Series Review: Wonderland by Alta Hensley

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for King of Spades (from Goodreads):

Nick Hudson has a dangerous reputation.

That’s what I need if I’m going to survive.

Desperation makes me seek out a ruthlessly powerful billionaire.

I need protection.

He demands my virtue as payment.

I’m falling into a world of luxury and sin.

With every twist and turn, I need more.

Except this is not a man to love.

This is a man to fear.

His obsession grows. So does the threat, until I’m trapped in a world of depravity. I’ll need more than Nick’s strength to survive. I’m going to need his heart.

Author: Alta Hensley
Series: Wonderland | Midnight Dynasty Series
# of Books: 3 (Full Reading Order Here)

There is a prequel novella #0.5 The White Rabbit

Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Adult, Erotica, Contemporary, Dark, Romance, Retelling
Heat Rating: Smokin’ | Kink: mild
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: April 2022 – October 2022
Source & Format: Kindle Unlimited–eBook

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I’m not a huge Alice in Wonderland enthusiast but I like retellings or tales inspired by classic works of fiction. This series was coming out just as I was finishing by Midnight Dynasty Universe binge and so I decided to wait to read it until all the books came out.

The Concept – Midnight Dynasty:

The Midnight Dynasty Universe is a collection of books (series and standalones) by different authors but feature the characters from a collective world. They’re intended to be read in any order because each series focuses on two characters at a time but there are chronological events and character interactions throughout the universe.

The Plot:

I liked the concept of this book. It isn’t super Alice in Wonderland but there are enough allusions at the start to bring home the idea. But I’m not sure I would have connected the two together past that first novel or if you hadn’t told me its inspiration.

Despite great chemistry between these two, I often got bored of just reading about them have copious amounts of sex together. Perhaps if the suspense of the dramatic plot line was the focus a bit more my feelings would be different about this series as a whole. I kept waiting for it to be taken to the next level.

Honestly: I skimmed the last 2 novels just to keep up with the overall universe’s world building.

The Characters:

I liked Nick. He’s an enigma and his character that seems larger than life. I felt like I could never get a read on him to figure out his next move. He has swagger for sure.

Lyriope. I’ll cut her some slack because she is supposed to be the naive Alice learning to navigate the unknown, new to her world — and she does it well. But I wanted a little more from her development.

The Romance:

So these two have great chemistry. There is no denying that they are sexually attracted to each other when they are constantly having sex together. But I missed that deeper connection between them.

When to Read the Novella #0.5 The White Rabbit:

Definitely read it first thing. It sets up the entire world and trilogy.

Midnight Dynasty’s Reading Order:

I had found a suggested reading order on Reddit but I jumped a few books after reading the Cinderella Trilogy based on the lead for the Beast of Bishop’s Landing. Here is the suggested order based on that post and my own readings since:

Cinderella Trilogy (K Webster)
Starcrossed Lovers (Jade West)
Beast of Bishop’s Landing (Amelia Wilde)
Hearts Trilogy (M O’Keefe)
The Collector Trilogy (Amelia Wilde)
Wicked Idol [Hellfire Series #1] (Becker Gray)
Lessons in Sin (Pam Goodwin)
Dark Dream Duet (Giana Darling)
The Arranged Marriage Trilogy (Monica Murphy)
Deception Duet (K Webster)
Wonderland Trilogy (Alta Hensley)
Hughes Trilogy (Skye Warren)

Series Rating: 3/5

[The White Rabbit 3/5] |King of Spades 3/5 | Queen of Hearts 3/5 | Ace of Diamonds 3/5

I seem to do better with the Constantine books vs the Morelli; and this is a Morelli book so…If you want a straight up erotica romance with plenty of steam, this is great. But if you want a fantastic retelling of Alice in Wonderland , go elsewhere.

Read if You Like: Alice in Wonderland retellings, darker romance, erotica
Avoid if You: dislike erotica