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Hemlock Academy #4
Four Trials
I've FINALLY succeeded in closing my conduit after the Goddess kept making it get bigger, and bigger. (Double entendre?) We have been facing off against creatures of the Night, with strange warnings that the worst is yet to come.
The Goddess wants us to prove ourselves to her, to show her we can work together to defeat our greatest enemy. And no, I'm not talking about carbs or sugar.
Will the four trials she sets before us make us stronger or ruin us?
The Goddess wants us to prove ourselves to her, to show her we can work together to defeat our greatest enemy. And no, I'm not talking about carbs or sugar.
Will the four trials she sets before us make us stronger or ruin us?
231 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 10, 2021
469 people are currently reading
478 people want to read
About the author
Kelsey Soliz
52 books234 followersKelsey Soliz is a homeschooling mama of four and army wife, and when she's not drinking copious amounts of tea or playing bassoon, she is dreaming up all kinds of romance story scapes or reading them like a maniac.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
July 23, 2021
4 Stars
LOVED IT. It was great to see everything get tied up. I have to say that Cyrus and Foster are hands down my favourite out of all the guys.
I wished that there was an extended epilogue but I guess a novella might be in the works???
I'm looking forward to reading about Bennett and Rory.
LOVED IT. It was great to see everything get tied up. I have to say that Cyrus and Foster are hands down my favourite out of all the guys.
I wished that there was an extended epilogue but I guess a novella might be in the works???
I'm looking forward to reading about Bennett and Rory.
October 17, 2021
Pages: 231
My rating: 2.5 round up to 3
This was a well deserved end to a sexcapade. Again in this book we get to read about a lot of sex and not so much story. Especially the last chapter bored me a lot. I was twitching to dnf this book. But I wanted to know the end of the story.
December 29, 2021
Not quite 2 & 1/2 stars.
A new reader definitely needs to start with book 1 or will be lost, as each book follows the previous one. This book was really hard for me to get thru. I put it down several times, and actually picked up another book to read instead of finishing this one. Each book in the series seems to loose traction in the plot & feel less put together. The humor is even more immature in this one than the previous book, reminding me of high school boys & pranks. The guys have all lost their individuality, it was hard to pick out who is who. This book definitely left me feeling like it was only about all the sex between her & her RH. The background plot was just to move forward on the story so they could have more sex. If I could go back & wouldn't have bothered with the series.
A new reader definitely needs to start with book 1 or will be lost, as each book follows the previous one. This book was really hard for me to get thru. I put it down several times, and actually picked up another book to read instead of finishing this one. Each book in the series seems to loose traction in the plot & feel less put together. The humor is even more immature in this one than the previous book, reminding me of high school boys & pranks. The guys have all lost their individuality, it was hard to pick out who is who. This book definitely left me feeling like it was only about all the sex between her & her RH. The background plot was just to move forward on the story so they could have more sex. If I could go back & wouldn't have bothered with the series.
July 16, 2021
Loved it
I have been dying for this book. So sad that this series is coming to an end. But I am read for the next book this author throws at us!! Bring on Territory One!
I have been dying for this book. So sad that this series is coming to an end. But I am read for the next book this author throws at us!! Bring on Territory One!
August 29, 2021
I didn't like this book. It was made as an ending after destroying the Night, but there wasn't a plot line. There were a lot of steamy scenes among Gabriella and her 11 mates, but other than that just a few snippet on what was going on with the Goddess.
October 5, 2025
Okay, I admit it, I mainly just skimmed through this book.
Just a warning, the title is very misleading.
Although there are brief mentions of "trials", there really aren't any.
Bonding as a group should, in theory, just be the natural progression of ANY relationship, so, it was pretty disappointing.
I was looking forward to actual trials.
Things were pretty scrambled, and the smexy times were overly tame and too many.
It felt like the author was trying to make a point, only to fall short of making it.
Apparently, there is a spin-off and I checked out the description and honestly, it doesn't really appeal to me.
I am concerned about moving on to other books of this series because it is heavily implied that there are important aspects to the current story involved in the spin off.
So, although I own the next books in the series, I don't know if I am going to continue reading it.
I honestly do not like being forced to read something I really do NOT feel connected to. Meaning, as I said, I read the description and have zero interest in it.
Maybe I will take a look at the next book and see if I can follow along without the added spin-off... Who knows.
But, imo, I am thinking my journey with this series is done.
Oh and overall, idk, I guess it was an okay series but, knowing what I know now, about the spinoff, idk if I would recommend it to my friends, unless they do not mind being forced to read the spin-off.
Sorry,Kelsey. I hope I didn't hurt your feelings.
Just a warning, the title is very misleading.
Although there are brief mentions of "trials", there really aren't any.
Bonding as a group should, in theory, just be the natural progression of ANY relationship, so, it was pretty disappointing.
I was looking forward to actual trials.
Things were pretty scrambled, and the smexy times were overly tame and too many.
It felt like the author was trying to make a point, only to fall short of making it.
Apparently, there is a spin-off and I checked out the description and honestly, it doesn't really appeal to me.
I am concerned about moving on to other books of this series because it is heavily implied that there are important aspects to the current story involved in the spin off.
So, although I own the next books in the series, I don't know if I am going to continue reading it.
I honestly do not like being forced to read something I really do NOT feel connected to. Meaning, as I said, I read the description and have zero interest in it.
Maybe I will take a look at the next book and see if I can follow along without the added spin-off... Who knows.
But, imo, I am thinking my journey with this series is done.
Oh and overall, idk, I guess it was an okay series but, knowing what I know now, about the spinoff, idk if I would recommend it to my friends, unless they do not mind being forced to read the spin-off.
Sorry,Kelsey. I hope I didn't hurt your feelings.
February 5, 2022
Great series
Noooo it’s over !! What am I going to do now 😭😭😭
So for a quick recap, I wasn’t a fan of the ending of book 3 (unnecessary plot twist IMO) but Kelsey Soliz did deliver in this last book.
They really took the time to work on bonding as a circuit and a family and we get some more insights into the guys’ lives.
This was a satisfying ending though I’m a bit disappointed with how the Madison situation was handled (I wanted more details) and that I didn’t get closure regarding Gabby’s mom.
As a whole, I really enjoyed that series and all that happened in it !
Noooo it’s over !! What am I going to do now 😭😭😭
So for a quick recap, I wasn’t a fan of the ending of book 3 (unnecessary plot twist IMO) but Kelsey Soliz did deliver in this last book.
They really took the time to work on bonding as a circuit and a family and we get some more insights into the guys’ lives.
This was a satisfying ending though I’m a bit disappointed with how the Madison situation was handled (I wanted more details) and that I didn’t get closure regarding Gabby’s mom.
As a whole, I really enjoyed that series and all that happened in it !
July 27, 2021
I really really loved this series. I think Four Trials did a great job at handling 11 mates in such a short page count. I felt like I knew them all. I usually cap my harems out at 6-7, so reading about a harem of 11 men that I actually enjoyed and thought was done well? Bravo! I definitely don't want to spoil anything in this review, so suffice it to say that this was a hilarious series with a well written main cast and a unique plot that I devoured in a few days and this last book managed to wrap things up very nicely!
If I had to be critical, there was one point where Foster mentions remembering doing stuff with Cyrus and then immediately after he says he doesn't remember his wolf mating with Gabby. I eventually understood that he had happened to remember one but not the other at that point, but I felt like that could be a bit clearer--what he and Bal remember and when. Other than that, there seemed to be a few more grammatical errors in this book than in the others, like "he" instead of "the" or small things like that. Nothing an edit couldn't fix.
As for the series as a whole, I would have really liked to know about the world a bit more--does everyone have an ability? how do power ranges work? things like that. Just general more world building would have benefited the story. However, I feel that this book was a quick, heartwarming, and fun read and it's okay if it isn't perfect. I still absolutely loved it!!
My hat goes off to you, Kelsey Soliz!
If I had to be critical, there was one point where Foster mentions remembering doing stuff with Cyrus and then immediately after he says he doesn't remember his wolf mating with Gabby. I eventually understood that he had happened to remember one but not the other at that point, but I felt like that could be a bit clearer--what he and Bal remember and when. Other than that, there seemed to be a few more grammatical errors in this book than in the others, like "he" instead of "the" or small things like that. Nothing an edit couldn't fix.
As for the series as a whole, I would have really liked to know about the world a bit more--does everyone have an ability? how do power ranges work? things like that. Just general more world building would have benefited the story. However, I feel that this book was a quick, heartwarming, and fun read and it's okay if it isn't perfect. I still absolutely loved it!!
My hat goes off to you, Kelsey Soliz!
July 15, 2021
Super happy with how this series finished. Most of the book is smut but hey we gotta love that sometimes you know. I like how all the problems were solved and how each of the 11 guys ( yes this bitch ended up with 11 guys?!) I dunno how she done it but they all got equal importance and I loved them all for there own quirks. Nice quick read but I would only recommend if you like reverse harem with only like 40 made up of plot and 60 percent smut
February 18, 2024
RH (11 mates - yes you read that correctly)/Supernatural
SYNOPSIS (of 4 book series): The story is set in the real world but where humans and supernaturals exist together. The FC, Gabby, is a body smith (basically a succubus) who is also a sculptor (able to change her own appearance and the appearance of others). She discovers she is also a Conduit (someone who must mate with others and whose power will then increase). As a Conduit she must attend Hemlock Academy where her father is headmaster. Whilst there she meets her mates and discovers that she is a Conduit Supreme - the queen of all Conduits with a direct line to the Goddess. As such she must fight the Night which is trying to consume her soul and take over the world in order to become all powerful. The books cover the FC’s meeting and bonding with her mates (11 of them) whilst dealing with bullies and the Night. There is a HEA.
Heat level is 🌶️🌶️/🍆🍆🍆🍆🍆 which means that I did not find the descriptions particularly hot or sexy but there were a lot of sex scenes to the extent that Book 4 is pretty much just sex - I was very much skim reading by the time I got to Book 4. If I wanted to read bad porn then I would!
Be warned, there are just so many editing issues and typos in this series. It’s one of the worse edited stories I’ve read and that’s saying a lot. Other than the editing issues the writing and dialogue is fairly juvenile and there isn’t really much of a story. In fact the main story seems to end at Book 3 but then there‘s a whole additional Book 4. The story arc is essentially: girl has a lot of sex, gets bullied, has a lot of sex, defeats the bad guy, has a lot of sex, becomes all powerful and saves the world (despite providing no evidence as to why she is so impressive), has a lot of sex …. As with many series these days the first Book starts off with promise and then there is just a rapid slide downwards to Book 4 which I found to be a complete waste of time.
The author introduces multiple „humorous“ scenes which she clearly finds amusing. Unfortunately to me they came across as childish and immature. For example, the descriptions of the Night and his monologuing are painful to read as is the scene where Gabby decides to push her chair back and do a basic instinct in the middle of the council office, or her mates taking the mickey out of vegans or the cliffhanger to Book 3. Having Gabby declared Conduit Supreme and she and all her mates immediately replacing the existing council despite not even finishing school and having no experience sets the level of the story just sums up how juvenile the writing is. Not to mention the constant monologuing by characters which just sounds preachy and immature.
This story is supposed to be set in a magic world but actually magic has no real part in the story and the characters could all be human for what the magic actuallly adds. The author also doesn’t really bother to explain most of the powers that each of the characters have which just makes things more confusing as this is not a conventional supernatural world with shifters, vampires and mages. There are these types of supers but there are also a lot of other types. The FC starts off as a strong female and was engaging. Unfortunately she just becomes what she was apparently trying to avoid which is just interested in sex, sex and more sex with some juvenile bad language thrown in as she tries to act like a queen. There is little development of any of the character‘s backgrounds or the world in which the story takes place. It is relatively superficial and I found it hard to get into any of the characters or care about what was happening.
The finale of Book 3 with the Night came across as ridiculous as did the ending. Honestly, I’m not sure what the point of the Night was as he never really manifested as a real villain. He was more an idiot than a villain with no real adversarial story line. One minute he’s there and then he’s gone. What was the point? I’m also unclear why no one was interested in finding out why the Night suddenly became more powerful or how he did what he did. It all came out of the blue and was very manufactured.
In conclusion, this series was a big disappointment and each book worse than the previous one. The FC was one dimensional and honestly, 11 mates just sums up that this was more an excuse for sex than a real story. It‘s really not worth the effort, sorry.
SYNOPSIS (of 4 book series): The story is set in the real world but where humans and supernaturals exist together. The FC, Gabby, is a body smith (basically a succubus) who is also a sculptor (able to change her own appearance and the appearance of others). She discovers she is also a Conduit (someone who must mate with others and whose power will then increase). As a Conduit she must attend Hemlock Academy where her father is headmaster. Whilst there she meets her mates and discovers that she is a Conduit Supreme - the queen of all Conduits with a direct line to the Goddess. As such she must fight the Night which is trying to consume her soul and take over the world in order to become all powerful. The books cover the FC’s meeting and bonding with her mates (11 of them) whilst dealing with bullies and the Night. There is a HEA.
Heat level is 🌶️🌶️/🍆🍆🍆🍆🍆 which means that I did not find the descriptions particularly hot or sexy but there were a lot of sex scenes to the extent that Book 4 is pretty much just sex - I was very much skim reading by the time I got to Book 4. If I wanted to read bad porn then I would!
Be warned, there are just so many editing issues and typos in this series. It’s one of the worse edited stories I’ve read and that’s saying a lot. Other than the editing issues the writing and dialogue is fairly juvenile and there isn’t really much of a story. In fact the main story seems to end at Book 3 but then there‘s a whole additional Book 4. The story arc is essentially: girl has a lot of sex, gets bullied, has a lot of sex, defeats the bad guy, has a lot of sex, becomes all powerful and saves the world (despite providing no evidence as to why she is so impressive), has a lot of sex …. As with many series these days the first Book starts off with promise and then there is just a rapid slide downwards to Book 4 which I found to be a complete waste of time.
The author introduces multiple „humorous“ scenes which she clearly finds amusing. Unfortunately to me they came across as childish and immature. For example, the descriptions of the Night and his monologuing are painful to read as is the scene where Gabby decides to push her chair back and do a basic instinct in the middle of the council office, or her mates taking the mickey out of vegans or the cliffhanger to Book 3. Having Gabby declared Conduit Supreme and she and all her mates immediately replacing the existing council despite not even finishing school and having no experience sets the level of the story just sums up how juvenile the writing is. Not to mention the constant monologuing by characters which just sounds preachy and immature.
This story is supposed to be set in a magic world but actually magic has no real part in the story and the characters could all be human for what the magic actuallly adds. The author also doesn’t really bother to explain most of the powers that each of the characters have which just makes things more confusing as this is not a conventional supernatural world with shifters, vampires and mages. There are these types of supers but there are also a lot of other types. The FC starts off as a strong female and was engaging. Unfortunately she just becomes what she was apparently trying to avoid which is just interested in sex, sex and more sex with some juvenile bad language thrown in as she tries to act like a queen. There is little development of any of the character‘s backgrounds or the world in which the story takes place. It is relatively superficial and I found it hard to get into any of the characters or care about what was happening.
The finale of Book 3 with the Night came across as ridiculous as did the ending. Honestly, I’m not sure what the point of the Night was as he never really manifested as a real villain. He was more an idiot than a villain with no real adversarial story line. One minute he’s there and then he’s gone. What was the point? I’m also unclear why no one was interested in finding out why the Night suddenly became more powerful or how he did what he did. It all came out of the blue and was very manufactured.
In conclusion, this series was a big disappointment and each book worse than the previous one. The FC was one dimensional and honestly, 11 mates just sums up that this was more an excuse for sex than a real story. It‘s really not worth the effort, sorry.
August 12, 2021
My Thoughts
I was looking forward to this book with how the last one ended. The big bad is out, so that leaves focusing on Gabriella's relationship with her mates. I also wanted to see how the world changed after a big event like that. Apollo didn't disappear when his creator was slain, so we'll get to know him better. The goddess led Gabriella and her circuit to do what she set out for them to do, so I expected her to be much less of a factor, though I feared things would go badly for her after her villainous mate died. Bennett returns (that's right I had to think back to who he was - her brother) for a bit and we learn a little about his future. The nerf battles were a minor little treat throughout the series and I appreciated that consistent little bit of pure childish fun.
About the Characters
Gabriella is loving, sexy and fun. She really steps into her role and is adorable with her mates. Balfour starts to remember who he was to his mate and is very sweet as he once again goes all in. Foster has a wolf to help him along in remembering what Gabriella meant to him, so he falls back into place relatively quickly and easily. Dar remains his protective self, but also likes to instigate both sexy times and fun teasing. Cyrus continues to be super sweet and supportive. He is totally fearless when it comes to exploring things in the bedroom. Grey is super sexy, particularly when his vamp side comes out to play. Palmer is still his goofy fun self and showcases some pranks between himself and Pearson who is a great partner in crime as he too is a goofy prankster with a sweet side. Jericho comes out of his broody shell and fits right in among Gabriella's mates. I love him. Royce is much better. He's like a combination of Dar and Palmer in that he's slightly domineering, yet fun. He's got an evil streak when it comes to his brother which is fantastic. Pax is just adorable and sweet. Apollo thankfully no longer feels so weird. He's an accomplice all over the place in all the right ways and he's a sexy tease that knows how to rile Gabriella (and everyone else) up.
What I Liked
The group as a whole was confortable, happy, and supportive. There was honest love amongst them all and their bonding is endearing. There was MM fun, and a bunch of glorious smut in this book - yet managed not to feel gratuitous. I loved their wedding reception. It was just perfect, not counting the Bennett situation. My favorite part of this book though has got to be the antics of Palmer and Pax while drunk off Gabriella and Bennett's reaction when he gets imagery he really didn't need in his life.
What I Didn't Like
I wish I understood the goddess situation better. I get the important part obviously, but I didn't fully understand this portal thing. I wish we could have seen more regarding the resolution of conduits flippantly marking mates. How bad did it get, how did they take it, and how was it monitored? Did things fix themselves after the goddess crossed over or is it going to take more work from Gabriella? My utter turn off, though, comes from Pax. I like him, but just no to the "aquatic shifter" (yeah mermaids) sex. I didn't understand the logistics of it, and it's just a little over the line for me. That was the only real turn off though, the rest of the bedroom (or anywhere else) fun was great.
More Thoughts
I'm glad that everybody is settling into the circuit and everything, but I still want more of them. Their happy times just feel so good. I was hoping to see a pregnant Gabriella, but I also understand her wanting to enjoy just them for a while before starting a family. It does look like there's a spinoff coming centered around Bennett's lady love that will feature an occasional appearance from Gabriella and family.
Does it stand alone?
Nope. You'd be really lost without having read the first 3.
Bottom Line
This was a satisfying and sweet conclusion with an open door to a spinoff and a new world.
I was looking forward to this book with how the last one ended. The big bad is out, so that leaves focusing on Gabriella's relationship with her mates. I also wanted to see how the world changed after a big event like that. Apollo didn't disappear when his creator was slain, so we'll get to know him better. The goddess led Gabriella and her circuit to do what she set out for them to do, so I expected her to be much less of a factor, though I feared things would go badly for her after her villainous mate died. Bennett returns (that's right I had to think back to who he was - her brother) for a bit and we learn a little about his future. The nerf battles were a minor little treat throughout the series and I appreciated that consistent little bit of pure childish fun.
About the Characters
Gabriella is loving, sexy and fun. She really steps into her role and is adorable with her mates. Balfour starts to remember who he was to his mate and is very sweet as he once again goes all in. Foster has a wolf to help him along in remembering what Gabriella meant to him, so he falls back into place relatively quickly and easily. Dar remains his protective self, but also likes to instigate both sexy times and fun teasing. Cyrus continues to be super sweet and supportive. He is totally fearless when it comes to exploring things in the bedroom. Grey is super sexy, particularly when his vamp side comes out to play. Palmer is still his goofy fun self and showcases some pranks between himself and Pearson who is a great partner in crime as he too is a goofy prankster with a sweet side. Jericho comes out of his broody shell and fits right in among Gabriella's mates. I love him. Royce is much better. He's like a combination of Dar and Palmer in that he's slightly domineering, yet fun. He's got an evil streak when it comes to his brother which is fantastic. Pax is just adorable and sweet. Apollo thankfully no longer feels so weird. He's an accomplice all over the place in all the right ways and he's a sexy tease that knows how to rile Gabriella (and everyone else) up.
What I Liked
The group as a whole was confortable, happy, and supportive. There was honest love amongst them all and their bonding is endearing. There was MM fun, and a bunch of glorious smut in this book - yet managed not to feel gratuitous. I loved their wedding reception. It was just perfect, not counting the Bennett situation. My favorite part of this book though has got to be the antics of Palmer and Pax while drunk off Gabriella and Bennett's reaction when he gets imagery he really didn't need in his life.
What I Didn't Like
I wish I understood the goddess situation better. I get the important part obviously, but I didn't fully understand this portal thing. I wish we could have seen more regarding the resolution of conduits flippantly marking mates. How bad did it get, how did they take it, and how was it monitored? Did things fix themselves after the goddess crossed over or is it going to take more work from Gabriella? My utter turn off, though, comes from Pax. I like him, but just no to the "aquatic shifter" (yeah mermaids) sex. I didn't understand the logistics of it, and it's just a little over the line for me. That was the only real turn off though, the rest of the bedroom (or anywhere else) fun was great.
More Thoughts
I'm glad that everybody is settling into the circuit and everything, but I still want more of them. Their happy times just feel so good. I was hoping to see a pregnant Gabriella, but I also understand her wanting to enjoy just them for a while before starting a family. It does look like there's a spinoff coming centered around Bennett's lady love that will feature an occasional appearance from Gabriella and family.
Does it stand alone?
Nope. You'd be really lost without having read the first 3.
Bottom Line
This was a satisfying and sweet conclusion with an open door to a spinoff and a new world.
Read
November 4, 2021I really should review books right after I read them so I remember what I thought about them. I reviewed the first three books and didn't review this one and now it's bothering me that my reviews are incomplete! Gaaaah.
Okay, the main thing that bothered me was how immature they all are, and they seemed to become MORE immature as the story ended, not less. I really disliked that Gabby would call Pearson "my pretty princess" when he didn't like to be called that. It smacks of bullying, even though it's minor. I have this thing about respecting others and calling them what they want to be called is a BIG part of that because it's about the person's identity.
And the way they're pranking each other and carrying on, it's a wonder any council business ever gets taken care of. It doesn't seem like they're taking their work seriously at all. This is Palmer's POV:
It's very comforting and definitely would make all the supernaturals feel very secure knowing one of their council members is thinking that it's wild he has a job that requires him to have clothes on. /sarcasm
Oh, now I remember why I didn't review this book. I was aggravated by how book 3 ended -- throwing a sudden wrench into the works. I felt like book 3 should have been the end of the series because they had defeated Night (which, in the end, took hardly any effort at all) and also completed her circuit, with Gabby finally claiming all her mates. But no, suddenly Gabby's mate bonds with Foster and Balfour have been severed and they don't even remember her. It felt like the author was just trying to prolong the series.
And then the goddess is making them jump through hoops and complete four trials before Gabby can get her two mates back. I felt like this was stupid because obviously the goddess has the power to restore the bonds if she can restore them after the four trials. So why force them to complete the trials first? It felt like she was just being capricious. A bit more explanation would have helped.
Because I was so aggravated, I skipped the first half of the book because I didn't want to read about the trials. I knew that they would all get through the trials anyway (obviously) so I jumped ahead. Now that they didn't have a mission to focus them, the whole story was just about sex with a whole lot of crossing swords and silly pranks. There was no plot to speak of. By the time I reached the last few chapters, I was thinking that these people were 15 or 16. It's really the only book I've read where the characters regressed over time.
I won't give a star rating to this book, since I didn't read it 'properly'. But I didn't feel that this last book contributed anything significant to the series.
Okay, the main thing that bothered me was how immature they all are, and they seemed to become MORE immature as the story ended, not less. I really disliked that Gabby would call Pearson "my pretty princess" when he didn't like to be called that. It smacks of bullying, even though it's minor. I have this thing about respecting others and calling them what they want to be called is a BIG part of that because it's about the person's identity.
And the way they're pranking each other and carrying on, it's a wonder any council business ever gets taken care of. It doesn't seem like they're taking their work seriously at all. This is Palmer's POV:
It's wild that I have a grown-up job that requires actual clothes for participating; which idiot thought hiring me was a good idea again? Oh, oops. Not an idiot, then. The loveliest, smartest, sexiest woman on the damn planet. And she was mine.
It's very comforting and definitely would make all the supernaturals feel very secure knowing one of their council members is thinking that it's wild he has a job that requires him to have clothes on. /sarcasm
Oh, now I remember why I didn't review this book. I was aggravated by how book 3 ended -- throwing a sudden wrench into the works. I felt like book 3 should have been the end of the series because they had defeated Night (which, in the end, took hardly any effort at all) and also completed her circuit, with Gabby finally claiming all her mates. But no, suddenly Gabby's mate bonds with Foster and Balfour have been severed and they don't even remember her. It felt like the author was just trying to prolong the series.
And then the goddess is making them jump through hoops and complete four trials before Gabby can get her two mates back. I felt like this was stupid because obviously the goddess has the power to restore the bonds if she can restore them after the four trials. So why force them to complete the trials first? It felt like she was just being capricious. A bit more explanation would have helped.
Because I was so aggravated, I skipped the first half of the book because I didn't want to read about the trials. I knew that they would all get through the trials anyway (obviously) so I jumped ahead. Now that they didn't have a mission to focus them, the whole story was just about sex with a whole lot of crossing swords and silly pranks. There was no plot to speak of. By the time I reached the last few chapters, I was thinking that these people were 15 or 16. It's really the only book I've read where the characters regressed over time.
I won't give a star rating to this book, since I didn't read it 'properly'. But I didn't feel that this last book contributed anything significant to the series.
December 22, 2025
Im so conflicted... this book wrapped up the story, but also could have been a novella. It was basically all smut with a sprinkle of extended storyline. Honestly my least favorite out of the series. The storline just sort of went all over the place, major plot points were just dropped in with absolutely zero explanation, there were over the top scenes for zero reason, the plot holes were crater sized, the humor went from organic to almost forced, everyone basically had a personality swap, the guys went from funny to childish and immature, and the final 4 mates barely popped up in this book at all besides the soul bonding. Pax who? Appollo who? Jericho who? Royce who? I dont know them. I almost forgot they existed. Gabby went from "Im not like other bodysmiths" to only thinking about s*x, letting a simple touch get her going, ignoring important things for s*x, and letting s*x absolutely rule her life. Just like every other bodysmith...
A few things that drove me crazy.
*** Her Raspberry scent was spoken about at least twice a chapter in all the previous books, but now she smells like "berries". Why switch up something that has been drilled into our head repeatedly?
*** The goddess told you she's dying and hurry up to save her, yet everyone took their sweet time doing whatever they wanted in between. Mainly having s*x. I guess your goddess dying isn't a big concern? Sure take weeks and weeks to bond your souls. Wait for the perfect moment. Wait until the night before the wedding. The goddess dying is obviously on your time. I understand 2 of them, since growing the right plants and creating the right potion would take time, but everyone else???
*** They are suddenly the council, yet their roles arent explained at all. Are they the ruling government like a president/prime minister/royalty? Or they like Congress/parliament? Like a Mayor? A Judge? What does that mean? Besides hearing that they had to rule over a few ridiculously minor cases, they each have offices, and a farmer came to them with concerns that their farm was failing, nothing is explained at all. This is such a massive plot point through book 3 and 4 yet again the author skips over all details of what it actually is. How is this their life, their job, their purpose to help reshape the world and its not explained at all?
*** It was randomly thrown in by Bennett that Pearson is Asian. Now, I may have missed this when he was first introduced, but i do noooot remember that being a description. That threw my entire image of him out the window. Why bring up his ethnicity but not bring up any of the others?
*** The lost memories- its a major plot point in the beginning. Then suddenly when Cyrus is trying to talk everyone into getting with eachother and sword crossing, he asks Foster his opinion on when he used him like a lillipop. Foster gives his opinion and says hes down. Ummm... this was after they mated, so it should be an erased memory yet he remembered. Shouldnt that be gone? Then theyre talking about flashbacks, so maybe their memories are coming back steadily? The author doesnt make it clear though and keeps mentioning how they still dont remember. Then out of the blue, after the wedding Bal mentions he has all his memories back. WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN??? It was not mentioned at any point. Did it happen when he got his mate mark back? When they bonded their souls the night before the wedding? Some other time? Did Foster?? For it being such a major plot point at the beginning, it was quickly thrown to the side and then tossed around like it was nothing after. Almost like the author forgot what she had previously said and no longer cared to see that plot point through.
*** Gabby's Mom helped The Night bring everyone to him, yet there were zero repercussions in book three. I figured it may come in book four since thats when they officially take over the council, but NOPE! Instead Gabby says she was disappointed her mom didnt show up to her wedding. What?! She is the direct reason you went through all the pain you did and lost two of your bonds, but i guess you dont care about that?? Did the author forget she mad Gabby's mom an evil villian too?
*** Its mentioned that Bennett is an ambassador, but there are no details given on what that really entails besides he'll go to a different realm. Just that its this biiiiig important thing. Ok maybe Gabby didnt really know what it entailed. Nope... wrong again. Just another plot hole. As soon as hes gone, i quote from Gabby "we went over the details of what his job would be" gee, thanks for including us in that knowledge. It felt so lazy on the authors part. Like she wanted this dramatic role for him, but didnt want to put any effort into explaining what it really was to the reader. Or she was hoping it would be intriguing enough to read her new series which includes Bennett as a mate. Nope, Im good.
*** Now this one is small, but it really stuck out to me how over the top the scene was and how little the author actually cared about how it would work in the real world. The wedding reception... after the portal is fixed hundreds of people follow Gabby and her mates and descend on the farm. They spend hours dancing in the mud until their feet are squelching in it and there are splatters up their calves, driving a car up to the tree (which is explained as being far off the road), and quote of gabby talking about the farmers "i think they can feel the health returning to the farm as well". Whaaaaaaat??? They went into the office begging for help saying their crops were dying and they were barely hanging on. You looked at pictures of all the crops around the tree dying and all the damage the farm had taken. It was clearly a mess. In real life hundreds of people celebrating the way its described in the book would have destroyed acres and acres of land. The farmers wouldnt have been happy about that. You would have succeeded in putting the final nail in the coffin on their farm. Damage like that would take a loooong time to fix.
*** Another unreal scenario. After the wedding, Gabby is outside and quote "As soon as those words are out of her mouth, shes running and doing a back handspring tumble thing, yelling "cannon ball" as she executes a perfect one into the center of the hot tub." Ummm what? A hot tub in like 3 or 4 feet deep MAX. A cannon ball would have surely broken her spine, caused a concussion, killed her, some other major bodily catastrophy. She wouldnt have just stood up and jumped into a spicy scene. Why does there have to be something so over the top? It didnt read as funny and quirky. It real as delusional.
*** As Gabby is leaning against the tree during her reception (aka land destruction) i quote "The goddess told me id be her successor here. I was already granted an insane lifespan, basically immortal with all of my mates, so why not be the goddess here? Why not indeed" That is huge. Life altering. Story line altering. But the author just throws that line in there like its no big deal and never speak of it again, sure. Thanks for that. Dont answer any of the maaaannnnny questions that brings up.
Along with all that, the author seemed to have trouble keeping up with the eleven men herself. She made numerous mistakes with writing the wrong name of an MMC in a scene. Its already hard for me to keep track of everyone, please dont make it even harder on me. There were still plenty of spelling errors, grammer errors, and formatting errors. Along with still not knowing who is speaking. Apparently this is just the authors preferred writing style. Ive seen numerous reviews of people bringing it up each book, so at this point, I am assuming it is deliberate.
Overall, I really wasnt a fan of this final book. What happened from book 3 to this one to make this so different? Disappointed with how this ended.
A few things that drove me crazy.
*** Her Raspberry scent was spoken about at least twice a chapter in all the previous books, but now she smells like "berries". Why switch up something that has been drilled into our head repeatedly?
*** The goddess told you she's dying and hurry up to save her, yet everyone took their sweet time doing whatever they wanted in between. Mainly having s*x. I guess your goddess dying isn't a big concern? Sure take weeks and weeks to bond your souls. Wait for the perfect moment. Wait until the night before the wedding. The goddess dying is obviously on your time. I understand 2 of them, since growing the right plants and creating the right potion would take time, but everyone else???
*** They are suddenly the council, yet their roles arent explained at all. Are they the ruling government like a president/prime minister/royalty? Or they like Congress/parliament? Like a Mayor? A Judge? What does that mean? Besides hearing that they had to rule over a few ridiculously minor cases, they each have offices, and a farmer came to them with concerns that their farm was failing, nothing is explained at all. This is such a massive plot point through book 3 and 4 yet again the author skips over all details of what it actually is. How is this their life, their job, their purpose to help reshape the world and its not explained at all?
*** It was randomly thrown in by Bennett that Pearson is Asian. Now, I may have missed this when he was first introduced, but i do noooot remember that being a description. That threw my entire image of him out the window. Why bring up his ethnicity but not bring up any of the others?
*** The lost memories- its a major plot point in the beginning. Then suddenly when Cyrus is trying to talk everyone into getting with eachother and sword crossing, he asks Foster his opinion on when he used him like a lillipop. Foster gives his opinion and says hes down. Ummm... this was after they mated, so it should be an erased memory yet he remembered. Shouldnt that be gone? Then theyre talking about flashbacks, so maybe their memories are coming back steadily? The author doesnt make it clear though and keeps mentioning how they still dont remember. Then out of the blue, after the wedding Bal mentions he has all his memories back. WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN??? It was not mentioned at any point. Did it happen when he got his mate mark back? When they bonded their souls the night before the wedding? Some other time? Did Foster?? For it being such a major plot point at the beginning, it was quickly thrown to the side and then tossed around like it was nothing after. Almost like the author forgot what she had previously said and no longer cared to see that plot point through.
*** Gabby's Mom helped The Night bring everyone to him, yet there were zero repercussions in book three. I figured it may come in book four since thats when they officially take over the council, but NOPE! Instead Gabby says she was disappointed her mom didnt show up to her wedding. What?! She is the direct reason you went through all the pain you did and lost two of your bonds, but i guess you dont care about that?? Did the author forget she mad Gabby's mom an evil villian too?
*** Its mentioned that Bennett is an ambassador, but there are no details given on what that really entails besides he'll go to a different realm. Just that its this biiiiig important thing. Ok maybe Gabby didnt really know what it entailed. Nope... wrong again. Just another plot hole. As soon as hes gone, i quote from Gabby "we went over the details of what his job would be" gee, thanks for including us in that knowledge. It felt so lazy on the authors part. Like she wanted this dramatic role for him, but didnt want to put any effort into explaining what it really was to the reader. Or she was hoping it would be intriguing enough to read her new series which includes Bennett as a mate. Nope, Im good.
*** Now this one is small, but it really stuck out to me how over the top the scene was and how little the author actually cared about how it would work in the real world. The wedding reception... after the portal is fixed hundreds of people follow Gabby and her mates and descend on the farm. They spend hours dancing in the mud until their feet are squelching in it and there are splatters up their calves, driving a car up to the tree (which is explained as being far off the road), and quote of gabby talking about the farmers "i think they can feel the health returning to the farm as well". Whaaaaaaat??? They went into the office begging for help saying their crops were dying and they were barely hanging on. You looked at pictures of all the crops around the tree dying and all the damage the farm had taken. It was clearly a mess. In real life hundreds of people celebrating the way its described in the book would have destroyed acres and acres of land. The farmers wouldnt have been happy about that. You would have succeeded in putting the final nail in the coffin on their farm. Damage like that would take a loooong time to fix.
*** Another unreal scenario. After the wedding, Gabby is outside and quote "As soon as those words are out of her mouth, shes running and doing a back handspring tumble thing, yelling "cannon ball" as she executes a perfect one into the center of the hot tub." Ummm what? A hot tub in like 3 or 4 feet deep MAX. A cannon ball would have surely broken her spine, caused a concussion, killed her, some other major bodily catastrophy. She wouldnt have just stood up and jumped into a spicy scene. Why does there have to be something so over the top? It didnt read as funny and quirky. It real as delusional.
*** As Gabby is leaning against the tree during her reception (aka land destruction) i quote "The goddess told me id be her successor here. I was already granted an insane lifespan, basically immortal with all of my mates, so why not be the goddess here? Why not indeed" That is huge. Life altering. Story line altering. But the author just throws that line in there like its no big deal and never speak of it again, sure. Thanks for that. Dont answer any of the maaaannnnny questions that brings up.
Along with all that, the author seemed to have trouble keeping up with the eleven men herself. She made numerous mistakes with writing the wrong name of an MMC in a scene. Its already hard for me to keep track of everyone, please dont make it even harder on me. There were still plenty of spelling errors, grammer errors, and formatting errors. Along with still not knowing who is speaking. Apparently this is just the authors preferred writing style. Ive seen numerous reviews of people bringing it up each book, so at this point, I am assuming it is deliberate.
Overall, I really wasnt a fan of this final book. What happened from book 3 to this one to make this so different? Disappointed with how this ended.
July 22, 2021
I loved this series as whole
That being said, book 4 felt super unnecessary to me. Like other reviewers, it kind of read as more of an extended epilogue. The conflicts were all solved pretty quick and without much struggle. This book seemed to be more about wrapping up the relationships between the FMC and all her men.
Personally I feel like 11 men is just way too much. I kept getting Foster, Pearson, and Palmer mixed up. It was just a lot of people to keep straight in my head and there were a couple of the guys that didn't really seem like they got enough screen time.
Overall I would recommend this series to people who want a steamy RH with a decent plot despite the lack of plot in book 4 (4 was like 70/30 plot/steam). The FMC was such a great balance of badass with a big heart. I LOVED how she would handle mean girls and bullies.
The door was also left wide wide open for the next story involving Bennett so that should be interesting.
Series overall
Book 1 - 4 stars
Book 2 - 3.5 stars
Book 3 - 3 stars
Book 4 - 2 stars
(this has nothing to do with writing quality, just my personal enjoyment level for each book. The story telling was good)
That being said, book 4 felt super unnecessary to me. Like other reviewers, it kind of read as more of an extended epilogue. The conflicts were all solved pretty quick and without much struggle. This book seemed to be more about wrapping up the relationships between the FMC and all her men.
Personally I feel like 11 men is just way too much. I kept getting Foster, Pearson, and Palmer mixed up. It was just a lot of people to keep straight in my head and there were a couple of the guys that didn't really seem like they got enough screen time.
Overall I would recommend this series to people who want a steamy RH with a decent plot despite the lack of plot in book 4 (4 was like 70/30 plot/steam). The FMC was such a great balance of badass with a big heart. I LOVED how she would handle mean girls and bullies.
The door was also left wide wide open for the next story involving Bennett so that should be interesting.
Series overall
Book 1 - 4 stars
Book 2 - 3.5 stars
Book 3 - 3 stars
Book 4 - 2 stars
(this has nothing to do with writing quality, just my personal enjoyment level for each book. The story telling was good)
September 18, 2021
They took down the Night but paid the price. Now, they have to come together closer than ever to face the final challenge.
This was a quick, easy series to read. I read it over a couple afternoons and it was an amusing and frustrating diversion. The author should focus on her humor in future books. This is her strongest feature. I sound like a broken record but Kelsey Soliz, get a critique partner and better editor. As a critique partner, this series has pushed my limits. It needs so much work to be what it should be but it could be special. It should be 2 books, not 4. It could maybe lose a few characters. The author mixes up her own characters and there is not enough time devoted to any specific guy. It needs direction, cleaning up, and depth. Take out some sex, add details and conversations. Slow down the releases; it feels rushed after the second book. It never had a firm direction but the sex took over more in each book until any story was nearly lost. I love M/M but this became way too much. I read RH for the men to worship the woman and make her the center of their universe, not for a complete orgy with each participant just doing the person next to them. Plus, some of the guy's comments bordered on disrespect. Love, not lust is what I am looking for. I'm 'thrilled' she is good at every act but would like her value to be more than her services. It seemed she fulfilled the bodysmith legacy after all.
I will not be reading Territory One.
This was a quick, easy series to read. I read it over a couple afternoons and it was an amusing and frustrating diversion. The author should focus on her humor in future books. This is her strongest feature. I sound like a broken record but Kelsey Soliz, get a critique partner and better editor. As a critique partner, this series has pushed my limits. It needs so much work to be what it should be but it could be special. It should be 2 books, not 4. It could maybe lose a few characters. The author mixes up her own characters and there is not enough time devoted to any specific guy. It needs direction, cleaning up, and depth. Take out some sex, add details and conversations. Slow down the releases; it feels rushed after the second book. It never had a firm direction but the sex took over more in each book until any story was nearly lost. I love M/M but this became way too much. I read RH for the men to worship the woman and make her the center of their universe, not for a complete orgy with each participant just doing the person next to them. Plus, some of the guy's comments bordered on disrespect. Love, not lust is what I am looking for. I'm 'thrilled' she is good at every act but would like her value to be more than her services. It seemed she fulfilled the bodysmith legacy after all.
I will not be reading Territory One.
May 24, 2025
Re-read and DNF this time. The fact that now everybody was bicurious/bisexual was just ridiculous and not sexy at all.
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Hardly made it to the end
Unlike the other books which were funny and captivating, this one was a bit boring. The story could have ended after the third one when Gabriella defeated the Night but no, plot twist! 🙄 Two of her mates lost their memory and now Gabby and her guys had to face four trials.
For me, this plot twist was unnecessary and just prolonged the story which became boring and no more interesting.
About these fours trials, it's not until the end of the book that I finally understood what they were. It wasn't explained clearly until then...annoying.
Well, it took me longer time to finish this book and I'm sad that it tarnished a bit my feelings toward this serie😕
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Hardly made it to the end
Unlike the other books which were funny and captivating, this one was a bit boring. The story could have ended after the third one when Gabriella defeated the Night but no, plot twist! 🙄 Two of her mates lost their memory and now Gabby and her guys had to face four trials.
For me, this plot twist was unnecessary and just prolonged the story which became boring and no more interesting.
About these fours trials, it's not until the end of the book that I finally understood what they were. It wasn't explained clearly until then...annoying.
Well, it took me longer time to finish this book and I'm sad that it tarnished a bit my feelings toward this serie😕
May 17, 2022
Crap
This whole series has gone steadily downhill. There are constant grammar issues, which have progressively gotten worse. There were times when the author forgot which character was supposed to be the POV for that chapter, times where the author mixed up the guys' names and times when previous actions were credited to the wrong character. There were missing words, misused homonyms, incorrectly used phrases and a lack of cohesion with the other books. I almost didn't read this book after the hot mess that was the previous book, and I'm mad that I changed my mind to give this one a shot. This author clearly doesn't have beta readers, an editor or respect for her craft/readers so I'm adding her to my "Never Again" list.
This whole series has gone steadily downhill. There are constant grammar issues, which have progressively gotten worse. There were times when the author forgot which character was supposed to be the POV for that chapter, times where the author mixed up the guys' names and times when previous actions were credited to the wrong character. There were missing words, misused homonyms, incorrectly used phrases and a lack of cohesion with the other books. I almost didn't read this book after the hot mess that was the previous book, and I'm mad that I changed my mind to give this one a shot. This author clearly doesn't have beta readers, an editor or respect for her craft/readers so I'm adding her to my "Never Again" list.
July 24, 2021
So I know there are some people out there that think RH is just written porn. Well if you want to feel validated in that opinion you should really read this fourth and last installment to Hemlock Academy. If I had to summarise in in one sentence: sex to save the world. Though I could appreciate the explicit scenes, I do confess to being slightly disappointed. There is so much potential in the story: the council work (which is only mentioned, never is a case, the politics, the different roles etc elaborated), the trials (which were introduced halfway and as a side note), the different realms (presented as a given but not explained), etc. It's an okay book but it could have been gold.
July 31, 2021
I find this tough to rate. I would actually like to give this one star but the writing is fine, so I guess we'll leave it at two stars.
The main problem of this book is that it just has no plot. NOTHING happens. At 40% the characters stop having sex for the very first time and a plot point is sort of introduced which then gets lost after 5% again. This "book" is basically just a set-up for the author's new series and a lot of smut. It's just not what I expected and that could very well be a me-problem. So yeah. Feels like a way of making an extra buck with this series before moving on. I don't know. Not a read, I would recommend.
The main problem of this book is that it just has no plot. NOTHING happens. At 40% the characters stop having sex for the very first time and a plot point is sort of introduced which then gets lost after 5% again. This "book" is basically just a set-up for the author's new series and a lot of smut. It's just not what I expected and that could very well be a me-problem. So yeah. Feels like a way of making an extra buck with this series before moving on. I don't know. Not a read, I would recommend.
August 29, 2022
Ok, so I really liked the other books, and this one seemed a little unnecessary, but I wanted to finish the series. There is a warning at the beginning for M/M, and I am totally down for that, but the way the author went about opening up M/M relationships between Gabby's mates was weird and made me feel yucky about it. That's probably just me; I primarily read gay romance and have random periods of being into M/F or reverse harem romances, so usually I'm open to pretty much whatever.
I guess my problem is that when I'm reading RH, I prefer it when all of the romance is focused towards the girl; any stories that have side-romances between guys make me feel like they're cheating on the girl, even if everyone involved is cool with it. I suppose because so much of RH is spent on developing the romance between the girl and the guys individually, that anything extra going on feels wrong somehow. If it's done right, then it's tolerable to read, but I have come across too many books that have done it wrong, that when I got to this specific scene and they started discussing it, it was a huge nope for me.
Anyway, in the previous books, Cyrus was the instigator of any M/M, and he was basically the lead here, too. This book turned out to be a DNF for me, right when they were about to have another orgy. The way that everything was brought up and explained in their talk was logical and mature, but it came across as sterile and very off-putting to me. It was basically just explaining that there were so many men and only one Gabby, so what does it matter if the others entertain themselves with each other while Gabby is busy? "A blow job is a blow job is a blow job," is what somebody said, and that's pretty much the crux of that conversation. Gabby's into it, which is vital, but it all felt so unfeeling and like they were only getting into M/M as a means to an end because Gabby could only take so much dick at a time. I appreciated the logic, but it came across as very unsavory and it felt yucky and I couldn't continue.
While I'm at it, I wish that Pax and Royce had more development before they reached this point. If you're going to put this many men in a harem, you need to give the reader more time to get to know them before you throw them into certain situations. I will say that the author did a remarkable job in giving each guy his own distinct personality, but Royce got left WAY behind. After Gabby had gotten upset with Palmer at that party in the 1st book for taking a body shot from another girl's tits while on a date with her, I'm surprised that Gabby didn't give Royce even more grief for fucking PROPOSING to another woman--- and that's while knowing they were mates. Royce got off way too fucking easy, and since Gabby was forced to mark him in the previous book to complete her circuit to protect her other mates, nothing between them feels genuine. And Royce hasn't been given enough time to establish his character, so he had zero personality. I wish he had been left out completely.
I'll be happy to read this series again, but I will definitely be skipping this 4th book.
I guess my problem is that when I'm reading RH, I prefer it when all of the romance is focused towards the girl; any stories that have side-romances between guys make me feel like they're cheating on the girl, even if everyone involved is cool with it. I suppose because so much of RH is spent on developing the romance between the girl and the guys individually, that anything extra going on feels wrong somehow. If it's done right, then it's tolerable to read, but I have come across too many books that have done it wrong, that when I got to this specific scene and they started discussing it, it was a huge nope for me.
Anyway, in the previous books, Cyrus was the instigator of any M/M, and he was basically the lead here, too. This book turned out to be a DNF for me, right when they were about to have another orgy. The way that everything was brought up and explained in their talk was logical and mature, but it came across as sterile and very off-putting to me. It was basically just explaining that there were so many men and only one Gabby, so what does it matter if the others entertain themselves with each other while Gabby is busy? "A blow job is a blow job is a blow job," is what somebody said, and that's pretty much the crux of that conversation. Gabby's into it, which is vital, but it all felt so unfeeling and like they were only getting into M/M as a means to an end because Gabby could only take so much dick at a time. I appreciated the logic, but it came across as very unsavory and it felt yucky and I couldn't continue.
While I'm at it, I wish that Pax and Royce had more development before they reached this point. If you're going to put this many men in a harem, you need to give the reader more time to get to know them before you throw them into certain situations. I will say that the author did a remarkable job in giving each guy his own distinct personality, but Royce got left WAY behind. After Gabby had gotten upset with Palmer at that party in the 1st book for taking a body shot from another girl's tits while on a date with her, I'm surprised that Gabby didn't give Royce even more grief for fucking PROPOSING to another woman--- and that's while knowing they were mates. Royce got off way too fucking easy, and since Gabby was forced to mark him in the previous book to complete her circuit to protect her other mates, nothing between them feels genuine. And Royce hasn't been given enough time to establish his character, so he had zero personality. I wish he had been left out completely.
I'll be happy to read this series again, but I will definitely be skipping this 4th book.
July 26, 2022
Not sure why I continued to subject myself to this series, but it was like a train-wreck that I found myself unable to look away from.
This book’s genre is meant to be comedic romance, so I tried not to take it too seriously… Although this at best one of the books may have been 2.5/5 stars.
I attempted to finish this last book, but I just couldn’t do it.
Some of the many issues with this book:
•formatting errors
•inconsistent writing style
•forgot a character and then introduced a new version of the same character (Fox/Jericho)
•random events happening to drive the “plot”
•weird pop culture references
•covers look nothing like any of the characters
•confusing transition between scenes
•pick-me main female character
•”gods damnit”, “gods damn it”, “goddess damnit”, “godsdamnit”
•”kinky wolf sex”
•frequent awful metaphors during and around sex scenes
•dropped plot points that the author perhaps forgot, ex: vampire love interest can read minds & two separate love interests’ introduction to meeting the female character swapped mistakenly
•characters’ names misspelled & characters with similar names which adds to confusion
•”the sex I had didn’t count bc it was with someone of the same gender” theme which happened in multiple books
•the “slutty virgin, I’m not like the other girls who are whores” trope which was just a weird contradiction pushed in mostly books 1 & 2
•every female character other than the fmc is extremely shallow which makes them very different from the fmc who is totally not even a little shallow…
•poly relationships clashing with weird monogamous aspects when this is a reverse harem series
Memorable quotes without context:
“She’s crying again, but from what I understand of females, this is a common occurrence when emotions run high.”
“…my mouth legitimately waters at the sight.”
“…setting my mind on fire. And obviously my dick, too. But like not in a bad way. Like, I don’t have an STI or…you know what? Forget it. My dick got hard again. Better?”
“Baby, you’re so fucking wet, it’s like a damn slip ‘n slide. Fuuuuck. Damn.”
“My panties are full of Foster’s love juice.”
“I push her away from me like the pathetic heap of human meat she is,”
“She smells like fresh berries ripened by the sun,”
“My *Morgan Freeman voice* Father, *end Morgan Freeman voice*, okay, that shit was kind of fun.”
“With this infuriating, gorgeous, lickable, asshole.”
“His vibes were more than a little emo with his shaggy black hair and kohl rimmed eyes,”
“Foster growls in response to this, making my little inner wolfie want to respond and take him up on that kinky wolf sex he mentioned.”
“Fuck. Fuckity fucking fuckers.”
“Or maybe that was Pearson mounting me.”
“…squeezing me tightly like she can milk the depression out of me.”
“I feel like a shark circling blood infested waters, my cock pulsing so heavily that I’m almost concerned it’s going to strangle itself.”
This book’s genre is meant to be comedic romance, so I tried not to take it too seriously… Although this at best one of the books may have been 2.5/5 stars.
I attempted to finish this last book, but I just couldn’t do it.
Some of the many issues with this book:
•formatting errors
•inconsistent writing style
•forgot a character and then introduced a new version of the same character (Fox/Jericho)
•random events happening to drive the “plot”
•weird pop culture references
•covers look nothing like any of the characters
•confusing transition between scenes
•pick-me main female character
•”gods damnit”, “gods damn it”, “goddess damnit”, “godsdamnit”
•”kinky wolf sex”
•frequent awful metaphors during and around sex scenes
•dropped plot points that the author perhaps forgot, ex: vampire love interest can read minds & two separate love interests’ introduction to meeting the female character swapped mistakenly
•characters’ names misspelled & characters with similar names which adds to confusion
•”the sex I had didn’t count bc it was with someone of the same gender” theme which happened in multiple books
•the “slutty virgin, I’m not like the other girls who are whores” trope which was just a weird contradiction pushed in mostly books 1 & 2
•every female character other than the fmc is extremely shallow which makes them very different from the fmc who is totally not even a little shallow…
•poly relationships clashing with weird monogamous aspects when this is a reverse harem series
Memorable quotes without context:
“She’s crying again, but from what I understand of females, this is a common occurrence when emotions run high.”
“…my mouth legitimately waters at the sight.”
“…setting my mind on fire. And obviously my dick, too. But like not in a bad way. Like, I don’t have an STI or…you know what? Forget it. My dick got hard again. Better?”
“Baby, you’re so fucking wet, it’s like a damn slip ‘n slide. Fuuuuck. Damn.”
“My panties are full of Foster’s love juice.”
“I push her away from me like the pathetic heap of human meat she is,”
“She smells like fresh berries ripened by the sun,”
“My *Morgan Freeman voice* Father, *end Morgan Freeman voice*, okay, that shit was kind of fun.”
“With this infuriating, gorgeous, lickable, asshole.”
“His vibes were more than a little emo with his shaggy black hair and kohl rimmed eyes,”
“Foster growls in response to this, making my little inner wolfie want to respond and take him up on that kinky wolf sex he mentioned.”
“Fuck. Fuckity fucking fuckers.”
“Or maybe that was Pearson mounting me.”
“…squeezing me tightly like she can milk the depression out of me.”
“I feel like a shark circling blood infested waters, my cock pulsing so heavily that I’m almost concerned it’s going to strangle itself.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2022
Series Review 4.5 Stars
I really loved this series, it was so good, so sexy, and so much fun to read! However it wasn’t without flaws. Here is a quick synopsis:
They live in a world with various types of magic users who are all underneath the council and the conduits. The conduits are magic users who have been blessed by the goddess to have multiple mates. Once their conduit circuit is complete they all have longer lives and greater power. Unfortunately, they’re all corrupt and/or stuck up mean girls.
Gabby is a bodysmith who is trying to prove she’s more than the stereotype. Bodysmiths are basically a type of magic user that are all about sex. They are like the ‘escorts’ of the magic world. She doesn’t want this for herself. She doesn’t wanna be a dirty hoebag like her mother. She’s been training to be special forces and to work for the council. However, Gabby is more than a bodysmith. She inherited body sculpting powers from her father as well. She uses those sculpting powers to cover up the conduit marks that appear on her. She doesn’t want mates, she doesn’t want to be a snooty conduit, she wants to be special forces! Unfortunately, her cover is blown by accident and she’s sent to Hemlock Academy to start the search for her mates. And this is where the story truly starts.
I love the story, I love Gabby and all the guys. I love their personalities and the way they get all get along. I love how hot and steamy the book is. We don’t, however, get to know what most of the guys look like. They’re all almost blank slates in my mind. I know Bal has perfect hair. Foster is a big red headed man. Grey is hot…Apollo is dark. Jericho is dark skinned(?) and has dreads. Pearson…might be Asian? I only know this because in the last book Gabby’s brother talks about the Asian guy, who is apparently Pearson. We know what Pax, Dar, and Cyrus look like. Royce looks like a superhero. And I know that Palmer is big. It’s all very vague.
Also, as with most large harem’s, we don’t get to see a lot of some of her mates. I wish we got to know Pearson better, we see almost nothing from him. He seems awesome when we’re first introduced to him, and then he kinda fades into the background. We hardly get to see Royce, Pax, and Apollo at all.
We’re told about some of the guys’ magical abilities, but I feel like there is so much information we don’t know, and so much the Author could have done with the cool things we did learn. For instance, Grey can read minds. How fun is that? But it’s not mentioned past the first book. Palmer turns into smoke, but we don’t see him do more than control candles. We don’t know what kind of magic Dar and Cyrus have, except being male conduits, they just fight monsters. Pax apparently has Siren powers! That would have been fun to explore, but it’s barely touched on.
I do want to say that the series compilation book is much much better than reading them all as separate novels. There are more chapters and more perspectives that really add to the story a lot. I read through the compilation and then immediately read the individual books, and I can tell you the difference is real.
This is an awesome story. The author did a great job and I really enjoyed reading it. I would definitely read it again…and I don’t even like academy RH’s. This isn’t a real academy RH though. I recommend this series to all
I really loved this series, it was so good, so sexy, and so much fun to read! However it wasn’t without flaws. Here is a quick synopsis:
They live in a world with various types of magic users who are all underneath the council and the conduits. The conduits are magic users who have been blessed by the goddess to have multiple mates. Once their conduit circuit is complete they all have longer lives and greater power. Unfortunately, they’re all corrupt and/or stuck up mean girls.
Gabby is a bodysmith who is trying to prove she’s more than the stereotype. Bodysmiths are basically a type of magic user that are all about sex. They are like the ‘escorts’ of the magic world. She doesn’t want this for herself. She doesn’t wanna be a dirty hoebag like her mother. She’s been training to be special forces and to work for the council. However, Gabby is more than a bodysmith. She inherited body sculpting powers from her father as well. She uses those sculpting powers to cover up the conduit marks that appear on her. She doesn’t want mates, she doesn’t want to be a snooty conduit, she wants to be special forces! Unfortunately, her cover is blown by accident and she’s sent to Hemlock Academy to start the search for her mates. And this is where the story truly starts.
I love the story, I love Gabby and all the guys. I love their personalities and the way they get all get along. I love how hot and steamy the book is. We don’t, however, get to know what most of the guys look like. They’re all almost blank slates in my mind. I know Bal has perfect hair. Foster is a big red headed man. Grey is hot…Apollo is dark. Jericho is dark skinned(?) and has dreads. Pearson…might be Asian? I only know this because in the last book Gabby’s brother talks about the Asian guy, who is apparently Pearson. We know what Pax, Dar, and Cyrus look like. Royce looks like a superhero. And I know that Palmer is big. It’s all very vague.
Also, as with most large harem’s, we don’t get to see a lot of some of her mates. I wish we got to know Pearson better, we see almost nothing from him. He seems awesome when we’re first introduced to him, and then he kinda fades into the background. We hardly get to see Royce, Pax, and Apollo at all.
We’re told about some of the guys’ magical abilities, but I feel like there is so much information we don’t know, and so much the Author could have done with the cool things we did learn. For instance, Grey can read minds. How fun is that? But it’s not mentioned past the first book. Palmer turns into smoke, but we don’t see him do more than control candles. We don’t know what kind of magic Dar and Cyrus have, except being male conduits, they just fight monsters. Pax apparently has Siren powers! That would have been fun to explore, but it’s barely touched on.
I do want to say that the series compilation book is much much better than reading them all as separate novels. There are more chapters and more perspectives that really add to the story a lot. I read through the compilation and then immediately read the individual books, and I can tell you the difference is real.
This is an awesome story. The author did a great job and I really enjoyed reading it. I would definitely read it again…and I don’t even like academy RH’s. This isn’t a real academy RH though. I recommend this series to all
May 29, 2025
Please note that the following review is for the SERIES, not each individual book. I do my best to not include spoilers in my reviews. Where appropriate, I do include content warnings.
May has been the month of finally reading various books and series that have been recommended, I've looked at, kinda shrugged my shoulders and went, "meh?" And I cannot express how badly I am kicking myself right now.
Hemlock Academy is one of the most surprising rom-coms that I have come across. Even with reviews and recommendations, I would never have expected the downright hilarity of this series. I cried from laughing so hard. I have never read anything like it. I'm torn between giving an example or letting you find out on your own. I guess I'll do some vague-posting and just mention that multiple characters get ... how to say it while still being able to post on Amazon ... some characters get rather inebriated after having relations ... unexpected, right out of left field and had me in stitches.
Another thing that I really enjoyed about this series is the large and diverse harem of guys. I love the intricacies of getting to know so many characters and falling a little bit in love with each of them. From mages to shifters to vampires to supernatural races I've never seen before. It was an absolute delight. All the way around. Delightful.
Don't miss out on this. You'll regret it if you do.
May has been the month of finally reading various books and series that have been recommended, I've looked at, kinda shrugged my shoulders and went, "meh?" And I cannot express how badly I am kicking myself right now.
Hemlock Academy is one of the most surprising rom-coms that I have come across. Even with reviews and recommendations, I would never have expected the downright hilarity of this series. I cried from laughing so hard. I have never read anything like it. I'm torn between giving an example or letting you find out on your own. I guess I'll do some vague-posting and just mention that multiple characters get ... how to say it while still being able to post on Amazon ... some characters get rather inebriated after having relations ... unexpected, right out of left field and had me in stitches.
Another thing that I really enjoyed about this series is the large and diverse harem of guys. I love the intricacies of getting to know so many characters and falling a little bit in love with each of them. From mages to shifters to vampires to supernatural races I've never seen before. It was an absolute delight. All the way around. Delightful.
Don't miss out on this. You'll regret it if you do.
October 3, 2022
Four Trails
Boy am I thankful for not reading the reviews on this book before beginning this series. Seriously some of the things yall complain about are everything I loved about it. Honestly how did you think this wouldn't involve into mm being a factor with one female with an rh of 11 men. One review even left me confused as if we didn't read the same books. There were some errors that could easily be fixed, but I'm not gonna have that be the hail Mary that makes me despise the story and author 😂😂😂. I honestly loved everything from start to finish. It had everything I love to see in a single series. I love that even though this series is done we will still get more with Bennett in a spinoff. Also after seeing his sister and her mates as a family unit he did start to wonder if it would be a good fit for him to have the same thing. So I am happy that we got a glimpse of what's to come for him. It was definitely the correct path. I also wouldn't consider the guys playfulness childish. Seriously their humor and antics were great. They were serious when it time for seriousness. I read a ton of books and this series really makes it to top of my list with my other favorites. Obviously these are my opinions on others opinions, but I hope someone reads my review and it helps them to decide to give this series a try. Loved it⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Boy am I thankful for not reading the reviews on this book before beginning this series. Seriously some of the things yall complain about are everything I loved about it. Honestly how did you think this wouldn't involve into mm being a factor with one female with an rh of 11 men. One review even left me confused as if we didn't read the same books. There were some errors that could easily be fixed, but I'm not gonna have that be the hail Mary that makes me despise the story and author 😂😂😂. I honestly loved everything from start to finish. It had everything I love to see in a single series. I love that even though this series is done we will still get more with Bennett in a spinoff. Also after seeing his sister and her mates as a family unit he did start to wonder if it would be a good fit for him to have the same thing. So I am happy that we got a glimpse of what's to come for him. It was definitely the correct path. I also wouldn't consider the guys playfulness childish. Seriously their humor and antics were great. They were serious when it time for seriousness. I read a ton of books and this series really makes it to top of my list with my other favorites. Obviously these are my opinions on others opinions, but I hope someone reads my review and it helps them to decide to give this series a try. Loved it⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
July 18, 2021
A good 3.5, but so close to 4 stars.
This will be last book of Gabby and mates. The book is still fast paced, but I found it was a bit more smoother than the previous books. I did catch some errors and typos regarding punctuation, grammar, and mixing up the names. But there was less errors and typos in this book than in the previous books in this series.
If you don't know or have forgotten, Gabby has 11 mates!! All of them unique with slightly different personalities, but devoted and so in love with Gabby. Which I found really sweet that all the males literally worshipped Gabby, and how Gabby made sure to spend equal time with all of her mates. She balanced 11 mates, becoming a leader to everyone, and saving everyone really well.
The book will end with a sweet, happily ever after type of feeling.
Males in the Harem: Bal, Foster, Dar, Cyrus, Grey, Palmer, Pearson, Apollo, Royce, Jericho, and Pax
Yes, I was serious. She has 11 mates!
Sexiness: 4 out 5
This review is own my opinion.
This will be last book of Gabby and mates. The book is still fast paced, but I found it was a bit more smoother than the previous books. I did catch some errors and typos regarding punctuation, grammar, and mixing up the names. But there was less errors and typos in this book than in the previous books in this series.
If you don't know or have forgotten, Gabby has 11 mates!! All of them unique with slightly different personalities, but devoted and so in love with Gabby. Which I found really sweet that all the males literally worshipped Gabby, and how Gabby made sure to spend equal time with all of her mates. She balanced 11 mates, becoming a leader to everyone, and saving everyone really well.
The book will end with a sweet, happily ever after type of feeling.
Males in the Harem: Bal, Foster, Dar, Cyrus, Grey, Palmer, Pearson, Apollo, Royce, Jericho, and Pax
Yes, I was serious. She has 11 mates!
Sexiness: 4 out 5
This review is own my opinion.
August 14, 2021
I'm tired of seeing this books: reverse harem, fmm romance, and more in the category of MM Romance, they are not MM romance, and when a see the genre I don't see a list of books MM, I see a lot of this FMM or reverse harem that I'm not looking for and I don´t want to read. I can't find new books to reads because when I enter the MM romance category, the Reverse Harem fill the category, so just for that and because this is going on for more than a year I'm going to qualify all this Reverse Harem FMM, and whatever that isn't a MM Romance with one star. Because if I enter to a MM Romance category I expect a MM Romance nothing else, nothing more. And if the product isn't what they sold me this qualify for a zero.
It isn't going to change the grades of these books but is the only way I have to protest. It's like asking for a list of ice cream flavors and the give me a list of hamburgers, over time it gets boring.
It isn't going to change the grades of these books but is the only way I have to protest. It's like asking for a list of ice cream flavors and the give me a list of hamburgers, over time it gets boring.
March 13, 2022
I honestly really enjoyed this series, which I read in less than 2 days. Yes, it needs editing, especially the first book, and yes, there’s grammatical and punctual errors, but at no point did I find myself getting bored or not wanting to continue on with the next book.
There was a lot of character growth from the MC from the first book to this one, it’s still lacking some emotional depth, but with the author trying to fit so many mates and so much action into the series, she’s never going to be able to encompass everything.
The ending was left partially open, in order to be able to see the MC and her men through another perspective, not sure how much well necessarily see of them, but I’ll be reading more to find out.
I’d reread the series- it was funny, had some super sexy moments, and was a concept I’d never read before.
There was a lot of character growth from the MC from the first book to this one, it’s still lacking some emotional depth, but with the author trying to fit so many mates and so much action into the series, she’s never going to be able to encompass everything.
The ending was left partially open, in order to be able to see the MC and her men through another perspective, not sure how much well necessarily see of them, but I’ll be reading more to find out.
I’d reread the series- it was funny, had some super sexy moments, and was a concept I’d never read before.
July 27, 2021
Awesome Ending
I loved this series so much! The humor, the relationships, the action, the sexy scenes. Gabriella was a strong, confident, badass female and all her guys had endearing qualities too. The steamy scenes were ramped up in this last book and they were all so good. I also appreciated that the obstacles thrown at them weren’t drawn out and talked about endlessly. The author threw the obstacle at them, they made a plan and executed it. This was done throughout the series and I’m glad the focus wasn’t so much on defeating the Night and saving the Goddess, but more so on developing her relationships with her mates and navigating their new life. Personally, I really like the way this author writes. And I would definitely recommend this series to others.
I loved this series so much! The humor, the relationships, the action, the sexy scenes. Gabriella was a strong, confident, badass female and all her guys had endearing qualities too. The steamy scenes were ramped up in this last book and they were all so good. I also appreciated that the obstacles thrown at them weren’t drawn out and talked about endlessly. The author threw the obstacle at them, they made a plan and executed it. This was done throughout the series and I’m glad the focus wasn’t so much on defeating the Night and saving the Goddess, but more so on developing her relationships with her mates and navigating their new life. Personally, I really like the way this author writes. And I would definitely recommend this series to others.
January 8, 2025
Bittersweet Closure
🌟 Rating: 3 Stars | 🌶️ Spice: 3
I have mixed feelings about the final instalment. It felt a bit like an extended epilogue rather than a fully fleshed-out conclusion. The end of book 3 clearly caused some fan backlash, and it felt like the author adjusted things to please the crowd. 🫤 At least the mates remained devoted throughout, which was my biggest worry after Book 3’s ending.
There wasn’t much new plot to sink into, but I did enjoy spending extra time with characters who hadn’t been fully explored before. It’s more focused on relationships and bonding, which added a touch of sweetness to the series' send-off. Not the strongest finish, but it still had heart. ❤️
🌟 Rating: 3 Stars | 🌶️ Spice: 3
I have mixed feelings about the final instalment. It felt a bit like an extended epilogue rather than a fully fleshed-out conclusion. The end of book 3 clearly caused some fan backlash, and it felt like the author adjusted things to please the crowd. 🫤 At least the mates remained devoted throughout, which was my biggest worry after Book 3’s ending.
There wasn’t much new plot to sink into, but I did enjoy spending extra time with characters who hadn’t been fully explored before. It’s more focused on relationships and bonding, which added a touch of sweetness to the series' send-off. Not the strongest finish, but it still had heart. ❤️
July 19, 2021
It’s over. Sad face.
I loved this series! As with most endings, I’m sad it’s over. I adore Gabby and her guys! I laughed so many times during this series and I’m truly going to miss reading about all their crazy adventures and pranks. I’m so glad we got POV’s from everyone during this book as things wrapped up. It was the perfect balance of romance, steam and fun. It’s hard trying to juggle writing between so many characters and although I wish for a little more time with Royce, Jericho and Pax, I think Kelsey did a great job giving everyone attention and their own voice. I look forward to reading more from this author as her writing continues!
I loved this series! As with most endings, I’m sad it’s over. I adore Gabby and her guys! I laughed so many times during this series and I’m truly going to miss reading about all their crazy adventures and pranks. I’m so glad we got POV’s from everyone during this book as things wrapped up. It was the perfect balance of romance, steam and fun. It’s hard trying to juggle writing between so many characters and although I wish for a little more time with Royce, Jericho and Pax, I think Kelsey did a great job giving everyone attention and their own voice. I look forward to reading more from this author as her writing continues!
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