Category Archives: Standalone

#wotr #attendingauthor #standalone Amusement by Albany Walker

She’s everything I shouldn’t want, but exactly what I crave.

She bleeds innocence the way I radiate darkness. The moment she walked into my club, she was mine. She just didn’t know it. I’ll be the one to ruin her, and she will love every second.

Innocence lost can’t be regained.

My life seems rather simple from the outside. I’m the devoted daughter to a former rodeo champion. I never wanted to follow my mother’s footsteps into the arena. My boots are firmly planted in the dirt on our family farm, but an accident changed everything.Now I spend my nights on a stage, and my days in the barn. Dancing has paid the bills for the past two years, but no one knows my secret. Or so I thought.

Amusement is the darkly sweet duel POV stalker romance you didn’t know you needed

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53908799-amusement?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=eupSRY9UgG&rank=9

Amazon https://amzn.to/3wvVrBI

Review by Twinsie Dee

I bought this book and this my honest opinion

Oh my i can’t even put into word how amazing this book was. So Lucy is the sole provider for her family after her mom was in a car accident and couldn’t work so at 18 he did what she had to do she just didn’t know it would be working at a strip club, but the rule was they could look but couldn’t not touch her. She was doing whatever she could to make sure she could pay the bills to keep her family ranch. One day at the store she ran into Rafe and he was determined to get to know her to get her to be his. Little did Lucy know that he already knew way more about her then she knew and he was stalking her to make sure no one else would have her. Will Rafe get what he want without her finding out who he truly is or will Lucy run in the other direction. This story was wow it kept me in on my toes with each page, I’m so glad I choose to get this book it definitely wont be the last time I read Albany’s books

Albany lives in Michigan where she’s happily married to her high school sweetheart. She spends most of her time juggling her four children’s extracurricular activities, with her nose stuck in a book. When not reading you can find her writing her very own book boyfriends. Albany’s passion is writing romance with real characters that are far from perfect, but always seem to find their own happily ever afters

#wotr #attendingauthor #seriestarter Makin’ Bacon (homegrown cafe 1) by Mellanie Szereto


The women of The Homegrown Café Book Club are over 40, single, and loving it. Fate, however, has a different plan with a younger man for every last one of them.

Divorcée Tate Madison wasted fifteen years of her life with a liar and a cheat. Now she’s returned to her hometown to open The Homegrown Café, find a sperm donor, and spend time with her family and new friends. Encouraged by her fellow middle-aged book-club buddies, she begs a favor from her younger brother’s best friend—father the child her ex-husband denied her. Complications abound when she discovers she’s attracted to the man who wasn’t supposed to be more than an anonymous profile at the clinic.

Pig farmer Jim Cochon knows all about in-vitro fertilization, but he’d rather do things the old-fashioned way with the irresistible redhead he’s wanted to marry since he was five. Too bad she refuses his proposal the morning after their attempt to make a baby. He’ll have to convince her second chances are worth taking when happily-ever-after is at stake.

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55738894-makin-bacon?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=IrzaId05VG&rank=3

Amazon https://amzn.to/34Q7pK7

Review by Twinsie Dee

I bought this book and this my honest opinion

Tate just got out of a 15 year long relationship/ marriage after trying hard for a child but finding out not only had her husband been lying to her, and cheating on her but he also went and got a vasectomy without her knowing. No wonder she wasn’t able to get pregnant, so she got divorced and went back home to open a restaurant. Well little did the pig farmer who had a major crush on Tate since he was 5 know that she was back in town. Jim was Tate’s little brother’s best friend and was head over heel in love with her and she thought he was the perfect donor for her to get a kid from. Will she get the sperm she’s hoping for or will he think she’s crazy and run for the hills. This was such a cute small town story.

 

When her fingers aren’t attached to her keyboard, Mellanie Szereto enjoys hiking, Pilates, cooking, gardening, and researching for her stories. Many times, the research partners with her other hobbies, taking her from the Hocking Hills region in Ohio to the Colorado Rockies and the Adirondacks of New York. Sometimes, the trip is no farther than her garden for ingredients and her kitchen to test recipes for her latest steamy tale. Mellanie makes her home in rural Indiana with her husband of thirty-four years and their son.

 

#REVIEW – Appetite For Innocence: A Dark Psychological Thriller by Lucinda Berry

Be careful what you post online. Your next check-in might lead him right to you…

A serial rapist is kidnapping teenage girls. But he’s not interested in just any teenage girls—only virgins. He hunts them by following their status updates and check-ins on social media. Once he’s captured them, they’re locked away in his sound-proof basement until they’re groomed and ready. He throws them away like pieces of trash after he’s stolen their innocence. Nobody escapes alive.

Until Ella.

Ella risks it all to escape, setting herself and the other girls free. But only Sarah—the girl whose been captive the longest—gets out with her. The girls are hospitalized and surrounded by FBI agents who will stop at nothing to find the man responsible. Ella and Sarah are the key to their investigation, but Sarah’s hiding something and it isn’t long before Ella discovers her nightmare is far from over.

Fans of The Butterfly Garden and The Girl Before will devour Appetite for Innocence

Warning: Contains sexual violence which may be a trigger for some readers.



This book was insane. I kept trying to guess what was going to happen and how it would end because I knew that there was going to be a twist of some sort.
The book is written in both Ella’s point of view along with Sarah’s. We learn how Ella was taken by “John” and how Sarah was conditioned over the years. Both of their stories are tragic in the same way but also different. Sarah had been with John for four years, ever since she was 12 years old. So of course, it makes sense for him to have control over her in a much different way than he does with the other girls.
Parts of the book were quite frustrating but I also understood as well. I’m not a mom but I know that if it had been my child who was taken and I finally got them home, I would want to do everything I could to help them get through it. I would probably do what Ella’s mom did as well, even though it drove me crazy at times and I felt like she wasn’t listening to her daughter until it was almost too late.
I do like the desperation Ella’s mom faced when trying to make her daughter feel better. And to try and get things back to normal for her. While it was a little much at times, I get it and would probably do the same. You can be the strongest person and something like this could still break you.
This is only my second book by Lucinda Berry but I’m loving this journey into her the worlds she creates and I can’t wait to read more of her words!

#review #standalone #partofaseries Perfect Escape (Mason Creek 6) by Cary Hart

 



Charlee was looking for a place to nurse her broken heart, and Mason Creek was the picture-perfect escape. Small town life was just a temporary Band-Aid, until sexy single dad Grady gave her a reason to stay… and a second chance at happiness.



Goodreads  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57280527-perfect-escape

Amazon  https://amzn.to/2SEO8Jc

Review by Twinsie Dee

I was given this book by the author for an honest review

Charlee had the worst thing you could ever imagine happen to her she found her on to be husband banging her cousin who was a bridemaid on their wedding day. So her best friends and sister helped her escape and break the news to a church full of people that there wasn’t going too be a wedding that day while Charlee was on her way to the airport to go off the Mason Creek, Montana. After some drinks the girls were at a hot spring on the neighbors property were they got caught by the sexy cowboy and it all started from there. Grady the single dad was hook from the moment he caught Charlee in the spring and his world was flipped upside down and backwards but not only did he have his heart to protect but he also had his 4 year old daughters to protect to. Will they all get their happiness the deserve or will the past, karma and gossip of a small town tear them apart. Omg i loved this book and anytime a kid is involved its the best type of story if you ask me. I want to travel to Mason Creek to find a cowboy now lol.

 

Cary Hart hails from the Midwest. A sassy, coffee drinking, sometimes sailor swearing, Spotify addict, lover of all things books!

When not pushing women down the stairs in the fictional world, Cary has her hands full. Soccer mom in all sense of the word to two wild and crazy, spoiled kiddos, and wife to the most supportive husband. In addition to writing full time, she enjoys binge watching Netflix, laying around in her hammock and baking up cookies for her family and friends.

 



#REVIEW – When She Returned by Lucinda Berry

One woman’s reappearance throws her family into turmoil, exposing dark secrets and the hidden, often devastating truth of family relationships.
Kate Bennett vanished from a parking lot eleven years ago, leaving behind her husband and young daughter. When she shows up at a Montana gas station, clutching an infant and screaming for help, investigators believe she may have been abducted by a cult.
Kate’s return flips her family’s world upside down—her husband is remarried, and her daughter barely remembers her. Kate herself doesn’t look or act like she did before.
While the family tries to help Kate reintegrate into society, they discover truths they’ve been hiding from each other about their own relationships. But they aren’t the only ones with secrets. As the family unravels what happened to Kate, a series of shocking revelations shows that Kate’s return is more sinister than any of them could have imagined.

So this is actually my first book ever by Lucinda and it definitely won’t be my last. I’ve become obsessed with this genre only just recently and am happy to have given it a chance.

We meet Kate. She’s happily married to an amazing man and they share a daughter together. She’s a journalist and ends up interviewing a local “cult” called “Love International”. Unfortunately for her, she ends up getting sucked into their cause and all they stand for.

We find out that Kate had actually been missing for eleven years. Of course Scott, her husband, moved on. His life with his new wife, quickly unravels when Kate suddenly shows back up after being gone for so many years.

While reading this book, I tried guessing what the why and how but I definitely never predicted the ending.

I find cults fascinating and terrifying both at the same time. Kate never stood a chance with Ray and his charismatic ways. You learn what she went through while being with them. What they all went through.

I think I would have loved to have seen some parts in Ray’s point of view but am happy none the less with how this book ended.

I felt for all of the characters in this book and how they deal with a woman who had been gone for so long and suddenly was back. There was something odd about Kate that I never trusted. But you’ll have to read this book to find out if my hunch was right or not.

#REVIEW – Varity by Colleen Hoover

A thrilling, instant bestseller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author. Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. 

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity’s notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn’t expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity’s recollection of the night their family was forever altered. 

She decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife’s words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her. 

Due to extremely mature content, this book is recommended for readers 18+. Sensitive topics that may be triggering to some readers include graphic death/murder, child abuse, graphic sex

What the heck did I just read??? So I haven’t read a Co-Ho book since her Slammed Series. Well…this book, my friends, is nothing like those ones! I’m a huge fan of horror and thriller and anything that can mess with my head, so when I was told that this book is creepy, I was intrigued. But wow…I was NOT in no way shape or freaking form, prepared for that! At all. Like nope. No way. No how was I prepared.

Lowen is a struggling writer, a lot of them are. She just lost her mother and is feeling the impact of that and the weight of the world on her shoulders. One day she ends up having to go to a meeting and something truly awful happens that she witnesses. In walks Jeremy who saves the day by giving her his shirt off his back. Literally.

Lowen arrives at her meeting finally and lo and behold, Jeremy is there. After everything is said and done, Lowen ends up basically moving into Jeremy’s house to finish out the series that his wife can no longer write after being in a tragic accident that has left her immobile.

While Lowen spends her days reading and doing research for this series that she reluctantly agrees to finish, she ends up finding an autobiography from Jeremy’s wife herself. And that’s when the crazy happens.

I don’t want to go into too much detail but wow. Just wow. My mind is reeling. I spent every chapter trying to figure out what the heck was going on and by the end of the book, I was like, WTF that did so not happen. But it left me wondering, what would I do in that situation? How would I react? How would I respond?

This book brought out that old reader in me who could spends days reading books and getting lost in other worlds. That reader hasn’t been around for awhile but thanx to this book, I’ve finally found that reader once again.

Thank you, Colleen, for writing this book. Hands down one of my favourite readers. Ever.

#REVIEW – The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

An Instant Bestseller!
The New York Times USA Today The Globe and Mail The Toronto Star

New York Times
 bestselling author Tarryn Fisher delivers a pulse-pounding, fast-paced suspense novel that will leave you breathless. A thriller you won’t be able to put down!


Imagine that your husband has two other wives.

You’ve never met the other wives. None of you know each other, and because of this unconventional arrangement, you can see your husband only one day a week. But you love him so much you don’t care. Or at least that’s what you’ve told yourself.

But one day, while you’re doing laundry, you find a scrap of paper in his pocket—an appointment reminder for a woman named Hannah, and you just know it’s another of the wives.

You thought you were fine with your arrangement, but you can’t help yourself: you track her down, and, under false pretenses, you strike up a friendship. Hannah has no idea who you really are. Then Hannah starts showing up to your coffee dates with telltale bruises, and you realize she’s being abused by her husband. Who, of course, is also your husband. But you’ve never known him to be violent, ever.

Who exactly is your husband, and how far would you be willing to go to find out?

And who is his mysterious third wife?
This book. Holy moly, balls on a cracker. So I’ve never actually read anything by Tarryn before, even though I’ve been following her for years. This book. Wowzers. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into and I’m so glad I went in blind! If you can do that, I highly recommend it! The main voice of the book is Thursday and we learn that her husband is with two other women. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why this woman would allow such a thing but my questions were slowly answered as I continued to read. Not that the actual reason was any better because if it were me, it would be a big fat nope. I don’t share. Lol! But I don’t want to give too much away because I really feel that you should go in with an open mind. There are so many secrets and twists and turns. Poor Thursday slowly unravels as the chapters go on. It will leave you wondering what’s actually real or not or if it’s all in your head much like main character herself. This definitely won’t be my last book that I read by Tarryn and I look forward to falling down yet another rabbit hole!

#wotr #attendingauthor #partofaseries Just One Night (Oh Tequila 6) by CA Harms

A guy should never, and I do mean never, hook up with his friend’s sister.

It doesn’t matter how hot she is or how many times he’s imagined her in a not-so-innocent way. Nope. Those visuals should always remain hidden deep down in a dark place.

But of course, I just had to drink until I couldn’t see straight and screw everything up. Now, I know what you’re thinking, and I swear it wasn’t my fault. It was that damn tequila.

I never expected to wake up naked only a few feet away from the woman I never should have touched. But man, reality had been so much better than any fantasy I’d ever had.

But it all went downhill fast when she opened the door to leave and came face to face with none other than her brother, who is also one of my best friends.

I’m a dead man, but Jade might actually be worth it.

And to think, all it took to change everything was…

Just One Night.

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56985231-just-one-night?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=aAdZVsfEvh&rank=65

Amazon https://amzn.to/3eFLE5q

Review by Twinsie Dee

I bought this book and this my honest opinion

When the tequila starts flowing you never know what’s going to happen in the frat house and when president Issac gets a little too drunk he wakes up to find a blonde trying to sneak outta his room little did he know that he had just crossed the biggest cardinal rule in brotherhood history don’t sleep with a brothers sister. Jade was just wanting to have fun after being treated like shit in every relationship she’s ever been in including the one she doesn’t have with her parents, having fun is what she needed. Little did they both know the romp in the sheets would ruin both of them for other people and a baby comes into play. Will this get to be too much of a lead weight to the frat president who has done nothing but drink and have sex or will this be the exact wake up call they both needed. Wow oh wow this book was amazing and I’m so gonna miss these characters and this group of friends I didn’t want it to end but I’m so glad that we got some bonuses in the back of each character.

C.A. Harms is an avid romance and mystery reader. She’s always had a love for books, getting lost in writing and storytelling even as a young girl. She enjoys happy endings and HEA love stories.

She lives in Illinois and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. She holds an addiction for Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha’s and KitKat when she should really be focusing on water and maybe a fruit or two to make herself feel less guilty, but that feeling quickly passes…thankfully.

She is easy going, fun, and although she may seem like one of the quiet ones at first, you just wait until she gets to know you better…that quietness changes, fast

#review #yathriller The Lake by Natasha Preston


Esme and Kayla once were campers at Camp Pine Lake. They’re excited to be back this year as CITs (counselors in training). Esme loves the little girls in her cabin and thinks it’s funny how scared they are of everything–spiders, the surly head counselor, the dark, boys . . . even swimming in the lake! It reminds her a little of how she and Kayla used to be, once. Before . . . it happened.

Because Esme and Kayla did something bad when they were campers. Afterwards, the girls agreed to keep it secret. They’ve moved on–or so they say–and this summer is going to be great. Two months of sun, s’mores, and flirting with the cute boy counselors. But then they get a note. THE LAKE NEVER FORGETS. And the secret they’ve kept buried for so many years is about to resurface.

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43785684-the-lake

Amazon https://amzn.to/3c6jGx8

Review by Twinsie Dee

I bought this book and this my honest opinion

Esme and Kayla are returning to their old summer camp this summer as counselors in training it’s the one place they swore they were never going to return to after what happened the last time they were there. But they were here and ready to try and have some fun, but nothing ever stays hidden when you want to keep it buried. Creepy things start happening and the girls are wondering if their secret is coming back to hunt them. Wow Natasha knocked this one outta the park it had me on the edge of my seat until the very last page.

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Cellar and The Cabin. Romance and YA Thriller writer, boy mum, Tom Hardy enthusiast. Always buried in a book and a glass of wine.

#wotr #attendingauthor #seriesstarter #newrelease Season Starter (summer loving 1) by Amabel Daniels



Jessie

The last time I saw the man—jerk—of my dreams, he fired me. Now, he’s back in town to renovate my bed and breakfast before the tourist season starts.

I might have gotten over my grudge, but I sure haven’t moved on since him. Harrison is the ideal hunk, or he was back when we were young and stupid. My contractor is still sexy, possibly sweet, and easily keeps up with my sarcasm…but he’s a package deal this time. He’s back with a daughter and a chip of his shoulder, neither of which should matter to me. But the more I see him on the job, each time we clash and fall into our thrilling push-and-pull, I have to wonder if there’s something fresh to start with him before the summer kicks off.

Harrison

Of all people, it just had to be Jessie Green buying this old dump. Imagine my shock that the feisty, gorgeous, stubborn girl I fell in love with in high school is the owner of our town’s former brothel.

Her plans for a B&B are a nearly impossible race against time—doable, but it’s quite the hustle. With the tables turned—her hiring me—it’d be easier done if I didn’t have to see her day in and day out, worrying if she can overlook our past, wondering if she tastes as good as she looks, wishing I could have a take two. Hell, even a take one



Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57742057-season-starter

Amazon https://amzn.to/3xQJtUj

Review by Twinsie Dee

I was given this book by the author for an honest review

Holy hawt damn you can feel the sexual tension rolling off the pages as the story gets deeper into the story. Jessie always dreamed about opening a bed and breakfast in the run down mansion in town,  and once she got a lot of money from a relative she wasn’t aware she had she could finally do it. Well once the couple finally decided to sell and the town worm (wormer being his last name perfectly fitting)  so they made a deal if she could get the house fixed up by the time the tourist season started she could buy the house. And she ended up hiring her old crush from high school and damn did he age well but he also now had a kid. Will they get this house done in time or will their sexual tension keep them from getting the job done in time and allowing all Jessie’s money go to waste and letting Wormer turn it into a parking lot. Wow this story was amazing hilarious and hawt I loved every second of it.

 

Amabel Daniels lives in Northwest Ohio with her patient husband, three adventurous daughters, and a collection of too many cats and dogs. Although she holds a Master’s degree in Ecology, her true love is finding a good book. When she isn’t spending time outdoors, she’s busy brewing up her next novel, usually as she lets her mind run off with the addictive words of “what if…”