🌟REVIEW: "Bedtime for Batman" by Michael Dahl (Childrens Fiction, Picture Book)

Bedtime for Batman by Michael Dahl Illustrated by Ethen Beavers
	Publisher: Picture Window Books Genre: Children Fiction, Picture Book Publication Date: August 1st 2016 (Affiliate links)
Description from Publisher:
When a dark night comes to the big city, one little super hero prepares for a great adventure... bedtime! He dons his pajama uniform, speeds upstairs, cleans up the nightly grime, and keeps watch from his towering bunk bed. Written by award-winning author Michael Dahl (Goodnight Baseball, Goodnight Football, and Goodnight Hockey) and illustrated by Ethen Beavers (DC Super Friends), this bedtime tale will have Batman fans, young and old, delighting in their nightly routines. Bedtime for Batman is the perfect way to say goodnight to your little Dark Knight.
My Rating:
My Musings:
My son (3.5) was incredibly happy to see Batman, and the kid who was "trying to be" Batman. :) Each scene of this juxtaposes part of a kid's bedtime ritual with what Batman does at night. The Bat signal and Dad pointing at the clock, getting dressed in pajamas (Batman PJs, of course, with cape) and Bruce Wayne getting into his batsuit. Very clever idea! The text is simple, but still written well to caption each scene. The illustrations are very fitting and the "real world" and Batman's world are tied together wonderfully.
My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher for an honest, unbiased review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is my 100% own.

About the Author: Michael Dahl
Michael Dahl is the author of over 100 children's books. Some of his most popular series are Finnegan Zwake, Library of Doom, and Dragonblood. He resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in a haunted house. He also writes under aliases Chris Carey, Rick Thomas, and Mark Ziegler.

Review: "Fool Me Once" by Katee Robert (Contemporary Romance)

Fool Me Once by Katee Robert
	Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC (Brazen) Genre: Contemporary Romance Publication Date: August 1st 2016 Series: Foolproof Love (#2) Foolproof Love (#1) (affil.) A Fool for You (#3) (affil.) (Affiliate links)
Description from Publisher:
They say opposites attract, but this is just ridiculous. Aubry Kaiser doesn’t like people—actually, that’s not right. She loathes people. With her crippling anxiety, there’s no way she can demo her favorite video game at a convention with five thousand other people. Maybe if she brings someone to act as a shield… But the only person available is the sexy cowboy she can’t stand. Quinn Baldwyn is in a mess of his own. He’s been dodging his wealthy family’s matchmaking attempts—and life advice—for years, but with his sister’s wedding on the horizon, he needs of a shield of his own. He and Aubry can barely hold down a civil conversation, but in bed…fireworks. And the closer they get to Quinn’s sister’s wedding, the more he realizes that he might actually like Aubry. Now it’s up to him to convince her she might actually like him, too.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
My Musings:
I really loved this. It was refreshing to read about a heroine who was neurotic, introverted, nerdy, rough around the edges, and fierce, who knew that she wasn't "normal" and embraced it. She was strong and a feminist and stubborn. And Quinn was almost the exact opposite. Easy-going, charming, outdoorsy,... But also fiercely independent and strong. This was a Brazen story, so lots of super hot sex scenes (holy moly, understatement!), but had such great depth to it as well. The borderline vitriolic banter between Aubry and Quinn is actually fun, and you can't help but smirk when the two start to recognize - and fight - the crazy chemistry they have. The two push and pull at one another in all ways and in all instances, and make each other better. I appreciated how relatable and not overly dramatic the big wrench in their relationship was, as well as how tentatively they both approached that relationship to begin with (once they realized what they wanted). The way they interacted felt natural. By the end of this, there is no doubt that these two fit. And the epilogue was awesome!
I received a digital ARC from the publisher for an honest, unbiased review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is my 100% own.

About Katee Robert
Katee Robert learned to tell stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her favorites then were the rather epic adventures of The Three Bears, but at age twelve she discovered romance novels and never looked back. Though she dabbled in writing, life got in the way—as it often does—and she spent a few years traveling, living in both Philadelphia and Germany. In between traveling and raising her two wee ones, she had the crazy idea that she’d like to write a book and try to get published. Her first novel was an epic fantasy that, God willing, will never see the light of day. From there, she dabbled in YA and horror, before finally finding speculative romance. Because, really, who wouldn’t want to write entire books about the smoking-hot relationships between two people? She now spends her time—when not lost in Far Reach worlds—playing imaginary games with her wee ones, writing, ogling men, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.

Review: "Wrong Place, Right Time" by Elle Casey (Contemporary Romance)

Wrong Place, Right Time by Elle Casey
	Publisher: Montlake Romance Genre: Contemporary Romance Publication Date: May 10th 2016 Series: The Bourbon Street Boys (#2) Wrong Number, Right Guy (#1) (affil.) Wrong Question, Right Answer (#3) (affil.) (Affiliate links)
Description from Publisher:
Jenny’s single-parent life revolves around her kids and her job, which means that hours of Animal Planet and strings of computer code are about all she has time for. Not that Jenny’s looking for adventure or romance—she’s the type of woman who believes in playing it safe. When Jenny is called upon to do some consulting for the Bourbon Street Boys—a New Orleans private security firm—she knows she should stay away. They conduct surveillance on known criminals and put themselves in harm’s way pretty much every day, so No is the obvious answer…Problem is, there’s a guy on the team with a body to die for and a dimple that just won’t quit luring Jenny in, tempting her to throw all caution to the wind. Will Jenny take the risk or will she do what she’s always done—play it safe and wait for the right time?
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
My Musings:
I'm torn. On one hand, I like Jenny well enough. She was funny at times, and a bit neurotic. I liked her kids, though we don't see much of her daughters, just Sammy. And, can't lie, the spelling out his lisp was annoying. It would have been enough to mention it, without spelling everything weirdly. Nobody else's accents needed to be spelled phonetically, so why his?? I also liked Dev, fine. Though I admit that I wanted Jenny to go for Lucky for awhile, especially after describing Dev as "her type". Also, 7-ft bald guy with no eyebrows? Yeah, not especially sexy. Was there a reason he shaved his head AND eyebrows? I feel like I must be missing something. But. This felt very, very slow. Nothing romantic happens until over 70%! Sexytimes are 1.5 times, total, and go by pretty quickly. Action is fairy nil, and not especially suspenseful when it does happen. The first 35% felt a bit too much like catch-up to make this standalone, but I would have rathered indication that it wasn't rather than so much about the first book, the characters, etc. It actually made me think even more than I was missing a lot, having not read the first book. I did like Jenny's growth. She finally learns to stand up to people. I didn't like her attitude at all for most of the beginning, feeling like she was just a judgmental b*tch who whined about just about everything. It felt to me like there was a lot that was brought up, and even dwelled on some, and then sort of forgotten about. I wanted to see more suspense, some more interesting espionage stuff (total missed opportunity that something wasn't up with her old company!), and more drama that got resolved. Her ex-husband, Miles, was apparently a crappy person, but that all wraps up... somehow? (Why was his girlfriend relevant at all? Why were the constantly bounced checks brought up 4-5 times?) The online dating thing was stupid and predictable. Chemistry between Dev & Jenny felt severely lacking. There was also a lot that felt like it should have been delved into. We really don't learn much of anything about Dev throughout the entire book, except where he works, that he likes ninja swords, that he has a son with cerebral palsy, his mom is involved in his life somehow, and that he has known some of the Bourbon Street Boys for most of his life. Oh, and that he likes fried catfish from a hole in the wall in a sketchy area of New Orleans. This all sounds like small talk topics, not "I am in love with you because we have such a great connection" stuff. This just sort of fell flat for me... It was long and slow, but feels like half a story.
I received a digital ARC from the publisher for an honest, unbiased review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is my 100% own.

About Elle Casey
Elle Casey, a former attorney and teacher, is a NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling American author who lives in France with her husband, three kids, and a number of furry friends. She has written books in several genres and publishes an average of one full-length novel per month.