Tag: great read

Books, funny, great reads, Reviews, Romance

“Dear Heart, I Hate You” by: J. Sterling

Les

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Hi guys!!
First, let me thank you all for 10,000 views!!!! I am so excited. Never in a million years, when Karen and I started this, did I believe anyone would actually read our thoughts and opinions, let alone 10,000 views.
Ok, now down to business!!!
I decided to be nice today and let you read the actual book description.
When a self-professed workaholic Jules meets Cal Donovan in a bar one night, her world shifts. The heart she thought was dead inside her chest is instantly brought to life by just one look… one touch… and a pair of deliciously sexy lips.

She thought she was fine being single. She thought she was fine being alone. She thought work was all she needed.

And then she met him.

And he f*****g ruined everything.
My opinion? Well, my opinion is that this book made me laugh, made me frustrated, and also a little angry. So yeah, it’s a well rounded book.
Ok, so, Jules is at a realtor convention and meets Cal, an investment banker. They are both attracted to each other and then after talking for a while they move upstairs. Whoa!! Put on the brakes, this girl has some class. ( She also may be crazy, stupid, because he sounds so hot.) Nope, not getting lucky tonight, Cal. They then spend the next few days together after her convention day meetings. She meets his brother and they have a great time. Now, it’s time for her to fly home. Oh, did I mention that he lives in Boston and she lives in Malibu? Yep.
So, now we have a long distance thing going on, which they both think is better for them, since they are both workaholics.
Ok, so this is where I get frustrated. I work all the time, I don’t want a relationship right now, maybe I should stop texting her. Does she understand that this isn’t going anywhere? Am I sending mixed signals? Blah, blah, blah. YES!!! Yes, Cal you are, since you text Jules every morning and call her every night. You are basically in a relationship. These two are sharing their entire lives every day with each other. I know married people who talk less than these two.
Anyway, Cal visits, Jules hooks him up with some great connections in his business, then lets her colleague finalize a deal for her because he is town. So what does Cal do? Flips his shit, because she gave up work for him.
He can’t take it. He doesn’t want her doing that. He wouldn’t do that for her.

Now the angry part:

Cal just drops off the face of the Earth. He totally stops calling, texting, or returning calls. He is now a douchebag. Now, we all know I like jerks, but I do not like scared little sissy jerks. Obviously, I am still angry at him.
Then of course he realizes he made a huge mistake and has to fix it. So, he flies to Malibu.
Jules has some choice words for him when he shows up at her work. Ha! She is awesome!

Well, you know the drill you will have to read it to see what happens. Don’t you just love me?
So all in all I really enjoyed this story. It was my little break from anything paranormal. I have to say though that this makes me miss my paranormal men, my jerks, my strong men.
Go read it. I am sure you will like it.
Peace ✌,

Les

Books, fantasy, great reads, indie author, paranormal romance, Reviews, Romance

The Final Calling by Angela Colsin

debra

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The Final Calling is Book 5 of The Crucible series by Angela Colsin, an indie author whose books in this series I have really enjoyed.

The Blurb:  Prophecies, tyrants, assassins, and exiled royalty aren’t the things Edith Walsh thought she’d be dealing with when her training as a mage apprentice began. Her main focus is becoming an enchantress by completing the Final Calling—a grand scavenger hunt all apprentices undertake to gather items needed to craft their coveted staff and gain eternal life.
This challenge can prove lethal if care isn’t taken to watch one’s steps. But making matters worse, Edith has also been marked for death by the Steward of the Perosian Empire, a tyrant named Rothario, all because of a pesky prophecy made centuries before her birth foretelling his demise at her hands.
So what’s a mage to do? Simple; accept the assistance of a sexy Perosian who’s dealt with Rothario’s minions for as long as he can remember. Yet Isaac wants far more than Edith’s safety—she’s his mate, and his fiery gaze, wicked tongue, and shameless seductions inflame her more intensely than she’s ever known.
Convicted of murdering the imperial family of Perosia, Isaac’s spent centuries as a fugitive hunted by a homeland he doesn’t recall. But his ruthless talent for survival serves him well, and there’s nothing he won’t do to protect Edith from the forces threatening her life, even if it means sacrificing his own.

My thoughts:   I liked this book—a lot.  This book tells the story of Edith, a mage who is on a scavenger hunt to obtain items needed for her staff; and Isaac, a very interesting demon whose story may be more than meets the eye.  Isaac knows Edith is his mate but must wait while she is in mage training, but when it comes to The Calling, he is finished waiting for her, knows she needs his help and is determined to give it. Their adventures leads to a very good story.  I think this book is the strongest in the series so far. The writing is solid and the characters well-developed.  My favorite part of the story actually involves several battle/action scenes that Edith and Isaac and a few others that come along for the ride—I love action scenes and these are well-written.  If you haven’t tried Angela’s writing, give them a try but start back at Book 1 (Blue Moon)—you’ll be glad you did.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Books, fantasy, great reads, paranormal romance, Reviews, Romance, Urban Fantasy

Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh

debra

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Allegiance of Honor is the latest book in the Psy-Changeling Series by Nalini Singh and this is one of my favorite series.  For me, this book is a bridge book between story arc 1 and story arc 2 that begins with the next book.

The blurb:  The Psy-Changeling world has undergone a staggering transformation and now stands at a crossroads. The Trinity Accord promises a new era of cooperation between disparate races and groups. It is a beacon of hope held together by many hands: Old enemies. New allies. Wary loners.

But a century of distrust and suspicion can’t be so easily forgotten and threatens to shatter Trinity from within at any moment. As rival members vie for dominance, chaos and evil gather in the shadows and a kidnapped woman’s cry for help washes up in San Francisco, while the Consortium turns its murderous gaze toward a child who is the embodiment of change, of love, of piercing hope: A child who is both Psy…and changeling.

To find the lost, protect the vulnerable—and save Trinity—no one can stand alone. This is a time of loyalty across divisions, of bonds woven into the heart and the soul, of heroes known and unknown standing back to back and holding the line. But is an allegiance of honor even possible with traitors lurking in their midst?

My thoughts:  This book is a big gift to her fans from the author.  It is an ensemble book where she gives us insights into the current status of all of our favorite characters in this series.  We are updated on their lives and finally see the birth of the “pupcubs” (an event fans have waited several books for).  I lost my bet on the number of births!  We also have a plotline of the attempted kidnapping of Lucas and Sasha Darling’s first child, Naya—the first child born of a mating between a Psy and a Changeling.  Her birth is the representation of love, understanding and hope for the future of all three races inhabiting the world (the Psy, the Changelings and the Humans).  But this hope is not something that the evil Consortium wants to see happen as they intend to take over the world and they don’t like the fall of Silence and the Trinity Accord that the races are forming in hope of all races working together toward peace and harmony.

I really enjoyed this book as I do all the books in this series, although of course, some I like more than others.  I do not feel it is as strong as some of the other books in the series, especially the last two books.  But, I believe that is because this book is a bridge between arc 1 and arc 2.  Those books must be difficult to write for an author I would think.  However, Nalini’s writing is as strong as ever.  I did feel she gave some background details from earlier books leading into the updates of the characters—this was a bit distracting for me because I know those details.  If a person is just starting this series, this book is not the place to start.  The author has created such a rich and detailed world that this series (in my humble opinion) must be started at the beginning.  This arc tells much about the world, leading to the fall of Silence.  I also was hoping for a few more details to lead us into arc 2, but that didn’t necessarily happen except for the kidnapping attempt and more trouble is on the way.  There was one loose end from arc 1 that I was hoping would end in this book but that line is still open into arc 2.  If you have not read the Psy-Changeling series, I highly recommend it.  It begins with Slave to Sensation and you will not be disappointed as the world evolves throughout the story.

 

Books, fantasy, funny, great reads, indie author, Out of the Box Blogs, paranormal romance, Reviews, Romance, scifi, steampunk, Urban Fantasy

Rant Alert: mistakes in books

Les

Ok, anyone who knows me, knows one of my biggest pet peeves is grammar and spelling mistakes in a book.
That being said, I will overlook occasional mistakes, no one is perfect. However, I was recently reading a book series that I bought as a bundle, and it was riddled with mistakes.
It drove me crazy!!! I almost stopped reading it. I didn’t stop, because of 2 reasons.
1. This was a really good story. I really liked the idea.
2. I just have a feeling this is a small publishing company, and or an indie author.
I have a love for indie authors, who have amazing stories and just haven’t gotten that “big break” yet. I respect their efforts, their time, and their amazing abilities to write some of the best stories.
Please, before you attack me, know that I DO NOT blame the authors for these errors. Their job is to create magic, a world I can escape to, not to know how to spell every word or know every grammar rule. I blame proofreaders, editors, and beta readers.
If these mistakes were missed by the proofreader, then I am sorry you need a new profession in the case of this story. The editor should probably move on too, they should have seen the errors before it went to publishing. Also, what beta readers would read this book and not at least tell the author about the errors.
I just had to say something. I even tried to find the author on social media and other places, just to talk to her before I posted my review on Amazon, and to offer my services as a beta reader or proofreader.

I think she has an amazing gift and it is being short changed because of errors that should have been fixed.
I also want to know about the other people who reviewed the books. They were giving 5 stars and not one mentioned the errors. Some of these were ARC reviews. When I do an ARC review I will always let the author or publisher know of the errors if I can. If not, it will still be mentioned in my review. I think it’s a poor excuse for a reviewer, if they are not going to be honest.
I was nice and gave 3 stars. I feel like without the errors the story would have been a 4 or 4.5 star book.

Do excessive errors in books drive you crazy?

Peace! ✌🏻

Les