November 7, 2019

One Week 'Til Christmas

One Week ’Til Christmas: The perfect holiday romance this Christmas!

One Week ’Til Christmas: The perfect holiday romance this Christmas!

by Belinda Missen
Kindle Edition, 179 pages
Published November 1st, 2019 by HQ Digital
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
**I received a free kindle copy from the HQ Digital publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
I can't argue it was an unforgettable romance because it was. I envy those who get to travel internationally for any reason. London would be a magical place to spend the holidays. At least it was for Isobel and Tom Bracken. She was from Melbourne Australia, where there was no winter fun like in England. They went ice skating, took pictures with Santa but I wasn't in love with them and the reading process was gruelling. It felt like 10 days of hell tbh. Their relationship from the start to the end could not have been any slower. I know in real life it is probably best to even take it slower but this isn't real life. My reading experience was laborious as the story couldn't keep my attention because I kept dozing off. I agonized and persevered inducing headaches just to finish this book. All I can say is this book wasn't for me. I think contemporary anything bores me to tears.

Goodreads Summary

Two people. One chance meeting. Seven days to Christmas. Isobel Bennett is waiting for the number 11 bus when a man quite literally falls into her lap. Snow is falling, Christmas lights are twinkling, and a gorgeous man with dark brown hair has just slipped on ice and is now pressed against Isobel. Isobel knows she’s not imagining the chemistry between them. But then his ride arrives and, embarrassed, he beats a hasty retreat, murmuring apologies – and Isobel realizes only too late that she didn’t manage to catch his name… When she runs into him again the next morning, she decides it’s fate. It’s a second chance for Isobel and Tom – but there’s only one week until she’s leaving London for good. Seven days of enjoying all the festive delights the city has to offer: ice-skating at Somerset House, mulled wine on the Southbank, Christmas shopping at Liberty. There’s magic in the air and mistletoe in the trees – but what will happen when the week is over?

About the author

Author and sometimes foodie, Belinda is a ridiculous romantic who met her husband after being set up by a friend two states away. Residing in country Victoria, surrounded by books, cat-fur, and half-eaten cake, Belinda divides her days between writing rom-coms, baking, and indulging her love of comic books. Visit her website http://www.belindamissen.com

Dead Meat: Day 2

Dead Meat: Day 2 (Dead Meat, #2)

Dead Meat: Day 2 by Nick Clausen


The dead have awakened.
Driven by insatiable hunger.
In eternal search of fresh meat.
The infection spreads like the plague.
Nothing stands between the undead and humanity.

Is it too late to save the world from disaster?

This is Day 2 in the story of Dead Meat.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jennie from the block has wandered into someone's yard and attacks and infects two people. The scene is all too familiar with the Walking Dead and I'm just over it. You'd think by now people would know how to kill a zombie. I mean it isn't that hard. Zombies are slow and stupid so taking their head off or stabbing them in the head is what the situation calls for. However, Selene just knows how to torment me by not doing it properly. UGH! It killed me to watch her think she had killed her friend Jonas who was infected! Slashing his wrist and sticking a plastic bag over his head is not going to kill a Zombie Selene! I don't know what sucks worse: unbelieving humans or incapable kids.
No. Just no.
I want to see badass humans kick zombie butt!...and finally, win the war. Mmk?

oh, and what's up with the scorching heatwave? Is that because of the infected?

November 6, 2019

Of Flame and Fury Cover Reveal


Today I am happy to share the cover reveal for Of Flame and Fury, Cecy Robson's newest Weird Girls novel. This is the ninth novel in the Weird Girls urban fantasy series, and the third in the Flame series featuring sister Taran Wird. If you haven't met this sassy, hot-headed, loudmouth sister yet you'll want to dive in and begin the series. Action-packed, fans of this series will tell you, it's addictive and you'll find yourself rooting for these flawed but lovable characters.

Cover Design by Sarah Hansen @Okay Creations

Of Flame and Fury

Weird Girls #9, Flame #3
Release Date: February 25, 2020
Add to Goodreads
Pre-order your copy: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo 

Taran Wird, the loudmouth mistress of flame and lightning, didn’t want to attend the formal gathering of the supernatural elite. She did so only to help to unite the supreme beings in attendance in one common goal: protecting Taran’s sister, Celia. Celia is pregnant with alpha werewolf Aric Connor’s child, the same child prophesized to save the world from uprising evil. Evil wants this child dead before he is born and, more importantly, before he can grow strong enough to stop it. Taran and her werewolf lover, Gemini, put plans in place to protect Celia. Master Vampire Misha Aleksandr and his clan also swear their allegiance to Celia and vow to keep her from harm. The witches even cast protection spells around the manor to curse anyone with malintent who enters. Nothing was supposed to go wrong, except everything did. Creatures that shouldn’t exist stalk the grounds and invade the premises, and every curse meant to shield the guests turns against them. No one counted on the powerful being who arrived uninvited. But he’s here, manipulating the magic enclosing the estate to work in his favour. As body counts rise and allies become enemies, chances are Celia won’t survive the night. But evil never counted on how hard Taran Wird would fight, even at the expense of her life.

。・:*:・゚★,。・:*:・゚☆A Teaser Just for You.... 。・:*:・゚★,。・:*:・゚☆

“Emme,” I call out. I frown when the hall darkens and she appears to walk further and faster away from us. “Emme, don’t go without us.” She takes off, running. “Em,” Bren hollers. “God damn it, wait!” Emme rounds a corner and disappears into yet another hall. I pick up my pace, passing a small meeting room. Emme is moving fast, too fast. What’s happening to her? My steps to falter when the light scones dim further. I turn around, the rooms we passed are gone. There are no doors or windows, only a long corridor covered with dark paneling remains. Everything feels off and I can no longer hear the gentle strut of Emme’s feet. “Bren?” I say. “She’s gone,” he says. “I know, but—” “She’s been gone a while,” he interrupts. He takes a long whiff. “That wasn’t her.” “Excuse me?” I look back where I thought I last saw her. “Then, who was that?” “Not Emme,” he says, the muscles along his jaw tensing. He clasps my left arm. “Come on. We have to find her.” I double back and into a wall. “What the fuck?” Bren snaps. The hall narrows, swallowing what used to be the way out in darkness. Bren’s head jerks up. “Did you hear that?” “I don’t hear anything,” I respond. It’s the truth. There is no sound. Just me and Bren and our increasing breaths. “What do you hear?” I ask, keeping my voice low. He closes his eyes, listening hard, the rise and fall of his chest growing more pronounced. A light whisper of wind rustles from the darkness, intensifying into a pained moan as it reaches us. “Aw, hell,” Bren says. “Stay with me, okay?” “Ah, sure,” I say, trying to remain calm and more than failing. I turn around when something stirs behind us. “Do you think the spells are just surging now that Celia has arrived? They’re meant to keep her safe. Maybe they’re reacting to her presence.” I whip around. The wall is gone. And so is Bren. I inch backward, my motions dimming the lights further. My right arm shoots up, lighting like a torch and sparing me from the blackness encasing me. The sound of splintering wood has me lowering my arm. I jump when thin rivers of blood trickle toward my feet. Blood is never a good sign. It leads from bad to deadly every damn time. Most would run at the sight. Me, being me, and knowing there’s no other recourse, I follow the tiny rivers. I move carefully, not wanting the thickening fluid to touch me. Dark magic is particularly nasty and usually requires a sacrifice. This blood signifies more than death, it’s a trigger to whatever will fire next. My light strobes in and out, in tune with my accelerating heart rate, and against the tiny rivers that expand into widening pool. The horrible silence resumes, adding an extra dose of eerie. Don’t be afraid, I tell myself. It’s quiet. That’s all. I don’t manage to convince myself. Not when the moaning resumes with the next step I take. It starts out low, almost imperceptible, swelling in volume until it’s loud enough to muffle my rattling teeth. The temperature drops absurdly low. The chill of death is here, expanding quickly, mingling with spirits and dark magic, and determined to drag me to hell. Son of a bitch. I reach another wall, another dead end. I release a breath, cursing when more moans join the first, these much higher pitched and much, much closer. Frozen fingers drag down my spine. I turn around, ready to blast whatever is touching me only to stop dead. The streaks of blood are moving, swirling in freakish directions to form letters and words. N-Y-T-E-S… My light shakes from my violent trembles. A-R-E… The letters darken to black, smearing the wooden floors. C-O-M-I-N-G I jolt when something crashes on the level above. I don’t wait for more of this twisted spelling bee. I take off in a sprint, shaking my right hand. “Get us to Celia,” I tell Sparky. “Get us there now.” I just miss crashing into a wall that materializes in front of me. I shake my arm harder. I don’t typically order Sparky around. It’s not something I can do. As connected as we are, she’s practically a separate entity with her own set of rules I’ve yet to figure out. “Come on, girl,” I insist. “Celia needs us.” More by instinct than anything Sparky does, I spin, startling when a new set of words form along the wall. NYTES HAVE COME

Pre-order your copy: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo 

About Cecy Robson

CECY ROBSON is an international and multi-award-winning author of over twenty-five character-driven novels. A registered nurse of eighteen years, Cecy spends her free time creating magical worlds, heart-stopping romance, and young adult adventure. After receiving two RITA® nominations, the Maggie Award, the Award of Excellence, and a National Reader’s Choice Award nomination, you can still find Cecy laughing, crying, and cheering on her characters as she pens her next story.
 


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This post was made possible by Kim @CaffeinatedPR

November 5, 2019

Alone for the Holidays makes me feel I'm not alone

Alone for the Holidays

Alone for the Holidays by Vivien Mayfair


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I live for Novellas in November. Centred around Christmas, it's a perfect way to get into the spirit of the holidays. The author also includes a bunch of delicious recipes for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Also thanks to the author for including us alone ones that aren't typical in a Christmas novella.

I'm like Clara, keeping busy by reading books on Goodreads lol. I also blog when I want to. Nothing too stressful. I like how the author describes being alone: "She cooked her meals for one, stuck with a four-pack of toilet paper, and stopped shaving her legs months ago...She could eat as much as she wanted without embarrassment. Laundry day only came every other week, hair washing once a week, and housecleaning once a month" Yup. pretty much ;) I feel like exclaiming "SAME!"

Clara Neverov has gotten herself in a bind, wrapped in Christmas when a guy she meets in an online book group invites himself over. He doesn't know Clara isn't who she says she is. She posts online as Abigail for privacy reasons and now she is overwhelmed to have to spill the beans to this guy. O, good lord. No hilarity ensues, unfortunately, probably because the guy was too serious. Idk. I didn't like him. There is no surprise everything works out in the end. HEA.

**I received an advance review copy from Book Sirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb. A short and sweet holiday read.Snow is falling hard near the picturesque town of Woodstock with its scrumptious bakeries, brightly lit storefronts, and twelve-foot Main Street Christmas tree. Romance is in the air for everybody except spicy Russian Clara Neverov, recently divorced, bitter, and alone for the holidays. As an acclaimed romance author, she revels in her solitary life relying only on Internet book groups for her socialization under a fake name pulled from childhood memory and her best friend’s photo. When a mysterious editor from a Goodreads book group shares a sad story about being alone for the holidays, she accidentally invites him to spend them with her. The only problem is that her snowy country cottage is nowhere close to the magical Santa’s wonderland that she described. In fact, it closely resembles the underground Grinch’s lair on a bad day. The situation goes from bad to worse when Finn Jacobs drops an email that he’s on his way to spend Christmas with her and doesn't mention a date for his arrival.

About the author

Vivien Mayfair is the author of the sweet, clean, contemporary romance Snowdrop Valley Series, with a central focus on the theme of books, seasons, and holidays. Vivien always dreamed of being a writer. After years of raising children as a single parent from a young age and various dismal jobs with no direction, Vivien decided to indulge her passion for books by earning an MA in English before turning to writing romance full-time. She now creates sweet, wholesome, heartfelt romance that leaves readers feeling toasty on the inside and laughing on the outside. Her trademark sarcasm, themed holidays, and vibrant settings have gained her fans from all over. When not reading or writing, Vivien spends her time with animals, family, watching period drama movies or TV, or dreaming about her next autumn or snowy winter vacation to New England. Vivien resides in the Pacific Northwest.
 Visit Vivien's Website

November 4, 2019

Novella November: A Highland Ghost for Christmas


A Highland Ghost for Christmas (Gambling Ghosts, #1)A Highland Ghost for Christmas by Jo-Ann Carson


Kindle Edition, 78 pages
Published November 13th, 2016 by JRT Publications

Goodreads Summary 

Jilted by her fiancé, librarian Maddy Jacobson is nursing a broken heart, when her best friend gives her an early Christmas present. Intended to be a fun, psychic reading in a spooky, tea house, the gift turns out to be life-changing. Maddy becomes haunted by a mischievous, Highland ghost. Ruggedly handsome, Cullen Macfie, the Highlander, has been dead for over three centuries, and never in all those years has he been so attracted to a woman, as he is to Maddy. He falls hopelessly in love and decides to woo her. Can there be a future for a librarian and a naughty, Highland ghost? 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What would it take for a 300-year-old Scottish ghost to graduate to an angel? If he could help Maddy get over a breakup then he would have done well. Maddy enjoys spending time with Cullen. I like that he wasn't afraid of messing with humans. I mean he isn't scary or malevolent. A Highland Ghost for Christmas has a perfect balance of romance and awesome. I loved it!

About the author:

Reports of Jo-Ann Carson’s death on a Gulf Island are greatly exaggerated or, at the very least, premature. The eclectic crew of ghosts that haunt her head spill onto the page in two series: The Gambling Ghosts and The Ghost & Abby Mysteries. A Viking with existential issues, a broken-hearted Highlander, a Casanova man-witch and a Pirate with a secret are just a few of the males her strong heroines encounter in tales of fantasy adventure and romance. A firm believer in the magic of our everyday lives, Jo-Ann loves watching sunrises, walking beaches near her home in the Pacific Northwest and reading by the fire.
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November 2, 2019

One Christmas Eve




One Christmas Eve by Shannon Stacey


Goodreads Summary 

They couldn’t be more different. Or more perfect for each other. New York Times bestselling author Shannon Stacey returns with a warm and cozy opposites-attract Christmas story. Zoe Randall is busy living her life as she damn well pleases. She’s back in her favourite town, her divorce in her rearview mirror, and living out her childhood dream of running a bookstore with her cousin. She has no interest in the uptight nerd who opened his boring-ass business next to her shop…until he complains about one of her sexy window displays. Then it’s game on. Preston Wheeler knows he takes life a little too seriously. But when the saucy bookseller next door starts pushing his buttons, he can feel that changing. Beautiful, vivacious Zoe challenges him in all the best ways, and soon he’s pushing her buttons right back: teasing and flirting all the way through the holiday season. As Preston loosens up and Zoe is treated to the man behind the suit (particularly his forearms), she realizes she’s more interested than she cares to admit. And Preston comes to see the beauty—the absolute delight—in adding Zoe’s bright splashes of colour to his once very black-and-white existence. 


My rating: 2 of 5 stars

** I received a free copy from the publisher HARLEQUIN - Carina Press VIA Netgalley in exchange for a review

I felt nothing for the characters, and in fact, I kind of hated Zoe and Preston. As much as I wanted to like 'One Christmas Eve' it didn't grip me due to lacklustre. It made me think they had a sex addiction and it was like watching a porn sesh! All's I got from reading this book was a headache. Don't waste your time

November 1, 2019

Novella November: Christmas Past

Christmas Past

Christmas Past by Mary Burton


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*I received a free kindle copy from the publisher via NetGalley
**Trigger warning of abusive relationships and brutality

The cover caught my eye and since it is Novella November I couldn't wait to dig in.
Christmas Past is a tale of romance and violence extending 3 days. David Ayden is absorbed by his attraction to Nicole. He wants to marry her. He's a good cop who lost his wife to cancer and is now a single dad to 2 teenage boys. Nicole is a struggling photographer and a single mom who is being tormented by her dead husband from beyond the grave. Her past is shaped by violence and abuse.
Can these two find a happily ever after? With a little help from their friends, they just might.

Because of her ex-husband, Nicole thinks she brings evil into everyone's life just like she did with Claire Carmichael, who was murdered for helping Nicole escape domestic violence. She doesn't want anyone else to die because of her. I got the impression Nicole was smart and capable though. When she reveals to Ayden a DVD she receives from her late husband, it appears Nicole was taking initiative and she needed to catch the one responsible. She was very strong and determined and a plan was formed which provided a very cozy romantic escape for the two of them BUT her life was still in danger and who better to have by your side than a 'warrior' sergeant?

About Mary Burton


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mary Burton’s latest tale of romance and suspense is Hide and Seek. The author of thirty-two published novels and five novellas, she’s also written five works of contemporary fiction as Mary Ellen Taylor. Find out more on her website