Out of a Dark Reflection - Lexie Conyngham

Out of a Dark Reflection by Lexie Conyngham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I meant to spend a few days reading Out of a Dark Reflection, but as soon as I started reading I couldn't resist keeping going. Fortunately, I've been quite busy with work lately and could do with a bit of time doing very little, so it didn't matter too much that I spent the whole day reading.
I love the Murray books, particularly those, like this one, that also feature his good, but rather eccentric friend Blair.
Murray is spending the season at home in Letho, with his (horrid) wife due to give birth soon. He's not the only one who seems to have given the season a miss. When an old woman is killed in her home, the whole village soon starts to tear itself apart looking for witches and it doesn't seem that anyone is unaffected in one way or another by the hysteria.
I have to admit that I didn't manage to get to the bottom of this one. I had a few ideas that seemed to be in the right direction, but I certainly didn't unravel everything. That isn't really why I read these books. I do enjoy the mystery element and that's what I came for initially. What I really love is Murray himself, the other characters that make up his world (both servants, friends and passing acquaintances) and the historical setting. I don't know if Murray's house is based on a particular real-life house, or rather an amalgamation of them, but I can certainly think of houses that I know that are similar.
There is a short novella that follows this book, I've already downloaded it and will be reading it soon. I'm sure that it won't be long until I return to Murray and the next in the series.

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Everglades Wildfire - Isabelle Drake

Everglades Wildfire by Isabelle Drake
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After spending a summer working together and having a passionate love affair, neither Rick nor Amber thought that they would ever see one another again. They have not been able to forget about each other and when Amber returns to get Rick's agreement to use their research for her graduate degree, they soon find that they can't resist one another. Amber agrees to act as Rick's pretend fiance and before long they are swept along with his family's hopes.
This was a bit of an unusual story. The characters had a past, but a fairly recent one. It's clear right from the start that the chemistry between them is explosive and that they are not going to be able to resist one another. The story itself is quite short to be honest, which doesn't matter too much as being as these two have already got a past, there isn't a need for that initial get to know you phase. Both Amber and Rick have a past that has made them both wary of getting involved in a relationship, yet yearning for a place to belong and the chance to be properly part of a family.
I liked both Rick and Amber and I think that their relationship worked well. The idea of a couple deciding to pretend to be married is perhaps a little far fetched, but in the context of the story, that really didn't matter.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Between Friends - Elsa Miles

Between Friends by Elsa Miles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I know that you should never judge a book by its cover, but when I saw this one and it immediately reminded me a of a certain series set in a high school with twins in it that I used to read as a young teenager, then I couldn't resist. Between friends sets itself as an Old School Romance, the romance is the story, rather than some other plot that carries much of the story with a romance burning alongside.
I actually really enjoyed this read. Tessa and Jordan have been best friends for years, but never lovers. Of course, everyone else thinks that they are going to end up together and although they are against that, to begin with, it soon becomes clear that they have always really been in love.
I liked the way that the romance unfolded, with both Tess and Jordan trying (and failing) to resist the pull between them. I did think that Jordan could have been slightly nicer at points. I sometimes get a bit tired of the virgin and the player making a perfect match. I don't mind the male character has been around a bit if the heroine also has. It's just small niggle though and it didn't really stop me enjoying this fun friends to lovers romance. Sometimes all you need is a bit of Old School Romance and I'd be more than happy to check out others in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Sweet Revenge - Jennifer Hanks

Sweet Revenge by Jennifer Hanks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maggie could be forgiven for never wanting to have anything to do with a Motorbike Club again, after the abuse that she suffers at the hands of Snake. When she escapes from his clutches and is taken in by the Sinners she soon starts to trust them and even finds the chance of love with the sweet Gunner.
Like many MC romances that I have read the book doesn't shy away from the darker side of MC, but it does push the idea that the Sinners are different and have been doing what they can to sort themselves out and clean up. I suppose that's to be expected, as who wants bad boys that have no redeeming features? Where this one is possibly a little different is that there are no punches pulled when it comes to the darker side of other clubs. The rival club, the widows seems to be full of truly evil people.
I enjoyed reading Maggie and Gunner's story and I liked the way that it developed. I did find Maggie a little difficult to connect with to begin with. But she improved as the book progressed, I'm not sure what the difficulty was, but it may have just been me. It does mean that I'd be inclined to give this one a 3 1/2 rounded up to 4 stars. Overall it was a good start to the series and I'd be keen to read about more of the MC members.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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What I did for love - Mickey J. Corrigan

What I Did for Love
Mickey J Corrigan
Published by: Bloodhound Books
Publication date: October 28th 2019
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

What happens when a teacher falls for her student?
After her seventeen-year-old student fails to live up to his potential in class, Cathriona O’Hale conducts a parent teacher meeting with the boy’s widowed father. He is attractive, intelligent, and exceedingly wealthy, everything an unmarried middle-aged woman would normally find appealing.
But Cath is not your average forty-something. She’s a wild card who has a crush on the man’s teenage son.
Cath finds herself juggling father and son while battling the true source of her lust and forbidden love. So when the father of the object of her obsession proposes, she has a choice to make:
Love or crime?
And when her decision is made, the consequences might just be deadly…

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Trailer

Author Bio:
Originally from Boston, Mickey J. Corrigan writes pulp fiction, literary crime, and psychological thrillers. Her stories have been called “gritty realism,” “oh so compulsive” reads, and “bizarre but believable.” Her novellas and novels have been released by publishers in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Salt Publishing in the UK released her satirical crime novel about a school shooting in 2017. Visit at www.mickeyjcorrigan.com

Website / Goodreads

My Review

When I started reading this book, my first thought was Lolita. Except, in this case, we have a middle-aged female teacher who lusts after her students. The book tells the story of her love for one of her 17-year-old students and the relationship that she develops with his father. Unsurprisingly, the author notes that Lolita is one of her favourite books. That's not to say that What I Did For Love is a retelling, instead it takes its storyline in its own direction.

Cathriona tries to make us sympathetic to her situation. Of course, if you stop and think about it for all of a second, you know that there is nothing to be sympathetic for here. There is nothing in her plan that is 'right' from the seduction of the older man to get close to the son, the playing with the son's emotions and then her ultimate plan so that she can be with the son. Of course, the joy of it is that you do find yourself being swept along with it until you consider what it is she is doing. 

I think that I was left with as many questions as answers by the end of the book, but I suspect that was intentional. She tells us what the Dad's plans are, but really we have only her interpretation to go on. She's an unreliable narrator at best, but as someone who tells us frequently that she longs to be an author and has drafted versions of the story with parts changed or added to, who knows what the truth really is. There are a couple of points towards the end of the book that made me wonder if that was really what the other characters intended or felt or just what she wanted to believe or see. I won't give specifics to avoid spoilers.

This book won't be for everyone, mostly down to the subject matter. But if you can get past that and really I suggest that you try, then this is a really good read. Thought-provoking, interesting and gripping you will find it hard to put down, I did. 

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Tough Guy - Rachel Reid

Tough Guy by Rachel Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think this might possibly be the sweetest hockey romance that I have ever read. Not that I've read many, but I've come across a few. Ryan is a gentle giant, despite his reputation on the ice. He loves men who are the complete opposite of him; confident, delicate and beautiful. He fell for Fabrian as a teenager although he never acted on it. Fabian doesn't have a particular type, but e also fell for Ryan when they were teenagers. It's only when they meet again now that their feelings for one another are revealed.
In many ways, Ryan and Fabian seem like an odd couple. But it soon becomes clear that they work really well together. I don't know a great deal (anything) about ice hockey, having seen a grand total of two games in my life. Ryan's job on the team is as an enforcer. He fights in order to protect other members of his team. Unfortunately, it's not a position that is easy to deal with and Ryan struggles in this story. I did a quick google and found an article about three young enforcers who had all died due to their struggles with mental health and the toll that the game took on them. I thought that this aspect was dealt with quite well in the story. Fabian struggles to reconcile the sweet and caring man that he has fallen for, with the aggressive side he shows on the ice.
Of course, this is a romance story and we know that we all read those for the happily ever after, the ability of the characters to work through their differences and be together. Tough Guy delivers on that front and I'm sure that you'll be left with a happy smile by the end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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The Liar's Daughter - Claire Allan

The Liar’s Daughter by Claire Allan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The latest book from Claire Allan is another edge of your seat, can't put it down read. Told from the point of view of various different characters as the story unfolds, this book deals with child abuse and paedophilia. As the story progresses, we're left trying to guess what really happened in the past and who is to blame for the events of the present.
I have to admit that I did guess where this one was going. It didn't really matter though, although there are twists and turns in the plot and there is a mystery to be revealed, that isn't really the main driving theme of the book. Instead, this book is all about the way that abuse can shape who someone is and the far-reaching effects of it years later.
The Liar's Daughter is a gripping read. I managed to get through it in one day, not because it was short, but just because once I started I couldn't put it down. I'm becoming a big fan of Claire Allan's books and this one certainly measures up to the previous ones that I've read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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