Showing posts with label Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romance. Show all posts

Sunday 31 December 2017

A Bed of Wild Roses: Flowers of the Aristocracy (Untamed Regency Book 1) by Jackie Williams

What I like about this author is her sense of  humour. It made this book such a easy fun read. If you like historical romance that has some naughty bits but doesn't stray into full erotica, this writer will be for you. This is the second book I've reviewed by Jackie Williams and the writing is such that I won't mind picking up another of her books soon. I gave this 5 stars. Click on the picture to take you to Amazon.



I love romances that are set in a more innocent time. A time where a lady’s shapely ankle could turn a man’s head and an innocent kiss could lead to being assaulted by the girl’s brother. There are many comedy moments as overprotective brother Brendon clobbers best friend Algernon because of some misunderstandings. Felicity is a feisty heroine with a heart of gold and we feel for her when Algernon struggles with his pride and fears for her safety. What should have been a straight forwards romance is anything but; due to a greedy uncle that will do anything to get his hands on Algernon’s estate.
When I say that this is set in a more innocent time; we do all know that behind closed doors things were less innocent! It is clear Algernon and Felicity share an attraction that leaves them both rather hot and flustered. Some off the scenes are sizzling hot and the writer correctly advises that this book is not for the younger reader. For any other fan of historical romance I recommend it. Fun, hot and a good read.

Tuesday 3 October 2017

Silence Of Scandal (Unrivalled Regency Book 1) by Jackie Williams

I'm not a huge fan of romance as it often lacks in story and plot and it can descent into erotica. This one did have a great story and an unconventional heroine at it's heart. I give it 5 stars. Well written and edited too.
Click on the picture to take you to amazon.



I really enjoyed this regency romance. It had an unexpected heroine in the form of Elisabeth Hardacre who not only provided an attractive love interest but an endearing and vulnerable character. Alexander despite all his troubles and the wrongs that have been done to his family is a man to be admired as he deals with that and a marriage he’s been forced into. There are many lighter moments too and I had great fun discovering what was wrong with Alexander’s bride.
There are some racy moments but it never descends too far into erotica. Even though this romance is set in the regency period some of the themes like disability and sexual orientation feel modern. They are not but until more recently they were neatly swept under the carpet and I like how the writer has worked these themes into a historical romance. With the writing also being great, this romance is a cut above some of the other romances I have read. Would love to discover more of this writer.

Friday 29 September 2017

Larkspur, or A Necromancer's Romance (The Larkspur Series vol. 1) (Stories of Clandestina) by V. M. Jaskiernia

This was quite a good read, but at 48 pages very short. It is in the Amazon shop for 99p so reasonable for a short. This is part 1 and the writer tells me that the follow up is in the final stages and will be released soon. Below my 4 star review.
This was a good read, but I also had a self published book which I could not finish. I'm not a native English speaker so for us it is doubly important to have a good editor. This writer didn't and most of the sentences were clumsy and didn't make sense. Shame as it had an interesting story as a starting point. I did contact the writer and I can only hope he will take my criticisms to heart, because at some point down the line it will bite you with a sarcastic one star review.
Click on the picture to take you to Amazon.



This was a very short read, but it left me intrigued as much as uncomfortable. The world of Clandestina is an unusual world where humans, Fae, and magic exists. Pierre Salvador is a Duc and a newly qualified surgeon and this is the bit that made me uncomfortable; our romantic lead dabbles in necromancy, he not only communicates with Mora/Death but actually crosses briefly to her realm to gain healing powers. Taking a human life to heal himself was a bit of a gasping moment. (But death does not always means death in Clandestina, pfew!)  This book does take you to the dark side of magic, but I’m intrigued as to how it will develop. The romance between Lizzie and Pierre is just getting started and Larkspur is just a taster of what is to come. Judging by this morsel, I don’t mind ordering the 5 course meal.

Saturday 22 July 2017

Fallen from Grace: A Fight for Light Crossover novel by Nikki Landis

Paranormal YA romance is a very popular genre and there are many books out there being devoured by I would think many women. It isn't my favorite genre, probably a bit too old and cynical now. However I do read all genres (apart from erotica) so I try and be objective and judge based on story, characters and quality of writing. I think this book would appeal to the YA market, but the story was a bit sugary sweet at times. Four stars.
Click on the picture to take you to Amazon.



This is a very romantic story about a seemingly normal girl and the angel that falls in love with her when she is involved in a car crash. Emily thinks she has her future all planed out. She is in college and has a loving fiancée in Jarrod, but in an instant everything changes. She sees the car she is in heading straight into a truck and thinks she is going to die. A gorgeous angel in the shape of Bash saves her, and she too falls in love.
Both parties have a monumental struggle on her hand. Emily needs to find a way to break up with her fiancée Jarrod who she loves and cares deeply for. Bash needs to decide if he wants to go against the will of God and become involved with a mortal. Meanwhile the forces of evil have seen something in Emily too; a beautiful pure spirit and they want her soul.
This story is very romantic and you get swept along by Emily and Bash’s impossible romance. There is also some creepy dark action as the death dealer and the reaper start coming after Emily. If I had one criticism it would be the amount of hugs and kisses, it was early on clear the characters had a great affinity towards each other. I’m probably more of an action girl. Well written and a good standalone addition to a series which I believe counts about 10 books. Great for fans of romance and paranormal, suitable for YA.

Monday 19 June 2017

The Du Lac Chronicles: Book 1 by Mary Anne Yarde

As the temperatures are soaring into the 30's here, the only place to be is the beach. After a refreshing dip I reach for my faithful Kindle and read until it gets too hot again. This one was great beach reading. One of my favourite genres; historical fiction. Quite a sweet Romeo and Juliet style plot, but with two more books in the series, I hope that the final outcome will be happier! 5 stars.

To order click picture:)
This romance that mixes fiction, fact and legend works well. It kept me hooked from beginning to the end. The star crossed lovers were both characters I understood and felt great empathy for as they searched for a place of safety where they could be together. I liked that the writer has set this romance after the fall of Camelot so we recognise and know quite a lot already about the main character Alden’s father; Lancelot du Lac. Not much is known about the dark ages so the bringing in of a well-known saga was something that I liked and gave me some background. Unlike many romances that border on the erotic, this one was clean. In my opinion this was a big plus as the characters were in their late teens and early twenties, so their romance was suitably sweet and innocent. There was plenty of action as the young couple fled Annis’ enraged father and they made their way across ancient Britain. The dialogue contained enough humour to provide us with some lighter moments, overall an engrossing and well balanced read. I’m delighted there are another two books in the series as there are more secrets to uncover and adventure to be had.