Death Takes a Holiday at Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Romantic Fantasy by Kelly Miller, Janet Taylor, Carol S. Bowes KU

Blurb

What will the master of Pemberley do when confronted with the mercurial whims of an all-powerful angel?

Fitzwilliam Darcy’s well-ordered life is about to become a chaotic nightmare. A man of fortune, property, and social prominence, he has everything he could desire. Blissfully married to his wife, Elizabeth, they have a two-year-old son. With so much to live for, Darcy is shaken by a near-fatal riding accident. After a miraculous escape, he is visited by an otherworldly being: an angel of death named Graham. Threatening dire consequences, Graham compels Darcy to guide him on a sojourn in the world of mortals.

Darcy immediately questions the angel’s motives when he demands to be a guest at Pemberley. Can he trust Graham’s assurance that no harm will come to his wife and child? And why does Graham insist on spending time with Elizabeth? How can Darcy possibly protect his family from an angel with power over life and death?

In this romantic fantasy, the beloved couple from Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice must contend with both human and unearthly challenges. Are the fates against them? Or will their extraordinary love conquer all?

Review

Attention! If you’re a lover of everything Jane Austin and fantasy, you should most definitely read this story. This isn’t simply a reimagining of the lives of the characters that millions of historical romance readers have fallen in love with. The authors manage to take a classic and make it all their own.

In the beginning of the story, the reader is introduced to Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy, the master and mistress of Pemberley. While Fitzwilliam is nearly thrown from his horse, his wife mysteriously faints in the garden. While Elizabeth wakes up from her faint surrounded by servants who are concerned about her, Fitzwilliam isn’t so lucky. An angel named Graham appears to him and announces that he has saved his life. In return, Fitzwilliam has to allow the angel to accompany him for a week. Graham tells Fitzwilliam that he would like to understand humans and why they feel so deeply. The mortal is pressured into helping the angel on his journey.

From the start, Graham is trouble. He clearly covets Elizabeth, and the life that Fitzwilliam has. This isn’t the only conflict in the story. A relative from Fitzwilliam’s past decides to appear without invitation with a beautiful woman in toe. Her goal, is to tempt Fitzwilliam into cheating on Elizabeth. Trust me, between the angel and the vengeful aunt, the couple has a lot of drama to deal with. Don’t worry, Graham does get better in the book. Because of his powers, he does uncover a lot of secrets. But he struggles with his morals and learns a few things about himself.

I’d recommend this book to anyone that enjoys reading well written drama filled stories.

The Smoke Tree by Stefanie Nici KU

Blurb

What’s a girl to do after it all falls apart?
That is what Tora McAllister must learn after her husband’s sudden trip to the hospital leads her to the surprise of her life. Feeling abandoned and alone, she is left to figure it out on her own.
Enter Peanut, a Yorkie Terrier her sister Courtney drops into Tora’s frazzled lap. Peanut’s presence brings her new joy, as well as a friendship with a popular neighbor and a handsome veterinarian, shaking up Tora’s life even more. Finding it difficult to let go of what was, will Tora welcome new beginnings with open arms or continue clinging to a hopeless past?

Review

From the first page, the story captivated me. Tora is a thirty something, that has the perfect hard-working husband, and a seemingly good group of friends. Her husband works late nights, and Tora fills her loneliness by eating. That affects her wait and kills her confidence. But her confidence takes a hit when she discovers that her husband and her group of friends have been lying to her. After suffering a betrayal, Tora’s sister Courtney begs her to watch her new dog Peanut. While taking Peanut for a walk, Tora meets Jill, and thankfully, they start a healthy friendship. But just remember, Jill also has her own secret. The dog also introduces Tora to the love interest of the novel, a kind veterinarian that is patient and sweet.

Although this book does have romantic elements, it’s mostly about a woman that pulls her life back together again. There are some “holy crap!” moments in that book. At times, Tora’s timid nature does get irritating. But in the end, I appreciated how she handled everything. The book is written so well that at times I thought I was reading a nonfiction novel. It’s amazing how the author was able to bring Tora to life. Her insecurities, her experiences, her reactions were all so real.

If you enjoy a book with mean girls, amusing characters, and a woman that finally finds her place in life, this book is for you.

Second Chances: A Friends to Lovers Celebrity Romance (Love on Set Book 1) by Alice Reed KU

Blurb

For those who believe lightning can strike twice …

Girl-next-door turned party girl Emelia Young has spent the last five years cultivating an illustrious acting career in LA. But, when fate pulls her back to her hometown of Sydney, she finds the eyes of the world are on her, and this time for all the wrong reasons.

In the midst of a chaotic scandal, Emelia meets the eye of the last person she expected to see: her high school sweetheart, Liam Miller. When the whole world turns dark, Emelia finds light again in the boy she loved all those years ago.

But things have changed. No longer the heart-drawing sixteen-year-old Liam used to know, fame, money and notoriety have changed Emelia, leaving them both unsure of where they stand.

When chance leads them into close proximity, Emelia finds there’s something even more terrifying than having the whole world hate you: developing feelings for someone who she could actually fall for.

Hearts will be set racing in this fast paced second chance romance set on the sunny and romantic Bondi Beach. Do they have it in their hearts to take another shot at love?

Review

What a heartwarming read!

After reading this book my first thought was, “I wish I could date someone like Liam.” This book was different, since the male lead wasn’t some dark character who was rude and aggressive. Liam was all sunshine. I felt like his personality balanced out Emelia, who was more of the insecure reformed mean girl type.

Aside from the author’s impeccable skill with character development, the plot was interesting as well. Liam and Emelia were once lovers when they were teenagers. But then, Emelia broke it off, left Australia, and became a famous actress. Fast forward a few years, Emelia returned to Australia, her mission to confront a passed lover and secure a part in a new series. Then, Liam and Emelia were thrust together by scandal. The scandal was so surprising that I actually shouted, “No way!” while reading. To be honest, it took a bit for me to like Emelia. But by the end, I was rooting for Liam and Emelia to reconnect. Since Liam new the real Emelia, it helped me understand why he loved her.

If you’re looking for a book with love, betrayal, and scheming executives, this is the book for you!

US Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PNMYRJZ

Aus Amazon: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08PNMYRJZ

UK Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08PNMYRJZ

True Rising: Mark of the Defenders by Tanishq Sheikh

Blurb

“I will get you someday,” the voice whispers its macabre promise, “Someday you will sleep too deep, some day you will dream too far…”

What if you grew up being haunted by a mean, vengeful spirit? But what if it isn’t a spirit? What if it is something more sinister, something ancient?

What if it’s an entity ordained by your bloodline?

Prisha’s past is but a memory and her teen years mark the beginning of her life’s intriguing journey. At seventeen, she meets the suave and sensuous Ajaz

Markos. His whiskey eyes and killer smile are enough to melt her heart and break it. Their desire for each other is mutual, as is their love until he casts

her aside.

Prisha leans on her best friend Nik to mend her broken heart. But neither know that she’s a danger to him and their future together. Then Ajaz is back

and it isn’t coincidence.

Prisha and Ajaz are older, wiser and thrown together as part of a larger, Machiavellian plan. Armed with mystical powers, they must fight indestructible

entities and face their legacies to save an innocent life. One thing Prisha knows for sure, her bloodline is both a boon and a curse.

But how will she defeat the most powerful force of them all? What price will she have to pay? Will Prisha and Ajaz come out of the ultimate battle of their

lives unscathed? Will she rise to protect what’s hers?

Review

I want more! This novel was written well. It had all the characteristics of what I love in a book. There was love, heartbreak, evil entities, action, and it was unpredictable.

Most of this novel takes place in India, though, the characters do live in America for a period of time. In the beginning, we learn about the main character Prisha’s early years and her first experiences with an Unknown spirit. Then, the novel brings us through her teen years and into adulthood. There are two love interests, Ajaz and Nick, who are both great men that are easy to fall in love with. Since the novel covers the span of Prisha’s live into late adult hood, you get to read about two romances. There are parts of the novel that made me cry, laugh, and exclaim and surprise. I would recommend this to anyone that loves romance that is interwoven with supernatural interferences.

A Chance for Charity (The Immortal ones #1) By S.L. Baum PF

Blurb

A new family has just arrived in the isolated mountain town of Telluride, Colorado. Welcome the Johnstons – Jason (a doctor), Rachel (a designer), and their niece Emily (a current High School Senior).

Emily has lived the life of a quiet loner in the past, trying to go unnoticed. But with Telluride being such a small and welcoming town, she finds a group of friends at school almost immediately. When Emily meets Link (another new transplant in town) her world turns upside down. She doesn’t understand why she feels a magnetic pull toward him, or why she unknowingly lets her guard down around him. Link is just as confused by his own need to be with her.

Emily knows she is playing with fire. She should be doing whatever she can to keep herself isolated, to keep Link from getting too close. Danger has a way of finding Emily’s family – that is what keeps them on the move. They arrive in a new town every few years – it is safer that way.

Because… Emily isn’t really Emily… her real name is Charity – and Charity has an even bigger secret. Charity and her family are not like other people, they have “skills” that mere mortals cannot begin to comprehend.

Before long, Charity is struggling with the reality that her two lives are coming closer to each other with each passing day. Soon Link will find himself wrapped in a supernatural world that he never knew existed – and discover that mortals are not the only beings that walk this earth.

Review

What a refreshing book! Anyone that knows me, won’t find this surprising, but I’m all about the sweet paranormal romances. In fact, I can get lost in those feel good novels for hours. This read was no different.

So, the novel begins with Emily, whose real name is, Charity. And, yes, she’s the one that is a part of the supernatural world. She has decided to stick with her friends, who pose as her aunt and uncle. They travel every few years in order to stay undetected by hunters, and suspicious humans. Of course, she meets Link, who is completely human and unaware of the supernatural. Link is in his early twenties, and Charity is posing as a 17-year-old, don’t worry she’s actually much older. In fact, Charity has a heart-breaking past and by the end of the novel, an unknown aspect of her history will be revealed.

Charity is transformed by the relationships she makes, both romantic and platonic. I have to mention that Charity and Link’s chemistry is lovely, beautiful and makes me nostalgic. I don’t want to give away too much, but I will mention some cool aspects of this book. The author incorporates witches, vampires, and shifters. Meanwhile, she also created a race of beings that have something in common with vampires. I also love how the author brought Telluride to life. She wrote in such a way that I felt like I was on the slopes with the lovebirds.

This book will appeal to anyone that enjoys a feel-good novel that has magic, hilarious side characters, love and awesome dialogue.

https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-chance-for-charity-the-immortal-ones/id443234490 https://www.amazon.com/Chance-Charity-Immortal-Ones-Book-ebook/dp/B003PPCTS8

Because of Hattie: A grippingly seductive story of love, lust and loss, with heartbreak and betrayal that will change the course of a young woman’s lifeForever. By Roxanna C. Revell KU

Blurb

Ava Swan’s life had always been simple – until she fell in love. Big love. Epic love. Epic sex… Love; a common, yet utterly complicated emotion that

brought her a happiness that she never thought possible – until it ripped her world apart.

Turning to the sanctuary of her parents at their home in the idyllic village of Clovelly; Ava starts to put the pieces of her life back together. Her life,

and that of the baby that she keeps hidden from her past.

New love arrives and Ava believes that she has truly moved on. Only, the past always has a way of catching up with you.

When Mark returns to Ava’s life, so to do the feelings that she buried deep inside, and when the new love she found, and the new life she created, is revealed

to have been built on lies; danger follows, along with a whole new level of pain and despair.

It’s enough to break you, but sometimes it can make you – and all of this, because of Hattie.

Review

This novel may be fiction, but it reads like a captivating memoir that is jammed packed with emotions. I know you’re thinking, who is Haddie? Simply put, she is a toxic best friend in sheep’s clothing. She is the kind of person that sneakily sucks the joy out of her friends lives. Ava is kind but too loyal in the beginning. She is sent running from the love of her life because Haddie and her accomplices manage to take everything from her. She has her baby Jacob in secret, and builds a relationship with someone else. I won’t tell you the outcome, but I’ll just say that the author has a talent for character development. Ava starts of as a kind person with little backbone and turns into a strong woman who knows how to take care of herself. Though, most of the story is told from Ava’s point of view, the author does include the point of view of a few of the supporting characters. I promise, there is steam, passion, heart break, loss, friendship, supportive family, and so much more in this novel. If you enjoy a romance that is filled with drama, love, and the highs and lows of a mother trying to put her heart back together, this is the book for you!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088ZWQ8PZ?ref_=d6k_applink_bb_marketplace

Korrigan (Secrets Of The Fae #1) By Rebecca F. Kenney KU

Blurb

A girl at night, a caged monster during the day. Aislinn has lived in darkness as long as she can remember. She is Korrigan— and only by Life-Stealing can she keep her human shape from dawn to dusk. When she finally steps into the sunlight, the first person she sees is Zane. He’s everything she wants— handsome, sweet, and normal.
But an encounter with the Far Darrig, the malevolent trickster of Old Irish myth, changes Aislinn’s future. He opens a new realm of possibilities that are anything but normal— and with them, brings dreams and desires as dangerous as he is.
Above all, Aislinn craves choice— the right to decide her own path. But what if gaining power for herself means giving up something much more precious?

Review

Wow! I finished this book in one day. I am hooked and can’t wait to read the next book in this series. So this young adult book focuses on Aislinn, who is a 17-year-old girl who lives with five shady, uncaring guardians. All of the Korrigan are cursed, forced to pay a price, in order to go out in the day. I won’t spoil that part, since that will ruin some of the book. But let me just say, the curse on the Korrigan is truly horrible. So, once Aislinn is able to walk around in the day, she meets Zane, a handsome guy who is sweet, kind, and good. Of course her guardians aren’t thrilled with her making friends with humans. In fact, most of the women that Aislinn lives with, treats her like she is a bother. She is often times controlled and ridiculed. Aislinn also has nasty nightmares and is being harassed by the fae. When you find out the real reason why Aislinn and her guardians were cursed, you’ll be shocked. There is sort of a confusing love triangle that goes on. I like how it’s resolved in the first book. Aislinn also has to decide if she will walk down the path of good or evil. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys an all-consuming paranormal romance about the fae.

Gnotret (The Accidental Heroes Chronicles #1) by S.E. Cyborski

Blurb

While he doesn’t like the sound of the experimental drug trial his girlfriend Amy Veksler found a flyer for on campus, George Ormond still lets himself be persuaded to join it. He, Amy, and three other students go to a warehouse where Doctor Adam Carnesby, the biology professor who’s running the study, has everything set up for the month long trial. Everything seems to be going well even though all five of the students become sick for a week after their first injections. At the start of the second week, they all recover, feeling better than ever. Then, they start to discover that there were more side effects to the drug than just a cold.

Review

Attention to all of the super hero lovers in the world, this is the read for you! During this pandemic, I’ve tried to find books that can bring me to another location. This author does a great job of making the reader feel like the characters are all real people. Everyone has their clear traits, and friendships have been made. George is what a guy would call “whipped.” But I feel that he would do anything to keep his hot girlfriend. Amy is outgoing, but through no fault of her own, becomes annoying after the trials begin. Then, we have my favorite character, Billy, who is smart, quiet, and powerful in his own way. Sandra is ambitious, while Michael is the party boy. The plot is that kind of plot that is safe enough that you don’t need tissues, but unpredictable in the way that digging into a box of chocolates is. I did not see the end coming. I mean, I thought that this would be like most super hero books. But guys be warned, this book doesn’t follow all of the same plot lines as every other book. I think anyone looking for a fast pace read will enjoy it.

Gnotret (The Accidental Heroes Chronicles #1) by S.E. Cyborski KU