KISS AND MAKE UP by Stephanie Damore

Title:  KISS & MAKEUP

Series:  Beauty Secrets #2

Author:  Stephanie Damore

Narrator:  Tonia Blake

Length:  6 hours 4 minutes

Audible Release Date:  12.12.2018

Publisher:  Stephanie Damore

Publish Date:   05.26.2017

Category /Genre:  Cozy Mystery

Recommended for:  16+ due to fright factor

Listenability:  OK  or  NSFW

Received from:  Tonia Blake (as an Audible gifted copy)

Goodreads link: Kiss & Makeup

Date completed: 04.22.2019

Description from the publisher:

Ziva Diaz has been really looking forward to this week. Her best friend is getting married, and her beauty line is launching. Life is good, and she’s on top of the world - what could go wrong?

Sabotage, a feud, and a murder, it turns out.

Stumbling over a dead body on the beach trips Ziva up in more ways than one, particularly when one of her beauty clients is charged with the murder. She doesn’t believe for a minute that Mrs. J. would murder anyone; too bad she’s the only one. As Ziva sets out to solve the mystery, someone else sets out to ruin both her reputation and her friend’s wedding. Can Ziva solve the case and serve up some just desserts? Or will her investigation fall flatter than a wedding soufflé?

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KISS & MAKEUP is the second book in the Beauty Secrets series.  Though it does stand on its own, I felt I was missing background on the characters by not having read the first book.  I would recommend reading the series in the order of release.

This is a cute, girlie cozy-mystery with lots of snarky and laughable moments.  Great pacing that kept me entertained and engaged – what more could I ask for as I was traveling to and from work?  This is what I want in my audiobooks.

There was a lot going on, but the details were well metered out so that nothing was lost or rushed.  There was plenty of humor, lots of detail, mystery, romance, and a sweet dog to add to the heartstrings and friendships.

The best part – besides a fun and wonderful story – was that I learned a few new facts about beekeeping.  I’m sure it will come in handy during the next game night!

Narration:  Tonia Blake does a great southern accent.  I’m not sure if it’s real or play-acting.  Either way, it was fun listening to her many voices in this story.

Note:  While I received this book as a gifted audiobook copy via Audiobook Boom, my opinions are my own and are given freely.

Beauty Secrets Series:

1.      Makeup & Murder

2.      Kiss & Makeup

3.      Eyeliner & Alibis

4.      Pedicures & Prejudice

4.5  A Ring to Die For

5.      Beauty & Bloodshed

6.      Charm & Deception

Also from Stephanie Damore:

·         Better Witch Next Time (A Witch in Time #1)

·         Mourning After (Funeral Fakers #4)

Spirited Sweets Series:

1.      Bittersweet Betrayal

2.      Decadent Demise

3.      Red Velvet Revenge

4.      Sugared Suspect

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DAINTY DARLINGS by Melissa Storm

Title:  DAINTY DARLINGS

Series:  Church Dogs of Charleston #3

Author:  Melissa Storm

Publisher:  Partridge & Pear Press

Publish Date:   04.18.2019

Category /Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Recommended for:  12+ this one is safe for any young lady interested in romance

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

Received from:  Melissa Storm

Goodreads link:  Dainty Darlings

Date completed: 04.19.2019

Description from the publisher:

Carolina Brown couldn’t be more different than her mama if she tried—and truthfully most of us believe she worked hard at precisely that.  She worked hard at everything else, too, and set off to college to accomplish big things in the wide world.  Unfortunately, God called her right back to Charleston when her mama suffered a near fatal accident that left her requiring round the clock care.

Now that poor young woman reckons her ambitions have reached a dead end.  I say it’s just a sudden turn toward a new destination she can’t quite see yet.  If Carolina is ever going to believe in herself enough to reach for happiness a second time, she’s going to need some outside encouragement.

It’s been a long time since she’s come round to the church, but that’s not going to stop me from coming round to her.  Sometimes you’ve gotta meet people part-way, and sometimes you’ve gotta entrust them with one miracle so they can find the next for themselves.

I do believe Cupcake is the perfect Church Dog for the job.  Now I’m sure you’re wondering, can one little Chihuahua fix two broken lives?  Stick around and see for yourself.

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DAINTY DARLINGS is the third book in the Church Dogs of Charleston series.  Each will stand completely on its own, but I highly recommend reading them all and in the order of release.  In particular, the first one should be read first.

Another sweet romance that is just right for allowing me to breath.  Yes, there is drama and angst, but I didn’t feel like it was adding to the stress of my day.  This time, the story was as much, if not more, about the love between mother and daughter as it was about the budding relationship between Carolina and Levi.

Wonderful characters, amazing town, and sweet dogs make Sweet Grove a place I always want to visit.

Note:  While I received this book as a gifted ARC, my opinions are my own and are given freely.

Church Dogs of Charleston:

1.      Mini Miracles

2.      Little Loves

3.      Dainty Darlings

4.      Tiny Treasures

5.      Bitty Blessings

Also from Melissa Storm:

·         A Colorful Life

·         Flirting with the Fashionista (coming soon)

·         Saving Sarah (Gold Coast Retrievers #1)

Alaska Sunrise / Cupid’s Bow, 3^rd Generation:

1.      Must Love Music / Somebody Like You

2.      Must Love Military / What Makes You Beautiful

3.      Must Love Mistletoe / I’ll Be Home for Christmas

4.      Must Love Mutts / You Belong with Me

5.      Must Love Mommy / She Will Be Loved

6.      Must Love Moo / A Cowboy Kind of Love

7.      Must Love Mustangs / A Texas Kind of Love

8.      Must Love Miracles / A Wedding Miracle

9.      Must Love Mermaids

10.  Must Love Movie Star

Cupid’s Bow, 1^st Generation:

1.      When I Fall in Love

2.      My Heart Belongs Only to You

3.      I’ll Never Stop Loving You

4.      You Make Me Feel So Young

Cupid’s Bow, 2^nd Generation:

1.      Total Eclipse of the Heart

2.      Tainted Love

3.      I Want to Dance with Somebody

4.      Take My Breath Away

5.      Eternal Flame

Finding Mr. Happily Ever After Serial:

1.      Nathan

2.      Chase

3.      Xavier

4.      Edwin

5.      The Finale

First Street Church Romances:

1.      Love’s Prayer

2.      Love’s Promise

3.      Love’s Prophet

4.      Love’s Vow

5.      Love’s Trial

6.      Love’s Treasure (coming soon)

7.      Love’s Testament (coming soon)

8.      Love’s Gift (coming soon)

Memory Ranch Series (co-written with Kay P. Dawson):

1.      Memories of Home

2.      Memories of Heaven

3.      Memories of Healing

Pearl Makers Series:

Angels in Our Lives

Diving for Pearls, (10 parts)

            Part 1

Sled Dog Series:

1.      Let There Be Love

2.      Let There Be Light

3.      Let There Be Life

4.      Season of Mercy

5.      Season of Majesty (coming soon)

6.      Season of Mirth (coming soon)

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REBEL HEART by Anna Lowe

Title:  REBEL HEART

Series:  Aloha Shifters: Pearls of Desire #4.5

Author:  Anna Lowe

Narrator:  Kelsey Osborne

Length:  1 hour 21 minutes

Audible Release Date:  12.11.2018

Publisher:  Twin Moon Press

Publish Date:   11.05.2018

Category /Genre:  Paranormal Romance

Recommended for:  18+ due to sexual content

Listenability:  OK  or  NSFW

Received from:  Anna Lowe (as a Find-a-way Voices gifted copy)

Goodreads link: Rebel Heart

Date completed: 04.17.2019

Description from the publisher:

Uptown girl meets rough-and-tumble biker — with a shapeshifter twist!

All Cynthia was planning for the weekend was a quick escape to the countryside where her inner dragon can stretch its wings.  She wasn’t counting on a handsome, enigmatic wolf shifter coming along and sweeping her off her feet.  Cynthia has always been driven by duty rather than desire.  But suddenly, she finds herself making reckless, irresponsible choices and telling herself, just this once…

A night of sizzling passion ensues, but the question remains.  Is Cal to blame for making her throw caution to the wind – or is it destiny?

This short story prequel reveals Cynthia’s backstory and sets the stage for her second chance at love, a story told in Rebel Alpha (Aloha Shifters: Pearls of Desire, Book 5).  It takes place a decade before she comes to Maui after many cruel twists of fate.  Rebel Alpha, the emotional series finale, releases in December 2018!

Maui just got hotter with this exciting new series of steamy, suspenseful paranormal romance!

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REBEL HEART is the fifth release in the Aloha Shifters: Pearls of Desire series.  It is a novella prequel to REBEL ALPHA and should be read prior to that book.

Because this is a prequel, it has a beginning and a middle, but the end is… heart breaking.  It is not a cliffhanger, but it does make me cry for more.  Beautifully written, this is how a prequel to a second chance is meant to be.

This is the first story I have read from the series, so I walked in blindly.  Now I’m blindly walking out wishing for them to find each other again as the prequel implies they will.

Narration:  The narrator, Kelsey Osborne, is a delight for the ears.  I hope she continues in Rebel Alpha.  She reads with dramatic flair and clarity that kept me engaged from beginning to end.

Note:  While I received this book as a gifted audiobook copy, my opinions are my own and are given freely.

Aloha Shifters: Pearls of Desire series:

1.      Rebel Dragon

2.      Rebel Bear

3.      Rebel Lion

4.      Rebel Wolf

4.5  Rebel Heart (prequel to Rebel Alpha)

5.      Rebel Alpha

Also from Author:

·         Alpha Passions

·         Island Fantasies

·         Sasquatch Surprise

·         Veiled Fantasies

Aloha Shifters: Jewels of the Heart series:

1.      Lure of the Dragon

2.      Lure of the Wolf

3.      Lure of the Bear

4.      Lure of the Tiger

5.      Love of the Dragon

6.      Lure of the Fox

Blue Moon Saloon series:

0.5 Perfection

1.      Damnation

2.      Temptation:  Reckless Desires

3.      Redemption

4.      Salvation

4.5 Celebration

5.      Deception

Serendipity Adventure Romance series:

0.5 Off the Charts

1.      Uncharted

2.      Entangled

3.      Windswept

4.      Adrift

Shifters in Vegas series:

1.      Gambling on Her Dragon

1.5 Gambling on Trouble

2.   Gambling on Her Bear

Wolves of Twin Moon Ranch series:

0.5 Desert Hunt

1.      Desert Moon

1.1 Desert Wolf (three parts)

2.      Desert Blood

3.      Desert Fate

4.      Desert Heart

4.5 Desert Yule

5.      Desert Rose

6.      Desert Roots

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