Review: A Very Bossy Christmas by Alexis Winter

A Very Bossy Christmas by Alexis Winter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This was a cute novel. The tension between the characters was obvious from the beginning. Fake relationship tropes are always so frustrating because they always fall for each other, but convince themselves the other one is still just faking, so there's that. But the moments where Damon and Kate were falling for each other were great. 

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

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Review: Empire of Desire by Rina Kent

Empire of Desire by Rina Kent
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This book! I devoured it so fast because I was so engrossed in the story and for caught up with the characters feelings and emotions. 

Gwen is a different character. She is young, but not crazy young. There are just moments where she talks about being an adult, but acts really childish. She does things without thinking of the results. She's very determined to get past blockades, but sometimes she can't control everything happening to her. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about her, too be quite honest. 

Nate is broody and solemn and grumpy most of the time. He runs hot and cold, says one things thing, does another thing. So there's a lot of whiplash throughout this book. But when he decides to cave in to temptation, I mean, the spice that happens? Oh boy.

While I don't mind age gap romances, I do mind best friends relative romances. It's the secrets and lies that I can't handle very well. We don't have to deal with that aspect as much, though, for most of the book, so that was a relief.

I'm glad I got the chance to read this book and continue the family story after Sebastian's novels. I'm very intrigued to read Knox's next! 

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Review: Her Salvation by G. Bailey

Her Salvation by G. Bailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Mai is seriously growing into a really mature and strong person the more that is revealed with each book. We get a few more answers to questions we've had since the beginning and you can feel the tension in the air ready for the big battle that is coming up.

We get 1 more book of Mai's story, and then 3 books from another character, and I cannot wait for all of them to be released. There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered and I'm looking forward to that coming soon! 

I still love all of the men in Mai's life and how each one has a key role in Mai's life. Can't wait for more! 

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Review: My Sister's Flirty Friend by Piper Rayne

My Sister's Flirty Friend by Piper Rayne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Jed!  I've been wanting Jed's story from the beginning, and he did not disappoint.  Of course I was expecting drama to ensure, because it's Jed and he's had a hard time accepting what his dad did all those years ago.  And I'm so glad it was with Molly, because she takes no crap from anyone, so seeing her and Jed try to figure things out was dramatic, emotional, and swoon-worthy :)

I love Emilia and her part in this story.  She may be quiet, but she has a lot of personality inside of her!

Of course, this is a siblings-best-friend romance, one that I struggle with sometimes, and yes, there were moments of keeping everything a secret, which built up more drama.  But Piper Rayne did it in a way that wasn't too annoying for me, so I didn't struggle as much as I normal do, so I was pleased about that!

I'm so glad I got to continue this series - I'm really loving the Greene Family adventures and I hope I get to continue on with the rest of the siblings, because I know more great stories are to come!

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Review: Storybound by Emily McKay

Storybound by Emily McKay
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

Gah, I really wanted to like this. What book lover wouldn't want to love a book with this synopsis? But instead, by Chapter 7, 15% in, I've called it quits. I can't keep track of everything. Between the chapter exerpts of Kane's story (who I still haven't met yet) and Edie's random thought bursts, along with her fear of going crazy, and her father's mental break down, I'm seriously one lost puppy right now. 

And not to mention that I read this ends on a cliffhanger, I can't handle this emotional rollercoaster anymore, sadly. I'm glad I got the chance to read this book, but it's just not for me. 

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Review: Dance of a Burning by E.J. Mellow Sea

Dance of a Burning Sea by E.J. Mellow
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

So, I couldn't get into this story. I don't know if it's because I didn't read this first book? Or if it was something else? I couldn't connect with the characters very well and found myself skimming paragraphs without meaning to. I'm sure, after seeing other reviewers living out on goodreads, that this is a me problem because I'm sure other readers will love this book. It just wasn't for me, I guess. I'm glad I got the chance to try and read it though!

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Review: Master of Iron by Tricia Levenseller

Master of Iron by Tricia Levenseller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

I flew through this book! Book 1 took me a long time to finish, but boy, I finished this practically in one sitting, it was so good! There is a lot more action involved, which maybe helped my eyes zoom past the words to keep up. And Ziva and Kellyn's relationship was more intense (though I still thought it was intense in book 1, just different).

I love the new characters we met in this book and really wish we could have had more scenes with the other magically gifted characters. 

And the amount of character development Ziva went through was insane. I would have been okay with her staying the socially awkward, panic attack induced character she was when we first met her because that is the most unique thing I've read in a YA fantasy novel. And, don't get me wrong, she still has her moments, but she's grown so much during her journey and I'm super proud of the way she's learning to overcome her fears and how she is helping herself get better. 

This series is not what I was expecting, but everything I need now! I'm so glad I got the chance to read this novel and series. I've been a die hard Tricia Levenseller fan from the beginning and I'm going to continue to be one by now patiently waiting for her next masterpiece :)

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Review: Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller

Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

I adore Ziva. To me she is one of the realest characters I've read about. Her experiences with social anxiety and panic attacks make her so relatable to normal, real people. I don't go through either of these things, but boy, Tricia Levenseller made everything Ziva was feeling feel like it was happening to me. 

Temra is so sweet and fiesty. Even though she is the younger sibling, the way she takes care of Ziva warms my heart. Their relationship is really strong for the most part, though there are moments of normal sisterly acts of arguments. 

Kellyn, while a mysterious and quiet character, really stuck out to me. I think it's because he doesn't know this band of people he's leading around, but he is so gentle and understanding with Ziva. He's left out of a lot of most things for most of the book, but he knows exactly what to do to keep Ziva calm and not push her into an uncomfortable situation. Seeing him be so honest with his feelings toward Ziva and slowly showing her were intense scenes, but in no wo way spicy like other books I've read. 

I think this book was a bit slow, a lot of travel which made it feel like nothing really happened, but in fact, there was quite a bit that occurred. 

I'm so glad I got the chance to read this book and I'm now about to dive into book 2 to see what happens after that brutal ending! 

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Review: Hold Me Now by J.H. Croix

Hold Me Now by J.H. Croix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Oh, Russell and Paisley.  Since we met them in the first book, I was anticipating a steamy and tense storyline with these two, and this book did not disappoint!  I love how much they both fought their attraction, and denied til they were blue in the face about their disdain toward one another for most of the novel.  And when they finally couldn't handle the tension anymore, sparks ignited between these two!

I think Paisley is extremely smart in a lot of decisions when it comes to her arrangement with Russell, and I appreciate that 100%.  She wasn't sugar coating it or trying to pretend the issues weren't there, but dealt with it - mind you in a sneaky type of way, but she was thinking ahead and I love to see that in a character. 

I love that Russell cooks and I love his intensity.  I think he could have opened up a little more with Paisley and not kept everything in, but that's somewhat typical for a male lead character, so it didn't annoy me too much. 

I also enjoyed the cross overs from other series by J.H. Croix - now that I've read quite a few of her novels (still have a bunch to catch up on though!). 

This was a great novel and I can't wait for the next one!

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Review: Love Language by Emma Hart

Love Language by Emma Hart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Emma Hart is an automatic author I read and I seriously adored this novel!  Because it's written in British English (and I am American), I was worried I wouldn't catch a lot of things - but that's not the case!  In fact, in my head I was hearing it like Downton Abbey characters talking, only for Gabriella to mention Downton Abbey a few times, so that was fun :)

Gabriella is the sweetest person you will meet.  I love how nice and friendly she is - always willing to help people when they need it without a second thought.  So for Miles to be grumpy toward her, she was mystified and stunned, to say the least. 

I'm glad we were able to get a few scenes from Miles point of view, because he sure hides his thoughts and feelings from Gabi really well!

This is a slow burn and what I would say a clean(ish) novel, but the moments where there was any physical interaction blew me away.  I really enjoyed that this wasn't just about the physical moments but more about what they were feeling and how they opened up to each other (eventually).  

Also?  I gotta say, I love how Emma Hart is always bringing random animals into her stories and really making a mess with them!  It's wonderful entertainment and really makes me laugh out loud when reading it haha. 

I'm so glad I read this novel and I cannot wait for more in this series to be released!

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Review: Forcing You Away by Kennedy Fox

Forcing You Away by Kennedy Fox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Oh, Archer and Everleigh. I already knew Everleigh was going to be a handful from the previous novels, but I didn't expect to fall in love with Archer so quickly! 

This is a very very very slow burn. The tension between these two is crazy and I was very impatiently waiting for them to cave into their urges. I also think Tyler was out of line and he had his own life to handle. 

That ending was brutal and I'm extremely bummed I don't have the next book right now. I fear the wrong person is going to get blamed in some way and I'm terrified on what that will mean. So, yeah, I need the next book ASAP lol.

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

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Review: Broken Playboy by Laura Lee

Broken Playboy by Laura Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

I am so glad we got Bentley's story! It really is amazing how people can think one thing of a person and how great their life is because of the way they act, only to really get inside their head and realize everything was just a front and things are not actually fine and dandy. That's Bentley. I really just wanted to hug him and make everything better, because this poor man was suffering and wasn't getting the help he needed. 

I also really liked Sydney. She is a little spitfire who can look after herself really well. But at the same time, there were moments where she did need help, so she too was also struggling mentally at times. 

I'm glad I was able to finish this series and it was nice to see how everyone's HEA ended. Though since another side character is getting her own story, maybe we will see these characters again :)

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Review: Quinn by Hattie Jude

Quinn by Hattie Jude
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Oh, am I so glad I got this novel! Bentley and Quinn's story snared me in book 1, so diving into book 2 was really exciting. I'm so glad Quinn didn't forgive Bentley right away cause he really messed up in book 1. Then again, I'm so glad that Bentley didn't give up on proving to Quinn that he made a mistake. Seeing him show her a different side to him really got to my heart and made me want Quinn to forgive him faster, but my girl held strong. 

I really loved this storyline and it was paced just right to make me read this novel in one sitting. I couldn't get enough and I definitely won't forget this story anytime soon! 

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Review: Hallowed Night: A Halloween Romance Anthology by R. Holmes (Becca Steele)

Hallowed Night: A Halloween Romance Anthology by R. Holmes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Okay, I gotta be honest, I only read 1 book in this anthology, and that was it. So my reading is just for the 1 book, haha. And thanks to a lovely reviewer on Goodreads (Indra VL), I'm glad I read her short synopsis's because many end on a cliffhanger and I don't have time for that haha. 

The book I did read is Mayhem by Becca Steele and I adored it! She writes great dark romances and Elijah and Hailey's story did not disappoint. I mean, I wasn't sure if I should be rooting them for a HEA or not for most of this story, so that right there tells you how great she wrote this dark story. 

I also loved seeing the female character for Zayde's story and now I'm super excited (though I already was tbh) for that novel! And since Hailey is friends with Fallon, I'm hoping we will see more of her and Elijah, cause I'm somewhat in love with these two and sad they only got a novella :)

I definitely recommend reading Becca Steele's series - I love all of them so far! 

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Review: Only One Regret by Natasha Madison

Only One Regret by Natasha Madison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Since this is only my 2nd Natasha Madison novel, I discovered that I missed some important novels about Cooper's family and their own love stories. Honestly, though, even though I haven't had everyone else's story, I didn't feel lost or left out on anything. I was maybe a bit overwhelmed with all of the secondary characters, but nothing I couldn't handle. 

Best-friends-to- lovers stories are a bit of a hit or miss with me. Thankfully this book was a hit and that has all to do with Cooper. He would not allow Erika to run away when things got tough or weird, but instead made sure she knew she was wanted. And I love seeing Cooper with his daughters. 

For that matter, I love that Erika took such care with Cooper's daughters, like they were her own. 

I'm really glad I decided to read this book and I'm going to be keeping my eyes out for more Natasha Madison novels now!

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Review: House of Shadows by K. A. Linde

House of Shadows by K.A. Linde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This world.  Even though it's been AWHILE since I read book 1, I wasn't lost at all when I dived into this storyline.  The author did a great job bringing me back into the plot and remembering all of the characters again, like it was just yesterday that I read the first book. 

Kerrigan is fantastic.  She is so resilient and she is determined to make it through everything she sets her mind on.  And this girl has a lot of crap thrown her way, but she always makes it seem to effortless to pass every obstacle, when in fact it's not that easy.  And she has a lot going on.  I was so mad when the plot with Marsh was revealed and it made me want really bad things to happen to him.  I still want that to happen, so hopefully in the future books, it will come true. 

Ford is so frustrating.  I get that he has a curse, or whatnot, but boy the tension between him and Kerrigan is through the roof and I don't know how much longer I can handle it - as the reader!  Imagine how they are feeling, haha. 

I'm very glad that Kerrigan finally talked to her father and got the full story on what really happened.  I know it will be a long time in the making, but it is the first step to move forward from that traumatic event in her past.  And I really hope that Kerrigan can get the help and training she needs with her magic. 

I'm not surprised at the big reveal at the end of this book, but I can say I definitely wasn't expecting that person to be the culprit.  I didn't really have a certain person in mind, but I was not ready for it.  I think the next book is going to be just as fantastic as the first two, and I cannot wait for more questions to get answered...in a year!  I would definitely recommend this series to other readers!

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Review: Change on the Fly by Maren Moore

Change on the Fly by Maren Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

I am stunned at how much I love this book! Best-friends-sibling romances are not normally something I enjoy because the characters are always worried about everyone finding out about their relationship and keep to many secrets. That did happen in this book, but it wasn't the entire focus of the storyline and wasn't a broken record, so I was able to handle this trope in this book. 

I love how Reed stepped up for Evan. Seeing them together was sweet and amazing and I loved every minute of it. I also loved how Reed wasn't afraid to ask for help during this transition in his life, admitting that everyone needs help and he wasn't too proud to ask for it. 

Holland is my soul sister - being a fellow librarian myself. But she's also a great human, taking care of her father and being a great friend to Emery.

I 100% would recommend this book to everyone because it's a fantastic story! I'm so glad I got the chance to read this! 

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Review: Affliction by J.L. Stray

Affliction by J.L. Stray
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

I wanted to head butt these characters and make them talk to each other through most of this book. Lots of secrets were kept that honestly, had they just talked to each other, a lot of their issues would have been solved and they could have moved on from the past. 

I love how successful Mia is in her business and how confident she is - in her work life anyway. Her personal life, however, she needs to work on her confidence level. 

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

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Review: The Immortal and Damned by G. Bailey

The Immortal and Damned by G. Bailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

What a wonderful ending to a fantastic series! I do wish I had reread the previous books to refresh myself of all of the details, since book 2 was out 6 months ago, but I caught on quickly and fell right back into this wonderful world. 

Maddox and Riona are still just as wonderful as ever and I love how much they both have grown from when we met them in book 1.

This series is a must read, and I know I'll be revisiting this world again in the future! 

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Review: Watch Over Me by Mila Gray

Watch Over Me by Mila Gray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

I've had this book for quite some time and finally got around to reading it.  I read the first two books a long time ago and basically forgot most of what happened, but you don't need to read them in order to understand this book.  

Zoey is such a warrior and a fighter.  For her to go through all of that terrible things in her past, from a family member no less, is traumatic and she has been on flight or fight mode for most of her life.  So I'm glad she was able to come to a place where she can trust the people around her and she can start to make friends and actually live her life in something besides fear all of the time. 

Tristian is such a good guy, it hurts sometimes.  He's so good and kind and understanding and patient and you gotta love him for all of that.  

This was a great novel and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it!

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Review: Prom Theory by Ann LaBar

Prom Theory by Ann LaBar
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

Best-friends-to-significant-others genre is a hit or a miss with me, and sadly this one was a miss. I appreciate Iris dealing with her internal issues and finding a way to move past things that trigger her. But her wiki moments, her tangents, got to be a bit much for me. 

I'm sure this book will appeal to other readers but it just wasn't for me. I'm glad I got the chance to read this book. 

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Review: Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez

Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

I was really excited to get the chance to read this book, especially when it mentioned dragons. But for some reason, I wasn't able to connect with this story that well. I really, honestly, felt bad for Zarela. First she had to step into her mother's shoes, to the point she couldn't do anything but her mother's routines, and then she had to take care of her father's business. What about what Zarela wants? She's forced into everyone else's dreams, but I want to know what she is passionate about. 

And the way the dragons are treated is so sad, I was never excited when they were mentioned because it never ended well for them. 

So, sadly, this book wasn't for me, but I am glad I got the chance to read this book and I'm sure many readers will love this story. 

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Review: Dark Prince by Jagger Cole

Dark Prince by Jagger Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

Okay, I've read every single book by Jagger Cole, and Dark Prince has topped all of them.  Hands down, I loved everything about this book and I read it in one sitting.  I am still processing every great thing that happened in this book and I cannot express how much I'm loving this series by Cole!

Misha has had a pretty crappy life so far, with his father being who he is.  I'm not surprised on how messed up he is.  But to be honest, he's not as messed up as he could be, living his life the way he has for so long.  And I get his anger he has toward Charlotte, but he was misdirecting everything for so long, I think he tunnel visioned everything into that one moment, instead of blaming the real culprit.  And can I just say how yummy Misha is.  Every interaction he has with Charlotte had me up in flames, so I can't imagine how Charlotte was able to contain herself.  

Charlotte is wonderful.  If I were in her shoes, with my back to the wall, you can guarantee that I would have also done something as dramatic as she did, because I do not deal well with being bullied or peer pressured into something I do not want.  And that's exactly what was happening to her, so good for her for sticking to her guns and defying the system, without having start a war. 

The moments with Misha and Charlotte together?  So intense, so hot, so amazing.  I really can't explain it, but I was able to envision everything and boy, it was a lot to handle!  I now want my own Misha, thank you very much. 

I thought I loved book 1 of this series and nothing could top it, but Cole proved me wrong by giving me Misha, so now I'm anticipating Lukas's story, because if these books just keep getting better, I may have a heart attack during his!

I'm so so glad I got the chance to read this book and I cannot wait for more to come!

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Review: Queen of Bitter Thorn by Kay L. Moody

Queen of Bitter Thorn by Kay L. Moody
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

Oh, such a wonderful series, and a wonderful stories, with great characters, and I binged too fast and now it's all over.  Well for Elora's story, since Chloe is getting her own series soon!!

I love how much Elora grew during this series and how she NEVER had a problem picking the hard decision to better everyone else.  She is so strong and I love how things ended for her (I didn't have any doubts in my mind) and how she is such a leader to the Faerie world.  

The only thing I really wish was different is that we had some (just a smidgeon) of Brannick's point of view.  I really wanted to get in his head and see what he was thinking and feeling - especially when he was around Elora and I'm sure, all of the conflicting thoughts he was thinking.  

I'm so glad I saw an ad on Facebook and remembered I saw these available on BookSirens, because it gave me the chance to read this spectacular series, and also introduced me to a new author who I will now follow relentlessly!

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