Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us into a family dark with shadowy secrets, as the world of the Psy teeters on the edge of a final catastrophic collapse...

Daughter of two ruthless high-Gradient telepaths, Auden Scott is not the child her Psy parents wanted or expected, even before her brain injury. Her thoughts are scattered, her memories fuzzy—or just terrifyingly blank. The only thing she knows for certain is that she must protect her unborn baby... a baby she has no recollection of conceiving and who draws an unnerving depth of interest from her dead mother’s closest associates.

Leopard alpha Remi Denier is a man driven by the primal instinct to protect. Protect his pack, protect his allies... and protect the mysterious woman who has become a most unlikely neighbor. With eerie eyes that see too much and a scent that alters in ways disturbing and impossible, Auden Scott is the enemy... but nothing about this strange Psy is what it seems, and Remi’s feline heart is as fascinated by her as his human half.

Then Auden asks Remi to help her shatter the wall of secrets that is the Scott bloodline. What they unearth will reveal a nightmare beyond imagination. This time, the battle is to the death...

Don’t miss our reviews of other books in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series!
For book one, Silver Silence, click HERE.
For book two, Ocean Light, click HERE.
For book three, Wolf Rain, click HERE.
For book four, Alpha Night, click HERE.
For book five, Last Guard, click HERE.
For book six, Storm Echo, click HERE.

 

 

Book 8
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  Kobo
Hardcover (US)  ~  Berkley Romance

Audiobook (US)
Narrated by Angela Dawe

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
I have been waiting for this book since book seven.

Auden Scott. The daughter of Shoshanna Scott and Henry Scott. A broken Psy even before the PsyNet began to fail. Auden, who had carved out a somewhat simple life, is now on edge as her brain injury seems to be getting worse.

Remi Denier, the Alpha of RainFire, is a dominant – alpha – feline who finally accepted the mantle of leadership and formed his own pack. Buying land in the middle of nowhere Colorado, his plans for his pack are to lead a simple life – staying away from trouble.

But what happens when trouble finds him? News of Auden Scott inheriting the property adjacent to him makes a cat curious. Auden is not what he expects, even for a Psy. She's distant, almost as if she isn't processing what she's actually seeing. As if someone else is staring out of her eyes.

Auden doesn't know what is going on with her. She doesn't remember a lot of things that have been happening to her since the death of her mother, including getting pregnant. But she knows that her child is the answer to the question she doesn't remember.

The continuing world-building in this series is nice, but it also limits the story between Remi and Auden. I would have like to have seen more development between the main and supporting characters. The cameos of characters from other books gives added depth to Primal Mirror.

I really enjoyed this book, staying up late to read it all in one night. Then going back for a re-read the same week.


Erica – ☆☆☆
Primal Mirror is the eighth installment in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series as well as the 23rd installment in the Psy-Changeling Series. Primal Mirror cannot be read as a standalone. However, it can be read out of series order if familiar with the overall world-building, where you've read the majority of the series.

I need to preface this review by stating how I feel as if the overarching world-building and backstory is overly complex and completely buries the story attempting to be told. Added in with the female main character suffering from a brain injury, the beginning of the novel was nearly impossible to enjoy, filled with nothing but confusion, the need to make a spreadsheet to order events, and not much of entertainment value. It was purposefully confusing, not truly focused on either of the main characters, overshadowing any romance or connection the main characters may or may not have felt to one another.

I adored this series, as well as all of the other series Nalini Singh has written. I know this series like the back of my hand, not confused by events that have taken place. But there is an overall chaotic, end of days feeling to the novels as of late, which erases any feel-good emotions and entertainment value I may experience. Reading this series has become stressful, so it's difficult to root for the main couple in each novel, as their romance and connection is completely smothered by the never-ending plot arc that binds these novels into a series.

This series has become a slog, no longer pleasurable to read and enjoy as a couple finds their way to one another. I love angst, drama, and suspense, not one for in-my-face romance, but the overly complex world-building and backstory are drowning the main plot in the past few installments.

Auden Scott inherits the land next to Leopard Alpha Remi Denier's pack lands. She is suffering from a debilitating brain issue which stems from her family utilizing medical procedures outside of her consent, added in with the fact that she is also pregnant, which was a medical procedure outside of her consent, without her knowledge, which adds into the inability to remember events.

Auden Scott is a difficult character to connect with, not only because of the abuses she has suffered at the hands of her family, but the fact that she doesn't even remember these abuses, remember much of anything really. The ultimate of an unreliable narrator. How can the reader know Auden when she doesn't know anything about herself either? I could empathize and sympathize, but I was left feeling as confused as she was.

Remi Denier is easier to understand, especially since he is a reliable narrator. His narration easier to digest, but it is still overshadowed by all the hundreds of plots coming together to where the reader doesn't get to know him well enough to connect with him.

I wanted to love Auden and Remi, but I never got to know them. I wanted to ship them as a couple, but they barely shared any time together on the pages to develop a connection with one another and to the reader. A slow-burn vibe with no passion, no connection, or sexual attraction. Auden is suffering across the board, pregnant, and dealing with issues with her family and the PsyNet, she had no room for romance, so what little romance there was seemed oddly misplaced and paced.

This novel did not work for me. Auden and Remi used as a vehicle to continue to slog through the tangled, overly complex, anxiety-ridden, chaotic backstory and world-building, which I personally do not find very entertaining.

 

 

New York Times bestselling author NALINI SINGH is passionate about writing. Though she’s traveled as far afield as the deserts of China, the Highlands of Scotland, and the frozen landscapes of Antarctica, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her most. She’s beyond delighted to be able to follow her dream as a writer. Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand. You can contact her directly through her website. While visiting the site, Nalini invites you to join her newsletter for up-to-date news about both the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, as well as fun exclusive extras, including free short stories set in her worlds.

Connect with Nalini Singh!

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

ARC provided by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided with a free copy of Primal Mirror (Psy-Changeling Trinity #8) by Nalini Singh to read and review.

Archangel's Lineage by Nalini Singh

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s dangerous and beautiful world of archangels, vampires, and mortals has never faced a threat this cataclysmic…

Raphael and Elena are experiencing their first ever year of true peace. No war. No horrors of archangelic power. No nightmares given flesh. Until… the earth beneath the Refuge begins to tremble, endangering not only angelkind’s precious and fragile young, but the very place that has held their most innocent safe for eons.

Amid the chaos, Elena’s father suffers a violent heart attack that threatens to extinguish their last chance to heal the bonds between them and make sense of the ruins of their agonizing shared history.

Even as Elena battles grief, Raphael is torn from her side by the sudden disappearance of an archangel. But worse yet is to come. An Ancestor, an angel unlike any other, stirs from his Sleep to warn the Cadre of a darkness so terrible that it causes empires to fall and civilizations to vanish.

This time, even the Cadre itself may not be able to stop a ticking clock that is counting down at frightening speed…

Don’t miss our reviews of other books in the Guild Hunter series!
For book #10, Archangel's Viper, click HERE.
For book #11, Archangel's Prophecy, click HERE.
For book #12, Archangel's War, click HERE.
For book #13, Archangel's Sun, click HERE.
For book #14, Archangel’s Light, click HERE.
For book #15, Archangel’s Resurrection, click HERE.

 

 

Book 16
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  Kobo
Paperback (US)
Berkley (PRH)

Audiobook (US)
Narrated by Justine Eyre

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
Archangel's Lineage is the 16th installment of the Guild Hunter series. It cannot be read as a standalone and all 15 previous novels must be read in order.

A sense of finality upon completion. A warmth that all is right in the Guild Hunter universe. I have no idea if this is the final installment, but I can't see how the series moves forward unless in a different era or focusing on different characters. The stage is set for Vivek, which I would be ecstatic to read.

Archangel's Lineage felt like old-school Guild Hunters with how Elena revisits past characters not shown often in later novels.

Time has passed since the Cascade and wars. Some peace has been found by the awake Archangels in the Cadre, but all those recent events shifted the balance. A balance that needs to be reset.

A series of natural disasters occur as Elena sits at her father's bedside. While these two events do not connect, they inspire similar emotions and mindsets.

Bittersweet wistfulness. A sense of urgency to right past wrong, heal old wounds, clear up miscommunications, and give forgiveness. A gamut of raw, real emotions.

Elena is discovering the price to no longer being mortal, as the passage of time slowly draws her family from her. Elena's younger sister is experiencing age-related issues, as they watch the youngest sisters grow into adults and have children of their own. The eldest niece and goddaughter are grown young women now. Elena and her family come full circle in the loss of their matriarch and two elder sisters, something that has ridden shotgun since the opener of book one.

Information on the ancients comes to light, which adds to the mythology of their creation and existence, as well as their place in not only the world but in time as well.

The Cadre must come together in unity with the help of an unlikely yet surprising ally.

A wonderful addition to a favorite series of mine, even if Singh overcomplicates some portions unnecessarily and adds many points of view (some only a paragraph in length) that probably lend more value versus confusion on a reread.

I had planned on a reread, but I think I'll try the audiobook version next. I'm curious to hear the series brought to life.

 

 

New York Times bestselling author NALINI SINGH is passionate about writing. Though she’s traveled as far afield as the deserts of China, the Highlands of Scotland, and the frozen landscapes of Antarctica, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her most. She’s beyond delighted to be able to follow her dream as a writer. Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand. You can contact her directly through her website. While visiting the site, Nalini invites you to join her newsletter for up-to-date news about both the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, as well as fun exclusive extras, including free short stories set in her worlds.

Connect with Nalini Singh!

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

 

ARC provided by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided with a free copy of Archangel's Lineage (Guild Hunter #16) by Nalini Singh to read and review.

Cold Hearted Casanova by L.J. Shen

From USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen comes a witty romance about a woman desperate to marry into money… and her fake marriage to a (real) billionaire reluctant to commit even to a zip code.

Riggs Bates may be a billionaire, but he knows money can’t buy happiness. He keeps his financial status a secret and takes his women the same way he takes his meals—a different one three times a day. That’s until he’s caught sleeping with a married newswoman by none other than her ambitious assistant.

Daphne “Duffy” Markham wants two things in life: marry well and stay in the States. So when her almost-fiancé takes off to “find himself” and her work visa approaches expiration, Duffy resorts to the only thing she has left—blackmail. Luckily, Riggs needs an excuse to stay in New York as badly as she does, so their first meeting quickly leads to a begrudging engagement.

Armed with strict house rules and their mutual distaste for one another, Riggs and Duffy soon find there’s no denying the spark between them… or the fact that this fake marriage is starting to feel a little too real.

Don’t miss our reviews of other books in the Cruel Castaways series!
For book one, Ruthless Rival, click HERE.

 

 

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Paperback (US)

Audiobook (US)
Narrated by Heather Long & Tor Thom
~ Also Available to Read & Listen with KindleUnlimited ~

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
Cold Hearted Casanova is the third and final installment in the Cruel Castaways series.

Can the novel be read as a standalone? Yes

Should the novel be read as a standalone? No.

While no confusion would be had for a new reader, you'd miss out on the backstory of our three cruel castaways and their cameos in each other's novels.

Having read and listened to the previous installments, Ruthless Rival (Christian) was a hook for me, while Fallen Foe (Arsene) wasn't my cuppa. I was on the fence about Cold Hearted Casanova because of the previous installment.

From page one, I was hooked. This novel could have been read in one sitting, but life called me back to reality. That being said, I'm glad, as I was able to stretch out the delightful escape for three days.

Riggs is different from his Alpha-Hole friends. Riggs brought levity to every page, no matter the content. No hard edges. No cruelty. This made for a warmer, fluffier, sweeter yet more emotionally impacting read. Hyper-realistic.

Fake marriage for a visa. Duffy, the self-proclaimed gold digger. Riggs, the vagabond billionaire.

While Duffy and Riggs appear to be opposites attract or opposite personalities balance, I didn't see it that way. They had similar personalities, similar traumas, and they reacted differently. Riggs was breezy while Duffy was regimented but their core personalities were similar.

The story was delightful, humorous, yet evocative. The humor didn't lessen the deeper emotions, but it did bring much-needed levity to brighten the darkness.

The family interactions shined brightly. Particularly Riggs and Duffy's twin. Heartwarming and hilarious. Riggs engaging in text battles with his boss. Just as I said aloud, are we ever going to see this man... all of this created a well-rounded reading experience.

I am beyond curious to listen to the audiobook to hear Riggs and Duffy's interactions.

Highly recommend this trilogy. Books one and three will be on my reread and re-listen list.


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆☆
I loved Cold Hearted Casanova. Duffy and Christian’s first meeting had me laughing out loud. Christian’s laid-back confidence is sexy and the way Duffy deals with a very embarrassing situation was so impressive. The banter between Duffy and Christian is clever and cheeky right from the beginning and it only gets better as the story progresses.

I’m not a huge fan of fake relationships in books but I think part of the reason that it works so well here is because Duffy and Christian come from very different worlds. She comes from a loving family where money was scarce, whereas he has no family and more money than he could ever need (even though Duffy thinks he is flat broke). I loved seeing Christian and Duffy learn from each other, and this leads to personal growth for both of them.

Parts of Cold Hearted Casanova were amusing and thoroughly entertaining, other parts romantic and sexy, and as we get deep into the book, heartbreaking events lead to many, many tears. The ending was wonderful and I was left feeling incredibly happy. Cold Hearted Casanova is a brilliant romance and I can’t recommend it highly enough.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the third book in the series – and we do meet up with earlier protagonists, so I think I would recommend that you read them in order, but it stands alone too.

The really fun thing about this book is that you know you will love them both by the end, but as you begin the book, you may wonder how that is going to happen! Really and truthfully, they both have their faults – although Riggs’ judgmental behaviour before he knows the facts may be the least tasteful, we soon understand what is behind his assumptions about Duffy.

As the chemistry is clear, even if they don't like what each other appears to represent, it is inevitable that they will engage in some off the charts fun... but when Duffy makes some really caring and generous gestures, Riggs is flummoxed and touched.

Lots of subplots and twists which make this book all the richer – L.J. Shen can be counted upon to deliver a strong story, a clever message, and a fabulous love story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

 

 

 

L.J. Shen is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, and #1 Amazon bestselling author of contemporary, new adult, and young adult romance. Her books have been sold in twenty different countries, and she hopes to visit all of them.

She lives in Florida with her husband, three rowdy sons, and rowdier pets and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows, and reading to her heart’s content.

Connect with L.J. Shen!

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  Twitter  ~  TikTok  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: LJ's Sassy Sparrows

 

 

 

ARC provided by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided with a free copy of Cold Hearted Casanova (Cruel Castaways #3) by L.J. Shen to read and review.

Bromantic Puckboy by Eden Finley & Saxon James Blog Tour

BILSON

The idea of moving away from Seattle was a joke at first.

I have too many failed relationships here. Too much baggage.

So when I find myself signing with Nashville and leaving everything behind, I’m hopeful a new start will cure me of my attachment problems.

I fall fast and hard, and I’m quickly realizing it’s not so easy to escape my emotional damage. That follows no matter where I go.

When my new teammate, rookie goalie Miles Olsen, attaches himself to my side, the media are excited to exploit our bromance. Little do they know, he’s doing me a favor by keeping me away from making mistakes with women.

That’s the deal we made at the beginning of the season, but as time goes on, and we’re both going through a dry spell, Miles suggests a different arrangement. One I’ve never contemplated. One I shouldn’t consider.

One I can’t stop thinking about.

MILES

My first day as starting goalie for Tennessee is made mildly more terrifying by coming face to face with NHL veteran Cody Bilson. Hero worship? Me? Never!

He reminds me of my old frat buddies; loyal, kind, easy to trade banter with. But my dude is lost and trying to find himself again--without getting married this time.

I want to help him, and while my suggestion might not be conventional, it sure as hell is effective. The only way to make sure he doesn't marry a woman again? Blow off steam with a man instead.

We're both straight, we're both single, and we're both down for a good time.

After all, what are teammates for?

 

 

Book 6
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Paperback (US)

Audiobook (US)
Narrated by Iggy Toma & Alexander Cendese
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shannan – ☆☆☆☆☆
Bromantic Puckboy is the sixth book in the Puckboys series. It can be read as a standalone without issue but with this series, I highly recommend reading the series in the order that the authors intended to get the full effect of the Collective and their friendships.

Cody Bilson has a relationship issue. He's been married four times to women he thought were The One. When it all becomes too much, he requests a trade from Seattle. When he lands in Nashville, he wants it to be his new beginning – for him to not jump into a relationship and mix sex with love. So trying to refrain is the only way he thinks it will work. Being the new guy on the team is tough even if he's been in the league for years, making friends with the new goalie seems like a safe place to start. Taking Miles under his wing is easy, he enjoys the banter and quirky goalie. As their friendship grows, Miles tries to help him out with a suggestion that won't lead to marriage, blow off steam with a man... him. Neither Cody nor Miles is gay but there are definitely some gray areas in their relationship. When Cody takes Miles up on his offer, they agree to not let it get awkward; but what happens when feelings get involved and everything isn't as straight as they thought?

I adored their story. I loved all of Miles’ little quirks and Cody just accepting them for what they were. I was brought to tears when Miles tells his parents about their relationship. It was written very well. I love a successful coming out scene! The chemistry they shared was so easy and explosive. They were never awkward or weird being with a man for the first time, it just worked.

I can't wait for what's next!!


Erica – ☆☆☆☆
Bromantic Puckboy is the sixth installment of the Puckboys series. While it can easily be read as a standalone, it's best to read in order for optimal emotional payoff, as past narrators have cameos and their stories would be spoiled if read out of order.

Not gonna lie, it was a struggle for my head to keep which narrator was which. Bilson and Miles looked the same to me, or read in the same tone. All through the book, I kept having to either page-back to see who was listed as the narrator or use context clues. There were no narrator changes during the chapter but my mind just couldn't keep which narrator was speaking. A combo of their names and near similar voices.

Low drama. Slow-burn romance. Insta-lust.

Both Miles and Bilson were sweethearts. Charming. Awkward. Eccentric. Add in a ratdog and the warm and fuzzy quotient goes through the roof. Realistic stumbling blocks versus manufactured drama.

Bilson is escaping the city where all four of his ex-wives dwell, while attempting to learn from his mistakes.

Miles is a rookie goalie with a strong sense of family.

Both believe they're straight and come to realize they're actually bi in exactly the same way, with no internal struggles.

The sweethearts were super cute, fun, and endearing. This made for a warm and fuzzy read with no drama. Everyone was super supportive with no outside forces at play.

While I enjoyed the lighthearted journey, Miles and Bilson were a bit too much alike, thought processes and speech, so it was like they were the same character but Miles had pet rocks and a fam, while Bilson had a dog and a bunch of ex-wives, and everything else was the same.

It was cute and light, endearing with some humor, but not that deep.


Angie – ☆☆☆☆
I will say I haven't read any of the previous books and I was still able to enjoy this book.

Bilson and Miles captured my heart from the very beginning. I loved watching these two and their bromance blossom into so much more. I loved their silliness, their chemistry, and their journey. Each of them was missing something and needed each other more than they knew. Bilson and Miles just melted my heart.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the sixth book in this series, and a really fun addition to it. Miles and Bilson are just such a fabulous mix of eager new first team goalie, and running from his romantic past experienced NHL veteran, which works from a sports perspective as well as from the bromance one!

There is so much comedic gold in this book, and it will be best experienced fresh, so I will say no more. But alongside the silliness, there is a gorgeous story of friendship, of two people really caring about each other, and of realising much about themselves and each other. It is low angst, delicious intimacy, and has the perfect outcome.

I read it straight through in one go, as I had to know just how Eden Finley and Saxon James were going to give them, and us, just what was needed – mission accomplished, lovely story – and one to go on my reread pile, as it will never fail to raise a smile. Thank you!

 

 

 

EDEN FINLEY is an Amazon bestselling author who writes steamy contemporary romances that are full of snark and light-hearted fluff.

She doesn't take anything too seriously and lives to create an escape from real life for her readers. The ideas always begin with a wackadoodle premise, and she does her best to turn them into romances with heart.

With a short attention span that rivals her son's, she writes multiple different pairings: MM, MMF, and MF.

She's also an Australian girl and apologises for her Australianisms that sometimes don't make sense to anyone else.

Connect with Eden Finley!

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  Twitter  ~  TikTok  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Absolutely Eden

 

SAXON JAMES unapologetically writes happy endings for LGBT+ characters.

While not writing, SM is a readaholic and Netflix addict who regularly lives on a sustainable diet of chocolate and coffee.

Member of SCBWI.

Connect with Saxon James!

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  TikTok  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Saxon's Sweethearts

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Bromantic Puckboy (Puckboys #6) by Eden Finley & Saxon James to read and review.

Damaged Goods by L.J. Shen Release Blitz

From L.J. Shen, the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Vicious and The Kiss Thief, comes a brand new angsty, delicious standalone in the All Saints series. This friends-to-lovers, boy-obsessed romance will make you cry your eyes out and laugh with joy, sometimes on the same page.

Underneath the goody-two-shoes persona is damaged goods… but can the bad boy across the street save her?

Bailey Followhill is the perfect daughter.
Sweet. Charitable. Pretty. Control freak.
Not a hair out of place, not an inch out of line, she is everything her troublemaking sister Daria isn't.
But when her A game turns out to be a lukewarm C- at Juilliard, Bailey's picture-ready life starts fraying faster than the worn satin ribbons of her pointe shoes.
She's becoming a piece of gossip.
The Troubled Child. A drug abuser.
No longer the girl her best friend once knew.

Lev Cole is so golden, he's got the Midas Touch.
Prized quarterback. Football captain. Hottest guy in SoCal. A textbook cliché.
But with a girlfriend he doesn't love and a career path he doesn't value, Lev is coasting.
The only two things he cares about―Bailey and becoming a pilot―are out of reach.

But Lev is done being satisfied with the life others have chosen for him. He wants to pick his own cards. To demolish the seamless kingdom of lies his family stitched together on the ruins his mother left behind.

The question is, can he save his best friend and his dream before too much damage is done?

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the All Saints High series!
For book one, Pretty Reckless, click HERE.
For book two, Broken Knight, click HERE.
For book three, Angry God, click HERE.

 

 

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Audiobook (US) Narrated by Savannah Peachwood, Maxine Mitchell & Aiden Snow
Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited in the US & Ca  ~

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is spin off from a very popular series… which I’m going to have to now admit I have not read! But whilst I recognise I will have missed some backstory, I didn’t feel at a disadvantage overall.

To me, this was a story of missed opportunities – and to give you the least significant yet most shockingly simple example, Bailey has physical injuries which are mentioned as being obvious, yet her parents do not seek medical attention for them, nor seem to even suggest she stops training and make them worse. The fact that they talk rehab repeatedly and yet nothing happens is also frustrating, let alone the supposed searches when we know where the pills are hidden. They are intelligent, wealthy people, who can see a genuine problem, but no one seems able to address it for a very long time. Given Dean and Knight had similar issues, it is even more strange.

Mixing this tragic situation with a long-time best friendship/romance was both confusing and – given Lev was in school and trying to decide his future – piled on the pressure. As a story of how people handle pressure, it took a whole group of families to keep avoiding the issues, and to rely on Lev at a time he needed support not responsibility.

It was great to have Thalia to hate for her role in Bailey’s access to pills. I would have expected to feel that way about some of his teammates, with their use of jealousy and trash talk, but it was brushed over – as was the violence, which thereafter never got mentioned.

For me, the journey to their happily ever after was very painful, and I’m not sure how they would ever really overcome it, but here’s hoping!


Erica – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars

Damaged Goods is the fourth installment of the All Saints High series, which is the spin-off of Sinners of Saint series. Can it be read as a standalone with little to no confusion? Sure. Should you read it as a standalone? No. Should you read the Sinners of Saint series first? Yes.

Since it's been nearly four years since the last installment, those who are foggy on the details may also wish for a refresher/reread.

Now, since those who haven't read the series first have now departed to go read it, that leaves everyone else who is up-to-date. So that helps eliminate spoilers, for the most part.

I'm not going to be harsh but I am not going to lie either, simply because I am a fan of Shen and this series of characters.

I felt as if this novel didn't know what it wanted to be. Was it a novel featuring the chaotic spiral of addiction, the heavy landing of hitting rock bottom, and the inspiring rise back to sobriety? Or was it a childhood best friends-to-lovers romance?

Because it cannot be both, no matter how hard it tried to be. Addiction and the subsequent new sobriety cannot survive romance and sex. Sure, the spiral can feature these concepts, but friendships cannot survive the fallout if you attempt a relationship during this tumultuous time, no matter if they are sober for the rest of their lives. The history of that toxicity hitches a ride on their relationship. So I struggled with the romance aspects.

Perhaps it's my mood. My mindset. My mentality. I'm not in a state of trainwreck to buy into the sex, love, and romance when mixed with all the toxicity. Maybe it's because I survived an addict/drunk and have a low tolerance for this, where the substance abuser is not the only wounded party that needs to heal.

If there was no romance, I may have been able to empathize or sympathize with Bailey, or if the romance bloomed after the healing began. No matter how much Shen used Lev to tell us how awesome Bailey was versus Painkiller Ballerina, I didn't see it. Not in the flashbacks. Not during the novel's journey. I found her to be a narcissistic abuser, where she didn't just abuse substances. Spot on perfect characterization of a manipulative, conniving substance abuser. Bravo, Shen! I just couldn't ship her with Lev... and then to surround Lev with Lookalike Bailey 2.0, who was just as toxic was a bit much for me.

Was the spiral factual and real to life? (Round of applause to Shen!) Were the enablers real to life? Yes, which is why I struggled to find entertainment in reading this novel. I was frustrated on every page, which was affecting my mood in general.

For more than half of the novel, every single character (aside from Bailey) did the wrong thing. Which was doubly confounding considering the history of substance abuse in Lev's family. They all knew the signs, how they weren't to enable, and the steps to heal their loved one. Yet... all they did was threaten to send her to rehab. More than half the book. So frustrating to the point I was getting angry.

It's no wonder Bailey ended up as she did with both of her parents threatening to send her to rehab, day after day as they see their daughter is high... and (drum roll) not actually sending her to rehab. Not the first time. The second time. The third time. The frustration to read this was a palpable thing for me. Imagine that. I guess that is also how her childhood punishments went down as well.

Then there is the dynamic between Lev and Bailey, which I didn't not find cute, or heated, or any of the other emotions other readers may feel. I found it gross due to the imbalance. Bailey is a 20-year-old nearing the end of her freshman year at college who is addicted to painkillers. Lev is a child in high school who is emotionally vulnerable and focusing on what school he wants to go to versus the military and fretting over telling his dad his future plans.

I don't care what the age-gap is or if their physical ages are close together, mentally, emotionally, and intellectually, that is a huge gap. A college-aged adult, who at 20 is generally in their junior year, is playing stupid games with the local high schoolers. This should have given everyone pause. All those parents. Your daughter OD'd and you don't think it weird that she's hanging with high schoolers? It's not sweet. It's not romantic. It's creepy, no matter the gender. And this was something I just couldn't get over the entire time I read.

During Lev and Bailey's banter, I was not titillated. I was aggravated. It was toxic. A grown woman playing head games with the high school student who loves and cares about her, leveraging his own vulnerabilities against him. Then all the inner monologue where Lev is like "I can't touch her in this state. She isn't really in there. This isn't my Bailey. She can't consent in this state." Where the reader is to get hot and bothered. I got bothered, all right. I found it disgusting and toxic that Bailey manipulated Lev to do exactly as he said he wouldn't do, where he'd do some hot AF dirty talk, which was bordering BDSM, that was so far out of his wheelhouse at his age and lack of experience (which was just to titillate the readers at the expense of the characters' relationship to one another or was so far out of character).

I groaned and not in a good way. It was that stuff that lessened the emotional impact of the addiction storyline, which in turn ruined any future romance they could share because there was simply too much toxicity to overcome. I don't care if Painkiller Ballerina was replaced with Lev's Bailey, she is not two different people. Bailey did that. Bailey said that. Bailey manipulated Lev and hurt him time and time again on purpose, and until that was actually truly addressed, she is at risk of backsliding. The romance made it ick for me.

I simply wanted Lev and Dean to go to a deserted isle, where they meet two worthy mates to spend their lives with, away from all the toxic people around them...

Which brings me to another point that seemed to create a war in the reviews: Dean and Dixie. I don't know if all these comments are by people who are too invested in the story (mad props to Shen) or by those who are projecting because they fear their significant other could move on without them. Rosie had a life-threatening disease from word-one of her character being written. It was beyond realistic to have their epic story end as it did. But, as in reality, it would take a horrible human being to wish someone, whether they be fictitious or real, to live out decades of existence in total isolation and loneliness to prove they loved someone. That is not grief – that is not love – that is mental illness, on the part of those who are so vindictive and petty they wish a fictional character to never move on. Am I the only one who wishes Dean a slice of happiness after all that pain and grief? Wowza!

 

 

L.J. Shen is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, and #1 Amazon bestselling author of contemporary, new adult, and young adult romance. Her books have been sold in twenty different countries, and she hopes to visit all of them.

She lives in Florida with her husband, three rowdy sons, and rowdier pets and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows, and reading to her heart’s content.

Connect with L.J. Shen!

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  TikTok  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: LJ's Sassy Sparrows

 

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Damaged Goods (All Saints High #4) by L.J. Shen to read and review.