Sunday, 29 June 2025

REVIEW - A Crown of Echoes (The Crown Saga #1) by Brindi Quinn

The Book
Release Date: 26 March 2025

“I want you, and I would give up everything to have you. So…think about that and let me know, lion queen.”

Queen Merrin might just be the least queenly queen in all the realms. After all, proper queens don’t sneak out at night to drink with their guards.

Her vibrant northern kingdom is famed for magical curatives—remedies for everything from headaches to fairy pox. Spirited, compassionate, and fiercely loyal, Merrin is utterly unprepared when her closest friend, the elegant Queen Beau, vanishes after confessing a secret that could shatter their reigns.

Determined to rescue Beau, Merrin disguises herself in a guard’s cloak and ventures into forbidden territory alongside three knights—including Windley, the North’s most notorious flirt. With hair that betrays his moods by changing color and a dangerously seductive touch that leaves victims enthralled, Windley’s hidden past and guarded heart conceal secrets that could alter Merrin’s destiny forever.

As Merrin navigates enchanted forests and ancient lore, she becomes bound by dark magic to shadowy echoes only she can command. To save Beau—and her kingdom—she’ll risk everything, including her heart, on a dangerously irresistible guard whose secrets are too tempting to ignore.

Prepare for forbidden romance, vengeful goddesses, and a thrilling journey deep into the heart of magic itself—because even the least queenly queen must fight to keep her crown.

A sweeping new adult romantasy filled with courtly intrigue, dark magic, and pulse-racing emotional stakes. Immerse yourself in a lush, vivid world where love is rebellion, alliances are treacherous, and destiny waits for no one. With swoon-worthy romance, captivating characters, and richly layered mythology, The Crown Saga delivers an epic journey of power, devotion, and the perilous secrets that bind hearts and realms.

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

First of all i was drawn to this gorgeous cover!  That synopsis then brought me right in to wanting to read this book.

The book has been reformatted and partly rewritten by the audience as i believe it was initially written in the pandemic and she wanted to updated it for the New Adult market.

I really liked this book.  There's action, romance, intrigue, kidnapping, suspense, and so much more that you just can't help turning page after page.  

Merrien is a strong character.  She is loyal to her fellow queen Beau, respects her guards Ablie and Rafe and leans more about Windley, Beau's guard, where they all set off on a mission to find the missing queen.

Secrets come out, and Merrien finds out that both Rafe and Windley have more to offer her and open up more about themselves.

I enjoyed this book so much that I have now downloaded the next two book in this 4 book series and look forward to seeing what happens next!

Tuesday, 17 June 2025

REVIEW - Hero (Kindled #4) by Claire Kent

The Book
Release Date: 29 December 2022

I was in college when the asteroid hit, and all my dreams and ambitions went up in smoke along with more than half the planet. Now I'm left eking out a treacherous existence in the lonely, violent world that remains. Everyone who loved me is gone, and I'm stuck depending on Zed, my former stepdad's younger brother. I never liked him, but he and his four-year-old daughter are the only people I have left.

The small world we've built for ourselves in the past five years is crumbling at the edges. Our food is running out. So soon we'll have to leave our home and travel a dangerous road in search of safety that might not exist anymore. To make it worse, I'm hit with new feelings for Zed and start wanting things from him that I can never have.

I know better than to put my hope in romantic daydreams. This has become a world without heroes, and the happiest ending is just to survive.

Note: Hero is a short, steamy post-apocalyptic romance. This title was originally intended to be Mack and Anna's book, but their story has been postponed until later in the series. Hero features a different couple. 

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

This is a quick little novella in the Kindled series that I had happened to miss.

Is quick, fast pasted and lots happens in a short space of time, but we get a prologue of just after impact and then 5 years later when everything has changed for our main characters.

I enjoyed the characters journey as the navigated not only a change in relationship, but a change of circumstances as well.

The author has certainly out a lot of effort into this post apocalyptic world and the whole series is certainly worth reading.

Friday, 13 June 2025

REVIEW - Try As I Smite (Brimstone Inc. #4) by Abigail Owen

The Book
Release Date: 26 October 2020

Bah humbug just got a lot darker.

Alasdair Blakesley is the head of the Covens Syndicate. He shouldn’t need to look beyond the witches and warlocks he governs, or his own abilities, to solve any problem. But a demon infestation means he can’t trust anyone who may be possessed. The last person he wants to ask for help is also the only person who can fix this, so he sucks up his pride and storms into her office.

And she turns him down cold.

As the owner of Brimstone Inc., Delilah’s passion is helping others with their supernatural problems. But Alasdair is the last man Delilah wants to tangle with. The infuriating man sees too much and demands even more. And did she mention the way he sets her body on fire?

Not that it matters — demons are the only things with which she cannot interfere. Too bad a higher power steps in and sends them both on a crash course of each others’ pasts, presents, and futures.

How is a Christmas Carol nightmare supposed to solve his demon problem without breaking the rules she’s bound by?

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

This is a quick and dirty little novella and certainly has a decent story as the pair battle magic and demons to come together. Not only that they must survive the vision that Heath send them thought to teach them an important lesson that is almost not learned without a little more intervention.

I really liked this book and I certainly like the authors writing.

Wednesday, 11 June 2025

REVIEW - Renovating My Bossy Billionaire Grump by Aria McDow

The Book
Release Date: 1 June 2025

I came to renovate the British billionaire’s paradise resort... now I'm leaving with an island bump. 

Winning a design competition brought me to Damon King’s outdated island resort.

An encounter in a dodgy elevator, and I mistake the powerful owner for a hot-looking construction worker with salt and pepper stubble. 
One heated glance and I’m undone.

But working for Damon? Pure hell.
He hates change—on his island, in his life, in his heart.

He guards his secrets well, but watching him with his little girl reveals the tender heart beneath that no-nonsense exterior.

When a tropical storm strands us together those walls he's built crumble against my fingertips.
Calloused hands caress my flesh…his smooth tongue takes me to downtown ecstasy.

I see — beach walks, candlelit dinners, a future bright as the Caribbean sun with a man learning to love again.
Until his college-aged daughter arrives. One look at me—close in age—and her accusations of “gold-digger" hurt.

Now I'm back in Tennessee, hugging the toilet each morning, wondering why I told the baby daddy that I left with much more than a great resume.

Some renovations are messier than others.

If you like brooding billionaire bosses, sassy younger heroines who don't back down, steamy island encounters with silver foxes, and surprise pregnancies that change everything, then you will love 
Renovating My Bossy Billionaire Grump.
Ready for a night you won't forget? One-click now and let the heat begin.

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 the first book that I have read by this author and I was pleasantly surprised.

Twenty something Riley has won a competition for a TV show called The Last Resort and she has her choice of Resorts to choose from. She has chosen the Golden Sun resort, a resort that Damion King is renovating and a place close to his heart.

Damion is a widower in his forties and has two teenage children. This resort meant something to his family and his late wife , he has also been grumpy, but finds that he is immediately attracted to Riley especially as she does not recognise who he is at first.

The relationship happened both fast and slow between the pair and Riley is a strong character and shows an emotional maturity and heads things straight on when there is an issue, she does not sulk or go off in a strop.

I loved the supporting characters and that those that needed to made apologies where needed and that Damion had people to point him in the right direction.

Monday, 9 June 2025

REVIEW - Tale of the Heart Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos #4) by Nisha J. Tuli

The Book
Release Date: 26 November 2024

After Lor makes the biggest mistake of her life, she finds herself on the run from the Aurora King and decides it's time to end this, once and for all. But when a new enemy emerges to claim her freedom, the entire fate of Ouranos comes to rest on her shoulders. 

As the land continues to rebel, Lor must admit she is the key to saving the continent, whether she likes it or not. To fight for Nadir, she must lie, steal, and do whatever it takes to hunt down the remaining arks. Growing more and more desperate, she worries her actions are turning her into something she doesn't recognize, dooming her to repeat her grandmother's mistakes. 

When the Aurora King finally comes for her, Lor ventures into the Underworld's shadowy depths, where, once again, she finds herself at the heart of another deadly test. Only this time, she’s competing for everyone's future, not just a crown. 

The only thing Lor ever wanted was to be free, but she may soon find she was always destined for a cage.

My Review     5 STARS
This is the last book in the series and cannot be read by itself as there is very much an ongoing story.

This one had me crying at times, but it was lively to see how much strength Lor and Nadir had when they fought for each other and worked together.  Nadir was such a support knowing what he needed to do to make sure Lor became the Heart Queen.

All paths cleared and the right people got the roles they now should have and it was lovely to see the friendships and family ties come together.

I loved the continued world building, the character development and the whole story that developed.  There was just one point/twist that i did not spot coming, but i very much enjoyed the journey that this book and series took me on.

A strong recommended read.

Saturday, 7 June 2025

REVIEW - Fate of the Sun King (Artefacts of Ouranos #3) by Nisha J. Tuli

The Book
Release Date: 4 June 2024
The highly anticipated third installment of the steamy Artefacts of Ouranos series journeys deeper into the glittering fae world as Lor puts both her life and her heart on the line in this enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance.

With the Heart Crown now in her possession, Lor must navigate the dangers of being an heir on the run, knowing more than one power-hungry ruler is after her blood. When she returns to Aphelion to unlock her magic and recover her family's legacy, it becomes clearer than ever that all that’s gold doesn’t sparkle. No stranger to battles, she continues to fight her attraction to the Aurora Prince, understanding this might be the one she finally loses.
As the past mixes with the present, Lor uncovers the truth about the Artefacts and their role in shaping her destiny. Now, her future hangs in the balance, leaving her closer than ever to getting everything she's ever wanted... or losing it all forever.

My Review     5 STARS
For the third book in the series, we finally get to see Lor and Nadir settle more into a relationship, find out what they mean to each other and more of the background of the beginning or the High Fae.

We find out what Atlas has really been hiding with his secrets and why Gabriel is so hot and cold and I am happy with the karma that Atlas receives.

I loved watching the relationships of them all develop, new relationships emerge and the greater world building and background given.

Lor is certainly a strong character and so much is thrown at her.

The book all but ends of a cliff hanger and i so hope that she gets the happy ending she deserves.

Thursday, 5 June 2025

REVIEW - Rule of the Aurora King (Artefacts of Ouranos #2) by Nisha J. Tuli

The Book
Release Date: 6 Apr 2023

Full of pulse-pounding action, steamy enemies-to-lovers romance, and glittering fae magic, the epic second installment of the Artefacts of Ouranos series is perfect for fans of romantasy favorites like A Court of Thorns and Roses and The Fourth Wing.

“I am not his conquest. I am not his to claim. I am my own castle.”

Freed from the golden clutches of the Sun King, Lor now finds herself in the hands of Nadir, the Aurora Prince. Convinced she’s hiding something, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make her talk. But Lor knows the value of secrets—she’s been keeping them her entire life—and she’s not letting hers go without a fight.

When Lor and Nadir team up to search for a lost item that holds the key to her past and her future, she isn’t sure she can trust him. All she knows is she won’t fall for another royal fae’s promises again.

With the Sun King determined to reclaim her, Lor must keep on the move, but nowhere is safe. Not until she destroys him and the Aurora King. But she soon learns that the future of Ouranos depends on much more than avenging her shattered legacy.

My Review    4 STARS
The second book in the series starts where the first book left off, however although Lor is in The Aurora kingdom again a relationship now forms between Nadir and her. We also start to get the backstory about her grandmother Serce and her love Wolf. We get to see what lead her to do what she did.

For has her own battles, finding her family again and learning to trust others even when she want to do things herself as she has been used to. She feels deeply the betrayal by the Sun King and it affects the way she trust Nadir and the relationship she make with Nadir.

The book ends on a bit of a cliff hanger, but I can't wait to see what happens next with book three of the series.