Category: eBooks

Review: Just Say When by Aimee Nicole Walker

Rating: 4.5🌈

I have been waiting for Chief Mendoza’s story since Walker started her teasers and hints throughout all the rest of the Savannah series about Mendoza’s attraction to his longtime friend, Sheriff Abraham Beecham.

Chief Mendoza’s been a rock solid presence at the Savannah PD , a favored , strong personality that’s as much a part of the family and lives of all the main characters we love . He is a central figure in the foundation of this ongoing series universe.

No surprise that Beecham started to work his way up and into the same role , via his relationship with Mendoza and that of Sgt. Royce Locke (of the partnership in every way of Locke and Key).

Just Say When finally pulls back the curtains on their long relationship, their friendship, and the passion for each other that’s finally gone from hidden to unrestrained.

I love that Mendoza’s back history includes a great mixed modern family dynamics. His combined family includes his teenage son, Alex, who he shares with his ex. In a totally appreciated departure from the norm in other stories, his ex wife , a well rounded character, is still very much a friend. Also in law enforcement, she’s strong, great at her job , smart and loving, has a terrific marriage with her husband. Their family includes Mendoza and Uncle Abe Beecham, who’s known everyone for years.

This quartet of personalities and relationships drives the multiple storylines forward with a narrative heft that includes compelling acceptance of sexuality, bigotry within a family framework, and a healthy modern mixed family culture.

Walker’s characters flow through a mystery and dramatic setup that’s got its own twists to satisfy any reader.

I love her Savannah universe and all the characters and stories that have come out of it. Just Say When is simply one more in that rich line of storytelling that you will never tire of and always be sorry to leave.

I’m highly recommending it and all the books around it.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showJust Say When by Aimee Nicole Walker

Description:

Someone wants Police Chief Emilio Mendoza dead. And if his unknown assailant doesn’t kill him, pining for Sheriff Abraham Beecham just might.

Abe and Lio’s thirty-year journey has taken them from heated rivals to best friends with countless labels and pit stops along the way. Romance is the only avenue left unexplored but not from lack of love or desire.

Abe pushes people away before they can get too close, and Lio doesn’t engage in situations he can’t control. They’ve reached an impasse, and neither are willing to risk their friendship until fate intervenes, forcing them to reassess their priorities.

But when an unhinged enemy targets Lio, will their gamble be too little too late, or will their love truly conquer all?

Just Say When is a standalone romantic suspense novel within the author’s Savannah universe. This book contains mature content and is attended for adults.

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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer

Review: Felix (Boyfriend for Hire #5) by R.J. Scott and Meredith Russell

Rating: 4🌈

I haven’t read the other books in the Boyfriends for Hire series, but that didn’t keep me from reading and enjoying Felix, the fifth installment.

Felix is very much a holiday story and it works somewhat well as a standalone novel. While I was unfamiliar with the characters from the agency that Felix works for, there’s just enough background information that a new reader has a good idea of the universe we are falling into.

That said, while I had a good grasp on the character of Felix, the character of Ethan, the scientist, came about more slowly. I wasn’t sure what to attribute certain aspects of his personality to. Was his scattered thoughts and inability to focus on social situations part of being on the spectrum or something else. Else as it turns out.

But it leaves him as a lesser formed individual than say Felix who we have a firm grasp of.

Their relationship and it’s path is slow but sweet. It has some dramatic moments that turns Ethan’s character into one grounded in a believable, painful journey to healing, new hopeful future for them both.

Felix is a sweet, loving, heartwarming holiday tale. Even without the other books, it’s a lovely read and one I enjoyed immensely.

Add it to your holiday TBR list!

Boyfriends for Hire:

◦ Darcy #1

◦ Kaden #2

◦ Gideon #3

◦ Jaden #4

✓ Felix #5

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showFelix (Boyfriend for Hire, #5) by R.J. Scott

Description:

Hiring a fake boyfriend for a school reunion seems to be the only solution, but love was never part of the equation.

Felix has enough on his plate looking out for his parents, let alone agreeing to being hired for a date with the friend of a friend. His instant attraction to the scatter-brained scientist has him making impulsive decisions he hopes he won’t regret. But, somehow, he’s agreeing to more dates, and more time with sexy Ethan and his non-stop talking. When stolen wintry kisses turn to love, and Christmas works its magic, Felix knows he’s losing his heart.

The science of chemistry makes more sense to Ethan than connecting with potential boyfriends, and he’s wary of romance. Unsettled by a string of failed hookups, he knows it’s on him when everything goes wrong and he can’t help but wonder what has made him this way. His friend Jared says that Ethan needs to close metaphorical doors on past hurts—whatever that means—and that the school reunion might just be step one. Determined to show himself as confident and happy, he hires Felix to be his date for the night, but a kiss to make up for the one he missed at prom, and abruptly, it’s not the past that is consuming his thoughts.

Now all Felix has to do is show Ethan that it’s okay to love and be loved in return, and that chemistry can lead to a happily ever after.

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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer

Review: How I Stole The Princess’s White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy: The Coronation: The Complete Works Bonus Short Story by A. J. Sherwood

Rating: 4🌈

The drama is over, the evil princess (and her father) is so so dead. So what’s a handsome knight and his newly wed sorcerer to do? Why be crowned King of course!

Here the party , all the hijinks, the kitties, and the HFN’s because, luckily, A.J. Sherwood isn’t done with Tan and Devan yet!

So enjoy! And wait for the shenanigans to begin again.

Part of: How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned him to Villainy

Special short bonus story to the following, now a boxed set.

How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned him to Villainy by AJ Sherwood Miracles 1-6

Review: How I Stole The Princess’s White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy: The Coronation: The Complete Works Bonus Short Story by A. J. Sherwood

Rating: 4🌈

The drama is over, the evil princess (and her father) is so so dead. So what’s a handsome knight and his newly wed sorcerer to do? Why be crowned King of course!

Here the party , all the hijinks, the kitties, and the HFN’s because, luckily, A.J. Sherwood isn’t done with Tan and Devan yet!

So enjoy! And wait for the shenanigans to begin again.

Part of: How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned him to Villainy

Special short bonus story to the following, now a boxed set.

How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned him to Villainy by AJ Sherwood Miracles 1-6

Review: Merry Christmas Cupid (Hartbridge Christmas #3) by N.R. Walker

Rating: 4.25🌈

N.R.Walker takes us back to that incredibly beautiful and charming place, Hartbridge, Montana, supposedly for the last time, in Merry Christmas Cupid.

No Aussies this time, except for newly transplanted Gunter Zuniga’s interactions with our couples from the past two stories.

Gunter Zuniga, 44 years old, grieving the loss of his father and a breakup of a longstanding relationship on the day of his father’s funeral, relocates to a small town he’s never forgotten for their kindness and support towards his father and himself towards the end of his father’s life.

The old heritage home calls out to him, and that’s how he meets Clay Henderson, a man whose generosity sparks a friendship, a ease into the town, and a new journey forward for both.

Merry Christmas Cupid is a slow, lower angst romantic tale. Clay learns to fully embrace his bisexuality and come out to those that matter. Gunter gains a new found family and close knit set of friends.

Hartbridge, Montana is picturesque and Hallmark descriptive. From the citizens we’ve met before in previous books to new ones that call out for new romances of their own, Merry Christmas Cupid is a lovely holiday gift for fans of this author and lovers of seasonal fiction.

I’m certainly sorry to see this series end if Merry Christmas Cupid truly marks a ending to the Hartbridge Christmas stories!

Pick it up and enjoy Walker’s trademark well crafted characters, heartwarming plot, and heartfelt moments!

Hartbridge Christmas:

✓ Tic-Tac-Mistletoe #1

✓ Christmas Wish List #2

✓ Christmas Cupid #3

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showMerry Christmas Cupid (Hartbridge Christmas, #3) by N.R. Walker

Description:

After a year of tragedy, forty-four-year-old Gunter Zuniga is leaving heartbreak behind and moving to the peaceful and picturesque town of Hartbridge, Montana. He buys an old house in need of some work, which he naively thinks he can manage now that he’s single and retired—he has nothing but time.


Clay Henderson runs the local sawmill with his dad, and it’s the busiest time of year. Firewood and Christmas trees are in high demand, and a delivery of firewood to the old house on Cedar Bark Road leaves him curious about the new man in town.


Clay has never had time for romance and Gunter certainly isn’t looking, but Hartbridge has a way of working its Christmas magic; the jingle of Christmas bells, snow, and love are ringing in the air. And Gunter and Clay are about to get the best Christmas gift they never asked for.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer

Review: Cowboy Healing (Cowboy Wanted Book 1) by B.A. Tortuga

Rating: 3🌈

Cowboy Healing has some good narrative elements to it. The basic storyline is good. The characters with the children are very well written. And while it took me a hot minute to connect with a cowboy whose sole aim for working for a overwhelmed widowed parent is to ingratiate himself into his good graces in order to get his family off the ranch, well, yeah. I bet I’m not the only one.

Caleb , a well crafted character, starts off as a unlikable cowboy, who’s aiming to take back his family’s ranch that was sold out from him, partly out of his negligence, partly because of a agent’s criminality.

Patrick, a orthopedic surgeon, is a widower and father of two children. He’s a bit obsessive about his practice and out of his comfort zone on the ranch, which was his husband’s dream.

I liked Patrick but, again, major events occur that should propel him towards more introspection and character growth. That really doesn’t happen. Instead, it’s Caleb asking for change, even short term. It’s Patrick’s character that’s seems to have a unformed foundation, as though the author isn’t as sure of this character as they are of the cowboy.

Patrick complains of the “lost years” due to his profession. Yet is oblivious of his drive and it’s effects upon his family. Even when Caleb asks for help, it’s a ranch hand , not a orthopedic assistant which is intended.

Is the author unaware of the character’s issues that she’s writing into the story and relationship?

That part of his character, added to the elements below just keeps me from totally investing in the story, the future for the family, and the relationship.

Issues:

1. Editing issues. See example below:

““That’ll be up to them. We’ll see.” The doc didn’t seem too convinced on that front. “Maggie is more interested than Caleb.”

That should be Mason. Not Caleb. A easy edit/error catch. Especially given the very next sentence below.

“Caleb bit back a grin. Yeah, he might be a bit scary if they were city kids.”

2. Second larger issue: The disappearing dogs. Four to be exact.

“He agreed, although the dogs were becoming off-leash beasts now that there were only two. “I would be fine with that, then.””

And with that small, throwaway line, the author disposed late in the book of a fairly significant story element. That of 4 husky puppies that were hugely loved and important to Mason, son of Patrick. The fact that Mason loved, trained, named,and spent most of his hours with these 6 dogs , (now only 2 as 4 have vanished into thin air with no explanation) during the story . The author made them a integral family element only to carelessly discard them in this way towards the end of the book. Where’s Ginger? All the rest? Honestly, it’s is something I can’t understand.

It changes a deeply held belief about Mason’s character and promises made ( he built structures, spent hours on researching sleds, training) only for the author to trash this part of the story for no discernible purpose. All Tortuga had to do, basically, was not mention them other than to say dogs versus the individual husky names.

Why eliminate a beloved book aspect and something we deeply associated with not only Mason, but the family as a whole?

This is where a great editor would have stepped in and challenged these decisions. As well as corrected the easy editing mistakes made along the lines I pointed out earlier.

Most writers, well people in general are aware of the unwritten rule . Don’t kill off the animal characters in films/books, etc. Because your audience/readers will take note. And be very unhappy.

Issues like these make a book come off as unpolished ,their odd narrative choices throwing a reader out of the storyline, never to recover.

I enjoy B.A. Tortuga as an author but the books lately have more a feeling of being piecemealed together instead of one that’s been finely tuned, beautifully edited with an eye towards hard decisions and fine details.

That’s a shame because she’s got one of the best ear for location, colloquialisms, and regional variations as far as culture when talking about Texas and certain parts of that country that I know of. From the rodeo to the raw dry landscape of New Mexico, when she’s in her element, there’s no one finer.

That’s the reason I’ll keep reading in hopes of finding that complete book again.

As for Cowboy Healing, maybe the things that bother me aren’t deciding factors for you. In which case, I’m sure you will be fine with it. It’s the first in a new series.

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Cowboy…Cowboy Healing (Cowboy Wanted Book 1) – Kindle edition by Tortuga, BA . Romance …

Description:

Patrick Kelly needs some help. His husband passed away a while ago, and now he has a thriving medical practice, two busy kids, and one ranch outside Aspen, Colorado that he’s not really sure how to run. Patrick doesn’t want to give up on any part of his life, but he knows he can’t do it all alone, so he turns to a service to hire a cowboy to help run the ranch and free up some of his time.

Caleb Warren wants his family ranch back. So he hires on to work as the foreman there through the Cowboy Wanted service, just waiting for the fancy doctor who owns the place to get tired of roughing it and sell out. The problem is, Patrick’s kids love the country life, Patrick is a good man, and Caleb can’t quite get past the guilt he feels about being on the road with the rodeo when his family had some real troubles to deal with.

The two of them find more common ground than they expect, and between everything from animals to parent teacher meetings, Caleb lends and hand and Patrick learns to lean on Caleb for help. Can the two of them give up the past and embrace the future together?

Review: Devil May Care ( The Reckless Damned Book 2) by Lark Taylor

Rating: 4.5🌈

I enjoyed the first book, but it didn’t really prepare me for the layered narrative and twists I found in Devil May Care, the second book in the Reckless Damned series.

Moving onto the tiny, vicious Harlow, the brother often underestimated for his small size and flamboyance, Harlow has moved through lovers like a true commitment phobe until he meets the huge human Bailey.

Bailey, best friend of Oscar, brother Cal’s mate, is an enormous man, a complex personality with baggage that includes body image issues, huge insecurities and self worth problems, deep emotional wounds that have plagued him and kept him from any meaningful connections and relationships.

They are what make him run from the sparks that fly when the soul/mate connections hit between Harlow and himself.

Harlow, another great turn, is equally stunned and on the run.

Taylor has the story work to put these beings, with all their secrets and baggage, together.

There’s other plot threads running simultaneously to the tortured path of Harlow and Bailey’s romance. They are of equal importance even as they weave in and out of the couple’s lives.

It’s all part of the twists that will come roaring at you. I really didn’t see it coming.

I suspect the twists also include hints about the other brother’s mate to come and background.

This series just upped its game. And now I can’t wait for the next installment.

I’m highly recommending this story but read the first book before reading this one. Each lays down the groundwork for the next.

The Reckless Damned series:

✓ Devil’s Mark #1

✓ Devil May Care #2

◦ Deal With the Devil #3 – March 1,2023

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showDevil May Care (The Reckless Damned #2) by Lark Taylor

Description:

One life-altering kiss sets our whole world on fire.

Harlow

I’ll tell you what isn’t on my agenda for this century: finding my fated mate only to have him reject me.

In fact, having a mate and tying myself down for eternity isn’t even a blip on my radar. But the moment I meet Bailey, there’s no denying he’s meant to be mine. Everything about the gentle Welsh giant calls to me, consuming my thoughts.

The problem? He doesn’t feel the same way. One life-altering kiss has him running in the other direction, leaving me to watch over him from the shadows.

When the opportunity arises to build a friendship, I grab it with both hands. Surely being his friend is better than nothing, right?

It will have to be, especially with a clan of mages sniffing around and looking for trouble. Not unusual since I am an estranged son of Lucifer. But now that I have my mate to consider, things are a lot more serious. How can I truly protect Bailey when he doesn’t even know I’m a demon?

Bailey

I learned a long time ago that relationships aren’t for me. Nobody wants to commit to a bigger guy, especially one who craves a different role in the bedroom.

When Harlow sashays into my life, I can’t help but wish things could be different. Sure, he seems interested, but history has proven that eventually, everyone leaves me.

There’s no way a vibrant firecracker like Harlow wants to be anything more than friends.

But the closer we get, the harder it is to keep him at arm’s length. He tells me he wants a relationship, but how can I believe him when I know he’s hiding something from me?

Devil May Care is an exciting, high-heat, friends-to-lovers paranormal romance with a guaranteed HEA. It is the second book in The Reckless Damned series, and although it can be read as a standalone, more enjoyment would be gained from reading the series in order. Each book focuses on a different couple and will have an HEA.

——

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer

Review: Eldon (Christmas Sprites #3) by Macy Blake

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Oh those fabulous Christmas sprites! Eldon, the serious one, gets his mate, in a story that runs almost concurrently with all the others. So we get mentions of events we know happened in the other Sprites romances.

Here in a not really “frenemies to lovers “ trope, it’s Tatum William Bixby III , new owner of the Snowda Shoppe, that has Eldon in a snit.

Tate won’t tell Eldon his plans for the shop and the mystery is making Eldon nuts, along with all the magical drama his cousins are causing.

Tate has his own personal reasons for fleeing to Mistletoe Falls. Tate grows on the reader as he wanders about town, falling into the charm of the town and its inhabitants, learning to love it and Eldon.

Once more, Blake has built on the previous books and storylines, and made this story and characters stronger. It’s a lovely romance and it’s leading up to the very last cousin, Linus, and his romantic partner. He’s here too.

Can’t wait for the finale.

I’m highly recommending this and the series.

Christmas Sprites:

✓ Nyall #1

✓ Oberon #2

✓ Eldon #3

◦ Linus #4 – Dec 22, 2022

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showEldon (Christmas Sprites #3) by Macy Blake

Description:

Yule be sorry.

Eldon doesn’t care what Tatum William Bixby the third thinks, he absolutely will not allow the Snowda Shoppe to become some corporate monstrosity. Mistletoe Falls is Eldon’s home, his life’s work, and some stuck-up, irritating, rich grinch will not ruin their small town spirit—no matter how gorgeous and intriguing Eldon finds the annoying newcomer.

Baby it’s cold outside. Frigid even, if the adorable Eldon’s reaction to Tate’s arrival in Mistletoe Falls is anything to go by. His plan to secretly escape to the small town for a much needed break has turned into a challenge to drive Eldon over the edge.

Sweet Eldon has a bite to him, though, and when Tate’s secret emerges, he and Eldon reach a holiday crisis of their own. Will the magic of Mistletoe Falls finally miss its mark, or did Eldon and Tate find love at frost sight?

If you love fated mates, enemies to lovers, and magical elves, er, sprites, who make the season bright, this holiday romance will leave you in pepper-mint condition.

Review: Naughty Neil ( A Hidden Species Novella) by Louisa Masters

Rating: 4🌈🌲

Naughty Neil is a short holiday story that takes place in Masters’ Hidden Species universe.

Neil is a young guy working as an exotic dancer, happy with his life until a guy knocks on his door, claiming to be some kind of government agent, only from a agency he’s never heard of.

Mark Mikakos, Hellhound and CBG investigator ( Community of Species Government ) has come to tell Neil Diaz that he’s a incubus, that there’s a whole hidden world of supernatural beings the he’s a part of , and Mark’s life is about to change forever.

No problem.

What follows is a short, cute story that allows us to see the very start of a relationship and new romance. We meet Mark’s team of investigators and see Neil start to fit into his new world.

It’s over way too soon.

I wish we could have a follow up story to see what happens next. They are a genuinely lovely and fun couple.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showNaughty Neil (A Hidden Species Novella) by Louisa Masters

Description:

I’m just an ordinary guy… who feeds on sexual energy.

I never knew my dad. Mom said he was a nice enough guy, fun for a night, but she never did get his name. I didn’t miss him, and my life is good.

Then a government agent shows up at my door and announces that I’m not really human. Dear old Dad was actually an incubus, a being that needs sexual energy to survive, and apparently that means I am too. Gotta be a scam, right?

Or so I think… until Agent Cutie changes into a canine (not a werewolf) in my living room and then eats half a dozen Christmas cookies while making orgasm sounds. Turns out, other species do exist.

On the plus side, being a stripper means that all my incubus needs are being met without me even trying. And now that I know the situation in my pants is normal for an incubus, I don’t feel self-conscious… so a fling with Agent Mark is definitely on the table.

Between being sexy Santa at work, supplying a team of hellhounds with Christmas cookies, and learning what stamina in the bedroom really is, I’m discovering that my old life was kind of empty. Maybe I’m not such an ordinary guy after all.

This novella was previously available free to newsletter subscribers. Only the cover has changed.

Review: Oberon (Christmas Sprites #2) by Macy Blake

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Oberon , the second in Blake’s Christmas Sprite’s series, is an even more enjoyable and engaging story than the the first. We’ve had our introduction to magical Mistletoe Falls, the family of four Sprites on course to find their forever mates, and the fantastic experience that awaits us and their mates as the romance begins.

Here is it’s a family of three, each one captivating and lively in their own way. There’s Dr. Miles Lane who has come to Mistletoe Falls to take over the veterinary clinic of Paws and Claus from it’s retired owner, a certain Nickolas Claus and wife 👀. He’s brought his adorable young daughter, Holly, and their Saint Bernard, Ivy. It’s a match made for the town and the spritely handyman, Oberon, who’s there to welcome them and make sure their new home is everything they envisioned for their new life.

This is a heartwarming story, full of family moments and charming scenes as Holly, Ivy and the Doc find themselves adopted by the sprites as part of their family and the town itself. Eldon especially finds himself in a situation where he adopts the entire Lane family and we get to see new sides to his personality.

Which sets him up nicely for the next installment, Eldon. His romance.

Christmas Sprites are low angst, full on magical romance holiday glow storylines. They are warm-hearted and full of cuteness and mysteries that aren’t very mysterious.

They are fast reads and a wonderful holiday Bon Bon to treat yourself to , especially if you’re a fan of Macy Blake.

Christmas Sprites:

✓ Nyall #1

✓ Oberon #2

◦ Eldon #3 – Dec 15, 2022

◦ Linus #4 – Dec 22, 2022

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showOberon (Christmas Sprites #2) by Macy Blake

Description:

Santa Paws is coming to town.

When Dr. Miles Lane purchases Paws and Claus, a veterinary clinic in the quirky town of Mistletoe Falls, he doesn’t quite know what he’s in for.

The small town offers a fresh start for Miles, his seven year old daughter, Holly, and their rambunctious Saint Bernard. What Miles doesn’t count on is his immediate attraction to the local handyman, Oberon, who he hires to do some work on their new home and clinic.

Oberon finds himself falling hard for the town’s new vet and his adorable family. There’s only one problem: Oberon is a sprite, a magical being tasked with bringing holiday spirit to the human realm. Every time he’s around Miles and Holly, his chemis-tree goes a bit haywire.

But when a pet-tastrophe strikes Mistletoe Falls, Miles and Oberon must team up to make sure the town and all of it’s furry residents have the ulti-mutt holiday.

If you love fated mates, pets who like to play matchmaker, and magical elves, er, sprites, who make the season bright, you’ll have a pawsitively wonderful Christmas time with this holiday romance.