en-US Wed, 11 Jun 2025 08:55:01 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7618870830 Wed, 11 Jun 2025 08:55:01 -0700 /review/show/7618870830 Laure gave 4 stars to Shallow Beauty (Kindle Edition) by Maya Black
Once upon a time...in a different realm.

This is a wonderfully dark retelling of the classic fairytale Sleeping Beauty. Elara is a princess who takes a bite of a golden apple, but instead of putting her to sleep, just the human inhabitants of her kingdom succumb to the curse and sleep. I will emphasize again the is a darker version of the fairytale and while there is a happily ever after, there is also magic, and an cast of mythical characters that are wonderfully written and sometimes quite amusing. This is a romance, but if you are expecting some steamy interactions, you won't find them in this book. I think this is a wonderful, and highly entertaining book that I recommend to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC of this book. ]]> Review7642417206 Mon, 09 Jun 2025 21:36:01 -0700 /review/show/7642417206 Laure gave 4 stars to Murder in Miniature: An unputdownable cozy mystery with big secrets in the smallest spaces (A Sam Baker Cozy Mystery Book 4) by Cass Landri
When Sam Baker agreed to cater the annual miniature expo, she had no clue how competitive the participants were, or that someone would kill to keep their secrets. Sam and her friends Hazel and Lily with her corgi Diggie by their sides must uncover a murderer before Sam herself is a victim. I loved this book! The characters are all so realistic they kept me engaged in their story from the first page. I must admit that while I think all of these characters are compelling, I think Diggie steals the show. A murder mystery in a small town with plenty of suspense and enough plot twists to keep a reader guessing. A must-read for any fan of fast-paced cozy mysteries with fascinating and clever dialog.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC received from Book Sprout. ]]> Review7641030696 Mon, 09 Jun 2025 11:59:35 -0700 /review/show/7641030696 Laure gave 5 stars to Moonmarked (Royal Sins Book 2) by D.N. Hoxa
First let me say that I could not put this book down! I stayed up all night reading this book and do not regret doing so, it was just that good. In an effort to not give too much away, I will try to keep this short and sweet which will not be easy.

Nilah has survived the fae realm, saved the prince, and been accused of murder. With a little help from Rune, she manages to escape the castle, but is on the run through the Fae realm, alone. Determined to make it to Blackmoon in the hopes that the fae woman Raja will send a message to Rune so he can rescue her. Unfortunately, she will end up in Mysthaven, home of the sorcerers, and a place that Rune was adamant about avoiding. She is nearly captured by one of the sorcerers but manages to escape with the help of the dog she freed from a cage which turns out to be an alpha werewolf. When she finally makes it to Blackmoon, Raja turns her in, and she is taken prisoner and returned to the Seelie palace. While the prince insists that she is his guest, Nilah quickly realized that she is more prisoner than guest, which is made obvious by the three armed guards that follow her everywhere. Unfortunately, Rune will end up participating in a “game� he had no intention of joining and ends up dead....

I cannot get enough of these characters, all of them are utterly fascinating and absolutely breathtaking in their complexity. Nilah and Rune have fallen hard and fast so this is a very steamy romantasy that just might set your e reader on fire. There is also an intricate and well-developed system of magic that this author has made easy to understand and a world where nothing is as it seems, this book is impossible to put down. Magic, murder, suspense, political intrigue, bloody battles, steamy interludes between the main characters and enough twists and turns in the plot to leave a reader dizzy, and with one h3ll of a cliffhanger that made me gasp. I highly recommend this book however I must add that it is essential to read the first book in the series before reading Moonmarked which is the second book in the Royal Sins series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC received by the author. ]]> Review7636677853 Sat, 07 Jun 2025 22:14:45 -0700 /review/show/7636677853 Laure gave 4 stars to All That Glitters in Pelican Point: An Opposites Attract, Small Town Romantic Suspense (Kindle Edition) by Delta James
Cruz Devlin is a former Navy SEAL turned reality TV star. Crystal Evans is a historian hired to find La Reina de Oro a Spanish galleon that sunk off the Florida coast. Neither are thrilled with being partners, but both quickly realize that they need to stick together when his past puts both their lives in danger. Suspense, steam, surprising twists, and a happily ever after make this a must read. Realistically portrayed characters with plenty of chemistry kept me engrossed from the beginning.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC received from Book Sirens. ]]> Review7633681655 Fri, 06 Jun 2025 18:00:49 -0700 /review/show/7633681655 Laure gave 4 stars to Code Name: Ghost: A Second Chance Romantic Suspense (Club Opus Noir Book 1) by Delta James
I think this is a fantastic series starter. Club Opus Noir is a front for another branch of Cerberus, and Cherise has no idea of its connection to her past until she comes face to face with Nick Ryeland her supposedly deceased fiancé. To say nick is shocked when he comes to the rescue of a woman with a target placed on her back by her former husband and finds Cheriese is a huge understatement. But the bigger question is, with he be able to let her go again after he takes down her crooked ex? I'm already looking forward to the next book in this exciting, action packed, steamy, and suspenseful series. There are some elements of BDSM play, so some readers might be triggered by certain scenes. Wonderfully realistic characters kept me glued to the pages and plenty of surprising twists made it impossible to put this book down.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC received from Book Sirens. ]]> Review7219423737 Fri, 06 Jun 2025 11:59:39 -0700 /review/show/7219423737 Laure gave 5 stars to Crowns and Curses: The Paranormals of Ahl Book 3 (Kindle Edition) by ML Conklin
Weird things are going on in the palace, but everyone she mentions it to just brushes off her concerns. Jen is at her wits end when she receives a letter which explains that someone has activated a curse which is the source of the strange behavior and could bring down the coalition. So, on top of discovering the identity of the Bellicose leaders and saving the coalition Jen has to find the location of the First capable of breaking the curse. Oh, she also has to figure out how to convince the hybrids living in human communities to trust her.
As with the other books in this series, this book has a group of characters that appear in the previous books in this and they are all absolutely fascinating, but this author also does an excellent job of revealing how their personalities have evolved from one book to the next. New characters are also introduced and they are just as unique and engaging. Wow, this is an action-packed addition to this fantastic series. Plenty of magic, various types of paranormals, and many unexpected twists in the plot kept me glued to the pages from the first to the last. I loved this book and recommend it.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book that I received from Book Sprout. ]]> Review7631500849 Thu, 05 Jun 2025 20:13:46 -0700 /review/show/7631500849 Laure gave 5 stars to The Off-Limits Play (Nolan U Football, #2) by Katy Archer
Carson McAvoy is the best wide receiver on the Nolan U football team and a hard partying bad boy through and through. When he first meets the feisty, sharp-tongued Nylah he knows there is something about her he is going to be hard pressed to resist, especially when he seems to be running into her everywhere. But the coach made it very clear, none of the football team is allowed to date his daughter, or else.
I absolutely adored all of the characters in this book, whether I had already "met" them in previous books or they were newly introduced in Nylah's and Carson's story. This author has such a remarkable talent for realistically portraying her characters that I found myself laughing with them and even crying with them at times. This is a fantastic college sports romance with lots of steamy interactions between the male and female lead characters. There are lots of emotional ups and downs with some surprising twists and turns in the plot that it was nearly impossible to put this book down until the last page. I highly recommend this book to any other reader.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC received from the author. ]]> Review7628284427 Wed, 04 Jun 2025 16:26:43 -0700 /review/show/7628284427 Laure gave 5 stars to Phantom: A Lyrical Dark Romantasy of Inheritance, Intrigue, and Rising Shadows (Heir of Lilith Book 1) by Beth Ball
There is much more to Silas Graveston than meets the eye and Natalya Slipshade has secrets of her own. I can honestly say that this book has so many twists and turns, and plots within plots that it left me reeling. Murder, magic, political intrigue, and betrayal also left me breathless. This is a must-read romantasy with plenty of steam between the main characters that it was hard to put this book down. The characters are all fascinating and kept me engaged in their story and the fact that they were all so realistically portrayed made this book even better. Needless to say, I highly recommend this book to other readers, and I can hardly wait for the next book in this this absolutely fantastic series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC received from Hidden Gems. ]]> Review7618870830 Sun, 01 Jun 2025 12:52:35 -0700 /review/show/7618870830 Laure gave 4 stars to Shallow Beauty (Kindle Edition) by Maya Black
Once upon a time...in a different realm.

This is a wonderfully dark retelling of the classic fairytale Sleeping Beauty. Elara is a princess who takes a bite of a golden apple, but instead of putting her to sleep, just the human inhabitants of her kingdom succumb to the curse and sleep. I will emphasize again the is a darker version of the fairytale and while there is a happily ever after, there is also magic, and an cast of mythical characters that are wonderfully written and sometimes quite amusing. This is a romance, but if you are expecting some steamy interactions, you won't find them in this book. I think this is a wonderful, and highly entertaining book that I recommend to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC of this book. ]]> AuthorFollowing109455460 Sun, 01 Jun 2025 12:52:13 -0700