His Beauty by Jack HarbonPNRNovember 17, 2020, Self PublishedKindle Unlimited This is a fun take on the Beauty and the Beast story we've all heard a million times. Yes, Isla goes to rescue her father from the evil Beast and has to stay there in his stead so he can go home. And yes, Isla talks to the servants and is reluctant to interact with the Beast aka Lowen. However, this version is STEAMY. And Lowen stays a beast the entire time. Don't ask me how Harbon pulls this off, because I have Continue Reading
Review: Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo
Ties that Tether by Jane IgharoContemporary RomanceSeptember 29, 2020, by BerkleyAudibleReviewed by Melinda I love reading debuts because I feel like it gives a great glimpse into authors and their writing potential. Ties That Tether is such a strong first novel that I cannot wait to see what else Jane Igharo does. The main theme running throughout the novel is how to deal with cultural differences in a relationship. Azere's family has always stressed the importance of marrying a Nigerian Continue Reading
Melinda’s Minis – The Love Study by Kris Ripper and The Tenant by Katrina Jackson
The Love Study by Kris RipperContemporarySeptember 9, 2020 by CarinaHoopla Audio Kris Ripper has such a unique voice so I was looking forward to this book and wasn't disappointed at all. The Love Study is filled with awkwardness and I'm such a sucker for that in romance. This book explores so much about what does a romantic relationship *need* to look like to actually still be a romance? I loved so much how Declan and Sidney begin the story trying to find someone for Dec to date and have Continue Reading
Review: The Golden Boys by Rachel Jonas and Nikki Thorne
The Golden Boys by Rachel Jonas and Nikki ThorneKings of Cypress Prep School #1Teen & Young Adult FictionOctober 16, 2020, Self Published This is the book that got me through this crazy, chaotic election week. It was just the distraction I needed from politics and nonstop map daddies. I’m looking at you Steve Kornacki. My current book crack is bully romance and The Golden Boys, book one in the Kings of Cypress Prep series did not disappoint. What’s it about?Here we go…Blue has a hard Continue Reading
Review: The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan
The Duke Who Didn't by Courtney MilanWedgeford Files #1Historical RomanceSeptember 22. 2020, Self Published Review by Melinda I was destined to love this book - it has a protagonist who loves lists! How could I not love her!? Chloe lives her life by those lists...but also gets really behind on those lists. I felt like I was extremely her in basically every chapter. She’s also anxious and complex, did I mention I felt such an affinity for her?! And every time the other protagonist gives Continue Reading
Joint Review: Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone
Melinda and I are Cara Bastone fan girls so I thought it would be fun for us to do a joint review of Bastone’s latest release- Call Me Maybe, An Audible Original. Kini: The whole premise is that Vera, the female main character, calls tech support and starts an hours long call with Cal, the male main character. I love these kinds of set ups. When I first started this story I wasn’t sure I was going to love the male narrator’s voice. It was stronger and deeper than I had imagined. Continue Reading
Review: Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
Just a caveat that I don’t know if I can be completely unbiased when it comes to Olivia Dade’s books anymore because I’ve grown to genuinely like her as a person. I *think* I can separate the author from the art, but who really knows? However, Spoiler Alert really impacted me from start to finish and I loved it so much, and honestly it took me by surprise! The concept is a great one, but one I wasn’t sure would appeal to me specifically. April writes fan fic and is one of the top fic Continue Reading
Review: Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse
Black Sun by Rebecca RoanhorseBetween Earth and Sky #1Epic FantasyOctober 13, 2020 by Gallery/Saga PressARC Favorite Quote: "A man with a destiny is a man who feels nothing," he whispered to himself. Rebecca Roanhorse is fast becoming an auto-buy, must-have author for me. If you haven't read her Sixth World series you should remedy that immediately. Black Sun is the first book in a new series and as soon as I saw the cover I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. I'm not quite sure Continue Reading
Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. SchwabFantasyOctober 6, 2020 by TorARC Favorite Quote: "I remember you."Three words, large enough to tip the world.I remember you. V.E. Schwab is one of those authors that takes her readers on a magical, winding journey and they just never know where they might find themselves by the end. When I read the blurb for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue I was intrigued, so much so that I practically begged for an ARC. I read a tweet from the author Continue Reading
Kini’s Friday Kisses- Mini Reviews for You Had me At Hola by Alexis Daria, Like Lovers Do by Tracey Livesay, Fearless by Katie Golding, and The Mall by Megan McCafferty
We made it to Friday y’all. And it is kind of a weird day filled with lots of memories for many of us. Be extra kind and gentle with yourself today. But on to the books. Here is a smattering of books I started and finished recently. I even put them in order of how much I liked them, because why not? You Had me At Hola by Alexis Daria- This book was so good I am not sure I have the words to properly explain it. Beautifully written and engaging from page 1, Daria tells the story of two actors Continue Reading