
This is a wonderful second-chance romance. I felt comfortable with the characters right from the very beginning. That actually surprised me because in the first book in this series, Dan isn’t shown in the best light. so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about him. Turns out he is a really good guy who made a bad decision which only led to heartbreak.

The story stitches between the present day to six years in the past when Dan and Ash first met. At first, I didn’t want the story to go back to the past, but I quickly changed my mind. It was fun being with Ash and Dan as they met. They are so comfortable with each other and it was a pleasure to see them fall in love. This is a couple I loved being with, even during the bad times.

The crux of this story is whether a couple can take second chance and move on after a betrayal and a broken heart. Sometimes a happily ever after is all the sweeter if the couple has had to fight for it. The Nature of the Game is a great story.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the series, and follows on from book #1 where Alex and Mitch got their happily ever after. As the story unfolds, we learn just how they tie in with both Ash and Dan. As these two get their second chance at love, we discover just how poorly Dan has been treated by his mother. It is rare for a book to have such an unjust woman at the head of a family, but wow, is it done with style – move over Miranda Priestly!

As Ash has to deal with his sexuality becoming public knowledge, he also has to come to terms with his life being intrinsically linked with his first love – even though Dan seems to be repentant, how can one forgive someone for disappearing without trace? But he has to admit that Dan is certainly not a happy man, and that he is finally explaining why and what will change in the future. I loved that although it took time for them to communicate, they did finally take the time and the effort to get over the past and consider a new and happy relationship.

I found the hints about Kinsey rather intriguing and am very happy that I have the next installment waiting for me on my Kindle!

Also Available in the Stick Side Series

Book 1
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For reviews & more info, check out our stop on the On the Ice Blog Tour.

Amy started writing on a rainy day in fourth grade when her class was forced to stay inside for recess. Tales of adventures with her classmates quickly morphed into tales of adventures with the characters in her head. Based in the suburbs of Toronto, Amy is a marketer/fundraiser at a large environmental non-profit in Toronto by day, and a writer by night. Book enthusiast, animal lover and (very) amateur photographer, her interests are many and varied, including travelling, astronomy, ecology, and baking. She binge watches too much anime, and loves musical theater, Julie Andrews, the Backstreet Boys, and her hometown of Oakville, Ontario.

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Amy Aislin’s Readers Facebook Group


Brought to you by

Veronica & Ruthie reviewed their personal copies of The Nature of the Game (Stick Side #2) by Amy Aislin for this post.

American Fairytale by Adriana Herrera Dual Media Review

Fairy-tale endings don’t just happen; they have to be fought for.

New York City social worker Camilo Santiago Briggs grew up surrounded by survivors who taught him to never rely on anything you didn’t earn yourself. He’s always dreamed of his own happily-ever-after, but he lives in the real world. Men who seem too good to be true… usually are. And Milo never ever mixes business with pleasure… until the mysterious man he had an unforgettable hookup with turns out to be the wealthy donor behind his agency’s new, next-level funding.

Thomas Hughes built a billion-dollar business from nothing: he knows what he wants and isn’t shy about going after it. When the enthralling stranger who blew his mind at a black-tie gala reappears, Tom’s more than ready to be his Prince Charming. Showering Milo with the very best of everything is how Tom shows his affection.

Trouble is, Milo’s not interested in any of it. The only thing Milo wants is Tom.

Fairy-tale endings take work as well as love. For Milo, that means learning to let someone take care of him, for a change. And for Tom, it’s figuring out that real love is the one thing you can’t buy.

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

Audiobook Details
Length: 7 hrs, 34 mins
Narrator: Sean Crisden

Book 2
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Carina Press – Harlequin

Audiobook Buy Links

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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ebook Reviews

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is a fairytale romance for urban millennials. When Milo meets his Prince Charming at a party, he is immediately swept off his feet. But Milo kinda likes standing on his own two feet and he’s perfectly capable of sorting out his own problems. Milo can’t ride into the sunset with Tom until he is certain the power imbalance between them won’t crush his identity. The connection between Milo and Tom is electric, but the two must find a balance that works for them both before Milo can commit to a relationship.

The characters in this story are carefully observed and beautifully developed. Urban Millennials will immediately recognise themselves in these characters. Like the first book, this story celebrates Milo and Tom’s Caribbean cultures. The book takes a hard look at intersectional identity, making insightful observations about various characters’ identities and experiences. But this isn’t a heavy story. Milo and Tom are incredibly likeable characters with a few flaws. I rolled my eyes more than once at Milo’s snowflake angst, but I couldn’t help but love and admire him. And while Tom is always well meaning, there are a few moments where he takes advantage of his privilege. Tom’s sense of entitlement is instinctive – and bloody irritating at times.

I fell in love with Adriana Herrera’s writing in the first book in this series and this second book doesn’t disappoint. I love the way Herrera writes dialogue, and her characters and their city are wonderful. Herrera’s voice feels fresh and I really enjoy the mix of romance and social commentary in these books. I’m already looking forward to the next story in this series.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in this series about a group of friends and their lives and loves. I would recommend the first book to you, but you could definitely read this a standalone and still really enjoy it.

Camilo is doing exactly what he wanted to for a career, and he works hard to make his and his mother's life better. So, when a rich benefactor turns out to be a guy he hooked up with, he is not interested in rocking the boat, even if Tom is hot and keen. The story that follows is a mix of the backward and forward as Milo squares his feelings with his principles, and Tom throwing his money at solving any problems as often as he could.

Certainly both men learn some lessons about life, money, and love – but I did feel that Tom's idiocy should have ended sooner, given his friends' advice and the strong messages he gets from Milo directly. There is a point where being protective becomes controlling, and he wasn't so stupid that he couldn't decide the tipping point.

Once he did straighten himself out, then it was fun to see their families and friends join them in what really was a dream romance, even if not exactly a fairytale!


Angie – ☆☆☆
I loved the blurb about this book and I was really excited to read it. Unfortunately, I think I am in the minority on how I feel about this book. Milo is a social worker, Tom a massively rich guy. I hate when rich people think they can buy love or affection with material things. Milo just wants Tom, nothing else. I was honestly bored and found myself skimming this book hoping for it to get better. I like fairy-tale books but this one just didn't work for me.

Audiobook Review

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
As much as I enjoyed American Dreamer, I have become addicted to American Fairytale. Book by book, Adriana Herrera is opening my eyes to people, places, cultures, and foods that I’ve had little to no exposure to as a white girl who grew up in the Deep South. Even living in Key West for well over a decade and visiting Miami, my experiences are limited so I am loving the experiences she’s shared – even the ones that break my heart.

Milo (and yes, I will forever second guess its pronunciation in the future) is a proud Jamaican-Cuban man who loves his mother and is committed to making the world a better place – or at least his part of Harlem – as much as humanly possible. Anyone who knows a social worker knows it’s a calling, not a job, so I adored Milo’s throw-caution-to-the-wind attitude at the gala and his first encounter with Tom. Granted, the uncomfortable meeting with his employer’s new donor made it even more entertaining because… awkward! It’s the kind of thing you wish only happened in fiction, but the real world is so much smaller than we often realize. While some label him prickly and opinionated, Milo’s passion for the people he works with and how committed he is to helping them make a new, safer life for themselves is inspiring. It’s no wonder Tom fell head-over-heels for him. And while Tom was a down-to-earth guy and did an okay job of tamping down his White Knight Syndrome for most of the book, when he oversteps, he does it BIG!

Tom is a conundrum we don’t often meet in romance novels. Born and raised in the Dominican Republic to a Dominican mother and American father, he’s an interesting mix of his parents. His father’s love of the DR meant that Tom was raised Dominican with, it seems, little emphasis placed on his father’s American roots. Yet he inherited his physical appearance from his father, a fact that opened doors for him in the US that he knows would have otherwise been closed to him. This is something Tom has grappled with as an adult because while he’s thankful for said opportunities, he’s well aware of the unfairness of it and strives not to take it for granted, especially as it helped him and his friends in the business venture that made them millionaires. Unfortunately for Tom, he’s not as mindful about taking his money for granted and how using it to solve problems is taking the easy way out – at least in Milo’s opinion. Thank goodness, Tom has a group of friends who are just as supportive and straight-talking as Milo’s GA Crew and they give Tom the swift kick in the rear he needs to make things right with Milo.

Sean Crisden is the perfect choice for this series. Again, I won’t even begin to pretend I know the difference between the various characters’ accents, but he has created such distinct voices for the main characters so far that I’m enthralled. I love how he’s able to take Tom and Milo from fun and flirty to sensual and sexy. I found myself laughing out loud more than once and coming to a complete standstill with all of my attention fixed on my earbuds when things began to heat up. Whew! I needed a cold drink more than once, that’s for sure. But it’s how he captured Milo’s passion, exhaustion, and frustration that really impressed me because it took me from listening to an audiobook to hanging out with a friend whose life has become a bit too much and just needs to vent about it. Even after listening to American Fairytale for the fourth time this week – I wasn’t kidding when I said I was addicted – I’m still transported to Milo and Tom’s Harlem and even more amazing is that I hear something new on each listen. I wasn’t sure that Herrera was going to be able to top American Dreamer, but American Fairytale did just that. I so cannot wait for the next book in the series to see how she outdoes herself again and I sincerely hope that Crisden is able to continue narrating this fabulous series. Just like Herrera’s couples, theirs is a perfect match for this band of Dreamers.

On a side note, it was fascinating to have listened to Tom’s experiences as a white-presenting Dominican man when compared to Nesto’s experiences as a Dominican man who looks traditionally Dominican. I’m glad I was able to listen to American Dreamer and American Fairytale back-to-back because it emphasized that disparity even more than I’d probably been aware of having only listened to book two.

Also Available in the Dreamers Series

Book 1
Buy Links

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B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Carina Press – Harlequin

For reviews & more info, check out our American Dreamer post.

Adriana Herrera was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last fifteen years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings.

When’s she not dreaming up love stories, planning logistically complex vacations with her family or hunting for discount Broadway tickets, she’s a social worker in New York City, working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Connect with Adriana

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Sean Crisden

I have been a professional voice artist since 2006 (wait, people pay me for this?) but my history extends further than that. As a child, I was known as “Radio Man” for the articulate, listenable qualities within my voice. I don’t know any other kid who took quite so much pleasure in standing up and reading out loud Tikki Tikki Tembo or Bunnicula for their class.

This lead to an early pursuit of performing and I performed for nearly a decade with the prog rock band Divided Sky as vocalist and guitar player. I have expanded my abilities into on-camera acting, appearing in numerous commercials and films including M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender. I was even fortunate enough to act in and choreograph the combat sequences in Le Meduse Rouge.

I continue to grow, develop and refine my talents in an ongoing effort to find fulfillment by drinking of my creative well. I also train in several martial arts and do my best despite the lure of my bed and apple pie to stay in excellent physical shape.

Connect with Sean

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of American Fairytale (Dreamers #2) by Adriana Herrera to read and review. Angela reviewed her personal copy of the audiobook narrated by Sean Crisden.

Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter

Set in the same world as Faith Hunter’s New York Times bestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, the third, thrilling Soulwood novel stars Nell Ingram, who draws her powers from deep within the earth.

Nell Ingram has always known she was different. Since she was a child, she’s been able to feel and channel ancient powers from deep within the earth. When she met Jane Yellowrock, her entire life changed, and she was recruited into PsyLED—the Homeland Security division that polices paranormals. But now her newly formed unit is about to take on its toughest case yet.

A powerful senator barely survives an assassination attempt that leaves many others dead—and the house he was visiting burns to the ground. Invisible to security cameras, the assassin literally disappears, and Nell’s team is called in. As they track a killer they know is more—or less—than human, they unravel a web of dark intrigue and malevolent motives that tests them to their limits and beyond.

Book 3
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
Flame in the Dark is the third installment of the Soulwood series and cannot be read as a standalone. I strongly suggest reading in series order. While this is a sister series to Jane Yellowrock, it can be easily read independently while sharing the same urban fantasy universe and a few major side characters.

I had a slight problem with the last installment, simply because it felt more inundated with details in a police procedural than Urban Fantasy or Paranormal, all at the expense of character building. There is more of a balance during Flame in the Dark, Nell's personality and her growth taking on a larger role, which made reading more enjoyable and less tedious for me this go around.

There is more of a laid-back, living her life feel, which I appreciated because it meant I could fall into the story and find something that would resonate within me, instead of a laundry list of details, description, and jargon tossed about. Nell is still dealing with the affects growing up in a religious cult, how it affected her mentality and changed how she views herself and the world around her. These facets are what makes Nell fascinating to me.

This supernatural whodunit, where Nell and her PsyLED team are sleuthing out the clues, involves a murdered senator. Sometimes I'm curious about the police work in books, other times I'm not. I'm not necessarily a reader who reads to figure out the clues, nor am I one who is exclusively drawn to the romance of it all, but I do like a little of each. It's the character building and growth of all the characters that is my driving force. Without spoilers, I did enjoy this crime-solving better than the previous installment.

Highly recommend to fans of Faith Hunter and the Jane Yellowrock series, and those who enjoy a different take on Urban Fantasy, featuring a woman who communes and commands the earth beneath her feet. Luckily, I have the newest in the series to look forward to in the very near future.

Also Available in the Soulwood Series

Book 1
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For reviews & more info, check out our Blood of the Earth post.

Book 2
Buy Links

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For reviews & more info, check out our Curse on the Land post.

New York Times Bestselling author Faith Hunter writes three series: the Jane Yellowrock series, dark urban fantasy novels featuring Jane, a Cherokee Skinwalker; the Rogue Mage novels, a dark, urban fantasy/post-apocalyptic series and role playing game featuring Thorn St. Croix; and the Soulwood Series featuring Nell Nicholson Ingram.

Connect with Faith

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Brought to you by

Erica reviewed her personal copy of Flame in the Dark (Soulwood #3) by Faith Hunter for this post.

Curse on the Land by Faith Hunter

Set in the same world as Faith Hunter’s New York Times bestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, the second Soulwood novel tells the story of a woman whose power comes from deep within the earth...

Before Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she had no one to rely on, finding strength only in in her arcane connection to the dark woods around her. But now she has friends in the newly-formed PsyLED team to keep her grounded—even if being part of the agency responsible for policing paranormals presents dangers of its own...

After training at the PsyLED academy, Nell returns home to her woods to find the land feeling sick and restless. And that sickness is spreading. With the help of her team, under the leadership of agent Rick LaFleur, Nell tries to determine the cause. But nothing can prepare them for the evil that awaits: an entity that feeds on death itself. And it wants more...

Book 2
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆
3 Tediously Boring stars.

I need to preface this review by stating I devoured the first in this series, Faith Hunter is the Urban Fantasy author I'm most likely to recommend to fellow readers, and Jane Yellowrock series is an all-time favorite of mine. The first in this series was fresh, unique, with one of the most intriguing main characters I've read to-date. Nell.

Something happened. Sophomore curse, maybe. Where the first book was killer, the second book is usually a bit rocky. This is the second installment in the Soulwood series and it cannot be read independently as a standalone, as it directly ties to the first installment.

At the start, Nell graduated Spook School, joining the team to work preternatural cases. The Nell we all came to know and love was not on the pages. She was an ex-cult-member, a young widow, and unsure what her talents where or whether or not she was even human. She communed with her land, putting it above all else. She was slightly cold after her upbringing and socially inept by today's standards, as she lived off the grid in a lifestyle more befitting the early twentieth century than today's world. She modernized so quickly, after a quarter of a century of living one way, and only four months of another, that Nell felt like an entirely different character who had no personality whatsoever.

In this installment, the tedious details murdered the story, dragging the pacing down, until there was nothing of any interest on most of the pages. See my disclaimer on how much of a fan I am of the author and understand how I do not make that judgment lightly.

Not only would Nell explain every single article of clothing, every time she dressed, she would also have on the pages a list of which belongings were on her person, right down to pens and paper, laptop and cellphone, and all the devices and gadgets that came along with the job. Once was enough, maybe two or three times during the novel as a reminder when those items became of use, but this occurred several times per chapter.

When Nell spoke, long gone was that backwoods, backward widow who grew up in a cult, but was someone who spoke more technical than Ricky Bo, who was her boss. Was I proud she was so intelligent? Sure. But I wanted Nell back.

Clinical. Cold. Redundant. Unemotional. A seasoned investigator of one of the most boring paranormal mysteries I've ever encountered, dead geese and oddly behaving deer around a pound. Missing was the connection to Soulwood, her family, the disturbing culture of the cult, the bond she was forming with her new colleagues, and the budding tension with Occam.

While beyond professional in the sleuthing, the reader needs something personal to draw them in, have the story resonate, so it doesn't feel as if we're reading a textbook. The first book had so much to offer...

Nell would draw the reader into experiencing the events, then would rehash it with Ricky Bo, and then would yet again with any colleague not present, ad nauseam, repeat it all again and again, making one event seem like ten in the scope of the pages. Only to do another event in the next chapter in the same manner. It wasn't interesting the first time around, riddled with tech-speak, clinical terms, and all matter of things that will go over most readers' heads. Most of which will get skim-read after the first part of the novel, as they are repeated nonstop thereafter with no need to read it YET AGAIN.

Never would I have guessed this book would be a struggle to even read a chapter at a time. Not after I thoroughly looked forward to it after such a promising debut in this series, which I felt shined so brightly, instead of being cast in Jane Yellowrock's shadow, which was a fear of mine. Only now, during book two, the voice of the story, the characterization, and the 'feel' weren't there.

I'm going to be honest. If you can skip 20% of a novel and not be confused when you pick up reading, not missing anything, even in an investigation, there's no substance and all filler, with unnecessary details, devoid of character development.

I do feel badly giving a critical review, and I hope the next in the series is given new life – a spark of something worth holding onto for the reader. That spark that makes us anticipate what's to come next. The debut was so promising, amazing, with characters who were beyond intriguing. Had I read the second book first, or read this series prior to Jane Yellowrock, I would have missed out on so much entertainment, because I would have cut my losses and passed other books by. It's that promise of what I know could come in other books that will have me read the third installment.

Also Available in the Soulwood Series

Book 1
Buy Links

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For reviews & more info, check out our Blood of the Earth post.

New York Times Bestselling author Faith Hunter writes three series: the Jane Yellowrock series, dark urban fantasy novels featuring Jane, a Cherokee Skinwalker; the Rogue Mage novels, a dark, urban fantasy/post-apocalyptic series and role playing game featuring Thorn St. Croix; and the Soulwood Series featuring Nell Nicholson Ingram.

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Erica reviewed her personal copy of Curse on the Land (Soulwood #2) by Faith Hunter for this post.

Kept by Maya Banks

From the author of Mastered and Dominated comes the third of the Enforcers novels. Kept is the searing story of a woman who finds sanctuary in surrender...

He can’t change who he is.

A horrific childhood has made Silas the man he is today: dangerous, distrustful and demanding. He’s lived in self-imposed solitude, convinced that no woman could ever accept his need for absolute control—in business and pleasure. That is, until a young violinist walks into one of his buildings and into his life.

She can’t change what she wants.

Hayley has been struggling to fulfill her father’s dying wish: for her to attend a prestigious music school in New York City. But even working multiple jobs, she can’t afford the tiniest of apartments. Seeing her hopeless and near tears, Silas vows to help and protect her, no matter the cost to himself. But when Hayley meets his every demand with unwavering acceptance and love, he is overwhelmed by her goodness and gentle spirit. He knows that the dark stain on his soul can never be erased—and rather than risk destroying the most beautiful person he's ever experienced, he'll have to do the hardest thing he's ever had to do. Let her go. But he's totally unprepared for the lengths to which Hayley will go to fight for his love and for a future brighter than the sun...

Book 3
Buy Links

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B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F BDSM Romance

This is the third book in the series, and I liked this one much better. You get to see Silas and how his past shaped who he is today. But you also get to see him change for the better with the help of Haley.

Haley is struggling after her father passed away and the insurance company refused to pay out on the policy. She is amazingly talented with a violin and despite working herself in order to make ends meet, she always finds time for her music. When she has to look for a new place to live, she isn't too hopeful.

Silas, for all of his faults, is so loyal to Drake that he sometimes can't see his own life without his position with Drake. When he sees Haley, he's instantly drawn to her. She's pure and innocent, goodness to his darkness. When he realizes that he can help her, he jumps at the chance.

Haley and Silas' romance is whirlwind. But dotted with issues and dominance, Haley knows her own mind and wants to show Silas that he is more than he believes. Silas was so upset with Drake during books one and two when Drake was unable to see how amazing Evangeline was, and in this book, yep, you guessed it... Silas has the same issue.

I was slightly miffed that a lot of the conflict between Silas and Haley was directly related to Drake and it wasn't ever really discussed. Overall, this was a sweet story about acceptance, love, fighting for what you want, and ultimately, finding a family. I wish that Maddox at least had gotten his own story and was disappointed that this was the last one.

Also Available in The Enforcers Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Mastered Release post and Mastered BYOB post.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Dominated post.

Maya Banks is a multiple #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author whose chart toppers have included erotic romance, romantic suspense, contemporary romance, Scottish historical romances. She is the author of the Breathless Trilogy, the Surrender Trilogy, the KGI novels, the Sweet series, and the Colters Legacy novels. She lives in Southeast Texas.

Connect with Maya

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Avid Reader reviewed her personal copy of Kept (The Enforcers #3) by Maya Banks for this post.