ROOM TO BREATHE by Nicole Brightman

Title: ROOM TO BREATHE

Author:  Nicole Brightman

Publish Date:   04.14.13

Publisher:  Nicole Brightman

Category:  Contemporary Romance

Recommended for:  18+ due to sexual situations 

Received from:  Nicole Brightman (in exchange for an honest review)

Date completed: 10.15.13

Description from the publisher:

Cora Allen moved to the English countryside from America to take care of her dying aunt. She never thought she would still be in the same sleepy town two years later. Cora has dreams for her life that far exceed bartending at her cousin’s pub. She is lost and searching for a new path when her current one collides with Lord Eric Ashford. He is so handsome and charming that she is easily swept up in him. She wants to let down her walls and trust him but his world is full of so much that is strange to her. Should she set her dreams aside for his?
Lord Eric Ashford loved his life. It was one filled with excess and women. Lately it had started to feel empty and he looked for a change. On a night where he almost made the biggest mistake of his life he meets Cora Allen. He is drawn to the young American right away. From the first time he saw her he has wanted to touch her, to possess her. She is unlike any other woman in his life. She makes him laugh and surprises him constantly. She has breathed lightness into him he thought he lost forever. But what will she say when she learns the truth about his life?
Can these two overcome the pain and loss in their pasts and let each other in? Can they look beyond the differences in their lives? Can they tear down each other’s walls and create a space where they both have room to breathe?

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I had agreed to do the blog tour for FAITH TO ENDURE, so I read it first.  I was very thankful that the author had generously provided ROOM TO BREATHE for those of us who had missed out on this story.  I am happy to say that FAITH TO ENDURE does stand on its own, but it is a richer read if you know the back story provided in ROOM TO BREATHE.

This story has all of the magic of a modern Cinderella.  Cora has caught the attention of a Lord while working as a barmaid for her cousin in a small town in England.  In no time at all, he has swept her off her feet and she is head over heels in love, but is he? Can he?

I loved living in this fantasy for a while.  It is every little girly-girl’s dream to be made to feel like a princess and Lord Eric Ashford knows how to make dreams come true.  

I need to also mention that book cover.  The model is gorgeous with just the right amount of curves.

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

Other books in the series:

1. Room to Breathe
2. Faith to Endure

Other Books from this Author:

• Resisting Her

originally posted 10.15.13 on my previous website

WordPress.com closed that site because I promoted authors and their books. 

THE HOWLING HEART by April Bostic

2013...

Title:  THE HOWLING HEART

Author:  April Bostic

Publish Date:   08.01.13

Publisher:  Eternal Press

Category /Genre:  Paranormal Romance, NA 

Recommended for:  18+ due to sexual content & violence 

Received from:  April Bostic (in exchange for an honest review) 

Tour by:  Read Between the Lines 
Goodreads link:  The Howling Heart   
Date completed: 12.27.13

Description from the publisher:

Paige Donovan is an ambitious college graduate who aspires to reach the top of the corporate ladder. She’s climbing fast when given the promotion of a lifetime at a prestigious fashion magazine in New York City. Her bright future comes to an unexpected halt after news of her father’s death. She inherits his old cabin in the Colorado Rockies, and just when she thinks her luck couldn’t get any worse, she has a car accident in the mountains and awakens in the small, remote community of Black River.

Soon, she’s engulfed in the mystical world of Varulv---wolves descended from 13th century Scandinavia and blessed by Norse gods with the ability to appear human. Paige is desperate to return home, but never expects to fall for her rescuer, Riley Gray, a charming young werewolf from England who offers her an alternate future with his pack.

Now, she must choose between the career she’s always wanted and the love she’s always dreamed of sharing.

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Paige dreams of a time when she ran away when she was a very little girl.  Lost in the woods and befriended by a small animal, she is surrounded by a pack of wolves.  Her little friend stands up to the wolves and she is spared, just as her parents and the sheriff find her.   

Now an adult, rising the ladder at Elle magazine, she inherits the small cabin in the woods where she once was lost.  Frightened once again by wolves she told do not inhabit the area, she has an accident in her car and is taken in by the new sheriff and his family.  Soon she discovers that she is within the community of the Varulv, wolves descended from the Norse Gods with the ability to appear human.  Paige falls in love with Riley, the Beta male of the pack, and must decide between her career in New York and her love in Black River, Colorado.

Ms. Bostic has created new rules for her werewolves.  These are not men who become wolves, but wolves with the ability to look like men for a time.  WARNING:  There is talk of the possibility of bestiality, but there are no actual scenes of it.  This part is extremely well done to reduce the squeamish factor.

I absolutely loved our two main characters, Paige and Riley.  Every girl wants a boy like Riley.  He is sensitive, but dominates.  He knew he loved Paige from the time they first met and would do anything to get her to give him a chance.  Paige is strong, independent, and fierce, but willing to submit to Riley for the sake of their pack.  Her love grows for him in such an organic way, that nothing feels forced.  I almost forgot I was reading a story instead of living another life.  Oh, and the ending!  The ending was such a fairy-tale perfect ending.

There is no indication that Ms. Bostic intends to make this a series, but I hope she will give this serious consideration.  I would love to see Riley’s sister, Quinn, find her HEA.  As always with a pack, there are supporting characters who could be brought out in future episodes to expand this into a series.

Grammar/editing:  A – near perfect

Other Books from this Author:

• A Rose to the Fallen
• Eros, My Love
• Right Here, Right Now
• Love Addiction
• A Dark Scandal

Riley was a beautiful wolf. It made sense, considering he was a beautiful man. The sunlight streaming through the windows in the living room touched parts of his body and revealed his entire coat was the color of pure snow. A soft glow emanated from his amber eyes, and they were almost hypnotic. In the light of day, they didn't glow as brightly as they did at night.

Riley and I were both still, our gazes locked on each other. I had lost the capacity to speak. I couldn't believe what I had witnessed. Two humans had transformed into wolves, one right in front of me. How is this possible?

He stepped forward, slowly and cautiously, and my muscles tensed. He took another step until he was close enough to touch. My breathing increased, and I pressed my back against the sofa. I wouldn't dare touch him. I wasn't sure if he could control his animal form. He whimpered as he sat on his hind legs and put his head on my knee. There was a message behind his eyes that I didn’t understand.

"He's not going to hurt you, Paige."

I turned my head to see Quinn had transformed back into her human form. Her breasts were exposed, but she didn't seem embarrassed. It became obvious the twins were comfortable being naked around me. She looked at her brother and then settled her blue eyes on me.

"It's still Riley," she said quietly. "He's fully aware of what's going on. He knows it's you."

Quinn must’ve noticed my hesitation. I'll admit her words made me feel more comfortable.

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AMAZON-US

AMAZON-UK

originally posted 12.28.13 on my previous website

WordPress.com closed that site because I promoted authors and their books.