Review: A Choice of Crowns

A Choice Of Crowns by Barb Hendee

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.25)

Olivia Geroux is 18 years old and the youngest of 5 siblings.  Her father, Hugh is domineering, cold and distant.  He only expects and respects strength and obedience.  He uses his children to enhance his wealth and prestige.  When they fail, they are punished...

One day, she is called to her father's rooms.  This was outside the norm.  Once there, she is advised that to pack as she is to marry King Rowan.  It has all been arranged by her father and Rowan's mother, the dowager Queen.  She is told that should she fail to secure the King's hand in marriage, that she will be married off to corrupt Lord Arullian.  This, she knows is a threat.  Lord Arullian is in his late 50s and has been married 3 times before.  Two of his wives have died under dubious circumstances and the third poisoned herself.

King Rowan is a selfish and demanding man.  He has already declined 4 arranged marriages to foreign princesses and has no intention of marrying Olivia. He is in love with his step-sister, Princess Ashton.

What happens when Olivia overhears the dowager Queen's plans to assassinate Princess Ashton?

She has 3 choices:

1. Will she hesitate and thus become Queen
2. Will she choose and instant resolution and tell the King himself, losing the chance at being Queen but gain an everlasting friendship? Or,
3. Act independently, lose the chance at being Queen but gain a chance at love?

For each of these paths, there are twists and turns, ups and downs and rights and wrongs that make the decision almost impossible so the questions must be asked:

Mirror, mirror on the wall, which path will she choose after all?

Yes! This book is exactly what I was hoping for.  Barb Hendee has done it again!  She leaves me wanting more... It seems I am never satisfied..  A choice of Crowns is the second book in the series and in my opinion, it's the best one so far.  I love how we learn each person's character through the decisions and difficulties they must go through in each separate scenario.  Very original!

There is just something about this series that is so engrossing.  I pick up the book, start reading and just can't put it down!  Just like the first in the series, it has intrigue, murder, love, lust, hate friendship, plots, twists but it is so different..  It is superbly written and well done.

As for the decision she must make, so not what I was expecting!  Definetly worth reading and rereading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Rebel Base Books for this ARC.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

BOOK BLITZ: Hostage

Hostage 

Authors:  Annika Martin & Skye Warren 

Publication date: January 30th 2018 

Genres: New Adult, Romance

Synopsis: 

I NEVER KNEW WHEN HE’D COME TO ME. ONLY THAT HE WOULD.

I’d never even kissed a boy the night I met Stone. The night I saw him kill. The night he spared my life. That was only the beginning.He turns up in my car again and again, dangerous and full of raw power. “Drive,” he tells me, and I have no choice. He’s a criminal with burning green eyes, invading my life and my dreams.

The police say he’s dangerously obsessed with me, but I’m the one who can’t stop thinking about him. Maybe it’s wrong to let him touch me. Maybe it’s wrong to touch him back. Maybe these twisted dates need to stop. Except he feels like the only real thing in my world of designer labels and mansions.

So I drive us under threat, until it’s hard to remember I don’t want to be there.

Until it’s too late to turn back.

HOSTAGE is a dangerous standalone romance by New York Times bestselling authors Skye Warren and Annika Martin. It’s set in the same world as PRISONER, but can read separately!

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excerpt

A calm comes over me. “Are you going to kill me, too?”

“So far, you haven’t shown you can follow orders very well, have you?”

“I won’t tell on you,” I blurt out.

He snorts.

We’re heading west, out of the city. The party seems like a million years ago. They’ll be sitting down for dinner now. Wondering where I am. Will they think I left?

The man’s face is in shadows. Streetlamps flash over his face as the van moves along, revealing a nose carved out of granite and a strong jaw. I wouldn’t call him handsome. He’s too rough-hewn for that, like someone forgot to sand over the angles.

“Please—”

“Be quiet.” His soft menace is directed at me this time. I shrink in my seat.

We’re going into a run-down suburb, Westdale or Ferndale or something, a place with a lot of little tiny box homes. It’s a place I never go. We wind through the streets, deeper and deeper.

It’s hard to even look at him. That means acknowledging what’s happening to me. This is real. I may never make it out of this alive. That’s what I think when I turn my head to the side, glance at him from beneath low lashes. Which makes his gray Henley and dark-wash jeans seem way too ordinary. If this were the day I was going to die, wouldn’t he be wearing something more dramatic?

But that’s just wishful thinking from my panicked mind. He can hurt me wearing anything. I’m so deep in danger it’s hard to breathe.

He slows on a far block and turns. The van headlights hit overgrown weeds and the charred remains of a house. The place burned at one time, long ago.

He circles around and goes into the alley behind it. He shoves it into park and does something to the wires that make it shut off. He turns to me. “I’m gonna get out and deal with this guy. If you move out of this seat, I’ll kill you. And if, by some miracle, you manage to get away, I’m going to kill everybody you called on this phone in the last month. Can you guess how? I’ll give you a hint. A meat hook is involved.”

I suck in a breath. He doesn’t bother to wait for my answer. He gets out, yanks open the back door, and drags the man out—I can tell by the thuds. More punching sounds come from behind the van. The groans and garbled pleas sound worse and worse.

I huddle in my seat, listening to a man get beaten to death.

Bile rises up in my throat. I have only a few seconds to decide what to do—throw up in the van or throw up outside. He’s told me not to leave. He’s threatened my life, threatened to snap my neck. But I have an entire lifetime of my mother’s voice in my head. I have sixteen years of decorum forcing me to fumble for the door handle and push my way out.

I make it two feet away before dropping to my hands and knees and throwing up in the weeds behind the place. For all I know, he’ll kill me for this. For all I know, he’d have killed me for doing this in the van. He’s insane.

There’s not much that lands on the ground. A bottle of smartwater and some strawberries don’t leave a lot to vomit, but my stomach still heaves again and again until I’m sore, until I’m choking on bile, wrung dry.

I sit back on my feet, wiping my face, panting, one hand on the rough concrete, head down. The sounds back there have changed. There’s this grunting and a grinding sound, then a crack. It makes me want to throw up all over again.

If he’s going to kill me, I’d rather not see it coming. I guess I hope he does it fast. That’s what they always say in movies.

I hear a thump in the back of the van and then the sound of the door shutting. Footsteps coming toward me.

I force my breathing to slow. He’s behind me. I stay still.

“You’ve never seen shit like this, have you?” he asks, his voice almost conversational.

It makes me shiver, how he can sound so normal after killing a man.

My voice is low. “No.”

“You’ve only seen—what? Parties? Fancy shit?”

There’s judgment in his voice and something else. Curiosity? I can use that. I have to use that, because it’s the only tool I have. I sit back on my knees, brushing my hands against each other to wipe off the gravel. My white and pink dress is stained with blood and dirt. My cell phone is in his pocket. If I want to survive this, I need to persuade him to let me go.

“Parties,” I force myself to say in agreement. Make him see you as a person. “Tonight was my birthday party.”

He doesn’t say anything.

I look up at him. His face is cast in shadows by the moon. Demonic. Unforgiving. I wonder how I look to him, down on the ground in a dirty alley.

“Please just let me go back there,” I whisper. “Nobody has to know.”

He lowers to his haunches and brushes a strand of slick hair from my face. His thumb lingers on my cheek, brushing over my skin. “You’re right,” he says, voice musing. “No one saw me take you. No one even knew I was there. No one has to know.”

“What does that mean?” I whisper.

He stands, sucking in a ragged breath. My heart pounds as his eyes move over me.

I’ve never felt so helpless, so alone. I’m a sacrifice, kneeling at the feet of a beautiful, brutal demon. 

 authors

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Skye Warren is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. For those new to her work, consider the following bestselling series...

★ Experience the dark glamour and forbidden love of the Stripped series. The mafia romance prequel TOUGH LOVE is free!

★ Meet the gritty and dangerous men of Chicago Underground... start reading for free with book one, ROUGH.

★ Fall in love with the sexy modern fairy tale the Beauty series, starting with Beauty Touched the Beast.

“This is the story I’ve been dying for, and it’s a story I never expected. Beautifully layered, romantic and sexy, Skye Warren delivers a complex story of fierce loyalty, absolution, and endless love. The writing in this book is as breathtaking as the story is unforgettable. I absolutely loved it. ” – Angie and Jessica’s Dreamy Reads

Don't miss a release! Sign up for the newsletter to find out about new releases and sales:www.skyewarren.com/newsletter

Author links:

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I’m a NYT bestselling author, lover of sexy stories, hot heroes, and big drama. I live in Minnesota with my husband and two cats. I’ve been writing all my life while working various jobs, from waitress at a zillion different restaurants to advertising writer. I’m into running and yoga and helping animals, and coveting other people’s gardens. I also write as RITA award-winning author Carolyn Crane.

Newsletter: www.annikamartinbooks.com/newsletter

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REVIEW: My Torin

My Torin

Author:  K Webster

Pub Date: January 7, 2018 

Synopsis:

I’m a freak, a misfit, an odd end.

Abandoned and unloved.

But my happiness is so close I can taste it.

Until he shows up.

Gorgeous, expensive, and all man.

Sad brown eyes and a brilliant smile.

And he wants me to go with him.

His intentions are hidden.

His motives are unclear.

Yet, I leave with him because there’s no happiness here.

What he promises feels too good to be true…

A castle. A fortune. And horses too.

It’s too easy.

Nothing in my life has ever been easy.

What’s the catch?

There’s always a catch.

Before I get to my review, I remember congratulating K Webster on the fact that My Torin was getting amazing reviews.  I told her that “I could not wait to read it.”  She commented back saying she hoped I would like it.  In my last response, I told her, “you hope?? If I were you today, I would BANK on me lovin' it. The word has gotten out and its a foregone conclusion”

All I can say now, is I hope she has banked on it because I got the most BANG for my buck! So much more than I expected.  More emotion, more feeling, more love-just MORE.

This book just gripped my heart, my soul my being.  This book is charming, delightful, exquisite.  It’s a true gem.  I recommend this book to everyone.  It is a masterful story!  An experience, a journey. a fulfillment of everything I want in a romance novel.  A rollercoaster of emotion, the good, the bad, the ugly.  Sadness, happiness, joy, elation wow, I think K Webster has hit on every one of my emotions.  I am so glad I took the opportunity to read this book.  I’ve read nothing of the like so far.

As I sit here, trying to put into words how truly wonderful this book is, I have tears in my eyes.  It really took its toll on me.  Beautiful, just beautiful.  I can only hope my review give this author and book the praise they deserve.

This is a story about love, family, fate and prejudice.  The story begins as a deacon finds a newborn baby girl that is abandoned in a manger scene in front of his church.  A letter stating that her name is Casey and that she is sick and that the mother is unable to take care of her.  With a bag full of pennies stating this is all the mother has to give.  The heartbroken Deacon already has too much on his plate so he decides he will send her to a loving home and hopefully be adopted.

Eighteen years later, Casey Doe or a she prefers to be call Casey Snow (for new beginning, cleansing) steps out of her Dr’s office and bends over to try and pick up a penny but someone beats her to it.  She looks up into a pair of intense brown eyes.  His gaze so penetrative that she feels as though he can see straight into her soul.  The moment is eventually broken by her foster parent Guy.  As he pulls her away towards the van, the man extends the penny towards her.

Two weeks later, she finds herself in a mansion of a home with two brothers.  The older brother Tyler, who bought her from Guy and Torin, the younger brother who stole her penny.  Tyler and Torin are different in every way and Casey needs them both in her life for different reasons, Tyler gives her the love and affection she never had while Torin sparks her to life. Don’t be mistaken, there is no cheating or threesome etc.  These characters are somewhat broken and find their missing pieces within each other.  It is enthralling and captivating to live through the highs, lows, failures and successes this “family” goes through.  From here on out in the story, the bonds are tested and strengthened.  As for the Epilogue, just wow.  I loved it.  I relished every single word. 

All I can think of now are these 3 sayings

“Find a penny, pick it up and all day long you’ll have good luck!”  And wow, everyone ends up not necessarily with luck but love-SO much love.

“Penny for your thoughts?”  Reminds me so much of Torin.  Although I know he gave them for another reason, I wonder if this was not his way to have Casey react or approach him so that he would have a better understanding of how she was feeling.

And last but now least, the “In God We Trust” that is inscribed on the American penny.  I don’t know if she made the tie in to the book or not but, it’s brilliant! 

GO get this book.  DO NOT MISS OUT!!  Bank on being captivated and engrossed in this book! 

My Rating? 

Or, for those of you who have not read My Torin yet, 5 STARS!!!!!

BOOK REVIEW TOUR: Bold

BOLD

Author:  Jennifer Michael

Publication Date: January 17, 2018

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Are you living your life to the fullest?

Do you have regrets?

Noah Mackenzie knows what abandonment feels like, but she’s the girl who dreams big.

Nothing will stand in her way.

Her new world is exciting, and exploring it is the adventure she’s always wished for.

How far would you go for the people you love?

Do you protect the important things in your life with all you’ve got?

Brazen Hale is all heart.
Hard work has gotten him to where he is today, and loyalty runs deep within him.

He’s the perfect catch, but of course, there’s an obstacle for these two . . .

The timing for Noah and Brazen is all wrong.

She’s a temptation that he must find a way to resist.

Will circumstance stand in the way of love, or will these two boldly find their way into one another’s hearts?

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EXCERPT

 

“I don’t want to seem crazy. You don’t owe me anything, Brazen. We’re just getting to know each other. I can’t demand answers or explanations.” My insecurities are higher than normal when I admit this truth.

“Let’s get something straight, Noah. This thing between us is new, and, yeah, we’re still getting to know each other, but it’s anything but casual. I always want you to feel one hundred percent secure in what’s going on between us and comfortable to ask me anything.”

“Do you mean that? All of it?” My pulse beats at double the speed as his tender words wrap around my heart.

“I mean it. All of it. Every word.”

Every part of me knows he’s being honest, and I relax a bit. Brazen always knows exactly how to ease my doubts and settle my uncertainties.

AUTHOR

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As a child, Jennifer Michael dreamed of being an author. Life and adulting pushed that dream down to a mere fantasy. Then, as a reader, she found the indie romance world, and the dream that had been long ago deemed unattainable became a reality.

Writing fulfills pieces of Jennifer she lost. She writes stories that range from sweet and sultry to dark and daring. Behind her computer, she’s constantly dreaming up where she’ll go next, not wanting to be put in a specific romance genre box. Pushing limits and striving to conquer wherever the characters take her is the ultimate methods to her madness.

Jennifer resides in southwest Florida where she wishes she spent much more time at the beach. She’s an avid reader of gritty books with deep emotion or dark, twisty plots and fond of more than a few guilty-pleasure television shows. She gets sucked into the world of characters from all mediums.

MY REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Noah MacKenzie is an 18-year-old trying to find friendship, love and herself for the first time in her life.  As a child of only six, she was abandoned by her mother to an orphanage without notice or care.  Although her physical needs like food, education, housing and clothing were provided, it lacked the emotional needs.  The care was clinical and no real bonds were made.  At school, she felt like an outsider looking in as classmates could not understand why she had no parents while they themselves had loving doting parents.

Now, on her eighteenth birthday, she is trying to fulfill all the things she never had or the things she never experienced.  To keep everything in order, she creates an Orbit List.  This list comprises of everything she would like to do in one year (just like the sun orbits around the earth in on year). 

The first on her list is completed when she moves from her orphanage in Seattle to her new home in Florida.  She moves away to get away from the memories of her mother and to experience life at its fullest.  Here, she meets Madison and Benson who are to be her roommates and who will eventually become wonderful friends.  Madison is open and friendly, whereas Benson is eccentric and loveable.  Although she hits is off with Madison right away, Benson is a little harder to win over.  With Noah’s kindness and understanding, Benson finally relents and they become friends as well. 

Her next task to dive into is to find a job.  She is nervous about this task because although she has a high school diploma, she has absolutely no experience in anything.  While looking through employment ads outside on the porch, she notices a man across the street.  No, that is not exactly correct, she gawks, she stares, she is entranced by the man across the street.  She cannot take her eyes from him.  He notices and comes over.  Immediately there is a pull, an attraction between the two.  He introduces himself as Brazen Hale and he owns his own business flipping houses.  He says he is also looking for an assistant and hires her on the spot!  Noah, relieved that she does not have to go through interviews, time and effort readily agrees.

On her first day on the job, she meets Brazen’s best friend and co-owner Sunday.  Although they get off on the wrong foot, they become fast friends.  Sunday tells Noah that she wants the best for Brazen and she believes Noah can be that for him.  She knows Noah can lighten up Brazen;s burden as he has been watching, protecting and putting his life on hold for so long.  Eventually, Noah learns that Sunday is being abused by her ex-husband.

After this talk, it does not take long for the passion and spark to ignite between Brazen and Noah.  Once it has, it’s beautiful.  What happens when a life so beautiful suddenly isn’t and darkness prevails?  Will Brazen be able to see past the darkness or will he push Noah away so far that she will not come back?

This is an emotional read.  It’s about a girl who wants to enjoy and live life.  Noah’s character is wonderfully written.  She is understanding and caring, bold and bright and a wonderful person.  She brings  a lightness to those in her circle that is needed.  She’s not judgemental as shown by her acceptance of Benson who has OCD and is very unconventional.  She is also so strong to be able to accept what life has given her and move on, not to mention her strength during a time where Brazen needs her most.  She is also bold. The meaning of bold “Necessitating courage or daring” for me, definitely hits the mark in Noah’s character. 

Brazen is a wonderful hero.  He is honest and upfront.  Protective and sweet.  He is also absolutely gorgeous!  He has an immediate attraction to Noah and from there on out, he cannot get her out of his mind.  Although he would like a relationship with Noah, he doesn’t believe he has the time.  He has a duty to protect his friend from harm and he does not want to be sidetracked.  He is so protective and caring of Sunday.  I loved their friendship and their interactions.  I also loved how there was no love triangle nonsense in this book.  All three, Noah, Sunday and Brazen got along wonderfully.  As for the way he treats Noah.  He treats her like she’s everything he’s ever wanted.  How can you not love a guy like this?

Something happens in this book that I did not see coming.  I did not and could not believe it until the end of the book.  I still don’t want to believe it’s true.  I don’t know that I like how it happens or that it happened at all. ☹

Aside from that, the book flowed well and I was immersed in the world that Jennifer Michael created.  The characters were all flawed and human as were their families and were just all around wonderful, quirky loveable characters.  If there is more to read on these characters, I would gobble it up without a doubt.

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COVER REVEAL: Tempted by the Viscount

Tempted by the Viscount

Author:  Sofie Darling

Genre: Historical Romance

Pub Date: June 27th, 2018

Synopsis: 

London, April 1825

Lord Jakob Radclyffe left his past behind in the Far East. Or so he thinks until a ruthless thief surfaces in London, threatening to ruin his daughter’s reputation. With the clock ticking, Jake needs the scandalous Lady Olivia Montfort’s connections in the art world to protect his daughter’s future.

Olivia, too, has a past she’d like to escape. By purchasing her very own Mayfair townhouse, she’ll be able to start a new life independent from all men. There’s one problem: she needs a powerful man’s name to do so. The Viscount St. Alban is the perfect name.

A bargain is struck.

What Olivia doesn’t anticipate is the temptation of the viscount. The undeniable spark of awareness that races between them undermines her vow to leave love behind. Soon, she has no choice but to rid her system of Jake by surrendering to her craving for a single scorching encounter.

But is once enough? Sometimes once only stokes the flame of desire higher and hotter. And sometimes once is all the heart needs to risk all and follow a mad passion wherever it may lead.

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Sofie spent much of her twenties raising two boys and reading every book she could get her hands on. Once she realized that she was no longer satisfied with simply reading the books she loved, that she must write them, too, she decided to finish her degree and embark on a writing career. Mr. Darling and the boys gave her their wholehearted blessing.

When she’s not writing heroes who make her swoon, she runs a marathon in a different state every year, visits crumbling medieval castles whenever she gets a chance, and enjoys a slightly codependent relationship with her beagle, Bosco.

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