Four Loves

Want You Dead by Peter James…ARC Review

Want You Dead releases TODAY

Book links:

Synopsis:

The 10th book in Peter James’ multi-million-copy selling crime series, featuring the definitive Brighton detective, Roy Grace.

IF HE CAN’T HAVE HER, THEN NOBODY CAN . . .

Virtual romance becomes a terrifying obsession in Want You Dead . . .

Single girl, 33, redhead and smouldering, love life that’s crashed and burned. Seeks new flame to rekindle her fire. Fun, friendship and—who knows—more maybe?

In Peter James’ Want You Dead, thirty-year old Red Cameron meets handsome, charming and rich thirty-five year old Bryce Laurent through an online dating agency, and is instantly attracted to him. But as their love blossoms, the truth about his past begins to emerge, and with it his dark side. Everything he has told Red about himself turns out to be a tissue of lies, and her infatuation with him gradually turns to terror.

Within a year, and under police protection, she evicts him from her flat and her life. But far from being over, her nightmare is only just beginning. For Bryce is obsessed and besotted with her. He intends to destroy, by fire, everything and everyone she has ever known and loved—and then her, too. It’s up to Detective Superintendent Roy Grace to stop him before it’s too late…

My review:

Want You Dead is the tenth book in author Peter James’ Roy Grace Series and admittedly the first of Mr. James’ work that I have read. While this is the tenth book in the series, I didn’t feel lost in any way as this book follows one case in particular, and I believe the series is written in a way that you can pick up any of the books and enjoy it as a standalone novel. This particular story was done really well and I enjoyed the characters as well as the plot, even though it was a bit twisted and dark.

Bachelorette Red Cameron was still getting over her last breakup, but not for the reasons one would think. She dated Bryce Laurent for almost a year and in that year he had gone from a charming and wealthy man to a complete nightmare. She had to go to great lengths to get him out of her life, including moving and getting the authorities involved. He was completely controlling and unbalanced…to the point she was petrified. Finally, she thinks she is done with him for good. She couldn’t be more wrong. When she finally decides to date again, and meets a wonderful widower, she is thrilled to be starting this new chapter in her life. That elation is short lived when her new love interest is brutally murdered. Red is devastated and has a sneaking suspicion that her unbalanced ex may have something to do with it. Could he still be holding her in his psychotic grasp?

What I liked most about this book was that the reader, from the very beginning, knew who was responsible for the murder. We got to see it all play out knowing that one crucially important piece of information and I thought it was done really well. Watching Detective Grace and Red try to put the pieces together was an interesting point of view for the reader and one I really enjoyed. This book was a bit dark and not for the faint of heart, but if you love a good drama, and a villain you just love to hate, and can’t wait for him to be brought to justice, this is a book for you. Now there are more than a few things I can’t give away so while this review may be short, you know I don’t do spoilers.

As I stated earlier, this is the first book of author James’ that I have read and I can say that I will be looking into more of his work. Thank you Mr. James, for a terrific read!

“…With over 14 million book sales, there’s no arguing with James’ lethal talent but even by his stellar standards this terrifying, excruciatingly tense tale of twisted obsession is outstanding.”
—The Daily Record

“James continues to impress with his great imagination, conjuring up grisly murders and improbable crime scenes.”
— RT Book Reviews

About the author:

An established film producer and scriptwriter, James (@peterjamesuk) lived in the U.S. for a number of years and produced films, including The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, and Joseph Fiennes. A TV adaptation of the Roy Grace series is currently in development, with James overseeing all aspects, including scriptwriting, In 2009, James was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Brighton in recognition of his services to literature and the community. He is Patron of Crimestoppers in Sussex alongside Vera Lynn and in 2012 was made Patron of The Whitehawk Inn. In 2011, James became Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association. He has won many literary awards, including the publicly voted ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards People’s Bestseller Dagger in 2011 and was shortlisted for the Wellcome Trust Book Prize for Perfect People in 2012.
James’ novels have been translated into thirty-six languages and three have been turned into films. All of his novels reflect a deep interest in the world of the police, with whom he does in-depth research and has unprecedented access, as well as science, medicine, and the paranormal. James divides his time between his homes in Notting Hill in London and near Brighton in Sussex.

Visit Peter James’ Website
Vist Peter James on Facebook
Visit Peter James on Twitter

Other novels in the Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series
DEAD SIMPLE * LOOKING GOOD DEAD * NOT DEAD ENOUGH * DEAD MAN’S FOOTSTEPS * DEAD TOMORROW * DEAD LIKE YOU * DEAD MAN’S GRIP * NOT DEAD YET * DEAD MAN’S TIME * WANT YOU DEAD
Also by Peter James
DEAD LETTER DROP * ATOM BOMB ANGEL * BILLIONAIRE * POSSESSION DREAMER * SWEET HEART * TWILIGHT * PROPHECY * ALCHEMIST HOST * THE TRUTH * DENIAL FAITH * PERFECT PEOPLE

The Reluctant Elf by Michele Gorman….Review

Synopsis:

Meet Britain’s Worst Innkeeper

Single mother and extremely undomestic goddess, Lottie, has five days to become the ultimate B&B hostess to save her beloved Aunt Kate’s livelihood.

When Aunt Kate ends up in the hospital, Lottie and her seven-year-old daughter are called to rural Wales to stand in at the B&B. Without the faintest idea how to run a hotel (she can barely run her own life), Lottie must impress the picky hotel reviewer and his dysfunctional family who are coming to stay over Christmas. Without the rating only he can bestow, Aunt Kate will lose her livelihood.

But will Danny, the local taxi driver who she hires to help her, really be Santa’s little helper, or the Grinch who stole Christmas?

My review:

The Reluctant Elf is the first work of author Michele Gorman’s that I’ve read and totally put me into the holiday spirit. Filled with more than a few chuckles, plenty of mishaps, and even a bit of romance, this novella was the perfect afternoon read.

Game software designer and single mother, Lottie, was gearing up for the holiday season when she got a phone call that would change all of her plans of how she and her daughter were going to celebrate the holiday season. Her aunt had ben in a car accident and needed her help. Not only with recuperating, but with running the bed and breakfast that was booked with very important guests for the holiday. No problem, right? Lottie would just pack up her daughter, and head to help. Easy. Until she sets her eyes upon the bed and breakfast which was in quite a state of disrepair and soon realizes she was in a heap of trouble. Luckily for her, she’s managed to wrangle the help of her unsuspecting cab driver when he drops her and her daughter off at the B&B and with a bit of imagination and determination, maybe she could pull it off and survive the weekend…

In a word, this story was adorable! Poor Lottie is stuck in a run down B&B, hosting some obnoxious and rude guests, praying she can just convince them that this was a B&B worth writing a beaming review for. But with hijinks at every turn, and things going wrong more often than they went right, Lottie sure has her hands full. Her daughter is a bright spot in all of the craziness and helps remind her what’s important and that if you put your mind to it, anything is possible. Lottie also has some great help from Danny and soon realizes how lucky she was to find him. Together, they really make things work and have a few laughs along the way. They also find an attraction starting to blossom between them and it was great to see. I really enjoyed every aspect of this story and felt as though I was reading a holiday version of the Money Pit…it was fantastic!

Michelle’s voice is witty and charming and I will certainly be looking forward to reading more of her work!

Four Loves

Book links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the author:

I write romantic comedy, including SINGLE IN THE CITY (the first in The Expat Diaries series) and BELLA SUMMER TAKES A CHANCE. Born and raised in the US, I lost my heart to London 16 years ago, where I’ve lived ever since. I’ve also turned my hand to upmarket commercial fiction under the pen name Jamie Scott.

I spend way too much time on twitter and facebook when I should be writing, so please come say hello there. I’m @expatdiaries on twitter, and we can connect on Facebook.

website

My Sister’s Grave by Robert Dugoni…ARC Review

My Sister’s Grave releases today

Book links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

Tracy Crosswhite has spent twenty years questioning the facts surrounding her sister Sarah’s disappearance and the murder trial that followed. She doesn’t believe that Edmund House—a convicted rapist and the man condemned for Sarah’s murder—is the guilty party. Motivated by the opportunity to obtain real justice, Tracy became a homicide detective with the Seattle PD and dedicated her life to tracking down killers.

When Sarah’s remains are finally discovered near their hometown in the northern Cascade mountains of Washington State, Tracy is determined to get the answers she’s been seeking. As she searches for the real killer, she unearths dark, long-kept secrets that will forever change her relationship to her past—and open the door to deadly danger.

My review:

My Sister’s Grave is the first work of author Robert Dugoni that I have read and I will say, I have found another author to put on my go-to list. This story pulled me in from the very beginning and didn’t let go until the last page.

Seattle PD homicide detective Tracey Crosswhite has been struggling with the disappearance of her younger sister since she last saw her, almost twenty years earlier. There had been an arrest but the nagging feeling that something just wasn’t quite right never left Tracey. She has dedicated her life to solving murders and her sister’s murder, she was certain, would be one of them. When she gets news that they recovered her sister’s remains, she knows she is so close to figuring out what really happened to her sister all those years ago. Tracey never suspected that she would uncover lies and deceit from the townspeople she grew up trusting. She also never suspected who she would find ultimately responsible for the crime that took her sister from her and ruined her family.

Wow. Just wow. This book was completely engrossing and I loved every aspect of the story. Tracey Crosswhite is beyond determined to solve that mystery that has haunted her for too many years to count. She is a smart woman and wants to look at every angle of things but she’s certain that the wrong man is behind bars. She ends up getting help from a childhood friend, and lawyer, and together they set off on one hell of a ride to reach the truth. They also find an attraction between themselves that builds into a great relationship. The story was fast-paced, easy to follow, and packed with suspense. I had no idea who to believe was responsible for Tracey’s sister’s disappearance. I couldn’t decide whom to trust and I went back and forth with my choice of the guilty party. Now, I won’t give anything away but I will say that the ending totally surprised me and I was a nervous wreck for more than a few pages. I loved it!

With well-written characters and a suspenseful mystery, My Sister’s Grave was a white knuckled ride that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Thank you, Mr. Dugoni, for a fantastic read!

Four Loves

About the author:

A writer turned lawyer turned writer. Robert Dugoni was born in Idaho and raised in Northern California the middle child of a family of ten siblings. Dugoni jokes that he didn’t get much of a chance to talk, so he wrote. By the seventh grade he knew he wanted to be a writer.

…read more here

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The Heart Does Not Grow Back by Fred Venturini…Review

Book links:

Amazon | B&N

Synopsis:

EVERY SUPERHERO NEEDS TO START SOMEWHERE…

Dale Sampson is used to being a nonperson at his small-town Midwestern high school, picking up the scraps of his charismatic lothario of a best friend, Mack. He comforts himself with the certainty that his stellar academic record and brains will bring him the adulation that has evaded him in high school. But when an unthinkable catastrophe tears away the one girl he ever had a chance with, his life takes a bizarre turn as he discovers an inexplicable power: He can regenerate his organs and limbs.

When a chance encounter brings him face to face with a girl from his past, he decides that he must use his gift to save her from a violent husband and dismal future. His quest takes him to the glitz and greed of Hollywood, and into the crosshairs of shadowy forces bent on using and abusing his gift. Can Dale use his power to redeem himself and those he loves, or will the one thing that finally makes him special be his demise? The Heart Does Not Grow Back is a darkly comic, starkly original take on the superhero tale, introducing an exceptional new literary voice in Fred Venturini.

My Review:

The Heart Does Not Grow Back is the first novel from author Fred Venturini and is a thought provoking debut with interesting characters and an original plot. Although outside of what I normally read, I really enjoyed it!

We follow Dale Sampson and his best friend from sixth grade, when they first really meet and become friends, all the way through adulthood. In those years they deal with the ups and downs associated with growing up. First crushes, the obnoxious bully, getting into fights, social awkwardness…but that’s where the similarities with what most of us experience, to what he experiences, ends.

There is a terrible tragedy when the obnoxious bully does something I never saw coming, and it was shocking. It was that life event that turned Dale’s life upside-down and when he finds out he can regenerate limbs. It should be a blessing, one would think….but it begs the question: what do you do if you’re pretty much immortal? How do you handle that responsibility?

It takes Dale to a very dark place and he remains there for quite some time until almost the very end, when he makes a life changing decision. It was a thing of dark beauty to watch Dale grow from his life experiences and I loved that aspect. Reading the road he travels, where his unnatural ability takes him, who he ends up helping, all added up to a fantastic story where making sacrifices went from a quest for fame to a journey of self discovery.

There were dark moments and moments of hope. Sad moments and moments of joy. The Heart Does Not Grow back was written thoughtfully and with a fresh voice. If you’re in the mood for a story out of your norm, this is definitely a book to go to!

“To age is to embrace a slow hurt inside and out, to collect scars like rings on a tree, dark and withered and sometimes only visible if someone cuts deep enough. Scars keep the past close enough to touch, but healing is forgetting. Healing invites another cut. Healing is the tide that smoothes away our line in the sand. For life to begin, the damage must be permanent.”

Four Loves

About the author:

Fred Venturini grew up in Patoka, Illinois. The Heart Does Not Grow Back is his first novel. His short fiction has been published in the Booked Anthology, Noir at the Bar 2, and Surreal South ’13. In 2014, his story “Gasoline” will be featured in Chuck Palahniuk’s Burnt Tongues collection. He lives in Southern Illinois with his wife and daughter.

Hollywood on Tap by Avery Flynn…ARC Review

Hollywood On Tap releases today!

Book links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

For years, Sean O’Dell has hidden his past as a Hollywood heartthrob from everyone at the Sweet Salvation Brewery. However, the arrival of nosey efficiency expert Natalie Sweet threatens the status quo. It doesn’t help that with her glasses, buttoned-up sweaters and always pulled-back hair that she’s uncovered one secret already: His attraction for hot librarian types.

Natalie has had enough of the strong-and-silent Sean submarining her efforts to change the brewery for the better. She’s ready to do whatever it takes to make her vision a reality, even if that means taking down the pig-headed and too-hot-for-his-own-good brewmaster.

Sizzling attraction battles stubborn determination as Natalie and Sean go head to head in a battle that’s anything but business as usual.

My Review:

Hollywood On Tap is the second book in author Avery Flynn’s Sweet Salvation Brewery Series and after loving the first in the series, I was thrilled to get an early peek at this installment. Well, Avery has done it again. This book was packed with heat, emotion, and suspense and I was hooked from start to finish!

Since her and her triplet sister had inherited her family’s brewery, things for efficiency expert Natalie have been pretty busy. Not only is she trying to figure out the best way to get the business up and running in a more successful manner, but she’s trying to deal with the moody and broody brewmaster, Sean. Dealing with him was the far more daunting task, if you asked her. Sure, he did a great job, but his sexy and silent persona was chipping away at her patience. Before she has time to even contemplate what that could mean, things start going haywire at the brewery and people’s safety is at stake. Can she get to the bottom of the hijinks before someone got hurt all the while she ignores the growing attraction to Sean? God, she really hoped so…

Brewmaster Sean O’Dell had been hidden away from the prying eyes of his former Hollywood life for years now, and he’s never been happier. He loved this brewery. Loved the people. Loved his new life. What he didn’t love was Natalie Sweet getting all up in his business with her flowcharts and suggestions on how to do his job better. He hated the sexy buttoned up way she held herself even more…it was driving him insane with lust and that was the last complication her needs. Deep down he knows, it’s only a matter of time before he makes a move on her. First things first, though. He has to figure out who is trying to sabotage the success of the brewery he’s grown to love.

The attraction between Natalie and Sean is getting hotter and hotter with each passing shared moment and they both realize they won’t be able to deny it for much longer. Will they be able to overcome Sean’s past and whoever has it out for the Sweet family brewery and make things work between them?

What a great book! Avery has a great talent for packing in a lot of suspense and heat into her stories, and along with two fabulous main characters, this book rocked. Sean is quiet and mysterious with an undeniable sex appeal. He was quite the sexy surprise when he takes control of the attraction he feels toward Natalie and acts on it. The poor gal didn’t stand a chance. He is totally delicious. Natalie is all prim and proper on the outside but a bundle of emotion on the inside. She is a complex character and I really enjoyed reading her. Together, they are smoking hot! The chemistry is off the charts and beyond sexy. Adding to the heat was the element of suspense that was also done really well. From the very first incident in the brewery, we are kept guessing as to who could be responsible until the very end. I love that in a book.

Overall, this story is the whole package! I can’t wait to see what Avery has in store next for the Sweet Salvation Brewery family. Thank you, Avery, for a smoking hot and suspenseful read!

Four Loves

Connect with Avery:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Blamed by Edie Harris…ARC Review

Blamed releases today!

Book links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

Born into a long line of spies, sanctioned killers and covert weapons developers, Beth Faraday carried out her first hit-for-hire when she was still a teenager.

That part of her life—the American spy royalty part—ended one year ago, with a job gone wrong in Afghanistan. The collateral damage she caused with a single shot was unfathomable and, for Beth, unforgivable. She’s worked hard to build a new life for herself, far away from the family business.

But someone, somewhere, hasn’t forgotten what Beth did in Kabul. And they want revenge.

As the Faraday clan bands together to defend Beth and protect their legacy, Beth is forced to flee her new home with the unlikeliest of allies—MI6 agent Raleigh Vick, the only man she’s ever loved. And the one she thought she’d killed in the desert.

My Review:

Blamed is the first book in author Edie Harris’ Blood Money Series, and the first of her work that I have read. It was fantastic. With action and suspense at every turn, I was kept on the edge of my seat from the very beginning to the end.

Ok, I don’t want to ruin any aspect of this story, and there are a whole lot of things revealed along the way, so bear with me…

Beth Faraday has recently retired from her life as a sniper and from her family’s business. She couldn’t get over her last mission and the lives that were lost that day. Specifically the man she had been meeting throughout the years during her cross-continent missions and the man she had fallen in love with years earlier. He was a spy and had always been around wherever she had traveled to and over the years they had many rendezvous. She lived for those moments and now because of one missed minute, he was gone. Or so she thought. She was shocked to find out that not only was he alive, but he was here, in her city. He was also there with a warning: her life was in danger. Someone had put a hit out on her and he was supposed to be the one to carry it out. Only he could never have gone through with it and now he was going to use the knowledge he had of the hit to keep her safe. Of course, in the world of spies, snipers, and duplicity at every turn, that would be easier said than done.

Along the way, Beth’s trust in the people she hold closest is put to the test and it proves to almost costs her her life.

Talk about a thrill ride! From start to finish, this story was written with twists and turns that were well thought out and made the reader question every character, right alongside Beth. I was so worried for her and was leery as to whom she should trust to keep her safe. I wanted her lover to be that person, but I kept wondering if he could really be dependable. Beth is a wonderfully strong character you couldn’t help but love from the very start. She had been born into a life of controlled violence and international covert missions, never knowing anything different, but wanting more than just death and destruction. She was a smart gal with a loyalty to her family I loved. Speaking of which, the other characters in this story, specifically her brothers, were equally as amazing. Well developed characters with multi-faceted personalities that were great to read. The whole package!

Again, I don’t want to give too much away, so I will just say that if you love suspense and action sprinkled with some heat, this is a book for you! Thank you, Edie, for a fantastic read!

Four Loves

About the author:

Edie Harris studied English and Creative Writing at the University of Iowa and Grinnell College. She fills her days with writing and editing contract proposals, but her nights belong to the world of romance fiction. Edie lives and works in Chicago and is represented by Laura Bradford of Bradford Literary Agency.

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Love Me To Death by Marissa Clarke….ARC Review

Love Me To Death releases today!

Book links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Synopsis:

Medical research scientist Elena Arcos has always lived her life under the radar, which is not easy to do when you live with the craziest woman in the world. But eccentric Aunt Uza is a picnic compared to the other people who enter her orderly life after she is shot in a convenience store robbery.

Elena finds herself rocketed from comfortable predictability to supernatural insanity courtesy of her own private angel of death who happens to have the sexiest accent on earth and a body to match. Her death angel is convinced she’s some kind of freaky half vampire thing and that her deceased dad was the real deal: a blood sucking monster.

Yeah, right. She’ll play along, but then she doesn’t have much choice seeing how as the guy claims to be some immortal law enforcer and has taken her prisoner.

* * *

Nikolai Itzov had expected to fight the urge to torture the progeny of his father’s murderer, but he’d never anticipated battling the urge to kiss her her.

As a Slayer, an elite law enforcer descended from Azrael himself, his charge from the Underveil General is clear: Kill her or die. He has been told she is one of them–an Undead. Nothing but a parasite to be destroyed. But he has been told wrong.

Nikolai and Elena find themselves in a life and death battle to stop a plot designed to lift the Underveil and enslave humans.

With her analytical mind and his centuries of training and experience, they might be able to foil the plot with their lives and maybe their hearts intact. But in order to succeed, he must help her become the very thing he hates the most: an Undead.

My review:

Love Me To Death is the first book in author Marissa Clarke’s Underveil series and kicks it off with a pulse-pounding start!

Elena Arcos only wanted to get a candy bar. That’s it. Now, she finds herself in the midst of a world she never in a million years thought existed. A world with vampires, time-benders, future-seers, and more supernatural species than she ever had heard of…even in fairy tales. But before she can wrap her head around it all, she is on a mission to save the exact world she just learned existed. As if that wasn’t enough, she had to do it with Nikolai. The ridiculously sexy and extremely infuriating slayer she was now stuck with. Even if she tried to get away from him, she couldn’t. He was her only ally in this scary world. He was also the main object of her affections…thanks to more than a few circumstances. Could Elena really be the solution to the underveil’s unrest? Could she stop the war between species before it began? She really hoped so.

Love Me to Death is a great new world and had me pulled in from the very first chapter. I loved all of the paranormal aspects to this story and author Clarke’s spin on things. The characters were unique and enjoyable to read and the reason behind the unrest in the underveil was also a nice, new, outlook in the paranormal genre. Nikolai and Elena were really great together and the push and pull between them, all while having to deal with the constant threat of harm, was done really well. Their chemistry was smoking hot as well. Nikolai sure knows how to turn on the charm when he needs to and poor Elena doesn’t stand a chance. Luckily fate wouldn’t have it any other way. Adding another great layer to this story was the mission Elena and Nikolai were on and the twists and turns it leads them on. Acts of betrayal, murder, and duplicity add that extra spice to this book. We are also introduced to a cast of characters that I hope to see more of in the series.

Overall, this is an exciting new addition to the paranormal world and one I will be looking forward to continuing with. Thank you, Marissa, for an action, and heat, packed read!

Four Loves

About the author:

Marissa Clarke lives in Texas, where the everything is bigger, especially the mosquitoes.

When not writing, she wrangles her rowdy pack of three teens, husband, and a Cairn Terrier named Annabel, who rules the house (and Marissa’s heart) with an iron paw.

Also writes YA for Penguin USA as Mary Lindsey

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Wild Nights With A Lone Wolf by Elisabeth Staab…ARC review

Wild Nights With A Lone Wolf is part of the Seductive Supernaturals Box Set and releases tomorrow!

WILD NIGHTS WITH A LONE WOLF by Elisabeth Staab

Synopsis:

A mandatory vacation lands Agent Sherri Walker in bed with a local werewolf. Asher Hughes walked away from his outlaw pack but couldn’t ditch the bad blood. Together they’ll have to pull off one hell of an act to get out of treacherous territory alive.

My Review:

Agent Sherri Walker is ready to enjoy her vacation. Relax, unwind, and finally shake off the breakup of her engagement. She was ready to act a little outside of her comfort zone and throw some caution to the wind and live. It was that decision that had her inviting a sexy werewolf back to her room for a hot and sexy night of no strings sex. Imagine her surprise when it ended up being anything but…

I love Elisabeth Staab’s paranormal writing. She has one of my fave vampire series and now gave me one of my fave werewolves. This was a fast paced, sexy, steamy, and action packed read. I loved Sherri and Asher. Sherri is a strong woman and is taking her life back. Calling her shots and owning it like a champ. I was so happy she decided to give into her desire for Ash. Ash is sexy and oh, so male. He is take-charge and bad assed but with a softer side that I loved getting to see. Another aspect I loved was that the wolves were out to the humans. It made the story that much more enjoyable and seeing the weres and humans having to work together to end some human and drug trafficking was awesome.

On top of all the smoking hot scenes, there was pack betrayal, kidnaping, murder, and some serious crime that gave a lot of layers to this novella and I loved every second of it. I’m hoping we get to see more from this pack and these amazing characters!

Thank you, Elisabeth, for another fantastic read!

Four Loves

About the boxed set:

Bad boys, tortured alpha heroes, and kick-ass heroines all come together in 12 steamy full-length paranormal romance novels and novellas from NY Times, USA Today, and national bestselling authors! Whether you’re looking for tantalizing dark tales or the humorous side of the supernatural, you’ll get werewolves, vampires, fallen angels, monster hunters, and ghosts—every one of them a hot temptation you won’t be able to resist…

Book links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1pmeL9A

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/Xy9hBO

iBooks: http://bit.ly/1p4Q81O

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1uMBeTy

Facebook Page: http://on.fb.me/1pmgn30

About the author:

Elisabeth Staab digs coffee, saucy stories, and sexy things that go bump in the night. Once, she ate dinner in a jail and liked it. She lives in the Washington DC area with her incredible family and does her best to juggle life while ignoring the laundry.

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Delicate Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan…ARC Review

Delicate Ink releases tomorrow, 10/14

Synopsis:

On the wrong side of thirty, Austin Montgomery is ready to settle down. Unfortunately, his inked sleeves and scruffy beard isn’t the suave business appearance some women crave. Only finding a woman who can deal with his job, as a tattoo artist and owner of Montgomery Ink, his seven meddling siblings, and his own gruff attitude won’t be easy.

Finding a man is the last thing on Sierra Elder’s mind. A recent transplant to Denver, her focus is on opening her own boutique. Wanting to cover up scars that run deeper than her flesh, she finds in Austin a man that truly gets to her—in more ways than one.

Although wary, they embark on a slow, tempestuous burn of a relationship. When blasts from both their pasts intrude on their present, however, it will take more than a promise of what could be to keep them together.

My review:

Delicate Ink is the first full length book in author Carrie Ann Ryan’s Montgomery Ink Series and follows the novella prequel, Ink Inspired. While I didn’t read the prequel, I didn’t feel lost while reading Delicate Ink and was kept on my toes from page to page with this book. It is quite a kick off!

Tattoo artist and shop owner Austin Montgomery has started to realize that maybe it was time to kick his bachelor days to the curb. Think about settling down. That soon takes a back seat when a family situation arises that could change everything he’s ever known. With so much on his plate he certainly never expected to find what he was looking for in the new shop owner across the street from his tattoo parlor. Could this woman be the one to capture his heart while being the calm in his storm?

Sierra Elder certainly wasn’t looking for a relationship when she moved to Denver. In fact it was the farthest thing from her mind. Her focus was on rebuilding her life in a new town and perusing her dream by opening the shop she’s always wanted. But if anyone should know fate has a way of sneaking up on you, it should be Sierra. When she went into the tattoo shop for a consultation on some ink, she never expected to meet a man that would occupy her mind and her heart.

It seems as though Sierra and Austin found one another at a time when they needed each other most. Already facing problems when they meet, they are confronted with with more trouble and heartache along they way and will come to find solace in each other…maybe even for the long haul.

I said it earlier, and I’ll say it again that this is one hell of a series start. I was so worried for poor Sierra and Austin throughout the entire book and was puling for them from the start. I wanted them to find some peace from life’s craziness in each other…and luckily Carrie Ann gave that to them, and the reader! I don’t want to ruin anything or give anything away so you’ll just have to grab a copy and hang on for a wild ride!

Carrie Ann not only does a fabulous job with giving our main characters, Austin and Sierra, a whole lot to overcome, but she introduced the entire family and set up a great series. I will certainly be looking forward to the rest of the series!

Thank you, Carrie Ann, for a fantastic read!

Four Loves

Book links:

Amazon | B&N | Are | Kobo | iBooks

About the author:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan never thought she’d be a writer. Not really. No, she loved math and science and even went on to graduate school in chemistry. Yes, she read as a kid and devoured teen fiction and Harry Potter, but it wasn’t until someone handed her a romance book in her late teens that she realized that there was something out there just for her. When another author suggested she use the voices in her head for good and not evil, The Redwood Pack and all her other stories were born.

Carrie Ann is a bestselling author of over twenty novels and novellas and has so much more on her mind (and on her spreadsheets *grins*) that she isn’t planning on giving up her dream anytime soon

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Ryder by Nick Pengelley…Blog tour stop & review

Synopsis:

Ayesha Ryder bears the scars of strife in the Middle East. Now her past is catching up to her as she races to unravel a mystery that spans centuries—and threatens to change the course of history.

As Israeli and Palestinian leaders prepare to make a joint announcement at the Tower of London, an influential scholar is tortured and murdered in his well-appointed home in St. John’s Wood. Academic researcher Ayesha Ryder believes the killing is no coincidence. Sir Evelyn Montagu had unearthed shocking revelations about T. E. Lawrence—the famed Lawrence of Arabia. Could Montagu have been targeted because of his discoveries?

Ryder’s search for answers takes her back to her old life in the Middle East and into a lion’s den of killers and traitors. As she draws the attention of agents from both sides of the conflict, including detectives from Scotland Yard and MI5, Ryder stumbles deeper into Lawrence’s secrets, an astounding case of royal blackmail, even the search for the Bible’s lost Ark of the Covenant.

Every step of the way, the endgame grows more terrifying. But when an attack rocks London, the real players show their hand—and Ayesha Ryder is left holding the final piece of the puzzle.

My Review:

Ryder is the debut work from author Nick Pengelley and was a wild ride from start to finish filled with history, mystery, riddles, murder, and intrigue.

Academic researcher Ayesha Ryder finds herself in the middle of an intense search for truths surrounding a mystery her recently murdered colleague, and former lover, had apparently stumbled upon. Mystery involving the potential of political secrets that have been kept hidden for decades and secrets that someone is desperately trying to keep hidden. It’s this quest for truth that will lead Ryder on one hell of a dangerous treasure hunt with the treasure in sight being an incredible and most important one that could potentially change the face of history for a dueling Palestine and Israel. Will she find this long-buried secret or will she die in her attempt?

While this isn’t my typical go-to genre, there was something about this story that called to me and I was really glad I picked it up. Yes, there is a lot of history and political aspects to this story but beyond that there was a ton of action that had me hooked from chapter to chapter. Ryder has an Angelina Jolie-esque quality about her, with a heart breaking past and a hardened resolve to never again live through the pain she once did. She is strong, both mentally and physically, and she was an amazing character to read. Along with Ryder there were a couple of characters that really stood out and brought a much-appreciated softer layer to this intense story. One such character being a wonderful woman in her later years who has one hell of an interesting past and drinks martinis at all hours of the day. My kind of gal!

Along with the great cast of characters was the feeling that we, the reader, were along on an Indian Jones type adventure. Trying to figure out riddles from the past, only to find another riddle waiting when that one was solved. It had me anxious and hyped while reading and a drive to continue reading non-stop and once and for all solve this puzzle. It was truly exciting!

I will undoubtedly be looking forward to the next installments in this series and cannot wait to see what author Pengelley has in store for Ryder. Thank you, Mr. Pengelley, for a literary roller coaster ride I truly appreciated!

Four Loves

Book links:

Amazon | B&N

About the author:

Nick Pengelley cites many influences on his writing. Readers of “Ryder” will not be surprised that authors like H. Rider Haggard, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, John Buchan and Peter O’Donnell figure prominently. He is a fan of the ripping yarns of the inter-war years – by writers such as Sapper, Dornford Yates, Edgar Wallace and Leslie Charteris. His more modern favourites include Umberto Eco (particularly “The Name of the Rose”), Alan Furst, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman and Elizabeth Kostova (“The Historian”). Nicholas reads a “book or so” a week (and is horrified to think that, if he lives to be 200, he may only get to read 10,000). These days, although he still reads fiction, he is mainly interested in modern European and Middle Eastern history, and biography, having discovered some years ago that truth really is stranger than fiction. He lists his heroes, literary adventurers all, as Winston Churchill, T.E. Lawrence, Gertrude Bell and Teddy Roosevelt.

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Review…Caught in the Act by Sara Jane Stone

Synopsis:

Falling for his rivals’ little sister could cost him everything…

For Liam Trulane, failure is not an option. He is determined to win a place in Katie Summers’ life before she leaves Independence Falls for good. But first, he needs to make amends for the last time they got down and dirty.

Only problem?

His professional success hinges on striking a deal to buy Katie’s family business. And after Liam’s relationship with their Katie went south years ago, the Summers brothers are more enemy than friend. If both parties agree to set the past aside, they can reach an understanding. But when Katie welcomes him back into her bed, Liam risks everything to make her.

After Liam betrayed her trust, Katie Summers will do anything to keep him from walking away with the family business. She decides to seduce him, knowing that when her brothers find out, they will back off from the deal. And she’ll finally have her revenge. But when her plan spirals out of control, Katie learns that payback may come at too high a price.

My Review:

Caught in the Act is the second book in author Sara Jane Stone’s Independence Falls Series. I loved the first installment, Full Exposure, and was so excited to read Liam and Katie’s story…and oh my, it was all that I had hoped for!

The history between Katie Summers and Liam Trulane is a bit of a sore spot for both of them…although, as it turns out, not for the same reasons.

Liam is Katie’s best friend’s older brother and for one summer after high school graduation they shared a steamy, albeit secret, affair…meeting under the stars and exploring all of the emotions and touches young lovers share. But it all changed when her brothers found out and took the role of concerned siblings a bit too far. That’s when it all ended. That’s when Katie’s heart was broken and when she realized Liam obviously didn’t feel the way she did. In truth she couldn’t have been more wrong and the reasons he gave her up so easily had more to do with him not feeling worthy of her rather than anything else. She’s spent the last seven years trying to forget him…

Fast forward to today, seven years later, and to a chance of a business merger with Katie’s family’s trucking company and the logging company Liam now helps run. Certainly there was no way her brothers, who have hated Liam for seven years, would sell to Moore Timber….or would they? Things have been rough for all of them and this may be a great opportunity for her entire family. It could give her the chance to pursue her dreams of working at an animal sanctuary and leaving Independence Falls. What she’s always dreamed of.

But things get a bit more complicated than they already are when she and Liam start to rekindle the old flame that never truly died out and soon Katie realizes maybe she was wrong about all the reasons Liam broke things off with her seven years earlier. Could he still want her? Would she be giving up her dreams if she stayed in Independence Falls to be with him?

I think one of the things I loved most about Katie and Liam’s story was that they had a back story and their feelings were already there when I started reading. The chemistry was already hot and heavy and just got hotter as the story progressed. Beyond that, seeing a softer side of Liam, especially when it came to Katie, was fantastic. Sorting thorough all of the emotions from the past and clarifying the untrue assumptions brought another layer to Katie and Liam’s relationship that I really enjoyed. Both Katie and Liam are wonderfully developed characters and have multi-faceted personalities with a loyalty to their family and friends that I adore.

Adding to this story was the family business aspect, which is a huge part in both of their lives. My husband works in a 3^rd generation family owned business so I totally got the ties both Katie and Liam have to their careers.

Overall this is a great sophomore novel in author Stone’s series and is packed with plenty of heat and emotion with relationships that are strong and ties that run deep. I will continue to look forward to this series and cannot wait to see what’s in store for the Independence Falls crew!

Four Loves

About the author:

After several years on the other side of the publishing industry, Sara Jane Stone bid goodbye to her sales career to pursue her dream–writing romance novels. Sara Jane currently resides in Brooklyn, New York with her very supportive real-life hero, two lively young children and a lazy Burmese cat. Visit her online at www.sarajanestone.com or find her on Facebook or Twitter.