Book Review: The Hotel Penn by L. L. Abbott

     Rose moved to New York with the help of her mother after her fiancé died at the age of 17. Now, she has a job at the glamourous Hotel Pennsylvania and is witnessing a changing social scene as it sweeps the nation. Women fighting for their rights, the prohibition, and WW1 had just ended. Everything was so much grander than the small town of Clarington where she grew up, but with a front row seat to all the biggest changes there is more than her heart on the line. 

    I purchased this book at the suggestion of the author. Since it's purchase it has sat in my Kindle library, which was a year ago, and I started reading it at random. Scrolled through my unreads and clicked a book where the scrolling stopped. Fun way to pass the TBR. Anyways, this is a period book which I am always on the fence about. I either love them with everything in me or I am constantly rolling my eyes and waiting on the book to be over. In this case it was the prior. 

    I really enjoyed this book as it talks about the first year of the Hotel Penn and the events of a young girl carving out a life for herself among numerous huge changes that were happening in the US at that time. There is talks of inter-racial couples, which was frowned upon at that time, bootlegged gin, abortions, birth control, women standing up for their rights, and so much more. If you are looking for a fun, slightly sad romance book laden with history than look no farther. 

    After finishing this book I looked up the Hotel Penn and if this story rouses in you a desire to visit the Hotel Penn, as it is a real place, I am sorry to say that you will be disappointed. While the hotel is very real and was indeed opened in 1919 to a Mr. Statler just like in these pages the hotel was closed permanently in April, 2020 and there are now talks to demolish the great building for some kind of transportation thing. I am not sure the details about that. I was more interested in the hotel depicted then in what will be happening to it now that it is closed. If you have ever stayed in this once great hotel please tell me about it! I would love to hear your stories and see if you felt anything like what is mentioned from it's beginning! 

    This book is available on Amazon for $3.99 by clicking here or for free with Kindle Unlimited. 

Book Review: Dirty Together by Meghan March (Dirty Billionaires Book 3)

     Holly has ran back to her home-town of Gold Haven, Kentucky after finding out Creighton lied to her. Now that she is home her car has broken down and her high school crush has insisted to take her "back to her roots" so she can take her mind off her annoying husband. But this small town country singer may be getting more than she signed up for after a night of drinking when Karris shows up to cart her back home. Is she willing to forgive him and move forward? Is she ready to stop running and trust this man with her heart? 

    I got book one of this trilogy on impulse from Libby and if it wasn't due to the fact that it was an audiobook through my local library I never would have finished it. I am not one for breaking a book into multiple parts. Just put it all together and move on with your life. Outside of that I still feel the butt stuff is overdone in the books. Alright, my complaining session is done with the series as a whole. On to this book in particular.     

    There are actual feels in the book unlike in the other books in this trilogy, which is saying something. Holly is able to lose herself in her music while Cray losses himself in Holly. The work life balance is a challenge, just as it has been. Holly's mother is an issue, more so than she was previously. And Creighton's family plays a large part in the end of the book. While it tied up the loose ends how it ended kind of left me with a "what the fuck?" feeling. It felt like an easy cop-out more than anything else. Maybe that was the intent, but it wasn't my favorite move. 

    Anyways, I liked Creighton more in this book than in others. Maybe it was the mushy side as well as the dominant asshole, but I liked him more. Holly was still amazing and reminded me so much of someone I used to call my best friend. 

    This book is available on Amazon for $5.99 by clicking here, but as I have previously mentioned if you want to read this book just see if your local Libby has it. Because I wouldn't pay that for a 3rd of a book. 

Books by this author:

 Dirty Billionaire (Dirty Billionaire Book 1)

Dirty Pleasures (Dirty Billionaire Book 2)

Book Review: Dirty Pleasures by Meghan March (Dirty Billionaire Book 2)

     Holly walked out on Creighton when he couldn't be bothered to even answer the phone after not keeping his promise to her. What did she really expect? That this marriage could actually work? Well at least she still has her dreams. Now that she is back on tour she can put that sexy jerk behind her. That is until he shows up and there may be more to this marriage than meet the eye. 

    Finally got a sex scene that wasn't butt stuff. Seriously the amount in this trilogy is simply ridiculous. The book has more plot than book 1. I do feel that this entire trilogy should have been one book, but since I am reading it on Libby vs paying for each section I am not as upset about it as normal. Do I like it? No. Will I still read part 3? Yes. It is already on hold. Once again this book ends on a cliffhanger. It is frustrating and I wish that books just told the entire story in one book verses stretching it in a desperate attempt to sell more copies. 

    Yes, I still like Holly. She is still a country girl from an, albeit fictional, town in Kentucky. She still is sassy in life and submissive in the bedroom. This is not a standalone book and you can't read this book without reading book 1. 

    This book is available on Amazon for $3.99 by clicking here if you decide it is worth it to pay that much for this. Personally I suggest Libby. 

Books by this author:

Dirty Billionaire (Dirty Billionaire Book 1)

Dirty Together (Dirty Billionaire Book 3)

Book Review: Cyber Squad - Level 1 by A. K. Mocikat

     VR is the only option for gaming anymore and Kai is one of the best in his guild. He lives in a terrible apartment, but it is all that he can afford right now. But, when he gets turned down for a gaming opportunity he goes for he begins seeing targeted ads for the Cyber Squad. He was on the fence until a bug in the system caused him to be saved by level 10 Cyber Squad members. With bugs that can kill you vs being a minor annoyance are the perks worth it?

    I received this book as an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was obsessed with the book from the first page and couldn't stop raving about it. I have already suggested it 3 people and am in the process of "forcing" my best friend and husband to read it. He's a gamer and she is married to a gamer so she will understand. I loved the book so much and was sad that it ended. 

    I am so curious to know what is going on behind the scenes. I want to know what is up with the snarky personal AI. Well, maybe it isn't actually snarky but he seems to think so. Anyways, I need to know what is going on. I want to know what is going on with Alice. I want to know so many things and can't wait till book 2. One of my favorite things in this book was that Anna added in Behind Blue Eyes. I found myself wondering if the next BBE is going to include anything about Nephilim talking to lower levels to send them on missions. If so that would be amazing! Even if it is just a random little spot to tip the hat back at Cyber Squad. 

    My favorite character in this book was Lex. She was eccentric and a little over the top and in general just great. I totally feel the no life thing that she talks about. Besides she is a redhead and we all know how I feel about those. She is like a red-headed Abby from NCIS. If you have any gaming love then get this book. If you know someone who likes gaming get this book. If you are into Black Ops 2 GET THIS BOOK. Seriously the tournament is like reading a BO2 match and I loved every second of it. 

    This book is available on Amazon for $3.99 by clicking here. This book is available on Kindle Unlimited. 

Books by this author: 

Shadow City (Shadow City Book 1)

Dark City (Shadow City Book 2)

Behind Blue Eyes (Behind Blue Eyes Book 1)

Fallen Angels (Behind Blue Eyes Book 2) 

War Games (Behind Blue Eyes Book 3)

Cyber Squad Level 2 (Cyber Squad Book 2)

Cyber Squad Level 3 (Cyber Squad Book 3)

Nephilim Volume 1

Nephilim Volume 2

Nephilim Volume 3 

Space Punks

Book Review: The Lost Village by Camilla Sten

     Alice grew up with stories of the town of Silvertjärn, Sweden told by her grandmother. Silvertjärn was a small mining town where her grandmother had grown up whose entire population of 900 disappeared without a trace. The only thing left behind was a woman tied in the street, stoned to death, and a newborn left in the school. Since then the town has become the only ghost town and it's mysteries have yet to be uncovered. Alice hopes that she will be able to unlock these secrets, turning them into a documentary. When she arrives at the town mysterious things begin happening from people getting hurt and property getting damaged. Is what happened here worth their lives? 

    I got this book on the Libby app as an impulse download. I wanted a horror book since I hadn't read one in a while and was not disappointed. Normally I only listen to audiobooks while in the shower, but once I started this book I had it on while cooking, cleaning, and everything else until it was over. I had to know what happened next at all times. I actually didn't realize the main character's name was Alice until I googled if Silvertjärn was a real town as it is pronounced "ollice" in the audiobook. 

    Max is as close as I can get to having a favorite character in this book. Alice was very self centered, rarely caring about anything that didn't have an impact on her until towards the end.  The conflicts between some of the characters seemed petty and like they were stuck in high-school instead of almost 30 year old adults. Max was, for the most part, kind, supportive, and mildly amusing as a character. He was also the most adult-like for 90% of the book. 

    I liked how the book jumped from past to present so that we could see what Alice and the crew were experiencing as well as what actually happened to the town in the past. I wanted to know from the beginning, and while I had certain things correct I didn't suspect it all. It is always great when a book has a surprise ending. There are some things about the book that threw me. For instance the book is written by someone from Sweden, yet they use Fahrenheit vs Celsius when describing the temperature of a town in Sweden. It was very confusing because when the atmosphere was described as a "crisp, cool 30° in April" my brain wanted to know how it could be cold if it was in the 80s. F would have been implied if it was an American author or set in America, but since it wasn't it just confused me for a moment. I think this was the only place in the book that it happened, but it stuck with me. Outside of this the book was great. Like I mentioned I had problems putting it down as I always wanted to know what happened next in it. This book is definitely a thriller with a dash of horror and one that I would personally love to see made into a movie. Being able to see Silvertjärn would be amazing in more than just my mind's eye. 

    This book is available on Amazon for $13.99 by clicking here.

Book Review: Edge of Breach by Halo Scot (Rift Cycle Book 1)

    Many years ago the sky split open, creating The Rift. With this came the knowledge that the old gods, such as Ra, are real. Not only are they real and on the other side of this breach, but humans born during the different gods seasons have their powers. Mages, shapeshifters, shields, and healers. Those born on the Summer and Winter solstice have the highest power levels, but it seems those who get those powers are something to behold. 

    Kyder was born during the Summer solstice and is the most powerful mage. Yet he lacks the love he was never shown as a rape baby. Meanwhile his opposite Sira was born during the Winter solstice along with her twin, Syh, but they have terminal cancer. Both blessed with powers unimaginable, yet no hope of using them for good. When they both end up in Zawad who knows what could happen. 

    A story of love, loss, sex, murder, and even shit jokes. Not actually kidding. Ela is...a strange creature, but lovable in her own way. I purchased this book at the suggestion of the author and I have zero regrets. Seriously, yes it took me a long time to get through it, but only because I wasn't willing to give up the story. Yes, yes I am aware there are more than one books in the series, but that doesn't matter. 

    The book jumps in perspectives between Kyder and Rune, so it was expected from the start that they would eventually meet. I don't remember if it was like this throughout the book, but I definitely noticed it a lot towards the end, but the fact that they acknowledge that they are in a book and a story is unfolding is very different and for the most part I enjoyed it. That being said being told by "Kyder" that I liked Vinny and that he reminded me of someone wasn't really my cup of tea. I didn't like Vinny. I suppose that is a bit odd considering my husbands name is Vincent and the first thing I ever referred to him as way back in High School was Vinny. None the less the character didn't remind me of him nor spark any kindredness. 

    In fact, my favorite character was the murderous psychopath. I don't normally choose a main character as my favorite, but when there is detached death around every corner it is hard not to love them. If this hasn't been obvious enough, yes I loved this book and yes you need to get it. 

    This book is currently available on Amazon for only $0.99 by clicking here, but it will return to it's normal price soon. Which means you should get it now! This book is available on Kindle Unlimited. 

Book Review: Dirty Billionaire by Meghan March (The Dirty Billionaire Trilogy Book 1)

     Holly won a contest and signed a contract with a label to be able to promote her singing. That is all well and fine except they slipped a little something into the contract. For the next 12 months she has to "date" J.C. They are trying to give the washed up singer a new boost and with her love life it doesn't really matter to her too much. That is until J.C. starts showing up in tabloids with other women wearing strap-ons. As such she decides to gift herself a little action. A one night stand with a random man in New York. Shouldn't be that hard...and it isn't. Except the sexy, alpha male she finds isn't ready to let her go after one night and Creighton Karas always gets what he wants. 

    This was my first time reading anything by Meghan March and I got it from the Libby app on impulse. It was 4 hours long and I always love me a little smut. That is all I was hoping for with this and was not at all disappointed on that front. Smut is a VERY apt description of this book...and yet there is more to it than that. I just finished book 1 and it ended on a cliffhanger. Hate it when that happens, in the best possible way. I do have things to say about this book. Good things. Bad things. Things in between. Just things. So, let's get started. 

    When I began this book I was immediately in love with Holly. I mean small town girl from Eastern Kentucky? Hell to the yes. I am from South-Eastern Kentucky and spent more time in the middle of nowhere than I did in any kind of city. Submissive in the bedroom, but stands up where it matters? You've got me there, girl. Just all of the yes. I don't have a single bad thing to say about Holly. At all. Even if Tanna (I hope that is how you spell her name, I had the audiobook version of this) is my favorite character. 

    Then there is Creighton. Dominant alpha male whose internal monologue about considering pissing in a circle around her and growling at any man that came near when they first met? Ha. I laughed out loud about it then told both my husband and best friend about it as well. They were equally as amused by it. My husband's exact words were "He sounds like a light-hearted dom." I don't know that I would go that far with the description, but I do like the male, so we will take it. Anyways, Creighton...the dude is WAY too used to getting what he wants when he wants. Yes, self-assurance is sexy as hell and almost everything about him is as well. Except he has way too big of a fixation on butt stuff. Seriously. Can we have one romp without anything dealing with the butt? Pretty please? 

    Otherwise all of the yes for all of the book. Yes, I will be getting book 2. In fact I would have already have been reading it if it wasn't on hold in the Libby app right now. *sigh* Guess I will just have to find some other audiobook to fill that void until I am able to get it. I seriously considered not getting book 2 because of just how much butt stuff there was in it. I am all for it here and there. To each their own and I am not saying it isn't fun on occasion, but it was just a lot. The cliffhanger it left off on, though, won me over. I need to know what happens next between Creighton and Holly. 

    This book is available on Amazon for free (ebook) by clicking here.

Books by this author: 

Dirty Pleasures

Dirty Together

Book Review: Ripples by Ricky Dragoni

     Jordan is from a point in the future where humans have achieved genetic perfection. They are a time scout, someone who goes to a point in history and researches how safe it is before time tourists can visit it. However, Jordan longs to feel the lust and level of love that humans of the past felt for each other that they are not capable of in this new world. Because of this Jordan is going to fix as many of the issues of the past as possible in an attempt to stop their future from happening. Will the things done in the past create enough ripples through time to make a difference or is Jordan risking their life for nothing? 

    I was sent this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review. When I began this book I was very curious what gender Jordan is, but I will not reveal one way or the other, or if they even have a gender. As a result I refer to Jordan as "they". Anyways, we normally hear that even the smallest change in the past has the ability to make large changes in the future. With Ripples we find that that is not always the case. Jordan has been working diligently for years making changes in the past in order to alter their future. This has not resulted in nearly as many alterations as one would hope, but Jordan feels that if they just keep trying they will be able to achieve that which they desire and be with their Lumi in a whole new way. 

    As with most books that I read my favorite character was a red-head. Yes, I know, big surprise. She actually played in a very small segment of the book, but had a large impact on Jordan. I hope that you enjoy this character as much as I did!

    Sometimes during reading this book I felt like so many lengths were taken to avoid pronouns such as he and she when referring to Lumi and Jordan that it was almost painful. There is only so many times you can read a name before you just want to start skimming and hope for the best. Other than that I really enjoyed the book. Jordan walks a delicate line between vigilante and becoming the monsters hunted very well. You truly do not know if Jordan will have to answer for the changes made until the very end of the book. As with the other book I have read by Dragoni the ending is a bit of a twist and is very enjoyable. 

    I hope that this book is one you add to your TBR! Ripples is available on Amazon for $2.99 by clicking here.

Books by this author:

The Swift

Book Review: The Simpleton by Barbara Avon

     Jonathan Peters is trapped in a living nightmare. After his wife dies in a horrific accident he begins to slowly loose his mind as the hauntings begin. Because of this he has lost his job and become a shell of the man he once was, working at a flower-shop and being referred to as a simpleton. Nothing seems able to penetrate until he meets Trina. What could be so important that this ghost of someone he loved more than anyone needs him to know?

    I was sent this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. When I first received the book I was surprised at the length of it, being that it is only 185 pages. It is a great fast read, taking only a few nights after the kids were in bed to get through it. 

    When I finished chapter one and moved on to chapter two I had to go back and reread it, because I thought that I had missed some key factor. Then as I continued on in the book chapter one made less and less sense. I chalked it up to the ravings of someone overcome with grief or possibly a game the married couple played before her death. I will not give anything away, as I always try to refrain from spoilers, but I can honestly say that I did not see the end of the book coming. 

    The story is a detailed and well written quick read that leaves you puzzling what is truly going on until the very last page. I don't know that I had a favorite character in this book as I don't feel personally attached to any of them. This book is a psychological thriller that I would recommend to anyone looking for something to pass an evening with. This book is available on Amazon for $2.88 by clicking here.

Book Review: Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Book 1 in a Wicked Trilogy)

     Ivy is a part of The Order, which is a secret organization of humans who keep the world safe from Fae. She has kept everyone around her at a distance, outside of two individuals, for the last three years. That is until in one night she is shot by a Fae that is unaffected by silver and she meets the most handsome man she has ever met. When she is paired with the strange new man she learns more secrets about the otherworld than she ever thought possible. Not only are those closest to her keeping secrets, but there is a child of a Fae on the loose that has the ability to reopen all of the gates permanently. Can she and Ren work together to prevent the gates from opening and what may she loose in the process?

    I have always loved characters with a personality as fiery as their hair. Ivy does not disappoint in this manner or any other. I am also amused that the author mentioned Ivy's current favorite book series in it as I didn't know that Jay Crownover's Marked Men series was very well known. I LOVED Rule from this series, so I can't blame her at all for it, but it was something that stuck with me as it was briefly mentioned. 

    Both Ren and Ivy have pasts that they feel the need to keep secret as they think no one could ever understand. In this they are able to find some common ground and possibly move past it into the future. They are both very cute and the fact that he refers to her a Merida from Brave is beyond adorable. He has a great and playful personality when it comes to her. 

    While Ren is trying to keep the elder Fae from opening the doors he is also searching for a halfling. A Halfling is a child of Fae and human and the only thing that can open all of the doors to the otherworld permanently. Who the halfling is is a bit obvious and I even knew who the traitor was. It was all a little expected, which was sad. Other than that I really enjoyed this book and wouldn't mind reading others in the series in the future.  

    This book is available for purchase on Amazon for $1.99 by clicking here.