I hadn’t read anything of Joanna Morgan yet, but the blurb reminded me of Brigid Kemmerer Elemental series. There are some similarities, but it is a really different story actually. Whereas Emory and Ajax are mostly occupied with their little son, who is showing signs of Ajax’ elemental powers the elemental series of Brigid are a lot more filled with suspense. Rise is a cute story, not to long and not to heavy. Exactly perfect for a windy day. Three out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Rise
3 Stars


I found the book, Rise, blurb interesting, that's why I picked it. I saw the potential for a great sci-fi/paranormal romance read. However, for me, the story line was lacking.

Ajax and Emory's relationship reads immature (teens-early 20s). The world-building is OK. Though I found several grammar and spelling errors. This is what I thought would have made this book better.

-Banter between

-adult/mature relationship

-I never connected to Ajax (I'm not impressed with him)

- three-dimensional characters with well-thought backstories

-This book would have benefited from a beta reader or editor.

- fewer plot holes

Overall, Rise is an OK read. Can't say I'd recommend it. It gives me a WIP vibe. Thank you, NetGalley and City Owl Press, for an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a nice fantasy romance read, I loved the characters and their blossoming love story was engaging and heart warming!

This was a very intriguing book--a mixture of sci-fi and romantic suspense which definitely made for more original world-building than I usually find in this genre. Ajax and Emory's story is the perfect fit if you're looking for something a little different with all the same steam of your typical paranormal romance. I will say that while the world building was interesting the number of spelling/grammatical errors in the writing was distracting and I feel like their were holes in some of the descriptions and explanations of the relationship between Elementals and Humans/mortals, but since this is a series those may be explained later and I wouldn't be against trying another one of Joanna Morgan's books!

Ajax had always demanded one night and that was all. He didn’t want and couldn’t have anything more than that until Emory caught his eye at a bar. Their one night went into the morning and neither one of them were ready for it to be over. Ajax knew this was something more deep down but she could never know what he truly was. Emory had a special delivery almost a year later that changed her life forever. Now she needs to find Ajax and get his help with the situation.

This book had potential. It left me wanting more. More details about the characters. I enjoyed it but the internal monologues drove me crazy. Especially since it was so repetitive. This book definitely could have been more. I feel dissatisfied .

If you're a fan of the Romantic Fantasy genre , I would definitely recommend adding "Rise" to your TBR.
I really enjoyed Emory & Ajax's storyline, what started out as a one night stand blossomed into so much more.
I will definitely be checking out future books in this series.

Thank you Joanna Morgan, Net Galley and City Owl Press for providing an ARC of this book.