The grass is always greener…

The grass is always greener…

I was on Facebook and saw a post that just grabbed me the wrong way. Get ready for a rant.

I am just at six feet tall. Growing up I was told models are tall, you should be happy. I was invited to play basketball a lot but yeah no I’m not the most athletically inclined. You get called the most unflattering names like Gigantor, Lurch, or treetop. I had the president of the company once call me Olive Oyl in front of the whole company. When I was around shorter women I was the one the guys asked to lift the other end of the couch like the 5’6” woman wouldn’t be as strong. But I wasn’t the one they asked out. Guys were intimidated by my height like the fact I could see eye to eye made them smaller somehow. And don’t get me started on how many times I’m called sir or mister. And don’t say I should dress up; I went to a pub with some shorter gal pals wearing a dress and made up to the nines on ladies night. They all got in just fine but I was asked for the cover charge. Argh! A guy having to pull the seat up after I’ve driven is a hint the date isn’t going to go well. Not all guys are hung up on height. The least hung up on height guy I dated was a full foot shorter but dancing was out. Yes, I can reach things on the top shelf but I also bang my head on shelves and doors. Getting in and out of a bus or car can be deadly. I can be intimidating, I remember going to a book signing at Dragon Con and looming over Charlaine Harris. I’m sure she felt awkward. I know I did. I’ve had others feel intimidated until they get to know me.

I’m aware that there is bias against petite women as well. They are treated like dolls and not taken seriously. There is also a litany of names they are treated to as well. 

With all that being said I like who I am and there are lots of young women out there a whole lot taller than I am. What I want to say is that there are good things and bad about being tall or short and you should just love yourself.

Covering Coco (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Special Forces & Brotherhood Protector Series Book 7) by Heather Long

Covering Coco (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Special Forces & Brotherhood Protector Series Book 7) by Heather Long

Blurb:

Life between the cross hairs

Retired Navy SEAL John Jacob “Jacko” Johnson earned a reputation for being cool under pressure, having more kills from behind the scope of a sniper rifle than anyone else active on the teams, and being a total smartass. Some things don’t change, and not even a traumatic brain injury sidelining him keeps him from kicking in when his friends need it—most recently a top-secret mission to retrieve a lost asset.

 

Bolt action is louder than words

Coco Adler’s military career ended abruptly on a dishonorable discharge. Or so reads her military file. Recruited for a top-secret program, she digs in deep. When her cover is nearly compromised and she can’t reach her handler, she goes dark but stays on mission. The last thing she expects is a lunatic in a Hawaiian shirt to take her down a moment before a sniper’s bullet would have.

Forced to work together, Jacko will do everything to cover Coco’s extraction—even if it kills him.

My review:

Covering Coco is a short spy thriller romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I LOVED IT! I’m not usually one for love at first sight but everything in Coco & Jacko’s world is more intense and you can feel the chemistry between the two from the very start.

Buy link:

Amazon

Shielding Shayna: Brotherhood Protectors World (Special Forces & Brotherhood Protectors Series Book 6) by Heather Long

Shielding Shayna: Brotherhood Protectors World (Special Forces & Brotherhood Protectors Series Book 6) by Heather Long

Blurb:

Honor comes in all sizes.

Shayna Morgan has been a little bit of everything in her life--a daughter, a niece, a sailor, an investigator, and homeless. Nerve damage has left her with only partial feeling on her right side, and pain threatened to cripple her. Family pulled her home from where she slept in her car outside of DC, but it was the men and women of the Brotherhood Protectors who inspired her and gave her a purpose. She may not be able to fire a gun with any accuracy, but her new project fulfills her in so many other ways--helping other female vets just like her. It's all hard, honest work and good sweat until a shadowy threat takes aim at her ranch.

Purpose comes in all shapes.

Fergus "Oddjob" Roper went into the Air Force at 18, before making a lateral move to the Navy, and then left the SEALs when he was 33. After 15 years of service, two wars, multiple deployments and 3 degrees, he's looking for his next mission. After a year in Texas working with a horse trainer specializing in equine support animals, he's heading to Montana to visit with old friends. He came for the beer, and stayed for the women...one woman in particular. Oddjob doesn't mind mucking stalls, or helping out on the project--but what he wants is to shield the woman who saved his life, even if she doesn't know it.

Danger doesn't always take a direct approach, but Oddjob plans to have Shayna's back as she gets ready to tangle with a whole new kind of enemy.

* This book includes special appearances by Hank, Swede and Bear from the Brotherhood Protectors Series

My review:

Shayna Morgan has been beaten up by life time and again. She is back on her feet and fighting not only for herself but other female vets who’ve been knocked down and need a hand up. But someone doesn’t want her to succeed and former SEAL Fergus "Oddjob" Roper is there to help keep her safe and find out who is trying to shut her operation down.

I love Oddjob’s upbeat outlook on life and respect Shayna’s ability to take a licking and keep on ticking. Shayna’s story about tore my heart out but her strength demands you acknowledge and move on. I enjoyed the heck out of this story.

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Summer at Lavender Bay (Lavender Bay #2) by Sarah Bennett

Blurb:

Love happens when you least expect it…

When Eliza Barnes said ‘I do’ to her husband all those years ago, she thought that they’d be together forever. Instead, he’s flown to Abu Dhabi to start a new life, and she’s returning to the little seaside town of Lavender Bay.

It’s finally time to chase the dreams she’s put on hold for so long, whipping up luxury bath products and organic soaps using local ingredients. Of course, she didn’t expect to meet local farmer, Jack Gilbert, or for him to be quite so gorgeous!

So when her husband turns up, she knows she must decide between the man she knows everything about and the man who makes her heart race in ways she’d never imagined – before it’s too late…

Perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley, Rachael Lucas and Hilary Boyd.

My review:

Summer at Lavender Bay is a sweet contemporary romance that deals with a woman coming from a 10 year unsatisfying marriage and falling into a totally unexpected relationship with a single dad.  I liked Eliza Barnes she took way too long to split from her jerk of a husband and he took way too long to realize he lost. I wish the author had included more of that conversation. I love Eliza’s support group and look forward to reading Libby and Owens story there are sure to be some fireworks there. If you like your contemporary with a bit of British flair you will be sure to love Summer at Lavender Bay.

Buy links:

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Wolf's Mate (Crescent Moon #7) by Katie Reus

Blurb:

She wasn’t supposed to fall for him.

Erica’s time away from her pack was just supposed to be fun. Then she met Hudson. Instead of the no-strings attached fling, she ended up falling for him. But they’d promised each other that they’d keep things casual. Instead of risking her heart, she ran. Now she’s pregnant—and he’s determined to claim her. But the last thing she wants is to be an obligation to him.

Now she’s pregnant.

Erica could never be a duty to Hudson, but for some reason that’s what she thinks she is. He tried to go slow, to give her space—so he wouldn’t scare her off. Now he realizes that was a mistake. It’s time for this wolf to claim his mate. Unfortunately a neighboring pack is stirring up trouble for his pack, and his she-wolf is determined to keep walls between them. Walls he intends to bring down once and for all.

Length: novella

Author note: all novellas in the series can easily be read as individual titles. There are no cliffhangers and each story has a HEA.

Crescent Moon Series:
1. Taming the Alpha
2. Claiming His Mate
3. Tempting His Mate
4. Saving His Mate
5. To Catch His Mate
6. Falling For His Mate
7. Wolf’s Mate 

My review:

Wolf's Mate is a sweet and sexy story that proves once again that communication is the most important thing in a relationship. Erica wants more than just sex. She thinks that Hudson is old enough and alpha enough that if he wanted more he would tell her. When he doesn’t she leaves only to find out she is pregnant. She sure as hell doesn’t want him mating with her just because she is knocked up. Can these two get it straight?

A fun romp that will leave you with a smile on your face.

Buy links:

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A Casino, a Cheater, and a Charity Ball (Deanna Oscar Paranormal Mystery #7) by C.C. Dragon

A Casino, a Cheater, and a Charity Ball (Deanna Oscar Paranormal Mystery #7)

by C.C. Dragon

Blurb:

Deanna Oscar Paranormal Mysteries Book 7 

Everyone deserves a vacation! 
Unfortunately, bad guys and ghouls never rest… 

With a string of paranormally gifted cheaters out to foil a charity ball put on by her brother’s casino, Deanna Oscar isn’t getting a break. 

The group of criminals could bring down the entire casino chain if De doesn’t catch the ring leader first. 

Deanna is only slightly less worried about her boyfriend meeting her brother. 

Ivy and Brody are out to party and things get a little out of hand—or maybe it’s whatever is haunting their room? 

My review:

ROAD TRIP! Deanna and the gang head to Mississippi to check out the casino that De’s brother Frankie is working at. It her first vacation in years. Unfortunately evil never rests and its up to De and the gang to save the day.

I love my visits with Deanna and her brand of crazy. I loved seeing her relationship with Paul grow closer. This was a scary fun adventure and I can’t wait for the next one.

Buy links:

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Shelter for Blythe (Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes #11) by Susan Stoker

Blurb:

Blythe Coopman never imagined she’d be homeless, but a series of events has landed her on San Antonio’s streets…hungry, tired, and scared. She clings to her most precious possession, a phone accidentally swiped from a local firefighter, who, instead of canceling the number, starts texting her. Soon, the man’s calls and texts are the highlight of her days, but she declines his frequent offers of help. Blythe refuses to be his burden—until a vicious attack takes the decision out of her hands.

When the woman he’s already begun to care for ends up in the ER, Sawyer “Squirrel” McClay is livid—and ashamed. He should have insisted she accept his help long ago. Now, he’s not taking no for an answer. While his friends rally round Blythe, Squirrel’s bond with her grows stronger by the day, until he realizes he’ll do anything to keep her safe, healthy, and happy…even as his own lifelong insecurities work against him.

But despite leaving the streets behind, Blythe and Sawyer discover old dangers still linger, threatening to end the couple’s new bliss before it’s barely begun.

** Shelter for Blythe is the 11th book in the Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Series. Each book is a stand-alone, with no cliffhanger endings. 

My review:

When we are at our lowest we show how truly strong we are. At least that is the case with Blythe Coopman. Though circumstances have left her homeless Blythe hasn’t given up and still has compassion for others. A chance meeting with a hot bespeckled fireman has given her something to cling to. When Blythe is attacked Sawyer and friends say no more and get her off the streets and into Sophia’s home. Between Sawyer’s self-esteem issues and Blythe’s past I wanted to slap them each upside their heads on more than one occasion. But they are a great couple and I loved their story.

Buy links:

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