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Book Review: Pas De Deux: A Dance For Two by Lynn Turner

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

PAS DE DEUX: A DANCE FOR TWO by Lynn Turner is a beautifully written contemporary romance. This new to me author took me on a journey behind a classic ballet company, the building of a new Broadway musical and two imperfect people finding each other.

Wilhelmina “Mina” Allende is a prima ballerina in a Paris ballet company. Dance is her life and soul, but when a tragedy occurs in her life, she feels the need to take the leap into a new challenge offered to her in New York City. Zach knows Mina has the talent and “that something special” to transfix an audience, but he does not know if he can risk the whole show on Mina being able to learn his style of dance.

Zachary Coen is a famous contemporary dancer and choreographer looking for the lead for his first Broadway show. Mina is his dream lead come to life. She has a temper and is emotional, but she is also a professional and knows she is new to this style of dance and has a lot to learn. As the two work together, their pas de deux becomes personal as well as professional, but each has secrets. If each learns to trust the other it will make them whole, if not it will tear them apart.

Zach and Mina pulled me into their worlds of dance and theatre from the first chapter. The description of the dance scenes were as beautiful and intricate as the scorching hot sex scenes. This author definitely knows how to paint pictures with her words. They are both at the top of their careers against all odds, but they both have control and trust issues to overcome and this author handled all the emotions and issues in a realistic and believable way. I cannot say enough about this author’s lyrical writing style and the beautiful romance that is this book.

I highly recommend this romance and I will be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

(I just want to mention two points that in no way change my recommendation: 1.This is an inter-racial romance. Mina describes the challenges of being a black ballerina, but the story does not focus on racial issues. And 2. Is a trigger issue— Zach does describe graphic sexual abuse from an adult while in foster care.)

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.

Book Review: Dying Truth by Angela Marsons

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DYING TRUTH (D.I. Kim Stone, #8) by Angela Marsons is a tour de force!

With every book in the Kim Stone series, I have come to love all of the characters more. I have been intrigued and tricked by the mystery/crime plotlines. In book #8, Ms. Marsons covers the short time period of six days which left me with a severe book hangover and the knowledge that I will remember this Kim Stone book far into the future.

Heathcrest is a prestigious private school for children of the elite in British society. Perfect appearance is everything, but a crime from the past has come back to haunt the children of today. D.I. Kim Stone takes a call of a potential jumper. When she arrives on the scene, the broken body of Sadie Winter is on the ground, but Kim cannot justify what she sees with the testimony of witnesses. Soon after, another child is dead and Kim and her team know they must hurry to find who in Heathcrest is killing the children.

Ms. Marsons covers many emotional hot topic issues in this book. Heathcrest displays the divide between private education for the rich and public education. Scholarship students are accepted, but always know they are different. Peer pressure, bullying and the expectations of parents are laid bare in a forthright manner. The pros and cons of secret societies that last for a lifetime plays a major role in a murder from the past tied to the murders in the present. The topic of “if a child can kill” is also covered candidly.

Beside the riveting and emotional intertwined plots from past and present in this book, I always read this series to catch up on some of my favorite characters. Kim and her team not only have to solve this case, but Kim also has to turn in her personnel evaluations. Kim, Bryant, Kevin and Stacey are each very different and yet when put together make the perfect unit. After eight books, I have watched each character grow and become more vivid, but there is a gut-wrenching shake up at the end of this book. Was it needed? That is for each reader to decide, but in my opinion it was entirely believable when you consider that character’s growth and personality.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series. While I may never get over some of the emotional wreckage from this one, I want more!

Thanks very much to Bookouture and Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: All the Pretty Girls by Riley Edwards

ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS

A Next Generation Novel

***

MEADOW:

The road was long, it was painful, and it was raw.

It has taken me four years to come to terms with my new reality. A life in which I live with the daily reminders of a vicious attack that has left me scarred both emotionally and physically. Years of recovery and acceptance were torn apart and obliterated the day Special Agent Nick Clark barges into my life. He says the person who attacked me and left me for dead is back. He says I was the first victim – the one who got away. He promises to protect me. But he can’t, no one can.

Nick is relentless in his pursuit and promises me the things I can’t afford to have – like hope for a future with the sexy FBI agent. But hope and love and promises can’t protect me, not when I’m next on the killer’s list.

NICK:

Meadow Holiday is the missing piece, the woman I’ve been searching for. And it has nothing to do with her being a witness in an unsolved serial killer case I’ve had sitting on my desk for the last four years. I had no business falling in love in the middle of a murder investigation but she’s the one. I feel it deep in my bones. I knew the first time I laid eyes on the shy, beautiful woman that she was mine. Now I’m left with the daunting task of convincing her I’m enough.

Can Nick save Meadow in time and prove his love can heal all wounds, or is he already too late to fix what a sadist serial killer has broken?

***

MY REVIEW:

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS by Riley Edwards is an exceptional start to her Next Generation series of Romantic suspense books to follow her 707 Freedom series. This book is easily read as a standalone even though the characters from the previous series do pop up. It is not difficult to follow their relationship to Nick and it does not confuse the reader, but makes you want to go back and read that series, also.

Meadow Holiday cannot hide the scar on her face after a vicious attack that has turned her into a solitary person who hides from life. She believes she is no longer desirable. Since her attack, she has kept only one friend at work and one friend on-line in a survivors chat room. Her boss daily ridicules and belittles her for her appearance, so Veronica Venus, in the chat room, has become her outlet to let off steam and go-to for solace.

Special Agent Nick Clark works in the Behavior Analysis Unit of the FBI. He has a knack for seeing things outside of the box even though he is the youngest member of the team. After a break of four years, a serial killer profiled by Nick’s unit is back and killing again. The victims are all beautiful young women found in alleys with their faces mutilated.

Meadow is terrified when she learns the killer is active again. Nick is surprised the beautiful redhead he has been intrigued by at his coffee shop is the original victim who survived her attack all those years ago. Nick knows he will have a battle ahead convincing Meadow she is still beautiful inside and out and that he is not interested in her only to catch the killer. The killer has other plans for Meadow.

Nick and Meadow are such great characters. Nick is all around swoon worthy and he trains service dogs for vets. Love him! Meadow starts out with such low self-esteem, but the author brings her around with Nick’s belief in her and his love. The romance is believable and the sex scenes are hot. This is a page turner, even though I easily figured out the suspense plot. The characters are so vivid, you cannot help but cheer them on to their HEA. I cannot wait for more books in this series!

***

LINKS:

Buy Link http://geni.us/w7pUH

Amazon: http://geni.us/amazonre

Goodreads:http://geni.us/goodreadsre

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/riley-edwards

Facebook reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/882567735208878/?ref=br_tf

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rileyedwardsrom

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rileyedwardsromance/

Newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/RRsignup

Book Review: Montana Marine by Debra Parmley

RATING: 3 out of 5 Stars

MONTANA MARINE by Debra Parmley is a contemporary Romantic suspense novella set in the Brotherhood Protectors Kindle World. This novella is heavier on the suspense and intrigue plot while more on the sweet side romantically than other stories in the Brotherhood Protectors series.

Lucy Wood is hoping to only work for her demanding boss, Angelica Glory until she gets a job designing costumes in Hollywood. When Lucy starts receiving personal gifts from an unknown person, Lucy and Angelica are shipped out to an isolated ranch in Montana for protection.

Retired Marine Recon Gunnery Sergeant Jack Barr has retired from the service. He gets a job offer from the Brotherhood Protectors security service in Montana as a bodyguard for a pampered, spoiled Hollywood bombshell, Angelica Glory. Jack may appreciate Angelica’s looks, but he is captivated by the shy and tiny assistant. As their attraction grows, so does the obsession of the stalker to collect the woman of his dreams.

Jack and Lucy are very cute together, the big, alpha Marine and the shy, tiny assistant. The dialogue flows realistically and the romance is well written for the time constraints. The plot does have a nice little twist at the climax, but it was easy to guess. Though predictable, this is an enjoyable and fast read if you want a novella on the sweeter side from the Brotherhood Protectors series.

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.

Book Review: The Power of Love and Murder by Brenda Whiteside

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE POWER OF LOVE AND MURDER (Love and Murder Series Book #4) by Brenda Whiteside is a Romantic suspense with political corruption, a thirteen year old murder mystery and a touch of romance. This book does stand well on its own even though it is book #4 of the series.

Penny Sparks has been hiding under a new identity for thirteen years. Her father, mother and brother were all murdered execution style when her father tried to report illegal activities in the company he worked for. Penny has all the information in her photographic memory and a SIM card with a photo of the car in front of her family home during the murder, but she has been too afraid to use any of the proof.

Jake Winters, ex-rocker is out of rehab and comes to Flagstaff to reunite and make amends with his sister, Penny’s roommate. Jake and Penny hit it off, even though they had a bad encounter before Jake’s rehab. Now Jake wonders if Penny might be the person to bring him balance and help him find his new normal after rock star status.

When Penny longs for her real family during the holiday season, and she no longer feels the killer will be interested in her, she sends off an email to her aunt under her roommates email address. The killer is still interested. His boss is now thinking of running for president and Penny could destroy him.

As the killer tracks Penny down, Jake vows to help and protect her as they both work to uncover the killer and expose the truth of the corruption and the murder of Penny’s family.

I enjoyed this book. Jake and Penny’s relationship, I felt, was realistically portrayed especially towards the end. I felt the break in the relationship was necessary. I was also glad Jake and Penny went through the system for help and did not suddenly become superheroes on their own. I did feel the suspense plot was interesting with a killer, who actually had motives that made you feel (at least a little) sorry for him, but I also did not feel it was realistic. An entertaining, fast Romantic suspense read.

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.

Book Review: Outside by Michelle Mankin

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

I really enjoy a well written second chance contemporary romance. The good ones run you through all of the emotional highs and lows of a love story, usually twice, past and present, then after you have been run through an emotional tornado, leave you completely satisfied with the HEA of your hero and heroine at the end. Add the serious surfing scene on the California coast and the temptations of rock-and-roll stardom, you have OUTSIDE (Rock Stars, Surf and Second Chances, #1) by Michelle Mankin.

Summer love brings together a surfer boy and a shy beauty who loves the ocean and watching the surfers. Lincoln Savage wants to be a pro-tour surfer and Simone Bianchi has plans for college in the fall, but nothing, not even a domineering father cannot keep these two apart.

When Linc has a tragic accident, he joins his cousin and friends in their band, Dirt Dogs. When the band goes on their first tour, Simone has broken away from her family and goes with them. The beginning of fame, insecurities and misunderstandings break up their young love.

Fifteen years later, Simone is still living in O.B. and owns a small surf shop. Linc is back in town for good and wants his one true love back. Can they move past the hurt they inflicted on each other all those years ago and learn to trust and love each other again?

I really liked Lincoln and Simone. They had chemistry that ignited off the page and behaved realistically in both emotions and actions. Ms. Mankin’s use of a rock band combined with the California surf scene added uniqueness to the story. The sex scenes were hot and appropriate to each time period in the H/h lives, young love and mature.

I am really looking forward to reading the next book in this series!