Tag: #newbookreleases

Review: Unraveling The Threads of Fate by Alice Winters

Rating: 4.75🌈

Unraveling The Threads of Fate by Alice Winters is an excellently written, highly suspenseful tale that contains a lot of moments of extreme anxiety and dread. It stretches over the all events that should be happening to the people in the universe here.

I say should because a major element is that one character, Alex Coleman, school teacher, has a gift. He can see invisible threads stretching from person to person. Red threads ties a person to their soulmate. But the black threads he also sees ties them to the one who will kill them. It’s a talent he’s had his entire life and one he’s hidden.

In this universe, those with special gifts are tested and tracked, starting at a early age. But Alex’s abusive childhood with a destitute drug dealer allowed him to evade it.

Bishop King, scion to a wealthy businessman, once was the only friend Alex had growing up, until a horrific event drove them apart.

Bishop too has a special talent. He can walk in people’s dreams. But in Alex’s dreams, he’s got the power to do more, see more.

When they meet again, at Career Day at Alex’s school, they set off a set of events that have a rippling effect for a multitude of characters as Alex and Bishop fight to find and change their fates, pulled along by the threads Alex is seeing.

Winters, in her inimitable manner, with wry, sarcastic, haunting, and heartbreaking dialogue and scenes gives us a scary and thrilling tale of fate altered at breakneck pace, a murderer on the loose, and two find trying to outwit both a murderer and plot they can’t understand, and deal with a abusive past that threatens them.

With alternating flashbacks that are chilling in their cruelty and ability to deliver the blows that continues to be felt in the future, and a present where dreams are nightmares of blood, black threads, and death, that the author manages to bring romance and fun into this is amazing.

All the characters are fantastic. It includes Alex’s sister, Cali, who he raised. Her friends. Even the adults the surround them, good and bad.

It’s a vile and fascinating mixture.

But watching them trying to figure out how to change the date of each person and event, it’s thrilling and scary and heart racing.

And that ending is so very satisfying.

I believe this is a standalone.

So pick it up and enjoy a great thrill ride!

I’m highly recommending it.

https://www.goodreads.com › showUnraveling the Threads of Fate by Alice Winters – Goodreads

Alex
Some people are born lucky.
Then there’s me, destined to be loved by the man who knows my darkest secret.
My gift has followed me my entire life—the ability to see the threads of fate. I can see the red thread tying together two people destined to love one another.
But my gift has another side to it. A darker side.
I can also see a simple black thread tied to the fingers of those who aren’t aware of it, connecting them to the person destined to kill them. And when I look down at my own finger, I can see the red thread stretched over to Bishop King. The man who is my soul mate.


But then why is the black thread also wrapped around our fingers?
Bishop is sweet and caring, and I can’t stop my heart from loving him. I just need to thwart fate before it separates us forever.

Bishop
I swore to never let myself be drawn back into Alex’s world, but the man is funny and charming and the moment we’re together I fall back into the familiarity we shared as teenagers.
I know this time is different; he’s hoping that I can help him walk through his dreams to figure out how an innocent girl is going to die.

While his dreams tell of the future, mine allow us to find the truth. But what happens when we save a life and change fate–will it affect our own future? I can’t keep myself from falling for Alex, but what if helping him leaves one of us dead?

Unraveling the Threads of Fate is a standalone romance with action, mystery, humor, and a happy ending.

Review: The Long Game (Game Changers #6) by Rachel Reid

Rating: 4🌈

It almost hurt to write this review because it wasn’t the one I was really expecting to write. I have loved this series since Rachel Reid began it. And a diehard fan of Shane and Ilya since they premiered in Heated Rivalry, a favorite novel among many here.

So like so many readers and fans of both author and Game Changer , I’ve been eagerly anticipating the series finale and the novel which would bring some closure to the 11 years long closeted romance of Shane and Ilya.

What I didn’t expect was that I felt the first 25 percent of the book, perhaps more , was such a slog, that I came close to putting it down completely.

The characters I had connected with were missing. Chemistry gone. Shane was the one I had the most issues with. Self involved, complaining, non communicative. Other than sex, I couldn’t see what Ilya saw in him. The relationship and dynamics from Heated Rivalry had dimmed and the sparks doused.

I couldn’t believe this was it.

It wasn’t until the halfway mark, when dramatically the narrative picked up, and their relationship became energized once more that I was invested in their lives, romance, and the story.

There had been serious elements introduced. Depression, family history, suicide. But it was one-sided narratively speaking. And it served to only connect us to Ilya and his shaky emotional status. Leaving Shane in a removed story bubble, away from the relationship and the feelings connecting us to Ilya.

The emotional ties only reached back out after the story was halfway through.

Then we got safely back on established familiar relationship ground. One we recognized from Heated Rivalry, but with personal growth accounted for.

Shame it took that long because the remainder of the story was excellent. It wove plot threads from Role Model into the storyline here, making terrific use of those characters and elements.

Reid also found the missing humor, to intersperse with the serious issues of LGBTQIA+ athletes acceptance in sports, outing, and, the stress of being a pro athlete on relationships.

The last section of The Long Game was everything I’d hoped for and wanted for this couple. It turned into the perfect way to send them off.

I just wish it had happened sooner. That the book was a complete Gordie Howe Hat Trick instead of a one goal win.

But I’ll take it. I’m sorry to see the series end. Just as I am to see the end of every hockey season.

I’ll look forward to the next Rachel Reid with the same enthusiasm as the start of the new season and run for the Stanley Cup as well.

If you’re a lover of hockey romance, contemporary romance, and the works of Rachel Reid, this series is for you. I’m highly recommending it.

Game Changers
Book 1: Game Changer
Book 2: Heated Rivalry
Book 3: Tough Guy
Book 4: Common Goal
Book 5: Role Model
Book 6: The Long Game

https://www.goodreads.com › showThe Long Game (Game Changers, #6) by Rachel Reid – Goodreads

Synopsis:

The sequel is finally here! Shane and Ilya’s story, first seen in Heated Rivalry, continues in this long-awaited hockey romance from Rachel Reid.

“Everything you could want from this magnetic couple! A passionate, sexy, emotional sequel that grips your heart! Shane and Ilya forever!” —#1 NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely, author of Hopelessly Bromantic

To the world they are rivals, but to each other they are everything.

Ten years.

That’s how long Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been seeing each other. How long they’ve been keeping their relationship a secret. From friends, from family…from the league. If Shane wants to stay at the top of his game, what he and Ilya share has to remain secret. He loves Ilya, but what if going public ruins everything?

Ilya is sick of secrets. Shane has gotten so good at hiding his feelings, sometimes Ilya questions if they even exist. The closeness, the intimacy, even the risk that would come with being open about their relationship…Ilya wants it all.

It’s time for them to decide what’s most important—hockey or love.

It’s time to make a call.

Review: The Witch’s Power Play (Covens of Eaton Falls #2) by Mia Monroe

Rating: 3.25🌈

““Okay, I understand.” “Good. I take my leave now.” “Thanks for coming.” “I will always come when you ask. I’ll see you soon.” “Yes, you will see me soon.” The cat disappears into a slight mist.”

— The Witch’s Power Play (Covens of Eaton Falls Book 2) by Mia Monroe

There’s just so much I want to like about this series and story. Monroe is pulling together a interesting history of interwoven supernatural mating and wars, of inter-species bonding and Gods intervention.

All so fascinating that I really want to know where the author is taking the series.

But to navigate through the process of untangling the story threads, a reader must decide what’s their tolerance for characters whose dialogue is either so stilted or so overblown as to take a reader away from the story.

Leo and, here, Presley, the witches, are constantly “giggling “. That word is ever present. They had their heads together, giggling. He giggled. They giggled. Nonstop giggling. They also twirl, and just have personalities that, frankly, swing from varying degrees of maturity.

The vampires verbiage is oddly both a combination of something that supposedly sounds “old “ while also trying for hip. If you know what I mean. A strange unwieldy thing that doesn’t work.

Plus they go around carrying their witches as though they were young women from a bodice ripper.

While saying things like ‘I’m strangely attracted to him.I think of nothing else.’ Soooo many clichés here.

The characters themselves have real promise. Presley and Beto? Great dynamics and background. But you need to basically put them on mute after a while because it’s just to much. There’s a nice element of D/s here that is unexpected. But also a eye roll bit with the color pink . So for every one good thing that gets included, there’s bound to be another that’s zany.

There’s also a villain called The Beautiful One.

So. I breezed through this. Next time , if I continue, I’ll have to find a way to mitigate the dialogue and words that seem to populate like bunnies.

In the meantime, for those of you who adore this author, I’m sure you’ll have read it or it’s on your TBR list. It does have some really interesting themes going forward.

Want to know how it’s going? Check it out!

Covens of Eaton Falls:

🔹Never Trust a Guy With Fangs #1

🔹The Witch’s Power Play #2

🔹Vampire’s Make Bad Roommates #3 -July 14,2022

🔹Cosmic Spells and Vampire Lairs #4 – January 11, 2023

🔹A Traitor Shows His Hand #5 – March 9, 2023

Note: didn’t that last title seem a bit spoilery? So now we know the traitor is a guy. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to have said A Traitor Shows Their Hand? Hmmmm?

https://www.goodreads.com › showThe Witch’s Power Play (Covens of Eaton Falls #2) by Mia Monroe – Goodreads

Synopsis:

How to tame a vampire isn’t in any of my spell books.

My life changed forever the night my coven was attacked. I was scared and alone until my bestie Leo showed up. I trust him with my life. Good thing since he dragged me to the home of a notorious vampire. Even worse, another equally terrifying vampire is in charge of keeping an eye on me.

I did my best to comply and keep my distance from the stoic, domineering man who I shared a room with. I may have tried to flirt with him a couple times, a totally dumb move considering vampires aren’t exactly fans of witches. It didn’t work anyway. Once I was able to get away from him and back to the safety of my coven, I hightailed it out of there. I thought I would quickly forget him. I was wrong.

When we reunite, Beto let’s a surprising secret slip, leading me to make a decision that we both might regret. Who am I to deny a man his need to submit? Will Beto decide to trust me with his desires? Can I learn to keep a vampire in check? Don’t know, but I’m up for the challenge. If the war doesn’t tear us apart first.

The Witch’s Power Play is an MM paranormal romance featuring a subby vampire who just wants to be good for someone, a sassy witch embracing his toppy side, a supernatural war causing havoc, a bunch of really annoying demons who show up at the worst time, and so much pining (at first). It is book two in the Covens of Eaton Falls series. Each book features a different couple with an ongoing conflict and therefore should be read in order.

Review: The Prince’s Frog by Eden Winter

Rating: 4.5🌈

The Prince’s Frog by Eden Winter is such a great take on the old fairytale of the princess who kisses a frog who then turns back into a Prince.

No princess here but a randy Prince being forced, against his very gay wishes, to marry the nasty princess next door.

Who better to advise him how to navigate these tricky matrimonial waters then the frog from the Royal Bog?

In a smutty, fun filled, bibbity bobbity, boozey, gay twist on this fairytale, Prince Bob, finds his frog, (actually his frog finds him) , saves a bunch of kingdoms, and gets a very, oh so satisfying HEA! All in 82 great pages!

There’s magic wands too!

Eden Winters must have had a splendid time laughing as she wrote this. It’s so much fun to read. I could easily visualize the antics as they occur on the page.

Need a quick read and some terrific giggles? Pick up The Prince’s Frog by Eden Winter for a new twist on a old standard!

I’m highly recommending it.

https://www.amazon.com › Princes-…The Prince’s Frog – Kindle edition – Amazon.com

Description:

His Royal Highness Prince Rocky Jude Maxwell Bill Robert Chuck—let’s just call him Bob, shall we?—has a problem. Namely, royal parents set on marrying him off to a princess from the neighboring kingdom. Only, Bob doesn’t want to get married, would rather ogle Sir Blacksmith than fair maidens, and has a sneaking suspicion that his intended bride is not what she seems. So, where is a desperate prince with commitment issues supposed to turn?

Speaking of “not what they seem,” Sir Ribbit has been cooling his heels, literally, in the local bog with his disgraced fairy godmother and thousands of other frogs, waiting for the opportunity to break a three-year-old curse and return to his human form of Prince Evan Chuck Leo—Oh, heck, let’s call him Dave—hopefully, before maxing out a frog’s limited lifetime.

When a royal snit lands Bob in the muck of Dave’s front yard, plans are made to help each other. Inept plans, but still. Oh, and someone has to kiss a frog because everyone knows you have to kiss a few frogs before you land a handsome prince.

This story delightfully features talking frogs, inebriated fairies, awkward heroes, two princes in love, a deceptively innocent cover, and a solid HEA.

Review: Flare (Style #1) by Jay Hogan

Rating: 4.5🌈

Flare is a very intense contemporary romance set in Auckland’s high fashion world. The first of a new series that will incorporate , at least from looking at the description of Strut, the second novel, high fashion, models, a certain circle of friends that starts with this fashion line, and, unfortunately, a element of assault.

That’s certainly a center theme here and if it’s a trigger for some readers, please take note.

Here it occurs in the Prologue to the main character, Rhys Hellier, when he was 16, sneaking out to a gay club with a friend.

The ramifications from that night’s assault are a haunting, realistic thread of one man’s continuing to deal with living with the aftermath of rape. Rhys has PTSD, and has only told a few trusted people about his trauma.

It, naturally, has effected his relationships, and his need for constant control. I think Hogan does an excellent job with the character of Rhys. He’s believable in his vulnerability as he is in his fierceness to protect what he’s built.

It takes the addition of Beckett Northcott, Professor of English literature and uncle to troubled teenager Jack. When Beck arrives to heat up things, so will the need to start the conversations going between them when they begin their relationship as to the full extent of the damage the assault has done to Rhys emotionally and mentally.

Without turning the book into something clinical, Hogan works a great therapist, open communication, necessary breakdowns, and , more into this engaging and wonderful relationship. It makes them easy to root for and love as a couple.

And it’s not just them alone. There’s an entire group of found family around them. For Beck, it’s his nephew, Jack, for whom he’s becoming a father figure. And his sister, Serena, in prison. And fellow professor, Rafe. For Rhys? It’s his mother, the irrepressible Kip ( his assistant), BFF photographer Hunter, Alec ( newly discovered model), Leon (shop owner), Greg, and Drew, a trans teenager for which Flare represents a safe haven from home , an abusive situation.

This is a wonderful story full of amazing characters. Most of which inhabit the world of fashion. Which is Flare, Rhys’s fashion line and store.

There’s another plot thread concerning the store, which is emotionally fraught with threats and action. It’s a great balance for the other elements here.

I would have wished for more of a foundation or history behind all the villainy. But it was still resolved in a manner as to satisfy the characters and readers.

The next installment will center on Alec , the model discovered here, and Hunter, the photographer best friend of Rhys. That’s Strut. Out later this year.

From the description, it too has an element of assault. I’ll be waiting for the release date to check it out.

In the meantime, I’m highly recommending Flare. It’s a terrific contemporary romance. Wonderful characters. But please take note of the triggers.

Style series:

🔹Flare #1

🔹Strut #2 TBR July 14, 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showFlare (Style, #1) by Jay Hogan – Goodreads

FLARE
My own fashion label. The shiny new sign above the door means everything. My dream. My life. Worth every gruelling hour I’ve spent making it happen. Nothing can stop me now. Not the fear. Not the nightmares. Not my sad excuse for a love life. And certainly not Beckett Northcott, the sexy English professor who wouldn’t know a fitted shirt if it slapped him in the face and who has flannel down to an art form.

I don’t date for a very good reason, and yet Beck makes me want to break every damn one of my rules. But with my debut at Fashion Week looming, my business in trouble, and Beckett Northcott peeling open my terrified heart to a future I’ve never imagined, the threads of my carefully woven life are unravelling at the seams.

I could walk away. Or I could take a chance that Beck and I might just have what it takes to fashion a new life, together. A fresh design from a new cloth.

This book contains references to past sexual assault.

Review: Never Trust A Guy With Fangs (Covens of Eaton Falls #1) by Mia Monroe

Rating: 3🌈

Mia Monroe is a fairly new author for me, having discovered her in a charity anthology. The cover and title humor of Never Trust A Guy With Fangs had me grabbing this book to see what the author was plotting for her series, Covens of Eatons Falls.

This is a paranormal romance between a vampire and a witch, with the start of a overall series thread about a larger multi-species storyline. There’s suspense, action, murder, and more romances to come.

Stretching over 5 books total I believe. See list and note at bottom.

The characters are nice at the beginning and luckily get stronger as the story goes on. There’s a two person pov, but we start out with the blank slate of one. To my mind it have been more interesting to have gotten the perspective of the one being ,at least ,who had a semblance of a foundation, so the readers had a grounding.

No, we and Leo’s “uh , where are we? Oh, the bed of my enemy…” narrative just doesn’t seem to pull us really into the story. The dialogue runs along the edge of head smackingly idiotic and pearl clutching.

It keeps on in the same way. Hi you going to kill me. No. You going to kill me. No. You smell good. I think I love you. Me too. But we’re Romeo and Julian of the paranormal world. Np. Love is it!

This story and author has some terrific ideas and promise to it. There’s a lot here that , once you get to it , is interesting enough that you want to see how it plays out.

But there’s also enough plot holes (Leo: I can hide what’s happened, oh wait my eyes changed color! Never mind , the bad guys will never notice),silly florid language, and just plain nonsensical elements like the example above. It just interrupts whatever connection you might have had with the characters and storylines. And makes it that much harder to get it back.

The second book features another couple, another witch and vampire bonding that I think has far more chemistry then this pair. It seems to be one with a slight D/s aspect although how’s that going to play out when the witch is a scattered thinking healer (D) and the (s) is a huge vampire guard. Huh.

I love a great paranormal story and series. While this has potential, there’s so much that will put a lot of readers off . So this really isn’t it for me.

But if you adore instant love romances, almost campy dialogue, mustache swirling villains along the line of “you can’t keep him from us”, combined with some interesting elements, then I have a book for you.

Covens of Eaton Falls:

🔹Never Trust a Guy With Fangs #1

🔹The Witch’s Power Play #2 -May 6,2022

🔹Vampire’s Make Bad Roommates #3 -July 14,2022

🔹Cosmic Spells and Vampire Lairs #4 – January 11, 2023

🔹A Traitor Shows His Hand #5 – March 9, 2023

Note: shouldn’t the author have said A Traitor Shows THEIR Hand? So ok now we know the traitor is a guy?🤦🏼‍♀️

https://www.goodreads.com › showNever Trust a Guy With Fangs by Mia Monroe – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Waking up in my enemy’s bed is just the start of my problems.

The first rule of being a witch: don’t trust the vampires. My entire life has been filled with stories of our warring covens. We tenuously coexist in the New England city of Eaton Falls, where the locals think we’re merely the stuff of fairy tales and horror movies.

We live life as the mortals do, keeping our magic behind the scenes. Everything is fine until the day I wake up inside notorious Eaton Manor, in the bed of none other than the sexy and terrifying head vampire, Augustus Rainier, with no memory of how I got there.

His presence makes my skin tingle and my heart beat just a little faster. I know the inherent danger of associating with violent, often unpredictable vampires. I’ve got bigger problems, though, when I discover my coven is in hiding, leaving me on my own.

When danger shows up at Eaton Manor, it becomes clear it’s not only the witches in trouble. Both covens need to decide: do we fight separate battles against the same enemy or break every rule in our history and join forces to defeat a common foe? The other major question—will possessive and domineering Augustus let me go when this is over?

Never Trust A Guy With Fangs is an MM paranormal romance. It is book one in the Covens of Eaton Falls series featuring a rebellious twink of a witch with eternal optimism, an edgy vampire with a strong mistrust of witches, two stubborn and quirky covens, a threat from an unknown enemy, and a dangerous desire that could tear apart tradition, all in a beautiful New England backdrop. It is not a standalone.

Review: The Prince’s Poisoned Vow (Infernal Wars #1) by Hailey Turner

Rating: 3.5🌈

I’ve been eagerly anticipating this story as this author’s previous series have been enormous hits with me. But almost immediately I was struggling to finish this book which was written in a different format from the author’s books.

In a nutshell, it’s wordy, dry, very dense, narratively overwhelming with too many characters. And, while imaginative, it’s format of a huge amount of POVs makes it almost impossible to connect with or even follow all the many plot lines.

Turner is clearly striving for that epic cast of hundreds type of fantasy steampunk adventure. Where masses of characters come streaming over the horizon, raiding trains, pour out over airships, massive explosive battles., capturing castles. Thousands die by magical blasts , bodies flying through the air. Add in poison, in every form, and revenants. Aka The walking dead.

This book has wonderful ideas about world building. Massive amounts of information about the kingdoms, countries, and even the planet Maricol. All as told to.

The rating is for all the imaginative details and world building.

What I’m missing is what I love about her other novels. That’s her characters , the depth of personality, their relationship and growing dynamics with other characters. Main characters. People who counted. I miss caring about anyone. I miss the great dialogue. .

Here , the Gods who pulls all the narrative strings, so to speak, have no emotions, their eternal lifespan having removed that pesky thing.

So people start dying immediately. Children, adults. I’d say don’t get attached but the reader doesn’t spend enough time with anyone to generate enough emotion to become invested in the lives here.

More like, huh, poisoned. Oh, revenant got him. Yes, zombies .

There’s a staggering amount of POVs, over 14 I believe. That’s not counting all the tons of characters that get mentioned or have dialogue. The size of the cast here is mind boggling. And you get them all immediately, well, a lot of them.

With an ever increasingly dense and expanding universe that the author adds layer upon layer of complicated mythology and political world building as the story moves forward, it’s a wonder that any reader can maintain a idea of what’s happening within the storylines let alone have any meaningful connection to it.

You basically need a Epic Steampunk Fantasy version of a murder board to keep track of everything and everyone’s relationships. That includes the “Star Gods” , who have their own warped dynamics going on. Then all the various kingdoms, their politics, all the wars, the history such as it is. The planet’s history, which is minimal, and needs more detail.

The story swings from POV to POV, changing drama to a different perspective and potential disaster , that you’ve barely settled on one then you’ve sailed onto the next.

If you’re looking for romance, there’s little of that here. At least for now. But you can have fantastic characters with remarkable personalities, and deep emotional connections without a romantic factor. None of that is really present here. It’s more about all the things, the themes, plotting, world building, details. Something had to give.

And at the end. There’s a cliffhanger.

I honestly didn’t care . But for those that have a issue with cliffhangers, be warned.

I’m trying to weigh if the great universe makes it worth proceeding for me. I don’t think so because for me it’s about the characters and relationships, as well as giving them a great foundation.

You need a heart to power the story, not just a reality fabulous structure.

And I think Hailey Turner has lost the heart here no matter what that opening sentence says.

https://www.goodreads.com › showThe Prince’s Poisoned Vow by Hailey Turner – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Every country is built on revolution.

THE WARDEN. Soren is a nameless, stateless man, tasked with keeping watch over Maricol’s borders. He isn’t meant for politics, only dealing with the dead. His past was buried in the poison fields, but after a fateful encounter with a prince, Soren comes to realize he can’t keep what magic burns inside him hidden forever.

THE PRINCE. Vanya Sa’Liandel was the spare who survived the Houses’ murderous games to become the Imperial crown prince of Solaria. He has a duty to his country, but he’ll owe his life to the wardens. Payment of any kind is costly, especially when he’s at risk of losing his heart to the man who saved his life.

THE COG. Caris Dhemlan hears the siren song of clarion crystals better than anyone in Ashion. That skill for inventing has enriched her bloodline, but it’s who she can become that will ultimately entangle her with the Clockwork Brigade.

THE PRINCESS. Eimarille Rourke should have been raised to be queen of one country; instead, she is prisoner of another. Guided by a star god, Eimarille bides her time in a gilded cage, spinning a political web to gain a throne and start a war the world isn’t ready for.

From the author who brought you the Soulbound series comes a queer steampunk-inspired epic fantasy.

Review: Firestones by Kim Fielding

Rating: 4.75🌈

With any Kim Fielding tale there’s sure to be a hint at least of darkness, a layering of sadness or brokenness threading throughout the narrative.

But in Fire Stones it’s sheer horror, terrifying pain, and unescapable terror that lies waiting for the reader and main character.

Little match girl or fellow indeed.

In just 35 pages, in the typical Fielding way, the author brings us believably, heartbreakingly, into Brand’s cold, barely surviving life as an indentured servant to an mediocre magician.

In one terrifying night everything changes for him. In the worst possible way.

If you’re not a fan of horror fiction, this isn’t the story for you. It gets ever more quietly frightening for Brand, gut wrenchingly terror-stricken by the circumstances of his situation.

It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. The ending, is at best, happily bittersweet . Completely Fielding.

There’s a slender romance, that we don’t have much of a framework for. Had that been a little more firmly established, this would have been a 5 star story.

As it is, Fielding’s given us pure chill-worthy Fielding. And that’s plenty great.

Love the cover.

https://www.goodreads.com › showFirestones by Kim Fielding – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Born with a deformed foot and abandoned as a young child, Brand spent his youth in indentured servitude to a mediocre wizard. Now Brand is grown, but with no other prospects to support himself, he remains in his master’s employ, doing small chores and selling firestones on the bleak streets of Greynox. Until one bitterly cold day.

In this dark take on a classic fairy tale, Brand encounters the most sinister of magics. With his firestones gone, can he find his way to the light?

Review: Davo by N.R. Walker

Rating: 4.5 🌈

What a amazing story. Set in the western Australian outback mining town , Pannalego, Davo by N.R. Walker delivers a romance to delight the heart as well as a story that embraces the harsh environment to show the reader why the people who live there come to love it so.

Through the arrival of red-haired, Fergus Galloway, there to for a 4-week stay to conduct research for his company, we experience the extreme body shocking heat, the red dust that immediately covers every surface, and the living conditions that will make Sydney so very far away as to be on another planet.

Fergus is such a lovely open character. Through his eyes we meet an incredible assortment of individuals who make Pannalego their home and a working community of 20 year-around citizens in one of the world’s harshest territories. All employees of the mine.

We come to cherish each one, feathered Hooker included. But none as much as we love Davo, the skirt wearing, charming manager and mining engineer who immediately captures both Fergus’ and the readers hearts.

It’s Davo who shows Fergus just how welcoming that small community is and how quickly is can feel like home.

You’re a companion as they walk to see the remarkable landscapes, the sunsets, and more that makes that country so unimaginably gorgeous.

Before long it’s magic and Davo have won Fergus over, in a short amount of time. And that feels absolutely perfect and believable.

I love Davo. Even the drama was a realistic slice of life that communities like these live with and under. It’s part of the lifestyle.

I have to admit as I was reading it , the environmental damage of such a constant extraction, of such a enormous cavity being dug over and over, then discarded, left me a little ill. Surely the cost of this , like all the rest is coming.

But this is a romance. Not one about climate change. So I’m going to leave it at that. NR Walker’s descriptions were very real and thought provoking.

I’m highly recommending Davo for any number of reasons. The excellent characters, the beauty of the landscape of the outback, the heartwarming charm of this small community, and the outstanding ending. Plus that romance.

That cover is everything.

https://www.goodreads.com › showDavo by N.R. Walker – Goodreads

Synopsis:

When Fergus Galloway takes on a research trip to a tiny mining town in the far Western Australian outback, he’s as far from Sydney as he can get.

Which is entirely the point.

He arrives in Pannalego totally unprepared for the baking heat, unprepared for the people who call it home, unprepared for the craziness and the laughs. And absolutely unprepared for the man he meets there who steals his heart.

Davo is a mining man, as rugged as he is gorgeous. Loves his found family, loves where he lives, and loves his life. He also loves the feel of soft fabric on his skin.

What was supposed to be a short field trip changes Fergus’s life. Going to a place many call uninhabitable might turn out to be the only place he wants to live.

Review: Cowboy Haven by B. A. Tortuga

Rating 4.5 🌈

Cowboy Haven by B. A. Tortuga is another one of this author’s kids n’ cowboys stories that she has been writing lately, some with author Jodi Payne. And Cowboy Haven is one of my favorites of the trope she’s calling cozy cowboys.

It’s located in New Mexico, on a ranch. One of the main characters is a former rodeo champion, with an enormous family of mixed heritage. All of whom live in and around him. So we gets lots of local foods, easy family interactions that feel free and believable, and ranch life, up early, coffee on… ranch hands in for food between duties. Tortuga has this down perfectly.

The other? A Texan, damaged past history, painful divorce, and now single father with 2 month old triplets.

How he got to his present situation is also made to feel extremely realistic and desperate. Heath Barron has our attention and empathy from the get go, as they say. Plus the babies, each as individual as Tortuga could make 2 month olds, are adorable.

Kolt Cordova, former rodeo champ and rancher, with his extended family, is believable as both rancher and rodeo cowboy who, with all the wear and tear , knew when it was time to quit. He was ready for something steady and a home. He’s a very well defined person and when he’s rescued Heath and the babies, the fall into a relationship and love actually feels like the next step.

Ever know someone who decides they are ready to settle down? Then next thing you know you hear their engaged , then married? Happily so?

It happens that way sometimes.

Here Tortuga makes that into a excellent romance. With a drama inserted for that extra oomph.

Heath is a terrific character that you just enjoy reading about as is his love for his children. They, all three, are an absolute delight. The romance, including all the Cordova family and one terrifying mule, make this story.

I would love for a sequel sometime down the road!

If you love cowboys and children, absolutely lovely romances, then Cowboy Haven by B. A. Tortuga is one for you.

https://www.amazon.com › Cowboy…Cowboy Haven (BA’s Cozy Cowboys) – Kindle edition – Amazon.com

Note: There are some typos that should have been caught by the editor. But not as many as I’m seeing in lots of books these days.

Synopsis:

When Heath Barron leaves Texas for Northern New Mexico, he thinks he’s getting a luxury house rental for a steal, getting away from his ex, and finding a home for his newborn triplets. What he finds is a broken down trailer, a freezing winter, and the feeling that he’s at rock bottom in his life. Again.

Former rodeo champ Kolt Cordova has a good life. He has a ton of family, good land for cattle, and if his joints hurt when it’s cold, then so be it. But when he finds Heath living in an abandoned place on the place next to his, he knows his life is about to change. He just has no idea how much.

Heath feels like Kolt is offering him everything he’s ever wanted when he invites Kolt to come and stay, and Heath gives Kolt a sense of belonging, but as they get to know each, and maybe love, each other, danger from Heath’s past rears its head to try to harm them all. Can they find a way to face their fears, and this threat, together?

This book is a gay cowboy romance and has an ex-rodeo cowboy, baby triplets. a nosy family, and a loving freelance writer with a past.