Tag: ARC Reader

Posted in Spicy Romance

Beastly and Bookish

Posted on by Little Bee

By Catrina Bell

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Beastly & Bookish is one of the three books in the Horned Up for the Holidays series. You can find the other reviews Holidays Ablaze and Holly’s Unjolly Christmas here. It does not matter in the order that you read them, none of them spoil any parts of the stories for the other.

This book has a Beauty and the Beast feel. “Ugly” beastly demon and nerdy, fiery, librarian. They were best friends when they were younger, and then Rom’s family moved away for a business venture. Eventually it brings him back to Winter Bliss. It is a second chance romance for Rom and Noelle. It includes tropes such as forced proximity and one bed. It is a paranormal, Christmas, fantasy romance.

The story was good, it took me a little longer to get through than the other two books. I liked the story fine, and I found myself smiling and feeling genuinely happy for the characters, but something in the book just didn’t connect with me. I still gave it high stars because I want to point out that sometimes I have outside influences that affect my mood when reading, and I feel like this kind of happened here. Their story is really cute, and extremely spicey. My one real irk with it, and I only say this because I point it out every time it happens, is the lack of communication is so frustrating, but I know if they did communicate how they felt, I would probably find it boring. LOL. So just ignore me please. I don’t read a lot of second chance romances, but this one is a spicy hallmark second chance romance you should add to your list.

Posted in Spicy Romance

Contract of the Crown

Posted on by Little Bee

Elle Lacerta

Rating 4 out of 5 stars

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is the first in a 5 book series that is dark/fantasy romance. For the quick and short of it, Iris is sold off to the Caed kingdom, specifically Roman. In order for her to gain access to the Academy, she has to serve him, in all the ways you can think of. She has daily chores and then “nightly” chores. She is given over to this ruling family to help pay off her father’s gambling debts.

First, I want to start out on the things I was not a fan of. While I get this was a short story, sometimes it was hard to keep up with how much time had passed, or did not pass. There seemed to be a massive jump between the time she is plotting their demise and her in bed with Rowan and the two falling in love with each other. I thought maybe something had gotten cut out or I missed it, but I felt lost during those parts. This is also true in the scene with Alex, and the level of anger Rowan had felt. I was a little confused there to, everything happens so fast. Also, the language used at first was incredibly flowery. I have ADHD and I found myself really struggling to get through the sentences, especially with words that are not entirely common ways to describe things. However, with that said, given the type of fantasy setting this book is referring to, the over descriptive words seems appropriate. It changes a bit throughout the book and is not a problem after that.

I like Iris, though I am a bit confused by her. She is a spitfire, a little bratty, but also really confusing. I am hoping as the story continues through, we will get more backstory on her and Rowan to understand them better. There is plenty of spice, some was fade to black (which is why I thought I missed something, because it is not clearcut fade to black). The scenes are not very long, but still spicy. I like how the BDSM elements are not overbearing. Sometimes the “Doms” in the book are incredibly toxic all around, and even though these Vampires are incredibly toxic, I feel like this is acceptable in fantasy romance novels that include the paranormal.

The book ends on a cliffhanger, but the books are set to release weekly, so if you pick it up, you should not have to wait long 🙂 I look forward to seeing the trajectory of the overall story. At this point, I am not sure where it is going…but I definitely know who the bad guys are!

Posted in Spicy Romance

Holidays Ablaze

Posted on by Little Bee

By Lucy Limon

Rating 5 out of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the author, but my review is entirely voluntary and honest.

Holidays Ablaze is another book that can be found in the Horned Up for the Holidays set. It is a complete standalone, though certain scenes do tend to cross over while you read each book, introducing you to different characters that are a part of a different story. All of the stories take place in Winter Bliss.

The FMC, Sofia, is a sassy, spicy Latina chef. She has an obsession with fire, which she ended up getting out of control when she was younger and it scared quite a bit of her body. She was supposed to open a restaurant in the quaint little community, but her business partner pulled out of the deal when he saw parts of her burns and high tailed it out like only a jerk will do. She was out collecting logs when she saw a demon get dropped out of a helicopter on a lake on her property. From there, we get to see the steamy tension spark to life between them. Samite is red hot, and the kind of flame she might be tempted to let burn her up.

The spice is HOT in this one. WHEW. I needed a fan for these scenes. The story was not entirely spice, in fact, I wouldn’t say there are a LOT of spice scenes, but the ones that we get, are so sizzling, it does not even matter.

I do not believe there are any TWs to look out for. Its a cozy, holiday romance, with a HEA. Samite is a bit grumpy and untrusting, but the relationship that builds between him and Sofia (who is not a pushover and holds her own against the Demon) is so fun to read as it unfolds. This book does contain a third act break up, but the MCs use the time to really determine what is important to them in life.

Posted in Spicy Romance

Holly’s Unjolly Christmas

Posted on by Little Bee

By Lark Green

Rating 5 out of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the author, but my review is entirely voluntary and honest.

Holly’s Unjolly Christmas is a part of the Horned Up For the Holidays anthology, which follows 3 different couples. This book follows Holly and Az. It is a Demon/human romance, standalone, HEA. It involves tropes like grumpy/sunshine and forced proximity. It is a contemporary, cozy, Holiday romance. It includes a lot of spice, special appendages ;). There is a third act break up, but no cliffhanger. I need to get my hands on the bonus epilogue because I am just not done with these two yet.

This book was an easy and quick read. I really enjoyed Holly and Az. Holly is too good for this earth, that is for sure. She is always seen as a pushover, and after a divorce and losing everyone she had, she had to learn who she was all over again. I like that Az and Holly are both broken, and they both find happiness and peace with each other and can mend themselves together.

The story follows Holly going on a vacation for Christmas following her divorce. She thinks she is going to this luxury cabin, but turns out she is catfished and has to stay and share the cabin with the demon groundskeeper. He tries to make her miserable to leave a 1 star review because he does not want tourists in the area taking it over and ruining the hidden secrets of the mountains. It was fun watching them come together and learn to open and trust each other. The trust does not come easy, and takes a lot of work, but they end up in an HEA.

I really liked Lark’s writing style. I look forward to reading more books. I do recommend this book! It does not matter what order you read any of the Horned Up for the Holidays books, but I do recommend this one first as you meet all the characters from the other books. I haven’t read those yet, so it is entirely possible that you get cross over of the main characters in each book.

Posted in Spicy Romance

Silver Bells and Serendipity

Posted on by Little Bee

By Marie Landry

Rating 4 stars out of 5

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Silver Bells and Serendipity falls in 3.5 in a series, however, you do not need to read any of the other books to know what is going on. Some of the FMCs from the first books become friends with the FMC later in this book, but not reading the other books is not detrimental to the story.

This story follows Christmas over 3 years, where FMC and MMC meet the first time, and each subsequent time after. They only ever spend a day with each other, or an evening, and hope to chance an encounter the next year. During the first two encounters, neither character are really at a place in life where a relationship or something more is an option. Book ends in a HEA.

Overall, the story is cute and you root for the MCs the whole way through. I feel that you get to learn more about Sylvie’s year each time then you do Cole, though the POV of the story is through Sylvie. I don’t feel like Mindy’s reasons were good enough for just bolting on their friendship, so I wish there was a bit more to it, especially if it was going to be made a point throughout the story. There is some spice starting in their second meet up. It is not overly spicy, but enough that is enjoyable and it is not fade to black. The story is creative and well written. It is unique, at least to me. I have not read too many books similar along these lines.

Posted in Romance

Yule Know It When You See It

Posted on by Little Bee

By Carly Spade

Rating 4 out of 5 Stars

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Theodora is a romance writer with a monthly column in a magazine. She is teamed up with the new sports writer, Axel Nord, for a co-piece. Theo is rude to him when they first meet and from there they are kind of “frenemies.” As the story goes on, they have small moments where they start liking each other. Eventually, they both fully let themselves dive off the deep end, ultimately ending in a happily ever after.

This story is a holiday rom-com, standalone. While this story a lot of tension, of all kinds, between the two MCs, there is little to no spice until the last 15-20% of the book. It is listed as a slow burn, but it is almost nonexistent. The spicy scenes involved are not fade to black.

I did enjoy reading this book but only give it 4 stars. I liked how when Axel used a word in his language, the author also quickly gave the meaning as well. I enjoyed the Yule/Jul information. I had a hard time connecting with Theodora, but I am not really sure why. The story is well written, I will definitely explore more books by Carly Spade. The story was evenly paced. I loved all the holiday things occurring, from going to hockey games, ice skating, office party, etc. Overall, it is a cute, feel good story, and a perfect year end, holiday read!

Posted in Spicy Romance

Audited by the Anubis

Posted on by Little Bee

By Wendi Gogh

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I want to say, that as far as monster romances go, I am a fan of any that include Anubis. So I was already excited going into this story. This is my first book by this author. I like how the writing is very smooth and everything just kind of blends together. What I mean is, other than the two “villains” of the story, no one really bats an eye about monsters. There is one scene where everyone stares at the Anubis and then goes about their business.

I liked Fern’s character overall. Without giving a spoiler, I figured out the exciting tidbit she learns at the end of the book early on in the book. This story is a very sweet romance. There is some angst, Fern has gone through emotional abuse her entire life at the hands of her mother, and then at the hands of her Ex Husband. I like that Ahnou really helped her see how amazing she actually is. The side characters are equally awesome. Sera is such an awesome BFF, I need her in my life.

The book does have a good amount of spice in it. Spicy scenes start within a couple chapters, after you meet the two main characters. Both characters are “switches”, though it does not go into a lot of detail or BDSM play. I will say the only thing I had a difficult time with is Ahnou’s “member” because I have never heard of a khenen before and I can’t really find a suggestion on google. Because yes, I google these things LOL. While the author uses a lot of descriptions for his “member” I had a hard time following along with it. Other than that, I enjoyed the story overall. It is a quick read. No third act break up, but definitely third act action. Story is HEA.

Posted in Spicy Romance

The Sugarplum Fairy

Posted on by Little Bee

by Piper Collins

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

First, let me say, I love a holiday romcom, and when it is spicy, it is really up my alley. Just briefly, The Sugarplum Fairy centers around the budding romance between Ava and Zac. Ava ups and moves her whole life to a small, picturesque, Christmas type village in Alaska. She meets Zac, literally the only male in the village around her age and available. Obviously the two hit it off. Ava realizes she moved to Alaska during winter incredibly unprepared. Zac is oh so willing to help her out. They get to know each other and they tend to fall fast. Zac took over his grandmother’s bakery, so much of the story follows along this. There is an attempt of a third act breakup, but Ava is stubborn and does not allow it to happen. This story is standalone and HEA.

I like that this book centers around winter and getting ready for holidays. It is such a sweet story. It is an easy read, I read it pretty quickly. I will say, the spicy scenes seemed to end rather quickly. So in my head, reading it, it felt like a couple minutes, but I am thinking, hopefully, maybe a bit longer. Zac was a bit dominating, and I felt it could go a little further to round it out. He is such a sweet guy that it is nice to see him let out that side of him.

Overall, I recommend this story if you are looking for a fun, spicy, holiday romcom!

Posted in Spicy Romance

Stolen by the Beast

Posted on by Little Bee

By MJ Marstens and Sedona Ashe

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Monster romance is among one of my favorites, so when the opportunity came to read Stolen by the Beast, I had to request it. I will say, this is my first of this type of monster, a quite literal Bone Daddy, if you will.

The book is relatively short. It is a fated mates paranormal romance. Minimal spice until towards the end when Karvik allowed himself to believe Juniper was his mate. No third act break up, but definitely third act trial on the relationship. Book ends in a HEA.

Juniper and Karvik have a definite barrier in their relationship since she is human and he is not. His kind has been around for thousands of years, and he is apparently the last of his kind. His confusion at human mannerisms are entertaining and Juniper is very patient with teaching him but also a little juvenile. I can’t really remember what age she is. Her amnesia made her very childlike, but this book is not anywhere close to DDlg.

I rated the book 4 stars because I had a difficult time connecting. Again, it was all good, but something felt missing for me. It may be because I had a hard time envisioning the story with being new to the Bone Daddy variety or maybe I just couldn’t connect to Juniper. I think others will enjoy it very much though.