Tag Archive: romance



Rowena and the Dark Lord
Rowena and the Dark Lord by Melodie Campbell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This review will be for ASIN: B00CIZZS70

Disclaimer: I was gifted this Kindle book for an honest review by the author. Thank you!!

I love the Rowena books! This is the second one. The first was Rowena Through the Wall. And the magic is that the wall at the back of the classroom that Rowena teaches in, leads to another land far less advanced in culture than 2013 Arizona. It is a land where magic can still be used. And women are nonexistent due to a curse. So when Rowena appears the men fall over themselves to own her.

But this review is for book two. Rowena is now pregnant with one of the men’s baby. She is able to use magic in this faraway land but finds she must visit Arizona once in a while. Due to things that happened in the previous book, Rowena is blessed and cursed to have even more modern people involved in this wall travel. Whew!

I love how Melodie Campbell is able to make both worlds seem very real. I love the characters and animals that are part of Rowena’s life on either side of the wall. And the plot is spot on. So exciting!

Book two doesn’t leave you with a cliffhanger, but there is a chapter for book three at the end of book two. Darn! Now I can’t wait to read that one! Great job, Ms. Campbell!

View all my reviews

Review: Submerged


Submerged
Submerged by Cheryl Kaye Tardif
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a ride! Submerged was like the scariest roller-coaster ride. You swear as you stand in line, that you might not even get on. You might turn around and watch everyone else ride. You read the warning signs about bad backs and weak hearts. But you like the author. You like her writing. Kind of like watching your friends get on the ride for the umpteenth time and egging you on. So you get on the ride and make sure the safety bar is down tight. You take a deep breath and hope you don’t barf, or get barfed on.

As usual, with a Cheryl Kaye Tardif novel, you know that there will be realistic situations with a cloud of mystery and macabre. There are lessons to be learned, like how to use the ResQme tool. I was fortunate to win one in a Submerged contest. I hope I never have to use it, but I feel a little safer by having it.

There are so many layers of story in this book. There is romance and terror, divorce and humor and in the middle of that there is family love and addictions. And even though it has some scary moments, I found that the author kept it from bogging down in the terrors. I doubt it will give me nightmares. But I will remember this book for a long, long time. I may even reread it someday. I highly recommend any of Ms. Tardif’s novels, but this may be her best yet.

View all my reviews


Daughter of Smoke & Bone
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh. My. Gosh! I think this is the best book ever! Thank you to all that recommended it so highly. I, too, now sing its praises!

Laini Taylor is the storyteller’s storyteller. Once I started into the world that she created I didn’t want to leave. In fact, though the copies I had of the hardback and the CDs were borrowed from the library, I couldn’t bear to return them had I not gone ahead and bought the Kindle and Audible versions to read again. And while I was at it I picked up the next in the series.

Oh, and I need to sing a few praises to the narrator, Khristine Hvam. I was caught up in the sound of her voice and her ability to wring out every nuance each word and even syllable the book had to offer.

The main character, Karou, is real, palpable. I could see through her eyes, smell what she smelled, anguish in choices to be made or mistakes that resulted. The cast of characters surrounding her were also real. I keep trying to come up with another word, after all this IS fantasy, but that is all I can come up with, real.

Magic is in abundance in the book, whether it is meant to be or not. Yet it is highly believable. And always leads to hope. Hope is the theme, I think. It made me feel it deep inside in places that haven’t felt it for a while. Hope. How many books give you that? That is a priceless commodity.

Please read this book with the audio along side. It immerses you into this world and you will feel hope, too.

View all my reviews


Of Wings and Wolves
Of Wings and Wolves by S.M. Reine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I hope there is more to this series as I love the relationship between Summer and the Angel Nash. Summer’s twin, Abram, doesn’t feature in this story as much. I assume we will learn more of his abilities later. Even so this story starts with Aunt Gwen taking care of Rylie’s babies in a new land. I would have loved to get more into Gwen’s story. I know she isn’t a young adult or new adult. And she’s a lesbian. Why is she a toss-away character? Please write her a book!

Okay, notice I did give this five stars. My personal complaints do not stop the story from being exciting from beginning to end. Summer is quite a character with spunk inherited from her mother and aunt. She doesn’t hold back from telling it like it is no matter what. Her life has been fairly idyllic until an angel comes into her life. She won’t let him get away with anything. I love her! She is a healthy person for young adults to emulate.

Ms Reine knows how to keep her readers engaged. Just about the time you might feel you could take a breath and look around the world she’s built, there is a new danger to fight through. This one is different than Rylie’s world so the problems are different. I just kept wondering how they would get through it all.

I highly recommend the series Seasons of the Moon and its extension the Cain Chronicles.

View all my reviews

Review: Darkmoon


Darkmoon
Darkmoon by S.M. Reine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Not many books throw the main character into the action pregnant with twins. Even worse, whose babies are they? Poor Alpha Rylie has found herself in this weird predicament. I love that the rivals for her love and progeny are brothers who have love for each other, often to their own detriment. And will these twins be pups or human? So many questions yet so much to do!

Meanwhile, Rylie’s aunt is now a zombie. And Cain, the rotten apple from Abel and Seth’s mother, is raising–well, Cain! Add to all that the care of a pack and Rylie’s got trouble!

This was another quick exciting read that had me up til the early morning. I had to know what was going to happen, and the action didn’t quit until that last page. No, it wasn’t a cliffhanger. Even so, I have made myself not read the next book until I write this so I won’t be confused again. SO–Read this series after Summer of the Moon series and enjoy!!

View all my reviews


The Cain Chronicles, Episodes 1-4: New Moon Summer, Blood Moon Harvest, Moon of the Terrible, Red Rose Moon
The Cain Chronicles, Episodes 1-4: New Moon Summer, Blood Moon Harvest, Moon of the Terrible, Red Rose Moon by S.M. Reine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another great work by S.M. Reine. I love her characters and stories. It was fun to go back and see Rylie, Seth and Abel. I find their evolving relationships so intriguing. They can’t live with modern societies rules of love. Two Alpha werewolves and a Kopic. Two brothers and the girl of their dreams. Human needs versus werewolf needs. A little polyamory needs to play out.

I keep trying to write this review on this batch of episodes but I am already reading book number five. I just couldn’t stop reading at the end of this four book box set.

Check out the Seasons of the Moon series first. The Cain Chronicles just gives us more time with the same cast of characters. Who doesn’t love to spend time with friends? Now, can I get back to book five? I am 67% into it and enjoying it thoroughly. ๐Ÿ™‚

View all my reviews

Review: Unbreakable


Unbreakable
Unbreakable by Joann Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Is there anything that befalls womankind that doesn’t appear in this series? Whew! Don’t get me wrong, as much as is covered in these books, these are not thrillers. Suspense is there, but you have a confidence that it will work out. Love seems to pull the characters and reader through it all.

This second book is even better than the first, if that’s possible. The characters are wonderful. I love them all. Well, that is, except the bad ones and even they are believable. This book had more the stresses of life as a rock-star and cop couple who happen to be lesbian. In this book we see the stresses of married life, fertility treatments, adoptions and so much more.

Erotica peppers the two books, but I feel it is fun and a natural part of being a couple. Spice of life, you know?

My favorite parts of the books, aside from the above fun, was the child, Calista. I fell in love with her in the last book, starting with sandcastles and that love continues into this one.

Although I have watched the reality show with Guiliana and Bill and the troubles they had with IVF treatments, I think climbing into the minds of Lynn and Alexis gave me a better appreciation of what women, couples, go through to get and stay pregnant.

That was on top of the bigoted treatment the couple had sustained in their individual lifetimes. When others can’t find it in themselves to love you in spite of the fact that you don’t fit their idea of what is normal and acceptable, yet all you want is love.

Gosh, I miss Lynn and Alexis! Though the author didn’t leave us on a cliffhanger, there were enough threads to let us know we were not finished. I can hardly wait to read book three!

View all my reviews

Review: Proximity


Proximity
Proximity by M.A. George
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked up this book on an author-giveaway-day on Smashwords. Somehow I forgot that I already had it. Then Kindle had a freebie day and I pick it up there, too. Does that ever happen to you? I look at the cover, it does play into how I feel about a book. Then I read the blurb and about the author. This book must have passed those criteria with flying colors!

After a slow start, getting to know the characters, Proximity took off. I was hooked. From about 60% of the book, I couldn’t stop reading. In fact, I was still reading at 5 this morning. Thank goodness for an ending that didn’t leave me hanging. Sure there was a few threads that need to be taken care of, but I was left elated which, of course, made me wakeful, wondering how the next bits will be taken care of. (Non-spoiler enough?)

I can’t wait for payday so I can get the next book. Thank you M.A. George for writing such a different, kind of story. Oh, and I need to mention how I loved that the characters were very well educated with goals and talents, along with a little romance. Very good!

View all my reviews

Review: Idolmaker


 

Idolmaker
Idolmaker by Jonelle Patrick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

Disclaimer: I was given this complimentary copy of Idolmaker by the author, Jonelle Patrick for an honest review.

 

I can’t believe I am finished with yet another of the Tokyo Mysteries. I so love this series. Though I have tagged this as romance, it isn’t led by that squishy, gooey stuff rather, these are people and caring is a part of their being.

 

These books do start with a murder and a wonder as to who did it and why. But the most important feature of the books is the character driven adventure of the two main characters, Yumi and Kenji. Thrown in the recent historical event of earthquake and tsunami, the criminal investigation is thrown for a loop.

 

The characters are believable and likable. I feel I have become friends with them through Jonelle Patrick’s ability to write from each character’s point of view.

 

Oh, what the couple goes through! Then the book wraps up nicely with only a small thread that gives promise that I don’t have to give up on my favorite Japanese couple. ๐Ÿ™‚

 

Thanks for letting me read this, Jonelle!

 

View all my reviews

 

 

Location of Tokyo within Japan

Location of Tokyo within Japan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Review: Gateway to Reality


Gateway to Reality
Gateway to Reality by Becca J. Campbell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I was given this Kindle version of the book for an honest review.

Let’s start off with what I loved. The worlds, especially Sea Clearly, And the Freefall (I can’t remember the name for it right now) world. I loved the way the characters could make their own worlds and move from one to the other. All great ideas. I would have loved even more world creating processes, seen into other characters points of view as they built and had their own relationships.

What I didn’t like, and nearly quit reading because of: ANGST. If this wasn’t from and author I like, looking for a review, I wouldn’t have read past the first chapter. A sentence could have summed it up. Wes screwed up and now he missed his girlfriend. The rest of the chapter reiterating the same thing drove it into the ground. By the end of the first chapter I hated Wes. I never quite got to the point of liking him. I kept saying to him: GET A LIFE! Here he was in a really cool dream? world? Why not just enjoy it?

Let me just say, I am in pain almost constantly. I read fantasy and sci-fi to escape. When a book spends so much time on the negative emotions, I get overwhelmed. By the way, that seems to be how the YA books go. It is the one reason I would never want to be an adolescent ever again. But Wes wasn’t an adolescent. He is older, working new adult. He has a wonderful family, good friends. Get on with life. When the life hits that could be even more fun, he is obsessing, stalking his ex. Didn’t like the ending or the bad guy either.

My advice to other readers: read only a bit of chapter one. It is worth getting to the rest of the book. I would love to see a book two with these worlds.

View all my reviews

Godinterest

Godinterest for Churches, Ministries, Businesses, Creators, and Believers Worldwide

moon.child โ™ก

๐˜š๐˜ค๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฑ๐˜ด ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜บ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด

venture

"Collect moments, not just destinations. Travel well."

Sebastian Stead - My Photography Blog

Hi! my name is Sebastian (You can call me Seb!) ...welcome to my Blog. I'm a photographer from Worcester, Worcestershire, England. Thanks for dropping by! I hope you enjoy my work.

My Awesome Blog

โ€œLog your journey to success.โ€ โ€œWhere goals turn into progress.โ€

Life of Chaz

Books, games, music, and life โ€” filtered through the mind of a writer, drummer, and philosopher who thinks too deeply about all of it. If it moves something in your chest, I'm interested.

Pieces Of My Heart

"Words & Wonders - Where thoughts meet art

๐Ÿ’ซThe Afterlove Voice๐Ÿ’ซ

Poetry, Justice,Spiritual,Astrology,Tarot,Healing

Amin Academy

Education, Information, Motivation

Luso Loonie โ€” Devin Meireles

Exploring Portuguese Culture, Azorean Heritage, and Luso-Canadian Identity Through Writing

UNDER THE WILL... OVER THE DRAMA...

Inheritance. Narcissism. Turf. Welcome to the family.