Month: January 2018

Diving In (Secret Sisters: Book 1) by M. Bleekis

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Diving In (Secret Sisters Book 1)

4 Stars

Publisher: 

Date of publication: March 19th, 2017

Genre: Young Adult

Series: Secret Sisters

Diving In – Book 1

Where you can find Diving In: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Ariel’s therapist thinks an all-girls boarding school will help the high school freshman banish her crippling anxiety. She immediately befriends suitemates Jess, Jan, and Mandy, but the school and its stylishly intimidating headmistress are harboring secrets. On her very first day, Ariel stumbles across one. What no-one at the Lily Academy appreciates is that this secret has links to organized crime and international espionage that will, within a very few days, put Ariel and her suite-mates in mortal danger. In the meantime, her secret sorority initiation ends in disaster, she develops a hopeless crush on Chad, a darkly handsome member of the school’s security staff, and another new friend unwittingly forces Ariel to confront her own personal demons. Will she be overwhelmed? Or, will she rise to these challenges? And what role will Dr. Vivian and her mysterious sisterhood play?

Trigger Warning: None

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Sacrifices (A Life of Death Trilogy: Book 3) by Weston Kincade

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A Life of Death: Sacrifices: A Thrilling Supernatural Detective Series full of Suspense (A Life of Death Trilogy Book 3)

4 Stars

Publisher: 

Date of publication: May 31st, 2017

Genre: Horror, Fantasy

Series: A Life of Death

A Life of Death – Book 1 (review here)

The Golden Bulls – Book 2 (review here)

Sacrifices – Book 3

Where you can find Sacrifices: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Alex’s ghostly visions can save lives. But can they stop a drug czar from disrupting the peace and harmony of Tranquil Heights?

Introduction by Scott Rhine, author of Jezebel’s Ladder
For Alex Drummond trouble doesn’t come knocking, it kicks down the door and raids the refrigerator. War is brewing between moonshiners and a murderous drug kingpin. Cremated human remains are appearing everywhere. And now Alex’s family is in the middle of it all. To make matters worse, his son’s powers rival his own… as does his stubborn nature. Choices will be made. Laws will be broken. And morality will be questioned. Will Alex’s family survive the bloodshed?

Psychometric powers combine in this thrilling battle for survival in Weston Kincade’s final book in the A Life of Death trilogy. The future of Alex’s hometown is at stake… but sacrifices must be made.

Trigger Warning: graphic violence

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Reluctantly Royal (HRH: Book 1) by Gillian Archer

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Reluctantly Royal (HRH, #1)

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: January 16, 2016

Genre: Romance, Humor

Number of pages: 250

POV: 1st person

Series: HRH

Reluctantly Royal – Book 1

Where you can find Reluctantly Royal: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A bad-boy prince is tamed by a vivacious American beauty in this charming love story.

Officially, the world knows me as His Royal Highness Prince Lucien of Monaco, but you can call me Luc. A long time ago, I vowed never to let my heritage stand in the way of a good time. Now the party’s over.

With the death of my father and my twin brother, I’ve lost a part of my soul—and my freedom. My heartless older brother tells me that not only do I have to settle down, but I also need to marry a girl with the right bloodlines. AKA, a princess. Yeah, I’ll get right on that . . . after one last trip to Vegas.

That’s where I meet Hannah. Not only is she gorgeous and down-to-earth, but she also reminds me what it’s like to live completely in the moment. Plus she has no idea who I really am. Hanging out with the locals, I feel like I can just be myself again. Besides, our chemistry is undeniable—especially after we take things to the next level.

What happens in Vegas is special, and I don’t want it to stay there. But I’ve been keeping a secret that will tear us apart. The last thing I expect, though? Hannah’s been keeping a secret of her own . . . one that might just bring us together.

Trigger Warning: None

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Scoring with the Wrong Twin by Naima Simone

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Scoring With the Wrong Twin

4 Stars

Publisher: Entangled Publishing LLC, Entangled: Brazen

Date of publication: January 15th, 2018

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 175

Where you can find Scoring with the Wrong Twin: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Shy, awkward Sophia Cruz has a hard time telling her vivacious identical twin “no.” But when her sister begs her to swap places for a modeling shoot, she caves … again. Then Zephirin Black walks onto the set. The brooding, aloof, and gorgeous tight end for the Washington Warriors. But she can keep it professional… She has to. Because the adorkable Cruz twin has no luck with guys once they compare her to her sister. 

After a bad break-up, Zeph hasn’t been big on second chances—and even less with trust. But he finds himself giving please-call-me-by-my-middle-name-Sophia both. The woman he’d dismissed as a spoiled cover model is different from the first time he met her. Quirkier. Funnier. Definitely sexier. What started as one night turns into another…and another…and another…

Still, Sophia can’t go on keeping her secret from him. But telling Zeph the truth will mean losing him for good.

Trigger Warning: talk of bullying

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Road of the Lost: Book One of the Judges Cycle by Aidan Russell

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3 Stars

Publisher: 13Thirty Books, Independent Book Publishers Association, Members Titles

Date of publication: January 11, 2018

Genre: Fantasy

Number of pages: 241

Where you can find Road of the Lost: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Ancient evils awaken.

The glades overflow with blood.

If the forest dies, the world will burn.

“Road of the Lost is a thrilling fantasy adventure with action and humor…” – San Francisco Book Review.

“Road of the Lost is a fast-paced fantasy with an RPG feel… I really enjoyed the jocular, brotherly bickering of the two knights… This was a fun fantasy read.” – Manhattan Book Review

Reslo wants nothing more than to be home in time for supper, but ancient evils want to drown his forest homeland in blood. An outsider from birth, he is at last given an opportunity to serve alongside his people and save their mother forest. But if he thought fighting against the cruel Dark Elves and their Ogre allies would test his endurance, Reslo must also keep alive two bungling, novice knights from a foreign kingdom on a quest to find their lost champion.

Fresh from squirehood, Jerah and Gratas are tasked to find the missing knight and the holy sword entrusted to them. If they perish, their kingdom’s armies will march, and war will be unavoidable.

Road of the Lost is an epic-quest fantasy that features wise-cracking characters pitted against world-shattering adversity. The pages are filled with an abundance of intense, vivid, and consuming action. If you like classic fantasy with gritty combat and captivating heroes, then you’ll love this book!

Trigger Warning: None

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The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

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The Wife Between Us

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: January 9th, 2018

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Women’s Fiction

Number of pages: 352

POV: alternating 1st and 3rd person

Where you can find The Wife Between Us: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A novel of suspense that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love. 

When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement.
You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves.
You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her.
You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.
Assume nothing.

Discover the next blockbuster novel of suspense, and get ready for the read of your life. 

Trigger Warning: Domestic violence

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Fake Wife by Stacey Lynn

~ Jolie ~ 3 Comments

Fake Wife

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: January 9th, 2018

Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction

Number of pages: 190

POV: Alternating 1st person

Where you can find Fake Wife: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

This marriage is strictly business… until the temptation gets way too real.

Sterling: I loved my grandma, but I don’t need her money. All I care about is keeping the house—the only place that’s ever felt like home. That, and screwing over my dad, who wants to turn the property into a mall. There’s only one catch: To receive my inheritance, I have to get married within six months. Me, the guy who’s never dated a girl for more than six minutes. Now I need to find a woman I can trust. So when I’m rear-ended by a Prius, I figure it’s a sign that I’m supposed to meet gorgeous, down-to-earth Teagan Monroe.

Teagan: First I lose my job. Then I come home and find out—in the most graphic way possible… yeah, that way—that my boyfriend is a cheating jerk. And then I speed off and nearly kill Portland’s sexiest bachelor. Sterling Lane should be pissed. Instead, he offers me more money than I’ve ever seen in my life to marry him and live together in a mansion for two years. No sex. No feelings. Just cash—enough to make all my dreams come true. Then we go and break all our rules… and I realize I’m falling in love with my fake fiancé.

Trigger Warning: None

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Man Candy (Real Love: Book 3) by Jessica Lemmon

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Man Candy (Real Love, #3)

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: January 9th, 2018

Genre: Humor, Romance

Number of pages: 212

Series: Real Love

Eye Candy – Book 1 (review here)

Arm Candy – Book 2 (review here)

Man Candy – Book 3

Where you can find Man Candy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Is there room for two in that sleeping bag? When it comes to love, a chiseled loner takes the scenic route in this irresistible standalone from the author of Eye Candy (“Truly the perfect romantic comedy.”—Lauren Layne).

Dax: After spending the summer buried up to my eyeballs in my family’s affairs, I’m ready for a break. The kind of break where I can spend two solid weeks camping and fishing in the company of absolutely no one. Then I find myself directly in the path of a drop-dead gorgeous tornado by the name of Becca Stone. Who can resist a night with a damsel in distress? Especially when she happens to be a leggy blonde? The last thing I expect is for Becca to show up on my cabin doorstep the next night, shivering in the rain and ready for seconds.

Becca: One minute I’m admiring the rock-hard jaw of the Magic Mike lookalike who walks into my bar, and the next I’m getting fired by my own brother. Loudly. In front of everyone. Luckily Dax Vaughn is a gentleman who aims his white-hot smile at me. Oh, it’s on. Wham, bam, thank you, ma’am. Then a torrential storm washes out the main road and causes a massive power outage, giving us two whole weeks to enjoy each other’s company. At which point Dax will go back home, leaving “us” in the rearview mirror. That’s the plan. Or it was . . . until I started falling for him.

Trigger Warning: None

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The English Wife: A Novel

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The English Wife: A Novel

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: January 9th, 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction, drama, mystery

Number of pages: 384

Where you can find The English Wife: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

From the New York Times bestselling author, Lauren Willig, comes this scandalous Gilded Age novel full of family secrets, affairs, and even murder.

Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil live a charmed life: he’s the scion of an old Knickerbocker family, she grew up in a Tudor manor in England, they had a whirlwind romance in London, they have three-year-old twins on whom they dote, and he’s recreated her family home on the banks of the Hudson and renamed it Illyria. Yes, there are rumors that she’s having an affair with the architect, but rumors are rumors and people will gossip. But then Bayard is found dead with a knife in his chest on the night of their Twelfth Night Ball, Annabelle goes missing, presumed drowned, and the papers go mad. Bay’s sister, Janie, forms an unlikely alliance with a reporter to uncover the truth, convinced that Bay would never have killed his wife, that it must be a third party, but the more she learns about her brother and his wife, the more everything she thought she knew about them starts to unravel. Who were her brother and his wife, really? And why did her brother die with the name George on his lips?

Trigger Warning: None

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