The Secrets of Paper and Ink by Lindsay Harrel

The Secrets of Paper and Ink by Lindsay Harrel


DNF-No Rating

This cover is gorgeous, and the synopsis was intriguing. I was excited to jump into this one day when I was on a long car ride for work. Chapter one starts off with the story around Sophie. I was instantly brought into the story and thought this was going to be something I devoured. However; the more the story went out, the less I was engaged with what was going on.

I was just bored. I found myself dazed as I was driving. I did not care about what was going on at all. I ended up DNFing this one.


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Low Country Hero by Lee Tobin McClain

Low Country Hero by Lee Tobin McClain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Low County Hero is the first book in the Safe Haven series. After reading this, I am happy to know there will be more books following in the series. This was a romantic suspense that focuses on domestic violence. Even though I knew some of the things that would happen I still really enjoyed this.

This follows two different stories, but they are intertwined. I do not want to give too much away, but I loved both stories around Anna and Rita. This opens up with an intense prologue which caught my attention. I never lost interest as the story continued to progress.

There were a few things that I was not a fan of like saying the twins had special needs for having selective mutism. This was most likely from the trauma they witnessed from their parents. However; this was just something that I would have liked described as something different but it did not take away from my enjoyment of the story itself.

This also leaves so many unanswered questions around Rita and her story. I need book two now to know what happens!

Overall, I really enjoyed this and hope to continue on with the series in the future. I was sent a copy from the publisher.


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Child of Mine by Jana Richards: Book Tour Spotlight with Giveaway

Primal Shifters Box Set Release Day Blitz

Burdened by Desire by J.L. Sheppard #PNR #ParanormalRomance

Gracie's Secret by Jill Childs

Gracie's Secret by Jill Childs


No Rating-DNF

What would you do if you got a phone call saying your three old child was in a car accident and is now in a coma? Right from the start, this story had me guessing. Was this a romance? A thriller? I did go into this blind and as I was reading I was caught off guard a little. This read more like a Christian suspense than anything else (however; I did not finish this so I am not sure if that changed).

I have to agree with others though. I just never could get into this story. It had so much potential, but it just feel flat. It was repetitive at times, and I wanted more. I feel the characters and the plot were all service level. There was never really much development around either. I kept reading as I was hoping something would happen to capture my attention, but I found myself trying to force myself through it. I did want to know what happens at the end, so I skimmed to find out.

Overall, this one just did not connect with me. I ended up DNF and skipping to the end. I was sent a copy from the publisher.



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What He Never Knew (What He Doesn't Know #3) by Kandi Steiner

Until It Fades by K.A. Tucker

Until It Fades by K.A. Tucker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I love KA Tucker and have no clue why I put off reading this for so long. Unfortunately, this one did not blow me away. It was still good but did not rise to the level that I expect from the author.

I am not a fan of insta-love at all, so I appreciated that Cate and Brett do not actually meet until after 100 pages. However; it moved so slow even after they meet and I found the story dragging. I enjoyed the beginning, but from there not much happens. I do feel this would make a great made for TV movie though.

Overall, this was not her best work and I was a little disappointed. Still a solid three star read, but I expect more from one of my favorite authors.


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Sudden Frost by Viviam Frost: Release Day Blitz

With Love from London: Book Tour Spotlight with Giveaway

Stanley and Hazel by Jo Schaffer: Book Tour Spotlight

What He Always Knew by Kandi Steiner

What He Always Knew by Kandi Steiner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars

Left or right? It was as simple as that, yet it was not simple at all.

What He Always Knew is the second book in the series, and it is amazing! I do not even know if I can put into words how much I just love Kandi Steiner, her work, her characters, her worlds. She is just fantastic and this new book is no different. I devoured it! Where I really enjoyed book one, I loved book two! I am not going to give away too much of the plot as you can get that from the synopsis. I just want to continue to gush about my love for these characters!

If you have not read anything by this author, you must go pick these up! I read them on my Kindle, but I will be buying a copy of the paperback as soon as I can to add to my collection! Loved it


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What He Doesn't Know by Kandi Steiner (Book One)

What He Doesn't Know by Kandi Steiner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Re-Read (2019) 5 Stars

The third book in the series was being released, so I wanted to re-read the first two books. I NEVER re-read, but I previously received an ARC of both books one and two. For certain authors/publicities there is a very short turnaround for reviews. Sometimes I feel like I am rushing through a story to get it up in time. Also, being a mood reader, I am not always in the mood to read a book that quickly. That seems to be the case for this one as I loved this more than I remember.

I feel like I missed so much that happened, so I was happy to jump back into these characters. This was so much more heartbreaking than I remember. Kandi Steiner did a great job pulling you into the emotions of the characters. This deals with so much more than cheating. This deals with love, loss, fertility, and more.

I am excited to re-read the second book and the new book release now!

4.5 Stars

I was sent this book from the publisher. My ratings and reviews will be my own personal opinions and are in no way influenced by publishers or authors who may have sent me books to review.

I am a huge fan of Kandi Steiner, so I was so excited when I saw she had a new series coming out! I was even more excited when I was given the chance to review the new book.

One thing I loved about this story was that our main characters was in her thirties. So many books takes place as YA or in mid-twenties, so I thought it was great to read about an older character. This also deals with a marriage being tested as our main character does have feeling for an old love. If this will bother you, this will not be for you. I still loved it and flew through this story. I am ready for book two! I just do not think Kandi can do no wrong. She is an amazing story teller and I will continue to pick up anything and everything she puts out in the future.

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Never Let Go by Elizabeth Goddard

Never Let Go by Elizabeth Goddard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had high hopes for this. The prologue was amazing and instantly caught my attention. I knew this was going to be a read that I just did not put down, and I was right.

This involves murder, arson, love, illness, and more. There was so much going in within the story. There was almost a story within a story. I was not expecting anything that happened. There was never a dull moment. I was expecting this to really only follow finding the baby, but it was action packed with things happening at every turn.

I actually really enjoyed the romance between Austin and Willow. I liked that they dated previously, so it was a second chance romance. I actually would have liked to see more around their relationship.

The ending was a little convoluted with new characters. I was not actually a huge fan of how everything wrapped up. Normally I am dying to rush through the end to find out what happens, but with this I was just ready for it to be over. I just started to lose interest with the way the story went towards the ending.

Overall, I enjoyed this though. I would have liked a different ending, but otherwise it was pretty good. I definitely would like to check out more from the author in the future.



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Frostblood by Elly Blake

Frostblood by Elly Blake
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars
I received Frostblood in a book box so long ago. There are actually two more books in the series already out, that is how long it has been on my shelves. I decided it was time to give it a try or to get rid of it. I am glad I gave it a go.

Chapter one caught my interest right away. This may have been one of the best first chapters for fantasy that I have read to peak my interest. I wanted to know what happened next. Since I am not normally one to love fantasy, I appreciated the simplicity of the world. I never felt lost or confused around the characters or the plot. It was all pretty straight forward.

This did slow down a little when Ruby was training, but it moved along pretty fast after that. I have liked to see a little more with the romance between Ruby and Arcus, but that maybe the romance lover in me. I did not always buy into the romance, but loved the connection that was building between the two.

Overall, I enjoyed this more than I thought, and I plan to continue with the series.


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An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars

I know that this was in the running for a top read in 2018. I planned to get to it earlier, but I just never could work it in. I decided it was finally time to give it a go.

I will say I went into this not knowing anything about the story. When it started, it caught me off guard with the storyline as it was not what I was expecting at all. This was such an amazing story following the marriage of Roy and Celestrial. I had no heard much about this and I had no clue that the first third would be made up of letters (I will not spoil why). It still all worked for me though.

It is hard to say much, and I think it best that you just go into this knowing it is about a marriage. This story deals with rape, racism, marriage, cheating, and so much more. This made me laugh and it made me cry. I was captivated with their story from the very beginning.

Overall, not enough people are talking about this and highly recommend this.


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Trudy Hicks Ghost Hunter: Release Day Blitz

International Book Fairs 2019

The Dragonian Series Spotlight

Song of the Fireflies by J.A. Redmerski

Song of the Fireflies by J.A. Redmerski
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a hard one for me to rate. There were things I enjoyed and things I could have gone without. I seen so many negative reviews, so I almost unhauled it, but I am happy that I read first.

This deals with so many different triggers. If you do not like hard hitting contemporaries, you will not like this. It involves love, mental health, drugs, and suicide. Bray and Elias deal with so many things as you read about their story. They never catch a break from the very beginning. I will say, this took some turns that I was not expecting.

Overall, this was ok.


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Tudor Rose by WH Doyle: Cover Reveal

Unhuman Light by Chris Stoneheart: Release Day Blitz

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5
I checked this out from my library about two weeks ago and I totally forgot about it until last night. It was due back the next day and I debated starting it as I was not sure if I would finish it that quickly. I am glad I gave this a chance. I did end up finishing this in only one sitting.

Like some others mentioned, I had a little trouble with the beginning of the story. I was not sure if I would DNF, but the plot was interesting so I decided to keep going. I think it really picked up once Charlie gets out of treatment. If you are reading this and feeling the same, I recommend to keep going as I really ended up enjoying this.

This story does have triggers for self harm, suicide, abuse, drugs and alcohol, and mental health. There were times I wanted to scream at Charlie for the choices she was making, especially when it comes to Riley.

Overall, this was really good and I enjoyed it.


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The Girl With The Red Lipstick by Rakshita Govindaraju

The Girl With The Red Lipstick by Rakshita Govindaraju
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was sent this book for review, and I feel really bad giving it only two stars. In my rating system, two stars means I thought the book was ok, and that is how I felt about this story.

I accepted this book for review as the plot intrigued me. This story follows several characters as they are kept (captivity almost) in a whore house/prostitution. The one thing I enjoyed is how the author was able to pull out my emotions as you read about what was happening to the our main characters. It was pretty intense and disgusting what some of the clients made her do. I was angry as I was reading some of these scenes. It was also crazy when you read about how our character ended up in the hands of Mahima.

This does have a female/female romance as well. I enjoyed the diversity within the story.

This was only 170 pages and I almost wish it was a little longer and the writing fleshed out a little more. I would have liked more descriptions and details around certain things as at times I felt it was almost moving too fast. I never found myself invested into the actual story or characters (even with the plot).

Overall, this was only ok to me. I would recommend it if you are looking for something quick or with a F/F romance. There are triggers for sexual abuse/abuse as well.



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Dragons of Fate by CR Robertson: Book Tour Spotlight

The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib: New Release with Review

The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I actually read a young adult story around eating disorders a month ago, and it fell a little flat to me. I was interested in reading more around this topic and the next thing I knew, The Girls at 17 Swann Street showed up at my door. I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this several months before the release date. I thought I would just read over page one and then put it down until closer to release. Wow, was I wrong. The next thing I knew, I was almost 200 pages into the story.

This is written in what a poetic style. I was not really sure if I was going to like the writing, but I ended up loving it. I can see how others may not be a fan, but for me it brought something different and unique to the story. You also get different chapters of Meal Plans, Treatments Plans, and Questionnaires as you follow along with Anna during her battle with Anorexia. You also get glances into the life of both Anna and her husband leading up to Anna entering treatment. Her story was painful and heartbreaking as you see her start to battle that she is fighting.

I liked the other girls who were also at 17 Swann Street, as you also get to learn a little about their stories and the battles they are facing. I enjoyed how they supported one another.

This did get a little repetitive in the middle, and there was not much action. I wanted more around the flashbacks of Anna and her life as well. I ended up only skimming some of these sections to get back to her in treatment.

Overall, this was really good and I enjoyed it. I would give the first half of this book five stars.


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The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars

Every now and then I am in the mood for a great fantasy. I went into this with low expectations and ended up really enjoying it.

I do agree with others when they say that majority of this is developing the world. I appreciated that though as I was able to figure out different things going on more. I enjoyed learning about the world and the history around the world.

The story is told between two characters: Nahri and Ali. It was like you are reading two different stories, as they really do not collide until almost 300 pages when Nahri finally makes it to the city. However; I found both POV interesting. There was action on both sides to keep your interest. So much happened with nothing happening at all (if you read this you will understand). I had a few people ask me what this was about, and it was really hard to say as there was individual things happening but I was not sure how they were all going to come together. There was not a solid plot for the first 300 pages, so that maybe something you want to consider when going into this. It still worked for me though.

Overall, this was something I would not think was for me at all and I ended up really liking it. I am happy to have the second book on half so I can continue with the series.



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CROSSROADS A Multi-genre Anthology: Book Tour Spotlight

Albion Moon by ML Mastran: Book Tour Spotlight

Unbalanced by Courtney Shepard: Book Tour Spotlight