Tag: indie author

Book Review: Merry Kismet (Gift-Wrapped Romance) by Anneka R. Walker

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Holiday Romance
Length: 202 pages
Author: Anneka R. Walker
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: November 2nd, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

BRIE

Things I should never have done:

  1. Put my ex-boyfriend’s name on my Christmas wish list.
  2. Grin dumbly at him when he shows up at my door.
  3. Think it’s kismet that he’s staying on the other half of my duplex for the holidays and means we’re meant to be together. Because we’re not. He broke my heart in High School and never looked back.

ROCKWELL

Things I will never do:

  1. Move back to Bearwood.
  2. Repeat my parents’ mistakes by getting married.
  3. Kiss Brie Holland under the mistletoe. I know how good her kisses are, and if I want to make sure number one and two don’t happen, I’m going to have to keep her safely in the friend zone until I’m out of Bearwood for good.

LACKED CHEMISTRY.

I did think some of this was sweet, but the first half was hard for me to wrap my head around. I couldn’t quite get behind some of the thought processes and choices that ultimately had me frustrated.

There was plenty of good Christmas spirit and the tiny dash of magical realism was charming. I liked the main characters in general and the second half was much better. It’s a sweet and simple holiday read that might work for you more than it did me.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Holiday Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: divorce

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Book Review: Isle of Brine and Bone (Halcyon Bay #2) by Natalia Macias Lucia

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Genre: Paranormal Mystery Romance
Length: 526 pages
Author: Natalia Macias Lucia
Publisher: Lightkeeper
Release Date: November 17th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The sea remembers, and so do I.

Dell Costa is reeling from the events that transpired on Halcyon Bay. Since learning the truth about her sister, she’s been haunted by grief and cruel memories of her time at Cliffmoor House. To make matters worse, the search for her fugitive uncle has hit a dead end. That is, until Dell’s cousin Tristen unexpectedly arrives in Woodbridge, bringing news that leads her back to the island—and the mansion—of her nightmares.

But it’s not all pain and desolation on Halcyon Bay. Dell’s romance with Hatch, the charming fisherman who captured her heart last summer, blossoms into a sultry, irrepressible love. Her ties to the Klyne brood are strengthening too, as Dell grows closer to her family and more desperate than ever to protect them from looming danger.

Hunting for clues as to her uncle’s sinister ambitions, Dell explores the island’s dark underbelly, confronting old mysteries that refuse to stay buried, as well as her own inner demons. She soon uncovers secrets that threaten to unravel her fragile world, and a scheme that will wreck everything she treasures most—unless she can stop it first.

In this mesmerizing second book in the Halcyon Bay series, author Natalia Macias Lucia tells a heart-pounding tale of love and vengeance, with higher stakes and strange, new perils lurking around every corner.

STILL IN SHOCK.

I’m not really a thriller gal, but y’all, this series absolutely has all of my attention. I loved book two and I can’t wait for the last book!!!

I really like all of the characters. Dell, Tristen, HATCH, Palmer, seriously the whole crew. There’s a good mix of personalities and decision making skills (or lack thereof) that creates an awesome dynamic. The book has this haunting atmosphere surrounded by a small town that holds one too many secrets. I loved the paranormal aspects too and thought they wove well into the plot without being outlandish. Everything just makes sense.

My one little nugget would be what happened with Dell and Hatch for 15% of the book, I’m personally not a fan of this plot choice, but otherwise it was an incredible read. I was finishing this while at the gym and I’m pretty sure I got some concerned stares as I had a shocked look on my face for the last 30 minutes of reading. GOODHEAVENSWHATHAPPENSNEXT.

Overall audience notes:

  • Paranormal Mystery Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: gun violence, murder, kidnapping, weapons violence, mentions of past abuse

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Book Review: The Holly Dates by Brittainy C. Cherry

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Holiday Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Denise Williams
Publisher: Berkley Books
Release Date: September 6th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

All she wanted for Christmas was a boyfriend for the holidays…
All he wanted was for her to take her crappy first dates elsewhere…

Quirky Holly Jackson was unlucky in love, yet her romantic heart refused to give up her search for companionship—even after her fiancé left her at the altar on Christmas Eve.

Grumpy restaurant owner Kai Kane wanted nothing to do with love after his last relationship crashed and burned. Romance was the last thing on his mind. Unfortunately for him, when an eccentric Holly kept entering his restaurant nightly with a different first date, his annoyance grew.

When Kai volunteered to help Holly find a suitor it was for one reason only: to get her out of his restaurant and on to a second date with someone at a different location.

Once Kai became Holly’s dating coach, her confidence grew.

It was all going great until Kai became increasingly jealous of the connection Holly developed with another man. The more Holly fell for Kai’s pick for her, the more overprotective he became.

Kai quickly realized that all wasn’t fair when it came to love and the holidays.

He was going to have to step up his game if he wanted a shot at the ultimate prize—being Holly’s favorite date.

PRETTY SWEET.

I looooved the banter and sweet moments in this one. It was adorable and fiery in all the best ways. I was swooning left and right over Kai and his commitment to Holly. This gave me some He’s Just Not That Into You vibes and I love that movie.

What I struggled with was the balance of heavy and light. So much of this felt like it was supposed to be a light, rom-com-esque, holiday romance, but there were some sub plots that were without a doubt heavy and I didn’t know how I felt about the combination. I wish it leaned more one way or the other rather than trying to combine the two.

Aaaand the third act made me roll my eyes. I’ve seen it 100 times before, and I’ll still be upset over it 100 times more. One of those moments that you see coming and desperately hope that’s not how it’s going to play out.

I loved the holiday spirit. I LOVED Holly’s family and the fake dating scheme that went along with that. The feels were brought out anytime Kai started speaking and for the steam fans there’s a good dash here (and skippable for those like me who prefer to do that!).

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Holiday Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: multiple open; high explicit
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: cheating, infidelity, side character with cancer, parental abandonment and emotional abuse

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Book Review: To Bleed a Crystal Bloom (Crystal Bloom #1) by Sarah A. Parker

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 486 pages
Author: Sarah A. Parker
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 24th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

What a pretty flower to keep locked in a big, rocky tower.

Nineteen years ago, I was plucked from the heart of a bloody massacre that spared nobody else.

Small. Fragile.
An enigma.

Now ward to a powerful High Master who knows too much and says too little, I lead a simple life, never straying from the confines of an imaginary line I’ve drawn around the castle grounds.
Stay within. Never leave.
Out there, the monsters lurk. Inside, I’m safe … though at a cost far greater than the blood I drip into a goblet daily.
Toxic, unreciprocated love for a man who’s utterly unavailable.

My savior. My protector.
My almost executioner.

I can’t help but be enamored with the arcane man who holds the power to pull my roots from the ground.

When voracious beasts spill across the land and threaten to fray the fabric of my tailored existence, the petals of reality will peel back to reveal an ugly truth. But in a castle puddled with secrets, none are greater than the one I’ve kept from myself.

No tower is tall enough to protect me from the horror that tore my life to shreds.

IT KIND OF WORKED FOR ME?

I have felt super conflicted over my thoughts on this one.

One one hand, I really did like this overall. It is dark, it is a bit twisted, but the author did a good job of conveying that and it was written in a way that didn’t bug me too much. I could see great potential for Orlaith’s character development and the whole Rapunzel theme was perfect.

I did think the “heat” scenes in the middle of the book were way out of left field? And forced the steam rather than a natural development. It was kind of weird, I don’t understand why it was there and could have used a whole lot less of it.

The reader is kept in the dark as much as Orlaith and I liked that plot choice. I was kept enough in the loop to keep me going and that was fine with me. I figured more would be explained throughout the series and was getting a big enough taste to want to read those books.

There’s some plot holes involving Orlaith’s drug addiction and other tidbits that I thought were thrown to the side and needed more closure about, small plot things kept jutting out to me that left a little flustered.

But now after seeing some reviews and speaking with friends who’ve read the second book I’ve decided, at this time, not to pick it up. I have some major thoughts on the romance arc (that I won’t go into here because of spoilers) that I would need answered to give the whole series a go.

Overall audience notes:

  • Dark Fantasy Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: high innuendo; 1-2 open scenes
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: abusive relationship, PTSD, agoraphobia, panic attacks, nightmares/night terrors, self-harm, drug use, drug addiction, blood/gore depiction

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