Tag Archives: New Release reviews 2022

BEAUTIFUL BROKEN VENGEANCE by Fiona Murphy -review tour

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BEAUTIFUL BROKEN VENGEANCE (Bratva Bound 2) by Fiona Murphy -review tour

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

About the book: Release Date December 20, 2022

Phoenix Raymond is a puzzle. Despite her father selling her to a sick man when she was only a child, she’s a true virgin at twenty-four. Somehow she’s an FBI agent without ever having set foot in Quantico. And most importantly, she wants to destroy my family—but she’s my wife.

She wants us to pay for the skin trade we dealt in. It doesn’t matter we got out of that a long time ago. The debt for her is personal. The woman is tenacious, a problem who refuses to go away. Two weeks ago I demanded my brother allow me to end her as a problem. He denied my request and told me to figure out another way. One week ago he told me to find a wife. When she shows up on my doorstep broken and bleeding, I solve her problem and mine.

Once she’s healed, she thinks she can walk away—that she has to walk away. She thinks because her…needs are different that I won’t want her, won’t be the daddy she craves, that I’ll leave her the way everyone else has. What she doesn’t understand is she belongs to me. She is mine to keep, to protect, to be whatever she needs. I will never let her go. Not even a bullet and blood will buy her freedom. I’m a Levin, Bratva, and we keep what’s ours.

••••••

REVIEW: BEAUTIFUL BROKEN VENGEANCE is the second instalment in Fiona Murphy’s contemporary adult BRATVA BOUND dark, erotic, Bratva age-gap romance series-a spin off from the author’s THE SABATINI FAMILY series. This is thirty eight year old Aleksander Levin, and twenty-three year old computer hacker turned FBI agent Phoenix Raymond’s story line. BEAUTIFUL BROKEN VENGEANCE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: Most of the events run parallel to, and cross over with, most of the events of book one BEAUTIFUL BROKEN OBSESSION.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line premise there WILL be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Aleksander and Phoenix) BEAUTIFUL BROKEN VENGEANCE follows computer hacker turned FBI agent Phoenix Raymond on her quest for revenge against the Levin family. Several years earlier Phoenix’s foster father was murdered, and our heroine believes someone in the Levin family was responsible. Determined to take down the Levin empire, Phoenix works her way into a position within the FBI in an effort to ferret out information about the Levin family but our heroine isn’t the brightest bulb in the house, and finds herself at the mercy of Aleksander Levin. Battered and broken from a fact finding mission gone wrong, Phoenix wakes up days later, only to discover she is married to Aleksander Levin, and there is a price on our heroine’s head. What ensues is the building but contemptuous relationship between Aleksander and Phoenix, and the potential fall-out when the truth is revealed.

Phoenix Raymond is a young woman whose determination to destroy the Levin family is single minded, and eventually lands her in the proverbial hot water. Phoenix’s goal is to take down all child and human trafficking rings, beginning with what she believes to be the Levin Bratva connection. Phoenix doesn’t act, she reacts; she is oblivious to the social norms of the real world, and intricacies of Bratva life; her issues of low self-esteem are exacerbated by years of trauma and abuse, self-hatred, and a lack of self-worth, and the fine line between strong-willed and annoying is cross several times. Aleksander Levin needs a wife but doesn’t want an arranged marriage with someone else. Having watched his brother suffer without the woman he loved, Aleksander takes control, claiming our heroine as his own but Aleksander’s relationship with Phoenix quickly evolves into Daddy-dynamic kink, as our heroine struggles to let go of the past. As Aleksander and his brothers deal with the business of Bratva life, Phoenix often battles between head and heart believing she is unworthy of Aleksander’s love.

The relationship between Phoenix and Aleksander begins acrimoniously as our heroine continues to threaten the Levin family. Aware yet oblivious to the criminal underworld, Phoenix often finds herself at a disadvantage, believing she is capable of controlling the situation yet not. As the relationship between Phoenix and Aleksander becomes sexual, our heroine must come to terms with what she wants moving forward. The $ex scene are intimate, erotic, provocative including a scene of questionable consent, domination and power. Once again, I do not like the use of a certain four letter word-used 60 times throughout the story-although I accept the word in my MC and Mafia romances, I found the overuse distracting, excessive and disruptive (again) including 25 instances of the word sl*t.

The secondary and supporting characters include cartel members Manuel Rodriguez, and Richie Angelo: Aleksander’s right hand man David; FBI Agents Presley and John. We are re-introduced to Aleksander Levin’s brothers Maxim, Damien, Nikita, and Milos and Celia, as well as their mother; Tony, Luca and Dominic Sabatini. The requisite evil has many faces.

BEAUTIFUL BROKEN VENGEANCE is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, murder and abuse, acceptance and love. The premise is dark and dramatic; the romance is Daddy-kink dynamic focused; the characters are broken yet determined.

Take note of the trigger warning as some scenes may not be tolerated by more sensitive readers.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one BEAUTIFUL BROKEN OBSESSION

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Due to commitment issues I have lived in many different cities and my favorite is Chicago but I have managed to settle into Austin and perhaps my commitment issues are behind me. 

I have enjoyed reading from a very young age and it wasn’t long before the children books bored me and I read the books my mother enjoyed Stephen King and Dean Koontz and I didn’t sleep without the light on until I was about ten.

I came across my first Harlequin by accident and it was love at first read, no one died and happy endings? It was a whole new world and I loved it.

I wrote my first story at eight and everyone died, of course. Since then I would like to think I’ve gotten better and now I’m writing the happily ever afters I first fell in love with, with some hot sex thrown in along the way. 

As a plus size woman myself, I have started writing the stories I always wanted to see myself in but never did. And now I’m ecstatic to give BBWs the happily ever afters with hot Alphas I want to read.

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/fionainamurphy
Website: https://www.fionamurphywrites.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fionaainamurphy
Email: fionaainamurphy@gmail.com

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COSMIC TRAP (Clay Wolfe/Port Essex Mystery 4) by Matt Cost-review

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COSMIC TRAP (Clay Wolfe / Port Essex Mystery 4) by Matt Cost-a review

 

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

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 21, 2022

The man—about forty, forearms like small oak trees, with a thick beard—told the bartender at the Pelican Perch, “It came right up out of the ocean, hovered just above the water for about ten seconds, and then was gone.”

When Clay Wolfe and Baylee Baker are hired as the local liaisons for a government task force investigating the recent UAP sightings, things get complicated at lightspeed.

They’re also hired to find the missing Alice Smith, whose disappearance increasingly appears to have something to do with the UAPs—the source of which might just be a governmental defense contractor named Seagull Aviation.

But the more they investigate, the more questions pop up. Who is the assassin gunning for Wolfe and Baker? Who is the mysterious man code-named Arrow? When each witness who has seen one of the UAPs is reported missing, the stakes become sky-high.

••••••

REVIEW: COSMIC TRAP is the fourth instalment in Matt Cost’s contemporary, adult CLAY WOLFE / PORT ESSEX murder/mystery suspense series focusing on thirty-six year old, former homicide detective turned private investigator Clay Wolfe. COSMIC TRAP can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from third person perspective COSMIC TRAP follows in the wake of the mysterious and unexplained sightings on the waters near Port Essex, Maine. Witnesses have talked, and the government has sent in a crew to uncover the truth but when Clay Wolfe is hired to follow a wife suspected of having an affair, the woman’s grizzly death may be a clue to what is happening and how. As Clay and his plucky crew of amateur detectives, family and a former US Navy SEAL follow the clues, hired assassins embark on a killing spree, hitting Clay where it hurts the most.

COSMIC TRAP is a story of what if and how? Of world domination, power and control; of science fiction and fact; of betrayal and obsession. Clay Wolfe is a man, ruled by his sexual drive, and with it, comes the possibility of losing everything and more. The people of Port Essex stumble upon a powerful group determined to dominate and rule, a group that is now the focus of everything concerned. The premise is intriguing, heart breaking and captivating; the characters are determined yet imperfect.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Wolfe Trap
Mind Trap
Mouse Trap

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow: Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Facebook/

Over the years, Cost has owned a video store, a mystery bookstore, and a gym. He has also taught history and coached just about every sport imaginable.

Cost now lives in Brunswick, Maine, with his wife, Harper. There are four grown children: Brittany, Pearson, Miranda, and Ryan. A chocolate Lab and a basset hound round out the mix. He now spends his days at the computer, writing.

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COLD DECEIT (Cold Justice:Most Wanted 2) by Toni Anderson-tour

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COLD DECEIT (Cold Justice : Most Wanted 2) by Toni Anderson-review tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /Apple /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 20, 2022

When forensic anthropologist Zoe Miller stumbles across a murder victim in the blisteringly hostile Sonoran Desert, she triggers a chain of events that puts her in the crosshairs of a ruthless killer.

FBI HRT operator Seth Hopper is on secret assignment near the Mexican border when he suddenly finds himself on a rescue mission. The former Navy SEAL is ordered to protect Zoe, whether she likes it or not, which sets them off on a cross-country journey back to Virginia.

Zoe has good reason not to trust a man like Seth, but there is no denying the scorching heat that flares between them, hotter than the desert sun. Can Zoe find justice for the murdered woman? Or will the killers close in to destroy them both…

••••••

REVIEW: COLD DECEIT is the second instalment in Toni Anderson’s contemporary adult COLD JUSTICE: MOST WANTED romantic suspense series- a spin off from the author’s COLD JUSTICE series. This is former US Navy SEAL turned FBI HRT operator Seth Hopper, and forensic anthropologist Dr Zoe Miller’s story line . COLD DECEIT can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line premise,there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from several third person perspectives including Seth and Zoe, COLD DECEIT follows in the wake of the discovery of a body in the Sonoran Desert. Zoe and her team of forensic anthropologist were on a recovery mission to locate and repatriate illegal immigrants believed to have died in the Sonoran Desert but Zoe and her team stumbled across a a fresh corpse, a corpse whose identity was about to push Zoe and her team into the Mexican Cartel. Enter FBI operator Seth Hopper, the man with whom Zoe would fall in love. On maneuvers in the desert, searching for drug smugglers in the Arizona desert, Seth and his fellow FBI Operators would find themselves rescuing a group caught in the web of the Mexican Cartel, a group whose leader is the daughter of the American VP. Falling for Zoe was never the intention but acting as Zoe’s body guard and protector meant plenty of one on one time with the woman with whom Seth would fall in love. What ensues is the building but forbidden relationship between Seth and Zoe, and the potential fall-out as the Mexican Cartel has set their sights on our story line heroine.

Zoe Miller is an independant, strong willed young woman who has refused the assistance of her mother’s Secret Service but Zoe never expected to come face to face with the Mexican Cartel, having found herself the victim of an abduction and death threat. Seth Hopper knew that to fall for Zoe could mean the end of his career as an FBI Operator but Seth’s only concern was the protection of the woman with whom he was falling in love.

The relationship between Zoe and Seth is one of immediate attraction having briefly met under different circumstances the night before. With a target on her back, Zoe is in no position to refuse Seth’s help but Zoe was something more from our story line hero. The $ex scenes are intimate, passionate and intense without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Zoe’s anthropological team (Karina,James and Fred), her ex boyfriend and USSS agent Colm Jacobs, as well as several of Seth’s team members including JJ Hersh, Meghan Donelly, and Ryan Sullivan. The requisite evil has many faces.

COLD DECEIT is a story of power and control, death and destruction, desperation and mistakes, acceptance and love. The fast paced premise is intriguing and captivating; the romance is seductive and proactive; the characters are energetic, determined and dynamic.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Cold and Deadly
Colder Than Sin
Cold Wicked Lies
Cold Cruel Kiss
Cold as Ice

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one COLD SILENCE

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

He placed a large palm over her forehead and she squinted up at him from under her lashes. 

He had the most perfect symmetrical features—strong jawline, high cheek bones, a full lower lip. And those eyes…which veered in color from a pale olive-green to light brown and were probably technically hazel. They looked way prettier than any other hazel eyes she’d ever seen. 

An unwanted quiver of awareness shot down her spine at the reminder of how attractive she’d thought he was when she’d first seen him at the motel about a thousand years ago. But, right now, he was examining her more like he thought she was a recalcitrant little kid with a fever.

Toni Anderson is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, RITA® finalist, science nerd, professional tourist, dog lover, gardener, mom. Originally from a small town in England, Toni studied Marine Biology at University of Liverpool (B.Sc.) and University of St. Andrews (Ph.D.) with the intention she’d never be far from the ocean. Well, that plan backfired and she ended up in the Canadian prairies with her biology professor husband, two kids, a rescue dog, and a laid-back leopard gecko.

Toni started writing while pregnant with her first child and never stopped. Her greatest achievements are mastering the Tokyo subway, climbing Ben Lomond, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, and surviving fourteen Winnipeg winters (fingers crossed). She loves to travel for research purposes and was lucky enough to visit the Strategic Information and Operations Center inside FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. in 2016, and she also got to shove another car off the road during pursuit training at the Writer’s Police Academy in Wisconsin. Watch out world!

Follow: Website / Goodreads/ Facebook / Twitter / Instagram/  bookbub /  Pinterest

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Sinful Promise by BB Hamel-a review

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Sinful Promise by BB Hamel-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 14, 2022

I’m in his bed learning the limits of my body.
Peter Calimeris. Greek mafia son, monster in a perfect suit, and the only man keeping me alive.
He’s supposed to be my bodyguard, but he barely notices me.
At least until Peter gets involved in a business deal with my half-sister.
I use my family connections to forge a pact between us: if he teaches me how to fight and survive, I’ll help him win a lucrative contract.
It’s a deal neither of us wants but both of us needs.
He’s a brutal teacher. Firm but honest and fair.
And one night, after I give out as many punches as I get, we find there’s something more between us.
It’s a mistake that feels too good to ignore.
Now the world is crashing down and a rival Greek mafia wants to stop this business deal with my half-sister from going through.
But all I can think about is whether Peter will break me, and whether I want him to.

•••••

REVIEW: SINFUL PROMISE by BB Hamel is a contemporary, adult, stand alone dark, erotic, Greek Mafia romance set in the author’s Valverde Mafia world. This is Greek Mafia heir Peter Calimeris, and Adrienne Holloway’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Peter and Adrienne) SINFUL PROMISE follows after the events of PROTECTIVE VOWS wherein our heroine found herself the victim of an abduction and torture at the hands of the Russian mob. Recovering under the disdainful watch of Greek Mafia heir Peter Calimeris, Adrienne struggles with her life going forward. Peter has been tasked with ‘babysitting’ Adrienne Holloway but the timing is wrong for our story line hero. Peter is looking to venture off on his own, without the knowledge of the Calimeris family but at every turn Peter finds that he is cut off from the support or partnership of the other Mafia families. As Peter struggles to take control, he quickly realizes that his relationship with Adrienne has placed our heroine in the direct line of fire. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Peter and Adrienne, and the potential fall-out as Peter is forced to push Adrienne out of his life in the hopes of saving the woman he loves.

Peter Calimeris can no longer trust his father, Yiannis Calimeris, in the wake of the murders, deaths, secrets and lies that surround the man wherever he goes. Peter is determined to take control of his life, setting into motion his own plans for starting over but Peter never expected to fall in love with our story line heroine, a woman who is single-minded in helping the man with whom she is falling in love.

The relationship between Peter and Adrienne begins acrimoniously as Peter wants nothing to do with ‘babysitting’ our story line heroine. Adrienne has been used and abused, recovering from the abduction and torture by the Russian mob but Adrienne tenacious and strong willed, learning to fight to protect herself and the man that she loves. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate.

The secondary and supporting characters include Peter’s father Yiannis, Adrienne’s half-sister Reina, as well as the return of Luca and Kacia Valverde (Protective Vows). The requisite evil has many faces.

SINFUL PROMISE is a story of betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, determination and manipulation, acceptance and love. The premise is gritty, captivating and engaging; the characters are broken, charismatic and determined; the romance is seductive and provocative

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Boo, Can You See Us 1 & 2 by Desy Smith-review tour

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? Boo, Can You See Us (Faeven Realm 1 & 2) by Desy Smith-review tour ?

BOO, CAN YOU SEE US
Faeven Realm 1
by Desy Smith
Release Date: April 1, 2022
Genre: young adult, contemporary, paranormal

ebook ONLY 99¢ Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

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Have you EVER seen a ghost with wings?

Luna has her share of problems, but her biggest is seeing ghosts! When a non-Human ghost appears and asks for her help, she discovers a world with a king and an ancestry she never knew existed. She might belong to this new realm, but she’s not sure if it’s where she’s needed, and the handsome king may not be enough to make her stay. Luna must make a decision, but it could cost her everything: her heart, her family, and the very life she knows.

Cairo’s centuries-long peaceful reign is coming to an end, and he must take action or spend his life as an enslaved ghost. Yet he finds himself powerless and his mind preoccupied with Luna, a woman he now desperately needs. She may or may not be his enemy in the battle to come. Cairo knows his duty to his people should come before anything else, but he wants happiness and is determined to make both happen.

••••••

REVIEW: Now, I’ve never read a ghost story as a romance, but I’m always open to new experiences. 

Boo! Can You See Us? Is by a new author to me (Desy Smith), it’s a paranormal story. And It’s the first book from the Faeven Realm series. 

Luna was adopted and raised in the human world. But she always knew she was different from other people…. She could communicate with ghosts, she could also help them travel to their final resting place…. 

In this book, Luna meets a spirit that wants her to help them find  the person who killed them! And when Luna agrees to help, she has no idea her life is about to change forever…..
The story is full of surprises for Luna, she also meets Cairo, who is not what he seems! She’s met him before, in her dreams! Cairo’s world was in danger, can Luna help him or become his enemy?

I don’t want to give too much away as it’s such a short story. But it doesn’t skimp on details or descriptions. The plot is simple but engrossing. What starts out with Luna in her world has us soon travelling to Faeven Realm. We meet characters that you become invested in. And the ending will take you by surprise! 

A really good short story that I’d highly recommend. 

_______

BOO, CAN YOU SEE US
Faeven Realm 2
by Desy Smith
Release Date: December 16, 2022
Genre:Genre: young adult, contemporary, paranormal

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

Luna and her discovery of the ghost with wings has propelled her on an adventure she wasn’t prepared for, and it’s not over yet.

Luna will finally meet the one person responsible for her unenlightened predicament, and the secrets revealed will haunt her forever.

Will her naivety make her a pawn in this new realm?

Cairo’s world is changing before his eyes, and it’s all because of her.

Cairo is the king of all kings in his realm. Very little surprises him, but he lacks a skill that may take her away from him but also destroy the place he calls home.

Will he be able to adapt?

•••••••

REVIEW:I couldn’t wait to read book two in this wonderful story, again it’s another short story, but the author fills the pages with so much detail and goings on, that you forget it a short book.

You definitely need to read book two before climbing into this book. So I apologise if I give anything away (but no major spoilers) Cairo and Luna continue their journey into the Faeven Realm. 

New additions to the characters include a parent that Luna thought she’d never meet…. But that meeting it’s smiles and sunshine! In fact it’s anything but Roses! 

There is more going on in this book, and at times it did fill a little confusing! But it straightens itself out by the time you get to the end. 

Luna and Cairo are really great characters, very likeable. 

The writing is a little simple at times, but it’s also refreshing. I really did enjoy this book. And I hope we get to revisit this world and the characters again in the future. 

Copies supplied for review

Reviewed by Julie B ?

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Desy Smith, MFA, is a paranormal romance author who is on a mission to expand her readers’ minds and create unique realms that they can escape to through the power of storytelling. Her poignant writing style features sassy heroines, urban drama, angels, wolves, demons, witches, and sensual scenes.

Born, raised and based in Dallas, Desy spent most of her childhood picking apart movies and books. Her mother and her affinity for all things supernatural also really drove Desy to dabble in life’s unknowns and use her imagination. Ultimately, this led her to writing stories of her own at just 10 years of age.

Currently, Desy is the Founder of Floebe Publishing, where she publishes her own short stories (of 25,000 words max) with the busy reader in mind. She also provides complimentary creative writing advice to her fellow word weavers.

When she doesn’t have a pen or book in hand, Desy Smith is a movie buff and foodie with an unquenchable sweet tooth (having a gluten allergy makes things a bit tricky). With her “carpe diem” mindset towards life, she looks forward to exposing her readers to realms unseen.

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H*ll’s B*stards MC Christmas Special by Sam Crescent-a review

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HBMC Christmas Special by Sam Crescent-a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 5, 2022

Christmas is fast approaching and Smokey wants to do something special for his woman. With all the bad memories within the clubhouse, he wants to replace them with good ones. The only way to do that is to turn his clubhouse into a wonderland. He needs the whole club’s help and he doesn’t want Ava to know what he’s planned. This will be the perfect surprise.

Ava doesn’t know why Smokey is acting strange. When Harlow also starts to lie and disappear, she wonders what’s going on. She never imagined Smokey cheating, but when she sees Harlow and Smokey hugging, she has to wonder if he’s having an affair. After everything they’d gone through, she never expected him to cheat.

All Smokey wants to do is celebrate Christmas with his woman. To give her memories that wipe out the bad ones he caused, but everything is falling apart. He would never cheat on her. Ava is his soul mate. His reason for fucking breathing. And he can never lose her.

••••••

REVIEW: HBMC CHRISTMAS SPECIAL is a contemporary, adult, holiday novella in Sam Crescent’s H*LL’S B*STARDS MC erotic, MC romance series. This is the continuing story of club president Smokey, and his wife Ava. HBMC CHRISTMAS SPECIAL should not be read as a stand alone as many of the events are as of a direct result of events in the previous instalment.,

Told from third person perspectives HBMC focuses on preparation for the Christmas holidays, Ava owns a bakery shop, has a child under one year of age, and with the approach of Christmas is busier than ever. Ava loves the holidays but is struggling with Smokey’s lack of preparedness, and his secretive behavior that has our heroine thinking something more is going on. When she catches her friend and employee Harlow in a lie, Ava suspects her husband is having an affair, an affair that is going to destroy their already fragile relationship. As Smokey gathers the MC and all of their friends for a Christmas celebration, Ava considers walking away from the man that she loves.

HBMC CHRISTMAS SPECIAL is a quick read; a fast paced story of love and misunderstanding, secrets and surprises, family and friendships. The premise is captivating; the romance is tender, seductive and intense; the characters are familiar, energetic and lively- most of the previous story line characters and couples return.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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BULLETPROOF (Waterproof : Navy SEALS 9) by Jo Chambliss- a review

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BULLETPROOF (Waterproof : Navy SEALS 9) by Jo Chambliss-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 October 11, 2022.

Spending a lifetime in the SEALs can teach a man a lot about himself. Getting shot several times trying to protect a pregnant woman can change a lot of the things you think you know… if you survive.

Commander Timothy “Stone” O’Reilly did survive and now knows that he wants more from this life than a successful career and his ten-year marriage to the intelligent and beautiful Dr. Cassidy O’Reilly. He wants the family he’d never desired before. Finding out that nearly losing him has made Cass feel the same way, the two decide it’s time to make a baby.

With Tim recovered enough to return to his men, life is as good as it can be and about to get better with the thought of becoming a father. That is until a close friend and former SEAL teammate ends up dead under suspicious conditions.

No one knows why Bishop was targeted until the killer decides to play a game with the two remaining members of the long-time trio, Commander O’Reilly and CEO Dillan “Warden” Knot.

Invoking the name of a SEAL that died seventeen years ago, Bishop’s killer uses his vast reach to cast all of Tim’s world into chaos before making his final move.

Tim soon finds out that he’s the target on a chess board full of power players determined to destroy him. And if the enemy can’t get to Stone O’Reilly, they’ll gladly start picking off everyone else in the commander’s life. Beginning with Cass.

No one is safe, not Dillan Knot and not the commander’s hand-picked squad of seals, the Wendigos.

•••••

REVIEW: BULLETPROOF is the ninth and final instalment in Jo Chambliss’ contemporary, adult WATERPROOF: Navy SEALS erotic, romantic, military suspense series focusing on the US Navy SEAL Team two aka Wendigos. This is Commander Tim ‘Stone’ O’Reilly and his wife Dr. Cassidy O’Reilly’s story line. BULLETPROOF can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion as a number of the events in the current timeline are as of a direct result of events in several of the previous instalments. BULLETPROOF picks up several weeks after the events of book eight FOOLPROOF.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line premise including graphic violence, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Cass and Tim) BULLETPROOF follows in the aftermath of a shooting that left our hero, Commander Tim O’Reilly struggling to survive. Weeks in recovery find Tim returning to base only to be told one of their own, James ‘Bishop’ Stoddard, had died, and a suspicious note reveals it was murder. As Tim and the NCIS begin an investigation, there is an attempted abduction of Tim’s wife Dr. Cassidy O’Reilly, an abduction linked to Bishop’s murder, an abduction that will not be the only try. With Cassidy serving with Doctors Without Borders, Tim quickly realizes his wife is no longer safe when Cassidy becomes the victim of yet another abduction. As Tim and his fellow SEALs do a search and rescue for the woman he loves, the investigation begins to reveal a seventeen year old betrayal and vendetta, one in which the entire team has been targeted in an effort to take down the man in charge. What ensues is the search for Cassidy O’Reilly, the rescue of several members of Commander Tim O’Reilly’s SEAL Team two, and the take down of the people responsible for destroying so many lives.

The relationship between Tim and Cassidy has already been established but the author reveals some of the background about how they met. Years have past, both have become successful in their fields, and our couple must decide about their future going forward. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, and energetic secondary and supporting characters including most of the members of Team Two: Skin, Judge, Dallas, Ink, Hawk, Wrench, Bandaid, Fish, Devil, as well as the return and introduction of a group of private military contractors including Sadie Phelps and Aaron Hosfeld.

BULLETPROOF is a story of betrayal and vengeance, power and control, obsession and misdirection, death and destruction, family and love. The fast paced premise is intriguing, detailed and raw; the romance is seductive; the characters are powerful, dangerous and strong.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Don’t Seduce A Specter (Craven Manor 3) by Melody Raven-a review

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Don’t Seduce A Specter (Craven Manor 3) by Melody Raven-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 25, 2022

To do list:

Find out if Adam really loves me.
Who killed the out-of-towner?
Join Layla and Adam as they navigate community theater, brownie bribery, and a curse that could take away everything they’ve worked for!

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REVIEW: DON’T SEDUCE A SPECTRE is the third instalment in Melody Raven’s contemporary, adult CRAVEN MANOR romantic, suspense series focusing on former Chicago accountant Layla Craven. DON’T SEDUCE A SPECTER can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion.

SOME BACKGROUND: Having recently inherited Craven Manor located in the small but magical town of Ashland Springs, from an aunt she never knew existed, Layla quickly discovers that all is not as it appears to be in Ashland Springs. From magic to mayhem, ghosts and potions, murder and mystery, Craven Manor begins revealing its’ secrets one supernatural entity at a time including a small kitten that may or may not be of the feline variety.

Told from first person perspective (Layla) DON’T SEDUCE A SPECTER follows in the wake of yet another murder in Ashland Springs. The town is preparing for their annual community theater presentation, and our heroine, Layla Craven has ‘volunteered’ to help but shortly after her arrival, the body of theatre critic and reviewer Shane Lawson is discovered, and our heroine begins an investigation into the death, on her own. Now that her houseguest has become more or less corporeal, thanks to the presence of a magic, Layla struggles with her attraction to Adam, believing she is no longer the object of his desire and attraction but as Layla continues to investigate the murder, someone else is threatening to take down our story line heroine. With the help of her bestie Poppy, the man that she loves Adam, and a little kitten called Bubbles, Layla is about to become the center of attention in a game of betrayal and greed.

The relationship between Adam and Layla has been building throughout the series but Adam is a ghost who has no idea as to the how or why. His attraction to Layla is matched only by Layla’s need to put some distance between herself and the man with whom she is falling in love but everything in the town of Ashland Springs is centred on magic, and Layla is caught in the middle without knowing why.

DON’T SEDUCE A SPECTER is the third and final instalment in the fast paced trilogy focusing on Layla and Adam ..but.. there is no resolution to several other aspects of the series premise, which is frustrating on soooo many levels. I am going to go out on a limb and say that, hopefully, the author has plans to write more stories focusing on the people and town of Ashland Springs – we need the details and backstory, history and fates of Adam, Layla’s aunt Carolann, Poppy, and of course, Bubbles’ appearance and magical abilities.

DON’T SEDUCE A SPECTER is a story of betrayal and vengeance, power and greed, love and acceptance, magic and murder. The premise is intriguing; the romance is unique and captivating; the characters are magical, determined and odd.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

Don’t Accept Gifts From Ghosts
Don’t Party with a Poltergeist

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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