Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Vampire's Choice (Vampire Queen #18) by Joey W. Hill


 


 

 

Blurb:

I’d rather fight than run. I’d rather fight than submit…

Because Ruth was born weaker than most vampires, she has to find a place on the fringes of the vampire world where she can call the shots on her own life. Doing bodyguard work at the mysterious Circus fits the bill, but it’s there her biggest secret is revealed. Unlike most vampires, she’s not a Dominant.

She wants a Master she can fight, until he 
makes her submit. He must prove he’s stronger on every level that matters, and win her trust, loyalty and love. Merc, part incubus, part angel, catches her attention, but his dangerous reputation makes him a bad risk.

Working alongside him to protect a fortune teller who has seen things that can endanger the vampire world, she gets a different view. Plus, out of all his mesmerizing qualities, there’s one she finds irresistible.

He relishes a good fight.

 

My review:

WOW!

The only constant is change. The Vampire world is as effected as much if not more than humans. With their longevity they tend to resist change. This book is all about the circle of life and the changes that each stage brings. This story also deals with privilege and how despite it some things effect us all,

This book touched me deeply.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

B&N

 

Friday, July 26, 2024

Her Alien Mercenaries (The Drift: Haven Colony Book 8) by Susan Hayes


 


 

Blurb:

She thought that moving to a new world would be the challenge of a lifetime. Then the universe upped the ante.

Jenna never expected to escape from Earth. Now she’s a colonist in a beautiful and inviting new world, surrounded by beings she wants to trust…if only she could.

Not everyone in Haven wants it to succeed, and Jenna is now a pawn in a dangerous game of secrets and subterfuge. To protect her new home, she’ll have to risk everything, including her chance at love.

They thought they could leave their bloodstained past behind them. They were wrong.

Zanyr and Torren may have kept their names, but they left the rest of their former lives behind. Most of their species despise mercenaries, which means they must hide their past to protect their future with the colony.

Their lives bound by blood-oaths and battle, these former soldiers of fortune want nothing more than to live in peace with their mate… once they find her, that is.

These three beings will have the chance to get everything they’ve ever wanted…but to keep it, they may have to go to war.

 

My review:

They each came to Haven for a new start will the secrets they hold destroy the future they fought for?  This is a fun addition to the series. I really enjoyed it.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

B&N

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Fire Called (Ember & Ash 1) by Edeline Wrigh


 

 

Blurb:

She's the ember that started the fire.
He's the ash that remains when all is dead.

When Emberly, a field biologist with a connection to the spirit world, returns to her hometown for her dream job, she thinks she's prepared to defend her home and confront her destiny. But she's not prepared for Ashton: the man she must marry to uphold the bargain she made for her life. And no amount of chastising from her ghost twin is going to change her mind.

Ashton, the handsome, reluctant heir to the mining empire that killed Emberly's grandfather, wants nothing to do with his family legacy. But when his father announces plans to resume mining operations, his only hope at protecting the mountain is to work with the woman he fell in love with at first sight—and who can't stand to look at him.

Forced into a fake relationship to keep the circumstances of their magically arranged marriage—and the supernatural salamanders—a secret, their annoyance with each other is only heightened by their mutual attraction. But there's only so long they can avoid fate.

Fire Called is the first in a new contemporary romantasy trilogy. If you like steamy romances, hearing ghost stories around the campfire, and finding magic in so-called 'mundane' places, this one's for you.

 

My review:

The first in a new romantasy trilogy, this tale has possibilities.  I was a bit disappointed in the female main character but the main male character more than made up for her short comings. The premise is fun and I look forward to seeing where the author takes us. Warning this book will leave you with more questions than answers.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

B&N

 

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Once a Detective...: A Dan Burnett Thriller by Larry Terhaar


 


 

Blurb:

Her brother was murdered.

After two years the NYPD had given up.

It was now up to me to find the murderer.

Once a Detective... introduces Dan Burnett, an NYPD detective who opts for retirement after failing his physical. At fifty-five, he becomes a private investigator, learning the ropes from a P.I. with a similar history. Divorced and living on a sailboat, his one source of happiness is his college-aged daughter.

After assisting his new partner with ongoing cases, he lands one of his own: a beautiful woman whose brother was murdered. With the NYPD abandoning the case, it's up to him to find the murderer, all while grappling with his attraction to the client.

The suspects? Las Vegas casinos, where the brother owed a million dollars, and his second wife, who inherited millions upon his death. Dan doggedly works the case, drawing on his lifelong skills, with the help of a former colleague initially assigned to the case. Tracking a mob hitman leads him on a chase across the country, searching for the truth and ultimately finding it.

 

My review:

Just the facts ma’am… Once a Detective is a fun police procedural when a newly retired police detective becomes a private investigator. This features an interesting murder mystery and a new romance. The prose is a bit dry and the romance was sad but the mystery made it worth the read.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

B&N

 

Monday, July 15, 2024

His Second Chance (Montgomery Ink Legacy #6) by Carrie Ann Ryan


 


 

Blurb:

The rules were simple. Protect the woman I love. And try to stop loving her along the way.

Kane Montgomery Carr and Phoebe Dixon's romance went from a fiery temptation to a fizzled out heartbreak.

Only Kane has no idea why.

All he knows is that he has to keep her safe when a stalker sets Phoebe in their sights.

Yet as the two of them are forced once again into each other's lives, the truth behind their breakup surfaces and they are forced to face the facts: the feelings and heat they buried aren't quite as gone as they'd like.

If they give in, they'll have to face the demons that broke them up in the first place—including a startling secret that shocks them both.

Yet if they don't, they might lose the chance of a life time.

That is, of course, if they can survive what lurks in the shadows for them both.

 

My review:

Best meeting ever! These two meet under stressful conditions and though the chemistry was there the timing wasn’t. Kane is miserable apart from Phoebe. When she suspects she has a stalker Kane will do what it takes to keep her safe but the risk to his heart is enormous. Phoebe and Kane will navigate through danger, family and a love that is meant to be. Break out the tissues this one will make you cry.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

B&N

 


 

 

Friday, July 5, 2024

Echo Road (Mercy Kilpatrick #9) by Kendra Elliot & Melinda Leigh


 


 

Blurb:

When two cross-country cases collide, Bree Taggert and Mercy Kilpatrick join forces to catch a serial killer in an addictive novel of suspense by bestselling authors Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot.

During a vicious heat wave, a county maintenance worker stumbles upon two suspicious suitcases abandoned by the side of the road. Sheriff Bree Taggert responds to find two bodies stuffed inside the luggage. The press demands action. The community is on edge. Suddenly, Bree is at the center of a media firestorm.

In Oregon, a senator’s daughter goes missing. FBI Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick agrees to keep the politically sensitive case on the down-low. When she finds a link between the disappearance and a double homicide three thousand miles away, Mercy takes the next plane out—and lands right in the middle of Bree’s double homicide investigation.

To save the missing girl, Bree and Mercy must work together to stop a killer who’s playing deadly games with the press and stirring up public rage. Hungry for notoriety, he dares Bree and Mercy to catch him before he kills again.

 

My review:

Two of my favorite female crimefighters meet in a twisted case that takes Mercy Kilpatrick to upstate NY and Bree Taggerts territory.  They need to work together to find a sick killer who is convinced he is smarter than these two very smart women. They convince him otherwise.

This book kept me nailed to my seat and flipping pages. This is a fast paced thriller.

 

Buy links:
Amazon

B&N

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

The Scented Cipher (A Nora Black Midlife Psychic Mystery Book 9) by Renee George


 

The Scented Cipher (A Nora Black Midlife Psychic Mystery Book 9) by Renee George

 

Blurb:

My name is Nora Black, local shop owner and part-time psychic consultant in the resort town of Garden Cove.

When an anonymous letter in the local paper exposes my extrasensory secret, our normally idyllic town is plagued by a series of mysterious accidents, and I find myself drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse.

A cunning killer has targeted me by planting scent clues to a murder he plans to commit. His clues are muddy, but the message is clear: Catch me before I kill.

Thankfully, I won’t have to piece together the puzzle alone. With my best friends Gilly and Pippa and my sweetheart Detective Ezra Holden by my side, we’ll sniff out the trail of the would-be killer.

But as the danger escalates, I’ll have to rely on my unique ability to decipher the clues and outsmart my devious foe before it’s too late.

 

My review:

Somebody out there has it in for Nora and now she has to sniff out the culprit. This brings the danger close to home. This story had me biting my nails and flipping pages. This may be the best in the series to date.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

B&N

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Crimson Moon Hideaway: Skin Deep by Jennifer Wedmore


 


 Blurb:

Stephen was venturing out of Black Hollow for the first time. His cousin Derrick and his fiancee Raveena were headed to Crimson Moon Hideaway to check out the resort as a possible honeymoon destination. Somehow, he was along for the ride, but he wasn't comfortable being in public as a former cursed human, also known as a zombie. Then he saw her, he knew right away she was the one, but would she love a zombie?


Verise missed the Deep Blue Sea Expo but decided to check out the resort anyway. What she didn't expect to happen, her Selkie skin was stolen, no one knew what happened and she met the possible love of her life. Could the best thing that ever happened to her, be at the same time as the worst? Could she learn to live as a human or would she find her Selkie hide and go back to the sea?

 

My review:

Skin Deep is a Crimson Moon Hideaway / Black Hollow crossover story that can be read stand alone but would be enjoyed more if you’re at least acquainted with Black Hollow. This story deals with learning to be comfortable in your own skin and loving who you are. I really enjoyed revisiting with Derrick, Raveena and Stephen and meeting Verise. A magical romance.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

Monday, July 1, 2024

The Accidental Ghost (The Accidentals 15) by Dakota Cassidy


 

Blurb:

Raphaela Tucci, Ralph to those who know and love her, beloved former first-grade teacher, newly minted bookstore owner, and ever the optimist is dead…

Dead.


Not only is she dead, she’s a ghost. Like, bonafide see-through, floating, boo screeching ghost.

It’s hard to be optimistic when your life tragically ends the moment you begin to live your dream. But Ralph tries anyway, even as she finds herself stuck in Nina’s big castle—on Long Island, no less.

Ralph doesn’t know how she ended up where she landed, but after a week of floating silently unseen through room after room, watching these kooky but loveable women live their lives, she doesn’t understand why her destiny isn’t even close to what she’s read in books and seen in movies.

Maybe there really isn’t an upstairs after all?

Enter Shamus Ransom, the biggest (hottest) silver-fox elf (whaaat?) she’s ever seen with the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. He’s been hired by Nina to eliminate the funny smell the vampire’s positive is a ghost haunting her castle.

What he finds is a beautiful, completely stuck ghost with a heart of gold and an optimistic outlook he’s never seen in an entity.

Shamus’s job already isn’t an easy one, but as he tries to find out why Ralph is stuck and categorize what type of ghost she is, he also finds himself falling in deep like with her. Getting involved is absolutely out of the question. Theirs would be far more than a long distance romance. To even consider it was ludicrous, right?

But as Shamus and the women of OOPS try and figure out what happened to Ralph on the night she was killed and why she’s cemented on this plane, there are dangerous entities gunning for Ralph and they won’t stop until she’s locked away in Hell—
forever

 

My review:

Fantastic! The author manages to keep it fresh even though there is definitely a formula to this series. Even the characters comment on it. I had no idea how the author was going to have the Oops squad interact with a ghost but she did it creatively and with a bit of cussin on Nina’s part.  A fun and unique romp.

Buy links:

Amazon

B&N