Tag: romance

Posted in Books, Reviews

Book Review – Mistakes Were Made (Lucy Score)

Posted on by Katie Night

Hey Dearies!

So, this book is actually the sequel to Story of My Life, the one I reviewed last week. Instead of the story continuing on with Hazel and Cam, this actually focuses on Zoey and Gage. Zoey is Hazel’s publisher and best friend, while Gage is Cam’s younger brother.

The book starts out right when the first one ended, which I’m going to put a spoiler alert out to everyone, especially those who haven’t read the first book yet.

It starts with Cam and Hazel planning their wedding at the same time Zoey is relaunching Hazel’s new book series. Of course, Hazel is worried that it won’t do well, but Zoey encourages her to push on and get started on a sequel to her new series. There’s just one problem: Hazel used herself for the last one as an example to work through and needs inspiration from another couple.

This is where Zoey comes in; however, Zoey doesn’t know if she is going to live out here in Story Lake because she wants to go back to New York, but everything starts falling apart for her. Zoey finds out that she either needs to move out of her apartment or buy it, as the new owners are turning it into a condominium.

However, Gage, knowing that Zoey is Hazel’s best friend and had the extra space above where his law office is, cleaned it out and offered it to Zoey to live there for the time being until she finds something else. Of course, grumpy Cam tells Gage right away that Zoey is off limits as it’s his fiancée’s best friend.

One thing I love about romance novels is that when a character is told not to do something, especially like “don’t date or sleep with my future wife’s best friend”, it ends up happening anyway! Nothing wrong with a forbidden love affair!

Anyway, both Gage and Zoey start to realize they have an attraction to each other, but make it very clear they don’t want to be in a relationship. More like a “friends with benefits” situation since they both are clearly opposites from each other.

Zoey doesn’t want a relationship because she’s not ready to settle down and has been burned before by an ex. Plus, she is very focused on getting her career back on track after being fired for helping Hazel get back on her feet.

While Gage does want a relationship, he wants to get married and start a family, but hasn’t had the best of luck finding a woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. It also didn’t help that his oldest grumpy brother, Cam, was able to find love when they never thought he would find anyone to begin with.

With all that going on, Zoey is offered to help the town of Story Lake become more of a tourist destination, especially with Hazel’s new book launch, she creates a Readers Weekend. Not to mention, she ropes in all the help she can get from the town and sees if it can be a complete success for not only Hazel but for the town as well.

Of course, as in most “friends with benefits” situations, both of them start to develop feelings towards each other, and Zoey debates whether she wants to actually leave Story Lake, but also makes it known to Gage that she can’t ever have kids. She knows that one of his wishes was to have kids, but Gage is already thinking ahead of her and still wants her regardless because she has changed his wishes and wants her in his life.

There is also the “big fight” or some type of problem that separates them, this one being Zoey throwing herself out there to protect one of Gage’s clients/friends, but I’ll let you find out what happens without me spoiling it for you.

Overall, I love the chemistry between the two! Just like the last book, Hazel and Cam were complete opposites. Gage and Zoey are different in that sense since Gage is very organized, while Zoey is a mess, but she later finds out in the book that there was a reason why she has been like this; she finds out she is diagnosed with ADHD.

Not only does she learn how to handle it, but Gage is already experienced with knowing how to handle someone with ADHD, and even helps her when she feels like her life is getting out of control again. Which I honestly think makes her fall even more in love with him.

You know if you have found someone truly incredible when they can handle and show they love you more, even on your very worst days. That to me is true love! Don’t get me wrong, Hazel was in a dark place when she met Cam, but I think Zoey’s situation is a little bit different since she didn’t know she had ADHD. Gage, without question, didn’t judge her or anything; instead helped her with what he knew about ADHD that helped others.

There are a few smutty scenes, but it’s just the right amount, nothing that overdoes it. The first book was just right with them; however, I actually liked the second book a little bit more. Don’t get me wrong, I loved how the first books’ smutty scenes were with Hazel and Cam; however, I liked Zoey and Gage a bit more.

I honestly liked the sequel a bit more than the first one, but they share equal love from me! Now the real problem is waiting until the third book comes out, which won’t be until March 2027! Which I know seems like forever away, but I know that it will be here faster than we know!

Let me know how you liked this one versus the first one, and if you are excited and can’t wait for the third one to come out, let me know down below!

Also, who are we guessing the third one will be about? I did look it up and came to find out it is going to focus on the last Bishop brother, Levi! I thought for sure it might focus on their sister, but it makes sense that it’s only a 3-book series and there are only 3 Bishop brothers. I’m just curious who the author is going to pair him with!

Posted in Books, Reviews

Book Review – Story of My Life (Lucy Score)

Posted on by Katie Night

Hey Dearies!

Don’t worry, this week’s book will not leave you in tears! I’ve had this one saved for a little bit, and I finally said screw it and jumped right into reading it. It is a bit longer book than the others I’ve read in the past, 510 pages. That’s also nothing compared to her second book of this series, which is over 600 pages long!

However, it was so worth it! I loved every minute of reading it!

The story is about Hazel, who was once a famous romance writer who hasn’t written anything since her divorce, and needed a new inspiration to get back to being on top. She decides to move to this small town in Story Lake, Pennsylvania. After realizing the house she bought is in desperate need of being fixed up, she hires the Bishop brothers’ company to get her house in order.

Since Hazel bought the house from the mayor, who is 17 years old, she also got a seat on the town council, as the small town itself is struggling to gain more tourists and people who want to move there.

Anyway, her first few days don’t go as well as planned, between getting attacked by the eagle, known as Goose, crashing her car into the town sign because of said eagle, and being accused of murdering Goose. She didn’t have the warmest welcome, but the Bishop brothers and their family helped her clear her name.

Campbell, otherwise known as “Cam”, Bishop is the oldest and grumpiest Bishop brother who starts to warm up to Hazel, especially after she asks if he can take her out on a fake date, since she needs some more inspiration, and she didn’t start getting some until she met him.

Of course, he declines at first, but then, when she says she would ask one of his other brothers for help with this, he agrees. Their first date starts off as rocky as Cam thought she would be one of those girls who loves the fancy restaurant he chose, but she then tells him she wanted him to take her out on a “Cam Date”, so she can see if this grumpy man was capable of being romantic under all that brooding.

Honestly, I loved Cam’s idea for a first date, simple yet romantic! Got subs, stole, or, as he called it, “borrowed” his brother’s boat, and they ate subs under the stars with some beers. Cam actually treated it like a date, too, because he opened up to her and she opened up to him. She did bring her notebook with her to write notes, but he wanted her to enjoy the date in the moment, which I thought was sweet.

Then, towards the end of the date, his brother, Levi, caught them in the boat, and they both fell in the water together. When Cam brought Hazel home, he took a second to decide whether or not he was going to kiss her, and then he did, which I was waiting for! You can’t go on a good date like that and not have a good night kiss!

This is the start of Hazel getting back into writing her new book. Her best friend, Zoey, is all excited, since she is also Hazel’s literary agent and just lost her job because she was helping Hazel get back on her feet.

Without getting further into it, I thought this was a very cute and hilarious rom-com book! I haven’t found another one of these in a while, and I’m really glad I did! I’m currently working on reading her second book, which is about her best friend Zoey, and there is a third one that is coming out next year, which I’m wondering who it will be about this time.

I also love how the relationship builds with Hazel and Cam, the book is in both their POV, which is my favorite! I loved how Cam was not about Hazel, and over time, he grew to like her. There are some scenes that get a little spicy, but again, I like it when it doesn’t take over the entire book.

They grow to like each other, even after all the bickering and fighting they do; it’s so funny what they are arguing about. They are a very much opposites attract couple, especially since she is a writer and he’s a contractor. Plus, he does an over-the-top romance notion to get her back, as most romance novels tend to do!

I think the star of the book and most of the humor comes from the small town shenanigans and how nosy they all are. Of course, can’t forget all the trouble the eagle, Goose, does to Hazel and Zoey, and other people that upset him.

Honestly, after reading this book, I wouldn’t mind living in a small town. Especially, one like this one. Everyone is always so friendly and helpful, but if you do anything to upset them, they have your back, or if you have pissed them off, you’ll end up getting potatoes thrown at you.

Although I was shockingly surprised to see a lot of mixed reviews about this book, like I know it’s a long book and not a lot of people are fans of “rom-com” stuff, but I honestly think it depends on what type of books you like to read. I was zoned in once I started reading it.

Plus, you have to like the author’s writing style too, which I found out she’s got a lot more books that she’s written that I will need to check out for sure! Some people say she has better ones than she has written before, which has me curious.

Overall, I loved this book, and it will be going on my bookshelf for sure! I also really love cheesy romance stuff like this, too. Plus, the bickering between Hazel and Cam is hilarious, not to mention that when you see Cam bickering with his siblings is even more entertaining!

I really can’t wait to find out how the second one turns out and what the author is planning for the 3rd one, since that one won’t be out until next year in March. What did you think of this rom-com book? Is it something you’d want to read, or if you have read it, what are your thoughts? Let me know down below!

Posted in Books, Reviews

Book Review – Of Earth and Flame (Elayna R Gallea)

Posted on by Katie Night

Hey Dearies!

So, I kind of went down a rabbit hole and found that there are books that are sort of similar to one of my favorite franchises that my siblings and I used to watch, which happened to be the Barbie movies.

Thanks to Pinterest and some research, I found books inspired by those movies. Of course, I made a list of each of these books and which movie they are inspired by. I also decided to get Kindle Unlimited because it just made sense for me to have that versus buying books that I may or may not like.

I will be making a post with all the books and which movie was inspired by them in the future, but let’s get started with this one!

Now, this book is actually a series, which I didn’t realize until I looked more into it, and it’s fantasy, which has been rare for me lately because I’ve been reading more romance/smut stuff recently.

This book is actually an inspiration for Barbie as Rapunzel!

If you haven’t seen this one, let me give you a brief overview of what the plot is about.

Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t seen the movie!

So, in some of the Barbie movies, there is a conflict before the story is told, which in this case is Kelly talking about how she doesn’t know what to paint and thinks that she won’t do a great job. That’s when Barbie tells the story about a girl who loves to paint, Rapunzel.

Rapunzel is stolen and lives in a manor with Mother Gothel, who has strong magical powers that she uses to keep Rapunzel trapped in the manor. She also treats Rapunzel like crap and uses her as a maid. Then Rapunzel finds a secret staircase that goes down into a basement, where she finds a hairbrush that’s engraved with:

“Constant as the stars above, always know that you are loved. To our daughter Rapunzel on her first birthday. With love forever, mother and father.”

Which confuses her since she’s only known Gothel as her mother figure. Then her friend dragon breaks a hole in the floor, and they find an underground tunnel that leads directly to the village. She saves one of the princesses, and the prince thanks her.

She goes back to the manor, and overnight, the hairbrush turns into a magical paintbrush where she can paint anything and magically appear. She does this with dresses, and she is able to paint a portrait of the village where she can walk into it and be in the village.

Since the prince invited her to the ball, Mother Gothel finds out and ends up locking her away in the tower, and goes as Rapunzel to the ball to trick the prince. Rapunzel escapes and then confronts Mother Gothel and finds out that she stole her as a baby to get back at her father.

That’s just a brief overview of the movie, but I highly recommend checking it out because, honestly, it was a different twist on the Rapunzel story. This wasn’t my all-time favorite Barbie movie, but it’s up there as one that I would rewatch over and over again.

Anyway, back to the book, it starts out as any other Rapunzel story does, locked in a tower. When the book first starts, Aileana is literally escaping the tower as she has been locked in there for 23 years and is arranged to marry the prince of an evil king, who is even more evil.

Aileana is also an elf, which I was really excited about because I’ve never read a book where the main character is an elf. So, once she escapes, she meets this guy Xander, whom she happens to stab when they first meet, since she doesn’t want to be captured like she was before.

They team up, since the land they are in, females can only be accompanied by a male figure, and in order for them to lead the country, they pretend to be a fake husband and wife. They also find out they are soulmates too.

The more time they spend together, the more they start to fall for each other, which I love! I honestly think more authors should do this, like just because their soulmates build up the chemistry!

Plus, their pretending to be husband and wife makes the connection, I think, stronger in a sense. Not to mention the interesting thing, you find out what Xander really is because he heals quickly. I honestly thought he was going to come out as a werewolf, but boy, was I wrong!

There was also a lot of other stuff that happened in the book, but I really didn’t want to spoil too much. The way the book ended, it really makes me want to read the second one, which is also on Kindle Unlimited!

Overall, between the book and the movie, they only have a few things in common: the Rapunzel factor of being locked in a tower, magic, dragons, and, of course, it takes place in a kingdom. It’s a different spin on Rapunzel, but I really like it!

I also wanted a break from the smut I’ve been reading. I just finished a quick series that I’m going to do a review on, but this was a breath of fresh air for me. I’m also a big fantasy fan, so it’s been nice to read something different for a change.

I’m also really excited to read the next book from the list! Let me know how you liked this book and if you were big fans of the Barbie movies when you were a kid.

Posted in Books, Reviews

Book Review – Twisted Love (Ana Huang)

Posted on by Katie Night

Hey Dearies!

I totally forgot that I read this and needed to post a review on it! This was one of the first books that got me back into wanting to take the time to read more. It’s what I call the perfect combination of love, drama, mystery, and, of course, spicy scenes.

Now, I know what you are probably thinking: this entire book is nothing but spicy scenes; however, it’s a perfect combo with a little bit of everything mixed into one. Granted, they don’t just rush into it; it’s built up over time. Which is how a good book does it right!

So, this is a series; I’ve only read the first one so far. I actually tried to get it at the bookstore, and they ended up only having the 3rd and 4th ones, so I’ve got to order it from Amazon. First of all, I just want to say how much I love how simple the cover is! Not just for the first one, but for all of them!

Most covers I’ve seen or have read lately are just overflown with flowers, which don’t get me wrong, I love flowers, but I feel like it’s just overdone sometimes. I’m also a simple person, so simple covers like this not only appeal to me to check out, but make it look good on my shelf.

Anyway, the book is in the POV of Ava and Alex. Alex is Ava’s older brother and Josh’s best friend, so they mostly grew up together, but don’t really coexist in each other’s lives until Josh leaves for an internship and asks Alex to keep an eye on Ava.

Of course, Ava’s friends make a bet with her to see if she can get Alex to show any type of emotion, since he’s very serious all the time. While Ava is trying to do this, Alex is working on a plan to try to get revenge on the person who killed both his parents and his little sister.

Not to mention, Ava has a fear of being in water, due to a childhood trauma where she almost drowned and thought her mother was to blame for it, but Alex helps her, over time, learn how to overcome the fear. That’s also when old memories of childhood start to come back to her, where she learns some shocking things about her past.

As much as I want to spoil it for you guys, I won’t, but let me just tell you, when I got to that part, and the pieces were starting to place for what happened, it blew my mind! Right towards the end of the book is when all the twists start popping up, and it was definitely not what I was expecting at all!

Overall, it was an amazing read! I am going to buy the physical copies because I truly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to get my hands on the second one! I did see what the second one was about, and it’s about one of Ava’s best friends and her bodyguard. Which is awesome because I’m also hoping that Ava and Alex’s relationship will pop in every now and then to see how they are doing.

What did you think about Twisted Love? Have you already read it, or is it on your list to read? Let me know in the comments!

Posted in Books, Reviews

Book Review – Beneath Your Lies (Nicole J. Owens)

Posted on by Katie Night

Hey Dearies!

I have another one that I simply couldn’t put down! I swear, my co-worker recommends the best books for me, especially ones that keep me on the edge of my seat! This is a mix of an affair, revenge, mystery, murder, and a few spicy scenes all in one!

This book had me completely zoned in that I just didn’t want to put it down at all! I’m going to try my best not to spoil it, but the ending was not what I expected to make it all worth it, and it does end on a cliffhanger, so if the author wanted to make another one, I’m hoping she does!

So, the story begins with Veronica, who finds out her husband, Richard, has been having an affair with his 19-year-old receptionist, Olivia. Richard then wants Veronica to sleep with someone else, whom he picks out, to forget that the affair had ever happened. Pretty much, he wanted to square it out so they are “even”.

Which is crazy to me that he would even offer that to her. I have been cheated on before in past relationships, and as soon as it happened, I left. Once the trust is broken, it’s very difficult to regain it without a lot of effort. Like, he wanted her to sleep with someone else once, but he was having an affair for months, that really doesn’t cancel it out in my mind.

Richard is also a politician and is running for office again, so I can see why he wanted to pick someone for her to have an affair with that would make sure it didn’t get spread to the media to ruin his chances. Any type of drama like that would definitely blow up their career in politics.

Oh, and get this, Veronica is 25, and Richard is in his 50’s. A huge age gap between the two. She married him when she was 20, by the way. I just wanted to throw that out there because it blew my mind! Nothing against couples that do have a huge age gap, it’s just creepy to think that with his age, he could be like her father.

Anyway, Richard sends Veronica to her favorite hotel to process the information and to think about the offer she was given, and tries to give it a shot. She meets this guy, whom Richard set up the date with, down at the hotel bar where she’s staying. While she’s waiting, she sees Ronan, and they both have a moment, but don’t officially meet, yet.

Ronan is pretty much a hitman, and ironically, is in the hotel bar because one of his clients had Richard’s name on his list to end and wanted to see how to handle him. Ends up seeing Veronica and wanted her as soon as he laid eyes on her. It’s one of those “touch her, and you’ll die” type of relationships.

Their relationship does seem rushed, but given each of their pasts and the chemistry they have together, they seem like a perfect fit, for sure. Although there are a few scenes that make Ronan seem like he’s stalking her, or watching from afar. However, there were several times when he came to her rescue. There are a few spicy scenes with them that are very enjoyable, in my opinion.

I don’t want to get too much into it and end up spoiling the best parts of the book. It is from the POV of both Veronica, Ronan, and Taylor. Trust me, I know what you are thinking, “Who is Taylor?” If you keep reading, you’ll find out closer to the end.

Overall, I loved the book! It is something I would definitely buy a hard copy and put on my shelf or reread on my Kindle in general. Yes, there are some spicy scenes, but it’s not overwhelming; it’s a well-blended mix. Personally, seeing what Veronica was going to do about Richard and about Ronan’s mystery background is what kept me glued in for sure.

If you do end up reading it, the ending is the best plot twist! I really held back because I don’t want to give it away for those who truly want to read it. Let me know if this is something you’d want to read or if you have already read it and are slowly waiting for the author to release a sequel, like I am!

Posted in Books, Reviews

Book Review – Fated Rebirth: A Dark Fantasy Romance (Reno R. Mist)

Posted on by Katie Night

Hey Dearies!

Sorry I am a few weekends overdue on a book review, but as I was going to finish one of the books on my list, Reno R. Mist came out with another book that tagged along with the one prior and I literally dropped anything I was reading to read this instead.

So, if you haven’t seen my review for the first book, One More Chance, I highly recommend it! I’m still going to give like a quick overview since the first one gives you a brief understanding of what it starts out.

Levi, is the man character of One More Chance, which he wakes up after 12 years of reliving his life when he chose his mistress over his wife. He gets a “rebirth” or “second chance” to get his wife back and to see if he can change some other stuff that happened when he did leave to be with his mistress, such as his son getting into drugs and his daughter being taken from a stranger online to never be seen from again.

Levi, Charlie, and Charlies adopted son, Rowan, all have been “rebirthed” and this is a little bit of a spoiler, but Violet, Levi’s daughter has been as well and she mentions it to her dad in One More Chance. The reason why I’m mentioning these characters, is because they tie into the Fated Rebirth.

Fated Rebirth is in the POV of both Violet, Levi’s daughter, and Rowan. Which I love it when it goes back and forth from different characters and their POV’s, especially if you do it right, which Reno for sure does!

Now, this one is about Violet, she is “rebirthed” from the previous life, which you find out she was taken by a stranger from an online game she used to play and met up with this stranger where he takes her, sells her to another man, Edward, and she pretty much is a sex slave until Edward kills her when she turns 32.

She starts getting this previous memories towards her beginning of college and that’s when she tells her dad and thanks him for being more protective with her. However, she doesn’t mention what happened in the previous life, which I don’t blame her for doing.

Then, you have Rowan, which is Charlie’s adopted son, and he also has been rebirthed, but you only get bits of pieces that he mentions. From what I have gathered, the veil between the living and the supernatural has been broken and seems like supernatural’s have taken over the human world. So, vampires, were wolfs or shifters, demons, etc.

Anyway, the story is based on Violet wanting to find Edward, the guy that enslaved her in the previous life, and wants to get revenge on him for what he did to her. The only place she knows she’d find him is this club, but tries to get her father to let her get the money from her trust, which Levi denies and that’s when they send Rowan to keep an eye on her while she’s away at college.

That’s when it starts to get interesting because Violet and Rowan grew up together since they were kids, but picked on each other. Rowan starts becoming overprotected with Violet, especially since she gets hired at the club that he knows is bad. The kind of team up to find Violet’s abuser.

There is some very spicy scenes between them two after you get past chapter 20, which the way this author does it, its a perfect amount spicy, just like she did with the One More Chance.

Overall, it got me sucked in like One More Chance. She also has another one out there that is called Captured Prey, which talks more about the Second Circle, which is mentioned in Fated Rebirth, but doesn’t go into detail. However, this book ended on a major cliff hanger so I’m hanging on the edge of my seats now waiting for the next one.

Although, this will give me time to read Capture Prey and see if I can get more answers about this Second Circle!

Let me know if you have read this book or what you thought about it! I have definitely added Reno R Mist onto my favorite authors list! I will keep you posted on Captured Prey here soon!