Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Book Review Not Mine to Keep (The Costa Family #2)

 



Title: Not Mine to Keep (The Costa Family #2)

Author: Brittney Sahin

Star: 4

Review:

Not Mine to Keep is a Mafia style romance which I am not a huge fan of due to the more forcefully romance style.  The author Brittney Sahin is able to keep the story light and moving quickly with two very likeable characters.  The female lead is full of sass and the male lead is dark brooding with a heart of gold. The secondary characters are family who protect family at any cost giving readers a softer side to Mafia style romance. 

Yes, the book is full of steamy sexy scenes that will curl your toes. Once the main leads are together pages of sexy time follows.

The author throws in a little nugget that connects readers to pervious series. keep a look out for the name.

While this story wasn't to my liking the author did wonderful job keeping readers connect to so many different characters, what they were doing and why they were in each scene. 

The story is written from the female and male leads point of views and at times she kind of goes over the same scene that works for this style of storytelling.

The editing and writing were what you expect from this story.  From the amount of characters the author put in this series readers can expect more to come Brittney Sahin.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of Not Mine To Keep.

Synopsis:

The name DiMaggio means mafia royalty, but Calliope, the dynasty’s last living heir, is no princess. A teacher and singer in Nashville, she’s moved as far away from the generations-old criminal legacy as she can. But she still can’t escape her dying father’s wicked reach, or his plans for her arranged marriage to carry on the family name.

Playboy Alessandro Costa has a different plan: marry her himself—temporarily. It’ll give him a chance to take down the DiMaggio patriarch and his empire, settle an old debt, and save Calliope from a catastrophic fate. But when the attraction between them sizzles, business becomes pleasure and a marriage game becomes the real thing.

It only raises the stakes—and the danger. Because now they are living in the shadow of violent men who’ll do whatever it takes to destroy them. With their love and their lives on the line, Calliope and Alessandro are ready to fight fire with fire.

About The Author:

Brittney Sahin began writing at an early age, with the dream to be a published author before the age of 18. Although academic pursuits (and, later, a teaching career) interrupted her aspirations, she never stopped writing—never stopped imagining.

It wasn’t until her students encouraged her to follow her dreams that Brittney said goodbye to Upstate New York in order to start a new adventure in the place she was raised: Charlotte, North Carolina. Here, she decided to take her students’ advice and begin to write again.

In 2015, she published her first novel, The Safe Bet. When she is not working on upcoming novels, she spends time with her family. She is a proud mother of two boys and a lover of suspense novels, coffee, and the outdoors

Monday, August 26, 2024

List of books read just not reviewed. I am so sorry

Life of a mom with small kids is insane and busy but the life of a mom with 1 preteen and 3 teens feels like a impossible task of trying to keep up with life and just breathing. 
Here is the list of books read and not reviewed.  All will be posted on Amazon and other book sites if I can get the passwords to work.  


I forgot to add my youngest has been using my computer for schoolwork so finding my laptop full changed is a miracle! 
Titles of the books I will have reviewed this week.
I Only Read Murder
Will Ferguson; Ian Ferguson
The Hero                                                                                    3 stars
Susan Stoker
A Good Wolf Is Hard to Find                                                       3 stars
Terry Spear
Black Wolf                                                                                 3 Stars
Juan Gómez-Jurado
Bloodlust Blues                                                                          3 stars
Luanne Bennett

Fighting for Reese Katie Rues                                                       3 1\2 stars
Smoky Mountains Graveyard                                                     4 Stars
Lena Diaz

On Her Watch                                                                        4 stars                    
Melinda Leigh

Long Haul                                                                                    4 stars
Frank Figliuzzi

You'll Never Find Me                                                           5 stars
Allison Brennan

One Cursed Rose                                                                4 stars
Rebecca Zanetti

Love Letters to a Serial Killer                                         3 1\2 stars
Tasha Coryell
The Complete ADHD Parenting Guide for Girls:                  4 stars
QC HARMONY

Threats in the Deep                                                       3 stars
Ancient Magic                                                         5 stars
Jewel Me Twice                                                           3 1\2 stars
Charish Reid

Sunday, January 28, 2024

Book Review: The Sleeping Girls (Detective Ellie Reeves #9) by Rita Herron

 


Title: The Sleeping Girls (Detective Ellie Reeves #9)

Author: Rita Herron

Stars: 4

Review:

Rita Herron has created a world where Ellie Reeves is struggling to find balance after her life has been turn upside down over the last several stories.  At times readers will have to suspended reality because there is only so much one person can handle before they become inhuman. Ellie Reeves comes across and inhuman.  

That being said the story will pull readers into Rita Herron world where Ellie Reeves and her friends are able to find the truth even if it might destroy the lives of those around her.  

The story will have readers staying up late at night needing to know what will happen next. The author will not disappoint. 

Thank you Netgalley for advance copy of Rita Herron the Sleeping Girls

Synposis:

The young girl looked so innocent, like a sleeping angel. Kelsey lay on a bed of white sheets, golden hair fanned across the pillow, eyes closed, pale lips pressed together. A white teddy bear was tucked under her slender arm… “My baby, she’s dead” her distraught mother choked out.

When the call comes in that fifteen-year-old Kelsey Tiller has gone missing from her bedroom in the middle of the night, Detective Ellie Reeves rushes to talk to her distraught parents. They tell her that Kelsey, a slender blond with green eyes and a timid smile, had plans to go shopping for her homecoming dress the next day, insisting she would have no reason to run away. But when neighbors report seeing Kelsey with a secret boyfriend, Ellie wonders how much Kelsey really told her parents.

Ellie is determined to find Kelsey’s boyfriend and interviews her friends and teachers at school. But just as she is making headway with the case, she receives some devastating news. Kelsey’s parents have received a photo of their daughter lying on a bed with white sheets over her body, skin ghostly pale under the freckles dotting her nose, her precious life snuffed out.

Desperate to find answers for those who loved Kelsey, Ellie studies the picture and realizes that her body has been posed in the same way as a teenage girl murdered ten years earlier. And when she learns Darnell, the killer in that case, has just been released from prison, fear crawls through her. Could Darnell have stolen another innocent life?

But just as Ellie thinks she has cracked the case, Kelsey’s best friend Ruby is snatched from her home, and Darnell has an unbreakable alibi. Haunted by Kelsey’s ashen face, Ellie knows she must race against time to find Ruby alive. And when she discovers one of her team is hiding critical information, she realizes she needs to act alone. But is she dealing with a twisted copycat killer or is the danger far closer to home?

 About The Author:

USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Rita Herron fell in love with books at the ripe age of eight when she read her first Trixie Belden mystery. But she didn’t think real people grew up to be writers, so she became a teacher instead. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job.
With over ninety books to her credit, she’s penned romantic suspense, romantic comedy and YA novels, but she especially likes writing dark romantic suspense and crime fiction set in small southern towns.

Thursday, January 25, 2024

Book Review: Fighting for Hailey (Redemption Harbor Security #1) by Katie Reus

 


Title: Fighting for Hailey (Redemption Harbor Security #1)

Author: Katie Reus

Stars: 4

Review:

Fighting for Hailey is full of steamy sexy scenes with lots of great dialogue between the different characters.  This is the start of a new series by Katie Reus who right away introduces you to the main characters as well as the intro to the next book in the series.  

With all things Katie Reus there is lots of action, second chance romance, feisty females who can take care of themselves and sweet, adorable men with lots of money who want to protect the women they fall in love with.

The story moves quickly, and you will want to read it alone because you will be blushing from the steamy romance.  

Thank you to Netgalley for advance copy of Katie Reus Fighting for Hailey. 

Synposis:

They grew up together, dated for years—but when Lennox had a chance at a college scholarship and a new life, Hailey abruptly ended things. She wanted him to have the life he deserved, and with her track record knew she’d just bring him down. Now they’re both grown and she runs the new branch of Redemption Harbor Consulting, heading up their security division. But her past is about to collide with her present in a big way, and she can’t outrun her demons any longer.

This time, he’s playing for keeps…

Years ago Hailey joined the military and ruthlessly cut all her foster siblings out her life. Now that one of them is in danger she’s back—and Lennox isn’t letting her push him away ever again. One of their own has been kidnapped and with the clock ticking, they have no choice but to work together to find him before it’s too late. But the threat is much worse than they imagined. It will take all their combined skills—and breaking through Hailey’s walls— to unravel the clues in time to save him.

About The Author:

Katie Reus® is the USA Today bestselling author of the Endgame trilogy, the MacArthur Family 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.

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Book Review: Wild Magic by Alexandra Ivy

 


Title: Wild Magic 

Author: Alexandra Ivy

Stars: 4

Review:

I will admit I am huge fan of Alexandra Ivy romantic suspense series and have read a few of her supernatural romance series. 

I have to admit the story has some really cheesy moments I mean he lived for thousands of years but he never really lived until he met this woman. I mean come on even for this romance lover this is a bit much.  That being said the story is over all what you will expect from this author. 

The story is full of Mystery and adventure with the perfect cheesy slow burn romance readers are in need of right now. 

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of Wild Magic.  

Synposis:

There was a time when demons reigned. That was before they were forced to retreat to the shadows. Today, in hidden corners across the globe their evil blood still pools, and the authority of their new rulers—the Vampire Cabal—must never be challenged. Leave it to a Jersey girl to change ancient
history . . .

At sixteen, when Peri Sanguis’s wild magic first appeared, she was forced to flee her Wyoming ranch—and her suddenly murderous family—to save her own life. On the East Coast, tutored by mages who run the Witch’s Brew bookstore-cafe, Peri’s world seems magically tranquil—until her estranged mother and a coven of witches are slaughtered. Now, to solve the violent mysteries of her past, she must put her trust, body and soul, in a sensual immortal who is every woman’s darkest fantasy . . .

The golden-eyed vampire, Valen, has never wanted more than to claim an untamed female like Peri. Lured into each other’s orbit, and working together against a resurrected evil brings them intimately closer—to danger, blood betrayals, all-consuming passion, and to sacrifices that must be made to save themselves and the world 

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.

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Book Review: Frostbitten (Deep Ops #6) by Rebecca Zanetti

 


Title: Frostbitten (Deep Ops #6)

Author:  Rebecca Zanetti

Stars: 5

Review:

If you haven't read the Deep Ops series, you might want to read at least the first book, so you know the different characters. 

I love this series and Frostbitten is a perfect addition to this series that readers are falling in love with.  The characters are so over the top fun. Millicent and Scott are the leads and while they are apart of Deep Ops they are almost secondary characters in most of the books.  

The character development blending with action and steamy romance will keep readers wanting more even after they know who the bad guys are. The community that Milli grew up in will have readers laughing so hard.  Who threaten to hurt a cat? You know they are evil. 

Rebecca Zanetti has the ability to pull readers into her books with feisty women and steamy sexy scenes. 

Thank you to netgalley for advance copy of Rebecca Zanetti Frostbitten. 

If you haven't picked up a single book of Deep Ops I highly recommend you take the chance.  Fun Romantic suspense series with lots of laughs. 

Synposis:

Enigmatic.
With a wildly gifted mind, and an untamed head of hair to match, petite powerhouse Millicent Frost is brilliant when it comes to gadgets and electronics—less so with people. After an attempt to bust a bank scam goes awry, Millie is in hot water with Homeland Security and targeted by lethal enemies. In the midst of the trouble, she heads home to help out with the family hunting and fishing business. But when their rival competitor and Millie’s ex is murdered, she’s the number one suspect . . .
Irresistible.
Former Marine turned lawyer Scott Terentson devotes himself to getting his clients out of tricky binds. A loner, the last thing he wants is to belong to any team, yet the Deep Ops group considers him one of their own—and he pays the price by getting shot at by their enemies. Now Millie is seeking his help—just as he’s dealing with a brutal fail regarding a recent trial. Both are a headache, yet he’s drawn to Millie in spite of himself. They’re opposites, but maybe the old adage is true . . .
Electric.
Working together, Millie and Scott soon have more on their hands than they bargained for as the danger escalates—along with the sizzling heat between them. And when a disappearance is thrown into the mix, all bets are off 

About The Author:

New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti has published more than seventy novels and novellas, which have been translated into several languages, with millions of copies sold world-wide. Her books have received Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus starred reviews, favorable Washington Post and New York Times Book Reviews, and been included in Amazon best books of the year.

Rebecca has ridden in a locked Chevy trunk, has asked the unfortunate delivery guy to release her from a set of handcuffs, and has discovered the best silver mine shafts in which to bury a body…all in the name of research. Honest.

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