Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe [Review]

Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: March 19, 2026

Purchase Links: Paperback | Kindle

Mallory Marlowe
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Hallie Barrett's life has imploded after she's dumped by her hotshot ex, who also happens to be her coworker and the star of the online series she was producing. Without a new show to present for the company competition, she’ll be out of a job. But inspiration can come from the strangest places . . . like the most handsome guy she’s ever seen passionately discussing Bigfoot on a late-night docuseries.

Hayden Hargrove made a name for himself as a cryptid expert on his hit podcast, and is intrigued by the plucky, blue-haired producer who offers him the opportunity to lead his own web show. When the production team sees that Hayden’s solo on-screen presence is bad enough to make a ghost blanch, Hallie jumps on camera too, hitting him (and his cryptids) with a healthy dose of skepticism—and enough chemistry to electrify their show to the top of the competition.

As Hayden and Hallie investigate the unknown, they unearth feelings for each other that shake their beliefs to the core. In their search for Mothman, aliens, and the truth, the most elusive discovery might just be learning to love again.

Thoughts on Love and Other Conspiracies: MAN, I like when a book turns out to be what I'm looking for before I know I'm looking for it. Hallie and Hayden had the dynamic I wanted and they SUPER worked for me. (As an aside, I'm doing my every-so-often rewatch of The X-Files so the Mulder/Scully parallels tickled my funny bone.)

So. Hallie and Hayden. Hallie is piecing her life back together after getting out of a toxic relationship. That alone is enough to drag a girl down, but she still has to work with her ex and, frankly, the entire work environment she's dealing with is rough (but it's mostly because of her ex). To be fair, after the number her ex did on her, she has a hard time standing up for herself or believing she deserves good things, so some of what she's forced to deal with is simply because she hasn't spoken up. (But also her ex is TERRIBLE and every time she starts to get back on her feet, he shows up to knock her down again.)

(Did I mention she has a terrible ex?) (Because he's awful. Terrible. An absolute waste of air.)

Hayden is the exact opposite of her ex. He's a little awkward (until he starts talking about cryptids). He's kind. He cares. He does the things that need to be done just because someone has to do them. Hallie might not believe in monsters (or aliens), but she believes in Hayden and her Scully-esque skepticism balances out his over-the-top excitement in the most perfect way.

These two were sweet with a heavy dose of steam. Hallie isn't looking to jump into a relationship and she fights feeling all the feels. Hayden has spent the last couple years dealing with his lingering grief alone and Hallie makes him feel things he wasn't expecting. They take things slow until they don't and BOY was I here for that.

RtP's Week in Review (08/09/26)

Reading the Paranormal's Week in Review

• Alien Awakening by Honey Phillips [Review] - Vultor love!
• Vowed to the Vulture God by Ruby Dixon [Review] - Romantasy love!
• Breach Protocol by Adrian Blue [Review] - Alien love!
• The Queen's Shadow by Adrian Blue [Review] - More alien love!
• The Captain's Claim by Adrian Blue [Review] - Even MORE alien love!
• The Vampire's Hunger by S. Alexander [Review] - Vampire prison romance!

Bookish Delights

• Books added to the pile
• None!
• Currently reading
• Alien's Stranded Mate by Emerald Cox

The Vampire's Hunger by S. Alexander [Review]

The Vampire's Hunger (Monster Prison Brides #3) by S. Alexander
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: March 8, 2026

Monster Prison Brides
1. The Demon's Mark
2. The Orc's Prize
3. The Vampire's Hunger - Kindle
4. The Shadow's Embrace
5. The Angel's Sacrifice

S. Alexander
| Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

I was sent to study monsters.

When I broke the rules, I was locked in the dark with one.

Valentin Dragomir is ancient, starving, and dangerously controlled. He hears my heartbeat. He wants my blood. And instead of taking me, he holds himself back.

That restraint is worse than fangs.

As the prison collapses around us, survival means trusting a vampire who calls me his Bride—and facing a hunger that isn’t just his. His blood heals me. My presence steadies him. Together, we are forbidden, bound, and exactly what the Authority never intended.

They wanted a monster.

They got a choice.

And I don’t plan on walking out of this prison alone.

Thoughts on The Vampire's Hunger: I'm still a little shaky on the timeline for these books. With Elaina and Valentin finding their way out of the prison that makes three separate instances where something catastrophic happened? Or does this one take place line with Tara and Garruk's escape? I also think the Warden dies in every previous book, so...I'm not sure what's going on there. That said, I DO know he didn't die this time and there was setup for other prisons that need to be liberated.

Anywho. Valentin is starving, Elaina gets thrown in his prison with him. She knows what he is and she knows what he's capable of, but he surprises her by not going all feral on her and draining her dry. Things happen, she gets hurt (bot by him), he heals her, they escape. Kind of. More like they stepped into a trap set by the Warden so he can trigger Valentin's monster and see what he's capable of.

Honestly, the Warden has now had 3 separate couples escape from his prison. I don't think he's the mastermind he's being portrayed as. In the end, I'm here for the possessive monsters and I AM getting that, but I have questions.

The Captain's Claim by Adrian Blue [Review]

The Captain's Claim (Taken by the Stars #5) by Adrian Blue
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: March 21, 2026

Taken by the Stars
1. Heart of the Deep
2. Starbound
3. Breach Protocol
4. The Queen's Shadow
5. The Captain's Claim - Kindle

Adrian Blue
| Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

When pirates board her research vessel, Dr. Orla Carter expects the worst. What she doesn't expect is their captain. Seven feet of dark scaled muscle with eyes that see straight through her. A reluctant leader carrying eight hundred Kadrin refugees and nowhere left to take them.

She doesn't expect to care. But the more she learns about who he really is, the harder it becomes to remember she's supposed to be his hostage.

Trapped on a patchwork ship full of families and a suspicious first mate who definitely hates her, Orla has a choice: remain a hostage, or become something more.

Thoughts on The Captain's Claim: When Captain Renn gives Orla the choice to either join them "voluntarily" or watch her crewmates get spaced one by one until she agrees, Orla does what any decent person would do. She goes with the captain. Except, instead of a bloodthirsty pirate ship, she finds a cobbled together sanctuary housing the last of Renn's people.

She's scared and a little angry at being forced to help, but the more she learns about Renn and his people, the more she begins to see why he did what he did. Finding out she worked for the very corporation that forced them to flee their own planet? Well, she has to come to terms with that and decide what her next move will be.

And if she starts seeing the captain in a slightly different light after learning about everything? It's understandable. He's been chased off his world and has the weight of eight hundred lives on his shoulders. He's trying his hardest to give his people a chance at living and Orla's contribution was a big piece of that.

A little subterfuge, a boatload of corporate cruelty, a captain who will go to any lengths (even if he hates himself after), and a lady who is willing to help people in need just because it's the right thing to do. *thumbs up*

The Queen's Shadow by Adrian Blue [Review]

The Queen's Shadow (Taken by the Stars #4) by Adrian Blue
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: March 15, 2026

Taken by the Stars
1. Heart of the Deep
2. Starbound
3. Breach Protocol
4. The Queen's Shadow - Kindle
5. The Captain's Claim

Adrian Blue
| Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Queen Seraphina of Elysara has spent years learning to read every room, every threat, every carefully concealed agenda. She is composed. Strategic. Untouchable. The one thing she has never let herself read is the man standing three paces behind her. But when an assassin's ambush strands them in Elysara's most unforgiving wilderness, she is forced to reckon with a truth she has carefully avoided for years. The man who would die for her without hesitation is the one person she has never let herself truly see.

But he has always seen her.

Thoughts on The Queen's Shadow: Oh-ho! The strong, stoic bodyguard who has ruthlessly quashed down his want for the woman he's guarding and the queen who trusts the male who has her back more than anyone else. Under normal circumstances, they're very careful to keep themselves locked down and not let anyone (the other included) know how deep their feelings run. In fact, if they hadn't been attacked and ended up stranded in the wilderness with only one another to rely on, it's HIGHLY possible they would have remained as they were into perpetuity.

Fortunately for them (although not so fortunately for those who had been with them), they WERE attacked and had some serious alone time to come to terms with all the things they'd been hiding from one another.

A queen and her bodyguard. I'm here for it!

Breach Protocol by Adrian Blue [Review]

Breach Protocol (Taken by the Stars #3) by Adrian Blue
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: March 15, 2026

Taken by the Stars
1. Heart of the Deep
2. Starbound
3. Breach Protocol - Kindle
4. The Queen's Shadow
5. The Captain's Claim

Adrian Blue
| Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Elara
I built my life around certainty. Clean data. Measurable outcomes. The kind of work that left no room for doubt. For three years, the alien in my lab was a specimen, a means to an end, and I was very good at not thinking too hard about what that end was. Then everything fell apart at once, and suddenly the only thing standing between me and a slow death is the creature I've been studying.

D'varek
I had five years to imagine what I'd do when I finally got free. I never imagined the bond. Unbreakable. Irreversible. Tying my soul to the one person in the universe I had the most reason to hate. I told myself it was only biology. That knowing her wouldn't change anything. But the longer I spend at her side, the more I wonder if it knew exactly what it was doing.

Thoughts on Breach Protocol: Conducting experiments on a comatose, non-responsive specimen is one thing. Finding out said specimen felt every cut is another. Finding that out when the station is compromised and the clock is ticking on how long Elara and her alien have to live? ROUGH.

But let's back up. After suffering a terrible loss, Elara has channeled her grief and anger into conducting the experiments she's been tasked with. It's a job and she does it to the best of her ability. Then the station fails and she can't get to her escape pod. Her only chance of getting out of the lab alive is to wake the specimen and see if he can help.

Let's just say that goes both better and worse than Elara imagined. For one, D'varek is not the primitive being she thought he was. He also agrees to help her. Mostly because he knows she's his bonded the moment he scented her and he couldn't let her die when he could do something about it. So the two make their way through a destabilizing station, realize they need to repair the escape pod before they can get away, and work together to give themselves a chance to survive.

Things are tough, but Elara and D'varek make it happen. But that's only the beginning. If they make it off the station, they need to hope someone hears their distress call. Then there's the information Elara discovered about the war and the experiments she unwittingly took part in. That information needs to get out there so her people can't keep committing atrocities. Plus, the bond between these two is flaring and it's not really something they can ignore.

No lie, I enjoy stories set in slowly decaying settings. The station is dying around them, they're hit with obstacles at every turn, and they have to figure out how to survive when everything is actively trying to stop them. *heart eyes*

Vowed to the Vulture God by Ruby Dixon [Review]

Vowed to the Vulture God (Aspect and Anchor #5) by Ruby Dixon
Format: paperback
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: March 17, 2026

Aspect and Anchor
0.5. The King's Spinster Bride
1. Bound to the Battle God
2. Sworn to the Shadow God
3. Wed to the Wild God
3.5. The Half-Orc's Maiden Bride
4. Servant to the Spidae
4.5. The Sea-Ogre's Eager Bride
5. Vowed to the Vulture God - Paperback | Kindle

Ruby Dixon
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

The Vulture God of Aos needs a partner.

Or more accurately, a watchdog. It's my job to escort him through the phenomenon called the Anticipation. If I make sure he stays alive until the very end, the fates will save my brother's life.

Of course I say yes. Who wouldn't?

I expected Kalos to be repugnant, not an elegant, world-weary man with silvery hair and tired green eyes. I expected him to be cruel and uncaring. As we get to know each other, I find that his caustic commentary shields a soft heart that's been betrayed too many times before.

He's used to everyone hating him. He doesn't know how to handle love, or understanding. He doesn't know what to do when I don't turn away from him, and kiss him instead.

Most of all, Kalos doesn't know that I'm doomed to leave his side, no matter how this ends.

Thoughts on Vowed to the Vulture God: Another human from the regular world has been chosen to help an aspect during the Anticipation on Aos and Elsie does what she needs to do. Which makes it sound easy, but it's FAR from that. Elsie's just a regular lady trying to make ends meet in her world when she's dumped in a place she doesn't know with a god who doesn't care if he survives what's coming.

Kalos's aspect isn't the easiest one to deal with (who would be, really? Arrogance? You could just challenge him to do something by saying you didn't think he COULD do it and he'd fall all over himself to prove you wrong). Elsie has to push him into taking care of himself (not that he needs to do much since he doesn't eat or sleep, but moving out of the path of the advancing army is maybe a little important). She has to do her best to coax him into caring for those around him. Which is...well, he doesn't care. I mean, that's literally his thing. But Elsie soldiers on. Because what are the alternatives?

That said, Kalos does care. At least as much as this aspect can. He might be terrible at showing it, but Elsie gets him moving. He trusts her to lead them to wherever they're going next. He hates being forced into the mortal world during the Anticipation, but Elsie worms her way under his shields with her kindness and patience and boundless optimism and soon he's dreading leaving her. On the plus side, once he'd back in his realm they can be together. Or so he thinks. But Elsie's bargain with Fate has a different ending in store for them.

I honestly adore this world and these arrogant gods who are being forced to lean on their humans during their walk in the mortal realm. I know we've met at least one of all the aspects now, but there are still so many stories that can still play out (Seth! What is UP with that guy??). Aos is big and messy and I'd love to see where these characters take us.