Kella Campbell

I wish I could give this book six stars out of five. How did I wait so long to read it?

On the surface it's a little like Twilight(at least with regard to not being a vampire and loving a vampire) but with intelligence and maturity and academia and history and tea and yoga, and a little like Outlander for the richly drawn history but even more ancient and modern. It defies description, really, but there's plenty of suspense and fantasy, woven with a strong thread of a love story that has an epic feel.

This goes on my keep-forever shelf.

This cookbook! I did the e-book production for it, and wow, I was hungry the whole time I was working on it!If you've been following [a:Katie Cross 7940084 Katie Cross https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1394145347p2/7940084.jpg]'s Health and Happiness Society series, you'll know there's a character who works at a pub and loves sweets, and another who gets a job in a bakery, and a mom who takes care of everyone, and a weightlifting girl-power character who likes to eat fresh and healthy stuff... and all of that is so very deliciously represented in this cookbook.The only real problem is deciding what to make first. I'm not a great cook but the recipe directions are worded so clearly that I should be able to handle most of it just fine.The paperback edition of the cookbook would make a great gift for anyone who cooks, eats food, and/or likes to look at gorgeous photographs of food (or you could just treat yourself to a copy).

This started out with a pretty dark tragedy, then moved into a series of stubborn and possibly unwise actions by heroine Brynn (which totally fit with where she was in her life and make sense as a natural response to the tragedy, but I was still sort of shaking my head at her), and then she met Cassidy and I just melted.

Romances with this type of hero completely untouched never-even-kissed-anyone virgins are pretty rare, and believable circumstances for it are even more so, but Katy nailed it. As a side note, I really liked Cassidy's different-colored eyes — so unique and memorable.

Once I got stuck into this book, I couldn't put it down. Even if grieving heroines and overly challenging wilderness hikes aren't usually your thing, this is absolutely worth reading.

The message? When the right time comes, you must set your grief and history behind you and open your heart to love.

Favourite quote? “Deep inside, something that had almost given up on life knows for sure that it's completely, vibrantly alive again, and my heart laughs because I barely remember happiness like this, but it's here, and it's now, and it's Cassidy holding me in his arms and kissing me for the first time.”

How I found this book? I heard about it on Facebook and Twitter and through the author's newsletter, and purchased it for myself.

4.5 stars (rounded up to 5) • rare • truly excellent, blew me away, unforgettable

If you enjoy “ugly duckling” stories and family sagas, this is a book (and series) for you. Jane thinks she's plain, as her name suggests, having grown up in the shadow of her supermodel cousin Sara — known to the world as Samara Amaya. Under family pressure to keep her job as Samara's assistant despite truly unpleasant working conditions, she's overdue for a bit of love and happiness. Unfortunately, past experience has proven that every nice thing Jane has gets taken away, and she has no reason to hope it'll be different this time. So when she meets tour guide Lars Lindstrom during the preparation for supermodel Samara's fashion shoot in Yellowstone National Park, Jane knows she won't have a chance once Samara rolls in. Lars says he's “not that guy” but Jane can't trust his words, can she?

See Jane Fall is a truly enjoyable book, smoothly written, entertaining, with a nice balance of fun and heat and emotion. I like Jane and her inner turmoil and issues feel real. As for Lars, his choices at certain stages of the book might annoy or infuriate some readers, but I think he comes across as authentic and fully developed, and he certainly redeems himself in full by the end. There's a bit of red herring jealousy involved, but it's handled naturally enough that it didn't really bother me. I adore the way he calls her Minx, and their unfolding relationship is as full and sweet as anything I've read in a while.

The message? Family relationships are complicated but everyone has a breaking point beyond which no amount of blood ties and obligation will hold.

Favourite quote? “And yet without his permission or blessing hers was the face the earth had turned to him, to whom he felt bundled and bound, as surely as he did to Yeller, as surely as he was a Lindstrom, and he didn't know what to do if he couldn't have her — if she wouldn't, or couldn't, belong to him.”

How I found this book? I know the author through Facebook and was invited to be part of the blog tour — Book Plug Promotions gave me a PDF review copy, but I ended up buying it for my Kindle anyway.

4 stars • a definite keeper, highly recommended, totally gripping and very well done

A sweet and inspiring Christmas novella. I read it straight through in one sitting (by staying up well after I should have been asleep) and really enjoyed it.

I particularly appreciated that Tess and Lucas aren't unattainably perfect — neither one is supermodel-gorgeous or a gifted genius or rolling in money, and neither has lived an unblemished life — so they feel genuine and accessible.

Overall, it's a touching and inspirational romance, best to read around Christmas for the seasonal good cheer it brings.

The message? Don't judge people on their looks or reputations, and having hope for the future is more important than being defined by one's past.

Favourite quote? “I'm sorry other guys dumped on you and used you and didn't stick around to figure out how damn wonderful you are, but you're not my bus stop, you crazy-making woman. You are the destination.”

How I found this book? I won it in a holiday giveaway event.

4 stars • a definite keeper, highly recommended, totally gripping and very well done

It's a great story, and the chemistry between Jamison and Sylvie is hot and well crafted. I also enjoyed the supporting characters. Twelve Months is the first book in a trilogy, so the ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, but I think it breaks in a good place and I'm happily off to read the next book. There were some minor punctuation/editing issues, but they didn't prevent me from fully enjoying the book, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes rock star romances. It has an extremely authentic feel and really captures the atmosphere of a rock band on tour. 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5 for Goodreads)

This book takes on some pretty heavy themes (addiction, life in the music industry after rehab, death of loved ones due to addiction, parenting after an accidental teen pregnancy, financial hardship, and more) and handles them with vivid and gritty realism. I can't decide whether I was more drawn to the maturity of Shane's story or the forbidden passion of Zack's story, but I'm hoping we get to see both of them play out in the rest of the series. This is a multi-layered and engaging start to the Silverblade series, and I'm absolutely looking forward to the next book. Fair warning: the sex-and-groupies side of rockstar life isn't sugarcoated, so it may not be for the more squeamish reader on that front. 4.5 stars

I can't even write a review for this middle-of-trilogy book. This is definitely good to read if you have time to go on and read the last book in the trilogy too, because I don't see how anyone could stop at the end of this book and be okay with waiting to find out what happens. There's so much to love in this story, and I'm (temporarily) crushed at the way this part ends, but that's okay because I'm trusting that it will all be fixed in the next book. The depth of Sylvie and Jamison's relationship continues to grow — it's very well done. 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5 for Goodreads)

I really enjoyed this book. I hadn't read anything featuring a Goth hero before, and I wasn't sure what to expect, but I adored Kell by the end of it. Becky is very innocent and sheltered, but I grew to like her very much and was definitely cheering for her to end up with Kell. This book features an omniscient point of view, which I know isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it works for the way this story is told. It drew me along and I did not want to stop reading.

This is one of my all-time favorite rock romances and second chance romances. Zach and Violet's early relationship (beautifully handled in flashbacks and memories) is so realistic and painful in its passion and immaturity and lack of perspective and experience, and their renewed relationship as adults with history has so much depth and emotion as well as steamy heat. I'd give this book six stars if I could.

This is one of the most joyful book endings I've read in a while, just what I needed with everything going on.

After romance, fantasy is probably my second-favorite genre. And I love that there's even a subtle little love story in this book for two characters who definitely deserve that happiness. So, not romance exactly, but the ending gives me all those fuzzy HEA feels.

Five stars because the writing is good and Evan/Blue's serious mental health issues aren't something often seen in a hero. The story goes to some pretty dark places — content warning: a suicide attempt — and the relationship between him and Piper moves through some very unhealthy phases, but I always got the sense that both main characters loved each other and meant well toward each other, even when they were doing/saying something not-so-right. The big thing that sealed it as a 5-star read for me was that the ending wasn't mental health issues are cured by love but instead a much more realistic lifelong medication and therapy will be part of our HEA.

I usually can't stand the secret baby trope, but in this case it gets an okay from me because she had no way to reach him and would have told him if she could have.

This all-ages fantasy story is uplifting, inclusive, and comforting. The banter between Sir Violet and Snap the dragon is witty and clever with touches of sarcasm, but the humor never gets mean. It's a lighthearted read that nevertheless presents a deep message about acceptance of self and others. Short enough that it can be read fairly quickly, it's a great comfort read — I have re-read it a few times when the world has seemed grim, and it never fails to lift me up.

I have the paperback edition (Atthis Arts, 2020) and it's beautifully typeset with a lovely cover and overall excellent quality of printing and paper.

I highly recommend this novella. It involves a community orchestra from the perspective of characters in the brass section, set in Wales, M/M with one trans main character, both single dads. From the first page, I fell in love with all the characters, and the writing flows like tea with honey. Complete with an excellent and satisfying HEA. Steam level is fade-to-black with lots of lovely descriptive kissing and making out first. Told in dual third-person point of view. I will 100% re-read this.

Source of book: Purchased on pre-order, read after release.

Disclosure: This author and I are friendly mutuals on various social media platforms.

This book gave me a much needed dose of happiness. Josh and Sarah are a sweet couple with hot chemistry. Highlights for me were: Toronto as a setting, the funny mishaps, the romance novels as plot points, the food, families and friendships, and the Lucky Charms. I will definitely be reading more of this series.

It's not very often that you get three love stories in one romance novel. Obviously the main romance between Ash and Julian is lovely, but I absolutely adored that Gus the fairy godfather has found his happily-ever-after too, and the third romance (which I won't spoil as it's kind of key to the plot) is surprising but moved me to tears. I like the contrast between the gritty/dark/disturbing bits and the sweet ones in this book.

I got to read this while I was doing e-book production for it (one of the perks of the job is that I get to read the good ones) and it is great. Slips by like a fast, easy read and then you finish it and think, wow, there were a lot of deep feels in that. If you've ever felt intimidated at going to the gym, or wondered where those extra pounds came from and why they won't go away, or heard that inner voice whispering you're-not-good-enough, you should read this book. There were moments when it made me a little uncomfortable about my own food choices and reasons for things, but it was a good kind of uncomfortable, if that makes sense. Fun chick lit on the surface, deep and inspiring underneath.

Having read the earlier books in the series, I knew even before I started reading this one that I was in for a treat.

The Central Network is preparing for war and Bianca is involved in some tense diplomatic action and political intrigue. The horrors of dark Almorran magic become more apparent as the conflict erupts. At the same time, Bianca and her best friends are growing into adulthood, and as the other girls begin dating, she fears she will lose them to love and marriage. Then her adored father starts to come on heavy about what she's allowed to do and whom she's allowed to spend time with, and an evil voice whispering in her dreams tries to force her to make an impossible deal.

As with the other books in this series, there are some darker elements (pain, death, evil spells, an amputated limb) that might be a bit much for very sensitive readers or those below middle school. The emerging romances are handled with such a light touch that I'd feel comfortable recommending it even to (advanced) readers as young as fifth grade, despite it being a complex enough story for mature readers to enjoy.

Also, I want a Volare.

The message? Change is hard, but inevitable, and the bonds of friendship and family grow stronger through it in the end.

Favourite quote? “I pressed my hands onto the Volare to test it, delighted when it rippled as fluidly and lightly as silk. It lowered itself so I could scoot on rear first. I slipped across the soft weave, expecting it to feel loose, like sitting on a piece of cloth suspended between two chairs. But the Volare remained sure and firm.”

How I found this book? The author is one of my e-book production clients; I read it while working. (Note: a review is NOT part of my client services.)

4.5 stars (rounded up to 5) • rare • truly excellent, blew me away, unforgettable

If you like YA fantasy, Miss Mabel's School for Girls is a must-read. Set aside your comparisons with Harry Potter (inevitable forevermore when an author combines boarding school and witches, not to mention competitions and curses), because Miss Mabel's is an all-girls boarding school, and Bianca Monroe is far from a “smart girl” stereotype in a witch hat. She struggles with homework, prefers practical study to book learning, adores her family, can't bear to be caged in... and then there's that deadly curse she needs to get rid of. To live past the age of seventeen, she has to negotiate with an ultra-glamorous and deadly devious witch who's playing a much deeper game than anyone knows.

It's a page-turner that will tempt you to read it all in one sitting, staying up past your bedtime or whatever it takes. The characters are engaging, and the plot clips along with enough unexpected twists to keep you guessing. Don't expect romance — the only men we see are Bianca's father and the old coachman — but the plot doesn't need it. Do expect some darker elements; there's illness, pain, nasty curses, a couple of deaths, and hints of impending war (so readers below middle school might not be ready for it). This book would make a fabulous movie.

The message? You can be as strong as you need to be.

Favourite quote? “It felt good, mixing fear with a bit of courage, making me feel like I stood up to her, when really I depended on her for my life.”

How I found this book? I know the author through Facebook and am on her launch team — go, Katie!

4.5 stars (rounded up to 5) • rare • truly excellent, blew me away, unforgettable