Tag: Celia Kyle

Guest Review: Wolf’s Mate by Celia Kyle

Posted August 9, 2017 by Tracy in Reviews | 2 Comments

Guest Review: Wolf’s Mate by Celia KyleReviewer: Tracy
Wolf's Mate by Celia Kyle
Series: Shifter Rogues #1
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: August 1st 2017
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Danger shouldn't be this sexy...

Cougar shifter Abby Carter always plays it safe. That's why she's an accountant--no excitement, no danger, and no cocky alpha males. She loves her quiet life, but fate has other plans. When Abby uncovers the shady dealings of an anti-shifter organization, she'll have to trust the too-sexy-for-her-peace-of-mind werewolf Declan Reed... or end up six feet under.

Declan Reed is starting over. After two years with Shifter Operations Command, it's time to put his past behind him. Now Declan is the only thing standing between the gorgeous Abby and an early grave, and if he's going to have any chance of keeping her alive, he'll have to embrace the darkness he's fought to keep at bay. But first he has to convince Abby that there's no safer place in the world than the arms of a big bad werewolf.

Declan Reed is part of Shifter Operations Command. He was once a killer for hire but put his past behind him and was trying to be a better person.  SHOC consisted of the most dangerous men who were trying to do good things, so he was in good company.  Declan’s SHOC team is on a job trying to get info to see if a company, FosCo, is involved in feeding money into the shifter hate group, Unified Humanity.  While observing the building, Declan sees Abby Carter.  She’s an accountant that is doing an audit for FosCo, and Declan can’t seem to keep his eyes off of her.  When she digs into an account she was told to stay away from and sees that they are indeed filtering money into UH the owner of FosCo is alerted and Abby’s life seems to be in danger.  Declan doesn’t wait around but goes to save her.  He ends up taking her and hiding her from everyone – including his team and this makes him a rogue.

Abby isn’t sure what’s going on.  She knows that what she found at FosCo is horrible and that people are after her to get the info – she just doesn’t know who to trust.  She’s pretty sure that Declan is a good guy but she’s not positive.  Despite not knowing about him, she’s still attracted to Declan and doesn’t let a little thing like her life being in danger stop her from showing that attraction.  Of course she’s not sure either of them will live to do anything about it in the future.

This was a cute paranormal story.  I liked both Abby, Declan and his entire SHOC team.  I read this in one sitting as it was a fast read.

Abby was a great character.  She was strong – she’d had to be her entire life – and wasn’t about to let Declan boss her around.  I loved the fact that she didn’t let anyone push her around.  Yes, she was scared at times but she still showed her strength throughout her trials.

Declan was alpha male all the way.  He wanted what he wanted and no one was going to stand in his way.  He was rough and tough and had been a been a killer for hire – not an ideal background – but he was gentle with Abby and wasn’t afraid to show her his softer side.

Overall the book was a good one and I enjoyed the beginning of this new series.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

three-half-stars


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Review: No Ifs, Ands, or Bears About It by Celia Kyle

Posted December 31, 2014 by Holly in Reviews | 4 Comments

Review: No Ifs, Ands, or Bears About It by Celia KyleReviewer: Holly
No Ifs, Ands, or Bears About It by Celia Kyle
Series: Grayslake Bears #1

Publication Date: January 6th 2014
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 264
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
two-half-stars
Series Rating: three-stars

 The first day of Mia’s new life in Grayslake, Georgia is not going as planned. The house her grandfather left her looks ready to crumble, boxes cover every inch of the floor and—oh—there’s a bear cub in her pantry. It gets worse when the cub’s uncle comes by and busts out his fur and claws while on her front porch. Then it gets loads better because suddenly there’s a hot hunk of badge-wearing werebear on her lawn ready to rescue her. Yum. Of course, he has to ruin things by trying to take the cub out of her hands. Ha! The cub is hers… No ifs, ands, or bears about it.
Werebear Ty can’t seem to get the curvaceous, delectable Mia to understand that, even if she is one-quarter werebear, she isn’t keeping the cub. Ty is the Grayslake Itan, the clan’s leader, and the little werebear is going home with him… Unless it isn’t. It’s her smile. If she’d stop smiling and being gorgeous, his inner-bear would support him and Ty would get his way. But the beast wants to make their woman happy, so it’s perfectly content to let her do as she pleases. Then things change. Threats arise, danger comes close, and Ty demands she return to his den. No ifs, ands, or mates about that.

This is a free download. It started out really strong, but went downhill after a few chapters.

When Mia’s grandfather passed away he left her his house in Grayslake, GA. He was a bear shifter and so is her father, but her mother was human so, though she’s half werebear, she can’t shift. She’s looking to start over and doesn’t want to get tangled up with the local bears. When she finds a bear cub in her pantry and his abusive uncle shows up to claim him, she lands right in the middle of clan business. When the sexy sheriff shows up to help, Mia can’t deny her attraction to him. But she isn’t interested in starting something with anyone, much less the clan’s Itan (leader).

Ty doesn’t believe in happily-forever, but he sure wouldn’t mind doing some happy-right-now with the sexy Mia. His bear is in full agreement, especially after the way she protected the cub. Except it isn’t long before he realizes he wants more from Mia than a causal fling..and he’s willing to do whatever he has to to keep her around.

I think what this book really needed was a strong editor. I liked the first couple chapters where Mia rescued the cub and she and Ty got to know one another, but from there the story got choppy and the characters started waffling too much.

Ty is supposed to be the Itan of the clan, which makes him the leader. He’s supposedly the strongest, toughest bear in the clan, but he didn’t really act like it. He roared a lot, but he let those who served under him walk all over him. There was a plot against him and Mia and he didn’t pursue it. Supposedly Mia didn’t listen to him because she was the exception to the rule, but no one listened to him.

Mia seemed like a strong, independent woman. She didn’t let Ty walk all over her and kept her head when things got crazy. Except they drugged her so she didn’t lose it when things started going bad and she admitted she was close to being hysterical.It wasn’t written that way, but I was supposed to buy it based on what she said?

Eh..if the story had been cleaned up and the inconsistencies taken care of, this would have been a stellar read. As it is, I barely managed to finish it.

2.75 out of 5

two-half-stars


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What I Read Last Week

Posted April 15, 2014 by Tracy in Features | 0 Comments

Hello folks!

How the heck are ya?

I’m doing well. It’s Holy Week and since I work at a church that means that I’m working my tail off to get everything done in time. Because of that I’m going to be VERY brief in my post today and basically tell you what I read and their ratings. 

The Devil’s Triangle (re-read) by Toni De Palma.   I started off the week with a re-read. This is a YA book that I read for The Book Binge a year or so ago, I think, and it was just as good the second time around.  The story is about The story is about a guy who dies and is sent back to earth to help a girl named Grace. He’s given a month but he’s not sure what he’s supposed to do about Grace because he’s given no information. The story has heaven, the devil, his minions and romance all wrapped in one story.  Really good.  You can read my original review here on Book Binge. 4.5 out of 5

The Devil’s Temptation by Toni De Palma. This story is a continuation of the previous book.  We have Grace and Cooper (who is now alive and well) about 8 months after the last book ended.  This one didn’t work for me as well as it had the devil working against the couple (again) and they weren’t really coing out on top.  You can read my full review here on Book Binge. 3.5 out of 5 

Always on My Mind by Bella Andre was Lori’s story.  She’s disillusioned after a break up and is wondering why she dances in the first place.  She drives randomly and ends up taking a job as a ranch hand (with no experience). The guy does everything in his power to get her to leave but she’s stubborn.  Of course they fall in love but the getting there was oh, so good. 🙂  You can read my review here. 4 out of 5

The Affair by Lily Maxton is about a widow who is finally out of mourning and is feeling a bit free only her parents treat her like she’s a walking scandal.  She meets a bookstore owner and they have an affair but he doesn’t believe that he’s good enough for her.  The story was pretty darned good and I enjoyed it.  3.75 out of 5 (read for Book Binge)

The Eternal Highlander by Hannah Howell & Lynsay Sands.  Cathal McNachton and Connal MacAdie are highlanders but also vampires.  Cathal decides that they need to seek human brides so that they can try to dilute the vamp blood.  Not everyone is thrilled with this idea – especially the pureblood vamps.  The stories are Cathal’s and how he meets his bride and how Connall meets his. Both stories were good and I really enjoyed them.  4 out of 5

Grimm Consequences by Kate SeRine is a novella in the Transplanted Tales series.  The story takes place early in Nate and Red’s relationship and has to do with Nate staying with Red.  It was a good one.  You can read my review here4 out of 5

All I Want by Lynsay Sands. The story is about a girl, Prudence, and she’s out to save her family.  All her mother wants for Christmas is for her father to stop gambling and drinking before he puts them in the poor house and debtors prison.  Prudence sets out to keep him away from the club he gambles at and ends up falling for the owner of the club.  Prudence was a bit of a crazy woman and ends up doing some pretty stupid things but it was a cute story nonetheless.  3.5 out of 5

Prisoner 374215 by Angel Martinez.  This is a free story that was written for the m/m Goodreads group and is all based on a picture. Prisoner 374215 is constantly tortured and treated horribly in prison. He’s a shell of what he used to be.  He does have one guard that he’s not afraid of and eventually he learns more about him.  I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this short story but it was really good and I’m so glad I read it. 4 out of 5

Island Peril by Jill Sorenson is a novella in the Aftershock series.  The story has Ella and Paul on the run from drug runners when they were just out for a day of exploration in the Channel Islands.  Another good one from Sorenson!  I’ll post my review soon. 3.75 out of 5

The Duke’s Shotgun Wedding by Stacy Reid.  An unexpected pleasure. This had a girl holding a duke at gunpoint insisting that he allow her to marry her brother who supposedly seduced her.  He refuses as the brother’s already married now but he marries her and tension and pleasure commence.  Though I wanted to slap both main characters at some point in the story I really liked it. lol  4 out of 5 (read for Book Binge)

All Roar and No Bite by Celia Kyle is the second book in the Grayslake series.  Lauren is trying to help her best friend who is married to the mayor but he’s an abusive asshole.  She meets Van who is a werebear but also a sheriff.  He wants her but she’s not sure she’s ok with the whole bear shifter thing as it freaks her out.  I liked both Van and Lauren in this book.  I was so happy that we finally got a heroine who wasn’t all gung ho to jump in bed after she found out the man she lusted after was a shapeshifter!  It’s about time! lol  It all worked out and it was a fun getting there. 🙂 3.5 out of 5



My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
Betting the Rainbow by Jodi Thomas
Can’t Stop Believing by Jodi Thomas
Between the Devil and Ian Eversea by Julie Anne Long
Stranded with a Hero by Karen Erickson, Coleen Kwan, Cindi Madsen and Roxanne Snopek

Happy Reading!


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What I Read Last Week

Posted January 29, 2014 by Tracy in Features | 0 Comments

Howdo neighbors!

Sorry, I’m so behind this week!

We had my daughter’s sweet 16 b-day party this past Saturday and while I thought the kids weren’t having that much fun it turns out that they all said it was the best party ever. I’m pretty sure I didn’t understand teenagers before, now I’m positive. lol

Since then that same daughter has done something to her leg – possibly a pulled muscle? – and the doctor has her on crutches for a week, poor thing.

Other than that there’s not much happening in Tracyland. 🙂

So, what did I read last week? Let me tell ya:

I started off the week with The Billionaire Banker by Georgia le Carre. This is the story of a woman desperate for money so that she can pay for her mother’s cancer treatment. She starts to sell her body to one man but ends up with a different man by the end of the night. Lana and Blake have an incredible attraction but after 3 months is up, what will happen to her and Blake – especially when she figures out she’s in love with him. This was a decent read but ended on a cliffhanger. Good thing the 2nd book was almost out by the time I read it! 3.5 out of 5

The next book in the series is Forty 2 Days. Lana took off and broke her agreement with Blake. She’s now back in London and Blake is pissed that she left in the first place. He insists that she complete the 42 days that were left on her contract. Unfortunately his family wants her to have nothing to do with Blake and they’ll stop at nothing to get what they want. This was again, a decent read but I had issues with the end of the book. You can read a single post with reviews of both book 1 & 2 at The Book Binge by clicking here. (There’s also a giveaway going on as well until 2/24/14). 3 out of 5

Reckless by Skye Jordan was a freebie I got off of ARe at one time. The story is about a dress designer who is flying to NY from LA. She sees a guy she thinks is hot and with the help of an app from her friend is able to text him anonymously. They strike up a conversation and end up planning a tryst once they get to NY. They have a great time – in a completely darkened room – and he still has no idea who she is. He’s a stunt man and she designs for big stars. Both of them are leery, from being previously burned by ex’s, of getting into a relationship and trusting. Unfortunately this aspect of the story brought it all down for me. They were both so suspicious of each other constantly and the trust wasn’t there. I can’t see the kind of relationship the author was trying to give us happening with no trust. Yes it all ended with an HEA that was pretty satisfying but I just wasn’t sold enough to believe it would work in the long run. 3 out of 5

Next up was Friends Without Benefits by Penny Reid. This is the second story in the Knitting in the City series and was Elizabeth’s story. Elizabeth is a doctor in Chicago and meets Nico after not seeing him for 10 years. Nico was a friend when they were kids but then used to bully her somewhat. There was history with him and her now deceased boyfriend that cased a bond…and a rift. Nico wants to be friends but he’s been in love with her for years so his friends without benefits offer is a little strange but Elizabeth goes with it. This was a very good book that I really enjoyed. I loved the characters – both main and secondary and it was fun and funny. 4 out of 5

No If, Ands or Bears About It by Celia Kyle is the story of a woman who moves to a Bear shifter town to live her in now deceased grandfathers home. On the first day she finds a bear cub shifter in her pantry and when she meets his belligerent and violent uncle she decides she’s not giving him back. The Sheriff, and Itan of the Bear clan has something to say about that but he’s almost more interested in the woman as she’s his. The story is about Mia’s resistance to Ty as she thinks it’s just chemical and not love, and the fight with the Uncle and therefore another Itan over the keeping of the bear cub, Parker. It was a fun, cute book and I really liked it. 3.75 out of 5

Last for the week was Lord of the Rakes by Darcie Wilde. Sheltered and practically imprisoned all her life, Lady Caroline finds out that her deceased mother left her money that is all hers – money her brother can’t touch – which means she’s now free. She heads to London with the plan to be in her best friends wedding then move to the Continent but she soon meets Phillip and her plans go awry. I’ll give you my thoughts on this one later this week when I post my review. 4 out of 5 

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
Hope Flames by Jaci Burton
Torn by Kim Karr
The Billionaire Banker and Forty 2 Days by Georgia Le Carre
Guilty as Sin by Jami Alden

Happy Reading!


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What I Read Last Week

Posted April 16, 2012 by Tracy in Features | 5 Comments

Nothing to report this week. Just a pretty quiet week and I LOVE that. I do have to register my oldest daughter for HIGH SCHOOL this week. That’s kind of freaking me out, I must admit. When did that happen? How could she have gotten older and I stayed the same age? How? How? How? lol
I read a lot this past week so let’s get to it:

First up was Taming An Impossible Rogue by Suzanne Enoch. This was the story of Camille Pryce – an Ear’s daughter – who ran out on her own wedding a year ago and was then disowned and shunned by her family and friends. She actually became a maid in her aunts home until she found out about the Tantalus Club and the fact that it was hiring women. She got the job and is now hostess in one of their dining rooms. The man she was to marry is still technically engaged to her but he has been banned from the Club and since Camille never leaves it makes it difficult to talk to her. Lord Fenton employs his scandalous cousin, Keating Blackwood, to get into the club and makes a deal to pay him 10,000 pounds when he gets Camille to the altar to marry Fenton. But Camille and Keating fall in love and where does that leave them and Fenton. I really liked this book. I’m becoming a fan of Enoch’s and really like what she does with a romance. 4.25 out of 5

Wolf Tracks by Vivian Arend is the story of Pam who comes to the Granite Lake pack to be the maid of honor at her best friends’ wedding. Pam has no idea that she is among wolf shifters. TJ – the best man – discovers that Pam, who is VERY human, is his mate. After the wedding Pam goes on a hiking excursion and TJ basically kidnaps her. She discovers his wolf secret and TJ spends the week they are together trying to make Pam believe that they are meant to be together. This was another great addition to the Granite Lake Wolves series. I loved TJ and his tenaciousness and I loved that Pam didn’t just accept TJ without some damned good proof. A fun read. 4 out of 5

Sierra Falls by Veronica Wolff is a book that I read for The Book Binge. This is the first in a series about the citizen’s of Sierra Falls, California. In this story we have the daughter to the tavern/lodge owner and the new sheriff in town. Sorrow is trying to help her parents when a whole lot of things are going wrong at the tavern, along with dealing with her current boyfriend, and Billy thinks that the “accidents” at the tavern aren’t accidents at all. Along with that Billy is trying to get over the death of his wife and move on. While this was a good book there was really just too much going on for me. There were many side stories branching off from Sorrow and Billy’s relationship as well as other relationships between Sorrow and her family and some townspeople. Cute, but not wonderful. 3.25 out of 5

Pretty Monsters by Andrea Speed was next. This is a free short and the first story in the Josh of the Damned series. It’s about Josh who works the night shift at the Quik Mart and there’s a hell portal right out back. Josh’s customers range from vampires to zombies and there’s never a dull moment. In this story he meets the hottie, Colin the vampire, and becomes quite friendly with him. This was a fun story and a good introduction to Josh and his world. 3 out of 5

Peek-A-Boo by Andrea Speed is the second free short story in the Josh of the Damned series. This one involved a Yeti who is visiting Josh and slapping dead animals on his counter. Colin comes in and lets him know that the Yeti might have more on his mind with Josh than he originally thought. Again, fun story and funny! I definitely was laughing out loud more than once during this one. Don’t let the monsterish covers freak you out. These are definitely comedic reads. 3.5 out of 5

The Wolf Who Loved Me by Lydia Dare is book 5 in the Westfield Wolves series. This story was about Weston Hadly, a nothing and nobody in the ton, who is caught by Lady Madeline, a Duke’s daughter who has a huge dowry, changing into his wolf form. He manages to corral her and then they’re off to Gretna Green to get married as a mate won’t tell the shifter’s secret. They are soon chased by Madeline’s father but during the trip Madeline manages to fall in love with Weston. I read this one for the Book Binge – you can read my review here. 3.5 out of 5

Josh of the Damned Triple Feature by Andrea Speed was next. This contains 3 short stories that are just great. This one contains a huge man eating mustache, a hentai monster and then Josh has to visit Colin’s boss who is the monster that all monsters are afraid of. Wow. It was really good and I can’t wait to read what happens next. You can read my review here. 4.25 out of 5

Next up was Bride by Mistake by Anne Gracie. This is the conclusion to the Devil Riders series. I didn’t read all the books in the series but I really didn’t need to as this one is good all on it’s own. The story is about Luke who was in Spain during the war and came across a young girl being beaten and raped. He saves her and in order to save her from having to marry her nasty cousin Luke marries the 13 year old – with the thought that the marriage can later be annulled. He drops her off to her aunt in a convent and goes about his life. Eight years later he finds out that the marriage can’t be annulled. He heads to Spain to collect his bride but she is nothing that he expected – she’s better. Bella takes him on a merry ride through Spain and they actually get to know each other. Bella falls completely in love and Luke does as well – while ridding himself of the nightmares that have plagued him since the war. This was a good story. I really liked both Luke and Bella and the whole premise of the story. I thought Spain was a great location for the book. Some parts didn’t work for me as well as others but overall I liked it. 3.5 out of 5

Midnight Rescue by Elle Kennedy was my next read. This is the story of an assassin, Abby, whose cover has been blown. Her boss asks a mercenary group to go in and get her. Her choice to drop her cover was to try to get closer to the young girls that were being kidnapped and held for auction. When she’s rescued she convinces the mercs to go in and save the girls. The story focuses on the mercs getting ready for the mission but also the budding relationship between Abby and one of the mercs, Kane. The story premise was good but a lot of the book didn’t work all that well for me for different reasons. I read this one for The Book Binge so I’ll let you know when my review posts. 3 out of 5

Next was another book for The Book Binge (yes, I’m trying to catch myself up!) called All For You by Lynn Kurland. This was the story of Peaches Alexander who wants the whole fairy tale relationship thing. Nothing else is going right in her life so when she’s invited to a ball at a Duke’s house she’s sure that he’s interested. Also at the ball is Stephen de Piaget who is thoroughly in love with Peaches but gets tongue tied and blows it every time he’s near her. Peaches doesn’t care for Stephen at all but when she walks through a time gate and ends up in medieval England Stephen’s the one that can save her. This was a very sweet and good story. Stephen is lovely and he’s so good to Peaches. (I honestly had a problem with her name though – I know it was her hippi parents but yuck. lol) I liked the story, the romance, the time travel and almost everything else. It just worked. 3.75 out of 5

Wanting by Piper Vaughn is a short free read and one I read about at Tam’s…then realized that I already own it and must have had it for a while – oops. lol Anyway, the story is about 18 year old Jonah who’s got it bad for his older brother’s best friend, Laurie. Jonah asks Laurie to take his virginity. He does and the pair end up in a relationship. It I really liked all the characters in this one. I would have loved this as a full sized book but it really worked as a short and was great. 4 out of 5 Written for the Goodreads M/M Romance Group’s “Hot Summer Days” anthology.

Last for the week was Joy & Pain by Celia Kyle. This was another free short that had an ex ballet dancer working at a strip joint. Tevin has a certain “kink” that hasn’t been fulfilled in a while. His boss introduces him to one of his friends, Zeke, who is more than willing to fill the kink for Tevin. This was good but pretty short. I really couldn’t connect with the characters as it was told from Tevin’s pov but it was definitely on the spicy side. 3 out of 5

Free novelette written for the Goodreads M/M Romance group’s “Hot Summer Days” event.

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:

Happy Reading!


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