Spotlight: Anything but Broken - Joelle Knox (Guest Post: Burnout or Bliss)

I've been a huge fan of writing duo Bree Bridges and Donna Herren ever since I discovered their paranormal romance and urban fantasy stories written under the name Moira Rogers. Then they went on to create one of my all time favourite series and introduced us to the O'Kanes of Sector Four in their post-apocalyptic erotic romance series written under the pen name Kit Rocha. So of course when I found out that they were turning their hand to a NA contemporary romance series I knew I HAD to read it.

I love how these two authors seem to be able to turn their hand to anything, the stories they write under each of their pen names are very different but you can always expect fantastic, realistic characters, brilliant world building and believable romances. That definitely holds true for their first release under their newest pen name, Joelle Knox. To celebrate the release of Anything but Broken I'm thrilled to welcome Bree to the blog today to talk about why they decided to try their hand at another new genre but first let me give you a little more information about the book which releases on the 25th of August (and is already available to pre-order). I was actually lucky enough to get send an advanced copy and I LOVED it so watch out for my review on release date.

After five years, tragedy brings Hannah Casey back to Hurricane Creek to bury what’s left of her family. She’s flunking out of college, haunted by scandal, and the only person who cares is Sean Whitlow, an irresistible bad boy with a soft spot for her. The problem? He’s her dead sister’s ex.

Sean doesn’t bleed red, he bleeds motor oil. During the week, he struggles to turn his auto repair shop into a profitable business. But when Saturday night rolls around, he’s the reigning stock-car king of the local race track. He doesn’t know how to lose–or how to walk away and leave Hannah alone with her grief.

Between her grades and her wealthy family’s dark secrets, Hannah’s barely holding her life together. And the last thing Sean needs is to get tangled up with another Casey girl. As the attraction between them spins out of control, they’ll either find a love with no limits–or go up in flames.

Visit Joelle Knox's website for more information.

Now please give Bree a very warm welcome to to the blog today!

********************

Bree Bridges is one half of the co-writing partnership behind Joelle Knox, Kit Rocha and Moira Rogers. Together with her best friend Donna Herren, she's written over a dozen novels and over fifty novellas and short stories. Anything but Broken is their first New Adult romance.

Burnout or Bliss

It's no secret that authors are feeling the pressure to write faster and faster these days. And most of the time I don't complain—there is nothing as awesome as having readers eager to read your next story. But that pressure has a dark side—the fate that haunts authors, the word that makes us wake up at night in a cold sweat.

Burnout.

Burning out is scary. The most terrifying part is that it can happen even with a series you love. Sometimes you have to work through the burnout because you've made commitments and there's no other choice. But self-publishing gives me a little more control over my schedule, and I've realized that when I hit a wall, sometimes pushing through is the wrong move.

Which is how new series happen.

When Donna and I sat down to write our first Kit Rocha title, Beyond Shame, we weren't thinking about publishing or strategy or marketability. We were thinking, "Oh god, I'm tired. Let's just write something different." We'd been writing paranormal romance exclusively for a while, and outside stressors were making it difficult. Our brains were chugging slowly. Of every 1,000 words we managed, only 250 of them were worth a damn.

Then we started Beyond Shame. It was different. It was new. It was a complete change of pace, with a new setting and a new world and a different voice. We flew through the first book, and the energy and excitement spilled over. When it was done, we turned back to our next paranormal, excited and renewed.

Sometimes all it takes to get your creativity flowing again is a new perspective. Which is what we needed last fall when we were midway through our (in retrospect, kind of reckless) attempt to write two novels and three novellas in the same series in under a year. The words weren't coming, only this time we knew how to fix it.

And that's how Hurricane Creek came to life.

Anything but Broken is unlike anything else we've ever written. It's contemporary. It's New Adult. It's a book where the conflicts stay between two people—where the fight is against the trauma and loss of a troubled past, and the biggest danger is the secrets a broken person keeps to protect their vulnerable heart.

Writing it renewed us. It brought back my excitement and my enthusiasm. Sean and Hannah helped us fall in love with writing all over again. Which is why it's so exciting to finally share them with the world. Every book we write is the book of our hearts…but this is one of the few books that saved our hearts.

Anything but Broken by Joelle Knox comes out August 25th and is available now for pre-order.

********************

Thanks for stopping by and explaining your writing process Bree, I for one love that you like to switch things up a bit occasionally. I'm an O'Kane fangirl so will devour as many Beyond books as you guys care to give me but it's nice to branch out into different genres and keep things fresh. I'm already looking forward to the next two Hurrican Creek novels!

Review: My Life as a White Trash Zombie - Diana Rowland

Angel Crawford is a loser.

Living with her alcoholic deadbeat dad in the swamps of southern Louisiana, she's a high school dropout with a pill habit and a criminal record who's been fired from more crap jobs than she can count. Now on probation for a felony, it seems that Angel will never pull herself out of the downward spiral her life has taken.

That is, until the day she wakes up in the ER after overdosing on painkillers. Angel remembers being in an horrible car crash, but she doesn't have a mark on her. To add to the weirdness, she receives an anonymous letter telling her there's a job waiting for her at the parish morgue—and that it's an offer she doesn't dare refuse.

Before she knows it she's dealing with a huge crush on a certain hunky deputy and a brand new addiction: an overpowering craving for brains. Plus, her morgue is filling up with the victims of a serial killer who decapitates his prey—just when she's hungriest!

Angel's going to have to grow up fast if she wants to keep this job and stay in one piece. Because if she doesn't, she's dead meat.

Literally.

White Trash Zombie Series:
My Life as a White Trash Zombie
Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues
White Trash Zombie Apocalypse
How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back
White Trash Zombie Gone Wild (2015)

Visit Diana Rowlands's website for more information

Review:
Angel Crawford is a high school drop out with a deadbeat boyfriend, no job and addiction to drugs and alcohol. Her life is going nowhere fast - until the day she actually dies. Angel remembers a car crash, she remembers fear and blood but not a lot else so she's confused when she wakes up in hospital without a scratch on her. The doctors think she took an overdose but she's sure that's not what happened. Things get weirder when she suddenly finds a job has been organised for her to work with the coroner, she didn't apply for it and she has no idea why she's been given a second chance. She isn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth though and she takes the chance to finally make something of herself and runs with it. It turns out that Angel is quite suited to working with dead bodies, if only she could rid herself of the pesky little desire to chow down on their brains. What's a girl to do when she realises she's turned into a zombie?

I really wasn't too sure what to expect from this story, zombie books don't usually make it onto my to read pile because I'm pretty squeamish & I'm not much of a horror reader these days, but that cover caught my eye and then a bunch of my friends decided to buddy read it so I thought I'd give it a go. I'm so glad I did because I had so much fun reading this story. It's pretty damn gory, in fact there were times when I was almost struggling to hold down my lunch while I was reading it (hey, I told you I'm squeamish!), but the story had sucked me in so completely that I couldn't put it down.

Angel is a loser with a capital L, she comes from a white trash family, her mother had mental health problems and her father is an abusive alcoholic who is more interested in how much money Angel can give him for beer than he is in her welfare. Life hasn't been kind to her and she's pretty much given up on ever finding something better for herself so it comes as a complete shock to her when someone decides to give her a break and arranges for a decent job for her. She's convinced it must be something to do with her parole and since she doesn't want to go to jail she decides she'll do whatever it takes not to mess up. I loved seeing her turn things around, underneath her brash exterior she's actually smart and capable and now that she's set her mind to it she is able to use her brain to her advantage. Life is still hard but she has so much she wants to live for and if that means doing something as gross as eating brains she's going to find a way to deal with it.

I loved Diana Rowland's unique take on zombies, I don't want to say too much about it so you'll have to read the book to find out more but they definitely aren't your typical mindless, murdering beasts who will rip you to pieces on sight. The story alternated between grossing me out and making me snort with laughter and I can't wait to carry on reading the series. It's so nice when a book surprises you, My Life as a White Trash Zombie took me way out of my comfort zone and I loved every minute of it.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: An Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir

What if you were the spark that could ignite a revolution?

For years Laia has lived in fear. Fear of the Empire, fear of the Martials, fear of truly living at all. Born as a Scholar, she’s never had much of a choice.

For Elias it’s the opposite. He has seen too much on his path to becoming a Mask, one of the Empire’s elite soldiers. With the Masks’ help the Empire has conquered a continent and enslaved thousands, all in the name of power.

When Laia’s brother is taken she must force herself to help the Resistance, the only people who have a chance of saving him. She must spy on the Commandant, ruthless overseer of Blackcliff Academy. Blackcliff is the training ground for Masks and the very place that Elias is planning to escape. If he succeeds, he will be named deserter. If found, the punishment will be death.

But once Laia and Elias meet, they will find that their destinies are intertwined and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

In the ashes of a broken world one person can make a difference. One voice in the dark can be heard. The price of freedom is always high and this time that price might demand everything, even life itself.

Ember in the Ashes series:
An Ember in the Ashes

Visit Sabaa Tahir's website for more information

Review:
Laia has spent her life living in fear of the Martials, they are the upper class in the Empire and have complete control over the the Scholars, including Laia's family, and they rule by force. When her brother is captured and her grandparents are murdered Laia is on her own and the only way to survive is to align herself with the resistance. They want her to infiltrate Blackcliff Academy, the exclusive school where they train the Masks, elite members of the Martial's army. If Laia is caught it would mean certain death but she has no one else to turn to. Elias is a student at Blackcliff, he has spent years training to become a Mask but he hates it and has made plans to escape. If he is caught the punishment for desertion is death but it's a risk he is willing to take in the hope of freedom. When the two meet their lives are forever changed.

An Ember in the Ashes is a book with a huge amount of hype behind it and while for the most part I enjoyed it and I will pick up the sequel I don't think it was as fantastic as it could have been. I had issues with both of the main characters which probably didn't help matters and I don't think the world was fleshed out as well as it could have been. Laia starts the story as a very weak and mousy character, it's understandable considering the way she has always been treated but she was incredibly spineless for the majority of the book. We do see a change in her by the end but I really would have liked her character to develop faster and think she probably would have considering what was going on around her.

Elias was okay but he was pretty bland and there isn't much to separate him out from a million other YA heroes we've already met. He seemed to turn into a bit of a lovestruck idiot any time he was around someone of the opposite sex, even with his female best friend Helene who he supposedly never had feelings beyond friendship for he mentally commented on her gorgeous figure every time he saw her. It didn't take long for me to get bored of the way he'd be in the middle of a battle for his life and suddenly his thoughts were distracted by "ooh look, I see blonde hair, I wonder if that's Laia in the distance". I think if he'd been in any real danger he would have died quite early on. Don't even get me started on the romances, it seemed like everyone had two or three potential love interests and I'm not quite sure if we ended up with a triangle, square or more likely a giant dodecahedron. Quite honestly it was hard to keep up!

There was something about the story that hooked me in though, I found it a really quick and easy read and things definitely improved towards the end once we'd been introduced to the world and the characters. I think that the problems I had could have been partly down to first book in a series syndrome and I am curious enough to want to know what happens next. I'll warn you now that it ends on a killer cliffhanger though, we are left with a million unanswered questions and very little resolution so you might be better off waiting until nearer the release date for the sequel before you give this a try.

Source: Received from Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Kindle:

Review: Smiler's Fair - Rebecca Levene

Yron the moon god died, but now he's reborn in the false king's son. His human father wanted to kill him, but his mother sacrificed her life to save him. He'll return one day to claim his birthright. He'll change your life.

He'll change everything.

Smiler's Fair: the great moving carnival where any pleasure can be had, if you're willing to pay the price. They say all paths cross at Smiler's Fair. They say it'll change your life. For five people, Smiler's Fair will change everything.

In a land where unimaginable horror lurks in the shadows, where the very sun and moon are at war, five people - Nethmi, the orphaned daughter of a murdered nobleman, who in desperation commits an act that will haunt her forever. Dae Hyo, the skilled warrior, who discovers that a lifetime of bravery cannot make up for a single mistake. Eric, who follows his heart only to find that love exacts a terrible price. Marvan, the master swordsman, who takes more pleasure from killing than he should. And Krish, the humble goatherd, with a destiny he hardly understands and can never accept - will discover just how much Smiler's Fair changes everything.

The Hollow Gods series:
Smiler's Fair
The Hunter's Kind

Visit Rebecca Levene's website for more information

Review:
Smiler's Fair was a fantastic start to a new series from British author Rebecca Levene and it left me desperate to dive straight into the next book The Hunter's Kind. This is the best kind of fantasy, one with rich world building, interesting mythology, a fantastic range of characters and plenty of secrets to keep you guessing.

Hundreds of years ago the moon god fought with the sun goddess and lost, after his death his servants fled underground and have since turned into monstrous creatures who will murder anyone they come across. The people above ground live in fear of the worm men and have had to adapt their way of life to try and avoid them. Staying in one place for too long draws the monster's attention so the wealthiest noble families live in huge floating homes built on lakes while villagers build their homes on wheels so they can keep them moving. Then there is Smiler's Fair, a huge travelling fair that is home to hundreds of people and has everything you could possibly wish for inside it's walls. The fair travels across the land only stopping for short periods of time before moving on at the first hint of trouble and a lot of our central characters cross paths with the fair at some point during the story.

I don't really want to say much about the plot because this is the kind of book you should really discover for yourselves but I'll give you a little hint about some of the characters. The book is told from multiple points of view and I loved getting to see so much of the land through different eyes. First you have Krish, a goatherd whose live is turned upside down when he finds out he is at the centre of a prophecy, then there is Nethmi, a young princess who is forced into marriage with a man old enough to be her father, Eric a boy who makes a terrible mistake by falling in love with the wrong person and Dae Hyo a warrior without a home who is searching for revenge. You'll meet plenty of others too, some you'll love, some you'll hate, ones who will impress you with their strength and integrity and others who will shock you by their epic betrayals.

Smiler's Fair is mostly character driven, there is a lot of world building and a huge amount of set up for the rest of the series so in some ways you could say that not a lot actually happens but I still enjoyed every minute of it. The mythology was interesting and richly developed, the characters all have strong personalities and love them or hate them you'll find yourself desperate to see what they do next and I am definitely invested enough to put the rest of the series at the top of my to be read pile. I can't wait to see what Rebecca Levene puts her characters through next.

Source: Received from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Masters of Seduction Volume 2 - Lara Adrian, Donna Grant, Laura Wright & Alexandra Ivy

The passion continues with an all-new collection of sizzling, sexy stories in the New York Times bestselling Masters of Seduction paranormal romance series from Lara Adrian, Donna Grant, Laura Wright and Alexandra Ivy!

PRICELESS: House of Ebarron ~ by Lara Adrian
Incubus Master Sorin Ebarron has an insatiable taste for fine things. So when a tantalizing platinum-haired Nephilim walks into his elite casino on the arm of a rival male, Sorin is determined to have the beauty at any cost. But Ashayla is waging her own high-stakes gamble, willing to risk breath and body to win the prize she seeks. Caught in a game of deception and desire, Sorin and Ashayla will discover a secret that may hold the power to shake the gates of both Heaven and Hell...

BOUNDLESS: House of Drohas ~ by Donna Grant
As Master of the House of Drohas, Javan has a personal stake in his family's art business. The enigmatic Incubus has never embraced that duty more than when a beautiful and talented new artist catches his eye. The Drohas name and influence can help Naomi's career, but she's interested in Javan for a different reason. Believing him to be her sister's killer, Naomi soon finds herself fighting an all-consuming desire for the dangerous man, and thrust into a world she never dreamed existed--a world of angels and demons, poised at the brink of a brewing war.

DAUNTLESS: House of Trevanion ~ by Laura Wright
Incubus Casworon Trevanion likes his nights long and his bed full. But as his House's new Master, Cas's love of demon debauchery is over. Like every royal male before him, Cas's mate has been chosen and will be presented to him at the annual Seafarer's Ball. But when Cas sets his eyes on lovely stranger, Lia, all bets are off. He is meant to possess her. But will he discard his legacy when he realizes the female he desires is none other than the scarred servant who scrubs his floors?

RECKLESS: House of Furia ~ by Alexandra Ivy
Tiege never expected to become Master of Furia, not until his brother's mate was kidnapped and brutally killed. With his House in mourning, Tiege has no choice but to lead, although that doesn't halt his hedonistic lifestyle. Sloane is a former Nephilim Blade who is dedicated to duty. She has nothing in common with the reckless Incubus--except a dangerous passion. But it's that passion they must draw upon in order to raise the spirit of a long-dead Succubus whose stunning revelations could topple the Obsidian Throne forever...

Masters of Seduction Series:
Volume 1 (Merciless, Soulless, Shameless and Ruthless)
Volume 2 (Priceless, Boundless, Dauntless and Reckless)

For more information about any of these authors you can visit their websites by clicking the links below:
Lara Adrian
Donna Grant
Laura Wright
Alexandra Ivy

Review:
This is the second volume in the Masters of Seduction multi-author series containing stories by Lara Adrian, Donna Grant, Laura Wright and Alexandra Ivy. Although each novella in the series features a different main couple there is an overarching plot that carries across the whole series so I would recommend reading both volumes in order to get the most out of the reading experience.

I'll give you a quick overview of the stories but I don't want to go into too much detail because it would be easy to give you spoilers:

Priceless - Lara Adrian
Sorin is the Master of Ebarron and in control of the family's assets so when he is contacted by a young woman who wants to buy back one of the treasures they have purchased he isn't willing to let it go. Ashayla will do anything to get back her family heirloom, it's her grandmother's dying wish to have it back so she doesn't have much time to work with and she sets out to Sorin's casino with a plan to steal it. Unfortunately for her things don't go quite to plan and it might cost her more than she could ever have dreamed of to get back her grandmother's pendent. This was such a fun story, I loved how determined Ashayla was and really enjoyed the banter between her and Sorin.

Boundless - Donna Grant
Naomi knew nothing of the supernatural world until her sister was murdered by an incubus, now after reading her sister's diaries she has a suspect and she is determined to make sure Javan pays for his crime. Javan isn't a murderer but he is the Master of Drohas and since Naomi's sister was one of the artists that his family sponsored he is just as keen to find out who killed her. The pair have to work together to find out what really happened and the sparks are soon flying between them. Another enjoyable read and I though they were a really cute couple.

Dauntless - Laura Wright
Cas may love to party and have fun but as Master of Trevanion he knows it is his duty to mate into a well connected family. His mother is determined to see him with someone who will help secure the family's link to royalty and she doesn't care whether Cas likes his intended mate or not. Then at the ball where is mating should be announced he spots a beautiful stranger and his life is turned upside down. This sweet and hot story was definitely my favourite in the anthology (that's 2 out of 2 for Laura Wright!), it's a Cinderella retelling which is probably one of the reasons I loved it so much, I'm a sucker for fairytales!

Reckless - Alexandra Ivy
Tiege is a play boy who loves nothing more than partying but he's had to step up and take over as Master of Furia after the death of his brother's mate. He isn't going to let his new role stop him from having fun though. Sloane is a former Nephilim Blade who has spent her whole life putting her duty above everything else. The two of them should be like oil and water but when Tiege is desperate to feed and Sloane is the only one available to help him the passion that flares between them is surprisingly hot. I enjoyed the connection between these two, I loved how noble Sloane is and it was fun to see Tiege's heart captured.

Masters of Seduction is an enjoyable anthology of short but hot reads by some fantastic authors. As much as I would have loved for these stories to be longer so that more time could have been spend developing the different relationships if you're in the mood for something quick but satisfying then I'd recommend checking out this series.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Timeless - Gail Carriger

Alexia Tarabotti has settled into domestic bliss . . .

Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London high society, living in a vampire's second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Even Ivy Tunstell's acting troupe's latest play, disastrous to say the least, cannot put a dampener on Alexia's enjoyment of her new London lifestyle.

Until, that is, she receives a summons from Alexandria that cannot be ignored. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Alexia can handle. What does the Vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire?

Parasol Protectorate Series:
The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn't, the Mummy That Was, and the Cat in the Jar (Novella)
Soulless
Changeless
Blameless
Heartless
Timeless

Finishing School Series:
(This is a YA series set in the Parasol Protectorate world but set 25 years before the first book)
Etiquette & Espionage
Curtsies & Conspiracies
Waistcoats & Weaponry
Manners & Mutiny

Delightfully Deadly:
(A series of standalone adult novellas set in the Parasol Protectorate world featuring characters you may recognise from the other series, they fit into the timeline between the Finishing School and Parasol Protectorate books)
Poison or Protect
Future titles and release dates to be confirmed

Custard Protocol Series:
(This is another adult series set in the Parasol Protectorate world but set several decades after the last book)
Prudence
Imprudence

Supernatural Society Series:
(A series of standalone adult novellas set in the Parasol Protectorate world featuring popular LGBT characters you may recognise from the other series)
Romancing the Inventor
Romancing the Werewolf (2017)

Visit Gail Carriger's website for more information

Review:
This review will be spoiler free for Timeless but will contain major spoilers for previous books so please don't continue reading unless you've already read as far as Heartless.

I absolutely loved the earlier books in this series but for me it kind of started losing it's way in the last few books. I still enjoy the humour and I'm invested in the characters so I've kept reading but it just lost the little something that made it special. It started going wrong when Conall acted so badly when Alexia found out she was pregnant, I felt that she forgave his behaviour far too easily and I wanted to see him make more effort to apologise. I was glad that they got their relationship back on track though and I do enjoy the banter and bickering between them.

What really threw me for a loop was their willingness to let Lord Akeldama adopt their daughter, I couldn't for the life of me understand why an alpha werewolf would let his daughter be raised by another man - especially a vampire! I would have expected Conall to be horrified by even the suggestion and I didn't think it really fitted Alexia's character either, no matter how pragmatic she usually is. For the pair of them to literally end up living secretly in Akeldama's closet to be close to their daughter just didn't sit well with me. It kind of felt like the vampires were constantly getting one over on the wolves, especially when Akeldama effectively tricked Alexia into giving Queen Nadasdy the Woolsey Manor! Once again Conall just kind of shrugged his shoulders and went along with it not even particularly angry that the vampires had effectively stolen his home and conned them out of lord only knows how much money it was worth.

From that point on it's always been the vampires shouting orders while Alexia and Conall rush around doing their bidding and that continues into Timeless where they receive orders to visit one of the vampire queens in Egypt. I have to admit I enjoyed the journey to Alexandria, I loved little Prudence (who is now 2 years old) and I enjoyed the family interactions but I was so angry about the pack just going along with whatever the vampires wanted that it put me in a bad mood. This does tie up the series nicely though and I'm actually glad that it was the end of the series. I already have a copy of the first book in the spin off and I'm really hoping that Prudence's story won't have the issues that irritated me with this book. I'm sad that the final books in this series didn't live up to my expectations but I do enjoy this author's writing style so I'm willing to give her another chance.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Heartless - Gail Carriger

Lady Alexia, soulless, is at it again - only this time the trouble in the air is not her fault.

When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention and a plague of zombie porcupines - and Alexia barely has time to remember she just happens to be eight months pregnant.

Will she be able to figure out who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it's too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And do they really have to take up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?

Parasol Protectorate Series:
The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn't, the Mummy That Was, and the Cat in the Jar (Novella)
Soulless
Changeless
Blameless
Heartless
Timeless

Finishing School Series:
(This is a YA series set in the Parasol Protectorate world but set 25 years before the first book)
Etiquette & Espionage
Curtsies & Conspiracies
Waistcoats & Weaponry
Manners & Mutiny

Delightfully Deadly:
(A series of standalone adult novellas set in the Parasol Protectorate world featuring characters you may recognise from the other series, they fit into the timeline between the Finishing School and Parasol Protectorate books)
Poison or Protect
Future titles and release dates to be confirmed

Custard Protocol Series:
(This is another adult series set in the Parasol Protectorate world but set several decades after the last book)
Prudence
Imprudence

Supernatural Society Series:
(A series of standalone adult novellas set in the Parasol Protectorate world featuring popular LGBT characters you may recognise from the other series)
Romancing the Inventor
Romancing the Werewolf (2017)

Visit Gail Carriger's website for more information

Review:
I absolutely love the humour in Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series but I have to admit I found myself disappointed with the turn this series has taken. It started going downhill for me in Blameless thanks to Conall's absolute refusal to believe his wife hadn't cheated on him, considering Alexia's preternatural abilities he should have been more willing to accept that he was the father of her baby but instead he spent most of the book in a drunken stupor believing she had been unfaithful. I felt that Alexia accepted his rather lacklustre apology far too easily so I was really hoping that she would make him work a bit in Heartless.

I'm actually pleased that they've got their relationship back on track, in spite of a lack of much needed grovelling, but there were a whole bunch of new issues that annoyed me in this book. Alexia is now 8 months pregnant but instead of resting up like she's supposed to she is too busy fighting off zombie porcupines sent by the vampires to kill her. It seems that the vampires have put a target on her head because they are worried about what her child might become and now she's even more at risk than ever before. I'm going to keep this review fairly vague to avoid spoilers but I was really shocked with the solution they found to this dilemma, I just couldn't believe that either of them would consider it an acceptable option - especially a protective, possessive alpha male like Conall. I love Lord Akeldama's character and always find him amusing but I am not at all impressed with his new role in Alexia's life.

As if vampire assassination plots aren't enough for Alexia to contend with she has also uncovered a plot against the queen and while trying to uncover what is going on she finds herself digging deeper into Conall's past. I enjoyed this side to the story, there were some interesting revelations about the Woolsey pack and I was pleased to see the banter back on track between the main couple but I've reached the point where I'm bored of Alexia's nasty younger sister Felicity and I was really shocked by what happened with the Westminster Hive. Once again they seemed to get one over on Alexia and Conall, it seems like the werewolves are constantly losing out to the vampires and that doesn't really give me much confidence in Conall's alpha status. He just seems to have gone from being the one who everyone is afraid of to someone that the entire supernatural community can walk all over and that's incredibly disappointing to me.

I'm still interested to see how things play out in Timeless but unfortunately I'm no longer as excited over this series as I was through the first couple of books. Let's just hope the series ends on a high note.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle: