Fiction

Surrendering to the Duke by Stevie Sparks

I am excited to be a stop on Romance Me With Books tour of 𝑺𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒖𝒌𝒆 𝗯𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀. It’s available now on Kindle Unlimited so download it today!

This is a sweet, steamy historical fiction romance. The book touches on issues of grief, physical, sexual and mental abuse, and PTSD. There isn’t explicit descriptions of these triggers, and the author does a good job of focusing more on the path forward than the actual traumas.

Continue reading →

April 16, 2023 0

Blind Spots by Thomas Mullen

This was a pretty good science fiction mystery/thriller set in the near future after a mysterious illness caused the entire population of the planet to go blind. A device was created that approximates vision, downloading visual data directly to people’s brains. Mark Owens, a homicide detective, investigates a murder in which the witness claims that the murderer was blacked out of her vision. He doesn’t believe her until the same thing happens to him. Mark realizes that someone is manipulating the data everyone receives from their tech. This starts Mark down a dangerous path in which more lives are in jeopardy and Mark can’t trust what he sees with his own eyes.

Continue reading →

April 15, 2023 0

The Widows’ Pact by J.L. Cole

This is a slow burn story about two widows, 50 years apart in age. Evelyn is a 71 year old spunky, nosy busybody who isn’t afraid to dispense her opinion about someone else’s life. Evelyn is a recent widow & she befriends 27 year old Lena, who is also a recent widow. Lena is everything Evelyn is not. She is meek, mild, & numbly stumbling through life after the sudden death of her husband. As the two women strike up an unlikely friendship, we begin to learn more about each woman’s life. Lena begins to realize that her marriage wasn’t as idyllic as she thought, & that if she has any chance of a happy life, she needs to deal with her tragic past.

Continue reading →

April 8, 2023 0

Identifiable by Julia Tvardovskaya

3.5 stars rounded up

This is an interesting science fiction/fantasy. In this world people have a chip in their head that brings up everything about them. The first 13 years of your life are controlled by your parents, so you’re stuck with whatever they decide to upload. If you have controlling parents, you can’t control your profile until you turn 18. This happened to MC Rory. People are assigned to a brood. Each brood has defined parameters of what they do, what they believe & how they behave. People do not interact outside of their brood.

Continue reading →

April 8, 2023 0

A Bitter Remedy (The Oxford Mysteries #1) by Alis Hawkins

This is a twisty, engrossing historical fiction mystery/thriller set in 1881 Oxford that captured my attention from the start. The author developed two great characters in Basil Rice, an intelligent, nervous Jesus College fellow with a secret to hide (he’s gay), & Rhiannon “Non” Vaughan, a wickedly smart, fearless, outspoken, determined young Welsh woman newly admitted to university lectures at Jesus College.

Continue reading →

April 8, 2023 0

A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan

3.5 rounded up to 4

This is a cute contemporary romance between two hyper focused people intent on building their businesses, even to the detriment of their love lives. Hailey and her ex-boyfriend are over, but her dream of opening up a salad shop is not. Her launch is not what she thought it would be, but she’s decided to do everything she can to make it a success. She’s got good ideas, but limited experience in running a business.

Continue reading →

April 8, 2023 0

The New One by Evie Green

This is an interesting Mystery/Thriller . Tamsyn & Ed barely make a living. They live in a cramped camper van with their teenage daughter Scarlett. The last year she’s been drinking, taking drugs & lashing out at her parents. One night as Scarlett flees home she’s hit by a car. She is on life-support & not getting better. Then a miracle happens. Ed & Tam are approached about a medical trial in Switzerland. An AI replacement will live with the couple as their daughter & if Scarlett gets better she will replace the AI in the family. They jump at the chance of a new life & are whisked away to Geneva where they are set up with everything they need to live a comfortable life. Better yet, the AI replacement, Sophie, looks & acts just like Scarlett before she changed into a hostile moody teenager. But, all is not as it seems, & as cracks in their new life begin to appear, they must decide if they want to know the truth, or stay in their blissful new life.

Continue reading →

April 8, 2023 0

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay

This was a fun, twisty mystery about three adults that grew up together in an abusive group home. After several kids went missing the group home was shut down and they all went their separate ways. All three became successful but troubled adults and had no contact with each other until someone started trying to kill them. They eventually get together to solve the mystery, causing them to re-live some of the trauma they endured growing up.

Continue reading →

March 23, 2023 0

It’s All Fun & Games (The Avernus Greys Book One) by P. Roper

I am a honored to be a stop on Romance me with Books’ book tour for this fun high school opposites-attract high school romance.

Malcolm is a star baseball player that is in danger of losing his eligibility to play due to bad grades. Malcolm’s father, the town’s mayor, hires another high school senior, Lennox, to tutor him. Malcolm is not interested in having a tutor or studying, but there is something about quirky, pink-hair, hippie-dressing Lennox that sparks his interest. Before long Lennox has Malcolm on a strict schedule and he’s making progress. But the gig does not come without problems. Bully cheerleader Melissa, who Malcolm had a one-night stand with, is jealous of Lennox and Malcolm spending time together. She and her minions set upon Lennox like the mean girls they are. When Lennox and Malcolm finally get together, they don’t know how to define their relationship, which causes friction between the two. Can an intelligent outsider and a popular athlete beat the odds and have a happily ever after?

Continue reading →

March 20, 2023 0