Renee Waring

Smashwords book reviews by Renee Waring

  • She Loved Me Once on July 14, 2012

    Great read! This is a story of selfless love and selfish lovers. I really enjoyed the way the story was told, from Ben's perspective and in his own words. Ben and Atruah are complete opposites, Ben gives selflessly and Atruah takes. These characters grip you from the very beginning and I could not put this story down until I finished it. There is plenty of tension both mental and physical within this story and it keeps you going to the very end. I loved the ending of the story, although I don't feel anything was really resolved between the characters, hence, I would like to see a follow-up story in the future. Fantastic read Taabia, I look forward to reading more of your work.
  • One Thousand Years to Forever on Oct. 25, 2013

    Katherine MacNamara is one tough lady with a lot of moxie, which has gotten her into one hot mess of a jam. Colum O’Heachthanna, a fierce Irish warrior prince, is there to save and protect her, as he evidently has tried, unsuccessfully, to do for centuries. Colum is heir to the throne of his vampire world and Katherine is destined to be his queen, if Colum can save and turn her. There is a twist to the world of Colum O’Heachthanna, I don’t want to give it away, but I LOVE IT! The attraction between Kat and Colum is all encompassing. Colum knows why, but Kat is not sure she is ready to move on and love again after the loss of her firefighter husband in the Twin Towers on 9/11. It was Colum who saved her life that day, and who made a promise to her husband that he would watch over and protect Kat and their children. Kat has vowed vengeance on those responsible for the attacks that day, and in a very public forum; which has attracted the attention of a group determined to silence her once and for all. Several years after the loss of her husband Kat moves herself and her children to the home her deceased Grandmother has left her in a small town away from the city, and its memories of that fateful day. During a morning jog she runs into Colum and discovers that they are now neighbors. Colum befriends her and their friendship quickly escalates. As Colum begins to reveal to Kat that this is not their first time together she, also, begins experiencing disjointed memories of their past lives and deep love for each other. As the attacks on Kat and her family begin in earnest, Colum vows that, this time, he will turn Kat before it is too late, and she will finally take her rightful place as his queen. Will he succeed? This book is jam packed with intrigue, action, and plenty of steam. We get to meet all of Kat’s family and much of Colum’s, but I have a sense that there will be a lot more to learn about the O’Heachthanna family in coming books (I’m hoping). All those we meet in this first installment are strong, interesting characters that immediately draw you into their lives and make you want to know them better. The storyline is captivating and keeps you turning page after page until there are no more pages to turn. I guarantee it will leave you wanting to know more. I believe Ms. Moriarty very cleverly left us with a few strategic questions, hopefully to be answered in future installments and I, for one, cannot wait to read the continuing story of eternal love and devotion between Kat and Colum.
  • His Leading Lady on Jan. 06, 2014

    What a wonderful Prequel to the Hollywood Hearts series. This is the story of two of the characters from the first book in the series, If I Loved You. Mark Davis, brother of the Megan in ILY, and Penny Thatcher, the love of his life, and how they met. Mark is an up and coming quarterback playing second string to an arrogant and trouble-making first stringer. Penny is a beautiful young starlet, trying to make her way in the Hollywood jungle. She has risen above a not-so-pleasant past to a promising career in films when her life, quite literally, collides with Marks' in Beverly Hills. Mark returns to Las Vegas with his team and begins to search on line to find out who the beautiful woman is that ran into him on the sidewalk on Rodeo Drive. He never got her name, nor did she get his, even though the attraction between them was immediate and strong. Mark and his first string counterpart find themselves going on a blind date, back in Vegas, and one of the girls turns out to be Penny. Naturally, the first stringer wants his date to be the hot young starlet, but he is so arrogant and boorish that Penny rejects him and is afraid that Mark will be the same type. He proves her wrong and they begin seeing each other. Issues from both of their pasts rear their ugly heads and do their best to destroy the fragile new relationship. Will their love prevail? That was one of the things I liked best about this novella, even though I knew they would end up together, I found myself wondering if the roadblocks really could be circumvented and get them to the little house with the white picket fence that Penny dreams of. The book is well written, flows smoothly, and includes a little back story on Marks' sister, Megan. The characters are all strong and draw you easily into their world. Once you start it you won't want to put it down.
  • The Witchling Grows Up on July 31, 2014

    The Witchling Grows Up is a lead-in novella for a new series by Mary Moriarty and chronicles a brief history of the Pendragon family of witches and how they become connected with the O'Heachthanna vampire clan from her My Beloved Vampire series. The beginning of the story details the lineage of the witch, Dylan Pendragon, back to her great grandparents and leading up to how she came to the notice of Justice, one of the O’Heachthanna (My Beloved Vampire series) clans oldest, most loyal, and fiercest warriors. The story picks up in present day as Justice arrives at Dylan’s home in Glastonbury Tor, Britian. He has been charged with Dylan’s protection from the ‘Dark One’ by the Goddess, who has also promised Dylan to Justice as his mate, thus uniting the vampires and the witches. Dylan is already being watched and protected by a cacophony of familiars who have been with her family for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Included in the menagerie is a fierce little dragon who has been charged with her protection from her birth and takes his job very seriously. Tan is a feisty little, fire breathing creature who sits upon her shoulder, follows her everywhere she goes, and does not care one tiny bit for Justice, which makes for some very lively dialogue between the two. The gist of the story is that the ‘Dark One’ must capture Dylan and rob her of her virginity in order to steal all of her powers and become nearly invincible. Justice will need to rescue her before the damage is done or Dylan will be lost forever in the underworld. This book has captured my interest from page one, and has me anxiously waiting for the next book. Ms. Moriarty’s writing is imaginative, her characters are strong, yet vulnerable, and her storylines flow seamlessly, one into the other. This one gives us a bit more background into the world of vampires and witches and I cannot wait to read more.