The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living: A Guide to ACT

The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living: A Guide to ACT by Russ Harris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yes, I do read books that are not just paranormal romance and this just happened to be recommended by my therapist. Wow - just wow! There is so much information jam packed into this book that I’m sure you could get even more out of it by doing a re-read annually. There’s tips, tricks, tools, and lots of exercises to get you familiar with all the ins and outs of ACT.

I don’t think I can adequately sum up the overall information here in any way that would do it justice. Instead, I’ll just say that this book was some good work. Valuable, but definitely work. You need to stop, do exercises, really think hard about your life - so this isn’t a leisure read. I enjoyed it and will definitely put some of the key takeaways into action, but like I said -it’s work that will need time to get “done.” I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to stop struggling and make some positive changes to the way you handle things like anxiety.

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Dragon Lover

Dragon Lover by Donna Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow, this book really had me on the edge of my seat, waiting for a big battle!

This book follows Kendrick, a bit of a loner who is determined to befriend a “pink” as well as be the one who stops the invisible foe. While on patrol, he decides to take on their “big bad” on his own, without warning the others. This battle takes him over the border of dragon territory and into that of humans. It’s here that he encounters Esha, a warrior elf who saves his life and vouches for him with her fellow elves.

The elves have as many different clans as the dragons, but they are gifted with different magics. The magic of rune reading is ultimately what puts them all on a 3 day timeline to hunt down the foe and perhaps have some romance. Esha’s warrior oath means she can’t develop anything serious with Kendrick, but that doesn’t stop either of them from sizzling in all their scenes together. This book introduced what feels like a whole new world, had me rooting for quick resolution of their enemy, and somehow made the political landscape the dragons on Zora are dealing with that much more complicated. This short book really delivered more than expected!

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Twice as Hot

Twice as Hot by Gena Showalter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I gotta say, I think as a book club we read this book in a way not intended. We read book #1 and immediately started book #2. In real life, there was a big gap between the two, so I think you get more enjoyment overall if you haven’t just read a very similar tale. That being said, I enjoyed this one more than the first and was glad we read it.

Belle ended the previous book with a new job in a secret organization for paranormals. She was also in a relationship with Rome and headed to the altar (and potentially step-mom-hood). Her new friend Tanner was recruited for the same organization and her BFF was super supportive of her weirdo new powers. All in all, things were looking resolved, like we didn’t need another book unless something happened to derail all that, right?

The author says that this book is supposed to tie up loose ends but it really just pulled things apart for me. The ex-wife that seemed OK with things (especially while hooking up with Tanner) suddenly dropped him and wanted her ex-husband back. The BFF who was supportive is suddenly jealous of the weirdo powers. The kicker, however, is that Rome ends up losing all memory of her, having to re-learn each other with the obstacle of ex-wife roadblocks. It was just… weird. The character shifted and sometimes in not a good way.

The good? The sizzle was still there, the characters overall got more developed and better, and things resolve themselves relatively quickly. We do get a bit of a wrap up somewhat early, which leads to multiple ending-feeling chapters along the way. No complaints if I had just read this one, but right off the first book it felt like a re-do (a better one, though!).

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The Meant to be One

The Meant To Be One by Tawdra Kandle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This adorable Christmas romance will have you believing in magic again!

Ashley is a hard-working business owner who never believes she is the star of the show. Zane runs into he salon on an urgent mission to look more presentable for court and the two hit it off. Ashley believes Zane is in love with his legal assistant, Zane believes Ashley is not interested in him, and the two dance around it until a magical fruitcake arrives (not as weird as it sounds). I loved the real life obstacles and self-doubt that crept into this romance, making it feel all the more “real.” Don’t worry, though, we get a nice HEA!

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My One and Always

My One and Always by Tawdra Kandle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Will and Sydney’s story requires absolutely no prior experience in this world, though there are a bunch of familiar faces along the way.

Sydney has been filling in running the bakery and is struggling to fit back in to Burton. She was so eager to leave, now that she’s back it feel like nothing is her own. Will has been on Sydney for a date since he met her. He runs the local newspaper, and is friends with enough folks in town to cook up a scheme to get her to accept a “business meeting.” Said business meeting involves a dog, a business proposal, and ultimately a great romantic start for these two. Another cute, short, romance from this author!

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Underneath My Christmas Tree

Underneath My Christmas Tree: A Burton/Crystal Cove Short by Tawdra Kandle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This cute story gives us a deeper look into Trent and where he ends up. He and Elizabeth meet when he is on a holiday gig selling Christmas trees in Florida of all places. These two have a bit of a misunderstanding, but push through the awkward into a friendship of sorts. Elizabeth was a great new character in this universe for me. She is straightforward and knows what she wants. Unfortunately for her, Trent is on a hiatus from dating that wonderfully breaks by the happy ending. This book, however, is just the start! There’s a whole other book dedicated to seeing these two through to a TRUE happy ending.

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Ancient Vengeance

Ancient Vengeance by Katie Reus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We were introduced to Stella in a previous book, but I’m sure you can pick up the thread here if you need to. I’d recommend starting with book #1 though, because this universe is great!

Stella has been recently removed from her more princess-ly duties because her older sister has resurfaced. As a dragon shifter, she’s eager to get out there and spread her wings (haha!), but such an act comes with a bit more risk for a royal such as herself. On her way to New Orleans (where all the best characters live!), she ends up being attacked. Lucky for her, she’s already being sort-of stalked by Rhodes.

I wasn’t sure what to think of Rhodes. He is introduced as an assassin who has been hired to kill Stella. We know no good ever comes from someone hiding their motives for meeting a mate, but here we are. Rhodes is genuinely caring and worried over Stella’s well being from the start. It’s this true affection that really sold me on their love story. The other characters may not have been so easy to sway, but watching this romance simmer was awesome. Another great side story we get here is the lion shifter and the vampire. I need to see more of them! All in all, this universe continued to captivate and I cannot wait even more books in the series.

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Love Me Home

Love Me Home by Tawdra Kandle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sasha and Cole’s short romance was anything but. After falling in love in Florida, their love is tested when Sasha has to move to Georgia to take care of her ailing mother. Lucky for them both, Sasha’s grandmother is a schemer and she lies to Cole to get him to “get over himself.” While this is a short story, it gives you a good flavor of both these worlds and what you’ll enjoy if you dive into a full length book.

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