BOOK REVIEW: HIS TRUE QUEEN BY JODI ELLEN MALPAS

Title: His True Queen

Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas

Genre: Romance

Published on: August 7, 2018 by Everafter Romance

The breathtaking conclusion of The Smoke & Mirrors Duology.

A beautiful, defiant princess. A renowned, sinfully gorgeous Hollywood actor.

A love affair that is sure to rock the British Monarchy…and the world.

Their love affair began intensely and passionately. Princess Adeline and Josh Jameson knew any future together was impossible—her status as a princess and his standing as a Hollywood heartthrob dictated that. But the heights of pleasure they could take each other to were wildly unanticipated by them both. Josh’s absolute disregard for Adeline’s status quickly drew her into his hedonistic world. And her perfectly worn mask and false façade captivated Josh to the point of obsession. The boundaries became blurred. The physical became emotional. Their hearts became entwined.

 

But a cruel turn of events rips their worlds apart and Adeline is more bound than ever by the protocol and expectations her title commands. The army of royal advisors who guard the secrets and scandals of the Monarchy will go to unthinkable lengths to keep the smoke and mirrors in place…and Josh away from Adeline. She knows the power she possesses comes with agonizing sacrifices. Walking away from Josh devastates her…but it keeps him safe from the corrupt institution that has ruled her life.

 

Yet Josh refuses to lose the woman who has consumed him so completely, distorted his boundaries, and stripped him of all sensibility.

 

Will the power of the British Monarchy triumph? Or will their fierce love for each other change the course of history?

This is the sequel and final novel of the Smoke and Mirrors duology. It’s a royal drama/romance set in contemporary England. The protagonist is Princess Adeline Catherine Lockhart. Or I should say, Queen Adeline Lockhart I. The Controversial Princess ended with a stunning development. Adeline’s father, King Alfred, and his first-born son John, died in a helicopter accident. With them gone, the next in line would have been the Lockhart middle child, Edward. A big family secret meant that the crown bypassed Edward and landed on Adeline’s head. It was the last thing she wanted. Adeline had recently fallen for Josh Jameson, a famous American actor she met at her 30th birthday party.

If there was no way Josh and Adeline could be together when she was a princess, it will be all but impossible now that she’s the Queen. Even though Adeline dreaded ascending to the throne, she’s not one to shirk her duty. To add to her mourning, the new queen is also suffering from guilt. Adeline believes her father scrambled into the helicopter to get to her and Josh and stop them from being together. A few of the royals think so as well. Before the accident, Adeline confessed her feelings for Josh to her father and some of his inner circle. As expected, they definitely didn’t approve.

BOOK REVIEW: PURE BLOOD BY MELISSA PEARL

Title: Pure Blood
Author: Melissa Pearl
Genre: Fantasy

Published on: February 15, 2012, self-published

It is only a matter of time before Gemma's parents find out she traveled through time to bring Harrison back into existence. The fear of being found out is a heavy weight on her shoulders, but she refuses to give up on everything she's fought for. Harrison is worth the risk.

The couple draws closer together as they battle opposing forces from all sides. They stay strong until Gemma's parents welcome an exchange student into their home. Simeon, a gorgeous Californian, is as smooth as coffee and, supposedly, a fellow time spirit. Gemma's parents expect her to take him everywhere and, of course, fall in love with him. After all, he is the boy they have chosen for her.

No longer able to sneak off alone, Gemma must watch every step as she waits for the inevitable nightmare to catch up to her. Her parents ultimate goal is to get that last necklace and open the box hidden in their safe. If they do, Gemma knows her entire world will unravel.

As the danger mounts, Gemma must decide if she has the courage to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the ones she loves and stop to her parents' destructive plans.

It’s here, the conclusion of the Time Spirit trilogy. The previous book, Black Blood, ended in a pretty big cliffhanger. Protagonist Gemma Hart managed to save the day, though narrowly. It almost seemed as if a HEA wasn’t far along. Then the cliffhanger came and threw a wrench into that potential future. Now Gemma faces opposition from two fronts.

The good news is that Gemma has her boyfriend, Harrison Granger, back. He was wiped out of existence by Alistair and Penelope, Gemma’s parents. The Harts are time spirits, human beings who can time travel into the past. Alistair and Penelope have a very specific future in mind for their daughter. Harrison didn’t figure in it, so they got rid of him. Gemma was able to learn how to time travel thanks to Gabe Hunter, a former time spirit. I say former because time spirits lose their power when they become old.

THE 20 QUESTIONS BOOK TAG

Good morning! I am back with another non-review post. This is one I've been working on for a little while. I first came across this interesting tag while visiting Bookish Brews. It's one of my most frequented book blogs. As a book blogger myself, I thought it would be good to take part in this tag. It also means something fresh to post, other than book reviews and discussion posts. Answering these questions was cool as well, and it'll give my blog visitors a better idea of what I like when it comes to books. Here are my responses:

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How many books are too many books in a series?

I feel that would depend on the series. For instance, I’m really invested in the Old World Chronology (by Melissa F. Olson) and In the Company of Killers (by J.A. Redmerski) at the moment. Neither of these series are that long, but I wouldn’t mind if they went to 12 or more installments each in total. They are just so good. I would very likely start them today if I’d never read them before. There are some super-long series that seem excessive to me, though. Bella Forrest and Janet Evanovich come to mind. I'm sorry if you're a fan of them, but they have like 30 books per series. That'd take me almost half a year to read nonstop. My reading backlog is already miles long as it is.

How do you feel about cliffhangers?

They don’t bother me when done right, and when the book is getting a sequel. I can appreciate how cliffhangers build intrigue and make you more eager to continue the series. But it’s really disappointing when an author ends up abandoning the series. It’s even worse if you enjoyed the book. That almost makes me wish I could unread it.

 

BOOK REVIEW: IN THE DARK BY MONICA MURPHY

Title: In the Dark

Author: Monica Murphy

Genre: Romance, New Adult

Published on: August 19, 2015 by Monica Murphy

The girl next door isn't what she seems...

Stuck spending the summer with his screwed up family, Gabriel Walker is bored out of his mind and looking for an adventure. And he seems to find it with the hot girl who lives next door. The attraction between them is instant. Electric. Soon they're spending every stolen minute together. Talk about the perfect summer fling...

Lucy isn't what she seems. She doesn't live next door--she's the girl who's been hired to house sit. If Gabe wants to believe she's a spoiled rich girl looking for some fun, she can go along with that. After the summer, she'll never see him again.

They don't count on running into each other at college. Now Lucy must keep up the pretense of being a rich girl--and it's exhausting. She knows she's falling in love with Gabe and she's scared he feels the same. Will he still care about her when he discovers the truth?

After reading Fair Game, I liked it more than enough to continue this series. In the Dark is book two of The Rules series. It’s a standalone romance, meaning this isn’t part two of Jade and Shepard’s love story. These are the sort of romance novels where each book focuses on a different couple. The protagonists of In the Dark are Gabriel Walker and Lucy (whose last name wasn't mentioned, not that I recall). The former is Shepard’s best friend, who had a small but significant role in Fair Game.

Like Shepard, Gabriel doesn’t do commitment. Their sole concern is to have fun while they’re in college. Once they graduate, then they’ll be responsible adults. This means Gabriel never dates or sleeps with the same girl more than once. Things start to change as soon as this book starts. Gabriel is spending the summer with his family at their Santa Barbara beach house. The vacation would have been boring if it weren’t for a certain someone. Gabriel’s been spending a good part of his time ogling the next-door neighbor. She’s a girl around his age who likes to use the backyard pool.

BOOK REVIEW: NYPD RED BY JAMES PATTERSON AND MARSHALL KARP

Title: NYPD Red

Author: James Patterson and Marshall Karp

Genre: Mystery, thriller

Published on: October 8, 2012 by Little, Brown and Company

It's the start of Hollywood on Hudson, and New York City is swept up in the glamour. Every night, the red carpet rolls out for movie stars arriving at premieres in limos; the most exclusive restaurants close for private parties for wealthy producers and preeminent directors; and thousands of fans gather with the paparazzi, hoping to catch a glimpse of the most famous and beautiful faces in the world. With this many celebrities in town, special task force NYPD Red is on high alert-and they can't afford to make a single mistake. Then a world-renowned producer fatally collapses at his power breakfast, and top NYPD Red Detective Zach Jordan is the first one on the scene. Zach works with his beautiful new partner, Detective Kylie MacDonald-who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend-to discover who the murderer might be. But this is only the beginning: the most brutal, public, and horrifyingly spectacular crimes they've ever encountered are about to send all of New York into chaos, putting NYPD Red on the ropes. Zach and Kylie know there's no way of telling what a killer this deranged will do next. With the whole world watching, they have to find a way to stop a psychopath who has scripted his finale down to the last explosive detail. With larger-than-life action, relentless speed, and white-knuckle twists, NYPD Red is the next mega-blockbuster from "The Man Who Can't Miss." (TIME) 

When I picked up NYPD Red, I'd been looking to read more James Patterson books. He's the world’s best-selling author for a reason. I haven’t put his novels off because I think I won’t like them. My reading backlog is just super long. NYPD Red is the first in a new mystery/police procedural series. The main characters are Detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald. They’re part of NYPD Red, a special task force that only handles high-profile cases related to wealthy or powerful people. At the start of the book, Kylie’s just transferred into Red. She’s replacing Zach’s old partner, who’s away on medical leave.

You learn right away that Zach and Kylie not only know each other. They have history, as in they dated a decade ago. Zach still has feelings for Kylie and finds her as beautiful as the first time he saw her. Kylie is married now, though. Her husband is Spence Harrington, a well-to-do TV writer and producer. The book avoids a cliché by not making Spence a douche. He’s a good guy, so it’s extremely unlikely for Kylie to leave him for Zach. That would be callous, not to mention boring.

BOOK REVIEW: SHE CAN TELL BY MELINDA LEIGH

Title: She Can Tell
Author: Melinda Leigh
Genre: Romantic suspense, mystery

Published on: December 4, 2012 by Montlake Romance

When a terrible accident abruptly ends her riding career, Rachel Parker returns to Pennsylvania to rebuild her family’s horse farm. But her welcome home is anything but warm. Her sister’s abusive husband and a violent vandal threaten Rachel’s new business and her life. Someone is systematically trying to destroy her. Someone who knows private things about her. Someone who’s been watching her. Now Rachel must face the fact that the sins of her carefully hidden past have returned to haunt her…

Police Chief Mike O’Connell never had trouble drawing the line between his personal life and his job—until he met Rachel Parker. Mike’s investigation uncovers a shocking number of secrets and suspects. But the stalker’s escalating violence convinces him he doesn’t have much time to sort through it all. Whoever is watching Rachel wants her dead. Mike and Rachel race to untangle a web of deceit and lies that stretches two decades into the past—before her stalker strikes again.

Can the same formula work as well as it did the first time? She Can Run was a romantic suspense featuring a strong-willed woman who came under the protection of a righteous alpha male. I enjoyed the book, so that compelled me to continue the series. She Can Tell takes place in the same setting as its predecessor. The events start a few months from where She Can Run left off. There’s a new protagonist, Rachel Parker. She’s a professional horse racer who got forced out of retirement after a ghastly accident a while back. Now, Rachel’s come to Westbury, Pennsylvania to take care of her grandfather’s ranch.

Unlike Elizabeth Baker, Rachel isn’t an only child. She has a younger sister, Sarah. The latter never left Westbury. She married her high school sweetheart, Troy Mitchell. Unfortunately, their love story has taken a sad turn. Troy’s become an abusive husband, and he hits her in his latest attack. Sarah calls her sister, who rushes to her aid. Soon after this, the second protagonist and love interest is introduced. He’s Mike O’Connell (another guy with an O’ name in the same small town?), the chief of police.