Rodeo star Tate Oakley has loved Ellie Rowland since high school, even after she married his best friend. Now the newly single cowgirl is back in Clementine, Oklahoma. Ellie is focused on opening her own restaurant, helping her sick father with his ranch and raising her adorable twin girls. But could she also be ready to give the gun-shy Tate the second chance that he’s been looking for?
The Cowboy Academy
Book 1: A Cowboy Worth Waiting For Book 2: A Cowboy’s Fourth of July Book 3: A Cowboy Christmas Carol Book 4: A Cowboy for the Twins
***
Elise’s Thoughts
A Cowboy for the Twins by Melinda Curtis is a fun read. The story has two high school classmates reuniting after several years. The hero, Tate, had a crush and was in love with Ellie, but she broke his heart by choosing his best friend, Buck.
The story begins with Ellie returning to her dad’s ranch, now divorced from Buck who fooled around on her. She wants to make her dad’s sheep ranch profitable and is trying to raise her twin daughters. As the two spend time at the rodeos and helping each other, their feelings grow, but both must let go of past issues to finally have their happily ever after. They must navigate through hurt feelings, but thankfully Ellie’s twin girls and her grandmother push the relationship along as they become the humorous matchmakers.
The story is engaging, humorous with quirky and relatable characters.
***
Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?
Melinda Curtis: I grew up on my grandfather’s sheep ranch. To me, it was interesting to find out how these sheep ranchers survive. I wanted the heroine to come home to a sheep ranch and try to figure out how to make it work. Plus, someone I know raises llamas. This was a leap to having the hero’s mom raising alpacas, a lucrative type of wool. I like to draw on something from the past.
EC: How would you describe the hero, Tate?
MC: He is a confirmed bachelor who cannot say no. He is guarded, loyal, vulnerable, funny, and kind. He must get over his feeling of abandonment. Because of this, he needs people to like him.
EC: How would you describe the heroine, Ellie?
MC: Stubborn, detailed, caring, and sincere.
EC: What about the relationship?
MC: Ellie did not expect it to happen. Tate was hurt by her in high school and now is unsettled about his feelings for her. There is easy banter between them. She feels frustrated by him because he is putting up walls. Both do not want to acknowledge the attraction and depth of feelings between them.
EC: What about the grandma, Gigi?
MC: Outspoken, direct, she is the truth sayer, someone who tells it like it is.
EC: What was the role of Prince the horse?
MC: Tate needed to embrace the fact that the horse was a worker more than a pet. The horse was a symbol: how Tate can get ahead if he stops being so much a pleaser.
EC: Does Ellie’s twin girls also play a role?
MC: They say the truth. They like to give advice. They have an answer for everything. They are Yin and Yang. One is prissy and the other is cowboyish. Together they are a force, which I use for comic relief.
EC: Please explain the quote, “You can’t neglect your own needs and dreams for someone else’s.”
MC: Self-care is not selfish. Reaching for their dreams was self-care.
EC: Next book(s)?
MC: The next book is A Cowgirl Never Forgets, part of the Blackwell series, out in July. It is a story about two best friends that work for the rodeo. It will be a cross series with this one, the “Cowboy Academy Series.” The hero gets tossed by a bull to protect the heroine. He gets temporary amnesia, and everything goes from there.
Later in August will be another book in this series titled Rodeo Star’s Reunion. The hero, Griff, helps the high school rodeo team. His son will finally find out Griff is his father.
THANK YOU!!
***
BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE GRANDDAUGHTER’S IRISH SECRET (Magnolia Manor Book #2) by Susanne O’Leary on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
***
Book Description
Rose places her hand protectively on her grandmother’s necklace and looks up at Magnolia Manor’s vine-covered walls. The jewels are her most precious possession, but she is terrified to tell her family the truth about where they really come from…
Standing in the doorway of her grandmother Sylvia’s home, Rose Fleury thought returning here was the answer to all of her problems. She has no job and a broken heart, but Sylvia reminds her that Fleury women of the past were strong and independent, and she can be too. Clutching a family heirloom – a beautiful topaz necklace – Rose promises to be brave like her relatives. Until she finds out that the jewels hide a terrible secret…
Someone in town is claiming the necklace is fake. Rose knows Sylvia will be devastated by this news, and it could shatter their family’s reputation. For the sake of her grandmother, Rose is determined to find the real necklace and discover why it was replaced – and quickly convinces handsome local lawyer Noel Quinn to join her. Though Noel’s broad shoulders in his suit and tie remind Rose of her ex-boyfriend, he seems just as fascinated by the mystery, and she finds her heart fluttering every time he catches her eye…
But when Rose traces the real necklace to another family, and another ancestral home in a nearby village, she’s shocked to discover a forbidden love that once tore her family apart – and that Noel is connected to it. Can she really trust the man she’s been growing so close to? And will the truth about the Fleury family cause a rift between Rose and Sylvia that is impossible to repair?
THE GRANDDAUGHTER’S IRISH SECRET (Magnolia Manor Book #2) by Susanne O’Leary is an engaging women’s fiction with both a sweet, slow-burn romance and a historical mystery set on the bucolic Irish coast. While this is the second book in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone story.
Rose Fleury leaves her Dublin job and returns home after a major break-up. Her grandmother, Sylvia offers her a place to stay in Magnolia Manor’s gate house and a management job on the transition project as she heals emotionally. She is invited to the wedding of a former work friend and asks Noel Quinn, their local family lawyer to be her plus one as a friend. At the same time, she discovers when she gets her family heirloom necklace cleaned for the wedding that while beautiful, it is a copy.
Rose is determined to discover what happened to the original necklace before telling her grandmother it is a fake. Noel is as interested in history and the mystery of the necklace as Rose. As they work together to discover where the original may be, Rose begins to look at Noel in a new way. They discover the real necklace is tied to a forbidden love that tore her ancestors apart and that Noel is connected to it.
This story has so many things happening, but not in a bad way. The sweet, slow-burn romance is appropriate after Rose’s break-up and Noel is an intelligent and steady man to count on. The mystery of the heirloom necklace is more prominent than the romance in this story and it is well paced throughout. I thought the historical mystery and search for answers is very well plotted and interesting. While all the pieces of this story blend well and I liked all the characters and beautiful scenic descriptions, I still felt as though I was only reading about the characters and their mystery and not walking in the story with them. It is hard to describe and only my personal experience, but it was still an enjoyable read.
This is an entertaining women’s fiction with an intriguing historical mystery.
***
About the Author
Susanne O’Leary is the bestselling author of more than 20 novels, mainly in the romantic fiction genre. She has also written three crime novels and two in the historical fiction genre.
The wife of a former diplomat, she has also been a fitness teacher and a translator. She now writes full-time from either of two locations, a rambling house in County Tipperary, Ireland or a little cottage overlooking the Atlantic in Dingle, County Kerry. When she is not scaling the mountains of said counties, or doing yoga, she keeps writing, producing a book every six months.
Ex-con Seth Zimmerman has spent the last three years making amends by helping the vulnerable in his former Amish community. Lately, this mission includes calling on Tabitha Yoder, whose divorce from her abusive husband has isolated her from the community. Even though she never comes out of her house to talk to him, Seth knows she watches him from the window while he chops wood, clears her driveway, and drops off food.
An uneasy friendship is just starting to take hold between them when small gifts begin to appear at Tabitha’s home–gifts that can only be from her ex-husband. Seth might be Tabitha’s only hope at maintaining her hard-won freedom from the man whose violent outbursts had almost cost her life. But coming to her rescue might mean he ends up behind bars once again.
***
Elise’s Thoughts
Unforgiven by Shelley Shepard Gray is an Amish romantic suspense novel. This book explores how both the Amish and “English” view issues of divorce, abuse, attempted rape, accidental manslaughter, incarceration, love, faith, forgiveness, healing, and second chances.
Seth Zimmerman was sent to prison for the accidental death of an Amish man who was close to raping an Amish woman, Bethanne. There is also Tabitha Yoder who divorced her husband after enduring years of abuse. Both are wounded deciding not to pursue the Amish community who now considers them outcasts. Tabitha did the unthinkable and divorced her abusive husband, Leon. Seth defended a young Amish woman against an attack of another Amish man who fell, hit his head on a rock and died. Seth went to prison for saving her. The suspense part of the book comes into play as both Seth and Tabitha’s past catches up with them.
But the story has very tender moments as an uneasy friendship develops. Seth has had a crush on Tabitha since she taught school as a seventeen-year-old, three years Seth’s elder. Tabitha won’t leave her home and Seth does small things for her, like cutting firewood and bringing her food, as she watches from her window. He gets her to trust him, and the relationship develops over the course of the story.
Other characters include Seth’s younger sister Melonie, Lott’s sister Bethanne, the young woman Seth saved from rape, and her younger brother Lott, boyfriend to Melonie.
With the main and supporting characters the author shows their internal struggles and how events changed their lives. They realized that despite the community’s judgment their actions were necessary. Readers realize that those abused need the support of the community, family, and friends. The themes of trust, forgiveness, with emphasis of self-forgiveness, and faith all play a role. Readers will not want to put this book down and the story will have them turning the pages with this heartwarming and emotional story.
***
Author Interview
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for this book?
Shelley Shepard Gray: I have been writing for twenty years. I write Amish books, contemporary romances, for a number of different publishers. This is the beginning of a new series set in Crittenden Town Kentucky, across the river from St. Louis. This book is a little book darker because the hero and heroine are former Amish with dark pasts. They are at a crossroads with some suspense elements as their past catches up to them.
EC: How would you describe Seth?
SSG: He is honest, up front, confident, but not trusting. He also must deal with the gossip surrounding his incarceration and is ostracized. He is multi-faceted. He went to prison because he saved a woman, Bethanne, from being raped and that person got killed.
EC: How would you describe Tabitha?
SSG: Lonely, struggling emotionally and physically, fearful, and sweet. She is also skittish, broken, quiet, timid, recluse, and determined because of what she went through with her abusive husband. She is trying to make the best of her situation.
EC: Does abuse plays a role?
SSG: It is complicated. Tabitha learned from her ex-husband, her extended family, and the community that she should not put herself out there because she will get hurt. The Amish community was very self-righteous to both Seth and Tabitha. They created barriers with these two. There is a book quote about this, how the Amish “had long held traditions instead of what their eyes and ears told them was true.” They viewed divorce negatively. Although the Amish by the end of the book realized they needed to change their attitude and forgive them. Seth was not the type of person to ask the Amish community for forgiveness because he did not regret what he did. The characters had to overcome a lot.
EC: What about the relationship between Tabitha and Seth?
SSG: They both left the Amish faith. In the beginning they were both outcasts even with some members of their family. She is rattled easily, but he still teases her. He wanted her to feel in control, urged her to believe in herself, helped her to heal, and made her feel safe/secure. She was the “older woman,” three years older and his former teacher. Tabitha put a wall around herself and was guarded to Seth. They both eventually found common ground.
EC: How would you describe Leon, the ex-husband?
SSG: Cruel, intimidating, abusive, and looks upon women as his possession. He preyed on women susceptible to his charm. This is where I had the suspense piece of the book.
EC: How would you describe the male supporting role, Lott?
SSG: Immature, self-centered, angry, easily frustrated, and protective.
EC: How would you describe the female supporting role, Melonie?
SSG: Spunky, direct, caring, secure, and bossy.
EC: What did you want to convey with Lott and Melonie
SSG: Lott was Bethanne’s brother. Melonie was Seth’s sister. These family members were also affected by what happened to their siblings. Hopefully, the reader will get a better idea of the perception of the community. Through Melonie and Lott, I showed how they were part of the Amish community and were very understanding and protective. They want their siblings to heal and be accepted. I think it was a natural way to respond and would happen within any type of community. This is such a serious book with Tabitha, Bethanne, and Seth having had to go through very hard issues. I wanted a few scenes with Lott and Melonie to lighten the story up.
EC: How would you describe the relationship between Melonie and Lott?
SSG: They are trying to understand their feelings toward each other. They are not old enough, not mature enough, and have not experienced a lot.
EC: Next book?
SSG: The victim who Seth rescued, Bethanne, will be featured. The reader will find out what happens with Melonie and Lott. The book is out in November titled Unforgotten. There is also suspense in this book with an English cousin of Bethanne, an Englisher beauty queen. She was not shunned for not being Amish because she was never baptized.
There is another new series with another publisher, the book is titled A is For Amish in July. It is an Amish romance. It has four grown siblings close to their Amish grandparents. They try to find themselves at their grandparents’ farm. Some become Amish and some do not.
THANK YOU!
***
BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
I love working in a private university library with its special collection of antiquarian books and works of art. My favorite sculpture is one of the massive gargoyle statues, one that’s perched near my desk. Visitors often remark how lifelike it is, and I’ll tease, “Maybe it is.”
A frantic woman asks me to hide a book, one that’s fascinating with intricate details on the cover and spells inside. When I shelve it after hours, I hear movement in the library.
Has someone broken in?
What I discover is far more shocking…
Mated to the Gargoyleis a fated mates, protector romance.
This book is part of the Mated to the Monster multi-author monster romance series. All books can be read as standalones.
MATED TO THE GARGOYLE: Mated to the Monster by Lisa Carlisle is a steamy and fast paced gargoyle paranormal romance in the Mated to the Monster series. All the books in this series can be read as standalones, but this book will be followed by a book featuring two secondary characters from this story.
Anya is a librarian in a university library in Montreal. What she does not know is that it holds many magical secrets. She enjoys reading in the library after hours and talking to the stone gargoyle by her desk. While getting ready to close for the night, Anya finds a woman trying to unlock the door to the special collections room. When confronted she shoves an old book into Anya hands, tells her not to give it to him, and runs from the library.
When two men break in and attack Anya, demanding the book, she is rescued by the stone gargoyle when it comes to life. Hugo has been infatuated with Anya even though he and the other gargoyles have been tasked with watching over the library. She is terrified and runs towards her apartment, but Hugo must still follow her even if she does not accept him, which he is afraid may never happen.
Anya becomes more curious than afraid and learns about Hugo and the gargoyles and uncovers secrets in the ancient book and enchanted room Hugo shows her. They will need everything Anya can learn to fight the evil that has been trying to find her for years.
I enjoy all of Ms. Carlisle’s gargoyle stories and was happy to read this new one. Like the others, this is a quick read with protective gargoyles and a heroine who discovers they exist and is a destined mate for one. The romance plotline between Anya and Hugo was quick and very steamy with explicit sex in this story, but it is not gratuitous or forced. All these paranormal romances end with a HEA, but this one also has a surprise twist at the end that has me anxiously waiting for the next book, Fated to the Gargoyle, due out in October.
I enjoy reading these steamy paranormal romances for a fun change of pace and Ms. Carlisle always delivers.
***
About the Author
Lisa Carlisle is a USA Today Bestselling author of paranormal romance and suspense. She loves to write about wounded, cursed, or misunderstood heroes finding their happily ever afters. They may be shifters, vampires, witches, gargoyles, or even military, first responders, and rockstars! She especially loves stories with fated mates and forbidden love, second chances, and enemies-to-lovers romance.
Her travels have provided her with inspiration for various settings in her novels. She deployed to Okinawa, Japan, while in the Marines, backpacked alone through Europe, lived in Paris, and now lives in New England with her husband, two kids, two crazy cats, and too many fish.
Become a VIP reader and receive free bonus reads! >> http://www.lisacarlislebooks.com/subscribe/
Takes place in Alaska with the characters that are rescue workers and law enforcement.
Book Description
When country music star Oaken Fox joins survivalist Mike Grizz’s new adventure show in the Alaskan wilderness, he just wants to boost his fan base. But when tragedy strikes, and Air One Rescue must save them, Oaken just wants to quit. Too bad his producer has other plans—signing him on with Air One Rescue as a recruit and making a reality show…
EMT Boo Kingston did not join Air One Rescue to train a celebrity. But she’s a rookie to the team, so yes, she’ll train Oaken and keep him alive and not for a minute pay attention to his charm…
And then five women go missing from a resort during a bachelorette weekend gone south. Now, Air One and the rescue team will have to use all their skills–and manpower, including Oaken–to find them before a blizzard settles in. But can they work together before tragedy strikes?
Elise’s Thoughts
One Last Shot has country music star Oaken Fox joining a survivalist new adventure show in the Alaskan wilderness, to boost his fan base. But when tragedy strikes and Air One Rescue must save them, Oaken wants to quit. But his producer decides to change the premise, signing him on with Air One Rescue as a recruit and making a reality show. EMT of Air One Recue Boo Kingston is tasked to train this celebrity. After five women go missing from a resort during a bachelorette weekend gone wrong, the Air One Rescue team will have to use all their skills and manpower–including Oaken–to find them before a blizzard settles in.
###
Book Description
Axel Mulligan was built to be a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. He could swim faster, endure longer and became a miracle for those in peril in the sea. Until a tragedy destroyed him and sent him home, to Alaska.
Now, three years later, he’s not going to let the past repeat itself, so as an Air One rescue swimmer, he’ll do anything to save lives. Including lose his own—which is what he expects when he goes into the icy waters of the Bering Sea, trying to rescue a cruise group of tourists. But for the voice on the other end of the Ham radio, he might have given up, let hypothermia win.
But it didn’t. Now he’ll do anything to find the voice and thank her.
Except the voice—Flynn Turnquist—is not who he thinks. A national wildlife researcher, she’s deep in the bush, tracking wolf pack patterns. Or is she? In fact, she’s a former cop, tracking down a serial killer. And she’s close enough to see his handiwork in the trail of bodies. She nearly had him—until he escaped into the Bering Sea. But she just knows he’s still alive…and she’s sure she’s on his trail…
When Axel finds Flynn…and what she’s really up to, it stirs up a terrible nightmare he’s been dodging for years—the kidnapping and death of his own cousin. Worse, he’s led the killer right to her doorstep. Now, it’s a race through Alaska to stay alive… and when tragedy strikes again, he must choose between rescue or redemption…
Elise’s Thoughts
In One Last Chance the plot begins with Axel Mulligan going into the icy waters of the Bering Sea, trying to rescue a cruise group of tourists. But for the voice on the other end of the Ham radio, he might have given up, letting hypothermia win. She uses banter, pleading, and encouragement to keep him focused on rescuing himself.
The voice is Flynn Turnquist, a detective who, tracks down serial killer. And she’s close enough to see his handiwork in the trail of bodies. She is afraid one of the killer’s victims is her sister Kennedy who disappeared a few years ago. She and Axel work together to search for Kennedy and to find answers about what really happened.
***
Author Interview
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the series?
Susan May Warren: I wanted to write about a rescue team in Alaska. I created a team in a previous book, Sky King Rescue, to rescue a character. This is how I came up with this team. One Last Shot, the first book in the series, came about from the reality TV I watch. I wondered what happens to these everyday people who found themselves in the limelight but have left the big screen. I also like how rescue plays into the story, literally and figuratively. The heroine was a rescue worker but both she and the hero had to rescue their reputation, their dreams, and their souls, as well as they did physical rescues.
EC: Do you like reality TV?
SMW: Yes, especially adventure ones. But I am not a massive reality TV person. I am a total rescue TV show junkie. I am currently binge watching the show, “Trapper.” I think I will write an upcoming book with a character who will be a trapper.
EC: What about the setting of Alaska?
SMW: My son Peter was born there, and we lived there for a time. I am enthralled with this setting. I did have some stories set here with my earlier books. It is an extremely wild and remote place. The terrain and the river in this story were like an antagonist. People have moose in their backyards. We have a good friend, Duane King, who is a Bush Pilot there and gives me information for my stories.
EC: How would you describe the hero, Oaken Fox in One Last Shot?
SMW: In another book, Flashpoint, Fox was a country music singer who wrote a soundtrack for a movie. Then I decided to put him in my rescue book. I am a total country music junkie. He is pampered, a want to be survivalist. Imagine the country music singer Brett Young. Oaken’s sister died after having a fight with him. His career came about after replacing his sister who was also a country music star.
EC: How would you describe the heroine, Boo Kingston, of One Last Shot?
SMW: I made her a reality TV star and described why she was called Boo. Her reputation was damaged on social media. She likes to improvise, is adaptable, spider-man type skills, brave, calm, fierce, and fearless. A loner with secrets. She feels betrayed by the reality show stuff. She is no-nonsense. She takes her privacy seriously. Because she is an ex-Marine, she has those skills of let’s get the job done, with a sense of loyalty and teamwork.
EC: What about the relationship?
SMW: She is guarded and cautious about it. They grow into deciding they want to watch each other’s back but do have trust issues. Oaken is sunshine, while Boo is grumpy. I had him learn about her secret early in the story. She is more protective of him. They find themselves working together.
EC: What about the second book in the series, One Last Chance?
SMW: I was watching a You-Tube video about the Coast Guard, and how the people on the ship were trying to survive after it went down. Someone had said ‘had it not been for the voice on the radio, I would have given up.” I wanted to write that scene of how someone encouraging and believing in the person could keep them alive. I wanted to try to figure out how the hero’s boat went underwater but he survived. Plus, I added a serial killer as part of the story.
EC: How would you describe the heroine in the story, Flynn Turnquist?
SMW: She comes to Alaska to find her missing sister, Kennedy. She is a detective who hunts serial killers. She feels trapped and is obsessed in finding out what happened to her sister. She is super driven. She is angry, focused, and meticulous because she is searching for answers. She is much more of a lone wolf.
EC: How would describe the hero, Axel?
SMW: He is happy-go-lucky and easy going. He is a team player. He is also responsible, funny, kind, and charming. He wants closure to find out what happened to his cousin.
EC: What about the relationship and how does the “Titanic” movie come into play?
SMW: She helps keep him focused. She is guarded. Both are driven by justice and redemption. The question in my mind, would Jack and Rose from Titanic really have made it with the obstacles set aside? In Flynn’s mind she is wondering if she, like Rose, is just sucked into a relationship versus a “real” long-lasting one.
EC: Kennedy versus her sister Flynn?
SMW: Kennedy had taken alcohol and drugs. She is a free spirit, selfishly independent. She has been described as the light with Flynn the darkness.
EC: Next books?
SMW: The third book in this series, One Last Promise releases in August of this year featuring Moose and Tillie. The last book in the series, One Last Stand releases in October of this year will feature Shep and London, who has a secret identity.
I will also be writing books that will come out in 2025 about the Minnesota Kingstons, Boo’s family. There will be heists and prison breaks. It will start out with the wedding of Boo and Oaken.
There will also be a three-book series titled, “Call of the Wild,” a K-9 branch out in 2026. This series will be about tracking people. Axel’s brother, Moose, will be featured.
THANK YOU!!
***
BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for CAPTIVATING ANIKA (On Call Book #9)(Police and Operation Alpha) by Freya Barker on this Buoni Amici Release Blitz.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
***
Book Blurb
Anika Jones has her future carefully plotted out and is checking the boxes, one by one, despite the bumps thrown in her path. This last one is a challenge, but she manages to stay on track; her salon is thriving, and she just bought a house. Unfortunately, when one of her employees runs into trouble, she inevitably gets sucked in, throwing her carefully paced life off-balance. It doesn’t help a friend, who’s been ghosting her for a year, suddenly makes an appearance.
He was born to pig farming, but for Noah (Hog) Hodgekins fighting fires is his calling. He wasted too many years honoring a legacy he wants no part of. But now that he’s finally free from family obligations, there’s nothing holding him back from pursuing the life he’s been dreaming of. The first step is mending bridges with the one person who is central to that future, but she comes with her own challenges, family and otherwise.
Instead of treading carefully to gain her heart, he ends up throwing caution to the wind when her recent string of bad luck lands the FBI on her doorstep.
CAPTIVATING ANIKA (On Call Book #9)(Police and Operation Alpha) by Freya Barker is an exciting romantic suspense addition to the On Call series. Each of these books stand on their own and have a complete suspense plot and romance, but there is some crossover of characters from previous books in the series. If you love romantic suspense as much as I do all the books in this series are worth a read and contain wonderful mature and sexy heroes and heroines.
Anika Jones has worked hard to achieve her goals. Her hair salon is thriving, and she has been able to buy her own home. Her main bump in the road was a diagnosis of RA and fibromyalgia a year ago, but with a change in lifestyle, she has been able to cope well with few recognizing a change. When one of her stylists is having troubles with her abusive husband, Anika tries to help, but there is more danger involved than just the abuse. When the danger involves Anika, her brother’s friend and fellow firefighter jumps in to help and protect her.
Noah “Hog “ Hodgekins has been dreaming of calling Anika his own for years, but with family obligations and working with her brother, he has put it off and been avoiding her. Now, with her life in danger, he is determined to concur any challenges to make her the center of his life and keep her safe.
I love this series and have been waiting for this new book! Anika and Noah are a wonderful couple, and you want nothing but a HEA for them. This is a friendship-to-lover and best friend’s sister-to-lover romance that works beautifully. They are mature adults who know how to compromise and communicate, which brings their worlds together fairly easily and makes them strong as a couple. The sex scenes are smokin’ hot and realistic without being gratuitous. The suspense plot is intense and well-paced with a twist at the end that I did not see coming. This story hits all the right notes for me and has everything I look for in this genre.
I highly recommend this wonderful romantic suspense, the entire series, and this author!
***
Author Bio
USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
With forty-plus books already published, she continues to create characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy.
Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, and Finalist for the 2020 Kindle Book Award with “When Hope Ends”, Freya spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
