Ice Planet Barbarians Update

Aftershocks by Ruby Dixon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A good read with some added insights and different POVs addressing the big shake, or whatever you want to call it. This is the only novella that focuses primarily on relationships, family units, and the strength of the tribe, rather than just sexy fun times. There’s none of that in this book, though you do get some good cuddles and a lot of heart.

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Barbarian's Tease

by Ruby Dixon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Brooke and Taushen.

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The Barbarian Before Christmas

by Ruby Dixon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cute. But I'm clearly obsessed with the Ice Planet Barbarians.

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Barbarian's Valentine; A Slice Of Life

by Ruby Dixon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A touch of sweet, and a touch of serious. I enjoyed the contrast.

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The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So much fun to revisit this one! It gave me all the feels all over again. I reread it straight through in one sitting and enjoyed every minute of it. There’s so much that I had forgotten about the story, so I’m glad I decided to revisit the series.

The world building is strong. There’s a really slow burn romance element, and every note is just so perfectly right. Plus, it has an unexpected twist ending that makes you anxious to move on to book two.

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
I had trouble putting this one down, so I read it in 24 hours. It has excellent world building and interesting characters. The story is different and fascinating.

I loved the subtle implication that the lines between good and evil, winners and losers, right and wrong, can be so very thin and cloudy.

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The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my second read of this fantastic series, and I'm really enjoying revisiting this world and these characters. The whole world really expands in this book, and I adore that.

Book 2 is full of suspense, intrigue, and a serious case of political chess. It also did some really wicked things to all my feels, because nobody can seem to catch a win for more than a few minutes. There are lots of difficult choices made, by different characters, which keeps the story moving in unexpected directions. I wont say more, since this is book two, and I want to avoid any potential spoilers.

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The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was a pleasure to revisit this one. After all that time, I honestly couldn’t remember what was going to happen or how things would work out in the end

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
I thought this was a very satisfying end to an enjoyable trilogy.

Pages: 496

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How to Howl at the Moon (Howl at the Moon #1)

How to Howl at the Moon by Eli Easton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was different and adorable, though I confess I liked the first half of the story better than the second half. Things sort of got unnecessarily out of hand in the second half, and it was such an awesome story, even without all that added nonsense.

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The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole

The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Overall a fun audiobook with excellent narration. It was a good change of pace. Who doesn’t want some solid sci-fi with their romance?

A lot happened at the end, so I’m still trying to absorb some of it. Something about the ending felt a bit rushed and overwhelming to me, but I still enjoyed the story.

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Lies by Kylie Scott

Lies by Kylie Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The premise was fantastic, and it started out great! I really enjoyed the witty banter, and the comedy paired with action-adventure. Somehow it seemed to lose luster as the story went on, though, so I definitely liked the first half the best, and then my interested faded just a bit in the second half.

Also, there were a ton of side characters that weren't very well developed. The story would have been more interesting and had a better emotional impact if we had gotten a better feel for those side characters, since they were important to the plot. But overall, it was a fun and different read, which I appreciated.

The narrator was excellent, but everyone always loves Andi Arndt. So no surprises there.

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Lies by Kylie Scott

Lies by Kylie Scott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was so much more than I was expecting. I was hooked pretty fast and didn’t see this book turning out the way it did. However I was very pleased with it!!

Kylie is being one of my favorite authors and I’m finding that I need her boos ASAP after they come out.

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Captivated By The Captain by Amanda Mariel

Captivated By The Captain by Amanda Mariel
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

The writing, plot, character development, and overall storytelling elements are all weak. But hey, pirates. Although, the pirates really are not that exciting or pirate-y, unfortunately.

Overall, this was a swing and a miss for me. I hoped for a gem, but it really fell flat. It's basically emotionless, and none of the characters have any depth. For being such a short book, I couldn't wait for it to end already. Something about it feels way to clinical, and there's just not enough believable adventure and excitement.

Also, this should technically be labeled historical romance, though it didn't feel like there was very much that was historically accurate with this one.

The one thing that I did like was the narrator for the audiobook (James Young).

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How to Date a Douchebag Series by Sara Ney

    

How to Date a Douchebag Series by Sara Ney

Book 1: The Studying Hours

Book 2: The Failing Hours

Book 3: The Learning Hours

Book 4: The Coaching Hours

Book 5: The Lying Hours 

So I had to re-read this series because I wanted to read "The Lying Hours" and I felt like it would be better to re-read the first four book first. Also I love this author, so I get hooked on her books. I loved this series. Some of the guys are not douchebag's but that's okay. I would not want to hear their stories just because of that. This series does a good job of telling you about some side characters which help draw you into the next book. I am now waiting for the next book to come out. I hope this author just keeps going with this series. 

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The Legends of Regia Series

Forbidden Forest by Tenaya Jayne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, I really am intrigued by this world, though I do think the overall storytelling and plotting could be stronger. I'm going to continue onward and remain hopeful that this is one of those series that improves with each new book, because there are some things I like here.

I do kind of feel like this has the whole kitchen sink thrown in, which is both fun but also sometimes just overwhelming based on how many different characters, backgrounds, and rules for the world we are supposed to keep track of. I do appreciate the effort to just throw a bit of everything that fantasy and paranormal readers enjoy into one book, but sometimes it was just a bit too much, which made the world building feel weaker, instead of stronger.

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Forest Fire by Tenaya Jayne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to love this, but it felt messy in a bad way. I'm going to give book 3 a try, but if I don't love it, I think I am done with this series. The world and concept are interesting to me, but this just isn't as well-written and well-plotted as I need to stay intrigued. Also, I wanted the character development to grow each book, as well as the world building, and I don't think there was nearly enough of either to suit me.

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Verdant (The Legends Of Regia, #3 by Tenaya Jayne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is sad and whimsical. I really wanted a stronger story, but I think it was hard to pull off the depth that I wanted from this in so few pages. That left it falling just a bit flat, when it should have been really emotional.

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The Night Realm by Annette Marie

The Night Realm by Annette Marie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked the premise, overall concept for the world, and the cover. The actually story just fell short of what I wanted and hoped for. I think the storyline could be stronger, as well as the writing. There just needed to be some more real conflict and less melodrama.

I don't dislike this, but I also don't love it enough to move onward in the series. I could have used some stronger character development and a better developed, more believable plot. Also, there's just not as much originality in this as I hoped for, based on the premise.

The audiobook narration by Melissa Moran and Greg Tremblay was solid. I really enjoyed Melissa Moran who is clear, easy to understand, and provides just the right amount of emotion.

Irin Chronicles Series by Elizabeth Hunter

The Scribe by Elizabeth Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an addictive story, set in fascinating world. The premise is A+. I like everything about the paranormal mystery of this read. Overall, it's a bit light on the romance side (no big deal), with often a fade to black before anything too sexy occurs, but the true buy in on this story is the deep world building and the character development.

The audiobook is narrated by Zachary Webber, who is welcome to read to me any day. He has a very low tone, so it did take me just a bit to adjust. However, once I got use to his reading, I really started to enjoy it, as it seems to match the mood of the story so well.

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The Singer by Elizabeth Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I both enjoyed this one and found it frustrating to read, as what I wanted the most from this story was something I didn't get until almost the end of the book. It was interesting seeing the world grow in new directions, but the storyline and plot didn't feel quite as solid as the previous book. It does a bit more meandering, when you just sort of want everything to come together and move forward.

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The Secret by Elizabeth Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked the overall value of where the two main characters started and ended, but I was occasionally confused. It just felt like this storyline was the roughest so far, even though a lot seems to have occurred. Something about it didn't always feel as cohesive and easy to follow as I wanted, though I still love the world and characters. It just somehow gave me a bit less than I wanted in most instances, which wasn't as satisfactory this time around.

Overall, it's still a good series and book, but since I can't get my hands on book 4 right now, I've decided this is a reasonable stopping point.

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The Protector by Elin Peer

The Protector by Elin Peer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is set 400 years in the future, so the first part of the book explains what the new world is like. At first I enjoyed it, but it seemed to carry on a little longer than I would have liked. So this made it hard for me to stay focused and interested in the book. Around half way through the book, I began to become more interested. I am very curious to see how this series goes forward.

This book was narrated by Noelle Bridges and John Masterson, they did a great job. I felt like John did a great job of getting the tone of voice you would expect out of a strong norther.


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Clashing Color Series by Elin Peer

Black by Elin Peer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I started this book like:

Than I felt like:

To this:

Than the story goes on more and I began to be like:

The story line begins to change and I feel like:

This is book one in the clashing color series and I don’t know that if it was not for some friends suggested that I read this that I would have kept going. When this book first started out I found myself being like what did they talk to me into and how will this all work out.

Black “Darcia” has had an awful life and starts to make one bad decision after another. That leads her to find herself in HOT water. She tries to reach out to her estranged father for help, but he doesn't want anything to do with her. But her father’s step brother ends up coming to her save her and offers up a strange way to help her. This is when the book starts to take a strange turn of events that lead me to feel all of the above. As the story goes on further it starts to get better and the strange stuff doesn’t seem so strange anymore.

Gabriel is a war hero that returned home from duty, when he overhears his stepbrother’s phone conversation and decides that he will step up and help out Black since her father will not. I enjoyed Gabriel and all the help that he was willing to offer to someone that he didn't even know. Even if that help was a little weird and different at times.

This book will take you on a wonderful adventure, with flawed people, emotional roller coaster of feelings.

This book was narrated by Noelle Bridges and John Masterson, they did a great job.

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Violet by Elin Peer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After book one I really didn’t know what to expect from Elin Peer. However this book goes in a completely different direction. Violet’s and Jake have completely different views on the world. I really enjoyed Violet her ability to look at the world in a whole different way.

I really enjoyed how the author was able to basically come up with a completely different romance book than the first one. A lot of time when you read a series in romance all books are pretty much the same with just a small different plot twists. It was nice to see this be something completely different and still be able to pull me in just as much as the first book.

This book was narrated by Noelle Bridges and John Masterson, they did a great job.


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Green by Elin Peer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was excited for this book after seeing how Violet ended. You start to get a feel for Melody from the last book. I was also very interested to learn more about Christian as well. I enjoyed the playful banter that this couple had and the difference they need to work through. This author just keeps getting better and better.

This book was narrated by Noelle Bridges and John Masterson, they did a great job.


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Blue by Elin Peer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh my I think that Faith was my favorite female lead so far… she just seemed to always live in her twin’s shadow but yet she is the most caring and kind person. Logan comes off as a grumpy old man at the beginning of the book, but he comes around the more he opens up to Faith. The more this story goes on the more I begin to like both characters.

This book was narrated by Noelle Bridges and John Masterson, they did a great job.


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OhellNo Series by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Smart Tass by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tassie and Hunter have known each other since they were little. They both had a crush on each other for years, but both saw their relationship as something completely different than what it actually was. Throughout this whole book I found myself going back and forth from think that Hunter was an awful guy than that he was a great guy. Once they both stop and think about the past you start to see that they are both good people just had a misunderstanding of how they really felt.

Narrated by Lauren Sweet and she did a great job.


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Hard Ball by Heather Stone

Hard Ball by Heather Stone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mackenzie and Cole have been friends forever. Cole is starting off by being a player and cheating on his girlfriend. Mackenzie starts dating someone else. Than they both realize that might want more than friends. This was just a short little romance book.

This book is narrated by Jeremy York and Brooke Bloomingdale, I love both of these narrators.


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Ten Night Stand by Mickey Miller

Ten Night Stand by Mickey Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book starts out with Krista being a dazzle in distress and quickly turns to a hot one night stand. Damien and Krista are holding secrets from each other. Krista got a crazy ex that just can’t seem to let her go. Once the secrets start coming out you realize that they both have made mistakes. I don’t like the ending to this book, I don’t want to give away any spoilers but I will just say that Krista isn’t very smart with the ending to this book. I mean it all works out but she just didn’t act very smart.

This book is narrated by Lee Samuels and Carmen Vine. I enjoyed both of these narrators.


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Hot Mess by J.H. Croix

Hot Mess by J.H. Croix
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

You knew a little bout their story because of what Susannah saves about it during “Slow Burn”. Starting off this book gave away two many spoilers to what would happen in the story and I didn’t like that. I felt like Ward comes off to strong and over the top. I didn’t like this couple near as much as the other. Ward just seems to pushy at times and Susannah seems to overreact a lot.

This book is narrated by Brooke Bloomingdale and Lance Greenfield. They did a great job.


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Burn So Bad by J.H. Croix

Burn So Bad by J.H. Croix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After meeting Lucy in the first book and knowing that she is very closed off, made me even more excited to read her book to know what made her the way she is. Once you get a better understanding of her past, she starts to make more sense and why she is so closed off from people. All I can say about Levi is aww.. he just didn’t give up that she would give into him. He doesn’t come off pushing or anything, he comes off sweet and patient waiting for her.

This book is narrated by Lee Samuels and Kathryn, they both do a great job. Their voice just fit together. Also I enjoy how the author has different voices for each book.


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Slow Burn by J.H. Croix

Slow Burn by J.H. Croix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was excited for Masie’s book. You get to know her a little in the first book. Masie carries bad bandage when it comes to guys because of how her dad treated her when she was growing up. Masie doesn’t really know what a good relationship. Beck, is a hot and caring guy.

This book is narrated by Savannah Richards and Christian Rummel. I enjoyed both of them and they did a great job together. Christian did an amazing job and may have helped pull me towards him.


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Burn For Me by J.H. Croix

Burn For Me by J.H. Croix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a cute second chance romance. Amelia and Cade has dated seven years ago. Something happened and neither of them handled things very well. So Amelia had thought she moved on but decided to call of her wedding only to find that Cade was back. Amelia was very tall women which made her believe that men could not possibly be attracted to her. So she spent her life settling for what she thought she could have. Cade was charming and never really got past his feels for Amelia even though he tried.

I love all the side characters, can’t wait for Lucy or Masie’s books.

Muffy Newton and Aiden Snow narrated this book. I love the dual POV and voices and they help bring the book together well.


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