The Trouble with Hating You by Sajni PatelContemporary RomanceMay 12, 2020 by ForeverARC I don't normally do this, but I did read Kini's review before I began writing mine. I was curious what her thoughts were and it appears we had a lot of the same issues with this book. She is spot on with her content warnings... mentions of past sexual abuse, rape, and trauma as well as emotional abuse and slut shaming that had me turning Kindle pages angrily. It was a lot, and I wasn't quite expecting Continue Reading
Review: The Trouble with Hating You by Sajni Patel
Before I even talk about the story, I want to talk about the content warnings. The author’s note at the beginning of the book mentions “non-graphic references to sexual assault, death, and trauma.” And while I applaud the author and publisher for putting that in there, I don’t think it is enough. There is also emotional abuse and extreme slut shaming. There are at least two scenes that were incredibly upsetting and I think that other readers may have a hard time as well. In my opinion the scenes Continue Reading
Dream Maker by Kristen Ashley
Dream Maker doesn't release until May 26, but I wanted to share this review early so you know what decision to make :) I am not expert in Kristen Ashley’s books, but I have read over 30 of them. For me, Ashley is at her best when she doesn't go too far off course from her typical formula (damsel in distress/women in peril + alphahole + over the top drama + interesting cast of characters + overly long descriptions and conversations). I found that Dream Maker didn’t stray too far Continue Reading
Top Ten – January 24, 2020
We made it another week y’all. Happy Friday! 10. We are basically a Cheer fan account now, so I felt compelled to share this with you. Buzzfeed has a round-up of celebrities tweeting about Cheer. 9. But have you seen their whole Daytona performance? I've watched it several time. https://youtu.be/CYhgKyOO_98 8. Idol by Kristen Callihan has been turned into an interactive story. If anyone has tried this out, please let us know how it Continue Reading
Kini’s Most Anticipated Reads 2020
First I want to mention that almost all of the books that I am excited about are from traditional publishers because they typically release information about new books several months in advance. If you are indie or self publishing a book, we would love to know about it sooner rather than later so we can get it on our radar! Our request form does not require an ARC. Second, most of these books are from the first half of 2020, with a few from the second half as publishing hasn’t released much Continue Reading
Sexcerpt: Lethal Redemption by April Hunt
I LOVED writing this scene in Lethal Redemption! From four years old until her escape at the age of thirteen, Grace Steele had lived within the Order of the New Dawn, a cult buried deep in the West Virginian mountains. It was after her ‘defection’ that she found the family she was always meant to have with father’s sister and four overgrown cousins, and that family also came with the boy next door, Cade Wright. Her and Cade’s relationship grew from friends to teenage sweetheart, and finally to Continue Reading
Kini’s Friday Kisses 11/8/19
I don’t have many books to talk about today. I was so busy last weekend participating in 7 panels at the Maryland Romance Writers stage at Baltimore Book Festival. It was so much fun and I got to talk about books and I absolutely love it. I will try to write a wrap up this weekend. I did manage to finish one book this week. That is kind of love for me, but the time change has been kind of brutal. I hope next week I will be back to a better sleep pattern. All I Want for Christmas is Continue Reading
Guest Post: Friends to Lovers Recommendations by Miranda Liasson
Writing a romance where the hero and heroine know each other well and are best friends was a lot of fun. In this close relationship, the other person is someone who gets you, doesn’t want to change you, and loves you exactly for who you are, quirks and all. I loved writing about best friends Rafe and Kaitlyn… sprinkling little pieces of their relationship through the series and ending with their love story in All I Want for Christmas Is You. Who else but your BFF is perfect to call you out Continue Reading
Kini’s Friday Kisses- Reviews for books by Julianna Keyes, Nicole Jacquelyn, Elle Spencer, Sarah Mayberry, and a fantastic debut from Diana Biller
I’ve been trying to limit my time on social media and that has allowed me more reading time. After I got off track with my ARCs I made sure to read some over the weekend. Since last week I read 4.5 books. Here’s some thoughts about them. Team Player by Juliana Keyes- I closed out my Keyes binge by finally reading this book that has been on my TBR for several months. It’s a baseball romance. The heroine works in the PR department for a baseball team. The hero is a short stop on the team the Continue Reading
Giveaway: Celebrating Kitty Scarlett’s One Year Adoptiversary
One year ago today, I officially adopted Kitty-Scarlett. Just 5 days prior I made an impulsive decision to adopt her. I’d been thinking for years about adopting a pet, but it’s a huge commitment. But in early October I was really feeling my aloneness with my son in college and my parents announcing they would be relocating to Nebraska. I just knew I needed some other living being at home with me. I need to feel less alone. I went to my local shelter with the intention of just looking. I knew I Continue Reading