Just the beginning

The Mate Games have started once again, but this time do any of the players even know they are playing?
Dahlia is such a fabulous character, she is snarky, socially awkward, & curvy what more could you ask for?
Tor, Cain, Kai & Caspian all have their work cut out for them. They all feel the pull, the desire, but will any of them make the first move? What happens when chains are loosened and the monsters that have been carefully locked down start to break free?

This was a phenomenal start to another series, with extraordinary performances by all the narrators.

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I laughed more than I expected to!

This has a bit of everything; mystery, suspense, steam and humour. The dialogue is funny on its own but the delivery and the performances across the board just elevated it that little bit higher. I genuinely laughed so much while I was listening. Every time Kai got an acronym, every time Caspian tried to sweet talk Dahlia and every time the dog did something to anyone apart from Dahlia. And the majority of Kiki's scenes; she is such a breath of fresh air and I loved her character. There are still some dark plotlines in this though so its not all fun and games for the characters; the ripper storyline has me intrigued and I'm wondering how that is all going to play out.

There are elements of insta lust/love but its not a straight forward fated mates tale and is on the slow burn side. I liked the fact that this is multi POV as Dahlia's inner monologues give you an insight into her self esteem but her interactions with the other characters through their eyes show how witty and confident she can be. Her relationships are all happening at difference paces too rather than straight up dominoes with Cain in particular holding back (and I love the reason why he is doing so as it speaks volumes about his character). His storyline is the one that engaged me the most after Dahlia herself.

I haven't read the other books in the series (and only one of the companion series) but Tor broke my heart and I loved his backstory; although this is a standalone I will be going back to read the other series for context as I love an Easter egg.

I really enjoyed the multi cast production especially as its in duet style; at this point Jason Clarke and JF Harding could read a menu to me and I'd be hanging on every word. James Joseph, John Hartley, Stella Hunter and Samantha Brentmoor were all new to me narrators and the chemistry between them all was on point throughout. The only small nitpick I have is that there was one character's accent which took me out a little but its only as I am Scottish myself. However as the character wasn't that prevalent it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment and I will definitely be continuing the series.

My interpretation of the star system;
3 stars - I enjoyed it; would read the author again
4 stars - I really liked it; I am invested and definitely want more from this author/series
5 stars - I loved it; I engaged with this book completely until I finished it and it is one I will re-read.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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A Fascinating New Series! Amazing Story & Listen🎧

Meg Anne and K. Loraine unite again for another amazing collaboration and start of a new series set in their fascinating “Mate Games” world. These two make a great team, two gifted authors with brilliant minds that are imaginative, and they create stories that consume your entire being, ones you can not get enough of and keep you coming back for more. “Haunting Beauty” grabbed my attention right from the start and held it for the entire book. As the first book of the series, it lays down the foundation for what is coming and introduces you to the key characters and wow, what a lineup of characters, each one as intriguing as the other, starting with Dahlia Moore. Dahlia is an author, an introvert who prefers to stay home, but she has to do some public appearances, including the red carpet event for a movie premier based on one of her books. She loses it at that event and all heII breaks loose, and while she does not remember much of what happens it is recommended that she spend some time at a rehab facility in Scotland, Blackwood Asylum, except it is no ordinary rehab and it turns out Dahlia is no ordinary human. And she is met with some of the most extraordinary men, and all want her attention. If you read or listened to the original “Mating Games” you will remember Alek’s brother Tor Nordson, a Norse demigod, Prince of Novasgard, a berserker and a beast. Then we have Caspian Hook, the pirate aka Captain Hook, a FAE with magical powers, Kai (Malakai) the dragon shifter and the mysterious Cain Alexander. Keeping these patients in line is the good doctor Masterson, and she has her work cut out for her with this crew. I absolutely loved how everything played out in this book, it is a cleverly plotted story with non-stop drama and plenty of things going on, intriguing things including putting their own unique spin on classic fairytales. And that ending, holy moly, I need the next book pronto! Meg Anne and K. Lorraine, thank you for another amazing story and wild ride.    

🎧📚🎧 And for the exceptional narration performed in duet style by this amazing lineup of talent, Stella Hunter, J.F. Harding, Jason Clarke, John Hartley, James Joseph, Samantha Brentmoor and a guest appearance by Aaron Shedlock in a cameo as Alek. These industry greats were fantastic in their roles and I loved how they owned their roles, sounding believable and just as imagined how the characters would sound. Each one stood out and they truly shined in their performance, starting with Stella Hunter as Dahlia, grasping her with and eccentrics, Jason Clarke as Tor the Berserker who nails it as the growly beast, James Joseph as the smart-alecky and full of himself Hook, J.F. Harding as the mysterious Cain, and John Hartley as the possessive Kai, these four men are alpha’s in their own right, portrayed perfectly according to their personality. Samantha Brentmoor’s Dr. Masterson was perfection, loved how she delivered her dialogue, her Kiki was just as amazing too. These versatile voice artists are entertaining storytellers and their performance enhances the story to another level. Thank you for another amazing listen.

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Haunting Beauty

Good book from the very beginning. This book was really fun. I normally do not care for reverse harem or why choose, but I enjoyed this one. It was also very smexy. The narrators were outstanding in bringing the story to life. Each narrator was perfect for their role. I received this free copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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The whole package

Ever wonder what would be like if you fell into some of the fantasy stories you read? Thats what this book is, just like you fell into all of the romantasy books at once and i loved every moment of it! And so much spice 🌶🌶🌶🌶 . Once i started this,i couldn't put it down and nearly finished the whole thing in 1 day. I'm so eager for the next book.

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Haunting Beauty Is Perfection!

We are finally back in the world of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 & I was here for it! I was so excited to dive back into this world. Only 𝙺. 𝙻𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚎 & 𝙼𝚎𝚐 𝙰𝚗𝚗𝚎 can hook me like this with a paranormal, why choose romance. They are a magnificent writing duo!

𝐖𝐚𝐫 & 𝐏𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 have nothing on 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡! We dive straight into Blackwood Asylum and see Dahlia. She's there to heal her mental health....but is she really? 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊 𝙷𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛 brings her trademark charm, sassiness & whit as she breaths life into Dahlia, making her real.

𝙹𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙲𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎 brings us Tor. He's such a yummy beast & his narrations for him are perfect! 𝚂𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚊 𝙱𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚖𝚘𝚘𝚛 & her epicness introduces us to Dr. Masterson & it couldn't have been performed better! She was 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴! 𝙹.𝙵. 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 brings us Cain & as always, his performance was masterfully done! Kai, the dragon is performed by 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚢 & I was there for it! Yes please! Of course, you 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 I'm saving a great for last: 𝙹𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝙹𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚙𝚑 is the best Hook ever!

Needless to say, I am hooked ( pun intended!) on this book & I just know the next one is going to be just as epic! These ladies bring the perfect villainous men together with beautifully chiseled females & delivers us perfection!

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One woman, four really hot men, ghosts and an asylum

If you’ve read the other Mate Games series then you won’t be surprised that this is another amazing offering. If you haven’t, the story will still make sense but you’ll definitely want to go back and listen to them. There’s certainly a darker tone to this series but the humour is still there. Without giving too much away; our book writing heroine finds herself in an asylum surrounded by the hottest supernatural men she never knew existed. What’s a girl to do when surrounded by a pirate captain, a dragon shifter, an actual Norse god and the mysterious man with no memories? Make the most of it, that’s what!

As with the other Mate Games series the full cast narration takes the story up a notch - or several. Stella is brilliant, every note and tone is just perfect. Then there are the men. Holy horsemen they are good! James Joseph is one of my all time favourites and his Caspian ( Hook) was sublime, he played the balance of arrogance and self assuredness and playful silliness like he was born for it. Jason Clarke was brilliant as the Norseman on the edge. JF Harding is always outstanding and this is no exception. I wasn’t sure about John Hartley as he was my least favourite in the Pestilence series but this has converted me, the more I think about it the more I realise that it was because I didn’t like his character before. Honestly the narration here is brilliantly performed and seriously hot. I could continue to gush about how good it was or I could go and listen to the next book so I’m going to go do that!.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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Fantastic fun and sexy as hell

WOW! An absolute powerhouse of voice actors here! This is a quality recording for a top notch PNR story. Having read the book I can say you really need to listen to this on audio. The way the characters are brought to life with their sexy accents and perfectly matched voices is a treat your senses will thank you for! The book is great but the audio will blow your socks off!.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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OMG!!!!!!

OMG!!!! That was beyond amazing. I’m so glad I preordered this. Absolutely outstanding!!! Narrated to perfection.

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Dahlia

Dahlia ends up at Blackwood Asylum which happens to house supernaturals. Dahlia a writer finds more then just insperation for her writing but four very hot "mates": a dragon, a pirate, a lost soul and a beserker. A must read and/or listen.

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