This guest review on The Blue Castle is from Erin M. Erin M is a high school English teacher living in Oklahoma City, and she writes romance as Laine Ferndale with her amazing writing partner. Her first book, The Scandalous Mrs. Wilson, is published by Crimson Romance: it’s set in turn-of-the-century Canada and the hero shares a last name with Valancy. Good artists borrow, great artists steal, right? On that note, please don’t rat her … Continue reading Guest Squee: The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery→
Repressed is the first book in a new series, so it’s easy to jump into. Sam Parker is back in her Creepy Hometown to sell her late mother’s house. We know from the beginning that when Sam was a child, she witnessed a Horrific Event in the Creepy Shack behind the house. Now, she’s working a temp job as a teacher of Creepy Students while she repairs the house and counts the days until she can … Continue reading Repressed by Elisabeth Naughton→
Trigger warnings: there are flashbacks to children in peril and an attempted rape scene. Repressed was a re-read for me. I don’t re-read books, so it was interesting to revisit a book with a more critical eye. I’ve read most of Elizabeth Naughton’s Romantic Suspense books as they’re usually in Kindle Unlimited and for me, they are good quality reads. It was also fun to find myself going “ohhhhhhhhh yeahhh” when certain plot points came … Continue reading Repressed by Elisabeth Naughton→
This guest review comes from Suzanne! In addition to raising two valkyries and tending a growing menagerie, Suzanne reads and reviews romance and comics in Southern New Hampshire. She’s just launched a site devoted to romance comics and looks forward to sharing it with you all! … Here’s the thing about pain in fiction: the more realistic the writing, the more it hurts to read. Tiffany Reisz is a master of realistic dialogue and her … Continue reading Guest Review: The Night Mark by Tiffany Reisz→
Ben Jackson (a Navy SEAL) and Mary Kuri (a Special Forces sniper) are sent undercover to do reconnaissance by their employer Automatik, a private security company. The company suspects that there is a gun smuggling operation being run out of Morris Flats. The book begins with an intense scene between local police bullying three teens at a convenience store. Ben is new in town (and he is a black man) so jumping into a police … Continue reading One Minute to Midnight by Nico Rosso→
Updated March 2018: Since this review was posted, allegations have been made about Santino Hassell specifically about abuse, manipulation, and the hiding or concealing of the actual identity of the author of the books published under that name. You can read a complete summary of everything at The Salt Miner’s three part series: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. This guest review as part of the RITA Reader Challenge project, was written and posted more … Continue reading Fast Connection by Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell→
The category is Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance, which I interpret as a meaty fictional story with a side of romance. This is the first book of a duology (Empress of the Bright Moon is the second volume) about Empress Wu, the first and only Empress of China who ruled in her own name. She is an exciting historical character and while the basics of her life are known, there is much room for … Continue reading The Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel→
Keeper of the Stars was thoroughly unobjectionable. I want to be able to give it higher praise than that, but I cannot do that and still be honest. The thoughts and actions of the characters, their faith expression, and the plot of the book- there was absolutely nothing about which one could object. While this might sound appealing, it was actually just really bland. Reading the book was like eating a dinner that’s not bad … Continue reading Keeper of the Stars by Robin Lee Hatcher→
An astrology romance, how novel! Summer of Supernovas is a YA romance about astrology-obsessed Wilamena Carlisle trying to abide by what seems written in her stars. The book begins on top of the dilapidated town water tower with nerdy retro chic 17-year-old Wil (or Mena, depending) seeking perspective on her impending search for love. She is determined to follow the star chart that feels like her only lingering connection to her dead mother. By some … Continue reading Summer of Supernovas by Darcy Woods→
Having read numerous RITA guest reviews over the course of these past two years, I was delighted to be able to grab an opportunity to be one of them. Smart Bitches Trashy Books is my go-to blog to know which book is right up my alley and which won’t do at all. Since all the spots of books I had read last year and loved were taken, I decided to go for an unknown author. … Continue reading The Turning Point by Marie Meyer→
I felt a little out of my comfort zone reading this book – I don’t think that I had realized that it was New Adult when I signed up to review it; since I’m a couple of decades older than the characters, it was a little hard for me to relate to them at first. But I’m glad that I read it – it’s good to stretch our comfort zones once in a while, right? … Continue reading The Turning Point by Marie Meyer→
