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Corviticus University #1
Corviticus University
New life? Check.
Road to a career? Check.
Housemates? Check.
Can you keep your hands off them? Undetermined.
I wasn’t expecting my new housemates to be as hot and sexy as they are. And it’s going to be a struggle to stick to my personal rules of no sexual relationships with them. They’re all so tempting, sweet, and funny. Well, except for one.
Yep, definitely hard.
And with their help, I’ll learn to manage my mischief magic. No more flying, honking vibrators for me.
But questions rise when more powers surface for me, and it’s obvious I’m not just your average pixie halfling.
Can we find answers together? And can I stick to my personal rules of friends only?
Please note this is a mature reverse harem, slow/medium burn. Intended for audiences 18+
Road to a career? Check.
Housemates? Check.
Can you keep your hands off them? Undetermined.
I wasn’t expecting my new housemates to be as hot and sexy as they are. And it’s going to be a struggle to stick to my personal rules of no sexual relationships with them. They’re all so tempting, sweet, and funny. Well, except for one.
Yep, definitely hard.
And with their help, I’ll learn to manage my mischief magic. No more flying, honking vibrators for me.
But questions rise when more powers surface for me, and it’s obvious I’m not just your average pixie halfling.
Can we find answers together? And can I stick to my personal rules of friends only?
Please note this is a mature reverse harem, slow/medium burn. Intended for audiences 18+
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2019
954 people are currently reading
1278 people want to read
About the author
J.E. Cluney
101 books292 followersJ.E. Cluney is a full-time author who lives on the Sunshine Coast in Australia. She spends her days writing, binging on TV shows, and reading. With a slight addiction to chocolate to fuel her midnight writing.
J.E. Cluney has many projects lined up in the reverse harem genre, and her best-selling series, 'Corviticus University' is only one of many.
J.E. Cluney has many projects lined up in the reverse harem genre, and her best-selling series, 'Corviticus University' is only one of many.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 250 reviews
August 5, 2019
This book.. was really hard for me to get into. Ugh, wine wasn't making me like it.. food wasn't either. YET, I'm somehow still didn't DNF this thing. No idea how I made it through this.. but I deserve an award.
Corviticus University was weird. Just plain weird to me. I thought it was going to be interesting to see different shifters in this RH than I'm used to. Mostly because it's set in Australia and I rarely read anything that's set there. So, yeah, I was intrigued.. yet this book was just so boring. I honestly have no idea if anything really happened in this thing because I was just drowning in wine yesterday. Well, not drowning.. because I'm alive today but still.. lots of wine was consumed.
Other than that the characters were kind of the normal ones you find in RH's. Or maybe I've just read way too many of them to even be fazed anymore. In this, you will meet Allison. She's a pretty special mutt in a way - half pixie and half werewolf. No idea how that happened but I was down. She goes to this college and finds out that her roommates are delicious man whores. Everything is fine and dandy because she likes them. Their relationships/friendships were okay but nothing that really stuck out to me ya know?
Besides that, I have no desire to dive into the next book. I hate leaving series unfinished but ugh, I just can't. Maybe in another lifetime.
Corviticus University was weird. Just plain weird to me. I thought it was going to be interesting to see different shifters in this RH than I'm used to. Mostly because it's set in Australia and I rarely read anything that's set there. So, yeah, I was intrigued.. yet this book was just so boring. I honestly have no idea if anything really happened in this thing because I was just drowning in wine yesterday. Well, not drowning.. because I'm alive today but still.. lots of wine was consumed.
Other than that the characters were kind of the normal ones you find in RH's. Or maybe I've just read way too many of them to even be fazed anymore. In this, you will meet Allison. She's a pretty special mutt in a way - half pixie and half werewolf. No idea how that happened but I was down. She goes to this college and finds out that her roommates are delicious man whores. Everything is fine and dandy because she likes them. Their relationships/friendships were okay but nothing that really stuck out to me ya know?
Besides that, I have no desire to dive into the next book. I hate leaving series unfinished but ugh, I just can't. Maybe in another lifetime.
August 21, 2019
All right so this has an interesting premise but its hidden under a lot of extra stuff that wasn't really all that entertaining. So it kind of drug out for quite a while with the reader not really having a clear direction of where it was heading. It it obvious by the end of the story that there is something underlying going on but the details were so vague, I'm sure meant to be teasers and clues but they just didn't grab me.. like maybe there just wasn't enough bait on the line. I will say the character dynamic in this was pretty interesting and original with multiple characters being bisexual and one magician even able to change his sex at will. I haven't ran into that before so that put an interesting spin on the RH aspect. Character wise, honestly, I'm not a huge fan of the FMC, I think maybe she is just a little too.. Reactive to the story granted she has been through a lot, she is just kind of mousey in my head which isn't my favorite type of heroine.
Allison, our FMC, is just arriving to town in order to attend university. With barely any knowledge about supernaturals due to a super abusive aunt and her aunt's boyfriends, Allison is fresh off the block. Moving in with her new roommates who happen to be a variety of supernatural dudes is eye awakening for her. As she learns more about her dual nature, being half werewolf and half pixie Allison also comes across information that paints even more shadows across her already tragic past. Not only are her powers out of control every now and then but now she has come up bonded to one of her room mates on accident.
It took a while for this to get into the thick of the story and honestly I'd almost say we still aren't quite there. I feel like the guys have some interesting stories here but that this book was an entire book of either explaining the supernatural world or telling the FMC that it wasn't "their" story to tell type scenario creating an entire back and forth drag out.. Not sure if I'll be giving book 2 a try at this point.
Allison, our FMC, is just arriving to town in order to attend university. With barely any knowledge about supernaturals due to a super abusive aunt and her aunt's boyfriends, Allison is fresh off the block. Moving in with her new roommates who happen to be a variety of supernatural dudes is eye awakening for her. As she learns more about her dual nature, being half werewolf and half pixie Allison also comes across information that paints even more shadows across her already tragic past. Not only are her powers out of control every now and then but now she has come up bonded to one of her room mates on accident.
It took a while for this to get into the thick of the story and honestly I'd almost say we still aren't quite there. I feel like the guys have some interesting stories here but that this book was an entire book of either explaining the supernatural world or telling the FMC that it wasn't "their" story to tell type scenario creating an entire back and forth drag out.. Not sure if I'll be giving book 2 a try at this point.
July 27, 2020
I usually prefer books with high school characters but I liked this one sooo much! Love the plot, the character and that it is set in Australia with shifters that I've never seen in RH books , like koalas and dingos. ! I really need the next book ASAP!
November 26, 2019
This is another case of a really intriguing story concept but the books was released without having the necessary story work done that is an recurring problem for self published authors. This is a paranormal reverse harem romance with an interesting twist on M/M bi/transsexual (personally not my thing but an interesting and novel approach, so while I wouldn't ding them for this (for it not being my thing) I will give them extra credit for their novel approach).
Minor spoilers ahead. There are some things about the story that don't make a ton of sense. The FMC comes from a family that tamped down her powers so she knows a little about how to use them and wasn't taught about the super natural community. There is talk about how all supes have to go to social schools, how social services awarded custody of her to her aunt, how regulated the supe community is, and how her aunt's action towards her education and power were illegal but no one in the supe community stepped in. This isn't presented as it was a big cover up or her aunt had money and bribed people to look the other way, it is just one of many inconsistencies in the story and world building.
Another is that the FMC was horribly abused by men growing up, so much so that she is freaked out to talk to a particular male because of her fear of males, yet she chooses to.move into a house of four men she doesn't know. Cluney should have either done something to say FMC only has issues with a particular type of male is by describing her uncles and saying whenever I see a guy wearing x or who Drinks y beer or who wears z cologne I feel the panic rise up and my mischief magic goes haywire. Or, conversely, Clunky could set up the living situation as one the FMC has to take, her acceptance came late, all of the housing is booked up, her current plan is having to live in her car, then the registrar calls and says something has opened up. In a fit of relief she says yes without getting any more of the details then shows up to see it is a house full of guys. Then you could have FMC battling with her conditioned response of being nervous around guys at odds with a sense of them not being a danger and she can relax around them, a weird intuition she has never had around any guy before, even her two exes.
Then there is the fact that everything happens way too fast. Within 24 hours she fits right in and is a part of them. They are her guys and she is one of them. They are all immediately in love with each other and can't imagine not being in each other's lives. There is no talk of fated mates in this series, although I think that is going to be the general conclusion based on some of the things that happen, but there should still be some resistance that is true to the characters and some getting to know you and settling in period.
There are also a lot of continuity errors in that something will happen. A will tell B or think to themselves that isn't my story to tell C will share that when they are ready, then a few paragraphs or pages later A tells everything, and not in a we are going to die if I don't share this now or B and 's relationship will be forever ruined if B doesn't have this information now. This happens multiple.times with multiple combinations of characters.
At times the writing can be a little choppy and flit off of a topic or throw something in in a little bit of an ADD manner. Clue just needs to work.on the scene transitions and building the scene a little.more. There are some really good scenes and plot points but the reader doesn't live in that world that is in your head, you have to paint it for them and walk them through it.
I might be blurring a little into boom two on this next point but there are times where I find myself thinking wait? Why are you sharing this information? Shouldn't this be held back to protect FMC from discovery?
Larger spoiler that also may be from book 2: FMC's family on her dad's side. It doesn't make any sense that they did absolutely nothing to try and find her and stay in touch or at least keep up with how she was doing. Yes they were told she didn't want to see them, but it seems weird to care so much when they acted like a small, traumatized child was dead to them and never gave her a second though in the following decade.
It really isn't a final product yet but the story concept is interesting as are the characters, so I have read book 2 and will continue for now because I'm interested to find out what the FMC is, but I wish Clunky took more time to perfect and improve the book because if this was written better I would see being obsessed. The mild curiosity probably won't be enough to carry me past the reveal of what the FMC is considering the flaws in the writing. Again it is a really good concept, with good characters it just isn't a finished product ready for publication.
Minor spoilers ahead. There are some things about the story that don't make a ton of sense. The FMC comes from a family that tamped down her powers so she knows a little about how to use them and wasn't taught about the super natural community. There is talk about how all supes have to go to social schools, how social services awarded custody of her to her aunt, how regulated the supe community is, and how her aunt's action towards her education and power were illegal but no one in the supe community stepped in. This isn't presented as it was a big cover up or her aunt had money and bribed people to look the other way, it is just one of many inconsistencies in the story and world building.
Another is that the FMC was horribly abused by men growing up, so much so that she is freaked out to talk to a particular male because of her fear of males, yet she chooses to.move into a house of four men she doesn't know. Cluney should have either done something to say FMC only has issues with a particular type of male is by describing her uncles and saying whenever I see a guy wearing x or who Drinks y beer or who wears z cologne I feel the panic rise up and my mischief magic goes haywire. Or, conversely, Clunky could set up the living situation as one the FMC has to take, her acceptance came late, all of the housing is booked up, her current plan is having to live in her car, then the registrar calls and says something has opened up. In a fit of relief she says yes without getting any more of the details then shows up to see it is a house full of guys. Then you could have FMC battling with her conditioned response of being nervous around guys at odds with a sense of them not being a danger and she can relax around them, a weird intuition she has never had around any guy before, even her two exes.
Then there is the fact that everything happens way too fast. Within 24 hours she fits right in and is a part of them. They are her guys and she is one of them. They are all immediately in love with each other and can't imagine not being in each other's lives. There is no talk of fated mates in this series, although I think that is going to be the general conclusion based on some of the things that happen, but there should still be some resistance that is true to the characters and some getting to know you and settling in period.
There are also a lot of continuity errors in that something will happen. A will tell B or think to themselves that isn't my story to tell C will share that when they are ready, then a few paragraphs or pages later A tells everything, and not in a we are going to die if I don't share this now or B and 's relationship will be forever ruined if B doesn't have this information now. This happens multiple.times with multiple combinations of characters.
At times the writing can be a little choppy and flit off of a topic or throw something in in a little bit of an ADD manner. Clue just needs to work.on the scene transitions and building the scene a little.more. There are some really good scenes and plot points but the reader doesn't live in that world that is in your head, you have to paint it for them and walk them through it.
I might be blurring a little into boom two on this next point but there are times where I find myself thinking wait? Why are you sharing this information? Shouldn't this be held back to protect FMC from discovery?
Larger spoiler that also may be from book 2: FMC's family on her dad's side. It doesn't make any sense that they did absolutely nothing to try and find her and stay in touch or at least keep up with how she was doing. Yes they were told she didn't want to see them, but it seems weird to care so much when they acted like a small, traumatized child was dead to them and never gave her a second though in the following decade.
It really isn't a final product yet but the story concept is interesting as are the characters, so I have read book 2 and will continue for now because I'm interested to find out what the FMC is, but I wish Clunky took more time to perfect and improve the book because if this was written better I would see being obsessed. The mild curiosity probably won't be enough to carry me past the reveal of what the FMC is considering the flaws in the writing. Again it is a really good concept, with good characters it just isn't a finished product ready for publication.
December 6, 2025
2 ⭐️
Plot: Allison has lived a life sheltered from the supernatural community thanks to the aunt she lived with refusing to let her connect with other people like herself. Now enrolled at a university for supernaturals Allison finds herself living with 4 boys who she finds entirely too tempting. Can she keep to her self imposed hands off the roommates rule?
Tropes:
* found family
* supernatural creatures
* forced proximity (they all live in the one house?)
* mentor-mentee
Spice level 🌶️
One closed door MM and one open door FM scene, and everyone is a horn dog. I expect the series spice level will increase as the reverse harem kicks in.
Blue balls level 🫐 🫐 🫐
Character age range is 18-21 and they’re all horny af
Pros: the FMC, the 4 MMCs and side characters are all likeable; LGBTQIA+ rep; exploration of poverty and childhood emotional and physical abuse is handled sensitively.
Mids: there is no real plot and what paltry plot there is served to set up and promote the silent lusting; while the characters were overall likeable and everyone had a backstory, there was very little content to make me care about any of them.
Cons: Allison is very much the “I’m not like other girls” character. She says negative things about women several times in the book without backing it up with examples, just generic broad strokes unnecessary dislike for women, though not enough to make her truly unlikeable ‘. The writing style is very juvenile. Some of that is due to the age of the characters but a lot of it is due to the lack of depth to the characters and overall lack of plot.
Final words: read it if you’re interested to find out what a kangaroo penis looks like
Plot: Allison has lived a life sheltered from the supernatural community thanks to the aunt she lived with refusing to let her connect with other people like herself. Now enrolled at a university for supernaturals Allison finds herself living with 4 boys who she finds entirely too tempting. Can she keep to her self imposed hands off the roommates rule?
Tropes:
* found family
* supernatural creatures
* forced proximity (they all live in the one house?)
* mentor-mentee
Spice level 🌶️
One closed door MM and one open door FM scene, and everyone is a horn dog. I expect the series spice level will increase as the reverse harem kicks in.
Blue balls level 🫐 🫐 🫐
Character age range is 18-21 and they’re all horny af
Pros: the FMC, the 4 MMCs and side characters are all likeable; LGBTQIA+ rep; exploration of poverty and childhood emotional and physical abuse is handled sensitively.
Mids: there is no real plot and what paltry plot there is served to set up and promote the silent lusting; while the characters were overall likeable and everyone had a backstory, there was very little content to make me care about any of them.
Cons: Allison is very much the “I’m not like other girls” character. She says negative things about women several times in the book without backing it up with examples, just generic broad strokes unnecessary dislike for women, though not enough to make her truly unlikeable ‘. The writing style is very juvenile. Some of that is due to the age of the characters but a lot of it is due to the lack of depth to the characters and overall lack of plot.
Final words: read it if you’re interested to find out what a kangaroo penis looks like
January 23, 2024
I can’t with this book. DNF @ 59% I really don’t like the FMC! I normally don’t mind high school feeling type characters, however this freaking girl was annoying!
She didn’t want anyone to really know her backstory, but then kept bugging all these guys for their back stories! Like “why is so-so rude”, or “why does this guy not talk about his family”, or blah blah blah. She’s just freaking pestering them!
Just so freaking annoying. I really tried to push through, but the other reviews are right. Absolutely nothing has happened in this book so far. It’s been a span of just two days in the story, and nothing but her taking showers, and her pestering everyone has happened.
She didn’t want anyone to really know her backstory, but then kept bugging all these guys for their back stories! Like “why is so-so rude”, or “why does this guy not talk about his family”, or blah blah blah. She’s just freaking pestering them!
Just so freaking annoying. I really tried to push through, but the other reviews are right. Absolutely nothing has happened in this book so far. It’s been a span of just two days in the story, and nothing but her taking showers, and her pestering everyone has happened.
December 6, 2021
I’ve been having trouble focusing again, and having way too many ooh shiny moments with genres 😆
This one, was brought back to my attention recently and this time crack it open rather than leave it sitting in my TBR category again.
Upon opening it, the writing style was really clicking with me and I just kept reading, I can’t describe the relief of actually reading a book again rather than hitting the usual brick wall.
For a first book, it has a ‘let the reader get settled in’ type of vibe, its slow plot wise, but it’s a mid-mid fast pacing, but still very enjoyable.
And when the book was over, I immediately wanted to buy the the next book, and I will absolutely go for the box set! ☺️
I Give this Book a 4-4.5/5 Star Rating, Listing as 4.
Cliffhanger(?): Yes
Relationship Type: RH> Reverse Harem: Currently - MFMMM
M/M(?): Hinting 😃
Heat: 3-3.5/5
Romance: 2.5-3/5
Slow Burn(?): I personally enjoy slow burns, it is described to be one. As of right now, I’d say it looks it it is.
Pacing: Mid-Mid Fast
Drama: 3/5
Suspense: 3.5-4/5
This one, was brought back to my attention recently and this time crack it open rather than leave it sitting in my TBR category again.
Upon opening it, the writing style was really clicking with me and I just kept reading, I can’t describe the relief of actually reading a book again rather than hitting the usual brick wall.
For a first book, it has a ‘let the reader get settled in’ type of vibe, its slow plot wise, but it’s a mid-mid fast pacing, but still very enjoyable.
And when the book was over, I immediately wanted to buy the the next book, and I will absolutely go for the box set! ☺️
I Give this Book a 4-4.5/5 Star Rating, Listing as 4.
Cliffhanger(?): Yes
Relationship Type: RH> Reverse Harem: Currently - MFMMM
M/M(?): Hinting 😃
Heat: 3-3.5/5
Romance: 2.5-3/5
Slow Burn(?): I personally enjoy slow burns, it is described to be one. As of right now, I’d say it looks it it is.
Pacing: Mid-Mid Fast
Drama: 3/5
Suspense: 3.5-4/5
August 6, 2019
I am 54% into this book and literally nothing has happened. Nothing. The only thing that has happened is that the main character has moved to the house and went on a quick tour of the town with her roommates. That should not take 10 chapters. As of yet there is no main strife or conflict that the protagonist has to address. I'm not going to finish. If an author cannot hook me or even get me vaguely interested in a book in 10 chapters, then I am not going to further waste my time. This book wasn't bad and had ok editing but its overall slow pace and boring nature has me recommending a pass on this book. With so many RHs out there you can find a better one.
August 14, 2019
This book is pretty much just world building. It caught enough of my attention to want to move on to the next book to see where the story line is going. It could use a good editor for some flow issues.
I did have to use google often to figure out some of the words/slang, as I am not a reader of Aussie materials often. I had debated on moving on to book 2, but so far I am glad I did. The second book is a faster pace, with a nicer flowing story line.
I did have to use google often to figure out some of the words/slang, as I am not a reader of Aussie materials often. I had debated on moving on to book 2, but so far I am glad I did. The second book is a faster pace, with a nicer flowing story line.
December 11, 2020
I read up to 27% and even that was a struggle. I find this to be extremely boring. The story doesn't have anything happening to hold my interest or to make it even seem like it's going to get interesting. So, to be honest, I couldn't force myself to read anymore.😴
February 26, 2024
This is very slow and just kind of boring. Nothing is going on other than showering and going to different rooms of the house. So I'm gonna move on because this just makes me want to nap.
September 3, 2021
It was such a sweet and funny story! There are some dark themes such as abuse, but this book is really more hinting at what happened in the past and foreshadowing of the future. Somehow she was able to convey all of that yet but keep it light and sweet overall. The humor in this story is everything! Mischief magic run rampant!! I'm usually hesitant with university stories simply because there are so many, but this is different enough that it captured my attention. There is a lot more than just typical university problems at play and it's not as much about what happens at school more so school is just part of the story. If that makes sense 😊 . I won't lie, I did have a bit of trouble getting into it and I almost didn't finish it. There was a lot of world building in this book, but what kept me in it was the humor. I was laughing out loud- my husband thought I was crazy! I'm really glad I stuck with it because I'm currently enjoying the later books in the series.
Read
January 5, 2024Stopped at 134 for some reason lol can't remember when I read this though or why I stopped
July 11, 2024
I really enjoyed this book but the spelling errors really let it down. I loved the characters and the mystery surrounding all their pasts and how they became a house of misfits
March 15, 2023
Corviticus University by J.E. Cluney is an academy paranormal romance that I listened to on audio narrated by Allyson Voller and Les Horovitz. This is the first book in the Corviticus University series.
I am a little torn on this series if I am being honest. I just felt like a lot of information was given in this book to basically set up the entire series. It was a little slow and not much happened in this book. With that being said however, I did get hooked by the end and wanting to see how the relationships between Allison, Marcus, Oliver, Lucas, and Skip will grow over the course of the series. So, I will be grabbing book two when it gets released on audio.
Allyson and Les did a great job on the narration. I look forward to listening to more of their work in the future.
The Flock Team
I am a little torn on this series if I am being honest. I just felt like a lot of information was given in this book to basically set up the entire series. It was a little slow and not much happened in this book. With that being said however, I did get hooked by the end and wanting to see how the relationships between Allison, Marcus, Oliver, Lucas, and Skip will grow over the course of the series. So, I will be grabbing book two when it gets released on audio.
Allyson and Les did a great job on the narration. I look forward to listening to more of their work in the future.
The Flock Team
August 12, 2021
I found the concept fresh and interesting. Allison's mischief magic was hilarious and I suspected that cat from the start. There's an interesting question about Allison's abilities and what kind of supernatural being she really is, because she thinks she's a pixie wolf but that doesn't seem to be all she is. The mystery keeps things moving along.
I normally don't like characters who are so young (from seventeen to nineteen) but Ally and the guys don't act like typical kids their age, so it was easy to imagine they're in their mid- to late-20s even though they're all attending university. They all seemed quite mature and serious about school, even though Lucas does like to party.
Almost right away the guys know that Allison experienced some kind of physical abuse in the past and they're protective. The four of them -- even Marcus, who's so cold to Allison at the beginning -- are all Good Guys in the best sense of the word. There's no bullying in this RH book. They're all drawn to her from the beginning. Oliver strikes me as the weakest and most pathetic though, he's definitely not alpha. Lucas and Marcus are alpha, although Lucas is the kind who will smile and be friendly outwardly while inwardly assessing everything and keeping himself aloof and separate, while Marcus has no patience for all that and just stays away rather than try to be charming. Skip is an incorrigible flirt and I don't see much substance to him. By the end of the book I liked Marcus the most. Can't say I liked Skip the least, I felt like we didn't really get to know much about him, so I'd say I'm neutral about him.
The story is set in Australia and uses some Australian terms and slang. There's a glossary at the beginning (which I didn't realise because when you read an ebook, it tends to open at the prologue if there's one, or Chapter 1 if there isn't) but I wasn't thrown off too much by the Australianisms. However, I did have to look up "bee sting" because that's what Skip calls Allyson after he finds out she has a typical pixie sweet tooth and loves bee sting cake. Fortunately it's never shortened to "BS" lol. Lucas calls her "Cupcake", for similar reasons, and Marcus calls her "vampire bait", shortened to "VB", because he's a vamp and she's half fae (pixies are a type of fae), and fae blood calls to vamps, it's kinda like a vamp magnet. Strangely though, no other vamps on campus seem to notice her. Oliver doesn't have a special name for her.
I normally don't like characters who are so young (from seventeen to nineteen) but Ally and the guys don't act like typical kids their age, so it was easy to imagine they're in their mid- to late-20s even though they're all attending university. They all seemed quite mature and serious about school, even though Lucas does like to party.
Almost right away the guys know that Allison experienced some kind of physical abuse in the past and they're protective. The four of them -- even Marcus, who's so cold to Allison at the beginning -- are all Good Guys in the best sense of the word. There's no bullying in this RH book. They're all drawn to her from the beginning. Oliver strikes me as the weakest and most pathetic though, he's definitely not alpha. Lucas and Marcus are alpha, although Lucas is the kind who will smile and be friendly outwardly while inwardly assessing everything and keeping himself aloof and separate, while Marcus has no patience for all that and just stays away rather than try to be charming. Skip is an incorrigible flirt and I don't see much substance to him. By the end of the book I liked Marcus the most. Can't say I liked Skip the least, I felt like we didn't really get to know much about him, so I'd say I'm neutral about him.
The story is set in Australia and uses some Australian terms and slang. There's a glossary at the beginning (which I didn't realise because when you read an ebook, it tends to open at the prologue if there's one, or Chapter 1 if there isn't) but I wasn't thrown off too much by the Australianisms. However, I did have to look up "bee sting" because that's what Skip calls Allyson after he finds out she has a typical pixie sweet tooth and loves bee sting cake. Fortunately it's never shortened to "BS" lol. Lucas calls her "Cupcake", for similar reasons, and Marcus calls her "vampire bait", shortened to "VB", because he's a vamp and she's half fae (pixies are a type of fae), and fae blood calls to vamps, it's kinda like a vamp magnet. Strangely though, no other vamps on campus seem to notice her. Oliver doesn't have a special name for her.
June 17, 2024
This was a slow-paced listen that had some really fun elements. The juvenile, female lead has a lot going on, and most of the story is in her perspective.
Some of the things I enjoyed:
💠 Fresh start.
✨Fun roommate situation.
💠Found family.
✨University.
💠Female lead with a dark past (due to abuse).
✨ALL the supernaturals—even kangaroo shifters, pixies, etc.
💠Witty dialogue.
✨Seems to be a harem in the making.
💠There’s a bit of mystery.
✨A house full of 19-22 year-olds.
Loved the insertion of a glossary for non-Aussies, though all the words included are words which could be easily figured out by their spelling and context, or are commonly used here in the U.S. A cute concept that made me smile, even if it was mildly insulting. 😂
Overall:
A fun world that I enjoyed slipping into.
3.5 stars.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I listened to the audiobook—
The narrators were great. Their voices made for pleasant listening and the production overall is high-quality. I don’t recall any hiccups or disruptions or repeats, etc.
What I’d change:
The female narrator speaks incredibly slowly—I had to bump the speed up to 2.5 during her parts. But the male narrator did not speak slowly, so every time they switched, I had to fiddle with this to get it comfortable again. Not optimal, but in the grand scheme, not a big deal.
Some of the things I enjoyed:
💠 Fresh start.
✨Fun roommate situation.
💠Found family.
✨University.
💠Female lead with a dark past (due to abuse).
✨ALL the supernaturals—even kangaroo shifters, pixies, etc.
💠Witty dialogue.
✨Seems to be a harem in the making.
💠There’s a bit of mystery.
✨A house full of 19-22 year-olds.
Loved the insertion of a glossary for non-Aussies, though all the words included are words which could be easily figured out by their spelling and context, or are commonly used here in the U.S. A cute concept that made me smile, even if it was mildly insulting. 😂
Overall:
A fun world that I enjoyed slipping into.
3.5 stars.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I listened to the audiobook—
The narrators were great. Their voices made for pleasant listening and the production overall is high-quality. I don’t recall any hiccups or disruptions or repeats, etc.
What I’d change:
The female narrator speaks incredibly slowly—I had to bump the speed up to 2.5 during her parts. But the male narrator did not speak slowly, so every time they switched, I had to fiddle with this to get it comfortable again. Not optimal, but in the grand scheme, not a big deal.
June 11, 2023
The Good
1) Mischief magic is hilarious!
2) The guy's characterizations are distinctive.
3) The guy's backstories are intriguing.
4) Positive female friendship is introduced and developed.
5) Having Australian animal shifters was unique and interesting.
6) The one slice of smut was surprisingly well-written and engaging.
The Mediocre
1) Not a complete story, more like the first installment of a serial novel
2) Unfocused slice of life story structure
The Bad
1) Overall, the writing is technically poor and juvenile
2) Exact same information is often repeated within the same page and/or chapter
3) There are both world-building and narrative inconsistencies
4) The lead female tends towards self-involved, egocentric and meddlesome
5) The lead female's immediate feelings of affinity lacked substance and came off as lazy writing
6) The lead female often comes off as sex-obsessed as opposed to sex positive
7) The above becomes really cringey when certain parts of her background is revealed
8) The amount of nicknames and several of the nicknames themselves were idiotic
9) Sudden magical bond came off as contrived.
Male characters and their relationships are interesting enough for me to give the second book a shot.
1) Mischief magic is hilarious!
2) The guy's characterizations are distinctive.
3) The guy's backstories are intriguing.
4) Positive female friendship is introduced and developed.
5) Having Australian animal shifters was unique and interesting.
6) The one slice of smut was surprisingly well-written and engaging.
The Mediocre
1) Not a complete story, more like the first installment of a serial novel
2) Unfocused slice of life story structure
The Bad
1) Overall, the writing is technically poor and juvenile
2) Exact same information is often repeated within the same page and/or chapter
3) There are both world-building and narrative inconsistencies
4) The lead female tends towards self-involved, egocentric and meddlesome
5) The lead female's immediate feelings of affinity lacked substance and came off as lazy writing
6) The lead female often comes off as sex-obsessed as opposed to sex positive
7) The above becomes really cringey when certain parts of her background is revealed
8) The amount of nicknames and several of the nicknames themselves were idiotic
9) Sudden magical bond came off as contrived.
Male characters and their relationships are interesting enough for me to give the second book a shot.
December 30, 2020
The book was really good, the guys are sweet and wonderful. FMC is a strong independent woman, but...
WARNING there is MM, FF and kind of cheating in later books. One guy from the harem likes to change into a woman and has sex with the other guys from the harem. It's not cheating, per se, but it sure feels like it. As for the FF, the guy from the harem had sex with our FMC as a woman. It felt kind of forced, the FMC was weirded out about it. It's not exactly what I've expected, and I would like a warning next time. I don't like this type of books. So I stopped reading after book 3. But it's a shame because otherwise the book was interesting, and it was something else and new - wendigos, banshees, etc. I loved Marcus and Ollie and Emma. And can't forget the grandmother—she was hilarious!
WARNING there is MM, FF and kind of cheating in later books. One guy from the harem likes to change into a woman and has sex with the other guys from the harem. It's not cheating, per se, but it sure feels like it. As for the FF, the guy from the harem had sex with our FMC as a woman. It felt kind of forced, the FMC was weirded out about it. It's not exactly what I've expected, and I would like a warning next time. I don't like this type of books. So I stopped reading after book 3. But it's a shame because otherwise the book was interesting, and it was something else and new - wendigos, banshees, etc. I loved Marcus and Ollie and Emma. And can't forget the grandmother—she was hilarious!
August 23, 2019
DNF -quit at 11%
I had a hard time getting into this story, by the point I gave up, I was looking for other things to do besides read this story. The flow was very slow, maybe that was part of the problem for me. The slang used in the book for Australia was also small hiccup for me, since I didn't know what some of the slang meant, & couldn't be bothered to google it. The main characters were just blah, nothing exciting, nothing bad. Just nothing about it to really hold my attention or capture my interest.
At my age, life is to short & my time to important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.
I had a hard time getting into this story, by the point I gave up, I was looking for other things to do besides read this story. The flow was very slow, maybe that was part of the problem for me. The slang used in the book for Australia was also small hiccup for me, since I didn't know what some of the slang meant, & couldn't be bothered to google it. The main characters were just blah, nothing exciting, nothing bad. Just nothing about it to really hold my attention or capture my interest.
At my age, life is to short & my time to important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.
July 16, 2023
I DNF this one unfortunately. It has a decent premise but it was hard to get into. A lot of over explaining for insignificant things. It read like it was written by a woman in her late forties trying to recapture her youth by writing about it for todays reader. It just didn’t translate. Clapping to AC/DC and saying “oh how I love them”…. What!? The MFC is also just obsessed with the appearance of the guys and her internal dialog is that of a girl who just discovered what boys are. Like “He’s a dick but oh he’s so yummy”…. Just very generic a vanilla. I didn’t even get to any of the spicy scenes but I doubt they are enticing at all.
August 29, 2024
Kindle.
I do not know why I didn’t DNF this was a no go for me.
I found it boring, childish and drawn out with no real storyline.
Though it had solid storyline potential, bad follow through. Dialogue felt stunted and awkward. The entire dynamic between characters was cheesy and had me rolling my eyes. The dialogue is focused on so heavily the story didn’t progress. Overall there was a childish/juvenile aspect to the characters that lost my interest early. A lot of the story felt repetitive and redundant.
Will not be continuing on with story.
I do not know why I didn’t DNF this was a no go for me.
I found it boring, childish and drawn out with no real storyline.
Though it had solid storyline potential, bad follow through. Dialogue felt stunted and awkward. The entire dynamic between characters was cheesy and had me rolling my eyes. The dialogue is focused on so heavily the story didn’t progress. Overall there was a childish/juvenile aspect to the characters that lost my interest early. A lot of the story felt repetitive and redundant.
Will not be continuing on with story.
February 9, 2021
DNF at 17%
Got so fed up of the FMC inner monologue about how hot the guys were. Every couple of sentences she’d lose her breath, flush blah blah blah. 😂
Got so fed up of the FMC inner monologue about how hot the guys were. Every couple of sentences she’d lose her breath, flush blah blah blah. 😂
March 6, 2021
So boring.. nothing was happening half way through the book, just going through the motions of life... DNF @ 50%
May 18, 2023
DNF at 23% - incredibly juvenile writing. Supposedly college age FMC has the sexual taste and maturity of a 13 year old.
March 13, 2023
Fascinating & Enjoyable! Terrific Story & Narration🎧
Corviticus University
Corviticus University, Book 1
By: J.E. Cluney
Narrated by: Allyson Voller, Les Horovitz
This is an amazing start to a fascinating series, and as my first book written by J.E. Cluney, she definitely has my attention now. I enjoyed her writing style and the characters and storylines she created, which are interesting and original. This book lays down the foundation for the series and we get to meat the lead characters and learn what their paranormal abilities are. The lead female, Allison “Ally” is attending Corviticus University, a school for the supernaturals, her parents died when she was young and her aunt took her in, but she did not allow her to learn or use her supernatural abilities. She is going in to Corviticus with little knowledge of her abilities or even her family history.She found an affordable place to live off campus, renting a room and it turns out she will be sharing a house with four guys, Marcus, Ollie, Skip and Lucas, each one as unique as their own supernatural powers. Marcus is a bit of a jerk at first, but redeems himself by the end, Ollie, is adorable, Skip is hilarious, and Lucas, nice guy but still a bit of a mystery. The camaraderie amongst the guys is great and Ally fits right in, but she has no idea what is in store for her. There is a great chemistry between her and each guy, but this is a super slow burn and things are starting to really heat-up before ending and leaving you to want more. This cleverly plotted story has a perfect balance of drama, a touch of angst, humor, heartfelt emotions, and the start of what is going to be a sizzling hot romance. J.E. Cluney, thank you for this great story and I am looking forward to see where it goes and learn more about these characters.
🎧📚🎧And for the fantastic narration, Allyson Voller and Les Horovitz are talented narrators and versatile voice artists. They had a complete understanding of the characters they portrayed, performed the role accordingly, and were believable in every role they played. Voller’s versatility truly shined in this book, and she did an amazing job as Ally, grasping all sides of her personality and she was just as amazing performing the roles of the other characters too. Horovitz is just amazing covering the roles for the lead males for their chapters, and like Voller, he gives each their own distinct voice and personality. They set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the character’s emotions and projected them into their performance. These entertaining storytellers are a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for the fabulous listen.
Corviticus University
Corviticus University, Book 1
By: J.E. Cluney
Narrated by: Allyson Voller, Les Horovitz
This is an amazing start to a fascinating series, and as my first book written by J.E. Cluney, she definitely has my attention now. I enjoyed her writing style and the characters and storylines she created, which are interesting and original. This book lays down the foundation for the series and we get to meat the lead characters and learn what their paranormal abilities are. The lead female, Allison “Ally” is attending Corviticus University, a school for the supernaturals, her parents died when she was young and her aunt took her in, but she did not allow her to learn or use her supernatural abilities. She is going in to Corviticus with little knowledge of her abilities or even her family history.She found an affordable place to live off campus, renting a room and it turns out she will be sharing a house with four guys, Marcus, Ollie, Skip and Lucas, each one as unique as their own supernatural powers. Marcus is a bit of a jerk at first, but redeems himself by the end, Ollie, is adorable, Skip is hilarious, and Lucas, nice guy but still a bit of a mystery. The camaraderie amongst the guys is great and Ally fits right in, but she has no idea what is in store for her. There is a great chemistry between her and each guy, but this is a super slow burn and things are starting to really heat-up before ending and leaving you to want more. This cleverly plotted story has a perfect balance of drama, a touch of angst, humor, heartfelt emotions, and the start of what is going to be a sizzling hot romance. J.E. Cluney, thank you for this great story and I am looking forward to see where it goes and learn more about these characters.
🎧📚🎧And for the fantastic narration, Allyson Voller and Les Horovitz are talented narrators and versatile voice artists. They had a complete understanding of the characters they portrayed, performed the role accordingly, and were believable in every role they played. Voller’s versatility truly shined in this book, and she did an amazing job as Ally, grasping all sides of her personality and she was just as amazing performing the roles of the other characters too. Horovitz is just amazing covering the roles for the lead males for their chapters, and like Voller, he gives each their own distinct voice and personality. They set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the character’s emotions and projected them into their performance. These entertaining storytellers are a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for the fabulous listen.
May 19, 2021
This book wasn't bad, but it also really wasn't about anything either.
Ally, the MC, is a halfling pixie/werewolf living in a house with a kangaroo shifter, a pureblood shifter, a warlock, and a vampire. The book is essentially about her spending time with them, going to school, and reliving memories from a traumatic childhood.
Throughout the book she is trying to find more answers about herself, because her magic doesn't make sense for her lineage and the guys help her out with understanding the supernatural world and finding answers about her magic.
There really isn't much in terms of romance until like the last 5% of the book. It's obvious who the harem will eventually be, but at the moment they are essentially all just friends. Its a little weird because there are preexisting relationships between some of them (maybe all of them?) and she is just kind of being inserted into it all. I don't think I care for that too much.. idk I guess I like it when the MC is the center, not when the guys are all a bunch of horndogs constantly talking about all their conquests.
This is definitely slow build, maybe too slow for me. I don't know if I will continue with this series just because I don't think I like the harem. The MC seems alright, but she is also kind of pitiful. The guys, initially seem okay (well some of them), but then as we get closer to the end of the book, the majority of them are kind of annoying. Initially, I liked Skip and Oliver seemed sweet. Oliver is just too shy and Skip kind of turned into a pervy ass. Marcus, however, was super dickish in the beginning, but by the end I really liked him. I didn't really care for Lucas at all.
Another issue I had with the book was all the Australian references.. I was constantly googling shit trying to figure out what the heck they were talking about - arvo, bottle-o, Australian grocery store names, hot milo... all sorts of stuff. And of course I get to the end of the book and feel like a dummy because, what do you know, there is a glossary. I guess that's my own fault for not paying attention to the table of contents.
Anyways, it wasn't bad at all, its just not something I probably will continue. Would recommend to anyone who doesn't mind a really slow build with a harem full of manwhores.
Ally, the MC, is a halfling pixie/werewolf living in a house with a kangaroo shifter, a pureblood shifter, a warlock, and a vampire. The book is essentially about her spending time with them, going to school, and reliving memories from a traumatic childhood.
Throughout the book she is trying to find more answers about herself, because her magic doesn't make sense for her lineage and the guys help her out with understanding the supernatural world and finding answers about her magic.
There really isn't much in terms of romance until like the last 5% of the book. It's obvious who the harem will eventually be, but at the moment they are essentially all just friends. Its a little weird because there are preexisting relationships between some of them (maybe all of them?) and she is just kind of being inserted into it all. I don't think I care for that too much.. idk I guess I like it when the MC is the center, not when the guys are all a bunch of horndogs constantly talking about all their conquests.
This is definitely slow build, maybe too slow for me. I don't know if I will continue with this series just because I don't think I like the harem. The MC seems alright, but she is also kind of pitiful. The guys, initially seem okay (well some of them), but then as we get closer to the end of the book, the majority of them are kind of annoying. Initially, I liked Skip and Oliver seemed sweet. Oliver is just too shy and Skip kind of turned into a pervy ass. Marcus, however, was super dickish in the beginning, but by the end I really liked him. I didn't really care for Lucas at all.
Another issue I had with the book was all the Australian references.. I was constantly googling shit trying to figure out what the heck they were talking about - arvo, bottle-o, Australian grocery store names, hot milo... all sorts of stuff. And of course I get to the end of the book and feel like a dummy because, what do you know, there is a glossary. I guess that's my own fault for not paying attention to the table of contents.
Anyways, it wasn't bad at all, its just not something I probably will continue. Would recommend to anyone who doesn't mind a really slow build with a harem full of manwhores.
June 6, 2021
Not much happening.
I had a few issues with this book though I guess I enjoyed it overall. Still unsure on whether I will head into the next book.
Interesting cast here. I do love getting shifters that are native animals to the series setting. Kangaroos... Like I said, Interesting. Ollie was cute but once the Tom Holland thing was planted I had a hard time thinking of him as old enough for me to find attractive. Lol. That's a *me* thing.
Issue one; it was slooooow. There wasn't really an arc here. A lot of hinting at the past and foreshadowing Allie's specialness but honestly nothing happened. I was stagnant at 67% for near 3 days! I'd read a sentence and my attention would drift off elsewhere. But I hung on. There wasn't anything they had to overcome in this book. I can appreciate that it is book one but it should still have it's own plot.
Second issue; the consistency, or lack thereof. It was so bad I felt like I was going mad in parts. Like, wait, didn't we just talk about this and now we're acting like we haven't. Character would say one thing and the next chapter it was different. That jerks me out of a story like no other. I don't think comprehensive notes were taken by the author, or something.
Issue three; there is a whole lot of telling and not much showing. Certain bits can be tied in to a story in a creative way. I'm not a fan of just being beat over the head with mundane details and have it drawn out needlessly. I made the story drag (ie being stuck at 67%).
I don't know. Honestly, it seems like such a promising story, despite it's faults, that should any of those be fixed in book two I would be happy to continue. But it took me so long to read this one... I'm very torn.
I had a few issues with this book though I guess I enjoyed it overall. Still unsure on whether I will head into the next book.
Interesting cast here. I do love getting shifters that are native animals to the series setting. Kangaroos... Like I said, Interesting. Ollie was cute but once the Tom Holland thing was planted I had a hard time thinking of him as old enough for me to find attractive. Lol. That's a *me* thing.
Issue one; it was slooooow. There wasn't really an arc here. A lot of hinting at the past and foreshadowing Allie's specialness but honestly nothing happened. I was stagnant at 67% for near 3 days! I'd read a sentence and my attention would drift off elsewhere. But I hung on. There wasn't anything they had to overcome in this book. I can appreciate that it is book one but it should still have it's own plot.
Second issue; the consistency, or lack thereof. It was so bad I felt like I was going mad in parts. Like, wait, didn't we just talk about this and now we're acting like we haven't. Character would say one thing and the next chapter it was different. That jerks me out of a story like no other. I don't think comprehensive notes were taken by the author, or something.
Issue three; there is a whole lot of telling and not much showing. Certain bits can be tied in to a story in a creative way. I'm not a fan of just being beat over the head with mundane details and have it drawn out needlessly. I made the story drag (ie being stuck at 67%).
I don't know. Honestly, it seems like such a promising story, despite it's faults, that should any of those be fixed in book two I would be happy to continue. But it took me so long to read this one... I'm very torn.
June 22, 2023
The paranormal Australian college experience
4 stars overall, 4 stars story, 5 stars narration
This is an entertaining introduction to a paranormal reverse harem romance series. This first book is a slow burn that eventually has one very steamy love scene. There are a bunch of sexual references and some cussing. I love that the five main characters are good people who treat each other well, except for one guy who acts grumpy and aloof. The main characters have had some sad and traumatic experiences in their pasts, and they all support each other as good friends. At first I thought there were too many mundane details about groceries, etc., and the narrators talked a bit too slowly. After I sped it up to 1.2x speed, the narration and story pacing were perfect! Both narrators had authentic-sounding Australian accents and excellent performances.
This book makes me nostalgic for my college years because it has all the structure of college life, except that magic and supernatural people abound in this fictitious university in Australia and this heroine has 4 hot male roommates. Two of the characters are studying to be veterinarians, and it reminded me of the classes at my own university. I look forward to the next book in this series. I recommend this to fans of RH and academy romance.
Trigger warning: brief mentions of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse in a character’s past. Brief but graphic description of seeing a murder in a flashback.
Tropes/subgenres: college, PNR, slow burn, reverse harem, LGBTQ (at least one guy is bisexual), New Adult, low angst.
I requested and received a free audio copy, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review. #PFPAudio #PinkFlamingoProductions #TheFlockVIPReviewTeam
4 stars overall, 4 stars story, 5 stars narration
This is an entertaining introduction to a paranormal reverse harem romance series. This first book is a slow burn that eventually has one very steamy love scene. There are a bunch of sexual references and some cussing. I love that the five main characters are good people who treat each other well, except for one guy who acts grumpy and aloof. The main characters have had some sad and traumatic experiences in their pasts, and they all support each other as good friends. At first I thought there were too many mundane details about groceries, etc., and the narrators talked a bit too slowly. After I sped it up to 1.2x speed, the narration and story pacing were perfect! Both narrators had authentic-sounding Australian accents and excellent performances.
This book makes me nostalgic for my college years because it has all the structure of college life, except that magic and supernatural people abound in this fictitious university in Australia and this heroine has 4 hot male roommates. Two of the characters are studying to be veterinarians, and it reminded me of the classes at my own university. I look forward to the next book in this series. I recommend this to fans of RH and academy romance.
Trigger warning: brief mentions of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse in a character’s past. Brief but graphic description of seeing a murder in a flashback.
Tropes/subgenres: college, PNR, slow burn, reverse harem, LGBTQ (at least one guy is bisexual), New Adult, low angst.
I requested and received a free audio copy, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review. #PFPAudio #PinkFlamingoProductions #TheFlockVIPReviewTeam
March 21, 2023
Allison is ready to embrace her new life. She is living in a warded town full of paranormals, enrolled in the university, and ready to find out about herself; finally able to reclaim the life and knowledge denied to her by her cruel aunt. She has put the pain of her past behind her and plans ot embrace all her new life has to offer. She's rented a room new campus in a beautiful house with four beautiful housemates, Ollie, Skip, Lucas, and Marcus. Known locally as rejects, they each carry some pain from their past ensuring Allison fits in perfectly. Now if she can just keep from falling for them.
I am torn. I enjoyed the story so far but that's part of the problem. I think it could have benefitted by having a prequel. This book spends 80% of its time introducing the characters and worldbuilding. Very little happens between the backstory and the setup. Adding to this there's too much explaining and not enough showing. Don't tell the reader, make them feel it. Finally, there are too many inconsistencies. Characters contradict themselves. Authors get caught up in their own writing but a critique partner could have caught the flaws. On the positive side, the characters are interesting. They border on being too contrived but their likability keeps them from being token misfits. I'm hoping book two will give us more story now that the introduction has been made. We have the mysteries of Allison's bloodline and abilities, the attractions and bonding with her housemates, and the unknown danger of Allison's past, not to mention university and the drama it can provide. There's so much story to cover; I hope we get to it.
I am torn. I enjoyed the story so far but that's part of the problem. I think it could have benefitted by having a prequel. This book spends 80% of its time introducing the characters and worldbuilding. Very little happens between the backstory and the setup. Adding to this there's too much explaining and not enough showing. Don't tell the reader, make them feel it. Finally, there are too many inconsistencies. Characters contradict themselves. Authors get caught up in their own writing but a critique partner could have caught the flaws. On the positive side, the characters are interesting. They border on being too contrived but their likability keeps them from being token misfits. I'm hoping book two will give us more story now that the introduction has been made. We have the mysteries of Allison's bloodline and abilities, the attractions and bonding with her housemates, and the unknown danger of Allison's past, not to mention university and the drama it can provide. There's so much story to cover; I hope we get to it.
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