Valentine (Colony: Holiday #5) with Cupid (#4) by Demelza Carlton @DemelzaCarlton

Posted on February 14, 2022 by fundinmental

The covers for Cupid and Valentine (Colony: Holiday #4 & #5) by Demelza Carlton are so alluring, I couldn’t resist it when I saw the freebie. They may be green but they are hunkalicious.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I am not sure how to write this review without spoiling anything for you. I love the cover, the colors drawing me in…and that hunkalicious green guy. LOL

A romance that put a smile on my face and a little heat in my Kindle. Anna is the Colony’s Jurassic Park creator, but in a good way. Valentine is an engineer on the Magellan. They were separated and…

You will have to read Valentine to find out the details for yourself. I will tell you, I enjoyed spending time with him and Anna and am sure I will be back to the Colony, seeing I have Cupid on my Kindle. I may be reading them out of order, but I don’t think it matters that much. Like a lot of series, each couple’s romantic story stands alone, yet best when beginning at the beginning.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

War widow Anna is ready to embrace a new life in the Colony. A fresh start bringing extinct species to life is just what she needs to get over the loss of her husband.
Until she discovers her husband isn’t dead…

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Ok…I think it is best to read the series from the beginning, but I didn’t and still enjoyed the three I have read. AND, yes, I think a Cupid does deserve love. It makes me think of the Cupid on Charmed.

Titans and Humans live together in the Colony and she can have her pick. Nihal is a djinn and has an ability to ‘sniff’ out the good and bad. That’s why she is the brewer of beer and wife at Forge’s bar.

Orel has his sights on someone he can’t have. I wonder who is waiting for him to find her? Speed dating? Hmmm…

I love the world Demelza has created in Colony with these quick easy reads. Though I am enjoying the world and the characters in it, there’s not much romance in the love.

GOODREADS BLURB

As a Cupid, Orel has plenty of experience helping other people find love, even if he’s unlucky in that department. But when he ends up covering for another Cupid at a speed dating event for singles in the leadup to Valentine’s Day, he dares to hope.
Can a lonely Cupid find love?
Or will he fall victim to the Cupid curse, too?

ABOUT DEMELZA CARLTON

USA Today Bestselling Author Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish.

She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray-drenched cliffs over a seething sea as a seven-metre cyclonic swell surged in, shattering a shipwreck below.
Sensationalist spin? No – Demelza tends to take a camera with her so she can capture and share the moment later; shipwrecks, sharks and all.
Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world.
The Ocean’s Gift series was her first foray into fiction, followed by the Nightmares trilogy. She swears the Mel Goes to Hell series ambushed her on a crowded train and wouldn’t leave her alone.

Website / Twitter / Facebook

MY DEMELZA CARLTON REVIEWS

Ocean’s Justice (Siren of War)
Welcome To Hell (Mel Goes To Hell)
See You In Hell (Mel Goes To Hell)
Mel Goes To Hell (Mel Goes To Hell)
Water and Fire (Ocean’s Gift)
Ocean’s Gift (Ocean’s Gift)
Ocean’s Infiltrator (Ocean’s Gift)

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Heartbreaking and Uplifting – Sacrifice by Charisse Moritz #CharisseMoritz

Posted on February 14, 2022 by fundinmental

Sacrifice by Charisse Moritz is a perfect romance for a romantic day!

Sacrifice is my third Charisse Moritz novel, and she does not disappoint.

The first book I read by Charisse Moritze was Shakespeare Burning. The title made me so curious, but the cover played it’s part. I had to read it and was blown away. This is not a genre I actively seek, so was there some ‘reason’ I was drawn to it? I have now found another author for my favorites list.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Need something to make you laugh out loud and feel good about life? Sacrifice is a must read.

Charisse Moritz and her novels would not seem like a fit for someone like me, who loves to delve in the darkness of romance novels. You know, the ones with murder and mayhem, rape and sex trafficking. BUT, Charisse’s writing and her characters draw me in so deep, sometimes I almost think they are real. They sure could be.

I have two pages of notes and wonder what I am going to do. Usually, with that many notes, I tend to share too much. I loved Sacrifice and the realistic, lovable characters that Charisse Moritz, so I don’t want to spoil a moment for you. I want you to experience their struggles, hope and dreams for yourself. I am sure you want a happy ever after. I know I did, and with Charisse, that is possible.

The situations the characters find themselves in could happen to anyone. The characters feel as if they could be the band members you find in the bar you frequent, the girl who left her abusive boyfriend and is hiding out, the single father that suffers from the lies his ‘ex’ feeds him.

The two main characters, Shae and Daisy, are flawed, frightened, insecure, beat down by life. Shae will do whatever it takes to make sure his son has the things he did not. Daisy looks through rose colored glasses, yet flinches at a knock on her door and things Shae is some kind of Sasquatch.

Her is a reason why I love Charisse Moritz’s writing so much…At 4 %, they meet for the first time and it is JUST TOO DARN CUTE AND FUNNY. The tone of the writing is serious, yet written in such a way that I never got too dogged down, too sad or depressed, because her vivid, hilarious descriptions of Daisy’s thoughts when letting her mind road to Shae, had me laughing out loud.

Mutt is a character that has to be mentioned. And if you want to know more, you’ll have to find out for yourself. I love when a peripheral character basks in the limelight…as I write that, I have a smile on my face.

A chat between Daisy and Shae when he picked up his son, Patrick, from babysitting, leaning against the doorframe with his feet crossed and his arms across his chest (which I so can visualize):

“Want to tell me why my boy is not wearing any pants?”
“He didn’t share his reasons, but I support his choices.”
I mean, how can you not crack up. Laugh out loud, whether anyone is around or not.

Patrick, a two year old, is, of course, adorable. I can hear that baby voice ‘speaking’. His actions and the dialogue is so cute, sweet, except when he’s letting them know he’s not happy. After all, he is two years old.

Shae took Daisy shopping. I don’t want to spoil the why of it, other than to say, Mutt is playing him like a fiddle. Her’s another quote that will share why I love Charisse Moritz’s writing

Patrick got a new jacket and a puzzle out of the deal. I got a hard on and a headache.

The sexual attraction is off the charts and I have never read of a couple of characters with this much self control. They both have their reasons, but Daisy is irresistible and his jealousy surprises even him

“Why don’t you just pee on me?”

I laughed out loud…again. Warning: If you read this around other people, well, you know.

There is more than one moment that shocked and awed me, in good and bad ways. I didn’t even try to figure out what was going on and why. I thought, even though I love Charisse Moritz’s writing, this is a romance, and I am along for the ride. Even a good romance rarely gets more than a four star rating from me. Out of the three books that I have read by Charisse, two of them have been five star ratings. She manages to supply those BAM, in your face moments and I love that.

EVERYTHING…PERFECT…for me. Romance with a dash of mystery and suspense.

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

Eighteen-year-old Shae is the daddy of a two-year old.
On his own and barely getting by.
Every day, he struggles to be good enough for his boy.
Every day, he falls a little further behind.
He doesn’t apologize.
He tries harder.
Sacrifices more of himself.
Because keeping his son is all that matters.
When Daisy Goodwill moves in across the hall, she is an irresistible splash of color and hopeful smiles. She disrupts his every waking moment in such wonderful ways, daring Shae to imagine a brighter future. But his new neighbor is full of apologies, hiding from an overly possessive ex and a threat to Shae’s black-and-white world. Because championing Daisy requires the one sacrifice he can’t survive.

ABOUT CHARISSE MORITZ (from Amazon)

Emily Award Finalist and Melody Of Love Award Finalist, Charisse Moritz divides her life between upstate NY and northern Florida. When not barricaded inside her writing cave or enjoying every possible minute with her husband and three kids, you’ll find her listening to 60’s music, singing off key and looking for new reads.

Her debut book, Shakespeare Burning was released in July 2019 and is available in digital and print.

https://charissemoritz.com

MY CHARISSE MORITZ REVIEWS

Shakespseare Burning
Shatter (Choosy Beggars)

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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Spider Shifter – A Spider In The Garden by Courtney Davis @AuthorCDavis @GoddessFish

Posted on February 14, 2022 by fundinmental

Welcome to my tour stop for A Spider In The Garden by Courtney Davis. Spiders creep me out and so does that cover. I love it!

I am happy to have Courntey Davis visiting fundinmental today and talking about her characters. Take it away Courtney:

How do I come up with my characters?

I think I am a bit of an observer in general. I am quiet and introverted so it’s natural for me to watch other people and I am sure that I unintentionally get ideas from the people I interact with or see, to add in to making my characters. Never on purpose though.

For the characters in A Spider in the Garden, as with most of my characters, I start with superficial things like their looks. Next, since it’s Urban Fantasy, I think about what powers they should have and any weaknesses. Then I think about their backgrounds, family situations and socio-economic status. I consider their love lives and view of relationships for their future. Even education and work at times must be considered. From that I start to get an idea of how this person would act or react in different situations and what their goals and hold backs might be.

I also consider their mood, some people are just serious all the time, others like to joke and laugh. In this story Aranha starts out in a deep depression, and that really plays into the events of the story and why she decides to do certain things.

With Urban Fantasy in particular with character development you have to consider what their species is like. If you create a species that is pack centric it is going to have a huge effect on how that character interacts with those in and out of their pack. If the species is weak then you may have to consider their drive for safety in the way they interact. A lot goes into character development and species development. I don’t always have it well planned before I start and sometimes have to go back and make adjustments after I decide something needed to be different, but that’s what editing is for!

Luckily, I find people very interesting, what makes them do certain things intrigues me. So I hope this helps me to write believable and relatable characters for others to read.

I love to people watch too. I make a game of it, imagining their lives, occupations… Thanks so much Courtney.

A Spider in the Garden by Courtney Davis

GENRE: Paranormal Fantasy/Romance

BLURB

Aranha is the last of her kind, a spider shifter who preys upon the dregs of society in an attempt to validate her existence and feed her hunger. She’s lived alone for two hundred years, no family and no friends; always watchful for those who would kill her.
Dag is one of a dying species, vampires who can walk in the day. They have lost their companions and live in dread of the day that they too will become extinct; leaving the earth to the vile creatures who prey upon humans without mercy.
Aranha sees danger in Dag’s face, Dag sees the future in hers. Neither can believe the other exists and their lives are about to get very complicated. Together they embark on a mission to save a young human from the vampires and learn the reality of what their two species were doing in The Garden of Eden.

EXCERPT

She didn’t like the idea of being in his space, but the public was no place for this conversation. She didn’t trust him, but she was curious as to what he could possibly think she needed his help with, and how did he even exist? She had as many questions as he did, she was sure. She couldn’t keep Jonah and herself safe if she didn’t know what was out there; maybe he wasn’t the only one and she needed to be aware of them as a danger too. She decided she had no better option. “I will follow you,” she agreed.

He nodded and held the door open for her gallantly. She didn’t move. “I said I’ll follow you.”

“You should trust me,” he said quietly.

His blue eyes stared straight into hers, it touched her soul and she had to steel herself against the threat of feelings she had no use for. “Why?” she hissed.

“I don’t think you have anyone else,” he said quietly, then went out the door and up the stairs.

She bristled at the truth in his words. Other than Jonah, she didn’t have anyone, but she didn’t have to trust him, she had no reason to think he meant her anything other than harm. She tucked her knives away and locked the door behind them. Three brown spiders crept out of the dark and looked up at her. “Cover the door, make sure it looks unused and unwelcoming.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Courtney Davis is an author of urban fantasy, paranormal, supernatural fiction with a little romance and humor thrown in. She loves creating worlds and exploring human, and inhuman, interaction. She lives in North Idaho with her husband and children where she teaches and enjoys time spent relaxing in the summer sun and winters by the fire. She has always had an affinity for reading and writing and a goal to make a career of it. There is no greater joy than to know her words took a reader out of reality for a time and into another world.

AUTHOR SOCIAL MEDIA