A Courageous Ride (The Bullriders #3) by Andrew Grey (4 Stars)

Oct15

The third story in this enjoyable series brings us the tale of Indigo, a bull-rider who was seriously injured and forced to quit the rodeo circuit. He converts his family ranch into a dude ranch to keep it afloat. Marshall comes to the ranch for a break from his stressful life. The two are instantly attracted to each other, and began to spend quite a bit of time together which I really enjoyed. These two definitely had careers that didn’t mesh well together, but it was also realistic to believe that they could find a way to make it work. Their interactions were realistic and enjoyable, and I was rooting for them to find a way to be together. I loved the way the author pulled it all together at the end. I adored Indigo. His injury altered his life, and although he wasn’t thrilled that it happened, he didn’t focus on the negative repercussions. Instead, he decided to make the most of the opportunity he was given with the ranch. I loved Marshall. His dedication to his craft, even in the face of constant rejection, was admirable. I enjoyed learning a little bit about what happens behind the scenes with the conductor of an orchestra. Tighter editing would have made this story stronger. Drifting off into too many unnecessary details hurt the flow of the story just a bit.

Overall, another great addition to this series, and I’m looking forward to the next one. Although it can be read as a stand-alone, I recommend the entire series.

Originally reviewed for Swept Away by Romance. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb

Control by Cardeno C. & Mary Calmes (4 Stars)

Oct13

Pack dynamics and interesting shifters made this an enjoyable romance with some great action sequences.

Vy is arrogant on the outside, but lonely on the inside. A hawk shifter, Vy is excited to finally find his mate in Robert, even though Robert is a bear. Unfortunately, Robert isn’t interested in shifting, and, therefore, doesn’t recognize Vy as his mate. Vy struggled with wanting to be with Robert while at the same time feeling very frustrated that Robert wouldn’t recognize him as his true mate. Instead, Robert is just interested in Vy as a person. This leads to the biggest conflict between these two mates, and gives the story an interesting twist on the instant love we usually see with mates. Fortunately, Robert was an amazing and patient person who was willing to try to work through this issue with Vy. Robert was always going out of his way to help improve the world around him and take care of Vy. Vy matured quite a bit during the story with the help of Robert and Vy’s father. This allowed him to truly step up to being the pack leader. By the end, it was obvious Robert and Vy were meant for each other.

I enjoyed the focus on the different issues with the pack members, and the trouble that they were having with another pack. This aspect of the story gave Robert, an outsider, a chance to prove he was trustworthy to the pack.

The one little thing that bothered me was the constant interruptions between the characters as they were talking to each other. It’s a pet peeve of mine when people interrupt each other in real life, so seeing it happen in the story distracted me.

As a huge fan of shifter stories, I was excited to see two of my favorite authors write this story together.

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Originally reviewed for Swept Away By Romance. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb

More Than Everything (Family #3) by Cardeno C. (5 Stars)

Oct11

Amazing tale of love where true happiness comes in the form of an extended relationship.

I absolutely loved every minute of this story and simply couldn’t put it down.  The blurb made it clear what the story was about, but the opening helped to cement that, while you might be in for a bumpy ride, the ending would leave you with a smile.

This was not your typical menage tale.  We spent the beginning of the story watching a young Charlie and Scott fall in love. Initially told from Charlie’s point of view, you can’t help but fall in love with him. Charlie was this wonderful character who you could easily imagine being your best friend. He was funny, engaging, and completely true to himself.   Watching Charlie and Scott spend several years together in high school was very touching and gave us a deeper understanding of their lives and their relationship. Scott was one of the nicest guys around, and it was heartbreaking when he had to move away.

Charlie eventually hooks up with a somewhat ornery Adan. Although Adan was too immature and insecure to keep Charlie, it still broke my heart when Charlie finally left him. It was helpful getting Adan’s point of view during this time so you could understand what he was thinking when he made some really bad decisions.

Flash forward to when the three of them meet once again, and we get our final happy ending. It wasn’t easy, but it takes place over a longer period of time allowing both Charlie and the reader to forgive Adan and Scott and agree that they finally deserve Charlie. In typical Cardeno C. style, the sex scenes are always smoking hot and fit in perfectly with the story.

I laughed, cried, and got upset while reading this story. I was completely engaged with the characters and their lives, and I highly recommend this to readers who enjoy a unique romance.

 

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Originally reviewed for Swept Away By Romance. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb

Twin Flames (Sumeria’s Sons #1) by Lexi Ander (5 Stars)

Oct6

What if the soul mate chosen by the gods doesn’t end up being the one that completes you?

Tristan is a Lycan descendant who suffers from believing he is mediocre. He has discovered his Twin Flame, the one person destined to be his, cheating on him. Tristan has requested that they be permanently separated. This is rarely done since it can lead to Tristan’s death. After the separation, he must try to find a way to go on with his life.

The story was not a strong romance and instead focused on building the world and delving deep into Tristan’s life. Tristan was a fascinating character with an amazing ability to tell a story. He had his heart broken by the one person in the world who should have loved him through eternity. Fortunately, his best friend, Ushna, stood by him during his dark recovery period. Ushna helped Tristan come back to life, and his commitment to Tristan never wavered. I would have loved to have gotten to know Ushna better and watch them develop their relationship, but Ushna didn’t talk very much.

The unique world the author created was very interesting and easy to follow. The ending clearly continues into the next story, but I didn’t feel frustrated that it was too much of a cliffhanger.

Engaging storytelling kept me hooked from beginning to end, and I’m really looking forward to the next entry in this series.

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Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb