OUR PICKS THIS W👀K ➜ #BookReviews

OUR PICKS THIS WEEK

🔗 Heartless Hero by Mary Catherine Gebhard
🕯️ A Touch of Dark by Lana Sky
🛣️ Girl Gone Home by Kathleen O'Donnell
💞 When a Lady Kisses a Scot by Tara Kingston
💔 Abandon by Rachel Van Dyken
❣️ Ceifador X by Demi Vice

WANT MORE ➡
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Heartless Hero by Mary Catherine Gebhard

"Have you ever been so hurt and torn open you'd do anything to make the throbbing pain stop?"

Abby was a pro at projection. She learned at an early age to strike out before you were struck down.
A Princess of lies sporting her tarnished crown.
My heart bled for Abby she tried but people chose to ignore the truth - it is more fun to revel in the gossip
She wanted more...
more than the glitz -
more than just being a name.
She wanted to be seen - Truly seen.
But what we want and what life deals us are two vastly different things.

"Truth or Promise?"

"When I'm finished with you you will be forever lost. " - Theo
Theo... the dog, the hound who was raised to growl and guard.
Chained to an image that choked his soul.
He was always less than in the eyes of those around him.
He had loved once - only to have it cast aside like yesterday's trash.
Fools all of them.
He would have his day.
He would have his revenge.

Mom? Hope you choke on your champagne
Gemma? I look forward to your story I know you are hiding something!
Grant? WTH are you up to?

I suggest getting comfortable before you begin this one -
Once you enter the sordid world that is the Crowne's family you won't be able to walk away.
Betrayal
Lies
Deception
Angst ... lots of angst
And a few surprises that will leave you begging for more

I really enjoyed the way this story line developed. For me, there was a touch more... It is hard to put in words -it wasn't just cruelty to be cruel there was a lot of emotion behind the cast.
The story is easy to follow though there are hints at underlying motives that are easy to miss - they lead me to believe there will be a lot more coming for these characters
There are some scenes that I felt could have used a bit of expansion but that is me and if you follow my reviews you know how greedy I can get and when I connect with my characters I can never get enough.
Amazon 

A Touch of Dark by Lana Sky

Once again Sky has left me in the dark blindly sifting through the subtle clues and shocking twists with no solid answers. Oh, I have all kinds of plausible's - especially with that little unveiling at the end.
Sky has a gift for leading her readers in one direction, stringing us on a taunt line of suspense then suddenly dropping us into a twisted conclusion that we never saw coming.

Juliana is a mess. I am not sure if I want to hug her or have her committed. How she has functioned this long is beyond me. Though I guess the true carnage only lasts a week out of the year. Her character is a blend of strengths and weaknesses, just small acts that are nothing more than a brave facade to hide her guilt, her pain, her loneliness. She functions. She shines. She succeeds in hiding the truth behind designer outfits and false smiles.

Damien is a whole different dose of ducked up. If what he alluded to is true WHY? What happened in his past that would drive him to want the darkness? He is such a dichotomy of emotions. For a man who ensures that his muses go on to better things, I question his motives for Juliana. I know his feelings towards Juliana are not friendly but why the sudden change-up? She is already broken does he intend to shatter her further ensuring not even the smallest pieces survive. If so what is the end game? Is she part of a bargain? A promise?
Also, I do not think he is the vilest of the monsters stalking Juliana's life. If the scenario with his brother is even a glimpse at what might be she has bigger problems than the monster who likes his art 'suspended in time'.

I am impatiently awaiting the next in this series. I know there is so much more than what I am seeing.
Oh and Dad ... WTH are you hiding?
The copy I read was provided by C. Chimni
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Girl Gone Home: A Twisted, Quirky, Absolutely Gripping Psychological Thriller by Kathleen O'Donnell

I'm not even sure where to start
This is one of those reads that IMO you are either going to love or hate
The story takes place in Delilah's backwoods farming hometown. I think just about every cliche is represented. Which a few times had me rolling my eyes or smirking at the absurd truth of it all.

It jumps back and forth on a steady 10-year timeline. The transition is smooth and only adds to Delilah's retelling.
The telling starts out pretty entertaining and had me curious.
It did slow for a bit and I questioned my sanity in continuing but then it picked up again and from there it was non stop revelations. Each uncovering another clue or another holy chit moment - Many I never saw coming
We are left with some unanswered questions - many that I am hoping will lead to another book with some of the same cast.
There were some areas that could have used a bit more editing but they didn't cause a major distraction from the story itself- I'm just really picky when I read for me it's a bit like a movie so the script has to be just perfect.
The cast was colorful to put it simply - LOL - and I enjoyed visiting their small town even if it was on the heels of a?
Well, you are just going to have to find out for yourself my lips are sealed.
Amazon  

When a Lady Kisses a Scot by Tara Kingston

What an engaging tale
Our tale begins with our heroine Rose fleeing a villain who we do not know a whole lot about.
Her family is lost to her, she is alone, unable to seek help from the one man she wants because she fears to endanger him.
After close to a decade of being invisible she resurfaces in London to seek out some answers.
Not such a smart move. It seems she has been found and not just by the enemy.
Mac has always felt the loss of his Rose deeply. He has questioned if he made the right decisions all those years ago. A night that begins like any other brings him face to face with his lost Rose. Not only is she alive but it seems she may require a bit of assistance.
As Rose and MacAllister unravel the mystery of who is after her and why they must also face the true depth of their feelings for one another.

The characters were well crafted and the story stayed at a pretty steady pace.
Lots of breadcrumbs surrounding the mystery kept me engaged and turning the pages.
Rose IMO needed to back down a bit and take a thorough evaluation of her actions and reactions. Her character felt a bit waffly going from intelligent decisions to WTheck are you thinking moments.
Mac stumbled a few times with regards to how he felt but IMO he was more levelheaded than Rose and a lot more honest with himself about his feelings
When it came to the chemistry between them I had some doubts.

For me, the romance felt secondary to the mystery in this story.
I enjoyed the hunt.
I am curious to read some of the other books in this series
The copy I read was provided by Netgalley
#WhenALadyKissesAScot #NetGalley 
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Abandon by Rachel Van Dyken

This was my first adventure into the Seaside Pictures series.
The cast ...*sigh* they were the perfect family of misfits. It is unique when an author can get me so thoroughly invested in such a short time.
Van Dyken easily did so with Abandon.

Second chances - Forgiveness - Forever - all words for fools.

Ty once loved with all his heart. The day had finally come when he was going to get down on his knees announce his love and denounce his dream... Except before he could pledge his undying devotion the other half of his soul cast him aside. Shattered, broken and jaded he spiraled into an abyss of self-destruction and loathing. He eventually recovered physically - but there was nothing that would heal the broken heart he suffered.

Abigail... I am not too happy with her! She did what she thought was best for both their careers or at least that is the lie she tells herself when she walked away from Ty.
Love is such a fickle brat.
When fate (with a little help from their friends) brings the two together again sparks fly - tempers ignite -and old wounds are reopened.
Can Ty keep himself from spinning out of control?
Can Abigail reign in her temper and acknowledge her feelings?
Will this be the final act for both of them?

From the first slap to the closing kiss these two had my heart.
they were so caustic together yet at the same time they complimented each other.
The story line was fast-paced and easy to follow. Despite the short length I was invested in their HEA and couldn't help but cheer them on.
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Ceifador X by Demi Vice

DAMMMMNNNN -
This felt like a fast emotional take-down.
I am still reeling a bit from the events and the abrupt ending that just left me grasping for some semblance of sanity ...
I get that was the point but I am terrible when it comes to waiting.

Vice tosses us into the murky depths with absolutely no guidance with this one.

We meet the players -
Antonio so deviously unstable
Bianca the innocent little girl with so many secrets

We get some bricks on which to begin the foundation -
I have some ideas about Bianca and her illness (yeah so going there)
I also think Daddy is even more off the hinges than Antonio (No I have no proof just a feeling)
and Antonio the devil behind the mask I can not even begin with all the possibilities he presents

This is a prequel -
It ends on a cliffhanger
It leaves the reader with all kinds of questions and no answers
This has warnings - heed them!
If dark and taboo is not your go-to then I suggest passing this one up
I read a copy in KU
Amazon

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