Jess—aka Reviews by Jess—is a sassy, top-ranked Goodreads reviewer who reads a little of everything. From steamy romance to dark fantasy, plus stories featuring mental health, hidden disabilities, and LGBTQ+ rep, she brings bold, unfiltered reviews readers can trust. Expect sass, sparkle, and a TBR that’s about to explode.

Reviews by Jess- Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unforgettable Reviews.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

The Eilan Water Trilogy


The Other Side of Dusk
The Eilan Water Trilogy Book 1 
by Cherime MacFarlane
Genre: Historical Romance


The Romans are already there in force. The Antonine Wall stretches from the firth of Clyde to the firth of Forth. While the Romans pursue conquest on a grand scale, the Scotti are infiltrating Pictish territory slowly.
Ualan’s people are a mix of Pict and Scott. They face the Romans on one hand and the Picts on the other. Their hold is tenuous. Things take a terrible turn when Ualan’s someone kills his mother and sells him into slavery to a Roman woman.
She needs a stud, a young one who won’t challenge the master. Her life depends on producing an heir. Ualan hates her and all she stands for. Her plot backfires when an old soldier mentors the boy. He helps Ualan escape with their son. At home, his troubles are far from over. War with his Pictish kin looms, and the master seeks the child he declares is his, not Ualan’s. 

"A story of kinship, hard men and a constant readiness to face conflict are key ingredients in this superb story. The romantic interludes are painted with a deft hand and given the story, I would credit the sexual scenes as ‘hot’, rather than ‘cozy and heartwarming’.5 stars

McGrath House Indie Book Award Finalist 2017
NOTE: May contain triggers.





A Bard's Desire 

The Eilan Water Trilogy Book 2 




A tale of the twilight of the Roman Empire.
Aed’s dreams of Muirne fill his heart with yearning. She is his desire, all he hopes for. Sending the message alerted her father and uncle, but he and Muirne did not part as lovers. He thought to give her hope that he would return. Curse the land. Curse his kin, she is his heart’s wish.
Muirne believes Aed. Come spring, he will come. While she waits, Muirne must thwart her father and uncle’s plans and avoid her cousin. Grainne’s seduction of Aed should have earned her a slit throat. Muirne must wait on Aed. All hinges on his ability to evade his uncle and cousins, snatch Muirne and avoid Grainne.
Ualan agreed to go with the bard on a raid to take the woman from her kin. The two young men set off in a skin boat for Eire. They need a band of warriors and have only themselves and a determined woman who waits in Eire. 




A Wanderer's Dream 
The Eilan Water Trilogy Book 3 


She is a prisoner here, but still in the north, far from the fat trader her father would have bargained her away to. Since she manipulated Aed into bringing her along, she cannot complain. Things are not as bad as they could be for Grainne until Ualan takes steps to keep her from his father. Insisting she become the Roman’s woman, Ualan forces them together against all advice.

Roman by citizenship, Berber by birth, smith by choice, Aghilas has exchanged one master for another. Ualan gave him no choice. Die or submit, he became Ualan’s man. Forced to take Grainne as his woman, Aghilas is angry and frustrated.

The Picts of Corda are an ever-present threat. Torcuil, chief of the mixed band of Scotti and Pict fears all-out war. While he spirits away more settlers from Eire, Ualan is in charge of Eilan Water. The chief of the small band hopes more warriors will equate with victory. Two smiths should help increase the weapons of war for they will need them. 

**Reserve your copy today!**




Meet Cherime MacFarlane, Award Winning, Best-Selling Author. A prolific multi-genre author, she has a broad range of interests that reflect her been there-done-that life. Historical Romance, Contemporary Romance, Science Fiction Fantasy, Paranormal and Inspirational novels, all sorts of characters and plots evolve from a vivid imagination.

As a reporter for the Copper Valley Views, Cherime MacFarlane received a letter of commendation from the Copper River Native Association for fair and balanced reporting. She was part of the Amazon Best Selling in Anthologies and Holidays, Fantasy Anthologies, Short Stories, and Mystery. The Other Side of Dusk, historical romance, was a finalist in the McGrath house awards of 2017.





Two $15 gift cards and Ebooks of the first two in the series!


Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!




Claiming Marcus by Jocelynn Drake

Claiming Marcus by Jocelynn Drake

Book #1 in the Lords of Discord Series

Cover created by DESIGN BY DRAKE

RELEASE DATE: October 31, 2019

Available to Pre-Order at Amazon

Add to Goodreads

 

Vampires slaughtered my family.

No one believed me until I met some new friends, who promised to help me get justice.

But nothing prepared me for Marcus Varik.

Tall, dark, and mind-numbingly sexy.

But he’s also shy, protective, and adorably eccentric.

Oh God, I should have never agreed to betray him.

Hopefully, it's not too late to fix my mistake before I lose more people I love.

Claiming Marcus is the first book in an MM paranormal romance series that has vampires, betrayal, 
annoying brothers, music, heartbreak, hope, sexy times, and a raven named Ozzie.
 



Blog Button 2

Explosive Encounter by K.L. Donn




Explosive Encounter by K.L. Donn


Series: Task Force 779; Book 2
Genre: Military Romance

GOODREADS | TF779 ALERTS

Photographer: Reggie Deanching at RplusMphoto

Model: Guy Michael
Cover Design: Sensual Graphic Designs



Foster Halsey has been burned by life, by love.

Recruited to the Task Force 779 elite team after a nasty divorce, Foster only wants to serve his country. He has no interest in anything except the art of explosives and saving lives. After nearly losing a team mate, and witnessing the pain his family went through, Foster is more determined than ever to remain unattached. 

Until a mission sends his team to Mexico to rescue the estranged daughter of a CIA official.

Their attraction is explosive.
But she's been burned worse than him.

Everett Gaines was searching for answers.

After finishing college, Everett only wanted some R&R after a troubling discovery. She wanted to lay back on the beaches of Porta Vallarta and enjoy some time alone. Life has a way of kicking her when she's already down though and soon she becomes the victim of a kidnapping.

Acts so violent and gruesome that she never imagined are forced upon her until a savior explodes through her prison door. After a failed escape, Foster vows to protect her at all costs. With risk to his own life, Everett see's something in the solitary man. 

A longing to be someone's everything at a time when she needs him most.

One Explosive Encounter leaves them breathless and Foster wants more.
But Everett pushes him away. Refusing to hear him out and why they could be more. Foster won't let go though and when sinister forces come rushing back, Everett is forced to rely on Task Force 779 to keep her safe.

After the pain ends and secrets come to light, will Everett still be alive to make the choice her heart desire's or will Foster be left an empty shell from a lost love?




TASK FORCE 779 SERIES on GOODREADS


Purchase Missing in Action; Book 1 today!
AMAZON | APPLE | KOBO | NOOK | GOOGLE

Available for Preorder: Dangerous Affair; Book 3, coming April 21, 2020
Amazon
APPLE | KOBO | NOOK


Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Stateless by Meli Raine Release




Title: Stateless
Series: The Stateless Series #1
Author: Meli Raine
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: October 15, 2019



Blurb

When you’re born without a trace, no one knows you’re a weapon.

I lie for her.
I hunt for her.
I kill for her.
And above all, I betray my mission for her.
She doesn’t know why. She doesn’t care why.
I do.
Treason comes in many forms.
Love is one of them.
Our training taught me to be a sociopath. A machine. A pawn. Nothing more than a tool for a larger goal, without attachments or feelings.
Our teachers forgot one important detail:
Pawns shouldn’t have hearts.
Yet we do.
It turns out our emotions are our greatest weapon.
And I know exactly where mine are aimed.

The Stateless Series also includes:
Traceless(releasing 11.19.19)
Fateless (release date TBA)








Purchase Link



ALSO AVAILABLE IN AUDIO






Excerpt

“Thank you,” I choke out.
“For what?” His eyes cut away. The air between us has changed. I can't explain it. Suddenly, I'm uncomfortable.
And yet I just want to be with him.
“For killing for me.”
As the words come forth from my mouth, I cringe inside. I did not mean to say for me. “For me” implies that he killed the bunny out of some attachment to me.
We are not allowed to have emotions for one another. It puts us at risk.
“I did it for me,” he says, louder than he should need to.
“You did?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To challenge Romeo.”
“Why would you do that?” My voice goes up to a sharp squeak at the end, incredulous.
He laughs. “Because we are taught to destabilize power structures.” He looks around. “What do you think the compound is?”





Coming Soon


Releasing November 19, 2019







Author Bio

Meli Raine writes romantic suspense with hot bikers, intense undercover DEA agents, bad boys turned good, and Special Ops heroes — and the women who love them. Meli rode her first motorcycle when she was five years old, but she played in the ocean long before that. She lives in New England with her family.


Author Links

Paradox by C.A. Harms Release




Title: Paradox
Series: Pearson Sisters #1
Author: C.A. Harms
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 15, 2019



Blurb

Pretending had always been so easy for Shane...until Janelle moved in next door.
Janelle was excited to be starting a brand new chapter in her life. But her eagerness quickly plummeted when her new neighbor stormed over with his arrogance and attitude. And now, just the sight of him made her blood boil.
Just as she thought she knew exactly what kind of man Shane Anderson was, he blindsided her and left her speechless.
Turns out, she didn’t know him at all...
She quickly realized that the man he pretended to be was nothing more than a Paradox.







Purchase Links


Free in Kindle Unlimited





Excerpt

“Shh.” I look up at Slate with an arched brow, about to ask him what the hell he was shushing me for, and found him looking off toward my neighbor’s yard. “Don’t want to wake the devil.” The words were in a hushed tone, but with the openness of the yards, and the silence of the night, it did nothing to hide the conversation taking place next door.
I see Slate lift his hand to cover his mouth just before his shoulders begin to shake with the laughter he’s attempting to hide.
The voices belong to two females, and I’m surprised by my feeling of relief knowing that she doesn’t have some guy over sharing an intimate night.
“That man is hellishly evil.” I lean in closer, doing my best to hear as the humor of the situation seeps in and I too feel a smile tugging at my lips.
“Be quiet.” I recognize the voice immediately as the sassy girl I’ve had a standoff with a time or two—my neighbor. “Don’t move, laugh, or even breathe. Otherwise the dragon will come flying out shooting fire from his nose.”
“I swear he has a two by four stuck up his ass.” They break out into a fit of giggles, and if I’m not mistaken, it appears as though they may be a little tipsy.
Slate lowers his hand, showing off the grin still on his lips. “You made a couple enemies, it seems.”
Lifting my hand, I flip him off and instantly think of the blonde with gorgeous eyes using that same gesture toward me only days ago.
“Do you think he’s gay?”
My smile falters.

“Who knows?” It is hard to distinguish between the two voices. “What I do know is no matter if he prefers the bratwurst or the bun, he needs to get laid.”
Leaning over, I place my beer on the ground next to my chair and attempt to stand when Slate stops me. “Dude, please don’t break this up. It’s too funny.”
“For you maybe.” The woman thought I was gay. I definitely prefer the bun over the brat. Even if it has been a long-ass time since I’ve gotten any.






Author Bio


C.A. Harms is like any other addicted reader. She enjoys happy endings and HEA love stories. She hasn't always been a lover of Romance and had once been addicted to a good Mystery. Just recently she has taken on a new liking and now is a full blown Romance novel addict.

She lives in Illinois and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. You will always find her with her kindle or paperback in hand as it is her favorite pass time.


Author Links