Archives for January 2022

* Review * CODE NAME: VIRGO by Janie Crouch

January 16, 2022 Leave a Comment

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * CODE NAME: VIRGO by Janie Crouch

Code Name: Virgo by Janie Crouch
Series: Zodiac Tactical Rescue Unit #2
Published by Calamittie Jane Publishing on January 18, 2022
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My code name is Virgo. The stars say I’m practical, honest, stubborn as hell.

Guilty as charged.

Zodiac Tactical is the company that gave me a second chance. We guard, protect, rescue...eliminate the threat when nobody else can. And as a former SEAL, I’m good at those things. Good with weapons, good with missions.

But with people...not so good.

So when a gruesome enemy takes Bronwyn Rourke, one of Zodiac’s newest young recruits—with blue eyes that take up nearly her whole damn face—I shouldn’t take it personally. Shouldn’t allow her to consume my every thought and become my only mission.

They took her because they thought she was alone. Easy prey. That no one would fight for her.

They were wrong.

My code name is Virgo. And I will grind my enemy to dust to bring her home.

Explosively addictive! CODE NAME: VIRGO is the second book in Janie Crouch’s Zodiac Tactical Rescue Unit series and backtracks a bit in the story over what we already learned in Wavy’s story in book one to catch us up on Sarge and Bronwyn. The characters hooked me quickly and I was turning the pages as quickly as my eyes would allow to find out what was going to happen in this wild predicament they found themselves in. It’s farfetched but I loved every minute of it!

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone that enjoys a group of former soldiers who have united to form a security company that goes where others won’t to rescue when needed.

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* Review * PLAYING PEYTON by Kat Mizera

January 16, 2022 Leave a Comment

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Playing Peyton by Kat Mizera
Series: Alaska Blizzard #10
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The only thing Professional athlete Ryder Kingston loves more than hockey and sex, is his Bernese mountain dog, Coco. He never imagined there was someone out there who could top that list, until some shocking news changes his life forever.

Peyton Legori swore off hockey players a long time ago. But when her jerk of a boyfriend throws her out, and her brother’s friend is the one that comes to the rescue, she can’t resist. And after one night of undeniable passion, her life will never be the same.

The two are forced to forge a friendship and look to the future, but fate steps in and turns everything upside down. As they navigate the unfamiliar territory, will Ryder be able to make room in his life for a new love?

I utterly adored this couple! PLAYING PEYTON is Kat Mizera’s tenth book in the Alaska Blizzard series and it just keeps getting better and better. A big discovery led to Ryder opening up his heart and falling hard for former teammate Donovan’s sister Peyton and I couldn’t have loved their story more. Heartfelt and rewarding!

Ryder is a sweetheart and quick to step in when he thinks he’s needed, no matter what he might have to sacrifice in order to put himself out there. I loved seeing his teammates and core team support system stepping in anytime he needed a nudge.

Peyton is overcoming the poor life choices she made and starting to shine now that she’s out from under the stigma of a selfish boyfriend.

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who loves a hockey romance with a whole lot of heart. The teammates love each other and their women hard and it’s super satisfying to see the loyalty and family spirit.

Filed Under: Book Reviews

* Review * HUNTING THE COLTON FUGITIVE by Colleen Thompson

January 16, 2022 Leave a Comment

Hunting the Colton Fugitive by Colleen Thompson
Series: The Coltons of Mustang Valley #11
Published by Harlequin Romantic Suspense on June 1, 2020
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Her business is finding criminals… but can she risk falling for a fugitive?

Capturing Ace Colton is the solution to bounty hunter Sierra Madden’s troubles. The bounty will pay off the vicious loan shark whose goons are after her. Too cynical to buy Ace’s protestations of innocence, Sierra tamps down her growing attraction. But when she’s the ultimate target, she might be forced to rely on the absolute last person she should trust.

Interwoven chaos steals the show! With the next to last book in The Colton’s of Mustang Valley series, we are finally getting some insight into getting Ace back home and finding out who really shot his father. The intrigue was high and the characters held my attention throughout. I’m looking forward to the final book in the series to shed light on the remaining questions and finish up this great series.

I recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who likes a top notch mystery that spreads across several books as sibling after sibling tries to unravel the secrets and lies as they find their own happily ever after.

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* Review * STOLEN ANGELS by Rita Herron

January 16, 2022 Leave a Comment

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Stolen Angels by Rita Herron
Series: Detective Ellie Reeves #5
Published by Bookouture on January 27, 2022
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Twisting her hands together, she bites back a sob. She only turned her back for a second, and then her daughter was gone. Every mother in town would be hugging their children tighter tonight.

Lara is baking cupcakes when her six-year-old daughter Ava runs to catch the school bus just one block away. Chasing after her, Lara sees the bus tumbling past, and waves. But Ava never turns up at school.

Detective Ellie Reeves is in a race against time to find her––in missing child cases, every second counts. Searching the small town of Crooked Creek, she finds the girl’s bunny in the local park, the toy Ava carried around everywhere. Did Ava ever get on the bus?

While Ellie works around the clock, a local reporter gets a message: There are other missing girls out there. Digging into previous cases, Ellie discovers that another girl went missing on the same day the previous year. How many more could there be?

Ellie is certain that the date means something––and that the person who sent the message is the key. But the community is up in arms, everyone worried that their daughter will be next, and blaming Ellie. The pressure is mounting, and time is running out to bring little Ava home. Can Ellie solve the toughest case of her career––and save Ava––before it’s too late?

An intricately woven tale of terror and deceit! Rita Herron picks up STOLEN ANGELS as the fifth book in her highly addictive Detective Ellie Reeves series at a similar timeframe to when the last book left off as a child goes missing and Ellie has to scramble to cover all of the bases in the hunt to find her. The intrigue was high and the emotions were heartstring pulling worthy. I felt that Ellie wasn’t entrenched quite as personally in this book as she has been in all of the rest, but the emotions were solid none the less. Loving this series!

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys a well plotted mystery with a town of characters always jumping into the midst of the drama to help the hunt, or antagonize the situation. Action packed and enthralling as always.

Filed Under: Book Reviews

* Review * MURDER ON PRESCOTT MOUNTAIN by Lena Diaz

January 16, 2022 Leave a Comment

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * MURDER ON PRESCOTT MOUNTAIN by Lena Diaz

Murder on Prescott Mountain by Lena Diaz
Series: A Tennessee Cold Case Story #1
Published by Harlequin Intrigue on January 25, 2022
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Could the mystery that’s haunted him for years

Be the break her latest case needs?

Former soldier Grayson Prescott started his cold case firm to bring murderers to justice. Specifically the one who destroyed his life. When his obsession intersects with Detective Willow McCray’s serial killer investigation, they join forces. But Willow falls hard for the haunted investigator—even as danger mounts. Stopping the River Road rapist will save the victims…but will it save their future together?

Captivating and on point! Lena Diaz’s latest series is kicking off with a bang of non-stop action and mystery. MURDER ON PRESCOTT MOUNTAIN is the first book in her Tennessee Cold Case Story series and came to life quickly and the twists and turns held my attention throughout. I’m looking forward to more in the series!

Grayson’s back story is very compelling and seeing him start up this new firm to not only solve his own cold case, but to help other families who suffer the unknown is very rewarding.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fast paced action story revolving around a mystery or two with a hint of romance.

Filed Under: Book Reviews

* Review * ALWAYS SOMEONE’S MONSTER by Lani Lynn Vale

January 15, 2022 Leave a Comment

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * ALWAYS SOMEONE’S MONSTER by Lani Lynn Vale

Always Someone's Monster by Lani Lynn Vale
Series: Battle Crows MC #1
on January 25, 2022
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A few years ago, when his sister went missing, Haggard Crow turned into something he never wanted to be. A killer.

Even after his sister is rescued a year after she was kidnapped and sold, Haggard ‘Thief’ Crow doesn’t have any plans on changing. He sort of likes the zero fucks given guy that he is now.

Bonus points, he saves women and children from extreme situations, along with his club and real life brothers by his side.
After a horrible marriage, Haggard has zero plans of ever finding a woman again. One-night stands not counting, he adores his life as a single man. There are no expectations. No ‘where are yous’ and ‘are you coming homes.’

The life he chooses to live is a simple one. Until he makes a huge mistake, and he steps over that line between ‘daughter’s best friend’ and ‘a woman he desperately wants.’

Before long, he can’t stop thinking about her. Can’t stop wanting her. Can’t stop feeling things for her that a man twenty years her senior should never feel for a girl he watched grow up.

After one lapse in judgment, he decides she needs to go. But the funny thing is, he never expected Sophia Madden to fight back. And dirty at that.

An exhilarating start to a new series by Lani Lynn Vale! ALWAYS SOMEONE’S MONSTER is dramatic, heartwarming and sexy as all get out, but underneath it all stands a powerful message about standing up for what is right. Vale doesn’t write the most gritty MC romance you will ever read, but her heroes are always alpha with a major twist of sweet goodness that makes them endear themselves to her reader’s heart quickly and easily. I loved the twists and emotional turns of this book and am looking forward to the next in the series!

Haggard is tough and tantalizing and I enjoyed every delightful minute in his company.

Sophia is a sweetheart who keeps getting life’s hard knocks tossed at her time and again, but she perseveres and becomes a stronger person because of it.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an alpha hero with a cuddly heart of gold who isn’t afraid to take a wrong turn if it’s for the good of his loved ones.

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* Review * FROM FEUDING TO FALLING by Jules Bennett

January 15, 2022 Leave a Comment

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * FROM FEUDING TO FALLING by Jules Bennett

From Feuding to Falling by Jules Bennett
Series: Texas Cattleman's Club: Fathers and Sons #4
Published by Harlequin Desire on January 25, 2022
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Falling for his fake fiancée wasn’t part of the plan!

Securing the fortune owed to the Texas Cattleman’s Club is a top priority for its new president, Carson Wentworth. But to get there, he needs to win over rival Lana Langley and unify their feuding families. What better way than through a wedding…or at least a fake engagement? It might even be fun.

Lana has her doubts. They’ve been battling each other so long, how can they make their charade believable for one full month? Perhaps the key is the chemistry raging between them—which could also be their downfall!

Fast paced and highly entertaining! FROM FEUDING TO FALLING by Jules Bennett is the fourth book in the Texas Cattleman’s Club: Fathers and Sons series for Harlequin Desire and this enemies to lovers story is sure to please TCC fans. The plot is quick to develop into a fake relationship between the longtime feuding Wentworth and Langley families and kept me watching throughout.

I recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys a high powered cast of the Texas elite working their way through business ventures, personal drama and happily ever afters.

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* Review * JUST ONE SPARK by Carly Phillips

January 15, 2022 Leave a Comment

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * JUST ONE SPARK by Carly Phillips

Just One Spark by Carly Phillips
Series: The Kingston Family #4
Published by CP Publishing on January 18, 2022
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He’s a playboy rock star living the rock and roll dream...
Until a very real baby scare threatens to bring it all crashing down.

Dash Kingston has learned his lesson and knows his hard-partying lifestyle needs to change. To clean up his playboy image, he needs a fake girlfriend.

There’s just one problem: the perfect woman for the job is a gorgeous blonde who once aroused not just his body but his emotions, sending him running. And leaving her to wake up alone.

For the band’s sake, Cassidy Forrester agrees to play the girlfriend role, but she’s not going to fall for Dash’s charm or sex appeal ever again.

Except this Dash Kingston swears he’s a changed man, and he’s out to win Cassidy over - for good. But only a fool would make the same mistake twice, and Cassidy refuses to let their spark burn her a second time.

Sensual, sweet and so very satisfying! JUST ONE SPARK is book four in The Kingston Family series by Carly Phillips and picks up with rock star Dash and the trouble he’s managed to get himself into. We met his love interest Cassidy in Xander’s book previously as Sasha’s BFF/assistant. Sparks flew the minute Dash and Cassidy were in the same room as the other in that book, so we knew we were going to be in for a good time when they got together. I love this family and this series and now that a major seed has been planted I absolutely cannot wait to get Aurora’s story next!

Dash is an interesting character because we are led to believe he’s led this life of fun and debauchery, but we only know him as a loving brother and a down-to-earth guy who wants to change his way of living for the better. I enjoyed him and his sensitive side a lot.

Cassidy was a great secondary character in Sasha and Xander’s story so to see her get her own happily ever after was really sweet.

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys a high-powered group of siblings working through the simplicities of family life as drama, love and business unravel around them.

Filed Under: Book Reviews

* Review * MAVERICK by Brenda Rothert

January 14, 2022 Leave a Comment

Maverick by Brenda Rothert
Series: Sin City Saints #1
Published by Silver Sky Publishing, Inc. on September 21, 2021
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The Vegas heat just kicked up a notch with the arrival of ice hockey’s newest expansion team – the Sin City Saints.

Maverick Hagen’s fall from grace was more like a crash landing. His record-breaking career ended after a fight with an opponent over a woman left him with a broken leg, or so the pundits thought. Returning to the sport he loves as the captain of the league’s new expansion team, the Sin City Saints, his lucrative contract comes with just one rule—no romantic distractions.

Gia Ford also makes her living playing a game—poker. The rounder has hit her stride in Vegas, quietly building her bank account one casino at a time. She’s got a score to settle, and nothing will get in her way—not even the sexy hockey player who’s willing to lose money just to see her in action. Maverick attracts attention, upsetting Gia’s under-the-radar game.Maverick and Gia can’t afford to give in to their magnetic attraction, with his career rebounding and her winnings growing. But the hotter their chemistry burns, the harder it is to deny. So will they or won’t they? In Vegas, there’s only one way to settle it—a bet, of course.

Spot on sexual tension! With the kick off to a brand new Sin City Saints hockey series Brenda Rothert delights her readers with a story filled with emotional upheaval along with twists and turns we never could have expected. The pace is fast, the connection with the characters is easy and the overall story kept me reading. I’m looking forward to more to come in the series!

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a hockey romance with emotional depth and a strong back drop of hang ups they have to work through to get to that happily ever after.

Filed Under: Book Reviews

* Release Blitz * BADEN by Sawyer Bennett

January 11, 2022 Leave a Comment

Baden (Pittsburgh Titans, Book 1)
Sawyer Bennett
Release Date: January 11, 2022

Synopsis:

After suffering a horrific injury that threatens to end his career, Baden Oulett is about to learn that sometimes a fresh start is just what the doctor ordered.

I worked my whole life to achieve one goal—play professional hockey. As part of the defending Cup champion Arizona Vengeance, I was living my dream until one split second decision destroyed it all. Instead of lacing up my skates and hitting the ice, I’ve spent my days in rehab and physical therapy just so I could walk again. When a coaching opportunity with the Pittsburgh Titans is presented to me, I find myself with a career I had never considered but which allows me to continue being part of the sport that I love.

While my injuries are physical, the same can’t be said for the woman I rescued. Suffering from wounds that can’t be seen, Sophie Winters has withdrawn from the world in fear and guilt. I didn’t know Sophie before that fateful night and have only met her once since, but I refuse to let her face her demons alone. Determined to be a friend, I support Sophie in the only way I know how… by simply being there.

Through our shared trauma, Sophie and I begin to find peace within one another. As we grow closer, what started as friendship becomes more intimate until our broken pieces become one. But can a love born of anguish endure, or will the pain of our past prove too much to overcome?

Download Baden (Pittsburgh Titans, Book #1):

Amazon | Nook | Apple | Kobo | Google

Buy direct from Sawyer Bennett: https://bit.ly/Store_Baden

About the Author:

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.

A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.

If you’d like to receive a notification when Sawyer releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter (sawyerbennett.com/signup).