One detail that made this book a lot more enjoyable than most others in the genre is that the author managed to build intense chemistry and almost overwhelming lust while not compromising the MC's independence and autonomy.
She doesn't cave to the bullshit the H subjects her to and the controlling alpha-hole pressure he exerts. She avoids this horrible dependence on the H that usually compromises the entire character which so much pnr falls victim to.
The way the book handles this particular detail is probably the biggest strength of the book.

Sadly, the author apparently didn't do this intentionally because in the second book the MC devolves into a spineless pushover that just instantly forgives any and all assholery he subjects her to after a few gooey lines of conversation.
The rest of the writing is still above average but the one essential component that differentiates this book from the masses is nonexistent in the second book.
If each book contained a complete story one could at least enjoy the first one as a standalone but the first book ends in the middle of the story without any resolution, not even any sub-plot. It's one of these series that you are essentially supposed to read as one continuous story without individual arcs in each book so it's really hard to justify rating each book individually.
My original rating for this first book was a strong 3-star rating but I have to correct it down to 2 stars. ( )

This series is completed and available from Kindle Unlimited. Binge it. I had to wait almost two years to finish the four books that came out after I read the first two. It almost killed it for me because I forgot a lot between books. Binging it will make it much better. ( )

A good start to the series. Interesting premise. Great characters. Alexis is a bit more stubborn than she needs to be, but I’m sure it will serve her well in the upcoming books. I can’t wait until she finally gives in to Kieran and let’s him love her. ( )

Alexis is a magical citizen eking out a living in the dual-society zone, where she and her wards can escape the notice of more powerful and dangerous magical folks and be tolerated by non-magical folks. Her teen wards are Daisy, a non-magical girl who'd spent time in the worst parts of the foster care system, and Mordecai, a werewolf whose immune system treats his need to shapeshift like an enemy, leaving him perpetually weak, unable to shift, and likely to die at a young age.

When Alexis is almost run over by a hot magical guy in an expensive car, she suddenly finds her careful anonymity threatened. Although she doesn't know it at first, the hot magical guy is Kieran, Demigod and the heir of Valens, the Demigod in charge of San Francisco. Alexis's power may be the key to freeing Kieran's mother's soul, and he's not about to let her out of his sight.

This was one of the freebies in my Book Bonanza 2022 attendee goody bag. I started it because I'd forgotten to bring any of the other books I was currently reading, and K.F. Breene was one of the attending authors. I unexpectedly gobbled it up, and I was glad I got a chance to stop by the author's table, get an autograph, and buy the second book.

This book wasn't without its issues. I'm still not entirely sure I understand how its world works. There seemed to be three zones, one for magical folks, one for non-magical folks, and one where magical and non-magical folks could coexist but magical folks were treated like second-class citizens. At the same time, it sounded like Demigods like Kieran and Valens barely had any rules governing their behavior. Could they enter the non-magical zones at will? I have no idea, but it didn't sound like either of them would take well to someone telling them they couldn't do something.

Also, while I generally liked the scenes with Alexis, Daisy, and Mordecai, I felt like Breene overdid her efforts to get across to readers that Alexis was poor and could barely take care of herself and two teens, one of whom had serious health issues. It was heavy-handed.

Even so, I found myself hooked on this book and almost managed to finish it before Book Bonanza wrapped up. While I wish Breene had mentioned some world details and rules earlier, I enjoyed learning about Alexis's powers and a little about Kieran's goals, and I particularly enjoyed Alexis's efforts to prevent Kieran from getting an accurate idea of her strength and the particulars of her ability. Mythology purists (Greek and Irish, so far) will probably take issue with certain details, but overall I thought it was interesting and I was grateful that whatever was brewing between Kieran and Alexis didn't instantly overtake the story.

I don't know how long I'll stick with this series, but so far I'm enjoying the ride and would be willing to try Breene's other series.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) ( )

This has some fantastic characters who grow on you from the start. Lexie is trapped in a world occupied by magicals and non-magicals, but has a useless magical talent, so she lives in poverty. She has two adopted teenagers, one of whom is jaded, the other who is very sick and needs a constant supply of medicine they can’t afford.

After a slow-burn set up at the start, we start to discover more about Lexie’s powers and why they are of keen interest to Kieren, a demi-god who is the son of a not-so-cool dude and a selkie. I thought the world building in this was really cool and Lexie’s voice is quirky and fun. I particularly liked the relationship she had with both her foster kids. There aren’t any steamy scenes this time around, just a lot of flirting and build-up, but this book is a great read alone for the characters, the amazing world-building and the promise of more to come. I’ll definitely be reading on.
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