Don't Say My Name: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance (Legends Unleashed Book 1)

I did not have high hopes for this book, I’ve been in a serious low streak at finding good ones...BUT THIS!! It was seriously everything I could have asked for. This book was so exciting with tons of twists and turns. It wasn’t cliche at all, I’ve literally never read anything remotely like this. I loved it.I don’t want to give anything away, but I suggest you read this series. You won’t regret the it.

Mae isn't what she seems to be. Shrouded in mystery, no one seems to even know of her anymore. Except those that she's saved. Save her name 3 times, and she'll protect you. Unless your the monster she's after.

This was by far the best pnr I've read. I've never read a version of bloody Mary and this takes her legend in a whole other direction. 5 stars all the way can't wait to seen what happens next!!!

First lets get some things out of the way...NOT a standalone, the ending is less cliffhanger and open door to darkness on the other side, the harem aspect doesn't come alive in this book (she attaches to and spends the entire book with one guy) and EVERYBODY is brooding, snarky and troubled.I REALLY wanted to love this book. I saw it a few months back and added it to my read list, I checked periodically to see if it had been released with eager anticipation over how they were going to write Bloody Mary (I grew up with the legend and had friends that would call her name in the dark bathroom mirror...I never did) and what I got was a bit of a let down. The added aspect of her being a protector and coming to those in need that call her was super interesting, but anything outside of Mary (or Mae, thats what her friends call her...side note...WHAT FRIENDS?) just kind of feel flat to me. The guys "the hunters" (one of who is actually named Hunter...yea that's not annoying or anything) are all set up as outcast from own factions of supernatural creatures and they are a team together hunting down monsters...but they don't live up to the promise to be interesting. Honestly they all king of blended together for me and it took a bit before I started being able to place them as individuals. Also, the whole stealing from the most powerful warlock family in existence thing was a bit dumb, and the rescue was equally annoying. & then you get introduced to a bunch of banshees, some backstory (but not on Mary, on the banshees) and a setup for a maybe showdown in book 2. The most interesting part of the book was the beginning, before the guys showed up. After that it just kind of drug out...and they showed up in the second chapter. I will likely not be reading book two, because I just don't think I care enough.

It would be nice if 1/2 stars were available as an option, because this book strides the line.On the positive side, the book started from a perspective that the urban legend of Bloody Mary refers to a real person. The authors quickly established Mae as a vivacious and interesting character. These characteristics carried through the first and second book in the series (the third has not been released as of the writing of this review).It was disappointing that the introduction of the male characters was comparatively lackluster. They are Sam & Dean Winchester-esq hunters searching for/investigating a serial killer, but when they discover that the murderer is a woman suddenly they want to help her escape the mirror realm where she was imprisoned...so she can kill more freely? Apparently their sexual attraction supersedes the whole murder-is-bad concept.The mirror realm where Mae is imprisoned is where the book falls apart. Mae has been trapped in the realm for “thousands of years”, but the legend of Bloody Mary started in the 15th or 16th century with the Queen. In the mirror realm there are no structures of any kind, meaning that Mae hasn’t bathed or brushed her teeth or hair in more than a millenia, so how is she both clean and modern? Mae wears modern clothing, quotes her favorite movies, and is sexually sophisticated. In fact, there is no learning curve at all when the men are finally able to bring her back to earth.Since all paranormal books are series these days, the authors have no compunction about introducing many ideas in the first book that remain completely unresolved. Instead they focus on Mary-Sue-ing Mae into an inexplicably unstoppable god-killer. I was curious about the powers that the men possess and wanted to learn more about Mae, but the 2nd book goes nowhere, too.

This was a really cool story. Bloody Mary (Mae to her friends) is a trapped witch and 4 guys, some of unknown origin, come upon her while she is locked in the mirror realm. They decide to get her out and the fun begins.I loved the originality to the story. Bloody Mary's legend is a fun twist and the over arcing story is pretty interesting. There are lots of unanswered questions and I'm actually interested in the answers. This isn't some "chosen one" book. Nor is it a 18 year old girl discovering her powers at a magic academy. Our charecters are adults and control their magic and that makes me very happy.The charecters are barely introduced in a way that lends mystery to them but isn't frustrating. Mae doesn't have much insight to who she is, barely recalling her past.I am interested in how the relationships will progress as well. I think this is RH but we are through the first book with minimal interaction between Mae and 3 of the 4 hunters. No overwhelming instalust. They seem to feel she is special and worth helping but since one of their friends fate is tied with hers she's not their main focus. She isn't helplessly in love with them all or obsessed with them. She has her ideas and powers and it seems she doesn't worry too much about what Hunter or anyone else wants from her.God I loved this book and am excited to read the next one!

Mary or Mae has been trapped and can only escape to help if her name is repeated three times. Now it's her time to have help from four rugged and sexy guys. But, of course, nothing is ever that simple.

A different take on the story of Bloody Mary and a well written one at that. Good characters, well except for the scumbags. Read in one sitting as I enjoyed it so much