Tag: #series

Book Review: Perilous Trust by Barbara Freethy

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

PERILOUS TRUST (Off the Grid: FBI Trilogy #1) by Barbara Freethy is an exciting start to a new romantic suspense series. This is a fast paced story loaded with action, suspense and romance. Each book features one of five friends who formed a secret group while in Quantico with the promise to always help the others.

Sophie Parker is an archeology instructor at NYU, who receives the devastating news that her father was killed in a car crash. Her father was the head of the Organized Crime Unit in the NY FBI field office. When she gets a chance to check her phone, she listens to her father’s last frantic and cryptic messages with instructions she must follow and to not trust anyone including his fellow FBI agents.

FBI agent Damon Wolfe cannot believe what he is hearing. His mentor and reason for being in the NY FBI office is dead and his daughter is missing. Four years ago, Damon and Sophie came together for one night of solace and life-affirming passion over the death of a mutual friend. They never contacted each other again, but now Damon knows he has to find Sophie and help her.

Sophie does not know if she can trust Damon, but as the bullets start flying, they flee together to follow Sophie’s father’s clues and hopefully solve his murder and eliminate the threat to Sophie’s life.

The plot is an intricate puzzle and has a lot of players that need to be kept straight. Besides Damon and Sophie, you are introduced to Bree and Wyatt, who are members of the five from Quantico. Sophie’s father had a lifetime group of friends from Yale that may be involved in his death and his job as head of the Organized Crime Unit also brought in several players. Keeping everyone straight was my only problem while reading this book. Other than that, it was a surprise for me when all the pieces where discovered.

Damon and Sophie’s chemistry was intense and pretty much instantaneous from their one-night-stand four years ago. While on the run, they get to know more about each other’s pasts and families. It brings them closer and their relationship builds from there. The sex is hot, but not explicit and well balanced with the feelings of loss and fear during other parts of the story.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series and getting to know more about the other friends from Quantico.

Book Review: Second Chance Cowboy by Joanne Rock

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

SECOND CHANCE COWBOY (Road to Romance Book, #2) by Joanne Rock is a second chance contemporary romance that demonstrates this author’s seamless ability to immediately allow you to become emotionally invested in her characters and immerse you in the beauty and uniqueness of her settings. Even though this is the second book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone.

Larissa Martine left Cheyenne, Wyoming eight years ago for the bright lights of Broadway and a career in dance. It was a promise she made to her dying mother. But as she leaves, she also devastates the boy she loves in a text message.

After a possible career ending injury and on her way to an audition in Los Vegas, Larissa is detouring to her hometown to honor a pact between girlfriends, to make peace with past wrongs and hopefully clear the future to turn bad luck to good.

Matt Briggs thought he had it all. He purchased Split Fork Ranch next to his family spread and was ready to move ahead with the girl he loved. That was not how it worked out. Now Larissa is back and he does not want to hear about her regrets, but he does want her stay for his sister’s wedding next week. The intense attraction is still there and maybe if they have one more night together it will give them both the peace with the past they seek, or they could repeat past mistakes all over again.

Larissa and Matt are both trying to live up to what they perceive that others wanted for them. The love and attraction has always been an easy part of their relationship, but the emotional communication between the two is difficult and lacking. Even though eight years has passed, they almost repeat their past and the author leads them towards their HEA in a realistic and believable way. The sex scenes are steamy and also emotional. The secondary characters where as well fleshed out and entertaining as the H/h. This is a quick read packed with emotion and what I expect when I read a book by this author.

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.com.

Book Review: Married In Montana by Jane Porter

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

MARRIED IN MONTANA (Paradise Valley Ranch Book 2) by Jane Porter is a wonderful historical romance that takes you back to 1890 Marietta, Montana. This book has a marriage of convenience storyline that focuses almost completely on the emotional growth of the hero and heroine without any trope scenes of external jeopardy or harm to force a sudden declaration of love. This story has a few references to Book 1 in the series, but can easily be read as a standalone.

Ellie Burnett is the pampered and spirited child of Archibald Burnett who is dying. To protect their large ranch and her father’s legacy, Ellie must marry and quickly. Though she can ride, shoot and run the ranch, her father wants her settled with an honorable man. What Ellie wants is to still be in control even after she marries.

Thomas Sheenan has come from Ireland to work hard and be his own man. The last thing he wants is a wife. He had to care for and bury his family in Ireland and he believes he is emotionally dead inside. When Ellie comes to him and proposes, he cannot turn her or the opportunity down, but he tells her he will never love her.

These two strong, independent and stubborn characters are then taken on an emotional journey by this author. Ellie starts out not knowing why anyone would not want the ranch and money that comes with her and an immature view of marriage. Thomas starts the marriage by taking complete control to gain the respect of the ranch hands and keep Ellie at a distance. The death of Ellie’s father devastates her and after months of depression, we begin to see small steps forward in understanding as Thomas forces her back into day to day living.

Ellie and Thomas are portrayed with strong emotions that continue to change and grow as the two become a couple. The sex scenes are well written and add to the growth of intimacy between Ellie and Thomas. These two start from very different places in life and yet deserve to find their HEA together.

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.com.

Book Review: Clone Me a Lover by Rosalie Redd

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

CLONE ME A LOVER (An Interstellar Lovers Novella) by Rosalie Redd is an enjoyable and quick sci-fi romance novella and a possible start to a new series.

Angelo Thirteen is a human clone from future Earth who desires to fall in love. All emotions have been banned on Earth, but Angelo Thirteen is good at hiding his so he will not be sent for reprogramming. When the spaceship he is piloting is hit by space junk, the pods disengage and his pod is sent tumbling into deep space. Before he passes out, all he regrets is that his chance to escape Earth and live a free life with emotions is over.

Elle is an Altonian spaceship captain on a mission. She must sell her payload to get the money to free her brother from a future in her home world’s prison mines and pay off her beloved ship. When she rescued the pod from space, she was not expecting to find a sexy life form on board. She has to keep to her goal, but this human clone keeps surprising her with his gentleness and kindness which is breaking down the hardened wall around her heart.

For the short length and the introduction of new world-building, this is a well written sci-fi romance. The sex scene was hot and sexy and well placed in the story. Both Angelo and Elle are well portrayed and realistically change and grow together in this short romance plot. My only problem with this story was the harsh transition between Chapters 2 and 3. It pulled me out of the story and had me checking back if I missed something.

Other than that one point in the story, it flows very well and had me anxiously waiting for how this author would give me my HEA. I was not disappointed and will be looking for more books in this series in the future.

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.com.

Book Review: Viktor by Sarah Marsh

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

Unique! Entertaining! Snarky! Smokin’ hot sex scenes! Fairy Godmothers, vampires, shifters and everything in between. This is a paranormal world with a fairy tale twist that I can’t wait to get more of!

VIKTOR (Happy Evil After Book 1) by Sarah Marsh is a novella beginning to a new series that I devoured! This author has a unique voice and easy to follow world-building in this paranormal romance series that keeps you turning the pages.

The character that will connect all the books in this series is Pandora “Dori”, who is a dark Fairy Godmother. She has never fit in with the rest of the Godmothers. She comes to realize that like herself, different doesn’t necessarily mean always and forever bad. She decides to help others deemed ‘not worthy’ of a happy ending to find one with her black matchmaking mastermind notebook.

Viktor likes his scary boogeyman reputation. It keeps others away and leaves him to do what he likes. He has almost completed his revenge on the vampire coven that turned him. Only one remains, Conrad Daire, who is now head of the North American coven. Few realize what lies behind his façade, but Viktor knows him for the psychopath he truly is. As Victor enjoys a drink at The Pit, in pops Dori to tell Viktor how he can ruin Conrad’s happily ever after.

Halle Briggs is a beautiful leopard shifter. She is the beloved daughter of the head of the leopard pard and has become the prize that Conrad wants for saving her father’s life years ago. Halle has spirit and hates Conrad, but sees no way out until a certain dark Fairy Godmother pops in to tell her that she will be rescued, but she needs to do everything in her power to make sure she stays with Viktor. She will have to fight for her happily ever after and her mate.

This novella contains so much and yet is extremely well paced and never seems rushed or missing information. The sex scenes are explicit and sizzling, but I did not feel they were gratuitous. I just fell into this new world and was very sorry to see the end. I will definitely be following this series into the future and hope it continues to make me cheer for the unlikely H/h’s and laugh out loud at Dori’s matchmaking and snarky attitude.

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.com.

Book Review: Tempted By the Gargoyle by Lisa Carlisle

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

TEMPTED BY THE GARGOYLE (Boston Stone Sentries, #1) by Lisa Carlisle is the action packed, sexy hot novella length introduction to the paranormal world of gargoyle shifters that protect the human world. If the rest of the series is as well written and imaginative; this is going to be the “new” paranormal series to follow.

Larissa Riley is a Boston police officer who is still trying to deal with being present at the Boston Marathon bombing. Her emotional problems broke up her last relationship and her best friend is still going to rehab for her leg injuries. Larissa knew that day something big was going to happen because she had been having premonitions since she was young, but she fights them so the premonitions were never clear or focused. She has always been different.

Now, she is having that same overwhelming feeling of dread on the night of the red Supermoon. Janie wants to go out dancing after spending so much time in rehab and the Supermoon is supposed to allow you to find your soulmate. Larissa can’t say no and the two set out for the new gothic themed bar downtown. Larissa feels a gorgeous stranger watching her from across the bar and goes to confront him.

Roman has a bad feeling about this night and since he is the commander of the Boston Stone Sentries, he has all of his gargoyle shifters out on patrol. Black magic sweeps past Roman and goes straight to Larissa. Roman tries to figure out what is different about the beautiful woman and if she is a threat or being threatened.

Larissa and Roman soon find the city under attack from demons. Larissa is confronted with other beings and has to decide quickly who she can trust while also learning that she is more than human. Roman begins to realize that Larissa is his life mate and knows he has to keep her safe and in his life as they fight to defeat the demon invasion.

These two have explosive chemistry as they burn up the sheets! Hot sex scenes that are well written abound in this novella. Lisa Carlisle’s world-building has fully fleshed believable paranormal characters. I had two small problems with the ending. It seemed to happen abruptly and there are a few questions not answered, but it is the start of a series so I can let that go this time. I cannot wait to get the next book in this new world!

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.com.