September 2022 Reviews – Page 3 – Baskerville Book Reviews

Review: Starting Again

A sweet holiday romance in Henderson County.

When Dawn realizes starts prepping for the Christmas season, little does she know that it will be her last in the Henderson County. However, with the announcement of her ex-boyfriend’s wedding, Dawn wants to flee.
Until she meets Gage Baxter. He’s everything she wants in a man, except she has no plans to stay here anymore and Gage seems too good to be true.
One stormy night, she finds out that one secret Gage kept to himself that caused her to waste twelve years of her life waiting. Or was it destiny?

Review: Resolutions Embraced

She came back to win…and to rewrite a narrative created so long ago….

Chad Hanson has one true love: being mayor of Ardor Creek. With his charming personality, kind nature, and adoration of the small town, it’s as if he was born for the role. Although he dates constantly and loves playing the field, he’s never come close to falling for someone the way he loves his job.

Abby Miller left Ardor Creek after high school, determined to become something other than a pariah. Chad Hanson had accidentally bequeathed her the name “Flabby Abby,” which destroyed any chance of making friends or having a normal high school existence.

Two decades later, Abby returns, fierce and confident after her tenure as a senior advisor for a prominent Washington DC senator. Armed with her skills and experience, she begins an invigorating campaign to become the first female mayor of Ardor Creek…and to exact a smidge of payback against Chad.

Chad is blown away by his opponent. Drawn to her, he slowly realizes she might actually win…not only the election, but Abby Miller might be the first woman to capture his heart.

Welcome back to Ardor Creek! If you love sizzling banter that cracks you up and makes you snicker, smokin’ hot love scenes, and a sweet frenemies-to-lovers tale, this book is for you! As with all of Ayla’s books, there’s a slight holiday twist, and this one has a fun New Year’s Eve ending. The Ardor Creek gang is back and ready to watch serial dater Chad Hanson fall in love. Enjoy!

Review: Desires Uncovered

It was supposed to be a casual affair….

Dr. Teresa Roe moved from the bustling city to small-town Pennsylvania, hoping the slower pace would help her focus on finding a partner and building a family. Unfortunately, life had other plans, and Teresa finds herself single in her mid-40s, unable to have the children she craves. Determined to focus on the positives, she builds her thriving therapy practice and joins a hook-up app looking for a fun, no-strings-attached affair.

Mark Lancaster has no time to date or cultivate a relationship, so meeting women on hook-up apps is perfect for his busy schedule. When he meets Teresa, he can’t believe his fortune at finding someone so smart, sexy, and funny. In fact, his casual affair with her quickly becomes the highlight of his hectic life.

When Mark decides to run for County District Attorney, his opponent quickly reveals their relationship, spinning their affair as nefarious and creating a scandal that almost derails the campaign. Thankfully, Teresa agrees to enter into a fake engagement, saving him from ruin. But the road to victory isn’t easy, and as they grow closer, the relationship they both swear is casual begins to grow into something real….

Can two fiercely independent souls find true love amidst scandal?

Welcome back to Ardor Creek! If you love fake relationship shenanigans that lead to true love, this book is for you! As with all of Ayla’s books, there’s a slight holiday theme, and this one ends with a romantic Christmas. There are discussions of infertility and domestic abuse, so please consider that before listening. Enjoy!

Review: Og-Grim-Dog: The Three-Headed Ogre

Three can be a real pain in the arse

Everyone knows ogres can’t be heroes. But Og-Grim-Dog is no ordinary ogre.

Recruited by a team of eccentric dungeon crawlers, all three heads are determined to prove their worth. Will their new crewmates accept them? Will the pencil pushers at the Bureau of Dungeoneering be able to stop them? Will Gal’azu become a more tolerant society…and will Og-Grim-Dog solve the dark mystery that drew them into this new world in the first place?

Reader reviews:

“a marathon of craziness that will tickle your sense of humor. Loved all the gritty characters and enjoyed the fast paced action plot.”
“If you’ve ever played D&D, you’ll enjoy this tale of orcs, and dwarves and ogres. There’s good silliness and a serious theme.”
“The characters are fun and diverse. The jokes are funny and adult without being lewd or gross. The plot is fun, engaging, and well timed.”
“This book sets up an awesome character, some great side characters, and an interesting world filled with surprisingly similar issues that we have in our own. I wasn’t expecting to love this book, but I did.”
“This little book was SO MUCH FUN! There were plenty of in-jokes that, as a fantasy fan, I loved and the characters were extremely likable. The whole thing just makes me want to go on an adventure.”

If you’re looking for something lighthearted, with some cleverness, silliness, and a little grit, start this fun, feelgood adventure today!

Review: Spinal Remains

Title: Spinal Remains: A Collection of Stories Author: Chad Lutzke Release: August 9, 2022 Format: Paperback I’ll be reviewing this collection in my preferred format, where I do mini-reviews of each story and provide my final thoughts on the collection as a whole at the end. Predisposition and a Box of Crayons Pages: 1 –… Continue reading Review: Spinal Remains

Review: SHREDDED

Reader beware! This sports and fitness body horror anthology is dangerous. Side effects include monstrous steroid transformation, concussion-induced madness, possession by jock ghost, death by yoga cult, and more. Read with caution!

Featuring seventeen reps of terror by Nikki R. Leigh, Tim Meyer, Brandon Applegate, Red Lagoe, Caias Ward, RW DeFaoite, Mae Murray, D. Matthew Urban, Charles Austin Muir, Joe Koch, Michael Tichy, Rien Gray, Robbie Burkhart, Eric Raglin, Matthew Pritt, Madeleine Sardina, Alexis DuBon, and J.A.W. McCarthy.

Review: EVERYTHING WILL BE ALL RIGHT IN THE END

What happens…after?

In Everything Will Be All Right in the End: Apocalypse Songs, you’ll see the lengths a father will go in order to protect his child, the emptiness that revenge can harness, gods compelled to act after being forgotten, a boy carrying the weight of decisions he didn’t make, and monsters both within and without. You’ll meet people who have lost everything, faced everything, lived through the worst that could happen, attempted to pick up the pieces of their shattered realities, and you will hear their apocalypse songs.

Listen closely.