Author Archives: Kristin

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Beasts of the Frozen Sun by Jill Criswell (Giveaway)

25 September, 2019 12:07 pm , 6 Comments ,

Beasts of the Frozen Sun
(Frozen Sun Saga #1)
by Jill Criswell
Publisher: Blackstone
Publication date: Aug. 6, 2019
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Burn brightly. Love fiercely. For all else is dust.

Every child of Glasnith learns the last words of Aillira, the god-gifted mortal whose doomed love affair sparked a war of gods and men, and Lira of clan Stone knows the story better than most. As a descendant of Aillira and god-gifted in her own right, she has the power to read people’s souls, to see someone’s true essence with only a touch of her hand.

When a golden-haired warrior washes up on the shores of her homeland–one of the fearful marauders from the land of the Frozen Sun–Lira helps the wounded man instead of turning him in. After reading his soul, she realizes Reyker is different than his brethren who attack the coasts of Glasnith. He confides in her that he’s been cursed with what his people call battle-madness, forced to fight for the warlord known as the Dragon, a powerful tyrant determined to reignite the ancient war that Aillira started.

As Lira and Reyker form a bond forbidden by both their clans, the wrath of the Dragon falls upon them and all of Glasnith, and Lira finds herself facing the same tragic fate as her ancestor. The battle for Lira’s life, for Reyker’s soul, and for their peoples’ freedom has only just begun.

 

Read More →

Posted in: Excerpt, YA Fantasy , Tagged:

Sneak Peek Wednesday: The Fixer Upper by Maggie Mae Gallagher (Giveaway)

18 September, 2019 1:13 am , 10 Comments ,

The Fixer Upper
(Echo Springs #1)
by Maggie Mae Gallagher
Publisher: Blushing Books Publications
Publication date: Sept. 6, 2019
Genre: Romance

Abby Callier is more in love with Shakespearean heroes than any real man, and she’s beginning to wonder if there is life for her outside the pages of a book. It doesn’t help that her esteemed parents tend to view her as they would one of their science experiments gone wrong. On the eve of finishing her dissertation, she escapes her staid existence to live in the house she inherited from her Great Aunt Evie in the small town of Echo Springs, Colorado. Because, let’s face it, when a woman starts comparing her life to horror films, it might be time for a break.

Sheriff Nate Barnes believes in law and order and carefully building the life you want. In his spare time, he has been remodeling his house in the hope that one day it will be filled with the family he makes. But Nate doesn’t like drama or complications and tends to avoid them at all costs. And yet, when Miss Abigail Callier, his newest neighbor, beans him with a nine iron, he can’t help but wonder if she might just be the complication he’s been searching for all along. It doesn’t hurt that he discovers a journal hidden away by the previous tenant and decides to use Old Man Turner’s advice to romance Abby into his life.
Abby never expected her next-door neighbor, the newly dubbed Sheriff Stud Muffin, to be just the distraction her world needed.

The problem is she doesn’t know whether she should make Echo Springs her home, or if this town is just a stopover point in her life’s trajectory. And she doesn’t want to tell Nate that she might not be sticking around—even though she should because it’s the right thing to do, the honest thing—because then all the scintillatingly hot kisses with the Sheriff will come to an abrupt halt. Did she mention that he’s a really great kisser?

 

Read More →

Posted in: Excerpt, Romance , Tagged:

How is it already September?

2 September, 2019 9:29 am , 12 Comments ,

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

 

I don’t know about you, but I feel like this year is just flying by. Every time I turn around it’s a new month. It also seems like with every month, a new challenge pops up. For me this month I had some health issues arise. I was getting dizzy and having a hard time focusing. It was kind of scary because no one knew what was going on and why. After a handful of tests the only thing that the doctors could find was that my thyroid levels were a little off. So, hopefully that’s all it was an my body either gets back in line and levels out, or the medicine they gave me fixes the problem. I’m just ready to get back to normal and start feeling better.

So, with that being said, not a whole lot of reading happened… again. Ugh! I’ve exhausted all of my backup reviews that I’ve saved over YEARS of blogging, and I’m a little stressed out about that. Every summer I take part in a reading challenge, and this year I didn’t finish one category. With that being said, I might be taking a bit of a break pretty soon. I’ll still be online and checking out everyone’s posts and talking with you on Instagram, but I might not be posting much of anything myself except for sharing excerpts from books and maybe some discussion posts.

Read More →

Posted in: meme

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Lycan’s Blood Queen by Catherine Edward

28 August, 2019 12:52 am , 7 Comments ,

Lycan’s Blood Queen
(Randolph Duology #1)
by Catherine Edward
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: Aug. 22, 2019
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Aaron George Randolph, ruling King of the Lycans, is hell-bent on revenge for his mother’s brutal death at the hands of Vampires. But when a suspicious student takes up resident on his turf, he can’t help but be drawn to her despite knowing what she is.

Taken into custody by the ruling family of Brookedge, Mia’s life is complicated by the whole different world of mythical creatures living among humans. Now she must survive the impending civil war between old rivals, all the while learning about her true self and the power she holds. Torn between the nature of who she is and the overwhelming desire for the Lycan king, her choices are minimal.

What begins as vicious hostility changes into defying desire as Aaron and Mia are brought together by an unforgiving grudge that miraculously blooms into something unexpected that neither knew they needed.

With the war on the rise and a powerful enemy at the head of it, will their feelings for each other heal them in time? Or will they be forced to part ways and deny each other what was fated to be?

 

Read More →

Posted in: Excerpt, Paranormal Romance , Tagged:

Review: The Learning Hours by Sara Ney

26 August, 2019 9:47 am , 6 Comments ,

The Learning Hours
(How to Date a Douchebag #3)
by Sara Ney
Publisher: Slef-published
Publication date: Sept. 26, 2017
Genre: Romance
Rating:

He’s not a douchebag; but that doesn’t stop his friends from turning him into one.

MY FRIENDS WANT ME TO GET LAID.

So much so that they plastered my ugly mug all over campus, in bold printed letters:

Are you the lucky lady who’s going to break our roommate’s cherry?
Him: socially awkward man with average-sized penis looking for willing sexual partner. You: must have a pulse. He will reciprakate with oral. Text him at: 555-254-5551

The morons can’t even spell. And the texts I’ve been receiving are what wet dreams are made of. But I’m not like these douchebags, no matter how hard they try to turn me into one.

THIS ISN’T THE KIND OF ATTENTION I WANT.

One text stands out from hundreds. One number I can’t bring myself to block. She seems different. Hotter, even in black and white.

However, after seeing her in person, I know she’s not the girl for me. But my friends won’t let up–they just don’t get it. Douchebags or not, there’s one thing they’ll never understand: GIRLS DON’T WANT ME.

Especially her.

 

Read More →

Posted in: Romance , Tagged:

Review: Seize the night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

23 August, 2019 8:00 am , 4 Comments ,

Seize the Night
(Dark-Hunter #6)
by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication date: Dec. 28, 2004
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:

Valerius isn’t a popular Dark-Hunter-he’s a Roman, which means that the largely Greek Hunters have a major grudge against him and his civilization for superseding them. To make things worse, he’s very conscious of his aristocratic background and breeding. So it serves him right when he runs into Tabitha Devereaux. She’s sassy, sexy, and completely unwilling to take him seriously. (Not to mention that she’s the twin sister of the wife of former Dark-Hunter Kyrian-Val’s mortal enemy.) What Tabitha does take seriously is hunting and killing vampires-and soon she and Val have to grapple with the deadliest of all Daimons-one who’s managed to come back from the dead, and holds a serious grudge against both of them. To win against evil, Val will have to loosen up, learn to trust, and put everything on the line to protect a man he hates and a woman who drives him nuts.

 

Read More →

Posted in: Paranormal Romance , Tagged: ,

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Dark Sun Rising by K.M. Martinez

21 August, 2019 1:43 am , 4 Comments ,

Dark Sun Rising
(The Continuous War, #1)
by K.M. Martinez
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: Aug. 27, 2019
Genre: Fantasy

Melanie Mendez of Clan Kale isn’t sure if she believes in angels, but she’s pretty sure she’s not a descendant of one.

Her grandmother, the Elder of Clan Kale, would beg to differ. Her brothers, Victor and Gabe, would tell her to shut up about it and just do what she’s supposed to do: fight. Specifically, they want her to follow The Ways by participating in the Agora–the annual gathering where the seven clans compete for honor.

But Mel has never been one for competition, and the other clans have started to take notice. When she narrowly avoids being killed by a mysterious man the night before the Agora, she can’t help but wonder if the other clans have judged her according to The Ways: as a traitor.

One way or another, this Agora is about to turn deadly.

 

Read More →

Posted in: Excerpt

Review: Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep

16 August, 2019 7:29 am , 4 Comments ,

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.

 

Read More →

Posted in: Fantasy

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Twisted by Aleatha Romig

14 August, 2019 9:57 am , 2 Comments ,

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?

 

Read More →

Posted in: Excerpt , Tagged:

Review: Love Repaired by Deana Birch

9 August, 2019 7:50 am , 4 Comments ,

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.

 

Read More →

Posted in: Romance , Tagged: