Tag: romance

This Chick Read: Edge of Truth (The Legionnaires #2) by Brynn Kelly

Journalist Tess Newell is being held hostage in an African cell when French Leggionaire Flynn is also taken hostage and thrown into the dark with her. In complete darkness Tess bandages his wounds waiting for the cell door to open and the terrorist Hamid to come in for another round of torture. Fortunately, Flynn isn’t going to wait around for that to happen and in a daring breakout he and Tess join together to outsmart and outwit the terrorists who want to use them as propaganda for their own agenda.

Just because they had escaped doesn’t mean that Tess and Flynn are safe. They must get to where Tess has hidden a file that will break her story wide open and end the political corruption that is fueling a war and will stop the terrorist plot. This novel started off quickly with a breakout and was running non stop until the end of the book. Did they defeat their enemies? You need to read this book to find out.

I really enjoyed this story. Tess was her own brand of hero, finding a story and not giving up even though her own life came under fire. She and Flynn were not without their problems, but they were stronger together than they were apart. I liked their mix of brains and brawn that didn’t always fall down stereotypical lines. It helped ground their characters and made it easy for the reader to root for and identify with them.

This is the second book in a series, but can be read as a stand alone novel. I didn’t read the first book, and didn’t feel like I missed out on too much back story. I am curious enough to go back and read Deception Island. I think I may have found a new author I can enjoy! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Edge of Truth

Click this link to purchase! Edge of Truth (The Legionnaires)

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am an Amazon Associate and will receive a small stipend if you purchase this book through the above link.

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This Chick Read: The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy E. Reichert

This book has been on my radar for a couple of years. I have a sweet tooth and the cover spoke to me and I’ll admit to purchasing her Luck, Love and Lemon Pie book for the same reason. What can I say, coconut cake and lemon pie are two of my favorites!

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake was aptly named as our heroine, Lou, is the chef/owner of restaurant Luella’s in Milwaukee. She has just baked the titled coconut cake to deliver to her fiancee’s house for his birthday. As she was walking to his house, she run’s into our British hero, Al, on the street. He is struck by her smell of vanilla and coconut, and fondly remembers her as he goes about his every day. Lou doesn’t have quite as good a day because she delivers the cake to her fiancee who is caught with a co-worker in their underwear. Dropping the cake, she rushes back to her restaurant and has the absolute worst day of cooking/service ever. Of course, this is the day that Al, the food critic for the local paper, chooses Luella’s to critique. Needless to say, he was pretty brutal. Drowning in her sorrows at the neighborhood pub that night, tipsy Lou, meets charmed Al, not knowing he was “the” food critic and offers to show him around Milwaukee.

This is the set-up for this love story. Through showing Al what the locals love about Milwaukee, she rejuvenates her restaurants vision and also opens Al’s eyes to the charm of this city. The reader is in on who Al truly is, while the two of them are completely ignorant of the fact she is the owner/chef and he the critic that has tanked her restaurant. These two characters were completely likable, the setting original, and the food explored really yummy making this a really light, enjoyable weekend read. A perfect vacation book!

The food references in this book just about killed my resolve. Sweets and cheese being two of my absolute favorites. The city of Milwaukee also needs to put this book in all of the hotels as a guide for what to do and where to eat. Assuming they are all real events and places, I may have to plan a trip to Milwaukee myself. The city was as charming a character as Al and Lou.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Coconut

Click this link to purchase! The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved.

I am an Amazon Associate and receive a small stipend if you purchase through the above link.

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Friday YA: The Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

As the daughter of a Raja, Maya should’ve had a life of privilege and love. She did live in the lap of luxury within the harem where she was born, but because of her horoscope she has always been hated and feared. When her father arranges a political marriage, she must choose a husband who will help save her kingdom from war. She does not choose a husband from the suitor’s her father put in front of her and instead chooses Amar. a masked stranger, who sweeps her off to his kingdom.

This novel deserves to be set to music, it’s words are like lyrics, but despite the pretty prose, the first half of the novel seemed a little slow. However, when Amar arrived on scene the pace of the novel picked up and my interest peaked. Who was this masked man and why wasn’t he scared of her horoscope of death and destruction? You knew there was more to his story than a handsome prince rescuing her from the brink of war and an unhappy marriage. When they arrive in his kingdom, Maya finds his kingdom was a land of mystery, loneliness and darkness and she starts to doubt her decision. Fear not, fair readers, there is a happy ending, but just like all great fairy tales there are roads that must be traveled and hearts to mend before our King and Queen find their HEA.

I love traveling to different countries and exploring a culture that might be very different from my own. The Star Touched Queen was an adventure into Indian folklore and it made me want to explore. I’ll admit that my knowledge of India is limited to their food and Bollywood movies and has always been painted in a faded shade of romance, but The Star Touched Queen with it’s fairy tale like pace and language made those romantic colors more rich and bright. It made me itch to explore more mythology from this fascinating country and see what else I can learn.

If you are like me and love to travel to new places within your imagination, then you need to read The Star Touched Queen. This novel will take you places you’ve never seen and expand your horizon.

Star Touched

Click this link to purchase! The Star-Touched Queen

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

On a side note. I met Roshani Chokshi at a book signing a year or so ago. I couldn’t help picturing her face when I read about Maya. They were both so lovely. (She is the lady on the left)

Roshani

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Blog Tour! Why Stars Chase the Sun by C.R. Ellis

Why Stars Blog Tour

Why Stars Chase the Sun Synopsis:

JADE

Twenty-four hours.

A no-strings-attached adventure with the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen—this was my alcohol-slash-lust-fueled proposal, and given before I could consider the potential ramifications. While his looks alone are enough to make a girl swoon, it’s the rest of him—a perfect balance of mysterious, sweet, and effortlessly charming—that draws me in. Through his cryptic comments and half-answers, he’s quickly become an enigma I’m determined to solve.

 One way or another, this adventure promises to snap the stagnant, lackluster pattern my love life has been locked in lately.

Is it naïve and a little reckless to think this won’t blow up in my face? Probably.

But the bigger question is the only one I need to answer…

Is the chance to soar among the stars worth the risk of being burned when the sun eventually rises?

 EMMETT

Love is a mistake I won’t make again.

My rules are simple. Keep things surface-deep. Don’t make plans. And never, ever get attached.

One look at her is all it takes for me to break my first rule.

One conversation with her is all it takes for me to question everything.

Which means accepting her proposal is bound to be a mistake.

She has no idea who I am or what kind of demons I live with, so I tell myself there’s no harm in spending one day with her. But the more I lose myself in her, the more she brings me out of the darkness and into her light, the harder it’ll be to let her go.

When reality comes crashing down on us in the worst way possible, I have to decide between walking away…or risking everything for the woman who breaks all of my rules.

REVIEW:

Two people who were damaged by their previous relationships and don’t want to take a chance on love again, decide to indulge in each other for 24 hours. It sounds pretty simple, right? Why the Stars Chase the Sun did have a simple premise, but it would’t be a romance novel without a little conflict and our two main characters deciding to throw caution to the winds and fall in love. Usually this kind of novel bores me a little. There is only so much indulging I can take before I think, where’s the story? Luckily, C. R. Ellis gives us a lot of back story for Jade and Emmett and makes it really easy to read to the finish to see them get their happily ever after.

Both Emmett and Jade were truly nice people who had bad things happen to them in their previous relationships. Jade is finally ready to have another relationship and when she bumps into Emmett she knows she wants it with him. Unfortunately, Emmett is not in the same place but doesn’t want to let her go either. Why anyone would think 24 hours would be enough time to get over some serious chemistry, as well as serious like, I don’t know. After their 24 hours was over this romance novel turned into a bit of a thriller, creating some conflict that brings the two of them back together and give Emmett a reason to overcome his previous convictions. I liked this turn in the novel because it added a little heat to the flirty story giving it a little more meat and the ending a bigger impact.

This was my first novel by C.R Ellis and I enjoyed the journey!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I was given a copy of this book for an honest review and it was honest!

Why Stars Blurb

Giveaway Details:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Why Stars

About the Author:

C.R. Ellis is a Texas native who writes contemporary romance novels with plenty of drama and humor, and just enough heat to ignite e-readers and paperbacks everywhere. She can almost always be found attached to her laptop with coffee nearby and her two trusty canine sidekicks by her side. When she’s not writing or plotting, she enjoys going to concerts with her sweet husband, dragging him along to see rom-coms at any theater that serves booze, checking off the next destination on her ever-growing travel bucket list, and trying new recipes.

 Her passion for writing stems from her lifelong love of reading, and she often binge-reads entire books in a day. She’s an unapologetic book hoarder, and her paperback collection is rivaled only by her massive shoe collection.

Buy Links:

Amazon

 Links:

Website | Facebook | Instagram

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This Chick Read: Becoming a Vincent (The Wild Ones #1) by C.M. Owens

Tomahawk, from it’s description, is a rather simple town. People are just folks, cousins are kin, and hi-tech means you drive a speedboat instead of a fishing boat. Lilah and her two brothers are Wild Ones. There are four families of Wild Ones on each corner of the lake in Tomahawk. The Wild Ones are exactly like their moniker, pretty dang wild. They are not allowed at the same party unless it’s a wedding or a funeral of one of the wild ones. Truly, I can’t remember all the rules, but if there are two families at the same party there’s either a fight or something blows up.

For the past nine years, all of the men of Tomahawk have been bearded  because of a bet and all of the ladies are just grossed out. You’d think if you weren’t getting any action because your beard got in the way I wouldn’t think a bet would be a strong enough reason to keep it, but these men are stubborn! Lila’s best friend Benson (also bearded) has been a constant for the last three years. Even though on drunken nights he gets kind of handsy, they never cross that line. When the beard rule gets broken and Benson trims down, Lilah is wishing for that line to be crossed, and soon!

This novel was absolutely hysterical! It had such a fun sense of humor and plenty of tension between Lilah and Benson. I loved how he was just hers, and she was his, even though they had never crossed that friendly line. He was just waiting for his chance. If you are looking for a kind of crazy, fun romance buy this book. I bought it awhile ago on my sister’s recommendation but sat on it. I wish I hadn’t! It’s the perfect pick me up for a down day, a great summer vacation novel, and really just the right book for any mood you may be in. I’ve already purchased the second… ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Becoming a Vincent

Click this link to purchase! Becoming A Vincent (The Wild Ones) (Volume 1)

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Neanderthal Seeks Human (Knitting in the City #1) by Penny Reid

I have never had a friend like Janie Morris, you know, that friend that delivers too much information? OK, now that I think about it I may have had a few, and it’s usually really personal stuff that you just shouldn’t be sharing. Janie also has that TMI disease, however when she starts talking it’s usually extraneous facts and figures. She does this when she gets uncomfortable and no one makes her more uncomfortable than Quinn Sullivan. Quinn is that hot security guy at work that all the women whisper and steal glances at, and Janie is guilty of doing just that. However, when you are having the absolute worst day of your life, you find out your boyfriend cheated on you and you break up with him, you have to move out and you have no where to live, and you lose your job? You do not want THAT guy (aka Quinn Sullivan) to witness it. Just her luck, he’s the one who helps her pack up her things and escorts her out of the building. Obviously this is not the end of Josie and Quinn’s story, it’s just the beginning!

Recently I finished Beard in Mind (which I loved!) and was again entranced with Penny Reid’s style of writing. It’s engaging and funny but also packs an emotional punch. I didn’t want to let go! So, I thought I’d start a series that I hadn’t read of hers, and has a ton of books. That is the Knitting in the City series. Just as with the Brothers Winston, this book had kooky characters that while flying solo may be a bit nutty, but when together make the perfect matched set. Quinn and Josie were Salt and Pepper, that matched set.

Quinn played the straight man to Josie’s kooky mess. When she was spouting information he followed her train of thought, asking her questions to keep the conversation rolling. Who knows what was going on in his own mind at times, he was so stoic, but she seemed to bring out an inner light in him that seemed to be missing.

This novel was so much fun to read. Light, fun, and had all the emotions you would want in a romance. The best thing? There are seven more in the series! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Neanderthal

Click this link to purchase! Neanderthal Seeks Human: A Smart Romance (Knitting in the City) (Volume 1)

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am an Amazon Associate and receive a small stipend if you purchase through the above link.

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Friday YA: Once and for All by Sarah Dessen

Louna is working her final summer before she goes off to college as an assistant in her mothers bridal planning business. Growing up in the midst of bridal madness has given her a rather jaded view of true love and the one relationship she’d had ended tragically. When she spots Ambrose, the gorgeous son of a client, she distantly notes his looks but is disgusted with his laissez faire attitude towards life as she has to reign him in to walk his mother down the aisle. He is a fly in the ointment of her life, and she is the challenge he is determined to win. When her mother hires him for the summer, Louna’s animosity towards Ambrose disappears but she is still afraid to let go and live.

Once and for All took me on a journey into a world of love, loss and friendship. Louna’s one and only love ended abruptly and because she never had the chance to conclude this teenage love she doesn’t know how to move on. When she meets Ambrose she is just disgusted by his good looks, charm, and easy goingness (is that a word?). However, she soon begins to admire that same casual charm. The same things that aggravate  her day to day he seems to deal with effortlessly and with a smile on his face. Finally, of course, women LOVE him. He dates multiple women at a time and Louna only goes out when dragged and set up by her best friend. Then one day, standing in line to get coffee, they make a bet. She needs to become a serial dater and he needs to have a relationship for seven weeks. Winner gets to pick the next date for the loser.

I liked so many things about this story! We take a parallel journey with Louna as she remembers her previous boyfriend and as she starts to live her life again dating. The use of flashbacks effectively delivered the color of Louna’s emotions in the past as a direct contrast to the dull gray emotional world she is living in now. As she learns to move on her world slowly builds in color until Bam! she realizes how she truly feels about Ambrose and how wonderful life is while living it fully. It was very deftly done, and a really enjoyable novel to read.

I want to talk Ambrose for a minute. Did anyone else really dislike him for the first two thirds of the book? I’ll admit, when I started reading I didn’t read the synopsis so I wasn’t sure he was her love interest. It took me a long while to see through that persona into the depths of him. Once I looked hard, I understood where the book was going and then read the synopsis to make sure I was right. Yep! But, I’ll admit I was worried!

There were some other great characters in this book. I loved William, the gay father figure with a spine of steel, her best friend Jilly the oldest sister and wrangler to a million little brothers and sisters, and her mom who went through her own metamorphosis right along with her daughter. I understand why this book touched the hearts of so many people and received great reviews. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Once and For All

Click this link to purchase! Once and for All

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin by Mariana Zapata

Gaby Barreto doesn’t know what she’s going to do with the rest of her life. She just finished college and her boyfriend broke up with her. When her twin brother calls from the road to ask if she’ll come on tour and sell their merchandise for them she says yes and gets on a plane to live in a bus with her brother Eli and his two bandmates. Oh yeah, she’ll also live on the bus with 4 more guys from another band. Gaby has always been fun, funny and one of the guys, but when she meets Sacha Malykhin she wants that friend zone to turn into something else but she’s determined to play it cool.

Gaby is that girl you’ve always wanted to be. Self assured, funny and pretty. The girl that everyone is comfortable around. She grew up listening to her brothers music and has even toured with their band before back in the days when they got around in a beat up bus. I loved her camaraderie with all of the guys, but especially with Sacha. She had just broken up with her boyfriend but when she and Sacha meet there’s laughter and a twinkle to their connection. It just seems to be really easy for them. Even though they don’t get together for a really long time, you can tell that the connection between them, even as friends is real.

This is not your typical rock star romance. There isn’t any drama (well only a tiny bit) and there’s tons of laughter. These people really don’t have a lot of baggage. Maybe that’s why I could relate to them so well? They were an easy couple to see together. I also really enjoyed Gaby’s interactions with all the other guys on the bus, especially Eli and Mason. Eli is her twin so they have that special connection, but Mason is that brother from another mother. He was hysterical!  I’d love to see him have his own story, but he’ll probably have to live in my fantasies instead. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Rhythm Chord

Click this link to purchase! Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am an Amazon Associate and receive a small stipend if you purchase through the above link.

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Friday YA: Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

Starry eyes weaves the story of Zorie and Lennon. Two ex best friends who decided to take their relationship to the next level. Sounds pretty simple, right? It should be but family drama, miscommunication, and teenage emotions cause Zorie and Lennon’s relationship to shift from young love to not speaking. When the two of them get stranded camping they find their way out of the wilderness and back into each others hearts. I read very few teen romances but this story was very well done and I was intrigued by all of the different aspects of these characters. Zorie and Lennon were as unique as their names and Jenn Bennett’s Starry Eyes an intelligently written vehicle for their story.

This was my first Jenn Bennett novel and was rather surprised by the adult subject matter. Lennon has been raised by two moms who own an adult sex shop. As wild and crazy as that may sound the scenes in the shop were subtle yet filled with humor. Most of the early emotional drama came from Zorie’s father who hates Lennon and his parents. As the novel goes on we are clued into the why’s and wherefore’s but in the beginning this hatred seems filled with bigotry.  Zorie’s emotional growth is displayed by the way she deals with her father and his irrational anger and marital problems with her step mother. Also, I feel I should give a warning, the teens in this book are all sexually active which I guess is not uncommon today but I found myself trying to double check their ages a couple of times. At times I forgot I was reading a YA novel, so if you have kids, be aware of the adult content.

Lennon was a perfect blend of nerdy cool. He had two moms, worked in a snake shop and had a b-level rock star for a father. What’s not to like? Even though the novel was written from Zorie’s perspective you could feel Lennon’s emotions and really identify with his character. I can totally see YA readers being easily captivated by him.

I really enjoyed this novel in large part because of all of the surprises revealed through the story, but also because of the unique setting. Most of the novel takes place while Zorie and Lennon are hiking through the wilderness. Seeing nature and the night’s sky through their Starry Eyes almost made me want to pack a bag and a book and go on a hike. Almost. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Starry Eyes

Click this link to purchase! Starry Eyes

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am an Amazon Associate and receive a small stipend if you purchase through the above link.

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This Chick Read: Awakened by Fire (Dragons of Bloodfire #2) by Erin Kellison

Samantha Vine is home to see her grandfather and to be a reluctant bridesmaid in her cousin’s wedding. She hasn’t been home for years because it’s hard for her to hide what she is, and if she gets found out both she and her grandfather’s lives will be forfeit. She is a Tempus, someone who can travel through time. She was saved as an infant by her grandfather who fed her the blood of Warrick Voclain, dragon and Bloodkin Triad member, an act that also created her Tempus status. Samantha’s family has always served the Voclain’s and when she finds out that her grandfather and Warrick are in danger she stays in New York to go back through time to find out who is trying to harm them.

Warrick is a very strong dragon and when Samantha uses her magic in his presence he knows immediately what she has done. It’s against the law, but she has done it to help him which intrigues him.  After putting her own life in danger, he falls prey to the attraction they feel for each other and is willing to lay his life on the line so that she can keep hers.

I read the first novel in this series a couple of years ago and immediately purchased the second intending to read it immediately. Of course, time got away from me but this weekend I saw it on my kindle and picked it up. Wow, it was good! Even though the cover has the whole naked chest thing going on (not my favorite type of cover) this book had a great plot. It was a mystery first and relationship building story second. I loved how the author took her time to let the reader get to know these characters and let the characters get re-acquainted with each other. By the time the two of them became romantic I was all in, rooting for him to forget the fact she was human and her to also give his dragon brooding self a chance. There was a lot of action, fight scenes, and subterfuge with the romance lifting the story to the next level. A very fun weekend read! I will  definitely not wait as long to pick up the third novel in the series.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Awakened by Fire

Click this link to purchase! Awakened by Fire: Dragons of Bloodfire 2

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am an Amazon Associate and receive a small stipend if you purchase through the above link.

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