Aussie Readers discussion

As per usual, I will post each book I read on this thread with my thoughts and/or review link and my rating. I have been endeavouring to become better at writing reviews. This year, I will set my goal at 65 books.

Good luck Kiera...

Brenda wrote: "Good luck Kiera..."

Thanks Brenda.

Good luck Kiera :

Good luck Kiera. I should probably get better at writing reviews too!

Stef wrote: "Good luck Kiera. I should probably get better at writing reviews too!"

Since I've been working towards becoming a published author and have been making friends with other authors, I now realise how important reviews are. I don't like to give anything away in my reviews, so they are fairly short, but I still like to say what I think.

Stephanie wrote: "Happy reading and reviewing in 2017!!"

Thank you, Stephanie.

1. Alphas & Fairytales: A New Year's Eve Anthology . First read of 2017 and it is a resounding 5 stars! So incredible!

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

2. Cuffed

This is a sexy little novella about Detective Will Furey, who is on the tail of Violet D'Allegra, a woman who has made a name for herself by blackmailing rich men with sex.

The characters are very well developed in a short space of time, which takes real talent. Kathryn is great at writing sexy shorts that draw you in immediately.

If you like something steamy and well written, then look no further. Oh, and by the way...do leave your inhibitions at the door. 5 stars.

3. Fireproof
*I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from the author*

With this book, Jackie Wang has entered the world of Paige Tyler's Dallas Fire & Rescue.
Having never read the original series, I am coming into this with a fresh perspective and I found that I didn't have to know anything about it to enjoy this novel.
Carrie is a mess of a woman who has lost almost everything she holds dear and has returned home to Dallas to try to escape her troubles. But as you all know, you can't run away from your troubles. You carry them everywhere with you until you deal with them. Carrie makes an awful lot of terrible mistakes throughout this book (BIG mistakes), but I never found myself disliking her in any way. Underneath all of her troubles you can see the vibrant and strong willed young woman struggling to break free.
As a firefighter, Sam has a natural tendency to rescue people in trouble and Carrie is no exception. The man has the patience of a saint. He puts up with Carrie's hot and cold mental state and a whole lot more. I wanted more and more of this yummy man! And that, right there, is pretty much the only fault I found with this book (which is actually NOT a fault)! More Sam, pretty please. He was hot and lighthearted. I love guys who don't take everything to seriously, but know exactly the types of things they do need to be serious about.
I read this in one sitting. The characters and the story drew me in completely. It is a quick, but heart wrenching read. I give this novella 5 stars.

4. Into the Nothing
Xander Evans is a wanderer with a crappy past. When he arrives in Truman Valley, Missouri, he finds the one thing he has always wanted: a family, and one thing he never thought he would have: a woman he is falling in love with.
Just as things are finally falling into place for him, he is accused of a crime and is sent to prison, shattering everything he has started to build.
Into The Nothing is BT Urruela's debut solo novel. His characters are gritty and real, some the situations they find themselves in are terrifying and it all makes for one hell of a read. This was the first book I have read of his and I can't wait to read the rest of his work. If you haven't read anything by BT yet, then what are you waiting for? 5 stars.

5. Hades: Modern Descendants
Hades is a beautifully written fantasy romance based around a modern day retelling of Hades and Persephone.

Persephone Fields is a young college student who is rescued from being raped by Hades and taken to the Underworld— the only place he knows how to protect her. Persephone struggles with her captivity and her growing romantic feelings towards Hades, but they inevitably end up forming a close bond.

The passion between these two characters emanated from the pages. The writing is flawless and you can feel deeply how in love Hades and Persephone are. This is a captivating read. Elda (aka. LB Dunbar) weaves Greek mythology, Shakespeare and the modern day into an effortless romantic tale. Once again, I give this book 5 stars (I am really on a good run this year, so far).

6. American Queen
American Queen is an erotic love story about Greer Galloway, a young woman who is born into a life of political privilege, but who tries to avoid the political world like the plague. The problem is, she's in love with Maxen Colchester, a man who eventually becomes President of the USA, a man she can't stay away from, who she is drawn to again and again over ten years.

Then there is Vice President Embry Moore, whom Greer also develops feelings for after a magical night with him in Chicago.

Sierra Simone weaves a story that encompasses Greer's upbringing and adulthood and the two great loves of her life, creating a strong, multifaceted character who is believable. Sometimes, I found reading American Queen to be somewhat uncomfortable. I am new to BDSM and sometimes caught myself mistaking the lifestyle with emotional abuse. The scene with the Carpathian President helped me to see the difference, so I thank the author very for that. The sex is hot enough to melt your reading device and the sexual tension is thick

It would have been nice to see more of Ash's personality aside from the dom he is in the bedroom. But maybe there's a book planned for him? I really hope so!

This is an interesting read and was hard to put down. I give it 4 stars.

7. Into the Blood
Though Into The Blood is marketed as contemporary romance, I found this book to be so much more than that. A continuation of Into The Nothing, in this, the second book in the series, we see Xander travel away from Truman Valley to the small town of Trinity in search of his long lost sister. As an army veteran who was treated with contempt for a situation that wasn't her fault, Gabi has found it difficult to reintegrate into society and has gotten herself messed up with the drug scene. Xander will do anything to help his sister- including break the law.

BT has taken this instalment down an even darker path than the first and it is riveting. You find yourself getting lost in the story. The characters are complex and imperfect. They are crazy and messed up and also can be funny as hell at times.

The book explores some hard issues, such as PTSD, life after the military and abuse and does so in a way that only someone who has been through these things could write about. This was another 5 star read from this author, for me. He really knows how to capture his audience.

Bring on Into The Gallows! I cannot wait!

Go you! Tearing through them.

Stef wrote: "Go you! Tearing through them."

Thanks! I am now two books ahead of schedule. Yay!

8. The Fix Up
The Fix Up is a rom-com about a cocky British divorce lawyer, Sterling Quinn, who needs to marry in six months in order to claim an inheritance of millions. When the beautiful Camryn is employed to find him a bride, the sparks fly in the wrong direction.

Sterling is sexy as all hell and quite a funny character.

I could relate to certain things in Camryn's life and understood her hesitation when it came to the playboy Brit. She is a sensible, levelheaded woman and I like that about her.

Ms. Ryan's latest story is a fun, fast, lighthearted read with great characters. I give it 5 stars.

9. Football Sundae
Football Sundae by Daryl Banner is the first M/M romance book I have ever read. I have been missing out. Tanner is a sexy football jock who is just discovering his sexuality and Billy is the most adorkable budding dessert chef who's had a huge crush on Tanner for years.
What a great, sweet read. The characters are all so quirky and sassy (just like the author).
Love this so much. 5 stars.

Kiera wrote: "9. Football Sundae
Football Sundae by Daryl Banner is the first M/M romance book I have ever read. I have been missing out. Tanner is a sexy foo..."

I love seeing people discover the m/m genre and give is a try. Good on you! :) I haven't heard of this book before so I'm going to go and check it out.

10. Sway
Adriana Locke has done it again with Sway, the first instalment of her Landry Family series. Sway is a book that hauls you in and doesn't let you go until the very last sentence. I could barely put this down. This author is incredibly talented.

Alison is a great heroine. She is a down-to-earth woman with a painful past, which causes her to rail against her passionate feelings towards Barrett Landry, who's circumstances as a high-profile politician mirror her previous experiences in love.

Barrett is swoon worthy. What a great book boyfriend. I rarely have a high opinion of pollies. Barrett is the exception.
Barrett Landry for President! 5 democratic stars. (less)

Nic wrote: "Kiera wrote: "9. Football Sundae
Football Sundae by Daryl Banner is the first M/M romance book I have ever read. I have been missing out. Tanner..."

Oh, thanks, Nic. Yes, it's an excellent book. The best way for me to be introduced to this topic. It was very sweet and sexy.

11. Thirty Days: Part One Thirty Days, Part One is my third read from BT Urruela and it does not disappoint. It's a story about Gavin, a down and out author who is dared by his friend to go on 30 dates in 30 days via a swipe dating app. It is a heartfelt dramadey about what it's like to deal with depression and how the people around you rarely understand it or relate to it.

BT has successfully combined comedy with raw emotion, Gavin's inner dialogue giving insight into what this mental illness can do to you. As per usual, this author gives it his all, but this time around, it's a lot more personal, and this shows through the prose. 5 stars.

12. Christmas at Steel Beach

*I received a free copy of this book from Instafreebie*
This was a fun, quick military romance, the first I have read in the series. Even though it's book 9, I didn't need to have read any of the books before it. Sly and Gail are decent characters and this was an enjoyable read, however, I wasn't that fussed on the ending. 3 stars.

13. Three Doctors mini comic https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

As most people who know me well already know, I LOVE DOCTOR WHO! This was a fun little 5 minute read with 3 different stories in it featuring Doctors 10, 11 & 12. The first sees Clara and 12 saving the creatures of a Quartz planet. The second story features 11 and a misunderstood book monster and finally, 10 had to deal with a creature of his own making. These are so super quick. Think a mini- webisode! 3 stars

14. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Another collection of short Doctor Who comic stories. This instalment was better than the previous one and included Doctors 9, 10, 11 & 12. 4 stars for this one.

15. Dinner at Eight I love this entire series by Jess Dee, but this one truly struck a cord with me, making it my favourite in the series so far. Jared is home from the USA and his love of his lifelong friend, Ava hasn't lessened. When he learns of the trauma she went through while he was away, he is filled with guilt over not being there to help her.

Jess does a great job of tackling a difficult topic and does so with grace, and brutal truth. As someone who went through similar trauma, I can see all of the comparisons between my own experiences and those of Ava's. Jess has the ability to write rich stories with well developed characters that you fall head over heels for in a short time with these novellas. 5 stars.

16. Mr. Rebound This was my first book by Kat. I laughed out loud quite a few times and found Noah's antics to be funny. I couldn't quite give it 5 stars because of a scene that I found disturbing that I felt was trivialised and not dealt with properly at all. Sadly, it soured the last few chapters of the book for me. So, 4 stars.

17. Leaving at Noon Leaving At Noon is the final instalment in the Sunday Dinner Club, a series I have enjoyed thoroughly. It was a fun, quick read, but this was my least favourite of the lot. I liked Theo, but couldn't stand Zoey. I found her to be too self centred. Overall, though, I didn't feel as connected to these characters as I did to couples in the previous books. Three stars for this one.

18. A Lover's Lament A Lover's Lament is a story written in dual POV of our two main characters, Katie and Devin, with KL taking the female POV and BT taking the male POV. It is a tug at the heartstrings, military romance about second chances and the effects war have on not just those serving, but the people back home who love them as well. It tells of tough childhoods and teenage love vs. adult love... and it is bloody beautiful.

This is not the first time I have read BT (having read all of his solo novels), but it was the first from KL. KL and BT are a great writing team and compliment each other well. A definite 5 star read.

Going well Kiera! Good job!

Li'l Owl wrote: "Going well Kiera! Good job!"

Thank you! I am well behind, but only because of all of my writing commitments.

19. The Summer Remains At first, the language in The Summer Remains frustrated me. The amount of 'likes' and 'whatevers' in the dialogue distracted me from being able to fully enjoy the narrative. There was narry a line of dialogue where the characters would say 'like' this and 'like' that (including the older characters). But luckily, as the story wore on, these became less invasive and once I learned to mentally cut these out, I was able to focus on the tragic love story between Summer Johnson and Cooper Nichols.

I actually enjoyed the last few chapters, which were told from Cooper's POV, the most. But overall, this is an excellent book. 4 stars.

20. Dream State This was a fun, quick and sweetly modern take on Snow White and the first in a new series of fairytale retellings. 'Snow White' is in a coma and her 'Prince Charming' is a young almost-doctor who is on duty when she is first brought in. He is immediately drawn to her and spends more time than he should by her bedside.

Amy Briggs takes us on a completely over the top love story that is totally adorable. Well done. 4 stars.

21. Doctor Who: The Child of Time This collection of 11th Doctor comics plays out like a series of the show with lots of different stories (some seemingly pointless) actually building up to an epic finale. Clues are well thought out and peppered right throughout the book and it is an exciting ride from beginning to end. 5 stars.

Kiera wrote: "21. Doctor Who: The Child of Time This collection of 11th Doctor comics plays out like a series of the show with lots of different ..."

I've never read a Dr Who comic. I really should...

Leonie wrote: "Kiera wrote: "21. Doctor Who: The Child of Time This collection of 11th Doctor comics plays out like a series of the show with lots..."

I love them so much. I have heaps of them.

22. Early Bird Special This is a fun, quick little novella. Francie is kind of neurotic, but it makes for a funny read about the craziness of Thanksgiving sales. 4 stars

23. Landing Luck

This is another fun, quick read from Tracy. Landing Luck is about a woman named Aida who embarrasses herself often and Wes, the guy who shows her that she doesn't have to let embarrasssment get to her so much. They are both good characters and I didn't find them annoying in any way. It's a testament to Tracy's writing that she is able to create such brilliant characters in such a short amount of time. 4 stars.

24. Hotshot This was another excellent book from Jackie Wang. It pulled me in from the very beginning and I read it within only a couple of days. Sierra and Asher have great chemistry and don't take things too seriously. They share a great, cheeky banter that had me laughing quite often. 5 stars for this one. It was such a pleasure to read.

26. Detecting Greed *I received and ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Detecting Greed is my first Mikey Lee read and what an excellent book. It's a cop book with a side of naughtiness that often had me dying of laughter.

Seth is a highly celebrated detective who has taken on some huge cases in the past. But this one is his biggest yet. It keeps you guessing and I found it interesting to get a look into the way a cop observes the world.

The supporting cast is great. Seth's wife, Zee, is a firecracker. The forensics boys are perfectly geeky. Ashley is a bright young thing who I think will make an excellent detective in her own right eventually. Moore is the funniest a*hole who makes you want to punch him in the face and then run around the corner and laugh your guts up.

All-in-all, this is a fantastic read. Now I need to go back and check read the previous books! Well done, Mikey Lee. 5 Stars.

27. Always You This book is beautifully written. The relationship between May and Willard is heartbreaking and beautiful and normal. Always You is an understated book, not overly dramatic and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. I know this is a short and vague review, but spoilers suck and I don't want to give anything away. It's truly a book you ought to read. This is my first Belle Brooks read and it will not be the last. 5 stars.

28. Kicking Reality

I love this drama-filled romance between childhood friends Emerson and Logan who have become a a world famous reality star and soccer star respectively. It's about how fame can ruin even the closest, most meaningful relationships and I enjoyed seeing the pair go from despising each other to needing each other on a base level. Seeing them mess up made for an interesting and compelling read that was difficult to put down. 5 stars.

29. Abounding Love *I received a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review*
Abounding Love is the true story of a man's love for his wife and the lifelong relationship they shared. Fiona has kept the book as close to her friend, Brad's true words as she possibly could, as such, it's unconventional. Entirely different to the romances that we are used to.. It's a beautiful, touching story about REAL true love and it made me hope that I might be able to find what they had one day, that perhaps a fairytale romance doesn't only exist in books. 5 stars.

Doing some nice reviews Kiera! =o)

Li'l Owl wrote: "Doing some nice reviews Kiera! =o)"

Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying them.

30. London Bound London Bound is the third book in CJ Duggan's Heart of the City series and I totally read this one first. But that's okay, because it's a standalone!
Kate is a young Aussie woman who has decided to have a holiday in London, only to find herself trapped in her nana's home and a sexy neighbour whom she is attracted to (and wishes she wasn't). I was frustrated with her at times, and I wanted to yell at her to "toughen up and stand up for yourself, girl!" This is a good thing! I like a book that gets reactions out of me like that. Jack is smooth, classy, intelligent and sexy. I swooned so much for him.
This is a fun, fast paced story and the fact that it's set in London is an added bonus (this chick LOVES London). 5 stars.

31. Hollywood Dirt Oh my god. I wish I could give this book 10 stars, it is that good! Alessandra Torre weaves an incredible story about Hollywood superstar, Cole Masten, who is in marital hell and heads to the small town of Quincey to make a film and keep his head down. He isn't counting on meeting the fiery blonde that is Summer Jenkins. The two have a love/hate relationship that is so much fun to read. I admire Summer's strength in resisting Cole Masten's charms. I would've caved oh so much sooner. :D. 5 stars, but I honestly wish I could give it more.

32. Eve of Destruction This was the first book in the Soldiers of Destruction series, and we get introduced to Eve, a cyborg soldier- a deadly part-human, part-machine who wants to remember her human side. What results is a rich backstory a solid character study of this woman, and at the centre of it all, a beautiful, tragic love story. I am not a crier, but it is extremely emotional, so if you are, you will certainly need the tissues for this one. A powerful read. 5 stars.

33. Take Back My Heart

I loved the premise of this story, a second chance love story about high school sweethearts, Lauren & Connor. Connor, who went to NY to pursue a career and Lauren, who stayed behind, married a dick and had a lovely son to him.

I like Connor as a character, but Lauren grated on me. Her mood swings were insane and sometimes I didn't understand why she was acting that way.

Whilst the overall story was good, sometimes it jumped about suddenly. It needed smoother transitions. Other than that, it was an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars.

34. Forever Ride In Forever Ride, its Tank and Sass' turn to have their story told. Tank is in a coma for most of it, but can hear everything around him, especially when Sass is around. She is who keeps him strong throughout.

Sass is done with the biker lifestyle and attempts to move on with a 'straight laced' man. But looks can be decieving and this book deals with the whole 'don't judge a book by its cover' thing.

That's all I will say, since I don't like to give spoilers. If you are new to MC romances, like I am, and not sure they are your cup of tea, Hellions is a great way to ease into the Sub-genre, as it is not too gritty or violent. But I guess I've only read two so far, so I guess we'll see. I give this book 5 stars.