Home Changes by Kris Michaels

 

 

Blorb:

Seth Hansen never thought he'd return to his hometown of Hollister, South Dakota. Still, when his father's mind starts slipping away, he steps into the caretaker role with the same unyielding determination that made him a decorated military dog handler.

Allison Sanderson has built her dream one loaf of bread at a time, running the small town’s bakery. Her life is predictable, safe, and boring—until a terrified runaway teenager stumbles into her store, bruised and starving.
Seth and Allison have known each other since childhood, their lives intersecting over school events, church picnics, and the occasional school party. What starts as casual conversation over coffee and cinnamon rolls slowly deepens. The easy camaraderie between them turns into something more—something Seth never expected to find in the town he once left behind.

Return to Hollister for a romance wrapped in suspense and small-town characters that take you on an emotional trip through a story that will leave you with a happily ever after and a smile.

 

My review:

Home Changes by Kris Michaels is a heartwarming tale about a retiring military man, his retired MWD, and his father who is suffering a decline due to Alzheimer’s that terrible disease that forces you to put the past behind you and forces you to focus on the now. Watching Seth try to deal with everything made my heart break. I watched with joy as his relationship with Allison blossomed. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale even as it made me cry,

 

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Soul Searching (Sweetwater Peak #1) by Lyla Sage

 

Blurb:

Collins Cartwright does not want to go home. Sweetwater Peak, Wyoming, was supposed to be in her rearview mirror, but when she finds out a developer is trying to buy her parents’ antiques shop out from under them, she doesn’t have a choice—at least, that’s what she tells her family. They don’t need to know she’s lost her job and is out of money. Or that the ghosts who have always been her companions have recently gone silent.

But just because she’s returned home doesn’t mean she has to stay with her parents or crash on her twin sister’s couch. Lucky for her, the new-to-town upholsterer has a room for rent above his store. Unluckily, it is absolutely crawling with more ghosts who are freezing her out. And Collins hates being ignored.

Brady Cooper is absolutely and totally fine. Seriously, there’s no secret reason why he decided to uproot his life and suddenly move to Sweetwater Peak. He just needed a change of pace. At least that’s what he tells himself. And everyone else.

When he agrees to let the elusive Collins Cartwright stay in his spare room, he doesn’t know that she’s absolutely bonkers—constantly talking to herself and having conversations with no one—or that she looked like that. But as they begin to get closer, the lines between them start to blur, leaving both of them—and the ghosts who have been pushing them together—wondering whether their temporary arrangement could be something more permanent.

 

My review:

Welcome to Sweetwater Peak, small town USA. Like a lot of small towns nothing ever changes. This story tells the tale of twins with a gift and starting over. Collins dreams have exploded into dust and feathers and needs a reset. Clarke is watching her dreams die due to corporate greed and bad weather. And Brady left his past behind and is starting over.

The characters in this tale are complex and intriguing and I loved finding out about them. I can’t wait for Clarkes tale.

 

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Justified Lies (TFH Team Bravo Book 3) by Melissa Schroeder

 

 

Blurb:

When lives are on the line, what's a little white lie between frenemies?

There are so many reasons Kapone Hanson hates Eden Carlyle. She lies. She mocks him. She always has an ulterior motive for everything she does. Oh, and he can't stop obsessing about getting his hands on her. Keeping his control around the former CIA agent is always dicey, but now that she's moved to Hawaii, it's getting worse day by day.

Eden has her own demons to battle and her attraction to Kap is screwing with her concentration. She has a killer to catch--one her former bosses would rather no one knows about. To make matters worse, when her life is threatened, he steps in to save the day.

When Kap realizes that someone is after Eden, he's determined to protect her at all costs. As they work together to uncover the truth, their passion ignites, making it difficult to keep their minds on the case. But Eden knows better than to trust anyone, especially when her life is on the line.

Author note: Welcome back to the land of TFH and their insane antics. As usual, there are wagers being cast, sarcastic banter, spy jokes, and more time with the crew from Dillon Security.

 

My review:

Sometimes you have to leave the past in the past but someone isn’t letting go. Someone is out to kill Eden and maybe her brother El as well. Kap threw away their love once. He isn’t an idiot he won’t let her get away again. Now he just has to keep her alive long enough to convince her to give him another shot.

I loved seeing old friends and new gather together to figure out who is gunning for Eden. TFH and Dillion Security are working together on this one, the bad guys have no chance.

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Deciding for Little Dallas (Littles of Rawhide Ranch) by Piper Strickland

 

 

Blurb:

Some decisions are far too big for a Little girl to make on her own…

When Pike’s Little girl starts acting out more and more, he knows something’s wrong.

And he knows just how to fix it: A trip to every Little girl’s dream destination, Rawhide Ranch.

But Pike has more than just a fun vacation in mind. He plans to take Dallas to places she’s never been… starting with the Rawhide nursery. No matter how much she protests, no matter how loudly she claims she isn’t that Little, he plans to remind her of the one thing she seems to have forgotten along the way.

Daddy always knows best.

 

My review:

I loved that this story featured an established couple. Pike and Dallas love each other and their life together but there is something bothering Dallas and Pike has an idea of how to bring the issue to a head so they can move forward. A week or two at Rawhide Ranch has them discovering new facets to their relationship and enjoying spooky season together.

 

Buy link:

Amazon

The Cuddle Clause by Roxie Ray

 

 

Blurb:

Living with a werewolf is… complicated.

Roman is autistic. He doesn’t do chaos, touch, or emotional unpredictability. Maggie is all three. But she signs the roommate lease anyway—and when he needs to fake a bond to avoid forced mating, she agrees.

It’s not real. It can’t be. Except now they’re spooning post-shift and starting to feel safe.

For readers who love:
✨ fake mates
✨ autistic leads with routines
✨ soft sensory rep
✨ love that wasn’t in the fine print

 

My review:

The Cuddle Clause by Roxie Ray is a delightful rom com that had me laughing, sighing and crying in turns. Roman is a total cinnamon roll and Maggie is a hot mess. The supporting cast will make you howl and cringe. I truly loved this from first page till last.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

 

 

A Dead End Fourth of July: Tiger's Eye Mysteries by Alyssa Day

 

 

Blurb:

A small-town mystery with laughter, kissing, mayhem, and magic

When private investigator and tiger shapeshifter Jack Shepherd is celebrating Fourth of July with his new bride, the last thing they want is another mystery to solve. But when the new fireworks provider ends up dead in his own tent, they need to leap into action.

Pawnshop owner Tess Callahan won’t rest until she and Jack discover the truth, even though it involves multiple suspects who all had the motive, means, and opportunity to do the dirty deed. And even when a magical truth-telling piece of jewelry is causing havoc throughout Town Hall. And if they create their own fireworks doing it, their friends and family in Dead End are only too willing to help.

Welcome to Dead End, Florida, where fireworks aren’t the only thing exploding. Because life in Dead End can be as dangerous as it is funny, and sometimes it takes a Tiger's Eye to see the truth.

 

My review:

I love, love, love this series. Quirky characters, strange mysteries and laugh out loud shenanigans.  In this episode Jack and Tess get home from their romantic honeymoon in Atlantis just in time for the fourth of July celebrations and Dead End craziness. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to future visits to Dead End.

 

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Blade (Black Blade Protection Book 1) by Becca Jameson

 

 

Blurb:

June
Yeah, I’m hiding.
I hardly leave my apartment.
My luck sucks, though.
On a rare night out, I get attacked.
By a stranger—not the man I’m hiding from.
Now my picture is on the news.
I need help. I’m desperate.
There’s only one man who might be able to protect me.
A man I met yesterday.
Dangerous. Tattooed. Muscular. Hot.
Out of my league.
But I’m not looking for a lover; I’m looking for a bodyguard.

Blade
I hated leaving her alone in her apartment.
She’s bruised and battered, and her arm is broken.
But I couldn’t insist she let me stay.
She doesn’t know me.
I met her by accident and gave her a ride. That’s all.
Who am I kidding?
I was drawn to her in an instant.
And I didn’t exactly leave her alone. Hell no.
I watched her building all night.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had someone to nurture.
Maybe it’s time to take a chance.
And she just walked through the front door…

 

My review:

New beginnings, new series lots of love, angst and danger.  Blade is grumpy, growly and a total silver fox. He jumps in to save June and is instantly attracted even though she is having a really bad life. He almost forces her to start living again and as they both heal they find each others heart. This is sweet, sassy and smexy.

 

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Macon (Brigade Trucking Company Book 1) by TK Lawyer

 

 

Blurb:

Satisfaction is guaranteed
At The Brigade.
No matter what it takes~

Macon always left his customers supremely satisfied.
Till the day his eyes landed on Nina- the delectable female in the warehouse

His sights are set on her.
The smart-mouthed, curvy woman that invades Macon’s most delicious dreams.
He will have her.
No matter how long it takes~

As the first female hired by the all-male trucking company,
Nina can do anything a man can do and better.
Yet, staying out of the lusty-eyed Macon’s view proves to be challenging.
Macon is a temptation that will surely end up bad news for her, in the end.

She knows his kind. She has dated men like him, before.
Yet, there remains a part of her that wants to bed him and bring him to his knees.
Still, Nina is not into anything permanent with anyone, anymore.

Will Macon and Nina realize that fated mates are better together than separate?
Or will Macon’s desire for Nina remain unfulfilled?

 

My review:

HOT! HOT! HOT! Smoking hot tiger shifter trucker and man-whore Macon is knocked for a loop when his mate starts working for the Brigade Trucking Company. She is not about to date where she works no matter how hot these Truckers are. It’s driving Macon nuts.  Watching these two play cat and mouse was fun but when they get together the pages were on fire.

 

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Silent Night, Obedient Night by Candace Blevins

 

 

Blurb:

After running away from a Halloween night proposal, Willow wakes to find the moment has gone viral. She books a remote mountain cabin before she gets out of bed and hits the road two hours later.

But a landslide strands her on the mountaintop with three dominant wolves who see exactly what she needs. Their idea of taking care of her means taking her apart in ways she never imagined.

Kenny, the alpha, provides the authority and structure she craves, enforcing obedience with ruthless discipline. Silas feeds her hunger for pain and psychological edgeplay with a sadist’s perfect cruelty. Boone methodically dismantles her defenses, challenging her every limit with his overwhelming presence.

They push her. Use her. Show her how submission can be safety, connection, and something dangerously close to love.

Every order she obeys pulls her deeper into a world of unyielding discipline and rough hands, where pain is layered with care, and being used is its own kind of freedom.

For seven days, she’ll be theirs: every hole, every inch, every breath. Seven days to test the limits of her submission while being stripped psychologically bare. Seven days to see if she can survive being their plaything, and whether she even wants to.

When the week ends, Willow faces a momentous choice: return to her safe, predictable life, or surrender completely to three wolves who promise to give her everything she never dared ask for.

And if she says yes, it won’t be a game anymore, it’ll be the Christmas she never saw coming.

Sometimes you have to run away to find home.

Silent Night, Obedient Night is a standalone high-spice reverse-harem shifter romance power-exchange relationship that ends on Christmas Day. Perfect for readers who love extreme physical and psychological kink, power exchange, and sexy werewolves.

 

My review:

Candace Blevins books always introduce me to new forms of kink. As long as they make her characters happy I can usually get through knowing that their kink doesn’t have to be my kink as long as it’s consensual I’m okay with it. Silent Night, Obedient Night found a hard limit for me. I am not a fan of degradation, humiliation and objectification. And no matter how much the characters are into it I just couldn’t get past my feelings about it. I can get through the sadism by saying that they’re shifters with higher pain tolerance and much better healing but the mind games just blew me out of the story.

 

Buy links:

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Brynjar (Freki Wolf Clan Series Book 3) by Victoria Saccenti

 

 

Blurb:

When her wolf is freed, the balance of power will shift—for good or evil.

Sable begs to be allowed to help the Freki repel a daemon invasion. Instead, she’s sent off to the one place she hoped never to see again. The Vuk clan’s mansion. Years ago, her scheming mother offered her in betrothal to the Vuk heir, only to be soundly rejected. Yet even as Sable packs her bags, the tall, handsome Brynjar Vuk is never far from her thoughts. Neither is the creeping feeling that something isn’t right.

Brynjar isn’t ready for a mate. His life is too complicated, a fact he knew years ago when he laughed off the parents of a seven-year-old bride prospect. But when the warm, addictive scent of an unshifted female stops him in his tracks, he realizes the inevitable. He’s on the edge of mating burn. And that child—Sable—has grown into a smart, funny, luscious woman. His fated mate.

But there’s more than disparity in rank that challenges their deep, sensual bond. There’s an unnatural reason Sable’s wolf hasn’t emerged. She is the centerpiece of a tangled scheme of ambition, unholy alliances, and hunger for power that threatens not only her survival, but their world as they know it.

 

My review:

Enter a world filled with magic and magical creatures. Sadly with all the things magic can do it doesn’t change the nature of people and it makes the bad guys stronger thus requiring the good guys to step up.

Brynjar is the direwolf shifter/gryphon rider son and heir of a small Freki clan. His father is supreme leader his word is law and Brynjar can’t stand him. He is in no way prepared for Sable.

Sable is the young woman that Brynjar’s father tried to betroth him to when she was but a child. Now she’s all grown up with a mind of her own. She is stronger than she thinks.

Danger brings them together and fate will not be denied. But there is danger and it’s closer than they know.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of magic and love.

 

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Mine to Keep by R.S. McKenzie

 

 

Blurb:

Being a hitman isn’t easy, but it pays the bills. I’m in and out before my mark even knows I’m there. I’m the best in the business and I’m in high demand.
Until I botch a job that should have been effortless.
I take a month off to get my head back in the game, then I’m sent on a mission overseas. While at the airport, I meet two of the most beautiful boys I’ve ever met in my life. They’re perfect: sweet, soft and fragile.
The perfect boys for their daddy.
Will I be able to keep them safe when my demons are at my doorstep? Or will I have to let them go, doomed to live my life alone and in the dark?
Mine to Keep is part of a serial killer daddies multi-author series called Bloody Desires and ends with an HEA.
Because every good boy needs a serial killer daddy.

 

My review:

Check your brain at the door and enjoy this tale of the hitman and his boys. Knox is a hitman for the Void and really good at his job. But it makes for a lonely life and more and more lately he’s been looking for an exit plan that doesn’t leave him 6 feet under. Meeting Talon and Javi in the airport leaves him questioning more than his professional choices.

I really enjoyed this tale of a morally smokey character and his life choices. Kick back and enjoy.

 

Buy link:

Amazon

Her Alien Cyborgs (The Drift: Haven Colony #10) by Susan Hayes

 

 

 

Blurb:

The only thing that ever came easy for her was trouble.

After a lifetime of busting her ass and bending the law just to scrape by, Hezza is running on fumes. Her ship is even older than she is, and both are feeling their age. Is she ready to retire? Hell no. Hanging up her flight suit is the last thing she wants, even if it’s the smart thing to do.

Before she can make that choice, though, trouble finds her again… and this time it comes with a double order of hard muscles, sinful smiles, and alpha attitude.

They had nothing. No past. No future. No names. Then she appeared… and everything changed.

Subjects Six and Seven are failed experiments. Created in secret using banned technology and stolen DNA, they were crafted as weapons for a not-so-distant war. Too stubborn to be controlled and too valuable to terminate, they exist only to serve… and to dream of freedom.

Fate brought three battered hearts together, but it will take more than luck to survive the coming storm. Hezza is their key to happiness, and the cyborgs are her first rays of hope in a life spent in the shadows. Together, they’re going to change the galaxy… or die trying.

 

My review:

Hezza has been co-opted into helping two hunky cyborgs escape captivity and help them being recaptured and put into captivity by the IVF. What neither Hezza nor the cyborgs expect is to find their soul mates. I love that this features an older heroine who can still kick butt and take names but is kind of vulnerable when it comes to the opposite sex and feelings. I really enjoyed the theme of freedom and choices.

 

Buy link:

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Colorado K-9 Rescue by Kathleen Donnelly

 

Blurb:

A kidnapper’s twisted game is on.

And a trusty K-9 won’t let him succeed.

Years after being abducted, Mckenna Parker’s worst nightmare has come true—her kidnapper is out on parole. And he’s after her again. Now an FBI victim specialist, she and her crisis canine, Mocha, have been assigned to a case with FBI agent Evan Knox. Together they must find two local girls who disappeared. As passionate as Mckenna is about helping others, Evan is ambitious about his career. Both have sworn off love. But when Mckenna vanishes into the mountain wilderness, it’s Evan—with Mocha’s amazing help—who braves danger at all costs.

 

My review:

As a young woman Mckenna escaped her kidnapper and survived. Now 12 years later she uses that experience as an FBI victim specialist. Now there is a kidnapping that eerily echoes hers.  Hunky FBI agent Evan Knox is on the case and they need to work together to find the kidnapper and his victims.

 Mckenna is incredibly strong. She has to revisit her mindset after her kidnapping again and again to help victims and assist the FBI get information from victims after trauma.  Her adorable lab is a natural at helping people cope with the trauma. This case hits close to home. Having Evan believe in her heals a part of her she didn’t know needed healing. I really enjoyed this fast paced mystery.

 

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Crimson Faded by Caerys Callaghan

 

 

Blurb:

Hazel Bridget is a firm believer in coincidences.

Having grown up in a small British town, where the only thing to ever happen was the odd shoplifting scandal, she’s used to living a quiet, uncomplicated life.

That is, until the hunter who’s been haunting her dreams turns up, and starts hunting something else.

Oddly familiar, and with a tendency to carry around small hunting daggers, Lucas thinks he’s being discreet. He isn’t. But as Hazel tries to figure him out, she realises he isn't the only one acting strangely. There's something off about her ex-best-friend, Ophelia Thorn, and it’s not just her snide comments.

Caleb, Ophelia’s sweet, distractingly handsome older brother, seems to be the only one willing to give Hazel the answers she’s after.

Unfortunately, she's not the only one searching for the truth…

 

My review:

Teenage vampires, vampire hunters and a battle as old as time. This book deals with change and overcoming unreasonable hate and indoctrination. This story had me hooked from the very first page and kept me thinking long past the last page.

 

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