by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 19, 2022 | Book Reviews
When I started reading Billionaire Revenge by Lacey Nash I found the pacing slow. I had to force myself to keep reading because there really wasn’t much happening. I said to myself that perhaps it is a case of a slow burn. Chapter 5 is when they first interact face to face and it isn’t until another 5 chapters before they agree to meet to “make a deal”.
This book is only 25 chapters (plus an epilogue) long so it is kind of like saying that it took half the story to establish that Scarlett is destitute, Xavier will get his pound of flesh, and they will somehow end up together.
From the title, we already know that Xavier will seek revenge. The thing is, though, as I read the story it wasn’t really “revengy” at all. It is as if from the moment they were intimate with each other he forgot all about his agenda.
This story is also supposed to be steamy and there are some love scenes but there weren’t enough descriptions of what was happening or the foreplay didn’t really last long enough to fog up my glasses.
If this book has a pulse it would more or less be steady. Despite the emotional roller coaster Scarlett is supposedly going through, the story is written pretty much one note with a possible minor movement up or down without much to really spike. I almost got excited at that critical scene toward the end but it lacked punch because she just keeps crying. Sigh.
I wish Scarlett was a stronger person. I also wish we could have sometimes seen the POV of Xavier. That would have elevated the story, I think.
Billionaire Revenge by Lacey Nash is not for me but it might just be right up your alley. For the beginner or intermediate romance readers, this may be good enough. It is available on Amazon for 0.99 but you can also read it for free with Kindle Unlimited.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 18, 2022 | Book Reviews
Non-linear storytelling is fun, and I thought that was what was happening with Alpha Wolf’s Secret Nanny by Anika Skye. The way the story began was a fumbling attempt at a flashback. As the story progressed, I had hoped to get more information about why Griffin, her ex who happened to be a werewolf and an Alpha, was hunting her down and killing anyone and everyone who protected her.
She shows us a glimpse of her past when Griffin singled her out from all the girls in school to go to the prom with him. After that nothing else was said except that he wanted her and would stop at nothing to get her back. For years she has been trying to hide from him and this last time is when she took a job as a nanny to the newborn child of Winston. Unbeknownst to her, he is an Alpha wolf, too.
Winston is drawn towards her but fights it. It is obvious that Charlotte knows a few things about wolves but not about mates. In this story a human-werewolf relationship is taboo and yet Griffin was still hellbent on having her despite her “rejection”. It is just too confusing!
The story feels incomplete and needs fleshing out and could be longer and better if the author takes the time to do it. You can read Alpha Wolf’s Secret Nanny by Anika Skye by downloading it from Amazon. You can buy it for 0.99 or read it with a Kindle Unlimited account.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 15, 2022 | Book Reviews
I’m so glad that I decided to pick up Frenemy Protector by Kate Lovelace. What was lacking from Fireman’s Secret Baby was made up for here. We first encounter Liam and Lauren there. Liam is the youngest brother of Michael, the fireman. In that story, he had a huge crush on Bree, who ends up with Michael. Lauren is Bree’s best friend and had a thing for Liam, but her feelings were not returned.
The story opens with Liam narrating. Yes! I’m glad this started from a guy’s POV. It is a welcome change and immediately lets us, the readers, find out what happened to Liam after he left.
In the first book, Kate Lovelace already established that Liam had a lot of issues to get through. This book tells us how much he has grown into the mature 24-year-old he is who is more than just “Michael and Ethan’s little brother”.
The premise for Liam’s return is to handle the problems their family is facing with an entity that wants to buy their family property by hook or by crook. Recent events have shown that they are not shy of being crooks. And yet, the story is really about the budding relationship between Liam and Lauren and how Liam desperately tries to resist the pull. This is despite interference from his family who are eager to bring them together and Lauren herself who is irresistible without even trying.
From the get-go, this story is written well. It is engaging and described so well that I felt like I was part of the story, not just a spectator. In the first book, I wasn’t a fan of Liam because he was being a dick about Michael and Bree. Frenemy Protector is his redemption story and Lauren’s HEA.
If I had any issues with this book it would probably be two things. I’m not keen on the title as it doesn’t seem to be a right fit, even as I get further along in the story. The second is the cover art. Liam looks grumpy, and why is he naked? Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with naked men but in context with the story, I think he should be wearing a button-down shirt to match the scenes. Just my two cents.
That aside, this was quite enjoyable to read. The book isn’t available for mass distribution yet, but hopefully, it will be released on popular platforms such as Amazon soon.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 14, 2022 | Book Reviews
I have mixed feelings about Dibs on the Bartender by Giselle Harper partly because I am struggling with the switching tenses and wrong terminology that occasionally appears. Quite a few authors nowadays seem to do this … POV is in the present and the inner monologue switches from present to past to present tense.
The story has a tendency to drone. Three chapters in and I kept losing my place, I wasn’t getting engaged. Part of it, I think, was the fact that Niki, the main character kept going on and on about how she is still a virgin. Okay, we get it! She is saving herself. I commend it, I have no issues with it, but I think it was mentioned more times than it needed to be. It almost felt like every few sentences she would say, “by the way, did I already mention I am a virgin?” Yup. Too many mentions.
I kept reading to give it a chance and it does get better but it is slow going. Maybe it’s me, not the story, I don’t know, but I had higher expectations. It isn’t bad but it could be better.
Dibs on the Bartender by Giselle Harper is book 2 of the Vacation Yacht Romance series and is available starting December 16, 2022, on Amazon for 0.99 or free with a Kindle Unlimited account.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 9, 2022 | Book Reviews
I don’t know why it has taken me so long to start reading The Irresistible Wrong by Elsa Duke. Every time I opened the book and read the first few lines I would lose interest. Sometimes it is the cover art that didn’t attract me, but often if the opening lines don’t engage me, then it isn’t happening. Today I decided to push past page one and was finally able to read it and finished it in four hours.
When Piper’s dad and Oliver’s mom got married, Oliver was already an adult while Piper was still a kid. Their ages are ten years apart and while Oliver annoyed Piper often, she couldn’t help developing secret feelings for him as she grew older.
On her 18th birthday, she decides to seduce him. Lo and behold, Oliver is not immune to her charms. He succumbs but tells himself it will never happen again. Piper on the other hand decides she wants it to happen again and again and again.
Is it just a case of a horny teenager and a seduced adult? It certainly would seem like it if we didn’t have a front-row seat to their thoughts.
Some details are not very clear like Oliver is supposed to be a firefighter (I think) so far he is a buff desk jockey. I don’t know how at 28 he could be chief or director of anything. Piper’s dad owns a resort/s and despite being a firefighter, Oliver is working there, too.
Piper has just graduated from high school and is getting ready to go to Columbia in the fall. For the summer, she decides to take care of Oliver’s daughter. Yes, there is suddenly a daughter in the picture.
Long story short … they hook up, realize they are in love with each other, and they live happily ever after. Any conflict that happens in the story are moments that pass by quickly but they do move the story forward.
The Irresistible Wrong by Elsa Duke is on Amazon for 0.99 and free with a Kindle Unlimited account.
Non-linear storytelling is fun, and I thought that was what was happening with Alpha Wolf’s Secret Nanny by Anika Skye. The way the story began was a fumbling attempt at a flashback. As the story progressed, I had hoped to get more information about why Griffin, her ex who happened to be a werewolf and an Alpha, was hunting her down and killing anyone and everyone who protected her.
I’m so glad that I decided to pick up Frenemy Protector by Kate Lovelace. What was lacking from 
I have mixed feelings about Dibs on the Bartender by Giselle Harper partly because I am struggling with the switching tenses and wrong terminology that occasionally appears. Quite a few authors nowadays seem to do this … POV is in the present and the inner monologue switches from present to past to present tense.
I don’t know why it has taken me so long to start reading The Irresistible Wrong by Elsa Duke. Every time I opened the book and read the first few lines I would lose interest. Sometimes it is the cover art that didn’t attract me, but often if the opening lines don’t engage me, then it isn’t happening. Today I decided to push past page one and was finally able to read it and finished it in four hours.
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