Troublemaker by Linda Howard

Title: Troublemaker

Author: Linda Howard

Narrator: Tanya Eby

Series: #1 in the Go-Team

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Publisher: William Marrow (May 10, 2016)

Source: Audiobook borrowed from the library, Own the kindle copy

Rating: ☕☕☕☕

Synopsis: For Morgan Yancy, an operative and team leader in a paramilitary group, nothing comes before his job. But when he's ambushed and almost killed, his supervisor is determined to find out who's after the members of his elite squad--and why. Due to worries that this unknown enemy will strike again, Morgan is sent to a remote location and told to lay low and stay vigilant. But between a tempting housemate he's determined to protect and a deadly threat waiting in the shadows, keeping under the radar is proving to be his most dangerous mission yet.

The part-time police chief of a small West Virginian Mountain town, Isabeau "Bo" Maran finally has her life figured out. She's got friends, a dog, and a little money in the bank. Then Morgan Yancy shows up on her doorstep. Bo doesn't need a mysterious man in her life--especially a troublemaker as enticing and secretive as Morgan.

The harder they fight the intense heat between them, the closer Morgan and Bo become, even though she knows he's hiding from something. But discovering the truth could cost Bo more than she's willing to give. And when Morgan's cover is blown, it might just cost her life.

My Thoughts: An explosive beginning that grabbed me from the start coupled with a hero worthy of the title Book Boyfriend.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: So, I loved Morgan Yancy. There I said it. No takesies backsies. Howard created an amazing ex-military special ops hero that could rival Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters men. I only wish we would have got more about his job. Maybe showing him on a mission rather than starting the book state side after finishing up a mission. Even with him on death's door and recuperating couldn't detract from his appeal. As a matter of fact, his recouperation and subsequent rebuilding his strength and stamina made him more appealing. He hated being so unhealthy and unable to even get to the toilet without assistance, but it made him more "real". In so many books we see chest beaters and the "I'll fix everything for you" alpha men so seeing a strong virile man vulnerable and at his weakest was refreshing. However, Bo was mostly unlikable. Her saving grace was her relationship with her dog, Tricks, and Tricks herself was amazing. I love dogs and am so happy Tricks had such a big part in this book. 

Somewhere along the middle the suspense aspect fizzled while Morgan's recouperation and rehabilitation took center stage. The synopsis really highlighted their "intense heat" but honestly it seemed it felt more all of a sudden with Bo "innocently" licking the frosting off her cupcake and Morgan's mind went straight to the gutter. Oh, Bo was certainly not intending to be provocative, but TBH a woman just knows what the licking of anything (be it frosting, ice-cream, popsicles etc.) in front of a man (regardless of if there is attraction or not) looks like to a man. Since she was not characterized as being naive this particular scene stuck out as not being very authentic.

I did like the additional storyline of a young married couple whose marriage imploded in a public way and the asshat husband of the couple (the offspring of the richest man in the area who always had daddy bail him out of everything) took things too far and the day was saved by Morgan (who recovered sufficiently by that time.) I thought the end of the book brought back the suspense of the beginning but perhaps not fully realized as I ended up not fully invested in the suspense part of the story. I really think it took a backseat to the characters and their budding relationship.

The audio version was narrated by Tanya Eby. I really enjoy her narrations and this one was good as well. Her voice for the men was well done and her voice for the women didn't squeak out while I listened to the audio at 2x's the speed.

Full disclosure, I actually read the second book back in 2020 not realizing it was book 2 of the "series". When I finished this book, I immediately went to look for book 2 and while reading the synopsis of book 2 (The Woman Left Behind) I felt it sounded really familiar and after some digging through my library past borrows, I found I did indeed read it 2 years ago. I failed to notate it in GoodReads (which I've remedied now) and I also failed to review it. It's way too late to go back and do that now but as a side note I remember the suspense was intense almost all the way through and the heroine was a badass (or became one at the end.)

In a Nutshell: A good book by Linda Howard with an amazing hero, a wonderful dog, and a lukewarm heroine. I, of course, will continue to read everything she writes and has written.

Going Down by Shelli Stevens

Title: Going Down

Author: Shelli Stevens

Series: #1 in The Holding Out for a Hero series

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (July 17, 2010)

Source: Owned/Kindle Freebie

Rating: ☕☕

Synopsis: One man wants her heart. The other wants her dead....

Holding Out for a Hero, Book 1

Eleanor Owen needs to get out of Chicago and quick. It's not that she doesn't want to obey the subpoena to testify against her drug-trafficking ex-boyfriend. It's making it to the witness stand alive, should a dirty cop make good on his threats.

Tiny, remote Wyattville, Oregon, looks like the perfect place to disappear, but it's hard to blend into the woodwork when one of the town's infamous namesakes sends her heart racing. Worse, Mr. Tall, Hot and Packing is the town sheriff, which means she should stay as far away from him as possible.

Tyson Wyatt is positive the sexy new girl in town is hiding something. Question is, what? He vows to feel out her secrets--including what she feels like beneath him. Preferably naked. Until then, he's not buying the story she's selling.

Their chemistry is sheet--melting hot, and Ellie realizes much too late that the man with the badge is as dangerous to her heart as her ex is to her life...

Warning:

A city girl on the run, and a small-town sheriff set to seduce. Explicit sex. Dirty talk. A hint of danger. Oral sex with a cupcake.

My Thoughts: I wanted to like this more than I did. 

The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: I love me some small town lovin' and a man in uniform revs my engine. For the most part this novella fit that bill. What I didn't like was the entire relationship was built on hot sex and when the I Love You's happened it didn't feel authentic. The suspense started out well but fizzled right after the beginning and was concluded quickly at the end with lies and sex filling up the middle. Not to mention the glaringly obvious hotel "suspenseful" scene that really pushed Ellie into the TSTL category. I mean who doesn't look through the peephole when someone knocks on your hotel door? WTF girl?!?! You deserved to be dead just for that!

Tyson's character was too domineering and could not get past his penis to really give this book depth. He also got all butt hurt when he found out Ellie was lying to him about who she was and that she was on the run. Well Ty, your powers of deduction are less than impressive. The woman took one look at you when you first pulled up to her rental property and she took off running (literally out the backdoor and into the woods). He chased after her and had to rescue her from almost running off the cliff she didn't know was there by tackling her. And so, begins Ty thinking with his little brain because he was then laying on top of her and despite her suspicious behavior, he absolutely wanted her sexy body. 

Despite the fact that I love small town law enforcement romances I kind of like the deputy (or sheriff in this book's case) to be more guy next door (like Levi Cooper in Kristan Higgins's The Best Man from her Blue Heron series) rather than who Ty turned out to be (a dirty talking, little brain thinking, Alphatool.) Oh, sure he really wasn't a completely terrible character but not one anywhere close to some of my Romantic Suspense favorites and he definitely won't make it into my all-male harem. 

In a Nutshell: Ok, so as much as it sounds like I hated this book I really didn't. It was a quick read and it fit into a challenge I was doing. Also, it was a kindle freebie at one point, and I always look at those as you get what you pay for. With that in mind there are other Wyatt brothers books to read and if I can get them for free, I'll eventually read them.

Shelter for Sophie by Susan Stoker

Title: Shelter for Sophie

Author: Susan Stoker

Series: #8 in the Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes series

Genre: Romantic Suspense 

Publisher: Stoker Aces Production LLC (August 15, 2017)

Source: Kindle Freebie

Rating: ☕☕1/2

Synopsis: She’s shy, he’s stoic…not the hardest personality traits to overcome, but Sophie Carson and Roman “Chief” Proudfit have their work cut out for them.

Sophie has a crush on the silent-but-studly firefighter next door. She’s been pining away silently while secretly helping the hardworking man by mowing his lawn—which he thinks is being done by her nonexistent husband and/or boyfriend. He’s definitely not big on neighborly chitchat, but with her stutter, that suits Sophie just fine. But now a misunderstanding at a bar has put him even further out of her reach.

Roman’s difficult upbringing on an Indian reservation is a sore spot, so when he thinks Sophie is taking advantage of poor people for medical trials at her workplace, he lets her know exactly what he thinks. But when he discovers he misunderstood, he’s man enough to admit it…and also that he should have opened his eyes to his beautiful, sensitive neighbor sooner.

As the couple gets closer, each helping the other overcome lifelong pains, for the first time in years, Roman has something to live for other than his job. And, as he discovers when Sophie puts herself in danger, something even bigger to lose…

** Shelter for Sophie is the 8th book in the Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Series. Each book is a stand-alone, with no cliffhanger endings.

My Thoughts:  While I didn't fault the actual writing of the book (this being my first Susan Stoker book) I just had issues with the story. The characters were perfect. Sophie was beautiful with white, blond hair and blue eyes and Chief kept mentioning she looked like an angel. She helped underprivileged people, befriended the homeless, and mowed her neighbor's yard. To make her not perfect Stoker gave her a stutter. To make it even more annoying there was so much dialog with her stuttering her s's and m's in every line. Anyway, I really got tired of both the H and h being so perfect. Their relationship was even perfect. The relationship was really quite sweet, so it was startling when Chief dropped the F bomb. It just felt gratuitous, and I certainly wasn't expecting the pretty spicy sex scene with dirty talking. With sweet on sweet the spicy bits were jarring.

One last thing for a book with a Native American main character giving him a nickname of Chief is in bad taste. He's a firefighter but not the fire chief so the nickname makes no sense. Oh, but it must be ok because he said the nickname didn't offend him. Ugh!

In a Nutshell: Ok for a book that I really didn't like I'm not sure why I'm intrigued to carry on with the series. I love me some fire fighters and the skill in the writing sucked me in but make no mistake this book wasn't good.

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.

A Merciful Truth by Kendra Elliot

Title: A Merciful Truth
Author: Kendra Elliot
Narrator: Teri Schnaubelt
Series: #2 in the Mercy Kilpatrick series
Genre: Mystery, Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Audible Audio (June 6 ,2017)
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Rating: ☕☕☕☕

Synopsis: Raised by a family of survivalists, FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick can take on any challenge—even the hostile reception to her homecoming. But she’s not the only one causing chaos in the rural community of Eagle’s Nest, Oregon. At first believed to be teenage pranks, a series of fires takes a deadly turn with the murder of two sheriff’s deputies. Now, along with Police Chief Truman Daly,
Mercy is on the hunt for an arsonist turned killer.

Still shunned by her family and members of the community, Mercy must keep her ear close to the ground to pick up any leads. And it’s not long before she hears rumors of the area’s growing antigovernment militia movement. If the arsonist is among their ranks, Mercy is determined to smoke the culprit out. But when her investigation uncovers a shocking secret, will this hunt for a madman turn into her own trial by fire?

My Thoughts: While I think the first book was a little better I'm enjoying reading about Mercy Kilpatrick and think Kendra Elliot is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine.


The Good, the Bad, and Everything in Between: So, I liked this book a lot but the plot didn't work as well for me as the one in the first book. In this book we not only have preppers, who were the subject of the first book, but we also have militia members. In my head the mindset of the preppers in the first book were a similar to the militia in the second book. There are fundamental differences between the two and the author did a good job of covering them but even from the beginning of book one I thought the preppers were a bit cultish and some of them were even extreme which reminded me of militia. A while back I read Die Trying by Lee Child which was a great book featuring a militia. The reason I bring this up is because that book outlined a leader far superior to the leader of the militia in Elliot's book. He was recruiting but there was no focus on training the recruits. This group would have been doomed from the beginning because the leader wasn't as strong of a leader as the one Lee Child developed. This, of course, is just my opinion and if you've read both books I'd love to hear from you.

In addition I found the identity of the militia leader a bit of a stretch as no one recognized him, not even his own family. There are arguments to be made on why his own family might not have recognized him and I agree there are some possibilities on the lack of identifying, primarily he hadn't seen his family since 1980-ish. I get it, but with the combination of his identity and his questionable leadership, just the idea of him pulling off what he did made this book not quite as good for me as the first.

The progress of Mercy and Truman's relationship is still slowly growing. While I think this is a good thing because I really hate insta-love, it feels as if Truman is a lot more invested in their relationship than Mercy. She continues to hold back, refusing to give everything she can to Truman to support their relationship. Although this drives me nuts it does show Mercy's vulnerability. Her long estrangement from her family and the difficult interactions between them when she finally came home  put her in a delicate emotional state. She longs for her family connections but her loner existence for so much of her life made her reliant on only herself. Trust comes slowly for her and this is where the relationship between her and Truman flounder a bit.

Once again I listened to the audio version of this book through my Kindle Unlimited subscription. Teri Schnaubelt continues to narrate and as I mentioned in my review of A Merciful Death she does an Ok job. Not wonderful but not terrible. I find these books easy enough to listen to so I'm going to continue the series on audio but will no longer mention my thoughts on the audio itself going forward.

In a Nutshell: While many of my points seem negative the actual tension and suspense of this book was top notch and Elliot's writing is really engaging and I'd encourage someone who likes Rom/Susp or even just mysteries (as the romance is not as prominent as the mystery aspect) to pick this series up.

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 Merciful Death by Kendra Elliot

Title: A Merciful Death
Author: Kendra Elliot
Series: #1 in the Mercy Kilpatrick series
Genre: Mystery/Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Brilliance Audio (January 17th 2017)
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Rating: ☕☕☕☕

Synopsis: FBI special agent Mercy Kilpatrick has been waiting her whole life for disaster to strike. A prepper since childhood, Mercy grew up living off the land - and off the grid - in rural Eagle's Nest, Oregon. Until a shocking tragedy tore her family apart and forced her to leave home. Now a predator known as the cave man is targeting the survivalists in her hometown, murdering them in their homes, stealing huge numbers of weapons, and creating federal suspicion of a possible domestic terrorism event. But the crime scene details are eerily familiar to an unsolved mystery from Mercy's past.

Sent by the FBI to assist local law enforcement, Mercy returns to Eagle's Nest to face the family who shunned her while maintaining the facade of a law-abiding citizen. There, she meets police chief Truman Daly, whose uncle was the cave man's latest victim. He sees the survivalist side of her that she desperately tries to hide, but if she lets him get close enough to learn her secret, she might not survive the fallout...

My Thoughts: While I found myself riveted to my phone while listening to this book on my Audible app I'm not sure I would have read it as quickly as I listened to it. There is something to be said about household chores for sure. 😃

The Good: I thought the audio version of this book was done pretty good. Teri Schnaubelt did a good job with infliction and I was able to listen at 1.75x's the speed without her voice "chipmunking" out.  The mystery of who was killing the preppers was pretty good as well although there weren't many viable suspects. The intrigue of Mercy's background and why she left her family and the town she grew up in 15 years ago without looking back was actually more compelling than the current murders. Now that we know all about her history I'm wondering what is in store for future Mercy books.

The Bad: While I think Schnaubelt did a decent job there wasn't much voice difference from one character to another. Luckily the writing was done so well I never was confused as to who was talking. As I mentioned earlier there were not a whole lot of viable suspects and the bad guy was pretty easy to determine. If you are looking for a book that will test your sleuthing abilities this probably isn't the book for you. As far as this being a romantic suspense there is not a whole lot of romance. It definitely takes a back seat to the mystery which is why I labeled this a mystery firstly and a romantic suspense secondly. Last thing, although there isn't graphic rape within the book there is rape. If rape is a trigger for anyone please be warned as this might not be the right book for you.

In a Nutshell: I thought this was a good first book in the series and I'm going to move on to the second book soon.

**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.

Love is Murder by Allison Brennan

Title: Love is Murder
Author: Allison Brennan
Series: #0.5 in the Lucy Kincaid series
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 24, 2011)
Source: Library Find
Rating: ☕☕☕1/2

Synopsis: I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU . . . DEAD

After a tough breakup with her boyfriend, Lucy Kincaid needs a different kind of break. So she heads west to join her brother, an ex-cop, for a long weekend of skiing in the mountains. At a picturesque lodge tucked high in the Sierra Nevada, Lucy finds just what she’s looking for: a peaceful retreat undisturbed by Internet, television, and cell phone distractions. She also finds an unexpected group of newlyweds seeking their own idyllic getaway.
But finding one of her fellow guests dead wasn’t in the brochure. And neither was the overnight snowstorm that leaves the lodge cut off from the outside world. When Lucy’s brother suspects the honeymooner’s death was foul play, he’s mysteriously stricken ill. Now, to keep him and herself alive, it’s up to aspiring FBI agent Lucy Kincaid to figure out which of the lovebirds trapped in the lodge is really a bird of prey.

My Thoughts: This was a nice introduction to the Lucy Kincaid series but it isn't necessary in the grand scheme of things to read it prior to starting the series.

The Good, The Bad, and Whatever Else I want to Mention: Since this was the first of her series, Lucy is young and not as established as she was in the Max Revere book featuring her and Max. It really was nice to see Lucy as a young woman. Thankfully the issues I had, not necessarily with her but with the way her background was rehashed, in Shattered, were mostly absent from this book. It's been a few months since I read this book because I'm a little behind in my reviews but I recall a vague mention of her past but that was it which I'm grateful for because the constant rehashing that was done in Shattered diminished my enjoyment of that book.

As I mentioned earlier in the overall grand scheme of the series (which I've not yet read but am fairly confident in drawing my conclusions) this novella is a throwaway. For me, this means you could read it or you could skip it. Nothing really happened that would have a tremendous impact on Lucy's character in future books. It was a nice little mystery set in a snowed in ski lodge setting and Lucy and her brother were interesting characters but had I not read this book I would have been A-OK to just jump into book 1 of the Lucy Kincaid series. Also as a side note this was labeled Romantic Suspense but there is no romance in it at all. Lucy is fresh out of a breakup and there is no love interest in the works either.


In a Nutshell: If you have time and enjoy the Lucy Kincaid series I'd recommend you spend an hour or so reading this short novella. If you're looking for a mystery/thriller in the vein of Karin Slaughter or Lisa Gardner I'd skip this one.

The Wrong Man by Kate White

Title: The Wrong Man
Author: Kate White
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (June 16, 2015)
Source: Library Find
Rating: ☕☕

Synopsis: She wanted to be more daring, but one small risk is about to cost her everything—maybe even her life.

Bold and adventurous in her work as owner of one of Manhattan's boutique interior design firms, Kit Finn couldn't be tamer in her personal life. While on vacation in the Florida Keys, Kit resolves to do something risky for once. When she literally bumps into a charming stranger at her hotel, she decides to make good on her promise and act on her attraction. But back in New York, when Kit arrives at his luxury apartment ready to pick up where they left off in the Keys, she doesn't recognize the man standing on the other side of the door. Was this a cruel joke or part of something truly sinister? Kit soon realizes that she's been thrown into a treacherous plot, which is both deeper and deadlier than she could have ever imagined. Now the only way to protect herself, her business, and the people she loves is to find out the true identity of the man who has turned her life upside down.

My Thoughts: This was the book that could have been...but wasn't.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: While the beginning of this book was so very interesting, towards the middle I found I could care less in learning how this book ends. With mistaken identities, liars, corporate intrigue, break-ins, murders, and a host of other stuff this book could have been amazing. It just wasn't. With Kit (no explanation as to if this was a nickname or not) being a truly TSTL heroine, making one bad decision after another, killed this book. Honestly, I can't blame it all on the heroine. The excruciatingly slow pacing through the middle of the book made the beginning of the book feel so far withdrawn I almost forgot the beginning was good. As far as the plot, insider trading type of corporate intrigue could be a decent enough plot to carry a book along, although this was nothing I expected from the back blurb and the beginning. From the beginning we find Kit is being manipulated and used by a person who appears to be up to no good. From there her world starts falling apart. The reasoning behind this seems a complete stretch and not as believable as the author probably intended.

In a Nutshell: While this was a new to me author and I normally give an author at least 2 shots at becoming a regular spot in my TBR pile I'm honestly not sure I will seek out another book by Kate White for a very long time. I can't recommend this book either. The only thing that save it from being rated lower was the good beginning.

 

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.

Poisonous by Allison Brennan

Title: Poisonous
Author: Allison Brennan
Series: #3 in the Maxine Revere series
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Minotaur Books; Reprint edition (April 12, 2016)
Source: Library Find
Rating: ☕☕☕1/2

Synopsis: Teen-aged Internet bully Ivy Lake fell off a cliff and few people cared ... except her mentally-challenged eighteen-year-old step-brother, Tommy. He loved her in spite of her cruelty. He's distraught and doesn't understand why his blended family is falling apart. After a year, the police still have no answers: Ivy could have jumped, could have been pushed, or it could have been an accident. With too many suspects and not enough evidence, the investigation has grown cold.

Tommy thinks that if someone can figure out what happened to his step-sister, everything will go back to normal, so he writes to investigative reporter Maxine Revere. This isn’t the type of case Max normally takes on, but the heartbreak and simple honesty in Tommy's letter pulls her in. She travels to Corte Madera, California, with her assistant David Kane and is at first pleased that the police are cooperative. But the more Max learns about Tommy and his dysfunctional family, the more she thinks she’s taken on an impossible task: this may be the one case she can’t solve.

If Ivy was murdered, it was exceptionally well-planned and that kind of killer could be hiding in plain sight ... planning the next act of violence. Max believes the truth is always better than lies, that the truth is the only thing that matters to gain justice for victims and their families. But for the first time, she wonders if this time, the truth will kill.

My Thoughts: While I wasn't as involved with the crime part of this book as I was in the previous book I did enjoy this book quite a bit.

The Good: I liked Max's interactions with the kids in this book. She showed immense compassion when talking with them and treated Tommy, an 18 year old with special needs, with respect. I'm not sure if she would have been as compassionate if this was the case we read about in the first book. In the first book she was colder...almost impersonal. She also did whatever it took to get to the truth  regardless of who might get hurt. In the second book she had to take a hard look at who she was as a person and made some discoveries she didn't like. In this book she is still struggling with her discoveries she made of herself in the previous book. This has made her a better character. She isn't as "in your face" and even though she is still a very strong woman she doesn't plow over people or jump into verbal confrontations immediately, as she would have in the first book.

The investigation was interesting and completely relevant to the time with social media such a huge impact on our youth. I liked seeing, once again, Max's methodology and her legwork when it came to investigating the cold case.

The Bad: While I like that Max's character is growing I don't think she made as much of a forward movement as she could have. She is having a hard time not opinionating about Nick's and David's ex's. She's not understanding even though the women, mother's of their children, are complete witches there is a large amount of finesse and towing the line in making sure those women do not cut the men completely out of their kid's lives. Max's personality is to just blast the women, hire a better lawyer, take what is owed you. Stop playing nice. The men don't want that stress on their kids because those women would make the kids miserable by not letting them see their dads, talking bad about their dads in front of them, etc. I'm not sure if Max has the capability to learn these things. She has no intention of becoming a mother and I'm not sure is she is maternal at all even with the compassion she showed the boys.

Also, there was some things that were repeated throughout the book. I was a little annoyed with this but didn't notice it happening in the other books so I'm hoping it's just a one off. Oh and if you're more interested in the romance aspect of Rom/Susp this book has very little in the way of romance. Nick does make an appearance a couple times in the book but the majority of the book is about the investigation. There isn't a lot of suspense build up either. There is some at the end but like I said it's mostly about the investigation.

In a Nutshell: I'm enjoying these books more than I thought I would after reading that first book. Even though I only rated this 3.5 I'm looking forward to the next book a lot.

Promise Not to Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz

Title: Promise Not to Tell
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: #2 in the Cutler, Sutter, and Salinas series
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Berkley (January 2, 2018)
Source: Library Find
Rating: ☕☕☕

Synopsis: A painter of fiery, nightmarish visions throws herself into the sea—but she leaves her secrets behind . . .

Seattle gallery owner Virginia Troy has spent years battling the demons that stem from her childhood time in a cult and the night a fire burned through the compound, killing her mother. And now one of her artists has taken her own life, but not before sending Virginia a last picture: a painting that makes Virginia doubt everything about the so-called suicide—and her own past.

Like Virginia, private investigator Cabot Sutter was one of the children in the cult who survived that fire... and only he can help her now. As they struggle to unravel the clues in the painting, it becomes clear that someone thinks Virginia knows more than she does and that she must be stopped. Thrown into an inferno of desire and deception, Virginia and Cabot draw ever closer to the mystery of their shared memories—and the shocking fate of the one man who still wields the power to destroy everything they hold dear.

My Thoughts: While I found the mystery interesting this book just won't stick with me in the long run.

The Good: The underlying cult theme that started in the first book moved forward during this book which I actually enjoyed even though I don't gravitate towards books with cults in them. I'm looking forward to seeing how JAK wraps it up in the last book of this trilogy but having to wait until January of next year seems like such a long wait. I liked some of the supporting characters in this book especially Anson (Cabot's dad) and Xavier (Cabot's young cousin). The pacing of the book is really good as the suspense and tension starts right away and continues to grow through out the book.

The Bad: Once again, as with the first book, I found the romance just not quite right. I didn't see their attraction and despite JAK having dialogue to support it (in the form of "I want to kiss you,") it just wasn't there. There were no epiphanies of "I can't live without you". There were no instances where I just felt they had to be together.

In addition, the mystery was subpar. Although, Cabot is a PI, and we follow his methods to investigating Hannah's death they seem to jump to conclusions a lot. Even with Cabot explaining to Virginia they can't rely on speculation as facts they seem to make some conclusions just because it fits the storyline instead of relying on just the facts. "Follow the money" makes perfect sense but to draw a conclusion that the entire thing was about money with no hard evidence seemed a stretch. Also, the number of murderers in this one, similarly to the first book, seems more complex than necessary.

In a Nutshell: So, even though these are only average reads and there are way better Romantic Suspense books out there I'm going to read the last book when it comes out. I want to read how the underlying story-arc pans out.

When All the Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz

Title: When All the Girls Have Gone
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: #1 in the Cutler, Sutter, and Salinas Trilogy
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Berkley (November 29, 2016)
Source: Library Find
Rating: ☕☕☕

Synopsis: When Charlotte Sawyer is unable to contact her stepsister, Jocelyn, to tell her that one of her closest friends was found dead, she discovers that Jocelyn has vanished. 

Beautiful, brilliant—and reckless—Jocelyn has gone off the grid before, but never like this. In a desperate effort to find her, Charlotte joins forces with Max Cutler, a struggling PI who recently moved to Seattle after his previous career as a criminal profiler went down in flames—literally. Burned out, divorced and almost broke, Max needs the job.  

After surviving a near-fatal attack, Charlotte and Max turn to Jocelyn’s closest friends, women in a Seattle-based online investment club, for answers. But what they find is chilling...

When her uneasy alliance with Max turns into a full-blown affair, Charlotte has no choice but to trust him with her life. For the shadows of Jocelyn’s past are threatening to consume her—and anyone else who gets in their way...

My Thoughts: As a fan of many of JAK's books this one was just lukewarm for me.

The Good: The underlying plot thread which should continue throughout the trilogy is actually pretty interesting even though I don't usually care for "cult" themed novels. Max and his 2 brothers were children when their parents joined a cult. They were orphaned when the leader lit fire to the entire complex, including the barn where the children were kept. Placed in  foster care, Max, Cabot, and Jack were taken in my the cop who saved all the children. Anyway, this plot thread is actually pretty interesting as they all three believe the cult leader is still alive despite being pronounced dead in a boating accident years after the cult complex fire.

I did like Max and Charlotte but didn't necessarily believe in their romance completely. I liked Charlotte's quirkiness and absolutely loved the retirement home she worked at. With the retirement home came with some wonderful residents. Their appearances in the story stood out to me in such a positive way.

The Bad: While I did like the darker themes within the book (rape cases in addition to murders) I thought they were underplayed a bit while JAK was trying to pull off a believable romance. Also, the mystery was a bit convoluted as the number of murderers increased and finding connections between everything seemed a bit of a stretch.

Even though Max and Charlotte fell in love and we could see how they were heading towards this I thought it was not quite believable because of the time frame and well, insta-love. Throwing in an ex-fiancé into the mix didn't do much to propel the story forward either.

In a Nutshell: Even though this book was just an OK for me I definitely will continue the trilogy to find out how the cult story arch plays out.

 

Notorious by Allison Brennan

Title: Notorious
Author: Allison Brennan
Series: #1 in the Maxine Revere series
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Minotaur Books; Reissue edition (March 25, 2014)
Source: Library Find
Rating: ☕☕☕

Synopsis: Maxine Revere has dedicated her life to investigating murders that the police have long since given up any hope of solving. A nationally renowned investigative reporter with her own TV show and a tough-as-nails reputation, Max tackles cold cases from across the country and every walk of life. But the one unsolved murder that still haunts her is a case from her own past.
When Max was a high school senior, one of her best friends was strangled and another, Kevin O'Neal, accused of the crime. To the disgrace of her wealthy family, Max stood by her friend, until she found out he lied about his alibi. Though his guilt was never proven, their relationship crumbled from the strain of too many secrets.

Now Max is home for Kevin's funeral―after years of drug abuse, he committed suicide. She's finally prepared to come to terms with the loss of his friendship, but she's not prepared for Kevin's sister to stubbornly insist that he didn't kill himself. Or for an elderly couple to accost her at the airport, begging her to look into another murder at Max's old high school. Max is more interested in the cold case at her alma mater than in digging around Kevin's troubled life, but she agrees to do both. As Max uncovers dark secrets, she finds herself caught in a complicated web of lies that hit far too close to home. And it's becoming increasingly clear that someone will do whatever it takes to make sure the truth stays buried.

My Thoughts: An alright book with a hard to connect to heroine but an interesting murder mystery.

The Good: While I might not have enjoyed the ultra rich people and their surroundings I did think the actual mysteries involving the old murder case and the new one were quite intriguing. I liked learning about both murders and Kevin's suicide but honestly this was just about it for the good things in this book.

The Bad: This book was pretty tedious to read. It seemed to take forever because of all the details that were actually not necessary to the progression of the storyline. Max was also a detriment to the story as she starts investigating for personal reasons all the while denying she is investigating. Her background is supposed to make her seem more real to us and help us connect to her. For me this didn't work because all I could think about was "Oh poor Max. Abandoned by her mother as a child and she never knew her dad. How terrible she had to endure living with her billionaire grandparents and go to the elite private school." She would complain and then back it up with how she was privileged as a child and shouldn't complain.

Have you ever read a book where you think "If only this (insert plot twist of your choice) would have happened instead of the one the author actually used. I'm not saying I could have written this book better. I am a reader not a writer...obviously. However, I would have loved if Max's mother had been discovered in this book and a certain Uncle, who is nothing more than a douche-canoe, knew all about it. I'm assuming the re-entry of Max's mother will happen in one of the next two books but as of right now it's a dangly bit. I don't like dangly bits.

In a Nutshell: So, not a terrible book but not great either. I know Allison Brennan writes some really good books and I'll continue with this trilogy if only to finish something I started. And of course with the hopes I'll connect with Maxine at some point.