Review: Trump's Christmas Carol - Lucien Young writing as Watt T Dickens

‘I have the best ghosts, everyone says so’

President Ebenezer Trump, a rich old fool whose heart is as small as his hands and whose words are as false as his hair, sits shut up alone in the White House on Christmas Eve. But he is confronted that night by the ghost of Richard Nixon, who warns him that he will be visited by three spirits, all intent on changing his imprudent and miserly ways.

He meets the jovial Ghost of Christmas Past, Bill Clinton, full of fun tales and memories; the spirit who everyone wishes was still the Ghost of Christmas Present, Barack Obama; and the terrifying Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, who shows him how abolishing Obamacare will finish off Tiny Tim.

But will Trump heed their advice, and become a good person?

Visit the Trump's Christmas Carol page on Goodreads for more information.

Review:
I loved Lucien Young's Alice in Brexitland parody so of course I jumped at the chance of reviewing his second book, Trump's Christmas Carol. As you can tell from the title this is Young's take on Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol staring president Ebenezer Trump. Told in the same style as the original story (so very different to the previous book) we get to see the mean and miserly Trump confronted by the ghost of Christmas past Bill Clinton, the ghost we wish was Christmas present Barack Obama and a mysterious ghost of Christmas future.

As you'd expect with any story about Trump there is plenty of material to use that just begs to be laughed at - tiny hands, the Russian connection, that video, the constant tweets, the insecurity and ignorance plus so much more. There are appearances from people like Hilary, Farage and Melania to add to the fun. I don't think the humour quite hit the highs of Alice in Brexitland but I definitely laughed out loud several times while reading. I think I'd probably have found it even funnier if I wasn't still so horrified about the state of the world right now and if the future shown by the ghost of Christmas yet to come didn't feel quite so awfully believable.

The book has line drawn illustrations that were just as funny (and accurate) as the text and made a lovely addition to the story.

Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Kindle:

Review: Eternal - Cecy Robson

After months of bad luck and even worse men, Luciana Diaz just wants to crawl under the covers and forget the year ever happened. Her friend has other plans, convincing Luci to attend a New Year’s Eve party on the affluent shores of Kiawah Island.

Luci never expected to have fun. She also never expected to wake up with a man she just met, or for this man to be the new attorney at her firm.

Landon Summers is done with drama. After an ugly separation and even worse divorce, he has no desire to jump into another relationship.

When his sister Trinity drags him to a New Year’s Eve party, he doesn’t plan to stay long. One drink, a few hellos, and he’s out. Until he meets Luci, the first person in months to draw his smile and incite his passion.

Neither Luci nor Landon planned on each other, and they definitely didn’t plan on love. But the New Year means a fresh start, and eternal possibilities neither could deny.

Carolina Beach Series:
Inseverable
Eternal
Infinite

Visit Cecy Robson's website for more information.

Review:
If you enjoyed Inseverable, the first book in Cecy Robson's Carolina Beach series, then you're going to love Eternal. This book was everything I loved about the first and then some, full of sweet romance, great characters, amusing situations and hot sex - a perfect pick me up! While you don't need to read this series in order I'm happy to recommend both books and if you are familiar with the series then you'll enjoy getting a chance to catch up with the previous couple Trinity and Callahan (Trinity is Landon's sister).

Landon has given up on the idea of love and romance after a disastrous marriage that ended in a bitter divorce. The last thing he wants is a new relationship so when his sister insists he goes to a friend's New Years Eve party he plans to have a few drinks and then head home as soon as possible. Those plans quickly change when he meets Luci though. Luci has bad taste in men (and friends!) so getting abandoned at a party where she doesn't know anyone is her worst nightmare. Luckily Landon comes to her rescue and she decides to throw caution to the wind and spend the night with a handsome stranger. That night turns into an incredible weekend but neither of them are at a point in their lives where they're ready for a new relationship so that was all it was ever supposed to be. Until Landon starts his first day in a new job and realises Luci is the office manager. Thrown together daily at work will they be able to resist the intense chemistry sparking between them?

This was such a fun book to read and wonderfully drama free for a contemporary romance. Don't get me wrong I love a bit of drama sometimes but it can get tiring fast when things are constantly thrown at a couple just to add tension to a story so I was glad that wasn't the case here. Both Landon and Luci have their issues thanks to events in their pasts but they're both fairly open about their feelings and willing to talk things out like adults. I liked how patient Landon was and the way he was willing to wait until Luci was ready to trust him before starting a relationship. It was also great to see Luci walk away from a toxic friendship that was hurting her, I've read far too many books that seem to justify a horrible relationship between two women so I appreciated Luci recognising that the friendship wasn't good for her and putting a stop to it. It wasn't the only friendship portrayed in the story either, she had much nicer friends and got on well with Landon's sister so this story definitely isn't about women hating on each other.

Landon and Luci had a brilliant relationship that started out fuelled by lust but grew stronger through mutual respect and friendship. It was easy to see what a strong bond they had and I enjoyed every minute of their courtship. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more in this series and as always Cecy Robson didn't disappoint with her wonderful story.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Last Call at the Last Chance - Seanan McGuire

It's time to go back to the Last Dance Diner for a midnight encounter with Bobby Cross, in the shadows of the neon lights, where the twilight holds sway...

November 2017 Patreon Story

Incryptid Series:
14 Jonathan Healy & Frances Brown Short Stories (Read for free on Seanan McGuire's website)
3 Alice Healy & Thomas Price Short Stories (Read for free on Seanan McGuire's website)
Discount Armageddon
Midnight Blue-Light Special
4 Antimony Price Short Stories (Read some for free on Seanan McGuire's website)
3 Istas and Ryan Short Stories (Read most for free on Seanan McGuire's website)
Half-Off Ragnarok
1 Sarah Zellaby and Arthur Harrington Short Story (Read for free on Seanan McGuire's website)
5 Verity Price & Dominic De Luca Stories (Read for free on Seanan McGuire's website)
Pocket Apocalypse
Chaos Choreography
1 Elsie Harrington Short Story (Short Story in the Shadowed Souls anthology)
Magic for Nothing
1 Aeslin Mice Short Story (Purchase though Seanan McGuire's Patreon Page)
Tricks for Free
That Ain't Witchcraft

Ghost Roads Series:
(Stories are set in the Incryptid World)
Sparrow Hill Road
Train Yard Blues (Short Story in the Coins of Chaos anthology)
The Ghosts of Bourbon Street (Crossover Short Story with Verity from the Incryptid series free on Seanan McGuire's website)
Last Call at the Last Chance (Short Story available via Seanan McGuire's Patreon Page)
The Girl in the Green Silk Gown

Visit Seanan McGuire's website for more information

Review:
Last Call at the Last Chance is a short story available to purchase via Seanan McGuire's Patreon Page and it's set in the same world as Sparrow Hill Road and the Incryptid series. There no crossover here with characters from the Incryptid stories but we do get a chance to catch up with Emma from the Last Dance Diner which was nice. It's a shame that Bobby Diamond had to put in an appearance and ruin her evening but it wouldn't be much of a ghost story be without an evil villain who is up to no good.

Seanan has a way of getting me fully invested in even the shortest stories and I enjoyed this one just as much as I expected to. I'm really glad to see that she has written another full length novel set in this world and I'm definitely looking forward to reading The Girl in the Green Silk Gown when it publishes next year.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: Beyond Forever - Kit Rocha

Before they were the King and Queen…

Six years before the Beyond series started, an ambitious bootlegger named Dallas O’Kane caught a very pretty thief named Lex with her hand in his safe.

The rest is very sexy history.

In Beyond Forever, follow Dallas and Lex through the turning points in their relationship, from the night he caught her trying to rob him, through his rise to successful bootlegger, to legend, to Sector Leader--with Lex always there, willing to give him the push he needs.

Beyond Forever is a prequel novella that jumps through time to tell the story of the biggest moments in the formation of the O’Kanes and their King and Queen. It will be far more enjoyable if you’ve already read Beyond Control, and contains spoilers for the entire Beyond series.

Beyond Series:
Beyond Shame
Beyond Control
Beyond Denial (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Pain
Flash (Free short story)
Beyond Temptation (Novella in the Marked Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Jealousy
Beyond Solitude (Novella in the Alpha's After Dark Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Addiction
Beyond Possession (Novella)
Beyond Innocence
Closed Doors (A Beyond Happily Ever After short story)
Blank Canvas (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Ruin
Beyond Ecstasy
Beyond Surrender
Creative Incentives (Free short story)
Beyond Doubt (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Cravings (Free short story)
Beyond Forever (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Dessert (Free short story)
Ravished (Free short story)
Efficient (Free short story)
Memorial (Free short story)
Fierce Protector (Free short story)
A Little Bit Bad (Free short story)
Diplomacy (Free short story)

Gideon's Riders Series:
(Spin off series)
Ashwin
Makhai (Free short story)
Deacon
6th Sense (Free short story)
Ivan
High Priestess (Free short story)
Girls' Night Out (Free short story)

Visit Kit Rocha's website for more information.

Review:
Of course we got to read a lot of Lex and Dallas' story in Beyond Control but if you're one of the many fans who love this couple then you've probably always wanted more background on that infamous first meeting when Lex broke into Dallas' safe and tried to steal from him. Or perhaps you're just curious about how Lex helped Dallas shape the O'Kane empire he had built by the end of the series. Beyond Forever answers those questions and many more by taking us back in time and walking us through some of the pivotal moments in the couple's history and some of the major events that have helped define the O'Kanes.

Although parts of this story are set before the Beyond series starts or during the gang's early years please be aware that this does contain spoilers for the entire Beyond series so I really wouldn't recommend reading it until after Beyond Surrender. It's definitely a must read for fans of the series though, I loved getting the chance to catch up with so many familiar characters but especially seeing more of the King and Queen themselves.

Beyond Surrender is everything I want from this series - incredible characters, intense action, smoking hot sex and brilliant camaraderie - it's a fantastic novella and I loved every minute of it.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Release Day Launch: Villain - Samantha Young

V I L L A I N

Cover Design by Samantha Young

The sexy and emotional companion novella to the New York Times bestselling romance HERO.

Nadia Ray is not just a broadcast meteorologist. She’s Boston’s morning television It Girl. Successful and independent, she’s put a past she’s ashamed of behind her and is forging a future she can be proud of. However, when her new boss discovers her secret he blackmails her, intent on using Nadia’s popularity to make them the number one morning show in Massachusetts. He wants her to be part of uncovering the city’s biggest scandal - a secret billionaire Caine Carraway is hiding.

Soon Nadia is thrown into the path of Caine’s best friend: sexy, wealthy bachelor Henry Lexington. But she doesn’t encounter the dashing high society gentleman Henry is purported to be. Instead she’s faced with an insulting and defensive villain who misjudges her at every turn.

When Henry finally realizes the truth, and decides to make amends, Nadia wants nothing to do with him. But she underestimates his determination and charm and soon they find themselves embroiled in an intense, passionate affair.

An affair Nadia knows must come to an end before their feelings grow any deeper and he discovers her secrets.

After all, Henry Lexington isn’t the only one who played the part of a villain once…

OUT NOW in E-book edition!

AMAZON US - http://amzn.to/2giFLfF

AMAZON UK - http://amzn.to/2yxhpZz

IBOOK US - http://apple.co/2iiiE5p

IBOOKS UK - http://apple.co/2lwaCuB

KOBO US - http://bit.ly/2i1siJr

KOBO UK - http://bit.ly/2yQpdGp

BARNES & NOBLE - http://bit.ly/2leaShG

About Samantha Young:

Samantha Young is the New York Times,  USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows.  Every Little Thing, the second book in her new Hart’s Boardwalk series, will be published by Berkley in March 2017. Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s debut YA contemporary novel The Impossible Vastness of Us was published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook & hardback June 2017. Play On is an adult contemporary romance and the first in a brand new series set in Scotland. Villain is a companion novella to the New York Times bestselling romance HERO.

Samantha has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for On Dublin Street, Best Romance 2014 for Before Jamaica Lane, and Best Romance 2015 for Hero. On Dublin Street, a #1 bestseller in Germany, was the Bronze Award Winner in the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2013, Before Jamaica Lane the Gold Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2014 and Echoes of Scotland Street the Bronze Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2015.

Samantha is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author.

Connect with Samantha Young online:
Website: http://authorsamanthayoung.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorsamanthayoung
Twitter: @AuthorSamYoung
Instagram: @AuthorSamanthaYoung
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/samyoungauthor

Review: Deadlines and Dryads - Rebecca Chastain

Getting the scoop might cost Kylie and her gargoyle their lives...

Dryads are a reclusive, passive species—or they used to be. Overnight, the peaceful woodland creatures have turned violent, attacking travelers with crude weapons and whipping the trees of their grove into a ferocious frenzy.

When rumors of the dryads’ bizarre behavior reaches journalist Kylie Grayson, she pounces on the story, determined to unearth the reason behind the dryads’ hostile transformation. Accompanied by the young gargoyle Quinn, Kylie plunges into the heart of the malevolent grove. But nothing she’s learned prepares her for the terrifying conflict she uncovers...

USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Chastain returns to the beloved world of the Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles for a brand-new spellbinding adventure of elemental magic and courageous gargoyles. If you love action-packed stories filled with mythical creatures, brave heroines, and adorable sidekicks, you’ll love Deadlines & Dryads. Pick up your copy today to start the magical adventure!

Deadlines & Dryads is a standalone novel and does not require you to read the Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles trilogy first...but it will make you want to read it when you finish.

The Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles:
Magic of the Gargoyles
Curse of the Gargoyles
Secret of the Gargoyles
Lured (Free novella)

Terra Haven Chronicles:
(Set in the same world as the Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles but featuring side character Kylie)
Deadlines and Dryads (Novella)

Visit Rebecca Chastain's website for more information

Review:
Deadlines and Dryads is the first story in a new series set in the same world as Rebecca Chastain's Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles. You don't have to read the original series first (although I'd highly recommend it because it's one of my favourites!) but if you are familiar with the previous stories then you'll recognise a few of the characters in this spin off. Reporter Kylie was one of my favourite side characters in the other books so I was really excited when I found out she was getting her own series, she's such a fun character and this story really gives her a chance to shine.

A once in a lifetime event is about to happen and the Terra Haven newspaper has given all of it's reporters 48 hours to come up with the most impressive story they can find. The winner will be sent on the trip of a lifetime and given the chance to report exclusively on an event that occurs only once every few hundred years. Kylie may be a junior reporter but she is absolutely determined to win, she even has her eye on what could be the perfect scoop. Well it was until her sneaky coworker started following her around so he could write the prize winning story on the back of her hard work. The only chance Kylie has is to make sure she gets her story written faster than Nathan can but she's going to need all the help she can get to achieve that goal.

I love how determined Kylie is and the way she is able to keep fighting for what she wants no matter how many knocks she gets along the way. Nathan is despicable but I think pretty much all of us will have come across someone like him at some point in time, the kind of person who isn't willing to put the effort in but will cut any corner he can to make sure it looks like he did. It would have been so easy for Kylie to give up and let Nathan get the better of her but she's stronger than that and I couldn't have been more happy every time she outmanoeuvred him!

Luckily Kylie has a few allies in her corner to help, starting with adorable gargoyle and reporter in training Quinn. You might remember Quinn as one of the gargoyles rescued my Mika in the original series but he's become rather attached to Kylie and the two of them make a great team. He is ridiculously cute but also a steadfast and powerful companion and I loved seeing how curious he was about everything Kylie was doing. Her less reluctant ally is Grant, member of the FPD (Federal Pentagon Defence) who also appeared in the previous books. Grant is the leader of his FPD unit but he's investigating his current job alone while the rest of his team are tied up with another case. He would rather keep Kylie out of harm's way and well away from the action but once he realises how determined she is to see things through he realises they might as well work together and ends up accepting her help.

This is a brilliant start to Kylie's series, the story is fun and fast paced and I found it an incredibly quick read. It's also full of interesting supernatural creatures that you don't come across very often in young adult urban fantasy. While the story works as a complete stand alone you get a few hints about where the series is going and I'm definitely very interested to see what happens on Kylie's next assignment.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle (currently only available in the Elementals anthology):

November 2017 Recap

Books read in previous months but reviewed in November:

(Links will take you to my reviews)

1. The Dragons of Nova - Elisa Kova (Read in August, reviewed in November)
2. The Bone Witch - Rin Chupeco (Read in August, reviewed in November)
3. Blind Faith - Rebecca Zanetti (Read in August, reviewed in November)
4. Wonder Woman: War Bringer - Leigh Bardugo (Read in August, review coming soon)
5. Wicked Ugly Bad - Cassandra Gannon (Read in September, reviewed in November)
6. Tangleweed and Brine - Deirdre Sullivan (Read in September, review coming soon)
7. Deadlines and Dryads - Rebecca Chastain (Novella) (Read in September, review coming soon)
8. Vanguard - Ann Aguirre (Read in October, review coming soon)
9. Full of Briars - Seanan McGuire (Short Story) (Read in October, reviewed in November)
10. A Red-Rose Chain - Seanan McGuire (Read in October, reviewed in November)
11. Ice Planet Holiday - Ruby Dixon (Novella) (Read in October, review coming soon)
12. Harry Potter: The Character Vault - Jody Revenson (Read in October, review coming soon)
13. Outlander - Diana Gabaldon (Originally published in the UK as Cross Stitch) (Read in October, review coming soon)
14. The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman (Read in October, review coming soon)
15. Even the Darkest Stars - Heather Fawcett (Read in October, review coming soon)
16. Once Broken Faith - Seanan McGuire (Read in October, review coming soon)
17. Dreams and Slumbers - Seanan McGuire (Short Story) (Read in October, review coming soon)
18. The Last Namsara - Kristen Ciccarelli (Read in October, review coming soon)
19. Artemis - Andy Weir (Read in October, review coming soon)
20. Ride Wild - Laura Kaye (Read in October, review coming soon)
21. Lonely Planet Nepal (Travel Guide) (Read in October, review coming soon)

Books read in November:

(Links will take you to my reviews)

1. One Fell Sweep - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
2. Innkeeper Chronicles Volume 1 - Ilona Andrews (Review coming soon)
3. Burn for Me - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
4. White Hot - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
5. Wildfire - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
6. A Questionable Client - Ilona Andrews (Short Story) (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
7. Magic Bites - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
8. Rock Hard - Nalini Singh (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
9. Cherish Hard - Nalini Singh (Review coming soon)
10. Otherworld - Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller (Review coming soon)
11. Total Surrender - Rebecca Zanetti (Review coming soon)
12. Trump's Christmas Carol - Lucien Young writing as Watt T. Dickens (Review coming soon)
13. Iron Gold - Pierce Brown (Review coming soon)
14. Magic Burns - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
15. Eternal - Cecy Robson (Review coming soon)
16. To The Nines - Janet Evanovich (Review coming soon)
17. Darkfever - Karen Marie Moning (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
18. Beyond Forever - Kit Rocha (Review coming soon)
19. Witchborn - Nicholas Bowling (Review coming soon)
20. A Fistful of Fire - Rebecca Chastain (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)

Other November Posts

1. Book Trailer: The Jewel - Amy Ewing
2. Blog Tour: Otherworld - Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller (Exclusive Excerpt)

November Books of the Month:

(Choices are made from books reviewed this month and the links will take you to my reviews)

My top YA read in November:

The Dragons of Nova by Elise Kova (read my review here)

My top NA read in November:

Rock Hard by Nalini Singh (read my review here)

I don't normally count rereads when I'm picking my favourite books of the month but since this was the only NA book I read and it's a story I absolutely love I'm breaking my own rules!

My top adult read in November:

Blind Faith by Rebecca Zanetti (read my review here)
Wicked Ugly Bad by Cassandra Gannon (read my review here)
A Red-Rose Chain by Seanan McGuire (read my review here)

My Challenge Updates:

Here are the 2017 challenges I've signed up for:
2017 Read 100 Books in a Year Challenge - Read 195/200
2017 British Books Challenge - Read 20/20 - DONE
2017 New Author Challenge - Read 34/50
2017 Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance Challenge - Read 88/100
2017 Contemporary Romance Challenge - Read 20/20 - DONE
2017 Retellings Reading Challenge - Read 7/12