Jes, Havana Heat is popular over on Inkitt, I entered it into their novel writing competition. Readers are downloading and reading fast, I’m truly appreciative, and humbled you’re enjoying my work. Thank you so so much readers love you all! Another 4* like one hour after the last 5*one.
Very well crafted. Excellent style. Cannot recommend it enough. I was hooked to it from start to finish
*Sighs a very humble sigh and shakes her head*… I don’t know what to say. I’m so grateful for every reader, and review. Be it positive or negative review, yes I even love the haters, they motivate me :). When I wrote Havana Heat, I gave it heart I got caught up in the storytelling, romance and most importantly the drama! There’s a intense story in this one, with a diverse character line up. You’re transported to Havana! As a massive reader of romance myself, I know we all love a good dose of drama. Seems like I delivered from feedback on Havana Heat. Thank you for your feedback and readership dear reader, without you I’m nothing!
Cool book. I liked the author’s style. I suggest that you check it out. There is magic in these pages.
I’m glad Lover’s Retreat has made one reader happy. ” A real love story” awww wow thanks. It’s so nerve racking when a review comes in! As I always say, I write because I need to and so hopefully others will enjoy. Thank you reader glad you enjoyed the review copy.
I am so pleased readers are loving book #1 of my Romance Set in Paradise Series. The next book is out in six days! And I’m writing book #3. All I can say is thank you reader, your feedback and encouragement is why I write.
This is an interesting story because it shows the problems of trying to find love when previous relationships always rear their ugly head and seem to spoil what could be promising new beginnings. The couple in this story have to face just such problems before they can try to get together. I enjoyed the authors take on this dilemma and how she dealt with it. This is a really good beginning to a series.
I’ll always write no matter what, or who says what for that matter. But as a published author, when you put your work out there for the world to read, love, like or hate, you’re always wondering if readers will connect with you. When they do, it’s so motivational to keep going. The late nights and lack of sleep seem worth it all over again. Not just at the time when you were so caught up in writing, you never noticed it was 3:00 am. Thank you for this lovely review reader… My response is, well I’ll take comments about scene changing as a positive. You wanted more of the characters no problem! When a writer hears this they could not be happier. The Romance Set in Paradise Series Book #2 will be released in July, it’s a more “slow burner” for you.
I found the story exhilarating which left me wanting more of Sebastian, Malinda and the gang. Though the story did seem a bit rushed switching through the scenes, at times I found myself needing to reread bits to get the full picture. But I love Kim’s writing style and fell in love with the characters and would like to know what the future holds for Seb and Melinda. Can’t wait to read more from Kim.
Have you ever had that feeling when you’re so glad you stumbled across a book? This is how I feel about Poppy’s Proposal. By chance my path crossed with this month’s Meet The Author feature, Gavin Ough, I’m so glad I’ve met him. You can read his featured interview here. Let’s get into the review!
Genre: Contemporary romance/ chick-lit/ romantic comedy
This book is set in the UK at one of our popular and beautiful coastal seaside towns, Cornwell. I hate spoilers so I won’t give too much away. Poppy left school with not much in terms of qualifications. She’s now in her early thirties, and works in a hotel. Even though she’s surrounded by a great line up of entertaining co-workers and her girlfriend Rhea, life to her feels pretty mundane and boring. Her job is not exciting and her love life is non existent, until her path crosses with Aussie Greg and a rich high flying man, named Andrew. Both men take an interest in her, she can’t decide between the two. She decides to date both. It goes horribly wrong! There’s some drama and laughs once it does. But Poppy ends up in a happy place very unexpectedly. Her personal life, love life and professional life all pick up. She has a great happy ever after, told in a very cleaver and unsuspecting way. She finds Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome and Poppy grows as a woman, with a massive life change.
This book if you have not guessed by now is authored by a male writer! Massive props to Mr. Ough as he writes this genre so well, he should stick to it and write more. I like his style. Poppy’s proposal has everything a chick-lit/romantic comedy fan would expect from this genre. This genre is hard to write well and keep readers engaged, without being ridiculous. This has always been my “issue” with this type of romance. Uhh ahh you won’t find this with this author. There was laughter, fun, drama, and a massive dose of British humour which I loved. For me personally Poppy’s Proposal offered me what was missing in my reading life…good ol’ romantic humour! And lighthearted banter, wrapped up in a very enjoyable realistic story. This is the first romantic comedy/chick- lit story I’ve read, in probably four years when I thought about it. It reminded me why I need to read this genre more, and find good writers like Mr. Ough.
I really liked the setting of this book, a busy seaside town in the south west of the UK. I was drawn to the descriptions of the town and hotel, it resonated with me being British, and having visited Cornwell just last summer too.
The character line up is diverse in terms of personalities and quirks. Aussie Greg, Techno Alan, Jane and Jimbo, are just a few of the well developed characters. What I loved a lot is that this author was able to write these characters, with their relevant accents and be consistent and entertaining. The level of banter in this book is high. As a British reader I got the humour, at times I really did laugh our loud at it. Poppy is very entertaining with her thoughts and actions. Rhea her frank, straight talking best friend I connected with well.
Now, let’s get into Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome. The key feature for us romance junkies. What impressed me also, is this male author was able to write such a swoon worthy Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome. Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome was in the background, we meet him early as readers. For me he went from a background character to swoon worthy really well. He passed all my checklist points as a romance junkie. Handsome? Umm hmm I got the feeling via Poppy’s POV he was a strapping well built man, with great looks and nice eyes. Did he fight for his woman? Umm hmm almost physically he did! *spoiler alert* I won’t say anymore. Was he good in bed? *Kim clears her throat*… well judging by the amount of sex Poppy had with him, I got the impression he was LOL. While the sex scenes were not detailed and graphic (which I would not really expect them to be, in this genre of romance), the author was able to use the great writer’s skill of “show,don’t tell.” He has mastered this writer’s skill well, readers can draw a clear conclusion. Good job!
Overall, I’m giving Poppy’s proposal 4.5 well deserved stars as it is well written, has an engaging realistic plot, that I could see happening in real life. Especially the twists and turns once Poppy meets Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome. I love the setting, okay bias as I’m British but hey I connected. The entertainment factor is there. This author for a male romance writer, has done a brilliant job with this genre! And massive props should be given for his effort. The only thing I would have liked to have seen more of, is more drama once Poppy’s busted for her double dating. The men seemed to neatly fall away. That said, it does not take away anything enjoyable from the reading as the story gears up toward a great HEA.
This is a great read for lighthearted romance/ contemporary and chick-lit fans. I will be reading more of this author’s work for sure. Especially once he drops his paranormal romance /sci- fi novel to be released soon I hope! I really look forward to it.
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BOOM! She’s back if you missed it you can read Ava’s Meet The Author interview here. and a review of one of her other books I read this week here. Remember I told you she really is productive,and releases a lot of short stories each month, well I got an ARC and dipped into this one this morning while eating breakfast. I really enjoyed the story. As I’ve said erotica is my guilty pleasure genre to read, I have no shame I’ll read it all, I’m a damn romance author who writes spicy scenes herself what do you expect? I’m yet to find an erotica author I’m totally in love with… I think I’ve found her. Yep, I’ll part with my money for her stories no problem. Her stories have a good element of realism, I often find sometimes erotica is so unrealistic. She said in her in interview some of her writing is based on experience or experiences she would like…I narrow my eyes and look at Ava’s author page and think ” you naughty, naughty girl”. Her characters so far seem engaging. Let’s get into the review…
The Plot:
Katie is a plain Jane in every way, at just twenty six years old she is rather envious of the tall blonde females men pass her up for. One night she’s messing around online and finds an app that promises to turn her into a “hot woman”. It does just that, literally. The story for me started off as a fun light one, when I got to this part. I was reading and eating breakfast thinking, okay the author has held back this is more fun and there will be some naughtiness somewhere. I was so so so wrong!
When Katie changes into a” hot new upgraded version of herself”, she gets dressed in her heels , new clothes and then heads out for a coffee at her usual place. She is served by the one guy she hates, as he lusts after women so openly. He treats her differently, Katie experiences a real thrill as this new desirable women. On the way out she meets a hot guy, he opens the door for her like a true gentlemen…. swoon ladies enter Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome… and get this HE’S IN A SHARP SUIT LOL my one weakness.I almost died as the author paints a picture of a powerful, handsome man… he’s a lawyer so good choice of profession to go with the suit and handsome looks. So, like I was saying she meets Mr. Tall Dark and handsome they go out to dinner that night, Katie puts on her high heels and her “freak ’em dress” as Beyonce would call it, and turns into a bit of a freak between the sheets herself that’s all I’m sayin’ 🙂
I’m giving Call Me Cutie five wonderful stars as there is an element of fun and escapism, don’t we all wish there was an app to download and turn us into a hot woman? But there is also a great Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome and the ending… my god I totally never saw it coming. Yes, I blushed that Katie is somethin’ else.
Grab a copy .99 on Amazon.
Ava, can’t wait to read more.
This for me was an enjoyable murder mystery, with a good dose of who-dun-it. I read it quickly and the story line held my attention. The author is a good story teller, and created some engaging characters.
The Plot:
Murder in the vail follows the story of a wealthy widow Sally, with a bunch of brats for kids! They want her money. Each and every one of them has a motive for murder. Even down the the house keeper.
The family get together for Christmas, and a few days before they have their usual family drama, which leads Sally to announce that she is donating 95% of their estate (three BILLION dollars) to charity. As you can imagine her spoilt children who received twenty five mil each already, (and spent it), are not too impressed. Everyone of them has some kind of financial difficulty or need, be it work wise or drug wise. So, like I was saying Christmas drama plays out and there’s a murder, Sally’s son Stephen’s wife. Then Sally (the widow) is the next victim… almost, she survives the attack. Very cleverly.
I won’t give out too many spoilers as to what plays out next, but after one murder and Sally surviving an attempted murder, Sally’s daughter Gwen disappears Christmas morning. Everyone freaks out, but she skied down the hill for help. The family are snowed in over Christmas with one dead body in the freezer, all phone lines are down with no internet either. They’re up in the mountains. Once she finds help everyone is questioned, DNA taken, the usual police routine plays out. They make an arrest… do they have the right person? We as readers are led down the path to think of course they do , there’s DNA evidence duh.
As a suspense writer myself I was reading closely, I knew there had to be more than what meets the eye here, surely it can’t be this simple?? I was asking myself what did I miss? Where did this author lead me up the path setting me up for X when really it’s Y. I found nothing, I kept reading but I suspected one character in particular more than the others. I got to the final chapters and that’s where my mouth dropped, that’s when I said this author is a brilliant story teller. My suspicions turned out to be right, but there is a brilliant twist with it. I won’t spoil it and say what I thought was right, just read it and find out! And find out the brilliant twist.
Overall I am giving Murder In The Vail four well deserved stars, as it is a well written book, a good dose of who-dun-it and mystery, I was engaged. I liked how some of the characters (mainly Sally’s children) seemed to grow. Gwen turned from a spoilt brat into a very strong and independent woman with *face palm* a job, once she ditched her no good husband , who wanted her for money- that I salute. Lance also seemed to grow as a man after all the drama with his family. He learned how to earn a buck for himself. I loved Yvette’s character all the way through as well she made me giggle. She is the perfect pretty face with a brain kinda woman, everyone thinks she’s just a Playboy bunny but she’s a smart one. Her ending really made me smile, this is Lance’s wife. I also liked their relationship too. I would have loved a quicker pace in some parts, but don’t get me wrong this book is well worth a read the ending is surprising. I would read more books from this author. Good job!
Right on to the next book !
I just love short stories as much as I love full length page turning novels. This is a new release this week, and another one not to fall asleep on. I bought my copy and read it within an hour! The short story (for me personally) was enjoyable for so many reasons. It’s a great introduction to this author’s writing if you’ve not read any of her books before, this is my first read. I will read more. I hear on the grapevine, there’s a suspense novel coming our way this summer too. Keep an eye out on Meet The Author. So, let’s get into the review.
The Plot:
Readers are taken back in time within a place called Willow’s Grove. The town has a dark history and a lot of folk tales about what happened years ago, at an old church that was burned down. We start off in this time period with the POV of a woman who was forced to do what she had to do for survival. She had two daughters, the death of her husband left them stranded. She winds up in Willow’s Grove. Fast forward to the present day we learn about the tales the townspeople believe happened the night the church burned down *spoiler alert* I won’t give this away.
In the present day a group of friends are on a mission to prove that ghosts are not real, the folk tales are not real. They set out on the anniversary of the fire, and one of the main character’s birthdays to prove just that.
Once they arrive at the church, this is where the mystery, suspense and supernatural starts. The author very cleverly takes you on a journey via the spirit of the man the town fear. This is where the story for me got very interesting, the mood changed within the story the man or spirit was a slave… we learn this when he changes form to who he was at the time of death.
We then learn the REAL truth what happened that night, all those years ago during a very important part of history. We walk through the POV of the woman who had to do what she had to do as a mother, and we learn through the spirit the group of friends meet. *spoiler alert* I’m not going to give away how the spirit is linked to one of the females in the group, her girlfriend, as well as the woman and little girls who died. But it ties in well. The reason they are all linked is down to one thing history. They say ” the truth will set you free” that’s exactly what happens when this group of friends make a bold move, an important secret is revealed and the townspeople are firmly put in their place with their made up folk law and tales.
I’m giving The Playground five stars as the story hit home with me, it also was very interesting to read. I love how the author tied in paranormal and supernatural themes to produce what you could call a historical piece of fiction also it has almost two themes. I experienced an element of suspense and the classic ” oh wow okay, I never saw that coming”. Every writer loves it when a reader does that so well done!! I finished the last page and felt like this could really be a full novel you and it could be so interesting. I would like to read more of this! In addition, the author has done something very difficult to do- mix present day story telling with historical events. To take a reader through different time frames consistently with a good flow (short story or full blown novel) is a massive challenge to write whether it’s a few thousand or a hundred thousand words.The author has done this job well. So to me leaving with all these feelings and reading a well written story can only deserve 5* I could not fault it at all. very enjoyable!
Grab a copy it’s .99 on Amazon.
Connect with Denise here while we wait out the release date for the suspense novel coming our way in the summer:
Ava Sterling featured on this month’s Meet The Author, you can read back over her interview. I’ve just dipped into another one of her stories. This one is one not to fall asleep on, it’s coming soon. I really enjoyed it. While I’d never be brave enough to do what these characters do, as a reader that’s half the fun you can walk in their shoes. Ava’s stories are quick reads -short and sweet, you can dip in and dip out. Get your hit of romance mixed with erotica and giggles then leave very satisfied lols … no pun intended.
The Plot:
Early Dessert features a modern couple Ryan and Kelly, they met and experienced that insta-love then got married. They are your normal everyday couple, but deep down they both have an urge to try to spice up their already fantastic sex life. *spoiler alert* I won’t say how they go about this, but they do spice it up.
Randomly one evening they go over to an old friend’s place for dinner, enter Mr. Tall Dark and handsome Noah and his wife Lilly. I like Noah, I smiled as he was introduced I’m a sucker for a handsome man in a sharp suit, that’s the picture the author paints of this character. Lilly his wife is equally as beautiful. So like I was saying, the couples meet have a fantastic time at dinner… then have an even more fantastic time after… randomly. *spoiler alert* won’t say how this happens. Who does what or who does who and how they do it but it’s a good read.
I’m giving Early Dessert five wonderful stars as it offers ( for me personally) what I would expect and like in a short erotica story. An enjoyable story line. Modern characters that are obviously in love not just sex crazed people, a man to swoon over Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome – Noah. Well written sensual scenes that are not over the top dirty or too ‘sexed up’ there’s no reality to it. Women who clearly know what they want. And of course some naughtiness. The author recognised and highlighted the need for safe sex in her writing, which for me put a little reality into the story, considering how these two couples meet and enjoy themselves. I’d never be this brave but it was a good reading experience.
Character likeability/engagement: excellent 5 stars
Heat level: high 5 stars
Naughtiness: umm humm 5 stars here.
Head over to Ava’s author page see what’s on offer while we wait out the release date for Early Dessert. Give her a follow if erotica is your thing, she’s really good.
Ava’s Books:
https://avasterlingauthor.wordpress.com/my-books-grid-view/
About Ava
https://avasterlingauthor.wordpress.com/about/
Author, Kim Knight 