Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Mini Reviews ~ May 2017

Sometimes, I don't have the time or inclination to do a full review for a title. This will typically apply to books that are short stories, part of a mini-series, some novellas, etc. Instead of abandoning these reviews, I will be giving mini reviews. Check them out!


Title: Elphame Realms E-zine - Issue #1
Author: Various
Genre/Age: Fantasy/YA
Series: Elphame Realms E-zine
Publisher: Elphame Press
Format: ebook via KindleUnlimited
Rating: ✺✺✺
LinksGoodreads
Review: What a great collection of short stories, a poem, and a peek into writing sci-fi! I think my favorite story was 'The Woman Who Couldn't Stay in Her Body'. I also really liked 'Shell', too. It was a quick read and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next issue.



Title: Save Me
Author: Logan Chance
Genre/Age: Contemporary Romance/Adult
Series: Sex Me Series (Book Three)
Publisher: Brothers Chance
Format: ebook via KindleUnlimited
Rating: ✺✺✺
LinksGoodreads
Review: This was a quick read with a surprise twist!

Ryan has returned from war and he knows something isn't right inside his brain. But he's decided to ignore the doctor's warning. Instead, he would prefer to pretend that nothing is wrong and that becomes easier to do when he reconnects with his childhood friend, Lizzy. Only, she's different now, too. And he'd like nothing more than to get to know the woman she's become. If only his head would cooperate with the rest of him.

I picked this one up through the KU Challenge and I'm glad that I did. This novella had good pacing and characters who were easy to connect with. I wasn't sure which direction the story was going to go until it happened. And boy, was the twist a doozy. The romance was sweet at times and spicy in others. But I felt a whole slew of emotions throughout the book and really enjoyed the ending. Four suns!

Review: Fae Encounter by L.E. Wilson

Title: Fae Encounter
Author: L.E. Wilson
Genre/Age: Paranormal Romance/Adult
Series: The Kincaid Werewolves Series (Book Two)
Publisher: Everblood Publishing
Format: ebook via The Romance Reviews
Rating: ✺✺✺
LinksGoodreads
SynopsisHe always followed the rules. Until she broke them. 
  
Marc Kincaid must convince a rival werewolf pack that their worst nightmare is about to become reality. In order for their species to survive, the packs must form an alliance . To win them over, he has to play their games. But he runs across an unexpected glitch—a bonnie Fae lass with curves capable of unmanning him and a stubborn streak to match. His response to her is instant and hungry, and makes him burn for more than just survival. But she's not a rule he's willing to break. 
  
Bronaugh Lane has been fighting her dark Fae nature her entire life. Giving up control is not in her character. If she did, she would lose everyone she cares about. So when she meets a werewolf with the hard muscles of a warrior and a soft Scottish brogue, her intense yearning for him is disconcerting. She should keep her distance, but for her own reasons, she needs to get closer to the Texas pack. And Marc is her only chance at infiltrating their den. 
  
And then the game changes. 
There are no rules now. 
Yet they dare not surrender to their feelings. War is coming, and Werewolves and Fae are on opposite sides of the front line. 


The Romance Review

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book.**

A war between races is imminent and enemies become lovers.

Image result for enemies to lovers gif

Marc has been tasked by his alpha to visit a rival pack of werewolves and try to garner their support. A battle against evil fae is coming and it will take every able paw and fang to fight the creatures. Just when Marc arrives, he smells something strange and wonderful in the air. He can't see her but he knows she's there. A fae and one whose scent is unique to him.

Bronaugh isn't looking for a mate, no matter how much her mouth waters at the sight of Marc. She needs to find her family and can't afford to be found out by the same wolves who hunt her kind. Even if she did decide to give in to the undeniable chemistry between her and Marc, she knows he will never accept her dark fae blood.

But the choice is taken out of their hands when Bronaugh finds herself in danger and the only way Marc can save her is by defying his alpha's orders. It's a battle of willpower as our couple try to find a solution against almost impossible odds. And even if they do find a way to be together, there are still several threats looming, including Bronaugh's own fae blood turning against her.

At the end of the first book, we were about to prepare for war against the soul-sucking fae. Our werewolves had made a plan to reach out to the other packs and try to rally together. In this book, we see our wolves attempt to do just that, but it doesn't exactly go as planned. Whereas this story is in an entirely different setting, the level of suspense is still there and kept me flipping the digital pages to find out what happened next.

I loved both of our main characters. Marc may not be the alpha in his pack but he's definitely a strong wolf and gained my respect quiet easily. He was stern when he needed to be and kind when it came to the fae "lass" he was falling for. Bronaugh was a tough character and willing to do whatever it took to survive and help her family escape. I loved her spunk.

The passion between our couple was instantaneous but not insta-love. It was more lustful than anything for the first part of the book. There were small moments of heat that continued to build until the fireworks finally went off. After that, the love scenes were frequent and so steamy that I was glad I was alone while reading them.

As for the plot, it doesn't necessarily move along very much in this book but the ending sets us up for the story to continue to get thicker. This is one of those series with a different couple in each book but one steady plot throughout. I was a bit jarred by some of the situations in this book, though. Whereas the first book had several life-or-death moments, this one had a few more cringe-worthy scenes. My stomach rolled the first time we were introduced to the rodeo. It was very intense.

In closing...
I'm looking forward to seeing who is next up to find their mate and when the war will begin. Four suns!



Book provided by and reviewed for:

Review & Tour: The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband by Julia Quinn


Title: The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband
Author: Julia Quinn
Genre/Age: Historical Romance/Adult
Series: The Rokesbys Series (Book Two)
Publisher: Avon Books
Format: ebook via Tasty Tours
Rating: ✺✺✺
LinksGoodreads
SynopsisWhile you were sleeping... 

With her brother Thomas injured on the battlefront in the Colonies, orphaned Cecilia Harcourt has two unbearable choices: move in with a maiden aunt or marry a scheming cousin. Instead, she chooses option three and travels across the Atlantic, determined to nurse her brother back to health. But after a week of searching, she finds not her brother but his best friend, the handsome officer Edward Rokesby. He's unconscious and in desperate need of her care, and Cecilia vows that she will save this soldier's life, even if staying by his side means telling one little lie...

I told everyone I was your wife 

When Edward comes to, he's more than a little confused. The blow to his head knocked out six months of his memory, but surely he would recall getting married. He knows who Cecilia Harcourt is—even if he does not recall her face—and with everyone calling her his wife, he decides it must be true, even though he'd always assumed he'd marry his neighbor back in England.

If only it were true... 

Cecilia risks her entire future by giving herself—completely—to the man she loves. But when the truth comes out, Edward may have a few surprises of his own for the new Mrs. Rokesby.



Manhattan Island
July 1779


His head hurt.

Correction, his head really hurt.

It was hard to tell, though, just what sort of pain it was. He might have been shot through the head with a musket ball. That seemed plausible, given his current location in New York (or was it Connecticut?) and his current occupation as a captain in His Majesty’s army.

There was a war going on, in case one hadn’t noticed.

But this particular pounding—the one that felt more like someone was bashing his skull with a cannon (not a cannonball, mind you, but an actual cannon) seemed to indicate that he had been attacked with a blunter instrument than a bullet.

An anvil, perhaps. Dropped from a second-story window.

But if one cared to look on the bright side, a pain such as this did seem to indicate that he wasn’t dead, which was also a plausible fate, given all the same facts that had led him to believe he might have been shot.

That war he’d mentioned... people did die.

With alarming regularity.

So he wasn’t dead. That was good. But he also wasn’t sure where he was, precisely. The obvious next step would be to open his eyes, but his eyelids were translucent enough for him to realize that it was the middle of the day, and while he did like to look on the metaphorical bright side, he was fairly certain that the literal one would prove blinding.

So he kept his eyes closed.

But he listened.

He wasn’t alone. He couldn’t make out any actual conversation, but a low buzz of words and activity filtered through the air. People were moving about, setting objects on tables, maybe pulling a chair across the floor.

Someone was moaning in pain.

Most of the voices were male, but there was at least one lady nearby. She was close enough that he could hear her breathing. She made little noises as she went about her business, which he soon realized included tucking blankets around him and touching his forehead with the back of her hand.

He liked these little noises, the tiny little mmms and sighs she probably had no idea she was making. And she smelled nice, a bit like lemons, a bit like soap.

And a bit like hard work.

He knew that smell. He’d worn it himself, albeit usually only briefly until it turned into a full-fledged stink.

On her, though, it was more than pleasant. Perhaps a little earthy. And he wondered who she was, to be tending to him so diligently.

“How is he today?”

Edward held himself still. This male voice was new, and he wasn’t sure he wanted anyone to know he was awake yet.

Although he wasn’t sure why he felt this hesitancy.

“The same,” came the woman’s reply.

“I am concerned. If he doesn’t wake up soon...”

“I know,” the woman said. There was a touch of irritation in her voice, which Edward found curious.

“Have you been able to get him to take broth?”

“Just a few spoonfuls. I was afraid he would choke if I attempted any more than that.”

The man made a vague noise of approval. “Remind me how long he has been like this?”

“A week, sir. Four days before I arrived, and three since.”

A week. Edward thought about this. A week meant it must be... March? April?

No, maybe it was only February. And this was probably New York, not Connecticut.

But that still didn’t explain why his head hurt so bloody much. Clearly he’d been in some sort of an accident. Or had he been attacked?

“There has been no change at all?” the man asked, even though the lady had just said as much.

But she must have had far more patience than Edward, because she replied in a quiet, clear voice, “No, sir. None.”

The man made a noise that wasn’t quite a grunt. Edward found it impossible to interpret.

“Er...” The woman cleared her throat. “Have you any news of my brother?”

Her brother? Who was her brother?

“I am afraid not, Mrs. Rokesby.”

Mrs. Rokesby?

“It has been nearly two months,” she said quietly.

Mrs. Rokesby? Edward really wanted them to get back to that point. There was only one Rokesby in North America as far as he knew, and that was him. So if she was Mrs. Rokesby...

“I think,” the male voice said, “that your energies would be better spent tending to your husband.”

Husband?

“I assure you,” she said, and there was that touch of irritation again, “that I have been caring for him most faithfully.”

Husband? They were calling him her husband? Was he married? He couldn’t be married. How could he be married and not remember it?

Who was this woman?

Edward’s heart began to pound. What the devil was happening to him?

Julia Quinn is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-five novels for Avon Books, and one of only sixteen authors ever to be inducted in the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family.
Author Links:   WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS

Buy Links:      AMAZON | B & N | GOOGLE | ITUNES | KOBO

a Rafflecopter giveaway
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book.**

My new favorite historical romance book of the year!


Image result for high five gif

Cecilia has just made a decision that will have steep consequences. She lied and pretended to be the wife of a soldier. She had good reason, though. This man is the best friend of her missing brother, who she's desperate to find. So if pretending to be the captain's wife is what she has to do to stay close, she'll do it. He's unconscious anyway. What's the harm?

That is, until Edward wakes up to find the sister of his comrade standing over him. He's never met this woman but he knows her, from an exchange of letters. He wonders if he's dreamed her to life but is surprised to hear someone refer to Cecilia as his wife. Surely, he would remember marrying her, right?

That's when things start to get interesting. Edward's memory loss makes it impossible to know for sure if he did indeed marry Cecilia, though he certainly hopes that to be the case. And Cecilia needs the charade to go on for a while longer so she can find out the truth of what happened to her brother. But while she's tending to Edward and searching for her brother, Cecilia may just forget to protect her heart. 

I loved everything about this book. I would give it six suns, if I could. From the first page, I fell in love with our characters and my affection for them only grew as the story went along. I read this entire book in practically one sitting and couldn't put it down. I carried it to the bathroom, people. That's how much I enjoyed it.

The plot was one I've seen before but not in this way. The declaration of fake marriage wasn't done maliciously and it wasn't continued for selfish reasons. Not really. I could see Cecilia struggle with wanting to come clean and fighting her growing affection for her fake husband. And it was so sweet to watch her care for Edward when he needed her the most. The pacing was steady and wasn't filled with shocking or over-dramatic situations, which I think is why I liked it the most. It was believable.

The romance was so sweet and I swooned several times. I also teared up once or twice, too. My heart broke for Cecilia, knowing she was in a place where her secret coming out would have dire consequences. And Edward was such a likable character that I didn't want his heart to shatter, either. I ached right along with them.

But that ending? Woooo! That was a whole lot of fun. I am so glad that this didn't follow the typical romance novel formula. This was a roller coaster of emotion but there was a certain thread of hope there the entire time. I just knew it would work out. It had to. These two characters couldn't have been more right for each other.

In closing... 
I have to know how George and his new wife came to be, which is apparently the first story of this series. And I'm on pins and needles for Andrew's tale, too. This is my first Julia Quinn novel but it absolutely won't be my last! Five suns!


Book Blitz: Dark Illusions by D.D. Miers


Title: Dark Illusions
Author: D.D. Miers
Genre/Age: Urban Fantasy/Adult
Series: The Relic Keeper Series (Book Two)
Publisher: Macmillan
LinksGoodreads
SynopsisA war is brewing in the unseen world...are you ready? 

Book 2 in the captivating urban fantasy series filled with twists and gripped by a complicated, butterfly-inducing romance. Fans of Shannon Mayer, Ella Summers, Dannika Dark and Rebecca Hamilton will love this series! 

Praise for Book One - Dark Summoner 
“Mesmerizing. . .had me completely under its spell.” 
“Danger, excitement, passion, and turmoil.” 
“An exceptional story full of rich characters.” 
“This story has one biting her nails and sitting on the edge of her seat while eagerly turning every single page.” 

*** FIRST PLACE WINNER *** 2015 International Digital Awards - Paranormal Romance 
***Nerdy Girl Book Reviews*** HOT READS FEATURE, RomCon Magazine August 2015 Edition 



D.D. Miers is an ardent book lover, coffee enthusiast, and die-hard romance fan. When she's not writing, she can be found snuggling on the couch with a good book in hand, planning a Harry Potter themed party, or dancing very badly to music. She currently resides in beautiful Southern California with her wonderful husband, a crazy toddler, and the many different characters in her head.

Author links:

Purchase:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Excerpt & Tour: Forbidden Promises by Katee Robert


Celebrate the Release of FORBIDDEN PROMISES!
 
Some lines should never be crossed . . . not even for love.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katee Robert delivers the next book in her sizzling O'Malleys family series, hailed as "The Godfather meets Romeo & Juliet." FORBIDDEN PROMISES features Sloan O'Malley and her mysterious new next-door neighbor, Jude MacNamara.

Title: Forbidden Promises
Author: Katee Robert
Genre/Age: Contemporary Romance/Adult
Series: The O'Malleys Series (Book Four)
Publisher: Grand Central/Forever
LinksGoodreads
SynopsisSome lines should never be crossed . . . not even for love.

Sloan O'Malley just left her entire world behind-her family, her wealth, and even her real name. For the first time in her life, she's free. She can live the "normal" life she's always wanted. A life without fear. But there's nothing safe about her intensely sexy next-door neighbor.

Jude MacNamara has no room for innocence in his life. Only revenge. Still, he's never been able to walk away from the forbidden, and Sloan-who is every inch of pure, mouthwatering temptation-has forbidden written all over her. Only after it's way too late does he discover the real danger: claiming Sloan as his puts a target on her back. To protect her, Jude is willing risk everything . . . and to hell with the consequences.




NOTE: Adult Content Ahead
“I won’t hurt you, Sloan. I promise.”

There was no logical reason for her to trust him, but he’d been careful with her up to this point. Perhaps he’d be careful with her with what came next. She nodded mutely, watching as he rolled on a condom that he’d retrieved from his pocket. Her body hummed in anticipation and trepidation, but she didn’t let it show as he moved back to join her on the bed.

Jude palmed her between her legs, his big fingers exploring her. It didn’t seem possible that he could spark pleasure with a few specific touches, but it didn’t take much to have her relaxing, letting him once again take the lead. He kissed her neck. “Feels good, huh?”

“Well, I—oh.” Her eyes went wide when he pushed a second finger into her. It stretched her, the feeling not entirely pleasant at first, but he merely waited, pulsing the slightest bit, until pleasure took hold once more. She clutched his shoulders. “Kiss me again. Please.”

“You don’t have to ask twice.” He took her mouth like he owned it—like he owned every part of her. Jude slid between her legs, his body rubbing deliciously against hers. His hard length slid through her wetness, creating a friction that sparked a tide of desire deep inside her. Again? I couldn’t possibly…

He nipped her bottom lip and then soothed the slight ache with his tongue. “Ready?”

There was no mistaking his meaning. She nodded. Despite the earlier orgasm and how good it felt to have him moving against her, she was so incredibly empty. Instinct had her hooking a leg around his hips and arching up to meet him, needing more, so much more.

Jude reached between them, and then he was at her entrance. He kissed her, tongue twining with hers as he pushed into her, just a single inch. It was too much and not enough and she couldn’t help but thrash, pinned in place by his big body, overwhelmed by her helplessness and what he was doing to her. “Jude, I—”

“Shh. I’ve got you.” He rolled, taking her with him. One second she was on her back, finding it hard to breathe, and the next she was straddling him where he sat with his back against the headboard.

Sloan looked down, daunted by the sheer size of him. “I don’t know if this is going to work. You’re too big.”

He laughed, deep and full-throated, the sound rolling through her like the tide. “You can take every inch of me, sunshine. I promise you that.”



Video

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her 2015 title, The Marriage Contract, was a RITA finalist, and RT Book Reviews named it 'a compulsively readable book with just the right amount of suspense and tension." When not writing sexy contemporary and romantic suspense, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her children, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. 

Connect with Katee at: Website | Facebook | Twitter| GoodReads | Instagram

Download at: 


a Rafflecopter giveaway