Never Run From An Immortal by Victoria Price

Never Run From An Immortal (Immortals #1)Never Run From An Immortal by Victoria J. Price

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Immortals, #1

Release Date: June 17, 2025

With people disappearing at random, tensions are running high in Demesia, the factions at odds and no one sure who is responsible for the disappearances. Rae Farren is a witch with a plan and a lot of secrets, but when her employee and dear friend witch Nimala “Nim” and her fae boyfriend Reed go missing, Rae knows she needs help. She turns to the Vampire Lord, Aidan Vale and makes a deal – she will help find his lost magic and he will help her find Nim. But to make it believable, Aidan insists they marry, making her his “odalik”. That is fine by Rae, as long as she has access to his resources and he stays out of her mind and her bed.

Aidan Vale knows Rae is hiding something, but he too has secrets and has his own plan for the future of Demesia. But implementing his plan is no easy task, despite being the leader of the Vampire faction, and de facto ruler of Demesia, there is always someone trying to kill him so they can take his place. Add to that the missing people, his missing magic and his inconvenient attraction to his wife and it is clear that Aidan has a lot on his plate. He tries to stay focused on his own plan, but there is something huge going down and his wife is smack in the middle of it.

I have mixed feelings about this book; I was sucked in by the blurb and thought the author did a great job with world building. But it was not an easy book to get into – there are a lot of characters and different types of characters, as well as different types of each type – it is a lot to grasp. I also felt like the author was a bit stingy releasing information to the reader about the character’s secrets, thoughts and their pasts. I also had a hard time connecting with Rae – there is so much anger in her, but the reader doesn’t really understand why until almost the end of the book. And OMG, the ending, to say I felt disappointed would be an understatement. Overall, I did like the book, I was completely invested in the story, and I will definitely be impatiently waiting for the next installment.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Whisper Among Thorns by Cassandra Aston

Whispers Among Thorns (Deadly Fae Duology, #1)Whispers Among Thorns by Cassandra Aston

Tracy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Series: Deadly Fae, #1

Release Date: June 24, 2025

There’s only one rule that truly matters. Never fall in love with a human. Break it and die.

Living under the radar in New York City, Sav just wants to carve out a life in her new world. That hope is shattered when the leader of the anti-fae movement destroys her home in an attack on her people. Finding herself caught between protecting a deadly secret and saving the fae from the humans bent on slaughter, Sav must infiltrate the extremist’s inner circle, posing as a human, and seduce her sworn enemy’s son.

Jack, the son of the infamous anti-fae-faction leader Dane Clyde, has always lived in his father’s shadow. When a woman is brought into AFF headquarters in chains, he finds himself drawn to her despite the danger. Caught between duty and desire, Jack must choose a side before one is chosen for him.

What began as a mission to rescue Sav’s people may end up costing them both so much more than they bargained for.

When I saw this blurb on Netgalley – I was excited to read this story, but sadly it didn’t live up to the blurb. First the book is written in First Person Narrative – UGH – but the author doesn’t just give the reader one POV – no, it is multiple character POVs in rotating chapters – which made the story drag and hard to get into. Then there is Sav, I just never warmed up to her and found the romance between her and Jack to be underwhelming. I did like the dual world perspective and some of the secondary characters, but unfortunately, that just wasn’t enough to salvage this story for me. This is the first book in a duology, and I would recommend reading the books in order.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *