Author Archives: Kristin

Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

13 July, 2020 11:34 am , 1 Comment ,

A Curse So Dark and Lonely
(Cursebreakers #1)
by Brigid Kemmerer
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Publication date: Jan. 29, 2019
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating:

Fall in love, break the curse.

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s pulled into a magical world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

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Posted in: YA Fantasy , Tagged: ,

Review: Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

10 July, 2020 1:29 am , 1 Comment ,

Cinderella Is Dead
by Kalynn Bayron
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Publication date: July 7, 2020
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating:

It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.

Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew . . .

This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.

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Posted in: YA Fantasy , Tagged: ,

Review: Ancient Protector by Katie Reus

6 July, 2020 11:47 am , 1 Comment ,

Ancient Protector
(Ancients Rising #1)
by Katie Reus
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: June 30, 2020
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:

Even as he fights for their future…

With the world still rebuilding after massive dragon attacks, famous singer Star isn’t willing to rely on a stranger to protect her family—though dragon shifter Lachlan is difficult to resist. Something about him is strangely familiar, but she doesn’t understand why. He’s already helped Star rescue her sister from a recent abduction, but trust doesn’t come easy when his kind has nearly hunted her race to extinction. When her sister’s kidnapper launches another violent attack, Star has no choice but to accept Lachlan’s aid. But no matter that he’s stepped up to protect her, she’ll never allow the ancient Scottish dragon into her heart.

They’re bound by the past.

Lachlan lost the woman he was meant to mate millennia ago. Unable to live in a world without her, his pain drove him to hibernation. He never thought he would move on—until Star. He’s well aware the feisty shifter is his new destiny, so if tailing her to New Orleans is what he has to do to be near her, then so be it. When Star is attacked, Lachlan resolves to protect her at all costs. And he won’t have to do it alone. It will take Lachlan, his clansmen, and Star’s misfit band of friends to rain fiery vengeance down upon their enemy if she and her sister are to ever be truly free. Only then can he claim her and discover the shocking truth that lies buried in their past.

 

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Posted in: Paranormal Romance , Tagged:

Review: Night Shift by Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Shearin, & Milla Vane

29 June, 2020 3:04 pm , 2 Comments ,

Night Shift
By: Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Shearin, & Milla Vane
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: Nov. 25, 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh delivers a smoldering story with Secrets at Midnight , as the scent of Bastien Smith’s elusive lover ignites a possessiveness in him that’s as feral as it is ecstatic. And now that he’s found his mate, he’ll do anything to keep her.

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews’ novella, Magic Steals , when people start going missing, shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau and jaguar shifter Jim Shrapshire must uncover the truth about the mysterious creatures responsible.

It’s seer Makenna Frazier’s first day on the job at Supernatural Protection and Investigations, and her first assignment is more than she bargained for when bodyguard duty for a leprechaun prince’s bachelor party goes every which way but right in national bestselling author Lisa Shearin’s Lucky Charms .

From Milla Vane—a warrior princess must tame The Beast of Blackmoor to earn a place among her people. But she quickly discovers that the beast isn’t a monster, but a barbarian warrior who intends to do some taming himself.

 

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Posted in: Paranormal Romance , Tagged: , , , ,

Review: Three Mages and a Margarita by Annette Marie

26 June, 2020 7:20 pm , 4 Comments ,

Three Mages and a Margarita
(The Guild Codex: Spellbound #1)
by Annette Marie
Publisher: Sept. 14. 2018
Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating:

Broke, almost homeless, and recently fired. Those are my official reasons for answering a wanted ad for a skeevy-looking bartender gig.

It went downhill the moment they asked me to do a trial shift instead of an interview—to see if I’d mesh with their “special” clientele. I think that part went great. Their customers were complete dickheads, and I was an ***hole right back. That’s the definition of fitting in, right?

I expected to get thrown out on my ***. Instead, they… offered me the job?

It turns out this place isn’t a bar. It’s a guild. And the three cocky guys I drenched with a margarita during my trial? Yeah, they were mages. Either I’m exactly the kind of takes-no-*** bartender this guild needs, or there’s a good reason no one else wants to work here.

So what’s a broke girl to do? Take the job, of course—with a pay raise.

 

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Posted in: Urban Fantasy , Tagged: ,

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Jagger by Amanda McKinney (Giveaway)

24 June, 2020 1:16 am , 3 Comments ,

Jagger
(Steele Shadows Investigations #1)
by Amanda McKinney
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: June18, 2020
Genre: Romance

Secrets, lies, deceit… A former Navy SEAL turned homicide detective has met his match in this new *standalone* addition to the number #1 Bestselling Steele Shadows Series…

He found her covered in blood.
She promises she’s innocent.
The question is… Can he trust her?

Feared just as much on the streets as at a crime scene, Homicide Detective Max Jagger has dedicated his life to one thing—speaking for the dead. Everyone and everything else be damned, including his own demons. During one of the most oppressive heat waves to hit the small, southern town of Berry Springs, the former Navy SEAL is called to a scene where a real estate heiress is found standing over a dead body, holding the murder weapon. The local cops immediately dub it a slam-dunk case, but if Jagg has learned anything from his days running special ops, it’s that nothing is as it seems… including this suspect.

Despite her name, Sunny Harper is as beguiling as a fallen angel. Clever, cunning, completely unwilling to cooperate, and, perhaps his least favorite quality—mind-numbingly intoxicating. When evidence from the scene suggests an accomplice, Jagg begins to believe that Sunny is both innocent and in danger, despite the towns’ uproar to lock her up. Torn between his growing feelings for his suspect, he takes Sunny to a secluded lake house where he discovers there’s much more behind those enchanting green eyes… including secrets that could take them both under.

With his career on the line and the clock ticking, Jagg must decide if he can trust Sunny… before they both get burned.

 

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Review: Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai

22 June, 2020 2:33 pm , 2 Comments ,

Girl Gone Viral
(Modern Love #2)
by Alisha Rai
Publisher: Avon
Publication date: April 21, 2020
Genre: Romance
Rating:

In Alisha Rai’s second novel in her Modern Love series, a live-tweet event goes viral for a camera-shy ex-model, shoving her into the spotlight—and into the arms of the bodyguard she’d been pining for.

OMG! Wouldn’t it be adorable if he’s her soulmate???

I don’t see any wedding rings [eyes emoji]

Breaking: #CafeBae and #CuteCafeGirl went to the bathroom AT THE SAME TIME!!!

One minute, Katrina King’s enjoying an innocent conversation with a hot guy at a coffee shop; the next, a stranger has live-tweeted the entire episode with a romantic meet-cute spin and #CafeBae is the new hashtag-du-jour. The problem? Katrina craves a low-profile life, and going viral threatens the peaceful world she’s painstakingly built. Besides, #CafeBae isn’t the man she’s hungry for…

He’s got a [peach emoji] to die for.

With the internet on the hunt for the identity of #CuteCafeGirl, Jas Singh, bodyguard, friend, and possessor of the most beautiful eyebrows Katrina’s ever seen, comes to the rescue and whisks her away to his family’s home. Alone in a remote setting with the object of her affections? It’s a recipe for romance. But after a long dating dry spell, Katrina isn’t sure she can trust her instincts when it comes to love—even if Jas’ every look says he wants to be more than just her bodyguard…

 

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged: ,

Review: Beneath This Mask by Meghan March

12 June, 2020 3:56 pm , 1 Comment ,

Beneath This Mask
(Beneath #1)
by Meghan March
Publisher: Red Dress Press
Publication date: Sept. 11, 2017
Genre: Romance
Rating:

Former Navy fighter pilot. Son of a congressman. Successful businessman in my own right. With a résumé like mine, women have never been a challenge.

Until I met her.

This sexy, tatted-up bad girl wasn’t part of my plans, but that punch to my gut every time I see her tells me I have to know more.
She’s a mystery. An enigma. A challenge.

I’m going to figure her out — and then I’m going to make her mine.
We’ll find out what she’s hiding… beneath this mask.

 

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged:

Sneak Peek Wednesday: A Reckless Note by Lisa Renee Jones

10 June, 2020 1:21 am , 1 Comment ,

A Reckless Note
(Brilliance Trilogy #1)
by Lisa Renee Jones
Publisher: Julie Patra Publishing
Publication date: June 23, 2020
Genre: Romance

“I can chase you, and I can catch you, but there is nothing I can do to make you mine.”
― Morrissey

It all started with a note, just a simple note hand written by a woman I didn’t know, never even met. But in that note is perhaps every answer to every question I’ve ever had in my life. And because of that note, I travel thousands of miles. I look for her, but find him. I’m drawn to his passion, his talent, a darkness in him that somehow becomes my light, my life. I know he has secrets. I don’t care. Because you see, I have secrets, too.

I’m not Aria Alard, daughter to an Italian musician, as he believes. I’m Aria Stradivari, daughter to Alessandro Stradivari, a musician born from the same blood as the man who created the famous Stradivari violin. I am as rare as the mere 650 instruments my ancestors created. Instruments worth millions. 650 masterpieces, the brilliance unmatched. 650 reasons to kill. 650 reasons to hide. One reason to not to: him.

 

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Posted in: Excerpt , Tagged:

Review: Warlord by Elizabeth Vaughan

8 June, 2020 1:14 am , Leave a Comment ,

Warlord
(Chronicles of the Warlands #3)
by Elizabeth Vaughan
Publisher: Tor Paranormal Romance
Publication date: March 6, 2007
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Rating:

Lara of Xy and her Warlord, Keir of the Cat, have been through much together. Lara abandoned her lands and people for love of him. She adopted his ways and learned of his tribe. Together they have faced plague and insurgency — and despite these struggles, they have known happiness and joy.

Now they face their most arduous task: Keir must take Lara into the Heart of the Plains, and introduce her as the Warprize to the warrior-priests. She must be tested–questioned, examined, watched–and must find favor with the warrior-priests and the tribe’s elders before they will confirm her as a true Warprize.

But in Lara’s heart there are doubts–for what if she is found wanting? Will Keir give up everything he knows to be with his Warprize?

 

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Posted in: Fantasy, Romance , Tagged: ,