Author Archives: Kristin

Review: The Holiday Ex-Files by Jennifer Peel

23 December, 2022 10:32 pm , 2 Comments ,

The Holiday Ex-Files
by Jennifer Peel
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: Oct. 22, 2021
Genre: Romance
Rating:

Once upon a time people called me the holiday queen. But catching my husband under the Christmas tree with another woman kind of did something to me. Like make me digitally crop him out of all our wedding photos and post them online. Who knew that post would go viral? Thanks to all the requests I received to do the same for other jilted partners, I started a new business called, the Holiday Ex-Files. And I couldn’t be happier. Well . . . at least I’m not unhappy.

Then along comes my ex-husband’s best friend, Noah Cullen. Yep, like the vampires. He’s extremely gorgeous like them too. He has a plan to help me believe in the magic of holidays again. But the more I’m around him, I begin to think he’s the magical one, and that perhaps I picked the wrong best friend to begin with. Maybe, just maybe, it will be a very merry Christmas after all.

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Posted in: Romance

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz

21 December, 2022 8:26 pm , 1 Comment ,

Sleep No More
(The Lost Night Files #1)
by Jayne Ann Krentz
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: Jan 3, 2023
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Seven months ago, Pallas Llewellyn, Talia March, and Amelia Rivers were strangers, until their fateful stay at the Lucent Springs Hotel. An earthquake and a fire partially destroyed the hotel, but the women have no memory of their time there. Now close friends, the three women co-host a podcast called the Lost Night Files, where they investigate cold cases and hope to connect with others who may have had a similar experience to theirs—an experience that has somehow enhanced the psychic abilities already present in each woman.

After receiving a tip for their podcast, Pallas travels to the small college town of Carnelian, California, to explore an abandoned asylum. Shaken by the dark energy she feels in the building, she is rushing out when she’s stopped by a dark figure—who turns out to be the women’s mysterious tipster.

Ambrose Drake is certain he’s a witness to a murder, but without a body, everyone thinks he’s having delusions caused by extreme sleep deprivation. But Ambrose is positive something terrible happened at the Carnelian Sleep Institute the night he was there. Unable to find proof on his own, he approaches Pallas for help, only for her to realize that Ambrose, too, has a lost night that he can’t remember—one that may be connected to Pallas. Pallas and Ambrose conduct their investigation using the podcast as a cover, and while the townsfolk are eager to share what they know, it turns out there are others who are not so happy about their questions—and someone is willing to kill to keep the truth from coming out.

 

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Posted in: Excerpt , Tagged: ,

Review: Mistle Text by Whitney Dineen, Melanie Summers

16 December, 2022 8:44 am , 2 Comments ,

Mistle Text: ‘Twas the Text Before Christmas
(An Accidentally in Love Story #5)
by Whitney Dineen, Melanie Summers
Publisher: ‎ 33 Partners & Indigo Group
Publication date: Sept. 19, 2021
Genre: Holiday Romance
Rating:

Twas the text before Christmas…

Twenty-eight-year-old Holly Snow is the only mother her four-year-old niece remembers. Three years earlier, when her sister and brother-in-law were killed, Holly’s dream of becoming an international flight attendant was put on hold so she could be home for baby Faith. Holly is doing everything she can to keep the rent paid, including working as an online travel agent, filing medical claims, and cleaning apartments in her building. When her friend Maggie tells her that her boss needs someone to buy his Christmas gifts, she leaps at the opportunity.

Tall, dark and Scroogy, investment banker, Archibald Harrington is too busy to do his own Christmas shopping. When his assistant tells him she knows of a professional shopper, he happily checks another dreaded task off his holiday list. The last thing Archie is expecting is for his hired elf to text him insistently to find out more about the people on list. The last thing Holly expects is to develop feelings for grumpy man who’s stealing her Christmas spirit.

Will there be a Holiday miracle, or will Holly and Archie miss their chance at love? Find out in the fifth installment of the Accidentally in Love Series.

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Posted in: Romance

Review: Resting Scrooge Face by Meghan Quinn

12 December, 2022 9:50 am , 2 Comments ,

Resting Scrooge Face
by Meghan Quinn
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: Nov. 29, 2022
Genre: Romance
Rating:

After a bad breakup, Nola wants nothing to do with Christmas, especially in her quaint hometown of Bright Harbor, Maine. Infuriatingly charming and cheery, Nola’s surroundings only worsen her sour mood.

To make matters worse, Caleb, the boy who broke her heart years ago, is all grown up and still living in town. While doing her best to avoid him, Nola bumps into the local mailman, who gives her a mysterious letter. And when she finds that the writer is a fellow Scrooge, she can’t help but feel her spirit lifting.

Nola writes back to her new pen pal—who, unbeknownst to Nola, is none other than Caleb. When Caleb gets a response hand delivered by the mailman, he’s intrigued by the mystery sender. A friendly correspondence develops—and quickly turns flirtatious.

Although Nola and Caleb claim they can’t stand each other, they can’t deny the simmering attraction that brought them together in the first place.

Can these nameless pen pals write their own love story—or will they be too caught up with the ghosts of their Christmases past to find a future together?

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged:

Review: The Studying Hours by Sara Ney

5 December, 2022 11:31 am , 1 Comment ,

The Studying Hours
(How to Date a Douchebag #1)
by Sara Ney
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: Sept. 13, 2016
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:

CRUDE. ARROGANT. A**HOLE.
No doubt about it, Sebastian ‘Oz’ Osborne is the university’s most celebrated student athlete—and possibly the biggest douchebag. A walking, talking cliché, he has a filthy mouth, a fantastic body, and doesn’t give a sh*t about what you or anyone else thinks.

SMART. CLASSY. CONSERVATIVE.
Make no mistake, Jameson Clarke may be the university’s most diligent student—but she is no prude. Spending most of her time in the hallowed halls of the library, James is wary of pervs, jocks, and douchebags—and Oz Osborne is all three.

She’s smart, sarcastic—and not what he expected.

…EVERY DOUCHBAG HAS HIS WEAKNESS.

He wants to be friends.
He wants to spend time with her.
He wants to drive her crazy.

He wants…

Her.

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Posted in: NA Romance, New Adult , Tagged:

Review: Mr Bride: Vol 3 by Natsumi Shiba

28 November, 2022 2:00 am , 1 Comment ,

Mr. Bride
Vol. 3
By: Natsumi Shiba
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Publication date: Aug. 31, 2021
Genre: Romance Manga
Rating:

At 26 years old, Hayami is four years into her career as a saleswoman. She’s an ace when it comes to her work, but at home she becomes a massive slob. It just so happens that Yamamoto-kun, her junior who carries a bit of a torch for her, is a pro at housework! Hayami takes him in as her wife, and their life as housemates begins. But why does it feel like things are slowly starting to change between them…!?

 

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Posted in: Manga

Review: Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover

21 November, 2022 7:58 am , 2 Comments ,

Reminders of Him
by Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Montlake
Publication date: Jan 18, 2022
Genre: Romance
Rating:

After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong, hoping to reunite with her four-year-old daughter. But the bridges Kenna burned are proving impossible to rebuild. Everyone in her daughter’s life is determined to shut Kenna out, no matter how hard she works to prove herself. The only person who hasn’t closed the door on her completely is Ledger Ward, a local bar owner and one of the few remaining links to Kenna’s daughter. But if anyone were to discover how Ledger is slowly becoming an important part of Kenna’s life, both would risk losing the trust of everyone important to them. The two form a connection despite the pressure surrounding them, but as their romance grows, so does the risk. Kenna must find a way to absolve the mistakes of her past in order to build a future out of hope and healing.

 

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged: ,

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Shadow of Death by Diane E. Samson (Giveaway)

9 November, 2022 8:18 am , 1 Comment ,

Shadow of Death
(Gems of Fire Book 4)
by Diane E. Samson
Publisher: Self-Pubilshed
Publication date: Oct. 27, 2022
Genre: Fantasy

A homeless prince, a grueling mission, an unlikely hope

When unspeakable tragedy strikes Prince Jack’s family, he’s left with one desire: vengeance. Now living in exile and serving a foreign king, Jack perfects his talent with the sword. He’s sent to the desert for spy and assassin training, dreaming of the day he’ll use these skills to drive a dagger into Ingvar’s heart.

Jack plunges into his training and finds a new family of sorts, whose morally gray members rid the city of vile criminals. But as the desert Lord Anwar readies for battle, allegiances shatter, blood runs in the streets, and the shadow of death looms near. During a last effort to complete his seemingly impossible mission, Jack chances upon a slave girl with a Northern accent and eyes so familiar that he makes a hasty vow.

He always thought he’d defeat his nightmares by becoming one. Could that nightmare fade into a new dream? And could that strange slave girl be at the heart of it all?

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Posted in: Excerpt

Review: The Deal by Elle Kennedy

4 November, 2022 4:52 pm , 1 Comment ,

The Deal
(Off-Campus #1)
by Elle Kennedy
Publisher:Self-published
Publication date: Feb. 24, 2015
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:

She’s about to make a deal with the college bad boy…

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice… even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

…and it’s going to be oh so good.

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn’t take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn’t going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

 

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Posted in: NA Romance , Tagged:

Review: The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

31 October, 2022 10:53 am , 1 Comment ,

The Rules of Magic
(Practical Magic #0.2)
by Alice Hoffman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication date: Oct 10, 2017
Genre: Fantasy
Rating:

Find your magic

For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man.

Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk.

From the start Susanna sets down rules for her children: No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle, in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens family has been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. Back in New York City each begins a risky journey as they try to escape the family curse.

The Owens children cannot escape love even if they try, just as they cannot escape the pains of the human heart. The two beautiful sisters will grow up to be the revered, and sometimes feared, aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy.

 

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Posted in: Fantasy