Vicious (Sinners of Saint Book 1) by L.J. Shen

 L. J. Shen must be a greatly talented writer.  A reader can love a character and hate a character, but how can they change your opinion in a few hours of intense reading?

Emilia is the woman I love in the story.  She is artistic, loves to paint, will do anything for family, and works her behind off.  Originally from California, she relocated to New York City under the threat that her parents would be fired from their job and kicked out of their apartment if she didn't evacuate what she knew as her only home.

The hateful character has an appropriate name, Vicious.  That's what he is, and it appears impossible to make this rotten, evil person into a likeable part of anyone's life.  He's the one who made the threat along with teasing and acting mean to Emilia when she was a kid. 

 

Vicious and his childhood friends build a billion dollar business and it happens that he sees Emilia at her cocktail waitress job and lures her to temporarily work for his business.  She accepts under obligations to her sisters health.  Why else would she endure his horrible nature again?

The ironic thing is, they both fight their growing attachment to the other.  What could be right with Vicious making his evil layers peel off one by one?  What sob story can he have that will actually explain his couple of decades of torment to a woman?  How can Emilia, whom I constantly root for, let Vicious back into her life? It's not his money or connections.  

This romance is a page-flipper, and I dare you to put it down as L. J. Shen untangles a messy relationship!

Happy reading,

Dawn

    

Mystic Creek by Kati Ella

 Mystic Creek, the name gives you an immediate feel for the atmosphere.  A foggy, dark, and mysterious small town.  The curfew was set to keep the residents safe.  Most of them don't know the reason, especially the younger crowd.  those who sneak out at night, and those who don't want to be told what to do.

Rebecca looks young, but feels her centuries of existence.  She's made friends where she works, Joe's Tavern, but her main job is to keep them from being ripped apart and left for the scavengers.

New to the town, she's known to be friendly, but distant.  As a witch, she has a lot of responsibilities while everyone else sleeps.  The demons want to overtake the town, and there's another creature waiting in the forbidden forest.  It's not quite a demon, but it's not human, either.

Her concentration is on pushing back on the evil from the forest, when Brody comes to town in the façade of a federal agent.  She hasn't seen him in a hundred years. Really, it seems like it was just last week.  His angel wings are hidden, but she feels the flutter of her heart when he confronts her about the strange being trying to take the town down.

Angels and witches aren't a match in the supernatural world, so why do they want to be together?  Or are there too many forces against them to allow a relationship?  Or are they here on coincidence only to eradicate the evil? Will a kiss tell them?  Or do they have to go further?  

The read is tense, creepy, and full of hormones.  The magic, the reality, and the fear tangle with a romance that wants to live.  A great romance for a cold winter night.

The Sorbonne Affair by Mark Pryor

 Mystery and love float among the Parisian cafe's while American author, Helen Hancock, has a secret admirer. More likely, not an admirer but someone who thinks it's necessary to hide cameras in her hotel room.

Helen is in the city to direct a small writing seminar and to work on her current romance novel.  After she finds the hidden cameras in her room at the Sorbonne Hotel, she reports them to the US Embassy.  

Hugo Marston is assigned t

o investigate.  One video is highly embarrassing for Helen.  A triste with a student needs explanation, whether it's love or something else.  

Soon, a simple camera investigation turns to murder.  Hugo teams up with a Parisian Lieutenant, Camille Lerens along with breaks to see his girlfriend, Claudia, a journalist.  More help comes in the form of a former colleague claiming the whole affair has something to do with a recently released felon.

Such a tragedy to solve a mystery of spying and murder on the lovely streets of Paris while contenders are eager to keep romance in the air.

Happy reading,

Dawn 

Anything But a Gentleman by Elisa Braden

 The rules of London in the early eighteen hundreds don't favor women.

Augusta Windmore is determined to change that around for her sister, Phoebe.  Phoebe was promised a betrothal before the pregnancy, and the future groom has fled the situation. 

Doing anything for her younger sister, Augusta has one choice.  She needs to convince Sebastian Reaver, owner of the Men's Club, to help her.

In disguise as a maid, she gains access to Sebastian's private quarters.  And she won't budge regardless of his brutish candor.  

Sebastian likes things simple and utilitarian.  The constant badgering by the spinster, Augusta, has thrown him for a loop and he's not quite sure what to do with her.  

He makes an unconventional deal with her, sure she'll run, but an agreement confounds him.  Especially since they will be in close quarters for an extended time.  Time for them to realize or deny why they look forward to seeing each other.  Time to get a husband for Phoebe.  Will there be time for Sebastian and Augusta to lower their shields of pride and realize they aren't that different?

Read to find out if a double romance can survive an unconventional start!

Happy reading,

Dawn Kunda

Spellbreaker by Charlie N. Holmberg

 Orphaned as a little girl, Elsie Camden now does her best to survive the 1880's Victorian London, England as an assistant to a stonemason, Ogden.  

I've always felt London such a magical location.  Now I have my chance to experience a London truly full of magic!  In Elsie's world, there are spellmakers and spellbreakers, and it's well known that magic is used especially among the rich males. 

Elsie keeps her spellbreaking ability undercover and only uses it when called on by the team that can hopefully give her a license to be legit.

At this time, London has a bunch of murders to Masters of magic.  Bacchus, a knight near his Master title, requests Elsie to help him break spells.  Not only does she astound him with her ability, they both secretly have love building a connection.  Under the unwritten rules, a romance is out of the question.  

That's until the mystery of the murders is connected to Elsie's spellbreaking and Bacchus wants to protect her, whether he should or not.  

Quite a white-knuckle story as Elsie is in constant danger, her housemates are involved, good and bad, and Bacchus is the only one left to tie up the loose strings.  And can they solve the murders, stay alive, and reveal their feelings in this era of class distinction?  I sure hope they find a way because they are perfect for each other!

Happy reading,

Dawn

 

The Checklist by Addie Woolridge

 Dylan's going to check all the boxes and make her life perfect.  The shorter the list, the easier and closer to a longed-for life.

Good luck, right?

Dylan has the perfect boyfriend already and a professional life getting businesses out of trouble.  When she's sent from Texas to her hometown, Seattle, Dylan has to suck up all her skills to fix a business with a scattered and unrealistic CEO.  She has to prove her boss wrong because she can do this.

Seattle holds a lot of adolescent memories that she rather leave behind, including her hippie parent's relationship with their neighbors.  Granted the neighbor's son, Mike, has grown into some great eye candy.  He doesn't even mind her goofy parents.  

Mike's moms greet Dylan with an unexpected friendliness, and she finds herself visiting the neighbors frequently after harrowing days at the ridiculous assignment she's on.  

Dylan's list grows with more personal than work items, and she must figure out why she doesn't miss her boyfriend in Texas, why Mike would be interested in her, what to do for a neighborly truce between parents, and if the business she's working on can be saved.  

Time to make the list shorter and Mike is willing to help her.

Woolridge's multi-cultural love story deserves a check on my list of fun reads!

Happy reading,

Dawn  

 

Career of Evil by Rober Galbraith

Another masterpiece written by Galbraith, aka J.K. Rowling! 

Robin Ellacott, Cormoran Strike’s investigative partner, receives a body part in a box at their office.  Robin’s aghast.  Strike doesn’t like it either, but his mind immediately analyzes the situation and four names come to mind of who might have done this.  Not in agreement with Scotland yard, of course.

All the men who have a grudge against Strike.  That’s his list.

Robin wants to hide her apprehension and help with the investigation.  As more attacks happen to Robin and around the city, Strike demands she is home by dark.

Home to her fiancé who hates her job. 

So, while a tricky and twisted follow up on the murder and continuing murders happens during office hours, The heart plays tricks on Robin and Strike.

Robin’s fiancé admits to a possibly unforgiveable deed.  Robin takes time off from him while thinking about Strike after hours.  The problem is that Strike thinks about her too. 

It’s very common for the reader to cheer for the couple the reader wants to get together and stay together.  This one’s difficult.

Robin and Matt are still engaged with a huge issue at hand.  Robin adores Strike, but does it go further than that?  Strike has to force himself to keep only to business with her.  So, who gets Robin in the end?  Is it who the reader thinks will get her?  Is it who the reader wants to win? 

The end was a tear jerker and I couldn’t guess what would happen till I read it.  Another story I didn’t want to end!

Happy reading,

Dawn  

Assassin Next Door (A Bad Boy Inc Story) by Eve Langlais

Calvin’s life is two-faced…he’s an assassin when out of town and a suburbia homeowner in between jobs.

He’s a man that should keep his eyeballs in their sockets instead of allowing himself to be distracted by the pretty little blonde next door.

Lily has nothing else on her mind except to move into her new house, take care of her young daughter, find a job, and maybe purchase a few cheap furnishings to make the house feel like a home.

Although, the gorgeous man next door, who isn’t home much, is interesting.  Lily doesn’t trust herself anyway…her ex-husband physically and mentally abused her.  She left that behind and has no need to think another man might be better.

Until Calvin helps her with a few handy-man actions, Lily wasn’t even going to meet him.   After a few encounters, she finds he has a great sense of humor.  Really?  A job as an assassin?  He’s such a jokester.

Good, she doesn’t believe Calvin could do such a horrific position…an assassin.  No one does that. 

Calvin prefers to work out of town, but his village is being overrun with drugs.  He has to do something about it, and he’d never want his darling neighbor to experience a dangerous atmosphere. 

He didn’t realize she’s right in the middle of the problem.  Lily doesn’t know it, either until chaos breaks out.

It’s magical how a little (or a lot) of danger can sprout into love!  Lily doesn’t try, but she sure succeeds in wrapping Calvin around her heart.  Great contemporary/suspense romance😊

Happy reading,

Dawn   

The Big Blind (Nadia Wolf Novel 1) by Nicolette Pierce

I'd like to welcome our new blogger, Nicolette Pierce, who will make her debut on April 13th.  I consider that our lucky day!  Nicolette writes romantic suspense with a dose of humor.  Following is an outstanding review of the first novel in her Nadia Wolf series.

This is a story for everyone in need of a lot of humor, witty comments and descriptions, and a delightful and suspenseful story!

Nadia Wolf is like any young lady who knows what she’s good at and takes a gamble to make a living.  Nadia lives above a marriage chapel in the revered gambling city of Las Vegas.  She is a poker player by day and helps a dear friend and soon to be manager, Frankie, at his chapel.  I can’t forget to mention Gus, the on-a-diet-cat, which may be a tad grouchy but loving all the same.

Nadia, a beautiful and clumsy woman all in one, takes her poker seriously.  She has a couple eligible bachelors interested, both rich, both handsome, and both want her for more than a turn of the cards.

Her problem is she’s attracted to both, yet doesn’t want to mix poker with relationships.  Instead a deadly game with another player (poker player I mean) wants to put her underground.  She needs help from more than one bachelor and a touch of flirting doesn’t hurt.

The Nadia Wolf series is right up there with the Stephanie Plum series full of quirks, giggles, and a few serious mishaps.  I have hope for Nadia’s well-being and her eventual capture of that special man.  I haven’t finished the series yet, but I certainly hope she’s happy at the end and encourage you to find out, too!

 

Happy reading,

Dawn

Wolf Runner by Constance O'Banyon

It was easy to figure out where the story took place, the Midwest from New Mexico to Colorado.  The difficult part was figuring out what century. 

The start of the story sounded contemporary, yet it took a hundred pages to assure me that the early 1900’s were a better bet. 

Wolf Runner is a hotty Blackfoot Indian, which held me in the story.  I say this because I’m highly impressed and interested in the Indian culture, yet I’m not a historian and the failure to let me know as a reader what time frame the story covered left me wondering.

Wolf Runner is a half-breed and is ordered by his family to help Cheyenne, who is also a half-breed left to herself after her adoptive grandmother passes. 

They both wear contemporary clothing, vehicles exist, what years I’m not sure, and later (after the first hundred or so pages again) Wolf Runner and Cheyenne ride horses from New Mexico to Colorado.

I very much enjoyed the last half of the book when Wolfy and Cheyenne are able to meet and have to ride horses far and long through the wilderness with nothing but each other and the landscape to survive by.  This half of the book was seductive, genuine, and full of romantic tension. 

I’m glad I didn’t put it down, but the beginning confused me and Wolf Runner and Cheyenne didn’t meet till long in the story.  The first hundred pages are necessary to understand the conflicts, yet to summarize them in two or three chapters would’ve brought us into the romance and story a lot faster and with more satisfaction.    

Happy reading,

Dawn

A Romance Author's Vacation...Part II

Continuing up the road…We saw a lot of historical and fascinating scenes in London including Westminster, the Tower of London, Big Ben, and The Eye.  I also got a big thrill passing the MI5 and MI6 fortresses.  This is similar to the FBI and CIA of the US.  The US and England work closely together.  I’ll keep that in mind for my next book-that’s a hint!

Going north in England we stopped at Anne Hathaway’s home, complete with Old English roses everywhere.  The stop at William Shakespeare’s home was enchanting.  His home was anything but grand compared to today’s formula for an exquisite home, yet the small and simple style of life did hold its own charm.

Headed to Glasgow, Scotland brought a whole new meaning to witchcraft.  A book store represented itself with a devil sitting at a desk.  Hundreds of years ago, those who could read and write were considered possessed or having bad magic, so they were represented by the devil as so few people knew this great art.

A visit to Edinburgh Castle was mystical.  The cobbles and stones covering the ground between castle rooms and buildings were if varying styles, bricks, cobbles, and large stones.  The type of footing depicted the year they were laid. 

 A final item for viewing pleasure before I let you go was the bagpiper.  Leading our group from a castle, down the cobblestone to the restaurant for dinner was an authentic bagpiper.  I couldn’t get a picture of the “authenticity” of his garment, but I assure you he said it was real!

I tried a sip of Scotch (smooth!) and a bit of haggis.  Who cares, right?  Haggis is a traditional dish literally made inside the skin of a sheep stomach.  The piper and a volunteer brought it on a platter to show the group.  Fortunately, when it was served the presentation overrode my distaste for the mixture of dark gut-meat and barley with wonderful seasoning.

The food got better the further from London and storylines brewed strong!

 

Every place can be an adventure, so go with it!

Dawn

 

Best Summer Novels

To tie up the ever-fast fading summer, I'd like to share my reviews on my co-bloggers most recently published novels.  I did  sneak a blurb of my own in as it would be "weird" to review it myself! 

 

As bloggers, we love to share our thoughts on reading and writing and we hope you love the variety of genres we have for you...

Loons of a Feather by Kayce Lassiter

Kayce attacks many date nightmares on the trip she takes us on with Shannon and Michael. 

He’s currently married, he’s a cowboy, and it’s a blind-date.  What could be worse to Shannon who’s already afraid of her own choice in men?

Michael is also gun-shy to hooking up with a woman.

Delta, fairy godmother extraordinaire, and her side-kick, Bubba Ray (even his name makes me laugh), are practicing their art of “making things happen their way.” 

Between the bumblings of the “god people,” the unexplainable happenings, and the defiance of Shannon and Michael being pushed together, read this witty, chuckle-out-loud, and romantic novel and you will want to search for the rest of Kayce’s stories.

Passions of Sleepy Hollow by Lexi Post

Lexi Post mixes the old with the new and creates her own masterpiece in Passions of Sleepy Hollow.

Kat Van Tassel of Sleepy Hollow reluctantly offers her services to Braeden Van Brunt, a replica of her lost lover.  They have an instant attraction, but there are problems with this.

They live in different centuries and they must figure out the curse on Sleepy Hollow in order to break it.

In the limited time Kat and Braeden can physically be together, they make the most of it.  Braeden, larger than life in many ways, teaches Kat to master her sexual needs.

But is that enough for one of them to cross the time difference?  

Follow Kat and Braeden’s fight to stay together through the torments of Sleepy Hollow’s curse and the Headless Horseman.  It’s a chilling ride that sweeps you into an intense love story.  Lexi Post is a master at mixing the allure of classics with the heart-rendering passion of today’s classics.

 

Mischief and Magnolia’s by Marie Patrick

Shaelyn Cavanaugh had no idea what the handsome uniformed man, Major Remington Harte, brought to her home as she opened her front door of her Mississippi plantation.

His strong, powerful, and gorgeous packaging didn’t go unnoticed, but she did attempt to not allow herself the luxury of enjoyment.  Harte announced her home had been chosen as a living quarters for his troops.

Fine.  Shaelyn  made sure he enjoyed many tricks to keep him on his feet. 

The next announcement came as a shock and drove all the foolery out of her.  The soldiers took over her family’s shipping business.  She attached one condition, that she went along.

Mischief and Magnolias is a delightful recount of the inconveniences and hardships taken with a gulp and swallow of the Civil War.  An undeniable romance can give a bit of relief hope for the future even for the stubborn at heart.  

 Inked (From the CIA #1) by Dawn Kunda

Guns and sex make Mary go round…

CIA agent Mary Reiss is teamed with the agent of her nightmares, Cal Guevin.  He nearly got her killed and now they’re teamed to infiltrate Egyptian terrorists.  The imminent danger reignites their fiery past, yet mistrust and a deadly enemy block their advances.

 

 

The Last Victim by Karen Robards

A criminal pathologist, Dr. Charlotte “Charlie” Stone, has more than her expert degree to help her find a serial killer, which has returned from a hiatus of seventeen years.  The opposite of science, she also has her sixth sense of seeing recently murdered victims.

She doesn’t’ want to see the barely cold bodies come alive again, but she needs more than FBI Special Agent Tony Bartoli’s help to stop the killings.
 

Tony is an experienced agent and does his best for the investigation, but there’s another man involved that he doesn’t know about and can’t see.

The other man happens to be the convicted felon, Michael Garland, who dies in Charlie’s arms. A felon can have a hot body and a few good characteristics despite a criminal streak, and Michael proves it…after death.

The page turner with this story is the constant suspense and a maze to find the killer along with two nearly eligible bachelors competing for Charlie’s attention. 

They both get attention, but only one wins in the end.

 

Happy reading,

Dawn

Review of INKED by Dawn Kunda

Dawn’s Kunda’s Inked has terrific suspense! If a reader likes international espionage and really tense scenes, this is the book to read. From the start, Mary and Cal are put into a dangerous situation that just escalates. Soon the double-crossing begins until the only one they can trust is each other.  The problem with that is Mary has worked with Cal before and it got her shot. 

Unfortunately, the physical attraction between she and Cal is impossible to resist, but she is determined to keep her distance emotionally. All of this is a bit difficult as they make their way from Egypt to Turkey, all the while trying to figure out which ground agents to trust and who in Washington DC they can trust. 

I read this book on a plane and the story was so intense I had to put it down and walk down to the galley to talk to the flight attends just to relive a little of the stress! And better yet, there will be a sequel! If you like a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat, you will love this book.                  Inked

 

Enjoy the read,

Alexis