ANYONE BUT CADE (Anyone But… Book #2) by Penelope Bloom is
the second contemporary romance in the King Brothers trilogy. These books are an
enjoyable mix of romance, laughter and smokin’ hot sex.
Cade King is the other twin, who is never serious unless it
comes to negotiations for work. Seven years ago, he cost his girlfriend her
soccer scholarship with a stupid prank that went wrong. Since then he has never
been in a serious relationship and hides behind his money and success. He can’t
be hurt, if no one really knows him, right?
Iris swore seven years ago with her two best friends to
never again date a King brother. But they are back in town and already one of
her friends has fallen. Iris values the success she worked hard for to become a
law enforcement officer, but something is missing. Cade is still a temptation
hard to resist.
Cade receives the news that he is the father of a five-year-old
son that he never knew was out there. He asks Iris for her help and even though
she knows she shouldn’t, she cannot resist Bear. Can Iris forgive Cade and can
the two work together for Bear?
I really enjoyed this book. The dialogue was laugh out loud
funny at times and ridiculously funny at others. As much as Cade and Iris were
great for each other, Bear made them even better. I loved when Bear would be a
mini-Cade and the action between the two throughout shows the difference, I
felt realistically between how a man or a woman play with a child. Even when it
seemed as though all the secondary characters were against them, Iris and Cade
stayed positive and worked things out. The sex scenes were explicit, but not
gratuitous. I love when I finish a romance and have a smile on my face.
I love all the brothers and I am looking forward to Nick and
Miranda’s story!
***
Author
Biography
Penelope
Bloom is a USA Today, Amazon, and Washington Post bestselling
author whose books have been translated into seven languages. Her popular
romances include His Banana, Her Cherry, Savage, and Punished.
Her writing
career started when she left her job as a high school teacher to pursue her
dream. She loves taking her imagination for a spin and writing romances she’d
want to live. She likes a man with a mind as dirty as sin and a heart of gold
he keeps hidden away. Her favorite things include getting to wear socks all
day—pants optional—and being a positive example for her girls. Showing her
daughters that no dream is too big, no matter what anyone tells them, is worth
all the late nights, doubts, and fears that come with being a writer.
Today I am giving everyone another look at the Brothers In Blue Trilogy by Jeanne St. James. I previously reviewed all of these books separately as they were released.
Below you will find my book reviews for Max, Marc and Matt and author info. Enjoy and give these books a read and/or listen on audiobook if you missed them the first time around. You will not be disappointed.
***
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
BROTHERS IN
BLUE: MAX (Brothers in Blue #1) by Jeanne St. James is a HOT contemporary
romance read that introduces the reader to a rich, immature party girl that has
her whole life turned upside down and a small town cop, who is an ex-Marine and
all Alpha.
Amanda
Barber is a young, rich girl partying all over Miami with her friends and no
responsibilities. Suddenly, she has to move to small town PA to live in her
dead father and stepmother’s home to care for her 22 year old special needs
half-brother and his dog. She has never met Greg and Chaos due the messy
divorce of her parents and has no idea how to deal with him or his needs.
I did not
like Amanda at first, but as the story progresses and you see how she is trying
to learn to help Greg and stand on her own two feet for a change, she pulled me
to her side. You learn her backstory slowly, and like me, the small town folk
did not care for Amanda at first either. She makes mistakes, but you also watch
her mature quickly. She wants to go back to her old life at first, but things
conspire to make her want to stay more and more as the story progresses.
Max Bryson
is a third generation police officer in his hometown and the oldest of three
Bryson boys. When he first runs into Amanda, he has trouble believing such an
immature girl has been assigned the care of Greg, but even as her attitude
chafes, he finds her extremely hot. The back and forth between these two was
extremely well written. You can see in each encounter the strength in Amanda
continues to grow as she stands up to him and takes control her own life and
Greg’s. How much Max’s attitude changes towards Amanda is also realistically
written. The emotional growth of both Amanda and Max is what makes this an
engaging romance.
It was great
getting to know all the secondary characters in this story, also. Max’s loving
and stable parents and his teasing younger brothers. Not so nice, but necessary
to understand Amanda were her mother and ex-boyfriend from Miami. I am looking
forward to reading Marc’s story next.
Please Note:
Although this is a small town love story it does contain many explicit sex
scenes throughout the story. They are well written, integrated into the story
and very, very hot!
***
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
Another HOT
book about a Bryson brother from Manning Grove!
BROTHERS IN
BLUE: MARC (Brothers in Blue #2) by Jeanne St. James has the second Bryson
brother having to train the new police recruit who just happens to be female.
For an alpha male like Marc, who also happens to still believe there should not
be any female officers, being made her FTO (field training officer) by his brother
the chief seems like a sick joke.
Leah Grant
is determined to be a police officer just like her deceased father. She has
fought all the stereotypes and risen to the top of her training class to have
no one, but Max offer her a job. Manning Grove is very small town to her old
home of Philly, but she is determined to make it, even with the chauvinist
beliefs of her FTO.
As Marc and
Leah train and ride together, their chemistry starts to override their common
sense. They try to keep their work life separate from their increasing
attraction, but Marc wants her in his bed as much as Leah wants to prove she is
as capable as any male officer. The taboo of trainer and trainee does not stop
these two, but they do keep it out of work hours.
These two
have explosive chemistry in bed and are so perfect for each other. There are
explicit sex scenes that are well written and have a surprising appearance of
nipple rings and other sex toys. I also loved that Leah stayed at Marc’s
parents’ house when she moved to town so that we continue to be involved with
the whole family from Max’s story in Book #1. This romance can be read as a
standalone because of its own HEA, but the family ties and small town life
carry over.
I love that
Ms. St. James has made each of these books in this series unique so far. I
appreciate that they are not both the same premise with new names inserted. I
am looking forward to what happens with the last Bryson boy, if he ever comes
home!
***
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
What a great
addition and emotionally charged finale to the Bryson brother trilogy of books!
BROTHERS IN
BLUE: MATT (Brothers In Blue #3) by Jeanne St. James has the youngest Bryson
finally returning home after several deployments overseas to a job and extended
family that he is finding very difficult to deal with due to PTSD.
Matt Bryson
believes his mind is broken. He is not ready to accept help except what is
forced on him by his brother to keep his job as a police office in their small
town. He has buried his emotions and is barely making it day to day.
Dr. Carly
Stephens is Amanda’s obstetrician at the local hospital. She is tall, calm and
extremely professional working hard to help her elderly parents and save money
to adopt a baby of her own one day that she cannot have herself. When Matt ends
up being the brother to rush Amanda to the hospital to deliver, he is attracted
to Carly’s calm and leadership. Carly is attracted to the hot police office.
They start
out as landlord and tenant, but soon agree to a sexual, no commitment
relationship. They are just too different and want different things out of
life. Matt with his OCD and PTSD believes he will never be able to love and he
never wants children. Carly is too busy earning and saving money for her future
home and adoption and just wants the hot sex. But can they truly keep to this
arrangement? Hot, steamy sex is great, but soon emotions become entangled and
they will have to find a way to compromise or break.
Matt had me
all tied up in knots emotionally. There are many forms and degrees of PTSD and
I feel Ms. St. James handled Matt’s character responses in a realistic way. I
especially agree with the way that Matt had to handle a lot of his decisions on
his own and in his own time. Carly was an equally strong character because even
though she is a doctor, she knows she can’t heal Matt, she can only love and
help him. The plot was a delicate back and forth written with empathy and
compassion.
It was great
reading about all the characters from the previous two books, also. I am going
to miss these brothers, the loves they found and the entire extended family.
This is an excellent contemporary romance series with plenty of hot and steamy
sex scenes. They can all be read as standalones, but is much more fun to read
them all in order and get three HEAs.
***
Author Info
JEANNE ST. JAMES is a USA Today bestselling romance author who loves an alpha male (or two). She was only thirteen when she started writing. Her first paid published piece was an erotic story in Playgirl magazine. Her first erotic romance novel, Banged Up, was published in 2009.
She is happily owned by farting French bulldogs. She writes M/F, M/M, and M/M/F ménages. Want to read a sample of her work? Download a sampler book here: BookHip.com/MTQQKK
CHANCE (Sydney Jones Series Book 2) by Carolyn M.
Bowen is a new fast-paced thriller. This is the second book in the trilogy, but
it is easily read as a standalone.
Sydney Jones is a powerful, independent and tough attorney,
who heads her own law firm in Atlanta. She will take any case she believes in
and up until this latest case her bodyguard boyfriend, Walker would be right by
her side on the job and at home. Walker has been framed for a murder so the CIA
can get him back on their payroll. He abruptly leaves the love of his life and
can have no communication with her.
As Sydney moves on, she accepts the case of a woman accused
of murdering her lover, who was the head of the Chinese Black Societies in Atlanta.
Sydney’s life is increasingly at risk as she digs deeper into the case. While
at the same time, Walker is in Cuba facing life-and-death situations of his own.
Sydney and Walker are on separate dangerous paths. Will
either or both survive for any future together?
This is a fast-paced read that will keep you turning the
pages. I love Sydney and her strength, no nonsense, take charge character
traits. Walker is a great match for her. I did find it a little difficult to
get into this author’s writing style. It is very bare-bones and action-oriented
with very little in-depth description or dialogue, but the tension and urgency
kept me turning the pages. I was pulled into the plot and just had to keep reading
until “The End”.
I am looking forward to reading the next book.
***
Author Bio and Social Media Links
CAROLYN BOWEN is a mystery author who
calls on her life escapades and an adventurous, imaginative spirit to inspire
and entertain. Bowen uses travel as a muse to explore cultures and dialogue to
bring her stories to life. Her writing credits include: Cross-Ties, a romantic
adventure; The Long Road Home, a contemporary crime fiction mystery; The Sydney
Jones Series Mystery Thrillers; Book 1: Primed For Revenge, and Book 2: Chance
– A Novel.
MURDER UNEXPECTED (Kat and Mouse Mysteries #2) by Anita
Waller is the second contemporary cozy mystery in this intriguing and
entertaining trilogy. Each book has a unique mystery to be solved, but these
books are best read in order due to the continuation of the main characters’
interactions and development.
This story picks up just a few months after the end of the
first book, which has Kat, Mouse and Doris all waiting anxiously for the birth
of Kat’s baby while being wary as Kat’s husband is still a fugitive. The three
are being careful and vigilant as they work to grow their detective agency,
Connection in the village of Eyam.
When a widow gives the ladies a case to identify the birth
mother of her deceased husband something just does not feel right. Judith is
not telling the whole truth. While others knew of her husband’s wish to find
his birth mother before his cancer diagnosis, no one believes Judith is doing
this out of love. When the ladies go to return her retainer and get out of the
case, they find Judith murdered.
This murder leads to many twists and turns, with the ladies
sharing information with DI Tessa Marsden and Hannah once again.
This second book in the trilogy was even more intense and
emotionally riveting than the first. Kat’s continued personal upheaval with her
husband, Leon ended with a surprise that was realistic, but I did not expect the
author to go there. The murder mystery plot in this book also was not what I
was expecting. It had so many twists and turns that drained me emotionally and
yet were completely satisfying by its resolution. Ms. Waller has some very
clever ideas when it comes to murder.
I love Kat, Mouse (Beth) and Doris. These are strong female
characters you feel you want to meet in real life. DI Marsden and Hannah are
also intelligent law enforcement characters. Wonderful writing brings these
characters to life and the resolutions are clever and thought provoking.
I can highly recommend this book and am anxiously awaiting book #3 of the trilogy!
Thanks very much to Bloodhound Books and Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC.
MURDER UNDENIABLE (Kat and Mouse Mysteries #1) by Anita Waller is the first book in a contemporary cozy mystery trilogy. This author has written three main characters that are as intelligent and realistic as they are entertaining. The start was a little slow, but it was setting up a crime in the past witnessed by a group of friends which ties into the current murders. The suspense and mystery builds after this scene though at a rapid pace.
Katerina Rowe is a Deacon at her church in the village of
Eyam. She is happily married and very satisfied with her life. They have just
celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary.
As Kat and Leon are exciting into the alley behind his
pharmacy, they discover a man shot to death and a woman barely hanging on to
life after being shot in the shoulder and kicked in the head. The woman, Beth,
called Mouse, by her family was the dead man’s escort for the night. Kat does not
understand why, but she is drawn to Mouse and wants to protect her.
At the hospital Kat meets Beth’s nan, Doris and the three
woman form a bond. When Beth’s flat is burned down, Kat takes her and her nan
in as the peril escalates and more people are murdered. These three will use
their skills to dig into the murders and hopefully find the killer before he
succeeds in killing Beth.
I love Kat, Beth and Doris. They are unique characters that
each have their own talents to bring to the group. I am very glad I will get to
revisit them. The setting of the “plague village” of Eyam was interesting to
learn about and is perfect for a cozy setting. I was glad that Ms. Waller made
the police investigators as intelligent as the cozy sleuths. They were not
stupid or inept caricatures. The ending was only a partial surprise, but it was
very satisfying.
I am looking forward to reading the remainder of this Kat
and Mouse trilogy.
GONE IN THE NIGHT (Honor Bound #3) by Anna J. Stewart is the 5 STAR conclusion to the Honor Bound trilogy. This entire romantic suspense trilogy is a roller coaster ride that is packed with strong, but emotionally vulnerable heroes to swoon over and heroines that are wounded and yet at the top of their professions and know how to kick butt. Book three is the conclusion to the overall story-line arc that tied this trilogy together. I believe these books should be read in order.
Allie Hollister is a psychologist who is one of three friends who are all still haunted by the unsolved death of their childhood best friend, Chloe. The past seems to have invaded her present with the kidnapping of one of Allie’s patients, Holly Kellan, who is almost a twin to her friend who was killed 20 years earlier. As the friends work the abduction of Holly, it seems to mirror their cold case and the two cases start to converge.
Max Kellan was a firefighter who has moved to Sacramento to help with his niece, Holly as his brother goes through a contentious divorce. When the police, FBI and Allie appear on his brother’s doorstep, Max knows something is terribly wrong, but he also realizes he is not getting the whole truth from the law or Allie.
Max and Allie search for Holly and try to piece everything together from both the current kidnapping and the cold case with all the friends from the previous two books. Allie cannot believe the timing as she finally is starting to be attracted to Max. Max, for all his anger and mistrust of mental health doctors is only calm and focused with Allie around. These two come together in a slow burn that intensifies throughout the book, but will it last?
Allie projects a calm even cold analytical exterior that hides her fear and yet she can physically fight like a SEAL. Max is a ball of anger since what happened to make him leave firefighting. Yet the two of them find a way to get through to each other and the banter is light, fun and sexy, even in their stressful situation. I loved these two together, the friendship of all the women carried throughout all three books and the fast paced plots.
I highly recommend this trilogy! I will be looking for more Anna J. Stewart romantic suspense books in the future.
Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.com.
