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Rivals (Mafia Elite Book 7) by Amy McKinley – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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Rivals (Mafia Elite, #7)Rivals by Amy McKinley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rivals is the latest book in the Mafia Elite series, and it was ah-mazing, just like all the others. This is one of my favorite series and am sad that it is likely coming to an end. Mia is a character I kind of forgot about, as she is part of the New York mafia families. Most of the series focuses on the Chicago Five Families, and Nico is part of that group. Their story is slightly different from the others, in that the main characters didn’t know each other growing up. They meet for the first time when Mia pulls a gun or Nico and soon after, negotiates their marriage. The build of their relationship is a good story, and has a couple twists and turns along the way. I love the bomb dropped toward the end, changing the course of action. There is justice served and everyone gets what they deserve. Highly recommend this book and hope there is more to come.

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Key to His Heart by Kristina Beck – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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Key To His HeartKey To His Heart by Kristina Beck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Key to his Heart was an amazing book, one of the best I’ve read this year. It’s the ultimate love story, drawn by fate. The characters were very well written and I love them. TJ was a pro athlete but is so down to earth and a small town guy. Katrina has had a pretty bad life over all, but has made the most of it. She is not cynical and instead has a positive outlook on life, and is being the best she can for her son. She is recently divorced, single mom, living in a town where she knows no one. There are so many things that brought the two together, but it remained lovely and not cheesy. I loved how it slowly unfolded, and we learned more and more of the characters and the fate that brings them together. TJ is an amazing guy that I fell in love with right away. The little connections they have are cute and really make for a good story. The ending was exactly what I was hoping for. Highly recommend this book, and hope to read more by the author!

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This Time Around by Jane Suen – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Jane Suen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed This Time Around. It is a quick, cute story about second chances at love. Katie has gone home for, what she thought, was a quick get away for a friend’s wedding. However, plans quickly changed within those 2 days and led her in a different direction. I liked that the story was mostly told about Katie but with little blurbs to show Chase’s side of things. The ending tho, come on! The author had quite a few loose ends, then threw a wrench in things, starting a new story like then bam. The end. Thank goodness for the epilogue…for a little closure to us readers.

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Something About Aimee (Girls from the Street Book 1) by S.E. Smith – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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Something About Aimee (Girls from the Street Book 1)Something About Aimee by S.E. Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There’s something about Aimee was a story that had me on the edge of my seat. There was so many unexpected twists and turns. It was a little more heated than I prefer, but overall it was a great story. I love Aimee and her character. She is a total kick butt girl, who can hold her own and is brilliant. I kept wishing we knew more about her past, and then my wishes were granted. The author did a great job of building the characters slowly. It had kind of a 50 shades feel to it, as I look back. Rich powerful male, inexperienced young girl (altho homeless was a nice twist) but it makes for a good story.
Qadir was a character I didn’t like at first but he grew on me. I love his brother Tarek and his dad, and hope they make it into further stories. To be honest, the names was hard to pronounce, which I always hate, but I guess they are middle eastern so it’s to be expected… overall, it was a good book. The epilogue was a good wrap up and made me love Qadir.

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Amber Waves of Grace by Jessica Berg – Review By Elizabeth Sanchez

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Amber Waves of GraceAmber Waves of Grace by Jessica Berg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don’t really know where the title came from, but I’m glad I read Amber Waves of Grace. It was a really good book with amazing characters. I know so much more about farming now, haha. But for real, it is a wholesome clean story. The characters all go through some pretty heavy stuff, but it is real life problems. The story was realistic and not just a fairy tale love story. I love how close the families are, and the characters all have good chemistry. I enjoyed reading the afterward acknowledgements, learning where the character inspiration came from. Highly recommend and look forward to reading more by the author.

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Enchanted in Time by Nikki Lynn Barrett – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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Enchanted in TimeEnchanted in Time by Nikki Lynn Barrett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Enchanted in Time was a book I did not want to put down. The characters pulled me in straight away. Even though I knew the direction the book was going and had it figured out early, I still enjoyed reading it. There is a bit of a twist toward the end. I got really confused for a bit, along with the characters, but things were sorted out. I love the creativity of the story. Time travel books are usually pretty confusing to me, but this one was well written. I was happy with the ending, and it tied up all the loose ends. Not your average love story, highly recommend.

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Castor’s Kiss (Soul Bonded in the Stars Book 2) by Tai James – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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Castor's Kiss (Soul Bonded in the Stars # 2)Castor’s Kiss by Tai James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Castor’s Kiss is an action packed story, that I hope is the start to a series. It seemed to be wrapping up nicely for a good HEA. However, it continued and ended in quite a cliff hanger. The book follows Mia and Castor, and is action packed. Mia was captured and is forced to be a fighter for entertainment. Castor is sent to rescue her. Before they even meet, they have a strong connection that evolves throughout the book. The story gave me a bit of a star wars feel, since it is filled with different types of alien type humans, each described as different color skin and different skills. The world building is wonderful and the characters are well written. I look forward to reading more and getting to know the other characters. I hope Nox and Phoenix get their own books, as they each sound like there is a lot to tell about them. I also would enjoy a prequel to learn more about Mia and Castor’s life prior to this book.

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Murder in the Lightning Room by A.D. Brazeau – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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Murder in the Lightning RoomMurder in the Lightning Room by A.D. Brazeau
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don’t know how much of Murder in the Lightning Room is historically accurate, but it made for a good story! The story follows teenager Cora through a series of adventures. She is one of the brightest in her grade and dreams of great adventure and a career not common for women in that time. She is presented with the opportunity to work with Nikola Tesla. Her mom is opposed, but she does so anyway. That is the start of a series of events that takes Cora and her friends on quite the adventure. They take it upon themselves to try to solve a crime spree that includes theft, murder, and betrayal. You’ll never guess who is found in the center of it all. I liked the ending, as it tied up the loose ends and provided a happily ever after for a few characters. I would read more by this author and would be happy if this book turns into a series. It was very action packed and kept me hooked until the end.

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Levi (The Brothers of Creekside Ranch Book 1) by Edith Mackenzie – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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LeviLevi by Edith Mackenzie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Levi had me hooked from the first page. The author has a way with words and I hardly put my kindle down while reading this book. The book started right in the middle of the action. I thought Levi was a jerk in the beginning and was happy to learn the reason why, and start to see a transition to him mid-book. His brothers are fun and very loveable so I can’t wait to read their stories. Bella is not at all what I expected. She grew up an aristocrat, but somehow ended up with a Russian mob boy friend. I wish there was more back story there, but it gave us enough information to go on, and we discovered more of their past relationship as the story went on. The ending was abrupt but at the same time was kind of a perfect happily ever after. I am glad to know the story continues in book two though. Happy to have found a new author and series!

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Isabella Bride of Ohio: American Mail Order Bride by Debra Parmley – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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Isabella, Bride of Ohio (American Mail-Order Brides Series)Isabella, Bride of Ohio by Debra Parmley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Isabella Bride of Ohio, American Mail Order Bride is not the type of book I normally read, but it sounded interested. I admit, I didn’t know American mail order brides was a thing, but it intrigued me. The topic being quite taboo, made it all the more interesting. I liked Isabella, but also felt quite bad for her situation. She has had a hard life, and she is only still a teen! I was at first astonished for her to be all alone, but then had to remember it was a different time. I enjoyed reading the book but found her very naive, falling in love too quickly. I kept waiting for something to happen. She made me think of the movie Frozen – “You can’t marry a man you just met!” But yet, Isabella met, got engaged and wed very quickly. Again, the time and situation was different then. I wasn’t much surprised by the encounter on the train but if left me wanting to know more of Tom. Who is he? What did he mean by “like a constable” but yet wasn’t one. Is he a good guy or a bad guy? The mystery behind him kept me intrigued. The author kept sprinkling more facts as the book went on, and I kind of saw the ending coming, but still enjoyed it. It wrapped up all the loose ends. The book itself was a short quick read, so I didn’t get too invested in the characters, but it was enjoyable.

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