REVIEW: Chasing Destiny (Silver Tip Pack #2)

Chasing Destiny (Silver Tip Pack #2), by Megan Erickson
Publish Date: July 21, 2017
Publisher: self-published
Format: e-ARC, provided by the author
Genre: adult m/m paranormal romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 5 STARS

(Synopsis) Almost dying during a pack uprising has a way of shaking things up. I’m no longer Mr. Laid Back now that there’s an itch under my skin I can’t scratch.

On a volunteer mission that goes beyond the walls of our compound, we enter the territory of a pack long thought dead, and find ourselves on the business end of their spears.

What I’m not prepared for is what I find within their walls—The one shifter I never thought I’d see alive, the one I’d mourned twice, the one I’d always loved. He is alive, and if I have anything to do with it, he’ll stay that way. But he’s got secrets, and exposing them could lead us to an enemy worse than the bloodthirsty undead shifters wanting to kill us all…

You guys... this book had me at hello. If you've read any of Megan Erickson's books, you know how she can bring the feels, and she does that in Chasing Destiny TIMES TEN. There is so much shifter goodness in this book... but before I gush any further, I have to tell you that there be spoilers ahead. It's impossible to write about this book without giving away something kind of huge. So, if spoilers aren't your thing, you can stop reading after I tell you these three things:

1. I liked it better than Daring Fate. And I loved Daring Fate.

2. ALL THE SEXY TIMES.

3. Bay is my new favorite. He is mine. Well, after his mate, he's mine. You've been notified. 

Okay - carry on if you don't care about reading important deets. 

So, in addition to Chasing Destiny being super sexy and wonderful, it was full of a bunch of really powerful (and AWESOME) surprises. Bay travels to Reese's former pack to see if they really are trying to rebuild. He proves to be very good at diplomatic relations, and earns their good graces, but while on their land, he finds a shifter he thought was twice dead - his long lost love, Nash. 

From the very beginning, I could tell something was off about Nash. There was a big secret he was keeping, and as he, Bay and a small group of shifters from both packs ready to return to Silver Tip land, the big secret he's been keeping seems to become another character in the book. It's huge and you just KNOW it's going to be game-changing. And you find yourself praying that it won't destroy both Bay and Nash so soon after they found each other again. 

Man, when these two men see each other again, my feels had feels. To see someone you love that you thought dead living and breathing had to be a kick in the teeth for Bay. But, seriously, when Nash's secrets came out, the tears really started. 

The knowledge of where Nash has been all this time also brings with it the knowledge of a new enemy, and once again, the Silver Tip pack needs to fight, but this time, not against the creepy undead Noweres. There's plenty of action in Chasing Destiny, complete with an epic battle at the end. It has absolutely everything a paranormal romance lover could want.

And even after surprising us with Nash's return, and something new that could change the lives of werewolves and weres everywhere, Megan Erickson decides we need one more surprise before she ends the book. It was a wonderful one and I am now looking forward to the third book in this series even more just to see how this final development is going.

Speaking of, there's a lot of Dare and Reese in the second half of Chasing Destiny, so you get to catch up with them and see how they're getting along, as well as G and June and Selene and Hans. Chasing Destiny is a dual POV book, although you don't get Nash's POV until a little later than you normally would in a book with two narrators. It's understandable, though, and it works perfectly, along with everything else in this book. At the end, I was so ridiculously happy and totally pumped for the third book. 

REVIEW: The Lawrence Browne Affair

The Lawrence Browne Affair, by Cat Sebastian
Publish Date: February 7, 2017
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Format: e-ARC, provided by the publisher
Genre: adult historical m/m romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4.5 STARS

(Synopsis) An earl hiding from his future . . . 

Lawrence Browne, the Earl of Radnor, is mad. At least, that’s what he and most of the village believes. A brilliant scientist, he hides himself away in his family’s crumbling estate, unwilling to venture into the outside world. When an annoyingly handsome man arrives at Penkellis, claiming to be Lawrence’s new secretary, his carefully planned world is turned upside down.
A swindler haunted by his past . . .

Georgie Turner has made his life pretending to be anyone but himself. A swindler and con man, he can slip into an identity faster than he can change clothes. But when his long-dead conscience resurrects and a dangerous associate is out for blood, Georgie escapes to the wilds of Cornwall. Pretending to be a secretary should be easy, but he doesn’t expect that the only madness he finds is the one he has for the gorgeous earl.
Can they find forever in the wreckage of their lives?

Challenging each other at every turn, the two men soon give into the desire that threatens to overwhelm them. But with one man convinced he is at the very brink of madness and the other hiding his real identity, only true love can make this an affair to remember.

The Lawrence Browne Affair was a fantastic new book in the m/m historical romance genre. I'm thoroughly enjoying these books of hers - I didn't hesitate to pick this one up after loving The Soldier's Scoundrel.

Lawrence Browne is a super smart guy. He also has severe anxiety issues and is socially awkward. As a result, he is content to spend his days completely alone in the study of his crumbling mansion working on his inventions. In 1800s England, it is completely unheard of for a gentleman of Lord Radnor's position to act like this, so there are those that think he might be completely nuts.

Then there is Georgie Turner, whom we met in The Soldier's Scoundrel. He's a grifter who is asked to pose as Lord Radnor's assistant as a way to determine if he is, in fact, insane. Georgie needs to get out of London anyway since a job he was working went south and he now has some bad guys looking for him. It's a win-win for Georgie.

It doesn't take long for Georgie to realize that Lawrence is only an eccentric genius, and his social anxiety actually rouses some protective instincts in Georgie that he didn't even know he had. Not to mention Georgie loves the way Lawrence looks in his dressing gown.

I LOVE that Cat Sebastian has created a hot nerd for the 19th century. If you take away the fancy-pants clothes and the high-falooting language, what you have is a brilliant guy who had a crappy childhood and likes other men, which in this time, is not even remotely acceptable. It's no wonder he's squirreled himself away in his big house with only a skeleton crew of servants.

Georgie was the biggest surprise, though. He is absolutely an anti-hero. He cheats, steals and lies for a living, and was perfectly happy about it. Until Lawrence. He actually respects him. Then, he likes him. Then, he more than likes him, and that's when Georgie realizes he's in trouble. He can't cheat someone he loves. And THAT was when I fell in love with him.

This series is one of my favorite historical romance series ever. These men are sexy and complicated and awesome. I love the mysteries that are solved and the fears that are being overcome. And I can't wait for the next one to come out.