Review: Smoke and Fire by Donna Grant

Smoke and Fire by Donna Grant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review. 

I was very interested in Ryder and Kinseys story during this novel but it seemed there were multiple viewpoints happening. I found myself skipping the other viewpoints and just focusing on who I wanted to see. I think if I had read the other books in the series I would have cared about the other parts. I want necessarily lost because I dived into book 8, but I think it would have been better to start from the beginning. 

I'm glad I got the chance to read this book! 

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Review: Stepping Into Tomorrow by A. M. Kusi

Stepping Into Tomorrow: The Emerson Family of Shattered Cove Book 1 by A.M. Kusi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from the author.  This is my honest review. 

Every time I dive into an A.M. Kusi novel, I know I'm going to experience so many emotions, but also go through some real life issues as these books are so much more than you expect.  Stepping Into Tomorrow fell right into that lane and I was sucked into the story from the beginning to the end. 

I love all of these characters.  Everyone has so many hurdles they are trying to jump over but there's always a ray of sunshine on the other side.  Nash is such a growly, sullen, but so protective and present male main character.  You can help but be intrigued by him and find out what he's been through to make him the grumpy sailor that he is.  Seeing him open up with Bella in his life was so inspiring, and seeing him instantly connect with Eli brought a tear to my eye. 

Bella is so strong and determined to live her life to the fullest.  She had to put her dreams on hold, but now that she's in Shattered Cove you see her start to blossom to her heart's content and I loved every second of it.  She took everything in stride, many things which were not planned in the slightest, but she never let that get her down. 

Seeing the rest of the Emerson family was a hoot - I love them when they are all together and giving each other grief.  I'm VERY excited to see how the next Emerson goes down the path of love!

I'm so glad I got the chance to read this novel and cannot wait to add it to my collection soon!  I keep trying to get my friends to read these books and I will not stop until they have all read them (and hopefully love them as much as I do!!). 

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Review: These Twisted Bonds by Lexi Ryan

These Twisted Bonds by Lexi Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss.  This is my honest review. 

I will start off by saying that I did enjoy this storyline, but I have conflicting thoughts.  I really thought the author was going to break my heart by making everything a complete mess, but in the LAST SECOND things turned around for the better.  I felt like that was rushed and an afterthought, I dunno, but it was putting me into panic mode until 10% was left of the book. 

Brie is a fantastic character.  She grew up viewing the fae world in one way, only to realize her error and come to love this new world.  She made so many sacrifices not only for her mortal life, but her fae life as well.  She puts everyone ahead of herself and I really just adore everything about her. 

Finn is fantastic, I still stand by my views that he is the better of the two men, only because he didn't force choices or even really present choices to Brie.  He completely removed himself from solutions and wanted Brie to make those decisions on her own and you have to love a guy for that.  

Because on the other hand, you have Sebastian who, in the moment of his very real feelings, made decisions without giving the whole truth, and then when he was presented with a conflict, still didn't communicate what was going on, but made his own rash decisions.  He grew a lot as a character, but only because of Brie and how she was teaching him to love more than himself.  Might be harsh to saw, but it's true.  From the very beginning, I didn't trust this guy and then finding out everything he did, every choice he made from the beginning?  When Finn had the same choices and picked DIFFERENTLY??  Yeah, Sebastian and I are not even considered friends at this point. 

So yes, I enjoyed this book, this duology.  I liked the story, the adventure, but the backstabbing, secretive, manipulating aspects of this book?  I couldn't stand them.  4 stars for me.  I'm glad I read it, but I can guarantee I won't re-read it again cause I can't go through all of that drama and trauma another time. 

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Review: These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan

These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm very surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I haven't been able to connect with YA fantasy for awhile, so I was unsure how this would go, but I was hooked from the beginning, along for all of the twists and turns. 

Can I just say, as much as I enjoyed this, I'm really frustrated with Abriella. Like, really really frustrated. I get that she had no idea what is going on and no one is being upfront with her, but her going back and forth between Sebastian and Finn really bothered me.  Granted, they both kept some major secrets, but her inner turmoil was just too much for me. 

So I'm definitely Team Finn. He gave me no reason to trust him over Sebastian, but the way he acted with Brie really showed me that he was a good man. He wouldn't take advantage of her in her weakened state. On the other hand, Sebastian went from girl to girl taking whatever he wanted and using the excuse that he had to get a wife... it really didn't suit well worth me at all. 

I'm really curious to see how things are going to work out in book 2. Brie rushed into things way way too fast. I don't know how she would have finally figured out the truth without that rushed mindset, but I just wanted her to breathe and take a minute. 

Overall, I enjoyed this and it definitely kept my attention. I did have some moments where I rolled my eyes, but I am intrigued to see how this all ends. 

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Review: Dear Heart, I Miss You by Eliah Greenwood

Dear Heart, I Miss You by Eliah Greenwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from the author. This is my honest review. 

Oh Dia and Finn. These two have been through so much but I couldn't wait to dive into their story after that heartbreaking ending from book 1. And I was not expecting how much time was going to pass in this book! I love seeing how these two have changed over the years and how their connection is so intense. 

This book will take you on an emotional rollercoaster, and so many different things will happen. But with that being said, I binge read this in 1 during. My eyes were glued to their story and I couldn't get enough! 

Eliah Greenwood is quickly becoming an instant author for me and I'm so glad that I discovered her novels. I know everyone is going to love this story and I can't wait to see what is next in line from her! 

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Review: No One Is Alone by Rachel Vincent

No One Is Alone by Rachel Vincent
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss. This is my honest review. 

I've read almost every book by Rachel Vincrnt and each time she just blows me away with her talent and her stories. This book is so real, the emotions grab you with every chapter, and I was just along for the ride. 

To go through what these kids go through in this book is unfathomable for me, but I'm sure it could be a reality for other people. To have your whole life get flipped upside down and just be expected to accept it without questions.... yeah that wouldn't work for me. 

I'm glad this book deals with messy subjects - multiple ones too. It wasn't over the top, it was realistic. When 1 thing goes wrong, one can usually expect a domino effect to happen. 

I'm so glad I got the chance to read this story and I'm very excited to see what else Rachel Vincent will give us next! 

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Review: Tone Deaf by Olivia Rivers

Tone Deaf by Olivia Rivers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss.  This is my honest review. 

I was fairly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book!  It's relatively short, with a lot of information in it, and I practically binged it in one sitting!  I can't imagine going through either Jace or Ali's lives.  They have been through so much, but you can still see them fighting for a better life every day.  I didn't much appreciate Jace's initial reaction to Ali, not going to lie.  It seemed to come out of nowhere and the anger he felt really was so misplaced.  

But seeing them open up and get to know each other during the novel was really great.  I especially loved Ali's relationship grow with Killer and Cuddles (seriously, that sentence is so odd, and no one will understand it if they haven't read this story!! haha)

I'm glad I finally got around to read this book!

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Review: That Feeling by Alexis Winter

That Feeling by Alexis Winter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from the author. This is my honest review. 

It's always interesting reading the kids when you read their parents romance. Thankfully that didn't bother me as this is Tyler and Brooklyn's story. I loved the way they met and the connection they had. Tyler was a bit stubborn and hesitant, but I'm glad Brooklyn was persistent. 

I'm glad I got the chance to read this story! 

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Review: Broken Whispers by Neva Altaj

Broken Whispers by Neva Altaj
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from the author, BookSirens and Wildfire Marketing Solutions. This is my honest review. 

I did not realize that these two books that I FLEW through are the authors debut novels! Which is amazing that I discovered her at the beginning, but that means I have nothing to go back and catch up on. 

I seriously love these books. They are the typical Mafia romance books, but there is so much MORE involved that really makes these books unique. You get sucked into the story and really get invested with these characters.

I absolutely love Bianca and Mikhail. Maybe even more than Nina and Roman? Seeing these two characters were very little words get to know each other and trust each other was amazing. I honestly didn't want this story to end at all. I loved Lena and her sweet innocence. I even loved Biancas youngest sister too.

I think Bianca is so brave and sweet. She didn't judge Mikhail because of the way he looked and treated him like a normal person. And don't Mikhail open up more and more with Bianca was amazing. 

I honestly think I may need this authors books in print to add to my ever growing physical library because I know I won't be forgetting these storyline anytime soon! 

I'm so glad I stumbled upon these books and I think anyone who likes Mafia romance novels should definitely read these! 

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Review: Painted Scars by Neva Altaj

Painted Scars by Neva Altaj
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from the author and BookSirens. This is my honest review. 

I did NOT realize how much I was going to love this book! Seriously, Nina and Roman are fantastic. I loved how possessive Roman gets and how Nina brings out a side to him that no one has ever seen before. 

And Nina's artistic personality is just what was needed to shake up Roman's world. She is spunky and feisty and stubborn. She doesn't let his job scare her off, but rather treats him like a normal person, which is fantastic. I loved seeing her "get into character" and wonder why she didn't become an actress with that ability. 

I'm so glad I decided to read this before book 2, and I'm so glad I discovered these books from Wildfire Marketing Solutions. I have a feeling I just found another auto buy author! 

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Review: Disavow by Karina Halle

Disavow by Karina Halle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley.  This is my honest review. 

This was a quick, rollercoaster of a story.  Gabrielle is a feisty, brave woman who I don't know how she survived everything she did.  Seriously, to go through all of that before 18 and then having to take care of yourself for 8 years with no education or family?  She was determined to get her revenge and live her life with the knowledge that she set out to do what was best for herself. 

Pascal is an interesting character.  You can tell he is fighting a lot of inner demons and still just trying to figure his life out, even though he's 31 and feels that he should have everything all planned out.  

Seeing these two reconnect and the attraction they have for one another was great, but they both struggled with a lot throughout this story.  Seeing them get past their struggles while also discovering the real truth of what has happened to one another was great to see. 

I'm glad I finally got around to reading this book!

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Review: My Scorned Best Friend by Piper Rayne

My Scorned Best Friend by Piper Rayne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from the author and Valentine PR. This is my honest review. 

Finally! We finally get Xavier and Clara's story and I loved it so so much! The anticipation was worth it to get this amazing novel and to see each other finally talk to each other and work through their fears and worries. 

I love Clara. She's sweet but oh so fiesty. Probably because I am also a librarian, but I really connected with her and loved seeing her spread awareness to her library. 

Xavier is a mixture of full of himself but also humble. Thankfully he finally realized what he wanted in life and that was not the limo/suits style. He went back to his roots of small town life which is a perfect fit for him. 

The grandmother's is this story. I swear I've never laughed more than their hooligan shenanigans. If I ever met them in real life I'd be running the other way so I wouldn't get caught in one of their schemes haha.

I loved the moment with Xavier and Emilia. It was so touching and sweet and warmed my heart so much. 

I am so so so glad I got the chance to read this book and I cannot wait for the next installment! All of these books are amazing and I desperately love this family!

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