Thursday, February 27, 2020

Book Review: August Raven by LeAnn L. Morgan

Image result for august raven leann     Morganna never knew her real father because her mother had left him as soon as she had found out she was pregnant. They were from different social classes and he could never love a woman like her. It has been almost 17 years and the abuse from her step-father can no longer be ignored. Morganna must set out to find her birth father.
     Morganna is shocked to find that he is a well-known pirate and herself on his ship disguised as a boy named August Raven. When it turns out that she is a pretty good ship-mate and earns her father's respect how can she tell him that she is not only a girl but his daughter?
     The biggest complaint I have about this book is the fact that it only took me 2 hours to read it. I was caught up in the story from the moment it started and hope that there will be more to the story in the future. I feel that Morganna has so must potential and hope everything goes well for her in the future. To anyone looking for a pirate book that does not have romance in it this is the one for you!
This book is available for free at https://amzn.to/2Xca1xx. This book is available on Kindle Unlimited. 

Books by this author: 

Book Review: Water World Warrior by Lisa Lace (TerraMates Book 1)

Image result for water world warrior lisa lace      Ashlyn has taken care of her brothers since she became their sole guardian at 18 and even before that helping her mom out since her dad left at 9. She was a strong, smart, and beautiful woman who had put her dreams of being an ecological scientist on hold in order to take care of her family. She did this by working as a dressmaker, and they managed to stay afloat. That is until her brother takes up gambling in an attempt to go the easy way and puts them in debt to some very shady people in the amount of 300,000 credits.
     Nathaniel is a very well-off ecological science on a planet that is 88% water, with that number growing every day. He has an idea to make the world continue to be habitable. The problem is with supply ships being diverted to the rich rather than to those who lost their homes due to the rising water he must take actions into his own hands. In doing so he must now have a wife in order to stave off the police after a lie he told.
     Ashlyn is in it to help her family and Nathaniel is trying to stay out of jail so he can help his planet. Can the pair use their combined knowledge to not only save the planet, but also be happy together? Or will this marriage be nothing more than a one year marriage of convenience?
     I started by reading book 5 in this series, but everything I had read about the other books told me that although I didn't like that book very much it was a stand-alone and to not judge the rest of the series by that one. I am glad that I listened as I thoroughly enjoyed this book. In this book we follow a woman who is doing everything possible to protect her family from debtors and a man who is doing everything to save his planet and it's inhabitants. They just have to survive each other for one year in order to solve most of the problems. But maybe together they can solve all of the problems along with some they didn't even know they had.
     If you are looking for a pirate romance then enjoy this one. I may be getting the others in the series eventually.
This book is available on Amazon for $2.99 at https://amzn.to/2ZfLGtu.

Friday, February 21, 2020

Book Review: Auctioned to the Alpha by Lisa Lace (TerraMates Book 5)

Auctioned to the Alpha (TerraMates, #5)     Eden is desperate. She has to find some way to take care of her father, who is dying of cancer, and her little sister, who is going to college. That is hard to do, especially considering the fact that she was just fired for defending herself from a grabby man. With no where else to turn Eden goes into TerraMates hoping to find a lonely Barron or something of the sort in a country not too far from her own. Instead as soon as she signs the paperwork she is knocked unconscious and wakes up on an alien planet where humans are nothing.
     Thiago was in the auction-house during the female bidding, but he wasn't interested in them. Not until he seen the red-haired beauty in the exclusive lot. Once she was won she was delivered quickly and efficiently to his ship, promptly freaking out when his pet, Hercules, launched himself at her. Now if only she would stop running away...
     When a human woman is basically kidnapped from her planet and deposited on an alien one she must do everything in her power to escape. Not only does this alien bounty hunter plan to keep her he has a giant arachnid as a pet of all things! No, she simply must escape. Only how will she get back to Earth? Besides he has been nice and is sexy....maybe this won't be so bad after all.   
     This was the first book in the TerraMates series I read and until I started book 1 (which I am now reading) I had no idea that TerraMates is not normally like this. But, we all know how I am when it comes to reading books in order. Thankfully, at least this time, it was a stand-alone book so I was not missing plot points in a back story.
     This book was fun and fast paced. While I am not a huge fan of the captive female falls for owner role-play it was well executed. Throughout the book I didn't really feel a connection to any character other than Hercules. After all who could not love a giant dog-like spider pet? I don't feel like the characters were actually in love or even falling in love for most of the book. In fact they were more like friends with benefits. Honestly, in her place I almost can't blame Arthella for what she did. Okay, I can blame her for some of it, but I won't spoil it for you. All in all it is a decent book if you are looking for an odd almost romance to pass the time.
This book is available on Amazon for $2.99 at https://amzn.to/3fV2kEC.

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Book Review: The Pretend Billionaire Groom (Part 1) By Sierra A. Rose



     Rose has always fought her father's ideas of who she should become. Rather than following in his footsteps and becoming a lawyer she has became a beloved small-town veterinarian. Her father hated it so much that he had stopped helping her with her tuition costs and had glared at her from across the road silently judging her. He had never stopping imposing his will upon her, even from the grave. Yes, Rose's father was now dead. But, the old man had left something to her in his will. Maybe, just a little more than something. He left her everything. Under the circumstance that she gets married by her 27th birthday. Which is in a week.
      Once the initial shock wore off she and her best friend concocted a grand scheme. They would get married to each other. Rose loved Tommy and Tommy loved Rose. It would never be in the forever and always kind of way, but they were best friends. Being married for one year would be nothing! Except now Tommy's long lost brother, Dylan is joining them on this road trip to Vegas in order to be their best man. And too bad Dylan can't keep his eyes off Rose, whose childhood crush on the man doesn't seem to have faded with time.
     This is a fun, light-hearted story that leaves you wanting part 2! Currently, I have not read part two, but as always I will find time eventually. Hopefully. From the beginning I secretly hoped that it would be one of those stories where it turns out that the best friends fall in love with each other eventually, and that still could happen. But, I don't want to give anything away for our feisty little group.
   Rose is sassy and vibrant. She has a mane of curls and is breath-takingly gorgeous. Not that she really sees that. She judges herself based on the ease with which she can get in bed with a guy. Her words, not mine. That being said, she has left a string of broken hearts behind her. I love that she is getting back at her dad, and that her lawyer is even going to play along.
     Tommy is a true good-ole boy. He was raised by his Southern Comfort Momma in the little Tennessee town where he and his brother used to wreck havoc with his two best girls. The group, sans Dylan, still ran the town. Tommy was a genius and looked like a model, but he had a care-free spirit. Currently, he was actually trying to train a goat to open the door and be a butler. Good thing his best friend is a vet...
     Dylan left town shortly after graduating high school, attended business school, and is now a hot shot in New York. I know they told us what he did, but I am a little fuzzy on the details. I think our friend's spiked lemonade may have gotten to me, as the reader. He hasn't been home in 7 years, but now his brother has called him out of the blue, leaving a message saying he is getting married. The next morning he arrives to find his Rosie at he and his brother's house. And she is marrying his brother. Well, at least he can be the best man and witness to the pair's newest hair-brained scheme...
This book is available on Amazon for free at https://amzn.to/3bGX6sH.

Monday, February 3, 2020

Book Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Grisha Trilogy Book 1)

    Alina has never felt wanted by anyone. She was an orphan and is now serving in the King's First Army with the only friend she has ever had, Mal, as a mapmaker while he is a tracker. All of that changes when "sticks" vanquishes the volcra while crossing the void. It couldn't have been her, she just wanted to do anything she could to save the man she loved. But, the darkling seems to think that she is Grisha and a Sun Summoner. Now, at the little palace she must learn how to control her powers in order to save the kingdom from the void, created long ago by an ancient and power-hungry man.
     The more Alina fights who she is becoming the harder it becomes. It seems that the pressure that everyone around her has put on her shoulders is too much and she may never be what the Kingdom requires of her. That is until a dark secret is revealed to her and she must do everything in her power to save the Kingdom from the darkness that is descending upon it.
     I managed to start this book one day and finish it just a few short days later. When I began this book I was not aware that this is being released on Netflix in 2020. It simply came up on my list of suggested audio-books and I liked the cover. I have hopes for the TV series now, but will have completed the other two books in this series by November if I have my way about it.
     Before we get into who Alina is and how much I enjoyed this book I just want to say that the strong Russian ties, along with the choice of the last name Starkov is one of my favorite things in this book. My favorite children's movie is Anastasia, with my favorite character in it being Demitri Starkov. So, a character with that same last name made me overly pleased. Leigh will take you into her world and make you feel everything that Alina feels. Every disappointment, betrayal, and flash of anger shall become your own.
     I do not want to give anything away, but this is a fantasy book that will leave you on the edge of your seat. This promises to be an amazing series and it will be very hard for me not to immediately begin book two on this series. If you see this book anywhere, no matter your age, please grab it. Especially if you are a fan of fantasy!
This book is available on Amazon for $7.80 at https://amzn.to/3cLttrx.

Book Review: Shadow City by Anna Mocikat



     The world has changed forever from the one that we all know and love when The Glitch happened. No one knows why The Glitch happened, or even what The Glitch truly was. All we know is that Los Angeles is no longer the sprawling metropolis that it once was. Vampires are real, Dark Ones (which seem to be demonic creatures from a dimensional tear caused by The Glitch) lurk in downtown, mutants are seemingly around every corner, and humans are just trying their best to survive. That being said, this is all old news. The Glitch happened 30 years ago and humans are still around.
     For how long, though, is the question. There is a war about to break out and only the strong will survive. Can the feeble alliance between humans and vampires stand up to the power that is the Dark Ones? Will the unknown forces that dwell within Vincent be a saving grace or a hell all of their own? And will Colton, our seemingly human hero, be a hero at all?
     Eurydice is a vampire so vile and evil that she is considered a rouge among her own kind. She revels in death and destruction. Working with the Dark Ones has given her a sense of purpose that she had not felt in a long time before The Glitch. In fact that is the only thing she has felt much of akin to feelings in a long time, but maybe that will all change.
     Vincent is something that has taken over the body of a recently dead Human Force soldier. Whatever is inside of the once Vincent's body is otherworldly and on a mission. The only thing to ponder is if the mission is for the good of what remains of humanity, or to aid in its destruction.
     Bombshell was once a human. Now she is a cyborg; a titanium ghost of who she once was with her brain being the only human part of her remaining. This woman is one who is all badassery and will let no one stand in her way of defending her people.
     Eric is a vampire who is young by vampire standards and old by human ones. He retains most of his humanity and is okay with that. Sometimes, it is hard to let go of the things from our pasts and become who we shall be in the future. That little bit of humanity could mean all the difference.
     Colton was found on the outskirts of the eastern side of town with no memory of who he was or anything about the Glitch. Taken in by the Sands he is quickly filled in on everything that has happened over the last 30 years, but it seems there is more to Colton than meets the eye. All of his reflexes are honed and he is a born soldier, so it would seem. In a short period Colton has become the star in many peoples eyes. This could be a good thing or a bad one, for one person to have this much power and control.
     I write this review with a heavy heart. Not because I have any complaints with the book, rather because the book has ended. I know there will be a book two and that I will own it when it comes out. Until then I must live with the knowledge that I cannot have this story for a while. Anna has done an amazing job of emerging her reader so deeply into the story that nothing can tear us away. There were so many points in this book that I grumbled about having to go into work, simply because I had to put down the book in order to do so.
      Anna is not a native English speaker, and sometimes this does show through. That being said it in no way detracts from the storytelling and you will be in love from the first chapter. Anna is well aware, as is anyone who follows my Twitter, but Eurydice and Vincent are my favorites in this book. There are feelings, the unknown, and just the simple darkness that surrounds. I can't help but be in love with our dark-haired temptress. Yes, for once I have not fallen for the redhead in the story, although there is one, but for the dark haired bringer of death.
     Whether you are searching for a blossoming romance novel or simply a post apocalyptic novel where everything is unsafe from one day to the next this is the book for you. I have already referred so many people to this book and hope that many more can find their way within its pages. While this is not a world I would like to find myself in in real life, it is one I will get lost in any day!
This book is available on Amazon for Kindle Unlimited at https://amzn.to/2LD0F8H or buy it for $2.99.
Nephilim Volume 1