Archives for August 2015

REVIEW – Texas Prey – Barb Han

Texas Prey

5 STARS!

Really enjoyed this book!  It keeps you guessing until the end of who the kidnapper is.

Rebecca Hughes has come back to town after years away because her Mom isn’t doing well.  Strange things start happening and she gets spooked and calls her old boyfriend Brody Fields who she heard had just gotten back to town too.  She knows if anyone can keep her safe, it’s Brody.

When Rebecca was 12 and her little brother Shane was 7, they were abducted in the night.  Rebecca escaped a day and a half later, but Shane was never found.  Now that the 15th anniversary has rolled around, she thinks the kidnapper is back to get her again.

Brody gathers the old school gang that they hung out with and gets them to help fit some puzzle pieces together from that night and general time frame to see if they missed anything.  They follow a few leads and figure out who it was.  But will they be able to catch him?  And is Shane still out there somewhere or was he killed years ago?

** Purchased **

REVIEW – His Son, Her Secret – Sarah M. Anderson

HIs Son, Her Secret

5 STARS!

I really enjoyed this continuation of the Beaumont Heirs Series!

Byron Beaumont has returned to Denver after living in various parts of France and Spain for more than a year.  His brother’s want him to open a restaurant to go along with the new brewery they have opened.  He’s hesitant, but decides to do it.  He can’t help remembering plans that he and his former girlfriend Leona Harper had dreamed of about her designing the restaurant he wanted to open one day, so he tracks down the firm she’s working for and arranges for her to work with him from the ground floor of designing this restaurant.

Leona Harper can’t help having her breath taken away when she sees the man she loves again, but she’s also terrified he’ll learn her secret before she’s had a chance to tell him.  They have an almost 6 month old son that he knows nothing about.

Bitter family feuding led Leona to not tell him who her father was when they were dating.  When her father came in and destroyed his family’s business and led him to believe Leona had been in on it over a year ago, he believed she had been deceiving him and conspiring with her father, so he left town without bothering to hear her side of the story.  While he felt she had left him to be her father’s crony, she believed that Byron had abandoned her because she had not gone with her father willingly.  Once she had gotten all of her things and left her father’s house with her little sister, she tried to contact him, but his phone was disconnect and he was gone.

Will they be able to get this mess straightened out and be a family for their son?  When her father comes back into the picture making threats again, will they stand behind each other against him or will she bend to his dictating again?  Can Byron forgive her for not telling him about Percy?  And can she forgive him and learn to trust that he won’t up and leave again?

** Purchased **

REVIEW – Maid for a Magnate – Jules Bennett

Maid for a Magnate

4 STARS!

This continuation of the Montoros Dynasty did not disappoint!  It was like greeting old friends to see Will, James and Bella again.  A fun read!

After his father’s failed attempt at railroading him into marriage to Bella Montoro, Will Rowling has decided he’s finally ready to put plans into motion to thwart his father’s control over him and go after what he really wants … and most importantly, who he really wants.

Catalina Iberra … former flame, who is now maid to his father.  Cat is not happy now that James married Bella and moved out, leaving her to work for his unkind father.  She has plans to leave as soon as she has enough money put aside to start the fashion line she’s been secretly working on.

Four years ago, Will and Cat had been dating.  When his father intervened, Will broke Cat’s heart by walking away without an explanation.  Several weeks ago, they shared a kiss and he hasn’t been able to get her off his mind since.  He’s now taking action to remove his father from his seat of power in the company, and wants Cat back.

Cat doesn’t think she can trust him not to hurt her again, so he sets out to prove it to her.  Will he win her over?  Will his father interfere again?  Will she decide to stay and give him a chance or continue with her plans to leave town?

** Purchased **

REVIEW – Seducing His Enemy’s Daughter – Annie West

Seducing His Enemy's Daughter

5 STARS!

Loved this book!  I didn’t put it down from start to finish because I was so invested in seeing what all the secrets were that were going to be uncovered, and to see if Donato and Ella could truly have a future.

It all starts with Ella Sanderson being summoned by her father Reg, to meet a man that he had an important deal in the works with.  He had arranged to make her sister, Felicity, marry this mogul because he wanted money and power from him.  Her sister ran off with the man that she loved to avoid her father’s scheming.  Ella is the only sibling that has no tolerance for her father and his nonsense, and finds no problem telling him no.  Until she finds out he’s stolen her brother’s inheritance that he was counting on to fund his current hotel project.

Donato Salazar is a rich, powerful, self-made ex-con.  He’s hard and ruthless, but Ella sees through that to the real man underneath.  Their attraction to each other is instant, and even though she refuses to marry him, he convinces her to keep up the front with her father and to spend time with him.

Donato has a secret.  He never planned to go through with a wedding, he only used it as a distraction to keep Reg occupied while he schemed his plan to ruin the man.  As the time grows near, he feels guilty and tells Ella the truth.  He can’t lie to her, because he’s grown to love her.  She too has fallen head over heals for him, but how can she forgive him using her to ruin her father?

In the end, the truth will all come out … but will it be too much for Donato and Ella to overcome?

** Received free from Annie to review **

Lazy days

Hi everyone! 🙂  Hope everyone is enjoying the last few days of August.  Yesterday was hubby’s birthday, so we spent the day doing whatever he wanted.  He chose to make it a lazy one this year.  We had breakfast at IHOP, then went to Barnes & Noble for awhile.  He’s big into cars, so he always love to go read the new car news.  I read the book I was in the middle of. 🙂  For dinner, he picked Red Lobster.  It was yummy!  Then off to Starbucks to relax and read some more.  I know, it actually sounds like he was picking a day of whatever I wanted to do with all of that reading right?  haha

It’s hard to believe that September is almost here.  We’ll soon be getting cooler days and leaves turning.  I do love Fall.  The only thing I dislike about this time of year is the ragweed kicking my butt allergy wise.

Have a wonderful Friday and a great last of August weekend!

REVIEW – Fighting the Fall – Jennifer Snow

Fighting the Fall

4 STARS!

After enjoying Walker Adams in the first book of this Beyond the Cage series, it was like meeting up with an old friend to see him show up in several scenes in this book.  This time, it’s Tyson, his hard-nosed trainer’s turn to be front and center.  He’s training for a big fight to defend his championship belt, but keeps getting distracted.

First, actress Parker Hamilton shows up asking him to train her for a movie roll she’s auditioning for.  On her way to being washed up in Hollywood, she is determined to get the lead as an MMA fighter in an Indie film, but needs to get some training FAST!  Tyson has no interest in helping her and sends her on her way.  He soon has to rethink that when his second distraction shows up.  His drug addict brother swears he wants to get clean, but he owes some dealers money and they are threatening his life.  Tyson has to backtrack and agree to let Parker train at his gym because he needs the money she’s offering to pay him to help his brother.

Seeing her in the gym every day is just as distracting as he thought it would be.  When the trainer he has working with her is called away for a family emergency, he has to step in and work with her himself.  He can no longer keep his hands off her, and they grow closer.

Will she win the part that has come to mean so much to her?  Will Tyson win his big fight?  Can they make a relationship work or will he continue to be a loner and push her away?

** Received free from Jennifer to review **

REVIEW – Her Soldier’s Touch – J.M. Stewart

Her Soldier's Touch

4 STARS!

Sergeant First Class Colten Taylor retires after 20 years in the army and returns to his childhood home in Phoenix.  He’s heartbroken as he does so, because he’s home to bury his little brother Paul, who finally succumbed to his years of addiction and died of an overdose.  The last of his family is gone.  Or so he thinks.

Rachel Madison is there to pick him up from the airport.  He hasn’t seen her since he left her bed 6 years earlier.  She was best friends with Paul when they were younger, even dating him for a short time before drugs overtook his life and changed him.  He dreads telling her about Paul’s death, but little does he know she has a bombshell of her own to drop on him.  A 5 year old son … that looks exactly like him!

Colten isn’t sure he can stick around and be a father.  He is haunted by his childhood.  An abusive father, a mother that committed suicide and left he and his brother to continue to take the beatings instead of being brave enough to leave her abuser.  He’s terrified he’s going to be just like his father.

Rachel has demons of her own.  She is mad at Colten for walking out on her six years ago, and can’t bring herself to forgive him.  She thinks he’ll always abandon her just like her father did.  Leaving her to be raised by her addict mother.  She figures it’s better to be alone than to be hurt over and over again.

Can Colten overcome his fear and be the father his son deserves?  Can he convince Rachel to take a chance on him even though he doesn’t think he’s worthy?

** Received free from Jo to review **

REVIEW – Protecting the Colton Bride – Elle James

Protecting the Colton Bride

5 STARS!

Elle James does it again!  Always such a pleasure to read one of her books.  I fell in love with these characters from the beginning and couldn’t stop devouring page after page to see what was going to happen.  Very down to earth characters, easy to relate to.

Megan Talbot needs money to buy her prized horses before her angry father makes good on his threat to sell them to a glue factory if she doesn’t move back home to California.

Daniel Colton needs a blue blood connection to impress the owner of the prized stud he wants to work with to take his horse breeding operation to the next level.

Instant solution!  Daniel proposes they elope to Vegas, and Megan agrees it’s an ideal fix to both their problems!  Megan will get her inheritance from her grandmother upon marrying, giving her the funds to save her horses.  Daniel will gain the connection to an influential family that he feels he needs to improve his chances of a stud deal with Kennedy Farms.

The perfect plan.  Only strange things start happening around them.  An incident with a horse, an illness, malfunctioning equipment, etc.  Someone is after Megan … but why?

** Received free from Elle to review **

REVIEW — Evergreen Springs – RaeAnne Thayne

Evergreen Springs

5 STARS!

I highly recommend this heartwarming Christmas romance!

Cole Barrett is an overwhelmed single father who has only had custody of his 2 kids for a few months, after their mother was killed in a car accident.  Six year old Ty is a super lovable little guy who just wants everyone to be happy.  Eight year old Jazmyn has a big chip on her shoulder and doesn’t want to live there.  She’s just waiting for the day that grandma will come to take her home with her.

Dr. Devin Shaw is the town sweetheart, having grown up there and spent her whole life there other than when she was away at medical school.  When Cole brings his sister into the hospital  with a sprained ankle and in premature labor with twins, Devin steps in to help keep Tricia’s mind at ease while she’s on bed rest and can’t help him at the ranch.  She gathers the community to help feed the kids, she babysits them while he’s working with his horses, she even enlists her sister, the mayor’s help in finding the perfect housekeeper to start as soon as possible.

Along the way, Cole and Devin each fight hard to control their attraction to each other.  He thinks that even though he’s a hard working man trying to make a life with his kids, that he’s still defined by the wild guy he was back in his rodeo days.  The hard partying, womanizer who can’t even remember the bar fight that sent him to prison, just can’t forgive himself for the past deeds that he’s done and instead keeps to himself so the community won’t feel the need to shun him.

Spending time with Devin brings out a side of Cole that he doesn’t show with anyone else.  He laughs, he goes to town functions, he lives!  When Cole panics about what he’s feeling for Devin and tries to push her out of his life, will she listen?  And will he be able to let her go so she can be with someone better than him?  Devin loves him, but she doesn’t know if she can trust in what she thinks he feels for her too.

** Received free from RaeAnne to review **

REVIEW — The Rebel – Adrienne Giordano

The Rebel

5 STARS!

Great book!  If you’re looking for lots of intrigue, some sweet, sassy flirting, and a sexy bad boy wannabe, this book is for you!  I flew through it because I just kept having to know what was going to happen next.

Homicide Detective Larry McCall is out for an early morning walk with his dog.  He never expects to stumble upon a crime scene, but when his dog starts digging in an empty field, that’s exactly what happens.  A skull is uncovered.

Five years later, Detective McCall approaches Sculptor Amanda LeBlanc at a function for a fallen fireman, where she is presenting his family with a sculpture she donated to honor their husband and father.  He thinks she does great work and is interested in trying to get her help on the skull cold case.  Amanda is hesitant to help because her deceased Mother was a forensic artist and there’s some upsetting history stemming from it.

David Hennings mother overhears their discussion, and the next day encourages David to go see Amanda under the pretense of needing artwork for his new house, but really to try to talk her into helping on the case.  Mrs. Hennings has been picking pet projects the last few years to become interested in and get help to solve.

David meets with Amanda and convinces her to meet with the Detective again to go over the case and she eventually agrees to help.  In the midst of their visits and discussions, they are attracted to each other and agree to see where it goes.  Once Amanda starts working on the project, crazy things start happening around her.  Her home and studio are suddenly inaccessible, her credit cards are being declined, break ins are occuring, etc.

Will David be able to keep Amanda safe long enough for her help solve this case?  Will their budding romance lead to anything more than casual comfort?  I highly recommend you read the book to find out!

** Received free from Adrienne to review **