Twisted Up (Taking Chances #1) by Erin Nicholas

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

I've been told time and time again by my fellow bookworms to give Erin Nicholas a try, so when I saw this book I knew it was the right one for me to take the plunge on a new to me author. Nicolas has scores of books under her belt, but she's know for her small town style romances and I have to say I see why now. Twisted Up was such a fun read for me. It was packed with emotion, passion, and a heartwarming feeling you get from the whole cast of characters in this community that has been devastated time and time again by tornadoes. The feeling of optimism in the story was contagious, but it still had just enough balance of negative that made the positives that much sweeter.

Overall, I was impressed with this book and I'm eager to start reading more from Nicolas. I'm really curious about the other two couples mentioned in the story, so I hope their stories soon follow this. I can't say that Chance is ever a town that I would chance living in given their history of tornadoes, but I do admire their spirit in the wake of so much bad luck. They might be onto something when the mention it might be built on an Indian burial ground. I guess they are lucky in a sense that they were ef4's and not ef5's though. Regardless, I'll spend some time visiting Chance but in NO WAY would I want to live there! LOL

*I received a review copy from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

If you'd like to check out more about this or other books by Erin, please head over to her website.

 

http://www.erinnicholas.com/

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For Love and Country (Brothers in Arms Book 13) by Samantha Kane

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

I feel like it's been forever since I had the chance to visit with Samantha Kane's cast of amazing characters in her Brothers in Arms series, but For Love and Country proved to me that it was well worth the wait!  As Sir Barnabas has made appearances throughout the series, I've been curious as to whom Kane could pair with him that would be worthy of such a man and I wasn't disappointed in the least.

Sir Barnabas is in a position of great power, and we all know how that typically goes, but he had so many hidden depths to him. I was glad to see that both Ambrose and Mel could see beyond his gruffness he projected to those around him to the man he really was inside.  Mel tugged at my heart in so many ways given all that she has endured, but I admired her for her strength in how she overcame everything to be a stronger version of herself when so many would have just given up completely. Ambrose, on the other hand, actually took center stage for me in this book. He's a virgin hero, which we don't see often enough in my opinion, and he had this inner core of strength and loyalty to him that I found to be quite admirable. It didn't take but the right people to really bring out his inner beast in the bedroom though, and that was even more delightful! The passion these three share could truly be felt coming off of the pages.

Overall, this book lived up to my expectations and so much more.  It had mystery and intrigue as well as passion, love, and friendship to make it one amazing read you won't want to put down! My only caution is that you might want to read the previous books to really grasp the full picture of the whole cast of characters, but it isn't entirely necessary even though they are truly amazing and worth the time.  For Love and Country definitely ranks as one of my favorite reads this year, so I highly recommend it for any historical lover out there that enjoys love in every capacity.

*I received a review copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.*

If you'd like to check out more about this or other books by Samantha, please head over to her website.

 

http://samanthakane.us

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A Taste of Seduction (The Disgraced Lords, #5) by Bronwen Evans

 

Reviewed by Tabatha  ✰✰✰✰

This Disgraced Lords series has been so much fun to read, and A Taste of Seduction was no exception! I just absolutely love this cast of characters, not to mention the mystery and intrigue it has going for it, too!

This was a reunion of lovers book, and we all know how I love those, but my only complaint would be that the ending was lacking for me. I know we are leading into the next book with the big reveal in this one, but it still felt a bit lacking there at the end and I wanted it a bit more wrapped up. Also the romance in this one, while sweet and sexy, actually seemed to take a back burner to the story itself. That's not always a bad thing, mind you, but I was surprised by it a bit given the previous books. I think this one just had so much to fit it that it was difficult to expand on the more intimate moments between Hadley and Evangeline more. I felt so incredibly bad for them that they were torn apart so early in life. The lies and deceit by our villainess were grievous indeed, and the more revealed the worse it is because you feel bad for her as well.

Overall, I still love these books. Bronwen Evans is a go-to author for me for historical romance, so you can't ever go wrong with one of her books. My only caution is that you read this series in its entirety, because you'll be lost attempting to read them as stand-alones. So with all that said, yes, you need to read this! lol

Reviewed by Kim  ✰✰✰✰✰

 Every new installment of the Disgraced Lords just gets better and better. My heart broke for Evangeline & Hadley, the trials that they were put through by the lies of those closest to them was so painful to watch. Both of them were so damaged that it seems only right that they would find each other and with a little trust and a lot of love bring warmth and joy back into their lives.

*We received a review copy from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for our honest review.*

If you'd like to check out more about this or other books by Bronwen, please head over to her website.

 

http://www.bronwenevans.com/

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Her Halloween Treat (Men at Work #1) by Tiffany Reisz

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

Her Halloween Treat was definitely a wicked delight in the best possible way. It was a sweet romance done Tiffany style, so it had a spicy kind of sweet feel to it that made it a pleasure to read.  I seriously can't even remember the last time a book had me laughing so much, but the friendship between Joey and Kira was just too cute for words. What I loved the most about this book though, was just how effortless the romance between these two felt. Yes, Joey resisted having a relationship with Chris given her current circumstances and what she thought she should be doing, but he was patient with her until she came around. I've always enjoyed a good friends-to-lovers story, but this has the added benefit of being a reunion one as well giving it an added bonus.  So all of this combined with impeccable writing, means this is one story you are going to want to read because I loved every moment of it!

*I received a review copy from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

If you'd like to check out more about this or other books by Tiffany, please head over to her website.

 

http://www.tiffanyreisz.com

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Outsider (Exodus End, #2) by Olivia Cunning

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

Olivia's books are always some of my favorite reads. No question about it, the woman can write rock star books like no other.  She captured my heart with the Sinners series, and this spin-off with Exodus End hasn't disappointed me in the least. *blissful sigh* Who wouldn't want to revisit the dynamic relationship between these three characters? I mean, Trey is enough to make me want to read this story, but throwing in Reagan and Ethan it packs one heck of a punch.

I will caution that you need to read the previous book. I'll even go further and say that it would be even better if you've read the entire Sinners series as well to fully understand everything going on in Outsider to get the full enjoyment out of it. I couldn't help but love that so many of the previous characters are all present in this story, but that could be confusing to some given the backstory leading into Outsider. 

So in Outsider this sexy trio is faced with being publicly outed in more ways than one. Ethan is still hiding in the closet fearing rejection from his family. Reagan is hiding her sexuality in fear of not only her father's rejection, but also the world not taking her seriously as a musician as well. Then we have Trey. The poor guy is caught up with both of his lovers wanting to hide, and all he wants to do is proclaim to the world that they are both his. It's heartbreaking at times for this trio, and the press situation revolving around them doesn't help when someone close to them seems to have nefarious reasons for outing the trio. 

Overall, this was another great read from Cunning. The only spot I found issue with was that I wanted more resolution where the scandal was concerned. Having read many of Olivia's stories in the past, I'm sure she is building to a big reveal, but I just needed more resolution than I got there at the end. Other than that, this book was a great addition to my favorites list, and I just know you guys are going to love it as much as I did!

*I received a review copy from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

If you'd like to check out more about this or other books by Olivia, please head over to her website.

 

http://www.oliviacunning.com

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All the Wrong Places (Bluewater Bay, #14) by Ann Gallagher

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

The reason I will always read books from this author, is because she isn't afraid to step outside the box and I love how she writes what she wants without restraint. All the Wrong Places was another first for me because of this being my first asexual romance.  I've found that wrapping ones head around the concept of being asexual is difficult to say the least, but Ann does it in a way that makes you realize that there is no one specific way to have a relationship. It is more about two people and how they define it in a way that works best for them. I can't say enough how much liked the message there. Both characters in the story worked on building a relationship that was just about them without any preconceived notions about what their relationship should entail. It was a breath of fresh air in the best possible way. So I bet you are asking yourself why I only gave it 3 stars, right?

Well, I'm going to straight up say it wasn't the lack of sex happening, because there was none to be had. I just also didn't feel like it was a romance. Don't get me wrong here, I did enjoy that that these two built a relationship framework about what they wanted, but I still got a strictly friendship vibe from these two more than anything. I just didn't feel any chemistry that lends itself to being romantic beyond friendship. I know it can be there without the sex, but I just didn't feel any romance between these two. So while I enjoyed reading something new to me and the message making me think a bit more about who defines a relationship, I just wanted a bit more than what I got from the characters.

*I received a review copy from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

If you'd like to check out more about this or other books by Ann, please head over to her website.

 

http://www.gallagherwitt.com/

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To Live Again (The Distance Between Us #6) by L.A. Witt

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

To Live Again was one of those books that hit the middle of the road for me. On the one hand, I  loved that this book featured more mature characters with some life experience under their belts, and that their struggles seemed more "real world" based. We are lead to believe, at first, that Greg's divorce was just about two people falling out of love, but there is more to it on both sides of the fence.  Greg's divorce prompts him to explore his bisexuality when he's only ever been with his wife leading into this. On his first night out, he meets Sailo in the most adorkable of ways. The lust between them is instant and obvious, but the slow build of friendship between them is kind of endearing. Sailo is patient with Greg, and I loved how he was more than accommodating as a teacher. Neither guy wants a relationship out of this, but it's quite obvious as the story progresses that they both have feelings for one another. Greg's struggle to move on from his marriage is emotional and just so very real. Being married that long isn't something one just gets over, so I appreciated that element of the story.

But on the other, I regrettably didn't enjoy the conflict at the end of the story at all.  My biggest issue lies with Sailo. He was not only unreasonable, but his actions seemed out of character and out of left-field. It soured everything that had been built between him and Greg and I found the recovery of their relationship to be far too quick. I'm not even going to get into how I feel about the wrong person doing all the groveling at the end.  Suffice to say, it just didn't work for me at the end. Everything leading up to that point was enjoyable though.

*I received a review copy from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

If you'd like to check out more about this or other books by L.A., please head over to her website.

 

http://www.gallagherwitt.com/

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