Category: HEA

Book Review · Books · Fiction · HEA · NetGalley · Romance · series

New Tricks ~ Kelly Moran

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Title: New Tricks (Redwood Ridge , Book #3)
Author: Kelly Moran
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Publisher: Lyrical Shine
Date of Release: September 26, 2007
Pages: 216
Format: Kindle (NetGalley)

Welcome back to Redwood! Oh how we have missed you! We get to catch up with town favorites, such as Cade and Avery, Flynn and Gabby, Drake plus Zoe… Can you smell the love in the air? For Zoe and Drake, it’s… well, complicated. Zoe has had a crush on Drake since they were teenagers, but as fate would have it Zoe’s best friend, Heather, acted first. I would say the rest was history, but there is way more to this story. Drake and Heather fall in love and marry, while Zoe sits on the sidelines and a be the great friend everyone knows she is.

Fast forward… Heather has passed away, Drake is living his life day-to-day without really living, and Zoe has put her life on hold to take care of her mother… but who is taking care of Zoe and Drake? Drake has always been great with doling out awesome advice when it comes to other people. Can he take advice when it comes to him?

Man does this story pull at your heartstrings! You know that Drake and Zoe deserve happiness and you want them to find it with each other. This story is charming, funny, and endearing. I had to fan myself when Drake started flirting… Hopefully the next book will be a “Where Are They Now?” and maybe even a Hallmark or Lifetime movie… I really need both of those in my life right now!

 

18+ · Book Review · Book reviews · Books · Fiction · HEA · NetGalley · Romance · series

Dirty Little Secrets ~ AJ Nuest (Book Review)

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Title: Dirty Little Secrets (A Likely Story , Book #2)
Author: AJ Nuest
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Romance Suspense
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Date of Release: June 27, 2017
Pages: 246
Format: Kindle (NetGalley)

Xander and Charlie are on separate missions that could come back to haunt them. They have known each other for a long time and Xander has loved her from the beginning. Coming together after Malcolm’s death is a perfect time to reveal your feelings for each other, but it may come at a cost. Someone is after Charlie due to her latest heist and someone wants revenge against Xander. Could they be connected? Can they help each other? Will love prevail? As they race against time to find out who is after them, their connection grows stronger and it’s beautiful to watch.

AJ Nuest can weave a story that hooks you from the first page. She has a way of bringing each character to life in a way you feel like you know them. You root for Xander and Charlie to not only bring down the bad guys, but to realize their feelings for each other. This is an awesome story that is beautifully told. I always look forward to hearing AJ has a new book coming out. This is the second book of the series and so far it’s my favorite one. There is a third book to this series, and if it’s half as good as this one, my day will be made!

Book Review · Books · Fiction · HEA · Romance

Mister Catfish ~ Alice Grace

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Title: Mister Catfish
Author: Alice Grace
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Publisher: Bic Wall Press
Date of Release: June 23, 2017
Pages: 74
Format: Epub (Alice Grace via AXP)

Catfish: someone who pretends to be someone they’re not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances.

There’s always some danger when meeting someone online. They could be crazy/dangerous or genuinely a nice person. It’s a gamble really. That was a risk Nicole was willing to take!

Matt just wanted to meet a nice girl without having to worry about his twin brother who is the complete opposite of Matt. A funny story ensues as you watch the story unfolds. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and was engaged from page one. This story constructed in a funny and adorable way. A great story of mistaken identity!

Book Review · Books · Fiction · HEA · LGBTQIA · Romance · series

The Rancher’s Son ~ RJ Scott

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Title: The Rancher’s Son
Author: RJ Scott
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: LGBTQIA, Mystery, Romance
Publisher: Love Lane Books Limited
Date of Release: June 26, 2017
Pages: 200 (6 hr, 25 min)
Format: Audio (Signal Boost Promotion)

Ethan, a cop, has been looking for his brother, Justin, and friend, Adam, for 12 years after they mysteriously went missing without a trace. While dad has given up searching, Ethan refuses; which causes strife and tension between the two of them. Ethan receives word, while at work, of an attack with a few code words that he had flagged. Instead of finding Justin, he finds Adam… with no recollection of who he is or what happened.

As Ethan takes Adam back to Crooked Tree Ranch, Adam has random memories and feelings about himself. Ethan is reminded of the young boy he fell in love with and I wanted so much for more to happen, but Ethan is an honorable man. Once at Crooked Tree Ranch, there isn’t a shortage of people who are helping Adam remember, but will he remember? Will he be the guy Ethan once knew? Where is Justin?

I thought this story was quite lovely. The interaction between Ethan and Adam was beautiful. Ethan wasn’t pushy, as is the case in most stories. It was a slow build, which is perfect. The narration was perfection. Sean Crisden was absolutely fantastic with the personalities he gave each character. I haven’t read book 1 of this series, so book 2 does leave some unanswered questions. All that means is: STAY TUNED!

Book Review · Books · Fiction · HEA · NetGalley · Romance · series

On the Plus Side ~ Alison Bliss

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Title: On the Plus Side    (A Perfect Fit , Book #2)
Author: Alison Bliss
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Forever
Date of Release: June 27, 2017
Pages: 336
Format: Kindle (NetGalley)

I know it’s early in the series, but this is my favorite book in the series… So far! Valerie is smart, sassy, curvy, and sexy. She’s confident and she wants Logan. Logan is sexy, inspires loyalty… and the best friend of Val’s brother. They were attracted to each for a long time and the results are off the chart chemistry!

This story gave us steamy and sensuous romance and I wanted more! Those live scenes were great. Val being comfortable in her own skin was awesome and I loved that. What drove me bonkers was Val’s over-protective older brother. As someone who has a protective older brother, I completely understand her plight! She handles him well and she earned her golden ticket to heaven!

This series is awesome and I can’t wait to read more!  I hope this series NEVER ends!

18+ · Book reviews · Books · Fantasy · Fiction · HEA

Silver Silence ~ Nalini Singh

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Title: Silver Silence (Psy-Changeling Trinity #1)
Author: Nalini Singh
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance,
Publisher: Berkeley Books
Date of Release: June 13, 2017
Pages: 464
Format: Kinde (First to Read)

As someone who gets really attached to my characters, I instantly fell in love with Silver and Valentin. When an alpha falls for someone, it is ill-advised to try and assassinate her! Valentin is a fun loving bear shifter with a heart of gold and going through strife about his broken clan. Silver is a strong and pure telepath who avoids emotions and practices “Silence”. It prevents her from hearing every mind in a certain radius. It kinda makes her an Ice Queen, but oh does she have a spark! But it’s a spark only Valentin notices. Per his usual, Valentin shows up to Silver’s apartment, unannounced… which would annoy anyone, but turns out to be a great thing! There’s an organization that wants the Trinity Accords (An agreement amongst the Psy, Humans, and Changelings to co-exists) to fail and the best way to do that would be to take out Silver. Not so fast! Valentin is there and Silver is his mate, she just doesn’t realize it yet. To protect her, she has to do the unthinkable. She has to live in the heart of Denhome, Valentin’s home.

This was my introduction to Nalini Singh and she had me captivated from the first page. Silver is a kickass, badass female lead. There were a few moments I felt myself get riled up on behalf of Valentin, but I was rooting for Silver as well. This book is close to 500 pages and I found myself practically reading this in almost one sitting. I’m not sure if this is a spin-off, but this is not a standalone story. However, it can definitely be read as one. It gives just enough information so you don’t feel lost. What I really loved was the integration of each race with each other. Silver’s interaction with other races was well detailed and showed a mutual respect between the races. Nalini Singh combats preconceived notices and biases with her writing and storytelling, so much that you can (if you choose to…) reflect on your own beliefs and biases. Ms. Singh’s storytelling is entertaining and compelling. She definitely knows how to pull on the heartstrings. When decisions are made and you have to deal with the fallout, you see where loyalties lie.

I look forward to reading more in this series, and can’t wait to go and start at the beginning!

Book Review · Books · Fiction · HEA · Romance

Torched ~ Katie Mettner

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Title: Torched
Author: Katie Mettner
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewer: Shakera
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Katie Mettner
Date of Release: February 7, 2017
Pages: 236
Format: Kinde (The Romance Reviews)

It must be extremely tough to be an author. You have to put yourself out there for criticism, plus dealing with your editor, plus dealing with your publisher… going to book signings, etc. Who knew this life would be a killer?! Definitely not Constance, who is an author and graphics designer. Learning of the betrayal of her publisher, Alexis, a close group of authors doesn’t take it very well. As Constance has always been a person of high morals, she doesn’t agree with what the authors want to do. However, she doesn’t have time to deal with that. Someone is killing authors who have a little something in common.

By chance, she meets Mack, the owner of Barney & Me, who has a simple outlook on life. He is quite the sweetheart and a great listener (with pretty awesome advice), but he is no pushover. The two of them mesh very well and quite quickly. With a killer on the loose, can the two find love in each other while staying alive?

While the story was interesting and it had mystery and intrigue along with romance, it was missing something. Parts of the story was written to interact with the reader, which is fine, but it felt like everything was spelled out for you… literally everything. Because of that, the book felt longer than it actually was. With a little editing, this story would be wonderful!

The mystery aspect of the story was well done. The killer wasn’t my first guess, which is awesome, but it was my second guess. It was also quite interesting to get a little insight into what it’s like to be an author. It is a lot of work which can be rewarding, and I’m glad authors exist!