Celticguardian

My Thoughts:

It’s been a while since I’ve read a Military Romance and this book reminded me of how much I used to love them.

This is the story of a widow named Harper with a five year old son named Ben who lives with her Mom in North Carolina and works as an accountant for various businesses. Her husband Noah was a SEAL killed in the line of duty while overseas and Harper was only a few months pregnant. It’s been a long and difficult five years though having her son and Mom around have been a huge help. Lately she’s been feeling restless and wondering what next she could do as a career and her Mom is trying to gently push her to get back into the dating world.

Bennett is an ex-SEAL who was Noah’s best friend and was also there when Noah died. Feeling guilt that he didn’t die instead of Noah, he decided to get out of the military shortly after Noah died and started up his own business which involves helping others survive in the wilderness. He keeps himself busy and has his trusty dog Jack London at his side who is a Newfoundland mixed breed. Content to stay with what he’s doing, he still feels guilt for not contacting Harper but thinks that may it’s for the best.

When a chance encounter brings these two people together, their lives will be changed in a variety of different ways. Two people connected through their love of Noah and tragedy will hopefully help them to see that maybe life is ready to give them a second chance at happiness.

Harper and Bennett make such a wonderful couple! I loved how they could balance each other and had the connection of Noah who in a way brought them together.

I also liked how much Noah was in the book and how Harper came to the realization that she would always love Noah but also felt that he’d want her to be happy.

I adore Gail (Harper’s Mom) and Ben who are quite the characters and have developed such a bond!

This book was full of humor, the power of friendship, the power of Military Sisterhood, surprises, one very adorable bear-like dog, and love.

I’m so happy to have gotten a chance to read this book which tugged at my heart immensely and I loved the ending so much! Looking forward to continuing the series! If you enjoy military romance with a heady feeling of family, friendship, dogs and love, I highly recommend reading this book!

So that wraps up my bookish ramblings for now. I hope you’re staying warm where you are and having a wonderful time reading. I’m off on more bookish adventures!

Happy Reading!

Slainte

~Meg

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Want to find me on other media platforms? Please feel free to check me click below:

ContemporaryAThon Twitter

Would you like me to read your book in digital form or print? Please contact me here: Email

Contemporary-A-thon Round 4

Good morning,

I am so excited to be joining in on a readathon for this week. I’ve been meaning to join in for the last rounds and I finally can get in on the fun and hopefully have a really successful reading week. Whenever I try to come up with a to be read (TBR) list, it’s always a struggle because I tend to be quite the mood reader and so I’ve realized that my lists are always tentative at best.

So on to the information about the readathon. It runs from today (February 11th) until Sunday February 17th at 11:59 pm in whatever time zone you happen to be in. It’s a fairly laid back readathon and there are challenges which I will mention shortly. You can choose to read books that fit all seven of the challenges and read seven books or choose to double up depending on what works for you. If you don’t want to join in on the challenges and just want to read some or all contemporary books for the week, that’s perfectly fine as well. Also there will be other things that you can join in on for fun which I will talk about shortly . Now about the challenges and my tentative TBR.

1. Read your most recently acquired contemporary novel

One and Only by Jenny Holiday or Love and Luck by Jenna Evans Welch

2. Read a book with blurple (blue or purple) on the cover

The Gift by Cecelia Ahern

thegiftceceliaahern

3. Read a diverse contemporary (keep in mind it’s Black History Month)

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

4. Read a dark or taboo contemporary

The Au Pair by Emma Rous

The Au Pair by Emma Rous

5. Read a contemporary you meant to read in 2018 but didn’t get to-

It Takes Two by Jenny Holiday or Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks

6. Read a contemporary in a non-traditional format.

Letters To The Lost by Brigid Kemmerer (e-book)

Letters To The Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

7. Read a contemporary with a picture on the spine

The Gift by Cecelia Ahern

thegiftceceliaahern

For more information on ContemporaryAthon, please feel free to check out the hosts’ announcements and TBRs on their YouTube channels or go to the Twitter account, all of which I have included below:

ContemporaryAThon Instagram

GIVEAWAY(S) INFO:

Chelsea’s : on the TBR videos

Julie’s : On the week long vlogs or wrap ups

Natasha’s : On the daily vlogs

Mel’s : On the Contemporary-a-thon Instagram!

Please go to each of their channels and to their own personal announcement videos for more details about their actual individual giveaways!

So I hope you’ll be joining in on the fun whether choosing to tackle all of the challenges and enter in the giveaways or just choosing to read more contemporary for the week. I think it will be a lot of fun and I’ll be reading some books that have been on my shelf for a bit. I’m off to get started on my first book!

Happy Reading!

Slainte

~Meg

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Want to find me on other media platforms? Please feel free to check me click below:

Would you like me to read your book? Contact me here: Email

One Tough Cowboy Blog Tour

Good afternoon,

It’s a cold snowy day here in the Midwest which is why I’m so glad to have books, a hot cup of tea, blankets and heating to keep me toasty throughout the day.

Speaking of books, I was asked if I’d like to review a book that takes place in California and is about cowboys. How could I pass up the opportunity?! I would like to mention that I was sent an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley though all thoughts and opinions are my own and not affected by receiving a copy.

One Tough Cowboy_cover-1

Buy Links:

My Thoughts:

I would first of all like to mention that I have not read many steamy modern suspenseful cowboy books so my thoughts will most likely be different than others.
This story was quite the wild ride! Sam and Hunter were once very close until Sam’s family moved away. Sam crushed on Hunter as a teenager and when she sees him again when her Aunt dies, she realizes her attraction to him never went away.
Hunter is concerned about the three recent deaths within the last year or so and has a feeling that something is just not right. When he sees Sam again, he’s nearly knocked over by his attraction to her. Sam is just as determined as Hunter is to find out what’s going on and Sam wants to know what really happened to her beloved Aunt.
Little do they both know just how much is really going on despite hunches but they are about to be in for the surprise of their lives.
Also they soon find it very difficult to keep their hands of each other and there’s quite a bit of steamy scenes.
When they are ambushed trying to get to the bottom of a terrible and illegal ring of crime, Sam will find herself having to confront and old stalker boyfriend and find assistance in the help of an unlikely ally.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book but some aspects of the second weren’t quite my cup of tea. I would like to mention that there is a violent sexual assault to Sam that may be a trigger for some. There were also some inconsistencies that left me a tad confused particularly the terrorist/trafficking connection of Detroit and Sam’s very small town in CA. Also fairly certain Viagra would have been needed for the amount of happy steamy time that happened in a short amount of time. I would like to note that the amount of happy steamy time did not factor into my rating nor take away from the book.

Overall, it was an interesting book and I’m glad to have read it. Looking forward to more books in the series especially with a few names briefly mentioned in this book who are rather tall, dark, a touch broody, not to be messed with and I’m curious about their stories!

My Rating: 3 1/2 Stars

Well that wraps up my bookish ramblings for now. My pile of books to read keeps growing because there are so many that I want to get my hands on. I’m halfway done with my reread of Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer and about thirty seven percent through An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson, both of which I am really enjoying. So off to further reading adventures I go! I think I’m going to need a bigger cup of tea and some chocolate!

Happy Reading!

Slainte

~Meg

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Want to find me on other media platforms? Please feel free to check me click below:

Would you like me to read your book? Contact me here: Email

Exciting January 2019 Book Mail!

Good afternoon,

Happy Friday! It’s another cold day here in Minnesota. It’s given me a great excuse to curl up and get some reading done. So far I’ve managed to read a good chunk for January and hopefully the read trend will continue.

Speaking of good news, I received an exciting package from Estelle at Forever Pub which I won in a giveaway recently. I’m going to call it a belated Christmas gift because it really is such a wonderful gift and it’s books which I always love receiving! Thank you so much for the sweet note, Estelle! I love how some of the books are bigger paperback ARCs mixed in with the regular sizes. So on to the books!

img_20190125_153621 img_20190125_153427
The Fearless King (The Kings Book 2) by Katee Robert (2/5/19)

Blurb:

Journey King is an expert at managing the family business. But when her father returns to Houston hell-bent on making a play for the company, Journey will do anything to stop him, even if that means going to Frank Evans for help. Frank deals in information, the dirtier the better. Rugged and rock solid, he’s by far her best ally — and also the most dangerous.

Frank knows better than to get tangled up with the Kings. But something about Journey’s rare vulnerability drags him deep into enemy territory… and into her darkest past. Pretending to be her boyfriend may be necessary for their plan to work, but Frank soon finds helping Journey is much more than just another job – and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.

Pre-order Links:

Gentleman Sinner by Jodi Ellen Malpas (2/5/19)

Blurb:

Izzy White knows of the darkness in this world. After all, she escaped it long ago. Determined not to let her past beat her, Izzy has a secure, stable life with a job she loves in nursing. But one act of kindness will completely upend everything she’s so carefully built-putting her right back in the crosshairs of danger she’s been so desperate to avoid.

When Theo Kane shows up like a knight in shining armor, Izzy can’t help thinking she’s been saved from one threat and exposed to another. His imposing physique, the harsh lines of his face, and the wariness of everyone who comes close are just a few clues to Theo Kane’s notorious reputation. The man is positively terrifying. But with Izzy, he’s tender and a complete gentleman, and her fascination with the mysterious beast of a man becomes too powerful for her to walk away.

As Theo’s demons come to light, running becomes even more impossible. And yet staying together could doom them both.

Pre-order Links:

The Cowboy Next Door (Montana Strong Book 2) by R.C. Ryan (2/26/19)

Blurb:

After weeks on the trail, Sam Monroe is looking forward to a hot bath, a home-cooked meal, and a real bed. In that order. But he’s greeted by something even better when he opens the door to his family’s ranch house. Seems the new housekeeper is a gorgeous young woman who cooks like an angel and wrangles his family like a pro. If only she didn’t dislike him so much…

Penny Cash is down on her luck, and the last thing she needs is a flirtation with a wild, carefree cowboy. Sure, he’s funny and sexy, but they’re as different as whiskey and tea. And she’ll be leaving town as soon as she finds a full-time teaching position. But when trouble comes calling, Penny will find out how serious Sam can be when it comes to protecting the woman he loves…

Also includes the bonus novella Saved by the Cowboy by A.J. Pine!

Olivia Belle has always believed in fairy tales…until the moment her boyfriend dropped to one knee. When Olivia speeds into Cash Hawkins’ town like a modern-day Cinderella in a ball gown and glass slippers, Cash’s careful existence is thrown for a loop. Olivia could be his happily ever after . . . if this runaway bridesmaid doesn’t run off with his heart. Please note that my copy does not include Saved by the Cowboy.

Pre-order Links:

Day of the Dragon (Dragon Hunter Book 2) by Katie MacAlister (3/5/19)

Blurb:

Real scholars know that supernatural beings don’t exist. But the moment I meet Archer Andras of the Storm Dragons, all my academic training goes out the window. Thanks to Mr. Tall, Dark, And Infuriating, I’m learning that I really should worry about those things that go bump in the night. . . and that dragons like Archer are 100 percent pure trouble.

Now I’m caught in the middle of a war. On one side is Archer. On the other is his twin brother. And I am the key to translating an ancient text that could bring balance-or deadly ruin-to our world. But none of that is as dangerous as the seriously sexy sparks between Archer and me. He’s too tempting to be real. Too gorgeous to trust. And when it comes to dragons, there’s no smoke without deadly fire.

Includes the novel WOLF’S MATE by Celia Kyle: When Abby Carter is threatened by an anti-shifter organization, werewolf shifter Declan Reed will have to convince her that there’s no safer place in the world than in the arms of a big bad werewolf. Please note that my ARC does not include the Wolf’s Mate.

Pre-order Links:

Meet Cute by Helena Hunting (4/9/19)

Blurb:

Kailyn Flowers was always calm, rational, and controlled-until she ended up sprawled all over Daxton Hughes, the former actor she totally crushed on as a teenager. Then she did the unthinkable: She became a mortifying fangirl in five seconds flat, which may or may not have included professing her undying love. And oddly, he didn’t run away. In fact, their meet cute led to a friendship she never saw coming. Of course, she never saw his betrayal coming, either…

Now Dax needs her help. As guardian to his thirteen-year-old sister, he’s in way over his head. And though Kailyn hasn’t forgiven Dax, she isn’t heartless enough to make him fend for himself, either. Soon their friendly meetings turn into flirty dinner dates, and Kailyn can feel their chemistry is as explosive as ever. But how can she possibly let down her guard again to a guy who has heartbreak written all over him?

Pre-order Links:

The Summer House by Jenny Hale (5/7/19)

Blurb:

Callie Weaver and best friend Olivia Dixon have finally done it: put their life savings into the beach house they admired through childhood summers, on the dazzling white sand of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. They’re going to buff the salt from its windows, paint its sun-bleached sidings, and open it as a bed and breakfast.

Callie’s too busy to think about her love life, but when she catches the attention of local heartthrob Luke Sullivan, his blue eyes and easy smile make it hard to say no. He’s heir to his father’s property empire, and the papers say he’s just another playboy, but as they laugh in the ocean waves, Callie realizes there’s more to this man than money and good looks.

Just when true happiness seems within reach, Callie and Olivia find a diary full of secrets… secrets that stretch across the island, and have the power to turn lives upside down. As Callie reads, she unravels a mystery that makes her heart drop through the floor.

Will Callie and Luke be pulled apart by the storm it unleashes, or can true love save them?

Pre-order Links:

I’m so excited to have these books in my hands and to dive into the stories! Day of the Dragon is one of my most anticipated releases of this year! Are any of the books mentioned here on your most anticipated lists or do you have lists about other books? I am really curious to know so please feel free to leave a comment and help me add more to my long list of books to read published this year!

Well that wraps up my bookish ramblings for now. I have a lot to look forward to read and a few books I need to get to this weekend. I’m nearly done with my reread of Trickster’s Choice by Tamora Pierce and about halfway through Exit Strategy by Martha Wells, both of which I am really enjoying. So off to bookland I go! I think I’m going to need a bigger cup of tea and some refreshments!

Happy Reading!

Slainte

~Meg

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Want to find me on other media platforms? Please feel free to check me click below:

Would you like me to read your book? Contact me here: Email

Seas of Crimson Silk Review

Happy Friday!

I was asked if I would like to receive a digital galley of a book and of course I said yes. I’m so glad I did! Please scroll down to see more of my thoughts. You can get your own copy which is now available on all platforms!

Buy Link:

Justine’s Youtube Announcement

My Thoughts:

I was kindly given an ARC though it doesn’t affect my review and all thoughts are my own.This book was all that I love in a fantasy novel and more!

Imagine a world where creatures can shape shift into humans but their kind have either been hunted nearly to extinction so many have many been forced to either hide or be caged. These creatures are known as the Beastkin which are a race that are humans who can transform into a variety of beasts including birds, lizards, wolves and many other creatures that have been known as myths but are very much alive.

This is the world of Sigrid of Wildewyn who has spent most of her life with her fellow Beastkin sisters as the Matriarch of her Clan in a beautiful woodland area among humans who have treated them well but more like fancy pets than a race that deserves to be free to roam. Sigrid is a Drakon and has been taught to believe that she’s the last of her kind. Their clan is very much about tradition including wearing a special mask when not among family or a husband and not to be touched with the same stipulations. If these rules are violated, they result in either the death of the Beastkin or the offender(s).

Sigrid and her sisters may be bound to their gilded cages by the humans they protect but they are far from damsels in distress. They are warrior women who have trained hard from children to be able to defend themselves and those they care for. So essentially they remind me of a mix of Amazons, Vikings, Celts and their own unique brand of tough close-knit women.

On the night Sigrid is to be bound to a human to help keep peace, they are attacked by a brand of assassins from the desert region Bymere and her betrothed is killed just before the ceremony is complete. She and her fellow sisters proceed to kill these enemies and allow a single person to escape to run back and spread the word about these fierce women.

Soon she finds herself the unwilling second wife of Sultan Nadir from Bymere who reluctantly agrees to a tentative peace between Wildewyn and his people. Nadir is a young royal who has always felt that he wasn’t fit to rule his kingdom and that his older brother Hamir would have done a much better job. Forced into the role of King after his brother was poisoned by ingredients believed to have come from Wildewyn, he has been at war with them since. Letting his advisors have most of the say and one of the advisors being his first wife Saafiya, he chafes at some of their edicts but also feels that they may know what’s best.

From the moment Nadir and Sigrid are bound to each other, there is a lot of tension and his entourage seems loathe to accept Sigrid even though she is now also a sultana. Finding companionship in her dear sister Camilla who accompanies her to this new strange land and her assigned guard Raheem, Sigrid is determined to not show weakness to these strangers and her new husband. While making the journey back to Bymere, they have stopped to rest and out of boredom, the advisors convince Sigrid to fight mostly to see how long it takes before she is beaten by some of their warriors. Not one to back down from a challenge, Sigrid shows the arrogant advisors just how unwise it would be to mess with her and gains a lot of respect in the eyes of Nadir who finds himself drawn to this fascinating and fierce woman.

After reaching Bymere, Sigrid finds herself trying to navigate the murky waters of being a second wife, being among people who are loathe to accept her including the advisors and first wife, showing Nadir some of the important aspects of being a leader and the struggles of being a Beastkin in an area where many of her kind have been hunted to extinction.

Life is about to get even more complicated for Sigrid when she learns some secrets about her kind that will cause her to have to choose between her heart which is slowly warming to Nadir and doing what’s right for her fellow Beastkin who have spent way too much time hiding.

A war is coming that has been a long time in the making. Sides will be chosen, decisions will have to be made and Beastkin are preparing to fight for their freedom because they are ready to prove that they deserve to be treated equally.

A fascinating blend of clash of cultures, Beastkin, surprises, friendship, loyalty and the choices leaders often have to make, I highly recommend checking out this book because the tale itself is so much more wondrous than I can accurately describe. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Well I hope you’ve enjoyed my bookish ramblings. I’m so happy to have gotten a chance to read this book and there were so many great parts that I highlighted on my Kindle. May you have a wonderful weekend full of all the reading your heart desires!

Happy Reading!

Slainte

~Meg

Two Readathons In January? Yes Please!

Happy Thursday,

There are so many Readathons I am looking to participate in this year though sadly I probably won’t be able to read them all but that’s okay because otherwise I’d burn myself out.

Speaking of Readathons, there are two coming up that I’m excited for, not to mention my TBR shelves need to start going down and January is the perfect time to start!

Readathon #1- Off the Grid Readathon from January 11th- 13th (12 am- 11:59pm your time zone)

This Readathon is very relaxed as there are no challenges. The premise of this Readathon is to do as much reading as possible for 72 hours and taking some time away from social media. As usual I’ve set myself a TBR that I probably won’t read all of but I love having options. My main focus will be In The Midst of Winter because my book group at my local library meets this Tuesday to discuss it.

For more information on this Readathon which is being hosted by Justine from I Should Read That and Shanah from Bionic Book Worm , you can check out these links:

Justine’s Blog

Shanah’s Blog

Off The Grid Readathon Twitter

Readathon #2- Winter Biannual Bibliothon from January 12th – 18th

img_20190110_141837

Challenges:

– Read The Group Book- Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean

– Read a 5 Star book- Eliza and Her Monsters

-A Book That Got You Into Reading- Trickster’s Choice by Tamora Pierce

-Read an Adult Genre- The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman or Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks

-Combine your favorite genre with your least favorite format-The Power of the Dark Crystal in graphic novel (Fantasy is one of my favorite genres but I don’t read a lot of graphic novels though I do enjoy what I’ve read)

-Read a book with a cover you don’t like- The Gift by Cecelia Ahern (I have the U.S. version but I like the U.K. one better)

-Read a book by an author you’ve never read before- I’d Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel

For more information on this exciting Readathon, which includes Instagram as well as Video Challenges you can check out these links:

Announcement Video

Biannual Bibliothon Twitter

So since my weekend is officially all booked (pun intended) I had better start preparing myself. Hope you’re having a wonderful bookish year so far and thank you for dropping by to check out my latest bookish ramblings.

Happy Reading!

Slainte

~Meg

Tackling TBR and Backlist Books

Good evening,

I hope your January is going well and you’re getting in some quality reading time.

I’ve been fairly successful so far with trying to read books that I didn’t finish in 2018 and reading books in general. I’m hoping this motivation will stay strong because I have a lot of books I’d love to read this year and a good sized backlist of my owned books to tackle. Speaking of tackling books, here are some on my current radar:

Currently reading:

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

img_20190109_235524

I have less than 60 pages left to go! I was listening to it on audiobook through my Library’s Libby app but alas didn’t finish before it was automatically returned. That’s okay though because now I can fully immerse myself in these last important pages. I highly recommend listening to it on audiobook as the narrator does an amazing job!

My cousin kindly made the bookmarks in the photo (I have two others to go with them) which was so sweet of her and I can never have enough bookmarks!

Up Next:

img_20190109_235648

I’m looking forward to reading the next three books in the second picture which have all piqued my interest.

The first book: I read a little of the first chapter of The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone last night to see what I thought and I’m excited to continue because I haven’t read much about Cryptology, would like to read more and it’s about real events that happened in the early to mid 1900s.

The second book: In The Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende is the pic for my Night Owl Book Group at my library. I don’t know a lot about it other than three perspectives from different timelines who all have a connection.

The third book: The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers is another book I’ve been slowly reading since last year. I love the book, I just kept getting distracted by others. I’m determined to finish it this year (hopefully this month) so I can dive into the other two books.
Speaking of books, I’d better get back to them! Happy reading fellow bookworms!

Slainte

~Meg

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Want to find me on other media platforms? Please feel free to check me click below: