Foul Lady Fortune

I rate this a solid 3.5

There is so much Chinese history in this book. I am impressed with the research Chloe did for this story. If you're after a historical mystery with fantasy elements and fake marriage, then this read may be for you.

Rosalind is a Chinese nationalist spy who used to be an assassin and experimented on in which she cannot age. There are mysterious deaths occurring in Shanghai and it's up to her to investigate. The Japanese imperialists are potential culprits as they start invading the land. But there's also the Chinese communists that Rosalind may have to contend with but also holds suspicion for. She's tasked to be married to another nationalist spy Orion, they get posted to a Japanese company and start to uncover more than they expected. At the same time they keep secrets from one another and are unsure if they can trust one another.

There was a lot going on in this book. You never know if someone is double crossing the other. There are different spies from all sides and you never truly know anyone's motives. Rosalind does seem to be the only one in my opinion who wants to do the right thing, but even she doesn't know if she's on the right side.

Some parts were very slow for me. It definitely ramps up with action within the last 10 chapters. I can see how you could get lost reading this book because there are many characters. On top of this, sometimes they interact with their enemy, so it's hard to tell if they are loyal or make exceptions based on who they are interacting with.

I'm interested enough to see where the story goes. I can only imagine what a lonely life it is for Rosalind if she can't age. So much happened in the end with different characters, you really do want the next book to carry on. I'm hanging to see what happens to Orion.

The Kinsman

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the author for my review copy.

Lara is waiting for her husband Cameron to come home, worries when hours pass and he’s still not home. She receives some unfortunate news about Cameron and is forced to move on. Months pass, she’s pregnant with his child and Cameron’s brother Jason offers a proposal to help. But why doesn’t it seem right?

I can picture this story as a full novel. It definitely had so much gripping tale that you would appreciate an extensive story. This is definitely one of those thrillers that have you questioning the players at hand. Enjoyed this novelette and would love to see what other work this author puts out into the world. It’s a short story but had me engaged the whole time. If you’re after a quick thriller, then this may be for you!

Little Secrets

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dagger! Yes please!

I don't think I pictured him the way he's supposed to look but I don't care. He was hot!

Liked that this filled in the gaps to Little Bird. I enjoyed Dagger's perspective and honestly his spicy scenes were hotter than Bane's from the first book. Found this book to be more entertaining and went to the next level of spiciness.

You wouldn't have guessed that Dagger was seeing Cox in-between all the scenes from the first book, which I found was quite clever. Thought the backstory of Cox was intriguing from the prologue, so was waiting in anticipation to see how it was going to play out.

Again, this book is quite fast paced like Little Bird and I found I read it quickly also.

Little Bird

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have no idea what I was expecting or should have been expecting for a dark mafia romance. I can't say I have read this genre so it's quite new for me.

Bane is a drug lord in LA. One of his dealers Hawk leaves him $50k short and if the money doesn’t show up by the end of the week, it’s his head. Hawk freaks out and let’s his sister Wren know. She’s used to him getting in trouble but not this deep. What does Wren do? March up to Bane’s club Dollhouse to bargain another deal but she doesn’t have anything to offer in return. Bane says if she will be his, and only his for two weeks, then all debt is cleared. Is giving up her freedom to a criminal a good idea? What is she willing to sacrifice for her brother?

If you’re after a fast paced book with lots of spice, then you’ll like this book. I read it in about 5 hours total and it really is easy to read. There’s a lot of spice, so it’s not for the faint hearted.

Not a fan of insta love and I wasn’t fully convinced that Bane, this well known drug lord, would stop in his tracks for Wren. No offence to Wren, I’m sure she’s a lovely person but she had no depth. Give me more substance to them and I’ll love you for it. I wanted a bit more connection - but maybe that's just my preference.

Bane would drop everything for Wren. I guess that’s sweet but he’s a cold hard killer. He fell for her on looks and a bit of her sass to protect her brother. I also wish Wren was slightly more intelligent. It’s like Bane being a bad boy was all it took for her to want to be with him. Also, the whole damsel in distress narrative. She didn’t need Bane to be her saviour for anything and she's strong enough to figure it out.

So what did I like? I actually didn't mind the plot and would've liked a bit more. When dealers were getting hit, I was thinking, will this turn out to be a blown out turf war? Detective Cox hot on Bane's trail was also another part of the story I liked being played out. There were a few twists in there. Bane's right hand man Dagger was mysterious and I wanted to know more about him. He's loyal, hot and I'm here for it.

Different For Boys

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks Tandem Collective and Walker Books for my review copy.

I can’t say that I would know what it’s like to come to terms with one’s sexuality and the prejudice that can come with identifying in whichever way you choose.

Throughout this story, Ant our MC, shows us that he comes from an area where being queer, isn’t necessarily going to be accepted. He has love for his friend Charlie and he can’t define if what they’ve done together counts as losing his virginity. It’s all very secret and Charlie’s homophobic language suggests that he can’t accept this within himself and/or he thinks he wouldn’t be accepted in the outside world. There’s so much internal conflict within him.

Ant is such a sweet human. Even after Charlie loses it at him, basically outing Ant at school, Ant chose to keep Charlie’s secret. Definitely some heartbreaking scenes during that moment and it makes you sympathise with those who may have to deal with such situations in real life. I think our world is very accepting these days, but there will always be someone out there in the community, who will make their hate known for those who are just trying to be comfortable in their own skin and their sexuality.

This is a very short YA story with much self discovery. The ending was a sweet interaction with Ant and his friend Jack. I also loved Freddie who was full of acceptance. What I loved about Ant was his patience throughout all that happened with Charlie. It was an emotional read and is more suited for teenagers and above.