Source: NetGalley

Rakes and Roses by Josi S. Kilpack

Jerk to Hero? A case in Character Development Josi Kilpack is a wonderful writer and always includes deep insights into character and motivations. I didn’t think I’d care for this story as much as the other ones in this series because we’ve encountered Harry in previous books. He was a jerk. When I started the book, I did not care at all if Harry made a love match—especially with Sabrina because, in my opinion, she was too good for him. But then Josi’s writing led […]

May 5, 2020 | 0 Comments

What It Seems by Emily Bleeker

Another Psychological Thiller I am a big Emily Bleeker fan. I’ve read all her books and really liked them. I have to admit that this is my least favorite of her books, but I still liked it well enough. The main character is Tara/Angela—a 20 year old who has been raised in a horrendous, abusive, intolerable situation which just broke my heart. Her mother is awful. (Like angry, psycho, sadistically awful.) Part of me kept thinking this would never happen in real life. Except it […]

March 17, 2020 | 0 Comments

Mistaken Reality by Traci Hunter Abramson

Saint Squad/Guardian Crossover Abramson has two closely related series. First, the Saint Squad, about a Navy SEAL team where most of the members belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). Each book in this series has both a suspenseful military mission and a developing romance. The Guardian series is about a top-secret program that works in the shadows to protect members of the most elite government organizations. Again, this series has both suspenseful missions and budding romance. In this book, we […]

November 24, 2019 | 0 Comments

Secrets Never Die by Laurie Lewis

I can’t rave about this book enough! Okay, first off, one of my favorite types of books are suspense novels written kind of like British TV shows. They introduce a bunch of characters, and you don’t know how they relate at first. You don’t know who the bad guy is or what’s going on, but then as you read more you find the pieces fitting together until you finally get a complete picture and—if written well—a satisfying reveal which you only figure out seconds before […]

July 30, 2019 | 2 Comments

The Lady in the Coppergate Tower by Nancy Campbell Allen

Another great steampunk fairy tale! This is the third steampunk fairy tale romance from Nancy Campbell Allen. We start in London but this time we travel to Romania and you know what that means—vampire legends and dark magic! Hazel and Sam’s romance weaves through this story of revealed family secrets, intrigue and betrayal, with a healthy dose of steampunk. [br] What did I think? I loved all the steampunk elements—they added to the story without getting bogged down in the tech. The characters were well-written […]

July 26, 2019 | 0 Comments

The Lady and the Highwayman by Sarah M. Eden

Three Stories in One! I loved this book! First off, Sarah M. Eden is a great writer. She has lovable and relatable characters, strong plots, and great settings. So any story of hers is going to be good. But this one is a romance where both characters are Penny Dreadful writers—and we get to read both of their stories as well! Penny Dreadful stories began in the mid-1800s, were often serialized, usually shorter stories (what we would call novellas) and focused on action, adventure, and […]

July 20, 2019 | 0 Comments

The Redgrave Murders by A.L. Sowards

Murder, Mystery, and Romance Unlike many of the novels by A.L. Sowards, this one is not set on the battlefield. It takes place back at home, at the end of WWII. But the war still haunts the people and events of this book. I love a good mystery/suspense, and at its heart, that’s what this story is—but there’s also a strong romance running through it. It deals with so many themes: loss, grief, betrayal, prejudice, interracial relationships. And then there’s the mystery of who is […]

June 24, 2019 | 0 Comments

The Candy Cane Caper by Josi S. Kilpack

Sadie is back!!! I just cannot tell you how excited I was when I heard there was going to be a NEW Sadie Hoffmiller cozy mystery. I have loved every single one of the previous 12 books and I’m thrilled that we get to revisit her world. In this book she and Pete are happily married and are preparing to spend the holidays hosting family. Sadie hasn’t done much investigating lately. Instead, she’s been volunteering at the local senior center—and she has stumbled upon a […]

June 3, 2019 | 0 Comments

The Kitty Committee by Kathryn Berla

Dark & Twisty Amazon needs to add a new genre category: dark and twisty. I generally like twisty. I love it when I can’t figure things out until the very end. Dark, I have a love/hate relationship, depending on what exactly makes it dark. Told in first person, Grace goes back and forth between memories of “something” that happened during her high school years to the results of that event that follow her to college and beyond. Sometimes when a story does that, it becomes […]

August 1, 2018 | 0 Comments

{Review} Simply Anna by Jennifer Moore

Jennifer Moore is fast becoming one of my favorite regency romance authors—right up there with Sarah M. Eden and Jane Austen. I loved her first two books, Becoming Lady Lockwood and Lady Emma’s Campaign. She has a few others that are still on my to-be-read list. As with the other two books I’ve read, Moore continues to write compelling and realistic characters for her time period, setting them in lush landscapes that add to the story without slowing it down. The main characters from those […]

November 28, 2015 | 0 Comments

{Review} Always Will by Melanie Jacobson

ALWAYS WILL was a fun, fast read for me. It’s not my favorite by Melanie Jacobson, but it’s in the top 3 (#1 Painting Kisses, #2 The List). I love fun and quirky characters. Hannah, Will, and Hannah’s best friend, Sophie, were great. So were a few of the guys Hannah met online. I found myself laughing out loud (literally) at some of their teasing interchanges. Funny and clever dialog all over the place! For example, this conversation between Hannah and Will: Will: “What is […]

November 27, 2015 | 0 Comments

Review: Followed by Frost by Charlie N. Holmberg

I totally loved this book! It may very well make my Top 10 of 2015 list. I don’t know if this was based on a fairytale−if it was, it’s not one I’m familiar with. But the rhythm and cadence of the story is very reminiscent of some of my favorite classic fairy tales. Although the concept of a girl whose touch freezes those who get too close makes Disney’s Frozen immediately leap to mind, this is not at all the same story. It reminded me […]

September 16, 2015 | 0 Comments