Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin, Star-Crossed (Townsend Harbor Book 4)

Title: Star-Crossed (Townsend Harbor Book 4)

Author: Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin

Rating: Five Siren Stones

 Genre: Contemporary Romance

Sub-Genre: Romcom

Keywords: Small Town, Lawyer, Arborist, Shop Owner, Second Chance, Opposites Attract

Page Count: 260             

Print Book ISBN: 978-1648395079

Price: $12.99

E-Book Page Count: 277

ISBN E-Book: Amazon Digital

Price: $4.99

Included in Kindle Unlimited as of 10-27-23

Publisher: Oliver Heber Books

Buy-Link: https://www.amazon.com/Star-Crossed-scorching-Second-chance-Opposites-attract-Representation-ebook/dp/B0C8C1S1M7/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1698433625&sr=8-1

Reviewer: Stacey Krug 

Blurb/Summary:

Everyone thinks LYRA MCKENDRICK is magic. She’s not, for the record, just a lawyer who predicted a few outcomes that were blown out of proportion in the robust Townsend Harbor rumor mill. After a messy breakup in which she lost her thriving practice, she’s returned to her hometown to lick her wounds and is persuaded by a local town cook to capitalize on her cringe-worthy reputation by running the local new-age shop. How hard could it be to sell chakra-cleansing crystals, libraries worth of tarot cards, crops of candles, and enough incense to choke out Willie Nelson’s entire entourage? When one of Townsend Harbor’s many ancient trees threatens her plumbing, she engages Cypress Forrester, aka “Cy the Tree Guy” to rid her of the problem. Instead, he seems intent on becoming one.

Cy’s family have been arborists and healers for generations, and they’re firm believers in the mysticism of trees, among other things. When she hires him to chop down an endangered tree to save her business, they find themselves on opposite ends of a battle neither of them is willing to lose. As a man tethered by indigenous roots to the earth, Cy immediately realizes Lyra is a woman who lives in her head, which often disassociates her from her heart, body, and intuition. It’s how she always finds “practical” explanations for the series of unexplained, serendipitous coincidences that keep thrusting them together. Alone. But Cy knows better, and he realizes that he must tempt her out of her thoughts and back into her body, and what better way to do that than by a thorough seduction?

Review:

The best part about the Townsend Harbor series is that the authors have characters that are down-to-earth. They are not perfect, and most have an invisible illness. However, they all get treated with kindness and understanding by the people surrounding them. This alone makes Townsend Harbor a special place and one that I want to visit again in the future.

Lyra and Cy have off the chart chemistry and an unsettled past. It was fun to watch them navigate through their own misgivings. Their misconceptions were keeping them stuck in roles they were trying to fit into. Together they made each other better and were able to thrive instead of just survive. The best relationships happen when partners want to see the other succeed. Cy and Lyra wanted the absolute best for each other.

It was and enjoyable story, and wonderful to see Cy and Lyra achieve their second chance at a HEA. For any series readers, we get to see all the main characters of the previous books play secondary roles in Star-Crossed. 

Evangeline Anderson, Rescued: Brides of the Kindred, Book 30

Title: Rescued: Brides of the Kindred, Book 30

Author: Evangeline Anderson

Rating: Five Siren Stones

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Sub-Genre: Erotic Science Fiction

Keywords: Alien Warriors, Kindred, Goddess, Humanoids, D/s, Kindred Warrior, Humans, Multiverse, PTSD

Page Count: 442               

Print Book: 979-8858292043

Price: $19.99

Page Count: 471

ISBN E-Book: Amazon Digital 

Price: $3.99

Publisher: Self-Published

Buy-Link: https://www.amazon.com/Rescued-Brides-Kindred-Book-30-ebook/dp/B0CFGKXMRG/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1693852973&sr=8-1

Reviewer: Stacey Krug  

Blurb/Summary:

**Rescued is the story of two different couples with two separate love stories whose lives entwine at the end of the book. Don’t ask me why my Muse made me do this.**

Davrik is a Kindred warrior who lost his beloved wife in a shuttle crash five years ago. Unwilling to accept her loss, he embarks on a mission to find her doppelganger in alternate universes. Sonya, trapped in a world devoid of love, becomes the center of his desperate rescue mission.

Captured by the Scourge and sold to an alien brothel, Sonya's life has taken a dark turn. When Davrik arrives, offering salvation, she is overjoyed at first. But that’s before she discovers a secret that shatters her heart and changes everything she thought she knew.

Lan’ara, an Empath Kindred, senses the emotions of others. Guided by her connection with Nate, a captured ex-Navy Seal, she races against time to save him from the brink of destruction. But Nate is suffering from severe PTSD, which makes him a danger to everyone around him. Can Lan’ara's unique abilities can offer him a chance at healing?

As both couples navigate their separate paths towards redemption, they converge in a final confrontation. Facing the malevolent AllFather's tyranny, they must join forces to overcome the darkness that threatens to consume them all.

In "Rescued," the 30th installment of the Brides of the Kindred series, follow these two couples as they battle their own demons, find love against all odds, and confront a danger beyond imagination. Will they emerge victorious, or will they succumb to a fate worse than death? Find out in this captivating, spicy sci-fi romance that intertwines D/s, wounded warriors, and an enemies-to-lovers journey.

Review:

Readers get to go back into the multiverse with the female Kindred in Rescued: Brides of the Kindred, Book 30. This was an action-packed story with two different Kindred searching for the one the Goddess put aside for them. Their stories intersect at pivotal moments in the plot. 

Davrik is a male giant/blood Kindred and Lan’ara is a female empath Kindred, both in search of their human mates. Davrik and Lan’ara each are protective and selfless in the pursuit of their individual mates, Sonya and Nate. Sonya and Nate, as humans, are a little wary at first, but they both rally to show incredible courage and love towards their mates Davrik and Lan’ara, respectively.

I absolutely love the sci-fi aspects in the Kindred series. Rescued has some interesting and creative details in the multiverse world-building. The story has a little of everything: romance, D/s, action, sci-fi, and horror. Evangeline Anderson achieves a HEA for both couples after putting them through hell.

Rescued is a great story with strong characters. Both relationships are complete by the end of the story, no cliff-hangers. However, as a reader, I would like to know if there are any ripple effects from the characters traveling back and forth between universes. Also, what will become of the alternate Earth, its people, and those that have previously been sold off as slaves?  

Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin, Bazaar Girls (Townsend Harbor Book 3)

Title: Bazaar Girls (Townsend Harbor Book 3)

Author: Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin

Rating: Five Siren Stones

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Sub-Genre: Romcom

Keywords: Small Town, Crafter, Shop Owner, Mechanic, Ex-Con, Fake Relationship,

Page Count: 290             

Print Book ISBN: 978-1648394843

Price: $12.99

E-Book Page Count: 308

ISBN E-Book: Amazon Digital

Price: $4.99

Included in Kindle Unlimited as of 8-29-23

Publisher: Oliver Heber Books

Buy-Link: https://www.amazon.com/Bazaar-Girls-Reformed-relationship-Representation-ebook/dp/B0C8C13Y8K/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1693361732&sr=8-1

Reviewer: Stacey Krug  

Blurb/Summary:

From USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling authors Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin, comes their latest Romcom featuring a quirky cast of characters who represent the hilarious absurdity of life while making you fall head-over-heels in love. This steamy, laugh out loud, opposites-attract small town romance reminds us that we don't have to be perfect to deserve our own happily ever after!

Gemini "Gemma" McKendrick knows just about everything about everybody in Townsend Harbor. When she's not serving on one of the many civic positions or leaping headlong into another hobby, she's hosting the Sunday Stitch 'N Bitch at her yarn and craft shop, Bazaar Girls. With her quirky boutique in big financial trouble, she makes a snap decision to rent out the basement of her cozy craftsman to Townsend Harbor newcomer Gabe Kelly. A man with a past as colorful as his tattoo sleeves, who has become an urban legend since he blew into town. And who better than Gemma, Townsend Harbor's own gossip guru, to answer the rumor mill's most pressing questions? Like whether the silver-tongued mechanic is as good with his hands as he is with a socket wrench.

Gabriel "Gabe" Kelly wasn't born into a family so much as a criminal enterprise. Taught to lift, chop, and rebuild cars since before he could tie his own shoes, he's obliged to pay his debt to society before deserting South Boston for Townsend Harbor, Washington. Surely he can stay out of trouble here, right? He immediately finds the only position an ex-con with prison muscles and neck tattoos could easily find in a town like this, and buys the vintage car mechanic shop from it's retiring owner . Moonlighting as the only tow truck in a thirty-mile radius, he rescues the absent-minded hottie who runs the local yarn shop. But he quickly discovers that a toy-sized car with a dashboard lit up by Christmas isn't the only thing in Gemma McKendrick's life desperately in need of maintenance. Gabe, who is uniquely qualified to diagnose and fix complicated mechanisms, finds his sexy landlord is impossible to figure out. Looks like he'll have to take a peek at her undercarriage to find out what makes her purr before he hits the road again.
Because women of her caliber don't take home guys with his make and model...

Review:

Bazaar Girls is a wonderful story with a realistic take on neurodivergent character Gemma McKendrick. We get to see how Gemma feels as someone that was misunderstood her whole life and trying to live up to everyone’s expectations but without all the necessary energy and tools to do so.

Gabe Kelly comes from a large family of boys and a broken home. Gabe’s diverse experiences allow him to see Gemma for the amazing, generous, smart person she is, and he compliments their fake relationship by filling in where Gemma falters.

As in the previous books, the town characters play key roles in Bazaar Girls. Both Gemma and Gabe have a solid friend base in Townsend Harbor to rely on. Their journey from fake relationship to dynamic duo was a fun read. The plot twists and fast-moving story line had me glued to the pages.

I loved the story, and the ending was uplifting.

Dakota Cassidy, Bohemian Tragedy (Bewitching Midlife Crisis Mysteries Book 2)

Title: Bohemian Tragedy (Bewitching Midlife Crisis Mysteries Book 2)

Author: Dakota Cassidy

Rating: Five Siren Stones

 Genre: Cozy Mystery

Sub-Genre: Paranormal Fiction

Keywords: Ghost, Grifter, Witch, Dogs, Opossum, Murder, Mystery

ISBN E-Book: Amazon Digital Services, LLC

Price: $4.99

Page Count: 227

Publisher: Self-Published

Buy-Link: https://www.amazon.com/Bohemian-Tragedy-Paranormal-Bewitching-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0BLNFYGWD/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3JC64EEYGG6HO&keywords=bohemian+tragedy&qid=1691418821&sprefix=bohemian+tragedy%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-1

Reviewer: Stacey Krug  

Blurb/Summary:

Hello again! It’s me, Evanora Dark, Buttermilk Bay’s newest sage of house staging and recently discovered unalived whisperer (that’s ghost-talker to you lay folk).

Business is booming, a certain silver-fox contractor named Cary Mann is hot in pursuit (wink-wink), and me and my bestie Fab are as tight as ever. Life is good—newly inherited boggart-in-a-crystal ball aside (don’t ask; he’s a handful. And libidinous. And it’s more of a snow globe than a crystal ball…)

Good, that is, until the next ghost shows up with an untimely demise to solve. Turns out, she’s a blast from my past…a painful one at that, one I could have gone the rest of my life without ever seeing again. My loved ones—both living and dead—all have my back though, ready to throw down with this particularly pesky poltergeist.

But my gift for helping the unalived comes with certain responsibilities. I’ll help this ghost solve the mystery behind her death and see her to the light. Even if, years ago, I would’ve liked to have bumped her off myself. After all…isn’t that how most of us feel toward the person who helped blow up their marriage?

Yep. I’m tasked with helping the very woman who ruined my marriage. But the more I get to know her ghost, the more I realize things are never as cut-and-dried as they seem. Not life, not love, not relationships… And certainly not murder!

Review:

It takes wicked empathy to help the person that ruined your marriage. That said, if cheating is a trigger for you then read responsibly.

Evanora ends up helping Susan solve her mysterious disappearance. In doing so, Evanora gets to know Susan and understand her better. Susan is truly a product of her abusive childhood. Even though Susan is now a ghost her direct contact with Evanora has a profound impact on her. Susan eventually shows signs of emotional growth and empathy. Great character development.

The mystery is a tangled web that Evanora must unravel, but she finally has her date with Cary Mann while she’s hunting for clues. Evanora and Cary look like they are off to a good start. I hope their relationship gets to positively progress.

Bohemian Tragedy with all its twists and turns had a steady pace, solid plot, and was a tear-jerker. It was quite a heart-warming story.

I received an ARC for an honest review.