James doesn’t have much, but at least he has his wife Rebecca and their son James Jr. Or so he thought.
Rebecca plans a camping trip for herself and Jr. for the same day James is served with divorce papers, in the hopes of helping her son understand her side. He sends the GPS coordinates to his dad so he knows where they are.

It doesn’t take long for the trip to go south. Something ransacks their camp and Rebecca goes to get water she breaks her leg. It’s up to Jr to send a message to the police for help. Jr is more into his books then his phone and when he gets to an empty rangers station, his battery is almost dead and he can’t get a call out with only one bar. He texts the only number stored in his phone, his dad. HELP.

Enlisting help from the only two men willing to go into the woods, James set’s out to rescue his family. It doesn’t take long for him to realize there is something in the woods and the two men don’t just know about it. They know who or better, what the creature is and they are planning to kill it with James’ help whether he wants to or not.
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This book is written with each chapter from the POV of a different character. This style of writing usually takes me out of the story but somehow it works for this one. I really liked the reveal of the Wendigo and how it ties into the story.

​This book is exactly what you think it is and it doesn't pretend to be anything else. It is very graphic in its extensive detail of the milking rooms and how the process is done by the techs. For all her training, Violet starts to fantasize about one of her clients and goes the extra mile. 
Rorick starts to request Violet for his visits to the farm. They have a short conversation, then they each take their place, for the reason he's there.

There is also a sweet story behind it all. The two build a meaningful relationship by the end. I'm not sure I would listen to another one, but I'm not against it. These are quick reads, about an eight hour audiobook. I would prefer a little more plot to the story, but that's just me.

Adara has escaped with Evren and his men and followed them to the Blood Kingdom. 
The night before they arrive, they’re attached by the Blood Kingdoms army by order of Evren’s mother, Queen Veda. They travel back to the castle together, Adara is shown to her room and that is where she stays.

A few days pass and Evren leave without a word. She knew he was going, but finds out only after he’s gone. As much as she acts like she hates him, she knows they belong together. Mates are rare and magical mates even rarer. 

Adara eventually begins training with Thalia, another Starblessed. Evren save her from his brother after she had endured years of torment as Gavril fed from her taking her magic and leaving her arms scared. She teaches Adara how to control her magic and fight.

Evren treachery is found out by his half-brother and he flees the Fea kingdom. Adara is relieved to have him back but their reunion is short lived. After the blood moon festival word arrives that Gavril is on his way. 

He demands what was stolen from him and offers a trade. A life for a life.
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I really like the series so far so please hear me out. There is too much spice not enough plot. I find at times I so badly want to know what's next that I skim through the spice to get back to the plot. 

Yes I get the fated mates thing, can't keep your hands off each other, but there is a really good story here, it's just broken up a little to much for me.

That said I will absolutely be reading the rest of the series.

Sylina has sacrificed everything for her goddess and her Arachessen sisters. A cult of the Goddess Adjica of the White Pantheon.

A disciplined killer, Sylina determined to overthrow Glaea’s tyrannical king. Until the day a vampire, Atrius, and his warriors arrive carving an unstoppable path through Glaea. The sightmother tasks Sylina a crucial mission: infiltrate his army, earn his trust… and kill him with a blessed dagger.

Sylina becomes his seer, and together they go after the tyrant king. Sylina knows Atrius, a Bloodborn vampire cannot live,  but her connection with him only grows stronger. A connection that could cost her everything.

Together they move from city to city killing the warloards that rule them. Replacing them with his own men to keep a stable hold and help the people who live there recover their lives. 

When they finally reach the destination it's not what they expected and Sylina will again be forced to make a decision between her Archessen sister and the vampire conqueror.

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror is a stand alone story in the Crowns of Nyaxia series. It fits between the end of the Nightborn Duet and the Shadowborn Duet at book 2.5 in the series.

I read through the main story before I knew about the two standalones. Although they fit nicely in the story if they are read in order, nothing is lost by reading them after. Where Six Scorched Roses offers the story of Vale and Lilith, this story introduces a whole set of new characters. 

It fills in the timeline for the Bloodborn. While the Nightborn and Shadowborn are the main story we follow, Slaying the Vampire Conqueror fills in what the Bloodborn are doing during that same time.

The very last thing Saeris Fane wants is her name whispered on an entire Blood Court’s lips. Now that she’s been crowned queen, a heavy weight rests on her shoulders. The changes that have strengthened Saeris have also made her weak. 
 
Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate has defeated armies and survived all manner of horrors. Traveling back to Zilvaren with Carrion Swift, might just be the death of him. There is little choice. They need the silver to make relics and more importantly to Saeris, they need her brother, Hayden.
 
As the rot grows and darkness spreads across Yvelia. Saeris and Fisher travel to the one place that may offer the answers they need, Ajun Gate.

I sometimes forget Saeris is still so new to everything going on in Yvelia, add to that she has to get used to living life away from direct sunlight. For someone born in a city with twin suns I can't imagine it's easy. 

This book is faster paced which helps with the feeling of urgency the story needs. I will warn you, however to say this book ends on a cliffhanger, is a huge understatement! At this moment I have to wait until November for the third book to come out.

A human girl born starblessed, Adara grew up knowing her destiny, but nothing of what it truly meant. 

From the moment the fea queen heard the news of a starblessed, she made a deal for the child. The entire village where she lived, would be cared for if they agreed to keep the starblessed safe and untouched. The starving villagers agreed. Her mother agreed to surrendered her daughter to the queen and be married to her son, the crown prince Gavril. Her father did not agree and when he fought for his daughter, he was killed.

She left her home as agreed, when the guards came to get her. If she refused, the queen would stop her aid and protection of her village. On the way to the palace Adara meets Evren captain of the royal guard and bastard son of the king.

Not long after they arrive in CitaliThe palace is attached and Evren is tasked with getting Adara to safety. Torn between the two brothers, Adara must decide who she can trust.

I'm torn on this book. I really like the story and where it's going, but there are parts that feel off. I get the 'love at first sight', but it still feels rushed in places. 

My advice, push through it. The payoff is worth it. About half way through the story pulls together.

​This is a stand alone story where we meet Lilith and Vale. From the day she was born and almost died, Lilith has felt death walking with her, waiting.

Knowing her entire town is cursed with a gods-cursed illness, Lilith is determined to find a cure. A simple transaction with the vampire Vale, vials of his blood for a rose once a month, turns into a fight for her life and the revelation of a secret deal her father made to save her life.

This story fits nicely in the Nightborn Deut, but is not required as part of the series. I read it after I read the Shadowborn Deut (all that was written at the time) and loved it.

​Do not touch the sword. Do not turn the key. Do not open the gate.

Saeris Fane Lives in a desert called the Third. Every morning the people go to collect their water ration for the day, but it's not enough. She has grown up stealing water from the Queen's reservoirs for herself and the people she loves, and is also pickpocketing to survive life in the third.

But Saeris has a secret and like all secrets it's bound to come to light.

Arrested for stealing from the queen's guard she her secret wakes. As she lays bleeding she grabs a sword and comes face to face with with what she believes is death himself.

The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, until now. Saeris opened the gate when she took the sword and finds everything she thought was just stories, is actually very real.

​Tim Jensen is left traumatized after watching as his father is taken by the Boogeyman. No one believes him, they say his father left the family but Tim knows different.

As he grows up he remains terrified of the dark.

After the death of his mother Tim goes back to his family home. His uncle has been doing repairs so the house is a general mess, but Tim insists on spending a few nights in the house.

The creature is waiting, following, Will Tim find a way to end his nightmare or will he fall to the Boogeyman?

The book is well written adaptation of the movie. I was hoping for a little more detail to fill in gaps around what happened to his mother and why his uncle stepped in to take care of him.

Mische made the ultimate sacrifice to save those she loves. She killed a god and plunged the world into endless night. She finds herself being guided through the underworld by an unlikely person.

Asar watched another of the gods drive a blade through Mische's chest as they dragged him away and imprisoned him. But the the gods are obsessed with revenge, and war among themselves.

Asar is desperate to find her again. When a goddess offers them a final path to redemption he tears the vaile between the worlds to get her back. Together, they must find a way to seize the power of the god of death so Asar may ascend to true divinity.

The underworld teeters on the brink of collapse, as the gods prepare for a war. Asar and Mische must decide how far they are willing to go for the power to defy death. In a game with vengeful gods there is one thing that they are not willing to sacrifice.

A fantastic addition to the series. This one felt more like and ending than the Nightborn duet did. I can't wait for the next one which I have a feeling with center around the Bloodborn and is slated for August of 2026.