BOOK REVIEW- Bedding the Highlander (Bookshots Flames) by Sabrina York

Only a Scot can steal her heart.

There's nothing ladylike about Katherine Killin. She's a spitfire who cannot be tamed. To rid himself of her, and to honor a truce set by the Duke of Glencoe, her father agrees to wed her to his clan's mortal enemy, Ben Rannoch. But when Katherine meets the enticingly masculine Kirk Rannoch, brother of her betrothed, she suddenly craves domination.  AMAZON   4 STARS

This was a fast, charming, and many times feisty story.  It also made me smile more than once.  Great main characters and a very full story especially considering the smaller amount of pages.  
There is a H.E.A. for both Kate and Kirk which was fun to see them get to.
However, I would have really liked to see Kate's half-brother Connor get his comeuppance.  Ah, maybe in another book?  Also would like to see any adventures with Kirk's sister Heather and Kate's sister Elise.  Elise had some fire in her belly too and I loved how the two sisters could communicate so many times without words.  A glance between them often spoke much.

BOOK REVIEW- Before the Dawn: A Novel of Romantic Suspense (Killer Instinct Book 2) by Cynthia Eden

The Killer Instinct series from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden continues as an FBI profiler tracks a case that resurrects ghosts from his past

Ex-SEAL Tucker Frost knows that the world is full of evil. He saw it in the face of his own brother, Jason Frost, a cold, methodical, sadistic killer. A killer Tucker put down with his own hands in order to save Jason's final victim--Dawn Alexander, the only girl who got away from the infamous "Iceman."

It's Tucker's up close and personal experience with evil that's made him perfect for Samantha Dark's experimental profiling division in the FBI. And when women start turning up murdered with the same MO used by the Iceman, Tucker is sent back to Louisiana to investigate.

Seven years have passed since the night that Tucker faced down his brother...and since he last saw Dawn, his one-time lover. But as Tucker and Dawn grapple with a desire that never died, they must also face the shared shadow from their pasts. Both have the same question--has Jason Frost come back from the dead to hunt again? And this time, will he succeed in killing the victim who got away?
AMAZON 4 STARS

Dramatic, dramatic start.  It jumps right into the action right away.  It also kept the intensity of the story at that same high level.  Bodies keep dropping too.  Who can be trusted?  That is a major question and as time goes on the question expands.  How does the "killer" seem to know so much insider info and seem to be steps ahead so often?
The emotional pain and memories are strong in the story as is the fear.  The author did a great job of conveying that!  The main characters were good and their own individual points of view woven into the story was pretty good.
You want a story with lots of twists and turns?  This one has it. 
The people who were secondary characters were also ones that I enjoyed too.  Just look at some of the people in the special task force; you could tell that each and every one of them had inside painful experiences with serial killers.  They wouldn't be a part of that special team without that skill.   
I have to admit that I had my own suspicions on who the killer might be.  And in the end that is who it was but I wasn't terribly upset about that like I thought I might have been.  The why of it was deeper than I expected and the surprises kept coming until the very end. 
Good ending, no cliffhangers but the door is now open to read about some of the other team members.  There is a short excerpt about Macey's story called, "Into the Night."  In the book I just finished reading there has been some hints of attraction between team members Macey and Bowen Murphy.  It looks like in the next book, that is going to be explored.
 

King of My Heart (w/ spontaneous) - Steffany Gretzinger, Jeremy Riddle, ...

BOOK REVIEW- Jerusalem's Queen : A Novel of Salome Alexandra (The Silent Years #3) by Angela Hunt

Born in the small village of Modein, a town made famous by the warrior Maccabees, Salome Alexandra knows better than to harbor grand dreams for her future. She pales in comparison to her beautiful older sister, and though she learns to read at an early age, girls are not valued for their intellectual ability. But when her father and sister are killed, John Hyrcanus, a distant relative, invites Salome and her mother to live with his family in Jerusalem, where her thirst for knowledge is noticed and indulged.

When her guardian betroths her to a pagan prince, she questions HaShem's plan. When Hyrcanus finally marries her to a boy half her age, she questions her guardian's sanity. But though Salome spends much of her life as a pawn ordered about by powerful men, she learns that a woman committed to HaShem can change the world.
AMAZON 4.5 STARS

I wasn't quite sure to expect with this book but it out that it was really pretty good. Good Jewish history mixed with some fiction. I was amazed when I found out how much of it was actually true. 
I was concerned that with all the history of the nation during that time and the Jewish customs that it would be dry or that I would get bored. Nope, it didn't happen.  I think mainly because of my interest in the people.
 Salome is quite the character and easily kept my attention throughout.  The things she went through and how deeply she loved HaShem (God), while at times not understanding what he was doing was powerful!
The people in the story were boldly written with many of them almost bigger than life.  Salome's uncle John who became High Priest for many years was one of those.  As time goes on, Salome also begins to see the uncle she loves she much is also flawed. 
I enjoyed the developing friendship between the young slave handmaiden Kissa and Salome was precious.  They knew each other from young childhood and developed a very close bond of friendship.
Salome also had some friendships that she kept for many years.  She didn't have a huge group of friends or supporters at first.  But a young man who became her tutor when she was young, was someone who remained a friend though-out her life.  Another friendship that developed later in her life was a man who was a warrior leader that she was drawn to.
Brace yourself, there will be suffering, death plots, and murder in this book.  Even some mass murder, thankfully those were not overly detailed.  But the horror war and of all the loss of life can be almost felt.


At the end of this book  there are Discussion Questions and References.  I really liked that the references were included. 

I voluntarily read an Advanced Copy of this book via Netgalley and these are my honest opinions of it. 

BOOK REVIEW- The Miracle Lady :Kathryn Kuhlman and the Transformation of Charismatic Christianity by Amy Collier Artman

AMAZON 2 STARS

On October 15, 1974, Johnny Carson welcomed his next guest on The Tonight Show with these words: “I imagine there are very few people who are not aware of Kathryn Kuhlman. She probably, along with Billy Graham, is one of the best-known ministers or preachers in the country.” But while many people today recognize Billy Graham, not many remember Kathryn Kuhlman (1907–1976), who preached faith and miracles to countless people over the fifty-five years of her ministry and became one of the most important figures in the rise of charismatic Christianity.
In The Miracle Lady Amy Collier Artman tells the story of Kuhlman’s life and, in the process, relates the larger story of charismatic Christianity, particularly how it moved from the fringes of American society to the mainstream. Tracing her remarkable career as a media-savvy preacher and fleshing out her unconventional character, Artman also shows how Kuhlman skillfully navigated the oppressive structures, rules, and landmines that surrounded female religious leaders in her conservative circles

I found this book to be kind of dry although it did have an interesting start.  If you want a history of the charismatic religious movement then this is probably for you. I found it kind of a struggle to work through this book though.
I could also sense that just maybe this book was written by someone who was critical of Kathryn Kulhman and her motives.  Often it came through that she felt like Kathryn was an opportunistic woman, focused on position, influence and or money.  While I am sure that Kathryn was not perfect, it was kind of disturbing to see the author's view from her eyes.  Was Kathryn flamboyant?  Yes, definitely.  Was she unusual? Once again a strong yes.  Was she totally authentic?  That is between her and God. 
I will give the author credit for doing her homework when it came to featuring how "Your Faith and Mine" episodes ran. She was very detailed in her accounts.   She also included other ministries and what they ran into as they televised healing meetings. 
One particular "meeting" on TV that I enjoyed reading about was when Kathryn Kuhlman interviewed Adele Carmichael. It made me smile when it was described as two giant personalities meeting.  It made me even more interested in finding out about Adele. I had heard of many of the people and women mentioned in the book.  But she is someone I don't remember hearing about before.  
This book also featured quite a few other people and their ministries also including others that followed after her and give credit to the fact that she prepared the way for healing ministries.  Benny Hinn was one that was mentioned after Kathryn's passing.  
Still, my last words on this book would be that I found it sadly..boring. 

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley and these are  my honest opinions on it.

BOOK REVIEW- Kilted At the Altar (Clash of the Tartans Book 2) by Anna Markland

AMAZON 4.5 STARS

Who jilted whom?

Darroch MacKeegan vows revenge when his intended bride, Isabel MacRain, fails to show up for a marriage arranged to settle the long feud between their clans.

Isabel’s father lays waste to MacKeegan lands in retaliation for Darroch jilting his daughter.

Who stands to gain from the mix-up?

Perhaps a blue dog and a wee lass who never speaks can help solve the mystery and reconcile two people who were always meant to be together.

I really liked this story a lot and enjoyed every minute of it.
The plot of evil against Darroch and Isabel was deeply planted and it does take a while for all of the truth to come out but it was really well done.  
The main characters were excellent and strong each in their own ways.
Darroch has a daughter and that was unexpected as was the way that Kyla has gone through life.  Darroch loves Kyla fiercely but that doesn't mean that her life has been easy.  You'll have to read the book to find out the why's of that.  
Isabel's cousin Fanny is another good supporting character, an "auld" woman but wow does she add even more depth and help to Isabel.  
There is plenty of adventure in the story, with some twists, turns and evil to overcome.  
It also has a good Epilogue, which I like to see in a story. There were however a few things that were left unanswered which had me lower the ratings just a bit.  I'm not going to mention them here though because then it would be me spilling some of the story.
Also the  Historical Footnotes was a nice touch, it had more information similar to a glossary that explained some things in the story.  
Like a box bed, which I am including a picture of below to help you visualize some of the settings in the story even better:

   

BOOK REVIEW- Unexpected Eden (Eden Book 1) by Rhenna Morgan

Eden, #1

Paradise, love and power. . .and a prophecy with a price.

Most people believe Eden no longer exists. Lexi Merrill's about to learn they're wrong. A hard-working bartender with a self-sufficient backbone and a wary nature, she knows pickup lines like a second language. So, when Eryx Shantos barges into her world with too-smooth words and a body to back it up, she locks up her libido and vows to keep her distance.

Eryx has other ideas. As king of the Myren race, Eryx is duty-bound to enforce the laws preventing exposure of their existence to humans. Yet The Fates have led him through his dreams to Lexi, a temptation he doesn't want to resist. The question is, is she Myren, or human - which makes her forbidden fruit?

When Eryx's nemesis tags Lexi as his next target, Eryx insists on taking her home where he can keep her safe. Lexi had no idea "home" would mean the one-and-only land of creation. . .or that she'd trigger a prophecy that could doom her newfound race.   AMAZON  3.5 STARS

Although I did like this book, I did so with some reservations.  I thought that the fantasy world, customs and culture was pretty well built.  Second, I did like the main characters and the secondary ones too. Eryx was surrounded with good men and women, a close family. Close family was something that Lexi has lacked and she is very self protective because she has had to be. So you can see how that will present difficulties because of her trust issues.  
The evil guy, Maxis was everything you could want in a villain..pure evil with nothing redeemable about him at all.  There is a woman who you will hate almost as much as the guy.  Didn't seem like there was much to redeem in her either.  There is hope for one other "man" who made some bad choices and sided with Maxis.  
Just to let you know of course there will be violence, some torture, danger and a boatload of sex.  Although the sex scenes were well written I have to admit that I began to skim through a lot of them.  
This is book one so of course the enemy hasn't been totally overcome but there is a H.E.A. for now.