A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

A Spark of Light

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books

Date of publication: October 2nd, 2018

Genre: General Fiction, Women’s Fiction

Where you can find A Spark of Light: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage.

After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic.

But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order to save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester disguised as a patient, who now stands in the crosshairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard.

Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day.

Jodi Picoult—one of the most fearless writers of our time—tackles a complicated issue in this gripping and nuanced novel. How do we balance the rights of pregnant women with the rights of the unborn they carry? What does it mean to be a good parent? A Spark of Light will inspire debate, conversation . . . and, hopefully, understanding.

My review:

I went into reading A Spark of Light with an open mind. I am not a person who likes to read things that can start debates and cause strife in real life. Which is why I stick to romance/fantasy/horror..etc. So reading A Spark of Light for review is not something I would do. But I liked the blurb. I wanted to see what the author had to say about the Pro-Choice/Pro-Life debate. I wanted to see where this book would go. I will tell you all this. I was not expecting such a well-written book that explored both sides of the debate.

What I liked about this book was how it was written. It started at the end and ended at the beginning. This is a different written style then what I am used to and it could have failed. But, for me, it didn’t. I felt that it revealed everything at the right time. It wasn’t without its faults. There were times, at the beginning of the chapters, where I was confused by what was going on. But that cleared up after the first paragraph. Other than that, this writing style worked for me.

I also liked how the characters were portrayed. Instead of having a clear line between good and bad, the author blurred it. Which I thought was fantastic. Because of the topic she chose to write about, those lines should be blurred. The only one whose line wasn’t blurred was the shooter, George. But even then, I couldn’t help but have some pity for him.

I did like how the author handled the Pro-Choice/Pro-Life debate. She explored both sides and why the people felt the way they did. Take, for instance, the Dr. His decision to do abortions came from his mother dying of one in a backroom one when he was younger. He was deeply faithful but he also understood that women needed the correct medical help if they wanted to end a pregnancy. Or the undercover pro-choicer. She was trying to ease the guilt for an abortion she had when she was a teenager. She felt by being a fanatic about it, she would be absolved of sin. The author made me think about what each of those people was going through. What brought them to that clinic at that exact point in time.

The end of the book was good but I wasn’t satisfied. I wanted to know how the other storylines ended. The only one that was mentioned was Wren and we knew what happened to the other people who were within the clinic. Also, I wanted to know what happened to Beth. My frustration level with the ending was through the roof.

What I liked about A Spark of Light:

  1. Well written book
  2. The writing style
  3. How the author handled the Pro-Choice/Pro-Life debate.

What I disliked about A Spark of Light:

  1. The shooter
  2. How Beth was treated in the hospital
  3. The ending

I gave A Spark of Light a 4-star review. This is a well-written book that will make you think about the Pro-Choice/Pro-Life debate. I did have an issue with storylines not being ended and that did figure into my review. Other than that, I enjoyed reading this book.

I would give A Spark of Light an Adult rating. There is sex, but it is not graphic. There is language. There is violence. There are also scenes where abortions are done (both at home and at the clinic). I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread A Spark of Light. I would also recommend this book to family and friends. But I would throw in a warning about the abortion scenes.

I would like to thank Ballantine Books, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review A Spark of Light.

All opinions stated in this review of A Spark of Light are mine.

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

In the Mood Fur Love by Eve Langlais, Milly Taiden, Kate Baxter

In the Mood Fur Love

4 Stars

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

Date of publication: October 2nd, 2018

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal

Where you can find In the Mood Fur Love: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

Three hot stories about sexy shifters from a trio of today’s hottest paranormal romance authors, headlined by bestselling authors Eve Langlais and Milly Taiden!

Bearing His Touch by Eve Langlais
When Becka manages to escape her kidnapper, she finds herself asking help of the man with the nice brown eyes. Stavros can’t say no, not when he knows Becka is his mate, but he does have one dilemma when it comes to claiming her. He’ll have to find a way for her to bear his touch.

Fake Mated to the Wolf by Milly Taiden
Looking for a mate to bring to a party? Wedding? Holiday gathering? Mates Fur Hire is right for you? But what happens when your fake mate ends up being your real one, from New York Times bestselling author Milly Taiden!

The Witch, The Werewolf and The Waitress by Kate Baxter
For centuries, Lowman, Idaho has been Ellie Curtis’s prison. A vengeful witch cursed her with immortality and locked her within the confines of Lowman’s borders, sealing Ellie off from most of civilization for eternity. She’s learned to make the most of it. But when she meets a cocky werewolf who’s part of the élite supernatural law enforcement group, all bets are off…

Colin instantly knew that Ellie was his mate, but when he discovers her secret, he’s determined to help set her free. But in doing so, he might just lose the one thing he knows he can’t live without…

My review:

I know that I have mentioned in another review that I don’t like reviewing anthologies. Doesn’t mean that I like reading them. I find reviewing anthologies difficult. Depending on how long the stories are in the book, my review could go on forever. So, this review is going to be short and sweet.

Bearing His Touch

While I enjoyed this book, it did rub me the wrong way in certain parts. I didn’t like that it took so long for Becka to tell Stavros why she had been kidnapped and beaten. That frustrated me. But,  that was the only thing that annoyed me about the book. Everything else I loved. Stavros was such a goof. I had a laugh over the pot brownies incident. I liked how everything was wrapped up. I did like the twist with Becka’s Poppa. Didn’t see that coming.

Fake Mated to the Wolf

I enjoyed reading this story. I did have an issue with Hawke not knowing what went on in his company. Including what was happening to his mate. I kinda went “Ummmm, ok” when I read that part. But, after that was resolved, I loved the story. I wanted to know more about Robbie and I hope that he is featured in more books. He deserves his happy ending. I did think that Shawna was kind of a jerk to Hawke for 90% of the book. I mean, she knew about how they found their mate. But, she still thought Hawke was two-timing his mate with her? Hello, use your brains girlfriend. I liked the HEA that the author gave to everyone at the end of the story.

The Witch, The Werewolf, and The Waitress

This was my favorite story. Ellie and Colin were such jerks to each other when they first met. I enjoyed watching them fight over that cinnamon roll. Gave me a fit of the giggles. I did feel bad for Ellie. I couldn’t imagine being cursed how she was. Talk about being restricted and lonely. I thought the whole quest to set Ellie free of her curse was great. Including the ending. I will never look at timber wolves, cougars, elk, and coyotes the same again. Shudder. Again, loved the HEA for Colin and Ellie.

There is Instalove in this book but, and I stress this, it worked. Werewolves and werebears are able to find their mates by smelling them. So, I didn’t mind the Instalove at all. Because it fits in with the lore.

The sex in all three stories were hot. I had to fan myself after a couple of scenes because they were that good. If I had to pick the hottest couple, it would be Colin and Ellie. Talk about some steamy sex scenes.

I am not putting up a like/dislike section to this review. If I did that, it would go on forever.

I gave In the Mood Fur Love a 4-star rating. If you like shifter romances with steamy sex scenes, this is the book for you. I will give a trigger warning for Bearing His Touch and Fake Mated to the Wolf. Bearing His Touch has a pretty graphic beginning scene where Becka is being beaten. Fake Mated to the Wolf has a sexist boss and a scene where Shawna is being held hostage in her bedroom by some not so nice guys. Other than that, this book was a great read.

I gave In the Mood Fur Love an Adult rating. There is graphic sex. There is violence. There is language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread In the Mood Fur Love. I would also recommend it to family and friends with a warning about possible triggers.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review In the Mood Fur Love.

All opinions stated in this review of In the Mood Fur Love are mine.

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

The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain

The Dream Daughter

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: October 2nd, 2018

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Where you can find The Dream Daughter: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

From bestselling author Diane Chamberlain comes an irresistible new novel. 

When Caroline Sears receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970 and there seems to be little that can be done. But her brother-in-law, a physicist, tells her that perhaps. Hunter appeared in their lives just a few years before—and his appearance was as mysterious as his past. With no family, no friends, and a background shrouded in secrets, Hunter embraced the Sears family and never looked back. 

Now, Hunter is telling her that something can be done about her baby’s heart. Something that will shatter every preconceived notion that Caroline has. Something that will need a kind of strength and courage that Caroline never knew existed. Something that will mean a mind-bending leap of faith on Caroline’s part.

And all for the love of her unborn child.

A rich, genre-spanning, breathtaking novel about one mother’s quest to save her child, unite her family and believe in the unbelievable. Diane Chamberlain pushes the boundaries of faith and science to deliver a novel that you will never forget.

My review:

This is another book that took my breath away while reading it. I went into reading The Dream Daughter with little expectations. From what I read in the blurb, I thought it was going to be your typical time travel book. While it was that, it was also so much more. That is what made me love this book. I would also warn, please read with tissues. You are going to need them.

The Dream Daughter starts off in Nag’s Head Island, North Carolina in 1970. Caroline is widowed and pregnant. She found out that her unborn daughter has a fatal heart defect (for that era). This is a devastating blow since her husband was killed in Vietnam 7 months earlier. Then her brother-in-law drops a bombshell. He tells her that he can save her baby. But to do it, he needs to send her forward in time. To the year 2001, where there is a new surgery that could save her baby. Desperate, Carly agrees. But things go sideways when the baby is born and needs to be in NICU longer than expected. A series of events forces Carly to jump back to 1970. Desperate to get her baby, she jumps back to the future. Except it is the year 2013, her daughter is a preteen and has been adopted by a well to do family. While there, Carly discovers something that shakes her to the core. Something that makes her chose between staying with her daughter or going back to 1970.

I liked Carly. First, she was determined to save her child. As any mother would be. I can’t imagine being told that my child had an incurable heart defect. Her disbelief when Hunter told her about the surgery and what she would have to do to get there came off the pages. I would have said the same thing if my brother-in-law told me that he was a time traveler from the future. I liked how she chose to believe Hunter. All because she wanted her baby to have a chance at life.

The scenes in the NICU broke my heart. My youngest daughter was sent to NICU shortly after she was born and spent a week there. A short visit compared to some of the babies but still, a stressful time in my life. Every emotion that I had been mirrored by Carly. My heart broke for her. The baby was the last tie to her husband, who was killed in Vietnam.

I liked how the author explained how time traveling was discovered and used. I thought it was interesting that the travelers had to step off of things to get to where they were going. Carly had to step off a pier, a stone bridge in Central Park and a tree house to reach the portals. I also loved the 5 times rule. The traveler could only travel 5 times. If they travel a 5th time, they disappear. No one knows where the traveler goes or if they are alive.

I should mention Hunter since he was a major part of getting Carly to the future. I thought he was great. What he did was out of love for Carly and her unborn baby. He didn’t take into consideration that so many things would go wrong with Joanna. His worry about when Carly would come back was palpable. He couldn’t go fetch Carly because that would be his 5th trip. So he was stuck and the worrying was taking a toll on him. I loved teenage him. I was giggling to myself as I read those scenes because I could picture it in my head. I have 2 sisters that would be his age and I remember how they were.

The last half of the book broke my heart. When Carly jumped to 2013 to find Joanna, I didn’t know what to expect. I was ready to find out that Joanna was in an awful home with parents who didn’t care about her. It would have made taking Joanna back to 1970 a lot easier. But, instead, she had parents that loved her. They gave her the world and then some. Of course, they were a little suspicious of Carly when she came into the scene but they soon warmed up to her. I did think, for a while, that Carly was going to stay in 2013. But that didn’t happen.

The end of the book was surprising. There was a twist to the plot line that I didn’t see coming. While it didn’t come out of left field, it still left me shocked. I also understood why Carly made the decision she did. The epilogue was the most surprising. Not going to say what but I will say that I love it when things come in full circle!!!

What I liked about The Dream Daughter:

A) Carly. She had an inner strength that I loved

B) Hunter. He did what he thought was best for Carly.

C) Joanna. OMG, I loved her. She was hilarious and reminded me of my daughter.

What I disliked about The Dream Daughter:

A) The NICU scenes. They brought back some unpleasant memories for me

B) Carly’s decision at the end of the book

C) Hunter’s mother. She was cold.

I would give The Dream Daughter an Older Teen rating. There is no sex. There is some mild violence. There is some mild language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

There are no triggers for The Dream Daughter.

I would reread The Dream Daughter. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Dream Daughter.

All opinions stated in this review of The Dream Daughter are mine.

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

After the Fire by Will Hill

After the Fire

4 Stars

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Date of publication: October 1st, 2018

Genre: Young Adult, Thriller

Where you can find After the Fire: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

The things I’ve seen are burned into me, like scars that refuse to fade.

Before, she lived inside the fence. Before, she was never allowed to leave the property, never allowed to talk to Outsiders, never allowed to speak her mind. Because Father John controlled everything—and Father John liked rules. Disobeying Father John came with terrible consequences.

But there are lies behind Father John’s words. Outside, there are different truths.

Then came the fire.

My Review:

When I started reading After the Fire, I was thinking that this was going to be a run of the mill Young Adult book. You know, a book where the plucky heroine saves the day. She solves the mystery and gets the bad guy. When I started reading After the Fire last night, I thought that I would get to 30-40% before going to sleep. Yeah, that didn’t happen. Instead, I was up until almost 12am, devouring this book. I got emotionally invested. I needed to find out what lead up to the fire. I needed to know what would happen to Moonbeam.

After the Fire is Moonbeam’s story. Moonbeam is a survivor of a raid on her cult’s compound. Unlike the other children that were saved, she has secrets. Secrets that eat away at her soul. Secrets that need to come out. Recovering from the raid at a children’s psychiatric hospital, Moonbeam must tell what life was like inside the compound. She also needs to tell them the events that led up to the raid. But can she? Can she overcome everything that has been beaten into her? Or will Father John’s hold on her extend into this new life?

I wasn’t a fan of how the book was broken up at first. There was Before the fire and After the fire. Before detailed how life was at the compound. How Father John and his Centurions dealt out savage punishments. How everyone walked on eggshells because they didn’t want to be the next one in the box. It was a frightening and oppressive existence. After detailed, Moonbeam’s time in the hospital, recovering from wounds attained in the raid. But more importantly, she is being helped mentally to adjust to being Outside. They also want her to tell them about what led up to the raid and what happened when she went into The Big House while it was going on. Like I said earlier, I wasn’t a huge fan of it at first but as I read the book, I realized that there was a flow to the book. All Before scenes were told in therapy sessions. After I realized that, the book flowed nicely for me.

The characters in this book were layered. I like that in a character. I like being able to peel back the layers to see what made that character up. Take Luke for instance. When he is introduced, I thought that he was an innocent victim. But as the book went on and more of Luke’s personality was revealed, I realized that he had been 100% indoctrinated. That began when Father John took over. By the end of the book, I felt bad for him. Even though he did some atrocious things Before and After, he was still a child that had been abused.

I despised Father John. He was the epitome of evil. He took child brides (which disgusted me). He turned Luke into a fanatic that about flipped his wig when he wasn’t accepted into being a Centurion. I thought he got what was coming to him during the fire.

The secondary characters made this book what it was. They were very well-developed. I will say that I was upset with what happened to Nate. I actually groaned and said “Nooooo” when it was revealed what happened.

The end of the book filled me with hope. The author did a great job of wrapping up all the storylines. He did a fantastic job at letting the reader know that deprogramming from a cult takes months, not weeks. He showed me that those kids could go on to live normal lives. But most of all, he showed me what happened to Moonbeam. The afterword was worth the read.

What I liked about After the Fire:

  1. Not your typical YA book
  2. Layered characters
  3. The end of the book

What I disliked about After the Fire:

  1. How the book was broken up at first
  2. Luke (even though I pitied him)
  3. Father John

I gave After the Fire a 4-star rating. This is not your typical YA book and I liked that. It had layered characters (main and secondary). I loved the end of the book. What I disliked about the book didn’t have a huge impact on my rating. They were personal feelings. I didn’t like how the book was broken up when I started reading it. I didn’t like Luke or Father John.

I would give After the Fire an Older Teen rating. There is no sex. There is language. There is violence. The scene of the raid and of a man being almost starved to death in a box can be triggers. I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 16.

I would reread After the Fire. I would also recommend it to family and friends.

I would like to thank Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review After the Fire.

All opinions stated in this review of After the Fire are mine.

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

Christmas on Mistletoe Lane by Annie Rains

Christmas on Mistletoe Lane

4 Stars

Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

Date of publication: September 25th, 2018

Genre: Romance

Where you can find Christmas on Mistletoe Lane: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

This USA Today bestselling author invites you to the delightful small town of Sweetwater Springs where the magic of Christmas brings to strangers together in this “story you won’t forget” (RaeAnne Thayne, New York Times bestselling author).

Christmas is coming to the North Carolina mountains, and the air is fresh and crisp and filled with promise. After the devastating loss of her job in the big city, the small town of Sweetwater Springs feels like heaven to Kaitlyn Russo. She’s inherited her grandparents’ charming (if a little rundown) bed and breakfast, and it’s just the new lease on life she needs. Only “heaven” comes with a catch-and a handsome and completely infuriating one at that. 

After what he hopes will be a quick trip, Mitch Hargrove wants nothing more than to put his hometown in the rearview mirror. But his plans get derailed when he learns he’s now half-owner of the Sweetwater B&B. The fact that he’s given only two months to make the inn a success is a huge problem, but it’s his pretty-and incredibly headstrong-partner who’s the real challenge. With the holiday fast approaching and a grand re-opening looming, will Mitch keep running from the ghosts of Christmas past . . . or will he realize the true gift he’s been given? 

My review:

When I saw that Annie Rains was coming out with a new book, I knew that I had to read it. But I wasn’t expecting to get approved for the review. So, when I saw the email from NetGalley stating that I got approved, I was happy and excited to read this book.

Christmas on Mistletoe Lane is one of those books that will make you smile while reading it. Kaitlyn’s enthusiasm for running her late grandmother’s bed and breakfast was catching. I found myself getting excited with her when Mitch said he would stick around for the terms of the will. I laughed when she was coming up with names for each room. It was a happy book.

There were some sad parts. There were also parts that made me mad. The reason Kaitlyn lost her job made me furious. I wanted to go smack that guy so bad. I kept thinking to myself “The Me Too movement would have a field day with that guy AND her ex-employer.” I also wanted to shake her mother when Kaitlyn finally told her what was going on. I did say out loud “Are you freaking serious!!!” The other sad part was the reason Mitch didn’t want to be anywhere near Sweetwater. When he explained to Kaitlyn what happened, I felt awful for him. But, when everything came out, I got mad. Talk about abuse of power.

The romance between Mitch and Kaitlyn was cute. I like how it played out as it would in real life. I have read too many romances where the problems of the main character went away as soon as they hooked up. Kaitlyn and Mitch had very real problems. It made the book so much more enjoyable to read for me.

Mitch and Kaitlyn had some serious sexual chemistry going on between them. Even the other characters noticed it. Which made for some pretty interesting conversations…lol. What I liked about this book is that while they had sex, it wasn’t the main focus of the book. The author didn’t waste any time on it. They went to bed at the end of one chapter and woke up rumpled the beginning of the other one. That meant I had to use my imagination for the sex scenes.

I had a connection to both Kaitlyn and Mitch. I understood why they acted the way they did. I understood why Kaitlyn needed to make this bed and breakfast work. I also understood why Mitch didn’t want to be in Sweetwater any longer than he had to be.

The secondary characters made this book shine. Each character had their own personality and brought a bit of oomph to the plotline. I enjoyed the antics of the first guests at the bed and breakfast. I liked Paris (and hope that he has a book soon!!). I also liked Chris and Nate. What Kaitlyn did for them was amazing. If only more people did that.

The end of the book is a tear-jerker. I will admit that I cried during it. Let’s say that everything was wrapped up in a way that I loved. And the epilogue. It was everything that I hoped for and more.

What I liked about Christmas on Mistletoe Lane:

A) Book made me smile

B) Kaitlyn and Mitch’s romance

C) The secondary characters

What I disliked about Christmas on Mistletoe Lane:

A) What happened to Kaitlyn

B) What happened to Mitch

C) How Kaitlyn’s mother responded to what Kaitlyn told her

I gave Christmas on Mistletoe Lane a 4-star rating. This was a well written, cute romance. I had a smile the entire time I read the book. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about the book that would affect my rating.

I would give Christmas on Mistletoe Lane an Adult rating. There is sex, not explicit. There is some mild violence. There is mild language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Christmas on Mistletoe Lane. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Forever, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Christmas on Mistletoe Lane.

All opinions stated in this review of Christmas on Mistletoe Lane are mine.

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

Swagger (Milwaukee Dragons: Book 2) by Liz Lincoln

Swagger (Milwaukee Dragons, #2)

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: September 18th, 2018

Genre: Romance

Series: Milwaukee Dragons

On the Line—Book 1 (review here)

Swagger–Book 2

Where you can find Swagger: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

“Tight end,” noun: 1. a position in American football, 2. NFL star Marcus James, 3. what any hot-blooded woman can’t stop staring at every time Marcus walks by.

Bree Novak is so close to earning her Ph.D. she can taste it, but she’s supposed to be writing her dissertation, not giving lectures while her advisor slacks off. The semester gets even crazier when veteran tight end Marcus James—Bree’s celebrity crush—enrolls in her “Intro to Physics” class. The man’s even hotter in person than he looks on Sunday Night Football. So why is Bree hoping he drops out? Maybe it’s because Marcus, with his cocky smile and chiseled body, is the ultimate distraction. . . .

Drafted out of college years ago by the Milwaukee Dragons, Marcus is taking advantage of a season-ending knee injury to finish his bachelor’s degree. Plus, thanks to a required science credit, he’s also getting to know the geek goddess who teaches physics. With brains and beauty, Bree is living proof that opposites attract. She’s even kind enough to give Marcus extra help with the material, as if she didn’t have anything better to do. And the more time Marcus spends with her, the more he realizes he’s not just crushing on his teacher—he’s falling for her.

Don’t miss any of Liz Lincoln’s mouthwatering Milwaukee Dragons novels, which can be read together or separately:
ON THE LINE | SWAGGER

My review:

Let’s start this review by looking at the cover. Mmmmhmmm. That is a fine specimen of a man right there. Definitely caught my eye on NetGalley when I was browsing Loveswept’s page. My only issue with covers like this, they overshadow the book and they tweak my mental issue of the main male character. And I have the same issues when it is the female main character on the cover. But, the cover did not overshadow the book. Nope. My mental image of Marcus was as good as the cover.

I was thrilled with how the author wrote Bree’s character. To have her teaching physics classes while working on her dissertation was empowering. But, the author didn’t make it easy for Bree. She showed exactly how hard it is for a woman to break into male-dominated careers. The attitude that her advisor and father had is unfortunately commonplace everywhere. I admired Bree for the perseverance in going after her dream and achieving it. I also could relate to her.

Marcus, oh Marcus. Is it possible that he can be brought to life from the book? Because I need someone like him in my life, pronto. I loved him. I liked his restraint with Bree. Even though he was attracted to her, he was willing to be her friend. He let her call the shots in the bedroom. He realized that he loved Bree before she did, which is amazing for a romance novel. Usually, the woman has the revelation first. When he screwed up (which I didn’t think was that bad), he gave Bree space. He understood that she was under a lot of stress.

I loved the secondary characters in this book. Bree’s friends were awesome. I wish I had a friend like Reina. I loved her spunk and love of life. I was a little peeved with Bree’s male friends. They saw how she was being treated by her advisor and didn’t do anything. Well, Kevin did something and Bree reamed him a new one. I have always said that secondary were the lifeblood of the book. And these were. They added more depth and humor to the storyline.

The chemistry and sexual tension that Marcus and Bree had were insane. You could cut it with a knife. I normally don’t do cheerleader chants in my head but I did with this one. I kept chanting “Do it, do it, do it“. I wanted them to have sex so that sexual tension and chemistry could be spent. But, once they did, it surged back up. The author did a fantastic job of keeping it up and going.

The sex scenes were beyond hot. That first sex scene was insane. Marcus had Bree screaming in pleasure. I had to put my Kindle down a few times and fan myself, the sex scenes were that good.

I do want to add that I loved that CTE was discussed in this book. CTE is something serious that athletes should worry about. I loved that Matt and Cassie had a foundation set up to do research on it.

The end of the book was great. The author did a great job at ending all the secondary storylines except for the one that involved Bree and her family. I got no sense of closure. I also wish that there was an epilogue. While Marcus and Bree made up, I wanted to see if they had their HEA.

What I liked about Swagger:

A) The cover

B) Bree’s career

C) Marcus

What I disliked about Swagger:

A) Bree’s freak out

B) Bree’s advisor

C) Bree’s family

I gave Swagger a 4-star rating. This is a sexy, fun read with relatable characters. Be ready for some steamy sex scenes!!

I would give Swagger an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Swagger. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Loveswept, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Swagger.

All opinions stated in this review of Swagger are mine.

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

Drawn to the Marquess (Imperfect Lords: Book 2) by Bronwen Evans

Drawn to the Marquess (Imperfect Lords, #2)

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: September 4th, 2018

Genre: Historical Romance

Series: Imperfect Lords

Addicted to the Duke – Book 1 (review here)

Drawn to the Marquess – Book 2

Attracted to the Earl – Book 3 (expected publication date: February 26th, 2019)

Where you can find Drawn to the Marquess: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Destined to go blind, a rake sets his sights on the toast of society, lighting a fire of passion that scorches the night, in this captivating novel from USA Today bestselling author Bronwen Evans.

Stephen Hornsby, the Marquess of Clevedon, has one goal: to see every exquisite thing he can before he goes blind. His greatest joy, watching a woman shuddering in the throes of passion, will be gone. But before the darkness descends, he is determined to seduce a magnificent widow, Lady Penelope Fisherton. Unfortunately, his rakish reputation has preceded him; Lady Penelope spurns his advances. Being a man who relishes a challenge, however, her reluctance adds only luster to his desire for the last beautiful sight he’ll ever see.

Considered the belle of London society, Lady Penelope was married to a scoundrel who cared for no one but himself. Now that she’s free, she wants nothing to do with love, passion, or desire—emotions that abandoned her with a cruel husband. So why does her body react when Stephen smiles? As much as she’d like to avoid the rogue, her brother-in-law wants her fortune, and he’ll kill to get it. Stephen is willing to help, but he’ll take only one thing in return: Her. In his bed.

My Review:

I love historical romance. Something about reading about love in Regency/Victorian England gets to me.  I love reading about the ton and its many rules about how a woman in Society must act. I love reading about how some women chose to either toe the line or ignore the strict rules that were set in place. I love reading about rakes and how they become reformed. I loved everything about them. Of course, there are some historical romances that I don’t like. But for the most part, they are some of my favorite books to read.

I enjoyed reading Drawn to the Marquess. What I liked the most about this book was that the characters were damaged. Stephen was going blind. Penelope was a battered wife. The author was able to take what happened to these characters and turn them into strengths. This book was nowhere as dark as the earlier book, Addicted to the Duke but it was dark enough for me.

There were things that I didn’t like about Drawn to the Marquess. I didn’t like how no one knew that Stephen had issues with his eyes. He couldn’t see anything off to the side and couldn’t see in low light. Wouldn’t that have been an issue when he was at balls? Because electricity hadn’t been invented yet and candlelight is dim. But, Penelope figured it out soon after meeting him? Didn’t make sense to me. I am sure that his mother and sisters would have noticed something. Because of what their father went through years ago. The other main thing was Penelope not telling Stephen about her husband’s death until after the Frenchman hinted about it. While I could understand her reluctance and embarrassment. But still. Stephen was working to clear her name and he finds that out. I would have been furious too.

I did connect with Penelope. I understood what she went through after her husband died. I also understood her absolute horror and disgust when she found out what he was doing. I wouldn’t have been so….restrained….in my response to that. I wanted to hug her and tell her that it wasn’t her fault. That he hid it well. But, she also annoyed me a little. As I stated above, I thought she should have been more upfront about her husband’s death to Stephen.

I liked Stephen but I also pitied him. I couldn’t imagine knowing that I was going to go blind and seeing my vision go. I understood why he wanted to experience everything. He wanted those memories of what a sunset was like before he went blind. I even understood why he didn’t tell his family about going blind. He didn’t want to put his mother or sisters through that again.

While I figured out what role Penelope had in her husband’s death about halfway through, I was still surprised by it. It wasn’t exactly what I thought. As soon as she realized what a monster her husband was, she went out to take care of it. As she should have. Those people were her responsibility and she lived for 6 years without knowing what was going on. To me, that made her a hero.

The sex scenes were fantastic. Penelope was a wildcat in bed, once she realized that she could get pleasure from it. I loved the scene where she started describing what was going on while Stephen and she were having sex. That upped the hotness factor for me (and them).

The chemistry and sexual attraction between Penelope and Stephen didn’t go away after the first time. The author kept that amped up for the entire book. Even in the epilogue, all he had to do was look at her in a certain way and her toes curled. Loved it!!!

The end of the book was great. Stephen showed such courage when he went after Penelope. I thought the scenes after everything had happened was awesome. The author did a fantastic job at ending all the storylines. One storyline, which was a minor one, got wrapped up in the epilogue. I had tears in my eyes when I realized that both Penelope and Stephen had their HEA. I am also looking forward to book 3!!

What I liked about Drawn to the Marquess:

A) Characters were relatable

B) The connection I felt with both Stephen and Penelope

C) The sex scenes!!!

What I disliked about Drawn to the Marquess:

A) Stephen not letting people sooner about his eyesight issues

B) Penelope not being truthful about her role in her husband’s death

C) Penelope’s husband (what she found out he did).

I gave Drawn to the Marquess a 4-star rating. I enjoyed reading this book. I felt a strong connection to both characters. The storyline was great and easy to follow. I did have some issues with Penelope and Stephen but that didn’t factor into my rating.

I would give Drawn to the Marquess an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is violence. There is mild language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Drawn to the Marquess. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Loveswept, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Drawn to the Marquess.

All opinions stated in this review of Drawn to the Marquess are mine.

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

Worldwielder by J.M. Vaughan

Worldwielder

4 Stars

Publisher: Aeternal Books

Date of publication: July 30th, 2017

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Where you can find Worldwielder: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Melissa Mabrey isn’t like other sixteen-year-olds. From the time she was four, she’s been able to see the colors of people’s minds, colors that reveal to her their true feelings, desires, and fears. She’s only met one other person who’s like her—her best friend Kyle. But two years ago, Kyle mysteriously disappeared, and she hasn’t heard a word from him since. 

Until today. In a book carried by a stranger, Melissa finds a desperate plea for help from Kyle. Following his clues, she’s hurtled from our world into the Gallery, a gateway to millions of worlds. Each world is entered through a painting, and each has a different “pull” on the minds of its occupants. There are pulls that make people grow calm in the face of peril, or flee from shadows in terror or kill each other or forget things forever. 

But for Melissa, there’s nothing scarier than the unknown, and now she must traverse countless perilous worlds to find Kyle, fending off ruthless barbarians, the Gallery Guard, and her friend’s captors. Along the way, she’ll discover the truth about what she and Kyle are—a truth so terrifying her life will never be the same.

My review:

If you have read this blog for any amount of time, then you know how much I love fantasy and Young Adult. As much as I love those genre’s, I have found myself wanting when trying to find a combination of the two. Don’t get me wrong, I have read some awesome fantasy/YA books. But they are few and far between. So when the author approached me with a request to review Worldwielder, I almost declined. Then I read the blurb and my interest was caught. I thought to myself “Hmmm, this book could good.” And guess what, it was!!

Worldwielder is the story of Melissa. Melissa is different from other girls (and boys) her age. She has a special talent. From the age of 4, she has been able to see the colors of people’s minds. Through that, she is able to see their true feelings/desires/fears. When she was younger, she told her parents what she saw. That lead to years of doctors and therapy. But it eventually ended with her parents treating her like she was making everything up. The only bright thing in her life was her friend, Kyle, who shared the same abilities that she did. But Kyle disappeared 2 years ago. His disappearance and her actions afterward furthered the divide between herself and her parents. Things change when Melissa reads a message in a book from Kyle. A message that is pleading for her help. Melissa must overcome her self-doubts and rescue Kyle. She will also find out that her talent is not what she thought it was. That it was the tip of the iceberg. Can Melissa rescue Kyle?

I felt awful for Melissa. She had it tough at home and at school. She couldn’t get over Kyle leaving. She was so depressed at the beginning of the book that I wanted to reach through the book and hug her. Reading about her home life made me sad. No child should feel like that. I did think that she was obsessive about Kyle, though. But, if I were in her shoes, I probably have done the same thing at 14. I loved seeing her character blossom in this book. In the beginning, she was antisocial and tried to drive people (mainly Brock) away. But, towards the end of the book, she was able to rely on people for help and learned to accept the help offered. She also learned that sometimes her best friends were the ones that were sitting right under her nose the entire time.

I didn’t feel as connected to Kyle as I did to Melissa. But, I did think that it was a smart move on the author’s part that he slowly leaked information about Kyle. It was Melissa’s memories of Kyle that painted the picture of a boy who was kind and gentle. Which was the complete opposite of what I read later in the book.

Brock annoyed me as much as he annoyed Melissa in the first few chapters of the book. He didn’t know when to stop. He was too laid back too. I can’t believe I said that about a secondary character…lol. But, after she met up with him in the last half of the book, he grew on me. He showed that he was a true friend to Melissa by his actions.

The fantasy angle of the book was excellent. I loved the world building that went into the book. Each world had layers to it, which I enjoyed. I do wish that more time had spent on a couple of worlds. Other than that, I loved it. I also enjoyed how Melissa was able to get from world to world. Accessing them through a painting was a great idea.

Melissa’s talent was interesting too. I liked how she was able to tell the moods/feelings/desires from the color of people’s minds. But what I liked the most was that was only the tip of the iceberg with her. What she was able to do after meeting up with Ringo and getting that book was amazing. I also like that her power was connected to the “pull” of the planet. It made for some interesting scenes in the book.

The young adult angle of the book was great too. Melissa acted her age, which was refreshing. I have read books where there the main characters were supposed to be 16 and they acted 20. So to have a teenage character actually act like a teenager was refreshing to read.

The end of Worldwielder was good. I wasn’t expecting Kyle to be how he was. It was a bit of a letdown for me to read that. I also didn’t think that his mother would give up so easily. The storylines were all wrapped up and ended in a way that satisfied me as a reader. I do wonder if a book 2 is going to be in the works. Because there is so much that I need to know. Mainly about the Worldwielders. I also want to know about the other worlds that Melissa could sense.

What I liked about Worldwielder:

A. The plotline. It was original

B. The fantasy angle

C. Melissa

What I disliked about Worldwielder:

A. Melissa’s parents

B. I didn’t feel as connected to Kyle as I should have felt

C. How Kyle was in the last half of the book.

I gave Worldwielder a 4-star rating. This is a solid Young Adult/fantasy book. The storyline was interesting and engaging. The characters, I felt connected too (except for Kyle). This is a book that would be right for teenagers 16 and older.

I would give Worldwielder an Older Teen rating. There is no sex. There is violence. There is no language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread Worldwielder. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review Worldwielder.

All opinions stated in this review of Worldwielder are mine.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Lies by T. M. Logan

Lies

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: September 11th, 2018

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Where you can find Lies: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

WHAT IF YOUR WHOLE LIFE WAS BASED ON LIES?

When Joe Lynch stumbles across his wife driving into a hotel car park while she’s supposed to be at work, he’s intrigued enough to follow her in.

And when he witnesses her in an angry altercation with family friend Ben, he knows he ought to intervene.

But just as the confrontation between the two men turns violent, and Ben is knocked unconscious, Joe’s young son has an asthma attack – and Joe must flee in order to help him.

When he returns, desperate to make sure Ben is OK, Joe is horrified to find that Ben has disappeared.

And that’s when Joe receives the first message… 

My review:

I can’t even begin to explain how much I liked this book. Can’t even begin. I will admit that I went into reading Lies, thinking that this book was going to be an ordinary mystery. Then I started reading the book and well, I was proven wrong, This book is anything but ordinary.

Lies had a simple plot. Joe sees his wife going into a hotel parking lot. Seeing that she is supposed to be at work, he follows her. He ends up witnessing her arguing with a family friend. Breaking them up, the friend turns on Joe and tries to start a fight. Forced to defend himself, Joe knocks the friend unconscious. Before he could get help for him, Joe’s son has an asthma attack…which requires Joe to go home to get his inhaler. Returning, he finds that his friend has disappeared. Strange things start happening that culminate with the police charging Joe with murder. But everything is not what it seems. The truth is more sinister than what Joe expected.

Image result for suspenseful book meme

I felt awful for Joe. His life was destroyed within a week. I did think that his reaction to what was going on was pretty dead on for an ordinary guy. His confusion over everything came off the pages. Even his actions started showing how erratic he was becoming. I love it that the author took him to the edge and then pulled him back. I won’t say what pulled him back. But I will say that it was brilliant.

The mystery angle of the book was excellently written. I did figure out part of what was going on. I thought it was the whole thing. But, then the major plot twist happened and it seemed like it came out of left field. There is a smaller, minor plot twist that happens almost after the major one. It only added to the story. It was also sad.

The suspense angle of the book was awesome. I was with Joe, wondering who was tormenting him.

Image result for plot twist gif

The end of the book was insane. Like I mentioned above, there was a plot twist that blew my mind. I didn’t see it coming. But, the author also touched on what happened afterward. Which is something that I don’t see too often in books like these. I was glad that the author chose to do that. It gave me the closure that I needed.

What I liked about Lies:

A) How intense the book was

B) Joe.

C) The plot twist

What I disliked about Lies:

A) Nothing, the book was very well written

Image result for end of book meme

I would give Lies an Adult rating. There is no sex. But there are sexually explicit pictures and talk. There is violence. There is language. I would suggest that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

There are trigger warnings for Lies. They are stalking and death.

I would reread Lies. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Lies.

All opinions stated in this review of Lies are mine

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

Dead Girls Don’t Love by Sarah Hans

Dead Girls Don't Love

4 Stars

Publisher: Dragon’s Roost Press

Date of publication: May 28th, 2018

Genre: Horror

Where you can find Dead Girls Don’t Love: Amazon | Barnes, and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads): 

Do you enjoy creepy stories about people who don’t quite fit in? Dead Girls Don’t Love is a collection of poignant tales for the outsider in all of us. For a domestic violence victim, there is no life after death–but could there be revenge? Can a woman returning to her life after 40 years with the fae remember how to be human? When two Buddhist monks travel to China to spread the dharma, will they survive the unspeakable horror they find instead? What really happened when the Big Bad Wolf ate the lonely grandmother living in the woods? Will the love between two zombified women help them break the spell that binds them in eternal servitude? And, perhaps most importantly, can an Elder God find true love? These and many more fascinating questions will be answered on the pages within if you dare to read them. But be warned: the strange and horrifying realities contained in Dead Girls Don’t Love may haunt you long after you close the back cover.

My review:

While I like to read anthologies, I don’t review them. I find them hard to review because they are short stories. But, when the author approached me with a request to review Dead Girls Don’t Love, I had to review it. Because of the blurb. The blurb made me want to read this book and share it with everyone. The other reason why I accepted is that I like sharing books by indie authors. They should be showcased on blogs as much as the mainstream authors. All it takes is one person to give that author a chance.

I am glad that I decided to read Dead Girls Don’t Love. The range of the stories in this book was amazing. There was a bit of everything. You want a story about the Fae? You got it. You want a story about what happened after the grandmother was eaten by The Big Bad Wolf? You got it. You want a zombie love story (which was my favorite story)? You got it.

I am not going to get into each individual story in this book. If I did that than this review would be super long and you would lose interest after the first blurb. Like I mentioned above, these stories are varied. There is a connecting thread of horror in each of them. In some stories, it takes a bit longer for the horror element to show up but it is worth the read.

There was also a small romance theme that ran through a few of the stories. The tree, the Elder God, and the zombie women were the three main ones that I remember. What I enjoyed, even more than the romance was that the author had two of those romances be LGBTQIA themed. Rarely I read a horror book where one or both of the characters in the story are gay or lesbian. It was refreshing and I loved it!!

The horror angle in each of these stories was different. Some were in your face (the Fae) and others were subtle (the story of the monks on the ship). But they all got you in the end. The one that freaked me out the most was the one with the wandering monks. I got chills reading that story. Even more so because one of the monk’s questions about his past wasn’t answered. I was left wondering about him.

To wrap up this review, go pick up this book. It is 230 pages but it is a fast read. It is wonderfully written and I was creeped out by some of the stories.

I will not be doing a like/dislike section for this book.

I gave Dead Girls Don’t Love a 4-star review. I enjoyed reading this book. The stories were chilling to read.

I gave Dead Girls Don’t Love an Adult rating. There is sex. There is violence. There is language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Dead Girls Don’t Love. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review Dead Girl’s Don’t Love.

All opinions stated in this review of Dead Girl’s Don’t Love are mine.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**