#BookReview – Tweet Me by Desiree Holt

The blurb reads,

“Don’t call. Don’t text. Tweet me… 
Married to her work, event planner Avery Kurtz runs her life and her business on a private message feed. She has no time to waste on emails or a love life, and Valentine’s Day means just more parties to plan. But when Tanner Voss, best man in Avery’s best friend’s wedding, is assigned to help finalize plans, her world is turned heart-side up. The hotshot attorney might be a player. He’d hit on her before and she avoided that mistake but he’s also surprisingly cooperative, focused on making the perfect choices for their friends, and even on board with her messaging preference. Between the erotic dreams about the sexy litigator and her body urging her to forget caution, Avery is wondering if she was wrong about Tanner and wants him to do more than “tweet me.””

I saw this book on Scribd and quickly read through it one night. I love short stories but then I felt this one tried to pack too many things into one thing.

I mean I thought it was very novel to have someone handle their business entirely on Twitter. I am not really sure how that model would work in today’s times but then it was a good spool to think on.

I felt like the chemistry between Avery and Tanner was too hurried. It just happened in a snap and somehow, I did not like the introduction of erotica in the novella. I mean when the book is so short, why waste space with erotica when you can use that same space to develop your characters even more?

I don’t know, I’m not too convinced about this lead pair. I did not like this novella and I don’t recommend it.

My Rating: 2/5

#BookReview – Miss Featherton’s Christmas Prince (The Marriage Game#8) by Ella Quinn

The blurb reads,

“Ella Quinn’s wealthy, titled bachelors think they’re immune to romantic notions. Yet no matter how they try to evade it, love somehow finds a way…

In the two seasons since her triumphant debut, Meg Featherton’s heart has been tested to its limits. Her first suitor: a criminal. The second, a cad. For her third act, Meg vows to leave love completely out of the marriage equation. She has set her sights on a newly made viscount whom she could take or leave. However, now she must avoid his handsome, roguish, irresistible best friend like the plague. It’s no easy feat, as they are all attending the same house party…

Damon, Marquis of Hawksworth, cannot imagine why Miss Featherton seems so damn disinterested—or why he cares so terribly much. Certainly Meg is a fine wifely prospect for a man in his position, but more than that, he finds he longs for her as he has never done for another woman. She may be determined to protect her heart, but Damon is equally set on winning her over, one delicious kiss at a time…”

 

So I got this one from NetGalley because of a tour I signed up for, I think, with Pump Up Your Book. I don’t remember getting mails about the tour, or perhaps it was a review only tour.

But I got to this book in November 2015 and then restarted reading it in 2016.

I love regency romances. There is some charm about Britain and even though India is independent, you can’t help but revere them in some small, slight way. I’m in awe of their towns and cities and of course, any story concerning the Tudor times or the like. I don’t have even a fraction of awe or knowledge about my own country’s history which is sad.

But anyway, all that left aside. This was a fun loving tale. A tale where Damon has to woo his lady love before she finds love with someone else. The thing that struck me first was the male protagonist’s name. Damon! How very un-Brit like. But that just made the story more interesting.

Like a true blue regency book, this love story went through trials and tribulations followed by the ultimate fruit of falling in love. The grandmothers here, who set their children up were absolutely great! I loved reading about them.

I mean, when you look at the social restrictions at that time, it does not seem too different from the Indian society. Britain had dowry too, and openly so. It’s a little hypocritical they bash India for it.

Inspite of all that, I feel my love for Regency romances simply lies with that era or with how unconcerned and fun loving the ladies are. Rather than conforming to the crowd, these ladies stand out and have spirit and character. That’s what sets them apart and makes these books a lot of fun to read.

And this book was nothing different. The matchmaking aspect of it made it different. I loved reading the book and my love for Regency novels stays.

Meg is a spunky character and I absolutely love how she and Damon fall in love. It just melts my heart.

My rating: 4/5

Sigh!! The redeeming feeling of falling in love!! Bring on more Regency romances!!

#BookReview – Jackson (Wild Boys After Dark #3) by Melissa Foster

The blurb reads,

“Receiving a marriage proposal is supposed to make a women happy, but when Erica Lane receives a beautiful marriage proposal from her perfect boyfriend on the eve of her annual camping trip with her best friend, Jackson Wild, the first thing she does is jump into bed with Jackson.

Jackson’s all too happy to screw the annoyance out of Erica. After all, they’ve always screwed the hell out of each other when they were bored or angry, lonely, or too damn drunk to see straight.

But the marriage proposal changes everything, and their annual camping trip takes unexpected turns. Will a few nights in the wilderness set these friends with benefits free, or lead them on a path of destruction?”

So right, I did sign up to receive Jackson’s ARC after I read Heath and Logan.

Read my review of Heath and Logan here!

After a very disappointing read in Heath, I still dug into Jackson thinking it would be something different as compared to the others.

And to an extent I wasn’t disappointed. Jackson did have a different story, just not unique enough. I mean reading about a guy realising his love for his best friend after she is proposed to is oft repeated in both film and book. Made of Honor, Patrick Dempsey anyone?

And this book here is nothing NEW. It is the same old formula, wrapped in oodles of sex. And I mean oodles. Erica and Jackson have sex. All the time. Whenever they are angry, whenever they are frustrated.

But somehow they never realised how much they needed each other before Erica was proposed to by her boyfriend.

I’m a little unsure of how I would take this, a boyfriend being comfortable with his girlfriend having open sexual relations with another guy. Most guys I know would not be comfortable with it, but then if a guy is, however unbelievable it may be, it does show that he is mature enough to let the lady go, only to have her come back.

Jackson and Erica realise their love for each other when they go camping and are caught in a storm. And that tragedy striking is enough to make Jackson realise that he has always wanted his Laney. And for Erica to realise that she looked for Jackson in every man she dated.

And while that realisation is sweet, and touching, the book sort of distracts you with all the sex that is in it.

 

I read this book a while back and what I do remember from it is just the sex. And the very little recollection they have of how their lives are incomplete without each other.

I think I’m going to stay off these books which prefer to make it Dark at the cost of the series. I don’t remember why I gave this book a 4 star on Goodreads but I’ve downgraded it to a 3 since then.

And a 3 star simply because the sex was great! Much as I didn’t like it taking the place of a good story, it did have some sense to it. And I did like Jackson being told off by his brothers and Jackson’s personal story.

Atleast this book told me about the characters. It told me little about their dependencies on each other. About their history with each other. And while I may be miffed about their story being too sex oriented, I can’t discount that their angst was real. That there was so much hesitation at this feeling of letting go and committing.

I hope Cooper’s story is a good one. I missed out on the ARC, but let’s hope I can get to it sometime in the future.

My Rating: 3/5

#Brilliantly Funny: The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling

The blurb reads,

“When Kat accidentally rips apart an old picture book, she’s magically transported into the world of Cinderella–as Katriona, one of the ugly stepsisters! Life turns upside down now that she’s a highborn lady and must learn how to survive the social season, including how to get through the door in a huge metal hoop skirt. To get back, she’ll have to complete the story, right to the end of happily ever after. But the odds are huge: the other stepsister is drop-dead gorgeous, the fairy godmother is nowhere to be found, and the prince, despite being insanely hot, openly dislikes balls. Can she ever return to the modern world?”

 

So I requested this one on NetGalley at some point of time without even realising it. And then finally, one evening in Goa, when I was on holiday, I clicked this one on my Kindle and started reading it.

The blurb was immediately catchy and I dove straight into the story. AND I LOVED IT!~

I love stories from the Regency period and this re-telling of Cinderella was so very well written. I absolutely loved Kat and I was rooting for her every step of the way.

Of course, Murphy interfered here and what had to go wrong did go wrong everywhere in the book. But Kat’s personality shone through every dealing she had with the Prince or with her mother.

Reading through this book did make me feel so grateful that we lived in the times we did. Living in those ages with whatever Kat had to go through was definitely not easy.

It did make me wonder and think, that with all the media attention calling India a sexist country, it wasn’t really any much different in UK where this story is based. They were equally sexist and treated women as dirt probably a lot more than in our own society. Talk about not hearing anything bad about your ex-rulers. (Britain did rule India for over 2 centuries)

I sooo loved Prince Edward. And all that sparring that Kat and Edward had. I just wished the book would continue and that their fairytale would continue. I loved reading how hard Kat tried to fight her rising chemistry with Edward.

This book made me realise how wonderful the Romance genre can be. Light and meant to give you a break from the vagaries of life, it is books like these which make me want to stick to this genre and this blog and write more about Romances!

It has made me realise my love for Regency Romances and now I’m busy hunting for more of those online.

If you’re an author who has written a Regency romance, please contact me so I can review your book!

 

My Rating: 5/5 stars

#So-So : Heath (Wild Boys#2) by Melissa Foster

The blurb reads,

“No last names. No strings. No ties.
Except of the silk variety.

Dr. Heath Wild and Allyson Jenner only wanted a simple tryst. But Heath couldn’t live with just one night, just one taste, of Ally—and Ally couldn’t escape the memory of his hands on her skin, the way he looked at her like she was his obsession, or his seduction, which had pushed her to the edge and had made her want to do things she never had before.

One night leads to one tantalizing phone call. Can one phone call lead to forever?”

So I am here taking a bit of a risk, writing such a bland review for such a popular author’s book. But I really can’t help it, there were deficiencies in the book that I just could not ignore.

Heath is the second brother to be written about in the Wild Boys After Dark series.

I was completely taken over by Logan. Read my review for it here!

And then I wanted to devour on the other brothers and their tales. Heath starts off great, steamy and sexy. And believe me, the book is filled with sex scenes. So much so, that someone can enjoy a session, reading it with their special one because it will leave you feeling turned on and wanting to do something more.

I like that Melissa constructs stories around large families with each member spanning a book. It gives the reader a lot more interaction with a particular character.

I absolutely loved Logan. And the story was fast paced too. So I had to request for stories of the other Wild Boys. And the second book in the series is Heath.

To be very fair, I shouldn’t have expected Heath’s story to be something similar to Logan’s but then I did expect a lot more than what I got. I got a lot of sex, barely any interaction with the characters or who they were as persons and also the whole story.

I found it defective that this book did not focus on Heath or Ally. You ended up knowing about Heath because you read Logan and knew where he came from. I didn’t know who Heath was as a person, what made him choose his profession, what characteristics described him and what his dreams were. These were more transparent in Logan. And i loved Logan for that.

This book was a bit of a let down that way. It’s singular focus on how Heath and Ally fell in love felt good to read but it didn’t give me that story I look for in a Romance. Sure Ally and Heath felt for each other and found that they loved each others company. But there wasn’t anything beyond that. Which is why my ire.

I looooved the sex scenes!! They were absolutely HOT! SMOKIN HOT! And seeing how Ally and Heath fell in love was great and it reminded me of how love tended to open all your boundaries and how letting a person inside somehow made you feel more complete.

I was so glad Ally was smart. I’m tired of heroines being Damsels in Distress. I mean they do need to have some spine and Ally sure did.

I loved how Ally seemed to integrate into Heath’s life. It is something every woman aspires to do and she was great.

I just wish the book focused on the characters rather than their story. It would have earned me a full 5 stars. I’m disappointed that the book made its sole focus SEX. I would have thought that Melissa would have described the character but then, I’m wary of her books now, if these are the sort of books that come up, I don’t want to be invested in series where I only read about two people having sex with each other.

Let’s hope Jackson and Cooper live up to the high bar that Logan set.

 

My Rating: 2.5/5

#BookReview- Logan (Wild Boys After Dark #1) by Melissa Foster

The blurb reads,

“Stella “Stormy” Knight is an expert at hiding—her feelings, her past, and her identity. Sometimes all that hiding takes its toll, and she needs to come out from under that heavy suit of armor and cut loose—but it never takes her long to put it right back on and disappear without a trace.

Private Investigator Logan Wild is relentless in his pursuit to discover the truth for his clients. He works hard, plays even harder, and always walks away unscathed and untethered. Until he meets mysterious and sexy-as-hell Stormy, who leaves him craving more than a one-night stand.

Passion ignites, secrets are shared, and their deep connection is impossible to ignore. But in order to have a future, Logan must uncover Stormy’s dark past—and when he does, he’ll hold her fate in his hands.”

 

So, I got a chance to join Melissa Foster’s Street Team on Facebook, as a result of me being a part of Novel Publicity’s awesome team! And I have never read Melissa Foster before.

I’ve been wary about reading a lot of Indie fiction, especially in the Romance genre because, well, it can be filled with a lot of swear words and have a lot of meaningless sex, without a story involved. And some reviews for highly rated authors makes me really wonder whether the really popular authors have what it takes to do a good job, or do we just blindly drink in everything they write.

It is with this intention that I decided to apply for Melissa Foster’s ARC program. And I received a copy of Logan.

At the outset, let me make this clear, my expectations of the book were ZERO. I didn’t expect it to be good. I’m a skeptical Romance reader, and I have this blog so that I can read all different types of Romance and let go of all these biases I may have.

Right! So back to Logan.

The story seemed pretty cliche. Damsel in Distress. Hot Guy. Meet Cute. Sudden Falling in Love. And Staying in Love.

To that extent, the book did not disappoint. It stuck to the cliche with panache. Every item that I mentioned up was a part of the story.

But... (there’s always one somewhere)

But, I felt something for Stella. I could feel her apprehensions. I could feel the closet she had pushed herself into. I could feel the pain she felt and the restlessness that came with being in a situation with no way out.

And I fell a little for Logan. Him being there for Stella, the way he did, softened my stance a little. I felt all my judgemental thoughts flow away, and I enjoyed the story more for what it was.

The language was not altogether that great, but it did succeed in creating that magical world for me, the one I was looking for. The one where a Prince Charming comes and waves his sword about, and all problems seem to recede.

I suppose that is the point of a good book. It makes you forget your problems and your life, even for a short while. And in that short while, it feels like the book helped you rest. And dream. Of a better future.

There were a few sentences written really poorly, which did make me want to rebuke the author harshly. But there weren’t too many of such instances, and I am letting it slide, because, I did enjoy the book, albeit a shade less.

I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I love these books where each book focuses on one family member. It is nice to know an entire family in such a way.

My Rating:4/5

#Book Review: Eternity (Descendants of the Ra #1) by Tmonique Stephens

The blurb reads,

ROMAN NICOLIS Cursed for 2,000 years, he has tracked his lover’s soul through each reincarnation only to lose her horribly every time. Reclaiming their love is their only salvation. He’s been her friend, her father, her neighbor, but never again her lover … until now. STELLA WALKER A late night walk home throws her into the path of a killer. The last thing she remembers are the deep blue eyes of the man trying to kill her-and the first things she sees after a seven-day coma are the same blue eyes in the handsome face of the man hired to protect her. Is he truly the owner of a security firm assigned to protect her, or the man who wants to finish her off? Is it fear she feels when Roman touches her, or the memory of something sweeter? Past secrets haunt them. An angry demon stalks them. Roman will do anything to recover what they had. Though Stella’s ruined childhood has made her close her heart and body to any man, he must get past the walls around her to gain her love and trust, for it will take their union to defeat an unexpected enemy sent from the Egyptian Gods. A man Romans respects, and Stella trusts. TWO HEARTS, ONE SOUL, FOR ALL Eternity

There’s always something remarkably sad about lovers who don’t meet. I have always cried for lovers who are separated by time and space and this was one such book.

I fell in love with their story, Roman and Stella!! Some stories leave you like that. And I was on their side. I could feel Roman’s pain and his need to be reunited with Stella and I was hooked to this book while reading how Roman went across winning his love.

I’m a sucker for good looking men and the cover left me none too happier!! Look at it

I haven’t read too much of fiction with a dash of Egyptian spice in it and this was my first. I felt bad for Roman and how hard he had to fight against his urges, especially when he was not born as one who could be Stella’s lover.

I was on a roller-coaster of emotions here and I absolutely enjoyed this book. Its always a good book when you can conclude with a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that things are alright!

My Rating: 4/5

 

My First M/M Romance- Destined Mate (Red Moon Packs #2) by Vanessa Sims

The blurb reads,

What do you do when you are forced to mate with someone, so your brother doesn’t have to become Alpha?
You toe the line to protect your brother.

That’s what Noah the Alpha of the Red Moon Pack was going to do.
Or so he thought, until his mate came into the picture.

Mitchell’s task was easy, drop his sister off for her mating with the Alpha of the Red Moon Pack.
He did not expect to find his mate.

Noah and Mitchell have to deal with upset Elders, a slighted sister, and Hunters. Will there mating stand the challenges thrown at them or are they doomed from the start?

Ive never really read much of shape shifter books and this was a first. Also this was my first Gay Romance.

I’ve not been exposed to Gay Romance and this book has been a bit of an eye opener. I’ve had stereotypes and this book has broken them. It bas only taught me that people who fall in love always deserve to have their HEA and that regardless of whether they belong to the same sex, they deserve to be loved.

I was instantly attracted to Noah. He is a tough Alpha Male who isn’t afraid to take tough decisions, which are qualities which everyone should have!! Also, I found the chemistry between Noah and Mitchell HOT HOT HOT!

The end was awesome! I love endings which make me tear up and this one did!

I would say, this book has opened me to reading more books in this genre and I am thankful for that.

 

My Rating: 3.5/5

 

The What the #? Book- The Possibilities of Amy by Jaye Frances

 

The Blurb Reads

Amy is the ultimate trophy girl—gorgeous face, killer body, and a vivacious personality. But there’s something else about her, something that makes her even more special. Amy is new. A transfer student from out of state, she’s starting her senior year without knowing a soul. And that means she’s up for grabs, available.

 Infatuated from the moment he sees her, David is determined to meet Amy, and if the fates are willing, to spend the rest of his life with her. But his shyness prevents him from approaching her—until his friends devise a contest to determine who will be the first to prove their manhood by seducing her.

Let me be upfront. I didn’t understand this book. A lady wrote about men fantasizing about women and it turns out to be great? Especially when 60% of the book is a half baked, incomplete story and the balance 40% is advertising for other books?

I’m glad I didn’t purchase this one. If I would have, I’d have Returned it and Deleted it from my Kindle.

Alright, so the book starts off with Amy. Gorgeous, beautiful Amy and three jocks who put her on The List, where every gorgeous woman from the school had a dubious number allotted to them.

At this point, I was still sufficiently invested in the story. Dave spent hours, nights and days fantasizing about Amy. How they would meet, talk and even kiss. He imagined a life ahead with Amy without taking the essential step of moving forward and asking her out.

Dave finds his territory threatened when his friend Pete makes Amy his next acquisition. Although Pete is a man of many words but less action, he beats Dave in asking Amy out.

The next part is WASTED on Dave’s self pity, anger and guilt over Amy. Dave finally gets the courage to ask Amy out. What transpired next shocked me!

The next part talks about the date and then BOOM! Amy has to move, sob sob sob and END OF STORY!

Geez, whatever happened to writing about even one character who distinctly made SENSE? The book ended with no logical conclusion or any sense. It felt like Dave just woke up from a dream and said, “Oh! This was a pointless chapter of my life. I’ve wasted your time and money on a totally pointless and insignificant memory which I still linger on!”

I didn’t like this book AT ALL! It didn’t make ANY sense to me. It felt like the author wrote it for the heck of putting out another book to her name. This is simply conjecture though! I don’t know why someone would write such a pointless story which had no meaning and no conclusion!

My Rating: 0/5

Sadly, my first review has to be this one!! Not worth it. If anyone recommends this, you know it is a paid promo! Please, please invest your time and money somewhere else!

 

Hello World!

 

Hey!!!

Here’s my first post in my Brand New Blog dedicated to all those authors who wrote beautiful books which made us laugh, cry, swoon and fall in love again!!

Here’s my dedication to all those authors who make the world a lot more beautiful with their romance novels!!

I promise to read and review as many Romance Novels as I can and help you discover many reads which will make you smile and believe that the world is not so bad after all!!

xoxoxox

N