Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Peace, Blood, and Understanding by Molly Harper by Molly Harper

Ever since Jane Jameson took over running the Vampire Council for Half-Moon Hollow, things have been a little unorthodox, and that doesn’t sit well with the head office. Who would have thought vampires were so into bureaucracy and tradition?



Enter a vamp from corporate who’s determined to unseat Jane and get the council back on track - which means no more of this Kentucky neighborliness and mixing with humans, werewolves, witches, or anything else.



But Jane’s not interested in going back to the bad old days when the council was mired in corruption and tended to "accidentally" eat people now and again, but she might be in over her head this time. Good thing there’s a pretty new face in town who just might be the perfect distraction and help save Jane’s career.
Series: Half-Moon Hollow #15 | Publisher: Audible Studios | Narrator: Amanda Ronconi | Length: 6 hrs, 50 mins. | Genre: Paranormal Romance | Source: Purchased | Rating: 4.5 Cups



Challenges Read For:  - Literary Pickers  - Tea Tray/Cart
 
Cue happy little Snoopy dance! It’s been a minute since there’s been a new Half-Moon Hollow book, so when I found out Peace, Blood, and Understanding was coming out, I couldn’t contain my excitement.
 
While I like all of Molly Harper’s work, there’s just something about her Jane Jameson/Half-Moon Hollow series that will always be my favorite. When I pick up a new book from this series, it’s just like meeting up with old friends.
 
Here’s what’s going on: Meadow, a vampire on probation, has been doing everything in her power to live a tranquil life. Running her a tea store and working for the Council in their archive department has kept her focused and busy but when a run in with jackass threatens her calm, she’s determined to keep herself far from the attractive, yet arrogant vampire. When Erik Weston, auditor for the Council, shows up in Meadow’s teashop, he doesn’t want to be attracted to the annoying but attractive vampire he ran into when he first came to town. The only thing he has time for is facts and figures—not falling for Meadow.
 
While Meadow seems to reciprocate the feelings, she’s hesitant to start something when Erik is investigating Jane’s leadership and determined to bring Dick down.
 
Did I mention I love this series? This was a bit different from the previous books. While it focused on the romance between two new characters, it also focused heavily on Dick and Jane and the problems they were facing with the council business. I did like that this one had extra layers to it.
 
Erik and Meadow were definitely a chalk and cheese pair; he’s straight laced and facts/figures oriented and she’s what Dick lovingly refers to as ‘Hippy-Dippy’. They’re not the type of couple that works on paper—they’re not even in the same filing cabinet—but that’s what made them such a fun and interesting couple to watch.
 
Jane and Dick had their hands full with the audit and with someone trying to sabotage the council. I had a feeling who was behind it but I second guessed myself a time or two.
 
Like the other books in the series, we get to see what’s going on with the other residents of Half-Moon Hollow and I enjoyed that.
 
As always, Amanda Ronconi nailed this narration.
 
While this is an already established series, this one does read as a standalone.
 
Overall, another great addition to the series. Even though there were a few different threads going on, each were fleshed out and fully developed.






I know some of you have been wondering about the reading order of the Jane Jameson and Half-Moon Hollow books so I thought I would help you out with this reading guide.

 

The Jane Jameson Series (also referred to as the ‘Nice Girls’ series) started it all. It contains four books and this is a complete series. These books work best if you read them in order.

 

1-Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs

2-Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men

3-Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever

4-Nice Girls Don’t Bite Their Neighbors

 

Then we have the spinoff series, Half-Moon Hollow. These can be read without reading the Jane Jameson/Nice Girls series—although characters from the Jane Jameson series and Jane herself often pop up. Most of these can be read out of order.

 

0.5 Fangs for the Memories (novella) This one actually happens in the middle of Nice Girls Don’t Dead Men—Jane Jameson #2.

1- The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires

1.5-Driving Mr. Dead (novella)

2-A Witches Handbook of Kisses and Curses

2.5-Undead Sublet (short story found in the Undead In My Bed anthology)

2.6-I’m Dreaming of an Undead Christmas (novella) This needs to be read before  The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire

3-The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire

4-The Single Undead Moms Club

5-Where the Wild Things Bite

5.5-Big Vamp of Campus (novella) This needs to be read before The Accidental Sire

6-The Accidental Sire

7-Peace, Blood, and Understanding

Monday, November 11, 2019

Flirting with the Frenemy by Pippa Grant

He's a hot single dad. A military man with abs of steel. My brother's best friend. My biggest enemy. And now my fake date to my best friend's wedding. Disasterville, here we come....


Mission: Survive my best friend's wedding, where I must play nice with my ex and his perfect new girlfriend.

Strategy: Bring the hottest fake boyfriend on the planet.

Target: Grady Rock. Master baker. Dimples. Muscles. The unicorn of fake boyfriends.

Complication: Wyatt Morgan. My brother's best friend. My sworn enemy. Military man. Sexy as hell single dad. The man I let into my panties for one night of hot hate sex after my ex dumped me.

And the man who just scared off that perfect fake boyfriend.

By pretending to be my real boyfriend.

I can roll with this though. What’s the harm in Flirting with the Frenemy if it helps me get the job done?

Complete my mission and move on.

Or so I thought.

Until Wyatt kisses me again and I start feeling things I shouldn't.


The thing about weddings...nothing ever goes as planned.
Series: Bro Code #1 | Publisher: Pippa Grant | Narrators: Erin Mallon, Joe Arden  | Length: 6 hrs, 22 minutes | Genre: Contemporary Romantic Comedy  | Source: Gifted | Rating: 3.5 Cups
Challenges Read For:  - Literary Pickers:  Socks-  2019 Try Something New : New-to-me Author


I went on a thriller/mystery/horror binge, as one does in October, but I needed something fun and light to clear my mind and that’s just what this one was.

Here’s what’s going on: When Ellie and Wyatt decide to put their feuding on hold to ease each other’s woes it doesn’t go as expected. Now six-months later, they’re accidentally back in each other’s lives and somehow Wyatt’s been mistaken for her boyfriend. As Ellie spends more time with Wyatt and his adorable son, she feels the wall she put up to guard against Wyatt starting to crack. Although when they’re together, Ellie knows the universe is trying to keep them apart.

 

Okay, so I’m not going to lie, it was the Pirate Festival that made me pick up this one. I’m such a sucker for anything pirate related and it added such a fun element to this book.

 
Ellie and Wyatt have a history that goes beyond their feuding. Because of certain events, Ellie believes that they’ll bring doom down upon them if they actually give a relationship a chance. That got a little old and annoying. While I liked Wyatt and the way he cares for his son, it drove me a bit mad the way he constantly tried to pacify Ellie.
 

I enjoyed that this was dual narration. While I enjoyed Joe Arden from the start, Erin Mallon took a minute or two to get used to as she seemed a bit whiney at times.



Overall, This book was a little out there in everything that happened but it worked. It wasn’t one of the best that I’ve read but it was a fun listen. While this was the book I needed at the time,  I’m not sure if I’ll be picking up the other books in the series.  


Friday, November 8, 2019

#HoHoHoRAT Book Bingo Challenge

Hello Lovelies,

 

I’m so excited to be an elf for the Seventh Annual #HoHoHoRAT. If you don’t know what the HoHoHoRAT is let me introduce you to this Wintery readathon hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer.

 

#HoHoHoRAT will beginning at 12:01 am Friday, November 8th and end Sunday November 17th at 11:59 pm in your time zone. The goal is to read/listen to as many Winter and/or Holiday themed books as you can in any genre.

  

When sharing your progress on Twitter or Instagram, don’t forget to use the #HoHoHoRAT hashtag.
 
Now…on to #HoHoHoRAT Book Bingo Challenge

 

It’s time to scour your shelves, e-readers, and audiobook collections for titles that coordinate with the bingo prompts.  Any type of bingo counts: horizontal, diagonal, vertical, or postage stamp. Or go wild and fill the entire card! The choice is yours.
 



 

Baby’s It’s Cold Outside—Snowed in/Snowstorm
Last Christmas— a Holiday/Winter read that's been in your TBR pile for a year or more
Step into Christmas—A book with Christmas in the title
Winter Wonderland—A book with a Snowy Cover
Free Space— Book of your Choice
Merry Christmas Baby—Christmas/Holiday Romance
Audle Lang Syne—New Year Read (New Year’s Eve is featured somewhere in the book or title or a Winter-themed read released in January)
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree—A book with Mistletoe in the title

The Bells of St. Paul—book set in Britain (England, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Scotland)


To enter, you must be signed up for the HoHoHo Readathon. Please leave your answers to the bingo prompts in either the comment section below or post a link to your own post in the comment section below.





Baby’s It’s Cold Outside—Snowed in/Snowstorm


Last Christmas— a Holiday/Winter read that's been in your TBR pile for a year or more



Step into Christmas—A book with Christmas in the title


Winter Wonderland—A book with a Snowy Cover


Free Space— Book of your Choice



Merry Christmas Baby—Christmas/Holiday Romance


Audle Lang Syne—New Year Read (New Year’s Eve is featured somewhere in the book or title or a Winter-themed read released in January)



Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree—A book with Mistletoe in the title


The Bells of St. Paul—book set in Britain (England, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Scotland)








I thought that I’d make this challenge a bit more cozy and make each prompt a song title! Below you will find YouTube links to each song!

 



Terms and conditions: One lucky winner will be selected at random by Rafflecopter to win a $10 Amazon gift card. The giveaway is open international and runs from October 10, 2019 to October 16, 2019. The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected. Must be 13 or older to enter or have your parents/guardians permission. More information can be found in my Terms and Conditions.


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Monday, November 4, 2019

Shifter Made by Jennifer Ashley





Alanna, sister to a Fae prince, is sent on a thankless mission--to return to medieval Ireland and coerce a Shifter to craft an incredible sword. Niall O’Connell, master sword maker of the old Kingdom of Ciarrai, hates Fae, resenting the time when Shifters were little better than Fae slaves. But Alanna's heartbreaking story and her beauty are difficult to resist. Together, she and Niall forge a sword that changes Shifter history, at the same time forging an unbreakable bond between their hearts.

Series: Shifter's Unbound #0.5 | Publisher: JA / AG Publishing
 Genre: Paranormal  | Source:  Purchased | Rating: 4.5 Cups

Challenges Read For:  - Literary Pickers : | FraterfestRAT
 
I’ve had this one sitting on my Kindle since 2015 so I thought FraterFestRat would be the perfect excuse to dive into it.

 

Here’s what’s going on: When a Fae comes seeking out Niall, he’s determined to get rid of her before she can cause harm to his kind. Although when he discovers that Alanna’s brother, the Fae Prince, has had his cubs kidnapped so Niall will do his bidding and forge a special sword, Niall’s reluctant yet willing to do so to get back his cubs. As Niall and Alanna work side-by-side forging the sword, they find themselves growing closer. Will their bond endure or will the sword be used against Niall and his kind?

 

The Shifter’s Unbound Series is one of my favorite shifter/paranormal series and it was nice to go back to the beginning to see the origin of the Sword of the Guardian.

 

Yes, this one was short and a bit insta-love/lust but it worked. I often find that I don’t mind the whole insta-love/lust thing if it’s a paranormal romance. I would have liked to have seen a bit more after everything was said and done yet I still enjoyed this one.

 

Overall, it was a quick read but one that I enjoyed. If you’ve only read the full length books in the Shifter’s Unbound Series, I highly recommend picking this one up and checking out the other novellas.




Shifters Unbound Series

Shifter Made #0.5 novella 
Pride Mates #1
Primal Bonds #2
Bodyguard #2.5 novella
Wild Cat #3 
Hard Mated #3.5 novella
Mate Claimed #4 
Perfect Mate  #4.5 novella
Lone Wolf  #4.6 novella
Tiger Magic #5 
Feral Heat  #5.5  novella
Wild Wolf  #6
Bear Attraction #6.5 novella
Mate Bond #7 
Lion Eyes #7.25 novella
Bad Wolf #7.5 novella
Wild Things #7.75 novella
Guardian's Mate #9 
Red Wolf  #10
Midnight Wolf  #11
Tiger Striped #11.5 novella

Friday, November 1, 2019

Mail Order Cowboy by Maisey Yates

Jackson Reid is a man fully in control of his world, and his ranch. But when a past one-night stand shows up without warning and leaves him holding a baby, his whole life is turned upside down. He’s in over his head, and he has one solution: a nanny. But when he picks Savannah Sturm up from the airport, he finds that she’s so much more than the “plain and tall” woman she described herself as…


With one glance, Savannah’s new boss makes her feel more than her cheating ex ever did. Jackson insists he can’t do relationships, especially now that his priority is baby Lily. But his “no strings, just sex” offer is irresistible. And as raw desire gives way to something far deeper, maybe it’s Jackson’s turn to learn how right being wrong can feel…


Series: Gold Valley #1.5  | Publisher: HQN |  Genre: Contemporary Romance  | Source: Publisher  | Rating: 3.5 Cups



Challenges Read For:  - Bad Boys of RomanceBlogger Shame -



I’ve been reading a lot of horror and mystery/thriller books as of late and I needed something light as a refresher. I know I’m going to have a good time when I pick up something by Maisey Yates and this one was no exception.

 

Here’s what’s going on. Jackson’s been content with a series of one-night stands until it finally catches up with him. Now he’s a single father of a bouncing baby girl. Knowing he needs help, he hires a nanny. Savannah’s looking for a new start far away from her ex-husband and the town that adores him so becoming a nanny is the perfect escape. Although she never thought that Jackson would make her feel things she never felt before and Jackson never imagined he’d be able to fall for just one woman.

 

So, I’ve had this one for a bit. Apparently, I received it for then forgot about it. Sadly, that happens from time to time. I found it when I was cleaning up my Kindle and it was the perfect time to read it.

 

I really liked Jackson and Savannah. They both had problems they needed to overcome: thanks to her husband, Savannah believes she’s ‘frigid’ in the bedroom and Jackson has abandonment issues, which has caused him to be afraid of settling down.

 

Overall, this one was enjoyable but there could have been more to it. I would have liked to see more about their relationship and more interaction with baby. I don’t think it was as fleshed out as it could have been.