BOOK REVIEW- The Accidental Bride: (A Regency Romance) by Charlotte Grant **

   

Book Details

 Nearing the age of the dreaded shelf, Hannah commits herself to enduring another season on the marriage mart before she resigns to spinsterhood. When she finds out that the very scoundrel who she believes is responsible for the demise of her dearest friend, Beth, is back in London looking for another wife, she's determined to get justice and stop him from hurting any other woman. If only she can manage to get close to the evil but deviously handsome Lord Denford, she'll be able to confirm her suspicions…

But when she and Ross Denford become embroiled in a scandal, she ends up tied to the rascal herself.

Soon, she fights a disturbing attraction to her husband who may be a killer, and wonders if she placed herself in line to be his next victim or was wrong all along.

After two years of grieving his beloved Beth, quiet and studious Ross finds himself accidentally married to a beautiful stranger.
He swears not to fall for Hannah, and yet soon, he finds himself fighting a growing pull toward his breathtaking wife. 

 5 STARS 
More than one surprise & that was good!

 This book had a good start but it also had me chomping at the bit.   I was practically yelling inside, "yes but how does Hannah get compromised?"   Turns out that's a good one as well as something I wasn't expecting.   It does take a while to get to that point but it does have a good base being built in the meantime.  Hannah and her family were a fun, unconventional,  loving, tight group of people. Hannah had practically raised her sisters after her mother died.  And Hannah and her best friend Beth had been super close throughout the years.  

Ross was unlike anything that I could have imagined but what a great character.  To say that he was a morose, awkward bumbler when out in society is to put it mildly.  It had Hannah wondering if that was really how he was or if he was a really good actor.  He was better when he was back in the country but still shy about putting his foot in things.  I grew to like him and feel somewhat sorry for him as time went on but it still left questions about Beth's death.  

Ross had a male friend, Ash who also held a title, was a rake and had quite the twisted sense of humor at the same time. Another factor was that he really did care about Ross and his happiness.   I could sense that there just could be another book but this time about Ash.  It's beginning to look like someone just might have grabbed his attention, in a good way. 

There is quite a bit of emotions and some angst involved.  But in the story it wasn't depressing at all.

There are at least two twists that I never saw coming.  I like it when an author surprises me like that and they were good ones.  There is a H.E.A. followed up with a good Epilogue.

 

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

BOOK REVIEW- Letters From Home by Jo Barrett *

   

Description

Letters from home lift John Caldwell's spirits during his tour of duty in Iraq.  Phoebe Honeycutt, otherwise known as Aunt Bee to all the kids in the neighborhood, fills an empty place in his life through her letters and cookie care packages after the death of his grandmother.  But what John doesn't realize is that Phoebe isn't the doddering old lady he believes her to be.  And when they come face to face at last, her delicious cookies aren't the only things he wants to sample.

AMAZON LINK 

4 STARS

This was a charming, feel-good story but also with some challenges that you need in a story.

It's also set in a nosy well meaning community that adores Phoebe.  And why not?  She is there for so many people even in the midst of her own hurts.  Tommy is a little boy who has totally captured Phoebe (Bee's) heart and will play a big part in the story.  Her Aunt Sophie is one colorful, unusual person who keeps things stirred in humorous but caring ways.   

John has his own hurts and dreams that have been "killed" but his correspondence with Aunt Bee is filling a lot of his void.  The misunderstanding about who Aunt Bee really was leads to some smiles, after the initial sock.  John was a bit stuck in his past hurt over a woman, but he doesn't see this at first. 

There is plenty of emotion to go around with a surprise twist or two towards the end.  I did have a suspicion about a secret about 65% of the way through the story.  I not only wondered if I was right but also how would it come out, if I was?  

It has a good ending with a even better Epilogue.

 "I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

BOOK REVIEW- To All the Earls I've Loved Before by Fenna Edgewood *

   

Meet the Gardner Girls:

A drunk duke. A knife-wielding woman. A chance encounter in the dead of night.

Love can be found in the strangest places.

A lady with a secret

Standing at danger's threshold, Lady Gwendolen Gibson (née Gardner) has no idea that love is about to beckon her in. Hiding from a man who seeks to destroy her life and steal her child, the countess has lived for years with a secret past. Now widowed and threatened with the loss of her home, a guardian angel rescues her and makes her an offer she can't refuse.
Out of options, Gwendolen wants nothing more than the chance to build a new life for herself and her son. But Gwendolen's secrets will not stay hidden and as her dangerous adversary steps into the light, he threatens her present, her future, and all she holds dear.

A scoundrel with honor

Angel Beaumont, the Duke of Englefield, lives up to his name. A golden Adonis, his looks leave women swooning in his wake while his fortune is greater than Croesus'. Returning to England after witnessing the horrors of battle, Angel seeks to alleviate the dullness of his privileged life with the usual womanizing, drinking, racing, and gambling.

Until the night he steps across Blackwater Bridge and discovers a mysterious woman in desperate circumstances. Deciding only he can keep her safe, Angel makes a gallant proposition, offering himself as her protector in a marriage of convenience.

But although Angel believes he can remain aloof to Gwendolen's charms, this wild-living nobleman finds he cannot steel his heart to a woman who is more than she seems and everything he never knew he needed.  

AMAZON LINK

4 STARS

 

 I have to admit to some mixed feelings when it comes to this book.  Although none of that has to do with the main characters.  Angel was a charming man who also had an irresistible sense of humor.  He also was a man of honor, always looking to help the underdog, although he was shy about admitting that part.   Even though he saves Gwendolen more than once, she really doesn't know what to make of him most of the time.  Her experience with most men make it even harder to trust that he really is that good of a man.  Her fierce love for her son has her willing to do whatever it took to protect him. All this made for good, interesting main characters.

I'm not sure exactly why it didn't pull me in more.  Maybe it had to do with the way some of the story was presented in different letters.  They did contain information that gave more insights into the different parts of the story.  I guess I was more interested in the actual people and the actions that were going on.  Maybe, that's just my personal taste.  

I do have to give good marks for how well described different places and items and people were detailed.  

Angel's Aunt Eliza adds some sass and caring to the story.  As does Gwendoline's sisters and her son, Henry.  Even Hugh who is Angel's friend puts his 2 cents in, in a good way.

Looking for a story with a venomous villain?  Yes, this story has not just one but at least two. 

This story is so well written that although it doesn't go to the top of my list of likes, I did enjoy most of it.  

  I received a free ARC of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

BOOK REVIEW- Whip's Breath (Devils Riot MC: Originals Book 11) by E.C. Land *

 

Book Details

One night. That was what we signed up for.

Whip

I had a great night of drinkin’ and went back to the hotel with a gorgeous woman. Prettier than anyone I’ve ever seen before. We had mind-blowing sex, and I mean mind blowing. So good I’ve had dreams about her ever since.

Hell, I told all my brother’s about the piece of ass I nailed at the concert and they told me I was a fool for lettin’ her get away. They were right. I was the world’s biggest idiot. I shouldn’t have ever let her walk outta that hotel room that mornin’ but I was asleep when she left.

I didn’t think I’d ever run into her, but I did in the most surprising of places. Only, when we found each other again everything clicked. Every memory came rushing back to the front of my mind.

This wasn’t just any woman. She was my wife. I married a woman when I was drunk, and from the look on her face, she must’ve remembered and that’s why she was nowhere to be found in the mornin’. My brother’s said lettin’ her go was a mistake, so I’ll make damn sure I don’t let it happen again.

AMAZON LINK 

4 STARS

Harper has two incredibly mean girls that she rooms with.  In fact, they are beyond mean.  They do something that could have been so outright dangerous to Harper.  They have not even one ounce of remorse or even see that what they did was wrong.   Was it "mean" of me to wish that they would have some harsher consequences?  Ah, maybe in a future book?

I liked Whip.  Yes, he's a biker but he also had some sweetness to him.  He was loyal to a fault, and good to people that he cares about.   I liked that we got to see his P.O.V. and Harper's too.  

A few other people also got to have their say through moments of their own P.O.V.'s.  It wasn't hard to keep up with though. 

There is humor as well as heated times between the two M.C.'s.  The danger crops up towards the end of the book.  I kind of guessed who the stalker was.  But that didn't ruin it for me at all.  Just made me give a satisfied sigh when it got revealed.  Of course, there was a rush to save Harper which added to the appeal.

A good ending finishes the story off. 

By, the way it was cool to find out the how and why that the title of the book fits. 

 

   I received a free ARC of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

 

BOOK REVIEW- Chasing Liberty: An Irish Mafia Romance (The Donovans Book 1) by Sassa Daniels *

    

Libby

Flat broke, dogged by scandal and on the Bratva's radar, I needed a fresh start. The last thing I expected was to find myself caught up with the Irish mob. Seeing Andrew Donovan after all these years ignites a flame inside me. It's hard to ignore, but I've had enough brushes with organised crime to last me a lifetime. Unfortunately, Andrew Donovan wants me as his wife and what he wants, he gets.

Andrew

The minute I set eyes on Libby Preston, all grown up, and determined to defy me, I knew I had to have her. She can try to run, but I'll always catch her. By the end of the week, she'll have my ring on her finger, whether she likes it or not.

Chasing Liberty is the first in a new series of Irish Mafia romances. It can be read as a standalone

AMAZON LINK 

4 STARS

I liked this story but with some reservations.  It had good main characters that kept the interest even if Andrew is a bit over the top.  Over the top at times when it comes to dealing with Liberty (Libby) that is.  I think this book should have come with a "Scorching Hot" warning when it came to the love scenes between them.   This is where I have that bit of reservations about this book.  There were quite a few of those scenes and they were detailed.

Liberty's father is one nasty fellow even though we don't see him.  We are made well aware of his greed and manipulations both in the past and in some ongoing ways though.  

Andrew has an interesting family, all which of course are part of the Irish Mafia in one way or another.   Each person has a depth to them in the story. There is plenty of danger and action to go around.

There is a dramatic twist of danger towards the end.  The ending itself is also a good one. 

   I received a free ARC of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

 

 

 

BOOK REVIEW of SAMPLE- Forever After All by Catharina Maura *

   

 Author's Note: This book contains a possessive alpha-hole and steamy scenes. If either of those aren't your thing, then this book is really NOT for you.

Elena

I'm ready to sacrifice my dignity if it will save my dying mother. Or so I convinced myself as I walked into a gentlemen's club, ready to trade my body for my mother's life.

I didn't expect Alexander Kennedy to be there. I didn't expect him to stop me. And I certainly didn't expect him to propose a marriage of convenience.


Alexander

Elena Rousseau, a heiress fallen from both riches and grace.

I know she's not right for me - she's far from the meek trophy wife I'm after. But if she's going to sell herself to anyone, it'll be me.   AMAZON LINK

 

First of all I got this "book" through an author's newsletter.   I missed the fact that it was a sample only.  Usually those things I give a pass.

While this one had Alexander and Elena as interesting people, I don't think I will be following up the story.  The love that Elena had for her mother was impressive.   The depth that was accomplished about the people was pretty good considering it's only 15 chapters.  

The M.C.'s definitely have more than a handful of people who you can see will be doing everything that they can to get in their way.   However, I'm not sure that I liked one of the paths that I think this story is going to take. 

 

 

BOOK REVIEW- Protecting His Pretend Family by Katie Knight *

   

Book Details

 Danger makes the heart grow fonder…

It’s her first day on the job, and Aurora Sunshine is excited to meet her new boss. Until she discovers it’s former Navy SEAL Jackson Sheppard… The same gorgeous man she just had an unforgettable one-night stand with…

Aurora figures she's ruined her big chance by sleeping with her future boss. But just as she’s about to put in her two-weeks notice, one of Jackson’s former SEAL mates arrives with a baby, and everything changes. Despite being assigned to protect the infant, none of these SEALs know the first thing about taking care of babies

Lucky for them, Aurora comes from a big family and she’s eager to help. Escaping to a safe house in the suburbs, Jackson, Aurora, and the baby go undercover, posing as a loving family. But the more time he spends with Aurora, the more Jackson realizes how nice I would be to build a life with her, after the mission ends…

As danger closes in, can these two survive long enough to find out if their love is more than just a deception?

 3.5 STARS  

 Yes, this story had good main characters; each one of them facing their own kind of challenges.  They each had such different backgrounds when it came to how they were raised. It also can be seen how it is affecting their lives as adults, both in positive AND negative ways now.

 I just wish that it had drawn me in more.  After saying that, I will say that it does have a fair amount of action and danger, a good team when it comes to the Security Company, and some sweet moments.  

The ending was good as was the surprises that were in store for Aurora and Jackson.

 I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.