Monthly Archives: March 2019

Taming the Troublemaker by Kadie Scott – a Review

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Taming the Troublemaker by Kadie Scott – a Review

 

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Description:
One daring kiss with the playboy tempts the good girl, but can she tame him? 

Autry Hill may be a cowboy to his boots, but he’s also gained quite the reputation as a charmer and playboy. His parents aren’t sure he’s ready to take the reins of the family’s prosperous Texas ranch, so they set up a challenge: No women or scandal for the next six months and the ranch house he grew up in is his. Easy peasy, Autry thinks. He’s already tired of late nights and romancing, until elementary school teacher Beth Cooper happens to cross his path. Suddenly Autry is losing his heart, his mind, and what’s left of his reputation. 

Good girl teacher Beth Cooper is far too practical to fall for Autry Hill, even if she had a crush on him way back when. The man’s been breaking hearts since middle school. But when he becomes her unexpected champion and then they work together to help one of Beth’s troubled students who’s about to lose everything, she sees a different side of Autry – serious, compassionate, determined and dedicated. And that Autry is nearly impossible to resist. Does she need to?

Saving the Sheriff
Resisting the Rancher 
Taming the Troublemaker 

 

 

Review:

Taming the Troublemaker by Kadie Scott is the 3rd book in her The Hills of Texas series.

I’ve read the other books in this series, but you don’t need to worry, as each one is a stand-alone, not an ongoing story. We do catch up with previous characters from the other two books, but it only adds to the story. 

Autry is ready to take the reins of the family ranch. But his family thinks he’s not ready, his playboy past hasn’t convinced them, but they plan to change his ways. They give him an ultimatum….. clean up your act, stay out of trouble for six months and ranch is yours. 

Easy ….. well …. it would be if it wasn’t for a series of meetings with a certain teacher. He’s never really noticed Beth much, her two sisters were always the Center of attention, but helping out at the local school Autry sees Beth in a different light….. but a deal is a deal, so Autry can’t act on his feelings, but surely a few kisses won’t hurt ? 

Beth loves her job, she’s a good teacher, but she has a problem …..well she has a problem child at school. She needs help, and that comes in the shape of her school crush Autry, (he never noticed the plain Jane, her two sisters were far prettier than she could ever be) community service sees him helping her, and together they help the kid. 

So will Autry break his no women for six months promise to his dad and lose the ranch, or will Beth be worth the risk ?  You will need to read this book to find out.

Reviewed by Julie B.

Copy supplied for review

 

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Smoky Mountains Ranger by Lena Diaz – a Review

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Smoky Mountains Ranger by Lena Diaz – a Review

 

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Description:
A dangerous mountain escape

Adam McKenzie’s protective instincts are on overdrive, but Jody Ingram is no helpless victim. She refuses to abandon the injured ranger who saved her life despite the mysterious gunmen hot on her trail. Adam must decide Jody is worth the risk to his life and his heart….

 

 

Review:

Smoky Mountains Ranger is the introductory novel in a new series, The Mighty McKenzies, by award-winning author, Lena Diaz. Jody is a young woman caught in a blackmail scheme and Adam is the law enforcement ranger whose intervention saves Jody, but uncovers a much more nefarious plot.

Adam stumbles upon Jody’s meet-and-greet-gone-horribly-wrong and his inadvertent involvement does little to improve the messy situation. Deciding Jody is in way over her head, “Tattoo Guy” has a gun on her, Adam overtakes the explosive situation and both are suddenly on the run from the thug!

In the chase, Tattoo Guy supplements his offense with a bevy of criminals and the secrets start spilling. Hiding, and still outwitting, the gang on their tail, Jody and Adam surmise that Jody’s boss has incriminating evidence against the motley crew and they won’t stop until Jody’s given up the goods.

Lena Diaz’s writing is solid as expected. In under 300 pages, she delivers the complete package. I was gripped by the mountain chase! The detailed scenes leave you in a panic; exhausted as if you’re scrambling alongside our heroes (or just hiding in wait was torturous!). I didn’t have the luxury of passing out from the pain like Adam — his/her stitch job was gruesome and imbedded itself quite graphically onto my brain. ?

I referred to an underlying, devious plot early on, and it’s unconscionable, but I don’t want to plant any seeds on that subplot, so let’s hype up the slow burn love story. Adam is more reticent about acting on their attraction because emotions are running high, people are dying and traumatizing memories are resurfacing, but Jody is a confident woman who isn’t afraid of intimacy. The connection intensifies, bemusedly, when they communicate; they listen without judgment. Oh, there is sexy indulgence, but their support and concern for each other stems from respect. And if that doesn’t depict forever kind of love…this isn’t your story. ?

The Mighty McKenzies is off to a great start. While his role may have been minimal, Adam’s brother, Duncan, a class act, will star in the next book. Since he was categorized as being “married to his job”, I think he’s primed for HEA. Make it so, Ms. Diaz!

Reviewed by Carmen

Copy supplied for review

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Play To Win (Wynn Hockey #1) by Kelly Jamieson-a review

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Play to Win (Wynn Hockey #1) by Kelly Jamieson-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 19, 2019

After an injury forced Théo Wynn to give up professional hockey, he turned to his second love: numbers. Now, as the general manager of his grandfather’s NHL team, the Los Angeles Condors, Théo is dying to prove to the rest of his family—especially the brother who betrayed him—that he’s just as successful as the rest of them. If only Théo had a gorgeous woman on his arm to complete the picture. . . .

Lacey Olson needs to get out of Las Vegas right now, thanks to her no-good, crooked brother. When a handsome stranger who’s out partying with friends comes to her rescue in the cocktail lounge where she works, they strike up a conversation that leads to a crazy plan: her leaving with Théo for L.A. tomorrow. A few drinks later, the idea gets even crazier: a quickie marriage that works for both of them.

But back in California, Lacey immediately turns Théo’s precise, well-ordered life into one big beach party. And before long, she’s tempting him with her smart mouth, sexy body, and sunny charm. The last thing Théo needs is a real relationship to distract him. Because he only plays to win. . . .

••••••••••••

REVIEW: PLAY TO WIN is the first instalment in Kelly Jamieson’s contemporary, adult WYNN HOCKEY erotic, hockey, romance series focusing on the Wynn family, owners and operators of the NHL’s California Condors, and the Long Beach Golden Eagles. This is twenty-eight year old, California Condors’ General Manager Theo Wynn, and twenty-four year old Lacey Olson’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Theo and Lacey) PLAY TO WIN follow the building relationship and marriage of convenience between twenty eight year old, California Condors’ GM Theo Wynn, and twenty-four year old Lacey Olson. Lacey’s brother Chris is in trouble; gambling debts that are now threatening Lacey’s life, threats that see our heroine fired on the night she meets Theo Wynn. Theo Wynn is about to embark on a new career in the NHL but one last night of partying finds our hero coming to the rescue of a woman who isn’t prepared for what happens next. Needing to make an impression upon his return home to California, Theo offers Lacey a ‘marriage of convenience’ in return for helping Lacey as her life spirals out of control. What ensues is the quick Vegas wedding, followed by a move to the coast wherein Lacey will come face to face with the dysfunctional Wynn family, and all of their crazy in-laws, out-laws, and philandering ways.

Theo Wynn has never recovered from his brother’s betrayal, a betrayal that cut deep into the family hold.Marrying Lacey gave Theo a ‘one-up’ on his brother, a brother who was once his best friend and more. Lacey Olson has struggled to make ends meet since the death of her beloved mother but Lacey never expected to find herself on the run, with a gorgeous husband but no promise of a happily ever after.

The relationship between Lacey and Theo is one of immediate attraction but threats to Lacey’s safety and life find Theo guardian and protect of the woman with whom he will fall in love. Theo doesn’t do relationships, not since the betrayal that destroyed his life, but meeting Lacey Olson meant the possibility of a future but a possibility that comes with issues of trust.The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and seductive without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to a large cast of very colorful secondary and supporting characters including Theo’s brother JP; his ex-girlfriend Emma; and Lacey’s embattled brother Chris.

PLAY TO WIN is a story about a dysfunctional family of hockey players, team owners, and their significant others. There is plenty of fun and drama; secrets and lies; history, affairs, marriages and divorce. The premise will captivate your attention; the characters are energetic; the romance is passionate and intense. The hockey premise is limited to behind the scenes as Theo Wynn struggles to rebuild the California Condors, a team owned by his grandfather but in direct competition with his father’s Long Beach Golden Eagles.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Boss by Katy Evans-a review

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BOSS by Katy Evans-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 1, 2019

Who does Kit Walker think he is? The trust-fund heir waltzes in and wants to boss me around, but if I catch him misbehaving, his father will yank his inheritance. Stalemate, right? Not when our chemistry is irresistible! Ironically, we run the top dating app. Could this be my “perfect match”…or the perfect scandal?
—Alexandra, the one in charge

•••••••••

REVIEW: BOSS by Katy Evans is a contemporary, adult, stand alone , erotic romance storyline focusing on twenty-seven year old heir Kit Walker, and twenty-four year old, Cupid’s Arrow dating app team leader Alexandra Croft.

Told from first person perspective (Alexandra Croft) BOSS follows in the wake of new leadership at Cupid’s Arrow Dating App IT firm when owner and CEO Alastair Walker hands over the reigns to his prodigal son Kit Walker. A party boy and playboy, Kit knows nothing about the business but when Alexandra Croft is assigned to watch over and guide the new entrepreneur, sparks fly and things said in anger and a need to prove who’s in control, push everyone’s proverbial buttons. What ensues is the forbidden relationship and office romance between Kit and Alexandra, and the fall-out as office gossip and jealousy find our heroine on the outside looking in.

The relationship between Kit and Alexandra is one of immediate attraction but an attraction tempered by a shift in power, hurt feelings, and a need to prove one’s worthiness and power. Private dinners and business meetings lead to something more that will eventually reveal someone else is willing to push Alexandra and Kit, out of their jobs. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to CEO Alastair Walker, and his son William; design team members Ellie Mason, Tim, Angela, and head of the tech department Ben.

BOSS is a story of forbidden romance, of power, of control, of betrayal and redemption. The premise is engaging; the romance is captivating; the characters are sassy, energetic and bold.

Own a copy

Reviewed by Sandy

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Risky Play (Red Card #1) by Rachel Van Dyken-Review, Guest Post, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

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RISKY PLAY (Red Card #1) by Rachel Van Dyken-Review, Guest Post, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

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About the book: Release Date March 19, 2019

What else can a virgin do when she’s ditched at the altar? Seattle heiress Mackenzie Dupont is treating herself to a single-girl honeymoon in Mexico and a desire to relinquish her innocence to a gorgeous one-night stand. Fake names. True pleasure. But when she wakes up alone, Mackenzie realizes just how much anger is left in her broken heart.

Suffering a tragic personal loss, pro soccer player Slade Rodriguez has his reasons for vanishing without a goodbye. Right or wrong, he’s blaming the beautiful and infuriating stranger he never wants to see again. They’re both in for a shock when Mackenzie shows up as his new personal assistant. And they both have a lot to learn about each other. Because they share more than they could possibly know, including a common enemy who’s playing his own games. And he’s not afraid to get dirty.

Now there’s only one way Mackenzie and Slade can win: to trust in each other and to stop hiding from the lies they’ve told, the secrets they’ve kept, the mistakes they’ve made, and the attraction that still burns between them.

•••••••••••••

REVIEW: RISKY PLAY is the first instalment in Rachel Van Dyken’s contemporary, adult RED CARD sports, romance series. This is thirty-year olds, professional soccer player Slade Rodriguez, and heiress / sommelier Mackenzie Dupont’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Mackenzie and Slade) RISKY PLAY follows the building but contemptuous relationship between thirty-year olds, professional soccer player Slade Rodriguez, and heiress Mackenzie Dupont. Growing up as part of the Dupont Wine Dynasty didn’t protect Mackenzie from humiliation when her fiancé walked away, leaving a heart broken Mackenzie to pick up the pieces of her life. Needing time away, six months later, Mackenze went on her honeymoon alone, only to meet the man with whom she would fall in love but a man who, hit it and quit it, their first night together. Enter professional soccer player Slade Rodriguez. What ensues is the building but acrimonious relationship between Slade Rodriguez, and the potential fall-out as both Slade and Mackenzie’s pasts are determined to destroy our leading couple.

Mackenzie Dupont worked side by side with the man she was going to marry but when her father refused to let the man go, Mackenzie went in search of other employment only to come face to face with her one-night stand. Slade Rodriguez’ life fell apart while on vacation in Puerto Vallarta but blaming the woman with whom he would fall in love would cause all kinds of problems for our story line heroine.

The relationship between Mackenzie and Slade begins as a vacation affair that quickly turns into a one-night stand. Waking up alone, Mackenzie struggled with what happened and why. Slade Rodriguez’ call from home found our hero destroying what little self-esteem Mackenzie had left when he vanished in the night without explanation or good bye. The $ex scenes are passionate and intimate, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to a colorful and energetic cast of secondary and supporting characters including high-profile sports agent Matt Kingston; Slade’s on and off the field nemesis Jagger Kozlov, as well as Mackenzie’s mother and father, and Mackenzie’s ex-fiance Alton Davis.

RISKY PLAY is a story of family, friendship, betrayal, power and control. The character driven premise is fast paced with a little bit of fun, snark, heart break and romance. The characters are charismatic and animated; the romance is sweet, sassy and seductive. I did have to question the number of times our heroine had tears in her eyes, wet cheeks, or was about to cry- she should have been dehydrated by the end of the story; and thirty year old virgins are only found in romance story lines 😉

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Why Sports Heroes Make the Best Book Boyfriends by Rachel Van Dyken

Hey everyone! I’m Rachel Van Dyken, author of over eighty (holy crap) books in multiple genres, one of my favorites being, sports romance! My latest book, Risky Play, is about two broken main characters who find themselves on a last minute holiday to Puerto Vallarta.

Pro Soccer player Slade Rodriguez is trying to lay low after finding out his girlfriend and his ex teammate hooked up behind his back, for over a year. Licking his wounds he changes teams and moves to Seattle, but isn’t ready to settle down yet. Needing time to himself, he gets on the first jet out. He sits next to Mackenzie Dupont on a plane and is immediately intrigued, especially since a few hours into the plane ride, they have single engine failure. She asks him what one thing he would do different. And they kiss. Once the plane safely lands, to protect his own identity, he gives her a fake name, Hugo. What he doesn’t realize is she’s famous in her own right, so she does the same thing. After all, she’s running away from a broken engagement. What follows is a whole lot of steaminess and taking chances with a complete stranger assuming that it’s just that, a one night stand, a two night stand. Whatever it is, Mackenzie’s obsessed with “Hugo’s” intense golden gaze, the eight pack helps, and the fact that he seems genuinely interested in everything she says. He promises the universe he’s going to keep her, but sometimes the universe is against us. Tragedy strikes and they go their separate ways only to meet again in Seattle, this time, sparks fly and not the good kind The “I want to kiss you, then strangle you, then kiss you again” kind.

I love writing sports romances because I think it adds this extra layer of pressure from the press to act a certain way. Not only does Slade have to deal with paparazzi but he has pressure to perform, to lead his team to the championships after training with another team. I think it brings in so many details from behind the scenes that we never think about when watching sports on TV. I’m fully dedicated to interviewing real athletes (and my last sports romance I interviewed NFL players). This time I wanted to focus on a sport that isn’t as huge here as it is internationally and really do it justice. These athletes eat, sleep, and breathe their sport, there isn’t a lot of time for a personal life and if you do have one, the balance is always going to be a struggle (not to mention the fact that Slade is still mourning). In this book, I wanted to introduce a really strong female character that wouldn’t let Slade project all those feelings and basically Mackenzie is the type of girl that doesn’t put up with his crap. I think it’s important to have strong female characters that women can look up to. I love that during the entire journey my heroine doesn’t give up. She knows her worth and demands that Slade recognize it too.

All in all it was such a fun book to write, I can’t wait for everyone to read it!

 

I was kissing her again.

Maybe it was because it had been months since I’d had a decent kiss, since I’d jumped into the arms of anyone who didn’t know me by name.

I could be Hugo for a few days.

Hugo seemed spontaneous.

Hugo seemed relaxed.

Hugo seemed fun.

I sure as hell needed some fun.

I broke away from her kiss and trailed my fingertips down her chin. “So, now that we’ve established the plane didn’t crash and we’re here side by side, what did you have in mind?”

Ashley grinned up at me, her eyes a bit hesitant as she looked from me to the ocean. “Well, I’ve never gone cliff diving, I heard there’s a great place close by.”

My eyebrows shot up. “No offense, but you don’t seem like a thrill seeker.”

She laughed. I decided I liked the way her laugh relaxed me, made me respond with a smile and a need to kiss her again. “I’m not, trust me.” She sobered a bit. Her lips turned down.

I wanted nothing more than to press a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth just to see if it would it make it decide to smile in my direction again.

“But it would be fun, I need fun.”

I sighed heavily and looked at my feet. When the hell had I ever looked away like that? “That makes both of us.”

“Great!” She walked ahead of me into her penthouse suite, which matched mine even in color. I suddenly wondered what she did for a living. I mean I could afford it because I had been the highest paid soccer star in Europe for the last ten years.

The place was around three grand a day.

I eyed the large master suite as she ran around and then held up her hand. “One sec, I’m going to change into a suit, alright?”

“Great.” I smiled reassuringly. It would give me time to look around, not that I was stalking her, but I could never be too careful. I was still surprised she didn’t recognize me. And I knew when she did, this little facade, this freedom I felt in my chest, the easy way she let me breathe around her? It would go to hell, and I’d need another escape.

I thumbed through a few of the magazines on the table, and dropped the last one down just in time to hear the sliding bathroom door open and see a goddess emerge.

A one-piece swimsuit covered her body. It had a plunging neckline that showed off two generously sized breasts, and I immediately regretted not telling her who I was.

Because clothing tended to get pulled off, not put on, when I was in the room.

I eyed the scrap of material she called a swimsuit, my eyes raking over her muscular legs, her curvy body.

“Unless you’re jumping naked, you should change too,” she pointed out, then cleared her throat and looked away like she was insecure. Damn, the woman could make a man cut his own heart out for a taste of her special brand of sin.

I peeled my shirt off over my body and shrugged. “Ready.”

Her eyes went so wide I had to fight not to laugh.

I knew what she saw.

I had Instagram pages dedicated to my eyes alone, don’t even get me started on my abs.

Eight.

Tight, packed abs, all tanned and golden like I was the sun god himself.

“Uh, right.” Her cheeks brightened as she clasped her hands together. “Let’s go!”

I checked her out the entire time she walked ahead of me, and when she caught me staring I just shrugged and said, “Next time wear more clothes if you don’t want me to look.”

“You should talk,” she fired back.

“Misunderstanding.” I grinned. “I wanted you to look.”

She slapped a hand against my bare chest.

I laughed, and then grabbed her hand and kissed her fingertips. “You ready to jump off a cliff with a stranger you’ve kissed twice?”

“Once,” she corrected with a whisper. “I kissed you, you kissed me, we’re even.”

The doors to the elevator opened as I whispered under my breath. “Not for long.”


 

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Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

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A Phoenix is Forever (Phoenix Brothers #3) by Ashlyn Chase-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

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A Phoenix is Forever (Phoenix Brothers #3) by Ashlyn Chase-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / Chapters Indigo / Google Play / Walmart / Indiebound /Apple

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 26, 2019.

She didn’t see this hot cop coming.

Dawn Forrest is ready for a big change. She’s determined to put her criminal past behind her and only use her extraordinary psychic abilities for good from now on.

Luca Fierro is a Phoenix shifter and rookie cop with something to prove. The last person he should tangle with is a newly reformed bad girl, especially one as irresistible as Dawn. But he needs her help to find a missing child, and every minute counts. This case is going to put their skills to the test and force them to keep their sizzling attraction at bay…

•••••••••

REVIEW: Although in a series, you don’t need to read the others (but there are characters from the previous books)

Luca is a Phoenix shifter, all of his family are, but unlike his brothers (they work for the fire department) Luca is a police officer. And after a bad day at work, he phones his girlfriend for a little sympathy, but he gets more than he bargained for ……

Dawn can’t quite shake her bad girl image, she does t want to go back to gang life, she wants only to help people now. Being a psychic isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but wanting to help seems now to be her calling.

Luca and Dawn meet at a fountain, he spots her about to faint, catching her before she falls, she tells him that he will be covered in blood soon, and that he needs to be careful.

From there it’s a race against time to find a missing child (it’s a case Luca isn’t working on, but that doesn’t stop him) Luca and Dawn work really well together, and fighting a growing attraction between them.

The interaction between Dawn and her grandmother was fun to read, and between the Phoenix brothers was a laugh a minute.

Will they find the little girl before it’s too late?

You’ll need to read to find out…..

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Julie B ?

She stepped outside and spotted Luca waving from his car. She strode to it briskly and got in.
“Thanks for meeting me. I need your help.”
“With what?”
“A missing child. You can’t tell anyone else, or it could mess up the investigation.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh no. A missing kid? That’s awful. Boy or girl? How old?”
“A four-­year-­old girl, and there are no leads. We’re trying to find her quickly, before anything worse happens. You can’t tell anyone.”
“I wouldn’t know who to tell, except maybe the cops. But—­oh wait, here you are.”
He smiled at her joke.
“Do you have anything that belongs to her?” Dawn asked.
“No. The detectives would have that stuff. But I’m afraid they won’t consult a psychic.”
“Yeah, I doubt that too, but I need something to go on. Just some way to latch onto her energy.” And, hopefully, see out of her eyes.
“Would it help if you saw her home from the outside?”
“Maybe. Do you know where she lives?”
“She’s actually sort of a neighbor. Her place is around the corner from where I live, but I don’t know the family well.”
“Take me there.”
“This may be tricky. I can’t be seen at or near the house. It might look like I’m interfering with someone else’s investigation.”
“Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing?”
“When you consider the first priority is preserving life, I don’t really have a choice. I just have to be careful not to compromise the case. If someone took her and procedure isn’t followed, no matter how guilty he is, the perp could walk away unpunished. That’s the last thing anyone wants. For someone like that to be free to do it again would be a crime in itself.”
“I get it.” Dawn understood what he was saying, and she even knew some people who had gotten off on a technicality—­Ice Spider, for one—­but it seemed cumbersome to follow procedure when a child’s life was at stake.
Luca drove her to his house and gave her the Richardsons’ address around the corner. Dawn couldn’t help but stare at the outside of Luca’s home. The neighborhood was definitely upscale and a far cry from her run-­down area. The four-­story brick building had beautiful wrought iron railings and sconces on either side of the large front door. Clearly, his parents had done well. Or they’d inherited a fortune.
“Remember, don’t look conspicuous,” Luca said as Dawn got out of the car. “The forensics team could still be there gathering evidence.”
Dawn nodded and tucked some loose wisps of her punk pixie hair behind her ears. Not that that would make a difference. They had decided while she was doing her psychic thing outside the missing girl’s house, Luca would change and meet up with her at the Starbucks two blocks away in about half an hour. Dawn had no idea how long it would take, but half an hour would be plenty of time for her to try to get some vibes about the little girl.
—
Luca was tired, but he imagined the detectives on this case weren’t getting much sleep either. Dawn had said she needed something that belonged to the girl. Maybe he could transform again early tomorrow morning after his shift, search for an open window, and fly in to grab something from the girl’s room. The Richardson family had been renting the upstairs apartment of the old Bixby home. The owners had passed away a few years back, and their kids had turned the massive house into three separate apartments. Smart move.
Even though Luca’s dad had inherited their brownstone from his grandfather, who’d inherited it from his great-­grandfather, Antonio complained that the taxes were like paying a mortgage that never ended. Phoenixes could live to be five hundred years old but not in the same place. People got suspicious eventually, so after a good number of years, the house was passed on to the next generation.
Luca hoped Dawn could glean something from the facade of the residence itself—­also without attracting attention. Chances were the detectives had gathered many of the little girl’s things, but if he could fly in and grab a T-­shirt or a toy that could be helpful to Dawn, he’d have to be careful not to be seen. A bird flying around with a stuffed animal in its beak would look pretty weird. Besides, the detectives probably took her favorite toys and recently worn clothing for the K-­9 unit to sniff.
Luca wished he could share his shape-­shifting ability with Dawn. She’d probably understand, right? One weirdo to another. But the stakes were too high. He’d never even told Lisa about it. Now, he was glad he hadn’t. Her father would probably have him committed to the state hospital.
He jogged up the steps to his home and let himself in.
“Luca! I was getting worried,” his mother greeted him. “How was your night, honey?”
“Good, Ma, but I’m on my way out again. I just have to change clothes.”
Gabriella leaned back and studied his face. “So soon? Aren’t you exhausted?”
“Not really. I got a second wind.”
She tipped her head. “Well, I hope you get some rest before you get the wind knocked out of you.”
“I will.” Despite wanting to protest her fretfulness, he kissed her cheek. Then he jogged downstairs to his bedroom in the finished basement.

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Ashlyn Chase has been a registered nurse for 20 years. During those years, she wrote articles for professional journals and a thesis, but eventually, thank goodness, discovered the joy and freedom of writing fiction.

Ashlyn considers herself lucky. Her degree in behavioral sciences is a combination of psychology and sociology, so she has worked with and studied people most of her life. She never has to write out exhaustive character sketches to understand her characters or predict how they will behave. That doesn’t mean they don’t surprise her. Sometimes they take her on grand unexpected journeys. For her, it gives “character driven novels” a whole new meaning.

Ashlyn has learned to go with the flow. To enjoy the journey is not only one of her writing goals, but also a challenge in life so she tries to follow where the story takes her. As such, she has lived in 17 different places over the years. At last, she’s all settled down and comfy in New England.

Is there a grand design or do we decide our own fates? Perhaps if the powers-that-be have a plot, then they also give us the right to revise it. Ashlyn has certainly made detours on her path, but she thinks she’s better for it. She’s having fun at any rate and hopes that if she enjoys the journey, so will those around her—including her readers.

Visit her online at https://www.ashlynchase.com/

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Forever Wolf and The Legend of All Wolves Series 1-3 by Maria Vale-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

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Forever Wolf and The Legend of All Wolves Series 1-3 by Marie Vale-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway  Tour

FOREVER WOLF
(The Legend of All Wolves #3)
by Maria Vale
Release Date: March 26, 2019
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal, romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / Chapters Indigo /Apple / BAM / Indiebound

ABOUT THE BOOK: Born with one blue eye and one green, Eyulf was abandoned as an infant and has never understood why, or what he is…Varya is fiercely loyal to the Great North Pack, which took her in when she was a teenager. While out on patrol, Varya finds Eyulf wounded and starving and saves his life, at great risk to her own.

Legend says his eyes portend the end of the world…or perhaps, the beginning…

With old and new enemies threatening the Great North, Varya knows as soon as she sees his eyes that she must keep Eyulf hidden away from the superstitious wolves who would doom them both. Until the day they must fight to the death for the Pack’s survival, side by side and heart to heart…

The Legend of All Wolves Series:
The Last Wolf (Book 1)
A Wolf Apart (Book 2)
Forever Wolf (Book 3)

•••••••••••••

REVIEW:  I think you need to read, in order, the other books in the series, but saying that, I don’t think it detracts from a really good read.

It’s a very different read from the usual shifter books I’ve read. The wolves are human, but most live as a wolf, they think as wolves, their hierarchy is very different from what I’ve read.

Varya is very disconnected from the pack, everything she does is a duty, she is extremely loyal, and there is nothing she won’t do as a “shielder” (a guardian or enforcer) this isn’t her original pack, she moved to this group as a teenager, so is that why she doesn’t connect with anyone ?

Whilst on patrol, Varya finds an injured wolf, now by rights she should have killed it, or at least inform her pack, but there is something about this white wolf that calls to her, it’s stirred up emotions that Varya didn’t realise she had.

Eyulf is different from the other wolves, his eyes give him away, one is blue, the other is green, he carries a heavy prophecy on his shoulders, he could start the end of the world, but he could also save it.

There are many characters from the previous books that we catch up with. And how Varya interacts with them all is very interesting. Most of the book is told from her POV (her point of view) and although not my favourite thing to read, it does give you an insight into Varya and her emotions (or lack of)

So what does the future have for Varya and Eyulf ? In fact, what does the future hold for the pack and the world?

Copy supplied by the publisher

? Reviewed by Julie B

_________________

The Last Wolf
The Legend of All Wolves #1
by Maria Vale
Release Date: February 6, 2018
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal, romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK:  For three days out of thirty, when the moon is full and her law is iron, the Great North Pack must be wild….

If she returns to her Pack, the stranger will die.
But if she stays…
Silver Nilsdottir is at the bottom of her Pack’s social order, with little chance for a decent mate and a better life. Until the day a stranger stumbles into their territory, wounded and beaten, and Silver decides to risk everything on Tiberius Leveraux. But Tiberius isn’t all he seems, and in the fragile balance of the Pack and wild, he may tip the destiny of all wolves…

••••••••••••

REVIEW: At the start of trilogy a series.

This isn’t a typical shifter book, the author has gone for a different spin. These are wolves that change into humans, most don’t like to be humans for long. They aren’t comfortable in the human skin, nor the surroundings of being trapped in a human body, they prefer the hierarchy that the wolf pack brings them. To a wolf, it’s all about the pack, and feelings don’t usually come into it. So romance isn’t really high on their list of things that is important. They mate, not necessarily for love, it’s more of an alliance between packs or for the good of the pack.

Silver isn’t a typical wolf shifter, she has a disability, but it doesn’t stop her, in fact I think it’s made her more determined. She knows she won’t get a chance at getting a mate, the best she can hope for is being a “servant” to the alpha pair.
She is strong willed and will speak her mind when warranted.

She doesn’t really get noticed, but all that changes when she meets Tiberius…..

Tiberius beaten and wounded badly, stumbles into the Great North pack’s territory.

He spends most of his time in human form (living with an abusive parent, he suppresses that side of himself). But the pack of wolves won’t be as understanding as the single she wolf who found him. They don’t accept the wolves who live a human life.

As I said before, the romance isn’t a big thing in this book, it does focus on how they feel, and reading how Silver thinks and feels about Tiberius, it really gives us a different opinion.

It does make it hard to keep reading, but if you forget about the other shifter books you’ve read, and read it for what the book is trying to tell you, then it’s a really good read.

We start in the past, and how the Pack was created.

We learn about pack through Silver’s eyes, and the love she has for her pack. But we also learn that Silver wants a life and a mate of her own.

Copy supplied by the publisher

Reviewed by Julie B ?

_______________

A Wolf Apart
The Legend of All Wolves #2
by Maria Vale
Release Date: July 31, 2018
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal, romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK:  Can a human truly make room in her heart for the Wild?

Thea Villalobos has long since given up trying to be what others expect of her. So in Elijah Sorensson she can see through the man of the world to a man who is passionate to the point of heartbreak. But something inside him is dying…

Elijah Sorensson has all kinds of outward success: bespoke suits, designer New York City apartment, women clamoring for his attention. Except Elijah despises the human life he’s forced to endure. He’s Alpha of his generation of the Great North Pack, and the wolf inside him will no longer be restrained…

••••••••

REVIEW: Elijah is a success in the human world, women, apartments and money. It’s all his, on a plate for him, but he hates the human world. It’s a facade he can’t continue for much longer, but he has to, his pack rely on him. But it’s killing him slowly.

We see this story through Elijah’s eyes. His loyalty and duty to the pack is evident in his sacrifice. He longs to be free, he longs for the pack life.

The levels in the pack hierarchy is very insightful. The stories are so different from what I’ve read before. These wolves live and breathe pack life. They shift into their “human skins” only when necessary.
The structure is different in these books. There are alphas for each age group(called an echelon), and they in turn answer to an alpha pair.

Thea is human, she doesn’t live like other people. She doesn’t suffer fools, she speaks her mind, so she is an ideal mate for Elijah, but wolves don’t mate humans, so if he takes her back to the pack, this could spell trouble for the couple. She makes him feel alive, as only being in his wolf form could bring him.

So, will they be allowed to stay together? Will Elijah sacrifice his happiness with Thea? Will he choose pack over his own happiness?

I guess your going to have to read the book to find out ?

Copy supplied by the publisher

Reviewed by Julie B ?

I focus on the still-pink circlet of scars around his leg, pulling the scar tissue gently apart with two fingers to see how elastic it is. Then I push down, softly at first, and gradually harder. If it starts to swell or bruise, the change will tear apart the underlying network of blood vessels.
He jerks.
“That’s a bad sign.” “What?”
“Well, it shouldn’t hurt that much.” “Doesn’t,” he says.
“This is not the time to hide what you’re feeling. If you change before you’re fully healed, you will tear yourself open again. I know what I’m doing.”
He leans forward, his arms draped between his legs. “I’m not sure you do.”
Ah. The towel that was barely adequate before is simply laughable now that it is also responsible for covering a thickly engorged cock.
I look up, up, up to his eyes. They’ve changed, darkened. They are no longer the pale blue of old ice and bright variegated green of forest depths, but the deep blue of late evening and the dark green of rain- drenched fir. His white hair loops forward and then falls over his shoulder. A sharp, green muskiness like rubbed coriander bothers my nose with something warm and dangerous.
I jump away, like a skittish fawn.
“I don’t think it’ll open up. Remember, your trigger is here.” I point without touching toward the place I’d found before. “It’s inside, not outside, so you need to tighten those muscles. But take your shirt off first.”
“Okay,” he says, pulling off his shirt. “Why?” “Because if by some miracle you get it right, I’ll have to cut you out of it, and we don’t have that many changes of clothes.”
Turning away, I smooth the T-shirt still warm from his body against my chest. Philadelphia Frostbite Regatta, it says. When I glance back, his eyes are closed and a tremor roils through the cut muscles. Parts of him around his pelvis that don’t look like they could tighten any more ripple.
Sitting down on a dry trunk, I stare at the lower slopes of Norþdæl, blanketed with wine and gray and dark gold, dotted with dark-green evergreens and occasional skeletal fingers of white birch.
“How are you doing over there?”
“Working on it.” He coughs a handful of fake coughs, trying, I suppose, to reproduce whatever caused that earlier change.
“Hey?” he says.
“Yes?”
“I’m going to be able to change back, right?”
“Of course. Once you learn what your trigger is, you’ll never forget it.”
“Like riding a bike.”
I scratch my ear. “It’s nothing like riding a bike. You’re changing into a wolf. Wolves don’t ride bikes.”
“It’s a… That’s not what I… Never mind.”
A squirrel squats on his hind legs, eyeing me from a distance. At this moment, from this angle, the daylight moon forms a curved crown above his head. “Except… you do know not to change before the Iron Moon, right?”
“Why?”
The squirrel’s whiskered nose twitches, worriedly. “Because the Iron Moon takes us as she finds us and makes us wilder. If she finds us in skin, she makes us wild. But if she finds us wild, she makes us æcewulfs. Real wolves. Forever wolves.”
“And you don’t change back?”
“That’s why they’re called forever wolves.”
He stares down at his feet, clenching and stretching his toes, as though confirming that for now at least, he still looks human. “Is it like when you’re a wolf, but you still know who you are? You still remember everything?”
“Nobody knows what they remember or don’t, but they’re definitely not the same. They’re not Pack any- more.” Over my shoulder, I see the panic on his face, his hand clinging to the little towel, like the last vestiges of his humanity.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let that happen to you,” I say. His eyes consider mine for a moment. I nod at him, and he starts again, pressing harder, moving, clenching, roiling, undulating.
The squirrel takes advantage of my distraction and bolts up a nearby tree. High up, he hangs, head down, legs splayed, and chitters at me for invading his territory.
“Varya!”
I leap at Eyulf’s strangled cry, just managing to catch him as he pitches forward, his feet narrowing, arch elongating, calf muscle tightening.
How did I forget to tell him to lie down?
I stagger to the ground, his body writhing in my arms. His green eye searches blindly, his grotesque mouth mangles a groan before going silent. The towel drops away from his narrowing hips and his clutching fingers. My hair falls forward over him.
Astille, wulf. Þu eart gesund mid me.
Hush, wolf, you are safe with me.
My hands run over his skin, like water.


 

A logophile and bibliovore and worrier about the world, Vale lives in New York with her husband, two sons and a long line of dead plants. No one will let her have a pet.

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Bennett Mafia by Tijan-a review

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BENNETT MAFIA by Tijan-a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au / B&N /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 4, 2019

There were always whispers about my roommate at Hillcrest Academy.

The wealthiest of the wealthy sent their kids to our boarding school, and Brooke Bennett had been at the top, though I never quite knew why. She was fun and outgoing, but she kept quiet about her family. The only things she showed me were photographs of her brothers.

I became fascinated with her second-oldest brother. Kai Bennett.

He was the most of them all. Smoldering. Hypnotic. Alluring.
Kai had eyes that pulled me in and a face that haunted my dreams.

Then I met him.

He came to our school with their father, and that’s when I learned what kind of family Brooke came from. They were mafia, and Brooke’s oldest brother was dead. Her father said accident, but Brooke said murder.

Three months later, her father died, and Kai became the head of the Bennett Family. Brooke left Hillcrest for good, and that was the last time I saw her.

Fourteen years later, I’m staring at her face on the television. Brooke is missing.

Two days later, Kai Bennett kidnaps me.

••••••••

REVIEW:  BENNETT MAFIA by Tijan is a contemporary, adult, stand alone, Mafia romance story line focusing on the head of the Bennett family Kai Bennett, and Riley Bello.

NOTE: BENNETT MAFIA contains graphic scenes of violence and murder, that may not be suitable for more sensitive readers.

Told from first person point of view (Riley Bello) BENNETT MAFIA follows twenty six year old Riley Bello as she navigates the world that has become her life. Fourteen years earlier she would befriend her boarding school roommate and Mafia princess Brooke Bennett only to lose the only friend she would ever love when Brooke’s world imploded leaving Riley to fend for herself. Fast forward to present day wherein Riley works undercover for an organization that helps women and children escape the violence that has become their lives. When Brooke Bennett goes missing, Riley will come face to face with her future-Mafia boss and head of the Bennett Family- Kai Bennett, and the man with whom she would fall in love. What ensues is the acrimonious and contemptuous relationship between Kai and Riley, and the fall-out as Kai pushes Riley out of his life.

BENNETT MAFIA is a story about the rich and powerful; the dark and dangerous; the damaged and controlled. Riley knows what it is like to lose the people you love but struggles in the face of her attraction to a man she knows could destroy her in the blink of an eye. Kai Bennett is the hardened head of the Bennett family and refuses to acknowledge his feelings for the woman who was once his sister’s best friend. Desperate to uncover Brooke’s whereabouts Kai kidnaps our story line heroine in an attempt to protect the sister he loves from a future of which she is not prepared.

The relationship between Kai and Riley is fraught with animosity, malevolence, prejudice and hostility. Riley has become a virtual prisoner of a man she believes is a cold, blooded killer, a man with whom she will pledge her love only to discover that she was part of a larger plan. Kai Bennett has lusted after his sister’s best friend for as long as he can remember but pulling Riley into the Bennett lifestyle means placing the woman he loves in the direct line of fire. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Kai’s siblings: Brooke, Jonah and Tanner, as well as numerous guards and security, and several members of other crime families associated with the Bennett Mafia ; Riley’s fellow 411 Chapter members and friends Blade and Carol, as well as Riley’s father Bruce Bello. I am hoping the author has plans for future stories with Brooke, Johan and Tanner.

BENNETT MAFIA is first and foremost a story about family; about power; about betrayal and control. The premise is raw and gritty; the characters are animated and energetic; the romance is impassioned, complex and heart breaking.

Own a copy

Reviewed by Sandy

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