Month: September 2017

Review: His Bewildering Bride (Spicy Version)(Brides of Paradise Ranch #3) by Merry Farmer

14 September 2017 / Reviews / , ,

My Reviews
Mail-Order Brides of the West

Listed as “Spicy”, for there is a “Clean” version by a similar name for those that don’t want any kind of lusty thoughts or feelings in their reading. Historical Romance that is book 3 of the Brides of Paradise Ranch Series. It is my first of this series as I have not read any of the others.
Yet!

♥ Story ♥
Mr. Haskell wants to encourage growth in the town he practically owns and is named after him, Haskell Wyoming. He has offered the men of Paradise Ranch a parcel of land and a home if they settle down and start a family. There is a shortage of brides available so a service to find them has been established.

Wendy Weatherford is a freed slave and a seamstress. She is happy to be one of these mail-order brides but when she arrives, her intended, Cody Montrose, is not happy that her ethnicity was not disclosed ahead of time. Of course the train has already left by this time leaving Miss Weatherford stranded. Cody’s brother, Travis Montrose, steps up and saves the day and takes his brother’s place as the groom.

Shortly after a challenge is leveled that pits Wendy’s skill as a seamstress against that of a Twat Waffle whose father is supposed to be Travis’s new boss. Needless to say that the apple didn’t fall very far from the entitled tree with that one. As the race to win a dress shop heats up, things get plum crazy.

There is a note at the end of the book about the timeline of things that happen in the book in relation to the rights of slaves. It answered the question I had while I listened. If you are not opposed to potential spoilers, it may help to read that first.

♥ Author ♥
This is my first read by Merry Farmer. She has done her research and is happy to share it which is helpful in explaining some of the aspects of a historical romance. She does a good job at writing about people that would have been considered less than by society at the time history she writes about. I like the characters in this story and would definitely want to read the rest of the series.

♥ Narrator(s) ♥
There are many people that need voicing in this story and Caroline McLaughlin does it well. When there are too many of the same gender speaking in the same scene, it does get a bit muddled but this doesn’t happen very often.

The ebook can be found through your local library. It may need to be recommended through the overdrive system.

His Bewildering Bride – Spicy Version

Written by Merry Farmer

Read by Caroline McLaughlin

Ebook obtained through Overdrive

Audiobook obtained for free at my request and I am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review

Review: Roping Your Heart (Riding Tall #2)

14 September 2017 / Reviews / , ,

My Reviews
Sometimes The Bad Brings Us The Good We Really Need!

This is book 2 of the Ridding Tall Series. It is my first of this series as I have not read any of the others.
Yet!

♥ Story ♥
19 years ago Cat Hayden left her home and heart behind for greener pastures. As we all know, the grass is rarely greener on the other side. Cat finds herself back home to care for her aging grandmother, with a new face and a new outlook. Her love from the past, Blake McBride, is still around but now with battle scars of his own as well as a teen daughter. Despite their past misadventures, the love they felt for each other never left their hearts.

Many obstacle get in the couples way. Some that makes your heart hurt for them and some that make you want to crawl through the page and punch a bitch in the face. The ex is a despicable person that will provoke the beast in you, just be warned.

♥ Author ♥
This is my first read by Cheyenne McCray. She is definitely good at writing the villains, cause I really wanted to stab one of them with a fork. I would for sure read another work from this author and more than likely the next one will be another in this series.

♥ Narrator(s) ♥
David Quimby’s voice works perfectly for a western. It has that raw edge to it that just sounds rugged with a layer of dust or dirt you would see on the clothing of a cowboy.

The ebook can be found through your local library. It may need to be recommended through the overdrive system.

Roping Your Heart

Written by Cheyenne McCray

Read by David Quimby

Ebook obtained through Overdrive

Audiobook obtained for free at my request and I am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review

Who’s Excited For Lucas?

14 September 2017 / Book Releases / ,

Raise your hand if you are excited for Lucas!

Can’t wait to hear all about the baby brother!

I took this snippet straight from Sawyer Bennett’s newsletter, so excuses the formatting. All links below are also from the same newsletter.

Coming 9/19!
 
 

Lucas and the Cold Fury hit the ice in just 5 days!

The Carolina Cold Fury hockey team is stacked with hotshots. But when a new player joins their ranks, he learns that even superstars can’t go it alone when it comes to love.

Lucas Fournier is only serious about one thing: hockey. The league’s fun-loving charmer, Luc is always up for a good prank or a great lay, and he has no intention of settling down. But being traded to the Carolina Cold Fury—and to play alongside his big brother, Max—is no joke. With another title in sight, the last thing Luc wants is to let his new teammates down. To succeed, Luc will need to keep his head in the game and the most . . . er, demanding member of his anatomy in check. But when temptation hits, Luc hits back harder.

Museum curator Stephanie Frazier has always put business before pleasure, which just about explains her nonexistent sex life. But when Stephanie meets Luc at a champagne-fueled gala, she finds herself flirting like crazy—and going home with the uninhibited athlete. For one night, she learns what passion is all about. She just never counted on the little surprise Luc leaves behind. And that’s when things really start to get . . . interesting.
Preorder LUCAS NOW: 

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Google Play | Kobo  

Review: Lost Fortune: The Unbridled Series, Book 1 by Sandra E Sinclair

13 September 2017 / Reviews / , , ,

My Reviews
A Comedy of Errors with a Fist Full of Propriety

Good writing and Good story.

A historical romance in case the cover left any doubts. 🙂

Book #1 in The Unbridled Series.

This book has no steam what-so-ever. Its more Good Chemistry. For those of you out there that don’t like the sexy stuff but still want to read a romance, this is the book for you. Personally I would of like at least a heated embrace and/or kiss or two. Despite being on the chaste side, it was still a good story.

The story opens with our heroine, Rilla Staab, pondering the parents she barely knows. They sent her to a boarding school in France at the age of 10 and she hasn’t seen them since. It is now 8 years later and the only communication she has had with them has been through letters. They were supposed to meet her at the train station, but that never happens. Her parents have met their untimely ends in a carriage accident and their lawyer fills her in on all the things her parents have been keeping secret.

Rilla’s world is turned upside down, and to add insult to injury, her inheritance comes with stipulations that are made difficult to accomplish because of the secrets her parents kept from her. Fleeing Boston for California, she hopes to hide her questionable past for long enough to meet the requirements laid out in her father’s will.

A comedy of errors ensues as Rilla’s half-brother Wyatt Worthington fights for what he deems is his, handsome private detective Calvin Dalton fights to win Rilla’s heart, and her best friend Jewel Inghram just fights because she wants her bestie to be happy.

The story sets up book 2 about mid-way through, when we are introduced to Cal’s younger twin brothers Cole and Colt. There are a total of 10 Dalton sons, and they are all single, so I would think that all of the Dalton brude will be getting stories as well considering book 3 is also about a Dalton.

This was my first read by Sandra E Sinclair and it was good. If this book is a representative of what her other works are like, then this would be a good candidate for the shelf I call “The In Between”. It is the books I listen to in between the heavier, darker reads that you need a brain break from, while you lock up the killers, clean off the blood, and put your heart back in your chest.

C.J. McAllister’s narration was good. He is articulate and understandable, but a bit clipped. His voice is smooth and masculine, just needs a little more polish to truly live up to his ability

4 Stars!

Lost Fortune

Written by Sandra E Sinclair

Read by C.J. McAllister

Ebook purchased through Kindle store.

Audiobook obtained for free at my request and I am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review

Review: Beneath The Lake by Casi McLean

12 September 2017 / Reviews / , , / 2 Comments

My ReviewsLove can defy time!

Time travel stories can go wrong so easy, and I’m so glad this one went so right! If time travel sounds daunting to you, just pay attention to the time and date when it is given and you will be just fine. I’m a big fan of Doctor Who so the concept of multiple timelines doesn’t phase me.

The story was well written and heartfelt. The steam factor is light for those that do not like those sorts of stories. This story takes place around Lake Lanier, Georgia, which I have lived not too far from at one point in time. I never knew that much detail about it other than it was a man-made lake so of course I had to immediately do some of my own research. The “Lake” in Beneath The Lake is of great importance and in a way its own character. Without it, there would be no story. I wouldn’t say it is the main focus of the story, as I feel that the true point is love and how it sometimes takes us the long way around.

The story has multiple time lines running concurrently but all of them seem to in one way or another focus around Miss Lacey Madison Montgomery. She goes by many version of this name depending on who she is conversing with. She finds her boyfriend in a compromising position at the beginning of the book which becomes the catalyst for her late night ride into the storm that changes her life forever.

Its really hard to talk about this story without giving anything away, but I can say it’s so good I want to read it again. I want to listen to from the beginning for a completely different experience. It makes me want to do 2 read alongs on my website to this story. One as a new reader experiencing the mystery and a second read to experience the emotions that are sure to come.

This is my first read/listen by Casi McLean and I want more. She wove an excellent story of love and endurance that I could not stop listening to.

Aundrea Mitchell does an excellent job on all levels of story narration. The story telling has levels of expression that makes it more than just the details of the story. The character voices both male and female are distinct and well done and there are a lot of both throughout this story.

This gets 5 time bending hearts out of 5 from me and recommended to anyone who loves a good romantic read with a stellar HEA.

I plan to feature this story as a Read Along With Me story, so be sure to check back soon!

Beneath the Lake

Written by Casi McLean

Read by Aundrea Mitchell

Ebook purchased through Kindle store.

Audiobook obtained for free at my request and I am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review