Sometimes I don’t always have the time to write up full reviews for books… otherwise it’s been a while since I read, but I still want to share some thoughts … hence the quickie review option! These are some somewhat recent reads that I thought you should know about!
One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake – 4 stars
I don’t even know what I can say about this book without spilling something that I don’t want to spill!! Kendare Blake has twisted my world around… I thought I knew which sister I was cheering for, but then it all just flew out the door as I read… So instead of a full-fledged review, I’m just going to say that if you love the idea of queens coming into their powers, queens who were born and raised to eventually fight and kill those who are destined to challenge them, queens who question those who raised them, then this story is for you. Katherine, Arsinoe, and Mirabella are ready for all-out battle and let me just say that Blake will have you wondering what twist will come next.
I am here for the next book and I seriously can’t wait!
Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
The Pretender by Helen Kay Dimon – 3.5 stars
Harrison Tate is a thief…
Gabrielle Wright has been estranged from what is left of her family for years. Her uncle is determined to prove that she was involved in the murder of her sister. She was the only one on the island when her sister was killed … or so everyone thinks.
Harrison Tate is a thief. He was also on the island the night that Gaby’s sister was murdered and he is the only one who can prove that Gaby wasn’t involved, but it would be at the expense of revealing who he truly is and does. Instead of come forward, he’s kept an eye on the news surrounding Gaby. When her Uncle starts digging again, he knows that he has to get involved.
Harris arrives at the estate under the guise of evaluating her family’s art and hopefully to help clear Gaby’s name, but someone is determined to hide who the real killer is and that means both their lives are in danger.
I really love this series, but this was probably one of my least favorite in the three that are out so far.
I think I just didn’t click with both Gaby and Harris as much as I had the other couples. While I enjoyed the banter between them, I just didn’t feel like they clicked for me as the others had. The story was intriguing and I certainly didn’t guess who was responsible for the death of Gaby’s sister so bonus points for that!
If you’re a fan of romantic suspense I definitely suggest this series. While I didn’t love this one as much as the other two it was still a wonderful addition to the series! I’m definitely excited for more!
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare – 4 stars
Historical Romance is rarely my thing, but there are a couple of authors that I find that I love in the genre. I’ve only read a couple of Tessa Dare’s books, but I can tell she’s going to fall into that category.
I kind of loved everything about this story if I’m being honest. The Duke of Ashbury is in need of a wife, the woman he had planned to marry could barely manage to look at him, and he is in desperate need of an heir. When Emma Gladstone appears in his library wearing a wedding gown and in need of money he knows she will be perfect for the role of his wife. No lights, no kissing, no questions and once she has his heir she will never have to tolerate him again… but Emma is no pushover and she has her own rules… and despite his brooding, and menacing, he can’t help but fall for the woman who can see past the scars marring his exterior to the man below.
I just love broody heroes and The Duke of Ashbury is certainly broody… and angry. I love that Emma goes toe-to-toe with him though and never gives an inch in regards to what she wants.
I may become a huge historical romance reader yet!
Kissing Tolstoy by Penny Reid – 5 stars
Love, Love, Love this book! I picked this one up on a whim and decided to start it right away because who doesn’t love fun, fluffy romance right?
This book was so fun, and funny, and sexy, and just plain wonderful. I’ve read a couple of other Penny Reid books and liked them, but this one just blew those out of the water for me. This has exactly everything I love when I’m reading Contemporary Romance. The heroine is relatable and hilarious and the hero is sweet and sexy.
The banter between these two was wonderfully done… and that’s saying a lot because most of the banter is about Tolstoy and Russian Literature. AND I STILL LOVED IT! At times I found myself laughing out loud while reading and that’s rare!
Those of you who are wary of this because it hints at a teacher/student thing … I get it, I have major hang-ups over that too, but this works that issue out really quickly and in a believable and no drama way.
If you like fun, quirky, romance I can’t suggest this one more – I’m hoping to see more in this series very soon!
Book Boyfriend by Claire Kingsley – 4 stars
If you’re a reader and have always dreamed of a guy picking you up in a bookstore with the line “let me buy you some books” then this book is for you. Honestly, this book is probably all of our dreams come true. Mia is a romance book blogger, and she’s a bit introverted and nerdy and unapologetic about how much she loves to read… which I can appreciate so, so much. That said, her family doesn’t think her reading is a good use of her time, and if they knew about her blogging, they would make her feel bad about it. So she’s never told them and she’s completely anonymous online.
Alex Lawson has stumbled upon a gold mine… Struggling to write his amazing novel, and help his father pay his medical bills, he’s stuck in a computer job he doesn’t love. When his sister crazily suggests that he write romance he immediately shoots it down. But for whatever reason he can’t get the idea out of his head and so he dives in head first and lets his sister read the finished product. And it’s amazing … soon, he’s got 7 titles out in the world under the pen name Lexi Logan and he’s quit his day job and is helping his father get back on track.
Then he bumps into Mia in a bookstore and the connection is instantaneous … like something out of a romance novel, and after years of being alone, he’s not willing to let her leave without the promise of seeing her again.
There is one catch… after their date, he’s positive that Mia is BB, the book blogger he’s been chatting with online and she’s messaging him about him thinking he’s the author. Yeah… it could be a bit confusing.
Overall, I thought this was a wonderful read, obviously geared towards those of us who dream of a guy buying us books in a bookstore and then falling madly in love in all the ways he’s perfect… (um, he wants to stay in and watch movies and cuddle under blankets). I completely like Alex, and I even liked Mia for the most part. There were a few times where I was a bit irritated with her, but by the end I found that I really liked these two together.
Other than being super predictable, this was a sweet and swoony romance – if you’re looking to immerse yourself in a dream come true, you might want to grab it soon!
There you go – Let me know if you plan to check out any of these titles in the comments!
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