Book Review: Beautiful Pleasure by Lucia Gordon (Best Friend Book 1)

     Lily, Kyle, and Travis have always been close. They have been best friends and have stuck by each others side even when they were in relationships and their partners hated it. For some reason Lily has started to see her long-time friends in a different light and they may just feel the same.     

    I am terrible about reading blurbs on books before I start them. Sometimes this works out well for me. Other times it bites me in the ass. For the longest I was a stickler that I absolutely will not read any multiple partner books. The thought of it just wasn't for me and I wasn't going to do it. It felt like cheating. Nothing in this title prepared me that it would be a MFM. My brain didn't even go that way as I began reading until it did almost at the end. What all of this rambling amounts to is this book is what made me change my review guidelines, removing multiple partners as an exemption. Could not be happier about that fact, so thank you. 

    I completely loved this book. It was hot, spicy, and sexy. It does end on a cliffhanger, and is a very short read. I don't want to give too much away, but it largely includes 2 settings in the book then it is over. I would love to read more about this couple and potentially get a real story out of it versus a snippet. This book feels like a prequal versus a full story. We are basically just meeting the characters and seeing if they will cross a line. Still, the cliffhanger it ends on gives enough that it could spark a real book instead. 

    This book is available on Amazon for FREE by clicking here. 

Books by this author: 

Thrill 

Book Review: Crew of Exiles by Neal Holtschulte

     Beryl was a transcendent being and had long since moved beyond the insignificance of Earth. After committing the ultimate crime, assisted suicide of another transcendent being, he is being punished to live the next 1,000 years as a mortal. No leaving Earth and in a body. Countless memories were dumped to fit his consciousness into the fleshy prison his own brother made for him, but his anger remained. When he arrives on Earth it is devoid of all human life until he happens across another in VR. Together they form a party, Beryl quite unwillingly, to save themselves. 

    I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. It is a Sci-Fi with VR points that follows a pompous ass, a peppy gamer girl, a ship worker, and another transcendent being's sentient creation. We discover more and more about Beryl as the book goes along, but he is definitely one of those characters you love to hate. 

    At the beginning he is all pomp, attitude, and ego. However, as we learn more about him he becomes more relatable and you no longer dislike his instances. Given, we don't know everything he lost by becoming mortal, but he ends up doing a decent job of it by the end even with the pieces of himself he has left. 

    Fife is easily my favorite. Yes, she is the peppy gamer. She has spent her entire life (however long that may be as humans can now be bred to be essentially immortal) in VR knowing that she will eventually be the heir to some kind of major corporation. She has played and beat hundreds if not thousands of games and is a great leader. Now, she has to take these skills into the real world where there is no respawn if she messes up with someone who doesn't want to be there.    

    I feel this book wrapped up nicely and while I don't know if it is part of a series or not it has the potential to lead to more adventures down the road with how it closed. I definitely wouldn't be against more from them. 

    This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for $5.99 by clicking here.  

Book Review: Shifter's Redemption by Angelique Anderson (The Immortal Opus Book 1)

    Hope has lived in her small village her entire life. It isn't much, but she loves her father and her fiancé. However, they have been keeping something from her. A darkness is swiftly approaching their home which kills everyone but her. For some reason Lucian allows her to leave, but when she wakes up she is no longer human. Somehow, she gained the ability to shift. Staying in that form was easy for a long time, but when another shifter appears in her land Hope decides it is time for vengeance against her lost home. 

    This is a book that sets up the story. We learn how the group met and about their backstories, but nothing of import was really discussed. The book was mildly entertaining with a few exciting scenes, but it didn't hold my attention enough to want to read on. I will say that the setting of this book was very well done. 

    The descriptors in the book allowed the reader to be able to see everything the characters did and seen. This was something I loved and allowed me to enjoy most aspects of the book. Even the overall plot line was good. Girl who doesn't know she is a shifter shifts after another shifter lays waste to her home killing everyone she knows. After years of exile she bands together with friendly shifters with the goal of vengeance with the in person support of their gods. 

    The premise is there. But. I genuinely hated Hope. It is hard to hate a main character so much and still remain invested in the book. I don't mean a character you love to hate, but that you actually can't stand. She goes from weak and pathetic to a swooning hoe. In the course of the book (which is a monogamy book, not a poly. Otherwise I wouldn't care) she goes from her fiancé dying to falling for the first man who she sees afterwards then swooning all over the guy who literally killed everyone she loved. Then back to the other guy. Just all the no. Meanwhile he is like yeah, Lucian just killed my pregnant wife, but you're great and we're definitely going to end up together. Just no. Maybe this series straightens out, unfortunately it's not one for me. 

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

Book Review: 1 Night by Bethany Lopez (Time for Love book .5)

     As a stripper in Vegas most of Simone's nights tended to blend together. But for once something stood out and was memorable. A man came into the club drunk and lost his friends. One of the girls took pity on this pup and sent him with her to have her help him to his room, wherever that may be. 

    I read the first couple books in the Time for Love series years ago. And I mean like 2017/2018 years ago. I always wondered how Cal who was obviously obsessed with his wife could ever cheat. I am so glad I stumbled across this prequal that tells us about that night. I really don't want to give anything away, but if you have read the Time for Love series, even just book 1, then you need to read this book. It makes you feel worlds better about everything. Also. I hope for wonderful things for Simone in the future. 

    That is all I am going to say on it. It is a prequal so it is a very short read and much more will tell you everything. By the way, if you happen to click the links at the bottom and read my reviews of the other two books I apologize. I was just starting reviews and they are...different compared to now. 

    This book is available for FREE on Amazon by clicking here. 

Books By this Author: 

8 Weeks (Time for Love Book 1)

21 Days (Time for Love Book 2)

Book Review: 10,000 Things I Hate About You by Lili Valente (The Virgin Playbook)

     Harlow has had a crush on Derrick forever. He was her best friend's brother and so off limits. Besides, it's not like he had ever looked at her like that anyways. She was just the annoying kid sister. Nothing even worth paying attention to unless she was getting herself in some kind of trouble. All that was changing tonight though. She was officially 18 and he was home for the weekend and was actually attending the field meetup with everyone else. 

    I am going to try really hard not to be too judgy on this. I have zero issues with the premise of this book, but it feels unfinished. I am hoping against hope that it is a prequal and their entire story takes place in another book. That this is just some inner angst. Because I don't like books that start and then don't finish their thoughts. And I really don't want to stop reading this author. I have read another by them before and I know I have more in my never-ending TBR. 

    Based on what I seen on Amazon it is like a prequal, but it also doesn't state that this is book .5 so I genuinely don't know. What bit of the book there was I enjoyed it and I really want to see what happens with the couple in the future. So fingers crossed and we will see. I can't tell you too much about the book other than what I put in the first paragraph without giving away absolutely everything that happens in this. 

    This prequal is available on Amazon for FREE by clicking here. 

Books by this author: 

Snowed in with the Boss (Master Me Book 2)

Book Review: Haunted: Perron Manor by Lee Mountford (Haunted Book 1)

 

    Sarah and Chloe inherit a house that is so far beyond anything they could ever had imagined owning. A sprawling manor that they hope to turn into a bed and breakfast, however the house has a dark past. Determined not to let the ghost stories, murders, or cult activities impact their dream the pair move in with Chloe's husband and young child in tow. Everything is going great until their boiler is set to be replaced and with it the minor activities in the house spiral. 

    I found this book from a Facebook ad. It suggested it, I was mildly interested, then I proceeded to see it every time I opened my app for the next week. So, I downloaded it. There were zero regrets. I will say I started to have some regrets towards the end of the book, but my concern didn't come to fruition, so it was fine. I draw a very hard line at child death and would have DNF'd it. But, all was well. 

    The child in question in the book, Emily, was on track for her age in some aspects and severely behind in others. At least in what I have seen with my 3 children as well as the other children I have been around at this age. Still, it was a minor detractor from the book, and didn't play a part in the actual plot. 

    As for the plot I loved it. One of my favorite books and movies will always be The Shining and this book does a great job of a haunted manor. Sprawling floorplan, cult room, ghosts, and a demon. Who couldn't love this. It's like someone took Rose Red, The Shining, and Thirteen Ghosts and decided they would make a great mashup. I have absolutely zero complaints about this book's plot and will definitely read more from this author. 

    I will say that this is book 1 of 9 in a series called Haunted. Personally, I think everything in this book wrapped up nicely, even with there being a technical reason to return to the house. If we are moving on to another place and even all new characters I would read on in the series. Sticking with the characters in this book as they complete their new vengeance doesn't hold a lot of personal appeal, though. 

    This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for  $4.99 by clicking here. 

Book Review: Dimension Shifter BY T. M. Neilson (Dimension Saga Book 1)

     The dimensions are in chaos. Magic is illegal, realm jumping is only for the elite, and water is a rarity. Kyrin has been on the run most of her life. Sold to the emperor at the age of three it was discovered she was a magic user and tortured frequently thereafter until she escaped. Once she fled she discovered the ability to see portal markers and jump to a new dimension. With the help of the priestess of a God she is able to learn skills to keep her alive and somewhat safe. However, her God is not a forgiving God and the lord in her newest realm is intent in freeing her from his tortures. Even if she is considered a potential evil. 

    From start to finish this book was an exciting ride. We follow a young woman who has had to fight for her life for it's entirety. She is very beautiful, but hates her looks and finds solace in each new scar she accrues as they hide her more. Beauty gets you noticed which gets you in trouble. While escaping the Shadowmere, yet again, she finds herself in a new dimension where water is so plentiful it lays in frozen piles surrounding her entry point. 

    When she is saved by the Lord of this land she owes him a debt she insists must be repaid. Lord Alric is amused by this young girl and her insistence, taking her into his home as a maid. She quickly makes herself useful, displaying her skills in fighting as well as in unintentionally discovering a deception in his castle. Feelings slowly begin to build, no matter how one-sided it may seem. Alric's God, Sithis, wants to know more about this young woman while her God wants to know more about this world. 

    The characters in the book are wonderful. We all know I am a huge fan of any polytheistic religion and this book is strife with Gods, Goddesses, and battles on the human plane. These Gods have a very active hand in their people's lives and make no qualms about it. Alric was my favorite, although he was a bit naïve. Kyrin is naïve in the ways of inter-personal relationships, but Alric has more puppy tendencies. Adorable though. 

    I absolutely enjoyed this book and will likely look to read the next in the series eventually. It is book one in a series, however all major plot points in this book were resolved while leaving plenty open to keep the reader interested in moving on. The book has magic, dimensions, ogres, and all sorts of other fantastical elements. 

    This book is available on Amazon for FREE by clicking here. 

Book Review: My Cowboy by Sierra Rose (A Cowboy to Love Book 1)

     Jesse is about to lose his ranch so his brothers convince him to call the only lawyer they know, who just so happens to be his previous best friend. Mia left home for the big city leaving their sleepy little town behind her when she went to college and had never been back. But, regaining her lost morals has left her with plenty of free time to help out an old friend. However, there is more than paperwork and history between these two and things may take a different turn. 

    For the most part I loved this book. I loved the characters. The buildup. All of that. However. This is one of those terrible books that just stops mid story. I would love to continue this book. I really would. But, I have a rule against it when it is one story broken up over multiple books. Either put it all in one book or at least finish the plot point before stopping the book. I don't care if romance stretches over multiple books. That is more than fine. But for the love of everything finish your thought! 

    Basically in this book the main characters talk on the phone. We get a bit of backstory. There is romantic tension. She touches the paperwork from the pending trial. That is it. I really wanted to enjoy this story, and if it was complete I am sure I would have. Read if you want to get multiple books just to finish one actual book. 

    This "book" is available on Amazon for FREE by clicking here.