I feel like Overruled by Fate really hit the nail on the head with how living as nobility - or within the world of the nobility - really was. Madeline is told she will be marrying a much older man - and she's lucky that he's a good man. Her feelings are not taken into consideration, because her father knows what's best for her. Only too late does she realize that her feelings for her childhood non-noblility companion are much more that she first believed.

Said childhood companion, Nathaniel, has known his feelings, but he also accepts his place and knows that nothing will come of them - at least he thinks he's accepted it. When Madeline's marriage is announced he goes off the deep end. And while I appreciate his feelings and need to drown his sorrows - his method of drowning said sorrows left me with a bad taste in my mouth for him. And he doesn't really improve much until the very end. While this was probably very historically accurate - I wanted I little bit more out of my hero than I got.

It took a long time for the HEA to appear. And I really appreciated that. It wasn't easy for this couple, but even when it was hard, the author found highlights and good things for them to be occupied with. There was plenty of pining for each other and scheming at times, and when the king makes an appearance I just felt awful for Madeline (but no spoilers so I can't tell you why).

There is plenty of intrigue, betrayal, plots and plans woven into the storyline that wrap around our main characters, forcing them to make hard decisions and sometimes take paths they wouldn't have otherwise chosen. When our couple does finally get together (this is a romance after all), it was sweet and touching. I felt like they had finally beat the odds stacked against them. A great story that has a feeling of epicness to it.

 This was my first book in the Wolfe Pack series by Kathryn Le Veque. When she says they can be read as stand alones - she's correct. While there may be a little family history that is missed, for the most part, I didn't feel like I was missing out for starting not at the beginning.

It all starts with a battle, leading to missing memories, deception, love, more battles, finding truths, and so much more. Blayth is a bit of a mystery man, he remembers nothing of his life before a few years ago when he recovered from a very serious head wound. Everything he knows about himself has been told to him, and not by the most reliable person. His struggle to find who he really is, is a key part of the story. Le Veque did a fantastic job showing his struggle with reconciling what he is learning to be true with the lies he has been told.

The Dragon Princess is a legend in her own right. Asmara has worked hard to earn her name and place among the Scottish warriors - none of which have even had a chance at capturing her heart. But the strong and silent Blayth with the mysterious past works his way under her skin. She is instrumental in helping him discover the lies he has been told and finding the courage to look for the truth. I loved their conversations. Both the serious and fun only proved to me again that these two were meant for each other.

There were a few times that Asmara and Blayth had to lie as they looked for the truth - and those lies seemed to have caught up with the author. In a few scenes, people suddenly knew the truth when they had been told something different - nothing huge or story-breaking, but it did make me go a re-read part to make sure I hadn't missed something.

​I love a good holiday romance – especially one that manages to make the holiday an integral part of the story without losing track of the people and things surrounding it. A Dash of Christmas does an amazing job of bringing out the Christmas without letting it take over too much.

Emery Monaghan is having a really rough go of life right now – and because of her crappy fiancé’s governmental position, it’s all out there for the public to see. When she sees a chance to hide away from all the prying eyes and get away from her horrid family and maybe to a little good, she jumps at the chance. The chance leads her right into the not-so-waiting arms of Carter Montgomery – chef extraordinaire – who has promised to make a charity cookbook for his mother.

These two have a past, and it’s a fun one. Both jealous of each other for a variety of reasons, both secretly liking each other, but always seeming to be at odds and arguing with each other. As they work together, they open up about their dreams, desires, pasts, and present. All while planning a huge holiday dinner to test and show off the recipes they’ve planned for the charity cookbook.

But Carter is driven, and he has a new restaurant that he must open – to prove to the world that he will never stop succeeding. And Emery is determined to prove she can stand on her own and make her own decisions. But are exceedingly stubborn, and when an exceptionally heated argument drags into not speaking to each other, I began to wonder if it would all work out.

Samantha Chase does a fantastic job of bringing our couple together, pushing them apart, and making them better people. All while weaving an intricate web of family and holiday shenanigans around them, setting the stage for a beautiful romance with just the right touch of Christmas magic.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

A lot is going in The Woman in the Window. Anna fox has experienced a trauma, and now she has very severe agoraphobia. She wanders her house alone (living with just her cat) drinking and not quite taking her medication correctly. The circumstances leading up to her situation are vague, and we slowly learn everything as the story continues.

She passes her time watching her neighbors – like hardcore spying on them with a zoom lens - playing chess and learning French online, and talking to other agoraphobics in an online community. She’s happy – mostly – and chats with her family quite often.

A.J. Finn does a fantastic job of drawing you into Anna’s strange world and making you doubt everything you think you know. As we spiral through life and the strange things Anna has witnessed right along with her. I enjoyed being able to follow her train of thought. It brought me into her mind and emotional turmoil when she started doubting everything about herself.

While most of the book is a meandering journey through potential craziness, the end was a heart-pounding rush leading up to a gentle settling of sorts. Don’t expect too much action and thrills from this one. But don’t discount its ability to test what you believe right along with all the characters.

I love worlds where dragons are real in any shape or form, and the dragons in this world sound pretty nice to look at when they're in their human shape. When Aoife finds out the handsome stranger in her life isn't just a trick of her imagination, but real life dragon shifter, she has two reactions. 1) Extremely pissed off that no one believed her and they locked her up in a hospital, and 2) holy crap!!

Aoife was a very sarcastic woman with a lot of witty (but crazy) lines throughout the book. While I am all for a quirky character, sometimes she got just a tad annoying. Kostya, our dragon, is such an opposite to Aoife it made both their characteristics really stand out. Kostya was stubborn, grumpy, and determined to never talk about his previous mate or anything to do with mating every again. 

Pair that with a very strange curse that makes Kostya's dragon clan attack each other on sight, and you are set with quite an adventure. Throw in some fancy magic, a demon, and a handful of demon lords, and there is sooo much going on. But Katie MacAlister handled the craziness well. I never got lost or confused in the action, and the side characters all added their own important element to the story.

This was a great start to the series, with a really fun couple, a super romantic HEA, but several strings in the overall scheme of things that still need to be tied.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Now That You Mention It was a bit different than what I expected. When I first meet Nora, she seems a little insubstantial. Like there was really nothing to her personality. She's a successful doctor, dating another successful doctor - until she gets hit by a car - and then dumped while she believes she's actually a ghost. The scene was devestating for her, but Kristan Higgans gave it just a bit of a lighthearted feel somehow.

The bulk of the story takes place when Nora returns to her roots - Scupper Island. Everything and nothing has changed, and Nora still feels like she doesn't belong. Throw into the mix her mother, who still can't seem to show any affection, and her niece, a moody and withdrawn teenager whose mother is in jail, and Nora puts on a brave face and starts to pretend that everything will just be OK.

But, of course, it isn't. There are old high school rivals, bullies, and mean girls to contend with. And a few are still holding a very serious grudge. But Nora tries not to let that get to her. She's determined to make the most of what she has - even if it doesn't seem like much at times. I loved how determined Nora was, while still showing a vulnerable side, and I really loved how much she loved her family and was willing to do just about anything to reconnect with them.

In the long run, Nora grows into someone far more complex and likable that she was at the beginning. There a a few fantastic twists and turns with the people around her, and I was really surprised be a couple of them. I highly recommend this book. It was an enjoyable, relaxing listen with just enough excitement laced throughout.