Book review: KARMA, by Carly Phillips

Serendipity #3

Dare & Liza

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 I was dying to read Dare Barron’s story and Carly Phillips didn’t disappoint!  His story is the darkest among the Barron brothers, full of guilt and repressed anger from one event in his past, where a teenage boy was killed and the incident was covered up by the responsible guy’s parents.

In atonement, Dare is a cop in Serendipity, doing good and helping people.  And he’s super aggravated to see Brian McKnight, the responsible party, being arrested frequently and every time bailed out by his sister Liza.  He’s always been attracted to Liza, she was the reason he was at that pool party, but he can’t stand her brother.

I loved all the opposing forces in this story, it made the plot all the more juicy and interesting.  Dare wanted Liza but hated that Brian came with the package.  He hated that Brian came out of the incident scot-free while he was living with guilt and can never forget.  It was like moments of happiness, marred by moments of anger.  In previous books, we had seen that Dare was an easy-going guy, and never suspected this level of darkness within.

I love the tumult of events that cause Dare having to protect Liza, how she also felt guilt about that night, and how things came to a shocking show down where of course Dare had to ruin things.  Then had to start an uphill climb to make everything right.  

It was passionate and angsty and entertaining, like all Carly Phillips books.  Loved spending time with the other Barron brothers, naughty Tess, and Kelly.  

Purchase links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQ9QJ8MW

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/karma/id6445147630

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/karma-231

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/karma-carly-phillips/1104879522?ean=2940185607244

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Carly_Phillips_Karma?id=XXeiEAAAQBAJ

Paperback Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Karma-Serendipity-Carly-Phillips/dp/1685590977

Paperback B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/karma-carly-phillips/1104879522?ean=9781685590987

About the author

Carly Phillips is the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over eighty sexy contemporary romances featuring hot men, strong women, and emotionally compelling stories her readers have come to expect and love. She is happily married to her college sweetheart and lives in Westchester County, NY. She is the mother of two adult daughters and three crazy dogs who star on her Facebook and Instagram pages. She loves social media and is always around to interact with her readers. Way back in 2002, Carly’s book, The Bachelor, was chosen by Kelly Ripa and was the first romance on a nationally televised book club. Carly loves social media and interacting with her readers. For more information on upcoming releases, sign up for her newsletter (below) and receive two free books!

https://www.carlyphillips.com/subscribe-newsletter/

To learn more about Carly Phillips & her books, visit here!

Connect with Carly Phillips:

https://www.carlyphillips.com/

 

Book review: DECONSTRUCTING DELILAH, by Alison Rhymes

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
 Very intriguing and very riveting!  I loved how the author developed Delilah’s character, a young woman who lived in a polygamist compound where she was kept ignorant of everything outside their walls.  She was like an newborn baby, absorbing knowledge like a sponge, processing, many times overwhelmed by the new experiences and the people around her.  In the compound, her only training was to be an obedient wife and mother, completely submissive to men.  Girls in the compound start to be trained as soon as they develop, and the sexual training was lurid.  It felt like a sex trafficking ring, using religion as an excuse.  

I understood so well Delilah’s fascination with Pope Blackwell!  A guy who looks dangerous, heavily tatted, and spouts scriptures at the drop of a hat.  Their conversations include phrases from the Bible, and each knows where it came from.  What they differ is on the interpretation they give to the scripture.  Delilah’s interpretation is based on what she was taught to think and Pope starts to question her beliefs, her teachings, her faith and her religion.  No wonder they were fascinated with each other!  Pope had never met a woman so innocent but at the same time intelligent and so actively processing new information, comparing to her beliefs, and coming out with new postures.  Delilah’s mind processes was a delight to read and I could understand Pope’s fascination with her.

Noah intervenes, worried that Delilah is beginning to learn about the world and worries that Pope may unconsciously manipulate her process.  Pope understands and stands away.  

Five years later, Delilah graduated in Finance from Tulane and started working at Lupus et Agnes, a sex club where Pope is a frequent customer.  The place is apt because more than other women, Delilah had been trained from childhood in sex and submissiveness, so pair that with her curious mind, and it was an explosive combination that Pope could not be able to resist.  And this is where the book took off like a rocket and blew my mind!

Their relation is unique, Delilah is a rare gem of new experiences and well thought out opinions.  She’s open to new experiences, she’s intelligent, a fast learner, sweet and sassy and tells horrible dad jokes.  She’s a complete delight!  Pope with his worldliness is no match for this young woman.  He’s older and now he feels his age like an anvil that weighs him down, and yet, she feels no compunction in teasing him, inciting him, making him fall for her.  She’s at times reticent and others she’s a brat.  

I loved the presence of Lorelai and Noah in the background.  They are wise and loving and supportive.  Her best friend Cookie is also a wise and balancing friend.  Fig is the friends with benefits she needed to start learning sex experiences.  I loved her changing faith beliefs as her knowledge increases and her analysis of the world changes.  

As well as riveting, I liked how the book explores religious beliefs, Christianity, and the interpretations people have upon the Bible, the scriptures, customs and the way some manipulate the teachings to suit their purpose.  Very intriguing and profound indeed! As well as super sexy and kinky!

Purchase links

https://mybook.to/deconstructingdelilah

Add to Goodreads: 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143343916-deconstructing-delilah

About the author

Alison lives somewhere in the shadow of a Pacific Northwest Mountain, bordered by the Puget Sound, and not too far from the country roads she grew up on. 

When she’s not writing, she can be found avidly reading, traveling with youthful wanderlust, or slowly turning the inside of her home into her own personal houseplant jungle. 

Find more books by Alison Rhymes here: https://alisonrhymes.com

Book review: ON THIN ICE, by L.A, Cotton

Lakeshore U #2

Mason & Harper

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 It’s funny that as I was reading this book, I thought that the characters were being very juvenile and then realized that of course, they are college students, who still haven’t got it together yet.  They are juvenile! And what makes then adorable is precisely the fact they are getting ready to adulting.

Mason is under a lot of stress from the pressures of hockey, studies and his brother back home.  His father abandoned them when his brother was diagnosed as autistic, and his mother is struggling dealing with twelve year old Scottie alone.  That’s why Mason drives so often home, in spite of the 1.5 hour drive, to help his mother deal with Scottie.  He has no time for girlfriends, not even the puck bunny variety and he’s always going around like a cold-eyed grump.

Harper is hanging with the hockey crowd because of her bestie Rory who is Noah’s girlfriend.  She’s very extra, so Mason clashes with her a lot, keeping her away from him.  Immediately I knew he was afraid because he was very, very attracted to her.

The story is rich in contrasts, grumpy Mason to kind Harper.  We learn that her father is a hockey legend but he’s always ignored her, which explains why she’s clingy.  When she volunteers in a center where Scottie spends some afternoons, she wins Scottie over because she’s kind and patient with him.  She accepts him with all his quirks and tics and this is when things start to change between Mason and Harper.

I loved their story, there was a lot of trust and acceptance.  For Harper, being seen for the good person she is instead of the girl always looking for approval was important; she felt seen.  And Camden felt like some of the weight on him was alleviated because she got him and helped with his little brother.  

What I didn’t like was how much she griped about her father and how he doesn’t love her, and how much Mason kept talking about the pressures he’s under.  I felt they needed more action and less whining.  Even so, their story is lovely and entertaining, and it is has many emotional moments and sexy times.

Purchase links

http://books2read.com/onthiniceLU

🏒𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗕𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗰𝗲

Books2read.com/bitetheiceLU

About the author

L A Cotton is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over forty mature young adult and new adult novels, L A is happiest writing the kind of books she loves to read: addictive stories full of teenage angst, tension, twists and turns. 

Home is a small town in the middle of England where she currently juggles being a full-time writer with being a mother/referee to two little people. In her spare time (and when she’s not camped out in front of the laptop) you’ll most likely find L A immersed in a book, escaping the chaos that is life.

Follow L A: 

Facebook ➜ http://geni.us/uBmhAzc

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Book review: PERFECT TOGETHER, by Kristen Ashley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fascinating! I love second chances in a divorced couple and this book brought me all the feels.  I loved that this is an older couple, as in their fifties, have been together over twenty years and have three kids, two college age and one in high school.  

When Remy Gastineau left Wyn, it was a complete surprise and complete heartbreak for Wyn.  They had such a passionate marriage, fights that ended in sex, two very talented and successful individuals, three beautiful and busy kids.  You’d think they had it all and were a perfect couple when Remy walked out and ruined it all.  

“So there was love, a lot of it in that house, and having half of the engine that drove that love walk out the door, the buzz of the house had changed drastically and it had been hard to take.”

Ironically, it was three years later, when a toxic friend points out to Wyn that she had never let go, never moved on, that Wyn realizes it’s true.  She weeps for her lost marriage and decides to let Remy go.  And she arrives at a family reunion, finds he kicked out his live-in girlfriend and wants to try again!

Of course I wanted him to suffer a little and I wanted Wyn to get all the assurances she needed, but the way to being together of this couple is a beautiful and complicated journey.  There is so much love between this couple and with their children.  When Remy needs to confront a difficult family situation, they called the troops and these wonderful kids arranged themselves around their father, ready for battle and defend his heart.  Faced with lies, Sabre just knows that the accusations against his father are not true, because he knows his father and has complete trust.  In dealing with their paternal grandparents, these kids were troupers, divide and conquer all situations to help their parents. 

They’re fixing their issues in the midst of dealing with a toxic friend (Wyn’s), a toxic mother (Remy’s), and very sad memories of an abusive childhood.  The consequences of the abuse were closely tied to their breakup.  The psychology of the characters’ arc was very interesting, I loved Sabre, Manon, and Yves as they interact with their parents, loved the character development of Remy and Wyn, and just loved the intensity of all the loves.  And to make it extra spicy, there’s very yummy sexy times and some suspense from an ex-girlfriend turned stalker.

Kept me riveted all day!

Purchase link

https://amzn.to/3CZyonP

About the author 

Kristen Ashley is the New York Times bestselling author of over eighty romance novels. She’s a hybrid author, publishing titles both independently and traditionally, her books have been translated in fourteen languages and she’s sold millions of books.

In December 2022, Kristen published the second in her Wild West MC series, SMOKE AND STEEL, the love story of Hellen and Core. In March, she'll release the THE GIRL IN THE WOODS, the second in her romantic thriller series, Misted Pines. She'll also publish her first-ever murder mystery romance in an episodic format on Kindle Vella.

Kristen, born in Gary and raised in Brownsburg, Indiana and was a fourth generation graduate of Purdue University. Since, she has lived in Denver, the West Country of England, and she now resides in Phoenix. She worked as a charity executive for eighteen years prior to beginning her independent publishing career. She now writes full-time.

Although romance is her genre, the prevailing themes running through all of Kristen’s novels are friendship, family and a strong sisterhood. To this end, and as a way to thank her readers for their support, Kristen has created the Rock Chick Nation, a series of programs that are designed to give back to her readers and promote a strong female community.

You can learn more about Kristen and the Rock Chick Nation on her website: www.KristenAshley.net

Book review: CRIMSON RIVER, by Devney Perry

The Edens #5

Lyla & Vance

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Devney Perry’s books are a delight to read, enchanting and endearing.  She always presents a beautiful story, charming characters who are dealing with some personal issue, a family that you would want for yours, and in this series, a lovely small town called Quincy, picturesque and very touristy.  So apart from reading a wonderful story, you get an idillic setting that really makes you wish the place was real and accessible.  Her books are a true delight to read!

Lyla has an intervention from her sister Eloise, convincing her to take a break from her coffee shop.  Lyla has been working non-stop for over a hundred days and Eloise is worried.  So Lyla accepts, goes hiking to the mountains and is almost strangled by a scarred-face, ginger haired man.  He leaves her unconscious and when she wakes up, she goes lickety-split to the hospital to her doctor sister Talia.  After a week long search & rescue hunt for the man doesn’t give results, efforts are stopped and in comes Vance Sutter.  

Vance has personal history with the scarred man, when he heard about the APB he came, hoping to finally capture this fugitive, who killed his own wife and daughters.  We know that Vance has some personal connection with the man and his family but it won’t be revealed until later in the book.

There’s a lot of hidden pain in Vance, from his personal family history, to his professional life as a backcountry deputy in Idaho.  The chemistry between Lyla and Vance is electric, Lyla wants to forget her nightmare and with Vance, everything vanishes from her mind.  Vance finds relief from the grief of losing people he considered family.  Both find surcease to their demons together, and a secret alliance is born.

There’s a low thrum of suspense through the book as Vance continues the  search for the man, interspaced with the budding relation between Lyla and Vance.  You go from very sexy and sweet moments to the nitty gritty of a hike where you’re looking everywhere.  I kept expecting the guy to suddenly jump in front of them!

I loved the wonderful connection between Lyla and Vance.  Although Lyla shared everything about her family and her town to Vance, he was very reticent.  She knew he would leave, and she accepted it, and lived for the moment.  It was sad and beautiful, how she loved and gave and didn’t demand anything in return.  I think this space that she gave Vance is what made him fall so hard in love with her.  

There are very emotional moments in the story, as only this author can write.  The love of family is always strong and present.  And Vance, who was somewhat estranged from his family, found another big and loud group to mesh with.  Bittersweet at the end, beautiful and passionate, completely riveting and entertaining.  This book is made to enjoy during one day when you play hooky from work and hide in your couch to read, as I did!  And the bonus epilogue was everything I needed from this story!

Purchase links

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3Ca5bGg

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/CrimsonRiver

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3Te9pV1

About the author

Devney Perry is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of over forty romance novels. After working in the technology industry for a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to pursue her passion for writing. She was born and raised in Montana and now lives in Washington with her husband and two sons. 

 

Connect with Devney

Website: www.devneyperry.com

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