#mimireads2020

[mimireadsromance]

ROAD TO FIRE - Maria Luis (Broken Crown Trilogy #1) Release Date: April 30, 2020

SYNOPSIS: 

It’s dark, it’s gritty, and there’s a pretty good chance it’s the royal romance you never even realized that you wanted. Your new anti-hero obsession is almost here—do you think you can handle Saxon Priest?

“I’m not scared of you.”

I meet her gaze. “You should be.”

Bound by a secret oath spanning generations, I am loyal to no one but the queen.

Spy.

Defender of the Crown.

To all of England, I’m Saxon Priest. Traitor. Murderer. Owner of London’s most infamous anti-loyalist pub.

And then she appears.

Isla Quinn may claim that she’s only looking to buss tables, but I’m no fool. Bitterness bleeds from her hard-blue eyes, and her hatred for the queen is so palpable, I can practically taste it off every sharp-tongued word slipping from her full mouth.

“Hire me,” she begs.

We’re on opposite sides of this war. Enemies from the start.

Isla thought she found an ally, but she’s found me instead.

Savage.

Ruthless.

A man with no heart, no matter how the dead space inside my chest lurches whenever she’s near.

And so I lean over, dragging her deep into this twisted game of crowns and thrones, and offer a single vow: “I could use you.”

MY THOUGHTS: 

4.5 STARS

As a long time fan of stories involving spies and subterfuge, this reader was thoroughly captivated by Road to Fire. Being the first book in story revolving around spies and royal families, I was a little worried that I’d be overwhelmed with information. I’m happy to say that was not the case at all. Details were shared in such a way that my interest was always peaked. The building suspense kept me turning pages well past my bedtime, while the words on the page left me mumbling to myself. Anticipation, disbelief, despair, and reassurance. I felt all of this and more while reading along as Isla and Saxon struggled to overcome everything against them. Allegiances played out, building to an ending that left me gasping. I want more of the Priest brothers and the secret society, and cannot wait to read the next book in the series! 

*Note: While there is a cliffhanger, it is in relation to an overarching plot, and not relative to the HEA of this particular couple. 

BUY LINKS:

AMAZON US: https://amzn.to/3f6oseG

AMAZON UK: https://amzn.to/3cXMSW0

AMAZON AU: https://amzn.to/2y3iw5T

AMAZON CA: https://amzn.to/3f5Hlib

FREE IN KU

MEET MARIA LUIS:

Maria Luis is an Amazon Top 100 Bestselling Author.

+Historian by day and romance novelist by night, Maria lives in New Orleans, and loves bringing the city's cultural flair into her books. When Maria isn't frantically typing with hot chocolate in hand, she can be found binging on reality TV, going on adventures with her other half and two pups, or plotting her next flirty romance.

Connect with Maria Luis:

Website: https://www.marialuis.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marialuisauthor/

Maria Luis Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MariaLuisReaderGroup/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Maria-Luis

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maria-luis

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16617028.Maria_Luis

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marialuisauthor/

[mimireadsromance]

A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Fully fleshed out characters with nuanced motivations ✔️ Alliances and oaths ✔️ World-building that invites the reader to dive in and *stay* within the pages of the story ✔️ A Warrior-Queen that learns to trust her strengths and take charge of her future✔️ A vengeance seeking warrior that learns what it means to have the heart of a King. ✔️ Lessons shared, battles fought, and an epic love story ✔️ I finished an amazing book today and couldn't wait to talk about it, so I made my teen listen to me go on and on. Then I immediately snapped a pic so I could come rave about the book on IG. Y'all, this one was EPIC! It's on my Top Reads of 2020 list and I've already bought the audio version, too. Seriously, this is one of those books that I couldn't stand to set aside for long, but then found myself loathe to pick up for fear I'd read too fast and the story would be over. I experienced every emotion alongside these characters, re-reading passages over and over again until I just HAD to turn the page. What. An. Ending.👏👏👏 Without a doubt, my favorite character is Yvenne. She embodied such cunning and strength, and her ability to embrace joy and hope, in spite of the suffering she endured, was everything this reader wanted from the heroine of such an epic story. Absolutely superb storytelling! I need the second book now, but since it won't be out for a few months, I'll console myself with re-reading this one again and again. A huge THANK YOU to @tessabaileyisanauthor for bringing this book to my attention! #readwhatmakesyouhappy #mimireads2020 #mimiskeepercollection #millavane #berkleypub #aheartofbloodandashes #booksofig #books #reader #fantasy https://www.instagram.com/p/B_NwQOEgJQz/?igshid=affk31qf7wlf

[mimireadsromance]

Today's book mail: I'd Give Anything by Marisa De Los Santos, available in May 2020. Book Description from Goodreads: From the New York Times bestselling author of Love Walked In and Belong to Me comes a profound and heart-rending story about a horrific tragedy that marks one woman and her hometown and about the explosive secrets that come to light twenty years later. Ginny Beale is eighteen, irreverent, funny, and brave, with a brother she adores and a circle of friends for whom she would do anything. Because of one terrible night, she loses them all—and her adventurous spirit—seemingly forever. While the town cheers on the high school football team, someone sets the school’s auditorium ablaze. Ginny’s best friend Gray Marsden’s father, a fire fighter, dies in the blaze. While many in the town believe Daniel York, a notoriously troubled local teen, set the fire, Ginny makes a shattering discovery that casts blame on the person she trusts most in the world. Ginny tells no one, but the secret isolates her, looming between her and her friends and ruining their friendship. Over the next two decades, Ginny puts aside her wanderlust and her dreams. Moving back to her hometown, she distances herself from the past and from nearly everyone in it. She marries a quiet man, raises their daughter, Avery, and cares for her tyrannical, ailing mother, Adela. But when Ginny’s husband, Harris, becomes embroiled in a scandal, Ginny’s carefully controlled life crumbles, and, just when she believes she is regaining her bearings, the secret she’s kept for twenty years emerges and threatens to destroy her hopes for the future. With the help of fifteen-year-old Avery and of friends both old and new, Ginny must summon the courage to confront old lies and hard truths and to free herself and the people she loves from the mistakes and regrets that have burdened them for so long. #bookmailisthebestmail #readwhatmakesyouhappy #mimireads2020 #advancedreadercopy #idgiveanything #lovewalkedinseries #marisadelossantos #williammorrowbooks #booksofig #reader #harpercollinspublisher #mimistbr https://www.instagram.com/p/B_DMe3JgpMg/?igshid=1eaefudm7l0ig

[mimireadsromance]

Today I started and finished The Wall of Winnepeg and Me, by Mariana Zapata. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ On one hand, I'm kicking myself for not reading this book sooner. It's been in my Kindle collection since November 2016! On the other hand, I'm thankful that I saved it for a time I would need great books to help keep me afloat. This book is slow-burn, marriage of convenience perfection. According to my daughter, I've spent most of the day with a blushing grin and a silly smirk on my face. 😁 Guilty as charged! As soon as I finished I demanded she download and read the book so we can gush over Big Guy and Muffin...because *SWOON*. This book is an absolute gem and will forever have a spot on my favorite reads list! I have a few arcs to finish out this month, but I'm making it a point to listen to this in audiobook format this week, too. I'm gonna' go wander around my house with a sappy smile now! Since slow-burn is my current happy place, I'm wondering if any of you have recs for me outside of MZ. If so, please drop them in the comments below. Thanks & Happy Reading! #mimireads2020 #readwhatmakesyouhappy #contemporaryromance #slowburnromance #thewallofwinnipegandme #marianazapata #teamgraves #books #favoriteauthorlist #booksofig #reader #mimireadsromance https://www.instagram.com/p/B-76CdGAahL/?igshid=1e7u9rahslynd

[mimireadsromance]

One of the things my teen is loving about being home is that she opens all of my book mail. Today she opened the February @baecrate box that arrived a few days ago. She tried calling dibs on most of the items. 😆 Tried! I'm keeping the books, the bracelet, and the duffel bag. #bookmailisthebestmail #subscriptionbox #baecrate #romancereader #mimireads2020 #jeaninefrost #paranormalromance #readwhatmakesyouhappy #bookishmerchandise #booksofig #heaorgtfo #biteme🦇 https://www.instagram.com/p/B-z7BGHA1LZ/?igshid=4xmsgofjedw1

[mimireadsromance]

Only When It's Us by @chloe_liese gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me. If you're a fan of frenemies to lovers, the sloooow burn, snappy humor, and smokin' hot chemistry, this book needs to be on your TBR list. I'd go so far as to say it needs to be at the TOP of that list! Only When It's Us is a story of two people, both coping with their own difficult situations, that learn to open themselves up to the possibility of more. Vulnerability doesn't come easily for either of them, but they can't seem to stop circling each other in a game of cat & mouse that has the potential for heartache. Their individual stories are both heartbreaking and life affirming. I laughed, cried, and swooned countless times. Their happily ever after was like receiving the perfect hug when you need it most. Sunshine & Lumberjack's romance put me in the best mood and I'm looking forward to reading it all over again! 🥰 Thank you to @netgalley for the #advancedreadercopy & for the introduction to a "new to me" author that checked all my romance-lovin' boxes! I'm excited to see what the author has planned for the rest of the series. #readwhatmakesyouhappy #reader #contemporaryromance #mimireads2020 #mimireadsromance #books #booksofig #romancereader #happilyeverafter #netgalleyreads #newtomeauthor #chloeliese #onlywhenitsus https://www.instagram.com/p/B-zv7PaAd6l/?igshid=1fcdwhpcazzgy

[mimireadsromance]

Thank you to The Girlfriend Book Club! I won a copy of Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, by Balli Kaur Jaswal, in a recent giveaway they held. I didn't get a chance to read this when it was a @hellosunshine pick in Feb 2018, but definitely have the time now! The blurb: Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club Pick A lively, sexy, and thought-provoking East-meets-West story about community, friendship, and women’s lives at all ages—a spicy and alluring mix of Together Tea and Calendar Girls. #booksofig #mimireads2020 #reader #giveawaywinner #bookmailisthebestmail #harpercollins #thegirlfriendbookclub #hellosunshinebookclub #booksbooksbooks #stayhome #flattenthecurve #mimistbr https://www.instagram.com/p/B-kyUsoAwrL/?igshid=1iqs8m0z45bc5

[mimireadsromance]

Do you have a long running series that you've been reading for years? I used to love long-running series, but in recent years I've stopped reading many of them. The one I still anticipate is the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward. I've been a fan since the very beginning and the books are still on my auto-buy list. While I don't love every book in this series, I always love revisiting the characters that have been familiar to me for so long. This series definitely falls into my comfort read category. Today, I finally opened my copy of The Sinner (#18) and I'm looking forward to some quiet reading time tonight. #mimireads2020 #readwhatmakesyouhappy #autobuyauthorlist #blackdaggerbrotherhood #jrwardauthor #GalleryBooks #books #booksofig #paranormalromance #reader #stayhome #flattenthecurve #mimireadsromance #mimiskeepercollection https://www.instagram.com/p/B-kltMPgRi5/?igshid=1fbc6hhiclbj5