Flames of Fear by A. C. Pontone
Flames of Fear*
Learning More About Her Background . . . and Theirs
After the disaster in the last book, the Drakon brothers are keeping Emma under very close watch. Emma learns many more things about this new world that she was born into, but she never knew existed, including surprises about her lineage and more information about her Twin Flames. She also gets to meet other key players in the magical realm, and she starts to understand better her role within it. Two powerful kings, though, have their own plans for her.
How will Emma’s relationship evolve with her Twin Flames? How do her father and Amy fit into it all? Who will be the master of her fate, her or someone else?
I appreciated that the author gave a little sum-up of book one from Emma’s perspective at the start; there is always time between reading books in a series, so a mini recap helps. I do feel, though, that the exposition at the beginning went on a little long, not only summarizing information of the last book but summarizing some of what has happened between the end of that book and the start of this one. Of note, this book had several cliffhangers. I like how we learned more about the background of the Drakon brothers, especially James.
If you enjoyed the previous book in this series, you will appreciate reading about their continuing adventure as well as Emma and the Drakon brothers learning more about each other. While this could be enjoyed without having read the first book since she does do a good job of summarizing it, you will have a deeper appreciation of the story if you have read book 1.
The Spring Duke by Jillian Easton
The Spring Duke*
An American Heiress Shows Up on a Duke’s Doorstep
Athena, the heroine, is an American who sails for England with the plan to marry a duke, spurred on by her great-grandmother’s love letter from the current duke’s great-grandfather. She shows up on an auspicious day, when the duke requires a new governess. The widower’s headstrong daughter has frightened away nannies and governesses from a young age. He, of course, thinks Athena is ridiculous in her proposal, but rather than turn her away to go back to Boston, he sees a way out of his present predicament. He offers her the position of temporary governess until he can find a “proper” one; the last governess had told him that he had gone through all available ones at her agency. The two do have a near-instant attraction, but the duke fights it.
What will the daughter think of her temporary governess? Will Athena have come to England only to be eventually sent home? Will the duke start to see her as his future duchess?
The author has an excellent ear for writing humor. Both the duke’s and Athena’s perspectives show wit, dry in the duke’s case and snarky and bold in Athena’s case. It was fun to watch the turns of their minds and read the banter. Athena had an affinity for Victoria, the duke’s daughter, as she sees so much of herself in the young girl.
I recommend this quick, witty read.
Soulswap by Laura Greenwood
Soulswap*
What If You Were Born Into the Wrong Body?
This book takes the Freaky Friday concept and adds several twists and turns. Arya and Tate are two women born on the same day who seem to have been born into the wrong bodies. This book, Soulswap, is the story of this discovery from Tate’s perspective; Soulshift is this same story from Arya’s point of view. Tate is engaged to be married Devon, but something about their relationship has always felt off to her. She claims to love him but often pulls away from him in her discomfort. In one of the twists, Tate is actually a dragon shifter, but she has never been able to shift into a dragon. (Arya is a vampire.) In what she thinks is a dream, she awakens to a woman beside her instead of Devon. This blond woman is a stranger to Tate, yet she feels familiar, and Tate enjoys her presence. So, that is the second twist on the Freaky Friday concept. One of the relationships is heterosexual, and the other is lesbian.
The author does a good job showing Tate’s confusion first about what’s even going on with these shifts and also about her feelings for Sian. All eventually figure out that these two women are exchanging souls. What is interesting is that each is more comfortable in the other’s life. What will that mean? What will happen to these couples?
This book has an interesting combination of correct and incorrect grammar, punctuation, and usage. Sometimes commas were correctly placed while at other times they were completely forgotten or created a comma splice. But I found the reading engaging, so this did not bother me too much.
If you enjoy the Freaky Friday concept or unique paranormal romances, you might enjoy this book.
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