SHIFTR: SWIPE LEFT FOR LOVE - DINA by Ariana Hawkes

Title:  SHIFTR: SWIPE LEFT FOR LOVE - DINA

Series:  Hope Valley BBW Online Dating App #1

Author:  Ariana Hawkes

Publish Date:   06.08.2015

Publisher:  Luna Negra Press

Category /Genre:  Paranormal Romance, Short story

Recommended for:  18+ due to sexual content

Received from:  Amazon purchase

Date completed: 12.05.15

Goodreads link: Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love  - Dina

Description from the publisher:

The first book in the new Hope Valley BBW dating app romance series

What if your fated mate was just an app swipe away?

Curvy Dina Taylor hates the idea of online dating. It’s something kids do, not 36-year old women, whose boyfriends have left them for the office intern. But her best friend Lauren has a secret she’s bursting to share: there are men out there who absolutely love voluptuous girls like her. All Dina has to do is tap Shiftr, the cute little paw-print app that Lauren has just installed on her phone.

In the time it takes Dina to get over her shock that there are guys who can shift into animals, she’s hit up by Logan – a dark-eyed bear-guy with a torso like sculpted marble and eyes like pools of lust. He tells her that he feels a magnetic connection to her, but before she can tell him that the feeling’s mutual, her clumsy thumb swipes the wrong way, and he’s gone.

Dina is distraught, but Tamika, the creator of Shiftr has a cunning plan that may just bring them together again. Will Dina find the sexy Logan in the midst of the eccentric matchmaker’s beautiful, opulent summer garden party? And will they discover that they’re fated to be together?

This is a short, sweet, steamy read, perfect for a lunch break, bath time, or a little dose of me-time, wherever you are. HEA and no cliffhanger!

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This is the first story in the Hope Valley BBW Online Dating App/Shifter-Swipe Left for Love series.  They each stand alone.

Online dating is the way to find someone these days.  It’s how I found my boyfriend (or he found me…)  Dina’s best friend, Lauren, recently found her perfect match, Connor, through an online dating site.  This one is by invitation only.  In fact, each woman matched can only tell one friend, because the hot and handsome men available have a secret that must be kept.  Now Lauren is going to let Dina in on the action.  Shifters are real and they prefer women with dangerous curves.

I thought this was a cute, fun, and quick read.  Though it is a short-story, there is no shortage of development to the characters and the plot.  The story, while a little simple, is sweet and sexy. 

I’ve wanted to read this one for a while.  I’m glad I finally got the chance and I’d definitely like to read the rest of the series.

Grammar/editing:  B – a few small errors

Hope Valley BBW Online Dating App Series:

1.      Dina

2.      Kristin

3.      Melissa

4.      Andrea

5.      Lori

6.      Adaira

Other Books from Ariana Hawkes:

·         Bear Home for Christmas

·         Isabel and the Wolf (four parts)

·         Ravished by the Ice Palace Pack

·         Once Bitten, Twice Smitten

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TURN OF THE MOON by L.P. Dover

Title:  TURN OF THE MOON

Series:  Royal Shifters #1

Author:  L.P. Dover

Publish Date:   08.25.15

Publisher:  L.P. Dover LLC

Category /Genre:  Paranormal Romantic Suspense

Recommended for:  18+ due to sexual content

Received from:  L.P. Dover (in exchange for an honest review)

Tour organized by:  Lady Amber’s Book Tours

Goodreads link: Turn of the Moon

Date completed: 12.05.15

Description from the publisher:

One girl. Two wolves. Promised to one. Destined for the other.

To escape the cruel, overbearing, Kade, the Yukon Pack alpha she’s been promised to, Bailey Whitehill flees her home in search of a new life, one of freedom where she can make her own choices. However, Kade will stop at nothing to make her his and begins the hunt.

As Bailey starts her new life, everything she’s known to be true, is not. Time is of the essence and choices have to be made or consequences suffered. Not only does Bailey fear Kade, but another danger lurks deep in the recesses of the forest. Unbeknownst to her, that danger is what she’s been searching for all along. At the turn of the moon, her fate hangs in the balance . . . and it’s up to her to make the right choice.

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This is the first book in the Royal Shifters series and they will need to be read in the order of release.

Speaking of releases, the second one is due out at the end of the month.  I can definitely say, “I want!” to that one.  This is the first book I have read from L.P. Dover.  I do not want it to be my last.

Many, many shifter books rely on the fated mates trope to make it easier on the writer – there is no need to build a relationship if they fall into instant-lust.  While fated, Bailey refuses to fall for it.  She wants destiny to step aside and allow her to make her own decision regarding who she will accept as her mate.  There is no doubt she is drawn to Ryker, but she wants the whole package.  They share a history she doesn’t remember, but the spell that has made her forget also allows her to get to know him slowly, like humans do.

In a genre that is often times predictable, this story has a unique turn on the family of werewolves.  There is suspense, romance, and friendship.  The conversations are organic and realistic.  I giggled, cried, and sighed.  I understand that this is L.P. Dover’s first try at a paranormal romance.  I want to tell her, “Beautifully done!”

Grammar/editing:  ungraded / unedited ARC

Royal Shifters Series:

1.      Turn of the Moon

2.      Resisting the Moon

Other Books from L.P. Dover:

·         Love, Lies, and Deception

Forever Fae Series:

1.      Forever Fae

2.      Betrayals of Spring

3.      Summer of Frost

4.      Reign of Ice

Second Chances Series:

1.      Love’s Second Chance

What He Wants

2.      Trusting You

3.      Meant for Me

4.      Fighting for Love

5.      Intercepting Love

6.      Catching Summer

7.      Defending Hayden (coming soon)

Gloves Off Series:

0.5  A Fighter’s Desire

0.6  A Fighter’s Desire: Part Two

1.      Tyler’s Undoing

2.      Ryley’s Revenge

3.      Paxton’s Promise

3.5  Winter Kiss

4.      Camden’s Redemption

5.      Kyle’s Return 

Armed and Dangerous Series:

1.      No Limit

2.      Roped

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INCUMBENT by Joanne Schwehm

Title:  INCUMBENT

Series:  Prescott #1

Author:  Joanne Schwehm

Publish Date:   11.03.15

Publisher:  Joanne Schwehm

Category /Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Recommended for:  18+ due to sexual content

Received from:  Joanne Schwehm (as a gift)

Date completed: 12.04.15

Goodreads link: Incumbent

Description from the publisher:

Secrets and lies have been the foundation of Lucy Washburn’s life. We’re taught to learn from our past, and she’s definitely learned from hers. Now that she knows what not to do and whom not to trust, her life is finally coming together, just as she hoped.

Until she meets him.

Drake Prescott was that kid; you know the type. Both an athlete and a scholar, he was determined to achieve his goals and dreams, the most important being elected president of the United States. There isn’t anything he desires more than to hear “Hail to the Chief” played in his honor. Now an incumbent U.S. senator seeking reelection and paving his road to the White House, he’s living his dreams.

Until he meets her.

***INCUMBENT IS A STANDALONE NOVEL INTENDED FOR READERS 18+ **

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This is the first in the Prescott series.  They will each stand alone, but I still encourage readers to always read the series in the order released.

Lucy and Drake are the kinds of people I would want to be my friends – honest, sweet, loving, loyal, strong, and forgiving.  I especially loved that when things got tough, Lucy didn’t run.  Instead, she gave Drake space to think things through and make his own decisions.  To my way of thinking, that was a show of incredible emotional strength and maturity.  Something that is usually lacking in books with younger protagonists.

When I divorced, one of the things that I said when asked, “why” was that loving someone means their happiness is more important than your own, even if giving them that happiness destroys your dreams.  Both Lucy and Drake displayed that type of love, but communicating with one another allowed them to find a new dream, together.  That is more than love.  That is commitment.

Joanne Schwehm is one of my favorite authors and Drake is now my second favorite of her characters.  (Sorry, Ryker will always belong to me.)  As always, when it comes to her stories, I found myself reading instead of sleeping.  It was totally worth it!

I can’t wait to read the stories yet to come in this series.  I am completely in love with all of the Prescott siblings and Lucy’s best friend, Mason.

Grammar/editing:  ungraded – book received as an unedited ARC / errors excused

The Prescott Series:

1. Incumbent
2. Gripped (coming soon)

Books from Joanne Schwehm:

• Ryker
• The Critic

Chance Series:

1. Unexpected Chance
2. My Chance
3. A Heart’s Forgiveness

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