What a month. I felt like February flew by.
I read 13 books in February.
My average rating was 3.8 stars
Buy links embedded in photos.
5 stars
This is a dark romance. You have been warned!!
When I learned this book was coming out, I was ecstatic! I love the Top Shelf series.
Matthew is one of the co-owner of Spiked Roses. He is a stern man and no one crosses him. But when Vittorio Costa stole his shipment of paintings, he knew he would get revenge. How? Kidnap Vittorio’s daughter Aria.
Aria is a mafia princess, even though she hates being called a princess. She knows her father is a bad man. She knows to her father she is just an asset, someone to help make his business grow once he marries her off.
When Vittorio has a party, an “adult” party, Matthew knew that was his chance. But when he saw that Aria had also joined the party, hiding in a corner, he knew what he had to do.
But what Matthew did not expect was that Aria would do to him.
What will happen between them? Is it all business or will pleasure be involved? And what about their hearts?
Matthew is very stern with a strict hand and Aria finds that out the hard way. There were a few times when I was not happy with Matthew. That he mad me mad. But in a dark romance book, that is going to happen. You won’t always like all the characters at all times but you will eventually understand them.
Aria was a very strong character. She was mouthy and independent, but that also got her in trouble at times. (Matthew’s strict hand)
I felt their connection. I felt their pain. I felt their lust. I felt their love.
Throw in Tennessee and you have a really good story.
Angry God…. What a book.
How can you hate a character so much but also love him and feel sorry for him at the same time?
That is what happens with Angry God. This book will take you on a roller coaster ride.
This book does talk about some difficult situations, but those situations make the book what it is.
Lenora and Vaughn have a crazy story. (Vaughn is Vicious’ son and you can tell from the very beginning they are related.)
Lenora and Vaughn have a hate/hate relationship. They hate each other, but do they really know why?
Their story spans years.
As young children.
As young teens.
As seniors in high school.
And then after high school.
Each part of their story is important.
Each part makes them who they are.
Lenora, the golden child who always makes the right decisions.
Vaughn, the angry child who hooks up and breaks hearts.
Vaughn doesn’t think he can every love. How could he? After what he experienced as a child, why would he want to love anyone.
Lenora would never love someone like Vaughn. Why? He is a bully. Trying to make her life as difficult as possible.
Lenora and Vaughn always end up back in the same places though. And when Vaughn gets an internship at Carlisle Castle, he will again be with Lenora.
But will Carlisle Castle bring them together, or it will push them apart?
This book has everything you could want and more.
L.J. Shen never disappoints me. She knows how to tell a story that you get hooked on.
4 stars
I am loving these Valentine men!!!
Ace is still my favorite but Callum is in a close second.
Desi and Callum meet when he sticks up to her ex for her and it was at that moment that I knew I was going to like Callum.
Desi was just coming out of a bad marriage. A marriage to a guy who did not respect her. A marriage to a guy that Callum just happened to not like.
When Desi decides to do a Spartan race, Callum decides to do it too. Not only to be able to spend time with her, but because her ex is doing it and he doesn’t want her to be alone.
But is Desi ready for Callum? Is her heart ready for another man after being burnt int he past?
Can Callum show Desi that all men aren’t like her ex?
Add in some likeable characters, Malloy and Candy, plus the Valentine family, and you have a solid book.
I loved this sweet story!!!!!
The storyline was solid.
I think the characters developed at a good pace and you got an bit of an incite to the next book.
Great job!!
Lani put a note at the beginning of this book that she had to play with the timeline in order to get this book to flow. So, if you read it, you will understand why the timeline is a bit off.
Now to the review….. I liked this book.
Derek… he came off as a dick at first. He really did. I was not a fan of him.
Avery… my heart hurt for her. For everything she had went though. Losing her mom. Losing her dad. Getting bullied. Living with the debt of her parents. Poor girl.
Avery and Derek don’t start out on the best foot. Avery was pissed at him. And Derek was being a poo-head about things.
But….. when Avery needed him, Derek was there for her, even when she didn’t want him to be there.
“Derek Roberts was going to break my heart. I just knew it.”
As the book goes, Avery and Derek grow closer, but her age is always a factor to him.
But will he realize in time that age is just a number when it comes to love or will it be too late?
Of course with most Lani books, there is a bit of mystery, some assholes, some OMG moments, and some AWWWWW moments.
I’m excited to see where this series goes.
This book contain adult themes (MFM) and is not for everyone.
Krista (Destiny) is an aspiring writer who enters a romance writing contest. She write about a fantasy she has, one about one woman and two men. Not thinking she would get a call about her writing, she is shocked when the holders of the contest want to meet with her.
What she doesn’t know is that the contest holders are brothers, Kaden and Jared, wealthy business men in the city.
Kaden and Jared very unique taste. After an experience in high school, Kaden and Jared realized that they liked sharing the same woman. As they grew older, they would do this often, but now they are in the point in their life where they want to find the one. The one they can both share and love and that will love them both back.
They choose to meet with Destiny, not only because her writing was great and they want to help her publish, but because they feel that she could be the one for them based of her writing.
Destiny had not idea what to except when she finally met the brothers. She had no idea that they would both want her and that they would want to share her. She also had no idea she would want both of them.
But will they get the chance to all be together or will someone ruin everything before it even really gets started?
This book was pretty good. I liked the dynamic of the brothers. They have different personalities but those personalities work well together.
I will defiantly be reading more of this authors work.
Jaxson and Willow have a story about love, lies, and freedom.
Jaxson is the brother that is always being questioned. No one thinks he can do the big boy job without messing up but they also go to him when problems need fixed.
Willow is on the run. On the run from her husband. But why?
Jax and Willow randomly meet but it wasn’t insta-love. Willow fought it. She wanted nothing to do with Jax but her life had different plans.
Jax and Willow start to get close and as they do, more secrets come out.
But will Willows husband find her? Will she ever be safe again? Will Jax be able to save her?
This book reminded me of the book “Safe Haven”. There are some similarities but also a lot of differences.
I enjoyed this book. The writing was good. The characters were good. The pace was good. Overall, it was just a good book.
This is the cute love of Ryan and Danny.
Ryan, born into wealth and money, is in college, playing hockey and living life. Well as much as he can without his mother’s interference.
Danny is struggling to make it. She is a waitress and trying to work her way through college after having to drop out of Juilliard to take care of her mother.
Ryan and Danny meet and their first meeting is not the best. But there’s something about her that Ryan wants to get to know better.
Their love story is not easy. Ryan and Danny come from completely different life styles and Ryan’s friends and family make their relationship difficult.
Will they be able to overcome Ryan‘s mother or will she be what tears them apart?
This was a cute story. A simple college love with two people from opposite worlds.
This is my favorite book of this series so far.
Jaslyn is living a life she doesn’t want. With a man she doesn’t want to be with because she has no other option. He is holding something over her head and she can not leave. But she also knows that once he gets the chance, he will kill her and take everything.
Axel is given the opportunity of a life time. Work for a man and make a ton of money doing it. But what he didn’t expect was to want to save Jaslyn from the man he will be working for.
What will happen? Will he be able to save her? Or will he ruin his life and her life trying?
Axel comes off as a guy who doesn’t have about anything but himself but that is the farthest thing from the truth. He has a heart buried down inside him.
Jaslyn might seem weak for not getting out of her situation, but she is actually a very strong woman.
I really enjoyed this book and I am glad I did. I needed a good book in this series to keep me going.
My only complaint is it ends with a cliffhanger. UGHHHHHHH!!!! I did not know it would have a cliffhanger. I am not a fan of those. Especially if I don’t know they are coming.
I will defiantly be reading the second book.
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would.
You have 4 main players in this book.
Arianna – the princess
Asher (Apollo) – The fixer
Ares – The fighter
Callista – The Mage
Arianna is the princess of Graeline.
What she did not know was that a curse was placed on her and that when she turned 18, her life would not be her own any more. But there is much more to the story than that.
Asher and Ares have been called in to help the kingdom. Girls and women are going missing and no one knows why.
But what Asher and Ares don’t anticipate is the connecting they will have with Arianna.
“We’re killers. Warriors. She’s royalty and fine china. There is no way that she would work with one of us, let alone both of us. I’m sure it’s against the rules.”
When Arianna goes missing, Asher and Ares must find her and save her.
But at what cost? What happens when they have to be the bad guys to save her? Can she handle that? Or will it break their bond?
But Arianna also has something inside her. Something dying to come out. Is she strong enough to fight the evil inside her or will it consume her and everyone around her?
I really liked this story. I am going out of my comfort zone with this book because I don’t usually read books with magic in them, but this one worked for me.
Asher and Ares complimented each other very well and you could tell they wanted the best for Arianna. And with the help of Callista, they work as a team to save her.
Overall…. good job.
3 stars
Ray and Crow have a good novella.
They were a couple when they were younger but each went their own way.
They are brought back together years later… but will things be the same?
This was a lot less intense than the first book of the series.
A good second chance romance with a little violence but just lacked a little something.
This is my first “shifter” book. It was different but it wasn’t bad.
This book has multiple characters.
Karzan- The true king of the island of Insula Sacra but he doesn’t know that yet. It’s a secret his mother has been hiding from him. He is half human/half beast, but he has never been able to release his beast since a curse was put over the island by the gods.
Janey- Has been told stories of Insula Sacra since she was little. She wants to find it one day. To see if the legend of the island is true.
“It’s a legend, Janey. And legends always ring with truth.”
Kirkcheck- Who took over the kingdom once Karzan’s father was killed and his mother ran away with him to keep him safe.
Kala- Karzan’s mom who has done her best to protect her son. But when the time comes, she will push him to do what is right.
When Janey ends up on Insula Sacra, everything on the island changes. The curse has been broken and Karzan realizes that his true mate is near. The mate he has dreamed about.
But how can Janey be his true mate? They have never met. He has never seen her. But he can feel her presence. He just knows that she is what will make everything better.
“Peace is won with war. It’s not given; it’s taken.”
But what happens when Kirkcheck finds her? Will Karzan be able to save her in time or will he fail and lose her forever?
This book was different than any book I have ever read. I liked it. Didn’t love it, but it was a good story. I was able to connect with the characters. I was able to follow the story.
Overall, a decent read.
Overall, I enjoyed this book.
I liked the connection between Elle, Vincent, and Brandon.
Vincent and Brandon are brothers who end up working with a rival, Elle.
As they work together, their connection grow stronger.
And that connection leads to some “adult” activity.
Elle has a different connection with each brother. But it works for them.
But what happens when another rival becomes involved? Everything could change.
I enjoyed the book. The reason I gave it 3 stars was because of editing. I found many, many mistakes in the book.
This was an okay read.
It was short and to the point.
Joyce joins a website one night after drinking which actions get virginity.
When she receives a message the next day, she never intended to meet a guy like Declan.
This is a shirt, steamy read with a HEA.
I gave it three stars because it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the best. I caught many grammar errors in the book.
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Books with Kathy 
Well done Kathy. You astound me. Best wishes for March . . .
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Impressive! You had a busy and productive month
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Looks like you had a great month. Here’s hoping March is just as good.
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Excellent wrap up. Hope March goes just as well for you.
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