REVIEW: Dark Whisper by Christine Feehan
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 11 Oct 22
Vasilia Sidkorolyavolkva is a Lycan royal who has been raised knowing she’s a life mate to a Carpathian male. She’s a kickass heroine who has been raised to battle and vanquish demons and heal the earth. Afanasiv is an ancient Carpathian who, along with a few of his unmated brethren, is in search of his life mate. For an ancient, Siv has a wonderfully modern attitude toward his mate and what a true partnership between mates entails. While some things remain the same as other stories in this series, there’s a lot of new to keep readers intrigued and engaged.
REVIEW: The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
Contemporary Romance published by Gallery Books 18 May 21
Love isn’t a strong enough word to describe my feelings for this book. I greedily consumed this in one sitting. It’s superb. This book makes me want to completely abandon my dissertation analyzing glycosylation in cancer and switch to developing a matchmaking algorithm for genetic compatibility. Is it too late? Can I do this instead?
REVIEW: A Curse of Queens by Amanda Bouchet
Fantasy Romance published by Sourcebook Casablanca 04 Oct 22
Griffin and Cat have united Thalyria as promised, and Cat is soon to bear a child who will be the true symbol of all the bloodlines in the kingdom. However, the Gods are not quite done with Cat yet, and she is cursed to remain exactly in that moment of time, 8+ months pregnant. Jocasta, Griffin’s sister and gifted healer, has one final remedy to try, but it will mean an epic adventure away from the safety and security of the palace.
REVIEW: Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones
Stevie‘s review of Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones
Bisexual Holiday Romance published by Hodder & Stoughton 13 Oct 22
The fake dating trope has never been my favourite premise for a story, but the twist implied in the blurb for this one intrigued me immensely. Haf Hughes is looking forward to spending Christmas with her parents in North Wales, but she has to change her plans at the last minute, when they announce they’ll be holidaying abroad this year, just the two of them. Wanting to take her mind off the prospect of being alone in York for the festive season, Haf gatecrashes a university party with her housemate and finds herself kissing one of the invited guests, Christopher, under the mistletoe. The pair are disturbed by Haf’s new acquaintance’s ex-girlfriend, who assumes that Haf is her replacement. Things spiral, and suddenly Haf has been invited to spend a family Christmas with a man she barely knows.
REVIEW: Soul Taken by Patricia Briggs
Paranormal Romance published by Ace 23 Aug 22
Is it my imagination or has this series become darker? This time around, the Vampires take center stage as not only has Wulfe, with his strange, unhealthy fascination with Mercy disappeared after being in her and Adam’s bed, but the seethe is threatening the pack. Another exciting though chilling episode in the Mercedes Thompson series. read more…
REVIEW: Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy
Contemporary Romance published by St. Martin’s Griffin 01 Feb 22
I struggled with what to rate this book. I kept going back and forth between an A or a B. I ultimately decided on the B, because even though there are issues, it’s still an incredibly fun, bingeable romcom.
GUEST BLOG: Favorite Aliens by Dianne Duvall
Hello! Thank you for joining us! I’m thrilled to be here today, celebrating the release of THE AKSELI, the next stand-alone novel on my exciting new Aldebarian Alliance series. If you like sci-fi and paranormal romance with strong heroes, kick-ass heroines, lovable secondary characters, and lots of action, passion, and humor, then I think you’ll really enjoy Simone and Janwar’s story. It’s a fun escape that follows a fierce warrior who leaves her vampire hunting days behind and embarks upon her first adventure in space.
REVIEW: The Akseli by Dianne Duvall
Science Fiction Romance published by Dianne Duvall 11 Oct 22
Tired of hunting and killing vampires’ night after night, Simone volunteers to accompany a small group of her brethren to outer space in search of a change and new adventure. When the ship that is conveying the group is attacked in outer space, Simone survives in an escape pod, locked on to the ship that attacked her friends and family, vowing vengeance. So begins a space adventure that is intense, compelling, and addictive. read more…
REVIEW: The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann
Stevie‘s review of The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann
Multicultural LGBTQ+ Romance published by Berkley 12 Apr 22
It’s a rarity to find a romance, or indeed any book, with an asexual main character, so finding one with two of them was a definite inducement to start reading. Two very different asexuals, no less: Joy, who has yet to figure out whether she needs to find out what all the fuss is about when it comes to sex, and Malcolm, who really enjoys sex in spite of not experiencing sexual attraction. Best friends since college, Joy has always been in love with Malcolm and has been the one constant in his life through his endless, doomed, romantic relationships. She’s also his personal assistant at work, which Malcolm turns to his advantage far too much, expecting Joy to be able to drop all her plans every time he needs something – whether it’s work-related or not. Now, he wants her to accompany him on a holiday with his new girlfriend, Summer – whom he is convinced really is the one this time – and her male best friend, Fox.
REVIEW: Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer
Young Adult published by Bloomsbury YA 20 Sep 22
This book was one of my most anticipated fall releases. Unfortunately, it missed the mark for me. I can normally overlook the naivety of YA main female characters, because obviously they’re YA and usually teenagers. Tessa annoyed me so much in this book, though. I could not handle her until the last few chapters. I’m hopeful she’ll undergo a transformation in Book 3, but at the same time Book 3 is a long time to wait for the main character to finally grow.
