Listen

– by Kris Bryant

I couldn’t wait to read Kris Bryant‘s latest, “Listen,” and when I did, let’s just say, she gave me a truly wonderful and amazing journey to experience in her brilliantly written story about Lily and Hope, superbly wrapped in the sensual world of MUSIC, with words that turned into music notes, played throughout the story like a sheet music. The language of music (me favourite kind apart from the language of maths) really shone in this remarkable story from the start. For her to create a character who was not only a music prodigy but also an actuary (simply put, a profession that has everything to do with numbers…maths!), delighted me to no end. To say that I was ecstatic about digging me heels into Lily’s journey would be an understatement! And Bryant nailed the bloody thing beyond me expectations! To me, “Listen” is her BEST work yet! It’s now one of me favourite lesfic stories and defo will be on me 2019 best list!

Compass Rose

– by Anna Burke

After a captivating read of Anna Burke‘s latest novel, “Thorn,” obviously I HAD to read her debut work, “Compass Rose.” The critics were right. By gosh, what a fantastic, thrilling, captivating ride indeed! This swashbuckling action-adventure where I got to read about pirates, mercs, and the military all converging in the high seas (not to mention monsters!), marking their territories and warring for more was exceptionally depicted with persistently vivid visualisations of each and every situation, environment, surroundings, all described with such realism that I was transported to every scene that Burke created, like I was there meself, observing every action and sequence….virtually!

Burke’s “Compass Rose,” at times, was reminiscent of Jules Verne’s classic sea voyage adventure literature, “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea,” and at times reminded me of “The Pirates of the Carribean,” for me. Except, Burke’s voyage was infinitely better for me, imho, because of many factors, namely, all the badarse, kick-arse leading characters were WOMEN! Bloody hell YES! Having expressed just how much I loved Burke’s literary, lyrical writing style in “Thorn,” Burke continued to impress me to no end with her brilliant knack for creating a glorious sense of music in her richly descriptive, heart-tugging words in every scenario and dialogue/monologue that somehow transformed into lyrical notes in me head as I read on!

Thorn

– by Anna Burke

A holiday gift surprise fell onto me lap whilst I was on holiday, courtesy of the very kind and generous Salem West of Bywater Books! (Ta, mate!) Yes, it was in the form of a book (me fav form!)!

“Thorn” by Anna Burke.

Never read anything by this author ever before.

Wow. To say the book captivated me was an understatement. I was hooked, lined and sinkered. From the first paragraph. Literally.

Just read this…

Breaking Character

– by Lee Winter

Yes. I devoured Lee Winter‘s latest novel, “Breaking Character,” as soon as I got me hands on it. Now, usually, I’m not a big fan of celebrity romances although I’d read a few, solely because of who wrote them. What made Winter’s celebrity romance story different (after reading the blurb), for me, manifested in four-folds, all being me favourite tropes in romance.  First of all, it involved an ice queen. Yes, I’m a big sucker for ice queens and I’m not gonna apologise for it, so there! As readers of Winter’s books are aware, Winter’s the Queen of Ice Queens. Her personification of her ice queen characters have been nothing less than sublime. So, I just knew that this latest ice queen character whom Lee created would be divinely different than any other ones (be it hers or others’), and another one to steal me heart (which she did from the get-go!). Anyway, back to “Breaking Character“‘s resident ice queen, Elizabeth, she’s also British. Let’s see, a British ice queen named Elizabeth…. Hmm… Hey, “Queen Elizabeth,” anyone? Intriguing.  Another interesting factor was that both protagonists, Elizabeth and Summer, were celebrity actors and co-stars, where one of them was the other’s object of hero worship and desire!

Then, there was the age-gap between them which intrigued me to no end!

A Wish Upon A Star

– by Jeannie Levig

Once again, Jeannie Levig blew me away. This time with her latest, “A Wish Upon A Star.” Already psyched to read it after breezing through its excerpt because of how the story started, what was entailed in it and the flow was already pulling me in even with just a couple of chapters, I couldn’t believe me luck when I finally got to read the entire story! It was simply divine. I couldn’t ask for more. Levig crafted an utterly compelling, thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, heartwarming story with characters who immediately entranced me from the get-go, hooked me in and I was addicted. Having read Levig’s other books previously, I knew I would be captivated by her characters and her storytelling style. Only this time, apart from all the attributes that I’ve come to love and enjoy from Levig’s work, this time, she also awarded me a story (and all its components) that was truly refreshing to me. I never read anything portrayed and/or told like how Levig did in this book.

The Sex Therapist Next Door

– by Meghan O’Brien

Finished Meghan O’Brien‘s “The Sex Therapist Next Door” and I’m…just….😳😵 Speechless. Just when I thought O’Brien’s erotic romance writing genius couldn’t get any more 🔥, BAM 💥! She turns the notch way UP in this one! PHWOAR! 🔥🔥🔥

Mind. Fckn. Exploded. 🤯

It’s not just the erotic part that’s crafted so creatively but the originality of her story, how O’Brien structures it.