Plush life - Gini Koch

Tom and Meggie have been best friends forever. They’ve been in love with each other for almost as long, but neither one has ever admitted it to the other. Now they work together at the Plush Life Toys, the company Tom started where Meggie is the head of sales.

Meggie’s engaged to Mark, a successful doctor, but she’s having serious second thoughts. However, before she and Tom can talk about it, they get a strange offer from their make-or-break client – go to New Orleans and convince the head of the powerful Family Mart megastore chain that Plush Life is the right kind of company to be one of their vendors. The only catch? Family Mart is the poster company for family values, and Tom and Meggie have to be married or they won’t be approved.

Meggie can’t tell Mark why she has to cancel their weekend plans because Mark doesn’t like that she and Tom are friends. What Meggie and Tom don’t know, though, is that Mark is aware of a secret that affects Meggie’s life – and he and his friends will do anything they have to in order to ensure Mark gets to marry her.

Now Tom and Meggie have to figure out their feelings for each other while trying to keep the eccentric head of Family Mart believing that they’re happy newlyweds. But when Mark and his friends get involved they put Meggie’s life and sanity in jeopardy, and only Tom, a street thief, and the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans are going to be able to save Meggie from the devil himself. 

My thoughts:

By Loki, I want to hit Mark with something...a baseball bat might just to the trick. What an evil conniving SOB.

But let's go back first. 

Meggie is dating Mark (whom I hate). She is best friends with Tom (who is really sweet, and they should totally be together, stupid people for not seeing it). They also work together, and now they must go and try to woo a client together.

But Mark is an ahole.

And the client is weeeeeird.

It kept me reading cos I kept hoping someone would hit Mark with a baseball bat. Also cos it was good and I hoped Meggie and Tom would hook up.

Though Tom says baby waaaaaay too much. Srsl, stop, it's creeping me out.

Also Meggie, damn you got issues.

Also, you two are really unlucky, like hello, other people..hello!

I am being cryptic. Oh whatever, it's late and I want to hit Mark in the head with a baseball bat, and before you say anything, trust me, you would want that too...trust me.

Conclusion:

I could even call this romantic suspense with humour cos there is suspense so let's go with that. If you want romance, humour and suspense then go for it. 

Cover

no

ebook
Expected publication: April 1st 2016 by Smashwords Edition
Romantic suspense
For review

Highland Awakening - Jennifer Haymore

As the secret author of racy romances, Lady Esme Hawkins goes to great lengths to protect her family’s honor. Which is why she carefully disguises herself before entering a notorious bordello to do research. But when Esme comes face-to-face with a brooding Highland bodyguard, she can’t easily refuse a harmless kiss . . . a kiss that inflames desires ripped from the pages of her novels. Acting on them, however, would risk revealing Esme’s identity—and the fact that she’s engaged to another man.

As a Highland Knight sworn to protect the crown, Camden McLeod never expected to follow his client into a bordello—nor could he anticipate meeting a bright, innocent lass with lush lips and eyes the color of the sea. Instantly, Cam knows he must possess her. But to do so, he’ll need to give up his rakish ways, embrace his role as heir to his despised father, and snuff out a deadly threat to his brothers in arms. By comparison, winning Esme away from her insipid fiancé will be pure pleasure.

My thoughts:

You got lucky there Cam, I started this book on Thursday, but then the 4 day weekend came around and I forgot how much of an asshat Cam was ;)...just sayin'

Esme writes smexy novels, and sneaks out to brothels to talk to the ladies and get stories for her books. Wait! And no one notices? Her brother is a Duke! He should check his grounds better. And she could have been raped and killed just going there. She sure has drive, you can say that.

Cam is a part of the Highland Knights. Serve and protect the crown. His dad is a silly old fart, and his sister is disowned for some reason. He has family issues to say the least.

They meet *coughs* Aye they sure meet. He fancies her. She lets go of anything she has been told pretty fast.

He does some stalking...what? That is the part that softened over a long weekend when I did not read this book. He does do some creepy stalking. Or others would call it alpha male brings home the woman .

And then there is a suspense part because someone is after the knights. I did not guess who, my bad.

Conclusion:

It was a nice historical romance. 

I do hope Cam's sister finds love. But Cam, you were a bit too alpha for me.

Cover

Ok

ebook, 248 pages
Published March 29th 2016 by Loveswept
Highland Knights #2
Historical romance
NG

Level up - Cathy Yardley

Geeky introvert Tessa Rodriguez will do whatever it takes to get promoted to video game engineer– including create a fandom-based video game in just three weeks. The only problem is, she can't do it alone. Now, she needs to strong-arm, cajole, and otherwise socialize with her video game coworkers, especially her roommate, Adam, who’s always been strictly business with her. The more they work together, though, the closer they get…

Adam London has always thought of his roomie Tessa as “one of the guys” until he agreed to help her with this crazy project. Now, he’s thinking of her all the time… and certainly as something more than just a roommate! But his last girlfriend broke up with him to follow her ambitions, and he knows that Tessa is obsessed with getting ahead in the video game world.

Going from friends to something more is one hell of a challenge. Can Tessa and Adam level up their relationship to love? 

My thoughts:

Suddenly I have so many reviews to write, make it quick!!!

Nerds! YAY :D 

Tessa is a programmer who wants to write real code, not just stupid audio code. 

She meets some amazing women, and I am all, I want friends like that! Books, tv, movies, they could talk about it all. 

The book is about her wanting that better job, and helping her new friends.

And then there is the cute roommate Adam, and suddenly they start noticing each other.

Conclusion:

So there is romance, fandom and coding.

 

Cover

cute

ebook, 151 pages
Published January 3rd 2016 by Cathy Yardley
Fandom Hearts #1
Contemporary romance
own

The Miniaturist - Jessie Burton

On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office-leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.

But Nella's world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist-an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways . . .

Johannes' gift helps Nella to pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understand-and fear-the escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society where gold is worshipped second only to God, to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation . . . or the architect of their destruction?

My thoughts:

I must say that thing that I liked about the book, the mystery, the seemingly magical realism..well that went nowhere in the end. That was nothing in the end. The last 50 pages could have been better. Now I keep wondering how? Too bad cos the book was really good up until then.

Nella marries a man twice her age. Her new home has two servants, one a terrible gossip. There is also her new sister in law that rules the house. So where is Nella's place?

Her husband gives her a "doll house", what? I will just call it that now. She gets pieces sent to her, pieces showing secrets. What is happening?

The whole mystery of what is going on in the house kept me reading. Also the atmosphere in the book was wonderful, I liked Amsterdam.

But then the magical realism fizzled out. Then secrets came crushing down (which was good, I wanted to know). And then it just ended, and I was left wondering.

Conclusion:

Still...it was good, but could have been great with that theme still going strong in the end too

Hardcover, 400 pages
Published August 26th 2014 by Ecco
Historical fiction
Library

Joint Discussion: Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase - Louise Walters

This month Carole and I will be discussing "Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase" by Louise Walters. 

Author: Louise Walters

Title: Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: ebook

First Published: Feb 2014

Where I Got It: Library

Roberta likes to collect the letters and postcards she finds in second-hand books. When her father gives her some of her grandmother's belongings, she finds a baffling letter from the grandfather she never knew - dated after he supposedly died in the war.

Dorothy is unhappily married to Albert, who is away at war. When an aeroplane crashes in the field behind her house she meets Squadron Leader Jan Pietrykowski, and as their bond deepens she dares to hope she might find happiness. But fate has other plans for them both, and soon she is hiding a secret so momentous that its shockwaves will touch her granddaughter many years later...

B: Here we are again, we can never pick those amazing ones can we….

C: I feel like we have only had two successful ones we adored. You picked one and I think I picked the other. X___X

B: Which ones am I forgetting. Snow child and….

C: I honestly can’t remember. I think it was one of the first ones we picked. From the beginning so over a year ago now. LOLLL Soooooo….what did you think of the duo stories? Roberta and Dot?

B: I liked Dot’s story, but Roberta’s was soo boring. She was boring, she had a boring life. What a boring person. 

C: Yes. Roberta was a total meh for me. Granted she tried to shake-up her boring existence by being naughty and cheating, but still meh. I liked Dot’s story, but I hated Dot. 

B: Roberta even made cheating boring. She was all, I just do it, and I was all, at least love him. God you two are boring. As for Dot, I did not hate her...no, I did not. I can not say I liked her either, she, I can’t put my finger on it. So...tolerated her?

C: How on Earth can someone make cheating boring? I never thought I’d see the day. Don’t even love him, at least bc the sex is great and you can’t get enough. No, he was just there and she was just there. THAT was all. I hated Dot near the end, I liked her in the beginning, but at the end on how she treated Jan. I was SO upset.

B: The only time I cared for Roberta was at the end, that was good, maybe she can stop being boring now. And Dot, well, she had issues! I was all GO FOR IT! Damn you, just go for it. He is hot, young and wants you. I would totally have picked him.

C: Even at the end I was totally meh about Roberta. Well…..I get it-ish about Dot, but it was obvious Jan loved her and whatnot, but she was poop and wouldn’t do what I wanted. LOL.

B: LOL. She was poop. But yes, I ended that damn book with a DAMN! F that. What kind of ending was that. Tear at my heart again wont ya. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

C: Hahaha. I ended it with a silent glare. Luckily it was an ebook for me, so I couldn’t slam it on the table like I wanted. So - do you think the duo story worked? Or do you think it hindered the story?

B: Roberta with her constant letters and making a boring search for answers. I wish Dot had been more lucid, and told the story. That would have worked better I think. That would have made Roberta more interesting. Maybe draw some parallels between them and make it flow better. For now it was two stories that did not really belong together.

C: I agree. Honestly, I would have written the story completely different. The first chapter would introduce Roberta getting the letters and whatnot. Then for the next few chapters show Dot’s story and then leave it as a cliff-hanger. The last chapter would be Roberta digging and looking answers and whatnot. More of Dot, less of Roberta.

B: Also if Roberta is gonna find love make us FEEL it. I also did not like the dad and her mum thing. I guess I understand why she had it there, but it felt unnecessary and did nothing to the story.

So we agree, that the story could have been done differently. Would it have made me liked it more...eh. Who knows. They both would need more of a strong personality.

C: I can see your point about the parents, but it didn’t bug me too much. I believe we both can agree that a different way would have been better. 

B: I still thought it was a good book, that is 90% thanks to Dot. Even though the ending made me pissed. It did keep me reading cos I wanted to know, but that letter in the beginning did destroy my hopes. But a girl can still hope anyway!

C: Yes that damn letter! It was decent for me. Not horrible, but not wonderful. Just decent. I wanted more of Dot/Jan and less of Roberta and whatever she was doing. I had no hope, I wanted hope, but I had none. LOL. I’m a negative Nancy.

B: My bad for this book. I wish we could have read that other book (which we sure are gonna hate thanks to our luck), but I have hope! I guess you will have none left for that one ;)

C: Actually….I have a touch of hope. It sounds soooooooooooo good and there are a lot of wonderful reviews. :D My turn to pick right? I honestly can never remember.

B: Yes your turn. :) Pick a good one!!! ;)

C: 0_0 TOO MUCH STRESSSSSSSS! LOL

B: The end?

C: The end. :D

#FitReaders: Weekly Check-In March 25 2016

#FitReaders is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog  and That’s What I’m Talking About.

Join in 

Sun 1 h walk

Mon 6 km bike. 30 min walk

Tue 1 h yoga. 1 h workout class. 8 km bike

Wed 45 min zumba, 4 km bike

Thu 1 h walk, 4 km bike

Fri 1,5 h hike

BF and I thought we were following lynx tracks in the woods yesterday, but when my mum put it on FB it seemed it was wolf instead ;) 

.................................

DNF TIME

I have been so lazy with those dnfs lately so here is one big posts. Should be all this year.

Verdict: All Meh. Also who can guess which cover is the ugliest?

Looking glass: It felt good, but omg so boring. I started to skim and whatever, dnf

Romanitas: Why was it so dull? Sad

Shadows on the Nile: I never began to care

An arranged marriage: Rape doesn't really say historical romance to me

A lot of pride and prejudice: What was up with that beginning?!

I still dream about you: Depressing

Divas don't knit: I did read half of it, it was not bad, but not great either

A secret in salem: So not the freebie for me

Gatecrasher: I do not like her...

The feather and the moon: I just can not. Bored and confused

Snakewood: I am just too confused. I can not read this.

I have no idea what the timeframe is, they keep jumping back and fort in time. I think, I know it, but I never know who or where... The POV keeps on changing. I have no idea who is who, who is who now or where, or... I am confused.

 

The last days of rabbit hays: It was good, but boring at the same time. It felt nice, but too many POVS . I just went meh

Tell the wolves I am home: Meh beginning and also, the tiny text...tiny!

His good opinion: Not a dnf cos it was bad, but because it was the story from his POV. Meh

Desired by the alien boss: Just no

Chosen by the alien lord *shakes head*

The beauty of destruction: My bad, it did not work reading this when I had not read the previous ones

Romantic Friday: Something in the Heir - Chalet Girl Plays Cupid - A hundred pieces of me

Modern-day Prince Adrian of Monaforte has a most old-fashioned problem: his demanding mother wants him wed to her best friend’s daughter, the hard-partying Serena. When his refusal falls on deaf ears, Adrian decides it’s time for him to slip away from his gilded cage and figure out his life, all on his own. As luck would have it, event photographer Emma Davison, weary of a revolving door of lost-cause men and tired of her outsider-looking-in career, is in need of her own escape clause, just in time to help a wayward prince in need. And she soon discovers that sometimes a girl’s gotta sweep a prince off his feet.

For any girl that’s ever held out hope that some day her prince would come…or better yet, hoped that some day she’d come to him. 

My thoughts:

I have been too lazy to write the review...

Let me think.

Ok so there was prince Adrian with the English last name from some Alp? kingdom. Also since he had never watched tv his knowledge of "new" words like "horny" and others were terrible. Are you kidding me? damn that prince be stupid. So the only way to learn new words is telly then..well ok Prince I do not know this language you are speaking Miss American.

Ok so I could just check, but, eh I forgot her name. Emily? Was it that? I guess I will see when I post this on my blog.

They get together, not in that way! They learn more about each other and they liked each other and then they live happily ever after.

Conclusion:

Mindless short escapism. Good for that.

Kindle Edition, 236 pages
Published December 24th 2014 by Jenny Gardiner Books
It's Reigning Men #1
Contemporary romance
Own

After a messy break up that’s left her homeless, jobless and single, temporary chalet girl Emily needs a fresh start! So when best friend Holly asks her to help out before the start of the winter season at the exclusive Chalet Repos in Verbier, Emily jumps at the chance. What broken heart can’t be fixed by après ski cocktails?

Verbier seems like the perfect escape, until Emily meets super-sexy and darkly brooding winter athlete Jake. She’s meant to be avoiding men at all costs, but the spark between her and Jake is sizzling! As she finds herself increasingly left alone with Jake, Emily begins to wonder if Cupid has paid a visit to Chalet Repos…!

My thoughts:

Short and cute. I would not call the ending a HEA, more a HFN. Because it ends very abruptly, so you can make up your own mind. They continue what they started and fall in love, or they have fun for a week and go separate ways... Yes I like to think they had fun and fell in love ;)

Emily went through a breakup and ended up as a chalet girl

Jake's leg is crap and his career is ruined.

Both have issues.

They fancy each other.

They do it.

THE END

Conclusion:

Sweet.

Kindle Edition, 57 pages
Published March 5th 2015 by HarperImpulse
Ski Season #6
Contemporary romance
Own

Reeling from her recent divorce, Gina Bellamy suddenly finds herself figuring out how to live on her own. Determined to make a fresh start—with her beloved rescue greyhound by her side—Gina knows drastic measures are in order.

First up: throwing away all her possessions except for the one hundred things that mean the most to her. But what items are worth saving? Letters from the only man she’s ever loved? A keepsake of the father she never knew? Or a blue glass vase that perfectly captures the light?

As she lets go of the past, Gina begins to come to terms with what has happened in her life and discovers that seizing the day is sometimes the only thing to do. And when one decides to do just that...magic happens.

My thoughts:

I am afraid that last chapter totally soured my feelings about this book, like BOOM, instant bad feeling.

It started off well enough. Gina is going through a divorce. She left a house she loved. She is going through all her things and making a list of 100 things to keep.

We learn that she knows nothing about her dad. She had cancer. She lost her one true love. She has issues with her mother. She is a bit lost.

So a book about her finding herself, moving on, letting go.

There is a bit of romance in the flashbacks and a maybe romance on the horizon.

And boom, I am not gonna spoil things just....the ending is not a happy one. There is no HEA, or is there? There is no HFN...or is there. The ending is a tragic one...or is it?

DAMN IT, I wanted closure, instead we were left with this crap ending that made me wish I had not read this 450 page book. I can deal with happy, I can deal with sad, I can not deal with NOT KNOWING.

Conclusion:

Crap ending. You get an only ok for that. 

Paperback, 453 pages
Published September 2nd 2014 by Berkley
Women's fiction
Library

Grave Visions - Kalayna Price

If you want to hear voices from the dead in Nekros City, you call Alex Craft. She's a Grave Witch with reasonable rates and extraordinary powers, who specializes in revealing the secrets of the dead. But now she's the one fighting to keep her own secret. She's not human—and her newly discovered heritage is causing havoc for her both in the human realm and in Faerie. But her status as an unaffiliated fae also makes her an ideal candidate to investigate a new street drug that has surfaced in several of the spaces between the human and fae worlds. 

This glamour-infused drug causes hallucinations that turn real—at least for a while and often with deadly consequences. Searching for the source of this drug—and its purpose—lands Alex front and center in the conflict brewing in Faerie and she must find answers before she's dragged so deep she loses her freedom. 

My thoughts:

I am SO glad that you could just jump back into things cos my knowledge of book 3..or any book ...yikes, it was shaky at best..

Her hidden past.

I was all whaat?

She is Fae? Huh, did not remember that, but good to know. Lol, yes it was like the book was filled with new secrets and I never felt like I missed anything cos I could just read and be surprised.

She is a grave witch, ok that I did remember. She can talk to the dead. Yup.

Her Boyfriend is Death, I did not really like him. (damn it, *reading old review from 4 years back, I used to have a crush on him! Woe is me*

Falin, some guy sent to spy on her is hot. (damn it! I used to think he was just a pretty boy according to that last review)

I obviously went from Team Death to Team Falin. *shrugs* It happens. Since all I remember of any of them is from this book.

Oh I forgot, the actual storyline. A bad drug is causing deaths. She is on the case. The Fae wants her to pick a court. A friend is getting married. Her dad has plans. Something was always happening and then it ended and I need more...a bit quicker this time hopefully.

Conclusion:

Good to be back!

Cover

good

Mass Market Paperback, 340 pages
Published February 2nd 2016 by Roc
Alex Craft #4
Urban fantasy
Own

First frost - Sarah Addison Allen

It's October in Bascom, North Carolina, and autumn will not go quietly. As temperatures drop and leaves begin to turn, the Waverley women are made restless by the whims of their mischievous apple tree... and all the magic that swirls around it. But this year, first frost has much more in store.

Claire Waverley has started a successful new venture, Waverley's Candies. Though her handcrafted confections-rose to recall lost love, lavender to promote happiness and lemon verbena to soothe throats and minds-are singularly effective, the business of selling them is costing her the everyday joys of her family, and her belief in her own precious gifts.

Sydney Waverley, too, is losing her balance. With each passing day she longs more for a baby- a namesake for her wonderful Henry. Yet the longer she tries, the more her desire becomes an unquenchable thirst, stealing the pleasure out of the life she already has.

Sydney's daughter, Bay, has lost her heart to the boy she knows it belongs to...if only he could see it, too. But how can he, when he is so far outside her grasp that he appears to her as little more than a puff of smoke?

When a mysterious stranger shows up and challenges the very heart of their family, each of them must make choices they have never confronted before. And through it all, the Waverley sisters must search for a way to hold their family together through their troublesome season of change, waiting for that extraordinary event that is First Frost.

My thoughts:

To be honest I have a dreadful memory (not that it matters, this works perfectly as a standalone). But I did read the first book 4 years ago, so that does explains it. I can not remember Clare's man, but I did remember after a while Sydney's Henry, well sort of, I had heard of him. I more remembered the general feeling of thing. The apple tree, the magic, them being on the outside of everyone else.

10 years have passed. Bay is a teenager, she has the magic to know where things belong.

Clare makes candy now, but is unhappy cos all she does is candy, and her heart is not in it. Even if the magic is.

Sydney is still cutting hair and making everyone's day with that magic, but she wants a baby, and is unhappy too.

First frost is coming and that is dangerous for the Waverly's. There is a stranger in town. Clare has a decision to make. Bay is in love. And Sydney must come to terms with her wish.

But it all works out perfectly. Magic is in the air, just, with this book I know the magic is there, totally, they totally have magic and that apple tree is totally magical.

Conclusion:
A sweet book.

Cover

nice

Paperback, 320 pages
Published January 5th 2016 by St. Martin's Griffin (first published January 20th 2015)
Waverley Family #2
Magical realism
Own

The study of seduction - Sabrina Jeffries

When Edwin Barlow, the Earl of Blakeborough, agrees to help his best friend’s impetuous ward, Lady Clarissa Lindsey, in her time of need, he knows he’s in for trouble. He’s been hunting for someone to wed, and she’ll just get in the way. Although captivated by the witty, free-spirited beauty, he fears she’d be all wrong as a wife...if she would even take such a gruff cynic for her husband. Yet he wants nothing more than to have her for his own.

Clarissa has no intention of marrying anyone—not Edwin, whom she’s sure would be an overbearing husband, and certainly not the powerful French diplomat stalking her. But when matters escalate with the diplomat, she chooses Edwin’s gallant offer of a marriage between friends in hopes that it will deter her stalker. She expects nothing more than an amiable union, but their increasingly tempestuous kisses prove more than she bargained for. When her stalker’s vow to expose the lovers’ deepest secrets threatens to destroy their blossoming attraction, will their tenuous bond withstand public ruin, or will Edwin lose all that’s important to him to protect his bride? 

My thoughts:

Did I like Edwin in book 1? Hmm, eh , who knows, but I do like him here. He is a cutie, and he makes automatons, very cool.

Clarissa is, well the more I got to know her, the more I understood her. She was flighty, and, well I understood at the end. I understood,  they complement each other.

Clarissa has a suitor that does not take no for an answer, I mean not at all, that guy needs to be kicked in the balls. What a creep.

Edwin is looking out for her while her guardian is away.

Damn creepy suitor!

Oh oh, they are married now.

So this book is about their marriage. A hasty marriage to save her. But they do not love each other, and she does not want to rush into things. So they get to know each other more, they find out that they do like each other. Drama unfolds and truths are learned and they live happily ever after.

And the title is good, it is a study of seduction ;)

Conclusion:

A good book. I look forward to reading about her brother next.

Cover

nice

ebook, 384 pages
Expected publication: March 22nd 2016 by Pocket Books
Sinful Suitors #2
Historical romance
NG

The Princess wore plaid - Karen Hawkins

Royal princess Tatiana Romanovin is the beautiful, wealthy, and spoiled favorite of the King of Oxenburg. On her way to her cousin’s wedding in the Scottish highlands, she and her entourage are held up by a gang of ruffians. Frightened, her servants flee, and Tatiana soon finds herself alone in an inn with no servants, no funds, and no proof of her identity. Destitute, she accepts the offer from a sympathetic (but unbelieving) innkeeper to work for her room and board while she waits for an answer to the missive she’s sent to her cousin Prince Nikolai. With no other recourse, Tatiana scrubs floors and dirty linens, waiting for her prince to come…

After a brutal, bloody battle with the French Navy left Lord Buchan limping and surly, abandoned by his betrothed because of his twisted leg, his lordship hides away at his manor house in the countryside. He leaves only once a week to eat at the local inn, drawn by the expert cooking of the innkeeper’s wife. One day, Buchan arrives to find that the innkeeper has a new servant, a beautiful scullery maid with a queenly air, and flashing green eyes that leave him breathless and increasingly aware of his lonely existence…

The challenge of winning his way into Tatiana’s heavily protected heart stirs Buchan back to life…but can he and his twisted leg—and broken heart—win a proud princess whose only goal is to leave Scotland and return to the court where she’s the crowning jewel? 

My thoughts:

A short novella about a princess and a Scot. I have not read the other books in the series, but it did not matter (though I am positive I have read something, or maybe not.) Anyway, this is a novella in that series and you can jump right in.

And when you do you meet Princess Tatiana who was in an accident and works at an inn. The inn people were so nice. She got lucky there. But no one has come for her yet, strange.

In comes Lord Buchan. A limp, a lingering sickness. Cranky. And sure enough he falls for her.

And she for him, after being arrogant like a princess to him at first.

But she is a princess! He is just a Scottish Lord.

And then they lived happily ever after. Well duh, of course they do.

A sweet novella. 

Kindle Edition, 125 pages
Expected publication: March 21st 2016 by Pocket Star
The Oxenburg Princes #2.5
Historical romance
NG

Carole's Sunday review: Danube waves - Katharina Bordet

Author: Katharina Bordet

Titles: Danube Waves (Wiener Blut #2)

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, & Mystery 

Pages: ebook

First Published: 2016

Where I Got It: My shelf (given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

The portals between worlds have been shut down, leaving king-to-be Maximilian Schindler-Krug trapped in our world in the form of a goat. An impending revolution, a murderer on the loose, recurring nightmares and a mad scientist stand between him and the throne. It’s going to take more than a talking swan, a fainting goat and copious amounts of coffee and cake to save the day.

Ten years since the murder of his mother, Max Schindler-Krug is having increasingly vivid dreams about the night that changed his life forever, but that is the least of his problems. His coronation as King of Neu Meidling is approaching fast, but revolution across the kingdom threatens the monarchy and the portals between the worlds have been mysteriously sealed, closing off all trade and splitting up families.

Karin’s peaceful life at the Alt Wien is turned upside-down when her daughter brings home a wounded swan, leading her to discover a lost family secret that will change her life forever. Her own husband’s place in events could rip their relationship apart.

Lily, a trainee Beschützer finds herself trapped in another world, torn between her duty to protect the Wächter line and coffee trade and her love for her future king. When she meets a man who could solve all her problems, she has to make a choice that could topple the monarchy, assuming she can get the young king back home alive.

This is the second book of the series. 10 years have passed and now Isabelle's young son is on the verge on becoming King of the other world. However, not everything is as it seems and there is trouble in paradise.

There is a lot going on in this novel. Between Max and Lily going off on an adventure, political turmoil, a possible Revolution stirring, Karin's lost family secret coming out, an evil genius causing havoc, and a man with his fainting goat companion. SO much is going on and I was worried at first that I wouldn't be able to keep it all straight. To my surprise, the author did a fantastic job keeping the reader on board and not getting confused. The POV switches were well done and it was clear and obvious when a POV was going to switch. 

I loved the fact that not everyone and everything was as it seemed. Even the "baddies". Were they truly bad? There is no black and white in this story and I liked that. The fact that even the baddies were complex made me extremely happy. 

Oh my was there some wacky moments that had me laughing! Especially Ludwig's goat! He's a fainting goat and later in the book *SPOILER ALERT* he gained the ability to talk and he was HILARIOUS! *END OF SPOILER* So cute! I wanted him as a pet! Also, Max turning into a goat was hilarious too. I did feel bad for him, because the goat life is not an easy life especially when your human girlfriend has to take care of you. 

There were some parts that seemed too easily fixed in my opinion. Or a little cheesy. It worked and moved the story along, but yeah. Especially the part with the decaff coffee beans. Sure, I had a chuckle, but it was an easy fix AND it was cheesy. That could just be me though. 

Also, the last couple of chapters seemed to drag on and on. As much as I loved the world and I want more, I wanted it to end a couple chapters earlier. 

My favorite part of the book was the beginning of each chapter! In the first book she started each chapter with a specialty coffee beverage. In this book, the author started each chapter was a special kind of cake known in the region! Each cake was tied to the story in some way and I simply LOVED that. However.....it made me really hungry! HAHA. 

In the end, I really liked this book. It was a good sequel to the first one. There were a couple of things I was meh about like the conclusion and some scenes, but overall this was really good. I loved the humor and the drama. It was all mixed together well. I especially loved the little snipbits of cake. Made me happy, but also hungry. This is a good sequel to the first book and I highly recommend it, BUT you need to read the first one first. I hope there is more! Out of five stars, I shall stamp this with 4 stars. 

#FitReaders: Weekly Check-in March 18 2016

#FitReaders is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog  and That’s What I’m Talking About.

Join in 

Sunday: 1,5 h walk
Monday: 7 km bike. 30 min walk
Tuesday: 1 h yoga. 4 km bike. 45 min walk
Wednesday: 1 h zumba. 4km bike
Thursday: 8 km bike. 45 min zumba toning
Friday: 4 km bike. 30 min walk
Saturday: 5 k walk

Evidence from that 5k ;) It was so "funny", we were jumping over streams in the darkness and then around the woods, boom, that damn tractor road, sigh. Would have been easier and faster..

I also took an hour walk with Luci at my parents today, but well how long was it really? But then he was damn fast and dragging me along and me going through the snow (do English have a word for the hard snow that forms that you can walk on?) So I do not count it ;)

Magic Stars - Ilona Andrews and Chance on Love

Scarred, solitary Derek Gaunt has separated from his Pack, and is truly a lone wolf. With no family he answers to no one; but is fiercely loyal to a chosen few. So, when several of those close to him are murdered, he’ll stop at nothing to hunt their killer through the magic-drenched streets of Atlanta. 

Never one to be left on the sidelines, equally determined—some might say stubborn—Julie Lennart-Olsen soon joins in his pursuit; and what began as revenge turns into a race to save the city. Their search pits them against powers they never imagined and magic so old, it predates history. It may cost Derek his life, but there are things for which even he would risk everything. 

My thoughts:

I will give it a 3 because it is Andrews, but to be honest, if this was a new series I would quit it. It was not that interesting, I did not care for anyone in the story.

I have never really been a Julie fan, Derek, eh.

Ok I changed my mind, it will get the 2 it deserved. To me it was not good (since I would not read more books), it was only ok.

It only showed that Julie is an idiot.

I still love Roland though!

Cover

ok

ebook, 64 pages
Published December 8th 2015 by NYLA
Grey Wolf #1, Kate Daniels #8.5
Urban fantasy
Own

Sean Reynolds is content wielding his dominant personality as the public face of Kagan Industries. Pack leadership--and all the responsibilities that go with it--doesn't interest him. But when alpha-in-waiting Nic Kagan skips town, there's no one to take on his aging father's spirit wolf. No one but Sean.

Sean wants none of it, but with his wolf growling in eagerness to fill that void, he heads for the bar in an attempt to drink the beast into submission.

He'd like to ignore the sultry blonde shifter burning up the dance floor with moves that make him painfully aware of the full moon. But when she abruptly disappears, his wolf sends him in hot pursuit. Following the scent of a female he can see in his bed not for a single night, but for a lifetime...

NOTE: The Kagan Wolves series is set in the same world as the Royal Pride series. 

My thoughts:

A short story about a wolf who does not want a mate.

And about another wolf who just wants some fun, since wolves in her tribes are idiots.

They meet. They lust. They know they are mates to be.

It was passionate and short. I think I can do pnr in small doses...small doses ;)

Kindle Edition, 1st. Edition, 44 pages
Published February 23rd 2016 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Kagan Wolves 0.5
Short story
Own

Dead Heat - Patricia Briggs

For once, mated werewolves Charles and Anna are not traveling because of Charles’s role as his father’s enforcer. This time, their trip to Arizona is purely personal. Or at least their visit starts out that way... 

Charles and Anna soon discover that a dangerous fae being is on the loose, replacing human children with simulacrums. The fae have started a cold war with humanity that's about to heat up—and Charles and Anna are in the crossfire. 

My thoughts

This reminded me once again  that I wanna read Fire touched *checks, omg so expensive, fine I will wait until 2017 noooooooo*

I miss Bran, he was not in it enough...I like Bran. Yup ;)

But I must say, I can never remember where I stand with people, but Charles, yes, I like that wolf. Did I always? Who knows, I am too tired to check my old reviews. Brother wolf is a softie too.

Charles and Anna go to meet an old friend.

Oh uh, the Fae are up to no good. Stuff is going down! They are in the middle of something so they investigate.

I do think the previous book was stronger, I remember that one as amazing, so this one is not equal to that one. But it is Briggs, which means it is good. She is good, always.

Conclusion:

I have not really said anything when I come to think of it. ..oh how I ramble on.

Anyway, yes read the book, but you HAVE to read them in order. SO no starting with this one.

Cover

eh. Not bad, not amazing either

Mass Market Paperback, 305 pages
Published February 2nd 2016 by Ace
Urban fantasy
Own

Dark matter - Michelle Paver

Out of nowhere, for no reason, I was afraid. My skin pickled. My heart thudded in my throat. My body knew before I did that I was not alone…

London, 1937. Jack is poor, lonely and desperate to change his life, so when he’s offered the chance to join an Arctic expedition, he jumps at it. Spirits are high as the ship leaves Norway and at last they reach the remote, uninhabited bay where they will camp for the next year.

But the Arctic summer is brief. As night returns to claim the land, Jack feels a creeping unease. One by one, his companions are forced to leave. Soon Jack will see the last of the sun, the sea will freeze and escape will be impossible.

And Jack is not alone. Something walks there in the dark… 

My thoughts:

I will not do this book justice. The feeling you get from this book, the claustrophobic feeling, the feeling that someone is watching you, the chills up your spine. I will try, but you would have to read it to understand.

Spitsbergen. Months of darkness above the Arctic circle. Snow, cold, the vastness, the darkness. Ghost stories do not really hit home with me, but this was different. I can never comprehend the true darkness, we do get 4 hours of daylight when it is bad. But still, it is dark. I get those is someone watching me. Wanting to cover windows, wanting to go out and not go out. It was worse where I grew up, no lights on that mud road. No lights around the house either. It was really dark...always. Closest neighbor 100 m away (grandparents ;) Growing up reading stories about what could be out there...

Back to the story. Expedition. A captain telling them not to go there. And suddenly he was Alone. All Alone. Is he seeing things? Is he hearing things? Is the solitude driving him insane? Or is there truly something out there to get him? As I got closer to the end I read faster and faster, the chills going up my spine and then that realization he had. OMG. *shudders* Damn, I still got chills thinking of it. This would make one good horror movie. I would not watch it, I would get nightmares.

Conclusion:

Just read it. I hope it will scare you too. At first there is nothing, but read on, and suddenly you are there too at the end.

Paperback, Orion Paperback Edition, 288 pages
Published September 1st 2011 by Orion Books Ltd
Horror
Library

Powers: The secret history of Deena Pilgrim - Brian Michael Bendis and Neil Kleid

Brian Michael Bendis is one of the most successful and bestselling comic book writers currently working in the medium, and Powers is his best-known original creation. It debuted in 2000 and is currently printed by Marvel's Icon imprint, where each issue sells tens of thousands of copies. Powers tells the stories of human police officers attempting to solve crimes in a world inhabited by superheroes and supervillains.

In January 2015, the Playstation Network debuted Powers as its first ever hour-long scripted programming, featuring characters and plots from the comic book series. There are 110 million individual Playstation consoles around the world, opening up a huge new audience to the Powers universe.

And now comes the Powers novel, the first ever prose story set in the world of the comic, written by Bendis and novelist Neil Kleid. The Secret History of Deena Pilgrim, starring the fan favorite character from the comic series, is the story of a cold case that reopens when evidence from a new murder points back to Deena's own family tree. Pilgrim is forced to investigate her family's sordid past in law enforcement and must turn to her estranged partner Walker for help. 

My thoughts:

Ok so I confess that I know nothing about the graphic novel or the tv-series, but hey that did not matter. But I do say, that graphic novel series sounds good, and I do see traces of it here. It is clearly a graphic novel made into a book. It just you know flows that way, like jumping from picture to picture.

This is a world of super heroes, a virus making them so. We do not see that much of them here since this is Deena's book. But they are there. And there are Humans against them too, since those powers make those humans not so human.

Deena is a cop and loves it, she has a past, I guess that is in the graphic novels since it seems a LOT happened...like a LOT. But this book is about her trying to catch a serial killer. A killer with ties to her hometown, her family and what is going on, what happened back then?

A few twists and turns, a few enigmas. A kick-ass cop and well yes again I am curious about those graphic novels, and that series made for playstation...

But I do think that it could have flowed better, and not been so graphic novel'y. This is a book and not that.

What to call this genre then? Hmm, I have no idea. Let's just go with urban fantasy..sort of.

Conclusion:

A darker shade of heroes and cops.

Paperback, 320 pages
Expected publication: March 15th 2016 by Titan Books
Urban fantasy
For review