Feasted On: The Princes of Oxenburg Series, Book 1

- This is an ARC book - Available Formats through Amazon.com: Paperback - Pages: 355; Kindle Edition - File Size: 4308 | Expected Release Date: September 23, 2014 | Publisher: Simon & Schuster : Pocket Books | Obtained: NetGalley & Karen Hawkins

"The Prince Who Loved Me" [The Princes of Oxenburg Series, Book 1] by Karen Hawkins

Author's Book Description : COMING SEPTEMBER 2014, the first book in the Princes of Oxenburg Series, THE PRINCE WHO LOVED ME!

Romance sizzles in this Cinderella story set in Scotland, the first in a sparkling new spinoff series from New York Times bestselling author Karen Hawkins.

Prince Alexsey Romanovin enjoys his carefree life, flirting—and more—with every lovely lady who crosses his path. But when the interfering Duchess Natasha decides it’s time for her grandson to wed, Alexsey finds himself in Scotland, determined to foil her plans. Brainy, bookish, and bespectacled, Bronwyn Murdoch seems the perfect answer—she isn’t at all to the Duchess’s taste.

Living at the beck and call of her ambitious stepmother and social butterfly stepsisters, Bronwyn has little time for a handsome flirt—no matter how intoxicating his kisses are. After all, no spoiled, arrogant prince would be seriously interested in a firm-minded female like herself. So…wouldn’t it be fun to turn his “game” upside down and prove that an ordinary woman can bring a prince to his knees…

My Book Review : 4 out of 5 stars!! A unique retelling of Cinderella, where the "fair maiden" tries to "beat" the Prince at his own game of seduction. A smartly flirtatious novel that makes you hope the heroine will catch her man!

I really liked Alexsey & Bronwyn's (Roza) romantic "courtship," they were very cute together. Then when Bronwyn found out about Alexsey's wishes for his time in Scotland I liked how Bronwyn thought she would be able to become in control of everything without getting her own emotions involved, it was sweet and funny of her. In truth, I admired her as a heroine, yet I also found her to be naive more so then most of the "innocent" heroines I've read about before. She's naive in a way that it was hard for me to admire her after a while when she kept saying one thing then doing another.

Nevertheless, the only thing that I didn't like about this novel was how Bronwyn's stepmother (who's portrayed as a ditzy but sweet lady) acts out like the actual stepmother in Cinderella does at the very end (even if it was suppose to be for Bronwyn's own good). It made me second-guess this novel a bit, mostly because I liked the secondary characters. Yet, luckily, to my relief, the end helped ease my fears and wrapped up very nicely. It was especially nice to see that one of Bronwyn's stepsisters got to find love too.

I recommend this novel to anyone who is fans of Ms. Hawkins, a fan of her Duchess Diaries Series, and/or like historical romances!

Purchase This Book and/or The Other Books From It's Series/Connected Series Here :


My Previous Review(s) for this Author : Sleepless In Scotland | How to Treat a Lady

My Previous Mention(s) of this Author's Books/Characters : Second Sentence Saturday: The Prince Who Loved Me

Author's Novel Extras : Cover Reveal!


Book Teaser(s) :

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He sniffed.
Ah! The rosemary! Holding her breath, she waited.
He sniffed again. "Is it an herb, nyet?"
She nodded, smiling shyly. "Rosemary."
"The cook at Tulloch puts it in turtle soup."
Her smile faltered. She smelled like a turtle? Not a fragrant loaf of bread, but a turtle? "Surely you've smelled it in some other dishes, too. Bread, perhaps?"
He shook his head.
"In a delicious stew, then? Something savory and warm?"
He released her cloak. "In my country, we throw rosemary onto graves."
She just looked at him, appalled.
"That seems odd to you, nyet? Rosemary keeps fresh the . . . How do you say---?" He tapped his forehead. "Thoughts about times no longer here."
"Memories?"
"Da! Rosemary keeps fresh the memories of the dead."
Lovely. She smelled like a turtle and the grave. ~ within Chapter 20

For more information on this book, series, and/or any other books by Karen, then please check out her website.

Second Sentence Saturday: The Prince Who Loved Me

SECOND SENTENCE SATURDAY is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jess of From Me to You ... Video, Photography, & Book Reviews. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab the novel/novella your currently reading
• Open to the first page of Chapter 1 or its Prologue
• Share the SECOND sentence from that page
• Share the novel/novella's title & its author, so that other participants can add that novel to their TBR Lists if they want

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MY Second Sentence Saturday :

"The Prince Who Loved Me" [The Princes of Oxenburg Series, Book 1] by Karen Hawkins

Somewhere around chapter seven she had started wondering if Lucinda, the annoyingly incompetent heroine of The Black Duke, truly deserved to live.

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PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT to share either the link to your own SECOND SENTENCE SATURDAY post or share the sentence in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thank You!

Made the Grade: The Mistletoe Effect by Melissa Cutler

- This is an ARC book - Available Formats through Amazon.com: Kindle Edition - File Size: 1953 | Expected Release Date: October 7, 2014 | Publisher: St. Martin's Press : Paperbacks | Obtained: NetGalley

"The Mistletoe Effect" by Melissa Cutler

Author's Book Description : A cowboy and an heiress find themselves a pretend marriage—and a very real passion—in THE MISTLETOE EFFECT, a delightfully sexy Christmas e-novella from Melissa Cutler.

It’ll be a Christmas to remember when hotel heiress Carina Briscoe falls for cowboy James Decker, the bad boy stable manager of her family’s Texas resort, after they’re roped into pretending marriage. The marriage might be a sham but the sparks between them are anything but. Still, with a little help from the heroine’s interfering family, they might end up with the greatest Christmas gift of all: true love.

My Book Review : 3.5 out of 5 stars! After lusting after each other from afar over the past few years, Decker & Carina finally get a chance to see what a relationship between them would be like ... if only it didn't start out with them having to pretend. Will they be able to over come the lies that Carina's family forces them to agree too or will they decide to part ways once everything is said and done?

This was a sweetly humorous romance that has slight erotic tendencies. I really liked how Decker encourages Carina to step up and become the woman she's meant to be (in more ways then one). It was nice seeing these two get together, especially since they already care about each other at the beginning so it was nice to see that "care" grow into something more over the course of this novel. In addition, once you include Carina's quirky family and her friends it'll keep the reader guessing the whole way through!

The only thing I had a hard time with was how it seemed to drag a bit in the middle. Yet otherwise, I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone looking for a comedic contemporary holiday erotic romance!

-- On a side note --
I loved Carina's holiday undies ideas, especially when she wears them as a rebellion against the Christmas theme. Also, I can totally see this novel being turned into a series. I mean it just has all the makings for a series, I'd be interested to see where Ms. Cutler could take it and these characters!

Purchase This Book Here :

Author's Novel Extras : The Mistletoe Effect - Overview | The Mistletoe Effect - Chapter One


Book Teaser(s) :

Carina whirled on Decker. "If you'd thrown Wendell a bachelor party with strippers, this never would have happened."
Her face was instantly hot. What a ridiculous thing to say. It was amazing how easy it was to get sucked into her parents' vortex and let her concern for the business overshadow her concern for Haylie's well-being, but screwed-up priorities were her parents' gig, not hers. Haylie was better off without marrying Wendell, even if it cost the Briscoes' business hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue and irreversibly changed the course of the resort's growth.
Decker seemed unfazed. Crossing his arms over his chest, he rocked on his boot heels and arched a brow. "This must be one of those damned if I do, damned if I don't arguments you women are so fond of." ~ within Chapter 1

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"Nice apron, too."
"Yeah? You should probably know I'm not naked under this thing."
Bummer. But before she could voice her disappointment, he spun, showing off his butt in the pair of Halloween-themed cotton boxers she'd sewn for him. The sight made her laugh, it was such a nice surprise. ~ within Chapter 8

For more information on this book and/or any other books by Melissa, then please check out her website.

Teaser Tuesday: A Little Christmas Jingle

"A Little Christmas Jingle" by Michele Dunaway -- MY REVIEW
Book Teaser:

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Feasted On: A Little Christmas Jingle by Michele Dunaway

- This is an ARC book - Available Formats through Amazon.com: Kindle Edition - File Size: 1541 | Expected Release Date: October 7, 2014 | Publisher: St. Martin's Press : Paperbacks | Obtained: NetGalley

"A Little Christmas Jingle" by Michele Dunaway

Author's Book Description : Women, men, stray dogs—everyone's looking for love this holiday season. Sometimes all it takes is a LITTLE CHRISTMAS JINGLE to get into the spirit. . .

Kat Saunders needs a Christmas miracle. She’s expanded her vet practice to include a no-kill shelter, and she forgot to get the required permits. Now that a few neighbors have complained and she’s been summoned to court, she could lose everything she has worked for. When a gorgeous detective comes to her with an abused pit-bull, she does everything she can to save the puppy and soon realizes that brooding Jack Donovan might just be the answer to her legal woes.

Jack, or Mr. December to fans of the Sexy Public Servants Charity Calendar, hates Christmas. As head of St. Louis’s first Animal Cruelty Task Force, Jack has seen the worst in people, especially around the holidays. But one sexy vet is getting under his skin with her tireless holiday cheer, intent on proving to him that there is Christmas magic in the air...

My Book Review : 4.5 out of 5 stars! Jack meets Katherine (Kat) at a ball they both attend, while there they share a mistletoe kiss and loose each other in the middle of everything going on. A while later they meet up again after Jack bring an terribly abused puppy (Jingle) to Kat's clinic for help, from there a relationship begins that will shake up their lives for the better.

Kat and Jack's romance is one that would put a good Hallmark Christmas movie a run for its money. It was sweet, fun, with just enough drama to keep the reader enraptured! I especially loved how after their "big crisis" Jack won Kat back, as it was very romantic! Plus, I liked all the animals that were in this novel since it gave it more personality! Poor Jingle, though, I wish I could cuddle that little guy. Even though I know Jingle isn't real, his story is a common one (sad to say) and I liked how Ms. Dunaway handles the subject.

I recommend this novel to those who like contemporary holiday romances!!

Purchase This Book Here :

Author's Novel Extras : A Little Christmas Jingle - Overview

Book Teaser(s) :

"Oh, please. You mean to tell me you weren't flattered by all those women vying for attention at the ball?"
"You mean my stalkers?"
"Fan club?"
"Stalkers. Or overzealous attention seekers? Calendar groupies? Those better terms?" ~ within Chapter 3

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For more information on this book and/or any other books by Michele, then please check out her website.