Carries Book Reviews

Love, Alchemy
Eden Ashley
Publication date: July 1st 2016
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance

Daveigh Little is preparing for college, planning to leave behind the tiny hick town she’s spent her entire life in once and for all. But plagued by a trouble at home and school, Daveigh makes a series of bad choices that land her in hot water with a local kingpin. Suddenly, people around her are dying and Daveigh finds herself on the run.

And then there’s Ethan. Fresh out of the academy, Ethan Remington represents the authority Daveigh has come to despise, but she is inexplicably drawn to the handsome rookie of few words. From the first moment she laid eyes on him, Daveigh knew Ethan was different. She just didn’t realize how different. Reasons of his own have led Ethan into the tangle strands of danger with the town of Harpey…but those reasons aren’t nearly as mysterious as Ethan’s origins or the irresistible passion between them.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Cooper’s fingers dug into her arm with bruising force, leaving Davey no choice but to defend herself. Punching out with the heel of her free hand, she struck him in the nose. Rearing back in pain, he immediately let go and she struggled to keep her footing. Recovering, Cooper snarled and lunged to retaliate. Davey scrambled but wasn’t fast enough to escape his reach. And then suddenly she didn’t have to. A dark figure stepped into Cooper’s path, and seconds later, Cooper was on the ground bleeding and wearing a dazed look. He wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon.

Deeply shaken, Davey opened her mouth to thank her rescuer, but he had already gone. Swallowed up by the dancing mass of sweaty teenagers.

Davey wanted to be home at once. All she could think of was cuddling with Hogan while reading him a bedtime story before tucking him in. She ran outside, yanking a hoodie over her head to protect against the chill. Gulping in the misty fresh air, she calmed down enough to slow to a stroll and began what would be a long walk home. But there he was. It hadn’t been her imagination. Remington stood on the shadowy road, blocking Davey’s path.

She stopped several yards from his position. A safe distance away, she hoped. “What do you want?”

His reply was so low she could barely make it out. “I needed to be sure.”

Davey’s heart was thudding out of her chest. Had he seen her dealing? “About what?”

“That you were okay.”

“Oh.” She hadn’t expected that. “If you were so worried, why didn’t you stick around?”

“The directive tonight was recon only.” Remington took a step closer. “I think I may have compromised it by causing a scene.”

Weirdo alarm bells ringing at full volume, Davey took two steps back. “I’m sorry saving my ass messed up your mission. Thanks anyway.” Going in the other direction would get her away from him but also make the trek home thirty minutes longer. It really didn’t seem like a bad trade off.

“What did that guy want from you?”

“It’s none of your business.” Davey quickly started walking.

Remington followed. “You could have been hurt.”

“Again, none of your business.” She doubled her stride, but he kept pace effortlessly. Forging ahead for about fifty feet, Davey stopped. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m escorting you home.”

Flabbergasted, her mouth opened and shut. “Why?” she finally asked.

Remington watched her for a quiet moment. His features were oddly attractive in the glow of the streetlights. “I swore to serve and protect. It’s my job to keep you safe.”

Unconvinced, she gestured toward the house where the party raged on. “So a cop is going to show up and escort every one of those kids home too?”

“No.”

She folded her arms. “Then why are you following me?”

Remington shifted. “I don’t know.”

It wasn’t really an answer, but the way he spoke, as well as the manner of his movements, made the words seem true. Plus, Remington hadn’t appeared comfortable admitting them.

“What’s your name?”

“Officer Remington.”

“Well, I don’t like cops. Give me something else to call you.”

“Like what?”

Davey rolled her eyes. “Like your first name.”

“Oh.” Remington smiled. The expression transformed his features, and she thought he should do it more often. “Ethan.”

“Okay, Ethan. Walk me home.”

Author Bio:

After graduating first in her class at the University of Smartassery, Eden moved to a small, sunny town in SC where thunderstorms have inspired her best ideas. When not daydreaming about her next novel, Eden can be found curled up with a musty old paperback and a cup of coffee…or mired deeply in her next plot to take over the world. She enjoys reading or watching anything with supernatural elements, so writing paranormal and fantasy romance is a natural fit.

Her Amazon Bestselling series begins with DARK SIREN, a suspenseful paranormal romance that possesses a unique mythology–having gained praise from Publisher’s Weekly for it’s passion and complexity. Banewolf, Blood Chained, and Primed Son complete the quadrilogy.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by:

Didn’t You Promise? is the second book in the Bad for You series by Amber Bardan. In the first book Didn’t I Warn You? we met Angelina who is young and innocent and living vicariously through her friends encounters with men so when she sees a talk, dark, handsome and mysterious foreigner in the local coffee shop she’s immediately intrigued with him. The two are from completely different worlds where Angelina is still the good girl living at home with her parents and Haithem leads a life of danger always looking over his shoulder.

Now that Haithem has shared his secrets with Angelina she has sacrificed everything for him leaving behind her family and even her identity after falling in love with him. The pair are still in extreme danger from those after Haithem and continue to stay on the run and in hiding before they are caught.

When reading the first book in this series I was completely surprised by just how intense the story was and how quickly I became hooked on the story. Now even knowing what the secrets were that Haithem had been hiding through the first book the intensity hasn’t died down as the story continues, if anything really it became even more action packed and explosive in this second book.

Along with the intensity in this story there are also a lot of very sexy moments between Haithem and Angelina and if anything now into the second book those have become even steamier than in the first book. The relationship seems to have gone to a whole new level now that the secrets are out which had the steam coming from the pages while reading.

Overall, a sexy series with an intense, action packed plot. Recommend this one to the romantic suspense fans.

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

My rating: 4/5 stars

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Slaughter of Angels by Matthew Angelo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Rian MacCaren is the owner of the Midnight Agency, a private investigation firm. When some local exotic dancers go missing the club owner contacts Rian to investigate and find them claiming the police won’t be interested in looking too hard for missing strippers. Taking the case the investigation heats up when one of the girls turns up murdered and it’s apparent that the murderer may not be human.

A Slaughter of Angels suffers greatly from the lack of a good editor and/or proofreading and some formatting issues. I knew right off this one wasn’t going to rate very high when just a few pages in I’m finding myself having to re-read things to figure out just what was going on. Sentences seem to abruptly end and lots of breaks where there shouldn’t have been all made reading this a bit of a chore. Since this is an already published book I have to mention this but maybe the problems were strictly my review copy, can’t be sure.

Now, the story in this book has a lot of potential but unfortunately it still fell short from being one I could overlook the errors and still find myself enjoying. It got off to an incredibly slow start and since the book length isn’t too terribly long that start ate up a lot of pages when the story should have been being developed and give more depth during that time. By the time the investigation starts in the story it felt really jumpy and rushed to a conclusion.

Overall, not for me unfortunately. Great ideas just not a fan of the execution in the end.

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

The Exiled Seven
Blake Renworth
(The Exiled Series, #1)
Published by: Inglenook Publishing House
Publication date: May 12th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult

When Alariq is exiled from his home city-state for a crime he did not commit, only six stand by his side, convinced of his innocence and steadfast in their loyalty.

The seven dwarfs must set out from Ishtara to look for a new place to call home, but in doing so, they make a discovery that puts them all in danger. They are rescued and taken in by a mysterious and beautiful outsider, who lives alone in the depths of Loraheem Forest. What follows is Alariq’s struggle to come to terms with his exile, as those around him seek to make a place for themselves in this new life. Soon, however, it becomes clear their situation is more complex than they initially realized, and they begin to wonder if there is more behind Alariq’s exile than simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Told in a unique storyteller voice, this reversal and reimagining of the classic fairy tale explores the themes of shattering betrayal, the subsequent struggle to trust again, and the basic desire to take control of one’s own destiny.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

If you will, please imagine the tallest and most beautifully handsome man you can, the complete and perfect embodiment of classic male beauty, charm, and chivalry.

Now—cast this image far from your mind. For this tale is not about him. Many of such tales have already been told, and to tell yet another would be a great disservice to the other heroes of the world.

The hero around whom this tale revolves—and a hero I assure you he was, even if your faith may waver during the events that follow—was a hero of a different sort. Though it would be altogether unfair to say that he did not entirely look the part. He was as handsome as dwarfs come. Strong, in both physique and demeanor, and clearly one who commanded respect. But his jaw-length, dark blonde hair, the color of wet straw, and not even five-foot stature are not what you and I are accustomed to seeing in our mind’s eye when we think of the heroes of tall tales. Nor his slightly crooked nose or angular jawline, for that matter.

What about his personality, you ask? For, of course, looks are not all that matter in a champion. And I applaud your depth of character. But sadly, I must disappoint you and your commendable optimism. For this hero was not charming, or dashing, or gallant, or really very pleasant in any way at all. In fact, he could be downright unpleasant to be around when in one of his all-too-frequent foul dispositions. And unfortunately, it is in such a disposition that we find Alariq as we join his story.

As disagreeable as Alariq was, I am sure you will find his demeanor quite understandable. You see, his story is an unfortunate one. We find him, and his six loyal companions, banished from their city-state, Alariq for a crime he did not commit, and the others for their loyalty to him and their faith in his innocence.

Seven dwarfs they were, exiled and alone.

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by:

e-Murderer by Joan C. Curtis
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

While clearing out emails at the psychiatrists office that she works in, Jenna Scali comes across a few that are a bit disturbing. Someone has sent emails describing murdering someone but trying to reply only bounces back. Jenna tells her boss what has happened worrying that it may have something to do with him or the office.

Finding out that a young woman has actually been murdered and Jenna coming to realize that the killer is actually sending to her she finally breaks down and contacts the police. Another body turns up and Jenna decides to begin doing some investigating on her own into these horrible crimes.

e-Murderer is one of those books that sounds great and I thought I’d be completely hooked but unfortunately this one only ended up being just OK to me. The biggest problem being I’m not even sure if I was even 20-25% into the book when I had the actual killer picked out.

Otherwise with this one the writing was good and the idea behind the story interesting. Also enjoyed the characters in the story. Jenna was and independent female with an ex that had done her wrong so was casually seeing a few people and not wanting to settle down. She had some interesting friends as supporting characters in the book that I also enjoyed.

Overall, 3.5 stars due to being too easy to figure out but otherwise an enjoyable cozy mystery.

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