romance

Review: Darkest Flame(Dark Kings#1) by, Donna Grant

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01dark I am in love with dragons. Seriously in love. Donna Grant has shown me the light. 🙂 I mean, look at that cover!! What’s not to love?? The Dark Kinds is a spin off of the Dark Warrior and Dark Sword series. I enjoyed meeting a few of the Dragon Kings in those books. I’m glad they get their own series.

Kellan has been asleep for over 1200 years and wanted to stay sleeping. He hates humans and all the trouble they cause. But when he is woken up by Denae, in his cave, he is forced to make the decision to save her or let her die. But something about her, captivated him. He wants her, but he doesn’t want to want her.

Denae is MI5 and was on a mission, and was betrayed and is now in at the mercy of the Dragon Kings. While she tries to find out who set her up, she is forced to be around Kellan. She knows he hates her, but she is drawn to him and can’t seem to get him out of her head. It seems that the more she tries to stay away from him, the more they are brought together. She just wants to give them everything she knows so she can leave. But leaving is easier said than done.

Danger is coming from all directions, which forces her to stay and learn secrets that have been kept for thousands of years. Secrets that will bring past friends and new allies, into the picture, and have Denae thrust into a war she never saw coming. They must decide if their love is worth the danger it brings on the rest of the kings and their people. But in the midst of all of this craziness, there was one story line thrown in, that blew me away. I seriously reread the same page 5 times. I wasn’t sure I read correctly. I never saw that coming. But now I’m SUPER excited for the next book!!

I really loved the romance of this story. Kellen truly wanted her, but his hatred of humans was driving him away. Once he let it go, love beyond his wildest imagination was given to him. Now all he had to do, is protect it. And he would do anything, in his powers, to do it.

~Melpomene

Buy Darkest Flame (Dark Kings)

Review: Hope Ignites(Hope#2), by Jaci Burton

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01hope I remember when I read Hope Flames and met Logan. I knew he was going to have a good story to tell. And I was right!!

Logan is a rancher who just wants peace and to be left alone. When he decides to let a film crew invade his land, he thought he would just make some money and never see any of them. He wants nothing to do with glitz and glamour. He is a simple man, with simple needs and doesn’t want to be bothered with any Hollywood superstars. Especially not Desiree Jenkins. One the outside, she is a beautiful young star with the world in her hand, and movie roles pouring in. But what she really is a down to earth simple girl, who wants the quiet life.

When Des meets Logan, she is intrigued. She is fascinated with the simple ranch life, and with him. She basically lays it out on the table, as to her intentions for him. It was so funny to see him trip over himself, when he was around her.

I knew I was going to like Logan. Poor guy never knew what hit him, when he met Des. After growing up with a horrible mother, who complained about ranch life, and left when he was younger, he was fine living on his own. He never thought he’d find a ranch wife. And when he met Des, he figured she was the farthest thing, so there was no harm in having a bit of fun. Well, the heart wants what the heart wants, and it wanted her.

It was perfect seeing him fall and then realize that he was holding on to the past hurts and not looking at Des as a potential partner.

I am really enjoying this series! I loved seeing Luke and Emma make an appearance in the story. I can’t wait till we get Molly’s story next.

~Melpomene

Buy Hope Ignites (A Hope Novel)

Buy the first book, Hope Flames (A Hope Novel)

Review: The Face in the Mirror, by Barbara Stewart

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01face I was super excited to receive this book! After reading, and LOVING, Barbara’s Rock & Roll trilogy, I was so curious to see what else she had up her sleeve.

Synopsis from Goodreads
Loss brings things home. You reflect on what you had, and what you’ve lost.
What if you met the love of your life… Again?
What if he never fell out of love with you?
And you realized that you were still in love with him.
Could you push the past aside…
And focus on the future?
Relive what was good…
And learn from the bad?
What if you found a secret…
That revealed that everything about your family was a lie…
Changed your thoughts on love and commitment…
And turned all that you believe in upside down…
What if a mirror reflected what you loved…
And what you lost?

I am a sucker for second chance romances, especially when they happen years later. They seem to have tons of emotion and feelings. I love to see how one character always feels that is was the right decision and they think they’re happy with it. And then the past sneaks up on them, and knocks them on their butts.

Mitchell and Renee met as teenagers. They fell in love and got married. But when life got hard, she left. But as soon as tragedy strikes her, he is right there. And soon they are right where they were before. Love has a way of sneaking up and never leaving, even if you think it did.

I love the dual points of view. I like to hear what the male is thinking, in these relationships. They’re the ones that actually get my emotions all crazy. And they’re sometimes the funniest. For example, when he buys her a bathing suit, I was cracking up! I’d just die.

“I realized that I haven’t really lived these past few years. I only existed.”

“You left me broken, Renie”

I like seeing the past stories as to how they fell in love. I loved seeing the side of her mother, that she never knew about. It was very eye opening. Some parts I was just as shocked as Renie was.

By the time I reached the end of this book, I was completely satisfied. Barbara knows how to write a romance that will bring you to tears, break your heart, and then put the pieces back together. I laughed. I cried. I cheered. Beautiful story.

~Melpomene

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Review: Live by Mary Ann Rivers

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This book just sucked me in. I was speaking Hefin’s parts with my own version of a Welsh accent (think English, Scottish and Irish all rolled into one… spoken by an American… Scary, I know). I was conscious of my own bony hips when Hefin stared at Destiny’s. I smelled the library Destiny spent time in and the new wood panels Hefin carved. I was seriously in Lakefield, Ohio for a few days.

If you love a falling-in-love story, you’ve got to read Live. The emotions are written truthfully and deliberately, Destiny and Hefin wanting each other and then needing each other and then loving each other.

My favorite thing about Live is that the love is shown in actions, not just feelings. Destiny sacrifices her personal life to care for her sister. Hefin helps with Destiny’s twig project, even when he thinks he may have lost her. Betty pulls a fast one to make sure Destiny gets a chance at, well, her destiny.

Mary Ann Rivers gives the reader a substantial romance, replete with a lot of slow sex, agonizing decisions, and an intercontinental separation. The book is heart-wrenching at times. I cried so much you would’ve thought I was part of the book.

Live is also a story about a family and a neighborhood, with all the mistakes and ludicrousness and eye-rolling you’d expect. Betty and the limo provided some levity, and I laughed in between my tears.

Among the love story and the family dynamics was a big thought to ponder: a person needs to be loved enough by their family in order to feel worthy of love from a lover. I asked myself if I was, and then put myself in the shoes of the people I love. ❤️

The only niggling thought I had at the end was that I wished there was more of Destiny’s brother Paul. But I betchya his story will be in a future installment in this Burnside Series… and I can’t wait.

-Calliope

IT’S ONLY 99¢ for KINDLE!
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Review: Mud Vein, by Tarryn Fisher

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“It’s your darkness that pulls me in. Your mud vein. But sometimes having a mud vein will kill you.”

This is not a book I can put in just one category. It’s not a mere thriller, mystery or suspense, or even a romance. This story can’t be simplified into any of those. It is an experience that will leave you speechless.

I am having a hard time putting into words all these crazy feelings that are running through me. Very few books have left me with this feeling of sadness, over the ending. But sadness isn’t the correct word. I’m not sad. I may be crying, but I’m not really sad. I’m more numb, than anything. See?? I need someone to reach down and pull the correct words out of my head and through them down here. I’m all a wreck.

If I could just write a review saying “Go and read it.” I totally would. Tarryn Fisher has a very unique writing style and it sucks you right in. This review will NOT do it justice. I’ll tell you that right now. You might as well just click on the buy link, at the bottom, and get started on reading it.

Senna wakes up in a cabin, in the middle of nowhere, and the only way out is to take good hard look at her past. But looking at her past may very well destroy her future. She must try and put the pieces together, or her life might not be the only one in danger.

Her past has completely shaped her. She is a broken soul with no way to be fixed. Or maybe, she doesn’t have the will to be fixed. She broke my heart. I was drawn into her and could totally feel everything she felt. I was breathless at a few parts. How one person could experience so much, was beyond me. I could feel her brokenness through these pages.

Isaac, was her savior, but she never really noticed that. He was there when she was at her worst, and he helped her when no one else did. He saved her from herself. He kept her alive. He was also with her in the cabin.

“Maybe lifting someone else’s weight makes yours a little more bearable.”

Every time I saw a glimpse of Isaac, from her past, I fell more in love with him. He never left her, when he thought she needed him. And she most definitely needed him, way more than she thought. He cared for her and never backed down no matter how hard she pushed. And boy did she push.

“Why are you here?”
“Because you are.”

But this wasn’t a love story really. It was a story about people and their darkness, and how even those with darkness in them they can still be loved. But it really wasn’t about love!! I still can’t put my finger on it.

My heart was racing almost this entire book. Watching Isaac and Senna try and put the pieces together, had my heart racing. It was a matter of their life or death. This is definitely not my usual type of story. I’m a fluff reader. Happy happy joy joy, with occasional heartbreak mixed in. This book terrified me, made me nervous, and of course, still broke my heart. The love shone, throughout this story, was beautiful, if not devastating. To have love like that would make anyone deliriously happy, but to Senna, it was unfathomable, until the very end.

“What you wrap around your soul determines your outcome.”

Tie yourself to those you truly love you.

~Melpomene

Buy Mud Vein

Review: The Swiss Affair by Emylia Hall

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20140403-223359.jpg I have such a list of books to read and review that sometimes I gingerly open a book expecting – but hoping not – that it will be drudgery. And so it was with The Swiss Affair. I had prolonged it so many weeks that I created false bias in my mind: probably historical fiction, I know nothing about Switzerland, there better not be spousal cheating going on, etc, etc, etc.

I was in for the surprise of my life. The Swiss Affair is so many things, wrapped up in beautiful language, distinct and varying characters, and set upon wintery white Lausanne, Switzerland.

While reading, I felt like I WAS Hadley, young British innocent. I was brought back to my university days, with eyes wide and bright, seeing more in people than may have truly been there…. A time and place where anything was possible, adventure abounded, and I lived for luxuriating in every moment.

“There’s a phrase in French, you know … Il faut profiter. It means ‘make the most of it’ … But it’s more than that. It’s about… luxuriating in a moment.”

So there’s the coming of age bit.

Then, the affair. The forbidden romance. The love story. It’s not perfect, but I love it all the more because it isn’t. And really there are three affairs – Hadley’s, Hadley’s friend Kristina’s, and the love affair with Lausanne – all worthwhile, and all bittersweet.

And there’s a murder mystery woven in The Swiss Affair. Lucky for Hadley she befriends a former detective novelist who wants to help her solve it. It’s well done with a few twists and turns, but nothing you can’t guess if you put your mind to it.

There’s skiing. There’s cognac and whiskey and beer. Hugs. Friends. And lots of snow. Walks amongst snowflakes — alone or together or in a large party. Wonder. Awe. And sadness. Guilty, heart-wrenching, lonely sadness.

I don’t remember reading anything that comes close to the well-roundedness of The Swiss Affair. It’s romance, tragedy, mystery, drama, chick lit, new adult, adventure, and literary fiction all rolled into one. It’s dark and it’s bright. And it’s dark again. And even though I’d always tell you I prefer a happily ever after, I appreciate that this ending isn’t. This ending is teary for the reader but full of new beginnings for Hadley and Henri.

–Calliope

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Review: Dazed(Connections 2.5), by Kim Karr

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Yum!! I wasn’t sure if reading this would ruin the fact that I still haven’t read Torn, but it totally didn’t. I’ll eventually get to it, but this was a novella, so I decided to read this one first.

Meeting Jagger is just what Aerie needed to get her trust back. He was willing to do anything for her and she realized that not all men were like Levi. I wish I could punch that jerk.

I loved seeing the sweet side of this cupcake thief. He really gave his cousin, River, a run for his money, in the sexy department. He knew just how to make Aerie feel special and loved.

I was thrilled to see River and Dahlia in this story. I loved the way they were so perfect for each other. And also seeing the joking side of River, made me love him even more.

In the end of this little novella, Aerie and Jagger got their HEA, even if they had a bit of a detour first. 🙂

I can’t to finally read Torn and then onto Mended. 🙂

~Melpomene

Buy Dazed: A Connections Novella

Review: Kissing Under the Mistletoe by Bella Andre

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20140325-221756.jpg This 10th installment of The Sullivans is a look back into the history of Mary and Jack Sullivan, the parents of the Sullivans who star in the other books in the series.

Bella Andre takes us on a charming, sweet trip down memory lane. A box of Christmas ornaments is the catalyst for Mary to recall milestones in her life. Then she gets lost in thoughts of her romance with her husband so many years ago.

I breezed through this book, enjoying Mary’s strong will and gentle spirit, and Jack’s patience and persistence. Mary and Jack’s story is original and well-thought-out. There were chaste kisses, steamy scenes, arguments, giddiness, fun dates, a proposal, and all the trimmings of a good romance.

Now that I’ve read their history, I’m totally ready for the next present-day Sullivan romances! Soon I will review If You Were Mine (book 5, Zach Sullivan), published in 2012; and Always on My Mind (book 11, Lori Sullivan), to be published this April.

–Calliope

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Review: Waiting On You by Kristan Higgins

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20140321-124822.jpg Oh. My. I just LOVED reading Waiting On You. I cracked up laughing and teared up crying. I hated Lucas and then loved him, and thought Colleen was just such a sweetheart. I was annoyed by (and endeared to) meathead Bryce and grateful for tomboy Paulina. Chef Connor spiced up the conversation from the back kitchen. I was like one of the regulars, sitting at the bar, listening in and watching the fray. So fun. And funny. And sometimes heart-wrenching.

The writing, by the way, is EXCELLENT. Higgins writes substantial characters — lots of them! — and witty dialogue. She sprinkles the cleverest one liners all over the place, lines like “he looked like sin begging for a taker” (that’s my favorite one; I could think about it all day). You never have to “wait” for the awesome words… They come before you’re even ready for them. It’s better than stand-up, I tell you.

Higgins gives the book high energy, All. Book. Long. I mean, it’s impressive to be reading a book and be on the edge of your seat (okay, pillow) the whole time. I just kept reading, right past my bedtime, right past midnight, and right into the last chapter.

I’m not even tired today, know why? Because I’m still thinking about Lucas and Colleen and the beautiful love they have for each other. I’m thinking… Re-read. I’m raving about it to my non-reading spouse. He doesn’t care, but I’m telling him anyway because Waiting On You is THAT good. I just want everyone to read it. That means You. And You. And You too. Even you non-romance types. Read it for the one-liners. Read it for the depth and breadth of characters. Read it because you’re a wine enthusiast or a Yankees fan or have a soft heart for animals.

You can click right down there and it will magically appear on your kindle next week. Let me know how much you love it.

–Calliope

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Review: Twisted, by Emma Chase

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010 Synopsis

There are two kinds of people in the world. The ones who look first, and the ones who leap. I’ve always been more of a looker. Cautious. A planner. That changed after I met Drew Evans. He was so persistent. So sure of himself – and of me.

But not all love stories end happily ever after. Did you think Drew and I were going to ride off into the sunset? Join the club. Now I have to make a choice, the most important of my life. Drew already made his –in fact, he tried to decide for the both of us. But you know that’s just not my style. So I came back to Greenville. Alone. Well, sort of alone….

What I’ve come to realize is that old habits die hard and sometimes you have to go back to where you began, before you can move ahead.

This story takes place two years after Tangled left off, and it’s from Kate’s point of view.

Life has been perfect for Drew and Kate. Well, that is, until it wasn’t. I must admit, My stomach dropped at one point in this book. I was saddened by Drew’s actions. He most definitely NOT perfect. But I was still shocked. Now, don’t get me wrong, he was still the same smart a$$, and some of his comments cracked me up, but he also needed a swift kind in the balls, for some of his actions.

Kate and Drew’s happily ever after was shattered, and they must figure out if it’s worth the trouble to repair it.

There was lots of funny scenes and sexy scenes, and of course the token, “Holy Crap!!” scene. To quote Grandma, “Don’t believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see.” Truer words never spoken.

This book will take you full circle and end at a very high point. No worries. HEA all the way!!!

~Melpomene

I received this ARC for an honest review.

Buy Twisted (The Tangled Series)