Ancient Desire by N.J. Walters

July 18, 2022

She's dangerous.
As much as he was drawn to her and as innocent as she seemed, he couldn't forget she'd done the impossible—awakened him and convinced him to leave the cave. He was a fierce drakon, once feared by the mightiest nations of the world, yet he was unable to walk away.

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Ancient Desire by N.J. Walters

Standalone - Forgotten Brotherhood #5
Release - August 15, 2022
Genre - Paranormal Romance / fated mates
Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5 / several scenes
Format/Source - eARC provided by the publisher
Length - approx. 300 pages
Publisher - Entangled Publishing, LLC

Nothing was supposed to wake half dragon, half human Lucius from his Deep Sleep. Nothing. And yet something, or rather someone has. The unexpectedly attractive human not only touched him. She kissed him. Now Lucius is awake, and more powerful than he has ever been in his 4,000 years of existence. And once he finds out who led her to his cave, he’ll deal with his 300 years of hunger…

College professor Raine Carson spent her life obsessed with myths and legends. And now she’s woken one up. Only, Lucius is nothing like anything she’s ever seen or read about in her history books. Because this man is part sexy badass and part terrifying…monster. Yet she wants him with a hunger like nothing she’s ever felt before.

Lucius used to be part of the Forgotten Brotherhood—a ruthless group of paranormal assassins. Now he’s unsure if his former Brothers are their allies…or enemies. All he knows is that someone is hunting him, and Raine is just as tangled up in this mess as he is. And he’ll protect her—even if it means unleashing his Dragon and all of its power.

My Two Cents

4.5 "Release the Drakon" stars

There's something about the Forgotten Brotherhood series that really gets me going!

Raine is a dreamer, obsessed with myths and legends, without believing them to be true. So when she's trapped in a cave with a stone dragon, she talks to it—never expecting it to respond.

Lucius entered the Deep Sleep of his kind over 300 years ago, done with humankind and their never-ending hunt to decimate his people. He never imagined that a mere human female would be the only person to wake him up, much less be his mate.

"I have seen the seven wonders of the ancient world... You are the eighth. No, you are the wonder of wonders."

I loved just about everything about this book. From Raine's chattiness, Lucius's initial wariness and inevitable humility, the guest appearances from past characters, the action scenes, the attempts by too many people trying to tear the Brotherhood apart, and even the unresolved suspense angle that I hope continues in the next book, it was all incredibly entertaining.

I loved seeing more of Maccus. He was my first beloved hero from this author and he will always be my favorite. And with Sven making a huge appearance with a giant tease for a plot to come, I'm hoping his story is next.

About the Author

Once upon a time N.J. had the idea that she would like to quit her job at the bookstore, sell everything she owned, leave her hometown, and write romance novels in a place where no one knew her. And she did. Two years later, she went back to the bookstore and her hometown and settled in for another seven years.

One day she gave notice at her job on a Friday morning. On Sunday afternoon, she received a tentative acceptance for her first erotic romance novel and life would never be the same. N.J. has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit http://www.njwalters.com for more information!

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Review // Fatal Affair by Marie Force

July 16, 2022

“Why haven’t you ever gotten married?”
“I don’t know. Just never happened.”
“Surely there had to have been someone you might’ve married.”
“There was this one girl...”
“What happened?”
“She never returned my calls.”

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Fatal Affair by Marie Force

Standalone - Fatal #1
Release - June 30, 2021 (new edition)
Genre - Romantic Suspense / second chance
Primarily Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat - 3 out of 5 / a few scenes
Format/Source - ebook purchase from Amazon
Length - 476 pages
Publisher - HTJB, Inc

Goodreads * Amazon

Washington, D.C., Metro Police Detective Sergeant Sam Holland needs a big win to salvage her career—and her confidence—after a disastrous investigation.

The perfect opportunity arises when Senator John O’Connor is found brutally murdered in his bed, and Sam is assigned to the case. Things get complicated when Sam has to team up with Nick Cappuano, O’Connor’s friend and chief of staff…and the man Sam had a memorable one-night stand with years earlier. Their sexual chemistry still sizzles, and Sam has to fight to stay focused on the case. Sleeping with a material witness is another mistake she can’t afford—especially when the bodies keep piling up.

My Two Cents

4 "Love and... Murder?" stars

Nick, the man behind the man, finds the man in his bed... murdered. And who happens to catch the case? The woman who he hasn't been able to stop thinking about since their one night together. It's been six years since he's seen Sam, but she has never been far from his mind... or he hers.

I really enjoyed this story and how the author meshed the romance with the chaos of the murder investigation. And while I did find Sam's attitude to be too aggressive and irksome on occasion, it wasn't enough to overshadow how truly wonderful she was. It was probably because of how well her character played off of Nick. She constantly had something to prove, but she had her reasons (psycho ex that she should never have married, boys club on the police force, legacy of her cop father, etc.)

I didn't enjoy the way that Sam worked the case. She created theories and tried to fit the evidence to her theories, which wasn't what I would expect from a seasoned investigator. It's like the evidence didn't mean as much as the story she was hoping the murder would tell. I knew from the start that she was offbase, however, I didn't know who the murderer was and loved being surprised.

My favorite person was obviously Nick (with Freddie coming a close second and I'm looking forward to reading more about the virgin homicide detective) and he definitely made this story for me. His compassion, strength of character, and capacity for love and understanding made him a standout in this story. So for every moment I was annoyed by Sam, I had to only remember that Nick was worth it.

Side Note:
I did have issues with the accuracy of police procedure in this book. I've both prosecuted and defended defendants and here in Ontario, the police don't have the power to throw around the way Sam did. She threatened arrests without probable cause, she demanded persons of interest to stay in town under threat, and basically abused the power of her station. Probable cause and evidence didn't seem to carry any weight. Not to mention the way she processed a case. Theories before evidence... just no.

About the Author

Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance, romantic suspense and erotic romance. Her series include Gansett Island, Fatal, Treading Water, Butler Vermont and Quantum.

Her books have sold nearly 10 million copies worldwide, have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller more than 30 times. She is also a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller, as well as a Speigel bestseller in Germany.

Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news.

Visit http://marieforce.com for more information

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The Books That Didn't Make the Cut

Hey y'all! This is a post that has been simmering at the back of my mind for a while. For the last few years, I haven't posted any of my reviews that were less than 3 stars. I didn't think it was fair to the authors and I wanted to keep the blog upbeat. But then I thought... well, just because the book didn't work for me doesn't mean that one of my readers wouldn't absolutely adore it, right?

So here I am, sharing three of the books that I didn't like, hoping it may reach someone who is willing to give it a try and maybe fall in love.

It might work. It might not. But at least these books got a chance to shine.

Please Note: this is only three books and I have even more to share (unfortunately). I will definitely be putting together another post soon.

Torn (Fallen Angel #1) by Ditter Kellen

One angel’s redemption and the love that saved his soul...

A fallen angel desperately seeking redemption, a terminally ill girl hoping for a miracle she believes will never come, and a demon who will stop at nothing to keep them apart. When Exodus and Niki’s worlds collide, they just might find what they’re looking for. If they survive…A heartfelt story of hope, forgiveness, and a love stronger than time...

TWO STARS - This read like a sweet, country, small-town romance with a touch of paranormal. It was pretty bland, with a spark of something else. I felt like the author didn't give it the push it needed to make it special, although it had plenty of potential. I've read from this author before (and she slayed), so this book won't stop me from giving her another try.

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Arranged by R.K. Lilley

There were rules in the cash-for-beauty game. The money held the power. The beauty followed the rules and jumped through the hoops.

THE BRIDE
I knew what everyone would think if they knew the truth about my marriage. They'd be shocked and appalled. And rightly so. I was a young, modern, independent woman, and I'd done the unthinkable. I'd sold my virginity to a spoiled, rich boy. To a stranger who didn’t love me.

And yes, I'd done it all for money.

THE GROOM
My bride was as gorgeous as she was unwelcome. As desirable as she was unwanted. I wanted nothing to do with her, but that didn’t seem to matter exactly the second she got close enough to touch. I wanted her to hate me more than she loved the millions she’d sold herself for.

I wanted to spurn her, but unfortunately, I wanted to fuck her more.

NO RATING - I remember adding this during the hype of this author. And I really enjoyed what I had read from her before. But this one doesn't seem like the read for me. Cheating, decidedly unsympathetic characters, a plot that I can't really feel, and I KNOW this isn't for me.

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Mesmerized (Technicolor Love, #3) by Violet Elizabeth Moon

Madison Lee has always been the resilient type. With an absent father and a mother who goes through marriages the way most people go through wine tasting, she's had to be. So when she finally finds the love of her life and he vanishes, she has no choice but to get through this too.

Except Gabriel Delacroix comes back, and he comes back better than ever: he's a vampire.

Madison has loved and believed in the supernatural since she was a child, so the return of her lover and the hypnotically enchanting world he now belongs to is delightful. There's only one problem: Gabriel has the choice to age with her, or gain immortality, and he doesn't have a lot of time left to decide...

TWO 1/2 STARS - Madison is obsessed with the supernatural until her love is lost... it all comes back when he returns as a whole new man.

The characters lacked depth and this is one of the reasons why I don't like single perspectives. However, Gabe had the potential to be something more. I was intrigued by him and the mystery he brought to this read. I enjoyed the author's take on what vampires are like. It was unlike anything I've seen before so it gets stars for being unique.

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Free Books & Book Deals - July 15, 2022

July 15, 2022

Hello everyone and Happy Friday!!

I'm back with a new list of books that are either free or for sale for less than $2. These books are cheap and we should grab them up at these prices while we can.

I hope your weekend is happy, healthy and safe! Happy Hunting xo

Please Note: All books are listed for $2 or less (prices valid at time of post). I apologize in advance if the sale is over by the time you found yourself here.

I only list books I've either read or plan to read. If you know of any deals that are missing that you'd like to share, that I'd probably enjoy, please let me know in the comments section below :)