Tag: romance

Posted on

The Magician’s Curse – A Book Review

Title: The Magician’s Curse
Author: Linda G. Hill
Series: The Great Dagmaru
Genre: Romance, Gothic Romance, Fantasy
Stars: *****
Goodreads
Amazon

When Herman Anderson leaves home to make a better life for herself, she doesn’t expect to meet a tall, dark stranger with whom she’ll fall hopelessly in love.

Charming and mysterious, Stephen Dagmar is a stage magician seeking an assistant. The moment he sets eyes on Herman, he knows she’s the one. He brings her home to his Victorian mansion where they embark upon an extravagant romance. Yet a shadow hangs over their love. Will the curse on his family end Stephen and Herman’s happily ever after, before it really begins?

Amidst lace and leather, innocence and debauchery, The Magician’s Curse begins the Gothic tale of The Great Dagmaru. Magic and romance await.

My Review

If you’re a fan of fantasy, intrigue and gothic romance then this is the book for you. 

The chemistry between Stephen and Herman is enough to make your Kindle start to smoke. 

And with a well rounded, and intriguing in their own right, cast of secondary characters, not a page goes by without something to catch your imagination. 

I would have loved to see more of Stephens magic but with a second book around the corner to carry on Stephen and Hermans story, I’m sure we will have plenty of opportunity for more magic.

*I reviewed this book for #TBConFB 

Posted on

Tales of Freya – A Book Review

So this review is a little different. Its not about a single book but the first two books in a series of short, sensual stories, the Tales of Freya.

 From Sarah Dahl’s website:

The Tales of Freya are steamy, sometimes brutal, but always passionate Viking adventures that will leave you wanting more sexy Vikingness!

And they really are! I want more. Now. Are you listening Sarah?

So, here are my reviews of The Current and The Awakening.

Title: The Current: A Battle of Seduction
Author: Sarah Dahl
Series: Tales of Freya
Genre: Historical Fiction, Short Stories, Historical Romance,  Norse & Icelandic
Stars: *****
Goodreads
Amazon 

Marked from the latest battle, Aldaith wants to recover by a stream. But instead of finding solitude, he stumbles on the fearless shield maiden Nyssa. The fierce beauty invites Aldaith into the water to engage in a very different kind of battle — one for which his training leaves him unprepared.

My Review

What happens after the battle?

This short tale is a glimpse into a rarely told part of the story.

I adore the confident and impish Nyssa. And just want to wrap myself around Aldaith.

My only complaint? I want more of their story!

Title: The Awakening: Embrace Beyond Passion
Author: Sarah Dahl
Series: Tales of Freya
Genre: Historical Fiction, Short Stories, Historical Romance,  Norse & Icelandic
Stars: *****
Goodreads
Amazon

Ingrid leads a quiet, joyless life with a husband who is oblivious to her needs. Every time the dragon boats carry him away, she resigns herself to the solitude of her modest hilltop farm by the fjord. But her uneventful world is shaken to the core when the shadows of her house reveal a secret that sets her passions afire.

My Review

 Smoldering is the only way to describe this short story. 

The slow burn of Ingrid’s awakening left me breathless. 

My sigh when the smoldering burn finally ignited could probably be heard miles away. 

Do yourselves a favour and put all The Tales of Freya on your wishlist. You won’t be disappoint. 

 

*I reviewed these books for #TBConFB 

Posted on

Winning Ace – A Book Review

Title: Winning Ace
Author: Tracie Delaney
Series: Winning Ace Series
Genre: Sports Romance, Contemporary Fiction
Stars: *****
Goodreads
Amazon

What does journalist Tally McKenzie want more—the story or the man?

When the opportunity arises for Tally to meet tennis ace Cash Gallagher, she grabs it with both hands. Desperate to advance her career, she hides her true identity from the celebrity.

After the normally private Cash divulges personal information, Tally seizes her chance and writes an inflammatory article. Incensed, Cash confronts her, but the darling of centre court gets more than he bargained for when he finds himself passionately drawn to the woman he should detest.

Yet Cash is a man with secrets that could destroy his career. Dare he take the risk of intimacy with Tally, or is the cost too great, even for his perfect match?

My Review

Wow!

I was hooked from the very first page.

The writing is slick, the action is fast and the chemistry between Tally and Cash is smoking hot.

This is the first book in a three book series and the cliffhanger at the end was whopper (I may or may not have cursed the author for leaving me hanging like that). 

I cant wait to get my hands on the next book to see what happens.

*I reviewed this book for #TBConFB 

Posted on

Flux – A Book Review

Title: Flux
Author: Marissa Farrar
Series: The Flux Series
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance
Stars: *****
Goodreads
Amazon

I was just like any other twenty-two-year-old until a horrific tragedy changes everything.

When I wake up in hospital with barely a scratch, strange things start happening. At first I believe I’m being haunted by my lost loved one, until a leather-jacketed man called Hunter confronts me. Turns out the paranormal events are coming from within me, and the terrible incident has released an ability I have no control over.

And I’m not the only one.

Hunter takes me deep beneath my home city of San Francisco to become part of a secret group of people known as The Kin. Each member of The Kin has a special talent—the ability to control things with our minds. But others are onto us—men who desire to use us for their own gains.

Can I protect the people I have left, or will my powers be my downfall?

My Review

I am in awe. No, seriously. This book is awe inspiring.

I spent a fair amount of time thinking of who I would cast as each character when this becomes a major motion picture.

The story gripped me from the very first page and didn’t let go. The action is real and you feel as if you are right there in the thick of things.

The characters are completely relatable. Especially Ari, I felt like we could be best friends. I adore Hunter and may have a small soft spot for Kit too.

I loved the twists and turns, who to trust, the hows, they whys, the sizzling chemistry between Ari and Hunter.

I cannot wait to dive back into this world when book number 2 is released.

You can follow Marissa on Twitter and Facebook and don’t forget to bookmark her website for updates on all her books.

*I reviewed this book for #TBConFB 

Posted on

How I wish I had written this myself*

*taken from an email sent to me this afternoon.

 

He grasped me firmly but gently just above my elbow and guided me into a room, his room. Then he quietly shut the door and we were alone. He approached me soundlessly, from behind, and spoke in a low, reassuring voice close to my ear.  “Just relax.”

Without warning, he reached down and I felt his strong, calloused hands start at my ankles, gently probing, and moving upward along my calves slowly but steadily. My breath caught in my throat. I knew I should be afraid, but somehow I didn’t care. His touch was so experienced, so sure.

When his hands moved up onto my thighs, I gave a slight shudder, and partly closed my eyes. My pulse was pounding. I felt his knowing fingers caress my abdomen, my ribcage. And then, as he cupped my firm, full breasts in his hands, I inhaled sharply. Probing, searching, knowing what he wanted, he brought his hands to my shoulders, slid them down my tingling spine and into my panties.

Although I knew nothing about this man, I felt oddly trusting and expectant. This is a man, I thought. A man used to taking charge. A man not used to taking `no’ for an answer. A man who would tell me what he wanted. A man who would look into my soul and say…

 

 

 

 

 

“Okay, ma’am,” said a voice. “All done.”

My eyes snapped open and he was standing in front of me, smiling, holding out my purse. “You can board your flight now.”

 

Posted on

Anniversary/Valentines

So, I won a night away at The Westcliff for this weekend past, it was a amazing timing cause not only was it for Valentines day but our 4th anniversary was on friday 12th!

We were so spoilt.  When we arrived we found out we had been upgraded from a luxury room to a loft suite.  Wow! So much of luxury and spoiling.  The bathroom alone was bigger than Aaron’s room.  We had a balcony with the most amazing view and a sitting area that played host to a bottle of champagne and six chocolate covered strawberries on our arrival.

We were treated to a romantic turn down service which consisted of long stemmed red roses, white rose petals on the bath matt and beside our bed, candles ready for our bath and our bath robes laid out and ready for us.

Dinner was a five course wonder.  We each had a different menu, great for sharing over romantic candle light on the restaurant balcony.  We started with sushi followed by lobster and langoustine ravioli. Next was a palette cleansing sorbet.  The main course of lamb, potato and veggies was next.  We both had lamb but each was prepared differently.  This was followed by deep fried camembert and cranberries for Paul and haloumi cheese for me, we swapped that course around.  Dessert was a chocolate brownie with ice-cream for Paul and a cheese cake and strawberry compote for me.

We literally rolled into bed.

Breakfast was amazing, a full continental breakfast as well as poached eggs for me and an english breakfast for Paul.

Throughout our stay the staff were amazing, always smiling and ready to help in any way.  Definitely five star service!

We were very sad to leave after breakfast but what a treasured memory.  If only we could spend every anniversary/Valentines in such opulent surroundings…

Our view

Words cannot explain how much I love this man!!!

*All images thanks to Paul