ARC Book Review – Leave the Lights On by Liv Andersson

Leave the Lights On
by Liv Andersson
Publication date: October 17, 2023
Genres: Horror, Mystery Thriller
Source: Netgalley

Cape Morgan, Maine, is the utopian ideal for a charmed life, and Beatrice Wicker knows it. The multi-million-dollar house on the sea coast. The joint bank accounts. The safety and security that go along with being married to an esteemed architect and community leader. The scenic coastline, perfect for her ambitious plan to turn an abandoned asylum into an artists’ retreat. So what if her husband sneaks off to see his second family now and again? Beatrice is willing to look the other way. It’s simply the price she must pay to keep their life together.

Josh doesn’t realize that Beatrice knows about his other life. That’s just one of Beatrice’s secrets. And now, that truth—along with a deadly host of other secrets from the past—is about to upend their false paradise.

When there’s an explosion at the local elementary school playground, and a two-year-old boy is abducted, it doesn’t take Beatrice long to make the connection between the missing boy and her husband. It was the son from Josh’s other life who was kidnapped, and Josh can’t do anything about it without revealing the truth.

Helping Josh find his son would destroy the façade of her perfect marriage and could put more children’s’ lives in danger. But that’s not all. It would reveal her deeper secret: Beatrice Wicker is not who she claims to be.

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**PLEASE NOTE THIS REVIEW WILL ALSO BE POSTED ON MY OTHER BLOG — ECHOINGBOOKS  **

*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. *

Okay so this will most probably be a short review as I am currently vey annoyed with my very slow laptop. I had some trouble rating this book I mean I keep jumping between ratings but finally I decided on a 3 heart rating. This book was written well but I don’t know I needed a bit more.

Now this story is about Beatrice who had plans to turn the abandoned asylum into a nice artist retreat in a small charming town of Cape Morgan, Maine. Her husband, Josh, cheating on her and him not knowing she knows.  Sadly both has secrets and slowly there lives start to unravel when the child of his affair with a younger woman is kidnapped.

Now like I said before the writing was well done but there where times that I could figure things out before the main character did. I like mystery books that would keep me guessing until the very end and unfortunately for me this was not the one. Though this was a nice quick read for me to pass the time. Though I hate it when a book ends with a abrupt ending and I am not sure if this is felt by other readers but for me the story ending so abruptly and sadly also an anticlimactic ending.

ARC Review – No Child of Mine by Nichelle Giraldes

No Child of Mine
by Nichelle Giraldes
Publication date: September 12, 2023
Genres: Horror, Mystery Thriller
Source: Netgalley

There’s something in the dark. And it’s starting to whisper…

Essie Kaur has defined herself by her ambitions, a fiercely independent woman whose only soft spot is her husband, Sanjay. She never imagined herself as a mother. It was never a part of the plan. But then she finds out she’s pregnant. As her difficult pregnancy transforms her body and life into something she barely recognizes, her husband spends the nights pacing in the attic, slowly becoming a stranger, and the house begins to whisper.

As Essie’s pregnancy progresses, both her and Sanjay’s lives are warped by a curse that has haunted her family for generations, leaving a string of fatherless daughters in its wake. When she’s put on bedrest, Essie trades the last aspects of her carefully planned life for isolation in what should be a welcoming home, but she isn’t alone. There’s something here that means to take everything from her…

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*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. *

First of all I want to say thank you to Netgalley and the publisher,  Poisoned Press Pen to give me the opportunity to read this book. This was an okay read for me. I was fist confused with the dual timelines but after awhile I started to enjoy it.

I missed the suspense and the haunting in this story. I have expected a lot more. I felt like the haunting house aspect in this was on the back burner. With the dual timeline aspects I always wonder why we were reading the story of Anna and Isabel and what where the connection with them to Essie. You would only find out the answer later in the book.

Now this book is about Essie Kaur who is a very headstrong women that is studying to become a lawyer. She has been delaying it for a few years for her husband, Sanjay. However she will have to delay that dream once more when she found out she was pregnant. At first she was not happy about this because she never wanted kids – she did decide to keep the baby.

In this book we have read all the sacrifices she has to make for the pregnancy. All the changes she feels her body has to go through. The men don’t go through such changes when they find out there wife is pregnant.

This book was an interesting read and was written well enough. I just needed more suspense. The ending though was quite abrupt for me. Especially when it came to this family curse. The foundations are there to develop this writing style and I would read more books from this author.

Review for Then Came Alexandra by E.L. Todd

Then Came Alexander
E.L. Todd
Publication date: March 14 2014
Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Format: Ebook
Source: Advanced Readers Copy 

**This full-length novel is the first in the Southern Love Series**

THEN CAME ALEXANDRA, THE FIRST BOOK OF THE SOUTHERN LOVE SERIES

“You’re everything to me. More than everything.”

Alexandra…

After a horrific accident working as a nurse in the emergency room, Cassandra becomes reclusive to the world around her. Unable to be speak or function, she pushes away her boyfriend, Paul, of two years. Her distance causes him to spend time with someone else…the betrayal causes her to pack her bags and leave everything behind. She doesn’t know what comfort she’ll find in Savannah, Georgia, but she flees anyway.

Blaise…

After inheriting the most lucrative cotton field in the south, Blaise has to become a man early in life. He spends his nights with different girls, knowing they are after his money and his special abilities in the bedroom, but he makes a serious mistake with Danielle. Now she lives with him and he guards a secret that he promises to keep…even though that secret is destroying his life. When Cassandra comes into town, her smile and compassion evident, Blaise wants her, and not just in a physical way. Unable to keep his distance, he falls for her, not knowing how long he can keep his secret…

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This book was a bit slow for me and some eye rolling moments. I hate giving less than stellar reviews but sadly this could only get a 3/ 2.5 stars.

*** ARC WAS GIVEN FOR HONEST REVIEW***

This book was not one of my favorites it was okay. It started off a little slow where you were trying to figure out what Alexandra’s little secret was and if she will get over the fear. She decided to leave New York and go live with her aunt and start a new life where she met annoying friends for my taste and a hot guy. The moment Blaise and Alexandra met was like intent love for them. They did not show it at first but both where craving each other and both was keeping secrets from each other.

There relationship involves fast and slow  and I wanted to kill Blaise every time he lied to Alexandra I mean this secret is huge. He has a girl living with him and they dated each other, the rest of the town still thinks they dating and thats how he should keep it. Anyway, this all comes to a head and much to their mutual devastation. They break-up. No-one knows the truth in why he has to stay by his girlfriend and they have to keep it that way.  The book ends with a cliff hanger – and despite my constant eye-rolling and sighing throughout… I want to see what will happen next.

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A New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, E. L. Todd is known for her sexy and hilarious romantic comedies. She lives in California with her husband along with her furry child, Sharktooth.

With eight bestselling novels, she’s appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestsellers lists several times, and she’s sold more than 1.5 million books. Her books have been translated into several languages in different countries around the world. In the next few months, she’s releasing a special series she’s kept under wraps for awhile

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ARC Review for Don’t Look Back by Dawn Ryder

Don’t Look Back
Dawn Ryder
Publication date: August 28 2018
Genres: Romance, Suspense, Contemporary Romance
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley 

In DON’T LOOK BACK by Dawn Ryer, she is the only woman worth fighting – or dying – for…

Shadow Ops Agent Thais Sinclair has sworn off falling in love for good. It’s what’s kept her calculated, steady, and on-task in a world dominated by men. She needs nothing and no one but her own wits and strength to guide her. But when she’s slated to shadow the one man who could reveal their entire operation, all bets are off.

Dunn Bateson, illegitimate son of a Southern debutante, has always had to fight harder than the rest to get what he wants. Now, the last thing he needs is Thais following his every move. She is so strong, sly, seductive. . . No woman has ever captivated him so completely. Thais may only have room for her mission in her heart, but is Dunn up to the challenge of showing her that she’s worth every risk he is willing to take?

Buy Links:

Amazon

First, this review will be short, so I will see this as a mini review. 😊 Now I was invited by the publishers to read and review, so I will say thank you for the opportunity to read this. This is the first book that I have read from this author (I think…) and I can tell you that this book is not a stand alone!!!! You will need to read the first few books in this series.

Now I would have enjoyed this book more if I new before hand that this was not a standalone even though I was told that it can be read as one. I mean when I started reading this novel I was playing catch up here trying to figure out who the bad guys are and the good guys. Another thing that I did not like is this novel kept jumping from character and scenes and times which just made it even more confusing for me. That is one thing that I hate about reading is if I am confused, a story should never make one confused.

Even though I was playing catch up here, because I didn’t read the previous books in the series didn’t mean I will just stop reading this book. I did find this book am okay read and I might have enjoyed it more if I had read the other books in this series. Now what made me keep reading is the chemistry between the two main characters Dunn and Thais and let me tell you there was some very nice sexy scenes in the book which I loved reading. :p That is also one of the reasons why I have read the book in one day.

All in all, this book could have been better for me if I read the rest of the series as I struggled to keep up with this fast pace action and the jumps between characters, times and scenes. I will most probably read this book again after I have read the series, so I can understand the other characters better in the series.

 

Dawn Ryder has not been abducted by gypsies. She stepped through a time tunnel and has been busy writing about Scots in kilts and English Knights for Kensington’s Brava line. but she will return, very soon to her special operations guys and the other characters that are demanding their turn to tell their story. please check back for updates and click on over to MaryWine.com to discover what she’s got releasing.

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Blog Tour for Unruly by Ronnie Douglas

Enter to Win a Print Copy of

UNDAUNTED (Knights in Black Leather #1)

UNRULY
Knights in Black Leather #2
Ronnie Douglas
Releasing February 23rd, 2016
William Morrow

Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss

The second novel in Ronnie Douglas’ sexy Southern Wolves motorcycle club series—reminiscent of Kristen Ashley and Jay Crownover—tells the story of an aspiring fashion designer and a biker who discover a desire that knows no limits.

When the daughter of one of the

Southern Wolves gets a flat in the middle of a thunderstorm, there’s only one thing to do—strip down to her underwear and get a little muddy. But when Alamo, the sexy biker shows up to rescue Ellen yet again, things are bound to get a whole lot dirtier.

Between the trouble he left behind and club rules, Alamo knows he needs to stay clear of Ellen. He’s not looking for a woman or complications—even when that woman is everything a man could want. Unfortunately, Ellen isn’t playing by anyone’s rules but her own these days, and a Southern woman who’s been raised by Wolves is awfully hard to deny.

So when they give in to their raging attraction, both get much more than they bargained for.

Buy Links:

Amazon | B & N | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo

 

*Advanced Readers Copy received in exchange for an honest review*

First let me tell you this will be a really short review, only because im drowning at work and only have 10 minutes. I thought this book was okay though I enjoyed the first book more. It can be read as a standalone but I suggest you read the first book first as this book is parallel to the first one.

I thought this book would be darker and rawer which should fit most of the Motorcycle stories I’ve read lately but Ronnie Douglas took the MC story into a different direction. This novel had little action and not a lot of romance. When I got to the great romance that I enjoy to read I found out that im ¾ done with the book. Anyway this story did make me smile and it was clever. Ellen had a great desire and fascination for Alamo, but Noah kept using the club code to call dibs on Ellen. One thing I like to mention is that there was very little foul language and I’ve gotten quite use to a lot of foul language when it comes to an MC. In my eyes this book fall easily in the NA category.

I did not feel like Ellen and Alamo’s relationship was real. I found it hard to get the nice couple feel from them. Anyway it was an okay read for me I did enjoy it, that’s why it is getting 3 hearts but somehow I wanted something more from this. I don’t know what but I just needed something different. I did find it hard to write out this review as it was hard to rate but I would not go lower than this.

I can say one thing: I suggest you should read the first book first, to understand it better in my option even though this book can be read as a standalone. All in all this was a good addition to the series and an enjoyable enough read to past the time. I am looking forward to see what’s next.

 

Alamo stood in the middle of a sea of boxes that filled his new house. He was no stranger to moving. Growing up, he’d been rousted from his bed more times than he could count to move to a new place in the middle of the night. His mother would let the back rent build up as far as she could, and then they’d skip out. Mix in a few turns in foster care over the years when she was arrested, and he’d become something of a pro at traveling light and moving quickly. This time, though, he was moving everything he’d accumulated over several years of stability. He had absolutely no desire to put it to rights in a new place.

Truth be told, this new house was the nicest place he’d ever lived. It wasn’t home, though. Home was a modest-sized apartment in Durham, North Carolina. Home was having his sister Zoe in the house, badly imitating his Spanish cusswords and singing like a cat in a surly mood—and he missed it.

He’d lost that right when he’d lost his temper. He knew it, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating. He’d done the right thing, and there wasn’t a minute of it that he regretted. The man deserved every punch, but that was neither here nor there. Truth didn’t change facts, and the facts were that Alamo was a big man, and his long-gone father wasn’t as white as his mama had been. Race shouldn’t matter, but sometimes having darker skin still did, especially in a city where drug traffic was as common as it was in Durham. The police tended to blame it on one segment of the population, those with darker skin. He was a large man with darker skin. To add to that, once the police saw the motorcycle club patches on his jacket, Alamo was far too likely to end up in jail if he stayed in North Carolina.

This time they had a reason of sorts. He had put that pendejo in the hospital. And an uptown white boy in his expensive clothes could afford the sort of lawyers who twisted truth until it looked nothing like reality. Alamo knew it, had known it before he’d taken the first swing. Sometimes, though, a man had to stand up for a woman regardless of the cost. Zoe’s friend had no one else to stand up for her, so Alamo did what needed doing. It was that simple.

“You can’t just do that!” Zoe snapped at him when he’d walked into the little apartment they shared. “I might not be a kid, but I still don’t need my brother in the lockup.”

“He hurt Ana.”

“You are not the law, Alejandro. You wear that jacket”—she pointed at the vest with the Southern Wolves patches prominently displayed—“and you forget that you’re not above the law.”

“Lobita,” he started.

“Don’t you ‘little wolf’ me, mister!” His sister’s hands landed on their customary position on her hips. She was a tiny little thing, but she had the attitude of a dozen girls. “If you end up in jail, I’ll . . . I’ll find someone big enough to kick your ass. Then where will you be, eh?”

Alamo bowed his head, as much to hide his smile as to let her know he was listening to her chastisement.

“You call Nicky, you hear me? You find out where you can move because you’re not staying here. That boy . . . he has friends. I don’t want this to get worse.”

“Lobita . . .”

Don’t Miss UNDAUNTED,

the first title in the Knights in Black Leather Series

 

Ronnie Douglas is the writing name for a multiple NYT

bestselling author. Drawing on a lifetime love of romance novels and a few

years running a biker bar, she decided to write what she knew–dangerous men

with Harleys and tattoos. Her debut “Ronnie book” was indie-published as part

of a series she created and wrote with friends in 2014. You can find Ronnie at:

http://www.ronniedouglas.com

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ARC Review for Predator’s Rescue by Rosanna Leo

Predator’s Rescue
Author: Rosanna Leo
Series: Gemini Island Shifters #7
Genre:  Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy
Pub Date: February 29, 2016
Format: eARC
Source: Rosanna Leo

Tiger shifter Jani Fodor should have washed his hands of Fleur Bissette long ago. However, when she disappears from the shape shifter sanctuary on Gemini Island, he can’t forget her, and launches a fraught two-week search to find her. He thinks she’ll be grateful but the petulant she-wolf resents his intrusion in her life.
Jani recently liberated Fleur from a vicious cult of shape shifters, where she was brainwashed by the sadistic August Crane. The wolf shifter terrorized their friends at the Ursa Fishing Lodge and Resort on Gemini Island. Labeled a “bad girl” all her life, Fleur knows she’ll never fit in with the good guys at the Ursa, no matter how much Jani tries to convince her of their regard. Besides, she can’t stay with Jani. Although he’s the closest thing she’s ever had to a friend, their chemistry is explosive in the worst way.
When a new menace arises, in the form of a vicious drug dealer with a grudge, Jani is adamant Fleur accept his help to rehabilitate her addict mother and remove her from the influence of her dealer. Fleur accepts Jani’s assistance but as they work together, friendship erupts into passion. Neither can deny their lust-struck spirit animals and before long, they realize their connection runs deeper than they ever expected.
Despite the threats posed by the drug dealer, the worst danger of all dwells inside Fleur. Haunted by the spirit of August Crane, Fleur is inundated by visions that torment her. She is consumed by guilt and plagued by old hostilities. Can this bad girl make good? And is Jani’s love enough to save her from her demons?

 

**Received an ARC Review in exchange for and honest review**

Last year I discovered this author and I think that was the best thing I ever discovered. I have nearly read all of her books and I have reread this entire series twice now. So the moment I got a chance read the Advanced Readers Copy, I jumped for the chance. I absolutely adore this author and trust me I loved this book. I didn’t think I would like it that much because I really didn’t like Fleur in previous book but strangely enough I loved her.

This book focuses on Jani a Tiger shifter and a feisty and strong Fleur who is a wolf shifter. Fleur just got out an abusive relationship with a cult leader August Crane and she wants to finally change her life. She is now on a mission to save her mother. When she left on that mission, Jani didn’t like it so he went to track her down. Now that Fleur escaped August Crane she is now set on living her life on her own terms but Jani needs to protect her and he wants to help her but he wants to keep her safe at Gemini Island Resort. They wind each other up so much but there sexual attraction is nearly off the charts and it can’t be fought. They fight their attraction at first but thankfully they saw the light after a pushes from friends.

Jani saw something in Fleur that no one else saw including herself and he makes it his priority to make her see it. He wants to help her recover from the abuse she endured and he needs her to see her self-worth. Fleur wants to belong somewhere but she feels that the people in Geminin Island does not want her. Jani made sure to set her straight on that. Fleur became good friends with Elaine and Suzan and later the others on Gemini Island started trusting her as well. Even though August Crane is dead she still somehow got abused subconsciously by him. It’s like his spirit decided to abuse her and that nearly killed her if she didn’t have Jani to give her support then she might have been lost.

I really enjoyed this book. I would so easily reread this book along with the entire series again.  I loved that Fleur finally found an HEA. With all those emotions that she had to go through made her stronger. You know she earned her HEA. You can feel it. Jani was such a great hero and I really loved him. He was strong for Fleur and I think she needed someone to be strong for her. Everybody needs someone to keep them strong.

The ending was very tense and totally unexpected and I loved it. This is an absolutely wonderful book with so much emotions and sexy hot men. I loved every second of it. I cannot wait to see what comes next. I need to see what will happen to Barbi and Elaine. I want Elaine to be happy again because my heart breaks every time for her. I want both to have a happily ever after.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosanna Leo is a multi-published author with Liquid Silver Books, Hartwood Publishing and Samhain Publishing. She has her degree in history and literature, as well as in classical singing. Currently residing in Toronto, Canada, her favorite things are her family, dusty libraries, and Nutella. Rosanna loves it when the geeky, awkward girl gets the hot guy, and has made it her mission to see this happen in her books as much as possible. Rosanna’s blog is www.rosannaleoauthor.wordpress.com. Her new contemporary romance Vice will be published by Samhain Publishing in summer 2015.

 

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Release Blast with Review for Hidden Heat by Carla Swafford

Hidden Heat
Brothers of Mayhem #1
By: Carla Swafford
Releasing February 16, 2016
Loveswept
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley

Sizzling with passion and suspense, perfect for fans of Joanna Wylde and Julie Ann Walker, the Brothers of Mayhem series revs up as a headstrong beauty faces off against an outlaw motorcycle club—and falls for the bad boy she never saw coming.
Cassidy Ryder refuses to be intimidated by anyone, even the hell-raising, hard-drinking Brothers of Mayhem. The daughter of their former president, she’s not above smashing a few heads to keep her teenage brother safe. But when Cassidy’s big mouth gets her in trouble, the only thing that saves her is some quick thinking from the Brothers’ bartender. He’s commanding and strong, and as smooth as the whiskey he pours: the ultimate temptation for a girl who swore she’d never be a biker’s plaything.

But Thorn Savalas is no ordinary biker. He’s a cop, and he’s worked too hard earning the Brothers’ trust to blow his cover over a female—even one who rocks a pair of jeans like Cassidy. The only way to protect her is by claiming she’s his old lady. Trouble is, Thorn can’t just pretend. He wants Cassidy, and every scorching touch tells him she feels the same. But acting on their hottest fantasies could leave them both exposed . . . even if nothing else has ever felt so real.

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Alright this is going to be a real short review as I am at work. Anyway this was a good enough book. I did enjoy it and trust me lately I have been real picky on my MC books. So I did enjoy it but somehow I expected some more.

This story is about a women who wants her brother out of the MC life as she hated how she was treated in her past by her family and the rest of the bikers. She went looking for her brother when she caused some trouble for herself and the only one who cloud safe her was Thorn an undercover cop in the Brothers of Mayhem MC. Thorn liked her the moment he saw her but he thought of her a bit reckless around those she knows can hurt her if she disrespects them. The only way to keep her safe is to make her his old lady because in the MC it is a rule not to touch a person’s old lady.

One thing I hated about this book is how they treated there women. I mean what I have picked up is that the brother’s mayhem treated women without respect. The only one that treated women with respect was Thorn. There was also a lot going on and sometimes I had a hard time keeping up. I liked that Cassidy was so outspoken and strong when it came in protecting her brother. Running into the bar with a bat for her brother. She is loyal as hell to her brother but also annoying as hell in other times and those are the times when she was just downright stupid and reckless. I would have liked to learn a little more about Thorn because we only got a few details about him. A lot of info was just thrown together like that and I struggled to keep up with all that.

Anyway the ending kind of felt a little rushed for me so I found it hard to love this book. Anyway this book was an okay read but I needed more. I just didn’t like the guys in Brothers of Mayhem. I liked the relationship between Cassidy and Thorn but like I said I hated the club. I hope others will like this book more than I did but as you can see you will either love this book or hate it.

 

 

Cassidy Ryder swung the bat, testing the weight and reach, as she marched around the line of motorcycles. Wrinkling her nose, she ignored the sharp, pungent smell of marijuana drifting across her path.
Huddled in the shade beneath the building’s eaves, men with greasy hair and beards puffed on tightly rolled joints and eyed her with mild curiosity. As long as she stayed away from their well-loved bikes, they’d let her move on without interference.
Her body trembled with suppressed fury. She almost wished they’d try to stop her. Anything to give her a reason to release the pressure building inside. With a snort of derision, she straightened her back and stalked into the Skull and Bones Bar.
The thumping beat of Kid Rock blasted from the speakers, competing with the rowdy conversations shaking the large, smoky room. Though mostly rural, Sand County had a law against smoking in any public establishment. In pure defiance, a blue-gray haze hovered around the dim bulbs spotlighting the long shelves of liquor and above two pool tables in the back.
She hesitated. Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, she ignored the tall, lanky bartender strolling along behind the counter and heading her way. The rest of the crowd ignored her entrance. Did they often see people carrying a bat into the place?
She didn’t care. Time for someone to listen to her.
With a swing of her whole body, she brought the bat down, sweeping several glasses from the long bar. The loud pops and tinkling of broken glasses immediately quieted the room just as Kid’s “American Bad Ass” faded out. Several of the leather-and-denim clad men stood and stepped toward her.
She lifted the bat for another swing.
“Damn it to hell! Wait!” The bartender slid over the top of the counter to stand in front of her. “What the hell are you doing?”
Speaking of badass, with his broad shoulders and tats down both arms, he’d draw anyone’s attention just by entering a room. But add in the dark hair cut tight on the sides, long on top and brushed back to his nape, he especially caught the eye of every woman in the place. She’d noticed too, but she had more important things on her mind.
Her arm muscles tensed as she pulled her weapon higher over her shoulder.
He stopped a bat length away and raised his hands. “Cassidy . . .” He hesitated as if he waited for her reaction to the name. Was she that forgettable? She’d been there several times over the last month, to drag her brother back home. When her eyes narrowed, he continued. “Whatever has you riled up, can we talk about it?”
Emphasizing each word, she pointed the bat as if it were a finger. “I came in here yesterday and asked, real polite, if you or anyone here had seen my brother. Each one of you looked me in the face and lied. This morning, I get a call, telling me he was seen yesterday, hanging out back, talking with Stonewall.” She glanced around, keeping the bartender in her peripheral view. “Where’s the bastard? I want answers about my brother’s whereabouts.” Proud of how her voice remained even and carried across the room, she jutted out her chin. What would they lie about next?
The Brothers of Mayhem Motorcycle Club never took kindly to threats. She didn’t care. Violence was the only way they would respect her, and she was prepared to do more, if that’s what it took to bring her little brother back home. Storm had never stayed gone this long.
“Put the bat down before you get hurt.” The bartender’s soft command sounded so reasonable.
Screw reasonable. She’d been fair and understanding for the last three days while she searched for Storm. Her patience had disappeared with the only member of her family worth a damn. No way would she fail him again.
“I will when you—”
Brawny arms wrapped around her chest and squeezed. She gasped for breath as someone hauled her against his chest and off her feet. The bartender grabbed the bat from her loosened grip and threw it to the side. It hit the floor with a loud clanking.
“Little girl, we don’t know where your brother’s at. We didn’t lie about that.” The deep voice of the club’s VP, Mac McGee, came from above her head as he squeezed again in warning. “Maybe I need to teach you some fucking manners.”
She squeaked from the pain, her ribs near the breaking point. With little blood circulation reaching below her waist, her kicks were no more than taps to the mountain restraining her. She pushed at the tight arms as her head dug into his sternum.
“Please,” she pleaded with a hiss of precious air.
“Mac, let her go. I’ll handle her.” The bartender rested his elbows on the countertop behind him, crossed his long legs at the ankles, and waited.
The big guy released her so quickly she barely caught herself before falling at their feet. Asshole. Taking cautious breaths in case of a cracked rib, she regained a little of her composure.
Handle her? In his dreams. Shoulders thrust back and head held up, she asked, “Where’s my brother?”
The bartender sighed in frustration. “You’re the most hardheaded woman. Mac told you yesterday, and today is no different. We have no idea where your brother is.”
Then it struck her what the big guy said a moment earlier. She turned and looked into the angry bloodshot eyes of Mac. “What did you mean when you said ‘We didn’t lie about that’? What did you lie about?”
With a shake of his massive, shaggy head, the big guy reached for her, but the bartender knocked her to the side and stepped between them, one arm out to keep her back. “Go on. I’ll take it from here.”
“Never could stand bossy old ladies,” Mac drawled with a sneer.
She leaned over the bartender’s arm and shouted, “Who are you calling old lady? I’m no one’s old lady! You old fart!” She knew what he meant, that it had nothing to do with age, but with belonging to someone. At the age of twenty-one, she refused to let anyone call her that. At sixty-one, she would damn well still refuse.
“Who would want you as their old lady, with that bitchy attitude,” Mac said, more as fact than a question. “You need your ass beaten.” Then he walked away as he raised one finger in her direction.
“Yeah, but at least I look human and not like a grizzly bear, what with all that fur on your face!” How lame.
She really needed to shut up before they got tired of her mouth. As a kid she’d grown up around surly men like Mac, but her father’s reputation had protected her from worse. Besides, what about her promise to be a good girl? Her foster mother tried her best to teach her self-control. Yet Cassidy often let her temper get the better of her. Remembering how her hissy fit had caused her brother to leave home in a huff the other night, a sharp pain roiled in her stomach.
As she opened her mouth to apologize, the bartender’s hand cupped the back of her head, clutched a handful of hair, and twisted. At the same time, his other hand covered her mouth.
“Shh,” he said softly. Concern darkened his blue eyes as he shook his head.
Bending her back, he caused her to lose balance but held her tight. Her feet remained on the floor as he aligned his body with hers, almost touching his nose to hers.
“If you don’t shut your trap, you’re going to get more than you asked for,” he whispered. “Your brother isn’t here. He’s turning eighteen in a couple days, right?” Without giving her a chance to answer, he added, “Then he’ll be an adult. At least one who can vote and die for his country. So, I think it’s in your best interest to go home. When he’s ready to talk, he’ll show up.”
She wasn’t sure why it happened. The last few days had been stressful. She wasn’t one of those girls who did it at the drop of a hat, but her eyes welled with tears.
“Ah, shit. Don’t do that,” he said between gritted teeth. He moved his hand from her mouth, pressing her cheek to a broad shoulder as he lifted her upright.
Unable to stop, she dug trembling fingers into his leather vest and sobbed.
Why is he being so nice?
The strong hand in her hair remained, but the other one rubbed and patted her back. He acted as if he had all of the time in the world while she bawled like a little kid.
“Shh. Everything will be okay.”
She glanced up and her heart skipped a beat. The guy had a gorgeous smile; there was even a dimple beneath the stubble on his face.
A gravelly voice nearby said, “Get me a beer, Thorn, before you fuck her.”
Her body stiffened.
Stonewall had arrived.

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Carla Swafford loves romance novels,
action/adventure movies, and men, and her books reflect that. She’s married to
her high school sweetheart and lives in Alabama.

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Release Blast with Review for Against the Wall by Jill Sorenson

Against the Wall
Author: Jill Sorenson
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pub Date: February 2, 2016
Publisher: Loveswept
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley

 

Fans of Katie McGarry, Simone Elkeles, and Tammara Webber will loveAgainst the Wall! As teenagers, they fell for each other despite the odds. But now that Eric and Meghan are all grown up, they’re reunited by fierce passion and dangerous secrets.
 
Eric Hernandez is the bad boy of every schoolgirl’s fantasies—and every mother’s nightmares. But after serving time for manslaughter, he’s ready to turn his life around. He just needs a chance to prove himself as a professional tattoo artist. The one thing that keeps him going is the memory of the innocent beauty he loved and left behind.

Meghan Young’s world isn’t as perfect as it looks. The preacher’s daughter is living a lie, especially now that Eric is back. Tougher, harder, and sexier than ever, he might be the only person she can trust. But there’s no telling what he’ll do to protect her if he learns the truth, and that’s a risk Meghan won’t let him take. And yet, back in the arms of the troubled boy with the artist’s soul, Meghan can’t help surrendering to the man he’s become.

Praise for Jill Sorenson

“Jill Sorenson’s sleek sensuality and fresh new voice are sure to score big with readers.”—New York Times bestselling author Cindy Gerard

“With Jill Sorenson, you are guaranteed a dangerously addictive, gut-wrenchingly fast-paced read.”—New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Tyler
 
Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

 Amazon | B& N | Google Play| iTunes | Kobo

 

Alright so this is going to be a short review as I am at work and I’m quite busy. Anyway what can I say about this book. In my eyes it was okay but it did not make me fall head over heels in love.  Now this is the first novel that I read by Jill Sorenson and I’m sorry but I expected more. This book only got a 2.5 star/heart rating in my eyes which I’m rounding up till 3 stars/hearts. Why am I doing that?? You’ll see…..

First off all I saw this book on Netgalley and when I read the blurb I was excited to read it but it just fell flat to me even though this book already has some high praises on Goodreads. The story itself was okay but what I hated was the two main characters. I love guys with tats but Eric not so much. I mean he is trying too hard to play the tough ex-con but he just wasn’t tough enough for that. He was just way too soft and just downright vulnerable at times. And then we come to Meghan…. *Sigh* I don’t know what to say….. She is just so naïve and she annoyed me most of the time. Normally a person should love the main characters but they just didn’t do it for me.

Now why would I round up my 2.5 stars instead of going lower? Now that is an easy answer. It was the minor characters that saved the story for me. I loved Tank and Matthew and I really wanted more of them! Especially my man Tank! It was the minor/ secondary characters and their stories that saved the book for me.  And like I said before the story line of the book was okay but I could have done without the main characters or they could have gotten some improvement for me. I wanted more of the secondary characters, I mean they are the ones that fascinate me and they are the ones who felt real.  THEY are the ones I want to read more about!

Anyway this book was okay enough BUT I think this is one of those books that you will either hate or love. I would have loved more of the secondary characters and less of the main but I can’t change that. Anyway it was a quick and easy read for me but the main characters just fell flat in my eyes.

 

 

I didn’t want a party.
I’ve been out three months, living in the court-mandated halfway house in Chino Hills. I did thirty months of hard time and I’ll be on parole for another thirteen—if I stay out of trouble.
Easier said than done.
Today is my first day back in Chula Vista, the border town where I was born. It’s the only place I’ve ever called home. The only place I’ve ever been, besides Mexico. And prison. I’m still down for my barrio, Castle Park. I can hold my head high on these streets. I’ll probably die on these streets.
I told April not to make a big deal out of my homecoming, but I can see the decorations as soon as Jenny opens the door. Pink fucking balloons, like my prison release is a baby shower. I gave birth to a violent criminal record. Congrats!
Jenny is my niece, the daughter of my dead brother, Raul. She’s eight years old and cute as hell. I’ve only seen her a few times since I got locked up. April brought her to visit on my twenty-third birthday, about nine months ago. My eyes feel funny when I look at her.
She doesn’t hug me or say a word. She just smiles shyly, revealing a gummy gap between her front teeth. It reminds me of Chucho, one of my cellmates. He had missing teeth and a goofy smile that lit up his tattooed face.
“I’m looking for a little girl named Jenny,” I say. “She’s about this tall.” I hold my palm at my side, indicating a shorter kid.
“I’m Jenny,” she says, giggling.
“You can’t be! You’re too big.”
She steps aside to let me in. I set my backpack by the door. I took the bus from Chino Hills to the Chula Vista transit station and walked the last six blocks to the house. April is standing a few feet away next to her husband. She’s already crying.
Jee-sus.
How am I supposed to hold it together when she’s falling apart? I clear my throat and focus on Jenny again. She’s wearing a green dress. Her dark, shiny hair has pink ribbons in it. She’s the spitting image of her mother. Pretty and sweet, untainted by my brother’s bad blood.
I crouch down and remove a hastily wrapped present from my backpack. “I’m sorry I missed your birthday.”
Birthdays, plural. I’d missed three of them.
It’s just one of those balero cup toys, the kind with the ball on a string, but Jenny acts like it’s the best gift ever. Her delighted expression makes my eyes burn again. I have to take a deep breath to recover.
“What do you say?” April prompts.
“Thank you,” Jenny says, a dimple appearing in her cheek.
I straighten to greet April next. Her face is rounder, her body lush in a new way. She’s wearing a flowery top that clings to her breasts but hangs like a drape over her middle. When she steps forward to embrace me, her stomach bumps into mine.
“You’ve gained some weight,” I say in Spanish, a kinder language for pointing out such things.
She releases me with a laugh, wiping the tears from her eyes. Then she rests a hand on the gentle slope of her belly. She’s always been beautiful. Her pregnancy accentuates her best qualities, giving her softer features and fuller breasts.
Noah steps forward and slides his arm around her. His big hand covers hers, protective. He’s noticed my appraisal of his wife’s new curves, but he’s too pleased with the proof of his virility to glare at me.
He’s okay, for a cop.
Officer Young spoke on my behalf at the sentencing hearing. If he hadn’t, the judge might have slapped me with ten years, the maximum for manslaughter. Instead I got the minimum, minus six months.
I’m lucky to be out. Lucky to be alive.
“Looks like you’ve been busy,” I say to Noah. I shake his hand and pat him on the back, as if he’s accomplished this feat on his own. He laughs and April rolls her eyes at us. I’m grinning from ear to ear, happy for them both.
“We’re due in August,” April says.
“Boy or a girl?”
“We don’t know. We want it to be a surprise.”
A surprise. Like this party. In addition to pink balloons, the living room is decorated with pale blue streamers and a handmade sign that says welcome home, eric. But this isn’t my home, and it never will be. It’s Noah’s home, and April’s and Jenny’s.
And . . . Meghan’s.
I realize that I’m searching the background for her. My smile slips and my chest tightens with unease.
Meghan won’t be happy to see me. The last time I saw her, when she’d visited the jail where I was processed, I said a lot of nasty things to her. I said she was an easy lay, that I’d had better, that I didn’t care about her.
Lies.
Noah doesn’t seem mad at me for disrespecting his little sister, so I’m assuming she didn’t share the details of our breakup. Or maybe he’s so high on baby-making with his hot wife that he can’t be brought down. They look great together, like a perfect family from a TV show. Except that April and Jenny are of Mexican heritage, same as me.
I feel a mild sort of resentment over the situation: Tall, handsome white guy—a gang unit cop, no less—swoops in and snaps up one of the nicest, most beautiful girls from the hood. Then I remember that I fucked his sister. And probably broke her heart, if only for a few brief weeks during an already tumultuous time.
“Meghan’s not here yet,” April says, as if she can read my thoughts.
I shrug it off. “I said I didn’t want a party.”
“This isn’t a party. It’s just us.”

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Jill Sorenson is the RITA-nominated author of

more than a dozen romantic-suspense novels. She has a degree in literature and

writing from California State University. Her books have been selected as

Red-Hot Reads by Cosmopolitan magazine, and have received starred reviews from

Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal. Sorenson currently lives in

the San Diego area with her family. She’s a soccer mom who loves nature,

coffee, reading, Twitter, and reality TV.

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ARC Review for Almost Midnight by C.C. Hunter

Almost Midnight
Author: C.C. Hunter
Series: Shadow Falls: After Dark, #3.5
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy
Pub Date: February 2, 2016
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley

 

A vampire and a werewolf who never fit in. A witch whose spells don’t always work as planned. And a mysterious new guy who’s hiding something. Together they will discover who they’re meant to be…

Hidden from the human world, Shadow Falls is a secret camp for teens with supernatural powers. But for four very different teens, it’s much more than just a camp-it’s where their destinies will unfold.

Independent and strong-willed Della Tsang didn’t believe in vampires…until she became one. Chase Tallman is the newest member of Shadow Falls, but what made him into the sexy, mysterious vampire he is today? And what led him to Della Tsang? For Miranda Kane, magic has always been something she’s struggled with-until she finally has a chance to prove herself a witch to be reckoned with. And for Fredericka Lakota, the one guy who challenges her the most will lead her to the life she’s always wanted.

C. C. Hunter’s New York Times bestselling Shadow Falls series captured hearts all over the world. Now available in print for the first time, these enchanting novellas will reveal a side of the camp that you’ve never seen before…and live in your heart forever.

Fans won’t want to miss these four remarkable stories of love, magic and friendship in Almost Midnight.

 

**Received an ARC Review in exchange for and honest review**

Lately I haven’t been reading a lot of young adult books but I actually love reading books from this author. Now this book is a collection of all the Novellas in this series. I always love reading more from the Shadow Falls gang so I was so excited to read this book. Finally we have this book in print because I actually love have an original book with the entire collection of novellas.

Now the book starts off with the first novella of Della’s story. It is called Turned At Dark in that book we see or learn how Della actually become a vampire. We got to see a first glimpse of Della’s home life and what makes her tick. Saved At Sunrise will be the first mission Della went on for the FRU. The FRU is what we call the FBI in the supernatural world.  It has always been Della’s dream of joining the FRU and finally she gets a chance to do so but sadly she could not go alone. Burnett paired her off with Steve anyway I enjoyed seeing their partnership grow and over the moon that it started to grow into something more.

In the novella of Unbreakable we get to see the first glimpse of the very sexy and mysterious vampire, Chase. Here we learn how he became a vampire and how he knows so much of the reborn vampires. I for one always wondered how he knew so much about that. Della’s life was long before intertwined with Chases even before they met and trust me this story made me love Chase so much more. Spellbinder was now the first ever book or novella of Miranda and I really wish she would get her own full series or something. Anyway she goes to Paris for a top spot in a spell casting competition and Perry is also in Paris. She wants to see Perry again, she still loves him no matter what he said for her to move on. I just want them to get back together! What Miranda did not expect would happen to her when she went to Paris was being thrown into a supernatural mystery that the FRU tries to figure out. Miranda learns so much about herself and her family which I tell you was quite shocking. The last novella in this book is Fierce written about Fredericka. I always hated her in the Shadow Falls series but trust me this book changed the view I see her. I felt so bad for Fredericka and I was rooting for her to find some happiness. That ending I loved so much and I want to know where her story might take her.

I would easily reread this book and I really want so much more of this author. Maybe something like a series for Miranda. I want to see her having a happy ever after and then I also want more from Fredericka. This was a nice quick read and I enjoyed it immensely. I highly recommend this collection of novellas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C.C. Hunter grew up in Alabama, where she caught lightning bugs, ran barefoot, and regularly rescued potential princes, in the form of Alabama bullfrogs, from her brothers. Today, she’s still fascinated with lightning bugs, mostly wears shoes, but has turned her focus to rescuing mammals. She now lives in Texas with her four rescued cats, one dog, and a prince of a husband, who for the record, is so not a frog. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, spending time with her family, or is shooting things-with a camera, not a gun.

C.C. Hunter is a pseudonym. Her real name is Christie Craig and she also writes humorous romantic suspense romance novels for Grand Central. www.christie-craig.com

C.C. would love to hear from you. Because of deadlines, it may take her a day or so to get back with you, but she will reply. cc@cchunterbooks.com

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Review for The Fractured Heart by Scarlett Cole

The Fractured Heart
Author: Scarlett Cole
Series: A Second Circle Tattoo #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense
Pub Date: January 5th 2016
Publisher:St. Martin’s Press: Swerve

 

All things, when placed under pressure, eventually break or leave a mark.

Tattoo artist Brody “Cujo” Matthews knows how to keep things simple. In life and in love. Abandoned as a child by a mother who refused to stick around to raise three boys she didn’t want, he’s intent on staying clear of complicated women. The only things complicated in Cujo’s life are the killer tattoos he designs and inks. That all changes when he’s asked to help organize his best friend Trent’s engagement party, which means working with Trent’s fiancée’s best friend, Drea, the definition of high maintenance and sizzling curves. And the one woman he doesn’t want to walk away from.

Andrea “Drea” Caron is broke and tired. After years of caring for her ailing mom, she’s at the end of her rope trying to manage the piling medical bills, two jobs, and a life placed on hold. She certainly doesn’t need the added frustration of a sexy playboy tattoo artist messing up her best friend’s engagement party or her carefully balanced life. But when Drea witnesses the abduction of a woman from the café she works at, she can’t help but turn to Cujo who’s determined to prove to Drea that he’s someone she can count on forever…but as they attempt to bring the truth to light, someone is working to bring that forever to a sudden, deadly halt.

 

This is the second of the series and let me tell you I loved it just like the first one. This novel being a contemporary romance made this one great and fun read for myself. I love guys with tattoos and strong independent women. Thought I would have told Drea a long time ago that it is okay to ask for some help. Anyway what can I say this book had the right kind balance of romance and I’m not ashamed to say that I stalked NetGalley for this book. 😛

First off all I adore this cover…. It is just so beautiful with that bight orange catching my eye like. The first thing that I see when I look for a book to read is the cover. The second would be the blurb which I might add fascinated me to no end. Though I have been waiting for this book mean I don’t care how the book looked like but I still chose to read the blurb to see if I would read it or not. Anyway I’m rambling……

What is this book all about?

As you know this is the second book in the series but luckily you can read it as a standalone. Andrea “Drea” Caron has a hard life and she is working herself to exhaustion so she can take care of her sick mother. She hasn’t told anyone how hard she is struggling….. She has to plan the engagement party for her best friend but she has to plan it with Brody “Cujo” Matthews. They keep fighting over the stupidest things but that is because all her life Drea has been fighting to survive and she fights because it is second nature to her. Even though she fights with Cujo he still would not give up on her because he can’t seem to stay away from her. Even when he thinks that she deserves somehow better than him, because of his past. One night Drea was working late to earn more money when a woman was attacked in the coffee shop and she is the sole witness to the crime. This guy knows a lot about her and they threatened to kill her mother and then her. Anyway Cujo was with her when the next attack happened and he was worried about more than her safety. He was starting to see her in a different light. In the process of the story Cujo’s mother came back and he was having a hard time to get over his past of her leaving his family.

Now about the characters…..

Drea is one strong woman with so much going on in her life. She is broke and exhausted. She has two jobs so she can just survive and pay the bills while taking care of her very sick mother. One thing I can complain about her is she can be a bit reckless when it comes to her safety. She tried to figure out what happened to the women and might have been putting her and the women in danger with all those questions.

Cujo is also one very strong, protective and creative guy. He is very active and he loves his family more than anything. His family is very important to him and he is very smart in his business life. He has a hard time with his mother coming back and he thinks he does not deserve a relationship with Drea. But luckily for us he could not stay away from Drea which made her one lucky girl.

I found that this novel was a great read and I enjoyed it immensely. I would easily reread this book because I really loved Cujo.  One thing I can is that I loved the first book a bit more maybe because it had a bit more suspense at the end of the novel. This book had enough suspense but for me it needed a little more especially at the end where it was a bit anti climatic. Anyway it was a good read and also quick to read. Anyway this book had more romance than suspense. For those who love strong men and great romance and some suspense, then this book is for you.

 

 

 

Scarlett Cole is a writer of contemporary romance. Rep’d by Beth Phelan at The Bent Agency, and published by St. Martin’s Press. Her debut, The Strongest Steel, has already become an Amazon best seller in romantic suspense. Look for the rest of the Second Circle Tattoo series, coming out soon.

When Scarlett isn’t writing, she spends her time reading, hoarding mason jars, and working out to off-set an epic sour candy habit. She likes hot men, cold beer, and expensive shoes.

Having travelled the world for work and fun, Scarlett is a citizen of both Britain and Canada. A true city-dweller, she considers Toronto and Manchester home and likes to set her books in vibrant locations such as Miami and Los Angeles.

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