Tag: author T. S. McKinney

A Lila Review: The Curse (Witches of Salem #1) by T.S. McKinney

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

 

Witches. Warlocks. Hocus Pocus.

 

I didn’t believe in any of those things. To be honest, the only thing I really believed in….really had faith in its existence, was bad luck. There was too much proof of it in my life to deny it.

 

As it turns out, the bad luck that accompanies me wherever I go escalated to a heightened level following a visit form a long-lost relative I didn’t even know existed. She starts spouting nonsense about my parents really loving me (even though they committed suicide a few days after my birth), how my mother tried using witchcraft to save their lives…and how there is a curse hanging over my head that requires my death on my twenty-fifth birthday. Supposedly all the Bailey men commit suicide on their twenty-fifth birthdays due to this curse.

 

Total craziness, right?

 

Wrong.

 

A small dash of intrigue and a heaping-helping of fear cause me to pack up and head to Salem, Massachusetts – where it all started. Here’s my biggest problem: my twenty-fifth birthday is only a couple of weeks away and I’m having these very sensual dreams about a man I don’t know.

 

I might not know him, but I sure want him.

 

The Curse is a fun take on the history of the Salem Witch Trials. The idea of a family curse and its consequences is an interesting way to bring a commonly known event into a contemporary setting. There’s magic, power, and some paranormal aspects, but together, the story brings a sense of magic realism to everyday events.

 

As a narrator, Nico is all over the place, but his thoughts and attitude go well with his life as a student and his age.  His need to learn more about his past, the curse, and Salem brings him to discovered a completed new world in which he plays an important part.

 

The plot unravels slowly and through many twists.  We get a bit of history mix with the action and some open threads for the next installment. I don’t want to get into the MCs relationship to avoid spoilers, but they worked well together. Their story is lovely and some insta-love is present but it’s to be expected.

 

The rest of the cast added to the overall story and everyone had a particular quirk that made them special. I’m looking forward to the next one.

 

The cover by E. Keith is pretty and goes with the story. The colors and the vanishing areas create a magical air.

 

Sale Links: Painted Hearts | Amazon | Smashwords

 

Book Details:

 

ebook, 166 pages
Published: August 3, 2017, by Painted Hearts Publishing
ISBN: 9781946379856
Edition Language: English

 

Series: The Witches of Salem
Book #1: The Curse

A Jeri Review: Hollywood Secrets (Hollywood) by T.S. McKinney

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Hollywood Secrets coverEthan Weatherby.  Well…Vic and Grayson are smackdab in the middle of their happy-ending, loving each other with so much sugary sweet sap and disgustingly dirty sex that it’s turning my stomach…or making me green with jealously.  Magnus and I broke up months ago, making me the laughing stock of Hollywood and leaving me drowning in a big black pit of despair.  In an attempt to hide away from all the Hollywood glitz and gossip, I accompany Vic to Florence, Alabama for her latest movie.  In my messed-up mind, I tell myself that I’ll get me a little Southern Boy Nookie that will miraculously make me forget all about Magnus.  As it turns out…I get so much more than nookie.

Jeremy Michaelson.  He’s hands down the hottest, most innocently beautiful person I’ve ever seen in my entire life.  Every alpha instinct in me comes to life the first time I see him and the overwhelming desire to make him mine comes roaring to life.  After our first encounter, I’m pretty sure he feels the same way about me.

At least I thought he did…until I realize there is so much more to my Southern heartthrob than what he wants me to see.  He has secrets, potentially deadly secrets that risk putting an end to us before we even have a chance for our beginning.  The more I try to unravel his past, the harder he pushes me away.

Here’s the deal…when I want something, I don’t give up easily…and I want Jeremy Michaelson.

This is another tough one for me to review. I thought I would like it more than I did. Admittedly I haven’t read the first in the series (it’s MF and I pretty much exclusively read MM), so perhaps this is just the writing style.

Everyone in the book seemed quite over the top. But at the same time, except for the supporting character of Victoria, no one seems to really work or have a real life outside of this romance.

After hearing about Jeremy’s back story, I expected him to be a lot more worldly, more jaded. He comes across as almost virginal in the book which makes no sense as he is ready to jump into bed with Ethan straight after an injury.

Ethan is portrayed as very stereotypically gay. Tiny dog, screams like a girl, perfect hair and wardrobe, girl best friend. But when it comes to sex he turns into this super toppy alpha which just doesn’t seem to fit his personality at all.

The story just moved far too quickly for me for it to be believable. But if you like fluffy full of sex for sex sake, this is definitely the book for you.

Even the cover art seemed a bit generic for me.

Sales Links:  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook
Published September 3rd 2015 by Smashwords Edition
(first published September 2nd 2015)
ISBN139781944054014
seriesHollywood