REVIEW: "The Cursed Soul" by K.C. Smith (Young Adult, Fantasy)

THE CURSED SOUL by K.C. Smith
	Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023 Series: Waves of Sorcery, #1
Categories/Tropes:
Adventurers, Found Family, Magic
Description from Publisher:
Cursed. Forgotten. Reborn. Doraan and his entire crew are cursed to never walk on land again. For ten long years, they have roamed the sea, attacking and pillaging to survive. Doraan placed all his faith in his family to find a way to break their wretched curse, but when he discovers that his hope of freedom was nothing more than a dream, his world comes crashing down. Kamira is on the run from a life she never wanted. Finding shelter by stowing away on a ship docked far out to sea, Kamira disguises herself as a boy in the hope of making it to the ship's next port alive. Little does she know—their craft won’t be stopping at any port. Stuck aboard a vessel full of pirates with no destination in sight, Kamira fears they will not only discover that she is a woman but also a sorceress. Now she must face the threat of being thrown overboard–or worse, being turned in to the empire for hiding her outlawed gifts. As Kamira struggles to keep her identity hidden and gain their trust, Doraan sees her as a glimmer of hope for their cursed fate, even if it comes with a steep price. With danger at every turn, Kamira and the crew of the Cursed Soul must navigate treacherous waters in an attempt to not only save themselves but all of Emmoria.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
There are some interesting elements to this, but I think it also suffers from "Beginning Fantasy Series" syndrome where there is a lot of telling when it comes to building the world and that can drag the pacing down. It does kick up and then continue to ramp up to the end, with more action and a better understanding of the world. It ends on a cliffhanger that will be sure to drive readers a bit crazy until the next book. I really enjoyed the "found family" here with Doraan, Kamira, and Cormac. All of the characters have spirit in their own, unique ways, and they blend together well past the halfway mark when everything hits its stride. The political intrigue mixed with the adventure of pirates with heart make for an exciting tale. This is a great YA read (no triggers), especially if looking for something on the lighter side.
My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and 100% my own.

About the Author:
Born and raised in Maryland, I spent a lot of my time escaping from my childhood into fantasy worlds. My heart holds a special place for YA fantasy as it got me through some hard times growing up. I spent a lot of time writing short stories in middle and high school. The journey to completing my first book has been long, but so worth it! I hope to write many more novels in the future. Currently, I still live in Maryland with my husband and our Chihuahua, Tank! I work full time as an Accountant, spending most my free time writing and creating! When not writing or reading, I enjoy rock climbing, which I do three times a week, and traveling the world!

REVIEW: "Road Trip with the Billionaire" by Harmony Knight (Contemporary Romance, Comedy)

ROAD TRIP WITH THE BILLIONAIRE by Harmony Knight
	Genre: Contemporary Romance, Comedy Publication Date: March 31st, 2022 Standalone: Yes
Categories/Tropes:
Road Trip, Billionaire
Description from Publisher:
A billionaire in disguise, a writer down on her luck, and a road trip to force them together… As a true crime fangirl and wannabe crime fiction author, I know better than to accept a ride from a stranger. Especially a handsome, confident stranger with a charming smile. That’s the stuff sociopaths are made of. But I have no choice. Stranded at a bus station coffee shop after leaving my cheating ex, I’m cold, tired, and weighed down by everything I own stuffed into one huge bag. So I jump at Mark Sullivan’s offer to give me a ride to Upstate NY. If you’re thinking this is the part where I fall for the guy, write a bestseller, and turn it all around? You couldn’t be more wrong. Things that go awry on my road trip: ✓ I spill coffee all over Mark Sullivan. ✓ I pee in front of Mark Sullivan. (It was an accident!) ✓ A snowstorm forces me to share a motel room with Mark Sullivan. And as if all that’s not enough? When I get back to my small hometown with my tail between my legs and show up for my first shift in the diner, I find out that Mark Sullivan is actually Matthew Sullivan. Renowned billionaire bachelor. Capitalist vulture. Liar. And my temporary boss. Maybe I should have just waited for that bus after all. ★Road Trip with the Billionaire is a laugh-out-loud, emotionally sweet, occasionally steamy romantic comedy sure to leave you chuckling long after the last page. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!★
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
This book needed a lot more "road trip" than it had. When Matt and Robbie were on their road trip, this story was silly and fun, and these two had great chemistry. Then, they both wound up working at a diner in Robbie's small hometown in upstate New York. Weeks got skipped, as Robbie apparently is "stubborn" enpugh to give the silent treatment to someone for over two weeks without so much as a conversation. This was also around the time that a pointless bet started. Pointless because it didn't really benefit them, and it wasn't even really used to further the plot, despite Matt's half-ass claims to himself that he was trying to win by distracting her. Which was also the point where Robbie's whole life became her writing a novel because she wanted to become an author (NOT a writer, but an "author," which has to be some inside joke for Harmony Knight), as Matt literally pays her to "sit" and work on her novel full-time. Up until the plot was lost, I was loving this. Then, the afformentioned happened and things just fell apart. Their chemistry disappeared and this became a small town romance with a mergers & acquisitions billionaire threatening half the town's industry. There were some cute moments and I had hope it would rebound... But then Robbie did her silent treatment for weeks crap again, and Matt had to go over-the-top to get her to stop acting like a child. :( There was so much to unpack in this, and I looked forward to it. Live-in boyfriend cheated with a "friend," rich parents giving Matt crap for some reason, Matt being out-of-touch with regular people and feeling weird about that... Yet nothing much came of any of that. I wanted more bonding. I have hope that I'll enjoy Jonah and Fran's story more. Neither was really fleshed out here, but I am still interested in their story for some reason.
My Source: I borrowed this via Kindle Unlimited to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and 100% my own.

About the Author: Harmony Knight
Harmony Knight loves reading great romance books, drinking tea, and writing bios in third person. She was born and raised in an ex-mining village in South Wales (UK), but after kissing her fair share of frogs she found her prince and moved across the Irish Sea. She now lives in Ireland with her family. Harmony writes the books she loves to read, full of loveable heroines and the caring alpha men who have to have them, and she hopes you'll love to read them, too!

REVIEW: "Extreme Limit" by Kendall Talbot (Suspense)

EXTREME LIMIT by Kendall Talbot
	Genre: Suspense/Romantic Publication Date: May 2020 Series: Maximum Exposure, #1 Standalone: Yes
Categories:
Introverted female, sports (rockclimbing), travel (Canada)
Other Books by Kendall Talbot
#2
Description from Publisher:
Two lovers frozen in ice. One dangerous expedition. Holly Parmenter doesn’t remember the helicopter crash that claimed the life of her fiancé and left her in a coma. The only details she does remember from that fateful day haunt her—two mysterious bodies sealed within the ice, dressed for dinner rather than a dangerous hike up the Canadian Rockies. No one believes Holly’s story about the couple encased deep in the icy crevasse. Instead, she’s wrongly accused of murdering her fiancé for his million-dollar estate. Desperate to uncover the truth about the bodies and to prove her innocence, Holly resolves to climb the treacherous mountain and return to the crash site. But to do that she’ll need the help of Oliver, a handsome rock-climbing specialist who has his own questions about Holly’s motives. When a documentary about an unsolved kidnapping offers clues as to the identity of the frozen bodies, it’s no longer just Oliver and Holly heading to the dangerous mountaintop . . . there’s also a killer, who’ll stop at nothing to keep the case cold. Will a harrowing trip to the icy crevasse bring Holly and Oliver the answers they seek? Or will disaster strike twice, claiming all Holly has left? Extreme Limit is a thrilling action-adventure novel with a dash of romance set high in the Canadian Rockies. It’s a full-length, stand-alone Maximum Exposure novel, previously published as Out of Mind.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
This had a bit of a slow beginning, despite the early excitement. I didn't connect with Holly until about 15% in, but was able to after. Holly is someone who is living the life of a hermit, hiding from her past and the traumas in it. She has very visible scarring on her face from a helicopter accident she survived, and less-visible scarring on her heart and mind from the helicopter accident her fiance and fiance's son's didn't survive. She is also haunted by something she saw frozen in the ice while she was hoping for help, even more so since she learned exactly what it was she saw. She starts to actually LIVE again after becoming determined to help resolve the mystery around it. This was a solid story, with a little of everything. I really enjoyed the suspense, the slow burn romance, the mystery surrounding how Regi fit in, and the action. The only thing that felt a bit off was the description of sex. It was a bit awkward, but forgiveable considering how well everything else was described. The tone of everything matched Holly's growth, and the ending felt very satisfying in many ways. As a bit of an aside, I was amused several times throughout at some word choices (like describing a voice as "posh"). As an American who is very familiar with British/Australian English, it made me smile, but also wonder for a second if any of these characters were not from the U.S. That wasn't important to the story, and didn't detract any, though!!!!
My Source: I borrowed this via Kindle Unlimited to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and 100% my own.

About the Author: Kendall Talbot
Kendall Talbot is a thrill seeker, hopeless romantic, virtual killer, and award-winning author of stories that’ll have your heart thumping from the action-packed suspense in exotic locations and the swoon-worthy romance. Kendall has sought thrills in all 46 countries she’s visited. She’s abseiled down freezing waterfalls, catapulted out of a white-water raft, jumped off a mountain with a man who spoke little English, and got way too close to a sixteen-foot shark. When she isn’t writing, she’s enjoying wine and cheese with her crazy friends, and planning her next thrilling international escape. She lives in Brisbane, Australia with her very own hero and a fluffy little dog who specializes in hijacking her writing time. Meanwhile, Kendall’s two sons are off making their own adventures – look out world.