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Spellbinding His Ranger
When Mercedes isn’t turning wrenches for her family’s classic car restoration business, she's logging into her favorite MMO and losing herself in adventures with friends. With no luck on the dating scene thanks to a cybernetic enhancement, she’s ready to throw in the towel and focus on her passions.
But her closest friend, Takashi, keeps her from quitting on love just yet. Could he be the one to look past her artificial flaw and show her what it means to be cared for?
Family and the most popular MMO in existence are Takashi's life. He's found his business calling in the in-game economics that seamlessly meshes with the real world. But after meeting a fiery blonde named Mercedes through a guildmate, he found his interests slowly broadening.
Can he convince her he can look past her cybernetic and see the real her, or will he lose her for good when life tries to sabotage his efforts at every turn?
But her closest friend, Takashi, keeps her from quitting on love just yet. Could he be the one to look past her artificial flaw and show her what it means to be cared for?
Family and the most popular MMO in existence are Takashi's life. He's found his business calling in the in-game economics that seamlessly meshes with the real world. But after meeting a fiery blonde named Mercedes through a guildmate, he found his interests slowly broadening.
Can he convince her he can look past her cybernetic and see the real her, or will he lose her for good when life tries to sabotage his efforts at every turn?
291 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 8, 2018
About the author
Shannon Pemrick
20 books191 followersShannon Pemrick is a full-time USA Today bestselling author of slow-burn romantic fantasy, fuller-time geek, and dragon obsessed. She also has too many novelty mugs, not enough chocolate, and a forbidden love-affair with all things shiny. When she's not burning her fingers across a keyboard handing out adventures and HEAs, she's rolling dice and getting lost in RPGs or searching for brides for her dragon overlords.
Learn more about Shannon by visiting her website.
Learn more about Shannon by visiting her website.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 22, 2019
I loved the sound of this series and knew I had to read it. A scifi romance novel with gamer elements sounded exactly like the kind of book for me. And in a way it was and at the same it wasn't. This is going to be one of those confusing reviews about a book that I really liked at times and other parts didn't work for me at all. It just leaves me sad that the parts I liked less made me like the whole book as a whole less. I did enjoy it enough and am curious about the other characters stories that I'll definitely be continuing this series and I hope future books have less of the things that didn't work for me.
While this book is marketed as a scifi gamer romance it is actually quite light on both the scifi and gamer aspects. If you enjoy a good friends to lovers contemporary romance and don't mind some futuristic tech I think you might enjoy it. I think it's very accessible to those who aren't big scifi readers, which is great. I personally would've loved to have more scifi aspects and more about the game in this book though.
Spellbinding His Ranger follows the story of Takashi and Mercedes. The two have been friends for a long time and met through a virtual massively multiplayer online game. They are great friends and they both wish they could become more, but they're afraid to lose what they have. I love friends to lover stories and the author handled it so well. There was the doubt on both sides on whether to take their relationship further, then that slow progression where they grow even slower and then the resulting romance. I liked how these two already knew each other very well and that only helped them as they progressed into romance territory.
There were some small things about the romance that didn't work as well for me. I thought the focus was very much on Takashi wooing Mercedes and rarely anything the other way around, except for her dressing up nicely. And later when they hit a bump in their relationship it is again up to Takashi to grovel and make things right, even though he didn't do anything wrong. I think that's what bothers me most, he didn't do anything wrong, but everyone (even his family) still blamed him. I thought it was really unfair and didn't make sense. I guess it's because of his personality that he took the blame and he didn't blame Mercedes for what happened, but everyone blamed him, while neither of them was to blame. It really rubbed me wrong.
While I am on the topic of the big bump in their romance, that's probably the thing that bothered me the most of this book. I was really enjoying the book up till then. I just knew this was going to be a solid 4 star read and then we hit that bump, the romance drama, the obligatory break-up scene. I really hate badly done obligatory break-up scenes and this one fit that mark. I don't want to give too many details away, but I thought it was unrealistic and out of character how they responded, especially Mercedes. It also is something that could've been so easily solved if they had tried this one other obvious method they only think of after the damage is done.
I know Merecedes has some self esteem issues and I didn't blame her for doubting for a bit, but she didn't even worry about Takashi or give her friend of multiple years the benefit of the doubt. I thought that was just very rude on her part and I also thought it was out of character, she even basically admits as much later in the book. And ofcourse then Takashi has to grovel and do everything he can to proof himself and apologize, while he didn't do anything wrong. I also didn't like how long it took to resolved this and how weird the relationship between them felt, but as soon as they resolve it they instantly fit back into the romance they had before. It was just weird. I hate to say it, but that part ruined the book for me and I couldn't go back to that state before this happened where I really enjoyed the book.
There also is a bit of a suspense side plot line if I can call it that. There is some vandalism, hacking attempts and more. It just felt like whenever was extra inconvenient for the characters something like this happened. There didn't seem a rhyme or reason behind it that made sense realistically, just whenever was bad for the characters. And even at the end when things get resolved and we find out who was behind it, it still didn't make sense to me. It was easy to guess who was behind it all, but I was thinking in a totally different direction for the motivation as a way to explain what happened. I thought the person's current motivation didn't fit the actions they took. It just felt like a convenient way for the author to bring some drama in the characters lives and the explanation didn't fit what happened well in my opinion.
Let's go have a look at one of the things I did really like about this book: the characters. Both main characters were likeable, they both had a clear personality, hobbies, habits etc to make them feel alive. I have to admit that I like Taskahi more than Mercedes, but that's mostly because of her behavior in the bump in their romance as I mentioned beforehand. Takashi was so sweet and caring, always coming up with surprises and gifts for Mercedes and going out of his way to show how much he cares. And I liked seeing Mercedes slowly letting down her walls and letting him in. I do wish at times we would get an even closer and more in depth look at their emotions, there was something with Mercedes her arm and I didn't even realize how big of a deal it was to her until she told Takashi.
Then there were the side characters. There are quite a few side characters, but it was easy to remember who was who. And you can easily spot some of the pairings for future books. I like how much the side characters were part of this story and I hope that continues to be the case in future books. I liked Narissa and I am curious for her story. And then there's Shira, I am really looking forward to her story as it will be great for her to find happiness after what she's gone through. We get a less good feel for the guys, but that makes sense given how Mercedes is good friends with the two women, so we see most of them. Then there is Takashi's family, Takashi's ex who makes an appearance and some other side characters at places they work or visit.
There are some parts of the book that take place in game, which was fun. I liked the game aspect, I just would've liked a bit more of it. Early in the book it's quite high on the game scenes, but later on it's more out of game scenes. I also would've liked to learn more about the game and how some things worked in game and with the virtual reality thing. But maybe that will come in future books. There also were a few things game related that didn't make sense to me.
Besides the game there is also the out-of-game world building. As this book is set in the future, the year 2117 or so I think, there are some differences with the current time. Although for how far in the future it was, I thought the world was surprisingly similar and we don't see as much of the differences and what has changed. There ofcourse is the virtual reality game, which is much more advanced than what we have now, there are cybernetics, they also have self driving cars and everyone has a very handy personal AI, but those four things are what we see most of. I liked the AI's and how they all had their own personality. We mostly meet Tasha, Mercedes her AI and Ochi, Taskahi's AI, I liked both of them. I wouldn't have minded a more sci-fi feel and more futuristic technology, but like I said before it does make it accessible for those who aren't big scifi fans.
To summarize: I love the concept for this series with the scifi and games elements and I am glad I picked this one up. It's quite light on both the scifi and gamer aspects, which makes the book accessible for those who aren't big scifi readers, but I personally would've liked to see a bit more of those. I liked the friends to lovers romance between Takashi and Mercedes and I liked seeing them grow closer. Taskahi was so sweet and I liked seeing Mercedes slowly open her heart and lower her walls. There is a bump in their relationship or what I call the obligatory break-up scene that didn't work for me at all. I didn't like how everyone blamed Takashi while it wasn't his fault and how Mercedes jumped to conclusions because of her insecurities and didn't give Taskahi the benefit of the doubt. Then it was all up to Takahi to grovel and fit it, which I didn't like as the focus seemed way too much on him having to do everything. He was awesome about it tough and handled it well. There also is a sort of suspense plot line involving hacking attempts and vandalism, which I didn't care for. It just seemed to pop up when inconvenient for the characters and then fade to the background again. I also thought the motivation from the antagonist who was behind it didn't fit the actions, it just didn't make sense to me. I liked the main characters and the large group of side characters. I am really curious about Narissa and Shira's stories and already have a guess of whose stories might be next after that. I liked the scifi and gamer aspects, but would've liked a bit more focus on it and see more world building both in and out of game.
While this book is marketed as a scifi gamer romance it is actually quite light on both the scifi and gamer aspects. If you enjoy a good friends to lovers contemporary romance and don't mind some futuristic tech I think you might enjoy it. I think it's very accessible to those who aren't big scifi readers, which is great. I personally would've loved to have more scifi aspects and more about the game in this book though.
Spellbinding His Ranger follows the story of Takashi and Mercedes. The two have been friends for a long time and met through a virtual massively multiplayer online game. They are great friends and they both wish they could become more, but they're afraid to lose what they have. I love friends to lover stories and the author handled it so well. There was the doubt on both sides on whether to take their relationship further, then that slow progression where they grow even slower and then the resulting romance. I liked how these two already knew each other very well and that only helped them as they progressed into romance territory.
There were some small things about the romance that didn't work as well for me. I thought the focus was very much on Takashi wooing Mercedes and rarely anything the other way around, except for her dressing up nicely. And later when they hit a bump in their relationship it is again up to Takashi to grovel and make things right, even though he didn't do anything wrong. I think that's what bothers me most, he didn't do anything wrong, but everyone (even his family) still blamed him. I thought it was really unfair and didn't make sense. I guess it's because of his personality that he took the blame and he didn't blame Mercedes for what happened, but everyone blamed him, while neither of them was to blame. It really rubbed me wrong.
While I am on the topic of the big bump in their romance, that's probably the thing that bothered me the most of this book. I was really enjoying the book up till then. I just knew this was going to be a solid 4 star read and then we hit that bump, the romance drama, the obligatory break-up scene. I really hate badly done obligatory break-up scenes and this one fit that mark. I don't want to give too many details away, but I thought it was unrealistic and out of character how they responded, especially Mercedes. It also is something that could've been so easily solved if they had tried this one other obvious method they only think of after the damage is done.
I know Merecedes has some self esteem issues and I didn't blame her for doubting for a bit, but she didn't even worry about Takashi or give her friend of multiple years the benefit of the doubt. I thought that was just very rude on her part and I also thought it was out of character, she even basically admits as much later in the book. And ofcourse then Takashi has to grovel and do everything he can to proof himself and apologize, while he didn't do anything wrong. I also didn't like how long it took to resolved this and how weird the relationship between them felt, but as soon as they resolve it they instantly fit back into the romance they had before. It was just weird. I hate to say it, but that part ruined the book for me and I couldn't go back to that state before this happened where I really enjoyed the book.
There also is a bit of a suspense side plot line if I can call it that. There is some vandalism, hacking attempts and more. It just felt like whenever was extra inconvenient for the characters something like this happened. There didn't seem a rhyme or reason behind it that made sense realistically, just whenever was bad for the characters. And even at the end when things get resolved and we find out who was behind it, it still didn't make sense to me. It was easy to guess who was behind it all, but I was thinking in a totally different direction for the motivation as a way to explain what happened. I thought the person's current motivation didn't fit the actions they took. It just felt like a convenient way for the author to bring some drama in the characters lives and the explanation didn't fit what happened well in my opinion.
Let's go have a look at one of the things I did really like about this book: the characters. Both main characters were likeable, they both had a clear personality, hobbies, habits etc to make them feel alive. I have to admit that I like Taskahi more than Mercedes, but that's mostly because of her behavior in the bump in their romance as I mentioned beforehand. Takashi was so sweet and caring, always coming up with surprises and gifts for Mercedes and going out of his way to show how much he cares. And I liked seeing Mercedes slowly letting down her walls and letting him in. I do wish at times we would get an even closer and more in depth look at their emotions, there was something with Mercedes her arm and I didn't even realize how big of a deal it was to her until she told Takashi.
Then there were the side characters. There are quite a few side characters, but it was easy to remember who was who. And you can easily spot some of the pairings for future books. I like how much the side characters were part of this story and I hope that continues to be the case in future books. I liked Narissa and I am curious for her story. And then there's Shira, I am really looking forward to her story as it will be great for her to find happiness after what she's gone through. We get a less good feel for the guys, but that makes sense given how Mercedes is good friends with the two women, so we see most of them. Then there is Takashi's family, Takashi's ex who makes an appearance and some other side characters at places they work or visit.
There are some parts of the book that take place in game, which was fun. I liked the game aspect, I just would've liked a bit more of it. Early in the book it's quite high on the game scenes, but later on it's more out of game scenes. I also would've liked to learn more about the game and how some things worked in game and with the virtual reality thing. But maybe that will come in future books. There also were a few things game related that didn't make sense to me.
Besides the game there is also the out-of-game world building. As this book is set in the future, the year 2117 or so I think, there are some differences with the current time. Although for how far in the future it was, I thought the world was surprisingly similar and we don't see as much of the differences and what has changed. There ofcourse is the virtual reality game, which is much more advanced than what we have now, there are cybernetics, they also have self driving cars and everyone has a very handy personal AI, but those four things are what we see most of. I liked the AI's and how they all had their own personality. We mostly meet Tasha, Mercedes her AI and Ochi, Taskahi's AI, I liked both of them. I wouldn't have minded a more sci-fi feel and more futuristic technology, but like I said before it does make it accessible for those who aren't big scifi fans.
To summarize: I love the concept for this series with the scifi and games elements and I am glad I picked this one up. It's quite light on both the scifi and gamer aspects, which makes the book accessible for those who aren't big scifi readers, but I personally would've liked to see a bit more of those. I liked the friends to lovers romance between Takashi and Mercedes and I liked seeing them grow closer. Taskahi was so sweet and I liked seeing Mercedes slowly open her heart and lower her walls. There is a bump in their relationship or what I call the obligatory break-up scene that didn't work for me at all. I didn't like how everyone blamed Takashi while it wasn't his fault and how Mercedes jumped to conclusions because of her insecurities and didn't give Taskahi the benefit of the doubt. Then it was all up to Takahi to grovel and fit it, which I didn't like as the focus seemed way too much on him having to do everything. He was awesome about it tough and handled it well. There also is a sort of suspense plot line involving hacking attempts and vandalism, which I didn't care for. It just seemed to pop up when inconvenient for the characters and then fade to the background again. I also thought the motivation from the antagonist who was behind it didn't fit the actions, it just didn't make sense to me. I liked the main characters and the large group of side characters. I am really curious about Narissa and Shira's stories and already have a guess of whose stories might be next after that. I liked the scifi and gamer aspects, but would've liked a bit more focus on it and see more world building both in and out of game.
June 16, 2018
Mercedes loves fixing cars with her father and their employees in her family shop, but even she needs a little bit of downtime with friends. She spends most of her free time in an MMO with her guildmates, and they go on crazy adventures together. One of her closest friends is her guildmate Takashi. Mercedes wants to give up on love, as the 7 dates she’s had in the past 5 months have ended after the first date, stood her up, or flat-out admitted that they don’t date people with cybernetic. She believes that no one will be able to look past her arm and actually see her. Takashi wants to show her that he can and that her arm doesn’t mean she isn’t able to be loved completely. Can Mercedes learn to trust him?
I love LitRPG, but I have never read a LitRPG novel with a plot focused on actual romance. The romance kept me interested in the story when the RPG portions started to die down from time to time. Then, when the romance got to be a bit much, I was able to see Mercedes chatting in-game with her friends or questing with Takashi for fun. This type of plot kept me engaged throughout the story, and I read the whole 500 e-page story in about two sittings.
Also, I liked the fact that this book was on the longer side! I hate romances where it seems that the two almost immediately go from being friends to being lovers. The length of this book allowed for the two to really be able to learn about each other’s personalities and lives. Some of my favorite scenes were Mercedes and Takashi just sitting and talking to each other, telling stories about their lives.
The character development and description in this novel were crazy. I loved reading about the different friends that Mercedes and Takashi had, and I even enjoyed hearing about Mercedes’ employees! Most of the time I was focusing on their growth just as much as the main characters. Pemrick truly pays attention to everyone in her stories, and no one was just thrown to the side as a “side character.”
The world-building was also incredible. Little details such as the history of the destruction caused by one boy’s girlfriend in Mercedes’ shop, Mercedes’ advanced AI in her car named Tasha, and the kind owner of a restaurant that Mercedes’ frequents come together to form a very detailed and unique world. I wanted to visit it as I was reading it, just to spend some time in the game and ride around in a car with a virtual personal assistant in real life.
There were no editing errors that I noticed in my advance copy, which meant that no small errors removed me from the story.
I saw that this book is one in a series, and I can’t wait to read the next story! I hope it focuses on one of Mercedes’ friends and their love lives.
I would recommend this book to lovers of romance, LitRPG, or both. If you are also into science-fiction/fantasy, this book does take place in the future with a lot of new technology and it might interest you.
I received an advance copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.
I love LitRPG, but I have never read a LitRPG novel with a plot focused on actual romance. The romance kept me interested in the story when the RPG portions started to die down from time to time. Then, when the romance got to be a bit much, I was able to see Mercedes chatting in-game with her friends or questing with Takashi for fun. This type of plot kept me engaged throughout the story, and I read the whole 500 e-page story in about two sittings.
Also, I liked the fact that this book was on the longer side! I hate romances where it seems that the two almost immediately go from being friends to being lovers. The length of this book allowed for the two to really be able to learn about each other’s personalities and lives. Some of my favorite scenes were Mercedes and Takashi just sitting and talking to each other, telling stories about their lives.
The character development and description in this novel were crazy. I loved reading about the different friends that Mercedes and Takashi had, and I even enjoyed hearing about Mercedes’ employees! Most of the time I was focusing on their growth just as much as the main characters. Pemrick truly pays attention to everyone in her stories, and no one was just thrown to the side as a “side character.”
The world-building was also incredible. Little details such as the history of the destruction caused by one boy’s girlfriend in Mercedes’ shop, Mercedes’ advanced AI in her car named Tasha, and the kind owner of a restaurant that Mercedes’ frequents come together to form a very detailed and unique world. I wanted to visit it as I was reading it, just to spend some time in the game and ride around in a car with a virtual personal assistant in real life.
There were no editing errors that I noticed in my advance copy, which meant that no small errors removed me from the story.
I saw that this book is one in a series, and I can’t wait to read the next story! I hope it focuses on one of Mercedes’ friends and their love lives.
I would recommend this book to lovers of romance, LitRPG, or both. If you are also into science-fiction/fantasy, this book does take place in the future with a lot of new technology and it might interest you.
I received an advance copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.
July 11, 2018
** I voluntarily reviewed Spellbinding His Ranger after receiving a free copy. This is my complete and honest opinion. **
*** This review will not include any spoilers. ***
Spellbinding His Ranger is a solid 5-star book!
Think, Cinder meets Ready Player One meets softcore erotica and you get Spellbinding His Ranger.
Mercedes is a grease-head, nerd. You can almost always find her one of two places... her father's car shop or online in a role-playing game. Mercedes has all but given up on love and prefers her online friends over making new ones. She has not gotten past the first date in the past five years and has been stood up more times than she can count. Life has been hard for Mercedes and having a cybernetic limb does not help matters. After losing her mother at a young age, both Mercedes and her father encountered a traumatic event. This changes both their lives.
Mercedes has met most of her cyber friends in person, except for the one she wishes to meet the most. This story is about the future where cybernetics is necessary, online play is virtual and love can be right in front of you if you just open your heart, mind, and soul, oh and listen to the advice of your closest friends.
I loved Spellbinding His Ranger! So much that I will be getting the rest of the books in this series asap!
Mercedes is strong and confident but has a hidden self-esteem problem. She was so well put together. Takashi is the strong sexy type. But has the nerd persona down pat. He is the man you want to compare all of your present and future partners to. Narissa, Ajax, Shira, Jasper, and Zach are amazing secondary characters. And I hope that each one gets to be in the spotlight of their own books. All of the characters were extremely well developed.
The futuristic world that Shannon Pemrick created was beautiful, exciting and made me want to skip past the present and jump right into it.
I very much enjoyed that the book was only from two perspectives, Mercedes and Takashi. It made for a such a seamless read that you just didn't want to put the book down.
I am one of those people who doesn't particularly like suspense novels or movies... I find almost ALL of them predictable and it ruins the read. However, Spellbinding His Ranger kept me on my toes. I would guess at the next climax and miss. That right there is a breath of fresh air.
Now I will make it clear, this book was not perfect. Unfortunately, it really needed to go through another edit. There were a large number of grammatical errors and misspelled words, extra words, and completely incorrect words. But that did not deter me away from my LOVE of this book.
Bottom line... I love his book and Shannon Pemrick is not on my author watch list!
*** This review will not include any spoilers. ***
Spellbinding His Ranger is a solid 5-star book!
Think, Cinder meets Ready Player One meets softcore erotica and you get Spellbinding His Ranger.
Mercedes is a grease-head, nerd. You can almost always find her one of two places... her father's car shop or online in a role-playing game. Mercedes has all but given up on love and prefers her online friends over making new ones. She has not gotten past the first date in the past five years and has been stood up more times than she can count. Life has been hard for Mercedes and having a cybernetic limb does not help matters. After losing her mother at a young age, both Mercedes and her father encountered a traumatic event. This changes both their lives.
Mercedes has met most of her cyber friends in person, except for the one she wishes to meet the most. This story is about the future where cybernetics is necessary, online play is virtual and love can be right in front of you if you just open your heart, mind, and soul, oh and listen to the advice of your closest friends.
I loved Spellbinding His Ranger! So much that I will be getting the rest of the books in this series asap!
Mercedes is strong and confident but has a hidden self-esteem problem. She was so well put together. Takashi is the strong sexy type. But has the nerd persona down pat. He is the man you want to compare all of your present and future partners to. Narissa, Ajax, Shira, Jasper, and Zach are amazing secondary characters. And I hope that each one gets to be in the spotlight of their own books. All of the characters were extremely well developed.
The futuristic world that Shannon Pemrick created was beautiful, exciting and made me want to skip past the present and jump right into it.
I very much enjoyed that the book was only from two perspectives, Mercedes and Takashi. It made for a such a seamless read that you just didn't want to put the book down.
I am one of those people who doesn't particularly like suspense novels or movies... I find almost ALL of them predictable and it ruins the read. However, Spellbinding His Ranger kept me on my toes. I would guess at the next climax and miss. That right there is a breath of fresh air.
Now I will make it clear, this book was not perfect. Unfortunately, it really needed to go through another edit. There were a large number of grammatical errors and misspelled words, extra words, and completely incorrect words. But that did not deter me away from my LOVE of this book.
Bottom line... I love his book and Shannon Pemrick is not on my author watch list!
July 6, 2018
When I first saw Shannon Pemrick’s Spellbinding His Ranger (Looking For Group, Book 1) I got all excited because (a) I’ve read other books by this author so I knew the quality would be top-notch (just try the addictively wonderful Experimental Heart series and you’ll see what I mean) and (b) the tagline “A Sci-Fi Gamer Friends-to-Lovers Romance” was particularly appealing as I’m a gamer and thought this would be a fun LitRPG novel. Well, I was almost totally wrong about the latter as this is not LitRPG even though the characters do at times do things in a virtual reality MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). Instead it’s a fantastic scifi tale set in a near future (early 22nd century) that probably has the most genuine feel of any near future tale I’ve ever read. It’s also, primarily, a pretty darn wonderful romance story with absolutely perfect lead characters that again feel totally genuine, and supported by a totally genuine cast. There’s also an element of mystery/suspense (hacking and arson incidents) but this is really just well-done background that doesn’t drown out the main storyline. I loved this tale and am hugely frankly upset that book 2 isn’t yet available. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises - the book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.
July 14, 2018
A beautifully developed LitRPG, Spellbinding His Ranger is everything you didn’t know you needed. It is a novel headed by a strong female lead, accompanied by an eclectic cast of secondary characters, with a romance with real chemistry, and enough culture references to please any nerd.
First and foremost, Mercedes is a powerful female lead. It is difficult not to like her. Not only is she intelligent, independent, and loving, she is flawed. To some, she would be considered disabled with her bionic arm. While she doesn’t let this ruin her life, it does give her some trouble, particularly with how others perceive her. That doesn’t stop the hero from loving her. The hero himself is a perfect match for his heroine with his intelligent, open mind, and a big heart and should be commended for encapsulating nontoxic masculinity.
The rest of the cast is equally as dynamic as the heroine. The inclusion and representation of multiple subjects are weaved in subtly rather than throwing it in the reader’s face. The characters are racially, sexually, and abley diverse but it flows seamlessly with the story.
The nerdy aspect completes this novel perfectly. For those who know and understand all the jargon specific to the nerd culture may find the author’s explanation of said jargon can be long winded and tedious and unnecessary but others may appreciate the education.
Overall, Spellbinding His Ranger is the powerfully perfect LitRPG romance that we all have been waiting for.
First and foremost, Mercedes is a powerful female lead. It is difficult not to like her. Not only is she intelligent, independent, and loving, she is flawed. To some, she would be considered disabled with her bionic arm. While she doesn’t let this ruin her life, it does give her some trouble, particularly with how others perceive her. That doesn’t stop the hero from loving her. The hero himself is a perfect match for his heroine with his intelligent, open mind, and a big heart and should be commended for encapsulating nontoxic masculinity.
The rest of the cast is equally as dynamic as the heroine. The inclusion and representation of multiple subjects are weaved in subtly rather than throwing it in the reader’s face. The characters are racially, sexually, and abley diverse but it flows seamlessly with the story.
The nerdy aspect completes this novel perfectly. For those who know and understand all the jargon specific to the nerd culture may find the author’s explanation of said jargon can be long winded and tedious and unnecessary but others may appreciate the education.
Overall, Spellbinding His Ranger is the powerfully perfect LitRPG romance that we all have been waiting for.
June 3, 2022
Well I have to say that I am really glad that I read Summoning their Elementalist first instead of this book first. If I had read this one first... I'm not sure I would have continued to read the series or even another book by this author... I loved reading the Elementalist books enormously. I loved everything about them... this book... not so much.
My main problem with this book is Mercedes. I couldn't really stand her. I didn't like all the flip flopping back and forth she did. I also really hated how she treated Takashi when there was a misunderstanding between them. She treated him like it was all his fault and that he did it on purpose. When he showed her proof that it was the farthest thing from the truth she still didn't believe him and wouldn't talk to him. He was bending over backwards trying to connect with her and tell her what happened and she couldn't even give him the time of day. It really made me sick. And then when she finally decides to believe what he is telling her and decides he has groveled enough (even though it wasn't his fault) she just jumps right back into things like nothing happened... Bitch please! She needs to be bitch slapped and get some sense knocked into her head!
I really enjoyed the last two books in this series and I am hoping that I will enjoy the next one in the series more then I enjoyed this one.
My main problem with this book is Mercedes. I couldn't really stand her. I didn't like all the flip flopping back and forth she did. I also really hated how she treated Takashi when there was a misunderstanding between them. She treated him like it was all his fault and that he did it on purpose. When he showed her proof that it was the farthest thing from the truth she still didn't believe him and wouldn't talk to him. He was bending over backwards trying to connect with her and tell her what happened and she couldn't even give him the time of day. It really made me sick. And then when she finally decides to believe what he is telling her and decides he has groveled enough (even though it wasn't his fault) she just jumps right back into things like nothing happened... Bitch please! She needs to be bitch slapped and get some sense knocked into her head!
I really enjoyed the last two books in this series and I am hoping that I will enjoy the next one in the series more then I enjoyed this one.
February 17, 2019
Spellbinding
I had high expectations for this book, but of course it didn't meet my expectations. The story started out good, but I got frustrated because I was 50% percent or more into the book before the couple's romantic relationship got started. Then the author created a scenario that caused the couple to be apart; more frustration. For this story to take place in the future, and with the advance technology they had, I wonder why they could not figure out who the enemy was more quickly than they did. Also, the story was too predictable when it came to the enemy. "Spellbinding His Ranger," had great potential. It just didn't deliver.
I had high expectations for this book, but of course it didn't meet my expectations. The story started out good, but I got frustrated because I was 50% percent or more into the book before the couple's romantic relationship got started. Then the author created a scenario that caused the couple to be apart; more frustration. For this story to take place in the future, and with the advance technology they had, I wonder why they could not figure out who the enemy was more quickly than they did. Also, the story was too predictable when it came to the enemy. "Spellbinding His Ranger," had great potential. It just didn't deliver.
July 8, 2018
Mercedes lives to restore cars and VR gaming. After a terrible accident leaves her with a prosthetic arm and several douche bag dates who are too immature, her self worth is at an all time low. Takashi is her gaming buddy and friend who wants more. Much drama and excitement ensues in this awesome story. All of the characters are engaging and hilarious. The plot sucked me in from the beginning and I can't wait to see what in the world comes next!!
I was gifted an ARC in return of an honest review.
I was gifted an ARC in return of an honest review.
July 15, 2018
Spellbinding His Ranger is a fantastic futuristic sci-fi romance revolving around a gaming community. Im not into the sci-fi genre and into gaming so i was a bit sceptical about reading this book as i was worried that i wouldnt be able to relate to the story or the gaming terminology ......but surprise, surprise!! I enjoyed the story found it well written, loved the characters, loved the authors vision of the future and the technology portrayed.
Im looking forward to reading more from Shannon Pemrick.
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book.
Im looking forward to reading more from Shannon Pemrick.
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book.
June 18, 2018
This is not my usual read. However, the lifestyle of Mercedes drew me in and I found it was nice to read about an average/normal person and her adventures and romance. I found it to be a most enjoyable read.
April 21, 2022
What an interesting story. Different for me and worth the time to read. Mercedes is one of a kind. She loves working with cars and enjoys VR Gaming. Obviously things aren’t always peaceful. A book not not to be missed.
August 15, 2018
An unusual story where on-line gaming seems to be an acceptable reality.
February 7, 2022
3++. Great story. I really enjoyed it. All the ends got tied up very quickly at the end, but it worked out okay.
August 9, 2019
This book took me by surprise and I could not put it down!
The future is all about cybernetics and VMMORPG through a virtual game that feels like real life. Mercedes is all about cars and gaming but her love life is a disaster. Takashi’s life is his auction business set in the gaming world but also his best friend Mercedes! When he realises she means more to him than just friends, will he be able to convince her to give him a chance?
This is a story about love and hardship! I was gripped by this new world and read this book in one sitting. I am eager to read the next book in the series and more from this author!
The future is all about cybernetics and VMMORPG through a virtual game that feels like real life. Mercedes is all about cars and gaming but her love life is a disaster. Takashi’s life is his auction business set in the gaming world but also his best friend Mercedes! When he realises she means more to him than just friends, will he be able to convince her to give him a chance?
This is a story about love and hardship! I was gripped by this new world and read this book in one sitting. I am eager to read the next book in the series and more from this author!
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