Monthly Archives: August 2020

Royal by Danielle Steel – a Review

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Royal by Danielle Steel – a Review

 

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Description:
As the war rages on in the summer of 1943, causing massive destruction and widespread fear, the King and Queen choose to quietly send their youngest daughter, Princess Charlotte, to live with a trusted noble family in the country. Despite her fiery, headstrong nature, the princess’s fragile health poses far too great a risk for her to remain in war-torn London.

Third in line for the throne, seventeen year-old Charlotte reluctantly uses an alias upon her arrival in Yorkshire, her two guardians the only keepers of her true identity. In time, she settles comfortably into a life out of the spotlight, befriending a young evacuee and training with her cherished horse. But no one predicts that in the coming months she will fall deeply in love with her protectors’ son.

She longs for a normal life. Far from her parents, a tragic turn of events leaves an infant orphaned. Alone in the world, that child will be raised in the most humble circumstances by a modest stable manager and his wife. No one, not even she, knows of her lineage. But when a stack of hidden letters comes to light, a secret kept for nearly two decades finally surfaces, and a long lost princess emerges.

 

 

Review:

Royal by Danielle Steel is another one off her wonderful standalone romance novels. The story begins around 1943 in war torn England, and the King and Queen decide to send their 17-year-old daughter, Charlotte, who suffers from asthma, to a safer place in the country.  Charlotte is the youngest sister of three, and though very headstrong, she is weak and vulnerable.  Charlotte is not happy going to Yorkshire, but the family promises to keep her identity a secret, and she slowly accepts the time she is spending there.  She befriends the son, who works with the horses, which is her passion.  In a short time, they fall in love and when she becomes pregnant, they get married before he is sent overseas. Tragically, her husband is killed, and they keep the secret from her real family.  When Charlotte gives birth, her weakened state, causes her to hemorrhage and she dies. The Yorkshire family tells the royal family about her tragic death, but only says it was due to her asthma, no mention of her being married or her pregnancy.  

Lucy, who was also a member of the household in Yorkshire, but who was also jealous of Charlotte, begins to take care and love baby Annie. Within a short time, the couple both will die months apart, forcing Lucy to find another job, which she will take Annie as her own.  The story now follows Lucy, and young Annie, who loves horses, bringing her close to the stable manager.  Eventually Lucy and Jonathan will marry and bring Annie up together.  They were a happy family, as the years pass, until Lucy knows she is dying, and she tells Jonathan about the papers she hidden, revealing the true nature of Annie, who is rightfully a Royal Princess.

The last half of the story really perks up and I loved watching a happy Annie, and her closeness to her step father, but most of all I loved how everything changed for her.  We get to see the royal family, after a full investigation open their arms to the daughter of Charlotte, which was painful for them.  Alexandra is now the queen, with Victoria, the second sister still having fun playing the field.  Annie is happy to meet all her relatives, and is thrilled to get the chance to work for the Queen’s stables to train horses.   Annie dream is the be a jockey, but it is not allowed for females.  In a few years, she will have the opportunity to do this, and she proves how she excels in handling the horses. It was so much fun to watch the family, especially Annie as she becomes a household name in her endeavors to ride the horses.  

Annie will fall in love with Anthony, her boss’s son, and they were really great together.  Something will separate them, as Annie wants to continue her chance riding in the high stake’s races. I loved Annie the best of all the characters that Steel has given us, though I was not a fan of Lucy early on.

Royal was a wonderful and beautiful love story that spans over 30 years.  I do feel that the beginning was a bit slow, but not for long, as I could not put the book down, since I was enjoying it so much.  The early tragedy, leads to a remarkable enjoyable and fun story, surrounded by the wonderful characters created by Steel.  I wholly suggest you read Royal, so very well written by Danielle Steel.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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Tempting the Prince by Christi Barth – a Review

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Tempting the Prince by Christi Barth – a Review

 

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Description:
What happens when you mix an average American woman with a decidedly not average future King?

I can tell you from experience—a whole lot of complications.

You see, four months ago, my all-American sister, Kelsey, found out that she’s not actually my sister—she’s a princess of a country we’d never heard of. She begged me to come along when she was whisked off to her new palace, so here I am. An outsider who doesn’t fit in anywhere.

Now that she’s settled, I should go back to my exciting new career in New York. I absolutely should not stay in a country where I got shot (long story), where I suck so badly at the national sport that I accidentally murdered the symbol of the monarchy in front of half the country, and—oh yeah—where I can’t stop ogling Kelsey’s actual brother.

The Crown Prince.
The man who has to marry a very important princess. (not me)
The man who must create the next heir to the throne. (without me)
The man I absolutely can never be with. (remember that long story?)
The man who just gave me the best sex of my life…

Did I mention that it’s complicated?

Each book in the Sexy Misadventures of Royals series is STANDALONE:
* The Princess Problem
* Ruling the Princess
* Tempting the Prince

 

 

 

 

Review:

Tempting the Prince begins with Mallory getting lost in the palace.  Again.  Not very long ago, she and her sister, Kelsey, were average Americans from Michigan, living in New York.  That all changed when they found out that Kelsey was not her blood sister and had been adopted.  Add to that fact that Kelsey was also a long lost princess who had been stolen from her birth family and the word “average” went out the window.

Having found out that Kelsey was actually from the European country of Moncriano and a member of the Royal House of Villani, their lives changed in an instant.  Kelsey had had a hard time adapting to life as a royal, in that she was not a fan of all of the protocol and rule following.  Mallory helped Kelsey and tried to keep her on the straight and narrow and promised that she would stay for a few months to help her sister transition into life as a royal.

Things didn’t start out well.  There had been an assassination attempt in which Mallory got caught in the crossfire.  After months of recovery, and news from her doctors that she kept to herself, Mallory threw herself into helping Kelsey.

Needing to get away from the palace for a little while, Mallory ends up at bar of her bodyguard’s choosing.  While sitting at the bar, Mallory is very surprised to hear the very familiar voice of Prince Christian, next in line to be King and brother to Kelsey.  Also a man she can’t quite stop staring at, even though she knows he’s is way out of her league for numerous reasons.  Christian explains to her that this very bar is one where he can go and be himself.  Only then does she notice that a big percentage of the clientele are members of the royal guard.  Enjoying themselves, they eventually end up challenging each other to a game of darts.  It doesn’t take Christian long to realize how competitive Mallory is and decides to use that to his advantage.  However, while shooting darts, Mallory accidentally impales the ‘King to be” with a dart.  Mortified, they head to the back to get Christian cleaned and bandaged, only to find themselves in close quarters.  They also find themselves giving into their growing attraction to each other……..once.  Yep, best laid plans and such……..

Tempting the Prince is a wonderfully written story that pulled me in at the very beginning, even though I hadn’t read the previous books.  I loved the premise and the characters.  Mallory is so loyal to her sister and is torn between protecting herself and protecting her sister.  Christian knows what he wants.  He’s just not quite sure how to get there.  His father, the reigning king, is having issues with the past coming back to haunt him and has left Christian to step into the role.  He also wants Mallory but can’t seem to figure out how to make that work, until he finally sums up the courage to confront his father.  Christian finds it a bit ironic that the one person he knows who needs some help handling the past has the most impressive view of the future and also has the wise words on how to achieve such.  The chemistry between Mallory and Christian also pulls you in.  I loved their interactions, their wit and love for each other.  The secondary characters were well written as well, and I can’t wait to go back and read their stories.   If you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll definitely not go wrong with this one.  Well done, Christi Barth!  Very, very well done!!

Reviewed by Vickie

Copy provided by Publisher

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The Warrior by M.A. Abraham – Review & Giveaway

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The Warrior by M.A. Abraham – Review & Giveaway

 

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Description:
Ilénè is a Dark Elven Elite warrior of repute, one who knows her worth. She has led her father’s elite squad for the last one hundred years, but she is getting tired of the constant drill. She has decided it is time to settle down and have a family. The question is with whom?

Kestriel was raised in the way of the ancient High Elven people, and he serves as one of the Guardians of the Empire. It is an honour and one he appreciates to the fullest. He has no intentions of soiling his hands on an Elven female of questionable repute. Until he meets Ilénè.

The moment Kestriel meets Ilénè, he knows he has met his Life Mate. The trouble with this is that he grew up with the impression that it was the male who should be the aggressor in a budding relationship, not the woman. What is a poor Elven Dragon shifter to do?

 

 

Review:

The Warrior by M.A. Abraham is the 4th book in her Guardians of the Empire series. Brief refresher:  This series is set in the same world as Abraham’s Elven Chronicles, but thousands of years past.  We learned of the different portals in earlier books, such as the Elven lands and the human Valley land.  There are more that we meet moving forward.

Ilene, our heroine, is a Dark Elven Elite Warrior, who happens to be best friends with Cambria & her sister, Gabriella (General of the Elven Army), both from the strong Eagle Claw family.  Early on, Ilene comes face to face with one of the ancient Guardians of the Empire, who turns out to be her lifemate.

Kestriel, our hero, is a true warrior and powerful Guardian.  One look at Ilene, he is hooked for life and thrilled to have met such a wonderful warrior in her own right, in Ilene.  It was fun to watch the two of them desperate to do the bonding, and getting interrupted along the way.

The storyline also continues with Evart, who is the youngest son of the King, as in the previous book, he helped send away Sonya and later Alexis to their safety with the Elves.  When Evart’s father, and brothers are away trying to invade the lands of the Elves, Evart works with everyone to clean up the estate, get food, and earn the respect of the workers.  But when his family returns, he is regulated back to handling the financials, until he senses an evil entity in far basement.  When Evart and one of his brothers tries to research this, a terrible evil entity escapes.  Both Sonya and Alexis sense something wrong with Evart (the entire family is affected).

What follows is an exciting and wild adventure where Gabriella, Ilene, Cambria and all the Guardians, High Elves, Tracthars, Dragons and powerful sons and daughters of the sun must step in to find the evil entity and destroy it before he creates more havoc.  This was an exciting story totally involving all the Elves, with Evart and his family under the strange spell.  There is no doubt that though it might be awhile until she gets her story and lifemate, Gabriella is the major star of this series, as she is a fantastic warrior, as well as Gabriel’s descendant.

I do not want to say too much more, as it would be spoilers, with a lot going on.  It was a fun, exciting, action-filled story, as we follow the fantastic characters Abraham has created in this series.   The Warrior was a fun and entertaining story line, written very well by M.A. Abraham.   You should read this series, and start with the first book to get to know all the characters.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review

 

M.A. is graciously offering an e-copy of THE WARRIOR to TWO (2) lucky commenters at The Reading Cafe.

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The Dazzling Truth by Helen Cullen -Review & Excerpt

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The Dazzling Truth by Helen Cullen -Review & Excerpt

 

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Description:
When we met we were such untethered spirits floating through the world, as if one of us might drift away if we didn’t hold hands tightly. We were imperfect people, who fitted perfectly together.

On an island off the west coast of Ireland, the Moone family are shattered by tragedy.

Murtagh Moone is a potter and devoted husband to Maeve, an actor struggling with her most challenging role yet – being a mother to their four children. Now Murtagh must hold his family close as we bear witness to their story before that tragic night.

We return to the day Maeve and Murtagh meet, outside Trinity College in Dublin, and watch how one love story gives rise to another. And as the Moone children learn who their parents truly are, we journey onwards with them to a future that none of the Moones could predict . . .

Except perhaps Maeve herself.

 

 

Review:

The Dazzling Truth by Helen Cullen is a standalone Irish family saga.  The story revolves around the Moone family in Ireland, which starts off with a terrible tragedy in 2005, that shatters the family. Maeve and Murtagh Moone and their 4 children live on a small island (Inis Óg) west of the mainland. It is Christmas Eve, and when morning comes Murtagh realizes Maeve is not home.  He knows she likes to take walks when she needs to be alone, but he becomes concerned when she has not returned.  The family and the townsfolk all help to look for Maeve, and late that day she will tragically be found, with Murtagh trying to hold his family together.

The story then switches to 1978, detailing how Maeve and Murtagh met at college, and how an American woman and an Irish man fell in love. Maeve was an inspiring actress and Murtagh had a bright future as a potter, creating wonderful ceramics.  The storyline then jumps forward each chapter by a year or two, as we learn all aspects of their life.  Murtagh’s understanding and helping Maeve, when her bipolar depressive condition acts up, which will get progressively worse over the years. They move to Inis Og, where Maeve will give up her career, and Murtagh becomes successful; friendships develop, and mostly the birth of each of their children; Nollaig (first girl), twins Mossy & Dillion, and Sive the youngest girl. Maeve manages to control her issues (which started slowly when she was very young), but her debilitating condition worsens her to exhaustion, doing her best to not let her family know how bad it has become.   This will eventually lead to the tragedy that takes place in 2005

The story then moves forward after the tragedy with the family suffering and coming apart through the seams.  We watch as each child over the years has a hard time dealing with what happened, and Murtagh does his best to keep them together. 

The Dazzling Truth was a story of family, love, tragedy, mental illness, with good/bad times; especially with the children going on with their own lives and dealing with the past.  I have to say that early the story was a bit slow, but the ending was very well done and satisfying.  The Dazzling Truth was very well written by Helen Cullen.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

Inis Óg: 2005Murtagh had woken that morning, once again, to an empty bed; the sheets were cool and unruffled on Maeve’s side. He had expected to find her sitting at the kitchen table, wrapped in her hound’s-tooth shawl, pale and thin in the darkness before dawn, a tangle of blue-black hair swept across her high forehead like a crow’s wet wing, her long, matted curls secured in a knot at the nape of her neck with one of her red pencils. He had anticipated how she would start when he appeared in the doorway. How he would ignore, as he always did, the few moments it would take for her dove-grey eyes to turn their focus outward. For the ghosts to leave her in his presence. The kettle would hiss and spit on the stove as he stood behind her wicker chair and rubbed warmth back into her arms, his voice jolly as he gently scolded her for lack of sleep and feigned nonchalance as to its cause.
But Maeve wasn’t sitting at the kitchen table.
Nor was she meditating on the stone step of the back door drinking milk straight from the glass bottle it was delivered in.
She wasn’t dozing on the living-room sofa, the television on but silent, an empty crystal tumbler tucked inside the pocket of her peacock-blue silk dressing gown, the one on which she had painstakingly embroidered a murmuration of starlings in the finest silver thread.
Instead, there was an empty space on the bannister where her coat should have been hanging.
Murtagh opened the front door and flinched at a swarm of spitting raindrops. The blistering wind mocked the threadbare cotton of his pyjamas. He bent his head into the onslaught and pushed forward, dragging the heavy scarlet door behind him. The brass knocker clanged against the wood; he flinched, hoping it had not woken the children. Shivering, he picked a route in his slippers around the muddy puddles spreading across the cobblestoned pathway. Leaning over the wrought-iron gate that separated their own familial island from the winding lane of the island proper, he scanned the dark horizon for a glimpse of Maeve in the faraway glow of a streetlamp.
In the distance, the sea and sky had melted into one anthracite mist, each indiscernible from the other. Sheep huddled together for comfort in Peadar Óg’s field, the waterlogged green that bordered the Moones’ land to the right; the plaintive baying of the animals sounded mournful. Murtagh nodded at them.
There was no sight of Maeve.
As he turned back towards the house he noticed Nollaig watching him from her bedroom window. The eldest daughter, she always seemed to witness the moments her parents had believed—hoped—were cloaked in invisibility, and then remained haunted by what she had seen. Ever since she was a toddler, Murtagh had monitored how her understanding grew, filling her up, and knew it would soon flood her eyes, always so questioning, permanently.
He waved at her as he blew back up the pathway. Later, he would feel the acute pain of finally recognising the prescience his daughter seemed to have absorbed from the womb.
‘How long is she gone?’
Nollaig was now standing before the hallway mirror, her face contorted as she vigorously tried to brush her frizzy mouse-brown hair into shape. She scraped it together into a tight ponytail that thrust from the back of her head as if it were a fox’s brush.
‘Ach, you should leave your gorgeous curls be, Noll,’ her father cajoled, ‘instead of fighting them.’
She smiled at him but slammed the mother-of-pearl hairbrush down on the sideboard.
‘I don’t have curls, I have Brillo pads,’ she sighed. ‘Did she say where she was going?’
Murtagh squeezed his daughter’s arm as he continued into the kitchen. ‘I’m sure your mother is just out for a walk. Happy birthday, love. Lá breithla shona duit.’
He placed a small copper saucepan of water on the range to boil and waved the invitation of an egg at his daughter. She nodded begrudgingly and curled into the green-and-gold striped armchair that sat in front of the stove.
‘With your white nightdress, you could almost pass for the Irish flag,’ he joked, and was gratified with her snort of glee.
He watched the clock hand count three minutes in silence. Expected any moment to hear his soaked wife splash through the door. He was poised, ready to run towards her with a towel and hushed reprimands for her careless wandering, but the boiling, cooling, cupping, cracking and spooning of each egg passed uninterrupted. Nollaig yawned, stretching her arms and legs before her in a stiff salute.
‘Why don’t you go back to bed for an hour?’ Murtagh asked. ‘We’ll all have proper breakfast together later.’
She eyed him with suspicion but acquiesced. ‘If Mam’s not back soon,’ she said, sidling away, ‘come and wake me. Promise? We’ll go out and find her. Remind her what day it is, for God’s sake.’
Murtagh nodded, ushered his daughter out of the kitchen and watched her climb the stairs.
Born on Christmas Eve, twenty years before, she was the only one of their children who came into the world via Galway maternity hospital and not into the impatient arms of Máire O’Dulaigh, the midwife of the island. She resented it; how it made her feel less of a true islander. What was more, the specialness of her own day for individual attention, her birth day, was irrevocably lost in the shared excitement of Christmas. In retrospect, it had been a mistake, perhaps, naming her Nollaig, the Irish for Christmas, and further compounding the association. No nickname had ever stuck, however. She wasn’t the sort of child who inspired others to claim her for their own with the intimacy of a given name.
‘Born ancient,’ her little sister, Sive, always said of her, with bored disdain.
And Murtagh sympathised. Nollaig carried the weight of being the eldest with pained perseverance, heavy responsibilities that were self-imposed. Her mother harboured a not always silent resentment of it, and it seemed only natural, if unfair, that Maeve and Sive gravitated more towards each other; the baby of the family shared her mother’s wit and wildness and often expressed the irritation her mother tried to hide at Nollaig’s sense of duty.Excerpted from The Dazzling Truth by Helen Cullen, Copyright © 2020 by Helen Cullen.
Published by Graydon House Books


 

 


HELEN CULLEN wrote her debut novel, The Lost Letters of William Woolf, while completing the Guardian/UEA novel writing program. She holds an MA in Theatre Studies from University College Dublin and is currently studying further at Brunel. Prior to writing full-time, Helen worked in journalism, broadcasting and most recently as a creative events and engagement specialist. Helen is Irish and currently lives in London.

Social Links:

Author Website
Twitter: @WordsofHelen
Instagram: @WordsofHelen
Facebook: @WordsofHelen
Goodreads

 

 

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Truth and Lies Trilogy by Charlotte E Hart-Review Tour

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Truth and Lies Trilogy by Charlotte E Hart-Review tour

 

DISTRACTION OF LIES
Truth and Lies #1
by Charlotte E Hart
Release Date: June 3 2020
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic,dark, romance

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ABOUT THE BOOK: I never knew. One minute I was flying high and the next I came crashing down so harshly the world shattered.
It was all a lie.
But then he came.
He came with his dark eyes and his cutting words and his cruel, cruel stare. Grayson Rothburg. Recluse. Genius. Truth speaker.
My friend, Gray.
My real.
My hero in disguise.
He says I should move on. Change. And now he’s offered me a diversion, a way to help me re-evaluate what’s left of me.
The trouble is, I don’t know how real that is either.
And I’m not sure I care.

•••••••••

REVIEW: A Distraction of Lies is the first in a new series by Charlotte E. Hart, and boy is it a whooper! Dark and mysterious, this is my first dive into Hart, and what can I say other than WOW.

Hannah Tanners life hasn’t been a cake walk, it hasn’t been much of anything really, but enough that she catches the eye of Grayson Rothberg. Grayson a keep to himself type of man, a loner and blunt to a fault, a man who is so intense it sets Hannah’s skin to prickle. What he offers her is something she has always wanted. A chance to learn about herself, to learn, to see, to find out what she really is…or at least what she could be.

This book left me with so many questions by the end, and that cliffhanger! There is so much heat in this book that I was so unsure what was going to happen next. It definitely keeps you guessing, the mystery of Gray is sure to feed into the next book. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book!

*Trigger warning for some. There are some mild elements of abuse. Definitely a dark story line.*

________________

A TORMENT OF SIN
Truth and Lies #2
by Charlotte E Hart
Release Date: June 17, 2020
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic,dark, romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

ABOUT THE BOOK:

My own refusal to leave brought me to this moment.
Pain is not a lie.
And there he stands, watching, waiting.
Everything seems surreal under his scrutiny. Or maybe that’s just this castle and it’s dark, obscure walls where time is endless. It’s distorted and murky, and yet more real than anything has ever been.
My friend Gray.
Not just a hero anymore, but a need.
And I’m consumed by that need.
I’ll dwell in this reality with him until I’m either lost or found.
Broken or evolved.

••••••••

REVIEW: A Torment of Sin by Charlotte E. Hart is the second in the Truth and Lies Series. This book picks up right where the first book left off with Hannah and Gray. A Torment of Sin is the perfect title for this unconventional tense read. It’s dark, it’s sexy, it’s deep and scary, but more it makes one crave for more.

In book once we get Hannah and everything that makes her who she is. In this one all I wanted was more of Gray. Who is he? What makes him tick? Why is he the way he is? Where did the pain he carry come from? A Torment of Sin delivers a whole new world to the BDSM scene, one that I don’t think I was completely prepared for, but one I couldn’t put down.

Hannah finds she is asking more from Gray, more of him than he is willing to share that is. He gave her the distraction she needed so badly, but now she wants real. Grayson however, has spent his life alone, planned it that way, made it that way to fan the flames of his own pain. The attraction between Hannah and Grayson is strong, and it takes everything he has to resist it. Can he keep his walls up? Does Gray need Hannah as much as she needs him? What about his past?

*Deep breath*

I have never had so many questions about a book before in anything I have ever read. Grayson is a surly, lonely man with a hard past he wants to forget. His past is causing my imagination to spiral out of control; what happened to cause that amount of pain and why is he that way? It’s like finding a really good-looking book, but not knowing what the story inside contains. The next book is going to be the best of the series, that I know already.

*Trigger warning for both graphic scenes and BDSM*

__________

A SORROW OF TRUTHS
Truth and Lies #3
By Charlotte E Hart
Release Date: August 12, 2020
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, dark, romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

I’m alone. Singular. Evolved.
Yet left behind and abandoned.
I should have known. I did know. But he whispered words and held me, making my heart feel something other than the false reality we were in.
Tap, tap, tap.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Those rhythms were not a lie.
And now I’m torn between staying under Malachi’s roof, letting reality outside pass me by, or returning to life beyond this fractured space to find his hidden truths.
My friend Gray. My lover.
The heart he’s ripped open again beats too loudly for me to ignore.
And my need still consumes me.

•••••••••

REVIEW:A Sorrow Of Truths is the third book in the Truth and Lies series by Charlotte E. Hart. This picks right off where the second book; A Torment of Sin leaves off, so I do recommend reading the first and second books before starting this one.

A Sorrow Of Truths picks up again with Gray and Hannah, their drama is fierce as their passion, but the pain and secrets of their pasts are holding them back. In this final book, we learn Gray’s secrets, what makes him the way he is, why he is and what he is willing to do to keep Hannah.

I was not ready for this series to end, I love these characters and because of this, I don’t want to spoil anything for other readers. Just know this series is well worth the read, and the emotion you will feel when reading it.
Hannah finally gets the answers she so needs from Gray, she learns to understand him better and then she must decide if he is really what she wants. This story is dramatic and chaotic, hot and sexy and tearful. Charlotte has outdone herself with this series.

*Trigger warning again, this is a DARK romance, be aware before reading, also can be read on Kindle Unlimited*

Copies supplied for review

Reviews by Sarah

Charlotte E Hart

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharlotteEHart.author

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Goodreads: Https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9863205.Charlotte_E_Hart

Links to my amazon page – Https://www.amazon.com/Charlotte-E-Hart/e/B00PS8U5RW

 

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Bull (Kings of Mayhem MC #6) by Penny Dee-Review Tour

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Bull (Kings of Mayhem MC #6) by Penny Dee-Review Tour

 

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 14, 2020.

She could be the end of me

BULL
I lost my wife on a rainy night almost two decades ago.
Since then, my heart has been a barren wasteland.
It only knows love for family and the club.
And for revenge.
Then I meet Taylor and I know I’m doomed.
Because she’s everything I didn’t know I wanted.
Everything I’ve denied myself for years.
But my club is about to storm headfirst into a war and I can’t afford the distraction.
Yet I can’t get her out of my head.
We both say we’re not interested.
But we are both liars.

TAYLOR
For years we’ve been running from my past.
My kid brother and me.
Hiding in the shadows.
Now we have a chance for a new life in a new town … far, far away from trouble.
I crave freedom and a quiet, simple life for us both.
The last thing I expect is to fall for the enigmatic biker king, Michael “Bull” Western.
He is magnificent.
White-hot and scorching.
With the touch of an angel and eyes of the devil.
He could be the love of my life.
But I have a secret.
A very big secret indeed …

•••••••

REVIEW:BULL is the sixth ( and final?) instalment in Penny Dee’s contemporary, adult KINGS OF MAYHEM MC erotic, MC romance series focusing on the members of the Kings of Mayhem MC . This is club president Michael ‘Bull’ Western, and bartender/waitress Taylor’s story line. BULL can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line content, there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Bull and Taylor) using present day and memories from the past, BULL follows the building relationship between Kings of Mayhem club president Michael ‘Bull’ Western, and bartender/waitress Taylor. Eighteen years earlier Michael Western lost his wife to a motor vehicle accident and in the ensuing years struggled to move forward. Meeting Taylor, a single mother to her younger brother Noah gave Bull pause as to a possible future when he offered our heroine a job serving drinks at the Kings of Mayhem clubhouse but like Bull, Taylor has secrets that continue to haunt her days and nights, and it is these secrets that are going to affect her relationship with Bull, going forward. As Bull and the MC hunt for a drug lord/ child trafficker, Taylor quickly discovers that falling for Bull could be the biggest mistake of her life. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Bull and Taylor, and the potential fall-out as Taylor’s past demands reparations starting with our story line hero.

The relationship between Taylor and Bull is one of immediate attraction but Bull doesn’t do relationships, and Taylor isn’t into one-night stands but the longer Taylor works for the Kings of Mayhem MC, the closer she and Bull are developing a long term relationship that everyone sees but our leading couple. The $ex scenes are erotic, passionate and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, familiar and energetic secondary and supporting characters including all of the previous story line couples and additional members of the MC, as well as Sheriff Buckman. We are introduced to Taylor’s brother Noah, her neighbor and Vietnam vet Gino Piccoli, and bartenders Cherry and Randy. The requisite evil has many faces including Gimmel Martel and Taylor’s godfather Alex.

BULL is an intriguing, exciting and imaginative story line; raw, gritty yet sexy tale of one man’s battle with memories from the past, and one woman’s need to escape her own. The premise is spicy, edgy and dramatic; the characters are flirty ,wounded and broken; the romance is spirited, impassioned and seductive.

I am not sure if this is the final instalment in the current series arc but the two epilogues lead me to believe the author may have plans for the next generation of Kings of Mayhem MC.

Reading order and Previous Reviews
Kings of Mayhem
Brothers in Arms
Biker Baby
Hell on Wheels
Off Limits

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

Penny Dee writes contemporary romance about rockstars, bikers, hockey players and everyone in-between. She believes true love never runs smoothly, and her characters realize this too, with a boatload of drama and a whole lot of steam.

She found her happily ever after in Australia where she lives with her husband, daughter and a dog named Bindi.

You can connect with Penny Dee : Goodreads / Facebook / Amazon Author Page / Website / Instagram

 

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CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE by Samantha Chase-a review

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CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE (Magnolia Sound #5) by Samantha Chase

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 10, 2020

Hunter Jones never thought that shared custody would be part of his life, but it’s the only way to make sure his son still has both parents in his life. But when his ex’s increasing unpredictability leads to a missed day care pick up, he’s not so sure shared custody is the best option anymore. Never mind that he’s now the one being accused of bad parenting by a total stranger.

Violet Drake has zero patience for poor parenting. There’s nothing that angers her more than seeing parents behave in the same irresponsible way her own parents did throughout her childhood. But after going off on a perfect stranger late to pick up his son, her conscience gets the best of her and she realizes she may have been a little harsh.

Violet is only supposed to be in Magnolia Sound for a short time to help out her best friend, so getting involved with a single dad is the absolute last thing she should be doing.

Their timing is all kinds of wrong, but sometimes you just can’t help yourself.

••••••••••

REVIEW: CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE is the fifth instalment in Samantha Chase’s contemporary, adult MAGNOLIA SOUND romance series. This is fire fighter/ paramedic/ single father Hunter Jones, and travel agent Violet Drake’s story line. CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalment is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Hunter and Violet) CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE follows the building romance and relationship between is fire fighter/ paramedic/ single father Hunter Jones, and travel agent Violet Drake. Violet Drake is only in Magnolia Sound for a few weeks, awaiting the birth of her best friend’s child. Violet doesn’t do relationships having been raised in the foster system for far too long. Never one to set down roots Violet prepares for her next adventure but her unexpected friendship and relationship with fire fighter Hunter Jones forces Violet to reconsider her plans for the future, plans Violet struggles to need or accept.

Hunter Jones is a single father but has always wanted a happily ever after. Meting Violet Drake gives Hunter hopes for a future but Violet’s need to run, and stay on the move finds our hero battling between head and heart as he refuses to uproot himself from family and friends

The relationship between Hunter and Violet begins acrimoniously as Violet is quick to judge our hero. Late to pick up his son from daycare, Hunter is met by a judgmental stranger, a stranger who stirs something within our story line hero. Violet is constantly on the go; wanting to travel to avoid the potential problem of rejection and loss. A few weeks in Magnolia Cove and her developing relationship with Hunter finds Violet ready to run when Hunter suggests Violet stay and try to give it a go. The $ex scenes are all implied.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters: Violet’s best friend, child care provider and former foster care ‘sister’ Katie, and her husband Brian, as well as Brian’s other Rose; Hunter’s father Dominic Jones, and his brothers Kyle, Dean (and Courtney) and sister Scarlett (In Case You Didn’t Know #3), and Hunter’s son Eli.

CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE is a story of family, friendships, relationships and love. Hunter is a bit of a homebody that doesn’t like to travel claiming his first responsibility is his family and job. Violet, on the other hand, is a woman who struggles with demons from the past, and in this, Violet refuses to accept that she is capable of love, or of being loved in return, and therefore spends her time travelling the world yet her actions come across as selfish and self-involved. The premise is entertaining and engaging; the romance is sweet-all of the $ex scenes are implied ; the characters are sassy and energetic.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

Sunkissed Days
Remind Me
A Girl Like You
In case You Didn’t Know
All the Befores 3.5
And Then One Day

Reviewed by Sandy

Copy supplied for review

 

FOLLOW: Goodreads / Twitter / Website / Facebook

New York Times and USA Today Bestseller/contemporary romance writer Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan’s Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her 40’s to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Her motivation to take that step was her students: teaching creative writing to elementary age students all the way up through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams gave Samantha the confidence to take that step as well.

 

When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading contemporary romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in NorthCarolina.

 

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He Owns My Heart by Evie Drae – a Review

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He Owns My Heart by Evie Drae – a Review

 

Amazon

 

Description:
Only true love can free a captive heart.

Landon Jenks, retired four-time Golden Glove-winning shortstop for the Chicago Cubs, is lonely, heartbroken, and in need of simple human contact. Trapped in the fine print of an ironclad contract forbidding him from revealing his single status until the season finale of his reality show airs, he calls an elite male escort service catering to the rich and desperate.

Accustomed to servicing his often less than savory clients at more upscale locales, twenty-six-year-old Toby Carmichael is surprised when his handler sends him to a run-down motel off I-55. But “surprise” doesn’t come close to describing the shock that rocks his system when a delightful stuttering mess covered in tattoos and nearly ten years his senior stumbles into the room—and right into his heart.

For the first time since Toby was forced into the life of prostitution, a kiss sparks a desire that has nothing to do with money and everything to do with genuine chemistry and the faintest beginnings of something so much more. But Toby’s dark past and troubled present make it impossible to see a future with Landon. When the truth comes to light, a horrified and helpless Landon is determined to save Toby at all costs.

Only true love can free a captive heart.

Content Warnings: Discussion of childhood verbal abuse by an adult survivor, homophobia from a close family member, discussion of previous self-harm/cutting behaviors by an adult survivor, prostitution with dubious consent (all interactions between the main characters have full consent and there are no on-page depictions of dub-con situations), consensual and experimental Domination/submission play between mostly-novice characters, mild violence between a main character and antagonist, and human trafficking associated with illegal drugs (nothing explicit on-page, only discussions related to and psychological/mental ramifications of addressed in moderate detail).

 

 

Review: 

He Owns My Heart by Evie Drae is a new M/M series, Owned Heart, Body & Soul. Landon is lonely, he’s usually only wanted for his name and not his company. Having played baseball to a professional level, he’s now a reality star and owner of a custom made bike shop. He’s hiding from life, his last relationship was a publicity stunt orchestrated by his “co-star” to “come out” (more ratings for the show) will he find no one to love him? In a sorry moment, Landon hires an escort. 

But meeting the vibrant young man makes Landon all to aware of his failings….

Tobias/Toby whore, prostitute, hooker, he’s heard them all. He’s sold himself to help his sister (she got caught up with drug dealers) his family are unaware of his predicament, but he’s told often by handler they are safe, for now! 

So an eight year contract had been drawn up, and Toby services the “clients” never off duty, nothing is too much trouble, He keeps reminding himself that’s it’s just three more years, then he’s free. But he’s not sure how much more he can take, he’s slowly losing himself, and it’s killing him inside!!

I liked this story. Yes the usual “pretty woman” scenario, wealthy attractive single man meets prostitute (blah blah blah). But unlike “pretty woman” we have a M/M scenario. The story for me had a real depth (I usually read paranormal romance if m/m involved) but the backstory had me intrigued. And the story had me hooked from almost the first page. 

It’s a Romeo and Juliette type story, a forbidden love, a love that can go nowhere, a love doomed! A week stolen just for themselves. But will it make it harder when Landon has to let Toby go? 

There are a lot of triggers on this book (it does carry a warning label) there is a lot of baggage that both men carry. Abuse, self harm, homophobia and many more. The BDSM wasn’t the usual angry spanky tie me up and whip me scenes. It was about trusting someone to know your limits and to take care of you, putting your wants and needs above their own. 

Yes there is a fair amount of sex in this book, but considering they think they’ve only got a week together, I sort of understand it, and luckily enough it doesn’t go on and on and on and on!! The couples moments had me sighing, the ordinary stolen moments that Landon and Toby were storing up to take out when they were alone were touching. 

Each in love, but too scared to voice it. And if they did, what could they do about it? 

So can Landon free Toby? How can he, when the men controlling Toby hold all the cards? And it had me guessing right up until the last few pages (I thought it would end of a cliffhanger) 

Loved Steffon (Landon BFF) he was a riot! Camp when needed, light relief when things got too heavy, confidant and agony aunt. Every time he opened his mouth I chuckled, that guy had no filter. 

I’m so hoping we get another book. I’d like Steffon to have a book. 

Highly recommend this book. Yes it’s a Pretty Woman story, but my god it’s a good one. 

Reviewed by Julie B

Copy owned

 

 

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