Review: Wicked Sinner

Wicked Sinner by Stacey Kennedy
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Asher broke Remy's heart when he abruptly broke up with her and now years later, he's been trying to be her friend but she doesn't know if her heart can take it. When he objects at her wedding, she can't stop the flutter of her heart. Unfortunately, it's to arrest her almost husband, turns out he was a conman just out for her inheritance.
When she finds what could be a fortuitous gift left behind by her scam artist ex, she jumps at the chance to start her dream business. However, Remy's luck might not be changing as a shady maybe tied to the mob guy shows up and the only one who can help her is Asher.

“One chance to be friends, Asher. That’s it. Mess this up, and we’re done. Forever.”

A second chance romance in the Dangerous Love series, Remy and Asher have quite the past. They were madly in love while Remy was in highschool and Asher graduated and went onto the Police Academy. Asher gets recruited by the FBI and after his mother commits suicide, he decides that all the dark emotion inside of him should be kept away from Remy and he leaves her behind in Maine while he goes to D.C. I didn't read the first in the series and I felt like I missed background emotion between these two. There was a good flashback scene to their breakup and then a quick recap of how Asher's been back for five years, Remy ignored him for the first couple and the last year has just started talking to him. This story starts with Asher claiming to just want to be friends with Remy and her thinking maybe she can but nervous that she still loves him.

This angst could have worked for me but Asher's thoughts and emotions constantly contradicted the “just friends”, one moment he was spouting how he only wanted friendship because of the darkness in him and then there were scenes where he is wanting to spend all day in bed with Remy and basically acting like he wanted a relationship with her. He wasn't warring internally with himself, just the writing ignoring the character conflict in favor of having them together.

No one made her laugh like Asher. No one made her feel as alive as Asher had. In that empty hollowness of her chest, a part of her wanted to feel a little piece of that again.

Remy's interest in New Age things gave her an interesting hook but the catalyst for the danger she gets put in, using money she found in her house that she assumed was her conman ex-fiance's, to start her dream business, gave her an aggravating clueless personality as the story went on. It's obvious from early on that she should tell Asher, who is a cop or any of her other two friends who are cops, that a maybe mob guy is after her because of the money she used. The group of friends the series seems to follow provided some good friendships for Remy. I liked how the other two women, Peyton (heroine from first book) and Kinsley (bestfriend of Remy and sister to hero from book one) supported and laughed with one another.

He cupped her face, then brought his mouth close to hers, and before he claimed the kiss, he said, “I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

This book seemed to have a little too much going on, the heavy issues Asher personally had to deal with (his mother's suicide, alcoholic father), Remy being in possible danger from the mob, and their healing from a painful past while trying to build a current romance; these threads never had focus or time enough to go into the depth I needed to get me emotionally involved. The ending was more anticlimactic for me as the have to marry for inheritance forced these two together at around the 85% mark and then gave a quick “oh I guess I do want to be married to you” turn around that provided no emotional fulfillment. Basically, Remy and Asher's journey didn't flow for me, they had some sweet moments but emotions, thoughts, and actions contradicted for sake of dragging the story out. There was a secondary romance teased between Kinsley and Rhett (Kinsley's brother's bestfriend and fellow cop) that might have me checking out the third in the series.

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Reading Update: 50%

Second chance romance and sweet/spicy tacos
That cover providing some Thirsty Thursday ;)

Wicked Sinner by Stacey Kennedy purchase link

Sweet and Spicy Sriracha Chicken Tacos recipe

Review: Scot Under the Covers

Scot Under the Covers by Suzanne Enoch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.3 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Shackled by an agreement that he had no part of, Aden is in London forced to find an English bride before his younger sister gets married. When his soon to be brother-in-law's sister makes her disdain know for him immediately, he is intrigued.
Miranda's brother is in trouble and somehow she is the one who is going to end up paying the price, but she won't go down without a fight.
Two people whose futures are trying to be set by others might just find hope in each other.

They didn't call him the elusive MacTaggert brother for no reason.

Second in the Wild Wicked Highlanders series, Scot Under the Covers starts a couple weeks after the first in the series. New readers might miss some of the MacTaggert family background and dynamics but there was enough rehashing to keep them from totally being lost. I do recommend reading the first however, as I enjoyed it and I think it lays down the foundation for the series. Aden is the middle brother and the most mysterious, he keeps his cards very close to the chest and his emotions contained, no one really knows exactly what he is thinking and feeling. While we were introduced to her brother Matthew in the first, Miranda makes her first appearance here and she comes off snobby as she insults Aden right away. Readers learn that Miranda's uncle had to leave England because of gambling debt and that Matthew has gambling issues too. All Miranda knows of Aden in the beginning is that he likes to gamble, so with all the hurt gambling has caused her family, she wants nothing to do with Aden.

That was her problem now, he realized. She saw a trap, knew it to be a trap, hadn't even stepped into it herself, but now she couldn't find a way out of it.

The crux of the story is that Matthew lost 50,000 pounds to a Captain Vale who threatens to ruin their family unless Matthew promises Miranda will marry him. Miranda is, obviously, upset about this and goes to Aden for help on how Vale thinks and if, as a gambler, he knows of anyway to get Matthew out of the debt. It was a little bit flimsy of reasoning but I went along with it and the story started off sparking with Miranda being cold to Aden, Aden not letting her just get away with her rudeness from the beginning, and then the emotional simmer starting to seep through from the couple. The middle, unfortunately, was too loose and dragging. Aden is constantly portrayed as having a grand plan or scheme but since he is so self-contained, he doesn't want to tell anyone, not even Miranda, his plans. This works for awhile as Miranda and him are getting to know one another but the reader is also kept in the dark. The middle was a constant back and forth of Miranda wanting him to share what was going on and Aden simply saying trust me. What really made dragging through the middle not worth it was the ending, the whole grand scheme Aden was supposed to be working towards, gets thrown away and an extremely simple action is taken instead. It made it feel like the whole middle had no point.

If she genuinely disliked him he'd turn elsewhere, but beneath the sparring between them, perhaps even because of it, he felt...something. A slow, brewing lightning storm that made the hair lift on his arms and had him anticipating things he couldn't yet put a name to.

Miranda and Aden had chemistry, I wished there had been more scenes focused on them together; there was a hallway scene with them alone that simmered and heated up the pages. There were two bedroom scenes, the heat level was lower in this one, in regards to what is currently being published. Aden is constantly wondering if Miranda is pretending to like him to keep him helping or beginning to like him because she feels indebted to him and Miranda isn't sure if Aden likes her or is just helping for his sister's sake. Both of these are credible angst issues but Aden's pretty quick internal “she's my lass” and admitted in love, had me missing some aspect of relationship development. Miranda's growing feelings get lost in favor of the whole grand scheme to get her out of Captain Vale's clutches.

At that moment he looked up and his gaze met hers. He took half a step in her direction before he smoothly altered course and continued with his conversation about wild berries in Scotland. That motion, though---it was the first time she'd seen him make a misstep in...well, in anything. And it had been in reaction to her.

Again, since Aden is more closed off, the two other MacTaggert brothers don't really come into the story until later; I think their relationship shined more in the first. I did think the emotional issues with his mother (she left him and his three brothers in the highlands and took the daughter with her to London, never visiting them because of animosity with husband) had more depth and he makes her work for a first step to rebuilding love and trust, more than was portrayed in the first. Captain Vale gave a very villainy villain, some harsh moments from him, and while not completely rounded out for me, his backstory and reasons gets somewhat rushed at the end, he did his job providing the danger.

Whatever disaster had led her to this point, whatever subsequent madness had seized her, nothing had ever made her feel what she felt right now as she waltzed with Aden MacTaggert.

A stirring beginning and a too loose middle that dragged, giving way to an ending that disregarded all the work of making it through the middle, made this a little bit of a frustrating read. The set-up of the series is still strong though, and I care about the characters and Enoch has the ability to create heat inducing and emotionally stirring scenes. The eldest MacTaggert still needs to find his match and I still definitely want to read about it.

His fingers tightened momentarily on her shoulder, and then his warm mouth brushed against the nape of her neck. “Ye may just undo me, lass. I look forward to that.”

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50%

For a moment he thought he'd finally earned a slap after all, but then she took half a step back and he realized she'd gone up on her toes to kiss him back. And whatever else he might discover today about plots and villains, that seemed the most significant. She'd met him halfway.

Reading Update: Page 1

Sunday is for tea, muffins, doggo companions, and good books.

Really enjoyed the first in the series and now can’t wait to see another MacTaggert fall in love.
Coming out this Tuesday!

Scot Under the Covers by Suzanne Enoch pre-order link

Cinnamon Roll Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe

Since these have frosting, I know muffin purists will raise eyebrow but I swear these taste like muffins. Just better because of the light frosting on them

Review: Desired by a Highlander

Desired by a Highlander by Donna Fletcher
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

1.5 stars

I received this book in a giveaway. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Captured on her way to her sister, Willow finds herself in a precarious situation. When her jailer decides to throw her in a hole with a naked man, things go from bad to worse. Slatter is currently on the losing end of his back and forth battle with a man named Beck. He's been planning to escape but when an innocent woman is thrown into his jail with him, he knows he must stay to protect her.
Willow thinks she knows Slatter but lies, revenge, and the truth are all about to be revealed.

“A woman only belongs to a man if she’s wed to him. So if you want to leave here with her, you’ll wed her,”

Second in the Macardle Sisters of Courage Trilogy, I would highly suggest reading the first. The story begins right away with the action, Willow being kidnapped, and I had no idea the who and whys of the situation. There was other background information that would have been helpful, character motivations and how they were all tied together, by family or enemies. There was also an overuse of the word “poke” (sex), it was used 22 times with the second and third chapter, that became extremely tiresome and redundant to read. I personally like to see emotional/mental growth in my leads romance before the sexual occurs and this had Slatter giving Willow an orgasm within the first three chapters. This put me in the mindset that the story was going to be steamier but the tone changes and the sexual aspect actually doesn't really appear until later in the story, this made the beginning feel even more separate from the rest.

The war between Slatter and Beck, was confusing for me and I didn't understand their connection and animosity (maybe something I missed from not reading the first) and when the story moves on to Willow and Slatter at her brother's, it is forgotten for while in favor of a different one, involving characters thinking Slatter is a lying, adulterous, killer. The author keeps Willow and Slatter together through a forced marriage and they move to caring for each other and suddenly not wanting to get divorced very quickly. Willow and Slatter try to convince everyone that someone who looks exactly like Slatter is impersonating him and that guy is the true villain. This story thread also left me confused and not feeling it was fully fleshed out, again, characters and reasons felt left out.

“A husband sees to his wife’s care. I am your husband and I will be your husband until I am no more.”

I really think if you read this series in order, you would get more out of it. You'd have the foundation for the three sisters each book centers, the hows, whys, and character relationships. The first sister isn't shown in this but the third and youngest sister, Snow, has a teased enemies-to-lovers romance with the Lord of Fire, someone wanting Slatter dead for supposedly killing one of his warriors.

As a new reader to the series I was lost on character relationships and didn't fully grasp storylines. There was an interesting revenge plot but with the other threads going on, especially the whole Slayer, a man who mysteriously appears when you ask for his help in killing the “unjust”, mystery that felt tagged on in the end and didn't land the shock or emotional impact it should have. I ended up feeling lost for most of the story and never really connected with Willow and Slatter's romance.

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Reading Update: Page 1

Happy Reading and eating Friday! 

Desired by a Highlander by Donna Fletcher purchase link

BBQ Ranch Turkey Veggie Skillet recipe

I doubled the bbq sauce and think it was a bit too much, would do at least a 1/3 more

Review: A Madness of Sunshine

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Anahera is going back to her hometown, a place that she never wanted to return to but somehow finds she needs the comfort of. While there, Miriama, a young beautiful girl disappears while out jogging and Anahera finds herself helping the new town cop, Will, uncover the secrets of Golden Cove and it's residents.

She returned home two hundred and seventeen days after burying her husband while his pregnant mistress sobbed so hard that she made herself sick.

In this standalone, Singh has written an intoxicating mystery suspense. The writing was smooth in a way that sucked me in and wouldn't let me go; I was lost in the beautifully dark atmosphere. Readers are pulled in with the character of Anahera, a woman who grew-up in Golden Cove. Her father was an abusive alcoholic who her mother didn't kick out until he began to turn his abuse on Anahera. While she still has friends that live in Golden Cove, it's not a place of happy memories for her. The background Singh creates for Anahera, abusive father, widowhood that surprises her with a husband who cheated on her, and a miscarriage, all perfectly shapes the character we see on the pages, steely contained, strong, and heartfelt willing.

“Everyone has secrets,” he repeated after completing the maneuver. “It's often the people who look like they have no secrets at all who turn out to have the biggest ones.”

While we're led into the story by Anahera, she gives us the lay of the land and townspeople, the emotional aspect, the new town cop Will leads the technical, murder mystery part that takes over the middle of the story. As a reader, I was emotionally locked in the story because of how Singh quickly and thoroughly created a web spun with the townspeople from Anahera's experiences and feelings about them. This made me eager to follow along with Will as he gathered evidence and tries to piece together the how and why about Miriama's disappearance. While I didn't connect as much with Will, he had his own layered backstory of how he ended up in Golden Cove and gave credence to his feelings and actions. The focus of the story is the mystery of Miriama's disappearance but for those looking for it, the bonding relationship that develops between Anahera and Will, infuses the story with a slow burn romance.

That was the thing with this town---the way the gossip flowed, you'd think you knew everything. But there were secrets here, a thick tide of lava beneath the surface.

Along with the atmosphere and emotions evoked, the details that Singh includes made this story a cut above for me. How Will goes about the investigation and the facts and alluding he finds or is told along the way kept my eyes on everyone. When Will finds out that three woman hikers disappeared from the Golden Cove area fourteen years ago too, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. If you weren't feeling the atmosphere as much as I, I could see how the middle could drag a touch, as there might be considered one too many red-herring dancing to and away reasons given out. I also thought the villain(s) reveal started to creep into info dump reveal as it went on a beat too long. The ending also felt abrupt but it could be me just not wanting to say goodbye to these characters. A Madness of Sunshine was a small town mystery suspense that showcased the good, bad, and ugly of a small New Zealand town while chilling me to the soul at times and at others, having me smile through the tears.

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Reading Update: 50%

I’m about halfway through this and am loving how Singh has set the atmosphere and put me in the setting. Amazing writing.
Also, pleeeeease be ok Miriama!

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh purchase link

Spice Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia recipe

I doubled the amount of red pepper flakes

Review: The Secret Mistress

The Secret Mistress by Mary Balogh
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

For quotes, comments, and deeper review - The Secret Mistress Buddy Read

I usually love Balogh, so I don't know what happened with this one. A lot of the story is spent in the heroine and hero's head and when there were scenes in present time acted out, they were dragged on.

I enjoyed the heroine, she was sheltered from growing up in the country but her naivety, openness, and honesty felt very genuine and not Mary Sue-ish. She also made friends with who she thinks the hero loves and it wasn't done in maliciousness but because she genuinely liked aspects of the women's personality.

The hero is thought to be dull, in comparison to his wild brother, and I honestly had to agree, he did come off dull. His character didn't get colored in until towards the ending.

There was a secondary romance that had way more spark and chemistry and I wished this had been their story instead.

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70%

"Love, Edward thought broodingly. What the devil did it mean? It meant all the euphoria of romance and all the underlying but unspoken power of lust, obviously. Perhaps it had only to be believed in to be experienced. But was there any real substance to it?"

More quotes and comments - The Secret Mistress Buddy Read

40%

"Lord Heyward, are you perhaps just a little bit stuffy?"

For more quotes and comments - The Secret Mistress Buddy Read

Reading Update: 15%

Doing a buddy read with my friend Missy over on GoodReads in the Romance Book Buddy Reading group!
This has started a bit slow for me but there is potential for some great sexual tension banter.

The Secret Mistress by Mary Balogh purchase link

Mango Black Bean Chipotle Coke Chili recipe

I added six chipotle peppers to this for spice. I actually think this would make a great vegetarian chili if you just took out the ground turkey

Review: Love Her or Lose Her

Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Rosie and Dominic are childhood sweethearts who have let each other drift away from one another. When Rosie declares she's leaving, Dominic has the wake-up call he needed and he's not going to let his marriage go without a fight. It's a second chance for the Vegas' marriage and hard truths are going to have to be told and feelings expressed if they're going to have a chance.

Everything between them was dark, lustful, confusing, and . . . so far off course, she wasn’t sure their marriage would ever point in the right direction again.

If you read the first in the series, Fix Her Up, you've been waiting for Rosie and Dominic's story after getting glimpses of their simmering heat and emotions. Bailey reveals their wounds right away and the story starts with Rosie finally done with going through the emotions of her life. Dominic is on the surface caught off guard but as some of his layers are peeled back, it becomes clear that he was feeling the distance in their relationship too.

“Go, then. No one’s stopping you.”

I thought the story started off well with the hurt and pain Rosie and Dominic was feeling bubbling out from under the surface, Rosie's more overtly. Bailey typically writes her males very protective and Dominic's streak was definitely evident with what he later calls his selfish need to have her all to himself. I thought having Dominic so clearly loving Rosie and admitting to himself, Rosie, and the readers that he would do anything for her gave the tone a good underlining simmering heat. Rosie's emotions towards Dominic were more dominated by her sexual attraction to him. With every “pointed nipple” and “wet thighs” I lost concentration on the emotional angst and the story's tone slid into more lustful. Bailey is known for her strong sexual scenes and those are definitely here but for this couple, I personally, wanted teeth gritting cognitive emotion.

Providing was a no-fail way to communicate love, wasn’t it? So where exactly had Dominic gone wrong?

The author has this couple bring to light and work out their issues through therapy and puts most of their issues on differing love languages. Dominic has a bit of not feeling worthy of Rosie hero syndrome and this made him put his head down and work extra hard to provide her with enough money for security, he inadvertently blocks her out in order to provide. I liked this route the author took but thought she fell short when it came to Rosie. Rosie begins to realize that she doesn't provide or speak the love language Dominic needs and it was a nice moment to see her realize she was also a problem in the marriage but after an attempt to give Dominic what he needs, this avenue with Rosie kind of drops off and it felt like Dominic was going to go back to doing most of the work.

“I’ll do anything you ask me to do,” he said in a gravelly voice. “Except walk away.”

If you read the first in the series, you'll be happy to hear that the Just Us League is still going strong and the female relationships formed from it give readers some great women friendship scenes. I thought the obvious series baiting for Bethany and Wes, through their bantering and bickering, seemed a little forced but Bailey probably has some hot and heavy scenes planned for those two.

Love Her or Lose Her approached and picked at intricate issues of long-term relationships but Bailey's focus on heavier sexual lustful tones kept it from achieving the deep angst ridden emotional path I thought could be felt wanting to burst from this couple and personally wanted. There was a scene of Rosie and Dominic dancing in the kitchen that I thought hit what I wanted, two people who have loved each other forever but are seeing each other for the first time in many years; top-shelf emotion.

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Reading Update: 40%

Saturday soup and a sexy can they save their marriage story.
Happy weekend reading, everyone!
And, go Vikes!

Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey pre-order link

Roasted Poblano, Sweet Corn, and Potato Soup recipe
Used turkey bacon, enjoyed the spice of this one

Review: Forever and a Duke

Forever and a Duke by Grace Burrowes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

“You seek to be silly?” Ellie did have a devious turn of mind, no need to take offense at the truth when the same quality kept a roof over her head.
His Grace's expression remained utterly serious. “Dukes are never silly.”
This duke was. “Good to know. Auditors are never frivolous.” Ellie shared a smile with Elsmore, which felt both silly and frivolous, also slightly dangerous.

Ellie comes from a family of scapegraces, sometimes by choice and sometimes by chance but now that she has a respectable job as an auditor at a bank, she doesn't want to do anything that could jeopardize that.
Rex is a duke that has never begrudged the large family his estate provides for but when it becomes clear that money is leaking or being siphoned off somewhere, he knows he has to do something.
Ellie and Rex are from two different worlds but as they get to know one another, they're going to realize that love doesn't let a little thing like class distinction trouble it.

Third in the Rogues to Riches series, we get the romance between two previous secondary characters. Readers of the series will remember Ellie as the no nonsense bank auditor for Quinn Wentworth (My One and Only Duke) and the duke that befriended him, Rex Elsmore, even though Quinn came from the lower classes to inherit the title. You could comfortably start the series here as even though the Wentworth family appear in some scenes, you won't feel lost as the author does a good job of incorporating them with just the right amount of background information.

What would it be like, to cast prudence out the window, and seize the duke?
I am an idiot. But was she an idiot for declining what Elsmore offered or for craving it?

I was very fond of Ellie's character, she was a tough cookie but the background on her family and how that affected her childhood gave reasoning behind it. She came from a lower class background and the author wrote in how opportunity and power can hinder people looking to make a living and provide for their family. Ellie visits her sister a couple times and we get some internal dialogue about her parents but her cousin Jack and former fiance, is where readers get great insight into why Ellie thinks and acts the way she does. I thought the author did a good job keeping Jack in the grey, even though he committed what could be seen as black and white actions (I would actually love Jack to get his own book). I thought a little more and revealed sooner information about Ellie's family would have helped make her trying to deny and push Rex away more emotional and allow readers to really sink into the angst.

Rex was the other side of the coin from Ellie, he grew-up with wealth and prestige and had nothing but love and trust for his family members. He has a couple scenes with his mother and sisters, then a few with his cousins but I wish there had a been a couple more with his immediate family, to really show the warmth between them. When he hires Ellie to audit his books, he doesn't want to consider that his family could be stealing from him and I think showing him with his family more could have provided a deeper angst between him loving them and starting to not trust them.

A duke did not become attached to a party far beneath his station.
Except...he did.

The romance between the two was the sweet, insistent, slowly but constantly building to forever that Burrowes does so well. These two surprise each other with how much they like one another and I loved how Rex's gentle charming humor invited in Ellie even when she tried to keep him at arms length. This story only takes place across a couple weeks but their romance development didn't necessarily feel rushed. However, the ending did feel abrupt as Ellie was protesting if they could be together only a few pages before and the question of who and why Rex was losing money is revealed a bit disorderly. Nonetheless, if looking for a kind and teasing duke and a tough exterior but a strong beating heart underneath auditor, Forever and a Duke has a sweetness to it that would make a reading experience pleasurable.

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Reading Update: 40%

In my world, shrimp dip is a meal

Improving this Tuesday with food and a Burrowes’ historical romance.
Hope everyone is enjoying their Tuesday!

Forever and a Duke by Grace Burrowes purchase link

Hot Louisiana Shrimp Dip recipe

I used Melba toast and loved it

Review: No Judgments

No Judgments by Meg Cabot
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

After devastating events start to pile on one after the other, Bree decides to escape to Little Bridge Island, where she spent her cherished childhood vacations. She dyes her hair pink and is working on finding herself again but a potential hurricane is trying to disrupt her calm.
Fending off her mother and ex-boyfriend begging her to leave the island, Bree decides to stick it out with some locals, one who is rumored to be the local playboy. Drew's sexy looks have caught her attention before but he seems like trouble she doesn't need.
The storm and fate seem to be throwing them together as Bree gets to know him more, she's starting to want to break her no dating rule.

I had purposefully come to this island to be alone and figure out my next move. None of that had included becoming attracted to darkly handsome brooding men who were kind to dogs.

Told only from Bree's point of view, No Judgments spends a lot of time in her head. Bree thinks about how her father's death, learning the woman she calls mom is not her biological mother, and hints at a traumatic experience that involved her ex-boyfriend's friend for the majority of the first half to let readers in on plot points and reasons for Bree's character make-up. These big issues are all thought about by Bree in her head and never fully get to be flushed out as the outer issue of the hurricane getting ready to hit the island takes up most of the action part of the story.

There was some build up to the hurricane, Bree doesn't want to leave because her rescue cat Gary has health issues and she wants people to think of her as a local and not a “Fresh Water”, but the actual event of the hurricane only lasts a night and Bree basically sleeps through it. The aftermath talks about potential health hazards, lack of resources and looters, but the reader never really feels this as Bree gallivants around the island. At the midpoint in the story, Bree and Drew still had a little bit of animosity to their relationship (and one quick make-out session), due to preconceived notions about each other but Bree decides to risk life and limb to go out and see if he survived the hurricane; her emotions seemed to strongly come out of nowhere.

The second half switches to Bree and Drew trying to rescue, feed, and water animals who's owners abandoned them with the hurricane coming in and now can't get back because of a bridge washed out. Around the 60% mark is where I finally thought I could see some emotional and relationship development between the two.

I’d broken all the rules, and now I was sitting here, like an idiot, by the light of the Milky Way, eating the guy’s steaks with his happy, well-fed dogs pressed all around me, listening to him talk. God. I had it bad.

With the story being told in Bree's point of view, readers get to know her pretty well but Drew's character could have had more filling out. He seemed likable, a laid back island guy who loved dogs, but I never knew him and he felt like almost an after thought for being the main partner in a romance. This had some heavier issues, death, infertility, and sexual assault sprinkled in but they were never fully fleshed out and the tone of the story colored them with a bit too much of a cavalier vibe. Honestly, if someone asked me what this story was about, I'd say the message was “Don't judge people for leaving their animals in a hurricane”, which can be a good message but feels odd for a romance/contemporary fiction.

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Reading Update: 50%

Skol! The MN Vikes beat the Saints!

Now I get to relax with a big ol’ sandwich and a book
Happy Sunday, everyone!

No Judgments by Meg Cabot purchase link

Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Kielbasa Bites recipe

I used turkey kielbasa and would do a bit less brown sugar as they were too sweet for me. Super yummy!

Review: A Trace of Deceit

A Trace of Deceit by Karen Odden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Annabel has been working to trust her brother again after he is released from jail for counterfeiting paintings but when she arrives at his flat to find two plainclothes detectives, she knows something is direly wrong.
With her art world knowledge, Annabel could be a tremendous help to Inspector Matthew as he searches for an art thief and murderer but it's getting increasingly hard for him to put her in danger.
Suspects are lining up, plots are thickening, and buried secrets are getting revealed in this Victorian murder mystery.

“I think all our memories have a trace of deceit in them,” Matthew said, his expression regretful.

A Dangerous Duet, first in the Victorian Mystery series, introduced readers to the heroine's brother Matthew. A broody, overworked Inspector who took time and care with his thoughts and actions. I enjoyed watching him think and deduct in this continuation of the series. However, this is very much Annabel's story. Reader's come up on her as she has a sinking feeling about her brother Edwin, but as he has disappointed her in the past about turning his life around, she arrives at his flat annoyed that she is worried about him. This makes the impact of learning he was murdered hit her harder as guilt takes over. As this story is told from Annabel's point of view, readers really get into her head and I found her to be a calm, thoughtful, and intelligent heroine.

The murder mystery plot has Matthew trying to solve who and why murdered Edwin and possibly stole a painting he was cleaning. Was the murder random, was the painting the crux of the murder, or was Edwin targeted because of instances in his past? The author did a good job providing us with red-herrings: Felix is a friend of Annabel and Edwin and he gave the painting to Edwin to clean for his auction house. When it comes out that the painting could be a forgery, his reputation and livelihood are on the line. The seller of the painting, a widow, claims the painting was supposed to be a gift for her anniversary from her late husband but she is also in need of money. The step-son of the man who supposedly sold it to the widow's husband, claims it was burned in a fire and the painting has to be a forgery but if not, he wants it back; his relationship was very contentious with his step-father. Then lastly, possible enemies from Edwin's childhood school days.

I thought the author's strong suit was in providing these possible suspects and developing their reasons, slowly revealing them to the reader. This kept me guessing, involved, and locked into the mystery. Tying in and keeping Annabel involved with the investigation, through her art world knowledge, got a bit too in depth for me at times. I'm not a particular art connoisseur but others that are would maybe enjoy the name dropping and dive into paintings and painters that were popular or emerging during this time period. The author also includes some political background and tied in some real events, the Pantechnicon burning down, that helped set the period feel and gave the story more authenticity for me.

The focus of the story is very much on the art world and wadding through facts, backstories, characters, and revealed secrets to find out who and why Edwin was murdered, the romance between Annabel and Matthew is probably only around 3% of this stories focus. I was surprised, though, that the last 10% was so emotional for me, be prepared to have some of the slow, steady reveals from the murder mystery to hit you hard at the end. With the way the author hit me with this emotional writing, I was a little disappointed I didn't feel it throughout the story; the art world talk eclipsed it. Regardless, if looking for a Victorian murder mystery immersed in the art world, A Trace of Deceit delivers with meaningful red-herrings and an affecting end.

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Reading Update: 50%

Victorian murder mystery and casserole!

Enjoyed the first in the series and excited to read about Inspector Matthew (first book heroine’s brother) now.

A Trace of Deceit by Karen Odden purchase link

Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole recipe

Creamy and the tater tot were perfect for this cold day

Reading Update: 50%

His voice became quiet. “That’s really the only thing that matters, isn’t it? That two people can tell each other the truth.”

Review: Aurora Blazing

Aurora Blazing by Jessie Mihalik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.7 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Lady Bianca von Hasenberg still emotionally and physically deals with the trauma her first marriage caused. Now a widow, she works to help other girls and women through her network of spies and her technological skills. When her brother Ferdinand and the von Hasenberg heir disappears, she won't be patted on the head and told to stay home by her father or their Director of Security, Ian Bishop.
Ian shut down Bianca's flirting when he was her bodyguard and even now as the Director of Security, he still doesn't think he is worthy of her, but he can't stop his protective feelings for her. Bianca manages to get information he needs and she won't take no for an answer when it comes to rescuing her brother. Ian needs to rescue the heir, keep his own secrets, and never let Bianca know how deep his feelings really go.

Softly, he asked, “Why do you have to fight me on everything?”

Second in the Consortium Rebellion series, Aurora Blazing stars Bianca von Hasenberg, the sister of the heroine from the first book, Polaris Rising. The first book gave us glimpses of Bianca as she helped her sister and a few glimpses at the tension between Bianca and the Director of Security Ian Bishop. The author makes good on the tension and slow burn she hinted at in the first. Polaris Rising was a debut and one of the complaints I had was about the story needing a lot of fat trimmed, Aurora Blazing had none of those problems, the author did a great job shoring up the story and fulfilling on the promise I found in the first.

The Consortium series, so far, follows two main characters threads, one has readers following one of the three major ruling houses, the von Hasenbergs. Aurora Blazing is told solely from Bianca von Hasenbergs' point of view. The second is about soldiers that were part of the Genesis Project (soldiers who were experimented on to create “super” soldiers), Ian Bishop is hinted at being tied into that. These two threads are swirled into plot threads that involve the three ruling houses conspiring, maneuvering, and possibly going to war with each other for power and resources. This creates a fun, absorbing, and intriguing space opera/scifi ride.

“I promise I won’t ever use any of your secrets against you,” I said quietly.

As I mentioned, the romance is a slow burn, as in you won't see the (soft) snap in the fraying rope between these two until around 50%; the space opera aspect controls more of the attention in this series with the romance being more of a very important secondary character. I loved the dynamic and tension between Bianca and Ian, I could feel the emotion bubbling underneath. For the most part, I enjoyed how the author didn't blatantly spell out Ian's emotions but towards the end of the story, when we're supposed to get the big payoff, I felt like things were rushed. The ending sex scenes also felt out of place, they felt graphic and jarring placed at the end because the preceding 90% of story had a different tone between the couple.

His gaze was scorching, his eyes hot with desire. “We are not done,” he said, his voice a low command.

Without Ian's point of view and more of a look into his background, I found Bianca to be the stronger of the two characters. Learning about her first marriage and how her health issues causes her to lie to her family, thus isolating her even further, was heartbreaking. It was immensely satisfying to watch her not gain emotional and mental strength from what was done to her but instead use the strength that she already had but had been a bit too young to mature to. The times she refused to back down because she knew she had the skills and know-how to get the information quicker than Ian made me cheer for her even harder.

I was engrossed in the first half of this story and while I was locked into the space opera plots, the romance was too rushed for a satisfying payoff. I would love if Bianca and Ian got a second book as I think their story definitely supports it and the series would benefit from it. I don't know if it is due to the first person pov structure but there were at times I felt like I was only getting half the story on some things, scenes felt left out, and more background was needed. Overall, though, I found this an amazing continuation of the series and the author has dangled threads (the leak in the von Hasenberg house, the war between the three houses, and Ferdinand and his romance with the daughter of an enemy house) that I'm fully on board and can't wait for the next in the series.

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