Carries Book Reviews

Expired Listings by D.M. Barr
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Dana Black is a realtor in Rock Canyon who has a naughty side and uses the empty homes as a place to meet up for her kinky encounters. Unfortunately for Dana there is a serial killer on the lose in Rock Canyon dubbed the ‘Realtor Retaliator’ and now Dana has caught the eye of detective Aidan Cummings who is investigating the case. Now Dana not only needs to clear her name since she doesn’t have an alibi but she needs to decide between continuing her naughty ways or starting something a little tamer with Aidan.

Expired Listings is another of those books that I really expected something a bit different than what I ended up with and it ended up a case of just not a good fit for me. I really expected to enjoy this more than I did even though I’m not a huge fan of the BDSM type of read but this one promised a mystery and some laughs but I was a bit let down with those.

Dana really wasn’t the funny character that I was hoping for when reading the book contained sex, suspense and satire. I spent most of the time a bit bored and kept waiting for something to jump out and catch my interest. With not connecting to Dana it just made the rest of what was going on that much less interesting also.

Overall, just not for me I’m afraid, just didn’t connect with this one at all.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Echoes of the Past by Emma Kaye
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Isabeau Munier is a witch that in 1692 was going to be burned at the stake so she cast a spell to escape the fire but while she escaped she ends up cursed. The curse has trapped Isabeau to forever remain in Lobster Cove with each time she’s tried to cross the town line she gets sent to a new time but the same town.

Over the years Isabeau became friends with Grayson Wright’s uncle who knew her secret but now that he has passed away Grayson has come to town to finalize his affairs. Isabeau and Grayson find themselves attracted to one another but will Grayson ever believe the secret that holds her in this small town?

Echoes of the Past is mostly a romance read with a touch of the time travel and witch aspect to it. I would have liked to have seen more of those but with this being novella length I can understand why there wasn’t more expansion to the story.

It took me a while to warm up to the romance side of the read while I was hoping to touch on the witchcraft and time travel but after it got going I found myself still enjoying this book and the characters. I think fans of romance will probably enjoy this romance novella with a bit of a twist.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sugar Rush: A Sugar Bowl Novel by Sawyer Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sugar Rush is the second book in the Sugar Bowl series by Sawyer Bennett. This installment picks up exactly where the first book ended when Beck and Sela had been in the midst of a argument over Sela’s accusations after getting caught in Beck’s office. Now that Beck knows the truth about Sela and her past he vows to help her.

Just as exciting and fast paced as the first book in the series but just like the first my first warning would be the cliffhanger in this one surpassed that of the first book, what an ending. With Sela and Beck now plotting together the story remained just as intense as it went on as this couple grows even closer together.

I do think the steamier moments in this installment were a little fewer and further in between than in the first book but that was quite alright as there was a lot going on with the story. With Sela opening up and the honesty on the table now between this somewhat dysfunctional couple I can’t wait to see how it all turns out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Elemental Secrets by Elle Middaugh
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Valerie Moore is a Navy brat and when her father gets deployed yet again she gets sent off to live with her eccentric aunt in a tiny town nestled in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Her mother passed away years ago and with all the moving around Valerie has always found it hard to make new friends and fit in.

Valerie soon finds that her family has secrets that she never knew about with the passing of her mother. This new town she finds herself in is full of those with Elemental powers and Valerie finds that she herself is a descendant of those powers.

Elemental Secrets sounds like a really good fantasy read that I should have loved but unfortunately with this one it lost my interest fairly early on concentrating more on the high school drama portion of the book instead of the magical abilities.

Early in the story Valerie already finds herself in a fist fight over a boy in the school. She also can’t make up her mind out of two that are interested in her who she likes more. Normally I’m fine with a love triangle situation but next we know this turns into a love square with a third that interests Valerie. She just seemed to be all over the place with oh it’s a good looking guy and the description talked of her being a loner, didn’t make sense.

Then I have to mention the slowness of involving any depth to the Elemental side of the story. I think I was halfway before it gets any real notice and interest in the story due to wading through the drama portion. Then really it was a lot longer before it became the focus of what was going on, maybe 75-80%. Just not enough by then to care anymore after becoming irritated with the teen drama.

Overall, 2.5 stars for Elemental Secrets. Just wasn’t one for me but I’m sure some others would like this one a bit more than I did.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.