Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Date of publication: May 25th, 2021

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Series: Forgotten Empires

The Orchid Throne—Book 1

The Fiery Crown—Book 2

The Promised Queen—Book 3

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Google Play

Format Read: Unedited ARC

Received: Publisher

Goodreads Synopsis

In The Promised Queen, the thrilling finale to Jeffe Kennedy’s Forgotten Empires trilogy, the fate of the world hangs in the balance as Con, Lia, and their allies sacrifice everything in a final bid to destroy the corrupt empire.

Claim the hand that wears the ring, and the empire falls.

Conrí, former Crown Prince of Oriel, claimed the hand that wears the Abiding Ring, but the prophecy remains unfulfilled. Queen Euthalia of Calanthe returned to her island kingdom, but broken in mind and body. With the blood of war unleashing ancient terrors, Calanthe isn’t the haven it once was.

Lia must use her magical bond with Calanthe to save their people while Con fights to hold off the vengeful Emperor Anure and his wizards. Con and Lia will have to trust in each other—and in love—to fend off ultimate disaster.

First Line:

“Lia? Wake up.”

The Promised Queen by Jeffe Kennedy

Review:

If you have been following my blog for any length of time, then you know how much I dislike reading books out of order in any series. I actively go out of my way to avoid doing this. Sometimes, though, books do slip by me. The Promised Queen is such a book.

The Promised Queen is the third book in the Forgotten Empires trilogy. You cannot read it as a standalone. If you pick this book up haven’t read the previous two (or, as in my case, read book one and not book two), you will be confused. So, for those in the back: READ BOOKS ONE AND TWO FIRST. You will thank me.

Because I didn’t read book two, I had a tough time following the storylines. There were several points in the book where I was like “Why,” “What,” and “How?”. I won’t lie; there was a point in the book where I was going to DNF it. But I am stubborn, and since this was an ARC read, I needed to read it.

The flow of the book was pretty good. There was a slight lag in the middle of the book (before Lia refreshed her connection to Calanthe), but once that was over, it righted itself. I will warn, though, that there are no warnings when the author switches over to either Lia or Con. There will be stars, and then it’s up to you to figure it out. Luckily, since Lia uses the honorific We (and its variants), it wasn’t that hard to figure out. But it might bog the flow down for some people.

Lia and Con’s romance was on the backburner for a good majority of the book. It wasn’t until the final chapters (mainly after the scene where Lia flipped her lid about Con’s plan to rescue the royal hostages) that there was focus on it. I enjoyed that.

The storyline regarding Con, Lia, and their plans to exact revenge on Anure and rescue the royals were well written. But, the climax of that storyline was a letdown. I was expecting more than what happened. Mainly because of Con’s whole “I want to smash Anure with my rock hammer” vibe that he had going on. The same thing happened with rescuing the royals storyline. I was expecting something to happen (and it did….kinda), but it just petered out.

The end of the book was interesting. Enough was left open that I wonder if the author is going to do a spin-off series.

I liked The Promised Queen but I couldn’t get into it. There was so much that I didn’t understand or that didn’t make sense to me. I did like the storyline.

I would recommend The Promised Queen to anyone over the age of 21. There are some trigger warnings. While the author didn’t get graphic (at least in this book), they were still talked about. They are torture, rape, and violence.

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Date of Publication: April 27th, 2021

Genre: Romance, Western, Suspense

Series: Heart of Texas

The Christmas Cowboy Hero—Book 1

Cowboy, Cross My Heart—Book 2 (Review Here)

My Favorite Cowboy—Book 3 (Review Here)

A Cowboy Like You—Book 4 (Review Here)

Looking for a Cowboy—Book 5

A Cowboy Kind of Love—Book 6

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Alibris | Powell’s | IndieBound | Indigo

Format Read: unedited eArc

Got book from: Publisher

Trigger Warnings: Violence, Murder, Kidnapping, Drug Cartel

Goodreads Synopsis:

Who wants to rodeo again?

Jace Wilder has been rebuilding his life since the love of his life, Taryn, up and left town unexpectedly. But when she mysteriously returns, Jace’s dependable world comes crashing down. Taryn is hiding a dangerous secret, and no matter how hard he tries, Jace can’t stay away―especially when Taryn is at risk. And especially when the attraction he thought he’d buried long ago is back and hotter than ever. Will he be able to trust Taryn again?

Taryn Hillman’s world fell apart one horrifying night, and it’s never been the same since. When she sees a small chance at untangling herself, she takes it, though it means returning to Clearview – and seeing Jace again. But when he vows to protect her, will Taryn take a chance, and this time, never let him go?

First Line:

“Stay right here,” Police Chief Ryan Wells commanded.

Jace chuckled at his friend.

a cowboy kind of love by donna grant

Review:

I know that I have mentioned this in the past, but I enjoy reading cowboy/western romances. Something about a cowboy gives me shivers. I also like reading military romances. They can have an ex or current military, and I will read it. So when I read the blurb for A Cowboy Kind of Love, I knew I needed to read it.

Donna Grant is also one of my favorite romance authors. I have devoured all of her romances (regular and fantasy). So, when I saw that she had written another book in the Heart of Texas series, again, I knew I needed to read it.

Now, you would figure that I would have been head over heels for A Cowboy Kind of Love by what I wrote in the previous two paragraphs. Yeah, let’s talk about that.

I had a hard time getting into the book. I have no real reason why I had such a hard time with that, but I did. In turn, my not being able to get into the book translated into me not reading it. It took me a few days to get through it.

I didn’t care for the main characters. I was not too fond of Taryn for a good majority of the book and downright disliked her initially. As for Jace, he didn’t push my buttons as a leading man at first. But after the middle of the book, he pushed those buttons.

The storyline was engaging. Taryn and her family were kidnapped by the leader of a massive drug cartel. After watching her brother and father murdered in front of her, she offered to work for him to pay off their debt. Like I said, interesting.

The flow of the book was good, for the most part. There were times where it lagged (mainly in the middle). I also believe that deviating from the dual storylines messed with the flow too. It was fine when the book was switching from Taryn to Jace and back again. But throw in 3-4 other POV’s, and it did get distracting.

The romance angle of the book was a little “eh.” It didn’t scream Instalove, but it was close. I didn’t give it the Instalove tag because of the history between Jace and Taryn. They dated for two years, and he was about to propose when she disappeared.

The sex scenes, which generally are hot in any Donna Grant book, came across as tepid. Jace and Taryn didn’t do it for me. There was no build-up, no accidental touches, nothing. It was Taryn showing up at Jace’s house, saying her piece, and then they banged. Set on repeat for the rest of the book.

The suspense angle of the book was terrific. The author dragged it out until I was screaming. Talk about keeping me on edge. There was also a couple of twists that made me shriek when they were revealed. One is what happened to Taryn’s sister, and the other was Brick. Not saying much more, but I wasn’t expecting either one of those secondary storylines to turn out the way they did.

The end of A Cowboy Kind of Love was busy. There was so much going on that I did have a hard time following it. Once it settled down, I was dumbstruck (see above). The author did wrap up Taryn and Jace’s storyline, and she also teased at the next romance (a possible book 7??).

I wasn’t a big fan of A Cowboy Kind of Love. I was not too fond of the main female lead. I did like the storyline and thought the suspense angle was fantastic!!

I would recommend A Cowboy Kind of Love to anyone over the age of 21. There is sex and violence. Jace has flashbacks/nightmares of when he was a POW. Taryn was kidnapped, seperated from her sister, and forced to work off her deceased father and brother’s debt. She was also forced to watch when her father and brother were executed.

Publisher:

Date of Publication: March 29th, 2021

Genre: Romance, Supsense, Mystery, Thriller

Series: Moonlight and Murder

Shifting Targets—Book 0.5

A Critical Tangent—Book 1 (review here)

Pivotal Decisions—Book 2

Seeds of Murder—Book 3

An Unlikely Grave—Book 4

Deadly Interception—Book 5

Purchase Links: Amazon

Format Read: Unedited ARC

Received: Author

Trigger Warnings: memories of kidnapping, memories of assault, memories of branding, moderate violence, moderate language

Goodreads Synopsis:

Harlyn bristled under the weight of unknown eyes dissecting her every move. Skin at her nape crawled from the mal intent focused in her direction. From behind the trunk of a spreading oak, she scanned the isolated meadow in search of the unknown threat.
Nothing stirred but shadow arms sprouting budding leaves. It’d been years since she’d turned the tables on the predator intent on breaking her.

Harlyn Colton has never run from a fight, not until her best friend’s murder sends her to the mountains of Pennsylvania. Shredding her ID and ditching electronics, she assumes she’s bought time to sort the mystery before federal officers knock on her door.
Brice Crenshaw works with the Ferndel foundation, a group organized to help returning military Veterans learn valuable skills and smooth out the rough edges before joining civilian life.
When a kickass, knife wielding female arrives with a target on her back, the group closes ranks to protect one of their own.
Accidents stack up while dead bodies reveal conflicting evidence. With the help of her K9 companion and the distraction of a well-intended protector, Harlyn must uncover the identity of the killer before he eliminates his final witness. Harlan.

First Line:

Harlyn bristled under the weight of unknown eyes dissecting her every move.

Deadly Interception by Reily Garrett

Review:

Deadly Interception is the fifth book in the Moonlight and Murder series. I was a little hesitant when I started reading it. Even though I had read the first book, I had skipped books 2-4. I was worried that I had missed something important (relationships, plotlines) that would come up in Deadly Interception. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. There were references to the previous books, and the main characters from the earlier books were secondary characters. But that was it. The author kept those storylines/characters in the background.

The flow of Deadly Interception was fast. This book hit the ground running from page one and didn’t stop until the end of the book. I couldn’t put the book down. I needed to know what was going to happen. There was a slight lag in the middle of the book but nothing to write home about. It didn’t affect the flow of the book at all.

There were two main storylines. The first one was Harlyn hiding from whoever killed her best friend and the investigation into it. There were several secondary storylines attached to it. The second storyline was Harlyn’s emerging relationship with Brice and her budding friendships with his friends. Both were brought together towards the middle/beginning of the book’s end and merged into one storyline. Both storylines were well written and had multidimensional characters.

I enjoyed Harlyn’s character. The author did a great job showing how severe trauma can affect a person years after the incident. She was severely damaged, suffering from PTSD. It didn’t help what her father did (and didn’t) do after she returned. I did find her sometimes too intense and super standoffish during certain scenes. And her hot/cold relationship with Brice drove me insane.

I had a love/hate relationship with Brice. I loved how he intuitively knew that Harlyn was damaged, and he was going to look out for her, whether she liked it or not. But, at the same time, I hated how immature and insecure he came across. He read Harlyn’s journal and used that information to get her to trust him. That left a bad taste in my mouth. Plus, he couldn’t believe that a woman could do the job that she did. I wanted to shake him and ask what century he lived in!! Oh, and let’s not forget a specific scene at the end of the book. I had smoke coming out of my ears (even though that person deserved it).

The story arc with the dogs was fantastic. I do wish that the author introduced the dogs earlier. On the other hand, I figured that if Hutch were there, some of the scenes would have been different.

The romance between Harlyn and Brice was a slow-burn. At times, I did wonder if it was going even to take off. Mainly because of how Harlyn and Brice got along. The minute they kissed, I knew that the sex scene was going to be hot, and oh boy, it was!!!

The end of the book was great. The author wrapped up Harlyn’s storyline in a way that made me cheer!! She also left the door open for another book. Now, I am wondering who the book will be about. My bets are on Dylan, but I don’t know. He stated that he had already lost his “forever person.” But, we’ll see. There are a couple of other people that I would like to see meet their match.

Deadly Interception was a fast-paced romantic suspense that hooked me from the first page. The storyline was fantastic, and the characters were memorable.

I would recommend Deadly Interception to anyone over the age of 21. There is violence, language, and sex. There are several flashbacks to when Harlyn was kidnapped and what they did to her. There were also flashbacks to what happened to her after she escaped.

Publisher: Soho Press, Soho Teen

Date of Publication: March 16th, 2021

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction

Purchase Links: Amazon | Audible | Barnes & Noble | WorldCat

Format Read: Unedited Arc

Received: Publisher

Trigger Warning: Drug/Alcohol Use, Child getting paddled at Catholic school

Goodreads Synopsis:

Set in Northern California in the late ’70s, this timeless coming-of-age story examines the nature of evil, the art of storytelling, and the possibility of redemption.

Fifteen-year-old RJ Armante has never known a life outside his dead-end hometown of Arcangel, CA. The Blackjacks still rule as they have for generations, luring the poorest kids into their monopoly on petty crime. For years, they’ve left RJ alone…until now.

When the Blackjacks come knocking, they want RJ to prey upon an old loner. But RJ is at his breaking point. It’s not just about the gang who rules the town. It’s about Charley, his younger brother, who is disabled. It’s about Roxanne, the girl he can’t reach. It’s about the kids in his crew who have nothing to live for. If RJ is to resist, he must fight to free Arcangel of its past.

First Line:

The priest climbed the trail into the foothills as the mission bell tolled matins.

Bones of a saint by Grant Farley

Review

I tend to wish for a lot of books on NetGalley. Bones of a Saint was one of those books that I wished for. I was surprised when I checked my email and saw that NetGalley had granted my wish. I was beyond excited. I had been seeing reviews for Bones of a Saint, and the good majority of them were positive.

Bones of a Saint was a fast-paced book. Even though the book was fast-paced, I was able to keep up with the main storyline. I do sometimes have an issue with keeping up with fast-paced books. I end up having to reread specific chapters, in most cases. In sporadic cases, I end up getting frustrated and turned off from the book. Thankfully, in this case, I didn’t have issues keeping up with the book.

The storyline for Bones of a Saint was interesting. Set in the late ’70s, a local gang has the town in its grips. RJ had kept under their radar until the night he was forced into a meeting with the leader. The leader, a hippie, is mad that an older man had moved into a house used as the gang’s hideout. He wanted RJ, his friend, and RJ’s disabled brother to vandalize the place. That sets off a series of events that end up defining RJ’s entire summer and changing his life.

The beginning of Bones of a Saint had me going, “WTF.” It made zero sense, and I was trying to figure out why a priest was hiking around in the desert. But, it is explained but not until the very last chapter. I ended up rereading the prologue, and a lightbulb went off over my head. I think it would have been better as an epilogue than a prologue.

The author amazingly wrote the characters in Bones of a Saint. The main character, RJ, was rough around the edges but had a heart of gold. He helped his mother (a single mother in the late 70s) without a second thought. He made friends with an older man and then tried to shield him from the local gang. He was a good kid, and I was worried for 75% of the book that the gang would get its hooks in him.

I had my theories about Mr. Leguin and why he was holed up at the house. His friendship with RJ was one of the sweetest that I have read. There was a big twist in his storyline that startled me but at the same time made me go, “Oh well, that makes sense now.”

The storyline with the Blackjacks was interesting, but it ran out of steam for me halfway through the book. I figured things would go the way they went. So, I wasn’t amazed at the end of the book.

There is so much more I could get into with this review, but I am afraid that I will give away spoilers. Everything in this book is intertwined. Nothing is a coincidence. If you read this book, keep that in mind.

The end of Bones of a Saint was breathtaking. There was action, Mr. Leguin told long-held secrets, and the identity of the priest is revealed. This was one of the best coming of age stories that I have read in a while!!

Bones of a Saint was a fast-paced emotional coming of age story. The plotline was engaging and the characters unforgettable.

I would recommend Bones of a Saint to anyone over the age of 16. There is no sex (not even kissing). There are references to drug use and alcohol use. There are some mild violence and mild language. There is one scene where RJ gets paddled at his Catholic school, but it was not graphic.

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine Books

Date of publication: March 2nd, 2021

Genre: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Adult, Suspense, Contemporary

Purchase Links: Amazon | Audible | Barnes and Noble | WorldCat

Format Read: Unedited ARC

Received: From publisher

Trigger Warning: Child neglect, Cyberstalking, Bullying

Goodreads Synopsis:

She was born for all the wrong reasons. But her search for the truth reveals answers she wishes she could forget in this suspenseful and deeply moving novel from the author of The Last One.

What if your past wasn’t what you thought?

As a child, Linda Russell was left to raise herself in a 20-acre walled-off property in rural Washington. The woods were her home, and for twelve years she lived oblivious to a stark and terrible truth: Her mother had birthed her only to replace another daughter who died in a tragic accident years before.

And then one day Linda witnesses something she wasn’t meant to see. Terrified and alone, she climbs the wall and abandons her home, but her escape becomes a different kind of trap when she is thrust into the modern world—a world for which she is not only entirely unprepared, but which is unprepared to accept her.

And you couldn’t see a future for yourself?

Years later, Linda is living in Seattle and immersed in technology intended to connect, but she has never felt more alone. Social media continually brings her past back to haunt her, and she is hounded by the society she is now forced to inhabit. But when Linda meets a fascinating new neighbor who introduces her to the potential and escapism of virtual reality, she begins to allow herself to hope for more.

What would it take to reclaim your life?

Then an unexplained fire at her infamous childhood home prompts Linda to return to the property for the first time since she was a girl, unleashing a chain of events that will not only endanger her life but challenge her understanding of family, memory, and the world itself.

First Line:

A woman whose name shouldn’t be Linda stands inside the locked front door of her apartment, listening.

Forget Me Not by Alexandra Oliva

Review

When I read the blurb for Forget Me Not, I knew that I had to read this book. I enjoy books that deal with childhood trauma/mystery/science fiction/dystopia. So when I saw that this book had all of those, I knew I would read it.

Forget Me Not was a fast-paced emotional book. The pacing was fast enough to keep the story going but not so fast that things got lost. There was a slight lag at various points in the book (mainly during Anvi’s POV), but the author got the book over the lag and back on pace.

Emotionally, this book wrecked me. My range of emotions went from anger (at Linda’s mother) to extreme sadness (Linda was severely damaged) to happiness (Anvi’s friendship) and back. I didn’t cry during this book, but I did have tears in my eyes while Linda battled her demons (literally and figuratively).

My heart broke for Linda during the book, but at the same time, I was amazed at her inner strength. She was a strong person. But even strong people have breaking points, and she did reach hers.

There were two plotlines in Forget Me Not. There was the main plotline with Linda and her issues (past and present). Then, there was the plotline about Linda’s older sister, who died and who Linda was born to replace. Both plotlines were equally fascinating and disturbing at the same time.

There were a couple of secondary plotlines in Forget Me Not too. Anvi’s plotline was interesting because of who she was and where she worked. I also liked it because of the genuine friendship that grew between her and Linda. The other plotline was….different. I didn’t understand why it was even being mentioned until the very end of the book. Even then, though, I wasn’t sure how it fit into Forget Me Not.

I loved how the author incorporated science fiction into the book. There were self-driving cars, devices that tracked Linda’s every move, and virtual reality. I loved it!! I loved how virtual reality helped Linda with her healing. There were points in the book where I was like, “Why didn’t her therapist try this before!!” But then I realized it probably wasn’t around.

The book’s thriller/suspense/mystery aspect didn’t come into effect until halfway through the book. I couldn’t get enough of it. I will say that Lorelei made me feel conflicting emotions. I wanted either to hug her, beat her, or put her in an asylum.

Before I forget, I do want to mention Linda’s father. I had conflicting emotions about him and also about how much he knew. He said that he knew nothing about Linda or what Lorelei did, but I don’t quite believe him. However, I think he didn’t know how Linda was being raised, and he took her in when she escaped. But he wasn’t precisely a hands-on father. Calling him distant would be nice. He did somewhat redeem himself at the end of the book but still. I wasn’t a fan of him.

The end of Forget Me Not was terrific. I will not get into it, but there were more twists and turns than a mountain road. I could not put the book down. And that last chapter. Talk about a doozy!!

Forget Me Not was an emotional, fast-paced book. It was well written with an engaging plotline. The author was able to keep me on edge with the mystery/thriller/suspense angle of the book.

I would recommend Forget Me Not to anyone over the age of 16. There is no romance and no sex (there is a flashback where Anvi remembers her ex, but the author did not give details). There is violence. There are scenes with an extremely mentally ill woman. There is a scene where MR’s death is detailed. There are scenes of extreme child neglect and abuse. There are flashbacks where Linda is harassed verbally and online.