Joely Sue BurkhartRecensioni

I love this series, I hope (despite what the author writes at the ending) that this isn't the end of this series.

One thing I would advise, re-read Queen takes Checkmate ( or Hell, re-read the entire series from the beginning) again to refresh your memory on the characters. This book doesn't offer any recaps. I was lost from the beginning about who the various heroes and other characters were. There are so many secondary characters and plot points in this series and no recaps that in order for me to get a handle on what was going on I had to reread in full Queen takes Checkmate. It helped. Once I was done with that I picked up this book again and was able to get to it.

Authors take note: Constantly reminding readers of what happened over the past series, and reminding readers of each and every character in each and every book in the series is kind of overkill. However, throwing us in to play catch-up six months to a year past the last book is a dick move. This is especially true of series where there are multiple books, multiple spin-off series and a singly overall universe arc. Think Ameila Hutchins. She has The Fae Chronicles, Sleeping with Monsters, and the Elite Guards. Each series has their own story arc, but those arcs are all tied in together, with major and minor characters in each series showing up in others.

If only there were a character guide in these cases.

A very short prologue introducing the new characters to take the "Their Vampire Queen" series forward.

If you have read the series up to this point then you will read this book. However, don't buy it. If you get it on Kindle Unlimited, it's better. Nothing really happens and the book is very short. Its just outlines the new heroine being rescued by her newly called "blood" while in the grasp of a major paranormal snake.

So we have the same reverse harem with major insta love in a short read that introduces the new cast for the series. Not sure if the series will change names, but whatever. Its worth a read if you don't pay for it. Since I per-ordered it thinking it would be a full novel's length, I was pretty disappointed. I could have skipped it and waited until the following books come out.

This book is a good start to a series drenched in lots of fun, paranoramal intrique, plots and machinations, and sex. Lots and lots of blood kissed, menage, no holds barred paranormal sex.

Lol.

It's told in multiple first person so that everyone gets a chance to show their POV. Nothing gets missed. This book basically sets up the series. I did get a bit tired of some of the human aspects of Shara's personality and beliefs getting in the way of what needs to get done, but she gets over it. The point is that she didn't grow up in the world that she is now a part of, so she isnt already "tainted" by it.

She has one or two really TSTL moments but if you can get past them, the series pans out. Her naivety gets a little tired, but again, it pans out later in the series as it develops.

Read this is you are looking for a new series, like lots of hot paranormal menage, and like dynamic, progressive series that actually end.

Great prompt. Fine story of a hot fantasy finally fulfilled. Tied, taken and thoroughly enjoyed.

A collection of short, sexy stories with a very prominent theme (which is also present in the main series): Embrace your inner "monster" and surround yourself with people who embrace it too.½

I really like these characters and the fresh blood (pun intended) they bring to the series. Can't wait to see more of them.

What initially seemed like an unnecessary dive into a backstory we'd learned from a main book turned into a touching story about casting off shame.

Shara continues to escape having to deal with any real consequences, and the constant "I love all my blood, I would die for my queen, my life before was nothing" is a bit much. Overall, though, still an enjoyable book. I really love that Shara's alliances include mutually respectful and beneficial relationships with trees and animals.½

Shara's Mary-Sue-ish aspects are finally starting to affect my enjoyment of the story. They diminish the satisfaction of her achievements when she never truly struggles to reach them or face any consequences (like the cop-out at the end of this book from an agreement she made in a prior one). I enjoy the story more when it focuses on the fun character interactions rather than the plot, given that there's no interest there since she always succeeds at everything.

I'm confused and annoyed by the hypocrisy of Shara saying she's a "jealous" queen and doesn't want her men to so much as brush against her women (to the point that the author details characters' movements to make sure the reader knows there's NO TOUCHY), but Shara is fine with the men being all over each other. She's not jealous, she's just drawing a nonsensical line between genders.

I liked the reversal of the "light vs dark" trope with the darkness needing to overcome the light. I adore Shara's connections with and respect for animals like the birds in previous books and the rats in this one. Carys and Winnie are delightful and I hope they show up a lot in the next books.

Look, these books aren't going to win any character development awards (the main character doesn't really fail at anything), but they're a load of fun. The worldbuilding is interesting, the growing found family is just big warm fuzzy feels, and I appreciate the author's attempts to include and validate basically every kink you can think of.

This series just keeps getting better.

A fun reverse harem vampire erotica that occasionally takes breaks to worldbuild and has strong found family elements.

A paranormal romance in which the men aren't macho jerks who completely infantilize the woman? Yes please!

Having three points of view in such a short book wasn't a good move. Other than that and some eyeroll-worthy wording, I enjoyed the book. The balance of plot with sex was executed well.½

LOVE.

i reaaaaally liked this. the plot to sex ratio was perfect, and i love that (for now) the story is really revolving around Shara finding more bloods, and seeing that all go down. i love character-centric plots, and this is just hitting a sweet spot for me idk

so much better than book 1 and im READY for book 3

this was good! i wanted to read something short and sweet to tide me over while i take a little break from midnight sun.
definitely gory, lots and lots of blood in a ~sexual~ manner. i like all three of our characters, i'm just worried shara will become carried away with her magic. we shall see where this heads!! it's reminding me a lot of the four psychos series, but the lore reads like black dagger brotherhood. i'll start the second book and just see how i'm feeling from there. i stopped the four psychos series on the last book because i just got so bored of the plot, hopefully this series doesn't go the same way.

With her inventions Charlotte, Duchess of Wyre, in her role of Queen Majel’s Physician seems to have done her job much too well. Not just by curing the Queen but inventing a most deadly weapon. So she believes it is time to disappear. For this she needs the help of assassin Sigmund Regret.
An enjoyable short story and a good introduction to the next in the series

Charlotte, Duchess of Wyre has hidden on the Americus colony for seven years. But is she still safe from the wrath of the Queen. Events unfold but will the combination of scientist, a sheriff, and an assassin be enough.
An enjoyable story

I really enjoyed this book. I actually considered yelling at Joely over Twitter at one point while I was reading it… because it was 2am, I had tons of things I needed to do the following day, and I couldn’t. Put. The. E-reader. Down.

What were my favorite bits… hmm. I liked the naming conventions. If you’re familiar with Greek myths, you get hints of the characters’ personalities based on the names they took. (Each had another name prior to an outbreak, and then took new names in a kind of token re-birth. I’m not really clear if this was required in their society, or merely common.)

I liked the worldbuilding. Joely is an expert at that, and always manages to create a world that draws me in. This one is a futuristic, and you get senses of what today’s world turned into in her world’s history.

The characters also were well drawn. At times I was confused by some of the alien bits, but the personalities were nicely developed. The parts that confused me were mostly physical in relation to the aliens. They seem too human to not be human. I kept waiting for the twist to say they really were humans, they’d just been genetically modified or something. (But no, they really were aliens.)

If I have a complaint, it would be that there were a few things that weren’t explained to my satisfaction. Things like what happened at the very end to the Enforcer, how a certain necklace was really capable of what it described as being capable of, a bit more (or different) explanation of some of the futuristic bits… Basically, my complaint is that I enjoyed the world so much I couldn’t get enough of it. Not that I needed more, but that I wanted it. There was plenty of detail, don’t get me wrong. I just loved the world Joely created.

At its heart, Lady Doctor Wyre is a steampunk story. However, this is a steampunk set not in an alternate past, but an alternate future. (Sort-of.) It takes the history of our world, and transfers it to a matriarchal universe where countries are planets and all of history's famous men have become famous women. It's quite amusing to read about Madame President instead of Mister President, and how ships — space ships, naturally — are called "he". Joely's all about the details.

Even though I would class Lady Doctor Wyre as a steampunk, it's not your traditional steampunk. Many of the traditional elements are present, while many others are morphed into something more futuristic. This world mixes silk stockings with space ships, corsets with nanobots. The strict Society rules found in many steampunk novels are in effect, but they are entirely presided over by women, both in the political and social realms.

Lady Doctor Wyre is also a romance. Not in the "every other scene is sex" style, but in the sense that it is a character-driven, emotion-driven story with themes of love and loss. Now, if you are at all familiar with Joely's writing style, you will not be surprised to hear that there is sex in the story. Pretty darn near the beginning of it, in fact. But you will also not be surprised to hear that it is all quite believable and enjoyably written. I didn't spend a moment rolling my eyes in disbelief about any part of the story — sex scene or otherwise. As with every story she has crafted that I have read, Joely blends fantasy with reality in a completely believable and utterly enjoyable fashion.

(I received Lady Doctor Wyre as an e-book review copy from the author.)

The Zombie Billionaire’s Virgin Witch is not just a fun story. It is a fun story and so much more. Part “Ratatouille,” part “Top Chef,” and all magic, this is a story of love, loss, and a father’s hope for his daughter’s happiness.

I could describe this — completely accurately — as a romance novel. It is. But it’s got a twist: the hero is a zombie.

Well, he’s at least a part-time zombie. The zombie-fication is a curse, and the heroine is the only one who can break the curse. Sounds like a fairly traditional romance plot, right? Kind-of a “Beauty and the Beast” story. However… it’s written by Joely Sue Burkhart. So it’s got a catch: the curse was laid on the hero by the heroine’s late father, and if she decides she wants to go against one of her father’s actions, the only way she can break the curse will result in a loss of her magical powers.

I really love this book. It’s possibly my favorite thing that Joely has written, and I’ve enjoyed everything of hers that I’ve read. When I go looking for “something wrong” with this story, though, so I can present a balanced review, my only complaint is that it’s not long enough. It seems to be a standard ebook length, and there is no sense of an unfinished story. I just wanted more.

Good thing she’s writing another book in this series…

(Note: I received this as a review copy.)

This is a really good story, and as I've come to expect from Joely Sue Burkhart, the character development was incredible. You get to watch as the characters develop and grow. In some ways it seems that the plot was just a bonus. Don't get me wrong: the plot was fantastic as well. But it is a very character-driven plot. Many of the plot points only work because of the character growth (or lack of) at that point in the story. The plot and characters are very well woven together to create a unique alternate history.

In other situations, the world of Joely's Jane Austen Space Operas would be my favorite part of the story. It's an alternate history featuring space travel and a matriarchal society in place of Britain's glory days. Great stuff. I really love the world, but Joely's skill writing characters makes this fun world seem mostly a backdrop where the characters can play.

Now - this series is not for everyone. It does feature sex, and in some cases it's on the graphic side. This particular installment was actually light on the sex, however. I think this is because the sexual focus of this story is on pony play - and not just playing dress-up before having sex, but actually behaving equine. The pony play parts were well written, don't get me wrong. But I am not into the lifestyle, and don't know much about it beyond what I read in fiction. Everything in HER GRACE'S STABLE could be completely accurate to the lifestyle, I don't know. But there were times that it all got a bit much for me to take seriously.

Even with my - unease? discomfort? disbelief? - in the bulk of this particular sexual content, it didn't overpower my enjoyment of the story. I read the book in one day because I could not put it down. The characters and backstory were fabulous. The sex wasn't all pony play, either, and the other erotic scenes were more to my liking. I really enjoyed the book, and would happily read more from these characters, should Joely write another story featuring them. The world is fabulous, and there are even a few nods to LADY DOCTOR WYRE (book 1 in the series) near the end of this book.


Disclaimer: I received this book as a review copy.

3.75 stars

I had such high hopes for this book/seri s. Sadly, it just didn't ever truly get me invested and lacked the fluidity to keep the story progressing at times. I appreciate the author and her attempt. While this might not be my cup of tea it might work for someone else.

Great contemporary erotic realistic kinky romance.

Well written contemporary femdom erotic romance. Donovan, a billionaire, finds himself wanting more with Lily, a pro-domme. Intense and sweet at times this is a kinky romance with plenty of emotion.

Great book about three people finding love.