Jacqueleen the Reading Queen

DEMONS!!

Reviewed: 03-12-25 Listener received this title free

Um YES give me more of this series ASAP! As an avid fan of Grae Bryan's vampire series I was really excited when they mentioned they were venturing into DEMONS! What I didn't realize, silly me, was that the human MC in this book was Sacha AKA the baby brother of Alexei from Johann. That was a pleasant and welcome surprise! Not only that, but Michael Ferraiulo is always a pleasure when he is the chosen narrator of a book I've enjoyed!

Sacha was such a little spit fire. Being the "pampered" little brother of a Mafia Don has its perks, but it is also incredibly lonely. I mean, how do meet friends? Date? Nobody could ever meet your family and even if they could who would want to introduce them to someone like Ivan anyways. That's not even getting into how Ivan demanded Sacha dress completely opposite to what his personality wanted. Honestly, I'm with Alexei on this one. Ivan is a dick of the highest order.

Kai was amazing. He recognized what a gem of a human Sacha was and became determined to make him his. He did so in the best way too, by showing Sacha how cherished and cared for he'd be if he accepted Kai as his demon mate. I don't know how Sacha held out for as long as he did with how lovely Kai was. They were just so good together!

Now I'm super interested in the remainder of the Demons left in the void, particularly Nightmare. I'm pretty positive on Bryan's plans for him and I cannot freaking wait! But first, we have Ivan. Ivan, who appears to have ended up with a lot more than he bargained for and I hope his demon gives him a damn good run for his money. We all know Grae can spin a redemption arc with the best of them and I'm interested to see how everything plays out next!

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I NEED BOOK 2!!!!

Reviewed: 02-26-25 Listener received this title free

This was so cute, with a little bit of angst there in the middle. Not too much, but enough to get me in the feels. I've read both the ebook, and now the audio, and I enjoyed Michael Ferraiuolo's take on bringing Jude and Al to life. It was kind of fun to hear his take on some Darvrokian words too.

The miscommunication between human Jude and alien Al caused the majority of the minor angst in this story. I don't know if I wouldn't have reacted a bit crazy if I found out I was pregnant with an alien's offspring and I'm not even male! I did get a little miffed with him though for a bit because after his initial reaction, he should have realized that based on what he knew of Al, this wouldn't have been something he would have done against Jude's will. In fact, all Al has ever done was whatever he could to make Jude happy and I was happy when Jude finally realized that.

Al was so precious and I wanted to give him the biggest hug. I adored his ranting about human technology and their earthly calendar. He may have been a sweetheart, but he wasn't afraid to speak his mind. I also thought it was cute how he would speak with the cat, even though no one believed he was really doing so.

The ebook for this came back out in December 2023 and I haven't heard any updates on book 2, even though we were teased at the end about a certain family member of Al's on their way to Earth. I'm wondering if he is going to end up with Corbin or Ezra. Maybe even Jude's closeted brother. Either way, I do hope that we will get more from this series soon because I really did love it!

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I WANT MORE!!!

Reviewed: 02-26-25 Listener received this title free

It's not often I pick up an audio before I've read the book, but this is one of those times. The only thing that bums me out about it is that I don't have any quotes handy to include in my review and there were so many funny moments I would have liked to share!

When we meet Shae, the half siren, he is just escaping from the terrible abuse and confinement he's suffered for years. I honestly felt so awful for him, especially since it was his own "family" that were behind it all. Shae is brought to the M.E.O.W squad headquarters for safety reasons where he promptly meets his fated mate, an exuberant himboesque wolfkin named Griffin. As you can probably guess, Shae is in no way shape or form ready to have anything to do with being a fated mate. In fact, he doesn't even know if he believes in them.

Griffin, being the absolutely LOVABLE guy he is, doesn't take too long to convince Shae to at least spend some time together. I loved how understanding and patient Griffin was. all he cared about was his mate's happiness and comfort. He did everything he could to help Shae on his journey of healing. It was so sweet.

I want more from this world. I don't even care who is next cause I want them all. Well, that's a tiny fib. I think my heart has landed on hoping for Harper next. I'm a sucker for a vampire romance and I love how kind, yet vicious Harper can be. Either way I hope there is more to come in this universe and soon!

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Entertaining series opener!

Reviewed: 12-18-24 Listener received this title free

🎧🅰🆄🅳🅸🅾 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆🎧

This was one of those rare times where I listened to the audio without having read the book previously. I also haven't read this author's other contemporary works (I've only read all their PNR) and this audio made me want to go back and check them out. I was certain quite a few of the side characters that popped up were cameos from the other series, however I didn't feel like I missed anything crucial by not having read those books beforehand. This series opener can stand alone from the others in this same world in my opinion.

I really enjoyed getting to know Miguel and Raven. Each character was interesting in their own way and their rivals-to-lovers was a fun journey. On the surface they seem worlds apart, yet they share many common interests including their love of reading. Ravens alter ego as Nightcrawler was very amusing. His hilarious reviews of the most insane sounding books made me laugh every time. They were a big highlight.

There were many sweet moments amid all the action. Migel being all adorable with his kitten Stanley and Raven's relationship with his grandmother. Of course there were sweet moments between the MCs too. And hot! These two men definitely have chemistry in spades. Some plot lines were left unfinished so I am assuming that means we will be seeing more of Raven and Migel in book 2. It was only mentioned at the start of their story, and I could be wrong, but I have a feeling a big expensive sparkly missing item may come into play in their future.

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I JUST LOVED THESE TWO!!!

Reviewed: 12-04-24 Listener received this title free

"The way he looked at me just then sent the butterflies in my stomach into a frenzy. I'd waited my whole life for that look. It was possessive and hungry and vaguely dirty with the right amount of indulgent reverence."

I utterly adored this book! And Joel Leslie did a great job with his narration! Winnie and Alastair's story was so romantic! I just loved them together so much! From the outside looking in, these two were an odd pairing. Alastair spends most of his time holed up with his Ancient Egyptian research. He's not one for socializing and his wardrobe definitely reflects both those facts. Winnie is the opposite. He loves being around people and he's the type of person who needs to sit on his suitcase in order to fit all his clothes options for a trip. Basically these two are total opposites that shouldn't have worked, yet they did.

It was a tough start for these two when their story began. Winnie was accompanying Alistair to Paris for a month as his assistant, after which Alistair would then speak at a conference. True to his usual routine, Alistair tried to shut himself in his hotel most of the time to work. This lasted only a few days before Winnie had enough, which somehow ended up with these two exploring Paris together. It was absolutely the cutest thing ever. Alistair would act as their guide, while Winnie hung on his every word. It was whimsical and lovely and eventually led to them falling into bed together. And so began a new routine for the professor.

"I didn't know that the world was brimming with magic until you came along. And god, I want that magic in my life."

During the day Alistair would have his work time, but the nights were spent with Winnie. Both could admit to themselves they were falling, yet they were also both too afraid to admit it. Winnie lives in LA. Alistair in London. Winnie was young and bright and colorful. Alistair was khaki and academic. But maybe Alistair didn't have to be. Spending time with Winnie opened his eyes to so many things and I was so happy when he realized that all the aforementioned things didn't matter one bit when it came to how he felt.

The ending of the book was just as romantic as the rest of it. I finished the epilogue with a smile on my face and complete satisfaction in their HEA as a couple. I look forward to more in this series to come!

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"He feels so right to me --like he should be mine

Reviewed: 12-04-24 Listener received this title free

As usual, Greg Boudreaux does a fantastic job narrating this tentacular romance! I enjoyed his voices for each character and felt they fit. The book was an adorable grumpy/sunshine pairing. I just loved the holiday smoopyness. Khephren was absolutely precious. His enthusiasm for life was infectious. Even the surly human Sasha couldn't resist! It was the cutest thing ever seeing these two dance around their feelings for one another. Even Khephren's two best friends could tell they were head over heels for one another.

Sasha may have started their space adventure being abducted from his life on Earth, but it soon becomes apparent it wasn't much of a life at all. On board the Sleigh Belle he slowly discovers how different his life could be. He could have friends who become family and he could have the love of the absolute sweetest alien in the galaxy.

The scene where Sasha and River get to meet via space video is amazing. I knew right away those two would get on like a house on fire. No shame, the both of them. It would be so fun if we could see more of them interacting in a future Tentacular Tales book. I bet River would love Khephren too. Like Sasha realizes, it's truly impossible not to fall in love with that pink tentacled alien.

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Wade!!!

Reviewed: 09-27-24 Listener received this title free

Words cannot express how delighted I was when Hailey Turner announced she was writing in the Soulbound Universe again and that this book would star Wade. I'm sure she has been inundated with numerous DMs and messages begging for his story for years. Even better for me is the fact that this book takes place in Boston, the place in which I have resided in or near my entire life. I absolutely agree with Wade on Massachusetts drivers (that's why they call us Massholes) and I also agree with Riordan that Modern pastry FAR outweighs Mikes. In case you were wondering their pistachio cannoli is my favorite ;).

Wade was one of those side characters that you just cannot help but fall in love with. Despite his horribly tragic backstory, he persevered and slowly began to find himself with the help of his newfound family. Getting the full story of what happened to him while he was enslaved by a god brought tears to my eyes and made me even more grateful for the fact that he had Patrick, Jono, and the whole gang in his life.

"They were what Wade considered home though, a calming presence that had always stilled the churning in his gut and panic in his mind once he'd finally realized they meant it when they promised they wouldn't let anyone hurt him."

Following Wade on his journey to provide help in Boston was very humorous. I loved how he would assess a situation and then decide which person in his pack he needed to channel for the moment. A Patrick approach vs a Sage approach were very different indeed. Not to mention the fact that Wade basically spends half the book eating his way through the city. He's still a growing fledgling after all.

It made me happy to see that the man meant for Wade was just as kind and caring as he was. Riordan was so patient and understanding with Wade. Their romantic moments were extremely sweet and always made me smile. After everything Wade had already endured in his short life, he deserved nothing but blissful happiness, and I am so glad he gets to enjoy it with Riordan.

As for the narratio, I hate to say it took me a bit to get into it. For some reason I pictured Wade's voice with a bit of a more playful lilt. But once the audio got going the narrator did a great job with all of the crazy this couple was handling!

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Just as good in audio!

Reviewed: 07-23-24

This was such a tearjerker to read but listening in audio was even more potent. Leo and Ferry are couple goals.

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Even funnier in audio

Reviewed: 06-19-24

i didn't think it was possible but this was even more hilarious in audio format. I sincerely hope Lily Mayne continues this series again soon because it's just so much fun!! zero angst - put you in a good mood fun!

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"That was exactly what Wolfe wanted. Eric content"

Reviewed: 05-30-24 Listener received this title free

When we met Wolfe in Johann I immediately knew I needed his story. So imagine my happy squeal when it was revealed that his book was next. I'm such a sucker for pyschopath love stories. There's just something about the single minded devotion they tend to have for their partner. I just eat it up. And usually, so does the person they set their sights on as theirs. Dr. Monroe, who's first name is Eric, is no different. Yes he may fight it at first, but there is no way he could resist Wolfe for long. The man was starved for affection and Wolfe was more than happy to provide it.


"You came for me when I needed you."

"I take care of what's mine. And you're mine Eric...You have been since the moment I laid eyes on you."


How could you not swoon? I know I did. Not to mention the steam factor with these two. Let me just say this, there's lots of bitey goodness. There were also a few things that surprised me. Like how insecure Eric truly was. The manipulative witch that was his poor excuse of a mother. With Wolfe it surprised me how perfectly attentive he was as a mate. He was able to read Eric quite well and in doing so was able to figure out Eric's needs, sometimes even before Eric himself did. Wolfe may have been a psychopath, but I never doubted that he honestly cared for Eric. It could have been an effect of their bond, but I like to believe that fate was right in matching them. Having Eric as his mate provided Wolfe with a purpose, and in return Wolfe was the person Eric could depend on to be there when he needed him. It may have seemed crazy to the rest of their Vampire clan, but to Eric and Wolfe it was just perfect.

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