Carries Book Reviews

Wedding Dreams: 20 Delicious Nuptial Romances
Publication date: April 18th 2017
Genres: Adult, Romance

**You are invited to the weddings of your dreams**

Twenty award-winning, USA Today and International best-selling authors have come together to bring you over 3,000 pages of love, lust, and lusciously sexy men.

From sweet second chance romances to bad boys, BBWs, and brides looking for revenge, this is a perfect read for anyone who enjoys Romance or Women’s Fiction. These pages are packed with cozy romances, thrilling international and holiday adventures, and sweet heart-melting stories. Our authors bring you everything from hot cowboys to rockstar romances, elegant weddings to nuptial disasters, and blushing brides to bold women, all in a delightful celebration of love.

You’re in for a wild, passionate ride on a breathtaking voyage to make your heart soar. This box set will leave you craving all things marital and wishing the honeymoon would never end.

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Let’s meet a couple of authors from this boxed set!

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Magick & Mayhem by Sharon Pape
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Kailyn Wilde inherited her mother and grandmother’s centuries old shop, Abracadabra, when they were unfortunately involved in an accident. Coming from a long line of those with magical abilities in the small town of New Camel Kailyn does her best to keep the magic flowing in the shop while keeping the witchcraft under wraps.

When Kailyn and her aunt head to the attorney’s office to finalize the estate they end up finding of their lawyer who happens to be the husband of a good friend of Kailyn. The police are called to the scene and being the first there Kailyn and her aunt become suspects so Kailyn decides to take it upon herself to begin investigating the crime not only to clear her own name but to bring closure to her friend.

Magick and Mayhem is the first book in a new cozy mystery series by Sharon Pope. I am such a sucker for a fun cozy mystery where the character doesn’t act like they are the police but gets involved with their own questioning and looking into the case. But this one especially caught my attention involving unique characters with a magic shop being involved so I had a feeling I would love it and am certainly glad I wasn’t wrong.

The only thing really I would say with this one would be that there were some things left untouched that I hope the author revisits later in the series which brought my rating to 4.5 stars. Otherwise I enjoyed all the characters, even the critters with their own personalities that are mentioned, and the twists and turns looking for the killer. A fun cozy with the magical twist that I’d recommend to those that enjoy something a little out of the ordinary.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Seduction in Scarlet
Christina Quinn
Publication date: April 15th 2017
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Sadie graduates in a handful of days, and when most of the people around her in class are worrying about finals, she’s more focused on if she’ll survive to walk across the stage. Byron, her vampire lover, brings Sadie to a medieval style tournament thrown by the region’s Master. His hope is to take her mind off the stresses of the tests and essays–not to mention the vampire who wants them both dead. However, while taking in the festivities Byron discovers that Sadie has some dark secrets of her own.

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EXCERPT:

“Would you like to play a game?” He cooed to me, nipping at the tender flesh around his bite from that morning.

“W-what kind of game?”

“I call it no touching.”

“Will I be able to get my dress back on before dinner?”

“Depends on how carried away we get.”

I swallowed. “Okay. How do we play?”

He took a step back from me and started stripping. “You just stand there.”

“That doesn’t seem like much of a game.”

“It will,” his voice was heavy and thick with the darkness that his devious smirk boasted as he dropped his doublet to the ground. Something ruffled my gown, and I spun around finding nothing.

The ribbon holding the lace collar on tugged itself free, and the soft froth of delicate fabric fell to the floor behind me. The sudden cool air on my neck made me shiver as the ribbons at the sleeves of my dress started to do the same.

“This really isn’t much of a ga—” I turned to face him and the sight of his naked body—as always—rendered me a deaf mute.

“Trust me,” he whispered pulling the comforter and pillows from the bed.

I couldn’t find my voice as both sleeves slipped off. I was only in the bodice, corset, petticoat, and skirt now. Byron was already completely nude and lounging on the blanket on the polished wooden floor. He left the cushions for me.

“How can I win?” I was eventually able to ask as he stared up at me and I felt the bodice slowly start to gape open revealing the cream-colored corset beneath.

“You don’t touch yourself, or me.”

“Honestly, that sounds like everyone loses to me.” I giggled nervously.

“You’ll see.”

I licked my lips as at once my skirt drifted to my feet. Something about standing before him with just his eyes on me heightened my senses. The familiar heat started building, and he hadn’t laid a fingertip on me since agreeing to play the game. He was affected too, as I gazed down at his nudity I was greeted by the sight of him, seemingly growing harder and larger under my gaze.

“Remember,” he practically growled. “No touching.”

Author Bio:

An avid reader and lover of literature, Christina Quinn, has always wanted to be an author for as long as she can remember. She spends most of her days with a coffee cup or wine glass within arm’s reach as she labors at her laptop weaving incredible stories.

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Forgotten
Kristin Smith
(The Deception Game #2)
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: April 25th 2017
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult

The epic tale of Sienna Preston continues in this second installment of the exhilarating Deception Game series.

Seventeen-year-old Sienna is no stranger to heartache and loss. But this time, it’s different; someone―or something―has tampered with a loved one’s memories, and she’s determined to get answers.

The trail leads her to the glittering skyscrapers and modern luxuries of Rubex, the Capital of Pacifica, where she infiltrates the government’s Agency for Intelligence and Genetics. But answers are not always easy to come by, especially when her own memories may have been altered. Luckily, Zane Ryder is there to help her put the pieces back together, his devotion and concern muddying the waters between friendship and something more.

When Sienna gets too close to uncovering dark Agency secrets, she’s framed for the murder of a prominent government official, sending her on the run. Sienna’s heart may be torn about who she loves, but none of that really matters anymore―because the only thing that awaits her now is a death sentence.

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EXCERPT:

“How do you know so much about motorcycles? Did your dad ride?”

She laughs outright at my question. “My dad on a motorcycle? No way. Dad was a mixture of leather, coffee, and books. Not oil, sweat, and grease.”

After lying down on her back, she scoots up next to the bike, checking the rims and spokes to make sure there’s no damage. “It kind of became a hobby of mine after my dad died. Do you know the junkyard off Chantilly? Never mind, of course you don’t. Anyway, I found Harley there when I was looking for some old furniture to decorate our trailer with.” She looks up at me. “We didn’t always live in a trailer, you know.”

I try to hide my surprise. I assumed the opposite. “What happened?”

“After Dad died, Mom became sick. We couldn’t afford to live in our house in the suburbs anymore, so we sold it and everything in it, and found the trailer on the outskirts of town. That’s when I dropped out of school and started taking on odd jobs.”

She says it all with such a matter-of-fact tone, but I sense the truth. It was hard for her. It was more than any teenage girl should have to deal with. But she’s too strong to admit it.

“I don’t know how you did it,” I say.

She sits up, wiping her hands on her shorts. Unconsciously, I find my eyes shifting to her bare legs.

“I didn’t have a choice,” she says. She rises to her feet, straddles the bike, and bounces up and down a little. I can only assume she’s checking the chassis to make sure everything is working properly.

“Anyway,” she says. “When I found Harley, I took her home, researched antique motorcycles, and fixed her up. There’s a shop near the Hollow that sells parts, so that’s where I headed after I got my first paycheck.” She pats her bike fondly. “Never regretted it.”

I watch as she turns the key and the engine roars to life, bringing a brilliant smile to her face. I want to tell her all the ways I think she’s amazing, how she’s unlike any girl I’ve ever met, how I find her beautiful, resourceful, intelligent, and intriguing, but she doesn’t want to hear those things. Not from me anyway.

Author Bio:

Kristin Smith writes young adult contemporary and science fiction novels. When she’s not writing, you can find her dreaming about the beach, beating her boys at Just Dance, or belting out karaoke (from the comfort of her own home). Kristin currently resides in the middle-of-nowhere North Carolina with her husband and five incredibly loud but extremely cute boys. To read more about her obsession with YA novels or her addiction to chocolate, you can visit her at kristinsmithbooks.com.

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