Nobody’s Side Piece series. Niyah Moore. 2014. David Weaver Presents. [Source: Kindle Unlimited]. This review will actually cover the Nobody’s Side Piece series by Niyah Moore.  I picked these up on Kindle Unlimited because I was looking for something away from the romance books I’ve been into as of late.  These books are definitely interesting, and I appreciated being able to pick them up from Kindle Unlimited as soon as I finished with each. The story starts by following drug kingpin Rome in his quest to take over territory from his rival, Blaze. Blaze keeps a notoriously low profile – so low that only his right-hand man Kane has seen or spoken to him.  What follows is Rome’s relentless chase of Blaze … right into his own home.  

New Year: A Novella. L. Mertz. 2015. 98 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited] What better way to start the new year than with a new romance? In L. Mertz’s novella, the reader is treated to a short but not always sweet courtship between Braydon and Annie. He’s a widower hotelier with a 6 year old son and a meddlesome mom. She’s a newly underemployed nurse with a knack for cooking and talking non-stop. Together, they have chemistry, but seem to have just as many misunderstandings between them. The story is told from Braydon’s perspective, which isn’t very common in romances. It was definitely an interesting vantage point to look at things from. And although I found the book interesting, the plot was slightly predictable. I could sense where the tension points would be between Braydon and Annie and felt they were a bit cliche. Nonetheless, I was surprised that it didn’t end the way I predicted (thankfully).

The Rogue’s Proposal. Jennifer Haymore. 2013. 401 pages. Forever.  [Source: ARC provided courtesy of Netgalley.] Emma’s husband is dead and her family is on its last pennies. Luke’s mother is missing and he’s got a chip on his royal shoulder. They’re after the same man, whom they hope has the answers they both need to put their respective lives back on track. The two team up in search of the elusive Roger Morton, but get much more than either of them bargained for. I don’t typically read historical romance, but I found myself caught up in this story. Within a few pages, I forgot that I was reading a story set centuries ago and instead was wrapped up in a compelling plot. The themes and experiences of Emma and Luke transcend time and are easily relatable. Emma struggles with learning the truth behind her marriage and is forced to come to terms with her sheltered sexual experiences. Luke is tired of being seen as a scoundrel while living in the shadow of his “perfect” brother and is grappling with a revelation about his family that complicates his ability to forge his own identity. Together, they’re challenged to think differently not…

Luca Lashes Visits Mommy in the Hospital. Nicole and Damir Fonovich. 2013. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] Luca Lashes Visits Mommy in the Hospital gives you what you’re expecting. The title character experiences a hospital visit to a loved one from the eyes of a young child. I appreciated that it provides detailed yet broad descriptions of what someone could expect if they’re seeing someone who is ill, from the nurses adjusting the patient to the various IVs and machines.

Since You’ve Been Gone. Mary Jennifer Payne. 2015. Dundurn. 224 pages. [Source: NetGalley]. It’s not often that a book leaves me unsettled, but more and more I’m finding that YA books leave me just that.  Since You’ve Been Gone follows 15-year-old Edie Fraser as she adjusts to life in England after abruptly fleeing her home in Canada with her mother.  Mere days after settling into a new home and school, Edie comes home to find that her mother has failed to keep their communication pact and is missing.  Edie is left to further adjust to life in a strange new city by herself but also find out what’s become of her mother.  In her attempts to do so, she runs afoul of administrators in her school and the people she’s come to consider her new friends.