Carrie
Author Melissa Huxley writes pretty darn good Omegaverse stories. There are some others of hers that I like better, BUT that doesn't mean that Where There's Smoke isn't good (TBH I think I was just in the mood for a little bit more darker stuff IYKYK).
Our FMC Melody runs an animal shelter (because OF COURSE she does!) and is a late-blooming omega (she had NO clue) and is rescued by hunky alphas when the business catches fire. Obviously the grumpy alpha (Elliot) is none-to-pleased when she runs back in to save all the creatures but ultimately, she shows she won't take crap from anyone and although this is devastating, she is a fighter and determined to get things back to normal. Except her life won't be normal now that she's surrounded by SURPRISE! Her hunky firefighter alphas and she's SURPRISE! Now an omega!
The drama:
* Slight tension with one of the alphas BUT he's also the head of the pack and used to making sure everyone is taken care of. He takes his responsibilities VERY seriously.
* Melody's family drama (UGH. Jerks. Except for her brother Chord. He's sweet and I hope we see more of him and his fiancé!)
* The “whodunnit” surrounding the fire
* She's a new omega so a bit unsure of how things are supposed to go in relationships
I gave this 3 stars (really, 3.25) because I DID like it but found it to be a bit slow in some parts. Of course, that could've been just my mood at the time because I LOVE a good story with animals (yeah for Dotty!!) and Fitz is awesome.
Well...it was ok
I can't decide if my “it was ok” rating is my fault or not. Did I wait too long to read the second book in Anaya's duet? Because I felt like when I finally picked it up, it took me at least a third of the way in to remember who the characters even were.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good dark, angsty story. But it seemed to drag out.
* SPOILERS BELOW
...and the bad guys never get caught?! I kept waiting for that to happen, even if it was the last page! Just say, “Oh hey, OPS found the traffikers off the coast of wherever and have been arrested.” There was NO mention of. YES, we had to get through Amaya's healing but it just seemed to get lost in the shuffle that I think there were still bad guys out there!
LOVE the epilogues!
There were so many crazy twists at the end...the ONLY thing (not worth taking away stars for the rating) but all throughout the series it kept mentioning a countdown to a meteor shower? (or some other crazy event) that clearly Gareth was around for. What happened there?
I actually loved the RB series more than the first few ZA books...but I'll continue. It's interesting to see what little bits are connected.
Set in the late 90s (which I LOVE because of the music and cultural references), Michelle goes back to small-town Copper Run after her mom passes away in order to take over the Inn she and her dad ran while her sister finishes school before taking it over.
Michelle lives in Seattle, is in marketing, and very type-A. She's not exactly jumping for joy at this opportunity, especially after the end of a divorce and a judgmental dog she didn't really want, tagging along with her.
It's not easy, but she learns the meaning of being neighborly, real family and eventually, love.
I loved Cliff and his daughters - I think we'd all strive to be a parent like he is! Yes...he's a bit cheesy...but his devotion to them is TOP TIER.
The one thing I struggled with is Michelle honestly was a bit immature/whiney for her age. I get that it was a culture shock for her but she could've been nicer and more understanding (in the first half). However, I don't think this took away from the general feel of the story. It was still heartwarming and worth the listen! The narrators were great as well!
Sweet, unhinged and spicy!
4.5 stars! With a nod to Lights Out and Butcher & Blackbird, this book had me cringing at the murder bits but laughing at the banter!!
Xander is part of a secret “murder club” that consists of a group of guys who are a bit individually unhinged BUT they do go after the bad guys: they're selective (so really...the GOOD murder club
I'll be honest - I was hesitant to pick this up because I'm not normally a “cowboy romance” girly but I'm SO glad I did!!
What you don't see from the book description is the FULL amount of heartache Cooper had for Riley and the trauma Riley had been experiencing that kept her away. You could feeeel the angst and longing.
I do think it was a little uneven in the time spent with Cash and Cooper vs Dakota and Levi however, she had history with them so I suppose it's to be expected. Ultimately, I really enjoyed the drama, the romance and the friendships. I ate it up pretty quickly!
I love Megan March and ESPECIALLY the narrators in this book! (Elena Wolfe narrates quite a few of her things!)
Just like Megan's other books, there's plenty of action and drama - maybe even more spice than normal (which I'm NOT complaining about!!). My only real complaint is I hate miscommunication - or the lack of communication - which was definitely the case here. Still worth the listen/read though!
I STILL can't believe I like the brobots! And that they all have such distinct personalities and I can absolutely see them within Styles' pack. So crazy!! But somehow, the author makes it work.
I was glad to see the next two guys added into the group and, just like in the first book, we see even more emotional dynamics coming out.
I can't wait for book three!!!
100% unique!
I honestly didn't know what to think at first... 3 alpha robots for Beth's heat? But tbh this story is quirky and fun and I can't believe I found myself actually liking One, Two and Three! Then add surfer Ace...
I can't wait to see how she reacts to the rest of the pack when they meet her!
Interesting...
It was...interesting. I'm just not sure the story knew exactly what kind of story it wanted to be. Is it about a jilted bride? A mystery? a jealous friend? Some of the details from the “mystery” part were a bit confusing and it felt like it was put in there just to create a non-traditional reason for Owen's disappearance.
It was ok - quick read.
Kinda odd
So...I'll start with what I liked.
I liked the pack omega, Miro and his easy acceptance of Cora.
The rest was just odd. It felt like the author couldn't make up her mind as to what kind of omegaverse she wanted to create: traditional, shifter, post-apocalyptic, other-worldly, magic, sweet, rejected mate...and instead, added a little of everything.
This story had several elements I personally really enjoy:
* male omega who is obsessed with the beta FMC
* stepbrother
* friends-to-lovers
* feelings of rejection (thankfully it doesn't last long)
I think it's HARD to write an omegaverse story with the FMC being a beta, also including an omega and doing it WELL. The author did a good job about this. KINDA SPOILERS BELOW
What I didn't like was that the FMC wasn't actually scent matched to ANYONE in the pack. Yes, they reassured her over and over again that they chose her but it was just a little ironic because the scent-match thing was actually also made a big deal of. I wish she was at least scent matched to ONE of the guys. I kept waiting to see if maybe she'd come across her scent match later in the book - thankfully not.
I listened to the audiobook. After discovering her husband is leaving her, Darcy returns to her small hometown hoping to gain comfort from her parents. Unfortunately she discovers an empty house and her parents are trying out life in Arizona...and didn't tell her! So now she's double upset and spirals quickly.
TBH, the best parts about this book was the community board comments and Marcus. Darcy was a little whiny/annoying. I understand grief but her reaction to her parents was a bit over-the-top.
Although I usually read/listen to books that have some romance in it, this was still entertaining enough.