by Penny Angeles-Tan | Feb 10, 2023 | Book Reviews
Accidental Vegas Daddy by Ruby Emhart was fun to read. I confess I was mostly smiling as I was reading it. From start to finish Mason and Kenzie (Lynn) are humping like bunnies just about every time they are within a few feet of each other. It is like there is a magnet pulling them together each time.
I couldn’t help but laugh at how much of a thrill they got from making out in semi-public places. That fear of getting caught upped the heat by a thousand!
But, of course, the story can’t be an uncomplicated HEA. Enter Mason’s sister who happens to be Kenzie’s best friend with whom she made a pact in college never to get involved with exes or family members. Also enter Rebecca, Mason’s “betrothed” from an arranged marriage planned by his father. Add to that Mason’s reputation for being a playboy. All that didn’t make life easy for these two lovebirds.
A few are left unanswered, though.
- What is so special about Marin Digital, Kenzie’s small publishing firm, that so many big companies would offer to buy her company, including Mr. Media, Mason’s company?
- What is Alice’s damage that upon finding out about Mason and Kenzie, she ends up alienating both of them by roping in Rebecca? I thought she was smart.
- Since when did Conrad become “dad”? After Mason and he had that long overdue talk how long did it take for them both to reach that point?
If you are looking for something not too heavy, check out Accidental Vegas Daddy by Ruby Emhart on Amazon for only $0.99 or free with Kindle Unlimited.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Feb 8, 2023 | Book Reviews
I hesitated to read The Bogeyman’s Woman by Sam Crescent only because I don’t usually like mafia romances … mostly as it feels wrong to romanticize something bad but Ruin is mafia adjacent. I rationalize so that my mind will accept it. It helps that in the story we don’t really see too many instances of Ruin doing this job, although it does happen, and his targets are bad people so I see Ruin as an executioner simply meting out justice.
The story, though, is not about his job, not really. It is about how Ruin falls for his target, Callie, from the moment he sees her picture. This leads him to investigate why there is a hit on her while falling even more hopelessly in love.
Callie is a simple girl living a simple life. There is nothing about her that stands out unless you count her penchant for knitting. She has no social life and generally keeps to herself so how is it even possible that she caught the attention of a capo?
The Bogeyman’s Woman by Sam Crescent is a story of their courtship. Reading their courtship and romance develop was quite thrilling. This story is available on Amazon for 3.99 if you’d like to read it, too.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Feb 6, 2023 | Book Reviews
I didn’t know what to expect when I opened the pages of Stolen: A Cupid’s Academy Story by Jayce Carter. The only thing I knew for sure was that it was probably a young adult/teen story as the book cover has “academy” written on it. The preview gave a hint that there would be a romantic element so I was curious to see how that would play out.
To my surprise. the romantic aspect is not a central theme of the story. It is there to add depth and help us go through Mara’s journey.
The author did such a good job of setting the tone that I found it easy to slip into the character of Mara. I was depressed when she was and happy when she was. A big chunk of the book is depressed because she is, but it didn’t pull me down. I found myself immersed and invested in the story that once I started I couldn’t stop reading until my eyes gave up on me. I open my eyes in the morning and the first thing I do is reach for the tablet to read.
I just have one question, though. Why is the title Stolen: A Cupid’s Academy Story by Jayce Carter when the institution is called Larkwood Academy? That aside, excellent job, Jayce Carter! I look forward to more of your books.
The ebook of Stolen: A Cupid’s Academy Story by Jayce Carter will be available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble on February 7, 2023, for $2.99.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 29, 2023 | Book Reviews
If I had to base it on the cover art and the title I had assumed that Twisted Eros by Aria Skylar is a super steamy book. The first chapter led me astray into thinking this book would likely mostly feature BDSM. This is pretty far from the truth. While BDSM is hinted at the most we will see is light bondage and domination I’ve rarely seen in the dark romance books I have read in the past.
A smart, business-savvy, and successful woman goes on an “abduction vacation” with a sexy, masked stranger to get a desperately needed break. He whisks her away to a secret haven of rest and sexual pleasure. But our masked “kidnapper” has his own agenda besides pleasuring her and as the story goes they both end up on a voyage of self-discovery that gets them all twisted.
While some reviews have not been very encouraging about this book, I actually enjoyed it despite the sex scenes mainly being vanilla. I think I enjoyed the soul-searching that happened for each character and with each other and I thought her retelling of the tale of Eros and Psyche was interesting. If you don’t know the story of Eros and Psyche then, obviously, you wouldn’t get it but as a fan of mythology growing up, it was interesting to see the parallels.
Here is a comic version of the myth of Eros and Psyche.
Twisted Eros by Aria Skylar is the first book of the Modern Mythica series and can be purchased on Amazon and Barnes & Noble as an ebook for a whopping $6.49. The paperback is $19.99. I find the price steep as I have read better stories for less, but it is still worth reading.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 28, 2023 | Book Reviews
Compared to the 2 books of Anika Skye that I reviewed before this I feel like the writing style of Alpha Wolf’s Fated Bride by Anika Skye is very juvenile … which is a step down from the ones that came before. As a matter of fact, it does not read as if the author wrote it.
There is too much exposition, and the author gets lost in the prose. Thankfully it is a short story and I finished it in less than a day. I really wish it were better. Since the 2nd book was an improvement on the first, I (mistakenly) thought that this would be even more of an improvement. Instead, it regressed and it feels like this is the first book this author has written instead.
It is too raw to be published. I recommend running it by a copy editor first. Hopefully, he/she knows what they’re doing and can help make this better.
Alpha Wolf’s Fated Bride by Anika Skye is only 0.99 on Amazon and is also on Kindle Unlimited if you want to check it out. If you look at the reviews there are some who really liked it so maybe it just isn’t my cup of tea.
I hesitated to read The Bogeyman’s Woman by Sam Crescent only because I don’t usually like mafia romances … mostly as it feels wrong to romanticize something bad but Ruin is mafia adjacent. I rationalize so that my mind will accept it. It helps that in the story we don’t really see too many instances of Ruin doing this job, although it does happen, and his targets are bad people so I see Ruin as an executioner simply meting out justice.
I didn’t know what to expect when I opened the pages of Stolen: A Cupid’s Academy Story by Jayce Carter. The only thing I knew for sure was that it was probably a young adult/teen story as the book cover has “academy” written on it. The preview gave a hint that there would be a romantic element so I was curious to see how that would play out.
If I had to base it on the cover art and the title I had assumed that Twisted Eros by Aria Skylar is a super steamy book. The first chapter led me astray into thinking this book would likely mostly feature BDSM. This is pretty far from the truth. While BDSM is hinted at the most we will see is light bondage and domination I’ve rarely seen in the dark romance books I have read in the past.
Compared to the 2 books of Anika Skye that I reviewed before this I feel like the writing style of Alpha Wolf’s Fated Bride by Anika Skye is very juvenile … which is a step down from the ones that came before. As a matter of fact, it does not read as if the author wrote it.
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