Tag: romance

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!