Book Review: 'Twas The Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost

Author: Jacqueline Frost
Series: A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery #2
Audience: +18
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Release Date: November 13th 2018
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A Christmas delight, ’Twas the Knife Before Christmas will charm the stockings off readers of Joanne Fluke and Leslie Meier.

It’s out of the cupcake tin, into the fire for Holly White’s best friend, Caroline. Can Holly clear Caroline’s name in time to go caroling?

When a body turns up in the dumpster behind Caroline’s Cupcakes, Holly White is horrified to learn her best friend Caroline is the main suspect. Everyone in town, including Mistletoe, Maine’s sheriff, saw Caroline fighting with the victim on the night of his death. Worse, Caroline’s fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, a custom-designed marble rolling pin.

Now, just ten days before Christmas, Holly’s up to her jingle bells in holiday shenanigans and in desperate need of a miracle. Juggling extra shifts at her family’s Christmas tree farm and making enough gingerbread jewelry to satisfy the crowd is already more than she can handle—and now she has to find time to clear her best friend of murder. Add in her budding relationship with the sheriff, and run-ins with an ex-fiancé looking to make amends, and Holly’s ready to fly south until springtime.

But her Sherpa-lined mittens come off when Caroline is taken into custody. Can Holly wrap up the case in time for Christmas…even after she gains the true killer’s attention? Find out in ‘Twas the Knife Before Christmas, Jacqueline Frost’s second pine-scented Christmas Tree Farm mystery.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

ARC August Update: Week 4

Hello there, bookish friends! Here we are, at the end of ARC August. I'm not completely sure where the month went, but it sure went by fast. 

Blog Tour Book Review: Memento Mori by Lexi Blake

Author: Lexi Blake
Series: Masters & Mercenaries: The Forgotten #1
Audience: +18
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: DLZ Entertainment, LLC
Release Date: August 28th 2018
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Six men with no memories of the past
One leader with no hope for the future

A man without a past

Jax woke up in a lab, his memories erased, and his mind reprogrammed to serve a mad woman’s will. After being liberated from his prison, he pledged himself to the only thing he truly knows—his team. Six men who lost everything they were. They must make certain no one else gets their hands on the drugs that stole their lives, all while hiding from every intelligence organization on the planet. The trail has led him to an unforgiving mountainside and a beautiful wilderness expert who may be his only hope of finding the truth.

A woman with a bright future

River Lee knows her way around the Colorado wilderness. She’s finally found a home in a place called Bliss after years lost in darkness. The nature guide prefers to show her clients the beauty found in the land, but she also knows the secrets the mountains hold. When she meets Jax, something about the troubled man calls to her. She agrees to lead him to the site of an abandoned government facility hidden deep in the forest. She never dreamed she was stepping into the middle of a battlefield.

A love that could heal a broken soul

Spending time with River, Jax discovers a peace he’s never known. Their passion unlocks a side of himself he didn’t even know he was missing. When an old enemy makes his first move, Jax and River find themselves fighting for their lives. But when his past is revealed, will River be caught in the crosshairs of a global conspiracy?

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.   

Blog Tour Book Review: Forbidden Claim by R.L. Kenderson

R.L. Kenderson is here today to share her blog tour for FORBIDDEN CLAIM! Check it out and be sure to grab your copy today!

Author: R.L. Kenderson
Series: Forbidden #5
Audience: +18
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: August 17th 2018
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: InkSlinger Pr
Blurb (from Goodreads):

She’s running for her life. He's never gotten over her. Will she let him claim her to save her?

Wolf-shifter Isabelle Rand is escaping a relationship she never intended to stay in. Fleeing her abusive boyfriend who hates to lose anything, she seeks sanctuary with the only people who can help her.

It has been two years since cat-shifter Zane Talon saw Isabelle, and he’s been aching for her since the day she vanished from his life.

Now, to save Isabelle from a dangerous and ruthless shifter who will never stop pursuing her, Zane will take her as his mate.

While Isabelle agrees to the plan, she’ll only give the cat-shifter her body.

But Zane will do everything in his power to claim her heart as well.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

ARC August Update: Week 3

Hello there, bookish friends! 

ARC August Update: Week 2

Hello there, bookish friends! 

I can't believe another week has gone by and we're halfway through August! I don't know where time went!

Book Review: Wolf Hollow by Nikki Jefford

Author: Nikki Jefford
Series: Wolf Hollow Shifters #1
Audience: +18
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Dystopia
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: October 23rd 2017
My Rating: 3 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A REBELLIOUS OUTCAST

Cocky. Coy. Wolf shifter. Tabor is the hollow's only half-breed, scorned and forbidden to use his powers. Constantly overlooked despite his strengths, Tabor believes Sasha is as shortsighted as the rest of the pack until she proves there's more to her than a blindly obedient lapdog to the council.

A DUTIFUL PUREBLOOD

Spirited, stubborn, and deeply loyal, Sasha feels the pressure from her pack to claim another pureblood, yet no one is brazen enough to defy the elders and toy with her . . . no one besides a sexy, hotheaded half-breed.

AN ATTRACTION THAT THREATENS THE FUTURE OF THE PACK

Bewildered by the deceptively proud and surprisingly sensual Sasha, Tabor would risk everything to claim her. Despite her vanishing bloodline, Sasha can't resist the charismatic half-breed even as predators threaten their pack and the elders pressure her to breed with a pureblood.

In a fantastical post-apocalyptic world, where only the strongest survive, sometimes trusting the heart is the bravest act of all.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Nikki Jefford in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

Book Review: Bayou Born by Hailey Edwards

Author: Hailey Edwards
Series: Foundling #1
Audience: +18
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Piatkus
Release Date: October 17th 2017
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Her beginning may be our end...

Deep in the humid swamps of the Mississippi bayou, a mysterious, half-wild child is dragged just in time from the murky waters. She has no memories, no family and is covered in strange markings, the meaning of which no one is able to decipher. Adopted by the policeman who rescued her, Luce Boudrou follows him into the force, determined to prove herself in the eyes of those who are still suspicious.

However, there's more of a battle ahead than Luce could possibly imagine. She may be an orphan without a past, but no one - including Luce herself - could ever be prepared for the truth of her dark, powerful destiny...

Brand new urban fantasy series by Hailey Edwards, bestselling author of the Gemini and Black Dog series. Perfect for fans of Jennifer Estep, Darynda Jones and Ilona Andrews.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Piatkus in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

Book Review: Done Dirt Cheap by Sarah Nicole Lemon

Author: Sarah Nicole Lemon
Series: Stand-alone
Audience: +16
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Release Date: March 7th 2017
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Abrams & Chronicle Books Ltd
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Tourmaline Harris’s life hit pause at fifteen, when her mom went to prison because of Tourmaline’s unintentionally damning testimony. But at eighteen, her home life is stable, and she has a strong relationship with her father, the president of a local biker club known as the Wardens.

Virginia Campbell’s life hit fast-forward at fifteen, when her mom “sold” her into the services of a local lawyer: a man for whom the law is merely a suggestion. When Hazard sets his sights on dismantling the Wardens, he sends in Virginia, who has every intention of selling out the club—and Tourmaline. But the two girls are stronger than the circumstances that brought them together, and their resilience defines the friendship at the heart of this powerful debut novel.

*Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from Abrams & Chronicle Books Ltd in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

ARC August 2018 Update: Week 1

Hello there, bookish friends! 

This first week of ARC August went very well if I do say so myself. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this week, but I really have very high expectations for myself. 

ARC August 2018: Sign-Up Post

Can you believe it's already time for the annual ARC August challenge? I can't believe how fast time has flown. Also, this is my 5th year participating! 5 YEARS!! Wow! In case you don't know what ARC August is (HOW?), it's basically a month-long reading challenge where you commit to reading ARCs. It's a challenge hosted by the wonderful girls from Read.Sleep.Repeat. There are also a few surprises planned, like two readathons AND a bingo card that I am very excited about. For more information, rules and how to sign up, check out the original sign-up post here.

This year I'm looking at making a dent in my shame pile, meaning those ARCs that are long overdue. So without further ado, here's my reading list for this year:

• Reign of The Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh
• Bonfire by Krysten Ritter
• Bayou Born by Hailey Edwards
• The Accidental Bad Girl by Maxine Kaplan
• Wolf Hollow by Nikki Jefford

• Red Sister by Mark Laurence
• The Illusionist's Apprentice by Kristy Cambron
• Becoming Bonnie by Jenni L. Walsh
• Done Dirt Cheap by Sarah Nicole Lemon
• The Dark Of The Moon by E.S. Bell

I've settled on just 10 books this time, which seems doable to me. If I manage to read all of these books *fingers crossed* and there's still time, I might add a few more older ARCs. We'll see. I am so excited for August to start!!

What about you guys? Are you participating in ARC August?