Review: Fury's Kiss

Fury's Kiss by Nicola R. White

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Furies ...
Was on the fence about this one because initially I had trouble connecting with both female and male lead. Not to mention, reading about Furies isn't my norm but I decided to give it a go. I can honestly say that I wasn't disappointed. The storyline is good even if I have/had a problem with the lead characters.

Tara Walker is just a young lady working hard to fulfill some of her dreams. Then an attack by a not too bad looking stranger changes everything in an instant. Now, she must move forward with the . Tara as the the female lead took to getting used to. I found her to be a little too happy go lucky when it came to being possessed by an ancient Grecian god (of sorts). Her character kind of automatically fell into superhero mode rather quickly. Not that she's supposed to sit back and brood about it but there is something missing between discovery and full steam ahead. Never the less, the author wrote a strong female lead to introduce readers to the  series.

The male lead, Jackson Byrne on the other hand is hard to like. His character is so hot and cold. He's just an a-hole times 100 but I think that is just a part of his appeal. He wasn't one of those I see you, I love you and now let me hump your leg the rest of the book kind of lead. He has the sex appeal some readers look for but Jackson's character isn't the smoldering looks kind of guy. His character's personality fits considering he's a former Navy Seal.

The really great thing about Fury's Kiss are the secondary characters. They're all good and memorable. The other good thing about the story is that it started off full steam ahead and didn't stop until the final action sequence.

Overall I give this a 3.5 rating.

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Review: Kidnapped By Her Husbands

Kidnapped By Her Husbands by Rebecca Royce
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

She's Melissa 'f'ing' Alexander and she doesn't know who she, where she is or whose baby she carries. What she is sure of is that she's going to do whatever she has to do to reform herself and become the proper lady for a husband. Or at least that's what she thought.

Yep, the name says what the story is about (literally) but this is a very entertaining tale with a cast of dreamy secondary male leads that the reader is never lacking from male attention. Melissa is the Rebel Princess and as readers we get to journey with her as she discovers who she is and rediscover who she was. Between her unsightly ship and her five ... wait six husbands she has her hands full. Will there be a way for this heroine to combine both halves of herself and save her family?

Wait! Will she be able to take down the empire? Who knows. But our heroine is a pissed off pregnant lady with good aim who will leave a trail of dead bodies if she doesn't get what she wants. I must say that this entry has a really descent storyline where I wanted to know what was really going on with all the other components of this story. Especially, the social structure where the treatment of women on both sides (rebels vs empire) is completely different. Good entry and I am looking forward to reading the next installment.

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Review: Dirty Sexy Cuffed

Title: Dirty Sexy Cuffed

Author(s): Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde
Type: Novel
Length:231 pages (Kindle)
Publisher: CP Publshing
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb

As a cop, Levi Kincaid is all about discipline and control . . .in the bedroom, and out of it, and he's always been very careful about choosing women who abide by his rules. Hot sex and intense pleasure? No problem. Emotional commitment and forever promises? No way. But he never anticipates falling for a blue eyed angel who makes him want to cuff her to his bed and do dirty, sexy things to her. And that control of his? It doesn't stand a chance against Sarah Robins, the one woman he can't resist . . .

Review

In Deep Like!!!

Sarah Robins isn’t the drop dead gorgeous heroine that some readers come to expect. No, Ms. Robins has had a hard go of it in her young life but it’s just something about her character that makes the reader like her a lot. Brown haired and blue eyed Sarah is operating in survival mode and she really doesn't have time for romantic notions. But if she had time for such things, Levi Kincaid would be the ideal candidate for the job. 

What’s that old adage … it’s always the quiet ones and the quiet one , Levi Kincaid makes Dirty Sexy Cuffed a worthwhile read. The quiet unassuming Kincaid brother commands the reader’s interest. His quiet demanding personality is front and center throughout the pages. Sarah makes his control slip but I guess that’s what happens when one character finds their other half. Both Levi and Sarah are so well suited. From book one of this series the readers learn about the heart breaking circumstances the Kincaid boys grew up in. In this latest installment the reader gains the opportunity to read about the female counter part to their struggle. With similar childhood backgrounds both Levi and Sarah grew up without parents and lacking love. After finding out about the heroine’s background, the reader gains the opportunity to feel for her. Like all other alpha males, Levi rushes to her rescue. 

As a male lead, Levi is attractive with green eyes and happens to be a bit kinky. It seems that the quiet ones always have something going behind the calm façade. He is supposed to be controlling domineering in the bedroom area but the intensity that is promised isn’t completely fulfilled. But this is just a small component of his character and doesn't detract from the hero factor that Levi has going for him. What the reader really gets to view with Levi is the abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother and how those experiences colored his adult life. Though I like a happy ending, I would have liked a little more interaction between the male lead and his rival. A little more antagonizing between the two would have put the story over the top. 

One of the highlights of the story is that the previous characters of the other installments of this series show-up. As always, the interaction between the three Kincaid brothers is entertaining and have the reader wishing for more. 

~~~Thank you to RockStarPR for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review~~~

Review: Weregirl

Title: Weregirl
Author: C.D. Bell
Type: Novel
Length: 400 pages (Kindle)
Publisher: Chooseco
Published: November 1st 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Blurb

Eager to escape her small hometown, high school junior Nessa Kurland is focused on winning a college scholarship for cross-country running. A chance encounter with a trapped wolf while out on a run leads to powerful and frightening changes, and one day, Nessa is transformed into a full werewolf. Now Nessa must navigate the challenges of high school while coming face to face with true human darkness, as she tries to make peace with her new wild nature.

Review

Warming Up Nicely

The first thing that the reader notices about this book is the cover. The cover image sparks immediate interest and one of the main reasons that I chose it.  I find the cover of Weregirl mesmerizing. 

This is the first book I'm reading by CD Bell and I found that the writing to be very good.  Weregirl is interesting and pulls the reader in.  Nessa wants out of her small town and if she can accomplish this by winning a college scholarship for cross country, then she is going to put all she has into it. So, as the reader off you go with this character as she runs her way to college or maybe that would have been in her future if she hadn't stopped to help a trapped wolf, then was attacked by another wolf, then started to sprout little white dog hairs all over, then got perfect vision, then got bionic hearing and was freaking out every animal she comes across.  Though its a good story I feel that as the reader I didn't get to know the leader character too much. The secondary characters are virtually unknown as well.

I like Weregirl because it captured my interest and I want to know what's really going on. I need to know what's so special about the heroine? Would like to know what's going with a couple of the other kids at her school? Did one of them bite her? Is there a love interest or is she going to be a superhero ass-kicker? What about the environmental issues? Do they play a part in this or any of the other research stuff?

Definite cliffhanger. Wasn't expecting the book to end when it did but I am looking forward to see where the author takes the story.

~~~ ARC was graciously provided by the author and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.~~~

Review: Runes of Fate

Title: Runes of Fate
Author: Lena North
Type: Novel
Length: 320 pages (Kindle)
Publisher: Flat Out
Publication Date: June 24, 2016
Genres: Fantasy

Blurb

It's the annual midwinter gathering, and Sissa Raudulfsdatter is locked into a shed – bound, gagged and waiting to be led out to the altar where she will be sacrificed.

There has never been any human sacrifice in the village before, but this year Jarl Ingolf decided that the gods require one to give their good graces back. 

Sissa is determined to face her fate with dignity and courage but as she waits for them to bring her out to the altar, the herbs her mother has put in her final meal makes her dizzy and finally, she faints.

The morning after the sacrifice she wakes up, still alive and still in the shed. After shouting for help, Sissa's brother opens the door, but he's shocked to see her because they all thought Sissa was killed the evening before. It's soon discovered that another girl was sacrificed instead. The village is in uproar and Jarl Ingolf, who performed the sacrifice himself, is devastated. 

The Jarl’s brother, Einarr, is given the task to find out what has happened and because of her ability to figure things out, and since she's the only one clearly innocent, he asks Sissa to help him. One of the suspects is Einarr’s only son Josteinn, the boy Sissa has had her eyes on her whole life, but there are others who could be guilty, and as Sissa and Einarr learn more, things start to become dangerous.

When Josteinn starts to pay her attention, Sissa has to decide how she wants to live her life. Can she be content living her life in the village as Josteinn's thrall, his property? Or have the gods carved different runes of fate into the roots of Yggdrasil for her?

Review

Warming Up Nicely!

This was absolutely not what I expected. Going in I thought that I was going to get Norse gods interacting with our heroine. Thought that she was going to gain some sort of supernatural gift from the gods or she was going to complete some miraculous feat that only she could do. But as I read, this first installment of the Sissa Raudulfsdatter series (Runes of Fate) wasn't what I expected it to be.

Our heroine (Sissa) is a smarter than average slave girl (but not exactly a slave) who dreams of the possibility of freedom someday. Or at least to end up in a comfortable home with a owner that would be considerate of her. Those dreams are shattered when she is offered up as a sacrifice to the gods, but fate has a way of changing a person's destiny. Now, Sissa has to prove that her spared life was worth saving and find the individuals responsible for her still being alive.

Simply, this was a who done it that was executed nicely. There are twists and turns throughout this read but it never lost focus. The main characters are well developed and the secondary characters hold the readers interest as well. Now, Sissa didn't get any super powers but for the time period the story was set she had something better. She possessed courage and above average smarts. Looking forward to reading what happens next in this series.

~~ Thank you to ROCKSTAR LIT for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.~~

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Review: Cocked

Cocked by B.B. Hamel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an exciting race to the finish line!

There wasn't any sacrificing of the story in this to fit in more coitus. Though the scenes where it occurs is smoking' ... it wasn't the main focus or the main, main focus. 

Car thief to CIA informant, Camden is in alot of trouble and he's brought hell to his family's door. Being the self-sacrificing hero that he is, no one is going to die on his watch ... unless he kills them personally. Camden is a well developed male lead and was a joy to read.

Lacey, the forever good girl has been angry with Camden ever since he disappeared. So, when he shows up out of the blue saying everyone is in danger, she's not having it. As far as she's concerned Camden can just disappear again. Lacey's is a strong female lead and is willing to get her hands dirty. I always believe that female characters can do a little more than wait for rescue and Lacey steps in to try to do just that. Both lead characters fit well together and Cocked was suspenseful enough to keep the reader wondering. 

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Review: After the Hurt

After the Hurt by Shana Gray
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So, what happens when run away from the love of your life and then suddenly reappear? Don't know? Well, don't worry because its a head scratcher for me to.

I love a book that have both lead characters on equal footing. Pepper the reformed spitfire abruptly returns to the wintry cold of Canada from the soothing tropics of Bali with the hopes of winning back her true love Francis (aka Tank). After six months of no communication Tank may not be so open to Pepper.

The lead characters were well thought out for After the Hurt , Pepper an attractive red head and Tank the huge and sexy retired MMA fighter. Both characters drove me a bit bonky with their constant uncertainty about one another. Also, interaction with secondary characters was very limited so there wasn't anything really to break-up the merry-go-round that Pepper and Tank were on. Overall, 3.25 rating for finally getting to the HEA.

~~ Thank you to Netgalley for providing the ARC for After the Hurt in exchange for an honest review.~~

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Review: Stiff

Stiff by B.B. Hamel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sometimes, its hard to balance a good plot with the kink that's needed to fit in a specific genre. With this entry by BB Hamel a good balance was almost met. The male lead (Easton) a former FBI agent is back home after taking the wrap for a bad call by his former partner. Drowning in self pity, he's not interested in rising above mediocre. For all his cockiness, Easton is a real softy. As for his counterpart, Laney is smart and well matched with Easton. I feel that its important in these stories that one character doesn't overshadow the other.

Now, back to the balance. Stiff was a good story because it didn't constantly revolve around the main characters attraction to one another. Yeah, there is the traditional eye-popping scenes and the book definitely lives up to it's name. I was more intrigued by the secondary plot and the serial killer. This portion of the story should have been expanded a little more. Overall rating for this one is 3.5.

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