Captivated

Captured (Wolf in Exile Part I): Shapeshifter Paranormal Romance

This book grabs you from the moment you start reading. Its like a really good roller coaster; hard and fast! I would recommend this to ANYONE looking for a good adventurous book that is very interesting and fun.

The good:
Great characters that are easy to identify with and believe.
Great scene setting. It was the perfect amount of information for each chapter. Like it was a movie in my head

The bad:
The book came to an end

Overall:
Heck ya I'm going to read the next installment, so should you!


Read this book here!

Check out the next installment Unchained (Wolf in Exile Part II): Shapeshifter Paranormal Romance here!

Find out more about dynamic author Amber Ella Monroe

It was a wrong number, excuse the ring!

You called me (The Blakemore series) by Cora blue

There were many things that I liked about this book and many more things that I did not.


Good:
There are several really good lines in this book, laughing out loud funny; not so much the banter between our couple, but with her young aunt and her best friend; they were relatable, so I enjoyed those characters. As a dog person I love it when a writer makes a pet a character! They have personalities of their own and deserve to be used more often. Our heroine has an interesting job, I'm over our shero being a lawyer or young clothing designer snoring! A financial expert sounds fascinating especially since I hate, but respect math. This book features an excellent antagonist/hater/ bad girl. Ooh I love to hate loud mouth meanies and can't wait for them to get their comeuppance.


Bad: 
there are no complaints that couldn't be solved by a good Beta reader, but:

Continuity one minute they're eating curry, the next it's linguini and sometimes I had no idea who was talking or what they were doing

Grammar

I can't even remember her name, she was a little bland and too perfect for my tastes. Give her some sass!


I'm just saying:

I found it hard to understand why she kept insisting that Jonathan who she thinks is Irish mafia (how she came up with that I don't know why she came up with this) had to tell her his life story, but she didn't tell him her whole family situation $$$spoiler$$ her mother is deceased and she was raised by an aunt and uncle, that is BIG. Yet she holds that back and annoys him and us trying to get him to open up and tell all his secrets. 

Review this book for yourself, Amazon, B&N, sorry, but I couldn't find this on Goodreads

Like finding a good man

Good books, like good men are hard to find.

Good men with jobs and good credit, like consistently talented author's are harder to find

Yet, I have met the works of Naima Simone ( have you read "Sweet Ultimatum? read my review). Her latest book, Gabriel: Secrets and Sins was offered to me as an ARC; I pounced. Literally, I was that girl in elementary class with her hand held high, squirming, and begging the teach; pick me! Please pick me!

And, Entangled Publishing obliged and I dove in!

Leah Bannon is an ex-cop turned PI investigating the unsolved murder of her beloved Uncle Richard  Gabriel Devlin—-the man she loves but can never have—-inexplicably stands in her way.

Only four people know the truth about Richard’s mysterious disappearance—-Gabriel and three childhood friends, who happen to all know our heoine, but have sworn to take that secret to the grave. A hidden enemy draws deadly secrets to the light, even if he has to kill to make it happen.

Yass, this is so good. I heart words, prose, poetry, floetry and this book has all of that wrapped up in a good mystery with a not so typical heroine.

I love that sweet, exotically beautiful Leah is the hardened cop, so strong, yet feminine. I like that Gabriel is falling apart, needing Leah, yet too stubborn to admit that it is time to move forward and take that chance before its too late.

Wow, I enjoyed this book. Seriously- can't wait to read this again and again.

p.s. my views were in no way influenced by the author or the publisher. Cause you know I try to keep things real!

click the link to read this book via Amazon or barnes and noble

You’re My Best Friend…Oh God! I Love You!

I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that one of my favorite romantic tropes is “Friends to Lovers”. Well not to me, anyway. It was how my husband and I fell in love. Our epic romance began in college. Though we attended different schools, we spent a lot of time together—partying, road tripping…partying. Eventually we became close. I trusted him with my most intimate thoughts, dreams and concerns—he was my best friend. Then, one fateful New Year’s Eve he declared his love for me. We were a tad bit inebriated—just a tad bit, mind you—but it was so sweet! I can still hear his impassioned declaration now: “I love that girl, man! I love her!” It just about moved me to tears…or it could’ve been the dry-heaving over the toilet that brought on the tears… It’s still so unclear. Anywaaaay, fifteen years later we are living our happily-ever-after! And he doesn’t need alcohol to tell me he loves me! *Cue the Disney birds chirping and One Day My Prince Will Come music now*

There’s something about falling in love with the person who knows you best—faults and all—and still adores you. In my new release, Secrets and Sins: Gabriel, with Entangled Publishing’s Entangled Suspense line, my heroine, Leah Bannon, has been in love with her best friend, Gabriel Devlin, since she was a teenager. She’s not blind to his faults—he’s broody, sarcastic, and has a thing against chatter—but she also recognizes that he’s loyal, trustworthy, loving and honest…well about most things. That’s where the Secret and Sins part comes in…

So who are some other famous Friends to Lovers? Oooh! Glad you asked!

Ross and Rachel/Chandler and Monica/Joey and Rachel –Like the title Friends indicates, the show was about six friends who lived, laughed and loved. And boy did they love! Sheesh! I intended to only mention Ross and Rachel, but then I remembered there were several hook-ups on this show! It was ménage a…a lot! Although the Ross and Rachel storyline is my favorite. “Unrequited Love” and “Friends to Lovers” all rolled up into one big, jumping-off-planes, I-realize-I-love-you-voice-mail happy ending!

Beauty and the Beast – From—you guessed it!—Beauty and the Beast! This is my favorite fairy tale. When most people read this story they think of the “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” or “the inside determines a person’s beauty, not the outside” themes. But this tale is also about a girl with a kind, loving heart who befriends a growling, lonely beast. Before their happily-ever-after, they took long walks together, dined together, talked and laughed together. Only later did she realize she loved him, and the power of that love and friendship ultimately broke his curse. 

Keith and Watts – Oh, Some Kind of Wonderful! It was one of my favorite 80s movie! Watts was a tomboy, I was a tomboy. She had a crush on her best friend, I had a crush on Michael Myler, my friend. I even think we shared the same haircut at one time…which was really unfortunate… Watts loved Keith and, though he was infatuated with popular socialite Amanda, she stuck by him. Even helped him win Amanda! But Keith eventually opened his eyes and realized Watts not just had his back, but his heart. Sigh.

Guest post

Hi everyone!


I'm so very proud to host author Naima Simone on my blog today. Mrs. Simone is a multi-published author in contemporary erotic romance, mother of two, lover of everything Vin Diesel, mother, wife, and RWA member of the Southern Magic chapter. You can visit her blog , twitter (I'm a fan), facebook (I'm a friend) or Entangled Publishing to learn more about her works.

Her new release Gabriel: Secrets and Sins is a great read for those of us who love Romantic suspense.

Secrets and Sins: Gabriel
Released from Entangled Publishing
June 24th, 2013
Available for pre-order now

Twenty years ago, Leah Bannon’s beloved Uncle Richard vanished without a trace. Leah, now a private investigator, begins to suspect it was murder. When she reopens the cold case, Gabriel Devlin—-the man she loves but can never have—-inexplicably stands in her way.

Only four people know the truth about Richard’s mysterious disappearance—-Gabriel and three childhood friends...who have all sworn to take that secret to the grave. But a hidden enemy wants those shocking secrets brought to light...even if he has to kill to make it happen.

After experiencing an unimaginable loss two years ago, Gabriel refuses to put himself through the pain of loving someone who could be gone in an instant. But as he thwarts Leah’s investigation at every turn—-both to keep his friends’ pact, and to keep her safe from danger—-the sexy PI makes it impossible for him to protect his secrets. Or his heart...