Books Read 2016

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Tue Oct 25, 2016 3:33 pm

If you want to be a better man...

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue Oct 25, 2016 6:39 pm

Finished Before You Go by Clare James FREE on Amazon

Tabitha "Tabby" Kelly was destroyed one day in the past. She barely recovered enough to cope, to goto school somewhere else, but not enough to resume her career as a ballerina, or to have a proper boyfriend. Instead, she goes to bars and tries to pick up a man for a one-night stand, but always chicken out before getting fully naked. Her latest, Noah, was no exception. Except, Noah was a fellow student in her journalism class. And he has a plan to help her recover, by baring to her his own pains...

Very interesting tale about two damage lovers in different ways, with a very contemporary theme of college sexual assaults that's not a full-on rape, and drugs and such, even though it's a bit slow. 6 out of 8.

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Finished The Opposite of Wild by Kylie Gilmore FREE on Amazon

Liz Garner is a giver, and the proper girl in her family, unlike her sister who is pregnant and refused to reveal who was the father. Liz needs to extra income, so she applied for a senior sitter position, and ran straight into her middle school nemesis Ryan O'Hare, who embarassed her in front of a crowd when she was... young. And she had NEVER gotten over it, despite a decade and more had passed.

Ryan O'Hare is doing the busy work, like tailing unfaithful spouses, after retiring from police after a bad shoot and a wound that soured him to police life. Then he got news that his grandma, after an accident on the interstate, had turned into a wild woman willing to take chances on everything, from midnight tango lessons to ziplines, as well as taking his Harley Davidson out for a drive (without permission!) So Ryan put out an ad for a sitter, and Liz Garner applies.

Ryan O'Hare is the man of Liz's dreams... and nightmares. The thought of Ryan's body turns Liz on, but thought of Ryan's past and cockiness turns Liz off. Ryan senses Liz's reluctance and could not resist teasing her even as they deal with grandma's latest adventure (buying a Mustang convertible, or... OMG get married to a 40 year old dance instructor!) But eventually Liz let loose and let Ryan be a FWB. But Ryan wanted more...

Sweet sassy romance, combined with screwball incidents from grandma and later, Liz's sister and baby drama. Fun to read. 6.5 out of 8.

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Finished Educating Elizabeth by Kate Pearce FREE on Amazon

Elizabeth Waterstone, stepdaughter to the Forrester household, and often sent to do "favors" by her stepfather. When a gambling debt sent her into the household of of Duke of Diable Delamere, the most famous rake in the Kingdom (or perhaps, the continent) she was determined to exploit his skills, to teach her the skills to be a courtesan... So that she can support her invalid brother disowned by their family. The Duke, tempted by this strong young women who can think, asked for her help in thwarting an assassination plot against the prince regent by decoding some messages in addition to teaching her about the bedroom skills. As the two are ever drawn closer to each other, they are endangered by the plot that was closer than they ever suspect...

Basically a regency suspense spy romance, the exciting parts doesn't occur until almost to the end. First half of the book is basically the Duke playing with the innocent Elizabeth, teaching her seduction without violating her. Of course later they had to consumate the deal, at her insistance. Actually quite enjoyable, if a bit... disjointed as weeks sometimes go by with nothing happening. 6.5 out of 8.

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Finished Love at last by J. H. Croix FREE on Amazon

Garrett is a Seattle attorney burned out by his soul-less corporate work that he needed to escape and he went to his brother Gage's Alaska "Last Frontier Lodge" to take a break, and ran straight into Delia, a single mother and cook of the lodge. The attraction is mutual, but Garrett doesn't do relationships... at least in Seattle, and Delia is not ready to "sleep around" just to satisfy her own... cravings. With pressure to return to work ASAP, Garrett must figure out his heart before Delia decided he's too dangerous (for her heart) to leave around town.

Sweet contemporary romance, but a bit too "OMG let's fall in love at first glance trope-ish" 6 out of 8.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Thu Oct 27, 2016 12:56 am

McNutt wrote:I would read them in this order:

First Law Trilogy
Heroes
Best Served Cold
Red Country

Heroes and Best Served Cold could be reversed with no impact. But First Law Trilogy and Red Country should definitely be first and last respectively.

I just finished the Half a King series and it was excellent.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Oct 27, 2016 4:29 am

Finished Hot Pursuit by Lynn Raye Harris Hostile Operations Team Series Book 1, FREE on Amazon

Ten Years ago, Matt Girard did something he should have never done. His best female friend offered up her v-card, and he took it, left town and joined the Army. A bad mission and his sister's wedding took him back to Rochambeau, Louisiana. That's when he ran into Evangeline "Evie" Baker.

Evie is back in town when her ex-partner (and occasional ex-lover) David stole all her money and destroyed her business, forcing her to move back home. She was certainly not looking forward to seeing Matt Girard, who still make her heart flutter, but also make her head recoil in horror. But she had no choice except to trust Matt when her sister went missing and her ex-partner/lover David found dead on her doorstep.

It's rare for a romance author to at least get the military details right, or at least right ENOUGH to not make stuff awkward to read. I'm happy to say that this book at least got the military details right, or at least right ENOUGH to not matter. These black ops teams are operating often on US soil, and that's obviously, NOT COOL, but it's plausible enough to make it fun. Rather like it. 6.5 out of 8.

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Finished Beneath Your Beautiful by Tamsyn Bester FREE on Amazon

Huntley Morgan appear to be the quintessential college girl, long blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes... But her wounds are deep inside, both personal trauma and murder of her mother forced her to move across the country to a small town college in Alaabama to be with her uncle and aunt, and for the first time, she started to slowly come out of her shell, and met Grayson Carter.

Grayson Carter is the star quarterback of the college football team, has a supportive family and adoration of almost every girl in school, but he had to hide a terrible truth from his own family to protect them. When he first laid eyes on Huntley, he knew he had to have her, even though he knew he cannot break her heart, as she's the coach's niece. She was not ready when Huntley liked him back. Then the demons from their pasts surfaced and threaten to destroy both of their lives, forcing them to confront their love for each other and trust each other to build a future.

Sometimes, I think the author tried to pile on a few too MANY tragedies on a single person, to add to the stakes, and this may be going a bit too far.

Spoiler:

This overpiling of stakes made it hard to recommend this book. (-1) resulting in 5 out of 8. The romance is fine otherwise.

McNutt · Post by **McNutt** » Thu Oct 27, 2016 9:55 am

Pyperkub wrote: I just finished the Half a King series and it was excellent.

That's good to hear. I have the first book and haven't started it yet. I heard it was billed as a young adult novel. Would you say that's accurate?

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Oct 27, 2016 12:48 pm

Finished Bound (Fire on Ice Book 1) by Brenda Rothert

Kate Camden got pregnant by accident in her senior year of college. Her boyfriend Quinn dumped her, and she had to move back home, flat broke, even as she accepted that she will be a mother, and even looked forward to it, only to find that the baby had died in utero, breaking her heart.

Pro hockey star Jason "Ryke" Ryker had it all: legion of adoring fans, great career, and a beautiful wife, but it was an illusion. His wife has paranoia and was about to leave him when a drunk driver killed her on the freeway.

The two would have never met, yet it was the tragedy in their lives that brought them together, and recognize that they can heal each other, even as they were haunted by their grief, for it was more powerful than they realize, and may tear them apart.

Another very competent "simple girl falls for rich alpha male" trope variation, it was their wounds that made them that much more attractive to each other. Not too many extraneous characters or plot points.

6 out of 8.

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Finished The Billionaire's Sub Book 1 by M.S. Parker FREE on Amazon

Hanna Breckenridge moved across the country to be her sister's catering business manager, knowing she can never be as gorgerous or as independent as her sister, known as the black sheep of the family. She was in a total culture shock, for life is very different in California, and to her shock, Hanna found her sister was a dom in the alternative lifestyle... and was warned to stay away from Cross Phillips, who propositioned Hanna, believing her to be her sister. When a visit to the alternative club resulted in disappearance of Hanna's sister and drugging of Hanna, Cross Phillips rescued Hanna and she fell in love with the gentle dom and groomed for the lifestyle even as they work on solving her sister's (probably involuntary) disappearance.

Nice first person introduction to the kink world, basically "repressed country girl falls for alpha billionaire kinkster", except this is a FAR more gentle and soothing intro to the world than fifty shades. The POV though, means most of the mystery and suspense was done away from her and this is basically about how he introduced her to kink. It's NOT a suspense novel in any shape. 5.5 out of 8.

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Finished My First by Melanie Shawn FREE on Amazon ROMANCE

Jason Sloan is known as Harper's Crossing's resident Romeo, with a charm and half smile that women swoon for. The problem is he doesn't want any women... he wants Katie Lawson. She's his best friend's girl. But he died ten years ago...

Katie Lawson left 10 years ago after funeral of her boyfriend Nick, Jason's best friend. She left behind almost everything, including her life-long friend, Jason Sloan. She's well on her way to be junior partner in a premier law firm in San Francisco, by building iron-clad control around every aspect of her life, by being too busy to remember... Enough so she had occasional panic attacks.

But she had to go back to Harper's Crossing for Nick's little sister Sophia's wedding, to face her past, including Jason Sloan.

There were a few twists in this story that had me surprised, but the occasional flashbacks to when they were six, twelve, and so on was kinda jarring. Sweet, but jarring. 6 out of 8.

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Finished Mountain Angel by Suzie O'Connell FREE on Amazon Kindle

For Aelissm Davis, Seattle was something to be left behind. Her boyfriend tried to rape her, then her other friend Adam saved her. Now Brent was dead, and Adam has turned stalker, believing Aeli owned him... something. So she ran home, all the way to Northstar Montana, her home. But Adam continued to make his presence known. So her uncle called in reinforcement: Detective Deputy Pat O'Neil, formerly of Seattle PD, on leave from sheriff's department and desperately needed a vacation... to go to Montana and get to know the favorite niece of the Sheriff... and take care of the stalker.

Pat O'Neil was wounded, both physically and mentally, from his ex-wife Sara, who turned out to be a possessive psychotic that almost destroyed him. When he said he'll leave her, she stabbed him. Taking a vacation all the way in Montana was a good thing, get far far away from Sara (who spent 6 months in jail for battery w/ a deadly weapon) and get to know Aeli, who turned out to be just the woman Pat needed, if he can ever feel worthy of love again. And both avoid the question: what happens when the problem was... solved? What then?

Most suspense romance is 70% suspense 30% romance. This one is skewed more like 50/50, which makes for... not very exciting reading, and there were some twists in the tale that are... reasonable. And let's just say the truly evil one in the book get karma. The plot really drags at times. 5 out of 8.

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Finished Sinful Intent: Alfa PI Book 1 by Chelle Bliss FREE on Amazon

Morgan DeLuca grumpily headed out to Florida and stayed for the weather and a job in Alfa PI as an investigator. And his first case made him wonder about his own ethics, as Race True was the the woman he wanted. But she's a client, and she's got a stalker who wanted to ruin her. She drives fast, she's tough, and she wanted Morgan too, but should they get involved with each other? Would personal feelings get in the way of safety?

The office was hilariously in that all while Morgan was the guy in the first book, it's clear that the other two guys already there have a bit of history that can be told, not to mention other clients in the future, as they are all paired up, sorta. My problem is this is another "I saw her and I know I she's mine" kinda insta-afterburner kinda of romance that almost instantly leads to sexy times (within a couple days). Still, the suspense parts are not bad, actually, though the book could be tighter.

6 out of 8

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Finished Bulldog and Other Stories by Simone Scarlet / MMA Romance Novellas

A collection of four MMA related novellas where the MMC are MMA fighters, and thus, in their physical prime. The title story, Bulldog is an interesting pairing as it features a black hip-hop princess with a Scot MMA fighter James McDonald who had a fight with her ex-beau Hannibal Alexander. It was a fun read. The other stories are not that memorable.

5.5 out of 8.

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Finished Broken, MMA Romance by Simone Scarlet MMA

Silas Batras sold his soul to reach the America MMA circuit, by becoming a married woman's plaything to escape from his family vineyard business in Spain. He tried for championship but was left crippled in a wheelchair. Now alone, penniless, he had to go back to Spain and deal with a hostile neighbor using every dirty trick to force his family to sell their ancestral vineyard with his brother, wife, and 2 kids in the crossfire... as a cripple. That is, until Lyssa Meadows rentered his life.

Lyssa Meadows is a sports reporter involved in an undefined situation with two MMA fighters... at the same time. But she just got kicked to the curb, and she had a chance to interview Batras, also a man at his lowest. And he was... inspired by her spirit and sass, as she helped them fight off another incursion on their property, even as Batra got out of his wheelchair. When the MMA came calling on Batras, offering chance of a lifetime to re-enter the ring, will the two lovers come together?

Long saga of a relationship (700+ pages, where typical novels are like 200-300 pages) that spanned months and continents, this has two parallel plot lines, the MMA fight in Vegas, and the property fight in Spain. Fun to read, I agree, though Silas is really there to fight and fuck. All the good decisions were made by Lyssa. Really.

6 out of 8.

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Finished Temporarily Yours by Diane Alberts FREE on Amazon

Stats whiz Kayla Moriarty loves numbers and statistics. But men? Not so much. Going back home to attend her sister's wedding is bad for her because 1) she has a fear of flying, and 2) she had invented this fictional boyfriend that, well, is fictional because her family keep nagging her about finding a man and settle down. That's when she found Cooper Shillings in the next seat to fulfill her every need... a healthy distraction for her fear of flying... and willingness to pose as her boyfriend for her family. He's leaving in a few days. What could go wrong?

Cooper Shillings has a soft spot for people in trouble, and a sexy southern belle with fear of flying definitely qualifies. Neither takes any grief from their respective families, but other than that, she's precise and safe, he's go for the moment, but comforting his best bud's widow when he felt guilty for his death made him not compatible for a relationship. But posing as a boyfriend? He had charms plenty for that. Right?

As you can probably guess, they fall for each other for real, and this book often adds self-deprecating humor about "people this perfect only exist in romance novels" and "you need to make a grand gesture". That makes me laugh that much harder.

This is a romance, NOT romantic suspense. Nothing dangerous or exciting happened, it's all about Kayla and Cooper. And I like it quite a bit. 6.5 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:49 am

Finished Twist of Fate by Callie Quigg Advanced Review Copy

Quinn Marshall is in huge trouble. Her treacherous ex just drained her bank account and about to put her wedding planner business six-feet under, but she was able to put together this huge pitch for two superstars to get married in an Irish castle at Christmas that she could start to pay back her debts and be able to earn a lot more business for the publicity. And she won, to her surprise, but she's a little guilty about her white lie... that she's engaged. Her fiancee doesn't exist. But she had to get this wedding done, with only six weeks to go. And she will do it, or die trying.

Ronan Donovan despises liars and cheats, esp. after having his heart broken by a fiancee, and he can't believe he lost this business to some no-name firm, esp. because he's Irish, and he grew up only an hour from the castle. So when his less-than-reputable Irish buddy told him the firm that beat him cheated everybody, from caterers to couples hoping for their dream wedding, he saw red. On impulse, he jumped on a plane heading back home, and he barged onto the castle, claiming to be her fiancee in front of everyone, hoping to force her into pretending along, and later expose her fraud to the world and get his rightful business back. Except... that's not quite what happened. The more he lived with Quinn, the more he realized this girl is on the edge of breakdown, not conning everyone. Can he resolve his problems with Quinn, and the growing physical attraction between them, while doing the right thing? Would he even know what the right thing is?

Nice contemporary romance, with a couple layers of b-plots that was very deftly maneuvered. 7 out of 8.

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Finished Hooked by the Game by C . M. Owens FREE on Amazon

Raya Capperton is a simple girl with a family shame: Her father is a crook serving time. She and her mother penny-pinched her way to the East coast school, counting on having two rent-paying roommates. That plan went down the crapper when both roommates were expelled for a prank. Then frat-boys attending her rich neighbor Kade Colton's party stole a bulldozer parked across the street and destroyed her house altogether. Kade's father, Paul Colton offered an interesting plea deal: Let Raya live rent free with Kade, and cut down on Kade's partying. And he'll finance the rebuilding of the house by semester's end. Except Raya can't stand the rich blueblood Kade even as she had to admit he's one heck of male specimen.

Kade Colton came from money, even though he didn't really want it. His grandfather wanted him to control the family vineyard. His father wanted him to control his fashion empire. He just want to do his own thing, and having an albatross called Raya hanging around his neck is not going to work, but the more the two get to know each other, the more they find that they are mistaken about each other, and their mutual attraction grew. When enemies conspire to destroy the Colton family, Raya did the thing she swore she would never do: call upon her con man father for help...

It's kinda contrived situation to force the two to live with each other, but it seems to work. 6 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Oct 31, 2016 2:46 am

Trying to read China Hand by Harry Homewood

Rediscovered manuscript by Harry Homewood who died back in 1980, and probably ghost written to completion, this book reads very biographical but also have a lot of Chinese references about how Chinese family had to weather the storm as Japan tries to take over more and more of China and Southeast Asia while China's Chiang and Mao temporarily call truce to deal with the Japanese invaders. A good chunk of the action was NOT spent on the subs, but jumping among the family members as the author tried to deal with the warlords and family intrigue and struggle in the richest families in China.

I read Harry Homewood for his submarine fiction (Final Harbor and Silent Sea, respectively, though I also have his third book, Torpedo! which is not as good) and this book, which is only barely about subs up to 1/4 point is NOT tickling my fancy, despite "historical fiction" about China. It's authentic alright, but this was NOT reading much like a Harry Homewood novel, which was probably why it wasn't published in his lifetime.

Will give a report if I ever finish it.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:40 pm

Trying to read RIME by Tim Lebbon Kindle Single Scifi tale of first contact, FREE on Amazon

Trying to read That Boy by Jillian Dodd FREE on Amazon

pseudo-triangle, about a girl who kept two best friends, but only one she'll fall in love with, slow as heck, too many flashbacks

Trying to read The Wedding Series 1-3 by Patricia McLinn (pick it up when it was free on promo)

Three novels about three childhood buddies growing up and their girls. Paul Monroe the free spirit vs. Bette Wharton the prim and proper, Michael Dickinson the best man vs. Tris Donlin childhood best friend (who wanted to be more), and finally, Grady Roberts (the bachelor) vs. Leslie Craig, the woman he couldn't have. I actually finished the first 2 books and was trying to finish book 3.

Finished Worth the Scandal, Worth It Book 1 by Karen Erickson FREE on Amazon

Alexander Worth wanted his innocent secretary Tessa Crawford. She's shy, she's efficient, she's voluptous. And Alex gets what he wants, so he basically orders her to go with him on an European trip, then seduced the heck out of her there. However, back home, when corporate espionage reared its ugly head, and all signs pointed to Tessa, Alex had to make the hardest decision of his life...

Spoiler:

Uh, sorry. Too much of a pushover, this girl is. Her spine (or claws) didn't come out until much, much later. 4.5 out of 8.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:55 pm

Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds

This is right in my wheelhouse, so my rating of 8/8 should be taken with a shaker full of salt. My father was career Air Force, a maintainer on F-4s in Thailand during the Vietnam conflict.

While I was familiar in passing with Olds as an F-4 pilot in 'Nam, I was unaware that he had been a WWII ace as well. A significant portion of the book is devoted to both wars in which he fought, but also covers his entire career and family life, from growing up with a WWI fighter pilot father to West Point, through his time in Air Defense Command during the post-WWII bomber mafia days, and even his time as Commandant at the Air Force Academy.

This was an Audible read during drivetime, and the narrator did an excellent job in bringing General Olds to life.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Oct 31, 2016 9:48 pm

Finished Still Waters by Rebecca Addison

Hartley Preston has everything: beauty, brains, money, power... everything except her own life. Everything was arranged. Attend the social functions, have a good boyfriend, go to the right school... Until she discovered a secret and when nothing was being done, Hartley ran to a coastal town nearby on her own, searching for the illusive freedom, and ran into Crew Sullivan, an man that was running from his demons ever faster than Hartley. The two are just perfect for each other, if they can each get through their demons and secrets first... for it will destroy them both.

It is a great plot, with a proper "darkest night of the soul" moment where you'd thought there's absolutely NOTHING that can bring them together. But how that got resolved (in a romance novel, it's usually a grand gesture) was slow, boring, and uninspired. It took the author another couple CHAPTERS to to reach the climax and then close out the book. ARGH!!!!!!! 4.5 out of 8.

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Reading Finished Nobody's Angel by Sarah Hegger

Lucy Flint left Willow Park, Illinois behind, leaving her high school sweetheart broken, but also took her best friend's boyfriend. Nine years later, Lucy is back when her father's mental condition had deteriorated into paranoia and anger outbursts. She is sober, wiser, and and ready to make amends to all the people she had... burned, and perhaps, to resolve things with her ex, Dr. Richard Hunter. But was it his forgiveness that she sought... or his heart? Does she even know what she wanted?

It was interesting that most romances feature wounds that were "external" (accident, car crash, rape, etc.) generally it's the guy that broke the girl's heart then returned for redemption. I don't recall a romance I read where the girl was the heartbreaker and ruined everybody but now came back for redemption. I am at about 70% point. Well, not redemption, but at least, seek some forgiveness. It's... Okay, as the girl had to learn a lot of forgiveness. 5.5/8

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Finished Hidden by Kendra Elliot Suspense/Romantic FREE with prime reading.

Eleven years ago, Lacey Campbell escaped from the Co-ed Slayer at Oregon State University, but her friend Suzanne did not. Lacey's testimony finally put the killer away, but Suzanne's body was never found. Now a forensic odontologist, Lacey was devastated to find a set of skeletal remains she found at a crime scene to be Suzanne's. The remains was found at the property of ex-cop Jack Harper, who had once dated one of co-ed Slayer's victims. Then Jack's ex-partner was brutally killed. And one by one, witnesses that put away the co-ed slayer started to die in the same MO. Lacey and John must find out why, for it's clear that Lacey will be the last victim...

Nice tight thriller with multiple layers of deception. My rating on this is kinda mixed. I think I have to re-read it as I kinda fell asleep for the last half of it, and one of the subplots made no sense.Probably missed a detail somewhere. Okay, got that. Got the characters mixed up. 6.5 out of 8, better than average thriller, IMHO.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue Nov 01, 2016 1:14 pm

Finished Kioria Barbarian's Baby by Ruby Snow Advanced Review Copy

The problem of being a voracious reader is sometimes, I had to go through a bunch of... crap. And this is one such. And apparently, this author wrote a SERIES of such drivel and called it "scifi-romance".

Basically, a beautiful JPL Scientist, in the previous book, was kidnapped by a telepathic shape-shifting alien out to conquer Earth, to be taken back to his own planet as a sex slave, and she somehow fucked him hard enough to make him love her as an equal, not a sex slave. (I'm being snarky) In this book, he's got a special assignment: present HER as a gift to the Kioran's greatest enemy the Langarians, Let her observe **** in the enemy lab as a scientist. He may rescue her later, but her mind had to be wiped of all the good times she had with her barbarian. So what happened? She sulked on Kiora about going on a suicide mission, got penetrated just as ship went into FTL, found she's pregnant (with you know who), and somehow got rescued by another human and a Langarian traitor.

WTF?!?!?! This is a PIECE OF CRAP, and if this sort of **** got published as scifi romance... ARGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!

Then I saw there's half a book left. WTF?! That was not even the main story? They had to fill it out with some of author's OTHER crap?!

2/8 (mainly for effort)

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Finished Imperfect Chemistry by Mary Frame FREE on Amazon

Lucy London got a PhD in microbiology by age 20, but she has... no clue about people. She does not understand emotions, so when she got a grant to study emotion as a pathogen, she jumped on the opportunity... and got completely stuck. She had no idea how to create study about something she does not understand. Enter Jensen Walker... Her neighbor in the duplex. Jensen's love life is a matter of campus legend... messy, emotional, complicated... the perfect candidate for her study. After wearing him down to participate, they found each other intriguing, and soon Lucy was feeling those emotions that she wanted to study... But can she study them while giving in to them?

Somewhat of a meet-cute premise, with the girl doing the Spock routine and slowly transition out of it. 5.5 out of 8.

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Finished RIME by Tim Lebbon FREE on Amazon

Sort of a retelling of the Rime of the Ancient Mariner as a scifi tale about how one tech manning a ship carrying 17 million souls encountered 5 ET creatures, and the price he had to pay when he made a fateful decision.

I guess I never read the classic so I don't get the nostalgia. 5 out of 8.

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Finished All for you by Kate Perry / a Laurel Heights Novelette FREE on Amazon

Anne Goodwin liked it spicy. Used to, any way. She lost her... groove. She's now... white bread... boring. Anna want Max Corazao, the man that got away, the chef that put the spice in her life, and she will do everything to win him back... including catering a party for nonexistent guests, except get in his way.

Now that's a short and fun novella (only 60+ pages) that's a quick read. 6.5 out of 8.

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Trying to finish Patricia McLinn's Wedding Trilogy, but the book keep crashing.

Reading Patricia Bray's A Most Suitable Duchess, kinda regency romance.

Reading Max Power (Advanced Review Copy), about love affair between a hip-hop mogul and a tattoo artist, both of whom were seriously scarred from previous relations, but seem to be good for each other.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Wed Nov 02, 2016 4:12 pm

Finished Flash by Tim Tigner Thriller FREE on Prime Reading.

Troy woke up in a car trunk with a dead body, and a girl screaming. The girl freed him, and they found the dead body was a cop, and they each lost about 7-8 years of their memory, and she had the murder weapon in her lap. It's about as obvious as setup as it can be, but who'd want to setup them up and why? And how did they lost their memory? As the pair evade their pursuers, they had to figure out who'd want to set them up before they lose their lives instead of just their memories.

Intriguing premise, fast-paced thriller, but I think the ending was a little too easy. 7 out of 8.

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Finished Hold Me Until Midnight by Christina Phillips FREE on Amazon romance

Scarlett Ashford is a blueblood... so much so every eligible bachelor want to make a pass at her, so when her father's re-wedding came up, she hired the most handsome but big tough guy Jackson Grayson to be her bodyguard/date. Except he's so sexy that they ended up making love that night, and both wanted... something more. But Jackson was definitely from the wrong side of the tracks. Is there a future between them?

Pretty average romance with a tolerable "darkest night of the soul" moment, and a lousy "grand gesture" where one or the other demonstrate his/her love for the other. 5 out of 8.

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Finished A Most Suitable Duchess by Patricia Bray FREE on Amazon Romance

Marcus Heywood, the new Duke of Turringford, must take a wife in 3 weeks or lose the country estate he unexpected inherited. His brother Reginald suggested he should put out an ad... an idea that horrified Marcus, but he penned one in jest... and it got published. Not that he would expect any one to answer it...

Penelope once loved a poet, but he suddenly left, and she had been without suitor for a while, and at the age of 21 she just about gave up, when her half brother answered the ad for her and now she's bound to this marriage. And while Marcus had no problem making this arrangement in name only, Penelope came to like this the most un-Duke-like of Dukes.

Slow as heck, actually kinda boring, even for a regency romance.

4/8

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Finished In the Light of What We See by Sarah Painter FREE on Prime Reading

in 1938 England, Grace Kemp had dishonored the family and was pushed into joining a nurse training hospital, but she can see dark portents around the hospital.

Eighty years later, Mina Morgan was brought to the same hospital after a near-fatal car crash, and she had lost her memory up to the crash, not knowing who to trust. But she has the ability to see dark portents too, and they are trying to tell her things... If she'd just understand...

The problem with this book is it heavily suggested that something horrible had happened to Grace to make her appear to Mina 80 years later. Was it all in Mina's head? or was it Mina's special abilities? When you finish the book... you found that no such thing happened. What a f***ing tease! 5/8

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Finished Cooking Up Love by Gemma Brocato FREE on Amazon

Jemima George, personal chef to a reality show star, has a career and a boyfriend, until she got news that her aunt Caro had died under odd circumstances and she will inherit this little cafe in a little town called Granite Pointe MA. She fully intended to just sell the place and go back to New York until she learned that her boyfriend had been cheating on her, and a local contractor Jack Kerrigan, who helped her out of her claustrophobia attack, is very very handsome (and divorced), and fully intend to romance her. But her inadequacy ran deep after a vengeful speech from her now Ex boyfriend and Jack's vengeful ex is still around town playing mind games. When Jemima found documents hidden in the cafe that suggested that her brother's death years ago may not have been an accident, it may not be just her romance that had to be put on ice... but her life as well

The suspense elements were only hinted at early, a tad too early, IMHO, as I had guessed there's a connection as soon as it was mentioned. And her claustrophobia was pretty nasty. Being locked in a room can send her into catatonia bad. A guess what happens at the climax? Yep, that bad. I did have a ton of fun reading it though. 6 out of 8.

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Fri Nov 04, 2016 7:52 pm

McNutt wrote:
Pyperkub wrote: I just finished the Half a King series and it was excellent.

That's good to hear. I have the first book and haven't started it yet. I heard it was billed as a young adult novel. Would you say that's accurate?

I have not read any other "young adult" novels but when you compare it to Abercrombie's other novels it is obvious he has toned down the violence and sex. Although his "sex" has nothing on GRRM's. I was surprised how as the three books go along he does seem to "loosen" up a little.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Fri Nov 04, 2016 9:50 pm

Finished Revival by Stephen King.

As some of you are aware, I'm a huge Stephen King fan, and have been since I was a teenager. I've read (almost) everything the guy has ever written, but I had fallen behind as of late. I just finished REVIVAL, and still need to hit FINDERS KEEPERS and END OF WATCH next.

REVIVAL is basically a memoir by lead character Jamie Morton, and covers his life from a kid to an aging man. Young Jamie meets a new minister, Reverend Jacobs, who makes quite an impression on him. Later in life he has other run-ins with Jacobs and learns that the minister has some strange powers. But power always comes with a cost...

This was an interesting read, as for around 80% of the book I thought this was going to be a rather slow and ho-hum King novel. In fact, it reminded me a lot of DOCTOR SLEEP, which had a similar slow burn buildup. However, the closing pages wind up acting as a "greatest hits" of sorts for horror fans, and the payoff is pretty darn cool. In fact, I reviewed the book (star-wise) on Audible shortly before I was finished, and had to change my rating after I finished. Anyone who knows Stephen King knows that he's never been shy about taking a well-known horror trope and putting his own spin on it, and this book is no exception. However, to reveal what that trope is would be to spoil your enjoyment.

REVIVAL is not a standout King novel - I don't see this one always popping up to the top of lists of his best books. But it's a solid entry and it feels like King is slowly returning to form as a straight-up horror writer.

I must also mention that the Audible version is terrific. The narration is done by actor David Morse, and he does an absolutely fantastic job making you believe Jamie as a wistful older man. Most narrators usually fall into the "annoying" or "competent" camp for me, but this one was a standout.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 12:09 am

Finished Cowboys of Chance Creek, Vol 0-2 by Cora Seton

Already read Vol 1 and reviewed it before. They are... fun, actually, with some very... sit-com-y setups.

Cowboy inherits a bride: when a big city chef and a hometown country boy found how they were BOTH left the property as inheritance, and there will be a competition to see who get kicked to the curb, will the competition drive them apart... or throw them together?

Cowboy's email order bride: previously reviewed

Cowboy wins a bride: Jamie Lassiter wanted his best friend's sister forever, but before he can be ready, she left and was never coming back. Now she's back for her brother's wedding... This time Jamie must win Claire Cruz's heart... or lose her forever.

The idea that these crazy wills about odd inheritance rules and "must be married and have baby" is just... weird, yet they seem to be common among a lot of these "Western romances". I'd say I enjoy the third one the most, even though there were an extra "you cheater" misunderstanding after the grand gesture. The first one was a bit too ridiculous to make me fully enjoy it.

5/8 and 6/8

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Finished It came from Beneath the Slush Pile by Holly Lisle and students

Holly Lisle teaches fiction writing, and this is a collection of 20 BAD EXAMPLES of flash fic (500 words) to illustrate how NOT to write such. You can read it for horribleness of it.

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Finished A Cowboy to Remember by Barbara Ankrum FREE on Amazon

Twelve years ago, Olivia Canaday has sworn with her best friend Jake Lassen that by their 30th birthday they'll meet at the Big Marietta Fair and marry each other if they are still single. The time has come, and they are, but both of them were not the people they used to be. Jake had suffered PTSD from his tour in Afghanistan as a helo pilot and did not want the fame, while Olivia suffered major injury that ended her Olympic equestrian career and a bitter divorce from her controlling husband. Both are burned so neither are ready for a relationship, esp. with the rumors flying about town... Can they overcome these issues and be happy with each other?

The stakes in this book are pretty low, IMHO. She had worse time than he did, not to put PTSD down as a condition, but these aren't exactly life-changing conditions so to speak. 5 out of 8.

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Finished Weightless by Kandi Steiner FREE on Prime Reading

Natalie Poxton love her mom and her stepdad Dale Poxton, who owned most of the town. She had almost anything a girl could want... except for love and a good group of friends. Natalie had always been... big... Size 14 as a high school senior is... bad, and her self-esteem is negligible. When she was dumped by her BF before the end of semester, her mom made her go to the country club to work with a personal trainer for weight loss... And there she ran into Rhodes... A man with a dangerous delinquent reputation... and with deep personal wounds.

"Never call me William" Rhodes is alone in the world. His twin sister Lana vanished 3 years ago under strange circumstances. They had grew up in foster homes and he had always fended for himself, including with his fists, and got a reputation as a delinquent, and to make things meet he started... providing extra services to the ladies at the country club needing some... personal attention. That is, until he ran into Natalie, who genuinely want to be trained, not interested in the extra perks.

As Natalie's home life started to slowly unravel as relationship between mom and Dale start to strain, Natalie's training with Rhodes start to pay of and she was dropping weight every week, and her newfound confidence is intoxicating, and she spotted the wounded soul in Rhodes as he was the only man in her life that did not try to change her (except her body, and only because she wanted it). Yet as clues about Lana's disappearance start to arrive, a shocking revelation may destroy the relationship between Natalie and Rhodes, and perhaps the entire town.

Nice romantic suspense, even though the suspense part didn't kick in until much much later, about mid-point in the book. I like the idea that everything got wrapped up by the end of the book. 7 out of 8

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Finished Where my Heart Breaks by Ivy Sinclair FREE on Amazon

Kate Spivey had a horrible junior year in college. She got into the party-girl life, got involved with the wrong BF, who... got her pregnant not to mention mistreating her that she went to drugs and alcohol to self medicate, and when she lost all her scholarships, was forced to go home and had an abortion. As penance, she was sent to spend time as a summer manager-trainee with her aunt (mom's sister) at the famous Willoughby Inn where a historical romance was set, and was told not to touch any alcohol or boys or else she'll be tossed out for real this time. That is, until her journey into town was interrupted by a flat tire, and a rescuer by the name of Reed Black, the infamous f***'em and leave'em man of town. Kate found Reed extremely attractive, but had to restrain herself, only to find that there were many dimensions to Reed: handyman, English LITERATURE teacher, and local historian, but even with her throwing herself at Reed, he barely responded ("You're too good for me, Kate"), hinting at tremendous past wounds, but there is no denying that he wanted to be with Kate as well. As external forces conspire to force the couple apart, aunt's sickness will test the relations to the brink and make Kate choose a path... dance to someone else's tunes... or choose her own path and her own happiness.

Above average contemporary romance, with a grand gesture that feels almost out of place, but the push-pull between the two are very palpable. 6.5 out of 8.

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Finished Hard to Love by Kendall Ryan

A meet-cute between a porn star (with a hard-on problem) and a nursing student (who's a virgin at 21) lead to another meet at a bar where he's recognized, but she's already drunk, which lead to her finding out his real life, which is barely getting by, and the two start to fall in love, except for her jealousy problems, as she came from money, while he had almost nothing.

This book just makes you want to reach into the book and shake some sense into the nurse, "get over your f***ing whiny selfish attitude!" 4.5 out of 8.

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Finished Mine for Tonight by J. S. Scott

Creepy tech billionaire who wanted to fuck a waitress in his mom's restaurant was ready to be nice to her at her most vulnerable so she'd fall for him and ready to accede to his every demand, including kinky bondage sex.

That's just way too creepy. 3 out of 8.

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Finished Aroused by Nina Lane

Dean, and Olivia "Liv" West are happily married, and they very much enjoy each other in bed and out. And Liv very much lover her husband with every bit of her heart, for he was there to hold her when she fell, and be her white knight, and for her entire childhood she had prayed for stability. And she found it in Dean West. Then she found out he kept a few secrets from her... And she did a few things wrong too when he turned away... Who will forgive first?

The couple dynamic is good in this one, but there's almost too much sex in this book. 5.5 out of 8.

J.D. · Post by **J.D.** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 12:35 pm

YellowKing wrote:Finished Revival by Stephen King.

As some of you are aware, I'm a huge Stephen King fan, and have been since I was a teenager. I've read (almost) everything the guy has ever written, but I had fallen behind as of late. I just finished REVIVAL, and still need to hit FINDERS KEEPERS and END OF WATCH next.

REVIVAL is basically a memoir by lead character Jamie Morton, and covers his life from a kid to an aging man. Young Jamie meets a new minister, Reverend Jacobs, who makes quite an impression on him. Later in life he has other run-ins with Jacobs and learns that the minister has some strange powers. But power always comes with a cost...

This was an interesting read, as for around 80% of the book I thought this was going to be a rather slow and ho-hum King novel. In fact, it reminded me a lot of DOCTOR SLEEP, which had a similar slow burn buildup. However, the closing pages wind up acting as a "greatest hits" of sorts for horror fans, and the payoff is pretty darn cool. In fact, I reviewed the book (star-wise) on Audible shortly before I was finished, and had to change my rating after I finished. Anyone who knows Stephen King knows that he's never been shy about taking a well-known horror trope and putting his own spin on it, and this book is no exception. However, to reveal what that trope is would be to spoil your enjoyment.

REVIVAL is not a standout King novel - I don't see this one always popping up to the top of lists of his best books. But it's a solid entry and it feels like King is slowly returning to form as a straight-up horror writer.

I must also mention that the Audible version is terrific. The narration is done by actor David Morse, and he does an absolutely fantastic job making you believe Jamie as a wistful older man. Most narrators usually fall into the "annoying" or "competent" camp for me, but this one was a standout.

Finders Keepers is 'meh' and End of Watch borders on the absurd. Mr. Mercedes was the best of that trilogy by far.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 1:17 pm

YellowKing wrote: REVIVAL is not a standout King novel - I don't see this one always popping up to the top of lists of his best books. But it's a solid entry and it feels like King is slowly returning to form as a straight-up horror writer.

I really liked it, not just for the payoff at the end but the characters as well. I could just picture Mickey Rourke playing Jamie in a movie version. A look into the lives of not famous, barely successful musicians is something I find interesting. I would have enjoyed this book even without the supernatural ending.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 11:49 pm

Finished Alien Portals by Ruth Anne Scott Advanced Review Copy

Galadriel was drawn to this wall inside the museum for months, as if it was speaking to her. When she found someone who seem to know a bit more about the wall and circumstances of its discovery, including two missing members of the excavation team, she was determined to visit the excavation site... and she ended up in a new realm... an unknown realm, and was met by a being named Vyker, and untold dangers. For the wall was one manifestation of a portal, which also exists across various timelines, and enemies of the light want to destroy the portal and the stars so darkness will be eternal. And Galadriel may be the key to protecting eternity.

When you read it this way, there is zero romance, except Galadriel later gets to fuck Vyker who apparently has the same anatomy as a human. Frankly, the fucking scenes just reads... out of place. It's as if the story wasn't strong enough so the author tacked on the romance to make it appealing or vice versa. The blah blah about questing for different star stones to complete the seal on the wall to protect the temple, blah blah frankly just sounds kinda lame. 4/8.

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Finished Anchor by Nicole Blanchard FREE on Amazon

Coast Guard Gabe was about to meet his estranged wife and daughter coming in via the ferry when a mad man held the ferry hostage with dozen hostages. His wife was thrown over the side, and his daughter would have been a hostage if a stranger named Choloe had not gotten the kid out of the way, leaving herself as the hostage instead. Gabe is in debt to this woman he had not met, even as he tries to thwart the mad man's plans, but the mad man's plans were very personal... and the target is Gabe himself, and the mad man will kill a whole ship of people if that's what it takes.

The twist is quite good, but how Gabe fall for Chloe, the heroine that saved his daughter, is not making that much sense. Not to mention that little tryst in the hospital bed at the end, phooey. The action scenes are just... Ugh. 4.5 out of 8.

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Finished Wooed by You by Sophia Knightly FREE on Amazon

Single mom Isabel Garcia was digging in her garden when she came across more evidence of her late husband's criminal enterprise. She called the police, and found herself attracted to the tough detective Linc Heller. And Heller is very interested in dating Isabel, but Isabel keep holding herself back and pushing Linc away because she can't deal with Linc's dangerous profession, even though her own heart, that that of her daughter were already his. But Linc won't take no for an answer.

The police work was barely peripheral though it did put Linc into the hospital once. Basically the book is mostly Isabel playing hard to get (with good intentions) and only once did Linc turn away because of a pregnancy scare (and Isabel chose to withhold the truth). Barely tolerable. 5/8.

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Finished Cheyenne Mail Order Bride Dreams of a Rich Life by Iris Kelly FREE on Amazon

Virginia Bellamy is am ambitious socialite who aspire to be among the elite in Boston, but when she rejected too many suitors, she found herself agreeing to marry herself all the way to Cheyenne Wyoming to a wealthy. He promised life of luxury and status, even if it's out in the wilderness of sorts. Lewis Carlyle has amassed a fortune after 15 years of hard work in newspaper, cattle, and more. He wanted a family and this is the way to do it. But in the weeks before Virginia's arrival, his entire fortune was wiped out in two calamitous events that left him a pauper upon Virginia's arrival.

Lewis is an honorable man, and he immediately set to dissolve the engagement, so that Virginia will be free to engage another suitor in Cheyenne, for there seem to be no way for him to regain his fortunes. Yet with all his heart he will see her provided for until she finds a new groom. And by all means, Virginia should just marry the most eligible rich bachelor in town, as a social-climber. So why can't she forget Lewis Carlyle?

An interesting variation on Old Western mail order bride story as most stories like this girl has a secret and guy has a wound. This one turns out to be... neither! 6 out of 8, if a bit a the slow side.

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Finished The Honeymoon Prize by Melissa McClone

Nick Cahill and Adelaide Sinclair are childhood sweethearts since kindergarten. When Adelaide had spent every last dime on grandma's illness, only to have her slip away, and she's about to be homeless, with no money, no education, and no prospects. Nick offered up the perfect solution: a marriage of convenience. He's a bodyguard who will be away on assignments a lot, and she can live at his house, for five years, after which he'll grant her a divorce and a good chunk of assets for her... time. She reluctantly agreed. They had apparently won some sort of a prize to a honeymoon vacation, only to find that they are to be a part of a newlywed reality TV show. Pretending to be happy for the cameras turned out to be hell for both, as they had to dig into their memories of each other, and admit true feelings they have for each other, as reality and pretense blur.

Cute premise, and the actual romance works fine. call it 6/8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 2:40 pm

Finished Must Love Mistletoe by Christie Ridgway FREE on Amazon

Must Love Mistletoe has the setup down pat... Bailey Sullivan can't stand Christmas despite it being a family business in the little town, but her mom's problem with her stepdad means Bailey would have to run the store, despite her total bah-humbug attitude. She hopes she can just survive until December 25th... that was, until she found that her long-lost high school boyfriend (and local legendary bad boy) Finn Jacobson, is actually back in town to take care of his sick mom. Except he's now all grown-up, and wearing an eye-patch (there's a story behind that), and sexy is heck. And soon, old flames are reignited as they each discovered what had happened in the intervening years, and how much they missed each other.

Both characters learned about themselves and each other by the end of the book, and both were transformed. Add to it the Christmas spirit, and you have a holiday romance that's a wee bit, long, but quite cozy. Seduction with Christmas toys pointing the way... Now, that's a classic. 6.5 out of 8.

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Finished Getting Worked Up by Erin Nicholas FREE on Amazon

Phoebe wants Mark, or at least, she thought she wanted Mark, until 1 year ago, when he fell for brainiac barbie... strike that... Nadia. Now Phoebe needed to get Mark back... and she's got the perfect weapon: Joe Spencer, who had pined after Nadia for a while, until Nadia left bustle of East Coast to work in Sapphire Falls. Now Joe's here, ready to ask for Nadia back... so Phoebe will teach Joe the country life, so he can be all Nadia wanted... so Phoebe can have Mark back for herself. However, the more Phoebe get to know Joe, the less excited she felt about Mark, and the more Joe get to know Phoebe, the more he realized Phoebe had never been really swept off her feet ...

Interesting pair-swap, and a fun read for romance. 7 out of 8.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 2:47 pm

"Must Love Mistletoe"?!

OK, someone has to say it - are you trolling?! (I love you man)

McNutt · Post by **McNutt** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 3:03 pm

I'm waiting patiently for the review of "Must Love Mistletoe." If it's half as good as "Aw, Shucks. I'm in Love" then it will be a must read.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 1:14 am

Finished Waltz Back to Texas by M. J. Fredrick FREE on Amazon

The girl who can't wait to get away vs. the guy who just came back to put down roots again. Cassidy Simon is tired of being daughter of the town drunk (and town slut). She had put all her money into the RV park in Evansville, a little oil boomtown, and she'll soon be able to escape and travel the world, having never been out of Texas (Mexico doesn't count). She did not count on encountering Grady McKenna, son of the McKenna clan, local power, handsome and strong... and interested in her. But he's coming home to stay, and she's leaving...

Fun little romance, Grady didn't seem to have any faults (i.e. the perfect gentleman) and McKenna is basically playing hard to get, until she gave in then her mom acted up and have problems. Still, it's a fun read. 6 out of 8.

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Finished Emily: Montana Mail Order Bride by Juliet James FREE on Amazon

Emily was trying to find a job in Chicago when she chanced upon a murder, and she was chased by the killer all the way onto a train... To Montana! On the train, she met Emmy-Lou (Who also goes by Emily) who was supposedly to meet and marry James... But first she'll meet her aunt in Omaha Nebraska. Emmy-Lou was intercepted there (she's really scattered brained) and Emily was sent in Emmy-Lou's place. However, upon arrival, Emily found that the setup she expected to find was nowhere close to what she expected...

Let's just say that Emily do end up with someone who adore her very very much despite meddling by some very bad men. No sex at all, just clean love at first-sight and some adventure, basically things keep happening to her. WTF. She didn't really have to make any decisions in this book.

3 out of 8.

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Finished Because of Lucy by Lisa Swallow

Venessa "Ness" refused to follow her parents' plans for her, refused medical school, and moved to Leeds (England), and met Evan, a real charmer who uses poetry to seduce, and girl after girl fall for him... Except Ness. Evan saw it was a challenge, and goes after Ness, but Evan is in Leeds escaping from his past, from Lucy, and Ness have to decide what she wanted when she found out about Lucy.

Interesting if a bit long struggle between a guy's past and his present, and the girl who had to decided what to do. A bit long, IMHO. 6 out of 8.

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Finished Can't Help Falling In Love by Bella Andre FREE on Amazon

Gabe Sullivan of the Sullivan clan is a firefighter in San Francisco, and has a personal rule about never get involved with victims he rescued... from personal experience. Yet after rescuing Megan Harris and her daughter from a dangerous apartment fire, and getting injured in the process, he can't help falling in love with the strong single mother, only to learn that she can't love him back due to her navy pilot husband's death five years ago... She can't deal with someone who goes into danger. Yet the more she denied it, the stronger the pull was to go back to him.

Okay, pretty sweet, and the girl is one scheming little princess.

6.5 out of 8.

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Finished Sherlock Holmes and the Longacre Vampire by Val Andrews

At the Lyceum, Sir Henry Irving has adapted Bram Stocker's novel Dracula for stage and is playing the Count himself, until murders started appearing along the nearby Longacre road, the victims of ghostly pallor and dead with puncture wounds on their necks. While Sir Irving is beyond suspicion, the play had to be closed, and Sir Irving called in Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Are the murders really done by a vampire... or some other means? Who's the target and why?

Interesting little mystery novella from Val Andrews, who wrote many Sherlock Holmes tales. This is one of his better ones, though I don't think I liked the ending, or how it could have been solved with the clues given earlier.

5.5 out of 8

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Finished The Trouble With Goodbye by Sarra Cannon

Leigh Anne Davis broke up with her boyfriend in Fairhope Georgia two years ago to attend an Ivy League college out East to get away from it out... until one night that destroyed her dreams and hope. Now a sophomore, she went home, hoping to pick up her old life, and met a stranger, Knox Warner, and she sensed a kindred soul, with eyes that had the same haunted look of wounds long suffered. But being with Knox means disappointing everyone... It may be easier to resume her life, which means taking back a boyfriend that cheated on her... allowing her parents to dictate her life all over again... and pretending that night never happened. But love was never easy...

They kept the FMC's wound hidden too well. It wasn't told until 3/4 into the book, but the hint was given pretty darn far ahead. The parents are, obviously total douchebags who only care about their own reputation instead of justice for their daughter. 6.5 out of 8.

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Finished Concrete Evidence by Rachel Grant FREE on Amazon

Erica Kesling was blackballed when she was forced to work with a treasure hunter, and was double-crossed anyway. Fleeing to the other side of the US and away from her speciality, she settle down to work for Talon and Drake, and engineering firm, only to find that she's been assigned a hot intern called Lee Scott, who took 7 years and still haven't graduated college. Unknown to her, Lee Scott is undercover, doing a favor for his father, Senator Talon, half of the company, because someone is using the company Talon and Drake to smuggle artifacts from Middle East using the company's DOD contracts, and J.T., Senator Talon's son (and Lee's half brother) hired Lee to find out who's the smuggler... and Erica is the prime suspect due to her prior association with questionable people, and bad credit. And Lee must seduce Erica to know if she's for real, or really hiding bad things? As they get to know each other, and even Erica falling for the handsome "intern", she was busy gathering evidence to clear her name, and doing her job, but soon she came upon a secret that had been hidden for decades, and something that people are willing to kill to protect...

Lots and lots of plot lines come together by the end, great little thriller, romance is a bit forced. 7 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Fri Nov 11, 2016 2:25 pm

Finished His Favorite Mermaid by Jill Baker Advance Reader Copy

She needed to win this house on Key West (and sell it) to fund her greeting card business after being sued to the brink of bankruptcy... and she's the daughter of a con man. He's the guy who cooked up the scheme to make her stay and repair this house, and he's the orphan from Cuba that nobody wanted. And they actually knew each other when very young. When a hurricane threatens the tiny community, the unlikely pair are forced to confront the issues, including their feelings for each other.

It's... okay. There were too many other characters though to make this a truly good romance. The environment is great though. 5 out of 8

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Finished Confessions of an Ugly Girl by Alice Wasser FREE on Amazon

Matilda "Millie" Glockenfeld is in her 30's, overweight, ugly, and resigned to be a spinster despite/because of? her mother's constant nagging about losing weight and die alone. Until she ran into the new IT guy Sam. However, when Sam showed up... she's both exactly what she expected (cute), yet completely shocking (he's in a wheelchair)... and she's completely flabbergasted when he asked her out for lunch. But is this a boyfriend she can take home to her family? What about his ex, Holly, who's like petite and model pretty?

Presented in a diary style, the passages are poignant and sweet and sad and all that, and all the details are right. Yes, they can have sex (she had to do most of the work, and he had to rely on blue pill for his erection, nerve damage) and his oral skills were beyond compare. The grand gesture was really really late in this book.

6 out of 8

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Finished Sherlock Holmes: The Ghost of Baker Street by Val Andrews

Greg Hargreaves was born in Australia but emigrated to the US when young, and was barely making a living as a writing in Hollywood when he was summoned by no less than Joe McCarthy's Un-American Activities Committee... So he moved to London, hoping for the fervor to die down, and found a cheap place to lodge... and promptly encountered the ghost of Sherlock Holmes! He had apparently moved into what was Holmes' flat at formerly 221B Baker street! But soon dark events shadows the British film industry and a murder of someone in Hargreaves past leads to Holmes solving one more case, beyond the grave!

A bit tongue-in-cheek but still a fun read. 5 out of 8

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Finished 5 Languages of Love by Dr. Gary Chapman FREE with Prime Reading

Do you know the 5 languages of love? They are Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, Physical Touch. If two people are not speaking the right language of love to each other, their efforts will be wasted. Interesting distillation of how people wanted to be loved, helpful in couples counseling. Learn how to identify your or your significant other's language of love and this can be a relationship saver.

I like the ideas in the book. 6.5 out of 8 even though it's non-fic.

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Finished Lady Fiasco by Kathleen Baldwin FREE On Amazon

Fiona Hawthorn's mother died young, and she grew up like a tomboy, riding horses (not lady-like sidesaddle) or swimming in lake, but but she's far better known to be the town jinx, for something almost inevitably happened around her... something bad, that the entire town closes windows and pauses while she strolls by. So much so, that her aunt Honore, the infamous Lady of Alameda decided to take her as a new protege... But what sort of curse can happen to Fiona in the prim and proper regency ballroom? And what of Tyrell, Lord Wesmont, her hero when young, but now a disillusioned earl wounded from the Napoleonic Wars that he believed he cannot be married, but he wanted Fiona, Lady Fiasco (as dubbed by the lampooners of London) nonetheless...

Funny and fun romance to read. 7 out of 8.

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Finished Hard Luck Hank: Screw the Galaxy by Steven Campbell

Hank's a thug, and Hank can take a beating like no other. Mostly bulletproof and able to regenerate given enough time, he rathered like being in the middle of nowhere... Belvaille station, the most remote corner of Colmarian Confederation... full of criminals and gangs and turf wars, and Hank is the premier negotiator... due to his ability to withstand punishment. Displeased with the offer? He'll gladly take the bullet and keep talking. Until a blue woman gave him an offer to find something... then soon Hank will have to negotiate something much much more important... Not just his life, but the life of the station, or perhaps the entire Confederation...

Fun adventure where this guy just... doesn't quit. It's fun to read, but not like "I can't stop reading" exciting. 6 out of 8.

Four books in progress.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Nov 13, 2016 1:50 am

Finished Caught: A Hitman Romance by Stella Noir

Mars is a hitman with one final hit to perform... Eliminate the last boss that knew of him, so he can complete the transition into a normal respectable stock analyst. Until this girl saw him do it. And she got away. But weeks later, in his stock broker persona, she came back into his life... and she had no idea who he was...

Nike enjoys a bit of parkour and running on rooftops to get away from it all, except one night, she saw something she shouldn't have, but she told no one, not even her best friend. And flirting with a handsome stranger is a perfect way to alleviate some of that tension, and the guy seems just as intrigued of her as she is of him...

Good setup, good emotional chemistry with the "fake identity" trope utilized at its fullest, but the "darkest hour" didn't seem that bad though, and I was surprised who made the grand gesture. Good read though, 6.5 out of 8.

The bonus novella, on the other hand, is kinda... weird. Apparently there's a "dark romance" category where kidnapping and BDSM, i.e. forcing people to love, is a certain turn on for somebody. I read them, but I don't like them. Beware.

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Finished Someone Like Her by Sandra Owens

Ex-SEAL Jake Buchanan, call sign Romeo, spent most of his downtime living up to his call sign, but the one girl he wanted (but cannot have) is the boss' sister Maria Kincaid. Jake doesn't do commitments, and he knew Maria deserved nothing less. However, when Maria ran into danger searching for her father whom she never knew, Jake will throw down anything, including an assignment, to save her from harm, while desperately fighting the temptation neither can deny.

Fun romantic suspense, not as weird or disjointed (or as interesting) as the previous one involving a weird religious cult, but again, girl was kidnapped and guy had to go into rescue mode. Good romantic suspense. 6.5 out of 8

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Finished Bewitched Series Box 1-3 by Hazel Keys

Three novellas about three couples who breached the friend zone and became lovers. Sweet sexy read for all three. 6 out of 8.

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Finished Reckless in Texas by Kari Lynn Dell FREE on Amazon

Joe Cassidy had to get away from Oregon when his noble intentions was misinterpreted as moving on someone else's wife, and when he got no understanding despite 15 years given to the boss, he packed his bag and went off to Texas to join a smaller circuit for just 3 rodeos when their bullfighter (formerly known as rodeo clowns) suffered a career-ending injury. He did not expect to run into Violet Jacobs.

Violet Jacobs is fearless, the only female pickup-man in rodeo (they're the ones who ride the horses escorting the bronc or bull rider, ready to pickup fallen riders) was too busy to have a life, as she had to deal with the Jacobs rodeo family, the cattle, the show, and her 5 year old son from a drunken one-night-stand. When her senior bullfighter went down, she had to hire a replacement, and she got Joe Cassidy, one of the most famous bullfighters in rodeo, with his own baggage.

Joe did not plan to stick around, but Violet was everything he never knew he wanted, and despite her beautiful mess of a family, Joe may have found that one thing that he never could have found on his own.

Fun rodeo cowboy stuff. Enjoyed it. 7 out of 8 for all the rodeo stuff on top of a good romance.

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Finished Tangled Up by Robyn Neeley FREE on Amazon

Abby Stevens really enjoyed the time between the sheets with the newest hunk un Buttermilk Falls, Brandon Swift, except he's a commitment phobe after his bitter divorce from his wife. After weeks of just sex, Abby called upon the Stevens' family secret... they can cast spells via food, and casted a reverse attraction spell to make him forget about Abby. Except things didn't go as planned, and they managed to fall in love all over again, then Abby found out she's pregnant... and Caitlin, one of Brandon's ex-flings in town, also showed up pregnant... Can Abby confess to Brandon before it's too late?

Fun romance with low-level magic that added to the charm. 6.5 out of 8.

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Finished A Mother's Choice by Kristin Noel Fischer

Nadine Kingsley kept a secret for 30 years when a letter came, forcing her to confront the secret she no longer wish to keep to her grave, esp. to her youngest daughter, Autumn. In the meanwhile, Autumn Anderson, married with two kids, struggled in her marriage. When an accident put Nadine into a coma, and the family finally reunited in time of grief, Autumn started finding lies and deceptions about her own birth that challenged everything she knew about her... Only to encounter the one person that will bring a shocking revelation to the truth behind it all, and prove that love transcends all.

In a way, very reminiscent of When I'm Gone reviewed earlier, but this arguably worked better as it did not involve the schtick of having letters from someone already dead. 7.5 out of 8 mainly due to having too large of a cast.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 11:28 am

Finished The Good Neighbor by A. J. Banner FREE on Prime Reading

How well do you know your neighbors? Sarah and Johnny McDonald settled in Shadow Cove, Washington for a bit of peace and quiet... quaint streets, lush forests, nice and quiet neighbors. She's a children's book writer, he's a doctor, so they keep strange schedules. But there's something going on in this neighborhood. And one evening in October, while Johnny is away, her next door neighbor's house suddenly burst into flames at 1:17AM. Sarah's heroic efforts managed to save Mia, the daughter of the Kimballs next door, but both parents perished, and flaming debris torched half of her own house. As the couple struggled to cope, strange occurrences and facts started to pileup. What is Johnny doing with the artist neighbor Teresa? What was the neighbor girl Jessie doing with bad boy Adrian that late at night? Why was Johnny getting these calls that just hung up without a word? Where was Johnny at the night of the fire? Who drove the car that got away moments before the fire started?

Nice little mystery thriller that got a twist in before the end, though I think that twist could have been better. 6.5 out of 8.

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Finished Cooked by Kristen Flowers Advanced Reader Copy

with bonus novels Fourth Down and Dirty, and Hayden, I Hate You.

Cooked: Evelyn is a sou chef working for a toxic boss, Remi is a playboy who want to sleep with her, so Remi hired Evelyn to be his personal chef and seduced her. However, when both wanted the same location for a personal project (she wanted it for her future restaurant, he wanted it for his megagym project), it's war of the sexes. 5 out of 8

Fourth Down and Dirty: College football jock falls for his nerdy tutor who turned out to be a hellion in bed. So much stereotype here.4 out of 8

Hayden I Hate You: Allison woke up to find she became the heroine in a controversial video game, and her confrontation of the video game designer, Hayden, did not go as planned. 3 out of 8. The plot's so convoluted that involved a bad person's confession (self-induced) among other impossibilities.

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Finished Slave: Finding Anna Book 1 by Sherri Hayes FREE on Amazon

VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED: Stephan Coleman is a sweet guy and plays as a Dom privately in the BDSM scene, but his life changed when a friend came to him with an outrageous proposal... buy a slave from a bad guy in the D/s scene and rehabilitate her. And what a project... Brianna was apparently kidnapped when she was 17 and broken through pain and torture. The only lesson she had to learn: she is nothing/she has nothing. Can Stephan teach her otherwise?

This is basically a BDSM fairy tale, and the ultimate rescue, but also Stephan playing God with zero training. As a story, it works fine, but the subject matter is so... controversial and wrong it's hard to rate it with any objectivity. No rating.

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Finished A Stone in the Sea by A. L. Jackson FREE on Amazon

Sebastian "Bas" Stone, leading of the band Sunder, is always followed by controversy. He's never expected to find love in a waitress named Shea Bentley in a club in the middle of Savannah Georgia, and Shea should have ran screaming the other way, because she has a terrible past she is running from as well... but they cannot fight the attraction bringing them together... or the secrets that will destroy them both.

Book ends on a tear-jerking cliffhanger as the tale is long, and the sex is hot, and romance even hotter. 7 out of 8

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Finished The Bride who Wouldn't by Carol Marinelli

Two Novella Combo

The Bride Who Wouldn't -- Kate Edwards, genealogy teacher, is forced to marry Russian billionaire Isaak Zaretsky in a marriage of convenience to save her family business. On their honeymoon to Paris, the pair managed to solve the origin of the Zaretsky brothers, and the two managed to fall in love for real as well. Lukewarm romance, but subplots are better than the romance.

Courage of Eli Jackson -- Eli, a guy good with boats and games, is paired by Zoey, a cosplay queen and online gamer, in a blind date / convention and the two fall for each other, as both have hidden wounds to explore.

5 out of 8 for both.

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Finished Teacher's Billionaire by Christina Tetreault FREE on Amazon

Combining "secret daughter revealed" and "stepbrother romance" tropes, Callie Taylor is the secret daughter of Senator Warren Sherbrookes. Callie is just a teacher and her mom only revealed the secret after her death. Callie's stepbrother, Dylan Talbot, manage of the Sherbrooke hotels, acted as the go-between to check out Callie, and ended up falling for her.

Pretty average stuff. 4.5 out of 8.

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Finished The Passion of Patrick MacNeill FREE on Amazon

Former marine pilot Patrick MacNeill struggles every day to help his son Jack rehabilitate from the injuries suffered in the crash and fire that killed his wife, and came into contact with dedicated new burn surgeon Kate Sinclair, who hid her compassion and love behind the cool detached professional facade. Jack brought the two together, but both realize they cannot be for each other, he because he had no more love to give except to his son, and she would have to breach a professional ethical barrier. Yet their need for each other cannot be denied.

Actually pretty darn good, and I was surprised to learn this was originally published back in 1998.

6.5 out of 8.

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Finished Crazy Little Thing by Tracy Brogan FREE on Prime Reading

Sadie Turner, sad from dissolution of her marriage, decided a vacation at her aunt Dody's lake house is just what she needed to put her life back in order, but the house comes with two cousins (one's gay), two slobbering dogs, the old but very active (and a bit scatter-brained) Aunt Dody... and a lot of neighbors, including the new doctor in town, Desmond "Des" McKnight, who's tall, tanned, handsome, and great with kids. But Sadie is determined to keep him at arms length because... he's a man, and man have "always" disappointed her. But as the summer dragged on, things are starting to change, and perhaps trusting a man may be what Sadie needed.

Fun and humorous read lots of LOL moments. 6.5 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Wed Nov 16, 2016 1:56 pm

Finished The Real McCoy By Sheryl Leonard FREE on Prime Reading

Stephanie, RN, has been infatuated with the handsome and well respected Dr. Peter "The Great" Granville since her days in nursing school, and now that she is working with him in his hospital unit, she spends her days pining for scraps of his attention, even if it was only through her legendary clumsiness.

Dr. Luke Carter is Granville's senior resident, and the one entire nursing staff (and civilians) swoon over... Except Stephanie, of course. However, Carter was only interested in Stephanie, and Carter knew who Granville truly is: a cold egocentric bully playing God.

Luke conceives of a plan to help Stephanie see who Granville truly is... But will the plan really capture Stephanie's heart... or drive her into arms of Granville?

Ended with karma ending and an HEA. I quite liked it. 7 out of 8.

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Finished Doing It Over by Catherine Bybee FREE on Prime Reading

Melanie Bartlett is going home to River Bend, Oregon for a do-over with her daughter. Once voted "most likely to succeed", her return is anything but successful. With no job, no degree, and no husband, and soon, no car (it died 18 miles out of town) Melanie only look forward to meet her old friends Jo and Zoe, and spend time with everybody's aunt, Miss Gina in her quirky B&B, because her family had long since moved out. But first, she met Wyatt Gibson, the only stranger who bothered to stop to help. And Wyatt, the new builder, is relatively new in town. He quickly fell in love with Mel, and her spunky adorable daughter, Suzy. And as Mel considers that maybe she can settle in this town, her evil ex re-enters the picture, wanting to divorce her when no such marriage took place... What was his game?

Nice romance that turned into a suspense thriller by mid-book, it's quite an interesting pivot and nicely done, with multiple twists. 7 out of 8.

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Finished Tell Me You Need Me by Joya Ryan

Chloe is allergic to long-term relationship. Her father's departure and her mother's spiral into depression and cancer (and death) destroyed her trust in men... Except one, Search and Rescue veteran Gage McGraw, who agreed to play with her whenever he's in town (which is not that often), as they play the seduction game again and again, and have the hottest sex between the sheets (or out of it) possible. And that's all she wanted, as she tried to reboot her mother's diner.

Gage loves his job as S&R, and indeed, it's the only thing he's really good for after destroying most of his knee in the army, except for, of course, having mind-numbing sex with Chloe. But he's tired of just hook-ups... he wanted more. So began war of the sexes... She tries to use sex to get him to give him (to her for more sex). He tires to withhold sex (with mixed results) to try to make her see it his way: things are more fun long-term. And both sides aim to play dirty and naughty.

Practically erotica, with a lot of steaming sex, the book does end on a HEA with both sides finally seeing the other side. 6 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Nov 17, 2016 11:23 am

Finished Billionaire's Heart by Kathleen O'Brien FREE on Amazon

High school art teacher Sophie Smith is an honest woman, but when her mentor and friend (with cancer making a comeback) asked her to be her stand-in in a two-week vacation at an Amalfi Coast luxury resort posing as a rich pampered socialite, she cannot refuse. And there, she found the enigmatic gardner Declan Muldoon, the most enthralling personality around despite various celebrities and upper-crust, and fell for him hard. Then Sophie found out that Declan was himself "undercover"... He's the black sheep of a wealthy and powerful Scottish clan chasing his own dreams... and who may need a bit of fortune to tide them over... Who is after who?

Ah, a double "false identity" trope, nice combo. 6.5 out of 8.

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Finished Bait: Alpha Billionaire Romance by Colleen Charles FREE on Amazon

Billionaire East Coast playboy Nolan Banks was accustomed to the tabloids reporting on him cavorting with celebrities, jets around the globe, and leaving baby mamas in his wake (allegedly). And it's up to Charlene "Charlie" de Monaco, Bank's corporate attorney, to clean up the mess. Then it seems Nolan needed to fly straight, need a partner to settle down... to get approval for a particular project... and he picked Charlie to put a ring on her finger. Is this fake or real?

Actually a pretty nice tale where the author managed to cut up a novel into 3 parts and the first two having a bit of an ending that sort of resolved, but left a lot of stuff hanging! Charlie settled down, Charlie did a runaway bride, Charlie accused of embezzlement and finally get the HEA she deserved. Quite a few twists, but the evil guys are just... evil, no particular reason why. Enjoyed it quite a bit except the lame evil characters. 6 out of 8.

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Finished Power Trilogy by M. T. Stone FREE on Amazon

Triple pack of Power Trip / Power Play / Power Shift totalling 500 pages.

Power trip: Mandy wanted revenge against Trey's family for ruining them and she went undercover to join him on a trip to Switzerland with intent to find enough evidence for SEC to put him behind bars. But the more time she spent with Trey, the more she found her ideals wavering... Is Trey just spawn of the devil, or is she simply barking up the wrong tree?

Power Play: As Mandy and Trey sort out their feelings, new revelations puts the entire vendetta in jeopardy, and makes Mandy reexamine her entire relationship with her father and their dirt-poor existence. And with Trey's father gunned down by a shooter, Trey's brother having a meltdown and his girlfriend pregnant and scared, things are not looking good for the star-crossed pair.

Power Shift: Trey's twin brother is in a coma after med overdose, and Trey's enemy Tommy had taken over the family company. Something is very wrong in the company, and now chairman of the board is missing. Trey had to hire some heavy-hitter mercs for protection, as someone is eliminating witnesses and evidence. Who is behind the mayhem and what are they after?

Good twists and turns, 6.5 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Fri Nov 18, 2016 4:12 pm

Finished Begin Again by Christy Newton FREE on Prime Reading (NOT the same as the previously reviewed Begin Again)

Maisie Scott is a waitress in a small town called Pleasant Valley, holding a wound that had not healed in two years since that fateful night. She cannot allow herself to feel... anything, not even when the handsome veterinarian Ryan Tucker tried to cheer her up, but she had grew fond of him... and perhaps... there was a chance to love again in that broken heart... When the storm strikes, Ryan is there to hold her when she falls...

Short contemporary small town romance. with at least an interesting twist on female wound: miscarriage and loss of husband due to a tornado at the same night. 6.5 out of 8.

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Finished Backstretch Baby by Bev Pettersen FREE on Amazon

Rick Talbot, undercover private investigator, burned out by horrific work, reluctantly took on a simple assignment: go to a california horse track and track down some stolen bridles. How hard can it be? Instead, he found Eve Lewis, struggle to cope with her boss's bitchy wife, a community that resents outsiders, and theft and sabotage that made riding impossible. Eve definitely don't need some "private dick" snooping around and report how bad she's doing. But Rick is handsome, tough, smart, and actually knew horses. When sabotage revealed more sinister overtones, Even reluctantly accepted Rick's protection, and affection, but Rick has his own demons to conquer, even as someone near the track turned up dead...

Nice thriller mixed with a little romance and a lot of horse racing. 7 out of 8.

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Finished Whirlwind Romance: 10 Stories collection FREE on Prime Reading

Collection of 10 short romances, totaling just about 700 pages. Some stories are good, some are just average. 6 out of 8.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sat Nov 19, 2016 6:08 pm

Black Sails, Disco Inferno by Andrez Bergen

If ever an afterword should have been a foreword, it's the one included in this book. It probably would have helped to know this novel was adapted from a comic book. It wouldn't have made it any easier to read, but at least I would have understood the style choices. As it was, this was a difficult book to read, with many sentence fragments, missing articles and pronouns. It's one thing if it's in character dialog; narrative however should use proper sentence structure for readability if nothing else. As it was, it took months, literally, to get any traction in this book.

Once things got rolling, however, we have 1970's Tristan and Isolde (or Trista and Issy, with the roles reversed). Two leading, competing mob families are in the process of exterminating each other when Issy falls for the niece of the opposing family's leader. All of the '70's references were kind of amusing (it was set in the disco era, as the title indicates); the author appears to be around my age. I can't say I'm too fond of any of the characters, which is just as well given the fate of most of them.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sat Nov 19, 2016 6:15 pm

Inferno by Julian Stockwin

17 books already? I've read about 6 of them and do have catch up on the others. Captain Sir Thomas Kydd is a cross between Jack Aubrey and Richard Sharpe. While commanding a ship, most of his adventures occur elsewhere.

The first part of the book is a little side adventure unrelated to anything. Stockwin admits in the historical notes that he found early diving technology to be fascinating, and wrote a short story regarding its use in the search of the wreck of a Spanish Armada ship still not located today. The main story in Inferno concerns the British appropriation of the Danish fleet. It was not offered up willingly, and the British were forced to make good of their show of force, raining terror during a brief siege of Copenhagen. Largely an army affair, led by Sir Arthur Wellesley (the future Duke of Wellington of Waterloo fame), the fleet served not only as an escort, but also to blockade Denmark and prevent the escape of any of their ships. The purpose for violating Danish neutrality in this matter was to prevent Napoleon from invading and taking the fleet, which would have given him superior numbers that could be used to invade Britain and also to protect trade in other open markets around the Baltic Sea. Our intrepid Captain Kydd spent most of this conflict idle like the rest of the navy, except for a diversion to rescue Louis XVIII from assassins (something the Swedes actually did).

I like that Stockwin makes an effort to tell the greater story without feeling compelled to insert his hero into every scene, no matter how implausible his presence might be. Kydd is not an Aubrey or Hornblower in that everything revolves around ship actions; it's nice to see attention paid to events greater than a single ship as well as fleshing out higher ranking characters (such as nobility and ambassadors).

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sat Nov 19, 2016 6:28 pm

Honeymoon by James Patterson

Nora is beautiful. Nora is rich. Nora would like to marry you. Nora will kill you.

As a young girl, Nora watched her abused mother shoot her father dead. This led to a life-long grudge against all men. Blessed with a fantastic array of feminine attributes -- including being really smart, she has no problem targeting wealthy men.

While the FBI seems to catch on early, leading to quite an interesting, deceptive investigation on their part, it's hard to believe she could have struck twice without a more intense scrutiny. Other than that, we have a tense, fast moving thriller; the reason to read Patterson in the first place.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sat Nov 19, 2016 7:18 pm

The Games by James Patterson

The Olympics are good business for Jack Morgan's elite investigation company, Private. After thwarting a plot to destroy the London games, Private is hired by planners in Rio to provide security services for the World Cup and the Olympics.

As is common in the Private series, multiple, unconnected actions are going on simultaneously. I like this about the series; such a company would not be focused on a single case at a time. We have two in this book, the first is the kidnapping of the daughters of one of the major construction contractors, a billionaire. The second is a mad scientist plotting to release an ebola-like virus during the opening ceremonies.

Both of these plots had their share of twists, and while our heroes prevail, it's not without cost. It'll be interesting to see what affect developments in this book have on Jack in subsequent novels.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sat Nov 19, 2016 7:35 pm

Zoo 2 by James Patterson

In Zoo, animals started turning on humans -- even the most innocuous of mammals became a lethal threat as if driven by a mad imperative. Jackson Oz is a scientist on the President's investigative team, and discovers that the cause an interaction with cellular phone waves and pheromones. When he convinces the government to shut down the cell network, animal behavior returns to normal but within days, the cell towers are lit again and the slaughter begins anew.

The sequel is a novella, and begins with Oz dodging crazed polar bears in a remote Greenland outpost. As the animal siege continues, Oz is coerced back to work with an investigative team to look into another new complication -- humans are starting become zombie-like crazed killing machines as well. But they still remember how to use weapons.

If you liked Zoo, don't miss this next chapter.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sat Nov 19, 2016 7:36 pm

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman

In a lengthy prologue, Gaiman provides some context and backstory for all of the short stories in this volume. I really, really wish these would have directly preceded the stories -- listening to the audio book, I didn't really have the luxury to flip back and forth and I think I would have enjoyed the stories themselves a little better with Gaiman's introduction.

Gaiman is fantastic reader and while his stories often fail to resonate with me (no surprise given his basis in the comic world), I love listening to him read. Consider a bonus star added for that alone. The short stories themselves were a little uneven in quality. Many of them bring the reader to a eureka moment, only to have the story end there, the conflict itself unresolved. Fans of Twilight Zone will like this.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sat Nov 19, 2016 7:52 pm

Partner by John Grisham

A short story prequel to Grisham's excellent Rogue Lawyer, Partners tells the tale of how lawyer Sebastian Rudd came to employ the services of his bodyguard known simply as Partner. A man is in the wrong place at the wrong time, starts getting shot at and in defense inadvertently kills a cop. Rudd is his defense attorney. The trial itself is a little light by Grisham standards, however, this story seems rushed to its conclusion. Still, I like the characters and hope to meet them again.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sat Nov 19, 2016 8:03 pm

The World of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin.

This is a reference history with some amount of detail on Westeros and someone shorter histories of the other islands and continents in the World of Ice and Fire. There are races here I don't recall encountering in the books, so some might be in future tales. I rather think that viewers of the TV show will get less out of this book than readers. This reads like a history book, and if that's not your thing, you'll find it to be rather dry.

It helps a lot to reference a map when reading/listening to this book. There are some good ones online.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Nov 20, 2016 2:42 pm

Finished And Then She Was Gone by Christopher Greyson $1 on Amazon

Stacy Shaw had her life on the right track. She has a good new job, her house is beautiful, and she has a baby on the way. But one night, she vanished. And the story doesn't add up. In a different part of the city, Jack Stratton is clawing his way from poverty and away from his prostitute mother and is scheduled to go into the army then into law enforcement, if he can just keep his nose clean. However, when his foster mother and a neighbor asked him to look into a neighbor boy being charged with the girl's disappearance, his efforts not only found the body, but enough suspects to fill a room... including himself. Cops believe he's impeding the investigation, and suspects are weary of nosy civilians. Was it Stacy's creepy boss? Stacy's husband? Homeless dude in the park?

As a suspense mystery thriller, it's pretty tight, but there are a few bits that just felt superfluous like his rich girlfriend and their snob friends (including a jealous ex) and the intro was a bit long even though it was necessary to set the stage to everything. 7.5 out of 8

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Finished Fated Flames by Luna Noir, advanced reader copy

Bernice is in the city of Haven, trying to track down her sister Megan who disappeared here, and get back out. However, the only lead was straight through a private investigator Wes who... turned out to be a bear shifter, in a city of vampires and sirens and other paranormal creatures... and one jealous ex. Where did Megan go? Is Bernice also in danger? And why is Bernice feeling her pulse quick to the presence of the impulsive muscle-bound Wes? Then Bernice found out she had some serious but uncontrolled power... She is a flame witch...

Not bad for a debut. It's primarily an adventure novel to set the stage and sexy times are actually very few in number. It's mainly "I can sense her, I must go to her" kinda romance. 6 out of 8

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Finished First Response by Allie K. Adams

Spencer Allen is a TREX agent, newly promoted to SAIC (Special Agent In Charge) in command of one of the Find Teams, and requested to find missing daughter of a retired TREX agent, and have a date with a competitor's person in charge... Kat Doyle. There were instant chemistry between the two, but he had a mission to go to... retrieve the girl who had been abducted into the human trafficking ring...

Finished Rescue Me by Allie K. Adams FREE on Amazon

Spencer Allen and Kat Doyle, ex-lovers turned rivals had to cooperate on finding a 6-year old kid before a snowstorm. But Spense was ordered NOT to tell Kat things, like the boy was kidnapped, all three kidnappers are dead, and ransom demands seem to be too low. After the boy was retrieved, Spence and Kat were about to resume their relationship when Spence was called away and ordered to break off contact with Kat as he cannot be trusted to keep a clear head. But of course, he ignored that order, only to find that Kat had received unknown threats. When conspiracies were exposed and the threat was verified, Spense will do everything to keep Kat safe, even if he had to sacrifice his only other love: his job at TREX.

In conspiracy / mystery plots, there's a blurry line between "too confusing" vs. "fun twist reveals". This one managed to cross the line into too confusing, and Spenser seems more like hormone driven teen than an experience operator. 6.5 out of 8

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Finished The Bargain by Christine S. Feldman

Tomboy Shannon Mahoney had always had a crush on her perfect boss, Drew Kingston, since high school, but she could never get herself to express her love for him, until his brother Michael came back into town. Michael had been the family black sheep and rebel, as well as a love'em-n'-leave'em ladies man that really burned his bridges when he left town. He's now desperately trying to make amends, except his younger brother Drew had cut him out of his life. Desperate to change his brother's mind, he enlisted Shannon's help with a proposal: if Shannon can get Drew to agree to hear Michael out, Michael will mentor Shannon on how to win Drew's heart. Initially suspicious of Michael, Shannon entered into the bargain just to keep tabs on Michael, but the more she learned about both brothers, the more she realized that she actually enjoyed spending time with Michael instead...

A pretty sweet romance that's almost YA, it's partly coming of age, partly fake love turn real, and partly redemption. Enjoyed the mixed message. 6.5 out of 8

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Finished Some Like It Charming by Megan Bryce (FREE on Amazon)

Mackenzie Wyatt wants to get out from her boss's company, because he was way too annoyingly charming, and he has a way of pushing all her buttons, and she talks back, and it was tolerated because she was the sales leader. Ethan O'Connor has a charmed life but a PR disaster, when his ex girlfriends started talking to the tabloids. Only periodic "annoy the heck out of Mackenzie" expeditions to her office can temporarily brighten his mood. When the PR storm did not abate, Ethan came up with a brilliant plan: announce to the world he's engaged to Mackenzie, stay engaged for 6 weeks for the negative news to die down, and she can get a lot of $$$. But as the two spend time together, they realize perhaps their feud is hiding something that can no longer be denied...

Frankly, the two are acting more like teasing teenagers than actual feuds. 5 out of 8.

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Finished Booty Call by Ainsley Booth FREE on Amazon

Alison is turning 20, and still has her V-card, and has a crush on her bodyguard, the older Scott. Scott, on the other hand, knows that she's too young, and he's too... not young. So no, he can't even do FWB. She doesn't want to date, so all he's gonna help her with is NSA... Except it's several times a week, over and over... Until they admit to each other that they can't do without each other, even if it takes a whole year.

Fun and sexy read, if a bit... ARGH! Just admit it already! 6 out of 8

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Finished Chasing I Do / The Eastons Book 1 by Marina Adir FREE on Prime Reading

Darcy Kincaid did a runaway bride because her fiancee turned out to be unfaithful and a huge disappointment, but soon she was forced to fend for herself when her fiancee wrapped his car around a tree, and leaving her pregnant, and her ex's family blamed her. But she survived and invested her life savings into renovating Belle Mont Manor, Portland's oldest and forgotten wedding venue, to be the ultimate wedding planner in the area. When Wedding Magazine came calling and wanted to do a cover story in exchange for planning the wedding of a high profile couple, Darcy jumped at the chance... only to find out that the best man is her ex's brother, Gage.

Gage Easton always liked Darcy, and would have dated her if his brother Kyle hadn't charged in, but he was just as wounded to find Darcy doing a runner and too hurt to worry about the aftermath or reconciliation, and he was determined to take the venue elsewhere or force Darcy out of the wedding planning. But that all changed when he saw Darcy's little daughter Kylie... and there was no doubt she's his brother Kyle's child, and he understood that he had misjudged her all along. Now if only he can convince his family, esp. his grudge-holding mother to go along with his plan, including winning Darcy's heart...

Nice sweet romance (including lots of cupcakes) that really gave you a lot of mixed feelings. The Easton matron came across as the evil witch "my way or the highway" kind of high-handedness and callousness that it is as if they don't REALIZE what sort of damage they are doing as long as they think they may get what they wanted. Gagte at least came across as the great negotiator. 7 out of 8 being short and concise without too many details yet rich enough world to fit.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Nov 21, 2016 3:22 pm

Finished Nadar: Alien General's Conquest by Vi Voxley FREE on Prime Reading

Alien Scifi military romance, sounds like oxymoron on several levels, but basic theme is simple: human males are such dicks and the only good male around is this alien warlord, who's basically what all human male should aspire to be, including in the fucking department. In this case, Terran Union pilot Mara James was ordered to survey a Corgan world (despite warnings that this is a Corgan world and Terrans should only land when invited) and the landing party was attacked and she was taken prisoner by Corgan Warlord Nadar, who took a personal liking to her, and she realized the attraction is mutual. When Terran Union seem to be on the brink of all-out war with the Corgans for the planet, Nadar has a plan to resolve this once and for all, even if he had to defy tradition and win the love of the most unlikely mate. Argh. It's so sweet that it almost makes me puke. Fortunately, the rest of the plot wasn't as bad. 4 out of 8.

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Finished Need You To Keep / St. Helena Book 1 by Marina Adair FREE on Prime Reading

Groomer and pet rescuer Shay Michaels prefers company of animals instead of humans... She's the kind that cannot turn away any stray, no questions asked, even if she had to bend laws, like "4 animals per house" (it's 4, plus a litter of kittens) or "no trespassing" (to get a kitten out of a tree). Too bad her neighbor (single), the resident champion dog owner (9 blue ribbons!) can't stand her collection of mutts and whatnot. Which means the town superhero Deputy Jonah Baudouin had to come by more often than not to investigate the complaints, not that Shay would mind the upright, uptight, and gorgeous deputy to get a bit... hands-on... If she ever find the time of course. Jonah, on the other hand, would love to get his hands on those luscious curves of Shay... but he has an eye on the sheriff's office and can't afford to be involved with the chaos magnet known as Shay, as they each some some deep secrets that haven't shared with each other yet...

Mostly light-hearted with the sort of sexual tension that doesn't involve insta-lust, the tension gets serious when Shay had to raise enough money to move her rescue to a shop front in town... then the secrets gets revealed... Darkest hour gets pretty dark alright, but the grand gesture was a bit of tell, not show, darn it.

5.5 out of 8. It's fun read, but Shay was so much "ends justifies the means" it makes one sigh in despair.

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Finished Her Dakota Man by Lisa Mondello FREE on Amazon

Poppy Ericksen is going home to South Dakota... Because her best friend Kelly asked her to... on her deathbed, and the confession cut her so deep it took her a year to gather the courage to go back... to see the Logan McKinnon, the man she left behind, and his son... And Kelly's husband. Poppy left South Dakota long ago when her family moved away, but before then, she and Logan and Kelly were inseparable. But after Logan married Kelly, then birth of their son, then Kelly's death... it just never was the same any more. But now, Poppy needed to tell Logan the truth... To honor her best friend's wish... and to find a second chance at love.

Very interesting betrayal triangle love of sorts.

Spoiler:

Interesting background to rekindle an old flame. 6.5 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue Nov 22, 2016 3:14 pm

Finished Sleep Tight by Rachel Abbott FREE on Prime Reading

Olivia had suffered enough tragedies in her life. Her boyfriend disappeared one day, leaving her pregnant (which he would have never done). Then she found her parents died of carbon monoxide poisoning, which was chalked up to accident, not that she ever believed it. Robert Brookes, who had purchased her flat was very understanding and eventually married her, and took in her daughter and she gave him two more sons. Then two years later she called police when her husband left with children for pizza and didn't come back, only to see him return during the investigation, implying she has memory problems. Years later, Olivia and her children disappeared without a trace. Nothing was missing from the house, purse was on the table, car was in the garage, everything was left alone. Just... nobody, yet every photo of her and the kids had been wiped from the house. Robert is frantic, and DCI Tom Douglas, who had investigated the case, didn't like the way Robert was fidgeting. Then they found the blood... then Robert disappeared as well. What is going on?

Very much enjoyed this mystery set in the UK, and the twists just KEEP coming, even after you thought the whole thing was solved. Call it... 7.5 out of 8.

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Finished Blood to Dust by L. J. Shen FREE on Amazon

Prescott was captured and left in care of two goons of Godfrey, a criminal kingpin in California, for a few weeks, at the end of which, she knew she will not survive whatever Godfrey had planned, for Prescott had, as revenge for depravities done to her earlier, left them to be captured by police and sent to prison for years. She managed to seduce / convince one of the goons, "Beat" (real name: Nate) to help her escape and exact her revenge against Godfrey and crew. Along the way, they will expose their raw wounds to each other... and perhaps, help each other to heal and love again... or perhaps, just to survive.

Can be described as Bonnie and Clyde meets Kill Bill (far less body count though) it's an interesting story of revenge and survival. Only minor quibbles.

7.5 out of 8.

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Finished Texas Wishes: 3 book series collection by Kristina Knight FREE on Prime Reading

The Witte girls of Double Diamond Ranch play hard, work hard, and love hard. And these are their stories.

What a Texas girl wants: Kathleen Witte, an all business girl, ended up on a Mexican beach, naked, with her high school crush, now fashion photographer Jackson Taylor... and wedding bands on both of their hands. It was a night they can't remember, but now they have to deal with the consequences... Can the two admit their love to each other?

What a Texas girl needs: Vanessa Witte is going home after divorcing her cheating husband... and found that she's pregnant from a drunken fling with Mat, one of the foremans on Double Diamond. Vanessa was trying to get away from the glitter of city life... and raise the kid alone, at least telling Mat... but Mat's hiding a secret... He's really Matias Barnes, a secret billionaire doing a bit of rehab on the ranch, and from the gold diggers...

What a Texas girl dreams: Monica Witte is the rodeo girl, doing barrel races and such in rodeo shows around the country. When an incident sent her horse (and her) back to Double Diamond, Monica can't wait to see the local veterinarian Trickett Samuels, whom she had a NSA relationship going, but Trick wanted more than just NSA... can the girl who don't want to be tied down be romanced?

A good related series where the common environment with different cast of main characters worked well enough. But hey, it's Texas, cowboys and all. 6.5 out of 8 for all three.