• book,  Uncategorized

    SERIES REVIEW: Paranormal Princes Books 2 & 3 by Charlie Cochet

    Paranormal Princes is one the most enjoyable shifter series I have ever read.

    When I started on the series, I wasn’t that familiar yet with Charlie Cochet‘s writing. My first experience with her early shifter stories was a miss. This was soon put to rights by the hilarious and adorable The Prince and His Bedeviled Bodyguard. This is the first novella about an ocelot shifter prince who had to go on a quest accompanied by a grim wolf shifter acting as his bodyguard. It had all the humor and charm I have come to associate with the author.

    Paranormal Princes is set in an alt-universe where all kinds of shifters exist, everything from hummingbirds to whales. Not just shifters but fae, ancients gods and mythical creatures too.

    The father and King of All Shifters is Alarick. With the help of his advisor and long-time friend, Jean, he designs a quest for each shifter prince or princess. They are accompanied by a companion, chosen for them by the king. Many of his children were not happy with it. That is, until they realized it was for the best.


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    Paranormal Princes: The Prince and His Captivating Carpenter – Charlie Cochet

    PRINCE BERND

    As Prince of the Bear Shifters, I knew the time would come for me to prove myself worthy of my crown. I expected my quest to be perilous. What I didn’t expect was for it to take me up into Espen Mountain, a place that’s brought me nothing but grief and terrible nightmares. Not only must I find the five magical ingredients, but I have to do so alongside Saer, a mysterious and charming shifter coyote summoned by the king to be my guide. But who is Saer, and why do I feel as if we’ve met before?

    SAER

    Crushing on Prince Bernd from afar was one thing. Being given the responsibility of saving the prince and his kingdom was a whole other story. Banished from my kingdom by my own prince years ago, I never imagined I would be summoned to help Bernd. What could I possibly offer a prince? How was I supposed to save him? I was no one. A shifter with no place to call home. What I did know was that I would do everything in my power to help Bernd succeed on his quest. All I had to do was stop crushing on the guy, find the magical ingredients hidden up a dangerous mountain, and save his heart. What could go wrong?


    Prince Bernd is the Prince of Bear Shifters. He inherited the throne after his father died a tragic death in Espen Mountain. Bernd is still mourning his death years after. He closed himself off, spending more and more time in the library amidst the beautiful furniture lovingly made for him. The Prince is hot-tempered but he is devoted to his mom and his siblings. He takes his responsibilities to them and his kingdom seriously.

    Then the fateful day arrived when the king assigned him his quest to the very same mountain his father died. He was to be accompanied by Saer who will act as his guide. Attractive though he was, Bernd couldn’t understand why the king chose him. Saer was a complete stranger.

    The Prince and His Captivating Carpenter is a story of grief and healing. It’s not as funny as the first book but it had plenty of cute moments too. Saer was all adorably shy and awkward during their first meeting. He had been crushing on the prince for a very long time. The prince, unfortunately, didn’t even know he existed.

    I was neutral about Bernd for much of the story. For their quest, it was really Saer who did most of the work. However, their adventure opened the prince’s eyes to the realities of his kingdom as well as the beautiful things he missed because of his grief.

    Like all the books in the series, the romance was wonderfully done. It was interwoven seamlessly with the overarching thread. The chemistry between Bernd and Saer was so palpable, even they couldn’t deny there was something between them. Bernd might be the biggest, most powerful bear but he was also a teddy bear.

    The ending played out as expected. There were not many surprises here. It did, however, provide a nice jumping off point for the final book.

    Rating:
    3.5 Stars – that place between like and love

    Soundtrack: The Healing
    Artist: Carfax Abbey
    Album: Second Skin


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    Paranormal Princes: The King and His Vigilant Valet – Charlie Cochet

    JEAN

    The past has a way of catching up with you, even if you are immortal. I’ve spent thousands of years as the valet and companion to the powerful King of All Shifters. It has been my honor and duty to protect, serve, and advise him. I never intended to fall in love with him. My past is filled with death and bloodshed, but I never once regretted keeping Alarick safe. Now an evil I thought long gone has resurfaced, determined to kill Alarick and plunge the world into chaos. Saving Alarick means revealing the truth about myself. I don’t know what’s worse, failing to protect the king I love, or watching him turn away from me in disgust when he discovers what I really am.

    KING ALARICK

    As King of All Shifters, my powers are connected to the cosmos, and I have been around since the dawn of time. There are few things that can kill me. Unfortunately, one of those things has escaped its prison and is set to destroy me. The only weapon that can defeat this creature is the Scythe of Kronos, which has been missing for nearly as long as I have lived. When Jean and I set out on a quest to find the scythe, questions I had long ignored must now be answered. What is Jean’s connection to this evil? Why will he trust me with his life but not his secrets? As my most trusted valet, and my greatest friend, surely nothing that happens along this perilous journey can change what I feel in my heart for him. Or can it?


    Now here is a love story thousands of years in the making. Talk about slow burn!

    As many reader might notice from the start, King Alarick is a doofus. He is spectacularly oblivious to his best friend’s more than friendly feelings towards him.

    Jean has been with the king for a very, very long time. He was actually the one who designed the quests. Jean is very loyal to Alarick. Despite being blind, he is the king’s fiercest, most formidable warrior. He developed quite an intimidating reputation. He is also very mysterious. Not even Alarick knew what kind of creature he is.

    Alarick and Jean’s story picks up directly after the second book. A threat to the king’s life was revealed. This was connected to Jean’s past, something he had long since buried. The monster can only be killed by the Scythe of Kronos.

    The two friends embarked on a quest to look for the weapon. Along the way, they met several of the king’s shifter children who wanted to help. They met some of his past flames too. Jealous Jean is cute Jean.

    I love how the king doesn’t mind that people were pissed at him, most of the characters here were. But when somebody tries to talk smack about Jean, he puts the bitch in place. He does it firmly in the nicest way possible because the king is a genial, easygoing sort of guy. I have never seen him lose his temper, ever. Not even when whacked half-way across the ocean by an irate siren.

    The King and His Vigilant Valet is the best kind of shmoopy, squeetastic fluff! When I first met them, it seemed Alarick and Jean’s dynamics was that of the bumbling superior and the wise assistant. But here we see a new side to the always composed Jean, a flustered blushy side that’s freakin’ adorable! Alarick was a lot smarter than people give him credit for. And he was just so infinitely kind. It was that very goodness that made Jean fall in love with him all those years ago dancing together at the Parthenon.

    And damn, the twists were so clever! All the things that were built up since book one came together beautifully. The scene where all the shifter princes rally to defend their king was as epic as that scene where all the Avengers and their friends popped out of portals to fight Thanos. The revelations were very unexpected. I would never have guessed the real purpose of the quests and Jean’s true identity. And why he is blind.

    All in all, a grand and very sweet finale fit for the immortal king who started it all.

    Rating:
    5 Stars – absolutely perfect

    Soundtrack: Never Tear Us Apart
    Artist: INXS
    Album: Never Tear Us Apart

    P.S.

    Paranormal Princes should be read in order. Start by meeting the adorable diva prince Owin and the valiant warrior Grimm in The Prince and His Bedeviled Bodyguard. And oh, don’t call Owin adorable (at least not to his face). He prefers fierce.


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    THE PRINCE AND HIS BEDEVILED BODYGUARD
    THE PRINCE AND HIS CAPTIVATING CARPENTER
    THE KING AND HIS VIGILANT VALET

  • song,  Uncategorized

    SOUNDTRACK: The Healing by Carfax Abbey & Never Tear Us Apart by INXS

    Soundtrack to Paranormal Princes: The Prince and His Captivating Carpenter by Charlie Cochet

    For The Prince and His Captivating Carpenter, I went for a song that spoke about healing. The lyrics talks about fear, being suffocated, being in the dark, losing purpose and begging to be healed. It ends with “My eyes are wide open“. Basically, all the things Bernd experienced in the story.

    Soundtrack to Paranormal Princes: The King and His Vigilant Valet by Charlie Cochet

    I hate saxophones in songs but this 80s hit was practically made for The King and His Vigilant Valet. From the opening “Don’t ask me/ What you know is true / Don’t have to tell you / I love your precious heart” to “Two worlds collided/ And they could never tear us apart” to “We could live / For a thousand years / But if I hurt you / I’d make wine from your tears“…well, you get the picture.

  • quote,  Uncategorized

    Don’t ask me
    What you know is true
    Don’t have to tell you
    I love your precious heart

    I
    I was standing
    You were there
    Two worlds collided
    And they could never tear us apart

    We could live
    For a thousand years
    But if I hurt you
    I’d make wine from your tears

    I told you
    That we could fly
    ‘Cause we all have wings
    But some of us don’t know why

    I was standing
    You were there
    Two worlds collided
    And they could never, ever tear us apart

    I (Don’t ask me)
    I was standing (You know it’s true)
    Mm, you were there (Worlds collided)
    Two worlds collided (We’re shining through)
    And they could never tear us apart

    You (Don’t ask me)
    You were standing (You know it’s true)
    I was there (Worlds collided)
    Two worlds collided (We’re shining through)
    And they could never tear us apart

    I-I-I
    I was standing
    You were there