Midnight Frost by Jennifer Estep

 

Title: Midnight Frost

Author: Jennifer Estep

Series: #5 in the Mythos Academy series

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Kensington Books (July 30, 2013)

Source: NetGalley

Rating: ☕☕☕☕

Synopsis:  Here we go again …

Just when it seems life at Mythos Academy can’t get any more dangerous, the Reapers of Chaos manage to prove me wrong. It was just a typical night at the Library of Antiquities — until a Reaper tried to poison me. The good news is I’m still alive and kicking. The bad news is the Reaper poisoned someone else instead.

As Nike’s Champion, everyone expects me to lead the charge against the Reapers, even though I’m still hurting over what happened with Spartan warrior Logan Quinn. I’ve got to get my hands on the antidote fast — otherwise, an innocent person will die. But the only known cure is hidden in some creepy ruins — and the Reapers are sure to be waiting for me there … 

My Thoughts: Another installment of the never-ending battle between good and evil.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything In Between: So, the thing with this book, or rather Jennifer Estep's writing in general, it is a bit repetitive. Reapers attack. A bunch of kids training to be warriors kill most of them. Rinse. Repeat. Don't get me wrong. That doesn't make this a bad book. There are enough new additions between slightly different scenarios and new characters being brought in that the book has enough of a difference between it and it's predecessors to keep us interested. I have to admit though I am glad there is only one more book in this series though. I'm ready for this story arch to end. Last year I read the first book in her spin off series and enjoyed the newness of the new setting and new characters but even it is still all about a bunch of kids battling Reapers. I'm honestly not sure how long Estep can continue with this same theme with the same bad guys.

With that said I did like the forward movement Gwen had in her life by finding a cousin and learning more about her own dad who was an unknown to us and really to her. I liked Rory and Rachel (but then I already met them when I read the first book in the spin off series last year) and really liked the Colorado setting. I liked the return of Logan even though it was almost at the end of the book. I also liked how Gwen was coming into her own person. She has learned to be just as much of a warrior as the Valkyries and Amazons and has stopped doubting herself. 

In a Nutshell: I enjoyed this book a lot and even though I'm ready for this series to come to an end I'm still looking forward to reading book 6 and the conclusion to this chapter of the Mythos Academy.

Wrong Alibi by Christina Dodd

 

Title: Wrong Alibi

Author: Christina Dodd

Series: #1 in the Murder in Alaska series

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Publisher: HQN  (December 29, 2020)

Source: NetGalley

Rating: ☕☕☕

Synopsis: WRONG JOB

Eighteen-year-old Evelyn Jones lands a job in small-town Alaska, working for a man in his isolated mountain home. But her bright hopes for the future are shattered when Donald White disappears, leaving her to face charges of theft, embezzlement—and a brutal double murder. Her protestations of innocence count for nothing. Convicted, she faces life in prison…until fate sends her on the run.

WRONG NAME

Evelyn’s escape leaves her scarred and in hiding, isolated from her family, working under an alias at a wilderness camp. Bent on vengeance, intent on recovering her life, she bides her time, patiently searching for the man who took everything from her.

WRONG ALIBI

At last, the day comes. Donald White has returned. Evelyn emerges from hiding; the fugitive becomes the hunter. But in her mind, she hears the whisper of other forces at work. Now Evelyn must untangle the threads of evidence before she’s once again found with blood on her hands: the blood of her own family…

My Thoughts: The potential for an amazing suspense filled book was all there but it fell flat in a few ways.

The Good, The Bad, And Everything Else: While I honestly didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted I could be persuaded to read the second book in the series to see where Dodd takes us. The Alaskan setting during the flashback of Petey's first full on dark winter was really interesting and I wished the author would have incorporated that sense of overwhelming fear throughout the book. Petey's  past was interesting particularly her escape and 10 years in hiding. 

Unfortunately I also found the book to have some issues. The book skips from the present to sudden flashbacks making me confused a bit until I realized where in time the story was happening. I also really didn't like any of the characters. Petey/Evelyn is really TSTL....she was a naïve young woman and we're told she becomes quite the badass but we really don't witness any badassery. She does claim to use her long braid as a cutting whip. I don't think this made her seem more kickass but just weird.  The book also tried to be so many things and suffered for it. A romance introduced into the last third of the book was not an asset to the story and just felt wrong considering who they paired Petey up with. We also spent so much time in the past she really didn't feel like an adult to me which made the romance even worse IMO.

In a Nutshell: I'm not sure if I'm willing to give the Murder in Alaska series another try but I definitely will continue to read Dodd.

Bears Behaving Badly by MaryJanice Davidson

 

Title: Bears Behaving Badly

Author: MaryJanice Davidson

Series: #1 in the BeWere My Heart series

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (March 31, 2020)

Source: NetGalley

Rating: ☕☕1/2

Synopsis: These social worker bear shifters give the term "mama bear" a whole new meaning! Bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson is back with this brand-new paranormal romance series featuring a foster care system for at-risk shifter babies and teens.

Werebear shifter Annette Garsea is a caseworker for the Interspecies Placement Agency. When a selectively mute and freakishly strong teen werewolf is put in her custody, Annette has to uncover the young girl's secrets if she's to have any hopes of helping her. And not even the growling of a scruffy private investigator can distract her from her mission...

Bear shifter David Auberon appreciates Annette's work with at-risk teen shifters, but he's not sure if her latest charge is so much a vulnerable teen as a predator who should be locked up. All that changes when he, Annette, and her motley band of juveniles find themselves dodging multiple murder attempts and uncovering a trafficking cartel that doesn't just threaten the kids, but risks discovery of the shifters by the wider world of homo sapiens.

My Thoughts: I really really really wanted to love this book. I didn't.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: So, I a long time ago I was in love once. In love with MaryJanice's sense of humor and everything Queen Betsy. Then over the years what was once an amazing love story between a girl and her fictitious besties The Vampire Queen and her consort Sink-Lair became a systematic relationship breakdown. I started to notice Betsy just wasn't who I thought she was. She's not a smart independent strong woman. She's actually quite distracted by shiny things and spends most of her time in her own head with internal rando thoughts. So, you may be asking, what does the Queen Betsy books have to do with the first book in the BeWere My Heart series...technically nothing unless you mistakenly confuse Annette Garsea with Betsy Taylor. 

You'd think a dingbat Vampire Queen wouldn't have anything in common with a professional social worker who takes her charges seriously, right? True story....unless you read this book and see every time Annette opens her mouth to speak, or worse yet witness all of her unsaid thoughts (the many many many internal musings)(in parenthesis)sometimes italicized but mostly occurring in the middle of another person's dialogue. She was freakin' Queen Betsy in a Werebear hybrid body!

The plot itself was fairly interesting....OK not the Annette wanting but not wanting to want David's body plot....which was what I interpreted as the main plot of the book but rather the plot of child shifter trafficking. That plot was actually really interesting but it was a very deep subject matter for such a lighthearted silly book and took a back seat to the sexual attraction between David and Annette.

In a Nutshell: Overall, I'm super disappointed in this book. I was looking for something humorous but better than the Queen Betsy books. I got a Queen Betsy book starring Shifters instead. I'm not sure I'll read the next book...maybe if it's free...even then, maybe not.

Testing the Limits by Kira Sinclair

Title: Testing the Limits

Author: Kira Sinclair

Series: Stand-alone

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Harlequin (January 1, 2014)

Source: NetGalley

Rating: ☕☕1/2

Synopsis: Wanting him was wrong, but it felt so right…

Social worker Quinn Keller sees the best in people…and the worst. When she rescues a prominent businessman's battered wife, Quinn is targeted by the woman's violent husband. Her only option is to place her safety in the hands of Ranger Jace Hyland—tattooed, scarred, incredibly hot…and the brother of Quinn's deceased fiancé. An entirely different kind of dangerous!

Quinn is the woman Jace has always wanted—and she's strictly hands-off. But keeping her safe means taking her to his small apartment…and his bed. So for one unforgettable night, Jace will give in to the temptation he can no longer resist. One night of forbidden hunger. One night he prays will be enough to satisfy a lifetime of longing….

My Thoughts: Sometimes you really can judge a book by the cover. I've done it and won. Sometimes, like this one, a hot tattooed guy coupled with an intriguing synopsis proves, once again, you shouldn't. 

The Good, The Bad, And Everything Else: I rarely read Harlequin Blaze imprints. Mostly because I find many of them tend to have more sex and less character development and sometimes even less fully developed plots. In this case I should have stuck with my original thought pattern and skipped this one but first let's discuss the characters.

Quinn is a social worker and Jace is an MMA fighter and ex-Army Ranger. Honestly the set up couldn't have been better for me to really love these characters. Unfortunately, they are so consumed by guilt over the loss of Quinn's fiancé who happens to also be Jace's brother. The rehashing over and over about Jace taking on added responsibilities that aren't his cross to bear gets tedious. Also, Quinn's nonchalance attitude over an abusive man's threats to her, directly contradicted her characterization of a strong social worker who gives victims second chances at life. 

The plot is overshadowed by the sex within the book mostly because the synopsis clearly defines the book as a romantic suspense which is what I expected. The really great beginning fizzled and really made me scratch my head a bit as the suspenseful part failed to be brought up again until the 30% mark. At that point Jace and Quinn decided she'd be safer at Jace's apartment. This seemed a clunky way to get them to "have" to share a bedroom/bed as I really felt Jace, with his Ranger background, should have been able to protect Quinn in her own home without having to relocate to his apartment. Also, on a side note, if a crazy stalker man casually walks into your home to threaten you just to prove he can do as he likes the right response would be shout out to the hot Army Ranger just outside. You know...the one who was there to protect you??? Of course hot Army Ranger guy really couldn't protect Quinn as the bad guy literally kidnapped her in front of him. Um....I've never read a book with a special ops hero (either currently enlisted or retired) who wasn't capable of taking down a bully who only seems to be able to beat on women. What a rip off. I hope he never got tattooed....you know the Ranger brotherhood ones all special ops men tend to have....if he did he'd have to get it removed because he's a disgrace.

Ok I hated the characters. I equally hated the plot...because...what plot? The Quinn and Jace have sex plot? Since this was the only plot that seemed to have enough pages dedicated to it I have to assume this was the main point of the book. If you follow any of my reviews you should know I'm not all about sex just for the sake of it in my romances. Sex does not equal love no matter what some authors want you to believe. Kira Sinclair did not fall completely into this negative trope but since the footwork of the Quinn/Jace I love you parts happened off the page...we don't necessarily see them fall in love. It's just assumed with their history they've always kind of been there even though at the beginning of the book they admit to sharing semi-regular awkward meals together to keep up appearances of the brother and sister-in-law act. Highlight on the awkward part. 

In a Nutshell: What a stink-a-roo for me. I am not sure I'll pick up another Sinclair book even though some reviewers claim there are better books out there by her. I would stick a label on this book to my friends "Read at Your Own Risk" but may ask them to try it out just as an experiment of sorts. I want to know if I'm all alone in my dislike/hatred. Christina Out.

Kneaded to Death by Winnie Archer

Title: Kneaded to Death
Author: Winnie Archer
Series: #1 in The Bread Shop Mystery series
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Kensington (February 28, 2017)
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ☕☕☕

Synopsis: Everyone swears by Yeast of Eden, the Mexican bread shop in town. But tonight, the only thing on the menu is la muerte . . .

Struggling photographer Ivy Culpepper has lots of soul-searching to do since returning to seaside Santa Sofia, California. That is, until the thirty-one-year-old enters a bread making class at Yeast of Eden. Whether it’s the aroma of fresh conchas in the oven, or her instant connection with owner Olaya Dias and her sisters, Ivy just knows the missing ingredients in her life are hidden among the secrets of Olaya’s bakery . . .

But Ivy’s spirits crumble when a missing classmate is suddenly discovered dead in her car, riddled with stab wounds. Even more devastating, the prime suspects are the Dias sisters themselves.

Doubting the women could commit such a crime, Ivy embarks on a murder investigation of her own to prove their innocence and seize the real killer. As she follows a deadly trail of crumbs around town, Ivy must trust her gut like never before—or someone else could be toast!

My Thoughts: I started this book with the expectation of a book with a bakery as the main setting and the protagonist being a baker. I was surprised this was and wasn't true...

The Good and The Bad: Ivy Culpepper, the main protagonist, is a photographer. This, of course, is mentioned in the synopsis. It would have been super clear...had I read the synopsis....which I didn't. Yes this book has a main setting in a bakery but the proprietor is not the protagonist. It's a little different but not terrible. Just a little weird. I am looking forward to seeing Ivy grow within this series. In this book she's consumed with grief and the decisions she makes are all influenced by her mental state. She only really committed the TSTL sin one time...well one glaringly obvious time. So I didn't hate her but I didn't quite get her either. She jumped to conclusion about murder when there didn't seem to be any tangible evidence. At one point someone mentioned she was maneuvering the clues to fit her theory rather than letting the clues lead to a theory...or something like that.

I loved the bread making parts of this book and the owner of said bread bakery so much but the photography details were lost on me. I have no idea what f/5 means in regards to cameras but I can appreciate the art of photography. If there had been more than a few specific camera details that went way over my head than there were I might have found myself irritated a bit. Nothing irritates me more than a whole lot of technical verbiage on a subject I know nothing about because I never wanted to know anything about said subject.

As far as the mystery aspect of this book I enjoyed watching Ivy trying to solve things with the help from her elderly friend, Penelope. Towards the end I was a little lost when things were revealed because I wasn't paying enough attention to the secondary characters within the book. Of course, this book did take me almost a month to finish this book and I've read many other books start to finish while pushing this one aside. For some reason it just didn't hold my attention but I seem to be in the minority with my opinion.


In a Nutshell: I am going to read the next book in this series because I'm interested in seeing what Ivy is like when not grieving. Also, I really liked the bread making process and am wanting to try some of the recipes.

Special Forces: The Recruit by Cindy Dees

Title: Special Forces: The Recruit
Author: Cindy Dees
Series: #1 in the Mission Medusa series
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Harlequin Romantic Suspense (May 1, 2019)
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ☕☕☕

Synopsis:  Meet the do-or-die warriors who’ll do anything for justice

Introducing the Mission Medusa series

Years of intense training have prepared Tessa Wilkes to become a Medusa—part of an elite, women-only Special Forces team. But all the mental prep and physical training in the world can’t prepare her fully to take on one of the world’s most dangerous men. The ultimate operative, Tessa teams with trainer Beau Lambert to track her target, but even if she survives, will her heart?

My Thoughts: This is a spin off series of the Silhouette Bombshell series which started back in 2005. I loved the Bombshell imprint and hated when they discontinued them. This book was almost a resurrection of that series.

The Good: Back when Silhouette created the Bombshell line of romance books I was hooked. They were all about independent and strong women as the hero and the men they loved were their sidekicks. Ok maybe not exactly sidekicks but definitely in a supporting role. With this book Dees brings back the Medusas, an elite special ops military team of women reminiscent of Navy SEALs or Army's Green Berets.

I very much loved Tess and her determination to break into the boys club of Special Ops and felt for her when it looked like she was losing her chance. I liked Tessa being Latin-American. Even though she is only half Venezuelan the representation is there and I appreciate the diversity. I also really liked the time spent training her for the Medusa team. In turn it lent for a longer period of time to develop the romance as well.

The Bad: What I didn't like about the book is the mention of the two previous Medusa teams. The first, having served for a decade or so and then retired from the active military. The second all perished a few months before this book started. There is no clues or reasons given as to why this happened and it was left hanging. I also really didn't like Beau. He didn't feel women should be in Special Ops and was working on training Tessa and then planning on failing her out of the training. I felt he was a bit misogynistic as his thought process repeatedly included how women were not able to do the dangerous missions Special Ops did. Luckily it was ultimately not up to him. I also didn't like the ending. Super saccharine laced I Love You's and a complete about face in terms of what Beau was willing to do to be with Tessa.

The Stuff in the Middle: The action of the book was pretty good as there are a couple incidents that was a bit thrilling during the book but the main goal of Tessa getting on a mission happened at the end of the book and concluded very quickly. The sex part was a bit hinky because Beau had specifically explained it would be very bad for females to be part of the teams because sex would happen and then cause major issues within the team. So they don't even try to NOT have sex. The sex scenes themselves were Ok but the last scene Dees made a point of them using a condom and how they are regularly tested etcetera etcetera. I don't recall them ever talking about protection during the sex scenes prior to this one. Weird.

In a Nutshell: I felt the goods and the bads evened out in this book to be an Ok book. I will absolutely read more in this series because...Badass women YES! I'm also going to hunt down more in this series and see if I can find the old Medusa books from the Bombshell line. If you've never read any of those I'd recommend them.

Through the Smoke by Brenda Novak

Title: Through the Smoke
Author: Brenda Novak
Narrator: Justine Eyre
Series: Stand-Alone
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Brilliance Audio (October 15, 2013 )
Source: Library Find in Audio (NetGalley for the ebook)
Rating: ☕☕☕

Synopsis: A shocking betrayal...

Riches. Power. An ancient heritage of pride. The Earl of Druridge wanted only for an heir. So when he learned that his wife was carrying another man's child, he was filled with a thirst for vengeance. But he wasn't the one who caused Katherine's death. Or was he? To his horror, he remembers nothing of that dreadful night, when their last shocking confrontation ended in scorching flame and cold blood.

A forbidden love...

Rachel McTavish, the beautiful daughter of a coal miner, knows something about the fire that took Lady Katherine's life. In secret, the strong-willed girl strikes a bargain with the desperate earl: He must send his physician to help her dying mother or he may go to the scaffold - and the devil. The earl agrees, but Rachel is still unsure that her revelation will be enough to save him when so many wish him dead.

Passionately drawn to the nobleman, despite all the doubt and mystery that shroud him, Rachel wonders if he can really be a murderer. Or if he is the only man who will ever own her heart....

My Thoughts: A good book with an Ok romance but a stellar suspenseful mystery with a slight gothic feel.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: While this definitely does sit in the genre of historical romances what I really loved was the mystery of who set the fire that killed the earl's wife. I love suspenseful situations in historical romances and Brenda Novak knows her way around suspense. The mystery was easily solved and it was a little annoying the hero took so long to figure it out. In addition, Rachel ran headlong into danger in a feeble attempt to save her man and if you've read any of my reviews heroines who do TSTL things but the crap out of me.

I did enjoy the relationship blooming between a wealthy titled peer and a poor shopkeeper's daughter and of course the hero blew off what is expected and married her despite the backlash that would happen. However, I really wasn't won over by the romance completely. Mostly because of my inability to fully like Truman. I like my heroes to be more Alpha than he was, more decisive than he was, and a lot more, well, everything.

There was also an incident involving the first time they had sex which I would consider borderline rape. Don't get me wrong, the hero isn't blatantly a rapist but he should have noticed something wrong and the entire situation was just swept under the rug. I feel a big deal should have been made about this and there was no deal made about it at all. This pissed me off and set the rest of the book in a bad light to me.

The narration was Ok but I don't think it enhanced the reading experience for me. Justine Eyre is a new narrator to me and her British accent and voice pitch had me slowing the speed down. I normally listen at close to 2X but I could only listen between 1.25X and 1.5X otherwise I had a hard time understanding. I would listen to another narration by her but I wouldn't purposely seek one out because of her.


In a Nutshell: I've read better books by Brenda Novak but this one wasn't terrible. It's my first historical by her and I'm not sure if I think that is where her writing sweet spot is. She has done some great contemporaries and excellent romantic suspenseful thrillers. If a reader is new to Novak I'd steer them to the Whiskey Creek contemporary romance series or the Evelyn Talbot thriller series rather than this one.

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Pine Lake by Amanda Stevens

Title: Pine Lake
Author: Amanda Stevens
Series: Stand-Alone
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue; Original edition (October 1, 2017)
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ☕☕☕1/2

Synopsis: SLEEPWALKING WITH DANGER  

The murder of security expert Jack King's girlfriend has haunted him for fifteen years. Returning to Pine Lake, Texas, where the townsfolk still consider him suspect, might not be the smartest move, but a killer seems to be holding up a mirror to his past. The same witness to this new murder was also present the night Jack's girlfriend dieds…but both times, she was sound asleep…

Sleepwalking has gotten Olive Belmont into some sticky situations. Being the witness to both murders may have put her on the killer's list. Even so, she doesn't think the killer is Jack and is willing to help him. But will putting his past to rest ease her mind or leave her with even greater nightmares?

My Thoughts: A good suspense book from a great author.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: While I feel the suspense of this book was top notch I would have loved for the book to be longer. A longer book would have been really able to capitalize on the feeling of suspense. The length of book is pretty typical of a category romance and in most cases it always leaves me wanting more. This book in particular. I wanted the romance to have more time to develop naturally as well as wanting longer suspense. The book takes place in a matter of days so a viable romance really doesn't have time to develop but luckily there wasn't insta-love. Yes the characters had a connection but thankfully there were no I Love You's at the end. So that was a plus for me.

The mystery part was expected but with a twist so I liked it quite a bit but would have liked a more hidden motive rather than the one explained. There were also a couple episodes of a sleepwalking incidents that felt off to me. I don't know a lot about sleepwalking but I did have a friend who did sleepwalk who said she had to have a lock on her bedroom door because while she was a sleepwalking she was unable to have the dexterity to unlock doors. Of course sleepwalking could be highly different from one person to another. As I said, I don't know a lot about it.

The characters could have been fleshed out more but there is a basic understanding of both Jack and Olivia and what makes them tick. I liked Olivia but found she was a bit of a Mary Sue. I also liked Jack but his complexity was just glossed over. Stevens gave us just a taste of what Jack was all about and, not to beat a dead horse....where did that saying come from anyway?....it's pretty morbid, but had there been the option of a longer book Jack might have ended up worth of Book Boyfriend status.

In a Nutshell: This was a good book on the verge of being great. This author knows her stuff and is really capable of penning a thrilling book. This is my first book by her but not my last as I have tons of her Intrigues on my shelf.

A Rancher For Christmas by Brenda Minton

Title: A Rancher for Christmas
Author: Brenda Minton
Series: #1 in the Martin's Crossing series
Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Love Inspired; Original edition (December 1, 2014)
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ☕☕☕☕

Synopsis: A Family for Christmas
Martin's Crossing: In this small Texas town, every heart finds a home. Raised on the run, free-spirited Breezy Hernandez has never stayed in one place too long. But now that she has joint custody of her late brother's twin daughters, she's determined to give them a stable home. Even if it means cooperating with the twins' bossy uncle.
Texas rancher Jake Martin learned the hard way that women can't be trusted. But as he and Breezy care for the orphaned girls, Jake begins to open his heart. Is Breezy ready to put down roots in Martin's Crossing, or will she run from the one thing she's always wanted: A family?
Martin's Crossing: In this small Texas town, every heart finds a home.

My Thoughts: A small town romance with a lot of feels and a set of adorable twins.

The Good: I loved the small town romance aspect of this book. Martin's Crossing is the kind of town with the kind of people I want to live in and hang out with. Jake's family is intriguing especially his younger "big" brother who owns the local bar/restaurant who makes amazing pies. The added characters of Oregon (a local artist and shop owner) and Joe, who came to town as a drifter, rounded out the book nicely. There was an added suspense aspect to the book which added an additional depth to the plot. I like romantic suspense books so this was a nice surprise.

The Bad: There was a lot of relying on Breezy and Jake's chemistry to pull the storyline forward and into romantic times but I wasn't always on board with it. As these characters were complete strangers at the beginning of this book Breezy's constant wanting to comfort Jake seemed unusual and out of characters for her. It also went both ways but at least when Jake is concerned he was the primary caretaker of his siblings from such a young age. Him wanting to comfort and protect Breezy wasn't that outrageous unless you factor in him trying to dig up dirt to discredit her and prove she wasn't appropriate to be a guardian to his nieces. Which, consequently, brought up the dreaded miscommunication trope. I'm not a fan of this and prefer my characters to have better communication. In this book's case it was paramount to have good communication because they were co-parenting the twins. The suspense aspect was wrapped up a little too quickly but I did like the "mystery of Joe". One last thing...Breezy is a stupid name. That is a personal issue for me though and not something someone else might be annoyed with.

In a Nutshell: A good book even though I don't normally gravitate towards Inspirational books. I'll look for the rest of the books in the Martin's Crossing series. I am really wanting to learn more about Jake's brothers.

 

**Early Review** Texas Trouble by Gerry Bartlett

Title: Texas Trouble
Author: Gerry Bartlett
Series: #2 in the Lone Star series
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Lyrical Liaison (June 4, 2019)
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ☕☕1/2

Synopsis: Scarlett Hall followed a job and a friend to Texas, but that cost her more than she’d bargained for. Now, wounded but determined to get past one of the worst days of her life, she decides she has to pull herself together. First step: cover up the physical scars left from her ordeal. That’s easy. But the emotional scars are proving harder to handle . . .

Then she meets Ethan Calhoun. This bad boy seems ready to make his own changes and might be just what she needs to start a new chapter in her life. When he offers her a job as manager of his new bar, she decides to go for it. A change of pace and a hot guy who makes her forget her troubles while she’s in his arms are a great cure. But it soon becomes clear that danger will be in Scarlett’s life no matter how many changes she makes. As Scarlett comes face to face with her worst nightmare, it seems happiness was just an illusion. Maybe Texas is just too much trouble . .

My Thoughts: Ugh. This book took me forever to finish and honestly, I found various parts of it a bit ridiculous.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: The chemistry between Scarlett and Ethan was off the charts and their work time together was a nice way to develop the characters and their connection more. Even though Ethan's character sometimes felt too young. There were quite a few "baby brother" comments that just didn't bode well for Ethan's potential Book Boyfriend Roll.

I did feel that I was thrown into an already existing storyline as this book recaps Scarlett's PTSD from an event that happened, I'm assuming, in the first book of the series. I know reading series books out of order can be tricky and normally I would not do this but when I got the opportunity to review a Gerry Bartlett book I was excited. I've been hearing about this author for years and never read one of her books before. Unfortunately reading book 2 before reading the first book was probably not the best idea as this book definitely had a part 2 feel to it. As if this were a continuation of book 1 rather than it's own entity. Everything from the original terror Scarlett had when she was kidnapped in the last book to Scarlett and her brother Rhett's names. Why were they named after Gone With the Wind characters? I have no idea.

The suspense aspect was lacking as well. There was a convoluted feel to the suspense part because there ended up being 2 different sets of "bad guys" with 2 sets of motives/plot lines running simultaneously. None of the baddies really caused me to be on the edge of my seat with worry either. Leroy Simms, who is a cop killing psycho, kept having tender thoughts about his woman running amok in the "I'm going to torture and kill Scarlett" plot thread. I just couldn't find anyone to root for in the book. Yes I root for bad guys just as often as I root for the good ones.

In addition, there was a whole lot of He-man chest beating in the form of "I carry a gun. I just wish I Leroy Simms would make an appearance 'round here. I could use the target practice." type crap. Ugh!!!

In a Nutshell: Overall a rather disappointing romance which makes me a sad panda. I really wanted to like this book. I will give Gerry Bartlett another try but will definitely go with one of the Real Vampire ones and steer clear of these Rom/Susp books. They just aren't for me.

Running Wild by Linda Howard and Linda Jones

Title: Running Wild
Author: Linda Howard and Linda Jones
Series: #1 in the Men From Battle Ridge series
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Ballantine Books (November 27, 2012)
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ☕☕☕☕

Synopsis: In book 1 of this steamy new contemporary Western romance series by two blockbuster authors, a cowboy and a woman on the run take a stand and fight for love.

Carlin Reed lives in fear, off the grid, moving from place to place. So Battle Ridge, Wyoming, a small town in the middle of nowhere, seems like a good place to lie low for a while. But after becoming cook and housekeeper to cattle rancher Zeke Decker, Carlin suspects that she’s made her first mistake. Rugged, sexy, and too distracting for his own good, Zeke is pure temptation mixed with something deep and primal that makes Carlin feel almost safe. Soon things are getting way too hot in the kitchen.

Zeke doesn’t challenge Carlin’s terms: cash, dead bolts, and no questions. It is easy to see that she’s a woman in trouble. Problem is, he’s so blindsided by his attraction to her he can’t think straight. Zeke tries to stay all business, no complications—but that game plan is sabotaged the second Carlin gets under his skin. And when her terrifying past follows her to the ranch, Carlin faces a heartbreaking choice: run away from the man she loves, or put him in the crosshairs of a madman.

My Thoughts: A really great contemporary romance with ok romantic suspense elements.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: So what I really loved about this book was the honest romance that took it's time to blossom between Zeke and Carlin. Both Zeke's and Carlin's characters are pretty great and their banter between each other and with the secondary characters were highlights of the story. I did like the suspense aspect of the story but wish it would have more prominent in the middle of the story. The book started out so good with Carlin's stalker hunting her down. The climax of that plot thread was really well done as well. The middle lacked much in the way of the suspense. However, the good romance that built throughout the middle almost made up for it.

In a Nutshell: I really liked this book a lot and wish there was a second book already out in the series. Not sure when there will be a second book in the Battle Ridge series but since it's been so many years since the first one came out a new one doesn't look like it's coming, unfortunately.

Consumed by JR Ward

Title: Consumed
Author: JR Ward
Series: #1 in the Firefighters series
Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Gallery Books (October 2, 2018)
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ☕☕☕1/2

Synopsis: Anne Ashburn is a woman consumed...

By her bitter family legacy, by her scorched career as a firefighter, by her obsession with department bad-boy Danny McGuire, and by a new case that pits her against a fiery killer.

Strong-willed Anne was fearless and loved the thrill of fighting fires, pushing herself to be the best. But when one risky decision at a warehouse fire changes her life forever, Anne must reinvent not only her job, but her whole self.

Shattered and demoralized, Anne finds her new career as an arson investigator a pale substitute for the adrenaline-fueled life she left behind. She doesn't believe she will ever feel that same all-consuming passion for her job again--until she encounters a string of suspicious fires setting her beloved city ablaze.

Danny McGuire is a premiere fireman, best in the county, but in the midst of a personal meltdown.

Danny is taking risks like never before and seems to have a death wish until he teams up with Anne to find the fire starter. But Danny may be more than a distraction, and as Anne narrows in on her target, the arsonist begins to target her.

My Thoughts: A book that started out as fire unfortunately fizzled towards the middle.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything in Between: What I love about JR Ward's books are her amazing characters. I love the complexity of her tortured heroes and in most cases the heroes' heroines are their equals in every way. In this book, Danny is a typical Ward hero. He's tall, massively built, good looking, and brooding (with good reason.) Anne is very much Danny's equal and in many ways she's just as tortured as he is, which adds a layer of complexity not usually found in romances. Many romance books that feature a tortured hero has a total opposite in their love interest to balance the drama of the story. In Consumed, because both characters are tortured, the book could have gotten bogged down with seriousness but Ward inserts some lighthearted moments as well which helped balance the book, Anne's rescue dog for example. I love when author's add dogs to their stories.

So, I love me a good romantic suspense and this one did have some suspense but honestly it wasn't until the end when I truly felt anxious for Danny and Anne. I like being on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what will happen, and the longer I'm there the better, but I never really had those feelings during this book. It might have be more my issue than Ward's because I never really warmed up to Anne. Her reasons for not being with Danny were mere excuses, one right after another. Her first being they were both firefighters in the same firehouse and dating would be near impossible as she was struggling to be considered just one of the guys. After the opener of the book, which I thought was stupendous by the way, we can see that particular excuse could no longer be used. Anne just found another....and another.

The romance lacked for me as well because there was not a significant amount of actual romance on the page. If you read the prequels (which is something I would recommend as a need to rather than a suggestion of maybe) then you know Anne and Danny had a quickie, one night stand...or rather one hour stand as there was no cuddling or sleeping or whatever after it was over. Slam Bam Anne is gone. See ya Danny Boy. And all Danny can think is how much he adores Anne. Not only did she do it once but she did it twice and Danny let her just hoping she'd come around and want him as much as he wanted her. Anne was just a cold character I never connected to but then when it comes to JR Ward's book, it's all about the hero for me. Thank goodness I was able to connect with Danny.

In a Nutshell: Not a terrible book but honestly not one of her better ones. I'll continue with the series though because...well....it's Ward.

Gone to Her Grave by Melinda Leigh

Title: Gone to Her Grave
Author: Melinda Leigh
Series: #2 in the Rogue River series
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Montlake Romance (October 21, 2014)
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ☕☕☕

Synopsis: In Solitude, Oregon, everyone has secrets…and some will kill to keep them.

When she believes a teen is falsely accused of drug dealing, social worker Carly Taylor takes on a high-risk case and her estranged husband—the detective in charge of the investigation—to prove the boy innocent. A deadly new designer drug has taken hold of her small rural hometown of Solitude, Oregon, and Carly is determined to find the real dealer and clear the teen’s name. But the deeper she digs into the case, the more danger she unearths, until someone decides it’s time for Carly to move on…permanently.

Investigator Seth Harding knows he can’t stop his wife when she has a child to protect. But he risks any chance of reconciliation with Carly if he can’t learn to accept her dangerous job. When a drug dealer decides Carly is getting too close, will Seth lose her altogether?

A pulse-pounding Rogue River novella, Gone to Her Grave is the second exciting addition to the new romantic suspense series from Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot.

My Thoughts: While I really enjoyed the first installment in this series I thought the lack of conclusion in this book was more pronounced than the former.

The Good: I liked the suspenseful moments where Carly was making home visits to a family in a really bad situation. This smacks of realness and it made me identify with Carly and the fact that she didn't run headlong into danger was a plus. I liked seeing Stevie once again even though she had a very small part in this book.


The Bad: The continuing storyline that connects all four novellas in the Rogue River series didn't really move forward even though the death of Carly and Stevie's dad is being investigated now. If it weren't for the rehashing of the big bad drug craze happening in the small town there wouldn't have been much to connect the two stories.

Also, the romance was problematic because Seth and Carly are married yet separated throughout the entire book. There was huge communication issues between the two because of Seth. I couldn't connect with him because he was a macho-my job is more important than yours is-jerk. I could see how they might be able to work it out but only if Seth does some major soul searching and changes his attitude. A novella just didn't give a warring couple time to work out their differences.

In a Nutshell: I'm invested in Rogue River and will continue reading the next two books.

Early Review: Poppy Harmon Investigates by Lee Hollis

Title: Poppy Harmon Investigates
Author: Lee Hollis
Series: #1 in the Desert Flowers Mystery series
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Kensington (July 31, 2018)
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ☕☕☕1/2

Synopsis: When Poppy goes from complacent retiree to penniless widow in a matter of weeks, the idea of spending her golden years as the biggest charity case in Palm Springs renders her speechless. With no real skills and nothing left to lose, Poppy uses her obsession with true crime shows to start a career as a private eye . . .

But after opening the Desert Flowers Detective Agency with help from her two best friends, Violet and Iris, Poppy realizes that age brings wisdom, not business--until she convinces her daughter's handsome boyfriend, Matt, to pose as the face of the agency. It's not long before Matt's irresistible act snags a client desperate to retrieve priceless jewelry burglarized from an aging actress at the Palm Leaf Retirement Village. Or before Poppy stumbles upon the bloodied body of the victim's arch rival . . .

In a flash, Poppy's innocent detective gig is upstaged by a dangerous murder investigation riddled with slimy suspects and unspeakable scandal. As she and her team uncover the truth, Poppy must confront the secrets about her late husband's past and swiftly catch a killer lurking around the retirement community--even if it means turning her world upside down all over again.

My Thoughts: A decent first book in a new series with some of my favorite cozy tropes.

The Good: The whacky cast of characters were just delightful in this book, minus some of Iris's cantankerous scenes where she grated a bit. Their interactions were the highlight of this book. There were many passages I ended up highlighting in my kindle, even.

The mystery aspect took a long time to show up but it was a decent mystery in the end. I'm hoping as the series progresses the mysteries will be more prevalent in the books. Overall, each character provided a special part within the investigation which made the whole mystery interesting.

The Bad: None of the men portrayed within the book were highlighted in a positive way. In the end Matt did redeem himself but for most of the book all the men were superficial, egocentric, and ginormous tools. In regards to the other characters, I did like them but I feel Poppy's character took a hit when her daughter turned out to be a shrew and in the end Poppy blamed herself for her daughter's actions. Her full grown adult daughter.

Also, the introduction of the characters and Poppy's background in particular took a major chunk of the book. The first mystery wasn't introduced until 40% into the book which made it seem as if it weren't a big deal and the book didn't have a cozy mystery feel because of this. In addition there was a murder, which was actually an interesting part of the book, but coming into the book in the last 1/3 of the book made if feel like an afterthought.

In a Nutshell: It took me quite awhile to really get into this book but once I hit the halfway point I flew through the rest of the book. This was my first book by Lee Hollis and I would read another one by her.

 

The River House by Carla Neggers

Title: The River House
Author: Carla Neggers
Series: #8 in the Swift River Valley series
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: MIRA (April 1, 2018)
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ☕1/2

Synopsis: Felicity MacGregor loves organizing social events for others, but her own personal life is a different story. After a brief but failed attempt at a career as a financial analyst, she returned to Knights Bridge, where she enjoys running a thriving party-planning business. Then Felicity's life gets a shake-up when her childhood friend Gabriel Flanagan returns unexpectedly to their tiny hometown. Now a high-flying businessman, Gabe always vowed to get out of Knights Bridge, but he is back for the local entrepreneurial boot camp Felicity's been hired to organize. Together again, they'll finally have to face each other--and their complicated past. Gabe and Felicity soon realize their reunion is stirring up long-buried emotions. While Gabe has big plans for his future, Felicity is discovering that hers doesn't depend on fate--she must choose what's right for her. But if they can find a bridge between their diverging paths, they may just discover that their enduring connection is what matters most.

My Thoughts: OMGoodness! I normally love a good small town romance. Unfortunately, I just couldn't like this one.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: I normally like to start my book reviews with the good I found in the books I read. Unfortunately, I really don't have anything good about my experience regarding this book.

What I didn't like about this book was the first 25% of the book was a recap of who each of the enormous cast of characters. Their background. Who they are married to. Their happiness or problems they may have  had. So and so separated for a short time (I learned this tidbit twice). Even after Felicity and Gabe came together in the present we spent an even greater amount of time recapping their past. They used to go to the swimming hole. They used to hang out on the campsite sitting by the fire. They used to be best friends. Now you'd think they would have had a falling out over something significant but what it actually was about was Gabe giving Felicity unwanted advice about her career choice. Yep. That's it. He didn't cheat on her. She didn't use him to make a boyfriend jealous or do something super bad to make him hate her. Also, this was actually only 3 years ago so it makes it hard to believe they have grown up so much at this time.

The conversations between Gabe and Felicity are boring and pretty much just rehashing their past. As a matter of fact all the dialogue in this book is boring. There was a woman thrown into the story to add as potential conflict but that was only half realized and just weird.

One last thing...all the women in this story are purportedly strong and independent women. Yet all the men are the high powered educated millionaires. In one case one man is a multi-billionaire. Gabe just sold his start up company. I still have no idea what he does but he's a millionaire and his official title is (actually unofficial as this is my take on him) is start up company entrepreneurial. So, the women...one is a party planner, one is a caterer, one is children's author, one is an innkeeper, one is an ex-librarian, and one is the current librarian. None of these are shabby careers by any means but I find it grating the men in this book are all high powered ultra-rich CEOs. Why aren't any of the women architects or owners of the security firms?

In a Nutshell: I really thought this book was tedious. I couldn't wait for it to end. I'm sad this was my take on it because I really wanted to like it. I just couldn't.

 

Early Review: Cooper's Charm by Lori Foster

Title: Cooper's Charm
Author: Lori Foster
Series: Stand-Alone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: HQN Books; Original edition (August 1, 2018)
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ☕☕☕

Synopsis: One summer, two sisters and a chance to start over…

Before the burglary that shattered her confidence, Phoenix Rose had a fiancé, a successful store and a busy, happy existence. After months spent adrift, she takes a job at the lakeside resort of Cooper’s Charm. Surrounded by beautiful scenery, friendly colleagues and a charismatic, widowed boss, Phoenix is slowly inching her way back into the world.

Visiting Cooper’s Charm to check up on her little sister, Ridley Rose impulsively agrees to fill in as housekeeper. Still reeling from an ego-bruising divorce, she finds satisfaction in a job well done—and in the attention of the resort’s handsome scuba instructor.

For Phoenix and Ridley, Cooper’s Charm is supposed to be merely temporary. But this detour may lead to the place they most need to be, where the future is as satisfying as it is surprising…


My Thoughts: A book with two women wanting to start over but only enough dedication to one of them getting a cohesive HEA.

The Good: So, I fell in love with the cover of this book. I'm a sucker for dogs and I'm happy to say, Sugar, the beagle, totally stole every scene she was in. I loved Cooper's interactions with her and he was totally my hero when he helped rescue her (with Phoenix's help) from a nasty piece of a so called human.

In addition to my love of Sugar I was happy to find this book had a suspenseful element to it as well. Phoenix is broken from a terrible assault several months ago and she's really trying to heal. I love how she came to Cooper's Charm (a camping resort) to do this. Oh speaking of Cooper's Charm...the setting was spot on. It took a small town feel (love me some small town romances) and placed it in a picturesque spot I wished was real. I'd totally go there for a few weeks to relax.

The Bad: Remember that suspenseful element I mentioned earlier? Well, here it is, now, in the bad area of my review. It wasn't fully realized. The conclusion of the mystery behind Phoenix's summer danger seemed a stretch and requires the reader to suspend their disbelief. We readers didn't even know there was danger, really, until well into the middle of the book and between it and two love stories none of them were truly satisfying.

So, Phoenix's sister Ridley, joins the crew at Cooper's Charm as a housekeeper. Never mind she has never done such taxing labor (the book even mentions how no one stays on because it's grueling work). Never mind she is a night owl and seems to be ok with starting work at 7am all the while staying up late to have hot monkey sex with one of the 3 single studs working at the resort. Anyway, we do learn a bit about Ridley, however, there just isn't enough space within this book to give her a storyline I think she deserved.

In a Nutshell: Overall an OK book. It's what I'd call a cute beach read for your summer days but nothing that'll stick with you in the long run.

 

To Kill a Hummingbird by J.R. Ripley

Title: To Kill a Hummingbird
Author: J.R. Ripley
Series: #4 in the Bird Lover's Mystery series
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Lyrical Underground  (July 11th 2017)
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ☕☕☕

Synopsis: For Amy Simms, owner of Birds & Bees, nothing is more important than impressing her old professor, but this odd bird is about to fall to earth . . .

When her favorite ornithology professor comes calling, Birds & Bees owner Amy Simms hangs six hummingbird feeders around the shop to welcome Professor Livingston with a flock of his favorite flying creatures. But Amy soon finds that the sugar water in the feeders brings more than a swarm of hummingbirds. It also attracts murder.

Professor Livingston is just as friendly as Amy remembers, but something seems to be troubling him. When Amy pays him a visit that night, she finds the professor slumped over a table with a pair of scissors buried in his neck. And standing over his body is Rose Smith, the local bookseller, who claims she killed him. But while the police believe they have a bird in hand, Amy thinks the real killer may still be in the bush . . .

My Thoughts: My first venture into the world of Birds & Bees and I wasn't super impressed but it wasn't horrible either.

The Good: The setting was interesting. I've really never thought about bird watching as a hobby so it was an interesting bit of information on the subject. The small town setting was also likable and the interactions between the people of the town was fun.

The Bad: Because this wasn't the first book in the series and I've not read anything else by this author I wasn't sure how the character dynamics happened. Amy almost hates her tenant, a little old lady who helps out in the shop when she feels like it. I'm not sure why because she seems nice enough but more inserted into the series for some comic relief. I didn't like Amy's dislike of having her around with n back ground to support the animosity. Also, Amy's boyfriend has an ex-wife also named Amy. This created unnecessary confusion and not humor as perhaps intended.

In a Nutshell: I like the cozy mystery genre and even though I didn't enjoy this as much as I'd hope I'm going to give the author and this series another go.