Reviews by SoCalReader

More like 3.5 stars. I actually loved Louisa. She was a bad ass--smart, confident, and able to handle herself. The heroes, on the other hand, seemed so...vague. They were OK, but I felt like I never got to know them. They didn't have distinct, different personalities, Vaughn in particular, seemed barely part of the story. As for the story/plot...meh. So overall, Louisa was great, but the heroes needed more definition, and the plot would've been more interesting.

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Pretty good book. Not sure why some of the ratings for it are low. I enjoyed the heroes, even if they were a little quick to be thinking of the heroine in sexual way instead of the danger she was in. I liked Erika too. She was pragmatic about her situation, but also also didn't just forget about her old life. It was realistic to see her pangs of longing for her old friends etc. The one thing that I didn't like, was the absence of suspense and danger. There was a bit in the beginning and a little at the end, but without that suspense, the book did get boring in places. It needed more action and drama for sure and more plot. Overall though, it was an easy, uncomplicated read.

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Good. I liked that the villain was truly evil and actually smart. It made the story more exciting and suspenseful. Looking forward to reading the next book (I assume it will be Jasmine, Dawson and Kent's story.

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Loved this book and am really enjoying this series. It's a little lighter than some of the others (American Soldier, Battlefield, Soldiers of Pearl etc.) but it's a nice change of pace. The men are still alpha and many of them are former soldiers, but that's not the focus in this series. I am loving the heroines too. They are stronger with bigger personalities. Giann was great. Smart, super adventurous and a perfect match for the heroes. Also, she is one of DLD's few curvy heroines. I never cared if the heroine was curvy or not, but I was getting tired of DLD's obsession with every previous heroine being described as "petite. petite, petite". It was so overused and weirdly focused on. So it was nice to have Gianna be different. Loved the heroes and the way they supported Gianna. My only complaint is the same one from the last book. The ending was too abrupt with an unsatisfying epilogue/wrap up. Oh, I liked the HEA, but no aftermath from Gianna's ordeal? I wanted more description and emotional insightbut it was like there was a word limit, it was reached so the book had to end immediately.

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Great start to this new series! I loved all the characters. Venetia was strong yet cautious. I really liked that even though she'd been traumatized in the past, she wasn't paralyzed with fear. She went out with her friends, she flirted and had a great time with Titan, Ace and Zane when they 1st met. I liked that one set of the heroes had a great 1st encounter with Venetia but Apollo, Roman and Garvan did not. It was a nice twist. I especially loved the growth in Venetia and Apollo's relationship. My only issue was the ending, which was too was abrupt. I wanted more epilogue and more of the immediate aftermath of the confrontation with the villain. Looking forward to the next book--hopefully Cherie's story?

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Not one of the author's best. I liked Emma a lot. The heroes were OK but not fleshed out. The love scenes were super hot. The problem was there wasn't much of a storyline and once the initial "misunderstanding" was cleared up early on, nothing really happened except the foursome dating. The ending was completely rushed with a weird family emergency and family secret being revealed. It came out of nowhere and was just....strange. Finally, it must be mentioned that the editing was horrible. The quotation marks were totally screwed up throughout. Some dialogue had quotation marks, some didn't, some were in the wrong place, others were omitted completely. Made it super frustrating to follow. Not the author's fault, but clearly there was no editor for this book.

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This book was more like 3.5 stars. I liked it, but there wasn't much of a plot. It was a very breezy, simple story--there wasn't the usual intensity that I'm so used to from Dixie's books. I loved the heroes, who were strong and demanding. Tessa was OK. I liked her too, but I didn't feel like I completely got to know her. Also. There were a lot of typos--Tessa's ex's name is Jimmy but he was incorrectly called "Johnny" a few times. Also, Coastal was misspelled as "Costal." So that was a bit annoying. Overall, this book was fine, if a bit boring. For me, needed more drama and plot.

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Ms. Roberts is a completely new author to me amd I must say, I enjoyed this book, especially the MMFM angle. THE GOOD: 1) I loved all the characters. Audra was complex. Her childhood was so terrible, which the author painted vividly. I really felt for her. The heroes were wonderful and I loved that they each had very distinct personalities. Even the peripheral characters (Audra's sister Kayla, the heroes' friends, etc.) were well written. 2) I liked that it wasn't insta-love--that it took a while for Audra to let her guard down and for the men (Tanner especially) to see past Audra's cold exterior. THE BAD: 1) The story was a too slow, with very little action. While I liked watching the foursome get to know each other, the middle of the book dragged. 2) There were times when Audra came off as almost too emotionally stunted for my taste. Sometimes Audra was like a child (in knowledge, not behavior). During the love scenes, it felt like a I was reading a "How-To" manual instead of a romance. 3) Speaking of love scenes---they were waaaaay too short and very......clinical. Each love scene only lasted a few paragraphs. It was like, wham bam thank you ma'am! They didn't read as emotional or particularly loving. There wasn't much romantic dialogue after the love scenes. No savoring of the moment. It felt cold. 4) Finally, the story could have really used more plot--aside from the foursome's getting together. There was a tiny side story about some thieves that should've added some suspense, but it was pretty much resolved in a couple of pages! I was looking forward to maybe the heroes playing---well, heroes but it never happened. Overall, I will definitely buy this author again. She's great at character development. I do think she could get better at pacing, adding suspense and most importantly, adding some sizzle and deeper emotion in the love scenes.

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This book started off as a 4 star book. I felt for Amber and her struggle and confusion over why she was feeling so strongly about Mason, and then later, Lucas, Hudson and Dylan. I liked that the men had to work for Amber's trust. I felt everyone's pain but also the wonder of finding their mate. Unfortunately about halfway thru, the story got really muddled. There was a threat from some obsessed shifter that Amber had only met once before. It seemed very contrived. Then, it just got confusing with the evil shifter working with a demon and kidnapping Amber, one of the Pride's cubs, and another woman. That other woman, by the way, popped up out of nowhere. What was the point of that except to identify her as the heroine of an upcoming book? And why was the baby/cub abducted too? It was never really explained except that I guess it was for kicks? Just a lot of points in the story, from the abduction onward were very confusing. There were times I couldn't really follow what was going on and I started to skim a little b/c it was frustrating. I've read every book in this series but I haven't memorized every character or backstory. A little context from the author would go a long way. Like, who the heck was Sienna? If she was mentioned in another book I don't remember and I certainly wasn't going to drop this book to try to figure it out. So, overall, liked the 1st half of the book, but the 2ndhalf was a bit of a muddled mess.

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Love, love, love everything about this book. Super hot heroes, good heroine and nice character development. The characters (especially the heroes) sounded like real people (as opposed to fluffy, romanticized people). The men had a great relationship on their own and the addition of Lexi just made it better. I highly recommend.

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Great book. Very emotional and hot.

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Super hot book. Pretty unrealistic, but who cares? The story was about fantasies--Elissa's most importantly, but also the heroes'. I do wish there had been a stronger, better plot. There was an insignificant attempt to add a bit of drama with a vengeful ex of on of the peripheral characters, but that was pretty weak. I found myself liking the heroes more than Elissa, even though the men weren't very defined themselves. Elissa was OK, just a bit too wishy washy for me. Overall, I can always count on this author to write a super hot book. I'd love it if she could create deeper plots and characters too.

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I'd rate this 3.5 if I could. The Good: 1) I really, really liked the way Dixie mixed up the way the the heroes and heroine got together. Lori developed relationships with the men individually as opposed to one big, dramatic love scene. It was different and it gave the reader a chance to see the heroes as individuals rather than just bothers who like to share women. 2) Lori was confident and cautious. She didn't easily give in the the men's demands. She kept things to herself. It was completely realistic. The Bad: 1) As much as I liked Lori's confidence, she generally came off as very cold. I didn't feel connected to her. I felt bad about her situation with her sister, but even that was a bit exasperating. At some point I ran out of sympathy for the sister and just wanted Lori to move on. 2). Lori's backstory of an abusive boyfriend and the unexpected tie to one of her men felt....weak. There was too much going on---with Lori's sister Evilly and her abusive boyfriend, Lori's own ex that just popped up out of nowhere halfway thru the book, the sisters' family (parents and brothers) etc. Too much focus on external stuff that honestly, wasn't very interesting, and too little on Lori and the heroes. I usually re-read Dixie's books every now and then but this is one I would not. It wasn't bad, but Lori left me cold and the story felt a little disjointed.

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Good book. It took me a litt,e while to get into it because I initially had a hard time getting a handle on Cali--- probably because she was playing a role as the story began. I loved the heroes even though, like with Cali, I was initially unsure of them (particularly Dominic and Shimmy). Btw, I ended up LOVINGLY Shimmy and also Warren. Also I ended up really. Really feeling for Cali. One of the things I liked most about the story, was that for most of it, Cali kept her secrets to herself and was strong in her conviction. She was cautious, even after accepting the men and that rang true to me. Also there was a twist at the end which I really enjoyed. The book ended with a melancholy HEA which was a bit different, and I really liked that too. It was a nice change of pace. Another enjoyable Dixie story.

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Just OK. I liked the heroine (Carly) and felt for her because she'd been thru so much. But, like the heroes, neither she nor the men felt very fleshed out. The story moved at light speed. One minute Carly is running for her life, the next she literally runs into the heroes-- her brother's childhood friends. Next thing you know, they take her home and instantly start admiring her body and thinking about sex with her. Within a few days they were a foursome. Eh, it just seemed too rushed and I didn't feel the bond of them knowing each other during childhood. As for the villain, he was appropriately creep and psycho which I liked. But I felt a little uncomfortable that he had to be a stereotypical "crazy veteran." In the end, I'd been looking fwd to this book but can't give it more than 3 stars.

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Sweet story. The title pretty much says it all. On the one hand, I liked that Dixie mixed up her formula by writing a "good old fashioned love story." I liked that Amber wasn't a shy or fearful virgin (as most of her heroines are), that even though she was young, she was experienced, a widow and had a child. It was a nice change of pace. I also loved the friendship between her and Ledger that started in previous books. On the other hand, I found the story slow and a but boring. The "danger" was pretty contrived and seemed thrown in just to check the "danger" box. I'd have preferred that part just be eliminated and focus more on the the characters coming together and dealing with things like the difficulties of becoming a blended family heroes' estrangement from their parents. Overall, I liked the characters and the premise but the execution left me a little bored.

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Not on of this author's best. Everything happened way too quickly. The men fell for Desire and decided she was "the one" immediately, then plotted and planned to get her to fall for them. It actually didn't take much. I love strong, alpha men, but the heroes talked about Desire crudely (though not to her face) and they were super pushy with her. Nothing against her will, of course, but it all felt too manipulative and "boys club-ish" to me. The sex was super hot, but everything else left me cold.

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Great story. Loved Carina, Milton, Nevin, Jack and Jesse. The heroes were sexy and hot, but also wonderfully patient with Carina. As a reader, I felt her pain, fear and struggle. I also understood the men's frustration, wanting to be there for her but Carina constantly pushing them away. In general, I thought the pace of the story was good; it felt realistic. There was no jumping straight into bed, given the circumstances. The men put her needs 1st which I loved. My only critique is that some of the dialogue and descriptions got repetitive. Sometimes it felt like characters were having the same conversations over again. And once again, the overuse of the heroine being described as "petite" was annoying. If the author would just mix it up a bit, maybe use "delicate"' "fragile"' "small"??? Just to break up the monotony. Or not bring up her size at all constantly? Overall though, another keeper by the author.

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Good. I liked the semi-gritty, true crime vibe of the book. Sallyanne had been thru hell and I loved the way the heroes took their time and gained her trust. Also, the threat was present and consistent throughout the book which I appreciated. That part of the story never got lost, even as the romance heated up. My only real disappointment was the final conflict with the villain, which was a bit anti-climactic. Without giving any spoilers away, I just expected and wanted more interaction between the villain, the heroes and heroine at the end. Overall though, a nice read.

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Good book. I really liked Cesar, Damon, Gino and Fox. I especially liked that the brothers were sort of split into 2 sets, with Gino and Fox being super intense and Damon and Cesar less so. It provided differentiation. I loved Antonia in Book 1 and I liked her here, but I must confess, not as much as I did in the 1st installment. That seems to be a trend when I read these series. I end up more intrigued with the friend or sister than the heroine. In this book, I was super interested in Carina's story and in Book 1 (about Brooklyn) I was more interested in Antonia than Brooklyn. Still, I did enjoy Antonia. I liked that she took her time and and when she did open up, she did so completely. I especially loved Cesar, and the way all the men cared for her. My biggest complaint is the author's constant, incessant focus on every heroine's petite frame. It's mentioned every few pages! Honestly it's annoying and I don't know why an editor has't done anything about it. Like maybe try different words? Small, delicate, slight...? Anyway, I'm excited to read Carina's story and hope it lives up to what I've read so far in this book.

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Pretty good book. I liked Brooklyn's self assured and kick-ass attitude, even though she had issues from her past. The problem for me, was that I was much, much more interested in Brooklyn's sister Antonia and her budding relationships. I liked the heroes---Finnian, Aero, Zeke and Jagger, but I didn't really "get" them. Meaning, I didn't get beneath the superficial with them. Their relationship with Brooklyn was nice, but there wasn't the deep emotional connection I'm used to getting from a Dixie Lynn Dwyer book. I felt more emotion in Antonia's interactions with Cesar, the town Sheriff. Perhaps Dixie should have let Brooklyn's story stand alone, amd not introduce Antonia in this book because for me, at least, Antonia stole the show. Overall, Brooklyn's story was worth 3 stars due to lack of character development for the heroes and an underwhelming mystery plot. But it gets 1 extra star because I really liked Antonia and was so drawn to her, Cesar, amd his brother Damon as supporting characters. I can't wait to read Antonia's book.

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Disappointing. I really like Becca Van books but this one felt very........not up to her usual par. The dialogue was very, very simplistic. Almost amateurish, I hate to say. Overall, none of the Reynolds Pack books have been very good IMO. I can't help but wonder if these are old stories (from an old publisher, etc.) that Ms. Van is now re-releasing. The writing is just inferior when compared to series like Club Dominance or Elite Dragons/Dragoons or even the Pack Law books. Parts of the story seemed rushed, like the heroes meeting Jay, then becoming best friend almost immediately, the convenient, unbelievable explanation as to why the villain didn't rape the heroine, the convenient excuse for the heroine to have to stay with the men... Also, I was put off early on, by Jay taking off Lexia's pants while she was unconscious, to determine if she's been raped. WTF? Sure, Jay's a doctor but that felt very violating. So, in the end, I found my self skimming a bit to finish the book and after having read the 1st 3 books in this series, I will think twice about buying the next one.

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Good book. I was was really looking forward to Lois's story since reading Valentina's in the preceding book. I loved that the heroes took things super slow with Lois. I especially loved how she and Ghost were dealing with similar issues and were able to bond over that. A few things that could have been better: I felt like all the men got a lot of time (individually) with Lois except Laverty, and consequently, I didn't get a good feel for him. The ending confrontation was abrupt and too quick. I can understand, with all Lois had been thru, if the author didn't want to do the usual harsh treatment of the heroine just before she's rescued, etc. but not all the men were there for the confrontation which was disappointing. Also, (and this happens every book with every heroine) the repetition of Lois being describe as petite, classy, petite, fragile and you know, PETITE lol was waaaay too much. We get it. Dixie! You love petite heroines and Lois is petite! Finally this book was very, very, very similar to Soldiers of Pearl - Healing Souls (which I LOVED). Right down to the scene where Lois helps Ghost thru a nightmare. I can't be too mad about this though. DLD has a formula and she sticks to it. If I didn't love it, I wouldn't keep buying it lol. Overall, I enjoyed Lois's story and the heroes and am looking forward to the next book/series.

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Finally reading this after 2 yrs. Eh this book was OK but definitely not one I would re-read. I liked Mariah and the heroes, but the story just didn't grab me. All the elements were there---suspense, murder mystery, hot, demanding heroes, etc. I just didn't feel connected to it all, and especially not to Mariah. I liked her, but I didn't feel invested in her unfortunately.

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Wow. I bought this book so long ago but never got around to reading it til now. For some reason I just skipped it but read the other books in the series. Maybe because the excerpt made the books seem like it would be so difficult---abused, deathly fearful woman with 2 children. It seemed like it would be heavy and sad. On the contrary, Cora's story was so wonderful amd touching amd uplifting. I loved the heroes. They were so strong amd caring and had their own demons, particularly Blade amd Beau. Cora was great, I really felt her pain, her courage and struggle to be stronger. This was an amazing book!

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