Room on the Shelf

The third and–for those who have read the first two–much anticipated installment in the Cambio Springs series from Elizabeth Hunter is now out! Read on for my review of Allie and Ollie’s story! Allison Smith is a fox shifter with four kids, two jobs, and a huge pile of debt left by her gambling husband when he disappeared. Luckily for her, she’s got “people”–one of whom is quiet bear shifter Oliver Campbell.  Ollie has been in love with Allie since high school. Now that her husband is gone and Allie is in danger, Ollie’s protective instincts rise to the surface, and claiming Allie is on the forefront of his mind. “Ollie couldn’t handle being a way station for her. He wasn’t being dramatic. he just knew that he’d break if she tried him on and discarded him because she wasn’t ready. He’d held his peace for fifteen years, and once he had her, he wouldn’t be able to let go.” ​Even when his greatest desire is to claim Allie as his own, Ollie hesitates. He knows that once he takes that step he (and certainly his bear) will never be able to go back. And, despite the fact that I…

Desecrating Solomon, the newest release from author Lucian Bane, is a romantic thriller with a uniquely dark twist.  Read on for my review! *Warning: This book contains some violent content and victimization that could be triggering. Please read it, and my review, with caution.* Chaos has been raised in a life of pain, punishment, and discipline. She knows only the truth of the Order and the purpose she serves and for which she has been prepared her whole life. “She was a bucket of bleeding raw insides. There was no cleaning this. There was no bringing comfort to these wounds, no mending this kind of broken mess it had all somehow become.” ​Part of fulfilling that purpose is finding Solomon Gorge and presenting him for Desecration.  Solomon, still unrecovered from the pain and tragedy in his own life, has moved back home to West Virginia to take on the role of caretaker for an elderly woman–a role assigned him by the church. “Solomon looked at her. A perfect image of young, beautiful innocence standing right there before him. She’d called him when she was half dead. He’d heard. He’d answered. Yes, he’d do it. In a heartbeat. He’d give his…

Hanover House by Brenda Novak is the thrilling prequel novella to the author’s new Hanover House chronicles, Book 1 of which releases in September 2016.  It gives us the history of Hanover House’s founding psychiatrist, Dr. Evelyn Talbot, and sets the stage for the opening of the new facility (which will house the United States’ worst psychopaths and serial killers) in a remote town in Alaska.Read on for my review! After 3 days of torture, Jasper Moore had slit her throat and left her for dead–and it wasn’t as if he’d been a mere stranger. He was her high school boyfriend, someone she’d trusted enough to give her virginity. While I’m not normally a huge fan of novellas and prequels, I found Hanover House to be an enjoyable read. It was quick (I read it in one sitting), and actually managed to both effectively set up the world of the Hanover House chronicles and delve fairly deeply into both the history of Dr. Evelyn Talbot and the mindset of a psychopath. But, oddly enough, even when he was angry he didn’t look overtly dangerous, didn’t look much different than the middle school teacher he’d once been–before his wife stumbled upon the body he’d…

Psychic Madelyn Rose is asked to help solve a missing children case on a Navajo reservation in Arizona. Although she foresees her own death (along with other disturbing visions) when she touches the detective in charge of the case, Bronx Daniels, she stays to find the missing boys. Will she also find love, or will she lose her life? Overall, I really liked this book. The storyline was new and intriguing, if slightly predictable, and the characters (both reincarnations) were likeable and easy to connect with. I also found Gallagher’s use of various spiritual tools and practices to be, with my limited knowledge, appropriate and accurate.The one thing that keeps me from rating this book more highly is the overwhelming presence of grammatical errors. I found the frequent misspelling, misuse of words (the one that stands out is the use of “unrequited” to mean “unfulfilled”, rather than it’s true meaning “unreturned”), sentence structure issues, and mixing up “their” and “there” to be highly distracting. As far as the storyline itself is concerned, I was pleased with this novel, and the author, Maggie Mae Gallagher has a lot of promise. If it sounds intriguing to you, you can pick up your copy here! *I…

If you’re looking for a fun romance with a little mystery, lots of laughs, and sexy Irishmen, you should definitely pick up this first installment in Zara Keane‘s Ballybeg series. The heroine, Fiona, is a supremely likeable and “real” character.  She’s not model thin or fashionable, and she doesn’t give a feck.  When she’s wrangled into the wedding party (in chartreuse, no less!) for her snotty cousin, and discovers that the groom, Gavin is, in fact, already married (to HER!), Fiona’s life is thrown for a loop. Follow along as Fiona and Gavin navigate the curves, rises and dips (pun totally intended) of the road to love.  Will they hang on until the end, or will roadblocks stop them in their tracks? I literally laughed out loud from the beginning.  Keane’s writing is fresh, and her portrayal of Irish culture masterful.  Why are you still reading this review?! Buy the book and read it now (I’ve even put a handy little link to the book on Amazon just below)! You won’t regret it.  And if you do, you’re an eejit. Love and Shenanigans (Ballybeg, Book 1) (The Ballybeg Series)

After falling head over heels for Ballybeg in Love and Shenanigans, I was both stoked and a little scared to read Love and Leprechauns (I skipped Love and Blarney, #2 and a stand-alone novella). I loved the world and Zara Keane‘s writing style so much in the first installation that I was afraid the next full novel wouldn’t live up to the first.  But let me tell you:  this one was just as good! The setting of this installation is the same Ballybeg as in Love and Shenanigans (read my review here), but the hero and heroine, Jonas and Olivia, are quite different from Fiona and Gavin–and from each other. We meet Olivia and Jonas in Love and Shenanigans, but we really get to know them in this book.  Jonas is a single father and writer, struggling to balance his writing career with parenting a special needs child.  Olivia dreams of starting a cafe and obtaining financial independence from her abusive husband.  When Jonas has the space Olivia needs for her business, and rent money from Olivia can help keep Jonas’s boat afloat, the two warily join together and sparks fly!  But can new feelings overcome past hurts? I loved the artful blend…

*I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review, but all opinions are my own.* “It adds a certain je-ne-say-whatsit…”  —Buck Inebriated idiots, murderous mobsters, fraught families, sexy sergeants, and loads of laughs–this book’s got it all. Clio and Sean–a woman with a sketchy past and a member of the Guard–seem like polar opposites. He follows (and enforces) the law, and she has a history of breaking it. Sometimes, though, love is above the law. The question is, will their burning attraction and growing feelings be enough to overcome their heavy pasts and the gangster holding a tab on Clio? “I love you,” he said, and meant it with an earnest intensity he’d never experienced before.  “Now dry your eyes and don’t get shot.” Of all the Ballybeg men, Sean is my absolute favorite. Maybe it’s the uniform, or maybe it’s the quiet strength and sharp wit–whatever the case, he just does it for me. And Clio is absolutely real and relatable, and I admired her spunk and strength in the face of adversity.  Keane crafts their romance with a nice realism and lack of mushiness that suits a somewhat jaded policeman and…

Some of my current favorite genres are Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy.  I love a good mystery, a strong female protagonist, and a little romance.  A while back, I discovered Elizabeth Hunter through the first book in her Irin Chronicles series, The Scribe.  I instantly fell in love with her writing style, stalk….er followed her on Facebook, and began to search out more of her work.  When the opportunity to review Shifting Dreams, the first installment in her Cambio Springs series, presented itself, I jumped.  And I’m so very glad I did. Let me start by saying that it took me entirely too long to review this book.  Generally, I can finish a book on my Kindle in a day or two (depending on my children, my workload, and my schedule), but this was my first audio book review.  Those of you with kids know how hard it can be to “listen” to anything actively while at home with kids.  My life is a constant stream of requests for snacks, butt wiping, booger clearing, and playtime, so turning on an audio book was much more difficult than anticipated.  Just something to keep in mind as you decide in which format you’d like to purchase this book…