Monthly Archives: September 2016
Sexcastle by Kyle Starks (Book Review)
Image Comics (March 31, 2015)
The Former World’s Greatest Assassin leaves the world of killing to a small town only to be pulled back in. An exciting action romp in the style of classic ‘80s Action Film.
REVIEW
Sexcastle was quite a comedic find and I’m so glad our paths crossed. Kyle wrote/illustrated a story so funny and unique I read it more than once.
Shane (Sexcastle), now one of my favorite characters, had no qualms giving anyone the middle finger and the stuff coming out his mouth was funny as hell. Ex. When he spoke about the times when a man should be able to cry. 1.) When his momma dies. 2.) His dick’s got messed up. Like by a bear attack. Don’t know about you but those seemed like two valid reasons to allow waterworks.
Something else I loved about Sexcastle — his weaponry. The man had freaking gunchucks (nunchucks with built in guns). Seriously, they were wicked cool!!
Oh and wait until you meet the assassins after him.You’ll recognize most, if not all, of the 80’s action stars and chuckle at some of their names. Thunderbutt happened to be my favorite.
From start to finish, I adored everything about this book. I wish it was longer because I DID NOT want it to end. Brilliant…. absolutely brilliant!
Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest)
Score: ❤❤❤❤❤
Filed under Uncategorized
The Christmas Lights by Rachael Kosinski (Book Review)
Historical Holiday Romance – Length: 96 pages
“Where do Christmas lights come from?”
The tiny bulbs of color that burn on a Christmas tree, or outside a house to shine in the night; does anyone really know where they originate? What if someone told you they weren’t intended for Christmas at all, but really for a miracle? That they were for love, a desperate idea, to light a boy’s way home?
In that case, you must have some questions. What boy? What love?
In that case, allow me to tell you a story.
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)
With the holidays quickly approaching, many of us (like myself) are on the look-out for a sweet Christmas story to get us in the mood for the impending festivities. In my humble opinion, “The Christmas Lights” had the makings to be included in Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas.
Incase you are wondering why it had the goods to be turned into a tv movie, let me enlighten you about this novella.
We have a young man, with barely any money in the bank, with his heart set on marrying a young woman. Before Louis and Emmy can tie the knot, he needs to secure their future. In other words, they need money and now. He sets out on a journey to earn cash, which will have many high and low moments.
As you would expect from a contender for the Hallmark Channel, all good things come to those who wait.
Louis not only found success, but he also made invaluable friends along the way.
One friend, Fabergé (yes, thee Fabergé) came to his rescue and ultimately changed his whole world.
If this was a fairytale, Fabergé would be Louis’ Fairy Godfather.
Oh yes, Louis proved to be a very lucky, lucky man. 🙂
Now with all the positives, I must state why I gave The Christmas Lights a three. For me, I wanted to see more interactions between Louis and Emmy. I wanted to see their love blossom and grow, not just hit and miss moments through letters. If we had more showings of their love, besides the beginning and end, the score would’ve been easily a 4. Possibly a 4 1/2.
Overall, I do think many people will enjoy this story while sipping on a mug of hot cocoa or apple cider.
Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5
(highest)
(highest)
Score: ❤❤❤1/2
When she was little, Rachael Kosinski wanted to be a paleontologist, an Egyptologist, an astronaut, a Broadway actress, a nature photographer for National Geographic, and the next Jane Goodall. Instead of being a new link between man and chimp, or discovering a planet suitable for sustained human life, or maybe even winning renowned fame by stumbling across an undiscovered dinosaur, Rachael finally decided that, if she never became a writer, she would simply die. Several years later, she now possesses a quirky knowledge of world mythology, an addiction to coffee, and a penchant for making over-expressive faces at her laptop.
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Multi-Author Showcase: Dark Captive (Anthology)
Everyone has a dark side…
Dark Captive is an exclusive collection of dark erotic romance stories featuring alpha men with fierce sexual appetites. They’ll stop at nothing to get what they want. And they have their sights on one woman. Possessive and bold, these heroes give their conquests exactly what they crave—to be taken … to be owned. Any resistance offered will be tested, but in the end love rules.
Kidnapping, abduction, and sexual slavery are just a few of the titillating taboo themes in this hand-picked anthology.
TAKE ME BY JENIKA SNOW
He’s watched her, stalked her, and makes no apologies about what he’ll do to make her his. But how far will he have to go to make her see she belongs with him?
Blurb
After her mother passes away, Holly decides to finally have a life away from her abusive father and the darkened, lifeless world she lives in. But someone has been watching her, waiting for the right moment to take her away. It’s when she comes face-to-face with her captor that she realizes he won’t let her go.
Will Holly stay with a man that decrees she’s his, that he’ll do whatever it takes to make her see they belong together? Despite the twisted and dark nature of it all, she feels freedom for the first time in her life. Will she give in, or will she accept what he offers her … her life back?
SINFUL BY LILY HARLEM
A London riot, a lost girl, and a priest with a secret. Will the Devil’s whispered suggestions tempt them to indulge in the sins of the flesh?
Blurb
London is aflame with riots. Confusion and danger lurk around every corner. For Cheryl, caught alone and terrified in a dark alley, she fears she’s about to meet her maker.
Luckily the safe sanctuary of a small church, nestled between the deserted shops and houses, affords her protection. And within these sacred walls she finds Father Steve—a man whose decision to be celibate, marry his faith, seems to her an awful waste to the females of the world.
But all is not as it seems and as her hot and holy new friend reveals his layers and confesses his sins, the temperature in the church heats up more than the flames raging across the city.
Safety, however, is an illusion, and the pair must fight to survive. In doing so will fate draw them together? Have the heavens mapped out their destiny? And was Father Steve telling the truth about his virginity?
ONE LAST JOB BY ALEXA SINCLAIRE
One last heist and then he’ll be free. But can he still keep the woman he loves when he forces her to sacrifice her freedom?
Blurb
After a decade of crime, Lawson Trent is done risking his freedom and having nothing real to show for it. But in order to walk away, he needs to do one last job. Except this time there’s a catch: Ivy Stuart. He knows he can’t have her, he knows it’s too risky but he can’t help himself. When she gets got up in the heist, he has to make a choice and risk her life and love.
If growing up in foster care taught Ivy anything, it’s not to let anyone get too close. Working at a jewelry shop, she’s finally building her own life, albeit a solitary one. When she meets Lawson, the new security guard, she can’t ignore the draw she has to him. But when she finds out who he really is, will she be able to look past the lies and forgive the man she fell for? More importantly, if she can’t, will he let her go?
CAPTIVE ARTIST BY N.J. YOUNG
A troubled thief. An art heist gone wrong. A woman caught in the middle. Can she protect her heart from the man who threatens her life?
Blurb
Carrie Wentworth never expected to be at the center of a high-stakes art theft. She’s perfectly happy to run her prestigious art gallery in a small mountain community and ogle the super hot janitor, Ellis “Jax” Jackson.
But Jax is more than tall, dark, and bulging muscles. He has an art heist to complete no matter what the cost. When Carrie catches him in the act, he can’t bring himself to kill the pretty blonde. So instead, he takes her captive. But he will have to figure out what’s more important—money or his feelings for Carrie.
THE SHADOW BY ELENA KINCAID
He came out of nowhere, like a shadow hiding in pitch darkness. Could he uncover the whole truth before he sentences her to a fate worse than death?
Blurb
He came out of nowhere, like a shadow hiding in pitch darkness and turned Emily’s world upside down. Was she a victim of circumstance or part of a more sinister plan? After fighting, begging, and even praying for her freedom fails, she is given a choice … succumb to her Shadow’s commands or die. What Emily did not expect, was her unexplainable desire for her captor.
Brody Beckett thirsts for revenge. He wants those who wronged him to suffer, to bleed, and he’ll stop at nothing to achieve his goals. The last thing he needs is to go all soft on the beautiful woman who stars in each and every one of his nightmares. When doubt and suspicion seep in, Brody wonders if he could uncover the whole truth before he sentences Emily to a fate worse than death.
GODSEND BY JOCELYN DEX
Her captor’s threats and sexual aggression make her wonder if she’ll escape unscathed … or at all.
Blurb
Gia’s hike turns into a nightmare when she’s caught breaking and entering. Even though her captor is the most drool-worthy man she’s ever seen, his constant threats and sexual aggression make her wonder if she’ll escape unscathed … or at all.
Bane should get Gia out of his sight before he loses control and becomes more of a bastard than he already is. But he wants nothing more than to lose himself inside her and wash away the painful memories of his past.
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A Shackled Inheritance by Madeleine McDonald (Book Review)
Spinster Abigail Carrick faces a frugal existence in dour Scotland—until her father’s will reveals she has two unknown half-sisters. Free women of color, they will share her inheritance of a sugar plantation in the Caribbean. Against all advice, Abigail crosses the ocean to meet them. Fellow passenger Euan Sinclair offers her welcome encouragement. As their friendship deepens, the young lawyer is torn between attraction to Abigail and his loathing of slavery. His principles also clash with his duty, for his legal mission is delicate and he dare not fail. Fate throws the slave owner and the abolitionist together, on an island gripped by rumors of a slave revolt. When Euan meets Abigail’s family, will her alluring sister Desiree steal him from her?
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)
Let me begin this review stating I give props to Madeleine for depicting the harshness and hardness of a slave’s life. To see anyone abused, mistreated in any decade, at any age, is unthinkable and deplorable. I can’t fathom how someone can treat another person so cruelly. Despicable!
You know what else is despicable? A vast majority of the characters in A Shackled Inheritance.
Euan: His behavior towards Abigail after he met Desiree, the sister, was piggish. He saw a beautiful woman and suddenly the woman he expressed having “more” with is pushed to the farthest reaches of his mind. Euan is a louse.
Abigaai: I wasn’t too fond of her either. She, like Desiree, seemed too consumed with money.
Desiree: She was a vile, human being.
Their 1/2 brother, Jericho, was no better. His only saving grace was his love and devotion to Rosie. Theirs, too.
That poor, sweet child deserved more than what life dealt her.
As you can surmise, this book was extremely difficult for me to read because it was absolutely depressing to read.
At least it ended on a HEA so that’s something.
Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5
(highest)
(highest)
Score: ❤1/2
Madeleine McDonald has been a voracious reader since childhood. Her early career took her to France, where she lived in the Dreyeckland, the three-cornered land where France meets Germany and Switzerland. Life on the border sparked an interest in the region’s history and tangled loyalties. Conflicted loyalties have been a theme running through her short stories and longer fiction.
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