bookreviews – Page 7 – Sincerely Karen Jo

shortstoryreview

Hello fellow booknerds! Today, I’ll be sharing my review for a short story from The Mage-Born Anthology by Kayleigh Nicol which follows the Sorcerous Siblings as they discover, develop, and learn how to wield their magical abilities. Wayward Scholar is about Reina and I think she’s absolutely awesome and I enjoyed her story a lot. Be sure to check back in a few days for the next of short story – Noble Ambition.

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abouthebook2

Published: March 7th 2019

Publisher: Blue Feather Publishing

Genre(s): Fantasy, Anthologies, Short Stories, LGBT

Read for FREE on KINDLE UNLIMITED

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synopsis4

Before the Mage-Born Bounties. . .

Before they became known as the dangerous mage-born bastards, Reshi’s brothers and sisters were young mages growing into their powers in a kingdom that forbade the use of magic. This collection of short stories follows Eagan, Kila, Velyn and the rest of Reshi’s magical siblings as they develop their magic and learn to survive during the period known as the Great Mage Hunt. From the political intrigue of noble houses, to the secrets of the Order of the Great Canvas, from the great seaside ports to the mystical lands of the fae, each of the mage-born come up with their own unique solutions to living in a world that will kill them if their secret is discovered.

This collection holds six thrilling stories of magic and adventure featuring Reshi’s siblings, plus two more stories set within the vast kingdom of Zarapheth!

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mythoughts

Magical, Enthralling, and A lot of Fun

4halfhearts

A thrilling collection of six short stories, The Mage-Born Anthology follows the Sorcerous Siblings as they discover, develop, and learn how to wield their magical abilities.

Kayleigh Nicol’s writing is absolutely spellbinding and imaginative. I have not read any of the novels in The Mage-Born Chronicles, so I’m not sure how differently I would feel if I know more about the series. What I can tell you is that so far, I’m wildly captivated and really enjoying these short stories. I was planning on reviewing everything at once, but after reading the first short story, I feel like they deserve their own separate reviews even if it’s simple or short.

Wayward Scholar is about Reina and I absolutely adore her. I think she’s such a charming character and I’m excited to see how her story plays out. I love that she’s very passionate about learning and exploring her new magic. She’s intelligent, determined, and sassy. And despite her quiet and distant personality, there’s something fierce deep inside her and she’s not afraid to say no or go after what she wants. That’s something I really love and admire about her.

I love Reina’s story. The pacing is great and the plot is engaging, entertaining, a bit suspenseful, and just so much fun. I honestly felt like I was on this amazing adventure and I never wanted it to end. There’s a little humor too and some lighthearted moments that definitely made me smile. I think the world building is fantastic and I really love the setting. The side characters are likable and Reina’s relationship with her parents is so endearing. I don’t know how I feel about Releagan, but I don’t dislike him. He also has that bad boy / selfish persona, yet he seems to care about Reina so I’ll see how I feel about him later on. Overall, I really enjoyed this short story and I can’t wait to continue exploring the vast kingdom of Zarapheth and getting to know the rest of Reina’s siblings.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Nicol has created a wonderfully alluring story and magnificent fantasy world filled with magic, danger, mystery, and fascinating characters. I’m absolutely hooked on this series and so excited for more!

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

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kayleighnicol

Lifelong nerd and fangirl Kayleigh Nicol earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Animal Science at Cal Poly Pomona, California. After years of volunteering at zoos and aquariums in California, Kayleigh now works at a therapeutic horseback riding center in Long Island, NY. When not taking care of her own menagerie of rescued animals, she enjoys watching anime, playing video games and reading as many fantasy books as she can get her hands on.

authorlinks

WEBSITE – GOODREADS – AMAZON – TWITTER – FACEBOOK

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Do you love fantasy, fairies and magic? What are some of your favorite fantasy books? Any thoughs about this anthology? Do you like reading short stories?

Well, hope you enjoyed this post. Until next time, happy reading and have a lovely day everyone!

sincerelykjologo

arcreview2

Hello bookish friends!! Today, I have my review for the final book in the Bad Babygirl series by Zoe Blake and what a ride it has been… Definitely felt uncomfortable and out of my comfort zone, but I still enjoyed the overall storyline.

The synopsis comes with a warning from the author and I suggest you take that literally. Even though there’s humor and a few lighthearted moments, this book/series is twisted. There are no sweet hugs, swoony kisses, or gentle touches. It’s a daddy dom erotica series, so if that’s not your thing, then you migth want to skip this.

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abouthebook2

Published: July 16, 2019

Genre(s): Contemporary, Dark Romance, Erotica, BDSM

Format: Kindle Edition 251 pages

OR READ FOR FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

synopsis

I control everything about her life… she just doesn’t know it.
Despite her dangerous profession she has an air of naïve innocence.
It makes her weak, vulnerable… easy prey for a man like me.
Until now, I’ve been content to stay in the shadows, but someone has made a deadly mistake, they have threatened what’s mine.
My little one is about to understand that Daddy is done watching.
It’s time I claim my babygirl.

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mythoughts

A Twisted, Dark, and Exhilirating Conclusion

4halfhearts

Book Rating 4.5 Hearts / Series Rating 4 Hearts

The Expert perfectly wraps this series with more danger, angst, steam, humor, and believe it or not, there’s even a few heartwarming moments. I will never understand or get this Daddy Dom kink, but if it works for some people, then that’s great and I think they’ll really enjoy this book/series.

I like danger, sinful, and dark romances with a some tender and sweet swoony moments so reading this series really took me out of my comfort zone. It wasn’t an easy story to get through, but I honestly don’t regret picking up this book/series and I really did have some twisted fun with the babygirls.

As I mentioned in my review for The Thief, I really rooted for Lyla and Roman together and enjoyed their chemistry and bantering. However, I think The Expert is my favorite book out of the series because of Quinn. I enjoyed her character development the most, and like Piper and Lyla, I felt really protective of her. I found her sweet, shy and quiet nature quite endearing. There’s also something charming, magnetic, and lovable about Quinn. She’s incredibly talented, resourceful, smart, and caring. I won’t spoil anything for you, but Quinn is totally a badass babygirl and I really like how much she matures in the end.

The romance between Quinn and Ryder is steamy and exciting. I liked their chemistry and some of their scenes are quite fun. However, I found Ryder just overwhelmingly possessive and controlling of Quinn that it turned me off quite a bit. I do like that he’s protective of Quinn… actually I think in some twisted way, I loved how insanely protective the men are with their babygirls. I also seemed to like Ethan and Piper a bit more in this book. But, my number 1 ship in the series is still Lyla and Roman.

This has been a wicked ride! After reading this series, there’s no doubt in my mind that Zoe Blake is an astonishing dark romance writer. While I’m still and very much not into the type of dark romance stories she writes, I think she’s incredibly gutsy, wildly creative, and talented. I honestly felt so uneasy and distraught throughout this book/series, but I still could not stop myself from reading and turning the pages. There’s just something delciously addictive with the overall storyline.

All in all, The Expert is a fabulous ending to this twisted dark romance series. I honestly can’t say if I’ll ever seek out and read these type of stories any time soon, but if you love and enjoy reading taboo kinky romances, then I think this book series is perfect for you.

I voluntarily downloaded an ebook copy via Kindle Unlimited. All thoughts and opinions are my own. divider4

booksinseries

BOOK 1 – CLICK HERE FOR MY REVIEW

theconartist

If I have to hurt her to get what I want… I will.
No is not an option.
My little con artist is about to learn I run my criminal enterprise with an iron fist.
She is no exception.
She will do as Daddy tells her or there will be pain.
Little does she know how much I will enjoy inflicting it.

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BOOK 2 – CLICK HERE FOR MY REVIEW

thethief

I will stop at nothing to get the information I need.
No matter how much she fights me… I will win in the end.
My little thief cannot steal away, I don’t care how hard she tries.
Daddy’s in charge now.
She either follows my rules, or there will be consequences… painful ones.

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BOOK 0.5 – DID NOT READ THIS AND DO NOT PLAN TO

thehacker

Daddy’s going to own me.
I knew computer hacking would get me into trouble one day, but not like this.
Kidnapped and held captive in a military compound, I’m held down and branded with the number thirteen.
Just when I think my captors have pushed me to the end of my limits, I discover there’s worse to come.
A man forcing me to call him Daddy.
He’s going to make me submit to him.
The more I fight, the more he likes it.

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abouttheauthor

Bio taken from author’s Amazon Page

USA Today Bestselling Author in Dark Romance and Horror
Amazon Top 100 Author

There is something delicious in our desire for the corrupt, our ravenous appetite for the brutal, the profane, the unspeakable. The taboo. I write the type of books that give you a frisson of unease; that will have you questioning your own resolve as I take you on a dark ride of twists, kinks and perversions of both the flesh and mind. Enjoy the blush and tremble as you read each decadent word. XOXO Zoe

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