ARC 2-20-26 bksprt/ Blood Guilt by Elias Ashcroft

  Bksprout

 

There’s no such thing as a perfect murder—unless you can explain blood that’s been programmed to die.

How do you find a killer that leaves no evidence, no blood, no wounds, just a body with biology rewritten to kill?

It starts when a notorious Southern California crime boss collapses at his daughter’s birthday party—just five days after his acquittal.

FBI Special Agent Erin Ward is called to investigate a death that defies every forensic law.

More bodies start to drop—each one a ghost of justice past.

Each victim marked by an identical, silent countdown inside their veins.

The evidence points to a weapon too small to see, too advanced to exist.

Enlisting Jordan Pike, a reckless field agent, and Aditi Das, a scientist who deciphers life itself, Erin chases the truth onto an unsuspecting California University campus.

There she finds a man who has turned loss into a blueprint for death.

As drones swarm a city on the edge of chaos, Erin faces an invisible enemy who’s turned justice into a weapon—and set the countdown to end with her.

Mature

Novel

Suspense Suspense Thriller Mystery FBI Organized Crime

Hosted by Elias Ashcroft 1

Review on at least 1:

Amazon

File(s) available:

EPUB (Send via email & download) 

 

------------------------My Review Notes- 5 STARS TITLED: Great Suspense

 

Opening scene is with Maya, a barista making a special order for a man who has just a rich bad guy getting off of charges a the courthouse. Never should have happened; so many people hated him and wanted to see him pay.  Suddenly he drops door-nail dead.   Things take off deadly from there. Especially when any other entitled bad guy beats the rap and he's now SUDDENLY dead too ! Neither man had any signs of what killed them, they were in "good health" at the time of their deaths.  

Special Agent Erin Ward is put in charge and ordered to keep it a "Quiet" Investigation. Yeah right, that's going to happen !! She has a good team assigned to her and at first they aren't sure how easy she will be to work with.  They seem like good people to work with though.  Erin does begin to wonder if they have a Revenge Serial Killer at work.

Plenty of suspense that keeps things moving !  I liked Erin and her team even while wondering how in the world would they catch this  person?  Was the killer working with some else?  

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

 

--------------P.S. I DIDN'T FINISH ALL OF IT YET BUT REVIEW WAS DUE-------

ARC-BKSPROUT/ Feb 14/ "The Don's Vengeance" by Jasmin Song

  Bksprout

 

I fell for my sworn enemy's daughter while plotting to destroy her. 

Isabella Russo walks into the club and gives me the best one-night stand of my life. No names. 

The next day, she shows up across the table from me on the business deal of her lifetime. 

That’s when I realize who she is: the daughter of the man who killed my father. 

I'm his only surviving son, a Don raised in secret, trained for one purpose: vengeance. 

And the principessa just walked into my trap. 

She’s perfect for my plan. So, I seduce her. I make her believe I'm someone she can trust. Every dinner reveals a vulnerability. Every touch, another confession. 

But as I steal her secrets, she steals something too. My own damn heart.  

I’m supposed to destroy her deal and her family’s future. 

If I choose Isabella, my family starts a war, with my dead father rolling in his grave.

If I choose my vendetta, my enemies burn, with Isabella at the center of the blaze. 

Explicit

Novel

Romance mafia enemies to lovers one night stand forbidden forced proximity revenge

Hosted by Jasmin Song

Note from the Author

Please enjoy and leave your honest review when the book goes live on Amazon.

Review on at least 1:

Amazon

File(s) available:

EPUB (Send via email & download) 

 

------My  4 Star Review TITLED: Deceitful Seduction/Romance

 

Isabella Russo is her family Mob Lawyer.  Her father is the Don. And she's good at her job.  But her family demands revenge and Isabella is all up for that.  Stephen Hale is really a young man who was spirited away with his mother Maria when his father and older brother were murdered in their home. Maria and Stephanos Petrakos (his real Greek name) were hiding in a closet and saw it all ! They both came to America and Maria married an American professor who now adores her. She didn't feel the same but affection for him has grown on her part at a least.  

This is such an emotional story, with some tender scenes that developed between the main characters.  Several really good and interesting secondary characters and a really good Epilogue. 

 

ARC DUE 2/17-23/ "Knit One, Purl a Secret" (Quillhaven Magical Cozy Mysteries Book 10) by Tessa Silver

  Booksprout  Bookbub  Goodreads  

Amazon 

In Quillhaven, friends don't let friends face dangerous magic alone.

The Cozy Loopers knitting circle is more than a weekly gathering. It's a lifeline for six friends navigating love, loss, and second chances in the magical town of Quillhaven. When they decide to create a Valentine's afghan for the Hearts and Hands Charity Auction, they expect needles, yarn, and companionship. What they get is enchanted crimson fiber that reveals their deepest secrets in every stitch.

Nettie faces her wild past and a famous musician who wrote a song about her. Martin confronts the partner he left behind in Boston. Mabel wrestles with guilt over falling in love again after her husband's death. As the magic intensifies and the auction approaches, the group must decide whether honesty is worth the risk of exposure. Can their found family survive the truth woven into their creation?

Find out in Knit One, Purl a Secret, a cozy magical mystery about community, courage, and the threads that bind us together. 

General

Novel

Mystery cozy mystery paranormal witches magic small town found family

Hosted by ARC Team- Knit One, Purl a Secret

Note from the Author

This is Book 10 in a series, however each one can be read as a standalone.

Review on at least 1:

Amazon

Goodreads

Bookbub

File(s) available:

EPUB (Send via email & download)

PDF (Download only) 

--------------- 

 My 4 STAR Review TITLED: Crimson Yarn Trouble? 

I loved the dedication by the author that said to Maryann who taught the left handed author to knit ! So sweet ! 

The Foundation:  

The story opens with the Wednesday meeting at the Yarn to Be Wild shop and the Crazy Loopers are meeting.  It's Nettie Silverloop's shop and she's getting tea ready for this favorite time with the group of knitters which includes gossip and companionship. It's an eclectic group:

Mabel Crispin comes next and she has big "news" which the talking cats Leo and Luna wonder about. They always seemed to be around which was a good thing ! Amelia and hubby Arthur Jenkins come in next. He's just there to make sure she got there okay ; they've been happily married for years.  Arthur heads to the hardware story to see Henry and his affectionate dog, Gus.  Greta Bell and then Olivia Sweetwater and within minutes Martin Fitzgerald trails in. 

And then : 

Suddenly after finding some unaccounted for strange but beautiful crimson yarn; they begin to use it for personal squares to add to a large Valentine's afghan.  That's when some REALLY strange things begin to happen. Is that yarn Alive? 

One of my favorite phrases is when Martin mentions that this town see to have a way of making you face things !! 

Great surprises and  heart warming conclusions.  

  I received an ARC from the author and this how I feel about it. P.S. Once again I loved the colorful eBook cover !

due Feb18/ Ruthless Protector by clara dunn

  Bksprout

 

I was sent to watch her. Now I’m sleeping down the hall… and daring anyone to touch what’s mine.

The Kozlov Pakhan doesn’t give assignments. He gives verdicts.

Mine is simple: move into Daria Kozlov’s apartment, track her movements, and prove she’s the leak before the feds freeze our accounts.

If she’s guilty, she disappears. Even if she’s family.

I expect designer clothes and a fake smile.
I find a piano teacher in a threadbare cardigan, a fridge that’s almost empty, and a five-year-old who drags me into a tea party like I’m not built for violence.

That first night, I clear the apartment.

A hidden camera is wedged in her daughter’s bedroom.

At that point, I stop watching Daria—and start hunting the man who put it there.
I don’t have his name yet. But I will.

Daria flinches at blocked numbers. She lies like it keeps her alive. And when I catch the bruises she hides under sleeves, something in me goes cold and final.

I came here to catch a traitor.
Instead I’m standing between a mother, her little girl… and the man who’s been terrorizing them for years.

If he comes for either of them, there won’t be negotiations.
There will be a cold body.

Explicit

Novel

Romance mafia romance dark mafia romance russian mafia romance enemies to lovers romance alpha male romance touch her and die forced proximity steamy contemporary romance action and adventure billionaire romance

Hosted by Clara Dunn Review Team

Note from the Author

To my wonderful ARC readers, Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my newest book! It’s part of a series, but it can absolutely be enjoyed as a standalone. You do not need to read the first books to enjoy this one! I’m still finishing up the final round of edits. If you spot anything that needs fixing (typos, formatting hiccups, etc.), please message me directly so I can get it cleaned up fast. Happy reading,
 Clara

Review on at least 1:

Amazon

File(s) available:

EPUB (Send via email & download) 

------------------- -------------

My 5 STAR REVIEW TITLED: Daria & Kira are caught in the middle

Pyotr Fedorov is a dangerous Russian who works for Dimitri Koslv his Pakhan. He goes where he is sent and he figures things out. Whatever needs to be done he checks it out and reports back.  He's been sent to figure out if Daria has been leaking information. If so, she's threat to the organization, she will be "eliminated."  He has a limited time to figure it out. He has to have proof if she is innocent or guilty. Time is quickly running out and there is twists, suspense and surprises along the way.

Daria Kozlov divorced her husband, Bodgan but he still calls and threatens her. He was extremely physically abusive and also emotionally abusive too !  They divorced but he still keeps coming at her. She's terrified out of her mind and just wants to keep her daughter , Kira away from Bogdon !  Kira is such an adorable 5 year old and almost instantly attaches herself to this huge scary man Pyotr. Sharing her dinosaurs and her sprinkles !! That made me smile ! Kira is so hilarious at times!

He's scary rightfully so with adults who cause trouble  but so gentle with her.  Daria doesn't open up to Pyotr right away but when she does it happens slowly until it becomes much clearer what she has endured.  She finally trust Pyotr physically and they do have some "hot times" but he was also very caring afterwords with her too ! I loved how he often called her Little Dove in Russian.  They start fiercely working together and want to put Daria's name in the clear and "take care of" her ex. 

 The suspense is tight, the emotions run high, and "JUSTICE" is finally served and Daria, Pyotr and Kira get their happy ever after,  which shows in the Epilogue.    Throughout the story, Daria is worried about her older sister, who is is in a high stress professional job. She's lost touch with her. At the end of story Dmitri shows her some information that shows she just might have reasons to worry about the new man in her sister's life! I want to read that story too !

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

Feb 16/ Bksprount/Kindle/ The Don’s Vengeance by Jasmin Song

  Bksprout

 

I fell for my sworn enemy's daughter while plotting to destroy her. 

Isabella Russo walks into the club and gives me the best one-night stand of my life. No names. 

The next day, she shows up across the table from me on the business deal of her lifetime. 

That’s when I realize who she is: the daughter of the man who killed my father. 

I'm his only surviving son, a Don raised in secret, trained for one purpose: vengeance. 

And the principessa just walked into my trap. 

She’s perfect for my plan. So, I seduce her. I make her believe I'm someone she can trust. Every dinner reveals a vulnerability. Every touch, another confession. 

But as I steal her secrets, she steals something too. My own damn heart.  

I’m supposed to destroy her deal and her family’s future. 

If I choose Isabella, my family starts a war, with my dead father rolling in his grave.

If I choose my vendetta, my enemies burn, with Isabella at the center of the blaze. 

Explicit

Novel

Romance mafia enemies to lovers one night stand forbidden forced proximity revenge

Hosted by Jasmin Song

Note from the Author

Please enjoy and leave your honest review when the book goes live on Amazon.

Review on at least 1:

Amazon

File(s) available:

EPUB (Send via email & download)

-------My  4 Star Review TITLED:  Deceitful Seduction/Romance   ---

Isabella Russo is the lawyer of her mob family. Her father is the Don; the head of this Italian family. She's brilliant, beautiful and she tries to stay on the legitimate side of the business. Oh, she knows that they are but she's trying to get things cleaner. She has a vision, a dream on how to go about that.  Her Uncle Marco is always trying to control her. Always putting her down and trying to make her "less". To thwart her. I didn't like him from the start.  It amazed me with how much her father put up with that. UNTIL, some hard truths come out MUCH later in the story.  That one night stand with fake names is going to cost her !  Her friend Mia is the only one who really has her back. Although she has a brother Leo who does show up. He's not in the "business" but loves her. She also has a sister who stays way far away from the family business and doesn't really show up in the story. 

It surprises Stephan Hale when Isabella Russo shows up in a meeting for competing for a contract and he soon discovers that although she is 13 years younger than him; she's sharp. Still beautiful but clever and skilled.  Wow,  the painful secrets that he is holding and his NEED for revenge is STRONG.  He's been training and been trained for years to exact the downfall of Isabella's father, Don Enrico Russo.  He's so attracted to her but if bringing her down publicly is the price of winning, he's going to do it ! And to him seducing her was not a problem at all ! Be warned though the scenes are explicit. He does end up having remorse so he isn't a psychopath ! Just ruthless !

Stephanos Petrakos and his mother Maria were the only survivors of the attack on their home in Greece . It happened  he was 13 years old. His father and older brother, Dimitris were both murdered.  Other people have hidden them, Nikos has been his main trainer on physical combat and how to stay alive. His mother entered into an American arranged marriage for her son's sake and the professor, Robert Hale adores her ! And he was thrilled to help by adopting and helped raise her son. Robert was very good and loving toward Stepahnos.  But Stephan was also becoming a brilliant lawyer as well !

All the painful lies come out of course with everything coming to a stunning confrontation between the two families and finally a well deserved HEA for the couple.  

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

jan27/HOOPLA/Wreck the Halls /A Novel Tessa Bailey

   HOOPLA eBOOK

 Amazon link

 368 pages 2023  HarperCollins 

 #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey delivers a sexy, hilarious standalone holiday rom-com about the adult children of two former rock stars who team up to convince their estranged mothers to play a Christmas Eve concert...

Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother's band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it's time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life... and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.

Beat Dawkins, the lead singer's son, is Melody's opposite, the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it's nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.

While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she's never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything, the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.

 ---My 5 STAR REVIEW TITLED: Melody stole the show Book 15 of The Mafia Don Series

The story opens with them at 16 years old.    The stuff she went through when she was younger was just so harsh !  I felt so sorry for her.  Her mother was absent, living the more hippy lifestyle now only showing up at certain times of the year. Beat was such a handsome, social guy that everyone loved from the start.  When they were younger, the few times that they met Beat became her hero because he did what he could to protect her feelings.  She had a MAJOR crush on him and still kinda does.  

Beat is torn about that Reunion between the mothers. He doesn't think that it will work but he's being blackmailed and has to try.  I felt bad that his mother  was absent most of his life. She had to be center stage all the time. With Melody at his side, he just might do it. He has a deep dark secret that he is hiding from Mel. It seems to be of a sexual nature too ! That kept me wondering as well. 

Unusual, Emotional, Quirky Story and I adored the NOW, hilarious Melody. She didn't even know why people loved her now. They think her honesty is funny and welcome. 

 I read this story through my HOOPLA Library App and I'm glad that I did. 

-------------NOT ADDED TO REVIEW- some spoilers-----

I loved how Beat calls her "Peaches".  Joseph the cameraman who follows them around as part of his job was a hoot. So was his non romance with the live stream producer who is hot for her. 

The Mothers are a hoot ! So different, so mad when they find out what's been happening AGAINST their kids and their romance ! They out the drummer on stage and he gets booted out again ! The show is a smash and their "kids" get their HEA

bkfunnel/ Cuffing His Bride (Glamorous Brides# 1)by Cassi Hart

  amazon

For any other questions, please contact:
Cassi Hart <cassi@cassihartromance.com>

 Amelia 

I’m having the worst day ever. My fiancé, a guy I didn’t even like to begin with, has left me at the altar. The only reason I was marrying him was to secure a trust fund from my late grandfather, and now he’s completely ruined my plans. Of course, I probably could have reacted better; assault and destruction of property are ill-advised, even on the worst of days. Now I’m being dragged away from my own wedding in the arms of the biggest, nicest-smelling cop I’ve ever met. I’m totally screwed. How am I going to buy my mom’s flower shop back now?

Hunter 

I’ve been on the force long enough to think I’ve seen it all, but some things still manage to surprise me. When I got the call about an altercation happening at the church down the street, I was expecting a real bride-zilla. Instead, I end up with Amelia, and she takes my breath away. I can’t help relishing how she feels against me as I drag her off her fiancé. I don’t know what’s going on, but I know she’s too good for a man like him. How did she end up with a jackass like him? 

------------My 4 Star Review TITLED: Swift, Funny, sweet and some Hotness 

I loved how sweet, desperate, 21 year old Amelia flies into a "smart" rage on her fink of a groom when Charles very publicly dumps her at the altar.  It's funny how this tiny usually sweet woman is trying to tear Charles hair out. She's got the wimp trapped ! Lol. 

Hunter is a by the book policeman saddled with a baby faced rookie who doesn't have a clue. Hunter usually works alone and he likes it that way !  He is fascinated when he sees Amelia refusing to loose her grip on her fiancee.  What he sees in his point of view is a tiny beauty; an enraged angel.

Hunter knows he shouldn't get involved with her personally. He's 10 years older than her.   But things do escalate pretty quickly between them and come to really good HEA.