Hidden Magic by Ashlynn Monroe

Story: 7
Presentation: 9
Total: 16
Publisher: Wild Horse Press
Sweet Fantasy Romance
To Purchase

Blurb: Alexis is happy with her life and feels that it is ordinary, until a strange magician threatens her family and exposes her brother's secrets. Discovering nothing she believes about herself is true, she is confronted with a family secret that leaves her at the mercy of her brother's nemesis, the man who claims she belongs to him.

Hidden Magic is a tale of fairies, magic, and love.

Review: Hidden Magic was a dichotomy of reading experiences. There were parts that I loved and could not get enough of and other areas that I nearly put the story aside. And that would have been a shame since I would have missed the best parts of the book. The beginning is slow and most of what was there was a telling of back story and the mundane activities of Alexis’ daily life. But don’t give up, keep reading because when the story kicks in about a third of the way through, it’s exciting. Good vs perceived evil. Only the evil isn’t so evil at all just a difference of viewpoints between two powerful forces. The Fae and Humans are on the brink of war. A woman discovers her destiny and cant help falling in love with an enemy sworn to destroy her brother. Whew, this story has so much to offer if you trudge through the opening and get to the heart of Hidden Magic.

Rodeo Redemption by Teri Wilson

Story: 10
Presentation: 10
Total: 20
Publisher: White Rose Publishing
Contemporary Inspirational
To Purchase

Blurb: A Former Rodeo Queen

Josie Turner spends her days at the local dog grooming shop pampering the pooches of Angel Springs, Texas. When rodeo season rolls around again, the townfolk are excited about who their new Rodeo Queen might be. Josie, on the other hand, finds herself reminded all too often about a night she’d just as soon forget.

A Former Rodeo Cowboy

Luke Anderson lived for three things – riding, roping and rodeos. Until the day he met Josie Turner, the girl who gave his life meaning, and whose heart he was destined to break. Now, ten years later, he returns to Angel Springs to find the town hasn’t changed much, but the girl he left behind has become a stranger he hardly recognizes. What, he wonders, will she think of him, and the man he’s become?

A Rodeo Weekend

Determined to break through the wall Josie has erected around her heart, Luke must face his demons while at the same time helping Josie overcome hers. With the whole town cheering them on, can Luke mend Josie’s heart and can one rodeo weekend help them both find redemption?

Review: Have you looked at the SR scoring page? If you haven't then now is a good time.

TOTAL PERFECTION!!!!! I don't hide the fact that I am a huge Teri Wilson fan. I have read EVERYTHING she has written. Loved everything she has written. Have print copies on my bookshelf :) BUT Rodeo Redemption ROCKED!!!

Perhaps it was the fact that this award winning author brought together cowboys, rodeo, God, love and animals and wrapped them into a fantastic story. Or maybe it was the fact that she wrote it so well that I was unable to stop reading once I opened the PDF. It could have been that she pens such real-to-life characters that I immediately felt like I knew them. Who cares. All that matters is that Ms Wilson has done it yet again :)

It is no wonder this author made it on the Seriously Unforgettable list or that her fans adore her. She is unforgettable and pens stories that are warm, emotional, witty works of art :) Not only for the eyes but also for the heart and soul.

**SNAPS** Ms Wilson. I can't wait to get my hands on your next work :)

Grounded by Sandra Cox

Story: 8
Presentation: 8
Total: 16
Publisher: Class Act Books
YA Fantasy
To Purchase

Blurb: On the surface, Gillian Stone has it all: wealth, beauty, and the freedom to come and go as she pleases…at least from sunset to dawn. From dawn to dusk, she’s grounded in several hundred pounds of marble. And if that’s not bad enough, her life expectancy is preordained to be short…unless, she can find a certain genie and reverse the wish-spell.

Review: This was a really good story. Well developed characters and plot. Interesting and engaging premise. All delivered with a bang. With all the problems that most young women face, who needs problems like this. Great secondary characters only added to the dynamic of the story and gave it a very well rounded feel. Very nicely done Ms Cox.

More Than A Playboy by Monique DeVere

Story: 8
Presentation: 9
Total: 17
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Sweet Contemporary
To Purchase

Blurb: She has a shield...he has one too...and they’re both hiding secrets.

Serious-minded Sandy Donovan has one unbreakable rule—never fall for a rich playboy. Falling for a playboy destroyed her mother and ruined Sandy’s childhood. She’s determined never to let the same thing happen to her. Unfortunately, the only man to make her hormones sit up and take notice is a playboy who doesn’t know the first thing about taking life seriously.

A lonely, miserable childhood taught Cameron Berkeley-Scott to hide his feelings in humour, but his comic nature is pushing away the one woman he wants to draw near. She thinks he’s a playboy—a title he has no desire to have—and ignores his outrageous flirting.

Now it’s time for Cameron to show Sandy he isn’t the irresponsible pleasure-seeker she thinks—but will she run when she finds out who he really is?

Review: You know...there are times when I come across a sweet little story like this one, that I thank my lucky stars my mother pushed me so hard as a child to read. And when I baulked as a young teen, she handed me a romance novel. I LOVE READING!!! But one of the things that makes me love reading as much as I do is wonderfully written, heart-felt stories like this one.

Ms DeVere has done a magnificent job in telling a tale, warts and all, and having it all come out smelling like roses in the end. The characters were great, the plot solid and the story...sigh...yeah, it was really good.

*SNAPS* Monique, on a job well done :)

Advertising For Love by Sandy Sullivan

Story: 6.75
Presentation: 9
Total: 15.75
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Sweet Contemporary
To Purchase

Blurb: The Flower Basket Series

Cassie doesn’t have time for a man, not on a permanent basis anyway. Establishing her advertising business holds her heart until she notices an intriguing gentleman visiting The Flower Basket every other day. His brilliant blue eyes, broad shoulders and muscled chest haunt her waking hours and invade her midnight dreams until she comes face to face with her mystery man.

Cassandra Meyer. Just her name holds Jeremy Spencer spellbound, but actually meeting her sends his heart and desire into overdrive. He wants her but when she refuses to give into the attraction crackling between them, his frustration at her stubbornness forces his hand. His advertising campaign comes with one additional prize -- him. Take it or leave it.

Can Jeremy convince Cassie there’s room in her life for more than statistics and trends and to give love a try?

Review: I love this series. I was hooked from the beginning. Perhaps that is why this review is so difficult for me to write.

While the premise for this story was WONDERFUL, a character fell short for me. I enjoy a good alpha male that has some overbearing tendencies at times. But when manipulation and IMHO deceit are used to make a woman jealous so he can get what he wants from the very beginning, he loses some of his hero-like qualities.

Ms Sullivan did a wonderful job crafting a tale that had everything it needed to be a riviting story, driven plot, a twist that made me gasp, a heroine I liked from the start and of course...the sweet romance. My only wish is that the hero had been a bit more likeable through the entire story. The tale ended on a happy note, but we would expect nothing less from a sweet romance :)

I will be keeping my eyes peeled for this author in the future. I have high hopes for the next story of hers that I pick up :)

Faith by Merry Stahel

Story: 9.5
Presentation: 9.5
Total: 19
Publisher: White Rose Publishing
Inspirational Romance
To Purchase

Blurb: Afraid of losing the only person left who loves her, Faith follows her widowed mother-in-law to a new home. But God has plans for Faith...plans that include a new love, hope, and a future. Can Faith open her bruised and hurting heart to allow a loving God and a loving man back in?

Review: Every so often I get the pleasure of reviewing a story that is so powerful, so well written and so wonderful that I am in awe when it is over. This is one of those.

With emotion so powerful and raw that it left me gasping. I was able to connect, to feel, to experience this passionate tale of love, moving on and taking another chance on happiness and love. Ahhh. Yes Ms Stahel has done a wonderful job and I have full intents on see her name on may more stories on my computer screen for a long time to come.

Love to Delare by Charlotte McClain

Story: 6

Presentation: 9

Total: 15

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Sweet Contemporary

To Purchase

Blurb: Schlepping parts back and forth from Japan for work, Jake has been waiting to see Customs bust somebody for months. He thinks it might be his lucky day when the agents take special interest in Maggie. But Maggie is nice and hardly the type. Isn't she?
Maggie just wants to get home. She's been overseas teaching pre-school for a year and flying for the past several days. Then before the final leg, she gets stuck in Secondary Inspection. The only saving grace being the cute guy hanging around with her. He's the only one who doesn't think she's a criminal. Isn't he?

Review: An interesting little tale.

While cute in the end I was left a little confused about what I had read. For a good portion I wasn't sure if Jake was an undercover agent or not. This is another one that I thought had great potential but wish it had been a bit more in depth so I wasn't left miffed in the end.