Category: Reviews

Synopsis (taken from Amazon)

“Fight me all you want. It will make your eventual submission all the sweeter.”

Brynne Larimore is going back to her three-date rule. Her judgmental ex-boyfriend is history, and her steamy BDSM novel needs an injection of real-life experience. Club Dominus promises an education, if she can get past the icy Scottish billionaire who owns the place. Too bad his arrogance makes her want to rattle his cage, not follow his rules.

Gage MacLeod has been called a grumpy alpha-hole, and he wears the label proudly. Ruthless and unyielding, he protects his London club’s elite clientele and refuses to be tempted by the willful, curvy redhead pretending to be submissive. His pr*ck might be intrigued, but rules are rules.

When Brynne attracts the attention of a notorious Russian club member known for devious tactics of seduction, Gage must make a choice: protect her or walk away. But when she betrays his trust and puts his business at risk, his wrath knows no bounds.

Review

This book went beyond what I typically read as a romance, and I loved it!

I could visualize the quaint settings and imagine Gage’s deep, attractive voice. It was an interesting way of learning a little about BDSM through the eyes of a character who was also trying to learn about it. Ivanov was a creep from the get-go, and I could feel myself cringe away, as I am sure Brynne did during every interaction with him.

The author did a great job using dialogue to show what the characters were doing and how various relationships formed. Every good romance has tension between the main characters, and this was no exception. The tension and the allure were potent throughout the book, and I couldn’t put it down.

I hope that the next book is as enticing as this.

If you enjoy a great romance with tension and more, this book is for you.

Get your copy here (affiliate link – thanks for your support).

Synopsis (taken from Amazon)

Profiteers are preying on displaced souls who seek freedom, sacrificing everything. Wanting to give their children hope and a future, but they wrongly trust on a roll of loaded dice. Teens are picked off and sold into slavery. Cartels offer the choice to strong, young men to move illegal drugs over the border or die.

The R-Group and CATS team leaders want to end Mateo’s inhuman business model. The heroes must derail the human exploitation and opioid epidemic, killing people in increasingly dramatic numbers. If they can save even a few from the jaws of death, they win.

The present-day battle is in full swing, yet it can end badly for humanity unless the Enigma Heirs triumph. Who will survive the onslaught and how fast can they make Mateo pay?

Review

This book picks up where the last one left off, which I loved. The characters were content, yet they knew there was more work to be done. Once they figured out where that work was going to take place, they got right into action.

There were other standout characters in this book, especially the two computer techs. Their banter and friendship were fun, and yet you knew they meant business.

Human trafficking is not a laughing matter, and neither is the opioid epidemic. Having lost a sibling to drugs, this storyline hit home. The empire that Mateo was building needed to be toppled. The author did a great job bringing the reader on that journey and giving a satisfying conclusion.

I had the pleasure of listening to this audiobook and appreciated that the narrator used different voices for each character. I knew precisely who was speaking, giving the listener a more visual feel. I was enticed by the story and listened to it constantly (cooking and walking the dogs). I just couldn’t put it down until I knew what would happen next.

Most investigations have various avenues. The authors took that into account and led us on not just one but multiple journeys to stop Mateo. I appreciated the diversity of the missions happening simultaneously and how seamless the writing was in keeping the different investigations moving forward.

If you enjoy a good investigative book, this is the read (or listen) for you!

Get your copy here (affiliate link – thanks for your support).

Synopsis (taken from Amazon)

Scona must choose. Protect her father, or embrace the darkness she’s been trained to destroy…

Despite warnings from family and friends, Scona Tinay enrolls in Silencers Academy.

To escape a life of poverty and hardship and ensure a stable future, Scona sets her sights on the Silencers, where the students earn a wage. She soon learns her fellow students are cutthroat and the training regimen brutal.

As Scona heads deeper into her training, she begins to question the role of Silencers, as well as the “madness” she is being taught to destroy. But each question she asks brings her under suspicion, and she soon discovers the only person she can trust is herself.

Unable to change the culture of her world, where mental ailments are deemed dangerous, she must embrace all manner of skill and courage to protect her own father…

Someone she has been training to kill.

Review

From the first chapter I was hooked. Scona’s interest with Silencers drip from every page and seeps through to the reader . I was intrigued with how different Scona was from the rest of the crowd. She was not a sheep following the indoctrination of the society. However, she had to live a double life adding to the intrigue. Her character development was perfectly fitting to what a teenage girl would go through as she learns that what she has been told may or may not be as it seems.

The author did a fantastic job describing the dominating government oversight. How far they go to keep ‘the madness’ from spreading. Without giving away anything, the madness was the most fascinating part of the book. It is more than an illness it is a commentary on society. Interwoven through the story were questions we should all ask about illnesses.

It gave me 1984 vibes but far more interesting of a read.

If you enjoy a great book that keeps you thinking and wanting to read on this is a great choice!

Get your copy here (affiliate link – thank you for your support).

Synopsis (taken from Amazon)

What makes a person a trusted friend or lover?

How does it feel when you have that status? It takes years to earn and seconds to destroy.

Dive into these selected short stories, exploring romance, friendship, and the rocky roads. Trust is a critical element of any successful relationship.

Explore the bonds of trust and love. The journey determines the destination for these friends and lovers.

Enjoy the stories.

Review

This is a collection of seven short stories that are easy reads. Readers can curl up and immerse themselves in love through these stories. 

There was lots of dialogue (which I love!). I am not a ‘lovey-dovey’ person, but I enjoyed this book. The stories are sweet but not over the top—except the last one. A few of the stories had danger and the characters overcoming past trauma. These kept me intrigued, and I could see an entire story being written about how the characters came to that place. 

My favourite was Caribbean Dream, the story in the middle of the collection. The forged friendship and how they would work through tumultuous times were powerful. Having a true friend can sometimes be hard to find, but when you have one, the bond is unshakeable. You are in it together, ups and downs.

If you enjoy short stories that you can cozy up with, then this book is for you.

Get your copy here (affiliate link).

Synopsis (taken from Amazon)

Shahrazad’s Gift is a collection of linked short stories set in contemporary Cairo—magical, absurd and humorous. The author focuses on the off-beat, little-known stories, far from CNN news: a Swedish belly dancer who taps into the Oriental fantasies of her clientele; a Japanese woman studying Arabic, driven mad by the noise and chaos of the city; a frustrated Egyptian housewife who becomes obsessed by the activities of her Western gay neighbor; an American journalist who covered the civil war in Beirut who finds friendship with her Egyptian dentist. We also meet the two protagonists of McCullough’s Confessions of a Knight Errant, before their escapades in that story. These stories are told in the tradition of A Thousand and One Nights.

Review

Each story stands alone, but some characters overlap, making this collection more interesting. Readers get a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people and the idiosyncrasies that span the world.

I enjoyed the variety of stories with diverse characters. From America to Cairo to Japan and other places, life holds similarities throughout cultures. We all have struggles and smiles. Of course, there are differences, and the author does a great job of giving the characters the uniqueness they deserve.

I was entertained throughout the book, but the one that stood out to me was Fatima’s New Teeth. I don’t want to spoil it, but this story’s message is poignant. It happens frequently, and we need to be more conscious of it. Read it, and you will understand!

If you like an interesting read with some humanity, this is the book for you.

Get your copy here (affiliate link – thank you for the support).