November 28, 2017 by Tina Williams

REVIEW ~ Claiming Thor’s Hammer: an Erotic Adventure with Thor and Loki, by Samantha Macleod

#erotic #short #mmm #erotica

Blurb

All of Asgard depends on Thor, and his legendary hammer Mjölnir, to protect them from their foes. So when Thor returns one night without his hammer, refusing to say how it was lost or where it may be, all of Asgard is at risk. Loki tracks Mjölnir to the muscular arms of the fearsome warlord Thrym, who reluctantly agrees to a deal: Thrym will return Thor’s hammer in exchange for Freyja, the most beautiful woman in Asgard.

There’s only one problem with Loki’s plan. Freyja refuses to marry the ruthlessly handsome Thrym. Low on options, Loki insists he can still retrieve the hammer. All it takes is wrapping Thor in a wedding dress obnoxious enough to allow him to pass for Freyja.

Once inside the dark confines of Thrym’s castle, however, things take an erotic turn not even Loki the Trickster could have predicted…

My Review ~ 5 stars

A sizzling erotic short – a real gem!

Being familiar with Samantha Macleod’s sizzling re-interpretations of the characters and myths from Norse mythology, I jumped at the chance to review this erotic short – with a title such as Claiming Thor’s Hammer I knew it was going to be an absolute blast. Well let me tell you the read surpassed even my wildest expectations!

In this tale Thor, aided by Loki, is hell bent on retrieving his hammer Mjölnir from the warlord Thrym. Failure is not an option and he will do what it takes, with hilarious and unexpected results. Indeed, I just loved the premise of the manly and burly Thor, masquerading as Freyja, wrapped in a wedding dress! Will Thor and Loki’s desperate and daring ruse to fool the wily Thrym into surrendering his prize work or will the mighty warrior see through their disguises? Have Thor and Loki bitten off more than they can chew and what will the repercussions be?

This is not only an extremely scorching and lusty read, but also one which is full of friendship and humour. It can be read as a standalone, but if you are familiar with the characters of Thor and Loki from the author’s other books such as The Trickster’s Lover, Death and Beauty and Honeymoon (which I certainly urge you to read if this story tickles your fancy), you will appreciate how this work gives the reader yet more insight into the characters of the heroes!

Reviewed by Tina Williams

Please note that a copy of this book was given to me by the author for the purpose of a fair and honest review.

Purchase Links

Amazon US Amazon UK

Connect with the Author

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36436553-claiming-thor-s-hammer?ac=1&from_search=true

https://sammacleod.wordpress.com/about-me/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012016893561

November 23, 2017 by Tina Williams

REVIEW ~ Zenka, by Alison Brodie

#blackcomedy #drama #romance

Blurb

Devious, ruthless, and loyal.

Zenka is a capricious Hungarian with a dark past.

When cranky London mob boss, Jack Murray, saves her life she vows to become his guardian angel – whether he likes it or not. Happily, she now has easy access to pistols, knives and shotguns.

Jack discovers he has a son, Nicholas, a male nurse with a heart of gold. Problem is, Nicholas is a wimp.

Zenka takes charges. Using her feminine wiles and gangland contacts, she will make Nicholas into the sort of son any self-respecting crime boss would be proud of. And she succeeds!

Nicholas transforms from pussycat to mad dog, falls in love with Zenka, and finds out where the bodies are buried – because he buries them. He’s learning fast that sometimes you have to kill, or be killed.

As his life becomes more terrifying, questions have to be asked: How do you tell a mob boss you don’t want to be his son? And is Zenka really who she says she is?

My Review ~ 5 stars

Sheer brilliance – do yourself a HUGE favour and read this now! TOP READ

Zenka is a book like no other I have reviewed this year – a brilliant read and a guarenteed pick me up! One minute I was laughing out loud, the next I was cringing at the desperate straits and misunderstandings that befall the characters. Throughout it all Zenka, who acts as both the muse and the catalyst for the plot, entertains the reader with her wild and outlandish actions. The novel contains madcap and side-splitting antics galore, contrasting starkly with a host of gory and violent scenes.

The plot explores the very worst of the human condition – greed, deceit, violence and the abuse of trust, and also the very best – love , friendship , honour and loyalty. This dichotomy plays out in a deliciously devilish exposé that sweeps the reader and characters along into a vortex of black comedy and emotionally charged scenes. The novel delves into family, friendship ties and romance and culminates in a heartfelt ending which expertly resolves the disparate plot strands.

I just loved the pairing of the mild mannered and gentle nurse Nicholas and the fiery and unpredictable Zenka, the Hungarian pole dancer and friend of the gangster Jack. The couple are brought together, at Zenka’s insistence, when Jack, to whom she owes a huge debt, finds out that he has a son from a former lover. Zenka is determined to bring father and son together and to transform Nicholas into a man worthy of entering a life of crime.

The plot delves into what motivates us all and also poses the question of whether a leopard can change its spots – can the wimpy Nicholas become an alpha male worthy of his gangland dad and conversely can Jack renounce a life of crime for the son he never knew he had? If Zenka succeeds will she like the man Nicholas has become? Moreover how will Nicholas react when he finds out who is dad really is? And what will his response be when he learns of Zenka’s deceit when he has fallen in love with her? The result of all these shenanigans is life-changing for the main characters and those within their orbit. Indeed, The supporting cast, all of whom are beautifully portrayed, have their own trials and tribulations which are woven masterfully into the story.

Zenka, which would make an excellent film/TV drama, is a must read. It also has a seasonal flavour, making it a fantastic Christmas read.

Reviewed by Tina Williams

Please note that a copy of this book was given to me by the author for the purpose of a fair and honest review.

Purchase Links

Amazon UK Amazon US

Connect with the Author

Link to website: http://www.alisonbrodiebooks.com/#!the-double/c1253

https://www.facebook.com/AlisonBrodieAuthor/

November 20, 2017 by Tina Williams

AUTHOR/BOOK SPOTLIGHT~ The Passage of Desire: French Summer Prequel, by Laurette Long

#family #drama

The Passage of Desire: French Summer Prequel by Laurette Long
£0.91/$0.99, free on Kindle Unlimited

We are THRILLED to be featuring Laurette Long’s latest release, The Passage of Desire. We have been a fan of Laurette’s work since Caroline, my co-blogger reviewed the sweet romance Hot Basque, book 2 in the French Summer Novels (click on the title for review). We also love reading Laurette’s entertaining and inspiring blog where she not only shares excerpts from her writing but also snippets from her life in the beautiful South of France, a place which has inspired her muse on many an ocassion. The Passage of Desire, a prequel to the French Summer Novels, is a family drama which I am looking forward to reviewing very soon. Tina 🙂

~DESCRIPTION~

The French Summer Novels are a series of contemporary romances set in the stunning French Basque country, following the lives of two sisters, Caroline and Annabel, and their friends. In this prequel we step back in time to meet Alexandra, their mother, and learn more about her story in the years before her fatal car crash. When Alexandra dies, she takes with her a terrible secret …

Yorkshire, 1991: the summer that everything changed.

Alexandra and her seven-year-old daughter, Caroline, arrive in the village of Haworth to spend a holiday with Alexandra’s best friend from school, Juliet. Though the years have passed, the two friends quickly fall into their old intimacy, sharing reminiscences and comparing the different paths their lives have taken. Juliet seems to have it all – marriage to childhood sweetheart, Alan, two children and an adorable grandchild – while Alexandra is a troubled soul, an only child brought up in a dysfunctional family, prone to bouts of depression since the birth of Caroline, and becoming more and more estranged from husband Robbie.

But life with the boisterous, touchy-feely Pearson family in their rambling disorganised house starts to lift Alexandra’s spirits. Hot sunny days filled with long walks across the purple moors, leisurely picnics, drinks on the terrace in the evening, laughing at the antics of Caroline and the family collie, Bonnie. Oliver, the Pearson son, usually joins in the fun, ready to top up the drinks or join Caroline and Bonnie in their game of catch.

A perfect summer idyll, which is about to be shattered by violence and betrayal.

Underneath the surface, tensions build and emotions come to the boil. Cath, the Pearson’s second child, is a teenage Mum, eking out a precarious existence with a shifty, unreliable partner, a less than ideal father for the couple’s baby son. Their situation is a source of friction and worry for Juliet, who’s also bracing herself for the departure of 19-year-old Oliver, the golden boy, off to Cambridge in September. Young Caroline is missing her Daddy, on a business trip to New York, and burdened by feelings of responsibility to a ‘fragile’ Mummy, who needs looking after.

And meanwhile, through an innocent gesture, an unguarded look, a spark ignites, a flame is lit, a forbidden desire grows. As the characters go about their normal routines, two of them become caught up in an escalating conflict, torn between the demands of loyalty and friendship and the irresistible urges of the human heart. As the holiday draws to an end, events take a sudden, dramatic turn, setting off a chain reaction that will change the lives of everyone forever.

~PURCHASE LINKS~

Amazon UK Amazon US

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND LE PASSAGE DU DESIR~

Laurette was born in Brontëland which perhaps explains her penchant for romantic novels, passionate heroines and strong, independent heroines. On a school trip to France, aged thirteen, she fell madly in love (with France mainly, but the tobacconist’s son, he of the bold black eyes and cheeky grin, also made a big impression.)

After a teaching career in the UK, the USA, and France, she moved to a hamlet of four houses in rural Tarn, where she started to write fiction. The novels in the French Summer Series were inspired by holidays in the Basque country: Book 1 ‘Biarritz Passion’, Book 2 ‘Hot Basque’ and a forthcoming Book 3 ‘Villa Julia’. The Brontës were still hovering in the background, though, which is why a prequel, ‘The Passage of Desire’, is set in the moorland village of Haworth. The book goes back in time to reveal a mystery involving Alexandra, the mother of the two main characters in the series. But a French connexion slips in when Alexandra goes to Paris and finds herself in an ancient cobbled passageway, Le Passage du Desir, where she witnesses a disturbing scene…

Readers please note: the passage really exists, and more of its history can be found on Laurette’s blog: https://laurettelong.com/the-passage-of-desire-behind-every-title-a-story/

~CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR~

Website Amazon Goodreads Twitter Facebook

November 17, 2017 by Tina Williams

ARC Review ~ The Silver Wolf: A James Ryker Thriller, by Rob Sinclair

#thriller #spythriller #actionthriller

Book Blurb

A fast paced and unmissable thriller from the international bestselling James Ryker series

Ryker wants blood, and one way or another he’ll get it…

Still tormented by the disappearance of his wife, ex-intelligence agent James Ryker sets out on a personal mission of revenge, prepared to go to any lengths in search of the truth.

The trail takes him from the crystal waters of Mexico’s Caribbean coast, back to a place he thought he would never set foot again – his country of birth, England. But there he discovers more than even he bargained for. Stumbling across a terrorist attack targeted against his old employers – the secretive Joint Intelligence Agency -the faint clues to many events in his recent past are all seemingly linked to one mysterious character; The Silver Wolf.

But just who is the Silver Wolf, and why is he hell bent on punishing not just Ryker, but his closest allies at the JIA too?
Has Ryker finally met his match?

The Silver Wolf is a globe-trotting thriller that sees James Ryker at his hard-nosed best as he fights the ghosts of his past. As skilled as Jason Bourne, as no-nonsense as Jack Reacher, James Ryker delivers in another heart-pounding thriller.

My Review ~ 5 stars

Ryker is back in a high octane revenge thriller.

In The Silver Wolf revenge is the name of the game in this rip-roaring spy thriller, the latest release by Rob Sinclair. The offering is another stunning tour-de-force by this author whose larger than life characters and devilishly clever plots never fail to deliver.

The reader immediately feels for Ryker, a man tormented by his wife Lisa’s disappearance. He needs to employ all the skills learned from his past as a field operative and then some – at times the situations he finds himself in appear to be insurmountable. The reader is left in no doubt however, as to his determination to make those who hurt her pay the ultimate price. Ryker’s quest for vengeance takes him from Mexico, to London and beyond as he becomes embroiled in a tangled web of illicit criminal activity and the covert work of government operatives, including his old colleagues at the Joint Intelligence Agency.

As the plot progresses all roads lead to the elusive Silver Wolf who appears to have not only played a pivotal role in Ryker’s recent past but the JIA’s current problems. Who is he? Will he succeed in his machinations or will Ryker get to him first? How much collateral damage will there be before Ryker achieves his ultimate goal – if indeed he does? There are scenes of blood and gore aplenty and a number of plot twists, including one major one which I did not see coming, before the book reaches its stunning and bloody denouement. As with other books in the series Rob Sinclair does not shy away from some violent and fairly gruesome scenes as befits the book’s genre!

The novel can be read as a standalone, but if you enjoyed this read I thoroughly recommend reading the other novels featuring the main character – Carl Logan/James Ryker.

Highly recommended for lovers of character driven and high action spy thrillers.

Reviewed by Tina Williams

Please note that an ARC of this book was given to me by the author for the purpose of a fair and honest review.

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Connect with the Author

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8389261.Rob_Sinclair

http://www.robsinclairauthor.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Rob-Sinclair-746087495413628/

November 11, 2017 by Tina Williams

REVIEW ~ Girl of Glass, by Megan O’Russell

#youngadult #dystopian

Blurb

Two worlds…one glass wall…no turning back.

The human race has been divided. The chosen few live in the safety of the domes, watching through their glass walls as those left on the outside suffer and die. But desperation has brought invention, and new drugs have given the outsiders the strength to roam the poisoned night unafraid – but it comes at a price.

Seventeen-year-old Nola Kent has spent her life in the domes, being trained to protect her little piece of the world that has been chosen to survive. The mission of the domes is to preserve the human race, not to help the sick and starving. But when outsider Kieran Wynne begs for Nola’s help in saving an innocent life, she is drawn into a world of darkness and danger. The suffering on the other side of the glass is beyond anything Nola had imagined, and turning her back on the outside world to return to the safety of the domes may be more than she can stand. Even when her home is threatened by the very people Nola wants to help.

My Review

Addictive and hard-hitting – 5 stars

I absolutely LOVED this hard-hitting and addictive dystopian novel. It’s the first book I have read by the author and she is extremely talented in creating well-rounded characters and a riveting and thought-provoking read.

The central character Nola, the ‘Girl of Glass’ of the title, is flanked by two friends and would-be-lovers in an emotional love triangle: Kieran, who along with his father, has been banished from the domes for flouting its rules, and Jeremy a strict defender of the rules set by the dome dwellers and whose father is captain of the outer guard.

The writing flows beautifully and I felt the emotions of Nola, Kieran and Jeremy and empathised with their respective predicaments. The book also features some strongly developed secondary characters and excellent world building. The lives of those outside the domes , whose existence revolves around survival in a hostile environment, contrast with those of the dome dwellers, a privileged and ordered elite dedicated to science and duty. The impact of the drugs that many outside the dome are compelled to take to survive is pivotal to the plot and I enjoyed this element immensely.

Normally I shy away from books involving love triangles but here it worked for me, particularly so as Kieran and Jeremy, Nola’s friend and fellow dome dweller, shared a past history. I hugely enjoyed the tension filled plot as Nola is thrust into danger and is torn between two young men, whilst wrestling with her own moral compass in which she wants the best for all in the world and not just those fortunate to reside alongside her in the glass dome.

Should she chose the safety and order of the domes dedicated to protect the few or the danger and chaos of the world outside, where death can be just around the corner? It is only a matter of time before these two worlds collide and Nola will be caught in the crossfire and forced to choose.

A super read, one I’d recommend to teenagers and above.

Reviewed by Tina Williams

Please note that a copy of this book was given to me by the author for the purpose of a fair aand honest review.

Purchase Links

Amazon US Amazon UK

Connect with the Author

https://www.meganorussell.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ORussellauthor/

November 1, 2017 by Tina Williams

✯☆ ‿➹⁀☆ ☆ RELEASE BLITZ ✯☆ ‿➹⁀☆ ☆ Sleeping Lord Beattie, by Em Taylor

Blurb

EM TAYLOR brings you an amazing new series of Regency stories based on the fairy tales you loved as a child.

Young ladies of good breeding do not kiss gentlemen in their bed chambers even if they have been asleep for three weeks. One would think Lady Emily would know that. One would think Lady Emily would not have entered Lord Beattie’s bed chamber alone. One would have thought that kissing the handsome viscount would have been the last thing she would have done.

But kiss him she did. And that was when the apothecary walked in. All of which meant she had to marry Lord Beattie.

Why the silly little chit had kissed him when he’d been out cold for three weeks, the Lord alone knew. And now Gideon, Viscount Beattie had to marry the outspoken little minx. But there was something a little charming about her. The problem was, her uncle was after his hide, the peasants were revolting – in the rioting sense, not in the disgusting sense – and he really needed to procure some grain from up north. He may as well kill two birds with one stone and elope with the interesting, frustrating, irritating and thoroughly delightful Lady Emily – soon to be Viscountess Beattie. It would be an interesting journey.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This book has no magic in it. While loosely based on a fairy tale, the story is gender-swapped and there are no paranormal happenings.

Goodreads Link:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36247091-sleeping-lord-beattie

Buy Link: http://a-fwd.com/asin=B075NKLTRS

Author information:

Em was born and brought up in the Central Belt of Scotland and still lives there. She was told as a child she had an overactive imagination–as if that is a bad thing. She’s traded her dreams of owning her own island, just like George in the Famous Five to hoping to meet her own Mr Darcy one day. But her imagination remains the same.