Category: Romance

HEIRESS FOR HIRE

By Madeline Hunter, Pub Date: 4/28/2020

Historical Romance, 5 Stars. Best enjoyed when you need a really good read to get you out a slump!

When Chase Radnor breaks into Minerva Hepplewhite’s home, the last thing she expects him to ask when he wakes up after she hits him with a bedpan is if she was once known by her former married name. Minerva did everything she could to get away from her old, unpleasant life with her late husband, even going so far as to change her name, and now some strange and handsome nighttime intruder has come barging in to her life claiming that she has inherited money from a man she never knew–the intruder’s recently passed uncle and Duke, nonetheless!

Chase Radnor is intrigued by the handsome and keene Ms. Heppelwhite, who has her own ambitions of becoming an inquiry agent like himself. Perhaps he can use her help in investigating the death of the very uncle who brought him to her doorstep–or, more precisely, on her floor with quite the headache. Chase and some of his family members suspect that his uncle’s death wasn’t an accident at all. Unfortunately, with Minerva as one of the heiresses, she’s also one of Chase’s lead suspects.

As Minerva and Chase investigate the incident individually and delving deeper and deeper into the events leading up to the Duke’s death and how he could have possibly known Minerva, they find themselves skirting Chase’s family politics, trying to discover one another’s secrets, and (despite their better judgement) falling for one another.

This was a fantastic romp into historic London with a cast of wonderful, well-rounded characters and a tapestry of interwoven mysteries that slowly unravelled, revealing a beautiful romance.

Minerva was ambitious, astute, and kind. She had experienced some less than ideal situations in her past, but instead of rolling over she found a way out and built the best life she could with those closest to her, using her intelligence to make a better life for them all. Chase was also a clever person who had a passion and mind for inquiry work and a bottomless need to find the truth where he could. Together, they made an impassioned couple with a passionate bedroom chemistry!

I really enjoyed this read and it was everything I look for in a London-based historical romance, ad i cannot wait for the next one in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advanced copy, provided in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Kingdom of the Wicked

By Kerri Maniscalco. Pub date: 10/27/2020

Five Stars! ***** Best enjoyed on a fall day when you’re not too hungry or thirsty–there are a lot of super delicious food references in this one, along with some seriously hot love interest moments.

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria work in their family’s restaurant in a village located on the coast of Sicily. They are also witches, called strenghe, who live secretly amongst the superstitious populace of their home, carefully avoiding suspicion and the witch hunters that may follow it. Emilia is content in her place in the restaurant’s kitchens where her family creates some of the best loved dishes in the village. That is until she stumbles across her twin sister’s desecrated body in the basement of the local Catholic church, her heart viciously removed from her body. All contentment disappears as vengeance begins to take hold of her heart. In her search for her sister’s killer, she invokes some forbidden magic, accidentally summoning Wrath, one of the very Princes of Hell and part of the court of the Kingdom of the Wicked that she has been warned against since she was a child. However, Wrath, despite being pissed that she has entrapped him, is more than willing to help her. As they delve deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, it seems that Vittoria was not the first witch whose heart has been stolen, and Emilia may be the next target. That is, if Wrath doesn’t steal her heart first.

https://beyondwords.life/sicily-dreamy-adventure-along-coast/

I loved the setting of this book. It’s not often that a YA is written that sets itself in a Mediterranean country, and just hearing “seaside village in Sicily” invoked visions of weathered brick buildings and cool blue waters. It was the perfectly contrasting backdrop for a dark mystery with a tense, delicious romance. Maniscalco is truly an artist when it comes to building three-dimensional characters with truly deep emotions and motivation for revenge as well as grief, loss, betrayal, and love. I could practically feel the heat coming from my kindle in some scenes and found myself gripping the edges during others.

A mark of a truly good book is how lost you can get in what is happening. When I finally came up for air, I was shivering in my hammock and it was practically morning. That should alone should drill home how good I thought this was, and I am so excited for this October!

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown for the advanced copy in exchange for this review ❤

Fantasy Historical Fiction Mystery Romance

The Guinevere Deception

By Kiersten White

3.5 Stars–best read if you’ve already enjoyed the Arthurian legends

Guinevere is on her way from the abbey where she has been living to the waiting arms of the kingdom of Camelot where she is to marry its beloved King Arthur. Guinevere has many secrets and very few confidants. For instance, Guinevere isn’t Guinevere, and Camelot is not safe from the magic it has only very recently beaten away from its borders during the war waged against the Dark Queen. However, the magic continues to be a threat to the kingdom and Arthur himself, shifting and terrorizing the land and forests beyond the King’s influence. Guinevere-not-Guinevere may be the only protection the king has from the dark forces that wish to work their way into the veins of Camelot. And she may have the answer to defeating it…if she could only remember who and what she really is.

The Guinevere Deception was a novel full of twists, turns, and deeply buried secrets. Curiosity is definitely a driving force throughout the book. There are some points where it gets a little tedious, and iif you have not read the tales of King Arthur and Camelot, you may not connect as well with the story itself.

I have not read the classic tales and I felt a little lost at some points, but I also learned quite a bit about the stories themselves. However, i believe i would have enjoyed it much more if I had known they were required reading. Nevertheless, there are so many loose ends yet to be tied that I will be picking up the sequel.

Fantasy Mystery Romance

Diamond City

By Francesca Flores

3 Stars. Best enjoyed when you’re feeling cagey.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

In a post-civil war city where religion is dangerous, possessing raw diamonds can get you executed, and criminals roam the streets freely, who can you trust?

Aina is a blade, a hired assassin, who has worked for The Blood King since he found her passed out in a tavern from sniffing glue in her early teens. Orphaned at a young age after having watched her parents murdered for their religious beliefs, she never really hoped to make anything of herself before The Blood King, Kohl, found her and trained her to be one of his blades. Now, six years later, he has given her the biggest job of her life, one that may give her the chance to secure a future outside of the Dom where she can run her own trade house.

Aina has been given the opportunity of a lifetime, even if her target is a member of one of the richest families is the city. But Aina is undoubtedly one of the best blades in the city. However, when something goes dreadfully wrong and she finds herself outside of the protection of The Blood King, she is given only one chance to make it right before the city eats her alive. Who can she turn to in a city that now has a price on her head and enemies around every corner?

I enjoyed Diamond City. I pictured the city in tiers with a piratical edge. The world building was well done, the characters well rounded, and the cast was probably one of the most diverse I’ve ever experienced in a YA novel. There were twists, turns, and surprises all over the place. Was it a little predictable? For some people it might be, but for me, the various plotlines that were braided together left a lot of mystery and by the end I was kicking myself for not putting it all together.

The issues that the characters face are also very relatable. Loss, addiction, and being unable to know who to trust as well as cleansing yourself of toxic relationships are all very relatable concepts. I didn’t relate that well with Aina as she was very self-serving at times, but she grew as a person throughout the book and I would really like to see where the the author takes her character arc. I did love Teo, Kyuu and Raurie, and I loved the descriptions of Tannis and Jane, I felt like they were the best described. However, the relationships that Aina has with each character could probably be fleshed out a little more, and perhaps they will be. This is one of those books that doesn’t feel like a stand-alone. Matter of fact, the action picked up a lot in the last 40% of the book. The end felt a little too rushed for that and things were only as tied up as a first book in a series would allow.

Overall, I think it was worth a read. I feel like the world is alone is worth it. The author does an amazing job building the world itself and the structural/social hierarchy. I enjoyed it.

Fantasy Romance

Queen of Nothing (Folk of Air #3)

Post author By Lady Nightwolf
Post date December 29, 2019
No Comments on Queen of Nothing (Folk of Air #3)

by Holly Black

5 stars. Best enjoyed when you have no plans–this one will hold onto you until you finish.

In the aftermath of the event of The Wicked King, Jude has been exiled from her place in Faerie. Not only has she lost her place as her clandestine husband King Cardan’s queen, but also her hard-won place at court as his seneschal and her position in the Court of Shadows spy network. She has also pissed off her adoptive father, General Maddox, a red cap fae you truly don’t want to mess with, by scheming her own schemes with regards to the throne in which her seemingly estranged husband sits. However, if we haven’t learned already, dear reader: Jude can’t be knocked down for long. After gaining some respect with a fellow faerie exile, she uncovers a plot against Cardan that causes her to find a way past her exile and back into the beautiful, dangerous, and deadly land she has called home for most of her life and into the arms of danger itself.

Folk of Air has been one of my most favorite series to dive into over the last two years. I have loved every second of the heartbreak and intrigue and adventure that Black has offered to her readers, and this was most assuredly no exception. The dysfunctional romance between Jude and Cardan would be completely problematic in the real world, but reflects the and of faerie itself, a setting which could be described as lush, gorgeous, and vicious—like a carnivorous tropical flower luring in unsuspecting prey. Unfortunately, we are that prey, falling victim to the gorgeous words that we gobble up from the pages, while entirely unaware that they are devouring us in return, piece by piece, its sticky poison left on our very bones to warm our souls.

A story that leaves the reader longing for more–such is the mark of the great book. However, one that leaves a reader yearning for more time in the world, yet entirely fulfilled by the end of the current story—that is the mark of an excellent series finale. I wish I could give you more about the book itself, but I would hate the spoil this one for you.

Fantasy Romance

House of Salt & Sorrows

By Erin A Craig

4 Stars. Best Enjoyed on the coast in the fall.

The family of Highmoor estate is cursed…or at least, that’s the case according to the whispers amongst the townsfolk. After the dramatic and untimely deaths of four of her eleven sisters, Annaleigh is almost ready to accept it. However, the most recent death of her sister Eulalie, who fell from the cliffs of their estate, has her questioning the veracity of this tall tale. Eulalie had so much to live for, why would she have put herself in that kind of danger?

Her investigations lead to mounting evidence that something far more sinister is taking place amongst the Highmoor clan. With the her youngest sister Verity seeing ghosts and the girls discovering a secret door that has the power to transport them to nightly revels throughout the kingdom, she is beginning to expect that the happenings at Highmoor may be tied to the very sea god that created them from the brine.

As the story progresses, things keep getting more and more strange. As Annaleigh falls deeper and deeper into the dark mystery surrounding her family, the twists and turns of this eerie Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling will keep you guessing until the end.

There is one character in particular that really latching on, and that’s the island. The very salt of the sea plays an important part in this story, as does the rich tapestry that Craig paints–a brooding and eerie atmosphere, almost as oppressive as the stays of a tightly laced corset.

The story itself is part psychological horror, part fairytale retelling, and all fantasy. Although at times the main character seems to be a little too immature and naive for the part she plays, you nonetheless sympathize with her losses and empathize with her skepticism. There are definitely parts of the story that cause your heart to break along with hers.

I was not expecting to like this as much as I did. I also was not expecting this to be as much of a psychological thriller as it turned out to be. Some reviewers have called the story predictable, but I honestly don’t know how they would have come to the ultimate conclusion provided–this story twisted more than a pretzel machine! If she can keep writing such unpredictable tales, then I am very much looking forward to seeing the next thing that Craig puts out.

Historical Fiction Romance

The Piper’s Pursuit

By Melanie Dickerson, Pub Date 12/3/2019

3 Stars. Best enjoyed when you want a light fairy tale with a chaste romance.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Piper’s Pursuit takes place in Hamlin in 1424. The city has been overtaken by rats and a beast stalks the forest outside the city gates, snatching children who wander too far from their parents. Katerina, the step daughter of the less than honorable Bürgermeister, will do anything to save her city. When the Duke’s son, Stefan, strolls into the city, Katerina is less than impressed. However, a partnership quickly forms between the two as sinister plots and plans begin to reveal themselves. It will take all their cunning and faith to save Hamlin and its people from the hands of evil that have enclosed themselves around them.

I enjoy Dickerson’s writings for a multitude of reasons. They almost always contain fairy tale element, and I’m a sucker for retellings, and the heroines are often dealing with some trauma or abuse that has happened in their life, and I love to see survivors rise. The Piper’s Pursuit contains all of this and more. There is personal sacrifice, atonement, a heartwarming romance, and young woman who would do anything to save her town from the beasts that have threatened it, regardless of who they may be.

Katerina and Stefan were both battling their own demons throughout the book. Some were ghosts of the past, a fight for redemption, while yet others were clear and present. I love these kinds of stories, where one must overcome something to gain something more, and learn to forgive in order to rise from the chains of the past. All of the characters were well fleshed out, and the setting felt very real, although I would have enjoyed a more in depth description of the town itself.

The twists and turns were often predictable, but it really didn’t even matter. The ride was still amazing and fun and you just 100% want things to turn out okay for the main characters. I was so there for it.

Contemporary Fiction Horror Mystery Romance

The Shape of Night

By Tess Gerritsen, Pub date 10/1/2019

4 Stars. Best enjoyed at night. Alone.

Tess Gerritsen has been one of my favorite authors for the last 15 years, so I was super excited to be approved for this one–thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for the below fair review!

Ava is a food writer who trades a few months in Boston for a new backdrop in Brodie’s Watch, a large, beautiful rental house on the coast of Maine. It’s the perfect place to finish her latest book on New England coastal cuisine, and also far enough away to try to escape the secrets that have haunted her since New Year’s Eve. However, it soon becomes clear that she is not the only resident haunting the stately home perched on the seaside cliff outside of Tucker’s Cove, Maine. It seems that the master of the house, Captain Jeremiah Brodie, also walks the halls of the historic home, and has his sights set on being more than just a spectral presence to Ava. However, it soon becomes apparent that there are dangerous forces at play both inside and outside of the cliffside estate…and that Ava is not the only person in Tucker’s Cove with deadly secrets.

The Shape of Night is a much different fare than I am used to coming from Gerritsen, but it was nonetheless a wonderful escapist read. It was part mystery/thriller, part paranormal romance. As always, she wrote characters that were well fleshed-out, places that I felt I could step into, and described smells and flavors that lifted themselves off the pages. I found my mouth watering at some of the descriptions of the food that Ava created for her book. There are other scenes that are delicious, hot, and completely unrelated to roasting meats and simmering soups. I also really felt for Ava. Her need for redemption for her heinous secret was palpable, and it was clear that no matter how much she tried to bury herself beneath empty wine bottles and distance herself from the place it happened, she couldn’t escape the pain on her own, and, not to give too much away, the house seemed to be well aware of that fact.

Gerritsen also proves that she remains a master of mystery–there were so many different questions that needed to be answered that it was enough to keep the reader guessing at every turn until the epilogue. The imagery lent a creepy, fall-worthy vibe to the entire story, absolutely perfect for the season.

Horror Mystery Romance

The Widow of Rose House

by Diane Biller. Pub Date 10/08/2019

3 Stars. Best enjoyed with a hot cup of tea in a lavish sitting room. Beware of unexplained drafts.

Returning to New York, recently widowed Alva Webster finds herself in a hotbed of undeserved scandal at the hands of her less-than-kind late husband. Alva is bent on making her own small nest egg. She buys the abandoned–and notoriously haunted–Liefdehuis, planning to renovate it and write an accessible book about interior design for both the upper class and growing middle class. On her first outing with her publisher, Alva is approached by Professor Sam Moore, a famous inventor, who wishes to investigate the infamous paranormal goings-on in Liefdehuis. Alva is not one to fall prey to such superstition and–politely–declines the newly-smitten Professor Moore’s offer, unaware that Sam is not one to quit in his scientific pursuits. However, when Alva’s contractors flee Liefdehuis, refusing to return until something is done about the ghost, Sam’s offer seems to be the only way she will be able to pursue her dream of being published. As Alva and Sam search for the truth behind the haunting of Liefdehuis, they also find themselves falling in for one another. Unfortunately, Alva’s dark past comes back to haunt her in an entirely different way, and Sam finds that the fight for Alva’s heart is fraught with its own kind of ghosts.

Overall, I like this book. Not loved, but liked. There are definitely things I loved about it, and other things I was sore about, like the fact that the ghost doesn’t come into play as often as it should given the description (although other ‘ghosts’ certainly haunt the pages). There is also a section of about 30% of the book that felt drawn out to me. Way more than it had to be. Like to the point where I almost DNF’d. It was like a section of road under construction, like there was a struggle to provide some context and back story. It felt like a stretch of road under construction and it was rough, but I slowed down a bit until I worked through it.

Some of the things I loved most about it were Sam and the Moores. There’s something about fictional Sams that always has gotten to me. Not ‘real’ Sams, just fictional ones. Samwise Gamgee, Sam Winchester…now Sam Moore, the somewhat absent-minded professor trope that we all adore. Smart, sweet, somewhat socially naive, and protective Sam, who falls fiercely in love with Alva. He was so persistent yet also remained very aware of her autonomy and respected her wishes, no matter how much it broke his heart. I liked Alva as well, but moreover because I (like many people who have seen a bad past relationship) get where she came from with a lot of her decisions. She felt that being selfish with her problems rather than sharing them was the most selfless thing to do, even knowing how good they were together (spoiler: both in and out of the sheets).

And then the Moores! Remember that 30% of the book where I was getting so bored I almost DNF’d? Well, in those times of darkness and doubt, I thought of Sam’s family, the intelligent, scientific-minded, chaotic, loving, and fun Moores, and I needed…well…more! I truly hope that there is another book starring one of Sam’s family members, Maggie especially, although Henry and Benedict should also get their moment! They were honestly the highlight.

Overall, I did like The Widow of Rose House, especially the last half.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions written above are my own!

Historical Fiction Romance

The Hollow Queen

By Sherry D. Ficklin, Pub date 9/23/2019. Stolen Empire #5

3 Stars. Best enjoyed with a…um, prior knowledge…of how noble relationships worked back in the day.

Let me start this off by saying that Sherry Ficklin is a very talented author for three very good reasons. One, this is my first book by her and it wasn’t exactly clear that I had jumped into the second half of the series a book too late until I was well into it. She provides enough backstory to catch the reader up on what is going on, though. Two, She is able to tackle what some might find to be very dry material in a way that makes it still pretty interesting. Then again, I love reading about political intrigue in historical fiction. Lastly, she is able to take some usually unpalatable material slightly less palatable.

The Hollow Queen is the second book in the story of Princess Elizabeth, one of the last remaining Romanovs of the royal line. After the murder of her mother, Elizabeth wants to find out who is responsible. However, she is brutally stripped of her title and all its trappings when the throne is passed down to Elizabeth’s half nephew, Peter II. She is then sent to serve him at court, currently hosted by the brutal tyrant, Prince Meshikov. Expecting the worst of the new king, Elizabeth is pleasantly surprised by Peter’s disposition and character. Despite this revelation, her vengeance has yet to be satisfied, and as Peter and Elizabeth grow closer, it becomes clear the person behind her mother’s murder is closer than either of them think. As their feelings become stronger, so does the threat to their lives.

Although the story kept my attention, my interest was not exactly in the romance. Actually, the romance made me uncomfortable so I had to take a couple of stars off. I get it, though, this kind of thing happened pretty frequently back then. Everyone was pretty laissez-faire about it, which probably checks. However, for a modern reader who recognizes that this story is supposed to be a romantic historical retelling, I’m was not here for it and it literally made me squirm a few times. It just felt wrong.

Even if the romance was a little off putting, the overall story was still one that I wanted to finish and figure out. I probably will read the next one just to see Ficklin’s take on Elizabeth’s journey to the regency. I’m a fan of historic fiction, after all!

Thank you to Netgalley and Clean Teen Publishing for an advanced copy of The Hollow Queen in exchange for a fair and honest review.