Author Archives: Kristin

Review: Hunting for a Highlander by Lynsay Sands

22 January, 2021 1:30 am , 2 Comments ,

Hunting for a Highlander
(Highland Brides #8)
by Lynsay Sands
Publisher: Avon
Publication date: Jan. 28 2020
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating:

Lady Dwyn Innes feels utterly out of place among the eligible women who’ve descended on Buchanan Keep, vying for the attention of the last unmarried brothers. She isn’t long-legged and slender like her sisters, or flirtatious and wily like other lasses. Since her betrothed died, Dwyn has resigned herself to becoming an old maid. Yet a chance encounter with a stranger in the orchard awakens her to a new world of sensation and possibility…

After weeks away, Geordie Buchanan returns to find his home swarming with potential brides, thanks to his loving but interfering family. But one lass in particular draws his attention from the moment he spies her climbing a tree. Lady Dwyn is not nearly as plain as she thinks. Her lush figure and eager kisses delight him, as does her honesty. But the real test lies ahead: eliminating a hidden enemy, so that he and Dwyn can seal their Highland passion with a vow.

 

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Posted in: historical romance , Tagged: ,

Review: The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

18 January, 2021 3:49 am , 4 Comments ,

The Worst Best Man
by Mia Sosa
Publisher: Avon
Publication date: Feb. 4, 2020
Genre: Romance
Rating:

A wedding planner left at the altar. Yeah, the irony isn’t lost on Carolina Santos, either. But despite that embarrassing blip from her past, Lina’s managed to make other people’s dreams come true as a top-tier wedding coordinator in DC. After impressing an influential guest, she’s offered an opportunity that could change her life. There’s just one hitch… she has to collaborate with the best (make that worst) man from her own failed nuptials.

Tired of living in his older brother’s shadow, marketing expert Max Hartley is determined to make his mark with a coveted hotel client looking to expand its brand. Then he learns he’ll be working with his brother’s whip-smart, stunning —absolutely off-limits — ex-fiancée. And she loathes him.

If they can survive the next few weeks and nail their presentation without killing each other, they’ll both come out ahead. Except Max has been public enemy number one ever since he encouraged his brother to jilt the bride, and Lina’s ready to dish out a little payback of her own.

But even the best laid plans can go awry, and soon Lina and Max discover animosity may not be the only emotion creating sparks between them. Still, this star-crossed couple can never be more than temporary playmates because Lina isn’t interested in falling in love and Max refuses to play runner-up to his brother ever again..

 

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged: ,

Sneak Peek Wednesday: The Secrets We Keep by Nikki Lee Taylor (Giveaway)

13 January, 2021 2:53 am , 3 Comments ,

The Secrets We Keep
by Nikki Lee Taylor
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: Jan. 11, 2021
Genre: Fiction

Not all mothers are created equal… Some are better at hiding the truth

Crippled with anxiety, Sophie is desperate to overcome the pain of losing her husband and only child in a freak car accident. Living and working in isolation with only the company of her dog Miss Molly, Sophie agrees to take on a job reviewing the manuscript of an up-and-coming writer. But this isn’t any story. It is one that unearths old secrets and to discover the truth, Sophie must find the courage to embark on a search that will change her life forever.

​On the outside, Love Mommy blogging queen Madelyn-May has it all. To her online community she is the perfect mother. She has a successful husband, perfect twins, and an idyllic life. What they don’t know is Madelyn-May also has a secret. When her past collides with the present, Madelyn-May is forced to make a choice that could destroy everything she loves.

​Would you risk destroying a family, if it meant healing your own heart? Would you tell the truth, if it meant losing everything you love?

​The Secrets We Keep is a confronting look at the complexities of family and lengths a mother will go to for her child.

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Posted in: Excerpt, fiction

Review: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

11 January, 2021 3:41 am , 2 Comments ,

Breaking Dawn
(The Twilight Saga #4)
by Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication date: Aug. 2, 2008
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

WHEN YOU LOVED THE ONE WHO WAS KILLING YOU, IT LEFT YOU NO OPTIONS. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it was someone you truly loved?

TO BE IRREVOCABLY IN LOVE WITH A VAMPIRE is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife have led her to the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fates of two tribes hangs.

NOW THAT BELLA HAS MADE HER DECISION, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating, and unfathomable, consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella’s life – first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse – seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed… forever?

THE ASTONISHING, BREATHLESSLY anticipated conclusion to the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions.

 

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Posted in: YA Fantasy, YA Romance, Young Adult , Tagged:

Review: The Boy Toy by Nicola Marsh

8 January, 2021 2:23 am , 1 Comment ,

The Boy Toy
by Nicola Marsh
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: Nov. 17, 2020
Genre: Romance
Rating:

A woman ready to give up on love discovers that age is truly just a number in this heartwarming and steamy new romantic comedy by USA Today bestselling author Nicola Marsh.

For almost a decade, successful 37-year-old Samira Broderick has used her bustling LA practice as an excuse to avoid a trip home to Australia. She still resents her meddling Indian mother for arranging her marriage to a man who didn’t stick around when the going got tough, but now with a new job Down Under, she’s finally ready to reconnect with her. And while she’s there, a hot international fling might be just what she needs to get out of her recent funk.

Aussie stuntman, Rory Radcliffe, has been hiding his stutter for years by avoiding speaking roles. When a job he can’t refuse comes up as a reality show host, he knows he’ll need some help for the audition: a dialect coach. But he finds himself at a loss for words when he discovers it’s the same sexy woman with whom he just had a mind-blowing one-night stand…

Samira can think of many reasons why Rory is completely wrong for her: he’s ten years her junior, for one, and he’s not Indian–something Samira’s mother would never approve of. Even if things were to get serious, there’s no reason to tell her mother…is there?

 

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged: ,

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Fate of Dragons by Alisha Klapheke

6 January, 2021 2:25 am , 2 Comments ,

Fate of Dragons
(Dragons Rising #1)
by Alisha Klapheke
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication date: March 27, 2019
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Romance

A flood is coming. The Sea Queen has a mad plan to drown the world.

Only the magic of the Earth Queen can stop her.

Vahly, the last human, was born to fill that role and wield the magic necessary to fight the rising oceans and save the dragons.

But Vahly is the world’s biggest disappointment. So far, she possesses no magic whatsoever.

When she finds an ancient scroll that mentions a human power ritual conducted deep in the homeland of the elves, she gathers her dragon allies and journeys to see the king of that forest-dwelling race.

Welcomed into a place more lovely than any dream, will Vahly find the truth about her people’s past and wake her magic or will a twisted and powerful elven lord destroy her chance at saving the world?

 

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Posted in: Excerpt, Fantasy, YA Fantasy

Review: Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston

4 January, 2021 3:13 am , Leave a Comment ,

Bookish and the Beast
(Once Upon a Con #3)
by Ashley Poston
Publisher: Quirk Books
Publication date: Aug. 4, 2020
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Rating:

Rosie Thorne is feeling stuck—on her college application essays, in her small town, and on that mysterious General Sond cosplayer she met at ExcelsiCon. Most of all, she’s stuck in her grief over her mother’s death. Her only solace was her late mother’s library of rare Starfield novels, but even that disappeared when they sold it to pay off hospital bills.

On the other hand, Vance Reigns has been Hollywood royalty for as long as he can remember—with all the privilege and scrutiny that entails. When a tabloid scandal catches up to him, he’s forced to hide out somewhere the paparazzi would never expect to find him: Small Town USA. At least there’s a library in the house. Too bad he doesn’t read.

When Rosie and Vance’s paths collide and a rare book is accidentally destroyed, Rosie finds herself working to repay the debt. And while most Starfield superfans would jump at the chance to work in close proximity to the Vance Reigns, Rosie has discovered something about Vance: he’s a jerk, and she can’t stand him. The feeling is mutual.

But as Vance and Rosie begrudgingly get to know each other, their careful masks come off—and they may just find that there’s more risk in shutting each other out than in opening their hearts.

 

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Posted in: YA Contemporary, YA Romance, Young Adult , Tagged:

The Darkest Year

1 January, 2021 11:15 am , 12 Comments ,

 

So long 2020. I would say it was fun, but then I’d be lying. And if Dolores Umbridge taught me anything, it’s that I mustn’t tell lies.

Like so many, I struggled through the year. However, I don’t want to dwell on the bad because there were some good things that came from it. We adopted a kitten. Technically, we rescued her, tried to find her owners, realized she was feral born, tried to get her into the only no-kill shelter in the area, and then wound up falling in love with her before the shelter had space to take her in. Total foster fail, but worth it! I also rescued a pair of neglected hermit crabs from someone in my area. I saw the filth they were living in, and immediately responded to the listing. Did I know anything about hermit crabs? No, but I was not about to let those things suffer anymore. While they started out super shy, they are coming out earlier and earlier every day (they are nocturnal) and it’s been great seeing them enjoy their new digs. I also got a Cricut machine and decided to start crafting. Which has helped with my anxiety and depression because it gives me something to focus on, and gives me a sense of completion when I finish a project. So that machine has really saved my sanity.

One huge thing I did this year was quit my job. This is my first week not working, and it feels great. It was just becoming too much. We were seeing international people flying in from all over. American’s driving/flying across country. They were all carrying on like we aren’t in the middle of a pandemic. I had people tell me that the pandemic was over and therefor didn’t need to wear a mask because back home in Florida, Covid isn’t a thing. Seriously, some of the stuff I dealt with was absurd. So, since I started to feel extremely overwhelmed, and I honestly didn’t feel like my job was “essential” by any means, I decided enough was enough, and left. I’m looking forward to less stress in my life, and hopefully a lot more reading this year. My reading tanked badly this year between everything going on. I had set a goal of reading 65 books (which is super low for me) but I only got to 61 books read this year.  However, I’m hoping that I’ll get back into blogging and reading again. I’m honestly just ready to get myself mentally back on track.

 

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Posted in: meme

Review: Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

16 November, 2020 2:59 pm , 3 Comments ,

Crazy Stupid Bromance
(Bromance Book Club #3)
by Lyssa Kay Adams
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: Oct. 27, 2020
Genre: Romance
Rating:

Alexis Carlisle and her cat café, ToeBeans, have shot to fame after she came forward as a victim of a celebrity chef’s sexual harassment. When a new customer approaches to confide in her, the last thing Alexis expects is for the woman to claim they’re sisters. Unsure what to do, Alexis turns to the only man she trusts—her best friend, Noah Logan.

Computer genius Noah left his rebellious teenage hacker past behind to become a computer security expert. Now he only uses his old skills for the right cause. But Noah’s got a secret: He’s madly in love with Alexis. When she asks for his help, he wonders if the timing will ever be right to confess his crush.

Noah’s pals in The Bromance Book Club are more than willing to share their beloved “manuals” to help him go from bud to boyfriend. But he must decide if telling the truth is worth risking the best friendship he’s ever had.

A hacktivist and a cat café owner decode the friend zone in this romantic comedy from the author of Undercover Bromance.

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged: ,

Review: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

13 November, 2020 6:57 am , 1 Comment ,

Eclipse
(The Twilight Saga #3)
by Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication date: Aug. 7, 2007
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Raiting:

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob – knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

 

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Posted in: YA Fantasy , Tagged: