Carries Book Reviews

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Title: Not Your Ex’s Hexes

Author:  April Asher

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Publication Date: February 7, 2023

Page Count:  349

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

In April Asher’s next Supernatural Singles novel, Not Your Ex’s Hexes, a one-night-stand between a willful witch and a broody half-demon conjures an adventure that wouldn’t be complete without several magical mishaps.

For her entire life, Rose Maxwell trained to become the next Prima on the Supernatural Council. Now that she’s stepped down, it’s time for this witch to focus on herself. And not think about her impulsive one-night stand with Damian Adams, a half-Demon Veterinarian who she can’t get out of her head. Neither of them is looking for a relationship. But when Rose is sentenced to community service at Damian’s animal sanctuary it becomes impossible for them to ignore their sparking attraction. A friends-with-benefits, no feelings, no strings arrangement works perfectly for them both.

After a sequence of dead-end jobs, it’s not until Rose tangos with two snarly demons that she thinks she’s finally found her path. However, this puts Damian back on the periphery of a world he thought he left behind. He doesn’t approve of Rose becoming a Hunter, but if there’s one thing he’s learned about the stubborn witch, it was telling her not to do something was one sure-fire way to make sure she did.

Working—and sleeping—together awakens feelings Damian never knew he had…and shouldn’t have. Because thanks to his ex’s hex, if he falls in love, he’ll not only lose his heart—but his humanity.

Not Your Ex’s Hexes by April Asher is the second book in the paranormal romance Supernatural Singles series. Just like a lot of romance series the Supernatural Singles series changes main characters in each new book of the series with the world building being what ties them together. Since we have new characters this book can be read as a standalone or out of order if choosing to do so.

Rose Maxwell has spent her life preparing to join the supernatural council but now that she’s stepped down she needs to figure out what to do next. What Rose doesn’t want to do is put any more thought into her mistake of a one night stand with the half-demon Damian Adams but of course Rose gets forced into doing just that.

Much to Roses’ dismay she gets sentenced to community service at none other than Damian’s animal sanctuary. Being so closed to the sexy veterinarian is not what Rose wanted but now she’s beginning to think maybe there just might be a benefit to being so close while Rose figures out what her next steps will be in life.

The Supernatural Singles series is probably best described as taking a contemporary romance and setting it up in a supernatural world. There’s witches, werewolves and demons…oh my! But at the heart of the story in this second book we have sort of a second chance enemies to lovers with the prior hook up but the forbidden demon character. Lotsa laughs and a relationship in the making kept the pages turning in this one and when done I’ll look forward to seeing what’s in store for the next singles in the series.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

USA Today Bestselling Author April Asher, aka April Hunt, was hooked on romantic stories from the time she first snuck a bodice-ripper romance out from her mom’s bedside table. She now lives out her own happily-ever-after with her college-sweetheart husband, their two children, and a cat who thinks she’s more dog—and human—than feline. By day, April dons dark blue nursing scrubs and drinks way too much caffeine. By night, she still consumes too much caffeine, but she does it with a laptop in hand, and from her favorite side of the couch.

From the far left cushion, April Asher pens laugh-out-loud romantic comedies with a paranormal twist, but when she’s not putting her characters into embarrassing situations with supernatural entities, she also writes high-octane romantic suspense as April Hunt, her thrill-seeking alter ego.

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In the Shadow of the Truth
Maci Aurora
(Fareview Fairytale, #3.5)
Publication date: April 9th 2024
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

The secrets Scarlett Fareview has hidden from her family are finally out in the open, but not without consequences. Alienating everyone she loves, she must face the hurt and betrayal she wrought with her duplicity. And the cost is high. In this series of novellas, the Fareveiws deal with the aftermath of Scarlett’s deception. Scarlett must face Tomas and her children, Brinna must determine if she and Luc can forge a future, and Auri and Nix face the next obstacle to their forever. Along with many other familiar characters, these stories bridge the gap between the end of In the Shadow of a Dream and the final book in the Fareview saga, In the Shadow of an Obsession.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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EXCERPT:

From In the Shadow of a Vow Novella

When Tomas returned from the barn that afternoon, the sound of his boots on the floor captured her attention as she stood at the kitchen counter he’d made for her. His form in the doorway—wide and encompassing—was at first a buoying relief then a crushing disappointment.

She’d failed him.

He stalled, assessing, his eyes dragging along the countertop where she stood amidst a haphazard wreck of herbs—her supplies for making tinctures and medicines she took on calls and sold at the market.

“Did you mean to leave all your tools in the garden?” he asked. There wasn’t any accusation in his tone, only curiosity. “And the laundry undone in the wash basin?”

When she didn’t answer—because she couldn’t seem to align the words with meaning—he asked, “What’s going on here?”

Scarlett looked down at the mess she’d made, opened her mouth to tell him what she was doing, but her mind went blank. She couldn’t remember what she’d been doing. She didn’t know

what she was doing anymore. The longer she looked at the greens, the pestle and mortar, the boiling pot, the less sense any of the disarray made.

“It’s chaos, Scar,” he said quietly next to her. “Unlike you.”

She looked up from the mess to his face, to his kind eyes shaped with concern.

Scar. She’d always loved the way he shortened her name, the only one who ever did.

Then without warning, she burst into tears, pressing the towel in her hands against her face as her grief, pain, worry, regret, disappointment wrenched out of her with horrific gasp. She’d ruined everything.

Tomas gathered her into his arms with soothing sounds. “Hush,” he whispered, his wide, heavy hand on the back of her head.

“I’m so sorry,” she sobbed, grasping hold of his shirt, her face pressed into the strength of his chest.

He held her.

“They’re gone,” she sobbed. “I failed.”

His arms squeezed her a touch tighter, and when his face pressed into the place between her neck and shoulder, Scarlett wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing up onto her toes, needing to be closer to his comfort.

“I failed too,” he whispered, his lips against her skin. “We both have.”

She shook her head. “Not you, Tomas.” She drew back to look at him.

Raising his head, his eyes connected with hers, the sadness a deep, evergreen forest swirling inside them where he was lost. And it was her fault. She knew this. Had pushed him to go against his nature by keeping her secrets, securing the spells.

Unsure about anything but the tumult of emotions she couldn’t seem to harness, Scarlett reached for comfort she knew he provided, a comfort she could reciprocate.

She kissed him, her hands framing his face, his beard soft against her palms.

He froze, tension tightening his shoulders.

And she thought he might pull away, but suddenly he was kissing her back, capitulating, needing, seeking. His tongue sought entrance, and she granted it. It was hungry, two souls on the periphery of starvation, finding one another in the darkness.

 

Author Bio:

Romance author.

Lover of stories.

Maci Aurora has been writing stories since she was a child. When she was eleven, she fell in love with reading Sunfire Historical Romances about girls who made a difference in their lives and still fell in love. In high school, a friend introduced her to Lavyrle Spencer and Judith McNaught, and from there, her writing journey was cemented in telling stories about love. Having already published many novels (all of which are threaded with romance as upper YA and New Adult titles) under the pen name, CL Walters, Maci Aurora wanted to write stories that offered the same attention to story and characters but with additional steam.

Maci writes in Hawaiʻi where she lives with her husband, their children, and their fur-babies.

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Title: Funny Story

Author:  Emily Henry

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: April 23, 2024

Page Count:  395

My rating: 5 stars

About the book:

A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.
 
Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.
 
 Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads —Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?
 
But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

Funny Story by Emily Henry is a contemporary romance novel. The story in Funny Story is one of starting over with a few tropes at the heart of the novel in forced proximity turning into fake dating then onto friends to lovers.

Daphne had packed up and moved to Waning Bay, Michigan with her fiance Peter beginning to plan their life together. That is until weeks before the wedding Peter decides that he’s really in love with his bestie turned new romance Petra and he wants to start a life with her instead.

With no where to go in an unfamiliar town Daphne turns to the one person who can probably understand her dilemma, Miles. Miles was also recently dumped by non other than Petra so of course he has a spare room for Daphne but when they both get invited to the Peter and Petra wedding party they both refuse to show their shared misery and what better way to prove this than pretend to date one another.

Funny Story is the first book I’ve read from author Emily Henry but after hearing such good things I was very hopeful going into this one. Thankfully this is one of those times I was glad to take the leap into a new author since I enjoyed every minute of reading. I’m not the biggest fan of characters jumping right into something new but on the other hand I love a little fake dating and the author sold me on Daphne and Miles quickly and I couldn’t help but root for their happy ending.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Emily Henry is the #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Happy Place, Book Lovers, People We Meet on Vacation, and Beach Read. She studied creative writing at Hope College, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it. Find her on Instagram @EmilyHenryWrites.

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Title: A Trip with Trouble

Author:  Diane Kelly

Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Publication Date: October 25, 2022

Page Count:  297 

My rating: 5 stars

About the book:

The second in a charming and engrossing cozy series from Diane Kelly, A Trip with Trouble proves that in the Blue Ridge Mountains, life in the fast lane could end in a crash.

When the ladies of the Dangerous Curves Motorcycle Club take over the Mountaintop Lodge for their annual autumn ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway, Misty Murphy couldn’t be more thrilled. Every room is full and the adventurous women even invite Misty and her assistant Brynn to join them on a ride to admire the colorful fall foliage. Hotel handyman Rocky Crowder is happy to keep an eye on the lodge for the day, and the ladies set out for a fun ride on the scenic road.

The skies are clear, the air is crisp, and the leaves are gorgeous. But what starts as a perfect ride turns worrisome when the tail gunner – the last rider in their group – fails to show up at the Craggy Gardens overlook. Cell phone service is spotty in the remote, mountainous area, and the group is unable to connect with their friend. Might the missing woman have simply run out of gas? Or is something far more sinister afoot?

The ladies are determined to locate their ride or die, and Misty is equally determined to help them. But will they be able to solve the mystery when the scenic route seems intent on hiding its secrets?

A Trip with Trouble by Diane Kelly is the second book in the cozy Mountain Lodge Mystery series. Each book of this series will contain it’s own fully solved mystery so they can be enjoyed as a standalone novel or in any order if choosing to do so. Of course there is character development that will carry over from book to book for those who choose to read the series from the beginning.

Just as Misty Murphy was turning fifty she found herself completely changing her life with her children grown and out of the house she and her husband had decided to end their marriage finding themselves to be complete opposites. One thing that always made Misty the happiest was traveling to the Blue Ridge Mountains so she decided to move there permanently and bought an old inn she was familiar with from her visits and quickly hired staff to help her out with the inn needing more repairs than she thought.

Now that Misty has her inn up and running she is excited to have a full house with the ladies of the Dangerous Curves Motorcycle Club staying during their annual autumn ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The ladies in the club even invite Misty and her assistant out for a ride and with the lodge handyman left in charge they just couldn’t resist. What was supposed to be a fun afternoon ride turns into another mystery for Misty to solve with one of the motorcycle club ladies not showing up after the ride was finished.

The Mountain Lodge Mystery series is another that I started from the beginning and quickly fell in love with. The Mountain Lodge made a wonderful remote setting that had all the small town charm I love in cozy mysteries and of course with this setting comes along some quirky characters that is also at the top of my cozy checklist. With a fun mystery again in the second book I’ll definitely be looking forward to returning to the series for book three.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

A former tax advisor, Diane Kelly inadvertently worked with white-collar criminals. Not surprisingly, Diane decided self-employment would be a good idea. Her fingers hit the keyboard and thus began her Death and Taxes white-collar crime series. A graduate of her hometown’s Citizen Police Academy, Diane Kelly also writes the hilarious K-9 cop Paw Enforcement series, the Busted female motorcycle cop series, the House Flipper cozy mystery series, the Southern Homebrew moonshine series, and the Mountain Lodge Mysteries.

Be the first to receive book news and access exclusive content by signing up for Diane’s newsletter at https://www.dianekelly.com/newsletter/

Find Diane online at http://www.DianeKelly.com, her Author Diane Kelly page on Facebook, and on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and TikTok at @dianekellybooks.

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Take All the Time You Need
Cate Summers
Publication date: September 24th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Riley Chase is taking her sweet time to move on.

Working as a painter in the West Village in New York City, Riley is still reeling from the loss of her fiancé, Grant, three years later, until an unexpected rent hike forces her to move out of the apartment she shared with him. She takes it as a chance to start anew, at the encouragement of her therapist. After answering a request for proposal to paint a mural in The Red Kettle, a new restaurant owned by none other than Jae Cho, the wickedly handsome chef who just moved into her old apartment.

As Riley and Jae work together to get the restaurant ready for opening night, Jae learns of Riley’s well-meaning but ultimately futile attempts to make a dating app profile. Jae can’t stand to watch his new employee flounder in love—or get kidnapped by a serial killer before she finishes painting his mural— and promises to help get her profile in order including a practice date in exchange for her painting the mural for free. Riley questions what it means to “move on” from her late fiancé, and from the place she called home for so long—all while trying to not fall for her new neighbor who can’t seem to help but feed her dumplings and take her on long walks through NYC.

Maybe it isn’t too late for love after all.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order

 

 

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