BOOK REVIEW- Hot Shot (The Men of the Sisterhood Book 5) by Fern Michaels

The Sisterhood: a group of women bound by friendship and a quest for justice. Now their male allies, the Men of the Sisterhood, have formed a top-secret organization of their own, with the same goal of helping the helpless and righting the wrongs of the world . . .

Loyalty is a way of life for the Sisterhood and their significant others. When lawyer Lizzie Fox’s husband, Cosmo Cricket, is left critically injured after being shot by an unknown assailant, the men of BOLO Consultants head straight for Las Vegas to comfort Lizzie—and to uncover a dangerous enemy in the City of Sin.

As head of Nevada’s Gaming Commission, Cosmo has powerful enemies. Yet the shooting seems to be related to one of his private projects. Built in the desert outside Las Vegas, Happy Village is a flourishing community for seniors who have lost a spouse. Cosmo’s widowed father found new purpose in running the venture. But the neighborhood that’s now home to Happy Village was once run by rival gangs, a complicated past that has come to haunt the place. Jack, Harry, and the rest of the crew need to remove the threat, risking everything to take on a vicious and mysterious gang leader known only as Hot Shot. And while the men of the Sisterhood fight for justice for their friend, Cosmo is fighting for his life—and the stakes have never been higher . . .AMAZON LINK
                                                                                                                         4 STARS

 I enjoyed this story.  The people and even the dog added to the story.  Sure, there were things that probably didn't add up but I came at it as pure fantasy.  
The "team" was spinning their wheels for quite a while trying to figure out what was going on.  It seemed for the longest time they were getting nowhere. And to be honest, there were several different things going on.  So a lot of the time at first was basically walking in cold and gathering Intel.
Sure, there were some gross things going on too.  Towards the end Maggie comes up with what she thought was a just punishment for at least three bad guys.  It was quite unique and not really humane.
A few things I felt like weren't completely filled in when it came to some of the people.  I really didn't like how the let the manager of Happy Village slide.  That felt incomplete and even though Charles had a heart to heart with him I felt like he needed to be replaced.  Ah, well.


 

BOOK REVIEW- Finn (Anderson Billioniares, Book 1) by Melody Anne *

General Fiction (Adult), Romance

Description

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Melody Anne begins a sizzling and heartfelt series about Joseph Anderson’s long-lost nephews.
Finn Anderson is a loyal military veteran who has no desire to live a life of luxury and ease, but sometimes a person doesn’t get a choice. His life is flipped upside down when he and his four brothers learn they’re long-lost relatives of the absurdly famous and wealthy Joseph Anderson. The eccentric but generous billionaire puts the brothers to work building a new veterans center, and that’s not all: Joseph won’t stop until each nephew finds love.
Finn has never expected or wanted an easy life, and he struggles with his early retirement from the elite SEAL team. But when a very confident Brooke Garrison literally sweeps him off his feet during a self-defense class he’s teaching, he thinks less about his past and more about a brand-new future.
If Finn knows anything for certain, it’s that he can’t let this woman get away. Though Brooke is tough and compassionate, the loss of her brother has left her vulnerable. She isn’t sure she can risk loving and losing another person in her life, including a very determined ex-SEAL. Can the two of them look beyond their past wounds and embrace what they’re feeling?  AMAZON LINK
                                                                                                          3   STARS

This was a good, emotional story with interesting main characters. The rest of the Anderson brothers also added to the story.  As did the other unexpected family members that suddenly popped up into their lives.  
Finn doesn't trust easily, not after his life experiences starting with his bad-to-the-bone father.  So when his "uncle" Joseph shows up, he doesn't believe everything he's heard about how good he is supposed to be.  Rich but a good man with an intense love (and some meddling) of family.  Finn is respectful but also quick to set up boundaries with his uncle.  He finds doing that with some of the rest of his "family" not quite so easy.  The rest of the family is loving and quick to pull them into the group.
Brooke also had a lousy childhood having no one in her corner expect for her beloved brother.  He was always cheering her on.  Now that he is dead, she is left trying to overcome her grief.  And her walls are up high around everyone else.  Well, except her longtime best friends who are like sisters to her.  Sarah and Chloe definitely add spice and understanding to her life.  Finn scares her.  Besides her attraction to him, she feels like he sees too much and too deeply into her. 
How does Finn feel about Brooke?  He falls fast and hard for her and enjoys the challenge that she often brings.  He's got a fight on his hands and his usual techniques with women just isn't going to work.  I liked how creative he got when he went on the chase for her. Not one of their "non-dates" was what would considered a normal date but they were interesting.
 Yes, there will be sex in the story (lots actually) but Finn is in it for the long haul not just for a night or two of sex. 
A couple of times it felt like the story dragged a time or two but it was probably because a couple of issues were re-addressed  a bit repetitively.  
I would also like to have seen more about the veterans center but I guess the story was really more about the people and their challenges. 
There is a good twist or two towards the end with a feel good H.E.A. and Epilogue as well.   

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

BOOK REVIEW- Jesus in Me (Experiencing the Holy Spirit as a Constant Companion) by Anne Graham Lotz

Description

The internationally recognized Bible teacher and daughter of Billy Graham combines unique biblical insights and her own personal stories to show how the Holy Spirit guides us in our decisions, comforts us in pain, and stays by our side at all times, enriching our daily lives.

In Jesus in Me, Anne Graham Lotz draws on her rich biblical knowledge as well as her personal journey—including her recent cancer diagnosis—to help us understand that the Holy Spirit is not a magic genie, a flame of fire, or a vague feeling. He is a Person who prays for us, guides us in our relationships and decisions, comforts us in pain, and stays by our side at all times. In this seminal teaching, she explores seven key aspects of the Holy Spirit that will revolutionize how you understand and relate to this vital third Person in the Trinity.

As Anne writes, “One of my deepest, richest joys has been discovering by experience who the Holy Spirit is in every step of my life’s journey. Each name that He has been given—Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener, and Standby—reveals another aspect of His beautiful character and has provoked in me a deep love for the One who is my constant Companion . . . Jesus in me.”

Discover how to better love and rely on the person of the Holy Spirit—and embrace how much He loves you through His presence, power, and provision in our daily lives.
AMAZON LINK
4.5 STARS

When I saw who the author of this book was I eagerly grabbed it.  Although this is the first book of hers that I have read, I had read other articles and information about her.  And I couldn't wait to read more. 
I've read the Bible accounts and accept His basis in scripture.  I've also read quite a few books on the biblical foundation but I was also looking for something a bit more than Holy Spirit 101.  
 I liked the approach that she had when it came to all the different names that describes who Holy Spirit is and some of the ways that He functions.  I got nuggets from some of her insights especially when it came to Holy Spirit as our Defender.  That was really interesting to me.  Equally enlightening was the chapter about His being The Strengthener and her trip to India.
When your spirit is restless or upset have you ever asked The Counselor why?  Have you even realized that is what is going on? Where it is coming from?   All very good questions.
Her personal life experiences of how she relied on Holy Spirit as well as the scripture verse made for an interesting, and balanced book for me.
I found her to be pretty transparent when it came to being a real person. Someone with failures, weaknesses and vulnerabilities.   I ended up really enjoying this book.


“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

You Can Exercise and Laugh Yourself Healthy

BOOK REVIEW- Forced in Between by Alexandra Ispas *

  General Fiction (Adult), Teen & YA on Netgalley

Description

Somewhere in the universe, a group of people are making their stand against an invading alien race, but how much longer can they survive for?
Jennifer is the only girl in the Warband Academy. All she knows is that she cannot fall behind her training if she hopes to end the war. How or why she is there in the first place mattered less, until the day she was saved by the very creature she swore to fight against. Her world turns upside down as she finds out all the things she was never told, all the lies she had always believed. And yet, so much more remains untold.
The truths and lies in Jennifer's reality will change her decisions, and so, might even change the fate of humanity.
At least, that's what she must believe if she wants to survive in a world where she is one, and aliens are many.  AMAZON LINK
                  3 STARS

Not what I was expecting.  The start of the book felt odd.  Of course we are talking about a place full of guys and she is the only girl.  So odd, yeah I guess it would be.  It doesn't seem like they teach them anything but how to train for war.  Jennifer seems totally oblivious to the birds and the bees.  She is often called the girl in the story.
Mark, Peter and Nico figure in the story quite a bit in the beginning. Once, they were pretty close but begin pulling away from each other.   They have a bully trainer named Blockhead.  What I didn't get is if they are so important that they had to be constantly trained to exhaustion then why weren't serious injuries tended to?
I don't know, maybe this book was written for a much younger audience and I'm too old to enjoy this book very much.  It had some good moments especially with the little aliens.   But around Chapter 19 when it mentioned in a sentence that nothing of importance happened?  That was pretty much how I was feeling about this story.  But then, a few unexpected things do begin to happen.  
There are several other young boys that have joined Jennifer's journey and they add to the story.  There is a fair amount of feelings shown in the book.   But at the end it finished leaving me with a feeling of it not being quite complete. 
A plus for the book was that it was a clean story, without sex or swearing. 

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

BOOK REVIEW- Get a Clue by Jill Shalvis

 When Breanne Mooreland gets left at the altar, she decides the best thing to do is to go on her honeymoon alone. Of course, she loses her luggage along the way and ends up snowed in at a Sierra mountains lodge run by a noticeably quirky staff. And before she can order room service, she finds a naked—and gorgeous—man taking a shower in her suite who refuses to leave . . .

Vice cop Cooper Scott is in serious need of a vacation. He’s not about to give up the only available room to a stranger because of a mix-up. They’ll just have to make the best of it by sharing the bed. They’re mature adults after all. But when Cooper wakes up kissing the long, leggy Breanne, he wants to show her exactly what the honeymoon suite is intended for. That will have to wait, though, because a screaming Breanne has just stumbled over one very dead body AMAZON LINK 
                                                                                                      4 STARS

Quirky and different from the start.  Some of the characters were kind of spooky almost like the Adams family.  The way they just kind of glided in here and there without much notice made it even more spooky.  In the story make sure the power goes off, the tension spikes.  And don't forget the dead body. 
The humor was also off the charts too.  I really enjoyed at the beginning of each chapter there was a "note" from Breanne's journal.  So many of them were really funny. The organized notes that she placed in her palm pilot were also smile-worthy.  There were also other funny moments and conversations along with some pretty serious heat between the two M.C.'s.  
Both Breanne and Cooper were really good maim characters.  Cooper the burnt out cop and Breanne the woman who was vitally alive but also felt like she was one step away from making another mistake.  That's why she came up with the "no more men" rule.  Yeah, that didn't last long. 
The staff of the resort were interesting and had you guessing all the time on their character.  They didn't give up much, so it had to be peeled a bit at a time.  Not one of them seemed totally "normal" whatever that is.
A twist I didn't see coming was an excellent way to bring the story to close.  Although there was more than one twist when I think about it. Very few things were as they appeared to be.
My final thoughts were that it was an enjoyable story.  

BOOK REVIEW- The Broken One (Corisi Billionaires, Book 1) by Ruth Cardello

General Fiction (Adult), Romance on NetGalley- #TheBrokenOne #NetGalley

Description

In New York Times bestselling author Ruth Cardello’s sexy and emotional romance, a billionaire dares to invest in the riskiest proposition of his life: a second chance at love.
Single mom Heather Ellis would do anything for her adopted daughter, Ava. Even post an online reward for anyone who found the girl’s lost stuffed animal. Who’d have guessed it’d be returned by a drop-dead-sexy man with such sadness in his eyes that she had to reach out to him? To Ava, he’s a hero. To Heather, he’s a fantasy that puts at risk the happy life she’s made for herself.
It’s been five years since billionaire developer Sebastian Romano lost his wife and unborn child in a tragic accident. Now he’s all business. No room for emotion. Until he stumbles across that damn stuffed wolf and the beautiful single mother looking for it. Is he ready to give love a second chance?
But there’s more to Sebastian, his family, and his past than Heather knows. More than even Sebastian knows. Will the life they build together be challenged when the truth is finally revealed?
AMAZON LINK
5 STARS

  I have to admit that when the book first opened I got a bit confused.  How does Judy Corisi fit in this story?  Yes, I know that this book is Corisi Billionaires but it took me a bit of time to figure out some of where she fit. And she wasn't mentioned in the book blurb.  I have to say that I did like Judy and wanted to know more about her and her family.  She is one determined, clever little girl.  It made me want to know even more what the big secret is. And it all started from a school project of making a family tree.  Her part of the story does show up from time to time giving bits and pieces of her search.
Heather is quite the character and she made me laugh. She was also quite unpredictable when it came to what she would do or say.  Not in a bad way but often in smile-worthy ways. Factor in that she also has some clumsy or embarrassing moments too.   She had a filter but she was also honest to the bone.  She even admits that not everyone could handle her level of honesty.  She was kind so she wasn't out to hurt anyone.  The only time she told two lies were tiny ones to help protect someone's job.  
Sebastian was on a long road of recovery from his losses.  Only thing is, he isn't doing too well.  How could he when he only allows himself to deal with it on the anniversary of that loss and then he stuffs it back down again. 
His family is worried about him.  It was emotional when his mother told him that she had loved his wife too.  That she lost her first grandchild too.  And even worse, on that day she had lost her son (him) as well.  That was a attention getter. 
The first meeting between Heather and Sebastian started out okay.  But after Sebastian says something SO stupid, he ends up with the door slammed in his face.  It won't be the last time.  He sent so many conflicting signals but hey, he's a guy.  And he's still trying to heal.  

I wanted to give this book 5 Stars for the humor alone but luckily there was more to the story.  Heather's best friend, Erica was a hoot too.  Married with 3 children, she added help, support, spice and often good advice to Heather's life.   And when it comes to talking about sex she isn't shy.  But she is funny!  She is also the mother of Ava's best friend Charlotte. 
Ava was well written as well and showed not only the charm of a 4 year old girl but the determination too (and stubbornness). 
There is a lot of emotion in this story coming from several different directions but it wasn't sappy or too heavy.  
Just in case you are wondering, there will be some steamy scenes between them but then something happens and *Poof* one of them is off and running again.  Not to worry they do get their act together and have their H.E.A.  And Heather and Ava gain a loving, welcoming larger family.  
And Judy and her family tree secrets?  Not completed in this book.  Normally, that would irritate me,  but no not this time.  I got reeled in and want to know more.  
Just have to add that the dedication for this book was interesting.  Wolfie (Ava's stuffed toy) being lost and returned was a true story in the author's real life.  And she mentions that you can find out more about that when you visit her at www.ruthcardello.com  

  “I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”