Styxx (Dark-Hunter #22) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Just when you thought doomsday was over...
Centuries ago Acheron saved the human race by imprisoning an ancient evil bent on absolute destruction. Now that evil has been unleashed and it is out for revenge.
As the twin to Acheron, Styxx hasn’t always been on his brother’s side. They’ve spent more centuries going at each other’s throats than protecting their backs. Now Styxx has a chance to prove his loyalty to his brother, but only if he’s willing to trade his life and future for Acheron’s.
The Atlantean goddess of Wrath and Misery, Bethany was born to right wrongs. But it was never a task she relished. Until now. She owes Acheron a debt that she vows to repay, no matter what it takes. He will join their fellow gods in hell and nothing is going to stop her.
But things are never what they seem, and Acheron is no longer the last of his line. Styxx and Acheron must put aside their past and learn to trust each other or more will suffer.
Yet it’s hard to risk your own life for someone who once tried to take yours, even when it's your own twin, and when loyalties are skewed and no one can be trusted, not even yourself, how do you find a way back from the darkness that wants to consume the entire world? One that wants to start by devouring your very soul?

So hi!? This book obviously took me a while to finish! Eeeek! It wasn't because it wasn't a good book- heck no! It's Sherrilyn Kenyon for goddess's sake! It was just because life gets busy sometimes and right now audiobooks have taken a backseat for me. Summer vacation is right around the corner for us, so I'm hoping this summer with a bit more time, I'll be able to start back up. I have tons of books saved by authors that I'm so very fond of and have every intention of refocusing my time and attention into indulging more into audiobooks! :) So... onto Styxx!!! Obviously this is book 22 in an extremely long line of amazingly well written, colorful series, that it was quite a pleasure to listen to. Fred Berman read this one and it was also very nice to hear his voice once again! :) If you are familiar with Kenyon's work, you have heard of Styxx and his brother Acheron, whom is throughout the whole Dark Hunter series, and this book gives a whole flip side of that whole situation, it's the telling of Styxx side of the story, which is endearing, heartwarming and almost as torturous as Acheron's story... this book was a definite 5 stars from me, I loved it- even though it took me forever to finish! :/

I have plans on starting this next:

Reaver (Lords of Deliverance, #5; Demonica, #10)

Ione, Larissa

The Goblin King (The Kings #4) by Heather Killough-Walden

Damon Chroi has known the weight of ruling in loneliness for thousands of years. The tall, painfully handsome fae lord was born with so much power, the fae kings not only envied but feared him, and banished him to a forbidden realm to be forgotten. There, he was tasked with ruling over the deadliest creatures known to the fae worlds, and his veritable battle as their sovereign is never-ending. As one of the 13 Kings, his destiny foretells an end to his solitude with the appearance of an equally powerful queen. But that kind of power is hard to come by. And power or not, Damon can’t imagine any woman willingly joining him in the eternal misery to which he has been tasked.
Until he meets the beautiful, strong and selfless Diana Piper. 
Diana has been hiding a potent secret from the world for decades. She was born with abilities others would fight to win, and kill to keep. To make matters worse, she is a sensitive soul who, despite the danger it poses to herself, uses these powers to make the world a better place. Forever in harm’s way, overworked and head strong, Diana one night comes across the ultimate challenge in the form of a wayward fae beast – and in the process, crosses paths with its indomitable king. A light can only shine in the darkness so long before someone takes note of it. And Diana not only manages to gain the instant attentions of Damon Chroi… but of those who would do anything to see him – and the other 13 Kings – dead.

Hello all! Thanks for stopping by to read my review on the above book- The Goblin King by Heather Killough-Walden. I wasn't aware that she would be releasing this book so soon, so it was quite a surprise to see that she had, I was excited to give it a listen, as I enjoyed the other books in this series so far, and really am looking forward to hearing about the rest of the King's and their Queen's. :) This book was good, like the others and has the same reader as the other ones as well, so it was a nice comfortable, familiar feeling. I really enjoyed hearing more about Damon and meeting his Queen, Diana. She is very unique, like all the other queens and in this one, her abilities paid off big time! ;) No spoilers from me though! Anyway, from Heather's website, it seems that her future Kings books are going to be coming much later than anticipated, so... mph! I'll keep busy! ;)

Easy peasy four stars!

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh yessssssssssssss..... MINE!!! So excited to start this today!!! eeeeeep!

Styxx (Dark-Hunter, #23)

Kenyon, Sherrilyn

Up to Me (The Bad Boys #2) by M. Leighton

M. Leighton’s Down to You was just the beginning. Up to Me has even more shockers in store!” (Examiner.com) 
For Olivia, romantic bliss has never felt so right as it does with Cash. Unpredictable, except when it comes to satisfying her desires, Cash’s bad boy reputation is well-earned, but he’s turning his life around with the one woman who accepts him for who he is.
Until strangers from the past turn Olivia and Cash’s world upside down. What they want is something only Cash can give them. And if he doesn’t deliver, then they’re taking the one thing that Cash values the most.
Olivia always knew that in falling for Cash she was likely to get burned. But this new threat is beyond anything she imagined. Now she has to trust Cash with her life—and for Olivia that’s much easier than letting go, and trusting him with her heart.

Well, hello! I'm here to bring you all my opinion on the above book, which is book 2 in The Bad Boys series by M. Leighton. I had finished book 1 prior to this one and enjoyed it, pretty much, and was looking forward to this one and it was pretty good, too! A fun, funny, steamy and very unpredictable series, this is turning out to be! I'm looking forward to when book 3 is in my hot little hands so I can give it a listen too. Like I said about book 1, there are a lot of secrets and people could and probably do, spout off tons of spoilers, but I won't do this! Just know that this is a very fun and exciting book, and there are a lot of holy cow, wtf moments that will leave your mind blown! LOL! I encourage anyone to pick up this series, it's an easy read/listen and I found myself laughing quite a bit, it was cheeky and clever! This book was read the same way the first one was, bouncing back and forth between Cash and Olivia's point of view, both being read by the same people who read the other one, female and male, so it was familiar and nice! Anyway, I got a book recently that I didn't think would be released any time soon and am really looking forward to getting further into it, so I'm going to make this fast! ;) Good book! Go, read it! heh!

Sinking my teeth into:

The Goblin King (The Kings, #4)

Killough-Walden, Heather

Down to You (The Bad Boys #1) by M. Leighton

The scorching tale of one girl, two brothers and a love triangle…that’s not. Olivia Townsend is nothing special. She’s just a girl working her way through college so she can return home to help her father run his business. She’s determined not to be the second woman in his life to abandon him, even if it means putting her own life on hold. To Olivia, it’s clear what she must do. Plain and simple. Black and white. But clear becomes complicated when she meets Cash and Nash Davenport. They’re brothers. Twins. 
Cash is everything she’s always wanted in a guy. He’s a dangerous, sexy bad boy who wants her in his bed at any cost. He turns her insides to mush and, with just one kiss, makes her forget why he’s no good for her. Nash is everything she’s ever needed in a guy. He’s successful, responsible and intensely passionate. But he’s taken. Very taken, by none other than Marissa, Liv’s rich, beautiful cousin. That doesn’t stop Olivia from melting every time he looks at her, though. With just one touch, he makes her forget why they can never be together. 
Black and white turns to shades of gray when Olivia discovers the boys are hiding something, something that should make her run as far and as fast as she can. But it’s too late to run. Olivia’s already involved. And in love. With both of them. Both brothers make her heart tremble. Both brothers set her body on fire. She wants them both. And they want her. How will she ever choose between them?

Hello, hello! I'm checking in with my review of the above book- Down To You by M. Leighton. It was read by a female and a male duo, which, I am starting to really enjoy that particular format, and the point of view switching and voice switching. This one was read by Kate Rudd and Benjamin Darcie. Both voices were excellent and they each read wonderfully. This book was pretty good, VERY twisty and turny, so I won't go into details and spoil the major ending and plot twist! Just know that it's worth it and it's a super fun and ultra sexy book! I loved all aspects of this book except for one major scene, which I can't really mention w/o completely blowing the whole book for you all- which I don't want to do, just know that it was silly beyond belief! LOL! Anyway, this is a good start to a series that I'm looking forward to continuing! I have book 2 loaded up on my mp3 player and really am excited to start it! :)

This book gets, an easy:

Cloak & Silence (The League #6) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

One of the fiercest soldiers the Phrixians have ever produced, Maris Sulle has been an outsider the whole of his life. He grew up with a secret that cost him everything- His birthright, his family and his military career. In all his life, he’s only had one love and he has sacrificed his own happiness to see his best friend reunited with the woman he loves. But now that his good deed is done, he feels lost and adrift. Even though they do their best to include him in their new family, he’s once again on the outside looking in.
Ture has spent his life hiding from everyone around him while trying desperately to fit in. His family, the world, you name it. Badly hurt by everyone he’s ever known, he trusts no one except his own best friend. And honestly, he can’t understand why he trusts her. Nor can he believe her when she describes a loyalty between friends the likes of which he’s never seen.
But when he is in his darkest hour, he’s saved by a hero he thought only existed in novels. A man who is every bit as scarred and mistrusting as he is. One who has no interest in being dragged into another relationship with anyone.
Having spent his life as a living study of doomed relationships, Maris is well aware of the courtship and fiasco that invariably follows. Still, there is something about Ture he can’t resist. Something that won’t let him walk away when he knows he should.
But when old enemies return to threaten them both, they either have to stand together or die alone.

Hi all! I'm back quick my review of the 6th book in The League series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. It's been a while since I've had the pleasure of listening to a Kenyon book, and this one didn't let me down one bit. Even though it was a "novella", or only about 6 or so hours via audio, it was nonetheless, one of my favorites of hers, EVER! :) This one was about Maris and Ture, who happen to be both males, and obviously, gay. I haven't listened to too many male on male books before, but this one was great. The whole 'gay sex' thing doesn't bother me AT ALL (maybe... the opposite? mmm? *eg*) so that didn't phase me... what phased me was knowing the audio release of this was considered late/not on schedule particularly, because the reader- Holter Graham has relapsed in his battle against cancer. I knew this, because I follow Kenyon on Facebook and she had mentioned it briefly, with nothing but love and respect towards the matter. So, I KNEW beforehand, Graham's situation to an extent. But I didn't think it would really impact me as much as it has, to be honest with you. The very last 20-30 mins of this book, I got on an googled his battle and read through his blog, and wow. The man is a trooper, and literally ONE of the BEST audiobook readers that I've ever had the pleasure of hearing! I've listened to many, many books read by Holter Graham and just love his voice! And you can really tell the struggles that he's going through (I wasn't aware of how severely he was battling until I read his blog) by listening to this book. He reads... differently. You can hear it in his voice, that he's going through a lot, physically and emotionally. He used the same tones and voices he's used in the past with her books, but it was just DIFFERENT. Not bad, different, not good different, just DIFFERENT. This touches me deeply because earlier this year my father in law was diagnosed with bladder cancer and I've watched the small struggles he's gone through (Holter mentions in his blog about a chemo treatment that makes his tongue slough off the dead cells and it's just a horrible, nasty icky thing... my my FIL is going through the same thing right now, and has described it to me in detail, it's just... eww! poor guy!) and continue to watch him battle cancer, and it just reminds me that not everyone has it as seemingly easy as my FIL has it. He's still pretty active and is LIVING semi-okay. Holter just seems like he's struggling a lot from reading his blog and the compassion I feel for him through this is just overwhelming! It's all very touching and even though this has nothing to do with the plot of the book LOL, it's just something I really feel compelled to add to my review! LOL! I sincerely wish Holter all the best and a speedy recovery and I really really hope that isn't the last book that I hear, being read by him! :( His lovely voice and everything he adds to the characters, no matter the writer, is just beyond compare! He makes the books what they are, for me. Kenyon is an outstanding writer, and I totally love her regardless, but Holter REALLY makes her books on audio worth while. :)

This book and HOLTER GRAHAM himself, deserve a million stars, but to be fair:

Not sure what's next... see you soon.

Claim Me (Stark Trilogy #2) by J. Kenner

For Damien, our obsession is a game. For me, it is fiercely, blindingly, real.
Damien Stark’s need is palpable—his need for pleasure, his need for control, his need for me. Beautiful and brilliant yet tortured at his core, he is in every way my match.
I have agreed to be his alone, and now I want him to be fully mine. I want us to possess each other beyond the sweetest edge of our ecstasy, into the deepest desires of our souls. To let the fire that burns between us consume us both.
But there are dark places within Damien that not even our wildest passion can touch. I yearn to know his secrets, yearn for him to surrender to me as I have surrendered to him. But our troubled pasts will either bind us close . . . or shatter us completely.
Release Me is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

Hello, hello! Here I am, back with my review of the above book, which is Claim Me, book 2 in the Stark Trilogy by J. Kenner. I think I might have overshot just a tad bit, in having given book 1 four stars, so I gave this one only three. Even though the plot is steamy, it really lacks any substantial realism. Something you can actually grasp onto and hold onto really tightly, and believe. This genre is getting kind of tiring to me, I guess. All these stories and plots seem to be the exact same, with just different characters and slightly different writing styles. Obviously some of the other books in this same erotic genre are written better or worse, they all carry the same basic plot. It's just getting old! *yawn* And there was a slight little "break up" in this one, but damn, it literally lasted like 5 seconds and I didn't even get that gut wrenching sensation that generally comes with a break up! LOL! Desperate and embarrassing Nikki was groveling at Damien's overbearing and "I'm doing this for the greater good"s feet. This store, and these two characters are just getting really unbelievable and are lacking substance the further we go along in their story. Which, you'd think the OPPOSITE would be the case, you'd think we'd delve deeper into understanding their why's and what for's, but nope... it's all kinda the same stuff regurgitated and a bit stale. I WILL be reading book 3, but I've got a few on my list that I'm really looking more forward to, so I'll move onto those and eventually come back to Damien and Nikki. I just think I need a break from these two! They are starting to annoy me! LOL!

Only this many stars from me, hoping book 3 kicks it up a notch:

See you soon! :)

Release Me (Stark Trilogy #1) by J. Kenner

For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey and Bared to You comes an erotic, emotionally charged romance between a powerful man who’s never heard “no” and a fiery woman who says “yes” on her own terms.  He was the one man I couldn’t avoid. And the one man I couldn’t resist.  Damien Stark could have his way with any woman. He was sexy, confident, and commanding: Anything he wanted, he got. And what he wanted was me. Our attraction was unmistakable, almost beyond control, but as much as I ached to be his, I feared the pressures of his demands. Submitting to Damien meant I had to bare the darkest truth about my past—and risk breaking us apart. But Damien was haunted, too. And as our passion came to obsess us both, his secrets threatened to destroy him—and us—forever.
Release Me is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

Hello, hello! I'm back with my review of Release Me, which is book #1 in the Stark Trilogy by J. Kenner. Apparently, even on Goodreads (^^^^), they are shelving this book along side other books like 50 Shades and Bared To You... although to be quite honest with you, this wasn't as good as either books! It was OK... don't get me wrong, I did end up giving it 4 stars! But really, I've listened to this type of book a million times before... bazillionaire man (who flies, nonetheless), obsessed w/ mid level half way pretty and strong willed woman... blah blah, both have emotional/mental scars, both just can't seem to LIVE w/o one another... yanno. The same ol' song and dance! Like I said, I've plowed through tons of these types of books and they're all relatively entertaining with some pretty smokin' hot scenes. There were only a couple of things that bothered me with this book, one being a major Booooh! is that it's in 1st person, I just hate the I, me, etc! It's kinda funky, as a lot of books aren't written this way! Also, the reader; Sofia Willingham, I don't personally recall ever hearing her read before (looking up her names proves my point) but she sounded really familiar and had this breathy whisper she took on during sex scenes which was slightly creepy. I didn't really prefer her reading voice and is kinda bleh'd out by the fact that she reads all the rest of the books in this series! Ugh! Another thing that bugged me, towards the end, (I gotta be blunt here... no way around it) Damien and Nikki are involved in some errrr.... uhhhh... well, 'anal sex' and to be quite honest, it's so ridiculously described that I honestly can tell that the author merely googled it to write the part in her book for an extra bit of somethin' somethin'! It's honestly NOTHING like this book describes it. Just to let you all know that! Hahahah! No, that isn't fair... I mean I guess it COULD be vaguely similar, but yeah... just really... not accurate at all! Anywho, the book clearly left the ending wide open for another book, which there are two others so far, that I'm sure I will be listening to as well after this one and don't really have any high expectations regarding the content or writing style or anything. I'm sure it will be the same thing I've just listened to, but just the two characters in different scenarios and situations. I'm sure we will get to know Nikki and Damien a little more, learn more about why they 'tick', per say but I'm really hoping that there aren't anymore poorly developed scenes like the anal sex scene! :X

A good start, hoping the next book is even better!

See you next time!