Lindsey Duga

Colt Clemmons is an agent in a specialized division within the Bureau of Investigation—one that hunts down not just mobsters, but also monsters. For reasons that are kept top secret, Colt is the only person who can resist a siren's voice. But he's never had a chance to test this ability. The last siren left in the world mysteriously disappeared years ago. Then one night, with a single word, she reveals herself. It seems too good to be true. And it is. Because nothing about this siren—her past, her powers, or her purpose—is what it seems...

Roaring

Nicola Sarah Brooks

Think alternate during prohibition. There is magic and mythology and mystical creatures abound!

Amongst the gangsters, moonshine runners and speakeasies are the beings who are not quite human! Young love interspersed with a bit of a murder mystery and a heroine trying to keep herself in the shadows.

Eris isn't quite sure what she is but she knows that when she speaks, well, things go a bit awry. She can however sing and becomes the "canary" at the speakeasy where she works. But when a young undercover federal agent comes around, she soon realises all her secrets are about to get unearthed! 

Colt may be a brand new, just out of the wrapper agent in the paranormal division but he is already very good at what he does. The whole being a dragon thing - well it just makes him that much more feared by the bad guys!

I'm not a love of YA but I really enjoyed this romp. Setting it among the roaring '20s was a great idea and I loved the interaction between Eris, her little nightclub family and Colt.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author and publisher for tour. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Roaring

Author: Lindsey Duga

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3.5/5

Recommended For...: Romance, fantasy, monsters, historical fiction

Publication Date: August 3, 2020

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Pages: 422

Recommended Age: 16+ (romance, slight sexual content, violence, gore, 1920s slang)

Synopsis: Colt Clemmons is an agent in a specialized division within the Bureau of Investigation—one that hunts down not just mobsters, but also monsters.

For reasons that are kept top secret, Colt is the only person who can resist a siren's voice. But he's never had a chance to test this ability. The last siren left in the world mysteriously disappeared years ago.

Then one night, with a single word, she reveals herself. It seems too good to be true. 

And it is. Because nothing about this siren—her past, her powers, or her purpose—is what it seems...

Review: For the most part this was a good book. I enjoyed the romance, the characters were well developed, and I really liked the plot of this book and it kept me intrigued from start to finish.


However, the pacing was super slow and the book constantly flipped between "I'm in danger save me" between our two enemies to lovers and that made my head spin. It's kinda infuriating when the same cliche ploy pusher is used multiple times.

Verdict: It was good!

Lauren James

Full review on my blog, Storied Adventures!

This was so cute! If you are looking for a dark siren tale this is not that book. But if you are looking for a fun, fast read with a unique plot about monster/ human hybrids, then this is totally for you! 
I loved the 1920s feel with mobsters and government agencies. It did have instalove but it was done well, in my opinion! It was sweet!

Liz Griffin

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and Entangled Teen for being a previous reviewer of Lindsey Duga's books, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
With this novel, Duga steps up her game in what I would say is her most "new adult" paranormal romance yet. Set in the 1920s in Boston, the main departure from history is that monsters run with mobsters. Eris is a siren who has been on the run all her life and only recently found a temporary home in a Boston speakeasy, where she's thrown into the path of mysterious monster hunter Colt. In this world, sirens have the power to control humans with their words, and so Eris has taken it upon herself to live a life of silence in order to not use her power or reveal herself to those who are hunting her.
As I have often to found to be the case where a romance plotline is concerned, having both Eris's and Colt's points of view gave more credibility to their budding relationship. If you're into enemies-to-lovers AND insta-love... somehow this book pulls off both those seemingly mutually exclusive tropes.
The research behind the setting for this book was really evident in the speech and technology, and the interweaving of supernatural elements and creatures was really thorough.

Ashton Reed

3.75/5 stars


  
     He lowered his mouth to my neck and gave me a lingering kiss. Soft, warm, tender. 

“You won’t run from me again, will you?” he whispered against my skin.

I opened my eyes and turned around in his arms to look up into his face, half shielded by the low brim of his hat. “No, only towards you.”
  


This book is such a fun, unique, and romantic read! I really enjoyed reading it!

It’s 1929 - the age of speakeasies, crime lords, and… monsters.

Eris has been told her whole life she must never speak. For her words have a sort of magic, can make anyone do anything. Thus, she spends her days waitressing and singing in The Blind Dragon, a speakeasy owned by the woman who saved her when she was little and hid her away from those wanting to use her for her power. But no matter what, she must not speak.

Colt Clemmons is a special agent for the BOI - specifically, for the SOCD: Special Organized Crime Division. By that, they mean they hunt monsters. Because monsters are real: manticores, vampires, basilisks, gorgons, werewolves… even sirens. The SOCD has been hunting for the lost siren, and they finally found her. Colt, put on the job immediately, has trained all his life for this hunt, but what he discovers is not the evil monster he anticipates. To what lengths will he go to obey his orders? And at what cost?


SOOO I enjoyed reading this book a lot!! I’m not sure what I was expecting, exactly, but this book is thrilling, romantic, and unique. I loved the combination of 1920s glamour and crime with the idea that monsters are real and created with monster parts. It’s a super interesting take on history and monsters, one I thought Duga executed really well; the elements of crime and monsters are interconnected so that the actual existence of monsters in the 1920s doesn’t seem so bizarre. The concept is so unique and took the story to the next level.

I also felt connected to the characters, Eris and Colt, from the beginning, and I love their dynamic together. It is clear they were meant to meet each other; they show each other forgiveness and worth, and I really loved that. The goodness in Eris lights up the darkness in Colt, and Colt’s experience in darkness helps Eris stay in the light. It’s a really beautiful relationship actually, and they have some really sweet moments in the novel. 

Personally, it bothered me a little how God and religion is treated in this book, which affects the romance as well. Eris believes in the existence of God and mentions that a couple of times, but she obviously doesn’t really care that much. Colt actively denies God, and if Eris says something like, “Thank God,” Colt would make a point of saying, “God has nothing to do with this,” or “Don’t bring God into this,” or something to that effect. At one point, they stay at a church, so God is obviously brought a few times in those scenes as well. But it rubbed me the wrong way whenever He was brought up, as if Duga was pushing some sort of agenda (though if she was, it wasn’t super clear). Again, I appreciated Colt and Eris’s relationship, how they fit together well in their respective walks of life, but it was clear they needed each other to feel as if they earned redemption, and often pointed out when they thought things were sins yet embraced them (e.g. when they kissed pretty… steamily, they kept referring to it as sin and that they didn’t care). It wasn’t the things they did that bothered me (I love Jesus but I don’t think kissing passionately is a sin 😂, and I can read books with characters who don’t believe in God, because that’s the reality of the world), it was how they were addressed; every time, there was always something said about sin or God or something, as if the author believes some would consider it a sin and wanted to bring awareness to it?? I’m not sure if I’m explaining this well, but the constant bringing it up felt blatant, like Duga was trying to push some sort of agenda about God, maybe that His so-called “rules” and “sins” are not real and that those shouldn’t be a judge on right and wrong… except it wasn’t thought-provoking, it just rubbed me the wrong way sometimes. Anyways, at this point I’m just rambling, so I need to move on 😂 But that was my main (and really only) problem with this book; it gave me icky vibes haha. I just wanted to be upfront that this was something that bothered me a little while reading.

Other than that, I really did enjoy this book. The plot is quick and dramatic - the characters are constantly testing allegiances and trying not to get caught. The romance is slow-burn and sweet (except that they can’t kiss without their tongues down each other’s throats, but whateva), and I really enjoyed the take on monsters and learning how the monsters of mythology and stories exist in the world of humans in 1920s America.

I think if you’ve read fewer YA books, you may enjoy this one even more than I did, because tone-wise it felt pretty similar to a lot of other YA books out there. However, I still enjoyed it, and I recommend it to readers looking for a unique and fun tale about a siren and a monster hunter against the world.



HUGE thanks to the Favorite Pages Book Club (@favoritepagesclub) over on Instagram for providing me with an advanced copy of Roaring in exchange for an honest review! Today was my posting day for the tour, so you can check that out on my bookstagram @ashton_reads! As always, have a good day, lovely readers :))

Roaring

Reviews