bookreviewer – Page 77 – Sincerely Karen Jo

HavenTour

Happy Friday everyone! Welcome to my stop for the Haven Blog Tour hosted by Chapter by Chapter. I absolutely love this spellbinding YA paranormal romance and can’t recommend it enough. I hope you enjoy reading my review and don’t forget to stay until the end for an awesome giveaway!

havenmarylindsey

5 ★ – A DELICIOUSLY DARK, SEXY, AND HEART-POUNDING TALE

PUBLISHED BY ENTANGLED PUBLISHING NOVEMBER 7, 2017

GENRE(S): YOUNG ADULT, ROMANCE, PARANORMAL, FANTASY

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Synopsis

Rain Ryland has never belonged anywhere, He’s used to people judging him for his rough background, his intimidating size, and now, his orphan status. He’s always been on the outside, looking in, and he’s fine with that. Until he moves to New Wurzburg and meets Friederike Burkhart.

Freddie isn’t like normal teen girls, though. And someone wants her dead for it. Freddie warns he’d better stay far away if he wants to stay alive, but Rain’s never been good at running from trouble. For the first time, Rain has something worth fighting for, worth living for. Worth dying for.

Review

I’m utterly and positively smitten with this book. Haven by Mary Lindsey is such an incredibly unique, oddly intriguing, and suspenseful tale that had me reeling and holding my breath the entire time.

“We all hold a beast inside. The only difference is what form it takes when freed.”

Rain Ryland has lived a very troubled life and never felt like he belonged. That is until he moves to New Wurzburg and meets Friederike Burkhart (Freddie). Immediately, Rain finds himself undeniable attracted to Freddie. Even with a murder mystery to solve and a killer on the loose who wants Freddie dead, Rain just can’t seem to stay away. As the darkness unfolds before his eyes, Rain must decide what’s he’s willing to do to protect everyone he loves.

Haven is wickedly awesome in every way. Chapter after chapter, this book pulled me in deep until I was beautifully drowning in its eerily, but enthralling supernatural world. The plot is fast-paced, gripping, and full of twists that had me on edge. The mystery, tension, drama, and dangers lurking in every corner kept me turning the pages. The family dynamics, friendships, and tender moments between the characters give the story its heart and a sense of realness. The romance, while not the focal point, is sweet and achingly swoontastic! And the writing — absolutely phenomenal and so captivating that I found it impossible to put the book down. I truly enjoyed reading Haven and if I didn’t have work or errands to do, I’m certain that I would have devoured this in a day.

Rain and Freddie are ridiculously adorable — their chemistry is electrifying and had me smiling and swooning. The side characters, like Petra, Merrick and Ruby, are pretty great and delightful. Actually, I like all the characters to some extent — even the ones that are menacing and downright evil. The author does such a terrific job creating characters that are brilliantly mysterious, positively intriguing, and flawed in the best possible way. They have their own dark secrets, heartbreaking pasts, inner turmoil, and insecurities. With complicated relationships, vile manipulations, and endless lies, the characters surely kept me on my toes and surprised me plenty of times. Even though it was extremely frustrating, I honestly loved never knowing for sure who to trust and not to trust — just made reading Haven so much more exciting and interesting.

I seriously love this book so much that I definitely would not mind reading a sequel or two! It’s deliciously dark, sexy, and heart-pounding. The plot is filled with intrigue, mystery, suspense, and a steamy romance that will give you all the feels. With a badass, sassy, and beautiful heroine like Freddie, a handsome, tough, and brave hero with a gentle heart like Rain, and a wonderfully spellbinding story that’s hard to forget, Haven gave me the most amazing spine-tingling thrills and chills.

If you’re looking for a unique, gritty and tension-filled YA paranormal romance that will leave you wanting more, then this book is perfect for you.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Mary Lindsey is a multi award-winning, RITA® nominated author of romance for adults and teens. She lives on an island in the middle of a river. Seriously, she does. When not writing, she wrangles her rowdy pack of three teens, two Cairn Terriers, and one husband. Inexplicably, her favorite animal is the giant anteater and at one point, she had over 200 “pet” Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. The roaches are a long story involving three science-crazed kids and a soft spot for rescue animals. The good news is, the “pet” roaches found a home… somewhere else.

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Tour Schedule

Giveaway

Swag box including books (not Haven) and fun stuff.* (A $15 Amazon gift card will be substituted in place of the prize pack if the winner is international)

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Thanks for reading lovelies. Hope you have a great weekend!

Sincerely Karen Jo

Bell of Eternity

(Celtic Legends #2)

Martina Boone

4.5 ★ – Wonderfully Delicious Treat that Left a Sugary Sweet Mess in my Heart

PUBLISHED BY MAYFAIR PUBLISHING AUGUST 29, 2017

GENRE(S): ROMANCE, ADULT FICTION

PAGES: HARDCOVER 336

BUY BARNES AND NOBLE, AMAZON

An island castle in Cornwall, dangerous secrets, a haunting historical legend and a delicious kilt-wearing chef cook up an enchanting, heartwarming, and suspenseful new love story from the award-winning author of Compulsion and Lake of Destiny.

Emma Larsen’s mother may have been a best-selling romance novelist, but her own track record with relationships was a darker story. Emma has never believed in happily-ever-afters. But when her best-friend Treave proposes suddenly after her mother’s funeral, she agrees to accompany him to a wedding at his family’s island castle in Cornwall to try to see him as more than just a friend.

She falls in love with the wild, granite Cornish coast, a world rich with history, hauntings, and ancient superstitions. The failed romance of Tristan and Isolde hangs over the island and the lost abbey bell is said to ring when wishes will come true. As tragedy rocks the small community, though, it is family and courage that keep everyone together, and a handsome Scottish chef with a turbulent past and secrets he holds close is increasingly the one to whom Emma is drawn as danger swirls around them.

Caught between the two men and her own conscience, Emma begins to discover that the roots of childhood fears run deep. And sometimes, the people we think we know the best are the ones we can’t see for who they are.

A timeless stand-alone romance in the Celtic Legends collection, filled with heart, food, intrigue, and magical Cornish legends. Perfect for fans of Poldark, Nora Roberts, Susanna Kearsley, Sarah Addison Allen, Susan Wiggs, and Susan Mallery.

I LOVE Lake of Destiny (LOD), so I was extremely excited when Martina Boone sent me an ARC of Bell of Eternity. Brando had already charmed me in every possible way in LOD, so I couldn’t wait to get started on his book. I can honestly say that this book is a wonderfully delicious treat that left a sugary sweet mess in my heart.

While LOD still takes the #1 spot, Bell of Eternity (BOE) definitely had me enthralled the entire time. The plot is fast-paced, intriguing and suspenseful with a few nice surprises that kept me on my toes. The mystery and drama definitely had me glued to the pages and I loved it. The characters were quirky, interesting and for the most part very likable. The setting – the castle and the island – was insanely beautiful and breathtaking that I wanted to stay there forever. Bell of Eternity is absolutely charming and sweet and I’m so hopelessly in love with Boone’s novels. Her writing is undeniably gorgeous, incredibly creative and ridiculously captivating that I always feel like I’m part of the story.

I truly adored Emma and Brando and thought they were just adorable together. Emma’s such a great character and I admired that she wanted to pursue her own dreams. She’s also very passionate, caring, and understanding. I love that she always tried to see the good in people. Then there’s my gorgeous Brando. He’s definitely more than just a charmer. He’s fascinating, talented, supportive and made me hungry for more than just food. I also swooned over the way he cared about Emma and wanted what was best for her. Seriously shipped these two so hard and loved their amazing chemistry!

Brando and Emma’s love story made me smile and swoon and have those fuzzy warm feeling in my tummy. I just wish there had been a few more steamy moments between them because I wanted more FEELS. Not that there weren’t enough…I guess I’m just romantically greedy.. is that even a thing!? Guess I was just starving for something sweet, a little bit spicy, and totally scrumptious… I honestly didn’t want the swooning and butterflies to stop. What can I say… I’m a romance addict! (SorryNotSorry)

With a heartwarming storyline, breathtaking scenery, intrigue, and a bit of mystery, Bell of Eternity is absolutely irresistible and deliciously fascinating from start to finish. While Lake of Destiny filled my heart with so much happy, Bell of Destiny left me positively satisfied, but craving for more. I’m so happy I took a bite of this lovely romance. Boone definitely knows the way to my heart and I cannot wait for the next book in the Celtic Legends Series.

PS – While this is the second book, you can definitely read it as a standalone. I do however recommend reading Lake of Destiny first so you can see the connection… and it’ll totally make you swoon even more.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Other Books in the Series

Lake of Destiny Review

lod

About the Author

Martina Boone was born in Prague and spoke several languages before learning English. She’s the award-winning author of the romantic Southern Gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, including Compulsion, Persuasion, and Illusion, from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and of romantic fiction for adult readers starting with Lake of Destiny. She’s also the founder of AdventuresInYAPublishing.com, a three-time Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers Site, and YASeriesInsiders.com, a site dedicated to encouraging literacy and reader engagement through a celebration of series literature. She’s on the Board of the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia and runs the CompulsionForReading.com program to distribute books to underfunded schools and libraries.

She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog, and a lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary fantasy set in the kinds of magical places she loves to visit. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate-flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it. (Short Bio taken from Author’s Website)

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Hope you had fun reading my review and don’t forget to leave your comments down below.

Sincerely Karen Jo