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Is This Me? (Being Me Book 1) by Tricia Copeland – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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Is This Me? (Being Me #1)Is This Me? by Tricia Copeland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of Amanda Avery, she is about to start college as a freshman and is looking forward to in one way and in another is dreading the need to be social, so as she is woken up by her sister leaping on her and the smell of pancakes and bacon from her mum cooking breakfast downstairs as her dad went in commander mode and got them all ready to go. As she gets to her room, her best friend asks her to go and see her in her room, she had moved in a little earlier and had already gotten to know some people, she also meets one of her suitemates and they get on well when she goes to sort out her own room. After a few hours of sorting and a family dinner, she is left on her own and agrees to go to orientation with her suitemate, they meet her best friend there and after the obligatory parts, they leave to go to a frat party. She is introduced to some of the other guys, including the President and the Vice President and surprisingly feels comfortable around them, while also admiring how good looking they are, as the event goes on, she tries to find her best friend, but is distracted by one of the guys she met earlier and they end up staying up late discussing shared hobbies, he then proceeds to escort her home and she realises that she had a good time, despite breaking a few of her parents rules.

As her orientation continues and she hangs out with the Fraternity brothers more, she finds that her feelings towards the good looking President start to develop and she is becoming friends with some of the other guys as well, so when she is badgered and eventually convinced to sign up for some of the co-rec sports teams, as well as working out with the frat brothers in the college gym, despite taking a tumble during a flag football game and ending up needing stitches and fainting from the sight of the blood. She is starting to get into a routine with classes, study, working out and being social, but that changes when she gets injured during the first co-rec volleyball game of the season when she crashes into the president and is thrown to the ground where can’t move, there is immeasurable pain in her arm and eventually she blacks out, when she wakes up she is in hospital with the guy she crashed into at her side, after the doctor comes in and explains that she has had to have surgery to pin her arm back into place and to relieve the bleeding on her brain from her head injury. When she is released from the hospital, her friends organise a rotation to look after her and her feelings and emotions are in turmoil as she realises that her recovery will take a lot longer than she originally thought.

How will Amanda be able to deal with the aftermath of this injury while also keeping up with classes and maintaining her GPA, as well as the hot and cold interactions of the guys around her? This is a story of recovery, both emotional and physical, as well as looking into the pressures of coming of age and growing up in America and the experiences that go with it, it is a read that keeps you hooked throughout.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Cursed Sight (Broderick Coven Book 2) by AJ Renee – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur

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Cursed Sight (Broderick Coven, #2)Cursed Sight by A.J. Renee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of Ethan Broderick and Serena Bishop, they are both witches, but Serena is the more powerful and head of her cover, whereas Ethan is new to his powers and up until a few months ago, didn’t know his family was a family of witches at all, so not being a part of any coven and dealing with that revelation is tough, but together, they are now mentor and pupil as Serena teaches Ethan how to use and develop his powers.

As she locks up for the night, Serena’s thoughts turn to Ethan and the events which brought him to her, as well as his sister, a powerful witch in her own right and a rival to her own power, but someone who doesn’t want to overthrow her, much to Serena’s surprise. While her memories flow, she shuffles a tarot deck and places it back under its crystal and heads upstairs to her apartment above the shop, she showers and takes in the peaceful scents of her incense mixing with her lavender body wash to help dispel the thoughts and morose mood she has developed and let sleep take her. Meanwhile, Ethan is home from a business trip and is thinking of Serena and how he has missed working with her while away and the revelations of his family history and the things it has awakened in him, his brothers and his sister. He sends her a quick text before showering and heading to bed, however a restful sleep was not in the cards when he awakens from a nightmare and the feeling it brought with it of foreboding, but with nothing else to glean from the images, he takes another shower and follows it with coffee and unpacking.

The next day, Serena heads around the store, cleansing it from the last customer’s emotions and starts sorting out a new delivery of crystals until she is startled by Ethan entering the shop and confused by her emotions and bodily reactions when he is around, but when she sees that he is not his usual self, she shuts the shop early and gives him an earful about not cleansing himself enough or properly and while she is trying to prepare to help him, she cannot think clearly until he puts his hands on her shoulders and helps her to regain her calm, however, as the cleansing ritual begins, she finds herself drawn into the circle she created around him and herself being cleansed at the same time, however, what she learns while this is happening si something she never expected.

As they continue to work together and develop his oracle powers, as well as developing feelings for each other, Ethan continues to get more visions and these ones are of Serena and of her being in danger, this leads to a fierce need to protect her and those around her, but who is the threat from and how can he help Serena to avoid her demise? All this and more will be answered as you read along this journey with Ethan and Serena, bringing more revelations and an emotional rollercoaster along with them.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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The Buccaneers of St. Frederick Island by Linda Maria Frank – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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The Buccaneers of St. Frederick IslandThe Buccaneers of St. Frederick Island by Linda Maria Frank
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a kids story reminiscent of the famous five with the same scenario of a group of eighth graders investigating a mystery, but this is set on St Fredericks Island in 1947 and the kids are the Buccaneers, so named after the famous pirate Jon Buccleigh who lived there in the past. The mystery they want to solve is who has stolen their collection money for homeless kids in NYC which they worked so hard to raise after it was stolen from the Vestry.

Sprocket is the leader of the group and so she is trying to write a secret note under the watchful eye of one of the nuns who run the school, just as she is working out how to hide it and the fact she hasn’t done anything of what she was meant to be doing, the fire alarm sounds for a drill and the evidence remains hidden for now. Later on, when Sprocket gets home, things take a turn for the worse when she finds out that their meeting place, a shack on the beach, has been burned down in the middle of the day, fortunately nobody was hurt, but a message needs to be passed through their secret system to tell the other Buccaneers the news, she wants to go and see it, so her mum goes with her and Frank (another buccaneer) joins her there. Someone else is there as well, a friend of theirs who lives in another of the beach shacks, it turns out he has been doing a bit of investigating himself and has found something, but needs to do some further questioning to find out what it’s relevance is.

On the way back fo Sprocket’s house, talk turns to the local newspaper and the articles both currently in it and plans for articles in the future, but as soon as they get there, something is wrong, it looked like someone had broken in, so when Frank is chased out of the house, it is a surprise to them all. As they lock up the house, talk turns to a Native American woman who has started to write a column about her healing arts, it turns out that she has had a threatening letter since starting the column and is a little worries, it turns out her daughter is in the same year as the Buccaneers, but not in the same class as Sprocket.

With this extra layer of intrigue added onto the stolen money and burned down beach hut, the Buccaneers agree to meet in an old cave to discuss what they need to do next and how they are going to do it, however, as they continue the investigation, they have no idea how dangerous it is about to become or how many people are actually involved, especially when the native american’s lady’s daughter disappears. Will the Buccaneers be able to solve the mystery and find out where the missing money and girl are, never mind who was behind burning down the beach hut, or are they in over their heads?

This is a mystery full of intrigue, danger and investigative espionage and even though it is a book for kids, adults will enjoy it as well.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Black Dog Rising by Kat Caulberg – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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Black Dog RisingBlack Dog Rising by Kat Caulberg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story is about Emmeline Aubrey and what happens when she arrives in Ninestone Downs after escaping from her ex boyfriend and his murderous ex wife’s ghost. She moved continents to be with him, but after everything, she had to leave in order to be able to survive, but with only a small suitcase and what she hurriedly grabbed on her way out, she has nowhere to go and nobody to help her, that is until a mystery stalker appears and follows her all around the town. In a last ditch effort to lose his, she tries to escape through an alley, but it is a dead end, so as she slips into a doorway and after shouting loudly asking what the stalker wants and that she has called the police, she prepares to attack the would be attacker with her shoe, but when the door behind her suddenly opens, she falls down the stairs and into a mountain of human flesh, who proceeds to scare off her pursuer before asking her if she is ok and to explain what had just happened.

As her rescuer helps to clean up her new injuries and tactfully not ask about the other ones, she asks about the name of the pub she is in and his name, Toby, that is until he touches her arm and something like electricity passes between them, but also something more than that, she is not sure if he feels it too, but when he brushes it off, she is sure that he hasn’t. When she asks about an available room, he appears hesitant but when she says she has nowhere else to go, he has space for one night, the room is tiny, but at least she has one night to make her plans and figure out what she will do next. After a nap, a nightmare and a shadow she swears looked like the shape of a woman in her room, she realises that she had left all her toiletries and phone charger in London and so decides she needs to go out and get some, so she finds the barman who offers to take her after she has paid for her room. After getting the things she needed, they stop to get something to eat and as Toby, asks her more about herself, she avoids the questions with evasive answers until he sees someone and chases after them, leaving Emma alone, but when an old man startles her and then asks her to go see the puppets with him, she feels like she is being pulled after him, again until Toby finds her and breaks whatever hold he has on her.

The relief she feels is unusual, but the strangest thing happens when she tries to think about what has just happened, but putting it down to exhaustion after the last couple of days, she ignores it, the thing she cannot ignore is what happens every time her skin comes into contact with Toby’s, she knows he feels it too, but he makes excuses, as does she, however, as time progresses, more unusual things happen to her and Toby keeps on rescuing her, they cannot deny what is happening, but will Emma be able to figure out what is happening and who her mysterious stalker is, or will she be lost to the enchantments which seem to swirl around the small village and why is Toby keeping his distance when she knows their connection is growing stronger? The only way to find out the explanations and solve the mystery is to read along and find out with them.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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At Once: Adams Brothers: Book 2 by Mindy McKinley – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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At Once (Adams Brothers, #2)At Once by Mindy McKinley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of Mason Adams and Gabi Turner, he makes handmade wooden furniture and has his own business doing it and she is an interior designer in business with her best friend, they have just landed a contract to work on a Victorian house for a very exacting customer, so when they need exclusively designed furniture, Gabi’s best friend knows just who to turn to, so they end up and Mason’s furniture workshop and showroom, but when they meet there for the first time, it is unforgettable.

When the first design has been shared, they agree to work together on it and this is just the start of their partnership and although she didn’t show the slightest sign that there was a connection there, Mason is determined to remedy that as soon as he can. Later on as the ladies gossip over wine and chocolate, Gabi cannot deny that she has the hots for him, especially when her skin flushes every time she thinks of him, but knowing that nothing would ever happen after the last guy she married and escaped from three years before.

As the renovations progress, Gabi finally gets the go ahead for one of her design boards and she is over the moon, the table is the thing that sealed the deal and when the client meets the man making it, she decides that she wants all the furnishings done by him, that means that Mason and Gabi have to work together a lot more. However, the high from the meeting doesn’t last when she receives a text from an unknown number and Gabi knows exactly who it is and it is the last thing she wanted or needed right now. The next day Gabi goes to the house to start work on the swatches and thinking that she will be on her own, she is completely surprised and horrified at the same time when she turns round to see Mason is in the house as well, this just amuses him and irritates her to now end, but when he becomes more flirtatious with her, it takes all her self control to stay that way, but unbeknownst to her, Mason is using all his self control to stay away from her, but he is determined to bide his time and work on her slowly.

This he does and Gabi is not as immune to his charms as she may think and it doesn’t help when her best friend is like a dog with a bone and is either encouraging him or her, or leaving them both in situations where flirting is a definite consequence, but will Gabi be able to keep her developing feelings for Mason under wraps, or will she stop him from capturing her heart like he has started to do with her body? This is a steamy romance which is as passionate as it is full of character which keeps you guessing until the very end!

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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At Last (The Adams Brothers BOOK 1) by Mindy McKinley – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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At Last (Adams Brothers, #1)At Last by Mindy McKinley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the tale of Lula Stanley and Dominic Adams, they are both teachers at East High School, however, this is where the similarities end, Dominic is known for his reputation with the ladies and his looks and charm are always turned on, but Lula is the odd one out with her mismatched style, big fluffy jumpers and eccentric choice in glasses, but all that changes with a chance encounter at a jazz club. Dominic has been encouraged to go out on a school night with his brother and as he is a jazz musician, they undoubtedly have to go to a jazz club, Dominic is more than a little reluctant with his current workload, but doesn’t want to pass up a chance to see some beautiful women singing. Lula is there with her best friend, coincidentally, also a teacher at the school and she is about to take centre stage in a slinky black satin dress and bright red lip, she croons her way through the performance and turns into a seductress all the while, Dominic doesn’t realise what has hit him until the announcer says her name at the end.

This starts off a chain of events for the two of them, he can’t believe that that the performer and the teacher are the same person, but as soon as he does, he cannot take his mind of her and she cannot believe that she is getting that kind of attention from him, just plain old boring Lula and the craziest part is that he is reciprocating it, especially after him seeing her land on her butt after slipping on the ice earlier that week! As Dominic decides that fate isn’t moving quick enough, he finds more ways to be around Lula and to explore their connection, including signing up to help her out at an after school club she runs, while all the time working on a personal project as well. Lula is also running a tight ship between visiting her Nan and then a shocking piece of information about her never present father leads her on a research binge of her own.

As the two become closer because of events in both of their families which are beyond their control and give in to their urges and the electricity whenever they are around each other, their research projects begin to intertwine as Dominic realises that Lula’s father may have a connection to what he is working on, but it turns out that not even their budding relationship is without its ups and downs when things take turns for the worse, but will they be able to consolidate their differences and acknowledge the future they may have together, or will the ghosts from their pasts keep them apart forever? This is a romance with plenty of steam to it, but still leaves you guessing how the mysteries within will play out and it will tug at your heartstrings along the way.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Stormy’s Thunder: Satan’s Devils MC Utah by Manda Mellett – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur

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Stormy's Thunder (Satan's Devils MC Utah #2)Stormy’s Thunder by Manda Mellett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is Stormy’s story, he has messed up again, he left his brothers in a fit of rage and did the unspeakable, he left his cut behind, he just got on his bike and rode away, but when he wakes up the next morning and his head has cleared up some, he decides if he wants to return to his brothers and be accepted back into the fold, he has to for one, take the beatdown, for two, repeat his prospect days for six months, but he also has to bring something back with him, so he decides to tie up the last loose end in a recent rescue and find the woman who booked the AirBNB where the woman was held. That decided, he goes to get some food in a local diner and starts digging, setting up his newly bought laptop and burner phone, he finds the information he needs and sets off on another long ride.

As he is riding, he thinks about his past and how every time he thinks he has got his life sorted out, he messes up and loses everything he has worked for, he thinks about his childhood, how he worked to leave that behind and when he achieved the career he had always dreamed of, he disobeyed someone, someone else got hurt and he took the blame and was kicked out. Then he thought about how he had found another place with the Satan’s Devils MC, but again, going his own way and doing things he wanted to do led to him being punished again and he ran away. He is in a destructive cycle and he can’t see a way out, unless he can tie off this loose end and take the information back to the Club.

Apart from one stop for fuel for both him and the bike, he arrives at the home of the woman in question, it is late at night and it looks like she is in bed, but when he bangs on the door and rings the doorbell and doesn’t get an answer, he looks through the windows on the ground floor and it looks like nobody is home after all. He decides to go inside and take a look around to see if there has been a home invasion and to see if she is indeed in the house or not, but what he finds when he enters the basement is what appears to be a pile of dirty clothes and a wig that looks worse for wear, however, when he realises it is the woman he has come to find, he wastes no time freeing her from her bonds, he doesn’t want the authorities involved, so he can warm her up and look after her, albeit with the ulterior motive of questioning her. When she begins to regain consciousness and answers his questions, he realises that she isn’t connected to the crime in the way he thought, but he decides to stay for a while and look after her anyway.

As the time passes, the two grow closer and a fall into a comfortable routine until a ghost from Stormy’s past come back to haunt him and that ghost has unfinished business, as he is tortured to the point of being half dead,the worst thing that could happen does, she is taken from him, but when he finally escapes, the first thing he does is return to the club he once called home, but with his injuries, will he be able to to get there in time to save his woman, or will he succumb to them and lose her forever? This is a story of troubled pasts and uncertain futures, but the action will keep you hooked as you read through to the end.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Titanian’s Phoenix: Titanian Chronicles by Victoria Saccenti – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur

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Titanian's Phoenix: Titanian ChroniclesTitanian’s Phoenix: Titanian Chronicles by Victoria Saccenti
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Maya is a woman brought up in New York by her godmother Anna, she is street smart, independent and loves her job and has been brought up on fairytales which common sense denied could not be true, but all that changes when she and Anna are kidnapped by Elves and in order to escape, her godmother has to reveal some of her past which has been kept a secret for many years and tells her to head straight to a bar and ask for a man called Soren when she gets there. This is all too much for Maya to take in, but when she has to go, she does exactly as Anna asks, even though she wants to return to the apartment first, so with nothing but the clothes on her back, she escapes and with full awareness that the elves will be following her as soon as they realise she has gone, however, when she gets to the bar, it isn’t what she expected and neither is the man she finds there, or the effect he has on her.

Soren has been summoned to the pub and as he enters, the patrons either disperse or are blinded to their arrival if they are human, this makes it easier to scan them and take their drinks upstairs so they can keep a look out for why their presences were required, it all seems normal until a well known elf comes in, but this normal in the least and when he is joined by a demon and a human, it is even less so and the discussion they have is even more disturbing the longer it goes on, this puts Soren on alert and he calls on a friend to share this new piece of information. As soon as someone is sent to follow each of the leads, Soren returns to his drink, that is until a woman walks in the door and his body reacts instantly, he doesn’t know what is happening to him until his tattoo starts to tingle and he realises that his mate has just walked in, this is a complete surprise as his life scroll has never revealed a mate, but he is going to protect her with his life of he needs to and when she faints as soon as she looks at him, her fate is sealed as well. He immediately takes her to his home and meets up with his family and friends to update them on the situation while waiting for the ones he sent out to return and fill them in on their finds, but when one goes missing, it becomes a race against time to find them.

As the group find out more about the danger they are in and what the enemy is planning, the budding relationship between Maya and Soren develops, as does Maya’s Phoenix mark, she is having a hard time processing it all and is thankful for all the help she is getting from others, but when she starts to come into powers of her own, the group must try and keep the information to themselves as any inklings of it getting to the enemy will spell their downfall.

Will Maya and Soren work things out and be able to complete their bond before time runs out, or will the enemy play their cards right and stop whatever they may have in its tracks? Will they be able to defeat their enemy when the need arises, or will the casualty numbers grow before they can do anything about it? This is a story of romance, love, revelations and relationships which are tested to their breaking point, it is an adventure with more secrets than the characters can handle and a lot of action, but to know what happens, you have to read to the end and enjoy the revelations as they come!

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Murder at Lolly Beach: An Eve Sawyer Mystery by Jane Suen – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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Murder at Lolly Beach (Eve Sawyer #2)Murder at Lolly Beach by Jane Suen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This time Eve Sawyer is heading on vacation with her friends from college Cassie and Bob at Cassie’s families beach front cottage and cannot wait to just sit back on the beach and relax, eat some good food and read a book, she needs the break after the craziness that was the last semester, and that is exactly how it starts out, they head to the beach and spend some time there before heading out to see Cassie’s grandma.These plans go awry when the next morning when Cassie takes Eve for surprise crepes for breakfast at a local food truck owned by a guy called Blake and when they get there, they find the place surrounded by yellow tape and there are police officers around it, Cassie’s face turned ashen and she looks scared, so Eve goes to see what is happening. As she speaks to a woman in the crowd, she finds out what happened and where the ambulance took him, the need to solve the crime wells up and she knows then and there that she won’t be able to rest until she finds out the truth.

While the Cassie and Eve have something to eat, Eve asks to go to Blake’s house and when they get there, Cassie talks about Blake, the apartment and the people how live below him, but decide not to talk to anyone as the police are doing the exact same thing, so they agree to go back later on. At the hospital they find out that Blake is in a coma and is not allowed visitors, but they are allowed to stand in the doorway and see for themselves and Cassie is shocked at his condition, it is at that moment that a journalist from the local paper turns up, who introduces himself as Jake and asks the same things as Cassie and Eve and as they leave, he follows them out and as Cassie gets in the car, Eve talks to him about Blake and while swapping information tells him why she is there and finds out that as well as being amazing at cooking crepes, Blake is also a strong environmentalist and was trying to get the local council to ban plastics on the beach, but there were a few people opposing it.

When Cassie asks to tag along with him to the interviews of the people who were against the ban, he asks the paper and they agree that she can be an intern while the investigation is ongoing and this is all the encouragement Cassie needs and so the investigation begins.

Will Eve and Jake be able to find out who was responsible for hurting Blake and why, or will the tangled web be too hard a mystery to solve? This is another great murder mystery which will leave you hanging on until you have read to the end and solved it with them.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Murder Creek: An Eve Sawyer Mystery by Jane Suen – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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Murder Creek (Eve Sawyer #1)Murder Creek by Jane Suen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Eve Sawyer is a journalism student, but she also has these heightened senses which she cannot ignore nad they help in some situations, but they also won’t leave her alone and settle when they start up and when she is minding her own business and driving home when she drives over a bridge with a sign saying “Murder Creek” and she gets a prickling sensation in her spine and the almost overwhelming need to look down at the creek and know what happened there and this feeling of agitation and restlessness didn’t leave until she had gotten home and looked up the name and in doing so finds out about two significant events, a murder of a group of men on the banks in the 1800’s and a missing girl, Lucy Walken from twenty years ago. When Eve gets to college the next day, she immediately goes to see her professor to ask for him to give her an incomplete grade so that she can go and investigate what happened at Murder Creek over the summer break, he reluctantly agrees and so when shehas finished with everything else to complete her other classes, she heads to Murder Creek and finds a motel to stay in while also finding out that there will be a funeral that weekend and if she wants to stay in the motel longer, she will have to let the owner know in advance.

When she gets settled, she calls the contact her professor had said may help her with the investigation, so they agree to meet at the local diner and they talk about what she is in town for over dinner, he agrees to help her and to start, will take her to Murder Creek itself. That night Eve can’t sleep because of the horrific dreams she has of the two cases, but nevertheless, she is up and ready when her guide shows up, when they get there, the scene is peaceful, the complete opposite of the images which assault her senses, but when she goes to where Lacy’s bloody scarf was found, she only got the prickling sensation, but thankfully, no more images and when Eve returns to her room, she goes over her notes and makes a list of what she needs to find out. She looks at the phone book and finds the listings for Walken’s, she calls the two she finds and arranges to meet one the next morning, but the other just tells her she can’t be of any help. Later on, Eve is taken to see the sheriff as a courtesy to tell him what she is doing there and to ask him what he knows, but he is quite closed off and won’t help them, but Eve has another way to get the information she wants and asks to go to the newspapers main office and places an ad in for anyone to call her if they have any information.

As Eve digs deeper into the case and learns more about Lacey, she realises that this beautiful girl was more than meets the eye and whatever happened to her doesn’t quite match up and when she starts talking to people, something still doesn’t seem to add up, but it seems that the key detail is still missing and she worries that she may never know what it is when it turns out that the funeral is for one of the towns main benefactors.

Will Eve be able to uncover the truth about what happened to Lacey, or will the dead ends and lost leads conspire against her? This is a mystery to get your teeth into and will keep you guessing until the very end.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Heartbeats and Roses: A Small Town Valentine’s Day Romance (A Hartwood Holiday Romance) by Jae Dawson – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur

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Heartbeats and Roses: A Small Town Valentine's Day Romance (A Hartwood Holiday Romance)Heartbeats and Roses: A Small Town Valentine’s Day Romance by Jae Dawson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a second chance romance based in a small town which rivals Hallmark as a haven for the holidays and Valentines is no exception. Rose McDaniels is a florist with a wild and romantic imagination who organises a secret valentine event every year where she takes orders for special valentines and creates a special message with flowers for the recipient to find at a Candlelight Ball on Valentines night and who owns a cat called Sophie. Liam Bradley is a cardiac surgeon having a string of bad luck, he is being investigated over the death of a patient, his relationship is just going through the motions and his girlfriend is not happy that he isn’t going on holiday with her and instead for some unknown reason, has decided to take up the offer of an old school friend to stay in his AirBNB for a couple of weeks in the hometown which he left twenty years ago without looking back.

Rose is in her shop preparing for an upcoming wedding she has in a couple of days when her landlord comes in to ask her to give a key to the person who is coming to stay in the AirBNB that afternoon, Rose agrees amid her deliveries coming in. Unbeknownst to either Liam or Rose, they are about to meet again when it turns out that he is the one who she has to hand the key over to and she is still affected by him the same way she was at sixteen, but she is torn as he doesn’t seem to be the same person, he is all lines and edges now and cold at the same time.

As Liam settles into the apartment, he agrees to see his friend at eight and then heads out to walk his dog Hunter before the snow really started to fall, he was also reminiscing about the town and how much had and hadn’t changed since he had been here last, then his thoughts turned to Rose and how she hadn’t changed much either and how he regretted how he had left things the last time he had seen her and as he and his friend talk about old times and his family drama over a beer, the subject of Rose comes up again, as does the fact she is still single.The next morning, Rose is busy and has another delivery of some more flowers, but as she is sorting it all out, that is until Liam is woken up and challenges Rose about the time and why she organises them this early and it is at that moment that Hunter decides to get out of the apartment, into the shop and chase Sophie around while destroying the floral arrangements and breaking the glassware inside. As Liam takes Hunter back upstairs and Rose is panicking about the damage and how she doesn’t have time to think, never mind clean up the mess, but when Liam comes back down to help she demands that he leaves and as she is about to go towards him, she slips on the leaf slime covering the floor and land on her wrists and hits her head, there is an audible crack, followed by immense pain and Liam insists on locking up and taking her to the hospital. Unfortunately, it is the same hospital where his dad works and they bump into each other there, the reception is as cold as the weather outside, but as he takes Rose inside to fix her arm, Liam calls her family in to help.

This is a complete disaster for Rose, what with the wedding and Valentines coming up in less that two weeks and with her two assistants unable to help out, she call on them all to help her, Liam included and this is where they start to reconnect, but will they both come to the realisation of what they have, or will Rose be left heartbroken again? Can she muster up the courage to go through with the Valentines events knowing that romance is dead and that she can’t do the things she loves most with her broken wrist? The only way to find out is to read along and find out in the romance filled to the brim with hearts, flowers and love.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Moonlight And Belladonna A Hartwood Holiday Romance: Halloween (A Hartwood Holiday Romance) by Jae Dawson – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur

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Moonlight and BelladonnaMoonlight and Belladonna by Jae Dawson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a small town romance with some characters with big personalities, Cade Owens is the frontman to a very popular rock band and Belladonna (or Bella) Pagano is a high school arts teacher and when they run into each other in the woods, even though they are there for completely different reasons, Bella to do a ritual to find love with her mum and Cade to drunkenly escape from his current situation, but it leads to more than they both were bargaining for when Bella tries to stop Cade from driving home drunk and he crashes into a lampost and ends up in jail overnight instead.

When his lawyer comes to speak to him the next day, he is ready to just brush the whole thing under the carpet with just a fine, but Cade decides to take his punishment and complete the hours community service and pay the fine for repairing what he damaged, he feels like it will do him more good, but starts to regret it when he realises that the community service will be with Bella at the school. Meanwhile Bella is struggling to get the students’ enthusiasm up for that year’s musical, Little Shop of Horrors, especially when she knows it is the only thing standing in the way of the department losing all of its finding for the next year, to only be told that not only is she getting a student who is serving community service, but Cade Owens as well!

Now Cade has agreed to this community service he has to break the news to his manager and bandmates, but some are more accepting than others and he is trying to ignore the messages, phone calls and demands for new songs as much as he can, but between juggling that, being at the school twice a week and looking after his grandpa, he is wearing thin, but thanks to a kind neighbour, he is just about able to cope. So he starts to spend his tuesdays and thursdays at the school with the students and Bella, the atmosphere is purely professional around them and the kids who are thoroughly in awe that THE Cade Owens is helping out at their school, but Bella allows them to do the whole fan thing for a bit, then gets down to work with the student on community service in the AV and lights setups while everyone else works on their parts and on the set.

Will this unlikely duo be able to pull off the perfect musical and wow the school board, or will the life of a rockstar get in the way? Will they be able to keep their relationship purely professional, or will the love ritual bear fruit and lead to something more? This is a tale of romance, music and life changing decisions, but how it all ends is something you will have to read to find out.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Mythical Alliance: Phoenix Team: The Complete Season by Claire Luana – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur

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Mythical Alliance: Phoenix Team: The Complete Season (Mythical Alliance Series #1-6)Mythical Alliance: Phoenix Team: The Complete Season by Claire Luana
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is Zariya Chanji’s story, she is a woman who is half human and half naga, a supernatural snake warrior and she has just lost her father Vizol, the official reports say that it was an accident, but in her bones, Zariya is sure that there is something more to it and decides to be reckless and find out for herself what exactly happened. The book starts with her seducing a man who works for the MASC, or the Ministry Alliance of Supernatural Creatures and making an illegal copy of his ID card so that she can break into the building, however, things go a bit wrong and she ends up going to hospital with him, but in the rush, she leaves her purse behind in the ambulance and has to call in her best friend for a rescue and when she starts to act suspiciously, Zariya decides to follow her and see what is going on, but what she discovers is that her father has been leading a double life and that he actually works for an initiative within MASC too, but when she comes across the opportunity to find out more, she becomes embroiled within the secrets herself and lands a place on the Phoenix Team.

This is where things get really interesting as this box set follows Zariya and her teammates as they investigate Vizol’s death, as well as other missions, each book focuses on one member of the team and keys you into their past, present and possibly future. All the while, Zariya is trying to fit in and get to know her place within the team with little help from those around her, as she feels betrayed by them because they were all keeping secrets from her. As she pushes people away, all she really wants is the truth to be revealed in more ways than one, but the secrets which bury deeper into the Phoenix Team and MASC as a whole than anyone realised, including past mistakes and future consequences, but will the team and Zariya be able to live long enough to uncover them all?

This is a fantasy adventure with twists, turns and non-stop action which pulls you in and makes you want to read more, but will Zariya be able to fully integrate on the team, or will her differences of opinion, fear of further betrayal and the walls around her heart stop her?

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Ride with the Moonlight (Thunder On The Moor Book 2) by Andrea Matthews – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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Ride with he Moonlight (Thunder On The Moor, #2)Ride with he Moonlight by Andrea Matthews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second installment of the Thunder On The Moor series and sees the return of Maggie Armstrong and Will Foster as they are resting in a field by his family’s home, after the trials of the past couple of days, they feel they are allowed a little rest, as they go over what had transpired over again, but her family back in Scotland are already planning ways to get her back after the last debacle she caused by the river and making them walk all the way home in stocking feet, he is livid, but he knows that he can’t just ride straight back out and get her, no matter how much Ian Rutherford complains about it and decides to file a bill with the warden against the Fosters instead. Ian is more livid than anything and is worried about what will happen to Maggie in between now and the Day of Truce when the bill will be heard, especially knowing what Bonnie Will is like with the ladies, but he is pacified with the thought of currying favour with the Armstrongs if the worst should happen while she is with him.

As time passes in the Foster household, Maggie and Will are constantly being removed from the others’ presence so that they don’t get up to any mischief under his mothers watch until they have their handfasting and make their union an official one with witnesses. The revelations are not over yet when she finds out that her closest friend and one of her dad’s closest friends are more family than she knew, but that he didn’t know and she couldn’t tell him either, even if the other had died, but knowing that did explain the closeness of the two. Meanwhile, trouble is brewing when someone goes to the warden sooner than expected and tell them about the whole Foster-Armstrong story and what has been happening and so the warden makes the decision that Will Foster will be charged with March Treason for for fraternizing with a Scot and will .be sentenced to hang by the neck until dead.

When word of the charge and sentence reach the Fosters as they go to Hexham on market day, it is decided that Will and Maggie will go into hiding until it has all blown over with one of Will’s brothers who is good at tracking to make it easier for them, they leave with all the haste they can up into the hills, but in his absence, other bills are put against him and as his family refuse to both give up his location or stand in his stead, the decision is made to put opposing bills in to counteract them. When Maggie overhears what the punishment will if Will doesn’t appear, she takes matters into her own hands and heads back home to her family to try and spare will his punishment, even if it means that she has to wed Ian, but when Will is arrested while trying to find Maggie, his family has other ideas and so plans are put into place which are daring and dangerous for them all, but will their plans come to fruition, or will the two be separated and their worst fears come to pass?

This is another fast paced part of the whirlwind which is life for the Border Reivers and not one to be missed.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Thunder On The Moor (Thunder On The Moor Book 1) by Andrea Matthews – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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Thunder On The Moor (Thunder On The Moor, #1)Thunder On The Moor by Andrea Matthews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a tale of Scotland vs England in the 16th Century but with a 20th Century twist, Maggie Armstrong is a strong willed young woman, she takes after her dad for that one, it isn’t surprising because she was brought up on tales of his past, of the Border Reivers and their adventures, including an old picture of a portrait from the time, without knowing exactly how long ago his past actually was. It is summertime and Maggie wants to go to a dig in the USA, but her dad feels that it is time to go to Scotland with her, he says it is to meet his family, but she thinks it is just another archeological dig, but she can’t understand why she has to dress the part as well when they get to their destination. That is until he says that they are going back to the 16th Century and when all hell breaks loose with wind, sparks of light and then a calm which is broken by some scottish voices hailing them from a distance on horseback with an Englishman thrown over one of their saddles.

As the riders approach them, one of the recognises her father and dismounts to give him a bear hug and then she is introduced to them, in all the excitement the Englishman escapes the groups clutches, but he is allowed to go for now, there is more excitement to be had with the prodigal son returning after all this time and as they set off to her dad’s ancestral home, it finally sinks in that Maggie is indeed in the 16th Century and so far, it is just like her father described, the deciding fact is that she sees the spitting image of the man from the portrait in her fathers book, she almost goes to where she has spotted him until her father pulls her back and reminds her of the dangers surrounding her.

As Maggie becomes more acquainted with the immediate family, it is decided that a celebration is in order and the whole of the family is invited and there are a lot of them there, but one in particular catches Maggie’s eye and she catches his at the same time, so they are introduced by a cousin as Ian Rutherford and they spend the evening talking to each other and spending time together, but this doesn’t go unnoticed by her father or her uncle. As time passes, they seem keen on each other and as the time dictates, Ian asks for permission to court Maggie and also to begin the process for a betrothal, this is a bit much for Maggie and she starts to protest as her 20th Century independence balks at the idea of it, however, as time goes on, she slowly comes to the realisation that these two worlds are making it hard to respect the families decisions and this is made even harder when she runs into the dashing Englishman and he introduces himself as Bonnie Will Foster.

As time progresses, Maggie is torn between her feelings for Ian and Will and as the Reiver life throws a tragic event into her life, she is overcome with grief and is pulled every which way she could be as she encounters lies, betrayal and blood feuds rage, but will she be able to overcome the events of border life and make the choices she needs to, or will her heart be broken again and again? This is a tale filled with passion, grief, revelations and danger at every turn, but a page turner for sure.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Dance of Hearts: a Cinderella Regency Romance Retelling (Historical Fantasy Fairytale Retellings Book 1) by Bryd Nash – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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Dance of Hearts: a Cinderella Regency Romance Retelling (Historical Fantasy Fairytale Retellings Book 1)Dance of Hearts: a Cinderella Regency Romance Retelling by Byrd Nash
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This retelling of Cinderella is set in Chipping-Worth in 1816 where Melinda Wychwood is a young woman of twenty four with fairy blood, but she is shunned because of it and when her father dies and her home is taken over by distant relatives, she loses her place and becomes more of a servant than a cousin and her knowledge of running the farm and household is either ignored or used and the credit taken by others. She has friends in the older women who live nearby with whom she shares tea and refreshments, they also recognised how she was treated by her family.

At the dinner table, the family are complaining about something as usual and when Melinda is asked about it, the explanation was as usual ignored and responsibility denied, so the conversation turned to the town gossip and finds out that their neighbours son and a childhood friend of Melinda’s, Alexander is coming back to visit and so the talk turns to new dresses seeing as he is a well to do and and a bachelor to boot, this takes the attention away from Melinda and her thoughts about him.

We next meet Alexander and his friend as they are approaching their destination and decide to play a prank on his family, they decide to swap places and pretend to be the other for the duration of their trip and bet on the outcome of it. Thus, unbeknown to those around them, they play their parts, but as their trip lengthens, it becomes apparent that Melinda is not as thoroughly convinced as the others, however, believes that it is because of the years in between them seeing each other is to blame, so when the opportunity to go to an traditional annual ball, Melinda takes her cousin to the dress shop in the local town and while buying the dress for her cousin is tempted with a dress of her own, however, she politely declines the offer before leaving.

As the ball draws nearer, the temptation to get the dress so she can wear it herself to the ball increases, as does her wish that her childhood friend remembered her, but will she cotton on to the plan and get the dress, or will she remain in a loveless home with family who treat her more like a servant? The only way is to read this short story and discover the magic within the pages.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Crave : An Instant Attraction Romantic Comedy (Clark Family Series) by Evelyn Sola – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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Crave (Clark Family Series Book 1)Crave by Evelyn Sola
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of Jacob Clark and Sandra Etienne, they have a past, but she doesn’t want a future after the incident at the party where she walked away, but Jacob has other ideas and is determined to win her back.

The story starts with Jacob, ridding himself of an alcohol fueled one night stand, while not leaving a good impression while he does it, finally, he feeds and walks his dogs before washing the night away in the shower and while watering his plants, he fields a call from his best friend to find out what happened and why he brought someone home. He asks his friend whether he is going to be at Jacob’s mums birthday later on that day and unfortunately, he can’t because he is working, he doesn’t have the time, but he reminds Jacob not to act like an ass while he is there.

It is saturday and as usual Sandra is helping her mum out at her bakery because her cousin hasn’t turned up again, but she is annoyed because it means that she will be late for her monthly girl’s night with her best friends, so as she is getting ready, she asks her mum what she needs doing. It turns out that it is a delivery to one of her mum’s biggest clients, a well to do family who she caters for both their private and public events, so as she heads over in the van and when she gets there she meets the lady of the house and is enveloped in a welcoming embrace and is invited to stay for the party in order to meet her son’s doctor friend, but they are distracted when a male voices comes up to them and it is one of her sons, Jacob. As she turns round to meet him, she realises that the body and face are definitely as sexy as his voice and she can’t pull her gaze away from him, even when his mum is still talking about fixing her up with his friend until she leaves them to go and finish getting ready for her party. As they survey each other and flirt like there is nobody else there, they walk over to the bar and continue the banter until his dad appears and breaks the moment by enveloping him in a bear hug and asking Sandra to keep him out of trouble after a conversation which Jacob doesn’t appear to enjoy.

As Sandra and Jacob tour his house and look at family photo’s and the destinations in them, Sandra keeps going back to the fact that they are from completely different sides of the tracks, but nonetheless, they continue to flirt and things start to get heated. As more people arrive for the party, Sandra is introduced to more family and friends and everything seems to be going well until two of Jacob’s brothers arrive and the atmosphere turns cool. The family dynamics start to show through and Sandra can see that something has happened between them, the brothers can’t stand to be around each other, even though one is trying to be friendly and their parents are trying to keep the situation under control. When Jacob drags her away from the scene, they go to the kitchen until it is time to eat where she is invited to dine with them, where the two talk about her family and job, but when Jacob’s brother’s wife turns up, the atmosphere becomes downright icy. As they finish eating, Jacob invites Sandra to dance and they do, until Sandra sees that Tracy is pregnant and asks Jacob when she is due, this turns out to be a dreadful mistake and Jacob flies over in a rage and has a verbal altercation with his brother, at this point Sandra can’t take her eyes of the argument, but when the punches fly, Sandra escapes and decides that she doesn’t need Jacobs kind of trouble in her life, but when Jacob turns up to the bakery the Saturday after and asks for the date she agreed to, she has to make a decision.
Will Sandra and Jacob be together, or will his past troubles bleed into his current relationship? Can they overcome their barriers and let the other in, or will the walls be too high to climb?
This is a romance with more than just the usual barriers, but the characters keep you invested and wanting more.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Stone of Destiny (Juniper Samoni Trilogy Book 1) by Nadine Travers – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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Stone of DestinyStone of Destiny by Nadine Travers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of Juniper Samoni, she travels the world on missions to retrieve relics and she has just come off of one mission and is debriefing the elders when we join her, she is recalling her last mission, it was successful, but she came across some unusual activity while she was returning, she was attacked by an opposing group which was made up of a quartet who do not normally work together and she was also rescued by someone while she was in the middle of it all, which was fortunate as if he hadn’t helped her out, then she probably wouldn’t have been where she is now.

While Juniper is going through all that, the Lady in charge of that mixed group is angry that she lost the relic and that the group failed her, but she is ready and has the location of the next relic and the group she wants to go after it, it is the Stone of Destiny, it holds the power to control people so that they will follow whoever wields it and it lies in Scotland and she sends her chosen group on their way there as soon as they are physically able to. Meanwhile Juniper is debriefed and has returned to her apartment to rest, but is waylaid by her friend who she has asked to look into a few things for her, however, she hasn’t found anything useful, but she finds out some other news instead and it increases her suspicions and makes her even more stressed about the situation. She talks with another friend who reveals that she is worried about her and that she has a bad feeling about the current situation, but she cannot pinpoint why and needs to do some more digging, as she leaves Juniper to rest, Juniper is hoping that she actually will as she has a feeling she might not get much of a chance in the near future.

The next thing Juniper knows is that she is dreaming of a cry for help, it is a stone and it is calling to her, she knows she has to go to the Isle of Skye, but she has no idea what will be waiting for her there, or whether she will be able to physically manage it on the little sleep that she has, but she has no choice, so she packs and gets ready to go on another mission, but before she leaves, her friend gives her a ring which supposedly matches her energy, but before she can ask for more information, she has left.

Will Juniper manage to find the Stone of Destiny in time, or will the worst case scenario come to pass? Will she run into the mysterious stranger who helped her the last time, or will the enemies she is sure that she will be encountering? This is a journey of twists and turns, the unpredictability will leave you wanting more and the amount of action contained in the pages will increase your investment in the characters.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Unbroken Vow by Bree M. Lewandowski – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur

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Unbroken VowUnbroken Vow by Bree M. Lewandowski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a story of forbidden love and the promises held by vows, Glaive Leal is a Paladin in the Adara Knights in the court of King Ladd of Patriam, he has trained in physical, emotional and spiritual ways and has been forged into a weapon in the shape of a man and he is one of the best within the ranks. This is shown when he is chosen along with his best friend Marcus and six others to guard Queen of Jan-Inham on her state visit the next day, but as they patrol the area as the Queen docks and is met by the King, all hell breaks loose when the expected dissidents attack the convoy and the Paladin’s sweep through the crowds to protect the innocent and take down the guilty who are throwing bombs, using firearms and lastly one detonates a bomb on their person. As the crowd thins and the Paladin’s shake off the effects of the suicide bombing, Glaive sees that Markus is lying bleeding on the floor, when he goes to his side, the true extent of his injuries are apparent and as he lies dying in Glaive’s arms, he confesses to have been married against all the rules and he please with Glaive to see that she comes to no harm when judgement is meted out and to keep her safe from harm, Glaive agrees to this dying wish and goes to seek out this mystery woman.

When he sets off on his leave to go and find her, he is led to the farming area two days drive away from the city and when he finds her household and breaks the news that her husband is dead and that he is there to keep her safe, an argument starts and the realisation dawns in when he tells Ada that he has to change the look of her and Markus’s brands so she can’t be identified by it and while she is unconscious from that experience, he whisks her away to a bathhouse in the city in which he lives until he can take her to the Palace harem and watch over her safety there. Although Ada doesn’t understand why this is happening and the meaning of what it is which her husband had done marrying her, as well as the consequences of it, she quickly learns that Glaive is nothing like his, but she is determined not to let him rule her life, however, it is a lot to take in at once and eventually she settles into her life in the Harem, that is until one of the Duke’s in the land takes a shine to her. When she refuses this Duke’s advances, he arranges for her to be sent overseas with the Queen and serve her, Glaive promises to come and get her, but the hope and faith she has slowly lessens when he doesn’t show up, but when he eventually does, what his plan is for the two of them is not what she expected.

Will Glaive and Ada be able to overcome their differences and survive the trials to come, or will they be caught before they can learn to love each other? Will this forbidden love be destroyed by the rules they are confined to, or will they be able to break free of their hold? This is an engaging story of the battle between passion, duty and honour as two people navigate troubled lands.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Jordan’s Justice: A New Adult Sport Romance (Tessa and Jordan Book 2) by T. Christensen – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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Jordan's Justice: A New Adult Sport Romance (Tessa and Jordan Book 2)Jordan’s Justice: A New Adult Sport Romance by T. Christensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a continuation of the story of Tessa and Jordan, it is four years later and they haven’t seen each other since, but when they come face to face at a charity event hosted by the company she works for, Tessa cannot believe the Jordan is there as well and starts to panic while hoping that it is just an illusion. Tessa blows it off as nerves over the speech she is about to give to the attendees, but her boss keeps telling her that she doesn’t have anything to worry about, that people will see her passion for her job and as she finishes it, she realises that she was right and so she goes back to the table to eat her meal. Later on when she goes to the bathroom, but in the connecting corridor Jordan is waiting for her and blocks her path, but when he speaks, the tone of his voice and the words he is is saying contradict what she remembers and she cannot believe that theJordan she sees in front of her is the same one. As he speaks to her, he brings up a past event and how she is a hypocrite because of it, but mainly that he accuses her of taking money for keeping quiet about their past, of blackmailing his mother into leaving him and as he continues, she cannot cope with all the emotion and manages to get past him and leave.

When she gets home, she is comforted by the sight of her daughter, even though she is the spitting image of him, has his personality and loves the same things as him, so when she hears a knock on the door and realises it is Jordan, she tries to hide the apartment from him and goes outside to talk to him. She makes the excuse that he can’t come in because her mother is sick and has trouble sleeping, so when she does, Tessa doesn’t want to wake her, but when he threatens her job if she doesn’t turn up the next morning, to talk to him and as he leaves, she goes back inside and tries to come to terms with what has just happened and trying to figure a way out of this new crisis in her life. She does as he says and turns up for work where Jordan is going round the office, being led by her boss and introduced to everyone there, they are all fawning over him and when he sees Tessa, he makes a beeline for her, but she is thrown by his friendly attitude towards her when Laura introduces her and when Jordan brings up their joint pass, she is a little surprised, but nowhere near as surprised as he is when her boss lets slip about her daughter and it is at that moment when things change.

When Jordan whips her into a conference room and demands that she explains everything, she tells him the truth, but he doesn’t believe her and accuses her of manipulation and deceit, she tries again to explain her side, but realises that it isn’t worth it and he won’t listen, when he demands that she goes to dinner with him, he also threatens her with lawyers, but things are about to go from bad to worse when neither of them can keep their tempers and things stall when Jordan’s demands come up against Tessa’s devotion to their daughter, but will their butting heads cause them to argue to the point where one of them loses their daughter, or will they be able to come to an agreement and give their daughter the chance to know both of her parents properly? The only way to read through this emotional rollercoaster is to read through to the end as emotions run high and viewpoints and revelations are shared throughout.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Askew Ever After: A Limited Edition Romance Collection (Paper Love by Aubrey Wynne) – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur

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Askew Ever AfterAskew Ever After by Aubrey Wynne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an anthology of romance, from historical to contemporary, from rock stars to cowboys, office romances and fated love, as well as a forbidden love and men showing their alpha and softer sides.

First, a rockstar made a choice which could have landed either him or the woman he loved in jail, he chose her and has to live with it until a chance meeting with her where he has to make another hard choice.

Second, a woman makes a decision which could either be the worst thing she could have done or the best thing that could happen to her, but which is it?

Third, next a big city girl has a thing for cowboys and when her best friend gets engaged to one, she decides a fling of her own is needed, but will she be able to leave him behind to go back to her big city life afterwards?

Fourth down the line is someone who wants to rewrite their life to make it something better as it falls apart around them, but what kind of life will it be and will it be any better than their current one?

Fifth one along is a second chance romance between past loves, when one is brought back to his hometown under sad circumstances and runs into an old flame in a flower shop, will their pasts be too much to overcome, or will they be able to give each other that second chance after all?

The sixth is a friendship to love story, but can the friendship remain while the love is there, or will tomorrow be too late to find out?

Number seven is a story where a single night will change a woman forever, but is the mysterious businessman she has connected with going to make her life better or worse once it ends?

Eighth on the list is my personal favourite, a tale of a man trying to win over his sister’s best friend, but she isn’t someone to open her heart after grief seals it away. She is not the normal girl he would go for and he is intrigued by her wild and exotic nature and the chase is something he cannot resist, but she is wary that he is a player and only after one thing, can he prove to her that she is everything he wants and needs, or will she run a mile? This is a slow burn romance with a playful and charming pigeon as a bonus.

Ninth in the series is a tale of murder, after ten years away from her hometown and a dead ex-colleague in her shop, a woman must work with a ghost from her past to solve the mystery and find a murderer, but will they do it before someone else gets hurt?

Tenth is a god who has observed the creation of the universe and held it in his hands, observed the wonders within it, but can one small and delicate thing, love, derail the Godcode and destroy everything he has seen?

Second to last is set in a summer camp where an assistant is hired and their boss is preparing for a civil, but uncomfortable few months with them, however, when revelations begin, will it stay that way, or will things work out in the end?

Finally, a coffee shop waitress catches the eye of a billionaire CEO and he will stop at nothing to make her his, but will she fall for his money and charm, or after a night of conversation, food and passion, will she still refuse to be bought?

A collection of romances with something for everyone inside it, if you are looking for a book with happily ever after’s, then this could be the one for you.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Athalie (Sacrificial Chronicles Book 1) by Jordan Elizabeth – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur

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Athalie (Sacrificial Chronicles Book 1)Athalie by Jordan Elizabeth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Athalie is a fantasy novel which tells the story of a sacrifice and what came afterwards, it starts in the capital of the Sapphire Empire on the planet Neoma, when Athalie is 6 years old and watching the annual sacrifice for the first time, she is in awe of the dancers spinning to the drum beat, the priestesses composure and the priests voices which are lifted in song, as well as everyone else being in their finery, but the most beautiful of all is the girl chosen to be the sacrifice for that year. As the young woman reaches her destination, she stops walking and desperately tries to escape her fate, Athalie is terrified and willing someone to help her, but realises that her death is more important to the people, even the girls family, than her life is and when she is tied up and still sent to her death, Athalie is changed forever.

Eleven years later, we rejoin Athalie in the Sun Chamber for the annual choosing of the sacrifice, all girls between the ages of thirteen and seventeen are gathered together for the gods to observe and choose the one whose soul would be reborn, as the priests passed between the girls and the High Priest used his god given staff to test each of them, Athalie is planning her wedding and imagining how the ceremony and whatever happened afterwards would be, but this is all for naught as she is chosen to be the sacrifice for that year, she is sure that they are wrong and that she should not have been chosen, but when she is taken away to the chambers assigned to the sacrifice, she maintains that the choice was wrong, but the High Priest will hear nothing of it and walks out of the room, leaving soldiers to guard her and one night Athalies fiancé helps her to escape where she is being held so that she can say goodbye to her family, however, she is caught.

Over the next three days, she is made beautiful by the slaves for the events leading up to her sacrifice, she feasts, drinks too much, meets the emperor and walks through the villages so the people can see her, she still maintains that she isn’t meant to be sacrificed, however, the High Priest threatens that he will hurt her family if she doesn’t go along with everything and become the sacrifice, but when she is being bathed on that fateful day, she overhears a conversation about a weapon which the High Priest has found and is going to use on their enemies. When the day comes, she goes to the designated place and her life ends, but it is not the end of Athalie, after the pain has subsided, she finds herself in a field of wildflowers with animals around her and feels at peace, but she suddenly goes elsewhere and finds herself in front of one of the gods who answers her questions, but with only vague answers, but when the weapon comes into the conversation he explains what the weapon is and what it will do, Athalie is shocked by this information and begs to go back to make sure that they won’t use it, he refuses, but Athalie is adamant that she needs to go back, so he takes her to see other gods. When there, she manages to find out how the weapon can be stopped, but they do not want her to do it, so they agree to point her in the right direction, but that she has to find and then work out how to use this other weapon herself, but if she fails, she will not be reborn.

When Athalie is sent back to Neoma to find what she needs to stop the deadly weapon, she gives herself another name and declares that she is a prophet, she tries to talk to the High Priest, but he doesn’t believe her declares that he will use the weapon anyway on the next full moon, which is only a few days away and locks her in a room, however, she manages to find a way out and while doing this, she finds an unusual ally who helps her on her mission, but will Athalie be able to find and work out this weapon in time, or will she perish along with the rest of her planet? This is a whirlwind mission across countries fraught with danger and obstacles which keeps you hooked right until the end and well worth a read.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Matching Miriam by Mya O’Malley – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur

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Matching MiriamMatching Miriam by Mya O’Malley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Miriam is a badass police officer who lives in New York and has built walls around her heart, she doesn’t want it broken again, but she is wondering whether it might be worth starting to let her guard down and look at finding love again, but she doesn’t open up easily apart from with her best friend, although even she doesn’t know everything. As Miriam leaves for a run, her best friend drives past and invites her for coffee with another friend, but Miriam declines it as she knows that she isn’t needed and she wants to run, but as she is running, she is bombarded by memories of her childhood and things she has kept locked away for a long time, including her first love Jesse, normally she can banish them, but today is different and she cannot escape them. When her boyfriend asks her if she is now bringing her work home, she is not happy about it and when he tries to talk about where their relationship is going, she pulls down the shutters, she has dating demons and is scared of them rearing their heads again with him and when he goes to kiss her, she freezes and takes a step back.

Jesse is a man who needs a change of scenery, he is trying to get away from his most recent relationship after it ended and when the job opportunity in New York for a fireman he jumps at the chance, but the main reason is Miriam, he first love and someone who cannot forget no matter how he tries, he thinks about what her life is like now and whether he may be able to be a part of it again and he is damn well going to try his hardest to make that either a reality or finally get the closure he would need to move on. The next day Miriam is thinking about the kiss the night before as well as how her best friend is acting strangely, when she comes round to talk to her and what she has to say unnerves Miriam to the extreme.

Miriam is called into work when a homicide is reported and she and her partner are assigned the case, but the details of the murder are really unusual and they end up chasing their tales when they can’t put things together as they would like to be able to. As the day progresses and her boyfriend keeps calling and texting, it is starting to irritate Miriam and this makes her think about Jesse even more. Meanwhile, Jesse is struggling to get Miriam out of his head, so when he decides to go for a run, he is shocked to run into Miriam who is also out for one, but when she trips and falls, Jesse insists on seeing her home to make sure that she is ok, the emotions which swirl around them are more than they can handle, so she makes Jesse leave.

As the case develops and things do start falling into place, things are strained for Miriam, between Jesse reappearing, the things her best friend has been telling her and the situation with her boyfriend and the fact that there is a murderer on the loose, she doesn’t know if she is coming or going and things just keep getting stranger, but will they solve the case, or will the things that have been foretold come to pass? Can Miriam solve all the problems in her life, or will they all coalesce to bring her down?

If you like trying to solve a crime with a dash of romance and a bit of the supernatural sprinkled in for good measure, this is the book for you and it will suck you in.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Happily Ever After: Don’t Worry, I Still Hate You by Marie Skye – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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Happily Ever AfterHappily Ever After by Piper Rayne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a box set of romances with feisty women and handsome men, there are flings, forbidden romances, enemies turning to friends, second chances and comedy galore, but the one I enjoyed most was “Don’t Worry, I Still Hate You” by Marie Skye where Perrie is looking for a way out of a hen weekend in Las Vegas, but to no avail and she ends up going, even though it is someone she isn’t really that fond of, so to distract herself she is writing the advert for the roommate she is in need of, but she is getting distracted by her friend talking about a new app she has downloaded and signed her up for too, safe to say that she is not impressed! All the talk about sex is embarassing her, but only because she isn’t getting any and has managed to kind of organise it with someone she isn’t keen on, but after 3 years, anything is better than nothing and when she gets a match on her app later on, it happens to be someone she knows, Ash and someone who knows how good they look and that most women would fall over themselves to get it on with a guy like him.

When he comes over to talk to her later, Perrie does her best to avoid conversation, even though he is trying so she makes up her mind and walks away. Later on, Perries leaves the party and goes back to her room, but cannot sleep, she keeps on thinking about how good Ash looked and when she matches with someone who sent a video too, she decides it is only sex and to go for it. Ash is in the middle of a business video call when there is a knock at his door and he sees Perrie but he has no idea why and when she mentions a dance party, he is even more confused, but when she says she was glad it was him, he decides to play along and that is where the night gets passionate. Perrie leaves his room and sneaks back to her own room while trying not to wake the others, but her friend is awake and she wants the gossip, , but PErrie is being tight lipped because everyone knows what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Almost a year later, Perrie has been through two roommates and is rejigging the advert for a third, but she is only getting weirdo’s and addicts until she gets a message from Ashley who seems to be everything she wanted in the advert and so agrees to send over the lease and that the keys will be waiting as she won’t be there that weekend, but two weeks later, she arrives home late and goes straight to her room to crash out, but a few hours later, she is woken up by really loud music and so goes into the kitchen to prepare a pot of coffee and say hi to her new roommate, but when they come out of their room, Perrie is in for a shock when she realises that it is the man from Vegas, but this is going to be the least of her worries.

The other tales cover everything a die hard romance reader would love to read and I would definitely recommend them, so go fill your boots with this compendium of stories and let the hopeless romantic in you out.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Havall 16 by A.J. Ullman – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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Havall 16Havall 16 by A. J. Ullman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a story of a future which only the rich will enjoy and the lengths that people will go to stop it, it starts quoting an experiment by a russion scientist where a pair of rats are let loose in a labyrinth, followed by a cat, the results of which are the most robust rat sacrifices the weaker one so the cat will go for it first and then make it’s escape, however, the cat kills the robust one nad then proceeds to eat both, therefore, only the cat is the winner and in this future there are two factions, the Havall’s (the cats) and the Havenot’s (the rats), one side has everything and one side has almost nothing, but someone has gone back to change this and so the chase begins, but Tommy Canada and Havall 16 are the rats and someone else is the ca.

Tommy and his partner and best friend Win Gault own a company which they are about to take public and tell the world about their discoveries and what it could mean for them, but on April first, he does a wonderful thing for a coworker and treats himself to clocking out early and a stop off at a favourite watering hole. While he is there he and another friend have a discussion about a scientific breakthrough in health care involving nanobots, his friends response is that “We’re not made to live forever” and provokes an interesting train of thought in Tommy, but when he has to swerve to avoid a collision which nearly kills him and he faces the choice of whether to help, leave or kill a mortally injured racoon, he decides to leave it, but this is just the foreshadowing of a future choice.

The next morning, he is back at the helical shaped office and about to have a meeting with Win about the IPO when his chief of security informs him that there is a virus in the computing system and seeing as it isn’t connected to the internet, she has no idea where it has come from or what it will do, so Tommy asks her to find out and report her findings to him, there is no need to worry Win until there is more information. When he gets to Win’s office, they talk about the upcoming IPO and the party that will go along with it, then they talk about the budget and how one area in particular was using ten times more resources than allocated, but his worry was blown off as a typo, the kind of which never happens, so he heads home after a full day of meetings, where his girlfriend is waiting for him, they talk all the time, but don’t see each other in person as much, so after a bit of wine and some food, for them and his two cats, they reminisce and then have a night of passion.

When he goes for a shower the next morning, he finds some writing on the mirror, but when he asks her if she did it, the answer is no and so it is a mystery, a frustrating one, but one that has to be put on the backburner for now. At work, he has another meeting about the virus, another of the tech team has been drafted in to help, but there is nothing else further to report and the rest of the day involved the usual day to day running of the business and this is the same routine, except everyday the message on the mirror changed until on the eighth day someone came through it, a woman and the news she was bringing was one which would change his life forever. She tells him of the future in which his company becomes the most successful in the world, but that it has come at the cost of those who cannot afford it and she has come back to stop this from happening and convince Tommy to help her persuade Win that it is the right thing to do, but that does not go as planned because they find out that the Havalls have a plan to stop them.

Will they be able to stop the future from happening, or will their plans be terminated before they can even start? Will there be fatal consequences to their actions, or will everyone live happily ever after? The only way to find out is to read along their adventure and find out what the future has in store.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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THE GRACEFUL GHOST: A story for girls rich with authentic ballet school detail and sparkling with ghostly mischief by Eleanor Dixon – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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THE GRACEFUL GHOST: A story for girls rich with authentic ballet school detail and sparkling with ghostly mischiefTHE GRACEFUL GHOST: A story for girls rich with authentic ballet school detail and sparkling with ghostly mischief by Eleanor Dixon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of Grace, the ghost of a little girl who is bound to Amberwood Hall, the place she was born and died in, she wants to be able to leave, but can’t and Lauren, a young girl who wants to dance but cannot let herself do it with the addition of fun loving Rodney, a fellow ghost of a stable boy and friend of Grace’s. It starts with Grace and Rodney sat in a tree watching the new arrivals to the school pull up in their fancy cars ready for the days auditions, they are talking about who Grace might be able to help to realise their dream so she can realise hers, but none of the girls are standing out as yet, Grace is getting a little frustrated but can still laugh at Rodney when he tries to do ballet as he leaps out of the tree and straight into the path of a car, this is where Grace has a feeling she may have found her girl. Next she goes into the changing rooms to see if she was right, as she listens to the conversations, she hears the same old things and moves further in, then she finds her, Lauren, as she gets her number, her mum suggests she warms up, Grace notices how flexible and soft she is and begins to think that she might be mistaken, that is until the actual audition starts and Lauren transforms into someone completely different, she is stiff, has no balance and is surrounded by a wall of negative energy, but Grace needed Lauren at the school so she could help her, so she made the decision to sing into her ear and help her to release the negativity and dance to her full potential and she ends up doing just that and winning the scholarship, so believing she had done her bit, Grace tries to leave, but is unable to, much to her disappointment and unfortunately Lauren had already left by then.

When the new term arrived and all the girls came back to the boarding school, so did Lauren, but she didn’t seem as happy as Grace thought she should be, but when she tried to speak to her, Lauren just could not see or hear her, this was extremely frustrating for Grace, but she was determined to get to the bottom of Lauren’s issue with dancing and so decided to be patient after talking it over with Rodney. As Lauren settles in to her new dormitory, she feels really cold and all of a sudden a picture falls off the wall and smashes, this startles her from feeling so annoyed at herself for passing the audition, it was her mum’s dream and not hers and she was determined not to enjoy it after everything that had happened, she was also disappointed in herself for passing the audition and getting the scholarship, while also realising how different she was to the other girls and when two walk into the dormitory, one seems nice, but the other one is snarky and acted as though they might catch something off her, so when they leave to go and get supper. As Lauren goes to report the broken picture to Matron, she is waylaid by the sound of her favourite opera music coming from the top of some stairs, when she goes to investigate she finds that it is an old rehearsal studio and feeling the sudden need to dance, she does, until the supper bell sounds and she rushes so she isn’t late.

At supper, all the new girls are asked to stand up when their names are called so that nobody feels like they don’t know anyone, the nice girl from earlier sits with Lauren and starts talking with her, Grace follows her the whole time to try and get to know her a bit better, but when classes start and Lauren goes back to how she danced during the start of her audition, Grace tries even harder to get her attention. The term progresses and Lauren becomes more friendly with one girl, but the others aren’t nice to her at all, but talking to her mum helps her realise that maybe her being there is a good thing after all, she sounds better than she did a couple of months ago, but Lauren still feels the negativity whenever she goes to dance. Can Lauren, Grace work together, or will they both be trapped by their pasts and unable to move on and where does Rodney fit into all of this? This is a heartwarming tale with some fun, competition and a lot of ballet, a great novel for children and adults to escape into alike.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Twisted Secrets (Deadly Isles Special Ops Book 1) by Amy McKinley – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur

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Twisted SecretsTwisted Secrets by Amy McKinley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of Riley Evans and Xander Hale, she is a grad student and works in a coffee shop, he is a SEAL who is on leave after a medical procedure to remove shrapnel from his shoulder after his latest mission took a turn for the worse and a last minute change of plan meant that one of his brothers in arms was killed. He is not happy and when he finds out that he guy who was leading the team has also stolen his girlfriend, he is in no shape to go on missions, so he is made to go on a further few weeks of leave and he decides to make the most of it and do some renovations on his families homes on a nearby island.

Next Riley is at the coffee shop and about to start her shift, she greets a customer, a customer who has become a friend over the time she has been frequenting her coffee shop while she writes her books and complains that the other servers get her order wrong, unlike Riley. She chats with a coworker as she finishes her shift about the pizza get together she missed because of her homework and about a customer, she also hints that she has had some books published herself under a pen name. As she delivers the customer’s order, Riley is intrigued by the book she is reading and asks about it, it turns out that her coworker recommended it and that it is a really good one, Riley considers getting a copy for herself, just as a customer is putting it away, the book, a pair of designer sunglasses fall out of her bag, Riley picks them up for her, compliments her on them and then gets back to serving coffee until a new customer peaks her interest.

As Xander is heading to the local hardware store to buy what he needs for the renovations, while he thinks about how it would be nice if he could find someone to have a relationship with like the one his parents have, but he doesn’t think that it is something which will happen, he also thinks about his friend who was killed, that is until he hears a voice which calls to him from inside the coffee shop he is passing, this is where he sees a woman who looks like his type and he feels a connection to her which he cannot explain, so he goes inside and when he locks eyes with her, he knows she is something special. Riley has no idea how to react when she is face to face with this gorgeous man who has just walked in, so she serves him and when he starts to flirt with her, she has to put some distance between them or she would lose her mind, so when she serves him his black coffee and when her boss shouts that it is on the house, she asks him who it was, little does she know that this isn’t going to be the last time that they bump into each other.

A few days later, Riley is exhausted after working a double shift and exercising to chase away her demons in her nightmares, she is heading to the hardware store and when she steps through the doorway, she slams straight into the guy from the coffee shop, she apologises and then has the most awkward conversation with him, until he asks her to lunch, she tells him she has a boyfriend, but he counters with he would just like her company, so she agrees to go. This time the conversion isn’t as awkward and they have a good time and as they say goodbye, her mind wanders to her boyfriend and how they were arguing more and he seemed distant and when he cancels on her by text, she is even less impressed. When he calls her up demanding to know where she is her hackles raise and she tells him that she didn’t agree to go see him, he makes his excuses for not spending time with her and blames it on her as usual, but when she gets home and sees that her front door is open, she has something else to worry about, but she is late for a shopping trip with her friend and so she tries not to think about it while they have a girls afternoon together.

As the days pass, Riley begins to wonder why she is even with her boyfriend, how everything is on his terms and how he seems to act like she is just a warm body and nothing else, she is also thinking about Xander and how it is so easy and different while she is spending time with him and eventually makes the decision to break up with him, but when he refuses to give up on her and someone breaks into her apartment again, she has to get the police involved and things start to take a more sinister turn, including her night terrors and the past memories they bring with them. Can her and Xander’s budding relationship develop while her past is threatening to tear them apart and who is breaking into her apartment, is it her ex, or someone else? The only way to find out the answers is to read along with this thrilling adventure which twists and turns so much, you won’t know until the very end what will happen.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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The Singer and Her Song (Empire at Twilight Book 2) by N.L. Holmes – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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The Singer and Her SongThe Singer and Her Song by N.L. Holmes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of Uqnitum, she is the daughter of a musician and has a family with her husband who plays the lyre, she lives with her son and pregnant daughter in Kahat, a city in the Mitannian Empire and they are under siege from the Assyrians and have been for months, they are running out of food and water and the relentless pounding of the battering ram against the city gates has become the norm, they toil away in the daytime moving rocks to the gate, everyone plays their part, the women and children moving the rocks and the men breaking the buildings down and piling the rocks behind the gate. At night, she thinks about the past, how she met her husband, defied her father and ran away to start a family, also the differences in their personalities and how they can sometimes work against the other and resentment creeps in, but she knows she has to be string in the circumstances for them all regardless of whether they can be strong in return.

The daily routine has been the same until one night when the gate is breached and all hell breaks loose in the small city, it turns out that the Assyrians have been undermining the city walls and now they are collapsing along with their houses, as Uqnitum wakes in the middle of the night, she realises what is happening and herds her family out of the house in an attempt to escape the soldiers, they however become surrounded by the soldiers as well as the fires their arrows have ignited in their neighbours homes and after declaring that they are musicians and singers, hoping for leniency, they are moved and grouped with the other residents of the city, where they are all bound together and led through the city gates, all the while stepping on the bodies of their neighbours and outside to the army camp where they are separated from her husband.

A water flask is passed round, she manages to get her son to drink despite his fear, they then begin to march in a long line as the day heats up, they are exhausted, thirsty and hungry, but they have to keep moving onwards, the soldiers seeing that they do by hitting them with their swords flat edge if they fall behind and those who do fall are left where they fall for the vultures. Eventually they come to a river and are forced to cross, Uqnitum and her daughter carry her son across, he can’t swim and has a fear of water, fortunately, he keeps his eyes shut and they make it across, but as he becomes more tired, she is worried that he may start to cry and scream, he prays that he won’t. Later on they all stop marching and the men are brought back, only for them to be blinded by the soldiers using hot pokers,Uqnitum’s husband is spared when she repeats that he is a musician, but nobody else is as lucky, after this horrendous event, they are allowed to rest, the water flask is passed round again, as is some dry bread, her sons still struggles understanding what is going on and this all comes to a head when the worst happens and he attacks one of the soldiers for taking the water away, all too quickly it is over, her son is dead and Uqnitum flies into a rage over it and because of this her husband is blinded, as the march continues, he loses hope and as the pain and despair overtake him, he goes mad and shouts at a soldier with all the insults and curses he can think of, the soldiers retaliate, he is beaten to death and left at the side of the road as well.

This is just the beginning of their journey when an escape is made and another long journey begins when the rains arrive and a deluge starts, they manage to avoid soldiers, hunters and dogs by crossing rivers, bridges and rolling hills, but they are weak from lack of food, water, shelter and are thankful, but wary when they find the Hittite army and are taken in and taken to the court of Ugarit, however safety is not yet theirs as Uqnitum feels the guilt in her part in the deaths of her family and is struggling to come to terms with it, but will her mind shatter from the grief, or will it make her a stronger person who is able to deal with whatever the future holds? This is a story of tragedy, determination, grief and love, it will leave you heartbroken and yet hopeful at the same time and you will want to read until the end to see what happens to the family on this hard road they take.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Isle of Wings: A Silverglen Companion Novel by E.A. Burnett – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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Isle of Wings: A Silverglen Companion NovelIsle of Wings: A Silverglen Companion Novel by E.A. Burnett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of Roana and Iniko, Roana is nineteen and is desperate to leave the Isle of Wings, since the death of her family which she has been blamed for and the taunts, songs, physical abuse and near drowning by the local children, she has formulated a plan to leave. Iniko is a young man who is working on a ship with aspirations to one day have one of his own, complete with a crew and goods to sell across Skye Lake, he also has a troubled past and secrets of his own to keep.

We start with Roana and her sister sitting with their Grandpa as he sings, tells stories and exchanges riddles with them, a memory of happier times when they were still alive, she then moves to thinking about her Nan and how she has had to leave her and her dog behind on this venture, but also regretting not leaving a note when she left to say goodbye, she only thought of getting herself into the box of baskets and onto the ship. As she is being lifted o the boat, she hears snippets of conversations until her dog makes her way onto the boat and starts sniffing around her crate and the sailors see her in there and decide to open it up, so Roana grabs her knife and as soon as it is, she leaps out preparing to defend herself, as she does, they discuss who they think she is and doesn’t notice the other porters coming up behind her, but as she prepares herself to fight, so as not to be taken to the merchant who she tried to avoid paying fees to, a fearsome woman who is rumoured to be a sorceress as well, she feels a pulling sensation and her panic begin to ebb away from her. When she has been apprehended, she is sent to the sorceress, all the while thinking about how Iniko had managed to control her, but Iniko is wondering whether she is stupid or brave, realising that she is neither and just desperate, he is also trying to place where he has seen her before, he also notices that the dog isn’t all it seems either.

As they are walking, Iniko is trying to figure things out, he realises that although Roana didn’t want to be found, she needed to be and that his intuition was something he followed trusted, he explains why Roana is being brought and much to Roana’s consternation agrees to wait with her dog as it is not allowed in the building they are walking to. As Iniko’s friend leaves him to wait with Roana’s dog he reminisces about the last year which he has spent on the Isle and what his father taught him about being a shipmaster, as well as his dream about the ship he one day wants to own. Meanwhile, Roana is escorted to a room full of hundreds of snakes to wait for the sorceress, as she is marched there, she sees things in the rooms she passes which are mysterious and disturbing at the same time, but this is nothing compared to her meeting with the sorceress herself and the conversation they have about her past, present and possible future, as well as a glimpse into the sorceresses at the same time. Roana has no idea what just occurred when she is taken away from the room of snakes and led towards the outside, but when the guard is distracted by a serving woman, she is admiring the items she can see and considers stealing something to pay for her way off the island with her dog and grandmother, however as she is trying to find her way back she hears someone approaching and goes into a room to hide, but she finds an egg of a powerful and large species of bird and on a spur of the moment impulse, she decides to take that instead. When she leaves and goes to find Iniko, she declares that he is her husband and so embroils him in her scheme, Iniko is shocked to say the least and despite worrying about the consequences, he goes along with this strange womans plans and pretends that she is with child and stubborn with it, this being sorted out, they leave and make their way through the town and end up running away from a merchant whose property they broke, but Roana is determined to see the egg back to its rightful home, but this plan does not go smoothly either and they are attacked by the birds, so in the end Roana decides to take the egg home and raise it.

This is where Roana and Iniko’s lives meld together and as their situations become more precarious and the dangers they have brought upon themselves increase and things happen beyond their control, can they work together and use their combined skills to overcome their barriers, or will the sorceress find them and bend them to he will? The only way to find out is to travel along the path with the two and discover everything at the same times as they do, prepare yourself for a story full of magic, danger and love which keeps you guessing until the end and leaves you wanting more.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Hell Hath No Fury (Life Is Hell Book 2) by Naomi Valkyrie – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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Hell Hath No Fury (Life is Hell #2)Hell Hath No Fury by Naomi Valkyrie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Millicent is a Deputy Sheriff in Juniper lake and she is about to find out some information which is going to make her head spin. Sheridan is a hedonism demon and has decided to stick around in Juniper lake with her friend Delilah, but she has had her head turned by a certain Deputy Sheriff and can’t get her out of her mind, despite efforts to the contrary.

Millicent has been wondering why things seem different in the town, it isn’t the two dead bodies and a missing person, the FEDs were called in to deal with that one, but still something is off, the other Deputy and Sheriff have been avoiding the station and asked Millicent to pull doubles, but she isn’t happy and knows that there is something they aren’t telling her. She finally has a day off and all she wants to do is sleep and eat, but when she hears someone whispering her name when nobody is there, she gets a weird feeling which she can’t shake, so she gets a shower, gets dressed, feeds and waters her cat and heads to the station anyway, she doesn’t feel safe at home anymore. She is prepared for a scolding when she gets there, but she is not prepared for what she is told, she is not prepared for the supernatural and finding out what happened to the cold cases she is looking over again. Once Millicent is told about what really happened, she refuses to believe it and storms out of the station, but when she gets home, things start to get weird again, when a gift turns up in her car and pretty soon after disappears again, then the same thing happens when she sees a face in front of her and finally her cat careers into the open door of the car and starts yowling at the top of her lungs.

After a sleepless night filled with dreams of corpses and demons, Millicent prepares coffee and something to eat, meanwhile her cat is hissing at an envelope which has just appeared out of nowhere, there is no address or stamp on it, just her name and one line of writing inside, but it is so vague she has no idea what it means, then as soon as it appeared, it disappears and her cat flies out of the cat door and feeling that there is nothing else she can do, Millicent heads to the station to start work for the day. At lunch time, she heads to the general store for groceries and takes it straight home to put away, she notices some fuschia roses on the porch with another vague note, as she goes to pick it up, the roses die and disappear, again there is no clue who sent them, so when she gets back to the station and sees a tray of cookies, she starts to panic until she finds out that they are from Sheridan, a friend of Delilah’s who she has a crush on and has had since she first met her.

When the next disappearing gift arrives, but when she tries to get rid of it, it just keeps on coming back and the creepy thing is that it looks like her, so finally she gives in and talks to DDelilah and Sheridan, but when things escalate, the rest of the others are brought in to help. Will they be able to find out who is stalking Millicent before it is too late and will Sheridan be able to protect her as much as she wants to or will Millicent be lost to the supernatural world before she can understand it? The only way is to follow along the adventure with them.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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