romance

Review: After the Climb by Kristen Ashley

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I had so many feelings reading this book. I loved everything about it. There was angst. There was emotions. There was romance. Perfect combination.

I love second chance romances and this was fun. Plus having an older couple made it even more real, and sexy. Cuz we know, 20/30-somethings aren’t the only people having super hot sex. Also, the family all around made for a very fun experience. They way they all care for each other, and bond together, will make this series a definite must read.

I read this when it first released, during the crazy world shutdown, and I really liked it. It was the break from reality that I needed. I just reread this new version and I think I fell in love even more.

I highly recommend this book if you’re looking to escape the world around you. Kristen Ashley is the queen of romance and you won’t be disappointed.

~Melpomene

Grab a free copy here: https://amzn.to/3ASfDQF

Preview: Dream Spinner by Kristen Ashley

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Dream Spinner, an all new action packed standalone with heat and heart from New York Times bestselling author Kristen Ashley, is out now, and we have an excerpt just for you!

 

In this steamy and emotional contemporary romance from a New York Times bestselling author, two damaged souls must overcome the pain of their pasts to have the love they’ve always dreamed of.

 

After years with no one but herself to rely on, Hattie Yates has finally met the man of her dreams. But she was taught from a young age that it was hopeless to dream. There was only success, failure was not an option and it had terrible consequences. Now, the thought of another disappointment petrifies her. But when a suspicious phone call leads to more trouble than she can handle, there’s only one man Hattie trusts to help . . .

 

Axl Pantera knows Hattie is the only woman for him—and so does Hattie. Yet despite the attraction burning between them, Hattie refuses to let Axl in. The former soldier is determined to woo Hattie into letting down her walls, yet when danger comes calling, he finds himself battling for more than her heart. Axl will do anything to prove to Hattie that they’re meant to be, but first, he’ll need to keep her safe.

 

 

Grab your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3oPOYOZ

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/DreamSpinner

Nook: http://bit.ly/2Phnt2U

Apple Books: http://apple.co/3cTGUqV

Kobo: http://bit.ly/3f5cGUj

Google Play: http://bit.ly/3d0542O

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3sh4RPu

Barnes & Noble Paperback: http://bit.ly/394rFKA

Amazon Audio: https://amzn.to/2SmJ6k2

Audible: https://adbl.co/3umw3MT

 

 

 

Excerpt

 

“Yo, Axe,” Hawk greeted.

“You got a minute?”

In answer, Hawk tipped his head to the chair opposite his desk and tossed his phone on the top of it.

Since Hawk rarely sat, the men who visited him didn’t either.

But for this, Axl closed the door behind him after he entered, moved to a chair, and put his ass in it.

Hawk watched this, and he hesitated, but then he joined him, sitting behind his desk.

“Is everything cool?” Hawk asked.

“I got a sitch. Personal. And I was hoping you might talk it through with me. Maybe have some insight.”

“Hit me,” Hawk invited.

And there was one of the bennies of working for Cabe “Hawk” Delgado.

He was a good boss, generous with his knowledge, gave credit where it was due, didn’t get in your face if you fucked up and held up your hand that you did…

And he had time for you even when he didn’t.

“I met Hattie’s dad last night.”

Hawk’s lips thinned.

Right.

His boss might not be in on their chats, but not much happened with his crew that Hawk didn’t know about.

So he knew about Don Yates.

“I got blindsided,” Axl told him.

“How?” Hawk asked.

“He loves her, Hawk.”

Hawk held his gaze a beat before he sat back in his chair.

Yeah.

This was going to be a conversation.

Hawk’s voice was lower when he inquired, “He loves her, and he hits her?”

Axl shook his head. “I got no excuse for that. Or the verbal abuse he keeps doling out. What I know is, recently, he called her a whore.”

“Jesus,” Hawk clipped.

“She didn’t tell me that. She told Ryn, Ryn told Boone. And I got it from Boone. But before…” He paused, then got to it, “I can’t step in with her dad. She knows their relationship is dysfunctional. She feels beholden. I could only have her back. Until I heard that. Then I shared I was going to have to have words with her father.”

“Good,” Hawk murmured.

“Then I got there, and the man was practically beaming, he was so fuckin’ happy Hattie brought her boyfriend over to meet him.”

“Fuck,” Hawk grunted.

“So we sat down. He gave me the ‘What do you do for a living’ and ‘How’d you meet my daughter’ gig. I answered. All was good. Then I told him I couldn’t have him upsetting Hattie like he did by calling her a whore. He tried to explain it by saying he was in a bad mood. I told him, in future, if he was in a bad mood, he needed not to take that out on Hattie.”

“On your first meeting,” Hawk noted.

“On our first meeting,” Axl confirmed.

“Which happened…what? How long have you been seeing her? A few days?”

“Yep.”

“You laid down the law with your woman’s father the first time you met him after you’ve been with her a few days,” Hawk laid it out.

“Yep.”

“Christ, Axe, you don’t fuck around,” Hawk muttered.

 

Add Dream Spinner to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2OVpxOq

 

 

 

About Kristen Ashley

Kristen Ashley is the New York Times bestselling author of over sixty romance novels including the Rock Chick, Colorado Mountain, Dream Man, Chaos, Unfinished Hero, The ’Burg, Magdalene, Fantasyland, The Three, Ghost and Reincarnation, Moonlight and Motor Oil and Honey series along with several standalone novels. She’s a hybrid author, publishing titles both independently and traditionally, her books have been translated in fourteen languages and she’s sold over three million books.

Kristen’s novel, Law Man, won the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award for best Romantic Suspense. Her independently published title Hold On was nominated for RT Book Reviews best Independent Contemporary Romance and her traditionally published title Breathe was nominated for best Contemporary Romance. Kristen’s titles Motorcycle Man, The Will, Ride Steady (which won the Reader’s Choice award from Romance Reviews) and The Hookup all made the final rounds for Goodreads Choice Awards in the Romance category.

Connect with Kristen

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3oPOYOZ

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3hl0A7e

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Website: https://www.kristenashley.net

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Review: A Fate of Wrath & Flame by K.A. Tucker

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I love when my authors take a chance and write out of their usual genre.

I have loved K.A. Tucker since I first read Ten Tiny Breaths a million moons ago. I’ve been a huge fan of her romances and am usually recommending them to all my friends. When I heard she was writing a fantasy, I was immediately intrigued.

A Fate of Wrath & Flame is the first in a new series, so, of course, there are a lot of new names and places to remember. It took me a little bit to find my groove. I was a highlighting fiend. 🙂 This happens a lot with new fantasies. But I spent two days fully engrossed in this story. There was so much happening I was hooked.

Of course there was also romance. This is Ms. Tucker’s talent, after all. Definitely a bit of enemies to lovers sprinkled with second chance.

By the time I was at the end I was hoping it wasn’t the end. I wanted more, LOTS more. So now I sit here and wait forever the next book…😬

~Melpomene

Grab a copy here: https://amzn.to/2SsKJws

Review: Wild Wind by Kristen Ashley

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A romance that took over a decade to come to fruition. Oh my word, am I one overly excited book nerd! I feel like I’ve been waiting so long for this book but I just never realized it.

I know this book is a romance but yet this was so much for me. Jagger’s story was emotional and I felt everything he did. He has never known his dad and yet he feels the loss, but at the same time time he doesn’t. He’s grown up feeling the love of his mom but there was always something missing. But then this girl across the way shows up in his life and everything gets flipped. He falls in love but struggles with what that is. This girl sets out to show him.

There’s just something about a KA book that feels like coming home. No matter what’s happening in the world, I know when I sit down to read one of her books the world looks better when I’m done.

These Chaos books are about family. And not just the blood kind. These books show that no matter who, or where, you came from you can make a new family stronger than you ever imagined. Brothers or sisters that will be there to help or hold you up when needed. It’s all rather overwhelming and emotional at times, but so is life.

~Melpomene

Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/2OGRJUx

Review: A Captain for Caroline Gray by Julie Wright

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Caroline has had three very unsuccessful seasons and is left with no choice but to sail to India in hopes that she’ll snag a husband there. She doesn’t want this but being a woman in those times often had them doing things they didn’t want.


Thomas has been saving for his own fleet and in doing so he makes this three month trip to India every year. He sees all type of women who hope to find a better life and it makes him sad to think that this is a last resort for many of them. India is not a safe place for gentle bred women. But the money is good, so he continues to do so.


This trip is different however. Thomas meets Caroline and his world is flipped. He’s never felt anything for the girls he’s traveled with before but there’s something about her spirit that draws him. He has a plan for his life and she doesn’t fit in it so he tries to stay away and force himself to stick to the job. But life has a funny way of messing things up.


Caroline isn’t your typical genteel woman which is why she’s here and why she has a harder time making friends. So she sticks by the captain. Even if it kills him.


Soon innocent feelings start to blossom and they both know what her plans are once she arrives in India but again, life happens…


This was a sweet romance to watch unfold. I get so bad for those girls who were made to travel in hopes of finding their HEAs. You know that some didn’t work out for the better but thankfully this one did.


~Melpomene

Grab a copy here: https://amzn.to/2Odc97I

Review: Dancing with Danger by Kerrigan Byrne

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Let me tell you, after reading the previous book, Courting Trouble, I was so hoping that Raphael would get a story soon. We met him briefly but he had this quiet danger and that I was just itching to get more of.

While Mercy Goode is a twin, she’s one of a kind. At least in her time. She strong willed and passionate and doesn’t want or need a man to define her. She’s fascinated with crimes and solving them but she doesn’t realize that this current mission might just destroy everything she ever thought about herself.

Raphael was struck dumbfounded when he first caught the eye of Mercy Goode. There’s something about her that pulls him. And unfortunately that’s something he doesn’t have time for. He has a plan and it doesn’t include falling for this beautiful woman with a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I would call this rivals to lovers most definitely. They both want the same thing and that pushes them together until they explode. From the moment these two stumble upon each other, in the beginning of the book, I couldn’t stop reading. You could feel the passion even through their arguments. I love these types of romances!

Kerrigan Byrne knows how to write love stories. Some that start out slow and some that are immediately burning. This was a bit of both. It was simmering underneath. While you could read this as a standalone, it’s so much better if you read the series in order. Heck, start with the Victorian Rebels and then to the Goode Girls. You’ll meet everyone and then become just as obsessed with Kerrigan’s work as I am.

~Melpomene

Grab a copy here: https://amzn.to/2Mom4GJ

Review: Sea of Ruin by Pam Godwin

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I adore pirate books. I wish there were more. Not YA, but historical romance ones. And if they were like Sea of Ruin, I would never read anything else.

I’ll admit, it takes me a while to try a new to me author. I have so many auto-buy ones that I just don’t make the time for new ones. But when one of my auto buy authors raved about a super dark and sexy pirate story, I knew I needed to give it a try.

While Bennett runs from one pirate she ends up caught by a pirate hunter. Planning her escape has her doing things she never thought she’d be doing. Her life ends up being one twist after another. That is til everything comes to an explosive end.

The crazy thing is that the cover is very deceiving. It looks all whimsical, but in reality far from that. Let me tell you, it’s dark. I mean super dark. Triggers all over the place. But since I don’t have any, I was game for it. Were there places that made me cringe? Heck yeah. Super dark parts. But again, I had faith that things would work out.

If you like adventure with dark and twisty mixed in then this book is definitely something you will like! Go forth and grab it!

~Melpomene

Click the pic to buy!

Review: The Earl of Christmas Past

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She’d only known him one night. And that was all it took to fall.

If you’re in the mood for a quick Christmas read then The Earl of Christmas Past is just what you need!


I’ll admit, ghost stories aren’t usually my thing, but a Kerrigan Byrne book most definitely is. I was sucked in almost immediately and very intrigued with the idea of a ghost haunting, especially one such as handsome as the Earl.


Finding a ghost in her lodging room wasn’t exactly what Venessa had planned but when one is traveling alone for the holidays, you won’t hear her complaining about the added excitement. And of course after hearing his story she wants nothing more than to help him.


Let me tell you, I could feel the sparks, between these two, through the pages. My heart even got a bit of a squeeze a time or two.


While this is technically 1.5 in the Goode Girls series, it can be read as a standalone. But I recommend reading the series though. Kerrigan is a wizard when it comes to historical romances.

~Melpomene

Grab a copy here: https://amzn.to/3m371Pe

Review: A Warm Heart in Winter by J.R. Ward

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As you may know already, I don’t read blurbs or search reviews before I read a book. Especially not from an auto-buy author like JR award. So I went in expecting a novella, since it’s labeled a .5 I’m the series. Boy, was I wrong. 

This book was more BDB than any of the last few books in the series. This had everything I wanted, more of the brothers, more family moments, and way more emotion. I cried three times. And once was legit full on tears, setting the book down to collect myself, type of crying. I was so not expecting these things to happen.


This tiny MMP packs a solid punch. While a Nor’easter slams Caldwell, things at the mansion are anything but smooth. You would think that having a snow day would be fun but one thing after another seems to go wrong.


Blay and Qhuinn aren’t my favorite couple, if I’m being honest. So spending more time in their heads didn’t sound like fun to me but this book changed my mind. Their love story is definitely one of the rockiest we’ve seen, sprinkled with the craziest family dynamic, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It makes me so very happy to see how far they’ve come.


Fans will be happy to see who else’s POV we get in this book. It was nice to be back with him and see that even people, or vampires in this case, still have to continue working on yourself even if you have a family. Having a family isn’t always the sure fire way to normalcy. There will always be demons you must destroy.


Last, but definitely not least, we have Lassiter. That angel is one of a kind. He can drive you crazy one minute, and the next have you in tears. I adore him. His scenes are evolving and it makes me stand up and take notice. The angel is definitely growing into himself. We better all hold on.


I wasn’t planning on talking so much about this but again, this little book packs a punch. There’s so much more I could say but I’ll let you just read it for yourself.

~Melpomene

Grab a copy here: https://amzn.to/3pJ8L2J

Quick review:Dream Bites Cookbook by Kristen Ashley

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Dream Bites was a such a unique reading experience! For those who’ve never read a Kristen Ashley book they don’t realize how many recipes are scattered throughout them. She has some in her website but it’s nice to have some in book form. I also like the super short stories that accompanied each set of recipes. I plan on making a few of them myself as soon as I go grocery shopping for the ingredients.

I love that half of the proceeds of this cookbook go to the Rock Chick Nation Charities. What a great idea!!

It was nice to visit with each Dream Team, even those couples that aren’t officially a couple yet. And one surprise guest made super smiley. I see fun things happening in the future. AND I AM HERE FOR IT.

~Melpomene

Grab a copy here: https://amzn.to/393Gv4W