Ramblings From This Chick: 2017-12-03

Saturday, December 9, 2017

ARC Review: The Last Move by Mary Burton

This is a great one! Mary Burton has really outdone herself with this one it was a disturbing and morbid chess game and I loved it. Definitely more suspense than romance and what little was there was well placed, it made sense that it was where it was and what lead to it. The suspense part was a non-stop nail biter, and me on the edge the whole time. The characters each have a bit of baggage to keep them slow moving toward each other but the murders are keeping them on their toes. Kate had a horrific experience as a teenager that shaped her into what she has become, which is a kick-ass FBI profiler and a forensic linguistics expert. Theo Mazur is cop through and through, he was a captain in Chicago but when his ex-wife moved to San Antonio moving their daughter, Alyssa, he followed to stay close to Alyssa and got a bump down to a detective. Both of these characters were likable and had great chemistry together. The antagonist was intriguing it does follow from his third person POV in some parts and you can see how his thought process works without giving away the end game.

A woman was shot on the side of the road, normally this wouldn’t warrant the attention of the FBI but it has all the ear marks of a serial killer, one that had already been caught. Mazur calls in the FBI agent who led the case and was the one to find him. Special Agent Kate Hayden just promised a victim she rescued that she wouldn’t stop until the sadistic monster who did that to her was caught when she got the call requesting her presence in San Antonio. The M.O. is identical to the case she closed but could the “Samaritan” have had an accomplice or is it just a copycat. The prospect of a copycat serial killer isn’t the only thing Kate is worrying about but her own past rushing up to haunt her again. Things get stranger when another murder happens but is identical to another high profile case Kate worked on. Kate and Theo work together to discover just how these cases are all connected and how Kate fits into all.

Overall, this is the reason I Love Mary Burton. Damaged but strong characters, an alpha type man who’s not an asshole and a suspense story that keeps you pulled in and engrossed the whole time.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

A Historical Christmas Event with Tina Gabrielle

Best-selling author Tina Gabrielle is an attorney and former mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. She often picked up a romance and let her fantasies of knights in shining armor and lords and ladies carry her away. She is the author of adventurous Regency historical romances for Entangled Publishing and Kensington Books.

Publisher’s Weekly calls her Regency Barrister’s series, “Well-matched lovers…witty comradely repartee.” Tina’s books have been Barnes & Noble top picks, and her first book, Lady of Scandal, was nominated as best first historical by Romantic Times Book Reviews. Tina lives in New Jersey and is married to her own hero and is blessed with two daughters. She loves to hear from readers. Visit her website to learn about upcoming releases, join her newsletter, and enter free monthly contests at www.tinagabrielle.com

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Friday, December 8, 2017

A Historical Christmas Event with Theresa Romain

Theresa Romain is the bestselling author of historical romances, including the Matchmaker trilogy, the Holiday Pleasures series, the Royal Rewards series, and the Romance of the Turf trilogy. Praised as “one of the rising stars of Regency historical romance” (Booklist), she has received starred reviews from Booklist and was a 2016 RITA® finalist. A member of Romance Writers of America® and its Regency specialty chapter The Beau Monde, Theresa is hard at work on her next novel from her home in the Midwest.

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Thursday, December 7, 2017

ARC Review: Everest by S.L. Scott

I have enjoyed several books from S.L. Scott and Everest sounded so good, so I knew I had to read it. I really liked it and was glad I read it. If you are new to her books, I would recommend checking them out as she is a great writer and her characters are easy to fall in love with.

Ethan Everest and Singer Davis met and hit it off, but a missed opportunity had them going their separate ways and only running into each other on occasion. But a year later, Ethan isn't ready to let her go again. Though he knows his life is complicated and it would be best if he walked away, he finds it impossible. But can they have a second chance when his secrets threaten to destroy everything between them?

I really liked these two together. I thought that they were good for one another and I loved seeing them support and be there for each other. They were easy to like and root for, and I liked that they had layers to them. There was more than met the eye, and I enjoyed seeing them get to know one another and let the other in. They had great chemistry and I felt like their connection was genuine and believable.

There were a few things I struggled with though and that was what kept this one from being a five star read for me. I felt like the first half of the book was a bit slow, and with Ethan being indecisive and sending mixed signals it got a bit old. The other thing that I had issues with was the amount of drama that took place, especially the second half of the book. It felt a bit like things went off the rails and I struggled with everything that was happening. I also didn't really understand why Ethan hadn't gone for Singer the first night they met when he was into her. I don't understand what made him leave and go after Dariya in the first place. I still liked the story and the characters, but there were just a few things that kept me from really loving this book. I still think readers will enjoy Ethan and Singer's story and it is one that I liked quite a bit.

**ARC Provided by Author**

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N |

A Historical Christmas Event with Gina Conkle

Gina Conkle loves history, books and romance…the perfect recipe for historical romance writer. Her passion for castles and old places (the older and moldier the better!) means interesting family vacations. Good thing her husband and two sons share similar passions, except for romance…that’s where she gets the eye roll. When not visiting fascinating places she can be found delving into the latest adventures in cooking, gardening, and chauffeuring her sons.

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Wednesday, December 6, 2017

ARC Review: The Plan by Ella James

The Plan is the fourth standalone story in the Off-Limits Romance series by Ella James. This series has had its ups and downs for me, but I have mostly loved it so I couldn't wait to read this one. Unfortunately, I had a lot of issues with this one and it was my least favorite of the series, in fact I almost didn't make it through the entire story.

Marley wants a baby, so when she finds out that her fiance had a vasectomy and her mother's health takes a turn for the worse, she knows it is time to do something. She leaves Chicago behind and moves back home to the small town of Fate, Alabama. What she didn't expect is that the house she has rented also has another tenant, her ex-husband. Gabe is now a successful author, but he has his own set of problems. Though things get off to a rough start, the attraction between them never went away and soon it is more than they can fight. So when Marley comes up with a plan, she never expects for him to take her up on it as easily as he does. But can they possibly have a second chance and future together after everything that has happened?

I struggled with Marley and Gabe. I wanted to like them, and they were okay. But I honestly didn't feel the connection between them at all. Don't get me wrong, some of the sex scenes between them were super hot, but I wanted more. I honestly didn't believe that there was really anything there between them besides some steam. There was so much focus here on personal issues and drama, that it just didn't feel as though these two had any kind of connection or a possible future together.

I really felt like the blurb of this story didn't match with the actual content of the book. This book was definitely more drama and personal issues than it was a romance. I did finish this book because I had hope for the story and characters, but it didn't ever get there for me. Unfortunately I didn't believe that these two really loved each other or had any kind of connection besides a past of mistakes and possibly even future ones. As much as I wanted to believe that there was something between them, I just didn't. Problems were glossed over and their responses to actual issues felt immature and and unrealistic. I didn't think that these two should be even close to having a relationship and child together until they dealt with some things first. While the drama was too much for me in The Plan, I have really enjoyed books from Ella James before so this won't be the last I read from her. This one just fell flat and was a miss for me.

**ARC Provided by Dirty Laundry Review**

Purchase: | Amazon |

A Historical Christmas Event with Anna Bennett

Anna Bennett started swiping romances from her mom’s bookshelf as a teenager and decided historicals (with their balls, dukes, and gowns) were the best. So, when she had the chance to spend a semester in London she packed her bags—and promptly fell in love with the city, its history, and its pubs. She dreamed of writing romance, but somehow ended up a software analyst instead.

Fortunately, a few years and a few careers later, Anna found her way back to writing the stories she loves and won the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart® for Regency Historical Romance. She lives in Maryland with her husband and three children, who try valiantly not to roll their eyes whenever she quotes Jane Austen.

Anna spends a lot of time procrastinating on Twitter and Facebook, and she’d love to see you there! You can also keep up with her book news by signing up for her newsletter.

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Tuesday, December 5, 2017

A Historical Christmas Event with Shana Galen

Shana Galen is the bestselling author of passionate Regency romps, including the RT Reviewers' Choice The Making of a Gentleman. Kirkus says of her books, "The road to happily-ever-after is intense, conflicted, suspenseful and fun," and RT Bookreviews calls her books “lighthearted yet poignant, humorous yet touching." She taught English at the middle and high school level off and on for eleven years. Most of those years were spent working in Houston's inner city. Now she writes full time. She's happily married and has a daughter who is most definitely a romance heroine in the making.

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Monday, December 4, 2017

A Historical Christmas Event with Julie Johnstone

As a little girl I loved to create fantasy worlds and then give all my friends roles to play. Of course, I was always the heroine! Books have always been an escape for me and brought me so much pleasure, but it didn't occur to me that I could possibly be a writer for a living until I was in a career that was not my passion. One day, I decided I wanted to craft stories like the ones I loved, and with a great leap of faith I quit my day job and decided to try to make my dream come true. I discovered my passion, and I have never looked back. I feel incredibly blessed and fortunate that I have been able to make a career out of sharing the stories that are in my head! I write Scottish Medieval Romance, Regency Romance, and I have even written a Paranormal Romance book. And because I have the best readers in the world, I have hit the USA Today bestseller list several times.

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ARC Review: Unraveled by Mia Kayla

Unraveled is the first book in Mia Kayla's Ryder Boys series, and while there things that I liked about this story, ultimately I had mixed feelings about it. I think that there are a lot of moments here that were great, and readers will enjoy them. But I also felt like there were several things keeping me from loving this story and it was just okay for me in the end.

Angelica thought that she had her life planned out and knew exactly what would happen for her future. But when she realizes that the man she thought she would spend her life with is already married to his work, she knows that she needs to end things. Cade Ryder is everything that she shouldn't want, yet the more she is around him the harder it becomes to resist.

I liked Angelica and Cade for each other. I thought that they had chemistry and were good for one another. They had a connection that was obvious right away. If I am honest though, I had a bit of an issue with Angelica. I felt like her moving on from her ex to Cade in such a short amount of time was a little unbelievable. For her feelings to suddenly be as strong as they supposedly were just didn't feel right when her relationship with her ex was so long and as serious as it had been. (They lived together) I also really had a hard time with how Angelica let her ex and her mother get away with all they did without her standing up for herself. There was one moment that really bothered me, and honestly if I was Cade I don't know that I would have been able to get over it.

I did really love the relationships that both Angelica and Cade had with their siblings though. Angelica and her sister were supportive and great, and I loved seeing that bond. Same goes for Cade and his brothers Jordan and Wyatt. It was even more special for them as they weren't blood siblings. But those moments were really great and made this a fun read at times. While I liked them and Cade and Angelica together, I wish that Angelica had put her mother and ex in their place earlier and not let things get in the way of her relationship with Cade as much. I also wish that there would have been more of a natural progression for her relationship with Cade. It felt a bit rushed, when she was just coming out of the relationship that she had been in for so long. I do think that a lot of readers will enjoy this one and Mia Kayla is an author that I have come to enjoy. This one was good and it won't be the last I read from her.

**ARC Provided by Enticing Journey Book Promotions**

Purchase: | Amazon |

Sunday, December 3, 2017

A Historical Christmas Event with Cheryl Holt

CHERYL HOLT is a New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon “Top 100” bestselling author who has published forty-eight novels.

She’s also a lawyer and mom, and at age forty, with two babies at home, she started a new career as a commercial fiction writer. She’d hoped to be a suspense novelist, but couldn’t sell any of her manuscripts, so she ended up taking a detour into romance where she was stunned to discover that she has a knack for writing some of the world’s greatest love stories.

Her books have been released to wide acclaim, and she has won or been nominated for many national awards. She is considered to be one of the masters of the romance genre. For many years, she was hailed as “The Queen of Erotic Romance”, and she’s also revered as “The International Queen of Villains.” She is particularly proud to have been named “Best Storyteller of the Year” by the trade magazine Romantic Times BOOK Reviews.

She lives and writes in Hollywood, California, and she loves to hear from fans. Visit her website at www.cherylholt.com.