Review: Confessions of an Undercover Girlfriend

This e-ARC was provided to me by the author free for review. I was not paid and all opinions are my own.

If you guys have been following my blog since the early days, you might remember me loving Confessions of a Virgin Sex Columnist. Well Kaitlyn Davis (writing as Kay Marie) has written the sequel and was kind enough to send me a copy.

This book picks up right where Sex Columnist left off and SPOILER, our awkward and virginal heroine Skye is well, no longer a virgin. Even though Skye is elated to finally be with her longtime crush Ollie, she’s going to deal with a hell of a lot of problems. How will she able to tell her best friend/Ollie’s sister Bridge? Of course Skye can’t just have one anxiety inducing situation because her cheating ex John has miraculously popped up at her door. Will Skye and Ollie be able to have their happily ever after or will reality and lies ruin it all?

I have the same opinion of this book as I did its predecessor. I FREAKING LOVE THIS BOOK!!! I’ve never felt guilty about reading a “guilty pleasure” rom com novel like this and this series is no exception. I think what is so appealing about the book is the characterizations of the characters. They are just very similar to how you would view yourself or people you are close to. The characters are flawed and can ultimately be selfish even when they think they aren’t and I think most of us have been through that realization about ourselves.

I highly recommend these two books if you are looking for a quick and fun read, especially if you love novels like Bridget Jones Diary

Review: The Lunam Ceremony by Nicole Loufas

I received this ARC free for review from XPRESSO Book Tours. I was not paid and all thoughts are my own!

Now that all the legal stuff is out of the way we can get into talking about this book and the giveaway attached to it!

Synopsis 

Born from a curse that allows her kind to shift from human to wolf, Kalysia won the genetic lottery. She is the offspring of an original, born to lead and bound by her duty to produce an heir to continue their bloodline she must leave the only life she has ever known to take part in The Lunam Ceremony. This ancient ritual will solidify her place in the pack and determine who she will love for the rest of her life. There’s just one problem – Kalysia doesn’t believe in love.
That changes when she falls into the hands of Dillan Dukes. The attraction is undeniable. The connection unbreakable. He is everything love at first site is supposed to be, suddenly her future doesn’t look that bad.
Unwilling to give up hope on going to college and having the life her and Dillan fantasize about outside the pack, she reluctantly takes on the role as pack leader. When an unexpected proposal is made that will grant both Dillan and Kalysia their freedom she is willing to put her ego, and her heart aside, to make her dream come true.
One night.
One act of selflessness.
For the life she’s always dreamt about.
Only things are not what they seem.
Can Kalysia and Dillan find happily ever after with the consequences of that night haunting them forever?
Will one fateful night destroy Kalysia’s future along with the future of the pack?

Review

When I first started reading this book I was apprehensive. I wasn’t expecting Kalysia to be a sheltered girl forced into a lifestyle but as the novel progressed I realized that there was so much more. Kalysia is a fiercely strong character who wants to make a change. She’s wonderfully human, she makes mistakes big and small and then tackles the consequences. There is something so appealing about her. I’m interested to see where this series is going. 

Understand this is a New Adult book so some material is not suitable for younger audiences. There isn’t any gratuitous sex scenes but it’s mentioned a lot.

Overall I would give this 3.5 stars out of 5.

Giveaway!!!

Basically you could win a $15 Amazon gift card if you click the linky link.

https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/classic/aff53f5/main.html

If you’re interested in buying the book, it’s available on Amazon!https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Book Tour and Giveaway: The Requiem Red by Brynn Chapman

On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

The Requiem Red
by Brynn Chapman
YA Historical Urban Fantasy
Hardcover, Paperback & ebook, 300 Pages
April 5th 2016 by Month9Books

Patient Twenty-nine.

A monster roams the halls of Soothing Hills Asylum. Three girls dead. 29 is endowed with the curse…or gift of perception. She hears messages in music, sees lyrics in paintings. And the corn. A lifetime asylum resident, the orchestral corn music is the only constant in her life.

Mason, a new, kind orderly, sees 29 as a woman, not a lunatic. And as his belief in her grows, so does her self- confidence. That perhaps she might escape, might see the outside world.

But the monster has other plans. The missing girl’s share one common thread…each was twenty-nine’s cell mate.

Will she be next?

My Review:

I loved this book! I literally could not put it down, so I definitely made a mistake in starting it at work. I found it so interesting to keep having a narration change between 29, Jules, and Dr. Greyjoy. I was able to get a much bigger idea of what was going on in the novel with the narration switches and there was no confusion as to who was talking. It is a difficult balance to maintain and so many authors fail at it but this was just superbly done. The detail in this book is stunning. It’s a scary and beautiful world with rich and realistic characters. I hope there is a sequel in the works because I cannot be left hanging like this or I shall suffer greatly. I highly recommend this if you want a book you can devour in one setting and feel fulfilled from it.

The Giveaway:

If you want a chance to win this awesome book and other great stuff, enter down below.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YjlhNTVkYjM5ZWFmYzRlN2Y3YzM0MmVlMDkyNjI2OjE0NA==/?

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Book Depository

Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Brynn Chapman is the daughter of two teachers. Her writing reflects her passions: science, history and love—not necessarily in that order. In real life, the geek gene runs strong in her family, as does the Asperger’s syndrome. Her writing reflects her experience as a pediatric therapist and her interactions with society’s downtrodden. In fiction, she’s a strong believer in underdogs and happily-ever-afters. She also writes non-fiction and lectures on the subjects of autism and sensory integration and is a medical contributor to online journal The Age of Autism.

Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Pinterest

Other Books by the Author

Tour Schedule

April 10th: Launch
April 11th: Cover2Cover, Alpha Fangirl Book Blog, & Zerina Blossom’s Books
April 12th: Mythical Books, BritLitBibliophile, & Wishful Endings
April 13th: Mel’s Shelves, deal sharing aunt, & Colorimetry
April 14th: Christy’s Cozy Corners & Addicted Readers
April 15th: Reading Addict & Mom with a Reading Problem
April 17th: Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway

– US Prize Pack: Signed The Requiem Red, The Violet Hour audiobook, and handmade “misneach” necklace (US only)
– The Requiem Red ebook (INT)
Ends April 22nd

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour: Demon Princess By Kassandra Lynn

I received this e-copy from Xpresso Book Tours for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hello everyone!! So I’m absolutely thrilled and honored to be part of the Demon Princess book tour held by Xpresso Book Tours. Even though I am thrilled I will of course give my usual honest review. Before I get into all that let me give you the synopsis they provided because I don’t think I could sum it up any better.

With her father gone and her brother missing, Demon Princess Adriana has to assume the throne, temporarily becoming the Demon King. The procession is underway, and the princess is nervous yet determined … until the unthinkable happens and she is summoned! Somehow, Aldric, a mage-in-training has summoned the princess into the human kingdom. Now trapped, Adriana must hide her identity and escape before she loses her life in the hands of her mortal enemies.

First off, can we talk about the cover? I am utterly in love with it. I think it’s stunning and the covers on the subsequent novels are just as beautiful. I just am always drawn to blue and black covers with gorgeous dresses.

I liked this book but I didn’t love this book if that makes sense. It was an engrossing and quick read which was fantastic for my quiet shift at work yesterday. However, I feel like this book had potential to be so much more. We are introduced to characters very quickly and not all of them stay or are introduced at the end. I feel like details got a bit muddled and rushed. I do know this is the first book in the Demon Kingdom Fairy Tales so perhaps the following books will be more detail oriented and this first book was to just get everyone acquainted with the world and characters. I do think the characterization and emotional levels were well done though. I could really feel Adriana’s pain at being demoted to a summon beast and treated poorly by Aldric. I hurt for her throughout the book.

This book is very short only clocking in at 162 pages which can be very nice from time to time. So if you do want an engrossing and quick read in a new fantasy realm this would be a good choice. These books would be great for vacation because of their length or if you’re just a super busy person. My final review is 3 out of 5 stars.

If you want to buy Demon Princess you can get it on Amazon for Kindle for free or in paperback for $7.99

Evergreen Falls By Kimberly Freeman

I was sent this e-ARC free for review from Touchstone through Netgalley. I was not paid to write this review and all opinions are my own.

Hello my dear readers!!! I’ve been gone again for a long time and I apologize. I went back to work and had training and a lot has been going on so I haven’t had time to just sit and read. Hopefully that will change soon.

Evergreen Falls is a great, quick read. The story is so engrossing and the characters are so well developed that you get sucked in. This book takes place in 2014 and 1927 and tells a dual life and love story. In the modern day we have Lauren who is a waitress and has just left home at 3o years old to find her own life after her brother’s death. She works at a cafe at the location of the old Evergreen Falls Spa and Resort which is being renovated. She meets one of the architects on the project and he gives her a key to the still unrenovated parts of the resort and she finds love letters. She is then inspired to find out more about these people but also about the life her brother had here before he got sick.

In 1927 we have Violet who becomes a waitress at the Evergreen Falls and happens to fall in love with Sam Honeychurch-Black, a wealthy client. Of course their love is forbidden so they must meet in secret so not to be caught by Violet’s boss or Sam’s sister Flora.

What I loved about this book was the dualism between past and present. They were companions to each other rather than mirror images like many stories go. Lauren and Flora were immensely similar in their duty to family but weren’t these tortured caricatures. All the characters, including supporting, were really fleshed out and well rounded which is rare to find in a novel.

What I didn’t like about this book was the supposed plot twist wasn’t really one at all. It wasn’t hard to see what would happen when the story of the past got far enough along.

You can buy Evergreen Falls on Kindle for $11.99 and Paperback for $10.61 on Amazon.

Enchantress of Paris by Marci Jefferson

I received this book free for review from St. Martin’s Press through Netgalley for an honest review. I was not paid and all thoughts are my own.

Hello my lovely readers!! Did you miss me? I missed you but I am now back from my hiatus. In my hiatus I’ve started a YouTube channel which is BritLitBeauty. I’ll be doing book reviews, makeup, and lifestyle stuff. By no means will I be quitting this blog and I hope to have my book videos be an expansion on any of my blog posts. So now that business is out of the way, I’ll get into the review.

This book takes place in one of my favorite time periods and locations which is 17th century France. We follow the story of Marie Mancini, niece of a cardinal and advisor to the Sun King Louis XIV. Marie was born under an unlucky star because it is told she will be the ruin of her family. She was sent away to a convent and dreams to join the court with her sisters. When her uncle needs a way to keep the king in check he enlists her to seduce him and become his mistress. She quickly becomes Louis’s friend and then lover. By no means does Marie intend to fall in love but it happens all the same. Their love is always in danger from Marie’s manipulative uncle and war with France. Will their love be able to withstand war and all opposition to it?

I adored this book! I was so engrossed with the story of Marie and Louis. These characters were given such life and well rounded emotions that I began to forget this was a fiction novel and not an autobiography. The fact that in real life Louis was willing to stay at war to marry Marie amazes me. This book is just beautiful.

You can buy this book on Amazon for $13.36 for the hard cover and $12.99 for Kindle.

The Visitant by Megan Chance

I recieved this e-ARC for free for review from Lake Union Publishing through Netgalley. I was not paid and all opinions are my own.

Hello lovely readers!!!! Last night I finished this amazing novel and I have to say I am utterly obsessed with it!

Elena travels to Venice to take care of the epileptic Samuel after shaming her family. Her task is to make Samuel better by January so he can go off and marry a woman he has never met. This task isn’t so easy since Samuel seems to refuse any help and just wants to drink himself into oblivion. Samuel keeps seeing an “angel” and communicates in a language he claims to have no knowledge of. Things don’t get easier when Samuel’s best friend Nero arrives since there seems to be a rivalry between him and Samuel for Elena’s heart. The longer Nero is there the more the dark past surfaces and Elena begins to wonder if she can ever help Samuel in this house of darkness and ghosts.

This book is everything you would want in a Gothic Romance. You have a crumbling home in Venice, a “mad man,” a strong woman, love, desire, and of course MURDER. This book is suspenseful, beautiful, and really sexy. Ms. Chance has created two compelling male characters to fight for Elena. I love how it takes time for all of the secrets to come out. You get vague snippets in the beginning and as time passes you get deeper into the mystery and evil. This book is amazing and I have no negative things to say about it. When this book comes out I need to get a physical copy so I can see it in all it’s glory.

The book doesn’t come out until September 22 but it is 100% worth the wait and you should mark it on your calendars. You can buy this on Amazon for $7.83 in paperback and  $4.99 for Kindle.

Confessions of a Virgin Sex Columnist By Kay Marie

I received this e-ARC from Kay Marie through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid to write this and all opinions are my own.

Skye Quinn seems to have it all. She’s 22 living in New York with her best friend Bridget and has just moved up from an intern as a book reviewer in the local paper to a full time columnist. However, these things seem to spell disaster for her. Her roommate failed to mention that her brother Ollie would be moving in for a while and Skye hasn’t talked to him in over four years after one awkward night and now she has to pretend nothing ever happened. Also that column she’s writing, it’s a sex column and the main problem with that is she’s never had sex. Her last serious boyfriend wanted to wait until marriage but was cheating on her. Apparently sex until marriage is only for those worthy of marriage. Now Skye has to juggle seeing Ollie all the time and finally getting a stable boyfriend for her to write about, too bad that guy happens to be a coworker’s brother. Ollie isn’t making this easy for Skye with his bright blue eyes and muscles and the way of knowing her so well. Could Ollie like her after all these years or is Skye still in dreamland?

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK. This is so very Bridget Jones but for the modern college aged and recently graduated. Every awkward scene or discomfort Skye had made me say “That is so me.” I was dying laughing and just felt like this could be my life. I love characters that are exactly like me or not at all like me, Skye is very much me and her roommate is the latter. I can’t believe the level I was going to connect with Skye. Going into it I just thought it would be another cute, summer read but it is so much more than that. This book is for every girl that has no luck in love but is just starting out on their own. Kay Marie (Kaitlyn Davis going under a new name) did an amazing job making these characters well rounded and realistic. I’m just so smitten with this book and Ollie what?  I need to read the next book in the series ASAP.

If you want to read this you can get it for Kindle at $2.99 or in paperback for $13.99

The Determined Heart By Antoinette May

I received this e-ARC for free from Lake Union Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid and all thoughts are my own.

Hello again friends!!! Today I am reviewing a book in one of my favorite genres which is Fictional Accounts of Real People’s Lives. I always love this genre because it inspires me to learn more about the person and this book is no exception. It’s odd because I only just like Frankenstein. I think its good but its by no means my favorite. That being said I have always found Mary Shelley fascinating.

This book follows the life of Mary from age four till age twenty six and I am in love. I started this book yesterday at 2 pm for an hour and then read it for another couple of hours last night and then finished it this morning. I feel like Ms. May did a wonderful job capturing who these people were. I’ve always thought Percy Shelley was a douche. His poetry and infidelities make me angry. Honestly if a man told me he loved Shelley I’d probably never speak to him again. This book clearly made Percy out to be the douche I always knew he was. I never realized how much Mary Shelley went through in her life and how her depression made her write Frankenstein. After reading this book I might have to reread Frankenstein and read her other works which I did not know existed until this book.

This book flowed beautifully and I can tell research was done extensively to write this book. All the figures mentioned were well rounded and had their flaws. Even though Lord Byron is a cad you couldn’t help but like him. That’s what makes a good novel, is characters with flaws but are still likeable. I highly recommend this book for historical fiction lovers and lovers of Frankenstein. You get such an in depth look at how Mary Shelley became this famous author with much acclaim. It made me appreciate her creation of the Science Fiction genre even more.

The book doesn’t come out until September 29 so you all have a bit of a wait. Put it in your wishlists or to read lists because the wait is worth it. When it comes out you can get it in paperback for $14.95.

Darkhaven By A. F. E. Smith

I received this e-ARC for free from HarperCollins UK through Netgalley for an honest review. I was not paid and all opinions are my own.

Hello everyone!!! I am so so so excited to be writing this review. When I was browsing through Netgalley this book seemed like the perfect fantasy book for me and was not expecting to be accepted for a copy since it seemed like one every person wanted. But I got it and it is so amazing.

Darkhaven takes place in a medievalesque city ruled by Florentyn who is a Changer. Florentyn’s family is the only line of Changers in the area so when he is murdered his daughter Ayla is accused since her brother Myrren cannot Change. However the murder was not the first attack done by this Changer since a priestess named Serenna was attacked as well. While Ayla is on the run, she meets up with a shamed ex guard Tomas Caraway who is the one responsible for the death of her mother. Myrren is trying to prove Ayla’s innocence by recruiting the help of Sister Serenna since she is the only one who saw the Changer’s form. Myrren and Serenna decide there must me another child of Florentyn born before Myrren. That is how they find Elisse and her bodyguard Sorrow. The ultimate question is Elisse responsible for the murder? If not her then who?

Okay this novel is beautiful. Just the descriptions of characters and places and fabrics are gorgeous. Ms. Smith clearly took time to shape her world with these descriptions. This would make a stunning film. Also the characters are so refreshing and real. The villains are scum but you are given insight into what motivates them which is fantastic. I loved the budding relationship between Myrren and Serenna, I thought it was so naturally created. Tomas Caraway was such a Sydney Carton figure and I love Sydney Carton so he was perfect. I can perfectly see the character of Sorrow played by Gwendoline Christie if it was a movie. This is a stand alone novel which is great because I haven’t seen many of those in the fantasy section for a long time. It’s just lovely and amazing and I wish it was offered in hardcover because I would buy this for its cover in a heartbeat.

The book will be available for purchase on Kindle for $3.99 on July 2. I 100% recommend this book and I am so grateful for this opportunity by HarperCollins to read it.