Tag: Intermix

Review: Magic Steals by Ilona Andrews

Posted June 22, 2020 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Magic Steals by Ilona AndrewsReviewer: Rowena
Magic Steals by Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels #6.5
Also in this series: Magic Shifts, Magic Shifts, Magic Binds, Magic Bites, Magic Strikes, Iron and Magic, Magic Triumphs, Magic Bites, Magic Bleeds , Magic Burns, Magic Strikes , Magic Slays , Gunmetal Magic , Magic Rises , Magic Strikes, Magic Mourns, Magic Bleeds, Magic Dreams, Magic Slays, Gunmetal Magic, Magic Gifts, Magic Rises, Magic Tests, Magic Stars, Magic Shifts, Magic Breaks, Magic Breaks, Iron and Magic, Magic Binds, Magic Triumphs , Magic Triumphs, Magic Claims
Publisher: Intermix
Publication Date: August 16, 2016
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: First
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 83
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Reading Challenges: Rowena's 2020 Goodreads Challenge
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-half-stars

Ilona Andrews—#1 New York Times bestselling author of Magic Shifts—once again pulls readers into the dark and dangerous world of the Kate Daniels novels...

Shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau may be a powerful healer and magic user, but she’s far from what might be called “normal”. She dislikes the violence and bloodshed that are a way of life for most of her kind, even going so far as to become a vegetarian. The last thing she wants is trouble...

Jim Shrapshire is an original, hardcore badass. A jaguar shifter, he’s been tasked with keeping Atlanta’s Cat Clan in line, which he does with swift and lethal force when necessary. His only soft spot is for the petite Dali, whose kindness he calls upon when he is injured.

When Dali is approached by a desperate woman whose grandmother has vanished, Jim is concerned enough to help investigate. But what they find may just be the end of them—an enemy whose skill in the dark arts is matched only by their willingness to kill anyone in their way...

Magic Steals was originally published in the anthology Night Shift

Magic Steals is another Jim and Dali novella that I ate right up. It’s another short story where Dali takes front and center. She’s Indonesian and she’s a great white tiger that comes from a family of magic. Part of Dali’s charm is that she is such a nerd but a charming nerd. She genuinely cares about other people and she’s smart, like super smart and it amazes me that she can’t see why Jim likes her so much.

So in this book, Dali is approached to find a woman’s grandmother that disappeared, she doesn’t hesitate to help and because Jim is worried about the dangers that might jump out at Dali, he helps too. I really like the way that Jim sees Dali. She’s important to him and he wants the world to know that they’re together. I totally get Dali’s hesitation in going public with their relationship, especially with her family because the Asian culture is a lot like the Polynesian culture. Actually, I’m sure that all cultures suffer from the same nosy relatives that be all up in your business and makes you not want to ever bring anyone home, just in case it doesn’t work out and then you’ll never hear the end of it. Dali is trying her damndest to keep her budding relationship with Jim a secret because she’s not all that sure that Jim will want to keep her around since they’re complete opposites and she doesn’t understand why Jim likes her. I loved the way that Jim fixed that problem. He didn’t let her run from her feelings for him, he didn’t let her hide from what they were to each other and I really dug that.

I’m used to Jim fighting with Kate and annoying Kate at every turn so seeing him from Dali’s point of view was a treat for me. I liked seeing them work and I really enjoyed Dali’s seeing more of Dali’s magic background. She’s got a great relationship with her Mom and I loved seeing them together here. Her Mom is super pushy but super sweet at the same time. Their talks in this book and seeing the faith that Dali’s Mom has in her, in her abilities just made me super happy.

This was another fantastic addition to the Kate Daniels series and I really enjoy these little forrays away from Kate and Curran. Jim compliments Dali so well and I just really dig seeing them together. Dali is a powerhouse and she doesn’t even know it. I just adore her so much. This was a good one and I definitely recommend.

Grade: 4.25 out of 5

Kate Daniels

four-stars


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Guest Review: Dirty Bastard by Jessica Clare

Posted May 10, 2018 by Tracy in Reviews | 2 Comments

Guest Review: Dirty Bastard by Jessica ClareReviewer: Tracy
Dirty Bastard (Roughneck Billionaires #3) by Jessica Clare
Series: Roughneck Billionaires #3
Also in this series: Dirty Money, Dirty Scoundrel
Publisher: Intermix
Publication Date: May 15, 2018
Format: eARC
Point-of-View: Third Person
Genres: Contemporary Romance
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Knox Price has always fallen short in comparison to his brothers. Boone is the ambitious one. Clay is the nice one. Gage is the handsome one. And Knox? Well, he's the cynical one. The odd man out in the ultra-wealthy but rather unique Price family. It's not that Knox hates people--it's that humanity always disappoints him. When you become an oil-rich, Texan billionaire overnight, people treat you a certain way. Just once he'd like to meet someone that isn't dazzled by his wallet.

Then, he meets struggling yoga teacher Lexi Brandon. She's weird. She's unpredictable and tends to say strange things. She lurks in the bushes and dresses in all black. She loves when people cross the street to get away from her. Lexi's definitely not his type, but she's also the first one to ever truly see him and not just another rich, dirty Price.

And that's...fascinating. But how do you catch the interest of a woman who goes out of her way to be odd? When an unexpected surprise throws them both for a loop, Knox decides it's time to get down and dirty, abandon the rules, and be who he truly is--a bastard.

The Price brothers are having a family barbeque when Knox first sees Lexi.  She’s a friend of his brother’s girlfriend and though she dresses in black, has a dry & snarky personality…and is pretty anti-social, Knox is immediately smitten.  He makes it a point to get to know Lexi and they end up spending a wonderful night together.  After that, Lexi ghosts him.

Knox isn’t letting Lexi get away from him now that he’s found his “one.”  When Knox finds out that his night with Lexi bears fruit, so to speak, he decides that he’s not letting her get away.  Lexi isn’t so sure she wants to be caught but when Knox goes to the limits to make her happy she can’t help but be impressed.

Another good story in the Roughneck Billionaires series.  I loved Knox and his unconventional streak.  I loved that he immediately noticed Lexi and didn’t let her so-called hard exterior put him off.  He just learned how to mesh with her and it was pretty great.

Lexi made me laugh.  She was so not your typical romance heroine but I loved her. Her sarcasm and general anti-social behavior should have seemed odd or too weird, but Clare made me enjoy it!  Knox was awesome and I loved his devotion to making Lexi happy – which in turn made him happy.

Part of the story that was intertwined with the romance was about stalking.  I felt horrible for Lexi and for the fact that no one in the stupid small town would take her seriously.  I wanted to crawl through my Kindle and punch a face or two.  I was so happy when Knox got involved and put the guy in his place.

Overall this was a good book and I can’t wait to read Gage’s book.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Roughneck Billionaires

four-stars


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Guest Review: On Hart’s Boardwalk by Samantha Young

Posted March 22, 2018 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: On Hart’s Boardwalk by Samantha YoungReviewer: Tracy
On Hart's Boardwalk (On Dublin Street #6.7) by Samantha Young
Series: On Dublin Street #6.7, Hart's Boardwalk #2.5
Also in this series: On Dublin Street , Down London Road (On Dublin Street, #2), Before Jamaica Lane (On Dublin Street, #3), Before Jamaica Lane, Castle Hill, Fall From India Place, Fall From India Place, Fall from India Place , Castle Hill, Echoes of Scotland Street , Moonlight on Nightingale Way, Moonlight on Nightingale Way, One King's Way, One King's Way, One King's Way, On Hart's Boardwalk, Down London Road, Echoes of Scotland Street, On Dublin Street, The One Real Thing, Every Little Thing
Publisher: Intermix
Publication Date: March 20th 2018
Format: eARC
Genres: Contemporary Romance
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four-half-stars

Nate and Liv have a great life together but they miss the spontaneity and freedom they enjoyed early on in their romance. Careers and their children have inevitably kept them busy, so when Nate discovers Liv is feeling disconnected from him, he plans an anniversary trip to the idyllic seaside town of Hartwell, Delaware. There he hopes they will have the opportunity they've been craving--a chance to reinvent themselves and fall in love all over again.

With each new day comes a new adventure, from wedding crashing at the five-star boardwalk hotel to pretending they are two strangers having a chance encounter at the boardwalk bar. In the midst of this daring, sexually-charged game of romantic rediscovery, Nate and Liv discover the only constant they need is each other.

Nate and Liv have been together for 14 years, and married for 10 of those.  They have two beautiful children and Liv is just as in love with Nate now as she was when they first got together.  The problem is that Nate seems to have lost his love for Liv.  Since one of his friends died suddenly Nate has pushed Liv away and when Nate finds out how Liv is truly feeling he plans a trip to Delaware.  At one time, Liv had told Nate of vacations taken near Hartwell, Delaware and Nate wanted to recreate that joy for her.  He wanted to make his own memories, however, so he chose Hartwell.  They have a great location and it’s just the two of them, but can they work through the issues that have been haunting Liv for the past six months?

This was a pretty great novella.  I’ve been reading the Hart’s Boardwalk series so when I saw a novella for that series I was excited.  I had no idea I’d get the wonderful double whammy by getting the On Dublin Street series cast of characters as well as Hart’s Boardwalk characters.

Nate and Liv got their HEA in the novel Before Jamaica Lane, and if you read that you know that these two are incredibly hot together.  Their sex play in this book was no different but the even better than that was watching two people in love communicate and find the core issue to their problems.  It was well written, and Young didn’t slack on giving us the nitty gritty of their relationship – arguments and all.

On top of the greatness of that part of the book we also got to see, as I said, all of the characters from On Dublin Street as well as Hart’s Boardwalk.  I loved reading about the ODS crew and hearing a little about their families now that it’s been years since their HEA’s. HB is a newer series but it was still fun to catch up with those characters as well.

Overall I thought this was really good.  The love, friendship and feeling of contentment it left me with was incredible and I definitely recommend this one.

On Dublin Street Series

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

four-half-stars


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Guest Review: Honky Tonk Hellion by ZA Maxfield

Posted February 27, 2018 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: Honky Tonk Hellion by ZA MaxfieldReviewer: Tracy
Honky Tonk Hellion by Z.A. Maxfield
Publisher: Intermix
Publication Date: February 20th 2018
Format: eARC
Genres: Contemporary Romance
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three-stars

An impulsive decision as a teenager forced Andi Chandler to put her dream of being a Nashville star on hold. Motherhood and a marriage of convenience have tied her down to the small town of Bitterroot, Texas. But now that her son is older and her husband is living life out of the closet, Andi’s ready to spread her wings and take another shot at the country music scene. Men, however, are a different story…

Malcolm never intended to catch Andi’s eye all those years ago at the rodeo. There were a million reasons it wouldn’t work—the age difference for one. He knew he should have stopped Andi from making a rash decision, but he didn’t and has lived with the shame ever since. Now that she’s a grown woman they can finally explore all those unanswered what-ifs—and just maybe, have a shot at a second chance at happiness.

Andi lives with her son and husband, and her husband’s boyfriend.  It’s a sticky situation but it works for them…until it doesn’t.  Andi always had a crush on Malcolm but he’s 7 years older than her.  When she was 15 she tried to get him to sleep with her and when he turned her down flat (of course, she was way too young) she went and slept with someone else trying to spite Malcolm.  She ended up pregnant and then she married her gay best friend.  That was fine until he found a love of his own.

Now Andi is in a band trying to make it as a singer but it’s not really working.  When a big Nashville star asks her to head to Georgia with him to record some stuff she’s thrilled.  That is until she realizes Malcolm is there too.  The situation in Georgia is fraught with tension and Andi is soon back home, but not until she sleeps with Malcolm.  Now she has to figure out what she wants in life and who she wants to be with.

While I’ve loved almost everything that Maxfield has written in the m/m genre, this one was just ok for me.  I found Andi to be super indecisive, as a normal 21-year-old is (at least the ones I know).  She was a good mother and she wanted what was best for her family, but the girl changed her mind about a thousand times during the course of the book.  She was also constantly thinking or spouting quotes and clichés and that got really old, really fast.

Malcolm apparently had a thing for Andi when she was just 12 years old.  I found that creepy as he would have been 19 at the time.  Luckily he didn’t act on his feelings until she was 21.  My problem with their relationship was that it was never discussed.  They had been good friends but then hadn’t seen each other for years (she was still mad at him for turning down sex with her when she was just 15) but after they sleep together they’re just…together.  No talking about what it means, they just…are.  I guess I expected more as that’s what Maxfield normally gives us.  She does emotion so very well but this book didn’t have a whole lot of it and that was disappointing.

Overall it was an ok book but not one I can really recommend.

Rating: 3 out of 5

three-stars


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Guest Review: Dirty Scoundrel by Jessica Clare

Posted November 21, 2017 by Tracy in Reviews | 2 Comments

Guest Review: Dirty Scoundrel by Jessica ClareReviewer: Tracy
Dirty Scoundrel by Jessica Clare
Series: Roughneck Billionaires #2
Also in this series: Dirty Money, Dirty Bastard (Roughneck Billionaires #3)
Publisher: Intermix
Publication Date: November 21st 2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance
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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Clay Price has everything he’s ever wanted, except the one thing money can’t buy—Natalie Weston. Years ago, Clay and Natalie were in love…until she turned down his marriage proposal. Now Clay and his brothers are oil-rich billionaires, and they can have whatever they want. And what Clay wants is Natalie in his bed, no matter what it takes. If it means being ruthless, he’ll do it.

Natalie gave up on true love years ago when the realities of the world destroyed her fairy-tale hopes. Giving up Clay is her biggest regret in life, and she’s excited to see him return…until she finds out why. Clay’s got one hell of a proposal for her: he’ll save her father’s business and bail Natalie out of debt if she’ll agree to become his very personal assistant. It’s clear that he wants more from her than just typing.

It’s also clear that Natalie has no choice. This scoundrel’s bet could destroy any hope they had of reconciliation—or it could bring them together once and for all…

Clay Price and Natalie Weston dated in high school.  They loved each other and right after graduation Clay planned on asking Natalie to marry him.  Clay, being a good guy, wanted to talk to Natalie’s father first, however.  Natalie’s father, once a movie star – and a rich snob, was not a good guy and when he met Clay told him that Natalie was breaking up with him.  The father then told Natalie some lies about Clay and that Clay had broken up with her.  Dad’s plot to tear his daughter and her poor white trash boyfriend apart: Successful.

Seven years later Natalie, whose father planned on her going to Stanford, is barely scraping by while running a museum of her father’s memorabilia.  She never went to college and now tries to run the museum out of their house while taking care of her father and his increasing dementia.

Clay is now a billionaire and still in love with Natalie – only he thinks of it as just lust.  They had never slept together in high school and Clay is still a virgin.  He puts together a plan to pay Natalie to be his “assistant” and be at his beck and call 24/7.  Natalie is drowning in bills and is lonely and tired.  She still loves Clay but doesn’t like the fact that she’s basically prostituting herself out to him.  She has no choice but to agree.

Dirty Scoundrel was a cute book and I liked a lot of things about it.  I loved the Price brothers and their camaraderie and obvious love for each other.  I liked the flashes into Boone and Ivy’s life (from book 1, Dirty Money) that we got.  I liked that the book had some highly emotional moments in it that were written very well. Unfortunately I’m not sure I loved Clay and Natalie.  They weren’t bad people, but Clay acted like an asshole so many times that I wanted to hit him and I wanted Natalie to stand up for herself and have a bit more backbone! I realize that Clay was trying to act hard and play the scoundrel (hence the name of the book) so that he could “get back” at Natalie for dumping him, but there were times he shouldn’t have been an asshole and he was anyway.

Clay wasn’t an asshole the whole time and there were times when I really liked the couple together but that wasn’t a constant.  I know that Clay just didn’t know what to say to Natalie at times but he wasn’t an unintelligent at all and I think some of the things that the author had him saying were a bit much.  IMHO he just wouldn’t have said half of it.

I was happy in the end that Clay and Natalie got their HEA and their life worked out together.  I’m looking forward to reading more about the Price brothers and seeing what happens next.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

three-half-stars


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