Tag Archives: Romance

Book Review: Cutter’s Hope: The Virtues Book I by A.J. Downey

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Damaged & Dangerous: The Sacred Hearts MC Book VI by A.J. Downey

A Romance Novel published by Second Circle Press (01/05/16)

Summary:

“My specialty? Non-lethal tactics designed to disarm an armed assailant.” (Kindle Locations 60-61).

Hope is on the search for her sister, Faith, who vanished almost without a trace two years ago. With her military training and her current job occupation as a person who trains others to disarm an armed assailant in a non-lethal manner, along with her take no BS attitude, Hope has the best chance out of anyone of finding her sister. The trail leads Hope to Cutter’s MC’s den, a bar on the coast, but Cutter and his crew won’t crack. Cutter can’t just tell Hope what she wants because he has his MC to look after the information she needs could land them in a world of trouble. Cutter, however, can’t just drop Hope because she’s the only woman in a long time, ever since Lil’ Bit, who can keep up with him and give him a run for his money.

 

Keywords:

Romance, motorcycle, club, friendship, loyalty, family, POV change, sexual content, violence, past life, moving on, strength, brave

My Review:

Downey knows how to write romance. She knows how to build up the tension until the breaking point and then giving us the goods. There seemed to be a lot more romantic scenes, i.e. sex scenes than in the SHMC romance, but I could be mistaken.

The story Downey builds in Cutter’s Hope is similar to and very different from her Sacred Hearts MC series. There are bikers and tough guys in both. There’s a bad situation in both. There’s someone who needs help in both. Cutter’s Hope, however, contains the toughest female in the SHMC and the Kracken MC club and she is amazing to watch. She is tough and violent like the MC men and can hold her own (and does) while still displaying a wide range of emotions and admitting to needing help when she’s at the end of her tether. Cutter is a character who also comes into his own in this series. We were only given a glimpse of him in the SHMC books and now he gets his own book to make us swoon.

I wish there was more finesse in the grammar, the writing style and sentence flow is not as sophisticated as the plot and characters and story. I absolutely love the way AJ can pull me in and make me love the story and the characters, but I had to re-read multiple sentences to understand what she was trying to say at times.

This novel was published by Second Circle Press on January 5th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50

Links for more information:

A.J. Downey’s Blog

Goodreads

Facebook

Book Review: Firestar Released (Truestar Trilogy Book 1) by Lilly Wilson

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Firestar Released (Truestar Trilogy Book 1) by Lilly Wilson

A Science Fiction Novel published by Amazon Digital Services (11/03/2014)

Summary:

‘“Isolation in a necessity, when there is no one you can trust,” Lia retorted.’ (Page 129).

Lia has been a slave on General Oort’s slave ship for seven months, but she hasn’t lost hope, she is waiting to be chosen. She has been waiting until the moment when she will be taken from her 4×4 foot cage, but it isn’t Oort who chooses her, but a visiting captain, Border Relic. Lia had a plan, but after it was thwarted she must find a different way to get to General Oort to fulfill her goal of revenge. Border Relic is an intergalactic space peacekeeper and couldn’t just let Lia suffer when she clearly was not like the other slaves. Ultimately Relic gets caught up in her plans and her story and must choose to follow the rules or go with his gut.

 

Keywords:

Space, Travel, Slaves, Slave Ship, Captain, Queen, Space Peacekeepers, Scientific Advances, Loss, Struggle, Revenge, Resilience, Biding Time, Mission, Powerful Enemy

My Review:

I normally don’t pick up science fiction as it strays so far from reality, but Firestar Released had many realistic grounding elements to keep my interest. Though not all characters are “human” the main characters are enough human for them to seem completely relatable. Though technology has advanced to intergalactic space travel (necessitating a peacekeeper) the everyday technology is still familiar (or at least not everything familiar has been upgraded). There were science advancements and unbelievable changes, but Wilson does well in controlling how much she has changed between life now and life in the Truestar Trilogy.

The characters are relatable, even though their names may truly be science fantasy. I loved the names. Border Relic is the captain and I can totally imagine it being his name even while both parts indicate words known in English. Lia’s name is Ipoliamalandria, which can be pronounced if you think about it (and Border does say her name multiple times out loud).

Lia is a great character. She has a high resilience and a fixation on her revenge. Her growing feelings for Border don’t interfere with her personal goals. She is a determined woman and even though she might not be the greatest role model, the fact that she is determined makes her a worthy hero.

The story had romance, but the romantic element didn’t overpower the main story or personal character development.

The only character I wanted to see/know more about was General Oort. His cruelty was only seen through the eyes of others and his personal story might be interesting to read.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Servies 11/03/2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 4.75

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Lilly Wilson’s Blog and Website

Book Review: Love Never Dies by Loren Lockner

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Love Never Dies by Loren Lockner

A Dark Romance Novel published by Tyan Wyss-Lockner (1/05/13)

 

Summary:

“Marriage is for others— the lawyers, the children, the parents. A soul mate, that’s just for the couple, no one else.” (Page 78).

Julia was always helping her twin brother out, as he was constantly biting off more than he could chew, but the tables turn when his roommate turns out to be the best thing Julia could have found: her soul mate. Seth is everything Julia wasn’t even looking for and they fall in love almost instantly. Then, just as suddenly as their meeting and their romance, he is killed. It wasn’t an accident and neither was his more wild twin brother showing up in Julia’s life after Seth’s passing an accident.

 

Keywords:

 Romance, Love, Soul Mate, Introspective, Caring, Death, Fleeing, Victims, Architect, Murder, Twins, Sibling Connection, Lust, Mystery, Rival, Competitive, Disguise, Tattoo, Grief, Meant to Be

My Review:

The characters struck me as peculiar, as if the setting was Europe or England or maybe Seth just seemed like he was from a different culture. His personality and actions were very stiff and different from a familiar character or known “American” personality. In this difference, he was kind of an enigma and mysterious and more distant as a person.

The dialogue also seemed a bit peculiar. It was stiff and formal most of the time and stood out to me.

The idea of soul mate as Lockner has made it is just that, an idea and to build a whole novel around that one concept didn’t work out entirely well, in my opinion. The story lacked something. They’ve only known each other four months! And dated for less! How can you love someone without even truly knowing them? It’s instalove, but the wooing takes a couple of weeks. Then the I Love You’s come pouring forth.

The sibling connection was much more interesting to me than the soul mate connection – philosphically/spiritually speaking according to how Lockner described it.

I did very much enjoy the story telling aspect of the novel and how Lockner described everything and the environment she placed her characters into.

This novel was published by Tyan Wyss-Lockner January 5th, 2013 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.50

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Loren Lockner’s Website

Book Review: Siren by Jennifer Melzer

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Siren by Jennifer Melzer

A Romance/Fantasy/Paranormal Novel published by Dragon’s Gold (01/05/2015)

 

Summary:

Siren Talbot is in love with Carver and thinks he’s about to propose after more than two years of being in a relationship. When the night is over, she is left with a haphazard memory and a box that she thinks contains the ring, but no Carver. He disappeared. Siren falls apart at his abrupt absence and is only able to get through it when she meets Patrick. This new man charms his way into her life and lends her support when she needs it and they grow quite fond of each other. When he proposes, she accepts and they are married, but she can never quite let go of Carver… For three years she hasn’t opened the ring box, but when she’s finally ready to let the past go, the box has mysteriously vanished. There is only one culprit this time: Patrick.

 

Keywords:

 Relationships, bad boyfriends, secrets, magic, depression, moving on, romance, love, future, locked away, disappear, second chances, bad magic, evil

My Review:

I didn’t realize this was a romance story. Most of the story was taken up by the romance and Siren pining for Carver and loving Patrick etc. etc. This book was mostly romance with a bit of fantasy thrown in, so if that’s your thing, then go for it. I wasn’t as pleased with the mix. I thought there could have been a lot edited out as the story dragged in many places and the emotions Siren was feeling were repeated over and over again.

The story begins with a high tension scene that makes the slow pace afterward seem even slower. It takes about half the book for the second (and real) inciting action to take place. The opening scene was like a faux inciting incident and seemed unbalanced in the context of the story’s pacing and plot. Quite a bit of editing could have taken place after this first scene, as we are shown Siren pining and grieving and then recovering painfully slow. The author takes too much time with the aftermath of Carver’s disappearance. We get the point already, move on to the real meat of the story please.

I thought the story focused on Siren, but it seemed that she was just a vehicle through which Carver’s and Patrick’s stories could take place. I didn’t like Siren. She was whiny and easily manipulated. She was constantly doubting her own emotions and just going along with whatever was presented to her. She didn’t have much of her own personality until the middle of the book, where the real story begins. The fact that Siren wouldn’t open the ring box for so very, very long makes me dislike her even more. Siren and the other characters would have been more relatable had there been no magic involved, but because there is a paranormal side to the novel, nothing seemed remotely likely and you will have to suspend your belief if you want to really get into this story.

This novel was published by Dragon’s Gold 01/05/2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.25

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Jennifer Melzer’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: Hunter’s Choice by A.J. Downey

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Hunter’s Choice by A.J. Downey

A Paranormal Romance Novel published by A.J. Downey (03/14/14)

Summary:

‘“Hi! You’ve reached Moonchild’s Owl Haven. The owner, Jessamine Connors is non-verbal so if you hear a high tone it means yes, a low tone it means no.’ (Kindle Locations 414-415).

Jessamine cares for her fly babies – her rescued owls – in and around her regular job working at an animal hospital. Her true love is for the owls at Moon child’s Owl Haven and for her friends and family that made the place possible. Charlie, her best friend, is 70 and Aaron is a teenager given a second chance and volunteering at the Haven. Jessamine has all she needs, except that she doesn’t think she is enough for someone to love because of her stutter. Along comes Hunter, a Barred Owl, and Jessamine is truly happy saving him and caring for him, but Hunter is not just an Owl and not content to sit by and watch Jess get hurt.

Keywords:

Owls, Hunter, Help, Vet, Stutter, Love, Myths, Shifter, Hospital, Friends, Family, Tough Chick, Second Chances, Disrespect, Sex Scenes, Violence

 

My Review:

Hunter’s Choice is one of AJ Downey’s first books and you can see that it is less sophisticated with grammar and writing style than her later works. But from the very beginning, you can also see how great Downey is at writing a compelling story and layering the plot and giving life to her characters. Everything that makes a good book a good book is here in Hunter’s Choice. You just have to get used to the grammar errors and they won’t bother you too much, because the story has great flow and the sentence structure is not difficult to read.

I love how Jessamine is a person before she’s a romantic character aka love interest. Jessamine has her own story and her own background and interests and passions even before the main man shows up. She doesn’t assume someone will save her when she’s in dire straits, she doesn’t just give up. She is a fighter and stubborn even though she has low self-esteem. That is where she has room to grow and she does. She is a broken character that can be healed by the power of love and it’s so gratifying to watch her bloom.

I didn’t need Hunter’s background in so much detail, but it was valuable to have an explanation for the paranormal aspect of this book.

This novel was published by A.J. Downey on March 14th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

A.J. Downey’s Blog

Goodreads

AJ Downey’s Facebook

Seattle Specific Saturdays: AFK Renton Multi-Author Event Must Read! Today!

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I love finding new local authors and Jeffrey Cook has set up another great AFK event you simply must check out! For more information, see the flyer below or visit the event’s facebook page here.

 

jeffs-afk-event-promo

Book Review: I Am the Alpha by AJ Downey and Ryan Kells

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I Am the Alpha by AJ Downey and Ryan Kells

A Paranormal/Action/Romance Novel published by Second Circle Press (08/04/15)

Summary:

Chloe never knew that her father, a stern accountant who is continuously disappointed in his daughter and her life choices, is none other than the Hangman, the deadliest Wolf-Kind hunter of his generation. Chloe just wants to make her own choices in life, but all control is taken from her when William kidnaps her. She puts up a fight at every turn, but eventually finds out why she was chosen. When she learns that her father killed William’s father and Alpha of the Pack, her feelings towards William as a kidnapper soften. When he is gentle and cares for her well-being, Chloe begins to see things from his perspective and to see him for the strong protector type he really is.

Keywords:

Wolf-Kind, Kidnapped, Hunters, Alphas, Twins, Murder, Harsh Laws, Violence, Fleeing, Fighting, Change, Seattle, Healing, Pack, Bitten, Mate, Stubborn

 

My Review:

I couldn’t put this book down. AJ Downey’s books are so tense and exciting that it is hard to stop reading them. I’m eagerly awaiting the second and third books in this series.

There were parts, granted, that delved into the annoying tropes of paranormal/romance books, but I almost didn’t care because I was so enthralled with what was going on and how the characters were interacting. I wanted to know what was going to happen next.

AJ Downey and Ryan Kells delve upon the surface of something fascinating: discrimination and pure hatred of wolf-kind/hybrid. This is a concept that makes the easy-read paranormal/romance into a deeper book.

“As reviled as he was, I was my father’s daughter in some of the more important ways. The ones that really counted. Having a backbone was one of those ways. I was also my mother’s daughter. Even though she’d died when I was young, she’d taught me understanding. To look beyond the surface. Past the color of people’s skin, past their clothes or where they lived or how they were raised.” (Kindle locations 3777-3781).

Downey and Kells also go just deep enough into Pack politics and the biological particulars to build a world that I’m interested in. I’m not usually interested in paranormal, though Downey has shown me the better side of romance novels, but I Am the Alpha has more going on than most novels.

Chloe has the right amount of stubbornness and she continuously, at first, fights back even against an insurmountable foe as William. She has spit and fire within her and doesn’t give up until she has completely exhausted all possibilities for escape. Toward the end of the novel, though, she gets even stronger and more stubborn in her convictions. William is a good balance between gentle, sympathetic man to jerk captor wolf-kind. He is the character I most liked.

This novel was published by Second Circle Press on August 4th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

Links for more information:

A.J. Downey’s Blog

Goodreads

Facebook

Book Review: Damaged & Dangerous: The Sacred Hearts MC Book VI by AJ Downey

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Damaged & Dangerous: The Sacred Hearts MC Book VI by AJ Downey

A Romance Novel published by Second Circle Press (09/27/15)

Summary:

“If some things are worth the risk… is this one of them?” (Kindle Location 1402).

Their relationship is dangerous. Red-Thirteen is a spy amidst the Suicide Kings MC, trying to scope out their plans before they can damage the Sacred Hearts MC an further. Coon was just one of the club girls, but the SKMC was no gentleman’s club, and it broke Thirteen’s heart and almost made him blow his cover when he sees how Pig-Pen and the whole club abuses and disrespects Coon. Thirteen won’t let down his brothers at the SHMC, but he won’t stand idly by and watch Coon continue to take abuse. At the first opportunity, Thirteen places trust in her hands, showing her how good a man really can be, but can she really trust him?

Keywords:

Romance, motorcycle, club, friendship, loyalty, family, POV change, best friends, bad days, sexual content, darker sides, violence, graphic violence, past life, moving on, strength, brave, jewelry

My Review:

This felt like the end of the series and yet almost none of the Old Ladies from any of the previous books were present. It was an entirely different story, yet a starkly familiar story, from the other books. There was a woman, she needed help. There was a man, he swoops in to save her from her situation. But the context of the other SHMC ladies was absent until the very end.

This book was also different in that it was deep into enemy territory, showing plainly the bad stuff happening at the Suicide Kings lair and at the heart of it is Dani (Coon). She has the most gut-wrenching story of all the ladies. Her abuse is terrible and even though Downey doesn’t go into too much detail, there is quite enough to make you cringe and to side with Dani, even if it means killing off all the members of the Suicide Kings. As long as it starts with Pig-Pen, the worst of the worst.

This book had so much action and so much tension, you’re definitely going to be holding your breath until the end. This entire book was like the climax of the series.

This novel was published by Second Circle Press on September 27th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.00

Links for more information:

A.J. Downey’s Blog

Goodreads

Facebook

Book Review: The Night Bridge by S.A. Huchton

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The Night Bridge by S.A. Huchton

A Fantasy/Romance Novel published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (08/10/15)

Summary:

The little girl who believed in magic is now in her twenties and about to let go of her childhood friend forever, but when the mysterious Light Man shows up again and in great need, she will set aside her adult prejudices and believe once more. Eran is not just a magical man and he didn’t just show up in Shari’s time and place on accident. He was sent to her not to help Shari, but to be helped by her.

Keywords:

Fantasy, Romance, Evolution, Theory, Bridge, Distance, Love, Reality, Protection, Help, Save, Menace, Fighting, Technology

 

My Review:

One thing I know for certain about S.A. Huchton (aka Starla Huchton) is that she knows how to write a great romance, no matter the genre. Her romances are the most compelling, no matter if they occur within sci-fi or fantasy.

The Night Bridge had that pull that happens in a good romance where there is an inevitability that will make your heart lurch because you love the characters so much and their romance is so sweet that to tear that apart would devastate you as much as the characters.

I felt that this book was a bit rushed and a lot of the events seemed to happen as if they were in a bubble and not within the realm of a normal (our) world. Also, Shari was dead set against getting to know or even let her romantic feelings towards Eran take over and then suddenly (mostly all of a sudden but she does think it through) she changes her mind and is head over heels in a whirlwind fast romance.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. on August 10th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Starla Huchton’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: The Miracle Girl by T.B. Markinson

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The Miracle Girl by T.B. Markinson

A Romantic Fiction Novel published by T. B. Markinson (07/06/15)

Summary:

“My life was built on lies. When would it all come crashing down?” (Kindle Locations 725-726).

JJ Cavendish, after 25 years traveling and adventuring has come back to her hometown of Colorado. When she left all those years ago it was to the tune of an emotional and heartbreaking breakup with her sweetheart Claire. JJ, the Miracle Girl, is back and bumps into Claire at the new office. JJ never stopped loving Claire, but Claire now has a son and secrets she has to keep from her coworkers. Will JJ be able to pick back up where she left off with Claire?

 

Keywords:

Lesbians, Love, Romance, Adventure, Newspaper, Trending, Twitter, Blogging, Past Struggles, AA, Secrets, Heartbreak, Sex, Relationships

 

My Review:

Miracle Girl had a lot of the characteristics I enjoyed in T. B. Markinson’s other books. Markinson’s main character was female, most of the characters were female, the females had real jobs and power, the relationships were first and foremost in the plot, there was fun and clever banter between characters, and there was plenty of drama.

I didn’t feel as connected to the main character as I usually do with Markinson’s characters, as she was in a very different career than my own, in a very much different income level than my own, and of course in a very different type of relationship than my own. Normally, I love seeing how new things play out, but this story left me wanting for a little more to latch onto for similarities to my own situation, lifestyle, and personality. Markinson has created a character with deep flaws, a former addict, who has left her past behind her, but it catches up to her.

If you like an easy, fast read with some woman on woman action and a whole lot of little story bits and well-thought out characters, then Miracle Girl may be just the read for you.

This novel was published by T. B. Markinson July  6th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 4.0

Links for more information:

Goodreads

T.B. Markinson’s website