Review: Kiss Me Again by Emma Hart

Kiss Me Again by Emma Hart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.  This book releases on October 22, 2019.

This is the third book in the Kiss Me series and follows Ava one of three best friends. If you have read the previous books in the series, you will be familiar with Ava and her somewhat ornery personality. She works as a bartender at the local bar and is hopelessly in love with her brother’s best friend. When her brother, Leo and his besty, Ethan move back home to work at her Uncle’s garage she finds herself living with Ethan. Ethan and Ava have never gotten along, they have been known to go out of their way fight with each other. Everyone in town, except Ethan and Ava, knows that they are secretly in love with each other which is why they pretend to hate one another.

Ava’s bitchy personality and constant need to fight with everyone took away from the comedy in this book for me. She wasn’t like that in the previous books and her abrasiveness was pretty over the top at times. It just made her really unlikable; fortunately she eventually takes off her armor and shows that she is kind, thoughtful, and funny. This is a true hate to love. Ethan and Ava start a roommate war of epic proportions, pranking each other at every opportunity. Ethan doesn’t take Ava’s prickly nature lying down; he yells back at her and comes up with crazy ideas to get her back when she messes with him. I don’t want to spoil their prank war because that part is actually pretty funny. They have some pretty good banter and I loved that Reagan, Halley, and the rest of the gang were all there encouraging the antics between Ava and Ethan.


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Review: Love in Due Time by L.B. Dunbar

Love in Due Time by L.B. Dunbar
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has some unique characters. They are both older, and by that I mean late 30’s so they are more mature in their decision making, have jobs, and are generally more responsible. We have Nathan who in his youth toyed with joining the Wraiths but now he’s a single dad who has moved back to Green Valley to be closer to family and raise his two daughters. Our female lead, Naomi is a librarian who also happens to be Wiccan. She is shunned from the locals because they don’t understand her and think she’s a “witch”. She has a lot of guilt and pent up trauma from her very strict religious childhood.

Nathan and Naomi met years ago and had a one night stand. They had an instant connection but life happened and they went their separate ways. When they run into each other at the library, that old connection flares once again.

Throughout the book Naomi says something to the effect of “I’m going to be bad at this” or “I’m so bad at this”. She’s supposed to be this independent woman who doesn’t care what other people think, tied to nature and a goddess who empowers women. The constant self-deprecation got old and really detracted from the romance element. I wanted her to heal from her past trauma and become empowered by her relationship and get over the guilt and shame she felt, but it was always present in almost every scene. I just found it distracting.

Once you get past that, it really was a good story. If you like slow burn, second chance romances with a bit of an edge give this a read. Nathan does a really great job being patient with Naomi as she comes to terms with who she is and what she wants. She eventually realizes that it truly is OK to want things and that she needs to let go of the past. He accepts her quirks and never asks her to change. He is sweet and makes every attempt to get to know her. Naomi has a lot to figure out, but so does Nathan. At almost 40 Naomi is finally able to figure out that is OK to want a companion in her life and that doesn’t take away from the person she has become. Nathan comes to the conclusion that he wants Naomi in his life a little quicker, but he is up for the challenge of convincing her. They make a good couple. The element with the Wraiths adds a darker element to the story that keeps things interesting because they are so unpredictable.

I'm looking forward to more from this series and getting to know some of the side characters, like Naomi's sister and the other librarians.

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Spookathon Wrap UP

I did pretty well on my first Spookathon.  I didn't actually think I'd get through all my books, but I was able to get through all of the prompts.

I had a ton of books to read and review this month, so of course I decided to do a readathon right in the middle of it.  One of them was an ARC coming out at the end of the month, and the rest of them were things I already had on my TBR so I call that a win.  I actually enjoyed all of the books so this week was a success.

• Read a thriller
• Verity by Colleen Hoover
• I bought this shortly after it came out in 2018, and I've been meaning to get to it ever since.  Spookathon was the perfect time to read this dark thriller.  This book is really messed up.  It is really creepy for a domestic thriller because you aren't really sure what is actually happening.  I found parts of it fairly predictable while other parts were very creative.  
• Read a book with a spooky word in the title
• Spell on Wheels by Kate Leth, Megan Levens, Marissa Louise, Jen Bartel, and Nate Piekos
• This was really fun.  It has been on my TBR forever.  It follows three friends, who happen to be witches with different powers.  When their apartment is robbed and their magical items are sold on a kind of dark ebay, they go on a road trip to track down their stuff from the people who bought them.  I'm looking forward to the next installment.
• Read a book with a spooky setting
• Shadows by Kristen Proby
• I was really excited to get an ARC of this.  This is a paranormal romance.  The thriller parts are really dark and creepy.  The romance parts are very insta-lovey and very much follow the "we are fated to be together" trope.  This is definitely set in the spooky parts of New Orleans as the main character is a medium that gives ghost tours in the most haunted parts of the city.  She also sees the shadows of those who have passed on, and when the creepiest of serial killers seems to be targeting her it gets even spookier.  
• Read a book with red on the cover
• There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool
• This a slow paced fantasy.  It has several points of view and revolves around a prophecy and those who are trying to make sure the prophecy comes true to save the world, and those who are trying to thwart the prophecy to eliminate those who are graced with various powers.  Each character has a pivotal role to play in the destruction or salvation of the world as they know it.  They each struggle with fulfilling their destiny or following their own desires.
• Read something you wouldn't normally read
• The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures by Aaron Manhke
• This is an audiobook I got for free on Volumes, which is Penguin Random House Audio’s app. The author tells us the history of monsters such as vampires from pop culture and where and how the stories came about.  While I read a ton of fiction, I don't always read the history behind the legends and folklore and I definitely don't read a ton of non-fiction.  I love mythology so you'd think I would.  This was awesome!  I'll be checking into his other books of Lore, he has 2 others.  I also want to check out his podcast which I understand inspired the books. 

Review: Shadows by Kristen Proby

Shadows by Kristen Proby
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fairly dark paranormal romance with a pretty creepy thriller element. I'm looking forward to the next installment. Each book in the trilogy is set to follow one of three sisters as the main character.

This one focuses on the eldest sister who sees the dead as shadows. When the shadows begin following her and haunting her dreams, she knows that she has to help them somehow. She teams up with a handsome FBI agent who happened to be on one of her ghost tours of the city and helps her discover that she's is the ultimate target of a serial killer. They have an insta-love connection, which I could have done without. While the romance worked, I wanted more of the paranormal with the sisters and the other witches. While the romance element was nice, I'm not a fan of insta-love as a preference and it just happened way to quickly for my taste. I really enjoyed the thriller element to this story. It really pushed the limits dark and disturbing. It is perfect for this time of year. That being said I don't want to give anything away because the paranormal part reads like a thriller and I really enjoyed that part. As a big fan of thrillers it gets a thumbs up from me and I can't wait to see what is in store for the sisters in the next installment.

This was my first book by Kristen Proby and I'll be checking out more by her. I'd like to read her actual romance works as I enjoyed her writing style and her characters. I think in this case the romance was overshadowed by the thriller element (which I loved), and I'd really like to see what one of her fully developed romances looks like. For her first go at a paranormal romance this is a great PNR debut.

I'd stay away from this if you don't like gruesome stuff as parts of this are pretty twisted and violent. If that stuff doesn't bother you, pick this up it is a page turner for sure and you won't want to put it down!

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Review: Happy Trail by Daisy Prescott

Happy Trail by Daisy Prescott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.  This book releases on October 22nd and is the first in the Park Ranger series.  It is a standalone, and none of the other books in the Smartypants or Pennyverse need to be read prior to reading this one.

This follows Ranger Jay, an introverted park ranger who loves the solitude of the great outdoors that his job offers. When a snowstorm threatens the part of the Appalachian Trail his station is responsible for, Jay has the responsibility to hike the trail and warn any hikers he can find about the weather and make sure they get to safety before the storm hits. He runs into Snowbird, aka Olive, a stubborn hiker with something to prove. Olive is a rich, city girl who knew nothing about hiking when she started out on the trail several months ago, but when her relationship imploded on social media she decided she wanted to really hike the entire trail for a sense of accomplishment and not just hike for the likes and views while sleeping in a hotel every night. She's almost reached her goal of hiking the entire Appalachian Trail, when the storm hits and she is stuck in a creepy cabin with Ranger Jay for a few days until it is safe to make it to town and back onto the trail.

Both Jay and Olive are instantly attracted to one another, but Jay being a gentleman and a professional doesn't act on his impulses while they are snowed in. Olive is a little more immature about her attraction to Jay, partly because she's been alone for several months and the trail is getting to her and partly because she's an impulsive kind of person who does what she wants. As they have nothing else to do, they start to get to know each other while they are snowed in. They learn that they both share a love of birds and that they both have some serious baggage that they carry around. Despite some of their personal struggles they are both funny and witty, which leads to some pretty great banter between them. I really enjoyed watching their romance flourish and getting to know these two characters.

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Release Blitz: Sticking to the Script by Stella Weaver

Sticking to the Script, an all-new standalone in the romantic comedy Cipher Office series, from Stella Weaver is available now!

Steven Thompson had a bad year. A string of mean, kinky (the alarming kind, not the good kind), and crazy dating debacles combined with a boss who appears to be experiencing male-prenatal-psychosis means Steven’s stress levels are high. They’re so high, he’s decided to quit dating and focus instead solely on his job.

Until he meets Dr. Ken Miles.

Doctor Ken Miles is having a fantastic year. His hard work is paying off in a big way . . . professionally. But his social life? Not so much.

Until he meets Steven Thompson.

Steven isn’t so sure about Dr. Miles, but Ken is one hundred percent certain about Mr. Thompson. And even though both men know full well that the key to getting what you want out of life is hard work, they can’t seem to make them—together—work.

Will they ever get on the same page? Or just keep sticking to the same old script?

'Sticking to the Script' is a full-length contemporary romantic comedy, can be read as a standalone, and is book#2 in the Cipher Office series, Knitting in the City World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

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About Stella Weaver

Stella Weaver is a reader, writer, sloppy crafter and family-woman. She’s a native of coastal northern California who now lives on the Texas Gulf coast. She’s won the much coveted #1 Mom of the Year Award and has the coffee mug to prove it.

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Release Blitz: Weight Expectations by M.E. Carter

“Hilarious, engaging and relatable, I started laughing out loud from the first page” -- Kristin Vayden, bestselling author

Weight Expectations, the first in the romantic comedy Cipher Office series of standalones, from M.E. Carter is available now!

Rian Thompson thought she joined the gym to get healthy. Little did she know she was about to add hundred and ninety pounds of swoonworthy abdominal muscles and arrogance to her life.

Every day in Rians’s life follows a predictable pattern, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s got a nice job, a nice place to live, and a nice family—even if they are a little wedding-zilla-ish at the moment.

She doesn’t need anything spectacular to be happy. She just needs to get healthy—mentally, physically. . . and maybe spiritually if that happens. But she’ll settle for two out of three until her sister finally gets hitched.

Carlos Davies thought his life was perfect. Little did he know it was about to be turned upside down by a woman who is not his type.

In Carlos’s mind, his life is damn near perfect. He’s got a great job, a great place to live, and a great stash of pick up lines that always work. It has occurred to him that maybe no one actually takes him all that seriously. But with these bulging biceps and thick, dark hair, does that even matter since he’s never sleeping alone?

Welcome to Weight Expectations, where great—and unexpected—things happen.

'Weight Expectations' is a full-length contemporary romantic comedy, can be read as a standalone, and is book#1 in the Cipher Office series, Knitting in the City World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

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About M.E. Carter

My name is ME Carter and I have no idea how I ended writing books. I’m more of a story teller (the more exaggerated the better) and I happen to know people who helped me get those stories on paper. I love reading (read almost 200 books last year), hate working out (but I do it anyway because my trainer makes me), love food (but hate what it does to my butt) and love traveling to non-touristy places most people never see. I live in Houston with my four kids, Mary, Elizabeth, Carter and Bug, who was just a twinkle in my eye when I came up with my pen name. Yeah, I’ll probably have to pay for his therapy someday for being left out.

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