Romance

Review of Engaging Mr. Darcy by Rachel John

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Synopsis (from Amazon):
“Angry people are not always wise.” – Jane Austen

After a standoff in the pizza parlor, Elsie Bennet has decided Fitzwilliam “I-Throw-Fitz” Darcy is the worst customer she’s ever encountered. Also the best looking, but that’s beside the point. She’s horrified to discover Will is not just passing through her small town, he’s her new neighbor.

Will Darcy has all the money and time he could ask for, and yet life never seems to meet his expectations. When his best friend, Charlie, starts dating Jane Bennet, Will becomes their unhappy third-wheel. The solution? Bring along Jane’s sister, Elsie, a girl who challenges him, makes him laugh, plagues his thoughts, and unfortunately, hates his guts.

Will might control a lot of things, but he won’t control her. Elsie’s already been warned away by her new friend, Jeff Wickham, who found out the hard way that Will is not someone to be crossed. Things would be so much simpler if she was attracted to Jeff. But she’s not. She’s attracted to Will, and the tug-o-war between her mind and her heart is going to drive her mad.

A modern day take on Pride and Prejudice with all the characters you know and love.

Review:
This is probably one of my favourite modern day versions of Pride and Prejudice, after The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. This is an original take in which Jane and Elsie actually work and help support their parents. Jane is as kind and practical as ever, and Elsie is, as our Elizabeth/Lizzy always is– feisty, hot tempered, and perfect.

The twist on what Jeff did to Will’s sister was definitely not something I’d anticipated, but I found that it really added an extra layer and depth to the story. Like every version of the story, I hated Caroline. I also really liked how Charlie seemed intelligent about business, but completely hopeless about romance. While Darcy is ever a snob, it was neat to see him trying to give Charlie the right idea of what to do to not be a massive jerk.

The whole Jeff/Darcy thing was really well done, and what Jeff did to Lydia was quite genius too. It never would have occurred to me to put together the events that Rachel John did, and I think that altogether, this book is definitely on my top Pride and Prejudice retellings list. I highly recommend!

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 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 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 The Mermaid Bride by Lidiya Foxglove

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The Mermaid Bride
Fairy Tale Heat 6
By Lidiya Foxglove

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

Date Started: October 27, 2017
Date Finished: October 29, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
I was never a conventional sort of mermaid. I’ve been a scavenger and a thief. The surface world has always called to me, and now I’m not the thief, but the prize; my memories lost, my tail turned to legs. In this strange new land, my protector is none other than Prince Wrindel of the high elves. They say Wrindel is a playboy, but he feels so familiar to me. He says he is saving me from a witch, but he can’t tell me anything more. Is he my savior…or did he steal me from the sea?

When I am in his arms, I hardly care. Every sensation of my newborn body is like nothing I’ve felt before, and the more he shows me of his world, the more I never want to return to the ocean. I just can’t shake the nagging feeling that I left something—or someone behind. How did I get here? Who is this witch? And if she is my enemy, why did she deliver me into the arms of a handsome prince?

I’m not the first mermaid to live at the Palace of Waterfalls. The pools and fountains of this famous palace of water hold dark secrets, and if I don’t unlock them, we might never find happiness. But unlocking the secrets might also mean giving up my newfound legs, and I will have to choose between losing the man I love or being his willing captive…

The Mermaid Bride is a standalone fairy tale combining elements of The Little Mermaid and the mermaid/selkie bride tales of Ireland, for those who like an unabashedly adorable happily ever after with a side of serious steaminess! 

Review:
Oh my goodness. Ms. Foxglove has hit her mark, and I believe this to be her very best of all that I’ve read from her so far.

The combination of The Little Mermaid and selkies is excellently done, adding an extra element and depth to the mermaid’s story that wasn’t there before. What was even more awesome, was that all of the side characters were well developed and fun too. I enjoyed her sisters, and the sea witch– oh the sea witch. The Sea Witch was phenomenal. Is she good? Is she evil? What is she exactly? Read to find out.

The romance is stunning. While Prince Wrindel may have been a playboy it’s difficult for our heroine to care, given how dedicated and attentive he is. Together, they have quite the mystery to solve, while he teaches her the mysteries of her own body.

This book was short, but it was every bit as long as it needed to be absolutely amazing.  If you like fairy tale retellings and romance, this book will be absolutely perfect for you. It’s my favourite by Foxglove so far.

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 These Wicked Revels by Lidiya Foxglove

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These Wicked Revels
Fairy Tale Heat 2
By Lidiya Foxglove

Star Rating: 
Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling, Romance
Number of Pages: 155

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
Princess Evaline

I should not be so intrigued by the King of the Revels’ wicked promise. I should not wish to abandon my family and remain in this faery land of song and dance forever. But it was a temptation, when in my own homeland of Torina, my pious mother forbids me from my beloved music and dancing…much less dancing with beautiful men.

But do I love the King of the Revels enough to belong to him?

Will

I haven’t been the same man since the King of Torina sent me to fight in his pointless, bloody war. I came home with a limp and bad memories of my friends dying in my arms, but now the king has offered Princess Evaline’s hand to anyone who can figure out why her slippers are worn out in the morning. I accepted out of revenge. But as soon as I saw her, I knew I wanted to capture her heart fair and square. First, I’ll have get past the King of the Revels…

These Wicked Revels is a standalone fairy tale retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses for those who like an unabashedly adorable happily ever after with a side of serious steaminess! (Even the trees are naughty in this one. You’ve been warned.)

Review:
I’m torn. I did love the novel, but I had at one point hoped, wished, and prayed that Evaline would make quite a different decision.

The characters were so well developed in this novel. The reasons Evaline wanted to go where she can dance are understandable, and make one hope she can remain free forever. Will, on the other hand, is equally well developed, though in another way entirely. While Evaline may be an innocent, not understanding or taking part in important kingdom wide events, Will has lived a full life of service, and understands what would make a kingdom run better. I’ve never read a story that had such depth of a character, and such an amazing roundabout way of bringing it all together in the end.

The sexual tension runs high in this book, and I believe the scenes are written fairly well.

 

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 Beauty and the Goblin King by Lidiya Foxglove

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Beauty and the Goblin King
Fairy Tale Heat 1
By Lidiya Foxglove

Star Rating: 
Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling, Romance
Number of Pages: 152

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
Maybe I was the girl Clara didn’t want me to be. Here I was, with the goblin king, and I didn’t want him to stop.

For the past ten years, the Goblin King has stayed locked away in his caverns. He only opens his doors for one purpose: he will give one gold coin for every night a girl is willing to spend with him. Despite his fearsome reputation, his fangs and claws, the girls come back safe and sound, and they never say a word about it. One must be very desperate to accept such an offer…or very curious. Well, everyone says curiosity has always been my downfall. Too clever for a girl so beautiful.

Now my family is on the brink of losing everything. My sister Clara knows the goblin king’s story has always intrigued me, and she’s willing to sacrifice me to get her hands on his money. But I finally have the chance to sate my curiosity.

What will I find when I get there? A man who is cruelly cursed, haunted by a past misdeed? Or the man who will unlock all of my secret desires?

It has been a long time since the Goblin King trusted anyone, but if he is willing to trust me, I might be able to save him and his people. But the witch who cursed him is close at hand, and she doesn’t play fair.

Beauty and the Goblin King is a fairy tale retelling for those who like an adorable happily ever after with a side of serious steaminess!

Review:
Beauty and the Beast is known to be my favourite fairy tale, so I was interested how this would pan out with a goblin beast. I quite enjoyed him. I thought he was well developed, and that you could tell what he had learned from his experiences.  HOWEVER, our protagonist seemed undeveloped and seems to suffer from love at first… intimacy.

If the relationship between the Beast and the protagonist had been drawn out a bit more instead of her instantly wanting to help him and stay with him, it would have been a bit more believable. Minus that, I still found the story rather enjoyable, though the female protagonist leaves a lot to be desired.

I did read more of this author later, and will say I believe her writing and storytelling quite improved.

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 Her Secret Desire by C. J. Archer

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Her Secret Desire
Lord Hawkesbury’s Players Book 1
By C. J. Archer

Star Rating: 
Genre: Historical Fantasy, Historical Romance
Number of Pages: 316
Summer 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)

Prepare for a romp through Elizabethan England, where finding love is written in the stars…

Comely, courageous Minerva “Min” Peabody, a poor but passionate playwright, is determined to make her mark. Ill-fated to live in Elizabethan England, when women—deemed the inferior sex—most assuredly did not write plays, Min will prevail. With her finished play in hand, she implores Roger Style, a local theatre manager in London, to read it. Though desperate in his own right—due to a string of commercial failures—all Style sees before him is a woman playwright, and refuses to even look at her work.

On impulse, Min changes her story, claiming the play was written by the man standing across the street, and secures the manager’s agreement to review it. But her choice of surrogate, Robert “Blake” Blakewell, promises to be a mixed blessing indeed. Blake, a handsome blue-eyed sea captain with his own agenda, is a man with a mysterious past, a pair of breathtaking shoulders, and an irresistible aura of intrigue. Though he agrees to her outlandish proposal, she has to wonder, as she gets lost in his eyes, what in the world she’s gotten herself into.

Blake’s own mission? To ferret out the cad in Roger Style’s theatre company responsible for getting his sister with child. And when that objective threatens to derail Min’s nascent career, his dilemma is a daunting one: protect either his family’s honor or the woman who’s slowly but surely softening his heart and winning his love.

Funny, fast-paced, and with a deliciously dark edge, Her Secret Desire speaks to any woman who’s ever had to fight for her dreams in a world that just won’t take her seriously.

Review:
Too often is it easy to forget that jobs women now thoroughly enjoy and thrive doing had once been considered taboo. This book did an amazing job of showcasing what was expected of a woman, and how men were able to dictate exactly what a woman was allowed to do.

Min is a relatable heroine with worthy ambitions and goals. While she wants something unattainable her reasons for pushing so hard are admirable. Even in the face of complete ruin she is only willing to do what it takes to keep the ones she loves safe, even if it means sacrificing her own desires in the process.

C. J. Archer is such a great, wonderful person on top of being a great author.  She has a fan group on Facebook, CJ Archer’s Ministry of Fans, where people who like her books can talk about them, and Ms. Archer interacts with her fans frequently (which makes her even more endearing).  If you are like me and adore her books, join the group and chat with like minded individuals.

cj
Author Biography: (From Amazon)
C.J. Archer has loved history and books for as long as she can remember and feels fortunate that she found a way to combine the two. She has at various times worked as a librarian, IT support person and technical writer but in her heart has always been a fiction writer. While she has written historical romance in the past, she now writes exclusively in the historical fantasy genre (with a large dose of romance). She has several series which occur in the same Victorian-era “world”, one after the other. Each series can be read alone, but it’s more fun to start at the beginning with THE EMILY CHAMBERS SPIRIT MEDIUM TRILOGY. Follow that up with all 9 FREAK HOUSE books, then the MINISTRY OF CURIOSITIES series. GLASS AND STEELE, her newest series, is set in an entirely different alternate Victorian London.

Subscribe to C.J.’s newsletter to be notified when she releases a new book, as well as get access to exclusive content and subscriber-only giveaways. Join via her website: http://www.cjarcher.com

She loves to hear from readers. You can contact her through email cj@cjarcher.com or follow her on social media to get the latest updates on her books:
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