Tag: Charlie Adhara
Pack of Lies (Monster Hunt #1) by Charlie Adhara
Werewolf meets human. Werewolf snubs human. Werewolf loves human?
Julien Doran arrived in sleepy Maudit Falls, North Carolina, with a heart full of hurt and a head full of questions. The key to his brother's mysterious last days might be found in this tiny town, and now Julien's amateur investigation is starting to unearth things the locals would rather keep buried.
Perhaps most especially the strange, magnetic manager of a deserted retreat that's nearly as odd as its staff.
Eli Smith is a lot of things: thief, werewolf, glamour-puss, liar. And now the manager of a haven for rebel pack runaways. He's spent years cultivating a persona to disguise his origins, but for the first time ever he's been entrusted with a real responsibility—and he plans to take that seriously.
Even if the handsome tourist who claims to be in town for some R & R is clearly on a hunt for all things paranormal. And hasn't taken his brooding gaze off Eli since he's arrived.
When an old skeleton and a fresh corpse turn a grief errand into a murder investigation, the unlikely Eli is the only person Julien can turn to. Trust is hard to come by in a town known for its monsters, but so is time…
Rating: A
Charlie Adhara's paranormal/romantic suspense Big Bad Wolf series is one of my all-time favourites. With clever plotting, excellent worldbuilding, fantastic characterisation and a beautifully developed central relationship, those books had it all, and were always going to be a tough act to follow. I was delighted when I learned the author would be writing more books set in this world and that we'd get to spend more time with the snarky, enigmatic Elias Smith – a major secondary character in the earlier series. Eli was introduced in Thrown to the Wolves, where we learned he'd had a very troubled past, running with rebel packs who used and betrayed him until he was rescued and taken in by the Parks. He's my book catnip – complex, flawed and damaged with a sharp tongue and an attitude for miles.
While this is the first in a new series, I really would recommend reading the previous books first so as to gain an understanding of how this world works; pack politics and how wolves interact (or don't) with humans are key elements in these stories, and you'll get a bit of background information on Eli. Plus – they're marvellous reads and I assure you, you won't regret backtracking!
Pack of Lies opens just a couple of weeks so after the end of Cry Wolf. Cooper and Park are on their honeymoon and Eli has recently moved to the retreat for runaways they've set up in remote Maudit Falls, which they've asked him to run. Late one night, Eli makes his way downstairs to the reception desk to find a very bedraggled man crawling around beneath it. Annoyed and suspiciouis, he suggests perhaps his interloper is a housebreaker, but before the man can do more than indignantly contradict him and explain that he'd had an accident a way back along the road, furious knocking at the door heralds the arrival of a woman dripping with blood and frantically insisting she's seen the monster – she's seen Sweet Pea, and this time, she's got proof.
Once the chief of police shows up, Annabelle Dunlop, owner of the ski resort on the other side of the mountain, explains how she'd hurt herself running through the woods and then shows them some very grainy images taken from wildlife cameras that she insists show a figure that is not human. Chief Bucknell is sceptical and says he doesn't really see much of anything, but Eli immediately recognises part of the image as a wolf in mid-shift. He has no idea who it is or what they might be doing there, but every wolf has a responsibility to maintain the secret of their existence – and clearly, there's someone out there who isn't being as careful as they should be. When everyone has left, Eli's new medic tells him they've got their first guest, a young woman named Gwen who has left her rebel pack in search of sanctuary. When Gwen tells Eli that she, too, had felt an ominous presence in the woods and had run from it, Eli realises something is very wrong. Wolves are being hunted, their very existence threatened with exposure – and he decides to get to the bottom of it.
Mid-list Hollywood star Juilen Doran is grieving the loss of his younger brother Rocky, who drowned some fourteen months earlier. At the suggestion of his therapist, Julien goes into Rocky's childhood bedroom – one they'd shared for a few years – which is where, tucked away in an old hidey-hole only the two of them had known about, Julien finds a flash drive, a notebook and a crudely drawn map of somewhere called Maudit Falls. His brother was forever off on some wild goose chase or other, convinced of the existence of all manner of cryptids and mythical beasts – Bigfoot, the Abominable Snowman, Nessie – and Sweet Pea, a bipedal creature reported to inhabit Blue Tail Mountain, and Julien frequently had to bail him out of trouble. He tried, repeatedly to get Rocky to see sense, but those conversations always ended in an argument. Three days after their last one, Rocky was dead. He'd taken a boat out on a perfectly clear night and never returned; there was no storm that night, the boat wasn't damaged, and there was no real way of determining exactly how he died. After finding the notebook and map, Julien isn't so sure his brother's death was an accident so, filled with guilt and self-recrimination, Julien turns his back on everything – his career, his family (such as it is) and even his common sense – to follow the trail Rocky has left for him.
Eli and Julien's shared goal of finding out exactly what is going on in Maudit Falls isn't the only thing that draws them together, but getting to the truth is more important than an inconvenient attraction to someone they can't afford to trust. When murder comes to their doorstep along with rumours of hidden treasure and more late-night creature sightings, they form a wary alliance – but as the secrets they're keeping threaten to destroy their fragile connection, Eli and Julien are going to have to find a way to work together if they're going to stand a chance of survival.
Pack of Lies is a compelling combination of clever, intricate mystery and expertly crafted slow-burn romance, and I was glued to it from start to finish. Eli and Julien are fascinating, layered characters who circle around each other amid half-truths and lies-by-omission, who yet manage to be likeable and evoke sympathy and understanding. I've been intrigued by Eli since his appearances in the earlier series (I said in my reivew of Cry Wolf that he was "crying out" for his own story!); his snarky, prickly demeanour obviously hides a deep vulnerability, and despite his appearance of casual confidence, he worries about being the right person for the job at the retreat and about letting Cooper and Park down. Life has been far from easy for him, and although we learn more of his history here, there's clearly more to be revealed.
Unlike the Big Bad Wolf series though, Pack of Lies is written in dual PoV, so we get to hear from Julien also, and while Charlie Adhara is one of those authors who can make a single PoV work spectacularly well, I really appreciated that. I liked Julien and enjoyed the way he so clearly cares for Eli and Eli's feelings – and that he doesn't hesitate when he decides to go for it with Eli. Julien has always known he's bisexual, but has never had the opportunity to act on his attraction to men; what he's really worried about is letting his inexperience show and not Doing It Right – but Eli soon assures him he doesn't need to worry on that score! Their chemistry is fantastic, and the love scenes are intense and very steamy, with Julian letting out his inner dirty-talker and Eli prepared to let Julien take control.
The book ends with a firm HFN for Eli and Julien, which feels exactly right; a full-blown HEA would have felt inappropriate and I'm happy with the way things are left – with with promise of more.
Pack of Lies is a wonderful blend of mystery, romance, action and intrigue and is a superb start to this new series. I can't wait to find out what's in store for Eli and Julien next!
Posted on 31 August, 2022 2 October, 2022 by CazPosted in Fantasy/Paranormal, Mystery/Romance, Romantic Thriller, Sexual Content - ModerateTagged A, All About Romance, arc, Charlie Adhara, M/M, netgalley, paranormal, queer romance, romance. Leave a comment
My 2020 in Books & Audio
2020, huh? I don't think I need to expound on that particular dumpster fire except to say that I feel lucky to be someone who has managed to read/listen to books pretty much as normal throughout it all. Books – and writing about them – have provided a much-needed escape from everything going on "out there", and there have been times this past year when I don't know what I'd have done without them.
So, what was I reading/listening to in 2020? Well, according to Goodreads (which shows an average rating of 4.1 stars overall), I read and listened to 269 books in total (which was 30 fewer than 2019) – although I suspect that number may be slightly higher as I sometimes forget to mark any re-listens I do. But just taking the new reads/listens, I listened to almost as many books as I read – 52.9% ebook and 47.1% audio, according to this new spreadsheet I've been using, and almost three-quarters of the total were review copies.
Of that total there are 77 5 star books, 152 4 star books – by far the biggest category – 36 3 star books and 6 2 star books. (Books sorted by rating.)
The 5 star bracket includes those titles I rate at 4.5 but round-up (which I equate to A-); the 4 star bracket (B) includes the 4.5 star grades I don't round up (B+) and the 3.5 star ones I do round up (B-), the 3 stars are C+/C/C- and so on. Of the 77 5 star ratings, only around 17 are straight A grades in terms of the story (in the case of audiobooks, sometimes a 4 star review will get bumped up because the narration is so fabulous), so the rest of that 77 are A minuses or audiobooks where A and B grades combined to rate a higher overall total. Looking back at my 2019 Books & Audio post, those numbers are fairly consistent, although I didn't have any one stars or DNFs in 2020, which isn't a bad thing!
The books that made my Best of 2020 list at All About Romance:
Reviews are linked in the text beneath each image.
The Same Breath
Ten Things I Hate About the Duke
Common Goal
In the Deep
Slippery Creatures
They Told Me I Was Everything
As usually happens, I always have a few "also-rans", books I could have included if I'd had the space:
A Dangerous Kind of Lady
Redeeming the Reclusive Earl
The Same Place
Transactional Dynamics
Honeytrap
Feel the Fire
If you follow my reviews, you'll already know that in 2020, I awarded more top grades than ever to a single author, which isn't something that's ever happened before; sure, I give high grades to some authors consistently (Sherry Thomas, KJ Charles and Meredith Duran spring to mind) but those have been one every few months or per year – not nine in a single year! So, yes, 2020 is, in my head, the Year of Gregory Ashe 😉 I could have chosen any number of his books for these lists as they're all so very good.
Sadly noticeable by its (near) absence on these lists – historical romance. I said in my 2019 post that the amount of really good historical romance around had been declining for a while, and although there were some excellent historicals around in 2020, they were fairly few and far between. Many of the best came from Harlequin Historical – Virginia Heath's Redeeming the Reculsive Earl is a lovely, funny and warm grumpy-reclusive-hero-meets-breath-of-fresh-air-(and neuroatypical) heroine, while Mia Vincy continues to demonstrate her mastery of the genre with A Dangerous Kind of Lady, a sexy, vibrant, not-really friends-to-lovers story in which the leads embark on a difficult journey of self-discovery while coming to realise how badly they've misjudged each other. The "modern" historical is a term being coined for novels set in the more recent past, and Asher Glenn Gray's Honeytrap, the love story between an FBI agent and Red Army office that spans thirty-five years, would proibably have made my Best of list had I read it in time. Annabeth Albert is a big favourite of mine; Feel the Fire is book three in her Hotshots series, a second-chance romance that just hit the spot.
When I struggled to read something – which fortuantely, didn't happen often – I could usually find something in audio that suited my mood, plus the fact that there are still back-catalogue titles coming out of books I haven't got around to reading means that audio is always my preferred method of catching up! I listened to a lot of pretty good stuff over the year, but for my 2020 Favourites for AudioGals, I stuck to titles to which I'd given at least ONE A grade (usually for the narration) and nothing lower than a B+.
Hither, Page
Any Given Lifetime
So that was 2020 in books and audio. I'm incredibly grateful to those authors and narrators who continued to provide me with such great reading/listening material through what has been an incredibly trying time for all of us; I know some who have really struggled to get words on a page this year, and I just want to say that you're worth waiting for and I'll be here whenever you're ready.
As for what I'm looking forward to in 2021… more of the same, really – lots of good books! There are a number of titles I know are coming up in the first part of the year that I'm really excited about – the third Lamb and the Lion book from Gregory Ashe – The Same End – is out at the end of January, and I'm also eagerly awaiting new adventures with North and Shaw and Theo and Auggie. Then there's book three in KJ Charles' Will Darling Adventures, Subtle Blood, at least three (squee!) new books from Annabeth Albert, including the fourth Hotshots book; and a new instalment in Jordan Castillo Price's long-running Psycop series (Other Half) due out in January, although I'll be waiting for the audio because Gomez Pugh's incredible turn as Victor Bayne is well worth waiting for. (I really must catch up with JCP's ABCs of Spellcraft books, in audio, too!). There's a new book in Hailey Turner's Soulbound series coming soon, a new instalment in Jay Hogan's Southern Lights series, and later on, I'm hoping Josh Lanyon's The Movie Town Murders will be out this year – I need more Sam and Jason! – and I'm looking forward to new books in her Secrets and Scrabble series. I'm looking forward to more from Lucy Parker, Loreth Anne White, Garrett Leigh, Rachel Reid, Roan Parrish… There are new books slated from many of my favourite authors and narrators, and I'm looking forward to another year of great reading and listening.
I'll be back this time next year to see if my expectations were fulfilled!
Posted on 23 January, 2021 23 January, 2021 by CazPosted in 19th Century, 20th Century, Audio, Contemporary Romance, Fantasy/Paranormal, Favourite books, Historical Romance, Mystery/Romance, Narration - Excellent, Post Regency, Regency, Romantic Thriller, Sexual Content - Moderate, Sexual Content - NoneTagged 19th century, 20th century, Alexis Hall, All About Romance, Anna Zabo, Annabeth Albert, arc, Aster Glenn Gray, AudioGals, best of 2020, Cat Sebastian, Charlie Adhara, Dal Maclean, Gregory Ashe, Jay Hogan, K.J Charles, Keira Andrews, L.A. Witt, Leta Blake, Loreth Anne White, loretta chase, Lucy Parker, Mia Vincy, Narrator - Cooper North, Narrator - Cornell Collins, Narrator - Gary Furlong, Narrator - Greg Boudreaux, narrator - J.F Harding, Narrator - Joe Jameson, Narrator - Joel Leslie, Narrator - John Solo, Narrator - Michael Ferraiuolo, Olivia Dade, Rachel Reid, Virginia Heath. 3 Comments
Cry Wolf (Big Bad Wolf #5) by Charlie Adhara
Agent Cooper Dayton never thought anything could be harder than solving murders. Until he had to plan a wedding. After taking down an old adversary, Agent Cooper Dayton of the Bureau of Special Investigations has earned a break. Not that planning a wedding to his sexy shifter partner, Oliver Park, is necessarily stress free, but it's better than worrying about the ominous warning, delivered months ago, that Cooper's life is in danger.
When he's dragged to an event by his family, Cooper braces for an awkward evening, but instead finds himself in the middle of an ugly feud between Park's ex and a rebel pack leader. What was supposed to be a quick outing turns into a full-blown murder investigation after the pack leader ends up dead, Park's ex goes missing, and Cooper and Park are sent a series of disturbing wedding gifts that are somehow connected to it all.
The list of potential suspects is long, and with the bodies piling up, Cooper must turn to the one person he trusts the least: the villain he's already put behind bars once and who has nothing to lose by lying and everything to gain if Cooper is out of the picture—for good.
Cry Wolf is the fifth instalment of Charlie Adhara's paranormal/romantic suspense Big Bad Wolf series, and I started reading it with mixed feelings; eagerness at the thought of another story featuring Cooper and Park, and sadness at the thought of having to say goodbye to them, because I thought this was to be the final book in the series. But having finished it, I'm now hopeful that we're going to be gifted with yet more stories set in this world, because Cry Wolf sets up some extremely interesting potential plotlines, especially in relation to the things we learn about the hierarchy of wolf society, reminds us of a number of important unanswered questions, AND brings back a charismatic secondary character who – it seems to me – is crying out for an HEA of his own. So please, Ms. Adhara, can we have some more?
Note: Minor spoilers ahead for previous books in the series.
At the very end of Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, the newly engaged Cooper and Park received the unsettling news that Dr. Emily Freeman, the scientist who absconded with scientific proof of the existence of werewolves at the end of Thrown to the Wolves, had broken into their apartment, surrendered herself into custody and is refusing to speak to anyone but Cooper. Cry Wolf opens a week later as Cooper goes to see her; she tells him he's in great danger and says she'll tell him who's coming for him in exchange for a deal that will grant her a new identity and see her released without charge. When Cooper doesn't show a great deal of concern she takes great delight in taunting him about how little he really knows about werewolves and their way of life, and then clams up.
Eventually, Cooper, Park and their boss dismiss Freeman's claims as just another attempt to manipulate Cooper, meaning he can get back to quietly freaking out about planning his and Park's wedding. Marriage isn't a thing in the werewolf community, but Park is so head-over-heels in love with Cooper, he'll do whatever it takes to make him happy and enthusiastically accepted his proposal. But being unfamiliar with the concept of weddings and how to actually go about getting married, Park has left all the planning up to Cooper, who wants it to be perfect and is practically paralysed into indecision as a result. (Gah! – he luuuuuurves Park so damn much and he wants to show that he knows what a big statement Park is making by undergoing such a very human ritual, but how does he say that with flowers? Or a ring? Or a big wedding? Or a minutely curated guest list? Or a hundred other possibilities he really can't decide on?)
The reappearance of Eli, Park's ex, gives Cooper something else to think about. Eli is being blackmailed by someone from the distant past he's worked hard to put behind him, someone from his days running with rebel packs who betrayed him horribly, leaving him trapped in fur with people who kept him in chains until the Park pack found him, rescued him and took him in. It all happened years ago, but Eli recently received a letter threatening to send evidence of his involvement to the big packs he and his fellow rebels stole from unless Eli pays him. Refusing to let this person control him again, Eli has tracked him down and discovered that he's working as – of all things – a zookeeper in DC, and he asks Cooper for his help in finding the evidence, which he suspects is hidden somewhere at the zoo.
Cooper and Park visit the zoo next day to see what they can find out and it's not long before they're up to their necks in trouble. The body of Eli's blackmailer is found floating in the sea lion pool, four long slashes on his torso that remind Cooper uncomfortably of those on his own body, the face a horrific rictus of elongated bone and tightly stretched skin that is neither man nor wolf. Eli goes into hiding, not prepared to take the rap for something he didn't do, leaving Cooper and Park even more determined to help him and prove his innocence. But trouble seems to follow them, in the form of yet more strangely part-transformed dead wolves, and a nosy FBI agent – who happens to be Cooper's ex-partner… and ex-lover.
Charlie Adhara once again delivers a clever, fast-moving, intriguing and twisty mystery that is full of red herrings, suspicious characters and dead ends, while continuing to expand the world she's created, bringing in wolf lore and mythology, setting up a three-way power struggle between the ruling packs, the rebels and the WIP (Wolf Independence Party) – and placing Cooper right in the middle of it. And she combines all this with some truly stellar character and relationship development, skilfully eschewing the sort of manufactured drama that sometimes occurs in series featuring an established couple. Cooper is a complex and endearing PoV character, and his evolution throughout the entire series has been spectacular; he's still very much the man we met in The Wolf at the Door – prickly, sarcastic, and socially awkward – but while he remains those things, he's become someone who has learned to face his insecurities and to communicate fully and honestly with his partner. It's been an amazing journey and I've adored watching his transformation from that insular loner who didn't realise his own worth to a man who loves and is loved utterly and completely, and has come to realise he's stronger than he'd ever believed. And even though we never get into Park's head, the author does a fantastic job of showing us how his character is evolving, too, learning to accept his own dark past and becoming a committed romantic partner. Cooper and Park are one of my favourite pairings, a real odd-couple whose differences and imperfections somehow make them a perfect fit. Through it all, Ms. Adhara is keeping this series fresh and exciting, and even after five books, I'm nowhere near tired of reading about these characters.
I also enjoyed the presence of Cooper's family in this book, and watching him getting on so well with his brother Dean and building a relationship with his father. Things between them were somewhat fragile back in The Wolf at Bay, and neither of them is naturally inclined to openness, but it was lovely to watch Ed being so supportive and Cooper accepting it and getting to know him better.
Cry Wolf is a swoonworthy blend of humour, tenderness and heartfelt passion, a fantastic addition to the Big Bad Wolf series, and possibly my favourite of the lot. The mystery is brilliantly done and kept me fully engaged from start to finish and I continue to adore Cooper and Park individually and as a couple; they're flawed, multi-layered, loveable characters whose love for each other shines through no matter what. Given all the loose ends and potential plot threads that emerge in this book, I'm extremely hopeful that this isn't the end, and am eagerly awaiting the next instalment of Cooper and Park's adventures!
Posted on 18 January, 2021 7 February, 2021 by CazPosted in Fantasy/Paranormal, Mystery/Romance, Romantic Thriller, Sexual Content - ModerateTagged A, All About Romance, arc, Charlie Adhara, M/M, netgalley, paranormal, queer romance, romantic suspense. 1 Comment
Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Big Bad Wolf #4) by Charlie Adhara
Agent Cooper Dayton and his partner, Oliver Park, are going undercover—at a retreat for couples who need counseling. They do say the best cover story is one that's close to the truth…
Agent Cooper Dayton is almost relieved to get a phone call from his former boss at the Bureau of Special Investigations. It means a temporary reprieve from tensions created by house hunting with Oliver Park, his partner both in work and in life. Living together in a forever home is exactly what Cooper wants. He's just not keen on working out the details.
With a former alpha werewolf missing, Cooper and Park are loaned to the BSI to conduct the search at a secluded mountain retreat. The agents will travel to the resort undercover…as a couple in need of counseling.
The resort is picturesque, the grounds are stunning and the staff members are all suspicious as hell.
With a long list of suspects and danger lurking around every cabin, Cooper should be focusing on the case. But he's always been anxious about the power dynamics in his relationship with Park, and participating in the couples' activities at the retreat brings it all to the surface. A storm is brewing, though, and Cooper and Park must rush to solve the case before the weather turns. Or before any more guests—or the agents themselves—end up dead.
To say I was excited when I learned that Charlie Adhara was going to be continuing her Big Bad Wolf series is something of an understatement. I've never really been into books about shifters, but after reading Em's DIK review of book one, The Wolf at the Door, I decided to try it and was immediately hooked on the adventures of BSI (Bureau of Special Investigations) agent Cooper Dayton and his werewolf work-partner (and later, romantic partner), Oliver Park. Each book in the series contains a standalone mystery, but the central relationship develops throughout, so it really is advisable to read all the books and read them in order so as to gain a proper understanding of how Cooper and Park have arrived at the point at which we meet them again at the beginning of Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.
[Note: There are spoilers for the previous books in the series in this review.]
At the end of Thrown to the Wolves, Cooper, frustrated by the utter uselessness of the BSI when it came to dealing with wolves as victims and seeing the bureau's ignorance and lack of respect for wolves and their history, quit the organisation and joined a new department set up by the Trust (the group that oversees all wolves), dedicated to investigating crime – whether by humans or their own kind – against wolves. He and Park have continued their working partnership there, and their personal relationship continues to thrive; they're in love, they've been living together for months, and now they're looking to buy a home together – but while Park has eagerly jumped in to the business of house-hunting, Cooper is holding back, the prospect of leaving the apartment he's lived in for years putting him on edge. He knows his old, one bedroom place is too small for them, and that although he's welcomed Park into his space, it's still his space and nothing in it is Park's. Wanting to do something nice for Park, Cooper agrees to look for somewhere together, but he can't work up the same enthusiasm for the search – and definitely not for the expensive 'mini mansions' Park favours.
Cooper is thinking he really needs to have an honest conversation with Park about the situation but is saved from doing it right away by a phone call from his former boss Elena Santiago – whom he hasn't spoken to since leaving the BSI – who asks for their help in finding a missing wolf. A wolf who, as it turns out, Park had dealings with in his time as the Shepherd, when he fought and banished him for mistreating his pack members and attacking other packs.
After this, Thomas Kreuger found work as a groundskeeper at a remote a mountain retreat in North Carolina, living under the radar until a couple of weeks earlier, when he reached out to a pack member and told her that something at the retreat was badly wrong, but didn't elaborate. A week after that, he suddenly turned in his notice and just disappeared. He hasn't been officially reported missing, but his former mate is concerned about him. Santiago wants Cooper and Park to look into Kreuger's disappearance unofficially – and as Maudit Falls is a relationship retreat for wolves, they already have the perfect cover story. Fresh mountain air, brisk swims in the lake, couples counselling… it'll be a nice little vacation for them. Cooper isn't particularly impressed.
The fake relationship trope isn't an unusual one in romantic suspense, but Charlie Adhara takes things one step further here by having a fake-not-fake relationship (!) as Cooper and Park go undercover to investigate Kreuger's disappearance – and definitely come up against more than they'd bargained for. From the moment they arrive at the retreat and walk in on an argument over the disappearance of a man employed at the local lumber mill, it's clear all is not well at Maudit Falls – an impression that is reinforced when another staff member goes missing and a ripped and bloodied shirt is discovered in one of the generator sheds. And the deaths don't stop there…
Charlie Adhara once again does a fantastic job of combining an intriguing and high-stakes suspense plot with plenty of relationship and character development, steamy love scenes, tenderness and humour. So much of the romantic suspense I've read or listened to lately hasn't managed to achieve the right balance between those two elements, but Ms. Adhara does it beautifully, creating a clever plot in which things are not at all what they seem while continuing to move the romance forward.
The romantic and sexual chemistry between Cooper and Park is as strong as it ever was, but there's a new sense of their being settled that wasn't quite there before. Yet Cooper wouldn't be Cooper if he was all cool and collected about everything, and although he's completely secure in Park's love for him (and his for Park), he can't help remembering some of the things said by Park's family, about wolves ultimately needing to be with their own kind and wondering whether, in the end, he can ever be enough. In addition to this, he comes to a realisation that makes him see some things about himself in a new light – and it's a measure of how far he's come as a character that he doesn't try to hide it or hide from it. The 'old' Cooper, would just have locked it all away in that corner of his mind labelled Things Cooper and Park Don't Talk About, but this new, improved version discusses it – no matter how hard it may be for him – accepts Park's support and reassurance and makes plans to address it. This is a healthy, mature relationship between a couple whose love and affection for one another shines through, even when they mis-step, and it's wonderful to read.
As in the other books, the story is told entirely through Cooper's PoV, but the author does such a great job of presenting Park through Cooper's eyes that I didn't miss a second PoV.
His enthusiasm for moving in would almost have been absurd if it wasn't so…sweet. Flattering. For weeks Park practically vibrated around the apartment in what Cooper publicly referred to as his "settling in" period but privately thought of as some sort of claiming or scent-marking ritual. He sat in every chair at least three times a day. He slept on the couch, the bed, the floor, the tub. He somehow persuaded Cooper into fucking on every available surface. It was Goldilocks gone wild. If there was a single nook or cranny of the apartment Park hadn't stuck his nose in, it was only because he physically couldn't fit.
And Park has changed and grown as Cooper has; he still cuts a slightly forbidding figure, he's still outwardly impassive and reserved, but he shows his softer, more romantic side more often – and his naughty side, too 😉
Wolf in Sheep's Clothing is a terrific read and a truly wonderful addition to the Big Bad Wolf series. I'm so very grateful that Ms. Adhara has decided to tell more stories about these amazing characters, and although we're not getting book five until next year (this ends on a cliffhanger), if it's as good as this one, then it'll be worth the wait.
Posted on 3 March, 2020 29 April, 2020 by CazPosted in Mystery/Romance, Romantic Thriller, Sexual Content - ModerateTagged A, All About Romance, Charlie Adhara, M/M, netgalley, queer romance, romantic suspense. Leave a comment
Before I started writing this post, I took a look at the one I wrote for 2018 – My 2018 in Books & Audio – to see what I had to say about the books I read and listened to and about the things I was hoping for from 2019. Sadly, my biggest wish – for more winners in historical romance – not only didn't come true, but didn't come true in spectactular fashion; I read and listened to considerably fewer historical romances in 2019 (around 60) and of those, only 15 garnered a B+ (4.5 stars) or higher (actually, that was 11 historical romances plus 4 historical mysteries), and only two made the Best of 2019 list I wrote for All About Romance. Looking at the upcoming release lists for 2020, I can't see that situation improving; very few of the book blurbs for upcoming HR make me want to read them.
So… what did I read and listen to instead? My Goodreads stats show that I read and listened to 299 books and audiobooks in 2019, (that figure includes maybe a dozen or so audio re-listens), which is over 40 books more than my total for last year.
Of that total, 66 were 5 star reads/listens, 184 were 4 star reads/listens – by far the biggest category – 35 were 3 star reads/listens, and there were 9 2 stars, 1 1 star and 1 unrated DNF.
Of the 66 highest graded, around a dozen were actual A grades; I award an A- 4.5 stars but bump the star rating up to five. (And in the case of audiobooks, sometimes a B grade story will get bumped up because of A grade narration). The 4 star ratings cover books/audios I've given B-, B or B+ grades, which is quite a large spectrum as it ranges from those books which are given qualified recommendations (B- is 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars) to those which are almost-but-not-quite DIKs (Desert Isle Keepers), the 4.5 stars (B+) I don't round up. I had around the same number of 3, 2 and 1 star ratings as last year, which is at least consistent!
The books that made my Best of 2019 list at AAR are these:
(although I cheated a bit and actually included the whole Not Dead Yet and Borealis Investivations series!)
You can read about them in more detail at All About Romance.
I had a list of "also rans" that I would have included had I had more space:
Charlie Adhara's Thrown to the Wolves was – I believe – originally to have been the final book in her Big Bad Wolf series, but she's since announced there will be a fourth (yay!). In TttW, we finally get some backstory for the enigmatic werewolf Park when he takes Cooper home to meet the family, together with a clever mystery, complicated family dynamics and a well-deserved HEA that's perfectly in character. Cordelia Kingsbridge's A Chip and a Chair was one of my most anticipated books of the year and didn't disappoint, bringing the rollercoaster ride that was the Seven of Spades series to a rolliking, satisfying close. KJ Charles' Gilded Cage was (I think?) her first m/f romance; a sequel to Any Old Diamonds, it features tough-as-nails lady detective Susan Lazarus and the other half of the Lilywhite Boys in an intriguing murder mystery with a superbly written and swoon-worthy second chance romance. Sally Malcolm's Twice Shy is a lovely feel-good romance between a young man struggling to bring up two young children left to his care following the deaths of his sister and brother-in-law, and a school teacher still dealing with the fallout of a failed marriage and career. The romance is warm and tender and funny and simply thrumming with sexual tension and chemistry and is guaranteed to warm the heart and produce happy sighs.
Historical Romance made another really poor showing in 2019; of the authors I've previously counted on to deliver really good stories full of interesting and appealing characters, only a few actually managed to do it. KJ Charles and Mia Vincy made my Best of 2019 list, but Lara Temple (The Rake's Enticing Proposal), Virginia Heath (The Determined Lord Hadleigh), Janice Preston (Daring to Love the Duke's Heir) and Marguerite Kaye (The Inconvenient Elmswood Marriage) all put out excellent books this year, and I enjoyed Evie Dunmore's début, Bringing Down the Duke and am keen to read whatever she comes up with next. I still haven't got around to reading Julie Anne Long's Angel in a Devil's Arms, which has appeared on quite a few Best of lists, so I hope I'll enjoy it when I get around to it!
I also enjoyed a few historical mysteries; Sherry Thomas (The Art of Theft), Andrea Penrose (Murder at Kensington Palace) and Anna Lee Huber (Penny for Your Secrets) released new instalments in their current series and Cat Sebastian (Hither, Page) began a new one set in an English village post WW2 that combined a cozy mystery with a simply lovely romance.
I did a very quick count the other day, and think that, for the first year ever, I actually listened to more books than I read (by a very small margin). I counted around 150 audiobooks (and probably missed a few re-listens because I often forget to mark those at Goodreads) which is half my total of 299 reads/listens. And according to the spreadsheet I maintain of books and audios I've picked up for review, I had an equal number of books and audiobooks to review in 2019. I have definitely struggled, at times, to find books I want to review and have filled the gap with audiobooks. So many are released each month, and I especially love it when backlist titles are made available for authors whose work I enjoy but stand no chance of actually getting to in print!
I chose the following as my Top Five audiobooks of the year at AudioGals:
I also cheated here by including the whole Not Dead Yet series! – which is actually the only title (titles) written in 2019; all the other books were written before last year, but didn't come out in audio until 2019. But that's par for the course with audio; not all of them are released simultaneously with the print/digital versions. The "also rans" for my audio Best of 2019 list were:
All boast top-notch performances and got at least an A- for narration, and the stories got at least a B+ each; and quite honestly, I could have substituted any of them for the list I actually posted at AudioGals; my favourites tend to change depending on how I feel from one day to the next! Had I listened to Lily Morton's Deal Maker before I complied my list, that would certainly have made the cut, too!
So that was 2019. What am I hoping for in 2020? I'd like historical romance to get back on track, but I don't see that happening in a big way and expect to be reading even more selectively in the genre than I've done this year. I'm hoping for more from Mia Vincy and will be checking out more from Evie Dunmore. Right now, most of the good HR is coming from Harlequin Historical authors, so I'll definitely be reading more from them. In contemporaries, I'm looking forward to two new series from Annabeth Albert (Hotshots and True Colors) as well as to catching up with her Perfect Harmony series in audio, and to making my way through Lily Morton's backlist – I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the audio of Risk Taker (with Joel Leslie at the helm) and hope she's planning more audio releases in 2020. I'll be snapping up the finale of L.J Hayward's Death and the Devil series as soon as it comes out, nabbing more Victor Bayne (and Gomez Pugh!) in the next book(s) in Jordan Castillo Price's PsyCop series, and inhaling more Hazard and Somerset from Gregory Ashe. KJ Charles promises some 1920s pulp mysteries, there's another book to come in Charlie Adhara's Big Bad Wolf series, so I'm looking pretty nicely set for the first part of 2020 in terms of reading and listening!
I'll (hopefully) be back again this time next year to tell you now it all panned out!
Posted on 11 January, 2020 11 January, 2020 by CazPosted in Audio, Favourite booksTagged Adriana Herrera, Alexis Hall, Bec McMaster, best of 2019, Charlie Adhara, Cordelia Kingsbridge, Gregory Ashe, Jenn Burke, K.J Charles, L.J. Hayward, Lee Welch, Loreth Anne White, Lucy Parker, Mia Vincy, Narrator - Gary Furlong, Narrator - Greg Boudreaux, Narrator - Joel Leslie, Narrator - Rowan Scott, narrator-Kate Reading, narrator-Nicholas Boulton, Rachel Reid, Roan Parrish, Sally Malcolm. 1 Comment
The Wolf at the Door (Big Bad Wolf #1) by Charlie Adhara (audiobook) – Narrated by Erik Bloomquist
Hunting for big bad wolves was never part of Agent Cooper Dayton's plan, but a werewolf attack lands him in the carefully guarded Bureau of Special Investigations. A new case comes with a new partner: ruggedly sexy werewolf Oliver Park.
Park is an agent of The Trust, a werewolf oversight organization working to ease escalating tensions with the BSI. But as far as Cooper's concerned, it's failing. As they investigate a series of mysterious deaths unlike anything they've seen, every bone in Cooper's body is suspicious of his new partner – even when Park proves himself as competent as he is utterly captivating.
When more people vanish, pressure to solve the case skyrockets. And though he'd resolved to keep things professional, Cooper's friction with Park soon erupts…into a physical need that can't be contained or controlled. But with a body count that's rising by the day, werewolves and humans are in equal danger. If Cooper and Park don't catch the killer soon, one – or both – of them could be the next to go.
Rating: Narration: C-; Content: A-
Charlie Adhara's Big Bad Wolf series of romantic suspense novels with a paranormal twist was a surprise hit for me given I'm not usually a fan of shifter/werewolf stories. But I was persuaded to pick up the first book – The Wolf at the Door – last year by one of my fellow AAR reviewers, and was immediately hooked by the unique premise and the skilful way in which the author combined romance, mystery and paranormal elements into an exciting and entertaining procedural drama. I'd hoped that perhaps the series would make it into audio, and was really excited when I saw it pop up on a forthcoming release list… although that excitement was tempered slightly by the fact that the narrator was new-to-me and because Tantor doesn't have the greatest track record when it comes to selecting the right narrator for the job.
Posted on 29 August, 2019 28 August, 2019 by CazPosted in Audio, Mystery/Romance, Narration - Poor, Romantic Thriller, Sexual Content - ModerateTagged A, audiobook, AudioGals, C, Charlie Adhara, M/M, mystery, Narrator - Erik Bloomquist, paranormal, queer romance, romantic suspense. Leave a comment
Thrown to the Wolves (Big Bad Wolf #3) by Charlie Adhara
Agent Cooper Dayton is going to meet his boyfriend's werewolf family. Unarmed. On their turf.
And he's bringing his cat.
When Agent Cooper Dayton agreed to attend the funeral for Oliver Park's grandfather, he didn't know what he was getting into. Turns out, the deceased was the alpha of the most powerful werewolf pack on the eastern seaboard. And his death is highly suspicious. Regardless, Cooper is determined to love and support Park the way Park has been there for him.
But Park left him woefully unprepared for the wolf pack politics and etiquette. Rival packs? A seating order at the dinner table? A mysterious figure named the Shepherd? The worst is that Park didn't tell his family one key thing about Cooper. Cooper feels two steps behind, and reticent Park is no help.
There are plenty of pack members eager to open up about Park and why Cooper is wrong for him. Their stories make Cooper wonder if he's holding Park back. But there's no time to get into it…as lethal tranquilizer darts start to fly, Cooper needs to solve the mystery of the alpha's death and fight for the man he loves—all before someone else dies.
Charlie Adhara's Big Bad Wolf series has been something of a surprise hit for me. I'm not normally into stories about werewolves, but AAR's review of The Wolf at the Door convinced me to read it, and I've been hooked ever since. Although each of the three books features a self-contained mystery that's solved by the end, the romantic relationship between the human FBI agent Cooper Dayton and his werewolf partner, the enigmatic, coolly-collected Oliver Park, develops throughout the trilogy, so I wouldn't recommend jumping into this one without having read the other two. And if you were waiting for the final book before starting the first, be warned that there are spoilers for The Wolf at the Door and The Wolf at Bay in this review.
Cooper and Park have come a long way since they first teamed up in order to solve a case involving a string of vicious murders. Moving from suspicion and animosity to professional trust, personal friendship and more, they've struggled, at times, to admit to the truth of their feelings for one another and talk through their issues (just as you'd expect of two stubborn, alpha males!), but by the end of The Wolf at Bay they're committed to each other and to their relationship, even though there are still a few bugs to be ironed out – not least of which is the fact that Cooper is sure there are things about himself Park is still keeping from him.
When Thrown to the Wolves opens, Cooper and Park are on their way to Nova Scotia in order to attend the funeral of Park's grandfather Joseph, the alpha of the Park pack. Oliver has been on edge ever since receiving news of the man's demise a day earlier, and although he is no longer a member of the pack (having turned his back on it when he learned they'd been concealing the truth about the deaths of his parents) he decides to return to the family estate to attend the funeral, and asks Cooper to go with him. Unlike Cooper, who wasn't out to his family before the events of The Wolf at Bay, Park's family knows he has a boyfriend and accepts his sexual orientation without a problem. But as soon as Cooper and Park arrive – following a life-threatening accident – Cooper realises something is off; and it doesn't take him long to figure out what it is. The Parks may be fine with the fact that Oliver is gay – but the fact he's in a relationship with a human? That, they're not pleased about.
It's going to be a difficult few days, and the fact that Park has told Cooper almost nothing about what to expect doesn't help. He's always known Park's family was loaded and obviously some kind of big deal in the werewolf community, but discovering they're like werewolf royalty and they control all the packs and pack land in the northeast of the continent of North America comes as something of a shock. Cooper is trying hard, every day, to live up to his decision to be completely open with Park and talk through any problems or issues, but the suspicion with which he's viewed, his lack of knowledge of werewolf society and pack etiquette, and the amount of pressure being brought to bear on Park (who was obviously groomed to be the next alpha) make it difficult for him to do that. He's determined to be what Park needs; to love, support and be there for him in whatever way he can, but Park has retreated behind the cool mask of self-sufficiency he'd worn when they first met, and that, combined with the Parks' obvious belief that Cooper isn't good enough or able to truly understand what it means, day after day, to have to protect the secret of their very existence, sows seeds of doubt in Cooper's mind. Is he holding Park back from having the life he needs and wants? Would he really – as his formidable grandmother insists – be better off with a partner of his own kind?
And while Cooper is trying to adjust to this new view of Park and Park is struggling under the weight of expectations and long-held secrets, a foiled attempt on the life of his grandmother, whispers about the return of the Shepherd – the most powerful and feared werewolf on the east side of the continent – the jostling for position by a neighbouring pack and the murder of a researcher out to collect data on the wolves in the area all point to foul play – and raise the possibility that Joseph Park's death may not have been the result of natural causes after all.
Thrown to the Wolves is a terrific read and one I found impossible to put down. Charlie Adhara has penned a complex mystery rife with family intrigue, divided loyalties and pack politics, and juxtaposed it against the difficulties faced by a newly-committed couple who are trying to find their path together in the face of a great deal of external pressure. Park's long-awaited backstory doesn't disappoint, and I really admired the way Cooper is following through on his promise (made in The Wolf at Bay) to be more up-front about his feelings. He's still prickly and snarky and great at saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, but he's also a lot more confident in himself and secure in Oliver's love for him, even though that confidence and security are sorely tested here. As was the case with the previous book, there's a lot going on, but it never feels cluttered or overstuffed; Ms. Adhara makes some pertinent points about intolerance and conservation, but doesn't hit readers over the head with them, and the amount of character and relationship development that goes on amid all of it is really quite something.
But throughout it all, the strength of the connection between the leads and the depth of the love they so obviously feel for one another is never once in doubt. Cooper wonders if he's not what Oliver needs and Park is being pulled in many different directions, but never, ever does either of them question their love for one another, and neither does the reader, because it's like an unbreakable thread woven throughout the story. They have crazy chemistry and the sex scenes are hot (these guys like to play 😉) and very well –written, illustrating the extent to which they've become comfortable asking for what they want and the degree of trust that has developed between them.
Thrown to the Wolves is a superb finale to a wonderful series, and it gave me pretty much everything I wanted; Park's backstory, Cooper meeting his family, a twisty mystery, sizzling naughtiness, snark, humour and a well-deserved HEA that's romantic and perfectly in character. I can't help hoping that the final lines indicate that this might not be the last we hear from Cooper and Oliver – although if this is the end, then I'm really glad to have spent this time with them and watched as they stumbled their way into love.
Posted on 2 April, 2019 30 May, 2019 by CazPosted in Mystery/Romance, Romantic Thriller, Sexual Content - ModerateTagged A, All About Romance, arc, Charlie Adhara, M/M, paranormal, queer romance, romantic suspense. 2 Comments
My Goodreads stats for 2018 reveal that I read 256 books in 2018 (I challenged myself to 240, so I just passed that goal!) – although 108 of those were audiobooks. I suspect, actually, that I listened to more than that, as I know I did a handful of re-listens, and I don't tend to count those – I re-listen far more than I re-read (I don't think I did any re-reads last year) – and I think that number of audiobooks is more than ever. Although I have fifty-six 5 star rated books showing on my stats page, the actual 5 star/A grades only number around a dozen or so; the majority are 4.5 star reads that I rounded up or audiobooks in which either story or narration (usually the narration) bumped the grade up into that bracket. I say this because, despite that number of fifty-six, when I came to make my list of what I thought were the Best Books of 2018 for All About Romance, I didn't have too much trouble making my list, whereas normally, I'll have fifteen to twenty I could include and have a tough job to whittle it down.
4 star ratings were my largest group (153) – and these include the 4.5 star ratings I don't round up (B+ books) and the 3.5 star ratings I do round up (B- books), and then I had thirty-three books and audiobooks in the 3 star bracket, nine in the 2 star, one 1 star and one unrated DNF.
The titles that made my Best of 2018 list are these:
My Year in Books at Goodreads.
And here are a few more rambling thoughts about the books I read and the audiobooks I listened to last year.
Historical Romance is far and away my favourite genre, and for years, I read very little else. Sadly however, HR made a pretty poor showing in 2018 overall, and while there were a few that were excellent, they really were the exception. The vast majority of the newer authors – and I do try most of them at least once – can't generally manage anything that deserves more than a C grade/3 stars (if that) and even some of the big-names just didn't deliver. Elizabeth Hoyt's new series got off to a terrible start with Not the Duke's Darling, which was overstuffed, confusing and not very romantic with an irritating heroine of the worst kind (the sort who has to trample all over the hero in order to prove herself). Lorraine Heath's When a Duke Loves a Woman – which I listened to rather than read (thank you Kate Reading, for the excellent narration!) – stretched the cross-class romance trope to breaking point and was sadly dull in places, and Kerrigan Byrne's sixth Victorian Rebels book, The Duke With the Dragon Tattoo was a huge disappointment. On the plus side though, just before the end of the year, I read début author Mia Vincy's A Wicked Kind of Husband which was clever, witty, poignant and sexy, and is the first début I've raved about since 2016. Meredith Duran's The Sins of Lord Lockwood was a triumph, and Caroline Linden's two Wagers of Sin books – My Once and Future Duke and An Earl Like You – were very good – intelligent, strongly characterised and deeply romantic. Of the two, I preferred An Earl Like You, a gorgeously romantic marriage of convenience story with a bit of a twist. Honourable mentions go to Joanna Shupe's A Notorious Vow, the third in her Four Hundred series, Virginia Heath's A Warriner to Seduce Her and Stella Riley's Hazard, and my two favourite historical mystery series – Lady Sherlock and Sebastian St. Cyr (Sherry Thomas and C.S. Harris respectively) had wonderful new instalments out. K.J. Charles – who can't seem to write a bad book! – published three titles – The Henchmen of Zenda, Unfit to Print and Band Sinister – all of which I loved and rated highly, and new author, Lee Welch gobsmacked me with her first full-length novel, an historical paranormal (queer) romance, Salt Magic, Skin Magic, a truly mystical, magical story with a sensual romance between opposites. Bec McMaster's terrific London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy continued with You Only Love Twice and To Catch a Rogue, which were wonderful; fast-paced, intelligent and witty, combining high-stakes plots and plenty of action with steamy, sensual romances.
I've turned most often to romantic suspense this year to fill the void left by the paucity of good historical romance – many of them in audio as I backtracked through audio catalogues and got hooked on some series that first appeared before 2018, notably Cut & Run and Psycop. In print, I was really impressed with Charlie Adhara's first two novels in her Big Bad Wolf series, The Wolf at the Door and The Wolf at Bay. I'm not a big fan of shifters, but a friend convinced me to try the first book, and I'm really glad I did. There's a great suspense plot, two fabulous leads with off-the-charts chemistry, and their relationship as they move from suspicion to admiration to more is really well done.
The final book in Rachel Grant's Flashpoint trilogy – Firestorm – was a real humdinger and fantastic end to what's been one of my favourite series over the past couple of years. Superbly written and researched, topical, fast-paced and featuring fabulously developed characters, Firestorm sees two characters who've been dancing around each other for two books having to team up to infiltrate a Russian arms dealing ring, and, when things go south, going on the run in one of the most dangerous places in the world. Ms. Grant is one of my favourite authors and her romantic suspense novels are hard to beat.
My big – and I mean BIG – discovery this year was Cordelia Kingsbridge's Seven of Spades series which is simply brilliant – addictive. I've raved about it to everyone that will listen (sorry!) and will do so again. It's a series of five books (four are out, the fifth is due in March) that tells one overarching story about the search for a clever, devious serial killer plaguing Las Vegas. Each book advances that plotline while also having another, self-contained storyline that eventually coalesces with the main plot; it's incredibly well done and the plots themselves are filled with nail-biting tension. The two central characters – Levi Abrams, a tightly-wound, intense homicide detective – and Dominic Russo – a congenial, much more relaxed guy who has serious problems of his own – are wonderful; they're complex, flawed and multi-faceted, and while they're complete opposites in many ways, they're no less perfect for each other because of it. Their relationship goes through terrific highs and terrible lows, but as we head into the last book, they're stronger than ever – and I can't wait for what promises to be an incredible series finale.
Contemporary Romance isn't a genre I gravitate towards, but for what I think is the first time EVER, one made my Best of list – Sally Malcolm's Between the Lines. I've really enjoyed the three books she's set in New Milton (a fictional Long Island resort); in fact, her novella, Love Around the Corner could easily have made the list as well. She has a real gift for creating likeable but flawed characters and for writing emotion that sings without being over the top. And I have to give a shout-out to Kelly Jensen's This Time Forever series, three books that feature older (late thirties-fifty) characters finding happiness and their forever afters – wonderful, distinct characters, each facing particular challenges and the need to sort out all the emotional baggage that comes with having been around the block a few times.
I listened to more audiobooks than ever this year – partly, I think, because I was trying to fill the gap in my reading because so much HR was just not measuring up, and partly because the fact that I tend to genre-hop more in audio has introduced me to a number of new (to me) narrators that I've begun to seek out more. (Plus, I've had some long commutes lately!) My favourites are still my favourites: Rosalyn Landor, Kate Reading, Mary Jane Wells, Alex Wyndham and Nicholas Boulton are unbeatable when it comes to historical romances; Andi Arndt reigns supreme when it comes to American contemps, Steve West could read me cereal packets and Greg Tremblay/Boudreaux is my hero. But my list of narrators to trust has grown to include J.F. Harding, Sean Crisden, Joe Arden, Carly Robbins, Saskia Maarleveld and Will Damron.
I've become hooked on m/m romantic suspense this year, and have been catching up with two long-running series – Cut & Run by Abigail Roux and Madeline Urban and Psycop by Jordan Castillo Price. The Cut & Run books are fast-paced hokum, the sort of thing you see in a lot of procedurals and action films – enjoyable, but frequently full of holes. But the series is made by its two central characters – Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett – who strike sparks off each other from the get go and fight, snark and fuck their way through nine books I enjoyed to differing degrees. Unusually, the series has three narrators; the first one (Sawyer Allerde) wasn't so great, but Sean Crisden and J.F. Harding do fabulous work in books 3-9, and while I know there's a lot of mixed feeling out there over the later books, I'd still recommend them and the series in audio.
I've also been drawn to a number of books that feature psychics in some way or another – I have no idea why – and again, some were more successful than others. I enjoyed Z.A. Maxfield's The Long Way Home – which is excellently narrated by J.F Harding – and I'm working my way through Jordan Castillo Price's hugely entertaining Psycop series (I've listened to 6 books so far) narrated by Gomez Pugh who doesn't just portray, but completely inhabits the character of Victor Bayne, the endearingly shambolic protagonist of the series. I plan to listen to the final three books very soon.
Contemporary Romance is a genre I rarely read and don't listen to often, as it doesn't do much for me in general. Nonetheless, I've listened to a few great contemporary audios in 2018, several of them in Annabeth Albert's Out of Uniform series, notably Squared Away and Tight Quarters, the latter being one of my favourites. Greg Boudreaux's narration was the big draw for me in picking up this series on audio (although books 1-3 use different narrators) and he continues to be one of the best – if not THE best – male romance narrators around. The praise heaped on Kate Clayborn's début, Beginner's Luck prompted me to pick it up in audio, although I confess that Will Damron's name attached to it factored into that decision as well. Helen Hoang's début, The Kiss Quotient was another contemp that generated a huge buzz, which again, prompted me to listen – and the fact that I'd enjoyed Carly Robins' performance in Beginner's Luck once again proved the power of the narrator when it comes to my decisions as to what I want to listen to.
As for what I'm looking forward to in 2019? First of all, I'd like a few more winners from my favourite historical romance writers, please! Although to be honest, it's looking a bit bleak, with Meredith Duran on hiatus, and only one – I think? – book due from Caroline Linden this year. I am, however, looking forward to reading more from Mia Vincy, who has three more books in her series to come, and I've already read a fantastic book by K.J. Charles – I believe there's a sequel on the way, which I'm sure will be equally fabulous. I can't wait for the finale in the Seven of Spades series – and for whatever Cordelia Kingsbridge comes up with next, and the same is true of Charlie Adhara, whose final Big Bad Wolf book is due out in April. There are new books in their respective series coming from Sherry Thomas and C.S. Harris, so I'll be there for those, and I'm looking forward to Deanna Raybourn's next Veronica Speedwell book. Audio often lags behind print, so many of the audiobooks I'm eagerly awaiting are books I read in print this year, such as Amy Lane's A Few Good Fish (which I read in August) with Greg Tremblay once again doing the honours, and Lee Welch's Salt Magic, Skin Magic, performed by Joel Leslie, who I'm sure is going to be terrific. I'm also looking forward to the final book in Kate Clayborn's Chance of a Lifetime Trilogy, Best of Luck, again narrated by Will Damron and Carly Robbins.
Hopefully, I'll be back this time next year to let you all know how things have panned out!
Posted on 12 January, 2019 11 January, 2019 by CazPosted in 19th Century, Audio, Favourite books, Historical Romance, Regency, Romantic Thriller, Sexual Content - Moderate, VictorianTagged 19th century, Abigail Roux, All About Romance, audiobook, Bec McMaster, Caroline Linden, Charlie Adhara, contemporary, Cordelia Kingsbridge, historical, Jordan Castillo Price, K.J Charles, Kelly Jensen, Lee Welch, Madeleine Urban, meredith duran, Mia Vincy, mystery, Narrator - Carly Robins, Narrator - Gomez Pugh, Narrator - Greg Boudreaux, narrator - J.F Harding, Narrator - Sean Crisden, Narrator - Will Damron, paranormal, Rachel Grant, romance, romantic suspense, Sally Malcolm, Sherry Thomas, victorian. 3 Comments
The Wolf at Bay (Big Bad Wolf #2) by Charlie Adhara
Going home digs up bad memories, so it's something Bureau of Special Investigations agent Cooper Dayton tries to avoid. When he's guilted into a visit, Cooper brings along Oliver Park, his hot new werewolf partner, in the hopes the trip will help clarify their status as a couple…or not.
When Park's keen shifter nose uncovers a body in the yard and Cooper's father is the prime suspect, Cooper knows they're on their own. Familial involvement means no sanctioned investigation. They'll need to go rogue and solve the mystery quietly or risk seeing Cooper's dad put behind bars.
The case may be cold, but Park and Cooper's relationship heats up as they work. And yet if Cooper can't figure out what's going on between them outside of the bedroom, he'll lose someone he… Well, he can't quite put into words how he feels about Park. He knows one thing for sure: he's not ready to say goodbye, though with the real killer inching ever closer…he may not have a choice.
Charlie Adhara's début novel, The Wolf at the Door, was a hugely entertaining combination of paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Set in a world in which werewolves exist and have recently made themselves known to world governments, readers were introduced to the BSI (Bureau of Special Investigation) which is the division of the FBI specifically tasked with investigating werewolf-related crimes. Special Agent Cooper Dayton was seriously wounded in a werewolf attack around a year before the book opened, and once recovered, was offered the opportunity to join the BSI, where he has been partnered with Oliver Park, a handsome, somewhat enigmatic werewolf and former college professor. Given the way Cooper was injured, and the way his former partner had drummed the necessity for suspicion into him, it wasn't surprising he wasn't pleased at being part of what, according to his ex-partner, was a PR exercise designed to pander to the werewolf population; but as the book progressed, it became clear to Cooper – and to the reader – that not everything he'd been told was the truth, and that Park was charming, intuitive, droll and trustworthy – absolutely nothing like Cooper had expected.
By the end of the book, Cooper and Park have moved beyond the professional and become lovers, their physical intimacy evolving naturally out of the strong working relationship they develop during the story. By the time The Wolf at Bay opens, they've been together for four months, although of course, it's not something they can be open about if they want to remain as work-partners. They spend a lot of time together, enjoy each other's company (and the sex) but Cooper isn't willing to think beyond that, or about what they're really doing – things firmly on the long list of things he and Park Don't Talk About.
Following a shake-down that doesn't go according to plan, Cooper and Park are on their way back to DC when a call from Cooper's dad, former Sheriff Ed Dayton, sees them making a detour to Jagger Valley in Maryland in order to attend the engagement party being held for Cooper's brother Dean – which Cooper had completely forgotten about. Cooper's relationship with his father is an uneasy one, and he rarely visits his childhood home; he's always felt the Sheriff never thought he was good enough, and Cooper has never told his father or his brother how dangerous his job really is and lets them believe he's a glorified pen-pusher, which gives rise to some disparaging comments and not so subtle ribbing from his dad. He's not out to them either, and on top of all that, there's an uncomfortable tension between him and Park he's aware is mostly his fault because he's deliberately holding back from him. On impulse, Cooper asks Park to go to Jagger Valley with him, hoping that perhaps some time away from the professional arena will allow them to just be a couple and maybe to figure out exactly what they are to each other; and Park, being Park, says he'd be honoured to meet Cooper's family.
The first part of the book does get a little bogged down in Cooper's insecurities, his reluctance to admit to himself how he really feels about Park and his inability to actually talk to him about their… whatever is going on between them. Fears of rejection, of being hurt and thirty years of emotional repression all conspire to keep holding him back, and while he does want to talk to Park about where they stand, he simultaneously keeps finding ways to put it off. And when a decades old dead body is found buried in the back garden of the Dayton family home, Cooper grabs the opportunity to put it off yet again with both hands.
Once this discovery is made, the pace picks up, and the revelations concerning the dead man – who lived in the house next door but was believed to have upped and left twenty-five years earlier – come thick and fast and Cooper learns some things about his family history that shock and unnerve him. Even though he's not there in any official capacity – and is warned off becoming involved – when his father falls under suspicion, Cooper is even more determined to discover the truth about the man's death.
The mystery plot is extremely well done, but the thing that has really stuck with me about this book is the astonishing amount of character and relationship development Ms. Adhara packs into it, and how skilfully she juggles her different plotlines. Through Cooper's investigations into the murder, readers learn more about his past, his familial relationships and how they have informed his character; and even though he and Park are on shaky ground for part of the book, the discoveries they make about each other only serve to strengthen the bond developing between them. It's apparent right away that their relationship is about more than 'just sex' for both of them; they hang out together, they watch movies, talk about books and enjoy being together, but Cooper is terribly insecure and fearful that eventually Park will just stop showing up at his place, and those anxieties communicate themselves to his lover and send mixed signals.
As with the previous book, the story is told entirely from Cooper's point of view, but once again the author does wonderful job of showing the truth of Park's feelings through his words, actions and expressions. Cooper might not be able to read the signs properly, but the reader can, and it's crystal clear that Park is very much in love, but is trying to give Cooper whatever he needs while he figures things out. Unfortunately, Cooper reads his willingness to give him space as aloofness; but thankfully, he does eventually come to realise that his unwillingness to let himself be vulnerable is what is most likely to drive Park away, and after a particularly steamy sexual encounter decides it's time to man up and be honest with the man he loves.
The mystery is wrapped up neatly by the end and Cooper and Park have at last admitted how they feel about one another, but a plot-thread left hanging for book three suggests that not everything in the garden of love will continue to be rosy. Although The Wolf at Bay gets a little bogged down in the first part, it's still an excellent read and one I'm recommending very strongly. I'm thoroughly enjoying this series, and can't wait to read book three next Spring.
Posted on 5 October, 2018 5 October, 2018 by CazPosted in Mystery/Romance, Romantic Thriller, Sexual Content - ModerateTagged arc, B, Charlie Adhara, M/M, mystery, netgalley, queer romance, romantic suspense. 2 Comments
The Wolf at the Door (Big Bad Wolf #1) by Charlie Adhara
Park is an agent of The Trust, a werewolf oversight organization working to ease escalating tensions with the BSI. But as far as Cooper's concerned, it's failing. As they investigate a series of mysterious deaths unlike anything they've seen, every bone in Cooper's body is suspicious of his new partner—even when Park proves himself as competent as he is utterly captivating.
When more people vanish, pressure to solve the case skyrockets. And though he'd resolved to keep things professional, Cooper's friction with Park soon erupts…into a physical need that can't be contained or controlled. But with a body count that's rising by the day, werewolves and humans are in equal danger. If Cooper and Park don't catch the killer soon, one—or both—of them could be the next to go.
An excellent début form Charlie Adhara, Wolf at the Door combines romance, mystery and paranormal elements and weaves them skilfully together into a procedural drama that provides a thoroughly entertaining and gripping read.
FBI Cooper Dayton narrowly survived a werewolf attack around a year before the story begins. At the time, he had no idea what had caused his injuries; as far as he knew, he was chasing down a murder suspect. Given the choice between finding out what really happened, and continuing in ignorance, he opts for the former – and is inducted into the Bureau of Special Investigations with the FBI, a small unit that has been created specially to deal with "monsters". (No, it's not quite the X-Files!) Cooper is one of a very small number of people to know that werewolves actually exist and live freely among the general population, and that five years previously, their leadership group – the Trust – had decided to reveal the truth to governments around the world in an attempt to help werewolves to continue to live peaceably in the modern world.
That's the background to an intriguing suspense novel that sees Cooper paired with a Trust agent – Oliver Park – as an experiment to foster werewolf/human co-operation. They are assigned to investigate the deaths of two – possibly three – hikers in the White Mountain National Forest in Maine, who are believed to have been killed by werewolves. When a fourth victim is found alive, it seems at first to be an unrelated case of kidnap and assault – but is it? Cooper and Park have to navigate their way through small-town politics as well as the wider political canvas of human/werewolf relations – not to mention risk their lives – if they're going to find out the truth.
The mystery element of the story is well executed, and I wasn't sure of the identity of the villain until it was finally revealed, which is always a good thing. The author creates a suitably menacing small-town atmosphere for the fictional town where much of the story takes place as Cooper and Park gradually pull together the disparate threads and clues they uncover.
They've got a kind of Odd Couple thing going on; Park is always smartly dressed and exudes confidence while Cooper is a bit of a shambles most of the time; he's very shrewd and observant (as Park notices) but he sometimes lacks the courage of his own convictions and tends to second guess himself. Given his experience with werewolves, it's to be expected that Cooper isn't best pleased at having one for a partner, plus his more experienced BSI partner has drummed it into him to be suspicious of all wolves; which makes his instinct to trust Park that much more confusing.
While he's trying – not too hard at first – to get used to having a werewolf around, he tends to be snippy and displays an inordinate talent for putting his foot in his mouth, but Park is calm and unflappable; he gives Cooper the space to work things out and his quiet confidence that Cooper will make the right calls goes a long way towards helping him to come into his own over the course of the story. The author does a great job of creating a strong rapport between them; you gotta love a couple who can quote movie references in perilous situations – which makes the physical relationship they embark upon later in the book feel like a natural extension of their working one.
I knocked off half a grade point mostly because I wanted to know a bit more about Park. The story is told entirely through Cooper's PoV, and for most of the story Park is coolly aloof and completely professional; he's hard to read until Cooper starts to get to know him and to recognise his subtle non-verbal signals, and that means he's pretty much an enigma for the reader, too. Most of the things we learn about him – he's from an old and very much venerated pack, but doesn't live with them any more – just pose more questions, which I hope will be answered in later books in the series.
Ms. Adhara gets the balance between the romance and the suspense just about right here, and does a tremendous job of paralleling the development of the relationships – personal and professional – between her two principals. I wolfed down (!) The Wolf at the Door in a couple of sittings and would definitely recommend it to fans of the genre.
Posted on 24 July, 2018 23 July, 2018 by CazPosted in Début author, Mystery/Romance, Sexual Content - ModerateTagged A, Charlie Adhara, e-book, M/M, paranormal, romantic suspense. 5 Comments