Tag: ARC Reviews

Grunge (Backyard Goblin Gods – Book 1) by Roxy Collins

5 Stars

An underground world.

This is the first book in the series Backyard Goblin Gods, and it introduces a very different kind of goblin from what we’ve always thought of.  Our two main characters, Grungu, the goblin, and Cassie, the human (who calls Grungu Grunge) meet when the Underhill opens a small hole to the human topside.  One goblin is allowed to go in search of his fated mate.  Other hopeful goblin males must wait for the first to find and claim his women.  Roxy Collins gives this world an interesting perspective on goblin society in comparison to the humans above, which in Cassie’s case in a motorcycle club called the Iron Goblins. She also populates both sides with interesting secondary characters.  The book is well written, with no obvious errors and moves through the story at a steady pace, not rushed or dragging.  I enjoyed this book, and as soon as I finished it, went on to read the second book in the series, Grouch.  I was given an ARC of the book through BookSirens, and this is my honest opinion. 

The Prime of My Magical Life by Tia Diamon and Brenda Trim

4 Stars

Not sure yet….

Reading a lot of Paranormal Women’s Fiction books, I find that I mostly enjoy them.  There is an odd series or two that don’t strike me as fitting this new category, and this book, The Prime of My Magical Life is one of them.  Our main character Eve comes across as a downtrodden unhappy woman.  Her husband has divorced her, and has a new, beautiful girlfriend.  But Eve still has issues with him controlling her thoughts and feelings.  The story itself doesn’t give enough information on the world she is living in and her actual place in it.  My overall feeling of this book is dark and pretty hopeless.  Though I will say that the story did pick up in the second half.  I’ve read both of the authors before and haven’t had such an unhappy feeling for their other books.  I found no editing or grammatical errors, but this Magical Life wasn’t my cup of tea.  I received and ARC of this book through Booksprout, and this is my honest opinion.

A Warrior for Christmas (Dark Warriors, #10) by Donna Grant

5 Stars

One of my favorite series!

For her readers this Christmas, Donna Grant has written a short novella about the Warriors, who are part of my favorite series, Dark Sword and Dark Warriors.  Each chapter gives the reader a glimpse into one Warrior and his mate and their lives at MacLeod Castle.  And underlying these chapters is a thread of forgiveness for one who betrayed them centuries ago.  As a bonus, Donna Grant gives us the recipe for the featured food or drink item that the couples consume.  This is a great novella, one that Donna’s fans have been waiting for.  For the most enjoyment in reading this, the reader should have already read the prior books in the series.  I hope that the author will keep adding in these characters into her current series, the Dragon Kings.  I was given an ARC of the book from the author, and this is my honest opinion.

Wishes Under a Highland Star (Order of the Dragon Knights) by Mary Morgan

5 Stars

The last brother

The final book in this series tells the story of Alex MacFhearguis, younger brother to the laird, and half-fae Aine Fraser.  Aine has some magic, which makes her a target for many people.  She makes a wish, and this changes her life.  The story is well-written, with characters who are interesting.  Though it seemed to take quite a while to get into the meat of the story, some characters from previous Dragon Knights books make an appearance and are always welcome in these books.  Once you reach the final third of the book or so the story picks up and before you know it the book is finished.  Mary Morgan is a wonderful writer and has created a world that is compelling and fun to read.  And it’s set in winter, which I always enjoy reading about.  I was given an ARC of the book from the author, and this is my honest opinion.

The Seventh Key: A Paranormal Women’s Fiction Romance Novel (Order of Magic #6) by Michelle M. Pillow

5 Stars

A new addition…

Nina Cole has been unlucky, but she escaped a serial killer.  Since then, her life has been getting worse and worse.  Trying to escape from reporters, she ends up in Freewild Cove.  Following her there is Private Investigator Jacob Paddock, who proves to her he is really interested in her and not her story.   Instead of things getting better, they continue to get worse until she meets Heather, Vivian, Lorna, Sue, and the ghost of Grandma Julia.  For me, the story started slow, and I wasn’t sure that this book was going to be a god addition to Michelle M. Pillow’s series.  I was wrong!  The story got more and more interesting. and I wanted to see how the women would be able to help Nina.  The story is well written, with Nina and Jacob well fleshed-out.  This is a complete story, but ties into the series Order of Magic.  I am ready to read the next book now!  I received an ARC of The Seventh Key from the author through BookSprout and this is my honest opinion.

Pride and Puppies by Lizzie Shane

5 Stars

Only barely like “Pride and Prejudice”

The heroine of this book is Dr. Charlotte Rodriguez, who is a huge fan of Jane Austen, especially of Pride and Prejudice.  So much so that nearly everything she says is either from the book, or about the book, or comparing to the book.  Which means when she dates, she compares the man to Fitzwilliam Darcy.  And no man has come close to being “her” Mr. Darcy.  Working with Charlotte in the same medical center in the small town of Pine Hollow, Vermont is George Leneghan, a physical therapist who is originally from Colorado.  He’s moved to this small town to start over, leaving his home and his sisters behind.  All he has is his dog Duke for support.  He is a giver and has had a crush on Charlotte since he arrived 2 years ago.  This is a very sweet story, with a lot of moving parts.  It is well-written, with well-developed characters and plot line.  One small thing that bothered me during my read was that Charlotte, who is a medical doctor, comes across as someone who isn’t sure of herself, which I find hard to believe in a profession that requires such a large amount of confidence.  George is the nicest person, doing things for everyone else but himself.  Those two bits made the story seem to go on and on…. sometimes less can be more.  But Lizzie Shane writes a great story, and overall, the story is very well done.  I did not realize that this is part of a series, so I will be reading the other books; this can be read as a standalone with no problem.  I received an ARC of the book from NetGalley, and this is my honest opinion. 

Dashing Mr. Snow by Alexis Winter

5 Stars

Office romance

What a fun holiday book!  We meet Sadie Emmert first, about 3 years ago as she is starting a new job out of college.  The group of new hires is attending a new hire orientation, and the CEO sees her and decides to speak to the group.  Alex Snow is about in his early 30s, and is considered unfriendly and intimidating.  Sadie settles into her job, enjoying work, but not so much her personal life.  Now, 3 years into her career, she’s asked to take paperwork to the CEO for signatures that his assistant forgot in the assistant’s rush to leave for the weekend.  And this is where the story takes off and becomes a fun read.  I enjoyed reading about the increasing friendship between the two, and how Alex Snow is such an un-typical boss.  Alexis Winter has written a well though-out story, with no errors.  The characters are both fun and detailed.  A great holiday read!  I was given an ARC of this book from the author through BookSprout and this is my honest opinion. 

Thunder with a Chance of Lovestruck: A Paranormal Women’s Fiction Romance Novel (Grimm Cove Book 5) by Mandy M. Roth

4 Stars

Non-Linear Timeline

This is the 5th book in the series, and like the previous book, doesn’t really follow a straight line.  Once you accept that, the story is interesting and gives you more information about what is happening in Grimm Cove.  The two main characters, Rachael Franks (Frankenstein) and Drest Bright are meant to be together, but the road they follow takes a long and convoluted track to get to the end.  This book should be read after the first 4 in the series because each is intertwined and will be harder to follow without having read the others. This book is well written, with no grammatical or spelling errors.  Other than the way the timeline is handled, I enjoyed reading Book 5 and am looking forward to book 6.  I was given an ARC of this book by the author through BookSprout and this is my honest opinion. 

Rage (Kindred: The Fated Book 1) by Donna Grant

5 Stars

New Kindred trilogy

This is the first book in a new trilogy dealing with the situations left from the original Kindred series written by Donna Grant.  The writing style is very similar to how the original books were written, and several characters from that series are mentioned in this new book.  We meet Elin, who is a witch on the run from the Coven, a group of witches who are determined to dominate their world.  She lost her sister to the Coven, and she wants no part of them and their schemes.  She has stopped running for a short time, squatting in an out of the way hunting cabin, hoping to recover some of her strength and come up with a plan to keep away from the witches hunting her.  The cabin is on Mackenzie land, and the brother of the Laird, Rob Mackenzie decides to find out who has been using the abandoned cabin.  As any book written by Donna Grant, there are issues for the main characters to overcome, and a larger challenge that has to be addressed.  This book is well written, with a good plotline and character development.  A very enjoyable read, I am looking forward to book 2 of The Fated.  I was given an ARC by the author to read, and this is my honest opinion. 

Of Mates and Magic (Eliza Falls Book 1) by Maggie Francis

3 Stars

Short with silliness

This book is written very simply…and seemed to me more suited for a much younger audience.  A sweet witch/shifter story that would be good for a middle school aged teen.  It features Cora and Desi who are best friends, running a business together, and new witches.  Their small town is mostly a magical enclave, and draws in Seb and Tate, brothers and wolf shifters looking for a new home.  While Desi and Tate become friends, there is a tension between Cora and Seb.  At this point the story takes a lot of time for the characters to move forward.  At about 175 pages, the story needed to move more quickly through the “should we, shouldn’t we” be friends or something more.  Not a whole lot of conflict between the two, until finally a situation arises that forces the two main characters to make decisions.  This book had no editing issues.  Hopefully the next book, telling Tate’s story will have a tighter plotline.  I was given an ARC through BookSirens, and this is my honest opinion.