Monthly Archives: October 2015

The Single Undead Moms Club (by Molly Harper)

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Paranormal Romance

Shortly after her husband died, Libby was diagnosed with terminal leukaemia. But facing her own death isn’t the worst of it, when she dies her precocious 5 year old son will go to her parents-in-law. Her rigid judgemental dogmatic parents-in-law.

The knowledge that her son’s expressiveness and imagination will be snuffed out and he will be turned into a “man’s man” forces Libby to do something she would never have dreamed of. She puts an ad on Craigslist for a vampire to turn her into one of the undead.

But if she was expecting life as one of the undead to be easy she’s in for a surprise. Not only are her parents-in-law suing for custody, she’s being hunted down by an assassin, fending off the attentions of two very different men and dealing with life errr, death as a new vampire. Not to mention that vampirism is not an excuse to get out of organising the pumpkin patch prizes and regular PTA meetings.

Molly Harper is a talented writer. Her stories are filled with snark and humour, they’re entertaining and honestly she can’t put a foot wrong in my opinion. The Single Undead Moms Club is great from the first to the last page.


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(note: I know that love triangles are triggers for a lot of people, but the triangle in this book is very much under-played and it’s hard to see it causing offence)

Murder at Redwood Cove (by Janet Finsilver)

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Cozy Mystery

When the manager of Redwood Cove Bed & Breakfast dies suddenly, Kelly is sent to fill in for him and keep the hotel running. But she quickly comes to realise that all is not as it seems and it’s possible he was murdered. With a little help from a group of elderly amateur sleuths she starts her own investigation, and as she digs she finds herself the target of a desperate criminal.

 

It’s difficult to review and rate cozy mysteries. They all follow a set of rules and authors break them at their peril. Murder at Redwood Cove is fairly typical in that sense. There is nothing in this book I found particularly surprising –– except the villain. I have to be honest, nine times out of ten, I pick the bad guy very early in the book, but not here. I was completely blind-sided.

So an entertaining cozy mystery which would normally rate 3 stars gets an extra star for keeping me guessing to the end.

Screen Shot 2014-02-15 at 8.51.33 pmMany thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for proving me with this ARC.

Orange, Red, Yellow. What it means:  red-orange-yellow-guide

Must Love Otters (by Eliza Gordon)

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Contemporary Romance

Hollie Porter is stuck in a rut.

Her boyfriend is an EMT who thinks he’s some sort of cross between Patrick Dempsey and George Clooney. She hates her job as a 911 operator listening to the very worst of life. And she has no idea where she wants to be…but it isn’t where she is.

The thing she really loves….is otters.

So when her father gives her a gift certificate to a spa and resort in British Columbia her first thought is she can see otters.

But her boyfriend is anything but pleased with the thought of leaving his beloved Yorkshire Terriers behind.

She hates his Yorkshire Terriers.

After a bad day at work she comes home to find her boyfriend watching real-life medical procedures and finally she snaps. She kicks him to the kerb and after a night of drowning her sorrows decides to make some changes. Her first change is to head north on her own and hopefully see some otters.

The first person she meets on her journey north is Ryan. Concierge at the resort, seaplane pilot and former professional ice-hockey player. Carrying a scruffy beard and a many times broken nose he’s quite the mountain man but his gentle demeanour and friendliness immediately make her feel at home.

And then there’s Roger. A successful businessman who is staying at the resort.

With two very different men vying for her attention the holiday which was an escape from the rut she’s been stuck in has suddenly become very complicated.

I loved this book. I loved Hollie. I loved the otters. I loved the setting. It’s so much fun. At the 50% mark I started thinking I don’t want this to end, and I think I one-clicked book two not long after that. Shooting straight into my favourites.

Top Shelf! Third from the left.

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Note:  There is no real violence in this book but there are one or two quite gory descriptions which is why I’ve categorised it as amber rather than yellow.

Virtuous Scoundrel (by Maggie Fenton)

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Regency Romance

Sebastian Sherbrook is a scoundrel and a rake so it doesn’t surprise anyone that on returning to England he is almost immediately called out by the father of a young woman who has found herself pregnant and without a ring.

Nobody believes his protestations of innocence and least of all the only woman he has ever loved. The woman he returned to England with the hope of courting. But with his reputation in tatters his slim hopes of wedding Lady Katherine disappear.

For her part, Lady Katherine has always loved Sherbrook but she is a fallen woman after being seduced by her music teacher at the age of 15. She doesn’t consider herself worthy of his affection and her frosty demeanour is more about protecting her heart than anything else.

It is left to her closest friend the Duchess to use her wiles in the hopes of getting the two together, but with dognappers after Katherine’s dogs, a Squire wanting to force Sherbrook down the aisle, a blackmailer, an elderly French toff, and their friends all meddling nothing is going to come easy.

Virtuous Scoundrel is a complete romp. It has the perfect blend of drama and farce and honestly it’s a hoot from start to finish and well worth the effort. Lovers of Regency Romance will love this book and I’m reasonably confident that anyone who picks it up will enjoy it. You don’t need to be a woman or a fan of historical fiction. It’s that good.

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Alpha Unleashed (by Aileen Erin)

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Young Adult / Urban Fantasy (part of a series)

After failing to steal Tessa and Claudia’s power for herself, Luciana has completely lost the plot and in a desperate bid to defeat the werewolves she makes a pact with the devil.

It is up to Tessa and her friends to stop her but when they discover Luciana’s plans it becomes a desperate battle not only for the survival of the werewolves and the few remaining good witches, but for all of mankind.

 

 

Alpha Unleashed is the final good vs. evil battle in this series and it really does rock. It’s one battle after another, all of them leading to the final showdown with Luciana. A great ending to the series.

 

Screen Shot 2014-11-09 at 3.09.42 pmMany thanks to Ink Monster and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC. 

Orange, Red, Yellow. What it means: red-orange-yellow-guide

Cold Burn of Magic (by Jennifer Estep)

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Young Adult / Urban Fantasy

Lila lives in a town ruled by magical mobsters. After her mother was murdered by the most violent of the mobsters she went into hiding living in a tiny room in the basement of a library and making money by robbing cashed up tourists.

When she steps in to rescue Devon, the son of one of the crime bosses she suddenly finds herself reluctantly pulled into the world. Forced to work as his bodyguard. If she can survive a year she will earn her freedom, but with one attack after another, Devon is proving to be a dangerous person to be around.

 

Really great book. Loved every single moment. That is all.

Screen Shot 2014-02-27 at 9.12.41 pmOrange, Red, Yellow. What it means: red-orange-yellow-guide

The Comfort of Favorite Things (by Alison Kent)

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Contemporary Romance

After escaping an abusive relationship, Thea returned to her childhood home of Hope Springs with a suitcase full of money and ragtag group of women, other survivors of domestic violence. She immediately bought a decrepit old house and a shop with plans on turning the house into a shelter for women on the run from their abusers and the shop as a place to get them working and earning a few dollars.

Then her boyfriend from high school walks in the door and she finds herself dealing with her past as well as her present.

The last time Dakota saw Thea was the night before he was dragged off to prison for beating up his sister’s rapist six ways to Sunday. After his release he hit the road and it’s only now with the birth of his niece and his sister getting married that he has returned to Hope Springs. But despite everyone wanting him to hang around, the road is calling him and once he finishes the renovation for Thea he plans on moving on.

Such a beautiful, sweet book. It’s about damaged women who are getting their lives back and I really found myself engaging with all of them. While it sits comfortably in Contemporary Romance there are definitely some elements which I would describe as Women’s Fiction. Truthfully the romance didn’t really start till the last 30% of the book and that’s fine. Everything about this book is great.

Screen Shot 2014-02-15 at 8.51.33 pmMany thanks to Montlake Romance and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC

Orange, Red, Yellow. What it means: red-orange-yellow-guide