Friday, July 31, 2015

ARC Book review: Thrill Me (Fool's Gold #18) by Susan Mallery


Available now!
eARC provided by publisher through Netgalley

Meet the Mitchell brothers of Fool's Gold, California—five gorgeous men who've left a trail of broken hearts in their wake… 

Maya Farlow learned the hard way to depend only on herself, so when she fell too deeply for the bad-boy charms of Del Mitchell, she did the only thing she could—she ran. Stunned, Del left Fool's Gold to make his name and fortune in extreme sports. 

Now ten years later, Maya's been hired to promote her hometown's new slogan, The Destination for Romance. The celebrity spokesman is none other than Del, the man she dumped but never forgot. Awkward! 

Although Del's not the type to hold a grudge, he's determined to avoid falling a second time for the woman who broke his heart. He's a daredevil, not an idiot. Trouble is, in all his adventures, he never found a rush as exhilarating as Maya's kiss. Maybe risking his heart will prove to be the biggest thrill of all…


Susan Mallery introduces us to a new group of brothers in her newest Foold Gold series book. The Mitchell brothers are all gorgeous and successful and full of secrets. Del Mitchell is the oldest brother and ten years ago he thought he found the love of his life in Maya but she broke his heart and left town so he did too. Maya Farlow was introduced in the last book in this series and now we finally find out who she really is and her past in Fools Gold. Dropped in a new family with 2 step brothers as a teen she was scared of relationships and love but found with Del she could be herself. When things got series her past experience with her mother freaked her out enough she told Del he was too boring for her and fled. Now as luck ( or Mayor Marsha) would have it they are both back in town and thrown together to work on a town project.  Love these two together. They compliment each other and the chemistry is great! Secrets are a problem in the Mitchell family and Maya is forced to keep a secret from Del she knows will blow their rekindled relationship apart. Great introductions into of the entire Mitchell family with a few of their secrets revealed but something tells me there are more coming. Love how the author keeps this series alive and we still get to see some of the original characters popping in now and then. Can't wait to see what happens next!

Find out more about Susan Mallery and her Fools Gold series here...www.susanmallery.com

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

ARC Book review: Wicked Fall (The Wicked Horse #1) by Sawyer Bennett

Available July 28th 2015
eARC provided by publisher through Netgalley

Never in your wildest dreams could you begin to imagine all the filthy and depraved things that go on inside The Wicked Horse. Step inside and Woolf Jennings will make every one of your dirty fantasies come true.

He’s covered in a facade of deception. An enticing blend of multi-millionaire and hot-as-hell Wyoming rancher, those that think they know Woolf Jennings admire his abilities to preside as CEO of his family’s cattle and oil empire. But only a privileged few truly understand what fuels the glitter of depravity in those gorgeous blue eyes. Only a few know he’s opened up a sinfully erotic and private sex club named The Wicked Horse right at the base of the beautiful Teton Mountain range.

Sweet Callie Hayes has returned home to Wyoming and is looking forward to starting her life over again. After a night of impetuosity, she’s managed to put herself right in Woolf’s line of sight… the man who she foolishly offered up her virginity to years ago and was flatly turned down. 

Now Woolf is seeing that Callie is all grown up and has a kinky side to her that leaves him as confused as it does turned on. Worse yet, both Callie’s dirty desires and sweet heart are getting under his skin, and making Woolf question everything he’s ever believed about himself.


This is the first in a new series by Sawyer Bennett. Woolf Jennings and Callie Hayes have a history.  Woolf was best friend with her brother for years until his death. Then they lost touch except for now and then run ins. Callie offered Woolf her virginity but do to some guilt he turned her down. Heartbroken Callie tried to move on. Callie has had feelings for Woolf since first laying eyes on him as a kid.  Now she is back in town fresh off a break up with her boyfriend. After catching him in a kinky sex type position with another women she's done.  Woolf has a history of kinky sexcapades himself. He and his college room mate and best friend have opened up a night club with a secret sex club on the same property. When Callie turns up on the bar in a  wet t shirt contest Woolf sees red. Callie is done being the women that does what other people expect. She's decided to make a change and live a more full life. Woolf is going to help her with that whether he likes it or not. So begins a crazy whirlwind relationship between Callie and Woolf. Smoking hot sex scenes along with complicated feeling does not make a for a easy time. Woolf has to come to terms which what he really wants before he loses Callie for good. Loved the relationship between Bridger and Woolf. It's a rare thing when two people can be so close as the share everything and know each other better than they know themselves. I can't wait to see if we learn more about Bridger in the next installment. Callie has to be a tough women to put up with all the bullshit with the men in her life. Seems like they all hurt her over and over. I kept wondering how Callie and Woolf would find the balance in their lives. I love how it ended and look forward to book two. There is a peek at chapter one of the next book and the end and it's a little shocking and confusing until you get to the end so if you get there keep reading. Such a great balance of relationship and kink. A must read for fans of erotica and light BDSM.

Find out more about the series and Sawyer Bennett here www.sawyerbennett.com

Monday, July 27, 2015

ARC Book review: Fatal Pursuit (Aegis #3) by Elisabeth Naughton

Available July 28th
eARC Provided by publisher through Netgallley

Five years ago, Aegis Security op manager Marley Addison’s lover died in a South American raid gone horribly wrong…or so she thought. When she receives a phone call telling her that he is still very much alive and in danger, she vows to bring him home safely, even if Aegis CEO and former Navy SEAL Jake Ryder has kept her out of the field for the last few years. Then Jake shows up in Colombia to help her, leaving Marley annoyed…and more than a little distracted by her alarmingly handsome boss.

As things between Marley and Jake heat up in the wilderness, they discover their rescue mission is filled with treachery. Now the domineering Jake has to rely on Marley for survival. But can she depend on him when their mission takes a shocking and deadly turn?



I have not read the previous books in this series. I generally do not like coming into a series in the middle so to speak but romantic suspense is one of my favorite genre's. I really enjoyed this author's Eternal Guardians series so i wanted to try this one.  It drew me in fairly quickly and i read 70% of the book in one sitting. Marley is a very worldly women she's been all over with her father and his security firm growing up. Because of a incident 5 years earlier where the man she was dating was lost in a op over seas Marley left her father's company and later went to work for Aegis. Jake Ryder is the owner of that company and they clash all the time. Marley wants to be a field operative but Jake won't let her. She believes he doesn't think she is capable. Jake likes Marley more than he thinks he should so he does a lot of stupid things that hurt Marley. After leaving her out of important info changes on a op Marley decides she is finally done. Then she receives a phone call from the man she thought was dead, she drops everything to go help him. Jake panics a little when Marley tells him she is through and then more so when he finds out she's gone to Columbia.  He  decides to go after her. This is where it starts to get interesting but also a little weird. I thought something more would happen in Columbia. While they did get together I thought there would be more danger and something would happen once they found Marley's ex. I was expecting more. Back stateside though not much more happens in regards to the suspense part. It didn't really happen until the very end. I think this story was more about the relationship between Marley and Jake.  Overall i enjoyed Fatal pursuit and hope i can go back and read the first two books. Definitely would like to see more books in this series and enjoyed all the characters.

Find out more about this series and author Elisabeth Naughton here www.elisabethnaughton.com

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

ARC Book review: The Hitwoman's Act of Contrition (Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman, #10) by J.B. Lynn


Available July 25th  PRE-ORDER Now
eARC provided by author 

Imagine a high-strung, comfort loving hitwoman at a rustic spiritual retreat. 

Things are finally looking up for Maggie Lee. 

Her almost-lover Patrick is taking steps (albeit deadly ones) to insure they’ll have a future together, her niece Katie is about to be released from the hospital, her sister Marlene has stopped turning tricks and started tossing pizzas, and Maggie has a chance to land a new (legal) job. 

If only God would stop hounding her to apologize to her mother, Maggie would be pretty close to content with her life. 

When Maggie agrees to take out a new target, using a spiritual retreat as her cover story, she ends up with a spoon (long story), an odd, selectively mute roommate, and a chance to save a life. 

As Maggie struggles to balance all the important people in her life and deliver on the deadly contract, she begins to believe that God may be right about the act of contrition he’s demanded…but will she live long enough to do it?


If you have been following along with this series you know all about Maggie Lee and if you don't, well Maggie is a hitwoman. She didn't intend to be one it just kind of happened. It all started when she was in a car accident with her sister and her brother in law and her niece. She survived without a scratch. Her sister and Brother in law didn't make it and her niece Katie in a coma with brain trauma. Maggie finds herself the guardian of little Katie and to get her the best care she stumbles into this hitwoman gig. She has a real job too at a insurance company. Between book one and now a whole lot happens to keep Maggie Lee on her toes. Of course just when she thinks she might be getting a hold on her life again something else happens. In this book Maggie finds herself and a spiritual retreat. It's the last thing she want to do but to complete a hit she has taken on a pedofile and all around bad guy she has to bear with it.  Patrick her murder mentor/cop/ and maybe lover is there to add moral support and shows steps towards them being together for real someday. He's complicated. Of course her animal menagerie is there, Dee Dee the Doberman Pinscher, Piss the cat and God (short for Godzilla) the lizard. Did i mention Maggie can talk to all of them? Yup and they help out where they can. Sometimes they are Maggie's eyes and ears.  Armani her semi psychic friend is there to give her a little direction with her scrabble tiles. If you want to laugh experience a little mystery with it The Hitwoman's Act of Contrition will hit the spot.

Find out more here www.jblynn.com

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

ARC Book review: Hell or High Water (Deep Six #1) by Julie Ann Walker


Available Now!
eARC Provided by publisher through Netgalley

In a world on the brink...

Six men. One sunken Spanish galleon. Millions in gold and silver coins lying on the ocean floor. And a past that refuses to let the guys of Deep Six Salvage forget the Navy SEAL motto: the only easy day was yesterday...

There's more than one kind of treasure...

The nation's security has always been CIA agent Olivia Mortier's top priority. But a mission-gone-wrong has begun to make her wonder if there's more to life than risking hers.

And more than one secret at the bottom of the sea...

Only two things could make Leo Anderson abandon his hunt for the legendary lost ship, La Santa Christina, and return to the world of weapons and warfare he swore to leave behind: a capsule of enriched uranium, lost on the ocean floor, and a plea for assistance from the one woman he can't seem to forget...


Julie Ann Walker's new spin off series Deep Six starts out with the sexy Leo Anderson. We met all the guys on his newly formed salvage company in the last Black Ops Inc series book. Now it's their turn show us what they have got. Just when Leo and his former Navy Seal friends are getting ready to embark on their first salvage attempt CIA agent Olivia Mortier shows up with her own salvage job for them. They have the equipment and the military background just in case there is trouble and they are in the right place. Then there is that pesky thing that Olivia and Leo kind of had going back on a mission that ended in the death of one of their own. What's that all about? Leo wants to find out. No matter if they are civilians now their military training and integrity tells them they need to help out. Things are never easy though and it doesn't take it long for thing to go awry. A great introduction to the new series and even though Leo is the main hero in this story we get some interesting glances into the other guys as well. The guys show how tough they are still are and Olivia proves she can hang with the big boys even when inside she wants to hide. Can't wait to see what's in store for the Deep Six guys next!

Find out more about Julie Ann Walker and this series here www.julieannwalker.com

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

ARC Book review: Once and Again (Return to Briarwood #1) by Elisabeth Barrett



Available July 14th 2015
eARC provided by publisher through Netgalley

For readers of Shannon Stacey and Susan Mallery, the heartfelt new Briarwood series begins with a tale of forbidden love, broken promises, and second chances.

Growing up in Eastbridge, Connecticut, Carolyn Rivington was a young debutante who did whatever her parents asked. So when her father demanded that she break things off with the boy from the wrong side of the tracks or else, she did. Now Carolyn’s family is deep in debt. She’s no longer a member of the Briarwood Golf and Yacht Club, she’s an employee. And the tanned, tattooed, dangerously handsome stranger who saunters into her lobby isn’t just her new boss . . . he’s also her first love.

The last time he saw Carolyn, Jake Gaffney was in the back of a police cruiser, handcuffed and humiliated. But seeing her again stirs other memories: a blanket on the beach, the moon above their heads, and the most expensive bottle of wine he could afford. Now the tables have turned. As a real-estate magnate and Briarwood’s new owner, Jake doesn’t have to answer to anyone. But now that he’s back home, he’s finding it hard to live down his old reputation.

Before they can move forward, Jake and Carolyn must face their pasts. But it’ll take more than sizzling chemistry for them to heal old wounds and return to the love they once shared.


This is a brand new series from author Elisabeth Barrett. Carolyn Rivington grew up with privilege but also controlled by her parents. Even though she had feelings for a boy who worked at her parents country club she dutifully followed their orders by shunning him. Jake Gaffney was a young caddy when he fell for Carolyn but it was not in the cards for a relationship between them. Not only were they young, he was poor and she was rich. Everyone knows those two things don't mix right? Fast forward years later and things are reversed. Carolyn is struggling to pay off family debts and working at the same country club she was a member of all those years ago. Trying to sort that mess out has become a full time headache. She's sold almost everything she can and while she works her father and sibling have left her holding the bag. Jake on the other hand has gone to college and got into real estate and now is a millionaire who just bought Briarwood the country club he used to work at all those years ago. Things get interesting when he finds out Carolyn is there. I liked the idea of this story. Second chances lovers meeting again years later. I loved watching them work out their hurt feelings and getting back together. I enjoyed the secondary characters although i think they got more screen time then they probably should have. I am assuming that the author is setting things up for the next couple books in the series. While i can appreciate that i wonder if it would've been better for us to know less about them for now. It depends on what happens in the next book i guess and I am excited to see where that goes. I see a lot of potential for a great series. Fingers crossed Ms. Barrett can make it work.

Find out more about the author and this book here www.elisabethbarrett.com

Friday, July 10, 2015

ARC Book review: Ride Steady (Chaos #3) by Kristen Ashley


Available June 30th 2015
eARC Provided by publisher through Netgalley

The ride of her life . . . Once upon a time, Carissa Teodoro believed in happy endings. Money, marriage, motherhood: everything came easy---until she woke up to the ugly truth about her Prince Charming. Now a struggling, single mom and stranded by a flat tire, Carissa's pondering her mistakes when a vaguely familiar knight rides to her rescue on a ton of horsepower.

Climb on and hold tight . . . 
In high school, Carson Steele was a bad boy loner who put Carissa on a pedestal where she stayed far beyond his reach. Today, he's the hard-bodied biker known only as Joker, and from the way Carissa's acting, it's clear she's falling fast. While catching her is irresistible, knowing what to do with her is a different story. A good girl like Carissa is the least likely fit with the Chaos Motorcycle Club. Too bad holding back is so damned hard. Now, as Joker's secrets are revealed and an outside threat endangers the club, Joker must decide whether to ride steady with Carissa---or ride away forever.

Let me start out by saying i have only read one Kristen Ashley book but i have listened in audio to about 10 of them. I'm used to audio but since those tend to go about 12 hours run time i should've realized then that this is a whopper sized book. Over 600 pages makes for a lot of reading. That being said reading a Kristen Ashley book is a book reading marathon unless you have a huge block of time on your hands with nothing to do but read. If you do I'm jealous right now. Her characters are always fleshed out in great detail along with many of the secondary characters. There are often characters from other series included as well. There is absolutely no way to tell which direction the story is going to go which makes it exciting to discover things as they happen. Carson or "Joker" as he is known was a great kid with a crappy parent. He has a couple of neighbors and a teacher who try to look out for him but was mostly on his own. When he's an adult and doing well with the Chaos motorcycle club he goes back and looks them up. Part of this is because of Carissa and what she gives him. In actuality they give each other the things they were lacking in their lives. Carissa should've had a carefree childhood. She was always trying to be postitive but she lost her sister and mother growing up and then the man she married turned out to be a cheater and a dillhole. Then she ran into Joker on the side of the road when she got a flat tire and that was the beginning of good things for them both. If you have not not listen to any of her books in audio you should consider it. For me it brings the characters to life. The narration of everything i have listened to so far is excellent and i will more than likely get this book in audio as well.


Find out more about this series here www.kristenashley.net

Thursday, July 9, 2015

ARC Book review: The Perfect Bargain (How to Marry a Highlander #1) by Julia London



Available July 1st
eARC provided by publisher through Netgalley

American lass seeks brawny Scot...
As if being newly single isn’t brutal enough, Sloane Chatfield's friends are getting obnoxious about setting her up. When Sloane insists she's waiting for a certain sexy fictional Highlander to come along, her friends surprise her with a trip to Scotland to find her a new boyfriend. She’d rather have a root canal. But if she can find a Highland hunk to “break her heart” before her friends arrive…

In a remote Highland village, Galen Buchanan is struggling to keep the family pub afloat. Everything is falling apart, he’s running out of money, and now there's an opinionated American lass parked at his best table, driving him mad. But then Sloane asks Galen to be her pretend Highland boyfriend...and offers him enough money to save the pub. It’s only for a few days, he figures. What's the worst that could happen?



This is a debut book of Julia London writing as Jessa McAdams. Sloane Chatfield's life took a painful turn when her fiance dumped her out of the blue. He also said some mean and hurtful things to her about her character. Her friends insist on helping her past her heartbreak and move on to someone new. After setting her up with several duds and not letting up, Sloan decides to tell a fib. She tells her friends she is going to Scotland to find her own sexy highlander just like the guy from the show Outlander.  She takes off to Scotland to get away from her crazy friends and hatches a plan to find a local guy to pose as her new boyfriend. At first she is going to pretend to meet someone and break up but then her friends decide to join her her on her vacation early. That's when she is forced to enlist Galen Buchanan. Galen is a proprietor of a local slightly run down pub.  Desperate he accepts Sloan's offer of money to pretend he's her boyfriend while her friends are there. What could happen right? Apparently everything. I liked the idea of this story and i love my stories that have highlanders in them. That was a plus right away for me. The way Galen speaks is swoon worthy. He's got a funny personality and easy way about him most of the time. Even though it seems he can see right through Sloane he ignore's his own issues with relationship. Even though his heart is engaged he wants to back peddle really fast when Sloane falls for him. Coming to Scotland Sloane actually starts to find her real self and when she starts spending more and more time with Galen she starts to think she might have finally found the place she belongs. I loved the interaction between these two characters they just seem to click for me. Sloane's friends left a little to be desired but since they aren't the main attraction in the book i didn't let it bother me to much. Excited to see where the author goes with this series next.


Find out more about Julia London here www.julialondon.com

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

ARC Book review: A WOOF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING (Matchmaker series #4) by J.B. Lynn


Available now!
eARC provided by author

While investigating the disappearance of a psychic matchmaker, Detective Brian Griswald meets dog trainer Stephanie Browne, a beautiful woman who can be just as prickly as the rescue mutts she works with. 

Like her dogs, Stephanie’s not quick to trust, which is why she rejects the charming detective when he tries to pursue a relationship with her, but when Brian is dragged into a case involving Stephanie’s beloved dogs, the two must work together to find the truth. 

Solving the mystery proves challenging for both of them and dangerous for Stephanie. Can Brian and a canine cavalry save her before it’s too late? 

A Woof is Sheep's Clothing is part of a spinoff series from JB Lynn's Hitwoman series. You don't necessarily have to read that series to read this book but it does add to the enjoyment if you have. Several Character's from the Hitwoman series show up in these books. Det. Brian Griswald is trying to find Armani  Vasquez. It  seems she might possibly be missing. Armani is the physic that tries to also match people up romantically. She's a little out there but Brian still likes her even if he doesn't believe her. Stephanie Browne is a dog trainer who volunteers at a dog shelter as well. They meet when Brian stops by where she works to inquire about Armani since it was possibly the last place she was seen. Although the two butt heads at first there is something about Stephanie that keeps Brian trying to crack that tough outer shell around Stephanie. When Armani is found safe and sound and still cryptic. Brian finds another mystery to solve where Stephanie works when one of  Stephanie's dogs gets accused of biting someone and Stephanie finds herself in harms way.  JB Lynn gives us another quick, fun and exciting read. If you like to sit and be able to read an entire book in one sitting this book fits the bill. It leaves you with a smile on your face too and hoping for more.


Find out more about JB Lynn and this book as well as her other work here. www.jblynn.com

Thursday, July 2, 2015

ARC Book review: Heat Exchange (Boston Fire #1) by Shannon Stacey



Available now! 
eARC Provided by publisher through Netgalley

Lydia Kincaid's shipping back to Boston, but she's not happy about it. She left to get away from the firefighting community—her father was a firefighter, her brother's a firefighter and, more important, her ex is a firefighter. But family is number one, and her father needs her help running the pub he bought when he retired. Soon, Lydia finds it hard to resist the familiar comfort and routine, and even harder to resist her brother's handsome friend Aidan. 

Aidan Hunt is a firefighter because of the Kincaid family. He's had the hots for Lydia for years, but if ever a woman was off-limits to him, it's her. Aside from being his mentor's daughter, she's his best friend's sister. The ex-wife of a fellow firefighter. But his plan to play it cool until she leaves town again fails, and soon he and Lydia have crossed a line they can't uncross. 

As Aidan and Lydia's flirtation turns something more serious, Lydia knows she should be planning her escape. Being a firefighter's wife was the hardest thing she's ever done, and she doesn't know if she has the strength to do it again. Aidan can't imagine walking away from Boston Fire—even for Lydia. The job and the brotherhood are his life; but if he wants Lydia in it, he'll have to decide who's first in his heart.


Lydia Kincaid was tired of the Boston firefighter community and her nosy but lovable family and friends so she left town. Her job at a restaurant in New Hampshire isn't really her thing either but no one knowing her is a relief for a while until her sister needs her help at the family bar. Not wanting to go but knowing her sister needs her she heads back to Boston. Going back has it's perks when sexy Aidan Hunt catches her eye. Unfortunately he is her brother's best friend and a firefighter like her brother. Aidan knows that Lydia is supposed to be off limits but he just can't seem to stop thinking about her. Before long they are sneaking around but are they falling in love or just playing around. This is the first in a new Firefighter series by Shannon Stacey. While i enjoyed Lydia and Aidan they didn't pop off the page for me. It got kind of boring between them somewhere in the middle. I was more interested in the secondary couple. Lydia's older sister Ashley and her husband Danny who are working through a separation of their marriage. Danny is this brooding firefighter and Ashley is dying waiting for her husband to share his feelings with her. They got to me a lot more than the main couple.  I'm curious to see where the next book in the series goes. I enjoy firefighter books so i am hoping the next book will be more in the vain of the Ashley and Danny. Lots of potential for a good exciting series here.

Find out more about Shannon Stacey and this series here www.shannonstacey.com