by Jasmyn | Aug 29, 2019 | Book Reviews, Readers, Romance
I really enjoyed And Then He Kissed Me by Kim Amos. The heroine, Audrey Tanner, sang to my soul and want to be her best friend. She was smart, spoke her mind, and willing to work hard to make her dreams happen (once she figured out what those dreams were). Her journey to find her dreams took a bit of an unconventional turn along the way, but that’s how life can be sometimes.
Her job as a showroom model at the Harley Davidson store had me cringing on her behalf, and when she turned it around into something so much better, I cheered. The only thing standing in her way was the man that broke her heart and drove off into the sunrise without her, Kiernan Callaghan.
Kiernan has a past he’s trying to atone for, and hoping to avoid the girl he left behind years ago. Here’s where the tricky part comes into play. The reason he left, isn’t the reason Audrey thinks. There’s sooooo much more to it. This is the big “mystery” of the story, and Kim Amos does a great job of revealing it and showing the fallout of some very bad decisions made by several people.
The town of White Pine was a lot of fun to visit. I’ll have to return again to see how everyone is doing.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
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Title: And Then He Kissed Me (White Pine #2
Author: Kim Amos
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Small Town Romance
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PLAYING WITH FIRE…
Five years ago, Audrey Tanner flung caution to the wind and herself into the arms of an emerald-eyed bad boy biker she met at the White Pine Asparagus Festival. Two blissful weeks together convinced her that Kieran Callaghan was The One-until The One blew town without a word, leaving her brokenhearted. Now, starting a new job at the new Harley Davidson showroom, Audrey is floored to meet her new boss: Kieran. He’s still hot as hell, but she won’t fall for his sexy smile again. This time, she’s calling the shots.
…OR PLAYING FOR KEEPS?
Kieran never thought he’d return to White Pine, Minnesota, much less see Audrey again. Gorgeous and smart as ever, she’s just as irresistible as he remembered. She still doesn’t know why he had to leave-or that he’s missed her every day since. But he can’t deny he wants more than the no-strings fling Audrey proposes. As things between them heat up, Kieran must choose between the secret he’s sworn to keep and the woman he never stopped loving…
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by Jasmyn | Aug 26, 2019 | Book Reviews, Readers, Science Fiction, Fantasy
I really loved this book. It was a mix of sci-fi, psychological thriller, suspense, and police procedural mystery. The different aspects wound around each other very nicely, with none really outshining the others overall.
It did take a few pages longer to completely get into the story though. There are lots of characters from the get-go, and the technology of the masques and their various add-ons was something you started to understand as you went through the story instead of right away.
I found the whole concept of the masques fascinating. Changing who you were on a whim and a few credits (if you had them). Masques were a way to set apart the rich from the poor, the Legacies from the Unders. The ultimate status symbol – and a key piece of evidence in the murder of a high-profile tech company owner.
The investigation leads you into a mix of stories including a divorced police detective, twin masque designers, and Legacies that feel they are above the very law itself. There’s even a side story that’s a touch of romance with a paranormal-ish element. I’d really like to see more of where that one went.
The mystery remained unsolved until that one key piece of evidence was finally found – and I really liked it that way. I was guessing right along with the detective, and I followed every single one of his thoughts and swore he’d figured it out – until things changed. A great story that I think many will fall in love with.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
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Title: Inside the Masque
Author: R.T.W. Lipkin
Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery
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When everyone wears a masque, anyone could be a killer.
In a future where everyone wears a masque, no one needs a phone, a credit card, or any ID. The masque itself is everything to everyone.
But as exquisite as a masque might be, it can’t keep you safe. Nothing can. Nothing will.
And when everyone wears a masque, anyone could be a killer.
Now it’s up to Chief Inspector McNair and his team of dedicated experts to find that killer. They must uncover the secrets and lies that dwell inside every beautiful masque. And they’ll stop at nothing until they find the truth—no matter how ugly it turns out to be.
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by Jasmyn | Aug 6, 2019 | Readers, Romance
Title: Wylde Fire
Author: Sarah Robinson
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 17, 2019
Sam Wylde is ready to prove he’s more than just the privileged son of a wealthy Southern dynasty.
Wyldefire Whiskey is poised to take Nashville by storm—and with any luck, overshadow the scandal of his cheating ex-girlfriend marrying his brother. The only problem? This gruff country boy has no idea how to throw a launch party that will get people talking.
The answer to everything might just be Holly Glen.
A party wrapped up in one tiny woman, Holly is tattooed, tempting, and exactly the event planner Sam needs to liven up his brand—and his life. He can give her what she needs, too.
All it will take is a ring on her finger.
Falling in real love with his fake wife was not part of the plan—but one shot of Holly isn’t going to be enough.
Excerpt from Wylde Fire
© Sarah Robinson
“You
cannot do this to me, Cassie,” Sam Wylde argued over the speakerphone attached to his truck’s dashboard. He cringed as his Southern drawl came out a little thicker than usual. Frustration did that to him, and right now it was taking everything in him to not start cussing.
With a deft twist of his wrist, he steered his truck into the parking lot next to Town Hall, cutting off another car with a halfhearted wave of acknowledgement. He needed to pick up several permits before the city offices closed, leaving no room for pleasantries.
Damn, for a Saturday, the lot sure is packed.
He sighed and forced his attention back to the phone call. “We’ve got a few months until the launch of the entire brand. Everything I’ve done the last two years is riding on this.”
“I’m really sorry,” Cassie, his event planner, said from the other end of the phone. Or former event planner, apparently. “But I can’t be in two places at once, and neither can my influencers and vendors. We’re booked for that day now.”
Teetering on the brink of exploding, Sam breathed in slowly. “But. You. Signed. With. Us. First.” He ground the words out slow and steady.
“Technically, I haven’t signed an actual contract. I was helping you out as a favor to Noah,” Cassie informed him. “And where I go…so do my connections.”
About Sarah Robinson
Aside from being a Top 10 Barnes & Noble and Amazon Bestseller, Sarah Robinson is a native of the Washington, DC area and has both her Bachelors and Masters Degrees in criminal psychology. She works as a counselor by day and romance novelist by night. She owns a small zoo of furry pets and is actively involved in volunteering in her community.
Subscribe to her newsletter at www.subscribepage.com/sarahrobinsonnewsletter
by Jasmyn | Jul 30, 2019 | Book Reviews, Readers, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Charlie is faced with a couple of tough cases this time around – both with some surprising results. Her life with Reyes is humming along mostly smoothly, but she determined to find out more about his past – which leads to yet another surprise!
I sort of wished the cases had wrapped up with an intertwined plot somehow. I feel like this one stretched Charlie too far, and I didn’t really fall into each individual case and get swept away by it. I got tossed back and forth between the two instead.
I did enjoy learning more about Reyes. His past keeps getting more and more complicated – I hope we’re at the end of the earthly complications because it’s getting hard to follow his life story. I do love how the relationship between Charlie and Reyes is growing. I also think Cookie is really becoming a co-star in some cases instead of just a side character – I love Cookie.
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Title: Sixth Grave on the Edge (Charlie Davidson #6)
Author: Darynda Jones
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Suspense
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Few things in life can come between a grim reaper and her coffee, but the sexy, sultry son of Satan is one of them. Now that Reyes Farrow has asked for her hand, Charley Davidson feels it’s time to learn more about his past, but Reyes is reluctant to open up. When the official FBI file of his childhood abduction lands in her lap, Charley decides to go behind her mysterious beau’s back and conduct her own investigation. Because what could go wrong?
Unfortunately, another case has fallen into her lap—one with dangerous implications. Some very insistent men want Charley to hunt down a witness who is scheduled to testify against their boss, a major player in the local crime syndicate. If Charley doesn’t come up with an address in 48 hours, the people closest to her will start to disappear.
Add to that a desperate man in search of the soul he lost in a card game, a dogged mother determined to find the ghost of her son, and a beautiful, young Deaf boy haunted by his new ability to see the departed as clearly as he sees the living, and Charley has her hands full. The fact that Reyes has caught on to her latest venture only adds fuel to the inferno that he is. Good thing for Charley she’s used to multi-tasking and always up for a challenge…especially when that challenge comes in the form of Reyes Farrow.
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by Jasmyn | Jul 25, 2019 | Book Reviews, Readers, Science Fiction, Fantasy
I am really enjoying the Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries. Verity Long has a way of finding trouble, and her small southern town has its fair share of drama and mystery. In this case, one that goes back several generations. It’s a good thing she has her new best-ghost-friend, Frankie, to help her out. This one gets a bit dangerous.
When Verity finds a body in the library, she begins her trip to a convoluted past full of lies. Someone killed the woman because she found out a family secret, but which family and what is the secret? But wait!! What if it isn’t just one secret? Verity has to pull the strings to unravel one heck of a historical coverup – and she couldn’t have done it without Frankie.
To complicate things a bit more, there’s a station filming a documentary about the town’s most famous battle. Verity’s almost mother-in-law is heading the charge to make the town famous and won’t let anything stand in her way.
I loved visiting some past ghosts from book one, meeting a few really nice new ones, and watching Frankie’s antics as he tries to unground himself from Verity’s house. Lots of great banter, some dangerous situations, and a mystery solved in a very clever way. Highly recommend this series.
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Title: The Skeleton in the Closet (Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries #2)
Author: Angie Fox
Genre: Paranormal, Cozy Mystery
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A haunted library is no place for a girl who can see ghosts, but when Verity Long stumbles on a dead body in the middle of the main reading room, she has to believe someone… even a dead someone… must have witnessed the crime.
Her ghostly sidekick Frankie warns her to stay out of it. The very alive, very handsome deputy sheriff, Ellis Wydell, inadvertently places her directly in the middle of it. And her ex-fiancé, Ellis’s brother, is back with an agenda of his own.
Undaunted, Verity presses forward, uncovering scandalous secrets, long-forgotten ghosts, and a shocking trail of clues that places her directly in the path of a killer.
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by Jasmyn | Jul 24, 2019 | Book Reviews, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Readers
Nocturnal is quite a rollercoaster ride of paranormal suspense mixed with a good dose of horror. It starts out like a gritty cop drama, with Bryan and his partner, Pookie, showing up at the scene of a gruesome murder. But even though they are the best in the city, they don’t get assigned to the case. In fact, they’re told to stay away from it.
So, of course, they don’t. They follow along, getting themselves deeper and deeper into a world they never even imagined existed. Monsters, a hooded hunter, a rising King all wait along the way.
This book isn’t for the squeamish – there were a few times my stomach turned at the scenes and descriptions – so be warned. But it’s well worth it, and I just had to know what was going to happen next.
My only complaint about the audio was that Pookie (one of the detectives) sounded exactly like Mike Wazowski – the little green guy from Monsters Inc – so that is what I pictured every time.
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Title: Nocturnal
Author: Scott Sigler
Genre: Paranormal Suspense, Horror
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Homicide detective Bryan Clauser is losing his mind.
How else to explain the dreams he keeps having—dreams that mirror, with impossible accuracy, the gruesome serial murders taking place all over San Francisco? How else to explain the feelings these dreams provoke in him—not disgust, not horror, but excitement?
As Bryan and his longtime partner, Lawrence “Pookie” Chang, investigate the murders, they learn that things are even stranger than they at first seem. For the victims are all enemies of a seemingly ordinary young boy—a boy who is gripped by the same dreams that haunt Bryan. Meanwhile, a shadowy vigilante, seemingly armed with superhuman powers, is out there killing the killers. And Bryan and Pookie’s superiors—from the mayor on down—seem strangely eager to keep the detectives from discovering the truth.
Doubting his own sanity and stripped of his badge, Bryan begins to suspect that he’s stumbled into the crosshairs of a shadow war that has gripped his city for more than a century—a war waged by a race of killers living in San Francisco’s unknown, underground ruins, emerging at night to feed on those who will not be missed.
And as Bryan learns the truth about his own intimate connections to the killings, he discovers that those who matter most to him are in mortal danger…and that he may be the only man gifted—or cursed—with the power to do battle with the nocturnals.
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by Jasmyn | Jul 12, 2019 | Book Reviews, Readers, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult
Trajectory is the prequel novel to Carissa Andrew’s Pendomus Chronicles, and it gives us a little peek into some character origins – or at least I think it does. I feel like you’d need to read the part of the series first to truly understand the importance of what happens in Trajectory. But if you haven’t read them yet, then prepare to be intrigued by two completely different worlds and the people within them.
I really liked the way the Helix was described. The glimpse of a potential utopian society, but we all know where that leads. The Lateral was also interesting, but not so much because of the society, but the characters. I felt like I got to know them better than the Helix characters.
Definitely worth the read if you have read or plan on reading the Pendomus Chronicles.
P.S. Trajectory is currently free on ebook retailers (see below for links)!
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Title: Trajectory (Pendomus Chronicles #0)
Author: Carissa Andrews
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
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THE PREQUEL to the #1 International Amazon Bestseller, Pendomus…
In order to be nudged toward their ultimate destinies—Runa Cophem and Traeton Revasco had to break ranks from what they already knew. Set a year before the #1 Amazon Bestseller, Pendomus, this prequel grounds you in the world of Pendomus, while setting you up for the wild ride ahead.
Read it for FREE whereever ebooks are sold.
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by Jasmyn | Jul 3, 2019 | Book Reviews, Readers, Romance
I loved these characters. The interactions between Maddie Kingston and her “rival” Nick Holter really made this book sing. You can tell right away from the bachelor’s auction that they have some chemistry, some pent up emotions, and a looong history.
An old family feud with origins that neither of them really understands is what really stands between them. Nick is determined to “win” the company back for his grandfather, and Maddie is determined to show her family that not all of her schemes end up in failure. She’ll bring the company back to life and help it thrive.
I actually fell in love with the mystery surrounding the family feud. It was a constant presence in the background of the story – looming over the families like an oncoming storm – but never really making an appearance until the end. Then it made up for everything and all sorts of bombs and blowups came out. I loved it.
Unfortunately, I just didn’t really like Nick. He seemed like a good guy, but as soon as I found out he was going to try and take Maddie’s company away, he lost me. Break the feud, Nick! Break the feud! Now, Nick’s grandfather was a crotchety old sweetheart, and I really liked his version of a HEA.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
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Title: Heart and Sole (Kingston Family #1)
Author: Miranda Liasson
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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Getting even.
One step at a time…
Maddie Kingston just walked away from everything in order to take over her family’s struggling shoe business. And she’s in some serious trouble. The majority of the company’s shares have been bought out by none other than Maddie’s ex-boyfriend, self-made billionaire Nick Holter. Now Maddie needs his help…even if it means buying Nick from a charity bachelor auction.
After the Kingstons destroyed his grandfather’s career, Nick vowed to take over their company. He’s inches from victory when he finds himself bought and paid for…by his sexy ex-girlfriend who’s hell-bent on saving her family’s company. Between their families’ feud and their own unfinished business, tempers – and emotions – run hot. Too hot.
Because kissing with the enemy is a guaranteed shoe-in for trouble…
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by Jasmyn | Jul 1, 2019 | Book Reviews, Readers, Romance
This second-chance romance hit all the feels for me. Rafael and his best friend fell in love with the same woman when they were just kids. Now, his best friend is dead, and Isobel is a widow. But she’s still off-limits. Rafael swore to look after her and make sure she was OK, and he has other, more personal reasons to keep his distance.
Isobel still has dreams of having a family. She refuses to accept that those dreams disappeared when her husband died. So she sets her sight on Rafael as her baby daddy – not husband. Their two worlds collide when Rafael decides to take her up on her offer – with conditions. They have to “date” first to make sure it’s what she really wants.
Watching these two get to know each other all over again was quite entertaining. Rafael is quite wealthy and Isobel sees him as a playboy. But there’s a lot more to him than that, and he’s going to show her. But he still knows that it’s all for nothing – he will never be able to give her what she really wants.
There were so many small moments and touching acts between these two. They fall in love slowly and deeply. They have to come to terms with a lot of issues from their pasts, and at times it almost drives them apart. Nina Croft didn’t disappoint with her characters and their story in this one.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
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Title: The Spaniard’s Kiss
Author: Nina Croft
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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One moment
will change their friendship forever…
Widow Isobel Sinclair knows it’s time to move on, and she believes the next chapter in her life involves a baby. All she needs is a man to help her with the finer details. Unfortunately, right now the only man in her life is her husband’s best friend, Rafael Sanchez. And an incredibly wealthy, super-hot player is not exactly family material.
That’s okay since she wants a baby sans the husband part.
Billionaire playboy Rafael has carefully hidden his longing for Isobel over the years. He’s wanted her from the moment they met. When desire sparks between them, Rafael faces a choice beyond imagining: give Isobel what she wants…or lose her forever. He has a good reason why a child can’t be in his future, but telling Isobel the truth could destroy everything.
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by Jasmyn | Jun 28, 2019 | Book Reviews, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Readers
While You Sleep turned into so much more than I ever expected. In this small Scottish town there seemed to be more secrets than residents, and American artist Zoe Adams brings a few along with her. Renting a house she soon finds out is supposed to be haunted by the spirits of the current owner’s long-ago relatives. Relatives that were heavily into the occult. Rumors of a child promised to the devil that disappeared – or died – no one seems to be really sure.
Zoe finds herself caught up in the ghosts of the house, or maybe just caught up in her own mind. Stephanie Merritt expertly weaves the story around both possibilities and left me wondering which was really true. Was Zoe being visited by spirits or was she just going crazy?
The paranormal and haunting aspects weren’t too over the top though. There were enough entirely human elements for Zoe to worry about while she was there. As the tale wraps up, secrets come out, a town is forced to face its past, and Zoe is left wondering – about a lot of things.
I loved this story! It was perfectly eerie and gothic, with just the right touch of reality mixed in to make me think this could all really happen. I highly recommend this for lovers of a good book to read during a late night storm – it will definitely set the mood for you.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
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Title: While You Sleep
Author: Stephanie Merritt
Genre: Gothic, Paranormal Suspense
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It begins, they say, with a woman screaming . . .
On a remote Scottish island, the McBride house stands guard over its secrets. A century ago, a young widow and her son died mysteriously there; just last year a local boy, visiting for a dare, disappeared without a trace.
For Zoe Adams, newly arrived from America, the house offers a refuge from her failing marriage. But her peaceful retreat is disrupted by strange and disturbing events: nighttime intrusions; unknown voices; a constant sense of being watched.
The locals want her to believe that these incidents are echoes of the McBrides’ dark past. Zoe is convinced the danger is closer at hand, and all too real—but can she uncover the truth before she is silenced?
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