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nz_elle's review against another edition
2.0
The Cauld Ane are a form of immortal Vikings, who moved from Iceland to Scotland in the 1400s. The core team that the stories revolve around (at least to start with) include siblings Kade, Connall, Brodie and Fiona, along Fiona's mate Angus and his sister Payton. Most of the Cauld Ane are hundreds of years old, with some of them having been born in Iceland in the 1400s, although Payton is only 14 at the start of the series. There is virtually no explanation as to why they differ from humans. They eat the same (they don't drink blood) although they eat more often, however they can't abide any heat over 20 degrees Celsius, and they're all allergic to almonds of all things.
The idea behind the books was fine, but I found the books themselves a little lacking. Each book focuses on a different mated pair. Each Cauld Ane 'knows' who his/her fated mate is as soon as they are 25 years old....assuming their mate is alive and they meet. Kade and Samantha meet just after her 25th birthday.
There were a few things that irked me.
- Instalove. The Cauld Ane half of the relationship falls into instalove as soon as they meet their mate. It is literally impossible for them to cheat on their mates, physically or emotionally. They love their fated mate from the moment they meet. The end. Ugh. That made it frustrating, because they were declaring love for these people they genuinely didn't even know, or perhaps had met only hours or a few days beforehand. It was ridiculous.
- The non-Cauld Ane half of the relationship also fell in love very quickly. By 40% through the book, the couple had declared their love, forever and ever, amen. Why was there still 60% of the book to go??
- Every time a couple had sex, the man went down on the woman. Without fail. They NEVER had sex without the man going down on the woman. In one case, Kade went down on Samantha after she'd already had four orgasms (I'll get to that) and he'd come as well, and he commented 'So wet' (73% through). Um, no shit, dicklick! What did you expect after she's had four orgasms and you've come in there once as well?! So ridiculous.
- The women always have multiple orgasms. Once, Samantha came six times in one session. I was exhausted just reading about it! It's not normal for a woman to have six orgasms in a row. I'm not saying it's not possible, and some women orgasm more easily than others, but to have every woman in your books have multiple (4-6) orgasms every time they have sex (which could be 2-3 times a day)?
- And the men often came more than once, without a break or breather in between. The author claims to be married with kids, but I'd have put money on her being a virgin. Talk about unrealistic expectations! Perhaps the men's miraculous recovery time was due to being Cauld Ane, but it's not said. Both the women and men treat it as normal. Well, it's not. Normal males require recovery time between orgasms. Argh! It was just ridiculous. I ended up skipping all the sex scenes. They weren't sexy at all, they must made me roll my eyes every time with how unrealistic they were.
The more I read, the more frustrated I got with this series. There were some good things. I liked the use of unique gifts for different Cauld Ane, and how those were integrated into the stories. There were definitely a few things that were unexpected which kept the books from being overly predictable. I even liked the characters and how each one had a unique personality that made them interesting. Now if only the actual romance between the two main characters lasted a whole book and not just a fraction of it...
The idea behind the books was fine, but I found the books themselves a little lacking. Each book focuses on a different mated pair. Each Cauld Ane 'knows' who his/her fated mate is as soon as they are 25 years old....assuming their mate is alive and they meet. Kade and Samantha meet just after her 25th birthday.
There were a few things that irked me.
- Instalove. The Cauld Ane half of the relationship falls into instalove as soon as they meet their mate. It is literally impossible for them to cheat on their mates, physically or emotionally. They love their fated mate from the moment they meet. The end. Ugh. That made it frustrating, because they were declaring love for these people they genuinely didn't even know, or perhaps had met only hours or a few days beforehand. It was ridiculous.
- The non-Cauld Ane half of the relationship also fell in love very quickly. By 40% through the book, the couple had declared their love, forever and ever, amen. Why was there still 60% of the book to go??
- Every time a couple had sex, the man went down on the woman. Without fail. They NEVER had sex without the man going down on the woman. In one case, Kade went down on Samantha after she'd already had four orgasms (I'll get to that) and he'd come as well, and he commented 'So wet' (73% through). Um, no shit, dicklick! What did you expect after she's had four orgasms and you've come in there once as well?! So ridiculous.
- The women always have multiple orgasms. Once, Samantha came six times in one session. I was exhausted just reading about it! It's not normal for a woman to have six orgasms in a row. I'm not saying it's not possible, and some women orgasm more easily than others, but to have every woman in your books have multiple (4-6) orgasms every time they have sex (which could be 2-3 times a day)?
- And the men often came more than once, without a break or breather in between. The author claims to be married with kids, but I'd have put money on her being a virgin. Talk about unrealistic expectations! Perhaps the men's miraculous recovery time was due to being Cauld Ane, but it's not said. Both the women and men treat it as normal. Well, it's not. Normal males require recovery time between orgasms. Argh! It was just ridiculous. I ended up skipping all the sex scenes. They weren't sexy at all, they must made me roll my eyes every time with how unrealistic they were.
The more I read, the more frustrated I got with this series. There were some good things. I liked the use of unique gifts for different Cauld Ane, and how those were integrated into the stories. There were definitely a few things that were unexpected which kept the books from being overly predictable. I even liked the characters and how each one had a unique personality that made them interesting. Now if only the actual romance between the two main characters lasted a whole book and not just a fraction of it...
chloeleigh95's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ & 1.5🌶️. It took me a little time to adjust to the third person narrative as I’m used to books with dual POV and I will admit that 3rd is not my favourite so I might be a little biased/negative to it. There were also times that in my opinion, the writing felt a little immature. Almost like a shorter sentence structure without as much flow or detail like you’d write for an assignment in a hurry. Kade’s secrecy and one word explanations didn’t help with this, and Sam was just way too quick to accept his word as law. I guess I’m used to and fond of a FMC who can give as good as she gets.
The spice scenes were extremely shortened and often had a fade to black style, which at times almost felt rushed (but I am used to in depth spicy scenes). Equally, the action sections of the plot were over very quickly. The book itself though I did enjoy, despite it not flowing the best for me personally.
The mystery surrounding the “magic” system in this was absolutely delicious. You’re very much in the dark as a reader as to exactly the reason for all the bonds and the emotional connections until around chapter 10. Once you do have the penny drop, it’s so good! It’s very unique and I loved it. The unique plot made you want to read more to find out the details.
The book is set in Edinburgh, which is my favourite city in Scotland. I moved to Scotland myself 3 years ago, and this has some cool cultural elements that are authentic. I also empathised with our FMC Samantha in how daunting it can be to move to a new location and getting used to all the little differences.
I love Kade our MMC, he’s a total hottie of course but also so tender in his care for both him family and Sam. There’s a slight age difference of course, but we allow this in fantasy right?
eve_ward's review against another edition
2.0
The book started off perfectly acceptable. It wasn’t anything amazing, but I was liking it well enough. Sadly, thinks went downhill quickly. At around the 45% line, everything just felt like a mess. The main relationship developed far too fast, the whole objective of the book felt like it had been thrown out the window, everyone’s motivations were too confusing to keep track of and overall it just felt like a bit of a shit show. We never got to see Sam actually do anything science-y, the whole reason she was there was to cure Fiona but apparently that wasn’t important enough because Kade always had her skipping work. Not to mention that whole fiasco was just solved after one conversation with their mother. Also Cole just disappeared, what was even the point of his character apart from to cause a little bit of jealousy? His character was also used to expand more of Dalton’s. Honestly, this whole book felt like it was mostly just setting up the others. It gave me lots of unwanted information about characters I don’t, and never will, care about.
Overall, this book was a big miss. It could have easily been decent but the author went and screwed it up. The main relationship was annoying, the side characters and their agendas were annoying, this whole darn thing was annoying!
Overall, this book was a big miss. It could have easily been decent but the author went and screwed it up. The main relationship was annoying, the side characters and their agendas were annoying, this whole darn thing was annoying!
h0pesheart's review against another edition
fast-paced
1.0
I've read better fanfiction than whatever this was.
trudyd's review against another edition
4.0
I just started reading this series for a third time. It is unique, classy, and addictive. Cauld Ane is a paranormal romance series. But not your typical paranormal romance. The Cauld Ane are not vampires. They are not shifters. They are immortal. To survive they need a cold environment. If you go to visit where a thick sweater, because their homes are chilly. They mainly live in Scotland where the Gunnachs run a Pharamaceutical Company. Book one has Dr. Samantha Moore coming from America to work in the research department helping solve a blood issue. She is also the Mate to Kade Gunnach. Love doesn't come easy. Becoming a mate won't be easy. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
trudyd's review against another edition
4.0
This is not your average everyday paranormal romance. The main characters are not vampires. The Cauld Ane are a unique race that can't take the heat. And yet the author heats up the pages with romance.
Dr. Kade Gunnach is the leader of the Cauld Ane in Scotland and CEO of a pharmaceutical company. He is on a mission to save his sister. He is out of ideas. After months of looking he hires Samantha Moore from America.
Things get interesting real fast. Kade has finally found his mate but she isn't Cauld Ane. Some are not happy with his choice. They are willing to resort to treason. Samantha's life is at risk. There were some really touchy moments that it could have gone either way.
The benefit of the Anniversary edition is the bonus material. I am so excited to read all the bonus material. I am intrigued.
Dr. Kade Gunnach is the leader of the Cauld Ane in Scotland and CEO of a pharmaceutical company. He is on a mission to save his sister. He is out of ideas. After months of looking he hires Samantha Moore from America.
Things get interesting real fast. Kade has finally found his mate but she isn't Cauld Ane. Some are not happy with his choice. They are willing to resort to treason. Samantha's life is at risk. There were some really touchy moments that it could have gone either way.
The benefit of the Anniversary edition is the bonus material. I am so excited to read all the bonus material. I am intrigued.
mefromson's review against another edition
5.0
Hot damn! I wasn't sure what to expect with this, but I was very happy with the result. It's taken seriously, not the cheesy paranormal blood research book I was expecting. Interesting worldbuilding, taking a different route than standard gothic noir archetypes. I enjoyed learning about it with the heroine. Complex characters, twisting plot line, very good read!
kaydombrowski's review against another edition
DNF. No one says honey and sweetheart at the end of every sentence when they just met the person 3 days ago. Too annoying to finish.
ltlmz's review against another edition
3.0
I'd call this paranormal romance light - the story was light on the paranormal and light on the romance. I found the beginning of it very difficult to get into because she crammed a lot of history into dialogue. Although I know this is a series, Kade announces who the mastermind has been against them with no explanation as to why. It was a fast read and I would probably enjoy Pepper and Payton's stories.