Tag: book reviews

This Chick Read: Cold Reign (Jane Yellowrock #11) by Faith Hunter

The eleventh installment in the Jane Yellowrock series finds Jane and her crew anticipating the visit from the European vampires when revenants start popping up around New Orleans killing masses of humans and providing a great distraction for Jane, Eli, and George. Investigating why these newly risen vamps have rose after having their heads cut off when buried uncovers a mystery that is centuries old and ties directly back to those soon to be visiting vamps. Cold Reign shows the evolution of Jane’s power, her growing love for her family and boyfriend, and the peace she has created with her inner beast.

I have tried to tell people why I love this series so much and I don’t think I do a very good job of it. It’s hard to describe how book 11 is so much better than book 1-3 and how the author found her groove with this character. When people see this kick butt heroine on the cover of the novel it’s easy to think that it’s all action and no plot. It is certainly a high octane story, but each plot have subtleties that tie each book together. That Jane’s every emotion has nuances that harken back to the early novels when she was a loner and lived only on surface emotions. The fact that this loner has built a family and found love, all while living in the same body as a dominant panther spirit who wants to show her and everyone else who’s in charge.

Having read Faith Hunter’s Soulwood Series first, I was always curious about what happened between Rick who is a featured character in Soulwood, and Jane. Cold Reign does delve into the past and answers a lot of questions. It also brings resolution to that story line, at least up to this point. I enjoyed how having Rick in the picture brought Jane’s emotions to the front, but not in the direction you’d think. It made her claim George and his reaction is priceless.

This novel is again a fast paced, action-adventure, emotionally driven piece of fiction. Going from my every day life to this story was like driving a Honda daily and being given the keys to a Maserati. You can’t help but hit the gas pedal and seeing how quickly you can get to 100. If you’ve not read this series, consider this me giving you the keys to the car. You need to hit that gas pedal right now. You won’t regret the ride and may enjoy the wind in your hair. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase! Cold Reign (Jane Yellowrock Book 11)

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you should purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Dream Chaser (Dream Team #2) by Kristen Ashley

After Lottie successfully set up their friend Evie and Mag, the rest of the Dream Team has been shying away from their hook-ups. Ryn Jansen doesn’t have any interest in Boone Sadler despite their obvious attraction to each other. She’s been let down by men before and isn’t willing to trust that he’ll be any different. When he shows up with information that her ex sister-in-law has been conning her out of money she’s upset for two reasons. She got conned by her family, but also Boone butted into her business! Despite his good reasons, Ryn is not happy but this time he isn’t giving up. When a bad guy kidnaps her for info, Boone becomes all alpha male claiming her as his, determined to get to the bottom of her kidnapping and to protect her with his life.

I did not read the first book in this series, Dream Maker, before I read Dream Chaser, but I certainly went to my kindle and downloaded it immediately upon finishing this novel. It was so much fun! The Dream Team series is a spin off of the Rock Chick series, one of my favorites. These novels were about fun, friends, and yes their alpha men, but the heart in these books make them easy to read and love. Dream Team was exactly the same, a return to the hay day of Kristen Ashley writing. Or at least when I liked her writing more.

What can I say about these characters? The Dream Team are strippers but like Julie Roberts in Pretty Woman, these strippers are only doing it for the money, not because they enjoy stripping. Like the Rock Chicks before them, there is an underlying plot running between the novels, so while I didn’t read Dream Maker first, if you have that chance, I’d read them in order. Also, I liked Dream Maker even more than I did Dream Chaser. Ryn has a family who takes advantage of her, taking her money, keeping her from pursuing her own dreams. Boone with his direct approach helps her come to terms with them.

As with KA’s more recent novels, Dream Chaser has some hard core sex scenes, but you know what? She did a lot of fade aways in this series too. It was a good blend of showing some action and not giving too much. Or at least it was to me. I like a story with my romance and I found it in this novel. In fact, this is why I started reading Dream Maker immediately upon finishing. This book took me back to why I had initially liked Kristen Ashley so much. Let’s hope she continues in this vein, or at least that there are a LOT of books in this series.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review and it was honest.


Click this link to purchase! Dream Chaser (Dream Team, 2)

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Poppy Redfern and the Fatal Flyers (A Woman of WWII Mystery #2) by Tessa Arlen

Poppy Redfern is sent out on her first solo assignment with the London Crown Film Unit to produce a short film about the ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary) and the heroic Attagirls who flew those missions. When one of the pilots dies in a training exercise while her crew is filming and then the next day another girl dies, Poppy and her American Fighter- Pilot boyfriend Griff realize there may be a killer loose and they set out to investigate. Set against the backdrop of World War II, Poppy Redfern feels like an old fashioned, black and white, who dunnit, and I couldn’t help but cast Katherine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart in the leading roles.

On old fashioned mystery was just what I needed to transport me to a time when DNA, CSI, and high tech equipment didn’t exist. Poppy reminded me of a girl Friday, but one who could smell deceit as well as a good story. I really enjoyed the naive qualities Poppy portrayed, a tribute to the time she lived in as well as her own morals. Her dogged resilience in the face of the man’s world she lived in made me like her pluck. I also enjoyed Griff’s good ole American portrayal of WWII pilot and found their relationship to be sweet and fitting to a book of this style.

The historical elements of this novel while not too detailed did ring true. The author gives a nice salute to the Attagirls, young women whom I didn’t even know existed. This era of women doing the job’s that required doing during this time of war is fascinating. It makes me want to spend an hour or two on my laptop researching the facts that supported this story. Tessa Arlen did a good job painting a picture without getting mired in the dry facts, romanticizing these women and weaving the mystery of two of their deaths.

I really enjoyed this novel. Yes, it was simple, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t smart. It just had an air of innocence that reminded me a bit of an old episode of Superman before the onset of special effects. If you love an old fashioned novel, then the Poppy Redfern series should be on your TBR. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase! Poppy Redfern and the Fatal Flyers (A Woman of WWII Mystery)

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you should purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Knight (Unfinished Hero #1) by Kristen Ashley

Some Spoilers Ahead!

Anya is going to night school while working a 9-5 job by day AND she fills in the extra hours building up her manicure clientele for the business she wants to open some day. Needless to say she doesn’t have a lot of free time on her hands, but when one of her girlfriends gets in a mood and wants to go out, Anya dresses up and goes to support her friend. She ends up at a private residence at a party held by this guy who is NOT a good guy. Done with the party she didn’t want to be at anyway she searches for the bag and jacket she left in a bedroom and reaches for the phone she see’s on the nightstand to call an Uber when she meets Knight, brother of the jerk throwing the party and kind of a jerk too. He does offer to drive her home, asks her a few questions about her life, and the next thing she knows her life starts to get a little easier.

I read this book when it first came out and because I read so many books a year I couldn’t remember anything other than I didn’t care for it that much. I decided to re-read it to see if my opinion had changed over time. Knight is the first novel in one of Kristen Ashley’s older series called Unfinished Hero’s. She shares in her prologue that this series is about that kernel of goodness in some not so very nice guys. The idea intrigued me. Yes, not everyone is 100% good, but you don’t usually see a romance novel where the hero makes choices the reader wouldn’t agree with and still ends up with his heroine, but in Unfinished Hero this is what happens. Knight is a nightclub owner but there is a lot of mystery about how he went from nothing to having the money to open the most prestigious and talked about club in their town. Anya has very good intuition and knows he’s not 100% good, but she’s had a really tough life where she’s had to make choices and understands that there are shades of bad and Knight is not the darkest shade.

OK, so we know Knight has some kind of mysterious source that got him to the point he could open this amazing nightclub, and KA drags out the anticipation so that Anya can fall for him completely. When his nefarious brother arranges for her to find out what else Knight is involved with she chooses to believe in the good in him and not get scared away. Now, I do believe there are shades of good and bad, but I would have a really hard time overlooking the fact that he owned a stable of women. Now, this isn’t the first time someone has glorified hookers, think Pretty Woman. I mean, who wouldn’t love the hooker with a heart of gold. But the man who runs the group of them? It is still hard for me to think he’s a hero. I’m sorry. There were moments that I really liked in this book. I loved that he wanted to take care of Anya and see her do well. I guess that’s pretty much what I liked about him. He wasn’t the most emotional guy in the world, he was a control freak (in and out of the bedroom), and there wasn’t a traditional HEA in Anya’s future. He wasn’t ever going to marry her. When you’re reading it it seems like it all makes sense, but when you’re done reading and thinking back on everything the fantasy falls kind of flat.

If you like reading books about not so nice guys and their women, then this is probably the series for you, and in the right frame of mind, I may like it as well. Re-reading this one during a pandemic with a political environment like we’ve been in may not have been the best time for me to pick this one up again. ❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase! Knight (Unfinished Heroes) (Volume 1)

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens

Minnie Cooper and Quinn Hamilton were both born on New Year’s Day, their mothers going into labor in the same hospital at the same time. Quinn’s mother gives birth first and wins a cash prize for delivering the first child of the year and also names her son the name Minnie’s mother was going to name her, in essence ruining all of her mom’s plans. Her father named her Minnie and her mother blamed her for every bad luck thing that happened making Minnie believe that her birthday was the worst day of the year. When she meets Quinn at a New Year’s Eve party and realizes he is THE Quinn Hamilton that stole her name, she tells him the story and he’s charmed by both the story and her. Over time they run into each other and develop a friendship, each learning a little bit more about each other’s lives. Minnie, who always thought Quinn’s life was charmed realizes that not everything is as it looks and there’s a lot more hidden beneath the surface. This story plumbs the depths of Minnie and Quinn’s lives intertwining them until it seems fate has brought them together for each other.

This novel centers around several relationships. Minnie’s friendship with her best friend, Minnie’s relationship with her mother, Quinn’s relationship with his mother, and then, of course, Minnie and Quinn’s relationship with each other. Besides the story that revolves around our two central characters I really enjoyed their relationships with with their mothers. Minnie’s was especially fraught with tension. Her mother let that one evening overshadow how she raised her daughter making her critical and kind of a complainer. It was neat to see that relationship evolve once she and Quinn met and her mother started evaluating her behavior. Quinn’s own relationship with his mom is loving as he’s a caretaker for his sensitive and kind of unstable mother. He loves her but also knows that she’ll need him to care for her for the rest of her life. That weighs on a person. The story navigates through these relationships with love, humor, and a realness that brought solidity to a story that wasn’t unpredictable.

This Time Next Year is a really funny book. I tried to read it quietly while in the room with my husband and there were several moments where I was holding in my laughter while crying. I love a story that makes me laugh and this one definitely did that. The silly moments were well balanced with tender, emotional moments making this a really well balanced novel. These character were three dimensional making this novel very easy to escape into. I really liked these two characters, in fact I liked every one in this novel. They were quirky, different, difficult, and really interesting, but it was Minnie and Quinn who pulled it all together into one cohesive multi-dimensional group.

I, like a lot of readers this year, have had trouble falling into a book, so when it happens it makes an impact. This Time Next Year was that book for me. I really liked the main characters, the conflict, the resolution, and the humor that they kept through all of the drama. The story was very intricate with each piece fitting together creating a unique story and a fun experience for the reader. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase! This Time Next Year

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: The Awakening (The Dragon Heart Legacy #1) by Nora Roberts

Breen Kelly’s father left she and her mom when she was a little girl, but she remembers the fanciful stories he told about a land filled with magic. When she discovers her mother has been hiding an account in her name filled with millions of dollars she quits the job she hates, unburies herself from her student loans and travels to Ireland, hoping to find the father who left her behind. Instead, she finds a land filled with magic, and a home that she’d always dreamed of having.

Nora Roberts never lets me down. She is consistent, and even when writing fantasy, I enjoy the yarns she spins. The Awakening was no different. In a world where I’m now having difficulty concentrating on a story, I was so happy to be able to immerse myself and step into a land just as Breen steps into her new world.

Let’s talk about these characters. Breen has been overwhelmed by her mother, told she wasn’t good enough, and led to believe that she couldn’t have the things she dreamed of having. Oh, I hate reading about those kinds of mothers! When Breen went off to Ireland she developed a confidence that was fun to read. I enjoyed seeing her gain her strength and a spark of sassiness. Her best friend Marco was a really fun character. He was her strength when she was weak, but became her biggest champion as she found her voice. I’m hoping he is a bigger part of the second novel in the series. He deserves his own story! Keegan, is the leader (I’m not going to try to say the Gaelic or Fey term that Ms. Roberts used and I stupidly didn’t write it down) of the Fey in Talamh (pronounced Tala). He was arrogant and well kind of not nice. I wondered when he would turn into the hero and felt kind of let down by how he was portrayed. His is another character I hope we see flesh out in a more positive manner in the second novel. Especially since he is Breen’s love interest.

I would call this series romantic fantasy, but only in the sense that Ireland, the Fey, Elves, etc. are romantic to read about. I felt a little bit let down in the romance department, but if I threw out any notion that this was supposed to be a romance I would say I enjoyed this fantasy novel. So that is the reason why I’m giving this novel a 4.0 rating. I wasn’t really sure if there was supposed to be a romance between our two main characters. I mean the kind of romance that ends in a happily ever after instead of uncertainty. This novel definitely ended in a cliffhanger, so beware the abrupt ending! I rather liked it because it led me in an unexpected direction, but if cliffhangers are your thing, I thought I’d give the warning. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase! The Awakening: The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book 1 (The Dragon Heart Legacy, 1)

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I may receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: The Boy Toy by Nicola Marsh

After a failed marriage Samira Broderick left Australia and started a succussful new life in LA. When her cousin needs her help in her clinic, Samira offers to come back for six months and pitch in. Being back in Australia after years away, Samira is happy to re-connect with her mother, Kushi, but doesn’t miss the busy bodies in her Indian community. Her mom is always trying to marry her off to a traditional Indian man, but Samira doesn’t want that again. She connects with Rory, an Australian stunt man and starts a secret relationship that’s just supposed to be fun. When feelings start to develop she wonders if she’ll be able to leave after her six months is up.

What about the above sounded interesting? I’m not sure except that I have really found novels that include Indian culture very interesting. Samira is of mixed heritage with a caucasian father and traditional Indian mother. Despite her father being against setting up her first marriage, Samira went along with her mother and married a man that she thought she fell in love with, but it fell apart. Scared of committing to anyone Samira has focused on her career and pushed love aside. When Rory saves her from an unwelcome pickup in a bar, they connect and have a sizzling attraction to each other. Thinking she’d keep this just as light-hearted as her other relationships she is surprised when Rory sneaks under her skin.

Rory was a big surprise. His description sets him up to be a good looking Aussie and not much else, but the author spent a lot of time giving him a back story. He has stuttered since childhood and his self-consciousness is the reason for his insecurity. Like Samira, he’s not looking for a serious relationship either because he’s afraid to pass along her stutter to a child. I think this is the first time I’ve read where stuttering is hereditary and I thought that was really interesting!

I liked these two characters a lot. The author did a good job of making them feel real. I also loved (again) the peak into Indian culture and Samira’s family dynamic. I’m not sure if I was Indian in a past life or what, but I love reading about this culture even in a romance novel. This was a fun novel with a bit of serious undertones. A nice solid romantic drama that ended well and left me feeling good about these characters and their happily ever after. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase! The Boy Toy

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you should purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Daring and the Duke (The Bareknuckled Bastards #3) by Sarah MacLean

Grace Condry, along with her adopted brothers, lived on London’s streets as children after running away from their abusive father. They toughed it out, fighting for money and eventually becoming powerful on their own and as adults fight for a different cause. The betterment of their neighborhood. When Ewan, the Duke of Marwick terrorizes their home, the brothers band together to protect Grace, his one time love. They’ve never forgiven Ewan for his betrayal, but Grace never forgot their long ago love. Can she forgive Ewan for her broken heart?

I’ve really enjoyed this series about these bastard children of a Duke and the hardships they’ve overcome to build a life in one of the deadlier neighborhoods in London. The first two novels told the story of the brothers, and Grace only had a small part in those so I never felt I really got to know her. In Daring and the Duke we finally see the culmination of this hatred between the three brothers who were ripped apart while fighting for a Dukedom. They’ve hated Ewan pretty viciously so I didn’t really know what to think about this love interest for Grace and was really only mildly curious. I was intrigued with how Sarah MacLean would tell their story and make me care for a heroine who had always lived in the darkness.

Grace was not your typical regency heroine. She is a madame of a brothel where the roles are flipped. This is a place where gentile women can go to live out their fantasies choosing from a bevy of men. Kind of an interesting job for a heroine of a novel, right? The author did a good job of portraying her role in a female empowerment kind of way so that it felt different but not disreputable. Well, maybe only slightly. Who was this woman who wore pants, managed a brothel, and held a sword as well as a man? It turns out, she was a pretty interesting one! My question was, what would this Duke be like and how would he hold her interest?

Secrets were finally revealed about the truth behind Ewan’s role in their betrayal and it turns out he had a very good reason for his behavior when they were children. Don’t worry I won’t spoil the plot, but needless to say when Grace hear’s it she doesn’t find it difficult to forgive Ewan. How though, does a brothel owner and a Duke maintain a relationship? For me, that was the real conflict in this novel and one I would think would be a doozy! The author creates a very interesting and surprising resolution! Is it realistic? Nope! But, this is a historical romance so realism kind of gets thrown out the window.

I had never read a Sarah Maclean novel prior to reading this series and I have to say I was impressed. The characters are very non traditional and feel real because they weren’t a complete fantasy. Their situations didn’t feel as real, but like I said above you kind of have to let reality slide when you choose to read a historical romance. She created a great fantasy world and is an author I’d turn to when wanting to escape my own bit of reality.

Click this link to purchase!* Daring and the Duke: The Bareknuckle Bastards Book III

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*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Shadow Rites (Jane Yellowrock #10) by Faith Hunter

Jane Yellowrock is the enforcer to the Master Vampire of New Orleans, Leo Pellissier. Handling vampire politics is never easy but when she is magically attacked she finds a link to the upcoming Vampire-Witch enclave. A meeting that is planned to align the American witches with Leo’s territory, and include their safety, before the European vampire meeting in a few months. Jane’s attack means someone is trying to undermine that meeting and Jane needs to find out who and destroy their chances of success.

Jane has a lot riding on finding who and what may be trying to ruin her chances of protecting the vampires and witches. Her job as enforcer is one, but more importantly the safety of what she considers her family; her partners ElI and Alex, her boyfriend George, and her best friend Molly and her children. Connections are new to Jane, and she is determined to protect them all, even if it’s from herself.

This novel again brought out something new in our hero. Frailty. Physically she’s still strong, but her feelings make her insecure. In Shadow Rites Jane pushes herself past the barriers she has put up to protect herself and allows herself to imagine that she may not be able to keep everyone safe and she may just have to let them save themselves. I think this was a big step for this character and makes her so much more interesting! In both Broken Soul and Dark Heir she allowed her emotions to overcome her inner objections, but in Shadow Rites she has to allow herself to trust. In both herself and those around her she cares about.

All of these changes should lead to a stronger heroine to protect her friends and family when the European vampires finally come to New Orleans. We may have another book or two before that happens as the author gets Jane fully prepared to handle the danger that is still to come. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase!* Shadow Rites (Jane Yellowrock Book 10)

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Crazy Stupid Bromance (Bromance Book Club #3) by Lyssa Kay Adams

Alexis Carlisle has PTSD from being sexually harassed by a former boss, and instead of acting on her attraction to her friend Noah she has put him firmly in the friend zone. When a young woman approaches her in her coffee shop and claims she’s her half sister her life spins off it’s base and she turns to Noah to help her through, especially when she find out her father needs her kidney to live.

The premise for this series is that a group of men use romance novels to help them learn about themselves and the women they love. A fun premise that so far hadn’t lived up to its expectations, however Crazy Stupid Bromance comes the closest. Noah and Alexis are quite the pair. He is an ex hactivist who as a teen had angrily hacked into a government property after his father dies in Afghanistan with faulty equipment. Alexis came to fame because she charged a celebrity chef with sexual harassment and hasn’t trusted a man since. These two shouldn’t have been a likely couple but they somehow worked and I think it was because they had the basis of a solid friendship before moving on to anything heavier. Their story wasn’t rushed like a lot of romances are and the pace was pretty perfect.

Alexis was the catalyst to Liv and Mack’s romance in Undercover Bromance so I felt like I knew her a little bit, but Noah’s character hadn’t really been explored yet. He was the computer nerd of the group and that’s about it. I loved that he had this kind of rebel background and an anger that he still hadn’t overcome. It gave he and Alexis a little conflict that seemed more natural that sneaking around and spying on a Chef as the previous novel had done. So the story felt real and not fabricated.

Alexis’s newly found father (and his family) also created some conflict, so this story wasn’t all puppies and butterflies. In fact, I shed a couple of tears at her heart-wrenching decisions about her family and really enjoyed how this author wrapped up that story. All in all this has been my favorite of the three Bromance Book Club novels. I think the Russian may be up next and I’m not sure I’m ready to read his hairy, gross story, so this series may be put on pause on my TBR. We’ll see what that synopsis looks like. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it is honest!

Click this link to purchase! Crazy Stupid Bromance (Bromance Book Club)

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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