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Review: Not Quite Perfect (Rocky Cove #1) by Rebecca Norinne
Disclaimer: I am friends with the author; however, I purchased this ebook for full price. On the surface, this plot reads like a wacky soap opera. Melodramatic and completely unrealistic. But Norinne makes it work, and every single character in this story is someone I can imagine meeting in real life. Beyond the primary plot,…
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Review: “Mr. Gold” by Margot Rose
A fun, quick read. The developing relationship between the characters could have been fraught and over-dramatic, but Rose balances the need for tension in the story with the realities of modern, mature adults. It’s a romance story, so you already know that there’s going to be a happily ever after. My favorite part of this…
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Review: Can’t Escape Love (Reluctant Royals #3.5) by Alyssa Cole
Once again, Cole impresses me with her ability to weave timelines together within different stories. This series interlude fills in some of the gaps of the second Reluctant Royals book, including interactions between the main heroine and her parents. I adore Regina, and I don’t even pity her for not getting to become a “royal”…
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Review: The Contract by Margot Rose
This read was a fun escape. But where I thought I understood what I was getting into, it managed to surprise me at every turn. “Love at first sight” is a romance trope I just can’t get behind, but “insta-lust” can be a LOT of fun when done right. Rose does it right in this…
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Review: The Dragon Mistress: Book 2 (Eburosi Chronicles #9) by R.A. Steffan
I finished the first installment of The Dragon Mistress on a Friday night, right before I was supposed to play video games with my spouse and a friend. Instead, I devoured the next installment in a single evening while they played without me. I regret nothing. The dragons play a larger role in this story, as…
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Review: The Dragon Mistress: Book 1 (Eburosi Chronicles #8) by R.A. Steffan
This amazing series picks up approximately a decade in the future with the story of Frella, the younger sister of one of the heroes of the previous collection. Possibly my favorite thing about Steffan’s writing is their ability to create fully fleshed female narrative characters who each have their own strengths, weaknesses, and personalities. Frella…
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Review: The Lion Mistress (Eburosi Chronicles #5-#7) by R.A. Steffan
Because of how much I enjoyed each installment of The Horse Mistress, my first experience with the world of the Eburosi Chronicles, I went ahead and bought the full collection of the next adventure as one book. I have no regrets about that decision. This world gave me one of the most intense book hangovers of…
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Review: Noelle by Night (Dommes by Night #3) by Rachell Nichole
Disclaimer: I am friends with the author; however, I purchased this ebook for full price. The final installment of the Dommes by Night series once again flips the script on its head. Nichole heightens the tension on multiple fronts, from the relationship between the main characters, to the hidden secrets, to the drama of the…
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Review: The Horse Mistress: Book 4 (Eburosi Chronicles #4) by R.A. Steffan
Now that our three heroes are in a solid relationship, it was time to shake things up a bit. It would have been easy for the author to focus on a more character-driven story, but I love how they don’t let the readers forget that war is coming. Times are changing, and our heroes have…
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Review: “A Lord to Love” by Sara Dobie Bauer
Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. I read a much earlier draft of this story, but it was just as much of a pleasure to read the final product a second time around. Bauer features the best of both worlds here: despite this being a…
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Review: The Horse Mistress: Book 3 (Eburosi Chronicles #3) by R.A. Steffan
When their rock shatters, Carivel and Senovo have to work together to put Andoc back together again. Their relationship arc goes through another set of trials, just enough to make a reader worried while also keeping faith that everything will work out for the best. The world of Eburosi grows again when the characters travel…
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Review: Once Ghosted, Twice Shy (Reluctant Royals #2.5) by Alyssa Cole
Though the initial attraction I had to the Reluctant Royals series was the royalty aspect, I quickly fell in love with Cole’s writing and amazing characters. Even though no royals even appear onscreen in this supplemental novella, the story still packed an amazing combination of love and heartbreak into a limited number of pages. The…
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Review: The Horse Mistress: Book 2 (Eburosi Chronicles #2) by R.A. Steffan
The epic fantasy world of Eburosi deepens, along with the relationship between Carivel, Senovo, and Andoc, in this second installment of The Horse Mistress. Many of the quibbles I had about the first book are addressed here, such as external conflicts that stand in the way of their relationship and more extensive world-building.
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Review: A Duke by Default (Reluctant Royals #2) by Alyssa Cole
Saying that I didn’t like this book as much as the previous in the series does a disservice to this book, because I still enjoyed it thoroughly. This is completely subjective reasoning on my part, because I did not connect with this heroine as much. She’s a rich trust fund kid, even though she struggles…
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Review: The Horse Mistress: Book 1 (Eburosi Chronicles #1) by R.A. Steffan
The downside to growing as a reader is realizing how much epic fantasy is problematic in terms of representation. Therefore, I thoroughly enjoyed discovering this series, which features queer characters, including a gender-fluid character. Carivel is a delight to read, and her relationship(s) with Andoc and Senovo are just the right mix of emotional and…
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Review: A Princess in Theory (Reluctant Royals #1) by Alyssa Cole
I picked up the first book in this series because a later installment features a woman in a wheelchair on the cover, and I am all about supporting representation in books. The fact that this book has two characters of color on the cover, which is a rarity for a romance novel by a major…
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Review: Any Old Diamonds (Lilywhite Boys #1) by K.J. Charles
K.J. Charles has officially become one of “those authors,” in which I purchase the book on release day and stay up way too late finishing it on a work night. And I have zero regrets about it. This particular book references the concept of the Victorian-era melodrama multiple times. Then, it drags the reader along…
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Review: Elle by Night (Dommes by Night #2) by Rachell Nichole
Disclaimer: The author is a friend of mine; however, I purchased this ebook for full price. The premise of this book immediately hooked me. Two dominants sparring with each other, even by telephone? Yes, please. However, Jo and Spencer immediately proved themselves to be amazing and three-dimensional characters. That 3D part is key in a…
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Review: Hoarfrost (Whyborne & Griffin #6) by Jordan L. Hawk
Something different about this book is immediate from the first page — scenes from Griffin’s point of view! This made me nervous at first, but Hawk obviously has a great handle on his character. Switching between two first-person POVs is never difficult, because Griffin’s voice is so distinctive from Whyborne’s. The need for scenes to…
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Review: The Warlord Wants Forever (Immortals After Dark #1) by Kresley Cole
I started this series on the recommendation of a friend who is a romance author, and I devoured this sexy novella in a single evening. I had certain preconceptions about the two main characters based on the back-cover text, which were smashed immediately. The heroine Myst, especially, was not what I expected at all. The…
