Month: June 2017

3 Mini Book Reviews

Posted June 20, 2017 by Lily B in Reviews / 17 Comments

At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost
Series: Night Huntress #3
Published by Avon on January 1st 2009
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 342
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Buy on Amazon
Rating: 4 Stars

Heat:

Some things won't stay buried . . . at grave's end
Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and vampire lover Bones are caught by Patra, the wife of his sire Menchares, skilled in black magic and thousands of years old. Her name honors her mother Cleopatra. Patra unleashes a storm against their allies and families, ghouls and vampires. But Menchares still loves her.

I was in such a reading slump that I decided to pick up an oldie but a goodie. I missed Cat and Bones so much and this was a book I started two years ago and was finally able to finish it.

I am glad I picked it back up. I almost forgot how much I was enjoying this series when I first started it.

Cat and Bones are one of my favorite couple and they continue to prove why that is. I love their connection, and how they interact with each other.

At Grave’s End was such a fun read I had a hard time putting it down. Lot’s going on, lots of action, lots of excitement that had me hooked on the edge of my seat. If you have not given this series a try I strongly suggest it.

I adored the plot and how everything is starting to unfold and progress. I want to say there was some character growth, but I did find Cat to be on the immature side of the tracks even in book 3. I do also have to remember that Bones has been alive for a couple of hundred of years and has a lot more experience and growth under his belt.

Anyway, this book made me lose a lot of sleep, but I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Seven Years by Dannika Dark
Series: Seven #1
Published by Dannika Dark on October 20th 2013
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 332
Format: Kindle Edition
Source: Borrowed
Buy on Amazon
Rating: 3 Stars

Heat:

Seven years ago, my world ended.Seven years later, my new life began.
It's been seven years since Lexi Knight lost her brother in a tragic accident. On the anniversary of his death, her brother's best friend shows up unexpectedly - a man she hasn't seen since the funeral. He is no longer the boy Lexi once knew, but a dangerous-looking man with tattoos and dark secrets. He broke her trust and abandoned her family, yet what he reveals makes it impossible to stay angry. Lexi has been secretly infatuated with Austin since childhood, so finding out he's a Shifter just makes him sexier. Dammit.
Austin Cole has returned to the city where he grew up, and just in time. He's lived a hard life these past seven years, and the shadows of his past are threatening to destroy Lexi's family. It's time that she learned the truth about her brother, but there is a shocking twist that Austin never saw coming. Now he must protect her family when her mother and sister wind up in mortal danger. Will Lexi learn to accept the truth about who he is, and can Austin salvage a relationship from the ruins of their past?
Destiny will find you.------------------------------------------------------------A romance series that will sweep you off your feet.
Cliffhanger-freeHEA

I picked this one up because I was on a paranormal kick and wanted something fun and exciting. Well, this was definitely fun, but I did find myself struggling with the book.

The first book in the series follows Austin and Lexi. Austin has been a family friend for a really long time until he disappeared shortly after Lexi’s brother’s death. He is now back in town and things getting awkward, especially since the Lexi’s mother still does not forgive him for walking away from them.

Lexi works at a candy store and has a hard time with her cheating ex boyfriend who keeps coming, back, on top of it all a lot of strange men are showing up in her life and can’t seem to keep their hands off her.

Okay, this was totally weird. The book was a giant wild ride but I found I didn’t always enjoy it. Why?

SO much stuff happens.. Like, a lot.. Like everything just keeps piling up that my head just never really stops spinning. Seriously the amount of stuff the woman went through in this book would have her in a straight jacket, but instead she is all like oh okay, well what’s next? Like no dealing with emotions at all.

Some stuff was also just so random. It felt like the author was trying to pack too many things into one book to keep it interesting.

Also… I have read werewolf books before, but recently authors started adding ‘heat’ into books and its just awkward cause now like EVERYONE wants to practically rape this girl and it was just..blah

The hardest part was buying into the romance since they felt like these two people never really wanted to be together. It almost felt forced.

Luck Is No Lady by Amy Sandas
Series: Fallen Ladies #1
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on April 5th 2016
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Buy on Amazon
Rating: 4 Stars

Heat:

"You should not have kissed me," she replied breathlessly."I do a lot of things I shouldn't. It does not mean I won't do them again."
Gently bred Emma Chadwick always assumed she'd live and die the daughter of a gentleman. But when her father's death reveals a world of staggering debt and dangerous moneylenders, she must risk her good name and put her talent for mathematics to use, taking a position as bookkeeper at London's most notorious gambling hell. Surrounded by vice and corruption on all sides, it is imperative no one discovers Emma's shameful secret or her reputation-and her life-will be ruined.
But Roderick Bentley, the hell's sinfully wealthy owner, awakens a hunger Emma cannot deny. Drawn deep into an underworld of high stakes gambling and reckless overindulgence, she soon discovers that in order to win the love of a ruthless scoundrel, she will have to play the game...and give in to the pleasure of falling from grace.

Another book I am super glad I picked up. I found myself absolutely adoring Luck is No Lady and chewing up the pages.

The story follows Emma a spinster who is looking out after two younger sisters after both of their parents had passed. Their father happened to leave them in a major debt and she is now being hounded by the mysterious loner who wants the money and is willing to go far to get it from them.

Emma meets Roderick Bentley a bastard son of an earl that society seems to have an issue with. Roderick is wealthy and own a gambling hell with questionable acts that might ensue behind closed doors. He is also the man hiding behind the curtain that she slips behind to get away from another lord and steals a kiss.

Since Emma needs money, she applies as a bookkeeper named Ms Adams at the gambling hell without knowing that Roderick is the owner, that he knows exactly who she is and what they share.

Sparks fly, the attraction is real and the romance is so swoon worthy I had a hard time putting this one down. I adored every minute of this and I loved Emma and Roderick. I could not help but root for them, especially after everything he himself has gone through.

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Review: Rook by Sharon Cameron

Posted June 11, 2017 by Lily B in Guest Post, Reviews / 27 Comments

Hi Guys, hope everyone is having a great weekend. I don’t have much time today but I do have Sophia Rose on the blog with a YA Dystopia Romance review. Gosh.. I miss Dystopia books. Going to have to look into some I have not read yet myself. Anyway. I hope you enjoy your weekend and weather and leave this girl some love <3

Rook by Sharon Cameron
Series: standalone
Published by Scholastic Press on May 31st 2016
Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance
Pages: 464
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Buy on Amazon
Rating: 4 Stars

Heat:

History has a way of repeating itself. In the Sunken City that was once Paris, all who oppose the new revolution are being put to the blade. Except for those who disappear from their prison cells, a red-tipped rook feather left in their place. The mysterious Red Rook is a savior of the innocent, and a criminal in the eyes of the government.
Meanwhile, across the sea in the Commonwealth, Sophia Bellamy's arranged marriage to the wealthy René Hasard is the last chance to save her family from ruin. But when the search for the Red Rook comes straight to her doorstep, Sophia discovers that her fiancé is not all he seems. Which is only fair, because neither is she.
As the Red Rook grows bolder and the stakes grow ever higher, Sophia and René find themselves locked in a tantalizing game of cat and mouse.
Daring intrigue, delicious romance, and spine-tingling suspense fill the pages of this extraordinary tale from award-winning author Sharon Cameron.

I discovered Rook had a connection to the old classic, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and it became a must-read for me. I love the old tale of a hero in disguise saving people from death during the time of the bloody French Revolution and I was keen to see how the basic elements of that story would play out in a dystopian YA context. Rook is a separate and independent story so a reader doesn’t have to have read the old classic to appreciate this one.

Rook opens on an intense and exciting first scene where the reader gets a first glimpse of the Scarlet Rook saving innocents from the prison just before they are meant to be executed and then leaving her disguise behind to play an entirely different role back home. It’s a story full of intrigue, plots, spies, and no one seems to be whom they pretend to be and most have a private agenda.

This was one that I had to pay close attention to what was going on, always. There are narrative shifts, swiftly changing scenes even from paragraph to paragraph (this was a niggle), and it’s a large cast of characters though Sophia (ha, love that) Bellamy is the main character. There are main plot threads and smaller ones. Things get confusing near the end and then a series of twists and reveals take place that left me both nodding my head because I saw some of it coming while others were shockers for me.

The dystopian world came about through the shift of the magnetic poles bringing our current world to a crashing halt and centuries later the world of Rook is the result. I found the big natural disaster followed by the domino effect it wrought on humanity was well-done and the social situation of Rook made sense within that context. The theme of this whole book could be that history has a way of repeating itself.

I liked the characters and how there is some depth to them. Sophia was a strong female lead with both brilliant and impetuous moments. Like many YA characters, she has youthful confidence that slips into arrogance at times. She started her double-life because of the excitement and danger before she settled into needing to help the desperate. It worked in this story because she also was given vulnerability and felt fear and uncertainty. She knew she and her friends were the only ones willing to step into the gap and do something for the poor folks getting slaughtered on the guillotine so a few corrupt officials could steal their holdings and keep the mob in a blood frenzy.

There is romance in this one, but it’s complicated by the fact that both individuals are living double-lives and aren’t sure where they actually stand. There is a sad unrequited love also. I do like that the ‘love’ word isn’t tossed around early or lightly especially with all the other things going on in this story.

All in all, this was a great tribute to the classic, but also an engaging story in its own right. A little slow and could get confusing at times, but also exciting and twisting. This is YA dystopian, but the setting is more like French Revolutions era so I think it would also have some appeal for those who enjoy YA Historical Romantic Suspense.

About Sophia Rose

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

Facebook | Goodreads

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Review: When to Engage an Earl by Sally MacKenzie

Posted June 7, 2017 by Lily B in Reviews / 15 Comments

When to Engage an Earl by Sally MacKenzie
Series: Spinster House #3
Published by Kensington Publishing on May 30th 2017
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Heat:

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

If love is a malady, the Spinster House ladies have caught it, one by one. Miss Jane Wilkinson couldn t be more delighted when her two best friends marry, creating a much-desired vacancy at the Spinster House. For the first time in her twenty-eight years, Jane can be free of her annoying older brother and enjoy complete solitude with the exception of the Spinster House cat, Poppy. If only Jane s unruly thoughts didn t keep drifting to handsome Alex, Earl of Evans, in the most un-spinster like ways Though jilted once, Alex has always intended to marry and raise a family. Now that his two closest friends have tied the knot, he is more determined than ever to find a wife. If only it wasn t the intriguing Miss Jane Wilkinson that his heart as well as the rest of him desired. Not only does she appear uninterested in marriage, it s clear she s the managing sort. And yet, despite Alex s fiercely independent spirit, the idea of being managed by her is quite appealing. Now if he can only convince her to give up her beloved Spinster House in favor of a far more pleasurable home in his arms Sally MacKenzie s novels are Naked, noble, and irresistible! Eloisa James Perfect. RT Book Reviews Great fun. Publishers Weekly Always a delight to read. Booklist, Starred Review"

This will be a quick review.

When to Engage an Earl is the third book in the Spinster House Series and this one follows Miss Jane Wilkinson and Alex, the Earl of Evans. Jane is a self proclaimed spinster. She has been eyeing the Spinster House for a really long time, but kept loosing the lottery so she deviously won the house by making sure the two women before her, fell in love and got married. Now Jane lives in the house alone with Poppy the cat and has no plans on getting married.

Alex is the Earl of Evans and he is looking for a wife because he needs an heir. Alex is a bit wary, especially since he was recently jilted at the altar by the woman he thought he loved. He knows Jane is out of the question as the woman is a proclaimed spinster who is uninterested in marriage and fiercely independent. Yet, Alex can’t seem to stop being drawn to her and often shows up with no reason in her town just to see her.
This was super cute and a quick read. The romance was easy, albeit a bit frustrating in the end there until Jane’s wants and needs get resolved. I enjoyed Alex and Jane together and the secondary characters had me chuckling. I especially love Alex’s mom and sister’s involvement in trying to get the two together. Their meddling at times has led to some interesting scenes between Jane and Alex.

This book was definitely on the lighter side and what kept me on reading. I enjoyed how the romances unfolded and I did adore the secondary characters. Jane and Alex were so easy to live and overall I found it to be a very solid read.

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