#BookReview: Unbound by Christy Healy @christykhealy @BlackstoneAudio

Synopsis: For fans of Hannah Whitten and Rebecca Ross, Unbound is a gender-bent reimagining of the classic tale of a monstrous beast and the beauty determined to tame it, set against the lush backdrop of Irish mythology and folklore. Rozlyn Ó Conchúir is used to waiting--waiting for the king, her father, to relent and allow her to leave the solitude of her tower; waiting for the dreaded and mysterious Beast of Connacht to at last be defeated; waiting for the arrival of the man destined to win her heart and break the terrible curse placed on her and her land. So when she meets Jamie--a charming and compelling suitor--she allows herself to hope that her days of solitude and patience are over at long last. But as she finds her trust betrayed--and newer, more sinister threats arising--Rozlyn learns that some curses are better left unbroken ...

#BookReview: Midnight Ruin (Dark Olympus #6) by Katee Robert

Synopsis: Eurydice Dimitriou has always been the innocent sister, but she's finally ready to step out of the long shadow cast by her powerful family…and the ex who shattered her heart. Perhaps rough hands on soft skin are exactly what she needs to forget her heartbreak once and for all?

Charon Ariti has been Hades's right-hand man for years. He's given everything to the lower city, but now he's ready to take something for himself. He's only too happy to give Eurydice a special kind of education…but is her heart really free enough to be claimed?

Orpheus Makos will do whatever it takes to make things right. Once the golden boy of the upper city, he's now a shadow of his former self. He'll do anything to get Eurydice back…even if it means she's not coming into his arms alone. Three hearts. Three futures. Countless ways to get it wrong.

But with enemies slipping through Olympus's faltering barrier to lay siege on the lower city, a trio of broken hearts will be the least of these would-be lovers' worries…

#BookReview: Reckless (Chestnut Springs #4) by Elsie Silver @Read_Bloom

Synopsis: He's scorching-hot trouble wrapped up in a drool-worthy package. And he's looking at her like she might be his next meal. Theo Silva. Rowdy bull rider. Notorious ladies' man. Winter Hamilton knows exactly what it means when he eyes her like that. But she's almost free of her toxic marriage and has sworn off men entirely. So all she sees when she looks back at Theo is temptation served up with a heaping side of heartbreak. The man is hard to trust―but, it turns out, even harder to resist. Make that impossible. Because Theo is persistent. And no matter how hard Winter tries to freeze him out, he melts her icy exterior and pulls apart all her defenses. Over a drink in a small-town bar, she finds herself blurting out her deepest, darkest secrets. Then, she spends the singular hottest night of her life with the man she never thought she'd say yes to. He worships her body. He makes her blush. She comes alive beneath his hands. Then she tells him to forget it ever happened. She wants simple, and with him it all feels complicated. It was supposed to be a one-time thing. A secret. But that little plus sign is going to make this secret impossible to keep.

#BookReview: Tonight, I Burn (Thorn Witch #1) by Katharine J. Adams

Synopsis: A thorn witch with the power to walk between the realms of Life and Death finds herself at the center of a magical rebellion—and a dangerous romance—that could destroy her coven and her soul in this dark and decadent debut. 
 
Thorns, Tides, Embers, Storms, and Ores. All five covens are bound in servitude to the tyrant High Warden of Halstett. 

Penny Albright is a daughter of the thorn coven, forced to patrol the veil between the realms of Life and Death. Each night, one thorn witch—and only one—must cross the veil by burning at the stake. Each morning, that witch draws on their magic to return. Failure to follow the rules risks the veil and risks them all.

But one morning, Penny's favorite sister Ella doesn't return. And that night, determined to find her, Penny breaks the rules. She burns in secret. And she discovers that all isn’t as it seems in Life or Death. 
 
Her journey leads her to Malin, a devastating lord with too many secrets; to Alice, a mysterious captive prophet; and to a rebellion brewing in the shadows beneath the city. And as Penny's world splits, she’ll face a devastating choice. Because it’s not just her sister’s life that hangs in the balance. It’s the fate of all magic. 

All it takes is one witch—and one spark—to set the world ablaze.

#BookReview: Bridesmaid for Hire (Bridesmaid for Hire, #1) by @AuthorMegQuinn @Read_Bloom

Synopsis: Sometimes the wedding of the century calls for desperate measures.

And sometimes those desperate measures are to pretend the person you hate most is actually your boyfriend.

After years of working her tail off at her event-planning business, Maggie Mitchell is ready for a vacation. With nothing on her mind but R & R, she’s enjoying the warm weather of Bora Bora when in saunters Brody McFadden, her brother’s best friend and also her sworn enemy. Thanks to years of tension between the two—kicked off by a make-out session at her brother’s wedding that ended horribly—Maggie has sworn to stay away from the man. That is, until she finds out he’s in Bora Bora for his boss’s daughter’s wedding, hoping to use the trip to win a real future at the company.

Maggie promised herself she wouldn’t even think of work on the island, but as word spreads about the “wedding of the century” taking place in the midst of her vacation, she realizes offering her services as a bridesmaid and planner could bring her business to the next level. The only catch? She needs to pose as Brody’s girlfriend to get the job…while letting him stay in her peaceful bungalow.

Tensions rise, irritation flairs, and despite years’ worth of bickering behind closed doors, Maggie can’t quite squash the sparks building between her and her new fake boyfriend, especially when she learns the real reason their first kiss was cut short. But as the wedding day draws closer and everything starts to go wrong, it just might be Brody who sends Maggie’s business crashing down—and her heart along with it.

#BookReview: Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley @BistroBookBabes Canary Street Press @HarlequinBooks

Synopsis: Ready or Scot...

Globetrotter Addie Macrae always follows her wanderlust. As a travel consultant, she jet sets around the world—anywhere but Scotland. But when she’s sent on assignment to help a struggling family-run tour company in the Highlands—and save her own job—Addie packs away her emotional baggage and turns on the professional charm. 

Rugged as the land he loves, Logan Sutherland’s greatest joy is sharing the beauty of Scotland’s hidden gems…even if it means a wee bit of red ink on the company’s bottom line. The last thing Logan wants is some American “expert” pushing tourist traps and perpetuating myths about the Loch Ness Monster—especially when Addie never leaves her desk to experience the country for herself. 

As they wage an office war, Logan discovers Addie’s secret connection to Scotland: a handful of faded Polaroids of her late mother. Hoping for a truce, he creates a private tour to the places in the pictures to help Addie find closure and appreciate the enchantment in less-traveled destinations, never expecting the off-limits attraction sparking between them. But Addie’s contract is almost up, and magic won’t pay the bills. They can’t afford distractions, but how can Addie do her job if she hasn’t explored all Scotland—and Logan—have to offer?

#BookReview: The Holiday Mix-Up by Ginny Baird

Synopsis: Lonely-hearted waitress Katie Smith has nowhere to go for Christmas, and a huge crush on her gorgeous diner patron Juan Martinez. So when Juan asks Katie to pose as his girlfriend for holiday festivities at his family's winery, Katie leaps at the chance… that is, until an accident lands Juan in a coma right after giving his folks the "news."

Katie knows she should tell the Martinezes the truth, but when they immediately embrace her, Katie is reluctant to let her fantasy of a family holiday go. And then there's Juan's brother, Mateo, whose smile tugs at her heartstrings just right—and who tells her perfect Juan might not be everything he seems.

Second son Mateo Martinez loves his brother, but Juan's plan to "rebrand and expand" Los Cielos Cellars has cost their family too much and put its entire tradition in jeopardy. Katie seems to understand, but she's still committed to Juan… even when Mateo starts to wish her gentle heart and beautiful smile were committed to him instead.

With the winery at stake, secrets on all sides, and Juan due to wake up any day, can Katie and Mateo follow their hearts to a Christmas miracle, or will this mix-up ruin their chances?

#BookReview: Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley @BistroBookBabes Canary Street Press @HarlequinBooks @LexiLikesToRead

Synopsis: Ready or Scot...

Globetrotter Addie Macrae always follows her wanderlust. As a travel consultant, she jet sets around the world—anywhere but Scotland. But when she’s sent on assignment to help a struggling family-run tour company in the Highlands—and save her own job—Addie packs away her emotional baggage and turns on the professional charm. 

Rugged as the land he loves, Logan Sutherland’s greatest joy is sharing the beauty of Scotland’s hidden gems…even if it means a wee bit of red ink on the company’s bottom line. The last thing Logan wants is some American “expert” pushing tourist traps and perpetuating myths about the Loch Ness Monster—especially when Addie never leaves her desk to experience the country for herself. 

As they wage an office war, Logan discovers Addie’s secret connection to Scotland: a handful of faded Polaroids of her late mother. Hoping for a truce, he creates a private tour to the places in the pictures to help Addie find closure and appreciate the enchantment in less-traveled destinations, never expecting the off-limits attraction sparking between them. But Addie’s contract is almost up, and magic won’t pay the bills. They can’t afford distractions, but how can Addie do her job if she hasn’t explored all Scotland—and Logan—have to offer?

#BookReview: When Among Crows by Veronica Roth @torbooks

Synopsis: Step into a city where monsters feast on human emotions, knights split their souls to make their weapons, and witches always take more than they give.

Pain is Dymitr’s calling. To slay the monsters he’s been raised to kill, he had to split his soul in half to make a sword from his own spine. Every time he draws it, he gets blood on his hands. 

Pain is Ala’s inheritance. When her mother died, a family curse to witness horrors committed by the Holy Order was passed onto her. The curse will claim her life, as it did her mother’s, unless she can find a cure. 

One fateful night in Chicago, Dymitr comes to Ala with a bargain: her help in finding the legendary witch Baba Jaga in exchange for an enchanted flower that just might cure her. Desperate, and unaware of what Dymitr really is, Ala agrees. 

But they only have one day before the flower dies . . . and Ala's hopes of breaking the curse along with it.

#BookReview: Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley @BistroBookBabes Canary Street Press @HarlequinBooks

Synopsis: Ready or Scot...

Globetrotter Addie Macrae always follows her wanderlust. As a travel consultant, she jet sets around the world—anywhere but Scotland. But when she’s sent on assignment to help a struggling family-run tour company in the Highlands—and save her own job—Addie packs away her emotional baggage and turns on the professional charm. 

Rugged as the land he loves, Logan Sutherland’s greatest joy is sharing the beauty of Scotland’s hidden gems…even if it means a wee bit of red ink on the company’s bottom line. The last thing Logan wants is some American “expert” pushing tourist traps and perpetuating myths about the Loch Ness Monster—especially when Addie never leaves her desk to experience the country for herself. 

As they wage an office war, Logan discovers Addie’s secret connection to Scotland: a handful of faded Polaroids of her late mother. Hoping for a truce, he creates a private tour to the places in the pictures to help Addie find closure and appreciate the enchantment in less-traveled destinations, never expecting the off-limits attraction sparking between them. But Addie’s contract is almost up, and magic won’t pay the bills. They can’t afford distractions, but how can Addie do her job if she hasn’t explored all Scotland—and Logan—have to offer?

#BookReview: When Stars Come Out (When Stars Come Out, #1) by @ScarlettStClai1@Read_Bloom

Synopsis: Anora Silby can see the dead and turn spirits into gold coins, two things she would prefer to keep secret as she tries to lead a normal life at her new school. After all, she didn't change her identity for nothing.

Hiding her weirdness is just one of many challenges. By the end of her first day, she's claimed the soul of a dead girl on campus and lost the coin. Turns out, the coin gives others the ability to steal souls, and when a classmate ends up dead, there's no mistaking the murder weapon.

Navigating the loss of her Poppa, the mistrust of her mother, and Roundtable, an anonymous student gossip app threatening to expose her, are hard enough. Now she must find the person who stole her coin before more lives are lost, but that means making herself a target for the Order, an organization that governs the dead on Earth - and they want Anora and her powers for themselves.

From the brilliant mind of A Touch of Darkness's bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair comes a crossover reimagining of Orpheus and Eurydice, in a darkly unique fantasy world.

#BookReview: Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Koral and her older brother Emrik risk their lives each day to capture the monstrous maristags that live in the black seas around their island. They have to, or else their family will starve.

In an oceanic world swarming with vicious beasts, the Landers―the ruling elite, have indentured Koral's family to provide the maristags for the Glory Race, a deadly chariot tournament reserved for the upper class. The winning contender receives gold and glory. The others―if they're lucky―survive.

When the last maristag of the year escapes and Koral has no new maristag to sell, her family's financial situation takes a turn for the worse and they can't afford medicine for her chronically ill little sister. Koral's only choice is to do what no one in the world has ever dared: cheat her way into the Glory Race.

But every step of the way is unpredictable as Koral races against contenders―including her ex-boyfriend―who have trained for this their whole lives and who have no intention of letting a low-caste girl steal their glory. When a rebellion rises and rogues attack Koral to try and force her to drop out, she must choose―her life or her sister's―before the whole island burns.

She grew up battling the monsters that live in the black seas, but it couldn't prepare her to face the cunning cruelty of the ruling elite.

Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and These Violent Delights, this South Asian-inspired fantasy is a gripping debut about the power of the elite, the price of glory, and one girl's chance to change it all.

#BookReview: Eyes on Me (Salacious Players Club #2) by Sara Cate

Synopsis: He's a voyeur―it means he likes to watch.

In Garrett Porter's line of work, that's a gift. As one of the owners of the Salacious Players' Club, he's comfortable on the sidelines and has always felt that he works best alone.

Until he stumbles on a cam girl app and finds himself watching the one person he should stay far away his step-sister, Mia Harris.

There are three big problems with this.

One, Mia and Garrett can't stand each other. 
Two, she has no idea he's the man on the other end of the video. 
And three, he's hooked―on the app, and on her. 

Now Mia has awakened something in Garrett. She has him wanting and doing things he said he'd never do again, like opening up and getting attached. He's falling for her, but she's falling for the man he's only pretending to be.

If he's going to make this right, he has to do more than just watch.

#BookReview: Madame (Salacious Player's Club, #6) by Sara Cate

Synopsis: They think they know me, but they have no idea. 
As a professional Domme, I see men and women come and go. But no one ever sticks around, and I like it that way. 
I have a secret to protect—at all costs. 
So when the cocky, handsome, and submissive Clay Bradley weasels his way into my heart, I do the one thing I’ve always excelled at. I push him away—forever. And like a good boy, he listens. 
But a few months later, during a chance encounter, he shows up again, but this time he isn’t alone. He has the stunning Jade on his arm. And she has a request of her own. 
She wants me to teach her. 
I should say no. Training a woman who makes my knees weak is bad enough. But this particular woman is dating the man who still has my heart. It’s a recipe for disaster. 
Made worse by one simple fact—they know my secret. 
And they won’t let go. 
But how can I protect what’s mine if I’m holding onto them too? 
Jade and Clay are the only ones who truly see me and the only ones who know… I’m so much more than Madame.

#BookReview: When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein

Synopsis: A steamy, opposites-attract romance with undeniable chemistry between a grumpy retired footballer and his fabulous and very sunshine-y ghostwriter.

When grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into selling his memoirs, he knows he’s never going to be able to write them. He hates revealing a single thing about himself, is allergic to most emotions, and can’t imagine doing a good job of putting pen to paper.

And so in walks curvy, cheery, cute as heck ghostwriter Mabel Willicker, who knows just how to sunshine and sass her way into getting every little detail out of Alfie. They banter and bicker their way to writing his life story, both of them sure they’ll never be anything other than at odds.

But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a budding romance, the pair have to pretend to be an item for a public who’s ravenous for more of this Cinderella story. Or at least, it feels like it’s pretend―until each slow burn step in their fake relationship sparks a heat neither can control. Now they just have to is this sizzling chemistry just for show? Or something so real it might just give them their fairytale ending?

#BookReview: Unleashing Chaos by @CAndFBooks Crystal J. Johnson & Felicity Vaughn @WattpadBooks

Synopsis: Desideria is looking for true love…
When your father, the king of demons, tells you to find an eternal partner in ninety days, you do it―because the alternative is worse.

Jace’s heart is shattered and guarded…
All I asked for was a quiet roommate to help with the bills instead I got a sassy demon princess.

Cannon wants everyone to be happy, but …
Sure, I want to help my friends, but I’ve got ambitions too.


Infernis help them.

A visit to the human realm is Desi’s last-ditch effort to find the partner of her dreams―she wants to marry for love―but with only three months to fall head over heels and take someone home to her chaotic family in Infernis, it seems impossible.

When every date Desi goes on ends in disaster, she enlists the help of her two handsome roommates. While one is friendly and fun, willing to help in any way he can, the other is stern and impenetrable, resolute in his theory that everlasting love isn’t possible. But as much as she’d like to deny it, Desideria is an agent of chaos, and she quickly starts knocking down walls and crossing boundaries–in every aspect of her romantic life..

Maybe it was kismet that landed Desi in Denver, but the choice she and her new friends have to make will define not only their futures, but that of an entire realm.

#BookReview: Mercy (Salacious Players Club #4) by Sara Cate @SaraCate3 @SourcebooksCasa

Synopsis: She doesn't want to hurt him ― she just wants to punish him…

Being the only female owner of the Salacious Players' Club, Maggie Anderson thought her life was hard enough. But as the club continued to grow, she felt more and more on the outskirts as the only one who didn't have a kink. Or so she thought… 

When she takes a kink quiz on the club's new app and learns that she's a Domme, she realizes that she might not be quite so vanilla after all. In fact, she's a lot more like her colleague, Emerson Grant, than she thought. There's just one problem ― she doesn't know how to be a Domme. Or she didn't, until the app matched her with someone willing to learn. But he's too young. Too stubborn. Too good looking. And, to top it off, Emerson's son.

Beau Grant is a brat. And Maggie would hate that about him it if she didn't love punishing him so much. Yet she's beginning to see that underneath his attitude, Beau is misunderstood, self-less, and in need of direction. But if it's mercy he's after, he'll have to earn it first. 

She finally knows what she wants, and she's ready to take it.

"Punchy, unputdownable…a must for every reader who likes their romances to walk on the wild side." ― Sierra Simone, USA Today bestselling author, for Praise

#BookReview: The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska

Synopsis: A gripping, dark enemies-to-lovers LGBTQ+ YA fantasy about two girls who must choose between saving themselves, each other, or their sinking island home.

Every year on St. Walpurga's Eve, Caldella’s Witch Queen lures a boy back to her palace. An innocent life to be sacrificed on the full moon to keep the island city from sinking.

Lina Kirk is convinced her brother is going to be taken this year. To save him, she enlists the help of Thomas Lin, the boy she secretly loves, and the only person to ever escape from the palace. But they draw the queen’s attention, and Thomas is chosen as the sacrifice.

Queen Eva watched her sister die to save the boy she loved. Now as queen, she won't make the same mistake. She's willing to sacrifice anyone if it means saving herself and her city.

When Lina offers herself to the queen in exchange for Thomas’s freedom, the two girls await the full moon together. But Lina is not at all what Eva expected, and the queen is nothing like Lina envisioned. Against their will, they find themselves falling for each other as water floods Caldella’s streets and the dark tide demands its sacrifice.

#BookReview: Don't Go to Sleep by Bryce Moore

Synopsis: A seventeen-year old girl goes up against the notorious axeman murderer in 1918 in this suspenseful historical fiction story from the author of The Perfect Place to Die.

Gianna is the average seventeen-year-old girl living in 1918 New Orleans. She worries about her family's store, the great war, and a mysterious illness that's about to take hold of the city she loves.

It doesn't help that there also appears to be a mad man on the loose in her neighborhood. The attacks started as burglaries but soon escalate to cold blooded murder. There's a killer out there, and the police can't seem to figure out how to stop him.

Gianna enlists the help of her friend Enzo to investigate. And as they study the crimes, they see a common link between the victims, and Gianna can't help but wonder if it's the same man who attacked her family years before.

As Gianna gets closer to the killer, she discovers a connection between them that she never would have suspected.

#BookReview: Kate (Madison Kate #4) by @TateJamesAuthor @Read_Bloom

Synopsis: "I never miss."

Riot Night changed my life.

Coming back to Shadow Grove turned it on its head.

I've been hunted, stabbed, stalked, tormented, and used. Hate fueled me, lies tore me apart, and in the end, everything I thought I knew turned out to be fake.

Except…Riot Night also brought Archer, Kody, and Steele back into my life. No matter how much I've fought my feelings for them, no matter how much I've hated them or how many of their deceptions I've uncovered―I want them in my life. I want to fight for them. All three of them.

No one owns me.

No one is taking them away.

This is my life, damn it, and these guys are mine to keep.

If a war is what it takes, then a war is what our enemies will get.