Monthly Archives: July 2024

SAPPHIRE SCARS (The Jewelry Box 3) by Pepper Winters -review tour

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SAPPHIRE SCARS (The Jewelry Box 3) by Pepper Winters -review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 26, 2024

“I thought I was strong enough to survive this awful nightmare. I did my best to take back my power and refused to let my heart fall. Only problem is…my heart is an idiot.”

It only took one droplet of blood to forever change me.
Her blood.
The taste of it. The heat of it.
I swallowed her down and devoured her.
For a while, it was enough.
My monster was content. I believed I’d found where I belonged.
But now…that droplet is no longer enough.
I want rivers of it. Oceans of it.
I want the world dripping in red, and I honestly don’t know who I’m hunting anymore.
Her?
Me?
Them?
One thing’s for certain, someone is going to die today.
I just hope it won’t be me.

•••••••

REVIEW:  SAPPHIRE SCARS is the third instalment in Pepper Winters’ contemporary, adult THE JEWELRY BOX dark, erotic, series focusing on twenty-nine year old, Henri Mercer-Ward, and Ilyana Sharma. SAPPHIRE SCARS should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up after the events and cliff hanger of book two EMERALD BRUISES. Henri Ward is the half-brother to Q Mercer (Monsters in the Dark).

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there WILL BE SIGNIFICANT TRIGGERS for more sensitive readers.

SOME BACKGROUND: A desperate need to know about the family history, and acceptance by his brother Q, Henri Mercer-Ward is tasked with infiltrating a human trafficking ring known as The Jewelry Box but Henri must first seduce a potential jewel, a woman to be trained, to be broken, to be claimed as his own.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Henri and Ilyana) SAPPHIRE SCARS continues to focus on the deranged, dangerous and dark proclivities of a man named Master Victor, and his harem of slaves called The Jewelry Box. Henri Mercer -Ward had hoped to uncover the truth, and shut down Victor’s sickening actions in the $ex trade but Henri’s claiming and need for Ilyana Sharma has pulled Henri into a world he once thought he wanted but discovered he no longer needs. As Victor continues with his sadistic rituals and hunts, the slaves make plans, plans that will be discovered, threatening the lives of everyone concerned.

The world building continues to be dramatic and dark, darker with each consecutive instalment. Victor’s games become more sadistic, pulling Henri into the abyss . The games are darker, more dangerous, and often fatal. The slaves have plans to end it all.

SAPPHIRE SCARS is raw, gritty, tragic and sensational. No one is safe; many of the guests have become unwilling participants in a game where someone is meant to die. SAPPHIRE SCARS ends on a cliff-hanger, you have been warned.

Once again, heed the triggers warnings-they are numerous, dark and intense.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
.5The Mercer Curse
1 Ruby Tears
2 Emerald Bruises

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

Pepper Winters is a multiple New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller.

After chasing her dreams to become a full-time writer, Pepper has earned recognition with awards for best Dark Romance, best BDSM Series, and best Hero. She’s an multiple #1 Apple Books bestseller, along with #1 in Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, and Romance Thriller.

Pepper currently has close to 40 books released in nine languages. She’s hit best-seller lists almost 40 times, is a self-confessed hermit, yoga convert, has a house rabbit, six horses, and a long suffering husband.

To learn more about Pepper please visit: www.pepperwinters.com where she regularly posts videos of behind the scenes writing, horses, books, and more.

STALK Pepper: Website | Pinterest | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Goodreads / Amazon Author / Instagram / Bookbub / Verve

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The Night Ends With Fire by K.X Song – a Review

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The Night Ends With Fire by K.X Song – a Review

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Description:
Infused with magic and romance, this sweeping fantasy adventure inspired by the legend of Mulan follows a young woman determined to choose her own destiny—even if that means going against everyone she loves.

The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft. Trapped by his opium addiction, he plans to sell Meilin for her dowry. But when Meilin discovers her husband-to-be is another violent, ill-tempered man, she realizes that nothing will change for her unless she takes matters into her own hands.

The very next day, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place.

In the army, Meilin’s relentless hard work brings her recognition, friendship—and a growing closeness with Sky, a prince turned training partner. But has she simply exchanged one prison for another? As her kingdom barrels toward destruction, Meilin begins to have visions of a sea dragon spirit that offers her true power and freedom, but with a deadly price.

With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide whom to trust—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew—about her kingdom and about her own heart.

 

 

Review:

The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song is a fantasy built around Chinese mythology.  Three Kingdoms are at war, and Meilan’s (our heroine) father, who has an addiction, refuses to enter the draft. He decides that he will sell his daughter, who is 18 years old, for a dowry, with her husband-to-be being a violent and evil man.  Meilan leaves home and enlists in the war, disguising herself as a young boy, named Ren. Meilan/Ren has trained over time to be excellent in martial arts, as well able to fight better than most men. She is assigned to the Seventh Company, and is surprised that the leader is Liu Sky, the prince of Anlai. Meilan knows she must conceal her identity, as women are not permitted to fight or practice black magic (she is a spirit medium); revealing her secret could mean death.

In the army, Meilin/Ren earns respect from fellow soldiers, as she is a workaholic; bringing recognition and friendship along the way.  Slowly, her commander, Sky admits that Ren is better than any of the other men in the group; until when he discovers that she is a woman.  At first, Sky ignores her, but keeps her secret; and in time he begins to have feelings for Meilin; as she also slowly falls for him. I did like the chemistry between Meilan and Sky, as they were very good together. When Meilan is captured by Prince Cao Ming Lei and his army, he knew from the start that she was a woman; and in time he also was attracted to the beautiful Meilan. 

As the war escalates, Meilan beings to have visions of a dragon spirit that offers her magical powers, which could come as a price. Meilan needs to know who to trust; Sky, whom she is loyal to; The Dragon Spirit, Qinglong, who may not be telling the truths or Lei, attractive possible enemy, who could be revealing the real truths. 

The Night Ends with Fire was an exciting intriguing, fast packed adventure of magic, war, feminism, romance and betrayal.   I thought the first third of the book was a bit slow, though that last half was very exciting. To say too much more, would ruin things along the way.  This was an enthralling epic fantasy, with an ending that was wild and climatic.  The Night Ends with Fire was very well written by K.X. Song, and I look forward to the next book in this dulology/series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

K. X. Songis a diaspora writer with roots in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Raised between
cultures and languages, she enjoys telling stories that explore the shifting nature of
memory, translation, and history. She is the author of An Echo in the City and the
forthcoming The Night Ends with Fire, her adult fantasy debut. You can learn
more at kxsong.com.

 

 

 

 

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Ciao Bella (The Rise of the De Langes 1) by Rachel Van Dyken

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🤎Ciao Bella (The Rise of the De Langes 1) by Rachel Van Dyken-review tour🤎

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 25, 2024

The Five Families thought the war was over.
They have no idea, I’m the very beginning.

I kidnapped her to prove a point—at knife point, it seemed sharper that way.
See what I did there?

I used the perfect virginal daughter from one of the most powerful Families in the Cosa Nostra to fix the broken pieces, knowing that in the process—I’d spread hers for the world to see.
I would embarrass her, shame her, use her, but I would never touch her… my one and only vow to her father in exchange for his allegiance.

The flowers at our wedding would be extravagant—people would watch it like a celebration, she’d live it as her funeral.
Call me twisted, but I thrive off her hate, I wouldn’t know what to do if I had her heart—I’m not good with pretty things I’m capable of breaking.

I’ll use every single person I can to restore order… to bring about the peace that my Family deserves.
But something sinister lurks in the darkness.
In the end, it may not be just my Family I save but theirs as well.

They say the past comes back to haunt you—that history repeats itself.
Bet they never saw this coming.

After all, when one Family falls—another will rise.

Ciao Bella.
The Rise of the De Langes

•••••

REVIEW: CIAO BELLA is the first instalment in Rachel Van Dyken’s contemporary, adult THE RISE OF THE DE LANGES dark, Mafia romance series, a spin off from the author’s MAFIA ROYALS series, set in the EAGLE ELITE world. This is twenty-one year old Ivan De Langes, and twenty year old Bella Abandonato’s story line. For background and cohesion, I recommend some knowledge of the Abandonato family via the Eagle Elite series as many of the current events are as of a direct result of the original series.Bella is the daughter of Nixon Abandonato; Ivan is believed to be the sole surviving member of the De Langes family.

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

Told from three first person perspectives (Ivan, Bella, King) CIAO BELLA follows the arranged marriage between our story line couple. Ivan De Langes, in the wake of the murder of his entire family, was placed under the guardianship of the Abandonato family but Ivan is about to reign holy h*ll, and Bella is about to be the pawn in a dangerous game of winner takes all.

The world building follows several intersecting paths including the life-long animosity between our story line couple. Forced to work out their differences with violence, Ivan and Bella find themselves forced into a marriage in an effort to protect our story line heroine but behind the scenes, the secrets are dark, and the lies will bring heart break for everyone concerned.

The relationship between Bella and Ivan is an enemies to frenemies to married couple to lovers but Bella struggles with what is happening and why, suspecting there is more to the story than she could have ever imagined. Ivan, as the sole surviving member of the De Langes crime family is about to come into his dues, and with it, a target has been aimed at our story line couple. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, familiar and dangerous secondary and supporting characters including many of the couples from the author’s Eagle Elite series, and the Mafia Royals series.

CIAO BELLA is a story of power and control, secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, family and friendships, acceptance and love. The premise is dark, dramatic and intense; the romance struggles in the face of prior issues; the characters are determined, broken and charismatic.

 

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow: Website / Facebooks / Goodreads / Twitter /  Instagram

To learn more about Rachel & her books, visit here!

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

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Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout – a Review

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Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout – a Review

 

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Description:
The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals–well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she’s crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn’t her biggest problem–staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is.

If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

 

 

Review:

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the first book in her Covenant series.  I have read almost everything by Armentrout, but I never read Covenant; which is now a rerelease.  Alexandra (Alex) is a half-blood, born of a pure-blood “Hematoi” mother and a human father. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Alex was schooled at Covenant, until her mother decided to run from Covenant with her daughter, with them hiding for three years.  One day, Alex finds her mother has been killed by daimons, and she escapes; and while on the run, she is saved by the Sentinels, and returned to Covenant.

When her uncle and stepfather want to relegate her to being a servant; it is Aiden (her sentinel friend) who convinces them that Alex has a lot of potential, especially since she managed to kill a couple of daimons while on the run, which impressed him. Aiden offers to teach Alex, volunteering to train her, during the summer, giving her the chance to be allowed to stay in the Covenant; both the uncle & stepfather agree.  

Alex learns from her stepfather that her mother is still alive, but she is now a daimon, which she has a hard time believing that.  In the middle of the night, she leaves the Covenant, to find her mother. She and her friend Caleb are kidnapped by the daimons, and discovers that her mother is now one of the daimon leaders.  In order to save Caleb, Alex will end up killing her mother, who was trying to change her to a daimon.  Aiden and the sentinels manage to find Alex and Caleb, and bring them back to Covenant; as she realizes that the implications of her actions needed to change her ways.  Alex will learn some truths about why her mother left three years ago; as she has more abilities that she never knew, since Seth (Apollyon) has a bond to her.   Alex has slowly fallen for Aiden, but knows that a relationship between pure-blood and half-blood is forbidden. Alex learns more about Seth, but she only cares about Aiden.

Half-Blood is an exciting and different kind of paranormal story line revolving around Pures and Half-Blood, and the enemy, daimons.  I really liked Alex, even though early on she a bit wild; but the last half, she improved a lot.  I liked her and Aiden together, but I wondered where this will go in the next book, since Seth is now a bigger part to the story.  Once again, Jennifer L. Armentrout has me waiting for the next book. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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