#Review of Waking Up Married by Mira Lyn Kelly

Title: Waking Up Married

Author: Mira Lyn Kelly
Rating: 3.5 stars

I don't read very many Harlequin romances these days, but for some reason this one piqued my interest.

It didn't start the way I thought it would and the flash backs got on my nerves a little, but once we were through that the story began to flow.

I enjoyed Connor and Megan. Their romance was anything but traditional, but it seemed to work for them. I wanted to shake both of them a few times and tell them to wake up already, but in the end they came to their senses.

There were a few awkward sentences in this book, mainly from Connor that had me having to re-read the section again. They weren't wrong, exactly, just worded in a strange way. However, since this seemed to only happen when Connor spoke I'm assuming it was intentional.

I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for light romance with a bit of steam.

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Author Bio

USA TODAY bestselling author Mira Lyn Kelly grew up in the Chicago area and earned her degree in Fine Arts from Loyola University. She met the love of her life while studying abroad in Rome, Italy, only to discover he’d been living right around the corner from her back home. Having spent her twenties working and playing in the Windy City, she’s now settled with her husband in rural Minnesota, where their four beautiful children and naughty dog provide an excess of action and entertainment. When she isn’t reading, writing, or running to keep up with the family, she loves watching movies, blabbing with the girls, and cooking with her husband and friends.

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#Review Modern Girl's Guide To One-Night Stands by Gina Drayer #Romance

Title: Modern Girl's Guide To One-Night Stands

Author: Gina Drayer
Rating: 3.5 stars

I went back and forth over what to rate this one. I enjoyed the love story between Simon and Julia even though sometimes I wanted to shake some sense into Julia. Simon was great. I liked him from the beginning and thought he and Julia were a good match. It was just getting her to see it that took some time.

While the story was solid, I did have some issues with the book. Megan, Simon's sister, was downright annoying at times. I get that siblings can be that way, but sometimes I wanted to tell her to grow up already.

There were also some editing issues. Not huge, mind you, but the book could use a good proofread. There were quite a few missing words and some double punctuation.

Overall, I liked the story. I was invested in the characters and wanted to see them get their HEA. Will I read something else from this author? Probably. Despite Megan being extremely annoying at times, I'd like to see how her book plays out.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a sexy contemporary romance with lots of family drama.

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Author Bio

Gina Drayer is an avid reader, writer, and Ubergeek.

A Navy brat, Gina has traveled extensively. She’s living all over the USA and still loves to travel. Currently, she calls Indiana her home. During the day, she runs the family’s Home Health Agency and burns the midnight oil writing novels.

Gina writes fast-paced thrillers with a magical twist and steamy contemporary romances. Her stories are centered around strong, witty, independent women and swoon-worthy good guys. Sweet enough to melt your heart, but spicy enough to melt your kindle!

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#Review Tempting Isabel by Rissa Brahm

Title: Tempting Isabel

Author: Rissa Brahm
Rating: 3.5 stars

I was given this book by the author for an honest review.

This is one of those books where I really had trouble figuring out what to rate it. If I was basing it on the first half of the book, my rating would have been much lower. The second half of the book, however, made up for most of it.

Tempting Isabel is Rissa Brahm's debut novel and there were both pros and cons for me.

First, what I didn't like. The beginning dragged. Zack and Isabel don't meet until chapter three and it's not a very long interaction after all the build up to get to it. There's also a lot of dwelling and explaining Isabel's curse. While I get the reason why, I think that most of this information could have been scattered throughout the rest of the book to make things flow better.

With that being said, things really picked up in the second half of the novel. After I reached fifty percent, I didn't want to put the book down. A huge contrast to the first half to be sure. I was cheering Zack on and trying to figure out how he would break through the barriers Isabel put up to keep them apart.

The book is well edited and I enjoyed all the characters. We didn't meet anyone who didn't have a purpose...a reason for being in the story. I think this author has great potential and I'm interested to see what she has in store next.

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Author Bio

Contemporary romance writer Rissa Brahm grew up in New York and has since lived in all four corners of the United States, and beyond. e beautiful paradise of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico—the core setting of her hot & heartfelt debut series, Paradise South—is Rissa’s most recent and beloved home. 

When not chained-by-choice to her MacBook, she is embarking on out- door adventures with her husband and little girl, laughing to tears with a good rom com, eating amazing Indian food with something chocolate for dessert; reading good, hot scorchers in bed; biking, long walks, and yoga; zoning out to killer music from across the decades and the globe; and getting lost only to discover a new exciting route home again.

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#Review Sweet by Skye Warren

Title: Sweet

Author: Skye Warren
Rating: 3.5 stars

This is the first book I've read by the author, so I had no idea what to expect. Sweet is the story of Drew and Rose. The two have been dancing around each other for years, but he's been holding back because of her past. When she gives him the green light, all bets are off. 

I really liked Drew. He was sweet and protective. Rose was somewhat more complex. Sometimes she'd switch from shy to aggressive in a way I didn't always understand. 

The book is fast paced and in some spots I would have liked it to have slowed down a little more so we could have seen the relationship developing more. Part of that could be that this is the sixth book in the series. 

I would recommend this book to those looking for a fast paced romance with men that dabble in the shady side of things.

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Author Bio

Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dark romance such as Wanderlust and Prisoner. Praised as a “true mistress of dark erotica”, her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, four dogs, and one evil cat.

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#Review The Men With The Golden Cuffs by Lexi Blake

Title: The Men With The Golden Cuffs

Author: Lexi Blake
Rating: 3.5 stars

This is the second book in Lexi Blake's Masters and Mercenaries series. I'd originally planned to skip reading this book because it's a menage and that isn't my thing, however, I was skimming through the story looking for more of the couple from the first book and ended up getting sucked in. 

Like I said, this book is a menage...the only one in the series as I understand. In the first book I was not a fan of Jake and Adam, the two guys in this story. They did grow on me a bit in this one. I also liked Serena. The problem I had was that I didn't feel the relationship when they were all together. There were times in the story when it was just Serena with Jake or Serena with Adam and I enjoyed those times way more than I did when they were all three together. 

The writing was good and so was the story line. I just couldn't get into the menage relationship. 

I would recommend this book to those looking for a good romantic suspense with some kink and don't mind menage. 


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Author Bio

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn't until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem. 

Her first novel, Their Virgin Captive: Masters of Ménage, Book 1, was a collaboration with New York Times bestselling author Shayla Black. There are five more books available in the series: Their Virgin's Secret, Their Virgin Concubine, Their Virgin Princess, Their Virgin Hostage, and Their Virgin Secretary. The next book in the series, Their Virgin Mistress, is releasing this April.

In addition to the Masters of Ménage series, she is the author of the Masters and Mercenaries series. There are eight full-length novels and four novellas available now, with more coming in 2015.

Website

#Review Shimmy for Me by DeAnna Cameron

Title: Shimmy for Me

Author: Deanna Cameron
Rating: 3.5 stars

This is the first book I've ever read with a belly dancer as the main character. The premise of the story was interesting. I enjoyed the set up and the writing was really good.

My one big complaint about Shimmy for Me was that we didn't get more of Derek and Abby. Their big one night stand was a fade to black, so we didn't get to see their interaction. Even most of their work moments were glossed over. What we did get I loved. I just wished there was more of it.

I would recommend this book to readers looking for a quick romance.


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Author Bio

DeAnna Cameron writes contemporary romance and historical fiction, including the award-winning California Belly Dance Romance series. Her stories feature feisty heroines transformed by true love and belly dance, one of the oldest and most exciting dance forms in the world. Her work has been translated into Japanese, Polish, and Serbian and has been praised by RT Book Reviews, Historical Novel Review, and others.

She’s also the founder of O.C. Writers, a network of published and aspiring authors in Southern California. And she’s the founding editor ofRomanceReadersClub.com, featuring author interviews, excerpts, giveaways, and more.

Before turning to fiction, DeAnna worked as a journalist, writing and editing for several Southern California newspapers and magazines. She’s a member of the national Romance Writers of America, and its Orange County chapter. Besides writing she enjoys making jewelry for Odd Alchemy Jewelry; attending steampunk conventions, belly dance festivals, and Renaissance fairs; and binge watching her favorite TV shows, which change with the viewing season but currently include “The Expanse,” “Downton Abbey,” and “The Shannara Chronicles.” She lives in Orange County, Calif. 

Website

#Review Love or Justice by Rachel Mannino

Title: Love or Justice

Author: Rachel Mannino
Rating: 3.5 stars

I was given this book by the author for an honest review.

This is the debut book for this Rachel Mannino. For the most part I was impressed. The majority of the issues I found in the book where typical of new authors and didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.

I  loved Dante and Laurie. He was equal parts strong alpha male and sweet lover. She was strong, independent, and personable. The story wasn't rushed and their relationship was allowed to develop naturally. I read another review that complained about the break in action towards the middle of the book, but I found it refreshing. It gave these two the chance to test the waters of their new love to make what happened later believable.

There were a few issues at the beginning with the set up like Laurie being sent home alone to pack after they knew she'd witnessed a crime perpetuated by a mob boss. A small detail, and once the story got going not something I paid much attention to. I was too invested in Dante and Laurie's evolving relationship.

Overall, I loved the story and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

I would recommend this book for those looking for a romantic suspense with a strong love story at its heart.


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Author Bio

Rachel Mannino is a passionate writer who creates characters and settings that allow readers to explore power dynamics in relationships, the empowerment of women, and the ethical and moral dilemmas love can create in our lives. Rachel also uses her writing skills to raise thousands of dollars for entities that enrich our lives and create community change around the world. She has worked for the Peace Corps; the Humanities Council of Washington, DC; Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; and the Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events in Boston, MA. Her first novel, Love or Justice, was published by Limitless Press in November 2015. Her second novel, Fractal, will be published by eTreasures publishing in the spring of 2016. Rachel has a BA in theatre studies and writing, literature, and publishing from Emerson College, and she has used it every day since graduation. She lives with her husband, author Christopher Mannino (http://www.christophermannino.com/), and their adorable dog and cat in College Park, Maryland.

#Review - Opening Hearts by Iona Findley

Title: Opening Hearts

Author: Iona Findley
Rating: 3.5 stars

I was given this book by the author for an honest review.

When I read the summary for this book I was intrigued. I don't know what it is, but there is something about unplanned pregnancies and how the couple deals with that that piques my interest.

At the beginning of this book, Jessalyn and Sam were little more than strangers. I enjoyed the build up at the beginning of the story. The author didn't rush to get them together as a couple. I was, however, a little disappointed in the fact that once they were together the author seemed to skip over some scenes which I thought were pretty important like her meeting his family. Whether or not this was done to make a specific word count I don't know.

There were a few editing issues, but nothing major. And aside from the skipping of the family scenes I mentioned, the book flowed well. I enjoyed the set up, and for the most part, the execution, as well.

This is the first book in a series and I will most likely be checking out the next book. I recommend this story for those readers looking for a heartwarming modern day romance.

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Author Bio

Iona Findley embarked on her career as a romance writer with her very first words, "love, love, love," which she carefully dictated to her mother. Despite spurious rumors, probably the work of a jealous sibling, that her words might actually have been, "lub, lub, lub," (surely not!) or even "blub, blub, blub" (horrors!), Iona pursued a vocation in romance writing with enthusiasm. Writing fulltime now Iona fulfils the promise of her early words crafting intriguing novels of "love, love, love." 

For a complete listing of books, and news about upcoming releases visit IonaFindley.com. For readers who would like to contact Iona directly—please do! Iona can be reached via email at IonaFindley@gmail.com. She also loves to connect with readers via Facebook and Twitter. 

Website

#Review Rocked by Cari Quinn and Taryn Elliott

Title: Rocked

Author: Cari Quinn and Taryn Elliott
Rating: 3.5 stars

I was skimming through Facebook a couple of weeks ago and came across a recommendation for this book. It was on sale and the person was raving about how good it was, so I figured I'd give it a try.

As I read this book I had the distinct feeling that I was reading Twilight fan fiction. So much so that I googled it to see if it had been fan fiction. It wasn't. Or, at least, I couldn't find any reference to it originally being fan fiction.

The pacing of the book was very similar to what you find in fan fiction. There's a lot of drama and a lot of sex. I lost count of how many sex scenes were in this book. For the most part they were well written. It's just that after a while I just wanted to move the story along.

I really liked both Deacon and Harper. They were easy to relate to and the evolution of their romance didn't feel forced. I could have done without some of the drama from Deacon's bandmates, but I get that the authors are setting up for future books.

Overall, I liked the book. Didn't love it, but liked it enough that I will most likely continue with the series.

I recommend this story for those who like slower paced romances with a rocker edge to them. 

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Author Bio

USA Today bestselling author Cari Quinn wrote her first story—a bible parable—in 2nd grade, much to the delight of the nuns at her Catholic school. Once she saw the warm reception that first tale garnered, she was hooked. Now she gets to pen sexy romances for a living and routinely counts her lucky stars. When she’s not scribbling furiously, she can usually be found watching men’s college basketball, playing her music way too loud or causing trouble. Sometimes simultaneously.

Website

TARYN ELLIOTT comes from the great state of New York—upstate, thank you very much. She’s usually busy making up stories with her best friend until the wee hours of the morning, or fangirling over her favorite TV show. She falls in love with each and every one of her leading men as she writes their book, and there’s always a soundtrack to match.

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REVIEW: His Christmas Present by Serenity Woods

Title: His Christmas Present

Author: Serenity Woods
Rating: 3.5 stars
Source: Amazon

Continuing my holiday themed reading, I checked out His Christmas Present book by Serenity Woods. This is the first book I've read by this author, and although enjoyed the basic story, there were some definite problems.

I've seen posts on both Facebook and Goodreads where individuals have asked the question 'why don't more people read self published authors?' First, let me preface this by saying that I download books to my kindle I think I will enjoy based on the book summary. I don't typically look to see if the book is self published, with a small house, or one of the big guys. What I'm looking for is a good story.

With that said, Ms. Woods did put forth a decent story. The premise was sound, and I genuinely liked both Dion and Megan.

So why did I give it only 3.5 stars? Simply put...editing.

The story begins in the present with Dion returning to his childhood home. All is going good until we suddenly jump back in time to last year. This isn't a brief flashback. It's a detailed retelling of the past Christmas that lasts for several chapters. Then, just as suddenly, we are back to the present. Again, we are going along nicely, and then bam! We're back in the past. If you couldn't tell, I wasn't a fan of the jumping around. 

There were also some other editing issues such as missing commas, etc. Those I could have dealt with. Honestly, it was the jumping around that really brought it down for me. It pulled me out of the flow of the story, and that's never good. If not for the jumping around from past to present, I would have given this book 4 stars.

Will I read more from this author? I don't know. Maybe. I'd have to really like the premise. 

Amazon

Author Bio

I live in New Zealand, Aotearoa, in the sub tropical paradise called the Bay of Islands. Also known as the 'winterless north', the Northland is renowned for its kiwifruit, mandarins, and lemons, for its wonderful coffee, and for its friendly people and amazing scenery. It's the setting for several of my romance stories, including White-Hot Christmas and Seven Sexy Sins.

I've won prizes in many writing competitions over the years, including the Harlequin Blaze Aviator Challenge with the story that went on to be sold to Escape Publishing (Summer Fling), 1st prize in the RWNZ First Impressions Contest No. 1 with the story that went on to be sold to Samhain Publishing (An Uncommon Sense), and 2nd and 3rd prizes in the RWNZ Great Beginnings Contest in 2011 with Seven Sexy Sins (Samhain Publishing) and the story published by Escape Publishing as One Hot Winter's Night.

I'm lucky enough to have married the man I fell in love with at a young age, and he is the inspiration for all my wonderful heroes (especially the Silver Fox, found in One Hot Winter's Night!) and we have a smart, gorgeous teenage son who's a drummer, singer and songwriter. Life in the Northland of New Zealand is pretty good!

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Review of Once and Always by Grace Brannigan

Title: Once & Always

Author: Grace Brannigan

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Source: Amazon

 

A sweet and easy read.

 

Once and Always is the first book I’ve read by Grace Brannigan. I was looking for a cowboy read, and this one story fit the bill. Tyler and Anna have a history. They haven’t seen each other for six years, and over that time a lot has changed…for both of them.

 

I thought for the most part the author did a good job with the story. Tyler was easy to love from the beginning. He was easy to relate to, and there were times when he spoke that I was close to swooning.

 

Anna was a little more difficult. She had a lot of issues, and even more than Tyler sometimes, she didn’t seem to be able to let go of the past. It was frustrating.

 

Overall, I liked the book, and I will probably read more from this author in the future. There were a few editing issues, though nothing too major. My big pet peeve with the book was that there were a couple times when Anna was explaining something to Tyler, but because it was something that his character should have already known, it felt more as if the author was trying to force feed the information to the reader. I felt the author could have got her point across by either having Anna explain the information to someone not familiar with ranching, or she could have left it out altogether as I didn’t feel the terminology really added to the story.       

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About the Author

I have been a writer of some variation most of my life. I enjoy writing contemporary romance and paranormal/time travel romance. I have previously written for Harlequin/Silhouette Romance.

I am a self styled artist and writer who enjoys creating the written word and working in various visual mediums.

I live in the scenic Catskill Mountains of New York.

My characters are quirky, independent and family oriented. Strong women dealing with every day life problems, always maintaining their style of integrity. Clearly imperfect, they are doing the best they can in a world that sometimes throws them curve balls.

Contemporary series is Women of Character, stand alone books set in today's world. Echoes from the Past, Once and Always, Heartstealer and Wishing on a Rodeo Moon.

Time travel series is Women of Strength Trilogy, paranormal time travels from modern times to the middle ages to eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Once Upon a Remembrance, Soulmates Through Time and Treasure So Rare.

Romantic Shorts series, approximately 100 pages, Two Babies, A Cowboy and Sara, and also Deception. I will be offering these stories in an additional format, utilizing the Open Dyslexic Typeface for those with dyslexia or reading difficulties.

In 2013 look for new series Faeries Lost, where the faerie world and the human world come together and sometimes collide, all in the name of love and relationships. Find Me, Whisper Me and Hear Me.

Come along for the ride.