RMWB Tour Stop: Sunflowers and Surrender

Sunflowers and Surrender is the second novella I have read by author L.M. Fox, and it did not disappoint.  It follows Tuesday, a 21 year old college student who works at a local florist shop, and Alex, a local firefighter and her brother’s best friend.  As the story builds their secret longing for each other becomes impossible to ignore, leading them to choose between suffering apart or surrendering to their feelings.

I loved this novella.  While it’s short, it includes a well written and executed story with a plot that will have you invested from the very start.  I selfishly wished it was longer, but I never felt like I was missing out plot wise.  It could be considered a slow burn (based on the length and when in the book things start to heat up), and the build up in the first half of the book is worth the wait.

It is always refreshing when you find an author who is able to truly give each character their own voice when using a first person point of view.  I truly appreciated that Fox is able to effectively create a character’s narrative without resorting to breaking the fourth wall by having them make comments directed at the reader.  It means I was able to truly get lost in the story without having anything distract me from what was unfolding on the page.  It makes the whole reading experience that much more enjoyable, and I look forward to reading more of her work.

When reading I couldn’t help but truly start to care about the characters in this book.  They’re incredibly well crafted, even those in a supporting role.  At the heart of the story though is the main couple, and by the time things start to heat up I was truly rooting for them.  It made that moment in the book when they finally surrender to their feelings that much sweeter, and incredibly sexy.

Ratings:

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I loved this novella.  It’s a great short read that you can finish in a day.  It’s perfect for the pool or the beach, or, as we head towards fall, getting cozy with a cup of hot chocolate.  Definitely a 5 out 5 for me and the spicy was perfect for the length.  Definitely check this out if you want a short romantic read that packs the punch of a full length novel.

RMWB’s Tour Stop: Surrendering to the Duke

Stevie Spark’s Surrendering to the Duke is a beautiful romance and the first installment of her series, Lord of Desires. When Michael, the Duke of Foxcotte returns home from the war he finds himself being pressured by his mother to marry his brother’s widow out of a marriage of convenience as she is unaware that he has carried a torch for Emmeline since he first laid eyes on her years ago.  Emmeline’s must learn to move on from the trauma of her past to trust him and finally have the marriage she deserves.

This book captured my attention relatively quickly.  It centers mostly around the romance of Emmeline and Michael and the fact that they dive very quickly into a steamy courtship helps drive the plot along.  Emmeline’s past is filled with trauma and comes back to haunt her throughout the story, adding a heartbreaking and at times tense aspect to the plot.  In the latter parts of the book it kept me turning the page as I simply had to know what would happen next and how the story would ultimately be resolved.

There was so much I truly loved about this book, but the authentic feel of the writing was perhaps my favorite.  Sparks is a British author which ultimately helps with writing British characters.  Their speech, the minor differences in spelling, the settings, it all felt honest and real.  The dialogue flows allowing the reader to truly get lost in the world and the story that is being created.

I also loved that Sparks used a 3rd person POV but followed both Emmeline and Michael at various points in the story.  It allows the reader to truly understand both characters in a way we might not have been able to if she chose to only offer us one point of view.  It was done in such an effortless way, as were the descriptions that I could truly just let myself relax into the story.

The characters in this book are amazingly well written.  Our main heroine, Emmeline goes through such an incredibly journey to go from being timid and unsure of herself and her feelings, to being a women who is confident in her own skin and sexuality.  She is sweet and kind, and yet resilient in a way that makes the  reader root for her very early on.  Michael perhaps my new favorite ‘book boyfriend.’  He is quite literally everything I hoped for from the title and more.  As a reader one can’t help but falling for him along with Emmeline as he proves that not only is he kind and thoughtful, but also incredibly seductive and sensual.

I always love when a writer can make the supporting characters feel unique and well developed, and Sparks does a fantastic job with this aspect of the book.  Each character had their own personality, right down to the family dog.  I honestly can’t wait for book two to be published so I can read more about the characters we met in this book.

Overall I loved this book and would give it 5 out of 5 stars.  It is quite spicy and for mature audiences so my rating for that was 4 out of 5.  If you love historical romance with wonderfully written characters and lots of steamy moments, definitely check out Surrendering to the Duke!

RMWB’s Tour Stop: A Royal Pairing in Perish

A Royal Pairing in Perish is the first official book in The Coyote and The Claw series by C.G. Coppola, although we were previously introduced to the world of Perish in the companion novel In the Moment Before.  It follows June (aka Quick Claw) and Nikolai (Black Coyote), two of Perish’s crime fighting vigilantes, as their path’s cross and they work together to bring down the city’s biggest crime boss.

Let me start this by saying I have been waiting for this book since reading In the Moment Before and I was not disappointed.  The plot feels a bit like a superhero movie, which I have a bit of a weakness for and it hooked me from the first page.  There’s lots of action and adventure to keep you engaged, and an amazing slow burn romance to keep things delightfully spicy.

Coppola’s writing is incredibly solid and makes the book an easy read to get lost in.  Her descriptions of the fight scenes paint a perfect picture in the reader’s mind that allows you to visualize it clearly in your head without slowing down the pacing of the book.  It’s a duel first person POV, and the author does an amazing job of making sure the narrators have their own distinct style and personalities.  I also loved how the steamy parts of the novel were descriptive without being gratuitous.

If I had to point out anything in this book that wasn’t my cup of tea, it would be the chapter lengths (and that’s me trying very hard to find something to complain about).  I wish that they had been a bit shorter, perhaps instead of dividing up the POVs within the chapter, split it between two chapters.  I’m a ‘just one more chapter’ kind of reader, so I prefer them to be shorter.

I adored the characters in this book.  June is smart, tough, and independent, but yet she has an amazing heart and ability to care about others.  Her backstory is heartbreaking, and makes her the kind of character you root for throughout the story.  Nikolai checked all the boxes for me (tall, dark, and broody).  He is sort of a cross between Bruce Wayne and Bucky Barnes, and, as I am a sucker for the Winter Soldier, I was pretty much in love from the first few pages.  We got to know a bit of his backstory and I can’t wait to hear more in future books.

I also loved the supporting characters.  Each was written in a wonderfully developed way, and it made them seem real and believable.  Even the villains are multifaceted, which I always appreciate, and I can’t wait to see where Coppola takes this series in the future.

This book was a 5 out 5 for me.  It has action and romance and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of superhero movies.  It’s rated 4 out 5 for spice, but my personal scale put it at a 3.5.  I absolutely loved this book and it’s characters, and I think you will too!

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