Author Archives: Kristin

Review: Hope Ignites by Jaci Burton

18276941Hope Ignites
(Hope, #2)
By: Jaci Burton
Publisher: Jove
Release date: March 25, 2014
Genre: Contemp. Romance
Rating:
PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Logan McCormack likes his isolated life on the ranch, until a movie crew starts filming there. When actress Desiree Jenkins blows into his life, she wrecks it harder than the Oklahoma winds with her brutal honesty and soft touch. Des knows this is a temporary stay, but she loves the open freedom of the land, and for the first time in her life, Des feels like she might have found a place she can call home, with a man she might be falling in love with. But Logan’s heart is tougher than the soil beneath them—can she convince him that they belong together?

 

1thoughtsThis is a cute, yet spicy romance that revolves around a blue collared man and a movie star actress. You see Logan has a lot of acres to his farm. So when a production crew ask if they can rent a small portion of it for a film they are planning to shoot, he figures it’s a win-win situation. They will be at the other end of the property so he will have no clue they are even there, plus he gets to make some well needed cash. However, he starts to rethink the whole being oblivious thing when Des comes around. Not only is she gorgeous but she’s persistent in her pursuit in him.

Des is not one of those hoity toity actresses. In fact she’s extremely down to earth and doesn’t mind helping out and getting dirty on the ranch. She’s always upfront and honest and I think that quality is what really attracts and scares Logan. She doesn’t pussyfoot around, she goes in and makes her intentions known and I found that to be a breath of fresh air in a heroine.

Logan is a man’s man. He’s rugged, dirty and sweaty a lot in the book because of his work. Heck, there’s even a chapter where Des works with him for the day on his ranch. However, he isn’t an alpha man in what most would view as alpha. He takes care of what’s his and works hard to make a living but he isn’t demanding. He gives Des a lot of space and is comfortable letting her go off to do her thing. Both of these characters were such a pleasure to read.

Even though this is a second in a series, it’s great as a stand-alone. I don’t know how much page time Logan had in his brother’s story but I never felt like I was missing something. If you are into celebrity romances, this is a must read. There was no crazy drama or lag time in the story. It was just a beautifully written story about two people who are on two ends of the spectrum finding love.

 

1favepart“She was certain Logan wasn’t excited about being anywhere near her or taking her anywhere.

Which made her want to annoy him even more.

Who knew this location shoot was going to be so much fun?”

kRISTIN

Review: Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep

Read More →

Review: Taste Me Deadly by Nikki Duncan

20482876Taste Me Deadly
(Scensory Ops, #5)
By: Nikki Duncan
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Published: March 18, 2014
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating:
PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

After five years in Witness Protection, Greycen Craig’s life of careful routine is upended when she learns her sister is the victim in a hit and run, hospitalized, unconscious, and needing a kidney only Grey can give.

Despite warnings that this “accident” is a ruse to draw her out into the open, Grey risks everything to race back to Miami—where she comes face to face with the one man she aches to trust.

FBI agent Liam Burgess thinks he’s prepared for the moment Grey walks into her sister’s hospital room. But the moment the woman who holds his heart appears, his tongue is almost too tied to remember to ask one burning question—why she disappeared in Las Vegas two years ago.

As Grey struggles with what to tell him—everything or nothing—the danger that drove her underground resurfaces, threatening everyone she loves. And the only safe place to run is the arms of the one man she can’t tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

 

Read More →

Review: Fighting For Irish by Gina L. Maxwell

17619576Fighting For Irish
(Fighting For Love, #3)
By: Gina L. Maxwell
Publisher: Brazen
Published: Jan. 13, 2014
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating:
PhotobucketPhotobucket

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Kat MacGregor has forty-eight hours to make good on the debt her ex-boyfriend owes a crime boss. Unfortunately, the measly tips she makes waitressing are barely enough for her to live on, much less cover the twenty-thousand needed to keep her breathing. With time running out, Kat ‘s forced to accept help from the only man who’s ever made her feel fire rather than fear.

When he learns a friend’s sister is in trouble, former Boston MMA fighter Aiden “Irish” O’Brien heads to Louisiana to offer himself up as collateral to keep her safe. But to satisfy the debt, he has to do the one thing he swore hed never do again: fight. With more than just money on the line, will Irish have what it takes to not only reclaim the man he once was, but become the man he needs to be for the woman he can’t live without?

 

1thoughtsI loved Rules of Engagement and was really excited to start Fighting for Irish. You have a retired MMA fighter who’s secretly keeping an eye on a friend’s sister-in-law who may or may not be in trouble. That is, until the mafia come knocking on her door. Which is when Irish steps up to take her debt as his own and ends up back in the MMA ring fighting for the Mafia.

I don’t know what happened but I just didn’t connect with the story. I’m not sure if it was the extreme naivety on Kat’s part because let’s be honest, at her age, even if she’s never experienced an orgasm, I’d hope she’d know what one was. Apparently not though because she sorta panicked when the moment came and thought the feeling was painful-pleasurable. Alas, Irish shows her what she’s missing out on… multiple times. Or maybe my problem was with Irish. The typical bad-ass who turns to complete mush when he meets his woman. Such a mush that he start talking gobbly goop that would make a Hallmark card cringe. You can’t be a big bad Bostonian MMA fighter and start getting mushy on me. I want that bad-ass demeanor to carry on throughout the story.

I liked the beginning of the story and had high hopes for this but it just didn’t work for me. I wasn’t connected to the story or the characters. I will still continue to read Gina’s work since I loved the last book and love the way she writes a story. However, the characters in this one just didn’t work for me.

 

1favequote“He must have heat stroke from the last few hours of his ride. Yeah, heat stroke sounded good. He’d go with that. The alternative-comparing a woman to something like lemonade-would mean the demise of his virility, and he could kiss his Man Card good-bye.”

 

Previous reviews from Fighting For Love
Rules of Entanglement

kRISTIN

Sunday Wrap-Up #30

Read More →

Review: The Wicked We Have Done by Sarah Harian

Read More →

Cover Reveal & Excerpt: Collide by Melissa West

CollideCollide
(The Taking, #3)
By: Melissa West
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: Dec. 2, 2014
Genre: Sci-Fi Young Adult

Goodreads | Amazon

Military legacy Ari Alexander has survived alien spies, WWIV, and a changing world order. But when the new leader of Earth uses Jackson—the only boy she’s ever let herself care about—to get to her, Ari has no choice but to surrender. To free Jackson, she agrees to travel to the national bases to train others to fight.

What she discovers is a land riddled with dying people. Ari has the power to heal by turning the fighters into aliens—half-breeds like her. If she succeeds, together, they have a chance at overthrowing the alien leader, Zeus. But if she fails, everyone she holds dear will be wiped away forever.

Once again, everything Ari’s come to believe is thrown into question. In a world of uncertainty, loyalties are tested, lies are uncovered, and no one can be trusted. If Ari and Jackson have any hope at survival and at preserving a life for the future, they must fight the final war with their eyes wide open.

 

 

 

Excerpt“Wake up!”

 

I feel as though someone has pinched my mind, shaken my brain around,

and asked it to work again. I try to open my eyes, but they’re heavy and clouded

and I begin to worry that maybe they are open. I just can’t see.

“Wake up!”

I flinch at the sound, so close to my ear, yet far away. Or maybe it’s my understanding that’s far.

“Ari. We’re out of time. Wake up!”

My mind flashes into focus, but I don’t open my eyes. I can feel, sense, everything around me. The beeping sounds that alternate in succession. The breathing in and out of the person beside me, yet I can’t make out who the person is. Even if it’s a he or she. But what I can sense is danger, danger so intense that the hairs on my arms are at full attention and the xylem in my body has sparked, causing me to instantly want the person beside me dead. If he or she—it—is dead then I am free to escape, even if I have no idea what or who I am escaping from.

“Fine. Just call this payback.”

I have one second to realize that the person is Cybil, before a gut wrenching pain slices through my left arm. My eyes snap open and she’s in front of me, so pale and rattled that she looks like a ghost of herself. I glance down at my arm to see that Cybil ripped out my IV and is now holding it in her hand like a

“I warned you. Look. This likely triggered an alarm. We have to get out of here. Right now.”

I try to nod, but my body is sluggish and I’m not sure that I’ve moved at all. Cybil loops her arm under my back to help me sit up, and instantly the room begins to move in and out of focus. “What happened to me?”

“They happened. Now move.”

I start to climb off the table I’m on, when Cybil’s eyes round out and her body begins to quake. “Cybil? What is it?” I reach out for her, just as her body collapses to the ground and a metal door behind her slides open. Two men dressed in thick white suits rush in, followed by a shorter man. A man I recognize.

“Hello, Ari. Nice to see you awake,” Kelvin says. Kelvin Lancaster. I remember him from the talks with Earth, how he seemed to be in control, how everyone around him acted uneasy in his presence. Like he was more enemy than friend. I start to respond to him, when I feel a sharp pinch in my arm. I look up to see another white-suited person behind me, syringe in hand. I try to push the person away. I try to open my mouth to scream. But suddenly my lips feel tingly, my arms limp. I focus back on Kelvin, on the grin on his face, and then the world around me disappears, and I’m once again alone in the darkness.
 


 

author
Melissa

Melissa lives in a tiny suburb of Atlanta, GA with her husband and daughters. She pretends to like yoga, actually likes shoes, and could not live without coffee. Her writing heroes include greats like Jane Austen and Madeleine L’Engle.
She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and an M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. Yeah, her blood runs orange.

GRAVITY is her first novel.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

1giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlight: Immortal Hunter by Kait Ballenger

unnamedImmortal Hunter
(Execution Underground, #2)
By: Kait Ballenger
Publisher: HQN Books
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Hunters of the supernatural, the Execution Underground are an elite group tasked with protecting humanity…but at what price?

As an exorcist, David Aronowitz grew up the target of demonic assassins. Now he’s a member of the Execution Underground and hellspawn everywhere fear his name. But when a demon slips into the seductive body of the only woman he’s ever loved,

David must confront the heartbreak of their past to save her. The piece of her heart Allsún O’Hare gave to David so long ago left her trapped between two worlds: the Fae and the human. And when David comes to her rescue, fate reunites her with her greatest temptation—and her biggest mistake.

Now, as they’re swept together into a wicked game with the demon who controls her, David must decide if saving Allsún’s life is worth sacrificing his own—and the future of humanity itself.

 

 

Kait Ballenger is a full-time paranormal romance author, wife, professional bellydancer, and graduate student living in Central Florida. SHADOW HUNTER, the debut prequel of her sexy paranormal romance series, the Execution Underground, about an international network of supernatural hunters who fight to protect humanity alongside the powerful women they seduce, releases in an anthology titled AFTER DARK along with NYT Bestselling author Gena Showalter’s novella THE DARKEST ANGEL in July 2013.

Lucky Shamrock Giveaway Hop

Photobucket

I’m super excited to be hosting my very first giveaway hop. There’s just something about St. Patrick’s Day that gets me excited every year. It has nothing to do with the excessive drinking that most people associate with St. Patrick’s Day, but more the fact that everything and anything remotely related to Ireland comes out of the woodwork. I love the color green and if I had to choose a favorite shape (if there is such a thing) it would be a shamrock. 665725_4254944885732_1686792969_oMy dream vacation is to explore Ireland and visit all the amazing castles and of course going to see the Blarney Stone. So it makes sense that St. Patrick’s Day is my favorite holiday of the year. I get to break out all my green clothes, hang all my shamrock stuff and blare some Irish tunes without looking like a crazy person.

1giveawayIt’s time to get to the good stuff! I’m giving away winners choice of any book from the following books/series below. The winner will be able to choose ebook or paperback (as long as Amazon ships to your country).
9533378

Any book from the Iron Druid Chronicles
By: Kevin Hearne
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old–when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power–plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish–to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

 

7740225

Any book from the Goblin Wars series
By: Kersten Hamilton
Genre: YA Fantasy
Goodreads

Teagan Wylltson’s best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures—goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty—are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn’t worried. Her life isn’t in danger. In fact, it’s perfect. She’s on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She’s focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems.

Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn’s a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he’s crazy or he’s been haunting Abby’s dreams, because he’s talking about goblins, too… and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby’s right. The goblins are coming.

 

22721

Irish Girls About Town
By: Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes, Cathy Kelly
Genre: Chick-Lit
Goodreads

Get ready to paint the town green.

New York Times bestselling authors Maeve Binchy and Marian Keyes top an impressive roster of the Emerald Isle’s most popular women writers as they celebrate the joys and perils of love and the adventure and constancy of female friendships.

In Maeve Binchy’s “Carissima,” an ex-pat returns to Ireland and shakes things up for her family, who finds her free spirit scandalous. In “Soulmates,” by Marian Keyes, one woman’s relationship is so bleedin’ perfect that it’s driving her friends crazy. In Cathy Kelly’s “Thelma, Louise and the Lurve Gods,” two women on a madcap Stateside road trip encounter a pair of insanely good-looking men….These fabulous stories and a baker’s dozen more prove that when it comes to spinning a good yarn, the Irish are the best in the business.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Make sure to hop on over to the other blogs participating!


Spotlight: Etoile by Olivia Besse

Read More →