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REVIEW: The Elimination by Stormy Corrin Russell

1/30/2017

Title: Elimination (The Separation Book 2)

Author: Stormy Corrin Russell

Length: Novel - 182 pages

Genres: YA Romance, Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Suspense

TBR Reviewer: Jean

Rating: 4 stars - A Recommended Read!

We were meant to be together. But someone decided that apart we were better.

For 100 years the men and women of Genesis have been separated, living in fear, suspicion and general disregard of one another. Aside from the obvious necessity of procreation, human males and females have been alienated under the curious regimes of the Matriarch and Patriarch of Compound A. When the city of Genesis is attacked and bombed nearly to extinction, a small group of fighters make ready to retaliate against their aggressor, but can men and women join together in a common battle?

Eroyn Fairchild is the freedom fighter that has done the unthinkable; not only rebel but begin a relationship with a boy named Archer Finn. Their mutual attraction is real, but the outcome of their relationship is uncertain and potentially doomed. Eroyn and Archer, along with friends Luna, Blaze and stray dog Rusty must convince all the people of Genesis that the only solution is to mount an attack.

As this is book 2 in a series, there are integral parts of the story that necessitate reading Book 1. I regret I did not have the opportunity to do this, because as a standalone, the backstory and previous events are to be mostly guessed at and leaves the reader both curious and frustrated at the same time.

However, that is my loss; While a plethora of personas remain mysterious and unexplained in the context of book 2, the main characters in this story are brought vividly to life. Readers can feel like they know and care deeply for them, and be on the edge of their seats wondering if they will overcome obstacles and emerge triumphant. I always enjoy stories that explore the "what if" and how people adapt and survive under bizarre and unnatural circumstances.

A recommended read - but only if read in order!

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REVIEW: An Assassin's Kiss by Serenity Snow

1/30/2017

Title: An Assassin's Kiss

Author: Serenity Snow

Length: Novella

Genre: Contemporary, Lesbian, Romance

TBR Reviewer: Bella Star

Rating: 4 stars- Highly Recommended Read!

Heat: 4/5 - Smoking Hot!

Ace is a covert assassin who happens to have a whip involved fling with Jasmin. But Jasmin’s story is turned into a dangerous gamble that only her sexy assassin can handle.

We start the book off right in the middle of a bdsm sex scene with characters we don’t know. Sure, I love sex scenes as much as the next gal but I don’t know a thing about these women! Needless to say I instantly felt disconnected from the characters. I’ve also never heard a woman’s vagina called cat before. Can’t say I’m a fan of that. Once we get through that scene, the story opens up, letting us engage and learn about Jasmia and Ace. There’s plenty of action to keep you glued to your seat and now that we know these lovely ladies, the next sex scenes are fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

An Assassin’s Kiss is a highly recommended read!

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REVIEW: Blood Ties by Jessica Marting

1/30/2017

Title: Blood Ties

Author: Jessica Marting

Genre: Vampire, Romance, Historical

Length: Novella

TBR Reviewer: Bella Star

Rating: 3 Stars - A Good Read!

Heat:3/5 - Blush Worthy

Max is returning home from his gallivanting ways because his uncle dies in mysterious circumstances. One the way home, he meets a lovely woman who just happens to be a vampire and nearly kills him. In comes Ada, vampire hunter...
…
I like Max and Ada. They have great chemistry together. Their romance is both sweet and sexy with a satisfying ending. I also love vampires which is why I am kind of disappointed with this story. There’s no real world building. Apparently holy water burns them and they can turn into bats. Stuff like that. There is nothing to separate this story from the others out there. I would have loved a real in depth look at this world. If you’re looking for a heavy romance with some vampires involved than you’ll probably enjoy Blood Ties.

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REVIEW: Canaan's Land by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

1/30/2017

Title: Canaan's Land

Author: Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

Length: Novel -116 pgs

Genres: MF Romance, Contemporary, Western/Rural/Cowboy

TBR Reviewer: Jean

Rating: 3 stars - A Good Read!

Heat: 1 - tame

There's an old saying that good guys finish last.

In rural Missouri, old sayings are part of the fabric of the community, as are the generations of families who've lived there. The third generation to tend the Moss family farm, Canaan Moss is the last of his line and as good a guy as there could be until hard times strike. As he struggles to make ends meet, unknown parties frame him for growing illegal crops on his land. Desperate to clear his name, his treasured farm is used as collateral to make bail while he attempts to solve the mystery and capture the wrongdoers. But will the bad guys get to him first?

I felt sorry for Cane Moss. A thirty-something loner with no particular trade, talent, looks or fashion sense is stuck with generations worth of debt and very few friends. He has no real desire or ambition beyond squatting on his land, yet fails to notice any suspicious activity going on. Fortunately for him, pretty local journalist Kaitlyn Koch takes a shine to him and nurses him back to health after he suffers a brutal attack, all while helping him solve the case and defend his homestead. However, the love story faces no real conflict and despite his self-reliant country upbringing our hero seems a bit of a wimp. Other than the central threat to Cane's livelihood, the remainder of the plot is not much more than a slice of country life. I dislike stories that go into too much detail about what they're cooking, what clothes they put on, and advertise when they have to go pee, ect.

If Canaan's Land were a song, it would be a Country & Western classic. The story, like Cane and Kaitlin's romance, is sweet, simple and straightforward, and like any good western, the good guys win in the end. If that's your kind of fare, It doesn't get more satisfying than that!

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GIVEAWAY: The Dom of Peculiar Places by James Cox

1/18/2017

Title: The Dom of Peculiar Places

Series: Sons of Outlaws #2 - can be read as stand alone

Author: James Cox

Length: Novella

Genre: Futuristic, MC Romance, Sci fi, Romance, Gay

TBR Reviewer: Bella Star

Rating: 5 Stars - A Must Read!

Heat: 5 - Orgasmic!

The sexy men of mars are back in The Dom of Peculiar Places. I love James Cox’s titles. Anyway, Roark is the dom in question and he’s trapped underground when an earthquake hits but he’s not alone. The sexy, sarcastic prospect Henry is with him. Together they have to get out of the tunnels and warn the Outlaw MC that there’s going to be an attempt on the president’s life.

Boom! Talk about sexy. Roark is instantly a favorite of mine. He’s such a tough, growly kind of guy. I love how he obsesses with Henry and that it gets them into trouble. Henry sarcasm is freaking hilarious. I caught myself smirking nearly every page. Together they made a great couple. Sure, the sex was hot, oh my God, so damn hot. But the story is also intense. When Henry collapses, I was on the edge of my seat! The author mentioned someone is going to die in this series and I’ll probably spend the whole series wondering who it is. Who knew peculiar was such a good thing? The BDSM is light but oh so satisfying. I like when things get kinky but not too much.

To sum this up, action plus hot and dirty sex equals The Dom of Peculiar Places. A must read!

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Giveaway:

Mr. Cox is giving away an ecopy of his first book in this series, Chaos Unchained.

The TBR Pile is giving away a book from our prize list.

Comment below to enter on why you want to read The Dom of Peculiar Places!

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REVIEW: Starglass by Phoebe North

1/18/2017

Title: Starglass

Series book 1

Author: Phoebe North

Length: Novel - Purchased by reviewer

Genre: Young adult, sci fi, romance, futuristic,

TBR Reviewer: Christine K.

Rating: 5 Stars - A Must Read!

Terra is on a ship with her family, following the steps of the previous generation on a long journey to a planet that will sustain humanity. When her mother dies it’s a downward spiral of parental abuse and being lost in her assigned job. It doesn’t get any clearer when she witnesses a murder and is thrust into the middle of a rebellion.

Terra, I felt the anger seething under her skin and it makes her decisions so believable. Instantly I liked her and then the story unfolds around her to the point where I had a hard time putting the book down. There are twists, the one with Koen I guessed correctly, but the other big one at the end I didn’t see coming. I found it interesting reading this with the Jewish additions, it is a different take on the whole religious space ship issue. The more I read, the more I want to delve into this world for hours and not come up for real life. Yeah, it’s THAT amazing! I love the secondary characters too, they are all so different and complex. There’s some romance, appropriate for a young adult book but I like how it moves the story forward. The ending is really great, nice twists going on. I’m definitely going to be ordering the next book in this series!

Starglass is a unique, sci fi series that will entertain young adult readers, a must read!

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REVIEW: Biome by Ryan Galloway

1/18/2017

Title: Biome

Author: Ryan Galloway

Length: Novel - purchased by reviewer

Genre: Young adult, futuristic, sci fi,

TBR Reviewer: Bella Star

Rating: 3 stars - A Good Read!

Lizzy is one of hundreds of cadets in a biome on mars. They’re all working together to cultivate plant life while the planet is terraformed. Every week when the cadets fall asleep, their memories are erased. They live the same week over and over again. But one morning Lizzy wakes up and she remembers…everything...

I love Lizzy. She is antisocial and awkward, which I can certainly relate to. There’s this cool feature that she can relive others memories and finding out how that’s possible added to the amazing novel that is Biome. The descriptions are gorgeous and lush with detail without slowing down the story. Once we meet Noah, who I love by the way, and a plan starts forming, things go from amazing to freaking epic. The twists, the secrets, the truth, it all unravels and Lizzy is stuck with all that knowledge crammed in her head. No wonder she is getting headaches.

As much as I love this book, the ending is…a total let down. There’s some twist out of left field that doesn’t fit and then it’s a to be continued. So it’s a really long half of a book. Why split it into two books? Why not have an ending worthy of the story? I feel like the author is trying to stretch the story out to make more money with two books. One book with a satisfying ending would have really cinched this author as a must read for me. Personally, I will not be continuing with this series.

Biome had a lot of potential but that ending really ruined the story for me.

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REVIEW: Nessa of Cold Spring by G.G. Royale

1/18/2017

Title: Nessa of Cold Spring

Author: G.G. Royale

Length: Novella

Genres: Fantasy, Romance,

TBR Reviewer: Amy

Rating: 4 Stars - Recommended Read

Heat: 3/5 - Blush worthy

Nessa of Cold Spring is a middle child and she is taller than most women. She hates gowns, embroidery, or dancing. She even intimidates men. She just doesn’t fit in. She finds comfort in the confines of her family’s country estate, however her dream is to travel and compete in tournaments. Finally she gets her wish. She ties with Sir Eirle. He has kindled a fire for her at first sight. Sir Eirle is the king’s bastard brother and he has heard of Nessa and wants her for himself. Their relationship is tested from the start with the princess being kidnapped and Cold Springs being framed. Nessa, her brother, and Sir Eirle must escape to track the real kidnappers and clear Cold Springs name.

From the start I liked Nessa. She is different from her time period and even though she is scared of the gossip she embraces herself. Sir Eirle is the male version of Nessa and he goes against the “norm” in this time period as well and accepts Nessa for who she is. These two are great together. They have so much passion for one another and I love that Sir Eirle does make Nessa feel like a woman without the dancing, dresses, and other womanly attractions in this time. I gave this story four stars because I wanted it a little longer or more of an epilogue. All in all a great twist on a fantasy romance!

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REVIEW: The Rose Society by Marie Lu

1/11/2017

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Title: The Rose Society

Series: The Young Elites, not stand alone.

Author: Marie Lu

Length: Novel - Purchased by reviewer

Genre: Young adult, paranormal, fantasy,

TBR Reviewer: Christine K.

Rating: 5 Stars - A Must Read!

Adelina has been ripped from her family, starved in a prison cell, almost burned at the stake and nearly killed by someone she thought was on her side. She also accidentally killed a boy she loved. Now, she's gathering her own army of elites to take the throne. She will not be used or abused anymore. She will not be pushed aside. She. Will. Rule.

Yes. Yes! Adelina is turning into a bada$$ in this book. I love that she's not whining and crying. She's pissed and rightfully so. But with power comes...voices? Yeah, Adelina's getting a bit crazy with all her new found abilities. It makes for a great book! There are some new characters, including a mimic, who I love. There is a ton of action in this book, a little romance and many moments on the edge of my seat. I cannot wait to read the next book!

If you love young adult or unique stories or fantasy then this book is a must read. Hell, even if you don't liek those genres, give this book a try. In The Rose Society you cheer for the bad girl!

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REVIEW: The Future Nutcracker Prince by M. Garnet

1/11/2017

Title: The Future Nutcracker Prince

Author: M. Garnet

Length: Novella - 47 pages

Genres: Space Opera, Science Fiction, Holiday

TBR Reviewer: Jean

Rating: 4 Stars – Recommended Read

Heat: 1 – Tame

There are no sugar plums in outer space.

Alone on a crippled spaceship, there is also no heat, no light and no hope. Cera's world of the future has forgotten Christmas entirely, so the shiny orbs and antique book salvaged from a dead crewmate's belongings are a mystery to her. In her final hours, waiting hopelessly for rescue she finds solace in the strange and magical tale of The Nutcracker Prince and the Mouse King.

Though beloved by generations, the story of the nutracker and other toys coming to life on Christmas Eve and waging a fierce battle with evil mice is rather wacky. However,
the characters and the mystique of what to Cera is an unknown celebration lost to antiquity become her lifeline--wrapping herself in the story the same way she wraps herself in her spacesuit and cabin restraints in order to survive as long as possible.

For those of us who love books it is not difficult to imagine how one becomes lost in an enchanting story, taking our minds to other places and times, and distancing ourselves from our troubles. Facing a slow and certain death, Cera's choice to escape into a book is both commendable and heartbreaking. Ironic that reading a crazy book is the very thing that keeps her sane in unthinkable circumstances. But when her air runs low and she begins hallucinating, the Prince becomes a very real hero, saving Cera in more ways than one.

The Future Nutcracker Prince contains some disturbing typos and word choices, almost as though it's been translated from another language. That's the only reason for not givng this book five stars. The overall charm of the story makes these easy to overlook. A highly recommended read!

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