Burned by Karen Marie Moning

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


Karen Marie Moning is one of my authors. I am a lover of all things Fever, and have enjoyed every installment in the series up until reading Burned. I have been able to devour every book in this series in one sitting; but not this one. Mac, Barrons, and the other characters that I've loved reading about just didn't thrill me. I just found the characters lackluster. I did enjoy getting more insight to the Nine, but that wasn't enough to carry Burned. The cliffhanger ending that I've come to expect and learned to love, was lacking that KMM formula that in the past has left me fiending for the next installment. That said, I do have a copy of Feverborn not even five feet away from me which I will start reading tonight. My hope is that I'll be able to read it with the the same enthusiasm as I've done with other books in this series.



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Last night while I was half asleep, I had the greatest idea for a new story. I swear, I had written bestseller just before falling asleep. I got up to start physically writing those ideas down, and my mind went blank. Does that ever happen to you? You're falling asleep and suddenly you have the best idea. But if you're like me, you have a dog asleep on each arm, one across you legs, and a cat asleep on your head so moving quickly to write something down is out of the question.

Would-Be Witch by Kimberly Frost

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was such a light a refreshing read. It's just what I needed to get my reading mojo back. I enjoyed it so much that I bought the next two books in the series. I've also done extensive research on Ocelots- those who have read the series will know what I mean. I'm excited to see how the relationships between the characters continues to grow as the series progresses. Kimberly Frost, in my opinion, has done an amazing job with the world building here. I've never been to Texas, but after reading this one, I felt like a novice Texan witch caught up in a magical world. Great job! I can't wait to see what the rest of series has to offer.



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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'm a huge fan of the craft. So much so, that I've decided to try my own hand at writing. It's been close to two years, and I'm getting better and better. With several works in progress (WIP), I've decided to focus on just two. My goal is to have one, or both completed soon and ready for beta readers. That said, one of my WIPs had taken on a mind of its own. The story is far off from where I intended. What I thought would be an urban fantasy murder mystery has turned into a feminists battle cry. I guess I'll just keep writing and see where the characters lead me. There's inspiration everywhere I turn, and I'm excited to see how the story unfolds.

**See my review and attempt at casting the main characters below**

Maybe Baby by Kim Golden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Maybe Baby had some of everything! I absolutely loved it. Reading it was just what I needed to get out of my reading funk- thanks Kim! I avoided reading in depth reviews, and even looking at how others here on goodreads had shelved the book, so I didn't know what to expect. In spite of it all, I loved all the characters- those of you who read it know who I mean. The setting was so refreshing. For someone like me who isn't well traveled, the author did an amazing job of describing the setting/ environment. I want to go to Copenhagen so bad I don't know what to do with myself.

All that aside, I enjoyed reading a romance novel dealing with the subject matter of woman wanting a baby. I think a lot of authors struggle with making the desire for motherhood 'sexy', but Kim Golden did an amazing job. Good Lawd! This book had some hot scenes, LOL!!!



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Maybe Baby by Kim Golden- My dream cast!!!!

Please keep in mind that regardless of the authors description of a character while I'm reading a book, the image in my mind is what it is. I enjoyed reading Maybe Baby with the idea of casting in mind. Maybe Baby was just a fabulous read! Just what I needed to get my reading kinks out.... So here goes my dream cast ( I think!)......




Laney






Niklas

I don't know why, but when first introduced to Eddy, I pictured someone with a wild, yet chic style. So here goes....



Eddy ( I love her look!!!!)




Karolina


I'm so torn between my Mads:

or




Siri

Jesper- I'm at a total loss!!!! I racked my brain thinking of young actors that could fit my image of him, and drew a blank :(




Alma

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Love through pain by Ancelli

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked the way that Javier and Jasmine got together. We could see an actual relationship forming, and that was a pleasant change. I thought the topic of Jasmine's assault was handled well, and I loved the way that Javier was mindful of that the first time they made love. He didn't pity her, but their first time together he wanted to reassure her that she was in control, and that was really sweet. Then, they were having sex almost every other page, and it just got old for me. That said, I liked the way Ancelli incorporated Javier's PTSD and Jasmine's being in therapy into the story. To me, that was especially important; it showed that Jasmine was working on dealing with being assaulted, and that it wasn't going to happen overnight. Some things were to neat and tidy for me- Malcom and Shirley getting together, but no resolution over Malcom and Eva. Kevin and Frankie being the ones that assaulted Jasmine. Frankie showing up at the BBQ, and then the same cops being the ones to show up and arrest him. That was just a bit much for me. Like I said, I enjoyed this story overall, and in the opinion of someone whose never been assaulted, think that Ancelli handled the sensitive subject of rape well.



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A Time for Space Dragons to Create Stories in Land, Sea and Sky by L'Poni Baldwin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I enjoyed it. Granted, this is outside of my reading comfort zone, but once I got used to the writing, I enjoyed this collection. Some of the song/ poems had an epic feel to them, and I love reading things like that. I especially like the inclusion of the writers inspiration at the end of the song/ poems. I'd recommend this to someone who's open-minded, and looking for something new and different. Every now and again something comes along at the right time, and this was just what I needed right now.



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Fire Baptized by Kenya Wright

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really like the world building in Fire Baptized. In addition to the supernatural beings being forced to live in caged city away from humans, there was a murder mystery, and a love triangle. The heroine Lanore was a nice change of pace for me. She was put into some situations right from the very beginning and had enough sense to be afraid, but would also do what she had to do to defend herself- the balance was so refreshing! She was definitely interesting enough that I'd like to see how things play out in the rest of the series. The other characters were interesting enough too, and I expect to see them grow as the series progresses. One thing though, I was able to predict who the killer was very early on before the author start giving up the information. Overall, very well written, and I'm so glad that Lanore had locs!



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What the Earl Desires by Aliyah Burke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Loved it! There definitely needs to be more historical romance novels written like this. I was staying away from historical romance due to the lack of people of color, lack of variety in heroines- always the genteel sort, but reading this has me craving more books within the historical romance sub-genre. I'll just be looking to read novels with more interesting couples.



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The Throwaway Year by Pepper Pace

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was an amazing read! There were moments where I identified with Hayden- the way she felt about herself, her relationships, interaction with her best friend, and the things she felt she needed to do to get right with herself. I loved reading about her transforming herself from the beginning to the end, not only mentally, but physically. I also enjoyed reading the positive affirmations written throughout the book. Reading this has left me feeling great!!



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Juicy by Pepper Pace

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


**Spoiler Alert**

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*I'm not really sure what to say. I enjoyed Juicy and Troy's separate back stories, but I didn't like the way they came to be couple, and just didn't feel the chemistry between them. I liked the way Pace went into Troy's mental illness, and life as a homeless person- that had me rooting for Troy to get a happy ending. I liked the way Pace went into Juicy's relationship with her mother and her mothers racism, and how it led to Juicy disliking a race of people for no reason other than her being raised that way- isn't that true for a lot of people? There were a few major issues that I had with this novel overall- one being Juicy's medical treatment at the county hospital. As a nurse, I don't doubt that persons presumed to be without resources to pay for hospital care can be treated poorly, or receive the bare minimum treatment, but c'mon! She was discharged not even a full 24 hours after waking up from a 3 day coma, and having a hole drilled into her skull to relieve the pressure on her brain following a head injury- whatever! Another issue I had with Troy's character was that although he was homeless, he had a large amount of money in a trust, was getting a social security check- but instead chose to live on the street. I know that his character is mentally ill, and makes decisions from a different perspective than most, but it was just too convenient that he had the money, and Juicy needed the money to open her own hair salon. I like things to work out, but the convenience was a bit much for me.



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The Search by Shiree McCarver

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I love reading romances that take place during this time period that features people of color having unique occupations. That and the gothic twist to this story was what drew me in. I could easily picture the heroine Rain's arrival and first meeting with the sheriff. Then when Rain and Wen the hero first met- I loved that scene! I really hope to see more IR romance taking place in this era with that gothic romance element in it.



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The Blacker the Berry by Lena Matthews

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I liked it. I liked Tamara as the heroine. She was plus sized and owned it. The entire story wasn't spent on her feeling insecure about her size, and Russell needing to make her feel better. Although I enjoyed the story overall, I felt like Russell's possessiveness was a bit too much too soon. He reminded me of one of those the alpha heroes you read about in a werewolf/ shifter novel with him thinking "mine" all the time. Where did that come from after just meeting each other through mutual friends? At one point, while making love, he even bites Tamara, huh? Some parts were a bit much for me, and had me rolling my eyes, but not so much that I wouldn't read more novels by this author. This was the first novel I've read by Lena Matthews, and I plan on reading more soon.



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The Bad Death by Naima Haviland

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


The synopsis of the book was so interesting that I was excited to read The Bad Death,and had really high hopes. However, it just fell short for me in many ways. The way in which Anika first appears led me to believe that I was in for a good read. But as soon as Anika opened her mouth, I started to have doubts. I kept reading in hopes that I would grow to like her character. As the story went on, I had a hard time feeling anything for Julian, Anika, or Marcus. I believe there's a prequel to this that probably would've filled in some
holes
and I wouldn't have been left with unanswered questions. Out of curiosity, I probably will read Bloodroom at some point.



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Knight by Kristen Ashley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I don't know. I just enjoyed the story. I don't normally read erotica/ BDSM-ish novels, but I just couldn't help reading this one after hearing so many good things. I found Knight to be one of the most interesting heroes I've come across lately; especially as the author gave us tidbits about his past. He and Anya made for an interesting read that I couldn't put down, not even during the scenes that had me rolling my eyes. I loved the supporting characters, and would've liked to see the author go a little further in depth with them. I kept hoping Vivica would be the heroine in another book, LOL! I definitely plan to continue with this series.



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Bride of the Water God, Volume 1 by Mi-Kyung Yun

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I'm not too familiar with manga. For the first in its series, I really enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to reading more.



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