Tag Archives: romance

August 26, 2016 · 5:00 am

Wilder Hearts: A Western Hearts Novel by Lilly Gayle (Book Review)

 

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Writing about the outlaw, Jake the Snake, could be the opportunity of a lifetime—if it doesn’t get her killed.

 
When Ellie Wilder takes her sister from their grandfather’s home, she’s determined to put her family back together and write of their adventures. Then she runs into Jacob Harper, a man who resembles Jake the Snake, a notorious outlaw who once rode with Billy the Kid. Is it possible the outlaw who escaped justice has mended his ways? Or is the handsome Mr. Harper now murdering servant girls in Austin? Finding out the truth could be the journalistic opportunity of a lifetime. 

Former Texas Ranger Jake Harper has returned to Texas to help solve the Servant Girl Annihilator murders. But when a similar murder occurs in Harmony, Texas, Jake goes undercover as Jake the Snake to find a connection between the series of brutal murders. Then Ellie Wilder shows up. Her snooping could blow his cover and get her killed, but Ellie soon becomes a bigger threat to his heart than his investigation.

 
 
 
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique) 

Are you a fan of movies such as Young Guns and Tombstone? If so, then this is the book for you. In Wilder Hearts, Lilly drops names like Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp and a few other notable westerners in a tale that’ll keep your interest peaked. 
 
In Wilder Hearts, more than one mystery is attempting to be solved; more than one murderer to be caught. Not all the cases were open and shut. However, through the process of finding the Annihilator, two people found love and their HEA. 
 
So if you like sexy lawmen, women who’s attitude are as big as their bosom, then pick up this book. 
 
Word of warning, Lilly pulled no punches with how the victims died. Each victim died brutally. 
 
Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤

GET YOUR KINDLE COPY TODAY!!

 
 
 
DON’T FORGET TO ALSO CHECK OUT 
Helpless Hearts: A Western Hearts Novel (Book 1)
 
 
Can a former gunslinger find redemption through love?

Former gunslinger Noah Sinclair returned home so he could regain his respectability. Instead of redemption, he finds temptation in Juliana Jeffries—a woman engaged to the man who offered him a job and a second chance. Despite Noah’s loyalty to his boss, Noah’s Helpless Heart still yearns for Juliana—a woman with dreams and ambitions that don’t include a former gunslinger.

Noah stole Juliana’s heart years ago, but then he left town to avenge his father’s death. Now, she dreams of becoming a doctor and she’s obliged to marry Avery, a man with a secret she’s sworn to protect. Noah’s return could test her loyalty, her ambition, and her heart.

 
 
 

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Award Winning Author of paranormal and historical romance:
2015 OKRW International Digital Awards. 2016 Still Moments Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards.

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August 22, 2016 · 5:00 am

Sizzling Frio by Dakota G. King (Book Review)

Sizzling Frio mirrors the oxymoronic relationship that develops when a coed Natalie Carroll and a college football player Josh Tyler literally meet face to face on the banks of the Frio River in the Texas Hill Country. Sparks ignite, and they embark on a tempestuous ride through spiraling small town politics, Texas nightlife and Friday Night Fever, where they find the natural destiny of their love in turmoil just like the river’s many white-water runs. Although coincidental meetings in college stoke the embers still lingering from their first encounter, Josh’s desire to play professional football thwarts their union. Caution and frustration prevail; Natalie relocates; then fate intervenes several years later when an injury ends Josh’s career and they reunite to discover the attraction between them resurfacing. Can the scorching desire they share, however, overcome the mixed signals, emotional wounds, and the conniving interference of a scorned lover?

 
 
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique) 
 
In the summer of 1993, Natalie and Josh both ended up spending their vacations at Frio River. A place where you can kick back and just enjoy nature, friends, and family with no electronics and no running water. Ok, the lack of running water would be a buzzkill but you still have the river to wash up in. Beggars can’t be choosers, right? 🙂
 
As for vacations go, the scenery is breath-taking and the story proved to have promise until Josh talked. The more he opened his mouth, the more I began to dislike him. 
 
He blatantly admitted to using women and their families to further his career. How anyone could think this behavior is ok/justified and not hurtful to others is beyond me.  Oh, wait until you read the proposal scene. Trust me, you won’t be saying awww. Instead, you’ll be yelling, “What an asshole!”
 
Even after a six year gap, he hadn’t changed at all. I really hoped Dakota would’ve thrown us a curveball and paired her up with Matt — permanently. 
 
For me, Josh’s lack of respect for a woman’s feelings  almost caused me to give this book a ZERO. The only reason why it scored a ONE was for the memories it stirred in me about my days swimming in murky water with my friends and family. 
 
Those were great times. 
 
Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score:❤
Purchase Links:  Print / Kindle
 
 
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Born and raised in south Texas, Dakota G. King began writing in 1998, using the knowledge gained from a BA in English and history from Texas State University and thirty-six years of teaching in public schools in various Texas towns. However, teaching and raising a family allowed only sporadic efforts until retirement provided the time for the challenge of writing more often. Inspired by many novelists, especially Laverle Spencer, the intricate ties of various cultures in Texas and family encounters, she felt compelled to capture the experiences from her life in Sizzling Frio, her first contemporary romance novel.

www.blackrosewriting.com

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August 16, 2016 · 5:00 am

Lady Gallant by Gini Rifkin (Book Review)

 

Disowned by her father and still mourning the death of her fiancé, Josephine Posey joins Florence Nightingale’s brigade of nurses bound for the Black Sea. Thousands of British soldiers desperately await these angels of mercy and a new life awaits Josie. Amidst the chaos of death and despair, she finds a spark of hope, lighting the flame once more inside her soul.

In search of the truth, Garrick Allen, one of Britain’s first war correspondents also journeys to the Crimean Peninsula. To him the soldiers seem all but abandoned by Queen and country, and as he smokes his cheroots and makes friends with a bottle, he writes his bold but honest dispatches for The Times. Not wanting anything more than to finish his job and go home, Garrick is blindsided by a nurse with attitude who offers him a new slant on life and a reason to love.

 
 
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)  
 
With any war, we are well aware of the horrors the brave men and women face on the battlefield. However, we sometimes overlook or take for granted the doctors and nurses who treat the fallen soldiers. They, too, feel the pain of combat. They get attached to their charges, lose friends, and push on to “fight” another day. 
 
In Lady Gallant, Posie fought to heal the soldiers while attempting to keep their spirits high. A prime example was the Christmas tree she procured for them. She didn’t have to but it was in her nature to go the extra mile. 
 
Mose (her invaluable helper) was equally dedicated to his job, too. It was a shocking and sad moment when Cholera took hold of his body. The love bestowed upon him while in his sick bed was extremely touching and showed his worth in the eyes of his friends. 
 
Garrick: He started off gruff but it didn’t take long before he showed us his romantic side. He could easily be described as a  knight in shining armor because he literally rescued Posie on more than one occasion. 
 
The last time solidified their relationship which ended with……. you guessed it, a happily ever after. 
 
Now if I had to change one thing about this story is would be to add more moments with Posie’s best friend, Gemma. 
 
Their interactions added a bit of lightness to a rather (at times) intense story. 
 
 
Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
 Score: ❤❤❤1/2
 
 
 
 
 
 

Gini Rifkin writes adventurous romance, past present, and into the future. Her settings include the American West, Medieval England, Victorian England, and contemporary fantasy. When not reading or writing, she has the privilege of caring for a menagerie of abandoned animals including ducks, geese, rabbits, goats, donkeys, and cats. She was born and raised in Illinois where she went to school to become a registered nurse. When struck by wanderlust, she moved to Colorado and met her husband Gary. They shared the journey for 30 years, spending vacations canoeing, doing Mountain Man reenacting, and traveling around this great country. Although Gary has passed on, he left her with the skills to soldier on alone, and a little bit of him lives on in every hero she creates. Her writing keeps her hungry to keep learning new things, and she considers family and friends her most treasured of gifts.

 
 

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August 14, 2016 · 5:00 am

Love on a Train by Colleen L. Donnelly (Book Review)


The moment Martha noticed Raymond on the train, everything her mother warned against erupted – romantic notions, palpitating heart, the desire to write it all in a novel and tell the world. Martha lived and wrote that love story until the day Raymond handed her a sketch. “Want to see a picture of the girl I plan to marry?” The penciled profile resembled Martha… But when Raymond went away, she knew. She wasn’t the girl he planned to marry.

David was her father’s apprentice, everything Martha’s mother said made a good husband – hardworking, no romantic nonsense, no tolerance for writing about it. Martha added a fictional happy ending to her and Raymond’s story and published it. Cleansed herself of romantic love, and prepared to marry David. Until a copy of her book appeared. Full of sketches – Raymond’s version of their love story, drawings that enticed her heart to beat once again – for the wrong man.

PURCHASE LINKS: 
PAPERBACK / KINDLE
 
 
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique) 
 
You know the saying, “If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they’re yours; if they don’t they never were.” (Richard Bach)
 
The quote summarizes Love on a Train beautifully.
 
As with any true love story, this one had a happy ending. 
 
Maybe not for their Martha and Raymond’s respected fiancés. 
 
As much as I enjoyed the near misses between Martha and Raymond, the love story within a love story (<— confused? It’ll make sense after you start reading the book), I empathized with the hurt the fiancé’s suffered. 
 
Martha didn’t handle the situation with David very well. She knew her heart belonged to another, went about finding him, and that speaks volumes to a marriage that’s slated for doom before it even gets started. And Raymond, he didn’t handle things any better. 
 
With that said, Colleen hammered home an important point. In life, we should never settle. Marriage is a serious commitment so before you say, “I do,” be certain. Make sure you are on the right path for you. For your fiancé. 
 
 Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5
(highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤1/2
 
PURCHASE LINKS:  PAPERBACK / KINDLE

 

 



Colleen L. Donnelly has her roots in the rural Midwest of the US, but moved around and explored other cultures as an adult. Those other areas were fun and they were exciting, but…there’s no place like home, so she’s back in the Midwest.

Colleen works as a laboratory technician by day, but spends her evenings writing, poised in front of her laptop until she can’t think any more. Her story ideas come from observing people, pondering their dilemmas, and adding a twist of her own.

Other interests are/have been bicycling, antiquing, anything outdoors, furniture refinishing, and raising pets or small barnyard types of animals. Last thing in the world she would be caught doing – “vegging” in front of a television. She loves a good movie on occasion, but most of the time, the TV is off.

 

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August 12, 2016 · 5:00 am

No Pants Required by Kim Karr (Book Review)

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I, Makayla Alexander, am on a mission to reinvent myself. So when a super hot guy boards the plane and flashes his rock hard abs, I pay attention. When he sits next to me and offers me his nuts, I can’t resist. But when I choke on them and he tells me I need to work on my gag reflex, I realize I might be in over my head. 

Before I know it we’re in the lavatory and attempting to join the Mile High Club. Let me just say this…anyone who tells you it’s easy to get it on at 37,000 feet isn’t telling you the truth. After the flight attendant busts us for getting frisky in the air, the only thing that can ease my total and complete mortification is the simple fact that I am never going to see him again. 
    
Hours later, I can’t help but wonder if fate will ever allow me to become a new version of myself.Because Fate, she’s a fickle bitch.Case in point…my seatmate is my new next-door neighbor.Even with the whole fate thing we have going on, we are so not meant to be together. He’s all cool and sexy in that make love not war kind of way. Guys like him are dangerous. With that bring-you-to-your-knees body, that handsome-as-hell face, and that dirty, dirty mouth, I guarantee one glance from him wets every girl’s bikini bottoms. 
    
And then there’s me…the quirky girl looking to find herself in California. All I want to do is learn to let loose. Say words like peace and groovy. Bury my toes in the sand. Who knows, maybe even have sex on the beach. 
 
Unable to get him out of my head, I entertain the thought of being more than just friends. I know the idea is absurd. And yet, I go with it. You see Camden Waters gets me. Really gets me. Like no other guy has before.On this 7-mile stretch of paradise, I decide to keep things simple and just have fun…that is until fate decides to screw with me, again. 
 
Can two people hell-bent on finding themselves realize the search should have ended the day they met? Find out in No Pants Required–a sexy, funny, romantic stand-alone, that will have you hurrying to grab your bathing suit and rushing to the beach to check out every lifeguard on duty.
 
 
 
 
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Our first introduction to Camden (Cam) is not flattering. Unbeknownst to Cam, Makayla is in the private room when he gets oral satisfaction from Vanessa. She’s also there to witness his rudeness before, during, and after the blow job. If you’re like me, you’ll be thinking and calling him all sorts of names… dick, douchebag, asshole. The list goes on. However, once he explains his behavior towards Vanessa, you kind of forgive him. With that said, based off what she did to him, I wonder why he allowed her to suck him off again. Oh wait, he wasn’t thinking — at least not with the head positioned squarely between his shoulder blades.
 
When Makayla and Cam’s paths cross a second time they are aboard the same flight. She doesn’t recognize him because, from her vantage point in the dark room, she never saw his face. While they are seat mates, the fun and their chemistry really heats up until they are caught trying to get some lovin’ in the sky. HOW EMBARRASSING!! 
 
Their flirtatious antics could’ve been restarted if she didn’t notice his chest tattoo (while in the bathroom) and recognized him as the bastard from the club. 
 
Now in the real world, the story would be over but this is the land of make-believe so the show must go on. 
 
They meet again and, this time, they lay all their cards on the table. He explains the club incident and what led up to it. This is the point of the story where you stop calling him a dick and start calling Vanessa a bitch.
 
This is also the point of the story where the sexiness levels goes from from eh to whoa momma!
 
There’re so many funny and sexy moments in this story. Times you laugh so hard you snort and then there’s times you’ll be so turned on you think you’re going to combust from sexual frustration. 
 
Hey, if you find yourself in this situation, do what Makyala did and grab a toy or rub one out like Cam.  😉 
 
On a final note, even though No Pants Required ended on a happy note, Cam pissed me off again towards the last third of their story. For a man who loves her so damn much, why couldn’t he let her in and explains his fears of the future, his plans for himself, and for them. Instead, his ugly side showed up again and this time, I didn’t find myself forgiving him so easily. The end goal was sweet, romantic, but he didn’t have to treat her like an acquaintance when she was supposed to be his everything. 
 
 

Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 

Score: ❤❤❤❤

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