Tag: romance

Storm Damaged, by Kerry Adrienne

KA_StormDamaged_coverin
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Loose Id, LLC.)

Kerry Adrienne is the author of several novels in different genres. Her newest book, Storm Damaged, is a fantasy/sci-fi romance.

Humans don’t know that mermaids exist, but they have a large tribal society and prefer to keep themselves apart from humans. Except for Mari. Desperate to get away from her domineering mother and her controlling fiancé, she left life under the sea behind to open a tiny souvenir shop on the island. She’s happy there, until her landlord, Chase tells her he’s selling the bar under which her shop is located.

Suddenly Mari’s happy fantasies of a relationship with Chase, the former Navy diver who lost his brother in a diving accident and is now afraid of the ocean, go up in smoke. Chase wants to get as far away from the ocean—and memories of his brother’s death—as possible, but before he can, a hurricane moves in, trapping him and Mari on the island. Will she be able to convince him to stay, or will her sea life come back to haunt them both?

Storm Damaged is a breezy story of two people both running from something. Mari has struggled for years against her family’s expectations, as well as her fiancé, while Chase is intent on running away from what haunts him. Their journey towards each other is a fun, engaging read touched with a little bit of magic.

(Galley provided by Loose Id, LLC via NetGalley.)

Night Study, by Maria V. Snyder

B&ENight-Study
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Mira.)

 

Maria V. Snyder is the author of Study Series, the Glass Series, and the Insider Books. Her newest book, Night Study, is the second book in the new Study Series. It released yesterday.

Yelena Zaltana has always lived a dangerous life. But now, with her Soulfinder abilities gone, her life is even more dangerous than usual. Not to mention the assassins, psychopathic grudge-holding mages, and threat of war between Ixia and Sitia. Oh, and the Commander, ruler of Ixia, seems to be making questionable decisions of late. Decisions that put Yelena, Valek, and everyone they love in grave danger.

Valek has always been loyal to the Commander. But the Commander is keeping secrets. Dangerous secrets. Secrets that could cause the death of Yelena and their future as war looms. Valek must find out the truth as he struggles to protect Yelena, bereft from her magical protection, and try to prevent the war that seems inevitable as violence and betrayal looms on the horizon.

Night Study is the fifth book in the Study series of books. It picks up the tale of Yelena, former poison taster but now Soulfinder, as she struggles with the loss of her powers, trying to find out what caused the loss and how she can counteract it. The relationship between her and Valek is deeper as they fight their unseen enemies together amidst a world torn apart by lies and deception.

(Galley provided by Mira via NetGalley.)

Did I mention I Love You, by Estelle Maskame

DIMILY
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Sourcebooks Fire.)

Estelle Maskame was sixteen when she finished writing her Did I Mention I Love You trilogy, which went viral via Wattpad with over four million hits. Estelle lives and writes full-time from Scotland. Did I Mention I Love You is her first published novel, available now.

 

Eden Munro hasn’t heard from her father in years, not since he left her and her mother behind. Now he’s re-married, with a new family and a new life, and he wants her to spend the summer with him in Santa Monica. Even the prospect of the beach and three new stepbrothers can’t make Eden look forward to the visit.

 

Tyler Bruce is Eden’s oldest stepbrother, and her total opposite. Angry, egotistical, and with a troubled past and a drug problem, Tyler is bad news. But Eden soon finds herself hanging out with Tyler’s friends, going to parties and doing things she knows she shouldn’t be doing. Despite Tyler’s clingy, vindictive girlfriend and her own love interest, Eden finds herself drawn to Tyler. Can she find out what’s really behind Tyler’s façade and help him win his battle against himself?

 

Did I Mention I Love You is an edgy young adult romance with dark layers. The parties and drugs aren’t glorified, but presented in a realistic manner that makes them heartbreakingly real. Eden finds herself going along with things she never imagined, as she searches for a way to save Tyler from the depths of his anguish. Their relationship is tense, complicated, and ever evolving. Did I Mention I Love You is a fast-paced read that is not all sunshine and light, instead focusing on the darker moments that give life its depth.

 

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley.)

Death Before Decaf, by Caroline Fardig

((Death Before Decaf cover 2.6M

(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Random House Alibi.)

Caroline Fardig is the author of the Lizzie Hart Mystery series. Her new book, Death Before Decaf, is the first book in the Java Jive series

Juliet Langley had a fiancé she loved and a café she gave her heart to. Unfortunately, her fiancé ran off with a waitress and stole everything she owned, she lost the café, and had to move back to Nashville to take a job running a coffee shop for her best friend. Things couldn’t get much worse.

Until Juliet finds the dead body of the cook in the dumpster before the end of the first day. The other employees, in open revolt, are more than happy to point fingers at Juliet’s famed temper, and soon she finds herself a suspect in the murder. Juliet decides that she will find the killer, since no one else seems interested in the truth. Not even the handsome stranger hanging around the coffee shop asking questions. This may be too much for even caffeine to handle.

Death Before Decaf is a fun mystery reminiscent of the Stephanie Plum series. Juliet is a great character, full of spunk and attitude, determined to do the right thing. She won’t give up, no matter what other people think, and no matter the danger she puts herself in. Death Before Decaf will have the reader laughing at Juliet’s antics as the pages fly by.

(Galley provided by Random House Alibi via NetGalley.)

Queen of the Night, by Leanne Hall

(This image does not belong to me. Image belongs to Text Publishing Company.)
(This image does not belong to me. Image belongs to Text Publishing Company.)

Leanne Hall is a Melbourne author who has written two books, This is Shyness and Queen of the Night. Queen of the Night is out today.

Six months ago, Nia met Wolfboy, the mysterious boy from Shyness who promised to call. He didn’t, and Nia has revamped her life: new school, new friends, new job. She has forgotten about Wolfboy, or at least she’s tried to.

Wolfboy hasn’t forgotten about Nia. He’s different now: he spends time with his niece and her mother, he goes by Jethro now, and he wonders what might have been with Nia. But things are changing in Shyness, the town where darkness reigns. His friend Paul has fallen in with a dangerous crowd, and Wolfboy wants to save him, even when strange things start happening. Will Nia help him save his friend?

Queen of the Night has the feel of Alice in Wonderland for readers who have not read This is Shyness. The ever-present dark, the strange characters, the forest of cut-out trees, all combine to create a strange, eerie world. Nia and Jethro are both intriguing characters, strong yet flawed, and the moments between them are vibrant and evocative. Queen of the Night is well worth the read.

(Galley provided by Text Publishing Company via NetGalley.)

The Heirloom Brides Collection

(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Barbour Books.)
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Barbour Books.)

The Heirloom Brides Collection is four Christian novellas with the theme of “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” This collection of sweet historical stories hit shelves on November 1st.

When Betsy’s grandfather loses the farm and is gravely injured, Betsy must find a job to take care of them both. Stuart and his mother, who own the store, go out of their way to help Betsy, and she’s grateful, but what happened to her old family heirloom?

Wren loved Tate for years, but he left without a word. Now, four years later, he’s back, determined to show her how much he loves her. Will this new start be what they both need?

Clara and her father have just moved to the farm when her father is injured and unable to work. When Clara asks the neighbor to hire one of her sons to work until her father is well, the neighbor refuses…but will let Clara borrow her older son, Titus.

Darla returns to her childhood home in the hopes of finding her mother’s missing blue cameo…and also hopes no one remembers the girl she was before. Now a nurse, she finds herself caring for injured Nicholas and falling for his three daughters, until her past comes back to haunt her.

The stories in The Heirloom Brides Collection are just the right length to curl up with on a chilly fall day. Heartwarming, inspiring, with bits of humor sprinkled throughout, these stories are sure to leave the reader feeling warm and fuzzy.

(Galley provided by Barbour Books via NetGalley.)

Viking Warrior Rising, by Asa Maria Bradley

(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Sourcebooks Casablance.)
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Sourcebooks Casablanca.)

Asa Maria Bradley was born and grew up in Sweden, although she now lives in the Pacific Northwest. She studied both creative writing and Medical Physics and now writes paranormal romances. Viking Warrior Rising is the first book in her Viking Warriors series, and it releases November 3rd.

Leif Skarsganger and his band of warriors were sent to earth to stop Loki from destroying humanity. Leif is a warrior above all, and that’s all he has time for. Until he’s under attack by Loki’s minions and finds himself rescued by mysterious Naya Brisbane. His half-conscious kiss triggers an ancient Norse bond before Naya disappears into the night.

The unfinished bond awakens Leif’s warrior spirit, and he knows if he doesn’t find her soon, he will be overcome with the berserker rage. But Naya has secrets of her own, and doesn’t want to be found, no matter how attractive she finds the mysterious Norse stranger.

Viking Warrior Rising is a fantastic beginning to an intriguing new series. Though the Norse gods are familiar from the popular Avengers movies, their presence is where the similarity ends. Naya is a strong character with a dark past, but the relationship between her and Leif grows, making both of them stronger.

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley.)

Darkness of Light, by Stacey Marie Brown

(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Mark My Words Book Publicity.)
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Mark My Words Book Publicity.)

Stacey Marie Brown writes paranormal fantasy for the young adult/new adult genre. Her heroines are edgy and have an attitude, her heroes are bad boys. She is the author of the Collector series and the Darkness series. Darkness of Light is the first book in the Darkness Series.

Ember Brycin isn’t normal. She’s always known it, and her different colored eyes, strange hair, and unusual tattoo lets everyone else know it, too. Not to mention the inexplicable things that continue to happen around her.

When the latest explosion at her school lands her at a school for other “troubled” teens, she meets Eli Dragen: dark, mysterious, and surly. Not to mention hot. Eli knows who—and what—Ember is, and she’s determined to find out. But the knowledge is more than Ember imagined. It’s enough to change her life forever. Enough to alter her views on Light and Dark. To force her to choose between love and destiny, even when she’s not sure where each choice will lead. Her life will never be the same.

Darkness of Light is a fast-paced, riveting read, full of action and mystery. The reader is drawn into the secrecy that surrounds Ember, as she struggles to finally leave the horror of her past behind to find out the truth about herself and her world. The attraction between Ember and Eli is raw and untamed, and will have the reader flying through the book to figure out what’s going on. A must-read for anyone who loves paranormals or strong, conflicted characters!

(Galley provided by Mark My Words Book Publicity via NetGalley.)
Just an fyi: I stayed up way too late finishing this book, because I couldn’t put it down, then I bought all three of the other books in the series immediately. Wow. Love this series, and these characters. Fantastic world. I’ll probably add this author to my must-read list.

A Bride’s Agreement

(I do not own this image. Image Courtesy of Barbour Books.)
(I do not own this image. Image Courtesy of Barbour Books.)

A Bride’s Agreement is a collection of five stories by authors by Elaine Bonner, Ramona K. Cecil, Nancy J. Farrier, JoAnn A. Grote, and DiAnn Mills. The stories all feature the theme of two people who agree to marry virtual strangers, and romance blossoms between them.

One woman marries a man for the sake of his children. One woman’s family arranges a marriage with a man from another country. One woman is bartered in marriage to pay off her father’s debts. One woman agrees to help a man run his family farm and care for his siblings. One woman must marry a trail scout for propriety’s sake.

These stories are just the right length to get to know the characters, without adding unnecessary drama. They are all set in the 1800s, and are sweet Christian romances about couples overcoming great odds to find happiness. This book is perfect for a relaxing, inspirational read.

(Galley courtesy of Barbour Books via NetGalley.)

Death Before Daylight, by Shannon A. Thompson

(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Shannon. A. Thompson and Clean Teen Publishing.)
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Shannon. A. Thompson and Clean Teen Publishing.)

Shannon A. Thompson is a young adult author, a poet, and a blogger. Her newest book, Death Before Daylight, is the third book in The Timely Death trilogy, and hits shelves tomorrow. Shannon is currently with Clean Teen publishing. She loves cats and coffee, and both keep her going while she works.

The time for the showdown between the Light and the Dark has finally arrived. Someone must die. All Eric wants is Jessica by his side for the battle to come, but as soon as they are reunited, fate intervenes and they’re torn apart again. With a new breed of shade in play, the three descendants finally meet, but Jessica and Eric aren’t expecting to hear the truth from Darthon, who reveals his identity to Eric, who cannot divulge the secret. Jessica must find out the truth for herself—and make a decision that will decide the fate of the shade worlds forever.

Death Before Daylight is the last book in The Timely Death trilogy. The characters are believable and realistic, and the relationship between Eric and Jessica grows on every page. This world is a unique creation, with the Dark being good, and the Light bad, and the dual identities of all the shades is a great twist. This series is a fascinating, fast-pace read that will appeal to readers who love paranormal, fantasy, young adult, and romance.

***

My apologies to Ms. Thompson for the delay. I was about to post my review when you announced you would be leaving your prior publisher, so I decided to wait until that situation was resolved, and the book was available again. (Also posted to Examiner.com).

(Galley provided by Shannon A. Thompson.)