The Fiery Crown by Jeffe Kennedy

ABOUT THE BOOK

A desperate alliance. A struggle for survival. And a marriage of convenience with an epic twist of fate come together in Jeffe Kennedy's The Fiery Crown.

WILL THEIR LOVE STAND THE TEST OF TIME

Queen Euthalia has reigned over her island kingdom of Calanthe with determination, grace, and her magical, undying orchid ring. After she defied an empire to wed Conrí, the former Crown Prince of Oriel—a man of disgraced origins with vengeance in his heart—Lia expected the wizard’s prophecy to come true: Claim the hand that wears the ring and the empire falls. But Lia’s dangerous bid to save her realm doesn’t lead to immediate victory. Instead, destiny hurls her and Conrí towards a future neither could predict…

OR TEAR THEIR WHOLE WORLD APART?

Con has never healed after the death of his family and destruction of his kingdom—he’s been carefully plotting his revenge against his greatest enemy, Emperor Anure, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. When Lia’s spies gather intelligence suggesting that Anure is planning an attack against Calanthe, Con faces an agonizing choice: Can he sacrifice Lia and all she holds dear to destroy the empire? Or does his true loyalty exist in the arms of his beguiling, passionate wife—’til death do they part?

The Forgotten Empire series is:

“Captivating…engrossing.” —Romance Reviews Today

“Sensual fantasy romance you won’t want to miss!”—Amanda Bouchet, USA Today bestselling author of The Kingmaker Chronicles

“Action-packed…sexy…highly recommend.”—Harlequin Junkie (Top Pick)

PURCHASE ON AMAZON

REVIEW

The Fiery Crown is book 2 of the Forgotten Empires series.  At this point, Conri and Euthalia are preparing for the backlash of their marriage.  Expecting Emperorer Anure to retaliate soon, and the couple must agree on a way to keep Calanthe safe from his forces while Con attempts to exact his revenge. 

There is nothing about this book/ series I do not like. The fantasy elements are unique and exciting. Euthalia's connection to her land and her magical ties to the orchid ring is clever and interesting. She is a strong leader, intelligent, and dedicated to her people. Conri begins as a reluctant partner, but slowly he and Euthalia work together to combat the impending war. During preparations, you see a strong partnership begin to grow between them, and the people around them fall in line with it. 

Prophecies are an exciting plot device. When handled properly, it can inject a good deal of suspense into the story. In The Fiery Crown, the true meaning is not obvious until it is. It does not contradict itself. I just buzzed right through this story, on the edge of my seat, trying to figure it all out. And I did not see everything coming.

Jeffe Kennedy did an excellent job keeping me engaged in the Fiery Crown. I absolutely cannot wait for more of the Forgotten Empires series.

Inferno by Donna Grant

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Inferno is the explosive, most anticipated, final book in Donna Grant's Dark Kings series featuring Con, the King of the Dragon Kings!

I knew what I wanted. And nothing was going to stop me.

King of Dragon Kings. Driven, ruthless, shrewd. The weight of survival for Constantine and his brethren has pushed him to set aside his own yearnings—for now. He’s the most powerful of all Dragon Kings, and Con will stop at nothing to destroy anyone who dares to threaten his existence.

For years, Con has hidden his pain—his desperation—for there is one smoldering beauty that he craves above all else, even if he feels he doesn’t deserve her. However, his enemies are at every corner. There is no one left to trust. But none of that matters anymore: There is only one thing that Con wants. With this one woman by his side, he can fight for the freedom of his fellow men-in-arms. All Con has to do is get her to surrender her heart…and be his for all time.

PURCHASE ON AMAZON

REVIEW

The Dragon Kings are gorgeous, protective, fierce, gallant, amazing Scots.   They do their best to protect humanity from the Dark Fae while maintaining anonymity. Forces continually strive to expose their true dragon form to the world, to initiate their destruction. 

The Dark Kings saga by Donna Grant is one of my all-time favorites out there.  And Inferno is the big one. Con's story. The King of Kings.  Is it worth the wait?  Absolutely it is.  Let's start with the standard warning, especially this far in if you are not familiar with the Dragon Kings, do not start here.  You are going to spoil a whole slew of books if you read this first and believe me, it is a fun test of patience trying to figure out who Con's mate is.  

And the not so standard warning that I will not be able to review further without spoilers. Last chance, stop here if you do not want to spoil, well, the entire series. Of course, everyone's fantasy of how things were supposed to happen are different.  I spent hours analyzing Con and Rhi over the years, and I almost had myself convinced they were not mates.  Until the beginning of 2020, when I ran across the big spoil. I didn't have to read it, but I did, and after the last book, I would have swung back around to that conclusion anyway.  In short, Con and Rhi were no surprise.  I enjoyed getting their flashbacks.  I liked that Rhi made Con work for it. I almost wish we could have got the reveal a few books ago.  That way, Con REALLY would have had to work for it, but that might have been too torturous.

The Usaeil reveal was a bit unexpected.  I know some are a bit offended by it, but it makes a warped bit of sense.  Honestly, I think it is a great final f you.  Her past comes back to bite her in the butt.  And Erith's nice little secret, oh boy.  That one was almost over the top, but I like where it will lead us.  

Melisse and Henry, I approve, if it is what I think it is, and it better be.  She is just awesome.  I mean she's like Maleficent, how is that not the coolest thing ever.  And Balladyn still needs his happy ending.  These are my wishes for the future.  So with the mate of the King of Dragon Kings, the Usaeil saga is closed.  Good frickin riddance.  I will now continue my series reread so I can grin every time Con and Rhi start in on each other.  I know your secret now.

Forbidden Desire by Robin Lovett

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Being a sex goddess should be my dream come true—as much sex as I want, with magic powers to heal people, too. Until I realize the enormously strong human I desire most is completely off-limits. My people will put me in prison if I’m caught with a human.

But one encounter together leaves me panting for more. So I whisk him away to an alien sex retreat. I soon discover not only is my big strong human a virgin, his bio-engineering might have made him the largest person I’ve ever seen, but also it made him unable to feel any sensation on his skin.

We’ve got three days to try to heal him with my sex powers before I risk someone discovering us. Then I find out his biggest secret…

PURCHASE ON AMAZON

REVIEW

Graven finds himself on the run, a fugitive human on a foreign planet. Niva is the sex goddess healer that he finds himself unable to stop obsessing over.  When Niva eventually regards him, she discovers he needs her more than anyone she has ever encountered. 

Forbidden Desire by Robin Lovett is what you would expect based on the plot summary.  So ask yourself what do you want from this story.  Some sexy time, under the guise of a healer and her patient? Yes? Okay.  But it doesn't get a lot deeper than that.  Niva and Graven experience a pretty superficial relationship, but it is very steamy. 

That being said, there are elements of Forbidden Desire that advance it beyond mind-numbing erotica.  The author makes an effort to weave a story into Niva's healing sessions, and I did find it intriguing.  Graven's torturous past, Niva's fear of her council's reaction to a forbidden human it was all enough to keep me engaged in their stories. 

Forbidden Desire by Robin Lovett is one of the better erotica's I have run across.  I finished it, which for me and this type of book means a lot, but some of it I only skimmed.  Take that as you will.

Social Media and Blog Tour Irresistible in a Kilt by Anna Durand

Narrated by Elle Newlands and Shane East

Blurb:

The sweetest lies are the most seductive…

Eleven years ago, I fell in love with Alex Thorne. He was beautiful, charming, sexy, and the best lover I'd ever had. He's also a bloody liar. Every word that comes out of his mouth is a half-truth, a con, or an evasion. Now I find out my dream job at a university in America is his way of pulling me back into his world. I will never, never fall under the spell of the British Bastard again.

Catriona MacTaggart is the one that got away. The Scottish lass has fire in her soul and in her eyes, especially when she punches me. I can handle that. Maybe the truth and I do have a different sort of relationship, but I've never lied about my feelings for Cat. I'll do whatever it takes to get her back, even if it means deceiving her.

Alex still knows exactly how to get under my skin, and despite all my intentions, I still can't resist that body and that smile. Maybe it's time I turn the tables and seduce the seducer, to finally solve the mystery he doesn't want me to unravel.

Who is Alex Thorne?

About the Author

Anna Durand is a bestselling, multi-award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her books have earned bestseller status on every major retailer and wonderful reviews from readers around the world. But that’s the boring spiel. Here are some really cool things you want to know about Anna!


Born on Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, Anna grew up moving here, there, and everywhere thanks to her dad’s job as an instructor pilot. She’s lived in Texas (twice), Mississippi, California (twice), Michigan (twice), and Alaska—and now Ohio.

As for her writing, Anna has always made up stories in her head, but she didn’t write them down until her teen years. Those first awful books went into the trash can a few years later, though she learned a lot from those stories. Eventually, she would pen her first romance novel, the paranormal romance Willpower, and she’s never looked back since.

Want even more details about Anna? Get access to her extended bio when you subscribe to her newsletter and download the free bonus ebook, Hot Scots Confidential. You’ll also get hot deleted scenes, character interviews, fun facts, and more – including a bonus audiobook chapter performed by Shane East!

You can find Anna at

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REVIEW

Irresistible in a Kilt by Anna Durand is #8 in the Hot Scots series. Admittedly, I am a series purist. I don't often jump in the middle, but with Irresistible in a Kilt, I will say I did not feel any backstory was missing. There are several instances where there are obvious crossovers, but the author does a good job of keeping the reader informed when it is necessary. 

Alex Thorne and Catriona MacTaggart have a turbulent past. Their relationship ended abruptly, and not on a positive note. When Alex hopes to rekindle their romance, Catriona makes him work hard for it. Their resistance, first Cat unsure she was willing to trust Alex in again, and then Alex realizing their intimacy may be too much for him, makes their journey that much more interesting. 

Alex and Cat's story is sweet, witty, and very steamy. Cat's inner thoughts on Alex's teaching prowess gives me a new way of seeing the act of college lectures. And the Highland Games the MacTaggart clan present gives the story a bit of old-world feel to it. 

I was gifted an early audio copy of Irresistible in a Kilt, which is my preferred way of experiencing a book. Narration is everything. I know that there has to be some sort of direction, but misinterpretation of text is one common issue I have. Shane East and Elle Newlands are excellent at this. The story flows very well with their performances. I would suggest Irresistible in a Kilt by Anna Durand to those who enjoy a modern romance. I think the Hot Scot series is the next on my list of ones to follow.

Battle Born For You by Layla Lochran

  

REVIEW

The first section of this book follows Zander. We meet him and his squad at a difficult time and follow Zander back home. Immediately I was drawn to Zander and his emotional journey. It's moving to experience a war vet try and pick up the pieces of his life, one I have personally done many times. When Zander meets Lily, his world is truly complete. 

Battle Born for You is part two of the Tell all Secrets series. It was at the point when Zander and Lily are first together that it was abundantly clear I was missing part of the story. At first, I was a bit jarred with this big fight they were having, without having experienced Lily's side of it. Honestly, I felt like she was overreacting a bit, and it was off-putting. It quickly became clear what the conflict was about, and I slowly began to see Lily's perspective. But I would highly suggest reading part one first so as not to find yourself in my situation. 

Zander and Lily both have deep emotional scars but support and love each other through their pain. As a couple, they are sweet and sexy, finding their happiness in each other. Battle Born for You has some profound moments and a few twists and turns you will not see coming. I suggest Zander and Lily's story for anyone who enjoys a contemporary romantic drama.