Aimee Laine

Hide & Seek (A Games of Zeus Novel) by Aimee Laine
GENRE: Paranormal Romance
THEME: Mythology
RECEIVED: I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway

The core theme of this story is based on the mythological Teumessian Fox and Laelaps (the Fox and Hound). Our main characters Tripp Fox and Lexi Shephard are the proverbial Fox and Hound, who have abilities bestowed upon them by Zeus at birth. Tripp is the fox that can't be caught, and Lexi is the dog that always catches her prey. They are each other's diametrically opposite match and due to the nature of their mutually excluding abilities they aren't ever meant to meet.

The game is put into motion when our characters accidentally meet late one night on the beach and seem to hit it off pretty well. The backdrop for our building romance includes Tripp’s marriage to a women he doesn’t love, Lexi’s recent recovery of necklace, blackmail involving artwork,danger,long car rides,sex, good food and the sale of the farmhouse that Lexi has been drawn to since her childhood, and has always wanted to own.

Supporting Tripp & Lexi in their endeavors, are Ian, Tripp's best friend; Emma, Lexi's twin sister, Marge & George Fergs, an elderly couple, who help set things in motion, and Missy Tripp's sister and architect.
My favorite parts of the story, were stop in the convince store, the
”Fergas” , everything surrounding the evening on Broadway, and the ending that was the MOST ROMANTIC and tension filled scene I’ve ever read. I thought Lexi's admission during the vows was an interesting twist

Although I really liked the plot of the book, I found it difficult to read, not sure if it was the authors writing style, or the editing. I was easily distracted; I didn’t have that driving need to find out what was going to happen next, I had to re-read many sections over to understand what they were about or what point they were trying to make. I felt the romance between Tripp & Lexi was a bit one sided (Lexi was not as committed to it as Tripp was, she was just going along,this should have been resolved better),I didn’t see much growth in the characters,and I felt parts of the backdrop story were left unresolved. Some of the best writing for me was from the "evening on Broadway through the ending of the story", this is how I felt the entire book should have been; descriptive, tension filled, mysterious, & resolved.

In closing, I’m not sure if some of these plot issues were left open intentionally, to lead into a follow on book or if they were just overlooked. I do think that Tripp and Lexi have more story to tell and that many adventures could be in their future.


… (més)

Surrender (Mimics of Rune #2) by Aimee Laine

Surrender is the second book in the Mimics of Rune series, even though I haven’t read Little White Lies; I was able to fall along Surrender very easily. Aimee Laine is a fantastic author with very good writing skills in my opinion. The character and plot were well written and I followed along without any problem.

The story if full of action, romance and suspense, I enjoyed the story very much, I really liked that it was a different kind of shifter story. I mean who wouldn’t want to change their hair color whenever they wanted.

Right at the beginning of the story we meet Lily and Cael, Lily has just been kidnapped and Cael is trying to find out who has her. Cael is in love with Lily and is will do anything to save her. We also meet Charley and Wyatt who are from the first book. And of course some new characters are introduced. Lily is a mimic and can change her appearance; different from other shifters they can change their hair, eye color and their general appearance. Lily, Cael, Charley, Wyatt are all very close and have love each other like family and will do anything in their power to get Lily back.

I really loved the story of Cael and Lily it’s a fantastic romance story and keeps you pulling for them to have the happy ever after. But of course the mystery to why Lily is kidnapped is something you are going to have to find out for yourself by reading Surrender. There is mystery, suspense, action and romance what more could you ask for in a book.

I have rated Surrender 4 stars and cannot wait for the next book in this series. I will defiantly be adding Aimee Laine as one of my favorite authors and see what else she has out there to read.… (més)

If you enjoy paranormal romance, shape-shifters and secret government ops, you'll love Aimee Laine's Little White Lies. Told in the third-person, Little White Lies is about the "mimic" Charley Randall and her long-time love interest Wyatt Moreland. Mimics are true shape-shifters: they can take the shape of any person (and sometimes animal, depending on the Mimic) they see. Charley Randall has been shifting for over 200 years, using her talents and skill to aide in government operations, like combating child trafficking. She's made quite a name for herself and is generally sought-after.

Little White Lies begins at a heart-stopping pace, with a race to beat the clock up a mountain (yes, UP a mountain). It's immediately intriguing and captivating and held me from the first page. Charley is completely my kind of protagonist: sassy, independent, loving. Wyatt is masculine, smart and caring (who likes dumb characters anyway?). And Laine also gives us beautifully fleshed-out secondary characters whom you want to know more about: James, Lily, Cael, Maggie... I really want to know the story behind James!

There were a couple of things I was unsure about that disrupted the flow of the story a little for me. In one instance, Wyatt's mother has a different last name than he does, but I don't recall that being explained in previous pages. You also have to wait through about 50% Little White Lies to get details on mimics and their shifting abilities and limitations. Because of this, throughout the first half of the novel, I was left with a lot of questions and somewhat confused. However the story is told well enough that you want to keep reading it regardless of that.

Overall, if you enjoy paranormal romance and shape-shifters, you will really like this book. It's enjoyable, keeps a fast-pace and I definitely recommend it!… (més)

This review is also posted at The Bawdy Book Blog.


Aimee Laine delivers a fab follow-up in her Mimics of Rune series with Surrender, the sequel to Little White Lies!
If all the mimics in Rune, NC were dogs or cats, Lily Crane would be the runt of the bunch with diminished power and a seemingly meek, albeit upbeat, demeanor. She’s got a spotty past that she guards fiercely, not wanting anyone to know or judge her for it. She’s also young for a mimic – only 61 years old – and she often feels as if she doesn’t know enough about who she is inside, nor this special gift she has, because she was never taught. Little does she know just how very special she is…
The plot of Surrender is fast-paced. If you read Little White Lies and Surrender back-to-back, you are delivered a one-two punch that really can leave you reeling, especially when you consider how closely the books tie into each other. In Little White Lies, we followed Charley Randall as a secret FBI operative who uses her photographic memory – and shape-shifting abilities – to help solve cases. In Surrender, we continue with the backstory, following, instead, Lily, who is kidnapped while out on the seemingly benign streets of Rune for her genetics, simply because of her chosen likeness that day. And while she’s been taken away, her best friend – and an interest she’s always denied – Cael, is desperate to get her back.
Laine continues to write her characters with a great deal of depth, investing the reader wholeheartedly in their story. Lily, in particular, thinks of herself as very fragile, but I think beneath that assumed fragility exists a very strong woman that needs to find her own strength through knowledge and independence. What’s ultimately the greatest thing about her is her need to show that she isn’t weak, that she doesn’t want to be weak. Everyone just expects that of her and she has this sort of desperation to shed that skin and come into her own, no matter the cost to her. Which also shows how altruistic Lily is. Sometimes to her own detriment…
They say that opposites attract and Cael is no exception. Strong to Lily’s weak, he’s her protector and her warrior, but sometimes you have to let the people you love fight their own battles. Demanding and loving, Cael was a great character to get to know better and I am so glad Laine wrote about him more. The two of them together…well, I’ll let you read about it! But I think the best relationships are built on a strong foundation of friendship.
The rest of the characters continue to be fascinating…especially as even more were introduced in Surrender and the plot thickened! The history and science behind the mimics was absolutely fascinating and never failed to keep my nose in the book.
All in all, this was a great follow-up to the first in the series and I eagerly await the next. And Aimee…can we get more on Maggie and James? PRETTY PLEASE???

*This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange of an honest review.… (més)