Last Chance Academy: Shifter Fae Vampire Reform School Romance

Immortals of Talonswood, Book 1

By: Alex Lidell

Narrated by: Laurie West, Christian Black

Welcome to Talonswood.

Last Chance Academy is a full-length, reverse harem romance from Amazon top 100 best-selling author Alex Lidell. Hot shifter-fae, delicious vampires, one lone witch. This isn't your normal reform school.

©2020 Alex Lidell (P)2020 Alex Lidell

wow what a great book can't wait for the next one

I love this book can't wait for the next one the narrator's were fantastic well done +++

Okay

This book is more gritty than your usual Academy RH/PNR (or is it fantasy since the harem are fae and vampires?). The heroine Sam (boring name) is a petty criminal (thief for hire) and ex-foster kid. And from the start we see that this isn't just a hard luck story. She was molested (raped) many times AS A CHILD, and physically abused with the burns, brands, and scars to prove it. Her story begins when she agrees to do a risky job, is made a total patsy, gets caught, wrongly convicted, and sent away. She is a victim, messed up in something totally beyond her comprehension.

And that's the problem with book 1 (and book 2, which I won't review because I DNF'd). This is not a story about a woman who is the hub of a loving harem. This is a story about a girl caught in the web of dangerous, powerful, cruel, and uncaring men. And not just men, but also vast racial conspiracies, and government and institutional hatred. Sam doesn't have any (conscious) magical power. She doesn't know magic/magical beings exist. She's mortal. And, it turns out, is the only living progeny of a dead, hated, magical race. Everyone knows everything about her, She knows nothing about anything. She is defenseless. Her future mates (Ellis, Reece, Asher, and Cassis) run the academy, all have ulterior motives, and treat her like utter trash.

The other thing that makes this different from other academy romances is that the men are MEN. They've lived hundreds (thousands???) of years, while the heroine is in her early 20s. Each guy has suffered, and worked on multiple continents/magical realms. Each has loved, killed, and conned. Honestly this book has more of a mafia edge than a lighthearted 'newbies at school' vibe. The reform school is a prison and a boot camp. And it’s more than 'bullying'. The treatment of the heroine is both historical, systemic and unrelenting. Plus, she is so outclassed by her enemies (who are not mortal) that it’s a bit terrifying. The heroine is beaten, bullied, mocked, ridiculed, kidnapped, terrorized, nearly raped and viciously ignored by her 'mates' (when they aren’t joining in). Like I said, for ONE book this setup was fine. Maybe even interesting, when I wasn’t pissed. But beyond that, this kind of unfair punching bag power dynamic (without a hint of a brighter future) is not what I'm looking for in this trope. And trust me, based on the shitshow in the beginning of book 2 it only gets worse.

Narration: was painful because all the guys had accents.... big YIKES

Enjoyed but…

I really wish there was more romance. Sam has such a sad back story and her mates go from bully to Insta love. I wish there was more understanding and apology on mens end. Other than the that I was happy enough.

puts a good setting down for future books..

Can make you feel uncomfortable and skirmish at times to read some of the dialog in this book. It's not for the light of hearted and it's pushing the point of romance to Almost an appropriate descriptions of sexual encounter with a child which can make you feel very uncomfortable reading it.

I’m hooked!

Intense with an air of mystery and “puppet mastery”. Love the plot, the slow burn of the characters, and I honestly can’t wait for more!