Review: A Royal Mile by Samantha Young

A Royal Mile by Samantha Young
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author, all opinions are my own.

I’m really enjoying the second generation of the Dublin Street kids. This follows Lily, Liv and Cam’s eldest daughter who is a student working towards her degree in psychotherapy and also has a dating podcast with her friends. She hasn’t had the best luck with dating and relationships, but she hasn’t let that keep her down. Sebastian on the other hand doesn’t want a serious relationship. He’s k own as a player and only wants to be friends with Lily. Their relationship has gotten off to a rocky start, but with time they become inseparable and feelings become more than friendly.

I really enjoyed getting to know Lily and Sebastian. I also loved getting to see all of the characters from the original Dublin Street series all grown up and as parents. Both characters have a great friend group to support them through think and thin. Our characters face some obstacles as they sort out their feelings for one another, and having a strong support group was key to them figuring things out. They also had great chemistry and communication once they started working together on how they felt about each other.

This reads as a complete standalone, but if you want to get to know Beth and Callan who are mentioned several times I. This book I highly recommend On Loverose Lane.

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Review: Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare

Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and the Berkley Besties program, all opinions are my own.

This was a super cute multi-verse romance. It borders on cozy, however the stakes are pretty high as Tressa Fay and her lady love Meryl's relationship deepens. This follows Tressa Fay an outspoken hairstylist, who has great friends, loves her job, and wants to sit at home with a nice bowl of soup with her cat. When a text from a wrong number beckons her to meet a mystery woman who never shows she is not only irritated that she left her perfectly good bowl of soup, but that she feels like she was catfished. When Meryl's sister shows up demanding to know what is going on between them and where Meryl is, Tressa Fay and her friends are determined to figure out how Meryl and Tressa Fay are connected.

I really enjoyed the multi-verse aspect of this romance. I appreciated the science aspect and explanations, but that may not be everyone's cup of tea. I am a huge scifi fan, so I enjoyed it. Tressa Fay and Meryl weren't always together or even in the same time period, but their interactions were fun and flirty as they got to know each other through text message. When they were together in the same time and place, they were always aware of Meryl's eventual disappearance or working to change that part of her timeline. Their in person interactions were again fun and flirty and the multi-verse aspect was unique take on a romance. This has some great humor, some spice, and a great group of friends to support the characters.

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Review: The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided and ARC of this book via Sourcebooks and Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this suspenseful, family drama. This follows ghostwriter Olivia in the wake of her social ousting. She had the gall to speak her mind at a conference and now she has essentially been cancelled and what was once a successful career ghostwriting memoirs and nonfiction has completely dried up. No one wants to be associated with her after she angered one of publishing's most successful writers. When a new project crosses her desk she has to take it, it just so happens to be her estranged father's memoir and the story everyone has wanted him to tell about what happened to his family. The problem is Olivia isn't sure if this is another one of his horror novels, another way he is trying to manipulate her, or if he really is telling the truth about what happened.

I haven't read a good thriller in quite a while. This alternates between the present day from Olivia's perspective, her father Vincent's perspective in 1975, as well as her Aunt Poppy's perspective also in 1975. In the present, Vincent's health is failing and he wants to tell the truth about what happened to his brother and sister as he is the only one who knows the truth. In bringing Olivia on to tell his story, it was almost as if he was making amends in a way for many things. Olivia is given very specific stipulations on how she must write the book, but being a good writer and a prior journalist she is able to seek out the information she needs to make sense of what her father tells her and the notes and clues he's left her. As we travel back in time and hear from Vincent and Poppy we learn of the tension and dark emotions that were running among the 3 Taylor siblings. There were plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing as to what really happened and why Vincent was so secretive about it all of these years.

If you are looking for a book full of secrets and scavenger hunts, this is a great read.

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Review: Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit

Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and the Berkley Besties program.

This was really cute! We follow Naomi as she works really hard to establish her independent brand consulting business aft work working at a corporate firm. Her latest rebranding job is a local bazaar who's owner is very hard to please. Naomi's mother did not raise her with a traditional Bengali upbringing, and she feels alienated when she is around other's who were raised in a traditional India home. She wants desperately to connect with her heritage, but she doesn't know who or how to ask. Enter Dev, son of the woman who's bazaar Naomi is rebranding. Dev much like Naomi's mother wants to break free of the confines of the traditions that are being forced upon him. His mother has hired a matchmaker and wants him to have an arranged marriage. He was forced into a career he doesn't really love because his father would only accept certain careers, and he never seems to be able to do anything right. While working with Naomi, things start to fall into place as she runs interference for him on his potential matches as his fake girlfriend and opens her world to the culture and traditions she has never experienced under the guise of research for the rebranding.

I thought Dev and Naomi had great interactions. Their grumpy sunshine dynamic played well with the plotline of wanting to fit in and know your culture and knowing and feeling overwhelmed by it. I still don't understand why it was a big secret that Naomi wasn't raised with the culture by her mom and that she wanted to learn more about her heritage. I get being embarrassed by that, and not wanting to make her mom mad, but that whole thread seemed a weak and underdeveloped. Perhaps I missed something. Overall, this has some spicy scenes, some emotional scenes, and I overall thought this was a fun read.

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Review: A Fate Forged in Fire: A Novel by Hazel McBride

A Fate Forged in Fire: A Novel by Hazel McBride
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.  In full transparency I did end up listening to the audiobook via my Spotify subscription, which I pay for myself as I wanted to get this reviewed as close to release date as possible.

This is the first book in an adult romantasy duology.  There are several spicy scenes in this but the fantasy and political plotlines far out shadow the romance.  This is definitely adult as there are several triggering scenes and quite a few adult topics covered.  This talks about body autonomy when it comes to women and motherhood, there is a particularly gruesome scene where the main character is almost brutally sterilized by one of the priests of the opposing religion.  There are quite a few detailed fight scenes, so if gory details and blood aren't your cup of tea you may want to skip this one.  

This leans into Celtic lore and Ameyra our main character is the true born queen according to the laws of the kingdom.  She has been hidden away to protect her identity and now she and those loyal to her are making a play to retake the thrown and kingdom.  The reigning king has just died and his son is poised to take the throne.  He is supported by an opposing religion that claims Amerya and those like her blessed by the goddesses with magic are demons.  The road to the throne is not going to be easy as her people are starving and dying under the oppressive rule of their new King, and she is not able to seize power as easily has she had hoped.  Her forces must go to war but at what cost?

I thought the world building and fantasy elements were really well done.  The plot was well constructed and I loved the female based power structure.  Amerya on the other hand is supposed to be one of the most powerful magic wielders and trained to become queen, yet she makes some really poor decisions when it comes to her actions.  She is not the female leader that her people need and at every turn she is often thwarted by the opposition and by her own advisors.  I hope in the next book we see more character development from her and she grows into the queen she needs to be, not the damsel in distress she often was in this first book.  

I'm looking forward to the next book to find out how our characters grow and what happens now that the two sides are truly at war.

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Release Day: Meet Cute or Your Money Back by Katana Collins

That awkward moment when the matchmaker becomes the match…

Meet Cute or Your Money Back, an all-new grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, matchmaker romcom  from USA Today bestselling author Katana Collins is now available!

I know what women want in a man and they pay me a lot of money to find it for them. 

With the help of my fellow ex-special forces brothers, I opened up a matchmaking business where we use our military skills to help our clients find The One. And it turns out a little military strategy goes a long way.

I treat each new client in my matchmaking business like its own mission. And I’m proud to say that I have a one hundred percent success rate.

Or at least I did. Before Allie Larsen entered the picture. 

She’s smart. She’s beautiful. She’s charming…

… and she’s impossible to please.

But when it turns out Allie has secrets she’s been keeping, she not only jeopardizes her own matchmaking mission, but she puts both our lives in danger.

Except this time, it's not only my life at risk... it's my heart.

When they said, "All's fair in love and war," I'm not sure this is what they meant.

 

Start reading today!

FREE in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon:  https://amzn.to/4khFW9E 

Add Meet Cute or Your Money Back to Goodreads: https://tinyurl.com/mcoymbgr  

Keep reading for a look inside Meet Cute or Your Money Back!

I knew someone was following me from the moment I stepped out into the brisk city air. When you’re in my line of work, you learn not to ignore that prickling sensation on the back of your neck. I’ve had eyes on me enough times to know the difference between paranoia and the real deal. One surreptitious glance over my shoulder confirms that I’m right. Only it doesn’t appear to be some insidious threat lurking in the shadows; it’s a pair of round hazel, curious eyes that are trained on me.

“Okay,” I mutter under my breath, tightening my grip on my to-go paper coffee cup, “time to face the music.”

      

I make a sharp turn down an alleyway, my boots echoing off the graffiti-stained walls. There’s a method to this madness—alleyways are good for confrontations, fewer prying eyes. I position myself around the corner behind a dumpster and wait, counting the seconds. Sure enough, the soft patter of footsteps crescendos as she rounds the bend, almost on cue.

  

I pull my gun from my waistband, ensuring the safety is still on and raise it chest height as I step out from the shadows. “Why are you following me?”

      

I cringe as she spins to face me, her pouty, berry-shaded lips parted in a gasp. “Oh my lord! That’s a gun!” she cries with the timbre of a kindergarten teacher.

      

“Wow, look at you, Detective Sunshine. So tell me…are you lost or just really into following people?” My tone’s casual, but my stance is anything but. I hold firm with the gun raised, waiting for her to stumble over some lie. But she stops short, blinking up at me with an expression that’s part surprise, part chagrin.

      

“Following you?” Her voice has that high-pitched quality of someone caught red-handed. She laughs—a nervous kind of laugh—and then looks away, searching for an escape route that isn’t there. “No, no, I...I was...”

      

“Let’s cut to the chase.” I step closer and see her swallow hard. Good. Keep her on her toes. “You’ve been tailing me since we both exited the coffee shop. What’s your game?”

She tugs at the strap of her bag, clearly buying time, and I can tell she’s not used to being cornered. Most folks aren’t. Then again, I’ve learned not to trust anyone. Especially some cute brunette playing innocent. I’ve seen firsthand how the doe-eyed Bambi can be trained to lie through their teeth and turn into the deadliest assassin in the room in a blink of those mascara-laden eyes.

      

I’m absolutely not falling for that act.

      

“Who are you?” I demand, not unkindly, but firmly enough to show I mean business. I can see the wheels turning behind those wide eyes, the cogs of her brain grinding as she sizes up whether to run or spill as she stares down the barrel of my gun.

      

“Okay, okay...” She exhales sharply, a half-defeated chuckle escaping her lips. “This is going to sound strange, but⁠—”

She shifts her weight from one foot to the other, and I notice for the first time how the setting sunlight catches in her wavy hair, turning it into liquid amber. There’s this playful glint in her hazel eyes that makes them shimmer like two drops of top-shelf whiskey. The sundress she’s wearing clings to her petite frame in a way that’s casual but deliberate, like a flag staked on the territory of her curves.

      

“I’m waiting.”

      

“Look,” she starts, tipping her head back to meet my gaze with a confidence that’s almost disarming. “I saw you back there, in the café. You were like some kind of cabernet Cupid, helping that girl with the spilled wine connect with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.”

For more information about Katana Collins and her books, visit her website: 

https://katanacollins.com 

Review: Meet Cute or Your Money Back by Katana Collins

Meet Cute or Your Money Back by Katana Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author and Literally Your PR, all opinions are my own.

This was a really fun rom-com about an aspiring investigative journalist and a former Navy Seal turned matchmaker.  Allie is a food critic for a local newspaper, but her dream is to be an investigative journalist.  She hasn't hit her big break yet, but while writing her latest food column she spots an interesting situation that might just make for a great pitch to her editor.  Enter Thatcher, a retired Navy Seal who has started a covert matchmaking company to raise his son after tragedy struck his family.  Two of his special forces buddies help him run his company, and they also help him on a secret non-matchmaking mission on the side.  

Allie hires Thatcher to find her soul mate, and she plans to write the best piece of journalism she can about dating and matchmaking she possibly can without breaking her NDA.  The only problem in she and Thatcher seem to have more chemistry than any of the dates he sets her up on.  As Allie and Thatcher get to know each other better, she uncovers his side mission and that his special forces days aren't quite over.  While she is writing a piece on his matchmaking, she may be onto something much bigger and much more dangerous. 

You do have to suspend your disbelief a few times for the zany things Allie does and some of the situations our couple are put into at the end.  They get into some unrealistic situations, which make give the book plenty of humorous moments, which makes this an entertaining read. This has a big of a romantic suspense element on top of the humor.  

The epilogue with Maple the rescue dog was heart wrenching and beautiful.  That chapter alone gets 5 stars!  Biscuit was such a huge part of the book, but he really stole my heart during this scene.

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