Book Review: Smoke and Key ~ Kelsey Sutton

Title: Smoke and Key
Author: Kelsey Sutton
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Date of Release: April 2, 2019
Pages: 304
Format: Kindle (NetGalley)

Imagine waking up as you were falling, but you’re different than you remember. The difference… you’re dead. You don’t know how you died, you have no memories. Now, those who were with you are slowly disappearing, and you have to find out why before you’re next.

While this was a bit of a slow start for me, it was still an interesting story.  The characters and the plot kept you guessing. It was interesting to meet some of the characters, such as Smoke, Journal and Ribbon. The story is told from Key’s perspective and the details of the world created was great. There was a romance aspect but it’s wasn’t a main factor. Kelsey Sutton’s writing is stunning. It’s engaging and she tells quite the story. The pace was just a bit slow, which kept this from being a 5-star review. I’m interested to read more of her work.

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Book Review: A Tangled Fate ~ Aidy Award

Title: A Tangled Fate (Fated for Curves Series, Book 2)
Author: Aidy Award, Narrator: Gwen Cross
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Coffee Break Publishing
Date of Release:  July 23, 2018, December 13, 2018
Pages: 130 (4 Hours, 37 Minutes)
Format: Audio Book (Audiobook Obsession)

I finished this story a few days ago and my mind is still trying to process everything! Ash doesn’t people well, which is why she prefers science to people: People lie, numbers don’t. This entire time she thought she was working for the good guys, but just imagine finding out, not only do you work for the bad guys… you have two mates… and they’re right in front of you… in a rescue mission! Twin brothers, Russ and Dunn, have always grown up thinking they weren’t meant to have a mate because it would kill the mate. Imagine their shock when the person they needed most happens to be the scientist they are rescuing to save to the universe! I thought the first book was great, but this book is fantastic! There was humor (who doesn’t love nerd humor?!), romance, betrayal, and discovery. Gwen Cross was amazing as the narrator, bringing each character to life while reminding you of characters from the previous book. This book was absolutely fantastic and I’m glad I got the chance to read it! I can’t wait to read the next book!

Book Review: Bewitched ~ Kelly Moran

Title: Bewitched (Fated Series, Book 1)
Author: Kelly Moran
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Smashwords
Date of Release: March 5, 2019
Pages: 260
Format: PDF (Author)

People tend to hate what they fear. People tend to fear the unknown. In Six Fates Island, the witch hunt begins, and I don’t think anyone actually expected to find a real witch. Celeste Galloway and Fin Meath make the mistake of falling in love, and creating a beautiful child. Unfortunately, Fin’s father, Minister Gregory Meath, is a fear monger and has named Celeste a witch. If only he had left things alone! Deciding to burn Celeste at the cross, she used her dying words to leave a curse that will take 300 years to begin to break. Three tasks must be completed to break the curse… not impossible, right?

Present day: Kaida Galloway has been dreaming about a boy almost every day since she was 8 years old. They practically grew up together. No one understands her like he does, but she doesn’t know if he’s real or if she conjured him up from her imagination. Interestingly enough, Brady Meath has been dreaming of Kaida as well since he was young. Imagine how surprised he was when he sees her right outside his office window! Dreams do come true, but they come with a catch. Together, Kaida and Brady must complete their task to help break the curse… but losing their hearts to each other, that’s a different story!

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this story, but I’m in absolute love with this story! I can’t wait for the rest of the series. The three Galloway sisters, Ceara, Fiona, and Kaida are great characters. The Meath Triplets, Tristian, Riley, and Brady are fantastic. There’s mystery, humor, suspense, and love! I’m eagerly anticipating the next book of the series… but I’m also impatient! I’m looking forward to the next installment!

Book Review: Dangerous Currents ~ Kathryn Knight

Title: Dangerous Currents
Author: Kathryn Knight
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, Suspense
Publisher: Wicked Whale Publishing
Date of Release: May 3, 2018
Pages: 282
Format: Kindle (Author)

Coming home after 7 years, Malorie Montgomery returns home to Cape Cod. While out on a run with her dog, they stumble across a dead body. When she screams out, never in her wildest dreams did she imagine the person who would come to her rescue would be her high school sweetheart… who broke her heart. Dean Slater never imagined he would see Malorie again… and definitely not under these circumstances. As Malorie and Dean grow close again, can the two of them solve this mystery before Malorie is next?

This was a very emotional second chance romance. Watching Malorie’s and Dean’s relationship blossom was something to see. Both characters have secrets from their past, which lead to misunderstandings and unnecessary heartache. The development of their relationship was perfect… and so were the love scenes. Second chance romance typically isn’t my thing, but I might have to change my stance that after reading Dangerous Currents.

Book Review: Triplicity ~ J. Mercer

Title: Triplicity
Author: J. Mercer
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, YA
Publisher: Bare Ink
Date of Release: January 6, 2019
Pages: 226
Format: Kindle (YA Bound Book)

Triplicity: (n) a group or combination of three; triad.

Meet Isaiah, Jesse, and Navy as they adventure to Alaska on a cruise, with their families and each one hiding a secret. As the three get to know each other, things start to go missing. Each one falling under suspicion, can the three of them find the real thief before the ship docks one last time and things get worse?

While I figured out quite early who the thief was, I loved how each character was complexed and their backstories were extremely intriguing… some were heartbreaking and others were just outright complicated. The writing and storytelling kept me on the edge of my seat, needing to know what happens next. Each teen was likable in their own way. However, the majority of the adults didn’t have any redeeming qualities. For some people, that may be a drawback, but it drew me in. It intrigued me to see how the teens would navigate the seven days at sea. It was my first book by J. Mercer, and definitely not my last!

Book Review: My Mr. Beautiful ~ Caterina Passarelli

Title: My Mr. Beautiful (The Eternal City Love Series, Book 1)
Author: Caterina Passarelli
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Erotica, Romance
Publisher: Caterina Passarelli
Date of Release: November 4, 2015
Pages: 145
Format: Kindle (Kindle Unlimited)

What do you do when you come home a little earlier than expected and you walk in on your boyfriend sleeping with his secretary? Get a fresh start… in Italy! That is exactly what CEO of a multimedia company, Elena Scott does. No return trip plane ticket. A fresh break is what the doctor ordered. While working as a barista, Elena meets Italy’s most eligible bachelor and billionaire, Leonardo Forte. He’s immediately taken with her. The problem is he doesn’t do relationships. He doesn’t believe he’s capable of loving anyone. Just think of what can happen if you can convince him he’s capable of loving and so much more… maybe, just maybe, he can show you how to live… I mean, truly live!

I honestly don’t know where to start, other than there’s a stalker… I don’t mean in just the book… I think I’m going to start stalking Caterina! I finished this in one sitting. I couldn’t get enough. Don’t get me wrong, there were moments of frustration and moments of anger, just from sheer misunderstandings… but I enjoyed this! Elena frustrated me with how she handled who she was. I get wanting to be anonymous, but after deciding you were going to start a relationship with someone… the least you can do is be honest. There were some characters written for you to purely hate them, and you will. The flip side is there are some really awesome characters to balance it out. The people who have become friends to Elena are TRUE friends. It will be interesting to see how the rest of this plays out due to this story ending in a cliffhanger. BUT… if you have a solid 90 minutes (at most), you’ll finish this in one sitting, and immediately move on the next one!

Book Review: Haunted Souls ~ Kathryn Knight

Title: Haunted Souls
Author: Kathryn Knight
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc
Date of Release: June 1, 2016
Pages: 336
Format: Kindle (Author)

Love, distrust, family, ghosts… just a few topics Haunted Souls touches on. Emily and Brett had a fling 4 years ago. They decided to end the fling due to his deployment. What neither realized was Emily was pregnant. Fast forward, Emily is a single mother of a son named Tyler. Brett’s deployment is over and he finds out he is a father. Tyler makes a friend with ghost name Josiah. There’s hurt, angry, and fear. Can the 3 (technically 4) save each other?

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but what I can say… I truly enjoyed the story I got! It was difficult to walk away from this story. Both Brett and Emily showed such a vulnerability which made you feel for them and root for them. You completely understood their feelings toward each other and the emotions they were dealing with. Their relationship was complicated, yet had an ease to it which made you want to grab one of them (and at times grab the other) and give them a little shake. While this was a GREAT second chance romance, this was also a really good ghost story. I was slightly surprised with myself that I enjoyed this aspect of the story. I, generally, don’t like horror, but this element added to the story and showed me different sides of this story and the romance.

Kathryn Knight’s writing isn’t overly complicated, yet it isn’t simplistic by any means. She can write and twisted, yet beautiful story of love and forgiveness, you’ll feel like you’re right in the middle of the action. I recommend Haunted Souls to anyone who loves complexed and damaged characters who you’ll love.