Category: 3 Star

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Kimberly reviews How To Love Your Elf by Kerrelyn Sparks

TITLE: How To Love Your Elf
SERIES #: Embraced By Magic #1
CHARACTERS: Sorcha
AUTHOR: Kerrelyn Sparks
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/01/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Raised in isolation on the magic-shrouded Isle of the Moon, five girls became five sisters. Now women, they are ready to claim their places in the world—and perhaps change it forever . . .

FLAME AND FORTUNE

Sorcha knew the mission was dangerous. Leaving the safe grounds of her brother’s kingdom and parlaying with the elves across their border . . . well, treachery seemed at least as likely as true peace. But to support her sister, Sorcha would brave far more than the underhanded ways of the elves. Or so she thought, before she was taken hostage.

Of course, her captors didn’t count on her particular abilities—or on the help of the Woodsman, the mysterious thief who made his home in the forest. He saw the battle from the trees, saw the soldier attacking against incredible odds to save a comrade—and then saw the valiant fighter revealed as Princess Sorcha of Norveshka. He can’t tell if he wants to kidnap her or kiss her. But despite Sorcha’s stubbornness, his inconvenient honor, and a rebellion on the cusp of full war, something burns between them that neither can let go . . .

REVIEW:
Ok This is going to sound odd because if you look I gave it 3 stars but I think this is a book that people either love or dislike. But I am just not sure how I felt so I rated it right down the middle.

I never connected with the characters. Something was just off with the romance. It almost felt forced.

I see it is the first in a new series but if also falls under the Embraced series as well.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kimberly reviews In Search Of Truth by Sharon Wray

TITLE: In Search Of Truth
SERIES #: Deadly Force #3
CHARACTERS: Zack & Allison
AUTHOR: Sharon Wray
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/25/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Some treasure is hidden in plain sight…
Ex-Green Beret Zack Tremaine is a man haunted by regrets. Years ago, he betrayed his men and lost the only woman he ever loved. Now that he’s been given a chance to save both, his only hope is his lost love, Allison Pinckney, who knows more than anyone else about a lost treasure that’s the key to Zack’s mission.

Allison is fascinated by the past. Somewhere in her research is the key to a missing fortune, and Allison finds herself on a perilous mission with the one man she’s been avoiding. She knows that if she gives in to her long-buried feelings for Zack, it will put them both in danger.

But as the search heats up Zack and Allison are constantly thrown together, and they discover how much more powerful they are together than apart.

REVIEW:
2.75 Hearts I read the first in the series but missed the second. So there was some confusion as I read the story but not alot. I would however suggest reading the other two before this one.

I had a bit of a hard time with the idea of this story. There was just so much that seemed unrealistic.

I wanted to enjoy this story because the idea of it sounded good but it just fell a bit flat for me.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kimberly reviews The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica

TITLE: The Other Mrs
CHARACTERS: Sadie & Will
AUTHOR: Mary Kubica
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/18/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to small-town Maine when their neighbor, Morgan Baines, is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie, who is terrified by the thought of a killer in her very own backyard.

But it’s not just Morgan’s death that has Sadie on edge. It’s their eerie old home, with its decrepit decor and creepy attic, which they inherited from Will’s sister after she died unexpectedly. It’s Will’s disturbed teenage niece Imogen, with her dark and threatening presence. And it’s the troubling past that continues to wear at the seams of their family.

As the eyes of suspicion turn toward the new family in town, Sadie is drawn deeper into the mystery of Morgan’s death. But Sadie must be careful, for the more she discovers about Mrs. Baines, the more she begins to realize just how much she has to lose if the truth ever comes to light.

REVIEW:
3.25 Hearts Boy the beginning of this book had me going. The thrill of it and the intensity was leading up to… well nothing.

After the first third to half of the book it was good. But then bam… nothing seemed real, logical or really interesting. I was looking for more of a spooky feel but the story just didn’t end with that and really was a let down.

Maybe I built it up to much but I the best way I can describe it is the author started this book, put it aside because of writers block then came back with a whole different mindset.

Giving it 3.25 because of the beginning and the concept.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kimberly reviews Hands Across The Grave by Donna Kolling Lear

TITLE: Hands Across The Grave
CHARACTERS: James Riley, Bob Maywood & Hank Welch
AUTHOR: Donna Kolling Lear
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/22/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
September, 1967

After twenty-seven years with the FBI, Assistant Special Agent, James Riley, has officially retired. Finally out of the crazy and unpredictable world of law enforcement, he and his wife, Meg, are excited to start the next chapter of their lives in the small town of Monrovia, California.

Meg throws James a surprise retirement party that brings their daughter, Clair, and her husband Tom, home from Ohio and reunites James with his old friend Bob Maywood. When Clair announces that she and Tom will be moving back to Monrovia, James and Meg are thrilled. However, their excitement turns to terror when Clair and Tom fail to return from a short walk. A search of the neighborhood leads James and Bob to an abandoned house, where they find Clair’s opal and diamond necklace and a chloroform-soaked rag.

James and Bob team up with his former supervisor, Special Agent Hank Welch, to find Clair and Tom. They will soon find themselves caught in a web of lies, revenge, and deception that threatens the Riley family and friends.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts So I was expecting something a bit more well spooky. But that is not what this is about. And because it is so short I was ok with it.

I actually liked the characters. I would say that the author should consider adding to this book and making it more of a novel than the novella it feels like.

Because it is short, I don’t want to give much away, but the suspense was written really well.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kimberly reviews Shall We Dance? by Shelley Shepard Gray

TITLE: Shall We Dance?
SERIES #: Dance With Me #1
CHARACTERS: Shannon & Dylan
AUTHOR: Shelley Shepard Gray
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/28/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
At twenty-seven, Shannon Murphy has just discovered that she has two sisters she never knew. Now, through Shannon’s loving persistence, the three of them are moving in together above her dance studio in Bridgeport. Shannon is excited to make a home with her sisters and to grow her budding business. Then she meets her newest client–he has all the right muscles, a perfect smile, and a lot of attitude. Will Shannon be able to keep things professional with this charming stranger?

Dylan Lange has a lot on his mind. He’s just been assigned a new partner at his job with the Bridgeport Police, and while he’s busy striving to protect and serve his town, he’s also trying to keep his baby sister out of harm’s way while she heals from her own trauma. And on top of everything else, he’s gone and lost a bet with his buddies, forcing him to take dance lessons. But when he walks into the dance studio to meet his instructor, a young and beautiful brunette with a sweet southern drawl is the last person he expected to find.

Get ready to fall in love again as Shelley Shepard Gray takes us back to Bridgeport, Ohio, where nobody gets left behind and a powerful community helps ordinary men and women to find extraordinary strength inside themselves.

REVIEW:
3.25 Hearts This is the first time reading this author. But it is the first in a new series so I decided to give it a try.

I might have picked it up because of the coincidences. First one of the names (Kimber) is one of the coincidences but also, oddly, I just found I have a sister I didn’t know about… year, really!

This story is very much women’s lit. There is romance but with a “hero” I never really fell for. And there was a bunch in the story that didn’t flow. Somethings done off page that didn’t make sense. Which is why I say it is more women’s lit than romance.

Still on the fence.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kelly reviews Whiteout by Adriana Anders

TITLE: Whiteout
SERIES #: Survival Instinct #1
CHARACTERS: Ford Cooper & Angel Smith
AUTHOR: Adriana Anders
PUBLICATION DATE: January 28, 2020
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Angel Smith is ready to leave Antarctica for a second chance at life. But on what was meant to be her final day, the research station is attacked. Hunted and scared, she and glaciologist Ford Cooper barely make it out with their lives…only to realize that in a place this remote, there’s nowhere left to run.

Isolated in the middle of a long, frozen winter with a madman at their heels, they must fight to survive in the most inhospitable—and beautiful—place on earth. But the outside world depends on what Ford and Angel know and, as their pursuers close in and their new partnership burns bright and hot, they will stop at nothing to make it out of the cold alive.

REVIEW:
This was an okay read for me. I found myself not really connecting to the characters. Oh, I routed for them and wanted everything to workout but there was not a strong connection for me. The story was a little predictable.
Overall it was a decent story and I am glad that I picked it up. I do believe that if there is a follow up story I will pick it up and give it a try.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

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Kimberly reviews Tell Me Lies by Ed James

TITLE: Tell Me Lies
SERIES #: Detective Max Carter #1
CHARACTERS: Max Carter
AUTHOR: Ed James
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/21/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Fans of Lee Child and David Baldacci will be gripped by this heart-racing FBI thriller from bestselling author Ed James.

Megan Holliday opens her eyes and finds herself slumped on her doorstep. The last thing she remembers is being in the car with her two kids. She sees a handwritten note on her lap – Don’t call the police. It’s then that she realises her car is missing, and her children are gone…

Leading the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team, FBI agent Max Carter will stop at nothing to find children taken from their families. After all, he was once one of those taken children, so he knows exactly what’s at stake. When he hears that a young senator’s two children have been abducted and their mother left for dead, he races to the Holliday family home in Washington State.

Facing a wall of police cruisers and blacked-out SUVs, Carter quickly uncovers the facts. Megan Holliday was ambushed by a man with a gun as she returned home from taking her kids out for ice cream. Bound and drugged, the attacker left her unconscious on the doorstep with the sinister note on her lap.

As Senator Christopher Holliday walks through the halls of the US Federal Building in Seattle, his phone beeps with an alert. Frustrated by the interruption, he takes a cursory glance and is horrified by the image on the screen – his two children, Brandon and Avery, unconscious. The message he gets simply reads Meet me or they die.

When Agent Carter tries to make contact with the busy senator, it seems the politician has gone missing, fleeing from the Federal Building and abandoning his distraught wife. If Carter knows one thing, it’s that Holliday has something to hide. And he just became Carter’s prime suspect.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts This is the first in a new series from an author I have not read before.

I will say this is a bit of a traditional kidnapping/don’t call the cops/detective to the rescue story but it is still worth the read. Agent Carter is a really interesting character. He is very smart but I didn’t feel like he was flaunting it. He has just been doing this so long he knows the ins and outs of the situation.

Agent Carter is part of the CARD team that handles child abduction so I hope that each of the books is wrapped around the exact same situations.

May be worth getting to know Agent Carter a bit better. Will give the second book a try.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kimberly reviews Queen Of Vampire Hearts

TITLE: Queen Of Vampire Hearts
SERIES #: Fated Loves #1
CHARACTERS: Phoebe & Lucien
AUTHOR: Jeanette Rose
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/17/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A Woman Fleeing Persecution…
Phoebe Atreus is a witch on the run, her carefully crafted rules have kept her alive for the last decade, each one a product of a hard learned lesson. Rule Number One? Trust No One. She’s been betrayed one time too many to put her faith in anyone else’s hands. Even if the legendary vampire king might be the one person who could protect her from the enemies always one step behind.

A Man Whose Abandonment Issues Span Thousands of Years…
Lucien Silvano has been king of the vampires for the last three thousand years, he’s fought in wars that have been reduced to legend, rescued damsels in distress, seduced said damsels, and moved on. Immortal life has become a never-ending battle against boredom. Nothing has truly stirred his interest in years, except her. She’s the exception to every rule, his Queen, his mate, the one-person Fate declared to be his. The problem? She wants nothing to do with him.

What could possibly go wrong?
Phoebe refuses to share her past with Lucien, pushing him away at every opportunity, yet unable to resist the chemistry that explodes whenever they are together. Forced back to his castle in Romania to live as his Queen, she starts to forget the rules that have kept her safe… until the secrets Lucien has been hiding remind her why she created them in the first place.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts Vampire and Witch… What a combination! But when Lucien who hasn’t found his true love in the 3000+ years he has been “alive” finds his true love she is a witch who can’t stand him.

I think this author has a lot of potential. She is new to writing and I think you can tell in this story but you can also tell that she just needs some time to hone her skills. Even the best authors started with a first book.

I can imagine that Jeanette Rose will write a number of other books and maybe a few years from now go back and polish this story to make it even better.

The story is good and has a storyline not often seen. And she has taken many liberties with the paranormal characters that we are not used to but again I think it works for a first time author.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kimberly reviews Dangerous Curves Ahead by Various Authors

TITLE: Dangerous Curves Ahead
CHARACTERS: Anthology of 9 Stories
AUTHOR: Various
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/28/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
There is nothing sexier than confidence and when it comes to love and passion, size doesn’t matter.

This anthology of nine stories ranges from sassy to sexy to sizzling, from contemporary to paranormal, and from new love to established relationships. What they all have in common is heroines who know they are more than the image they see in the mirror and who cannot be defined by the so-called rules of mainstream media.

Here you’ll find:

A woman who’s finally accepted herself and is not going to settle when it comes to her work or her love life.

A wife who needs to seduce the husband who is afraid to love.

A successful doctor facing down her high school bully and reconnecting with the man who loved her from afar.

A midnight kiss that becomes more in the new year.

A she-wolf discovering the vastness of her powers along with her soulmate.

And more. These women are going for big dreams, facing important goals and changes, and living with a passion that leaves their lovers breathless and aching for more.

REVIEW:
2.75 Hearts I was going to rate all of the novellas separately but to be honest they all ran about the same number of stars so I changed my mind.

Mostly these are good. Some are a bit better than others and some are below average. What I did enjoy was each story did not wrap around some Barbie doll kind of girl. These are all “real” women who you could possibly know in real life.

The “romances” of all of these stories did do exactly what the synopsis said. It ran from sweet to sexy to hot. But all in all the stories were just an ok read.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kelly reviews The Princess Beard by Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne

TITLE: The Princess Beard
SERIES #: The Tell of Pell #3
CHARACTERS: A Princess, A Pirate, A Centar, A Dryad, An Elf and many other crazy characters
AUTHOR: Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne
NARRATOR: Luke Daniels
RUN TIME: 13 Hours & 11 Minutes
PUBLICATION DATE: October 8, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | Audible | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Shave the princess? Inconceivable! The hilarious bestselling authors of Kill the Farm Boy and No Country for Old Gnomes are back with a new adventure in the irreverent world of Pell.
Once upon a time, a princess slept in a magical tower cloaked in thorns and roses.
When she woke, she found no Prince Charming, only a surfeit of hair and grotesquely long fingernails–which was, honestly, better than some creep who acted without consent. She cut off her long braids and used them to escape. But she kept the beard because it made a great disguise.
This is not a story about finding true love’s kiss–it’s a story about finding yourself. On a pirate ship. Where you belong.
But these are no ordinary pirates aboard The Puffy Peach, serving under Filthy Lucre, the one-eyed parrot pirate captain. First there’s Vic, a swole and misogynistic centaur on a mission to expunge himself of the magic that causes him to conjure tea and dainty cupcakes in response to stress. Then there’s Tempest, who’s determined to become the first dryad lawyer–preferably before she takes her ultimate form as a man-eating tree. They’re joined by Alobartalus, an awkward and unelfly elf who longs to meet his hero, the Sn’archivist who is said to take dictation directly from the gods of Pell. Throw in some mystery meat and a dastardly capitalist plot, and you’ve got one Pell of an adventure on the high seas!
In this new escapade set in the magical land of Pell, Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne lovingly skewer the tropes of fairy tales and create a new kind of fantasy: generous, gently humorous, and inclusive. There might also be otters.

REVIEW:
3.5 Stars The Princess Beard is the third book in the Tells of Pell series by Delilah S Dawson and Kevin Hearne. I listened to this book on Audible as I have listened to the first two books and Luke Daniels is an amazing narrator. This was another epic adventure in the land of Pell.
I did enjoy this book. Each of the characters has a great journey of enlightenment that they are on.
At times the puns were a little too much. Over all this was another good addition to the Tells of Pell trilogy. Will we see these cast of characters again in the future? Only time will tell if we will be able to visit Pell yet again.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine & Audible.com in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

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Kimberly reviews Oak Island Mystery: Solved by Joy A Steele & Gordon Fader

TITLE: Oak Island Mystery: Solved
CHARACTERS: Gordon Fader & others
AUTHOR: Joy A Steele & Gordon Fader
PUBLICATION DATE: 07/23/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Legends, questions and theories abound about Oak Island, Nova Scotia, and tales of buried treasure there. For more than two centuries, the island has been studied, searched, probed and cursed all the while failing to give up its secrets.

Joy Steele’s ground-breaking book, The Oak Island Mystery, Solved (CBU Press 2015), was born of her own curiosity about “Oak Island gold,” and her application of historical research to the mystery caused quite a stir among treasure hunters, historians, archaeologists and folks just plain interested in what was and is going on there. Her version of events and her take on the now mythical treasure attracted the attention of a great many Island-watchers, drawing the interest of some and the ire of others.

Among the people “interested” are many who in the past studied, explored and written about Oak Island. One of those people is professional geologist Gordon Fader, whose expertise has been sought out over the years by numerous explorers, treasure hunters, consultants and researchers whose names appear frequently throughout Joy’s enquiries and books, and many others.

In her first book, Joy made the very convincing argument that Oak Island’s true treasure is its multi-layered history–its role in 18th-century world affairs. Not only have the bold and sometimes foolhardy physical efforts of the treasure hunters over the past two-and-a-half centuries likely been in vain, but have almost certainly destroyed much of the evidence of what actually took place there.

Over the past couple of years, Joy Steele and Gordon Fader have been working together to solidify Joy’s theories on the tantalizing evidence of human activity on Oak Island. In the process, their collaboration has not only strengthened Joy’s earlier revelatory conclusions that there was manufacturing activity on the Island in the early 1700s but, remarkably, uncovered still more evidence unexplored until now.

REVIEW:
If you have been a fan of this series then you know what this book is all about. And honestly if you have not been then do NOT start with this book. It gives away too much.

That being said I have enjoyed the series and enjoyed the accompanying books that I read.

This is the final one, which is why I suggest not starting with this one.

Very well written and a very interesting subject. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give anything away.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Winter Romance Wednesday! Kimberly reviews A Dash Of Christmas by Samantha Chase

TITLE: A Dash Of Christmas
SERIES #: The Montgomery Brothers #9
CHARACTERS: Carter & Emery
AUTHOR: Samantha Chase
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/24/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
With a dash of Christmas magic…
Two people who have spent most of their lives being rivals…
Learn a little something about following their hearts…

Carter Montgomery broke the family mold when he went to culinary school. Now a successful restauranteur, he’s at a crossroads: should he continue on his successful path or look for a new challenge? What he needs is time alone to think things through. But his matchmaking family has other ideas…

Emery Monaghan’s no-good fiancé has embroiled her in scandal and she needs a way out. When mentor Eliza Montgomery offers her a refuge, she’s relieved―until she realizes that the deal means rubbing elbows with Eliza’s son Carter―Emery’s childhood nemesis.

REVIEW:
This is the 9th in the series so really what this means is there are a lot of Montgomery’s to keep track of and it is not easy.

Besides the family we are dealing with Carter and Emily. They end up working together on a cookbook. But they have a past.

I never really connected with the characters. The story is sweet for a holiday romance but just not one that had me staying up late to read the story.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.