Bad Guys Finish Fast & Good Guys Finish Last by A.H. Scott

October 5, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Bad Guys Finish Fast & Good Guys Finish Last by A.H. Scott
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Alstroemeria

A sexy lady with a fire inside has two men as different as dusk and dawn entering her life. Both men are sexy without a doubt. Will she choose lust or will she choose love? Maybe, it’s destiny that gives her that fateful shove. Out of a person’s hands they sometimes have little control on how the play of their destiny is cast in “Bad Guys Finish Fast & Good Guys Finish Last”.

This sultry story that begins with Miranda Grayson and Tiberius “Tiger” Preston, promises many steamy encounters to ensue, but there are a few things that lay underneath that will surprise every reader. Tiger and Miranda are off like a shot within the first couple of pages and diving deeper into those seedy fantasies we only think about behind closed doors. The scenarios presented are tantalizing, and while there are some more graphic depictions of these encounters, we hardly get any of those interactions between our main characters.

This may have been used as a device to show the readers that the relationship was not as intriguing as it presented itself within the first few pages, but as a reader I would have liked to get more description of our main characters participating, rather than the implication that they had participated before. Especially when we are not shy about all of the other participants in these lascivious acts.

As the title proclaims, Bad Guys Finish Fast & Good Guys Finish Last, when bad guy Tiger is old hat, so enters good guy Paul St. Richard. Miranda wants a shot at real love, and the handsome doctor might be just the candidate for a fresh start. The perfect hospital meet cute shows the audience right away that this is our guy.

The story from here moves pretty quickly towards an unexpected ending for Miranda, Tiger, and Paul. We find a sweetness in the characters whom we would normally associate with spice, but we find that nothing is sweeter than revenge.

A very fast read, but I found myself sometimes getting tripped up over cheesy dialogue. If I were getting down to the heat of things and my partner started calling me “My Randa”, I would not be able to stifle the urge to roll my eyes. But perhaps the possessive language is more to the liking of other readers.

Bad Guys Finish Fast & Good Guys Finish Last was all in all a pretty good read with some steamy moments, I only wished that we spent more time with the main characters getting busy! But A.H. Scott has truly written a novel that will give you a taste of EVERY forbidden fantasy!

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Reluctant Virgin’s Daddy by Sean Michael

October 4, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Reluctant Virgin’s Daddy by Sean Michael
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQ, Erotic Romance
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Robert Venus made a lot of money in tech, and when he sold his business for millions, he was set for life, which suits him to the bone as he never leaves the house, ever, and never interacts with anyone except his personal assistant. With his former assistant leaving to have kids, he’s forced to hire someone new and turns to the Master Temp Agency.

Ignatius Callahan has no idea what to expect as he starts his new temp job as personal assistant to Mr. Venus. When he pulls up in front of solid, ugly gates, he has a hunch this isn’t going to be a job like any of his others.

From their first meeting, Iggy is drawn to Bobby. In fact, the urge to call Bobby his boy is almost overwhelming, but the reclusive young man seems to want to hide away and disappear from the world, including Iggy. As Iggy works to draw Bobby out, he feels more and more sure that Bobby needs him as much as he needs Bobby, and he slowly breaks down Bobby’s walls.

Will Iggy and Bobby be able to find their happy ending together?

The temp agency Ignatius works for has sometimes simply placed him without any pre-interview before, so when he’s assigned to be Robert Venus’ personal assistant Ignatius has no idea what he’s heading into. Right from the moment they met Iggy is drawn to Bobby and those initial feelings only grow. Ignatius is desperate to draw Bobby out, and as they begin to get to know each other better Iggy is more certain than ever they are perfectly suited and really do need each other. As the urge to call Bobby his boy feels overwhelming, can Iggy and Bobby find what they’re really looking for?

I enjoyed this steamy full length story. I was particularly pleased that Iggy didn’t immediately start trying to be intimate with Bobby. It was pretty clear Robert had some emotional baggage and was hiding away from the world for his own reasons and so I feel it would have been inappropriate for Iggy to just blaze in and assume he could make everything fine and fix it all with sensuality and intimacy. The time they took getting to know each other and bonding emotionally and forging that friendship was really critical to my mind and not only made the story more believable but helped me as a reader to see why they connected and how this could work between them in the longer term. I felt that was really well handled and it helped make the intimacy when the men got there feel a lot more special and important.

The intimacy was hot and very very mildly kinky. I was really pleased that there wasn’t an enormous drama or dwelling on the fact that Robert is a virgin and while this is acknowledged there wasn’t some major past hurt or heavy plot revolved around that aspect. The very mild kink comes from the fact Iggy enjoys being a “Daddy” and I was pleased this aspect wasn’t the main focus of the story either, more just one of the many plot points. While Robert doesn’t have any experience with this I was pleased Iggy introduced the style and thoughts behind it slowly and gradually and Robert definitely appeared curious and receptive. Readers looking for a heavily BDSM lifestyle story might find that aspect of this story a bit light for their tastes, but personally I felt it had a good balance and was portrayed in what I could believe is a realistic and sensitive matter.

My only real problem with the story was that at times the story felt a little too unrealistic and rose-tinted-glasses. The romance and blossoming intimacy between Iggy and Bobby pretty much overshadowed everything else at times and in a number of places I found myself pausing mid-sentence and wondering at the amount of time Iggy and Robert had spent together either eating, exploring each other sexually or otherwise not doing their work or answering emails etc., which was portrayed as the whole reason Robert hired Iggy to be his PA. I feel a little more balance – even just a few more casual references to “after Iggy had caught up on the work emails and handled a few call-backs etc.” just to highlight the fact that the “real life” aspect to Iggy’s job and Robert’s business were being handled in the downtime off-screen in between the two men learning about each other and establishing their romantic relationship. I couldn’t help but feel this side to the story was left lagging just a little, even though I thoroughly enjoyed the romance and relationship that grew between Iggy and Bobby.

With two interesting and relatable characters that I felt were well fleshed out and not just cookie-cutter, and a lovely slow moving sensual pace to the story this was a delicious and satisfying read. I enjoyed the slower-than-usual pace to the romance and feel overall this should appeal to a wide range of readers.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The American Earl by Joan Wolf

September 30, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The American Earl by Joan Wolf
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

When the Earl of Althorpe dies, his daughter Julia is horrified to learn that the new earl is an American. Her father has left their estate, Stoverton, burdened with enormous debt and the only good news about the new earl is that he’s a millionaire. Julia’s hope is that he will bail out the estate and go back home to America, leaving her to run Stoverton, as she always has.

Evan Marshall, the new earl, has no use for the British and certainly does not want to be an English earl. However, he finds not only has he inherited enormous debts, but he is now the guardian of two girls—Julia and her younger sister Maria.

On the advice of his aunt, he agrees to give Julia a London Season so she can catch a husband and take care of Maria. Then he’ll be able to go home to America, where he belongs.

Nothing goes according to either of these very determined people’s plans.

I’ve lost count of how many Joan Wolf books I’ve read. I do know the American Earl is consistent with her other previous books that I have experienced, ‘flawless and entertaining’.

l found that the synopsis was a very good summary of the story. If a reader finds synopsis interesting too, then definitely give it a shot. There aren’t any sudden or unexpected plot twists in this book. The storytelling is smooth and evenly paced from start to finish.

The characters are well developed and relatable. The heroine, Julia, is a confident individual who had her world fall out from under her. The hero, Evan, had his world turned upside down and was like a deer caught in headlights. Together they were like the blind leading the blind with the help of their relatives.

Observing the sweet romance bloom and blossom between Julia and Evan was fun and interesting. They came from two worlds that only true love could unite. There was actually one surprise near the end of the story that shook Julia’s world a second time but it did not drop the floor from under my feet. Evan was my hero as well as Julia’s. That’s all I can say about that.

I never read a historical with an American earl but the idea intrigued me and I’m glad that I took the time to read this book. I hope you will give it a chance too. Happy Reading!

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

Igor by Francesca Dafne Vignaga

September 20, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Igor by Francesca Dafne Vignaga
Publisher: Windmill Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The only thing Igor knows about himself is his name. When he’s not busy playing, he likes to watch what the animals do, but why has he never seen anyone else like himself? Maybe it is time to leave home and go on a journey of self-discovery.

Where do baby monsters come from? More specifically, where did baby Igor come from, and what sort of creature is he?

I appreciated this picture book’s prudent and sparse use of language. It’s minimalistic descriptions of Igor’s life and thoughts fit his curious personality perfectly. Of course he wouldn’t bother explaining obvious things when he could be off having adventures instead. The audience could infer why he made the choices he did through careful observation, and that’s exactly what this reader did. It was delightful to come up with my own theories about what might happen to him next before discovering whether or not they were correct.

The ending didn’t quite seem to fit the themes of the beginning and the middle. After his long journey, I had certain expectations of what Igor would find and how he’d react to the answers he received about where he came from and who he was. It would have been helpful to have more development in this section as I did find it confusing based on everything that had happened to him earlier.

With that being said, I adored Igor as a character. His unflappable personality was the perfect fit for all of the unexpected twists and turns in his adventures. There was nothing that would stand in his way of seeking the truth. I did feel I got to know him well, but I can’t help but it hope there will be more stories about him coming in the future.

Igor is a good pick for imaginative and adventurous readers of all ages.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Finding Happiness In The Dark by Kenneth Liddane

September 17, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Finding Happiness In The Dark by Kenneth Liddane
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Have you ever said
“I WILL BE HAPPY IF…”?

Did you ever achieve that? And if so, what happened next? Are you living happily ever after, or did you set new goals and update your “I will be happy if…” statement?

In this book, I address the fact that the search for happiness is flawed! Happiness is unique to each individual, it is ever-changing and conditional.

By searching for happiness, I am actually just reminding myself that I am not happy now! After all, why would I search for happiness if I am already happy?

I can tell myself that I am fine, but that doesn’t change how I actually feel, and how I actually feel directly impacts how I perceive the world around me, which affects how I think and behave.

So why do I endure this darkness while I try and persuade myself and others that everything is OK?

Finding Happiness In The Dark directly links our thoughts, feelings, emotions and behaviours with the same core instincts and drives as every living thing on this planet.

With this insight, you can see how unhelpful thoughts, feelings, emotions and behaviours develop as we try to navigate through life’s challenges both internally and externally.

By considering the knowledge, skills and possible supports highlighted in this book, you will see that you no longer need to avoid, suppress or endure any part of your true self.

All aspects of your natural self are valuable, and by learning to realise your full potential, you can utilise all of the resources that are at your disposal, and become better able to face any challenge and life experience that comes your way.

Let Finding Happiness In The Dark help you emerge from the darkness,
so happiness has nowhere to hide!

What are you waiting for?

What would you be willing to do to become a happier person?

My favorite sections were the ones that discussed why it might not be the best idea to make chasing happiness a goal in and of itself. They were filled with examples of how fleeting this emotion can be and how strongly our perceptions of it can be influenced by any number of factors, from the mood one woke up with that day to the opinions of those around them. This wasn’t to say that happiness doesn’t provide useful information at times, only that the author felt there were more accurate and meaningful ways to keep track of how one is doing and what, if anything, they wish to improve upon.

This book would have benefited from another round of editing because of how wordy and repetitive the writing in it could be at times. It could have been edited down tightly to novella length or kept the same size if it had included more details about the mental exercises and psychological terms the author was discussing. I would have been pleased with either option, but my attention did wander while reading certain passages that over-explained the same points more than once even though I was quite interested in the premise in general.

The questions left at the end of each chapter for readers to quietly ponder were helpful. I appreciated how open-ended they were. Not only did their lack of assumptions about how a reader might answer them make them easy to answer, they also revealed parts of me to myself that I’d never really spent much time exploring before. It was rewarding to have the opportunity to get to know myself a little better there.

Finding Happiness In The Dark was a thought-provoking read.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

How to Be Kind in Kindergarten by D.J. Steinberg

September 16, 2021 By Leave a Comment


How to Be Kind in Kindergarten by D.J. Steinberg
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

From the best-selling author of the hugely popular Kindergarten, Here I Come!, here’s a guidebook in verse that shows children how to be kind in the new and exciting world of kindergarten.

Small enough to fit in a child’s backpack, this collection of short poems–one to a page–spans the entire year of kindergarten, offering sweet and simple tips on how to be your best self–sharing your umbrella with a friend; taking turns on the swings, and inviting someone to join in a game. This is the perfect companion to DJ Steinberg’s enormously successful Kindergarten, Here I Come!

It’s never too early to teach someone how to love others.

This picture book did an excellent job of showing young readers many examples of how they can show kindness to others at school. I loved seeing the wide variety of ideas the author had to share. There were examples for all sorts of kids, from talkative and outgoing ones who make friends easily to shyer children who might appreciate quieter methods of helping others feel welcome. It was also wonderful to see kids from so many different backgrounds represented in this tale. Kindness is more than just about making others feel included. Sometimes it can be a powerful way to fight back against many different types of discrimination as well!

I did find myself wishing that all of the examples had been arranged into a more defined storyline, however. They came across as anecdotes or specific moments in time instead of, say, showing a group of students learning how to treat each other kindly throughout the course of a single school day or something similar to that. If the scenes had been arranged more thoughtfully, I would have eagerly picked a higher rating for this.

The rhymes were well written. I found myself reading them out loud to no one in particular simply because they sounded so nice together. This was definitely something that works best that way, especially once I got into the rhythm of it and began to guess which words might be paired together next. It was the sort of poetry I would have loved as a preschooler and kindergartener.

How to Be Kind in Kindergarten was a beautiful reminder of just how important it is to treat others well no matter who they are or what they look like.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

The Old Woman by Joanne Schwartz

September 15, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Old Woman by Joanne Schwartz
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The Old Woman is a beautiful portrait of an old woman who lives contentedly with her dog, from award-winning author Joanne Schwartz and illustrator Nahid Kazemi.

An old woman shares her home with a scruffy old dog, her best friend and constant companion.

One fall day, they go for a walk and the woman throws sticks for the dog. She loves hearing the autumn leaves under her feet and the wind in the trees. She looks up at a crow in the sky and imagines what it might feel like to fly. As the wind comes up and the light begins to fade, she remembers playing outside as a child, never wanting to go in. Suddenly she notices a stunning harvest moon against the darkening sky. The next morning, as she sits outside to watch the sun rise, she looks forward to spending a new day with her friend.

Gentle illustrations accompany this portrayal of an elderly person who lives peaceably with her dog, appreciating what each moment brings.

Even the quietest patch of forest is filled with interesting things to observe for anyone who takes the time to look around them.

I adored the gentle atmosphere of this story. The main character and her dog were both getting older and moving more slowly than they used to. Seeing them take the time to marvel at the beautiful scenery around them on their walk made me smile. They were both good at spotting all of the little things that can make visiting the woods as the trees change colour and the wildlife gathers that last bit of food for the winter so rewarding.

There was some foreshadowing in the first few scenes that was never mentioned again as well as some pacing issues later on. Based on the foreshadowing, I thought the storyline would quickly pick up speed once the old woman and her dog came home from their walk. It was disappointing to see those hints go to waste as they were well written and would have given this picture book an extra layer of depth that could make it appealing to much older readers as well as younger ones.

The author did a good job of capturing what it feels like to go on a walk in the woods in the autumn when all of the plants and animals are busy preparing for winter. There is a subtle sense of expectancy in wild places during that season that isn’t always easy to capture, but she did so beautifully.

The Old Woman was a peaceful autumn read.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

A Mafe For Madi by Cooper McKenzie

September 14, 2021 By Leave a Comment


A Mafe For Madi by Cooper McKenzie
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

After a traumatic past, best-selling author Madi Delaney retreated from the world and became a hermit, never leaving her home. When her publisher threatens to drop her unless she does a six-week, cross-country book tour, Priscilla, her best friend and agent, suggests she needs a man-wife/mafe to take care of her. And she knows just the man for the job.

Out-of-work, long haul trucker, daredevil Garrett Bailey is staying with his sister when she announces she has the perfect next job for him. He will drive their parents’ RV and act as bodyguard and mafe for Madi.

Can Madi get along with the man her first crush has grown into? Will Madi overcome her many phobias in order to keep her publisher happy? Will Garrett be able to handle the job of mafe when he doesn’t know what a mafe is?

Madi hadn’t left her house in eight years, not even for groceries, so she certainly didn’t think she was capable of doing a book tour, spending six weeks out on the road and meeting a whole bunch of strangers. Yet her publisher is no longer willing to indulge her and they have refused to work further with her unless she does the tour. Seriously struggling Madi turns to her friend for help and the suggestion is quite out of the box. Do the tour in a RV and with a mafe – a man-wife – to help her. Can Madi overcome her fears and make this work?

I found this an interesting – albeit slightly unrealistic – short story. I really enjoyed and empathized with Madi’s character and found Garrett to be a nice blend of heart-throb and charismatic hero. I have to admit the two of them were very well suited, but the string of coincidences that had kept them apart for so long took a bit of work for me to ignore. I was pleased that both Madi and Garrett took their relationship fairly slowly. While they knew each other from their youth plenty had changed for them both and each carried their own emotional baggage so I felt it was far stronger and more realistic for them to ease into intimacy and not just crash right in.

The tour itself was fun and I felt it was an excellent blend of conflict and romance with the build up of Madi and Garrett’s newly formed relationship. I also found it quite interesting to see conventions and a book tour from Madi and Garrett’s perspective. It was an excellent scenario for Garrett and Madi to get to know each other, and learn to rely on each other, without all the usual pressures and hassles of work and day-to-day life. It was like a working holiday and with the only constant being their needing to support and rely on each other I thought this was a fantastic way to begin and grow their relationship.

Readers looking for a highly emotional and sexy story should be satisfied with this short story and I’m intrigued enough by the whole Mafe concept I hope to see more stories about it. Fun and sexy this was a good story.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Serial Killer’s Wife by Alice Hunter

September 6, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Serial Killer’s Wife by Alice Hunter
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

Every marriage has its secrets…
Beth and Tom Hardcastle are the envy of their neighbourhood – they have the perfect marriage, the perfect house, the perfect family.

When the police knock on their door one evening, Beth panics. Tom should be back from work by now – what if he’s crashed his car? She fears the worst.

But the worst is beyond imagining.

As the interrogation begins, Beth will find herself questioning everything she believed about her husband.

They’re saying he’s a monster. And they’re saying she knew.

Beth and Tom Hardcastle are a seemingly happy couple, but what are they hiding?

Tom commutes daily to London as a finance portfolio manager. Beth has recently opened a small ceramics café, Poppy’s Pottery Place, named for their three-year-old daughter. The book started off suspenseful and grabbed my attention. Tom isn’t home at his usual time. Beth is getting worried. The police show up wanting to bring Tom in for questioning about Katie Williams, Tom’s girlfriend from 8 years ago, who has disappeared.

After the exceptionally exciting opening, the book moved slowly and got a little tedious. As the title states, the book is about a serial killer’s wife, not the serial killer or the murders, or even really the investigation just the wife and her daily routine of working at the café and picking up her daughter.

Is Tom innocent or guilty? Honestly, the he story is more about what Beth knows or how much she knows rather than whether he’s guilty. This is what kept me reading to find out how much she knew.

The chapters are short and are from both Beth and Tom’s perspectives. I haven’t been in this situation but I’m pretty sure the dialogue and contact with my spouse would be a whole lot different, if I was clueless and didn’t know anything. Beth was more worried that Tom lied to her than about a woman her husband dated being presumed killed and that her husband is the only suspect.

If you like a he book with two twisted people (one smarter and more devious than the other) with a solid ending, then, give this book a try.  I could see it being the perfect idea for a Lifetime movie.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Night Class by Hannah Crow

September 3, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Night Class by Hannah Crow
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

All Rachel wants is to pass Professor Thane’s class and keep her scholarship. When the handsome head of the History Department calls her to his office long after everyone else has gone home, she fears the worst, but what Thane has in store is a surprise beyond her wildest fantasies and darkest nightmares.

Thane knows his history because he’s lived through most of it. He’s an ancient vampire, an immortal blood drinker whose supernatural allure has drawn Rachel like a moth to the flame. But Thane sees a ghost of his own distant past in Rachel, and soon he reveals his attraction for her.

With her life – and perhaps her soul – in the balance, will Rachel surrender to his unholy lusts?

She needs to pass and he needs her…will things work out?

This is a short story, but it’s got hot moments. He’s a vampire, she’s a student and they’re playing with fire. I liked the premise of this story, teacher-student relations. It’s hot.

This is a short story, though, so it’s a tad short on details and a little thin on story. Rachel goes to the professor because she’s not doing so hot and he’s happy she’s there because she’s hot. For sheer erotic reading, it’s got the heat.

That said, there are some quirks. It’s short, so there isn’t much to the story. It’s also a bit muddled. The story feels like it’s being told from Rachel’s point of view, but then seems to slip into omniscient pov. It jarred me, but might be fine for other readers. This story also straddles between erotic and hot. It would be fine if the author went right for hot or right for erotica, but the straddling might leave some readers wanting more.

If you’re interested in a hot read that will singe the screen for a half an hour’s worth of reading, then this is the one for you.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,
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