REVIEW - For nEver by Aurora Rose Reynolds (READ BY Pippa Jayne)

The Book

Release Date: 14 March 2023

Goodreads Link

I had no idea that taking a temp job for the summer would send my life into a tailspin, but that's exactly what happened when I started working for Jace Ellis. One day I was his secretary, and the next I was sitting on his private plane, wearing an obnoxiously large engagement ring after being asked if I would pretend to be his fiancé for a week. I can admit that greed got the best of me. But the money he offered in exchange for my lie would help out not only me but also my mom tremendously. I just had no idea what I was actually getting myself into. I didn't think about the fact that we would be sharing a bed, that we would have to pretend to like each other. And I sure didn't know that I would be surrounded by his entire family at their annual family reunion. But if the guy wants a fiancé, I'm going to be the best one he'll ever have. I just hope I can remember that this isn't forever; it's for never.

My Review     5 STARS

**My thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

I am only just trying my hand at listening to audio books, and I can say that I really enjoyed listening to this book in my spare time whilst doing something else where I could not physically sit and read.

I enjoyed this book.  The characters certainly has chemistry and Penny and Jace certainly had me laughing out loud and swept up in their story as they both fell head over heels at his family BBQ.

After this I may well pick up a few more audio books.

REVIEW - Savage Prince (Lost Moon University Book #3) by Bella Jacobs

The Book

Release Date: 26 May 2023

Goodreads Link

The woman I love sacrificed herself and rose from the ashes with no memory of what we were to each other. She doesn’t remember how hard she fought to resist our connection. She doesn’t remember our first kiss or our last or what she said to me just seconds before her phoenix form caught fire. Now, I'm on the run with a stranger with a cheery disposition that's nothing like the Juliet I knew. This Juliet is certain we can come out on top, no matter how bleak the odds. This Juliet enjoys flirting with me and suggests we share a bed on our way to get help from the Wolf King of New York. I should be happy that the woman I want finally wants me back, but all I can think about is how much I miss my Juliet. I’d kill to have her glare at me the way she used or see her lips curve in one of her grudging smiles. But there isn’t time to grieve what’s been lost. We have to take down Hammer Zion before it’s too late, before the man who nearly killed us both comes out on top, once and for all. This book is part of a serial romance and should be read after books one and two. Savage Prince is a dark romance that ends in a cliffhanger.

My Review    5 STARS

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

This is the third book in the series and starts where book two left off.

There is so much action in this story and also the realisation of Juliet that she loves Ford in a way she didn't realise, especially when she comes close to losing him completely and he is the one that brings her back to her normal self.

The is more betrayal, more fighting, but also the strength of friends and the trust of those that love each other.

I really enjoyed this book in the series and cannot wait to see that happens in the final installment.

REVIEW - The Player Next Door by Kathy Lyons

The Book

Release Date: 21 July 2015

Goodreads Link

NBA star Mike Giamaria doesn't mix basketball with love. Ever. Then Mike meets Tori Williams, his cute, quirky new neighbor who seems hell bent on refurbishing her death trap of a house on her own. When she falls from her roof and into his arms, Mike knows he's just caught a whole heap of trouble.

Trouble sums up Tori's life. Despite her academic success, no one believes she can take care of herself-not her family, not her ex-boyfriend. She's determined to live her life on her own terms, and if that includes a hot summer fling with the super-sexy athlete next door, so much the better.

But when Tori's around, Mike can't keep his mind on basketball. He wants...more. And to his horror, not just more time on the court. When training starts, it's game over-it has to be-unless Tori can convince Mike that love doesn't belong on the sidelines.

My Review    4 STARS

**My thanks to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing LLC, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

Tori has decided to leave her boyfriend after an aunt has left her her house in the will and her boyfriend is less than supportive of what she really wants.

Moving in however she find that the man currently living next door is injured when her rescues her from falling off the roof that she is fixing.

Tori is extremely smart, but everyone underestimates her, but she does keep having accidents of forgetting the everyday things.  Mike, her house sitter next door who rescues her soon becomes interested in her.  She is fun, a hazard to herself and extremely sexy, but also a distraction.

I loved seeing the relationship develop with all the little bumps that happen along the way with other people interfering.

REVIEW - The Sheikh’s Sham Engagement (The Safar Sheikhs #3) by Leslie North

The Book

Release Date: 27 August 2019

Goodreads Link

Nasser Safar isn’t what you’d call a long-term man. Over the last few years he’s been raising funds for an education initiative for his Tribe, and while he’s still focused on that, he’s also been playing the field—trying to outrun the memory of the woman who left him. She chose her love for her sister over her love for him. It’s a wound that still haunts Nasser, even while he continues the education project that had been their shared dream.  

Willow Everstone left the only man she’d ever loved after he’d given her an ultimatum: stay with him, or return home to her family. It was the hardest decision she ever had to make, and in the end she lost her chance at a future with the love of her life. Now, with her family situation stable, Willow is ready to follow her dream of bringing education to all parts of the world. Her first project? A newly minted international initiative...in Nasser’s country.  

Neither Nasser nor Willow are happy having to work together to create the Tribe’s new school. But when a visa issue almost kicks Willow out of the country—leaving her education initiative in limbo—Nasser offers an unconventional solution: a fake engagement. Despite their earlier reluctance, the marriage of convenience soon turns sultry glances into steamy nights. And when a surprise baby calls the “fake” part of their plan into question, they’ll have to decide if they’re willing to give their second chance at love a fighting chance, or leave their blossoming future behind. 

This novel contains sexual content and profanity.

My Review   4 STARS

**My thanks to Netgalley and Relay Publishing, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

Willow is back to the land where she went to college, she is also now working alongside the man that broke her heart who she thought she would be married to.

Nasser has never gotten over his first longterm girlfriend and seeing the one that got away again brings back so many memories.

When they are stuck visiting their site when a dust storm appears for the night, old memories and attraction leads to a night of passion and a broken condom.

As with most books like this everything seems to go swimmingly well for a while, but neither are really dealing with the past and therefore a misunderstanding happens and it is family that has to point out how stupid they are being.

I enjoyed this book and the positivity that the book ends up bringing.

REVIEW - Fury of Destruction (Dragonfury #7) by Corrine Callahan

The Book

Release Date: 23 November 2021

Goodreads Link

In the seventh installment of Coreene Callahan’s bestselling Dragonfury series, a hard-edged dragon shifter must find mercy in order to save an innocent woman's life.

A man on the warpath…

Dragon warrior Gage has earned his brutal reputation. He strikes hard and fast, killing without mercy or remorse. But with the Nightfury lair full of females and a newly adopted son to protect, his ability to focus takes a hit. When one mistake leads to another, putting an innocent woman on enemy radar, he’s forced to decide—keep her safe by taking her with him or roll the dice and hope she goes unnoticed by the Razorback pack.

The woman in his way…

Samantha Redhook isn’t a pushover. She floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. But with her business failing, desperation pushes her to take a contract she normally wouldn’t have, landing her in a world of trouble. Can she save the situation before things get worse or will an error judgement put an end to her dreams, and then her life?

“The Dragonfury series is a definite keeper.” – Night Owl Reviews, 5 star Top Reviewer Pick

“Modern day fantasy and paranormal with hot romance... storytelling at its best!” – Reader’s Entertainment Book Reviews

My Review     5 STARS

In this latest instalment Gage meets his match when he goes to pick up the medallion that he has had commissioned for his adopted son Osgard.

Samantha has been deaf since the age of fifteen and doesn’t really want to do the face to face meeting, but her whole life changes as soon as Gage walks through the door. Gage knows what and who she is immediately, putting a spanner in the works as using her for bait. Especially as not only is she a High Energy female, but she is his mate.

Sam is more aware of the connection between the two and both state things plainly. 

More of the story unravels and the grander story gets more exciting as surprising events happen that shock the Nightfury pack. Nian becomes more a part of the pack and Osgard relaxes more into his nee family. We also get to see more of Sloan and his talents.

Really loving this series.

REVIEW - Fury of Surrender (Dragonfury #6) by Corrine Callahan

The Book

Release Date: 11 July 2017

Goodreads Link

In the sixth installment of Coreene Callahan’s bestselling Dragonfury series, a tormented dragon-shifter finds solace in the healing powers of a woman—one who needs her own salvation.

Dragon-warrior Forge has been sentenced to death by the Dragonkind elite. Recalling the memories of his family’s murders could drive him to the edge of insanity, but it’s the only way to remove the target on his back. Fiercely determined to protect his pack and his newborn son, Forge agrees to undergo harrowing treatments to help him remember the trauma buried deep inside his heart and mind. When nothing works, a woman of unprecedented power is brought in to help.

Young, bright, and haunted by her own demons, hypnotherapist Hope Cunningham helps patients recover from their darkest memories. But each time she liberates a wayward soul, Hope’s personal pain digs deeper—until one patient ignites an unforgettable passion.

Forge’s healing journey is not without risk. Unwittingly, he has put Hope in the middle of a dangerous war, one that could shatter their eternal bond. Will the curative power of love be enough to save them?

My Review   5 STARS

**My thanks to Netgalley and Montlake Publishing, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

In this edition we have the story of Forge and Hope.  Forge with his young son is not looking for a female as the last one died giving him his son and he does not want that to happen with someone else, but when Mac and Angela bring in a friend of their to help with his missing memories, Hope is the one female that he cannot stay away from even if he wants to at first.

Hope a helps others and loves her job, with a temping offer from her friends she agrees to help their colleague, only to find that Forge hits her sexual buttons and she cannot stay away from him.

We still get multiple points of view from the Razorback leader, the Archguard and that they are doing, but mostly from Forge and Hope as they navigate the changes in their lives and the people around them.

I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see how the overall plot continues.

REVIEW - Fury of a Highland Dragon (Dragonfury: Scotland #1) by Corrine Callahan

The Book

Release Date: 29 October 2015

Goodreads Link

In the first installment of Coreene Callahan’s exhilarating Dragonfury Scotland series, a rebel with a cause meets the dragon-shifter of her dreams.

Running from the US government isn’t smart—neither is sticking around when accused of cyber espionage.

Framed for selling state secrets, ethical hacker Ivy Macpherson is one of the FBI’s most wanted. Seeing no way out, she skips town, triggering a worldwide manhunt. On the run, she comes face-to-face with Tydrin, a man more dangerous than the agents on her trail.

Haunted by the past, all Scottish dragon-warrior Tydrin wants is peace. Hoping to atone, he returns to the scene of his crime and walks into the middle of an armed standoff. Unable to ignore a woman in trouble, he intervenes, only to realize the one he wronged is the woman destined to steal his heart.

Can she forgive him for changing the course of her life? Or will the past ruin his future with the woman of his dreams?

My Review    5 STARS

In Scotland Ivy has returned to the land of her birth after being betrayed by her boss.  Hoping to evade capture by the FBI she has run home only to be found by Tydrin, a man with a demon that haunts him.

Seeing what type of female that she is and after finding out her name, he cannot help but intervene and assist in not only hiding her, but helping her clear her name.

I really liked the connection between the pair and the friendship that forms with his pack mates.

REVIEW - Fury of Obsession (Dragonfury #5) by Coreene Callahan

The Book

Release Date: 24 February 2015

Goodreads Link

Dragon warrior Venom lives in self-imposed isolation. Cursed by his toxic touch, he is deadly to anyone who has contact with him for too long. Set apart from others and hounded by intense loneliness, he craves the lasting connection he believes he cannot possess. Until a chance encounter with a sultry mortal offers a ray of hope…

Evelyn Foxe is the woman of Venom’s every desire, but she’s too busy running from the Russian mob to think about love. As she accepts Venom’s offer to help her escape her precarious situation, she’s skeptical, afraid that he’s in league with those sent to harm her. But when a biological weapon is unleashed in her hometown, Evelyn is forced to trust Venom—or risk the dangers of going it alone.

Will they survive the firestorm that rages around them? And can they pull from the ashes a love that will defy all the odds and last through the ages?

My Review     4 STARS

**My thanks to Netgalley and Montlake Publishing, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

Although perhaps not the best book of the series, I was still taken in by the ongoing story and the fact that finally we had Venoms happy ending.  

Evelyn is down on her circumstances thanks to other people, but meeting Venom changes her misfortunes for the better,  especially when he goes to get her only to find that the enemy has also just clocked that she is a High Energy female.

We still get multiple point of view from Venom, Evie, the Razorbacks and the Archguard, but it certainly helps with the whole world building and how things are being pulled together and the strings pulled.

REVIEW - Fury of Fate (Dragonfury #4.5) by Coreene Callahan

The Book

Release Date: 11 June 2014

Goodreads Link

She’s determined to try something new…Sasha Cooper is a woman on a mission. Determined to let loose and live a little, she takes her best friend’s advice and embarks on a night of passion with a complete stranger. No regrets in the morning. No looking back either. 

But when the one she chooses turns out to be a Dragonkind warrior, Sasha knows she’s in trouble—and that the man she believed was a dream come true could end up being her worst nightmare.He never intended to get involved…

Ivar, leader of a rogue faction of Dragonkind, isn’t a pushover. So when a noisy neighbor jeopardizes the security of his secret lair, he decides to take care of the problem once and for all. Little does he know banging on Sasha’s door will send him on a passionate odyssey unlike any he’s ever experienced. But when the night takes a deadly turn, he’s left little choice—escape from the woman who possesses the power to kill him, or die trying.

My Review    4 STARS

This is a very short novella that focuses on the bad boy of the series Ivar.

He is in emotional turmoil after the death of his friend and suddenly finds that he actually has some feelings.  When a car alarm goes off near his compound, he had enough.  He marches over to the house and meets Sasha, who completely bowls him over and totally knocks him off kilter.

Sasha has only recently started renting this house and her car alarm keeps going off.  Coming back from a no-show date, she is talking to her friend on the phone when her car alarm goes off again after midnight.  Rushing to the door to turn the car alarm off she meets Ivar about to knock.

A moment of braveness on her part ends up in a night that neither of them will ever forget.

REVIEW - Fury of Desire (Dragonfury #4) by Coreene Callahan

The Book

Release Date: 15 October 2013

Goodreads Link

Of all of the warriors in the Nightfury pack, none is more complicated or more damaged than Wick. Emotionally scarred from a childhood of slavery and torture, Wick can barely stand the touch of another person. But all bets are off when he meets newcomer J.J. Solares. When J.J. is unjustly imprisoned, Wick agrees to help rescue and return her to the family fold. But Wick lives a life of self-imposed isolation, even among his beloved brothers in arms. Venturing into the world to seek justice for J.J. may be more than he can bear.
Meanwhile J.J. fights for her life at the hands of brutal prison guard Griggs. When she winds up in the hospital she sees no hope for things getting better. But events take a dramatic turn when she and Wick encounter each other. The connection they share is unlike anything either has felt before. J.J. believes she is hallucinating when she sees the majestic dark-haired god sweep in to save her, and Wick is shaken to his core by the attraction he feels for J.J. For the first time in his life, he finds himself wanting to get close to a woman. 

After J.J.’s rescue, the two retire to Wick's mountain home, where J.J. recovers from physical injury while attempting to help Wick recover from his emotional ones. But neither is out of harm's way yet. And when they find themselves in the center of a Dragonkind war, they are forced to make the ultimate choice between surrendering to their fears or each other’s love.

My Review     5 STARS

Ok.  So it has been more than a hot minute since I last read a book in this series, but I have not forgotten too much about this series.  I certainly remember really liking this authors writing and this series.

In this book Wick meets his match in Jamison.  The man who likes to fight and not bee touched finds himself curious about J.J. when he decides that he needs to reduce her as a thank you to his friend Mac and his mate Tania, J.J. sister.

J.J. has one month left in prison after killing her ex-boyfriend as self defence, however a mean guard had another prisoner corner and attack J.J, so now she is in hospital and knows that her sentence will now bee lengthened.  However a strange porter has her body hurting and when the guard shows up she fears for her life.

When she sees Wick for the first time, although she too is not once for touch anymore, she feels safe with Wick, and Wick struggles a little, but actually finds himself wanting to touch J.J and help her when she needs it.

We learn much more about Wick and why he is the way he is, we get more family members, fighting, love and friendship all packaged up with a brilliant story and gripping writing.  Looking forward to reading the other books in this series again now.

REVIEW - The Cursed King (Inferno Rising #4) by Abigail Owen

The Book

Release Date: 25 October 2021

Goodreads Link

Airk Azdajah, the rightful King of the White Clan, spent half a millennium being tortured by the false High King Pytheios. The only reason he’s alive is a curse— the man to kill Airk will be consumed in his own fire. Which is why Pytheios kept Airk alive, barely, unable to shift in his prison cage, driving the creature half of him into madness. Airk escaped, but he’ll never be truly free. What good is a king who can never let his feral dragon loose, never fly, and never lead his people? He’s better off dead.

Angelika Amon is the last unmated phoenix. The problem? She has no powers. Zip. Zilch. Angelika hates being dormant, especially now that her three sisters are blissfully mated to powerful dragon shifter kings and are very much part of the fight to take down the rotting king Pytheios, their parents’ killer. What good is a useless runt of a phoenix in a battle to save the dragon kingdom?

Desperate to find some way to help, she offers herself to Airk as a mate — just for political leverage. But a dormant phoenix is no damn use to him just like a dragon who can’t shift is no use to her. Until Pytheios sets his sights on Angelika for himself…

My Review  5 STARS

**Copy Provided by Netgalley and Entangled Publishing LLC, for an honest review**

This is the last book in the series and all the story comes to a conclusion with Angelika and Air as the people who group the remaining dragons together and form an alliance with other shifters to finish the war.

Angelika really comes into her own in this story and finds her place among her people and with her sisters, even if she is the one with no powers, but she has the heart and the way of persuasion that brings people to her.  

Airk goes on a mission, but Angelika goes to help, but does not realise that while she has been talking to her sister with plans, Airk has been making different plans with Samael and both end up having to change their plans.

Airk finally gets his mate with Angelika, although he is scared and fights himself and his dragon about this.  Eventually events happen that stop the divide with him and his dragon and he is no longer feral and he  works at defeating the Red Clan dragon leader.

I loved the closeness of the sisters and the emotions we get with this book.  I really enjoyed the world building and way this story came to its conclusion.

REVIEW - The Warrior King (Inferno Rising #3) by Abigail Owen

The Book

Release Date: 8 March 2021

Goodreads Link

Meira Amon is the most reserved of the phoenixes, finding computers easier to deal with than people and their messy emotions. But she wants revenge against the Rotting King Pytheios for the murder of her parents just as much as her sisters. Offering herself as a queen for their ally, dragon shifter King Gorgon of the Black Clan, only makes sense. 

Just one problem… 

Samael Veles worked his lowborn ass off to become the fiercest warrior of the Black Clan. He has pledged his life to protect his king at all costs. Yet somehow, in the middle of war, he took one look at a woman in a reflection and gave up his heart. When that woman turns out to be the phoenix promised to mate his king and help bring peace to their kind, he has no choice but to accept it. 

Until her fire unexpectedly destroys the king after they’ve wed. Now Samael must choose between his loyalty to his clan and protecting the queen who might be his mate from his people’s wrath, one of which will unlock a destiny no one could have ever imagined…

My Review     5 STARS

In the continuation of the story of the phoenix sisters, Meira is to pledge herself to the Black King Gorgon, but at the touch of fire he is exposed to her as someone else.

Samael has been tasked with Meiras safety but finds that she is his fated mate. 

There is lots of past paced action, lots of feelings and a part that had me sobbing, but ultimately the book brings you closer to the end of the story and three of the sister are now queens on thrones with their mates.

I cannot wait to see how the wraps up and to see more of the mate pairs.