Rumbles Of A Book Dragon

Memory loss, second chances, shadowy figures looking to kill you...all that and more in The Darkest Hour by Maya Banks, the first of twelve in a series.  I love stories about second chances and people fighting for their marriage/family, so when my best friend and roommate decided that they didn't want this, I snatched it up for myself. Characters: Rachel and Ethan Kelly (with appearances by the rest of the Kelly family) Premise: When Ethan discovers that his wife Rachel isn't dead, he's plunged into a cat and mouse game of trying to protect her from someone trying to finish the job while trying to repair their marriage. At the start of the story, ex-Navy SEAL, Ethan Kelly is deep-seated in grief at the one-year anniversary of the death of his wife, Rachel and despite their best efforts, the rest of his family hasn't been able to break through his grief even as they tell him that it's time for him to move on as Rachel would want him to move on and be happy, which guy...

  Rogues are always fun as are age-old tropes such as marriages of convenience.   Once more I bring a new author to myself in Johanna Lindsey with A Rogue Of My Own. Characters: Lady Rebecca Marshall, Marquis Rupert St. John (with guest appearances by their families). Premise: A woman in the Queen's court finds intrigue and romance. So let's dive into the story. Full disclosure, it was the cover that interested me at first and then the promise of palace intrigue.  When we're introduced to Rebecca Marshall, she has just started her London Season being chosen for the Queen's Court, which is seen as a boon by her mother, Lily, and they plan accordingly.  Once there, Rebecca is immediately at odds with her roommate, Evelyn who tries to get her to leave in disgrace having done the same to her last roommate by causing her to fly into a temper and create a scandal, but Rebecca's having none of that and stands up for herself, catching the eye of the woman in charge, Sar...

  TRIGGER WARNING: MOLESTATION/SEXUAL ABUSE.  Susan Fox is an author I haven't read before.  This was my first one of hers and it's a doozy.  It's hard hitting, beautiful and rips you to shreds all at the same time.  Again, I understand that like the contents/review of The Night Swim by Megan Goldin this will be a hard subject for some to read about.  If that's the case for you, please feel free to skip this. Characters: Julian Blake, Iris Yakimura Premise: Premise: A bookstore owner and a musician open themselves up to love and healing. Oof. That's the only way I can describe this.  Like The Night Swim by Megan Goldin, I was wrecked. I knew right away that this dealt with molestation as it was implied on the back cover, but I wasn't expecting to be drawn in the way that I was.  When we start, Iris Yakimura is at a concert with her friends and she finds herself drawn to the lead vocalist, Julian Blake. Iris---along with the rest of her family---ha...

 So I'm returning to the romance genre with an author that's new to me, Carol Arens and one of my favorite tropes: Cinderella.  It's one of my favorite fairytales and I honestly enjoy seeing authors putting their own spin on it. Characters: Clara Albright, her family (her sister Lilly and her children George and Annabeth), and Andrew Benton (with appearances from his mother (name not given) and brother, Miles) Premise: A man proposes a marriage of convenience to take care of the woman his half-brother ruined financially. In 1873, Clara Albright was a society woman who was ready to put away her mourning clothes after her husband's death and it all comes crashing down when her financial advisor, Miles Holmes, steals from her, forcing her to take a job to support her sister Lilly and her children, George and Annabeth.  Two years later, she's struggling to make ends meet by making and selling dresses, which isn't that lucrative of a business, especially when she oft...