Midnight's End - Jill Ramsower

Midnight’s End
Jill Ramsower
(The Fae Games, #5)
Publication date: July 2nd 2019
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Sorceress, enchantress, deceiver, murderer—I’ve been called all those and more, some that might make you blush. Lucky for me, I couldn’t care less what people think about me. I’ve had my sights set on one thing for the last thousand years, and that’s all that matters. I’ll do whatever it takes to find the cauldron, even if it means taking on a partner. They call him a knight in shining armor. For me, he’s my golden ticket. He fell into my lap, quite literally, and now he’s going to help me get what I want.
I don’t play particularly well with others, but he’s the best shot I’ve got, so I’ll hop on that train and hope it gets me where I need to go. He thinks he’s going to crack my shell and see what’s on the inside, like maybe there’s a warm gooey center to make up for the hard exterior. He’s in for a world of disappointment. Everything soft and delicate about me became rough and hardened a long time ago. I’m Morgan Le Fay, and I’m the villain in this story.

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Author Bio:
Jill is a Texan, born and raised. She manages the hectic social calendars for her three active children and occasionally spends an evening with her dashing husband. Aside from being an author and a mom, she’s an attorney, travel junkie, and voracious reader.

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My Review

This is the fifth book in the Fae Games series and takes a bit of a different style to the previous books. While they focused on humans who came into contact with the world of the fae, this time we have to fae people.
In the previous stories, Morgan le Fae has been shown as being the villain of the piece, but this time we have her as the lead female character. It's clear that she has done some terrible things, but it also becomes apparent that there were reasons for her actions. As we learn more of her history, as the story progresses it becomes easier to relate to Morgan. She slowly begins to forgive herself for what she has become.
There are twists and turns in this story and a few surprises. I will admit that I had guessed most of them, but that didn't matter, the whole read was very enjoyable. I think that there might be more to come in this world. Although there was a conclusion here I'm not sure if Merlin has finished or not. He certainly seems to be the one pulling the strings here. I'd recommend reading the whole of this series, although I think that this one may possibly work as a standalone.

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Preserving Peaches - Pamela Burford

Preserving Peaches by Pamela Burford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It feels like a long time since I last read a Jane Delaney mystery, I've just had a look and it's been over two years since one came out. It didn't take me long to get back into this fantastic series. The book starts with Jane's 40th Birthday, during the course of the series she's started as slightly older than me and now I seem to have just overtaken her. She stumbles onto a body, the almost mummified body of local problem page writer, Peaches. Obviously, Jane can't help but do a little bit of digging into who killed her, especially after she is asked by two people to look into it, or at least things related to the death.
There are two elements to this great series. Firstly, the murder, obviously and then secondly the romance angle. For too long now, Jane has been hung up on her ex-husband Dom, for reasons that seem a little bit beyond me, when she has the wonderful Martin waiting in the wings. Jane seems to have seen the light, with Dom at least. I don't want to tell you something that might spoil the book for you. So, I'm not going to tell you if I was left satisfied at the end of this book. Although I am really tempted to give more away...
I didn't manage to solve this one sadly. At least not until the very end, although I had one or two ideas. The mystery worked well and kept me guessing, which is always a bonus. The real delight of these books is the humour though. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the things that Jane gets herself involved in. Being a death diva is certainly an interesting and varied role.
I loved this book and really hope that we don't have to wait too long for the next one. I for one, can't wait to see what Jane gets up to next.

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In Skates Trouble - Kate Meader

In Skates Trouble by Kate Meader
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the intro to a series that was released a few years ago now. I believe that it originally appeared as part of an anthology, but is now available as this novella. I haven't read any of the other books in the series, but I have recently read the first book in a spin-off series, Good Guy. I was interested to come back to this first series, after reading that.
This is a fairly quick read. Actually, I read it in one day, it would have been one sitting but some of us do have work to do, sadly. The story centres around divorcee Addison, who is in the process of setting up a lingerie business and hockey player Ford. What I did particularly like about these two is that unlike the pairings you often get in romance books, Addison was older than Ford and had been married before. It's such a refreshing change to not have the young virgin or fairly inexperienced girl who gets taught the ways of love by an older, more experienced man.
We get straight into the action, so to speak, when Ford overhears Addison and her friends discussing disappointing sexual partners. Before they even meet properly, the couple is enjoying one another's company, in more ways than one. I quite liked the way that that was done, it was unusual and entertaining. With this being a novella, getting to the action quickly was always going to be important.
Addison and Ford worked for me as a couple and there was certainly chemistry there. It's always difficult with a shorter story, as some things can be a bit rushed, but this wasn't too much of an issue here. It also set the series up well, which is what I assume the whole point was.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Death under the Apple Tree - Betty Rowlands

Death under the Apple Tree by Betty Rowlands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The only problem with this Sukey Reynolds series is that I am running out of ways to say how much I am enjoying them. Not that that is going to stop me from writing these reviews or reading the books for that matter. There is something that is just so enjoyable about the series. The characters of course help. Over the course of the previous six books, we've seen Sukey's son Gus turn from a young teenager to a young man who is off to University in this book. Her relationship with Jim Castle has rumbled along quietly, with moments of passion for our amateur detective in-between the odd bout of disapproval for her snooping ways. I did wonder if they were going to move to a more permanent arrangement now that Gus is away at university, but that doesn't seem to have happened as yet.
The mystery this time was not one that I was able to solve. Sometimes I seem to get there long before Sukey has a clue, but this time I was completely in the dark. The important thing with a murder mystery for me isn't my ability to solve it or not, but really how well it works and how easy the solution is. Fortunately, in this series, the mystery is believable and never too obvious.
I'm keen to read the next book and find out what is in store for Sukey. Will she finally become a detective for real? Will Jim finally be willing to be more open about their relationship? Will Gus become so skilled through his university course that he can solve all of the mysteries for them? I can't wait to find out.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.


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Million Dollar Marriage - Katy Evans

Million Dollar Marriage by Katy Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a fun and entertaining story this was. Not only was it a cute love story with plenty of heat and steam, but there was also great subtle humour that ran through the book.
The couple who feature in the story, Penelope and Luke are complete opposites. Forced together, in more ways than one, in the name of a reality tv show, they have to overcome their prejudices and work together in order to will a million dollars. This was a fun and interesting take on the opposites attract and enemies to lovers themes. I enjoyed the chemistry between the two lead characters. It did take a little while for Penelope to relax and trust Luke, but I liked the way that they began to see the best in each other as the story progressed.
I thought the idea of having the story set as part of a reality tv show was great. It does seem like the kind of crazy thing that they have people doing all in the name of entertainment. I'm not entirely convinced that either Penelope or Luke would be convinced to take part in one. I'm not sure either that they would be a couple in real life, but in books like this, that really doesn't matter. For me, the chemistry worked and I enjoyed seeing them discover just how right they were for one another and the way that they each saw things in the other that they themselves hadn't realised.
I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read the first in the series, but I'd be keen to go back and check it out. This book works fine as a standalone and while I think the previous characters were mentioned, it wasn't something that impacted my enjoyment.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Saint - Chantal Fernando

Saint by Chantal Fernando
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Saint is the first in a new series set in a Motorbike club known as the Knights of Fury. I have to admit that I didn't know that I would enjoy MC set books, but I've read quite a few now and on the whole, I do enjoy them.
This book tells the story of Skylar, who was raised, at least for a time, as part of a Motor Cycle club, until a huge bust-up between her mother and stepdad resulted in them leaving never to see the men in the club again. Skylar as a teenager had a crush on one of the guys in the club, Saint, who is five years older than her. Once she's all grown up, they meet again and she falls in love with him properly.
On the whole, I enjoyed this book. In all honesty, I did think that Saint's character was a little flat. He quickly falls for Skylar, but there's almost something just missing from him. I don't know if it's because we see everything from Skylar's point of view rather than his? Skylar is a little immature. She's supposed to be 21 and considered quite with it and tough, but the way that she reacts to some things is quite childish. Perhaps that's because she has been raised by an awful mother and had a very dysfunctional childhood? I'm not sure.
This was an entertaining read and I'd be happy to read more about the Kights of Fury. I suspect that I know who will be the couple in the next book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Good Guy - Kate Meader

Good Guy by Kate Meader
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I believe that this book links to two other series by Kate Meader while at the same time being the start of a new series. I haven't read anything by Meader before, but this one certainly made me interested to go back and try the other books.
This book follows the 'in love with my best friend's woman and now he's dead' theme. I have come across this theme before a couple of times, but this was a fresh take on it. That combined with the good writing, likeable characters and the additional slant of Women working in a male-dominated world, made this a great read.
I liked both Levi and Jordan and their romance and relationship was believable and had plenty of chemistry. Levi really is the good guy, almost too good to be true at times, but he doesn't believe it himself.
Although Jordan's husband, who also happens to have been Levi's best friend, does cast a shadow between them, it isn't all that is important in this story. In many ways, I enjoyed the woman reporter storyline even more. Jordan is a little bit unwilling to push too hard and is accepting at times, but as we all know, that often is the reality of being a woman in that kind of environment. Even the most confident and forceful of us are conditioned to accept far too much.
This was a good read with a satisfying romance element and a thought-provoking look at women and equality.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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