There’s nothing more that I enjoy as a reader than getting stuck into an absorbing series. So for this week’s Recent Reads, I’m lucky enough to have read and thoroughly enjoyed two series, Winter Sun by Roe Horvat and Endangered Fae by Angel Martinez. Both authors create wonderfully imaginative worlds to escape from a bleak and grey January!
Winter Sun is another wonderful Omegaverse series from Roe Horvat, this time taking place in a paranormal and slightly dystopian contemporary setting with the three books, Ugly, Unexpected and Trouble, following the love stories of three different couples during an omega heat.
Ugly sets up the background of the tough urban landscape of Dalton City, where homeless omega teenager Emerson is befriended by alpha bar owner Burke, his scarred and daunting appearance belying his kind and generous heart. When Emerson is close to his heat, his friend Kirby doesn’t return from a mission to find him a safe place to stay, Burke’s to offer his protection.
Emerson and Burke’s story is sweet, tender and very hot. I really enjoyed the contrast between the uncaring outside world of Dalton City and the warm and safe space of Burke’s bar, where we meet a cast of characters whose stories are told in subsequent books.
Having met Richard as Burke’s best friend in the first story, it was great to follow his love story with Carter in Unexpected. I thoroughly enjoyed the contrasting peaceful seaside town where high-flying executive alpha Richard withdraws from the city to reappraise his entire lifestyle after ending a toxic relationship. His meeting with gentle omega trainee teacher Carter and their bonding over Richard’s adorable pooch flowed so naturally. I found Unexpected to be a delightful love story with plenty of heat.
In, Trouble, the third Winter Sun story, we finally come to omega Kirby and alpha Hugh, the bartender. They’ve been edging around each other since book 1 when Kirby was homeless, with few prospects and a massive attitude to make up for that lack.
I so enjoyed the emotional depth of their story as now-famous porn star Kirby slowly works through his defences to begin to trust ever-decent Hugh during a heat porn shoot. As always with Roe‘s stories, the heat level is scorching, and the deep romanticism throughout makes Trouble a wonderful read.
In the four-book series (so far!) of Endangered Fae, Angel Martinez creates a contrasting paranormal contemporary world, where in the first story, Finn, the Fae Pooka crash lands into modern Brooklyn and is rescued by the kindly Diego, unaware that he has taken in a supernatural being resulting in all kinds of dangerous revelations.
I found the sense of plight and danger was perfectly balanced by humour with Finn’s often bemused response to modern human life. Both Finn and Diego had so much emotional depth, which was skilfully developed to weave in a back story as this imaginative and engrossing story developed.
The sequel, Diego, crosses over from the human world and opens up the realm of the Fae in a dazzlingly imaginative way. I was immersed in the wonderful descriptions of the Fae world, where the author combined Celtic myth with gorgeous invention.
This was a real action-packed roller coaster of a read, with plenty of highs and lows of emotion. I really enjoyed the otherworldly portrayal of the Fae, the all-too-predictable assumptions of mankind (both terrifying and amusing) and the development of Diego’s powers and how that affects his and Finn’s relationship. In this story, we meet Lugh, a Prince of the Fae and Zac, an army medic who risks everything due to his sympathy for the Fae.
In Semper Fae, the third story, there’s a huge plot twist (I’ll add no more in case of spoilers!) and some new characters to add to the mix of Fae, human and other in this third instalment of this wonderfully imaginative series, together with Zack and Lugh’s love story.
I was swept along by No Fae is an Island, the terrific fourth instalment of this wonderfully imaginative series. I really enjoyed how all the action is balanced by character development, making all the hair-raising adventures even more engrossing. I’m in awe of the seamless way that Angel handled a large and diverse cast around Diego and Finn’s enduring love story, plus bringing together lonely vampire Theo, who we met in book three, and cute selkie Limpet. I really hope there’s more to come in this fantastic Endangered Fae series!
EllieThomasRomance 