Princess of Thorns and Ruin - Anya J. Cosgrove

 A grumpy human servant.

An arrogant bodyguard.

The scoundrel that broke my heart…

Betrayals and secrets rule the deadly and hypnotic court of night.

The pleasure bite is an art that a proper vampire princess shouldn’t think so much about, but how can I resist the pull of Leo’s blood or the warmth of his tanned skin? My new servant has sworn his life to me, body and soul, but he’s quiet and full of secrets.

Alec Beaumont simply boils my blood every time he opens his damn beautiful mouth, and Sebastian Chastain is as cruel and calculating as the day he set fire to my dress.

I can’t fall for any of them, forced to marry whoever my brother will choose for me, but is duty reason enough to betray my own heart?

I’m a Delacroix. We rule or die. There’s nothing to compromise.

Princess of Thorns and Ruin is book 1 in a fast-paced, sizzling romance duet set in the deadly Delacroix night court. You’ll love this story if you like sexy vampire bites, enemies-to-lovers relationships, and heroes who love to share.

This duet is set in the same world as Magnetic, but it stands alone. Downton Abbey meets House of Dragons. Mature themes.

My Review

When it comes to dark, paranormal romances, you don't get much better than Anya J. Cosgrove. It's been a while, but I was really excited to find out that there was a new duet on the way. Although this is linked to Magnetic it is a standalone story. Do you need to read Magnetic first? No. Should you read it anyway because it's great? Obviously.

Arielle has just come into her 'powers' her human servant who gave her the first drink of blood that turned her into a vampire doesn't really want anything to do with her. Then there's her bodyguard, an old crush and even the hint of an angel towards the end of the book.

In many ways, this first part of the duet is just to set everything up for the conclusion and I have to be honest, I'm not really sure yet where it's going to go. I know where I might like it to go, but I'll have to wait and see.

I don't ant to give any spoilers, so I'm being quite vague. This was a brilliant read and I can't wait for the next book. Fortunately, I don't have to wait too much longer!

Acing the Game - Carey PW

Acing the Game
Carey PW
Publication date: February 10th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

Is food really the way into a person’s heart?

Shep Lee thought he had it all. A successful restaurant, a loving husband who understood his asexuality, and most of all, the ability to be himself, a popular chef in the small town of Cloverleaf, Montana. That is, until his husband, Elmer Eshler, began pushing Shep more on sex.

Elmer doesn’t understand why he can’t turn his partner on—aren’t they perfect for each other? And Shep loves him, right? Shep, meanwhile, while confident with his body, is and forever will be sex indifferent. Why has Elmer suddenly changed his tune? But he doesn’t want to lose the man he loves so much. What can they do?

Shep convinces Elmer to try a polyamorous relationship. Elmer gets to have Shep and the sex life he’s always wanted. Shep gets a cooking buddy and a chance to experience a relationship and even try sex with a woman as his authentic gender. At first, Shep isn’t sure, but finds himself coming around—this feels safer than opening up the relationship. All three of them will be romantically involved, so that should ease any jealousy, right?

But when Willow Saint, a free-spirited, boisterous, and saucy young woman, comes into their lives, neither are prepared for the emotional and sexual rollercoaster that follows. Enthralled by Willow’s charm and kindness, Elmer and Shep struggle to understand what this means for their own bond. Can they become one happy family? Or will this ruin everything?

Goodreads / Amazon

Author Bio:

Carey PW (he/they) is an author, college instructor, and mental health counselor.

Carey currently lives in Montana, and identifies as nonbinary, transmasculine (AFAB) and panromantic asexual. Carey has discovered that writing about his lived experiences is a therapeutic outlet for him and hopes that his readers relate to his own personal struggles and triumphs shared through his characters’ narratives. He has also worked as a high school and college writing instructor, earning a B.A. in English Literature, a M.Ed. in English Education, and Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education all from the University of Georgia. In 2020, Carey earned his second M.Ed. in Counselor Education and works as a licensed clinical professional counselor, LCPC.

Readers can learn more about Carey from his blog, www.careypw.com. When he is not writing, Carey is busy training for marathons, parenting his six cats, sharing his culinary talents on social media, and serving on the board for the nonprofit Center for Studies of the Person (CSP).

Carey PW loves to hear from readers. You can find his contact information, website and author biography at www.extasybooks.com.

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My Review

This book was not at all what I was expecting. It tells the story of a couple; Shep and Elmer who are having some difficulties with their relationship. Shep is asexual, while Elmer wants a more regular sex life. They decide to address this issue by adding a third person to their relationship, younger woman Willow.
The book tackles a number of quite weighty and challenging concepts. How can they make a relationship work when they are so incompatible sexually, even though everything else works? How important is it to be on the same page when it comes to sex and what might be the fallout if they do decide to take this step?
I thought that for the most part, this was all handled well and sensatively. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of backstory to understand with these two characters, there's no real way around this as what follows in the 'main' part of the story simply wouldn't make sense without it. The problem is that we then end up with rather a lot of telling rather than showing and that slows the whole narrative down. It also made it difficult to fully connect with the characters. It's a shame because it does detract from the story somewhat.
I did enjoy this read despite this slight disconnect and it was a really thought-provoking read. I did feel that the end of the book was slightly less satisfying than it might have been. This is probably due to the nature of the storyline, but I was left feeling a little let down by the end.

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A Body in a Cornish Village - Dee MacDonald

Cornish cream teas in the sun, dog walks on the beach and… a murder investigation? Can Kate Palmer – part-time nurse and cake-loving sleuth – solve her most baffling case yet?

Kate Palmer is delighted when she learns that her home, the beautiful seaside village of Tinworthy, is the setting for a new TV show. She’s even more excited when she, her handsome husband Woody and her drama queen sister Angie are all invited to be extras. But when the cameras start rolling, the trio are in for a nasty surprise when the film’s writer and producer, Crispin Wyngarde, drops dead…

Before long, rumours start flying and Angie is in the spotlight for murder. Kate knows her sister had a brief, stormy fling with Crispin during her younger days as an actress, but surely Angie couldn’t have hated him that much, could she?

Kate is certain of her sister’s innocence, and is determined to prove it. But who would want to kill Crispin and set the stage for Angie to take the fall? Could it be Fergal, Angie’s jealous boyfriend? Sonja, the eccentric director, who had a love-hate relationship with Crispin? Or gorgeous Guy, the hairdresser who’s held a grudge against the problematic producer for years?

Armed with a list of possible culprits, Kate sets out to interview everyone she can. Over cups of tea, secrets start to spill out about overheard conversations and mysterious money transfers. But just as Kate thinks she’s finally on the right track, her main suspect is found dead after a party in the village. To make matters worse, he’s one of Angie’s old flames too…

Kate needs to solve the crime – and quick – to save her feisty sister. Can she untangle the clues and get to the truth, before it’s curtains down for Angie?

If you love murder mysteries with a brilliant cast of characters, twisty plots and plenty of tea and cake, A Body in a Cornish Village will have you hooked until the very last page! Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis.

Author Bio:

Aged 18, Dee arrived in London from Scotland and typed her way round the West End for a couple of years before joining BOAC (forerunner of British Airways) in Passenger Services for 2 years and then as a stewardess for 8 years.

She has worked in Market Research, Sales and at the Thames TV Studios when they had the franchise.

Dee has since relocated to Cornwall, where she spent 10 years running B&Bs, and only began writing when she was over 70!

Married twice, she has one son and two grandsons.

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My Review

I do enjoy these Kate Palmer books. Since the first one we've followed the adventures of her and her sister Angie, seen her fall in love with Woody and get married. We've also seen her stumble across a shockingly large amount of murder victims and stick her nose into trying to solve them. This book is no different.
In A Body in a Cornish Village, we find Kate and Woody working as extras for a TV movie. Her sister, with her background in acting, has managed to get herself a bigger role, but the drama really ramps up when someone is murdered on set.
I love these classic-style mysteries with their array of potential suspects and clues and red herrings dotted throughout the pages. The scenic, cornish setting really adds something too. I mostly managed to solve this one, with a little help from Kate, although I think I managed to put it all together a little faster than she did.
Overall another great read and I'm looking forward to returning to see more of what Kate, Woody, Angie and Fergal have been up to soon.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Murder at the Inn - Katie Gayle

 Julia Bird loves the village pub quiz, but it seems one of her team won’t make it to the next round alive…

On the first Tuesday of each month, Julia Bird and her Agatha Quizteam teammates take part in Berrywick’s village pub quiz. They take it seriously – what’s the point of playing, after all, if you aren’t in it to win it? But it seems someone connected with the quiz night has taken the competition to a whole new level when Lilian, the local police constable and all-round general knowledge expert, is found fatally stabbed after the evening’s final round.

With local DI Hayley Gibson stuck home with a broken leg and an incompetent Superintendent brought in from the nearby town, it’s up to Julia to make sure the investigation stays focused – whether they like it or not! While the police are convinced that the murderer is linked to Lilian’s professional life, Julia turns her amateur sleuthing eye to suspects much closer to home. Perhaps Lilian’s personal life could have something to do with the dreadful crime?

When another quiz team member is attacked, Julia is finally put on the right track. But what could possibly be important – or dangerous – enough for two attendees of the pub quiz night to meet such foul ends over? Could the culprit really be among them on that busy Tuesday night? As Julia’s race to identify the killer ramps up to desperate heights, she wonders, where will the murderous spree end?

Perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands, Murder at the Inn is a brilliantly compelling English cosy mystery.

My Review

Julia Bird seems to find herself caught up in murder after murder. She moved to the country for a quiet life, but the murder rate there seems to be sky-high! This time someone seems to be targeting members of a local pub quiz team.
I do enjoy these mysteries, the combination of a murder to solve and the humour that comes through really works well. This time, Julia's rather naughty dog Jake found himself a new best friend; a chicken!
I didn't manage to solve this one until nearly the very end when I had guessed who had done it, but it was more of a guess than any cleaver deducing on my part. Still, it was a fun read and I'm looking forward to more in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Author Bio:

Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. Unlike their sleuth Epiphany Bloom, neither of them have ever stolen a cat from the vet.

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The Hate Date - Kaylene Winter

The Hate Date
Kaylene Winter
Publication date: July 24th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

When a man who has everything & will do anything—including pole dancing—to redeem himself to the feisty woman who could care less about power or money.

Clover Callahan took my client’s money and I’m not going to stand for it.
I’m taking her down, and if I play my cards right, she won’t even see me coming.
Everything’s going exactly to plan…
Until an elevator malfunction has us trapped for an entire night. Alone.

I mean, she’s hot. I’m hot.
What did you expect was going to happen?

Yeah. It did. And it was spectacular.

I can admit, I was wrong about Clover—she’s all I think about.
Unfortunately, after what I did, she hates me and everything I stand for.
But I’m no quitter…I’ll wear her down.
With a proposition even she won’t refuse:

One night.
One date.
Don’t be late!!

The Hate Date is a sweltering, standalone, billionaire, enemies to lovers, age gap, forced proximity, workplace, HEA romance.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Author Bio:

When she was only 15, Kaylene Winter wrote her first rocker romance novel starring a fictionalized version of herself, her friends and their gorgeous rocker boyfriends. After living her own rockstar life as a band manager, music promoter and mover and shaker in Seattle during the early 1990’s, Kaylene became a digital media legal strategist helping bring movies, television and music online. Throughout her busy career, Kaylene lost herself in romance novels across all genres inspiring her to realize her life-long dream to be a published author. She lives in Seattle with her amazing husband and dog. She loves to travel, throw lavish dinner parties and support charitable causes supporting arts and animals.

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My Review

Having followed and loved the Less Than Zero series by Kaylene Winter, I was excited to see what she would come up with how. The Hate Date is a sort of spin-off from her previous series. The Hate Date features Clover Calahan who appeared very briefly as the lead in Ronnie's new TV series. I sort of remember it, but couldn't have told you what her name was or much about her until this book.
After being completely screwed over by her now ex-husband, Clover is determined that any future relationship she has will be with someone completely different. Unfortunately, the man she finds herself unable to resist is very much like her ex. Joar is determined that they will be together, never having felt a connection to a woman like this before, but if he wants Clover than he has to prove that in the things that count, her really is different.
I liked Clover and Joar as a couple. They worked well and there was certainly plenty of heat, spice and chemistry. I rolled my eyes a little at their names to begin with, but got over that pretty quickly as the story progressed. This was a fun and fairly quick read and while it didn't have the depth of the LTZ books, it didn't need it and certainly hit the mark for me. I'm looking forward to the next already.

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Morning Star - Kris Jayne

Morning Star
Kris Jayne
(Lone Star Crossed Saga, #3)
Publication date: June 15th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The marriage is fake, but the passion is real.

Famous for his last name, devilish Anthony Star-Hunter is the black sheep of the Star clan. He’s an expert at using his tall, dark, and handsome charm to get women into bed—the last remnant of his declining hard-party escapades.

But the bucks are about to stop here. His grandfather’s will demands he marry to inherit his fortune. Anthony panics. Even with his bad boy allure, how the hell is he going to find a tolerable bride, like, yesterday?

The minute Sarah Pennington spots the tattooed muscles her new stepsister’s ex hides under his Italian suits, she rolls her eyes. Anthony is not for her. And with her father maybe headed to prison for a financial fiasco, she’s had enough bad male behavior. She’s responsible. She’s hard-working. She…can’t stop having naughty dreams about the sexy “celebutant.”

At a beach-side wedding, a drunken mishap throws Sarah into Anthony’s bed, and he’s intrigued. Can he convince her to give fake marriage a chance? Can she convince herself to keep her heart out of the deal?

Their slow-burn, un-love affair isn’t what either expect, but it might be what both of them need forever.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

Author Bio:

Kris Jayne is a devoted writer, reader, and traveler, crafting addictive contemporary romance novels with heat and heart. She spends her days blissfully sweating out the writing process in the Dallas area with her dogs, Otis the Shih Tzu, Rocco the Terrier, and Red the Foxy Mutt.

Her passion for writing is only matched by her passion for the adventures of travel. In 2008, she let a friend talk her into sleeping outside for the first time in her life when she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

P.S. If you’re buying her a gift, she has a penchant for single-malt Scotch and scarves.

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My Review

I gather that this romance is part of a series. Like all the best series though, it's a standalone book with links to characters from the other instalments. It didn't matter then that I hadn't read the first two books and I still enjoyed this one just as much.
Our story follows playboy and millionaire Anthony Star-Hunter, someone who has had no intention of settling down. If he wants to inherit his share of the money that his grandfather left him then he has to marry and soon. Sarah Pennington has never had a good opinion of Anthony, but that hasn't stopped her hot dreams about the man. They may not seem like ideal marriage partners, but as this is purely a business arrangement, then that of course won't matter...
I really enjoyed this story, Anthony and Sarah make a great couple and it's clear to everyone else that they are in love and belong together. I really liked their journey from acquaintances, to friends, to lovers. I don't know that Anthony and his family need to be quite so rich, but I suppose this is all escapism and fantasy, so why not.
All in all a good read and a series I wouldn't be sorry to read more from.

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Her Last Promise - Catherine Hokin

‘Too many have suffered at my father’s hands. I won’t let it continue. I’ll stop him, I’ll build a world where we can finally be free, I swear it…’

Berlin, 1938.When Hanni’s beloved sister suddenly vanishes in the middle of the night, Hanni knows her
high-ranking Nazi father, Reiner, is not telling her the whole truth and may hold the key to her disappearance.

Years later, after finally learning how to live with her troubled past, Hanni dedicates herself to raising her teenage son, Leo, but her sister is never far from her mind. But when Leo begins to share Reiner’s pro-Nazi views and runs away from home to meet his grandfather, Hanni’s world collapses in an instant. She is determined not to lose her son to her father’s cruelty, like she lost her darling sister all those years ago…

Hanni has tried to stop her father before and nearly lost her life. Now she is fighting for Leo too and the stakes are higher than ever. She can’t lose him to the Nazis. She won’t let her father take her son away from her. Hanni knows this is her last chance to bring her father to justice. With her son’s life hanging in the balance, Hanni knows this will be her toughest battle yet. But with Reiner’s popularity stronger than ever, will she succeed?

A heartbreaking and gripping historical novel about courage, redemption and the endurance of the human spirit. Fans of The Alice Network, The Nightingale and The Tattooist of Auschwitz will be inspired by this heart-wrenching story about the choices we make to honour the lives of those we lose.

Author Bio:

I seem to have followed a rather meandering career, including marketing and teaching and politics (don't try and join the dots), to get where I have always wanted to be, which is writing historical fiction. I am a story lover as well as a story writer and nothing fascinates me more than a strong female protagonist and a quest. Hopefully those are what you will encounter when you pick up my books.

I am from the North of England but now live very happily in Glasgow with my American husband. Both my children have left home (one to London and one to Berlin) which may explain why I am finally writing. If I'm not at my desk you'll most probably find me in the cinema, or just follow the sound of very loud music.

I'd love to hear from you and there are lots of ways you can find me, so jump in via my website https://www.catherinehokin.com/ or on my Cat Hokin FB page or on twitter @cathokin

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Her Last Promise by Catherine Hokin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This whole series has been an emotional rollercoaster. From the beginning of Hanni and Freddie's story when they first met working together to solve a murder, their relationship growing, Hanni's secrets about her past coming out and destroying them and then facing up to life without each other. Now, 13 years have past and they still haven't been able to move on. With the threat from Hanni's evil father hanging over them, there is no way that they can be together or be safe without first dealing with him.
This book was harrowing. The more we find out about him, the more it becomes clear just how evil he is and how important it is to stop him. This book had me on the edge of my seat, wondering if we would finally see him getting what he deserved.
I loved this series, it was hard reading at times, but I still didn't want to put it down. I'm usually reluctant to leave well-loved characters behind when a series comes to an end, but this time it almost feels like a relief to move on, knowing that we're leaving Hanni and Freddie finally happy and with a chance at a real life.
These books were fantastic, but work best if you read them all. If you haven't already, go back and start with the first one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

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