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Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Review: Blood of the Stars by Monica James

I actually screamed when Monica James told me she was working on the third book in the Blood of the Stars (In Love and War Book 3). No exaggeration. I'm thrilled to say it exceeded my expectations!  Just, WOW.  Check out my spoiler-free review below. 

Blood of the Stars Buy Links

Amazon https://amzn.to/4l8vwKj

B&N https://bit.ly/4qf5C8C

Apple https://apple.co/3Zyh5Wd

Kobo https://fave.co/477Orz6

Review: Blood of the Stars by Monica James KIndle Crack

Blood of the Stars 

Book 3 • In Love and War

Release date: March 3rd, 2026

Photographer Michelle Lancaster Michelle Lancaster

Cover model Christopher Jensen


Synopsis:

Ruthless Viking warriors.

A fierce heroine.

Why choose romance with serious

touch-her-and-die energy.

Epic, dark, and oh, so bloody.


I actually screamed when Monica James said she was working on Blood for the Stars.  I might have begged her a few times to write another book in this series.  


I actually screamed when Monica James told me she’s working on Blood for the Stars.

Truth be told I may have begged her more than once to write another book in this series lol. 

Dreams DO come true, book friends.


Please read this series in order.

North of the Stars

Fall of the Stars 

Blood of the Stars


My beloved England is finally saved, for I am now queen.
 

The rules have changed, and peace now settles over the Kingdoms.
 

This is the life I was destined for.
 

However, this life isn't without regret because I'm missing an integral piece of my heart.
 

I believed we were forever.
 

But for England to prosper, I had to give up everything for the only man I ever loved.
 

And that man is Skarth the Godless.
 

I do not know where he is.
 

But this is the sacrifice I must make because a Saxon queen cannot love a Northman.
 

But I do.
 

I always have.


A love fated in the stars…stars which I wish to set alight—for what good is love if you cannot embrace it with both hands?
 

Skarth and I are connected in more ways than one. And when our children's lives are at risk and everything I fought so hard for is about to be destroyed, I forget I am Queen Emeline.
 

I am Hugrekki.
 

I must find Skarth, and only one person can help me.
 

Ulf the Bloody.
 

This is our final battle—a battle of the heart—and I fear it's a war we're all about to lose.
 

Godspeed…


North of the Stars (Book 1) 

Fall of the Stars  (Book 2) 

Blood of the Stars (Book 3)

Spoiler-free Review of Blood of the Stars

Blood of the Stars (In Love and War Book 3)Blood of the Stars by Monica James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I actually screamed when Monica James told me she was working on the third book in the In Love and War series, Blood of the Stars. No exaggeration. Full fangirl moment.

Please note: you must read this series in order:

-North of the Stars
-Fall of the Stars
-Blood of the Stars

This isn’t a standalone experience. It’s an epic, emotionally layered journey filled with brutal sacrifice, fierce loyalty, betrayal, and survival. Every book builds so beautifully on the last. The battle scenes are wickedly raw and immersive. Monica doesn’t soften the brutality of the Viking world; she makes you really feel it. The clash of swords, the shifting alliances, the impossible choices, and the wicked plot twists all land with impact. But just when you think the physical battlefield is intense, the emotional warfare within these relationships hits just as hard.

Queen Emeline is everything. She’s strong, smart, strategic, and she takes what she wants, including her two fiercely devoted warriors and lovers, Skarth and Ulf. The “why choose” dynamic isn’t there for shock value; it’s layered, emotional, and seriously hot. The loyalty, tension, and love among the three of them create a powerful, all-consuming connection that drives this story forward.

And yes…Chapter 18. Let’s just say my Kindle started smoking. Heck, I started smoking ;) That chapter was equally passionate and explosive, but beyond the heat, what stayed with me most was the sacrifice. The emotional cost of loving during war. Monica weaves a wicked web of loyalty, lies, murder, and mayhem, yet somehow makes it feel both epic in scale and intimate at its core.

I’m not ready to leave this world. I would absolutely return to it in a heartbeat because that epic ending left me wanting more.

Monica, I’m going to beg again for another book. Please and thank you.

One-click Blood of the Stars. Vikings are HOT!



Posted by at 3/03/2026 10:00:00 AM No comments: share via email edit post
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Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Review: Whisper Sweet Nothings by Laura Pavlov

Whisper Sweet Nothings by Laura Pavlov is now live!  Check out my spoiler-free review below.  You can download it today or read it for free with Kindle Unlimited. This small-town romance series is unputdownable.   

Whisper Sweet Nothings by Laura Pavlov KindleCrack

Blurb: 

A Small Town, Single Dad, Nanny, Age Gap Standalone Romance from USA Today and Amazon #1 Bestselling Author, Laura Pavlov.


Winnie Smith is the perfect nanny.

She’s reliable, warm, and my daughter adores her.

She cooks like a pro, styles pigtails like a fairy godmother, and knows her way around a car engine better than most mechanics.

She’s made life easier.

The house feels full again.

And maybe… so do I.

But living under the same roof has its challenges.

Like catching her in the kitchen after midnight… barefoot, in tiny sleep shorts, eating ice cream straight from the tub.

Don’t even get me started on the way that her lips wrapped around that spoon.

I digress.

It shouldn’t mean anything.

She’s a decade younger. I’m her boss.

She’s off-limits.

And yet, it’s all I can think about.

I was just looking for a nanny—not nightly cold showers and definitely not feelings.

But the more we blur the lines, the harder it is to keep pretending.

We say it’s temporary. No strings. Just one harmless arrangement.

But what if she’s not just what my daughter needs…

What if she’s exactly what I’ve been missing too?


Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Download today or read for FREE with #kindleunlimited

https://amzn.to/4aJz94I


Paperback: https://amzn.to/4l1TmYk

Hardcover: https://amzn.to/4aGlBqx


Audiobook: https://amzn.to/4rDBYeW

Narrated by: Sebastian York & @savannahpeachwood


Goodreads: https://bit.ly/48WD6lz

Spoiler-free Review:

Whisper Sweet Nothings (Rosewood River, #6)Whisper Sweet Nothings by Laura Pavlov
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Stop the presses — we finally discover who the anonymous author of the Taylor Tea is! If you’re a fan of the Rosewood River series, I know you are not missing this book. Whisper Sweet Nothings is the sixth and final book in the Rosewood River series by Laura Pavlov, and she definitely saved my favorite grumpy single dad for last.

Archer Chadwick stole my heart from the start, and I knew whoever ended up with him and his adorable five-year-old daughter, Melody, would have to be someone truly special. Archer meets Winnie Smith, a recently divorced romance author still chasing her own happily ever after. She takes a job as Melody’s nanny, and from the moment she steps into their world, you can feel everything beginning to shift.
I have to say, Laura’s child characters are some of my absolute favorites. Every single scene with Melody melted me. The bathroom moment when she thought Archer was crying literally had me laughing out loud. And don’t even get me started on Cutler’s cuteness factor. I adore him too. Melody and Cutler are life.

This unputdownable small-town romance owned my heart. The entire series is solid gold. The Chadwick brothers’ group texts had me laughing out loud six books later. Laura seamlessly weaves in cameos from her other small-town series, and I loved seeing them. Honey Mountain, Cottonwood Cove, and Magnolia Falls felt like coming home— a group hug in a book. And if you haven’t read the other books, you won’t feel lost at all.

Rosewood River has been such a special series. No one does small-town romance, fun family chaos, and hard-earned HEAs like Laura . Thank you for the double epilogues, and that sneak peek at My Forever Girl absolutely made my day.

Posted by at 2/24/2026 12:54:00 PM No comments: share via email edit post
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Sunday, February 22, 2026

Review: Taylor's Father by Penelope Ward is LIVE

Taylor’s Father by Penelope Ward is LIVE! Check out my spoiler-free review and get ready to one-click this unputdownable, age-gap, forbidden romance on Kindle Unlimited. Absolute PW magic.

Taylor's Father Kindle Crack Reviews

Title: Taylor’s Father

Author: Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Age Gap (17 Years), Best Guy Friend’s Father

Single Dad, Forbidden, Second Chance

Protective Hero, Sassy Heroine

Cover Design: Letitia Hasser, RBA Designs

Photographer: Brennen McMurray

Model: Levi Stocke

Release Date: February 22, 2026

SYNOPSIS:


From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE contemporary romance…


When my best friend Taylor gifted me a vacation at a resort owned by his grandparents, the last thing I expected was to bond with a man seventeen years older.

Tate was also vacationing alone.

He’d come to Midnight Key to clear his head and reevaluate his life.

I’d come to get over my high school sweetheart who’d dumped me.

I’d spotted the brawny, tattooed Adonis in the lobby on the first day and thought he had to be someone’s hot dad.

But then we matched on an app that paired single men and women by proximity.

The problem was? At nineteen—almost twenty—I’d lied and said I was twenty-nine.

Tate outed me on our first date, and I fessed up to my real age.

But we continued to run into each other.

And eventually we found our connection was too magnetic to deny.

While we agreed to only use first names and to part ways at the end of the trip, I’d really fallen for Tate.

I never forgot him and knew he was the one who got away.

Remember that guy friend who gifted me the trip?

Well, four years later, Taylor got married.

He’d been estranged from his dad for years, though recently they’d reconnected.

What I didn’t know was that the man I’d had that torrid affair with at the resort would be standing next to Taylor in the receiving line.

My dream man Tate? Was Taylor’s father.


FREE to read in Kindle Unlimited

BUY LINKS – $3.99 for a limited time! (release week only)

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/48zdb4B

Special Edition Paperback: https://amzn.to/4pz5H7L:

Audio  https://a.co/d/0ijjsFKk Dual narration featuring Andi Arndt and Jason Clarke 


Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244954685


Spoiler-free Review of Taylor's Father

Taylor's Father (Special Edition)Taylor's Father by Penelope Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You know that electric, fate-filled, “this cannot be happening, but I’m not walking away” kind of connection? That’s Taylor’s Father by Penelope Ward.

Blair is a woman who knows exactly what she wants and I loved that about her. She’s confident, direct, and not playing games (except maybe the kind that make Tate blush 😉). When she has a chance meeting with Tate, the attraction is instant.

Tate is carrying emotional baggage from his past, filled with regret. He’s guarded, protective, and emotionally wrecked in ways he doesn’t even want to confront. Blair just might be the woman who truly sees him, and that changes everything.
But destiny isn’t done with them after their resort vacation meeting. Of course, the universe places them in the same orbit again, and this time it’s far more complicated, messy, and forbidden.

Penelope knows exactly how to build up tension and the feels. Just when you think you know where the story is headed, she pivots with a twist that hits hard.
I love Penelope’s books, but Taylor’s Father truly hit me in the feels. Tate and Blair’s story isn’t just deliciously peppered with spice, it’s filled with heart, healing, vulnerability, and hard choices. The deliciously messy, age-gap dynamic, the chef’s kiss forbidden factor, and that relentless push-and-pull make this one absolutely unputdownable. Taylor’s Father is on my top reads of 2026 list.


Penelope Ward Author photo

AUTHOR BIO

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

 

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

 

With millions of books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over forty books. Her novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.

 

 

AUTHOR LINKS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/penelopewardauthor

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PenelopesPeeps

Instagram: http://instagram.com/PenelopeWardAuthor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@penelopewardofficial

X: https://twitter.com/PenelopeAuthor

 

 

Posted by at 2/22/2026 10:31:00 AM No comments: share via email edit post
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Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Review: Never Stopped Loving You by Siobhan Davis

Never Stopped Loving You by Siobhan Davis is LIVE and ready to binge-read on Kindle Unlimited.  Check out my spoiler-free review below. 

Never Stopped Loving You by Siobhan Davis Kindle Crack

Buy link Kindle- https://amzn.to/4tGEBxO

Synopsis:

A brand-new emotional, angsty romance from the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the All of Me Series.


When Callan Hunt arrived at Ryemont High senior year, I couldn’t have predicted the hot Irish football player would become my everything … and end up breaking my heart.


College and dreams of a career in interior design were my sole focus until my new neighbor bulldozed his way into my life.


Callan had ambitions too. He planned to leave Vermont after graduation to pursue his dream of playing for an English Premier League club.


We weren’t looking for love, but fate had other plans.


When Callan was scouted during our freshman year of college, I couldn’t have been prouder.


Until everything came crashing down in one crippling blow.


I was devastated, and it took years to recover.


After finally moving on from the heartache of my past, I now have a successful career and a billionaire CEO fiancé.


Then my first love reappears.


Callan says it’s time I learned the truth about that night.


He claims he’s never stopped loving me and vows to fight for me in a way he couldn’t before.


He seems determined to keep every promise he ever made me, but how is it possible after everything that’s happened?


Spoiler-free Review: Never Stopped Loving You by Siobhan Davis


Never Stopped Loving YouNever Stopped Loving You by Siobhan Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Never Stopped Loving You by Siobhan Davis absolutely took over my life. I’m not exaggerating. I couldn’t put this emotion-packed, super angsty, all-consuming romance down. It was EPIC. This book made me forget the world for a while, and I’m so thankful for that, Siobhan. I don’t think I’ll be forgetting Callan and Astrid’s story any time soon.

In Never Stopped Loving You, Siobhan spins a wicked web of love, lies, and redemption, taking Callan and Astrid on a catastrophic romantic journey toward a hard-earned HEA. This second-chance sports romance delves into regret, longing, heartbreak, and the kind of love that never truly dies. Callan and Astrid’s relationship is chronicled from their senior year of high school through adulthood, and watching their nuclear, once-in-a-lifetime connection unfold over the years is both breathtaking and devastating.

Siobhan doesn’t just pull on my heartstrings; she shredded them. This story wrecked me and then somehow put me back together again. It’s an epic journey of the heart and soul, and every single page hurt so good. I didn’t think it was possible to love one of Siobhan’s books more than Say I’m the One from the All of Me series, but Never Stopped Loving You stole my whole heart. Completely. Never Stopped Loving You is on my top reads of 2026 list.


Posted by at 2/17/2026 09:05:00 AM No comments: share via email edit post
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