Rock Chick Reawakening by Kristen Ashley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ohhh, the feels I had reading this book. After all these years to finally get Daisy’s (and Marcus) story. Daisy, was this over the top, crazy secondary character in the Rock Chick series. Yes, we came to love her as the Rock Chicks did but we never knew how she became who she was. Getting to know her from a young child to when she met Marcus was very endearing. Coming from a life where she could only dream about living in a Castle to actually doing it along with finding the prince charming she would never allow herself to ever think she could get filled my heart. Yes these are fictional people but they are ones us fan of the series have come to love hard and finally getting Daisy and Marcus story – my cup runneth over.
Renny by Jessica Gadziala
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
5 mother effin stars for the wrath of Janie!. We were left hanging with some major cliffies from the last book – the fate of a beloved character and who had started a war with the Henchmen. We find out all the answers to those plus have the added bonus of getting the complicated love story of Renny and Mina along with getting introduced to the new prospects. There was so much going on in this book I could hardly put it down and yet I didnt want it end.
I’m in a happy fog after finishing this book. I love these characters and could live in the world of Navesink Bank forever.
No Darker Place by Debra Webb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This edge of your seat thriller gives you chills. The sick and twisted things the killer known as the Storyteller does to his victims is the stuff a nightmares.
First off – be sure to read The Blackest Crimson before reading this book. That prequel, is where the killer destroyed Bobbie’s life and helps you to understand her determination to bring him down no matter the cost to her own life. Detective Bobbie Gentry has spent over 7 months recovering from both the physical and mental damage the Storyteller did to her. She’s lost everyone that matters to her along with her will to live. When it becomes clear that the killer is back for her she vows bringing him down will be the last thing she does.
In this book we are introduced to the other main protagonist of the series. Nick Shade starts off as a mysterious man who inserts himself into the investigations of finding serial killers and helps bring them to justice. He has been following the Storyteller for while and becomes even more fascinated with finding him after finding out Bobbie Gentry survived her ordeal with him but knows that’s just going to make the killer more determined to get her again and Nick will be waiting.
Both Nick and Bobbie have been through hell in their lives and are at different places mentally when this book starts. Nick being the son of one of the worst serial killers wants nothing more than to put as many as he can behind bars – to do this he must stay detached from all emotions – which becomes harder the more he is around Bobbie. Bobbie doesnt even look to the future – she doesnt plan on being in it so she has emotional distanced herself from those who care for her. By the end she manages to come to terms with her grief to a point enough that she wants there to be tomorrow.
Solid start to what looks to be a great series. Can’t wait for future books.
The Blackest Crimson by Debra Webb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Holy crap what an introduction to a new series. Detective Bobbie Gentry thought she had the perfect life. Husband that she loved and a toddler son she adored and getting to assist the FBI on a high profile serial murder case of The Storyteller. Little did she know that her working on that case would cause the The Storyteller to become fascinated with her and to destroy her world.
This prequel is dark and gritty as it covers the time he kills her family and kidnaps her and does unspeakable things to her body almost breaking her mind and spirit too. I immediately hated when it ended but we were given the first two chapters of the next book that mildly appeased my appetite for more.
Dark Secrets by Jessica Gadziala
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I dont know whether to say nanner nanner I know the secret or holy crap Jessica genuinely surprised me with it. Along with that, the list of characters needing books just keep getting longer and longer.
Faith was a bad ass bartender we’d met quite a few books back. Knew she was tough as nails and took no crap from no man. We finally get to find out her story and what’s really underneath all those hard edges. A woman like that would need one heck of a man to rock her world and boy did she get that in spades. And that’s all I’m saying on that subject….
The backdrop of this story is in a bar called the Lam which is owned by the D’Onofio’s who are a mob family. And here is where 3 more names went on my want list of characters I want books for. Hopefully the 3 D’Onofio brothers are in the long queue that this author has for future books..
It was great having the team from Dark Mysteries back together. Xander and Z and crazy Cory and Enzo and Espen (soo ready for their story – its going to be hotttttt..)
Reading a Jessica Gadziala book is like going home and visiting old friends – while reading you feel a special bond with all the characters and you never want to leave their world..
Mischief and the Masters by Cherise Sinclair
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Shadowlands favorite prankster finally meets her match in two sexy Doms. For two years Uzuri has avoided telling her story and facing her past. Master Z gave her a time limit to do both and that time has come – and we all know Master Z always gets his way.
Uzuri Cheval left a horrific past behind and moved to Florida. She has a great job as a fashion buyer for a huge department store, and she has made friends with fellow subbies. Uzuri is the type of friend that would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it but yet if she needed to call on a friend for help she never do it. Her past left her with many fears. Along with not having the confidence in thinking her friends would be there for her she is also scared of large men which has made it impossible for her to find a Dom to top her. When strange things start happening she fears her past has come back and her take flight instincts kick into high gear.
We all know how Master Z likes to play matchmaker and he’s set his eyes on Alastair and Max Drago to be the Dom’s who finally break down all the barriers that Uzuri has built up. Problem is Alastair is the only one ready to settled down, his cousin Max not so much due to something from his past.
This book had it all. There were so many laugh out loud scenes between the Shadowkittens. Finally getting to know the pasts of Uzuri, Alastair and Max and how all three of them help the other deal not only with their past but also help each other deal when they have a bad day at work. There is also plenty of suspense and let me tell you the final showdown was twisted. If Cherise ever wanted to branch out into writing serial killer books I’d think she be a master at it (← get it)
Another great addition in one of my all time favorite series!!
Poison Evidence by Rachel Grant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Get ready to get swept away to the islands of Palau where danger lurks and past and present collide. Where an unsuspecting heroine get herself embroiled in the hunt for something that could reignite the cold war. Even the man who says he is there to protect her, who warms her cold heart, hides complex secrets and a past that is as deadly as the manchineel tree which will leave a person suffering from severe burns, a fate her heart may also suffer.
You never have to wait in a Rachel Grant book for the action and suspense to start. From the first page your thrown into a crazy ride full of twist and turns and wonder what the next chapter is going to reveal.
I always look forward to a Rachel Grant book for scenic descriptions, interesting plot and smoking hot romance and I’ve not been disappointed yet.
Split by J.B. Salsbury
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
On the whole this looks to be a typical romance about girl that ran away from home at 18 who ends up having to come back after her dream of making it in the world of broadcast journalism goes up in flames. But that would be where your wrong…….
This is a story about love for sure but not the typical type we are used to. Shyann’s soul fractured when her mother died. She couldn’t deal with her grief and took that out on her father who was also grieving and left home with a lot of hurtful words being cast from both sides. She hardened her heart and went to college with the end goal of being a TV news reporter. She blows it badly when on her first assignment she lets her personal feelings get in the way on a live broadcast that ends up going viral and getting her fired. With no choice she has to tuck her tail between her legs and go home until she can financially get back on her feet again.
Its here that she meets a man who works for her father’s construction business that changes not only her life but also her view on life. This man is very shy and hardly communicates. She doesn’t understand at first her fascination with him but she works hard at becoming his friend. She has no idea about all the secrets he hides from the world but knows this man has also been fractured in a way from something horrific in his past.
I think readers know from the title of this book that the hero has a split personality. I’m not going to go into great detail about that but I loved how the author chose to write his story and shows us how that effects the person that suffers from that condition and also how it also effects the person that falls in love with someone with that disorder.
There are defiantly dark themes running through out this book but its not a dark book per se. Its a beautiful love story that shows love has no bounds. I love when an author gets creative and gives us something new and Spilt is so heartfelt and touching it leaves a lasting impression long after you’ve finished it.
Fatal Reaction: The Beginning by M.A. Hollstein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fans of apocalypse books your gonna wanna read this one. This author could give the Walking Dead writers a run for their money.
One day the world went crazy and a group of survivors who had never met before end up connecting and helping each other through the madness.
Ellie was on her way back home to Oceanside California after a weekend Vegas. A simple stop at a gas station changes her world forever.
Sheriff Mike Wilson and his deputies are being called out to numerous locations with the infected. Its on one of those calls he meets Ellie. These two end up back together after Ellie goes through some harrowing ordeals with the infected and non-infected.
Amanda’s boyfriend is showing signs of the infection and even though she was on the verge of breaking up with him her compassion has her deciding to get him to the hospital. She has no idea of the chaos and madness she was going to walk into.
Mike was married with a young son. When the son becomes infected and kills his wife he cant bring himself to harm his son. So he takes off to bring him to the hospital and runs into all kinds of problems getting him there. Once he finally does get there no one is left alive to help him. Amanda and Mike and his son end up banding together.
As I stated at the beginning the writing was right on with detail descriptions of the infected from how the looked and acted and devoured flesh. You felt the fear in each of the main characters through every ordeal and situation they got into and had to get out of. I was devouring the pages as fast as the infected were other humans.
This book (as its titled) is The Beginning. That means it does end on quite the cliffy and also a surprise twist that you dont see coming. I cant wait for the next book which is about this groups Survival.
Veiled by Karina Halle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I started reading this at 10pm one night. I didnt even make it through the first couple of pages and had to put it down because there was just no way I could read this alone at night.. This is one scarily good book. But heed the warning to read in the daytime..
This is billed as a standalone and I didnt have any problems with previous characters from other series being in it and not fully knowing their stories. The author did a great job of giving us enough backstory on them that you werent lost.
Ada Palomino comes from a family with gifts. They all have to do with dealing with the dead or other realms. Ada just turned 18 and through out her childhood watched her sister deal with nasty beings and her mother taking her life to kill the evil demon inside of her to prevent him from getting Ada. She is still dealing with the grief of losing her mother and also with some guilt that her mother gave her life for hers. Ada never really knew what her powers were going to be but since the death of her mother she had been having nightmares that she doesn’t know if they are real or just in her head. Turns out they are not just in her head.
Each person with a special gift is given a guide and protector. Ada’s is called Jay. The back stories of where these guide and protectors come from was fascinating. Heck for that matter the whole world building in this book was fascinating. Once daylight came the next day I couldnt put this book down and it gave me the heebie jeebies more than once in reading it. Along with all the scares and dealing with demons from hell there is also the forbidden love between Ada and Jay. You know their love is doomed from the start and wonder if there can ever be a way these two could be together in a relationship other than him as her protector.
Defiance by R.S. Broadhead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Holy crap this sucked me in from the first page. This is the best paranormal book I have read in a very long time. Who knew Grim Reapers and Demon’s and Angels and that bitch Fate (yes she really is a bitch) could be so utterly fascinating.
There is just no way I could write a review that would do this book justice. If your up for something really different that has great world building, a sexy man who is a Reaper with a heart and conscious, bad ass fights along plenty of humor then run to buy this book..
In the Barren Ground by Loreth Anne White
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The complexity of which this author writes always astounds me. When you start the book its like a jumbled up jig saw puzzle. It doesnt make a lot of sense. Her characters are this way too. In the beginning when being introduced to a wealth of characters you tend to form an opinion on them as the heroine does. As the story goes along and puzzle pieces snap into place you see your first impressions were wrong. This was the case with the hero. It was also the case with the first deaths Rookie cop Tana Larsson had to investigate. Tana’s first call is what looks like an animal mauling of two students who were up in the snowy mountains of The Barrens. From that point until the conclusion of the book – you were shocked at the things Tana uncovers and what is truly going on.
The story here is stuff of nightmares. The dark tales told by the Aboriginal Canadians come to life. This was a fascinating read that stayed in my head even in sleep giving me weird dreams. I dont dream often but something about this story got into my subconscious and wrecked havoc.
Forgotten Secrets by Robin Perini
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is non stop suspense from beginning to end. Your are turning the pages anxiously awaiting to see what is going to happen next.
I think you get the jest of book from the description so I’m going to forgo rehashing that. I will just point out that its rare in my reading these days to not at least come across a few chapters in a book that are slow or the story starts to fall flat but not once did that happen in the reading of this book. Even during the times when the hero’s grandmother was on the page who suffers from Alzheimer’s you were captivated by how much emotion the author put into her words. You could defiantly tell she has first hand knowledge of someone living with the disease.
Very good suspense that keeps you guessing till the end on what the reason these children have gone missing. The love story was also different because there was no angst between them – well except for the stress of trying to find his missing sister. This is now one my favorite Robin Perini’s books.
Repo by Jessica Gadziala
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I already knew before going into this book I was going to love it but having the “girls club” of Lo, Janie and Summer stand up to the boys to let Maze into the MC and then K playing such a huge part in this book – my cup runneth over…
This author out does herself with each new book she puts out. The blending of so many characters from other series into each of her books just makes me one happy woman. Maze was as kick ass as all the other women Jessica writes and Repo – yum yum he was perfect.
Loved Maze and Repo’s story and cannot wait for whoever is next..
Targeted by Kendra Elliot
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Tight suspense thriller that had me turning the pages as fast as I could to find out who was killing Oregon’s law enforcement. The author did a great job of keeping you guessing almost till the end along with some great murder scene descriptions (yes I’m morbid) with references to some of my favorite horror movies.
Throughout this series poor Ava has not had an easy time of it with the havoc her twin sister has wrecked all her life. I was happy to see that Ava is finally cutting the emotional cord and is working on healing from all the damage her sister has caused her. I’ve always personally related to some of what Ava’s gone through and was glad to see she is finally taking the steps needed to work on herself and realizing there is nothing she can do to change her sister. I love that Mason has stepped into the roll to be the buffer – first point of contact – on news about Jayne. His and Ava’s love for each other is strong and they are each other’s rock.
There was also great ensemble cast of characters in this book that all come together to try and find the killer. Each book I’m left with more characters I would love to see in future books. Another great story from this author and I look forward to what’s next.
Barely Breathing by Pamela Clare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The authors love for her home state of Colorado, vase knowledge of climbing and her deep appreciating of the men and women who risk their lives saving those who get into trouble on those mountains is clear in this first book of her Colorado High Country series.
Second chance romance, with lots of great secondary characters plus the men and women of the rescue teams, who I am sure will be getting stories of their own in the future, made this a very enjoyable read with plenty of laughs, tears, sexy moments and some suspense.
(oh and we get the bonus of two characters from her I-Team series making an appearance)
Charged by Jay Crownover
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
One thing can happen in your life that can cause you so much shame and grief that from that point you sabotage any thing good in your life and live with the crap at the bottom barrel where you think you deserve to be. Avett Walker may be in her early twenties but she has been punishing herself for years for a past transgression. To most around her she just looks like a self centered brat that doesn’t care about how her actions hurt others. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Avett has found herself locked in jail for a serious crime that she didnt commit but as it was her junkie abusive boyfriend that did it and that is was against people that cared for her deepened her guilt even more. At the start of this book you think its just going to be Avett’s journey to dealing with her past demons and finally coming out of the darkness she punished herself with but Quaid Jackson who is her lawyer and presents himself to the world as a very put together fancy suit wearing man has past he has been running from himself and from the outside it wouldn’t look like the pink haired full of attitude Avett and Quaid would have anything in common but underneath all of that they are two like souls.
It always helps when you can relate to the character that your reading and I could certainly do that with Avett and Quaid. Even being at lucky as Avett was with having a father that loved me no matter I done in the past or any situations I mind find myself into today. I loved taking the journey with these two to as they faced their demons together and fell in love along the way.
Priceless by Linda Kage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The author’s note at the beginning of this book, sharing with us a letter she had received from a woman with cerebral palsy who begged her to write the story of a young girl, (a sister of a main character in her first book) who had cerebral palsy, had me an emotional wreck before I even started the book.
When I read Price of a Kiss and was introduced to Mason Lowe and his wheel chair bound sister Sarah, who had CP, I not knowing a lot about the condition figured she wouldnt live a long life. Now its 8 books (and many years) later and we have her story – her beautiful love story. This book shows that CP isnt a death sentence, that people with CP can go on and get a masters degrees, and fall in love and have a sexual relationship and most children.
If you’ve read any Linda Cage book you know her men are all torchured hero’s. We met Brant in the second book in the series. He was the younger brother of Noel Gamble who along with his older sister and younger brother were finally taken from their piece of crap of mother by Noel to live with him when he found out how bad things really were for them. Unfortunately that was after something so sick happened I thought I was going to puke when I read it.
Not long after moving in with his brother Brant becomes online friends at first then in person with Sarah. Right from the start these two became the closest of friends. Their bond was so special and they loved each other but never allowed any thoughts of anything other than friendship to enter their minds. Sarah with her CP never though any boy/man would want her and Brant never thought he would be good enough for her in the romantic sense.
Your heart is tugged on a lot through out this book, But these two characters were so strong and their unwillingness to let the other go meant they had to put many of their demons to rest and made for what reading romance books is all about.
Wolf by Jessica Gadziala
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There are so many reason why I loved this book. Janie – the little mysterious woman who sets of bombs we finally get her story and background. Wolf – you hunky beard wearing man of a few words who knew you had such a sexy side. Lex – you sick SOB we finally find out your fate. And last but not least Repo I can tell your story is gonna rock!!
This author has not created a character I havent fell in love with and that she has all of them cross over into most of her books us just a big freggin bonus!!
Killer by Jessica Gadziala
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love these guys Jessica writes.. and the women are pretty kick butt too. Shooter’s story was so much more than I was expecting I was already expecting a great story..
Each of the guys has had crappy childhoods but Shooter was the first to actually go back to where it started and face his past demons and of course that was done with as much snarky humor as Shooter is famous for. He didnt know what hit him when he met sweet Amelia who even though sweet still had enough piss and vinegar to hold her own.
I absolutely love that even though these books and the characters “occupations” are in the dark realm the humor through out them is just perfect. All the characters from “Reign”, “Monster”, and “Cash” are back and we get a good glimpse of one couple whose story isnt out yet as time wise this is after that one.
So my feelings on this book – LOVED IT!! Cant wait for the next one.
Protecting His Own by Cherise Sinclair
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
From the heartbreaking first chapter to the last I dont think I ever had a dry eye during this book.
This was one emotional powerhouse of a story. Beth’s story was always a painful one. Her scars from her ex-husband’s abuse still run deep even with the love of her husband and Dom, Master Nolan. Throw in two little boys who have a drug addicted mother and an abusive boyfriend, just keep that box of Kleenex handy.
I’m not going to go into great detail on the story but this was some great writing from Cherise – such emotional gut wrenching scene after scene. I should say after all this talk of emotions that there is a great HEA that also brought more tears to my eyes..
BONUS: we are introduced to two new Doms.. Cannot wait for their stories.
Her Fierce Warrior by Paige Tyler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The past comes back to haunt. We finally meet the first hybrid created from Ivy’s DNA and she is a wildcat.
One of the fears of John and Ivy have been that the evil doctors who kidnapped her and took her blood would use it to create more hybrids. Angelo Rios and his Special Forces team run into one of those hybrids in Southern Tajikistan after she escapes from the laboratory she had been tortured in.
I love this series and how each of the couples though one is always a shifter and one human are so unique. Angelo has known about the shifters all along so when he faces a rabid woman after she kills men who tried to attack her he isnt fearful about trying to talk her down. What he doesnt expect is for her to immediately calm down in his arms and fall asleep. Minka Pajari was kidnapped and given a serum that made her into a monster (in her eyes) and then tortured to constantly bring the beast out. After escaping all she knows is this stranger calms her beast and she doesnt want to let go of him.
Lots of secrets and revelations were reveled in this book and some even resolved but that only opened up more threads and dangers for the men and women who work for the Department of Covert Ops.
I have enjoyed every book in this series and with some of the revelations through out this book see the potential for many more books which makes this reader very happy.
Celeste Files: Unforgotten by Kristine Mason
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have so many thoughts running through my head after reading this book I cant quiet them to think of what I want to write. This was a super creepy book but it also was heartbreaking and in the end leaves you feeling jubilant.
This book has been a long time coming. You know there is always that one book you’ve been waiting for in a series that wraps something up started many books ago. Sometimes your disappointed when that times comes – maybe it doesn’t meet your expectations or what you thought should happen – but this book far exceeded anything I could have dreamed or even believed (this author is famous for shocking her readers).
I’m not going to give anything away about the story but I will say Celeste has come so far with her gift and what’s she is able to do and it was great to have a book where her husband John was 100% supportive and knows that she is so much stronger with him by her side.
Love love loved this book!!!
A Very Baery Christmas by Jocie McKade
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Baers cure all that ails you. Well at least for me they do. Its been while since we’ve had a Bears book and I’ve really missed all the characters from Sentinel, Wyoming and all the humor and laughter that come with them.
What starts out with Abby and Tessa going to Florida to break Darkwater out of a retirement home and bring him back to Wyoming turns into almost every character we’ve ever met in this series getting caught up in a huge snow storm and stranded some where out on the road.
Plenty of humor and touching moments are had during those times and when everyone has to converge at the Hidden Rock Ranch where we get even more surprising moments.
I hope there are going to be future books because we were introduced to a new character who I hope we get to find out more about plus I really want Winslow to find him a good woman!
Dead by Midnight: An I-Team Christmas by Pamela Clare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Edge of your seat action from beginning to end with all of our favorite characters either being in peril or being part of the team(s) to rescue them. Not going to write a long review – this was a great book that was even better because I love all of these characters and could read them forever.
CAPITOL DANGER: A ROMANTIC SUSPENSE ANTHOLOGY by J.D. Tyler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Excellent showcase of how 4 different authors can seamlessly write a common story thread. The plot revolves around a group of men who call themselves The Red Mantle whose hated of women in any form of power had been pushed to the brink when a woman is elected President and many other women hold seats of power. Their thinking is this abomination must be stopped and they plan to do this on inauguration night at a hotel hosting a huge inauguration party in DC.
Normally for books like this I would write a review on each author’s part in the book but I’m going to do it a little different this time. All 4 stories take place at the same time. The difference being the main couple and where they were when the Red Mantle started shooting and took over the hotel. In the first story Luke Edgars and Ebigal where working the inaugural ball on an uncover op to take down an arms dealer. They end up leading a group of people out of the hotel but not before running into many intense situations. The second story was about billionaire Edward Millner and his girlfriend who get trapped inside one of the ballrooms and manage to take down the terrorists locked in with them and do triage on the living before being rescued. The third story was about Greg Reed , an FBI agent on medical leave who happened to be their with his cousin and ends up teaming with an uncover Arachnid operative named Kelsey who was pretty kickass. They manage to make it to the roof to allow SWAT to come in. The fourth story was about FBI agent Dalton McCoy who had been uncover within Red Mantle to try and prevent this situation from happening. He didn’t succeed in that but his teaming up with reporter Jolie Monfort does prevent a massive bomb from exploding in front of the hotel.
Even though the main plot was the same through out each story each couple being in a different location what they saw and experienced was different so its was like getting a new story each time but you knew what was coming at certain points. I’ve only read two of these author before but all 4 stories were each great and full of suspense and action. Two of the couples were already in a relationship and the other two meeting for the first time during the harrowing ordeal.
I’d like to applaud each of the author for their attention to detail in the other authors story and making it seem like just one author wrote it and not 4 different ones. This was an on the edge of your seat suspense from beginning to end and I loved it.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a difference knowing what’s really going on makes. I loved this book. Even though we as the reader know what’s going on this time around that doesn’t mean it wasn’t full of shockers (surprises is just too weak of a word to use for the things that happened in this book).
**SPOILERS IF YOU HAVENT READ THE FIRST BOOK**
Now that we know what Jane Spears, her fiancé Dash and her friend Angie do for the government things really get interesting when the latest case she goes under for doesn’t get them the identity of the killer they were hoping to find. Unlike the first book the majority of this one is spent in the real world. I liked that we got a close look into Jane and Dash’s life. Jane is not a typical woman. She’s lost her family early in life so she has issues with intimacy with people. Job wise she has been a spy for the United Nations, a Major Sergeant and now a criminal profiler for a secret UN project that requires her to go inside the minds of the victims to learn about the killer.
As I sit and think about what to write for this review its hard because it would give away too much of the story. There were surprises when it came to Dash’s life but the shockers was everything that was discovered about what they thought was a just a serial killer. It was so much more than that and even though many of the things described were sick and twisted the author’s sense of humor in describing the scenes and how her characters reacted were downright funny.
This is a three part series with the first two books ending in cliffhangers. After finishing this one I am cannot wait to see how all of this ends.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
About of ¼ of a way into this book I felt sucker punched. I shouldn’t have been surprised because this author writes gut-wrenching books but I wasn’t expecting for the feelings I went through in The Wrong Sister (this book/series is about the daughters of Jessie and Will) to come back with such a vengeance. I am going to say from this point on if you haven’t read The Wrong Sister there may be spoilers.
When this book first started I was not impressed with Christina. She seemed like she was a spoiled self centered brat. Throughout her life there were times her mother would lock herself in her room and not come out for days sometimes. Other times her mom would just freak out over what Christina thought were minor things. She never understood why when those times happened she had to take over the care of her sisters while her father coddled her mother. I kept wanting to scream if you only knew what your mother had been through you wouldn’t be acting like that. As with all of Leanne’s book she makes me think about things. All parents have a past – some painful and shocking. Does a parent not share their experiences to shelter their children or should they be open about the mistakes or traumatic things that happened to them in the past so their children can learn for their mistakes or learn that the world is not always a nice place and bad things can happen. After a situation Will decides to tell Christina part of her mother’s history (which was the first time I got emotional throughout this book). I was as horrible to hear it again now as it was so many books ago. Christina was devastated but it made her look at her childhood and mother in a whole new light.
It may not seem like it so far but that isn’t all this book is about. In Jessie’s sister’s book her and her husband at the end adopted two older boys that came from a horrible childhood and both came with their own set of problems. Max Salazar came to them with communication problems, issues with anger and also a severe case of the phobia of being touched. Max has issues of caring for anyone or allowing anyone to care about him. The only exception to that is Christina. Since they were both 13 they became each other’s best friend. It was a strange relationship with Max’s issues but Christina always accepted Max how he was. These two deep down care about each more than just as friends but with Max’s issues he is constantly sabotaging anything more than friendship between them and eventually he does something that threatens even that.
The parallels of what Will (Christina’s dad) and Christina had/have to go through for the person they love are very obvious and ironic and bring her family eventually even closer. There is so much more that happens in this book but I feel I would be writing a book length review if I don’t stop here. One of those surprises is who the next book is about and the sneak peak we get of that at the end of this book has me dying to get my hands on that story.
With Visions of Red, Book Two by Trisha Wolfe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
After the way the first book ended I devoured part 2 and was ready to strangle the author with how she left this one hanging. This story and all the characters just grips you by the hairs and doesnt let go.
In the first book we know most of Sadie’s horrific past and how that made her become a profiler in the hopes of making sure what happened to her doesnt happen to other women. But there is an unsub out there committing heinous murders and its become clear Sadie has become his target.
In this installment in the series we finally find out Colton’s secret. And that’s all I’m going to say on that.
The investigation into who’s killing the women really kicks up a notch bringing with it some surprising revelations along with consequences about them.
This is at the core a hunt for a killer but its also a unique love story between a woman that survived a serial killer that now craves the darker side of sex and a man due to his own past needs the release of tying a woman up with rope. These two are very emotionally scared but have the most explosive sex together and really are perfect for each other.
The cliffhanger at the end of this about killed me but I’m learning to like a little pain with my reading and will gladly suffer until the next book.
Celeste Files: Unjust by Kristine Mason
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This certainly got creepy a few times throughout the book. Poor Celeste had to deal with an evil ghost this time around and the amount of stress that added to her marriage was pretty high.
First off I want to say I absolutely loved that the author brought Celeste and John to Florida to the ATL Core group. For those that don’t know that’s a separate series within the Core world. Celeste’s gifts mixed with the rag tag group were just perfect being as they are all unique themselves.
I could not imagine going through that Celeste does. She out fishing on a boat and catches a fishing net and all it takes is her touching it and seeing how the person associated with it died to have him then haunting her and making her life a living hell all for his vengeance.
Celeste usually only deals with helping those who have been murdered to bring their story and murderer to justice. This was the first time she had to deal with a ghost who isn’t worthy of helping and even has the ability to take over her body and tries to make her do awful things.
I can safely say I love everything that Kristine writes. Each of these CORE series and characters all were set apart but yet close in many ways but usually stayed within their own series. I love that she is now mixing them all together. When I first saw the cover to this book I didn’t know what to make of it but once you read it, it’s perfect for describing the book.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I don’t know what I loved more about this book – Joker and Carissa or that it had some of my favorite characters from 3 of her other series – I mean Mr Sebring was IN THE HOUSE!
I have no idea what number book this is for Ms Ashley but I know it’s a large number and they just keep getting better. That the book started when the main characters were in high school and it just wasn’t in the cards for them at that time made it all the better. Most of the time we don’t get to see so much history up front. Something else I really liked more about this book than some of the Rock Chick books is we got both their POV plus many others. Totally loving that changed format – not that I didn’t love the Rock Chick series but it’s nice getting inside the men’s head too and getting to know all about them from their POV.
Every time I read one of Kristen Ashley’s books I realize I have no loyalty because the current hero/alpha that I’m reading becomes my favorite. Carson “Joker” Steele’s stole my heart from the first chapter. Don’t think I even had a point where I thought OK lighten up on the alpha badness – he was just perfect all the way through. And his woman Carissa and her little son were also perfect.
This was a wonderful love story that took many years to finally come to fruition but when it did it was beautiful story to read.
Long Time Gone by Lorelei James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I swear I could read about the McKay’s and West till my dying days. This was a special treat to get an even better glimpse into the early days of Calvin McKay and Kimi West romance than what we got in Cowboy Take Me Away.
Don’t know what more I can say about Long Time Gone other than I loved it. And if their story wasn’t enough of a treat finally getting a sneak peak at Sierra and Boone’s story that will be coming out next year made me even more giddy.
Midnight Captive by Elle Kennedy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I fecking love this series!! This is the sixth in the series but each book just gets better and better and who doesn’t love an Irishman.
First off this series has many side stories that cross over into each book so its best they are read in order. Sean and his twin brother Oliver Reilly have been in the previous books first as information contacts and then they joined Jim’s team of Mercs for a while before Sean suddenly just quit the team and disappeared. We find out in this book why that was.
Bailey Jones is one of Noelle’s assassins with a past she’s doesn’t talk about. She had become friends with Oliver but kept her distance from Sean because he was the type of man she avoided at all cost. That is until one night 5 years ago, but afterwards she did her best to avoid him again. She is shocked when after months of not knowing where Sean and Oliver were she recognizes Sean on the tele as part of a group of Irishman robbing a bank in Dublin. Even though she does her best to say she doesn’t care about Sean she is on the first plane to Dublin to find out what’s going on and to try and get him out of the mess he is in.
Some of the team comes to Dublin to help including Sullivan and Liam who are still not over what happened in the last book. I don’t know where the author is going with this story line but its fun to be along for the ride.
Sean has been unwillingly thrown in the middle of a war between his father’s old group of IRA extremist and a man who runs a large criminal organization which also means Bailey is now right in the middle of it too. These two are constantly fighting with each other – reminds me a Jim and Noelle – but also fiercely protective of the other even as Bailey fights her attraction to Sean.
This was a page turner from beginning to end. I am soo happy to see that D’s story is up next. That man (and the author) has been so tight lipped about his past that I’m super excited to finally get to learn more about him.
Covert Evidence by Rachel Grant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This series has taken readers to all sorts of places with the most fascinating stories full of suspense and romance. This go round we’re in Turkey and its not long before we are shot out of the gate on another thrilling ride that involves a terrorist organization and good and bad CIA agents.
I have to say I think the CIA is the shadiest bunch of people – at least how they are portrayed in books and movies. Its rare they are shown in a good light. I often wonder why that is. Anyhow, when the main hero of the book is a CIA operative and their lives are all about lying and completing the mission at any cost the author sure has to work at making the reader like him. That was certainly the case with Ian Boyd who is a case officer with the CIA who has been undercover in the Middle East for many years. Ian cares about nothing but his missions. He is currently on one to find out the identity of a terrorist leader when everything goes FUBAR and he ends up on the run with a woman he doesn’t quite trust and treats like a mark even though he’s attracted to her.
Cressida Porter who we’ve met in previous books is an underwater archaeologist currently on a research trip in Turkey. Finished with her part she had plans to continue on by herself to gather information for her dissertation. Unknowingly the local she hired to her with translation got her mixed up in the middle of a terrorist cell that has so many traitors both foreign and domestic my head was spinning and I wasn’t the poor person trapped in a foreign country who can’t speak the language and on the run with a man she doesn’t know she can trust and if he has her best interests at heart even though he’s the sexiest man she’s ever laid eyes on.
The author writes about Turkey in such vivid detail its like a fascinating history lesson. Once I start one of Rachel’s books I cant seem to put it down until I’m finished. Another great addition to the series!!
The Way of the Warrior by Suzanne Brockmann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Always a treat to have an anthology with tons of my favorite authors with the bonus of them being all new stories.
Hot as Hell by Julie Ann Walker – This is the prequel to Ms Walker’s new series Deep Six. A group of Navy Seals who after their latest mission will retire and most will be going to Florida to run a marine salvage business. This novella gives a glimps of three of those Navy Seals while still in action sent in to rescue a woman and the US Ambassador to Pakistan. Harper Searcy and Michael “Mad Dog” Wainwright has a one night fling except Michael didn’t want it to be just a one night thing but Harper hasn’t been returning any of his calls since – until she calls him from the Embassy’s safe room after the Taliban blast their way in. It’s a short story but still has all the things you expect from this author – action, alpha men and the tough women who fall for them.
In Plain Sight by Catherine Mann – Stacie Currie lived through 4 years of abuse from her husband before divorcing him but neither that nor the restraining order has stopped him from terrorizing her. While on the line with 911 she realizes she is talking to the man she should have married all those years ago instead of pushing him away with her selfish demands. Gavin Novak has been medically discharged from the Air Force after a helicopter crash that almost ended his life. Now reduced to being a 911 operator due to his disabilities from the crash he cant believe when the scared woman on the other end of the phone is his childhood friend and ex lover Stacie. When the two finally meet face to face after 10 years they both realize that their feelings for each other are as strong now as they were back then. Gavin calls in some old friends from his PJ days to help with finally putting Stacie’s ex in jail where he belongs.
Torn by Kate SeRine – Torn kicks off a new romantic suspense series featuring the Dawson brothers Tom, Gabe, Joe, and Kyle. This story was about Joe who was injured by an IED during his tour with the National Guard. After 18 months of rehab he is finally getting back on his feet enough to start back to work with the Sheriff’s department where his father is the Sheriff and two of his brother’s are deputies. Joe and Sadie have been friends since they were little. They both knew they loved the other but never had the guts to ever cross the friend line. Joe’s brush with death is the catalyst that finally pushes them to confess their feelings for each other but turns out Sadie has a stalker and he’s decided he doesn’t like that Joe’s back in Sadie’s life. This was a new author to me and I enjoyed this one enough that I am looking forward to the 3 other brothers stories.
War Games by Lea Griffth – Didn’t want this one to end. Lea Griffith writes such intense stories and this short introduction to a new series about a black ops team barely whetted my appetite. Opening scene having CIA operative Vivi Bentwood breaking wrongly convicted prisoner Rook Granger out of Fort Leavenworth started the ball rolling on what’s sure to be another sure fire hit series for the author.
Beauty and the Marine by Tina Wainscott – Griff Tate see himself as a beast after being burned over 25% of his body while in combat. After a long recovery period he is content living on the 200 acre resort his family owns and away from the public. When his friend that runs a private security agency ask him if they could use the Resort to set up sting to catch a stalker he agrees not know that the victim would be so beautiful and make him long for things he doesn’t think he could ever had again. Kristy Marsden may have a beautiful face that makes her money as a model but she has scars of her own from the stalker. When she meets Griff she doesn’t see scars on his face she sees the wounded warrior on in the inside and that stirs up feelings she long thought the stalker had killed.
NSDQ by M.L. Buchman – All of these story so far in this anthology have been great but this one caused a little leakage to the eyes.. US Army Caption Lois Lang flew Black Hawks on CSR missions. She worked hard to get to be the pilot of her own crew. While on a CSR mission in Afghanistan they get hit with a RPG and she manages to save everyone at the cost of her leg. She had to have a below the knee amputation. Now stationed at Fort Lewis she struggles with knowing her career is over and flying is only thing she’s ever wanted to do. Fort Lewis is where training is done for the Little Bird, Black Hawk and Chinook. Kendall Clark (get it Lois and Clark ) is a civilian Black Hawk engineer and training instructor. Turns out he’s had a thing for Lois for a while but never acted on it until now. This sweet man manages to give Lois back her life in more ways than one..
Sealed With Passion by Anne Elizabeth– After a FUBAR mission Jonah Melo commander insisted the entire team take time off. He decides he is going to check up on how his buddy’s house was coming along that is being built by the Wounded Warrior Housing Project. What he wasn’t expecting to see was Alisha Winters who is also a good friend of his buddy and wife who was the maid of honor in their wedding and who Jonah slept with that night. Now 5 years later and she cant stand the sight of him. But after some time alone together these two realize that since that night no one else has compared and once they clear up the misunderstanding of why Jonah left years ago these two decide time is too short to waste…
Home Fire Inferno (Burn, baby, burn) by Suzanne Brockmann – How many Seals does it take to deliver a baby?? When Jenn Gillman and Eden Zanella break down on the side of the road and 8 month pregnant Jenn’s water breaks we soon find out how many Seals it takes to get to them. Lots of familiar faces lend a hand in getting to Jenn and Eden. Been a while since I’ve read a Troubleshooter book but I certainly remembered all the guys and their spouses I missed the humor that Suzanne always has in her books.
With Visions of Red: Broken Bonds, Book One by Trisha Wolfe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Brilliant comes to mind after reading this first in a new series from Trisha Wolfe. She takes us not only into the suspense world with a serial killer but also deep into the BDSM world where a criminal profiler still haunted by her own past with a serial killer meets a mysterious man who craves her and uses his Japanese bondage skills in shibari to give her the release she craves from the nightmares from her past.
Sadie Bonds was abducted by a sadistic killer when she was a teenager. She managed to survive her time with him but not without it leaving not only an outer scar but also with a fascination with blood and a craving for things she’s tries not to think about. She went on to work in the police force and had worked herself up to becoming a profiler with the FBI but instead took a demotion and now works for the Arlington County Police department as their criminal profiler. Most of the men don’t respect her job including her partner Quinn. But when women start turning up dead with plenty of blood surrounding the crime scenes Quinn’s animosity changes when he knows that if they are going to catch this killer that Sadie and her gift of being able to read what story the blood from the victims tells her will be their best bet.
Sadie is such a fascinating character. Her time in captivity with a killer certainly messed with her mind but instead of letting it make her insane she has taken her fascination with blood and used it help find other killers. What she doesn’t realize at the start of this case is it is personal and this killer knows things about her past that no one should.
In the middle of the investigation we are shown Sadie frequents a BDSM club as a voyeur to try and sate the demons in her mind that take over after seeing the horrific things of the murders. It is here she meets the club owner’s brother Colton Reed who is a master at rope bondage – which is one of her triggers from her time with her own abductor. We get Colton’s POV throughout the book and he is one hot sexy Dom but by the end of this book he is still a man of mystery. We haven’t gotten the full story on him yet and I can’t want to see what demons are in his past.
This book does end on a cliffhanger. Normally that would drive me nuts but we were given plenty of story to stew on until the next book. I was fascinated with all the threads of different genres the author weaved throughout this book. Yes, it a romantic suspense at heart but it also soo much more than that and I was entranced from beginning to end.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oren Tenning is a TEN in every sense of the word! I fell hard for him throughout this book and I didn’t want the story to end.
When this series started I never would have thought I would be sitting here saying that Oren has hands down won my heart over Mason, Noel, Pick and Quinn (the previous hero’s in the series). His and Caroline’s story is the best so far of this series and I loved the other 4 books. As this series is about a group of friends in college I recommend that the books be read in order as some of Oren and Caroline’s history started in her brother’s book which was the 2nd in the series.
Oren has always had a smart mouth, quick with the dirty comebacks and king of the one night stands. He certainly met his match with Caroline who could talk just as dirty and could volley those comebacks right back at him. These two were perfect for each other and their love story was perfection also.. Now that doesn’t mean there weren’t problems along the way I both laughed and cried as I read their story. I almost want to turn around and read it again it was so good..
Incriminating Evidence by Rachel Grant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A+ for originality and creativity. I love how this author incorporates something that a reader may or may not have heard of and twist it into a captivating thrill ride of a story.
When this book starts out it looks normal enough. A archeologist is in the forest of Alaska doing surveying. She is also grieving over the death of her brother which happened to be in the same forest when she comes across a man who face has been beaten and he is bleeding from a nasty head wound. Being too far away from her vehicle or any cell services she manages to make a tarp and drags him to an old cabin. She figures out who he is not long after and it’s the man she blames for the death of her brother, one she started a war against by trying to close down the security company he runs.
After the reveal of their identities some things like you’d only see in a science fiction movies happen. They were soo cool. Now I should saw it was hurtful things to the heroine and hero but for me as a reader this is where I was silently rejoicing at a suspense plot I’ve never read before which these days come far and few between.
I’m not going tell what those things were cause I think the reader needs to experience them as the author reveals them in the book. But all aspects of the story were great – the plot – the main characters who have a strong love/hate relationship thing going that was HOTTT – very sexy steaming love scenes and even some sick torture of the like I’ve not read before.
I highly recommend this series to anyone that’s looking for something different than cookie cutter romantic suspense. Each of these books has been so thrilling to read and I cannot wait to get the next one.
Fighting Silence by Aly Martinez
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was like a metamorphosis. It starts out in what I would categorize as Young Adult then switches to New Adult but with a secondary group of her adult characters from the Wrecked and Ruined series which made me one happy reader. The story itself also had tons of different emotions running thought it, sadness, heartbreak, laughter, a great sense of family and friends, sexy boxers and towards the end intense suspense.
Even though this is Eliza Reynolds and Till Page story that starts when they are 13 I think to get the full effect of the story and characters reading the Wrecked and Ruined series beforehand would enrich the story for the reader so much more. These two had worthless parents and they bonded in an abandoned building for many years. Eliza only had herself to worry about but Till had two younger brothers that he had to look out for. Along with that weight Till also was told he would eventually become deaf at some point in his life.
How these two beat the odds that were laid at their feet when they were born was not an easy road. Through it all they both knew that they needed the other to get there. For me its so hard to describe this book as there were so many “acts” to it. I loved being back in Slate’s gym and having him mentor Till to not only become the best boxer he could be but also the best brother and man for his woman. The future books in this series will be about Till’s brothers who were young when this book started but we can see the type of men they are going to grow up to be and I know their stories will be just as powerful as Till’s was.
Unexpected Fate by Harper Sloan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Now if THIS were a movie I would have turned around and paid to see it again after finishing. Even though this was Dani Reid and Cohen Cage’s love story which was a long time in the making and was so worth the read, Mr Axel Reid stole the show so many times throughout the book. I have loved every book in this series but I think because Axel’s story was first and he was so over the top he has a special place in my heart and seeing how he was with his daughter was priceless and funny as hell!!!
I absolutely love that even though this was the start of the second generation of the men we came to love in Corps Security the author still had them be a pretty prominent part of the story. The title of this book, Unexpected Fate, perfectly describes the love that started between Dani and Cohen at a very young age. There is a part in the book where Dani’s mom Izzy is describing to her why she things that it was fate that had her go through the hell she did all those years ago. I won’t spoil it but it was beautiful coming from Izzy who always thought fate was against her before she found Axel again.
It was such a treat to get to meet all the kids that are now grown from Axel, Cage, Beck, Cooper, Maddox and Sway – YES Sway’s daughter is one of Dani’s good friends!! Another cool thing that happens in this book is the author sets up her new series about a rock back called Loaded Replay. She certainly piqued my interest in the band members.
I hope the author plans more stories for the rest of the grown children. This was a FABULOUS book and I loved it!
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Even though each book is about a specific couple I think this series has one of the best ensemble casts I’ve read in a long time.
The Costa Rican jungle is where the latest fight with the hybrids takes place. Each of these books is like an adrenaline ride from start to finish. There is a large cast of characters in every book and each and every one of them blends seamlessly into the story. They all work together like a well oiled machine and I couldn’t imagine the series working as well without each one of them.
Each of the couples so far have been a human to shifter match. But each of the shifters are totally different in both type and sex. This time we have bear shifter Declan MacBride and Kendra Carlsen who does the evaluations for the team. Poor Declan had finally given up on anything every happening between him and Kendra in the previous books but when they are thrown together on a mission that goes south Kendra finally sees the big teddy bear for what he really is – her soul mate.
After I finish each book in this series I want to just immediately go to the next one. I love this series and cant wait for the next installment.
A Father’s Fight by J.B. Salsbury
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This had all the things I’ve come to expect from this author and series. Even though this was the 2nd book that featured Blake and Layla we still got plenty of angst and tons of laughter – I cannot tell you how many times I laughed out loud – and a lot of resolution to some very personal situations for both Layla and Blake from their first book. Every couple in this series has gone through hell and has had to fight for their HEA and these two so deserved what they got at the end of this book. I hope there are plenty more books to come in this series.
Don’t Let Go by Sharla Lovelace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
5 angsty stars! This hit the spot of what I needed. Twenty six years ago two soul mates were ripped apart by a teen pregnancy that had him leaving and not coming back to town until now. Both now in their 40’s she divorced with a teenager and he engaged with a child on the way the two realize their feeling are still as strong today but there is so much baggage between them.
There were many obstacles in the way before these two could ever get to a HEA. A few I didn’t know how on earth they could be resolved without causing someone more heartache but the journey from the beginning of the story to the end was a page turner for me. I didn’t want to put the book down.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
As a lover of romantic suspense I always find it’s a sign of good writing when I find myself feeling sympathy for the killer. Now that doesn’t always happen as some are just too sick and twisted to relate to but the killer in Bridged is one I found myself understanding his reasoning’s behind what he was doing.
This second book in the series picks up a few months after the firsts one. Mason and Ava are now practically living together and making their relationship work even with the stresses of their two jobs. His as a detective with the Oregon State Police and she is a FBI agent. The work collides with the death of a man found hanging naked on a bridge.
I liked how the author writes about the equal balance of home and work between these two. Mason and Ava have always been dedicated to their jobs but balancing a relationship between that is new to both of them and I thought they did a great job of it. No ego’s got in the way between them as it was clear they respected the other and the work each does.
This was a good mystery as to why the killer was doing what he was doing and the reveal slow as to what the main motive was. As the book went along your thoughts on the victims certainly changed.
I always enjoy the stories Kendra has to tell and this was no exception. I’m looking forward to what’s next in this series from Mason and Ava..
Clouds In My Coffee by Andrea Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is such a great series! The first book Silent Whisper blew me away with the concept and it only got better in Clouds In My Coffee . In the first book we find out Parrish has a gift of not only communicating with the dead but to actually living and experiencing their life up until their death. The majority of the first book was in the past with just a small amount in the present but in this one we get more time with Parrish and get to meet a very sexy FBI agent.
One of the best parts of this series is getting two stories in one. When Parrish is taken over and living the life of the deceased we get a great but tragic love story. This time the couple was high school kids from the ’70. Two kids that had grown up together as best friends that turned into love but with major bumps along the way that ended with one of them dying.
For this one a lot more investigative work needed to be done once Parrish “returned” and this introduced us to a new character, FBI agent Marco Trevani Jr. Marco helped Parrish bring justice to the dead girl along with being a new love interest for Parrish and let me tell you these two were smoking hot together. I’m hoping that Marco is going to be part of series from here on.
As with the first book in the series I was spellbound from beginning to end. Its one of those books where you find yourself reading faster to find out what’s going to happen next but yet not wanting it to end. I cant wait to see what person Parrish helps in the future and to see where her and Marco are headed in their relationship.
Ultimate Prey by Kristine Mason
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I think this is my favorite of all the Core books and I really liked the others. First off I was soo happy to see Vlad back and that he’s going to be in future books. It could be a very serious moment in the book but that man makes me laugh so hard. The author hands down writes some of the sickest killers and gruesome scenes but she also has a knack for comedy where you don’t expect it. There were plenty of harrowing moments in this book but it seemed much lighter than the others – and I don’t mean that in a bad way. Almost all the previous characters are back in this book to help in the search for CORE leader Ian Scott and his fiancé are kidnapped and taken to the middle of the Everglades to be hunted and killed by a man out for vengeance.
This was the final book in the second trilogy of the CORE series but it was also the lead in to the new CORE series coming out next year. I am very excited as to who all the main CORE characters are going be and can’t wait for the first book in that trilogy. Cudos Kristine to another great book!
11 by Kylie Brant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oh the sick and twisted things authors can come up with. It’s been a while since I’ve read Kylie but the title of the book grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go. I knew during the first chapter that the book was going to be a good one and I was not disappointed. An added bonus was seeing Adam Raiker back – who is from her earlier series Mindhunters.
The significance of the number is that is what the bad guy calls the women he kidnaps and “trains” to be the perfect women by torturing and raping them into submission. Mia was the one he called 11 and she was the only one to ever escape him. Its been five years and she has been on the run ever since but when a body of a woman is found, Adam has his suspensions that she is of one of the women who was held captive with Mia and goes to Jude Bishop who gave Mia protection after her escape and eventually fake identities to leave the country with to see if he can locate her so he can question her.
I saw in the dedication at the beginning of the book that the author thanked the person that helped her with location information for Vietnam. Those chapters that were in Da Nang were very captivating and some of the best in the book.
This held your attention from beginning to end. The author pulled no punches in having both the main characters having sick and horrific past. They were two broken people who had to learn to live again but were never going to be normal. I hope this is the start of a new series because this was fantastic and I would love to read more about the other men and women that worked for Jude.
The Wrong Sister by Leanne Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I know going into anything by Leanne to expect to be an emotional mess through most of the book. She didn’t disappoint. By Chapter 5 I had tears in my eyes. I was also a little scared going into this one because of who the main characters were.
In the last book we met two couples. One looked to have the perfect marriage with two kids. The other couple you knew from the start was going to be a disaster of epic proportion. As this book starts out we find out the perfect marriage has ended in a way that leaves both the wife and the two children devastated. No the husband doesn’t die. The other couple was exactly where you expected them to be. The wife is a train wreck and a neglectful mother with the husband trying to keep his business and his child safe and realizing he made a mistake in marrying so fast before he really knew the woman he was getting married to.
These two couple’s are connected via the wives. They are sisters. But they couldn’t be more different from each other but even with that they have a strong bond. The last two books in the series have been about the 3 Hendricks sisters. The Best Friend was Gretchen’s story but we also met her two other sisters Tracy and Vickie. Vickie has always been the flighty sister that always needs her sisters to bail her out of something and Tracy has been the sweet stable sister who’s been married for 12 years and is a great mother.
The opening scene of Tracy realizing that the man she has loved with all her heart for over 14 years has done something so deplorable and to avoid going to prison ops to just walk away from her and their children was heartbreaking. Before leaving he asks his brother in law Donny to look after them.
That was the start of two people both grieving over their losses and the unfairness of what life had thrown at them come to depend on each other to help each other and their children through very rough times. Where the problem comes in is Donny realizes he is married to the wrong sister.
I don’t want to give too much of the plot away other than to say I just didn’t know how the author was going to make it to where these two people who were perfect for each other could ever be together. And if you’ve ever read Leanne before you know she doesn’t make it easy for her couples but this one had the taboo of both being married. There were plenty of emotional and angst filled moments before the ending but I am very satisfied with how it all worked out. Kudos Leanne to another great book!!!
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Been anticipating Ice’s book since we met him in Stripping Her Defenses by Jessie Lane. In that book we just got to see the gruff Alpha male side of Ice and knew he had a mysterious background. In this book we find all about out about Brett ‘Ice’ Grady. To outsiders the Regulators are a MC Club that runs a couple of strip clubs. But the reality is they are a government sanctioned uncover group of ex military men. A group of men who formed a strong bond fighting terrorist now are a band of brothers fighting the bad guys on US soil. A story arc of women being kidnapped to be sold was started in Jessie Lane and Chelsea Camaron other series. Ice and his team have been trying to find a way to bring down the man responsible when the latest kidnapping victim brings things to close to home.
I’ve said it in my previous reviews of Jessie and Chelsea’s books that are related but I love that multiple series are crossing over with story lines and characters. It just makes the reading experience that much more enjoyable. I love the world these authors have built and how some of the characters are on the right side of the law and others not but in the end they are all fighting for the same thing.
Great start to a new series and looking forward to many more books from these talented authors.
BTW – If you buy the book before Jan 6th you get 2 bonus short stories from the Hellions Ride Series & the Ex Ops Series and let me tell you THEY ARE SOOOO GOOD!!!
Buried Agendas by Donnell Ann Bell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
You know what’s a sign of a good book to me – it’s when you talk to it as your reading it – Like “No that didn’t just happen” or “OMG” at those unexpected moments – where your rubbing your hands together in excitement to read the next chapter seeing what is going to happen next. I went through all of those things reading this book. Donnell is such a great story teller that you just get lost in her books. I’ve said this before in my reviews of her books that I am amazed how she writes suspenseful romance books but rarely is there any sex in them, but how she writes sexual tension and attraction you don’t even miss it. I think it takes a very talented author to pull that off and you still feel satisfied at the end of the book.
I think you can get the jest of the story from the synapses so I’m just going to say as with all her other books I loved this one and look forward to future books from her.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Two secondary characters from previous books end up having the most profound book of them all with their emotional journey on their road to healing. When I went into this I figured it would be Sarah’s story as we all knew how broken she had been in the previous two books. But once this book got going I felt it was more Leo’s redemption and that was as well deserved as Sarah’s. These two characters couldn’t have been more broken and have pasts filled with so much heartache. Years ago they were on a certain path and that path got broken which in turn broke them. When these two find each other it sets them back on the right course to their much deserved happiness.
I loved that every couple/character from the Wrecked and Ruined series and Slate and Erica from Among the Echoes were in this book. All of those characters started on journey together that threw them off course and it just wouldn’t be fitting if they were all still together – all though not in the same way they were before – at the end of the journey.
For those that haven’t read this series it needs to be read in the following order – Changing Course, Stolen Course, Among the Echoes then Broken Course. It’s a very emotional ride you will take but its soo worth it because this final book in the series was the best and it has one the best epilogues that wraps up every character.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Some of the best writing I’ve seen from Melinda Leigh. I’ve been a fan since her first book and not only is Hour of Need the first in a new series but the writing was outstanding and the story griping with a great cast characters.
The murder of a husband and wife start off the story which brings home the three other siblings of the man murdered who all left the small town of Scarlet Falls as fast as they could when they got out of school. This series will feature each of the Barrett siblings. Major Grant Barrett is the first make it back to town even though he was in Afghanistan at the time. His brother and wife had two small children that will now need guardians to care for them.
Ellie Ross lives next door to the Barrett’s and her daughter was babysitting the children at the time of their deaths. Ellie also happens to work at the same lawyer firm where the murdered brother worked. Ellie is a strong willed single mother whose grandmother also lives with them.
From the opening scene of the murders you’re taken on a journey of suspense with plenty of twist and turns to finding out what really happened. There was a large cast of characters but you never felt overwhelmed. The author did a flawless job of introducing us to each one and making you come to care for them all even with all their flaws. As the story of the reasons for the murders unfolds your surprised at every turn right up until the end at the final reveal.
The balance of suspense, mystery and romance was perfect. I didn’t feel one overpowered the other and equal amount of time was given to each. I am looking forward to reading Hannah and Mac’s stories – who are the other siblings – in the future books.
Danger and Desire by Katie Reus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Carolyn Crane – Against the Dark – This was a fast paced action book with plenty of smexy moments. Agents whose main strengths are their brains but yet still have plenty of brawn make up The Associates. Cole Hawkins has been working undercover to gather information on a shipment of children being shipped over internationally to be used and killed. While on assignment he meets a woman who turns out to be a safecracker whose specialty in safes happens to be the one he needs into to get the name and location of the ship. This was defiantly a different take on the typical bad ass alpha males you typically read in these type of books. Cole’s nerdyness was cute while still having plenty of alpha ways.
Pamela Clare – Skin Deep – Both Megan Hunter and Nathaniel West had been through hell in their lives.
Megan being bounced around the system that didn’t protect her that got her thrown in juvie at such a young age only to be raped repeatedly over and over. After surviving that she finally meets her brother but one of the guards that had been part of her rape turns out to be someone her brother works with and she shoots him. After running and her brother taking the rap for her she ends up addicted to heroin and pregnant and in jail where she has her baby. After a lot more drama Megan now has custody of her daughter and a job and the love and support of her brother and sister in law. But she has never forgiving herself for her past and doesn’t think she will ever be able to let a man touch her without remembering the past.
Nate was in the Marines and stationed in Afghanistan when his team was on their way back was hit by an IED. The right side of his body from his ear to his leg had sustained second and third degree burns. He lost many good friends in the blast and even the ones that did manage to survive some took their own lives after due to the horrific damage to their bodies. His fiancé left him due to not being to handle the way he looked now. Nate ended up going back to live with his father and working with horses and living a sheltered life away from others so they wouldn’t be disgusted with the way he looked.
Both Megan and Nat had the same views about themselves. Neither could imagine anyone loving them the way they were. Megan had the hardest time dealing with this strange attraction to a man. I loved how Pamela compared it to the intense longing for heroin but instead of it being something dark and desperate is was something pure and clean. Many addicts are surprised in there sobriety that they can actually feel emotions like that and it not be for something bad. Nate couldn’t image a woman looking at him and not cringing at all of his scars. Our hero wore his scars and the outside and our heroine wore hers on the inside. It was very touching to see that the two of them were like the antibiotic the other needed to heal.
I have to also say that I loved the wedding epilogue was sooo touching that it brought tears to my eyes and I wasn’t even actually here.
Misty Evans – Deadly Pursuit – This action packed suspense had it all. Romantic suspense fans be sure to add this one to your reading list.
From the opening scene of a undercover young FBI agent seducing and arresting the man every alphabet soup agency wanted to again having to bring him down after he escaped and caused so much death in her life you are glued to the pages.
Celina Davenport is just a rookie FBI agent but managed to get herself a potential career changing undercover job with SCVC if she can bring down the mafia leader. What got her through the undercover op was she would finally be able to act on her crush on the leader of the SCVC taskforce and join his team. What she got after the arrest was neither of those. She was turned down by him and then sent off to a small FBI office in Iowa after her face was plastered over Time magazine ruining her chances of undercover work ever again.
DEA Agent Cooper Harris was impressed with Celina’s work and did find himself attracted to her but being her senior from both a work stand point and in age he refused to give into the young FBI’s infatuation and walked away. Then 6 months later there worlds collide again in Iowa on an op that collides between the FBI and DEA. Not soon after its found out that Emilio the Mafia leader she helped put in prison has escaped and is coming for her but not before he kills the ones she cares about. The killer is ruthless in some of the ways he takes her friends down – I mean like in cringe worthy eww moments (love getting those moments). Cooper vows he will do everything to protect Celina which turns out to be harder than he thought in many ways. This book had every ingredient I look for in a romantic suspense/thriller book and I loved it.
(more to come)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love this author. Her new series has unconventional characters with such emotional depth. I’ve read western romances before and was curious when I saw Leanne was going to write a series about a family of cowboys who lived on a ranch. It seemed like such a departure from anything I’ve ever read from her and wondered if it would still have a gut-wrenching story and characters that are so heartbreaking with their past and current situations. Well I shouldn’t have worried, the heroine, Erin Poletti, life has to be one of the saddest I’ve ever read.
When you read anything from this author don’t expect some cookie cutter romance you’ve read a 100 times. This has to be one of more unconventional love stories I’ve ever read. When reading this you need to try and put yourself in Erin’s shoes. She is a 26 year old women who is illiterate and has been made to feel unloved her whole life and expects no kindness from anyone. Does the author try and cure her of these things during the course of the book, NO – the hero Jack Rydell tried but 26 years of feeling less than nothing isn’t just going to go away and I liked that the author didn’t try and make us believe it would.
I was sad when I came to the end of River’s End but I know there are more books coming in this series about the other brothers and I hope in those we get to continue to see Erin continuing to work on her issues and that eventually she and Jack can finally have that conventional relationship.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Tense thriller about an act of terrorism in a popular shopping mall written in such vivid detail as the reader you felt like you were living the nightmare right along with the characters.
Sometimes it hard to envision scenes in a book but when it’s written in or about a location you’ve been to before it makes it all so real in your mind and very scary. Even though the name is changed a bit it takes place in the Mall of America in Minnesota. Could you imagine multiple gunmen opening fire right there in the middle of Nickelodeon Universe? All the families and small children? Well that’s the opening scene in this book and it was downright scary.
Vivi Vincent is there with her 8 year old son when the shooting starts which thrust them both into a nightmare that doesn’t end when the shooting stops as her son who is mute and traumatized might have seen and heard the terrorist plot which might have more of an endgame than just the mall shooting.
Jed Brennan is a FBI agent that was forced to take a vacation after his last job a tracking down a serial killer. He happens to be at the mall that day shopping when the shooting starts and is not only instrumental in getting both Vivi and her son out but also realizing that they are still in danger and takes them into protective custody. Both characters have had some bad experiences in the past in relationships so when they find that there is a spark between them even with all the danger surrounding them they fight it as long as they can. Jed was a great hero who not only fought to protect them but also was great with the son and his “issues”.
The author keeps your attention throughout the book not only with the danger to Vivi and her son but also having us as the readers be fully aware of the who and why of the terrorist. As an American I’ve never understood cultures that thrive off the killing of innocents for some cause and have little sympathy for those that carry out the killing of children.
As with the first book in this series this one was intense from beginning to end and justice served to those that deserved it. Looking forward to seeing who’s next in the series as we were introduced to some characters that I think would for interesting hero’s in future books.
UPDATE: I am changing my rating from a 4 to a 5. My initial rating was of a ARC of the book and there were somethings with the last couple of chapters that I felt were not explained properly. In the final released version she made changes to those chapters and added a epilogue which I have now read and it makes a huge difference.
Circle of Redemption by Shauna Allen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A collection of deeply emotional stories that touch on PTSD, grief and organ donation. Each of the stories is connected by a sentimental object that just enriches them all the more.
Lost and Found by Susan C. Muller – This was a 2nd chance story. Dan and Lacey had a quick fling when they were in college before Dan deployed. A misunderstanding had them parting on bad terms and not seeing each other for 7 years ago. Dan is now a police detective who has found himself in the middle of bank robbery protecting Lacey and her daughter. There was a lot of suspense during the bank robbery and a feel good ending once the past was confronted between Dan and Lacey.
Saved by the Stone by Janet Nash – Cade return from Afghanistan a year ago but yet he didn’t. Since returning he cannot feel anything emotionally not even for his wife and 2 children. All he feels is dead inside and this has finally taken a toll on his marriage. We not only get a glimpse of what the veteran goes through with PTSD but also how it ultimately affects the spouse. Grace couldn’t take it anymore and it started affecting her by causing outburst and her acting in a way that wasn’t normal for her either. This was heartbreaking to read yet you felt a triumph for them both when Cade finally had a breakthrough.
Sight Unseen by Shauna Allen – This one was really heartbreaking. A Doctor who should be at the top of his game has been beaten down by the tragic loss of his brother in Afghanistan and then by the loss of his wife in a accident. After making the decision to have her organs donated he finds out that his marriage isn’t what he thought it was when he is served with divorce papers. A year later he is still just going through the motions and really what I would call severely depressed. One day he meets an artist who awakens every dormant emotion in him. This story has a few twist that I think as a reader you need to read for yourself but know that this ones gonna tug on the heartstrings.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
All the books in this series are so emotionally powerful in their own way. Embattled Home adds domestic violence to the already heartbreaking issues that are dealt with in this series.
Chad Lowell was one of the three soldiers we met in the first book. His disability was losing his leg and burns on one side of his body. I remember Chad also being the more rational one who always tried to help his fellow injured soldiers and in this book he shows that endearing quality to a battered woman and her child by taking them under his protection.
Along with the storyline of Chad and 3 others from Lost and Found Investigative Service protecting Lora and her child from her abusive husband, Duncan gets a call about his homeless vet being in the hospital in another state. In each book we get a little more information on the man and see how Duncan refuses to give up on him even though its clear the man doesn’t want his help. A new character was introduced in the LNF team and she a woman veteran who I hope gets a story in the future. We also got quite a glimpse of Preston Harper’s hard softer side (read the book you’ll understand) and a very interesting development in his story.
I always come away from finishing a book in this series with an emotional feeling. The author writes her scarred and tortured heroes with such emotions you can help but be effected while reading.
(note: even though this book came out release wise after Joe Flynn’s book, in the timeline its before his book so he is still single and messed up emotionally throughout this book)
A Cold Dark Place by Toni Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Toni Anderson’s new series is a dark exploration of into the right and wrong of justice. Should the punishment fit the crimes against serial killers and pedophiles? An unsanctioned group within the US government thinks so and uses their assassins to take them out bypassing the judicial system.
Alex Parker was an assassin that still had a conscience. He was once a soldier that proudly served his country but when most of his team was killed due to a traitor he then agreed to work for the CIA. When he is unable to kill a target and is captured he is left to be tortured and rot in a Moroccan jail. He is approached by a group that calls themselves The Gateway Project that offer him a release from hell if he agrees to work for them. He didn’t realize he would he putting what was left of his soul in jeopardy by committing murder against the worst society has to offer. Alex was such a deep and complicated character. At one time he followed the rules of right and wrong but circumstances pushed him into the grey area of vengeance.
Mallory Rooney has always had one goal since her twin sister was abducted when they were young, to find the man that took her and bring him to justice. She now works for the FBI and is instrumental in helping bring down serial killers in hopes that one day she will find the one that took her sister. Even with the injustice of her sister case never leading to finding out what really happened to her, Mallory still believes in the justice system and finding and bringing in killers the right way. After a serial killer is found dead right before they were to apprehend him Mallory gets the sense that there is a vigilante killer that is one step ahead of them and starts to investigate further.
Even with the sadness of the loss of her sister Mallory is like a beacon of light that when Alex meets her is drawn to that light even though he thinks of himself as lost to the darkness with no way of redemption. Mallory has no idea of the secrets Alex is keeping but feels he is a good person beneath all his self loathing about himself.
The hunt for latest serial killer that looks to be the person that took Mallory’s sister was quite labyrinth. The author did a great job of takings us down an intricate path that leads to an astonishing ending,
Reaper’s Stand by Joanna Wylde
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It always feels good to finally get your hands on a book character that you’ve been waiting on what feels like forever. From beginning to end I just devoured. I do have to say I am glad that we got a pretty good look at Picnic’s married life in Devil’s Game so that time was saved in having to do a lot of back story but for those that haven’t read the previous books I recommend doing so cause lots of info and history is given on characters in previous books that continue through the series.
There was just so much I loved about this book not just Reese(Picnic) and London’s story but Painter – no spoilers but holy moly in want his story now. With every book you wonder how can the next one be any better than this but it always is and the sneak peeks we got of future books and the set up for the new series about the Silver Bastards series – I know many more fantastic books are on the way.
SEALed with a Kiss Boxset by Teresa J. Reasor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
CODE OF SILENCE Marliss Melton:
Ophelia isnt the easiest character to like but she made me tear up in a few places. She always been pretty one tracked minded in her career and will go to any lengths to get a story. When she unexpectantly finds herself pregnant she still only thinks about what this will do to her career and doesnt tell her husband. When the go to visit Vinny’s family for Thanksgiving she plans to use her time there to go after a corrupt congressman not letting her husband know of her plans. Boy does this backfire on her when she is kidnapped for knowing to much. The suspense was enough to keep you on the edge and it was nice seeing the Seals team from books past come in to help Vinny get her back. But the heartbreak after she is rescued and Ophelia coming to realize her decisions are selfish and she doesnt deserve Vinny brought me to tears. Vinny loves his wife, warts and all. He has never seen her the way she does or how other perceive her. Vinny is the kind of man every woman wishes for. (Vinny and Ophelia were characters in Next to Die)
HOLDING ON Stephanie Tyler: This was a short update of the 3 brothers and their women from the Hold Series. Main focus was Jamie who is 9 month pregnant and her deployed SEAL husband who is on a mission in Somalia hoping to get home in time for the birth of his son. Fans of the series should enjoy this one.
MUTINY’S BOUNTY Delilah Devlin: This was an erotic adventure with a kinky exSEAL. Very hot with some suspense from pirates out on the open sea.
WARRIOR Gennita Low: This story is told in three parts. The first part has a 3 man SEAL team home. Lucas and two of his team are at his Aunt’s Bed and Breakfast to help with some heavy lifting needed as his sister is soon to take over the running of it. Lucas and his team end up under attack from his prank pulling sister which was very funny. Its here that he meets his sister’s best friend Kit and falls in instant lust. Three days later the guys deploy again Afghanistan and Kit is also in country to do interviews. We get a glimpse of the mission Lucas is on and the plight of the women and the wrongs they suffer in Kit’s interviews. Then things get crazy for Lucas and Kit and they end up on the run from RPGs in Taliban controlled country. There’s huge emphasis on the crimes committed against women that we unfortunately see in the news every day.
SEAL’s DESIRE Elle James: Ohhhh I really liked this one. A year ago Navy SEAL Remy LaDue’s best friend was dating a woman he secretly was in love with. When his friend is killed in combat the two have sex to try and get over their grief and immediately feel guilty after. Remy’s pretty much been deployed since but the two have kept in contact even though they both feel their fair share of guilt over what happened. Mitchell is a NCIS agent and when a friend goes missing she doesnt think enough is being done to find her she decides to go undercover on her own in a strip club where she thinks the owner is part of a human trafficking ring. When Remy finds out what’s she up to he and his team of SEALs aid in backup to bring down the traffickers. This was a perfectly blended amount of sexy and suspense with a great storyline.
SEAL’s LOST DREAM JM Madden: Holy crap have the tissue handy for this story. The emotion depth this author writes in telling the stories of the men who come home broken from war never ceases to amaze me. This for man who was a Navy SEAL K9 handler was so broken inside with the horrors of both the war and the loss of his dog while they were in combat. I’ve heard about service dogs that are trained to help men with PTSD but reading about Joe and his coming to bond with a dog that is so in tuned to his emotions has me even tearing up writing this. This story was heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. How the romance was written between Flynn and veterinarian Willow was almost perfect. btw I thought I was safe by the epilogue from any more tears but nope the author got me again.. Bravo JM on a fabulous story..
BREAKING FREE Teresa Reasor:
Lieutenant Adam “Hawk” is the commanding officer of a Navy SEAL unit. During their last mission one of his team mates Brett “Cutter” Weaver was badly injured and left to die. Hawk is also hurt rescuing him before the place is blown up. Zoe Weaver and her mother are in California for Brett who is in a coma. Zoe was in an accident when she was 7 that almost severed her leg and has left her from the waist down severely scared. Hawk out of a sense of duty to protect his men and their family insist Zoe and her mom stay at his place. Right off the bat Zoe and Hawk are attracted to each other but they both have alot of baggage from their past that causes insecurities about getting involved in a relationship. Though out this whole book Hawk has to deal with the fact that someone on his team hurt Brett and tries to find out who of his men could have done something like this. What he finds out is that more than one of his men has secrets and some are not good. We as the reader get to find out each of the men’s secrets and wonder which one could have done it. The author does tell us at the end who does it but we are left hanging with many loose threads. (this is book 1 of an ongoing series – there are currently 3 books out)
SEAL MY DESTINY Sharon Hamilton: Navy SEAL Luke Paulsen losing a young Marine right in front of him in Afghanistan has left a lasting mark on his soul along with losing his fiancé. Back home sitting on the beach he meets the girl he’s been fantasizing about and asks for an uncomplicated relationship. That night they filled a need in each other. But when the next day comes Luke realizes his PTSD is really starting to take a toll on him and brushes Julie off. But he does go get counseling and medication. Understandably when they meet again at a wedding Julie wants nothing to do with Luke. But Luke guilt over everything he’s lost and how he treated Julie come to a head and he finally starts to work on himself while also trying to get Julie to forgive him.
Consequences of Deception by Ella Fox
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a great escape from reality. Dark, edgy and holy smokes in the bedroom scenes. Even though this book is almost all in the heroine’s voice you just knew that Killian Brandt was not the mean and cruel person that we got from Sloane’s thoughts. These two had grown up together and had formed a lasting bond. Fate stepped in and separated these two for many years but that same fate brought them back together and once all the lies and deceptions were out in the open they were the most betrayed and you could clearly see that even though their bond had been interrupted it never went away.
Cowboy Take Me Away by Lorelei James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve read many long running series and sometimes by that last book your ready for it to end and maybe even disappointed with how the author chose to end the series. That was sooo not the case with Cowboy Take Me Away. This is the 16th book in the series and its the best of them all and I really loved all the previous books so that says it all right there.
In total, this book spans 60 years but it’s the first 50 that is at the core of it. It’s the telling of Carson and Carolyn’s love story and their triumph of beating the odds and loving each other as much 60 years later as they did when they first met.
In the previous books we’ve gotten glimpse through their children’s stories about their marriage and how it all started but this books gives us all the details along with also showing us about the other three brothers, Calvin, Charlie and Casper, and how they were before they married and then when they find their significant others.
Carson and Carolyn had six kids that we had already come to love from their books. To get to experience when they were born and all growing up just enriched those characters all the more. Some of the funniest scenes in the book where when those 6 hellions were growing up and what they put their parents through.
It is extremely sad that this was the final book but even though I am sad their wont be anymore McKay shenanigans to read about at the end of this book I felt satisfied that it had all come full circle and don’t feel like anything thing was left unfinished. Bravo Lorelei for giving us a wonderful cast of characters to fall in love with over the years and giving us a beautifully written ending to the McKay saga!!
Dark Deeds by Anne Marie Becker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This series never ceases to amaze me. Each book gets better with its complex weave of plots from past and present in the continuing quest to bring down the Circle.
Damian Manchaster and his team of SSAR agents have had a Fan that has been pretty harmless. But that changed when the Fan becomes obsessed with SSAR agent Becca and his obsession turns deadly to anyone he feels has wronged Becca.
Becca and Diego Sandoval were a secondary romance in Avenging Angel that didn’t end well. The two are thrown back together at Noah and Venessa’s wedding along with Becca tracking down someone that managed to escape from the Circle. Diego is keeping a secret from his fellow police officers and Becca. He’s been under cover with the Circle trying to find out who the leader is. When Diego finds out Becca has a stalker/fan and she comes under the radar of the Circle he decides he is going to back to Chicago with the SSAR team to be her bodyguard/partner until they find out who the Fan is.
Its hard to describe all the intersecting plots that happen throughout a Mindhunters book. But the author always does a fabulous job of interweaving them and keeping you on your toes on what’s going to happen next and has you always dying to get the next clue about what happened to Damian’s daughter over 20 years ago. I love this series and cannot wait for the next..
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a great love story. Even though there are no bad guys, car chases or explosions there is still one ultra hot alpha male who talks that panty melting talk. This very touching story has a heroine that’s a bit different from your typical KA women. I absolutely loved her analytical mind and how she chose to deal with situations. The course of this book was really about her finding out the person she used to be her childhood hope and dreams and even her ideal man and opening up like a butterfly and become that person again. The book is filled with a great cast of characters, plenty of laughter, lots of alpha men and kids. It was a well rounded story I think with something that should appeal to all romance readers.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This author drives me crazy. I have her release dates written on my calendar. I count down the days till her next book and look so forward to that release day that no other book interest me until I get it and read it. And, I can honestly say I am never disappointed once I get that book. Her books are guaranteed emotional messes. They hook you into the lives of the characters she is writing about right from the start. And given some of the characters you’d not think that was possible. But what a person shows on the outside is not always what is on the inside. She does not write formalistic books where the heroine is the one that always needs saving. Sometimes it’s the man that has gone through so much pain and grief in his life that he is full of nothing put self pity with a sense of being useless and using rage to defect anyone from getting close. That describes the male lead of Zenith Rising, Spencer Mattox.
When we met Spencer in the first book he was Spike, a gothic dressed, hair spiked looking freak that wrote music and played the keyboards for the band Zenith. But that was just another of his ways of deflecting anyone seeing the true man underneath. Spencer and Rob, the lead singer of the now disbanded band, grew up next door to each other and both had crappy childhoods. They took off on their own when Spencer was just 13. These two were each other’s lifeline and they went on to create Zenith together and also watched it implode and Rob become an alcoholic and lose everything. As Rob had taken care of Spencer for so many years when the time came he returned the favor by getting Rob into treatment and breaking up the bad. Spencer, during this time, also decided he was tired of the Spike persona and went back to being Spencer to get a job to be able to support him and Rob. During the first book Spencer had run ins with Dr Erica Heathersby who had become Joelle ,his friend and Rob’s ex wife’s best friend who got her out of the unhealthy relationship of being married to Rob. When they meet again Erica doesn’t even recognize Spencer with his newfound change.
Dr. Erica Heathersby what a interesting female character. She was from old family money but chose to be a Dr and a very dedicated one who sometimes gets a little too involved in the caring of her patients. If she sees something broken its like a obsession with her to try and fix it and that includes people. Spencer and Erica are the furthest thing away from two people you would ever think would be attracted to each other but that spark is there from the start. Oh it was not an easy road for these two, Spencer fought it for all it was worth but yet at the same time he was always looking out for her as she had become a target from a few different sources.
I felt along with Erica through the whole story that Spencer was worth saving even when he was such an ass and said cruel things as a defense mechanism to make sure no one ever got close to him. This was another beautifully written story of overcoming ones past and learning that it does not define you and you are worthy of love.
Arrow to the Soul by Lea Griffith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There are times you need a book that holds the darkness you sometimes feel inside you. We would not do as is done in the book but reading helps fill that part of you that needs the pain. This series does that for me. These four women were taken around the age of five and then tortured for years to remove their humanity and feelings and turned into deadly assassins.
The one born Rena Kurosawa became Arrow. Even before The Collective captured her she had been trained for death since birth because of her eyes. The Chinese believed that ones with such eyes were oniwaka, a demon child. From the way Arrow was raised by the warrior monks she truly believes she has no soul which makes her even deadlier.
This is an ongoing story that started in the first book. The 4 women have vowed to kill the man that made them. It is there only mission in life and it consumes them. When one of them falls for a man and trades her life for him the others as an extension of her will protect him also. Blade doesn’t understand Bullet’s love for Rand because she has never felt that emotion in her life. But a man who is part of Rand’s team, who are part of the Trident Corporation, who have the same objective as the assassins does strange things to her heart which makes her lash out in anger towards him. Adam vows his heart will always belong to another but he is also entranced by Arrow. These two have brutal fights to try and prove who is the better but after each a little part of the wall they use as a defense comes down and they eventually have to face their feelings.
Each of these stories is heartbreaking and brutal but yet captures you page to page. I cannot wait until the final showdown between the assassins and the evil Joseph but know we still have Blade and Bone’s book to go before we get that. Love this series and cant wait for the next.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What’s a girl to do when she ends up with the hots for man who is part of a rival MC. Well kick him in the nuts for one grin
This book has many aspects to it. First we get a glimpse of both Emmy and Liam’s child hoods before fast forwarding to a section of time revisited from Reaper’s Legacy finally getting to see what went on behind closed doors between Em and Liam during the kidnapping then finally coming to current day where the truce between the Reapers and Devil Jacks is still paper thin and someone seems to want that truce blown away.
Until I finished this book I couldn’t image how these two were going to make this romance work. Em is the president’s daughter of the Reapers and Liam owes his life to the Devil Jacks. I was rooting for these two and I wasn’t disappointed with their story. Em was a great heroine that stayed true to herself. Liam on the other hand had to go through lots of changes and was never afraid to take Em’s anger when he messed up – which he did a lot.
As Liam was half of this story we got a big glimpse into the Devil Jacks and its members and I wonder if we’ll get some of their stories one day – defiantly like one about Liam’s foster sister.
Because the next book in the series is about Picnic it was great to have the scenes with him and Em’s mom when she was alive to give us a better understanding of the love those two had and to see that the reasons he sleeps with so many women is his way of dealing with the grief. I for one think its high time a new woman comes into his life that makes him stop his man ho ways and finally gets to have a healthy happy relationship again.
This was another great book in the series and cant wait for the next.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There are no words that could come close to describing this book. I am rarely gutted open and made an emotional wreck from reading a book but this is the saddest book I have ever read. I knew going into this it was going to be a dark book but I was not prepared for what was written in this book. Even knowing there was not going to a happy ending I couldn’t put the book down. I wanted to take a point off for that in my review but as I sit here trying to get over my emotions I realized that a sign of a powerful book and it deserves 5 stars.
Midnight Pursuits by Elle Kennedy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Holy mother of…. The ending of this book just blew my mind. Each of these books has paired a man from the mercenary’s team and a woman from the assassins team but at the core its always been the underlying mystery between Jim (leader of the mercs) and Noelle (leader of the assassins) that has fueled every book. I loved the story of Ethan and Juliet. The two couldn’t have been more different not just in age but also in their upbringings and their views on life. Juliet has always considered herself a loner and hardened to the core but when her foster brother is killed she wants vengeance but manages to get herself shot and Ethan is the one to take the call for help when her fellow teammate is off on her honeymoon. As usual the suspense was high and almost all the team ended up involved. I absolutely cannot wait until the next book which is Noelle and after you read this book you will be as crazy as I am in having to wait for it. Bravo Ms Kennedy was another great adventure in a fabulous series that I just cant get enough of.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
To say I was a little apprehensive going into this book is a understatement after what went down in the previous book. There was no way your heart wasn’t going to break again. But with such a strong supporting cast of characters and Chelcie being the rock that Ash needed to pull him out of the darkness, the tragedy that was became joy and a celebration of life.
There were plenty of laugh out loud moments along with the dealing of grief but as a reader (for me) I got the closure needed from the previous book in this one and felt only a sense of happiness at the end. These alpha men and their women in this series have all come to feel like a real family and you cry and laugh right along with them and root for them to find their HEA. I look forward to Maddox and Emmy’s book next.
Edge of the Enforcer by Cherise Sinclair
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the 2nd sadist character Cherise has written. The first character, his woman was a masochist so it made sense they’d be perfect for each other after working through some issues. In Edge, Lindsey is neither a masochist nor does she want to be one. So how can this work, right?
Well, it worked perfectly of course with many bumps along the way. I also love that in some of the more recent books from Cherise a lot of time is spent out of the BDSM Clubs and shows the characters in their jobs and lives away from the Dom/Sub situations in the Club.
Alexander deVries is both a mercenary and in the security business working for Simon. Its after a mission his masochist needs come out and he needs to decompress at the Club. Since the subs he mainly scenes with are men its assumed he’s bi-sexual. That is not the case and I liked and understood the reason he gave.
Lindsey has been working as one of the receptionist manning the front desk of Dark Haven. We’d met her in a previous book but didn’t know the secret she was hiding from everyone. Turns out she killed her husband in self defense and has been on the run ever since.
Lindsey owes deVries from losing in game that was played in a previous book, when he calls that token in both of their lives change but with deVries having a few hang ups from an ex wife and Lindsey being hunted by men that will kill her if they find her there road to happiness is not an easy one.
The story is equal parts BDSM and outside life. Its written so it all blends perfectly. Every character from the previous Mountain Masters and Dark Haven make an appearance in this book which was great to see how all the couples were doing and even getting to see them in action when things go south when the men hunting Lindsey find her.
I am always sad when I come to the end of a Cherise book, I could read her stories forever.
Where Evil Waits by Kate Brady
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Chilling. I loved the main characters of this book and their story but what kept me not wanting to put this down was the killer. He was down right creepy along with sick and perverted and just mezmorized you when he was on the pages. I liked every aspect of the book and am sad I’m finished. Lovers of romantic suspense this is the book for you.
Cole’s Redemption by J.D. Tyler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Five stars alone for the multiple OMG moments!! True fans of this series will love this book that is full of shocking revelations, humor and heartbreaking moments that bring you to tears. To keep this spoiler free all I am going to say is the heroine is Nick Westfall’s daughter. We finally get a lot of answers about his past. Zander Cole has always been the healer of the group even at the cost of his health which we’ve seen coming in the previous books. These two needed each other like the desert needs the rain and I thought they were perfectly matched.
Towards the end of the book it almost felt like it was the end of the series but I thought no that cant be true and boy did the author drop a bombshell. Want to know what it was? Read this awesome book!!
Games of the Heart by Kristen Ashley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Games of the Heart was a beautifully written love story. The bonus of that is it wasn’t just one – it was two. I laughed and I cried more than once through the journey of these two couples. Fans of this author know she can write dark alpha males but neither of the two male leads in this were those. They were just perfect. Oh they made mistakes but not big angsty ones. Great series that each story that’s in it is so different from the last. Love that and cant wait for the next book.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Cant for the life of me figure out why I stopped reading this series after the first book. Whew this was such an emotional book with two characters that had such loss in their lives. Their journey together was not any easy one – plenty of angst and sorrow – but I couldn’t put the book the down wanting to see how these two were going to work it out. As always there was great secondary cast of characters – loved both of her teenage daughters who play such a big part in the book too.
The Other Sister by Leanne Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Words cannot describe all the emotions I went through reading this book. It’s very rare for a book to bring me to tears but the story of Jessie Bains is so heartbreaking and shocking in the atrocities that were done to her. She was violated in almost every way imaginable.
I think you get what the books about from the books description and telling more than that would spoil the experience of reading this gut-wrenching emotional rollercoaster. But this book isn’t typical as far as a romance books go. This book is about a 20 year old who has had to suffer more than most do their whole lives. All that pain has turned her into a broken person that abuses her body in so many ways to deal.
The author takes us on the journey of the healing of Jessie but not before taking us with her to her rock bottom which was an extremely hard scene to get through but yet written so realistically.
There is an unconventional love story during the course of this book that takes place over years. I totally respect how the author didn’t make it a quick romance. After what Jessie had been through there is no way that would have been conceivable or even believable.
Its always a pleasant surprise when I come across a book like this, one that touches you so deeply your left thinking about even afterwards.
Breaking Away by Teresa J. Reasor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Teresa has done it again. From the moment I read the first book in this series I knew I had found a very talented author that not only writes great military suspense but also compelling stories that just grip your heart and doesn’t let go until the final page.
The author chose to write this book in two parts within the same book. For the first part we get the background on Harold “Flash” Carney and Samantha Cross. We go back to Iraq to those moments before the mission that went wrong that has been the catalyst for this series. We knew from the first book that Flash was approached by the FBI but never knew the reasons why. In the previous books we were lead to believe that he had a gambling problem and that had gotten him in trouble with the wrong people. That was so not the case. Flash ends up having to go on the run from the FBI and NCIS after he is double crossed and who he assumes is the FBI trying to kill him. Running parallel to this is Samantha’s story. We come into her story right after she has been beaten horribly by her husband with their 4 year old daughter in the next room. While in the hospital recovering, Sam has finally reached her breaking point and takes the steps needed to get away from her monster of a husband.
Part two of the story picks up seven months later. Flash is using an alias and opening up a branch security office in Nevada. It’s here when he goes to rent a garage apartment that he meets Sam and her daughter Joy who now own the home since her grandmother passed away. Flash is still trying to gather all the information he can against the ones that framed him so he can clear his name and get back to him team. What he hadn’t counted on was falling for his skittish landlord with the cute kid that still had a crazy ex stalking her.
As Flash and Sam’s two messed up lives start to converge we also have a secondary story of Captain James and his wife Marsha and there very young son who has a genetic defect and heart problems. I hope the author doesn’t mind me saying this but after talking with her she felt that James needed some redeeming after the way he treated Brett (the hero from the second book). James and his wife along with their child were held and tortured for days by a terrorist in the second book. This not only left physical scars but deeply emotional ones for them both that have affected their marriage. James makes a decision when he finds another of his men in trouble and his marriage on the verge of ending that this time he is going to do everything within his power to try and save both.
Every time I read a book in this series I can see all the hard work that the author puts in to bring us such a compelling story. You are engrossed from the first page to the last and I savored every word and didn’t want it to end.
Fighting to Forgive by J.B. Salsbury
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Magnifico!! I loved this book. Not only was there tons of angst, the author threw in shocking surprises and twists to the story.
Blake and Layla are carrying so much baggage from their past and they get a few more added to their shoulders before this book is done. When they meet Blake is still in his women are for sex only mindset, he only cares about one thing, his career as a fighter. When he comes across this mouse of a woman at the gym who was just hired as the assistant of the boss he doesn’t understand his fascination with her and fights it.
Layla and her daughter just moved to Las Vegas to get away from a bad situation. After years of abuse the last thing she is looking for is a man. But she to find herself attracted to this bad boy she knows is all wrong for her.
With all the twist and surprises through this story, I feel to give too much away would spoil it for the reader. But from the opening line to the last the author takes you on an emotional rollercoaster of heartbreak, betrayal and a beautiful love story of two people who no longer believe in happily ever after.
I loved Jonah and Raven’s book but this one hit much deeper with its subject matter that’s unfortunately all too real. Bravo to the author for a writing a great book..
Striking Distance by Pamela Clare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
You’re at the top of your game. You have a prestigious position of reporting from locations all around the world trying to bring awareness to the injustices that go on. You’ve just met a man who gives you the best sex of your life in a place where unmarried sex is illegal. Things just couldn’t be better for reporter Laura Nilsson. Then her security and camera crew are slaughtered on live TV and she is taken by a terrorist to live a life of hell for almost 2 years.
The man that had that weekend of wild sex with Laura in Dubai has never forgotten her nor the feeling of helplessness when she was taken on live TV. Navy Seal Javier Corbray has waited to finally get the chance to bring down the man who killed Laura. When that mission finally comes up he leads the team that goes in to bring the terrorist to justice. What he doesn’t expect to find is Laura still alive and running for the HELO screaming.
This book is a no holds bar look at the atrocities that are being committed in the name of Al Qaeda and how that is spilling over into the United States. Laura’s time with the Al Qaeda terrorist has left her horribly scared on the inside. Two years after her ordeal testifying at his trial her nightmare starts all over again when he puts a terrorist hit on her head. Javier was helpless the first time but this time he is going to do everything in his power to protect Laura.
This is a very powerful book. The subject matter and the pain that Laura and Javier go through is so heartbreaking. As I was reading this book I could feel where the author poured her own experiences and culture into the pages. This is writing at its finest and I think it’s her best work to date.
Fighting Fate by Linda Kage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There is so much grief in this book, but it kept you turning the pages. The tragedies that have happened to our college aged hero and heroine are beyond heartbreaking. And if the past ones weren’t enough to survive they have a couple more to overcome before finally getting their much deserved HEA.
This is my second book by this author and the way she is able to transfer such emotion just from words on a page astounds me. You couldn’t get anymore broken then what Paige Zukowski and Logan Xander were. These two were so overrun with grief from a past tragedy that tied them together. Paige blames and hates Logan for causing the horrible things that happened to her family but no one blamed himself more and punished himself harder than he did. The majority of this book is the two of them dealing with their grief and forgiveness. All of this was beautifully written.
The new adult romance genre is fairly new and one I really didn’t see myself liking but after reading two books from Linda Kage I just can’t get enough. If your looking to try out the genre I recommend this book and Price of a Kiss.
Price of a Kiss by Linda Kage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a poignant love story between two people who bring such an emotional response from you as a reader for what looks like a tragic story.
The hero of this book was the son of mother that was trying to work two jobs to make sure her young daughter who had MS would get the help she needed. In doing this she neglected the little things like paying the rent and bills. Mason Lowe was an innocent 18 year old when the landlady proposed to him a deal. She would wipe his mother’s debt clean if she became her boy toy. Your heart broke for Mason as he saw no other way out of the desperate situation his family was in. From that point Mason became a gigolo to pay the bills and for his sisters care.
Think his story is tragic – lets get to the heroine, Reese Randall . She starts dating a guy when she is a freshman in high school. Through the next four years the abuse ramps up him almost killing her. For her safety her parents send her to live with her Aunt and Uncle and legally change her name. She is in college now along with her cousin and trying to accept all the changes when she sees the most beautiful man she has ever seen. But her cousin waste no time in informing her of the rumors surrounding him of what he is.
From here these two lost souls embark on a road to a friendship that stands up to any and all criticism from their peers and his clients. Even though the book is in Reese’s POV except for the prologue you FEEL Mason’s pain and suffering every time he is on the page. The author’s writing was so impactful where Reese, Mason and his sister was concerned it was like you were personally feeling every emotion they were.
Its always a joy to find treasures like this book to read. If your looking for a moving and touching love story I highly recommend this book.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This action packed suspense had it all. Romantic suspense fans be sure to add this one to your reading list.
From the opening scene of a undercover young FBI agent seducing and arresting the man every alphabet soup agency wanted to again having to bring him down after he escaped and caused so much death in her life you are glued to the pages.
Celina Davenport is just a rookie FBI agent but managed to get herself a potential career changing undercover job with SCVC if she can bring down the mafia leader. What got her through the undercover op was she would finally be able to act on her crush on the leader of the SCVC taskforce and join his team. What she got after the arrest was neither of those. She was turned down by him and then sent off to a small FBI office in Iowa after her face was plastered over Time magazine ruining her chances of undercover work ever again.
DEA Agent Cooper Harris was impressed with Celina’s work and did find himself attracted to her but being her senior from both a work stand point and in age he refused to give into the young FBI’s infatuation and walked away. Then 6 months later there worlds collide again in Iowa on an op that collides between the FBI and DEA. Not soon after its found out that Emilio the Mafia leader she helped put in prison has escaped and is coming for her but not before he kills the ones she cares about. The killer is ruthless in some of the ways he takes her friends down – I mean like in cringe worthy eww moments (love getting those moments). Cooper vows he will do everything to protect Celina which turns out to be harder than he thought in many ways. This book had every ingredient I look for in a romantic suspense/thriller book and I loved it.
Code Name Ghost by Natasza Waters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Hooyah – What an intense book that not only show’s the life of Navy Seal’s both on and off of the battlefield but also that suffering from PTSD can come from things other than war.
The story of Kayla and Commander Thane Austen is only started in this book – it will be finished in a second book. Did that take away from the awesomeness of the story? NO. I cannot wait for the next book to get the conclusion of Kayla and Thane’s story.
Commander Thane Austen is a Navy Seal and he made a decision long ago that the only person he would be married to was the Navy. He is a strong leader and has a great team he leads on missions and that is all he needs. That is until a woman from Canada is hired to be the new tactical specialist and she ignites something in him he didn’t even think existed. Even though this is a romance there is a lot of read time on the missions and what a tactical specialist does. The way the author wrote these scenes had me glued to the pages in interest. Many of Thane’s Seal’s team also gets plenty of face time and even POV’s through out the book. In the middle of all of this are two side plots happening. One is a vicious serial killer who is killing women on base. The other is Kayla’s past which is slowly revealed to us through out the book from which she suffers PTSD from.
This book was riveting from beginning to end and I look forward to the conclusion.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow this was DEEP. Jinx Hardwick is quite the complex woman. She not only is the drummer in a band of crazy sexed up mo-fo’s but she is also a catholic girl with a strong family bond. These two very distinct personalities are constantly at war in Jinx’s head.
Jink’s has lost the music in her head. With the stress of her family’s financial state and her obsession with her band mate Toombs her playing is suffering. One of the things that keep her grounded is her younger brother who has autism. I loved that in the middle of the insanity that is Killer Buzz Float there are these touching moments that Jinx’s has with her brother over video chat.
The one thing Jink’s wants above all else is Toombs Badcock. But to have Toombs she also has to take Rax, the nastiest craziest one in the band. She doesn’t understand the hold Rax has over Toombs but finally gives in to his terms to a three-way so she can finally have Toombs. But when things are revealed during said tryst the end result is changes for all three. By the end the dynamics of relationships and the band have changed.
How this book ended has me very curious as to what’s next for band. Beats was so much more than just the crazy sexual antics of a rock and roll band, it was full of emotional angst and standing by your loved ones no matter if they have a disability or fetish. Rock on Kendell for another uniquely written book.
(this book isn’t as raunchy as the first one but it still has things those of a meeker nature might find offensive – so if your easily offended don’t read it – if your not enjoy other great book in the Hard Rock Harlots series)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Now we’re getting somewhere. Both the glimpse back at the team before the warehouse fire and getting all the inside information about all the testing and experiments has finally brought everything into clear focus about what is really going on in this series.
Now don’t get me wrong I loved the other two books in the series but they didn’t show us much of how the team was before the explosion. Even though this was a very heartbreaking book in many ways it also had its happy moments. Getting a glimpse of all of them happy and seeing how their personalities and lives were before helps in understand how each of them got to place they are now. This book brought the whole team back together (with the exception of Seth) plus the extra’s they have picked up along the way. With the flashback group and present group it shows they are just as strong as a united front now battling evil senators, corrupt military men and psycho scientist as they were in fighting fires five years ago.
From the start of this series we knew there were 7 members of the fire fighting hazmat unit that had gone into a warehouse to fight a fire. Six had emerged permanently altered. One died. Well we found out at the end of the 2nd book that maybe that one didn’t die.
Quaid Legend and Jessica Fury were so in love with each other before the fire. The bond they had was so deep that when Quaid died Jessica turned to a life of drugs and men to try and ease the pain. She also vowed to bring down the senator she knew was responsible for what happened to them all including the death of her husband. As a Washington lobbyist she has been gathering information on him in hopes to bring him to ruin. She is now one year sober but still fighting with the deep depression of the hole in her heart losing Quiad caused. She struggles to believe her old team mates when they tell her they may have found him and alive.
The story of them getting Quaid back after 5 years of being experimented on and his abilities ramped up leaving him with no memories of his life before is utterly heartbreaking. This book is about a team reuniting and standing behind each other in their quest for the truth, it’s about soul mates who even though they were torn apart still held on to their love and that its that love that heals them both.
Even though we found out so much about what is really going on, things are far from over for this team. The lead in to the next book which will be Mitch’s story was a huge cliffhanger. The author has total entranced me into this world of the Phoenix and I look forward to many more books in this series.
Beneath the Burn by Pam Godwin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I had prepared myself for a dark read. The things that were done to both Charlee and Jay were unimaginable horrors. But even though some of the subject matter was dark Charlee and Jay were such beacon’s of light they shown so brightly throughout the book that the good over powered the evil.
Charlee Grosky was sold by her father to a man to pay for his gambling debts. That man was a very powerful and rich man that had sick perversions. He held Charlee captive from 16-18 before she managed to get away from him. For the next four years she was on the run and always fearing he would catch up with her. During her time away she was running a tattoo shop and met a man who wanted a tattoo that had just as many scars on the inside and outside as she did. Even though they knew each other for only an hour they both left a profound impression on the other. That same night Charlee was recaptured again and taken back to hell.
Jay Maynord cannot stand the human touch from the trauma he went through as a child. He’s the singer in a band that was just starting out when he met Charlee that night and he didn’t go into freak out mode when she touched him. He decides he wants to be a better man and eventually come back to her and writes songs about the woman who touched him both physically and emotionally which shoots the band to stardom. But when Jay later tries to find Charlee and cant he throws himself into self medicating and sex.
This was a long book full of the ups and downs of two tortured souls. They do find each other again 3 years later after Charlee escaped from her captor again and both try and conquer their demons with each other along with trying to stay a step of ahead of Roy while on tour with the band. There are some scenes that may make some squeamish. The things Roy did to Charlee where sick and turned her into a masochist but Jay’s wiliness to give her what she needed and her open acceptance of his demons made for a beautiful dark romance.
Wicked Firsts by Elisabeth Naughton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
FIRST EXPOSURE by Elisabeth Naughton – This is the 2nd novella about the Aegis Security team. When Avery Scott’s, who is a movie star, assistant goes missing after she went to a adult only resort on a fact finding mission for a part for Avery, she enlist the help of Aegis Security to try and help her find out what happened to her. What Avery didn’t count on was the man being assigned to go with her undercover would be her childhood love, Cade Blackwell, she hasn’t seen in more than 12 years. He’s broke more than her heart when he left her all those years ago and she’s never quite recovered. You could feel the chemistry coming from these two from their first meeting and even though Avery fought it being on an island surrounded by sex in all forms made it impossible to not give in. In their search for her assistant, Cade realizes that something far worse than they thought is going on and Avery is already on their radar.
I really liked both of these characters and the story had equal parts of suspense, sexy loving and angst. I look forward to the full length books in this series coming out next year.
FIRST RAPTURE by Alexandra Ivy – Madison Philips went from a childhood of being poor and having a neglectful mother who slept around to a successful business woman. But she’s never forgotten the man she gave her virginity to on her 18th birthday, Luc Angeli, who gave her the best and worst night of her life that night when she dubbed him the Dark Angel after he broke her heart. She’s now returning home for the first time in 8 years to have revenge sex with Luc Angeli to get him out of her system once and for all.
Luc Angeli for years tried to live up to a image his father, who ran a casino empire, wanted him to be. That consisted of a lot of bed hopping with women. Now he’s walked away from that life and is running his own real estate company. But when he’s see’s Maddy he knows she is the one he should have never walked away from.
But can Maddy just let go of 8 years of hate against the man who broke her heart.. Great sexy read that answers the question you can you never forget your first.
FIRST TASTE OF DARKNESS by Cynthia Eden – Not your traditional hero but still uber sexy. Jess Delaney is in Vegas for her honeymoon minus a cheating groom. She’s always lived her life on the straight and narrow and for once wants to have a little fun in Sin City. She immediately catches the eye of multi hotel and casino owner Blake Landon. On their way up to the penthouse bullets start flying. There is a good bit of action and mystery in this one that even though its short it’s still satisfying.
FIRST INK by Laura Wright – Move over MC Club books Wicked Ink is moving in. Rush Merrick is one of the most sought after tattoo artist. Every woman wants to be with him and men want to be inked by him. But Rush had his heart ripped out 5 years ago by his childhood sweetheart and he’s refused to talk to her since. Addison regretted immediately what she had done to Rush and has thought about it every day for 5 years needing to explain and apologize but Rush refuses her letters and calls. With her friend along for support she shows up at a convention he is working hoping to be able to finally speak to him. She gets that talk and a lot more. You couldn’t help but fall in love with Rush from the moment you met him. He’s the epitome of cool.. Looks like this is the first in what’s going to be a series. I can’t wait to read more and hopefully find out what really went down between Addison’s friend and one of Rush co-workers.
FIRST SURRENDER by Katie Reus – For fan’s of Katie’s Red Stone series this is the first in a spin off series. Its centered around the people that work at a hotel in Vegas. Sierra is the head chef at the Serafina casino. She has been in love with ex Navy Seal Hayden since they first met when he joined the hotel’s security staff. But she thinks he only likes her as a friend and she has settled for that. When she is attacked in the parking garage leaving work Hayden can no longer hide his attraction to Sierra and his alpha man personality comes out to both protect her and in the bedroom. Being a short novella the mystery was solved pretty quick but all the characters – main and supporting were intriguing and I look forward to reading Hayden’s brother’s book.
FIRST TEMPTATION by Joan Swan – What do you get when you mix a tough border control agent and a Counterterrorist agent who have to go undercover in a sex shop to catch someone who’s helping terrorist? An extremely funny and very hot and steamy read. Oh there is plenty of action too to get your heart pumping along with the all the sex toys And as a added bonus Rio from Intimate Enemies is Taft’s boss and running the op. I loved all the stories in this book and didn’t have a favorite until I read the last one – First Temptations. Looking forward to more in the Covert Affairs series.
Body of Evidence by Rachel Grant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Gripping from beginning to end. This fast paced action thriller snags you from the first chapter and doesn’t let go until the very last page.
When you read an enormous amount of suspense books you tend to run into the same story, different author. I can honestly say I have never read the things that were depicted in this book before. I don’t consider this a spoiler as its in the blurb but with an opening of the heroine, Mara Garrett, being on trial in North Korea for spying then being sentence to death by firing squad all in the first chapter you know you’re in for a wild ride. Let me tell you the action doesn’t stop there. It only gets bigger.
The heroine’s job was one I had not heard before. She goes into foreign countries to retrieve the bodies of service men lost in combat. This could range from WWII to current day. You could tell the author did her homework on Joint POW/MIA archaeologists and portrayed the work that the JPAC does with pride. JPAC’s latest retrieval has her team going to North Korea, a place we are not on friendly terms with and many protocols have to be met. When a team member betrays her, this gets her arrested and sentenced to death. Her savior comes in an unlikely ally. The man currently trying to put her uncle – the ex vice president – away for treason and making deals with terrorist, US attorney Curt Dominick. But if you think that that’s where the action ends think again.
Curt doesn’t know if he can trust Mara thinking she may know about her uncle’s crimes and be protecting him. Mara doesn’t trust Curt because there is no way her uncle could have committed what they are accusing him of but she is also struggling with a bit a hero worship to the man that saved her.
Curt and Mara’s wild adventure takes them from Hawaii to Washington, DC and many states in between with one harrowing thing happening to them after another. Just when you think it safe to breathe another thing happens that puts them in danger.
There is so much going on in this book but yet your never lost – you just keep turning the pages to find out what is going to happen next. This is hands down the best book I’ve read this year. I cannot wait to see what is next from this up and coming author that can write suspense like nobody’s business.
HIGH TIDE by Maureen A. Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The visuals the author gives during the course of this book of Oahu – Hawaii are nothing short of stunning. From the moment the two main characters meet on the beach you are swept away.
There is so much more than just the beautiful location. Even though Nick and Briana meet as strangers on the beach and are instantly attracted to each other once they find out who the other is that’s nipped in the bud.
Nick McCord is a U.S. Geological Survey expert and he is on that beach because strange things have been happening off the coast and he concludes that it has to do with the developer of a new housing development being built right off the shoreline.
Briana Holt is the lead contractor for the new development called Manale Palms. She works hard to make it in a position that many women don’t hold and she isn’t going to let some guy even if he’s sexy as all get out from the USGS threaten her project.
The attraction between these two even though they are on opposite side in the beginning was powerful – even as a reader you could feel the heat between these two. Both being stubborn continue to try to find out what is causing all the anomalies which ends up putting them in danger.
This book just flowed from beginning to end – stunning location, hot romance, lots of peril and great secondary characters. Highly recommend it.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This highly anticipated book did not disappoint. Zombies are the craze at the moment and while you don’t typically think of zombies and romance Ms Tyler not only mixed a perfect blend of the two but also sprinkled in plenty of humor and lots of erotic lovin.
Eight years ago Drake Parrish was a piranha in both business and with the ladies. But his casual love em and leave em caught up to him and he found himself cursed by a voodoo priestess forever to live half as a zombie and half as a man and forces him to go into seclusion.
Simone Kent is a romance author. She’s never been lucky in love herself but writes very steamy novels. When she finds herself with writers block her friend suggest she contact a consulting editor which so happens to be Drake Parrish.
The book blends so many different facets. The paranormal aspect of the voodoo and also of Drake’s only friend Beck who is a PI and has other dealings with other worldly things besides Drake, the coming together of two lost souls who complement each other and the final showdown at the end of the book that had a bit of a shocker surprise.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something fresh to read. The author took a risk in a rarely written about theme in the romance world and knocked it out of the park.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an exceptionally written book. From the plot to every character the story played out like an awesome spy based action movie.
Gabe and Grace were two of the CIA’s best operatives. Gabe, for his black ops work, and Grace for her skills as a sniper. They not only got married, which is frowned upon in there line of work, but they also had a child which is not a smart thing to do with the amount of enemies that they both get in their line of work. Then two years ago the worst thing imaginable happened. Their daughter was killed as payback for one of Gabe’s ops.
Grace leaves both CIA and Gabe and goes mercenary. All she wants is her revenge and doesn’t care if she is alive at the end of it. Gabe also left the CIA but started his own group of black ops agents called The Collective. When The Collective gets a mission stop a chemical weapon that can cause genocide Gabe decides it time to bring Grace in to help them with their mission and for them to finally come to terms with what happened 2 years ago.
Even though Grace was a deadly assassin and tough as nails on the inside she was a mess. Your heart broke for her for what she was going through emotionally but yet you were also rooting for Gabe who loved her heart and soul and refused to give up on her. Their healing journey throughout the book all while doing missions and having some very hot make up sex was powerful.
The rest of the members that make up The Collective were as badass as Gabe. Well except for the 18 year old computer genius he was more like comic relief. The story from beginning to end just flowed. There were no lull moments. The worst part about the book was it had to end. Looking forward to the next book in this amazing series.
Everything Bared by Kristine Cayne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Everything Bared is so much more than the obvious sexual reference. It’s also two souls that are afraid to bare there true selves for fear of rejection of both family and friends and there high profile jobs.
I knew from the glimpses we got of Dani and Will in the first book that I was going to love their book and boy did I. To her coworkers and the outside world Dani is considered a tough female firefighter and is also a trained Urban search and rescue with her own dog. But secretly she is an exhibitionist. But due to past relationships failing because of this she is leery of getting involved with another man. She also has some insecurity issues deep down about never being accepted for both the job she does and her sexual kink. She’s been in love with her boss’s brother William Caldwell for a couple years but had never acted on it as they are total opposites. When Jamie finds out one of his firefighters is sleeping in her car due to her apartment being fixed from the earthquake he has the perfect place for her to stay, with William.
William Caldwell turned out to be a whole lot more complex than I thought he was. He’s the only male of his siblings that didn’t go into firefighting or rescue services. He chose to go into finance and is the CFO at the family business, He wears fancy suits and has his life all planned out to one day become the CEO and marry a woman suited to play the role expected. He’s known Dani for while through his brothers and knows she pushes all his buttons the wrong way and would not be a suitable candidate for his plans for the future.
I have to say the chapter where Dani first moves in with Will was extremely funny. Once these two stop there sparring they realize they are very sexually attracted to each other but Dani is leery of starting anything for fear she will scare Mr Prim and Proper away with her sexual preferences. What she didn’t know is Will has a kinky side himself. The sex scenes between these two were scorching.
There are plenty of things going on besides these two burning the sheets up. Will has major issues going on at work that put him and his Dad at odds at times. And even though the firefighting scenes and USAR scenes are talked about after the fact they are still told in detail and you can tell the author has a huge respect for both professions. We get plenty of face time with the other Caldwell siblings and Hollywood. The author gives us these little hints into their lives that hook you into wanting there story NOW.
This was another great addition to the series and I cannot wait for the next installment.
Reunited in Danger by Joya Fields
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Taut with suspense and an intense plot of human trafficking and selling of children.
Keely Allen is a social worker that’s seen too much of the damage that is done to children. She herself ended up in the foster care system when young but was adopted by preacher and his wife who gave her a wonderful life and made her want to fight for the rights of other children that lived in abusive homes.
When her adopted father is beaten in his home another foster kid that Keely had loved as a teen but left her with no explanation that broke her heart comes back into her life. Logan North is now a Homicide Detective but he also loves Keely’s father like he was his own and is determined to find out what happened even if that means facing Keely’s anger over his leaving her all those years ago.
The investigation of what happened leads to what looks to be human trafficking but everyone in town seems so upstanding and clean cut. But as more clues are found the mystery of who and what comes to a shocking conclusion that puts Keely in danger.
Along with the intense plot the author also takes us on the healing journey of Keely and Logan’s relationship. Logan’s father was a very abusive man and he has always feared that the same beast lies within him and that Keely would be better off without him.
This was a fast paced story that flowed effortlessly from beginning to end.
Rock Chick Revolution by Kristen Ashley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Seriously?
I
Loved
This
Book!!
Since the first book in the series where we met Ally I’ve not only wanted her book but had wondered who her man would be and would he be able to handle the rebel Nightingale female. Well Ren Zano did just that. I loved the rewind the author did for the first couple of chapters so we could see how there relationship started and all the bumps they had along the way. See even though Ally was a Rock Chick she was different than they rest. She wasnt the one that needing saving all of the time. Being raised by a cop and having one brother also be a cop and the other a tough private investigator, Ally was ingrained with great instincts to be a top notch private investigator herself but Ally being a woman and all the men surrounding her being overprotective alpha’s including her man Ren had a hard sell to them.
Where it’s always sad to come to the end of a great series we got a great wrap up of where the gang was in the future and quite the tease of a future series where we will possible see some of the Rock Chicks and Hot Bunch again.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
We’ve met Lanie and Hop before. May not have thought highly of them when we first met them but you cant judge a person before knowing all the facts. I immediately liked them from the start of this book and that only increased as I finished the book.
I loved Lanie’s reason’s for choosing the men she did, even though the last one almost got her killed. She doesnt look for a man based on looks even though she is model gorgeous. She didnt give two flying figs that Hop was a biker, looked like a biker and acted like a biker. But she brought a lot of baggage into bed with her and Hop. Its always the parents mistakes that scar us for life even though we have a choice once as adults to bury those demons so they dont continue in the form of bad choices we make which Lanie didnt do and her bad choices ended up getting her best friend hurt.
Hop turned me right on from the start. And his insight into knowing Lanie had demon that had to be slayed was hot. He recognized it, didnt let her hide from it and was supportive through it all. I love finding out about each of these BA guys background to see what shaped them into the Alpha’s they are. Hop was a good man through and through.
An interesting tid bit is this books timeline was happening at the exact same time as Own the Wind. LOVED IT.. Cant wait for the next one.
This Is Who I Am by Cherise Sinclair
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Cherise has topped herself with this one. I was curious going in how she would make a sadist a likeable character. After reading this Sam is now my new favorite character (yes that changes from book to book in the Shadowlands series) I absolutely loved that we got so much out of the club time with Sam and Linda. For me I felt that was important to show them as real people who regardless of what they needed sexually and emotionally that in the outside world they were just regular people who both had survived different traumatic experiences in their lives.
I absolutely loved loved loved this book and cannot wait for more.
Altered Frequency, by Joya Fields
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really liked the first book in this series but I have to say I LOVED this book. I’m hooked on all the ghostly happenings at Inner Harbor.
The apartment building in Inner Harbor has many spirits. In Altered Frequency we meet a matchmaking elderly ghost named Betty. Betty thinks she needs to get the man who lived across from her and the woman that now lives in her apartment together to be able to cross over to the other side. But she has her hands full with these two.
Missy Prescott left California to start over after losing her brother in the line of duty. He wasn’t the first person she loved that died that way. He father was a police officer and died on the job too. She is a DJ on a late night radio station. She loves her job but is extremely lonely and wary of love herself for fear of losing them.
Blake Decker is a Baltimore cop. His blood family deserted him and his only family is his fellow cops. He doesn’t believe in relationships until one feisty ghost literally pushes him into Missy.
Betty (the ghost) was an absolute hoot. And to see these two non-believing people suddenly having conversations with her made for lots of humor. The resonant evil that also lives in the building was also back from the first book. We still don’t know much more about that but I am hoping in future books it will be revealed what/who that is all about.
I thoroughly loved this book from beginning to end and cant wait to see who’s next in the apartment building to have a other worldly experience.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Hilarious view of life and relationships from a womanizer who gets bit hard by the love bug. Drew Evans is a spoiled, silver spooned love em and leave em man that makes no apologies for it. What he wants in business or in a woman he gets. That is until he meets Katherine Brooks.
I totally applaud the author for bringing something fresh to the table. Reading a book totally from the man’s POV was refreshing change, we got the good, the bad and the don’t judge me look inside a man’s thinking.
If your looking for a new romantic comedy author that brings a much needed change to the formulistic romances out there give this author a try. I cant wait to read what’s next from her.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was like going home after a long time away. This series is just as strong now as it was with the first book.
In this 10th book in the series Angela Delvecchio who has been with LCR since the beginning finally gets her story. Angela has been LCR’s main researcher but has always had aspiration of being an operative. But when her parents fell on bad times and she was the sole provider for many years she couldn’t risk something happening to her. Then when tragedy strikes her whole family she lives in grief for a few years until she decides she wants to finally go on her first op.
Jake Mallory came to be with LCR after accidentally foiling a previous mission they were on. He was floundering around himself after tragedy had struck his life due to circumstances when he was a police officer.
Angela has been open and honest with Jake about her feelings for him but Jake refuses to ever let himself be vulnerable again to heartache. When the two are paired to go undercover together to try and bait a serial killer Angela is over the moon, Jake no so much as he is having a hard time trying to stick to his friend only rule.
This book had it all, suspense with a twisted serial killer, a sexy romance between two grief stricken people, and best of all, tons of face time with Noah and lots of characters from the previous book.
The ending was OMG – and you will just have to read it to find out what that means.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
**HEED THE AUTHORS WARNING ON THIS BOOK**
I love it when an author brings a unique perspective to the romance genre, to move beyond the limit of what has usually been done and the accepted standard. This is a no holds barred profanity, down and dirty sex fest of rock and roll baby.
As Letty Dillenger herself tells you at the beginning she came out of her momma’s womb center stage and stormed the world. All she’s ever wanted to be is a rock star. She is 100% comfortable with her sexuality and has stuck with her dreams of what and where she wants her music to be. She’s just waiting for that one big break even if it means living a hand-to-mouth existence until that time comes. She will not sell out her dreams.
Letty’s journey take her on a one night stand with a sexy guy she calls Shades but when the night is over she walks away as she has no time for any strings that could some with it.. But when her manager tells her that her all girl rock back Cherry Buzz Float is going on tour with the all male band Killer Dixon her immediate feelings of YES this is the break we’ve been looking for crash and burn when she meets the new lead singer of the band, Todd “Shades” Armstrong. There is also discord between another member of Cherry and a member of Killer. But the bands manager manages to get everyone to play nice for the sake of their careers.
Letty started out thinking she would just ignore Shades but these two have the strongest sexual pull that have then going at each other again in she sheets and everywhere else you can think of. It also brought out feelings Letty didn’t want to deal with – her vulnerability – but Shades being the cool rocker he is did his best to make her see their backgrounds and where they came from mean nothing in the scheme of rock and roll.
The secondary characters of the other band members played a big part in the book also. Jinx is the drummer for Cherry Buzz and was very quite throughout most of the book even though you got the feeling there was a lot going on in her mind. She may come across shy and a little manic but she was hell on wheels when she was playing. Rex (guitar) and Toombs (drummer) of Killer Dixon were balls to the wall bad boys and sexual deviants. But we find out through the course of the book there is more to these boys’ behaviors and I look forward to finding out what secrets they are hiding.
This book is more than just a raunchy sex fest. It had a great story behind it which just made all the sex a added bonus. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Ashes, Ashes, They All Fall Dead by Lena Diaz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The author does a fabulous job of taking us on a journey to figuring out who a serial killer is throughout this book that is both shocking and disturbing.
FBI Special Agent Tessa James has become obsessed with letters the FBI office has received over a 3 year period. Not much is in the letters but a name, part of a nursery rhyme and a symbol. When the FBI can find nothing tangible about the names they decide it’s a hoax and to put it to rest. But Tessa cannot let go of the feeling there is something about these names. When her boss catches her looking over the letters again after he forbade her to he gives her a warning saying you have 7 days to figure out if these letters are of any significance and after that you let it go or else. He also said she had to work with a PI during those 7 days, one she isn’t so happy to work with.
Matt Buchanan is the 24 year old brother of Pierce who we met in the previous two books. He’s a genius that has created the coolest inventions, most not yet patented. He has a lot of businesses and one of them is a Private Investigation firm. He’s always liked Tessa who was his brother’s partner for years but she looked at and always treated him like a child since she was 6 years older than him.
When the first murder happens that they can tie to the letters and a second right after the story really takes off. The author creates this maze with so many twist and turns and at each turn there is a revealing that as the book goes along gets more shocking and at time revolting. Once I was engrained in the investigation and each clue it revealed I couldn’t put the book down for wondering what sick and twisted thing the author was going to throw at Tessa and Matt next.
I really liked the previous two books in this series but I have to say this is now my favorite almost for the shock factor alone of the subject matter.
Concrete Evidence by Rachel Grant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is how you write a debut book. The authors’ knowledge of archaeology, historic art and Native American sites was evident through the book. The story which starts off in 1952 is like one large jigsaw puzzle that takes the course of the book to piece together before finally seeing the whole picture.
Erica Kesling didn’t have an easy childhood after her father died. Her credit ruined and blackballed from being able to use her degree in underwater archaeologist she now works for a large company on a different coast as a land archeologist looking for a way to make those pay who had a part in setting her up. From here the author takes us on a journey that arouses your curiosity as to what is really going on. Its full of crafty plotting and intrigues throughout.
There were a few loose ends that I am hoping will be wrapped up in future books but this reader is happy to have found a new romantic suspense author and I look forward to more books from her.
Embattled Minds by J.M. Madden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Once again Ms Madden has written a powerful story of the brave men that have fought for our country.
This book delves into two aspects of what can happen in war. We have the severely scarred face/body and PTSD. Zeke Foster’s head was crushed which has left his face disfigured and also with some lasting brain issues. The heroine’s father is a Vietnam vet that suffers from PTSD that he has never had treated and results in him beating on his daughter during blackout episodes.
The author pulls no punches in her portrayal of these men who’ve come back from war damage in one way or the other. Zeke who has always been a large man that didn’t have any problem attracting the ladies is now extremely insecure when it comes to his looks and hasn’t been in a relationship in years. One of the things I loved most about him was his understanding of men suffering for PTSD and how to either diffuse them from a panic attack or make them realize how bad they were suffering when they didn’t even realize it.
Loved the heroine. She was a single mother that had been living with her widowed father and running his bar/restaurant but has also been on the receiving end of her father’s PTSD blackouts. Her unconditional attraction to Zeke based on what was on the inside and not the out was teary eyed touching at times.
We also get plenty of face time with owners of Lost and Found Investigations. Duncan Wilde has been getting hang up calls and now the vet he has been trying to help has disappeared. Chad Lowell is still the comic relief of the trio and is also a good friend to Zeke. It was also great to see how John Palmer and Shannon are doing in there relationship – LOVED the Christmas Party at there house 🙂
I love all the men that work for Lost and Found but since the first book I am still looking forward to Duncan’s book the most.. (yes that’s a shameless beg to the author 🙂 )
Beneath the Burn by Pam Godwin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I had prepared myself for a dark read. The things that were done to both Charlee and Jay were unimaginable horrors. But even though some of the subject matter was dark Charlee and Jay were such beacon’s of light they shown so brightly throughout the book that the good over powered the evil.
Charlee Grosky was sold by her father to a man to pay for his gambling debts. That man was a very powerful and rich man that had sick perversions. He held Charlee captive from 16-18 before she managed to get away from him. For the next four years she was on the run and always fearing he would catch up with her. During her time away she was running a tattoo shop and met a man who wanted a tattoo that had just as many scars on the inside and outside as she did. Even though they knew each other for only an hour they both left a profound impression on the other. That same night Charlee was recaptured again and taken back to hell.
Jay Maynord cannot stand the human touch from the trauma he went through as a child. He’s the singer in a band that was just starting out when he met Charlee that night and he didn’t go into freak out mode when she touched him. He decides he wants to be a better man and eventually come back to her and writes songs about the woman who touched him both physically and emotionally which shoots the band to stardom. But when Jay later tries to find Charlee and cant he throws himself into self medicating and sex.
This was a long book full of the ups and downs of two tortured souls. They do find each other again 3 years later after Charlee escaped from her captor again and both try and conquer their demons with each other along with trying to stay a step of ahead of Roy while on tour with the band. There are some scenes that may make some squeamish. The things Roy did to Charlee where sick and turned her into a masochist but Jay’s wiliness to give her what she needed and her open acceptance of his demons made for a beautiful dark romance.
The Killing Game by Toni Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Realistic scene descriptions, endangered species, and plenty of spies made this a sure fire hit in my reading collection.
The book mainly takes place in a long mountain range that stretches between central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan where wildlife biologist Axelle Dehn had previously tagged the snow leopards there with a GPS tracking system. When 2 of the tracking systems go offline she rushes to the Hindu Kush in fear that poachers have started killing them for their fur.
What Axelle didn’t know was she’d basically landed herself in the middle of a hunt for the one of the most sought after Russian terrorists. The Special Air Service is a regiment of the British Army and Ty Dempsey and his counter–terrorism team are there to bring back the terrorist suspecting of hiding in the mountains dead or alive.
What starts out as Axelle trying to save her snow leopards and Ty trying to catch a terrorist turns into a harrowing fight for survival and so many twist and turns in the world of spies and espionage. The author doesn’t just leave character backgrounds to our imagination. We go back in time to find out what made the two main characters, the terrorist and double agents who they are today that all wraps up to a shocking conclusion.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The author takes us on deeply sentimental journey of gritty realities with two resolute and courageously scarred characters.
Right from the prologue you are thrown into a conspiracy of intrigue. When a father who’s ex-wife and daughter doubted his innocence when he was convicted of crime many years ago and served 5 years hard time for it finds himself in trouble again he manages to send a message to his daughter to go to the only man he trust, Brent Carver his cell mate from prison, for protection.
I fell in love with Brent in Dangerous Waters. He spent the better part of his life in prison and just did not adapt well to the harsh realities of the real world and all the people that lived in it. He has isolated himself in his home and just wants to be left alone to do the one thing he loves, painting. His peaceful isolation is thrown into a tailspin when Anna Silver, the daughter of the only real friend he ever had shows up on his doorstep needing his help.
Anna’s childhood was not only torn apart by her father’s conviction but also by a mother who became distant and didn’t pay attention to her and also missed the signs that another tragic thing had happened to her. Due to this Anna has chosen to live her life with white picket fences and teaching children. She is in no way prepared for the mess that her father unfortunately put her in the middle of.
As these two skittish people try and figure out who is trying to kill Anna and avoid them they find that they bring out the strong qualities of courage and tough uncompromising resolve in each other. The journey we take with these two not only on the harrowing investigation but also on two broken hearts healing is compelling.
I knew from the moment I met Brent that his story would be a powerful one and the bonus is his heroine was just as strong and courageous as he was even though neither of them saw themselves that way. There were some great twist and surprises in this book that kept you turning the pages until the very end.
(arc provided by author for an honest review)
Midnight Games by Elle Kennedy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another thrilling saga with the dynamic cast of mercenaries and assassins.
Almost all of the characters story lines are started in a previous book so I recommend reading this series in order. We met Trevor Callaghan and Isabel Roma in the previous two books. When we first met Trevor he was on a suicide mission due to the loss of his wife. Isabel was paired with him on a couple of missions over the years and managed to bring him back from his brink of despair. But once she’d done that and saw there was something beginning to spark between them she ran for five months. Now she is back and realizes she needs to do the right thing and go to Trevor and apologize. But shortly after arriving at the compound a full on attack is launched against them leaving a few secondary characters dead. Right before the attack Jim Morgan who heads up the mercenaries disappears and they fear whoever attack them is responsible for his disappearance. With their base destroyed Isabel suggest they go to one of her boss Noelle’s safe locations to regroup and figure out what is going on.
The complexities of both the men (the mercenaries) and the women (the assassins) only get more frustrating in this book. Noelle the leader of the assassins is one cold blooded woman but she agrees to lead the team of mercenaries in the fact finding mission of figuring out who is after them and where there leader is even though she hates Jim Morgan. An interesting twist was presented in this book between her and one of the more deadly mercenaries. All this did was leave me screaming at the book wanting to know what is deal between her and Morgan. Don’t take my ramblings there to mean I didn’t like the book. I loved it. I love every character in this series even though the author’s slow torturous revealing of the history of certain characters is driving me nuts. But hey that means I am for sure invested in all the future books in this series because I have to know what the h – e – double l is going on…
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Extra star for this having a serial killer that was unlike any I have ever read before.
Fifteen years ago a young killer takes his first victim. Now that young girl’s twin sister Kate Myers is a Forensic psychiatrist and has been looking for years for similar murders that have happened since to find the man that killed her sister. She thinks she’s found a connection with the latest killing in Bigler County. After getting herself assigned to assist them she butts heads with the lead detective assigned to the murder.
Ben Slater has been put in charge of running the investigation of the murder of a young girl. He doesn’t understand why the LAPD assigned some Forensic psychiatrist to his case. Ben is a pretty brooding man along with not totally believing the real reason Kate is there. After Kate comes partially clean that she thinks they have a serial killer on their hands the two finally start working together both on the job and off.
The serial killer who’s POV we get throughout the book is whacked. And the reason he is whacked is not something I’ve ever read before in a romantic suspense which made this so much more exciting to read.
The author did a great job of balancing the police procedure, romance, and mind of the serial killer and also with Ben and Kate’s tragic past. I loved this book for having something original and different to bring to this genre – which is my favorite.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
LOVED this book. If you like paranormal and UF with romance you have got to try this book. There is like no way to describe all the species in this book but the world this author created was awesome. Nothing is typical in this book even the path of the hero and heroine finally getting together was unique. Cannot wait for the next book in this series.
Rescued From The Dark by Lynda Kaye Frazier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Highly complex suspense with lots of intrigue and heartbreak.
This is a story about a FBI Counterterrorism Division that has spent years trying to take down an Irish mob family that also has ties to a terrorist cell.
Ron Daily’s team consist of Conner English who is the techno geek, Davis Allen who’s known as the enforcer and Jason Michaels who has been undercover in the Flanagan organization. Jason had been through hell during his time undercover. Not only are the constantly experimenting on him with untested drugs he also dreams about the one woman he cannot have, Mercy Kingsley.
Drake Kingsley used to be an FBI agent and Ron’s partner. After his daughter was kidnapped tortured and he was shot he retired and started his own business with Thomas Patrick. His plans were for Mercy to one day run the Ireland branch of the company. But Mercy wanted to be like her dad and instead joined the FBI training program.
For here everything goes full tilt to an explosive intersecting of so many plot points. When Mercy is kidnapped again and given too much of the experimental drugs nd Jason’s cover is blown this leads to heartbreak for Jason. Jason and Mercy are rescued but months later when she finally awakes from a coma and pregnant she doesn’t remember that is not from the ex-fiancé Mitch Edwards who only had aspirations of becoming CEO of her father’s corporation and may also be in bed with the Irish. Jason has to sit back and let this happen all while Ron and the team find out that he and Mercy’s lives are still in as much danger now as it was months ago. And the worst part is they still don’t know who all the “bad” guys are in all the scenarios.
And do you think that’s the end… Think again. We are then introduced to Dallas Baker who runs a secretly sanctioned rescue group that Conner and Davis left the FBI for and who is now a large part of the operation. Some of the leaks are figured out and some not and what really happened to Mercy during her first kidnapping all those years ago is a big piece of the puzzle.
This was a fantastic start of a new series. The Guardian’s of Hope series will be made up of eight books. Ron’s story is next.
Own the Wind by Kristen Ashley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
hot
rad
funny
fantastic
crazy
badass
epic
wicked
That about sums up how I feel about the book. Great start to a new series!!!
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Delilah Devlin has another winner on her hands in her latest book in the Caitlyn O’Connell series. With its many laugh out loud moments, the sexy luvin between Cait and Sam, Cait’s continuing battle to stay sober along with fighting demons this book rocks from beginning to end.
This time all the spooky happenings go on in a hotel were bodies are being found in the walls that have been aged. Seems the demon has attached himself to the hotel and Cait is asked to help again to try and stop the demon.
Sam and Kait are still an on again/off again couple trying to slowly get over all the past pain they have caused each other. Sam’s still a wary man of Kait and its going to take a while for him to trust her again in both being honest with him about her witch side and staying sober. Though I am beginning to see that Sam’s got a few things he also needs to work on. But these two always set the sheets on fire…
The author does a fabulous job of not only having the paranormal/spooky aspects in the book but plenty of humor. I think I laughed at all of Celeste and Sylvia scenes. But then the author throws a emotional curve ball that you were not prepared for. But a good book should keep the reader on their toes and throw the unexpected at them.
I cant wait to see what’s next for Cait and Sam and Jason and even Leland..
Reaper’s Property by Joanna Wylde
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK (can ya tell I really liked this book)
This was a no holes barred look at the life inside a biker club. And one I very much enjoyed the taking the ride on..
The author did a great job of showing us all that biker clubs truly have there own set of moral codes and system of justice. They also have a very strong sense of brotherhood and family.
Horse is crude rude and tattooed but ohhh so hot and yummy. The man hands down has all the best lines in the book.
Marie has no idea what world she walked into nor the effect Horse would have on her life or her libido. But ummm the level of desire between these two people from two different worlds was off the charts.
First time reading this author and looking forward to more in this series.
Explosive Attraction by Lena Diaz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lena Diaz has written one explosive action-thriller. From the first chapter this pulse pounding adventure has you on the edge of your seat wondering when the ride is going to end.
Rafe Morgan is a cop who puts away bad guys and Darby Steel is a psychologist usually on the defense side trying to get them off. Not a good mix of job personalities. But when they are suddenly thrown together when a bomber sets his sights on people that Rafe and Darby know professionally, Rafe’s protective instinct kick in to keep Darby safe and that is not an easy job when she’s next on the list along with Rafe.
Along with trying to stay one step ahead of the bomber Rafe and Darby both end up having to come face to face with tragedies from their past. I don’t think there was a boring moment in this book. Along with Rafe I also fell in lust with his brother and his ex-partner on the force and hope that one day they get they will get their own stories too.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Kendra Elliot has written her best book to date and show’s why this series is called bone secrets.
Twenty years ago a school bus with nine children and the driver just vanished. Two years later one survivor walked out of the Cascade Mountains with no memory and near death.
Now it is eighteen years later and a grisly discovery has been made. They have found the mass grave of the children and others that were not on the bus but one child is still unaccounted for, that is our hero Michael Brody’s brother.
Fans of the series will remember Michael from the first book as the intense reporter ex-boyfriend of forensic odontologist Lacey Campbell. He is just as intense in this book in his quest to find out what happened to his brother and why his bones are not with the others. This quest leads him to the sister of the lone survivor who he now desperately wants to talk to. But Chris Jacobs has been in hiding and no one knows where he is. Jamie Jacobs is a principal and needs to have order in her life since her brothers abduction and return. She can’t just up and leave at the spur of the moment even if it is to help find her brother. That is, until she is attacked by why looks to be the man that tortured her brother all those years ago.
Mason Callahan and Ray Lusco with the Oregon State Police Major crimes are also back in this book and these two are such a hoot together.
This was a heartbreaking tale especially since it dealt with children. The author did a fantastic job of taking us through the discovery, the ME reports and the investigation on who had done this and a few other big twist that lead up to a shocking ending.
The Embattled Road by J.M. Madden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a great start to what looks like its going to be a rocking series. This is just the introduction to the 3 men during and after there time in Iraq after each has suffered severe damage to there bodies. Most of the book is while they are recovering at Walter Reed Hospital.
We meet Duncan Wilde right before his convoy is hit. He’s on his last 3 month of his tour. He dreams of becoming a drill instructor and marring his girl back home. After the ambush he is left with spinal bruising and a crushing pelvis and no feeling in his legs. Not long after being in Walker Reed his fiancee breaks the news she is pregnant with another man’s baby and is leaving him. He doesn’t let this get him down and not long after he starts getting feeling back in his legs.
Chad Lowell lost his leg and his left arm was severely burned. He knew Duncan from the time in Iraq. He had roomed with Duncan’s current roommate in the hospital and tries to engage him in conversations with him and Duncan. Chad has the love and support of a big Texas family but nothing beats the brotherhood of men that have served.
John Palmer is the angriest of the 3 men. He suffered a spinal cord injury and is paralyzed from the hips down with no chance of recovery from it. For a while you wonder if he will ever be able to get over the anger.
These three men grow close in there recovery and one by one they leave and go there separate ways. But Duncan had a plan in mind and went home to make it happen before telling the other two.
Seven months later Duncan comes to both Chad and John and hands them the papers showing they are all now partners in LNF – Lost and Found Investigative Services.
Since we start off in Iraq with Duncan and he’s the first one we meet I was thinking his story would be first up. But we get a first chapter sneak peek at Embattled Hearts at the end and its John’s story. After reading all of The Embattled Road and seeing the huge adjustments John has/had to make I am glad he’s first up 🙂 I am looking forward to reading these three men’s stories and them getting there well deserved HEA’s.
A Song for Julia by Charles Sheehan-Miles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The most emotional, heart breaking book I’ve ever read.
Die for Me: A Novel of the Valentine Killer by Cynthia Eden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book has series of moments that just shock you. Those moments where you realize that something you thought you knew but turns out you were wrong, very very wrong. The author takes us on an incredible journey throughout this book and and gives the readers many surprising events.
Many of the characters in this book are scarred from traumatic childhoods. This book shows us how different each person can turn out from those experiences. Some could become a sociopath killer, another that doesn’t like to be physically touched or trust easily but they have a heart of gold and will always try and save others.
I saw the heroine Katherine as a beacon of light that many could not look away from. Her serial killer ex-fiancé was drawn like a moth to a flame to her and the hardened homicide detective Dane Black was also ensnared with her beauty and humanity and wanted nothing more than to protect her.
This book takes you on a psychological mind bending journey where you think it’s just about a killer with a sole purpose but it’s not, it’s so much more than that.
Forged in Steele by Maya Banks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Be Steele my heart. I love the Kelly men but I have to say watching Steele and Rio who were known as cold hard warriors fall in love and show us there softer sides has been panty melting hot.
We got to see a glimpse of the human Steele in PJ’s book but in Forged we get to see a whole new side. After he and a few of his team are injured they go to Maren Scofield, a doctor they saved before, and one that had gotten under Steele’s skin. Steele decides he just needs one night with her and problem solved. Yeah that doesn’t go so well cause soon he is back for more. But soon after he leaves Maren for a mission she is taken by a bad man and he is out of his head to find her.
I loved all the one on one times between Steele and Maren. They were just perfect for each other. There was plenty of face time with all the Kelly’s and the three teams and even a great POV from Rio. Its good to see that now that these two are domesticated that they have toned down the rivalry between them.
As always I loved this latest in the KGI series.
ps: What’s up with Hancock??
Dangerous Affairs by Diana Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A thrilling, edge of your seat suspense with so many twist and turns that lead up to a shocking ending.
Abby Langford left a small town in Minnesota when she was 18 to get away from a horrible childhood. She went to Los Angeles to become an actress and she ended up on a soap opera and through the years won many Emmy Awards and had quite the fan base. She also got married and had a daughter. But after many years of her actor husband’s infidelities she got a divorce.
Wanting to give her daughter a normal childhood away from all the paparazzi and the bad press she got with the divorce she goes back to Minnesota and buys a house she loved when she was little. After finding a knife in the walls with what she thinks is blood on it she alerts the police chief but he blows off her suspensions. The two instantly don’t like each other. But then Abby starts having nightmares about a murder with the knife that was found.
Josh Kincaid was a detective in Chicago. His marriage went up in flames when his wife cheated in him with his best friend and also left him a very jaded man. He decided to take the job of police chief in the small MN town to get away from the betrayal and to be closer to his sister and her family.
Along with the dreams of the murder Abby starts getting threatening letters telling her to leave. She doesn’t pay much attention to them as she has always gotten hate mail for the character she played. But this make Josh’s cop instincts perk up.
From here we are lead on a chase to figure out who the stalker is, are Abby’s dreams just nightmares or are they suppressed memories. We also get a great romance between Abby and Josh even though these two have a ton of insecurity issues to work through.
I loved this book from beginning to end and look forward to more from this author in future.
Shattered Souls by Delilah Devlin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book cast a spell on me while reading it. I’ve never had more interruptions while trying to read and during each one all I could think about is getting back to it because I have to know what happens next. That feeling stayed through out the whole book.
I have never been a big reader of “Urban Fantasy” which is what I keep seeing this called so I went to look up what it actually meant. I found the following “Urban fantasy focuses on an issue outside of a romantic relationship between two characters. Paranormal romance focuses on a romantic relationship between two characters and how outside forces affect that relationship.” Seemed like a fine line to me. Do I think if the H/h romance was removed would the plot still stand as a viable storyline? My answer – I wouldn’t want it without all the hot scenes that were between Caitlyn O’Connell who comes from a long line of witches but has refused to practice her craft since her mother’s death and Sam Pierce, her former partner with the Memphis Police Department and also her ex-husband.
Caitlyn has tried to live a normal life – one free of witchcraft. She joined the police force and eventually married her partner. But she was never honest with him about who she was and where she came from and he sensed this and to dull the spirits she always heard she drank alot. This caused the demise of her marriage. When a mysterious circumstances murder happens Sam pulls her out of a drunken stupor to come and try and help figure out what happened in that hotel room. I must say there were some chilling moments in there on figuring out where the body was.
When Caitlyn left the police force she joined up with a PI named Jason and it seems there current clients case is connected with Sam’s murder.
There are plenty of dark creepy things that happen in this book. The graveyard scene was down right spooky but the author also incorporates plenty of humor even during the scary times. The supporting characters in the book were also so intriguing each one weaving you into there supernatural lives.
This was an addicting read and cannot wait to see what future evils Caitlyn and Sam have to battle along with each other 🙂
Razing Kayne by Julieanne Reeves
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A gut wrenching roller coaster that expertly blends romance and suspense.
From the shocking opening scene to the gut gripping reveal at the end the author takes us on an emotional journey like no other I have read. The author incorporates her real life experiences in 911 communication and real life tragedies ripped from the headlines and mesmerizes you in this debut novel.
As the description of the book gives a very good understanding of what the book is about I am not going to rehash that and this is one of those books I think you need to take the journey of discovery on your own. Feel each of the painful things that happen to Kayne and Jessica and on the journey with them as they discover love again and then be shocked when it’s all revealed why all this tragedy happened.
Its always a treat to find a new author you love and that I did in Julieanne Reeves. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Warning: this book is smoking hot. You’ll wonder how the hero and heroine don’t spontaneously combust.
Sydnee Prescott and Brandt Tanner had a flaming hot romance 7 years ago that ended in them getting married. But the marriage was doomed from the start. Brandt’s father was a tyrant that ran Tanner-Harbiger International and never thought Sydnee was good enough and not only sabotaged their marriage but set her up to die. When Brandt believed his father’s lies and gave Sydnee a harsh punishment she left and divorced Brandt and hasn’t seen him in 7 years.
Now she is a partner in a fraud investigative firm called Triple D Invest. When a potential new job lands across her desk and she sees it’s with Tanner-Harbiger she blows a gasket at her two partners Ryker and Kodie. They both know the volatile history between her and Brandt how could they do this to her. But neither of them had put two and two together and she allows them to live . Her curiosity gets the better of her about the IRS Audit being brought against Brandt’s company for fraud and finance misconduct so she agrees to a meeting with Brandt and his brothers.
Brandt never wanted the CEO position of the company that his father thrust on him. It was giving him ulcers and making his hair go thin. And now he finds out they are being audited and Sydnee’s firm is the one his board of directors has chosen to hire. Brandt, all these years later, admits he was mainly the one at fault for the destruction of his marriage but he is not happy to have to see Sydnee again especially under these circumstances.
At the initial meeting tempers flare but both Sydnee and Brandt realize the sexual attraction is still as strong now as it was back then and decide to give in to their animal instincts. These two burn it up every time they are together. Brandt is an alpha with a capital A.
It doesn’t take long before things start happening to Sydness again and this time Brandt swears he is going to protect her from his father hatred and from whoever else is out to harm her.
This was a well fleshed out story. You got it all from the hot sex between Sydnee and Brandt to the whole mystery of who was behind the fraud. The gradual telling of what happened to their marriage throughout the book was also very well written. You also fell in love with 4 other men during this book. Sydnee’s partners Ryker and Kodie who were ex-special forces and plenty alpha in their own right and Brandt’s brothers Jeffery and Neil . I would love to see books for all 4 of those hunky men.
Thrill Ride by Julie Ann Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The boys are back in town and they take us for a thrill ride..
This series keeps getting better and better. In this latest we are taken on a harrowing trek through the jungle, lots of humor and some heavy emotional scenes. We knew from previous books that Rock had a secret side job. As this one starts off we find out due to that side job the DOD has now issued a burn order on him and he’s disappeared. Vanessa who’s been Rock’s partner in the past refuses to believe the things he is being accused of, so she and the team decide they are going to find out who set up Rock and find him to bring him back.
There wasn’t one slow moment in the whole book. From the forest in Costa Rica and then back to Chicago it’s none stop edge of your seat suspense.
One thing I really like that this author does is set up the next couple in the series. Becky’s best friend Eve and Becky’s brother Billy, who is part of the Knights, played a big part in this book and I can’t wait for their book.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a heartfelt and emotional read. My eyes were all misty by the end. This is a great start to a new series that I cant wait to get my hands on all the future books.
Can you imagine the guy you were with for years but asked to take a break from to start up a wedding planning business in another city is now going to marry your sister and she is pregnant on top of that. And to throw more salt on the wound she is the wedding planner for the nuptials.
Olivia Arnold is trying to hold it together but breaks down before reaching her parents. Said breakdown is observed by her ex’s step-brother Brandon, someone who she had a crush on in high school. Brandon never thought he was good enough for Olivia so after attending Prom together he acted like he wanted nothing to do with her when that was the farthest thing from the truth.
I know this was supposed to introduce us to the future characters of the upcoming Whiskey Creek books (which it did) but I fell in love with Olivia and Brandon and pouted a little at the end wanting more of there story. Now don’t get me wrong – we are given a as close to a HEA as possible for a novella but I wanted more and more and more 🙂 Yes I am being greedy.
I dont normally give 5 stars for a novella but the way I felt at the end of reading this – the emotion I felt – it deserves its 5 star rating.
My Liege of Dark Haven by Cherise Sinclair
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Every time I read a Cherise Sinclair book it becomes my favorite.
Abigail Bern’s life isnt going to so well. Her boyfriend just dumped her because she cannot trust and submit to him and she is afraid she is going to get caught in her university cutbacks. She needs to write a research paper and have it published to strengthen her resume. She decides she wants to write it on the behavior of those in a BDSM club. When she goes there are many funny moments just at the front reception area due to her innocence on the BDSM scene. When she realizes that she has to be a member and that there is a huge membership fee she realizes she might not get in until Simon offers her the receptionist job on Fridays and Saturdays until Lindsay comes on and then she can enjoy the club until closing.
Xavier Leduc is the owner of Dark Haven. Since his wife died years ago he has closed his heart off. He has women he plays with at the club and women he trains as slaves at home for other masters but no one he keeps just for himself. When he meets his new receptionist he he intrigued by her innocence of the BDSM lifestyle and decides to use her right away for a demonstration which his “little fluff” (loved that name her gave her) of course balks at but no one tells My Liege no..
Things I LOVED about this book..
1. Dixon the sub – who was manning the reception desk when Abby first came in – he was very funny and in the end also turned out to be a very emotional friend.
2. Watching Abby who was a some what a child prodigy and professor never being able to turn her brain off and Xavier realizing this was preventing her from experiencing “pleasure”. I think alot of us have this problem of not being able to shut our brains off and just experience the moment or feeling and I actually found myself listening to Xavier and wanting to obey 🙂
3. Simon and Rona were the first friends Abby made. It was so good to see them.
4. The foster puppies – They were soo cute
5. Meeting new characters like Lindsay and deVries
6. When Xavier took Abby home and stayed with her and fed the puppies for her.. Sigh…
7. Finding out about Xavier past and about the company he runs and why he started it.
8. The 4th of July Party… Not only do we get to see every past characters from all the Dark Haven series we get a another fun “game” played out in the woods. Very sinful game.. I am hoping we get to see more of the deVries/Mitchell/Lindsay dynamic in the future.
9. When Xavier was hurt and couldn’t do for himself – Watching Abby morph into mother hen and Xavier having to take it for the time being 🙂
10. Abby’s punishment for being forgiven for not telling everyone about the research paper she was writing. Whew – glad it wasnt me 🙂
I really liked all of times away from the club. Seeing them both trying to make of go of the relationship away from the club. I have come to love this series as much as Shadowlands and hope she plans to continue it.
Bravo on another well written book Ms Sinclair.
Don’t Say A Word by Beverly Barton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the last book we will ever get from Beverly may she RIP. I dont know if it was knowing that or what but this was a great book. This is the sequel to Don’t Cry.
Homicide detective Julia Cass (J.D. sister) decides to move to Chattanooga to start a new life with the Homicide Division and be closer to her brother after losing her partner in the line of duty. JD has asked his partner FBI agent Will Brannock to pick her up at the airport. After seeing him send off his one night stand she doesnt hold a high impression of him. On the way from the airport JD gets a call about a murder. Once there both he and Julia are assigned together on the case that turns out to be a serial killer.
I thought the writing was flawless. She flowed from humorous to sensual to suspenseful seamlessly.
Will and Julia had such chemistry with each other right from the start even when she thought he was just a womanizer.
This book also finishes two story arc’s that started in Don’t Cry. Special Agent J.D. Cass and grief counselor Audrey Sherrod along with his daughter Zoe and Tam and Marcus.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Hang on to your hats – there is a new suspense sheriff in town. I can not express how much I loved this book. I am a huge fan of Karen Rose and when I saw her recommend this author I didn’t even think twice just bought it and started reading.
From the opening scene until the last, the words just flowed. The author flawlessly takes us on a journey that spans the course of 11 years.
There are many cast of characters. The sole surviving victim of the Co-ed Slayer who had murdered nine female students 11 years before. Lacey Campbell barely escaped but her best friend was taken and never heard from again even after he was caught and sentenced to death based on her testimony. She is now a forensic odontologist examining teeth and bones for the state Medical Examiner and is shocked when called to a scene to help identify bones that were found under an apartment that they are the bones of her friend that was taken all those years ago.
Jack Harper is a ex-police officer who happens to own the property that the remains are found on. Before Lacey figures out that the bones are of her friend there are some sparks that fly between him and Lacey. Jack who used to date one of the murdered college women and was questioned as a suspect back then and comes under the scrutiny of the press again after the body was found on his property.
Michael an investigative reporter who is also Lacey ex-boyfriend and best friend doesn’t like Jack and when he sees there’s an attraction between Lacey and Jack he runs Jack through the ringer in the paper. But his first and only goal is keeping Lacey safe and that common tread eventually make Jack and Michael allies.
Mason Callahan and Ray Lusco are with the Oregon State Police Major crimes and play a big part through out the story.
Then we have our sick and twisted killer. Who could this killer be that is going after all the people that put the Co-ed Slayer away. It cant be him as he died in prison.
I live to read books like this. I love the suspense and getting into the mind of the killer and watching the quest to hunt the killer down from every person from the Hero to the police.
The second book in this series is coming out soon and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.
Seized By Darkness by Autumn Jordon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Autumn Jordon has written another edge of your seat thriller. You are on a rollercoaster of a ride from the opening scene to the last.
Nicole Carson was kidnapped by a Russian mafia lord when she was 16. In the 8 years since she has been his mistress and had a child with him. She has been planning for years for ways to get her and her son away from him. Her chance finally comes when he brings home a 13 year old girl and asks her to get her cleaned up and ready. Her fear that this girl was brought in as a replacement for her and that he would now kill her finally gave her the strength to kill him and make her escape.
US Marshall William Haus has been trying to bring down one of the largest human trafficking rings in the country. They have had two agents undercover within the Mafia family for over a year and in one night it’s all blown apart. When Will goes to interview the woman they found with the missing teenager in her trunk he realizes this is the mistress and thinks she has to be in on what is going on.
Nicole refuses to tell anyone the truth about who she really is in fear that her family will be targeted by the Russians. Will tries to make a bargain with her that backfires and causes her to leave her son with him thinking it’s the only way to protect him. Once Will catches up with her and she finally tells him the truth the dynamic of their relationship changes.
From the moment this book started until the last page you are on the edge of your seat. I cannot image what it would be like to be kidnapped at such a young age and basically made a sex slave. All Nicole ever knew about sex was from mafia lord. It was heartbreaking to see her struggle with her feelings for Will and not know if they were real and also to not feel worthy of love.
I cannot wait to see what is next from Autumn. I have to come to love her stories.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Joan Swan can write a bad boy. As with Teague in Fever, Rio in Intimate Enemies is a questionable hero at first and I personally find that soo hot 🙂
Cassie Christo is on forced leave from her residency due to still being traumatized over the death of her mother and step-brother six months before. She returns to the home she grew up in Mexico with the sole purpose of proving that her step-father is a evil man and to get him out of her mother’s home. What she doesn’t expect to find is the man that helped her at her mother’s funeral when she had a complete breakdown and who she still hadn’t been able to forget working for her step-father.
Rio is a undercover agent for ICE and has been on the job with Cassie’s family for over a year. He also has never forgotten Cassie from six months ago and finds himself still strongly attracted to her but they are so close to finally bringing down the network that her step-father is involved in that he wants nothing more than for Cassie to go home for his own sanity and her safety.
The author did a fantastic job of showing the seedy life that goes on in Baja from gangs to human trafficking rings to terroristic activities.
Cassie doesn’t know for most of the book that Rio is undercover. She has a gut feeling that there is more to him than he is telling her but that still doesn’t stop her attraction and seduction of him.
The author did a great job of pulling the reader into this seedy world and taking us on a crazy ride with Cassie on finding out what is really going on. On a personal note I have to say when Rio finally tells Cassie his last name I found both that scene and his actual last name so hot. 🙂
Excellent start to a new series and I cannot wait for the next.
Seduced in the Dark by C.J. Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I don’t want revenge, Caleb. I dont want to end up like you, letting some vendetta run my life. I just want my freedom
That line from the book to me was what the book was all about. Not just Olivia not to end up like Caleb but Caleb coming to realize that maybe he no longer wanted revenge and how it had ruined his life and that Livvie was his freedom.
Most of this book is told in flashbacks. Olivia has escaped but we dont know what all transpired up to that point. It was heartbreaking to see how she was so broken at first but as she told her story to two FBI agents – one forensic social worker Janice Sloan and the other Agent Reed we see her slowly regain her courage that she had through her whole ordeal.
Her love for Caleb even after all she had been through and seen because of him never wavered.
Caleb broke my heart in one scene in his treatment to Olivia. But his constant struggle with his feelings for Olivia and to do what was right even if it meant going against the man that he thought had saved him were very emotional to watch. We finally get all of Caleb’s history and I must say I was a little shocked as to the final outcome as to where he came from.
We get to know Sloan and Reed quite well.. Now there is interesting story for a future book.
I absolutely love both of these books. This is what being a reader is all about – reading emotional books like this that make you so invested in the characters you feel there pain.
Captive in the Dark by C.J. Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I put this book off for two reason – one I figured I needed to be in the right frame of mind and second I wanted the 2nd book to be out before I started the 1st. WOW I AM glad I waited for the 2nd book since the ending of this one leaves you hanging but as emotional as this book was its not anywhere near as disturbing as some have said (at least not for me – there was nothing shocking in this book – again to me)
There is a line from the book that I think describes Caleb perfectly not only in the eyes of Olivia but also it describes his soul.
He was my tormentor and my solace; the creator of the dark and the light within
Some might look at this book at Olivia’s nightmare to live through. I from the beginning saw it as Caleb’s nightmare. He had been tormented as a child and he thought his solace was in the man that had saved him all those years ago and felt he owed this man by taking on his revenge and in doing that Caleb created his own darkness. When he kidnapped Olivia she became his light. As he could never remember seeing that light before it was blinding to him at first. But as his eyes adjusted he saw her for what she really was – his salvation.
Love Bites Anthology by Lori Foster
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lori Foster – Love Unleashed – Evan Carlisle and Cinder Bratt have been friends for a while. They even went to the animal shelter together and he got a cat and she a dog who also happened to be very good friends with each other. Evan has wanted Cinder for as long as he’s known her but he felt she didn’t reciprocate his romantic feelings so he just stayed her good friend. After coming home from her shift as a ER nurse bruised and battered Evan finds it hard to stay in the friend zone. After an attack in her apartment he insist that she stay with him until they catch the person. This was a very sweet story and I loved that the dog and cat also were so friendly with each other.
Brenda Jackson – Smookie and the Bandit – Whew – This story was smoking.. Raquel Capers knocks on Quest Newman’s door to inform him his dog impregnated her dog and what was he going to do about it. This story had it all – humor, sexual attraction, off the charts phone sex. Had to fan myself a time or two while reading this one.
Virna DePaul – Molly Wants a Hero – Loved this one too… Molly Peterson is a crisis counselor who inherited a parrot from her grandparents when they died who loves to quote action movies. One night while doing a double shift on the crisis hotline she gets a call from Officer Wade King about someone he had in custody who was exhibiting mental health issues. The two hit it off on the phone so well he then ask her if she would check out his grandfather who is also exhibiting strange behavior. After Wade rescues her from an attacker later that night and they meet in person for the first time they both feel the strong pull of attraction.
Catherine Mann – Dog Tags – After having chatted with Catherine a couple time on blogs I know her deep love for dogs, especially service dogs. This was a very touching story of a soldier who’s dog was taken in by a kind stranger while he was deployed after it had been found neglected by his father not talking care of it while he was gone. I don’t want to give to much away on this one so I will just say this one truly touches the heart.
Jules Bennett – Mane Haven – Allison Bennett was taken in by Charlie Wymer when she was 16 to live on his farm with him. They took abused and neglected horses and nursed them back to health and found good homes for them. When Charlie died and left the farm to his nephew to flipped houses for a living Allison was in fear of what she would do. She was determined that Jake was a horrible person and there first meeting had her accidentally flinging horse manure on his face. This was another very touching story.
Hell on Wheels by Julie Ann Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What an incredible debut novel. Fan’s of Jaci Burton’s Wild Rider series will love this one. The author has created and fabulous cast of characters that I am already in love with.
Black Knights Inc is made up of ex military men who run out of a custom bike shop owned by Becky “Rebel” Reichert. They do jobs the US government needs done but wants on the down low. Its run by Frank “Boss” Knight. Frank and Becky have alot of POV in this book but there book is next in the series.
Nate “Ghost” Weller and Grigg Morgan had been friends for over 12 years since joining the Marines together. On the last mission they were both captured and tortured and Grigg died. Nate feels a tremendous amount of guilt over his best friend dying and is the one that tell his parents and his sister that he’s dead. He has has a thing for Grigg’s sister Ali since meeting her all those years ago but never acts on it out of respect for Grigg. And now that he is holding the secret to how Grigg really died he feels he not only doesn’t deserve her but she would never forgive him if she knew the truth.
Ali has had a feeling she has been being followed for months but it isnt until she is mugged that she decides she needs to go to Nate and his group of friends for help. She doesnt exactly know whats going on at the bike shop but she knows its no ordinary place of business. Once she tells her story to the guys they come clean as to what they are and want to help figure out what’s going on. As things progress it becomes clear it may all go back to her brother.
This was a hard hitting no holds barred book. I cannot wait for Becky and Franks story. This looks to be a fantastic series.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What an adrenaline rush this book was from start to finish. Blaze kicks the conspiracy of what happened in the warehouse fire to the seven members of a fire fighting hazmat unit into high gear.
We met Luke in Fever. He was the man that had taken in his niece when his brother in law had been sent to jail for killing his wife – Luke’s sister. We knew Luke was still hurting over his girlfriend Keira leaving him with one of the reason’s being she didn’t want kids and he did. The “powers” they also got from being in the fire which were intensified when they were together played a small part in her leaving too.
This book starts out with both Keira who is a FBI sharpshooter now and Luke who is with ATF both being on the scene of a alleged cult-compound where the leader was holding children hostage. One of whom is a little boy Keira has a psychic connection to and had been looking for over a year. What she didn’t expect to see was Luke show up who she hadn’t seen in 3 years and now working with ATF. Immediately their psychic connection kicks into gear and even though they are both reeling from seeing each other again the connection ends up saving both there lives.
From here things start rolling and I think a lot is spoiler territory.
A lot more is told about each of the team. Many things you thought that happened in both in the first book and even during this one was not the case. I love how the author is keeping us on our toes and surprising us at every turn.
I cannot wait for the next book in this series.
Midnight Exposure by Melinda Leigh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another exciting thriller from Melinda Leigh. You are shocked within the first 5 pages. Some would fear what is to come after those pages but if you love a good thrilling ride with a side of romance then step on board and hang on.
Jayne Sullivan is a photographer and has come to town looking for the illusive sculptor her sleazy tabloid boss sent her to expose. She doesn’t want to do the job but she needs the money because she feels guilty about not being about to financially help out her brothers. She hasnt had an easy time of it as she was attacked when she was in college and wears the scar from it on her face.
Reed Kimball quit his job as a homicide detective and took his son and fled the city 5 years ago when his wife was killed and a media storm converges on them. Reed is also full of scars but his are on the inside.
From the outside the little town of Huntsville, Maine looks like a quite peaceful town. What no one realizes is a killer with an agenda is among them.
From the first page until the last page our heroine is put through the ringer. There are a few threads not wrapped up at the end of the book. The author has done a great job of hooking this reader for future books in this series.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another great suspenseful novel full of multiple story lines that all converge together with a great supporting cast in a small northeastern Pennsylvania town.
Rachel Parker has returned home 7 years after running away. She has come back to try and turn her grandfather’s farm into a horse training and breading business after her career ended after being thrown from a horse. Not long after arriving bad things start happening on the ranch. An attempted break in and threatening messages painted on her barn. She just assumes they are from her brother in law who has turned into a mean abusive drunk. She is also suffering from guilt for just leaving town after her mother’s funeral which in her eyes forced her sister to marry young to get away from their father. After getting a call from her sister to come and get her and her kids and rescue them from him she ends up having to fight for her life after finding her sister beaten and unconscious. She is rescued by the Police Chief Mike O’Connell. They are both blindsided by their attraction but carry a lot of baggage that prevents either from acting on it at first.
Mike still carries guilt for not catching a serial killer that had lived right under is nose. This guilt has has turned into an insane need to protect his town, and there are many weird things going on in town. When his growing feelings for Rachel turns into a conflict of interest and bring him under the radar of some corrupt city council members , one of which who wants to get him fired, he has to decide what’s more important.
There are multiple mysteries going on at the same time that all converge by the end of the book. The author does a great job of keeping your interest in all of these and wondering what is really going on. There was also a greater sense of camaraderie with the town in this one. Lots of great secondary characters and we get to see how Jack and Elizabeth from the first book are doing. I am looking forward to many more books from this author.
(arc was provided by author for an honest review)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book has it all – romance, suspense, intrigue, action, drama, and light comedy.
Journalist Maria Carvania believes in the justice system. After the death of her brother at the hands of Venezuelan drug lord Benito Juarez, she set herself on a path to bring Juarez to justice. If she can manage to stay alive long enough.
Ex-Special Forces soldier Seth Harris has spent the last six years making his life as simple and peaceful as possible. He is tired of killing, weary of war. All he wants is to teach literature and spend his summers on his mountain in Western Kentucky. When the DEA dumps Maria “Pollyanna” Carvania into his lap and disappears, Harris must find a way to rid himself of her or face the apocalyptic rage that led him to destroy Juarez’s father years ago.
First Do No Evil by Carey Baldwin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Loved this book. The author is a physician and boy you could tell through out this book. The first three chapters blew me away both with the introduction of the hero and heroine and with the detailed explanations of medical procedures that had to be performed. Don’t say this often but I also fell in love with the hero from his first words in the book.
Dr. Skylar Novak goes through life determining the threat level and quickest escape route of every place she goes due to seeing her father killed and being both physically and almost sexually assaulted by the person that killed her father when she was a younger. She thinks she is finally happy in her life now that she has her clinic, her brother and her fiance. As she is waiting for her favorite diner to open where she is meeting her brother and fiance she runs into detective Daniel Benson who is quite the flirt and if she wasn’t already engaged she would be charmed by. But everything changes in the blink of an eye. A robber comes in and destroys her happiness again by killing her fiance and shooting Daniel who was trying to defuse the hostage situation.
Skylar’s brother Garth is the creator of a vaccination that cures a specific form of breast cancer. The same form that killed there mother and also the type that Skylar has test positive for. Skylar supports her brothers research and longs for the drug to be approved by the FDA so it can finally be made available to the many women that need it. She refuses to take a dose for herself until its on the market and readily available to everyone.
Three months after the shooting Daniel is still on leave due to his shoulder not being back to 100%. Daniel is the single father to a teenage girl who is going through so major issues due to her father’s job and her mother’s suicide when she was little. He is also having a hard time letting go of this feeling that the robbery was not all it seemed like it was. He decides he needs to ask Skylar more questions about her Fiance’s death.
This starts the balling rolling on more twist and turns than you could imagine. You just sit back and hang on for the ride through every shock that comes at you. The book just flowed from beginning to end and I couldn’t wait to see what the author was going to throw at us next.
Out of Control by Desiree Holt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
**This book is not for the faint at heart**
Book opens 25 years ago with 7yr old Carrie Nolan and her sister being held and raped by a pedophile clown. After being raped herself she had to listen as her younger sister was raped and murdered. Due to being interrupted the killer got away but Carrie lived.
Now 25 years later she is going by a new name, Dana Moretti ,and is a very well known published crime novelist who has in her research for her books helped bring to light the identity of a of few serial killers.
After many failed attempts at relationships due to her not being able to be intimate with or to trust men she decides she is going back to her home town and write a book about the killer who haunts her nightmares. The town does not know who she is really is but does not want that ugly thing that happened all those years ago brought back up again. What Dana doesn’t realize is the killer still lives in the town and he recognizes her instantly and wants to finish what he started 25 years ago.
Sheriff Cole Landry, used to come to High Ridge when he was younger to visit with his Aunt and Uncle on their ranch. After 10 years in the service he needed to escape the horrors of Iraq and Afghanistan, and at his uncle’s urging took the open Sheriff’s position. He is not happy with the stranger that has come to his town that is stirring up things better left forgotten. Not long after she arrives there is a murder and then another. Dana tries to tell the Sheriff she thinks it’s the same person that killed all those children years ago but he doesn’t want to believe that her theory that the killer is someone that has lived in the town all these years and is someone they all know well.
Cole realizes that he very attracted to Dana but also knows two things – one she isn’t being totally honest with him as to why she is there and also that she is suffering from PTSD.
I thought the author did a great job of showing how what happened to Carrie/Dana 25 years ago still affected her life today. She didn’t just have Cole and Dana jump into bed together right away. I really liked how Cole was very patient with her and how when the time came Dana faced her demons and allowed herself to finally feel pleasure with a man she had come to trust.
We get the point of view of the killer as he takes the girls and women (current day) and get a pretty graphic description of what he does to them. This is where I warn it’s not for the faint at heart. If you don’t think you can read about the torture and rape of 10 yr old girls then don’t read this book. But as we all know from reading headlines unfortunately these types of things do happen in real life. I applaud the author for taking this subject matter on and writing a great book about it. She also shows us what happened to those parents of all those children that were killed 15 years ago, that a parent never gets over losing a child like that.
Catch Me A Cowboy by Katie Lane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Shirlene Dalton had it all. She was married to the richest guy in Bramble, TX and spent money like there was no tomorrow. But when he up and dies suddenly with his company on the verge of bankruptcy which also means the town is in jeopardy, Shirlene keeps on spending to get over her grief and pays no attention that she has no way of paying off loans and ignores warning’s from the bank until she is evicted from her mansion. Shirlene didn’t start off in life with a silver spoon in her mouth. She grew up dirt poor living in a trailer with no father and an absentee alcoholic mother. When she is evicted she has no other place to go but back to that trailer with Bubba Wilkes as a neighbor, who she thinks is one the dumbest and biggest rednecks in Texas.
Bubba Wilkes thinks Shirlene is nothing but a gold digging woman. And it also turns out Bubba is not who he acts and says he is. He wants revenge against the folks of Bramble, TX.
But both Bubba and Shirlene have surprises in store for them. Shirlene realizes she has four homeless kids that been living in her mobile home ranging from 17 to less than a year. She butts heads with the kids yet cannot make herself turn them in even though she doesn’t have a dollar to her name nor really knows anything about taking care of kids. Bubba even though he came to Bramble to set the town up to fail has found himself really liking the town folks and also beginning to see that Shirlene has more to her that what he first thought.
We go on this emotional journey with Bubba (who is really Billy) and Shirlene which includes some tears and heartbreak. You find yourself rooting for these two to work everything out and get there HEA.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Both Megan Hunter and Nathaniel West had been through hell in their lives.
Megan
being bounced around the system that didn’t protect her that got her thrown in juvie at such a young age only to be raped repeatedly over and over. After surviving that she finally meets her brother but one of the guards that had been part of her rape turns out to be someone her brother works with and she shoots him. After running and her brother taking the rap for her she ends up addicted to heroin and pregnant and in jail where she has her baby. After a lot more drama Megan now has custody of her daughter and a job and the love and support of her brother and sister in law. But she has never forgiving herself for her past and doesn’t think she will ever be able to let a man touch her without remembering the past.
Nate
was in the Marines and stationed in Afghanistan when his team was on their way back was hit by an IED. The right side of his body from his ear to his leg had sustained second and third degree burns. He lost many good friends in the blast and even the ones that did manage to survive some took their own lives after due to the horrific damage to their bodies. His fiancé left him due to not being to handle the way he looked now. Nate ended up going back to live with his father and working with horses and living a sheltered life away from others so they wouldn’t be disgusted with the way he looked.
Both Megan and Nat had the same views about themselves. Neither could imagine anyone loving them the way they were. Megan had the hardest time dealing with this strange attraction to a man. I loved how Pamela compared it to the intense longing for heroin but instead of it being something dark and desperate is was something pure and clean. Many addicts are surprised in there sobriety that they can actually feel emotions like that and it not be for something bad. Nate couldn’t image a woman looking at him and not cringing at all of his scars. Our hero wore his scars and the outside and our heroine wore hers on the inside. It was very touching to see that the two of them were like the antibiotic the other needed to heal.
I have to also say that I loved the wedding epilogue was sooo touching that it brought tears to my eyes and I wasn’t even actually here.
Now to Marc and Julian Make a Beer Run – LOVED IT. We have everyone from the iTeam (husbands, wives and children) at Zack’s house for a BBQ to welcome back Megan and Nate from their honeymoon. This little short story is why I feel in love with these guys. The humor and teasing when they are all together (that and they are all so damn sexy). And even though it was a short story it was still full of action and all the great lines these guys come up with while they in stressful situations . “This shit just got real”
Darkness Awakened by Stephanie Rowe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am not an easy sell on paranormals and was leery to read this. But holy moly this was a great read.
Stephanie Rowe has created a wonderful new series. Two thousand years ago Ezekiel and his twin brother Caleb lived with an abusive father. The King of the land was no better killing men and women just for the fun of it. Ezekiel fell in love with a girl who the King kidnapped. When Ezekiel couldn’t get to her at the King’s castle it sent him over the edge. Ezekiel knew of a stream that would create mythical warriors. Ezekiel and Caleb drank from the steam and then went and defeated the King. But Evangeline died in Ezekiel arms. This caused Ezekiel to go mad and kill everyone in the kingdom including women and children. From this Ezekiel created a band of warriors called The Order that was to rid the world of evil. But Ezekiel in his madness became paranoid- began seeing evil in everything. Caleb decided his brother needed to be stopped and set out with his wife who he hoped would keep him from going rogue and 20 men to drink from the stream to create an army to defeat Ezekiel. Caleb and his army did defeat Ezekiel but at the expense of Caleb’s wife. Caleb managed to imprison Ezekiel in a magical prison but he went crazy over the loss of his wife and his men had to kill him. Thus the legacy was born. The Calydon warriors’ purpose was the keep the world safe from evil and when needed to kill a Calydon warrior and/or his sheva (mate) when the Calydon warrior went rogue/mad after finding her.
Dante has been the leader of the Order for 700 years but with his death Quinn Masters is next in line. After a disastrous mission that left all of his young Calydon warriors in training dead and it looking like his best friend Elijah did it, Quinn knows he must figure out what is going on. After waking up from almost dying he heads to his cabin where Grace Matthews is waiting and he knows right away she is his sheva.
Grace Matthews is an illusionist. One who can call upon images to make those around her believe what she is projecting. Her sister is also one and has been kidnapped and Grace has come to Quinn for his help in finding her.
They both realize there is a connection between them but Grace refuses to believe that love can make a person go mad to a point of no return. All she wants is to get her sister back.
As the story progresses we find out how and why Dante and Elijah died and that the walls that are keeping Ezekiel in are crumbling and he seems to be controlling people on the outside. One of the men he is controlling is the one that took Grace’s sister Ana. They also come across Dante’s son Drew who they know they need to protect at all cost.
This was a great start to a new series. I am already all wrapped up in this world and can’t wait until Gideon and Lily’s story which is next. I am hoping that Ana’s story is the 3rd book.
Cold Day in Hell by Monette Michaels
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another kick ass heroine.. Calista Meyers is a supermodel who was tricked into doing a fashion shoot in Columbia. What it really was a way to get her into the country where a bad paramilitary leader planned to kidnap her and keep her as his woman. After threatening her twin brothers if she attempts to leave the country she calls her childhood friend Keely Walsh and SSI for an extraction out of the country.
SSI sends Risto Smith to rescue Callie. Risto has never met anyone like Calista before. She looks like a supermodel but was trained in warfare games and to be a sniper by her father and the Walsh’s.
This comes in really handy as Risto and Callie have a heck of a time getting out of Columbia. I love Ms Michaels kickass women.
Once they make it out of Columbia Risto leaves her in Panama and disappears. Dumbass men always thinking they arent good enough.. After finding out that Cruz was kicked out of Columbia and is in the US after her she calls for help again.. This time Risto and team along with our sniper Callie set up to take the bad guys down in one bad ass shootout in the UP of Michigan.
We do finally get to meet the DOD traitor at the end of this book (no not his identity) and he is pissed that SSI keeps foiling his plans and plans to take them out once and for all before they figure out his identity.
Looking forward to the next book..
Eye of the Storm by Monette Michaels
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oh man talk about one kick ass heroine. This book starts off with the heroine kickin butt and saving the day and doesnt really stop. Has so many hot alpha men in it you want them all.. It also has some laugh outloud moments and a very funny scene about vegetables. I cannot wait for what I hope is a long series.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
In Cherry’s 2nd book in the Lodestone series we start off with a twist on the don’t drink the Kool-Aid. At a wedding reception someone spikes the champagne with an aphrodisiac and all inhibitions are lost.
Rand Maguire used to be a stuntman and is now security specialist to the stars. His current job was to protect the celebrity guests at a wedding. Well that didn’t turn out so great. He calls Zak from the Lodestone group asking to send someone that can help figure out what and who could have done this. Was it a terrorist act or someone’s sick sense of humor?
Dakota North is sent to the hotel by Zak because of her previous history as a pharmaceutical chemist. Dakota and Rand’s father were the creators of DL6-94 which she thinks the guest were given. Its highly addictive and lethal in large doses. Which Rand knows all too well, since his mother died from it and his father is in jail for her murder. All of which he blames Dakota for.
Dakota has the same type of ability Zak does. She can touch an object and see coordinates to track the owner of the item. This leads Rand and Dakota on a chase from Monte Carlo to Barcelona to a bank. But when they get there they find the aphrodisiac has been released airborne and everyone is dead. Both Rand and Dakota inhale the toxin and whew for the next couple of pages you need a fan and a cigarette after.
From here we are taken on a wild ride. It is nonstop action from Spain to France where they scour the catacombs under the Paris streets to jumping out of a moving vehicle. You start to get the impression that both the bad guys and the good guys are not who they say they are.
During all of this both Rand and Dakota are still dealing with the pain of their broken engagement 2 years before. She is still in love with him but due to many misunderstandings he thinks he hates her even though he is still very attracted to her.
From the opening scene to the shocking ending this book was one thrill ride. I look forward to the next book in this series.
Nobody’s Perfect by Kallypso Masters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The healing of Savannah Gentry
This book takes us through Savannah’s life from 8-19. Then onto Savi Baker’s life 19-27. And then finally back to Savannah’s life.
Savannah lived through the most horrid things from 8-19 from her sick and perverted father and his business associate, Lyle. The only bright light during that time was her one night with Damián Orlando. After that wonderful night in her otherwise nightmare of a world she was gifted with a child. The pregnancy gave her the strength to run away from her father. She ended up in a church where a priest and a wonderful woman took her under there wings and Savi Baker was born.
Savi Baker had gone to school and had become a social worker who worked with young abuse victims. Without any explanation she lost her job and was wondering how she was going to support herself and her daughter Mari. She didnt know at the time that her father was behind her losing her job and that he had sent Lyle to bring her and her daughter back to him. Savi manages to escape and goes to the only person she can think of to protect her, Damian.
Damian as also never forgotten Savannah since that night eight years ago. He had no idea what hell had delivered her back to but since that night he had also been through his own hell and was still fighting both PTSD and shame over his disability. When Savannah show up as his door beaten and bruised with her daughter he doesn’t know what to think. But within a short amount of time he finds out Mari is his.
Damian vows to protect them both with his life but realizes there is more to Savi’s past than he ever knew. Savi’s flashbacks are horrid and he realizes she doesn’t trust men and wants nothing to do with anyone ever touching her.
From here the journey to Savi’s healing begins. Everyone from Adam and Carla to Marc and Grant rally to help Savi become Savannah again. The scenes in the Club between Damian and Savi were so touching in how he was able to bring out all of Savi’s demon’s front and center so they could be dealt with.
There is justice for Savannah in this book which was long over due in her life. From the moment we saw Damien and Savannah all those years ago we knew they were meant to be together and was fantastic to finally get to read there journey to that place.
Marc and Angelina are still going through a rough patch in their relationship that is not concluded in this book.
Adam and Karla are doing well in there relationship as they prepare for the birth of there first child.
And the cliffhanger between Luke and Cassie – this had to be one of the cruelest things in the book 🙂
This book was so worth the wait. Kally has done another exception job of writing heartfelt characters that you love.
Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Jill Shalvis has a great comedic talent. I laughed so hard the first 3 chapters. This was the last of this trilogy but a big WHOOP that there will be more Lucky Harbor books to come.
Grace was the new girl in town when this trilogy started. Through the other two books we saw her form a friendship with Mallory and Amy. She was on the run from her old life and not having a lot of luck getting a job in her field of expertise. Through a misdialed number the hunky Dr Josh Scott accidentally gets her and is in dire need of a dog walker. Grace needing the money accepts and once she gets to his house chaos and hilarity ensue (I am laughing all over again just thinking about it)
Josh does not have and easy life. Right after his residency he found himself a single father along with being the caretaker of his paralyzed sister after an accident that kills their parents and disables her. Five years later he is overworked, and most of his time is devoted to his father’s practice and his time in the ER. At heart Josh is a selfless man. His sole goal is to help other and never thinks of himself but in turn he doesn’t understand and is over protective of his 21 year old sister and has lost a bit of control over his son as the only words he speaks are “wuf” like the dog.
When Grace comes into the household with her also being a caretaker she cant help but to try and step in and fix things. Her and Josh both struggle for a bit with their attraction to each other but that doesn’t last long.
The wonderful cast of older characters in the town of Lucky Harbor once they catch wind of these two are relentless again at trying to push them together.
Another funny and heartfelt addition to the Lucky Harbor series.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Only Jill Shavis could take an overall crappy week and make me laugh and forget my troubles for a couple hours.
Even though this is book 4 in the series it’s really like the first of three new books in the series. We are introduced to all the characters in this book. We meet all 3 of the heroine’s in the Eat Me Cafe as a storm is going on outside which cause some outright laugh out loud moments.
Mallory Quinn is an ER nurse who has always played it safe in her life. As the three women are cowering together after the storm breaks the windows and knocks the power out in the Cafe, Amy and Grace convince her to stop looking for Mr. Right and go for a Mr. Wrong. Not long after she finds him passed out from a head injury in the snow in front of the Cafe.
Ty Garrison is in Lucky Harbor to heal from injuries he received while on a mission that killed everyone but him. All he wants is to heal and get his release to get back on duty. He doesn’t want attachments to anyone romantic or otherwise. When his nightmares wake him up he decides to go for a drive and ends up at the Cafe but is injured trying to get in.
Mallory and Ty do the dance of not wanting each other but it doesn’t last very long. But Mallory keeps telling herself this is just her getting her Mr. Wrong out of her system and Ty just can’t seem to help himself even though he plans to leave as soon as the Dr gives him the ok. He doesn’t understand his strange pull to Mallory and soon to the town.
I absolutely loved this book. It’s such a feel good book that will bring you out of any funk you might be in.
I cannot wait for Amy and Matt’s book next so we can finally see why Amy has been pushing away and avoiding Matt. Then we get the yummy Dr Josh and Grace’s book.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Great suspense novel that has dual story lines that end up interconnecting. Beth and her two children have been on the run from her abusive husband, a Congressman who has a secret he wants to kill Beth for knowing, for ten months. Beth’s Uncle, unknowingly to her, sets her up with a job with an old Nam buddy of his. But before Beth gets there he dies. His nephew (a cop who is on medical leave) has inherited the place and decides to keep Beth on for the job his Uncle had hired her for as he can tell there is something bad Beth and the kids are running from that has traumatized them.
The other story line is Riverside Killer who abducts, rapes and murders women who all bear similar appearances. And the Killer now how his sites set on Beth.
This was the first book I had read by this author and being a lover of romantic suspense I was very pleased at how well written this book was.
Nobody’s Hero by Kallypso Masters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have been waiting for Adam’s book since meeting this extraordinary man in Master at Arms. As none of the books in this series should be read as stand alone I am not going to give a review as if it was.
Its been 9 years since Adam saved Karla from a pimp at a bus station and she has been in love with him ever since.
The title of this book is what Adam has to overcome through out this book – thinking he is Nobody’s Hero.
There were two main things that always prevented Adam from giving in to his feelings for Karla and starting a relationship. His guilt over his dead wife Joni and the 25 year age difference between them. As he was recovering from saving Karla from a cougar his defensive’s were down and in the midst of a dream and days of being on pain killers made love to Karla. I think the author did a fantastic job of showing us both sides of a relationship between two people with such a vast age difference. Adam has 50 years of pain and regret on his soul where as Karla has all the insecurities of a woman her age. I am in my mid forties and I could still remember having all those feelings and thoughts that Karla did – no matter the age men and women never seem to look or feel they same about something that happens in the relationship. Most of the times the guy is left scratching his head wondering what he did he wrong as Adam did through most of this book. I loved being on the journey with this two as Adam finally conquered all of his demons from the past and Karla finally got her man.
As with with the first book this book doesn’t just deal with one couple. We get to see how Marc and Angelina’s relationship is progressing. And then when something tragic happens in Damian’s family that takes him back to CA this reunites him with Savannah who is now a mother and a counselor but who wants nothing to do with him until something sends her running for his protection at the end of the book setting up there book that comes out this year.
I loved this book and I am looking forward to all the future ones in this series.
Edge of Survival by Toni Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
5 stars for the suspense and realistic scene descriptions and a very realistic look at a person living with diabetes.
Cameran Young is a biologist who along with her team has come to the northern Canadian bush to do a Environment Impact Assessment. When they arrive in town and are waiting for the helicopter pilot that is going to take them to the ship where they will be stationed for the next 3 month they realize the miners aren’t happy they are there fearing they are going to ruin their jobs. Once the pilot shows up Cam decides to head to the bathroom for a quick break and gets the shock of her life. A dead body of a young woman.
Daniel Fox used to work for the United Kingdom Special Forces known as SAS (Special Air Service). After having to leave in unfavorable circumstances due to something tragic that happened on his last mission he decides to come to Canada to be a helicopter pilot. His way of getting through life was drinking and having meaningless sex to keep his mind off of the disaster his life had become. After going to check on Cam and finding what she found in the bathroom he realizes his ingrained instincts to protect are still there and he isn’t happy about it.
Cam and Daniel aren’t your typical Hero and Heroine. We as the reader’s know that Daniel is suffering from PTSD even though he hasn’t figured it out himself. Daniel does something early in the book that would probably turn most women off but for me I understood he was in emotional pain and was just looking to numb it anyway he could. Cam has diabetes type 1. She has had it since she was 14 and has decided that she isn’t going to let it rule her life and keeps tight control over it. When Daniel first see’s her injecting herself with insulin he thinks she is a junkie but once she explains he is even more frustrated with himself because now he really feels he has to protect this woman who comes out to the bush with a disease he doesn’t really understand and he doesn’t understand his attraction to Cam either and he tries to fight it so hard at first.
We get quite a few POV’s in this book. One of the characters I liked the best was a Staff Sergeant with the Canadian Mounties. Poor guy gets called to the scene of the murder after he had taken a Viagra on the advice of his marriage counselor and his wife to try and save his marriage. They convinced him he was suffering from ED. So his first meeting with a young female officer that has been assigned to him is quite comical.
I loved the scene descriptions of where this book took place. There wasn’t only the threat from multiple bad guys but also from nature and the animals.
I also have to give the author credit for a very realistic description of a person living with diabetes. My son has type 1 and I can tell you everything Cam goes through is very realistic. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Only Fear by Anne Marie Becker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
For anyone looking for a new suspense author to read – look no further. This was an intense book with a twisted serial killer that loves to prey on your fears.
Maggie Levine who is a psychiatrist has been though hell in her life. First her best friend was killed by a serial killer when they were 13. Then a patient who has a sick fascination with her kills her brother and then tries to kill her. Now on her radio talk show she has been getting strange calls from someone with an obsession with her and wants her to know fear.
Damian Manchester (who was the father of the 13 year old best friend) runs a private security business dedicated to catching serial murderers.
Former Secret Service Agent Ethan Townsend works for Damian is assigned to protect Maggie. Ethan has something very painful in his past that has prevented him from opening up and becoming close to anyone but Maggie seems bring out his most protective instincts and he finds himself very attracted to her even though he is fighting to save her from the Fearmonger.
Redneck Romeo by Lorelei James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fifteen books and many many book years later have passed from our first introduction to the McKay’s. I think this was a huge book in the series for many reasons. Some I could say – Dalton McKay is the last of the adult generation of McKays – and other’s are spoilers and you need to experience it reading the book but know that you will need a have a box of Kleenex handy. Through out many of the books we’ve been given glimpses of Dalton, some of those didnt make sense at the time – why he did some of the things he did. But in this book we find out about his whole life from almost the beginning to present day. And boy let me tell you that was quite a story.
In reading this book it made me glad that we got the point of view of Sierra and Rory in Gone Country because it had already given us so much insight into Rory that we didnt need a lot of her back story and this left lots of room for Dalton’s which needed to be told. One of my favorite scenes from the book is when they first met when they were around 9 years old. Their path to their HEA was not a typical or easy one but time and maturity finally put them back together at the right time.
I think this book is some of Lorelei’s best writing. Yes there is her wonderful humor and plenty of hot nekkid sex but the emotional family issues that she delves into in this book were deep and heartbreaking and beautifully written.
Because of You by Jessica Scott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This goes on the list of best books read in 2011. This author is career Army who’s married to a Army man and they have two kids. As I read this book I could feel all of the horrors of war coming through the pages. Not just in what happens to our guys and gals overseas but what happens to them when they come home and not always in one piece. Its also about the wives that stay home and basically raise the kids as a single parent and how they deal with there husbands being deployed more time than they are home.
Be prepared for a very emotional journal with this book.
I cannot wait to read the next book as there were many cliffhangers left at the end of this book.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow bring your oxygen when reading this book. From beginning to end its non stop action and suspense. I couldn’t put the book down till I finished it.
This book literally picks up 10 days after Red Heat where we saw U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Clint Walker jump into the sea and swim away with stolen plan’s from the Chinese. Clint has to make it back to the US with the chip and isn’t having much luck. He finally decides to stow away on a cargo ship that headed out into the Alaskan Bering Sea. When he knocks on the captain’s door late that night hoping to get the captain’s cooperation he is shocked to find that the captain is a woman.
Captain Samantha Richardson doesn’t trust men as far as she can throw them. Between her ex husband betraying her and having to constantly fight her father on having the career she wants she is out to prove herself with delivering the cargo with no issues. Having a man force his way into her room with a gun pointed at her isn’t the way she saw things going.
Neither Clint nor Sam expect the flash of heat that suddenly sparks between them. But once Clint explains he needs a ride and its of national security that he gets to the US she reluctantly agrees that he can stay on as one of her crew.
When Sam and Clint finally give in to there attraction and are busy making interesting use of a hammock the ship is hijacked and from there its non stop action till almost the last page. The way the author writes I felt like I was right there with them hiding out and doing all the dangerous things it took to get her crew back.
I cannot wait for the next exciting adventure in this series.
Saturday Night Special by Mari Carr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
By far the best and funnest of the series.. This could be a stand alone book.. Riley Collins and Aaron Young have been friends since they were 3 yrs old. Aaron has always been there to get the wild child of the Collins family out of trouble.. Riley’s latest stunt has her taking off to Vegas with a guy friend on the outs with his wife.. The family turns to Aaron to go retrieve her when they find out. After he finally tracks her down and see’s she is drunk and finally admits something he’s been waiting to hear for a long time he takes her to a chapel and marries her.. Now when she wakes up in Aaron’s arms she doesn’t remember anything from the night before. And then the comedy commences.. We have the pissed off baseball bat swinging wife of the guy Riley went to Vegas with and who they promise to find even though they know he took off with a hooker the night before. And in looking for the husband they come across a down-on-her-luck hooker, and a Wayne Newton lookalike taxi driver who’s in love with the hooker that ran off with the estranged husband they are looking for..
Deal with the Devil by Diana Duncan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Warning you will laugh through most of this book. What a refreshing read. Cynthia Wagner is staying at a friends house in the ‘burbs when her apartment in the city is getting renovations. She is under a deadline to get a new video game for work created.. Unfortunately the neighbor next door Rory Devlin is a hot distraction and the niece and nephews he is baby sitting keep getting in the way. The twin nephew boys get a sucker stuck in her hair, kill her laptop, and then a stink bomb is launched into the house she is staying at. Then she moves in with Rory and the insanity so she can continue to work on her deadline. There was so much humor in this book and watching Cyn and Rory fall in love was very sweet. There is alot more things that that the twins do – a psycho woman after Rory – meeting Rory’s other 9 siblings who it looks like will get there own stories in the future. My first read by this author and I loved it.
A Perfect Storm by Lori Foster
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This latest book in the series is to me more of a character driven story than action and suspense. Now I am not saying there is anything wrong with that because I think it was the best way to write Arizona’s story. I think Ms Foster did an outstanding job with Arizona and Spencer’s story.
Arizona was sold by her father to a human trafficking ring. She endured many horrors during this time and after months managed to escape only to be caught again and thrown off a bridge to die. She was saved by Jackson who took her in and sent her off to school to try not only giving her an education but also some lessons on how to be a young lady.
In Jackson’s book all she wanted was to kill the woman who took her all those years ago. But Spencer had his own plans for revenge as she was also remotely responsible for his wife’s death. He was the one to kill her in the end and Arizona felt he robbed her of the revenge that she felt she needed to bring closure to that part of her life.
We find Arizona sitting on Spencer’s bed watching him sleep after breaking into his place. She is so full of conflicted emotions. It’s her birthday and she is physically 21 but we the reader can see that in some ways she is very much older than that and in others can see that she still has all the insecure thinking of a young lady with the added confusion on relationships and sex of someone that was sexual abused.
She has come to Spence because she thinks she has found another human trafficking ring and she wants Spence to be her back up. This is a huge step for Arizona to ask for help and to even share her feelings.
Spencer struggles with his feelings for Arizona. One the one hand he finds her extremely attractive but he also knows she is 11 years younger than him and he still thinks he isn’t over his wife. But he also knows that she doesn’t give trust easy and she always seems to have her nose in trouble and needs someone watching her back.
From here we get to watch as Spence tries to get Arizona comfortable with intimacy but always with the understanding that he was not the long term man for her. It was very amusing to watch Spence squirm with the sex questions Arizona would ask – she is very blunt and to the point 🙂
It was a great emotion journey we took with Arizona as she faced alot of her fears not only in having sex with Spence but also with the team and their wives on building a family bond.
If You Hear Her by Shiloh Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If it was the authors intent to get you so invested in all the characters and then leave you hanging until January dying to know what happens next then she succeeded. The end of this book has so many cliffhangers.
As this was the first book in the series its a little slow going at first as we get to meet the characters. Actually the first character we get to meet is the killer and his victim. We do not get to find out who the killer is in this book. I dont even have a guess yet as to who the killer is.
Lena is the main heroine of this book. She is blind and a chef. She hears a woman screaming in the middle of the night but when she goes to the police they dont believe her.
Ezra is our main hero and he is in Ash on leave from the police dept after being shot and finding out his female partner and lover was dirty. He is in the police station when Lena comes in and he decides he is going to help her.
Their love story wasnt full of conflict or back on forth – its was a steady flow through out the book.
We also meet and get POVs from Remy Jennings who is the DA in Ash (he is the hero in the second book). Then we have Hope (heroine of 2nd book) who comes to Ash at the request of her best friend Law Reilly (who is also Lena’s best friend) who is a suspense author (and hero of the 3rd book). Hope was severely abused by her ex husband who is a cop and she is not the most mentally stable person due to this. We do briefly at the end of this book get to meet Nia (the heroine of the 3rd book)
IMO – there really isnt a way to talk about this book without giving away the plot points of the book which I think the reader needs to experience for themselves.
I am not happy I have to wait until January for Remy and Hope’s book {{wink}}
If You See Her by Shiloh Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book picks up exactly where If You Hear Her ended with Hope and Law in the hospital after there brutal attack. Remy Jennings who is the DA based on the evidence thinks that Hope killed Prather, beat Law with a bat and slit her own wrist. He is on his way to arrest her after talking to her psycho as hell ex husband and believing his lies.
After evidence finally proves Hope didnt do it Remy goes to apologize but Hope not liking and fearing all forms of any one in law enforcement doesn’t want anything to do with him.
I liked that we finally got to know more about Hope and what happened to her in her marriage to make her the way she was. Remy was very understanding with her and didnt push there relationship.
As this series of books seem to just end and start where the last one left off it was nice to also see the continuing relationship of Lena and Ezra.
The killer in this book was around but he played a slightly different part in this book which was kind of interesting. I still dont know for sure who it is. I think I have an idea of what his last name is but since there are soo many people with that last name in this series I am not quite sure which one.
Looking forward to the 3rd and final book in this series so we can all finally see who this illusive killer is.
If You Know Her by Shiloh Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
We pick up 6 months after Jolene Hollister’s death with her cousin Nia still not over her cousins death and doesn’t feel closure even with what happened at the end of the 2nd book.
Then we go into the killers head and find out about his first kill and how it came about. Interesting for me the author made it look like if his first love hadn’t goaded him to get rough with her while having sex he may not have found out he had a taste for killing in that manner. The killer at Ezra and Lena’s wedding reception well known to others but we still don’t know “who” he is. Some clues are given but still not quite enough.
Nia decides after looking over cases where women were raped and killed and finding a tiny thread that is similar to Jolene’s case that she needs to go back to Ash. Once there she meets with the new sheriff who is Ezra King. It’s in talking to him she finds another eerie similarity that we the readers knew from the first book that Jolene and Lena are dead ringers for each other.
Law had been a lost soul since the attack and his old love Lena getting married and Hope now with Remy. When he sees Nia coming out of the Sheriff’s ofc he doesn’t understand why he suddenly feels alive when he see’s Nia but is beginning to think he is tired of fighting whatever he is feeling for her. Nia too feels that spark but feels it would be a betrayal to her cousin if she gives in and has a night of pleasure with Law. But that doesn’t last long…
Nia has also come under the radar of the killer who is wondering what she is going back in Ash. He has no beef with her if she’s leaves but if she stays and keeps digging…..
From here Nia and Law get alot closer. In one of their conversation about Nia investigating on her own by going out into the woods where Lena heard the screams Law realizes he has an old map of underground tunnels. Ezra, Nia and Law go in to see if they can find them. What they find gives Law nightmares.
From here things start to progress. The killer knows his hideout has been found and starts putting into motion a plan he had all along should this happen. It’s during this that we finally get to find out who the killer is.
For the climactic scene all the couples from all three books are involved. The women actually bond together and have to save themselves.
Reading this series has been an incredible journey. We got to meet 3 couples who all had their stories continued through out all 3 books. We scratched out heads thought out the first two books wondering who the killer was. I was very excited and rubbing my hand together when the killer was finally made known but I was also sad as I read the last words knowing that the series was at an end.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Hands down the best rom/suspense I’ve read so far in 2013. This book is full of so many evil characters and you never know which ones have crossed that line from just being evil to being murderers. You actually feel the creepiness from the characters as your reading. I can tell you I will not be visiting Dark Water ever!!. Lovers of a really good suspense book with a great romance also in the middle of complete insanity this is the book for you.
Wicked: Sweet Temptation by Lily Graison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Book 4 in the series picks up right after book 3.. Faith Weston came to Vegas for her friends wedding (Faith is also good friend with Jessi the h in book 3 and the photographer of the wedding)Unbeknown to everyone else she and Mick Sheppard, the drummer for the band Wicked, have been having wild sex for 4 days.. These two come with a little baggage. Mick had been married to a woman that had taken him to the cleaners so he decides to just be the love em and leave type guy..
Faith Weston is the daughter of a minister, she’s lived her life on the straight and narrow knowing no man would stand up to her fathers standards.
As Faith is on the way home she find a picture of her and Mick together in a Vegas newspaper that is pretty clear what they were doing.. Mick at the same time finds a marriage certificate that falls out of his pants pocket and then proceeds to have a panic attack and starts screaming..
I think I liked this book the best of the series and sad its the last one..
To Command and Collar by Cherise Sinclair
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a book to be savored, read slowly so you can have time to process everything that happens in this book. I have loved every book in this series and all the characters from them but this one was so much more intense that its now my favorite. I am sure when the next one comes out I will feel the same way about it too 🙂
Don’t Mess with Texas by Christie Craig
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Being a first book in the series we get the premise for all the books in this one. Three cops, Dallas, Austin and Tyler who were framed for murder and sent to prison for 16 months and are finally proven innocent and released and started there own PI business.. This book is about Dallas O’Connor and his brother Tony. Our main heroine in this book is Nikki Hunt who if it wasn’t for rotten luck she wouldn’t have any.. Secondary heroine is LeAnn O’Connor, Tony’s estranged wife. I am not going to rehash what you can read on the back of the book but this book has alot of LOL moments and plenty of good lovin.. Cant wait for the next book Blame it on Texas..
Savage Awakening by J.D. Tyler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
LOVING THIS SERIES…
The book picks up where the previous books ended. Aric Savage was taken captive by his evil witch of a step sister in the first book. We pick up with him being tortured by her. Once she is done he is taken and experimented on and then thrown in a cage and see’s that a team mate they thought was killed in the beginning of the first book, Micah Chase is in the cage next to him near death.
Rowan Chase is a tough LAPD officer who works in the gang infested East Side. After having to shoot a gang member who went rogue and put on leave she gets news about a possible location of where her brother Micah might be after being told he died in the line of duty 6 months before.
Rowan shows up at the compound where the Alpha Pack is housed and after being greeted by a pack of wolves and a black panther who suddenly turn into men she faints dead away.
Nick (the leader of the Alpha’s) decides to tell Rowan the truth about them and about her missing brother. She of course has a hard time believing this but when she finds out they are preparing a mission to rescue what they hope are Aric and Micah she wants in.
The team does manage to get Aric and Micah back but were not able capture Aric step sister or Dr Bowman who has been experimenting on all shifters.
Aric realizes right away that Rowan is his mate but doesn’t feel he deserves her for not telling the team about his witch of a step sister that got so many of the team killed. Rowan also feels the pull but ignores it and try’s to concentrate on just helping her brother who is severally scared both on the inside and outside now from his time at the hands of Dr Bowman’s experimentation.
We also see Kalen still struggling with the demon trying to control him and realizing that he may be the doom for the whole team and then mankind.
We learn a little more about this demon. Turns out he has ties to the Fae prince Sariel. We find out that the demon is the king of the Unseelie and is the Fae prince’s father (after having raped his mother) and is the one that has been behind all the attacks on the Alpha’s
I love this world that the author has created. Each book does end with one of the Alpha’s finding their mate and bonding but it also leaves the impending destruction of the world and lots of story arc’s unfinished at the end of each book. I cannot wait for the next one which should be a doozy as its Kalen’s.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is one crabby cowboy.. With 2 failed marrages behind Cole he isnt to fond of the other sex.. He doesnt want Mandy troubled couples on his ranch but Mandy does everything to convince him to let her stay.. The sparks between these two is hot.. And even though he fights the attraction he gives in constantly to Mandy.. At one of her group session she needs a man to help out with her flirting session.. This was a very well written scene and I felt I learned from the group session.. These two are a hoot together and there is plent of humor through out the book. And when the crabby cowboy turns into a major alpha cowboy – ummmm..
Home on the Range by Melinda Barron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Loved this book.. Peyton cant seem to keep a job due to her anger issues and her uncle who raised her is constantly having to send her money.. The books opens with her Uncle Barney asking Sheldon (Peyton’s ex husband and Barney’s ranch forman) to send her more money. Sheldon thinks enough is enough. He want her to come home to the ranch to start earning that money that she keeps asking her uncle for.. They decide that Barney will go on a 6 month vacation and Sheldon will be in charge of getting Peyton back under control via spankings. When Payton comes back and finds out her uncle is leaving for 6 months and she has to sign a contract (which she doesnt read the fine print of) to stay on the ranch for the whole 6 months little miss things anger issues come up again and the discipline begins which was part of the contract she signed and didnt read. This story had alot of substance. It just wasnt a spanking book. They are also running a domestic discipline dude ranch which Peyton doesnt know about at first and just cant comprehend why anyone would agree to getting spanked. There were a few unanswered questions I hope that will be dealt with in a another book.. I started reading this book late and couldnt put it down until I was done (and that was 2:30am) If you like this genre of books this a really good one.
Her Notorious Viscount by Jenna Petersen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a refreshing change of pace.. Just a good ole historical romance. Nicholas left society for London’s underground where he felt like he fit in better.. He never felt like he fit in with the rich and all that came with it. He gets news that his twin brother has died and this devastates him. This forces him to return to society to take his brothers place but to many years in the underground has left him no longer knowing how to act acceptable. Jane was once part of the in crowd within society but with the death of her parents and her brother missing and then declared dead by her cousin she had to become a lady’s companion to Lady Ridgefield. Jane refuses to believe her brother is dead. As she see that Nicholas isnt fitting in she comes up with a plan. She will tutor him on how to act like a gentleman again if he will use is underground contacts to try and locate her brother.. There is alot of humor through the book and the sexual tension between Nicolas and Jane even though they both fight it is very hot. The side characters of Nicholas best friend Ronan “Rage” Riley and his widowed sister in law Lucinda were interesting and it was as I was reading this I found out the author wrote a ebook about there story which I now cant wait to read.
Rogue for a Night by Jenna Petersen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Great follow up to Her Notorious Viscount.. Love the sizzlin love story between Ronan ‘Rage’ Riley’s and Lucinda. These two deserved the happiness they finally got.
Tough Customer by Sandra Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This books starts off with Dodge Hanley getting a call from Caroline King stating their daughter is in trouble. Problem is he hasnt heard from Caroline in 30 years and the last time he saw his daughter was the day she was born 30 years ago.. I coudnt quite figure out exactly what age that made Dodge and Caroline but they had to at least be in there late 50 or early 60’s. But you certainly couldnt tell it from they way they thought or acted.. There story is told through flashbacks. Berry (there daughter) has a stalker who is after her and shoot her coworker at her mother house where they had been working. Then enters local deputy sheriff Ski Nyland. Dodge and Ski team up when the stalker starts killing other people.. This was a great book and its not the most clear cut HEA and it did bring tears but it was very heartfelt..
Hello, Darkness by Sandra Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is what I would call a “busy” book.. There are soo many things going on right from the start. But it had me hooked right off the bat. Being that there is just so much going on I will only say if you like romantic suspense – read this book..
In the Air Tonight by Stephanie Tyler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another great book in the Shadow Force series.. Main characters are Mace and Paige.. Again as with a Stephanie Tyler book you have to hang on for a wild ride.. She has so many POV’s going on and some with there own back story to bring into the ongoing story that continues through all the books.. This one takes place quite time after the last book.. What surprised me is Cael/Caleb and Vivi are back as a secondary romance.. I will not spill the beans on why.. We also get to see or hear about all the characters from the previous books. Looks like Kell is up next and I hope Reid after that…
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved the romance aspect of this book between the hero and heroine. He is such a tortured soul with a gift that for the most part was a curse. Questions are answered that were left from the first book. But I wasnt prepared at first for the abrupt introduction of a new story arc separate from the H/H story in the beginning. It took this book to me to a totally different genre. It took me a while to warm up to the secondary story (view spoiler)
But this also explained why Kyra and the hero in this book (his name changes alot) are the way they are.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reading this book was bittersweet as I knew it was the last in the series
Our hero and heroine in this book are Jared Livingston (I love that name) and Mia Ryker.
We’ve met Jared in previous books and he was always the quite, brooding, angsty anti marriage one..
Mia used to be a LCR operative but Noah had to fire her because she refused to following the rules.
Both Mia and Jared, her through her own Rescue business and him through his ex wife, are pulled into a baby snatching ring.
When Noah and Mia discover they are both probably looking for the same person/group he assigns them both to the case.
They both have things from there past that made them the way they are today which is really complete opposites of each other but you know the saying – opposites attract and when they finally give in its smokin..
I really enjoyed this book.. Sometimes when you get this far into a series the books are not as good as the earlier books. That was not the case here – this 9th book was a good as the 1st one. I hope someday in the future she comes back to this series.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There is a line half way into this book that after I read it I went – this sums up this book.. “thats both profoundly disturbing and erotic” There are cons on top of cons on top on cons in this book.. No one is who they say they are. This book has an intriguing story. One that is very different than anything I have ever read before. She’s a con artist with a “gift” and he’s a hitman with a “heart”.
The Beauty Within by Anna Leigh Keaton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Interesting book. The heroine is both mute and has a prosthetic leg from an accident.. I dont think I have read a book where the only way the heroine can communicate is via signing. And then we have our tortured hero who 10 years younger and on the 5th year of his 10 year parole sentence for something he did when he was 16. I have never seen two people that needed each other more then these two lonely souls. There is also a pet woodchuck and lots of sexy cowboys.. The title of this book is dead on.. Very touching read that had me crying at the end..
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ahh the long awaited book of Tucker’s story… And this book not only starts out with one bang but two.. Our heroine Alexis as a teenager witnessed her home with her family in it being blown up. She goes off the grid for 13 years with the help of a family friend. Tucker is now living in the town he and Drake grew up in basically bored out of his mind but at loose ends with his life since his rescue. He is sitting in a coffee shop when Alexis comes in to meet with the man that helped her as a child. After she leaves – the diner blows up killing her friend.
There are many more explosions through out the book and tons of suspense as there were three different groups of people trying to kill Alexis.
One on the reason I like this series is the author always has all of the characters from the previous books back in each book like a tight knit family. As always I enjoyed the book from beginning to end and look forward to the next one as there were still things left unresolved.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow – This book is HOT.. If your ready for a hefty dose of BDSM mixed in with the hunt for a serial killer by our hero and heroine SIS Officer Caroline Palmer and Homicide Detective Michael ‘Mick’ McGraw then this is the book for you..
There seemed to be alot of controversy over the ending of this book.. Nina Bruhns aka Nikita Black piped in on this forum to explain the ending.. Scroll down until you see N Bruhns post..
http://www.amazon.com/forum/erotic%20…
I applaud the author for standing by her book and also taking the time to explain to those readers about her ending.
You Belong to Me by Karen Rose
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oh how I missed you Karen Rose.. I am so glad to see her back with this new book that starts a new series. Karen can write murder stories like nobodys business.. This was a great start to the series. We got to meet what I am sure are to be future main character in there own books.. The main characters in this book, JD Fitzpatrick, who is a Baltimore homicide detective and Lucy trask an Medical examiner (a job I would never ever ever want) were very well suited for each other. As with all of Karen’s books the bad guy is really bad and does lots of horrific murders which for this reader I dont mind.. If you are a Rose fan then you will like this new book from her.. The only down side is her books are so long and complex that its going to be June 2012 before we get to get the next story… I cant wait…
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Jaid Black was one of the first BDSM authors I read years ago. I read alot of her heavier bdsm novels and some of her Viking novels. And due to that I had stopped reading her books as I wasnt in the same place as I was then.. I somehow missed out on this book because of that. This was a well written book that sex wasnt the main plot. I love(romance)murder mysteries or books with a sick twisted serial killer. In this book Dr. Nikki Adenike come on the radar of the serial killer called “Lucifer,” she manages to escape and Detective Thomas Cavanah whisks her away for her protection.. Now of course there is alot more to the story than that : ) but dont want to give it all away.. Now dont fret – the hero is as big a alpha as they come and there are some hot sex scenes between the two.. And when (view spoiler)
Cowboy Casanova by Lorelei James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ms James has always written the finest kinkiest sex in Wyoming but this detour into the BDSM scene was new. Being an avid reader of BDSM books I’ve learned enough of the lingo to know if an author is not well versed in the knowledge of that world. Well Ms James can write a hot Dom. I am both a big fan of Ms James and Dom/sub books so this was an extra special treat for me. Another great addition to the Rough Rider series.
Collateral Damage by J.L. Saint
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Collateral Damage has everything you look for in a romance/suspense/military book.. You have your hunky angst driven hero, a strong heroine mom who doesnt cower in the face of so many dangerous situations.. You have strong supporting characters which you become just as interested in as you do the H and H… I really liked that you got so many POV in this book.. You not only get the H and H but also the many villians plus some of the secondary characters which for me really helps you understand everything that is going on in the book. Sometimes when you only get the H & H POV you dont always understand the story. This book sold me on the description alone months before it ever came out and it didnt disapoint once I finally got my hands on it. 🙂
Tactical Deception by J.L. Saint
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
You need to read the first book Collateral Damage before reading this one
This was another insanely high intense book. You are on the edge of your seat for the whole book. This continues the story of Roger and Mari, Rico and Angie and Jack and Lauren. The bad guys are home grown terrorist and international terrorist both killing many people here on American soil.
I loved Roger (an American Lt Col) and Mari (who is from Afghanistan) in the first book and couldn’t wait to see how the author was going to tell their story and she didn’t disappoint. Her father who sentenced her to death plays a big role in this book.
Rico and Angie who were both kidnapped along with Lauren’s children in the first book also get plenty of face time in this book. Rico is still not healed physically from his ordeal in Lebanon, the mission that has affected all the men involved deeply. There story does not end with a HEA so I am hoping the next book is about them.
We also go to see the start of what I hope is a future romance between Col Dekker and Airman Holly Gear. We learned more about Beck who is of Native American decent and seems to have an interesting past that the author still just gave us little glimpses of.
Some treads were wrapped up in this book from the first one but many more were started and of course home grown terrorist Frank Dugar is still out there somewhere. I am looking forward to the next installment in this series.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book starts right off with Sophie Barrett going to sign up for a class and then a sniper opens fire on the college campus. I cannot imagine what this would be like. In fear for your own life yet being to helpless and having to watch others get shot. (view spoiler) Jonah Macon a homicide detective is one of the first responders on the scene and also has a bit of history with Sophie.. Afterwards Sophie has a theory that it wasnt just a loan shooter even though Jonah and the police dont quite believe her. But after several attempts on Sophie’s life they finally start looking into that scenario. I really liked this book, there was plenty of action and Sophie and Jonah had plenty of chemistry.. Cant wait for Allison’s story next.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ok..Maybe its because I had just finished rereading Lori’s SBC series or maybe it was just a damn good book but I loved this book.. The prequel novel with Jett and Natalie was a good romance but the action and adventure wasnt there.. The next book with Dare and Mollie had action but I would have liked to have read more about the kidnapping in the beginning. But I loved all the characters that were introduced in that book.. Chris is funny and so loveable as Dare’s assistant… And getting our first glimpse of Trace and his sister Alani (which by the way after reading this book – I cannot wait for Jackson and Alani’s book). This book starts off with Trace undercover and Priscilla comes in and throws a monkey wrench in his plans for the bad guy.. And the action just goes from there.. This book is Lori Foster at her best..
The Heart of a Killer by Jaci Burton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Dante, Gabe, Roman, and Jeff were all foster brothers who in there teens lived with George and Ellen Clemons. They were all friends with Anna Pallino. Anna and Dante were dating and in love. One night Anna is assaulted and the 4 guys beat on the attacker and kill him. Anna’s father is a police officer and she tells the boys to run and that she would handle it with her father. Twelve years later we find Dante coming back to town for the first time since that fateful night for George and Ellen 25th wedding anniversary. Right off the bat another murder occurs in the same alley that Anna was attacked in. There are many more murders before the book is over. This was a very good suspense story and Jaci kept you wondering until the end who did it.
This is the first book in her Killer Series – which she clearly states is a non-erotic romantic suspense series. These are my favorite type series. I hope Gabe’s story is up next so we can find out what he is really doing being a part of the Bertucci Mob family.
Savor the Danger by Lori Foster
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow right off the bat the first two chapters totally ensnare you.. You knew from Trace of Fever that Alani and Jackson were going to be hot together and whew you were thrown right into it…. Chapters 3-5 have Dare, Trace and Jackson going all territorial over Alani. To have all three of them alpha men in one room.. umm umm. This is my favorite of the series.. I cannot wait for Spencer and Arizona book!!!
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
NCIS Special Agent Emily Patterson has gone under cover on Marine Colonel Joe “Magnus” Rivers team of elite Marines. All evidence is pointing to either his team or someone on his team as being part of a sex slave ring.
Magnus doesn’t understand how this woman managed to get on his team. All she does is make mistakes. He shows her no mercy as having a weak link on the team can get them killed. Emily who was raised by a marine father is having a hard time acting like she is incompetent and wants nothing better than to show the foul mouth Colonel how good she really is but she hasn’t cleared him yet on whether is he apart of the kidnappings or not so she has to play the part.
It doesnt take Magnus long to figure out something isnt adding up with Emily and that he is also strongly attracted to her which he considers unacceptable being he lives and breathes by the Marine code of conduct.
Towards the beginning of the book we know its someone on Magnus team because we get his sick POV – yes this man has some sick thoughts. We know he isn’t the head of the ring but we also find out he has a sick fascination with Emily and vows she will be his to torture and make scream and bleed.
Once Emily pulls Magnus in and tells him why she is really there they give into there strong attraction. But Magnus is also all torn up believing that someone on his team and possibly on of his bosses is part of the sex ring.
After they thwart an attempt to take women and children the traitor on the team shoots Magnus and takes Emily. He both physically and sexually assaults her.
Magnus calls in fellow childhood friends and marines to help him get Emily back.
(I read this book when it first came out 2010. The author reedited it and made it longer – I loved both versions)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I knew the moment I read Brenda’s opening note in the book to the readers that she based this book on the TV show Prison Break and what she would have done differently with the romance that was in the show I knew this was going to be a great book.. There is sooo much goin on in the book you are never bored. I dont even know where to start with all the plot points in this book.. So all I will say is if your a fan then read this book.. If your not give this first book in the Bulletproof series a try, you’ll be hooked..
Cindy's 