More Than Once - Book Review by Voodoo Bride

More Than Once (Chasing the Dream #4)
by Elizabeth Briggs

What is it about:
She’s trying to be good. He loves it when she’s bad.

Andrew West is done being the nice guy. After a marriage proposal gone wrong, he’s started over in a new city and he’s never risking his heart again.

Becca Collins is done being the bad girl. After quitting the band she played bass for, she’s going to prove to her family that she’s really changed.

When Becca’s dumped by her boyfriend and fired from her job on Christmas Eve, all seems lost, until she runs into a former one night stand—Andrew. To impress her parents, Becca convinces him to pretend to be her perfect boyfriend for their holiday dinner.

After Andrew shows Becca he’s all bad boy in the bedroom, neither wants to pretend anymore. But when Becca's invited to rejoin her band for a show and Andrew's forced to face his ex, they both wonder if they're ready to take a leap again—or if they're doomed to fail in life and love a second time.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:
I am seriously addicted to this series!

This book is yet another delicious read.

At first I was a bit hesitant to pick this one up. Becca was a difficult character in the previous books, and Andy somewhat bland.

I didn't need to fear though. Becca and Andy/Andrew together make sparks fly. Becca is trying to be the good girl her parents want her to be, but is failing miserably. then she meets Andrew again and things get interesting.

The chemistry between the two is great, and I loved how Andrew likes Becca's wilder side. I especially liked how it's shown that it's not Becca's lifestyle that made her fail, but that she as a person needed to grow. Andrew needs to grow as well and to get over past hurts. Together they manage to shake the dust from their troubled pasts and shape a better future.

All in all this is fun and very enjoyable romance with just enough obstacles to make you feel they earn their happily ever after.

You bet I'll read the last book in this series as well. And if any of you know about more Contemporary Romances with alternative heroes/heroines that are fun: let me know!

Why should you read it:
It's a heartwarming and fun Contemporary Romance


Buy from bookdepository

With a Prince - Release Day Book Review by Voodoo Bride

With a Prince (Missed Connections #2)
by Jeffe Kennedy

What is it about:
The guy on the train is just Marcia’s type. A face like an angel, a scent like raw honey, treats her like he has a white horse and suit of armor stowed in his messenger bag. Perfect.

Too perfect. No guy like that would be interested in prim, awkward Marcia, notorious goody-goody and a twentysomething still clutching her v-card. She’s been following rules her whole life—but somewhere, the game changed. And left her behind.

So when she meets Damien, with his rumbling motorbike, gleaming piercings, and wicked imagination, she doesn’t care that he’s the exact opposite of “her type.” Her type would never dare her into such shocking, fiendishly inventive adventures—and she can’t wait to say yes.

Yes to whiskey in the middle of a workday. Yes to letting her hands roam over his body from the back of his bike. Yes to a fling full of wild abandon and absolutely no long-term potential. Except Damien’s not just the straightforward bad boy she imagined. And as they burn through Chicago’s nights, Marcia can’t shake the fear that this happiness is just another fairy tale…

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:
I will confess I seriously disliked Marcia in Last Dance. She did something there that made me so angry.

Imagine my surprise when Marcia actually started to grow on me in this story.

Liking Marcia came slowly. but when it happened I was hooked. Marcia starts out as someone I didn't have much connection with: she's soft and too lost in her perfect plans to see the real world. But then she meets Damien and she is starting to open her eyes. I loved seeing Marcia's personal growth.

And Damien!
*dreamy sigh*

There are just not enough Alternative/Goth heroes who are more than the bad boy who needs a good woman to settle down. Luckily Damien is one of those yummy few. I loved how he and Marcia were together. Their romance is hot, sexy and sweet.

Of course Marcia and Damien encounter some obstacles on their way to a happy end, but you can trust Jeffe to make those obstacles interesting, while you never have to fear they won't be overcome.

All in all a delightful Contemporary Romance that I already have read several times and will reread again for sure.

Why should you read it:
It's a hot, sexy and sweet Contemporary Romance.


Buy from Amazon
*Free with Kindle Unlimited*

LLC Swag Giveaway

I gathered swag at the Love Letter Convention and you can win some of it!

Pictured here are two tote bags, cards, a notepad, bookmarks, sunglasses, a button and bath salts.

The bookmarks and button were kindly provided by Ann Aguirre, the other items are swag items from LLC.

To sweeten this giveaway, the winner can also pick a book from one of the following authors:
Ann Aguirre, Jay Crownover, Cora Carmack, Kelsey Sutton, Margaret Mallory

The rules:
- You should be legally allowed to enter this giveaway.
- The book should be available on bookdepository, cost no more than 12 euro and you have to live in a country where bookdepository ships to.
- Leave a comment and a way to contact you before June 4, 2017
- I will contact the winner soon after
- Pearls Cast Before a McPig is not responsible for packages getting lost in the mail.

Closed! The winner is Beanie!

Love Letter Convention - Day 2

On Sunday, May 21 we rushed through breakfast so we would be in time to have a good spot at the first event of the day


A reading by Ann Aguirre.


She read from Honor Among Thieves, the book she wrote together with Rachel Caine and which will release next year. After the reading I was even more excited about the book than I already was, and I pre-ordered it immediately.


Next Ann Aguirre, Samantha Young, Kelsey Sutton, and Cora Carmack talked about YA: First Love. They talked about why lots of people love Young Adult books, their own favorite YA books and their own first love.


Then we went to the Q&A with Kelsey Sutton and Cora Carmack.
They answered lots of questions and told stories about all kinds of things.


I was already looking forward to Roar by Cora Carmack, but I might try one of her New Adult books as well. And I love the books I read by Kelsey Sutton ,so I'm keeping an eye on her new releases as well.


There was another English panel after that, but I was a bit tired, so I went outside and enjoyed the warm weather. And at lunch I got to eat a pretzel!

The afternoon there weren't a lot of English events so we stayed in the garden and chatted with other book lovers.


We chatted with Cora Carmack for a bit and she posed with me for this awesome picture.

We also talked with Ann Aguirre and her husband some more and I got another signed book from Ann and bookmarks and buttons.

Then the big signing started, but we already managed to get all our books signed, so we stayed in the garden and chatted with other book lovers some more.


Finally we found a restaurant and I got to order this time.


Pizza!
It was a very yummy pizza.


After dinner we said goodbye to the others and went in search of our comfy bed. It had been a lovely convention.

Love Letter Convention - Day 1

On Saturday, May 20 we got up really early and had breakfast before we took the subway to get where we needed to go.


In this school was the Love Letter Convention.
It's a convention with lots of romance authors.


After getting our badge we got a goodie bag which we decided to check out later, because it was time for the first panel.


Samantha Young, Cora Carmack, Jay Crownover, Monica Murphy, Annie Stone, and Mona Kasten talked about New Adult books. They told about their own books, which books they loved, and why they wrote New Adult stories. It was a fun panel and it made me curious about their books.

The hour after that there were only panels and such in German, so we enjoyed the nice weather, and scoped out the sales room. Unfortunately they only had books in German.


At 11:00 there was a Q&A with the author I really wanted to meet: Ann Aguirre! She was joined by Margaret Mallory, an author who writes Historical Romance.

Ann Aguirre recognized me! So cool. My owner asked about Ann's upcoming project with Rachel Caine and it sounds amazing. Ann was giving books to the people with the best questions, and guess what?


We won!
Yes! That's an ARC of Vanguard, a companion novel to the Razorland Saga. And it's signed to me!!


Next we went to a presentation by Cara Connelly.
She talked about the locations in her books and showed slides to accompany her story.

We had lunch after that and chatted with other book lovers.


After lunch I got to meet Kelsey Sutton.
She was kind enough to pose with me and to sign the books I brought.


There were very yummy McPig sized snacks from the LYX tea party.

On our way to the next panel we met Ann Aguirre again and she signed Enclave and Stone Maiden for me.


Next Martina Gercke, Jay Crownover, Samantha Young, Monica Murphy, and Ann Aguirre talked about Book Boyfriends & Girlfriends. Yet again it was a fun discussion.

On to the next event: Blind Date.
Here you get to talk with authors without knowing which ones. The only thing we knew was that they would speak English.


The first author we got to talk to was Margaret Mallory.
She is super sweet, and I'm going to order one of her books for Voodoo Bride.


Next we chatted with Annie Stone.
One of her books will soon be translated in English. We will keep an eye out.


This is Cara Connelly.
She writes romances that take place at weddings. Might be something for Voodoo Bride as well.


Last Blind Date author was Jay Crownover.
She was very fun to talk to and I might get one of her Bad Boy romances for Voodoo Bride.


Cora Carmack came by during our talk with Jay Crownover and I got to hug Roar. Sadly enough it was not for sale and they only had the German version at the convention, so I'll have to wait until next month to get my trotters on a copy of my own.


After the Blind Dates we took part in a quiz.
We got help from Margaret Mallory.


Me and Voodoo Bride clearly do not read enough Contemporary Romance.
All these books and authors sounded unfamiliar to me. Our team lost the quiz...
But we had lots fun.

The quiz was the last event for the day.


We had drinks with Ann Aguirre and her husband after the quiz. I might have bugged Ann's husband to write more Apparatus Infernum books with Ann.


It was a fun and cool first day.


We then went in search of food together with other some of the other book lovers.
Hmm... A comic book?


It was a menu!


I got to try a brand of cola I never heard of before.


My owner ordered an evil pancake!

After dinner we said goodbye to the others and went back to our hotel.


Here's my loot!

Coming next: LLC Day 2

Teaser Tuesdays - Vanguard

"So they tell me. Our elders told us the above world was all poison and death. We thought being exiled was the same as an execution."

Vanguard by Ann Aguirre, page 43 (ARC)

Why there's no review today

I had two lovely days at the Love Letter Convention in Berlin and didn't have time to schedule any reviews.

I'll be in Berlin a few days more so I won't post any reviews this week.

I might post a teaser of my current read tomorrow, it's an ARC of a book I've been eager to read!

With a Prince - Upcoming Release Alert

The first book in the Missed Connections series was delicious, so you bet Voodoo Bride happily read an ARC of With a Prince. And the hero in this one is even hotter than the hero in the previous book. With a Prince is releasing May 30, so Voodoo Bride will be reviewing it closer to the release. and you bet she'll reread it in the meantime to make sure the story is fresh in her mind (She's totally not rereading because she wants to drool over Damien some more *cough*).


With a Prince (Missed Connections #2)
by Jeffe Kennedy

The guy on the train is just Marcia’s type. A face like an angel, a scent like raw honey, treats her like he has a white horse and suit of armor stowed in his messenger bag. Perfect.

Too perfect. No guy like that would be interested in prim, awkward Marcia, notorious goody-goody and a twentysomething still clutching her v-card. She’s been following rules her whole life—but somewhere, the game changed. And left her behind.

So when she meets Damien, with his rumbling motorbike, gleaming piercings, and wicked imagination, she doesn’t care that he’s the exact opposite of “her type.” Her type would never dare her into such shocking, fiendishly inventive adventures—and she can’t wait to say yes.

Yes to whiskey in the middle of a workday. Yes to letting her hands roam over his body from the back of his bike. Yes to a fling full of wild abandon and absolutely no long-term potential. Except Damien’s not just the straightforward bad boy she imagined. And as they burn through Chicago’s nights, Marcia can’t shake the fear that this happiness is just another fairy tale…


pre-order link will be on Jeffe Kennedy's website once available

More Than Fashion - Book Review by Voodoo Bride

More Than Fashion (Chasing the Dream #3)
by Elizabeth Briggs

What is it about:
They’re enemies who will do anything to win...including each other.

When Julie Hong wins a spot on a fashion design reality TV show, she celebrates by picking up a hot English guy in a hotel bar. But too many drinks leads to a night of embarrassment and a major hangover, and wow is she glad she’ll never see him again. Until the show starts, and he’s on it too.

Julie quickly realizes she’s out of her league among the other designers, and Gavin Bennett, with his cocky grin and sexy accent, is her biggest competition. Julie can't decide if she wants to kiss him or kill him. Or both.

After she’s almost kicked off, Julie convinces Gavin to pretend they’re sleeping together for the camera. The ploy works, but as they get closer to the show’s finale their fake relationship starts to become too real. But only one of them can win the show—and they might both end up heartbroken.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:
I've been very much enjoying the first books in this series, so I eagerly picked this one up.

And it's such a fun and yummy read!

Hector from More Than Comics is still my favorite hero so far, but Gavin is a really close second. I loved the interaction and chemistry between Julie and Gavin. Their romance is hot and full of delicious tension.

I loved the reality show set up in the first book, but wasn't a fan of the hero. Here I got the reality show set up again, this time with a hero I really rooted for. I was hooked from the start and only put the book down when I absolutely had to.

The story is really fun with all the fashion challenges, and there were some cool contestants as well. I like how Briggs doesn't make things an easy stroll for the hero and heroine in her books. I really was wondering how the show would end and how Julie and Gavin would get their Happy End with them competing.

Of course this is a romance so things do turn out well, but the journey to their HEA was a treat to read. I'm already looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Why should you read it:
It's a delicious Contemporary Romance


Buy from bookdepository

On McPig's Radar - The Dragon's Playlist

You bet I pre-ordered this as soon as I heard about it. And I think you should pre-order as well.


The Dragon's Playlist
by Laura Bickle

From the author of THE HALLOWED ONES and NINE OF STARS comes a new novel blending the magical and the real…

“This is war,” the dragon said. And she believed him.

Di fled rural West Virginia to study music and pursue a bright future as a violinist. But when a mining accident nearly kills her father, she is summoned back home to support her family. Old ghosts and an old flame emerge from the past. When Di gets a job as a bookkeeper at the same mine where her father worked, she is drawn into a conflict pitting neighbor against neighbor as the mine plans an expansion to an untouched mountain.

If the mining company’s operation goes forward, there will be more at stake than livelihoods or the pollution of the land: Di has discovered a dragon lives deep within Sawtooth Mountain, and he is not happy with this encroachment upon his lair. When catastrophe strikes, Di must choose between her family’s best interests and protecting the dragon – the last surviving bit of magic in Di’s shrinking world.

In every fight, sides are chosen. And there can be no yearning for what has been left behind.


PUBLICATION DATE: JUNE 1, 2017

Pre-order links

Teaser Tuesdays - It Takes a Witch

I tipped my head. "If youve married mortals, how come you still have your power to grant wishes? I thought all Crafters lost their gift if they married a mortal."

(page 111, It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake)


Buy from bookdepository

---------

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Don of the Dead - Book Review

Don of the Dead (Pepper Martin #1)
by Casey Daniels

What is it about:
Beautiful, smart, and chic, Pepper Martin never had to work a day in her life -- until her surgeon daddy was convicted of fraud, her wealthy fiancé took a powder, and the family fortune ran bone dry.

Suddenly desperate, the inexperienced ex-rich girl was forced to take the only job she could get: as a tour guide in a cemetery. But a grave situation took a turn for the worse when a head-on collision with a headstone left her with an unwanted ability to communicate with the disgruntled deceased . . . and now Pepper has a whacked Mafia don demanding that she hunt down his killers -- and threatening to haunt her until she does.

What did I think of it:
This is a fun read.

Pepper might be down on her luck, but she's resourceful and persistent. Even an annoying dead Mafia boss doesn't faze her. As she's both trying to find out if she's hallucinating and who killed Gus she gets herself into some humorous and sticky situations.

I really liked the writing style and the story. Even with a couple of close calls with bad guys, the story is light and fun overall, while still the mystery is intriguing enough to want to read on to see if Pepper figures things out.

All in all a quick and very entertaining read. I will most certainly get my trotters on the next book sometime.

Why should you read it:
It's a fun Paranormal Mystery.



Buy from bookdepository

Where Silence Gathers - Book Review

Where Silence Gathers (Some Quiet Place #2)
by Kelsey Sutton

What is it about:
For as long as she can remember, Alexandra Tate has been able to see personified Emotions, and she's found a best friend in Revenge. He's her constant companion as she waits outside Nate Foster's house, clutching a gun. Every night since Nate's release from prison, Alex has tried to work up the courage to exact her own justice on him for the drunk driving accident that killed her family.

But there's one problem: Forgiveness. When he appears, Alex is faced with a choice—moving on or getting even. It's impossible to decide with Forgiveness whispering in one ear . . . and Revenge whispering in the other.

What did I think of it:
I fell in love with Some Quiet Place so had to get my trotters on this book, which is not so much the sequel as a companion novel.

And this book is just as beautiful. I was engrossed in the story from the start. Sutton has a beautiful writing style that helps set the atmosphere of this story.

I really could understand how Alex can't let go of her grief, and her hate for the man who she hold responsible for the death of her family. When Forgiveness shows up Alex is forced to look closer at her own feelings and even to look into her past.

The story is not only about choosing revenge or forgiveness. It's about how you deal with life in total, with friends and family, and it's about Alex discovering why she is different and how that has shaped her life.

I've had a hard time concentrating on reading lately, but once I started on this book I was so eager to find out what choice Alex would make, what secrets she would uncover, that I finished this book in a day. You bet this one goes on my keeper shelves, right next to its companion.

Why should you read it:
It's a beautiful and touching Paranormal YA read.


Buy from bookdepository

On McPig's Radar - World Tree Girl

I love Dead Before Dying, so you bet I pre-ordered World Tree Girl as soon as I could.


World Tree Girl
by Kerry Schafer

Shadow Valley, a retirement home that Maureen Keslyn both owns and resides in, hasn't quite recovered from its last battle with the supernatural. Nor have the members of Maureen's team. Jake, the sheriff who has come to believe in powers beyond what he can see, nevertheless remains skeptical on how to deal with those powers when they become malevolent. Matt, the cook at the manor, as well as a federal agent, finds his loyalties fraying in all directions. And then there is Sophronia, the youngest member, a girl who has abilities beyond what she can control, and fears of how powerful she can become.

Into this powderkeg walks Jillian, the daughter of Maureen's former partner. Jillian once tried to stab Maureen, and her presence isn't likely to end more pleasantly this time around. She's up to something, and Maureen needs to find out what.

Maureen and Jake are called upon to investigate a suicide that looks like anything but, and their search through the history of their town turns up unsolved murders, and an evil that has been lurking for decades. To bring the fight to Shadow Valley gives them their best chance at overcoming a demon more powerful than any they have ever encountered--but it also puts everyone at the greatest risk. And when Sophronia disappears, the clock is ticking to find her safe, before she becomes the latest victim.



Expected publication: August 8th 2017

pre-order at bookdepository

The Warlord Wants Forever - Book Review by Voodoo Bride

The Warlord Wants Forever (Immortals After Dark #1)
by Kresley Cole

What is it about:
The Warlord
Nikolai Wroth, a ruthless vampire general, will stop at nothing to find his Bride, the one woman who can “blood” him, making his heart beat and filling him with strength. Coldly interested only in the power his Bride will bring, he can hardly believe when Myst the Coveted awakens him body—and soul.

The Seductress
Famed throughout the world as the most beautiful Valkyrie, Myst has devoted her life to protecting a magical jewel and to fighting the vampires.Wroth provides her with the perfect opportunity to torment her sworn enemy—for with his new heartbeat comes a consuming sexual desire that can only be slaked by her. Denying him, she flees, struggling to forget his searing, possessive kiss.

The Hunt is on…
She eludes him for five years, but he has finally chased her to ground and stolen her enchanted jewel, giving him absolute power over her. Now that she’s his for the taking, he intends to make her experience first-hand the agonizing, unending lust she subjected him to for half a decade. Yet when Nikolai realizes he wants far more than vengeance from Myst and frees her, will she come back to him?

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:
I liked Poison Princess so I wanted to try one of Cole's PNRs. I decided to start with the novella that started her Immortals After Dark series.

I will confess I thought the story felt a bit anachronistic. First I thought it was set in the Middle Ages, and then suddenly the heroine reveals a lacy bra and takes a shower... There were more things that made it difficult for me to set the story in the right time. I switched back and forth from feeling like it was set in the past and thinking it might be the present.

Then there was the... romance between Nikolai and Myst. While I will confess there were some really steamy scenes, I had a hard time believing these two were falling for each other. If a man ever treats me like Nikolai treats Myst I'll be running for the hills screaming bloody murder. And Myst wasn't much better when it came to romance.

Still, I liked the mythology, and even though I didn't think this was in any way a romantic PNR, I did find the story entertaining. As this is a novella it just might be the reason why the romance wasn't much of a romance but instalust parading as romance. So I might give other books in the series a try.

Why should you read it:
It's an entertaining and steamy read.


Buy Blood Red Kiss (which contains this novella among others) from bookdepository

Teaser Tuesdays - Where Silence Gathers

These aren't coincidences. Someone is watching me.
Someone knows.

(page 84, Where Silence Gathers by Kelsey Sutton)


Buy from bookdepository

---------

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Borrowed Souls - Why I DNFed

Borrowed Souls (Soul Charmer #1)
by Chelsea Mueller

What is it about:
Callie Delgado always puts family first, and unfortunately her brother knows it. She’s emptied her savings, lost work, and spilled countless tears trying to keep him out of trouble, but now he’s in deeper than ever, and his debt is on Callie’s head. She’s given a choice: do some dirty work for the mob, or have her brother returned to her in tiny pieces.

Renting souls is big business for the religious population of Gem City. Those looking to take part in immoral—or even illegal—activity can borrow someone else’s soul, for a price, and sin without consequence.

To save her brother, Callie needs a borrowed soul, but she doesn’t have anywhere near the money to pay for it. The slimy Soul Charmer is willing to barter, but accepting his offer will force Callie into a dangerous world of magic she isn’t ready for.

With the help of the guarded but undeniably attractive Derek—whose allegiance to the Charmer wavers as his connection to Callie grows—she’ll have to walk a tight line, avoid pissing off the bad guys, all while struggling to determine what her loyalty to her family’s really worth.

What did I think of it:
I DNFed (Did Not Finish) this book at 25%.

I will confess I was a bit reluctant to do so, because I was enjoying the worldbuilding. The story certainly had possibilities as well, and I liked Derek.

But... I hated Callie!

Callie is narrow minded and prejudiced. I tried to ignore this, but every time I was just getting back into the story she would think something again that made me angry at her. Added annoyance: She's blind to clues as big as jumbo jets as well.

So at 25% I asked myself: Will Callie maybe change? Can I stand Callie until the end of this book if she doesn't? The answer to those questions was that I didn't see a big change coming soon enough for me to stick with the story to see it happen.

Why should you read it:
The Setting and story are both very interesting.


Buy from bookdepository