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Tempting Fate (Black Shamrocks MC: Australia Book 1) by Bella Faust – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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Tempting Fate: a dark and angsty love triangle romance (Black Shamrocks MC: Australia Book 1)Tempting Fate: a dark and angsty love triangle romance by Bella Faust
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tempting Fate is Book One in the Black Shamrocks MC: Australia trilogy, but the second book in the series. This book is dark, angsty, romantic, steamy, and intense. It centers around the character of Lily who has worked hard to reclaim her life and move forward. Lily is strong, ferocious, smart, determined, and refuses to back down or play the part of a victim. After fighting for her life and finally beginning to see a bright future her past comes back to haunt her. Lily has Zeke/Venom by her side to protect her and look out for her, but her family and MC world seem to be crumbling. Lily loves her MC family and will do anything for them, but will they have her back when she needs it? I loved the character of Lily and how ferocious and strong she was. Her and Zeke were well matched, but it was such a rocky road for them because there always seemed to be something or someone getting in their way. This book had passion, chemistry, romance, drama, suspense, grief, trauma, betrayal, and will take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Warning: It also contains subject matter that may be a trigger for some so please read the author’s warning prior to choosing to read this.

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Flowers of Evil (Hani’s Daughter Mysteries Book 1) by N.L. Holmes – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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Flowers of Evil (Hani's Daughter Mysteries Book 1)Flowers of Evil by N.L. Holmes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Flowers of Evil is Book One in the Hani’s Daughter Mysteries Series. The story centers around the characters of Bener-ib and Neferet who have set up a medicinal dispensary for the poor people of Egypt. Unfortunately, they discover that nobody trusts them, and their business is failing. When a dying man is brought to them for care Neferet and Bener-ib realize he was murdered. Neferet becomes determined to solve the mystery of the man’s murder and ends up involving her family in something far more sinister than she was anticipating. This book was well written and the author’s attention to detail about ancient Egypt and its culture really drew me in. The characters were relatable, likable, and I found myself rooting for them throughout the story. This was a great historical cozy mystery and I look forward to reading more in this series.

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The Lie That Binds by Amy Argent – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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The Lie That BindsThe Lie That Binds by Amy Argent
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nathan is popular, drop dead gorgeous and part of the group of popular kids in high school. The girls drool over him and want to be with him, and the boys want to be him. Nathan seemingly has it all but he’s harboring a deep, dark secret that could destroy everything he has worked so hard for. He is so terrified of having his secret discovered that he has built up lie after lie to protect himself. He bullies and torments anyone that is less popular than he is and keeps everyone at a distance so he can keep his secret from being discovered.

Holly has just started attending Nathan’s high school and is determined to be one of the popular kids so she can fit in. On her first day of school Holly approaches Nathan and the rest of the popular kids and asks them if she can sit with them at their table for lunch. She is instantly shot down, mocked, and left to feel inferior. Naturally after treatment like that from Nathan and his friends Holly is disgusted when her and Nathan end up as lab partners. Although she finds Nathan to be gorgeous, she also knows how much of a jerk he is and wants nothing to do with him.

When Holly accidentally discovers Nathan’s secret everything changes. Nathan decides the best way to handle the situation is to pretend to like Holly and ask her out. As both Holly and Nathan get to know one another better they fall deeply in love. When Holly finds out their relationship is a sham and based on a lie she is devastated. When the web of lies start to unwind both Nathan and Holly’s lives are changed forever. Will Holly and Nathan ever be the same afterwards?

The characters of Holly and Nathan were wonderfully written. Both were typical teenagers battling all the typical drama that comes with high school. Holly was a true sweetheart who saw there was more to Nathan than he let on. Nathan acted like a jerk on the surface but that is not who he was nor who he wanted to be. It was all an act to protect himself and enable him to navigate his way through high school. This book was wonderfully written and described very well the cliques, the bullies, the mean girls, the jealousy and all the rest of the teen drama that comes with high school. High school can be traumatizing, and a great deal of importance is placed on fitting in.

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