Category: Reviews

Reviews

Review: Kiss of the Spindle by Nancy Campbell Allen

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Book Review

Kiss of the Spindle
Kiss of the Spindle by Nancy Campbell Allen
(Steampunk Proper Romance #2)
Steampunk, Proper Romance, Retelling
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Synopsis
A steampunk Sleeping Beauty story from the author of Beauty and the Clockwork Beast.

Doctor Isla Cooper is cursed. Literally. Each night, at the stroke of midnight she falls into a death-like sleep from which she cannot be awakened for six hours. To make it worse, the curse has an expiration date—after a year, it becomes permanent. And the year is almost up.

In a desperate attempt to find Malette—the witch who cursed her—Isla blackmails her way onto Daniel Pickett’s private airship bound for the Caribbean, only to discover she’s traveling with three illegal shapeshifters and the despicable Nigel Crowe, a government official determined to hunt down and exterminate every shapeshifter in England. Isla and Daniel must work together to keep the identities of the shapeshifters hidden while coming to terms with their own hidden secrets, and their blossoming attraction to each other.

Filled with suspense, intrigue, and plenty of romance, Kiss of the Spindle is a steampunk Sleeping Beauty story. It is a race against the clock as Isla and Daniel try to hunt down the elusive Malette before Isla’s death-like sleep becomes permanent.

What I thought
I have had this audiobook on my Hoopla list for a few months now and I am so glad I finally decided to give it a listen. You can read these books as stand alones or you can read them in order. They all take place in the same steampunk world that the author has created. Its steampunk with a mix of paranormal and I am living for it. A year ago I would have told you that I do not read any romance books and I would have been kinda right. I picked up books from Gail Carriger and that changed everything her books lead me on to these and I am so happy about that. I enjoy a good proper romance more than I would have originally thought I would. In this book, you get more of the build-up for the romance and it was very sweet. I know that this book seems like it’s fast but they are riding in an airship for the majority of it and the trip took weeks. You really don’t get a time frame until they talk about getting a faster ship later and saying it would still take weeks.

The cast of characters for this story was wonderful. I grew to like some of the side characters as much as the main characters. How they come together to support Isla felt organic for the group we had. For me, this just added another layer to the story. Isla had relied only on herself for so long and now she has a group that is willing to help her share her burden and find a solution just made the story that much better for me.

I can not wait to pick up the next one in this series. I have it currently on my shelf, but being a mood reader it may be a little while before I actually pick it up.

My Rating: /5

4 Stars

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Review: Lusus Naturae: A Lord Carlston Story by Alison Goodman

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Book Review

Lusus Naturae A Lord Carlston Story
Lusus Naturae: A Lord Carlston Story by Alison Goodman
(Lady Helen #1.5)
Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical, Regency
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Synopsis
This novella is from Lord Carlston’s perspective and starts at the point in The Dark Days Club when he and Lady Helen meet for the first time.

What I thought
I didn’t know this existed until I was looking up my list of series I want to work on this year. I was so excited to find it and even better, it was free. This novella is from Lord Carlston’s perspective and starts at the point in The Dark Days Club when he and Lady Helen meet for the first time. I really enjoyed seeing the same interaction from his point of view.

Reading this short story reminded me how much I enjoyed the first book and now I really need to pick up the next one.

My Rating: /5

5 Stars

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Review: The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles

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Book Review

The Magpie Lord
The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles
(A Charm of Magpies #1)
Historical, Fantasy, Romance
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Synopsis
A lord in danger. A magician in turmoil. A snowball in hell. Exiled to China for twenty years, Lucien Vaudrey never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He’s also inherited his family’s enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn’t expect it to turn up angry. Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane’s family. Unfortunately, it’s his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he’s ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude… and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed. That’s definitely unusual. Soon Stephen is falling hard for the worst possible man, at the worst possible time. But Crane’s dangerous appeal isn’t the only thing rendering Stephen powerless. Evil pervades the house, a web of plots is closing round Crane, and if Stephen can’t find a way through it-they’re both going to die.

What I thought
The Magpie Lord is the first book of a six-book series.  This book is a Victorian gothic fantasy that really appealed to me and I wanted so much to love it.  After a few days, I realized that for me it turned out to be just an okay read. I really enjoyed the setting and the mystery in the book, and this still holds true even after a few days of reflection. However, if I am being completely honest I did not like Lucien our MC.  I found him to be an arrogant arse with very little redeeming qualities. The only thing that I really liked about Lucien was the description of his tattoo, I would love to see a rendering of it.

The opening scene really caught me off guard. I had to go back and read that first page again to see if I was really reading what I thought I was.  This book opens with a suicide attempt. So be forewarned if this might trigger you.

I have requested the second book from my library and I guess that will be my determining factor if I continue on with this series.

My Rating: /5

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Review: The Blacksmith Queen by G.A. Aiken

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Book Review

The Blacksmith Queen
The Blacksmith Queen by G.A. Aiken
(The Scarred Earth Saga #1)
Fantasy, Romance
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Synopsis
When a prophesy brings war to the Land of the Black Hills, Keeley Smythe must join forces with a clan of mountain warriors who are really centaurs in a thrilling new fantasy romance series from New York Times bestselling author G.A. Aiken.

The Old King Is Dead

With the demise of the Old King, there’s a prophesy that a queen will ascend to the throne of the Black Hills. Bad news for the king’s sons, who are prepared to defend their birthright against all comers. But for blacksmith Keeley Smythe, war is great for business. Until it looks like the chosen queen will be Beatrix, her younger sister. Now it’s all Keeley can do to protect her family from the enraged royals.

Luckily, Keeley doesn’t have to fight alone. Because thundering to her aid comes a clan of kilt-wearing mountain warriors called the Amichai. Not the most socially adept group, but soldiers have never bothered Keeley, and rough, gruff Caid, actually seems to respect her. A good thing because the fierce warrior will be by her side for a much longer ride than any prophesy ever envisioned …

What I thought
I have never picked up anything by this author before and I feel like I have been missing out.  I absolutely loved this book. I really did not think that I was going to like this book half as much as I did.  I only picked it up because I felt like every time I turned around there it was. I am so happy I finally caved and took the chance.

This book is not very long but the amount of stuff that is crammed in there is amazing.  I did not feel like there was any useless information in the story that everything that happened was vital to the story.  I really appreciate that is a book.  The family was amazing.  I loved watching how they all interacted with each other. You see each persons personality shine through.

Keeley has such a kind heart yet mess with her kin and she is a force to reckon with. Then there is the budding romance between her and Caid and I loved watching that develop.  I can not wait for them to announce the next book.

My Rating: /55 StarsFollow me on other platforms:
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Review: The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

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Book Review

The Bromance Book Club
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
(Bromance Book Club #1)
Adult, Romance
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Synopsis
The first rule of this book club:
You don’t talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott’s marriage is in major-league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville’s top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it’ll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner-hero and win back the trust of his wife.

What I thought
This was such a fun ride.  This was my first attempt at a modern-day romance novel and enjoyed it so much.  This book is Gavin’s story where he has to either win his wife back or lose her forever.

What made me want to read this book was how Chelsea, over at chelseadolling reads, raved about this book.

I found myself laughing out loud at some points, and just enjoying this story very much.  Reading all of these Alpha males talk about Regency Romance books was so entertaining. Just seeing how they interpreted the books and the lessons that they took from them and watching Gavin grow as a person in the process was great.  One thing that I also loved was that they showed Thea also having to work through some issues in order to save their marriage.  

I highly suggest if the synopsis appeals to you even a little bit that you give it a shot.

My Rating: /54 StarsFollow me on other platforms:
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Review: Dominion of the Star by Angelica Clyman

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Book Review

Dominion of the Star
Dominion of the Star by Angelica Clyman
(Descendants of the Fallen Book 1)
Dystopian, Fantasy, Young Adult
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Synopsis
The totality of a solar eclipse lasts only a few short minutes. That’s more than enough time for an apocalypse to erupt.

Almost eighteen years have passed since the Eclipse changed the Earth forever, and Sebastian Za’in rose from the chaos and seized control, imposing his order on the broken planet. In a world ruled by fear and superstition, where all gods have perished, there is no one who can stand up to Za’in, the man rumored to be one of the Nephilim—hybrid offspring of Angel and Man. In a few short months, another Eclipse will occur, and while there are those who expect a new natural disaster, Za’in has plans of his own . . .

Completely unaware of this global turmoil, Kayla Steelryn has spent most of her life in a quiet village, longing to uncover her hidden past. When she leaves her home in search of answers, she finds herself faced with the truth about her identity, forced to choose between the two men she loves, and thrust into a conflict where she alone has the power to stop an event more disastrous than the end of the world.

What I thought
I was kindly given a copy of this book by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I was sent the synopsis for this book one work stuck out to me ‘Nephilim’.  The concept of Nephilim has always interested me and not it’s not due to the Shadow Hunters books.   Now let me start by saying that I usually do not pick up dystopian books, but because this book had Nephilim in it I decided it was worth a shot. I feel that putting that out there first is important because this was not a bad book just not for me.  I enjoyed it while I was reading it. It kept my attention which is more than I can say for other dystopian books. I just couldn’t get through books like Hunger Games and Divergent, so in my opinion, this book is one up on them.  My issue was picking it back up once I put it down.  Not the book’s fault it was pretty good just not my type of setting.  I did find the concept of the Intercessors to be interesting.

All in all, I say if you like dystopian books then you really should pick this one up because even I liked it and I don’t really like dystopian books as a general rule. My daughter loves dystopian books so I am going to give it to her and try to get her to write a review on it too.

My Rating: /53 starsFollow me on other platforms:
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Review: Wager for a Lady’s Hand: A Lockhart Sweet Regency Romance by L. G. Rollins

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Book Review

Wager for a Lady's Hand
Wager for a Lady’s Hand: A Lockhart Sweet Regency Romance by L. G. Rollins
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Synopsis
Forced into a betrothal with an abusive man, the only way out might be to beat her fiancé at his own game.

Miss Marianne Twisden knows her best chance at a safe and happy life is to marry a kind man and leave her violent father behind. When her father signs papers betrothing her to Lord Cockell—a cruel and even more violent blackguard—Marianne is desperate for a way out. Her new fiancé gives her one: if Marianne discredits Lord Sheldon Lockhart, England’s newest barrister, Cockell will release her from the marriage contract.

Lord Sheldon Lockhart is determined to rid his neighborhood of Cockell—a man who preys on gamble-hooked gentlemen by loaning them far more money than they could ever hope to repay and then extracting it mercilessly. What he didn’t expect was to fall for Cockell’s most beautiful victim, Miss Marianne.

The seemingly simple game becomes complex when a deep, abiding affection grows between Marianne and Sheldon. It is made all the more perilous when Cockell refuses to play by the rules. Strategizing together, Marianne and Sheldon must think several steps ahead if they ever hope to out-play their opponent and have a shot at victory and their own happily ever after.

What I thought
I was kindly given a copy of this book by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First I want to thank the author for reaching out to me for an honest review.  I have read and enjoyed her steampunk series (Steam & Shadow) so I was really excited when I heard about this one since I am just getting into Regency Romance.

Let me start by giving a trigger warning for abuse from a parent. This is covered in the synopsis so it wouldn’t surprise you but I wanted to just put that out there.  It’s not graphic but it’s still there.

I loved this book and did not want to put it down.  I was pulled in from the beginning. Marianne is such an amazingly strong person considering how her father treats her. I love books set in this time where the women are valued for how smart they are. Which you get when watching the interactions between Marianne and Sheldon.

With the ending, the way it is I can see a future book and I am so excited for it.

You enjoy clean regency romance books then this is a perfect one for you.

My Rating: /55 StarsFollow me on other platforms:
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