Romance

Review of Spin by Genevieve Raas

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Synopsis (from Amazon):
A necklace, a ring, a child…There is always a price one is willing to pay. 

Laila sees her impending death in the mountains of straw waiting to be spun into gold. Faced with the impossible, she makes the impossible decision to survive, no matter what the cost.
A shadowy stranger sees an opportunity for vengeance. 
Born to a nightmarish destiny that crushed and embittered his faith in humanity, he devotes himself to dealing in dark desires and desperate souls, and Laila’s is ripe for the trade.
When the stranger asks his price, Laila is bound by blood and magic to pay. 
His own heart was never supposed to be part of the deal, but when honor drives Laila to break their bargain, he ends up tangled in his own web of deceit and destruction in a desperate attempt to save her life. In the black of night, there are no fairytales, only choices.
One choice makes a queen. One choice consumes a soul. It’s a roll of the dice in a game where love is everyone’s undoing. 

Review:
I thought the way Laila and Rumpelstiltskin’s relationship developed was great, but I was vastly disappointed in the way he reacted, and in how this book ended. While it is the beginning of a series, I greatly disliked the middle to end of this book so much that I have no intention of reading the rest.

Star Rating: 

Review of Disparity – a Rumpelstiltskin story by Sonya Writes

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Synopsis (from Amazon):
King Cameron regrets the decision he made when Marvin Bellemont declared his daughter could spin straw into gold, but if he goes back on his decision he fears he will look weak before the kingdom. Still, he thinks he knows how to make things right. He will spin the straw into gold himself, in the form of a tiny disheveled man named Rumplestiltskin.

Review:
A very unique take on Rumpelstiltskin. I wanted her to see past appearances, and while I was glad of a happy ending, it was sad that she couldn’t be the one to create it. Her reaction to learning that he was Rumpelstiltskin was frustrating, because she should have realized the connection herself, and shouldn’t blame him for what had been done to him.

Star Rating: 

Review of Once Upon a Time Travel by Sariah Wilson

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Synopsis (from Amazon):
Once upon a time…

Recent college grad Emma Damon knows the Rose Room in Hartley Hall is off limits, which is exactly why she can’t wait to get inside. Once she enters the forbidden room, Emma learns more about the history of the museum than she ever intended to know.

Waking up confused and shocked in 1816, all Emma wants is to return to her cozy home with flushing toilets and disposable razors. But when she’s mistaken for someone else, Emma must pretend to be everything she’s not. About to be engaged to the Earl of Hartley’s brother, Emma fails miserably at playing the role of a sophisticated lady.

Hartley is determined to ensure that the quirky and adorable woman marries his brother – despite his ever-growing attraction to her. After loving and losing, he refuses to fall prey to the shackles of love. But as his desire for Emma increases, he knows he must forfeit his happiness for his brother’s future. After all, there’s no such thing as happily ever after.

Or is there?

Review:
A quite well rounded story, expertly switching from the modern world to 1816. Emma is unique when thrown backwards in time, and it’s refreshing to see someone who doesn’t wish to be idle and do nothing (or only have countless children). Watching Emma and Hartley get to know each other and become closer while learning just how much manly knowledge Emma has is quite amusing. One cannot help but root for our time traveling heroine, wanting her to find a way to have everything she didn’t as an orphan.

Star Rating: 

Review of #Starstruck by Sariah Wilson

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Synopsis (from Amazon):
“You’ve done better.”

With one uncharacteristically sassy tweet to her longtime celebrity crush, Zoe Miller’s life turns upside down. Ultrahot A-lister Chase Covington doesn’t just respond to Zoe’s tweet, he does the unthinkable: he messages Zoe directly. Now she must decide between walking away or meeting her crush in person.

Chase knows better than to trust anyone from the Internet, but Zoe’s saucy challenge has totally caught his interest—and her girl-next-door personality is keeping it. He’s been burned enough to know he needs to keep his heart close. But his feelings for Zoe might be a lot more than just an online flirtation. He just has to convince her…

When the press gets wind of Zoe and Chase’s secret relationship, their romance turns into tabloid headlines. Will they be able to hold on to their Hollywood love story?

Review:
There are parts of this story I absolutely loved, and others I found predictable. Chase has a troubled past, and after letting Zoe in, he finds he doesn’t trust her (despite saying he does). Zoe, on the other hand, lets Chase into her life completely, meeting her family and seeing how he gets along with her much younger siblings. Zoe doesn’t want anything from Chase except to spend time with him, get to see and know the real him, but between Chase’s fame and his trust issues, while reading it is really up in the air whether or not they can reconcile their very different walks of life.

Star Rating: 

Review of Loved by the Dragon by Vivienne Savage

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Loved by the Dragon: A Dragon Shifter Paranormal Romance
Dawn of the Dragons Book 1
By Vivienne Savage

Star Rating: 
Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling, Romance
Number of Pages: 335
Winter 2018

Synopsis: (From Amazon) 
Two complete stories/No cliffhanger/120,000 words/Adult content/PROFANITY
Author’s Note: Be prepared for kinky sex and bad language. Originally published as Saved by the Dragon, Mated by the Dragon, and Taming the Dragon.

Chloe’s weekend getaway doesn’t go according to plan when she’s trapped in a cave with a gorgeous, golden-eyed rescuer named Saul. His fiery secret and a hot, one-night stand will set in motion events able to change her life forever — but all dragons aren’t ready to accept mortalkind. As shadowy forces in the draconic world object to their new union, Chloe must find the strength to fight for a future with the man she holds dear.

When Marceline Vargas agrees to join her friend Chloe for an island vacation in Mexico, she’s ready for fun in the sun and an escape from her hectic career. After crossing paths with the resort’s owner, she soon discovers the billionaire dragon shifter is a charismatic enigma — sexist but kind-hearted, intimidating yet generous. Can his chauvinistic patterns be tamed? Marcy intends to find out.

Review:
Chloe and Saul’s story is so sweet and nice. You can’t help but hope that Chloe will come around. While I understand that part of the big climax was to introduce other characters for the following books, I thought it was a bit annoying/unrealistic. The language used in this book is very different from Savage’s usual language when writing romance, and I don’t particularly care for the word choice.

Marceline and her billionaire shifter friend I didn’t find as endearing because it seemed a bit too contrived and forced. Could he not have pushed forward during the time they were apart to try to explain, or is it just because time is so different for dragons?

I did like these stories, but I prefer Savage’s fairy tale romances personally.

Author Biography: (From Amazon)
Sign up at http://www.viviennesavage.com/newsletter to receive an exclusive, free novel.

Vivienne Savage is the pen name of two best friends who write everything together. One works as a nurse in a rural healthcare home in Texas, and the other is a U.S. Navy veteran. Both are mothers to two darling boys and two amazing girls. When they aren’t raising children, writing fantasy, or concocting ways for shapeshifters and humans to find their match, they play online RPG games to pass the time.

All works by Vivienne range from urban fantasy and sweet adult romance to spicy shifter fiction with an erotic kick. Visit her site to determine which series is best for you!

Official Site: viviennesavage.com
Facebook: facebook.com/savage.books
Twitter: twitter.com/msvsavage
Instagram: instagram.com/msvsavage
Email: vivi@viviennesavage.com

Review of Taming Red Riding Hood by Lidiya Foxglove

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Taming Red Riding Hood
Fairy Tale Heat 8
By Lidiya Foxglove

Star Rating: 
Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling, Romance
Number of Pages: 164
Winter 2018

Synopsis: (From Amazon) 
I finally have a home, reunited with my human father. He’s well-to-do, with a pretty wife and a grand house, and the moment I step in the door, I’m expected to begin lessons in reading, writing, and behaving like a lady.

But I’m no lady. I’m a wolf.

And much to my surprise, so is my tutor. Mr. Arrowen has a human name and human manners, but golden eyes don’t lie. He’s wolvenfolk, to be sure, pretending to be a proper gentleman. Wolves know their mates right away, and I can’t deny the attraction I feel—but somehow, he can, and he does. He doesn’t want to risk his reputation, especially when wolves have been killed over less than laying a hand on a wealthy girl. My family would like to see me marry my distant cousin Patrick.

Patrick is as handsome as Mr. Arrowen, but he’s a hunter. He has his sights on the most wanted creature in the kingdom: the white wolf accused of killing a sacred stag. Patrick wants my help to track him and claim the reward. I yearn to run through the woods, but my father would never let me—unless I pay a visit to my grandmother’s cottage. But do I want to hunt one of my own kind, even if he is a criminal? And what if he isn’t a criminal at all, but someone all too familiar…?

Taming Red Riding Hood is a standalone fairy tale retelling for those who like an unabashedly adorable happily ever after with serious steaminess! Although it is definitely standalone, it doesn’t hurt to read The Beggar Princess before this one.

Review:
Imagine being born into two cultures but only raised in one. After a tragedy and a few years of hard labor our heroine finds herself trying to fit into her father’s world, which becomes more and more difficult when she finds her wolf instincts taking her over. Through the steamy wolf mating season to the mystery of her tutor, you can’t help but want her to find a way to coexist with her father’s world.

If you like steamy fairy tale romance, this is another Foxglove book not to be missed.

Author Biography: (From Amazon)
Lidiya Foxglove likes her fairy tales to be very naughty indeed. She grew up on a steady diet of fairy tales, folklore and fantasy and loves the swoon-worthy romance and happily ever afters, but thinks the best fairy tales also have the thrill of forbidden desires. If she’s not writing, she’s probably reading. Come hang out with her on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/Lidiya-Foxglove-1702249670069437/
Contact: lidiyafoxglove@lidiyafoxglove.com

Review of Royal Beast: A Dark Fairy Tale Romance by Nikki Chase

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Star Rating: 
Genre: Romance, Fairy Tale Retelling
Number of Pages: 289

Date Started: December 24, 2017
Date Finished: December 24, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)

Life’s not a fairy tale, and princes don’t fall for bookish virgins like me.

 

I didn’t know about the secret palace in the woods. Not until I held a stolen rose from its gardens.

A tall, dark, and mysterious man lives within the palace. He’s known across the kingdom as the royal beast. They say he’s a monster.

He also happens to be the crown prince.

As punishment for my crime, the prince orders me to spend one month as his prisoner.

But instead of throwing me into the dungeon, he whisks me into his bedchamber. The arrogant bastard says he’ll make me beg to give up my virginity.

I tell him there’s no way in hell that’s happening, of course.

He’s the freaking crown prince, and I’m just a girl from a provincial town in the middle of nowhere. We don’t belong together. That’s obvious.

But somehow he knows about my dark, secret desires. All he has to do is speak in that low, dominant voice, and I melt into a submissive puddle. Despite my reservations, I find myself wanting to surrender my virgin body to the prince—and my heart, too.

I really should stay away. But being punished has never felt so good.

Review:
I wasn’t certain I was going to like this novel when I began. The opening was brash, and I think it would have been much better to keep that bit where it belonged in the time line, versus having it being so jolting at the beginning with no idea what’s going on. Because of the opening, I was quite jarred by the language, and it took a few pages for me to figure out the time period they were supposed to be in– something that could have been a gradual understanding if the book hadn’t had the prologue.

Once I was situated in the story, I found myself quite intrigued. The Royal Beast isn’t your typical beast, and his story isn’t just that of him being cursed. Both the beast and Rosemary have a nice depth and I enjoyed the way their other interests played into the story. This book was definitely a romance novel, full of a decent amount of D/s style elements.

If you’re looking for some hardcore romance with a hint of a fairy tale, you’d likely enjoy this book.

Author Biography: (From Amazon)
Nikki Chase is a best-selling author of contemporary romance that features bad-boy heroes and kick-*ss heroines. She derives some kind of sick pleasure from putting her characters in impossible situations where they have to struggle to find their happily ever afters.

Review of Goldilocks and the Bear by Vivienne Savage

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Goldilocks and the Bear: An Adult Fairytale Romance
Once Upon a Spell book 3
By Vivienne Savage

Star Rating: 
Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling/Fantasy/Romance
Number of Pages: 272

Date Started: December 13, 2017
Date Finished: December 15, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
Lady Victoria hungers for excitement, but how can she find it while cloistered in her cousin’s castle? Encouraged to journey north to pursue an adventure of her own, an abandoned lodge seems as fine a place as any to stop for rest.

Ramsay is a shifter without a mate. Overwhelmed by the responsibilities of becoming his clan’s new Father Bear–and the female attention that comes with that title–he leaves on holiday to enjoy the peaceful, northern hunting lodge. Finding his bed occupied by a golden-haired beauty wasn’t part of the plan, but claiming her may be.

Review:
I was so disappointed in this novel. Not only are we jumped from Victoria’s status as untrained to suddenly capable, but the romance doesn’t build at all, and it’s almost as if it’s supposed to be desire at first sight.  While I didn’t think they were a poor fit, there was almost no time spent on a connection developing between them, unlike the previous two books in the series.

This story also had quite a bit more Aladdin in it (though with a twist) than Goldilocks. It was a good tale, but not as great as the other three I’ve previously read. I did enjoy learning more about Safiyya since I had previously read Savage’s version of Rumpelstiltskin before the beginning of this series.

Author Biography: (From Amazon)
Vivienne Savage is a resident of a small town in rural Texas. While she isn’t writing fantasy or concocting ways for shapeshifters and humans to find their match, she raises two children and works as a nurse in a rural retirement home.

All works by Vivienne range from urban fantasy and sweet adult romance to spicy shifter fiction with an erotic kick. Visit her site to determine which series is best for you!

Official Site: viviennesavage.com
Facebook: facebook.com/savage.books
Twitter: twitter.com/msvsavage
Instagram: instagram.com/msvsavage
Email: vivi@viviennesavage.com

Review of Red and the Wolf: An Adult Fairytale Romance by Vivienne Savage

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Red and the Wolf: An Adult Fairytale Romance
Once Upon a Spell book 2
By Vivienne Savage

Star Rating:  
Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling/Fantasy/Romance
Number of Pages: 284

Date Started: December 13, 2017
Date Finished: December 13, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
Sorcha knows every inch of the forest, but a spontaneous visit to her grandmother thrusts her into the middle of a brutal conflict between shifters and an unknown force in the woodlands.

As the alpha of Clan TalWolthe, Conall is obligated to protect his fellow wolves at all costs–even if it means his life. After the pack lands in the crosshairs of a huntsman with a grudge, Conall encounters a red-cloaked beauty who may hold the key to defeating an ancient evil menacing their land.

Red and the Wolf is a fairy tale retold for an adult audience and improper for anyone below the age of 18. Readers who enjoy strong heroines, caring alphas, detailed world building, and out-of-this-world adventure will be hooked.

Perfect for readers of Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Action and Adventure, Sword and Sorcery, and Shifter Romance.

Review:
Oh my goodness, this book draws the reader in from the beginning and leaves you enthralled until the end. This isn’t your typical Red Riding Hood tale, but one with lots of twists and turns, and some very nice romance.

Red is a capable heroine who isn’t going to step back and let others do a job for her, which is admirable. While she is a bit more naive than the typical capable heroine, the explanation of her being coddled made sense, and it made some exchanges between she and Conall even more enjoyable.

While it is a romance novel, the romance adds to the story, and the plot is solid even without it.

This one was hard to set down. I definitely recommend it! Can’t wait to read book 3 in the series!

Author Biography: (From Amazon)
Vivienne Savage is a resident of a small town in rural Texas. While she isn’t writing fantasy or concocting ways for shapeshifters and humans to find their match, she raises two children and works as a nurse in a rural retirement home.

All works by Vivienne range from urban fantasy and sweet adult romance to spicy shifter fiction with an erotic kick. Visit her site to determine which series is best for you!

Official Site: viviennesavage.com
Facebook: facebook.com/savage.books
Twitter: twitter.com/msvsavage
Instagram: instagram.com/msvsavage
Email: vivi@viviennesavage.com

Review of Chosen By the Prince by Calyope Adams

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Chosen By the Prince
By Calyope Adams

Star Rating: 
Genre: Historical/Medieval Romance
Number of Pages: 300

Date Started: November 21, 2017
Date Finished: November 21, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)

He can choose only one woman. He chose her…

Spoiled socialite Jillian is at the Royal Palace for a party when the King’s Advisor pulls her aside. He informs her that she’s been selected to be the Prince’s personal plaything for the remainder of her days, or until he releases her from servitude. It is her duty as a loyal subject to try and please him, no matter what the cost to her pride.

Jillian stares at the handsome Prince in shock as the guards lock the jewel encrusted collar around her neck. He doesn’t even like her!

He’s been giving her odd, dark looks for years. What she doesn’t realize is that he’s been biding his time, waiting for her to grow up, to be ready to be Chosen By The Prince… 

Review:
Bad. The one word I can think to describe this novel is bad. The characters aren’t fleshed out, and the plot is all over the place. There are three distinct different “issues” that must be gone through, but together it feels as if these could have been three short stories about three different sets of people instead of thrown together in one book. Firstly, Jillian and the Prince don’t get along, and she feels she has to do what he wants to keep her family safe. Secondly, Jillian’s past comes back for vengeance. Thirdly, the prince’s future attacks due to jealously/envy as well. When finally the third part is resolved, one wonders why the Prince wouldn’t have taken that path once the first major issue or second were resolved, instead of waiting until there is another huge problem.

The jeweled collar seems to denote some sort of BDSM relationship, but frankly, it’s impossible to see that in this book. The Prince’s attitude abruptly changes throughout, from being caring and considerate to callous because of Jillian’s displeasure.

Perhaps most annoying, is the foreword that this is the third edition of the book, and yet it is rife with grammatical errors which easily could have been found by an editor.

Although a quick read, the book doesn’t given any emotions other than- oh, well, that’s over now. The ending is nice, but there was a lot of slosh to go through from the beginning to get there, and it would have been a much nicer, short story if half of the issues were cut out. The second and third problems really served no point to the central story and while providing conflict didn’t change any part of the relationship between Jillian and the Prince.

Perhaps her other novels are better, but I would not recommend this one.

Author Biography: (From Amazon)
Calyope Adams is a life long avid reader and writer, usually found with her head in a book. Most recently she has been exploring the sensual side of life. She’s fascinated by history, mythology and the power dynamics inherent in romantic relationships.

You can find out more about Calyope’s work on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Calyopeadams/

Please visit https://tinyletter.com/calyopeadams to join her mailing list!

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