Reading series books and rereading Omorphi

Forbidden (Planet Alpha #5)by J.J. Lore 4*
BLURB: Working to heal wounded Alphan warriors is the new duty of bondmates Leo and Deklan. Although recovered from severe injuries received on the field of battle, they are no longer fit to fight. Their orderly, all-male existence is turned upside down when an injured human female becomes their new responsibility.
Aura Tremain wakes up in an alien hospital, healing from a beating delivered by the scaly Xyrans who’d kidnapped her. Upon her discharge, two handsome Alphan men offer her refuge until she’s well enough to travel.
Even though Leo and Deklan know they will never be permitted to bond with Aura as their souls demand, they can’t ignore the desire she stirs in them. Her time with them is short, but so intense. Will the intimacies they share be strong enough to withstand the expectation that bondmates are for battle-worthy warriors? Can their passion bind the three of them forever?
My Review This was (currently) the last one of the Planet Alpha series for me to read. As in all the other ones the story was interesting and erotic. In this case though it had a pair of Alphan's who were not the apex of warrior fitness and health but were still very, very hot and sexy. I loved the bad-ass attitude of Aura and thought she coped well with everything that happened to her. I especially liked the ending and the way it was so different from the previous ones I'd read.




Elijah's Ghost (A Wizard's Touch #4) by Amber Kell 4*
BLURB: It only takes one event to change the world.
Elijah Trenton had always been considered a weak wizard. With little magic and an overpowering father he’d expected to spend his life teaching. When an accident reveals his ability to talk to the dead, new possibilities open up.
Devin Stewartson had been eyeing Elijah for months. The shy redhead drew his eye from that first day, and only the thought of a relationship had him shying away. When Elijah saves Devin’s life, Devin decides some things are worth a chance.
Old enemies and new adversaries try to tear the two men apart, but love can withstand most anything and even death can’t part two men fated to be together.
My Review: I enjoyed reading another one in 'A Wizard's Touch' series but this one had a few twists and turns I hadn't expected. I don't want to say too much in case I give them away but I will add that I loved Reaper and hope to see him mentioned in future books. He might even replace Gideon as my favourite character in the series now.

The reread of Omorphi is just as emotional as the first read - why do I do this to myself? Oh yeah, I enjoy a good in depth heart breaker once in a while, especially if it has a happy ending :D

Record breaking

The Craft Club had their yarn bombing on Bank Holiday Monday and smashed the record with 13,388 pieces of crochet on display. Makes me feel proud to have been a small part of it (click on the link to see all the wonderful photos).

So on the reading front I have caught up with all the downloadable stories from Love's Landscape from before the Goodreads M/M Romance Group's 5th anniversary celebrations. Now to see if I can keep up with the remaining ones :D

Game On by Olley White 4*

Woven by Lor Rose 3*

Into the Wastelands by Gwynn Marssen 5*

Blood In The Water (An Act of Piracy, #1) by Tami Veldura 5*

Fleece, Fleas, and Flirtation by Ava Penn 4*

Omissions by Taylor Law 4*

One Step at a Time by S.N. Kat 4*

Apart from reading the above I also read two more Planet Alpha stories and listened to an audio book or two whilst starting on my gift crocheting.

Bondmate (Planet Alpha #1)by J.J. Lore 4*
BLURB: Decorated Alphan warriors Mateen and Bynton are on a clandestine mission to one of Earth’s refugee camps, in search of the one woman who might complete their bond. Tempering their instincts to capture and hold, both men realize they must court their chosen woman to win her trust.
Avanelle Rein is merely trying to survive in the chaos of a dying society. The last thing she expects is rescue at the hands of golden-skinned alien men. Despite her attraction to them, she fears their warrior ferocity.
Facing danger from Xyran raiders draws the three together as they explore their new relationship and one another. An unexpected challenge during an ancient claiming right forces Avanelle, Bynton, and Mateen to decide if their bond is strong enough to survive.
My Review: For me this was yet another great erotic, adventure story from the Planet Alpha series even though it is the first in the series. It's really fun to see how each author has their own twist on the ménage relationships predominant in these stories.

Proposition (Planet Alpha #3) by Beth D. Carter 4*
BLURB: Geoffrey DeWinter and his wife Keirah live on a dying Earth. The only refuge is an alien world that needs human women as mates, only Keirah refuses to leave her husband to save herself. Geoff decides to bring them to an auction house that takes married couples, accepting that he will have to share her with another.
Their shuttle is attacked by Xyran raiders looking for women and it's Keirah who defends them. When Captain Krig sees Keirah looking like an angel come to life, he wants her. The Alphan warrior wants her enough to accept her husband, thinking he will deal with Geoff in some way or another. But when a vengeful Xyran comes after Keirah they have to take refuge on a wilderness moon, forcing them to work together to survive. Is their love for Keirah enough to turn them into a family?
My Review: This was a lot different to the others in as much as the heroine was already happily married before meeting her Alphan mate. I liked the way Beth managed to show how the two guys interacted with each other without making the whole story clichéd and sloppy. I hope that the Planet Alpha stories continue to be this good.


Audiobook: Sunrise Alley by Catherine Asaro Narrated by: Hilary Huber Narration: 5 Story: 5

Audiobook: Magic's Promise The Last Herald Mage, Book 2 by Mercedes Lackey Narrated by: Gregory Nassiff St. John Narration : 5 Story: 5

Sunday Statements

I, Omega by Kari Gregg 4*
BLURB: After one mind-shattering night with a stranger at a local leather bar leaves him forever changed, Gabriel lives on the streets as a vagrant to elude the master who hunts him, but the were-shifter is a fierce, stubborn predator who reclaims him soon enough. Gabriel is carried away to the pack’s home territory where his instruction on what it means to be the pet of an alpha begins. Gabriel isn’t just any pet, though. He is the rarest among their kind: a human omega.
Treasured? Or cursed?
As Gabriel’s father, the Distinguished Gentleman from Pennsylvania and stalwart of the conservative party, pushes the considerable resources at his disposal to locate his missing son, Gabriel explores who and what he is under his master’s careful protection. Gabriel falls for the shifter who is lover and destroyer, owner and...friend?

My Review: This book is not for everyone - the beginning is quite brutal in a way and I almost gave up on it. However the character of Gabriel got me hooked and I couldn't wait to find out what was going on and how he was going to deal with the strangeness all around him. I also started feeling in sympathy with Gabriel's Master (who's name we do eventually learn) and his character added a whole new dimension to the story for me. Without giving anything away about the story I can only say it gets better than it's rather hardcore start and is worth reading if you like m/m and shifters.

Damaged (Planet Alpha #6) by Erin M. Leaf 4*
BLURB: Cori knows her Xyran captivity has damaged her ability to trust, but when she meets Reiyn, desire flares despite her fear. He’s clearly hiding something, but when a distress call sends them into space together, passion takes over.
Cori enflames Reiyn like no other female ever has. She threatens his control over his hidden Xyran heritage, but he can’t fight his instincts. When his true nature is exposed during the daring rescue of a dying Xyran captain, will Cori forgive him, or will he continue his life’s work alone?
Captain Kyuk welcomes death when his ship is destroyed. He doesn’t expect to survive, but when Cori and Reiyn find him, instinct pushes him to live. He’s spent years smuggling slaves to freedom—can he now give up his own liberty to bond with Cori and Reiyn? Or is he too damaged to build that kind of emotional connection?

My Review: Luckily for me these can all be read as standalones as I am not reading them in order. This one was as good as the previous ones I've read with a short but intense story about a woman meeting her alien mates.

***
I took a small break from the Love's Landscape stories and only read these two:

Kiss of Truth by Ash Jay 3*

Triskellion by Jana Denardo 5*

And because I have done a lot of crocheting (See Here for more info on that) I also listened to these audiobooks:

Audiobook: The Pack or the Panther (Tales of the Harker Pack, #1) by Tara Lain Narrated by: Max Lehnen Narration: 4 Story: 5

Audiobook: A Wolf In Gucci Loafers (Tales of the Harker Pack, #2) by Tara Lain Narrated by: Max Lehnen Narration: 4 Story: 5

Reviewing books again

Broken (Planet Alpha #2) by Erin M. Leaf 4*
BLURB: When Sky finds a critically injured Xyran warrior, she can’t just let him die. She drags the unconscious alien home and dresses his wounds. He’s difficult and arrogant, but she’s more than enough woman to deal with him until he’s gone. So what if he intrigues her? The last thing she can afford to do is fall for an alien.
Jaxt knows the betrayers who left him for dead on Earth will not live long: his bond-kin, Zoen, will paint the warship’s walls with their blood. All he must do now is wait for Zoen to come. Unfortunately, the human woman who found him rouses his deepest instincts… Instincts he’d forgotten he had.
When Zoen finds Jaxt on Earth, he’s not sure he approves of the female who cared for his kin. However, when Sky kills a Xyran about to attack, he understands Jaxt’s insistence that she is their mate. Any female who shows such courage is worthy of his blood, and maybe even his heart.

My Review: I have only just found this series and am enjoying it immensely. The Aliens are really interesting and the heroine in this one was strong and feisty just he way I like them.

A Gamma's Choice (Under Wolves #1) by Amber Kell
BLURB: Sometimes werewolves are the good guys.
Kaden has always dreamt of cooking. His family scoffs at his wish to help out the war effort and think he's wasting himself joining a pack.
Gage is the Alpha of his pack and loves his mate Russ with everything he has. But, although the beta wolf loves him back, Gage isn't Russ’ mate. In a quirk of nature, their bond is one-sided and while Gage holds as tightly as he can, he can feel his lover slipping away.
Russ loves his Alpha, but a piece of him always longs for what could be. He doesn't want to hurt his lover-but how much better would life be if he could have a mate of his own?
Three men with different goals discover the difference between love and mating and how sometimes what you want may not necessarily what you need.

My Review: This was a typical mind candy story by Amber Kell and I liked it. It certainly made for an interesting concept of Good Werewolves and Evil vampires. As a background to this triad's love story it was well written and a good set up for a new series by Amber Kell.

I have also read a few more LL stories and crocheted this (trying to decide if I should add a spider to it, which is weird given I am an arachnophobe!!)

LL stories were:
Silver Embers by Becca Finn 5*
Checking Him Out by Debbie McGowan 2*