I really loved continuing this series! You get the best of paranormal creatures and found family and a rag tag group of ever growing characters that become pack.

Vance is a sweet, caring Omega that makes sure his pack is taken care of and it was nice to see him find his mate. I loved the end of the first book when Sakima appears and then we finally get to learn more about him and the vampire side of this world in this follow-up book.

Sakima is exactly what Vance needs. Someone that can take care of him for a change. To show Vance that he has more worth than just his status of what makes his an Omega. They're kind and patient with each other and I found myself really wanting their story to keep going.

The plot of this series just keeps snowballing with higher stakes with each new book that comes out. And with each new addition of Mates.

I can only imagine what can come next. And how many more enemies this pack can take on.

Definitely looking forward to continuing this series !

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

~

Hearts of Blood (Chevalier, Book 2) by Kay Doherty
★★★★☆
155 Pages
POV: 3rd person, multi-POV


Hearts of Blood picks up directly where Book 1: Hearts of Fire left off. It actually rewinds a few minutes before the end of Book 1 to recap a little bit, and continues straight on from where the Chevalier pack of wild dogs left us.

This time around, the book is about Omega Vance and his vampire mate, Sakima. Together, they're the perfect match. Vance is a naturally submissive and Sakima is naturally dominant, there is a touch of D/s to their relationship, including a little bondage/restraint. However, the relationship is mostly quite sweet, due to Vance's nerves and fear of having once hurt a human lover with his paranormal strength.

While the story is mostly told in dual POV, between Sakima and Vance, we also get to see Luca's POV and one end chapter through the eyes of bartender Colby, setting us up for the next book. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure Luca's POV was needed. While it added some insight into events, it didn't add enough to warrant about three chapters of POV, and it implied a lot but told us little. I can see that the author was probably trying to keep the same dynamic as the previous book – where Deacon added a third POV – but it didn't feel as necessary here as it did there. I would like to have seem that word count put together Sakima and Vance's relationship.

Vance is an utter sweetheart, with hot blood, and Sakima is a cool vampire, slightly aloof but a blazing want of need for Vance. Together, they match each other perfectly. Sakima has all the experience and control needed to help Vance find his true place in the pack, in their mating, and in the wider world. While Vance is a protective, caring nature that Sakima's been without for a long time. Both men have dark pasts, and both have their own personal demons, but it was nice to see them share that with each other and accept each other despite their faults.

Sakima added a whole new layer to the overall series plot, by actually being around during the Chevalier events 400 years ago. I feel like we only grazed the outer coating of all he knows about them, and I was a little disappointed that he never once shared his knowledge of that time with Tanner, despite acknowledging that Tanner needed to be forewarned to be forearmed. Keeping the pack safe, Sakima admits, will keep Vance safe, but he never considers sharing what he knows, and that bothered me a little.

I badly wanted to give this a 5* rating, because I loved Book 1 so much and Vance was just adorable, but there were a few niggles for me that left it shy of that rating.
there are minor inconsistencies throughout, such as a phone 'pinging' after being put on silent and Sakima's introduction deviating from that given in the previous book.
there was a formatting issue where it provides {MISSING SYMBOL} in place of what I believe was an EM dash.
the story flagged for the first 50%, where it felt like Sakima and Vance's relationship took second place to the other events. I wanted to watch them fall in love, the way we did with Tanner and Luca, but it was more of an insta-love connection than a romance.
I feel like it needed an extra 50 pages or so to do Sakima and Vance's relationship any justice. Unfortunately, there were so many events packed into this one book that it just didn't have time to explore them all in 150 pages.
I felt that Luca's POV was mostly unnecessary. It didn't add much that couldn't have been shared in other ways, such as a conversation, or through the shared pack-bond that allowed us to see events through Tanner's eyes within Vance's POV. Because it didn't lead to any big revelations, it fell flat.

Personally, while I did enjoy the book and it made a good addition to the series, I felt that Sakima and Vance's relationship was an afterthought. It took a backseat to most of the other events. As I said above, an extra 50 pages could have given them a much sweeter exploration of each other, a tighter romance and made them the center focus of the book. While the second half was stronger – because they had that bond already, and their intense feelings made more sense, by that point – it would have been nice to have a much stronger romance to lead the way. Luca and Tanner's romance was so intense that I wanted the same for Vance.

However, I will definitely read more in the series. The world building has mostly been done now, and the set-up for future events had been put in place. We mostly know who all the pairings will be, and the characters are strong after two full books of exploration. I'm intrigued by Colby and his new wolf mate. I look forward to reading their story. I'm hoping to see more of Ean and Mattias in the future, too. I also have a feeling that Tyler will be important, much later on, or perhaps inspire a spin-off.

Hearts of Blood is a sweet and spicy romance with a whole lot of action. While continuing the series arc, it felt a bit too unbalanced and focused more on overall plot-building than presenting a cohesive story that could stand on its own feet. Leaving a few events unanswered, and with a few inconsistencies, I have to rate it as 3.5 for the book alone, but I've rounded up to 4 stars for my rating, due to how it fits into the overall series.

~

Favourite Quotes

“You deserve to be loved, cherished, and I intend to show you just how much you are.”

Reading the first book in the series is recommended, but not required. I must say I enjoyed the first book of this series more. It was equally over the top, but the pacing was a little bit less chaotic. The first book has a bit of set up while this one goes straight into one plot point after another without really bothering to finish up or explain the previous points. It was generally enjoyable and pretty much what you expect from the genre.

3.5 Stars

It was fun reading Hearts of Blood by Kay Doherty ; my first by this author.

I enjoyed the world building and the interesting main and secondary characters .

I just reviewed Hearts of Blood by Kay Doherty. #HeartsOfBlood #NetGalley

Hearts of Blood was a great followup to Hearts of Fire.

All Tanner and his eclectic pack want is to be left alone in peace, but they are an unknown entity. A pack of interspecies mates has only happened once in paranormal history and that didn’t end well. No one knows what the fate has in store for Tanner’s pack and it seems like every group they run across wants to destroy them. Sakima has no intention of becoming a member of the controversial pack, but he’ll do everything in his power to protect Vance – even if that means protecting the rest of the pack as well.

I love the pack dynamic in this series as unconventional as it is. It’s a unique concept, at least in the books I’ve read so far. I love them all, but my favorite in the Chevalier series kind of took me by surprise. He may be a loose cannon and super annoying at times, but I just can’t help loving Ross and in turn Deacon for his adoration.

I picked up Hearts of Fire on a whim and I’m so glad I did. Readers are given a glimpse of what’s coming next in the Chevalier series and I can’t wait until the series continues.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed reading this , and I recommend it to everyone.

I'm ready for the next one!

Hearts of Blood is the second book in the Chevalier serial (cliffhanger warning). Back in March 2019 I didn't know that that the books would have cliffhangers. I usually avoid cliffhangers unless I know the author well enough to be reasonably sure that the series will be finished.

Having said that, I really enjoyed book one, and book two also captivated me. The biggest problem though, was getting started with book two and trying to remember what happened in book one. I've probably read at least 40 books since I read Hearts of Fire so, even though I really liked it and wanted to continue reading the entire serial/series, I was a little frustrated that I had to spend time skimming through book one again (I almost never re-read books because my TBR list is filled with great books).

If you're still reading this review (thank you) I want to say that this really is a great serial. The world building seems very unique to me (but I don't read many books with dragons, elementals or vampires). The mixing of all these different types of paranormal characters really makes this a very interesting world.

Hearts of Blood concentrates on the omega wolf shifter, Vance and his fated mate who turns out to be a vampire. This mating causes quite a ripple in the vampire world but Vance's pack accepts Sakima as his mate. The blurb really tells this information better than I can.

Vance's pack is being threatened not only by some of the vampires but also by their Alpha's (Tanner) former pack, whose leader is Tanner's father. More tantalizing crumbs about this world are doled out to us. Fair warning – there are more than a few fairly graphic violent scenes in this book. I didn't feel that they were in any way gratuitous, though, and were needed to help tell the story.

The surprises and curves contained in Hearts of Blood, and the cliffhanger ending, have me wishing for the next book RIGHT NOW! 😊 I do wish that I knew how many books the author has planned in this serial. As good as it is, I don't think I can stay on board for more than 4 or 5 books total without knowing how things are going to end.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com*** (posting on 8/13/19)

Another great Kay Doherty read! NineStar Press gave me the first book when I got approved for the second one on Netgalley and it does make more sense if you read the first book before this one BUT it's also possible to just read this one. Doherty expertly puts a summery in her second book so you'll get an idea of what happened in the first one and not get lost.

Now about the book... It was such a fun read. With only 150 or so pages I didn't think the story would be that interesting or very rushed, but it wasn't. Just like the first book it had the perfect pace information was given in the perfect order. I was never confused and I very much appreciate that.

There isn't enough room in a 150 or so page story to give the characters a grand backstory and intricate personalities, but the author did what she could within the short amount of pages. I get easily annoyed if characters are flat, but that wasn't the case in Hearts of Fire or in Hearts of Blood. Everything was perfectly balanced. In fact, Sakima, the newest addition to the characters, gave away that he had known (and killed) the Chevalier family. It was only mentioned very quickly once in a while and yet I knew perfectly well what he meant and what that kill meant for him. Also, VANCE IS SO CUTE OMG PERFECT OMEGA LET ME TELL YOU *insert heart eyes*

I wish the books weren't so short because I really like Doherty's writing style. Her writing is to the point. Every sentence is necessary to drive the plot forward. She doesn't add any characters that aren't necessary and she ends her story with the start of a new one which makes you want to keep reading in her world.

She also did some digging into wolf dynamics because it is on point. As a wolf lover I can't stand it when wolf shifters don't act like wolves at all, Doherty did a great job at portraying her wolves. I want to be part of this gay pack very badly, but alas I am female (though I am gay so I'd still fit right?)

Hearts of Blood was an extremely enjoyable read. Slightly better than Hearts of Fire but that might just be because I like Sakima and Vance so much. I can't wait to see what stories in this world Doherty comes up with next!

This is a great addition to the series and I love the inclusion of the different species in the series. Although dealing with a different set of MCs the storyline is a continuation of book one, while it doesn't have to be read first it helps to fill out the world. All in all an enjoyable read, I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.

This was a lovely romance book, I had a great time reading it and enjoyed watching the characters grow in their love for each other.

3.5 stars Vance, a shifter omega, is part of a small diverse quite new pack. There are unusual mated combinations in this pack. Their bond is strong and protective.
Suddenly a beautiful vampire stands before the pack and tells Tanner, the pack leader, Vance is his destined mate. Vance is impressed by his mate and wants to be claimed.
Only mating isn’t something Sakima wants to do right away, carefully they try to bond and spend time together.

The pack is in danger and even more, Vance is in danger. There are jealous vampires and there are certain ex-family members, who want to claim the pack. Taking down Vance is one of the tasks.

A captivating story with a lot of action. I love packs, wolves, vampire stories. A lot was going in this one. For me, it would have been enough to watch the bonding process of Vance and Sakima. So all the other matters I read very fast through to get to the point where Vance and Sakima were the main again.
Nicely written shifters story with diverse creatures, wolves, dragons, elements, and vampires.

I was in such a reading slump throughout most of the second half of July so I wanted to pick up a short, quick and entertaining read and for me, those tend to be paranormal LGBT or fantasy reads. This e-arc from Netgalley seemed perfect as a pick me up while in a reading slump and it did work but as with some of the other books of this nature, it was just very cheesy at times which I can never seem to ignore. I did love the fast pace, entertaining story and the paranormal/vampire/wolf elements but it was more explicit than I thought it would be and it was incredibly cheesy at times so I ended up rolling my eyes throughout it sadly. I do tend to like books from this publisher though so I will look out for them in the future.

The pack has finally found an Alpha in Tanner and Vance has found his mate, Sakima. Attacks from Tanner’s father’s pack, McBane is trying to destroy his new pack. This new pack has several different species of shifters that have mated. Tanner seems to be an anomaly in that he can call up the powers of his mate and other members of the pack. This is an excellent read and I would highly recommend it. The only issue is the time between releases of this series, wish it was faster, but that is just my preference and does not distract from the book.

I loved this book and the cover suits the book perfectly, it is definitely eye catching and caught my attention anyway!!

This is the second book in the series and you definitely have to read book one first as this is a great follow on story, the themes in this book follow straight on from the previous book as it picks up where the last one ended. It had plenty of action and romance and was right up my street!

It is 5 stars from me for this one, another great addition to the series and I cannot wait for book three!!

An awesome sequel to Hearts of Fire. I am already looking forward to book 3! I felt just as invested in the romance between Vance and Sakima as I did with Tanner and Luca. I love how this author translates issues that are prevalent today into the supernatural world.

This is the second book in this wonderful series and Tanners new pack is still facing bigotry His father is still leading the McBane pack against them Tanners power is increasing all the time he isn't just an alpha wolf but also a dragon;s mate and his power to channel the gifts of his pack make him a force to be reckoned with Throw into this mix a vampire that is the mate of Vance a omega in the pack and even more danger comes to them Sakima knows that Vance is his mate but he also knows that he brings danger to the fledgling pack and now a vengeful vampire has been added to the mix. Will the pack survive will Vance and Sakima get their HEA you will have to read to see

Thanks to NineStar press’ generosity, I was able to get a copy of Hearts of Fire so that I could read both these delightful books. The first in the series introduces a world in which there is a lot of supernatural bigotry. Tanner has been living on his own, banished from his own Wolf pack by a father who can’t abide by him choosing to be gay. Knowing his orientation isn’t a choice, Tanner has made the difficult decision to try and live on his own.

When on a run through a local forest, Tanner encounters a mysterious, injured Dragon shifter. He assists the dragon shifter in his escape from hunters and then flees. He’s not sure why he even helped the dragon as they’re notoriously strong and pose a great threat. When Tanner turns up at a job interview only to find himself in the company of the Dragon shifter once more… he realizes he’s in deep water.

The first book focuses on the bond between Tanner and Luca – the dragon shifter. They are bonded and almost-immediately Luca knows they are destined to be mates. But there is a lot of supernatural-societal resistance to interspecies mating. They don’t even know if it’s possible. Tanner’s life is made ever-more complicated when he realizes there is an Alpha-less pack of wolves working at Luca’s company and they want him to lead them.

Years of history and lore have created a world in which Tanner and his hybrid pack aren’t safe and things quickly get complicated for the Wolves and their Dragon and Elemental.

The second book begins with the pack tentatively forged and learning their strengths and weaknesses. When a vampire named Sakima appears and claims Vance as his mate… the pack finds themselves dealing with yet another breed against them. A scorned vampire leads an attack as Sakima and Vance get to know one another. Tanner’s father is still a threat… bringing the McBane pack with him.

Tanner uses all the resources available to him to try and understand what he has become. He’s more than an Alpha wolf, more than a Dragon’s mate. His wolf is physically imposing and he can channel the powers of others in his pack. Unfortunately, everything that Tanner discovers seems to be another reason for other beings to challenge their very existence.

If you like Supernatural m/m romance then you’ll really enjoy this series. The characters are well developed, the sex scenes are hot and there is a lot of mate-bonding and pack socializing. There’s a really solid story behind these enticing characters that is full of bigotry, judgment and the families we choose to love. Read these books in order to get the full experience of being immersed in this strange and magical world.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

Rating: 3 stars
Rep: gay MCs

After reading the first book earlier this year (also through NetGalley), I really wanted to pick up book 2 as Vance and Sakima intrigued me at the end of the first book and I wanted to see how their story turned out!

This book pretty much picks up right where book 1 ended. I would definitely recommend reading the first book before this one as I don't think these are standalone novels.

Vance is a wolf shifter and Sakima is a vampire, they are fated soulmates who meet at the end of book 1, this book continues on with their story. "Hearts of Blood" also builds on the subplot from book 1, in which we learn more about this unconventional pack and the powers they all have. But there are people who feel threatened and seek to dismantle the newfound pack at any cost.

Very fast-paced and gripping plot, I read this in one sitting! I really loved Vance and the other pack members, especially Matthias and Ean!

The problem for me is that I wasn't as invested in the romance as I wanted to be. I had major problems with Sakima, I didn't like him at all. I was more invested in Luca's POV and finding out more about the pack's powers than I was in Vance and Sakimas relationship. The romance just seemed very disjointed and I wasn't feeling it between them.


Overall, I'm really glad that I gave this series another try, but I'm not sure if it's for me and I don't think I will continue on. But I wouldn't hesitate to read more by this author in the future and I would still recommend this series to anyone who likes diverse characters, paranormal romance and hooking plots.