Netgalley- Feb 24 2026/ Blood Relay by Devon Mihesuah

  Netgalley 

 General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers 

 In this richly layered debut thriller reminiscent of the real issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people, a badass Choctaw detective discovers an insidious plot against her reservation while investigating the disappearance of a beloved champion athlete.

Choctaw Detective Perry Antelope has been with her partner, Sophia Burns, for only six months. Perry is a seasoned investigator while the ex-Olympian shot putter Sophia is a former street-smart police officer. Together, they are an intrepid pair with an established record of success. But when Perry and Sophia are called to investigate the disappearance of Dels Billy, a beloved women’s Indian Horse Relay rider, they quickly realize that it’s not as cut-and-dry as anything they’ve faced before.

Piece by piece, they uncover unsettling connections between Dels’s disappearance and a series of unsolved abductions of women from Oklahoma reservations. But the perpetrator always seems to be one step ahead, and Perry soon finds herself—and her family—in the crosshairs of a ruthless killer. Despite her husband’s pleas for her to drop the case, Perry is determined to prevent Dels from becoming another statistic.

As the investigation deepens, Perry and Sophia follow a tangled web of clues that point to a close-to-home plot more chilling than they could have imagined. Torn between her family’s safety and her duty to her community, Perry must race against the clock, and across tribal Nations, to find Dels before her murderous abductor can carry out their sinister plan. 

My 5 Star Review TITLED: Filled with mysteries, and Histories and Love

The Prologue was stunning !!!  I just had to keep reading ! I adored Perry Antelope and her stubborn, relentless to find Dels, rescue her  and get the answers for her and everyone else ! She'll fight to the end and she does. I didn't like her Comanche husband, Troy at first. He was a nag.  They do have two children together a 16 year old daughter, Olyve and a younger son, Nico.  Her partner, Sophia Barnes is excellent at her job but also knows when to push Perry and when to just shut up and let it go.  She knows Perry takes meds for migraines when she pushes for too long and too hard. But there is just no stopping her. Sophia is married to linebacker named Mike. We don't get real deep into her marriage but they seem to be a pretty good fit. Turns out Troy and Perry loved each other deeply but she had a hard time expressing it. Their "language" was different. I ended up no longer disliking Troy.  The kids were great !

This is a REALLY intense story, with plenty of dangers, twists and surprises that kept me on the edge of my seat.  I loved that a lot of Native American history was included some of it I knew about and some I didn't!

Great ending; intense to the end.  And at the end, the author's blog was included as was the link to Facebook for the real "Fort Hall Relay Association". It had more information about the relays. I found both interesting.

 The author's blog can be found here:  https://devonmihesuah.ku.edu/

She has a lot more books that I want to explore now.

 I received a complimentary ebook ARC from publisher Bantam and NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book. By the way, a great cover for this eBook. It really caught my attention !

ARC Sept 5-Bksprout/ "Savage Don's Undercover Wife" by Vira Black

  Bksprout    Amazon 

 Part of: Empire of Savages (4 books)

 I spent three years undercover inside his empire. Then he blew my cover and made me his wife.

I poured years of my life into one cover identity, one empire, one target.

Damiano Vescari was supposed to stay a name in a case file. 

Untouchable. Off-limits. 

Until he crossed a room full of Chicago's most dangerous men and laid every one of my secrets bare.

Then he found out who I really am. Instead of handing me over to his men, he put a ring on my finger.

A fake marriage. Four walls I can't escape and a man who fills every inch of his suit pants like a felony I can't afford.

One moment he's Chicago's most feared Don. The next he's wiping his son's tears and looking at me like I'm the missing piece.

Somewhere between the lies I told and the truth he showed me, I fall. Hard.

One night the walls I built come down and I give him every part of me.

Now there's a baby growing inside me that he doesn't know about.

Then the truth surfaces. My father wasn't killed by the mob. He was killed by my own bureau. And now they're coming for me.

If they get to me before Damiano does, it won't just be my secret they bury... but our child too.

Explicit

294 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Romantic Suspense Dark Romance secret pregnancy fake marriage enemies to lovers forced proximity off-limits/forbidden love office/boss romance mistaken identity single dad oil tycoon protector

Hosted by Vira Black Romance

Note from the Author

Please read, enjoy, and review Savage Don's Undercover Wife. And don't forget to leave your review on launch day Saturday, September 5th. Thank you! :)

Must review on:

Amazon

 My 5 star review TITLED: He surprised me !

 The opener was a great shock and a wonderful start to the story ! Orina Sinclair is the undercover FBI agent that has been the accountant embedded in Damiano Vescari's financial department. And she's good at what she does. She's sharp, beautiful and thinks that she's been unnoticed. Nope. Other than Damiano's man, Corrado who is built suspicious. She knows he's been watching her every move. Orina's last name is really, Belucci and her dead father, Daniel worked as an FBI agent before he was murdered. Her FBI handler is, Cruz and he is a good man. I never dou

bted it for a minute ! He's just doing his job not knowing the full picture..yet !Damiano is more hip to what is going on with her than she ever had imagined. He could have killed her for what he knows. But he doesn't. Surprise for me #1.  He has a changing 7 year old son, Elio. She tries so hard to not be captivated by him but she softens a bit when she sees his innocent, welcoming face in dinosaur pajamas.  Damiano notices. He notices a lot but gives her space which was another surprise for me. He knows things about her father and will know even more as time goes on. He truly can be that Savage Don when people he cares about are targeted.  And people do get hurt. There isn't any grotesque violence, which I liked. Orina begins to see how tender Damiano is with people especially his son. 

There is a quiet intensity about this story, along with some heated moments between the MC's. But it's time to catch the true culprits behind her father's murder and other "hidden" felonies on the part of the FBI.  It's going to be a long battle with everyone caught. But there is one string out there that will probably need another book. But I don't consider it a cliffhanger because the parts I cared about come to a great end with a wonderful Epilogue.  

 I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Sept 3, ARC Bksprt/ Built To Burn" By Gianna Vonnie

  Bksprt    Amazon

 He didn't come to love her.

He came to destroy everything she had left.

Adriano Vale does not make mistakes.

He makes plans. Long, patient, devastatingly precise plans.

For years, he has prepared for one thing: revenge against the Caine family.

Now he is walking straight into their world with a peace offering in one hand and their destruction already mapped out in the other.

Get close.

Earn their trust.

Tear apart everything they built.

Then he meets Celia Caine.

Celia has spent her life surrounded by secrets no one will explain and a family that expects loyalty without ever giving her the truth.

Adriano should be another man she knows better than to trust.

Controlled. Watchful. Dangerous.

Instead, he becomes the one person who seems to see her clearly.

She doesn't know that every step he takes toward her family is part of a plan.

He doesn't know that every step he takes toward her is pulling him away from it.

He came to destroy the Caines.

Falling for Celia was never supposed to be part of the revenge.

And by the time she begins uncovering the truth, Adriano is already facing the one choice he never planned for:

Finish the vengeance that has shaped his entire life...

or protect the woman standing in the middle of everything he came to burn.

Some things are built to last.

Some things are built to destroy.

Adriano built his life to burn the Caine family to the ground.

He never expected Celia to be the one thing he couldn't watch burn.

Explicit

400 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Young Adult / New Adult Romance Dark Romance Mafia Romance Age gap Dark mafia Enemies-to-Lovers Betrayal & Angst Morally Gray Hero Hidden Identity He Falls First Forbidden Love Mafia Boss x Innocent Heroine

Hosted by Gianna Vonnie

Note from the Author

Please enjoy and leave your honest review when the book go live. Thank you.

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My 5 Star Review TITLED: Everyone watches !

 

Adriano Vale seeks vengeance on  Gerald Caine and he's waited for years after finding his eighteen year old brother, Enzo left dead on a dark highway.  Enzo was full of life, joy and laughter! He cared about people and it was real; people felt it. The Vale family was meant to find Enzo's body and it almost destroyed his family.  But Reid is not only Adriano's right hand man, but also loved Enzo like a brother. Reid and Adriano were step in step when it came to bringing the Caine family down !

Adriano knows just about everything about the Caine family. Thinking he knows everything that he needs to know to bring them down. Gerald has a  loud, proud, 31 year old son, named Theo.  He is proud, eager and wants to be seen. He still doesn't know how to read a room. Nora is 28 years olds and Adriano knows she's going to be a problem.  She does know how to read a room and he knows quickly that she is already reading him !She's sharp and calculating.  What he hadn't counted on was the youngest daughter Celia being a problem. She knows how to read a room and people and although being quieter, she's not stupid! Gerald is a cold,domineering bully ! Charming on the surface but cold underneath. 

Nora loved Celia in her own kind of hard way, barely showing it at times but they have both been trying to survive that house ! They love each other and know each other's tells. Their dead mother is the only one that truly understood and loved Celia unconditionally. They were a lot a like.

 Such an emotional, intense story with plenty of surprises and a few "happy times" between Adriano and Celia before it looks like it's all going to fall apart.

Perfect ending and even better Epilogue ! P.S. I loved the eBook cover !

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

 

ARC Bkfunnel-AUG 20/ Forced Marriage to the CEO by Brenna Cole

 

  hello@brennafiction.com

amazon 

Apparently, my life choices now include a fake marriage, billionaire roommate, and falling for the man my father wants destroyed.

My father gave me two choices — lose my nonprofit or marry Boston’s coldest billionaire CEO.

I picked the one that ruined my life in the best possible way.

Jonathan Atwell is arrogant, controlling, and so gorgeous it should be illegal in a boardroom.

One signature, one cohabitation clause, and suddenly I’m living with a man who makes my pulse do things I did not authorize.

Then he kisses me like the paperwork never existed.

I start wanting the version of him who only softens for me.

Somewhere between our fake vows and his bed, I stop pretending my heart isn't involved.

I fall for my husband. Hard. Inconveniently. Completely.

Then I find the paper trail proving my own father is the one trying to destroy him.

If I can’t stop this, I won’t just lose the only man I’ve ever trusted.

I’ll become the reason his entire world unravels.

 My 5 Star Review TITLED:  The Battles hit fast and hard

Jessica Shaw goes to  galas, she hates going to them  but when her controlling father Gerald practically demands she go, she does. After all he has some  serious strings over her non-profit. I hated him on sight! He had that false charm of warmth but always with a greedy motive underneath. Gerald is the one who introduces Jessica to Jonathan. I loved how when they first saw each other before that, they both were stunned, unable to move at first. Gerald watched it all with hidden glee. He knows a lot of things that he shouldn't be able to access.   I really liked hardworking Jessica Shaw. Her passion for her work and her integrity. She's been lied to by men in her life before. Given all and found herself them being coldly shut out at the end. She's no pushover. We find out that Jonathan has had a similar experience, so he is wary also. But they can't stop thinking of each other. So when the clause comes up about marriage that his grandfather Henry set up years ago to protect him comes up?  The trustees give him a list of candidates to consider to marry.  Woah and behold, her name is on it. She's a tough negotiator and along with her lawyer's help drafts her conditions. Jonathan feels it's all fair and they sign and marry.

I really liked Jonathan Atwell, his love for the work he is doing with his company that no one except his grandfather wanted him to start. He had a tough woman Elizabeth who rarely smiled but was passionate about the job as well.  No romantic interest in Jonathan but knows that he wants her to take over the business when he steps down.  His grandfather Henry is a doll who loves Jonathan fiercely. Jonathan's father does show up towards the end of the story and he's no bundle of joy either ! Another controlling man with no frill at all.  Direct and demanding with no charm over all of it. 

Then the PRESSURES on this newlywed couple start almost immediately.  they had just started into a comfortable living together  rhythm along with some "just spicy times" . That's when the dangerous hits start coming. It just wasn't fair !!!

I loved the intensity but also the sweet moments in the story and also the over throwing of all the  nasty plans. So worth the read. And the Epilogue that follows? The best.  

I really liked the eBook cover and it really fit the story so well. I like when that happens. 

I received an ARC from the author and these are my honest thoughts. 

Arc Bksprout- Aug 25/ The Favorite Mistake by Juliett Key

   Bksprout 

I swore I'd never fall for my enemy…then I discover he's the billionaire who's been secretly saving my bar.

Thatcher Duvall is arrogant, impossible, and somehow turns arguing with me into his favorite hobby.

Every time he strolls into my dive bar, I remind myself he's the last man I'd ever fall for.

Until I find myself with him in the back room.

That lie gets harder to believe every time he steps between me and danger. 

He catches me before I fall, and looks at me like I'm already his.

Just when I finally admit I've fallen for my enemy, I uncover the truth.

Thatcher isn't just another customer.

He's my silent partner.

 One reckless night turns insults into forbidden kisses... and leaves me staring at two pink lines.

Now the man hunting Thatcher's empire is coming after everything he loves.

If I can't trust the only man who's ever fought for me first, I'll lose my family, my bar  and the only future I've ever wanted.

Mature

2000 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Romantic Suspense Forced Proximity Opposites Attract Hidden Billionaire He Falls First Enemies To Lovers Revenge Love Forbidden Love Surprise Baby Alpha Male

Hosted by Juliett Key's Romance Lovers

Must review on:

Amazon

MY 5 STAR Review TITLED: He thought he could manage her

 

I loved feisty  Raisa  Tilling who doesn't take any guff off of anyone. Hey, she can't afford to. She has as struggling bar, bills barking at her door and she's supporting her grandmother who needs her medicine and a growing, teenage brother named Lucas ! So is she impressed with Thatcher shows up in her bar? Not a bit. I loved that she looks at his expensive shoes and comments often that they found their way into the wrong place ! But he keeps coming back, for her cheap beer, and her insults !  He became the man "with the shoes!" I loved how he always over tips and uses the same stool at the bar when he comes back. Almost like it has his name printed on it ! Raisa refuses to be "managed" in the guise of help because that's come back to bite so many times in her life. 

Dominic is an evil piece of work, who years ago helped found the Media company with Thatcher.  But now he's primed to kick out and dismantle the company and rake in the profits. Even poking into Thatcher personal life to help him get there. Jerk. 

Cole Merritt is a reporter, friend of Raisa's and has shown up at her bar for several years.  He's in love with her, and she knows it but he doesn't stand a chance especially when Thatcher shows up. Still he helps but also waits for verification of truths ! He's an honest reporter !

Thatcher has a great assistant that helps him so much and is a straight shooter and doesn't put up with his nonsense. She helps him so much with Raisa too !  Thatcher slowly learns not to try to manage Raisa. It's funny but also heart warming !

It gets really intense almost down to the minute but has a great outcome! I loved the eBook cover and the name of the bar.  

 I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Bksprt Aug 25,26/ Falling for Miss Fortune Again: Small Town, Second Chance, Secret Identity Sweet Romance by Katy Lee Hart

  Bksprt 

 Note from the Author

Clean and wholesome romance, no real references to the occult in this "fake fortune teller" story. 

 I had one dream: get on TV.

Preferably as a serious news anchor.
But I would have settled for weather or traffic.
Even standing beside a prize pumpkin with a microphone.
Instead, my agent got me a gig as Madame Miss Fortune at a traveling fair.

What can I say. I had to pay the rent.
So I made up funny fortunes, hid behind a black wig and veil, and tried not to think about how far this was from my big break.

Then the fair came to my hometown.
And Reed walked into my booth.
My ex. The man who broke my heart. The man I never quite got over.

One viral video later, my fake act became a real TV opportunity.
But the more my dream came true, the more my lies tangled around Reed.

Now my future depends on telling the truth, before Miss Fortune costs me everything.

General

386 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Rom-Com Small Town Romance rom-com small town romance clean and wholesome romance sweet romance closed-door romance second chance romance secret identity

Hosted by Katy Lee Hart Romance

Note from the Author

Clean and wholesome romance, no real references to the occult in this "fake fortune teller" story.

Must review on:

Amazon

File(s) available:

EPUB (Send via email & download) 

 

My 5 STAR Review: TITLED:  Unusual & Special !

I fell in loved with this quirky, emotional story ! Lucy was a hoot ! And the story started 5 years earlier with Lucy and Reed being in love. But he was charming and he got careless with Lucy and her love !  She got tired of the excuses and they had a huge fight ! He retaliated by saying he never knew what Lucy he was talking too. His pride kept her from calling her back until the next afternoon. And just like that they were over !

Fast forward now to current times ; which where the story stays. 

The job that Lucy took to pay her rent was hilarious! And she was good at it. Dottie and Earl who hired her fell in love with how good she was at it ! They also cared about her. 

The dialogue between Lucy and Reed was off the charts great' Humorous much of the time but also painful when the truth begins to come out. I kept wondering throughout her Carney Act  ..just when was it all going to blow up? And of course it does, in the most painful, dramatic way. After all, why not Lucy has always been accused of being dramatic ! 

I loved how the story came to an emotional end. I also thought the eBook cover was an excellent choice that fit nicely with the story !

 I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Aug 23/Bksprout ARC/betrayed by the brotherhood by Carmella Knight

   Booksprout 

 

I saw too much at a biker murder scene—and now I’m hiding with the man everyone thinks did it.

Ronan Vale is the kind of man I should run from.

Dangerous. Bloody. Accused of murdering one of his own brothers.

I’m just the crime-scene cleaner who noticed the evidence didn’t add up. Now I may be his only chance to prove he’s innocent—and stay alive.

He doesn’t trust me.

I don’t trust him.

Then bullets start flying, his club puts a death sentence on his head, and suddenly the safest place in the world is behind the man everyone calls a killer.

He shields me with his body.

He touches me like I’m something precious.

He looks at me like trusting me hurts worse than any wound.

And God help me, somewhere between cheap motel rooms, whispered truths, and running for our lives, I fall for the fugitive I’m supposed to fear.

But the real killer knows what I saw.

And Ronan may be innocent of murder…

But he’s guilty of something that could destroy us both.

Explicit

212 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Romantic Suspense Young Adult / New Adult Romance biker alfa male enemies to lovers romantic suspense forced proximity Protector Romance Wrongfully Accused Hero Forbidden / Dangerous Love Witness in Danger Ride-or-Die Love

Hosted by Carmella Knight

Note from the Author

I hope you love reading it as much as I loved writing it !

Review on at least 1:

Amazon

File(s) available:

EPUB (Send via email & download) 

 

My 4 Star Review TITLED: Relentless  

There is an intense start to this story when Mara Quinn, the crime scene cleaner finds a young man named Eli Mercer dead in a warehouse. Some things just don't look right and things start going REALLY bad from there on. Decan is the middleman who hired Mara for the job and he's clearly not 100% n the up and up.  Turns out Eli is the youngest son of the prince of the Iron Titans Motorcycle Club. 

Ronan Vale is the enforcer for the Titans and has done some really bad things for them. He's bled for the Titans and he's covered for them for years too.  Jax is the father-like leader of the Titans and the father of Eli.  A kill order goes out and there are relentless chases to kill not only Ronan but also the witness Mara. I loved the two of them together and how Mara has been clever and although scared, she was also brave. Ronan and Mara do have some spicy times but there is no over the top violence in the story. That's something that I liked too !

Jax has definitely underestimated Mara, and I really liked how she wasn't shy on saying I really hate that man !!!

 Great ending ! 

 I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

-----not included in Review Silas was a smooth talking evil main high up in the Titans----