All Booked Up

Red Harvest by Joe Schreiber My rating: 1 of 5 stars I love Star Wars. I enjoy zombies. I did not like those two things together here. View all my reviews

Lost Innocence by Jannine Gallant My rating: 3 of 5 stars I enjoyed this one more than the first of the trilogy. Nina was a far more enjoyable heroine and the issues between her and the love interest - smokin' hot firefighter Teague O'Dell - were realistic. The mystery was also quite suspenseful. View all my reviews

What the Earl Desires by Aliyah Burke My rating: 3 of 5 stars The rating is for the heroine and the mysteries. I could leave the romance and everything else. View all my reviews

Sealed with a Curse by Cecy Robson My rating: 1 of 5 stars From the "romance" to the personalities, this just wasn't for me. View all my reviews

Synful Seduction by Cassie Verano My rating: 1 of 5 stars Once upon a time, a rich, arrogant asshole and a superbly immature and naive psychologist/social worker/singer/sin on legs human girl fell in deep lust and thought it was love. View all my reviews

A Coal Miner's Son by T.A. Chase My rating: 2 of 5 stars Cute little escape. View all my reviews

The Two Gentlemen of Altona by Lisa Henry My rating: 1 of 5 stars Meh. View all my reviews

Kick Start by Josh Lanyon My rating: 3 of 5 stars My least favorite of the series so far even though it has the most character development. It just feels that at this point, Taylor and Will should be over their insecurities about each other and their relationship as well as working partnership. I think they finally turned that corner towards the end of the book, thanks to Will's dad, but yeesh. View all my reviews

Tribute by Nora Roberts My rating: 4 of 5 stars 50 States Challenge: Virginia Around the World Reading Challenge: United States That turned out to be so much better than I originally thought. Ford definitely grew on me because I thought he was a creep from the start. I'll eat crow; this was pretty darn good. View all my reviews

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley My rating: 1 of 5 stars Around the World Reading Challenge - Scotland Jesus H. With friends like these, who the hell needs enemies? View all my reviews

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf My rating: 1 of 5 stars This book was a master-class of things I hate the most in novels: expository infodumps. I. Hate. That. It is so dull. Dull . I cannot stress that enough. It is so annoying to have characters, especially in first-person, go into long, long diatribes about something that happened 20 years ago. Even more so when it happens in the middle of action. The character is in the middle of doing something and then starts talking about a sandwich they had 12 years ago and it has NO bearing on the present or anything that has happened or will happen. You guys, honestly...my eyes are rolling out of my skull. And if my kid, my selective mute kid, goes missing, I'm not standing around wringing my hands. I'm going to be out there looking for my kid with a flashlight in the daytime. View all my reviews

Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep My rating: 1 of 5 stars I like elemental magic. I think it might be in my top five of magical systems. ...but that did not save this book because I hate Gin Blanco. I hate everything about her. I hate everything that makes her who she is - which is a flaming, violent narcissistic sociopath - and I want to forget every single moment that I spent in her head. View all my reviews

Brownies & Betrayal by Heather Justesen My rating: 4 of 5 stars Sweetness! I love a fast-paced cozy mystery; especially one with recipes that I'd love to try. 😉 This was a fun read and I'm looking forward to checking out the rest. Tess is a heroine that I enjoy. View all my reviews

Mad Mafia Love by Jamila Jasper My rating: 3 of 5 stars Was the hot escape from reality that I wanted it to be. I'd happily check out the rest of the series. View all my reviews

Takeover by Lisa Black My rating: 1 of 5 stars Meh. I liked the plot, but that was about it. I can't relate to Mary Sue heroines or one-dimensional side characters. That...pretty much makes reading the rest of the book boring. View all my reviews

Needing His Demon by Marie Medina My rating: 2 of 5 stars And we're rolling right along. View all my reviews

Blood Cross by Faith Hunter My rating: 5 of 5 stars Kicking myself for not getting back into this series for so long, because this was one great ride. Picking up almost immediately where we left off, Jane...has her life threatened by the ridiculously sexy vampire Leo Pellissier, Blood Master of New Orleans and the action stays that tense throughout the entire book. This book is everything that I enjoy in UF, with the added bonus of some science that makes the magic in this world more understandable and unique. And some smokin' hot guys. I'm looking at you, Rick LaFleur. ;) There are hints of a love square; and while I like Rick and am virtually indifferent/bordering on dislike when it comes to George, Leo is the only one I see. View all my reviews

Blood Heat by Josh Lanyon My rating: 3 of 5 stars I love watching Taylor and Will traverse the ins-and-outs of having a real, committed adult relationship and all that entails. It's not always pretty, sometimes it's hard as hell. Loving someone so much that you want to spend every day of your life with them is scary and beautiful. It's fun watching these two bad-ass alphas stumble through that. My soft spot for Taylor continues to grow. A lot. I adore that man. View all my reviews

No Mercy by Lori G. Armstrong My rating: 1 of 5 stars There was no one here worth rooting for; least of all Mercy. And I am beyond tired of books where women are: 1) whiny, needy, simpering pushovers 2) "tough gals" because they don't show and/or are completely devoid of human emotions 3) old ladies that have nothing better to do than meddle in their grown children's lives. Jesus H. Women are far more complex than that. View all my reviews

Cold Pursuit by Carla Neggers My rating: 2 of 5 stars This didn't do it for me. I couldn't bring myself to care for any of the characters, and there were quite a few of them. I also really, really disliked Elijah. I don't find jerks appealing. You're over 30, dude. Grow up and learn to communicate. View all my reviews

Ned Finally Died by Denise M. Jones My rating: 5 of 5 stars I received an ARC for an honest review. I really rather enjoyed that. I love the idea of an Adult Children's book, because, honestly, #Adulting is hard. This particular story of two deceased souls meeting was kind of morbid, which I am; and hopeful. I loved the hopeful note this ended on because, again, #Adulting is hard and it's nice not to feel so alone...even in death. View all my reviews

The Pagan Stone by Nora Roberts My rating: 2 of 5 stars I'd checked out by 20% of the book, but I wanted to see how it ended. It wasn't horrible; I love a we-must-defeat-this-BIG EVIL-or-die type of story and we all know that I love a NR friendship showcase. I just really wanted to drop-kick Gage off the nearest cliff and I'm sorry that Cybil is saddled with him. View all my reviews

Old Poison by Josh Lanyon My rating: 4 of 5 stars I've got my eye on you, Will. You sorta won me over at the end there. I'm madly in love with Taylor though. *swooooooon* View all my reviews

Dangerous Ground by Josh Lanyon My rating: 3 of 5 stars Partners for 3 years, Taylor McAllister and Will Brandy go on a camping trip to work out the looming issues between them before they lose their friendship as well as their working relationship. The issue being that Taylor is in love with Will and Will would rather not rock the boat despite his attraction to his partner. He's also wary of commitment-shy Taylor's relationship track record. Complicating matters further is Taylor's continued annoyance at the way Will treats him with kid gloves now after being shot six months ago. So, of course, they stumble upon a robbery/murder mystery that hasn't been solved. In the middle of the freakin' wilderness. Nothing to rely on but their wits, training and each other. As usual, JL gets to the heart of her characters. Watching Will and Taylor doing their push-pull dance around their feelings for each other, about the shooting, their part...

Saving His Mate by Marie Medina My rating: 3 of 5 stars Hot. And I don't just mean the demon. I really enjoyed the deeper look at this world. These books are episodic, and we all know my love of soap operas. 😂 View all my reviews

The Cake House by Latifah Salom My rating: 2 of 5 stars So much happened here that I don't even know where to start. Let's see, we've got: A very loose Hamlet retelling with a 14 year old girl as the Prince of Denmark. A 14 year old girl that sees her father's ghost; partially hates/needs her mother who is equal parts whacked out of her mind or too deep into her melancholy to be anything other than a ghost; hates/fears her stepfather but spends a lot of time with him for a plot point that goes nowhere; and creepily stalks and has sex with her step-brother who might be a violent drug-dealer. Ponzi-schemes, drug addictions, parental abandonment. A lot of things that went absolutely nowhere. I was entertained though. You know, when I wasn't creeped out by this 14 year old girl emotionally blackmailing her stepbrother that she was weirdly obsessed with. View all my reviews

Tasting Cherry Blossoms by Marie Medina My rating: 2 of 5 stars InstaLove fluff, but entertaining. View all my reviews

Claiming His Bride by Marie Medina My rating: 3 of 5 stars More cuteness! This author is definitely one-click for me now. I still think Bastian was in love with Victoria all along. View all my reviews

Desire and Duty by Marie Medina My rating: 4 of 5 stars Cute! I came into this universe on book #17 (this one), so I'm really going to enjoy catching up. This really was adorable though. Orman was so sweet and romantic. View all my reviews

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff My rating: 3 of 5 stars That was a blast! I usually despise YA- anything , but this was really something. View all my reviews

The Hollow by Nora Roberts My rating: 4 of 5 stars Second one down, one more to go. I liked Fox, but really couldn't stand Layla. I don't relate well to 'wishy-washy, 'oh woe-is-me' but I'm a fierce kitten' type of heroines. And their romance left a lot to be desired - like, you know, the actual romance. BUT the magical aspects more than made up for it. And Cybil. Oh, Cybil, how I wish you weren't saddled with Gage. Since the next book is theirs, and I really don't like Gage (yes, I know he was abused, but he's such a fucking dick because he lacks a personality), I might read some other things first before closing this trilogy out. View all my reviews

The Meadows by London Clarke My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was one creepy good time and I really enjoyed every moment here. Scarlett DeHaven is a recovering alcoholic songwriter on a path to restore her life. She decides to buy a gothic mansion and convert it into a B&B in the mountains of Virginia. ...but it doesn't go quite as smoothly as she expected it to go. Even when I was angry that Scarlett was derailing her life again, I was pleased to recognize that I saw her as a relatable person. I love it when writers create such believable characters that they start to feel real. I wish she had better people in her life, but even that is relatable content. I also enjoyed the paranormal aspects because the writing was so atmospheric. I really felt chilled . I loved how every word written either served to create a tense atmosphere, served the characters, and the plot. That takes discipline and talent. Kudos. I'll definitely check out this autho...

Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts My rating: 5 of 5 stars A tried and true La Nora formula that I still find wildly entertaining. View all my reviews

A Will and A Way by Nora Roberts My rating: 4 of 5 stars La Nora at her finest. It was a treat to watch Michael and Pandora fall in love with each other while fighting it every step of the way. View all my reviews

Xena by Michelle M. Pillow My rating: 2 of 5 stars That went pretty much how I expected it to go for a quick PWP. I am kind of interested in reading the others now though. View all my reviews

Shadowbound by Bec McMaster My rating: 4 of 5 stars A very steamy, sexy steampunk paranormal romance. View all my reviews

The Line Between: A Novel by Tosca Lee My rating: 4 of 5 stars That was one helluva ride. It got wild, y'all. View all my reviews

The Butterfly Bride by Vanessa Riley My rating: 5 of 5 stars I've been enamored of Jasper and Frederica since the first book of the series and their story was everything I wanted it to be. Frederica, bold and sassy, with her kind heart and vulnerability was a great heroine. And Jasper, ohhh, what a hero. Widower with 3 impish daughters that need his love and attention; he's not sure that he can give any woman in his life what they need or deserve after the loss of his wife. Thrown together as Frederica's life is threatened, Jasper vows to protect her. Their flirty friendship turned slow-burn romance was perfect. Vanessa Riley makes her characters come to life (one of the reasons I was so annoyed with Ester in the last book), and these two were an absolute joy. View all my reviews

The Bashful Bride by Vanessa Riley My rating: 1 of 5 stars The only saving grace in this book was Arthur Bex, actor/abolitionist - who is tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good and pure for the overbearing wife he married. View all my reviews

Vendetta in Death by J.D. Robb My rating: 5 of 5 stars A perfect example of why I continue to read this series 50+ books later. View all my reviews

The Bittersweet Bride by Vanessa Riley My rating: 5 of 5 stars whew I ran the gamut of emotions here: anger, sorrow, soul-weary shattering sadness, hope, and my hopelessly romantic heart just could not abandon Theodosia Cecil for she was a true tragic heroine. I had a slightly harder time forgiving Ewan, the Heathcliff-esque hero of our tale, but did so begrudgingly when he didn't automatically try to rip Theo's son from her. He was a cruel bastard when to her before realizing the depths of manipulations and lies his parents engaged in, however, which was the reason for my immense dislike. It angered and pained me to read every slur here, though I do appreciate how racism wasn't glossed over during this time period. It truly made Theo a heroine to rise above. I'll read the rest of the series...with some tissues handy. View all my reviews

Redemption by Kelly Moran My rating: 2 of 5 stars I'm too cynical for this book. For this type of story really. I will always be the girl that asks questions and NOT invite a stranger to sleep in my house with only myself, my elderly aunt and my dog. I don't care if he was a friend of my dead brother, he could have been a messenger from God and he would have had to leave. Because I am that girl, it colored the rest of the book for me. There were some parts that were sweet and romantic, I guess. If, you know, she hadn't invited a damn stranger to share every aspect of her life on his word alone but...okay. Nakos dodged a bullet, I'll tell you that. View all my reviews

The Poison Court: A story of Erisín by Amanda Downum My rating: 5 of 5 stars Worth the wait! I've waited four years to see Savedra again, and it was worth the wait. This book was political fantasy done brilliantly well and I hope to see more. View all my reviews

How To Tempt A Crook by Linda Verji My rating: 2 of 5 stars ..............ok. View all my reviews

The French Have a Word for It by Josh Lanyon My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was cute in a classic JL way. And I really liked the premise. Finding out if bodyguard/client can maintain a relationship borne of danger after the danger is gone is really interesting. View all my reviews

Death Becomes Her by Michael Anderle My rating: 3 of 5 stars Well, that was just a blast. This could have been one of the movies that was shown on Mystery Science Theater 3000 which is what I really enjoyed about it. It wasn't perfect, but it didn't have to be. It was fun and I'm hopefully going to enjoy the 100+ other stories in this universe just as much. Long live, Queen Bitch! View all my reviews

Make Me by Kaye Blue My rating: 2 of 5 stars Your standard enemies-to-lovers story. Complete with inane arguments that go nowhere, friends and relatives that will soon have their own stories and that are nosy and add nothing to the story at all, and 30+ year old adults unable to properly communicate their teenage feelings even though they are "professionals". View all my reviews

The Perfect Wife by Blake Pierce My rating: 1 of 5 stars Well, at least I got it for free. View all my reviews

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson My rating: 2 of 5 stars So, maybe reading a book about repeating your life up until the point you reach your predestined purpose for said life wasn't such a great idea when you hate repetition as much as I do. That said, I didn't hate it but I can't say that it lived up to the hype for me either. The prose is quite lyrical and I think there is a lot to be explored with the overarching theme of your life - anyone's life - having a purpose and how we, not only find that purpose, but accomplish it. It just took Ursula (and me) too long to get there. View all my reviews

Always Watching by Chevy Stevens My rating: 1 of 5 stars I regret every minute of this. I really do. Boring, repetitive dialogue. A very dry expository first-person narrative that focused more on telling what happened than showing it. Stereotypical characters making asinine choices. A "heroine" that was equally unlikable and hard to root for; or even care about, honestly. This didn't work for me at all and I'm really surprised because this author's first book still haunts me years later. And at the center of this is a cult story. How is a cult story boring? View all my reviews