Book Review: Cold Dark Places (Cady Maddix Mystery #1) by Kylie Brant

Title: Cold Dark Places (Cady Maddix Mystery #1) 

Author: Kylie Brant

Stars: 4 Stars

Review:
This is a great start to a new series.  The story is captivating even with its flaws.
 The book switches to different points of view with each characters.  Some authors are able write the perfect amount of information and Knowledge and other skip what is needed as they switch to the next characters.  Kylie Brant is stuck in the in between some characters have more dept and growth while others are lacking what is needed to readers to connect with the characters.  Readers will feel and understand the author pour her heart into the different characters. 
The story is full of suspense and mystery readers will enjoy.
Thank you Netgalley for the advance copy of Kylie Brant Cold Dark places. 



Synopsis:
Cady Maddix survived a brutal upbringing—emotionally scarred but hardened—with a will for self-preservation. Hunting fugitives has given her life purpose and control. But when the US Deputy Marshal returns home to care for her Alzheimer’s-stricken mother, a new case stirs old memories.

Child killer Samuel Aldeen has broken out of a nearby facility for the criminally insane, and the authorities believe he was aided by accomplices, both inside and out. Enlisted to track him down, Cady follows an unexpected lead. Her name is Eryn Pullman, a young woman recently released from a neighboring psychiatric facility, a mentally fragile survivor of childhood abuse, and Aldeen’s next designated victim.

To save Eryn’s life, Cady must work fast to uncover the unimaginable link between predator and prey—even as it pulls her into the cold dark places of her own past.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication: December 4th 2018 by Thomas & Mercer

About The Author:

The mother of five children, Kylie Brant claims she began writing to save her sanity. Plotting stories became her method of escape from the reality of constant ball games, chauffeuring kids, and refereeing "minor" disagreements between her perfect offspring.

In 1992 she was elated to get a call from Silhouette offering to buy her second novel. Home with laryngitis at the time, she still managed to croak out agreement, and her career was born. A few months later she went on to sell Rancher's Choice, the first manuscript she’d written.

Kylie is married to her high school sweetheart, and they make their home in Iowa. She insists that all her heroes are based on her husband of 23 years because he possesses that most heroic of make qualities — ironing skills. Those abilities come in handy, as she juggles a full time teaching job with writing and a family.

Doing things the easy way has never held much appeal for this multi award-winning author. She graduated with high honors from the University of Northern Iowa. A graduation photo shows her in cap and gown holding her two sons, one aged 16 months and the other three weeks. She went on to obtain a teaching job working with learning-disabled children while completing her master’s degree at night and during summers.

"There was a time in my life when I could imagine myself as a life-long student," she recalls. "I actually toyed with the idea of pursuing a doctorate. But instead, my life took a spin and I ended up writing romances. I’ve never regretted it!" Her family has since been completed by the birth of another son and a set of twins, a boy and a girl.

Kylie’s books are regularly featured on bestseller lists such as Waldenbooks and B. Dalton Bookseller. With over a million copies of books in print, her novels have been distributed in 20 countries and released in seven languages.

Family and friends are the main focus of Kylie’s life. When she isn’t writing or teaching, she enjoys reading and flower gardening. She loves traveling, preferring beach, ocean, and room service. 

Book Review: Defending Chloe (Mountain Mercenaries #2) by Susan Stoker

Title: Defending Chloe (Mountain Mercenaries #2)

Author: Susan Stoker 

Stars: 3 stars

Review:
I have read many book by Susan Stoker and she is a hit or miss when it comes to books.  At times her series can be captivating with strong female characters who want to change the world but need a little extra help.  Defending Chloe has be scratching my head.  The author has everyone believe that Chloe is smart, went to college lived in the world and than out of no where she is now a sex worker.  It is hard to believe someone with Chloe's background would go along with any sort of abuse let along become a sex worker.
Ronan Cross ends up being another alpha in the masses of hundreds of others in Susan Stoker series or in this genre. Nothing set him apart.
Readers either will love this story or others with struggle with the format as well as the editing in this book that is jumpy at best.  The author gives readers that when its right time doesn't matter.  I agree with that but when someone like Chloe who was being forced into working at a strip club and into sex worker I find it hard she is so well adjusted. 
While yes this story is suppose to be romance, action, suspense I found it lacking on all accounts and would recommend you skip this one in the series.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Montlake Romance for the advance copy of Susan Stoker Defending Chloe 


Synopsis:
Gorgeous women don’t just stumble onto Ronan Cross’s remote property. But this one—vulnerable, victimized, and needing the kind of help only Ronan can offer—tells a story that makes his blood boil almost as hot as his need to protect her.

Since her father’s death, Chloe Harris has become a prisoner. Her own brother, a flesh peddler and low-level player in the Denver Mafia, is forcing her to sell her body for an endgame Chloe never saw coming: control over a vast fortune. Her only way out is to run—straight into the arms of the one hard-bodied man she can trust.

Defending Chloe could rain punishment down on the Mountain Mercenaries. Her brother has Mob connections and the local police in his pocket. But Ronan still has an edge—the unshakable loyalty of his deadly teammates. As well as an unquenchable thirst for retribution…and Chloe.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication: December 4th 2018 by Montlake Romance

About The Author:

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, Susan Stoker has a heart as big as the state of Tennessee where she lives, but this all American girl has also spent the last fourteen years living in Missouri, California, Colorado, Indiana, and Tennessee. She's married to a retired Army man who now gets to follow her around the country.

She debuted her first series in 2014 and quickly followed that up with the SEAL of Protection Series, which solidified her love of writing and creating stories readers can get lost in. 

Book Review: Owen (Undercover Billionaire #3) by Melody Anne

Title: Owen (Undercover Billionaire #3)

Author: Melody Anne

Stars: 3 1/2 stars

Review:
Owen is a whole is a ok book the grammar, spelling, basic flow of the story are typical of a romance book. The story starts off with a quick background, than sex scene the drama that pulls the characters apart and than fast forward to the present. Everything fits will in your typical romance expect for the face this reader felt lost several times.  Readers are giving a time line but many times the author blurs that time line or maybe its the age of the characters either way readers might find themselves a little lost. Melody Anne has throwaway characters as well as Characters from other books in her series. (One of which I read.)
When Eden and Owen are not having sex or thinking about sex the story has lots of suspense, emotions that are a little fake at times but give readers are good idea of why certain characters act certain ways.
I gave the author an additional half because it is number 3 in a series things that ate mention in this book might have been taken care of in book's 1 and 2. Although it didn't feel that way.  I would say this author wanted to create a stand alone novel but fails to do so.

At the end of the book the author gives readers an idea of what happened in the authors personal life that influenced a change in the story line.  That helped this review understand why at times the story felt disjointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Montlake Romance for the advance copy of Melody Anne's Owen.



Synopsis:

There was a time when Eden’s entire world revolved around Owen Forbes. They were inseparable childhood sweethearts. They planned a life together. Then, without so much as a goodbye, Owen vanished. Now, after ten years, he’s returned to town as the hottest new firefighter on the force. Whatever secrets pulled them apart, Eden can’t fight the sparks reignited by the man who broke her heart.

Owen knows he did Eden wrong. If only he could tell her why. As body meets body, he’s whispering for a second chance—wanting her back so bad it hurts. It can also be dangerous. An arsonist is targeting the small town of Edmonds, and Eden with it. And it’s Owen himself who’s become engulfed in suspicion.

Eden knows that with a past as hot and mysterious as Owen’s, their future together could go up in flames. Because the one man she’s afraid to trust is the only man she desires—and the only one who can save her.

Expected publication: December 4th 2018 by Montlake Romance

About The Author:

Melody Anne is a NYT best selling author of the popular series: Billionaire Bachelors, Surrender, Baby for the Billionaire, Unexpected Hero's, Billionaire Aviators, and some solo titles. I have a Young Adult Series; Rise of the Dark Angel. 

As an aspiring author, I wrote for years, then published in 2011, finding my true calling, and a love of writing. Holding a Bachelor's Degree in business, I love to write about strong, powerful, businessmen and the corporate world. 

When I'm not writing, I spend time with my family, friends, and many pets. A country girl at heart, I love the small town and strong community I live in and am involved in many community projects. 

To date, I have over 7 million book sales and have earned a spot on multiple best seller lists, including NYT's, USA Today, WSJ, being an amazon top 100 bestselling author for 3 years in a row, as well as a Kobo and iBooks best seller. But beyond that, I just love getting to do what makes me happy - live in a fantasy world, 95% of the time. 

See my website and subscribe to my newsletter at: www.melodyanne.com. I make it a point to respond to all my fans. You can also join me on facebook at: www.facebook.com/authormelodyanne, or at twitter: @authmelodyanne. Also, follow my blog at authormelodyanne.blogspot.com. 

I look forward to hearing from you and thank you for your continued interest in my stories. 

Book Review: Before We Were Strangers by Brenda Novak

Title: Before We Were Strangers

Author: Brenda Novak

Stars: 5

Review:
Fans of Brenda Novak and Romantic Suspense this is a Must Read!

Before We Were strangers is one the best Romantic Suspense with the dynamic characters that will keep readers up all night.  Everything from greed, angry, self doubt, and affairs that will twist readers until they are not sure who slept with whom.
Brenda Novak is able to create well paced story with a little too many characters but  since the whole town seems to be hiding secrets it only makes since that everyone is a suspect. 
There are times readers will roll their eyes with the cheesy one liners but at the same times they will be biting their nails as the action starts and the mystery only seems to pull families apart.
Curl up because you are not going to put this book down until you have read ever last word.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers Mira Books  for the advance copy of Brenda Novak Before We were Strangers.


Synopsis:
Five-year-old Sloane McBride couldn't sleep that night. Her parents were arguing again, their harsh words heating the cool autumn air. And then there was that other sound--the ominous thump before all went quiet.

In the morning, her mother was gone.The official story was that she left. Her loving, devoted mother! That hadn't sat any better at the time than it did when Sloane moved out at eighteen, anxious to leave her small Texas hometown in search of anywhere else. But not even a fresh start working as a model in New York could keep the nightmares at bay. Or her fears that the domineering father she grew up with wasn't just difficult--he was deadly.

Now another traumatic loss forces Sloane to realize she owes it to her mother to find out the truth, even if it means returning to a small town full of secrets and lies, a jilted ex-boyfriend and a father and brother who'd rather see her silenced. But as Sloane starts digging into the past, the question isn't whether she can uncover what really happened that night...it's what will remain of her family if she does?


About The Author:

It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak’s bestselling author career.

“I caught my day-care provider drugging my children with cough syrup and Tylenol to get them to sleep while I was away,” Brenda says. “It was then that I decided that I needed to do something from home.”

However, writing was the last profession she expected to undertake. In fact, Brenda swears she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. In school, math and science were her best subjects, and when it came time to pick a major in college, she chose business. 

Abandoning her academic scholarship to Brigham Young University at the age of 20 in order to get married and start a family, Brenda dabbled in commercial real estate, then became a loan officer. 

“When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book,” Brenda admits. “I learned how to write by reading what others have written. The best advice for any would-be author: read, read, read….”

Brenda sold her first book, and the rest is history. Many of her novels have won or placed in contests such as the National Reader's Choice, the Bookseller's Best, the Write Touch, the Award of Excellence and the Beacon Award for Published Authors. 

Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. She juggles her writing career with her children’s softball and soccer games, field trips, carpool runs and homework sessions.

When she’s not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually working on her annual fundraiser for diabetes research—an on-line auction held at her website May 1st – May 31st. Her youngest son, Thad, has diabetes, and Brenda is determined to help him and others like him. She also enjoys traveling, watching sporting events and biking--she rides an amazing 20 miles every day!

Book Review: The Math Kids: The Prime-Time Burglars by David Cole

Title: The Math Kids: The Prime-Time Burglars

Author: David Cole 

Stars: 5 stars 

Review:
If you have an 6-9 year old kids who doesn't like make but might enjoy reading this book is for you.  The Math kids follows two best friends as they solve crimes using math.  The math is perfect for the age group that will be reading this book and can help younger kids learn advance math ideas too.
The lessons are short and to the point keeping kids engaged in the story but working on math problems too.

Its a wonderful read for everyone in the family.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Common Deer Press for the Advance copy of David Dole The Math Kids.

Synopsis:
Jordan and Justin are best friends and the only two kids in their class’s advanced math group. So it isn’t until Stephanie Lewis marches into their classroom that they meet someone who’s as good with numbers as they are. Their shared interest in math quickly draws them together, and the three soon form The Math Kids.

Unfortunately, life as math club kids isn’t always easy. In addition to extra homework, the three friends have two new problems. First, a string of mysterious burglaries has the whole neighbourhood on edge, including their parents. Then, they manage to earn unwanted attention from Robbie, the class bully. Luckily, Jordan, Justin, and Stephanie soon learn that their new club may give them the skills they need to solve both problems.


Expected publication: December 3rd 2018 by Common Deer Press


About The Author:

My background has always been in the technical areas - math, mechanical engineering, and computer science. I've done everything from designing missile guidance systems to teaching computer science classes at the college level to designing data center monitoring tools for Facebook and at my own two companies.

I have coached many different math teams and, with my son, ran a summer math camp for elementary school students for six years. We found that one of the best ways to teach math was to do it through games and stories. Most of our campers were reluctant to give up a week of their summer on, heaven forbid - math, but when they kept coming back year after year, we figured out that we had found the secret of getting kids to actually like math. I had parents contacting me in February asking when Math Camp was because their kids wanted to make sure that their family vacation plans didn't interfere with camp.

From this The Math Kids series was born. Learning math should be fun and interesting, but in the end it's still about the story.