Classic/Historical · Fantasy/Paranormal · Fiction/Science Fiction · Romance

Witch-Hunt – Margit Sandemo

3235317| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Seventeen year-old Silje Arngrimsdotter struggles to come to terms with the harshness of life in a high mountain valley among the witches and warlocks of the mysterious Ice People. Having fled there for her life with her adored ‘wolf man’ and two foundling infants from the Trondheim plague, Silje has bravely borne their first child.

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My thoughts:

 

The second book in the legend of the Ice people starts of a couple of years later after the ending in the first book. Silje is struggling with the burden of being a house wife, the weight of being a good mother, wife and the stress with poverty. There is dark clouds in the horizon and after unfortunately happenings, they have to flee the valley that have kept them safe for the last couple of years.

I have read this book before and it’s hard to try to review books I already read several times over. One thing I found now that I read it a third time and in adulthood is that it is a lot “easier” than I remember. It is still great and I love how intricate it’s starting to be, but it’s easy to follow, quick to read and not as deep as I remember. Not a bad book no. I would still give it the same rating as I did when I was younger. I only react over the different ways I perceive the book now.

For you who doesn’t know about this series, here are a short description.
The series is in 47 parts. We are following the Ice People with a start in the late plague ridden 16th century. It is about witches and wizards and a huge curse. Kings, queens and wars takes a big place in the story line. We are following them from generations through generations. Through birth, love, hate, good and bad stuff, war, more child births and eventually death. It is highly intricate and therefore should be read in order.

Contemporary · Fantasy/Paranormal · Romance

Escape from the green – Jessica Gadziala

34608739._SY475_| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis:
Amethyst
Determined not to be a pawn in my mother’s game any longer, I finally decided to take my destiny into my own hands.
But I had made a promise to myself many years ago when I used to dream about running away. If I was getting my freedom, he was getting his too…

Drake
Imprisoned. Enslaved. That was my life for longer than I cared even to admit, beaten and humiliated for what I was. Draca. Dragon fae. The supposed last of my kind. Except I wasn’t. But that was a secret I’d take to my grave.
I’d learned long ago to accept my fate, that freedom was not something I would ever know again.
But then one day after one of the worst snowstorms in my memory, the daughter of the man who had shackled me in iron chains to begin with burst into my barn with a key and a mission. Free me. And herself.
Things, though, often don’t go to plan. And we found ourselves stuck in the middle of something no one ever could have predicted. A war between the Light and Dark fae.
Our futures uncertain, we decided there was only one place to go.
Back to the land of my kind. To see if any were left. And if they would have us.

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My thoughts:

The magical land of The Green is on the brink of War. Where dark and light fairies lives together with a million other creatures. We have good characters, evil characters and those you feel are good but keep doing “evil” things. It is interesting, captivating and somewhat suspenseful. AND of course there is dragons in it. I could not have been asking for more. Unfortunately I just don’t feel for it.

I cannot say it was as good as the first one. It is good, don’t get me wrong, but it lacked some of the “umph” I felt from the first book. And it may not be that positive that I found Sal and Smokey more interesting than the two main characters the book actually was about. I do really hope Gadziala one day in the future write Sal and Smokey’s book. I would love to take part of that story.

This one however, I found it just okay. It was nice to spend time with, but I would not read it again in a near future.

Contemporary · Romance

Fix it up – Jessica Gadziala

39963632._SX318_| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: “The chance of a lifetime. With one little catch.”

All Brinley Spears has ever dreamed about since she completed design school four years ago was getting noticed. By the right people. By the right companies. Anyone who could finally help launch her career onto a new level.

Unfortunately, the opportunity comes to her in the aisle of a home improvement store while she was arguing with the world’s most irritating contractor… Warren Reyes.

It was everything she ever wanted, the chance to star in HITV’s hit show Fix It Up. There’s one problem though. The producers think Brin and Warren are married. And want them as a pair… or not at all.

So, desperate for the opportunity she has always wanted, Brin hatches a plan. One fake marriage. One season of a show. And then they can both go their separate ways.

You know, if they don’t kill each other first…

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My thoughts:

Fantastic! For you who have not yet read Fix it up by Jessica Gadziala, doesn’t know that the word “fantastic” is repeatedly written throughout this book. And it’s a perfect word to describe it. Fantastic! Just utterly, rip out my heart and put it back in again, fantastic. I can’t do anything other than recommend it. Specially if you are looking for something fun, light and easy with great characters, plot and some hot, sexy stuff. Start here.

It’s an easy, lovable and funny book which is a little different from what Gadziala normally writes. But I like it. No, I Love it! It’s refreshing and reminds me a little of R.L Mathewson who writs fantastic and funny romantic contemporary. It is nice to see that Gadziala, even though she is one of my favorite authors, isn’t a one trick pony.

I love Warren and Brinley. Missed some more detailed descriptions of the characters and there were some grammatical errors even I could detect, but that was so small stuff that I don’t even bother thinking about it.

Great stand alone and nice that not everything has to be a series. Gadziala is a queen when it comes to publish books and she writes faster than I have time to read. But in the end Fix it up, is just Fantastic.

Everyday things · Fantasy/Paranormal · Mystery/Crime · Romance · Suspense

Haunted – Heather Graham

950866| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Love is everywhere. . .

When does a gift become a curse?

Matt Stone doesn’t believe in ghosts. But there are those who are convinced his home, a historic Virginia estate that dates back to the Revolutionary War, is haunted. Pressured to get at the truth about some strange happenings at Melody House, he agrees to let Harrison Investigations explore the house. But he isn’t ready for beautiful, intriguing Darcy Tremayne.

As a paranormal investigator, Darcy has learned to believe in the unbelievable. And she’s given Matt fair warning: sometimes people don’t like the skeletons she finds. She never dreamed that the warning would apply to herself. For she’s about to discover that Melody House holds much more than a simple mystery form the distant past. What it holds is a very real and lethal danger, one that will cast her into a struggle against the worlds of both the living and the dead.

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My thoughts:

I have read a handful of Heather Graham books now and I so badly want to like them. It is stories I feel should be just right for me but I have to be honest with myself. Heather Graham is not an author for me and I need to stop wasting my time reading her books.

I can certainly see why her books are so popular and have the ratings it has. It just don’t fit me. It is too easy, to broken, gullible, I always predicts the endings and most of all, I don’t have fun while reading.

Before I started this book I wrote “I’m not yet ready to give up on her books because I really do like the stories”. But now I am ready. I’m done! It does not mean that it is bad books. I can see the appeal. They do have everything you could wish for. An exciting story and a believable plot even though it is quite excessive. Diverse characters and nice world building but the writing is not on point.

I will now delete all the books on my kindle and hard disk and on Goodreads so I will never be tempted to start one of her books again. Because I will not waste my time with a book by her. Leave it to those who actually like her books instead. She deserves more than I can give as a reader.

Fiction/Science Fiction · Mystery/Crime · Romance · Suspense · Thriller/Horror

Don’t tell – Karen Rose

248086| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: It was a desperate plan. But Mary Grace Winters knew the only way to save herself and her child from her abusive cop husband was to stage their own death. Now all that remains of their former life is at the bottom of a lake. Armed with a new identity in a new town, she and her son have found refuge hundreds of miles away. As Caroline Stewart, she has almost forgotten the nightmare she left behind nine years ago. She is even taking a chance on love with Max Hunter, a man with wounds of his own. But her past is about to collide with the present when her husband uncovers her trail and threatens her hard-won peace. Step by step, he’s closing in on her—and everything and everyone she loves.

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My thoughts:

I have read quite a few books by Karen Rose now and I have to say that this one is probably the one I like the least so far. I did enjoy it even though it got on my nerves. It is over exaggerated and the bad man was so overdone that in the end it bored me. The main character is whining and meek even though she was supposed to be the strongest women of them all. I really like some of the side characters though and an romantic suspense is usually a good read for me even though it is repetitive and predictable.

I know Karen Rose can do so much better so I’m in no means put off to continue reading her books. This one is just going to be placed in the “not so memorable” pile.

Contemporary · Romance · Suspense

Preacher – Dahlia West

25676540._SY475_| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Jack “Preacher” Prior is at a crossroads — literally. Left for dead in the Badlands, he’s managed to survive. He’s stolen a truck, but where can he go? Body broken, mind reeling from betrayal from his own MC brothers, he knows he won’t last a day back in Rapid City in his current condition.

Two roads stretch out in front of him. One leads to the city and one deep into the black hills where no one knows him as the former President of the Badlands Buzzards. Revenge is not a question; it’s an absolute. Preacher will get his due soon enough or die trying.

Erin Walker is at a crossroads of her own. Dealt a bad hand by being the daughter of Buck Walker, ex-Rodeo Champ, she’s made her own way in the world without his help. She owns Thunder Ridge Ranch outright, and she’s carved out a piece of paradise for herself with her own two hands. She’s not giving it up without a fight, but she’s alone in the world with no one to trust.

In Erin, Preacher finds something that doesn’t exist in his own world: a smart, fierce independent woman who sets his blood on fire. For Erin, the mysterious man who threatens her life might very well be the only one who can save it.

Can Preacher put aside his desire for revenge against his old MC and accept what’s in front of him: a woman who needs him and a future worth having? Erin knows in her heart that Preacher is a bad, dangerous man, but can she trust him anyway?

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My thoughts:

I read Preacher for the first time back in early 2017 when I was still riding that contemporary romance in a MC gang wave and it is just as good as I remembered. It is an easy enough story to follow, deep and developed characters and just enough romantic suspense that makes it more of a feel good book and certainly made me nostalgic and thirsty for more.

I have had Preacher on my “To be read again” list for some time. I missed Jack, Erin, King, Bee and the Thunder Ridge farm. I missed that “easy” suspense and deep romantic struggles between two different people with completely different worlds. I love that Erin is one hell of a strong character and how Jack not only saves her, but she saves herself to. The end is a little too easy, just as I remembered thinking last time, but still really, really good.

This is supposed to be the first one in a series. West, I’m still waiting. 😉

 

Chick Lit · Contemporary · Mystery/Crime · Romance

Whiskey and gunpowder – Liliana Hart

37655464| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Something old,
Something new,
Something borrowed,
Something…bedazzled?

In twenty-four hours, Addison Holmes will be a married woman. Maybe.

A week to plan a wedding in the south is not for the fainthearted, but Addison (along with the help of her neurotic mother, unreliable sister, and unpredictable Aunt Scarlet) are determined to pull it off.
There’s just one problem. Okay…two problems.

Problem #1: The preacher is missing.
This seems like a bad omen to Addison, and all the best investigators she knows are taking part in the pre-wedding festivities (that’s code for drunk).

That leaves one man for the task: FBI Special Agent Matt Savage. But Addison isn’t sure he’s the man for the job. She and Savage have a complicated history, and Savage could make the preacher disappear forever if it served his own agenda.

Problem #2: Rosemarie Valentine is in charge of booking the bridal party for a spa day. Enough said.

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My thoughts:

The sixth book in the series about Addison Holmes starts of as usual, with her complaining about something and in a situation beyond her control but still, somehow her fault. The sixth and hopefully last book was unfulfilling, repetitive and shallow. I’m so tired of her constant bitching and talk about how fat she gets from just looking at a cinnamon bun. You could feel that even the author was tired of writing the series and just no longer cared. And that is pissing me of. I overall really liked the series and if this indeed is the last book, it was not up to it full potential and I feel as readers deserved more.

Contemporary · Romance · Young, New adult/College

Rhythm, chord & Malykhin – Mariana Zapata

26148083._SY475_| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Twenty-six-year-old Gaby Barreto might be a lot of things (loyal, sarcastic, one of the guys and a pain in the butt depending on which family member you ask), but dumb isn’t one of them. When her twin brother invites her to go on tour as his band’s merch girl, she isn’t exactly screaming at the top of her lungs with joy.

With no job opportunities pounding on her door, an ex-boyfriend she would still like to castrate, and no end in sight to moving out of her parents’ house in Dallas… it would be dumb to say no to the chance of a lifetime. Two bands, three continents, one tour. Spending the next ninety-plus days with three beloved idiots and eight complete strangers shouldn’t be a big deal, right?

If only the singer of the headlining band didn’t have tattoos… a great personality… a fantastic body… and if he wasn’t so funny….

Let’s be real: Gaby never had a chance against Sacha Malykhin.

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My thoughts:

I have to say that I really enjoyed this one, but I usually do when written by Zapata so why I expected anything less, I can’t say. It was funny, light and sweet. Just what I needed to take the edge of the stress I experienced in the beginning of July.

I love Zapata’s way of writing, which always seems to capture me right from the first word. She is the queen when it comes to slow burns and characters with many layers and this is certainly the one to top the list. It was almost a little to slow for my taste. It made it feel like it went by in a flash at the end when “finally” things started to happen.

Overall happy but I just didn’t quite love it.

Chick Lit · Contemporary · Fiction/Science Fiction · Mystery/Crime · Romance

The husband’s secret – Liane Moriarty

17465450| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: My Darling Cecilia
If you’re reading this, then I’ve died . . .

Imagine your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret – something so terrible it would destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others too. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive . . .

Cecilia Fitzpatrick achieved it all – she’s an incredibly successful business woman, a pillar of her small community and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia – or each other – but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s devastating secret.

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My thoughts:

I really, really liked The Husband’s secrets. Never read anything by Moriarty before but keep seeing her name circulating out there in the bookish community. So when I found one of her books in my grandma’s bookshelf I just had to buy myself a copy and give it a try. Grandma has great taste in books.

At first I was a little confused. Judged by the synopsis, I thought that the letter would have had a much bigger part of the story than it actually has. But it is the three main characters, Cecilia, Rachel and Tess, and what was happening in their day to day life, that’s actually was the focal point. I like the history twist of the story, the character and their relationships. It is not disappointed at all that it was not what I first had foreseen. It is relatable, believable and realistic. Really well written and even though it is suppose to be a chick flick, the mystery feel of it and the dark emotions certainly made it a lot more likable for me. It made it more captivating, if you understand what I mean. And that ending was both wonderful, heartbreaking and you sit there thinking, what could have been and are not in your own life and on the butterfly effect.

Non of Moriartys books has interested me but after this I certainly feels that I should look into them to. Maybe I have missed something big here. Either way, I would differently recommend The Husband’s secrets. A perfect book for those late summer days.

Fiction/Science Fiction · Mystery/Crime · Romance · Suspense · Thriller/Horror

Forgotten Secrets – Robin Perini

29643051| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: At age ten, Riley Lambert watched helplessly as her sister was abducted from her bedroom. Fifteen years later, she’s channeled the pain of her past into a career as an FBI profiler. Riley devotes her life to bringing violent criminals to justice…and secretly uses government resources to search for her sister, who was never found.

When Riley gets a call from the only man who’s ever swept her off her feet with a killer two-step and dangerous smile—ex-Navy SEAL Thayne Blackwood of Singing River, Wyoming—it stirs up dark memories. Thayne’s sister, Cheyenne, has been kidnapped. There are no leads, and the only witness is the victim’s Alzheimer’s-afflicted grandmother.

Desperate to find Cheyenne, Thayne needs Riley’s expertise. With time running short, they delve into dangerous small-town secrets while fighting against an increasingly ruthless adversary. But when her past and his present collide in a shocking revelation, can they overcome the secrets that have kept them apart?

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My thoughts:

 

I have had this, and I’m not kidding, in my kindle cloud since 2016. It was time to get this one read and I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised.

First of, I did not like Perini’s writing at all. It had no flow and was at times confusing and almost rough to read, if it makes sense. Even some names are “terrible” and extremely hard for me to figure out how to pronounce. That’s not pleasant feeling to have and most of the books I have DNF:ed have been because of the writing. When starting it I actually though for myself that this would be a one, two star rating if I got through it but most likely I would DNF it. Imagine my surprise when the story, character and plot captivated me to such a degree that I devoured the book and ended on a four star rating.

Yes it was great. Surprising, hard to foresee what would happen (Except a few things) and it kept throwing curve balls at you. Great plot building and character development.

I’m happy and satisfied and even though I don’t like the writing that much, I can actually see myself reading the second book about the little town, Singing River.