The Amanda Mini-Mysteries by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Explore the wonders of science and mystery with this engaging children’s book series, designed for ages 7-10. Each story is crafted to encourage discussion and curiosity, offering answers to thought-provoking questions in a fun and captivating way. My young child always enjoys this author’s work.
Secrets, Lies and Betrayals by Lynn Wood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is a story of Lea Manning’s personal growth through life’s trials, including depression and grief. The rawness and realness of her pain really resonated through me and gave the book a depth that can be hard to achieve. Lea was born Michaela Manning. Her grandfather was killed, and her mother later passed away too. Then she was hidden away from the public eye for fear of her safety. At times, in the beginning, the threat to her life seemed a bit unbelievable but that smoothed out further in the story. For the most part, the story was clean without steamy parts or language, and I found that quite refreshing. There was only one section that contained language which made sense for the character. I enjoyed the mystery of the story as well as following Lea on her journey. She had to find herself as we all must and learn to stand on her own two feet. The one thing I didn’t like was towards the end, her speeches felt very preachy on hot button topics. It seemed unnecessary and took away from an otherwise enjoyable book. I like how everything was wrapped up in the end and all the loose ends were taken care of. I look forward to reading more by this author.
Tally and the Angel, The Sands of Time: Thrilling Middle Grade fantasy adventure where Greek Myths come alive! by Eleanor Dixon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the fourth book in this series. It happened to be the first book I picked up. I love Greek Mythology and this book came across to read so I figure I would give it a shot. I do think that for the most part, there is enough retelling of the back story so that you are not lost while reading. You can understand what is going on. I do believe it would be better to have read the previous books in my opinion.
With that being said, I really enjoyed this book. It was a perfect middle grade story. I liked it enough to want to read the first three in the series. This time, reading with my 7 year old. I think he would really enjoy this series. If your child is a fan of Greek Mythology, I suggest getting it for them. From what I have read about the other books, they deal with other mythologies.
I love Tally, the main character. I think she was very well written. I love the adventure and drama included in this story. As well as the decisions that Tally has to make and how she handles them. While the story is based in mythology, the feelings are very real and I think kids will relate to them in a way.
Make Me Want To Love You: Love in Emerald Creek by N.D. Jackson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the second book in the Love in Emerald Creek series. I have not read the first book but this one was great. Shayna is such a real character. Single-mom that left an abusive relationship to give her kids and herself a better life. She is strong and capable but does not see that in herself. I love the chemistry between her and Burke. This book just made my heart feel good
Finding Love by Lacey Furr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What happens when rockstar Loch Mackenzie, goes to a small town bed and breakfast to get some R&R? He meets Hailey, the owner of the B&B, and both of their worlds are completely changed. This story was the perfect combination of love and healing. The characters were full of life.
The Alien & the Crime Boss by Naomi Valkyrie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a very quick read. I always enjoy books by this author. Her stories are always very unique but not too much where you’re just confused by the randomness. It doesn’t matter if it is a short book or a longer one, you are always brought into the world you are reading about. Her talent for describing people and the world and her writing style makes it so easy to just get lost in the book each and every time.
This is another story where I was lost in the story and finished the book in one sitting. Her books often leave me exhausted the next night because I stayed up too late reading them. I just had to know more. I love the relationship building between the two main characters. It definitely left me wanting more.
Finding Love by Julie Navickas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
After saving her brothers relationship, Rachel is unexpectedly greeted with the end of her own relationship. While she wasn’t in love with her now ex-boyfriend, Ian, the breakup itself still hurts all the same. When she tries online dating, again, and is stood up by her first date, she is lucky enough to meet the owner of the restaurant, Miguel, and spend time with him. The pair discovers that they are neighbors, and that they have a lot in common. Their relationship moves quickly, until Ian decides he made a mistake in letting Rachel go, and tries to get her back. Rachel has no interest in this, and when Miguel walks in on what he thinks is Rachel kissing Ian, the pair must figure out how to fix their relationship and work through their different problems to make it work. This is book two in the Clumsy Little Hearts trilogy, but can be read as a stand-alone.
The Better Man by Laurie L.C. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book. It has everything in it. There is tragedy, heartbreak, drama, conflict, forgiveness and of course romance. Laramee is determined and head strong. She wants nothing more than to save the family ranch. Jamie just wants to get away and appraising the Stone Ranch is the perfect excuse. I love the dynamic between Laramee and Jamie, but I also love the dynamic that plays out within the families.
The Rake by Ava Bond
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the first book in the Daughters of Dishonor Series. Regency romance is right up my ally and man this was a good one. Then you add in a good helping of intrigue and suspense, well i just could not put it down. Margot is a vicar’s daughter and Lord Langley is a renowned rake. I can’t wait to see how the 2nd book continues this story!
The Winemakers – Box set: A Series of Sun-Kissed Historical Romances by Giovanna Siniscalchi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This box set is 3 separate historical romances that are set in Portugal. I loved descriptions of the country and wine. The stories follow 3 separate couples. Although the books have shared characters the books can each be read as a stand alone. The romance and the suspense had me lost in the world of these books.
Finding Love by Julie Navickas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Book two was just as great as book one!!! I loved both of these cute contemporary romance books. Such a wonderful series. Movies please!! I can see it now!!! Book two is about Rachel and Miguel’s relationship. Rachel is a real estate agent who just got dumped and is currently waiting on a date from a dating app. Miguel is a restaurant owner who has his own trouble finding love. When she’s stood up she decides to order and have dinner anyway. Ryan has to break her heart and let her know that the one thing she ordered they are out of. Promising her something just as wonderful and making it up to her is just the start to their flames. She agrees but only if he eats with her. And their story begins! And boy is it wonderful. Cute, funny, and of course steamy. But you know how these things go. The harder she tries with men the harder she falls. Will she this time? I can’t wait to read more from this author. She builds their story so well. You get to see other characters (that I am hoping she will also write about later) around them. Friends and family. You can really picture these stories.
The Predator Part One by Brooke May
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a new series for this author and what a great start it is! I can’t wait for the second book to come out. I never hesitate to pick up this author’s books. I enjoy her writing style as well as her creative characters that make her stories pop. This is a well written story about a spicy relationship that is put to the test and what happens you don’t want to miss. I enjoyed how the characters pulled me into their world from the beginning. They are strong, connectable characters that add so much to the story. They kept the story engaging and had me turning pages fast. I enjoyed watching their chemistry and growth throughout the story. I found this book to be fast paced and hard to put down. This is a book you don’t want to miss. I highly recommend this book.
Review by @bjwagner
Trusting Love by Julie Navickas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this cute contemporary romance! I can’t wait to read the next one, but for now this is book one to the series. It’s about Tess and Ryan. Tess is starting over. She was in a loveless marriage for years. She’s done a series of things she regrets. And she’s just ready for change. Starting with painting the inside of the paper she owns. Ryan has been hurt badly. He won’t tolerate dishonesty. And he has to make some changes. His partner takes a year leave so his work game plan must change. Now! He goes to the paper to put in an ad and meets Tess. They hit it off so well! The bantering between the two is funny and steamy and super cute. You can picture these two falling in love. Even with warnings to Ryan, they fall fast and quick. He takes her (city girl) on a couple camping trip and boy is that funny! Nothing goes as planned. But Tess has a past that’s creeping in and it goes against all Ryan’s values. She knows if he finds out it will be the end of their relationship. Such a great story!! I could see this turned into a movie! I’d watch it!! Off to read book two!!
The Predator Part One by Brooke May
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This author is one I never hesitate to buy from and I think this book is the perfect example as to why. It is a brilliant story. From the moment you start reading you are pulled into the story. So much seems to happen as the storyline develops and it kept the pages turning as I had to know what happened.
I loved the characters too. They are probably my favourite park of this book. On paper, they are complete opposites and yet, they someone just work. They connection is believable as soon as they meet and found myself becoming more and more invested in them. I cannot wait to read the next installment of this series.
The Story That Ties Us by Nicolette Terry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Overall, this novel is a very good read. There is definitely a lot to take in all at once. The characters are amazing together. I love how the author portrays the backstory of what happened between the main characters as well as the present. The characters have developed a lot throughout the whole story. There are parts of the story that show what the military personnel goes through while on deployment and there is help out there if one does need it.
The Music That Ties Us: A Rockstar Romance by Nicolette Terry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is a good read. It takes you away from reality and just to sit and relax. It’s a little different than what I expected. The characters are very well done, just like the first book of the series. The story flows well and the reader can easily follow what’s going on in the story.
Lost Hollow : A Small Town Science Fiction Romance (Alienville Book 1) by Donna S. Frelick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
From the moment I read the description of this book I was intrigued enough to know I would have to find out what was going on, and what happened to Claire! I thought the book was a brilliant story. It was exciting, fast paced and I loved the sci-fi edge angle. I was pulled into the story with ease and I connected with it straight away.
I really enjoyed reading about the characters too. There was so much going on that I wanted to know about and I thought the characters navigated everything really well. Their connection was believable too, which made it even more enjoyable to read. As this first book in a new series, this has made me excited to read the rest.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21123055
Trusting Love by Julie Navickas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the second book in this series. It is very well written and an easy read. It captivated me from the beginning all the way to the end. Highly recommend this series. Can’t wait for the next one!
Finding Love by Julie Navickas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the first book in this series and the first book I’ve read by this author. It is very well written and easy to follow. It has love, excitement and sorrow with a good ending. Very good book.
The Predator Part One by Brooke May
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Such a great book. Not sure why but, I was not expecting to like the book as much as I did. I think I’m obsessed with Katie and Chamberlain. I was absolutely hooked from the very beginning. After the prologue I kept waiting for the big fight or whatever the reason was why they see eachother at a fight and aren’t expecting to see eachother. This book was totally captivating from the prologue and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Katie and Chamberlain. Meet at the rec center and immediately there is chemistry and attraction. They end up dating for a while but there is always something in the way causing problems. Katie’s family, Amber and even Gwen caused problems between them two. I wasn’t expecting that ending but cannot wait to dive into book 2. Great book by a great author.
review by @xchellex
Discovering Desire by Alyndra Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an amazing read. This book was a very quick read because I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what was going to happen next. The main characters are little apprehensive of letting people get close to them. The female lead is protecting herself from her past and the male lead is trying to protect everyone he loves. Their chemistry is amazing and you can feel it in the words that are on the pages. It gives the reader the feelings of the characters and you can’t help but get emotional while reading this book. It has everything that I love about erotic romance books. There is spice, steam, love, chemistry, mystery, danger, action, loyalty, amazing families, and all the mafia vibes. I do recommend reading the other books in this series before jumping into this one so you can understand a bit more about the background. That said, anyone who grabs this book and reads it will be able to keep up and follow along easily. I can’t wait to read the next in this series and see where everything ends up.
Reviewed by: @bbohls
Red by M.K. Harkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lily is a young woman with some very overbearing parents, especially her mother and because of this, she was homeschooled and only entered the world of public education in her senior years, and nothing prepared her for the bullying and harassment that she experienced; however she absolutely loves animals and decides that she wants to escape the nest and go to college. George is a young man who has dreamed of attending vet school from a young age, however, when he gets there, all he feels is pain, pain from the disappearance of the love of his life with no word of where she went or why and this has led him into a deep depression that he is struggling to get out of.
This has led to him spiralling out of control and his roommate dragging him kicking and screaming out of it with the treat that he will lose out on his chance to fulfil his dream, so he slowly gets his act together and catch up with life outside of his ex. Meanwhile, Lily is in a desperate situation and does not want to admit she was wrong to her parents, however, when a solution presents itself to her, she throws caution to the wind and takes a chance on a stranger.
When fate intervenes and Lily and George meet for the first time, there is an instant attraction and feeling of comfort with each other that neither can deny, however, George runs away and rejects Lily, much to her embarrassment and annoyance, this all changes when the past rears its ugly head and Lily is caught in the middle. While all of this is going on, in the background there are a Fairy Godmother without much experience and a grumpy Guardian Angel hovering and trying to aid fate, however, nothing moves smoothly on that end either, so while they decide whether to interfere, or stand by and just watch, will George be able to save Lily and their future, or will the past extinguish the fires of fate? This is a twist on a well-loved fairytale in a modern setting that will hook you in and keep you guessing throughout.
Reviewed by @roxsannel
https://www.amazon.com/review/R1357ZL486LF8H/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv
The Amanda Mini-Mysteries by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have read several books by Lois Wickstrom and she never seems to disappoint. She truly amazes me with each book. I love how all her books educate kids with the storyline. They may not know they are learning something in her books. My daughter said Amanda Mini Mysteries was her favorite so far. The world building and character building was good. This was a page turner for me.
View all my reviews
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/4287815778
Discovering Desire by Alyndra Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
While I avoid love triangle’s like the plague, this book had caught my interest despite the love triangle. But to my surprise it did not end like I thought it would, so I was pleasantly surprised! I have previously read the first two books, so it was cool to see Derek get his on book! I love the dynamic between all characters, even though the one couple ship wasn’t the one I wanted, but I was still okay with the ending couple. I couldn’t deny the chemistry between Justine and Derek. The BDSM was a nice twist to it all, just like the previous books! I can’t wait to read the next book!
Red by M.K. Harkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I didn’t read the first book, so I didn’t quite follow, but as the book went on I felt like I wasn’t missing out on much. The story between Lily and George was an interesting take on the Red Hiding Hood story. The story was very well paced and the dynamic between the female and male lead’s was well done. You have two very dynamic characters who have a lot going on in their lives. One who is ready to move on and one who is somewhere stuck in the past and afraid. Then you have background characters Merilee and Zuriel, a fairy godmother and a guardian angel. Those two clash like fire and water, but the chemistry between the two is interesting. The back and forth between each set of characters was quite the ride of emotions. I enjoyed reading the book, and I think I’m going to go back and read Ashes!
Finding Love by Julie Navickas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is book 2 in the Clumsy Little Hearts Trilogy. This is another contemporary romance about two people who have problems and heartbreak in their pasts that makes it hard for them to love again.
This is Rachel Prescott and Miguel Rodriguez story.
Rachel is forever going for the wrong guys. Everyday she goes into starts off with so much promise and hope but they always end in failure.
When another date turns into a failed attempt Rachel is left alone at the restaurant Miguel owns.
After making them both food Miguel sits with her and the attraction is instant.
Can they overcome the pasts failures, self doubt, expecting the worst, worries and fears of another heartbreak to give each other a chance?
This is a beautifully written story. I really connected with Rachel and I understood her always waiting for things to go wrong with Miguel after all that’s what her past has taught her to expect.
I’m excited for the 3rd book in the trilogy as this authors writing is so captivating I just get lost in the story that is being told.
Trusting Love by Julie Navickas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first book in the Clumsy little hearts trilogy. After reading the Trading Hearts Trilogy I just had to carry on with this new Trilogy.
This is a story about finding love, learning to trust, learning to forgive and ultimately letting go of the past so you can have a better future.
Our main female character Tess has had problems in her past and her behaviour is something she isn’t proud of however she is trying to change and become a better person.
Ryan has a past too as he is struggling to overcome the trust issues cause by a previous relationship. Their connection is instant but when their pasts collide could it destroy the future happiness they are trying to build?
This is an emotional story as both Tess and Ryan battle their demons from the past. It is also heartwarming because as much as they fear the other person and what their romance could mean they are also powerless to fight against it. As a reader you find yourself hoping their get their HEA.
I loved this story and was captivated enough that I read it in one sitting. I can’t wait to read the next one.
The Chaos Clock: Tales of Cosmic Aether by Danielle Ackley-McPhail
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This novel is a steampunk anthology with a variety of authors focusing on the theme of time and clocks. Each of these stories were unique and interesting to read. The authors did a great job of capturing the steampunk aesthetic and creating stories that were both entertaining and thought-provoking.
The Handshake Agreement by A. Akinosho
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a powerful read this book was, it had me feeling so many different emotions, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh or cry or yell at Declan, our main character as I saw the way he interacted with Anne. These characters have so much dimension to them, you feel like you understand everything about them, and then the author throws you a curve ball and introduces new characters who jumble up everything. When Anne and Declan met for the first time, I figured she would be a small character in the book, but boy was I way wrong! She will surprise you through every experience she goes through, and then some. Do not underestimate the power of this woman, because she really does give Declan a run for his money, and then some more besides.
This book was amazing, it has everything you could ever want in a romance book, from intriguing characters to characters that care nothing about anyone but themselves. Do not let the cover fool you, this is no ordinary romance novel, it’s got mystery, thrilling action, and family feuds to boot. I could not put this book down once I got started, there were several late nights of reading because just one more chapter…which continued to yet another, I couldn’t put it down.
@Brandy Rymer
07/2024
