Head Stuck In A Book: Book Review: The Fine Print (Dreamland Billionaires #1) - Lauren Asher

 

Released: 25th January 2022

Hachette Australia  Buy From Amazon

448 Pages. RRP. $22.99

Rowan
I'm in the business of creating fairy tales.
Theme parks. Production companies. Five-star hotels.
Everything could be all mine if I renovated Dreamland.
My initial idea of hiring Zahra was good in theory, but then I kissed her.
Things spiraled out of control once I texted her using an alias.
By the time I realized where I went wrong, it was too late.
People like me don't get happy endings.
Not when we're destined to ruin them.

Zahra
After submitting a drunk proposal criticizing Dreamland's most expensive ride, I should have been fired.
Instead, Rowan Kane offered me a dream job.
The catch? I had to work for the most difficult boss I'd ever met.
Rowan was rude and completely off-limits, but my heart didn't care.
At least not until I discovered his secret.
It was time to teach the billionaire that money couldn't fix everything.
Especially not us.

Dreamland Billionaires is the first book in a series of interconnected standalones following three billionaire brothers.

Review.

I always knew I was going to like The Fine Print; I didn't know I was going to love it as much as I did.

This is a book you always hope to find, you know the ones where you keep going to put it down, and you tell yourself one more chapter, and find yourself repeating that pattern, over and over, and when you do eventually put it down, you feel the need to pick it right back up.

Featuring one of my all-time favourite tropes, the "grumpy-sunshine" romance, I couldn't get enough of Zahra and Rowan; I loved their first meeting, interactions, and everything.

The idea of having this story set around a Disneyland type of Amusement Park was another great part of the storyline.

There was never a dull moment, and I flew through this book; I didn't want it to end.

I'm excited that I have the second book in this series to dive right into, it would have to be something extra special to take over The Fine Print as my favourite, but I'm so happy to find out.

Thanks to Hachette Australia for this free review copy; all thoughts are my own.

Head Stuck In A Book: ARC Review: Game Of Hearts - Viola Tempest

 

Release Date: 2nd April 2022

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My name is Roman Wright.

I'm handsome, smart, caring. The works.

Any woman would be lucky to be with me.

But I still find myself alone.

I'm picky, and I'm looking for that perfect woman.

It isn't until I discover that the porcelain doll I'd gotten for Sadie's birthday is alive that I begin to find hope.

Hope that the perfect woman really is out there, waiting for me.

Three cards. Three very different women.

Reliving three Saturdays in a row.

One of them has to be my ideal partner.

Right?

Game of Hearts is a fantasy romance short story about the woes of finding the PERFECT partner. 

Review.

Game Of Hearts is a short but entertaining story.

I found the plot interesting and wished that the book was a bit longer; I still had questions left at the end that I would have liked answered.

 As long as a novella, there was still a lot going on to keep me intrigued and invested in the final outcome.

Maybe perhaps a full-length novel; I'd like to explore this world a bit more; the concept was really something I could read more about.

Otherwise, I liked the idea, can one person be too fussy in picking their partner, can they compromise with what they want or are they bound to be endlessly alone.

If you're after a quick, one sit read, then pick this up. 

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Head Stuck In A Book: ARC Review: Memories Of Fire (Abandoned Gods #1) - H.R. Savage

                                                        Release Date: 29th March 2022 

                                                                    Buy From Amazon

Earth buckled under the weight of the anger of a few abandoned Gods.

Knox
The Greek Gods were something from history books as fiction. However the beings that abandoned Olympus and caused mass destruction across Earth were very much real. I've done everything I can to survive away from their reign.
Until her.
A flash of red hair and a lost, confused gaze and I was sucked into a black hole of heated desire and a need to protect.
Yet she could destroy me in a way that even the Gods couldn't.

Callie
Lost.
Confused.
Broken.
That's all I felt as I opened my eyes without an idea of who I was. Knox's no bullshit attitude challenged me to be more than an unknown. I was determined to make sure that "Callie" was not just the beaten girl lost in the desert.
Until my memories reveal more than what broke me...but how I could break them.

Review.

I was intrigued by Memories Of Fire as soon as I read the description and discovered that this book featured Greek Mythology; I will read anything to do with or about Greek Mythology so to say I was excited to pick this book up was an understatement.

What made this story unique was the setting like a post-apocalyptic world where Zeus and the other Gods have risen and, in doing so, set off a disastrous set of events that has destroyed the way humans live. Having to depend on trading items such as food and gasoline with other towns to survive.

When a young girl is dumped from a car, beaten and unconscious, Knox and his brother Eric reluctantly take her in. 

Callie has no memory of her name, who she is or what happened to her, and Knox being his grumpy, distrustful self doesn't believe her claims of amnesia, but despite that Knox finds himself falling for her, slowly bits and pieces of Callie's memories start to return, but once her full memory comes back will Knox be able to accept who she really is?

I was very surprised to discover Callie's true identity, it was an exciting twist, and I like the storyline it created.

The main characters' chemistry was well written, and I enjoyed this first book in this series; the ending has me hanging for book two, which I'm very much looking forward to.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Head Stuck In A Book: ARC Review: My Legacy (Men Of New York #1) - Samantha Skye

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Released: 22nd March 2022

Have you ever been in a stalemate with the head of the mob?
Me neither, until Sebastian Romano waltzed into my life.

I probably should have held my tongue that first night, but I’m used to alpha males and Sebastian is nothing I can’t handle.

He runs this city and gets everything he wants, but I would rather die than give him my art gallery.

It’s not just that it’s all I have left of my gran. The gallery is proof of my independence – a corner of this big city that’s all mine.

Problem is, negotiating real estate with a gangster isn’t exactly...fair.

I can ignore the intimidation, the deadlines, the threats. But when Sebastian starts poking into my private life, that’s one line too far.

So how come when my world is imploding—again—Sebastian is all I want to cling to?

And why do I feel safest with the deadliest man in town?

My Legacy is a suspenseful slow burn, enemies to lovers, dual POV mafia romance. Contains explicit sex scenes and violence – 18+.

Review. 

My Legacy was a great start to a new series.

I was thoroughly entertained the whole way through and was left wanting more, especially after the bonus epilogue that readers could click on at the end of the ebook; I need more information. Is the next book still going to be about Sebastian and Maddison or a different character?

There was never a dull moment throughout this story, I loved Sebastian and how incredulous he was when he first met Maddison, and she stood up to him, which no one ever had; it made for some amusing scenes.

I really appreciated having dual POV'S, I think most romance books should have them, I always enjoy knowing what both lead characters are thinking, and it significantly helped in this book so we could see Sebastian and his job as mob boss and what that entails.

It was steamy, action-packed and full of everything you want from a mafia story.

I cannot wait for book two, and I just discovered before writing this review that there is another series set before this one that features characters in this book; I'm certainly going to be checking those out.

A great mafia romance, I highly recommend that anyone who loves these books pick up a copy of  My Legacy.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Head Stuck In A Book: Book Review: Avalon (Avalon #1) - Liv Knight

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Kohl Merrifeild is a fallen Fae of the Seelie Court, breathtakingly beautiful and banished to the human world to entertain women for the rest of his days at the infamous Avalon Club. They clipped his wings and took his magic – ensured there's no chance of him rebelling or wielding any power. Only they forgot that beauty is power - and that's the one thing they left him with.

After her first night at Avalon, a night club famous for the entertainment provided by the beautiful Fallen Fae, Bree gets swept up in the smoldering gaze of one of the club's most coveted Fae: Kohl Merrifield. Just a pretty distraction. Easy... Brainless.

Until she starts to notice there might be more to Kohl than his devilish grin, the lean muscles, and those intense green eyes.

Until she starts to suspect he might be dangerous.

Bree believes Kohl is part of an underground group fighting to overthrow the system that keeps Fae like him confined within the walls of the club – a regime that Bree's ancestors worked hard to put in place. And now she's determined to prove that her suspicions are right and bring Kohl and the other rebels to justice.

Only she didn't count on the fact that getting closer to Kohl could upend everything she thought she knew. And that there might be things going on at the Avalon club that are just as sinister as the ways of the dark Unseelie Fae.

As alliances blur, conspiracies erupt, and violence escalates, Bree is forced to make the toughest decision of her life: is she willing to betray everything she was raised to protect, for a rebel Fae she's not even sure she can trust?

Come, step through the shimmering doors of Avalon...

*AVALON is an enemies to lovers urban fantasy New Adult romance. It is book one in a series but can definitely be read as a standalone since each book is a separate story with its own hero and heroine – and HEA.

***AVALON is a much steamier re-imagining of the award-winning Young Adult novel, TOP CHOICE, written under the author's other pen-name: Sophie McAloon. Please note that while some of the characters in AVALON are seniors in high school, there are several explicit sex scenes and is therefore not intended for readers under 18.

Review. 

Avalon is a unique take on your typical Fae story.

It's a fast-paced tale of a world where fallen male Fae are removed from their families and brought to the mortal world when they're around two years old when they're sixteen, they start working at the Avalon clubs, it's there that Bree first meets Kohl, the most popular Fae at Avalon.

Bree is the great grand-daughter of the woman responsible for setting up the treaty, and her Mother is in charge of anything and everything related to the Fae.

When Bree starts falling for Kohl, you can imagine how well that goes down with her Mother, especially with an underground group fighting for more rights for the Fae.

But can Bree trust Kohl, is he somehow involved with the Underground group, and can she resist the feelings she's developing for him?

I really enjoyed this book; it kept me entertained and enthralled the whole way through. My only problem was the end, I thought there was another chapter at least, and when I  turned the page, nope nothing; I know that there is at least going to be another book, with a different couple, but I was left with so many questions, and I really hope that they are addressed in the next book.

Overall I highly recommend this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Head Stuck In A Book: ARC Review: The Corpse Princess (Nemesis #1) - Jayce Carter

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Release Date: 15th March 2022

Karma is a bitch—but then again, so am I.

Ten years ago, a group of men murdered my mother and thought they had killed me. I've spent every day since planning revenge against the man behind the attack—my father. As the head of a powerful crime family, he won't be an easy target, but nothing matters more than making him pay for what he's done.

Now, I return in disguise, only to end up on the radar of the Quad—the four most dangerous men in the city…men I've been desperately in love with since I was a teen. I have no idea if they were in on the plan to have me killed, but I can't stop myself from craving their taste, their bodies and their rough, domineering touches. Even though I know the risks, I keep falling deeper into our twisted relationship.

My plan is simple—find and get rid of the people who carried out the attack, kill my father…and don't fall in love with the men who might have betrayed me.

This world already killed me once—let it try again.

Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of murder, attempted murder, and violence. It includes a morally gray heroine.

Review.

I can honestly say that I've never read a book like The Corpse Princess before, and goddamn did I enjoy it!

There was nothing about this story I didn't like (well except for the ending, I really hope April and the second book gets here in a hurry). from the cover to the characters and plot this was an A++ read from the start all the way till the very end.

This story was raunchy as hell, and I am here for it.

I really enjoyed Nem; she is one strong a** b**tch, taking her revenge by killing each and every person involved in her Mother's murder and her attempted murder one by one.

Add in the Quad: Rune, Colton, Dane, and Bray (as the sexy bodyguards who may or may not have had something to do with that night ten years ago), and you have yourself one very smutty, steamy reverse harem situation that will leave you hot and bothered.

I can already see that this is going to be one of my best books of the year; if you like smutty romance at all, then you need to pick this book up now!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Head Stuck In A Book: ARC Review: Not Mine To Love - Summer Cooper

 

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HIM
She's stalking me, I swear.
She's everywhere I go.
Not that I mind seeing her.
But it was a mistake when I said hello to her.
Now I'm starting to miss her.
Her eyes that sparkle everytime she laughs.
Her lips that are so kissable.
And her body that… nevermind.
I have to stop.
It's all kinds of wrong for me to think about her that way.



HER
Yep, I'm the other woman.
When you look like a Disney princess…
Men seem to have a problem telling you that they're taken.
They want a piece of you.
They just want a night of fun or a young trophy mistress.
But I'm done!
I've decided to stay away from all men. Period.
I must be stupid…
I'm always falling for someone who's Not Mine To Love. 

Review.

Not Mine To Love was a fun, sweet, cute and quick contemporary romance that I finished in one sitting.

Our heroine Becca is a PI tasked with photographing cheating spouses. She is hired to follow Julius by his future Mother-In-Law, who is not a fan; the feelings run both ways.

While on the case, she is hired by Julius to be the Wedding Photographer, and that's when the hijinks begin, there is a lot of chemistry between our main leads, and although Julius is engaged, you can't help but hope that these two find some way to be together.

I really enjoyed this story, the characters, the plot, just everything overall; I do wish this could have been a bit longer, though.

I will definitely be checking out Summer Cooper's other books.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Head Stuck In A Book: ARC Review: The Never King (Vicious Lost Boys #1) - Nikki St. Crowe

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The stories were all wrong — Hook was never the villain.

For two centuries, all of the Darling women have disappeared on their 18th birthday. Sometimes they’re gone for only a day, some a week or a month. But they always return broken.

Now, on the afternoon of my 18th birthday, my mother is running around the house making sure all the windows are barred and the doors locked.

But it’s pointless.

Because when night falls, he comes for me. And this time, the Never King and the Lost Boys aren’t willing to let me go.

The Never King is a dark retelling of Peter and Wendy. If you like your enemies to lovers romance with hot, ruthless, morally gray love interests, you’ll enjoy The Never King and the Lost Boys. You can expect hate kissing, fighting, bickering, and ‘touch her and I’ll unalive you’ vibes.

                                 Review.

The Never King is a dark, steamy smutty retelling of Peter Pan and The Lost Boys, these are far from the Disney characters you're familiar with, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

This would have to be one of the best retellings I've ever read, and I've read quite a few over the years.

I loved everything about this book. from the front cover to every word written inside.

I really can't want to have to wait for the next book, I desperately need to know what happens next after the ending left me hanging.

The Never King is a top contender for my favourite book of the year, it was just so good!

                                         

 

Head Stuck In A Book: ARC Review: Whiskey & Wine - Rebecca Gannon

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Released 4th March 2022.

I was sent to Breaker Estates to take over the annual Icewine Festival from my coworker, and while I was ecstatic to run an event on such a grand scale, I wasn’t prepared for the owner.

Ben Breaker.

Ex-hockey star. Broody. Rude. Hates every change I want to make. Hates publicity. And, oh yeah, is also 6’4” with a body that’s made for making women wish they could have a taste, paired with midnight blue eyes that hold everything he doesn’t say.

He drives me crazy.

I want to both hit him and kiss him half the time, but I can’t ignore the way my body reacts whenever he’s near.

I don’t know how I’ll make it a month working with him, keeping it strictly professional…
Oh, right, I can’t.

Review.

Whiskey & Wine is a grumpy/sunshine contemporary romance set around an Icewine Festival. Our heroine Leah the event coordinator and Ben, a  former NHL player who is the owner of the winery Breaker Estates.

This was a cute, feel-good, steamy romance with a likeable heroine and a gruff hero, which was a quick and enjoyable read.

Featuring one of my favourite tropes. and with an atmosphere that makes this a perfect winter read; I look forward to reading more from this author.