Author Archives: Kristin

Review: Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep

16 August, 2019 7:29 am , Leave a Comment ,

Kill the Queen
(Crown of Shards #1)
by Jennifer Estep
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publication date:Oct. 2, 2018
Genre: Fantasy
Rating:

Gladiator meets Game of Thrones: a royal woman becomes a skilled warrior to destroy her murderous cousin, avenge her family, and save her kingdom in this first entry in a dazzling fantasy epic from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Elemental Assassin series—an enthralling tale that combines magic, murder, intrigue, adventure, and a hint of romance

In a realm where one’s magical power determines one’s worth, Lady Everleigh’s lack of obvious ability relegates her to the shadows of the royal court of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. Seventeenth in line for the throne, Evie is nothing more than a ceremonial fixture, overlooked and mostly forgotten.

But dark forces are at work inside the palace. When her cousin Vasilia, the crown princess, assassinates her mother the queen and takes the throne by force, Evie is also attacked, along with the rest of the royal family. Luckily for Evie, her secret immunity to magic helps her escape the massacre.

Forced into hiding to survive, she falls in with a gladiator troupe. Though they use their talents to entertain and amuse the masses, the gladiators are actually highly trained warriors skilled in the art of war, especially Lucas Sullivan, a powerful magier with secrets of his own. Uncertain of her future—or if she even has one—Evie begins training with the troupe until she can decide her next move.

But as the bloodthirsty Vasilia exerts her power, pushing Bellona to the brink of war, Evie’s fate becomes clear: she must become a fearsome gladiator herself . . . and kill the queen.

 

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Posted in: Fantasy

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Twisted by Aleatha Romig

14 August, 2019 9:57 am , 1 Comment ,

Twisted
(Tangled Web #1)
by Aleatha Romig
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication date: May 21, 2019
Genre: Dark Romance

The underworld of Chicago is far from forgiving. It’s a world where knowledge means power, power money, and money everything.
While I paid the ultimate price to have it all, it wasn’t my decision to give my life..
That doesn’t mean I ceased to exist, only to live.
Going where the job takes me and living in the shadows, with deadly accuracy I utilize the skills inherent to me, not knowing from where they came, not recalling what I’d lost.
And then I saw her.
Laurel Carlson.
I shouldn’t want her, desire her, or need her, yet with each sighting I know she is exactly what I have to have. Laurel has the ability to do what I thought was impossible. She sees what others don’t.
My gut tells me that it’s a deadly mistake to change my plans and open my world to her. My mind says she’ll be repulsed by my twisted existence.
None of that matters, because my body won’t take no for an answer.
I’ve made dangerous mistakes before.
This time, will the price be too high?

 

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Posted in: Excerpt , Tagged:

Review: Love Repaired by Deana Birch

9 August, 2019 7:50 am , 1 Comment ,

Love Repaired
by Deana Birch
Publisher: Totally Bound
Publication date: July 30, 2019
Genre: Romance
Rating:

Attorney Amee sets aside her own needs to juggle the broken pieces of her life and family until mechanic Ben repairs her heart.

Divorce attorney Amee Benton—who has an ex of her own—is pretty sure she’s a #MomFail. Showing up late on a Friday night to retrieve her car from the shop and finding the pink frosted cupcakes she forgot to leave at her daughter’s ballet camp confirms it.

When mechanic Ben Mathis confesses to stealing one of the confections and asks who is taking care of Amee, she knows he’s a unicorn—a magical, beautiful beast who surely only exists in fantasies, so she tells him just that, with an F-bomb for good measure.

Amee has three things Ben finds irresistible in a woman—brains, a family and a serious potty mouth. During a chance run-in at Ben’s own personal hell, AKA the mall, he summons the courage to ask her out. Though Amee is leery of dating a younger man and Ben is more than aware of their social gap, the two take a chance.

But Amee’s life isn’t like his. And when her ex returns and the doubting divorcée blunders, all Ben’s insecurities are piqued anew. Now, Amee must prove to Ben that his worth is much more than stand-in dad and rebound boyfriend or she’ll watch her magical unicorn gallop off into the forest forever.

Reader advisory: This book contains references to alcoholism, emotional abuse, and drunk driving resulting in a death.

 

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged:

Sneak Peek Wednesday: The Spark Of The Dragon’s Heart by Willa Hart

7 August, 2019 12:14 am , 2 Comments ,

The Spark Of The Dragon’s Heart
(Harem of Fire #1)
by Willa Hart
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication date: July 18, 2019
Genre: Paranormal Reverse Harem

One human girl…
Five scorching hot dragons…
A thousand reasons not to want them…
None of those reasons matter!

It’s been five years since my great-aunt and her husband rescued me from foster care – and since I discovered dragons exist. For reals!

Yeah, I had a hard time believing it too, but now I’m learning what it means to be a dragon keeper – a human with special powers who acts as a sort of liaison between dragons and the unsuspecting human world…

When Uncle Max leaves town and entrusts me with my first case, I’m forced to enlist the help of the last five P.I.s on earth he’d want me to ask – his nephews. As much as I want to hate them, for betraying Max, when we all finally meet face to face, the earth shakes with the instant connection between us!

And those powers I’m supposed to have? They seem to grow stronger, the more time I spend with the devastatingly sexy dragon shifters…

But the confusing attraction I have for all five men will have to wait, until we solve this mystery. That’s if we don’t stumble upon an even bigger one along the way…

Spoiler: We do!

 

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Posted in: Excerpt, Fantasy , Tagged:

Review: Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf

5 August, 2019 7:20 am , 2 Comments ,

Bring Me Their Hearts
(Bring Me Their Hearts #1)
by Sara Wolf
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication date: June 5, 2018
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating:

Zera is a Heartless – the immortal, unageing soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly.

Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum; if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy her heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles.

Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him – every tutor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his darkly handsome side. No one can challenge him – until the arrival of Lady Zera. She’s inelegant, smart-mouthed, carefree, and out for his blood. The Prince’s honor has him quickly aiming for her throat.

So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all.

Winner takes the loser’s heart.

Literally.

 

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Posted in: YA Fantasy , Tagged: ,

Playing Catch up

4 August, 2019 10:23 am , 10 Comments ,


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

 

Oh man, it’s been a couple of months since I’ve done one of these. I’ve just had a lot going on and in all honesty, just haven’t been present all that much. Which, I’m sure you guys have noticed. I’m trying to get better about that. It’s just that I’ve been a little busy and kinda fluttering around so much, that I haven’t really had time to just sit down and blog, let alone read. Don’t even get me started on my reading schedule.

 

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Posted in: meme

Review: The Rogue King by Abigail Owen

2 August, 2019 1:25 am , 2 Comments ,

The Rogue King
(Inferno Rising #1)
by Abigail Owen
Publisher: Entangled
Publication date: July 30, 2019
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:

Kasia Amon is a master at hiding. Who—and what—she is makes her a mark for the entire supernatural world. Especially dragon shifters. To them, she’s treasure to be taken and claimed. A golden ticket to their highest throne. But she can’t stop bursting into flames, and there’s a sexy dragon shifter in town hunting for her…

As a rogue dragon, Brand Astarot has spent his life in the dark, shunned by his own kind, concealing his true identity. Only his dangerous reputation ensures his survival. Delivering a phoenix to the feared Blood King will bring him one step closer to the revenge he’s waited centuries to take. No way is he letting the feisty beauty get away.

But when Kasia sparks a white-hot need in him that’s impossible to ignore, Brand begins to form a new plan: claim her for himself…and take back his birthright.

 

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Posted in: Paranormal Romance , Tagged:

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Life and Other Inconveniences by Kristan Higgins

31 July, 2019 7:47 am , 4 Comments ,

Life and Other Inconveniences
by Kristan Higgins
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: Aug. 6, 2019
Genre: Fiction

Emma London never thought she had anything in common with her grandmother Genevieve London. The regal old woman came from wealthy and bluest-blood New England stock, but that didn’t protect her from life’s cruelest blows: the disappearance of Genevieve’s young son, followed by the premature death of her husband. But Genevieve rose from those ashes of grief and built a fashion empire that was respected the world over, even when it meant neglecting her other son.

When Emma’s own mother died, her father abandoned her on his mother’s doorstep. Genevieve took Emma in and reluctantly raised her–until Emma got pregnant her senior year of high school. Genevieve kicked her out with nothing but the clothes on her back…but Emma took with her the most important London possession: the strength not just to survive but to thrive. And indeed, Emma has built a wonderful life for herself and her teenage daughter, Riley.

So what is Emma to do when Genevieve does the one thing Emma never expected of her and, after not speaking to her for nearly two decades, calls and asks for help?

 

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Posted in: Excerpt, fiction , Tagged:

Review: Into the Fire by Jeaniene Frost

29 July, 2019 8:21 am , 3 Comments ,

Into the Fire
(Night Prince #4)
by Jeaniene Frost
Publisher: Avon
Publication date: Feb. 28, 2017
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:

In the wrong hands, love can be a deadly weapon.

For nearly six hundred years, Vlad Tepesh cared for nothing, so he had nothing to lose. His brutal reputation ensured that all but the most foolhardy stayed away. Now falling in love with Leila has put him at the mercy of his passions. And one adversary has found a devastating way to use Vlad’s new bride against him.

A powerful spell links Leila to the necromancer Mircea. If he suffers or dies, so does she. Magic is forbidden to vampires, so Vlad and Leila enlist an unlikely guide as they search for a way to break the spell. But an ancient enemy lies in wait, capable of turning Vlad and Leila’s closest friends against them…and finally tearing the lovers apart forever.

 

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Posted in: Paranormal Romance , Tagged: ,

Review: Cliff’s Edge by Meg Tilly

26 July, 2019 7:13 am , 2 Comments ,

Cliff’s Edge
(Solace Island #2)
by Meg Tilly
Publisher: Berkley
Publication: May 21, 2019
Genre: Romantic suspense
Rating:

Eve Harris is all set to house-sit and run the bakery she shares with her sister while Maggie goes on her honeymoon, but there’s one problem–the house is already occupied. By a movie star. He claims to be her brother-in-law’s friend, and not only does he insist on staying, he also offers to help. Playing house has never been so tempting…

Rhys Thomas is looking for a place to lie low after wrapping up his latest film, so when Luke offers up his house as a safe haven, Rhys sees the perfect opportunity for a little R & R. But rest is the last thing on his mind as he and Eve grow close.

But Eve and Rhys are not as alone as they think. And as danger trails Eve, it will take everything Rhys has to save the woman he loves.

 

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Posted in: romantic suspense , Tagged: ,