Synopsis

Allison has relationship issues since her dad abandoned her mom when she was a child. She is working at a restaurant when she meets Trevor. He is her best friends’ boyfriend’s friend (not as convoluted as it seems).

Trevor is the alpha were-lion of his pride. From the first moment he met Allison, he decided she was his mate. He cannot understand why she is resisting the idea of them being together.

Opinon

I first mentioned this book in a post last year. I liked the book so much, I thought it deserved its own post. Since this was a short story, I expected the attraction had to move quickly. I also do not mind love-at-first sight in shifter books, since the “fated mates scenario” should mean they are destined to be together forever. However, when introduced to Trevor, I thought he was too intense.

Smelling her neck at the first meeting?

No wonder she was creeped out.

Kudos to the author for making Allison skeptical and difficult. She did not fall into bed just because he said so. Plus, there was an instance where she said yes but then changed her mind and said no. With so many books out there that blur the lines of consent, it is good to see the alpha male respect the woman’s right to say no, even if she had been agreeing previously.

Trevor was a serious alpha but met his match when it came to Allison. Once they got together and were on the same page relationship wise, they were heating up the sheets something serious.

Should you buy? Yes. If the book had been longer, I probably would have given an extra heart. I think it was a great short shifter were-lion story. There is a little conflict to move the story along. There was not a lot of romance in the beginning because Trevor did not understand the concept at first. He comes around and they have a happy ending.

I am looking forward to reading more from Alyse Zaftig!

Book Details
File Size: 1451 KB
Print Length: 263 pages (TOW note-> I don’t think it was that many pages)
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1634810368
Publisher: Zaftig Publishing (October 22, 2015)
Publication Date: October 22, 2015
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC

Latest Genre Binge: Alien-Human Woman #romance #scifiromance

Jul30

As I have mentioned before, I sometimes get in a genre binge moods. I was feeling like some alien-human woman romances.

Amazon made some suggestions and I started clicking. In retrospect, I probably should have searched a little more. These books were short and mediocre at best. I tried to look for the positive though.

Caressed by the Savage Alien ♥♥

Plot in a nutshell: Viktor kidnaps Natasha because he feels she belongs to him.

TOW Opinion: He was a self-entitled jerk in the beginning. She had family and friends that loved and missed her. I was not used to that. My moral code dictates that only women that have no family or friends are allowed to be kidnapped. The only bright point was that she was able to get him wait before getting physical.

Rescued by the Alien ♥♥

Plot in a nutshell: Melody is kidnapped from her home and is sold to Garon from an alien slave market.

TOW Opinion: She was only 20 which is too young to be starting any relationship. The whole thing seemed really traumatic considering it was supposed to be a romance. The only bright point is that Garon was nice.

Waking up with the Alien ♥♥

Plot in a nutshell: Mary goes to sleep and wakes up on another planet where she is told she is to wife of Ac’von and made queen. Plus, they are changing her name.

TOW Opinion: I thought the author needed to hash out the plot a little more. The alien characters did not seem to have much patience for a person they just kidnapped. They brought a stranger to a totally new world, but expected her know how things worked on their planet. Plus, their race seems to have a lot barbaric traditions and ~~a tinge of~~ overwhelming misogynist tendencies.

Should you buy any of these? There are so many better books out there, BUT if you are looking for a little bit of evening reading entertainment, any of these might fit the bill. I do not read a lot alien-kidnapped woman romances to know if I am being too harsh with my rating. I do realize, there are readers who will like the book for exactly the reasons why I did not like it.

Caressed by the Savage Alien

Rescued by the Alien

Waking up with the Alien

The Upside of Iris by Helen Rose @TheUpsideOfIris #childrenslit

Jul25

Thanks Helen Rose for providing an ARC for me to read in exchange for my honest review.

The Upside of Iris

Synopsis
Iris is visually impaired and as a result everything she sees is upside down. She does not let this condition stop her from following her dreams as an artist. Along the way, she finds love and experiences heartache.

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Opinion
Even though this is a children’s book, I enjoyed it immensely. The heroine in the story Iris has a tender and sweet personality, along with an innocence that connected with me as the reader. I wanted to see her succeed as a child and find love as an adult.

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I loved the vibrant colors of the illustrations. I thought they were whimsical and fanciful.
I thought that the story deals with themes that are not often discussed with children in a very positive way without being overly simplistic or insulting the intelligence of the child.

upsideofiris02
Should you buy? Yes. I think that younger children will appreciate the illustrations (all the pictures in this post are from the book). As a parent, I think you could uses elements of the plot and theme to engage in meaningful discussion with your child.

Book Details
Publisher: Through the 4th Wall (September 9, 2015)
Publication Date: September 9, 2015
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC

Marooned by Veronica Scott #scifiromance

Jun20

Star Cruise: Marooned: (A Sectors SF Romance) – Veronica Scott

Synopsis

Simon (Red) and Meg work on a spaceship that takes wealthy people on intergalactic excursions. The plant Dantaralor is the next stop and should be a fairly standard excursion for the ship full of wealthy passengers.
The trip turns into a nightmare. The crew and passengers are left on the planet in an extremely hostile situation.

Opinion

I really loved this book. In the beginning, I thought I was going to be ambivalent towards the characters. Meg seemed to be too straitlaced for me, but then I realized she had to wear that attitude like armor. Red seemed like a cutie from the moment he was introduced.

Red already got points from being ex-military. All he did to get to know Meg just cemented to me that he was book boyfriend worthy.

I liked the way Meg and Red worked together to get out of danger. Meg was not a weak woman but was an equal. This was not your damsel-in-distress-waiting-for-her-knight type of book. They were a team.

The romance was quick but considering that they did not know if they would be alive the next day, I granted them leeway.

Should you buy? Yes! This book has nail biting action and suspense that will make you release the breath you did not know were holding when it’s all said and done. This was the first book that I read by Veronica Scott. It will not be the last. I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Book Details

File Size: 1977 KB
Print Length: 140 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Jean D Walker
Publication Date: June 18, 2015

Dare to Take #carlyphillips #daretolove #romance

May3

Thanks Carly Phillips for providing an ARC for me to read in exchange for my honest review.

Dare to Take (Dare to Love Book 6)

Synopsis

Tyler Dare and Ella had a one night stand years ago. Both decided to keep it a secret for a few reasons: (1) Ella was mortified (2) Tyler seemed to regret it and (3) Ella and Tyler’s sisters have been BFFs since childhood.

Fast forward to the present day: Ella is mugged and Tyler is sent to help her get home.

Years of tension and longing bring them together, but will their secrets keep them from committing fully?

Opinion

This was my first book by Carly Phillips. It will not be my last. I loved everything about this book. This is an engaging story about two emotionally damaged people trying to work through their own internal conflict in order to be better people for their loved ones. They realize that chemistry like theirs cannot be ignored.

Both have different types of daddy issues that have shaped how they view life in general. Tyler’s dad had a second family while still married to Tyler’s mom. Ella’s dad was a raging alcoholic before killing someone in a car accident.

On the surface this seems like the classic alpha-male-protector trope. The plot has a situation that forces them together, their resulting actions do not seem contrived. The complexities of their emotional situations brought the story to life so much that I loved reading it. I know this is fiction and the author wrote the story that way, but it seemed like stuff that could really happen.

I loved Tyler for his strength but at the same time my heart went out to him because of his vulnerability.

Ella took a little longer to grow on me. However, considering what she went through, I respected her determination.

Should you buy? Yes! The characters (main and secondary) are all great. The plot was realistic and interesting. This was book 6 in the Dare to Love series. I enjoyed this book so much that I am going to go back and read the rest of the series. This book can be enjoyed as a standalone story but after you read it, you will want to read everyone else’s story too.

Book Details
File Size: 2078 KB
Print Length: 175 pages
Publisher: CP Publishing (May 3, 2016)
Publication Date: May 3, 2016
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Series: Dare to Love