** Book Review ** BRAVE THE STORM by Lisa Mondello (Rising Storm, Season 2, Episode 3)

brave-the-storm

5 STARS!

Drama continues to circle around Senator Sebastian Rush as the fall out from his affairs continues to wreak havoc on his poll numbers.  He attempts to use Logan’s war hero status to his advantage in the media but it backfires when Logan won’t agree to step up for him.

Chase Johnson continues to pursue Anna Mae in hopes she will forgive him for leaving her all those years ago.  She has secrets that he doesn’t know that have left her bitter and angry over the years.  Will she be able to forgive and forget?

Ginny still longs for Logan, but even though he gets super jealous every time he sees her with anyone else, he still won’t even talk to her.

ARC received via InkSlinger PR

** Book Review ** SAFE IN HIS SIGHT by Regan Black

safe-in-his-sight

4 STARS!

In this first book of her new Escape Club Heroes series, Regan Black takes us on a race against time to save the heroines job and reputation.  The characters are easily connectable and keep us hoping throughout that they will remain safe and will find the bad guy!  Looking forward to more in this series.

Julia Cooper is working on the biggest case of her career when trouble comes calling!  A stalker is intruding into every aspect of her life and threatening to wreak havoc if she doesn’t share information that she obtains during this huge criminal case.  She doesn’t know what to do, but she does know of someone who might be able to help, so she visits the shadowy Escape Club.

Mitch Galway is currently on leave from his job with the Philadelphia Fire Department, and pulling shifts at the Escape Club to fill in the time.  When Julia comes in , he’s assigned to be her bodyguard 24/7.  Close quarters has them sharing many parts of their lives with each other, and feelings flare.  Will he be able to keep her safe until they track down who is tormenting her?

** Book Review ** STORM WARNING by Larissa Ione (Rising Storm, Season 2, Episode 2)

storm-warning

5 STARS!

The Alvarez family is adjusting to life without Hector.  Marcus is trying to withstand the fallout from Brittany’s family after Dakota outed the Senator.  Joanne is loosening her fear and relaxing into her new life.  Dakota is as contrary as ever and trying to decide what to do with her life now that she’s lost everything.  Mallory is staying steady and being the good kid she’s always been.

The man Marcus worked for in Montana, Ian Briggs, makes a surprise visit to town to check in on Marcus.

ARC received via InkSlinger PR

** Book Review ** ALL I WANT by Nicole Helm

all-i-want

4 1/2 STARS!

Opposites attract?  So it appears in this angst filled story of an uptight business man falling for a simple farm girl and learning what the true meaning of success is all about!  Real characters keep us riveted to each of their stories as they work their way through their past of not being loved and understood the way they needed to be.

Successful businessman Charlie Wainwright is thrown for a loop when he’s included in a company layoff.  He’s worked hard for years to get exactly where he wanted to be, and now that it’s all for naught, he’s not sure where that leaves him.

Meg Carmichael comes from a jaded past of burying her hurt and feelings in any way possible, so when she wakes up beside Charlie after an apparent booze filled night of passion, she’s really disappointed in herself.  They part ways, never to be heard from again … or so they think.

When Meg shows up with the news that she’s pregnant, they set out to get to know each other and figure out how they can come together to raise this baby … together … but separately?

** Book Review ** AGAINST THE WIND (Rising Storm, Season 2, Episode 1) by Rebecca Zanetti

against-the-wind

4 STARS!

Season 2, Episode 1 is chock full of drama as we rush to catch up with what has happened since the fallout from all of the secrets coming to light last season.

Tate Johnson sets out to find himself again after his brother’s betrayal and as he signs on to start his political aspirations.  His Dad is familiar with his own brother drama as his long lost brother Chase comes back to town unexpectedly.

Bryce Daniels and his family still struggle with how to handle his son’s special needs while his sister still succumbs to her temptation of loving Travis Salt even though he still hasn’t followed through with leaving his wife to be with her.

ARC received via InkSlinger PR

** Book Review ** SKIN DEEP by Kimberly Kincaid

skin-deep

4 STARS!

An exciting new series by Kimberly Kincaid!  This book took me a bit by surprise because I was expecting a lot of firefighter action, but it actually was more about a police investigation.  It was good, and kept us on our toes throughout wondering if they were going to catch the bad guys, I just wanted a bit more on the sexy firemen front!

Firefighter Kellan Walker has a lot of demons in his past that he works hard to beat down.  Intense focus on his job keeps the turmoil at bay, but when he stumbles across some possible evidence to a crime at the scene of a fire they fought, he’s drawn into more drama then he ever would have thought possible!

Detective Isabella Moreno isn’t one of Kellan’s favorite people.  They have some history going back a few months and he still holds a major grudge against her for her part in placing his sister in danger during an investigation.  When she’s the one who shows up to investigate what he has found, he puts aside his animosity to walk her through the scene.

What starts as an innocent reporting of info turns into more than Kellan bargained for when he and Isabella wind up reluctantly teaming up to find the bad guy and find the evidence to bring him to justice.  Will they be able to keep their hearts in tact as they fight their attraction to each other?

ARC received via NetGalley

** Book Review ** THE COURAGE TO LOVE HER ARMY DOC by Karin Baine

the-courage-to-love-her-army-doc

4 STARS!

Two broken souls drifting through life until their hearts collide and allow them to heal each other.

Past demons and regrets have led Dr. Joe Braden to seek redemption by helping others who are less fortunate.  He’s currently on a remote Fijian island with an old army buddy providing medical services.  When Dr. Emily Clifford comes to visit and provide her services for a couple of weeks, he can’t resist the pull to get to know her.

Emily is fighting her own memories and demons and trying to find a way to move on with her life.  Seeing the simpler life in a remote culture like this is eye opening.  She enjoys getting to know the people and helping them with the medical care they have been lacking.  The added bonus of a smoking hot doctor working alongside her is nothing to complain about either … especially one that allows her to see her true beauty for the first time.

Can these two lost people find their place beside each other?  Will they be willing to bury their fear and take the chance on each other?

ARC received via the Author/VA

** Blog Tour ** WEB OF DECEIT by Catherine Lanigan

Web of Deceit BannerOn Tour with Prism Book Tours.

Web of Deceit
by Catherine Lanigan
Adult Historical Romance
ebook, 462 pages
June 4th 2016 by Cat Nolan Publishing

A Passion she could not deny—A lie she could never escape—

From the depths of a London slum, Amanda Granger created an illusion of wealth and breeding that became her passport into New York society. With her dazzling beauty and the ease with which she lived her lie, Amanda captivated an adoring public and drove men to bold and dangerous passions.

But for all her fierce ambition, all her daring dreams, Amanda Granger knew that her heart’s desires were held together by the fragile threads of deception and secrets. Triumph would always be elusive until she escaped from her web of deceit.

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Catherine Lanigan is the international bestselling and award-winning author of forty published titles in both fiction and non-fiction, including the novelizations of Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile, as well as over half a dozen anthologies, including “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living your Dream”, “Chicken Soup for the Writer’s Soul”, and more. Ms. Lanigan’s novels have been translated into dozens of languages including German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese, and Japanese. Ms. Lanigan’s novels are also available in E-books on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com, Apple Store, Mobi and Kobo. Several of her titles have been chosen for The Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Clubs. Her Vietnam war-based novel, The Christmas Star, won the Gold Medal Award Top Pick from Romantic Times Magazine and has also won Book of the Year Romance Gold Award from ForeWord Magazine as well as Book of the Year Romance from Reader’s Preference.

Lanigan is the author of a trilogy of non- fiction books regarding angelic intervention in human life: Angel Watch, Divine Nudges and Angel Tales published by HCI and Cedar Fort.

Skyhorse published Lanigan’s “how-to” book on writing: Writing the Great American Romance Novel.

Lanigan was tasked by the NotMYkid Foundation to write a non-fiction book addressing teen addictions. Ms. Lanigan’s first Young Adult adventure novel, The Adventures of Lillie and Zane: The Golden Flute, was published by Cedar Fort.

Currently, she has published six novels in the Shores of Indian Lake series for Harlequin Heartwarming: Love Shadows, Heart’s Desire, A Fine Year for Love, Katia’s Promise and Fear of Falling. Sophie’s Path pubs July, 2016. She has recently contracted for three more in the series: Danger Zone, Wedding for Isabelle and A Bride for Mica.

As a cancer survivor, Ms. Lanigan is a frequent speaker at literary functions and book conventions as well as inspiring audiences with her real stories of angelic intervention from her Angel Tales series of books. She is an outspoken advocate for domestic violence and abuse and was honored by The National Domestic Violence Hotline in Washington, D.C. (THE EVOLVING WOMAN). She has been a guest on numerous radio programs including “Coast to Coast” and on television interview and talk show programs as well as blogs, podcasts and online radio interview programs.

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EXCERPT:

CHAPTER ONE, PART VI

Many times Harriet would carry a sleeping Amanda home in her arms, except for those nights when Eloise would demand that “little Amanda” sleep in her room with her. At Lord Kent’s instruction, Amanda was allowed to study with the tutor along with his three children. Amanda learned to read, write, and cipher. She had almost a photographic memory and could remember the names of nearly every guest who’d ever called at Kent Manor. She could ride as well as Eloise but not as well as Jonathon, which bothered her tremendously, for Amanda had always believed she could do anything as well as anyone else if she only tried long enough and hard enough. This belief was a cornerstone of Lord Kent’s preaching to his children. Amanda seemed the only one to have heard him.

Life had been nearly idyllic for Amanda until she was ten. With no warning, Lady Kent fired Harriet, stating that the “efficiency in the household had dropped.” To this day, Amanda never understood how her mother could have failed, since Lady Barbara had never been able to find anyone to replace Harriet. However, nearly daily, the walls of Kent Manor echoed with Lady Barbara’s voice as she demanded “efficiency” from the staff.

Shortly after Harriet’s dismissal, Burt Granger died. At the time, Amanda was too young to realize that Burt’s alcoholism had destroyed his liver and pancreas. She also felt no remorse as she stared down at his lifeless body lying in the plain, cheap wooden box.

To Amanda, her father had been a cold, self-centered, mean man. Fortunately for Amanda, she wasn’t exposed to him all that much during the week. But on the weekends, their apartment at Number 8 Shelton Street was a living hell. Often he would come home late on Saturday night after being to the pubs and start an argument with his wife. To this day, Amanda could hear her mother’s screams of pain as he beat her. Amanda, powerless to defend her, prayed to God or the Devil, whichever would take him first, to kill Burt on the spot. Finally, when Amanda reached the age of ten, one of them had listened to her.

Life on Shelton Street improved—for awhile. With no income for Harriet other than what she earned shelling peas near the cathedral, and the absence of Burt’s income, Harriet went back to Lady Kent to plead for her job. She was turned down, but she did manage to get Amanda a job as lady’s maid to Emily and Eloise for five shillings a week.

Five years later, Amanda was making over ten shillings a week, two shillings more than the neighborhood girls, who worked at the garment factories or as telephone operators. Hers was not a difficult job. She was responsible for both the care and the acquisition of wardrobes for both girls, their personal care, their social schedules, and their studies. Eloise was just as disciplined as Amanda. Emily, however, was lazy and always looked for the easiest courses. But Emily was fun and full of pranks, and when her mischief wasn’t getting her into trouble, it was difficult for Amanda not to like Emily.

Amanda finished ironing the dress, stuffed it with tissue, and re-padded the bustle. Quickly, she carried the dress upstairs.

Eloise was bathing when Amanda entered the room. She knocked on the door.

“We’re running late, Eloise. Hurry!”

 

Teaser 5 - Web of Deceit

 

Tour Schedule

September 7th: Falling Leaves
September 8th: Bloomfield of thoughts
September 9th: underneath the covers
September 11th: Rockin’ Book Reviews
September 12th: Nicole’s Book Musings
September 13th: The Silver Dagger Scriptorium
September 14th: Mel’s Shelves
September 15th: Wishful Endings
September 16th: Becky on Books
September 18th: Colorimetry
September 20th: Thoughts of a Blonde
September 19th: My Devotional Thoughts
September 21th: EskieMama Reads
September 22nd: Book Lover in Florida
September 23rd: Sylv all about books and films
September 25th: Harlie’s Books
September 26th: Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway

$50 Amazon eGift Card
Open internationally
Ends October 1st

Grab Our Button!

** Book Review ** NAVY SEAL TO DIE FOR by Elle James

navy-seal-to-die-for

5 STARS!

This fast-paced read has you jumping from one danger to another with the characters as they hunt for answers to avenge wrong-doings!

A crash landing in the swamp has a SEAL team off and running to keep the crew and passengers on board with them safe as danger lurks.  When shootings starts and danger follows after they think all is clear, they figure out that Stealth Operations Specialist Becca Smith is the one in the cross-hairs.

Becca ran into the SEAL team when she came to their aid while in Mexico investigating her father’s murder.  She’s obviously getting too close for comfort for someone, so they’re now trying to take her out too.  Navy SEAL Quentin “Loverboy” Lovett offers to accompany her on to continue her search for info, and they dodge bad guys and bullets every step of the way.  Will they find the answers that lead them to the assassin, or will evil win?  And when all is said and done, will they be able to walk away from each other after the dust settles?

ARC received via the Author

** Book Review ** INDEBTED TO MORENO

indebted-to-moreno

4 1/2 STARS!

Long lost lovers find their way back to each other in a round-about way in Kate Walker’s latest novel!

Rose Cavalliero is working hard to keep her fashion business afloat while caring for her sick mother when the last person she ever thought she’d see again shows up in her office demanding she work for him.

Nairo Moreno had no clue the dress designer his younger sister has her heart set on for her upcoming wedding is the same woman he knew in what feels like a past life.  He believes she betrayed him, and uses all that he knows against her to blackmail her into coming back to Spain with him to work with his sister.

The more time they spend in each other’s company, the more their old feelings flare back up.  Will they take the time to actually listen to each other’s side of the story and figure out that it was sadly a huge misunderstanding that took them from each other?

ARC received via Author/VA