Naomi's Reading Palace: April 2022

Review ~ A King so Cold by Ella Fields

A King so Cold by Ella Fields
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love a good fantasy read, but I don't read them as much as I used to, but I am so glad that I picked up A King so Cold. It was quite the captivating read! I enjoyed getting to know Princess Audra and learning why she was so cold. She was trying to rule to the best of her ability and had no time for traitors in her life.

When she learned of King Raiden's engagement after she had him banished, she did everything she could to prevent his happiness once again.

This read was exciting, with so many twists and turns. I liked the relationship that she had with Lord Zad, despite him not being the man she loved. This read had everything I love in a fantasy: action, betrayal and lust, and I could not get enough!

Title: A King so Cold

Author: Ella Fields

Series: Royals #1

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Published: May 6, 2020

When marrying your enemy is only the beginning....

Once upon a time, there lived a princess so cruel that even her husband tried to destroy her.
The results left her without a father, her husband without a memory, and herself as queen to a kingdom on the cusp of war.
Even so, after learning of her treasonous husband’s upcoming nuptials, she set out to find him and locked him in her dungeon. There, and only there, would she unveil a time when she once allowed herself to be vulnerable. A past detailing how her heart was coaxed to beat outside her chest, only to have it crushed by the cold hands of betrayal.
But true vengeance will need to wait. War is coming, and with it, decisions and danger masked in treacherous beauty.
All too soon, the young queen will learn that time could be the most dangerous foe of all.
For it is time that would reveal all the ways a dead heart can beat anew.

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Review ~ Things I Wanted To Say by Monica Murphy

Things I Wanted To Say by Monica Murphy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well... what can I say about Things I Wanted To Say - it was certainly an intense read! Whit and Summer had insane, twisted chemistry right from the first time they met. The last few years of Summers life wasn’t easy as she suffered bad experiences and loss. Her whole world has turned upsidedown since the first time whe met Whit. Returning to the same school as Whit just made life difficult for her once again.

Whit was quite the rebel bad boy and had so much power to influence the people around him. He made Summers life very difficult as he blamed her and her mother for how his family fell apart. He is quite rude and talks dirty and isn't afraid to go after what he wants.

The chemistry between Summer and Whit continued to grow and I liked the push/pull moments they had. This read had a lot of sex scenes, more than I would usually expect from a Monica Murphy read. I enjoed getting to know Summers past and how that changed how Whit saw Summer... I really didn't want this read to end!

Title: Things I Wanted To Say

Author: Monica Murphy

Genre: NA Dark Romance

Published: July 29, 2021

Whit Lancaster burst into my life like a storm. Dark and thunderous, furious and fierce. Cold, heartless and devastatingly beautiful, like the statues in our prep school gardens. The school with his family name on the sign. He can do no wrong here. This is his domain.

He’s a menace on campus. Adored and feared. Hated and respected. His taunting words carve into my skin, shredding me to ribbons. Yet his intense gaze scorches my blood, fills me with a longing I don’t understand.

When I stumble upon him one night alone, I find him broken. Bleeding. My instincts scream to leave and let him suffer, but I can’t. I sneak him into my room. Clean him up. Fall for his lies. Let him possess every single part of me until I’m the one left a gasping, broken mess.

When he leaves me alone in the dead of night, he takes my journal with him.

Now he knows all my secrets. My hate. My truth. And he promises to use my words against me. I’ll be ruined if my darkest secret gets out.

That’s when I strike a bargain with the devil.

I’ll let Whit Lancaster ruin me behind closed doors instead.

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Review ~ Forbidden by Karla Sorensen

Forbidden by Karla Sorensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read the first book in this series some time ago, and didn't really enjoy it, but this one sounded so good that I decided to give it a go. Boy am I glad that I did. It turned out to be a sweet romance, where the older widowed father falls for the young girl who has idolised him for years!

Isabel and Aiden's story was sweet. Aiden wasn't looking for love, but wanted to build his own life for himself and his daughter, starting with the takeover of the gym. He didn't expect Isobel at all, and working with someone that she idolised growing up, but also crushed on was always going to be a challenge for her.

I enjoyed the chemistry between Isabel and Aiden. I also liked the relationship that developed between Isobel and Aiden's daughter Anya. There were a lot of sweet moments, and these two took their time to move on their attraction, but it was so worth it.

Title: Forbidden

Author: Karla Sorensen

Series: Ward Sisters #4

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Published: May 20, 2021

No man has ever rattled Isabel Ward. Until Aiden Hennessy walks in the door of her gym—ownership papers in hand.

The former fighter is a lot of things — a single dad, a widower trying to start over, and a watchful presence that knocks her off her very capable feet.

To make matters worse, Isabel had a crush on him for the entirety of her teenage years. Doodles in her diaries and letters declaring her admiration—while never sent—haunt the absolute crap out of her now that she has to face him every day.

No woman has ever tempted Aiden to move on from the memory of his wife—until Isabel. She’s too young, too fiery, too much of everything he should avoid.

But avoiding is impossible, just like pretending the blistering chemistry between them doesn’t exist.

Now that the unshakeable woman is shaken and the untemptable man is tempted, Isabel and Aiden have to decide what they’re willing to risk for a taste of the forbidden.

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Review ~ Pretty When She Cries by A. Zavarelli

Pretty When She Cries (Black Mountain Academy)

Pretty When She Cries by A. Zavarelli
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pretty When She Cries was the type of read that consumed me! I was up late on my first day of reading because I couldn’t put it down. Kail and Landon had strong feelings for one another, but the twists kept them apart. So much so that Kail needed to return to Hawaii. She returned a stronger and more determined girl who would never allow anyone to treat her poorly again.

The secondary characters added depth to the storyline and I was often shocked about the twists thrown in. Both Kail and Landon had trouble trusting one another. Landons story broke my heart and I was shattered about what happened to Kail. I enjoyed how they both grew throughout the read and became better together. This story had everything I needed in a good read: depth, intensity and a captivating storyline!

Title: Pretty When She Cries

Author: A. Zavarelli

Series: Black Mountain Academy

Genre: NA Dark Romance

Published: October 23, 2020

Your first kiss is supposed to be sweet. Ours was baptized in fire.
I was the new girl trying to find her place.
Landon was the brooding neighbor I tutored over the summer.
I didn’t know he was a legend at Black Mountain Academy.
I didn’t know they worshipped him like a religion.
But I fell for him before I knew those things.
To me, he was just the tortured soul who drew me in like a magnet.
And then he did something so unspeakable, so unforgivable, it shattered me.
I ran away then because I was weak, but I’ve shed my tears.
He stole my heart and my dignity, and I’m here to take it back.
The only problem is… he’s not giving it up without a fight.

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Review ~ The Belle and the Beard by Kate Canterbary

The Belle and the Beard (The Santillian Triplets, #3)

The Belle and the Beard by Kate Canterbary
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

The Belle and the Beard is the only book I have read in this series, and now I know that I want more! Jasper and Linden were so fun to read about, they were both from different worlds, but there were curious about one another right from the first time they met. Jasper was such a fiesty and independent woman and Linden was quite a patient man and did not want to pressure Jasper into anything. I liked how they both were a little lost as to what direction their lives were heading but the more time they spent together the clearer things became. Neither of them were looking for anything permanent, but the more time they spent together I could see the connection getting stronger.

Title: The Belle and the Beard

Author: Kate Canterbary

Series: The Santillian Triplets #3

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Published: April 23, 2021

Jasper-Anne Cleary’s guide to salvaging your life when you find yourself publicly humiliated, out of work, and unemployable at 35—not to mention newly single:

1. Run away. Seriously, there’s no shame in disappearing. Go to that rustic old cottage your aunt left you. Look out for the colony of bats and the leaky roof. Oh, and the barrel-chested neighbor with shoulders like the broad side of a barn. Definitely look out for him.

2. Stop wallowing and stay busy. It doesn’t matter whether you know how to bake or fix things around the house. Do it anyway. Dust off your southern hospitality and feed that burly, bearded neighbor some pecan pie.

3. Meet new people. Chat up the grumpy man-bear, pretend to be his girlfriend when his mother puts you two on the spot, agree to go as his date to a big family party. Don’t worry—it’s only temporary.

4. Cry it out. Screwing up your life entitles you to wine, broody-moody music, and uninterrupted sobbing.

5. Get over it all by getting under someone. Count on your fake boyfriend to deliver some very real action between the sheets.

6. Move on. The disappearing act, the cottage, the faux beau—none of it can last forever.

Linden Santillian’s guide to surviving the invasion when a hell-in-heels campaign strategist moves in next door:

1. Do not engage. There is no good reason you should chop her wood, haul her boxes, or pick her apples.

2. Do not accept gifts, especially not the homemade ones. Disconnect the doorbell, toss your phone over a bridge, hide in the basement if you must, but do not eat her pie.

3. Do not introduce her to your friends and family. They’ll favor her over you and never let you forget it.

4. Do not intervene when she’s crying on the back porch. Ignore every desire to fix the entire world for her. By no means should you take her into your arms and memorize her peach-sweet curves.

5. Do not take her to bed, even if it’s just to get her out of your system.

6. Do not, under any circumstances, fall in love with her.

Warning: This hot, modern take on Beauty and the Beast includes a meet-burglary, an immortal cat, a biohazard of a banana bread, a meddling mother, fancy toast, and a temporary fling that starts feeling a little too permanent.

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Review ~ From the Embers by Aly Martinez

From the Embers by Aly Martinez
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From the Embers was quite the moving read and it pulled on all my emotions. I was shattered in the beginning, watching the tradegy unfold and what was left afterwards. I loved watching Bree and Eason grow and become stronger together for their young families, despite the tragedy that occurred. Neither was looking for love again, and it was interesting to see it creep up on them.

The twists kept me on the edge of my seat, some I didn’t see coming and I was left in shock, others I could feel brewing and knew it would change their lives forever. It was such a captivating read that I couldn’t put down.

Title: From the Embers

Author: Aly Martinez

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Published: April 28, 2021

In the aftermath of tragedy, it’s strange the things you remember.
The deafening boom as the house exploded.
The paralyzing fear as I searched for my wife.
The blinding smoke burning my eyes as I carried her out.

But carved into my soul for the rest of my days would be the earth-shattering realization that the woman in my arms wasn’t my wife.

Bree and I were the only survivors—not that either of us were truly living after that night. As a single dad with nowhere else to go, I moved into her guest house. And somehow, through the guilt and grief, we forged an unlikely team.

It took years, but I watched the gradual return of her smile—slow and life-altering. The two of us could sit outside for hours, talking about nothing, and it filled the massive hole in my chest with new life.

I may have carried her out of that fire, but the truth was, Bree saved me.

As we healed, the secrets and lies of the past smoldered in the ashes, threatening to ignite again.

Our love was born from the embers, and together we would go up in flames.

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Review ~ The Blind Date by Lauren Landish

The Blind Date by Lauren Landish
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm all for fun and quirky reads, however this one only ended up being an ok read for me. Each time I put the book down I wasn't keen to pick it up again. I felt it difficult to connect to the characters and I ended up glossing over parts of the story to get to the end.

Title: The Blind Date

Author: Lauren Landish

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Published: May 10, 2021

A Blind Date? It could be a match made in heaven. Or a total disaster.

I’m Riley Watson, bringing a dash of sunshine here and a drop of positivity there. That’s how I live my life, focusing on the good that’s all around us if we look for it. There’s just one thing missing—Mr. Right.
So I agree to try a new dating app and find my perfect match. The catch? No pictures.

Fun times... until my Blind Date shows up. That can’t be the same man I’ve been talking to all week!

Noah Daniels is my brother’s best friend and we have absolutely nothing in common.
He’s grumpy, I’m sunny.
He’s a workaholic executive, I’m a freelance influencer.
He plans everything, and I go with the flow.
This has to be a horrible joke—or is it?

I shouldn’t want him, but when he touches me, I turn into a mushy pile of hot hunger.
I should tell him to get lost, but when he opens his heart, I can’t turn him away.
And the more I know, the more I want him.

Is the wrong man my Mr. Right after all?

The Blind Date is a full-length steamy romantic comedy. It's a standalone.

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