Survive the Night (Rocky Mountain K9 Unit #3) by Katie Ruggle

Blurb:

He's always been a haven:
For the lost. The sick. The injured.
But when a hunted woman takes shelter in his arms, this gentle giant swears he'll do more than heal her battered spirit―he'll defend her with his life.

K9 Officer Otto Gunnersen always had a soft spot for anyone in need. As Monroe's very own Dr. Doolittle, he dedicates himself to rehabilitating the injured souls that cross his path―but for all his big heart, he's never been in love.

Until he meets Sarah Clifton's haunted eyes. Until he realizes he'll do anything to save her.

All Sarah wants is to escape a life caught between ambitious crime families, but there's no outrunning her past. Her power-mad brother would hunt her to the ends of the earth...but he'd never expect Sarah to fight back. With Otto and the whole of Monroe, Colorado by her side, Sarah's finally ready to face whatever comes her way.

It's time to take a stand. 

My review:

Otto gets his book! K9 Officer Otto Gunnersen is a tall Viking god with a hard body and a soft heart. Both come in handy when he meets Sarah Clifton. He is utterly gobsmacked. Not something we see often with Otto.

This story sees Sarah escape a horrid situation in Texas to end up in small town Monroe, Colorado. The town will never be the same again. This story is as action packed as any movie. Prepare time to read this because once you pick it up it will be impossible to put down. Romantic suspense at its finest. My favorite of the series to date.

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This Fallen Prey (Casey Duncan #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Blurb:

When Casey Duncan first arrived at Rockton, the off-the-grid, isolated community built as a haven for people running from their pasts, she had no idea what to expect. There are no cell phones, no internet, no mail, and no way of getting in or out without the town council's approval. She certainly didn't expect to become the town homicide detective. But, the very last thing she expected was for the council to drop a dangerous criminal into their midst without a plan to keep him imprisoned. And she never thought that she'd have to be responsible for him. 

The longer Oliver Brady stays in town, the more people seem to die around him. When evidence begins piling up that someone inside Rockton is working as his accomplice, Casey races to figure out who exactly Brady is and what crimes he's truly responsible for committing.

My review:

This series just keeps getting better. Rockton is supposed to be a safe haven but now the council wants to make it a prison. Oops they forgot to tell the sheriff. Eric and Casey have to figure out how to keep a serial killer prisoner for six months without riling the town and without releasing him to do more harm. This story is a frenetically paced thriller that answers some secrets and reveals new ones. Eric and Casey can count on no one but themselves. I stayed up way past my bedtime reading this and don’t regret a second of lost sleep. I look forward to the next installment.

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Grounds to Kill (Latte, Espresso, Cappuccino & Murder Mystery #1) by Wendy Roberts

Grounds to Kill (Latte, Espresso, Cappuccino & Murder Mystery #1) by Wendy Roberts

Blurb:

Barista Jen Hanby's coworkers give her a hard time for bringing coffee and pastries to a homeless man who sits outside her café—but she has a secret. The scruffy man is her father.

She's also hiding the little matter of why her palm itches. But how can she explain that her hand has a mind of its own and writes messages from the beyond? Right. That'll get her Employee of the Month.

When she finds herself scrawling your boyfriend is cheating on you! to herself on the bathroom mirror, she immediately dumps the guy. But then his little fling—who just happens to be her half sister—turns up dead, and suddenly Jen's homeless father is the prime suspect.

Jen knows he is being framed and must take matters into her own hands to protect him. But will anyone believe that the crazy old man is innocent? Or that his spirit-writing daughter holds the truth?

My review:

Murder, mystery, and a bit of the paranormal. Jen Hanby has a gift? Though she normally writes with her right hand her left hand has a mind of its own and sometimes writes things that Jen has no idea where it comes from. The left hands comments are always true. Jen is just a barista trying to make do. Her father is a former cop who is suffering from schizophrenia and living on the streets. Her half-sister lives down the hall and has been screwing Jen’s boyfriend (the left hand told her so). Soon after she dumps the cheating bastard her half-sister ends up dead and her father is being framed for it. Jen, her gal pals and Mitch the hunk from the coffee shop are going to do whatever it takes to find the truth.

Grounds to Kill is a thrill ride from page one. You just can’t put it down.

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Take the Money and Run (Malone Brothers #1) by Samantha A. Cole

Blurb:

KC Malone is on a two-week leave from the Navy when he arrives at his uncle’s beach house to find a beautiful woman pointing a gun at his chest. What the hell has he just walked in on?

Moriah Jensen is on the run from dirty cops and ruthless drug dealers. Fleeing Chicago after her family was murdered, she spends the next four months trying to stay alive. Using an alias, she bounces from town to town, state to state, struggling to stay steps ahead of the people chasing her.

As the two become reluctant, temporary housemates, KC offers to train Moriah to defend herself against an alleged abusive ex-boyfriend. But when her past catches up with her, Moriah has to decide between her love for KC and running for safety. To stay would risk both their lives. To run would mean leaving her heart behind. 

My review:

Take the Money and Run is a fast paced romantic suspense that will make you want more of the Malone Brothers.

This story uses several well worn devices to get these two together.  KC Malone USN SEAL on leave. Moriah Jensen is on the run. Widower uncle playing matchmaker. But it works and is a fun escape.

This book is apparently a spin off from another series which I haven’t read but it didn’t seem to matter.

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Should've Been You (Man Enough #3) by Nicole McLaughlin

Blurb:

Childhood neighbors get a chance at love in Should’ve Been You, an achingly romantic novella in Nicole McLaughlin’s Man Enough series!

National Guardsman Jase Beckford wants to live a quiet life raising cattle and taking care of his mother. His childhood friend and neighbor Hannah is still his best friend, but when he walks into the Walters house one morning and sees her twin sister Becca for the first time in five years, he wonders if he missed out on something special.

Becca Walters has nursed a secret crush on Jase since childhood, but he always preferred Hannah, so she buried her feelings assuming her sister and Jase would one day turn their flirtation into a real relationship. And this Christmas, she is anticipating a proposal of her own, so Jase’s reappearance in her life doesn’t mean anything. Much. Okay, maybe more than Becca would like to admit.

However, when Becca’s sister gets engaged to someone who’s not Jase, Becca and Jase find themselves spending more together. And when secrets are revealed, suddenly those dormant feelings come back to life; but is the possibility of something between them worth risking the happiness of everyone they love?

My review:

Should've Been You is a sweet, feel good, small town, second chance romance. Fraternal twins Becca and Hannah Walters have known Jase Beckford since he moved to their small town. Jase and Hannah have always been close friends and Becca has had a crush on him since she was ten. Jase left and joined the military right out of high school and life has gone on. But now he is back. Hannah has just gotten engaged and Becca is hoping for a ring from her boyfriend of two years at Christmas. Looks like Jase has been gone too long or has he.

I really didn’t like Hannah. She is a game player and has gone out of her way to hurt those she claims to love most. I liked Jase and loved Becca. I enjoyed watching them overcome the past and finding each other.

Can be read standalone 

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Defining Human (Only Human #4) by Candace Blevins

Blurb:

Book four of the ONLY HUMAN series…

Kirsten negotiated for what she hopes will be two glorious hours with Xaephan, but the Lord of Lust has his own ideas of how the afternoon will transpire, and the consequences of their evening are long lasting.

Her deal with Ryan means she must go to Africa to help guard gazelles for a week. She trains for the event, but her preparation doesn’t cover the Strigorii vampires who have their eye on her. Since she broke up with Abbott, gaining control of her will be like hanging a sign saying they’re more powerful than The Abbott without having to actually fight him. 

Throw in complications with Nathan and a few battles with her old enemy Aquila, and Kirsten doesn’t know whether she’s coming or going. She wants peace and quiet with her daughter, but is it possible? Is she too embroiled in supernatural politics to live a normal life? Kirsten feels as if she’s become a game piece in a sick game of chess, and she wants off the board.

My review:

Have you read the first three books? If not I recommend that you read them first so you can understand the relationships in this book. Going to read it anyway? The first thing you need to know is that Kirsten is a masochist. She sexualizes pain. Her kink is not my kink but as long as it is consensual I can enjoy her enjoyment and boy does she enjoy. The second thing you need to know is that despite being born human Kirsten has gifts that the paranormals want to own or destroy. The third thing you need to know is that Kirsten has some very powerful friends. But most of all what you need to know is that Kirsten is strong and getting stronger and she will be no-ones prize.

This book is filled with angst, adventure and really hot sex. Kirsten is in some really hot water this time and it will change friends and alliances. A hot, exciting read.

The previous books in this series:

Only Human (Only Human #1)

An Unhuman Journey (Only Human #2)

Of Humans and Monsters (Only Human, #3)

If you want to take a shortcut or learn more about Nathan you can read Pride

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Baby, I'm Howling for You (Alphaville #1) by Christine Warren

Blurb:

WELCOME TO ALPHAVILLE, where the she-wolves and alpha-males play. . .for keeps.

Renny Landry is a wolf on the run. Pursued by a shapeshifting stalker and his slobbering pack of killer coyotes, she is forced to flee her job as a librarian to find sanctuary in the wooded hills of Alpha, Washington. A well-secluded safe space for troubled shifters, Alpha is Renny’s last hope. But the first person she meets there is a gorgeous alpha male with fiery eyes, fierce tattoos, and one ferocious appetite—for her…

Mick Fischer thought he left his past behind when he moved to Alpha. But fate has a way of biting him in the tail when a female wolf shows up on his property. Wounded, desperate—and disarmingly hot—Renny brings out the snarling, protective alpha beast in Mick like no other woman he’s known. Can these two haunted, hunted wolves manage to mate for life…even as the deadliest past demons howl at their heels? 

My review:

Baby, I'm Howling for You is a fast paced, well told PNR. The author has a gift for phrasing that makes this book a total delight.

Red wolf shifter Renny Landry is on the run. She has been chased from California all the way to the outskirts of Alpha, Washington where she collapses exhausted and wounded on the doorstep of alpha wolf shifter Mick Fischer. Mick is somewhat of a recluse hiding from his pain and his past but he isn’t going to let anything hurt the wolf at his door. What he doesn’t know is that that she wolf is about to shake his world up in the very best of ways. That is if he can keep her alive.

Lust, a bit of manly angst, female guilt, a whole lot of fun from the townsfolk, danger and love make this a terrific read.

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