Tag: NetGalley (Page 23 of 37)

Pia Saves the Day by Thea Harrison

June 24, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I was provided with a review copy by the author via NetGalley

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Pia and Dragos’s magical young son Liam (the Peanut), is growing at an unprecedented rate, and if that isn’t enough, he is also exhibiting new, and unpredictable, magical gifts. To protect him, the concerned parents decide to move to upstate New York.

Both Dragos and Pia relish the idea of leaving behind the city. They finally have the space to indulge their Wyr side, and Liam can grow in safety. It’s a breath of fresh air—literally—but their idyllic situation is shattered when Dragos is injured in a freak accident.

Stripped of his memory and bereft of Pia’s taming influence, there’s nothing holding back Dragos’s darkest side. And in order to restore her family and save her mate, Pia must confront the most powerful menace in Elder Races history.

It’s going to take more than a penny to fix this…

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I like revisiting favourite heroes and heroines and seeing how their happy ever after is progressing but what is even more special is when we get to see them fall in love all over again. I don’t think it’s too spoilery to say that’s what happens after Dragos loses his memory in an accident. Pia has to fight for him first though – he is hurt and confused and he doesn’t remember anything about their life together and who they are to each other (and it is a joy to see the heroine doing the rescuing too I must say).

Review at Dear Author

June 20, 2014 / Kaetrin

I’m over at Dear Author with a review of More Than Music by Elizabeth Briggs. It’s a New Adult book with a rock-star-in-the-making-hero, a classically trained musician heroine, against the backdrop of a reality TV show. I could not pass it up when I saw it on NetGalley.

Men of Smithfield: Sam and Aaron by LB Gregg

June 16, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I’ve read and enjoyed the earlier books and was happily surprised to see a brand new story in the series. I was provided with a review copy by the publisher via NetGalley.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) With our family’s legacy, Meyers B&B, in the flailing hands of me, Sam Meyers, and my sister Wynne, we’re determined to revive the place. We’ve started a series of blind-date cooking classes, and taken on our first boarder. Granddad is even now rolling in his grave.

Signed up for the class is our new guest, Aaron Saunders, a Californian transplant who’s distractingly handsome and clearly up to no good. I can’t quite figure him out. He blew into town and has been relentless in his search for…something.

The sexy sneak is intriguing. And we’ve had a steamy moment. Or two. But now I can’t stop wondering why he’s searching in secret. From the library, to the historical society, to my own backyard, Aaron leaves no stone unturned or record book unopened. He’s definitely gotten my attention. But that might not be the only thing he’s after.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Anyone who’s ever read a book by LB Gregg before will know she has a quirky sense of humour – so it ought not be a surprise that the “meet cute” here is when Sam, his butt hanging out of his ripped jeans (argument with a fence), has his arm stuck in the after hours book return slot at the local library, meets Aaron, who appears to be a thief and has a bag of handy lock-picks tries to get him out. Until the police arrive that is.

Take Me On by Katie McGarry

June 6, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I was provided with a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Champion kickboxer Haley swore she’d never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can’t stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she’d stay away from. Yet he won’t last five seconds in the ring without her help.

West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping her-fighting for her-is a shot at redemption. Especially since it’s his fault his family is falling apart. He can’t change the past, but maybe he can change Haley’s future.

Hayley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring. But as an unexpected bond forms between them and attraction mocks their best intentions, they’ll face their darkest fears and discover love is worth fighting for.

*Spoilers for previous books in the series follow. Be ye warned.*

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I quite liked West in the previous book in the series, Crash Into You. West was good looking, a little cocky and therefore not perfect, but he also tries hard, in his own way, to help his family. Unfortunately, he feels his actions always lead to disaster and he perceives himself to be a failure. In fact, given that he was always told he was conceived in order to be a bone marrow match for his then-dying sister Colleen (he was not a match), he feels he has been a failure from birth. He resents his dad, who spends almost all of his time working and most all of what attention is left over is for West’s mum. West wants his attention sure, but he also wants his dad to step up and be a more active dad. Then maybe West won’t feel like it’s up to him to fix things for everyone. Then maybe West won’t muck up as much. West is impulsive (which often gets him into trouble) and, after he gets into yet another fight at school, he is finally expelled. His dad, fed up with the drama from West, confronts him, they have a nasty fight and West is thrown out.

Devil’s Game by Joanna Wylde

June 3, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Liam “Hunter” Blake hates the Reapers MC. Born and raised a Devil’s Jack, he knows his duty. He’ll defend his club from their oldest enemies—the Reapers—using whatever weapons he can find. But why use force when the Reapers’ president has a daughter who’s alone and vulnerable? Hunter has wanted her from the minute he saw her, and now he has an excuse to take her.

Em has lived her entire life in the shadow of the Reapers. Her overprotective father, Picnic, is the club’s president. The last time she had a boyfriend, Picnic shot him. Now the men in her life are far more interested in keeping her daddy happy than showing her a good time. Then she meets a handsome stranger—a man who isn’t afraid to treat her like a real woman. One who isn’t afraid of her father. His name is Liam, and he’s The One.

Or so she thinks.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): There were a lot of things to enjoy in Devil’s Game – most especially the heroine, Em Hayes. As the daughter of the Reaper’s local President, she’d grown up knowing Club culture and understanding her place in it. She’s protected in many respects because of her dad’s position but at the same time, she feels stifled as well. Reese “Picnic” Hayes knows what guys are like, being one himself, and he doesn’t hesitate to chase off unworthy contenders. This has left Em in the unfortunate position of being a virgin at the ripe old age of 22. After she is kidnapped (which occurred in Reaper’s Legacy), she has something of an epiphany and decides to push back against some of the Club culture she dislikes and strike out on her own a bit more.

Floored by Ainslie Paton

May 12, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. (In the interests of full disclosure: The author and I often chat on Twitter and I met her when I went to Sydney recently.)

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) They’re a car crash waiting to happen…so why do they keep crashing into each other?

From the moment Fetch gets knocked off his Harley, crawls into Driver’s car and offers her an obscene amount of money to drive him from Sydney to Perth — no questions, no names, no chit chat — they’re stuck with each other. By the time they arrive, they’re stuck on each other.

It’s lust at full throttle, with no seat belts. It could be more, but he’s a fake and she’s a liar. They’re both neck deep in crime, and only one of them is on the right side of the law.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): There were so many things to like about this book. I loved that the main characters (Cait and Sean) were together for almost the whole of the book (yay for road trip books!). It was a relatively long book (these days I expect maybe 200 pages so 330 means long) and there was plenty of time for the characters to be developed, to get to know one another, for the sexual tension to build and still get all the payoff of those things later on without being rushed. I loved that Cait and Sean took time to get to know each other before things turned physical. There was a point where tension became combustible and Sean cranks it up yet another notch – I felt it both fit the story but was also a clever way of increasing the readerly tension of “when will they get it on!” and I appreciated that it wasn’t drawn out unnecessarily.