Leea's Kindle & Coffee Blog

When I had finished reading my favorite series of all time, Outlander many years ago. It left this love and need to read all things Highlander. Many other fans feel the same way. I stumbled upon Hannah Howell's Murray Family Series and was just lost in the stories of this fierce loyal family. Then while cruising Netgalley for books I find the newest Murray Family book and I just had to grab it...

I was thrown back into the same feelings that Howell's book gave me all those years ago. I loved strong and loving Triona McKee, protecting her daughter and clan. Her cousin shows up running from her husband but protected by his family. In walks Brett Murray and fast has other plans for Triona. 

“Ye shouldnae think ye need to hide these marks,” he said, releasing one of her hands to trace each mark with the tip of his finger. “They are the scars of a woman giving life to a child, scars as hard-won and honorable as any a noble warrior wears.”

Howell takes us on a moving journey where a friendship is formed rooted in attraction. Brett is a man of action he does not take lightly to woman and children being abused and he cannot stand aside and let her clan be victimized. 

He did not wait for her to think long on what was about to happen but just kissed her. Brett brushed his lips over hers, savoring their soft warmth. He quickly recognized that she was not a woman well experienced in kissing, and silently cursed her husband. For her sake only, however, for a part of him was pleased that he might be able to give her something her husband never had. A woman married to a man for six years who did not know how to kiss was a woman who had suffered a cold bed, and he could show her heat, he was certain of it.

In conclusion, I enjoyed reading Highland Master. It classic Howell style its fast paced, moving and packed with romance and strong woman. 

ARC courtesy of Kensington Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Glitterland is unlike any book i've ever read before. Just by looking at the cover you can see bright lights and big hair but it's so much more than that. It's about two people, lost at times in a world that calls them outcasts finding each other.

A. A. Winters aka Ash is a bipolar depressed author with some serious panic attacks. He's brilliant, damaged and hides from so much in his life. Leans on his friends too much and cannot get past the blinding depression that plagues him daily. But he has good days and bad days and he's an author, a good one at that. In walks the most unlikely ying to his yang, Darian Taylor, described as a glitterball pirate. Ash's world will never the same. 

What happens between Ash and Darian is for you to read but what I can tell you as the reader, I was moved by the simple beauty of it all. Darian is nothing but himself, he doesn't make excuses for his choice in career it's something he wants to do. 

So you're asking with all this praise, why 3 stars? Well, for one I found it hard to decipher the british accents and slang (wish Kindle had a dictionary for that). At times this American was lost and found herself Googling. Then there was the way that Darian was portrayed, well, not smart at all. He's written as a simple man when it's clean that there is so much depth to him. Then there is just the fact that I couldn't read "Babes" one more time, the word just irritated me beyond belief. But ultimately, I couldn't emotionally connect to Ash or Darian. I tried and I enjoyed their story, but I kept feeling like something was missing.

In conclusion, this was a fun read. Ash's depression and panic attacks were written painfully accurate. I enjoyed reading the budding relationship between Ash and Darian. I would like to see where this relationship goes, i'm very interested in their relationship.

ARC courtesy of Ripetide Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review to come... Closer to the Dec 10th release date.

ARC courtesy of Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

This is my first read by Kitty French and now that i've got a little taste, I want more...

I went into Wanderlust expecting, well nothing. I was surprised by how much emotion was evoked in such a small short. 47 pages was all, but in a way it was just enough. Because Miss French eliminated all the drama and hiding of feelings and just let Ford and Ruby's feelings shine through. Sweet, romantic, filled with passion and love, that is how i'll remember Wanderlust. Now off to look at some of Miss French's other works. 

ARC courtesy of St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review will be posted closer to the Feb 2014 release date...

Just know that I was blown away by this new book in the Reluctant Hero's Trilogy. Brockmann brings the sexy, nail-bitting action and non-stop funny to this new series and I just simply loved it!

Now comes the waiting for the next book... 

His brows shot up. “Now I’m Mr. Reece?” 
“Bruiser drags me to bed. Mein herr bosses me around. And Mr. Reece is like a life professor, smart and generous with his wisdom.” 
His eyes got dark in a way I felt all through my body and he pressed me into the door.

4 stars…
I have read countless Kristen Ashley books, some I’ve loved, some I’ve connected with and other that just didn’t do anything for me. Jagged did something for me. At times, I was moved to tears and others there were beautiful moments of tenderness and love. A perfect combination and the reason many Ashley fans keep coming back to her books. For me the Colorado Mountain Series has always been my favorite. Getting back to that world is always just fun…

Stepping back into Gnaw Bone was for me like going back to the beginning, my first book Colorado Mountain about Nina and Max was what introduced me to Kristen Ashley’s writing. In Jagged, we find ourselves back in Gnaw Bone with Zara the lead in this story. Like many of Ashley’s stories Jagged starts right off with Zara and Graham Reece in an on again off again relationship. Zara wants a home, family and stability and that is not Graham at all. He’s a drifter, a nomad and he likes his like, no he loves his life. What I enjoyed about this relationship was the honestly that Zara gave Ham (Hate his nick name…). Never wavering from what she wanted and what she knew Reece could not give her. Believe me, it was painful to read that. See how hurt and broken it made Zara but I respected her for that. 

Lets talk about Alpha Males: When you pick up a Kristen Ashley book you know you’re getting an Alpha male, bold, possessive, infuriating, sexy and strong. You know he’s going to have some wicked sometimes annoying one liners but I’ve come to understand that’s what I get when I open her books. Graham Reece is no different minus that annoying one-liners from the past. Which is a good thing! What had me a little baffled is at one point takes some legal matters into his own hands and they’re not his responsibility, his hearts in the right place but I found that he was having these meetings with Nina instead of Zara a little disturbing. It just didn’t sit right with me. I did enjoy that instead of grabbing Zara and taking her to his cave man cave (Ha!) Graham took things slow with her, let Zara see with her own eyes that commitment he had for her.

I learned, love is a show, it’s not a tell.”

The Story: I really enjoyed this plot, I liked that Zara was a strong confident woman who knew what she wanted and didn’t back down from that. I also liked the back-story of her family and how she grew up, her sister’s plight and the family secret that was kept from her for so long. It was a layered story and kept me at the edge of my seat. Like previous Kristen Ashley books, the epilogue was just want I needed, but I have to say I did want a little more…

Characters from the past: Nina and Max make and appearance and it was so fun to see them living life after there book. We also get introduced to some new female characters and one hot Gnaw Bone Sheriff, Mick Shaughnessy and I wonder if there is a story there. Cotton’s back and just as we left him, we get a little more story behind him and Allan’s love story, which I wouldn’t mind reading more about. This almost feels like questions for the author… I just couldn’t help but be intrigued by some of these new characters. 

In conclusion, I went into this book with no expectations and I was gifted with another great story. I’ve been worried about Ashley now being a published author and what changes that might make for her story telling. I find that her stories are slowly feeling more polished and less choppy. In the end this was another great installment to the Colorado Mountain series and I cannot wait to read the next book.

ARC Courtesy of Forever Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Every once in awhile I get a book from Netgalley and i'm expecting one kind of read but I get another. I was expecting your tradition Contemporary Romance. Not a lot of depth, a singular couple that the book is focused on and cheesy moment. Don't think i'm bashing CR, no no no... It's a genre that I come back to time and time again. I was just pleasantly surprised by The Mountain Between Us.

The Mountain Between Us is not a story about one couple, but a small town in Colorado. It's not unlike my favorite small town series, Virgin River by Robyn Carr. Minus one very important thing, i'll touch on that in a bit. This story starts with two couples: Olivia and D.J, separated by war and miscommunication. Also, Maggie and Jameso separated by age and this idea of who you should be with.  Then the other relationship is a little out of the box, the beautiful town of Eureka, Colorado.  It's a one light town filled with local stores a community that sticks together and has always taken care of it's own.

This is my first book by Alexis Harrington and it wont be my last. I find myself drawn to Western Romance books from time to time. I guess for me they're like that old blanket that just gives you the warm comfortable feeling.  It's truly a gem to find one this good. That doesn't downplay the time period for the sake of the romance.

In Harpers Bride we meet Melissa and her daughter Jenny, her husband like her father is  abusive and this systematic abuse from childhood has turned Melissa into a meek woman. That's not who she really is, but it's what she's done to survive. In a twist of fate that's shocking but lucky Melissa and Jenny find themselves in the hands of Dylan Harper owner of the local shop where Gold miners come for supplies. 

I started my Goodreads to Booklikes transition back in June... I'd like to say that I went back through my many reviews to make sure the book covers matched up and the reviews transitioned nicely. Yeah, I didn't! I haven't even looked at most of my reviews till someone here liked one of my old reviews. When I looked the thing was a mess. So this is my warning. Watch out for my past reviews, they're a mess and at the moment I don't have time to fix them and I may not in the future. Which is something that sort of sucks. This transition hasn't been easy but I think in the end it will be worth is.

Just be kind when reading my pre-booklikes reviews, Please :) 

What a refreshing Historical Romance, Through The Smoke was. I was expecting the same old characters and outlines but this was different in a good way.

The Characters:

Rachael is not your traditional minors daughter. Like her mother she's smart, beautiful and caring for others. She spends her time at the family bookstore and also helping others to read. Rachel's mother is sick and the Earl comes to town wanting to know if Rachel's father had anything to do with his wife's murder by fire. Truman is the Earl, he's misunderstanding but he's also so used to seeing the world from his side of the blanket. The relationship between Truman and Rachel was some thing that had to build. It was a slow burn and that was so nice to read. Rachel is not trying to seduce Truman, no in fact she spends most of the book running from him because he's a different class than her.

His lips brushed against my ear, his presence behind me so large and commanding it seemed to fill the whole store. “I’m on your side. I’ll be on your side. All the way, until we get home.”

This is the final installment of the Artists Trilogy by Karina Halle. Let's start with the ending, for those of you loyal fans, you will like to hear that everything is wrapped up nice and neat by the end of Bold Tricks. Now will you be happy? I guess that depends on what team your on. I was happy with the ending.

Already this is non-stop action... I cannot wait to find out how this trilogy ends. Team Camden all the way!

Ever since the talk started heating up about Outlander on Starz in the fall of 2014 I can't stop thinking about rereading my favorite book. So it's time and i'm happy to reread Outlander with my buddy Wendy... We always have too much fun!

Jamie and Claire - Finally

Son of the Morning caught me by surprise. I didn't expect this kind of emotional roller coaster mixed with time travel. A studious girl on the run who not only doesn't fall down in a crying heap of mush but takes the bull by the horns and survives. I was impressed. Strong female lead, hot highlander, layered mystery and non stop action = great read!

I believe this is my second Rainbow Rowell book that's made my 2013-Favorites shelf... I'm head over heels in love with her and I don't care who knows about it. 

Let's start at the beginning...