Author Archives: Kristin

Review: Lord Pretender by Sawyer North

24 June, 2022 6:22 pm , Leave a Comment ,

The Lord Pretender
(Red Lion Ladies #1)
by Sawyer North
Publisher: Entangled
Publication date: June 20, 2022
Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Rating:

Step 1: Come up with the perfect plan
Emma Watts was almost the perfect lady. That is, until her father joined the notorious Prometheans’ Club and gambled away all her prospects. Now, cast out of society, and with only her name intact, Emma will do what a young, intelligent lady can when she is thwarted by circumstance. Take revenge, of course. And the gentlemen’s club, including its members, is first on the list…

Step 2: Find your target
Simon, the Earl of Blackburn, the most prominent member of the Prometheans, knows firsthand how dangerous a wily woman with an agenda can be; after all, his mother is the most devious of the species. But a string of chance encounters with a charming and breathtaking stranger leads him to reconsider.

Step 3: Then watch your plans go beautifully to pieces
Upon learning that a mystery woman is digging up dirt on his club brothers, Simon volunteers to uncover her identity and ruin her by any means necessary. But all it takes is a nasty thunderstorm to completely switch Emma’s and Simon’s lives. Their perspectives aren’t the only things that change though, when they wake up in each other’s bodies…

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Posted in: historical fiction

Review: Luna Rising by Sara Snow

21 June, 2022 10:33 am , 1 Comment ,

Luna Rising
(Luna Rising #1)
by Sara Snow
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: April 17, 2020
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:

Xavier Blackwood is the man every girl at my college dreams about at night, myself included, but I’d never let anyone know that.

Standing at 6’8 with steel grey eyes, he’s a walking dream, but he’s also a world-renowned jerk.

Who would have thought that one night, after dragging myself home after doing double shifts at the diner, I’d be jumped by three men…only to have Xavier come to my rescue.

Oh yes, Xavier bloody Blackwood saved my life…but the thing I saw, the CREATURE that ripped those men to shreds wasn’t the Xavier everyone knows.

He wasn’t human…

He was a wolf, a demon, a creature from myths, and it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen until he attacked me too and knocked me out.

Humans that learn about the existence of werewolves have to die.

…There are NO exceptions.

The Werewolf Xavier saved me, but now I am condemned to death

To make things worse, both Xavier and Axel claim I am their mate

…this can’t be good.

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Posted in: Paranormal Romance , Tagged:

Review: Highland Surrender by Tracy Brogan

18 June, 2022 8:10 am , 2 Comments ,

Highland Surrender
by Tracy Brogan
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Publication date: Dec. 4, 2012
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating:

To seal a fragile truce, Fiona Sinclair’s brothers trade her in marriage to their sworn enemy. Though devastated by their betrayal, she has little choice in the matter, for if she refuses, her innocent young sister must take her place. Although the spirited Fiona is willing to sacrifice her freedom to protect her kin, she vows to never surrender her heart.

As eldest son of a clan chief, Myles Campbell is accustomed to having his own way. But when the Scottish King commands he wed a defiant Highland lass instead of the French mademoiselle who holds his heart, Myles must obey his royal duty. Meeting his bride for the first time on their wedding day, he is pleased to discover the lass is a beauty, but dismayed to learn she’d just as soon kill him as kiss him.

And thus begins an uneasy alliance.

When two such warrior spirits collide, sparks fly, igniting a fiery passion that strains against the bonds of family honor, clan loyalty—and the ultimate surrender – love.

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Posted in: historical romance , Tagged: ,

Review: Twisted Summer by Lucy V. Morgan

13 June, 2022 12:25 am , 2 Comments ,

Twisted Summer
by Lucy V. Morgan
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: Jan. 12, 2014
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:

Eighteen-year-old Danni Warren has big plans for her last summer before college: a cool job, a concert she wouldn’t miss for the world, and spending time with her beautiful girlfriend, Esme. But after one hell of an argument, Danni’s mother packs her off to stay with her estranged step-uncle, Gabe, in his lodge on the English coast. So begins a weekend of the worst punishment imaginable: no phone signal.

With his sun kissed good looks and sarcastic manner, twenty-nine-year-old Gabe Asher isn’t anything like Danni expected. She wants to hate him—he’s her punishment for standing up to her mother—but between surfing lessons and beach hikes, Gabe and Danni grow close. Maybe too close.

Now Danni’s questioning everything: old family secrets, her future, her strained relationship with Esme. One sun stained afternoon, Gabe and Danni go too far. And then everything else falls apart…

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Posted in: NA Romance

Review: Ashes by M.K. Harkins

10 June, 2022 9:08 am , 1 Comment ,

Ashes
(Modern-Day Fairy Tale #1)
by M.K. Harkins
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication date: May 27, 2022
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Rating:

If she thought college applications were complicated, just wait until she catches feelings for the newest celebrity in town.

Ashley Adams doesn’t have time for haters. Already too busy dealing with dead bodies after her stepmother purchased a mortuary, she is ready to put the lid on her judgmental peers and finally bury her high school experience. But her focus is shattered when a charming pop-star-turned-student needs her help evading his crazed fans.

The last place heartthrob Harry James wants to be is back in school. Sentenced to finish his senior year after a case of accidental arson, the singer longs to return to the stage. But he never expected to meet a girl who could see through the fame to the real person inside.

Surprised by the chemistry between them, Ashley is shocked when Harry gives her the cold shoulder. But with his publicist forbidding him from dating her, Harry must choose between fame or love.

Can Ashley and Harry survive the turmoil threatening to tear them apart?

Ashes is a fun and snarky standalone YA romance. If you like captivating characters, emotional twists and turns, Fairies and Cinderella retellings, then you’ll adore MK Harkins’ fast-paced tale.

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Posted in: YA Romance

Review: Assure Her by Thia Finn

6 June, 2022 9:06 am , 3 Comments ,

Assure Her
(Assured Distraction #1)
by Thia Finn
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: Sept. 1, 2015
Genre: Romance
Rating:

Chandler Chatam, fresh out of Juilliard, finds herself temporarily playing with four hot rockers of Assured Distraction, an up-and-coming band, out on their first big tour. She’s lead a sheltered life of luxury and is determined to make the most of this tour as part of the band until her world is suddenly turned upside down. Then more life-shattering news alters the course she’s set for herself.
Meeting Chandler at her audition for a temporary spot in Assured Distraction, lead singer Keeton MacDonald flashes a panty-dropping smile knowing that a woman is sure to wreak havoc on the bus for this bunch of guys looking to enjoy the perks of life on the road as the rock stars they are.
Assured Distraction’s tour is the beginning of a raucous journey for them all that leads to fun days, exciting concerts, and hot nights.
Not just a life on the bus story, but a story about living messy lives in the real world.

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Posted in: Romance

Rain Rain Rain… I love it!

5 June, 2022 6:22 pm , 18 Comments ,


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

 

It’s rainy season and the start of typhoon season here in Okinawa. So, I feel like I will have a lot more time to sit around and read with all the rainy weather in store for us.

After stepping down from the organization that was causing me a bunch of stress, and just spending time listening to my body and getting back on track, I feel rejuvenated. I also took the plunge and signed up for Kindle Unlimited. There are just so many books on there that I’ve wanted to read but were not available at my local library. So, I’ve been trying to get through as many books as I can before my trial month is up. So if you have any recommendations, let me know in the comments.

Another fun this I did was I decided to take the plunge and start a YouTube channel. I’ve been sharing my adventures with friends and family on my personal Facebook. However, Facebook only allows you to upload up to about 6 minutes or so. So, after much pushing from friends, I decided to make a YouTube channel so that I can share more of my adventures on a larger scale. Which also means that I now have a reason to get out there and explore. I’m trying to treat this as sort of a vlog on the fun things I do (not day to day life) so that years from now, I can look back and relive some of the fun things I did while I lived in Okinawa Japan. So, if you have any recommendations on cameras, editing software, and just how to navigate this new platform, I would greatly appreciate it. <3

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Posted in: meme

Review: Taming Demons for Beginners by Annette Marie

3 June, 2022 12:16 am , 2 Comments ,

Taming Demons for Beginners
(The Guild Codex: Demonized #1)
by Annette Marie
Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy
Publication date: Sept. 11, 2019
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating:

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: Urban Fantasy , Tagged:

Sneak Peek Wednesday: The Boardwalk Bookshop by Susan Mallery

2 June, 2022 5:39 pm , Leave a Comment ,


The Boardwalk Bookshop
by Susan Mallery
Publisher: MIRA
Publication date: May 31 2022
Genre: Romance

When fate brings three strangers to a charming space for lease on the California coast, the Boardwalk Bookshop is born. Part bookstore, part gift shop, part bakery, it’s a dream come true for Bree, Mikki and Ashley. But while their business is thriving, their personal lives are…not.

Bree, wounded by brilliant but cold parents and her late husband’s ultimate betrayal, has sworn to protect her heart at all costs. Even from Ashley’s brother, a writer and adventurer who has inspired millions. He’s the first man to see past Bree’s barricades to her true self, which terrifies her. Mikki has this divorce thing all figured out—somehow, she’s stayed friends with her ex and her in-laws…until a new man changes how everyone looks at her, and how she sees herself. Meanwhile, Ashley discovers that the love of her life never intends to marry. Can she live without being a wife if it means she can have everything else she’s ever wanted?

At sunset every Friday on the beach in front of the Boardwalk Bookshop, the three friends share a champagne toast. As their bond grows closer, they challenge one another to become the best versions of themselves in this heartachingly beautiful story of friendship, sisterhood and the transformative power of love.

 

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Posted in: Excerpt

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Heather by Natasha Alterici, Ashley A. Woods (Giveaway)

25 May, 2022 12:19 am , 1 Comment ,

Heathen
The Complete Series Omnibus Edition
By: Natasha Alterici, Ashley A. Woods (Illustrations)
Publisher: Vault Comics
Publication date: May 17 , 2022
Genre: Fantasy Graphic Novel

SMASHING THE PATRIARCHY – Viking Style!

WOMAN. WARRIOR. VIKING. HEATHEN. OUTCAST.

THE GODS MUST PAY…

Born into a time of warfare, suffering, and subjugation of women, and exiled from her village for kissing another woman, the lesbian Viking warrior, Aydis, sets out to destroy the god-king Odin and end his oppressive reign. She is a friend to many as she is joined by mermaids, immortals, Valkyries, and the talking horse, Saga. But she is also a fearsome enemy to the demons and fantastic monsters that populate the land.

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Posted in: Excerpt, Graphic Novel