Monday, July 10, 2023
Barbarian's Mate by Ruby Dixon
Sunday, March 5, 2023
A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows by Holly Renee
Synopsis:
Destiny or desire?
Where does your allegiance lie?
I am told my union to the crowned prince will determine the fate of the kingdom, but it isn’t my betrothed who haunts my dreams. It’s the half-breed prince who stands at his side.
He is darkness and sin, and when he whispers promises of wickedness in my ear, I crave a man who I can’t have.
Every thought I have is treasonous. The way my hands ache to touch him deceitful.
Even my dreams make me a traitor to the kingdom I am sworn to protect.
But when the kingdom is attacked, I am forced to make choices I’m not prepared for. Our lies and deception are entangled in the shadows and stars, and as they unravel so shall my fate. Betray a kingdom or betray my heart.
Thoughts:
Sunday, February 12, 2023
Frost by CN Crawford
Synopsis:
On the worst birthday of my life, I come home to find my boyfriend in bed with another woman. Within hours, I’m drunk, homeless, and pledging to stay single forever. And that is when the dangerously sexy Seelie King rolls through town, looking for fae like me.
Every generation, the king holds a competition for Seelie queen. But for reasons he won’t explain, Torin is looking for a charade, not a real marriage. So when I drunkenly sling insults his way, I have his attention.
When Torin offers me fifty million to participate, I think, “What have I got to lose?” The answer turns out to be “my life,” because my competition will literally kill for the crown.
And the more time I spend with the seductive king, the harder it becomes to remember it’s all supposed to be fake. Now, my life—and my heart—are on the line.
Thoughts:
This is the kind of romantasy book that is my all time favorite... we have a broody male fae king with a secret curse he can't tell anyone, and a tough independent female lead with a secret past we don't know much about. Combine this with a "Hunger Games" style contest to win a crown, and it's all win for me.
This book could easily have been read in one sitting. I really felt there was never a dull moment, or wordy explanations that take too long. We start right off with the heart break that is mentioned in the synopsis. Andrew is absolutely hated from the start, and of course while at her most vulnerable she meets Torin.
Because of his secret curse, Torin wants to marry someone he can't love, and he thinks he's found that in Ava. However, this is when the slow burn, forbidden romance slowly evolves...and we never really get much satisfaction in this book. The story leaves off here with a bit of a cliffhanger, and completely unresolved. As much as I usually don't like this in books, it actually worked for me, however I'm really glad book two comes out in less than two weeks.
I hope book two in this series keeps up the great momentum that was developed in book one.
Frost by CN Crawford is available on Amazon. Ambrosia, book two of her Frost and Nectar series releases February 20th.
To learn more about CN Crawford head over to her website here.
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Disclaimer: I purchased a copy of this book myself for review. There are links to Amazon, clicking these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog. Thanks!
Friday, December 23, 2022
Death in a Dark Alley by Bradley Pay
Tracey Lauch may be a murderer, but he is still a man. Although his childhood abandonment trauma began decades ago, now his compulsion to strangle women who resemble his mother has begun to evolve. Outrunning his past, embracing love in the present, and creating a future free of investigation proves increasingly complicated.
Isabelle’s life in Brazil is burdened with mistakes and abandonment, too – but not in the same way. She falls in love with all the wrong men at all the wrong times, and her best friend Frank shows his true colors when, over and over again, he is not there for her when she needs him most. Aside from the stark difference that Isabelle is not a murderer, she and Tracey both desire love, a life partner, and the warmth of a family.
But what does Isabelle’s story have to do with Tracey? How can an innocent trip to Strasbourg, France, become a heart-stopping event that changes their lives forever?
Thoughts:
Friday, September 23, 2022
Queen and Conqueror by Isabelle Olmo
If you enjoy fantasy with a side of feminism and diverse main characters and a head strong female main character grab this book!
Synopsis:
Almira was raised by a calculating father who forged her in political cunning. She’s prepared for this moment since childhood. Like pieces on a board, she lays out the players one by one.
One. King Alton, the brother-killer. The spare heir who killed his brother for lust of throne.
Two. The perfect seamstress. The people must admire a queen and welcome her with open arms. Even with a deadly armada behind her.
Three. The Queen’s Red Guard. The group of warrior women who have one purpose; to protect the queen at all costs. Even from her husband. Even from herself.
Queen & Conqueror is the first book in an epic feminist fantasy series told from the perspective of the women who rule and shape the future.
“Men will never be ready for women like us and it is not our job to ready them.
Rating:
Trigger warnings: death, child abuse, sexual content
Thoughts:
I want to be Alimira when I grow up you guys. She is volunerable, and headstrong, she second guesses herself, and she's just so real. She not only surrounded herself with women, she uplifted them, and they sometimes checked her. Like the truest friends will.
---Almira smiled and nodded. "Men will never be ready for women like us, and it is not our job to ready them."---
I love the elements fantasy tied in with feminism and diversity. This book was so refreshing. Almira was born in nobility, raised to lead by her father as his only living child. He makes sure she has the education and the tools to accomplish whatever she sets her mind to. She forms her Queen's Guard..a group of completley badass women who are her armoured guards.
Thursday, September 1, 2022
Blood and Potions by Maya Morrison
Blurb:
An assassin who lives for the hunt. A vampire that loves the chase. A job that went wrong, and a bite that changes everything.
It was supposed to be a simple job. Steal an artifact from a top-secret location, and gain intel about my sister’s killer. Instead, one false move lands me in the hands of the renowned vampire overlord, Quillian Kingsley.
Quillian is cold, callous, and notoriously ruthless with his enemies, especially those he believes wronged him. I was prepared for my death...until he tasted my blood.
After days of interrogation, we come to a mutual agreement, and I agree to his terms by swearing a Blood Oath. I stay in Esneoh to help hunt down his enemies and play the role of his doting wife. And in kind, he will help me find my sister’s killer.
The job should have been easy; however, with every new kill and pursuit, I find myself drawn to the dark, dangerous, and sinfully gorgeous overlord.
There is just one problem - all roads point to him as one of the main suspects. And in this game of power, secrets, and lust, neither of us might come out alive when the truth unveils itself.
Thoughts:
First of all...this book is steamy!
The book jumps right in, introducing Meraki as the strong resilient assassin that she is. The world is beautifully laid out with out the gross info dump. Meraki is independent and a well trained assassin and thief, living in a world that I can't possibly imagine. She feels she owes her life to the Alokari, the organization she works for. They have trained her for this life, and she is one of their best. Her sister early on failed the test, and she spends her life looking for clues to kill who ever killed her.
When she first meets Quillian in a club the attraction is immediate. She doesn't know his name, so he's Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome. On a job to finally get the necklace that should hold clues to her sister's murder, she runs into Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome again...they were both there to take the necklace. She later learns he's a vampire, and he's immune to most of the tricks she knows. He's able to subdue her, and he kidnaps her to learn about why she was there, what she knows and who she works for.
Fast forward we end up with a fake relationship trope, and it's done very well. The physical relationship felt easy, but the two of them slowly figure out if there is anything to their fake marriage beyond amazing sex...which there's a ton of. If you enjoy the fake relationship type trope, with a bit of an emotional slow burn with a side of alphamale possessiveness, you will like this book. Be warned, this book ends on a HUGE plot twist and a bit of a cliffhanger.
Rating: 4 stars
Steam level: 9/10 ---- hot hot hot
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Eternal Rider by Larissa Ione
Ya'll sometimes when a book re-releases they come off outdated, or just feeling old...not this book. Read on!
Blurb:
They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
His name is Ares, and the fate of mankind rests on his powerful shoulders. If he falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too. As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he is far stronger than any mortal, but even he cannot fight his destiny forever. Not when his own brother plots against him.
Yet there is one last hope. Gifted in a way other humans can't-or won't-understand, Cara Thornhart is the key to both this Horseman's safety and his doom. But involving Cara will prove treacherous, even beyond the maddening, dangerous desire that seizes them the moment they meet. For staving off eternal darkness could have a staggering cost: Cara's life.
Sunday, July 31, 2022
A Kingdom of Flame and Fury by Whitney Dean
Blurb:
At ten years old, Raven was mysteriously willed to be the next ruler of Seolia, a kingdom nestled within the realm of The Four Kingdoms.
Orphaned as a baby, she has spent fifteen years ruling over a kingdom she believes she did not earn all while hiding secrets: she possesses dark magic and she thirsts for blood.
Now at almost twenty-five years old and with a sudden addiction to stealing life, Raven must fight through her new procured darkness to save her soul, but when a mysterious stranger arrives in her kingdom, she starts experiencing vivid dreams that detail who she truly is. As she slowly starts to unravel her story, what she uncovers at the end of the spool will change the course of her life and her kingdom forever.
Thoughts:
There's some good things, and some bad things in this novel, and I think I have a love/hate relationship with it.
The good...this was a well paced book, with great world building. Raven's character and history I felt was fairly original, her not knowing her past or even why she had magic. We gradually get into her history...but I won't ruin it for you. It unfolds nicely. Also...I love a good romance triangle. We definitely get that, except...we always kind of know who is right for her. Missed opportunity...the beauty of an achingly good triangle is that both could be really good for our MC. Instead the author makes both of them kinda lame choices for her.
Queen...you don't need a man.
Monday, June 27, 2022
Jagged Harts: A Review
Jagged Harts by Katelyn Taylor follows the story of Aubrey and Dax. Aubrey has traveled from California to Alabama on scholarship to the university. She's broke, and on her own, but quickly lands a job at the local pub as a waitress. Aubrey however keeps everyone at arm's length, she's sassy, independent and a trained MMA fighter. She also has a dark past that she doesn't want to talk about.
Dax is a good looking, womanizing MMA fighter that every girl on campus wants to be with and he knows it. He meets Aubrey one evening when she's walking alone and gets mugged. He comes to her rescue, however she wasn't happy about it. She quickly told him off, let him know she could have handled it on her own...and it completely baffled him. He was used to women falling all over themselves for him, and she was less than impressed.
Thoughts:
Things that I love in this story:
- Strong Independent female lead.
- Protective, dark and broody male lead.
- Characters that I really related with.
- Slow burn romance.
I loved the pacing and the slow build of the romance and the storyline. Both Aubrey and Dax came off as nasty and aggressive but it was relatable, specially because of their difficult pasts. They had been hurt and had built a protective hard shell around themselves, and both Aubrey and Dax recognized that in each other. I felt the ending was a bit predictable, but it still didn't away from it. Overall I think this was a bit different from the other types of romance novels that involved fighters because Aubrey was just as much of a badass. So if you like badass romances with tough guys that are actually softies, you'll enjoy this book.
Jagged Harts releases June 30, 2022 and will be on Kindle Unlimited!
Thursday, June 9, 2022
With Fangs and Claws: A Review
I'm deep in my arcs at the moment, and when I finished one I grabbed this book as a quick read before I jumped into another ARC. I saw things like...reverse harem, and wolf knotting, and I thought ok...a fun quick smutty read. No. It was not smut, ya'll.
Summary:
Darcy is the daughter of the Duke of Elverston, and is a trained fight and hunter. She lives in a world where women are subjugated and often beaten by their father's or husband's. She meets the four young princes of Stralae while out on a hunt, and they immediately recognize her as their mate and future queen. Darcy wasn't even sure if she was about the reverse harem that fell into her lap, and could she leave behind the only home she'd ever known, specially when she didn't realize how much better life might be for her if she left this very patriarchal society.
Thoughts:
I jumped into this book with out reading the reviews, thinking maybe it would be a quick easy smutty read. It was definitely way more than that. I really enjoyed the plot, the character development and the contrast between the "heathen warg country" and the "patriarchal human country." The author makes it clear that this is a separate made up world, but I can't help but to see the similarities to our world. Overall I really enjoyed this book, and if you're looking for a different kind of romance book with lots of depth and growth, be sure to grab it! Be ware...she leaves us on a bit of a cliffhanger, I'll keep an eye out for book two!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ 4.5
Spice: 🍆🍆🍆🍆 - Graphic, but not a whole lot of it, and was well fitting with the story.
Trigger Warnings: Family Violence, physical abuse, and subjugated women.
With Fangs and Claws is available now and is available on KU!