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Christmas Collusion by K. L. McLoughlin

After an overload of Christmas themed books during the holidays, I put this book off way too long. When I finally did pick it up, I wished I had read it sooner because it has great characters and a plot I enjoyed.

There are two stories here that merge and become entwined. First, we have Greg and Patty who meet in a coffee shop by accident… literally. The accident occurring when Patty bumps into Greg and spills her coffee on him. They get to talking and Greg asks her if she would go on a fake date because he needs to appease his meddling daughter Mandy.

Second, we have Justin and Mandy (the meddling daughter). Justin is the new person at the office and Mandy feels a strong attraction to him. It turns out that Justin is none other than Patty’s nephew. What are the chances! But there is more going here and as the relationships get more involved and these four people’s lives become more entwined there is more than just hurt feelings at steak. There are some miscommunications and other twists that happen that make this story interesting (sorry no spoilers). And as you can imagine, with the way these four get tangled up together, some humorous moments.

As I stated at the beginning, I think the characters are well done. I liked how the author presented them as sincere but fallible. We all are guilty of jumping to conclusions and the author used this to great advantage in the story, especially with Mandy. I kind of felt sorry for her. I couldn’t help but laugh at her. Not a mean laugh, but one that says I get it, I have been in your shoes before.

The plot was good. Believable, which always is a plus for me with fiction. Then there is just the right amount of suspense to keep you interested in the outcome. As the reader, and therefore being in the know, yet having to wait see how everything worked out when all the cards where on the table was half the fun of this book.

This is actually book one of a new series and I am looking forward to reading more from this author. I can easily recommend this to Romance readers and Contemporary Fiction readers. There is more than just a Christmas story here and this book would make the perfect beach read.

I received a free copy from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz

If you are tired of the same old drab Rom-Com stories, be sure to check out The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz. It is quirky, fun and a breath of fresh air in a tried-and-true genre.

Neither Nick nor Bee considers themselves good at relationships. Bee was involved in a disastrous relationship years ago and now prefers only one-night stands. However, recently that also has not been the best experience and she is thinking that it is time to swear off men altogether. Then there is Nick, the self-proclaimed failed writer who appears stuck in a marriage that is unfulfilling and disappointing for both himself and his wife.

Then it all changes when a misdirected email sent by Nick ends up in Bee’s Inbox. They start a lively back and forth banter that they both look forward to because they know they will never have to meet. However, they did not plan for the ease in which they can “talk”. It is like they have known each other all their lives and they just get each other. Maybe they are the perfect match.

Putting their doubts aside, they decide to meet at the train station. Call it a twist of fate but they never meet up because it is “impossible”. IKR!?! How can it be impossible??? I hate spoilers and I refuse to do them. Therefore, you will need to read the book to find out the impossible. BTW, don’t read the book blurb because that has the spoiler I am trying to avoid.

Obviously, I loved the originality of the story. Just when I thought there could be nothing all that new and fresh in this genre, someone comes along and just blows it out of the water. For this reason alone, you should read this book!

Another reason to read this book is the great characters. They were both so very imperfect, yet that endeared them to me. Yeap, I totally fell in love with them and wanted everything to work out. So much so, that I kept imagining ways that their relationship would work.

Throw in a fast-moving plot and a few twists and you have the reasons for my five-star rating. This story took me be surprise, not only in the inventiveness, but in the quality of plot and character development. I need to add this author to my must-read list.

I loved this book and am looking forward to reading more by this author. Great pick for Rom-Com and Contemporary Fiction readers. Be sure to check out this little gem!

I received a free copy from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. For more of my reviews, and author interviews, see my book blog at www.TheSpineView.com.

Immortal Rising by Lynsay Sands

Being book #35 in the Argeneau series, by Lindsay Sands, you can imagine how popular the author’s books are. This is Stephanie and Thorne’s story. Both of these characters have appeared in earlier books, and it is nice to finally get them together as the stars of their own story.

Stephanie was introduced as a teenager early on in the series. Now she is an adult and living the life of a recluse because she has the unique ability to hear other people’s thoughts. While that is good when hunting rogues, the crush of so many thoughts can be unbearable at times. Thus, her necessary rural and reclusive life that helps keep the noise to a minimum.

Thorne, also introduced in earlier books, is the result of genetic experiments conducted by his father Dr. Dressler. He is a mix of human and various animal DNA. As a result, he has wings and is not entirely mortal. Currently he is in Canada and staying at the compound that also contains Stephanie’s home while he awaits the possible removal of his wings.

When Thorne and Stephanie meet there is an instant attraction. When by chance their skin grazes the others, they both feel the electricity between them. Stephanie knows this can only be one thing, Thorne is her life mate. But will Thorne want her when he finds out her past and what will happen when Dressler comes looking for them both.

This book just further proves that this series is my go-to for vampire goodness. Enjoyed every moment of this story. I like how diverse Sands characters are and her imagination seems to know no bounds. She manages to keep delivering great story after great story and somehow keeps them fresh and exciting even after all this time.

Another thing I like about these books is that there is always some kind of tension and/or drama to keep the reader interested and invested in the outcome. The character development is good, and I was especially drawn to these two characters. I think it is because both of these characters have been through so much already and yet they still retain a positive outlook on life. Therefore, I really wanted them to have their happy ending.

I have read most of the books in this series and this one is in the top 5 for me. If you haven’t read any of these books, I strongly urge you to read this one or any of the others in the series for that matter. Sands always gives you enough background to read each book as a stand-alone.

I received a free copy, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

I wished I had enjoyed this book. Other readers did enjoy this book very much; therefore, I am going to chalk this one up to just not my tastes. While I explain my reasoning for my rating, keep an open mind because the things that bothered me may not be a big deal to you.

Katy’s mother, Carol, has just died and she is left without her rock, her best friend and supporter. To say Katy has lost everything thing is an understatement. She depended on her mother for everything despite being a grown, married woman herself.

Carol’s death happened just two weeks before their planned trip to Positano, Italy to celebrate Carol’s 60^th birthday. At a loss on how to live without her mother, Katy decides to take the trip alone. Once there she discovers a much younger version of her mother. She sets out to discover more about this version of her mother she never knew existed.

Before I delve into the parts I didn’t like, I would like to talk about the things I did like. First, I loved the descriptions of the Italian coast, the food and life. It made me want to drop everything, pack a bag and go see for myself all the delights of this lovely seaside town.

I enjoyed the plot (for the most part) and thought the pacing was good. However, I was not a fan of how the time travel was handled. It read as an afterthought or that it just thrown in to make the plot work. If you time traveled, wouldn’t you notice things like old cars everywhere that looked new, no cell phones, that people dressed funny. I guess there was a time bubble just around Katy?? Yeah, I know it is fiction, but it has to be at least plausible in some parallel universe.

Then we had the relationship between Katy and Carol. Katy was so clingy it was to the point of being unhealthily. It felt like Katy, couldn’t wipe her own behind without asking her mother for permission. The relationship described was well beyond clingy going into the scary and creepy territory. I’m still shuddering to think about it.

In short, I was disappointed in what could have been a great story. Though I feel uncomfortable recommending this book, I know a lot of people will enjoy it. Therefore, I suggest you decide for yourself.

I received a free copy, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

All I Want For Christmas Is the Girl Who Can’t Love

This book, though mostly not set during the holidays, still has the special magic that only the holiday season can bring. It is an imaginative coming-of-age story and will definitely warm your heart.

Savannah meets Jordan at the start of the semester when he offers to help her carry her mattress to her dorm room. In the days following move in, they keep running into each other and before long a friendship develops, but Jordan wants more. However, Savannah is convinced that true love does not exist. She thinks love is just a primitive response to mating. This is only reinforced by her mother and grandmother’s experiences.

Jordan is not without wanting to put off love because his career goals come first. However, as the semester progresses, Jordan and Savannah are drawn to each other. They just seem to click and Jordan becomes determined to prove to Savannah that true love does exist. When they find a collection of letters from the revolutionary war between a solider and the woman he loved, Jorden uses this as the opportunity to prove the existence of true love. The question is. will this be enough to prove to Savannah that true love exists?

The characters in this story were fabulous. They are genuine and the dialog was what I would expect from young adults. I liked how the author used Savannah’s challenges with empathy. Because Savannah is challenged, the author was able to highlight how strong and intelligent she is, with a fierceness about her that many her age don’t have.

I also loved that the tension slowly built in the story and there could not have been a better setting for this book. The historical element of the letters added a nice layer to the story and helped moved the plot along. I wanted to find out what happened to everyone and it had me rushing to finish.

This book was charming, and had a strong feel-good vibe. I highly recommend it to lovers of YA and romance. It is not only a great holiday read, but would make a great beach read because a lot of the book takes place outside of the holidays.

I received a free copy from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Christmas With Hamish by Sophie Penhaligon

I am always a sucker for books that have animals in them. I am so glad I happened to run across this one on NetGalley. It satisfied my need to read a happy holiday story where animals played an important role. This is just what I wanted!

Verity has been dreading the trip to Vancouver for her sister’s wedding. She has always been an outsider and her sister and mother treat her more like a servant than family. She consoles herself knowing she will have a ski vacation to enjoy with her friends after the wedding. However, when her sister’s dog sitter cancels at the last minute, she gets roped into dog sitting.

Dog sitting is totally outside Verity’s comfort zone. Fortunately, the neighbor down the hall, Nikau and his dog Chunk, come to the rescue. Before long Verity is an unofficial dog Aunt. In addition, to learning all things dog, she has an instant connection to Nikau and a budding romance begins.

This is a typical feel good romance with a happy ending. I liked the characters a lot. I was especially happy with Nikau. He was loving and protective but not smothering. There needs to be more people like him in real life!

The story was good and the plot moved nicely. There was a bit of tension in the story that keep me interested. Overall, very well done.

I recommend this books for fans of romance. I also think readers who love a Christmas story will enjoy this too. Yet, it is not only a great holiday story, it is a story feel good story for any time of year.

I received a free copy, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton

What an oxymoron, essential and expendable. That is the situation the main character finds himself in in this fast paced Sci-Fi adventure. Mickey7, by Edward Ashton, is truly an inventive and realistic feeling story of what it might be like to live on a hostile alien planet. Very enjoyable. I need more books like this!

Mickey has the undesirable position of being the “Expendable” on an ice planet light years away from any human outpost. His position gives new meaning to the term dirty job. He gets tasks that are the most hazardous but necessary to everyone’s survival. It he dies while performing these tasks, no problem, just clone another Mickey. He is currently iteration 7, until he isn’t.

Where resources are more than scarce, and calorie intake is closely monitored, there can’t be two of him. Yet, by some fluke, or bad luck, there is now a Mickey8. To top it off, this planet has a hostile native species that is intent on killing the colonist. Will the Mickeys be able to keep it secret that there are now two of them? An even bigger question, will the colony even survive?

This is one of the most original Sci-Fi stories I have read in a while and there was some excellent world building to go along with it. I especially appreciated that the author showed us the gritty side of what it would be like to start a colony on a far flung planet. The risks involved, the mistakes and assumptions that are made well in advance that might doom a colony before it even steps foot on a new world. It is obvious the author did his homework and thought through what the consequences might be.

I also like the main character, Mickey7. He was compelling, snarky and even a little whiny at times. However, I felt sorry for him even though I know his situation was all his own doing. I do wish I had gotten a little bit more background on some of the minor characters. This is a minor detail I can easily overlook since the plot was fast paced and made the pages goes by quickly.

This book is not too heavy on the science, so it is a perfect pick for those readers who like more fiction than fact. Great story, with believable characters make this an easy recommendation to loves of Science Fiction, especially Space Opera.

I received a free copy from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Adelia by Dan Barron

This book is a skillfully told story about love, regrets and second chances. Filled with wonderful imagery and a touching story, it will make you believe in true love again.

Jack Landen is a total mess since his wife’s suicide. He is overwhelmed by guilt and can’t take care of himself, let alone his two young daughters. He is desperate and wishing he could go back in time and do things different. He wants, more than anything, to be the man his wife, Adelia, deserves.

Someone must have heard him because he wakes up in the past when he was a single musician and just cruising through life without a care. When he realizes what has happened, he immediately sets off to find Adelia. He is determined to find her and change the course of events that will ultimately lead to Adelia’s death.

Jack was a likeable (though not at first) and relatable character. He is flawed; yet, strong enough to recognize it and man enough to want to do something about it instead of continuing to whine about it like most people would do. At first, I thought he was just a self-centered ass; but, I changed my mind as I get deeper into the story. So, kudos to the author for managing that in a realistic way. I also liked the character of Adelia and the author’s thoughtful use of her character to show how jealous can break us down over time.

The plot was well executed, not too serious and not too trivial, and with enough tension and action to keep me interested. I thought the subplot tied all the parts together nicely and the little twist was cool too. I was definitely routing for Jack and Adelia.

There was a lot to take away from this book. For me, the biggest one is love is never easy. There were other themes throughout that made the story more interesting, jealously being another big one as well as forgiveness. Because of this, the book is perfect for a book club discussion.

If you like stories that make you think, this is one you should put on your to-be-read list. I highly recommend.

I received a free copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik

This book, Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik, is a stellar start to a wonderful new Sci-Fi series. I am still getting goose bumps from this story days after reading it. This book is the real deal, it has all the feels and you don’t want to miss out on it.

Octavia (Tavi) Zarola and her small, close knit crew are contracted by Torran Fletcher, a dangerous Valoff, to help him find out who stole something very important from him and recover it. He is very vague about the item and insists that humans are behind the thief and he needs a human to help him recover it. Despite her misgivings, Tavi takes the job because it is so lucrative and if she can find this stolen item, in a short period of time, there will be a bonus. Of course, there is a caveat to the deal, Torran demands that he and his crew join forces with hers. Besides the hunt begins on the Valoff home world and Tavi will need him to provide safe passage there.

Once they get underway Tavi discovers there is much more to this ex-military commander than meets the eye. He infuriates and arouses her. In addition, she discovers there is a softer side to him that he keeps well-hidden and she is not the only one feeling the attraction. As they work to recover the item, they both learn that there are secrets that their governments have keep from them as well as secrets they are keeping from each other. The question will be, when it comes down to it, can they trust each other?

I was drawn into this story before the end of the first chapter because the characters were well done and I was intrigued to see how the relationship between the two crews would develop. There was obvious chemistry between different characters and as you learn more about them you can’t help to become invested in the outcome.

The plot was good and I thought some of the ideas presented worked well to move the story forward. I especially was intrigued by one idea in particular, that humans were seeded on other worlds, sometime in the past, and that two distinct lines of humanity have evolved very differently. It got me to thinking, if this could have happened, how closely related and how much DNA would have to be shared before a species can be considered human.

There is no cliffhanger; however, there is much more to this story and I am excited to see what happens next. I also want to know more about the other characters. Will any of those relationships bloom into something more? In addition, I get the impression that the various governments are not done meddling. Will we meet another race of aliens much more advanced? So many questions and so much to look forward to. I hope I am not kept waiting too long for the answers.

This is the perfect Space Opera for fans of The Interdependency series by John Scalzi. It is exciting and highly addictive. I highly recommend! I received a free copy from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher

Though this is a well-loved troupe of enemies to lovers, you can’t help but love this sweet and funny story. The characters make this paranormal Rom-Com well worth reading. Give me a swoon worth leading man and a sassy witch any day!

Violet Maxwell is one of three triplets and the only one without any magic ability and life is going well for her without it, thank you very much.…. until it isn’t. First off, she finds out that that she will be forced to mate with someone in order to stabilize the magic she does not possess. Stupid laws! Furthermore, at an engagement party for one of her sisters, she runs into an old flame, Lincoln Thorne, who broke her heart in school. He stirs not only her anger, but feelings she would rather not revisit.

However, Lincoln popping back into Violet’s life maybe fortuitous, since he is also facing a similar fate of an arranged marriage. When Lincoln suggests that they fake date in order to bide themselves more time to figure out a way out of these unwanted marriages, Violet goes along with his plan. Yet, the feelings that he stirs maybe the least of her problems, because he also has stirred her magic to life.

I have been stuck on these rom-coms lately because I am a sucker for a happy ending, especially so with all that is going on right now. These types of books are the perfect escapism that I find are the perfect stress relief. This book in particular fit the bill and drew me in. I totally got lost in the story and the funny scenes and snarky comments made it even better.

The plot flowed nicely and I loved the various paranormal elements. The author gives the reader just enough world building and back story for context; yet, not enough to get bogged down in. As far as rom-com goes, this is one of the better ones. Not too sappy, not too much drama but plenty of pizazz.

I really thought Asher brought her A game on this one. I recommend for all readers of rom-com, especially those that like the paranormal element.

I received a free copy, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.