Wild & Steamy Review

Wild & Steamy

Meljean Brook, Jill Moyles & Carolyn Crane

 Kindle Book

This is a free anthology on paranormal & steampunk romances I picked up a while ago, but have only recently got around to reading. As there are only three stories in this collection I thought I’d review each story separately.

The Blushing Bounder (Iron Seas #0.5) – Meljean Brooks

The search for a killer puts Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth's life in danger and her assistant, Constable Newberry, in the line of fire. But Newberry faces a danger of another kind: to his heart, by the woman forced to marry him. What will it take for this prudish bounder to convince his wife to stay?

This is a nice addition to the Iron Seas world filling in some background information on Mina’s bounder partner, Constable Newberry, his wife and why they came to London. It’s the shortest story but some nice relationship development between both Newberry and Mina and Newberry and his sick wife. The weird and wonderful world of the Iron Seas is touched on briefly with a murder and some unusual cab ride across London adding some colour to the rather sweet romance. A very pleasant story and expansion of a great world. 8 out of 10.

Vixen - Jill Myles

Miko's denied her were-fox nature for far too long and turned her back on her vixen heritage. But when she meets two very sexy cat-shifters, she has to decide if she truly wants to give up on her frisky side, or embrace it. Because the were-fox in her doesn't want to choose between both men...it wants them both.

Miko is a were-fox and as such shares some of her Vixen’s personality traits – such as the inability to settle for one man. So she lives alone in the countryside, but when two were-cats turn up on her door in order to protect her from a local hunt, her instinctive behaviour can’t let her decide between the two of them. For me this was very much in the paranormal romance filter with heavy on the romance. There is some very smexy action, but overall the plot lacked any focus. I usually prefer my PR with more action and story rather than descriptions of sitting around the house. 6 out of 10

Kitten-Tiger and the Monk (Disillusionments #2.5) – Carolyn Crane

Sophia Sidway, Midcity's most dangerous memory revisionist, seeks out the mysterious Monk in the wasteland beneath the Tangle turnpike, hoping for redemption...but it turns out.

A Memory Revisionist is searching for the Monk in order to start a new life, but runs into an old flame. I’ve not read any of the Disillusionment series before but I have to admit I’m intrigued by this short glimpse into the world of Midcity! The characters are different – both damaged and unique with a complicated history, while their world is so completely different to anything I’ve seen before. I definitely want to know more about this world – and luckily I have both Mind Games and Double Cross in my TBR pile. If I can find them, I will be diving into this world again soon! 9 out of 10

Overall, this was a good mix of Steampunk, Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy which should have some appeal for most people and might even get you interested in a couple of new series!

Recommended for fans of Pip Ballantine and Kelly Gay. 7.5 out of 10

Mr Real Review

Mr Real (Code of Shadows #1)

-  Carolyn Crane

Kindle Book

E-copy Courtesy of Carolyn Crane and Netgalley

Alix Gordon is a woman who doesn’t take life too seriously. What’s the fun in that? So when she stumbles across occult software that can bring any computer image to life, she conjures up lots of awesome outfits and accessories. And then, on one drunken, horny night, she conjures up Sir Kendall, the sexy TV ad spy . . . who looks exactly like Paul Reinhardt, the super-sexy martial arts teacher who kicked her out of class three years ago. Fighter Paul Reinhardt has good reason to hate Sir Kendall, the character he brought to life to land a part in a TV ad; he’d do anything to forget him. A cross country road trip seems just the thing . . . until Paul finds himself inexplicably drawn to Minnesota and is shocked to discover Sir Kendall - in the flesh - with the girl he’d once loved from afar. He barges into Alix and Sir Kendall’s love nest, determined to stop the madness - somehow. But is superspy Sir Kendall transforming into something more dangerous anyone can imagine? And what will Sir Kendall do when Paul and Alix finally give into their mad lust for each other?

This is a fun, sexy read that manages to combine magic and technology to create a fantastic premise. Alix has always been considered a bit of a crazy girl – the wild child of her straight-laced family, but when she inherits a house – including a mysterious computer code - from a forgotten aunt, things get really wild, Suddenly Alix can have anything she wants – and she decides she wants sexy, super-spy Sir Kendall from a drinks advert...unfortunately the actor who plays Sir Kendall in real life has something to say about that!

Despite the complicated set up, the story really is about relationships and the three characters all pop off the page. I love Alix’s craziness and her attempts to take responsility and grow up. Fighter and former ad star, Paul is more than just a hot male (although he is that too!). He is struggling with a tough childhood, guilt and meeting Alix again throws up all sorts of emotions. Even Sir Kendall, the spy come to life, is a complete character, determined to save the world but not sure what to make off his ‘twin’ Paul and Alix. He’s more than just an obstacle between Alix and Paul. I love all three of them and the chapters alternate between each point of view so you can really get under their skin. The tension between Alix and Paul is palpable and I liked the way they reconnected after so long.

I read this quickly, keen to know what would happen next. It made me laugh and was such an entertaining read that I can’t wait for another visit to the Code of Shadows... I’m hoping the heroine will be Alix’s friend Karen as she was a great character that really deserves more exploration. Great characters, interesting set up, smouldering relationships and one of the most relaxing and pleasurable romance reads for some time!

Recommended for fans of Ann Aguirre and Rachel Vincent. 8 out of 10