Kelly Parker: Ludi

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/255569979-ludi

Book Blurb:

Every sailor knows the stories of the girl the sea refused to drown.
Of the storms that rise without warning.
Of the ships that never return.
Most call her a curse.
They're wrong.

When Ludivine Lamont was only three days old, her father cast her into the sea, believing the ocean would bury his greatest mistake.
Instead, it claimed her.
Raised by pirates and fiercely protected by the crew who became her family, Ludi has spent her life outrunning the whispers. Wherever she goes, storms follow. Ships disappear. Men blame the sea's fury on the mysterious pirate girl they call Stormblood.
Ludi knows only one thing for certain.
When danger finds her...
The sea answers.

Kaiser Crowe hunts monsters for a living.
When he's hired to capture the infamous daughter of the sea and deliver her to the man who wants her dead, he expects to find a weapon.
Not a reckless pirate with a knife in her boot, salt in her hair,
and a habit of smiling in the face of danger.
She should be his easiest bounty.
Instead, she'll make him question everything he believes.

As ancient secrets rise from the depths and a relentless enemy closes in, Ludi and Kaiser are forced into an uneasy alliance that neither of them wants—and neither of them can survive without.

Because the sea doesn't create monsters.
It protects them.

And anyone foolish enough to threaten what it has claimed...
will have to survive the storm.

Tropes:

*Indie Author *ARC read *Pirate Romance *Action *Adventure *curses *Battles *Family Drama

*Found Family *He falls first *Baddie FMC *Touch her and 💀 *Protective MMC *Banter

*Enemies --> More  *age gap *Slow burn *Morally Grey MMC & FMC 

Thoughts:

Ludi has had a tough life, abandoned as an infant she was thankfully cared for and taken in by a pirate and because of that grew up learning the value of hard work and how to take care of herself.  

Unfortunately for Ludi most believe her to be cursed... including herself at times especially with her history of storms coming without warning.  She has been on her own for a long time after one of these storms claimed her original crew and has been going with any crew willing to take her but truth is she hasn't felt like she's had a home for a long time... until she's captured by Kaiser Crow who has been paid quite well to make sure the daughter of the sea gets to her final destination.

Kaiser (MMC) was also raised by pirates working in tough environments and has rised through the ranks to be captain of his own ship... but don't call him that, or else!  He's handsome but he's also cruel, but Ludi knows the type she's lived with them and worked with them for years, if he wants to abduct her she's going to make him work for it.

Kaiser thinking that this will be an easy bounty... she's a young woman after all what could go wrong?  

Ludi is loyal, fierce, beautiful and bold, and honestly just as ruthless as Kaiser himself, trouble finds her wherever she goes she has a fire inside of her but she's also charming and can light up any room... or all the parts of the ship, making friends with his crew and throwing Kaiser off his game he doesn't know what to do with her and the more he gets to know of her he begins to question if bringing her in is the right thing to do, it's not only his crew that has fallen for her at this point but his own hardened heart is cracking and Ludi is slipping right in.

Ludi while she shows no fear honestly all she really wants is to find a place that accepts her and feels like home again it's been so long since she's had that feeling and is beginning to feel that way again with the Blackwater crew but that could be dangerous... she is just a bounty to them, isn't she? 

This book has everything you would want in a pirate romance --> an old curse, tension between our MMC and FMC you could cut with a knife, danger, action, adventure and a lot of drama.  While our handsome MMC is protective and has no problem backing up our feisty FMC Ludi she is a firecracker and can handle her own and proves it time and time again.  

The back and forth between our couple had so much tension, you just knew when they finally gave in it was going to be fireworks!! 

Kaiser and Ludi both have trouble trusting others and letting their guards down but once someone is in... they are in, Love the found family aspect of this story the Blackwater crew were awesome and I loved how some of them took Ludi's side during some of these arguments right away it shows that sometimes the family choose yourself is so much better than the one you were born into... and Ludi's father! Seriously what is wrong with this guy!! ugh!  

Thank you so much to Kelly Parker for giving me an advance copy of this book!  I was so excited to try a pirate romance and it exceeded my expectations!  Loved this book so much!!

Have you read this one?  What did you think?  

Myranda Rae: Mark of the Damned

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/231327250-mark-of-the-damned

Book Blurb:

Niamh is on the run. Leaving behind her family, her past, and everything she's ever known in search of something more.

When she charters a ride on a ship bound for Portugal, she expects rough waters, maybe even danger. What she doesn't expect is this crew… or the secrets they keep beneath the surface.

Adventure and love on the high seas are perilous enough, but with this ship, things turn unreasonably deadly.

Because some monsters don’t wait in the water, some walk the deck.

Tropes: 

* Indie Author  *Shifter Romance *Protective MMC *Found Family *origin Story *Ireland

*Spice  *under 200 pages *Close proximity *fierce FMC *Secrets revealed *fantasy

Thoughts:

Niamh is a young lady and her father has decided that she will marry a local nobleman to essentially help with her younger sister's future marital prospects... Problem is the guy is a lot older and he is just awful she can't do it and she won't do it.  

Her only option is to run away to the coast and hopefully sell the horse she stole from her father, once she gets there the horse doesn't fetch as much coin as she thought it would but she has no choice as her father is likely to be after her soon.

She gets taken in as a passenger by the first crew she can they are on their way to Portugal and at this point she is willing to go anywhere as long as it gets her far away from her current fate as unwilling bride.

Now she is alone on board with a rough and tumble crew... who all share a secret and it's one that could cost her... she just has to continue to keep her head down and make herself useful as a cook and cleaning and mending thier clothes... but there is a lot to learn when it comes to sea living and it isn't a luxury cruise.

The Captain and a few of the crew members are not a fan of her being on board, but she catches the eye of The Captain's son Silver (aka Cooper).  Cooper is nothing like his gruff father he is sweet, protective and handsome as sin... she is beginning to feel things for him that she probably shouldn't but can't help but feel anyways.

Cooper feels the same towards her but he wants to protect her from himself and the rest of the crew, in order to do this he has to do the hardest thing ever and push her away it's for her own good.  

Niamh our brave FMC ends up tagging along with this crew on their mission in Portugal and she knows what she wants in her life... but can she make her own future with so many elements out of her control?  

This was a fun adventure on the high seas with danger, secrets revealed, and a true love worthy of becoming legendary! 

Have you read this one?  What did you think?  

Marlissa Cunningham: Catalyst

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235671217-catalyst

Book Blurb:

"Elissa, you are the worst princess I have ever met, and by far, my favorite."

In a land divided by centuries of war and distrust, an elven princess and a human prince are the last hope for peace — or the spark that ignites another war.

Princess Elissa of Treiaul has never fit the mold of royal perfection. She prefers the forest to the throne room, her bow to the delicate trappings of court life. But when Prince Hayward of Aasleagh arrives to negotiate a fragile peace treaty, she’s ordered to play the gracious host to the human she’s been raised to despise.

Hayward is no stranger to being underestimated — the youngest of his brothers and a seasoned soldier, he’s spent his life carving out a place for himself. He enters elven territory with low expectations and party of men mostly chosen by his father who he doesn’t trust, prepared to endure the cold shoulder of a princess who sees him as the enemy.

But what neither of them anticipates is the undeniable pull between them. Their sharp words turn into lingering glances, and every clash of wills ignites something far more dangerous than hatred. As their chemistry simmers, Hayward becomes the unexpected catalyst for Elissa to embrace her wild heart and for her people to see the looming human threat for what it truly is.

With tensions rising and kingdoms on the brink of war, their forbidden connection might either shatter the fragile hope of peace — or forge a love powerful enough to change the fate of their realms forever.

This romantasy debut is a tale of passion, prejudice, and the power of choosing love in a world that demands war.

Tropes:

*Indie Author  *Romantasy *Insta Lust  *Insta Love *Spice *Curvy FMC *Feisty FMC

*Royalty *Politics *betrayal *forced proximity *Fantasy *Fae FMC x Human MMC 

*first in series --> read in order *magic *Banter *animal side kick (FMC)

Thoughts:

Prince Hayward (human MMC) arrives to the Fae lands on a diplomatic mission to meet with the Fae King and discuss peace talks, he is escorted by men from his own kingdom but his father picked out most of his group and he doesn't trust them.  Upon entering Fae lands he is greeted by the beautiful Princess Elissa (Fae FMC) and escorted back to her home to meet with her father the king.

Another reason for coming to the Fae kingdom is to see if a marriage between himself and the eldest daughter could be potentially a good match for their kingdoms, as the youngest son (not the heir or the spare) he has mostly been looked down upon in his own home and isn't fully against the idea... he's just not quite sure he needs to settle down right yet.

Hayward is I guess supposed to be charming... but to me he felt more on the arrogant side as gods gift to everyone (especially the ladies).  He did grow on me by the end of the book but I wasn't fully sold on him.  Also wasn't a fan of the way he is described looking at the princess and her assets... and it's all the time... come on man get it together I thought you were there to discuss politics with the king too! 

This was easy to read and listen to.  This does have more modern dialogue so kind of took me out of the fantasy world for me at times.

Because we didn't have much back story on anything in the human or fae kingdom I didn't feel fully invested in what turned out to be more something happening in the back ground of this story.

While there is some chemistry between Hayward and Elissa I don't feel that anything they did during their week together would lead them to know much more than surface layer stuff... I mean they have room to grow as a couple for sure and will check out book 2 to see what happens next.

For me personally this book had so much spice it began to over power any plot happening.

There are a few secrets revealed during the book that I would like to find out more about... like Hayward and his super fast healing abilities. 

I'm going to try to find this book the right kind of audience

If you are looking for epic world building with a lengthy back story on characters that isn't present in this book.  

The book briefly covers that there is potential for war between the humans and Fae but doesn't really explain why... they mention that the Fae lands have more resources (like water and gems) so maybe this is part of it?  but it isn't really discussed at length at any point in the story.

While Hayward is there basically as a political diplomat this is more in the back ground of this story it pops up occasionally to remind us that he was sent there for that reason too. 

If you are looking for a slow burn romance --> this is very insta lust and love, I'm not even sure if they knew each other a full day before they are learning the curves of each others bodies if you know you know.

This did have some witty banter throughout so you witty banter lovers will appreciate that

The Princess is strong and is probably one of the Fae's best fighters she knows how to use a bow & arrow and helps the prince with a few really dangerous situations, I do love a baddie!

This was a more low stakes, cozy romantasy with lots of spicy fireworks 

If you get the Audiobook like I did the narrators did a great job bringing the book to life it was Duet narration with RL Hemm and Luke Persiani. 

have you read this one?  What did you think?

Skye Daniels: Beneath Our Stars

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/256289641-beneath-our-stars

Book Blurb:

Some people are written into your life long before you meet them.

Annabelle Prescott has spent years carrying a grief no one seems willing to talk about.

Behind the privilege, perfect grades, and carefully planned future is a girl searching for something she can't quite name. She never expected to find it when three scholarship students walked into her elite private school.

Jax is steady, patient, and impossible not to love.

Caleb is guarded, complicated, and hiding more than he'll ever admit.

Kassie becomes the best friend she never knew she needed.

Together, they build a friendship that feels more like home than any place they've ever known.

Spanning a decade, Beneath Our Stars follows four lives forever changed by friendship, first love, devastating loss, and the promises that continue to shape them long after graduation. As they chase dreams, face unimaginable heartbreak, and discover that healing is never a straight path, they'll learn that some people become part of your soul—and loving them changes you forever.

Heartfelt, unforgettable, and deeply emotional, Beneath Our Stars is a coming-of-age romance about grief, healing, found family, enduring love, and the hope that even in life's darkest moments, the stars can still guide you home.

Tropes:

*Indie Author *Friends to More *Small town romance *covers a large period of time

*Emotional *Found family *Spice *Family drama *grief  *Second chances *Slow burn 

Thoughts:

From the beginning you know this book is going to put you through a roller coaster of emotions... I wish I had grabbed tissues to be honest because this book had be full blown ugly crying during several chapters... because of this I decided to read this alone in my room later at night.

I loved how we start with this group of friends from the beginning when they meet in high school our FMC Bells is from a wealthy family she has a twin sister but her sister has always been more of a social butterfly and spends her time with the popular kids while she doesn't mind hanging out with her sisters friends from time to time she's thrilled to have some new faces at the school when Jax, Caleb and Kassie arrived to the school all receiving a scholarship to the school it's harder for them to fit in since they are foster kids just trying to live day to day and do what they can to improve their lives.  Bells befriends the new kids right away no questions asked.

The group of four become pretty inseperable even though the other kids are initially not fully trusting of her intentions towards them Bells wins them over easily with her kind and non-judgemental nature.  

Even though Bells and her new friends backgrounds were different all of these kids have had to grow up fast dealing with their own life events that changed how they viewed everything around them in this way it's clear to see that their friendship was inevitable even with guards and walls up around their hearts.

This story continues to cover many years of this friend group through their life changes, the sweet feelings of first love, making big moves,  how even if you are close friends life happens and sometimes you grow apart but this makes things even better when you find each other again.  Most importantly throughout this is that this group of friends are there for each other when they are most needed.

Part two showed so much bravery and love in the face of the unknown, because the author did such a great job making us fall in love with our group of kids in the first part this second part felt that much more emotional... seriously I was sobbing through most of it and I don't usually like reading tear jerkers but I knew I would be missing out on something special if I didn't read this book.

Part three: was like a rainbow after the storm, while your heart is breaking in the second part this next part focuses on grief, emotional healing, and feelings of how to move on when you feel like your whole world has stopped.  

Where there is a great loss you know there was great love, I appreciated that this story showed the reality of grief it doesn't go away automatically and everyone grieves on their own time line it's nothing anyone can rush.  

Loving someone new doesn't make your past love mean less it just means that your heart is so big that you have the capacity to love many people in different ways.  

I don't want to give too much more away but this was a beautifully written book and I thank the author for the opportunity to read this early copy 💓.

Have you read this one?  What did you think? 

Lena Knight: Averted

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240714165-averted

Book Blurb:

She was determined to avert her heart,
He was determined to claim it.

What happens when a badass model in the midst of her master plan for revenge gets distracted by a pair of brown eyes?
Her desperate need to escape her feelings only seemed to pull him closer. She was set on averting. Too bad she came across one stubborn motorcycle riding distraction.


I was a puppet, the strings pulled by my parents. A Barbie doll brought up to sit still and look pretty, preferably with my mouth shut. Feelings were a foreign concept. That was until I locked eyes with a bad boy with a killer smirk. He was a distraction I couldn’t afford. I had dirty secrets to expose, my plan already set in motion. I was determined, focused, all in… Until Mateo.

She was a vision, looking so innocent while screaming trouble. Butterflies were flying around, a magnetic pull so strong, but she managed to turn the poles, fighting me every step of the way, not allowing me to get closer. The more she pulled back, the more I wanted to figure her out. She had her walls firm in place, but I was going to break them, brick by brick. No matter how hard Sabrina wanted to keep up the aversion, I was going to be the one she’d let in.

Tropes:

*Indie Author ALC *Strangers to More *Heiress FMC *Model FMC *College romance

*Revenge plan *FMC doesn't know love *found family *pop culture mentions 

*State Challenge Mass (repeat) 

Thoughts:

Sabrina (FMC) is young, beautiful and set on revenge she's recently learned a lot about her life that she never fully realized and even though she was born into a world of privilege, there is more to life than money and power and she is on a mission to make things right.

Mateo (MMC) although he is also young (in his early 20's) he is smart, kind, compassionate and loyal to those he holds close he was raised in a foster home but there was so much love and support.  While out on his bike he see's a beauty they have a moment where they never exchange names, numbers, addresses basically they know nothing about each other other than what they learned in their brief interaction but it's kind of like that movie Serendipity (which is mentioned in the moment) if it's meant to be it will happen again.

Going their seperate ways Mateo and Sabrina continue to think about the other even though it's doubtful they will ever see each other again (you never know)... but Sabrina did like the fact that Mateo didn't know who she was since she is in a number of magazines and billboards, it's nice to be noticed for just you not your status.

Naturally they do end up running into each other again, there is a bit of a push and pull since Sabrina is getting involved in some dangerous activities and is trying to put distance between anyone she cares about she doesn't want them caught in the cross fire.  Our FMC is a brave baddie and I was rooting for her the whole time to succeed with her plans.  

Sabrina doesn't want to think about or like Mateo as much as she does, she is trying to focus on this one goal... and she doesn't want to have a weak point and the more time she spends with Mateo and his family the more she realizes that she could hurt not only him but also his family... is what she's working towards really worth wrecking what she's building with Mateo?  

I would say that I felt like I might of missed something a few times in the story because I wasn't quite sure how much time had passed throughout most of the book and I thought they had only been together maybe once or twice at this particular time but Mateo was upset that Sabrina hadn't told him the truth leading me to believe that he felt their relationship had progressed further than I thought it had.

There are many pop culture references to books, movies and music and I wasn't always able to follow along quite as well with those segments because I hadn't heard the song, read the book or seen the movie but if you are up on your pop culture references you are going to love these parts of the book.  

I'm so glad that I was finally able to get to this book it's been on my TBR for awhile but if you've been reading by blog you know that I have a habit of probably picking up way too many arcs/alcs (oops) This story was fast paced with a dash of heart, humor and emotional moments spread throughout.  There is a large cast of characters I may have had an easier time with this as I have read a few of the other books in a different series by this author that involved this loving band of brothers and their beautiful Mama Eva.    

I loved Mateo's family they are true family goals!  Sabrina while her own family were ruthless she did have some close friends to help her get through.  

I received this ALC from the author and I loved the Narrators Andi Eloise and Caden Hart were awesome!  

Have you read this one?  what did you think?