Category: Non ARC

Return to Lan Darr (Heroes of Distant Planet: Book 2) by Anderson Atlas

Return To Lan Darr

Title: Return To Lan Darr

Author: Anderson Atlas

Publisher: Synesthesia Publishing

Date of publication: July 11th, 2016

Genre: Action, Adventure, Young Adult, Science Fiction

Number of pages: 353

POV: 3rd person

Series: Heroes of Distant Planets

Strange Lands – Book 1 (review here)

Return to Lan Darr – Book 2

Immortal Shadows – Book 3

Where you can find Return to Lan Darr: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Surviving Lan Darr not only changed Allan’s life, but it also rocked him to his bones. On Earth, he’s simply a boy in a wheelchair who got lost in the woods, but across the galaxy, Allan is a hero. He must find a way back there.

Returning to Lan Darr might just kill him. Though Allan’s learned the hard way that he does not die easily.

Back on Earth, Allan’s uncle and his best friend race after Allan without an inkling of how deadly Hubbu travel can be. Chaos ensues, spawning disorder, confusion, and panic as the travelers end up on different worlds at different times and face extreme ecosystems, mysterious enemies and push the clock of death to the absolute breaking point.

The second book of the Heroes of Distant Planet Series cranks up the excitement, the mystery, and even the humor. A perfect and inspiring story for 12 and up.

My review:

After reading Strange Lands, I couldn’t wait to read book 2. I couldn’t wait to get back to Lan Darr with Allan and see what adventures were in store for him. I wasn’t disappointed and was thrilled that different worlds were introduced. I love it when worlds are added in a series that had only one world. It totally changes how I see the book. Return to Lan Darr does this and it makes the book magical.

I felt bad for Allan, at the beginning of the book. He went to a wonderful land, became a hero and when he tells people, they think that he is hallucinating and the therapist discussed with Rubic that he may be suffering from a form of schizophrenia. But the biggest blow came when Laura, his best friend, doesn’t believe him and then steals his diary….only to lose it at school and the pages are photocopied and passed around the school. The humiliation (and the fact that Laura wasn’t allowed to hang out with him), made Allan do something rash. He went back to the mountain to prove to Laura and his schoolmates that he was right. Except, he didn’t land in Lan Darr with the first poof of pollen. Nope, he landed in a place called Peebleland (inhabited by bat people). To get to Land Darr, he has to go through a planet called Katonaay to get the flower for Lan Darr. Katonaay isn’t what it seems and when Allan gets to Lan Darr, he is in for a big surprise. If you want to know what, read the book!!

I did like that Rubic tried to be more of a parent to Allan in this book. He settled down, got a job (with a 401K and health insurance) and was preparing to be a “regular” adult (but is there such a thing as being a perfect adult?). When Allan disappeared after inhaling the pollen of a purple Hubbu flower, he does the responsible thing and looks for Allan, then Laura when it comes up that Laura is missing also. But evil is coming his way and when Jibbawk, the evil ex-ruler of Lan Darr, makes his appearance at the house, Rubic goes with him…..looking for Allan. Rubic and Jibbawk have their own adventures while searched for Allan on distant planets with the help of multicolored Hubbu flowers.

Laura has a different sort of adventure, and in a way, made up for her stealing Allan’s diary. Not going to go into it, because doing so would kinda ruin her story, but she isn’t as weak or as helpless as you think she is. She also shows great compassion for certain people at certain points in the book.  Again, I really can’t get into her story because there will be spoilers.

I was thrilled that Mizzi made an appearance in the book and  I was even more thrilled that Asantia was featured more in this book. There was a secret that was revealed in the book that I actually guessed in book 1. Not going to say what but I wasn’t surprised when the connection was made.

The end of the book was not what I expected….at all. I liked it because it was different and I usually don’t see these types of endings. It did leave the series open for a book 3, too. Which I can’t wait to read if/when it happens.

How many stars will I give Return to Lan Darr: 4

Why: I really enjoyed reading this book. From the unforgettable characters to the engaging plotlines, this is a book that any tween, teen or adult would love to read.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age Range: Young Teen

Why: mild violence

I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it

Beyond The Dark Gate (The Flow of Power: Book 2) by R.V. Johnson

Beyond The Dark Gate: Epic Fantasy Adventure (The Flow of Power Book 2)

Title: Beyond The Dark Gate

Author: R.V. Johnson

Publisher: Lost in The New World Publishing

Date of Publication: December 13th, 2016

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Number of pages: 532

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Flow of Power

Beyond the Sapphire Gate – Book 1 (review here)

Where you can find Beyond The Dark Gate: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads): 

The Flow of Power Rages On.

Faced with a choice that could save or destroy those Crystalyn loves, madness looms at the edge of her broken mind. Jade’s aura-reading ability develops, evolving beyond wholesome. Garn’s enslavement ends, something far worse taking its place.

Determined to destroy the foundation of power on Astura, the hooded man’s intrigues wreak havoc on the land.

A brilliant Dark robe executes a bold plan that, if successful, will unleash a great malevolence.

Enduring in the shadows for millennia, a new influence emerges. Gaining strength from others, its alien cunning has subjugated entire worlds with none the wiser.

With peril lurking everywhere, Crystalyn’s great and brittle strength becomes ever more imperative to her friends’ and families’ welfare…but only if she can hold up.

The epic saga continues in this action-packed second novel of The Flow of Power series.

My review:

There are times where I dread reading series, mainly series where I absolutely loved the first book. My expectations are usually too high and it’s a let down when the 2nd book isn’t as good as the first one. Fortunately for Beyond The Dark Gate, my expectations were beyond met and I was most definitely not let down.

Beyond The Dark Gate starts off almost immediately after Crystalyn, Jade and company returned to Astura through the gate in Ruena Day’s office. The reason why they decided to back to Astura, to find and defeat Darwin Darkwing, a powerful Dark User and one-time love interest of Crystalyn.

Jade seemed to get the short end of the stick in this book, again. Not only is she separated from Crystalyn fairly early in the book, but she is also taken over by the entity called The One Mind and is completely under its power. It takes over people by inhabiting their minds and forcing them to do its will. Jade is able to keep a part of her mind separate from The One Mind but she is aware of everything that it is doing. For some reason, it reminded me of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the old cult classic). Luckily, for her, before she got possessed, she actually met up with Garn. I say luckily because It listens to him.

Crystalyn, however, keeps getting sucked into battle after battle….on top of trying to locate her missing sister. I don’t know how she did it because I would have been overcome with exhaustion. Plus, she kept getting injured and bouncing back. I couldn’t believe it when she was up and walking after getting her head split open by Brother Craven. I did like seeing how she was a very strong female leader who didn’t take anything from anyone. Her anger issue was still there, from the last book, but she seemed to be better at controlling it and channeling it into her symbols.

The secondary characters were what made the book. From Broth, Crystalyn’s bondmate, to 8 foot tall Lore Rayna who was half tree and had a dress that was made out of leaves to Atoi, the Dark Child who has allied herself with Crystalyn for reason’s only known to herself to Hastel, the one-eyed warrior, and many others. They wove a rich backdrop and played vital roles in the story for both Jade and Crystalyn.

I think I was very surprised when Sureen, Garn’s wife and Jade’s and Crystalyn’s mother, showed up not only alive but as a User. There were hints in the first book but I wasn’t ready for her appearance in this book. Neither was Crystalyn. The talk that they had about her disappearance was exactly the one I would have had if my mother had disappeared on me years ago.

There were some unexpected deaths’ in the book that made me very sad and a bit surprised. I was not ready for this character’s death and I think I might have let a few curse words slip out.

The end of the book was fantastic and oh my, what an epic battle.

How many stars will I give Beyond the Sapphire Gate: 4

Why: 3 Dimensional characters and a plotline that kept my attention.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older teen

Why: Violence and talk of sexual situations (just talk, nothing is described)

I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it

Catch Me (The Donovan Family: Book 9) by Margaret Watson

Catch Me (The Donovan Family Book 9)

Title: Catch Me

Author: Margaret Watson

Publisher: Dragonfly Press

Date of publication: March 31st, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 342

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Donovan Family

Love Me – Book 1

Watch Me – Book 2

Find Me – Book 3

Trust Me – Book 4

Cover Me – Book 5 (review here)

Protect Me – Book 6 (review here)

Save Me – Book 7

See Me – Book 8

Catch Me – Book 9

Where you can find Catch Me – Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

When Chicago Bearcats baseball player Sam Marini witnesses a brutal confrontation outside a bar, he can’t help the victim. So he does the next best thing – shoots a video of the attack.

He assumes he’ll hand it over and be done with the case. But when the investigating detective is Julia Carleton, a woman he’d met at his sister’s wedding, he can’t walk away. Julia, however, hides dark secrets, and can’t get involved with Sam.

As they work together to ensure justice, their simmering attraction heats to combustion. But the father of the attacker is a wealthy, powerful man who doesn’t like to lose. When Dean Kirby grows more and more desperate to protect his son, the threats against Sam and Julia escalate.

Julia vows to protect Sam, but can she keep her heart safe? Choosing him means risking the job that means everything to her.

My review:

Catch Me is Sam and Julia’s story. Sam, if you remember from the past novels in The Donovan Series, is Priscilla younger brother and Julia is a cop on the force with the Donovan siblings/Priscilla. Both Sam and Julia have made appearances in the past books, so I was waiting for them to have their own story. I was a bit surprised that it was with each other.

I loved the storyline. Sam, a professional ballplayer with the Bearcats, was walking home from the game when he witnesses a crime. Having caught the crime on his phone, he is the star witness in the case….which was just assault and battery. Julia is the first detective on the scene and takes the scene over from an overbearing, woman-hating cop who was trying to intimidate Sam into giving his phone to him. When Sam’s name is released in a police blog, he becomes a number one target for the bad guys. When that doesn’t work, they move onto his mother. Which was a mistake.

The chemistry between Same and Julia sizzled. That is one thing that I look for in a romance novel when I read it. Chemistry that comes off the pages in waves and oh boy, did they have it. Poor Julia tried to keep it under control, tried to stifle it and well, let’s just say that it made for a pretty memorable first sex scene. Talk about needing a fan.

I thought the bad guys were pretty stupid in this book and not very bright. One was a roid head and the other one thought he could use his wealth to bully people around. Not going to go much into them but they got what they deserved in the end….all of them did.

The ending was very fitting for this book and I loved that everyone was at the hospital waiting for Priscilla to have the baby. I also liked that they were taking bets. I kinda laughed at that one because I had something similar happen with my youngest. Except no one won because she was in a hurry to be born (I had her 10 mins after being admitted to L&D).

How many stars will I give Catch Me: 4

Why: A well-written romance with a great plotline and characters that had some sizzling chemistry.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, language, and violence

I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it

Excalibur Rising: Book One by Eileen Enwright Hodgetts

Excalibur Rising: Book One of an Arthurian Saga by [Hodgetts, Eileen Enwright]

Title: Excalibur Rising

Author: Eileen Enwright Hodgetts

Publisher: Self-published

Date of publication: September 1st, 2016

Genre: Fantasy

Number of pages: 326

POV: Alternating 3rd person

Series: Excalibur Rising

Excalibur Rising: Book 1

Excalibur Rising: Book 2

Excalibur Rising: Book 3

Where can you find Excalibur Rising: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

In a villa in Florida, a woman with violet eyes dreams of an ancient document. In a hotel room in Las Vegas, a renowned historian who claims to have found the sword Excalibur dies a violent death at the hands of one-eyed man. In London, a treasure hunter sets out to find the sword that cannot be and the resting place of the king who could not exist.
Powerful forces are at work breathing life into the legend.
At long last Excalibur is rising.

My review:

Now I know that I have mentioned my love for all things King Arthur/Camelot in past blogs. I can’t read enough about it and when Eileen approached me to review Excalibur Rising, I pounced on it after reading the blurb. I am glad I did because this book is not what I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be a love story with some action mixed in. Instead, what I got was a book that was definitely not a romance. If I had to classify it, I would say that it was more like Angels and Demons except thrown in a whole fantasy element and a dash of romance along with the intrigue and adventure.

The book starts off with Marcus Ryan, a professor of archeology who used to be a star on his own syndicated TV show. He is now a has been and is working for a mob boss verifying different artifacts that come through his hotel. Honestly, I didn’t like him at first. He just rubbed me the wrong way. He came off as an irresponsible, selfish man who only cared for himself. The scene where he justified to himself why he did certain things (like not having a relationship with or supporting his wife and daughters) made me dislike him even more. He also could not stick up for himself and if he did, people ignored him when he did stick up for himself and he just went along with what people planned. Which is how he ended up with a chalice, a paper and a piece of crystal that was given to him by his mentor before the mentor died. The chalice, paper and the piece of crystal were clues to finding Excalibur.

Violet Chambray was a very interesting character to read. When she was first introduced into the story, she was somewhat of a con artist. I say somewhat because she can see images from objects that she touches and she has visions but she chooses to use her gifts for her own gain. She knows nothing of her past….except that she was left at an orphanage in France and at an early age. She saw something on that piece of paper that made Ryan’s mobster boss take her with them. What she saw, though, revealed clues to her past and to where Excalibur could be.

What I really liked about this story is that the author chose to explore the myth that Arthur was sleeping instead of waiting to be resurrected by Merlin. Every angle of the Arthurian myth discussed and basically disproved…..except for the Arthur is sleeping myth.

I also liked how the two main storylines (the dam being built along with Ryan’s search for Excalibur) were woven together pretty early in the story. The sense of urgency that showed up when Ryan and company were in England became even more pronounced once the sluice gates to the dam opened up.

The one-eyed killer was a pretty evil dude and he left a wake of mayhem behind him wherever he went. At first, I couldn’t understand why he was so vested in finding Excalibur but the explanation was later in the book. That’s when I went “Ahhhh, ok. Makes sense.”

The end of the book was very anticlimactic and it definitely left an opening for book 2. Which I can’t wait to read because I need to find out what happens to certain characters!!

How many stars will I give Excalibur Rising: 4

Why: A great take on the King Arthur myth. The plot was fast and the characters were engaging. I couldn’t read this book fast enough.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older Teen

Why: Mild language and violence

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Mostly Human by D.I. Jolly

Mostly Human: Young Adult Werewolf Rockstar Fantasy Novel by [Jolly, D.I.]

Title: Mostly Human

Author: D.I. Jolly

Publisher: Tinpot Publishing

Date of publication: July 4th, 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy

Number of pages: 494

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find Mostly Human: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Alex Harris is a world-famous rock star, lead singer of the Internationally acclaimed band The Waterdogs. But Alex is no ordinary rocker, he has a secret that he and his family have painstakingly kept since Alex was ten years old.

This is the story of him, and his life, growing up with his parents and his elder sister Annabel whilst coming to grips with a strange condition.

Follow them as this Journey twists and turns its’ way through tragedies, heartbreak, intrigue and into the clutches of organized crime.

My review:

I am going to be blunt. The cover of Mostly Human does not show the awesome story that is beyond the cover. If I were browsing on Amazon and saw this, I would pass on by. My suggestion to the author would be a new cover that reflects the story. Because Alex looks like he’s part zombie and the picture of Annabel in the background doesn’t do her justice….at all.

I really liked that the book was told in 3 parts. Alex as a child, Alex as a teen and Alex as an adult. I think that it fully showed how being a werewolf affected Alex at each stage of his life. As a child, he couldn’t do sports anymore (because of his strength and speed) and he had to adjust to being a werewolf. He couldn’t get his heartbeat up, get upset in public or do anything that a normal tween that age would do. He had to learn to live with his wolf which was achieved through breathing exercises, meditation, and Tai Chi.

As a teenager, Alex had to learn to deal with typical and atypical situations as both a teenage boy and as a teenage werewolf. While he was dealing with changes, an awful thing happens and Alex blames himself. Actually, blames himself to the point where he starts looking for a cure so he could be normal again. I wanted to cry during his scenes with his grandfather and grandmother when he went to live with them to get over what happened. That was the saddest part of the entire book. The guilt he had was very overwhelming.

As an adult, Alex was successful, a great brother/son/uncle and still was a werewolf. He explained his absences during the full moon as a “medical condition”. I do think that he still struggled with being a werewolf at times but it came across that he accepted it. He also came across as a bit of a player. His relationships didn’t last beyond 3 months and when he wasn’t exclusive with a girl, he was sleeping with a different one each night. That was probably the only thing I didn’t like about the book.

The end of the book ended with a cliffhanger and it made me scream. If you have followed my blog for any time, you know that I don’t care for cliffhangers. While I see their purpose, they annoy the ever-living out of me. Saying that this cliffhanger does make me want to read book 2 when it comes out. I need to find out what happens to Alex!!

How many stars will I give Mostly Human: 4

Why: Mostly Human was a different take on the typical werewolf story and it definitely appealed to me. The plot was fast and engaging, the characters were 3 dimensional and there was plenty of action.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older Teen

Why: Sexual situations, language, and some violence

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Fly Like An Eagle by (Ages of Invention: Book 2) by S.B.K. Burns

Fly Like An Eagle

Title: Fly Like an Eagle

Author: S.B.K. Burns

Publisher: Self-published

Date of publication: February 28th, 2017

Genre: Romance, Science Fiction, Steampunk

Number of pages: 263

POV: 3rd person

Series: Ages of Invention

Entangled – Book 1 (review here)

Fly Like an Eagle – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

It’s 1824 Philadelphia at the opening of the Franklin Institute of Science, and one of its founders, Samantha’s father, wants her to marry his business partner, a much older man, to keep their war industry dealings secret.

Looking for a way out of the arranged marriage, tomboy Sam finds it in Eagle, the half-Native American son of the man she is to marry.

Eagle brings Samantha into his spiritual world, his bimijiwan, in order that she might stop their father’s preparations for an ironclad Civil War at sea. To do this, Sam might have to convince Benjamin Franklin to abandon his kite experiment.

My review:

What attracted me to Fly Like an Eagle was the cover. I absolutely loved it. You have the heroine with her back to the hero, who is in full Native American attire. Above them, is a hang glider (which does have a major part in the story) and next to the title is a small picture of who I am going to assume is Electress Sophie. Normally I really don’t pay attention to the cover’s but this one caught my eye. I mean look at it. Migizi is almost defiant looking, which goes 100% with his character in the story. Samantha is trying to act demure but you can see her looking at Migizi out of the corner of her eye….like she is almost afraid to look him. If I saw this in the store, with this cover, I would be buying it.

The science fiction element of the book was fantastic. I will admit, that during the time travel scenes (where they used the flow to runtime machines), I did have visions of Doctor Who popping up. But that aside, if I were to picture time travel, this makes the most sense to me. The reason it made sense to me….well because it was found (note that I said found not founded) by a mathematician. I also liked that there were people who could travel the Flow naturally. Migizi was one of them and it went with his native American roots. Except it wasn’t called the Flow, it was called bimijiwan and it was revered by Migizi’s Delaware clan.

I really liked the steampunk elements of the book too. I think I would have acted like Samantha if I had to go to Piscatawnia. I mean, you have people dressed like you have never seen them dressed before (corsets worn over dresses, watch fobs as accessories) and then you have all the machines flying around. It was awesomely wonderful. I also like how certain famous missing people showed up in the book and how it was explained how they got there.

The romance part of the book was pretty standard. I didn’t like, though, that there was a love triangle, of sorts, between Migizi, Samantha, and John (Migizi’s father). To be honest, it creeped me out….even though it was explained that the marriage was to be in name only. I do think that maybe it should have been just Migizi and Samantha from the get-go. Other than that, I thought the love story between Samantha and Migizi was sweet. The sex, which there was a lot of…both were insatiable, was pretty hot too.

I liked the appearances of historical figures in the book. Ben Franklin definitely gave the last part of the book that “oomph” it needed and he was hilarious to boot. The whole scene where he was talking to Samantha’s father and Migizi’s father and giving advice about the ladies. Oh lordy…I was dying laughing.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading the book but you do need to read book 1 first.

How many stars will I give Fly Like an Eagle: 4

Why: I enjoyed reading the book. From the cover to the characters, I enjoyed everything about it. There were some parts that bothered me (mainly the father/son love triangle) but they were resolved in a way that made me very happy for everyone involved.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, language, and some mild violence

I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it

Inspector Hobbes and the Bones (Unhuman: Book 4) by Wilkie Martin

Inspector Hobbes and the Bones (Unhuman #4)

Title: Inspector Hobbes and the Bones

Author: Wilkie Martin

Publisher: The Witcherley Book Company

Date of publication: December 16th, 2016

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Number of pages: 319

POV: 1st person

Series: Unhuman

Inspector Hobbes and the Blood – Book 1

Inspector Hobbes and the Curse – Book 2

Inspector Hobbes and the Gold Diggers – Book 3

Inspector Hobbes and the Bones – Book 4

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

There’s going to be trouble. Andy Caplet’s wife goes away, someone is out to get him, and he loses nearly everything in a storm. Amazing both himself and his unhuman friend Inspector Hobbes, he heroically rescues flood victims and uncovers something shocking.
Is Andy being set up for blackmail by the apparently charming young woman who attempts to seduce him, or is something even more sinister afoot? Hobbes certainly believes so, and he’s getting worried.
This is the fourth in Wilkie Martin’s unhuman series of cozy comedy crime fantasies.

My review:

As most of my regular readers know, I absolutely hate getting a book to review and finding out that it is 2nd, 3rd, or 4th book in a series. 9 out of 10 times, I get so lost that I just want to put the book down and DNF it. But, I usually push through the book and I usually am totally confused about what is going on. Luckily, with the last few books that I got and were part of a series, they were pretty easy to follow and gave information about the earlier books in a way that didn’t underwhelm or overwhelm the current book. Happily, I can group Inspector Hobbes and the Bones in with them.

Now, this is a book that is set completely in England and there is a ton of dry English humor (which I love) and a lot of English vocabulary. Luckily, my Kindle’s English (not American English, English English…lol) dictionary was downloaded because I had to use it a few time. Not that it took away from the story but it did add some time to my reading. Not complaining, though, because I did learn some new words.

This book is a paranormal mystery. Now, if I hadn’t of read the blurb, I wouldn’t have believed the paranormal part of the book. Trust me, it’s in there but the author chose to focus more on the mystery part of the book with the paranormal part really not coming into play until the last half of the book. There are paranormal elements in the book (the vampire and Hobbes’s habit of eating bones are two) but the focus is on the many mysteries that Andy and Hobbes happen upon.

Now speaking of the mystery part of the book, I loved that the author was able to handle a few mysteries at once and then was able to merge them with the main storyline. I have read other mysteries that attempted to do that and then they just lose track of the sub-storylines and those are never resolved or merged with the main storyline. Again, something else I really liked about this book.

Andy came across as an idiot. I mean, how can someone get into that many predicaments and how can someone be that unaware of their surroundings? Plus, he also had a huge knack for ticking people off and just plain doing/saying the wrong thing. I mean, who would pack chocolate in their wife’s luggage when she was going to a dessert and then wonder why she was so upset because ants bit her and her clothes were ruined. His bumbling antics really didn’t do it for me in the story and I was truly waiting to see if he was going to get knocked off.

Hobbes, however, I was fascinated with and I really wish that more was revealed about him other than he policed the supernatural. I mean, he ate bones and according to Andy, he had a ferocious temper, unlike anything that he (Andy) had ever seen before. Also, he never seemed to age. So what is he? Now, this is where I wish I had read the first 3 books. I am sure that more insights into who/what he is in there.

The secondary characters were written awesomely too. From the little person who moonlighted as a ninja (OMG, did I die laughing during that scene) to the bar owner who had a temper and liked to fight to the vampire banker to Hobbes housekeeper and dog to the literal man killer and her cousins…..I absolutely loved them. Honestly, a good book has excellent secondary characters and this book definitely did.

I will say that the end of the book did surprise me and the mysteries were solved. There were really no twists, which for once was refreshing. I also liked that while those storylines ended, the book was left open for potentially a 5th book.

How many stars will I give Inspector Hobbes and the Bones: 4

Why: This was a great mystery with paranormal elements. I was genuinely kept guessing about who killed the bodies that Andy and Hobbes found. I was also guessing that the other sub-storylines.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older teen

Why: Mild violence and some adult themes/jokes

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

New Blood (Thoroughbred Breeders: Book 1) by Christine Meunier

New Blood (Thoroughbred Breeders, #1)

Title: New Blood

Author: Christine Meunier

Publisher: Self-published

Date of publication: November 22nd, 2016

Genre: Romance, Christian, Young Adult

Number of pages: 103

POV: 3rd person

Series: Thoroughbred Breeders

New Blood – Book 1

No Hoof, No Horse – Book 2

Recessive – Book 3

Where you can find  this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Savannah Reynier is doing exactly what she wants in life. After finishing a horse breeding course she has landed a job and been working on a thoroughbred stud for the past year.

Her days are made up of looking after mares and foals, witnessing births and helping to breed horses. Plus, one day a week she holds horses for the farrier men who come to trim the horses’ feet.

Savannah has sworn she won’t date farriers – not ever again. Not after Jackson.

So what is she to do about the new apprentice in town? With an attractive frame, gorgeous smile and green eyes Savannah knows she’s already in trouble. Add a clever mind to the mix and she knows she needs to stick to her resolve. But looking never hurt anyone, right?

My review:

What a cute book and a great beginning to series. I have been fascinated (scratch that, obsessed) with Thoroughbred horses since I was about 8 or 9 years old and I was first introduced to Walter’s Farley’s the Black Stallion series. I devoured those books and I believe that I had the entire series. Unfortunately, my mother tossed them when I moved out, and I still feel the loss of those books. So when Christine approached me to review this book, I jumped on it.

I thought Savannah was cute but also felt that she was missing something when reading her. While I definitely connected with her, I felt that something was missing. She almost felt a little flat to me. There were no real emotions that came from her. Everything was on an even keel. I mean, even when the mare was having a difficult labor and she, with the help of the new farrier, helped the mare deliver the foal, I didn’t get a real sense of joy from her. Like I said, flat. I couldn’t even get a good reading if she was interested in Craig, other than her stomach flip-flopping back and forth when she saw him

I also liked that while this is a Christian romance, religion wasn’t pushed down your throat. It was mentioned and just left at that, a mention. The only time that it even came up was when the new foal that Savannah delivered needed to be named and Craig suggested Twenty Three. For the Twenty-Third Psalm.

I do have a couple of questions that will probably be answered in the next books. Like, who was Jackson? I know he was a farrier but what on earth did he do to Savannah. Where was Savannah from? I get the feeling since Creole was mentioned, that she is from the States but it really wasn’t gotten into.

Other than my minor complaints,  I did enjoy reading the book. The end of the book was not a cliffhanger but it did leave room for book 2.

How many stars will I give New Blood: 3.5 (rounded up to 4 for Goodreads/Amazon)

Why: I enjoyed reading this book but I did have some issues with Savannah being flat. I also have some questions that were not answered in this book (see above). Other than that, this was a great read and I enjoyed reading about life on a horse ranch. This is a book that I would feel comfortable having my 11-year-old read…even though it is not in middle-grade categories.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Tween

Why: Very clean book. No swearing, no sex, no violence. There is a Christian element but it is not pushed down your throat. Like I said above, a book I would be comfortable having my tween read.

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Jocked Up by Summer Cooper

Jocked Up: A Secret Baby Sports Romance by [Cooper, Summer]

Title: Jocked Up

Author: Summer Cooper

Publisher: Unknown

Date of publication: August 20th, 2016

Genre: Romance

POV: Alternating 1st person and 3rd person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Drake, NFL superstar.

Six years ago, I left town for football…at least that’s what everyone thinks. The truth is, I couldn’t face what I did. I just wanted to be with her, my soon-to-be stepsister.

It was wrong, and the only thing I could think to do was to pack up and run! Just as I thought I had it all, running into her again made me realize that she is the only thing I’ve ever wanted. And this time, I will never run away.

I deserve my second chance in love, with her… only her.

Bethany, the good girl.

Talented, tall, ripped and with smoldering good looks that could burn your soul. Sounds like a deal too good to be true, right?

He is the biggest mistake I ever made in my life. His mum and my dad were going to get married, what was I thinking getting in bed with him? Lucky me, he left town the next day. Lucky me, our parents called off the wedding; otherwise, I would never have been able to forgive myself.

The only problem is, he is back in town and wants to take me out!

My best friend Amelia, who happens to be his sister, insists that he has changed. Do men like Drake ever really change? Maybe. Maybe not.

The thing is, I can not afford another mistake like this. Not now that I have him… my son, my only joy.

A romance full of twists and turns. Ready for an emotional roller coaster?

Note: This story contains mature language and themes, intended for adults only!

My review:

I have a soft spot for reading secret baby romance. Ever since my teen years and I was reading Harlequin Romances (yes, I will admit to that), I have always loved reading about men finding out that they have secret babies and laughing at their reactions. I distinctly remember one guy going “How did this happen”, almost bust a gut laughing and thought to myself “Did you take sex ed? How do you think this happened?”.  I am very happy to say that in Jocked Up, there is no confusion on how Bethany gets pregnant….lol.

While Bethany was had some justifiable anger towards Drake, I think her anger towards him was a little extreme and to be honest, she was very rude. But, if I was in her shoes, I think I might have acted the same way. Actually, to be honest, I would have acted worse. I also got why she didn’t want Drake around Peter. She was trying to protect Peter from getting attached and getting hurt when Drake would eventually leave. I did get slightly annoyed with her when she refused to tell Drake she was pregnant and was hiding her pregnancy from everyone. But again, I understood why she did what she did.

Drake, I couldn’t get a handle on him at first. He was a self-admitted reformed man-whore but that didn’t stop him from having unprotected sex with Bethany when she decided to out on a date with him. When she freezes him out, he goes back to doing what he does best….loving the ladies. But when he finds out that she’s pregnant, he stops it all and is all about her, Peter and the baby.

The sexual part of the book was sizzling hot. The chemistry between Bethany and Drake was obvious from the first disastrous date that they had. When they finally had sex, it was insanely hot.

The tiny plot twist that was revealed before Drake proposed to Bethany was good and it explained a lot.

The end of the book was definitely a HEA!!

How many stars will I give Jocked Up: 4

Why: This was a great book. Not something  I would read in a Dr’s office because of nosey people but I enjoyed reading it.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Billionaire for Christmas by Em Brown

Billionaire for Christmas: An Erotic Billionaire Romance

Title: Billionaire for Christmas

Author: Em Brown

Publisher: TCK Publishing

Date of publication: February 6th, 2017

Genre: Interracial Romance, Erotica, Romance

Number of pages: 167

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads): 

Who knew a male escort could be so much fun?
Audrey Jones can’t believe her best friend gave her a gift card to a male escort service for Christmas. A successful finance executive, Audrey doesn’t feel like there’s anything missing in her life. But when she finds herself alone for the holidays, she decides to take a chance and embark on a personal journey that is both unexpected and highly erotic.

For billionaire Rance Durand, women have always come easily into his life, so why can’t he seem to get the time of day with the woman whose apartment unit is right next to his? When he overhears her calling the escort service, Rance decides to take their place, but he only has three days to seduce her.

More About the Book

In this contemporary erotic romance, billionaire bachelor Rance Durand, owner of a luxury boutique hotel, decides to impersonate a gigolo to seduce his workaholic neighbor. But what he thought would be a good joke turned into something he never expected.

When Audrey Jones, who hasn’t had the best luck with romance, decides to have a weekend of sex with a stranger, she gets the erotic experience of her life.

Neither expects to fall in love, but when Audrey is presented with a promotion that will take her across the country, both of them have a big decision to make.

This erotic billionaire romance book contains frequent and explicit sex scenes.

My review:

I used to have a ban on reviewing erotica. The reason: I was embarrassed about advertising that I read these books. Then one day, I had an epiphany. Why be embarrassed about reviewing books that have all sorts of sex in them? So I dropped my restrictions on no erotica and I am happy I did.

Billionaire for Christmas takes place over Christmas in San Francisco, which instantly I liked. San Fransisco is a city that I have always wanted to visit and seeing it featured in a book was awesome. Audrey and Rance did visit a few well-known areas (read the book to find out)!!

I really liked Audrey and how relatable she was. She was packing extra weight, she didn’t hold to her New Years Eve resolutions, she was very picky about men and she was a very hard worker. She also had a crazy bestie who gave her a gift card to an escort service. Which made me laugh out loud when I read that and made me wonder….if there even such thing as gift cards to an escort service. There probably is, now that I think about it….lol. I actually couldn’t believe that she called. But hey, she wanted to go out with a bang for her last couple of nights in San Fransisco. She asked for Denzel but instead got Colin (which made me laugh my butt off).

Rance was so hot but I wasn’t a fan of his deception at first. I mean, he lived next door to Audrey. How hard would it have been for him to actually just go, knock on her door and talk to her? But no, he had to pretend to be from the escort service. I was almost waiting for him to say her real name, not the fake one that she gave when they were having sex or out on dates. I did like that he was made to be a decent person too. He was the best man at his friend’s wedding, he had family that he talked to all the time in France (and yes, I read the book with him having a very slight French accent) and he was a great friend.

The sex scenes, they are written in great detail, were hot. Burning off the page hot. Like, fan myself because I was getting flushed hot. They had anal sex, vaginal sex, public sex (the one against the window….oh lordy) and unprotected oral sex (her going down on him). They couldn’t get enough of each other.

The ending, which was a HEA, had me going for a minute because I thought that it wasn’t going to be one. So I was very surprised when it ended up the way it did.

How many stars will I give Billionaire for Christmas: 4

Why: Besides the obvious hot sex, I thought that the backstory was fantastic. This is definitely a book that you should read at home, though. The sex scenes and there are plenty of them, are pretty descriptive.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes but with a warning about the ultra hot and very descriptive sex scenes.

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**