The Door to Forever (The Land of Magic: Book 2) by Shirley Martin

The Door to Forever (The Land of Magic #2)

Title: The Door To Forever

Author: Shirley Martin

Publisher: Books We Love Ltd

Date of publication: November 9th, 2016

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Number of pages: 218

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Land of Magic

The Door To Forever – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

As a teenager, Kaylee suffered an attempted sexual assault. Now a woman, she remains fearful of men. She vows she’ll avoid the opposite sex.

When her dreams take her to an alternate world, a land of peace and harmony, she wishes she could stay in this world. There, a psychic with a crystal ball tells her she will find love, for he sees a man reaching out to her. He tells her she must learn to trust men.

Kaylee has no idea who this man is, and she knows she can never put her faith in a man. The memory from her teenage years is too painful.

Then she meets Logan. Will he be the man to change her mind? World-weary and cynical, Logan declares a respite from women. When he meets Kaylee, he knows she is a woman like no other. His head tells him to stay away from her, but his heart refuses to listen.

My review:

I really didn’t know what to expect when I started reading The Door To Forever. I honestly, don’t think that the blurb does this book justice at all. There is more meat to the story than what is described. This is one instance that I would say, don’t go by what the synopsis says….read the book.

Kaylee did have some major issues at the beginning of the book. She was deeply scarred from an attempted rape at 13 and then another attempted sexual assault when she was in college. After those experiences, she didn’t trust men. Which I don’t blame her. But then she starts dreaming of a land that she can only get through by opening a door in a dark, dismal forest. The land is called Vestoria and it is the home of elves. On her first journey there, she meets an elf called Nemek. After a few visits, she tells Nemek about her tragic past and he is appalled that men are allowed to treat women that way in her society and not be punished. It was at this point that I put the book down and applauded the author for putting this in because it is the truth. Sexual assault and attempted sexual assault are not like other crimes and only a small handful go to trial.

Vestoria is a land of peace and tranquility. Just reading about it made me wish that Vestoria was real. Violence towards women (or anyone really) was not tolerated and was swiftly dealt with. But it was a backward society. Women were expected to stay at home until they found their lifemate (ie got married). But it called to Kaylee (like me). After a few visits, she was granted visitation with the king and he told her that she needs to heal. To learn to trust men again and to find love.

I think Logan was the right person for her. He was the 1/2 owner of the restaurant she worked at and he taught English at the local university. He also came from money but he didn’t rely on his parents to pay his way in life. He was attracted to Kaylee but he didn’t want to go too fast because he sensed that she had been hurt in the past. He was the one to find out who was behind all of Kaylee’s mishaps at work and he was the one who stuck up for her when his friend wanted to fire her. Which he should have. I mean she didn’t come into work for a few days.

The romance between Kaylee and Logan was very sweet. To be honest, I was surprised when certain events happened because, honestly, I didn’t think it was going to happen. I really thought that Kaylee was going to end up with Nemek or someone from Vestoria.

The bad guys in the book, Gitta and Drummond, kinda annoyed me. Drummond seemed like he was a tool and Gitta, well she was power-hungry and didn’t double-check to see if the people she killed were really dead. Because she was surprised when she met up with her arch nemesis, Zurina, a witch from the first book. I was also a tad disappointed at how easily Gitta was defeated. But, Drummond escaped and I know he will make an appearance in the next book.

I liked the ending and loved how everyone was so happy. Normally I am a poop and I don’t like super happy endings but I loved this one!!

How many stars will I give The Door to Forever: 4

Why: I really liked this book. This is one of those books that you could read at the pool or a beach. The plot wasn’t too involved and the characters likable. While rape and attempted rape are mentioned, it wasn’t thrown in your face the entire book. It was part of who Kaylee was and the author didn’t dwell on it.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older Teen

Why: Some violence and both of Kaylee’s attempted sexual assaults were kinda graphic. There is one sex scene, at the end of the book, but it isn’t very detailed.

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

Beyond the Sapphire Gate (The Flow of Power: Book 1) by R.V. Johnson

Beyond the Sapphire Gate (The Flow of Power, #1)

Title: Beyond The Sapphire Gate

Author: R.V. Johnson

Publisher: Lost in New World Publishing

Date of publication: March 8th, 2015

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Number of pages: 438

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Flow of Power

Beyond the Sapphire Gate – Book 1

Beyond Terra – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Raw power. Dark betrayal. A family shattered.

On a world where a frothing river of magic underlies the land, Crystalyn may become Astura’s greatest power if she can master her ability of using symbols though she seeks no glory. She wants only to find the dear sister she raised; the sibling she lost on another planet by her own doing. Dark Users of magic, political Light Users, and a horde of deadly creatures stand in her way. But when had it ever been easy for one afflicted with an unbalanced, broken mind?

The epic first book in the thrilling Flow Of Power fantasy saga!

My review:

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a welcome change from the books that I have read. A change that was definitely needed.

The world-building in this book was beyond fantastic. This was not a one-dimensional word. It was a three-dimensional world.  It was like an onion. When one layer was peeled back, another aspect of the world was revealed. Which is what made is such a good read. You never knew what was going to be revealed and that, along with other things, kept me glued to the book. I did like small twist towards the end of the book about what Astura was. The way the author explained it was fantastic!!

Crystalyn had to be my favorite character in the book. From the beginning, when she was studying the book with symbols to her journey to Surbo, where the Circle of Light is, she was spunky and wanted to do things her way. When it was decided that she would go to Surbo with Lore Mother, Lore Rayne, Cudgel, Hastel, and Atoi, she started to find out that she could use her symbols in new ways….from healing to defense to attacking. But using them came with a price. I also loved her fascination with Darwin Darkwind. He was a bad boy (I think). Also, I loved Broth. Just saying to have a bond mate who could talk to you in your head is pretty sweet.

Jade was my other favorite character. She was unfortunate enough to end up in the Dark Citidal. Actually in an armory, of all places. She meets Cameo shortly afterward and he decides that he would help her escape after she told him what images she could see in his aura. I think Jade might have had it a bit rougher than Crystalyn about how bad her journey was. Jade had to crawl through a sewer to escape…..yucky. Cameo wasn’t a joy to travel with either. He was so distrusting of her and Burl it wasn’t even funny. It was only when Burl saved both of their hides, that he was coming around.

I wish Garn was featured more in the book and that he was reunited with his daughters at some point. But, I can see why the author chose not to do it and I do hope that he is reunited with his girls in the next book.

The fantasy/sci-fi element was very well written. The magic usage in the book was either very subtle or in your face, depending on who was using symbols. Crystalyn’s magic was in your face while Jade’s was more subtle. It was those differences that kept me glued to the book. I also liked that while there were deadly magical creatures, they weren’t all over the book. The wraiths and spiderbees were really the only ones that were detailed. To be honest, the spiderbees scared me.

The end of the book was a bit of a shocker. I was not expecting certain things and when they were revealed it did throw me for a loop. I do have some questions and I hope that they will be answered in the next book!!

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

Why: This is a very well written fantasy that I got really into reading. While I did put the book down, I really didn’t want to. I needed to know what would happen with Crystalyn, Jade and everyone else.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Young Teen

Why: Violence. Otherwise, it is a very clean book. There is one kissing scene and a couple of scenes where Crystalyn is very aware of Darwin but nothing that would hold me back from allowing a 13-year-old to read.

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

Bossed by Sloane Howell

Bossed

Title: Bossed

Author: Sloane Howell

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: March 28th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 203

POV: Alternating 1st person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

He’s the boss. But she’s ready to take charge.

In this provocative and sexy* office romance, a cheeky new hire tempts a hotshot sports agent to mix business with pleasure.

Jenny: Job interviews are a bitch under the best of circumstances, but when your potential boss is the world’s biggest prick, that’s when you should simply walk away. It’s just that I need this job so badly—and I’m mesmerized by Ethan Mason’s piercing gaze. Men like him aren’t supposed to exist in real life. But under the tailored suits and GQ looks, Ethan simmers with barely restrained ambition. And no matter how hard I work to fight the attraction, I’m going to get burned.

Ethan: You don’t become a top agent without learning how to close a deal. I always get what—or who—I want, by staying cool and in command. Then Jenny Jackson walks into my office with her lush curves and “screw you” attitude and blows away my intentions of keeping things professional. All I can think about is exploring the perfect body hidden beneath those conservative clothes or shutting her saucy mouth with one hot kiss. Jenny’s worth breaking the rules over—if I can convince her to break the rules for me.

*By sexy, we mean sexy. Like, 18+ sexy.

My review:

I was actually looking forward to reading Bossed based on the cover alone. I couldn’t get over the smirk that the model had on his face and hoped that the cover would live up to the book. I wasn’t disappointed on that end. The cover more than lived up to what I thought Mason would look like and to his arrogant behavior. I am just glad that Jenny wasn’t shown on the cover.

I couldn’t stand Jenny. She annoyed the ever-living out of me. I mean, she went into her interview and immediately started verbally sparring with Mason and then every scene with them afterward, at work, she was insubordinate. If she was my employee, she wouldn’t have been hired and if she was, she would have been fired as soon as she screamed at me to apologize to an employee who cost me millions of dollars. She was whiny too. I mean, she had her first orgasm, ever,  in the back of Mason’s car and then checks her phone to find out that her dad, who had terminal cancer, was in the hospital. She flipped out on Mason….like hardcore screaming and yelling at him. I get that her emotions were all over the place but dang, she needed to check it. And when her dad died, her flipping out on him because he went to a business meeting and his cell phone. I can’t even put that at grief. She was acting like a witch with a b. She was the one who sent him on the darn business trip…..with her blessings. There were some places in the book where I wanted to slip her a chill pill. She annoyed me that much.

Mason was just as unlikable at the beginning of the book. But I did like the change him in once he started seeing Jenny. I actually started to like him and by the end of the book, he achieved hero status by dealing with her. But, he wasn’t all nice. I mean, he broke up with her because he assumed that she cost him 10 million dollars on a pitcher when it ended up being information that he gave to her that was incorrect. And how he was at the beginning of the book…..he was a grade A idiot.

The sex scenes were pretty hot but what was hotter was the sexual tension between Jenny and Mason. It blew the book out of the water in that aspect because it made the first time they had sex beyond hot.

I thought the storyline with Jenny’s father was pretty sad and I really thought that he was going to make it. I actually cried when I found out he died.

The end of the book I liked. It was pretty standard with a HEA.

How many stars will I give Bossed: 3

Why: While I liked the story and half of the main couple, I really couldn’t get past Jenny

Will I reread: Maybe

Will I recommend to family and friends: Maybe

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

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

The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti

The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley: A Novel by [Tinti, Hannah]

Title: The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley

Author: Hannah Tinti

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Random House

Date of publication: March 28th, 2017

Genre: General Fiction, thriller

Number of pages: 399

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A father protects his daughter from the legacy of his past and the truth about her mother’s death in this thrilling new novel from the prize-winning author of The Good Thief.

After years spent living on the run, Samuel Hawley moves with his teenage daughter, Loo, to Olympus, Massachusetts. There, in his late wife’s hometown, Hawley finds work as a fisherman, while Loo struggles to fit in at school and grows curious about her mother’s mysterious death. Haunting them both are twelve scars Hawley carries on his body, from twelve bullets in his criminal past; the past that eventually spills over into his daughter’s present until together they must face a reckoning yet to come. This father-daughter epic weaves back and forth through time and across America, from Alaska to the Adirondacks.

Both a coming-of-age novel and a literary thriller, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley explores what it means to be a hero, and the cost we pay to protect the people we love most.

My review:

As someone who grew up the next town over from Salem (Peabody), I am always very interested when novels featuring The North Shore are written. I am always a little critical because of the author, usually not from the area, only focuses on Salem or Gloucester and what they are most known for Halloween (Salem) and fishing (Gloucester). It always irks me to read those books because the stereotypes scream from the books. The girl whose ancestors come from Salem and she finds out she has powers (Salem) or the fisherman who battles nature to get the big haul (Gloucester). Usually, I can’t get through the book, I have to DNF it because I want to gag. Happily, though, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley doesn’t have any of those stereotypes and that itself is refreshing. Also, the author herself is from Salem, so she knows the areas from Rockport to Lynn probably as well I do and that added just that extra touch of authenticity to her book.

I actually had to go to google Olympus and Dogtown. Just to make sure that Olympus isn’t there. Massachusetts is famous for having small towns that you can drive through and miss. Take Hathrone. It is a tiny town between Danvers and Middleton. When I say small, it is teeny. I think that it is actually considered part of Danvers but it has its own zip code and post office. I didn’t know it existed until about 15 years ago….when the guy I was dating actually told me about it….lol. So, googling Olympus to check it out became my main goal. Dogtown, I googled too even though I knew it was real.

I kinda felt bad for Loo at the beginning of the book. She moved around a ton and had a father that kept major secrets from her.  Saying that the moving around didn’t affect her would be lying. When they settled down in Olympus, things got really bad for her. I am glad that the author had Loo react the way she did to bullying. It was real. Nothing was hunky dory after the rock in the sock incident but the kids left her alone. And her anger issues after that. Oh Lordy, she needed anger management classes, therapy or both. Even with her kinda boyfriend, Marshall Titus, she was mean. Put it this way, Loo wasn’t a nice person by the end of the book, even though she tried to be one.

While Loo’s story wasn’t easy to read, Hawley’s story was even worse. The author chose to tell his story by each bullet wound that he got (12 in all). Hawley was not a good man….far from it. But he did try to turn himself around when he married Lily (Loo’s mother) and then they had Loo. But his past criminal life kept sucking him in and it eventually cost him everything. I could see why he was hiding it from Loo. He was protecting her but still. He should have left well enough alone (read the book if you want to know what I meant by that).

Hawley’s story and Loo’s story was seamlessly brought together towards the end of the book. The events that happened at the end of the book did leave it up in the air. You don’t know if there will be a HEA or what. That was pretty refreshing. I can see people complaining about it, though, saying that all books need clear-cut endings. But with this book, nothing was clear-cut so why should the end be?

How many stars will I give The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley: 4

Why: An engrossing book that kept me turning the pages until well after my bedtime. The characters were very complex and their relationships with each other and other characters were complex too. This is not an easy read, so be warned. I liked it because it was different from what I usually read and like I said above, the characters were complex.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence, language and some sexual situations.

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

Stripped Bare (Vegas Millionaires: Book 1) by Heidi McLaughlin

Stripped Bare (Vegas Billionaire, #1)

Title: Stripped Bare

Author: Heidi McLaughlin

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: March 28th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: Unknown

POV: Alternating 1st person

Series: Vegas Billionaires

Stripped Bare – Book 1

Can be read out-of-order from series: Yes, 1st book in series

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Goodreads synopsis:

They don’t call it the Strip for nothing. . . .

In this sinfully sexy Las Vegas romance from bestselling author Heidi McLaughlin, a man who has it all reunites with a woman who takes it all off.

Living in Sin City, Finn McCormick is no stranger to one-night stands, but the last person he expects to find losing big on the casino floor is a former high school fling. Even though Macey Webster’s clearly down on her luck, she’s still a knockout, and she’s dressed like a stripper—because she is one. Drunk off an unfamiliar cocktail of lust, pity, and compassion, Finn offers to pay Macey’s debts if she cuddles up to him around town . . . and does whatever he wants between the sheets.

Macey came to Vegas for one reason only: money. She’s got a young daughter to support, and the tips really are bigger in Vegas. But when she blows her earnings on blackjack, her guardian angel is the rich boy who once stole her heart and never called her back. Although Macey would love to turn the tables on Finn, she can’t afford to refuse his proposition—and soon she’s enjoying herself much more than she cares to admit. Macey’s used to bare her flesh, but baring her soul will take far more courage.

My review:

I am going to admit, I had very low expectations for this book based on the blurb. I should have known better than to read the blurb and go to myself “Oh, this book is going to interesting (insert sarcasm here) to read”. I really should have known better…sigh.

Instead of getting two people just banging each other for the entire book and then “falling in love”, there was a story. And the love part of the story, which mainly took part over two weeks, was drawn out. Sure there was sex and sure it was mind-blowing but that wasn’t the whole story.

My heart did break for Macey during the book. She really got the short end of the stick in life. She got pregnant at 17 after a one-night stand at a party, dropped out of high school to have her daughter and restored to stripping at night and waiting tables during the day to help pay the rent and keep a roof over her, her mother’s and her daughter’s head. She felt stuck because she couldn’t make enough money to move out of her mother’s apartment and she was upset because while she was working, her mother took care of Morgan, her daughter. Well if you called getting drunk and having strange men over all the time watching her. Macey feels awful because she has told Morgan to hide in the closet if strange men came over and that is not a way for a child to live. She also lives in fear that Children’s Services will eventually show up at her door and take Morgan away.

So, when she is told about how stripping in Las Vegas is so much better than stripping in the town she lives in, Macey decides to jump at the chance. She is desperate to get Morgan out of that living situation and feels that she has no other option but to go strip in Las Vegas. What a hard situation to be in and then to find out that when she went to the paternal grandmother for help, only to have the door slammed in her face, made it unbearable.

Finn, however, was a jerk in the beginning. When he saw Macey playing blackjack, he not only recognizes her as someone from his hometown but he tells Lamarr, his best friend, that he thinks he slept with her back before he went away to college and he pegs her as a stripper and maybe an escort. He then gets punched by Macey as she is leaving the casino in tears because she lost all the money that she earned. When he follows her, he propositions her. One week with him, doing what ever he wants when he wants for $30,000.

I found it funny that he assumed that Morgan was either Macey’s boyfriend or pimp. And I found it very ironic that Lamarr knew who Morgan was and if Finn had just asked, he would have known sooner and wouldn’t have put Macey through the wringer about it. I have to give her credit, though, she put up with his crap until the end and only because she needed the money.

Macey did get on my nerves, though, when she was dealing with Brandy. For such a strong woman, she was pretty weak about confronting Brandy and calling her out. She never thought to go to Finn and see if he actually said or did the things that Brandy said he did. She would just run back to the penthouse and cry about it until he came back and he explained things. Uggh.

I will say that the sex was very hot. Off the pages hot. I also liked that safe sex (because you know, I have nothing better to do with my life than worry about fictional characters sex lives) was used until almost the end. But by then, a lot of things had changed between Macey and Finn.

Like I said above, I thought the storyline was pretty reminiscent of Pretty Woman….except that Macey wasn’t a hooker, she was a stripper and she had a kid.

The storylines were wrapped up pretty good. I loved that Brandy got what was coming to her. I was in bed by the time I read that scene and I did a double fist pump. She was put in her place and then some!!!

I did figure out who Morgan’s father was by the middle of the book. I mean, the author didn’t try to hide it or throw red herrings out. So when it was revealed who it was, I was like “Yes” and “What’s next”.

The end of the book was a pretty standard HEA and the author made me jealous with the vacation location….lol.

How many stars will I give Stripped Bare: 4

Why: This was a hot read with a good but predictable plot. What I really liked is how strong Macey was. I also did like Finn towards the end of the book but I did think he was a jerk at the beginning.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes but with a warning about explicit sex.

Age range: Adult

Why: Explicit sex and language

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

Not Dead Enough: Tales of Windhaven by Watson Davis

Not Dead Enough: A Windhaven Chronicles Anthology (The Windhaven Chronicles) by [Davis, Watson]

Title: Not Dead Enough

Author: Watson Davis

Publisher: Unknown

Date of publication: September 20th, 2014

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Paranormal

Number of pages: 99

POV: 1st person

Series: The Windhaven Chronicles

The Devil’s Library – Book 1 (review here)

Not Dead Enough – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (through Amazon):

A Vampire Assassin and a Book of Evil.

With the Empress’ soul bound into the pages of a book, all Gartan the Cursed has to do is destroy it to be free of her forever, free to wreak his vengeance on those priests and nobles who treated him like a subhuman animal, free to return home to the ruins of a city he ruled centuries before.

But the Empress did not escape from Hell by accepting Her fate, and She is nothing if not cunning.

In this collection of sword and sorcery short stories set in the world of Windhaven, Watson Davis takes us on a harrowing series of adventures through ghost towns and vibrant cities, into the mouths of angry volcanoes and across stormy seas filled with monsters.

Continue reading “Not Dead Enough: Tales of Windhaven by Watson Davis” →

Framed and Burning (Dreamslippers: Book 2) by Lisa Brunette

Framed and Burning (Dreamslippers, #2)

Title: Framed and Burning

Author: Lisa Burnette

Publisher: Sky Harbor Press

Date of Publication: November 17th, 2015

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, General Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal

Number of pages: 391

POV: 3rd person

Series: Dreamslippers

Cat in the Flock – Book 1

Framed and Burning – Book 2

Bound to the Truth – Book 3

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A couple of PIs with the ability to “slip” into another person’s dreams find themselves defending one of their own. Someone sets fire to Mick Travers’ studio, killing his assistant, and Mick won’t give an alibi. Eccentric Granny Grace and her level-headed granddaughter Cat hope to prove his innocence and hunt down the real killer. Will they discover that a jealous rival was out to destroy Mick’s art—and reputation? Or is something even darker behind the arson and murder?

My review:

When I saw this book on NetGalley, I am going to admit, the main reason I requested it was because of the cover. I fell in love with it and decided that if the story is anything as good as the cover, then it would be a great read. Well, I am glad that I got approved for it. The story was great!!

The storyline about Mick’s assistant being killed in a fire was awful and wasn’t clear-cut who set the fire until literally the last couple of chapters. To be honest, like Cat, I thought that Mick did it by his dream until the evidence found at the scene. Also, him not giving an alibi was pretty shady. Everything and everyone is not what it seems in this book and that’s what I liked about it. It kept me on my feet.

I also liked that dreamslipping was not the only way that Cat and Grace caught criminals and solved mysteries from years past. They did it by some good old-fashioned detective work. Both Cat and Grace researched and followed leads. That’s the part of the book, to be honest, that caught my attention the most and fascinates me in real life.

I will say that the art part of the book kinda bored me. I just couldn’t get into Mick talking about his past as a successful artist and all the drama that went with it. While it went with the book and added depth to the characters, I just couldn’t keep my attention on those parts. To be honest, I skimmed over those parts, but I did reread them if it became clear that it was relevant to the book.

What I also didn’t like was that Mick was acting like a vigilante and the police really didn’t do anything. I mean, he roughed Candy up (smacked her around) and got a confession out of her about burning his beach house and he did basically the same thing with the child porn guy. Both times the police followed him or showed up where he was. It made me think that they were waiting for him to lead them to the victims.

I thought the end of the book was pretty good and who the killer ended up kinda blowing my mind because it was literally the last person I thought it was.

How many stars will I give Framed and Burning: 4

Why: I liked the book. It was an original, fast-paced mystery that definitely kept my attention. There are so many red herrings thrown into this book that when the killer was revealed, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, violence, and language

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

The Idea of You by Amanda Prowse

The Idea of You

Title: The Idea of You

Author: Amanda Prowse

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Date of publication: March 21st, 2017

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Number of pages: 332

POV: Alternating 2nd person and 3rd person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

With her fortieth birthday approaching, Lucy Carpenter thinks she finally has it all: a wonderful new husband, Jonah, a successful career and the chance of a precious baby of her own. Life couldn’t be more perfect.

But becoming parents proves much harder to achieve than Lucy and Jonah imagined, and when Jonah’s teenage daughter Camille comes to stay with them, she becomes a constant reminder of what Lucy doesn’t have. Jonah’s love and support are unquestioning, but Lucy’s struggles with work and her own failing dreams begin to take their toll. With Camille’s presence straining the bonds of Lucy’s marriage even further, Lucy suddenly feels herself close to losing everything…

This heart-wrenchingly poignant family drama from bestselling author Amanda Prowse asks the question: in today’s hectic world, what does it mean to be a mother?

My review:

This review is going to be a huge trigger alert. If you have ever had a miscarriage, was a teenage mother or was forced to give a child up for adoption…..don’t read this review. Hit the back button and keep on scrolling. If you do keep on reading and trigger from reading this….don’t say I didn’t warn you and don’t get upset. So read at your discretion and don’t go past the read more block I put up.

Continue reading “The Idea of You by Amanda Prowse” →

Capturing the Bear (Bear Shifter Games: Book 3) by A.J. Tipton

Capturing the Bear: A Billionaire Shifter Adventure (Bear Shifter Games Book 3) by [Tipton, AJ]

Title: Capturing the Bear

Author: A.J. Tipton

Publisher: AJ Tipton Enterprises

Date of publication: August 27th, 2016

Genre: Romance, Erotica, Paranormal

Number of pages: 67

POV: 3rd person

Series: Bear Shifter Games

Coaching the Bear – Book 1 (review here)

Conquering the Bear – Book 2 (review here)

Christmas with the Bear – Book 3 (review here)

Capturing the Bear

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Amazon):

A billionaire bear shifter afraid to leave his business behind. A controlling rabbit shifter who wants everybody to have fun her way. Lost on a tropical island, can they save each other?

Alpha Toby Toleri has spent his entire life ensuring the financial security of his clan. When he wins a tropical vacation with a beautiful stranger, his struggles to unplug put them both at risk. With torrential storms, deadly creatures, and hazardous terrain looming on all sides, can Toby save his dream girl before it’s too late?

Jadyn Hopper is a holistic therapist who thinks she has everything figured out. When she wins a trip to a resort with Toby, she pushes him to appreciate the wonder of nature on her terms. But when her well-intentioned hiking trip ends up with the pair lost in the jungle, she must reevaluate whether the handsome Toby may have more to offer than he seemed.

Capturing the Bear is a standalone paranormal romance novella in the “Bear Shifter Games” series, set in a contemporary world filled with unexpected wonders, magic, and suspense. If you like steamy romance, muscle-bound shifters, and tropical liaisons, you’ll love AJ Tipton’s breathtaking book.

My review:

Capturing the Bear features Jadyn, a rabbit shifter, who tied for first place with Toby, a bear shifter, and won a tropical vacation. Jadyn was excited (I mean, who wouldn’t be) but was getting more and more PO’d at Toby. See, Toby is having trouble unplugging….a problem that most people these days have. The whole plane ride and car ride to the resort, he was nose deep in the phone. Which drove her nuts (and to be honest, it would have driven me nuts too). So, once she got there, she decided that Toby and herself would take a hike on one of the paths in the jungle.

Toby was not happy about being dragged into the jungle and managed to keep his phone. Not that it did any good because it lost signal in the jungle. Which ticked him off because he was in the middle of a deal when he lost signal.

I really couldn’t get a feel for either Jadyn or Toby at first. Jadyn came across as pushy and Toby, well he couldn’t keep his attention on Jadyn. But that did change once they got lost and his phone lost signal. Then they had to depend on each other to outwit animals and weather while having beyond wild sex.

The sex, as always, was beyond hot. I did have a slight disconnect with them but I think that is because Toby didn’t take his darn head out of the phone until they were in the jungle.

The end of the book was pretty sweet and there was definitely a HEA!!!

How many stars will I give Capturing the Bear: 4

Why: I loved that this book was set in paradise and the hero couldn’t take his head out of his phone long enough to pay attention to the heroine, at the beginning of the book. Towards the end, he definitely paid attention to her. Oh yes, he did!!

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

Christmas with the Bear (Bear Shifter Games) by A.J. Tipton

Christmas with the Bear: A Forbidden Shifter Romance (Bear Shifter Games Book 4)

Title: Christmas with the Bear

Author: A.J. Tipton

Publisher: AJ Tipton Enterprises

Date of publication: October 2nd, 2016

Genre: Romance, Erotica, Paranormal

Number of pages: 64

POV: 3rd person

Series: Bear Shifter Games

Coaching the Bear – Book 1 (review here)

Conquering the Bear – Book 2 (review here)

Christmas with the Bear – Book 3

Capturing the Bear – Book 4

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A billionaire bear shifter longing for his forbidden love. A brilliant inventor, unable to control her temper. When these shifters from warring families fall for each other, will the feud tear them apart?

Billionaire architect Cabe Gabel has something missing in his celebrity-studded lifestyle. When he returns to his hometown to cheer on his nephew in the Christmas Shifter Games, Cabe comes face-to-face with his childhood friend and first love, Megan McPhee. The problem: Megan’s family has been at war with the Gabels for generations. Can Cabe defy his family’s heritage for his lost love?

Megan McPhee has a thriving business and a loving family, but she never forgot her first love, Cabe Gabel. When she sees him again, she vows not to let this second chance pass them by. But when their families’ past threatens the couple’s rekindled love, will Megan’s temper get in the way of what she truly wants?

Christmas with the Bear is a standalone paranormal romance novella in the “Bear Shifter Games” series, set in a contemporary world filled with unexpected wonders, magic, and suspense. If you like steamy romance, muscle-bound shifters, and Christmas magic, you’ll love AJ Tipton’s breathtaking book.

My review:

Christmas with the Bear is fashioned a little after Romeo and Juliet. I say a little because there were certain elements that reminded me of the play. The warring families was a huge one. The Gabel and the McPhee’s have hated each other for decades after the patriarch of the McPhee’s took the eye of the Gabel patriarch. Then there is also the romance between Cabe and Megan that was stifled in high school….because of the darn feud.

While this book is a Shifter Game short story, it is not focused on the adults. Lola made a version of the game for children. Cabe’s nephew and Megan’s niece are competing against each other in the game and the book takes off when Cabe takes his nephew to their secret training area and meets up with Megan….who also knows about the training area. It is there that Megan and Cabe’s relationship is jump-started again.

I loved that Megan was given an anger control problem. For some reason, it tickled me to read that. She was so touchy. I mean, the poor guy at the Ferris Wheel got the brunt of her temper at the Wonderanium.

I will say that the end of the book was pretty much a surprise to me. Only because it kinda came out of left field. But, it did explain all the hard feelings between the patriarchs….lol.

How many stars will I give Christmas with the Bear: 4

Why: I enjoyed the book. A great, short story in one of my favorite universes….ever.

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