Author Archives: Sandy

Julian (Immortals of New Orleans 14) by Kym Grosso-review

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Julian (Immortals of New Orleans 14) by Kym Grosso-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 2024

Born into royalty, Alpha Julian Fortes has been to hell and back. A lone wolf, he’s fought the ancient curse that’s plagued his family for centuries. When he saves a mysterious woman, his wolf will no longer be denied his mate or his pack.

Cassia Luna has learned to cloak her presence from the hellhounds and stay one step ahead of the evil that pursues her. Psychic abilities keep her alive, allowing her to sense the predators before they strike. As Cassia is forced to trust the charismatic Alpha, she resists her desire to submit and reveal her true nature.

The Prince of Wolves must confront destructive evil forces that lurk in the shadows. But will the Alpha destroy his enemies before they kill him? And after living a lifetime alone, will he succumb to the visceral need to claim Cassia, acknowledging the soul binding connection between an Alpha and his mate?
Julian is the 12th novel in The Immortals of New Orleans series. Although many of my readers prefer reading the series in order, each book is written to be read standalone.

•••••

REVIEW:JULIAN is the fourteenth instalment in Kym Grosso’s contemporary, adult IMMORTALS OF NEW ORLEANS erotic, paranormal, fantasy romance series. This is ancient shifter, Prince Alpha Julian Fortes, and Cassia Luna’s story line. JULIAN can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading from book six onwards for back story and cohesion.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise including MFM sexual situations, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from omniscient third person perspectives (Julian and Cassia) JULIAN follow in the aftermath of the rescue of our story line heroine. Alpha Julia Fortes believes he had rescued a human female but her ‘disappearance’ meant she was something more.Tracking down the woman that had peaked and interested his inner wolf, Julian would discover Cassia Luna is much more than human,Cassia’s premonitions would set into motion a war between Earth and H&ll. Cassia Luna’s existence and supernatural abilities are rare even within the world of the paranormal but Cassia never expected to find her mate in Alpha Prince Julian Fortes. A series of dreams and message pushes Cassia on a path towards her future, a future involving a demonic cult, witches, shifters, vampires, dragons, fae and the search for the ‘vessel’ that may free them all. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Julian and Cassia, and the potential fall-out when something sets their sights on our story line couple.

The world building, is once again, detailed and complex, with the inclusion and mention of many previous story line conflicts and premises. Someone or something has set a plan into motion to secure the most powerful supernatural creatures, and in this, shifter royalty, and a one-of-a-kind magical being is the perfect prize to obtain the ultimate control.

The relationship between Julian and Cassia begins as a rescue, then a search for our story line heroine. Cassia’s dreams / nightmare warn of impending death and destruction, and the hounds of h&ll are taking aim at our story line heroine. The $ex scenes are intimate and provocative including an MFM sexual situation.

There is another large ensemble cast of colorful, powerful and energetic secondary and supporting supernatural characters, many of whom has been manipulated and magically forced into a world not of their own. Rafe, vampire/wolf hybrid returns, as he struggle to come to terms with both sides of his new existence.

JULIAN is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, family and friendships, relationships and love. The premise is impassioned, dramatic and compelling; the romance is provocative and seductive; the characters are dynamic and charismatic.

Previous reviews and reading order
Kade’s Dark Embrace
Luca’s Magic Embrace
Tristan’s Lyceum Wolves
Logan’s Acadian Wolves
Leopold’s Wicked Embrace
Dimitri
Jax
Jake
Quintus
Hunter
Christmas Embrace
Victor

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

FREE-> KADE’S DARK EMBRACE:  Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / Smashwords

LUCA’S MAGIC EMBRACE: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / Smashwords

TRISTAN’S LYCEUM WOLVES: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk Barnes and Noble/ KOBO / Smashwords

ebook only 99¢
LOGAN’S ACADIAN WOLVES: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / Smashwords

LEOPOLD’S WICKED EMBRACE: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble /

DIMITRI: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

JAX: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

JAKE:  Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / ibooks / Smashwords /

QUINTUS:Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play

HUNTER: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

Christmas Embrace: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

VICTOR: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play /

Follow: Goodreads / Website /Twitter /Facebook /

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Kym GrossoKym Grosso is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the award-winning paranormal romance series, The Immortals of New Orleans. She also has a new erotic romantic suspense series, Club Altura Romance. In addition to romance novels, Kym has written and published several articles about autism, and is passionate about autism advocacy. She is also a contributing essay author in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum.

Kym enjoys reading, tennis, zumba, traveling and spending time with her husband and children. New Orleans, with its rich culture, history and unique cuisine, is one of her favorite places to visit. Also, she loves traveling just about anywhere that has a beach or snow-covered mountains. On any given night, when not writing her own books, Kym can be found reading her Kindle, which is filled with hundreds of romances.

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Skies Over Caledonia (The Highlands)by Samantha Young-review tour

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Skies Over Caledonia (The Highlands 4) by Samantha Young-review tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

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Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3NAJQvv

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 9, 2024

He’s a down-to-earth highland farmer. She’s the rebellious daughter of Hollywood royalty. They might seem like they’re from different worlds, but that won’t stop them from engaging in a marriage of convenience…

It’s been five years since Jared McCulloch’s grandfather Collum passed away and he inherited his farm in the Scottish Highlands. After his grandad saved him from his past life, Jared is determined to honor Collum’s legacy. But not only has a series of bad luck put him in danger of losing the farm, his estranged father is disputing the will. In a desperate situation, Jared realizes he’ll do just about anything to save the land.
Even marrying Allegra Howard, a woman he’s avoided at all costs.
A woman who tempts him beyond reason.

There’s only one place that makes Allegra Howard feel safe; one place that feeds her artist’s soul. Allegra wants to settle down in Scotland and expand her business. But there’s a hitch: immigration intends to return her to US soil.
Panicked, Allegra finds the one person just as desperate as she is. The same person she’s lusted after for years. In exchange for marrying her, she’ll invest financially in Jared McCulloch’s farm.

However, living together only forces them to acknowledge their searing mutual attraction. And with it comes an undeniable emotional connection Jared’s not sure he’s ready for.
Yet, blurring the lines of their arrangement is the least of his concerns when someone begins terrorizing the farm.
Allegra and Jared came together to save what matters most and now that might just be each other. And unless they can figure out which of their pasts has returned to torment them, they could lose their chance at a real future together…

••••

REVIEW:SKIES OVER CALEDONIA is the fourth instalment in Samantha Young’s contemporary adult THE HIGHLANDS erotic, romance series. This is thirty year old Scottish farmer Jared McCulloch, and twenty-five year old, American artist Allegra Howard’s story line. SKIES OVER CALEDONIA can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary . Allegra is Aria Howard’s younger sister (Among the Heather 2).

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Jared and Allegra) SKIES OVER CALEDONIA follows the return of Allegra Howard to the Scottish Highlands. Approximately five years earlier, Allegra, visiting her sister in Scotland, met and was rejected by our story line hero but the rejection was in response to Allegra’s attitude, and in this, Jared wanted nothing to do with Allegra Howard. Fast forward to present day, Allegra, having travelled back and forth, and staying one too many times, finds herself facing deportation, and when her sister refuses to help, Allegra makes a desperate and despondent Jared McCulloch an offer he cannot refuse. Jared is struggled to keep his grandfather’s farm from collapse, and a quick inflection of cash is just what he needs. What ensues is the marriage of convenience between Jared and Allegra, and the potential fall-out when our couple are targeted in separate instances

The world building follows the acrimonious relationship between Jared and Allegra. Jared is about to lose his grandfather’s farm, and Allegra is about to be deported for staying too long without the proper documentation but family and friends refuse to accept our couple are marrying for anything but love, suspecting the reasons are exactly what they appear to be. Allegra Howard is the daughter of Hollywood royalty yet her life has been anything but. Jared was raised by his grandfather, and in this, his biological parents were never a part of his life but his father’s return threatens everything between Allegra and Jared going forward.

The relationship between Jared and Allegra is tempestuous at best. Allegra has lusted after Jared from the first time they met but Jared struggled to see beneath the glamor and money of Hollywood royalty. Believing Allegra was nothing more than a spoiled nepo-baby, Jared struggles to accept the woman with whom he is falling in love. The $ex scenes are erotic and passionate without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters are colorful and dynamic including Allegra’s less than accepting sister Aria and her husband North, and Sarah and Theo Cavendish, as well as the return of Allegra’s parents Chiara and Wesley Howard, and the introduction of Jared’s father Hamish McCulloch.

SKIES OVER CALEDONIA is a story of power and control, secrets and lies, betrayal and jealousy, family and friendships, acceptance and love. The premise is dramatic, captivating and intense; the romance is provocative and seductive; the characters are determined, desperate, charismatic and broken.

Reading Order and Previous reviews
Beyond the Thistles
Among The Heather
Through the Glen

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Samantha Young is the New York Times,  USA Today  and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows.  Every Little Thing, the second book in her new Hart’s Boardwalk series, will be published by Berkley in March 2017. Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s debut YA contemporary novel The Impossible Vastness of Us was published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook & hardback June 2017. Play On is an adult contemporary romance and the first in a brand new series set in Scotland. Villain is a companion novella to the New York Times bestselling romance HERO.

Samantha has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for On Dublin Street, Best Romance 2014 for Before Jamaica Lane, and Best Romance 2015 for Hero. On Dublin Street, a #1 bestseller in Germany, was the Bronze Award Winner in the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2013, Before Jamaica Lane the Gold Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2014 and Echoes of Scotland Street the Bronze Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2015.

Samantha is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author.

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WELL AND TRULY PUCKED (My Hockey Romance 4) by Lauren Blakely

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🩵WELL AND TRULY PUCKED (My Hockey Romance 4) by Lauren Blakely🩵

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au / B&N Paper /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 9, 2024

I swear I only asked one hot hockey-playing friend to give me romance lessons for the week, but three hockey stars volunteered…

The post breakup plan was simple – escape from my toxic ex to a vacation rental and stay far away from men.

But thanks to a booking snafu I’m accidentally sharing it with three hot hockey players. One’s flirty, one’s broody, one’s a cheeky Brit, and they’re all the most attentive men I’ve ever met.

After a couple of glasses of champagne, I’m telling them about the contest my ex is running on his dating advice web site. The topic? What makes a great boyfriend, and I want to submit a column.

All three offer to show me every single thing I’ve been missing in and out of bed.

We make a deal for one week only. It’s only for revenge, of course. I work for the other hockey team in the city so it’d be a big mistake to truly get involved with a rival, let alone three .

Even though I melt under their touch. They show me what it means to be adored, cherished and romanced .

But as the week ticks on, what started as revenge fast turns into me giving my heart to three men I can’t have. Looks like I’m well and truly pucked.

••••

REVIEW: WELL AND TRULY PUCKED is the fourth instalment in Lauren Blakely’s contemporary, adult MY HOCKEY ROMANCE erotic, reverse harem romance series. This is yoga instructor Briar Delaney, and Golden State Foxes hockey players Gavin Worthy, Hollis Bouchard and Rhys Corbyn. WELL AND TRULY PUCKED can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise including the foursome, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from four first person perspectives (Briar, Gavin, Hollis, Rhys) WELL AND TRULY PUCKED follows in the wake of Briar Delaney discovering she is currently homeless in the wake of her boyfriend’s affair. With all of her worldly possessions in two garbage bags and her Dachshund Donut, Briar quickly realizes her ex took the cat, leaving her struggling to regain control. With the help of her yoga students and hockey players Briar regains ‘custody’ of ‘Frances Furbottom’ but in the aftermath realizes she has no place to live. Enter Gavin, Hollis and Rhys, the men with whom Briar will fall in love. What ensues is the building relationship between Briar, and Gavin, Hollis and Rhys, and the potential fall-out as their time together comes to a close as Briar finds a new place to live.

The world building focuses on the building relationship between Briar and the three men in her life, as well as her need to seek revenge against an ex who is taking aim at our story line heroine.

The relationship between Briar and her three men is erotic and provocative. Each man offers something different in her life but it is Gavin who is struggling with his place in the relationship. Promising to remain friends with all three men, Briar battles between head and heart knowing she has fallen for all men equally but Briar is about to become a distraction no one needs. The $ex scenes are intimate and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

Briar’s best friend Ivy Samuels (Puck Yes 2); Briar’s father Henry Delaney, his girlfriend Clara, and Briar’s ex boyfriend Steven.

WELL AND TRULY PUCKED is a story of friendships, rivalry, acceptance and love. The premise is riveting; the romance is spellbinding; the characters are determined and charismatic.

Previous Reviews

Double Pucked
Puck Yes
Thoroughly Pucked

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

A #1 New York Times Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s hot, sweet and sexy. She lives in California with her family and has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than eighty times, and she’s sold more than 2 million books. In October she’ll release HARD WOOD, a sexy, standalone romantic comedy. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter! laurenblakely.com/newsletter

Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Newsletter ** Goodreads

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WICKED EMPIRE (The Seven Deadly Sinacores 5) by Aidee Jaimes

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WICKED EMPIRE (The Seven Deadly Sinacores 5) by Aidee Jaimes-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 30, 2024

I always knew there’d be a cost to pay for being a thief, but when I cross Gavin Alexander, the wicked price he demands might be more than I can afford.

After living on the streets for years, I managed to get my life together for my son. I have a job as a housekeeper. A car that runs. A tiny apartment.

But when things suddenly become dire, I’m left with no choice but to steal again. I make myself believe it’s chump change for my boss, the billionaire would never notice the few hundred dollars from his dirty laundry.

My mistake isn’t that it’s pennies to a wealthy man. It’s that he’s not just any wealthy man. He’s the king of the Vegas underworld, a dangerous criminal with dangerous enemies. When he catches me red handed and his eyes trail over me, a flicker of desire forms in them and he makes me a deal. Report me to the police and lose my son, or enter his dangerous world and submit to his wicked desires. Fans of Zoe Blake and Cassandra Robbins will devour Wicked Empire, the fifth book in the Seven Deadly Sinacores, a scorching hot mafia romance by Aidee James that takes dark romance to a whole new depth.

••••

REVIEW: WICKED EMPIRE is the fifth instalment in Aidee Jaimes’ contemporary, adult THE SEVEN DEADLY SINACORES dark, erotic, crime world, romance series. This is thirty-eight year old, billionaire hotelier Gavin Alexander, and housecleaner/ single mother Anderson ‘Andie’ Burrows’ story line. WICKED EMPIRE can be read as a stand alone but for back story and cohesion, I recommend reading the series in order as there is an ongoing premise throughout.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers including knife play.

SOME BACKGROUND: All is not well in the criminal underworld, several of the men in charge of the most powerful families in America have been murdered, and there is a connection for all to a murder from the past. The survivors have formed a group known as the Sinacore Alliance, in an effort to take down the person(s) responsible for the death and destruction of family and friends.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Gavin and Andie) WICKED EMPIRE follows in the wake of a theft by our story line heroine. Andie Burrows is a single mother, and finding miscellaneous amounts of money while doing laundry, tempts our heroine to take what does not belong but Andie will be caught, and in an effort to save herself from doing time, Andie is blackmailed by the man in charge. Enter billionaire Gavin Alexander, the man with whom Andie will fall in love. Gavin Alexander is determined to take back what Andie took from him, and in doing so, demands seven days of her life, a life that is now under Gavin’s control but someone has targeted our story line hero, and Andie and Gavin are about to find themselves on the run, with no one to trust, including those Gavin once considered family and friends. What ensues is the building but acrimonious relationship between Andie and Gavin, and the potential fall-out as Gavin must come to terms with a possible betrayal from more than one person.

The world building focuses on Gavin’s life, his business, his hotels, and his casinos but someone else is determined to take control, and targets Gavin and our story line heroine.

The relationship between Gavin and Andie begins as employer and employee but quickly turns sour when Gavin catches Andie with money she does not own. To keep her from prison, Gavin blackmails our heroine into seven days of servitude, seven days in which Gavin finds himself falling in love with reluctant prisoner. The $ex scenes are provocative and intense.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, powerful and questionable secondary and supporting characters. Gavin struggles to trust those closest to him , and in this, Gavin will have to trust someone who could destroy them all.

WICKED EMPIRE is a story of betrayal and vengeance, greed and opportunity, power and control, trust and uncertainty, friendships and family, acceptance and love. The premise is dramatic and raw; the romance is intoxicating and impassioned; the characters are desperate and dynamic.

Previous reviews and Reading Order
Merciless Vows
Ruthless Heir
Cruel Prince
Vicious Captor

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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The Truth About Us by Claudia Burgoa-review & excerpt tour

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The Truth About Us (Impossibly Possible Duet / Decker Family) by Claudia Burgoa-review & excerpt tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play /

Add The Truth About Us to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3vzPfwY

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 6, 0224

Every night, I find myself caught between dreams and wakefulness.
Yearning for a past that slips through my fingers.
Each night, whisper prayers into the darkness.
Longing for just one kiss, one more touch . . .

Longing for her.

Maybe forever is a lie.
The truth is that tragedy will always break your heart.
But maybe, this time, I can build something greater out of tragedy.
Maybe . . . just maybe love isn’t as lost as I once thought.
And maybe forever might still happen to me

••••

REVIEW:The Truth About Us is the second and final installment of the Impossibly Possible duet, and Oh my Goodness what a worldwind. This series is filled with drama and emotion, the author took this series in a different direction than I was expecting, but what a way to go.

THE TRUTH ABOUT US takes us back to where book one ends, so reading the first in the series is very much recommended, there is far too much that happens in book one that the reader will need to know for book two. The book continues with Ameline and Gabe, we see Ame is back to help her sister, but Gabe..Gabe is living like a ghost. It’s sad to see, but as the book progresses and we get the reasoning behind their separation, what really happened, a new picture starts to form.

So much can be said about the storytelling of this duet. The characters are intense, the plot is captivating and the story itself is heartbreaking in a way that makes you want more and more with every word. Gabe and Ame started off so young, and being that young they didn’t know how to talk to one another, how to be in a relationship, how to make it last. They were just too young. Years later, they get their second chance, and after everything they have to go through to be together again, the heartbreak, the lies and the pain, all to have each other back again. Watching Gabe come back to life, the light in his soul reignite was everything, him taking the time to win back Ame’s heart after everything they had been through, it made everything worth it. There two are soulmates, and after everything, I am so pleased they were able to find their HEA.

Click HERE for Sarah’s review of THE LIES ABOUT FOREVER

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sarah

 

Gabriel
In the silent hours of the night, under the gentle glow of the moon, I lie awake, my heart filled with a deep sense of longing and loss. My dreams weave together the words of a prayer, a melody that blurs the lines between being awake and asleep.
Each night, as I close my eyes, I enter a realm painted with the colors of memories and desires. “I pray that my eyes awaken with the light of your gaze,” I whisper softly.
In this world, my wife’s eyes shine like stars, guiding me through the darkness of my grief.
I dream of days filled with laughter and nights enveloped in the warmth of shared dreams. In these dreams, I pray that you stay by my side and never leave me, my love.
I plead into the night.
In these dreams, she is there, as real as the ache in my heart.
Yet, each dream reminds me of the moment that broke my world. The dreams are a harsh contradiction, offering glimpses of a love that remains just out of reach.
As dawn nears, my dreams shift, creating visions of a future that might have been. I see children playing in the sunlight, their laughter filling a home brimming with love—a love I had hoped to share with her.
I pray for our children.
I pray for her heart.
I pray for us.
But as the first light of morning filters through the curtains, reality gradually returns. I wake up to a world that seems murkier, a life that feels incomplete. Yet, in the quiet moments of awakening, I cling “to the dreams, the prayers, and the love that keeps her memory alive in my heart.
I pray for one more second of life to give to her and my whole heart to surrender. I promise as I rise to face the day. In my heart, I know that every heartbeat, every breath, is a tribute to the love we shared—a love that, even when I pretend it never existed, remains strong.
And so, I navigate the delicate balance between reality and dreams, carrying within me a prayer that transcends time and space.
And if I die, let it be of love, knowing that in the end, it is love that infuses everything with meaning—love that will guide me through the darkest nights and into the light of a new day. 


 

FOLLOW: Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook / Amazon Author / Instagram

Claudia is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author.

She writes alluring, thrilling stories about complicated women and the men who take their breaths away. Her books are the perfect blend of steamy and heartfelt, filled with emotional characters and explosive chemistry. Her writing takes readers to new heights, providing a variety of tears, laughs, and shocking moments that leave fans on the edge of their seats.

She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, her youngest two children, and three fluffy dogs.

When Claudia is not writing, you can find her reading, knitting, or just hanging out with her family. At nights, she likes to binge watch shows or movies with her equally geeky husband.

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The Finders Keepers Library (Love in Bloom) by Annie Rains-review

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The Finders Keepers Library (Love in Bloom 1) by Annie Rains-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 16, 2024

For a gardener blessed with a green thumb, Savannah Collins’s life sure seems like it’s all thorns, zero roses. She has no job, no relationship, and no place to live. With nothing but a car full of plants and her new rescue kitten, Savannah heads to Bloom, North Carolina, to spend the summer with her beloved Aunt Eleanor, a retired librarian.

Her aunt shares her love of literature with the Finders Keepers Library, located in her beautiful garden, where anyone can stop by to pick a book or leave a book. When a sudden summer storm destroys the library and many of the roses, it will take a village to get everything ready for the garden wedding that is planned there in just three weeks.

As the entire town joins in to make the necessary repairs, Savannah bonds with their neighbor Evan Sanders over the books that Eleanor has handpicked for each of them, helping them both find healing and self-discovery. Savannah only intends to stay through the summer, but when an unexpected job offer, a sudden health crisis, and a wayward pre-teen push her future in new directions, she has to wonder whether this is the place that she is meant to be—and the family she’s meant to be with.

••••••

REVIEW:THE FINDERS KEEPERS LIBRARY is the first instalment in Annie Rains contemporary, adult LOVE IN BLOOM romance series focusing on the people of Bloom, North Carolina. This is teacher / single father Evan Sanders, and botanist Savannah Collins’ story line.

Told from three omniscient third person perspectives (Evan, Savannah, Eleanor) THE FINDERS KEEPERS LIBRARY follows Savannah Collins return to Bloom, North Carolina where she spent summers with her Aunt Eleanor but Savannah is struggling in the wake of a broken engagement, a life-threatening illness, and the discovery that her aunt is battling with her own recovery following a fall. Reconnecting with Evan Sanders whose own life is nothing like Savannah remembers gives Savannah thoughts of something more but damage from a summer storm, and the impending wedding of a childhood friend pushes Savannah, Evan and the small town of Bloom, North Carolina together to make repairs before the big day, including repairs to Aunt Eleanor’s Finders Keepers Library. What ensues is the slow building romance and relationship between Savannah and Evan, and the potential fall-out when Savannah pushes Evan out of her life.

The world building follows several paths, focusing on numerous scenarios: Savannah’s heart break and broken engagement: her ongoing illness, and her search for a job; Aunt Eleanor’s struggle to move forward; and Evan’s battle with, not only his twelve year old daughter but, the grandmother who is threatening our story line hero.

The relationship between Evan and Savannah is a frenemies to friends to boyfriend and girlfriend but Savannah continues to battle a life-threatening illness, and refuses to be a burden to anyone else. Pushing Evan out of her life means another heart break for everyone, including Aunt Eleanor and Evan’s twelve year old daughter. There are no $ex scenes.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including a numbers of small town locals. We are introduced to Aunt Eleanor, Evan’s daughter June; sisters Mallory and Madison, and their grandfather Charlie Blue, and Evan’s friend Hollis.

THE FINDERS KEEPERS LIBRARY is a story of secrets, illness, family and friendships, The premise is sweet and entertaining; the romance is mostly implied; the characters are charming but mostly two-dimensional.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Annie Rains is a contemporary romance author who writes small town love stories set in fictional towns on the coast of North Carolina. Raised in one of America’s largest military communities, Annie often features heroes who fight for their countries, while also fighting for a place to call home and a good woman to love. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her husband and 3 children, or reading a book by one of her favorite authors.

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Disturbing the Dead (Rip Through Time 3) by Kelley Armstrong

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Disturbing the Dead (Rip Through Time 3) by Kelley Armstrong-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play / Chapters Indigo Paper /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 7, 2024

Victorian Scotland is becoming less strange to modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson. Though inhabiting someone else’s body will always be unsettling, even if her employers know that she’s not actually housemaid Catriona Mitchell, ever since the night both of them were attacked in the same dark alley 150 years apart. Mallory likes her job as assistant to undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray, and is developing true friends—and feelings—in this century.

So, understanding the Victorian fascination with death, Mallory isn’t that surprised when she and her friends are invited to a mummy unwrapping at the home of Sir Alastair Christie. When their host is missing when it comes time to unwrap the mummy, Gray and Mallory are asked to step in. And upon closer inspection, it’s not a mummy they’ve unwrapped, but a much more modern body.

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REVIEW: DISTURBING THE DEAD is the third instalment in Kelley Armstrong’s adult A RIP THROUGH TIME time travel, mystery series focusing on thirty year old, Vancouver, Canada Police Detective Mallory Atkinson, and undertaker/investigator Dr. Duncan Gray. DISTURBING THE DEAD can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading book one A RIP THROUGH TIME for back story and cohesion.

SOME BACKGROUND: In the spring of 2019 while visiting her ailing grandmother in Edinburgh Scotland, thirty year old, Vancouver British Columbia, Canada police detective Mallory Atkinson is attacked in an alley only to wake up as a nineteen year old housemaid in the year 1869, a housemaid who was also attacked and left for dead in the same alley where Mallory was found. Not only has our heroine time travelled back one-hundred and fifty years but she is no longer physically the same woman she was just minutes before. Working as a housemaid for Dr. Duncan Gray and his sister Isla, realizing life as she knew it was no longer under her control, Mallory must assume the position of nineteen year old Catriona Mitchell, a young woman whose history is questionable and dark. Working alongside Dr. Gray and Detective McCreadie, Mallory uses her abilities as a detective to help.

Told from first person perspective (Mallory) using two timelines, DISTURBING THE DEAD follows in the aftermath of the murder of Sir Alastair Christie. The unveiling of an Egyptian mummy finds the people of Victorian Scotland both curious and disturbed including several women who are trying to establish themselves as students at the local medical college but when Sir Alastair goes missing along with several Egyptian artifacts, and his body is discovered in the most unlikeliest of situations, fellow curiosity seekers Dr. Duncan Gray and Mallory Atkinson, with the help of Detective McCreadie, begin an investigation of their own. When fingers are pointed at several potential suspects, Mallory and Dr. Duncan Gray find themselves surveying secret tunnels and underground markets for answers, only for Mallory to be attacked, once again.

The secondary and supporting characters are numerous and colorful. We are once again introduced to Dr. Gray’s household, as well as his sisters Annis, and Isla, as well as Detective McCreadie. The requisite evil has many faces.

DISTURBING THE DEAD is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, jealousy and greed, time travel and acceptance. The premise is intriguing and captivating; the numerous characters are entertaining and charismatic.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
A Rip Through Time
The Poisoner’s Ring

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers’ dismay. All efforts to make her produce “normal” stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She’s the author of the NYT-bestselling “Women of the Otherworld” paranormal suspense series and “Darkest Powers” young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

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You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian-review

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You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 7, 2024

The 1960 baseball season is shaping up to be the worst year of Eddie O’Leary’s life. He can’t manage to hit the ball, his new teammates hate him, he’s living out of a suitcase, and he’s homesick. When the team’s owner orders him to give a bunch of interviews to some snobby reporter, he’s ready to call it quits. He can barely manage to behave himself for the length of a game, let alone an entire season. But he’s already on thin ice, so he has no choice but to agree.

Mark Bailey is not a sports reporter. He writes for the arts page, and these days he’s barely even managing to do that much. He’s had a rough year and just wants to be left alone in his too-empty apartment, mourning a partner he’d never been able to be public about. The last thing he needs is to spend a season writing about New York’s obnoxious new shortstop in a stunt to get the struggling newspaper more readers.

Isolated together within the crush of an anonymous city, these two lonely souls orbit each other as they slowly give in to the inevitable gravity of their attraction. But Mark has vowed that he’ll never be someone’s secret ever again, and Eddie can’t be out as a professional athlete. It’s just them against the world, and they’ll both have to decide if that’s enough.

••••••

REVIEW:YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY is an historical, adult, LGBTQ+ baseball romance set in 1960 focusing on twenty two year old, professional baseball player Eddie O’Leary, and journalist Mark Bailey. YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY is set in the same world as the author’s WE COULD BE SO GOOD.

Told from dual omniscient third person perspectives (Eddie and Mark),covering approximately nine months, YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY follows journalist Mark Bailey as he is tasked with writing a diary (of a sorts) focusing on professional baseball player Eddie O’Leary, a young man whose career is quickly spiralling out of control. Traded without warning to the New York Robins, Eddie is in a slump, struggling at the plate, and in the proverbial closet when it comes to his sex life and his career. The world has yet to accept the idea of homosexuality, or ‘queers’ in professional sports but Eddie will quickly discover the journalist assigned to write a piece about his career, is a man with more in common than Eddie could have ever imagined. Enter journalist Mark Bailey, a gay man who is battling between head and heart in the wake of losing someone he loved,and his attraction to a man whose career could end if his secret were discovered.

The relationship between Eddie and Mark begins as a professional arrangement in which Mark has been assigned to follow Eddie, and write a weekly journal focusing on the man with whom he will fall in love but Mark’s last relationship had been hidden from view, and Mark refuses to cross the line in the face of discrimination, homophobia, heart break and professional suicide. The $ex scenes fade to black and are mostly implied.

The secondary and supporting characters include a few cameos from reports Nick Russo, and his lover Andy Fleming (We Could Be So Good 1), as well as sports reporter George Allen, and several teammates and management from the New York Robins.

YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY is an extremely slow building story of secrets and lies, acceptance and love. The premise is thought-provoking; the slow burn romance is awkward at times; the characters are charismatic yet desperate.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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