Finding It by Cora Carmack

Hey everyone,

I’m not sure why I decided to read this book now, but the time felt right. Finding It by Cora Carmack has been on my TBR for a long time, so long I can’t even remember when I brought. Only that it must have been after or during 2013 as that’s when my edition was published.

The book:

Sometimes you have to lose yourself to find where you truly belong...

Most girls would kill to spend months traveling around Europe after college graduation with no responsibility, no parents, and no-limit credit cards. Kelsey Summers is no exception. She's having the time of her life . . . or that's what she keeps telling herself.

It's a lonely business trying to find out who you are, especially when you're afraid you won't like what you discover. No amount of drinking or dancing can chase away Kelsey's loneliness, but maybe Jackson Hunt can. After a few chance meetings, he convinces her to take a journey of adventure instead of alcohol. With each new city and experience, Kelsey's mind becomes a little clearer and her heart a little less hers. Jackson helps her unravel her own dreams and desires. But the more she learns about herself, the more Kelsey realizes how little she knows about Jackson.

My thoughts:

 Firstly I should mention that although I have read the first book in Cora Carmack’s Losing It Series, it was a long time ago and I haven’t read the second one (yet). Therefore I approached this as a stand-alone novel, and it totally worked! Although Bliss appears as a minor character, Kelsey and Jackson are the stars of the show as they travel across Europe.

"The best parts of life are the things we can't plan. And it's a lot harder to find happiness if you're only searching in one place."

The Hourglass Factory by Lucy Ribchester

Hey everyone,

Oh. My. God. I’m not reviewing a romance book today?! Can it be true? Yes, yes it can! The Hourglass Factory by Lucy Ribchester is a historical fiction novel focused around the suffragette movement that gained momentum in the early 1900s. Thrown in with all the political intrigue, and the fight for women’s rights is a good old fashioned mystery!

The book:

1912 and London is in turmoil…

The suffragette movement is reaching fever pitch but for broke Fleet Street tomboy Frankie George, just getting by in the cut-throat world of newspapers is hard enough. Sent to interview trapeze artist Ebony Diamond, Frankie finds herself fascinated by the tightly laced acrobat and follows her across London to a Mayfair corset shop that hides more than one dark secret.

Then Ebony Diamond mysteriously disappears in the middle of a performance, and Frankie is drawn into a world of tricks, society columnists, corset fetishists, suffragettes and circus freaks. How did Ebony vanish, who was she afraid of, and what goes on behind the doors of the mysterious Hourglass Factory? 

From the newsrooms of Fleet Street to the drawing rooms of high society, the missing Ebony Diamond leads Frankie to the trail of a murderous villain with a plot more deadly than anyone could have imagined…

My thoughts:

Due the mysterious nature of this book I will endeavour to keep my review spoiler free because part of the joy of The Hourglass Factory are all the twists and turns in the plot. I loved the way we, the readers, discover what was really happening to Ebony Diamond alongside Frankie and her band of misfits.

My Top Five Political Romances

Hey everyone,

As you may know, last night was the 2015 General Election in the UK and yes I was one of those sad people who stayed up all night to watch the results roll-in. Therefore at the moment my mind is a little worst for wear due to lack of sleep and politically focused. So I thought it would be fun to compile a list of my favourite romances that feature politics or have a political figure as the hero or heroine.

Despite being inspired by the UK Election all the books on my list are actually set in the USA, I was a little disappointed to discover I had never read a UK set Political Romance, or even a non-USA set Political Romance, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles my friends. Now on with the list!

5. Night Swimming by Laura Moore

Childhood enemies Lily and Sean are reunited in their home-town over its coral reef. Lily, a marine biologist, is on a mission to preserve the reefs. Sean is the local mayor determined to protect the town’s natural beauty. Forced to work closely together for the good of the town sparks soon start to fly, but will Lily stick around once her mission is complete?

Heart of a Rocky by Kelsey Jordan

Hey everyone,

I'm back with a paranormal romance book to review! It'd been a while and when I saw this on TBR pile I knew the time was right so without further ado I present Heart of a Rocky by Kelsey Jordan! The second book in the Gardinian World series was sent to me by the publisher in return for an honest. I have also reviewed book one in the series The Lycan Hunter so feel to check that out as well.

Also contrary to my original belief Heart of a Rocky is actually two romance novella set in the Gardinian Universe world: One called The Takeover and another called The Defender.

The book:

The Takeover

Tor Omar James, King of the North African pride, needs one woman if he has any hope of keeping his sanity – Anise, his Soul’s Mate. There’s only one problem: she’s pregnant by Derrick, Tor of the United States pride. Anise is caught between the love that every Lycan covets and the motherly devotion to the son she would sacrifice so much for. Can Omar survive the takeover of the US pride and convince Anise that he is more man than lion?

The Defender

Asim Tyson, the Defender of the Hafiz, is fighting off the insanity of his longing after losing his Soul’s Mate in battle. Unfortunately, his self-centered existence results in the gross neglect of his people when they need him the most. When Harmony appears in his life, he is forced to make a choice. Should he resist the lure of Harmony’s caustic melody or embrace his weakness in order to keep her safe?

My thoughts:

As Heart of a Rocky is actually two novellas I've decided to review them separately rather than reviewing the book as a whole.  The first story is The Takeover, which reintroduces previous readers to Anise and Omar, two characters we briefly met in The Lycan Hunter.

Safe In His Arms by Renae Kaye

Hey everyone,

As usual I have returned to the genre of contemporary m/m and this is one that has been lingering on my TBR pile for around three or four months... So really it’s been read fairly quickly!

Before I commence the review of Safe in His Arms by Renae Kaye I will say that this book mentions the repeated rape of a minor (one of the hero’s back stories) and contains an age gap between the two heroes, so if those are triggers for you stop reading now! But feel free to check out some of my other m/m reviews (shameless plugging over, I promise!).

The book:

In the late-night quiet of the caravan park shower room, Lon Taylor washes away the filth of the Western Australian mines. He’s not looking for anyone, but when Casey offers, Lon doesn't turn him down. 

Welcoming the young man in his big, hairy arms, Lon provides a safety to Casey that he has never known, and Casey wants to stay forever. Still reeling from the breakup of his family years ago, Lon’s not sure he’s ready for the responsibility of the comfort and security Casey craves.

But perhaps Lon can risk opening his heart again and hoping for a brighter future. Casey has some pretty big skeletons in his past to deal with. And Lon wonders what Casey will do when he finds out how badly Lon failed at protecting the ones he loved eight years ago.

My thoughts:

So I brought this book due to Lon’s physical description as a Bear because I was tired of reading books featuring Twinks, ‘straight’ athletic men and all the other stereotypical gay body types found in m/m romances. I went in expecting a light-hearted contemporary with a little bit of angst surrounding Casey’s ‘skeletons’ what I read was something completely different. Something so much better than my initial expectations!