SEAL in Deep Waters: a Love at First Sight Romance by Paige Tyler

 

 

Blurb:

His life is always in danger, but never his heart.
 

Petty Officer Ace Harmon is used to almost dying on a weekly basis. It comes with the territory. But this time there’s an actual contract on his head. Someone powerful wants him dead. The Navy figures hiding him in plain sight—like “SEAL central” San Diego—will buy them some time while they figure out who has it out for Ace. Blending in is the name of game, and the guys on TEAM 5 take him in as a brother immediately, willing to protect him as one of their own. But when he meets Tabby at a cookout, he realizes it’s his heart that might need protecting. A licensed electrician and Jane-of-all-trades, she’s like MacGyver mixed with Megan Fox, but more down-to-earth than any woman he’s ever met, and he’s falling head-over-combat boots. But his time in San Diego is limited––so is breathing if the Team doesn’t figure out who paid to have him killed.

Until now.

Tabitha Turner isn’t your typical California beauty. Defying her high-powered parents’ plans, she’s been on her own since the ink dried on her high school diploma. Independent and proud of it, relationships have never been her thing––not after growing up in her parents’ marital war zone. That is until she met Ace. They fit together like the proverbial missing pieces but getting involved with a SEAL on temporary assignment isn’t smart, and Tabby prides herself on being smart. However, keeping it casual is easier said than done because her heart isn’t listening. Even when she finds out he’s the target of a vengeful enemy, she refuses to walk away from the man who’s quickly becoming the love of her life. But when Tabby is kidnapped and used as a pawn to ambush Ace, all hell breaks loose as SEAL Team 5 jumps into action.

Ace doesn’t care if he has to break every military code ever written to rescue Tabby. He’ll get her out alive or die trying.

 

My review:

SEAL in Deep Waters is an action filled romance filled with heat and humor. This story may feature Ace and Tabitha but the real hero (in my humble opinion) is Kyla. A rollicking good tale.

 

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At First Meet (Montgomery Ink Legacy #2) by Carrie Ann Ryan

 

Blurb:

NYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan continues the Montgomery Ink Legacy series with an emotional, friends-to-lovers romance where second chances begin with a promise.

I fell in love with the wrong man and learned the hard way to ask for help.

I don’t plan on falling again and have no intention of trying.

But when I get invited to a high-powered CEO retreat, I know I can’t say no.

And I can’t go alone.

When my frenemy, Nick, invites himself as my escort, I should walk away.

But there’s no stopping the connection we’ve both ignored for far too long.

Only Nick’s past is far darker than he lets the world know, and the shell he encased himself in is stronger than my own. And when the pain from my past comes back with a force, I’m afraid that walking away will be the only choice—even if it breaks us both.

 

My review:

Friends to lovers, best friends’ cousin, forced proximity and oh so much more. This story brings Lake and Nick into each others sphere and force them to admit the chemistry between them. This story left me gobsmacked and anxiously awaiting the next book. I couldn’t put it down.

 

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Fifty Yard Line by Cara North

 

Blurb:

No better place to experience football than the Fifty Yard Line.

If you like athletes that are tough on the field, but gentle off, this is the sports romance for you!

As a photojournalist for the college paper looking to do something noteworthy, she didn't think twice about heading to the football field for the game of a lifetime.

He was aware there were people along the sidelines. There always was, but they would move if a player was about to cross that line.

One crash landing changes both of their lives in this fun, college romance where public faces are not the same in private places.

This story was previously published in the limited-edition Jocks anthology.

 

My review:

I adored Poppy and Brady’s story. Not exactly a meet cute but she can tell her grandchildren he bowled her over. Brady is a BMOC, a star football player, and a good guy but he is not a fan of the press.

College sophomore Poppy is studying to be a photojournalist and when she is given a chance to cover the big game she is ecstatic! She was so involved in doing her job she didn’t see the two very large men heading her way.

This was a sweet, funny and sometimes silly tale of two young adults learning that you can’t tell a book by its cover and that college is for learning.  I heartily recommend.

 Buy link:

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Dance of Desire by Christopher Rice

 

Blurb:

When Amber Watson walks in on her husband in the throes of extramarital passion with one of his employees, her comfortable, passion-free life is shattered in an instant. Worse, the fate of the successful country music bar that bears her family's name suddenly hangs in the balance. Her soon to be ex-husband is one of the bar's official owners; his mistress, one of its employees. Will her divorce destroy her late father's legacy?

Not if Amber's adopted brother Caleb has anything to do with it. The wandering cowboy has picked the perfect time for a homecoming. Better yet, he's determined to use his brains and his fists to put Amber's ex in his place and keep the family business intact. But Caleb's long absence has done nothing to dim the forbidden desire between him and the woman the State of Texas considers to be his sister.

Years ago, when they were just teenagers, Caleb and Amber shared a passionate first kiss beside a moonlit lake. But that same night, tragedy claimed the life of Caleb's parents and the handsome young man went from being a family friend to Amber's adopted brother. Has enough time passed for the two of them to throw off the roles Amber's father picked for them all those years ago? Will their desire for each other save the family business or put it in greater danger?

DANCE OF DESIRE is the first contemporary romance from award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Christopher Rice, told with the author's trademark humor and heart. It also introduces readers to a quirky and beautiful town in the Texas Hill Country called Chapel Springs.

 

My review:

Dance of Desire by Christopher Rice has been on my TBR for quite some time. This is a sweet second chance romance with a twist or two. I really enjoyed Amber and Caleb’s story and can recommend it heartily.

 

Buy links:

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A Touch of Frost (The Shattered Crown Book 1) by Renee R. Harper

 

 

Blurb:

In a world where magic is outlawed, a shy 20-year-old tavern maid enlists in the military to learn runes and swordsmanship to protect the people she cares for. A Touch of Frost is a coming-of-age fantasy novel about an unlikely heroine who wanted a normal life. But fate has different plans, and the people she’s fighting to protect might be the greatest threat.

Tragedies and curses, like all bad things, came in threes.

Most runes are forbidden within Aitera. Those who create them are executed or bound for fear they’d be the one prophesized to destroy the crown. Cybele cherished and adored the magic within her father’s stories of love and adventure until a curse stilled his beating heart, provoking fear within hers.

At nearly twenty, in the goddess’s eyes, Cybele’s responsibility is to marry and have children, so when her estranged mother pens a letter requesting to rebuild their relationship while proposing to arrange a marriage for her, Cybele gratefully accepts. She believes this will give her the simple life she longs for.

But when tragedy strikes, Cybele resents her weakness and foolishness, realizing that life isn’t simple and the world isn’t clearly divided between good and evil. As war looms overhead and Cybele’s forced from her home, a handsome stranger helps her and offers her the key to harnessing a strength she didn’t know she had.

Cybele soon discovers the man who saved her holds many secrets, and the magic that’s taken everything from her could be her only chance of survival.

 

 

My review:

A Touch of Frost is a fabulous first in what I am sure is going to be an epic saga. I was pulled into Cybeles’ tale from the first page and didn’t want it to end. Watching her grow through grit and determination had me feeling for her. I can’t wait to see where her story takes us.

 

Buy link:

Amazon

 

Primer and Punishment (House-Flipper Mystery #5) by Diane Kelly

 

 

Blurb:

Primer and Punishment marks the fifth in the delightful cozy mystery series from Diane Kelly set in Nashville, Tennessee. Whitney Whitaker has a knack for nailing down murderers . . . but this time she might just come unmoored.

Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are looking once again to rehab and resell a house, only this particular house is made of fiberglass, floats, and has been dubbed the Skinny Dipper. The old houseboat sure could use some work, but the unusual project has Whitney bubbling with excitement.

The charming and handsome Grant Hardisty lives on the cabin cruiser in the adjacent slip, but the cousins soon learn he’s left a half dozen angry ex-wives in his wake and made enemies of all sorts of unsavory folks. The man is clearly caught in an increasingly dangerous current with no life preserver in sight.

Whitney and Buck are spraying primer on their houseboat when—KABOOM!—Grant’s boat blows sky high with the man himself inside. Detective Collin Flynn has no shortage of suspects, but the waters become muddied when several of them confess to the crime. Is one of those who confessed truly guilty, or are they taking a dive for someone else? When anonymous threats are made against the cousins, Whitney must quickly determine who killed their neighbor at the lake, or she and Buck might also be sunk. 

 

My review:

Whitney and Buck are back and this time they are flipping a houseboat. Lake life is the best! Their marina neighbor has issues and one of them is going to blow him and his boat to bits. Of course Whitney has to involve herself in the investigation. It’s not like she doesn’t have enough to do with rehabbing the boat, planning a bridal party for Colette, and spending time with Sawdust. But her intentions are good. I love the amount of research the author puts into these stories and I always learn something new. The ending took me by surprise but boy did I love it. Another terrific adventure.

 

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Bongo & Delilah Ain't Saints: B&D Capers, Book 3 by Winnie Winkle

 

Blurb:

Are you ready for a hilarious, out-of-this-world road trip with a twist?

In this sci-fi comedy adventure, Bongo and Delilah suspect that the hitchhiking alien they’re helping, nicknamed Billy Bob, hasn't been entirely honest about the reasons for his visit to Earth. But when they discover that his planet is embroiled in a civil war with the dolphin-like Wrothics and that a third planet’s forces are on a collision course with Earth, the stakes become much higher.

Earth needs allies, and fast, but navigating cultural misunderstandings and crappy political red tape makes this desperate race against time a tough assignment. And now they have to save two planets? It’s a good thing they brought hooch.

Will they succeed? Find out in this hilarious, action-packed Sci-Fi comedy that will have you on the edge of your seat and laughing out loud as Bongo and Delilah careen into their next space, snark and booze filled adventure!

 

My review:

Have you read the first two books? No? I recommend reading them before reading this installment.

Bongo & Delilah Ain't Saints has our intrepid gang of misfits traveling from Florida to New Orleans in an attempt to find environmentalists to help save Billy Bob save his planet. We discover a threat heading for earth and that every problem has at least two sides and working together to solve the issue results in a better ending. This book has all the hilarity of the first two and a bit more. I need a drink.

 

Buy links:

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Sapphire Omens (Sisterhood of the Stones Book 2) by L.A. Boruff, Lia Davis, Lacey Carter

 

Sapphire Omens (Sisterhood of the Stones Book 2) by L.A. Boruff, Lia Davis, Lacey Carter

 

Blurb:

If you wish you knew what people thought of you, to be frank, you’re a fool.

I burned a lot of bridges when I fell from fame. Not only did I embarrass myself in front of the world, but my tell-all book ruined any chance I had to fix things. And why? All because of a cheating husband and a best friend who betrayed me.

It wasn’t worth it. But some things happen for a reason because without my fall from fame, I never would have met Nicky. He loves me for me, and our simple life is pretty close to perfect.

When I receive a letter, a chance to step back into Hollywood, to open doors I thought were closed, and possibly regain some of my wealth and fame, I should run the other way.

Unfortunately for me, I’m not that smart. I thought I could fix my old reputation. I thought I could show everyone I’d changed.
I was a fool. The moment I put on a beautiful necklace straight from a pirate’s treasure, I can hear the terrible thoughts from everyone around me. I might just crack. Again. Once upon a time I started over, can I really do it again? Or will my greed end to the worst loss of all, that of the man I love?

 

My review:

This is the tale of the second stone of a trio of cursed stones from a pirates treasure a beautiful blue sapphire that allows you to hear what people are thinking. An actress always wants to know what folks are thinking right? Not so much. I really enjoyed Delilah and Nicky’s tale and just wanted them get their act together. This is a terrific addition to the saga. Bring on the black stone.

 

Buy link:
Amazon

 

Chunkybuttfunky (Paranormal Mates Society) by Dakota Cassidy

 

 

Blurb:

Cadence Cranston needs a date.

Not just any date, but a date that won't mind her penchant for blood on the rocks and bat wings. Oh, and fangs... She has awesome fangs.

So Cadence, nighttime DJ and full figured vampire, decides to give online dating a try, but www.paranormalmatessociety isn't just any old online date site. It's strictly for the shifting community which is copacetic with Cadence. So she puts up a profile and a picture of herself and jumps into the dating pool, feet first to find that she's more bored than she was to begin with. Sticking to her own kind of shifter turns out to be kinda droll.

Who said she can't date a demon or a god, for that matter?

Or even a werewolf?

Browsing what the site has to offer in the way of "other" shifters, Cadence comes across a profile of a werewolf who is to die for. Really, he's that cute. The cute werewolf is Collin Grayson and he specifically states that he only wants to date other werewolves in his online profile.

But he's soooo delish...
So how hard can it be to pretend you're a werewolf?

 

My review:

I got this for the title and the author. I’ll admit the cover was subpar for this author. As expected this story is filled with humor and snark. Not expected was the way I felt about Cadence at the end. I liked her for the most part throughout the story but she ended up a little judgy and hypocritical. Still it was a fun and enjoyable read.

 

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Trying the Trickster (Midlife Magic Dating Service Book 2) by L.A. Boruff & Daphne Moore

 

Blurb:

A muse in the flesh…at least to the shapeshifter who so desperately needs her help.

Only one problem: Cathy’s creativity is gone. Kaput. Dead in the water. Without it, she’s a shell of the woman that she once was, lost and bitter without the one thing that makes her who she truly is.

Reynard is the trickster king, a shapeshifter of the first order whose purpose is to help bring his kind into the human world. Cathy is a friend of his family, but more than that, he and the rest of his kind need her art and creativity to aid the plan to convince humanity to accept them. Without it, his people will be forced back to the world where they have been exiled for so long.

The greater good is reason enough for Reynard to help Cathy regain her creativity, but as they get to know one another more, he realizes that perhaps he is more personally invested.

Without Cathy, the plan to rejoin the human world will die, but without her creativity, Cathy will wither, and Reynard isn’t willing to let either of those things happen.

Not without a fight.

 

My review:

In this installment, Roma’s best friend Cathy finds her monster and oh what a fox Reynard is. This is a fast paced romp that will have you looking at the world a little differently. I look forward to Tanni’s tale.

 

Buy link:

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Crack the Spine: The Wayward Series 1 by Wade Lewellyn-Hughes

 

Blurb:

“The most vulnerable prey is the one shunned by its pack.”

Fulfilling bounties on the supernatural requires a balance. Safety versus profit. Kendall Blake and the Wayward Investigations team walk this line with one goal in mind: to create a haven for runaway LGBTQ+ youth living on the streets of New Orleans, easy food for the darkness seldom discussed outside of fairy tales. But real estate is anything but cheap and selling the feu follet they catch in the swamps isn’t bringing in the cash they need.

Enter Frankie Singh. Her childhood friend has gone missing in what appears to be a very sophisticated abduction. The fact it began with a murder in Portland has already skewed the balance beyond Wayward Investigations’ threshold. But they needed the money. Unraveling the mystery of what happened to her friend forces them deeper into the shadows and puts their own magical abilities to the test. Even tough-as-nails Kendall wonders if they made a mistake in trying to find her once she is staring down her gun into the glowing eyes of an incubus.
 

The Wayward series is perfect for urban fantasy fans who enjoy humor, mystery, and stories with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender characters at the forefront.

Find your new family in Crack the Spine today!

 

My review:

Whew there is a lot going on in this story. First, I have to say that I love Kendall’s family of choice. Kendall has run from her past and found a family of misfits she can relate to. They work together to build a future for themselves, and others like them. This crazy group sucked me in and made me love them warts and all. Magic and mayhem and familial love. I recommend this book so hard.

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Monsters Matchmaking (Midlife Magic Dating Service Book 1) by L.A. Boruff & Daphne Moore

Blurb:

The magical dating service knows best… Right? We can only hope.

Andromeda is sick of being used in relationships. She’s smart and talented and scares more men than a vasectomy without anesthesia. Working for one of the top PR firms around, she gets to see how terrible people are on a daily basis, and she’s over it. Now that she’s over forty, she was all but ready to give up on love. As a last ditch, she agrees to give an exclusive dating agency a chance, but only because her best friend recommends it to her. What’s the worst that could happen? Another failed, short-term relationship won’t kill her.

Probably.

Bran de Clare, Monster King. His people have long been trapped in another dimension, but Bran is determined to find a place for them in the modern world and do whatever it takes to fix the violent and cruel reputation that has plagued his kind since their banishment.

Both Andromeda and Bran soon realize factions in both of their worlds want to destroy any hope of a peaceful reunion of the so-called monsters to the human world. The human scientists will do anything to keep the knowledge of magic a secret. Monster rebels work against Bran day and night in an attempt to take over the worlds. Both of them.

Bran and Andromeda must overcome their vast differences to come together and save their worlds. If they happen to fall in love along the way? Alls the better, but neither see that happening any time soon.

 

My review:

Monsters Matchmaking is a fun PNR. This story shows how the monsters may be more humane than the humans. I’ll admit to being a little jealous that Andromeda snagged the goblin king but I’ll always have Jareth. I really enjoyed.

 

Buy link:

Amazon

 

 

Magic Dark, Magic Divine (Warrior of the Divine Sword #1) by A.J. Locke

 

 

Blurb:

Falling asleep for almost 300 years was never part of Pennrae’s plan.

Of course, when you’re a mercenary with magical abilities and defy a spellbinding prophecy...bad stuff happens.
 
Now, magic is long gone from the world. So Penn works as a karate instructor, trying very hard to dodge her hot, flirty, and super annoying colleague, Callan. All is well until a Jigori - a nightmarish magic-eating monster - shows up at a New York City street fair, forcing Penn to use her Shaper magic, which allows her to transform wood and metal into deadly weapons.
 
Now, the Jigori’s master has her scent, and their eye on stealing her 300 years of life. If they succeed, Penn succumbs to centuries of sleep again, and magic will be unleashed on a completely unprepared world.

And to add to her ridiculously complicated life, something isn’t quite right with Callan. Which she could figure out if it weren’t for that evil, apocalyptic plot she’s trying to stop. But Penn may not have a choice - Callan could be the secret weapon she needs to save the world...

 

My review:

Magic Dark, Magic Divine is a fantastic first book in a new UF series. I love that the main character is a strong woman of color. This fantasy will take you through time and magic and bring you to a new future. I can’t wait to read the next installment.

 

Buy links:

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Citrine Wishes (Sisterhood of the Stones Book 1) by L.A. Boruff, Lia Davis & Lacey Carter

 

Citrine Wishes (Sisterhood of the Stones Book 1) by L.A. Boruff, Lia Davis & Lacey Carter

 

Blurb:

It’s inappropriate to wish for your ex-husband to be run over by a truck.

The same goes for dressmakers, flower delivery people, and snotty little hotel concierges who mess up room reservations. But I don’t care. I’m not too proud to admit my daughter’s wedding has me stressed out.

Okay, maybe I’ll only wish for a very small truck to hit him. Twice.

There are a thousand things that require my attention, but it’s impossible to be productive when all I can think about is the boiling rage I feel every time I look at my ex and his bimbo-of-the-week.

I’m trying to pull it together, but everything that can go wrong has. I just need a break and a little pick-me-up. An afternoon getting lost in the local market should do the trick.

That’s when a pirate’s loss becomes my gain. My strange and beautiful new trinket is anything but ordinary. And suddenly everything in my life is falling into place.

You know what they say about wishes? It’s best to be careful when making them. If you don’t know the difference between what you want and what you need, the consequences could be deadly.

Or hilarious.

Grab this humor-filled, page-turning, suspenseful paranormal woman’s fiction now, and escape into a world of wishes fulfilled.

 

My review:

 

Citrine Wishes is a laugh out loud romp that will leave you wanting more. Cami Danes-LaCroix is at her daughters destination wedding with her man-whore/man-child ex-husband, his girl toy of the month and her childhood nemesis aka the grooms mother a recipe for disaster and hilarity. Throw in a magic necklace that makes wishes come true and a hunky pirate and you have a heck of a party. For a fun time read Citrine Wishes.

 

Buy link:

Amazon