The Company Daughters - Samantha Rajaram

The Company Daughters: A heart-wrenching colonial love story by Samantha Rajaram
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the moment I started reading The Company Daughters, I was captivated by this historical tale. Although it does contain a love story, it's not a romance and there is far more going on than that. The book is told from the point of view of Jana. It follows her from her role as a maid in Amsterdam, halfway across the world to Batavia as a 'Company Daughter' with the Dutch East India Company. Batavia was the Danish city where their trade was based, modern-day Jakarta. In an attempt to build a European city in Indonesia, poor women were shipped out to marry the men who had settled and were trading there. These were women who were impoverished and looking for a better life, but in many ways found themselves in just as difficult a position once they arrived.
The book is split into a number of parts, we, first of all, see Jana as a maid in a wealthy household in Amsterdam. When circumstances change we follow her gruelling journey of nearly a year at sea to reach her new home. Finally, we see the life that she has there.
There is love here, but as I said before, it's not a normal romance. Jana finds love where society at the time doesn't approve of. It's this and her own circumstances which make it difficult for her to love.
This was a gripping read and I found myself lost in Jana's world and life. It's a little different to anything that I've read recently and I think that just added to my enjoyment.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

View all my reviews

False Start - Shanna Swenson

False Start

Almighty Zeus , thrower of thunderbolts… Ha!

Brett “Brickhouse” McFadden may be called Zeus on the Gladiators football field, but when the man who’s been his best friend and favourite receiver for over a decade gets killed instead of him, he’s completely helpless and left to pick up the pieces Hunter “Hermes” Thomas left behind.

The one and only constant in Brett’s life has always been his hidden love for his first best friend, Madison Thomas, the perfect girl he fell in love with at seven—yes, seven—years of age, who also happens to be Hunter’s widow. Love is complicated after all!

Now that Hunt’s gone, Madi needs him more than she ever has, and Brett feels utterly blessed to be given this second chance, but will the shameful guilt be enough to kill him too?

Madison Thomas, CEO and VP of the Atlanta Gladiators, thought her life was well-established until the unimaginable happened; the abrupt death of her husband, Hunter. Her overdependence on her best friend, Brett, begins to intensify as the darkest days of her life follow and she finds herself bombarded with the regrets of her past…and the unavoidable attraction she’s always felt for the perfectly-sculpted “king of the gods”.

As new revelations come to light, Madi starts to see that Hunter wasn’t the husband—or man—she thought he was. Now, she must storm past the FALSE START she was given and embrace the possibility of a do-over with the one she’s always wanted—Brett McFadden.

Will the “god of thunder” prove to be the better contender for Hera’s heart or will this long-suffering Olympian forever remain fourth and inches from his ultimate goal line?

My Review

False Start by Shanna Swenson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second book in The Gods of the Gridiron series is all about a love that has stretched across almost all of the hero and heroines lives and love after loss. It's also a friend to lover book, which I do really enjoy. Since he met her when they were both seven years old, Brett has been in love with Madi. Unfortunately, when they were younger, he didn't take his chance with her and made her think that he wasn't interested. His best friend Hunter jumped in and got the girl. Now, after a terrible car accident, Brett finally has a chance with his dream woman, but they both need to deal with the grief of Hunters loss before they can move on.
As I mentioned, I do enjoy friends to lovers romances and this certainly falls into that category. It means that things can move quickly, keeping the pace of the story and your interest, but without having to suspend belief when it comes to how quickly they fall in love. These are characters that already know everything about one another and the foundations for love are well established. Having said that, with the death of her husband, both Madi and Brett have a lot to deal with before they can really and fully be together.
I enjoyed the unfolding of their story. I think that the death of Hunter was dealt with well. Madi does move on quickly, but I think with her knowing Brett so well and already having feelings for him, that still works well. It's clear that Brett is a much better match for her than Hunter was and there are things that come out about their past relationship which reinforce this idea.
I enjoyed this latest book in the Gods of the Gridiron series and I'm looking forward to finding out what comes next for this group of athletes.

View all my reviews

Excerpt Finding Peace - Alaine Greyson

Finding Peace
Alaine Greyson
(Reclaiming Life, #3)
Publication date: September 24th 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Bracken Point is full of secrets, but none top the ones Tobias Sawyer is ordered to keep.

Sent undercover, Tobias arrives at the small town of Bracken Point determined to solve the case and leave. But he never counted on meeting Madeline Grant.

Ten years ago, Madeline was injured in a house fire, leaving severe burns over her body. Now at twenty, she prefers life behind the scenes, not wanting people to see her scars. When Tobias begins to notice her, will Madeline let down her guard or run away?

Goodreads / Amazon

Author Bio:

Alaine Greyson lives outside of Baltimore, Maryland with her husband, son and cocker spaniel puppy. She loves to push the envelope with her stories and strives to make her readers sympathize with characters from all backgrounds. Alaine is an avid reader and considers Jane Austen and Diana Gabaldon to be her literary heroes. She loves Mexican food, 80s music and is a Robert Downey Jr. super-fan. You will find mentions of things she loves throughout her books.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram

Excerpt

“Madeline Grant. You walk right past us and don’t even say hi? Just because you have a new job doesn’t entitle you to the ditch your best friends.”

Madeline mustered a smile and turned on her heel. “Bex! Did I walk past you? I’m so sorry. What was I thinking?”

Bex wrapped her arm around Madeline’s shoulders and guided her toward the living room. “No matter. You didn’t miss much.” The two girls settled on the couch in front of Amber, who lay sprawled on the carpet. “Amber was droning on about some girl she met in therapy.”

Amber pouted. “Was not. I know better than to get involved with anyone in my therapy group.”

Bex shot her a mischievous grin. “Then what was the deal about her milky-white skin and billowing flaxen hair?”

Amber sat upright and launched a pillow at Bex.

“Hey! Watch the face.” Bex drew a circle around her face with her hand. “This is a thing of beauty and must be protected at all costs.”

Amber rolled her eyes. “I’m glad you’re here, Madeline. It gives me an extra buffer against her highness over here.”

The three girls made an unlikely threesome, but somehow the friendship worked. They had been thrust together a few months prior when Bex moved in with Cassie. Forced to share a room, Amber and Bex developed a love/hate relationship. And Madeline was usually the one in the middle. Regardless of their differences, Madeline thought they balanced each other. Amber was the wise one, Bex was the wild one, and Madeline, well, she wasn’t sure who she was yet.

“The two of you against me? Ha! You’re no match for my wit. Besides, Madeline knows better than to go against me. I’m not your fearless leader for nothing.”

Bex spoke the truth. Madeline accepted Bex’s leadership and never put her in her place like Amber did. Truth was, Bex scared her and she didn’t know how to stand up for herself.

“We’re being rude. Madeline had her first day at the photography studio. How’d it go?” Amber asked.

Should she mention Preston’s comments about her being a kid? How about the cryptic spy mission her father and Detective Logan gave her? Madeline fiddled with her scarf and gazed at the floor. What was safe around Bex? “It was okay.”

Bex’s eyes grew round. “Just okay? You’ve been gushing about this job for weeks. What happened?”

“You have to stop expecting us to share everything with you, Bex. You’re not exactly kind about things.” Amber popped a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

“I’m direct. Some people don’t appreciate it, but at least you know where you stand.”

“Yeah, directly underneath her highness,” Amber said.

Madeline shook her head. “I’m surprised both of you are still alive. The way you bicker, you’d think one of you would have killed the other in her sleep.”

Amber smirked and winked at Bex. “Not a bad idea. Better watch your back.”

“Oh please. You love me. No matter how much we fight during the day, we never go to bed mad.”

“True. Back to Madeline. Did you see Preston today?”

At one point, all three had a crush on Preston, but only Bex had scored a date. Madeline wasn’t surprised they would want details from her day with him. “He trained me.”

“Nice!” Bex scrutinized Madeline’s outfit. “This is what you wore? You have to let me make you over. You won’t catch Preston’s eye—or anyone else’s—looking like that.”

Madeline glanced at Amber for support but was shocked at her response.

“For once, I agree with Bex.”

Bex placed her hands on her hips, her smile growing. “Now you have to agree.”

Whenever a makeover was mentioned, Madeline declined. The thought of someone dressing her like a Barbie doll and messing with makeup to try to hide her scars made her uneasy. “We’ll see. I’m not ready to do that yet.”

“When you’re ready we’ll be here,” Amber said.

Bex huffed and picked up an issue of Elle magazine. “Whatever.”

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by:

 

The Last Rule of Makeups - Nina Crespo

The Last Rule of Makeups by Nina Crespo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Second chance romances can either be really good, or really bad. Fortunately, this was a good one. For them to work for me, there needs to be a good reason why the couple split up in the first place and a good reason why they might try again. For the couple in The Last Rule of Makeups, Grey and Cori, they split up mostly because he was moving on to a new job and she had a sick father that she was unwilling to leave behind. They probably could have made things work if she had talked to him about it, but perhaps more than anything they weren't ready to be together forever yet.
Cori and Grey make a good couple and it's clear from the moment that they meet again that there's still a huge amount of chemistry between them. Where second chance romances do work really well, is that because they have been a couple before, they already know so much about one another and when things move along quickly, it's a bit more believable than the instant love that happens in so many romance stories.
I think that this is the third book in a series. I haven't read the other two, although based on this one, I'd quite like to. This works fine as a standalone read though.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

View all my reviews

Lost on the Way - Isabel Jolie

Lost on the Way
Isabel Jolie
Publication date: September 21st 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

They were friends—just friends. Now they’re something else entirely…

Jason
Maggie was my best friend’s girl. When he died… I don’t have the words. Indescribable pain.
But we healed. Together. She got me through my illness and became my friend, my confidant, my family. She’s everything to me.
And I ruined it all last night.
One drunken night. That’s all it took. Now I’m lost.
I want her with everything I am, everything I have, but she can’t be mine. She deserves someone with better odds than the doctors gave me.
Now, if I can’t figure out how to go back to the way things were, I’ll lose the most important relationship I have. The only one that truly matters.

Maggie
Last night was the best—and worst—night of my life.
He’s made it clear, more than once, that he only wants a friendship.
Then last night happened.
And now he knows how I feel.
He’s my best friend. I love him —mind, body, and soul. We have a visceral connection others can’t understand.
The problem? He’ll always see me as his best friend’s girlfriend, no matter how many years pass.
I can’t lose him. If he wants to stay in the friend zone, I’ll need to somehow accept that and move on. I know it’s true.
But convincing my heart…well, that’s another story entirely.

One night of excess tequila changes everything for two codependent best friends. Will they lose all they had, or can they find their way to something even better?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

Author Bio:

Isabel Jolie, or Izzy to her friends, is an Amazon bestselling indie author with an unquenchable thirst for a good, sexy love story. Izzy’s heart pumps faster for stories with strong heroines, down-to-earth realism, and an unexpected twist.

When she’s not writing or reading, she can often be found with a glass of wine in hand relaxing with her husband, daughters, and good friends lakeside.

Izzy fills her Instagram feed with funnies, inspirational “brain candy”, and anything that meshes with her mood of the day. #mood.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

My Review

Some books just seem to grab you from the moment that you pick them up, Lost on the Way is one such story. I've always been a fan of friends to lovers romances, which is what you get here. There is an extra dimension to the story which lifts it even further.

Jason and Maggie have been friends for years, but that's all that they have been. They are both completely in love with one another but have never taken that step with one another despite everyone thinking that they were a couple. Jason is in remission from cancer and it's his experience with the illness, as well as what happened with his parents that have influenced how he feels about relationships and what he can offer Maggie.

I enjoyed the way that the story unfolded with Jason's past and how he reached the situation that he is currently in with Maggie being told alongside the changes in their relationship now. I do enjoy books that deal with something a little deeper than just a relationship and this book certainly does that.

This is the fourth book in the West Side series. I haven't read the previous books and this one works fine as a standalone novel. I would be keen to go back and read the other stories though, after enjoying this one so much.

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Relentless Habit - Karen Renee

Relentless Habit
Karen Renee
(O-Town, #1)
Publication date: September 1st 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Cecilia

I moved to Orlando for a fresh start.

Nobody could know my secret.

Catching the attention of the hottest DJ in all of Orlando wasn’t in the plan.

He’s got moves, and they’re not just good. They are good.

Like the beats he spins in the booth, I fall fast for him and his crazy family.

When he finds out about my past, it won’t just break my heart but also crush my soul.

Brock

The third time I saw her at a crowded club, I had to have her.

After our first kiss, I knew she was a habit I would never want to break.

Knowing what she hid from me reinforces what I’ve known for so long. Women cannot be trusted.

Even knowing the worst, I can’t stay away from her.

But when push comes to shove, will I be able to keep her safe?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Smashwords / Angus & Robertson

Author Bio:

Karen Renee is the award-winning author of the Riot MC series, the Beta series, and upcoming O-Town series. She has been writing since she was a teen, but has only recently brought her dream to life. Karen spent years working in the wonderful world of advertising, banking, and local television media research. She is a Jacksonville native, as well as a proud wife and mother. When she’s not at the soccer field or cooking, you can find her at her local library, the grocery store, in her car jamming out to some tunes, or hibernating while she writes and/or reads books.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub

My Review

Although this is the first in a new series, it does link to previous books and series by Karen Renee. I think if you have read those, then you'll be pleased to see some of the characters reoccurring in this series. I haven't read them, so I can confidently tell you that this works fine as a stand-alone book too.

I do like heroes and heroines that aren't necessarily straightforward and clean-cut and that certainly applies to Cecilia in this book. Not only is she a recovered drug addict, but she has also worked as a prostitute for a period of time. Our hero Brock has to not only contend with coming to terms with Cecilia's past but also has to deal with her incredibly low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy. I thought that most of this part of the story was dealt with well. It wasn't dismissed as something that once he knew about it and decided to continue the relationship it was all fine. They both had other things to deal with throughout the story.

Brock is a real sweetheart, which is what Cecilia really needs if she is going to be able to have a relationship. They work well together and it's quite nice seeing his protective streak. Cecilia and Brock work well together as a couple. He is very understanding, but he does have issues himself that he addresses as the relationship develops.

This is an enjoyable and entertaining read and I'd certainly be happy to check out the next book in the series, which focuses on Brocks younger brother Gabe. 

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Try as I Smite - Abigail Owen

 

Try As I Smite by Abigail Owen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Brimstone Inc is a fun series of short paranormal romances. Although I am sure that they would work fine as standalone romances, I think that they are probably really better if you read the series in order. That is particularly true with this one, as it features Delilah, the owner of Brimstone Inc. In the previous books, we have seen her helping out her various clients, but she has remained quite a mysterious character. Now we finally find out what she is, what her story is and why she is a perfect match for her hero Alisdair.
Although this is a quick read, there's still plenty of time for the story to unfold with lots of heat and chemistry between Delilah and Alasdair. They work well together, in more ways than one and this makes a great new instalment in the Brimstone Inc series.
This world is linked to the Dragon shifter series' also by Abigail Owen. Although there hasn't been a direct crossover as yet, they are all part of the same world. If you haven't read any of those yet, then this series might be a good place to start. I'm not sure if there's more to come in the Brimstone Inc series, but I'm looking forward to finding out if there is.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

View all my reviews