Friday, September 19, 2025

Be Back Soon

Hey all! 

I got covid last month and it knocked me clean out! It was my first time testing positive. 

I'm hoping to be able to shake off the tiredness so I can get back to posting soon. 

I hope everyone is doing well. 

Happy Reading!

Elizabeth

Saturday, August 23, 2025

Ugh! Sick again...

 I hope everyone is doing well. I am down for the count this weekend with some kind of illness. I hope to be back to fighting strength next weekend. 

I hope you have a wonderful week. I wish you good health and good books!

Elizabeth



Saturday, August 16, 2025

Review: Immortal by Morning by Lynsay Sands

Being an immortal rogue enforcer is never easy. But when human bones are found buried in a residential garden—and they happen to be discovered by your life mate—things get even more complicated in this latest installment of New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands’s wickedly alluring Argeneau vampire series.




About the Book

Crispinus Delacort is an immortal rogue enforcer and a homicide detective. But in his quiet city, he’s more likely to be rounding up truant teens than investigating murders. So, when he learns that human bones have been found in the garden of a sprawling rural home, it’s unexpected to say the least.

Abril Newman can’t believe her bad luck when she discovers a body buried on the grounds of her boss’s home, while chasing after Gina’s mischievous lab Lilith. She was just supposed to be house-sitting for a few days! And then Detective Delacort arrives. She knows she shouldn’t be thinking about love when there’s a crime scene outside the door. But ignoring her attraction to gorgeous Crispin is easier said than done.

When Crispin realizes that a rogue is involved, he knows this won’t be a simple investigation. Especially because he’s so distracted by Abril’s presence that all he wants is to kiss her senseless in every room of the manor. But he can woo her, solve the case, and stop a dangerous rogue by morning...right? All in a day’s work.





My Review

I have mixed feelings about this book.

Positives
Immortal by Morning has great characters, fun dialogue and funny life mate hijinks. Abril and Crispin seemed to suit each other well. Abril is hardworking, dedicated, personable and relatable. Crispin is a proper immortal with a quiet strength, beautiful smile, and endearing disposition.

We also get great cameos from many of the rogue hunters from previous books and they provide a lot of entertainment and comic relief.

Not so Positives
There was a character that was introduced that gave some serious clues to the mystery of the story and I thought it would be brought up again but never was. There was really no reason for this character to be introduced in the storyline because they had no purpose. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop and then the book ended abruptly and I was left with questions. Whether this was done intentionally to lay the groundwork for a future book or just an accident, the loose threads really bugged me.

Immortal by Morning is a pretty good read with a few hiccups that briefly interrupted my reading experience, but did nothing to prevent me from loving the characters and highly anticipating the next book in the Argeneau series!

FTC Disclaimer: I voluntarily read a copy of the book generously provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences my thoughts or feelings about the book or the content of my review.


Purchase Links

Lynsay Sands Website*


About the Author

Lynsay Sands is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series, as well as numerous historical romances and anthologies. She’s been writing since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there are occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus. Learn more at www.lynsaysands.net

*Third party links to the publisher's website. May contain affiliate links.

Friday, August 15, 2025

Read-Along Review: Sweep of the Blade by Ilona Andrews

I am so excited to be taking part in Books of My Heart's annual Read-Along! 

This year, the blog picked The Edge and Innkeeper Chronicles series by Ilona Andrews!


Sweep of the Blade is the fourth book in the Innkeeper Chronicles series and it is amazing! 



About the Book

Maud Demille is a daughter of Innkeepers—a special group who provide ‘lodging’ to other-planetary visitors—so she knows that a simple life isn’t in the cards. But even Maud could never have anticipated what Fate would throw at her.

Once a wife to a powerful vampire knight, Maud and her young daughter, Helen, were exiled with him for his treachery to the desolate, savage planet of Karhari. Karhari killed her husband, and Maud—completely abandoned by his family—has spent over a year avenging his debts. Rescued by her sister Dina, she’s sworn off all things vampire.

Except… In helping Dina save the world, she met Arland, the Marshal of House Krahr, one of the most powerful vampire houses. One thing led to another and he asked for her hand in marriage. She declined. Arland is not used to hearing the word ‘no;’ and try as she might, Maud can’t just walk away from Arland. It doesn’t help that being human is a lot harder for Maud than being a vampire.

To sort it all out, she accepts his invitation to visit his home planet. House Krahr is extremely influential and Maud knows that a woman—a human, with a very questionable past—who’s turned down a proposal from its most beloved son won’t get a warm reception. Maybe she’s not sure about marrying Arland, but House Krahr isn’t going to decide for her. Maud Demille has never run from a fight, and House Krahr will soon discover that there’s a lot more to Maud than they’re expecting.

 


My Review

A delightful reading experience!

I loved reading about Maud and Helen’s journey to find their place in the galaxy. If Maud stays at the Gertrude Hunt Inn with her sister Dina, she’d be with family, but Helen is half human-half vampire. She’d have to be sheltered in the inn, raised in secrecy because humans can’t know the truth about otherworldly beings. Maud takes a chance by taking Helen and leaving with Arland to visit his home planet to see if it would be a better fit for Helen… and to explore her complicated feelings for the brash vampire.

Vampires are insular and superior beings and they don’t take kindly to having a human thinking she can waltz onto the planet and snag this virile eligible vampire warrior when there are thousands of perfectly eligible female vampires that are worthy of him. But Maud isn’t just a human. She’s been a vampire’s wife in a smaller House, trained in several languages, history, epics, customs, and combat. This ain’t her first rodeo.

Sweep of the Blade is an exciting read with so much action. I was completely immersed in the story and championed Maud and little Helen the whole time! These fierce females give Arland a run for his money, and he’s definitely up for the challenge! They just need to survive the entire House Krahr, duplicitous wedding guests, and Arland’s momma. Piece of cake 😉

I love the story and am excited for the next book!



Purchase Links

Ilona Andrews Website*


Want to join the fun? Visit Books of My Heart's blog post HERE!

Don't forget to enter the giveaways!


About the Author



“Ilona Andrews” is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)

Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Texas with their two children and many dogs and cats.

They have co-authored several bestselling series, including the #1 NYT bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels, rustic fantasy of the Edge, paranormal romance of Hidden Legacy, and Innkeeper Chronicles, which they post as a free weekly serial. For complete list of their books, fun extras, and Innkeeper installments, please visit their website at Ilona-andrews.com.

*Third party links to the publisher's website. May contain affiliate links.

Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Review: Heart Strings by Ivy Fairbanks

Heart Strings is the second book in Ivy Fairbanks's Love in Galway series set in Ireland.

This is my first read from the author and I thoroughly enjoyed the story and am looking forward to the next book.



About the Book

She doesn’t do second chances. But he’s not done writing their song.

Cielo “Lo” Valdez doesn’t believe in second chances. Surviving cancer taught her life is too short to spend time on someone who wronged you. But Aidan O’Toole is determined to show her life is best spent together.

When the tough-as-nails Texan moved to Galway for medical school, she wasn’t looking for love. Aidan, a gorgeous, tattooed, mandolin-playing lawyer, slipped past her defenses. They each fell hard and fast. But when Aidan was given the opportunity of a lifetime—to move to London and record an album—he took it, breaking Lo’s heart. Yet more than two years and a successful album later, every song he writes is still about her, the one he let get away. And every time Lo hears his voice on the radio singing about love, it’s an arrow straight to her soul.

Now they’re on a collision course as maid of honor and best man at a weekend-long Irish castle wedding. Are some mistakes worth forgiving? Can Aidan convince Lo their song wasn’t meant to end?








My Review

Heart Strings is a second chance romance that’ll make you laugh, shed a few tears, and give you butterflies.

The storyline is a precarious balancing act of feelings and emotions that had my heart in a chokehold. Lo and Aidan’s relationship is so beautifully fragile and their journey is a tough one. Can they find the courage to claim the happiness they both so desperately deserve?

This was a book full of so many feelings and of so much love. The dialogue is funny and heartfelt. The characters are fun-loving, endearing, and easily relatable. I smiled a lot while reading and couldn’t contain a few chuckles.

I know I’m mentioning love a lot, but that’s the best way I can describe Heart Strings. All the actions, all the drama, all the earth-shattering and heartwrenching things that happen in this book, are colored with love. Love of a parent. Love of a friend. Love of family. And a love so raw, it defies definition. 

I am looking forward to the next book.

FTC Disclaimer: I voluntarily read a copy of the book generously provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences my thoughts or feelings about the book or the content of my review.


Excerpt & Purchase Links

Penguin Random House*


About the Author


Photo: © Eero Loera

Ivy Fairbanks is the author of Morbidly Yours and Heart Strings, and a shameless consumer of rom-com books, hazelnut coffee, and Hozier music. Not necessarily in that order. Living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome has made her a believer in the importance of representation in romance. Fairbanks writes stories where realistic characters find love, acceptance, and their happily-ever-afters. She lives in the Tampa Bay area with her husband and son. At any given moment, she is probably trapped under a sleeping tabby cat. Learn more at www.ivyfairbanksbooks.com

*Third party links to the publisher's website. May contain affiliate links.

Friday, July 18, 2025

Review: Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh

The hunt for a stealthy predator takes a damaged J-Psy to the heart of falcon territory in this new Psy-Changeling Trinity novel from New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh…



About the Book

Justice-Psy Eleri Dias knows the end is near for her, her mind one step away from fatal psychic exposure. In the short time that remains, she is determined to atone for an act of omission that has haunted her for a long, cruel decade. But that decision not only means facing a powerful changeling wing leader, but also putting herself in the path of a serial killer.

Falcon wing leader Adam Garrett is fiercely protective of his family and his clan. After losing his parents as a teenager in a shocking act of malice, Adam has no forgiveness in him for the J-Psy who betrayed him, betrayed them, at the most painful moment of his life. But the evil that stalks his territory will allow him no respite, forcing him once more into contact with the J he has never been able to forget.

Everything that could’ve been between Eleri and Adam was lost years ago, a shimmering promise crushed. As they work to uncover a monster, the moment of reckoning looms ever closer. Soon, there may be no more time left for either atonement…or love…



Excerpt

 

Eleri snapped the tight band on her wrist when she felt the memories begin to take hold, unravel one by one. So many nights she and Reagan had sat across from each other as he taught her how to scan a memory into her own mind, then how to project that “impression” to others. So many days she’d sat beside him in the courtroom as he waited to go up into the witness box.

The sting of the elastic band was just enough to snap her out of the loop. It wasn’t the pain—she’d experienced far more pain in her life. It was the fact that she’d been doing the same thing for years, ever since she took her first involuntary step on the path to becoming a Sensitive. A little dissonance loop she’d built for herself outside the laws and rules of Silence.

Most of the time, the memories that threatened to drown her were those of the monsters, but every so often, it was her own memory of Reagan as he’d been at the very end.

Blood, so much blood, his throat gurgling and hand clutching at her as he gasped for breath.

Allowing Reagan to be sucked into the black hole of the past with the snap of the band, Eleri considered her next steps. With the room secure, she could leave her clothing and other items here—other than the mobile comm, which was always on her wrist, she had nothing worth stealing. But she could as easily unload her overnight bag after she’d taken a first pass at the diner.

Decision made, she left the room, engaged her security system, then crossed over to her vehicle. Once inside, she thought about peeling off her gloves but decided against it. Much as she craved time without that physical shield on her hands, the diner wasn’t far per the search she’d just run. She’d only have to put them back on again, and no doubt people would be watching her as soon as she pulled up.

Small towns loved to watch outsiders.

The cypress trees that lined the drive to the inn threw dappled shadows across her vehicle as she drove out, and without thought, she lowered her window to listen to the silence.

Adam.

He’d caused this crack in the wall between her and the world today, a fracture that might yet take her under.

She snapped the rubber band again . . . and rolled up the window.

Turning left out of the drive, she found herself looking down the deserted road shadowed by trees to a vehicle parked up ahead. A man in jeans and a short-sleeve white shirt leaned against it. His skin glowed in the sunlight, his silky hair dark and just long enough to flow around his face, and his body far more muscled than it had been ten years ago.

He’d been younger then, his body lankier and not quite finished.

Her pulse accelerated though she’d long ago stopped being nervous with anyone. Js were too often in the minds of the dregs of civilization for their Silence to stay in any way perfect, so the nervousness itself hadn’t disqualified her from her job. Reagan had just taught her to think past it.

Then it had dulled and dulled again, each reconditioning stealing a little more of her soul—if she’d ever had one to begin with. Until at last, she felt nothing at all when she sat across from the most vicious criminals the world had ever seen and waded into the fetid swamp of their minds and memories.

But today, her tongue dried up, her pulse kicked, and she found herself driving slower and slower as she neared the man who had once, long ago, made her wonder if she could have another life, live an existence devoid of murder and violence and a relentless march of screams.

Adam had parked before he got to the inn, his intention to shift and fly over to see what he could glean about the stranger who’d pulled him toward her though they were separated by air and sky. Then he’d heard the quiet purr of a vehicle and guessed it to be hers—no other guests at the inn right now.

So he’d got out and waited, just a local who’d paused to take in some air.

The rugged all-terrain SUV turned out of the inn’s drive with the clear intent to pick up speed, but Adam didn’t flinch. He could get out of the way without losing a feather if it came to that. But the driver began to slow some distance out and brought the tough vehicle to a stop three feet from him. The windows were tinted but the windscreen clear.

Her gaze was unreadable as she looked at him . . . and his rage a hurricane.

Her.

His talons thrust at the tips of his fingers, the raptor inside him ready to rip her to shreds. She’d lost the softness, a sharp thinness to her face that made her look far older than he knew her to be, but it was definitely her. The pretty J with eyes like the desert after the rains who’d made him smile in sheer joy only an hour before she stood unmoving and silent next to the man who had stolen justice from Adam and his family for an unforgivable and premeditated crime.

He could still remember each and every second of the experience that had forever altered him, destroying in minutes a life he’d only just discovered. Justice Psy were called that because they were telepaths who could reach into the minds of Psy and humans, pull out memories to do with a specific incident or crime, then broadcast those memories out to humans and Psy.

Changelings were excluded because of their powerful natural shields. Too hard to get anything in or out without smashing their minds to pieces. But that hadn’t been a disadvantage in that courtroom where an arrogant Psy landholder was meant to be held to account for the murder of Adam’s parents.

His paternal grandmother was human, as was Jenesse, his mother’s closest friend and a woman who’d been an aunt in all but blood to Saoirse and Adam. The two women had allowed the broadcast to reach their minds, watching the supposed “memory” from start to finish even as the court’s designated J-Psy interpreter spoke the memory aloud for the rest of them.

J-Psy were trusted because they were meant to be unable to change the memories they retrieved. They had to be trusted—once they went in and took a memory, it could never again be retrieved by another J.

That day Adam learned that the whole “Js can’t lie” thing was a pile of f*#ing bull. The J who’d stood beside the woman in the vehicle had altered the perpetrator’s memories.

And a double murderer had walked free.

He didn’t even realize he’d moved until he found himself staring straight through the windscreen at the woman on the other side, the hard metal of the car brushing his thighs as the wild creature in him rose to the surface in a blaze of rage . . . and things unspoken too long contained.

Excerpted from Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh. Copyright © 2025 by Nalini Singh. 


My Review

I am absolutely blown away by this part of the PsyChangeling Trinity series! I love that we finally get to learn more about Adam and the WindHaven clan! 

Oh, this story is so exciting! There’s action, adventure, mystery, suspense, more mystery, and a second chance romance that’ll sweep you off your feet, literally!

We first met Adam in Branded By Fire (Psy-Changeling #6) and I have always been curious about him and his feathery clan of winged shifters. Adam’s been on the outskirts of the series making a few cameos here and there but now he finally gets the spotlight. His story is full of grief, perseverance, strength, and vengeance. Does he have room for forgiveness, too? Let’s find out!

Eleri is a Justice-Psy dangerously close to her expiration date. You see, Justice-Psy–or Js–as they’re often referred to, use physical touch to read the minds of accused criminals to obtain guilt or innocence. But walking in one’s mind has a huge drawback, the Js absorb the feelings and emotions that go along with those thoughts which have a negative impact on the Js and their mental shields. Mental shields are used by all Psy to protect themselves from others and to protect others from their minds and their psychic gifts.

To prevent the build up of emotions affecting the Js, they frequently undergo a reconditioning procedure that wipes them clean of these emotional experiences, leaving them with their functioning J abilities and not much else. Too many wipes and their shields rapidly start to deteriorate. And when their mental shields are gone, Js suffer a horrible death as they are swamped by the noise in their heads from years of exposure. Eleri’s got just enough time left to right a few wrongs and give justice to those long since denied.

While Eleri is a new character, she’s not new to Adam’s life. They have an explosive history you don’t want to miss!

Atonement Sky is amazing and full of so many surprises and few familiar faces from the series! I am so excited for everyone to read the book!

I absolutely loved it and I especially loved how the author respected the culture of the Diné (Navajo) indigenous people and how she beautifully threaded it into the story.

I highly recommend Atonement Sky and every book in the Psy-Changeling universe! 

Where will Nalini Singh take us next? I don’t know but I’m here for it!

FTC Disclaimer: I voluntarily read a copy of the book generously provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences my thoughts or feelings about the book or the content of my review.


Purchase Links

Penguin Random House


About the Author


Photo: © Sharyn Barratt

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh is passionate about writing. Though she’s traveled as far afield as the deserts of China, the temples of Japan, and the frozen landscapes of Antarctica, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her most. She’s beyond delighted to be able to follow her dream as a writer.

She is the author of the Psy-Changeling novels, including Primal Mirror, Resonance Surge, and Storm Echo. She is also the author of the Guild Hunter series, including Archangel’s Lineage, Archangel’s Resurrection, and Archangel’s Light, and three stand-alone thrillers: There Should Have Been Eight, Quiet in Her Bones, and A Madness of Sunshine. Learn more at nalinisingh.com.

*Third party links to the publisher's website. May contain affiliate links.

Read-Along Review: One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews

I am so excited to be taking part in Books of My Heart's annual Read-Along! 

This year, the blog picked The Edge and Innkeeper Chronicles series by Ilona Andrews!


One Fell Sweep is the third book in the Innkeeper Chronicles series and is an exciting story full of action, adventure, subterfuge, and surprises!



About the Book

Dina DeMille may run the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, but she caters to very particular kind of guest… the kind that no one on Earth is supposed to know about. Guests like a former intergalactic tyrant with an impressive bounty on her head, the Lord Marshal of a powerful vampire clan, and a displaced-and-superhot werewolf; so don’t stand too close, or you may be collateral damage.

But what passes for Dina’s normal life is about to be thrown into chaos. First, she must rescue her long-distant older sister, Maud, who’s been exiled with her family to a planet that functions as the most lawless penal colony since Botany Bay. Then she agrees to help a guest whose last chance at saving his civilization could bring death and disaster to all Dina holds dear. Now Gertrude Hunt is under siege by a clan of assassins. To keep her guests safe and to find her missing parents, Dina will risk everything, even if she has and may have to pay the ultimate price. Though Sean may have something to say about that.

 


My Review

I absolutely LOVE this book!

Strong women representation is in full force in One Fell Sweep.

I love that we finally get to meet Dina's sister Maud and Maud's super cute daughter Helen.

I love how serious Dina takes her job and how her strong morals, principles, and vows never waiver in defense of her guests. Dina and Maud seriously kick ass.

The storyline is exciting, engaging, and brilliantly written. I want to climb inside this series and hang out with Dina, Sean, her Grace, and the rest of the innkeeper bunch!

On to the next book!



Purchase Links

Ilona Andrews Website*



Want to join the fun? Visit Books of My Heart's blog post HERE!

Don't forget to enter the giveaways!



About the Author



“Ilona Andrews” is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)

Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Texas with their two children and many dogs and cats.

They have co-authored several bestselling series, including the #1 NYT bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels, rustic fantasy of the Edge, paranormal romance of Hidden Legacy, and Innkeeper Chronicles, which they post as a free weekly serial. For complete list of their books, fun extras, and Innkeeper installments, please visit their website at Ilona-andrews.com.

*Third party links to the publisher's website. May contain affiliate links.