Darkest Hour Before Dawn

Title: Darkest Hour Before Dawn

Author: Charlie Cochet

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Publisher URL: www.dreamspinnerpress.com

ISBN: 978-1-63533-609-2

Genre: M/M Paranormal Series

Rating: 4 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Chocolate Minx 

The Love between THIRDS Team Leader Sebastian Hobbs, a tiger and Chief Medical Examiner Hudson Colbourn, a wolf never died even though they both tried for seven years to move pass their breakup. However unforeseen circumstances plays a major role in the reunion of the lovers and family.

Darkest Hour Before Dawn is the sequel to Thick & Thin and the ninth book in the THIRDS series. The story answers the questions of Hudson Colbourn’s biological family history and also gives the reader some insight to Hudson’s relationship with the Hobbs family.

The action part of the plot center around Hudson’s medical care of Dex who is now a jaguar hybrid, a condition that makes Dex and Hudson very beneficial to the Intelligence team leader as well as the racial groups determined to takeover the world.

The heartwarming side of the plot features the emotional attachment between Hudson and Sebastian, the interaction with team members and a few interesting revelations. 

Overall, Charlie Cochet has added another enjoyable and impressive installment to the THIRDS series.

Overseer’s Chain

Title:  Overseer’s Chain

Author:  Viola Grace

Publisher:  eXtasy Books

Publisher URL:  www.extasybooks.com

ISBN/BIN:  978-1-4874-1053-7

Genre: {M/F}, Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Series

Rating: 4 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer:  Amazon Nymph

As an assessor, Isabella was in a unique position to hide some of the women designated as breeders.  When she is caught, she finds that her punishment may not be that bad since she will be bound to the Overseer.

Overseer’s Chain is the third book in the Brace for Humanity series.  In this book, we finally get Isabella’s story as she has been a secondary character in the previous ones.  This book is fascinating as the author went into a lot of detail about the humans on Imrahl and it was a surprise.  I must give the author kudos for the way she has created this world.

Isabella has been given a lot of access to the history and confidential files not available for humans.  Iktabi didn’t realize just how much Isabella knew, but her knowledge becomes invaluable when he assigns her as his assistant for her punishment.  What Isabella didn’t know when he first tethered her to him is that she is also Iktabi’s mate.

This book is a little different as well because it tells the story of Imrahl and the Rrassic.  It is an interesting story, especially because of the threats the Rrassic use to keep the humans in line.  Several characters from the previous stories show up. 

It will be interesting to see where the rest of this series goes considering this new information.  I am looking forward to reading those stories.

Destiny

Title:  Destiny

Author:  Faith Starr

Publisher:  Loose Id LLC

Publisher URL: www.loose-id.com

ISBN/BIN:  978-1-68252-197-7

Genre: {M/F}, BDSM, Suspense, Series

Rating: 4.5 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer:  Amazon Nymph

Jordan is working on her Doctorate and is looking at BDSM and comparing the consensual nature with an abusive relationship since she works at a women’s shelter for abused women.  Noah is one of the owners of Hilltops and is helping her understand some of the appeal of the lifestyle.

Destiny is the first book in the Hilltops series.  Hilltops is a high end BDSM private club with some very strict guidelines.  Three brothers own it, but as it is now successful, at least one of the owners wants to stay in the office instead of participating as a profession Dom.

There is a twist at the end that shows Noah exactly what his feelings are towards Jordan but until that happens, Noah isn’t sure what he wants beyond having Jordan.  Jordan is attracted to Noah, but is insecure about their relationship. The chemistry between them is explosive and it is noticed by Noah’s family.

I had to laugh at Noah’s family because of the way they reacted to Jordan.  Noah is very surprised by his uncle’s assessment as his uncle transitions to retirement.  The relationship Jordan has with her best friend’s father is complicated.  He is her advisor, but their relationship becomes contentious especially after Casey ends up in the hospital.  

The author kept my interest and I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series.  Though it started slow, the story itself is very compelling.  The author did a good job showing both points of view in the way she changed the voice.  I will be reading this one again.

There’s This Guy

Title: There’s This Guy

Author:  Rhys Ford

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Publisher URL: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

ISBN: 978-1-63533-499-9

Genre: {M/M}, Contemporary

Rating: 5 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Critter Nymph

Jake is living a life he hates.  He works hard at a job that makes him money and cares for a father he wishes would die.  He dreads going home and being alone, not sure if he will be around the next morning.  Then Dallas comes into the picture and Jake must face the truth he has been hiding for so long.

I am a big fan of Ms. Ford and have her on my must buy list.  I think it is important that readers know that this story is a little different than what we normally see.  Readers should know that There’s This Guy also has themes that can be triggers for some readers.  For me, this was one of the author’s best stories and I could not put it down.  From the first page, I was pulled into the story.  Jake made me cry and many times I worried about how this story would end but I should not have worried as the author does an outstanding job with Jake.

Jake is a welder.  While he works hard at his job, it is his art that keeps him going.  He comes from an extremely abusive childhood and, at times, I could not decide who I hated most, his father who was the abuser, or his mother who turned her back on Jake when he needed her the most.  Because of the abuse and the way he was raised, Jake is full of self-hatred.  The way he handles it will leave you crying so be prepared. 

The other main character in this story is Dallas.  Dallas comes from a loving and accepting family.  He is openly gay and does not care what others think.  He’s bought the building across the street from where Jake works and plans on turning it into a club.  From the moment he sees Jake, he is pulled to the other guy but knows not to pin his hopes on anything.  When he finally meets Jake, he is even more drawn to him but can clearly see that the other man is haunted by something.  The two men are drawn together and slowly Jake learns to accept himself but it is not an easy road.  I love the passion that exists between Jake and Dallas and love the way Dallas is there for Jake along his journey.

The one similarity between this book and the others the author has written is the wonderful secondary characters that are present.  Some are there throughout the whole story like Celeste, while others pop in for short periods of time like Dalllas’ mom.  Regardless of how long they are in the book, they play important roles in the story and help move it along.  

From beginning to end, There’s This Guy will hold your attention.  Fans of Ms. Ford’s are sure to love this book as it is one that stays with you long after you finish.  

Taking Her Down

Title:  Taking Her Down

Author:  Vonna Harper

Publisher:  Totally Bound

Publisher URL:  www.totallybound.com

ISBN/BIN:  978-1-78651-140-9

Genre: {M/F}, BDSM, Series

Rating:  4 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer:  Amazon Nymph

Shana has dreams and fantasies about being dominated, especially since she owns her own business and is always in charge.  After a friend runs across a website for an adventure, she signs up.  What she doesn’t know is that the Dom she is paired with also has one of the same fantasies.

Taking Her Down is the third book in the Carnal Secrets series.  Ms. Harper keeps the intensity of the previous books in this one.  Readers should be aware that there are also a few triggers as well.  The author also does a play on the acronym BDSM in the name of the business in the story.

Jim is an attorney who used to go to the island as the Dom paired with a client in order to satisfy his need to dominate.  He sometimes thinks he is living his fantasy and takes Shana with him.  As far as he is concerned, this is not a game and he thinks Shana is a natural submissive that he is going to keep. The two have chemistry, and Jim has a knack of keeping Shana on edge without thinking of using her safe word.

The two secondary characters make their appearance in the first part of the book, but the rest is everything that Jim does to make Shana’s experience what he thinks she needs. 

This story has been revised for being released by Totally Bound as it has been previously published.  I thought Taking Her Down was the best of the three stories in this series.

Unspeakable Words

Title: Unspeakable Words

Author:  Sarah Madison

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Publisher URL: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

ISBN: 978-1-63533-335-0

Genre: {M/M}, Paranormal, Mystery, Series

Rating: 4.5 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Critter Nymph

Jerry Parker is an FBI agent and, while he thinks he is great at his job, he has yet to oversee a case.  He’s tired of being everyone’s go-to guy for information and feels wasted at the office.  When his boss puts him in charge of picking up a visiting agent, he’s beyond mad, but then everything gets turned on its head and Jerry wonders if he has just met the man of his dreams.

Unspeakable Words is the first book in The Sixth Sense series by author Sarah Madison.  It is a mystery that centers on two FBI agents, both of whom have reputations of being problem children.  Jerry is assigned to the San Francisco office.  While he loves the city, he is tired of the way he is treated by the other agents.  Known for his photographic memory, Jerry is used as a font of information for his co-workers.  Because of his talents, he comes across as cold and crass, therefore unliked by his fellow agents.   John Flynn is in San Francisco for only a few days to follow up on a cold case involving a serial killer.   He’s intrigued by Jerry even though he thinks the guy is a pain in the ass. 

I love the connection that forms between these two men.  There is some tension between the two that intensifies as their time together continues.  I worried about Jerry in the beginning because it was easy to see that he was lusting after John, yet the other agent appeared to be clearly straight.  Everything is not what it seems between the men or the case they are involved in. 

The guys are supposed to be interviewing a possible witness in the Grimm Fairy Tale murders that occurred a few years ago.  Their witness keeps putting them off, however, and when the men finally get the chance to meet with her, they come across something else instead.  Now John can read people’s minds, and both he and Jerry must figure out how to handle the changes to the case, as well as their relationship.  

I was pulled into this story from the beginning.  The author had me turning the pages to see what would happen between the men as well as with the case they are investigating.  I loved the various twists and turns and thought the author did an outstanding job handling the changes that John must contend with.  

I don’t believe that I have read anything by this author and decided to give this “new” series a try.  Imagine my surprise and joy when I realized that this is a second edition and that I could still find books two and three.  This is one story that I will be reading again, and I cannot wait to start book two.

Her Submission

Title:  Her Submission

Author:  Vonna Harper

Publisher:  Totally Bound

Publisher URL:  www.totallybound.com

ISBN/BIN:  978-1-78651-113-3

Genre: {M/F}, BDSM, Series

Rating: 4 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer:  Amazon Nymph

Kaci is trying to survive and rebuild her life with jobs she chooses. Reno sees her and ends up kidnapping her. 

Her Submission is the second book in the Carnal Secrets series.  Be aware there will be triggers in this book for some readers.  Reno was injured and is not currently a trainer for Carnal.  He also hasn’t decided if he is going to keep Kaci for himself even though he takes her to his home, not the Carnal training facility.

Kaci has fantasies of being forced to submit, but she doesn’t trust easily as she grew up hard.  After being betrayed by her then boyfriend and spending two years in juvie, she is trying to rebuild her life, when Reno enters it. 

Both Kaci and Reno end up facing some hard facts as Reno trains her.  Several times he deviates from the normal training program he used at Carnal.  As they both learn more about each other, they discover feelings for each other. 

Reno does talk to a friend that is a former trainer as well.  He is confused because Kaci doesn’t react like the ‘normal’ captive he is used to dealing with. Reno must make some decisions as he starts getting feelings for Kaci about what is he going to do with her. Will he also decide to go back to Carnal or join his friend’s business? 

The books in Carnal Secrets are very intense and will invoke strong emotions.  I am intrigued enough to want to know what the next story will be.  Readers should be aware that this book has been previously published by a different publisher and been revised for release by Totally Bound.