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★ Current Giveaways and other Goodies ★

  1. Lauren Layne Prize Pack with: Review Copies of Stiletto Series, Loveswept Tote and Mug or $15.00 E-Retailer Gift Card of Winner’s Choosing — Ends May 4th, 2014
  2. TOUR WIDE Rafflecopter Commenter Giveaway for FIVE Print Copies of HOLD ME IN CONTEMPT by Wendy Williams — Ends Apr 27th, 2014
  3. Grand Prize - $25 egiftcard and a copy of A KISS OF LIES ebook retailer of choice or one of 3 First Prize bundles - A KISS OF LIES and A PROMISE OF MORE from your ebook retailer of choice from Bronwen Evans. — Ends Apr 26th, 2014

♦ Quote of the Week ♦

“Those who feed on rumors are small, suspicious souls.” ~ Charles R. Swindoll
“Ducking for apples -- change one letter and it's the story of my life.” ~ Dorothy Parker

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    Rating Guidelines

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    4 Stars: good book just not great.
    3 Stars: A readable book, passable
    2 Stars: Large errors / plotting holes
    1 Star: Not recommended

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    Sexual Heat Levels

    Adult Romance only
    5 Flames: Taboo, or extreme
    4 Flames: Same Sex, menage, frequent
    3 Flames: Sex at end: not prolific
    2 Flames:Heavy Petting, not graphic
    1 Flame: Kissing, Flirting. No sex.

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    Submissions & Policies

    Review policies, submission form and accepted genres will be found at this link. UPDATE 10/17 Reviews are OPEN for 2014 Dates. Submission form is open, no reviews are implied or guaranteed.
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AudioBook Review A Girl’s Guide to Vampires: Dark Ones #1 by Katie MacAlister

AudioBook Review

I should preface this review by saying that I have been a fan of Katie MacAlister (and her alter-ego for YA/Teen Reads) Katie Maxwell for a long while now: my daughter and I would pass her books back and forth repeatedly and read them regularly.  So it was particularly wonderful to have won this AudioBook copy.

Significant parts of the story are told in the heroine, Joy’s, voice: smart, self-deprecating, funny and charmingly inept in relationships Joy and her best friend Roxy are off to the Frankfurt Book Fair, with a side trip to the Czech Republic to bask in and hunt down their favorite author, the reclusive CJ Dante, author of the Dark Ones series: full of alpha male vampires and the heroines who love them.  Read more

Dark Surrender by Erica Ridley

Book Review: 

I was excited to try another story by this author, having read a paranormal romantic comedy from her last year, and I was not disappointed by Dark Surrender.   A gothic  story with a heavy feel of the darker moments in Wuthering Heights, the unique elements and clever characterizations kept me devouring the pages.

Violet Whitechapel has spent her life striving for an independent life doing what she loves: teaching and encouraging girls to use their brains and their own determination to fulfil their own lives, with or without a marriage and family.  When the benefactor of the school dies, and his heir takes over the management, things take a dramatic change.  Violet doesn’t like the new management, or the changes, and when she encounters him abusing one of the girls in her care, she fights back to free the girl. Unfortunately, the abuser is killed and Violet runs, fearing she will be charged with murder.
Read more

Beloved Enemy: Unholy Alliance #3 by Lacy Yager

Book Review:

My third encounter with the Unholy Alliance series, this is a wonderful addition to the clever interweaving stories of survival and love that this author has penned.  I would suggest readers start at the beginning of the series: they are quick and engaging reads and you will find several characters are wandering through each story.

The book starts a bit slowly, we are reintroduced to several characters and discover a new cast member in Genevieve.  A much younger than her peers student at MIT, she is determined to make her way at school, and doesn’t allow her lack of a social life to bother her: much.  Read more

Laura English by Lynn Arias Bornstein

Book Review:

A fictional life story of an ordinary English girl who wants to become an actress beloved and known by many is the premise of this story is the first offering from this author.  Rich in description and glamour juxtaposed with tragedy, the life of Laura is laid out to reveal her life and thoughts in a story that occasionally suffers from pacing issues and lack of focus.

The writing is simple and easy to understand, perhaps too simple in the obvious juxtaposition of living your dream and the tragic events of real life, or the sacrifices you make to keep your dream life viable.  While not exactly set in a wonderful event, tragedy, wonderful event format: there are several moments as I was reading when something good would happen that I was then wondering just what the horrid event would be.  Read more

AudioBook Review: Cupcakes and Ink, Clipped Wings 0.5 by Helena Hunting

AudioBook Review:

A quick and short listen that is background information for the Clipped Wings series and more specifically the characters of Tenley and Hayden, and how these two came to know one another.  Helena Hunting has managed to create a short novella installment that manages to encourage new readers for her series, while simultaneously providing a nice tidbit to readers only familiar with the longer stories.

Hunting’s writing is smooth and descriptive, and she manages to completely differentiate both voices and points of view for Tenley and Hayden as she gives the floor to Tenley in the first half and Hayden in the second.  There are differences that are both sex and age appropriate to the feel and sound of the characters, and letting us see a glimpse of the emotional turmoil that is integral to their lives at the moment.  Read more

AudioBook Review: His Forbidden Touch (Stolen Brides #2) by Shelly Thacker

AudioBook Review:

A medieval setting is the backdrop for this romance, which starts with a bang in the center of a battle scene.  My first introduction to this author provided plenty of excitement at the beginning, while we are introduced to the heroine in a curious and headstrong-ish princess Ciara.  Quickly this introduction moves to a more sedate pacing, rife with descriptions that serve to set visual references for the listener/reader.

I’ll be perfectly honest right up front and say that this was possibly the most difficult AudioBook to complete that I have ever had, considering I have reviewed over 100 titles. That is saying something, unfortunately it’s not great.  The narration by Julia Motyka required quite a bit of getting used to, and the odd mispronunciations and affected delivery of her narration in “uncharacterized distinction’ was quite frankly, annoying.   Read more

A Promise of More (The Disgraced Lords #2) by Bronwen Evans with Giveaway

A Promise of More (The Disgraced Lords #2) by Bronwen Evans with Giveaway

Today I am continuing with a wonderful historic romance series from author Bronwen Evans, that combines romance, society and a touch of suspense to make a wonderful series!  You should be sure to check out the other tour stops and don’t forget to enter the wonderful (and expansive) tour-wide giveaway where you can win the  Grand Prize – $25 egiftcard and a copy of A KISS OF LIES ebook retailer of choice or one of 3 First Prize bundles – A KISS OF LIES and A PROMISE OF MORE from your ebook retailer of choice.

Book Review: 

The second in the series and the second I have read by this author, and this series is just getting better!  What’s not to love from a group of men, nicknamed the Libertine Scholars: each of the men has a difficult family history and other issues to overcome, although most have struggled for years to prove themselves different from their fathers.  The women in this series are all, bar one, the exact woman each man needs at this time in his life.  None of their women are typical missish romance heroines: strong willed, determined, loyal and laden with their own past issues to overcome; these are interesting pairings that feel appropriate. Read more

AudioBook Review: Graven with diamonds: the many lives of Thomas Wyatt by Nicola Shulman

AudioBook Review:

I had the opportunity to review this title before it was released in print last year. I jumped at the chance to review the book in AudioBook form, while the 389 pages of text are layered with references, poetry and fact, I wanted the chance to see if hearing the words would be easier or more difficult to affix references and information than the easy flip-back a page or two which can be done with the book in written form.

As with my first review, the book starts with a bang using poetry as it was used in the time of the Tudor court: information sharing, poking fun, setting alliances, all used very much in concert and context with the affairs of the court and courtiers of the day.  Narration provided by Paul Fleschner is both mellifluous and crisp, providing nuanced recitations of the poetry that enhances the phrasing and provides structure and emphasis to lines that are further used to elucidate the author’s points as she puts the information into a context. Read more