Book Review: A Reckless Match (Ruthless Rivals #1) by Kate Bateman

 

Title:  Reckless Match (Ruthless Rivals #1)

Author: Kate Bateman

Stars: 3.5 

Review:

An engaging historical romance story set in 1815 on the border between England and Wales. Two families, who have had a dispute spanning generations, have the opportunity to lay it to rest. Can a mutual attraction between two of the involved parties be the solution that has eluded them for years? It is a delightful chase with a mutually satisfying outcome.

I enjoyed the story and have rated it 3.5 stars. It reminded me of the Hatfield and McCoy feud, without the violence, that took place in the vicinity of where I was raised as a youngster.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.

Synopsis:

Maddie Montgomery's family is in debt, and her hope rests on the rival Davies clan missing their yearly “pledge of goodwill,” ceding the land that separates their estates. With Maddie's teenage nemesis, Gryffud “Gryff” Davies, Earl of Powys, away, hope is in reach.

But then, Gryff shows up and is stunned that the tomboy he once teased is now a woman. When Gryff and Maddie discover contraband on their land, they realize it can benefit both families. But they've also uncovered a dangerous plot, and they need to work together to get out alive. Soon, their hatred for each other starts to feel more like attraction.

Kate Bateman brings crackling banter, steamy romance, and a dash of adventure into the first book in the Ruthless Rivals series.

Mass Market Paperback, 336 pages

Expected publication: September 28th 2021 by St. Martin's Press

About The Author:

Also writes as K.C. Bateman

Kate Bateman (also writing as K. C. Bateman) wrote her first historical romance in response to a $1 bet with her husband who rashly claimed she'd 'never finish the thing.' She gleefully proved him wrong. Her Regency and Renaissance-era romances all feature her trademark feisty, intelligent heroines, wickedly inappropriate banter, and heroes you want to both strangle and kiss.

When not traveling to exotic locations 'for research,' Kate leads a double life as a fine art appraiser and on-screen antiques expert for several TV shows in the UK, each of which has up to 2.5 million viewers. She splits her time between Illinois and her native England and writes despite three inexhaustible children and a number-loving husband who still owes her that dollar.

Book Review: From Britain With Love: Hilarious Comedy Adventures by Robert A. Webster

 

Title: From Britain With Love: Hilarious Comedy Adventures 

Author: Robert A. Webster 

Stars: 4

Review:

An engaging tale of a group of old men residing in a residential care home. They are all musicians and start to perform together and have a surprise success. The humor is British and must be understood to appreciate it fully. They retreat to parts of Asia and sample the seamier side of life while escaping from the publicity which will reveal their true identities and age.

I have rated this book 4 stars and consider it to be a good example of British humor at its best.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.

Thank you Frank for your review.

Synopsis: 

Proof that getting old doesn't mean you can't have fun. It just means you know how to get away with it!

Fossdyke Retirement Home has seen its fair share of quirky characters, but it’s never seen the likes of these four geriatric rockers!
To outsiders, they are sweet, funny, if not a tad bit ornery. To those in the know, they are meddlesome, rebellious, and in way over their heads. When chaos erupts, they’re not far behind.

What begin as ordinary days, where others their age would spend their time chatting up a friend or family member, these four spend their days and nights making music, performing for their legion of fans, globetrotting to exciting destinations, and of course, getting mixed up in perilous situations. Between outrunning the press and persistent record companies, coming face-to-face with ISIS rebels, and the occasional death or two, it’s all they can do to keep their wits about them and escape injury.
Follow the madcap adventures of Britain’s most irreverently lovable elderly rockers as they trip, stumble, and fall into one situation after another and have a few laughs along the way in From Britain with Love, a hilarious action-packed series!

About The Author:

Robert A. Webster is a multi-genre author based in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Originally from Cleethorpes, UK, he embodies both hearty wit and adventurous vigor, making his prose insanely memorable and incessantly enjoyable. His unique brand of snarky humour and imaginative storytelling breathe vivid life into his work, which combines comical British characters with exotic Southeast Asian settings. The result is "brilliant" and "unpredictable," as Dinorah Blackman of Readers' Favorite says.

His first novel Siam Storm received rave reviews in the expat community in southeast Asia. Its sequels, Chalice and Bimat, were similarly acclaimed. Protector, the fourth book of the Siam Storm series, continues the journey of the lovable scallywags who have a penchant for mischief. The books document high-octane escapades and colourful, fantastical narratives that don't stop.

Book Review: Among Thieves by M. J. Kuhn

Title: Among Thieves

Author:   M. J. Kuhn

Stars: 4

Review:

M.J. Kuhn creates a band of crazy criminals that are trying hard to keep to their personal code. The author creates compelling characters with a well written story line that will pull readers into the story.  The story is well paced keeping the story moving forward with character development that has readers taking sides and wondering who is the good guys and who are the bad guys.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of Among Thieves. 

Synopsis:

In just over a year’s time, Ryia Cautella has already earned herself a reputation as the quickest, deadliest blade in the dockside city of Carrowwick—not to mention the sharpest tongue. But Ryia Cautella is not her real name.

For the past six years, a deadly secret has kept her in hiding, running from town to town, doing whatever it takes to stay one step ahead of the formidable Guildmaster—the sovereign ruler of the five kingdoms of Thamorr. No matter how far or fast she travels, his servants never fail to track her down...but even the most powerful men can be defeated.

Ryia’s path now leads directly into the heart of the Guildmaster’s stronghold, and against every instinct she has, it’s not a path she can walk alone. Forced to team up with a crew of assorted miscreants, smugglers, and thieves, Ryia must plan her next moves very carefully. If she succeeds, her freedom is won once and for all…but unfortunately for Ryia, her new allies are nearly as selfish as she is, and they all have plans of their own.

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published September 7th 2021 by Gallery / Saga Press

About The Author:

M.J. Kuhn is a fantasy writer by night and a mild-mannered university employee by day. She lives in the metro Detroit area with her husband Ryan, a dog named Wrex, and the very spoiled cat Thorin Oakenshield. You can find more information about M.J. online at MJKuhn.com.

Book Review: Crossing Lines: A Spellbinding CIA Romantic Suspense Thriller by Adrienne Giordano

 

Title: Crossing Lines

Author: Adrienne Giordano

Stars: 5

Review:

Adrienne Giordano is a wonderful author who is able to pull readers in from the first sentence to the last page. The dialogue between characters is fast pace and will keep readers needing more between Shane and Liz.  The story moves quickly that will make it impossible to put down the book as readers wonder what the characters are getting into as the book is closed. 

Readers will be kept on the edge of their seats as they finish Crossing Lines.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of Crossing Lines.

Synopsis:

While protecting a dangerously attractive ex-agent, a former CIA operative must decide which asset is more important to him: his identity or his heart.
She's running out of friends—and out of time.
CIA operative Elizabeth Aiken is on her own. After a rescue operation in Venezuela goes south and her cover is blown, Elizabeth barely escapes the country with her life. Set adrift by the agency and with a price on her head, she seeks out the only person who can help her disappear.
Viper.
Unfortunately, the devastatingly attractive former operative wants nothing to do with her or the cartel-backed Venezuelan president who wants her dead. Worse still, if Elizabeth's not careful, she'll end up losing her heart instead of watching her back...and there's no room for mistakes with assassins hot on her trail.
Helping her could destroy everything he's worked for.
Former Marine-turned-CIA operative.
Current bar owner.
All-around badass.
Shane "Viper" Quinn has spent years constructing the perfect cover, and he's not about to sacrifice it for a woman he barely knows. Even if she is strong and beautiful and makes him long for sultry nights that could destroy his carefully crafted life.
Still, Shane is forced to fight his growing attraction to the fearsome ex-agent while keeping her in one piece. Elizabeth's enemies are now his enemies—and they aren't going to stop until everyone who stands against them is eliminated. Will having the deadly Viper by her side be enough to save her?

About The Author:

Adrienne Giordano is a USA Today bestselling author of over thirty romantic suspense and mystery novels. She is a Jersey girl at heart, but now lives in the Midwest with her ultimate supporter of a husband, sports-obsessed son and Elliot, a snuggle-happy rescue. Having grown up near the ocean, Adrienne enjoys paddleboarding, a nice float in a kayak and lounging on the beach with a good book.

Book Review: Right Behind Her (Bree Taggert #4) by Melinda Leigh

 

Title: Right Behind Her (Bree Taggert #4)

Author: Melinda Leigh

Stars; 5

Review:

 Book 4 in the Bree Taggert series is a painful revisit to Bree.  The story pushes readers into finding the heart and soul of a dark story.  Bree faces more heart along with painful memories that will keep readers hooked and ready for book in this can't miss series.

Melinda Leigh is able to bring to life the characters that live in her head.  The characters become part of a family that readers didn't know they wanted but can't live without knowing what will happen next.

Melinda Leigh is able to wrap romance, suspense, family, life and death into a perfect series that readers will never get enough of.

Thank you to publisher for the advance copy of Right Behind Her!

Synopsis:

Twenty-seven years ago, Sheriff Bree Taggert’s father killed her mother, then himself. Now Bree and her younger brother, Adam, find human bones on the grounds of their abandoned family farm. The remains are those of a man and a woman, both murdered in the same horrible way.

When the investigation determines the murders occurred thirty years ago, Bree’s dead father becomes a suspect, forcing Bree to revisit the brutal night she’s spent most of her life trying to forget. The only other suspect is an unlikely squatter on the Taggert farm who claims to know secrets about Bree’s past. When he mysteriously disappears and Bree’s niece is kidnapped, the cold case heats up.

Bree has stoked the rage of a murderer who’ll do anything to keep his identity—and motives—a secret. To protect everyone she loves, Bree must confront a killer. 

About The Author:

Melinda Leigh is a fully recovered banker who learned that writing books is way more fun than analyzing financial statements. Melinda’s debut novel, SHE CAN RUN, was nominated for Best First Novel by the International Thriller Writers. Since then, she has garnered numerous writing accolades, including two RITA® Award nominations and an induction into the NJ Romance Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have sold more than 10 million copies across the world. Melinda loves martial arts, rescue dogs, and sea turtles

Book Review Stronger Than You Know (McKenzies of Ridge Trail #2) by Lori Foster

 

Title:  Stronger Than You Know (McKenzies of Ridge Trail #2) 

Author: Lori Foster 

Stars: 4 1\2

Review:

Lori Foster is a talents romance writer.  Her ability to write two flawed characters who will pull at readers heart strings.  Kennedy does everything she can to control her life so others do not see what she struggles with.  Kennedy is very human with her desires that readers could see themselves friends with her.

The McKenzie's Ridge Trail is a must read series and your in luck it is only book 2!  Start this series now!

Synopsis:

Kennedy Brooks has spent years learning how to protect herself, and empowering other women to do the same. Still, there are some hazards that can’t be predicted. That includes Reyes McKenzie, who owns her local gym. Strong, capable, and watchful, he seems like the one man who might understand her past. For once, Kennedy is tempted to let her guard down—something she’s vowed never to do.

The moment petite, fiercely determined Kennedy walked into his gym, Reyes knew that she carried secrets. What he didn’t expect was that she could tell the same about him. When trouble tracks her down, she turns to Reyes, unleashing a maelstrom of protective instinct and mutual desire. But will her need for him end when the danger does, or will they take the ultimate risk—on each other?

ebook, 384 pages

Published August 24th 2021 by HQN Books

About The Author:

Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. Lori has published through a variety of houses, including Kensington, St. Martin’s, Harlequin, Silhouette, Samhain, and Berkley/Jove. She is currently published with HQN.

Lori hosts a very special annual “Reader & Author” event in West Chester, Ohio. Proceeds from the event have benefited many worthy causes, including the Hamilton County YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, the Animal Adoption Foundation, The Conductive Learning Center for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, and The One Way Farm, Children’s Home.

https://lorifoster.com/?s=Book+Benefits

Book Review: Rogue Wolf (SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team #12) by Paige Tyler

 

Title: Rogue Wolf (SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team #12)

Author: Paige Tyler

Stars: 4

Review:

Paige Tyler SWAT Wolf series she gives reader hot romance, Alpha males with heart and soul, Mysterious characters and females who are strong and able to handle things that comes their way.

This story will not disappoint Paige Tyler fans who have been waiting for Trey and Samantha story.  The characters are well balanced, the romance is a slow simmer that gives readers everything they want and more.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of Rouge Wolf

Synopsis:

There's been a wicked attraction between SWAT werewolf Trey Duncan and medical examiner Samantha Mills since the two met, but Trey's never worked up the nerve to ask her out. So when Samantha says she wants to cash in the favor Trey owes her for a date, it seems like the perfect time to confess his true feelings. But the trouble with wolves is that they're never far from danger, and this time Trey is going up against a monster the likes of which his Dallas SWAT team has never seen... This time it's going to take everything Trey and Samantha have to crack the case and protect each other.

About The Author:

Paige Tyler is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, romantic suspense and paranormal romance. She and her very own military hero (also known as her husband) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their adorable fur baby (also known as their dog). Paige graduated with a degree in education, but decided to pursue her passion and write books about hunky alpha males and the kick-butt heroines who fall in love with them.

Represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary

Book Review: One Last Kiss (Blood Ties #0.5) by Kat Martin

 

Title: One Last Kiss (Blood Ties #0.5)

Author:  Kat Martin 

Stars: 5

Review:

This is the beginning of a new series by Kat Martin that will have readers excited or book 1. 

The characters jump off the pages as Libby is trying to figure out her new world with an inheritance hanging over her head.  Spending her life in the city coming to a ranch isn't what she expected.

Sam Bridger is you rancher who can't stop from falling in love with Libby but when things take a quick deadly twist readers will figure it out but love every second as Sam and Libby get to know each other in this short Novella.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of One Last Kiss by Kat Martin.

Synopsis:

Colorado rancher Sam Bridger will do anything for a friend, even if it means babysitting a rich city girl who knows more about high fashion than horses. Blond, beautiful Liberty Hale looks like a model—and acts like a spoiled brat—but Sam senses another side to the young woman who has lost so much of her family, and he can’t deny the heat just one look at her ignites.

Libby is determined to get through her time on the ranch—her inheritance depends on her putting in a solid month’s work. She hadn’t imagined her boss would be a sexy, straightforward cowboy—and she’s surprised to discover just how much she wants him. As life in the Colorado sunshine begins to burn away her grief, Libby and Sam’s attraction to each other starts to sizzle.

A three-day pack trip into the mountains will test them both—especially when one of the ranch’s guests takes a sinister interest in Libby. Suddenly their unexpected chance at love is overshadowed by the terrifying possibility that their very lives are at risk .

About The Author:

Kathleen Kelly was born on 14 July 1947 in the Central Valley of California, USA. She obtained a degree in Anthropology and also studied History at the University of California in Santa Barbara. She was a real estate broker, when she met her future husband, Larry Jay Martin. A short time after the two became acquainted, Larry asked her to read an unpublished manuscript of an historical western he'd written. Kat fell in love with both the book and the author! Then, after doing some editing for him, she thought she'd try her own hand at writing. She moved on to become a full time writer.

Published since 1988, she singed her books with her married name, Kat Martin, but she also used two pseudonyms: Kathy Lawrence for a book in collaboration with her husband Larry Jay Martin, and Kasey Mars for her first contemporary romances. The New York Times bestselling writer, among her many awards, has won the prestigious RT Book Review Magazine Career Achievement Award. To date, Kat has over eleven million copies of her books in print. She has been published in seventeen foreign countries, including England, South Africa, Spain, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Bulgaria, China, and Korea.

Currently residing with her husband, a Western-writer and photographer, in Missoula, Montana, USA. But when they are not writing, they also enjoy skiing and traveling, particularly to Europe.

Book Review: Faceless (Pike, Wisconsin #2) by Alexandra Ivy

 

Title: Faceless (Pike, Wisconsin #2)

Author: Alexandra Ivy

Star: 5

Review:

Alexandra Ivy romantic suspense series pull at readers into her creative world keeping readers hooked to ever written word. Wynter Moore and Noah Hunter are two friends that can never be more.  The worked together figure out who or what is after Wynter.  

The author writes two characters who have great bond that keeps the story moving forward even as readers figure out who or what is trying to hurt Wynter and her future.

The Pike Wisconsin series are a have to read for romantic suspense readers.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of Alexandra Ivy Faceless. 

Synopsis:

BE CAREFUL
A masked robber, a gunshot, an endless nightmare left in its wake. Wynter Moore was just four years-old when she witnessed the murder of her mother. For twenty-five years she’s tried to blunt the trauma with ambition. Yet each year, she shuts down her popular Iowa restaurant to return to her small hometown of Pike, Wisconsin, to grieve. Only this time, her visit will be marked by new danger and shocking discoveries about the past—and about her mother.

WHAT YOU DIG FOR
Why kill her? That’s what scrawled on the picture Pike’s recently deceased sheriff left behind for Wynter. Pulledfrom surveillance tape, it shows the fatal hold-up—and raises unnerving questions. Soon, Wynter is opening a Pandora’s box of dark revelations and suspects. When frightening incidents and threats start coming, it’s clear that Wynter is a target herself. Enemies seem to abound—except for one man . . .

YOU JUST MIGHT GET KILLED
Game warden Noah Hunter has tried to convince himself that Wynter is just a friend ever since they met in grief counseling as teenagers. But now that she’s in danger, that denial is over. Traveling to her side, he helps Wynter retrace the treacherous steps of her complex mother’s life—before she loses her own. Because someone wants—needs—Wynter gone, forever.

About The Author:

I'm not exactly sure when I fell in love with books. Probably on my mother's knee listening to her read Dr. Seuss to me. I do remember that I was barely old enough to cross the street by myself when I discovered the delights of the local library. Could anything be more wonderful than spending summer days surrounded by stacks of Nancy Drew mysteries? Over the years I fell in love with Victoria Holt, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, and J.R.R. Tolkien just to name a few. I read poetry, essays, biographies, and plays. In fact, I read anything I could get my hands on.

Years later (no, I'm not admitting how many) I'm still an avid reader, and my tastes are still as varied as they were in my youth, which I suppose helps to explain why I enjoy writing regency historicals under the name of Deborah Raleigh, as well as my contemporary paranormals as Alexandra Ivy. For now that is enough to keep me busy, but who knows what the future might hold!

I do have a few other loves in my life besides reading and writing, the most important being my unbelievably patient husband, David, and my two sons, Chance and Alexander. Without their constant support and belief in me, I never could have been able to follow my dreams. They are truly my heroes.

Book Review: Ice and Stone (Sharon McCone #34) by Marcia Muller

 

Title: Ice and Stone (Sharon McCone #34)

Author: Marcia Muller

Stars: 4

Review:

Marcia Muller has written 34 book in the Sharon McCone series. I have only read maybe one other but Ice and Stone has be wanting to fix that.  The story is pure mystery that shows what it is like for people in the outside of the Native American government and American government try to solve a murder together.

The story moves quickly keeping readers guessing who and what will happen next.  The author pulls readers into her world showing another side to a world most never know about.

Thank you to Netgalley for a review of Ice and Stone.

Synopsis:

When the bodies of two Indigenous women are found in the wilderness of northern California, it is only the latest horrific development in a string of similar crimes in the area. Despite all evidence to the contrary, officials rule the deaths isolated incidents, which soon join the ranks of countless other unsolved cases quickly dismissed by law enforcement.
 
In a town where too many injustices are tolerated or brushed under the rug, only a few people remain who refuse to let a killer walk free. But Private Investigator Sharon McCone is one of those few. She is hired by an organization called Crimes against Indigenous Sisters to go undercover in Meruk County—a community rife with secrets, lies, and corruption—to expose the truth.
 
In an isolated cabin in the freezing, treacherous woods, McCone must work quickly to unravel a mystery that is rooted in profound evil—before she becomes the killer’s next target.

About The Author:

A native of the Detroit area, Marcia Muller grew up in a house full of books and self-published three copies of her first novel at age twelve, a tale about her dog complete with primitive illustrations. The "reviews" were generally positive.

Book Review: Along Came a Lady (All the Duke's Sins #1) by Christi Caldwell

 

Title:   Along Came a Lady (All the Duke's Sins #1)

Author: Christi Caldwell

Stars: 4

Review:

A unique and intriguing look at the life and role of bastard children during that time period. Although a fictional account how accurate was the stigma portrayed. An excellent story of two bastard children and how they handled the situation. One being male could face it down and the other being female had to keep it deeply hidden in order to rise above it with her honor and virtue intact. 

I enjoyed the story and found it to be a fresh breeze in the historical romance genre. I have rated this book 4 stars.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.

Thank you Frank for your review.

Synopsis:

Rafe Audley lives to thwart his father, the Duke of Bentley. The ne'er do well who abandoned his children claims he wants to make up for his failures, but Rafe only cares about protecting the people of his mining community and providing for his three siblings, who've been his sole responsibility since childhood. So far, Rafe has turned away the duke's man of affairs, solicitor, and other interlopers, until the clever duke sends the unlikeliest of people to convince Rafe to join English High Society—a bold and intriguing woman.

Edwina Dalrymple has never failed a charge. She's quite adept at successfully transforming young women of the gentry and daughters of newly minted lords to take their place in society. Taming a bastard son of a duke will be child's play, plus this job promises to enhance her reputation within the ton. All she has to do is fetch the wayward Rafe and groom him to be presentable to Polite Society.

About The Author:

USA TODAY Bestselling author CHRISTI CALDWELL blames Judith McNaught's "Whitney, My Love!" for luring her into the world of historical romance. While sitting in her graduate school apartment at the University of Connecticut, Christi decided to set aside her notes and pick up her laptop to try her hand at romance. She believes the most perfect heroes and heroines have imperfections, and she rather enjoys torturing them before crafting them a well deserved happily ever after!

Christi makes her home in southern Connecticut where she spends her time writing her own enchanting historical romances, chasing around her feisty seven-year-old son and caring for her twin princesses in training!