Vanessa Rhoswen: Destiny Redeemed

 Book 2 Reborn Villainess read in 2025

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236182758-destiny-redeemed

This book starts where the last book ends (so make sure you read them in order) -->  

This book is the 2nd half of the story following Lady Ilyana D'Arcane in her attempts to right wrongs from a past life and forge a new path for a brighter future for herself and her family.  From the first book we learn that Ilyana had been working on multiple schemes all to get what she wanted for herself in her previous life she had wanted to be with Noah (the prince's cousin)... Noah wanted to be with another woman through a series of events Ilyana ended up essentially getting rid of her rival which led to what she thought she wanted (being Noah's wife) but when things were discovered about her and her father's involvement in all their shady dealings it led to her father's death and her families banishment from the kingdom where they lived in exile (see my book 1 review for a bit more details on this).    

In order to change her future in this time line, she knows how rare it is to get a second chance and even though she thinks of confiding in some people that this is her second time living some of these events she decides it's best to just not mention it who would believe her anyways when she thinks about it it sounds just wild her whole family died including herself in this past life and now she's back even she has a hard time believing this past life existed.  

Ilyana focuses on building her businesses and being more independent with her divorce from Noah granted by the Queen herself it leaves her a free woman again she's happy to see Noah go after what he wants... the woman he wanted to be with to begin with and seeing that relationship blossom even with the other noble families gossiping about her and her mother not speaking with her she has been in worse situations... she can get through this too.

What Ilyana doesn't expect in this new time line is to grow closer to the Prince (Anderic Voltaire) he never really paid much attention to her in her last lifetime but now he is everywhere she wants to be and seeing way more than she wants him to see, how can she move about as freely to continue to protect her family if she has this irritatingly handsome man actually noticing her and everything she's doing?

When the dangerous events that led to her families downfall still start to happen Ilyana realizes the time has come that she might just need to break down her walls and confide in someone she never thought that she would confide in but it might not be that bad... the Prince already holds her heart.  

Can Ilyana and Anderic work together to save the kingdom or will it be too late?  Can a former Villainess get the redemption that she longs for?  

I really enjoyed this series, while this second book starts off slow after getting away from the initial battle scene and focuses on Ilyana and her business savvy nature it begins to pick up the pace and sparks fly between her and our Prince!  

The second book continued from the where the first book left off and didn't have a time travel element but just the day to day struggles to make sure that history didn't repeat itself you continued to see Ilyana plotting and redirecting to reach her new goals of keeping her family safe and out of exile and I loved her relationship with her loyal maid Laurel at this point they were friends more than employer and employee.  

Had to overlook some of the fight scenes due to the fact that she was not truly trained for battle but appeared to be able to handle herself against multiple enemies without any real difficulty, but I loved the story line and that our lady was truly trying to make changes to be a better person and right all of her past wrongs.  

If you enjoy historical romance with a time travel element don't miss this one!  

*historical romance  *Time travel romance  *slow burn *some spice  *Medieval romance 

*Independent fierce FMC  *handsome prince MMC  *Warrior MMC *banter *Indie author  

*Happy ending 

My blog post for book 1:  https://elbyslibrary.blogspot.com/2025/02/vanessa-rhoswen-villainesss-redemption.html

Claire Kingsley: Faking Ms. Right

 

Dirty Martini Running Club Series book 1 -->  I think I originally read this in 2023 but have read it a few times, I enjoyed the whole series.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62870038

Everly has had a long series of terrible first dates... it seems that nothing goes right for any of them it's a good thing she has a great group of girlfriends to laugh it off with and she needs that because she is the assistant to the wealthy, handsome, super grumpy Shepherd Calloway it's a good thing that she's amazing at her job in fact this is the longest time anyone has stayed in this position he's hard to handle.

Shepherd is tired of dating superficial women who only seem to want to be around him for his money, what he can buy them they automatically expect because he's wealthy that he needs to shower them with gifts... daily.  While deciding to just be single for a bit and focus on work he ends up in quite a predicament... his latest ex who was a cold hearted gold digger shows up at a big event on the arm of his father... oh no!  She met his dad on her latest trip and Shepherd knows she is doing this to get back at him for breaking things off she can't get her clutches into his dad to make things a bit worse he doesn't tell his dad that she's his ex (after discussing it with his brother and his brother saying he shouldn't tell their dad) and she doesn't tell his dad either this could get awkward.

Not knowing what else to do he calls his loyal assistant Everly if she has been able to handle everything he's thrown at her over the years she can surely handle a night of pretending to be his girlfriend... she accepts only things progress when his father ends up having to move into his home for a period of time he can't tell his dad that he lied about their relationship he'll simply ask her to move in for a short period of time... what could go wrong?

Everly happens to need an awkward favor from her boss (her sister is requesting her to do this) and not knowing how to approach him naturally with this request maybe staying with him is her in, she does him this favor and maybe he will do her this little tiny favor that she wants... only the more she spends time with him the more she realizes he's not the stone cold businessman that everyone sees he is so much more when their fake situationship starts to feel so real at this point can she go through with the ask?  What would he even say if she did ask?

Shepherd while spending more time with Everly begins realizing that he has been going for the wrong women all these years he doesn't want someone who just wants him for his money he wants someone kind, someone who is able to laugh at herself, someone who is warm and loving who doesn't see his money but really sees him she isn't after anything he can give her... or is she? 

I really loved this book it was ridiculous at times but so funny and had many actual laugh out loud moments!  Her girlfriends are great they call themselves the dirty martini running club because after they meet up for a run they always end up at the bar for the martini's (reward) her friends are hilarious and they have her back everyone should have a great group of girls like Everly.  I ended up getting this book on audible.  

*Romantic Comedy  *Spice  *opposites attract *Grumpy/Sunshine  *fake dating/fiancé

*office romance *wealthy businessman  *Boss/assistant  *forced proximity  

*she's not like the other girls

Have you read this series?  Which book was your favorite in the series?  

I gathered some negatives from other peoples reviews to share:

• They were working together for 3 years with no chemistry while dating many other people then the readers are expected to see how quickly they get "closer" after 3 years of nothing
• Super silly plot, the fake relationship moving in could have not even been needed if he had just had a conversation with his dad about how he was dating his ex who was a snake in disguise
• The ex girlfriend is a stereo type cold woman who just wants to be with a wealthy man and doesn't care who
• Absurd and predictable 
• the tropes were not well executed 
• MMC continues to expect different relationship results when he continues to go for the same women over and over then when he feels it's time to break up he ends the relationship and sends the now newly ex on an expensive trip as a parting gift 
• Everly's sister shouldn't have put her in that position to ask her boss for this "favor" and they could have made plenty of other arrangements so she wouldn't have this over her head.  

Jennifer Seasons: That Time Violet Got Tipsy and Kidnapped a Viscount

 Heir Hunters book 2

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/229934443-that-time-violet-got-tipsy-and-kidnapped-a-viscount

Violet Bramble is an heir hunter she works with her foster sisters to research family lines and track down lost heirs the ultimate goal is that they will be able to rebuild the orphanage they grew up in with the finders fee's they get and Violet is on the track of a really big reward she just needs to go to Scotland and somehow convince this Highlander that he needs to return with her to London and oh yea...  convince him that he is the lost heir she's looking for.

Only problem is that when she finally gets to Scotland and finds Heath McCrae he is in the middle of a fight, she distracts him he loses his match and ends up in more debt than before.  Trying to get closer to him she accidently may have let it slip that she is his fiancé and when he comes to he doesn't disagree with her original claim that they are engaged leading to a series of hilarious situations since naturally it is time for the matchmaking festival and of course they have to attend as a newly engaged couple.

When two of Violet's rowdy sisters show up things get a bit more complicated as she is now trying to deny her growing feelings towards the handsome Scot and he is feeling the same way towards her only he is also concerned about the debt hanging over his head and he wants to keep the ladies in his life (his mom and now Violet safe).

Violet who has never known a mother figure falls for Heath's mom and feels a sense of belonging like she never expected once in Scotland.  When more pieces of the puzzle fall into place how will Violet and Heath move forward and will they want to move forward together, even though they were in a fake relationship at first it feels so real now.  

Have you read any books in this series?  Have you read anything by Jennifer Seasons?  What would you recommend?

I really enjoyed this book, it is the second in the series but can be read as a stand alone.  The story is funny and moves along well but it is more of a whimsical historical romance it wouldn't have surprised me if at any point some or all of the characters in the near area burst into a happy song (reminded me of Ella Enchanted meets historical romance novel).  I sometimes had to re-read sections as the continuity wasn't always clear but I didn't feel it took too much away from the story.  

Fun Quick read that is quirky in all the right ways!  I plan to go back and read the first book in the series and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series, hopeful that all the sisters will get their own story.  As a side note if you like your historical romance to be historically accurate this might not be the one for you it is more loosely based on historical times.  

*fake fiance/relationship  *Prize Fighter MMC  *whimsical  *historical romance  *Scotland 

*Highlander  *Man in kilts  *family mystery  *humor *banter  *some spice  *insta attraction/lust 

*Book Sirens *ARC read 2025  *some adult language  *fierce independent females 

Danielle Baker: Honor

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221860418/reviews?reviewFilters=eyJyYXRpbmdNaW4iOjEsInJhdGluZ01heCI6MSwiYWZ0ZXIiOiJNakF4TERFM016azBOVEExTXpVNU5EZyJ9

 Read in 2025 book 3 of the Sky Ridge Hot Shots Series (each book is written by a different author but the lead characters in this book are present in the first few books as well)

Xander (our lead MMC) is in his early 40's he has been a hotshot (wildland firefighter) for many years now and even though the job is dangerous he doesn't know what he would do without it he loves it just like his dad did.  As a younger man he watched his parents relationship crumble because his dad chose his career over his wife and kids... even after that Xander went out to work with his dad when he was old enough.  Unfortunately, his dad passed away in the line of duty just months before he was set to retire he died doing what he loved and Xander feels he will head down that same path he's married to his job.

Xander doesn't do long term relationships he doesn't have room in his heart for anyone else (besides his job) and he knows that his job is dangerous and a lot to put on a partner so he stays far away from anyone that might make him want things, things like a future (marriage, kids, the white picket fence etc...).  He has especially tried to keep a distance from his best friend's sister Teddy and for years he was able to do so since she was happily married... but things have changed Teddy has recently become a widow and with 2 young children and one on the way she moves to town to be closer to her brother in the duplex right next to Xander... talk about temptation she's everything that he knows he shouldn't want and she is in mourning. 

Being next door has it's perks including when Teddy goes into early labor who comes to the rescue but Xander he delivers the new little one and maybe just loses a little bit more of his heart in the process.  While Xander had in the past spent most of the time at the station when they weren't out working an active fire he can't help from staying at home (closer to Teddy and the kids... what if they need him).

Teddy is grieving the loss of her spouse they were high school sweet hearts and she has made a pact with herself not to fall in love again losing her husband almost killed her she can't possibly do it again... especially not with the super sweet, caring, handsome as sin man next door with the super dangerous job... not to forget mentioning that he is her brother's best friend and boss.

Can Teddy ever let down her walls and give Xander a chance?  If she gives him a chance she'll also have to accept his dangerous job and the fact that she could lose him just like she lost her first husband, could her heart handle 2 great losses?  If she asks him to give up his job will he, that's a big part of his life.  

Xander towards the end of the book receives some surprising advice from a trusted source that leads him to think that maybe some things could change in his life and it would be ok.  

*Brother's best friend/Boss  *Age Gap  *Hero/Firefighter  *neighbors  *love after loss

*Grieving/loss of spouse   *FMC widowed single mom  *curvy FMC  *pregnancy

*Dirty talk  *Grumpy MMC *supportive family/crew  *spice  

What I liked about this book:

• Xander is really sweet to Teddy and the kids he is truly swoon worthy reading material + he is a handsome firefighter! (as evidenced by the front cover and the description of this guy) 
• I liked the curvy FMC representation and the fact that Xander was very body positive towards her helping her come out of her shell  (minus the scene where he was thinking she was soft everywhere, not toned in a single place... or however it was described) 
• The kids were cute 
• I like that there was more scenes about the MMC's job in this book, if it's going to be part of the "hot shot's firefighter's series" and we had a whole big section at the front with different terms at least some of them were used in this book.
• Had some really sweet sections between Xander and the kids where they were starting to look up to him as a father figure even before the FMC and MMC were officially together and after they were together when it was shown how much the kids loved him and he loved them.  
• The FMC had some very supportive inlaws who came to help with the kids 
• supportive girlfriends for the FMC,  Supportive crew for the MMC
• Happy Ending 

Things that missed the mark for me in the book  (contains spoilers read at your own discretion):

• Xander is 42 he's too young to retire... so what is he doing for work to support the family that is growing and... he wants to have more children, Teddy only works 2 days a week as a dispatcher... I would like to know their secret on how they pay their bills on her salary?  Even if he has savings he isn't getting social security or anything yet.  
• I got the Audible companion for when I'm in the car and while the male voices for the adults were fine it really took me out of the story the first time Teddy was talking to her son Dalton (who is supposed to be 8) and what sounded like a college frat boy was speaking... 
• Xander keeps calling Teddy "momma" I guess it's supposed to be hot (cause she likes it) I thought it was kind of cringe
• A lot of the FMC's sections focus on insecurities around her body, she has had 3 kids... she's not going to look like a Dallas Cowboy's Cheerleader and we as the reader wouldn't expect her to... what else is going on with her?  Is that her personality? 
• I know everyone grieves differently but the FMC was already falling for and having an intimate relationship with a new man less than a year after her husband passed away (while she's still wearing his wedding ring because she's not fully over him and his mom is on board with her having this new relationship).  I kind of wished that the author had pushed that part out a bit more to give it more time... this feels like when my dad's best friend had recently passed away but his wife was already dating another guy before he was even gone.  
• The MMC keeps discussing how "old" he is... I'm around the same age... settle down there 
• A lot of repetitive story line 
• Timeline was a bit spotty/hard to figure out at times (she gets pregnant with another man's baby 3 months? after having her last child)  

Guilty Crime Story Magazine Issue One

Doing a general post about this magazine each issue offers many short stories from a variety of writers it focuses on crime and detective work and if you enjoy this genre you will be likely to enjoy the stories featured in the issues of this magazine.  Available for kindle and Paperback.

Blurb: Guilty is a magazine of crime stories, of criminals, their motivations and their beginnings and ends.  

In issue: 

“Midnight at the Oasis” by Robb T. White - Nate thought he and his uncle Rex were as close as brothers until one midnight at the Oasis changed everything.

“French Twist” by Joe Giordano - While on vacation in Paris, American Max Caspian offers police his assistance with a very unusual murder.

“Unprincipaled” by Stephen Sottong - Everyone wondered about the day Principal Taylor stole the truck. Nobody would have ever guessed the reason.

“Give Me a Reason” by Brandon Barrows - Something was taken from Chris Zender while serving in Afghanistan and if he can't get it back, he'll get revenge.

“Bridal Wreath” by Jill Hand - Robin was lonely for a long time. Then she met Richard, then Richard brought the flowers...

“Cymbaline” by Alec Cizak - When Raven and Sparrow saw an opportunity, naturally, they took it. Wouldn't you?

“Chasing 61” by Bruce Harris - The Babe set the record of sixty homeruns. Both Roger Maris and Frankie Z. aim to break it.

The Famous Last Words of Mickey Spillane” (Article) by Mike McHone All brand-new material by top crime writers!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58143802-guilty-crime-story-magazine?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=b86c8tR5l6&rank=1

amazon link:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B095N7H23Q?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_0&storeType=ebooks

*Crime fiction  *Mystery  *Detective  *Multiple authors  *magazine 

Nina Jarrett The Captain's Wife

 Inconvenient brides prequel  

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61115945-the-captain-s-wife

I picked up this book from book sirens so thank you for the book!  it was a quick read novella and when I started reading it was finished with it in a few hours.  

The story has several time jumps from present day to the past and begins when Captain Jacob Lewis after a lengthy period of time finally finds his wife Lydia.  Lydia was the daughter of a vicar and he had passed away leaving her wondering where she would go as a now on the shelf spinster with no marriage prospects and no family to take her in she had been thinking of taking up work as a governess.  

Jacob had always had his childhood friend Lydia in mind when it came to taking a wife but he decided  that it wasn't time to settle down and had been spending several years sowing his wild oats in hopes that Lydia would still be waiting for him when he did decide to settle down, when he finally came to the conclusion that he should return to court and then marry his friend he found that her father had passed away and she was soon to lose her home with no where to go.  

Jacob is due to return back to military service but asks her to marry him before he returns then giving her the option of staying with his family while he is away and offering his protection.  She agrees to the marriage but always feels like he did this out of obligation from their life long friendship as opposed to actually wanting to marry her.  While Jacob is away fighting in a war Lydia stays with his elderly grandfather and lecherous uncle things are going well... until they aren't and she is forced to flee in the middle of the night.

Lydia finds shelter at in a Duke's residence as the housekeeper, the Duke is friends with her husband she writes to her husband but never hears back thinking that he has forgotten about her (or worse died in war) she begins to move on with her life hoping that if her husband is alive he will move on with his life too since he married her out of pity. 

Jacob searches for years to find his wife and manages to find her from a newspaper article where her hidden identity is mentioned (he knew it was her from a story they discussed as children) he then does everything he can to prove to her that she is the love of his life and they belong together.  

Things I liked about the book:  The couple truly seemed to care for each other even though it is a short book you can see it from their interactions, Strong FMC she takes charge of her own life and gets out of a bad situation, happy ending.

Negatives for the book:  Too short to really tell a well thought out/planned story there were plot holes and not enough time to fix them everything felt rushed --> for example if Jacob has been looking for her why wouldn't he contact this good friend (the Duke where she has been staying) to help him.  

I thought the book was ok for a historical romance novella and the writing flowed well enough to move the story along I would like to try the next book in the series.

Have you read anything by Nina Jarrett?  What would you recommend? 

*Quick read  *Novella  *some spice  *Vicar's daughter  *Army Captain MMC 

*2nd chance for romance *historical romance  *book sirens book  *hidden identity FMC

*Miscommunication/no communication  *friends --> more

Emily Morgans: Kissing the Rake

The Howertys Book 2  (have not read the first book yet but plan to!)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/219236335-kissing-the-rake

Lady Jessica Howerty is smart, beautiful, funny and caring she is given the opportunity to spend the summer at a neighboring estate (Hurst estate) and she accepts the opportunity to be a companion to Olivia who is coming to visit her uncle and as a younger lady in need of someone closer to her own age to spend time with.  The Duke at that point writes to his wayward son Jacob (the Earl of Wortham) to notify him that he will be spending more time with Jessica at the estate he goes on to relay that he plans to propose marriage soon if things go well.

Jessica has a secret that she has kept onto forever since it's not likely to turn into anything more than a crush but she has been in love with Jacob Hurst (her older brother's best friend) since she was young but he has always just noticed her as a little sister and nothing more.  He has also been widely known for his rakish ways and has at several points been at the center of the Ton's gossip due to his behavior with the ladies, she can never tell him her true feelings she must guard this secret.

Jacob receiving his father's letter at first is confused that he is even writing to him at all they have never been close and their most recent in person interactions have been anything but pleasant.  After the initial shock of this news Jacob finds himself traveling from London to his father's home in the country to spend time there and make sure that his father's plan to propose marriage to Lady Jessica does not come to be... he needs to stop this at all costs in fact.  

The more time he spends with Jessica the more he realizes that he isn't looking at her like his best friend's little sister anymore... he's looking at her as a beautiful woman maybe his rakish days are behind him and he can get on board with Jessica getting married... but not to his father to him.  

Conflict arises due to Jacob believing that Jessica is after his father for his title and wealth it leads to Jacob saying some rotten things to Jessica at times.  Jessica fights between her continued love for Jacob and the thoughts that he is never going to change and she should just move on and find a more suitable man who she can grow to love and during these times Jacob becomes more aware that his feelings towards Jessica are growing stronger.  

Jacob and Jessica's banter is perfect throughout the book and leads to some passionate encounters when they can't keep away from each other any longer this ends with them in a marriage of convenience but can they build something lasting with his past history?  Can he really stay with one woman forever when he has been so wild for years?  When old baggage comes back to haunt him will Jessica think the worst of him like everyone else or will she listen to his side of the story? 

I really enjoyed this story and plan to read the first in the series and the next book in the series when it comes out.  I did find myself struggling with our lead characters at times due to the length of time with no communication/miscommunication and running away from each other instead of talking.  I really loved Jessica's family and I'm looking forward to Rain's story, I also hope that Ravenscroft finds his love match he was a true sweetheart.    

Have you read any books by this author?  Have you read the first book?  

*ARC read 2025 *banter  *older brothers best friend *handsome rake  *Duke's son  *friends --> more

*long term pining (FMC huge crush on MMC) /she falls first  *drama 

 *miscommunication/no communication  *Forbidden romance *FMC has a wonderful close family

 *historical romance  *spice  *Marriage of convenience  *Happy ending