🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 #Review of The Other Half of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Title: The Other Half of the Grave
Series: Night Huntress #1.1

Author: Jeaniene Frost
Format: ebook, 424 pages
Published: April 26th 2022 by Jeaniene Frost
ISBN: 139781641971928

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

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From the New York Times bestselling author of the Night Huntress series comes a thrilling new look at the iconic origin story of Cat and Bones, as experienced by Bones…from the other half of the grave.

There are two sides to every story–and the sizzling British alpha vampire, Bones, has a lot to say…

Ever wondered what Bones was thinking and feeling when he and half-vampire Cat Crawfield first met? Or how their story might differ if he were the one telling it? Now, relive the beginning of Cat and Bones' bestselling love story through Bones' point of view, which reveals a darker, sexier take on their early days, as well as a deeper dive into Bones' past, the vampire world, and other things that Cat didn't see when their story was told only through her eyes in Halfway to the Grave.

Cat had her say. Now, it's Bones' turn.

Crystal's Thoughts

Finally, we return to the Night Huntress world! Not with a new book in the series, no, but the beginning of the series through Bones's eyes. Was this something readers had longed for? Heck, yes! Was this something that we ever expected to happen? Nope. But it did, and it delivered everything I didn't even know to hope for! 

THE LAST Mile with Kat Martin of The Last Mile

THE LAST Mile

Since my new book, THE LAST MILE, the second book in my Blood Ties Series, Gage Logan’s story, is set in Arizona, I thought it might be fun to talk about a place I’m only just getting to know. 

Most of the year, I spend my time in the mountains of Montana.  I’ve never been much of a desert person, but on a drive from California back to our Montana home, we took a detour that led us to Northern Arizona.  It’s far different from the rest of Arizona, over 5,000 feet in altitude, with mountains and pine trees all around.  So I felt a connection right away.

We ended up buying a winter home there and as I grew to love the area, I decided I wanted to write a story set in that location.  Since I hadn’t written a treasure hunt book in years, one idea morphed into another and eventually became my new novel, THE LAST MILE.

🍷🍷🍷 #Review of Romanov by Nadine Brandes

Title: Romanov
Author: Nadine Brandes
Format: Kindle Edition, 352 pages
Published: May 7th 2019 by Thomas Nelson
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07DT64TLH
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 
Source: Purchased by Reviewer, Amazon Kindle 
Rating: 3 out of 5 Wine Glasses
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My name is Anastasia . . . The history books say I died . . . They don’t know the half of it.

Anastasia “Nastya” Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her family’s only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them, and he’s hunted Romanov before.

Nastya’s only chances of saving herself and her family are either to release the spell and deal with the consequences, or to enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesn’t act like the average Bolshevik. Nastya has only dabbled in magic, but it doesn’t frighten her half as much as her growing attraction to Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like her.

That is, until she’s on one side of a firing squad . . . and he’s on the other.

Crystal's Thoughts

Like any good, self respecting 90’s girl I have a fascination with the tale of the Romanov’s and enjoy reading different spins on the mysterious fate of Anastasia and Alexei Romanov. I was excited when I stumbled across this story on Netgalley before it's release, but sadly I was declined a review copy. So I promptly added it to my Amazon wish list instead and was able to dive into it the summer of 2020. 

#Interview with Abbi Waxman of Adult Assembly Required

Oh the fresh promise of starting over. The excitement! The nerves! And we get to experience it all through Laura in Adult Assembly Required! Please join us in welcoming the author to the blog: Abbi Waxman!

Lexi: Sometimes in life you just need some new scenery. And you gave your main character, Laura, a new city—Los Angeles! A city full of possibilities! What drew you to pick LA as the setting for Adult Assembly Required?

Abbi: Pure physical laziness. It’s where I live. I can literally sit on a bench and gaze numbly into the middle distance and call it research.

#Spotlight on Crown of Crimson by Karina Halle

About the Book

Crown of Crimson
(Underworld Gods #2)
by Karina Halle 
Kindle Edition
Published May 23rd 2022
ASINB09YGDY9QC

The next thrilling instalment in the Underworld Gods series. Perfect for readers who want high steam Hades/Persephone and Beauty and the Beast vibes with a dark Nordic folklore twist.

All Hanna Heikkinen wants is to be reunited with her father again. After all, that's why she ventured into the dark and dangerous fantasy world of Tuonela, the Land of the Dead, in order to save his life. But this time her devotion to her father comes at a cost---her growing relationship with Tuoni, the God of Death himself, who held Hanna captive in exchange for her father's life. The last thing she expects is to feel remorse at how she left things with Death, yet the dark and sexy God is all she can think about.

Death has always prided himself on never trusting the living, but Hanna's apparent betrayal has left a scar fathom's deep. Vowing revenge on his future bride, and making sure she upholds her end of the bargain, Death sets out across his realm to steal Hanna back, which only fans the flames between them. But Death and Hanna aren't just fighting each other---malevolent Old Gods are rising to power within the realm, magic is being poisoned, and buried secrets are brought to light, secrets that may cause Hanna to lose everyone she loves dear once again.

AMAZON

#Spotlight on Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton

About the Book

Our Last Days in Barcelona
by Chanel Cleeton 
Paperback, 320 pages
Published May 24th 2022 by Berkley Books
ISBN0593197828 

When Isabel Perez travels to Barcelona to save her sister Beatriz, she discovers a shocking family secret in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s new novel.

Barcelona, 1964. Exiled from Cuba after the revolution, Isabel Perez has learned to guard her heart and protect her family at all costs. After Isabel’s sister Beatriz disappears in Barcelona, Isabel goes to Spain in search of her. Joining forces with an unlikely ally thrusts Isabel into her sister’s dangerous world of espionage, but it’s an unearthed piece of family history that transforms Isabel’s life.

Barcelona, 1936. Alicia Perez arrives in Barcelona after a difficult voyage from Cuba, her marriage in jeopardy and her young daughter Isabel in tow. Violence brews in Spain, the country on the brink of civil war, the rise of fascism threatening the world. When Cubans journey to Spain to join the International Brigades, Alicia’s past comes back to haunt her as she is unexpectedly reunited with the man who once held her heart.

Alicia and Isabel’s lives intertwine, and the past and present collide, as a mother and daughter are forced to choose between their family’s expectations and following their hearts.

AMAZON | B&N 

#Spotlight on Desperately Seeking a Duchess by Christi Caldwell

 

About the Book

Desperately Seeking a Duchess
(All the Duke's Sins #2)
by Christi Caldwell 
Mass Market Paperback, 336 pages
Published May 24th 2022 by Berkley Books
ISBN0593334930

What happens when an impoverished duke with a reputation for being a rogue collides with a strong-willed heiress who wants to explore the world? An unlikely friendship...and unexpected passion.

Cailin Audley doesn't fit in with Polite Society. A life spent among the working class taught her to value her independence in a way no newfound fortune or glittering ballroom could ever erase. When a major misstep sees the new heiress whisked away to the English countryside, Cailin soon realizes the vexing lengths her family will go to see her settled. But having risked her heart once before, Cailin has no interest in the men of the ton--especially not the frustratingly charming Duke of St. James.

Courtland Balfour, the Duke of St. James, devoted brother and notorious rogue, despises what he must become--a fortune hunter. But with the ducal coffers drained by his late, spendthrift of a father, Courtland knows his duty lies at the altar and he will do anything to ensure a future for his siblings. Just his luck that the one lady who could make this new fate bearable, who enflames him like no other, is the one woman who wants nothing to do with him or his title.

But when an act of desperation inadvertently lands he and Cailin at the heart of another scandal, Courtland knows better than to waste his chance. Surely he can convince Cailin to love him?

AMAZON | B&N 

#Spotlight on Kiss My Giraffe by Erin Nicholas

About the Book

Kiss My Giraffe
(Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild #7)
by Erin Nicholas
Kindle Edition, 360 pages
Published May 17th 2022 by EN Fiction, Inc.
ASINB09R1HG1BY

𝙀𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨…𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙-𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙚𝙨…𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙜𝙪𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙩.

Fiona knew Knox would be mad when she moved in next door.
And not because she brought a collection of wild animals with her.
And she was right.
So she intended to leave him alone. Mostly.
But he’s not ignoring her. He’s actively working to send her and her “ridiculous menagerie” (rude) right back out of town.
Still, as hard as she tries, it’s impossible to stop thinking about the small town grump’s long hair and tattoos and that mouth.
Not the one that’s almost always set in a grim line and says things like, “you got a permit for that?”
Nope, the one that kisses her like she’s everything he’s ever wanted and says very dirty things in her ear. And sweet, protective, supportive things. Sometimes. Accidentally. When she catches him off-guard.
The one that also says he only wants a long-distance fling with her. Nothing serious. And that he never dates women he sees every day. Like his neighbor.
Well, fine. If he doesn’t want her—and her unbelievable past and that-can’t-be-real future—then she doesn’t want him either. He can just kiss her…giraffe. (Yeah, she actually has a couple of those.)
Now she just needs to convince her heart to give him up.

AMAZON | B&N

#Giveaway of Summer Island by Shelley Noble

 

About the Book

Summer Island
by Shelley Noble
Paperback, 416 pages
Published May 3rd 2022 by Avon Books
ISBN0063118424

New York Times bestselling author Shelley Noble pens a heartwarming story of a mother-daughter road trip to the beach and to self-discovery.

When reporter Phoebe Adams loses her job and her fiancé on the same day, it never occurs to her that she'll also have to support her mother, Ruth, through her divorce from Phoebe's father after thirty-five years of marriage. They both need a haven, and Phoebe knows just the place--Summer Island, where Grandma Alice still rules the roost from the big New England beach house Phoebe and Ruth once called home.

But "home" has changed. There's a trendy new look downtown. Large beach houses are replacing the old. The Harken house next door is in disrepair.

Phoebe's plan for a peaceful retreat is quickly hijacked when globe-trotting Great Aunt Vera makes an unannounced pit stop. With Vera around, no one can stay morose for long, not even Lars, the grumpy widower next door, or his son Ty, formerly geeky middle child all grown up into a handsome and enigmatic man. Soon they're all enjoying things they used to do and discovering new ones. Each adventure opens a part of themselves they've neglected for too long and brings them closer together.

But when an accident threatens to destroy the tenuous tie between them, Phoebe realizes how fragile life can be, and that she has some serious choices to make about her own life. It will take the support of her newly awakened family and the magic of Summer Island for Phoebe to embrace the challenge of an unexpected future and to trust her own heart. 

AMAZON | B&N 

#Interview with Jeaniene Frost of The Other Half of the Grave + #Giveaway

Lexi: This is it. 🎉 A day we’ve all been waiting for—for years. And we know the three words that will make your hearts speed up and your eyes go green dreamy: Cat and Bones. Yes! We said it, Cat and Bones are back and we’re lucky enough to have their author with us today! Welcome, Jeaniene Frost!

Jeaniene: Hi, thanks so much for the warm welcome, and for having me on your site! 

Lexi: Those two names, Cat and Bones, conjure up images of a fiery red-head and her enigmatic, Brit of a vampire…and all the trouble and predicaments they’ve found themselves in over the years. We know we’re not alone in rereading the entire series before getting our greedy hands on your newest Night Huntress release: The Other Half of the Grave. How did you feel when Bones finally started talking to you—giving his side of the story?

#Interview with Tear Down the Throne author Jennifer Estep - out now!

Lexi: When you're in the mood for a crafty, sword-wielding heroine, you know which author you pick up: Jennifer Estep! And she's got a new release, TEAR DOWN THE THRONE!! *takes a sip of wine*

Now that your excited screaming is done, let's chat with the author—welcome to the blog, Jennifer! 

JE: Hello! Thanks so much for featuring me on your site. I appreciate it!

Lexi: We’re very excited to have you here to talk about book two in your Gargoyle Queen series—Tear Down the Throne! And of course, that means we get to talk about the crown princess, Gemma. We met this pampered princess in book one, but quickly learned she utilized her spoiled façade to spy. And in this book she’s got to deal with all of the ruling families, and their bickering, at once. How does Gemma keep from going insane?

Read an #Excerpt from Big Hose by Jasinda Wilder

About the Book

Big Hose

by Jasinda Wilder 

300 pages

Published April 29th 2022

Putting out fires is more than just a job, it's my passion in life. There’s no time for anything else but the job...until I meet her. And now I’m on fire for her, only there's no hose big enough to extinguish these flames.

She’s too hot to handle, and I’m about to get burned.

* * *

Saving lives is what I do. As a career paramedic married to the job, I’ve never thought much about my love life—or my lack of one, if I’m being honest—until it's his life I'm worried about saving. Now I’ve got a scorching hot firefighter burning up my life and setting my body on fire. No matter how hot he is or how hot things are between us, however, there’s one rule in my life which I refuse to break: Never date a fireman.

* * *

Will we find each other in the flames of this romance, or will we simply add another scar to the collection?

AMAZON | B&N