Here at Chapter Break, we don’t always write a full review of every book we read. Well, now we decided to do these monthly wrap-up posts with roundups of our reviews this month and mini-reviews to fill in the gaps. Enjoy!
The Unlikeable Demon Hunter: A Devilishly Funny Urban Fantasy Romance (Nava Katz Book 1) This was a freebie I picked up and thoroughly enjoyed. So much that I went and purchased the next ebook. YES an ebook. I read an ebook, on the plane, and am now trying to read another on the couch. I love quirky, snarky, unlikely female heroines who kick ass and threaten the patriarchy, or in this case, the Brotherhood. After a mistake causes the wrong twin to be initiated into the male-only demon hunter club, we have all kinds of drama, action, demon kills, and lusty fun time. I’m enjoying the “I’m into you but I don’t do relationships” situation she’s got going on with a fellow demon hunter and wonder how many books until she breaks her no kissing with hookups rule.
A Perilous Undertaking: This novel is simply delicious. I smirked my way through listening to the whole novel. I love the juxtaposition of Victorian era morays against the modern sensibility of Veronica Speedway. Let’s just say the scene in the grotto had me 😂. The growing relationship between Victoria and Stoker is full of emotion. And the wrap up was well done. I’d like to say I figured out some of the mystery along with Victoria and Stoker. And I did have a pretty good guess at the murderer. But I totally missed a lot of the other clues. A great second novel!
Cut and Run: This had all I was looking for. Short ✔️ Full Cast ✔️Free ✔️ and I loved the tagline of Lighthearted Dark Comedy. That is right up my ally! Full Cast narration did a great job. Audio production was well done, including a muffled conversation from different sides of a door. And a super cute story. As long as you don’t take kidney stealing as too serious of a crime. Definitely recommended!
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It: It seems so wrong that I’m enjoying this book as much as I am. Like Cut and Run, lighthearted dark comedy sums this one up as well. I am enjoying the premise of an author being mistaken for a contract killer is pretty hilarious! And I’m reveling in the potential love triangle between Finlay and two very eligible bachelors. Let’s just say, if you need to cover up a crime, check with an author on how to do it!
The Wedding Setup: Short! Cute! And steamy! I really enjoy Sonali Dev’s books, and this one is no different. I love a re-kindled romance. And Ayesha’s and Emmitt’s is a great one. I also really appreciate how the relationship between Ayesha and her mother progresses. Plus I love the call backs to the Twilight character names! Worth the quick read.
A Cowboy Christmas Legend: I do always enjoy a Linda Broday historical! But what’s special about this is it’s a second generation novel. The Legend men are, legendary. Not sorry for the pun! The meet cute between Sam and Cheyenne was well-written and passionate. The love between these two does bloom very quickly. Not so much love at first sight, but pretty close. What I’d really like to focus on here, though, is how well Ms. Broday writes children into these books. I generally don’t care for children in romance novels, but Ms. Broday does a great job weaving them into the plots of her novels. Overall, enjoyable!
Look Alive Twenty-Five: Oddly enough, this is the first Stephanie Plum novel that I’ve listened to. And boy did narrator Lorelei King nailed the narration. (Well, ok, except for Ranger. He’s voice was off for me.) It was hilarious listening to Ms. King narrate Lula’s state of dress (or undress as the case may be 🙂 ). This time around, Stephanie and Lula are tasked with managing a deli. Let’s just say hijinks ensue, as expected. This book was missing funeral home visits with Grandma Mazur, which was a bit of a disappointment. I am seriously tired of the Ranger \ Stephanie \ Morelli love triangle, though after 25 books. And I realized that time must move differently in this series. How could Rex the Hamster still be alive given that the first book was published in 1994! Overall, this book is what you would expect, funny and a quick\easy read.
A Treacherous Curse: Number 3 in the Veronica Speedwell series, and the second I’ve listened to this month. This time around, we are learning more about Stoker’s past. There is also an Egyptian theme going on, with a mummy’s curse! I really enjoyed the mummy’s curse aspect of this mystery. And this time around, I had no guesses whatsoever who the culprits were. Another winner in this series.
The Heart of Betrayal: Well, that was one doozy of an ending, that’s for sure! I actually enjoyed this more than the first book, which was just getting good at the ending as well. More court intrigue, less journey. I still have zero interest in the love triangle between Lia, Rafe, and Kaden, with the addition of the Komisar in this novel. (The romance does remind me of that classic line from 10 Things I Hate About You! You know the one.) But at least this time around, Lia has some backbone and knows what she wants. Overall, a good second in a series. And yes. Definitely moving on to the next one!
Books we reviewed this month:
I loved Kiss of Deception – glad you enjoyed book 2 of that series!
Thanks, Nicole! I saw that book 7 came out recently. I need to catch up on this series!
I loved Finlay Donovan — such a fun, airy read!
So fun! I’m excited for the next one in the series, Suzanne.
I absolutely love the Veronica Speedwell series – glad you’re enjoying them too! I don’t usually do audiobooks but it would be loads of fun to listen to one of those.
Honestly, Kym, the audio is fab! I imagine I’d love them just as much reading them, too. But definitely recommend the audio.
I love Lorelei King so much! I’d listen to ALL her audiobooks! But wow Lynn you rocked reading this month!
Julie recently posted…Mini Reviews Wrap Up January 2022
Thanks, Julie! I’m a fan of hers now for sure as well!