Insolent is part of the Sinister Fairy Tale Collection and I was really excited to pick this one up. The blurb just sounded so interesting and even though I haven't seen the movie "brave" I know this is a sorta retelling of it, dark romance style. I think I had my hopes too high on this one because even though so far the books I have read in this collection so far have been amazing reads, this one just didn't do it for me at all and I was so sad about it. I just wanted so much more from this story and it felt so mediocre in many ways. I really was hoping that this would be delivered in a different way than it was. It just felt so off even for a dark romance. Normally I can connect with dark romance but in this one, I just wanted the book to be over, I wasn't invested in the story much and I think much of that had to do with the character growth in the story. When you can't connect with the characters, it really affects the enjoyment overall and I did feel like the chemistry between these two could have had more focus. I didn't really understand the hero in this book, he wasn't intriguing or mystery but just a cold hard man that we never got a deeper perspective into, So while I recommend the series as a whole, this book I can't honestly recommend even if you are a fan of dark romance. It might work for some readers, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. So while the premise of the story was quite fascinating, it just didn't quite deliver in the ways that I was hoping for.

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance


This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.



First Impressions
Tall Dark and Vampire is an interesting read and I was quite curious to see what this author would do here. I do know that this series and the Amoveo series are loosely connected. I have had this one on my kindle for quite a long while, but I really was in the mood for a paranormal and it’s been a while since I have indulged in a vampire romance. And unfortunately, this one didn’t quite work out for me as many of this authors’ books have. So I was disappointed in this reading. I had such higher expectations than what I received in this book here. I will say that the first half of the story is solid, I went into this book really enjoying it but the middle of the story just fell flat, and not until the end did it wrap up nicely. So while I will always recommend this author and even this series (I read book 3 in the series a while ago and it was a five star read for me) so I think it just wasn’t a fully consistent read in what I expected but a solid story was delivered here.

Summary
The story sets off with our heroine, Olivia Hollingsworth, who has been having dreams for the past twenty years of a man she once knew, the love of her life who was killed when she was turned into a vampire. But now its been three hundred years and vampires shouldn’t have dreams, but she is experiencing them with more intensity. Olivia is head of her coven, but when there is a human that is killed and one of her vampires in her coven is the prime suspect she comes face to face with a cop and the man she has been dreaming of, who is the spitting image of her long lost love….Doug Paxton. Doug is human and is a police officer and detective, and he is determined to find out who is brutally killing humans, but there is an intense connection that he feels for Olivia and while he suspects she knows more than she is letting on, he also can’t deny what he is feeling for her. But when they are attacked and his partner is murdered and he has almost killed himself, Olivia saves his life but it comes at a cost, he is now a vampire and he is full of feelings of anger and hurt towards Olivia. Even if he doesn’t understand this new world he is living in, he also can’t deny the feelings he has for this vibrant woman that seems to know him more than anyone else ever has. But as Olivia and Doug work together to find out why there are so many rogue vampires being made, they also could be in more trouble than they realize…..

What I Loved
There were quite a few elements to this story that I actually really enjoyed here, and I was so drawn to this story here. I especially drawn to the reincarnation aspect of the story. My heart just broke for our heroine, who just has so much depth of love for Doug and he has no memory of her. She also is experiencing evidence of being a bloodmate to Doug which certain leadership of the vampire league find threatening because if you have a blooded mate, you can walk in the sun. I really was so interested by the set up of this story and seeing the way that the author built up the certain vampire plot device that was developed in the story. I did have a fun time with Olvia’s coven and the vampires that she is over. She definitely has her hands full with some of them. But she was such a wonderful heroine, in how she is a true leader and balances out firmness with love and affection. And she always has faith in her love to Doug. Even when he has anger towards her, she is so gracious with him and I truly admired her as the heroine of the story. There are aspects of the hero that I did enjoy. I admired that he was always willing to do that right thing and even be willing to sacrifice himself if need be. He is a fighter and I did like how well he takes to being a vampire once he gets over his anger.

What I Struggled With
There was only one aspect of the story that I truly struggled with here and that is the hero.. I struggled with his character so much. Once he gets turned he gets so angry and bitter towards Olivia and I just couldn’t understand it especially when she saved his life. He just puts all the blame on her shoulders and I could understand at first being angry or hurt at losing yourself, but to be honest, I struggled with his character at times for much of the book and when he turns against Olivia I just couldn’t reconcile enjoying his character enough as it took much enjoyment from the story.

Overall View
Tall Dark and Vampire is a sexy, heart-filled paranormal romance that sets up the series in a thrilling tale of vampire lore, a fated love, and a second chance story to deliver a satisfying turnout.

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.



First Impressions
The Broken One is the first of the connecting series to the infamous Corisi’s, and in this series “Corisi Billionaires” we get the primary focus of the romance but we also have an overreaching serial plot which was quite interesting and I am eager to see more of what happens in this mystery that is slowly unfolding. This story also has some fun tropes such as ” Opposites Attract, Grumpy Sunshine” and I also loved seeing a unique attraction and the angst which builds between our hero and heroine. They had such a unique connection to each other and I was so intrigued by it all. I didn’t know quite what to make of it all here, because I just wanted them to be together and happy but yeah in this book it just doesn’t work out that way. We are dealing with some serious issues of loss of a loved one and a child (so fair warning before reading this book) It had the charm of seeing children being portrayed in the story and I have come to truly love this world that this author has created with the Corisi Family and the deeper one explores the world you might need a roadmap (Ruth Cardello does have a family map HERE ) If you are like me and love this series and want to make sense of all the connections.

Brave doesn’t mean never being afraid. Brave is being stronger than what scares you.”

Summary
Our story begins with our heroine, Heather, who is a single mother with her daughter who she treats as her own as her friend wasn’t able to care for her. Heather has built her own business and she and her daughter live quite comfortably. But then one day, her daughter loses her stuffed wolf on the road, and Heather is willing to do what it takes to find the lost wolf for her daughter and even puts out an ad for a reward in finding it. Then we get transferred over to our hero, who found the lost stuffed animal at a job site but is mourning the loss of his late fiancee and their unborn child. Sebastian has never been able to get over the grief that consumed him with the loss of the woman he loved. But when his family finds the ad for the lost stuffed animal, they push Sebastian out the door and onto Heather’s doorstep. Their first meeting while it starts with instant attraction, it ends with a door slam in Sebastian’s face. And Sebastian will need to learn to overcome his emotional struggles and learn to live again and adapt to adjusting to two new people in his life. He is drawn to Heather, who doesn’t stand for poor treatment and sets healthy boundaries, and while their relationship is rocky at times, they also find a beautiful healing love worth all the struggle to find something worth fighting for.

What I Loved
What an amazing story that just won my heart so quickly. I couldn’t seem to get enough of this one here, there is something about Ruth Cardello’s writing that just speaks to me in such a beautiful way and works so well. She is so easy to get into and I love the way in which she writes billionaire romance, for some reason, in the way that she writes it, is just my catnip. I really appreciated what we get with this story. And even though angst romance isn’t always my mood, it so worked in this one. I think because we are seeing a character that is struggling with the grief of his girl that passed and I so connected with that (personal experience) And I just related so well with our heroine. I was hooked in the way that his family stands by him, and supports him no matter what. Seeing the romance built between Sebastian and Heather was so endearing in some moments. His connection to Heather and her daughter was adorable and the way he bonds with them and learns to deal with his grief and letting go of the past and embracing the present was quite satisfying. There were so many quiet intense moments that bond Sebastian and Heather and it’s these types of moments that just build so beautifully in this author’s writing.

Happiness doesn’t just happen. It’s a decision. Like anything else, it needs to be tended and protected. Negative people had no place in the new life I’d built for myself.

What I Struggled With
Not much. The angst was a bit drawn out on this one, and felt too short and could have used more length to delve into the more challenging aspects

Overall View
I found The Broken One to be a tender, poignant romance that feeds the romantic heart digs into the human aspects of loss, and transforms the reader with such delectable sexy goodness you won’t be able to put this one down.

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.


First Impressions
Duncan’s Bride is a story that I have been wanting to read for the longest time, and yes it’s one of those books that you have seen on all of the top romance bookish listings so I have been highly intrigued by this book and what the author would deliver here. I have been really wanting to read more of this author, especially her older books as her writing style just seems to work so well for me. And I just adore this new cover that Avon has done for this book, it’s just so pretty and classy. This story also intrigued me because its a contemporary but also has a mail-order bride and a marriage of convenience set up and that is something you just don’t see hardly in the contemporary genre at all. MAil order bride themes is actually one of my favorite so going into this story I was so intrigued. But we also have a set up of the hero being so bitter against marriage and women and having zero trust and I was curious to see how this type of hero would work into the story.

Summary
So it begins with the hero knowing that he needs a wife. He lost about just everything when he thought he found the one but ends up she ruined him financially through the divorce. He is working hard to get his ranch back to what it used to be and he is barely making it but he has grit and determination but he also realizes he needs marriage and family. So he puts an ad out for a wife and even though he doesn’t think that Madelyn will be the woman that could be a rancher’s wife but there is a connection between them that he can’t deny from their first meeting. From the beginning of their marriage, Madelyn has known the boundaries that Duncan has set for their marriage. She is a born and raised city girl, but she wants more out of her life and she knows that a life with Duncan won’t be easy, is a risk she is willing to take despite her brother’s protests to the match. The chemistry is fierce between Duncan and Madelyn, and Madelyn quickly falls in love with Duncan and possesses just as much stubbornness as her husband and will show him that not all women are like his first wife, but putting thought into action isn’t as easy and their marriage will be tested as Duncan will have to face up to some real truths.

What I Loved
There was so much that I dearly loved about this book. There is such fierce chemistry between these two, And as individuals, I absolutely adored the characters in Duncan and Madelyn. They have such strong personalities and it tends to really work for them so well. I was intrigued about this mail order bride situation. I related so well with Madelyn and I was cheering for her all the way through the book. You can see what a hard and stubborn man Duncan is, and seeing this unrequited love story blossom will just tear at your insides at times. You can see how much Madelyn is willing to endure to show Duncan that she is not like his first wife. But it takes time and patience and seriously Madelyn has earned a place of sainthood because Duncan really pushes her limits but she stays true all the way through and I loved seeing this type of devotion from her Duncan is definitely pure alpha male at times, he likes having his way but is also bitter with how he was betrayed so you can see why he has his trust issues. I felt like the author handled certain elements of this circumstance so well and I really respected this so well. Also, I can’t wait to get to the brother’s book because I adored his character and I am so curious to see what happens with him.

What I Struggled With
Alright, so I really felt like toward the end of the story, the conflict and resolution just didn’t quite match up for me. It felt too drawn out and I felt like the way the hero acted was way too extreme for me. While I could understand why he was angry, the way he treats the heroine for it just rubbed me the wrong way but I also didn’t understand the way the heroine made him grovel so long. While I love a good grovel, It was too drawn out. I expected her to have more grace and it didn’t seem to fit her character from what we had seen previously in the story.

Overall View
Duncan’s Bride was an endearingly angsty read that brings satisfaction to the reader from beginning to end. It's a tale of betrayal, unrequited love, and beautiful endurance that took my breath away!

Joy to the Wolves was such an interesting book and I really adored reading this in audio format and I found myself so intrigued by this story and it was such a cozy Christmas feel to it that I just adored and now I wish I had read this back around Christmas or at least when we were getting tons of snow. I was charmed by this story. it has a unique set up with our heroine running an antique shop she inherited but when a mysterious reindeer shows up on her store lawn, she is intrigued not knowing it would lead her to more mystery and a handsome law enforcement officer who also happens to be a red wolf just as she is. But when her life is put in danger, the story will heat up in some interesting ways.

I found myself utterly intrigued by this one here, I didn’t know what exactly to think about this one but I was pretty into the story and I do think part of the main reason is the narrator that we have narrating this story. She did such an amazing job in really pulling me into it. I do feel like this author’s writing style has changed a bit and it might have been a higher rating but it the writing style changed towards the end and rubbed me the wrong way and I do think part of this is because of the publisher and just how publishers are pushing authors in certain formats. But I enjoyed the story as a whole and even as a redemption story of a young teen which I thoroughly loved. I had a blast with this book, it has a delightful mix of suspense, angsty wolfish fun, and some holiday cheer to bring a smile to any reader’s face. Highly recommend this if you are looking for a lighter, Christmas-themed shifter romance with a small-town charm feel to it.

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.


First Impressions
Taking The Leap was such an artfully crafted romance that won my heart so completely, and I was worried about this one because the second book in the series “Chasing Serenity” just wasn’t my favorite of the series and I really had issues with it. But from the moment that I read this one I just knew that this would be a top read. One the heroine definitely worked for me in every way. I just related with her so well, which isn’t super common with Kristen Ashley heroines. And for those who have read this author know exactly what is her typical heroine and I was so thrilled that we got a heroine that was outside the realm of the norm of what KA normally writes. I also was intrigued by the set up of the series and curious to see what would be the circumstances by which this story would be developed. Taking The Leap is exactly what the title conveys and I couldn’t put this one down here. KA fans everywhere will be delighted by this one here.

Summary
The story begins with our heroine, Alexandra, who has had a crush on our hero, Rix, for the longest time and hasn’t remained seen by him until one evening when they are with friends. There is chemistry that is off the charts or at least that is what Alexandra thinks. But what really happens is that her assumption was incorrect and she finds out he wasn’t that interested and now there is a distance between them that wasn’t present before now. But nothing is as simple as it seems and when Rix learns that Alexandra has had a crush on him when he had assumed she had an issue with his disability, he is determined to show her he is not the man she assumes him to be. But Alexandra is in a bind because she is going to have to go to her sister’s wedding, and already claimed Rix as the “plus one”, Rix discovers this and realizes this is the perfect opportunity to make things up to her in this way. so they act as if they are boyfriend and girlfriend, while at the same time exploring the hidden desires they both have for each other, and what becomes a fake relationship turns into something deeper.

What I Loved
Taking The Leap was such an interesting story and one that I was completely drawn into. I really adored Rix and Alexandra together. Rix has a disability, as he used to be a firefighter, and lost his legs and his wife at the time abandoned him and he has issues with that and what women really see in him. Then we have Alexandra, who may come from a rich high society family, but has always felt at home helping others and living in the mountains. She is a introverted and very shy and struggled to speak with men she is attracted to just like she feels for Rix. It was quite neat to see Alexandra slowly come out of her shell, and really push herself in being in a relationship with Rix and learning to brave her natural inclination to hide. You see much of her personality stems from how she was raised and felt more comfortable being alone. Seeing Rix and Alexandra really come together in their relationship, adjust to their preconceptions of each other, and see how good they are for each other really showed the beauty in opposites attract. You will see a beautiful romance blossom in this story as we delve into each of our character’s individual personalities and intricate natures to find a bond that builds a strong relationship. Definitely a story that will sweep you off your fee.t

What I Struggled With
So this is a trend I have been seeing in some of this author’s newer books and I am learning to adapt to it. I do miss her classic KA style. What I have seen is some of her writing and it will be one or two moments in the story that just doesn’t fit the tone of the rest of the story in which she gets political and the phrasing of the text in the story will be very “preachy” and it’s just enough to turn me off a bit. So this story won’t be as fully five-star as I would have liked to give it. And just for clarification, I don’t care for politics in my romance. I want to escape reality which is packed with politics in every aspect of my life, I want to get away from it when I read fiction. It’s just not for me and will turn me off from a story.

Overall View
I found Taking The Leap to be a superb tale that captures my heart with all the feels and deep riveting emotions that Kristen Ashley is famous for. Its a story that connected me so deeply with the characters and left me wanting more from this world.

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.



In The Arms of a Highlander was quite an interesting read and I was really excited to read this as I have enjoyed this series (the books I have read so far) and so I instantly grabbed at the opportunity to read this one. I did switch between the ARC and the Audiobook, and even though I found this one to be an enjoyable read, I definitely had my struggles with this one. It definitely has very strong accents in the audiobook, so fair warning for audio listeners upon grabbing this one up. I do think I probably would have enjoyed this one much more if I had physically read it more than I did. The narration, while I really this narrator, I think I just wasn’t in the right zone to enjoy this one like I really wanted to. There was a lack of investment that I had in the story and I think I just wasn’t in the mood for this historical. I do think it had some great potential but didn’t quite make it out for me personally. I do think if you love highlander romance, then this one will work for you. Just make sure you are in the right mood for this one. I was intrigued by the setup of the romance. Which was a marriage of convenience. Our heroine, is escaping the nunnery and with her friend, they come across two highlanders from the McTiernay clan who offers them refuge but through a turn of events, our heroine Shinae becomes married to Brodie. Their relationship starts off sweet and passionate but then turns into an angsty-filled tension. I quite didn’t understand the length of the angst, to be honest, and maybe it’s just a plot point that many authors will use, but I just wanted to see more focus on the plot building outside of the relationship. Some of the reasons for the tension between Brodie and Shinae just didn’t quite fit and I did feel in some moments it was just used as a filler. There were many things about this story that I quite enjoyed. I love the gentle sweet way that Brodie and Shinae fall in love, they embrace their attraction to each other pretty quickly. I also found myself fascinated with the suspense elements of the plot and the ways the intrigue and danger were introduced to it. It was such a blast to see some of my favorite characters play a role in this story.

Overall I found myself having a ball of fun and adventure within the realm of this story this author has created. It offers such creativity, endearing passion, and strong characters that capture your attention from the beginning.