Showing posts with label 3 stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 3 stars. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

No Cowboys No Angels Review Tour

Blurb:
A cozy romantic mystery with suspense, Book 1 from The Mystery Angel Romances series. An angel hidden in every book . . . it's up to the reader to figure out who.

In No Cowboys No Angels, Kellen Brand's inheritance turns out to be a whopper—one dilapidated farm in West Virginia and one guardian angel!

Since Kellen is convinced no sane woman would choose to live in Riverside, she vows to sell her farm and quick. Her handsome neighbor Luke Kenyon must block the farm sale or risk exposure of his family's secrets. While Kellen has located one potential buyer, she faces a town full of objectors. Someone is trying to frighten her off, and Luke is forced to step in and rescue her more than once.

Unfortunately, Kellen can't seem to stay out of trouble. She stumbles onto a clandestine hazardous-waste-dumping operation next to her farm, and she prays Luke has one more rescue up his sleeve. It's her only hope of staying alive.

Unless her mother really did leave her a guardian angel . . .



Excerpt:
“So, why are you here? On my front porch. Peeking in my windows.”

Kellen gave Luke a glare fit for the devil. “I was not peeking. I was trying to see if anyone was home.”

He waited.

Her eyes narrowed. “I didn’t want anything.” She hesitated. “I wasn’t doing anything.”

“Well, if you didn’t want anything and you weren’t doing anything . . .” He eased the powerful horse right up next to her though she stood her ground on the bottom step. “. . . then you must need a ride home.”

He snatched her off the step before she could answer and counted on the little spitfire having the presence of mind to swing her leg over the horse when Windsor took off. She didn’t disappoint him. The stallion streaked for the break in the tree line, and she clung to him like a tick on a coon dog. The feel of her arms around his waist had his heart rate matching Windsor’s rhythmic gait once again. Through the tree break and across her unplowed fields, they galloped.

He should slow the horse on the uneven ground. He really should. But if he did, Kellen would loosen her death grip on him.

The sure-footed stallion galloped across the fields as though he knew right where Luke was headed. He waited to the last possible second to rein in the black horse at Kellen’s front steps, then reached around at the same time to slide her off Windsor’s back. Once her feet touched the ground with her balance assured, he tapped his heels to the stallion and cantered back across the fields. He didn’t dare risk a backward glance and spoil his memory of the ride with another hard glare from the beauty.



My Review:
3 stars

I liked the twist of a guardian angel and spent most of the book trying to guess if there really was one or not. I also liked the will-they-won’t-they vibe between Kellen and Luke. Their chemistry fairly leaped off the page at times, and it was fun seeing them interact.

The only downsides to the story were that the non-angel plot was fairly predictable, and I figured out the mystery before the end. Also, at times I was annoyed with Kellen and had a hard time relating with her as some of her decisions didn’t seem logical and appeared to only be used as plot devices.

Overall though, this was a fun cozy mystery with a unique storyline twist regarding the guardian angels. If you’re looking for a nice cozy mystery with some awesome romance and a unique flavor, I would recommend giving this a try.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*



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Author Bio and Links:
Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World—"The  Most Magical Place on Earth"—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her "day" job to write her stories full-time. These days Petie spends her time writing sequels to her regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and her cozy-mystery-with-romantic-suspense series, the Mystery Angel Romances.

Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and a noisy Nanday conure named Sassy who made a cameo appearance in No Angels at Christmas coming April 2019.

Visit Petie's website or her Facebook page.

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Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Can't Stop the Music Review Tour

Blurb:
Jammed highways, food shortages, and rainstorms can’t stop the music when hippies Rose and Dakota hear the melody of love at the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival. Or can it? When a jealous wannabe girlfriend and misunderstandings drive them apart, the couple loses track of one another in the massive crowd. Will they find each other again, or live lives of missed opportunities?



Excerpt:
When they reached the makeshift bridge over the road, someone yelled, “Hey beautiful! You with the red hair.”

She looked around to see if there was anyone else with red hair. Then she glanced up and spotted two guys, one blond and the other dark-haired, leaning over the side of the bridge.

“Yeah, you,” the blond called out as he caught her gaze.

Willow halted beside her. “He’s cute. How about him?”

Rose looked away, her gaze landing on the other guy.

He jabbed his companion in the ribs. “Quit trying to pick up every girl you see.” Then he leaned farther over the rail. “Don’t pay any attention to him. He’s high.”

“So she’s not beautiful?” Willow yelled to the hippie.

She poked her friend. “Stop it, Willow, you’re making a scene.” In spite of her protest, her gaze remained on the dark-haired guy.

He rested his elbows on the rail and stared back at her. The intensity of his expression shot heat into her belly.

“I didn’t say that, just that she shouldn’t pay attention to him.” He flapped a hand at his blond buddy, then tapped his own chest with his thumb several times as if to say, ‘Choose me!’

Does he want me to pay attention to him? Her heart thumped in rhythm to his jabbing thumb.

“Take that one,” Willow whispered. “He’s the real cutie.”



My Review:
3 stars

I loved the authors’ writing style, which really made this a winner for me.
The details were vivid and engaging, the characters were likable, and I loved how the authors interweaved both the Tree and music throughout the story. I had a lot of fun just trying to recognize all the music references throughout the story.

Unfortunately, I felt the ending was a tad underwhelming, especially after all the details and such throughout the rest of the story. I would have liked to read more, and I felt it wrapped up a bit too quickly after all the angst throughout the story. I will also say that this story requires major suspension of disbelief, especially considering they didn’t spend much time together before a 10-year separation. However, it was a fun, lighthearted read that I would recommend to anyone looking for a quick romantic read.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*



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Author Bio and Links:
Two hearts creating everlasting love stories.

Putting words and stories on paper is second nature to co-authors C.D. Hersh. They’ve written separately since they were teenagers and discovered their unique, collaborative abilities in the mid-90s. As high school sweethearts and husband and wife, Catherine and Donald believe in true love and happily ever after.

The books of their paranormal romance series entitled The Turning Stone Chronicles are available on Amazon. They also have a short Christmas story, Kissing Santa, in a Christmas anthology titled Sizzle in the Snow: Soul Mate Christmas Collection, with seven other authors.

They are looking forward to many years of co-authoring and book sales, and a lifetime of happily-ever-after endings on the page and in real life.

Website    |    Soul Mate Publishing Author Blog     |     Facebook
Amazon Author Page     |     Twitter     |     Goodreads


Buy Links:

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Sky Raiders Review Tour

Blurb:
When the people of Barit first saw the silver glint of sky craft, they felt awe. Then awe turned to fear. And they found a name for the mysterious newcomers. Sky raiders.

Garek's one year of duty as a guard walking the walls of Garamundo was extended to two when the sky raiders appeared. Two long years away from home and his lover, Taya. When he finally returns, the town is empty. While Garek was protecting Garamundo, the sky raiders were taking their victims from his hometown.

Taya can't bear looking into the night sky. All she can see is Barit, her home planet. Impossibly, the sky raiders have brought her and their other victims to Shadow, the planet that shadows her own, and looking up makes her aware of everything she's lost. Garek is out there somewhere. She knows he'll look, but he'll never find her.

She and the other captives have to find a way to escape. Without the food and clothes the sky raiders bring them from their raids on Barit, they'll starve on the almost barren wastes of Shadow. And when they've given the sky raiders enough of what they want, that's exactly what the sky raiders will leave them to do.

What Taya doesn't realize is she'll have some help with her plan. Because Garek isn't giving up on finding her. And he's even more resourceful than she could ever have imagined.

Nothing is going to keep him from Taya. Not even space itself.


Excerpt:
He'd asked her to wait for him, and then he'd disappeared for two years.

As he reached the top of the pass and started down the steep path to the valley below, Garek wondered just how angry Taya would be.

That she would be angry enough to have taken someone else sat like week-old loaf in his stomach, heavy and sickening.

He'd had no choice, had come as soon as he could . . . he tried to shake off the chill that touched him, despite the bright day. He'd take her anger, her fury--he'd take it all if it meant he didn't find her with someone else.

He forced himself to pay attention as the path became steeper still, and frowned at how badly maintained the way had become, as if no one had repaired the damage a winter in the mountains could do to a narrow track. The spring thaw had come and gone, replaced by a golden summer, and the snow had retreated to the tops of the mountains.

Kas should have done something about the erosion by now, even though this path was a shortcut few besides the villagers knew of, cutting across the Crag and shaving hours off the journey through the foothills.

The familiar landscape tugged at something inside him. He hadn't thought himself sentimental, and though he'd missed Taya with an ache that hurt worse than a knife to flesh, he hadn't thought the sight of the rolling hills and high peaks would affect him. The crowds and enclosing stone walls of Garamundo had been something to bear stoically, but he was surprised how easy it was to breathe here, and it wasn't just because the air was sweet with the scent of summer grass.

When he'd left two years ago, the only thing he'd regretted was leaving Taya behind him, and he'd come back only to fetch her.

Fetch her and run, as fast as possible.


My Review:
3 stars

I have mixed feelings about this story. On the one hand, it had everything I love. Strong female lead? Check. Interesting sci-fi with a dash of romance and adventure? Check. Intriguing plot? Check. Yet I just didn’t quite click with it and had a tough time getting into it. I wasn’t particularly drawn to either character, and while I really liked the sci-fi elements, I felt like the different genres didn’t always mesh together well. The plot was also interesting, but again, something just felt off to me. Part of it I think is because I don’t read a lot of stories with estranged lovers, as it’s not really my thing. However, it was still enjoyable, even if it wasn’t my cup of tea, and I would recommend giving it a read, if only to see if it is more to your liking. 

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.*


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Author Bio and Links:
Michelle Diener is the author of the bestselling, award-winning Class 5 series. She writes historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy and loves creating new worlds for her and her readers to escape to. She lives in Australia with her husband and two children.

Website    |    Facebook    |    Twitter
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Author Page on Amazon

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Seducing the Chef Review Tour

Blurb:
Allie Blakefield, editor of Good Eatin' wants to do a feature on Five Cuisines a restaurant across the river from NY City. Her father forbids the feature and won't say why. She's not one to sit back and be ruled by someone. She borrows a friend's apartment.

While leaning over the balcony she sees a handsome dark haired man doing a Yoga routine. He looks up and she is struck by the Blakefield curse. Love at first sight.


Excerpt:
Allie tied her sneakers and walked to the sliding doors leading to the apartment’s balcony. She’d arrived in the Hudson River village late last evening and settled in. Before Steve left he’d made her reservations at Five Cuisines for her under the name she used when scouting restaurants. The reservations were for the six PM seatings for five nights in each of the rooms.

She drew a deep breath of air not redolent with city odors. She walked to the railing. A warm early June breeze caressed her skin. Cloud puffs scudded across the blue sky. Several sailboats glided past. She watched until they neared the Tappan Zee Bridge.

A sound caught her attention and she looked down. If this was the neighbor Steve had mentioned he had been right. The man was definitely her type. He wore black work-out silk pants and flowed from one Yoga position to another. His tanned sculpted body was glorious. Her blood stirred.

She sucked in a breath. A man who looked as fabulous surely had been claimed years ago. Her last relationship had died four months ago and no one had appeared. The constant jetting about the country wasn’t conducive to long term relationships.

Face it. None of the men she’d dated in the past had made her want to remain earth-bound.


My Review:
3 stars

This was a fun, short, and sexy read. While there isn’t a whole lot of character development, the story moves quickly, pulling the reader along. There is a lot of sex in this, to the point where I would categorize this as an erotic romance novella, which I wasn’t expecting. There was a plot, but the romance and passion between the two characters were definitely the main focus. Plus, certain elements of the plot had me scratching my head in confusion or needing to suspend belief. In other words: Romeo and Juliet with less drama, more sex, and a happy ending, all with a tad of fairy tale magic thrown in. Oh, and some amazing and delicious sounding dishes.

My only big complaint about the book is that it needs editing. There were quite a few comma mistakes, not to mention other grammatical errors, which kept pulling me out of the story. The grammar errors aside, this makes for a fun quick summer read, and I am interested in seeing what happens with Meg in book 2.

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.*




Author Bio and Links:
Janet Lane Walters, an award winning author has been published for 46 years. Before graduating to novels, she published short stories and poetry. She writes romance from sweet to spicy. Some are contemporary, some paranormal and some fantasy. She has also written mysteries and suspense and even strayed into non-fiction. Becoming Your Own Critique Partner written with Jane Toombs won an EPIC award.

Janet Lives in the scenic Hudson River valley with her husband of many years. Her psychiatrist husband considers her writing an obsession, but one he refuses to cure. She's the mother of four and the grandmother of seven - four biracial children and three Chinese children. In the past she has composed music and earned enough money casting Horoscopes to fund a trip to Ireland. She tries to live up to her eclectic writer name by living an eclectic life.

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Sunday, May 8, 2016

Lime and Tangerine Blog Tour

Synopsis:
The post-apocalyptic world has changed. Colors have changed.

The skies are now red, and the seas fandango pink.

There are those who’ve acquired skills as “squinters”. By narrowing their eyes, they can see people in different colors—colors by which they can define their mood.

Senlin was born a squinter. A child of the foster system, the lack of love  has left him with casual views on sex.

When Sicong recruits him into SQX, a squinter organization, Senlin wants nothing more than to jump his bones, but Sicong’s detachment makes Senlin believe his feelings aren’t reciprocated.

Senlin and Sicong’s relationship begins to grow as they undertake missions together.

That is, until an enemy of SQX turns his attention upon them.

Buy Links:
Don’t miss the WIP and ARe Mother’s Day Sale – 40% off from May 6th to May 9; or the Science  Fiction Sale – 30-40% off on all book retailer sites!
WIP     |     Amazon US     |     Amazon UK
Amazon AU     |     Amazon DE     |     ARe




Why Gay Romance and Sci-Fi Genre?
Thank you for hosting me.

Lime and Tangerine falls under both Sci-Fi and Gay Romance genres. Sci-Fi/Fantasy genres don’t come natural for me. I suppose I’m not as imaginative as some of the fellow authors in this aspect. I’ve always been more fascinated with contemporary real life situations rather than science fiction, and it’s safe to say I haven’t read much of the sci-fi classics. While I enjoy movies like Star Trek and Star Wars, I’d never class them as my favourites. This story started off as a submission invitation for a sci-fi/fantasy anthology. The anthology fell through but I fell in love with Senlin and Sicong.

Contrary to sci-fi/fantasy genre, gay romance comes so ever naturally. I’m gay and I’m, in heart, an old-fashioned romantic. I love seeing people falling in love and tear up at the slightest moving gestures between couples – I think that stems from, growing up gay in China, the original fear of dying alone loveless. With that growing up, it was very easy to fantasise about romantic situations, especially about people falling in love.

One of my favourite genre, as well as romance, is contemporary, if you can call that a genre. They always say write what you know, and this is what I know. 
As well as fiction, I also write in other forms, such as poetry, memoir and prose essay. When I was writing in Chinese, I was writing more prose essays than anything else. With poetry, I’ve written a few but I’m still struggling.

I also don’t limit myself as a writer. Who knows? One of these days I may be writing a stage play on the Western/Cowboy genre.


My Review:

3 stars

This was an okay read for me. I really wanted to like this book, as it sounded very interesting and I loved the idea of squinters, but I had some issues with it. First, there is some discussion about how this is a post-apocalyptic world, but the how and why is mostly skipped over. I would have liked to see it expanded, as I didn't get a good feeling for this world. All these drastic changes occurred, yet if you removed the squinting ability from this book, it would be a contemporary novel set in today's world. There was no feeling of a post-apocalyptic world, rather a world that just happened to suddenly have squinters. 

Also, there is a big enemy organization introduced, yet never really touched on. We only ever deal with single agents, not this big giant organization that was built up and is so terrible. I would have liked to see more of these elements, of a post-apocalyptic world and this enemy organization. It seemed like they would play significant roles, but never really did, which left me feeling a bit let down at the end.

The only world-building that is expanded on is the ability of squinters. This was heavily featured, and there was a lot of in-depth explanation on how their abilities worked, how their powers could be used, what all the colors meant, etc. I found this very fascinating, especially the title. I thought it was an odd title choice until I was able to work out what it meant to this world. I liked that little mystery added in, which allowed me an "a-ha" moment when I figured it all out. 

Second, the characters. I liked getting to know Senlin, even though I wasn't a big fan of him at first. By the end of the novel, I did like him and his few snazzy lines. My favorite though was Shuli. She was a treat as a secondary character. She added much needed comic relief and common sense into the story. However, it seemed like she was included just to explain to Senlin why Sicong was acting the way he did. Instead of Senlin having a discussion about his and Sicong's relationship or about their issues, he would go complain to Shuli, she would explain away Sicong's actions, and Senlin would be all happy about it and then go on without bringing it up with Sicong. This is not healthy or good for a relationship and really hurt their romance, since they didn't really get to build much chemistry between each other.

Because of this, I didn't really get to see or know much about Sicong. I started out thinking he was a bit of a jerk, especially when he revealed Senlin's past just to...I'm not even sure, humiliate him? It was unnecessary and never explained. All I know is that by the end, I didn't dislike him, but I didn't really care about him either. 

All in all, this was an okay read for me. It was a fun, short read that might appeal to sci-fi fans, especially since the world-building around the squinters' abilities shows a lot of promise. 

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*


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About the Author:
Growing up in China, KEVIN CAUCHER never thought he’d grow up loving to write; never did he expect himself ending up in Australia either. He is now happily partnered in the NSW Illawarra area and writing.

Kevin’s writing is mainly influenced by his growing up as a gay Chinese; he also sometimes pops out totally random stories that has nothing to do with his growing up.

Besides his passion for writing, Kevin also opened a cafe in December 2015. “There, the cliché of authors writing in a cafe.”

KEVIN CAUCHER can be found at:
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Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Ghosts (The Power of Zero, Book 2) Review

Jack Horwood doesn’t do families. Or Christmas. From the time his mother sold him to her pimp to the moment he walked out on the man he loved, Christmas has always been about change and painful choices. This year seems no different. Helping Daniel and Nico recover from their imprisonment and hunting down those responsible puts Jack in a frame of mind he doesn’t want to inflict on anyone. Least of all Gareth and the tentative relationship they’ve started to rebuild.

But Gareth, for whom Christmas is all about new beginnings, won’t let Jack take the easy way out. He makes him face his ghosts instead. Even when said ghosts invade their bedroom.

When Daniel’s parents are found, Jack is determined to settle the matter without involving Daniel at all. But fate decrees otherwise, and it’s Gareth who helps him finally understand that the strongest bonds are those forged together. Once he gets that, Jack can step up and make a decision designed to lay his ghosts to rest—for good.


My Review:
3 stars

To start with, this was much shorter than both the first and the third book, so I knew that there probably wouldn’t be as much going on.

The focus of the book was on Jack and Gareth’s furthering relationship. We got to see them spend Christmas, New Year’s, and Valentine’s Day together, as well as take some very big steps in their relationship, which I loved. The book also focused on Nico and Daniel, leading to a big change in the lives of all four characters (which I won’t spoil here). I liked this because I felt like we got to really know the characters, especially since there wasn’t so much going on like in the first book. Unfortunately, this caused the story to drag a bit at times, but for the most part, it worked.

We also got to see a lot more of Gareth in this book, which I loved. We learned a bit more about his past, saw him interacting more with Nico and Daniel (which was just freaking adorable), and got to see how much he loves to cook. I constantly wanted to eat while reading this book, the food descriptions were so vivid and sounded absolutely delicious.

This book also provided closure on the prostitution case from book 1; emotional closure in the form of Nico and Daniel facing their fears and plot closure with Goran going on trial and Jack tracking down the johns.

While I like the character development in the story, I also had a lot of issues with it. First, the book didn’t touch on any of the events hinted at in the epilogue of the first book. I expected at least some mention of those events here or something to happen, but there was nothing. Second, I had an issue with the whole plotline behind Daniel’s parents being revealed. I expected this to be a big part of the story, and it didn’t deliver. The confrontation with his parents was anti-climactic, not to mention how something felt missing or unresolved. Maybe this is going to be further explored in book 3 in some way, but even that isn’t clearly addressed. There was a vague potential mystery introduced that made it seem like this would be further addressed, but I’m not sure, especially since the case was wrapped up. Third, most of the secondary characters from the first book were barely mentioned or weren’t even in the book. After getting to meet so many people who had big roles in book 1, it was a bit jarring to barely see them in the story.

All in all, while I had my issues with the book, it was still enjoyable to read. Some loose ends were tied up, some mystery was introduced, and we learned some more information about four of our main characters. If you read book 1, I would recommend reading this book, just know that it is differently paced than book 1. This was definitely a character-based story, with action and mystery taking a backseat here. Personally, I am going to read book 3, because I want to see how the rest of the loose ends from book 1 and book 2 will be addressed and how Jack and Gareth’s relationship further develops.


*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Nature of the Beast Blog Tour

Synopsis:
After sorceress Alexandra tries to kill her insane father, her fae uncle expels her from the Otherworld in an attempt to keep her safe. Living among humans, she keeps her connection with the supernatural by working for vampires and werewolves.

When she stumbles upon a hurt werewolf pup her efforts to heal him inadvertently break the bonds tying the young lycan to the pack, making her his new alpha.

This is the least of Alexandra’s worries though, for back in the Otherworld her father has not forgotten her. He dispatches an assassin to kill her. But just who is this mysterious foe, and what will their arrival mean not only to Alexandra but to the delicate balance of the world?


Book trailer


Buy Links
Don’t miss the March Sale! All Wayward Ink Titles titles are 35% off on the WIP website and 30% off on AllRomance, and 30% off on Amazon.
WIP     |     Amazon US     |     Amazon UK
Amazon AU     |     Amazon DE     |     ARe



Inspiration, how and where I get it
I’m often asked how I come up with ideas and my first reaction is to stare at the person who posed the question, because I cannot see how people don’t have a head full of ideas. Or how it feels to not juggle several plot bunnies at the same time. Then I remember that the question is honest and that not all people are creative in the same way or used to toying with and transforming their thoughts into stories, that they do not live in a world of their own, like I do.

For me, it doesn’t take much to come up with something to write about. A headline in the paper, a song, a short conversation with a friend, or, why not, a challenge of some sort, and voila, a story is born. I take that spark and turn it into a plot or a character. Or, as it was the case for the first book of the Taking Chances series, Nature of the Beast, I found a title I liked and had to come up with a story that fitted. And sometimes the trouble is you have the perfect title, but you cannot make up your mind on the story because you feel none of your ideas will do it justice, or you think of saving it for a later, for a different kind of story. Crazy, I know, because I’ll probably forget the title or the idea I was saving for later long before I get to use it.

Coming up with the story of Nature of the Beast was different. I didn’t get the spark signaling that new idea, that new plot bunny. I had the characters for so long in my head, they are almost like my imaginary friends. I practically grew up with them. They’ve starred in so many different scenarios I can’t even remember half of them. What I do remember is how much I loved Sean and Alexandra and how well David fit them when he came into the picture, because he wasn’t there to begin with. At first there was only Alexandra, who made her appearance when I was in my teens, followed shortly by Chris and Sean. A couple years ago, came David and I fell madly in love with him.

With such wonderful characters, I knew I had to write their story. It was difficult in the beginning. Carrying them with me for so long made me reluctant to share them with the world, but in the end I felt I had no choice. So here we are, at the beginning of Alexandra, David, and the beautiful strange man that holds both their interest. I hope you will all like it as much as I do.


My Review:
3 stars

I liked the characters, as they were interesting and varied. I really liked Alexandra as she is a strong female character who also cares about the people in her life. She also has her flaws that she struggles with, and these were very apparent throughout the story. These struggles just made her an even stronger character in my mind, since she didn’t just get over her issues, but had to actively work against them and will likely continue to do so throughout the series.

However, there were so many characters thrown at you that they were hard to track at times. There would be mentions of characters (“my lycan friend”, “the angel after who I wasn’t supposed to lust”) who hadn’t even been introduced yet coming out of nowhere. Or characters would be introduced that seemed important, but then never mentioned again. I don’t know if this is because they will become relevant in future books in the series, but I wasn’t a fan of the way it was handled, because it came across awkwardly in the story, confusing me, the reader.

The action was constant and exciting while the mystery behind what was going on was very intriguing as well. However, there were pacing issues throughout the story, and sometimes the events occurring didn’t add up or make sense to me. This book also didn’t focus on romance, though there were hints of it. At times, it felt like the author was trying to focus on romance, and then she would just change her mind. This also affected the pacing of the story and hurt it.


I think the biggest issue with the story is that it was the start of a series. The author was trying to introduce so many elements that will likely be addressed in future books. Because there was such an info dump with little explanation or resolution, it affected the quality of the story. However, while the story did have its flaws, it also set up an interesting series. The world the author created is fascinating and I can’t wait to learn more about it. The ending was also intriguing because while the immediate mystery throughout the book is solved, there is a greater overarcing mystery that is revealed at the end of the book, as well as the mystery behind Alexandra’s future romantic partners. Because of this, I am eagerly looking forward to book 2 to see what happens next.


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About the Author:
Born in Romania, land of the Iele and Vlad the Impaler, AIMEE BRISSAY has spent all her life surrounded by books. She has ridden side by side with d’Artagnan and The Three Musketeers to retrieve the Queen’s diamonds, set sail on the Erasmus in search of the Japans, fell in love with Rhett Butler and roamed the Wild West along Old Shatterhand. She has walked on the footsteps of the Olympian Gods and searched for Zalmoxis’ sanctuary in the Carpathians. In her mind, she’s never been the damsel in distress but rather the knight in shiny armor fighting for a cause.

With a background like this, turning to writing was no surprise.

Aimee discovered erotica early on in life and has never looked back. Now she can write anywhere, even in a crowded room or a busy subway station, but she loves solitude.

When she’s not at her evil day job, she can be found writing or playing with her cat. She welcomes messages from readers and promises to answer all of them as soon as possible.

Aimee Brissay can be found at:
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