Yearly Archives: 2016

September 25, 2016 · 5:00 am

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) 
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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September 23, 2016 · 5:52 am

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?

KINDLE PURCHASE LINK
 

 

 

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?

KINDLE PURCHASE LINK
 
 
 
 
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. 

KINDLE PURCHASE LINK
 
 
 
 
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. 

KINDLE PURCHASE LINK
 
 
 
 
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.

 

KINDLE PURCHASE LINK

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September 21, 2016 · 5:00 am

A Shackled Inheritance by Madeleine McDonald (Book Review)

 
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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?

 
 
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(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) 
Score: ❤1/2
 
GET YOUR PRINT  or KINDLE COPY TODAY!! 
 
 
 
 

 mad-w-hat-qb

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.

Blog Link

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September 19, 2016 · 5:00 am

Claudia and the Lords of Peterborough by Adam Mann (Book Review)

 
 

Claudia immediately fell when she met good-looking William, the heir to the Earl of Peterborough, but several months later began to regret her childless marriage. Now widowed, she is forced to review her position and responsibilities, and is just about to move on when William’s younger brother, Benjamin, returns from a medical mission in Central Africa; turning her world upside down. She suddenly finds herself hooked again, but by this time Benjamin has inherited his father’s title, and if she marries him she will become the Countess. Can her heart take the chance on another whirlwind romance? Shire horses, Polo ponies, a Rottweiler puppy, and the Dowager Countess all contribute to make her decision easier.

 
 
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique) 
 
Based off the well-written blurb, I had a vastly different impression of the story I was about to read. Claudia and Ben only shared ONE KISS before she suddenly found herself enthralled with his brother, William. Ten years later, Ben returns home to claim his title of the new Earl and they give a relationship another try. 
 
For a setup like that, I expected more bumps in the road before marriage and a promise of future babies. Wouldn’t you? But no, there wasn’t any of that. Everyone was on board with their relationship. No hiccups whatsoever that she was once married to his (deceased) brother. 
 
I find that odd. Another thing I found odd was some of the wording and topics discussed or described. 
 
1.) “Could you put that inside me?” (referring to his penis)
2.)  The paragraph detailing the process of using a diaphragm. 
3.) Claudia informing Ben he couldn’t kiss her vagina because “There’s spermicide all over it.” That’s not sexy. The image Adam planted in my mind was just ewwwww. *shuddering* 
4.) I didn’t need the image of a “cervix excreting a slimy liquid” either. 
 
IMHO, I think this book could’ve benefited with more discussion on his time in the Congo and/or maybe the apparent adjustments he must’ve experienced when leaving the Médecins Sans Frontières, otherwise known as Doctors Without Borders. That would’ve captured and held my interest. That’s the story I think readers will crave. 
 
 Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5
(highest) 
score: ❤
 
 
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I’ve written twenty four romance books all based in parts of the world where I’ve lived and worked.  As a result four are in sub-Saharan Africa, ten are in South or East Asia, and only seven based in the UK. 
 
I’ve been married four times, my first wife died, the second divorced me, the third marriage was annulled as that wife had forgotten to get divorced, and thank goodness the fourth wife is fit and well. 
We have between us seven children and five grandchildren.  As a result I think that I know a bit about life and loving.
 
I’ve lived and worked in Vietnam since 1997, where I live in a provincial city with my wife, and we have constant stream of visitors from the families of our seven adult children. 
 

Contact links:
https://www.amazon.com/author/adammannauthor.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/adammannauthor.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AdamMannGPG

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September 17, 2016 · 5:00 am

The Guardian: Mended Souls, Book 1 by Jacquie Biggar (Book Review)

HOT NEW adventure romance. Spice up your summer with The Guardian

 

Can two lost souls stop a madman with the help of a sarcastic angel?


Lucas Carmichael and Scott Anderson had it all, money, fame, and fortune. But one night’s stupid mistake takes everything they thought they cherished and dumps it upside down.
A car accident ends Lucas’ life and leaves Scott injured and bitter.
As the local ME, Tracy York, investigates the case, discrepancies begin to point to more than a simple drunk driving incident.
When threats are made to Tracy’s life can Scott and his guardian angel, Lucas, protect her, or will she become another casualty?

Excerpt:
 

Scott couldn’t believe he’d escaped from a hospital just a few hours before and now here he was, riding in the back of an ambulance. He was pretty sure it wasn’t SOP to transport a canine, even if it was extenuating circumstances. But the moment the paramedics had shown up, his companion had run roughshod over their objections. It was sort of sexy.

Tracy York.

He had a difficult time equating her as a medical examiner. She seemed too… young. Naïve. Cute.

That is until a person got close enough to read the deep green pools of her gaze. They spoke of suffering, those eyes. They made him ache inside. He wanted to hold her. Offer to help, even though his world was a screwed up mess.

Her thigh rubbed against his every time the ambulance changed lanes and was slowly driving him crazy. Every nerve strained closer, waiting for the next teasing friction of silk and jean meshing together and then apart.

The vehicle took a corner and she lost balance, threw out a hand to steady herself, and came dangerously close to finding out exactly what she was doing to him.

Scott grasped her forearm in his good hand and stopped her forward momentum. He froze, their lips a hairsbreadth apart. Her eyes grew large and he felt like the wolf at Red Riding Hood’s door. His heart skidded along his windpipe like it was an Olympic medal winning luge run. How had he thought her merely cute? She was gorgeous, with hair like the finest brandy and skin that rivalled any fairy tale heroine he’d ever read about. He leaned toward her, solely focused on tasting that lush, honey-sweet mouth.

And she frowned at him.

Just like that the noise came rushing back in, the creak of the van, the beep of machines, and the stifled snort of the paramedic who suddenly pretended to act busy. Tracy pulled her arm free. She ignored him to reach out and pet the mutt’s gnarled coat, and move a careful few inches down the bench.

Scott glared at the grinning paramedic and sat back, his head resting against the cool metal wall behind him. He couldn’t honestly remember the last time a woman turned him down. He was disappointed, but there was no denying the fact that the doc intrigued him. If she were anyone else he’d be tempted to pursue the matter. But she held his and Lucas’ reputation in her dainty little hands. He couldn’t afford to alienate her.

 
GET YOUR KINDLE OR PAPERBACK COPY TODAY!! 
 
 
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique) 

 
They say the Lord works in mysterious ways and HE sure did in The Guardian. He partnered up Mike and Lucas who’s paths crossed one unfortunate night. A night filled with pain, heartache and lost lives. 
 
When Mike visited his family and relived his final moments before the impact, I admit I cried. I pictured myself as Jules, chanting “I love you” to my family because I needed them to know, had to let them know, because the inevitable was about to happen.  Even as I am typing this, I’m tearing up and I am not a huge crier. So before you read chapter 11, grab a tissue. Trust me, you’ll need it. 
 
For the rest of the story, I didn’t shed one tear. I did raise an eyebrow at a few passages. I’ll share those with you now. 
 
1.) When Scott took Tracy on a picnic, he brought and drank wine. You’d think a man who was still recovering from an accident, where he lost his best friend and sister, would abstain from any form of alcohol. There was more at play with the accident but I’m not divulging any secrets. Lets just say at this point and time, Scott thought the accident centered around alcohol. Case closed. 
 
2.) Angels curse? Ok Lucas and Mike are NEW ANGELS so maybe that’s why they didn’t censure themselves. Maybe cursing isn’t going against the heavenly rulebook. 
 
3.) Without giving out a spoiler, I will say I was shocked when a certain deceased individual could still get hurt/be knocked out. 
 
Other than those three things, I rather enjoyed this book. I’m pleased to see Jacquie didn’t have the Lord appear only at the start of the book. Those who believe in HIM, hope HE watches out for us, guides us every day, will be delighted the number of times the Lord “appears” and his words of guidance. He was basically Lucas’ conscience, pointing him on the right path which is exactly what I expected of HIM to do.  
 
I should make note of one more thing, this book does end on a CLIFFHANGER and one I think will have you anticipating book 2. 
 
 
Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5
(highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤1/2
 
GET YOUR KINDLE OR PAPERBACK COPY TODAY!! 
Goodreads Link
 


Jacquie writes Romantic Suspense with tough, alpha males who know what they want, until they’re gob-smacked by heroines who are strong, contemporary women willing to show them that what they really need is love.
She has been blessed with a long, happy marriage and enjoys writing romance novels that end with happy-ever-afters.
Jacquie lives in paradise along the west coast of Canada with her family and loves reading, writing, and flower gardening. She swears she can’t function without coffee, preferably at the beach with her sweetheart. 🙂
 
Follow Jacquie’s website below – if you check out her giveaways page you’ll find tons of great prizes every month!

 
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