Archives for May 30, 2017

* Review * A DEEPER GRAVE by Debra Webb

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * A DEEPER GRAVE by Debra WebbA Deeper Grave by Debra Webb
Series: Shades of Death
Published by MIRA on May 30, 2017
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four-half-stars

When the hunter becomes the hunted…

Serial-killer hunter Nick Shade built his legendary career chasing monsters—sadistic criminals with a gruesome thirst for death. When he rescued Montgomery detective Bobbie Gentry from horrific captivity and helped her reclaim her life, he didn't intend to be a hero. Or a target. But now a copycat murderer haunts him, and reuniting with Bobbie is his best chance at neutralizing the threat.

Bobbie can't forget the nightmares of her trauma—or the man who saved her. Working with Nick to outmaneuver the person behind a deadly vendetta feeds her hope that there's more to her world than ghosts and destruction. Maybe joining Nick's search for a killer is about gratitude. Maybe it's nothing more than cold revenge. But the only way they can protect themselves is to trust each other.

With this continuation of her Shades of Death series, Debra Webb gathers us near and takes us along for the ride as we wind up knee deep in a nasty serial killer investigation again. Emotions are raw, the murder scenes are gruesome and no one is safe!

Montgomery, AL detective Bobbie Gentry has been through so much in the last year, and thanks to Nick Shade rescuing her and giving her a little peace again, she has been able to heal somewhat from her trauma. She will never forget … she will never forgive … but she feels a little more free than she has since this whole nightmare started. Just as she starts to relax a little, a new demon starts to haunt the town.

Nick Shade has his own past that he’s running away from, but he now lives and breathes the completion of hunting down and helping capture serial killers. When he hears that Bobbie is in the middle of something again, it doesn’t take him long to arrive in town and reach out to her. Neither one of them can deny the connection that grew between them during their time together … and the healing she’s done since then is just making it even more comfortable between them this time. Will their combined force be enough to stop yet another killer before he starts taking out people they care about … including each other??

four-half-stars

* Review * SUMMER AT THE SHORE by Carol Ross

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * SUMMER AT THE SHORE by Carol RossSummer at the Shore by Carol Ross
Published by Harlequin Heartwarming on June 1, 2017
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five-stars

Saving lives is who they are

Risking his life for others is all in a day's work for Coast Guard petty officer Jay Johnston. Until he comes to the rescue of Mia Frasier after her small plane goes down. Maybe it's because the empathetic blue-eyed vet wants to save the world just as passionately as Jay wants to create a safe haven for his five younger siblings, but there's no denying their bond. Despite his growing feelings for Mia, a romantic relationship isn't on Jay's radar. How can two people always on the move stay in one place long enough to create a family of their own?


Two wounded hearts collide and make for a wonderful “feel-good” romance! Both successful in their careers of helping others, Jay and Mia both have scars on their hearts and minds from the childhoods they led that they try to cover up and prosper from … but in meeting each other, each has to face their fear of admitting their feelings and figuring out if they can grow enough in their love for each other to be able to face their demons and conquer them once and for all. Great characters, an awesome story line, and a true pleasure to read! It was fun to see some familiar faces and catch up on their lives as well!

When Coast Guard petty officer Jay Johnston reels in a survivor of a small plane crash, it’s just another day on his high energy job … until he meets her eyes. There’s something about the connection they feel that neither can walk away from!

Veterinarian Mia Frasier was blessed that she and her mother and the pilot all survived their plane crash, and she’s thrilled to see Jay again at the hospital. Neither of them can deny the sizzle they feel when they see each other, but they both have guidelines they set for themselves over the years that just won’t allow a relationship to work. He has 5 younger siblings that he takes care of … but he doesn’t allow anyone into their inner circle. She loves her job and her life … but a military man is off-limits! Their hearts don’t agree with their rules though … after time together and growing closer every day, will they truly be able to walk away from this once in a lifetime connection?

five-stars

* Review * NO ONE BUT YOU by Brenda Novak

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * NO ONE BUT YOU by Brenda NovakNo One But You by Brenda Novak
Series: Silver Springs
Published by MIRA on May 30, 2017
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five-stars

New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak welcomes you to Silver Springs, a picturesque small town in Southern California where even the hardest hearts can learn to love again…

Struggling to make ends meet after a messy divorce, Sadie Harris is at the end of her tether. Her waitressing gig isn't enough to pay the bills let alone secure primary custody of her son, Jayden, a battle she refuses to lose. Desperate, she accepts a position assisting Dawson Reed—the same Dawson Reed who recently stood trial for the murder of his adoptive parents. Joining him at his isolated farm seems risky, but Sadie is out of options.

Dawson has given small town Silver Springs plenty of reasons to be wary, but he's innocent of the charges against him. He wants to leave his painful past behind and fix up the family farm so he can finally bring his dependent sister home where she belongs.

As Sadie and Dawson's professional relationship grows into something undeniably personal, Sadie realizes there's more to Dawson than the bad boy everyone else sees—he has a good heart, one that might even be worth fighting for.


Another emotional journey into Brenda Novak’s latest fictional town, Silver Springs! Two disinheartened souls feel alone in the world as they fight the uphill battle to reclaim their lives. One through divorce and moving on from abuse and another through trying to pick up the pieces after he’s finally free from prison and home again .. but without the family he loved dearly. The characters are well defined with turmoil fueling their actions for much of the book. I am enjoying Silver Springs very much and look forward to the my next visit!

Sadie Harris’ divorce is almost complete and she just wants to move forward with her life with her young son. She isn’t looking for much … just a job that will allow her to keep their head above water and will sustain her full custody claim if he ex goes through with his threat to sue for custody. Her shifts at the diner just aren’t enough to make ends meet anymore. She is leery of answering the help wanted ad .. but what else can she do? She needs the money that this job will give her!

Dawson Reed is back home in Silver Springs and trying to pick up the smashed pieces of his so-called life. Yes, he finally got justice and was acquitted in his adoptive parents murders .. but the town still believes he did it, and are very clear in how unwelcome he is. He needs help … he has to get a caregiver in place so he can bring his dependent sister home again. When Sadie answers his ad and he sees her work ethic first-hand, he realizes he lucked into a great employee. He just hopes the things working against them will ease up so she’ll want to stay to do the job!

As Sadie comes to know Dawson, she realizes he’s a really kind man .. and she doesn’t believe for a second that he butchered his parents .. but believe it and proving it are two totally different things. No matter how many people she tells that he’s a good man, no one is going to believe it until they find who really did commit the murders. And how can they concentrate on doing that when Sadie’s ex keeps piling more trouble on their backs?

five-stars

* Release Blast * MAYBE THIS LOVE by Jennifer Snow

 

Title: Maybe This Love
Author: Jennifer Snow
Series: Colorado Ice #2
On Sale: May 30, 2017

Publisher: Forever
Formats: Mass Market
Price: $7.99 (mass market)
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THE GAME OF HIS LIFE

Hockey player Ben Westmore has some serious skills—on and off the ice—and he’s not above indulging in the many perks of NHL stardom. When a night in Vegas ends in disaster, he realizes two things: 1) it’s time to lie low for a while, and 2) he needs a lawyer—fast. But the smoking-hot woman who walks into his office immediately tests all his good intentions.

Olivia Davis doesn’t need anyone derailing her career—or her dreams of starting a family—least of all a skirt-chasing player like Ben. But soon he’s unleashing a full-court press to convince her that he’s the real deal. She’s slowly falling for his sweet, rugged charm, but with so much on the line, Olivia has to decide whether Ben can truly change—or if he’s just playing the game.

 

COLORADE ICE SERIES

Colorado Ice #2

Series Page on Goodreads

 

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EXCERPT:

“Relax,” he said smoothly, his gaze locked on hers, his expression soft, unfazed—the look of a man not dancing with the lawyer who could ruin his life or at least playoff season. She had to learn this guy’s secret, because there was no way he was this unaffected. Yet, his hands weren’t sweating the ways hers threatened to, and the only heartbeat she could hear thundering was her own.

She forced a slow and what she hoped was unobvious breath. “I am relaxed. I’m not the one who should be worried.”

The palm of his hand spread across the exposed flesh of her back and she prayed the tingling sensation in her spine didn’t result in goose bumps. “So you’re saying I should be?” he asked, turning them in rotation to the steady beat. Despite her resistance to this dance, her hips betrayed her by swaying in sync with his, and her feet kept time with his every step. He led with a silent authority that she was forced to follow. And for the first time in her life, she wasn’t hating giving up control.

“I think so, yes. My client is…”

He brought their joined hands between them and placed a finger to her lips.

Her heart all but stopped.

“Why don’t we save the shop talk for the courtroom? Let’s just enjoy this dance.”

She swallowed hard, but nodded. Dancing in silence, she could do that.

Unfortunately, Ben seemed eager to chat. “How long have you been practicing law?”

He expected her to remember stats as his hand on her back dipped slightly lower, his hold drawing her even closer? It had been far too long since she’d been enveloped in the arms of a man who felt and smelled so strong, so confident…How long would it be again if she went ahead with her plans for a baby? She pushed the thought aside when he stared at her, still waiting for an answer. “Twelve years,” she said, cutting out her time as a junior lawyer and intern, so as not to age herself. She knew from his online Wikipedia page that he was thirty-four, two years younger than she.

“Do you love what you do?” he asked.

“If I say no will I get the inspirational ‘do what you love and it will never feel like work’ speech?”

Is that a no?”

She shook her head. “Actually, I really do enjoy my job.” She couldn’t say watching families get ripped apart by bitter divorces was something she loved without sounding like a sociopath, but she enjoyed her career.

“Can I ask why only professional athlete divorces?”

“I was dumped by a jock,” she said.

Ben laughed. “So one guy ruined it for us all, huh?”

She nodded then shook her head. “No. Everyday cases—with normal, everyday husbands and wives—just seemed a little too…real,” she said.

His blue eyes burned into her and his grip tightened on her hand. “So, guys like me aren’t real?”

She swallowed hard. He felt real…He felt more than real—he felt amazing. His arm wrapped around her felt deceivingly safe and his hand holding hers felt warm and secure. God, she could see herself giving in to these painfully real feelings…“You’re probably one of the more real ones,” she said, hoping he didn’t detect the slight quiver in her voice.

He nodded slowly as though unsure whether her words were a compliment. “Have you ever been married?” he asked, rotating them in time to the music.

“That’s crossing a line into personal.”

“Kids?”

“That’s less personal?” She raised an eyebrow.

He smiled. “Guarded much?”

The effect of his smile from a safe distance was knee-weakening. This close, it was downright dangerous. She quickly averted her gaze to the other couples on the floor. “How long is this song anyway?” She felt trapped the way she had in tenth grade when Robbie Gropes-a-Lot Harris had tricked her into dancing with him at the winter formal to “November Rain”—the full eleven-minute extended version. Except Ben’s breath smelled minty fresh and not like tacos, and his arm draped across her lower back made every fiber in her being spring to life, making her want to flee for a completely different reason than the one Robbie had evoked.

“Do I make you uncomfortable?”

Damn right. And it should be her making him uncomfortable. There needed to be a power shift between them and fast. “Of course not.”

He pulled her closer. “You make me uncomfortable,” he murmured, his expression suddenly serious. Every inch of her body was pressed to his and she could barely catch a breath. Dancing was a really bad idea—a torturously bad idea. Being in his arms reminded her of all of the things she’d sacrificed for her career, of all the things she’d told herself she didn’t need…

“G-good,” she said, her voice cracking. “As I said, my client…”

“I don’t mean the divorce case. I mean you.” He touched her cheek and her skin burned. Thank God he was holding her so tightly because she couldn’t trust her legs.

Their stare locked and held for what could have been a lifetime, as everything seemed still and quiet around them.

Still and quiet.

The song had ended.

She yanked her hand free of his and stumbled away from him, inhaling a gulp of air into her deprived lungs. “Well, dance is over. I’ll…uh…see you.”

He nodded, the charming polite smile back on his face and for a second she wondered if she’d imagined the intensity in his gaze seconds before. “Goodnight, Olivia.”

Olivia.

Her own name sounded foreign coming from him. She longed to hear the sound again, and she was an idiot for wanting something so dangerous. The NHL’s biggest playboy had just worked his charm on her, and she’d lost all common sense.

She turned and headed straight for the table, leaving him on the dance floor.

She had to pull it together, but she also had to admit the unfortunate truth. Never before had she been tempted to kiss the enemy.

 

Excerpted from MAYBE THIS LOVE by Jennifer Snow. Copyright © 2017 by Jennifer Snow. Reprinted with permission of Forever. All rights reserved.

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer Snow lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her husband and son. She writes sweet and sexy contemporary romance stories set everywhere from small towns to big cities. After stating in her high school yearbook bio that she wanted to be an author, she set off on the winding, twisting road to make her dream a reality. She is a member of RWA, the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, the Canadian Authors Association, and the Film and Visual Arts Association in Edmonton. She has published over ten novels and novellas with many more on the way.

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