London 1885 : A young woman stands apart watching her bleeding body on the ground and the thugs who cut her throat being beaten away by two lovely, properly dressed young women who appeared armed with sword and baton. Eliza had just docked in London hours ago from Boston, fleeing the ugly things she had done there to survive after her family had died, and with the fervent hope of finding her distant relatives in … Continue reading Soulbound by Kristen Callihan →
Trigger warning for violence and attempted rape. My friendly local bookstore clerk introduced me to Thea Harrison when I had just about despaired of finding any new authors of urban fantasy/paranormal romance that tickled my fancy. Harrison’s Elder Races books contained neither polite Canadian vampires nor humorous workarounds for vampire/shifter handicaps nor TSTL heroines who nevertheless triumph over all evil-doers. I totally fell in love with Pia and Dragos Cuelebre and gobbled up the rest … Continue reading Midnight’s Kiss by Thea Harrison →
Given how much I disliked Barefoot with a Bodyguard, one might be surprised to see that I am reviewing the next installment in the Barefoot Bay Undercover series. Why, do you ask? Because I liked all the other Barefoot Bay books except Barefoot with a Bodyguard and I thought I’d like this one more than I did. What attracted me to this book? I liked Francesca Rossi in the previous books. Malcolm Harris is a wounded … Continue reading Barefoot with a Stranger by Roxanne St. Claire →
(Trigger warning for rape that’s supposed to be romantic) Let’s rap a bit about rape! When is rape ever okay as a romantic fantasy? The way you answer this question will largely determine how you feel about Say My Name. You might guess by my grade how I feel about it. Old Skool romances in the 1970s and 80s were rife with sexual assault for a variety of reasons, as nicely summed up by Candy … Continue reading Say My Name by J. Kenner →
I just…I still…What the hell was this book? The trigger warnings alone…I had to take notes as I went so I wouldn’t miss any. Check out this list: child abuse (emotional and physical) drug addiction mental illness emotionally toxic parent child death mentions of child sexual abuse memories of marital rape attempted suicide/suicidal tendencies fat shaming slut shaming The thing is…only half of these were relevant to either the plot or the development of the … Continue reading The Secret Sister by Brenda Novak →
This book, like the one I reviewed previously, is part of another series, but boy howdy am I happy to say that it’s the first one. Some iffy points stand out, but overall I enjoyed this book so, so much. Scott blends coming-of-age, political intrigue, high fantasy, and romantic themes into a coherent and compelling story—I finished this book in two days, mostly because pesky things like work got in the way of tearing through … Continue reading The Shattered Court by M. J. Scott →
If I had not signed up to review this book, I would never have thought about it critically (or at all). Unfortunately, I did, and there are…problems. Let’s get this straight: I love this story. Love. I just want to acknowledge that it is liable to enrage some folks, so let’s wade right into trouble. But first, so as not to have spoilers ahead of the jump, and also because I cannot refrain from referencing … Continue reading Tremaine’s True Love by Grace Burrowes →
When I saw Grace Burrowes’ Tremaine’s True Love on the 2016 RITA review list, I grabbed it like a can of insect repellant in high bug season in the Northeast back-country. While I love a well written historical, until this review, I had never read anything by Burrowes. However, I had accidentally purchased a couple of her books a year ago when I was getting ready to write a 2015 RITA review of one of … Continue reading Tremaine’s True Love by Grace Burrowes →
Teen vampire Della Tsang doesn’t have time for love. She’s too busy clearing her father’s name. But the charge against him – that he stabbed his own sister to death years ago – connects Della’s human family to her secret vampire community, especially her handsome bondmate Chase. So Della is forced to probe her own heart as she works to prove her father’s innocence. Many things keep Della and Chase apart: Della’s continuing friendship with … Continue reading Unspoken by C. C. Hunter →
This is a second chance romance with a very dark backstory and a pretty yummy beta hero. Trigger warning for spousal abuse and rape. Sally Ryland is a widow who owns and runs Ryland Riding outside of Caribou Crossing, British Columbia. She was married for several years about seven years ago. She and her late husband bought and built the place, and Sally has maintained the business in the years since his death through incredibly hard work, a gift … Continue reading Love Somebody Like You by Susan Fox →
This was my first time reading Kimberly Kincaid, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the book. Fire Me Up is a quick moving story about two passionate young people determined to follow through on their self-appointed paths of duty. The book held my attention and kept me wanting more – not to that crazy point where you try to hold the book with one hand while you squeeze the toothpaste onto … Continue reading Fire Me Up by Kimberly Kincaid →
