REVIEW - Kissed by a Demon (Kissed By, #1) by Hallie Goodwa

The Book
Release Date: 1 December 2018
Goodreads Link

Demons.
Her dad hates them.
After all, it was demons who killed her mom.

But then, why is she falling in love with one?

Seventeen-year-old Samantha Watcher hasn't been anywhere beyond their house. She is kept locked in by her dad ever since she remembers and she doesn't know why nor her dad offers her any explanation.

When a mysterious death disease breaks out in their small town, Samantha suddenly finds herself being hunted and accused of the cause...

... and only a demon steps out to save her. 

Devilishly, sexy, handsome Hanael, with a face that must be carved by God to perfection. When he shows nothing but kindness to her, she realize there may be more secrets that her dad isn't telling her. 

Because demons aren't as bad as her dad wants her to believe... or are they?

Thrust in a new world where demons, vampires, werewolves, and all other magical creatures exist, she learns everything about her life is a lie. Now, she must find the truth about herself, the cause of the mysterious deaths... And stop her heart from further falling for the sexy demon before it's too late… 

Because her dad might be right after all. And demons can't be trusted.

My Review  3 STARS
**My thanks to the author and Hidden Gems for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This has a really decent plot line, however i just could not get over the amount of typo's in this book.  I am really hoping that this gets corrected before it's released to the general public.  It really took away from the story for me.

The story focuses on 17 year old Samantha (Sam) Watcher and how she finds out that after her very sheltered life, that things are not quite what they seem.

There are lots of twists and turns and lots for Sam to contend with in such a short amount of time and she copes really well with the massive upheaval in her life.  Not only do things with her only friend take a twist she also finds some strange attraction to a boy who rescues her and protects her from the town that she lives in.

Lots of detail as to the demons lair and how the lair is difficult to navigate and enough description of the people and places she she's and goes to to give you a feel of the the world around her.

Not bad, but needs some serious editing.

REVIEW - Dirty Secrets by Lauren Landis

The Book
Release Date: 30 November 2018
Goodreads Link

I’ll do anything to protect my obsession. Even if she’s my undoing.

Cold. Dangerous. Always in control.
It’s a reputation I worked hard to establish, and has brought me more wealth, more power, more . . . everything.
But as the king, the responsibility for the city’s underground weighs heavily on my shoulders. Its been my only focus, my only concern.

Then I met my obsession. Allie Bancroft.
She’s unpredictable. Chaos to my order. Light to my darkness. Everything I never knew I'd crave.

I live in a dangerous world, so she thinks I want to lock her away in a gilded cage. But I want to set her free. I want to make her my queen.
As long as she follows my rules.

Whatever it takes, I'll have her at my side.
I'll tease and tempt her with sweet words. 
Fray away at her sanity with secrets.
Dare her to accept my depravity by mixing it with pleasure she’s never known.

Once we cross that line, will she be able to handle the depth of my passion? Of my possession?

Either way, she is mine, marked eternally as such, because she has marked me.

My Review  4 STARS
**My thanks to the author and Hidden Gems for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This is a slightly different Mafia book in that Dominic really does not have a chance at overpowering Allie Bancroft, a stripper at one of his clubs.  Having had his eye on her since the beginning and not been able to anything about it but protect her from afar, the change in her working contract with him gives him the green light to pursue the relationship with her that he wants, only Allie is strong willed and will not be bent quite as easily as most others around him.

Allie is a very strong woman, she has battled a career change after her ballet career ended early after an injury along with an eating disorder that she still battle.  Paying for her medical bills led her to working at Petals and meeting Dom.

There are good strong characters and the plot moves well with dual points of view and a could of extra thrown in to help the story along.  Both Dom and Allie have to soften points of themselves and adjust to a relationship with the other and learning where compromise is needed or they need to stand firm.

I really liked this book and look forward to seeing more from this author.

REVIEW - Unstoppable (The Nature of Grace #3) by S.R. Johannes

The Book
Release Date: 3 June 2014
Goodreads Link

After everything that has happened, Grace moves to the Everglades to live with her grandmother, Birdee, and hang out with old man Rex, Birdee's "friend with benefits". Grace quickly befriends Dylan, Rex's nephew, and Dylan's girlfriend, Sadie, who is a die-hard teen activist. Sadie spends her time leading protests against the roadside zoos that run rampant in Florida with a total disregard for animals or the flimsy law.

One day while out in the marshes of the Everglades, Grace and her friends rescue an abused—and endangered—Florida panther. She and Birdee spend time rehabilitating the animal. But when the panther runs off, Grace follows it to Uncle Bob's, a large roadside zoo they all have been protesting. One that is illegally filled with a variety of endangered and exotic animals. Before she can rescue the panther, she and her friends are kidnapped by the ruthless owner and dragged deep into the Everglades for a hunting challenge. 

Only this time, Grace is the prey. 

During a sick game of cat and mouse, Grace and her friends are offered one chance at survival, but only if they reach civilization before being caught. With a small head start and very little supplies, only time and skill stand between the hunter and the hunted. But out in the Everglades, there may be more dangers than Grace realizes.

Against all odds, Grace must make it out alive and win, or everything she holds dear could be lost.

My Review  4 STARS
This is the last book in the series and is a little more hard hitting than the previous two.

This book is full of action and drama.  As with previous books there is witty dialogue, death and Grace's love for animals leading her  and others into trouble.

Poor Grace has suffered a lot and suffers a little more, however there is another great supporting cast, along with a few others who play a major role in this new instalment.

I really loved this book and hope that Grace gets a more stable future with Mo by her side.

REVIEW - Uncontrollable (The Nature of Grace #2) by S.R. Johannes

The Book
Release Date: 24 September 2012
Goodreads Link

As 16 year old Grace recovers from tragedy, her science class is chosen by Agent Sweeney at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to help with research on the new "Red Wolf Reintroduction Program". 

While she’s excited about helping with the conservation of the endangered wolves, Grace knows this means being outdoors in the worst winter on record, in a place she no longer feels comfortable. It also means working closely with Wyn (her ex) and his annoying girlfriend (Skyler), a girl whose idea of getting close to nature is killing two silk plants and watering a cactus.

After a couple of wolves show up dead, Grace almost quits. However, when a fellow project team member goes missing, Grace continues the assignment under a renewed suspicion that someone might be sabotaging the conservation program. She quietly begins to hunt for clues. 

Little does she know, she is being hunted too.

My Review  4 STARS
This book follows on from bool one three months down the line when Grace, her mum and the community are trying to get on with their lives after the revelations and hurt from the big reveal.

Grace is getting on better with her mum, but her relationship with Wyn and Tommy are on the rocks to non-non-existant.  Her grandmother Birdee turns up just when Grace needs a little more happiness in her life and a woman not afraid to speak of the dead.

Grace very much misses her dad and Mo the boy she fell in love with, but has unable to find her way back into the woods.

A project at school to study the Red Wolves proves the turning point for Grace into getting back into the Forest, however her life is again in danger with mysterious wolf deaths and people acting strange and eventually going missing.

Grace is a very strong character and again there is a very heavy theme of conservation in the book, but it is handled very well and we also get lots of memorable phrases that you may want to highlight.

I really enjoyed this book, but was able to identify the villain before they were revealed.

REVIEW - Untraceable (The Nature of Grace #1) by S.R. Johannes

The Book
Release Date: 15 November 2011
Goodreads Link

16-year-old Grace has lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her forest ranger father who taught her about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival. 

When her dad goes missing on a routine patrol, Grace refuses to believe he’s dead and fights the town authorities, tribal officials, and nature to find him.

One day, while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from danger by Mo, a hot guy with an intoxicating accent and a secret. As her feelings between him and her ex-boyfriend get muddled, Grace travels deep into the wilderness to escape and find her father. 

Along the way, Grace learns terrible secrets that sever relationships and lives. Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder. And it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this kick-butting heroine to save everything she loves.

My Review  5 STARS
**My thanks to NetGalley and All Night Reads, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

I am currently kicking myself as to why i have let this book sit on my kindle for so long, mind you, for the last few years i have been reading less and less of the Young Adult genre.

Grace is 16 and her father has been missing for the last 3 months, presumed dead, but Grace will not give up looking for clues.

Grace is a very strong young woman who is being let down by all those left around her.  Her friend Wyn seems to want more from her than she wants to give him, but she does not feel the spark for that kind of relationship any more.

This novel has so many twists and turns and so much happening that you never get bored and you never see what is going to happen next.  All of my guesses were wrong for a change which was very enjoyable as it certainly was not predictable.

I look forward to reading book two t see what happens after it has all calmed down for a while.

REVIEW - Hard Night (11th Hour #3) by Jackie Ashenden

The Book
Release Date: 27 November 
Goodreads Link

It's their pleasure to serve . . . 

Made up of former soldiers, the men of the 11th Hour play by their own rules to protect the innocent, capture the guilty, and stay in fighting shape for whatever--and whoever--comes their way . . .

Jacob Night, ex-Black Ops, owner of a billion-dollar security company, and leader of the 11th Hour, spends his life completing dangerous missions for others. But there's one personal mission he has yet to complete: Finding his missing brother, who was betrayed by the woman he should have been able to trust. But when he finally tracks down his brother's ex, there's one surprise: she can't remember a thing.

Faith has no memory of who she is. She can't remember life before she came to work for Jacob Night, and she's not sure she wants to. But when she and Jacob are ambushed by men who have come to kill her for sins she can't recall committing, she has no choice but to face the past. Yet once she does, and Jacob's identity--and her own--come to light, they may not survive with their lives intact, let alone their hearts

My Review  4 STARS
**My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This is the third book in the series and focuses on the 11th Hour man in charge Jacob Night and Faith Beasley, the woman who organises all the missions that the members go on.

Jacob wants answers from Faith, a woman he took from the hospital with no memories knowing she may be the answer to where his missing brother may be.  Faith however is reluctant to find her memories, scared of losing the carefully controlled world that is keeping her safe.

It takes Faith under fire for Mr Night to take a different approach with Faith in order to get her memories back and the change in Faith as she becomes her former self is quite different and it affects both of them more than they would like to admit in the beginning.

Both of them get answers along with something they thought they would never have, someone else there for them no matter what.

I really enjoyed this book and hope we get to hear more from Joshua.

REVIEW - Fireworks (True North #6) by Sarina Bowen

The Book
Release Date: 13 November 2018
Goodreads Link

Skye Copeland is on paid leave from her broadcasting job after accidentally drawing a wiener on the traffic map.

Let that sink in. Like it’s her fault the traffic pattern created a perfect schlong? 

Skye isn’t laughing. She needs this job. And that’s the only reason she’s willing to chase down a story in her least favorite place—that hell on earth known as Vermont.

A quick trip. In and out. Much like - never mind. She can sneak into the town that once tried to break her, get the story and slide back into the good graces of her producer. Easy peasy.

But things go sideways the moment she steps over the county line. Her stepsister is running from a violent drug dealer. And the cop on the case is none other than Benito Rossi, the man who broke Skye’s teenage heart.

His dark brown eyes still tear her apart. And even as she steels herself to finally tell him off after twelve years, the old fireworks are still there.

Things are about to go boom.

My Review  5 STARS
**My thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

I really liked this book.  Twelve year has past since Skylar lived in Vermont and she is only going back because one, she has been made to take 2 weeks paid holiday and second, her step sister has kinda forced her to come down to help her out.

Benito has been in previous books and i have liked him as a character and now we get to see why he was a bit grumpy before. 

The main story seems to revolve around a big drugs bust along with bringing down a mutual enemy from their pasts along with reconnecting and finding out that Skylar only left because of mis-information and heartbreak.  Skylar soon learns how to open up a little bit and how much can change in twelve years.

REVIEW - Chasing Shadows (First Wives #3) by Catherine Bybee

The Book
Release Date: 13 November 2018
Goodreads Link

Falling in love can come with the most unexpected risks in this First Wives novel from New York Times bestselling author Catherine Bybee.

Avery Grant doesn’t date. Her first marriage was a mutually beneficial contract that gave her the financial freedom she needed to step away from her controlling parents. Wealthy and single, the last thing she’s looking for is love sneaking in to mess up her life plans. And after a brutal attack, she’s determined to never be vulnerable again, even if the new man in her life helps her feel safe.

Mesmerized from the moment he sets his eyes on Avery, Liam is driven to learn everything about this tough, sexy, challenging woman. Breaking down her defenses won’t be easy, but Liam refuses to be pushed away. All he needs is a tiny crack in Avery’s armor to wiggle his way into her heart.

But when a terrifying lie about her attacker’s fate comes to light, Avery’s past returns to haunt her. Now she’s willing to put herself in danger to get the answers she needs. That means jeopardizing the best thing that’s ever happened to her: Liam.

My Review  5 STARS
**Copy Provided by Netgalley and Montlake Romance for an honest review**

This is the third book in the series and can be read as a stand alone book, however you do miss a lot of the friendship and a little of the plot if you do not read the other books first.

The third book follows Avery a year after the previous book finishes and the brutal attack that landed Avery in the ICU.

A slightly changed Avery is forging on with her life and gets an interruption when Liam steps into her life and decides that she is the woman for him.  Avery also starts to remember things from her attack that had been missing and starts out her one woman mission for find out more.

The friends all band together when needed, Trina gets married to Wade and Liam proves to Avery that she can count on him when she needs him and that he is not going anywhere.

Really looking to the next book in regards to Shannon and the fact that she has mentioned that she wants kids soon.

Another brilliantly written book that had me finishing the book within a day.

REVIEW - Total Control (11th Hour #2) by Jackie Ashenden

The Book
Release Date: 26 June 2018
Goodreads Link

Once they were soldiers. Now they answer only to honor . . . 
  
The 11th Hour is made up of men and women who are no longer deemed fit to serve their country, but still need to fight a war. They work in shadows, keep their secrets—and follow their hearts . . .
 
Helicopter pilot Kellan Blake has always hated being told what to do, so being discharged from the army for insubordination doesn't come as much of a surprise. What does surprise him is that when he joins up with the elite, underground 11th Hour squad instead, they send him straight home. The nest of vipers that calls itself his family is the next target for the team’s tech unit, so he’ll either have to brave their traps and deceptions himself—or watch his sweet, shy friend Sabrina walk into them alone . . .
 
Sabrina’s no femme fatale, but since there's no one else with the tech skills to get the info they need, she’ll put on a party dress and take one for the team. But whoever decided she should pretend to be Kellan’s new fiancée hit a little too close to home. How can she concentrate on a dangerous mission when she's worried about giving away what she really feels for her loyal, passionate, smoking hot partner? At least she isn’t likely to blow their cover. Until she’s in the line of fire, and neither Kellan's demons nor his heart are hers to tame . . .
 
Praise for Jackie Ashenden’s Dirty for Me
 
“An intense scorcher of a story that is sure to delight fans and win her a legion of new devotees. . . . Unforgettable.” —RT Book Reviews, Top Pick

“Tension and heat pervade the frequent sex scenes . . . Readers will eagerly anticipate future installments in the series.” —Publishers Weekly 
 
“Explosively sexy.”  —Heroes & Heartbreakers

My Review  3 STARS
**My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

Although i liked this book, it was not as good as the previous one. Kellan lost his way a little too much after discovering that he was seeing his best friend Sabrina as more than just his friend.

Sabrina was a good strong character and did not back down from either getting her task down or from Kellan's sudden change with the way he was treating her.  She just had a little wobble at the end where Kellan had to 'man-up' and chase for what he really wanted from Sabrina.

There are certainly a few twists and turns in the story, but nothing that i had not already seen coming but we did get a good HEA.

Can't wait to see what happens next, but i am guessing that the next story in the series goes to Jacob Night and Faith.

REVIEW - Snowed in for Christmas (Holiday Acres #2 (Stranded in the Snow) by Noelle Adams, Zoe York, Samantha Chase

The Book
Release Date: 23 October 2018
Goodreads Link

Three all-new holiday novellas about couples finding love while trapped together in the snow.

Stranded in the Snow (Holiday Acres, Book 2) by Noelle Adams

Olivia Holiday doesn't expect to spend the weekend stranded in a romantic cottage during a snowstorm with the one man she dislikes the most. Scott is a player and holds a grudge against her family, and she's determined not to give in to the deep feelings for him she's been hiding.

A Christmas Rescue (Silver Bell Falls, Book 4) by Samantha Chase

Saving a litter of puppies right before Christmas was incredibly rewarding for Bailey Walsh. But getting snowed in with her sexy-yet-grinchy veterinarian boss turns out to be rewarding in a whole other way.

Love on the Edge of Reason (Pine Harbour, Book 8) by Zoe York

Tom Minelli doesn't know why Chloe Davis has fled Pine Harbour, but she's pregnant with his baby and he wants her back. But a winter storm rolls in just as he finds her, trapping them together in a cabin on the lake.

My Review  3 STARS
**My thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

Stranded in the Snow - This book can be read as a stand alone and follows Olivia and Scott as they are stranded together in a cottage.  Having grown up together as family friends until four years ago with the family rift, the pair that want to hate each other find that actually there is more beneath the surface than hate.  Hate and love have a fine line and this weekend and Scott overcomes his past to forge a future with Olivia.

A Christmas Rescue - Bailey and Gavin have been tormenting each other for the last year when Gavin bought the vet's practice.  Super friendly Bailey and grumpy Gavin have been working together until things come to a head at Christmas when a decision from Gavin makes Bailey leave her job.  Before she can leave they need to rescue a dog in labour and when they get back, discover they are stranded for the weekend.  Bailey gets Gavin to open up and both leave a lasting impression on the other, however it is Gavin that overcomes his past to open up even further and to reach for what he wants, Bailey.

Love on the Edge of Reason - Although this is a novella and you can read it as a stand alone, i very much felt that i had missed a lot by not having read any of the other books.  Chloe has already disappeared and Tom is already feeling guilty and wanting to find her and tell her the truth.  The novella moves fast and you kinda feel left out in places, more so if you have not read the series, but we do get a christmas HEA that makes you believe that the couple will make it.

REVIEW - Stranded in the Woods (Holiday Acres #3) by Noelle Adams

The Book
Release Date: 13 November 2018
Goodreads Link

A surprise snowstorm. A grumpy recluse. One very hot night.

When Penny Holiday gets stranded during a snowstorm, she has to seek refuge with Kent Matheson, a childhood friend who lives like a hermit and has never forgiven her family. Kent is everything she shouldn't want, but feelings are awakened in his cabin in the woods that don't disappear when the snow finally melts.

The Holiday Acres series

Stranded on the Beach (Book 1, Rebecca and Phil)
Stranded in the Snow (Book 2, Olivia and Scott, published in the Snowed in for Christmas anthology)
Stranded in the Woods (Book 3, Penny and Kent)
Stranded for Christmas (Book 4, Laura and Russ)

My Review  3 STARS
**My thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

So far this is the best book in the series.  I really loved Penny and Kent's story, the friends to lovers where Kent has all but become a hermit living out in the woods in his small cabin.

Penny is the kind of person you want as a friend.  She's warm, bubbly, very artistic, but a little scatterbrained.  Penny can be a little shy, but growing up as close as she did with Kent gives them that little bit more of an edge into helping the other out where needed.

Again it is Kent, one of the brothers that needs to overcome his troubled past to make the big gesture and get the girl, but it is a good HEA and the story just pulls you along.  

Really looking forward to reading the last novella in the series.

REVIEW - Puck Buddies (Bad Motherpuckers #6) by Lili Valente

The Book
Release Date: 2 November 2018
Goodreads Link

Bree Marks is my best friend... My secret crush… 

And—wait for it—cursed with a deadly allergy to erecto-plasm. As in she’ll seriously swell up and die if seminal fluid even touches her. Which means finding the perfect guy to punch her V card is literally a matter of life and death. 

She wants a no-strings summer fling, but she needs someone she can trust. A puck buddy who isn’t going to get overly emotional. Someone who’s as savvy in the sack as he is on the ice. 

That’s where I come in. It’s a simple request, really—and one I would be happy to honor. 
If it weren’t for the whole life-and-death thing. 

If I hadn’t just been traded to a team thousands of miles away from this girl who makes me think not all relationships are a losing game. 

If I wasn’t already crazy in love with her. 

This arrangement is a disaster waiting to happen, but the heart wants what it wants, and mine wants Bree, danger and all. 
PUCK BUDDIES is a sexy, standalone romantic comedy from USA Today bestseller Lili Valente.

My Review  5 STARS
**My thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This book like the other books in the series can be read as a stand alone and is just as brilliant in every way as the previous books.  I really don't know how the author manages to crank out so many awesome books.

Bree has an allergy to sperm, only found out when messing around when she was 15, therefore punching her v-card has been kind of a challenge.  It is only when she has a few drinks at a friends wedding that she finally asks her friend Shane is he can help her sort the situation out.

Shane has recently found out he is going to another team, so he and Bree only have a month together before he leaves.  A small road trip leads to them becoming more than friends with bennies and the pair really do suit each other.

I was routing for this pair from the moment i saw their chemistry when they went to the antiques fair and wanted to see how their lives would change and how they would eventually find their happy ever after.

Shane is a big ol' teddy bear and you can see how seriously he takes the threat to Bree's life and how careful he is.  I think i found myself yet another book crush lol.

Really looking forward to seeing who gets a happy ending in the next book in the series.