Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Review: Love on Main Street (anthology) by Juliet Blackwell, Rachael Herron, Lisa Hughley, Ruby Laska, Cecilia Gray, Adrienne Bell, L.G.C. Smith

Title: Love on Main Street
Author: Juliet Blackwell, Rachael Herron, Lisa Hughley, Ruby Laska, Cecilia Gray, Adrienne Bell, L.G.C. Smith
Read copy: eBook
Published: October 20, 2013
Publisher: Pens and Friends
ISBN: 1940785022
ISBN-13: 9781940785028

Where love begins on Main Street and ends happily ever after....

Christmas, the most magical season, is almost upon the small mountain town of Snow Creek. For seven couples, holiday wishes mean more than just gifts or parties. Can Snow Creek pull off its annual holiday miracle of bringing love to town?

Seven original romances from sweet to sinfully sexy by New York Times and bestselling authors as well as promising new talent.


QUEEN OF HEARTS BY JULIET BLACKWELL

Serafina Rogers is not an impulsive person, but lately something’s gotten into her. She walked away from warm San Diego, her scumbag ex-fiance, and her teaching job in order to come to Snow Creek and take over her deceased aunt’s witchy supply store. Unfortunately, her hunky cowboy landlord, Joe, has other plans for the space, which hasn’t turned a profit in years. Neither Joe nor Serafina believe in magic, much less romance. But when a Yule log is tossed on the fire, Serafina begins seeing things in her aunt’s deck of cards, and Joe’s niece goes missing...they might just have to change their minds.


THE HOLIDAY SHOW BY LGC SMITH

Christy Monroe hates Christmas. The excess, the inevitable disappointments—bah. Dan Rose loves Christmas. The fun, the way his bakery smells—it’s all a little magical, especially in Snow Creek. When their first-grade daughters decide they want to be sisters, Christy and Dan had better watch out. The girls maneuver their parents into organizing the elementary school holiday show together. It doesn’t take long for Dan to make it his goal to change Christy’s mind about Christmas—and taking a chance again on love.


LET IT SNOW BY CECILIA GRAY

After losing her parents, Jessica can't bear to lose her childhood home and family bookstore, too. When they're taken from her, she has nowhere to go...except the arms of Daniel, Snow Creek's resident hero paramedic. It's not the Christmas miracle Jessica wanted, but it might the one she needs...


SECOND CHANCES BY ADRIENNE BELL

There’s no doubt in Eileen Ledger’s mind that the last time she saw hockey superstar Paul McAlester she made the biggest mistake of her life. Only, she’s never been sure if the mistake was in kissing him, or in running away. But ten years later, Paul is back in town for Christmas, and Eileen has a second chance to make things right...as long as she can keep herself from falling in love again.


A CHRISTMAST YARN BY RACHAEL HERRON

Knitting has always served as a distraction, something that Clara can hide behind. After a significant weight loss, though, she's still not sure if she wants to be noticed. When sexy Lincoln ends up on the front porch of her yarn store, he seems to see everything clear as day. Will Clara finally be seen for her true self?


MISS BONNY'S BURIED TREASURE BY RUBY LASKA

Caroline Bonny has always known about her family curse: no Bonny daughter will ever marry until her great-great-great-grandfather's buried treasure is found. Caroline has made her peace with her life as a spinster-turned-cosmetologist, until easy-on-the-eyes schoolteacher Lance Carter comes to town determined to drown his recent breakup in holiday festivities.


ONE SILENT NIGHT BY LISA HUGHEY

Nick and Ally Carpenter split up months ago after years of infertility treatments crushed their marriage and their dreams of children. When the couple reunites for the holidays to make a dying woman happy, can an unexpected miracle show them the way back to love or is it too late?


My rating:

***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***

I didn't "get" Queen of Hearts. It was too short for any kind of character development, the characters were bland and one-dimensional, and the "plot" forced.

While the first one was too short, The Holiday Show was too long. Convoluted, slow, stretched-thin...I couldn't care less about the characters, their reasoning, or their motivations.

Let It Snow was cute. The heroine was a bit idiotic with her fantasies, the hero was a bit idiotic doing "the honorable thing", but it still worked. Cute, sweet, and funky.

Second Chances was pretty "meh". A second-chance-romance, that would've worked better with a little more background, and length.

A Christmas Yarn was yet another miss in this collection. I just couldn't get past the heroine's obsession with looks. I guess the hero's handicap was supposed to "enlighten" her that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I just didn't care.

Cute, sweet, and funny, Miss Bonny's Buried Treasure was the highlight of this collection. Just the right amount of quasi-angst, and romance, and that added touch of humor, created a great combination.

One Silent Night could've been a nice little bow on the present, but I hate miscommunication stories. The issues and missed signals are there only as plot ploys, without them there would be no story. Cheap tricks are not my thing.

Review: 'Til Death Do Us Part by Amanda Quick

Title: 'Til Death Do Us Part
Author: Amanda Quick

Read copy: eBook
Published: April 19, 2016
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 069819361X
ISBN-13: 9780698193611

Calista Langley operates an exclusive “introduction” agency in Victorian London, catering to respectable ladies and gentlemen who find themselves alone in the world. But now, a dangerously obsessed individual has begun sending her trinkets and gifts suitable only for those in deepest mourning—a black mirror, a funeral wreath, a ring set with black jet stone. Each is engraved with her initials.

Desperate for help and fearing that the police will be of no assistance, Calista turns to Trent Hastings, a reclusive author of popular crime novels. Believing that Calista may be taking advantage of his lonely sister, who has become one of her clients, Trent doesn’t trust her. Scarred by his past, he’s learned to keep his emotions at bay, even as an instant attraction threatens his resolve.

But as Trent and Calista comb through files of rejected clients in hopes of identifying her tormentor, it becomes clear that the danger may be coming from Calista’s own secret past—and that only her death will satisfy the stalker...


My rating:

Monday, September 5, 2016

Review: Savage Silence by Ellis Leigh

Title: Savage Silence
Series: The Devil's Dires
Author: Ellis Leigh
Read copy: eBook (Kindle)
Published: August 30, 2016
Publisher: Kinship Press
ASIN: B01L0ZXG0Y

There’s no escaping a Dire Wolf on the hunt

Dire Wolf Thaus preferred the silence, having spent most of his time alone as the weaponry expert of his pack. But a mission outside of his expertise will challenge him more than he ever expected and threaten more than just his life.

Some memories are too horrific to forget. When Ariel’s fragile balance is upended, she’ll do whatever it takes to stay alive. Including running off with a man who scares her almost as much as he intrigues her.

An unexpected hero and a woman with scars deeper than one can see crash together on a mountainside fraught with its own dangers. In the world of the Dire Wolves, an Omega shewolf is a blessing none of them deserves. But when an angel sings his name, Thaus will go to hell and back to keep her safe and at his side.

One soldier, one fight…one chance at forever.


My rating:

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Review: Savage Seduction by Ellis Leigh

Title: Savage Seduction
Series: The Devil's Dires
Author: Ellis Leigh
Read copy: eBook (Kindle)
Published: July 12, 2016
Publisher: Kinship Press
ASIN: B01GKNZ5HI

There’s no escaping a Dire Wolf on the hunt

Mammon of the Dire Wolves is too good of a soldier to go against orders. But obsession has a way of breaking you down, and even a shifter as disciplined as he has trouble going with the grain when there’s a fated connection dragging him the other way. Too bad that connection is to a woman he sees as his enemy.

Charmeine was brought up in luxury and wealth as the ward of a shifter businessman, even if that business wasn’t quite the legal kind. Money can’t stop hate, though, a fact proven by a ruthless band of shifters intent on destroying her family. Years of fighting—and losing—means she doesn’t trust strangers, especially not the one on the wrong side of the war the fates decided to tie her to.

One soldier breaking rules and ignoring orders, one princess dead set against falling for the enemy, and a group of killers with a single-minded focus on ending them both. For Dire Wolves, following a direct order from their leader should be as simple as breathing. But a single glance makes simple the harder choice and forces Mammon to risk his brotherhood to protect the mate he hates to love.

One soldier, one fight… one chance at forever.


My rating:

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Review: Savage Sanctuary by Ellis Leigh

Title: Savage Sanctuary
Series: The Devil's Dires
Author: Ellis Leigh
Read copy: eBook (Kindle)
Published: June 7, 2016
Publisher: Kinship Press
ASIN: B01DSHY4LW

There’s no escaping a Dire Wolf on the hunt

Even as the playboy of the Dire Wolves, Levi isn’t exactly a soft touch. He likes his liquor, his women, and his photographs...but he also has an affinity for sharp knives and claws. What starts as an assignment to investigate humans finding their way onto a pack’s land quickly becomes something darker, more dangerous, and a whole lot hotter than he expected.

Amy refuses to leave her pack behind, but living in the small town at the base of their mountain gives her enough freedom not to feel trapped. So does running the diner she owns and loves. But someone’s been watching her a little too closely, and it’s not the handsome wolf shifter who crashes into her kitchen one night looking at her as if she is the last woman on earth.

One soldier who’s never cared enough stay, one woman whose roots run too deep to leave, and a stalker with more than just peeping on his mind. In the world of the Dire Wolves, a simple mission means standing your ground and fighting to the end. But this time, a single glance blows simple right off the mountain and forces Levi to run when he’d rather stand and fight…just as long as his mate is running with him.

One soldier, one fight…one chance at forever.


My rating:

Review: Claiming Their Christmas / Baby Mine by Ellis Leigh

Title: Feral Breed: Volume Two
Series: Feral Breed Motorcycle Club
Author: Ellis Leigh
Read copy: eBook (Kindle)
Published: July 1, 2016
Publisher: Kinship Press
ASIN: B01HUQEFGQ

CLAIMING HIS BEAUTY
When Beast falls into Calla's life, he's more than a little surprised to meet his mate--a woman he knows he should walk away from. But danger hovers around every corner, and Beast refuses to leave her vulnerable. Protecting one human woman wouldn't be a challenge, but Beast has to battle his past mistakes, stay under the radar of the local pack, and rescue two people he never expected to love. One of whom has yet to take her first breath.

CLAIMING HIS FIRE
After a chance meeting leads to a fiery clash, Shadow and Scarlett work hard to break themselves apart as the thread of destiny pulls them closer together. But secrets and lies aren't a stable foundation for a relationship, and the walls between them are easier to build higher than to tear down. When the truth comes out and the smoke clears, will their fragile connection be burnt through or tempered by the heat? And can their fated bond survive the war brewing in their world?

CLAIMING HIS DESIRE
A psychic's dream takes Aoife on a cross-country journey that leads her straight into the battle at Merriweather Fields...and the path of her mystery man. When Jameson realizes his mate is very much alive--most of the time--his renewed zest for life leaves him in a treacherous predicament: protect the men and women of his breed, his friends and Feral Breed brothers, or keep the woman fate says is his perfect match out of harm's way.

Loyalties shift the landscape and not everyone can find their way across when Death comes out to play in this final, full-length installment of the Feral Breed series.

Also includes the novellas CLAIMING THEIR CHRISTMAS and BABY MINE.


My rating (for the two novellas only!):

Review: Claiming His Prize by Ellis Leigh

Title: Claiming His Prize
Series: Feral Breed Followings
Author: Ellis Leigh
Read copy: eBook (Kindle)
Published: March 15, 2016
Publisher: Kinship Press
ASIN: B01ARY92M0

Dragons don’t play well with others...

Dragon-shifter Piers has been fighting at The Pack House—an underground MMA-style fight ring for shifters—for months. He’s bested every opponent, won every prize, except the attention of the hot female doctor he can’t get off his mind.

Doctor Jane patches up shifters to keep her father safe, a fate not of her choosing. She’d be okay with her lot in life if it weren’t for the handsome dragon shifter with the charming smile she can’t stop thinking about.

When another dragon claims Jane as his mate, Piers will have to fight to the death to save her from a fate she didn’t choose. But the biggest obstacle in his way isn’t the fire-breathing dragon set on claiming what isn’t his, but the doctor herself who might choose duty over everything else. Maybe even him.

Scales will fly, hisses will sound, and dragons will take to the sky, but only one will end up with the ultimate prize: love.


My rating: