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Magic in the Stars by Patricia Rice – Review, Interview & Giveaway

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Magic in the Stars by Patricia Rice – Review & Interview

 

Magic in the Stars Banner

Magic in the StarsAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Description:
As an astrologer, Lady Azenor Dougall sadly realizes her stars are a danger to her beloved siblings and has banished herself from her Scots home. As the Malcolm family librarian, she dutifully creates zodiac charts for her often eccentric and mysterious relations—until the day she realizes a dire conjunction of planets spells a fatal threat in a distant branch of the family.

Lord Theophilus Ives, heir presumptive to the Marquess of Ashford, Earl of Ives and Wystan, is a dedicated astronomer who has perfected a telescope capable of seeing beyond Saturn’s moons. Living in an all-male family that distrusts the women who regularly abandon them, Theo is undaunted by the tumult of his life—until the day the luscious Lady Azenor arrives to warn them that the marquess is in danger.

Can Aster, the Prophetess of Doom, convince a laughing disbeliever of peril? And what are the chances she can escape the fate her stars predict if she lingers too long in Lord Theo’s enthralling company?

 

Review;

Being a fan of anything magical, I was really looking forward to this book because I guess I was expecting something a little different then what I read.  However, eventually I did come to enjoy Magic in the Stars by Patricia Rice, but it took me a little bit to get fully engaged in the story.  Magic in the Stars is a fast paced read, that I feel has laid the important groundwork for future books in this series.  It has a solid cast of characters, and its their personalities and antics that come to life on the pages that eventually held my interest.  The astrology parts, telescopes and planets not so much.  See I’m not a science fan and wasn’t fond of science class back in my school days.  I prefer the magical aspect, wands, witches, spells, that sort of thing and was kind of expecting more of that based on the title.  However, that being said, I did come to enjoy the book and it’s zany bunch of characters, who did manage to have me chuckling many times and shaking my head at their antics, or comments.  How poor Azenor, or Aster as her family calls her, handled the brother’s Ives is beyond me, and more, decided to marry into this crazy all male family was beyond me. Personally, based on first impressions I would’ve run screaming from their loony bin they call a home, but instead Aster somehow manages to deal with the brothers, and all the issues that arise , even though all she could see was impending doom in her astrological charts, as well as theirs.

Ms. Rice does an excellent job of weaving the astrological element with the science(planets/solar system), while slowly combining a budding romance between Aster and Theo.  Watching the two navigate their beliefs in their respected arts, Aster(astrology) and Theo(planets/solar system) was funny at times, and others frustrating.  Both believe in a form of science, but don’t see it that way, and at times it was frustrating to me to read their arguments.  However, I guess I should’ve kept in mind what time period this was taking place in, maybe that would’ve helped me out.  That’s okay, I made it through and Aster and Theo managed to worm their way into my reader’s heart and make me enjoy their story and want them to get to their HEA despite all the dangers in their charts.  Aster actually had me wondering by books end what my astrological chart would spell out if I ever decided to have it read.  Hmm, maybe one day. 

Magic In the Stars is a well written book, with a solid cast of characters that carry the story and kept me interested in what would happen next.  Theo’s rag-tag group of brothers/family are fun to meet, and watching Theo deal with taking up the reins of head of the family after his eldest brother’s accident is quite comical.  He’s completely out of his realm of planets and moons and has no idea how to deal with the everyday problems of the people who live in their town.  If it wasn’t for Aster who swoops in and pretty much saves the day for poor Theo, he would’ve been floundering in the wind and never would’ve found love, or the chance to make his telescopes and telescope glass famous.  I’m sure whatever Ms. Rice has in store for his fellow brothers will be equally entertaining.

Until next time, happy reading.

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Author

 

Interview-Gold

Hi Patricia.  Thank you for taking the time today, to answer some questions for our members at The Reading Café.  We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book.

TRC:  Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Patricia-Rice-Headshot


Patricia:     I’m young, tall, and attractive… and a fiction writer, so take that description with an entire cellar of salt. I sit at my desk and make up lies for a living, when I’m not moving across the country or making the occasional escape to Europe or the South Pacific with my trusty fellow traveler, my husband. It’s a rough life, but someone has to live it!

TRC:  Did you always have an interest in writing?  When and how did you first start writing?

Patricia:  Always, forever and ever, amen. I wrote in my first read-aloud books. I wrote mysteries by hand in fourth grade. I graduated to a typewriter in middle school—teaching myself to type so I could write faster. It’s much better to put these voices in my head on paper and sell them than to start answering them aloud in public!

TRC:  Magic in the Stars, is the first book in your new Unexpected Magic series. How did you come up with the idea of this book?  Can you please tell us about the premise of this series.

Patricia:  Ever since the original Magical Malcolms series readers have been begging for stories about their descendants (probably something about that baby boy lifting his ball without touching it!).  That series was set in the 1750s. I was a little weary of the Regency era. So I thought—aha, by 1830, the industrial revolution can throw a whole new set of problems at my characters, and now, even the men can have a touch of the Wyrd. I don’t really write about “magic” so much as psychic abilities that people claim are possible but science cannot duplicate. Astrology, precognition, levitation… human abilities can be endless, if we’re trained to recognize them. And that’s the premise—my Malcolms are trained to recognize their special abilities from birth, and to use them for good purpose, or to confuse logical men, whichever makes sense at the time!

Magic in the Stars
TRC:  Can you please give us a brief description of Magic in the Stars?

Patricia:  As an astrologer, Lady Azenor Dougall realizes her stars are a danger to her siblings and has banished herself from her Scots home. As the Malcolm family librarian, she creates zodiac charts for her often eccentric and mysterious relations—until the day she realizes a dire conjunction of planets spells a fatal threat in a distant branch of the family.

Lord Theophilus Ives, heir presumptive to the Marquess of Ashford, Earl of Ives and Wystan, is a dedicated astronomer who has perfected a telescope capable of seeing beyond Saturn’s moons. Living in an all-male family that distrusts the women who regularly abandon them, Theo is undaunted by the tumult of his life—until the day the luscious Lady Azenor arrives to warn them that the marquess is in danger.

Can Aster, the Prophetess of Doom, convince a laughing disbeliever of peril? And what are the chances she can escape the fate her stars predict if she lingers too long in Lord Theo’s enthralling company?

TRC:   You are a very diversified author, writing the following genres:
 Historical Romance
Contemporary Romance
Paranormal Romance
Romantic Mysteries

 Do you have a preference?  Which do you find the most challenging & why?

Patricia:  Diversified is such a polite way of saying “scattered.” I started in historical romance, and my heart is strongly in that genre, but my head has things to say that won’t fit into the past. Each genre has its own challenges. And it’s another challenge to keep word usage from creeping from one genre into another. “Contact” and “handle” for instance, had different usages in 1830 than today.

I also write straight mysteries, the Family Genius series, and plotting those with clues and red herrings is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done!

TRC:  Can you please tell us what you’re working on now, and what you have upcoming in 2016?

Patricia:  Whisper of Magic, the next in the Unexpected Magic series, is being proofed right now, getting ready for release in June. I’m currently revising Theory of Magic, the third book, for a late July release. I’m finishing up the first draft (she says optimistically) on the next Family Genius mystery, and plotting and researching a fourth book in the Magic series. Oh, and I’m editing a couple of old American historical romance backlist books!

TRC:  What is your writing process?  Do you like to outline your story before you start? Do you have a specific place you like to write?  Is there a special time of day that works best for you?

Patricia:  The only thing consistent about my process (and you may see a pattern here—scattered is me) is that I am more creative in the morning, so that’s my writing time. I attempt outlines before I start—or at least character descriptions, goals, conflicts, etc—but I stray. A lot. I like to sit in the sun when I’m creating—which works well here in SoCal. But otherwise, I’m stuck with whatever location works best for what I’m doing—a large monitor is needed when reading revision notes and revising, for instance. So I’m stuck in my office, grumbling, when I’m working through notes.

TRC:  When you are not writing, what other interests or hobbies do you have?

Patricia:  Reading, of course! Gardening, hiking, traveling… just don’t ask me to do anything athletic. I’m a world-class klutz.

TRC:  Many authors have friends or family, that they bounce ideas and information back and forth.  Do you have anyone you like to discuss your story with? 

Patricia:  I have a couple of brainstorming friends I sadly left behind on the east coast. We still email and get together on the phone when stories get stuck in a rut and need outside help to push them out.  I have some buddies at our publishing co-op I like to bounce ideas off of. But talking to family would be as helpful as talking to a crow. I’d get more response from the crow! So I’ll leave them to help me run the technical side of this business.

TRC:   Would you like to add anything else?

Patricia:  I’ve been selling books for a long time, and I could not have come as far as I have without my readers. They’re always there with an encouraging word on days when I want to fling the laptop through the window. They cheer me on, encourage me to make dangerous dives into unmarketable waters <G>, and to help me name characters, books, and anything else that I ask. They cheerfully review my books and tell me I’m not as much an idiot as I sometimes think. I simply want to thank all of them!

 

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: chocolate (that counts as food, right?)

Favorite Dessert: chocolate brownies with mint chocolate ice cream

Favorite TV Show: Elementary

Favorite Actor & Actress (TV or Movies) Benedict Cumberbatch, Maggie Smith

Last Book You Read: Daughter of the Forest, Juliet Marillier

Favorite Fictional Character (not your own): if I’m on a Sherlock kick, might as well say Sherlock Holmes

Milk or Dark Chocolate:  DARK!!!!

Dog or Cat:  dog

 

TRC:  Thank you Patricia for taking the time to answer our questions.  We wish you the best of luck with Magic in the Stars.  .

Patricia:   Thank you!

 

Giveaway-Green/Gold

Patricia is offering an e-copy of Magic in the Stars TWO (2) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please follow Patricia Rice on FACEBOOK.

4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

5. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

6. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

7. Please follow The Reading Cafe on Tumblr

8. Giveaway runs from March 31- April 4, 2016

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Through the Veil by Colleen Halverson – a Review

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Through the Veil by Colleen Halverson – a Review

 

Through the VeilAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM

Description:
Elizabeth Tanner is no Tinkerbell, and her life is no fairy tale. Broke and drowning in student loans, the one thing she wants more than anything is a scholarship from the Trinity Foundation. But after the ancient Irish text she’s studying turns out to be more than just a book, she becomes their prisoner instead. And when Trinity reveals Elizabeth is half-Fae, she finds herself at the center of a plot to save the magical races of Ireland from a brutal civil war.

As Commander of Trinity’s elite warriors, Finn O’Connell isn’t used to having his authority challenged. He doesn’t know whether to punish or protect the infuriating young woman in his custody. When he discovers the Dark Fae want to use Elizabeth’s abilities to control the source of all power in the universe, he’ll risk everything to help her.

At the mercy of Trinity and enslaved to the Dark Fae, Elizabeth finds herself alone on the wrong side of an Irish myth thousands of years in the making. Refusing to be a pawn in their game, Elizabeth has to fight her way back to the man she loves, but to do so, she must wage her own war against the magic that binds her.

 

Review:

Through the Veil is Colleen Halverson’s debut novel, and for a debut novel I was rather impressed, even though she left me annoyed and wanting to pull out my hair after reading the last page. If anyone knows me in regards to my reading habits, cliff hangers in series are not my fancy, as I hate waiting to see what’s going to happen next. Let me just say, I’m on pins and needles waiting for the next installment to Ms. Halverson’s Aisling Chronicles. I need to know what’s in store for our hero and heroine, Finn O’Connell and Elizabeth Tanner. Things just can’t end the way they did in book one. They deserve their happily ever after and screw the archaic laws of Trinity and Amergin. Don’t even get me started on that character, I absolutely hated him and in my books, he’s a villain and not on Finn or Elizabeth’s side. I’d love nothing more then for Elizabeth to use her aisling powers on him and send him off to some dark cave or nether region never to be seen again. But I digress, and sorry for my ranting. As you can see Ms. Halverson definitely captivated my interest with Through the Veil and has earned herself a new fan.

At first I was torn with our hero Finn and how he was towards poor Elizabeth who knew nothing of her Fae heritage. He drove me absolutely batty with his double treatment of Elizabeth. One minute he was sweet, charming and falling for her, then the next he’s cold, detached and trying to push her away. It wasn’t until midway through the story, and then near the very end where it all falls into place why he was acting that way. Being the gallant hero he is, Finn was trying to protect both him and Elizabeth from the archaic laws of Trinity and the Fae world. I was heart broken to learn of their fate should their relationship be discovered. In the end Finn did win my heart and I wanted nothing more then for him to find true love and happiness with Elizabeth.

Elizabeth is such a well written heroine. She’s strong, intelligent, feisty, with a vulnerability that draws you too her. Having known nothing of her Fae heritage poor Elizabeth is literally thrown into a whole new world she knows nothing about, but bravely accepts everything that is thrust upon her. One thing I did like was the way Ms. Halverson balanced Elizabeth’s humanity with her Fae powers. As she’s learning her Fae powers as an aisling(a creature able to travel between worlds/dimensions) she never forgets her humanity and the rights or wrongs of her actions in using her powers. Elizabeth is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the Fae world and I can’t wait to see where her aisling powers will take her.

Through the Veil is a well thought out story, with rich world building and twists and turns at every corner surrounding our heroine and hero. The character development for not only our leading couple, but also the amazing cast of secondary characters helps propel the story forward and keep the reader intrigued and hanging on every word uttered by our amazing cast of characters. It’s definitely a page-turner and you don’t realize how fast a read Through the Veil is until you’ve read the last line and scream, NOOOOO it can’t end that way. Yes that was my response to the last line of this story, LOL!! Okay, so I like my HEA’s tied up nice and neat at the end of good story, what can I say I’m a romantic at heart. 🙂

Until next time, happy reading everyone!

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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Unexpected Rush by Jaci Burton – a Review

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Unexpected Rush by Jaci Burton – a Review

 

Unexpected RushAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
For Barrett Cassidy, playing defense for the Tampa Hawks is a dream come true. And now he may have discovered his dream woman. Harmony Evans, once the sweet, gawky teenage sister of his best friend and teammate has grown into a smart, gorgeous woman with moves he finds hard to resist. But he knows he can’t get involved with his best friend’s sister—it’s guy code.

Harmony has always gone after what she wants with single-minded determination, from her independence to her education to her career in interior design. She never expected her youthful crush on Barrett to develop into something deeper. And she’s not about to let some ridiculous man rules or her brother stand in her way.

When the chemistry is this combustible, lines tend to get crossed. And when Barrett and Harmony’s secret gets out, it just might be game over…

 

 

Review:

I absolutely love this series. Jaci Burton has managed to pen another fun, flirty and sexy as hell story for Barrett and Harmony. We met Barrett in the previous couple of books as a supporting character, as this portion of the series has been focusing on the Cassidy siblings, all pro athletes. When it comes to sports and romance, Jaci seems to have the market cornered. Once again she does a bang on job of balancing romance with high-energy sports scenes.   Not that the sex scenes in this one aren’t high energy, because let me tell you, Barrett and Harmony were steaming up almost every other page once they finally gave into temptation and decided to start seeing each other.  

Both Barrett and Harmony are well developed characters who carried the story without much effort. From their first scene together in chapter one sparks started flying between them and it just took off from there. Barrett and Harmony are both driven professionally(Barrett a pro football player, Harmony an interior designer) and passionately. They know what they like both in and out of the bedroom and aren’t afraid to go after it. Well, except for Barrett at first because of the all important ‘guy code’ he’s afraid to cross. Barrett is worried that getting involved with Harmony will damage his friendship with her brother Drake and he’s also Barrett’s defense partner on the football field. Watching Barrett try and dodge Harmony’s advances and remind her of the ‘guy code’ was hilarious and one could see there was no way the ‘guy code’ was winning out.

As their romance proceeds at a hot and heavy rate I was on pins and needles waiting for the moment Drake found out about Harmony and Barrett. Meeting Drake and learning about him in this one, you knew it would be explosive between him and Barrett when he finally found out, and Jaci didn’t disappoint.   It was a hell of a scene and well written. Not only was that scene well done, but the scenes to follow absolutely stole my heart and my breath. Watching Barrett man up and finally do the right thing by fixing things between him and Drake, him and his future mother-in-law and then him and Harmony was well worth the wait. The speech he gives to Drake was moving and heartfelt between two friends, but his apology and groveling to Harmony about how he handled their relationship spoke volumes and had me tearing up a little. Then onto his proposal, oh my, what a proposal, I was gushing over it. If I guy did that for me and said the things Barrett said, I’d be able to say I truly found my Prince Charming, because Barrett definitely turned out to be Harmony’s Prince. I’ve never read a more romantic proposal then Barrett’s to Harmony, bravo Ms. Burton.

Unexpected Rush is a wonderful installment to this series. It had everything in it that I come to expect from a Burton novel; a fun flirty adventure packed with high energy sports scenes, a sexy steamy romance, amazing cast of secondary characters to help advance the story, the fun sibling rivalry between the Cassidy brothers, and the importance of family. For the sport lover in me, I only wish there was a little more sports action like in her previous novels, but all in all I was a happy camper reading this one. If the added scenes with Flynn and his new head chef for his new restaurant were any kind of hint for her next Play-by-Play novel, then I think we will be in for a treat when Flynn’s book comes out hopefully next year. I’ll keep you all posted.

Until next time, happy reading sports fans!

Reviewed by Marcie

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Accidentally in Love with the Biker by Teri Anne Stanley – a Review

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Accidentally in Love with the Biker by Teri Anne Stanley – a Review

 

Accidentally in Love with the Biker

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Description:
Aspiring writer Kelli Dalton needs a man, and fast. When she’s rear-ended by a sexy-as-sin biker on the way to a Vegas romance readers convention, she sees her chance. If he’ll pose as her fake boyfriend long enough to impress a bestselling author, Kelli has a shot at saving the bookstore for underprivileged kids she runs back home.

Quinn Anderson doesn’t know what to make of the cute little writer who stirs his heart and his libido, but he does know he wants to get better acquainted. And if that means keeping up their sexy ruse all week, he’s game.

Quinn knows a girl like Kelli deserves someone with a secure future to help with her store, not a guy struggling to turn a profit on his chopper shop. But if his motorcycle designs win the big Vegas competition, he’ll have enough prize money to fund his dreams…and hers.

 

Review:

I loved Accidentally in Love with the Biker by Teri Anne Stanley. I’ve never had the privilege to read anything by Ms. Stanley before, but this definitely won’t be the last. If her stories and characters are anything like this book, then it’s safe to say I’ll be looking for more from this author. Ms. Stanley writes a fun, sassy, and charming romance for our hero and heroine Kelli and Quinn.

I knew from their first meeting I was going to be a fan of this couple. Kelli and Quinn are two characters that are fun, refreshing, easy going, quirky and can just go with the flow. Plus, they understand each other and seem to be in similar situations in life and jobs. From their first scene together an easy bond and fast friendship forms and the story along with their Vegas adventure just takes off. I absolutely loved their first scene together, Kelli is in her rental car daydreaming about her book’s hero Zeus, a motorcycle riding badass Greek God, when Quinn goes flying over her rental car after rear-ending her. Once she’s assured he’s not dead and nothings broken, she proceeds to introduce her self, but when Quinn removes his motorcycle helmet, the fun begins;

“I’m Kelli Dalton.” He pulled the helmet off with one hand, using the other to brush the strands away from his face, hoping to catch a little desert breeze in the process. “I’m-“ “You’re Zeus.” Kelli-the-high-heeled-driving-menace sighed, staring up at him, those damned eyes filled with wonder. Zeus? “Quinn, Quinn Anderson. But you can call me Zeus if you want.”

LoL, was my response to that scene because I could picture myself having that kind of reaction to a hot guy that I’d just been daydreaming about. J As for the rest of their adventure, it’s a fun, fast read that’s filled with many LoL moments(Quinn dressed as a lion tamer in gold shiny tights with matching vest and gold whip, Kelli dressed in a skintight black cat suit, still chuckling over that scene) that charm the reader and keep them reading to find out if they will be able to move past their fears and admit their feelings for one another, and try for that HEA that both deserve, not only in love, but life and their jobs.

As I said at the beginning of my review I loved Accidentally in Love with the Biker. It was a fast, fun, flirty read, just perfect for a lazy evening, or Sunday afternoon read.   I mean, come on, who wouldn’t want a hot biker guy who’s willing to spend a week at a romance writers book convention pretending to be a fictional boyfriend/book hero? Hands up if you want a guy like that!!

Until next time happy reading and remember, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!!   LOL!!

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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Bride by Chocolate by Alexis Lusonne Montgomery – a Review

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Bride by Chocolate by Alexis Lusonne Montgomery – a Review

 

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
She’s everything he’s not looking for in a wife…

When not-so-sweet sabotage strikes Bebe Waterston’s gourmet chocolate factory, things start looking hopeless. But she’s not a quitter. After sacrificing her personal life to prove she can run the family business, she’ll do anything to save it—including accepting help from an unlikely source: San Francisco’s high society “Prince Charming”.

Sam Sugarman’s on a mission to marry. And in Sam’s family, finding a wife follows a recipe that starts with a box of Waterston’s Chocolates. When the supply runs out right before Valentine’s Day, the savvy CFO steps in to solve the problem, and finds the cure for his sweet tooth in the spitfire redhead. But now his dilemma is two-fold: convince Bebe he isn’t the serial-dating playboy she believes him to be and keep her safe from the person menacing her and her business.

Thrown together as the danger escalates, the mismatched duo tangles in and out of the bedroom. With a benefit gala and the fast-approaching, day-of-love deadline, they’ll need more than the gold-foil delicacies destined for a bride by chocolate.

 

Review;

I absolutely loved Bride by Chocolate by Alexis Lusonne Montgomery. From the first chapter she had me hooked with her characters and storyline. I mean come on, it’s got chocolate and chocolate making in the story, so what’s not to love, right??? Yes, yes I love my chocolate, but I’m not here to talk about that so I’ll get back to my review, lol!!

Bride by Chocolate is a perfect curl up on my sofa with a glass of wine lazy Sunday afternoon read. It’s fun, flirty, with just the right amount of danger/suspense to add a little spice to our couple’s budding romance. Speaking of which, our hero and heroine in this one are just too darned cute and funny. Absolutely loved Bebe, she’s fun, flirty, refreshing, smart and knows her way around a chocolate factory. As for our dashing hero Sam, he positively killed me throughout the story. Yes he’s everything any woman would want in a man, he is pretty much the modern day Prince Charming. However, when it comes to Bebe, he becomes a lovesick fool.   From their first meeting Sam had me howling with laughter over his reaction to her. When she steps out of her office and asks him what she can do for him, he’s stunned speechless, but in his head he says; “have my baby”. All I could see in that scene was a handsome man, clad in a power suit with drool dribbling down his chin. LOL!!. That was just one of many scenes where our poor love struck hero goes all mushy over his ladylove. For Sam, she’s the one, his little Pixie, Queen Titania of the Fairies as he thinks of her many times. Little does poor Bebe know, but from that moment on, Sam is on a mission to not only help her with her business problems, but win her love and make her is wife. What ensues is a steamy, slow to build romance, that lets us get to know who our hero and heroine are. We get to see what makes them click, what pushes their buttons, but best of all are the charming and fun scenes/interactions between Bebe and Sam.

Bride by Chocolate is the type of story you just get so caught up in that you don’t realize how much time has passed while you are reading. Before I knew it I was halfway through the book and didn’t want to put it down. Bebe and Sam just runaway with the story and bring you on a fun and delicious adventure, filled with a fun and steamy romance with a dash of danger thrown in for good measure. If you like a lazy Sunday afternoon filled with a good book, then Bride By Chocolate won’t disappoint. Just be sure to have a box of chocolates on hand with your glass of wine, cause by books end, you’ll be craving chocolate. 😉

Until next time, Happy Chocolate eating…errr I mean reading, 😉

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher

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His Pirate Seductress/Beauty’s Curse by Tamara Hughes – a Review

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His Pirate Seductress by Tamara Hughes – a Review

 

His Pirate Seductress
Love on the High Seas series – Book #3
by Tamara Hughes
Release Date: November 9, 2015

His Pirate SeductressAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
With her son’s life in the balance, Catherine Fry is forced to locate and steal the priceless Ruby Cross of the Knights Templar. She knows who has it—it’s just a matter of coercing Thomas Glanville, the handsome and incredibly stubborn captain of the ship she’s captured, into telling her the exact location. Fortunately, Catherine knows that there are many ways to get a man to talk…

Captain Thomas Glanville has the cross and he’ll be damned if he’s going to hand it over now that he finally has the means to buy a ship of his own. He’s at the mercy of a fiery woman who will stop at nothing to achieve her goal. But Catherine has no idea who she’s dealing with—and Thomas has his own means of charming a woman into his mercy and his bed…

 

Review;

I swear each book in this series just keeps getting better. His Pirate Seductress is the latest installment to Tamara Hughes’s Love on the High Seas series and I loved every minute of it. Once again we have pirates, danger, intrigue, captives, treasure being sought and of course a simmering romance between two strong willed pirates.

His Pirate Seductress is Thomas and Catherine’s story. We first met Thomas Glanville in book one Tempting the Pirate. Thomas was James’ first mate on James’ pirate ship, and now he’s the captain of a ship that is suddenly taken hostage by another group of pirates led by one very determined fiery pirate-tess. I just loved Catherine, she’s one hell of a strong female lead. There’s nothing and no one that will get in her way of saving her son and mother who are being held hostage by a cruel man bent on revenge. She doesn’t hide behind her crew, instead she’s in the thick of things dueling it out with sword and dagger in hand, fighting for what she needs. Thomas Glanville thought his pirate days were over, and has in his possession a treasure that will ensure he can purchase his own boat to captain and prove to his family he can make it on his own. Thomas is a strong willed, arrogant, knows what he wants type of man and won’t let anything stand in his way. Well, except for a female pirate by the name of Catherine Fry, who seems to have his number. No matter what Thomas does, Catherine is always there in his face, in his thoughts and turning his world and grand plans upside down.

From their first meeting in the book you could see and feel the chemistry and sexual pull between the two. Their banter is snarky, playful and filled with sexual innuendos which only adds more fuel to the slow simmering, seductive romance that is blossoming between our two head strong pirates.

“Be quiet, or I’ll run you through with my sword.”

“I’d much rather run you through with mine,” he suggested, his voice a sexy rumble that made her shiver.”

Loved this scene and the playful interactions between Catherine and Thomas throughout the book. I felt it only added more character to their personalities and their romance. They definitely make a fun, sexy couple who were able to carry the story and keep the reader interested and invested in their adventure on the high seas.  

Even though they are at odds with each other over the Ruby Cross, both start to see the other in a different light and form a mutual respect for one another and decide to work together instead of against each other. They wind up forming a truce that leads to both realizing that they are better together then apart, and realize that through their shared ordeal have somehow fallen in love with each other.

His Pirate Seductress had everything I come to expect in a good ol’ pirate story. I was captivated and drawn in to the story by Thomas and Catherine from the very beginning. It was the type of story I couldn’t put down because I had to know what was going to happen next. The action was fast paced and thrilling, with just enough danger and suspense thrown in to keep me on the edge of my seat waiting to see if Catherine would succeed in rescuing her family. Once again Tamara Hughes has written a strong, well devised plot with two strong leads who were able to carry the story on their own and keep the reader interested from beginning to end.

Until next time matey’s, happy reading!!

 

Beauty’s Curse
Love on the High Seas series – Book #2
by Tamara Hughes
Release Date: June 9th, 2015

Beauty's Curse

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository


Description:
England, 1722


Amelia Archer will be the ruin of her family. Her extraordinary bad luck is burden enough, but her sweet, trusting nature often lands her in impossible scrapes. After the last straw, Amelia’s harried father ships his unfortunate daughter off to the Colonies to live with her aunt. But wherever Amelia goes, bad luck is sure to follow…

Pirate David Lamont is taken with the lovely young Englishwoman the moment she’s pulled aboard from her sinking vessel. But sailors are already a superstitious lot and Amelia is unwelcome. In a feat of chivalry, David defends and claims her for himself…

Now their fortunes—for good or ill—are invariably tied. But as much as she longs for him, Amelia cannot allow a romance. For a lady of misfortune can only bring ruin to those she loves…

 

Review;

I just love Tamara Hughes’ Love on the High Seas series and Beauty’s Curse is a wonderful installment to it. It had a little bit of everything one would expect in a pirate book. There’s danger on the seas, intrigue, romance, sailor’s superstitions and curses all surrounding a dark brooding hero and cute spunky heroine who thinks she’s cursed. Toss that all together and you get a rip-roaring adventure on the high seas.

In Beauty’s Curse we finally meet James’ brother David Lamont who’s been missing for the past year. We only learn of David through his brother James in Tempting the Pirate and last we knew it was rumored he was on a pirate ship called The Wanderer. This is where Beauty’s Curse picks up. David is indeed on the pirate ship the Wanderer and is their musical entertainment since he has a violin and knows how to play it. However, David isn’t the same person James used to know. After his harrowing and horrific past year, David has become dark and brooding, keeping to himself and not caring about life anymore. That is until he meets our poor ‘accident waiting for a place to happen’ heroine Amelia. She’s a spunky, sweet, funny girl who just can’t catch a break and believes she’s cursed. She made me chuckle on more then once occasion, and watching her awaken the old David and bring him back into the light was very heartwarming to witness. Likewise, David in turn helps Amelia to see she’s not cursed, but had the idea planted in her head by her evil stepmother who wanted her out of her way. Even though they are a bit of a mismatched couple, they just click and come together perfectly. They develop a bond of friendship, which in turn begins to spark a slow burning romance between the two. Each scene the chemistry continues to grow until finally they can’t deny themselves any longer. Amelia and David are well developed characters and we get to learn who they are through their conversations with each other and interactions with the other characters. It’s also thanks to Amelia that David is finally reunited with his brother and it’s at this point Amelia finally believes she isn’t cursed, because she was lucky to have wandered upon James and his wife as they were searching for David.

As I said earlier Beauty’s Curse is an excellent installment to Tamara’s Love on the High Seas series. It’s a fast and fun read, where she creates a solid well developed plot with a fun, spirited romance between our couple. Combine that with danger and intrigue on the high seas and you have the makings for a perfect pirate book. For anyone who’s a fan of pirates and damsels in distress then Beauty’s Curse is the book for you.

Until next time happy reading matey’s and beware of walking the plank!!

Reviews by Marcie

Copies provided by Publisher

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The Royal Conquest by Stacy Reid -a Review

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The Royal Conquest by Stacy Reid -a Review

 

Royal ConquestAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM

Description:
His dark seduction will be her undoing…

After being cruelly jilted by a lord who claimed to adore her, Miss Payton Peppiwell swore her future husband would be as ordinary as she. Now if only her family would listen to her. Then she meets Mikhail Konstantinovich, an untitled horse breeder, in a highly improper and scandalous encounter. Never had Payton expected to be so attracted to the dark, intriguing man, who seduces her to recklessness with a mere stare.

Mikhail abhors anything to do with intimacy. Yet Miss Peppiwell stirs hunger and a need long forgotten in him. But Mikhail has a dark past—one that means his lust must be sated in a way entirely unsuitable for a lady. But his biggest secret will be the hardest for Payton to overcome: Mikhail is not only titled, he’s a prince…

 

Review;

The Royal Conquest by Stacy Reid is the 4th book in her Scandalous House of Calydon series. I’ve had the pleasure of reading the previous book in this series, and was happy to have the chance to read yet another one of Stacy’s books. The Royal Conquest was a fast read that had me hooked from the first chapter. Miss Reid just dives right into the story, setting the stage for our hero and heroine from that first moment. She creates an air of mystery and intrigue that surrounds our couple from the get go, and it continues on throughout the story, which to me served as the catalyst that kept my attention and interest piqued towards our couple throughout the book.  

Our hero Mikhail is a dark and brooding character, who at first is very mysterious and keeps his identity a secret from not only Payton, but society as well. He doesn’t care for all the pomp and circumstance that comes from being a Prince, nor does he care for the way women throw themselves at him because of his title. He wants a normal life, one away from all the commotion of being a Prince. On top of all that, he carries with him a dark secret from his past that has become a problem for him in regards to relationships. For that matter, he hasn’t had much luck when it comes to finding love, and has pretty much given up on that notion until that fateful night where he stumbles upon one very sassy and attractive Payton Peppiwell. If that isn’t a fun name for a heroine then I don’t know what would be. Her name doesn’t just sound bright and cheery, Payton really is a bright and cheery individual. She’s a woman of her own means, and to hell with society, the haute monde and their silly ways. Payton grooves to the beat of her own drum, society be damned. That’s one of the things I love about Miss. Reid’s stories, her heroines are a ray of sunshine in a stuffy world. They have their own minds, ideas, and aren’t afraid to stand up to their alpha male, or fight for them no matter what. This is exactly what Payton does when Mikhail finally tells her the truth about himself and his past. When Payton learns that he can’t stand to be touched and must be in control at all times during sex, thanks to a harrowing kidnapping at the hands of Lady Anya when he was younger, Payton doesn’t shun him or turn away, instead she embraces that part of him and allows him what he needs. This is another aspect of Ms. Reid’s writing that I like. She creates a mutual respect between her couple, and allows them the time to learn each other, understand each other and come to respect one another. It isn’t a case of just throwing a couple together, she lets them grow and blossom as individuals finding there own way, and then as a couple.   Both help each other overcome their own issues when it comes to relationships and society. Mikhail and Payton are an excellent fit for a couple.

I do believe The Royal Conquest will be another hit for Stacy Reid. Even though it is a fast paced read, filled with action, suspense, a brooding hero and sassy heroine, the story is well defined, and carried out by our couple. The story takes flight from the first chapter and doesn’t stop until the last page. Mikhail and Payton are characters you want to cheer for and hope they can overcome their individual issues, so that they can succeed as a couple. For anyone who’s a fan of not only Stacy Reid, but historical romances, The Royal Conquest is a must read.

Until next time, happy reading!!

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher

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Hot Holiday Nights by Jaci Burton – a Review

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Hot Holiday Nights by Jaci Burton – a Review

 

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM

Description:
Victoria “Tori” Baldwin is a successful sports agent whose career has always come first. She enjoys her work, her clients, and, on the occasional free night, a love life that’s short, hot, and uncomplicated.

While unwinding over Christmas in Hawaii, she chances upon a surfing competition, and all the lean hard men that come with it—especially Alex McConnell, a young surfer at the top of his game, and Ben Reynolds, ex-surfer and Alex’s business manager. The physical attraction Tori feels to these two completely different men is off the charts. They’re smart, sexy, and the nights are filled with the hottest passion Tori has ever felt.

Soon, Alex and Ben will move on to the next big wave and Tori will head back east. But as the days and nights go by, Alex and Ben’s feelings for Tori start to swell. Tori’s feeling it, too, and for the first time ever, she’s thinking twice about the men she’ll leave behind.

It won’t be long before this hot threesome has to decide if the romantic wave they’ve been riding is nothing more than a vacation fling, or the kind of love that could change all their lives forever.

 

Review:

Gulping down glass of ice water while fanning self….Hot Holiday Nights by Jaci Burton is one very steamy, and hot romantic read. Just when I thought Jaci couldn’t put anymore steam into her already steamy stories, she goes and proves me wrong. I swear each scene between Tori, Alex and Ben just kept getting hotter and hotter. I actually thought my poor Kobo was going to start shooting out flames at one point, LOL!! Having said that, I must also say that, as hot as her sex scenes get, they don’t come across as vulgar, over the top, or cheap. Jaci has a certain style to her writing that to me, makes the scenes relevant to her characters growing attraction and feelings to one another.  Sure in this particular story, the relationship between Tori and Alex, and Tori and Ben starts off as a just a holiday fling, a time to unwind and have fun, but as the story progress we get to see a the growing bond of not only friendship developing between our trio, but also respect for each other, admiration, trust, and the all important love factor. What really got me, was the ease in which both Ben and Alex accept each other’s love towards Tori and decide that they will tell her they love her together and let the chips fall where they may.

Alex and Ben are two very strong male characters, yet never once were they jealous of Tori’s growing attraction to the other. They just accepted the relationship the way it was, and being a trio in a relationship really worked for all of them. There was no awkwardness in any of their scenes together, they just clicked from the first scenes they were in, and the story progressed from there. It was a fast, roller coaster of a ride for Tori, Ben and Alex, but in the end, they all fell in love and are able to make it work between them. It’s a very easy going, laid back relationship, where they take care of each other, respect each other’s needs and wants in a relationship without anything ever getting sticky, or weird between them. I was really hoping that when Ben and Alex went to tell Tori how they felt that one wouldn’t be left out in the cold. I wanted her to choose both men, and find a way to make it work, and that’s just what Tori did. I loved the necklace they gave her for a Christmas gift, a gold chain with three diamonds and the world ‘Ours’ in the middle, thought it fitting and very romantic.

Hot Holiday Nights, is a fast and steamy read, with lots of surfing action, well developed characters and storyline given the fact that it’s a novella. Sometimes I feel shorter stories can be rushed and feel like the characters are just pushed at one another. This isn’t the case here. Somehow Jaci manages to let the reader learn who these three characters are, and create a love story that doesn’t feel rush or pushed on us. Hot Holiday Nights is a short story where everything just clicks and falls into place from the first scene. Being a fan of Jaci’s Play-by-Play series, I really enjoyed this addition to the collection and am eagerly anticipating her next one in the series.

Until next time, happy reading!!!

Reviewed by Marcie

 

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