I love arranged marriage tropes and Diana Quincy offered up a most unusual one in Tempting Bella the second book in the Accidental Peers series. While I did not read Seducing Charlotte the first book, each works as a standalone. With fleshed out characters, intriguing secondary characters and a unique arrangement I became completely caught up in the tale. Mini review: intriguing, romantic, witty and refreshing.
Last year Annie Walls blew me away with her post-apocalyptic zombie tale Taking on the Dead. The first in the Famished Trilogy it earned a top spot on my Adult Top-Ten Reads for 2013. As you can imagine, I was drooling in anticipation of Controlling the Dead. My friends, it was well worth the wait. Walls has created a fascinating world with characters that have become family. We see story advancement and character development as Walls holds are emotions captive. Mini review: engaging, action-packed and heart-wrenching.
I am a huge fan of Nora Roberts and love her tales involving a little paranormal woo-woo. Dark Witch is the first book in her new Cousins O’Dwyer Trilogy, and I was eager to read it. I preordered this puppy and devoured it in a single day. Set in Ireland, with witches, curses, and evil this paranormal romance offers the perfect read for a cold fall night by the fire. Mini review: Magical, suspenseful with interesting characters and lore that draw you in and make you scream, “More!”
I am a sucker for tropes with marriage wagers, bargains, and agreements. They never work as planned and offer up a delicious tale as the characters find things more complicated than they ever imagined. Jane Ashford’s Marriage Wager delivers a historical romance with suspense; unique characters and a complicated romance between two stubbornly flawed characters. Mini review: entertaining, colorful characters, romantic.
Marie Landry delivered the perfect little holiday novella with The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. It has a small-town coffee shop, memories of Christmas with Grandma, snowballs, hot cocoa and a yummy man from our heroine’s past. Mini review: romantic, sweet and filled with holiday spirit.
