Huntress of Thornbeck Forest ARC Review

What did I think of...

Huntress of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson

 

Description:

 

"Swan Lake" meets Robin Hood when the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant by day becomes the region's most notorious poacher by night, and falls in love with the forester.

Jorgen is the forester for the wealthy margrave, and must find and capture the poacher who has been killing and stealing the margrave's game. When he meets the lovely and refined Odette at the festival and shares a connection during a dance, he has no idea she is the one who has been poaching the margrave's game.

Odette justifies her crime of poaching because she thinks the game is going to feed the poor, who are all but starving, both in the city and just outside its walls. But will the discovery of a local poaching ring reveal a terrible secret? Has the meat she thought she was providing for the poor actually been sold on the black market, profiting no one except the ring of black market sellers?

The one person Odette knows can help her could also find out her own secret and turn her over to the margrave, but she has no choice. Jorgen and Odette will band together to stop the dangerous poaching ring . . . and fall in love. But what will the margrave do when he discovers his forester is protecting a notorious poacher?

 

Genre: Hic-fic, Romance, Fairy Tale Retellings, Christian Fiction
Series: Medieval Fairy Tale Romance
Published on: May 12th, 2015
Pages: 320 pages
Format: Digital ebook -Kindle
Source: NetGalley
Average rating: 4.03 stars
My rating: 4 stars

I've read every single one of Melanie Dickerson's works (at least I think so), and even though I don't always agree with the ways of the time period she writes (my feminism was screaming at me the entire book), and I don't like reading Christian Fiction, I've always enjoyed the stories she spins, and her writing never fails to capture one's attention.

Melanie Dickerson retells Fairy Tells in such a realistic and rustic way, that you can't help but be captivated. I never read Christian Fiction, and a Historical Fiction book is a rarity to see on my shelves, but Melanie Dickerson never fails to disappoint on neither her stories, her characters or her writing!

There's a reason Dickerson continues to be one of the most preferred voices in retellings, and her books, well-placed in their time period, each offer a both unique and historically accurate glimpse of a time undiscovered by her intended audience. Challenges woven throughout the piece force deeper thought and introspection through subtle weaving rather than italicized prayers. Dickerson has found a strong audience with her young adults, but are equally gobbled up by adults.

The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest was a somewhat more mature read that allows itself to unwind slowly, and ponderously, focusing on different, yet equitable strengths of a remarkable young woman, consumed by the need to help the poor, and a very loyal and honorable male lead that I just gobbled up!

Medieval romance with cross-dressing heroines is Kat catnip, as a tale that praises the virtues of women outside of their traditional roles at the time. Dickerson plays to her greatest strengths in this novel, and results in a well-realized tapestry of a world so extraordinarily different from our own, yet contemporary in its questions of faith, identity and finding God outside human expectation.

This read, while well outside my usual preference, had me absolutely captivated from the beginning.

XOXO,
Kat

 

 



Sweet the Sin ARC review

What did I think of...

Sweet the Sin by Claire Kent

 

Description:

 

In the first novel in USA Today bestselling author Claire Kent’s deeply sensual story
of love, lust, and deception, a woman searching for the truth discovers that
she’s sleeping with the enemy.

 

Portrait artist Kelly Watson keeps her relationships simple and steamy, with no strings attached. She’s had a hard time trusting other people since she was a child, when her father was murdered for trying to blow the whistle on corporate corruption. Nearly twenty years later, Kelly finds herself in the arms of a seductive stranger—the very same man who may have ordered her father’s death. And even as she plays him, using hot sex as a means to revenge, Kelly is tormented by one question: Is she committing the ultimate betrayal?

Caleb Marshall has spent decades forging a high-powered career, rejecting intimacy for the convenience of fast women and cheap thrills. But Kelly intrigues him, pushing commitment buttons he didn’t know he had. Still, something is wrong. Despite their physical and emotional chemistry, Caleb feels the fear inside of her. Now the only way to keep her safe is coming clean, before secrets and lies destroy their connection—no matter how deep, intense, and addictive it may be.Sweet the Sin is intended for mature audiences. Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.  

 

 

 

Genre: Mystery/ Romance/ Contemporary
Series: Revenge Saga
Published on: July 7th, 2015
Pages: 184 pages
Format: Digital Copy (PDF) -Kindle
Source: NetGalley
HEA: No

Cliffhanger: Yes

Average rating: 3.62 stars
My rating: 4 stars

 

Sweet the Sin was amazing! I'm going to be honest, and say I didn't expect to like it nearly as much as I did, maybe three stars-ish was the expectation, but I found myself captivated from the beginning, with the intriguing plot and characters.



 

The plot had me absolutely captivated... and I was intrigued from the first word, "Kelly"...

Nope. That did not have the dramatic effect I had hoped.

 

The characters in this story very real. They were conflicted, confused, angry and completely flawed. At times, I have to admit, they were not even that likable. That being said, this book had an impact on me, nonetheless.

 

I'm unsure I can really even tell you why this book was so impactful with me, why all these characters resonated with me, and why it took me two freaking weeks to write this review.

 

Claire Kent did a beautiful job writing this book, and I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel!

XOXO,

Kat

 

 



 

Outside the Ropes ARC Review

What did I think...

Outside the Ropes by Ashley Claudy

 

Description:

 

In the ring, Regan has control. Outside the ropes, she fights to survive.

Regan Sommers spent her life fighting. Fighting foster parents, kids in the group home, and classmates. But the night she has to fight for her life changes everything.

Now, she's fighting for money in the ring, and from the first punch she's addicted. Every addiction has a price though, and this one is the gym's star boxer, Gage Lawson. He may come in an enticing tattooed package, but his demands are more than she can handle.

The responding officer from that night, Anthony Fields, comes with no demands. He wants whatever she's willing to give, and Regan can handle that. She can definitely handle him.

But no help comes string free, and Regan's not the only one with a hard past and scars to cover. The life she was trying to escape is nothing compared to the danger she's in the middle of now, and she can't fight her way out.

***Reader please be aware: Story contains mature content such as: Drugs, sex, abuse, and explicit language that may be upsetting for some.****  

 



Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Outside the Ropes
Published on: January 1st, 2015
Pages: 438 pages
Format: ebook, Digital PDF
Source: NetGalley
Average rating: 4.13
My rating: 1.5 stars

This is going to be a short one...

I'm going to start by saying that I did not enjoy Outside the Ropes in the least, and after two weeks of forcing myself to pick it up, only to set in back down in favor of actually doing work (I know, it says a lot, doesn't it?), I will officially mark it as a DNF.

The description sounded very interesting, but even after I clicked the "Request" button of NetGalley's, I started second guessing myself.

The main reason I didn't like the book: The writing.

The writing in a story is everything. I've read books where the plot wasn't very good, but the writing was amazing, and I still thoroughly enjoyed the book because the writing was making me laugh my ass off  *cough* Charley Davidson *cough*.

The writing in this was just very... flimsy and non-genuine. Instead of being immersed into the story, I felt like I was staring at a drawing of a rectangle and being told it was a cube.

 

The Characters are a different story. I've never read anything from this author before, so I have nothing to compare it to, and I don't know if she procrastinated until two days before the deadline to write the parts of these books, but I felt the authors desperation for the writing and the characters big time.

 

The characters seemed very superficial, in the way of personality, and the "passion" (or lack thereof) between Gage and Regan just seemed very surface an overdramatized, not to mention how tired reading about them made me. Gage, as both a character and a lover, was very disappointing. Miss Claudy tried very hard to make him this solid, unmovable force of closed-offness, to make him seem like the biggest jackass ever and made him the "cute off from the world by his own making" kind of guy. Yes, you know the type; very cliché. Sometimes this works, and sometimes it doesn't. This didn't. Unfortunately, her efforts were very obvious in the writing and instead of trying to develop her characters as people, she wrote them as puppets. Gage just sounded and looked so ridiculous in reading and mind, that I'm almost embarrassed to admit that anytime he opened is mouth, my eyes were rolling- rotten teenager style. I have to admit, when I started this book, I was worried about Regan. The really strong, fighter chicks are often over-written and very unenjoyable... which is exactly what happened. She tried so hard to make Regan this strong, surviving person that she came across to me (on the "inside) as impetuous, needy and fake, which was very much unenjoyable.

 

I also like to be able to differentiate between my characters... but Regan and Gage were so similar... that I could never picture them together, doing anything but maybe having sex... even when scenes were written where they were doing other things, which is never good.

 

Bottom line, I didn't even pay much attention to the content here because the writing makes of break a book... and I'm afraid this book is pretty broken.

 

XOXO,

Kat

Angelfall ARC Review

What did I think of...

Angelfall by Susan Ee

 

 

 

This is the second time I've read this book... and I think it was actually better the second time.

 

Description:

 

It's been six weeks since the angels of the apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain.

Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night.

When angels fly away with a helpless girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back...

 

Star Rating:

 

 

For my characters, I have a serious thing with names. They really have to fit the character. I almost never read books with "Emma's" or "Sarah's" because those names are very common, much like my own name. Of which I shorted to a rebellious and mysterious "Kat". Yes I am kidding. -ish.

 

Back to the conversation at hand. Raphael is a name I never thought I could get with. Good thing he went by Raffe, because it totally worked for me.

 

Raffe totally unbelievably worked for me. He was perfectly written, full of flaws. At the beginning, haughty and condescending, angry and hurting. Then he got caring, Penryn before himself... and it was really beautiful to watch the transition, watch him fall in love with a Daughter of Man, though.

 

Penryn was my favorite kind of character. She was proud, stubborn and strong, and has a bleeding heart. All she wanted was her sister back, and she was willing to do anything, sacrifice everything to get her back, until she realizes the one person she can't sacrifice is the one she needs to... Raffe.

 

Penryn's mother was a joy to read about. She was completely insane and maniacal. She totally is completely duped in the brain, but was still a joy to read, I enjoyed the hell out of reading about her, even if she was completely fucked in the brain.

 

Rating: 5 stars 

 

Genre:

 

  

 

 

This is the second time I've read Angelfall, the first time I read it was because a friend on mine on Goodreads told me I hadn't lived until I read Angelfall. After numerous people agreed heartily, I complied and picked it up immediately.

I read the first two books in one day, and was done by four o'clock in the afternoon.

 

I was hooked by the writing, the characters and the plotline... and I can't wait for The End of Days.

 

XOXO,

Kat

 

 

 

Requesting a Review

Authors and Publishers: Please Read

Thank you for taking the time to read through my specifications for requests, and I am thrilled to work with you! Some things to keep in mind when requesting a review

• I only accept requests submitted to my email: kissandtell.books@gmail.com or my NetGalley account. If you post on here, or message me through my Goodreads account, changes are they will get missed.
• Due to time restraints and the amount of requests, I can't review every book I get asked for. Please be patient if I don't get back to you within a few days, but I can assure you I will reply back within a week with my answer.
• Publicists and tour hosts, please don't add me to your mailing list without my consent or an introduction email prior, and without my approval I'm afraid I can't work with you.
• I'm afraid I can't give you a time specification for when your book will be read and reviewed, but it will be done within three months.
• Please note that I will not blindly promote your book if I have not read and liked it.
• I do enlist authors and/or publishers for interviews, so please email me if you are interested.

Please email me if you have any questions!

Review Policy

I'm pretty flexible as to what I read, including Paranormal Romance, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, any form of Erotica (including BDSM, LGBT, etc.) Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Indie and Young Adult titles. Historical books are hesitantly accepted, it really depends on the description, and I absolutely do not read non-fiction.

Please note that I do not lie when reviewing your books. This means that whether I liked it or not, my followers and others looking for warnings and recommendations will get honest reviews from me. I reserve the right to not enjoy your book, which is the risk you take on me. I will read to at least 40%, but I make no promises beyond that point of giving it a fair shot. If it doesn't start getting good then, it never will. The reviews will be posted on Goodreads, NetGalley and here on Kiss and Tell: Confessions of a Bookaholic, but you will have to specify for an Amazon Review.

Due to life, other requests and my own personal reading, requests sent a couple months in advance are much appreciated and are more likely to get accepted.

I mostly accept digital books, in the form of an EPUB, PDF, Kindle and books via NetGalley. Just ask for my registered email if you wish to participate that way.
Any review copies received will not be sold or distributed in any way.

I do not take requests any way but through my email and NetGalley.
In a request, I need the following information provided.

• Your name and contact information (email, please)
• The title and author of the book
• A description of the book
• Whether you would like an Amazon review or not.
• What format I will be receiving

I want to thank you again for choosing (or considering) my humble blog-abode to review your book for you, and thanks for taking a chance on me. You will not regret it.

Please email me if you have any questions at Kissandtell.books@gmail.com.

XOXO,
Kat

ARC Book Review

What did I think of...

Forbidden Surrender by Priscilla West

 

 

This is the first time I've read this book... and I have to say, I'm having mixed feelings on it.

Description:
“What gives you a thrill Kristen?”
The minute I saw Vincent Sorenson, I knew he was trouble. Billionaire. Bad boy. And dangerously sexy. He was everything I craved, and nothing I needed.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t just avoid him. The higher ups at my company decided they needed his business, and I was on the team to bring him in. However, Vincent Sorenson didn’t seem as interested in business as he was in me, but I knew that was a door better left unopened. If I got involved with him, it would only unearth the pain I spent years trying to bury.
I thought I had it under control, but I seriously underestimated Vincent’s seductive charm and silver-tongue. I would soon find out how delicious it would feel to let myself fall into this forbidden surrender.

Star Rating:

I didn't actually have a problem with West's writing style, and if I'm honest, I thought I would. It wasn't really anything special, but didn't leave me running for the hills, either. What I did have a problem with, however, was the forgetfulness of the writing. Throughout the story, I was noticing that Vincent would be kicking his shoes off, two, three times within a page (without putting them on), little things like that. The grammar and punctuation were good, so I don't know what happened with the editor on that one.

It took me less than two hours to read this book, honest to god, it was probably less- and be forewarned of the cliffhanger.

Warning: bipolar author in the male looks department. Vincent was the tall, dark and dangerous, brooding, mysterious billionaire CEO that has become popular books, yes, including the sweet, devoted side; but was also the total opposite. He wore sandals, shorts and tee/tank tops 24/7, had sandy blonde hair and surfing was his passion. Obviously, Miss West wanted to do something different with this story... but I wasn't seeing it. She tried to mesh two clichés together... and it bugged me the whole story, and was not done well.

Did I mention.... When Kristen first met Vincent, it was during a business meeting with other people in the room and she fell in his lap mid-lecture, and started groping his nipple rings. WHAT?  Yeah. Exactly what I was thinking, too.

Yes, let's talk about Kristen. It's probably bad for the whole book that I did not like the main character. She was a complete pushover. She let other peoples thoughts and opinions overshadow hers "I don't think he's right... but he has more experience and better at this. Yeah, he's probably right." She had no backbone and let people constantly manipulate her.
Please Note: Insta-lust is just as bad as insta-love. To the point where a mere touch set her off? Yeah, no. I get being attracted... but that was insta-love with his body. Nuh uh.

XOXO,

Kat