Review: Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym M. Martineau

2 December, 2019 3:57 pm , 3 Comments ,

Kingdom of Exiles
(The Beast Charmer #1)
by Maxym M. Martineau
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication date: June 25, 2019
Genre: Fantasy
Rating:

Exiled beast charmer Leena Edenfrell is in deep trouble. Empty pockets forced her to sell her beloved magical beasts on the black market—an offense punishable by death—and now there’s a price on her head. With the realm’s most talented murderer-for-hire nipping at her heels, Leena makes him an offer he can’t refuse: powerful mythical creatures in exchange for her life.

If only it were that simple. Unbeknownst to Leena, the undying ones are bound by magic to complete their contracts, and Noc cannot risk his brotherhood of assassins…not even to save the woman he can no longer live without.

 

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Posted in: Fantasy, Romance , Tagged: ,

Here’s to some holiday cheer

1 December, 2019 10:56 am , 1 Comment ,


I’m linking this post to Sunday Post, and It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

Another month, another adventure. This past month was crazy. I started the month by attending and participating in my first ever parade. The national park that I work for was participating in the Palm Springs Pride parade and I was invited to walk the parade route with my coworkers! It was a lot of fun and a huge honor to get to participate. My best friend from back home flew out for a week of fun. We went to Disneyland, I got to show her the national park that I work at, and then we took off for my husband’s huge work event in Vegas. Oh yeah, and on that trip we got into an accident. Everyone was okay, but my car took a bit of a beating and is still in the shop getting fixed. I also rescued a kitten last month. A wonderful lady found her, but was unable to hold onto her and care for her while an owner was found, so I took her in and gave her a warm and safe place to hang out. Unfortunately, it appears that she was dumped in the desert, so now we are just fostering her until she finds her forever home. To say that November was a bit chaotic would be an understatement. It’s already December, which to me is usually the busiest time of the year, and I’m already exhausted. I had planned on putting up holiday decorations today, but I’m currently typing up this post while I wait for a plumber to come and fix my leaking sink. LoL December is not starting off on a good note. :\

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Posted in: meme

Review: Find Me Their Bones by by Sara Wolf

25 November, 2019 5:44 pm , 3 Comments ,

Find Me Their Bones
(Bring Me Their Hearts #2)
by Sara Wolf
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication date: Nov. 5, 2019
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating:

No one can save her.

In order to protect Prince Lucien d’Malvane’s heart, Zera had to betray him. Now, he hates the sight of her. Trapped in Cavanos as a prisoner of the king, she awaits the inevitable moment her witch severs their magical connection and finally ends her life.

But fate isn’t ready to give her up just yet.

With freedom coming from the most unlikely of sources, Zera is given a second chance at life as a Heartless. But it comes with a terrible price. As the king mobilizes his army to march against the witches, Zera must tame an elusive and deadly valkerax trapped in the tunnels underneath the city if she wants to regain her humanity.

Winning over a bloodthirsty valkerax? Hard. Winning back her friends before war breaks out? A little harder.

But a Heartless winning back Prince Lucien’s heart?

The hardest thing she’s ever done.

 

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Posted in: YA Fantasy , Tagged: ,

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Breakup Boot Camp by Beth Merlin (Giveaway)

20 November, 2019 12:50 am , 5 Comments ,

Breakup Boot Camp
by Beth Merlin
Publisher: Firefly Hill Press, LLC
Publication: Nov. 19, 2019
Genre: Romance

After weeks of training to whip Joanna Kitt into shape for her big day, her picture-perfect engagement to her high school sweetheart is torn in two, and Joanna is left out on her perfectly toned rear end. To put the past and her heartache behind her, she sets off for two weeks at the renowned Retreat House Breakup Boot Camp in Topsail Island off the coast of North Carolina.

Despite her sadness, Joanna throws herself into the experience hoping surfing, yoga, spa treatments, meditation, and talk therapy will be enough to help her get over the one man she’s ever loved. But she soon learns the Boot Camp is only the first step to healing her broken heart. Joanna will have to come to terms with the career she abandoned, the loss in her life she never fully accepted, and the role she played in the ending of her relationship.

When she meets Todd Aldrich, the handsome and mysterious hotel chef, she has the chance to take her renewed heart out for a test drive and see if she is ready for new beginnings and new love.

Will 12 steps be enough to get her life back on track? Or will her getaway to get over him prove healing the heart takes a whole lot more?

 

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Posted in: Excerpt , Tagged:

The Bookworm Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts

15 November, 2019 7:29 am , 3 Comments ,

The Bookworm Crush
by Lisa Brown Roberts
Publication date: Oct. 1, 2019
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Rating:

This spinoff of The Replacement Crush featuring Amy and Toff is sure to melt your heart.

Shy bookworm Amy McIntyre is about to compete for the chance to interview her favorite author, who hasn’t spoken to the press in years. The only way to win is to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight, but that level of confidence has never come easy.

The solution? A competition coach. The problem? The best person for the job is the guy she’s secretly crushing on…local surfer celebrity Toff Nichols.

He’s a player. He’s a heartthrob. He makes her forget basic things, like how to breathe. How can she feel any confidence around him?

To her surprise, Toff agrees to help. And he’s an excellent teacher. Amy feels braver—maybe even brave enough to admit her feelings for him. When their late night practices become less about coaching and more about making out, Amy’s newfound confidence wavers.

But does Toff really like her or is this just another lesson?

 

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Posted in: YA Romance , Tagged:

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Stolen Princess by Nikki Jefford

13 November, 2019 12:19 am , 6 Comments ,

Stolen Princess
(Royal Conquest Saga #1)
by Nikki Jefford
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: Nov. 11, 2018
Genre: New Adult Fantasy Retelling

She sacrificed herself to save her family from poverty…

I finally regained my freedom, but it’s being threatened.

It wasn’t enough to kill my mate, heir to the throne. My obsessive Fae brother-in-law wants the crown. And he wants me ruling by his side.

I thought I was done with romance until a certain pompous elf reappeared in my life at the illustrious Monster Ball. A little teasing led to bruised lips and captured hearts. No one wants Jhaeros and me to be together, not even my favorite sister, Melarue. She thinks he’s a drag. But she’s a teenager just coming into her elemental powers and discovering boys—the wrong kind—the type I want to shoot arrows through.

My royal in-laws are playing a treacherous game, and my brother-in-law is determined to get what he wants. But this princess no longer has a master. I don’t want a crown. I want freedom, family, and the love of a lifetime. But love might be the one thing that destroys us all.

*Recommended reading after the prequel novella “Enemies and Lovers” in The Monster Ball Anthology. Part of a duology, but can be read as a standalone.

 

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Posted in: Excerpt, New Adult , Tagged:

Review: Extreme Honor by Piper J. Drake

11 November, 2019 9:13 am , 1 Comment ,

Extreme Honor
(True Heroes #1)
by Piper J. Drake
Publisher: Forever
Publication date: Jan. 26, 2016
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating:

HONOR, LOYALTY, LOVE

David Cruz is good at two things: war and training dogs. The ex-soldier’s toughest case is Atlas, a Belgian Malinois whose handler died in combat. Nobody at Hope’s Crossing Kennel can break through the animal’s grief. That is, until dog whisperer Evelyn Jones walks into the facility . . . and into Atlas’s heart. David hates to admit that the curvy blonde’s mesmerizing effect isn’t limited to canines. But when Lyn’s work with Atlas puts her in danger, David will do anything to protect her.

Lyn realizes that David’s own battle scars make him uniquely qualified for his job as a trainer. Tough as nails yet gentle when it counts, he’s gotten closer to Atlas than anyone else-and he’s willing to put his hard-wired suspicion aside to let her do the same. But someone desperate enough to kill doesn’t want Lyn working with Atlas. Now only teamwork, trust, and courage can save two troubled hearts and the dog who loves them both . . .

 

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Posted in: Romance, romantic suspense , Tagged: ,

Review: Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy E. Reichert

8 November, 2019 1:12 am , 3 Comments ,

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake
by Amy E. Reichert
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication date: July 21, 2015
Genre: Romance
Rating:

In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lou works tirelessly to build her beloved yet struggling French restaurant, Luella’s, into a success. She cheerfully balances her demanding business and even more demanding fiancé…until the morning she discovers him in the buff—with an intern.

Witty yet gruff British transplant Al is keeping himself employed and entertained by writing scathing reviews of local restaurants in the Milwaukee newspaper under a pseudonym. When an anonymous tip sends him to Luella’s, little does he know he’s arrived on the worst day of the chef’s life. The review practically writes itself: underdone fish, scorched sauce, distracted service—he unleashes his worst.

The day that Al’s mean-spirited review of Luella’s runs, the two cross paths in a pub: Lou drowning her sorrows, and Al celebrating his latest publication. As they chat, Al playfully challenges Lou to show him the best of Milwaukee and she’s game—but only if they never discuss work, which Al readily agrees to. As they explore the city’s local delicacies and their mutual attraction, Lou’s restaurant faces closure, while Al’s column gains popularity. It’s only a matter of time before the two fall in love…but when the truth comes out, can Lou overlook the past to chase her future?

Set in the lovely, quirky heart of Wisconsin, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake is a charming love story of misunderstandings, mistaken identity, and the power of food to bring two people together.

 

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged: ,

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Taming Demons for Beginners by Annette Marie

6 November, 2019 6:46 am , 4 Comments ,

Taming Demons for Beginners
(The Guild Codex: Demonized #1)
by Annette Marie
Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy
Publication date: Sept. 13, 2019
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rule one: Don’t look at the demon.

When I arrived at my uncle’s house, I expected my relatives to be like me—outcast sorcerers who don’t practice magic. I was right about the sorcery, but wrong about everything else.

Rule two: Don’t listen to the demon.

My uncle chose a far deadlier power. He calls creatures of darkness into our world, binds them into service contracts, and sells them to the highest bidder. And I’m supposed to act like I don’t know how illegal and dangerous it is.

Rule three: Don’t talk to the demon.

All I had to do was keep my nose out of it. Pretend I didn’t find the summoning circle in the basement. Pretend I didn’t notice the shadowy being trapped inside it. Pretend I didn’t break the rules.

But I did, and now it’s too late.

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Posted in: NA Fantasy, New Adult, Urban Fantasy , Tagged:

Review: Clay’s Hope by Melissa Haag

4 November, 2019 4:04 pm , 4 Comments ,

Clay’s Hope
(Judgement of the Six Companion Series #1)
by Melissa Haag
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: April 25, 2015
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:

Clay is a man of few human talents. As a wolf, he hunts well and can fight off a grizzly twice his size, but has no aspirations. The idea of a Mate isn’t something he has ever seriously entertained. Dreamed about, maybe, but he knows the chances are nearly non-existent. Then he meets Gabby, a human girl. She hates him at first sight, yet he can’t let her go. Who he was is no longer important. Now, who he needs to become to win her over is the only thing that matters.

 

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Posted in: Paranormal Romance , Tagged: