Series Review: Deserted Island by Skye Warren and Amelia Wilde

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 Force of Nature (from Goodreads):

Carter Morelli survived a dark childhood and dangerous missions. But when he emergency lands a small aircraft on the ocean, he faces something worse: having someone depend on him. He has to keep innocent June Porter safe on the deserted island.

Except they aren’t alone here…

A man hides among the broad leaves. He’s almost feral.

There are secrets in his cabin. Desire, too.

Carter doesn’t want to care about beautiful June. He doesn’t want to care about the mysterious and sensual man who’s almost part of the wilderness.

Scorching chemistry draws all three of them deeper.

They already survived the plane crash, but will they survive the fall?

Welcome to the Midnight Dynasty world… The warring Morelli and Constantine families have enough bad blood to fill an ocean, and their brand new stories will be told by your favorite dangerous romance authors.

WARNING: This book is intended for readers eighteen years old and over. It contains material that some readers could find disturbing. Enter at your own risk…

Author: Skye Warren and Amelia Wilde
Series: Desert Island | Midnight Dynasty Series
# of Books: 3 (Full Reading Order Here)
Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Ménage, Romantic Suspense
Heat Rating: Smokin’ (Kink: Major)
Point of View: First Person, Multiple
Publication Dates: September 2022 – March 2023
Source & Format: Kindle Unlimited–eBook

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I’ve been on a mission to read all the books in the Midnight Dynasty Universe. Carter is almost the forgotten Morelli in this universe; he is this elusive character only mentioned in the other Morelli books so I was curious what his deal was. And when I saw this book was a ménage romance taking place on a deserted island, I was certainly intrigued.

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 highly recommend that you read the novella, #0.5 The Crash, before you dive into this trilogy. It provided a little more context about how Carter and June end up on the island. Though I did find the start of Force of Nature (#1) a little disjointed from the ending of The Crash (#0.5).

Regardless, if I put aside how slightly ridiculous the plot seems to be, it is a unique romance in this Midnight Dynasty Universe. I do like the mystery of Carter’s profession and the suspense of him trying to stay alive. This did read like a true romantic suspense for the first few chapters and I was a fan. But once we meet the “third” in this ménage, it becomes Horny Island and the suspense shifts to sexy times and Carter’s struggles with giving into his desires.

Honestly, this series could have been a standalone novel and still had the same impact I feel.

The Characters:

I can respect Carter’s struggles with his identity throughout this series. Whether it was his profession, family role or his sexuality, he was a complex character but we didn’t get to truly explore that. Especially when the second and third books shifted to more character and romance focused plots.

June’s development is nearly forgotten about and Theo just seemed to be a hot mess of things that just didn’t quite add up for me.

The Romance:

I can’t deny that there was plenty of chemistry between our trio. It was a highlight of this series for sure. I think the focus is mostly on them exploring their physical connection rather than anything deeper than that. Though the finale does try to address the throuple aspect a little bit.