I didn’t have any review books for this week so I decided to take a look at my Kindle TBR and KU lists and see what has been languishing unread for awhile.

I couldn’t decide what of my Kindle Unlimited books to read so I kind of closed my eyes and randomly picked. My finger landed on Tamed by the Troll by Tracy Lauren (The Perished Woods #1). This is a new to me author and I think I added it to my KU because an author on social media recommended. Although I don’t remember who that author was now.

This was a super slow start for me, I almost put it down multiple times. The main reason is because I HATED the heroine. Those of you who have followed my reviews know I don’t say that very often which shows how awful she was. Bitching, whining, ranting, attacking the hero… it just went on and on. It wasn’t until about the mid-point that she became a bit more palatable and I felt like I could continue on. But woooweee that beginning is hard to get through.

At about 50% in the journey the heroine and hero take really takes over the story and I couldn’t help but become engaged. That and I was curious how they would find their HEA. There is a lot of graphic sexual scenes and many scenes of violence, so if that isn’t your jam I would skip this one. Final grade-D

The world building was interesting enough that I decided what the hell… I’ll go ahead and see if I like the second book in the series, Enthralling the Orc (The Perished Woods #2) any better. And I did. Maybe because I was already familiar with the world-building, maybe because I liked the main protagonists a heck of a lot more, or maybe I just read back to back and it was just easier to stay immersed in the world. Who knows.

This book had a different feel to it than its predecessor. The world is just as violent, but it was faster paced and the plot more interesting. I enjoyed the slow build of the romance between Ellyn and Ash and I liked them from the very beginning. They were just easy to root for.

I like the world this author has created and I hope to see more releases in this series. Final grade- B

Sword Dance by AJ Demas has been sitting on my Kindle for a good while. I one-clicked partly because I saw a rec for it on Twitter, partly because KJ Charles wrote a favorable review on Goodreads and partly because the cover is do damn gorgeous. I mean look at it. This is an m/m fantasy romance and I’m always up for a great love story set in a new to me world.

This book is set in a ancient Mediterranean like fantasy world. At times If felt almost like I was reading a historical fiction set in Greece. I will admit that once again I had trouble becoming engaged right away. This book starts out slow, and it wasn’t until about the 25% mark when I really became interested in the budding mystery and relationship between two main protagonists.

This book turned out to be much deeper than I sensed at the beginning. Talks of gender, power dynamics, and sexual identity give it a more modern feel, but the worldbuilding is definitely meant to mimic a world set in ancient times. I liked this slow build love story very much and will definitely look to read more from this author. Final grade- B-

A Witch and a Fish (Grimm Files #3) by Selene Charles is another book that has been sitting on my Kindle for forever. I started it the week it released, but couldn’t stay focused and decided to set it aside for the time being. This is a series I’ve enjoyed in the past and I really wanted to give it another try.

I think the thing that was holding me back so much from really enjoying myself was the setting. This installment occurs mainly in Elle’s underwater home-world and I found it just a bit boring. During the first two books Elle and Hatter spend a good part of the time running around all through Wonderland and Neverland, fighting crime and solving mysteries. It was quite an adventure.

In A Witch and a Fish Elle has come back home under arrest after her sister is killed and her father gravely injured. With the help of an unlikely ally she must figure out exactly what happened to them before her trial. She spends most of her time sneaking around the castle, spying on her oldest sister (the heir), practicing her new found witchy abilities, and trying to discover where her previous lover Hook is being held. I struggled to get through this one, but was ultimately rewarded when Hatter finally meets up with his partner and at long last readers discover the secrets he has been keeping. It’s a doozy. And now I’m excited to find out what this means for him and Elle. Final grade-C