by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 9, 2023 | Book Reviews
They say “don’t judge a book by its cover” but I can’t help it, I’m definitely judging. I don’t like the cover art because it is flat, the characters are tiny compared to the background, and they have no faces. Having said that, City Lights Starry Nights by Kimberly Readnour is supposed to be an age-gap romance in a small town in Indiana called Sugar Creek Falls. Aside from the fact that the age difference is briefly mentioned, the age gap is not apparent as Evie is a mature and level-headed woman despite being born with a silver spoon in her mouth.
What can go wrong will go wrong! Her problems began when her parents cut her off before she even graduated in an effort to force her to go home and assume her place in society. Evie, on the other hand, wanted to work and help people. No matter how many jobs she applies for and interviews for it seems she just isn’t hirable, which is quite strange. The best she could do was get a waitressing job and she even got fired from that.
Dr. Liam Seymour is the older brother of Evie’s best friend and has hang-ups and festering emotional scars. Being the doctor of a small town means that he knows everyone and everyone knows him so getting into a relationship is difficult without everyone knowing about it.
When I started reading this, I assumed it wouldn’t take too much time to read. For some reason, though, at times I found myself slogging through it. There were just some scenes that felt like it was taking too long to develop properly or get to the point. Perhaps it is just my frustration at Liam’s “should we – shouldn’t we” thinking every time he looks at Evie. Even to me, his hang-ups seemed irrelevant.
He wanted something casual, no problem. He’s into some light BDSM and wants a submissive in the bedroom … so long as he talks about it with Evie first and she is ok with it, I don’t see the problem. But that is probably his biggest hang-up.
The author promises HEA so we know it will get there. The journey is taking so long, though … or I am just impatient. There’s more to the story than just their romance. There’s a weird ex, grumpy old men to charm, storms to get through, and an antiquated scheduling system to figure out.
City Lights Starry Nights by Kimberly Readnour is book 1 of the Sugar Creek Fall series so I am anticipating a story for Ethan and also for Matthew and Ansley (Liam’s sister) since history was hinted at earlier in the book.
If you have a Kindle Unlimited account you can read this book for free on Amazon or you can purchase it for 3.99.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 8, 2023 | Book Reviews
For idealistic girls, Puppy Madness by Flora Ferrari is a “wish fulfillment” story. Most girls grow up dreaming of meeting the man of their dreams, falling in love at first sight, and living happily ever after. That’s essentially what this story delivers in a nutshell except for a few critical points.
First, Dominic is 21 years older than Danni. Second, Dominic is the father of Danni’s best friend Elizabeth. Dun dun dun DUNNN!
Danni’s been in love with Dominic for many years, ever since she was in high school but knowing that he is her best friend’s dad and the fact she was only 16 were great deterrents to her even seriously thinking about pursuing anything. Add to that the fact that she left the country with her mom so she didn’t get to spend time with Elizabeth for several years.
She returns to live and work in the U.S. now that she is 19 and finds herself living with Elizabeth and Dominic in their house. From the moment Dominic saw her he found himself instantly attracted, not realizing who she was.
Since this is not a shifter romance, it felt weird to read Dominic’s possessive mated bond thoughts and actions. I mean, he just laid eyes on her and he was already claiming her and thinking about having babies with her. Romantic for wolves, but kinda creepy for regular humans.
The story goes on to show how they both struggle to fight the attraction as they are both worried about Elizabeth. Ultimately, though, since the author promised a HEA we already know they will definitely end up together. As a reader, I felt the need to keep reading just to know when they will finally give in to their passions and decide that their forever can happen.
I think what bothered me the most though is the description of Dominic. He is only 40 but he is described as a well-muscled silver fox. I don’t know how fast Americans age but over here we don’t usually turn grey at 40. It doesn’t even match the cover art.
Puppy Madness by Flora Ferrari is a story from the A Man Who Knows What He Wants series. If this kind of story is right up your alley you can get it on Amazon for 0.99 and free with Kindle Unlimited.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 2, 2023 | Book Reviews
His UnEGGsalted Omega by Lorelei M. Hart and Colbie Dunbar was a delight to read. 95% of the book is happy, happy, happy which was quite refreshing. To be honest, there really isn’t that much difference between an MF, MM, or FF romance except for the gender of the main characters. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter, especially if the society the author created accepts that kind of pairing. In this world created by the authors, MM or MF pairings are commonplace.
I’m not new to reading MM stories but I must confess I was puzzled about the mechanics of male pregnancy. For the omega to be able to get pregnant that would assume that he has the reproductive organs to match, but does that mean that his anal canal is somehow connected to a uterus? Also, in this story, after the babies are born they latch to feed. Latch on what? Does that imply that Aldo had mammary glands that produced milk?
If the intention is for the story to be an MM romance, why would female physical characteristics be imposed on the omegas?
The story establishes some things, though. First, it is the omega partner who gets pregnant. Second, in mixed mating, there is no way to tell what kind of baby/babies will be born and how. Since Kirin is a dragon and Aldo is a chipmunk will they have dragon babies or chipmunk babies? Will they be hybrids of both? Will they be chipmunks that will come out of dragon eggs?
There are some passages that felt overexplained but if you skip over them it’s okay. There are also misused words or two in some sections, but nothing a copy editor who will actually read the whole story cannot easily fix.
Overall, His UnEGGsalted Omega by Lorelei M. Hart and Colbie Dunbar is a feel-good story. You can find this book on Amazon for 4.99 on Jan. 9, 2023, or for free with Kindle Unlimited.
I enjoyed it so much that I looked up the first book and will be reading it soon just so that I get to read about the romance of Abel and Cedric.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 31, 2022 | Book Reviews
Daddy’s Next Door by Rebel Bloom is AMAZING! OMG, this book is fantastic! Such a page-turner, I couldn’t put it down. The age gap didn’t bother me as I know quite a few luscious silver foxes. These guys are in their late 40s so that isn’t even really old yet … they’re just old enough to have adult children.
Even as things developed quickly between them, I felt it was organic and not forced, which made it great. I loved how Barrett, Dominic, and Holden have such different personalities, and each one is able to bring something different to the relationship.
I loved how they were all in early in the story so there wasn’t much conflict amongst them. The way Rebel Bloom handles emotional scenes is just perfect! The most troubling thing that plagued Sugar (or SJ as most people would call her) for most of the book was the fact that Barrett is her best friend Sam’s father.
If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would! Daddy’s Next Door by Rebel Bloom is available on January 1, 2023, on Amazon for 2.99 but free with a Kindle Unlimited account.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 30, 2022 | Book Reviews
If you’ve ever read the story about the Ugly Duckling, that is the transformation that happened to Harper in Christmas with my Best Friend’s Brothers by Kai Lesy. From a geeky, freckled girl she blossomed into a curvaceous young woman.
Ever since Harper and her best friend Kat were little girls, they felt bullied by Kat’s identical triplet brothers Jackson, Aiden, and Nathan. They were surprised when they were told this since to the three they were just ribbing their little sis and her friend … they were just joking/kidding around and never realized they were being hurtful already. This makes me wonder if it can still be called bullying if the bully is unaware that they are doing it.
Harper just got out of a bad relationship and decided to spend the holiday with Kat and her family at Chamonix in France. Harper is anything but rich while Kat and her family are the exact opposite so the opportunity to spend Christmas in France was a dream come true for Harper. It was also a chance to hopefully heal her broken heart.
Things get complicated when her attraction to the triplets is reciprocated and each one decides to bring it a step further. They’ve never shared before but there was no awkwardness the first time they did so with Harper.
There is also the shadow of a secret involving their father’s indiscretions in the past that ruined his marriage and highly affected his children, especially Jackson.
Christmas with my Best Friend’s Brothers by Kai Lesy is a feel-good story with a HEA. You can find it on Amazon for 2.99 or free with Kindle Unlimited.
For idealistic girls, Puppy Madness by Flora Ferrari is a “wish fulfillment” story. Most girls grow up dreaming of meeting the man of their dreams, falling in love at first sight, and living happily ever after. That’s essentially what this story delivers in a nutshell except for a few critical points.
His UnEGGsalted Omega by Lorelei M. Hart and Colbie Dunbar was a delight to read. 95% of the book is happy, happy, happy which was quite refreshing. To be honest, there really isn’t that much difference between an MF, MM, or FF romance except for the gender of the main characters. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter, especially if the society the author created accepts that kind of pairing. In this world created by the authors, MM or MF pairings are commonplace.
Daddy’s Next Door by Rebel Bloom is AMAZING! OMG, this book is fantastic! Such a page-turner, I couldn’t put it down. The age gap didn’t bother me as I know quite a few luscious silver foxes. These guys are in their late 40s so that isn’t even really old yet … they’re just old enough to have adult children.
If you’ve ever read the story about the Ugly Duckling, that is the transformation that happened to Harper in Christmas with my Best Friend’s Brothers by Kai Lesy. From a geeky, freckled girl she blossomed into a curvaceous young woman.
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