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Book Review Tempted by Vanessa Vale & Renee Rose

Megan Nicole

Book 2 of the Two Marks series

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: adult cowboy shifter romance

Romance:⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reading rate:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The book is short & fast paced, I finished in one sitting

Recommend if you like: Psy-changling, A Drop of Magic

This was a really fun ménage shifter romance.it is the type of book that focuses mainly on the romance plot between the main characters and less on other plot. Even so I think a great job giving extra story line was done.it was quite predicable inconsistencies but still overall enjoyable d great for what it was.

– I did not realize this was the second book in the series until after I finished it, even so I did not feel I was missing any information to enjoy Tempted.

– I loved that the FMC is a Wolf Biologist it was real fun that she was a nerdy girl and that she already had so much lane for women.

– the book started right from the beginning with the steam between characters. There were ménage scenes but nothing dark.

– I am definitely interested to see more of what happens pack in future installments.

Synopsis:

We see a female, we want her.
We scent a female, we claim her.
We touch a female, we give her two marks.
Because in our pack, shifters share.
Two cowboys for every mate.

Renee Rose and Vanessa Vale are back with more steamy shifter cowboys! Be sure to read Wolf Ranch, then swing by Two Marks, Wyoming. Because you know it’s going to be hot. Possessive. Wild. Times two. Everything you want in romance… and more.

  Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, Barnes & Noble!

Amazon: http://vanessavaleauthor.com/v/1hv
Apple Books: http://vanessavaleauthor.com/v/1hw
Nook: http://vanessavaleauthor.com/v/1hy
Kobo: http://vanessavaleauthor.com/v/1hx
Google Play: http://vanessavaleauthor.com/v/1hz

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2RnYQmT

Get the prequel Untamed for FREE!
https://vanessavaleauthor.com/book/untamed/

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Book Review: Lessons in Sin by Pam Godwin

Megan Nicole

Overall:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Genre: Adult taboo billionaire romance

Romance:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Steam:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Reading rate:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 almost finished in one sitting

Recommend if you liked: 50 Shades of Grey

I was so excited for this book I was ready to beg for an arc and was over the moon to receive one. This turned out to be a deliciously taboo student teacher, age gap and priest romance. The story dives right in with Tinsley the Fmc being dropped off at father Magnus catholic reform school for girls. Tinsley is prepared to raise hell for freedom from her old money dynasty family and Magnus us ready to do whatever it takes to bring her to heel.

Pros

  • The story was fast paced and I could not put it down
  • Totally took my heart for a ride because you know what is coming and you want it to happen but want to stop it all at the same time!
  • While it does have taboo subjects I do not consider it a dark romance, there are elements of the MMCs past that could be considered dark but they are only highlighted at high level and nothing in the non-Con space

Cons

  • For me was the wrap up and ending of the book being predictable, I really wish there had been some sort of twist or shocker
  • I also found myself lacking in any sympathy for Tinsley’s family predicament as she only seemed actually found by the whims of her mother if she did not want to give up for money and lifestyle.

Synopsis:

There’s no absolution for the things I’ve done.
But I found a way to control my impulses.
I became a priest.

As Father Magnus Falke, I suppress my cravings. As the headteacher of a Catholic boarding school, I’m never tempted by a student.

Until Tinsley Constantine.

The bratty princess challenges my rules and awakens my dark nature. With each punishment I lash upon her, I want more. In my classroom, private rectory, and bent over my altar, I want all of her.

One touch risks everything I stand for. My faith. My redemption. And even my life.

As if that could stop me. I need her pain, and her heart, and she needs my lessons in sin.

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Book Review: Founded on Goodbye by Kat Singleton

Megan Nicole

Overall: ****/5.

Genre: NA Contemporary Rock Star Romance 

Romance: ****/5

Steam: ***/5

Reading Rate: *****/5 I finished the book in a single day

Recommend if you liked: Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas 

The story hits the ground running with Nora accepting a “deal with the devil” so to speak to move her career forward and try to outrun her own demons.

Pros:

  • Fast paced and engaging story, there was never a dull moment
  • I loved the premise of the dancer and the musician, I wish I could hear some of Nash’s music in real life
  • Even though I knew whatwas coming from Page 1 of the book my heart still want not ready! This was for sure a “hurts so good” book
  • The story for being short and fast managed to have some great side characters
  • The bedroom scenes were more romantic than steamy but I didn’t mind it at all, it fit perfectly with the vibe of the book and I wouldn’t change it at all.

Cons:

  • I loved Nash but found myself mentally shouting at Nora the whole book.  She could have easily put a stop to the main issue early on, but I guess there would not have been a story if she handled it responsibly
  • Then ending of the story felt a bit rushed to me, I really wanted to see more of a redemption story for both characters.

Overall I really enjoyed the story, I would 100% read more of this word and will definitely be reading more of Kat Singleton’s works in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kat Singleton for a copy of Founded on Goodbye in exchange for my honest review.

Synopsis:

His songs were better when he had a broken heart.

That sentence would change my life after my dream job was dished to me on a shiny, silver platter. 

All I had to do? 

Hurt Nash Pierce enough to get him writing good music again. 

The pop icon’s songs were no longer the phenomena they used to be. His team needed another breakthrough album—like the first he’d penned, using his heartbreak as fuel. 

The plan was simple: I’d go on tour with him as a backup dancer…and make him fall in love with me. I was hired to inspire—to become embedded into every lyric he wrote. Then, I was to set fire to it all—to destroy every feeling we hoped he’d develop for me.

It seemed simple enough. Easy, even.

I didn’t expect to be consumed myself—to see so much in the man displayed in the tabloids. I didn’t foresee falling for him. It didn’t occur to me that, while attempting to break his heart, I might just shatter my own.

Most of all, I never thought I’d fight so hard to hold on to a relationship that had always been founded on goodbye.

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Book Review: Greythorne by Crystal Smith

Megan Nicole

Greythorne (Bloodleaf #2) by Crystal Smith

Overall: ***

Romance: **

Reading Rate: ****

Publisher: HMH Books

Release Date: September 1, 2020

Pages: 352

Recommend if you liked: The Remnant Chronicles

After the ending of Bloodleaf I was ready to dive right into Greythorne to find out what happened next with Aurelia and Zan!  I was very surprised to see that Smith took the storyline in a very different direction for this book so I struggled in the beginning with the shock of the character changes.

What I enjoyed:

  • New magic systems elements presented
  • As the story progressed and we learned more about the new characters I found myself getting sucked in again and enjoying the new twists.

What I struggled with:

  • While I enjoyed the overall story line, I struggled with the use of Spectral Travel and Time Travel to explain a large amount of the happenings in the story. I felt the use of these elements really did more to undo to story than to wrap it up.
  • The time travel gaps along with the recurring theme of people dying and coming back caused this book to fall short of its predecessor for me.

I also have to admit that I am sad about the cover change, the originals were some of my favorites.

Synopsis:

Princess Aurelia’s life is turned upside down when the kingdom she thought she saved turns to ruin, a loved one is tragically killed in a shipwreck, and her home country refuses to respect her brother’s legitimate claim to the throne. With no place left to call her own, Aurelia returns to Greythorne Manor—her best friend’s family mansion—only to get swept up in a coup d’état on the night of her brother’s coronation.

With everyone turned against her and enemies closing in on all sides, Aurelia has nothing left to lose in a mad fight to protect the only people she has left—her family. But in her darkest moments when all seems grim, will Aurelia find a spark of hope from a love she thought long lost?

Thank you to NetGalley and HMH Books for the opportunity to read Greythorne in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Book Review: Fable by Adrienne Young

Megan Nicole

Fable by Adrienne Young (Book 1 of the Fable Duology) 

Overall: ***.5

Romance:***

Reading Rate: ***

Publisher: Wednesday Books 

Pages: 368

Release Date: 9/1/2020

Recommend if you liked: Pirates of the Caribbean

This was a short and sweet adventure novel on the high seas!

What I liked:

  • I really enjoyed the writing and the characters that Young developed in such a short time.
  • I love ocean travel stories and this one had a great mix of time in port, on islands, and at sea. 
  • Also could this cover get any more beautiful!!! 

What I struggled with:

  • While the story was enjoyable the storyline was very similar to others and it made it easy to predict how the book would progress.
  • I could have done with a bit more romance but this novel is at the young end of the YA scale so I feel like it fit the desired audience. 

The book does end of a cliffhanger so I hope to see some unexpected twists and turns in the sequel!

Synopsis:
As the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home seventeen-year-old Fable has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father.

But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him and Fable soon finds that West isn’t who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they’re going to stay alive.

Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.

 

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Book Review: The Crow Rider by Kalyn Josephson

Megan Nicole

The Crow Rider by Kalyn Josephson, book 2 of The Storm Crow duology. 

  • Overall rating: ****
  • Reading rate: ****
  • Romance: **
  • Pages: 368
  • Release date: July 7, 2020
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Spoilers for Book 1 of the Duology below, if you have not read the first book check out my spoiler free review of The Storm Crow here.

The Crow Rider is the fact paced, action packed conclusion to the Crow Rider Duology. I was a little hesitant going into the book after the first one left me a bit wanting but I am glad I gave it another shot.  We pick up right where the first one left off with Thia, Res and the crew escaping Illucia and headed to meet potential rebel allies to save their world. Josephson started such a unique world and magic system, so I really enjoyed the further world building and getting to know the characters more. I really wish this story had been a bit longer to go into more detail but was still entertaining and look forward to seeing how Josephson grows in her writing in future novels….hopefully more in this world!

What I liked:

  • I enjoyed the quicker pace and action scenes much better in this story.
  • Super quick to read, only took me about two days to finish
  • I enjoyed getting to knew Res and additional characters. I struggled to connect with the MC in the first book (want to shake her a few times) but I was much more connected with her in this installment.
  • Without spoilers I have to say I was really happy with the way the story wrapped up.

What I struggled with:

  • I felt like some additional elements were added to the story that really could have used some additional build out. This really could easily have been a trilogy with time taken to add more details and feel less rushed.

Synopsis:

The thrilling conclusion to the epic Storm Crow duology that follows a fallen princess as she tries to bring back the magical elemental crows taken from her people.

Thia, her allies, and her crow, Res, are planning a rebellion to defeat Queen Razel and Illucia once and for all. Thia must convince the neighboring kingdoms to come to her aid, and Res’s show of strength is the only thing that can help her.

But so many obstacles stand in her way. Res excels at his training, until he loses control of his magic, harming Thia in the process. She is also pursued by Prince Ericen, heir to the Illucian throne and the one person she can’t trust but can’t seem to stay away from.

As the rebel group prepares for war, Res’s magic grows more unstable. Thia has to decide if she can rely on herself and their bond enough to lead the rebellion and become the crow rider she was meant to be.

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Book Review: Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare

Megan Nicole

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Claire- Book 3 in The Dark Artifices Series

  • Overall: ***
  • Romance: ***
  • Reading Rate: **
  • Pages: 912
  • Release Date: December 4, 2018
  • Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
  • I recommend if you liked: The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices
  • Purchase on Amazon here

I am not sure if it was this story or if I have just read too much of the same storyline with the Shadowhunters’ novels. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed The Mortal Instruments and the Infernal Devices. I think this story was just too much a repeat of The Mortal Instruments and trying to push relationships in YA books. I had to take a break after reading the first two books in this trilogy and only started this one back up almost a year later because it was available on audiobook through Scribd.

I listened to the audiobook and while James Marten (LOVE SPIKE) was a great narrator there was just so much that was not needed. I would zone out while listening for a few minutes to realize what I had done… and didn’t even miss anything relevant to the story.

What I liked:

  • It was nice to see the world tie together with other books and see where prior loved characters are now.
  • While it was a little out there, I did like that things were shaken up with the alternate dimension.
  • Not to spoil too much but OMG there was a Shadowhunter wedding and I LOVED IT!
  • The ending was left open for another series and I am so hoping to see some of my all time favorite characters come back with less politics in this next series.

What I struggled with:

  • I didn’t like the way some of the older characters like Clary and Magnus were portrayed, it seemed to take them down a notch from the prior series where they were the MCs
  • While I get that CC is trying to make a statement about inclusion in her writing there was a lot that just was not necessary for the story. She also had too many independent storylines running. I feel like she could have had some great short stories or standalone spins offs rather than trying to cram it all into this one trilogy.
  • While I liked the idea of the blight and Thule, the fact that narrow minded Shadowhunter who never learn from their mistakes caused all of their own issues is so frustrating, especially when you are on about book 13 of reading it.
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Book Review: Crave by Tracy Wolff

Megan Nicole

Crave (Crave #1) by Tracy Wolff

  • Overall rating : ****
  • Reading rate: *****
  • Romance:*****
  • Pages: 592
  • Release date: April 7, 2020
  • Publisher: Entangled: Teen
  • Recommended if you liked: Jennifer L. Armentrout works, Vampire Academy

This book was all over Instagram and I kept hearing great things so I had to hop on board. This book has been blurbed as a comparable to Twilight and while the cover does very closely resemble the series I didn’t find a lot of similarities outside of a few specific references.

What I liked:

  • INTALOVE!! Total sucker for it and there was some definite steam…. Jaxon (swoon)
  • Fun and fast paced, I don’t think there was a lull in action the whole book.
  • Left with a smidgen of a cliffhanger but not so much I was dying to know what happens next… I will 1005 be grabbing the next book to find out though.
  • I often struggle with a lack of information on a world, but the book is written so you are finding things out as the MC does so everything still made sense and flowed well…. I cant wait to learn more in future installments.
  • I also loved the bit of extra content after the end from Jaxon’s perspective.

What I struggled with:

  • A bit predicable
  • Dated writing, really targeted references and writing style for the current teen crowd. Made me feel too old to be reading the novel and I think will put off a lot of non YA aged YA fans

Overall it is not a work of literary art or anything of that caliber but if you are looking for a fun and fast paced Paranormal Romance read i highly recommend! The title and cover for book #2 Crush have already been released and I will 100% be reading as soon as it is released.

Synopsis:

My whole world changed when I stepped inside the academy. Nothing is right about this place or the other students in it. Here I am, a mere mortal among gods…or monsters. I still can’t decide which of these warring factions I belong to, if I belong at all. I only know the one thing that unites them is their hatred of me.

Then there’s Jaxon Vega. A vampire with deadly secrets who hasn’t felt anything for a hundred years. But there’s something about him that calls to me, something broken in him that somehow fits with what’s broken in me.

Which could spell death for us all.

Because Jaxon walled himself off for a reason. And now someone wants to wake a sleeping monster, and I’m wondering if I was brought here intentionally—as the bait. 

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Book Review: The Black Witch by Laurie Forest

Megan Nicole

The Black Witch (Book #1 The Black Witch Chronicles) by Laurie Forest Book Review

  • Overall rating : ****
  • Reading rate: ***
  • Romance: ***
  • Pages: 601
  • Release date: May 2, 2017
  • Publisher: Harlequin Teen
  • Recommended if you liked: Serpent & Dove, Shadow & Bone

I have had The Black Witch on my TBR for a VERY long time, so when some fellow Bookstgrammers put together a read along I jumped on the chance.

I actually went back and forth between audio and physical book for this read and I think starting with audio really helped with some of the heavy world building in the begging. Once things started to take off later in the book I picked up the physical book to finish off because I wanted to absorb all of the details.

What I liked: This books has all the feels

  • A great mix of politics, people and magic system.
  • Lots of great characters, I found myself caring for (and hating) so many people in just the first book.
  • I 100% know I am in for a serious heartbreak at some point, there are LOTS of great love lines going on in this series. While there are love interests in this book there are no explicit scenes so keeps it YA.

What I struggled with:

  • There is a lot of prejudice and bullying in this book, some of it was a bit hard to get through but it essential to the story and things pick up as it goes
  • There were quite a few scenes that felt a little repetitive and the story could have been a bit shorter and been just as good if not better for me

Overall I HIGHLY recommend this book… and no spoilers but I finished the sequel in a single day and it gets even better!!

Synopsis:

A new Black Witch will rise…her powers vast beyond imagining.

Elloren Gardner is the granddaughter of the last prophesied Black Witch, Carnissa Gardner, who drove back the enemy forces and saved the Gardnerian people during the Realm War. But while she is the absolute spitting image of her famous grandmother, Elloren is utterly devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above all else.

When she is granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren joins her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University to embrace a destiny of her own, free from the shadow of her grandmother’s legacy. But she soon realizes that the university, which admits all manner of people—including the fire-wielding, winged Icarals, the sworn enemies of all Gardnerians—is a treacherous place for the granddaughter of the Black Witch.

As evil looms on the horizon and the pressure to live up to her heritage builds, everything Elloren thought she knew will be challenged and torn away. Her best hope of survival may be among the most unlikely band of rebels…if only she can find the courage to trust those she’s been taught to fear.

Have you read The Black Witch? If so, what did you think of it? Any similar recommendations?

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Book Review: The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska

Megan Nicole

The Dark Tide (The Dark Tide #1) by Alicia Jasinska Review

THe Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinksa

  • Overall rating : ***
  • Reading rate: ****
  • Romance: **** Lots of love, but nothing steamy
  • Pages: 336
  • Release date: June 2, 2020
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
  • Recommended if you liked: The Wicked Deep
  • Purchase on Amazon here

As soon as I saw this cover I knew I had to request! Gorgeous right!!! Between that and the description I could not wait to get my hands on this book.

What I liked:

  • This was a fast-paced dark fantasy read with Beauty and the Beast vibes…. well, with a gorgeous Witch Queen as the “beast”.
  • The story dives right into the action and does not let up until the very end.
  • I enjoyed the concept of the world Jasinska set up, the way magic works and the idea of the island being a sanctuary where witches and humans escaped persecution from the mainlanders.

What I struggled with:

  • The book fell a little short for me due the lack of broader world building and predictability. I felt like I came into an already rolling story line and while some background was filled in as we went, I was still left with a lot of questions.
  • The way the story was set up also allowed you to predict characters actions and the overall outcome of the story but was still overall a good read.

The book is listed as being a series but I felt it worked well as a standalone and was not set up to have an immediate next issue to resolve.

Synopsis:

Every year on St. Walpurga’s Eve, Caldella’s Witch Queen lures a boy back to her palace. An innocent life to be sacrificed on the full moon to keep the island city from sinking.

Lina Kirk is convinced her brother is going to be taken this year. To save him, she enlists the help of Thomas Lin, the boy she secretly loves, and the only person to ever escape from the palace. But they draw the queen’s attention, and Thomas is chosen as the sacrifice.

Queen Eva watched her sister die to save the boy she loved. Now as queen, she won’t make the same mistake. She’s willing to sacrifice anyone if it means saving herself and her city.

When Lina offers herself to the queen in exchange for Thomas’s freedom, the two girls await the full moon together. But Lina is not at all what Eva expected, and the queen is nothing like Lina envisioned. Against their will, they find themselves falling for each other. As water floods Caldella’s streets and the dark tide demands its sacrifice, they must choose who to save: themselves, each other, or the island city relying on them both.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for a copy of The Dark Tide in exchange for honest opinion.