Review // City of Souls by Mel Harding-Shaw

September 20, 2022

City of Souls by Mel Harding-Shaw

The man thought he owned her.
That was not sexy.
At all.
But somehow this draw between them overshadowed even that.

────── ♔ ──────

City of Souls by Mel Harding-Shaw

City of Souls by Mel Harding-Shaw


Soul Court Ascension #1
Release - November 9, 2022
Genre - Urban Fantasy/enemies-to-lovers
Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat - 2 out of 5 / not steamy and not closed door
Format/Source - eARC provided by the author
Length - 322 pages
Publisher - Coruscate Press

Bounty hunter Hel’s life depends on staying below the radar and passing as human. But when the infuriating Lord of the City of Souls discovers her hidden power is the key to solving his problems, he reclaims her bond-debt and drags her into the spotlight. He’ll protect her secrets on one condition—that she does everything he asks.

Winged necromancer Bastion would do anything to save the city he rules from the strange magic menacing their world. Even blackmail the angry, intriguing bounty hunter who despises him. As the rulers of the elemental courts converge to face the threat, he’s not sure who hates him more—them or Hel. The only way to keep her close is to make her pretend she’s his.

With dark magic tearing at the fabric of reality and betrayal lurking behind every corner, Hel and Bastion’s fake relationship becomes the only thing either of them can rely on. But Bastion’s past might just come back to kill him.

And Hel’s might kill them all.

My Two Cents

3.5 "Thin line between love and hate" stars

Hel was being hunted and all she wanted to do was stay in the shadows. Too bad her special set of skills are required to help save the world. Hiding behind the shell of a human, she has to straddle the line between compassion and self-preservation... and resist the charms of a certain necromancer.

Bastion was everything I love about a hero. Strong and gorgeous, fiercely protective and incredibly loyal, and just a little bit broken, he was such a joy to read about. I kept turning the pages for more of him. For more of the world he inhabited. For more information of what made him such a unique force of nature.

The author did such an amazing job with the worldbuilding. It was easy to see the cities and landscapes she tried to capture. I was equally enthralled and terrified by the creatures of this strange world and all of the people who lived there. I'm still not clear on the lore, but I believe that's something that would work out as the series continues.

Fantastical imaginings, an evil slowly encroaching its way across the planet, and a burgeoning love make for one heck of a story!

City of Souls by Mel Harding-Shaw

About the Author

Mel Harding-Shaw is a Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy author from Wellington, New Zealand. Her debut novel, City of Souls, is forthcoming in November 2022.

She is also a widely published speculative short fiction writer under Melanie Harding-Shaw.

Find all of the links here: https://linktr.ee/MelHardingShaw

Release Blitz: Beauty and the Villain by V.F. Mason

September 19, 2022

Beauty and the Villain by V.F. Mason

Title: Beauty and the Villain
Series: Beauty and the Villain Duet #1
Author: V.F. Mason
Genre: Age Gap Billionaire Romance
Release Date: September 16, 2022


Beauty and the Villain by V.F. MasonOnce upon a time I had it all.
I thrived in all the power and luxury this world had to offer.
Until I found out the hideous truth.
When a man I considered a friend betrayed me in the worst possible way.
The scars on my body burned anew every single day as I only craved one thing.
Revenge.
And to execute it I had to strike him where it would hurt the most.
His family.
I patiently waited in the shadows for more than a decade for his beloved daughter to grow up.
Unaware that a villain was ready to steal her far, far away.
I used to be a prince once.
But a certain underworld king destroyed my life.
The price for his betrayal is his daughter: the princess of the dark castle.

Beauty and the Villain is book one in Beauty and the Villain Duet.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56328707-beauty-and-the-villain

Beauty and the Villain by V.F. Mason


Purchase Links



Coming Soon

Beauty and the Villain by V.F. Mason

#2 The Heart of a Villain – Releasing September 23

US: https://amzn.to/3L2eUC9
UK: https://amzn.to/3L66IRp
CA: https://amzn.to/3DfJiXC
AU: https://amzn.to/3Dip1ks


About the Author

V.F. Mason always loved reading books and had quite a few fights with her momma over the genre she liked (romance, duh!) She studied filmmaking and thought that would feed her desire for stories, but that didn’t happen. Finally, when she was tired of all those voices in her head, she sat down and wrote a book. It was a huge decision to make and she thanks her friends and family for supporting her in it. When she is not writing, she can be found with her friends doing all sorts of crazy things or reading recent romance books that were written by her favorite authors.

Review // Never Trust the Living by Lani Lynn Vale

September 16, 2022

Never Trust the Living by Lani Lynn Vale

"You can get as close as you want to me. My soul's been living in hell for a while now. Your demons can come play with mine. Or I can straight up take them from you if you want." - Bram

────── ♔ ──────


Never Trust the Living by Lani Lynn Vale

Never Trust the Living by Lani Lynn Vale


Standalone - Battle Crows MC #7
Release - October 4, 2022
Genre - Contemporary Romance / Second chances
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5 / a few descriptive scenes
Format/Source - eARC provided by Uplifting Author Services
Length - 249 pages
Publisher - Indie

It’s not every day that someone tries to pin a murder on you and a random girl you just met. But Bram Crow isn’t your average, everyday guy, either.

One second, he’s hiding evidence with the girl, and the next, he has to marry her so a police detective doesn’t get suspicious.

Did he mention that he had a long-term girlfriend at the time?

To say that things didn’t go as planned would be an understatement.

To say that falling in love with his wife definitely wasn’t part of the plan either.

Nor was her leaving him when h finally realized she was his world.

My Two Cents

4 "Never Gonna Give You Up" stars

I don't know about you, but I've been waiting for this story for a minute. From the moment that I discovered that there was more to the dysfunction of the relationship between Bram and Dorcas, I needed to know more. I needed to know why the Crows were so unaccepting of her. I had to know why she put up with everything handed to her. And I needed to know what Bram's true feelings for her were.

This was a heck of a lot more than I bargained for.

I wasn't prepared for all that Dorcas had gone through. Her brother was a horrific monster, but at least he did something right... he brought Bram into her life. And while their beginning was rough and in no way romantic or the stuff of dreams (more like nightmares), it created a bond between them that should have flourished. Instead, it was trampled upon, taken advantage of, and abused. When Bram finally wises up, is it too late?

I really enjoyed the way the author brought this story almost full circle. Everyone came together in the end to fully support and love this couple and it was all that I was waiting for. As for Bram and Dorcas, they had to fight for their happy ending, and it was at once painful and beautiful to watch. When you survive the worst, life has new meaning and these two realized just how much they meant to each other.



About the characters:


Bram's family:

* Derringer - father
* Reedy - mother
* Haggard - brother found in Always Someone's Monster
* Price - brother found in Rattle Some Cages
* Tide - brother found in Not a Role Model
* Callum - brother found in Make Me Your Villain
* Channel - sister found in Chalk Dirty To Me

About the Author

Lani Lynn Vale is married to the love of her life that she met in high school. She fell in love with him because he was wearing baseball pants. Ten years later they have three perfectly crazy children and a cat named Demon who likes to wake her up at ungodly times in the night. They live in the greatest state in the world, Texas. She writes contemporary and romantic suspense, and has a love for all things romance. You can find Lani in front of her computer writing away in her fictional characters world...that is until her husband and kids demand sustenance in the form of food and drink.

Visit https://lanilynnvale.com/ for more information!

Review // Making Faces by Amy Harmon

September 13, 2022

Making Faces by Amy Harmon

Fern Taylor loved Ambrose Young, had loved him since she was ten years old and had heard his young voice lifted in a very different kind of song, but in that moment he reached a whole new level of beauty, and Fern was left reeling and dazed that one boy could be gifted with so much.

────── ♔ ──────


Making Faces by Amy Harmon

Making Faces by Amy Harmon


Standalone
Release - October 20, 2013
Genre - New Adult Contemporary Romance / love unrequited / friends-to-lovers
Multiple POV - 3rd person
Heat - 1.5 out of 5 / kisses and thoughts of more
Format/Source - ebook purchase from Amazon
Length - 405 pages
Publisher - Indie

Ambrose Young was beautiful. The kind of beautiful that graced the covers of romance novels, and Fern Taylor would know. She'd been reading them since she was thirteen. But maybe because he was so beautiful he was never someone Fern thought she could have...until he wasn't beautiful anymore.

Making Faces is the story of a small town where five young men go off to war, and only one comes back. It is the story of loss. Collective loss, individual loss, loss of beauty, loss of life, loss of identity. It is the tale of one girl's love for a broken boy, and a wounded warrior's love for an unremarkable girl. This is a story of friendship that overcomes heartache, heroism that defies the common definitions, and a modern tale of Beauty and the Beast, where we discover that there is a little beauty and a little beast in all of us.

My Two Cents

5 "Wish I could give more" stars

I'm sitting here, at the end of this story, trying to think of what I could possibly say to convince you to read this book if you already haven't. There have been tons of incredible reviews posted already, such as this one from Aestas Book Blog and this one from Candace. Seriously, if you love love and romance and all of the feels... READ. THIS. BOOK!!

My only thought right now... Bailey. Dude did not deserve the hand he was dealt. None of it.

“There are times when you just need to acknowledge the shit … You just need to acknowledge it. Face the shit … Accept the truth in it. Own it, wallow in it, become one with the shit.”

Okay, so here is everything there was to love about this book:
➳ the unrequited love from the ugly duckling for the gorgeous jock
➳ the fact that said gorgeous jock was also a pretty good guy from the beginning
➳ the whole Cyrano disaster
➳ the game of This or That
➳ everything to do with Bailey and his amazing personality and incredible way of looking at life
➳ Fern's beauty, even when no one could really see it
➳ Ambrose's vulnerability when he was at his lowest
➳ the hope and love that seeped from these pages.

Making Faces is one of those books you never want to end. A book that will never 'get old'. It is pure magic, people!

“I've been in love with you since you helped me bury that spider in my garden, and you sang with me like we were singing “Amazing Grace” instead of “The Itsy, Bitsy Spider.” I've loved you since you quoted Hamlet like you understood him, since you said you loved ferris wheels more than roller coasters because life shouldn't be lived at full speed, but in anticipation and appreciation. I read and re-read your letters to Rita because I felt like you'd opened up a little window into your soul, and the light was pouring out with every word. They weren't even for me, but it didn't matter. I loved every word, every thought, and I loved you . . . so much.”

I still can't decide who was my favorite character in this book. It definitely wasn't Becker (read the book to find out why). Let's just say I really needed to see some justice done and it was my only complaint for this book. However, I do believe Bailey edged out everyone else. As much as I loved Fern and Ambrose, and I loved them a lot, there was something truly special about Bailey.


Quick Peek

He didn’t know how to make her understand that she was so much more than just pretty. So he leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers. Very carefully. Not like the other night when he’d been scared and impulsive, and smacked her head against the wall in his attempt to kiss her. He kissed her now to tell her how he felt. He pulled away almost immediately, not giving himself a chance to linger and lose his head. He wanted to show her he valued her, not that he wanted to rip her clothes off. And he wasn’t sure when it came right down to it that she wanted to be kissed by an ugly SOB. She was the kind of girl that would kiss him because she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. The thought filled him with despair.

She let out a frustrated sigh and sat up, running her hands through her hair. It flowed through her fingers and down her back, and he wished he could bury his own hands in it, bury his face in the heavy locks and breathe her in. But he’d obviously upset her.
“I’m sorry, Fern. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Why?” she snapped, startling him enough that he winced. “Why are you sorry?”
“Because you’re upset.”
“I’m upset because you pulled away! You’re so careful. And it’s frustrating!”
Ambrose was taken back by her honesty, and he smiled, instantly flattered. But the smile faded as he tried to explain himself.
“You’re so small, Fern. Delicate. And all of this is new to you. I’m afraid I’m going to come on too strong. And if I break you or hurt you, I won’t survive that, Fern. I won’t survive it.” That thought was worse than walking away from her and he shuddered inwardly. He wouldn’t survive it. He had already hurt too many. Lost too many.

Fern knelt in front of him, and her chin wobbled and her eyes were wide with emotion. Her voice was adamant as she held his face between her hands, and when he tried to pull away so she wouldn’t feel his scars, she hung on, forcing his gaze.
“Ambrose Young! I have waited my whole life for you to want me. If you don’t hold me tight I won’t believe you mean it, and that’s worse than never being held at all. You better make me believe you mean it, Ambrose, or you will most definitely break me.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Fern,” he whispered hoarsely.
“Then don’t,” she whispered back, trusting him. But there were lots of ways to cause pain. And Ambrose knew he was capable of hurting her in a thousand ways.

Ambrose stopped trying to pull his face away, surrendering to the way it felt to be touched. He hadn’t allowed anyone to touch him for a long time. Her hands were small, like the rest of her, but the emotions they stirred in him were enormous, gigantic, all-consuming. She made him shake, made him quake inside, vibrate like the tracks under an on-coming train.
Her hands left his face and traveled down the sides of his neck. One side smooth, the other riddled with divots and scars and rippled where the skin had been damaged. She didn’t pull away, but felt each mark, memorized each wound. And then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his neck, just below his jaw. And then again on the other side, on the side that bore no scars, letting him know that the kiss wasn’t about sympathy but desire. It was a caress. And his control broke.

About the Author

Amy Harmon is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and New York Times Bestselling author. Amy knew at an early age that writing was something she wanted to do, and she divided her time between writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story. Her books are now being published in seventeen different languages, truly a dream come true for a little country girl from Levan, Utah.

Amy Harmon has written eightteen novels - the Washington Post bestseller What the Wind Knows, the USA Today bestsellers The Bird and The Sword, The Smallest Part, Making Faces and Running Barefoot, as well as the #1 Amazon bestselling historical From Sand and Ash, Where the Lost Wander, The Songbook of Benny Lament, The First Girl Child, The Second Blilnd Son, The Queen and The Cure, The Law of Moses, The Song of David, Infinity + One, Slow Dance in Purgatory, Prom Night in Purgatory, and the New York Times bestseller, A Different Blue. Her latest novel, The Unknown Beloved, a historical romance, was released April 19, 2022 by Lake Union Publishing and is now available for purchase.

Visit http://www.authoramyharmon.com for more information

Review // Beauty and the Villain by V.F. Mason

September 12, 2022

Beauty and the Villain by V.F. Mason

A man entered my life like a powerful storm, rocking my usual existence and turning the world on its axis, dumping me into a blazing ocean that has introduced me to a heat and fire I never knew before.

────── ♔ ──────


Beauty and the Villain by V.F. Mason

Beauty and the Villain by V.F. Mason


Beauty and the Villain Duet #1
Release - September 16, 2022
Genre - Dark Romance / captive / vengeance / age gap
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5 / a few descriptive scenes
Format/Source - eARC provided by Give Me Books PR
Length - 323 pages
Publisher - Indie

Once upon a time I had it all.
I thrived in all the power and luxury this world had to offer.
Until I found out the hideous truth.
When a man I considered a friend betrayed me in the worst possible way.

The scars on my body burned anew every single day as I only craved one thing.
Revenge.
And to execute it I had to strike him where it would hurt the most.
His family.

I patiently waited in the shadows for more than a decade for his beloved daughter to grow up.
Unaware that a villain was ready to steal her far, far away.

I used to be a prince once.
But a certain underworld king destroyed my life.
The price for his betrayal is his daughter: the princess of the dark castle.

My Two Cents

3.5 "All is not what it seems" stars

Beauty and the Villain seems like a cross between a redemption and a revenge plot and it grabbed me by the throat right from the beginning.

Rush is the dark prince who is willing to do anything and everything for the vengeance that burns through him. His life was ripped apart and the man who ruined everything doesn't get to live his life untouched. What better way to make him suffer than to take his daughter and do... whatever he wants?

Aileen is the young woman who doesn't have a clue of the reality she lives in. She doesn't really know her father, her family, herself. That doesn't stop her from defending them with everything she's got. It doesn't stop her from fighting against the kernels of truth to what Rush reveals. All she knows is that she's his captive and she has to find a way to escape this villain.

I'm loving the mystique surrounding Rush and his castle on an island. What really happened? How did he become obsessed with revenge? What exactly was done to him and his family? And will his newfound heart have the power to save him? Save Aileen?

Book two can't come fast enough. I just hope Aileen finds some sense in the meantime! She's too focused on thinking she knows everything already, despite evidence to the contrary, typical to the newly adult, and I can only hope that she learns something from the suffering she receives.

About the Author

V.F.Mason always loved reading books and had quite a few fights with her mama over the genre she liked (romance, duh!) She studied filmmaking and thought that would feed her desire for stories, but that didn't happen.

Finally, when she was tired of all those voices in her head, she sat down and wrote a book. It was a huge decision to make and she thanks her friends and family for supporting her in it.

When she is not writing, she can be found with her friends doing all sorts of crazy things or reading recent romance books that were written by her favorite authors.

Visit http://www.vfmason.com for more information

Review // Suck This by Lani Lynn Vale

September 10, 2022

Suck This by Lani Lynn Vale

Constantine Worth was beautiful, and I wanted to climb him like a freakin' tree... though I hear that's not acceptable in today's day and age. Or, well, in any day and age.

────── ♔ ──────


Suck This by Lani Lynn Vale

Suck This by Lani Lynn Vale


Standalone
Release - September 13, 2022
Genre - Paranormal Romance / vamps / forbidden
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5 / very slow build (sex towards the end)
Format/Source - eARC provided by Uplifting Author Services
Length - approx. 250 pages
Publisher - Indie

Blood, sex and alcohol.

That was what Club Worth was all about.

Ever since vampires had come out to the world, people had been obsessed. Take a walk on the wild side and see what the nightclub was all about.

Acadia Powell, on the other hand, didn’t do vampires. Nor did she do messy.

What she did do was stay away from people like Constantine Worth, Master of the City, and the most gorgeous man in the history of men. It didn’t matter that he had hypnotizing eyes, beautiful lips, and the sexiest body she’d ever had the privilege of laying eyes on.

It should be easy for her to stay away, but with each subsequent encounter, it’s becoming harder and harder to fight the growing need inside of her.

***

Constantine Worth knew that Acadia was off limits. Not only was she human and not willing to slum it with the undead, but she was also the baby sister of the city’s chief of police. The man that liked to arrest him every other day and twice on Sunday.

He should hate her based solely on the last name she shared with her brother. Yet each time he sees her, he forgets that he’s supposed to be playing nice. She sets his blood to boil, and each time she lets the verbal slurs flow, he finds it harder and harder to maintain his distance.

Soon, he will have to make a choice. Maintain his upstanding relationship with human law enforcement, or take what he wants, and damn the consequences.

My Two Cents

3.5 "Constantine lover right here" stars

Con wanted Acadia.
Acadia wanted Con.
These two couldn't keep their eyes or their thoughts off of each other.
Too bad Acadia's human.
Funny how forbidden fruit is always the sweetest!

When one of my favorite authors decides to dabble, once again, with paranormal romance, you better believe I was gonna be all over that! LLV's books are my solace and I found some comfort with this one.

While this story tackled some ugliness (those activists were no joke), I couldn't help but be enamored by all that was developing between Con and Acadia. He was so mysterious and utterly irresistible to her. And although she was supposed to be off limits, he couldn't help but give into temptation, again and again and again.



Not gonna lie, I did have some issues with this story.
* It was a bit all over the place and I sometimes felt like I was dumped in the middle of an untold story.
* Acadia had a best friend, but aside from a couple of scenes, that friend was never seen again. Which was weird because Acadia went through something intense. Where was her friend then?
* other than putting the blame for what happened to Acadia at their feet, the human activists were never really put to justice that I could see. Does that mean her case is still open?
* Con's organization, his foothold on their town, his allies, everything that was a part of him was so vaguely mentioned, but I wanted some more details. For example, his dad popped up on page. More please!
* Con's dead daughter and undead wife. Ummm... why wasn't this properly explored? What happens now?
* Acadia's entire life was vague. She was such a one-dimensional character that I struggled to give her a chance.
* Honestly, more details about the important stuff and less about the unimportant stuff would have worked well.

About the Author

Lani Lynn Vale is married to the love of her life that she met in high school. She fell in love with him because he was wearing baseball pants. Ten years later they have three perfectly crazy children and a cat named Demon who likes to wake her up at ungodly times in the night. They live in the greatest state in the world, Texas. She writes contemporary and romantic suspense, and has a love for all things romance. You can find Lani in front of her computer writing away in her fictional characters world...that is until her husband and kids demand sustenance in the form of food and drink.

Visit https://lanilynnvale.com/ for more information!

Review // Stolen by the Warlord by V.K. Ludwig

September 05, 2022

Stolen by the Warlord by V.K. Ludwig

With Toagi, my heart and purpose were in harmony.
With him, I could be a bridge between worlds, yes, but one with hopes, dreams... love

────── ♔ ──────


Stolen by the Warlord by V.K. Ludwig

Stolen by the Warlord by V.K. Ludwig


Standalone - Ash Planet Warriors #1
Release - June 24, 2021
Genre - Scifi Romance / captive / mating
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5 / a few scenes that vary from descriptive to filthy
Format/Source - ebook borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Length - 254 pages
Publisher - Ink Heart Publishing

I stole her soul… now I will fill her womb.

The leaders of Solgad call me a rebel. They banished my tribe to the drought-cracked plains, denying me what is mine by right—the title of warlord and a place among those who wield power.

But not much longer.

To save those under my protection, I steal an Earth woman away from her betrothed. With a sting of my tailclaw between her ribs, I force a soulbond on Ceangal, ruining her for all males to come. Once I put my child in her belly, her influential father has no choice but to support my claim.

With my tribe at the brink of collapse, the female’s reluctance toward me means nothing. I stole her soul, yes, but she will surrender her body. Come her next heat, she will beg me to fill her with what only I can give.

It may save my tribe.
Or destroy us both.

Stolen by the Warlord is a full-length novel, and the first book in the Sci-Fi Romance series Ash Planet Warriors. While this is a spin-off to Garrison Earth, taking place 20 years after the invasion, the series can be read on its own.

stolen by the warlord 1

I stole her soul.

stolen by the warlord 2

I will win her heart.

stolen by the warlord 3

Or die trying.


My Two Cents

4.25 "Love heals all" stars

The cover... ridiculous.
The blurb... not worthy of this story.
This book... so much better than I could have expected!

Toagi was seen as a rebel warlord, his rightful claim deemed unsubstantiated, and he was treated as scum. All he wanted was to protect his people, ALL of his people, and his tribe needed help. To solve his problem, he stole the intended bride of another warlord, a woman of power, bonded her, determined to make things right. He didn't intend to fall for her.

Her anxiety. Her doubt. Her anger. I felt it stronger than anything else before. Because I'd exposed the pains of her soul.

For her part, Ceangal didn't go quietly into the good night. She was smart and despite some early misconceptions based on rumors and not fact, she came to see that Toagi was so much more than people made him out to be. She discovered that he was honorable, loyal, intelligent, and probably the best male she'd ever known.

He would take my mate from me, the only male where my dreams went hand in hand with my duties. The rebel who'd stolen my soul and conquered my heart. The bastard who might have been nobody to many, but he was somebody special to me. And I would lose him if I didn't claim my own damn life, and become what I was always destined to be.
A bridge.
Not between worlds.
Between warlords.

I adored this story. I enjoyed the characters, the plot, the underlying tension of the warlords and the world they inhabit, basically everything. Honestly, the only reason I didn't give this five stars was due to the fact that a lot of words from an alien language were used without definition. I had to try to work out the meanings myself, which was a bit tiresome. Other than that, this book was perfection for me and if you're someone who loves alien romance with plenty of heart and substance, you'll love this!

About the Author

If I could introduce myself the way Daenerys Targaryen does, then it would probably sound like this:

mother of two children and the Clan of the Woodlands series,

drinker of two cups of coffee a day,

admirer of the Whippet and the Thoroughbred,

breaker of every single diet after two weeks,

loser of important ID’s,

caretaker of eleven hens,

minder of my own business and

lover of forests and mountains.

Visit http://www.vkludwig.com for more information

August 2022 Bookish Recap

September 03, 2022


Hello everyone and welcome to another recap of whatever the heck I'm reading.

Once again, I've made great strides in knocking books off of my TBR. Some are winners and some... not so much. But I'm enjoying the experience!

August was another great reading month for me. I've been able to read so much more this summer than I have for any other part of the year. I can only hope I can keep this up.

It's back-to-school prep time for me and my girls and being a single mother, trying to do it all, isn't easy. But it sure is fun! I'm not the only one who loves back-to-school shopping, right?!

I do hope that August treated you as well (or even better) as it has treated me and I wish you all the best for September!!

Stats

Total Books Read: 25
Total Pages Read: 5,699
DNFs or No Rating: 4
From my TBR: 21
Avg. Rating: 2.88

All the Books

My favorite book of the month:


The other books I still found worthwhile (and would recommend) were:

Badd to the Bone by Jasinda Wilder
Unintended by Georgia Cates
Ares by Penny Dee
Strange and Unusual by Lani Lynn Vale
It's Not Over by Kaylee Ryan & Lacey Black
Call of Water by Marina Simcoe

Added to my tbr

Wicked Little Sins by A.R. Breck
Stolen by the Warlord by V.K. Ludwig
Requiem by Callie Hart
Killian the Assassin by Wendy L Anderson
Madness of the Moon by Marina Simcoe

Book Haul

Call of Water by Marina Simcoe
Stolen by the Warlord by V.K. Ludwig



I hope you find only the best reads!

Talk soon,


xo, Natalie

Review // Playing for Keeps by R.L. Mathewson

Playing for Keeps by R.L. Mathewson

Normally, when a woman tried to cuddle, he felt cornered. With Haley, he felt comfortable, relaxed, and even happy. She felt like she belonged with him. He wasn't about to look too far into that at the moment.

────── ♔ ──────


Playing for Keeps by R.L. Mathewson

Playing for Keeps by R.L. Mathewson


Standalone - Neighbor from Hell #1
Release - April 29, 2011
Genre - Romantic Comedy / enemies to lovers / forced proximity
Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat - 4 out of 5 / several scenes which ranged from descriptive to explicit
Format/Source - ebook purchase from Amazon
Length - 287 pages
Publisher - Rerum Carta industries, Inc.

Done with being the world's biggest pushover, Haley decides that things are going to change starting with the aggravating neighbor who has too much charm and not enough restraint. What she didn't expect was to be sucked into his world, but Haley has a game plan and she won't let herself forget just what the bad boy next door is capable of.

The last thing Jason expected was for his little shy neighbor to go Rambo on him over some ruined flowers. After he decides to take her under his wing he can't help but that notice that she fits very nicely in his life. Now the only thing left is to convince her that this is anything but a game.

My Two Cents

5 "Even better the second time around" stars

Reading this story again was like reading it for the first time. I loved it years ago and I've realized I love it even more now!

Haley and Jason were amazing together. Hilarious, sweet, sexy, and fun, they were a joy to read.

He was a neighbor from Hell before he became the best friend Haley could ever ask for. And then... he became so much more. He was reluctant to love, but when he did, he did it well. I loved the way these characters loved each other.

As he was gasping for air he realized something. He was in deep sh*t.
Haley was his life now. His woman. His heart.
He was so screwed.

The drama Haley created was expected. I didn't like it but it did give me a heck of a lot of laughs. Jason was just as stubborn as she was and knew they belonged together. And when he gave up the fight and she took up the battle, I swooned. I love when the both characters can make me into a sappy mess.

All jokes about the food and Jason's never-ending stomach aside, this story was super sexy and sweet. I've already read so much of this series and I can't wait to read them again!

About the Author

New York Times Bestselling author, R.L. Mathewson was born in Massachusetts. She’s known for her humor, quick wit and ability to write relatable characters. She currently has several paranormal and contemporary romance series published including the Neighbor from Hell series.

Growing up, R.L. Mathewson was a painfully shy bookworm. After high school she attended college, worked as a bellhop, fast food cook, and a museum worker until she decided to take an EMT course. Working as an EMT helped her get over her shyness as well as left her with some fond memories and some rather disturbing ones that from time to time show up in one of her books.

Today, R.L. Mathewson is the single mother of two children that keep her on her toes. She has a bit of a romance novel addiction as well as a major hot chocolate addiction and on a perfect day, she combines the two.

Visit https://rlmathewson.com for more information

Review // Kissed by a Dark Prince by Felicity Heaton

September 01, 2022

Kissed by a Dark Prince by Felicity Heaton

I will fight until I hold your heart in my hands, and I can only hope you will be gentle with the heart you now hold in yours.

────── ♔ ──────


Kissed by a Dark Prince by Felicity Heaton

Kissed by a Dark Prince by Felicity Heaton


Standalone - Eternal Mates #1
Release - November 19, 2013
Genre - Paranormal Romance
Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat - 2.5 out of 5 / a few scenes that ranged from vague to somewhat descriptive
Format/Source - ebook purchase from Amazon
Length - 250 pages
Publisher - Indie

Olivia thinks it’s her lucky night when a dangerously handsome unconscious fae ends up on her inspection table. He’s her chance to redeem herself with her employer, the demon-hunting organisation, Archangel. But when the tall, dark and deadly immortal warrior awakes, she gets much more than she bargained for…

Attacked by his enemy in the elf kingdom, the last thing Prince Loren expects when he comes around is a beautiful angel watching over him and medical technology of the mortal realm. Hazy from his injuries, all he can focus on is the pulse ticking in her throat and the sweet allure of her blood.

One single bite reveals she is his eternal mate, triggering a bond between them that will leave him weakened until it is complete… or broken, and pulling Olivia into the crossfire of his ancient feud.

To protect his people and his mate from the machinations of a madman, Loren must risk everything by working with Olivia at Archangel to find a way to break the bond blossoming between them.

But will Loren be strong enough to place duty before desire and give up the one thing he has waited millennia for and craves above all others—his eternal mate? And will Olivia be able to resist the incredible heat that burns between them and the temptation of her dark prince’s kiss?

My Two Cents

3.25 "Get out of your own way" stars

As a first read from this author, I'd say it was a win.
I went in with zero expectations and enjoyed myself.
Loren was a delicious dark hero, who was a bit broken and a lot intriguing.
I wasn't a big fan of Olivia's until near the end. I just couldn't get past her referring to Loren repeatedly as a 'specimen'. Like he was beneath her and all humans in some way. He's a powerful supernatural being. It felt so wrong. At least my feelings warmed up!
I didn't like that she yelled for Loren when he was in the middle of a life-and-death battle, but not everyone has the best sense in dangerous situations.
She really should have known better though.
I was most entertained by the idea of the war between brothers. Learning that Vail wasn't who he seemed to be made me almost burst with sympathy and now I want to get to his book!
I find it incredibly hard to resist a broken hero.

Well-written and memorable, I'll definitely be trying another book from this series.

About the Author

Felicity Heaton is a New York Times, USA Today and international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons!

If you're a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.

If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Eternal Mates series.

Visit http://www.felicityheaton.com for more information