Book Review: Danger Rising (Red Stone Security #20) by Katie Reus

 

Title: Danger Rising (Red Stone Security #20)

Author: Katie Reus 

Star: 4

Review:

I will admit I am a sucker for Katie Reus Red Stone Security series. The books are very predictable, with a simple structure quick action while introducing the characters in the story. readers will know who the bad guys and what they have done to make them evil.  The good guys are always right there front and center.  The stories are filled with sexy time, romance, fighting, action and two people looking for their partner in life. 

Lana and Teague are fun to read with simple love story mixed into action, robbing and romance. Readers will love Lana and her reason for getting back at the bad guy. 

Danger Rising can be read as a stand-alone or part of the series of Red Stone. Katie Reus knows her audience and what they expect from her, and they will not be disappointed. 

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of Danger Rising. 

Synposis:

She’s going after what’s hers. 
When Lana’s mom died, she was heartbroken. And when her mom’s business partner stole a priceless family heirloom, she vowed to get it back. The former thief has no problem taking what’s hers—except this time she ends up stealing more than she bargained for. Now Lana is in possession of dangerous information, the kind that could get her and anyone she cares about killed. When the man who broke her heart shows up offering to help—a man she thought was dead—she accepts. But only because she needs a trained partner to pull off her next job. And this time she’ll protect her heart at all costs. Teague already broke it once. She won’t let him in again, no matter how much he tempts her.

And it could get her killed. 
Black Ops agent Teague has been watching Lana from the shadows for months. It killed him to keep his distance but he couldn’t let her know he was alive until he was sure it was safe—until his enemies were dead. But now she’s in grave danger and she’s his to protect, always has been. He never got over Lana; she’s in his blood. He’s just got to prove she can trust him—and convince her to give him a second chance. But first they’ll have to work together to stop a monster—and outrun the people who want them dead.

About The Author:

She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom's stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it. However, she didn't always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense. 

Book Review: Ancient Enforcer (Ancients Rising #3) by Katie Reus

 

Title: Ancient Enforcer (Ancients Rising #3)

Author: Katie Reus

Star: 3

Review:

Katie Reus has the ability to write a story in a way the readers are pulled in right away.  I might not be a huge fan of supernatural books but something about this series. Its might little secret because yes there is steamy sexy time.  Readers will want to step into the shoes of the characters as the story comes to life.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy of Ancient Enforcer. 

Synopsis:

Former general Mikael lost everything thousands of years ago. His clan, his family, his honor. Now he’s awakened in a new world that has devolved into chaos—fire, blood and destruction. He and his brothers are ordered to live with Avery, a human female, and her younger brothers. Avery is nothing he should want. She’s too soft, too sweet…too happy. But he can’t stop his growing obsession with her.

House flipper Avery is no stranger to heartbreak and knows that the ones you love most can stab you in the back the quickest. When she’s asked to shelter a bunch of dragon shifters, her instinct is to say no. Until she meets the ragtag group of males who are struggling to adjust to the new world. Against her better judgment, she agrees to take them in. Even if the gruff Mikael has heartbreak written all over him, she can’t help but fall for the sexy dragon a little more every day. But when a threat from her past emerges, promising to tear her world apart, things suddenly change between them. As they race against the clock to save her family, Mikael must risk everything and claim her before it’s too late.

About The Author:

Katie Reus is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Redemption Harbor series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom's stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it. However, she didn't always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense.

Book Review: The Big Island Killer by R. Barri Flowers

 

Title: The Big Island Killer

Author: Barri Flowers

Star: 3

Review:

I am not going to lie you will need to suspend your belief when reading this Harlequin Intrigue novel.  This what people think when they hear Harlequin books.  The villain is over the top, lead Logan and Elena are beautiful and perfect for each other.  Even though she is Logan therapist.  The writing doesn't stand out, but most Harlequin books are simple stories that are used for escape. 

With all that the story is fast paced, and readers will enjoy this quick easy read to escape from the real life they are surround by. 

Thank you to Netgalley for advance copy of Barri Flowers The Big Island Killer. 

Synposis:

Few leads. No witnesses. Detective Logan Ryder is running out of time to stop a serial killer from claiming a fourth woman on Hawaii’s Big Island. Grief counselor Elena Kekona puts her life on the line to help when she discovers she resembles the victims. But Logan’s reserve—and Elena’s secrets—could turn their instant attraction into a devastating endgame that both might not survive

About The Author:

R. Barri Flowers is an award winning criminologist and bestselling author of crime and thriller fiction, crime nonfiction and true crime, relationship novels, and young adult mysteries.

Book Review: The Grim and The Grave by Sami Eastwood

 

Title: The Grim and The Grave

Author: Sami Eastwood

Star: 3 

Review:

Not going to lie the title The Grim and The Grave got me requesting for review.  That being said the story is very flat and the characters lack the background that will help readers understand why they act or react the way they do.  The author descriptions are lacking to help readers see the world the author is trying to create.  The author uses the first half of the book talking about the Fae lore and the conflict with the different races.  The author could have incorporated the Fae lore into the mystery story instead of hitting you right away slowing down the story that might loss readers right away. There is some racism underline with the author way of describing the Fae as well as human. 

For those who love Fae Lore this might be your story but for the paranormal readers you might want to skip The Grim and The Grave. 

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of Sami Eastwood The Grim and The Grave. 

Synposis:

When her love is taken from her, Clover will do anything to get him back...

Half-fae and reviled by the town of Veritas for being so, Clover Grimaldi and her human mother work as servants to the cruel and ruthless Dr. Van Doren. Obeying Dr. Van Doren is the only thing keeping Clover and her mother safe. But Clover has a secret: her forbidden and reciprocated love for Grant, Dr. Van Doren's only son.

When Grant meets an untimely and suspicious death, Clover suspects murder, and she must risk everything to discover what truly happened. But with fae-murdering Justice Riders on the loose and an enemy in town who wants to cut her open and experiment on her, Clover must rely on old friends and new allies alike to get Grant back.

About The Author:

Ever since she was a child, Sami Eastwood's head has been filled with stories. She moved around often from rural Nevada desert, to foggy Northern California. Rarely was there a new person or place that didn’t figure in her constant daydreaming. These stories echoed back to her mind in dreams and took on a life of their own.

Fanfiction as a teen slowly shifted into original stories and by the time she was nineteen her first story, Blackstone Asylum, had taken rough shape. Now in Central Oregon, the stories have continued and she’s always working on the next new idea

Book Review: Blowback: A Thriller by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois

 

Title: Blowback: A Thriller

Author:(s) James Patterson and Brendan DuBois 

Star: 4

Review:

This is my first James Patterson book that isn't for grade school children.  I know but this grade schoolbooks are so much fun to read to kids.

Blowback is a very on the nose of current political climate with a narcissistic President believes that he is doing everything to protect the country he loves.  US President Keegan Barrett CIA agents to take down his enemies as the people around him are getting sick. 

After the first 1\2 of the book starts off slow filled with backstories and information on all the important characters that will play major roles in the story.  After that the action, mystery start to come to life keeping readers hooked. Even with a few too many plot holes this story will keep readers ready for what is next with these two authors.  If this book had been written 5 or 6 years ago, I would have called it silly idea.  However, at times this story hits very close to home.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of Blowback by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois.

Synposis:

US President Keegan Barrett has swept into office on his success as Director of the CIA. Six months into his first term, he devises a clandestine power grab with deadly consequences.
  
Barrett personally orders CIA agents Liam Grey and Noa Himel to execute his plan, but their loyalties are divided. The CIA serves at the pleasure of the president, yet they’ve sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
 
When the threat comes directly from the Oval Office, that’s where the blowback begins. 

About The Author:(S)

James Patterson:

The son of an insurance salesman and a schoolteacher, Patterson grew up in Newburgh, New York, and began casually writing at the age of nineteen. In 1969, he graduated from Manhattan College. He was given a full-ride scholarship to Vanderbilt University’s graduate program in English. He left Vanderbilt before getting his PhD due to complications involving the Vietnam War.

Instead, he moved to New York to become a junior copywriter for the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson, eventually becoming CEO of its North American company.

In 1976, while still working for J. Walter Thompson, Patterson published his first novel, The Thomas Berryman Number, with Little, Brown and Company. After being turned down by thirty-one publishers, it won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Patterson’s 1993 novel, Along Came a Spider, his first book to feature Alex Cross, was also his first New York Times bestseller in fiction.

Brendan DuBois:

Is the award-winning author of twenty novels and more than 150 short stories. His novel, "Resurrection Day," won the Sidewise Award for Best Alternative History Novel of the Year.

In addition to his thrillers, Brendan DuBois is the author of the Lewis Cole mystery series.

He is currently working on a number of writing projects with New York Times bestselling author James Patterson,

He is also a one-time "Jeopardy!" gameshow champion, and a co-winner of the trivia gameshow "The Chase."

Book Review: Much Ado About Dukes (Never a Wallflower #2) by Eva Devon

 

Title: Much Ado About Dukes (Never a Wallflower #2)

Author:  Eva Devon

Star: 4

Review:

A historical romance that sees a financially well-off bluestocking finally meet her perceived political foe. She is anxious to pour all of her wrath on her perceived enemy and bombard him with her political pamphlets and views. What she is unaware of is her enemy, the duke, is more than aware of her and many of her views and his are in complete agreement. So, the battle lines are drawn, and the skirmishes begin.

A delightful tale that will keep the reader's attention. I enjoyed this offering by the author and have rated it four stars.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased opinion and review. 

Thank you, Frank, for your review.

Synposis:

As far as William Easton―the Duke of Blackheath―is concerned, love can go to the devil. Why would a man need passion when he has wealth, a stately home, and work to occupy his mind? But no one warned the duke that a fiery and frustratingly strong-willed activist like Lady Beatrice Haven can also be a stunning, dark-haired siren who tempts a man’s mind, body, and soul.

Lady Beatrice is determined to never marry. Ever. She would much rather fight for the rights of women and provoke the darkly handsome Duke of Blackheath, even if he does claim to be forward-thinking. After all, dukes―even gorgeous ones―are the enemy. So why does she feel such enjoyment from their heated exchanges?

But everything changes when Beatrice finds herself suddenly without fortune, a husband, or even a home. Now her future depends on the very man who sets her blood boiling. Because in order to protect his esteemed rival, the Duke of Blackheath has asked for Beatrice’s hand, inviting his once-enemy into his home...and his bed.

About The Author:

Eva Devon is a USA Today bestselling author of historical romance. While she currently lives in Omaha, Nebraska, the author was born just outside Portland in Oregon. However, she spent much of her childhood in the coast range, which she found absolutely beautiful.

Book Review: The Star Trek Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel

 

Title: The Star Trek Cookbook

Author: Chelsea Monroe-Cassel

Star: 5

Review:

Anyone who grew up watching Star Trek there were always brightly colored foods as well as amazing looking dessert and drinks.  Who would say no to reviewing a Star Trek cookbook in hopes finding those recipes.

Suprise this book is more than just a cookbook it is also filled with the different actors' favorite recipes, prop foods and food that can be found in the different Star Trek series from Next Generation to Picard and Voyager the original star trek series. 

This book is perfect as a cookbook or even a coffee table for those Trekkie fans,

Thank you to Netgalley or the advance copy The Star Trek Cookbook.

Synposis:

With all-new recipes right beside timeless classics, food stylist and New York Times bestselling author Chelsea Monroe-Cassel’s reimagining of The Star Trek Cookbook presents a visual feast along with complete guides on favorite foods from across Star Trek, adapted for easy use in 21st-century kitchens. Themed as a Starfleet-sponsored collection of recipes from across multiple quadrants and cultures, and intended to foster better understanding of different species from a human perspective with its Earth-centric ingredients, this must-have cookbook embraces the best of Star Trek and its core message of hope, acceptance, and exploration in the spirit of gastrodiplomacy.

About The Author:

Chelsea grew up in rural New York, surrounded by cows and an appreciation for small farms. However, her real love affair with food began during a year abroad in Turkey, which sparked a passion for both food and history, as well as leading her to a degree in Classical History. A lifelong artist and fantasy fan, she greatly enjoys foreign languages, treasure hunting, and all things honey. She currently lives in Boston with several other cooks, and even more eaters, including one very happy Manx Cat. 

Book Review: THIEF (Glass Family #4) by Owen Mullen

Title: THIEF (Glass Family #4)

Author: Owen Mullen

Star: 3 1\2

Review:

I am not sure if it is because I started in book 4 of the Glass family series or maybe it the writing style of the author.  I found it difficult to understand the reason of why Charly is who she is.  I felt it lack enough background for this reader to under Charley and her choices she made.  The story moves quickly, and the beginning starts off with murder and a hurricane.  

The family dynamitic is interesting and they will protect those they call family.  Luke the oldest tries to keep everyone safe and protected but know when he might not be able to protect his family the way they need. 

The action parts are exciting and hard to stop reading.  The basic story made it difficult, and I am guessing it is due to starting on book 4. 

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of Owen Mullen Thief. 

Synposis:

It takes a thief to catch a thief…
Charley Glass arrived in her family’s lives like the hurricane she'd escaped. But she hadn't run far enough: the ruthless Giordano family are on her tail and want two things - her life, and the return of the property she stole from them. No matter how many bodies stack up.

After years of longing, Charley finally has the family she’s always wanted, but now she’s going to have to tell them the real reason she came looking them. There is only one way she’s going to stay alive, and that is to employ the muscle of the notorious Glass Family.

The head of the family, Luke, has become embroiled in a dangerous political plot and isn't sure they're strong enough to take on one of New Orleans' biggest crime gangs. But he'd put his life on the line to protect the empire they've built - even if they’ll have to take on an enemy hurting enough to cross an ocean for revenge.

About The Author:

Owen Mullen graduated from Strathclyde University, moved to London and worked as a rock musician, session singer and songwriter, and had a hit record in Japan with a band he refuses to name; Owen still loves to perform on occasion. His great love for travel has taken him on many adventures from the Amazon and Africa to the colourful continent of India and Nepal. A gregarious recluse, he and his wife, Christine, split their time between Glasgow, and their home away from home in the Greek Islands where all of his crime thrillers were created.

Book Review: Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

 

Title: Killers of a Certain Age

Author: Deanna Raybourn

Stars: 5

Review: 

There is an old saying "Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned". Well, reading this work will give lie to that statement. If there was a moral to be taught by this book it would be do not get on bad side of four retired ladies who were trained as assassins and spent their careers doing their assigned jobs very well. Above all else do not it by double crossing them on their retirement cruise by attempting to murder them. This scenario sets the stage for an action-packed adventure which sets them against their former employing organization to find out why and to correct the untenable position they find themselves in.

This adventure will take you to several countries and finally be resolved in an old English country manor house where they originally trained. No mercy is asked for and none is given only sought after answers. I rated this book 5 stars.

I received an ARC for my unbiased review and the above thoughts are entirely my own.

Thank you, Frank, for your review. 

Synopsis:

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills.

When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they've been marked for death.

Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They're about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman--and a killer--of a certain age.

About The Author:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist Deanna Raybourn is a 6th-generation native Texan. She graduated with a double major in English and history from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of one, Raybourn makes her home in Virginia. Her novels have been nominated for numerous awards including two RT Reviewers’ Choice awards, the Agatha, two Dilys Winns, a Last Laugh, three du Mauriers, and most recently the 2019 Edgar Award for Best Novel. She launched a new Victorian mystery series with the 2015 release of A CURIOUS BEGINNING, featuring intrepid butterfly-hunter and amateur sleuth, Veronica Speedwell. Veronica has returned in several more adventures, most recently AN IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSTOR, book seven, which released in early 2022. Deanna's first contemporary novel, KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE, about four female assassins on the cusp of retirement publishes in September 2022. (Please note: Deanna is not active on GR.)

Book Review: Yoga for Flexibility: Poses and Practices for Improving Full-Body Mobility Over Time by Adriana Lee

 

Title: Yoga for Flexibility: Poses and Practices for Improving Full-Body Mobility Over Time 

Author:  Adriana Lee

Star: 5

Review:

Adriana Lee Yoga for Flexibility is the perfect start to anyone is looking for a place to start understanding Yoga and the important it will play in your life. 

Adriana Lee is able to bring a balance of information, history, and the reason that yoga will help you in your overall health journey in life.   The book has imagines of different people who all different body shapes doing the yoga poses.  The book also gives readers a program or sequences that can be done in different time lengths depending on the readers available time. 

 Yoga for Flexibility: Poses and Practices for Improving Full-Body Mobility Over Time is the perfect start to your Yoga adventure no matter your age, size or health. 

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of Adriana Lee Yoga for Flexibility. 

Synposis:

Yoga is a gentle way to improve your flexibility and incorporate more stretching into your life. Whether you want to ease pain, improve athletic performance, or simply maintain mobility as you age, this book will help you practice yoga for better overall health.

• Yoga 101—Understand the basics of yoga, including the role of breath, the purpose of warming up and cooling down, and why using your muscles is key to deeper stretching.
• Pose for flexibility—Ease yourself into the 40 yoga poses with detailed instructions, helpful illustrations, tips for modifying poses, and prop suggestions.
• Find your flow—Use the 17 yoga sequences and eight flexibility plans to help you reach your mobility objectives, improve your posture, reduce lower-back pain, and so much more.

Loosen up and feel great with Yoga for Flexibility!

About The Author

Adriana Lee is a Las Vegas based yoga teacher, writer, content creator, and yoga teacher trainer. Known as @adrianainflow on Instagram and TikTok, she shares her knowledge and love of yoga on social media, and as a regular contributing author for beYogi. Lee teaches at festivals nationally, as well as online for Solstice Yoga as one of their co-owners. You can find her online at www.adrianainflow.com.

Book Review: Blood Mark (Dark Dreams Book 1) by J.P. McLean

 

Title: Blood Mark (Dark Dreams Book 1)

Author: J.P. McLean

Star: 2 1\2

Review:

Never judge a book by the cover or the blub.  This blub had me excited I hadn't read a book by J.P. Mclean, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  

The story wasn't what I expected the author writing style was to jump from different point of views within the same chapter and at times from paragraph to paragraph.  Can cause confusion for some reader and turn off others. 

The story as a whole was interesting but not enough to get past the fact it is in need of more editing to help the flow of the story to keep readers from dropping off at about 25% mark in the story.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy of Blood Mark by J.P. McLean. 

Synposis:

Abandoned at birth, life has always been a battle for Jane Walker. She and her best friend, Sadie, spent years fighting to survive Vancouver’s cutthroat underbelly. That would have been tough enough without Jane’s mysterious afflictions: an intricate pattern of blood-red birthmarks that snake around her body and vivid, heart-wrenching nightmares that feel so real she wakes up screaming.

After she meets the first man who isn’t repulsed by her birthmarks, Jane thinks she might finally have a chance at happiness. Her belief seems confirmed as the birthmarks she’s spent her life so ashamed of magically begin to disappear. Yet, the quicker her scarlet marks vanish, the more lucid and disturbing Jane’s nightmares become—until it’s impossible to discern her dreams from reality, and Jane comes to a horrifying realization:

The nightmares that have plagued her since childhood are actually visions of real people being stalked by a deadly killer. And all this time, her birthmarks have been the only things protecting her from becoming his next victim.

About The Author

I'm very fortunate to live in a writer's paradise on one of the small northern Gulf Islands off the eastern shore of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The rugged beaches and towering fir and arbutus trees that surround me often end up in my stories. When I'm not pouring my imagination into my computer, I'm futzing in gardens, making a mess of the kitchen or hiking local trails. I write stories that entice you to believe the impossible and escape the everyday for a while. Enjoy the read!