Kynan by Desirae Grove ~ Review

Title: Kynan (The Regiville Tales #2)

Author: Desirae Grove
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: 354 pages
Publisher: Indie
Release Date: February 16, 2016
Source: Self-Purchased
Rating: 3
Heat Rating: 3
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Elysa Jordan is a feisty and adventurous college student. She’s curvy and never shy about it, and no man has ever been able to resist her charms. Except for one: Kynan Gattesky. He insists they can't be together, yet he seems crazy about her.

Their on and off romance has been driving her nuts, and even Elysa is no longer sure if Kye is the right man for her. She sets out to seduce him one last time, but what happens on that fateful night unravels a whole sequence of events entirely out of her control...and puts her life in grave danger.

Kynan Gattesky has never thought he would fall for a human woman. His family has warned him - werepanthers and other creatures do not mix well. But Elysa is not someone he can get out of his mind easily. Every time he's around her, his common sense flies out the window. And when her life is jeopardized by a series of unfortunate poor decisions, he must rescue her, at all costs.

Will Kye and Elysa manage to get away from the dangers of Regiville paranormal world? And will their growing love survive it all?

This isn't quite as stand-alone as it sounds. There is a good chunk of plot from book one that you would find very helpful to read first, since a character makes a surprising reappearance that just won't have the same impact if you hadn't read the first book. In fact, in might just confuse you a little since some information isn't carried over into book two.

That being said, it was a pretty good story. The strain between Elysa and Kynan begins in book one, and it's only grown in the time before bofore book two. Elysa is all ready for a deep and meaningful relationship with the panther-shifter, but he's set against it - even though he really wants to. She's not a panther, and that's all that matters in his mind, but not his heart. Instead of seeming overdone, it comes off as a true conflict. He's terrified of hurting her physically and thinks he's just protecting her.

But when two wishes go terribly wrong, they find themselves rushing to find a way to reverse them and avoid their deadly consequences. So far, so good. I loved this concept that has a basis in genie lore and it was a great way to throw the two of them together in a quest to save the day.

But, there's a wizard in the background that I just didn't seem to like. His part of the story seemed to be only to cause more problems than they couple already had (and they had plenty). It drew the story out in a way that seemed to distract from the task and romance at hand. I'm still loving the series though. The world Grove has built for her characters is rich and lively with room for plenty of interesting things to happen.

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The Regiville Tales
Theo #1
Ansel #3

Theo by Desirae Grove ~ Review

Title: Theo (Regiville Tales #1)

Author: Desirae Grove
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: 347 pages
Publisher: Independent
Release Date: December 21, 2015
Source: Self-Purchased
Rating: 3
Heat Rating: 3
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Eve Willard is a nerdy, socially awkward college student. She’s curvy and shy, and finding a boyfriend is not high on her list of priorities. Besides, she’s sick of the immature guys she’s been meeting at school—she can never find anything in common with them.

On the eve of her nineteenth birthday, she runs into a mysterious stranger who seems to have an old soul. Before she even realizes what’s happening, she’s getting entangled in his shroud of carefully guarded secrets, some of which put her very life in danger.

Theo Dyer has never thought he would fall for a woman again. Humans serve one purpose in his mind—sustenance. When he meets Eve, he can’t understand what’s drawing him to her, deeper and deeper. And before he can stop it, he puts her life in jeopardy, and he must now rescue her, at all costs. Even if it means possibly losing his immortality.

Will they find a way to save each other? And will their growing love survive it all?

Eve is an interesting character. She's far from looking for a guy when one seems to find her. Their meeting was a little awkward - but what isn't about some of the college years? The drama of their meeting is stolen a little bit by her roommate and best friend - and this continues throughout the story. Her best friends seems to steal the show when they are in a room together.

Theo is old - like really, really old. While he tries to keep up with the times, Eve can tell he's a little off. But she still want to know more. Their romance seems to follow the typical vampire/human theme with one notable exception - Agatha.

Agatha was a hoot. She's the bad guy - but I loved her. She had tons of character and was just crazy enough without going too overboard for the story. The suspense takes you for quite the ride - and I really wish the sister was a little more of a sympathetic character throughout the whole story.

An intriguing start to the series. I'll have to keep catching up and see what happens next.

Goodreads ~ Amazon

Regiville Tales

Ansel #3

Ansel by Desirae Grove ~ Review

Title: Ansel (The Regiville Tales #3)

Author: Desirae Grove
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: 332 pages
Publisher: Indie
Release Date: May 18, 2016
Source: Review Request
Rating: 4
Heat Rating: 3
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

When Juniper’s friend Elysa invites her to dinner, the last thing she expects is to be set up on a blind date. And if that wasn’t the worst surprise ever, her date turns out to be her middle school nemesis, Ansel. Except now he looks like a male supermodel, with his dark hair, broody eyes, and a chiseled muscular body that makes her swoon. How can she ever say no to him, even if he teased her mercilessly when they were kids?

Ansel, a broody, freedom-loving werepanther, was ready to move to another country when his brother Kye invites him to dinner, only to find out he’s being set up on a blind date. When it turns out his date is Juniper, his long-forgotten crush, he can’t help but try to take things further with her. After all, he’s only been dreaming of her all his life. And women have never been able to say no to him in the past - his reputation as a man-whore was well deserved.

Their first date turns south very quickly, however. It’s full moon in the mysterious town of Regiville, and all kinds of creatures come out to play. Juniper is attacked by a beast and may or may not turn into…something she only thought was an urban myth. Don’t miss out on this tale of incredible adventures, as the two old friends try to untangle the mess they find themselves in and slowly fall in love with each other.

Wow! This was quite the exciting little adventure in Regiville. From werewolves to werepanters, and several other paranormal-types thrown in, there wasn't a dull moment. Juniper and Ansel have a history - but it isn't a very pretty one. But Ansel is determined to leave with a much better impression this time around.

But that doesn't work out quite like he intended. When Juniper is bitten by a creature, he needs to not only prevent her from killing and making the condition permanent, but he needs to make sure she stays alive as well. You see, there's something strange going on in town and Juniper and Ansel on the trail to finding out what it is.

There are quite a few twists and surprises thrown in that really kept me on the edge of my seat. I don't want to give them all away, but I dare you to try and guess what they were. The surprises were timed perfectly to give the ending some excitement. And there's one last little one at the end that just made me smile.

I will definitely be going back to see how this series all began.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

Goodreads ~ Amazon