Lights Out - Book Review by Voodoo Bride

 

Lights Out (Into Darkness #1)

by Navessa Allen

What is it about:

I want someone with a soul as black as night. Someone who would burn the world down for me and not lose a single minute of sleep over it.

Trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci doesn’t need any more kinks. She likes the one she’s landed on just fine. To her, nothing could top the masked men she follows online. Unless one of those men was shirtless, heavily tattooed, and waiting for her in her bedroom. She dreams about being hunted by one in particular, of him chasing her down and doing deliciously dark things to her willing body. She never could have guessed that by sending one drunken text, those dreams would become her new reality.

I want things most people don’t, craving darkness and depravity instead of light and love.

Josh Hammond has spent his life avoiding the limelight, but his online persona is another story. At night, he posts masked thirst traps for his millions of fans to drool over, but one follower has caught his eye: Aly. After reading a comment begging him to break into her house wearing a mask, he decides to take her up on her offer.

Together, Aly and Josh live out their darkest fantasies, unaware that Aly has captured the attention of someone else. Someone with far more sinister intentions than a little light stalking. As Josh turns from predator to protector and the stakes heighten, he must ask himself how far he’s willing to go for the woman he’s obsessed with.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:

*Might be a tiny bit spoilery*

Either I'm more depraved than I thought, or there needs to be a serious discussion about what a Dark Romance is.

Because this wasn't dark at all in my opinion!

Not that that was a bad thing: I haven't laughed so much while reading a Romance in a long time. And not because the story is laughable, but because it really is meant to be funny.

I liked Aly and Josh from the start. Josh is a bit of a social disaster, but otherwise they're both just really fun people. I enjoyed learning more about them and seeing them fall for each other. 

There were two minor annoyances:

1 - Even though their backstories were entertaining, I didn't like it that those were used as an explanation for their kinks. You don't need a trauma or tragic event to enjoy kinks.

2 - Saying "No safe word. Just say stop, and I'll stop." = a safe word!!!!!

But those were minor as I said. I could easily put it aside for the sake of the story.

All in all I had a great time with this, and even Sullivan got invested when real danger was introduced to make things a bit more suspenseful. He also really liked Fred, the cat.

You bet we will get hold of the next book.

Why should you read it:

It's a very enjoyable Dark Romance

On McPig's Wishlist - A Dagger of Lightning

 

A Dagger of Lightning

by Meredith R. Lyons

Let's get one thing straight: I am not your chosen one.

Forty-five-year-old Imogen has always struggled to fit in, never finding her passion in life. And while that may include having cold feet in her impending nuptials, that doesn't mean she's ready to ditch planet Earth—and her entire life—completely.

When Imogen is kidnapped by an alien prince in disguise, there’s nothing she can do to stop him. He’s sidhe—a being with powerful abilities—and he’s grown up used to getting what he wants. The prince is convinced Imogen will fall in love with him, and that her new powers, once she’s turned sidhe, will help his country win a centuries-old feud.

With the help of the prince’s much more tolerable brother, Imogen starts to get her feet back under her, but even he can’t protect her from those who would use her for her powers. If Imogen can’t find a way to fight for herself, she’ll become a pawn in a world that has already decided what she’s going to be.

Expected publication April 1, 2025

Alien Ghostship - Book Review by Voodoo Bride

 

Alien Ghostship

by Bella Blair

What is it about:

Jane: While scouting my assigned sector in our galaxy, I come upon an abandoned alien ship. A Ghostship. Excited to explore the deserted vessel, things soon turn strange as an eerie mist follows me wherever I go, even showing me the way to a cabin that appears to have been left in a hurry. Soon I discover, that I'm not only unable to leave the Alien Ghostship, but I begin to dream of a handssome, alien stranger. Is he the guy who left this ship in an obvious haste? 

WREN: Thanks to my copilot's betrayal, I have been a prisoner in this cave for I don't know how long. My only hope is that my prototype ship has left to find help, otherwise I'm afraid I will be doomed in here. One morning my tablet announces that somebody has boarded my ship. A woman of a species I have never seen before. Did she board my ship to steal it or to get help? And what is that mist that seems to follow her everywhere? And why do I suddenly begin dreaming of her? So real it is as if she were sitting right next to me. So alluring that all I care about is being with her. 

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:

I got this as a freebie for signing up to Bella Blair's newsletter

This is a nice read.

It could have used a bit more editing, but I liked the story well enough to overlook the typo's and missing words.

The romance is fast, but enjoyable. It is a bit of a puzzle how the two are noticing and feeling each other, but that added a bit of suspense to it.

The ending was a bit too obviously trying to shove in lead characters of other books, but all in all ths was a pleasant read. I got several other freebies for signing up, all part of different series by Blair. I might try one of those to see if there's a series/world that captures me.

Why should you read it:

It's a nice SciFi Romance.

Teaser Tuesdays - What Moves the Dead

 Doing a reread of this book before reading What Feasts at Night. 

The mushroom's gills were the deep-red color of severed muscle, the almost-violet shade that contrasts so dreadfully with the pale pink of viscera. I had seen it any number of times in dead deer and dying soldiers, but it startled me to see it here.

(page 1, What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher)

---------

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, previously hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their  TBR Lists if they like your teasers!