Guarded by the Vodnik by Layla Fae [Review]

Guarded by the Vodnik (Monster Security Agency #6) by Layla Fae
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: January 23, 2026

Monster Security Agency
1. Guarded by the Golem
2. Guarded by the Snake
3. Guarded by the Spider
4. Guarded by the Kraken
5. Guarded by the Leshy
6. Guarded by the Vodnik - Paperback | Kindle
7. Guarded by the Nightmare
8. Guarded by the Reaper
9. Guarded by the Phantom
10. Guarded by the Krampus
11. Guarded by the Yeti
12. Guarded by the AI
13. Guarded by the Symbiote
14. Guarded by the Steel Seraph
15. Guarded by the Clanker

Layla Fae
| Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

She poured fire into my cold, emotionless heart. Now all I see and feel is her.

I’m a cold-blooded killer from the deep, always getting MSA’s most hazardous underwater tasks. Fear and emotion are foreign to me, which makes me efficient but too callous to work with clients.

Even though close protection is not my forte, I’m assigned a human principal–a witness testifying against a criminal organization. She is fragile, clingy, and too warm. I hate her instantly, her affectionate nature clashing with mine. But this assignment comes right from the top, and I can’t refuse it.

Every minute I spend with her is an annoyance, until we end up trapped in an underwater cave, where her survival hinges on being shockingly close to me. Her warm touch on my body is like a powerful current that tears my shields apart. Her trusting eyes locked with mine destroy my peace of mind. For the first time, I'm flooded with feelings.

And they are all about her. I’m addicted, my heart and body throbbing with the onslaught of emotions. The only way to soothe the pain is to get more of her, more touches, more smiles, more affection. I crave her even though I know I’m a monster and a killer, and she deserves better.

I’m not selfless enough to let her go.

Thoughts on Guarded by the Vodnik: It really doesn't shock me that the tentacled monster who is SURLY (to put it mildly) worked for me. Vodyan puts off a perpetually grumpy vibe and he has a hard time interacting with others (of any species, it seems) thanks to a pretty horrific childhood. Zoe, on the other hand, is open and cuddly and spends her free time volunteering with orphaned children. They are opposites in almost all ways and yet they fit so nicely together.

That said, Vodyan is NOT happy to have this assignment given to him. He's not thrilled to be spending time with a human and Zoe's warmth and talkativeness sets him on edge. Except, part of that edge is not annoyance. As much as he wants to deny it, her warmth and easy acceptance of all parts of him (both physically and the things he wants to do to her) digs in and settles deep. The fact she wants to be with him even after he tells her the things he finds most shameful heals parts of himself he didn't realize needed to be healed.

On Zoe's end, Vodyan fascinates her. He's surly and uncommunicative and she's okay with that. Once he starts to drop his walls, he fascinates her even more. He's commanding and pushes her boundaries and that works for her. In a BIG way.

I'm really digging these MSA monsters and their special someones. They tend to have a lot they have to work through before they get their happily ever after and I'm here for it!

So My Ex-Boyfriend is a Serial Killer by Kylie Scott [Review]

So My Ex-Boyfriend is a Serial Killer by Kylie Scott
Format: paperback
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: January 24, 2026

Purchase Links: Paperback | Kindle

Kylie Scott
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Nothing prepared Sidney Walsh for the awkwardness of having unknowingly dated an infamous killer. She’s doing her best to move on after her ex got dragged off to jail. If only online amateur investigators, his creepy fans and a particularly belligerent cop would leave her alone. Her social life might be quiet, what with having few friends and the neighbors wanting nothing to do with her. But at least it’s safe. That is until tattooed chef and all-round thirst trap, Noah, moves in next door.

Now Sidney is being asked on dates for the first time in forever, and feeling a dangerous mix of soul-deep connection and red-hot desire. But the darkest moments of her life come crashing back when her ex decides he has unfinished business…her. Will she and Noah make it out alive, and can their love withstand the nightmare of her past?

Thoughts on So My Ex-Boyfriend is a Serial Killer: Dating a guy who killed a few people WHILE you were dating is a tough gig. Despite the fact that she knew nothing about what her now-ex was doing, there are plenty of people who think she was involved in one way or another. Thanks to this, in the ten years since he was caught, Sidney's life has stagnated. She has few friends (because none of the ones from before stuck around when the arrest went down), doesn't go out in public much (since, you know, she gets noticed and not in a good way), and she's wary about trusting anyone outside her small circle of friends  (understandable since her first boyfriend is now a convicted killer).

Then her next door neighbor moves in and he's tempting. Too tempting. Sidney doesn't hold out much hope that he'll be able to see past her past, but Noah surprises her. Sure, sure, he had to get used to the idea of what happened first, but he got there. Eventually.

As Sidney and Noah get to know one another (and then some), Sidney works on trying to figure out where her ex might have hid other bodies (he was only convicted for one murder, but she's pretty sure he committed far more than that). Throw in some complicated family dynamics, a podcast that is 100% sure her ex is innocent (and Sidney is somehow the mastermind behind anything that happened), and an ex who might not like that she's possibly moving on.

Yeah, Sidney's got a lot going on, but she's determined to find out the truth. And if she happens to fall for her sexy next door neighbor and he's willing to weather the storm with her, well, SO BE IT.

Guarded by the Leshy by Cara Wylde [Review]

Guarded by the Leshy (Monster Security Agency #5) by Cara Wylde
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: January 20, 2026

Monster Security Agency
1. Guarded by the Golem
2. Guarded by the Snake
3. Guarded by the Spider
4. Guarded by the Kraken
5. Guarded by the Leshy - Paperback | Kindle
6. Guarded by the Vodnik
7. Guarded by the Nightmare
8. Guarded by the Reaper
9. Guarded by the Phantom
10. Guarded by the Krampus
11. Guarded by the Yeti
12. Guarded by the AI
13. Guarded by the Symbiote
14. Guarded by the Steel Seraph
15. Guarded by the Clanker

Cara Wylde
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

I am a force of nature, misshapen and untameable, until I meet her.

My mission is to deliver the human bride to her husband-to-be. She's to be married into one of the most powerful families in the state. Her husband is a spiritual leader, and he has one condition - she must prove she's worthy. Through the deepest woods, she must walk alone to meet him at the luxurious, isolated resort where their fates will be bound. The bride's father is not heartless, though. He knows the woods are dangerous, so he hires me to escort and protect his daughter.

Because I can become one with the trees...

I am to guard her from the shadows. My voice - the rustle of leaves, my hands - the branches she clings to. She must never know I'm there, even as her sweet innocence coaxes my body into taking a shape that allows us to touch. I change what I am, just for her.

This love is forbidden. She belongs to someone else, and I belong to the forest.

Thoughts on Guarded by the Leshy: Not going to lie, these MSA agents and their special someones tend to have some pretty major physical hurdles to cross before they successfully be together. This time around Taran is a tree-like monster who has literal bark for skin. So any joining they might do in the traditional sense would be not so great for Thea. No worries, though. MSA monsters are able to work around a problem and Taran (eventually) does just that.

But before the joining (ahem), Taran has to get over his upset with Thea's family. He really only takes the job because of who she's related to. Which is to say, he's holding a bit of a grudge toward the Everhart family. But Thea isn't like her father and she intrigues him the longer he spends time watching her. Soon she's breaking through all his walls and he's determined to do whatever is necessary to keep her safe. (Which is good since he's, you know, her bodyguard.)

On Thea's end, she's in a tough place. Her parents have pressured her to go through with this marriage to a man she barely knows and she's honorable enough to want to hold to the promise she made even though she feels like her world is ending. Taran helps her in more ways than one. He gives her a safe space to process her fear of nature, protects her when a couple of misguided individuals try to stop her from completing her trek, and treats her like a precious treasure. If only she hadn't given her word that she'd go through with this marriage.

Some BIG physical differences, a groom who isn't as upstanding as he seems, a monster who becomes more and more invested in keeping his principle safe no matter the price, and a lady who has to take some big chances if she wants to be with the monster who makes her happy. *thumbs up*

RtP's Week in Review (05/10/26)

Reading the Paranormal's Week in Review

• Take a Hike by Katie Ruggle [Review] - The Pax sisters are BACK!
• Guarded by the Kraken by Cassie Alexander [Review] - Monster love!
• Kissed and Missed by Cleo White [Review] - Age gap romance!
• Charmed and Alarmed by Cleo White [Review] - MORE age gap romance!
• Last Summer by Lo Gold and Luna K. Wicked [Review] - Slasher move vibes!
• Knot Just a Number by Mia Bright [Review] - Sci-fi goodness!

Bookish Delights

• Books added to the pile
• Platform Decay (The Murderbot Diaries #8) by Martha Wells
• Currently reading
• Taken by the Pack by Nora Quinn

Knot Just a Number by Mia Bright [Review]

Knot Just a Number by Mia Bright
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: January 13, 2026

Purchase Links: Kindle

Mia Bright
| Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

We're all just numbers here... or so I thought.

The country has been at war for a long time and as part of the general population, I don't have a lot of options to contribute when it's the genetically mutated super soldiers who are on the front lines making a difference. Alphas, they call them. Perfect in every way. But to make more, they need women to breed them. I would never have dreamed of volunteering a few years ago, but now my family needs the rations. So, here I am, in a room with the biggest man I've ever seen and our goal? Get me pregnant in the next ten hours.

I thought it would be the scariest ten hours of my life. Instead, I don't want to leave...

Thoughts on Knot Just a Number: Signing up to be a brood mare in the war wasn't exactly on Annie's bucket list, but here she is. Ready to hook up with a super-soldier. She's understandably freaked out, but she's going to do what needs to be done.

Frankly, her soldier is big, a little surly, and her body REALLY likes everything about him. Fortunately for her, her soldier takes charge and soon the two are enjoying their time together. More than Annie expected, to be honest.

A quick, nicely naughty short with a soldier who has a lot to give and a lady who had no idea what she was going to be taking when she signed up. *thumbs up*

Last Summer by Lo Gold and Luna K. Wicked [Review]

Last Summer (The Last Girls #1) by Lo Gold and Luna K. Wicked
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: January 13, 2026

The Last Girls
1. Last Summer - Paperback | Kindle
2. Last Dance

Lo Gold
| Amazon |

Luna K. Wicked
| Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Some secrets are better left buried…

When a group of six strangers are invited into the woods for a content creator retreat where they’re guaranteed to make money, it seems like a perfect escape. However, as accidents turn into incidents and blood begins to spill, they start to suspect they were lured into the wilderness for a reason. Is someone messing with them? Is someone watching them? Who will survive?

Are you ready to play?

Thoughts on Last Summer: I must admit that I enjoy a good slasher film, so I went into this with expectations of campy fun and gore. And I got that. I mean, we had six individuals (of which only two of them knew one another) who are invited to this retreat to create some premium content for their OF channels. Which means there's A LOT of sex-ay times. Although sex-ay might not be the right word. Their encounters are very performative (since they're, you know, doing all this for an audience) and they all have kinks and quirks that they work into their on-screen personas.

To rewind for a moment, one of them is not on OF and doesn't quite seem to fit the mold. But the others are there for sex and money and that's about it. And they LEAN INTO that. They get physical in all ways, shapes, and forms.

Then they start dying. The first could possibly be an accident. The second, not so much. Do the remaining yahoos continue to indulge themselves for subs? OF COURSE THEY DO. Given the genre, I expect exactly that.

The book was fun in a very slasher-esque sort of way. A group of fairly awful people get together and find their ends in terrible ways. The killer wasn't a complete surprise, but with a small cast of characters I didn't expect them to be.

Charmed and Alarmed by Cleo White [Review]

Charmed and Alarmed (Daddy Issues #3) by Cleo White
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: January 17, 2026

Daddy Issues
1. Chilled and Thrilled
2. Kissed and Missed
3. Charmed and Alarmed - Paperback | Kindle

Related Books
Triple Tidings

Cleo White
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

I dedicated my entire life to ballet, and what did it get me? A limp, an intact v-card, and zero job prospects.

Squatting in my sister’s apartment, watching game shows and feeling sorry for myself seems like an ideal way to pass the time until I figure out what to do next.

Unfortunately, my father doesn’t agree. Thanks to him, I’ll now be spending my days stapling pieces of paper together at his architecture firm, under the watchful eye of his business partner.

Holden Ellinger is the last person I want seeing me at my lowest. The man might be obscenely attractive, but he’s also a conceited playboy with too much money and a pathological fear of commitment.

The one silver lining in this situation? My new boss really, really wants me and, as it turns out, I really, really like being a tease.

Thoughts on Charmed and Alarmed: The second Vogel sister is up and her special someone is none other than her father's business partner. Which likely won't be much of a problem since, you know, her father ended up hooking up (in a hardcore, long-term sort of way) with Leni's sister's best friend. Oh, who am I kidding. Bram isn't one to let something like this slide. Ha!

Anyway! Leni and Holden. She's in a tough place after the injury that ended her ballet career. She's struggling both physically and mentally and being forced to work at her dad's firm seems like the worst. Holden sees this. He sees how she doesn't shine the way she used to and he pokes and prods her into being present. As it turns out, Leni REALLY likes being poked and prodded by him.

Soon these two are tangling the sheets and spending time in the company supply closet. They're also trying to keep things a little on the secret side since, you know, Leni's dad is Holden's business partner and Bram knows EXACTLY what sort of manslut Holden used to be.

Some (okay, more than some) sexy times, some sneaking around times, a little heated discussion among old friends, a man who never expected to fall in love, and a lady who never expected her dad's best friend to end up being her special someone.