Until April by Aurora Rose Reynolds

They shared a simple kiss together years ago. Now, they’re about to share the BOOM. 

What’s it About? 

With happily ever after being something that happens to other people, April Mayson has decided to put all her energy into her career and living her best life, and things are better than ever.

Little does she know that her world is about to be turned upside down when she’s asked to help out a family friend, Maxim Kauwe.

Now, she’s dealing with a man unlike any she’s ever met before, her ex—a famous musician who’s decided he wants her back—and a possible serial killer.

With all the drama suddenly swirling around her, she will have to figure out if she is brave enough to trust Maxim with her heart and maybe even her life.

First Impressions

This series is all about the insta-love boom that brings our two lead characters together in a burst of sexual energy. If you’re not a huge fan of this Romancelandia trope, well…you’re gonna have to get used to it when it comes to the Mayson family. I’ll admit I oftentimes prefer a slow burn, but there’s something about this series that makes you appreciate the boom as a kind of inherited familial trait that is bound to appear when one’s true love is in the vicinity. Unfortunately, I have to say this might be the first novel in the entire series where the boom kind of fell flat for me. Things start off rather innocently enough with some flirtatious texting between these two old acquaintances who haven’t thought about each other in years. They meet for a dinner to discuss some properties that April has lined up for Maxim to view seeing as he’s moving to town. And here it is, the transformational moment when they’ll set their sights on each other! And it’s…sort of described as a slight tingle rather than the boom we’re used to. 

Things seem to be going along fine enough between them during what can best be described as an unconventional business dinner. Next thing ya know they’re going back to his hotel and ripping each other’s clothes off. Don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with some grinding on the sofa on the first “date”, but even I remember having to rewind my audiobook by a few seconds to see if I missed any kind of natural escalation which would have logically brought us to this point. It just wasn’t there. Next thing ya know Maxim has made a copy of April’s house key for his own personal use (unbeknownst to her), and they’re essentially living with each other by day two. Their subsequent sex scenes are definitely heated and passionate, but there was something about their connection that didn’t feel as authentic to me as many of the previous relationships we’ve come across in this series. Perhaps it’s because we never really got to see them “woo” each other, or maybe it can be attributed to the fact we only get a lackluster description of the boom from April’s point of view and avoid a parallel account from Maxim in the immediate aftermath. No matter what it was, I struggled to become fully invested in their love story. 

Annoying Ex and an Unknown Killer 

The boom wasn’t the only thing that felt off with this read. As with any installment in this series, our tale of romance is always interrupted by some kind of external drama. It might be intermingled throughout the entirety of the tale, or it might be reserved for an explosive final climactic moment at the end, but it’s always there. The drama in this novel…couldn’t really decide what it wanted to be. There are two distinct dramatic features to this story. One involves April’s ex-boyfriend who has become a top-of-the-charts rock star, releasing a hit song all about how much he still longs for and wishes he could win her back. As you can imagine, Maxim isn’t too pleased with this one. The second involves an unknown killer who is leaving beautiful real estate agents stripped naked and stabbed to death in homes that are for sale. Now, if you ask me, one of these is significantly more critical than the other, and let’s just say it’s not the one with the guy who can’t take a hint and move on already. However, the oblivious ex is the story line that gets most of our attention. We see it snowball when some psychotic fans insist on taking out their anger on April for refusing to take back the crooning dreamboat. 

Throughout it all though you can’t help but think, “hey, there’s something else going on here that you all should probably be paying attention to!!” Maxim ultimately goes super alpha on April’s ex to officially mark his territory, so when that problem goes away we’re just waiting for the inevitable big moment of discovery when we reveal not only who the killer is, but what could possibly be their motive. Is it another fan of April’s ex trying to take her out? Perhaps it’s the ex himself releasing some pent-up anger. Maybe an enemy of Maxim from his former Vegas life, or someone close to April that we thought was a friend? Turns out…not even close. The killer is someone we’ve never been introduced to before, and their motive has absolutely nothing to do with our main characters in any way, shape or form. It’s literally just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and we get some disturbingly dark details in regards to the final murder. All in all, it felt like a totally unnecessary story line, especially when we consider the fact that the drama with April’s ex escalated to a pretty intense moment which could have been a final climax all its own. 

Series: Until Him/Her, book 10. For the most part, every book in this series can be read as a stand-alone. That being said, apparently this installment includes a few characters in a cross-over series, Underground Kings. I had absolutely no idea about this little detail, so I found it odd when there was obviously information being unsaid when we’re introduced to Maxim’s parents. Here I thought there was some kind of nefarious subplot going on which would potentially relate back to the murder spree, but nope! Just supposed to be a fun inclusion of more characters.  

Would I befriend the heroine? No idea. I feel like we don’t really get to know much about April, other than the fact she loves Maxim and is a real estate agent. She does adopt an adorable kitty though, so maybe I’d befriend her just so I could play with the cat. 

Would I date the hero? His uber alpha-ness would be way too intimidating in real-life, so no. 

Final Impressions: Normally I’m a sucker for this series, but I must say this tenth novel was kind of a miss for me. It’s not bad, it’s just kind of…there. I was never fully invested in the bond between Maxim and April, and I wanted more from their boom. As far as the drama, there were one too many story lines going on. The fact the killer plot point had no direct correlation to Maxim or April made it feel like it should have been the one to go. 

Smut Level: I may not have been thrilled by Maxim and April’s chemistry outside of the bedroom, but their ability to carry out a graphic sex scene was top notch. 

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $4.99 Kindle Price. 245 Pages. 

Until Cobi by Aurora Rose Reynolds

He almost lost her before he even knew her. Now that Cobi has experienced his BOOM, he has no intention of wasting one more second to bring Hadley into his life. 

What’s it About? 

Cobi Mayson knows exactly who Hadley is to him the moment he sees her for the very first time. That doesn’t mean it will be easy for him to convince her to take a chance on him.

Hadley Emerson knows she could fall hard and fast for a guy like Cobi. A man who seems to show up every time she needs him, but she knows better than to just hand over her heart.

Knowing his future with Hadley is on the line, Cobi begins to tie their lives together. As the invisible rope that connects them tightens and things between them heat up, an unknown threat emerges threatening to take away their happily ever after and send them both into darkness.

First Impressions

Another fabulous addition to the Until family series that will make you wish for an insta-love BOOM moment of your very own. Consider yourself warned, if you’re not typically a fan of love at first sight, that is literally the hallmark feature which binds this entire series together. A Mayson family trait that can’t be escaped, ignored, or lessened. And Cobi Mayson is a most glorious example of an alpha male who doesn’t try to avoid that BOOM, he dives in with everything he has, and everything he wants is Hadley Emerson. This is an interesting addition to the Until Him/Her series in that it picks up immediately where the previous novel, Until Harmony, left off in a climactic shoot-out that left Hadley wounded in the hospital following her brave rescue of Cobi’s cousin. I’ve always suggested reading this series in order for the mere pleasure of not wanting to miss out on anything it has to offer, but for this seventh book especially I’d say it’s quite important to read the previous novel beforehand so as to fully understand the events which brought our two love birds together. As you can expect from this author by now, what follows is a delightfully steamy, yet also emotional tale of insta-romance between a male and female lead you love to love. 

The Impact of Trauma

While Cobi and Hadley’s romance was another fabulous addition to what has quickly become one of my favorite go-to series, there were a few areas that could have been tweaked to make this a truly stellar read. Firstly, Hadley’s troubled relationship with her lawbreaking parents is brought up a few times throughout the book, but their presence isn’t incorporated as fully as it should have been to make them feel like a critical component to the plot. Instead they came across as an annoyance that would come back at inopportune times, and even then we wouldn’t see a clear resolution to the blips their appearance would cause. Honestly, I don’t think they would have been missed if they’d been removed completely from the story. 

More importantly though, Until Cobi presents us with an intriguing, yet ultimately incomplete exploration of the aftermath of trauma. At the start of the novel we see how Hadley is struggling to cope following the horrific events of the previous book, wherein she was almost killed alongside Harmony at the hands of a mad-man. She feels the need to keep every light on in her house, has trouble falling asleep, and is often pulled out of sleep due to terrifying nightmares. We see Cobi, as well as Hadley’s closest friends, gather together to provide her support, and they convince her to seek help from a professional. We also get to see another one of my favorite tropes, which is that only when surrounded by the arms of her man can she find peace in sleep. Hadley’s journey back to something resembling normalcy was fully fleshed out in a tasteful and thoughtful way. However! As with any book in this series we eventually see a final climactic scene which puts our female lead in danger, and it was this second instance of a traumatic event which didn’t receive nearly the attention it deserved. 

It is in this aftermath of Cobi once again seeing the love of his life put in danger that we see the tables turned, and he is now the one who jerks awake from nightmares, and fears letting Hadley out of his sight in case danger should find her once again. And then…he gets over it in the span of a few paragraphs. It felt like such a missed opportunity for what could have been an enlightening comparison of Cobi’s path to healing compared to that of Hadley at the start of the book. Instead we get another somewhat unfortunate hallmark of this series, which is an ending that seems far too rushed for its own good. This book clocks in at just 239 pages, which makes it a satisfyingly quick beach read, but I gladly would have faced another 50 pages if it meant we could have observed what happens when an alpha male is brought to his knees by the forced realization that the love of his life could be ripped away at any moment. To see the strong, knight in shining armor crumble at the simple fragility of life. But to then see the strength of his love for this woman bring him back out of the darkness? That’s the full circle story I would have liked to see. 

Series: Until Him/Her, book 7. As always, I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in this series. 

Final Impressions: By this point in the series I’m starting to see that some other readers are getting “bored” with the repetitive nature of the plot progression. Insta-love, alpha male, lots of sexy fun times, fairly low drama, final climactic scene where female lead is put in danger. Fin. Surprisingly, I still find myself falling in love with every new couple we get the opportunity to meet, as well as the beloved secondary characters that make each novel feel as though you’re coming home to friends you’ve known for years. What some may see as a tired progression, I actually find comforting in the reliability of the series as a whole. I know I’ll be entertained, probably laugh a few times, reach the brink of tears a time or two, and get some deliciously descriptive bedroom/bathroom/kitchen scenes thrown into the mix. What’s not to love? 

Smut Level: Hadley has never been one to luxuriate in a hot bath, but Cobi is more than willing to show her just how fun and steamy a romp in the tub can be. 

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $4.99 Kindle Price. 239 Pages. 

Until Harmony by Aurora Rose Reynolds

This series is all about that BOOM, and this installment just goes to show that if you try to push the BOOM aside, it will come back full force for the ultimate impact. 

What’s it About? 

Harmony Mayson isn’t the kind of girl to take unnecessary risk, but after meeting Harlen MacCabe, she starts to wonder if maybe she should be. The more time she spends with the wild and free biker, the more she starts to crave the freedom he gives her…. And even more, she starts to crave him. 

Harlen lives his life on his own terms. After losing both his parents at an early age to a robbery gone bad, he knows how precious life is, and he’s determined to get as much out of it as he can. When he runs into the beautiful Harmony and finds out she’s moving to town, he knows it’s time to take his shot. 

She thinks he only wants to be friends, but she couldn’t be more wrong. What Harmony and Harlen don’t know is that their time might be cut short. Revenge is in the air, and someone won’t stop until a debt is settled.

First Impressions

For avid readers of the entire Until series, if you’ve made it this far to the sixth book of Until Her/Until Him, believe me when I say you’re going to love it just as much as all the others which have come before. And if you haven’t read any of these books before…then what the heck is wrong with you?! Get on it already. This book presents us with everything we know and love about the series: a sexy and growl-y alpha male, a strong and tenacious female, lovable side characters (both new and beloved old friends), and of course, the BOOM that brings our two love birds together. What I loved so much about this installment was that Harmony and Harlen sort of try to suppress the immediate connection which has brought them together in the first place. 

Our novel opens with a chance meeting in a hospital parking lot after Harmony secures a job as a nurse there, and while Harlen would like nothing more than to throw her on the back of his bike to go celebrate, they both recognize the hesitation that Harmony feels about throwing all caution to the wind. After all, she’s no risk taker, so the idea of giving into her feelings for this seemingly bad-boy biker causes her to pause, an action that Harlen can see clear as day. While she declines his invitation for a joy ride, no matter how much she might want to say yes, this isn’t the end for our main characters. Harlen respects the boundaries of this initial rejection, but he refuses to let this be the end of their story. Throughout the next few chapters we see Harlen slowly try to reignite a connection with Harmony, but he’s almost too slow for his own good as it results in Harmony thinking he just wants to be friends. The more time they spend together as “buddies”, the more our risk-averse heroine contemplates the ultimate risk of laying all of her feelings out on the table. And once she does? Well, there’s no going back after that BOOM. 

The Happily Ever After

I was personally delighted by the subsequent romance which played out between our two lead characters, especially when we consider that Harmony was sort of the one to initiate it by finally acting on her desires for Harlen with a passionate kiss. Sure, she immediately tries to avoid him afterwards from embarrassment at the thought that maybe he didn’t want to be anything more than friends, but he’s more than willing to come after her to prove otherwise. I guess in a way it was a mutual overtaking of desire. The rest of their story is relatively drama free and even-paced as they easily fall into a relationship with each other. Harmony is willing to stand up to her overprotective father, Nico, to convince him that Harlen is the man of her dreams, just as Harlen won’t back down to convince Nico he’ll do anything to protect his beloved daughter. Harlen does indeed epitomize the characteristics of an alpha male, but I also appreciated that Harmony wasn’t afraid to poke the bear every once in a while. 

He demands a kiss before she leaves for work, or else he’ll have fun punishing her later? Well, she cheekily saunters out the door sans kiss to see just what he has in mind, and my goodness does she enjoy her “punishment”. Nothing like being held up against the wall for some sexy fun times, and yet in their post-passion haze we see Harlen put down his alpha wall to openly acknowledge how he does need that kiss from her every morning to make it through his day until he can see her again. And that’s one of the aspects I love about this series. Our alpha males clearly have a sensitive side to them, and we never doubt that the love they feel for their ladies goes deeper than merely a sexual component. There’s heart beneath it all. 

Series: Until Her/Until Him, book 6. It was so much fun diving back into this world. We get a brief introduction towards the end of this read of who the main characters will be for book 7, and I am more than ready to get started!

Final Impressions: This is the perfect kind of beach read. Funny, sexy, heartfelt, with just a smidge of drama to keep things interesting. The primary focus of the read truly is on the evolving relationship between Harlen and Harmony from their BOOM to friends to lovers, but delicately interwoven throughout the novel is an underlying sense of conflict involving a handsy doctor at Harmony’s work. The author does a fantastic job of simultaneously keeping this drama primarily reserved for the background, yet also slowly elevating it throughout the progression of the novel before it ultimately breaks through for a final, suspenseful climax. Be sure to add this one to your TBR pile. 

Smut Level: Harmony might express a bit of timidity when Harlen first expresses an interest in her, but once they finally end up in each other’s arms all sense of hesitancy is thrown right out of the bedroom. 

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $4.99 Kindle Price. 239 Pages.

Until Jax by Aurora Rose Reynolds

This book was so freaking good! A sweet, sexy and suspenseful read.

What’s it About? 

Ellie Anthony isn’t looking for love. She isn’t even looking for a man, but when Jax Mayson insists on keeping her and her daughter safe, she’s left with no choice but to trust him. Now she just hopes she doesn’t get hurt when she falls hard for a guy who’s known for breaking hearts. Jax Mayson knows that Ellie is his BOOM the moment he sees her. When he finds out she has a daughter, he realizes he wants a family, and he will do whatever is necessary to keep both of his girls safe, even if that means facing the demons from his past.

First Impressions

Although this is technically the first novel in the spinoff Until Him series, I would highly recommend you read Until July first. There is some important carry over from the plot of that novel, and it sort of picks up where the other one left off. I even had to go back and remind myself as to what happened at the end of Until July to remember who was who. If I hadn’t previously read the other novel, I honestly think I would have been a little lost.

The Boom

Ellie is Jax’s BOOM, which is sort of a thing in the Mayson family clan. He’s 100% smitten over both Ellie, as well as her daughter. What Jax doesn’t realize at first is that Ellie’s daughter is actually the child of her brother who died in a car accident. Ellie is in fact a virgin.

So what does it mean to be the BOOM of a male Mayson? Basically, Jax is all kind of alpha caveman when it comes to Ellie. That being said, he actually manages to take things somewhat slow with Ellie sexually. He doesn’t de-flower her until well into the book, but he’s definitely claimed her for his own. I love me some alpha male, although caveman alphas can sometimes be too much for me. However, Jax manages to be so unbelievably sweet with Ellie’s daughter that you can’t help but love the guy.

The Mayson Trademark

There is some added drama to the story-line, as Jax has a psycho ex-girlfriend. He is a Mayson after all. The majority of the novel fixates on the blossoming romance between Jax and Ellie, but just when you think all is well and good, some major shit hits the fan. I’m telling ya, it’s like a trademark for any book related to the Until series. Something has to go wrong at some point!

Series: Until Him, book 1. This book sort of goes hand-in-hand with the Until Her series, whose first book is Until July. Both of these are spin-offs from the original Until series that focuses on the parents of the characters presented in these later books. Might seem a bit confusing, but all of them are great reads with sexy alpha males!

Should you read it? I would say it’s a good one to pick up if you’re looking for an alpha male with a tender side. And who doesn’t like one of those?

Smut Level: Ellie spends most of the book as a virgin, but she knows, hell we all know, that it’s only a matter of time before she and Jax do the dirty.

Get it on Amazon: Click here. $3.99 Kindle Price. Self-Published. 282 Pages.