A Heart of Blood and Ashes ARC Review

~ Tej ~ 1 Comment

A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: A Gathering of Dragons #1

Release Date: February 4, 2020

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Heat Rating: 🔥🔥🔥

I received a complimentary advance title of this book from the publisher.

Maddek, a warrior prince has just lost his mother and father who were also king and queen and vows to find the reason why they were slain. Yvenne, a king’s daughter is also mourning her mother, but proposes a marriage to this warrior to achieve a shared goal. But can Maddek trust her when he realizes that she may have been part of the king and queens murder?

To say that I loved A Heart of Blood and Ashes, would be an understatement. I immediately fell in love with both Maddek and Yvenne. Maddek who was so strong and had the strength of his dragon (the immediate warriors that he trusts to surround him) and Yvenne who was the opposite – so very alone, weak and yet she was so sharp and had her wits about her. These two were immediately a perfect pair even though it may have taken some time for them to come around to one another.

One of the reasons I really enjoyed this book was the camaraderie between Maddek and his dragon, but also the beliefs that Yvenne has in her people. Even though there are great secrets being discussed in the throne room, the belief that their people are good is what fuels a great king and queen.

The attraction between Maddek and Yvenne was sizzling from the first moment these two met each other. I was definitely not expecting so much heat between these two and Milla Vane surprised me in the best of ways. The steamy scenes between Maddek and Yvenne were so damn hot and I loved it! Maddek and Yvenne are so primal and their attraction to one another doesn’t fool anyone. But it’s what’s beyond just the physical attraction that had me rooting for these two. Once their relationship is established, I loved the intimacy between Yvenne and Maddek. Alongside his dragon I was rooting for Maddek to make Yvenne his queen.

If you’re looking for an adventurous fantasy romance then look no further and pick up A Heart of Blood and Ashes. You will be suspended into fantastic world where you will feel the passion as well as the adventure taking place around you. I am so looking forward to the next book in the series!

Almost Just Friends ARC Review

~ Tej ~ 2 Comments

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Series: Wildstone #4

Release Date: January 21, 2020

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Heat Rating: 🔥

I received a complimentary advance title of this book from the author.

I always like reading a Jill Shalvis book because I know without a doubt that it will make me laugh and have me rooting for the characters involved. Almost Just Friends was no different. There was family drama, sweet romance (between a few different characters) and of course scenes that had me laughing!

Piper Manning has been carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. She’s been living in Wildstone working as an EMT while fixing up the house her grandparents left her and her two siblings, Gavin and Winnie. Piper has worked hard at supporting her siblings and they are now mostly adults who have their own lives. What she doesn’t expect is for Winnie and Gavin to return to Wildstone, both having the clear intentions to stay. All three of the Manning siblings have their own secrets and reasons for coming back. It’s breaking down those walls and getting to know one another again that will be the hardest for all three.

Not only do her siblings make an appearance in town, but so does the New Hot Guy that everyone keeps talking about. New Hot Guy turns out to be Camden Hayes – DEA agent/Coast Guard extraordinaire. Cam has his own demons that he is facing and yet the attraction between him and Piper is sizzling and they each are drawn to each other.

I won’t say more about the plot, because each of these characters are so interwoven together. I was feeling so much on behalf of every single one of these characters. Not only Piper, but also Gavin and CJ, Winnie and even Piper’s neighbor Emmitt.  There was a bit of insta-love between Piper and Cam and parts of the story were a bit predictable, but I still really enjoyed Almost Just Friends.

Although this book is part of a series, it stands as a standalone and you don’t have to read the book that came before it.

Undercover Bromance ARC Review

~ Tej ~ 2 Comments

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: Bromance Book Club #2

Release Date: March 10, 2020

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heat Rating: 🔥🔥

I read a complimentary copy of this book.

When I first read The Bromance Book Club (book #1 in the series), I immediately loved how brash and bold Braden Mack was. I love a hero who is confident and so full of himself and Mack is definitely all of those things. The setup/chemistry between Mack and Liv was definitely there even in Bromance Book Club and I couldn’t wait to see how Lyssa Kay Adams would show us more of these two interacting.

Liv is a pastry chef at a famous restaurant, but the owner Royce is a complete jerk. Not only does he terrorize the staff, but he also harasses the young women who work for him. After Liv catches Royce trying to put the moves on a young hostess, she makes a plan. She’s had enough, quits and decides to take him down. This is where Mack enters the scene. He kind of accidentally got Liv in trouble in the first place (super funny scene) and to make up for it he’s decided to help her with her plan to take down Royce.

Undercover Bromance was a classic enemies to lovers trope with a side of romantic suspense and I really enjoyed it! There were so many parts of this book that had me laughing out loud (talk about chickens), but also moments that had me swooning on behalf of both Liv and Mack. These two are so tough and so cocky, but underneath they are both vulnerable. When they let their guard down, it had my heart catching. I’ve highlighted so many sweet moments between Liv and Mack. Mack comes across as this macho, tough guy but he’s such a sweet softie and I loved that.

I will admit that it was a bit predictable and there was a bit of insta-love between Liv and Mack, but I still really enjoyed this book. The book club meetings with the bros were so funny! I really loved the addition of Rosie and Hop too. I hope we’ll get to see the bromance book club guys again soon!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3028398044?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
GoodReads Review of The Bromance Book Club

A Favor for a Favor ARC Review

~ Tej ~ 1 Comment

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: All In

Release Date: January 28, 2020

Heat Level: 🔥🔥

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received a complimentary advance audiobook of this title from the publisher and e-book from the author.

Stevie has just moved to Seattle to start a new job as a sports physiotherapist and wanted to surprise her boyfriend Joey early. What she doesn’t anticipate happening is walking in on Joey cheating on her in their new apartment. Safe to say Stevie hightails it out of there and decides to stay at her brother RJ’s apartment. Next we get the antithesis of a meet cute – Stevie runs in to the jerk who lives across the hall and he lays it into her for waking him up in the middle of the night. Great start to her move to Seattle!

I absolutely LOVE a grumpy hero and Bishop is definitely one grumpy/jerk of a hero. I love that him and Stevie and play their childish games just to get under each others skins. They each have their own misconceptions of each other and it isn’t until Bishop ends up with a groin injury that they actually decide to get to know one another a little better. Stevie wants to help rehab Bishop with his injury. He gets extra PT time and Stevie gets the advantage of rehabbing an NHL player to add in her portfolio.

The chemistry between Bishop and Stevie slowly built until the pages were about to explode! They are wary of each other, but soon develop a wonderful friendship. They each have their reasons for living the way that they do and I love the trust that they eventually have in each other. The sexual tension was sizzling between these two and I was just waiting for one of them to make a move.

It’s always fun when Violet and Alex makes a cameo (if you haven’t read Pucked yet – what are you waiting for!). I also really liked getting to know more about Kingston and can’t wait to read his book, A Secret for a Secret next.


Audiobook:

Story: 5

Narration: 5

Overall: 5

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of A Favor for a Favor. The audiobook was narrated by Jacob Morgan and Erin Mallon. These two are the perfect pair for audiobooks and I loved how they portrayed both Bishop and Stevie. Jacob Morgan is probably my favorite male narrator and he does such a great job voicing various characters. I could always tell if he was portraying Bishop, RJ, Coach Alex or the various other characters in the book! Erin Mallon is always so great in her narration. She always has the perfect pitch for when he’s happy/irritated/sad or mad! She also does a great job voicing the male characters when her chapters call for it. I love this duo so much and they did a great job voicing Stevie and Bishop in A Favor for a Favor. You won’t be disappointed if you pick up this audiobook!

If you’re looking for your next sweet and sexy hockey romance then pick up A Favor for a Favor!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2832636288?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
GoodReads A Lie for a Lie Review

Mermaid Inn by Jenny Holiday ARC Review

~ Tej

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: Matchmaker Bay #1

Heat Level: 🔥🔥

Release Date: January 28, 2020

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

Almost a year ago I read my first Jenny Holiday book, Three Little Words and really fell in love with her writing style. I was so excited when I was able to read an ARC of the first book in the new Matchmaker Bay series, Mermaid Inn.

Jenny’s writing is always a lot of fun! I was laughing along with the characters, but also feeling the nostalgia that Eve had with Moonflower Bay and her various relationship with the people of the town.

Eve Abbott has returned to Moonflower Bay after being away for the past decade. Eve would visit every summer and stay with her great-aunt Lucille and fell in love with the charming town and a boy named Sawyer too. After having her heart broken by Sawyer when they were teenagers, Eve left and hasn’t been back. She now finds herself the owner of the Mermaid Inn and doesn’t quite know how she feels about the town and all of the people in it – specifically the Chief of police Sawyer.

I love a second chance romance and Eve and Sawyer had such great chemistry. The memories of the town and memories of Sawyer are interwoven so tightly in Eve’s mind that she is having a hard separating the two. I felt so deeply for both of these characters. They each had their own reasons for acting the way that they did, but missed it out on so much time together. 

It did take me a bit to really get into Mermaid Inn, but I feel that sometimes that happens when an author is setting up the characters and plot for a series. The secondary characters were well rounded and added so much to this wonderful story. I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series!

The Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLean Book Review

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Genre: Historical Romance

Series: Scandal & Scoundrel Book #3

Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I first was recommended Day of the Duchess while listening to the Read Me Romance podcast. Tessa Bailey was discussing married couples in romance novels and recommended this book. Over the past year, I have come to the realization that I love romances that deal with married couples. Marriage of convenience has always been one of my favorite tropes, but I am also loving romances that deal with couples who have been married and how they navigate through the highs of marriage and the lows of marriage.

Sarah MacLean is a fairly new author to me, but I like her style of writing. Over the past year I have read two Sarah MacLean books, Brazen and the Beast and Wicked and the Wallflower and I enjoyed both of them. I have quite a few of her backlist books still left to read, but decided to dive in to The Day of the Duchess

In The Day of the Duchess, our main character Seraphina has returned to England (from America) and plans on opening her own pub. Problem is, she’s still married and therefore anything that she owns is outright her husband’s. That’s right Seraphina is still married to the Duke of Haven, Malcolm Bevingstoke. Therefore, in order to achieve her dream of owning her own pub she must divorce the duke. I love a second chance romance and this story had the perfect elements of it. The flashbacks in the past intersecting with what was happening currently were so wonderfully placed.

Sarah MacLean has a wonderful way with words and I always feel the perfect amount of angst when reading her books. The Day of the Duchess was no exception. There were so many moments when tears were silently falling down my face because of the complicated relationship between Malcolm and Sera.

I loved seeing Sera with all of her sisters. I read this story out of order, but it can be read fine as a standalone. Now I can’t wait to go back and read the other Soiled S’s stories (especially Caleb & Sesily 😍)!

Overall I really enjoyed this book. There were parts of the book that didn’t exactly sit right with me, which had me knocking down a star.

Favorite Romance Audiobooks

~ Tej ~ Leave a comment

Hi readers! Do you listen to audiobooks? I will admit that prior to joining the book community I had maybe listened to two audiobooks and wasn’t really sure why so many people enjoyed them.

Let me tell you – that has all changed in the past year. I absolutely love listening to audiobooks now. I listen to audiobooks when I’m taking a walk or working out. I listen to audiobooks when I’m doing mundane chores around the house like washing dishes or tidying up. And I always have an audiobook going when I’m on long commutes.

I feel like sometimes a lot of people are weirded out by the notion of listening to a romance book on audio, but honestly I love it. Sure you might feel the need to lower the volume on your headphones when a particular sexy scene is playing, but I don’t find that it takes away or distracts me from the audiobook.

I do feel like the narrator of an audiobook really adds to the experience for me. If i’m not really feeling the narrator then I usually will stop listening completely and switch over to reading instead. Other times I wish the book would never end because I love the narration.

Who are your favorite narrators? I really enjoy listening to books narrated by Erin Mallon, Susannah Nixon, Zachary Webber, Jason Clarke and Jacob Morgan. I’ll leave a few of my favorite audiobook recommendations below and would love to hear which audiobooks are your favorites!

The Hating Game by Sally | Thorne Narrated by Katie Schorr

I first read The Hating Game and completely fell in love the enemies to lovers story involving co-workers Josh and Lucy. I decided to listen to the audiobook a few months later and loved the narration by Katie Schorr. If you love a great enemies to lovers romance please run to get the audio!

Hooking Up by Helena Hunting | Narrated by Jacob Morgan and Muffy Newton

If you haven’t listened to an audiobook narrated by Jacob Morgan, please change that ASAP! Jacob Morgan and Muffy Newton do such a wonderful job narrating Lexington and Amalie in this audiobook. This book is one of my favorites and I listened to the audiobook on a re-read and enjoyed it so much. If you want a steamy but super sweet love story then this is the book!

Man Hands by Tanya Eby and Sarina Bowen | Narrated by Luke Daniels and Erin Mallon

When a friend recommended that I listen to Man Hands and then gifted it to me I knew that it was going to be a great audiobook. I can honestly say that this is maybe my favorite audiobook. I was laughing right from the beginning and didn’t stop pretty much until the book ended. I loved the sizzling chemistry between Tom and Brynn! Even though I was laughing so hard throughout a majority of the book, the tender, sweet moments really had me sighing and rooting for these two.

Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen | Narrated by Zachary Webber, Virgina Rose and Joe Hempel

I actually started with the book in audiobook format and immediately fell in love with the voices of Nate and Rebecca. I also really appreciated that the past scenes were narrated by Joe Hempel. It made the transition between past and present seamless. I am a huge fan of Zachary Webber and as always he does a wonderful job bringing Nate to life. But I also really loved Virginia Rose as Rebecca! I could immediately tell when Rebecca was excited or doubtful (one of my favorite scenes was when she had a bit too much alcohol to drink!)

Fireworks by Sarina Bowen Audiobook Review

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Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: True North #6

Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Do you love to read book series? And if so, do you have to start from book #1? I absolutely love book series, but I don’t necessarily have to read them in order. I love reading the blurb of the book and choosing the one that I am currently in the mood for.

I have definitely been binging on Sarina Bowen’s backlist recently (everything from her Brooklyn Bruisers to the her Man Hands series) and decided to listen to the audiobook of Fireworks (book #6 in the True North series). I have read book #1, Bittersweet in the series (I really enjoyed that book) and didn’t feel like I had to read all of the others in order to read Fireworks. It definitely is a standalone in the series. Below is my audiobook review.

Audiobook:
Story: 5
Narration: 5
Overall: 5

Every time I pick up a new Sarina Bowen book, I am blown away. I loved everything about Fireworks! Skye and Benito’s love story was perfectly woven between the past and the present with bits of suspense that kept me on my toes.

Skye is currently out of a job. She kind of sort of drew a phallic figure on TV while doing a weather forecast and her network has given her some vacation time to use up ASAP. Skye’s step-sister asks her to come to Vermont for a little trip and that’s where the suspense portion of the book sets in. I don’t want to spoil the rest of the story, so I’ll just say that I loved the set up to get Skye to Vermont and how the rest of the story played out.

Skye and Benito have the kind of love story that makes me swoon. This is definitely a second chance romance, but I loved the slow way their relationship started out and the circumstances that brought them together. They knew each other twelve years ago, but they haven’t spoken to each other since. Second chance romances are my favorite trope and I loved the connection between Skye and Benito. These two had so much sizzling chemistry and you could see the fireworks go off when they were together.

Skye is my favorite kind of heroine. She is strong and independent and so very brave. I loved Benito’s character. He is quite simply … perfect. I don’t know even know how to describe Benito without smiling. He is kind and sweet and only wants happiness for Skye. So much history between these two and I loved the way the past was woven in with the present to paint an overall big picture.

I loved loved loved listening to the audiobook of Fireworks. The audiobook was narrated by Susannah Jones and Zachary Webber and both of these narrators were absolutely perfect. Susannah Jones has such a great voice for audiobooks. I could feel when Skye was nervous or excited and there was so much enthusiasm in her performance. Zachary Webber is always such a great narrator and his voice was perfect for Benito. These two were a great combination for Fireworks and I hope they narrate as a team more often!

Marriage on Madison Avenue by Lauren Layne ARC Review

~ Tej ~ 2 Comments

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: Central Park Pact #3

Heat Level: 🔥

Release Date: January 28, 2020

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I received a complimentary copy of this book from TastyBookPR

Do you have a favorite author? Or one who you always auto-buy? Prior to learning about ARC’s I would scrounge author’s websites to see what book was coming up soon and then one-click on Amazon 😊. Lauren Layne has been an auto-buy author for a few years now 💕

After reading Passion on Park Avenue and Love on Lexington Avenue I couldn’t wait to read Clarke and Audrey’s story. Lauren Layne did not disappoint in bringing us the perfect book to end this series. What started off as three women meeting under the most unusual circumstance – at a funeral for the man that they were all very intimate with (wife, mistress and girlfriend) – turned in to three friends who eventually found the right man for them.

Throughout Passion on Park Avenue and Love on Lexingon Avenue, you saw snippets of Clarke and Audrey and how close they were. I loved their friendship so much and was just waiting until these two realized they had feelings for one another 💏

Audrey is having a hard time moving on from the death of her supposed boyfriend. She’s heartbroken for what she could have had and also doubts herself in choosing the right person. Marriage is completely off the table…that is until Clarke tells his mom Audrey and him are engaged 💍

I love a fake relationship trope so much and LL did such a good job with not only a fake relationship but friends to lovers as well. Clarke and Audrey are under the assumption that they’ll stay friends while being fake engaged, but as lines start to blur it is becoming harder to maintain a distance and not truly act as an engaged couple.

I loved this book so much and I think that Marriage on Madison Avenue was the perfect book to end this wonderful series ❤️

Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey ARC Review

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Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: Hot & Hammered Book #2

Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: January 14, 2020

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

I received a complimentary advance title of this book from the publisher.

When I read Fix Her Up last year I knew that I had to immediately read more of Tessa Bailey. I loved her grumpy alpha heroes with hearts of gold and was looking forward to Love Her or Lose Her. But sadly I was left feeling a bit disappointed after reading this book. I hard a hart time finding the connection between Dominic and Rosie.

Rosie and Dominic have been married for a few years, but are struggling with their failing marriage. The only time the two of them seem to be on the same page is if they are getting intimate with one another. Rosie finally has enough and decides that she needs time apart from Dominic.

This couple had so much history shared between them. They met in middle school and have been together ever since. Sometimes it feels like when you’ve been with a person so long, you don’t know how to be “alone” anymore and I really felt for Rosie. She needs time and space alone to shine by herself and that was very hard for Dominic to give to her. I really appreciated the fact that this couple chose to go to marriage counseling. That’s something that’s not often discussed in romance books, and I liked that this couple had real struggles and had a professional help them through their troubles.

I did enjoy the girl gang between Bethany, Georgie and Rosie and the Just Us League! But at times I was more invested in their story line than the one between Dominic and Rosie. The set up for the final book in the series is laid down in Love Her or Lose Her and I’m interested in what that story line will be when it is released.