Monthly Archives: January 2021

The Worst Duke in the World by Lisa Berne-a review

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The Worst Duke in the World (Penhallow Dynasty 5) by Lisa Berne-a review

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

ABOUT THE BOOK:Release Date January 12, 2021

A wayward duke must choose: will he be the bad hero in a love story gone awry, or the brave and clever hero who risks everything for true love?

The acclaimed Penhallow Dynasty series continues in this fresh, fun, funny tale!

Life’s no bowl of cherries for Anthony Farr, the Duke of Radcliffe. Duty demands he remarry to provide a spare to go along with the heir — and eligible ladies keep trying to finagle him into a proposal. All he wants is to be a good father to his 8-year-old son, see the Duchess (his truly terrific pig) win first prize at the harvest fête, and stay single. Even if that makes him a Bad Duke. Maybe the Worst Duke in the World.

Then Miss Jane Kent, a long-lost relation of the illustrious Penhallow family, arrives in the neighborhood and is promptly befriended by the Duke’s son. Jane, Anthony comes to realize, is smart and fun and also very kissable and dazzlingly desirable. Still, that’s not enough to melt his resistance to marrying again. He made a stern promise to himself, and promises must, of course, be kept.

But what if that’s just his head talking, and his heart… is saying something entirely different?

••••••

REVIEW:The Worst Duke in the World is a lovely historical romance written in the 1817 period. The romance is thrilling, but light and more innocent and stumbling at first. I, personally, won’t do spoilers and tell readers all about the book. I’ll just give you the basic set up and tell you what I found delightful about this novel.

Anthony Farr is the Duke of Radcliffe. He was the second son and was not particularly wanting the title. His brother passed away in an accident. When he became twenty-one, his father betrothed him to the woman who was betrothed to his brother, Selina. They hated each other and only had sex to create an heir. Anthony was miserable in this marriage, except for the birth of Wakefield, his son. When Selina died a few years later, he felt free and intended never to marry again. His sister Margaret was married to Selina’s brother, but he also died early. She was put out of her husband’s house by the son of his previous marriage and went to live at Hastings with Anthony. She pretty much tries to run the household and tries incredibly hard to marry him off again.

Jane Kent is a kind but poverty-stricken woman who has found a letter in her grandmother’s trunks and has come to Surmont Hall to see if there is any truth to the letter. This gives quite a twist to this story. While waiting to be received, the older Penhallow woman is talking with her son, and comes upon Jane. After looking at her she says “Titus” and almost faints. (No, I’m tempted, but I won’t spoil it!)

Jane meets Anthony as he visits with Gabriel Penhallow, Mrs. Penhallow’s second son. Then she meets his son Wakefield while taking lessons in everything with the vicar, Mr. Pressley. She and Wakefield become instant friends and I fell instantly in love with the effervescent Wakefield. When Wakefield invites Jane over for a visit, the fireworks start for real.

That’s the setup! My favorite character in this intriguing novel is Wakefield. The others are quite well done as well, however, Wakefield has my heart! He’s about eight and the most wonderful little scamp I’ve encountered. Well done, to author Lisa Berne. The building romance is wonderful, but the fears of the horrible marriage he had keep Anthony from being able to try again, or at least for now. Jane grows attached to both Anthony and Wakefield. Anthony is in love, but not being as brilliant as Wakefield, it takes him longer to realize it. My advice is to grab a good glass of your favorite beverage and cuddle in for an excellent read!

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Georgianna S

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New Jersey Noir: Cape May by William Baer-review & excerpt

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New Jersey Noir: Cape May (Jack Colt Murder Mystery 2) by William Baer-review & excerpt

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ABOUT THE BOOK: ReleAse Date January 15, 2021

After solving the assassination case of his beloved uncle, Colt finds himself truly alone, ditched by his girlfriend. However, there’s not much respite or time for introspection for him: he’s called on again to solve a new murder case, along with a suspiciously related cold case. What follows is another gripping tale in the backdrop of the Garden State’s sights and scenes, including its picturesque beaches, casinos, and the rural Pine Barrens. In New Jersey Noir: Cape May—Book Two of his Jack Colt Murder Mystery Novels series—William Baer continues to enchant and spellbind.

•••••••

REVIEW:NEW JERSEY NOIR: CAPE MAY is the second instalment in William Baer’s contemporary, adult JACK COLT MURDER MYSTERY series focusing on thirty-two year old, New Jersey private investigator and descendant of the inventor of the Colt revolver Jack Colt.

Told from several first person perspectives including Jack Colt, NEW JERSEY NOIR: CAPE MAY fast forwards the series but a few weeks wherein we find our hero Jack Colt approached by Cape May, New Jersey Judge Richard O’Brien, a fifty-something single father, regarding a cold case involving the murder of his seventeen year old, daughter Nikki, one half of twin sisters Nikki and Rikki, ten years earlier. Days earlier, the judge hired private investigator, Edward Colt (no relation), but the man was murdered the night before, leaving instructions and money (along with a list of suspects) to contact our story line hero. With the help of his late uncle’s receptionist, Mrs. Doris Solerno aka Nonna, aka best friend and Detective Luca Solerno’s grandmother, Jack Colt begins an investigation into both murders (present and past), only to discover that long buried secrets are not as buried or secret as once thought, and everyone is suspect until proven wrong.

William Baer pulls the reader into a captivating, thought provoking, and multi-layered story of jealousy and rivalry, resentment and hatred; adultery, friendship and love. Jack Colt traverses a world of murder and obsession, betrayal and vengeance in an effort to find a killer who has now targeted our story line hero, and the woman who has opted to go along for the ride.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review on book one NEW JERSEY NOIR

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

My daughter was murdered ten years ago. She was seventeen at the time.”
“Tell me about it.”
“She was out with some friends, vanished for a day, then someone saw her car driving across the beach into the ocean near the Cove Beach jetty. They found her dead in the trunk of the car.”
I remembered it. Some of it. It got a lot of press.
Naturally, the water and the trunk made me think of The Killing. That “Who Killed Rosie Larson?” television series that I’d watched when it first aired on AMC.
I wondered if one inspired the other.
“She had a twin, right?”
“Yes, but her sister wasn’t there that night.”
I was intrigued.
Definitely.

Follow: Website / Facebook / Twitter

William Baer, a recent Guggenheim fellow, is the award-winning author of twenty-two books, and his various plays have been produced at over thirty American theaters.  He grew up in the Bronx and Wayne, New Jersey, where his family was actively involved in “little theater.”  A graduate of Rutgers (B.A.) and New York University (M.A.), he completed his dissertation in creative writing at the University of South Carolina under the direction of James Dickey.  After attending the Johns Hopkins’ Writing Seminars (M.A.), he served as a Fulbright at the University of Coimbra in Portugal.  He then attended the University of Southern California’s Graduate School of Cinema (M.A.), where he received the Jack Nicholson Screenwriting Award.  The recipient of a Creative Writing Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, he currently lives in North Jersey.

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ASHES (Everyday Heroes World) by Gail Haris- a review

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ASHES (Everyday Heroes World) by Gail Haris-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 14, 2021

All that remains are ashes…

Fighting fires is in his blood. It’s more than a job—it’s part of who Carter Collins is. Everything was going according to plan until one fateful night. With only his brothers at the Sunnyville Fire Department and his grandmother to answer to, Collins is content with life the way it is. His heart of ash isn’t capable of being in a relationship—but then she comes along.

Natalia Vasquez took a position at the Sunnyville Hospital to leave her old life behind with hopes to escape the permeant ache in her chest. When a fire her destroys her apartment, a strikingly handsome firefighter comes to her rescue.

With no choice but to move again, Natalia isn’t thrilled to find that the heroic ass is her new neighbor.

She is determined to find herself. He longs for peace from his inner demons.

Will the tension burning between them be enough to rekindle the ashes that smolder inside of them?

•••••••

REVIEW: ASHES by Gail Haris is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, romance story line found in K.Bromberg’s multi-authored Everyday Heroes World. This is firefighter Carter Collins, and ER nurse Natalia Vasquez’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Natalia and Carter) ASHES follows the acrimonious but building romance between firefighter Carter Collins, and ER nurse Natalia Vasquez. Two years earlier, Carter Collins life imploded when he lost the love of his life, and his brother on the same night.Fast forward to present day wherein Carter struggles to move on from the past, a past mired in betrayal and heart break.Meeting ER nurse Natalie Vasquez stirs something deep within our story line hero but Carter’s delicate hold on sanity is put to the test when he discovers that Natalia Vasquez, has moved in with his grandmother after the fire that nearly claimed our heroine’s life. What ensues is the tempestuous relationship between Natalia and Carter, as Carter battles between head and heart, and the overwhelming memories that threaten any semblance of happiness for our story line hero, including a possible rival for our heroine’s heart.

Nothing has gone right for Natalia Vasquez since moving to the small town of Sunnyvale California. An apartment fire finds Natalie accepting an offer from an elderly woman who is none other than Carter Collins’ feisty grandmother but Carter continues to battle the demons from the past,and his attraction to Natalie is offset by memories of betrayal and pain. Carter Collins is a broken man, a man who believes he is not worthy of love, and has issues of trust where it concerns his heart but Carter is about to discover that the woman with whom he is falling in love has been targeted for sins of the past.

The slow building relationship between Carter and Natalia begins as professional front line workers but Carter barely sees beyond the fog of betrayal. As Carter’s grandmother Lolly sets into motion a plan to force our couple together, Carter stubbornly refuses to move beyond the demons of his past. The lone $ex scene is passionate and seductive; the sexual attraction is palpable and hot.

The colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters include Carter’s grandmother Lolly, as well as Natalia’s parents, several hospital personnel, and firefighters; Carter’s ex-girl friend Payton, and his brother Warren,and real estate agent Seth Bohnert.

ASHES is a story of family, friendships and relationships; betrayal and heart break; acceptance and love. The premise is impassioned; the romance struggles in the face of Carter’s inability to let go of the past; the characters are responsive and dynamic.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Redwood (Linear Tactical #11) by Janie Crouch-a review

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Redwood (Linear Tactical #11) by Janie Crouch-a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 12, 2021

Zimmerman. Military codename: REDWOOD. This former Special Forces soldier will protect Oak Creek from any threat.
Even one that comes in the form of a delicate blonde with haunted eyes.

A tiny town in Wyoming and the fake ID in her pocket are Lexi Johnson’s last chance. She’s used her all her resources to escape the danger that hounds her. A danger the whole world would agree she brought on herself.

She just wants a chance to start over, to rest for a moment, but the town’s upstanding and oh so sexy sheriff is determined to get to the truth behind her lies.

Even if it gets them both killed.

••••••

REVIEW:REDWOOD is the eleventh instalment in Janie Crouch’s contemporary, adult LINEAR TACTICAL erotic, romantic suspense series focusing on the men and women who work for Linear Tactical. This is former Special Forces soldier Gavin Zimmerman, and waitress Lexi Johnson’s story line. REDWOOD can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: Some of the events of REDWOOD cross over with, and run parallel to the events of book nine BABY, and book ten STORM, as well as the author’s BREE AND TANNER thriller series.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Gavin and Lexi) REDWOOD follows the building but acrimonious relationship between former Special Forces soldier Gavin Zimmerman, and waitress Lexi Johnson. Lexi Johnson’s arrival in Oak Creek, Wyoming stirs the interest of the men who work for Linear Tactical but none more so than our hero Gavin Zimmerman. Something is wrong; Lexi is obviously in hiding in the small town of Oak Creek, and Gavin is determined to uncover the truth about the woman that is calling to his heart. As Gavin struggles to gather information about Lexi Johnson, Lexi battles between head and heart knowing if and when her secrets are revealed, she will find herself on the run, once again. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Lexi and Gavin, and the potential fall-out when the truth is revealed, and Lexi’s past demands everything and more.

Lexi Johnson has a stalker, and in this the police are reluctant to move forward, aware that our heroine’s past leaves questions of believability and truth.

The relationship between Lexi and Gavin is tempestuous at best. Gavin is desperate to uncover the truth, and in doing so pushes Lexi one too many times, and in the end, our heroine is forced to confront her past, placing herself in the direct line of fire. Gavin struggles with Lexi’s secrets and lies, and when the truth is revealed, our hero reveals a different attitude that directly affects our Lexi going forward. The $ex scenes are intimate and intense, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

Once again, there is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters, most of whom we met in the previous instalments. As the team at Linear Tactical head to the islands for Zac and Annie’s wedding (Cyclone #1), Lexi remains behind until a few words of advice push our heroine to go for the man that she loves.

REDWOOD is a story of secrets and lies; betrayal and revenge; family, relationships, power and abuse. The premise is intriguing and captivating; the romance is seductive and passionate ; the characters are broken, energetic and dynamic.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Cyclone
Eagle
Shamrock
Angel
Ghost
Shadow
Echo
Phoenix
Baby
Storm

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Banshee Power (Blood Fae Chronicles 3) by Jen Katemi- a review

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Banshee Power (Blood Fae Chronicles 3) by Jen Katemi- a review

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 18, 2021

She is determined to ignore her banshee power… until the magic she despises becomes the only thing standing between death, and life, for herself and everyone she cares about.

Inspector Maewen Jones of the Supernatural Police Division is tough, uncompromising, and focused on being the best human detective she can be. Her banshee half is a curse, not a blessing, and she tries to forget that part exists at all.

When a Fae prince — heir to the Winter Court of Faerie — turns up in her office in the human realm with information about her latest case, Maewen can no longer ignore her magic.

This unlikely pair must work together to bring down a deadly foe threatening chaos and darkness to both the human and Fae realms.

Mae and Rhodri’s passion might heat up the night, but Rho celebrates all magic as a gift. He cannot understand why any Fae – whether hybrid or full-blood — would want to deny their own heritage.

The Fae prince and the human detective will have to dig deep to find the strength to face the darkest battle, not only against a vicious enemy, but to conquer their own hidden demons that the darkness brings to the fore.

••••••

REVIEW:: BANSHEE POWER is the third and final instalment in Jen Katemi’s contemporary, adult BLOOD FAE CHRONICLES erotic, paranormal, fantasy romance series focusing on three Fae/human hybrid sisters: Aleah, Indie and Maewen. This is supernatural inspector and banshee Maewen Jones, and Winter Court prince Rhodri’s story line. BANSHEE POWER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty.Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: A banshee is part of Irish mythology; a fae or sprite whose keening wail warns of impending death.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Maewen and Rhodri) BANSHEE POWER continues to focus on the ‘abominations’ and necromancers created by former Queen of the Winter Court Rhiannon,and her consort Targon. In an effort to reclaim the Winter Court throne, and rule all of Faerie, Rhiannon is hoping to capture one or all of the three Banshee sisters but Maewen Jones is the only Banshee left unprotected by a consort or mate, making her an easier target for Rhiannon’s plans. Enter Prince Rhodri, Rhiannon’s son, and the man that will fall in love with our story line heroine. As Maewen, and Rhodri set a plan into motion to end Rhiannon and Targon’s carnage, Maewen is caught unawares and finds herself in the Badlands of Faerie, facing the possibility of a slow agonizing death.

The relationship between Maewen and Rhodri is one of immediate attraction but Maewen is a strong and independent heroine who continues to deny her Fae heritage, and in this Rhodri struggles with his attraction to a woman he believes may also deny him, her love. Fated mates, Maewen will quickly discover that working together with Rhodri is better than working on her own. The $ex scenes are passionate and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters include the previous story line couples: Aleah and Luc (Banshee Cry), India and Tarrien (Banshee Song 2): Queen Renna, former Queen Rhiannon and her consort Targon, as well as Rhodri’s long suffering father King Tryppton.

BANSHEE POWER is a story of family and relationships; power and control. There are moments of passion and love, heart break and loss, revelations and acceptance. The premise is compelling; the romance is fated and seductive; the characters are spirited and strong.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Banshee Cry
Banshee Song

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Knives (Ruthless Kings MC 9) by KL Savage-Review & Excerpt Tour

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Knives (Ruthless Kings MC 9) by KL Savage-Review & Excerpt  Tour

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Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 8, 2021

Love is a powerful force, but it doesn’t compare to guilt.
And just like most people, my guilt eats me alive.

I went from being an irresponsible kid who didn’t know any better to an irresponsible man who does.I make no apologies.Don’t take my carelessness for strength.My blood is as deadly as the bullet that killed my brother, and once I’m cut, there’s no stopping the river of rage.
My past is dead. I’m not like my MC brothers. Nothing is going to come bite me in the ass.
Or so I thought.

Because life gave me Mary, the little hellraiser who tries to be reckless.She’s only looking to escape the nightmare of what happened to her in Atlantic City.She’s a good girl. The kind to wear pearls and fancy cardigans. She doesn’t belong in this life.Even if I know she belongs with me.She paints her lips in red lipstick, but I know it’s an effort to hide the pain.There’s more than the fact we are too different to be together.

Her past isn’t dead.
And mine has come back to life.

•••••••

REVIEW:KNIVES is the tenth instalment in KL Savage’s contemporary, adult RUTHLESS KINGS erotic, MC romance series focusing on the members of the Ruthless Kings MC in Vegas. This is Thomas ‘Knives’ Underwood, and Mary ‘Hellraiser’ St. James’ story line. KNIVES can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion as there is a continuing premise throughout. Mary was one of the women/children rescued from captivity in BOOMER (book 2).

WARNING: Due to the extreme violence, abuse and dark subject matter, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Knives and Mary) KNIVES follows several years in the life of Thomas ‘Knives’ Underwood. At the age of five, Thomas lost his family to a fatal motor vehicle accident, and spent the next ten years in the foster care system. At the age of fifteen, Thomas lost his foster brother Mason Fletcher, the only ‘brother’ he had ever loved, to police gunfire, and in a final push from Mason, found himself a new family with the Ruthless Kings MC. Fast forward to present day wherein Thomas, now known as Knives, for his penchant and use of the weapon of choice, finds himself struggling with his attraction to a rescued young woman who had been chained and imprisoned by the Atlantic City chapter of the Ruthless Kings MC. Enter preacher’s daughter Mary St. James. What ensues is the back and forth, acrimonious relationship between Mary and Knives, and the potential fall-out as Mary’s past comes back to claim our heroine as his own.

Mary St. James’ life had never been easy. On the outside, Mary was the perfect preacher’s daughter but behind closed doors Mary’s life was a life of nightmares and abuse. From the frying pan into the fire, Mary found herself from one captor to another but her rescue and subsequent life with the Vegas Ruthless Kings MC allowed Mary to free herself from a life of torture and abuse. Thomas ‘Knives’ Underwood had been biding his time before claiming Mary as the woman he loved but Knives knew Mary needed time to heal but their back and forth was just a prelude to what was to come.

Meanwhile, Maximo and Mateo Moretti, Vegas gambling and questionable hotel owners continue to make life miserable for the Ruthess Kings MC. Having recovered at the Ruthless Kings compound, from the hotel explosion that nearly took his life, Mateo Moretti, claiming no memories of the past, will discover that his brother Maximo, a man he does not remember, is the latest target of the RC MC, and he has news about another family member Mateo is desperate to find.

The relationship between Knives and Mary is one of immediate attraction but Knives doesn’t do relationship, and Mary is still recovering from her horrific ordeal but Mary refuses to be treated like a broken doll, and sets about to prove she is worthy of the Ruthless Kings MC. With one final flip of the finger to the MC, Mary finds herself in a local jail, having been arrested for breaking the speed limit, one too many times. With Mary freed with the help of a reluctant Knives, the couple endure fire, rain, tornado and gunfire in their endeavor to return home to the Ruthless Kings MC. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters including most of the Ruthless Kings MC, as well as Reaper’s old lady Sarah; several members of Demon’s Fury MC including Mercy, Whistler, and their Sargent at Arms One; Mateo and Maximo Moretti; Mary’s father Preacher Man; Mateo’s daughter Natalia; and Knive’s foster brother Mason Fletcher.

KNIVES is a tragic, dark, emotional and gritty story of family and loss; abuse and power; secrets, lies, revelations and love. The premise is dramatic and intense; the romance is erotic, spicy and energetic; the characters are sassy and wounded-the back and forth between Knives and Mary is caustic yet sexually palpable and tense.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

Reaper’s Rise
Reaper
Boomer
Tool
Poodle
Pirate
A Ruthless Halloween
Doc
Tongue
A Ruthless Christmas

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Bad things don’t happen to good people.
Bad people do.
And it’s made me love and appreciate good people more. Maybe I’m different. Maybe I’m not crying every night or having nightmares. Maybe I’m not losing myself in drinks or drugs, but I have lost something about myself.
I’m just trying to find it.
“You give me a headaches twenty-three out of twenty-four hours a day, but I can’t sit here and lie to you and say you aren’t beautiful,” Knives says, honestly, meeting my eye and keeping his hands to himself.
The flames dance in his cornflower blue eyes and they are so damn bright. I’ve never seen irises like his before. They are unique, just like him.
“And the other hour?” I tease when I sit down on the hay, which scratches my ass and is very uncomfortable.
“I’m sleeping. It’s the only damn peace I get.”
“Shut up,” I giggle, nudging his side with my arm. I lean forward and lay my elbows against my knees, watching the fire as it pops. The rain is slamming against the barn and the door shakes when the wind carries around us.
“It’s not letting up, is it?”
“No, it isn’t. I can’t believe it turned so ugly so fast.”
“The way of the world is bittersweet, ain’t it?” he asks, the stands and when I go to ask him where he is going, my eyes land on his package.
His very big, very long, very in my face, package. He has a tattoo above the waistband of his underwear, right above where I assume his pubic hair is and it says 666.
What’s that mean?
If a woman hops on top, does that mean she gets possessed by the devil?
Why does a part of me want to find out?


 

K.L. Savage decided they were tired of looking for the kind of books they wanted to read. They had an itch that needed to be scratched, and as every girl knows, nothing scratches better than an alpha.

They write about gritty, alpha males, sometimes their dark sides, and the women they love.
If you have the same itch, their alpha males should fix that.

Newsletter + FREE book: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/wvr02b395h
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/K.L.-Savage-Savage/e/B085S54K2S
Twitter: https://twitter.com/klsavage_author
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/k.l.savage.author
Website: http://www.klsavage.com
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/k-l-savage

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DEEP WOODS by Helena Newbury-a review

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DEEP WOODS by Helena Newbury-a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 4, 2021

I turned my back on civilization. Now I live in an isolated cabin deep in the woods. Monsters belong in the forest.

But on a rare trip to the city, my dog, Rufus, runs off. Injured and lost, he’s found and nursed back to health by Bethany, the sweetest city girl I ever laid eyes on, with a gentle voice and curves that don’t quit. I can’t take my eyes off of her. But we’re from two different worlds. I take Rufus back to the forest, but neither of us will ever forget her.

Months later, Rufus catches a scent. It’s the woman who saved him, the woman I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. When I see the men chasing her, I’m filled with a protective fury like I’ve never felt. I fight them off…and when I look into Bethany’s eyes, all I want to do is scoop her up in my arms and kiss those sweet lips. But I have to resist. If she knew what I’d done….

When I find out who’s after her, I know there’s only one place she’ll be safe. I shelter her in my cabin…but how am I supposed to fight my feelings when every look, every accidental touch, makes me want her more? She’s determined to help me face the demons of my past. I’m determined to keep her safe…even if that means pushing her away. But what neither of us counted on is how far her pursuers will go to possess her. Even in the deep woods, we may not be safe. They’re powerful. They’re dangerous. And they’re coming.

••••••

REVIEW: DEEP WOODS by Helena Newbury is a contemporary, adult, stand alone, erotic, romantic suspense story line focusing on recluse Caleb ‘Cal’ Whittaker, and call centre operator Bethany. DEEP WOODS is set in the same world as the author’s 2016 SAVING LIBERTY.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be some trigger for more sensitive readers.

Told from three first person perspectives (Cal, Bethany, Ralavich) DEEP WOODS follows in the aftermath of Bethany’s abduction. Believing she was starting new job in San Francisco, Bethany would quickly discover that she had been sold into a $ex slave operation but a daring escape found her up close and personal with a stranger she had met six months earlier, a stranger whose dog had been injured and trapped. Enter recluse Caleb Whittaker. On the run, trying to stay one step ahead of the men hunting for our story line heroine, Caleb and Bethany will struggle with their growing attraction, an attraction of which Cal battles between head and heart. When their whereabouts are revealed, Cal and Bethany are once again on the move but our heroine is no match for the people determined to claim her as their own. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Cal and Bethany, and the potential fall-out as Bethany, is one again, imprisoned and awaiting a rescue by the man that she loves.

Cal Whittaker is a recluse who struggles with the demons from his past. Alone but for his dog Rufus, Cal is conflicted knowing that Bethany needs a means of escape but escaping means never again seeing the woman with whom he is falling in love. Bethany had no idea a new job meant she had been sold into slavery but her only chance at escape came in the guise of a man she met months before, a man whose own secrets forced Bethany to sit up and take notice.

The relationship between Cal and Bethany begins as an accidental meeting when Bethany rescues a injured dog. Months will pass before our couple cross paths again, paths that should have been miles apart. Knowing their time together is only temporary, Cal needs to ensure Bethany is safe but keeping her safe takes the training of a man whose past is dangerous and dark. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The majority of the story line is spent with our leading couple. We are introduced to forger Jacques, a man who is about to pay for helping Bethany and Cal, and Ralavich, a man whose need for Bethany outweighs his own desire for safety.

DEEP WOODS is a story of lies and betrayal; secrets and vengeance; relationships, friendships, struggle and love. The premise is intriguing, captivating and fascinating; the romance is heated and intense; Cal is broken yet enterprising; Bethany is determined and strong.

Own a copy

Reviewed by Sandy

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Sea Spray (Time Box 3) by John A Heldt-a review

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Sea Spray (Time Box 3) by John A Heldt-a review

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 20, 2020

Months after stealing two time machines from a madman who wants them back, the Lanes, a family of seven, seek peace and safety in 1927, the latest stop on a journey through time. For a while, each succeeds.

Parents Mark and Mary find housing in affluent East Hampton, New York, where a gracious elderly couple offers use of their mansion. Son Jordan and his new wife, Jessie, plan a family. Siblings Laura, Jeremy, and Ashley pursue fun and adventure. All form strong friendships with the Prices, a mysterious mirror-image family that lives next door.

Billionaire Robert Devereaux could not care less. Reeling from the theft of his million-dollar devices, he sends a hit man to the past to retrieve his property and rid the world of his former business partner and his troublesome clan.

Randy Taylor, who programs the machines, is determined to stop him. He tries to undermine his boss and save the Lanes, even as he tries to help his mother beat a deadly illness. He pines for the day he can join his fugitive friends and rekindle a promising relationship with Laura Lane.

Filled with romance, humor, and heartbreak, SEA SPRAY follows a modern family on the adventure of a lifetime as they navigate their way through the exciting and often dangerous world of Lindbergh, Gershwin, and Fitzgerald.

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REVIEW:SEA SPRAY is the third instalment in John A Heldt’s time travel series focusing on the Lane family. SEA SPRAY can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and history as there is a common theme and continuing premise throughout.

SOME BACKGROUND: Having created two time machines in 2021 known as the Time Box, patriarch Mark Lane discovers that his business partner, billionaire Robert Devereaux, wants to use the Time Boxes for questionable purposes. Having prepared for weeks, Mark Lane and his family pull up roots, and send themselves, along with the Time Boxes, back in time. Robert Devereaux desperate to retrieve the time boxes, and punish his one-time partner, hires a modern day assassin who goes on a time travel hunt for Mark Lane and his family.

Told from several third person perspectives SEA SPRAY finds the family transported to 1927, the roaring twenties, at the height of Prohibition in East Hampton, New York where the family will summer in the mansion of an elderly couple. Meeting their neighbors, Tom and Madeline Price, as well as their children, who will befriend and fall in love, the Lane’s will quickly discover that they are unable to relax when a messenger from the twenty-first century warns that that Devereaux’s assassin survived his last encounter with the Lanes, and is continuing his search for the time-travelling family. From Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, to Charles Lindbergh, and black market alcohol, bootleggers, and speakeasies, the Lane family will witness and participate in their share of history, affecting the lives of the people they encountered along the way. Found once again, the Lanes are forced to travel to a time when the world was at war with itself, and in doing so, hope to prevent someone else from changing the outcome of the second world war.

Once again, back in 2022, the Lane’s accomplice Randy Taylor, devices a way to warn the family of an impending attack by Devereaux’s assassin but in doing so, comes to the hard realization, that the woman he loves, has fallen in love with someone else. Having lost both his mother and father in a short period of time, Randy makes a decision that does not go according to plan.

SEA SPRAY is a story of family and relationships, friendships and love; history, time travel, science fiction, secrets, power and control. The premise is intriguing and entertaining; the romances are subtle and sweet; the colorful characters are numerous and energetic. John A Heldt pulls the reader into a wonderful and historic glimpse at the fun, flirty and dangerous twenties.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
The Lane Betrayal
The Fair

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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