#BookReview: Pretend You're Mine (Benevolence #1) by Lucy Score @Read_Bloom

Synopsis: From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Things We Never Got Over I only wanted to protect you… Luke Garrison is a hometown hero, a member of the National Guard ready to deploy again. He's strong, sexy, broody. The last thing he's looking for is a woman to ruin his solitude. When the wildly beautiful Harper stumbles into his life, though, he realizes that she's the perfect decoy. A fake girlfriend to keep his family off his back until he's deployed. So what if kissing her sends his mind to wicked places? He can control himself. Can't he? Harper was on her way to starting a new life… again. But something about Luke makes her want to settle down in this small town and make his house a home. When she's in his arms, she finally knows what it's like to feel safe. Protected. One night of sharing a bed turns into something much, much more… and soon Luke can't keep his mind off Harper's wide gray eyes or his hands off her luscious curves. He never thought he'd feel this way about a woman again. But he knows that he can't tell her the truth about his dark past. And she can't reveal what she's running from. At least this isn't a real relationship. It's only for a month. It's only pretend. Until it isn't…

#BookReview: Anatomy (The Anatomy Duology #1) by @DanaSchwartzzz @WednesdayBooks

Synopsis: Edinburgh, 1817. Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry. 

Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die. 

When the two of them have a chance encounter outside the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society, Hazel thinks nothing of it at first. But after she gets kicked out of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham’s lectures for being the wrong gender, she realizes that her new acquaintance might be more helpful than she first thought. Because Hazel has made a deal with Dr. Beecham: if she can pass the medical examination on her own, the university will allow her to enroll. Without official lessons, though, Hazel will need more than just her books – she’ll need bodies to study, corpses to dissect. 

Lucky that she’s made the acquaintance of someone who digs them up for a living, then. 

But Jack has his own problems: strange men have been seen skulking around cemeteries, his friends are disappearing off the streets. Hazel and Jack work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves, but in the very heart of Edinburgh society.

A gothic tale full of mystery and romance about a willful female surgeon, a resurrection man who sells bodies for a living, and the buried secrets they must uncover together.

#BookReview: Forging Silver into Stars (Forging Silver into Stars, #1) by @BrigidKemmerer

Synopsis: Forbidden magic. Secret romance. Dangerous alliances. Enter the world of New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer's electrifying series.

When nineteen-year-old Tycho, the King's Courier, arrives in the remote village of Briarlock, he hopes to escape the demands of his new life in the royal court, where magic reigns for the first time in ages. He doesn't expect to fall for a handsome blacksmith with a bruised heart.

After years of cruelty in his father's forge, Jax never dared to dream of a better life -- until a magic-wielding young lord shows him an enticing alternative. But when rumors of a rebellion reach Briarlock, Jax wonders who he can trust -- and if he'll even survive.

Jax's best friend, Callyn, doesn't trust anyone -- especially not a handsome stranger with magic, which killed her parents years ago. When another royal emissary arrives, seeing a co-conspirator, Callyn finds herself embroiled in a plot that could lead them all to ruin. . .

As tensions flare throughout the kingdom, it won't be long before everyone must choose a side.

War is brewing. Passions are building. And magic may doom -- or save -- them all . . .

#BookReview: The Christmas Fix (Fixer, #2) by Lucy Score @Read_Bloom

Synopsis: From the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Things We Never Got Over

 She'll save Christmas just to spite him… There's only one thing standing in the way of Cat King saving Merry, Connecticut's Christmas Grumpy town manager Noah Yates. Single dad Noah takes his responsibilities seriously. When a late season hurricane turns his town into a disaster, he's left scrambling to pick up the pieces of the town he loves. At least, until home renovation expert and reality TV star Catalina King arrives with a camera crew and a budget big enough to put the town back together again. But Noah doesn't want a celebrity diva capitalizing on their tragedy or filling his young daughter's head with visions of glitz and glam. Blonde bombshell Cat is used to being underestimated, but Noah has an uncanny knack for getting under her skin. They can't be in a room together without rubbing each other the wrong way…except that time in the dark alley where the rubbing was just right. Can these enemies work together to pull off a Christmas miracle or will their fighting leave them both on the naughty list? 

Author's These enemies-to-lovers deliver the holiday feels with a dirty-talking hero, ballsy blonde who never backs down, steamy hot break-the-dining-room-table sexy times, and a small town that still believes in the magic of Christmas.

#BookReview: Six Crimson Cranes (Six Crimson Cranes, #1) by @lizlim

Synopsis: Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.

Raikama has dark magic of her own, and she banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.

Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and, on her journey, uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne—a conspiracy more twisted and deceitful, more cunning and complex, than even Raikama's betrayal. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she's been taught all her life to contain—no matter what it costs her.

#BookReview: Rock, Scissors, Paperbag by @elizbethgodley

Synopsis: Rock, Scissors, and Paperbag are the bestest of friends! Paperbag is afraid of everything, Rock is a talented musician, and Scissors is an excellent Orange Ball player. After the school bullies, The Bucket Kids, steal Scissors’ fake orange-ball, the kids decide to get back at the bullies. What if they could get a real orange-ball from The Great Orange Tree? That would show The Bucket Kids! 

Recalling the local legend, they embark on a fantastic adventure to find The Great Orange Tree. However, while solving the riddle within the ancient map, they encounter a cave monster, a tornado of rapping cooties, and the horrid Land of Smells. How will they face each challenge? Will they end up back home with a real orange-ball? And if they do, will they share it? 

Throughout their adventure, Rock gains confidence, Paperbag conquers his fears, and Scissors makes peace with being imperfect. Best Buds! 

Winner of the 2023 International Firebird Book Award, Rock, Scissors, Paperbag is a spellbinding tale of friendship, fantasy, and adventure. A perfect book to be shared and treasured.

#BookReview: Happy AF by @BethRomeroBooks @shewritespress

Synopsis: Feeling crappy? Wanna be happier? Wanna up your game? 
Happy AF  is your comprehensive roadmap for happiness. Drawing heavily from neuroscience, positive psychology, and behavioral science, the straightforward strategies and exercises in this how-to guide will teach you how to strengthen your happiness muscle and live up to your greatest potential. Happiness junky Beth Romero serves up a life-affirming parable laced with contextual how-tos—all backed by clinical research—in fresh, insightful, and accessible language you can relate to. Kinda like your best friend giving it to you straight (with love) over cocktails. In this book, you will 
* the art of letting go 
* proven ways to jiu-jitsu your negative thoughts to transform your life
* how goals, vision, purpose are the stepping-stones to greatness
* the importance of gratitude and grace in your happiness journey
* the scientific link between sleep, morning routines, diet, and exercise on your mental well-being
* and much, much more!

Happiness  is  a choice—and it’s within your reach.  If you do the work . If you believe. Much like Dorothy with her ruby slippers, the power is always within you . . . just waiting for you to access it. So get ready to click your Manolos, Dr. Martens, or Adidas and find your happy place.

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#BookReview: The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy @freethy @StMartinsPress

Synopsis: Two lovers caught at the crossroads of history.
A daughter's search for the truth.

Germany, 1929: Under the dazzling lights of Berlin, two people are drawn together: Max, a Jewish architect, and Bettina, a beautiful and celebrated German avant-garde artist. But their bright beginning is soon dimmed by the rising threat of Nazism. In time, Max is arrested and sent to the concentration camp at Dachau where only his talent at making exquisite porcelain figures stands between him and death. Everything Bettina has done up until now has been meticulously planned to try to save Max. She would rather die than live another moment without him—but can one moment last a lifetime?

America, 1993. Bettina’s daughter Clara embarks on a journey to trace her roots and discover the identity of her father, a secret her mother has kept from her for reasons she’s never understood. As Clara starts piecing the puzzle together, we are transported back in time, where life is lived on a razor’s edge, and deception and death lurk around every corner.

#BookReview: Her Radiant Curse (Six Crimson Cranes #0.5) by @LizLim

Synopsis: From the New York Times bestselling author of SIX CRIMSON CRANES comes a tale of two sisters—one as beautiful as the other is monstrous—who must fight to save each other when a betrothal contest gone wrong unleashes an evil that could sever their bond forever.

One sister must fall for the other to rise.

Channi was not born a monster. But when her own father offers her in sacrifice to the Demon Witch, she is forever changed. Cursed with a serpent’s face, Channi is the exact opposite of her beautiful sister, Vanna—the only person in the village who looks at Channi and doesn’t see a monster. The only person she loves and trusts.

Now seventeen, Vanna is to be married off in a vulgar contest that will enrich the coffers of the village leaders. Only Channi, who’s had to rely on her strength and cunning all these years, can defend her sister against the cruelest of the suitors. But in doing so, she becomes the target of his wrath—launching a grisly battle royale, a quest over land and sea, a romance between sworn enemies, and a choice that will strain Channi’s heart to its breaking point.

Weaving together elements of The Selection and Ember in the Ashes with classic tales like Beauty and the Beast, Helen of Troy, and Asian folklore, Elizabeth Lim is at the absolute top of her game in this thrilling yet heart-wrenching fantasy that explores the dark side of beauty and the deepest bonds of sisterhood.

#BookReview: Things We Hide from the Light (Knockemout #2) by Lucy Score @Read_Bloom

Synopsis: Nash Morgan was always known as the good Morgan brother, with a smile and a wink for everyone. But now, this chief of police is recovering from being shot and his Southern charm has been overshadowed by panic attacks and nightmares. He feels like a broody shell of the man he once was. Nash isn’t about to let anyone in his life know he’s struggling. But his new next-door neighbor, smart and sexy Lina, sees his shadows. As a rule, she’s not a fan of physical contact unless she initiates it, but for some reason Nash’s touch is different. He feels it too. The physical connection between them is incendiary, grounding him and making her wonder if exploring it is worth the risk.

Too bad Lina’s got secrets of her own, and if Nash finds out the real reason she’s in town, he’ll never forgive her. Besides, she doesn’t do relationships. Ever. A hot, short-term fling with a local cop? Absolutely. Sign her up. A relationship with a man who expects her to plant roots? No freaking way. Once she gets what she’s after, she has no intention of sticking around. But Knockemout has a way of getting under people’s skin. And once Nash decides to make Lina his, he’s not about to be dissuaded…even if it means facing the danger that nearly killed him.

#BookReview: Reckless Bonds by Karah Mina @booksprout

Synopsis: Bonding four guys, each a shard of my fated mate’s fractured soul? Yes, please ! I never pictured my thirties would be so dreary. A hermit, workaholic fresh out of a messy divorce. But when a long-haired stranger with storms for eyes reveals a hidden world beneath my nose, my life is forever changed. Sunder, the first shard, treats me like I’m a punishment from the Gods. An inferior human unworthy of a Prince of the Fae. And yet… When he touches me, the power flowing between us leaves us both breathless. There’s something changing behind that broody glare. My skin burns white hot when he wraps his arms around me, and it’s more than the magic we share. Now he wants me to give up everything and travel to some magical world. To find and bond my other mates. But the second may be even closer than I realize... The first in a duet, this slow burn, why choose, MMFM portal fantasy romance, explores themes suitable for mature audiences. This book adds two men to the harem with two more in the next book. Featuring a possessive hero, strong female, and a cinnamon roll shifter. The streams don’t cross yet , but everything else is on the table. There is no cliffhanger and has a HFN ending.

#BookReview: Not Your Property (The Steel Disciples, #2) by @Tyranni_Thomas @booksprout

Synopsis: They organized the hit on his mother and his wife. Now the mob has their hands on his sister, Trista and unless Makaveli is willing to join families and marry a mafia princess, she’ll be lost forever into the mob’s vast network of human trafficking.

He is the VP of the Steel Disciples, of course, he will do what he must...

He’ll marry Isabella, and he’ll make her pay for everything her family has done to him and his club.

…Assuming he survives her.

Not Your Property is a Dark MC Romance novel with an Antihero love interest and a badass heroine to put him in his place. This novel contains morally gray characters, intense steam, and found family. This is a Dark Romance novel and does have scenes detailing past abuse, please use your own discretion.

#BookReview: Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout Series, #1) by Lucy Score

Synopsis: Bearded, bad-boy barber Knox prefers to live his life the way he takes his coffee: Alone. Unless you count his basset hound, Waylon. 
Knox doesn’t tolerate drama, even when it comes in the form of a stranded runaway bride.

Naomi wasn’t just running away from her wedding. She was riding to the rescue of her estranged twin to Knockemout, Virginia, a rough-around-the-edges town where disputes are settled the old-fashioned way…with fists and beer. Usually in that order.

Too bad for Naomi her evil twin hasn’t changed at all. After helping herself to Naomi’s car and cash, Tina leaves her with something unexpected. The niece Naomi didn’t know she had. Now she’s stuck in town with no car, no job, no plan, and no home with an 11-year-old going on thirty to take care of.

There’s a reason Knox doesn’t do complications or high-maintenance women, especially not the romantic ones. But since Naomi’s life imploded right in front of him, the least he can do is help her out of her jam. And just as soon as she stops getting into new trouble he can leave her alone and get back to his peaceful, solitary life.

At least, that’s the plan until the trouble turns to real danger.

#BookReview: Southern Fried Sass: A Queen's Guide to Cooking, Decorating, and Living Just a Little "Extra" by Ginger Minj

Synopsis: RuPaul’s Drag Race superstar Ginger Minj shares her favorite recipes, best advice, and wildest stories in this hilarious book that’s part memoir, part cookbook. Perfect for fans of Trixie and Katya’s Guide to Modern Womanhood.

Drag icon Ginger Minj brings her signature humor and sass to this tongue-in-cheek memoir-cum-life manual-cum-cookbook. Featuring Ginger’s favorite Southern-inspired recipes, Southern Fried Sassshowcases some of her most vulnerable and celebratory moments, revealing the most valuable lessons she’s learned after years in drag and the pearls of wisdom she’s gleaned from her grandmother’s personal brand of Southern resilience.

You’ll cheer for Ginger as she spills the tea with exclusive behind-the-scenes details from three seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race and offers her best advice on everything from contouring to cooking and setting the table for a full-on Southern-style Thanksgiving dinner. Did we say dinner? Here, you’ll find more than fifty recipes, including The Minx’s Sick’ning Scalloped Pineapple Paradise, Red Barn BBQ Ribs platter, Better Than Sex cake, and countless other decadent desserts. From fighting for what you’re worth to looking good on a motorcycle as a big girl to finding love while also making damn good cupcakes, this is the perfect gift for anyone who wants to live their best life.

#BookReview: From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash #1) by @JLArmentrout

Synopsis: A Maiden…

Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.

A Duty…

The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.

A Kingdom…

Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.

#BookReview: The Sisters of Reckoning (The Good Luck Girls, #2) by Charlotte Nicole Davis @torteen

Synopsis: The Sisters of Reckoning is the blockbuster sequel to Charlotte Nicole Davis's alternate Old West-set commercial fantasy adventure. 

The Good Luck Girls are free. Aster's sister and friends have new lives across the border in Ferron, while Aster remains in Arketta, helping more girls escape. But news of a new welcome house opening fills Aster with a need to do more than just help individual girls. And an unexpected reunion gives her an idea of how to do it. From there, grows a wildly ambitious plan to free all dustbloods, who live as prisoners to Arketta's landmasters and debt slavery.

When Clementine and the others return from Ferron, they become the heart of a vibrant group of fearless fighters, working to unite the various underclasses and convince them to join in the fight. Along the way, friendships will be forged, lives will be lost, and love will take root even in the harshest of circumstances, between the most unexpected of lovers.

But will Arketta's dustbloods finally come into power and freedom, or will the resistance just open them up to a new sort of danger?

#BookReview: Essential Oils for Healing by @bindiyogass @StMartinsPress

Synopsis: An easy-to-use handbook for using essential oils every day ― now with a new foreword from the author

All over the world, people are turning toward homeopathic and alternative medicines. Essential Oils for Healing is an easy-to-use guide for anyone who wants to learn how to use essential oils to heal a multitude of ills. Ailments are listed in alphabetical order and are accompanied by hundreds of recipes you can re-create at home using the essential oils at your disposal. Tips on safe handling and usage, contraindications, and storage ensure that even the most novice of essential oils user can get the healing benefits from our planet's natural resources.

Did you know that a few drops of lavender oil can be added to your kids' shampoo to protect them from head lice? Or that a drop of clove oil mixed with orange oil can relieve a mind-numbing toothache? Common, everyday problems such as nausea, dry skin, and insect bites to more serious issues like migraines and arthritis are included along with all-natural remedies that are simple and accessible.

#BookReview: A British Girl's Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak (Girl’s Guide, #2) by @LauraTNamey @simonteen

Synopsis: In this highly anticipated companion to the New York Times bestseller A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, Flora Maxwell heads to Miami to find a path for her future… and finds her heart along the way.

Winchester, England, has always been home for Flora, but when her mother dies after a long illness, Flora feels untethered. Her family expects her to apply to university and take a larger role in their tea-shop business, but Flora isn’t so sure. More than ever, she’s the chaotic “hurricane” in her household, and she doesn’t always know how to manage her stormy emotions.

So she decides to escape to Miami without telling anyone—especially her longtime friend Gordon Wallace.

But Flora’s tropical change of scenery doesn’t cast away her self-doubt. When it comes to university, she has no idea which passions she should follow. That’s also true in romance. Flora’s summer abroad lands her in the flashbulb world of teen influencer Baz Marín, a Miami Cuban who shares her love for photography. But Flora’s more conflicted than ever when she begins to see future architect Gordon in a new light.

Laura Taylor Namey’s newest novel navigates heartbreak that feels like a hurricane in a city that is famous for them.

#BookReview: Defy the Night (Defy the Night #1) by @BrigidKemmerer @bloomsburykids

Synopsis: The kingdom of Kandala is on the brink of disaster. Rifts between sectors have only worsened since a sickness began ravaging the land, and within the Royal Palace, the king holds a tenuous peace with a ruthless hand.

King Harristan was thrust into power after his parents' shocking assassination, leaving the younger Prince Corrick to take on the brutal role of the King's Justice. The brothers have learned to react mercilessly to any sign of rebellion--it's the only way to maintain order when the sickness can strike anywhere, and the only known cure, an elixir made from delicate Moonflower petals, is severely limited.

Out in the Wilds, apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade is tired of seeing her neighbors die, their suffering ignored by the unyielding royals. Every night, she and her best friend Wes risk their lives to steal Moonflower petals and distribute the elixir to those who need it most--but it's still not enough.

As rumors spread that the cure no longer works and sparks of rebellion begin to flare, a particularly cruel act from the King's Justice makes Tessa desperate enough to try the impossible: sneaking into the palace. But what she finds upon her arrival makes her wonder if it's even possible to fix Kandala without destroying it first.

#BookReview: One More Secret (Carson Brothers #2) by @StinaLL

Synopsis: A steamy, dual-timeline romance about a survivor of domestic abuse starting her life over in a small town and the protective ex-Marine determined to save her… 

After being wrongly accused of murder, all Jessica Smithson wants is to start a new life where no one knows her true identity. Maple Ridge is the perfect place to hide from the media circus battling to know who really rid her of her abusive husband. A question she can’t answer.

The last thing she expects to find in the small idyllic mountain town is the good-looking and very persistent Troy Carson. From the moment he sees her, Troy’s determined to help Jess with her anxiety attacks and to get to know her better. He’s determined to help her renovate the old house she bought—a house with secrets hidden behind the walls.

Heat simmers and grows between the pair, but Jess can’t risk getting too close to Troy. Can’t risk her own secrets being revealed. So much is at stake if the truth gets out. 

And most of all, she can’t risk her heart again. Or can she?

For fans of Rebecca Yarros's THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED comes a toe-curling, dual-timeline romance that bridges the gap between past and present, love and loss, and heartbreak and healing. 

ONE MORE SECRET is the first book in the HIDDEN SECRETS TRILOGY. The books in the trilogy must be read in order. You don't need to read One More Chance (book 1 of the Carson Brothers series) to read the trilogy.