Book Reviews: Becoming his Monster (Playing with Monsters #3) by Amelia Hutchins

Becoming his Monster (Playing with Monsters #3)

by Amelia Hutchins

January 1, 2019

347 pages
Sacrifice your soul? 

Check. 

Die to protect those you love? 

Check. 

Come back as something the world hasn’t seen since the dawn of mankind? 

Check. 

Make those who hurt me wish the Gods had never created them? 

I’m still working on this one…

Are you ready to play? I’m coming back. I’m more, darker, deadlier, and I’m pissed. 

Heaven has fallen, Hell has risen and the walls that once protected man from monsters are down. Foe’s become friends, enemies become lovers, and this world is thrown into chaos unlike anything it’s ever seen before. I’m ready to play now, I’m ready to win. 

This is the third book in the award winning Playing with Monsters series.

Reading order for those who are following the story-line and want the full experience. 

Fighting Destiny 

Taunting Destiny 

Escaping Destiny 

Seducing Destiny 

A Demon’s Dark Embrace 

Playing with Monsters 

Unraveling Destiny 

Sleeping with Monsters 

Claiming the Dragon King 

Oh, Holy Knight - in Such Violent Delight Anthology 

Becoming his Monster 

Series that standalone 

A Guardian’s Diary series 

Darkest before Dawn 

Death Before Dawn 

Midnight Rising (Coming soon)

Becoming his Monster is the third installment in Amelia Hutchins’ Playing with Monsters series. The series is a crossover with two of Hutchins’ other series, Fae Chronicles and Elite Guards. All three series take place in the same universe and characters overlap. An additional series, Wicked Knights will also intersect with the Fae Chronicles series, the first installment is due out in 2019. Wicked Knights was teased in late 2018 with the short story “Oh Holy Knight” within the holiday-themed Such Violent Delights anthology. Hutchins suggests a cross-series reading order for her books. I highly recommend new readers follow the order to maximize their enjoyment. Hutchins’ series are totally binge-worthy.

Becoming his Monster marks Lena’s return to the land of the living. Her adjustment is rough. She has erected walls of protection and is projecting the persona of a cold, uncaring assassin. She is struggling with a potential reconciliation with Lucian as she blames him for her current circumstances. The book is rife with angst.

This third installment is garnering a substantial amount of criticism on Goodreads for being repetitive and insubstantial. While some of the book is repetitive, and at times I found Lena manufacturing reasons to be pissed at the world, I still enjoyed it. But then again, I’m loyal to a fault. I’m a total sucker of Hutchins’ story telling; fierce female mains, creative dense plotlines, and over-the-top sensuality. While this may not be my favourite of Hutchins’ releases, I think this series, and universe, still has plenty of steam.

There’s a final, fourth installment planned for this series. I look forward to Hutchins resuming her characters and her wildly creative universe. I’m also greatly anticipating Wicked Knights for a change of pace.

Review: Playing with Monsters (Playing with Monsters #1)

Four Sheep

Bianca Greenwood

About the Author:

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Amelia lives in the great Pacific Northwest with her family. When not writing, she can be found on her author page, hanging out with fans, or dreaming up new twisting plots. She's an avid reader of everything paranormal romance.

Book Review: Playing with Monsters (Playing with Monsters #1) by Amelia Hutchins

Playing with Monsters (Playing with Monsters #1)

by Amelia Hutchins

June 28, 2016
514 pages
My coven has remained hidden in the shadows for centuries.

We’ve avoided the ‘real world’ altogether; hiding from monsters

and other creatures we share this planet with.

We found protection in the Colville National Forest, nestled in a town protected

by magical barriers.

Our powers are locked by an ancient curse, one meant to protect us from being found.

Until now.

The past has a way of repeating itself. A new game is beginning. No one is safe.

He’s coming for me.

He’s hunting.

The monster we’ve run from for centuries has found us.

How far will this deadly game go?

How far will I be able to take it, or will he destroy me and everything I care about?

Will the one thing I can’t live without, be the key to destroying and undoing the past?

Or will the past destroy me before I can save the people I love from what I’ve done.

Warning:

About the hero: chances are you may not fall instantly in love with him, that’s because I don’t write men you instantly love; you grow to love them. I don’t believe in instant-love. I write flawed, raw, caveman-like assholes that eventually let you see their redeeming qualities. They are aggressive, assholes, one step above a caveman when we meet them. You may not even like him by the time you finish this book, but I promise you will love him by the end of this series.

About the heroine: There is a chance, that you might think she’s a bit naïve, or weak, but then again who starts out as a badass? Badasses are a product of growth and I am going to put her through hell, and you get to watch her come up swinging every time I knock her on her ass. That’s just how I do things. How she reacts to the set of circumstances she is put through, may not be how you as the reader, or I as the author would react to that same situation. Everyone reacts differently to circumstances and how Magdalena responds to her challenges, is how I see her as a character and as a person.

I don’t write love stories: I write fast paced, knock you on your ass, make you sit on the edge of your seat wondering what happens next books. If you’re looking for cookie cutter romance, this isn’t for you. If you can’t handle the ride, un-buckle your seatbelt and get out of the roller-coaster car now. If not, you’ve been warned. If nothing outlined above bothers you, carry on and enjoy the ride!

Playing with Monsters is the first installment of Amelia Hutchins’ newest paranormal romance/urban fantasy series. This book was my absolute favourite summer read. I was totally hooked from start to finish, completely enthralled by the story of Magdalena Fitzgerald and the dangerously dominating Lucian Blackstone.

The reader is first introduced to Magdalena, a young witch estranged from her coven. Needing respite from a complex and heartbreaking set of circumstances, Lena leaves her coven to pursue a college program in botany. During her time away, Lena is haunted by enigmatic, violent dreams. Though she keeps a journal, the dreams are fragmented and difficult for Lena to decipher. When she is summoned home to participate in the Awakening, an initiation of sorts for young witches, Lena finds much has changed. Among these changes is the arrival of a mysterious and intimidating stranger, Lucian, a club owner who has been financially supporting the money-strapped coven. Lena quickly finds her life fatefully entwined with Lucian and she is unable to resist his persistent sexual advances. In him, Lena finds a darkness that speaks to the darkness she’s hidden away in her own soul. What Lena doesn’t fully grasp is that Lucian is a monster; a predator with a job to do and he’s not about to let a sexy young witch get in his way.

It’s been a long time since reading has become an obsession. I did little else but read once I started this book. At times the writing is a little reliant on cliched phrasing and relationship dynamics, however, the imaginative storyline and full cast of intriguing characters make up for otherwise subtle writing flaws. There are several layers of complexity to the plotline and a multitude of characters to manage. The series also intersects with Hutchins’ Fae Chronicles and Elite Guards Series. I’ve read Fae Chronicles, so I really enjoyed the cameo appearances of some of my favourite characters in this new series.

Lucian Blackstone is a book boyfriend in the tradition of Jericho Barrons. He’s an absolute ass, but altogether irresistible. Lena is strong a smart, but with a stubborn streak that can be downright frustrating. This book is off the charts sexy. The author even includes a warning at the beginning of the book. Personally, I found it fan-freaking-tastic, warning be damned! I’ve already started book two, Sleeping with Monsters. According to the author, this will be a four-book series.

Five Sexy AF Sheep

Bianca Greenwood

About the Author:

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Amelia lives in the great Pacific Northwest with her family. When not writing, she can be found on her author page, hanging out with fans, or dreaming up new twisting plots. She's an avid reader of everything paranormal romance.

Book Review: Seducing Destiny (The Fae Chronicles #4) by Amelia Hutchins

Seducing Destiny (The Fae Chronicles #4)
by Amelia Hutchins
January 20th 2015

Less than six months ago my life was twisted and flipped on its side. Things have changed so much I barely recognize myself anymore.

I am no longer an Enforcer.

I am no longer a Witch.

I no longer hate the Fae. (For the most part)

And the sex-on-a-stick-gorgeous-Fae? He isn't really the Dark Prince.

No, he is the father of my children and with the babies on the way, the land dying and the Mages closing in; alliances will have to be formed if we are all to make it through the war that is coming to our front door.

Between warring Gods and Goddesses, how are any of us supposed to win?

The fourth installment of the Fae Chronicles opens with the hoard’s premiere couple Synthia and Ryder bracing for war. Malevolent mages have gained a foothold in the human world that threatens to spill into faery, placing the entire fae race in peril. Heavily pregnant, Synthia is desperately trying to grapple with rapid changes and a growing feeling of isolation.

The novel is full of transition. The characters grapple to keep up as they transition from crisis to crisis while they themselves transform, some more remarkably than others. True to this series, this book is action packed. Synthia is a formidable opponent for ne’re-do-wells alike, even in her pregnant state. With a sharp tongue and confidence to spare, Synthia is an unapologetic match for her hoard-king boyfriend, and baby daddy, Ryder. I’ve always appreciated her kick-ass self-confidence; however, I've become weary of her over the top bravado. I found myself rolling my eyes several times as this forceful character, a relative newbie in Faery, bosses around fae warriors and nobility alike. But I suppose sleeping with the most feared creature in Faery doesn’t hurt.

Ryder remains one of my favourite paranormal alphas. His refusal to succumb to human conceptions of romance and love make him a greater challenge for the reader. But, alas, Ryder inevitably endures transformation as well and this book, I fear, makes him a softer character. While this makes him a more rounded, multidimensional character, a slight loss of edge makes him less appealing to me. But isn’t that always the way?

One thing that has remained consistently effective, perhaps even improved, is the explosive sexual relationship between Ryder and Synthia. Amelia Hutchins can craft a sex scene like few others I’ve read. I mean, I was blushing on several occasions and I feel I’m a fairly seasoned romance reader. Just when I thought there was no other place for these two to go, they upped the ante. The author includes a disclaimer at the beginning of each installment, one such advising “buying batteries or securing a willing victim to your bed while reading”. So, be warned, because she delivers.

This book is long, but it didn’t have to be. Granted, a lot happens, perhaps even too much, but I think Hutchins could have accomplished the same thing in less times. There’s a lot of dialogue of the philosophical and strategic planning variety I could have done without. I had a difficult time finishing the last third of the book, but ultimately glad I did. While I sometimes find the abundance of characters in this series daunting, the inclusion of a few promising new characters have me undeniably intrigued and hooked in for the next installment.

3 ½ sheep

Bianca Greenwood

About the Author:
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Amelia lives in the great Pacific Northwest with her family. When not writing, she can be found on her author page, hanging out with fans, or dreaming up new twisting plots. She's an avid reader of everything paranormal romance.