Category: series

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!

Book Review · Books · Fiction · Romance · series · YA

Starr Gone ~ Kim Briggs

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Title: Starr Gone  (Starr Fall, Book #3)
Author: Kim Briggs
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Romance
Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
Contemporary/Action & Adventure
Publisher: Inkspell Publishing
Date of Release: June 3, 2017
Pages: 258
Format: ePub (YA Insider)

Please give me a second to compose myself! I was not prepared for this… I’m still trying to process! Holy crap! Sigh… Deep breath

*** SPOILERS ALERT ***

Okay, so we pick up where we left off and I find that Di is my spirit animal. Any girl who carries a taser and pepper spray is a girl after my own heart! We find out Sam and Jody aren’t dead, they’re working for the Organization, Jude is the turncoat I thought he would be, and I’m worried about Christian. After finding misleading information, Starr has gone missing. Unfortunately, she was taken by the Organization and they want to return her to her “loving” grandparents in exchange for money… naturally. How will Christian and the team rescue Starr? Can they rescue her?

This book is quite the page turner! It kept me on the edge of my seat, had me feeling a range of emotions, needing to know what happens next. The character development was outstanding! Starr and Di came into their own. They’ve become strong young women and I was especially proud of the development of Di. She didn’t feel like a secondary character in this story, which gave me a higher appreciation of her. I won’t lie, there were times Frank annoyed me, but I understood his thought process and his reasoning. The development of the team independent of Starr was astounding. They were organized and ready for anything! With the way the story ended, they will have to be ready and down for anything!

Can we discuss the ending for a second? I wasn’t ready for this story to end! And definitely not the way it did! The anticipation is KILLING me! What I love about this series is each book is stronger than the previous and it continues to get stronger. Each character serves a purpose; the purpose may not be clear in the beginning, but when you find out… you are shocked and can’t wait to find out what will happen next. And just when you think you know what will happen, there’s a twist. I don’t know if I can wait this long for the fourth installment, but I do wait with excitement of where this story will go and I look forward to it!

18+ · Book Review · Books · Fantasy · Fiction · HEA · Romance · Sci-fi · series

Ruining Miss Wrotham ~ Emily Larkin

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Ruining Miss Wrotham
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Title: Ruining Miss Wrotham (Baleful Godmother Series, Book 5)
Author: Emily Larking
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Romance,
Publisher: Emily Larkin
Date of Release: May 25, 2017
Pages: 486
Format: Kinde (Author)

How far would you go to find your missing sister? How much would you defy society norms in the name to find your sister? Eleanor needs to find her sister, Sophia, who ran off with a guy, creating such a scandal that her betrothal was abruptly ended. Now she needs help finding Sophia, but who can she turn to when every man in her life is domineering? On the flip side, what can you do when the only guy willing to help you is seen as a man of low morals in the eyes of society?

Mordecai Black is known amongst the ton for his affairs with well-known ladies, but the one woman he wants only knows him by his reputation, but not the man. He is a man of means with a heart of gold. And is in love with Eleanor. Can they find Sophia and recognize they are meant for each other?

Another outstanding story that I just could not put down! I finished this book in one sitting. The writing was great along with amazing story telling. You were on the edge of your seat waiting on information on Sophia while hoping love blossomed. Truly amazing!

18+ · Book reviews · Books · Fiction · HEA · LGBTQIA · Romance · series

The Wanderer ~ Dahlia Donovan

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Title: Inherited Love  (Dalton Siblings, Book 1)
Author: Katie Mettner
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: LGBT, Romance, Humor
Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing
Date of Release: April 8, 2017
Pages: 248
Format: PDF (The Romance Reviews)

 

Weddings tend to bring out the romantics in everyone. BC and Graham are no exception! They never thought they would see each other again, only to have a few cupids interfere. Once they encounter each other for the second time, they become inseparable. Doubt and insecurities have Graham running for the hills, but an illness has BC running to Graham. Through such a trying time and mortality on the line, will love conquer all?

The natural ease and flow of conversation between the two characters made this book quite an enjoyable read. There is a natural attraction and a humor that kept the story from being too heavy. There are moments where I couldn’t get the tears to stop falling. BC and Graham are absolutely great characters and very well developed. Their personalities, while quite different, they work very well together. I wish this was a series! (Psst! It looks like it is!)

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

Inherited Love ~ Katie Mettner

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Title: Inherited Love  (Dalton Siblings, Book 1)
Author: Katie Mettner
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Humor
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Date of Release: April 7, 2017
Pages: 237
Format: PDF (The Romance Reviews)

Life for Cinn hasn’t been easy. Let’s start with her name… Cinnamon Mabel Dalton, after her grandmother, Mabel. It’s a mouthful. But her personality makes up for how wacky she thinks her name is. The book opens with Cinn sitting in her grandmother’s funeral. No one knew Mabel well, if at all. Cinn took the time to get to know Mabel and in return, Mabel got to know Cinn and the musical gift she has. So it should come as no surprise at the reading of the will that Cinn inherits Mabel’s house and dog, Brutus.

Through Cinn processing her grief the best way she can and getting to know the woman she called grandmother, she meets Foster, the director of the Humane Society and vet. They hit it off and became quick friends. What makes them the perfect couple is neither of them is perfect, with insecurities. When vandalism comes to the dog park, one part of town everyone cares about and Mabel loved, it puts Cinn and Foster together to find the culprit. While it was pretty easy to figure out the mystery, it was a sweet story of watching two people deal with their insecurities (and they have great reasons to have those insecurities) and having a passion for what they do.

The writing was simple and the story had quirky moments, which was great. This is the first book of the series, and I’m quite interested to read the next one!

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

Neanderthal Seeks Human ~ Penny Reid

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Title: Neanderthal Seeks Human  (Knitting in the City, Book 1)
Author: Penny Reid
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Humor
Publisher: Caped Publishing
Date of Release: March 14, 2013
Pages: 403
Format: Kindle (Amazon Purchase)

I had this book for quite some time, but I kept telling myself, “I’ll get around to reading it.” Another book comes along and I moved this to the backburner. Joining Alison Bliss’s book club gave me a reason to read it and I’m so glad this was the first selection. I’m kicking myself for putting this on the backburner.

Janie is having a pretty rough day. She finds out her entitled ex-boyfriend cheated on her, so she needs to move out; making her homeless. She mysteriously loses her job with no reason given, completing the hat trick. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, the security guard escorting her out is the hot guy she watches during her lunch break. Thankfully Janie has a great support system around her. Her knitting group is getting her through this rough patch and giving sound advice, especially when it comes to Quinn, the hot security guard who is definitely more than what he seems. Watching Janie and Quinn get to know each other was refreshing. He’s the silently, but deadly type. She’s awkward and quirky and spouts trivial information when nervous. With a bat-shit crazy sister and an ex-boyfriend who refuses to let Janie go, can Janie and Quinn navigate the working world and courtship long enough to make this relationship last?

Getting to know Janie and Quinn was intriguing. Their personalities complement each other very well. The trivial knowledge she drops out randomly was interesting and it made Janie come to life. I loved her support system, a group of women who form a knitting club. The interesting part is Janie is the one member of the group who can’t knit! The story is witty, quirky and a downright good time.