BOOK REVIEW- Home to Wind River (Wind River Valley) by Lindsay McKenna *

For some, love is the only medicine . . .
After a harrowing tour of duty in Afghanistan, Army nurse Lily Thompson escapes to Wind River Ranch to find herself once more. Working as a caregiver to foreman Jake Murdoch's elderly mother, Lily almost feels at peace—except for the unsettling presence of Jake, a tight-lipped, intimidating man everyone calls Bear. But one look in the powerful ex-Marine's eyes and Lily glimpses a vulnerability that shakes her soul: a hurt she understands all too well—and longs to heal . . .
Jake is ready to rail at the fates when Lily moves into his home. Everything about this captivating woman calls to him, demanding that he abandon his solitary stance and start to live again. But Jake is a man who knows that no one can save him from the past that stalks his heart and mind. Not even sweet, achingly beautiful Lily. Still, that doesn't stop his longing to pull her into his arms—and keep her there forever. Will time, and patience, bring them the courage to make their connection real? . . .
AMAZON LINK
3 STARS

This book was just okay for me.  I really couldn't get into it all that much.  I kept thinking, "really, where's the story?"  As emotional as it was, it just didn't draw me.  It's probably my least favorite book of the series. 

I will say that both of the main characters had their strengths as well as they were battling their P.T.S.D.  Jake was just a bit further ahead in his healing than Lily was.  
Jake's mother Jenna added to the story as did a pregnant border collie but it just wasn't enough to make the story compelling.   Part of the problem was so much repetition of the same P.T.S.D. issues over and over again.  Should it be a part of the story?  Absolutely.  But basically the SAME conversation time and again?   No, it just caused the story to drag and just made me want it to be over.  Which is a shame because it had so much potential. 

BOOK REVIEW- Don't Breathe a Word (Texas Justice #2) by Christie Craig

 Mysteries & Thrillers, Romance on NetGalley
 Includes the bonus novella "Hot Target" by April Hunt!

Description

New York Times bestselling author Christie Craig returns with her next heart-stopping romantic suspense about a woman on the run and the man trying to uncover her secrets.
Police detective Juan Acosta doesn't only carry scars on the outside. He's filled with guilt and anger ever since his undercover job led to the murder of those he loved the most. Now he's living for one thing: revenge. That is, until Juan meets his beautiful new neighbor.
Vicki Holloway prides herself on being capable and independent, but her life is turned upside down when her sister Sara is killed by an abusive ex. Fearing for the safety of her niece, Vicki and the little girl go into hiding... resurfacing in Texas with new identities.
Juan finds his once-frozen heart thawing around Vicki, but he knows she's hiding something. Juan needs answers, but Vicki isn't talking. She has to keep her secrets if she wants to keep Bell safe, which means resisting her growing feelings for the sexy, scarred man next door. But when Juan's quest for justice brings danger to her door, divulging the truth might be the only thing that keeps her alive.   AMAZON LINK
           5 STAR

 Outstanding!  
Great characters both the main ones, supporting and even the villains were well drawn.
Speaking of M.C.'s that would not only be Juan and Nicki but also her daughter Bell and Juan's dog, Sweetie.  Sweetie is more of a supporting character and that support is where her story comes in.  Support and comfort as well as cuteness is part of her story.   Bell also adds sweetness to the story.  She is also direct and at times wise beyond her years when it comes to pain and fear.  I can see why she grabs Juan's heart and he desires to protect her.
The emotions and the tension of hiding is well done. It kept the intensity level up throughout the book.  Emotions ranged from fear, loss, guilt, nightmares, trying to recover from tragedies too.  Fear is kind of a weak word for some of the people; it's more like terror.  There is also tenderness that grows between Juan, Nicki and Bell.  I liked seeing how they were drawn to each other and formed a strong bond even before they really realized it. 
Juan IS a good guy and the story shows it time and again.  He also works with two other men in the cold case division and they are a tight group.  Connor and Mark show throughout the story how well they work together with Juan.  As a team they have solved supposedly unsolvable cold cases.   They also show how they have Juan's back even as they give him a "hard time" some of the time.  It's a guy thing. Now that this author is on my radar, I want to read more of her stories.  That includes the stories of the men of this unit.

There were a couple of other "stories" or mysteries going on at the same time but be patient the author does a good job of fitting the puzzle together.  It's without getting too confusing either.  It also leads to some really good surprises too.  At least one that I didn't see coming.  I always like that. 
That tenderness between Juan and Niki?  It will lead to sex between them but it won't overtake the story. 
The story ramps up to more tension before another twist comes up.  Another one that I didn't see coming either.  More information comes out at that time to fill in some of the questions.
A good Epilogue fills in the rest.  Another plus for me is that this book was able to stand all on it's own. That is good because this is the first one that I have read in the series.


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

BOOK REVIEW- Christmas Knight (Matchmaker Cafe #5) by Pam Binder *

Description

Colin Edward Penrose, a knight from fifteenth-century Glastonbury, England, must solve the riddle of his family's curse and marry a woman out of time—or lose his ancestral home. With a matchmaker's help, he meets a woman to whom he feels an instant attraction, but he knows the curse makes falling in love dangerous for her. Madeline Murphy, defense attorney in a prestigious law firm, needs a date for her family's Christmas Eve party. In desperation, she turns to a matchmaker for her knight in shining armor. The man supplied exceeds her wildest fantasy but vanishes without a trace. A year later she needs a date for her mother's wedding, and she asks the same matchmaker. One problem: In order to find her mystery man, she must travel through time. AMAZON LINK
                                                                                                                      3 STARS

The eBook cover was the first thing that caught my eye.  It was just so pretty and slightly magical looking.
This book had good main characters.  Colin was an honorable man.  He was also surrounded by some people who had their own agenda's.  And not necessarily ones that would benefit him.  In fact, they want to destroy everything that is important to him.  The main reason being greed.  Prejudice and religious intimidation also comes into play.  
Madeline is a courageous woman with a kind heart and also a person of honor.  She cares about other people a lot and Colin sees both her courage and her caring.  She loves both her mother and her father, although I disliked the way her father treated her.  He just about worked her into the ground with very little free time for herself and what she valued.  Business and being a success is his main focus. He also has plans on how he expects his daughter to line up.  Even hand picking the man he expects her to marry.  It was good to see her develop more of a backbone even if she had to step back in time to find it.
If you are looking for villains, you will have several choices.  The author also throws quite the surprise towards the end when it comes to villains.   But there is also some good people in the story too so don't despair.
There is a H.E.A. but that also involved a bit of a twist as well.   

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

BOOK REVIEW- Wrapped up in You (Heartbreaker Bay Novel #8) by Jill Shalvis

It's love. Trust me.
After a lifetime on the move, Ivy Snow is an expert in all things temporary—schools, friends, and way too many Mr. Wrongs. Now that she owns a successful taco truck in San Francisco and an apartment to call home, Ivy's reinvented life is on solid ground. And she's guarded against anything that can rock it. Like the realities of a past she's worked hard to cover up. And especially Kel O'Donnell. Too hot not to set off alarms, he screams temporary. If only his whispers weren't so delightfully naughty and irresistible.
Kel, an Idaho sheriff and ranch owner, is on vacay, but Ivy's a spicy reason to give his short-terms plans a second thought. Best of all, she's a tonic for his untrusting heart, burned once and still in repair. But when Ivy's past intrudes on a perfect romance, Kel fears that everything she's told him has been a perfect lie. Now, if only Ivy's willing to share, Kel will fight for a true love story.
AMAZON LINK
4 STARS

This is a story that I have been wanting to read for a while.  Ivy Snow's story was worth waiting for.  Ivy has been on her own for most of her life.  She had a mother, she has a brother but neither of them ever put her first in any way.  In fact her brother, Brandon unintentionally put her in danger over and over.  She became very good at escaping through a window and running to keep herself safe.  What a childhood.   Constantly moving from place to place, never staying in one place for very long. No time to make friends and even if she could, there's no way she could tell anyone of truth about her family.   Even as an young adult, she would start getting a good start in life Brandon would show up and blow everything to pieces.  He wasn't malicious but he sure made stupid mistakes. 
  Part of this story is about the friends that Ivy had that she didn't even realize that they were there for her.   They had "adopted" her as family which is something else that she didn't get for quite a while either.  They WANTED to have her back IF she would just let them.  
Kel was a good guy but he was all bound up with his own family issues.  That was the first trust issue that burned him early in his life but it wasn't the only one.  Liars? He couldn't abide them which puts the main characters on a collision course.  Ivy had to tell lies just to survive for most of her life. 
These issues aren't the only ones going on because although it is an emotional story there is also some danger lurking too.
You ask if there is a H.E.A.?  Yes, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Epilogue that also contained a surprise or two.  

BOOK REVIEW- Blood Magic(Dangerous Magic Book 1) by Melody Raven *

I’m not a wicked witch, but I’m not a good person either.  How I came to be the newest recruit to the Dangerous Magic Division of Homeland Security is beyond me. It’s the first time I’ve ever tried to work with the law instead of against it, and, believe me, good doesn’t come naturally for me.

But between a psychic who has no idea how to use her powers and a partner who cares more about rules than actually getting the job done, I feel like I’m the glue holding this team together.

All of my new colleagues have their own secrets, but we’re going to have to get along if we’re supposed to help the humans of the world survive. When the pretty simple missions we’re assigned start pointing to a bigger plan, every single one of my well honed instincts tart screaming at me that something is wrong.

Because I start to suspect something sinister has infected our new team. Something dark and deadly and we’re only going to be able to stop it if we work together. But how can humanity trust us to save them if we can’t even trust each other?   AMAZON LINK
                                                                  4 STARS

I was surprised how quickly I found myself smiling. I wasn't very far into the story when that happened. Sonia (the main character) was the driving force behind that. Man, I like me a feisty, mouthy heroine (?). I think the jury is still semi-out on the heroine part. At least for some of the people that surround her. One of those that hates her because she's a criminal and not to be trusted is now her supposed boss/partner. His name might be Carter but in her mind he's Boy Scout.

If you're looking for a story that has twists and turns this book should do it. There are several really good ones towards the end of the book too.
I just blew through this story because it kept my interest all the way through.

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

BOOK REVIEW- Wind River Lawman (Wind River Valley #6) by Lindsay McKenna *

The new novel from the bestselling author of Lone Rider.

Sometimes the war comes to you . . .
After serving as a Navy medic, Dawson Callahan is back in the States and ready to start over. Leaving his native Texas, he heads for the wide open spaces of Wyoming, where he finds work as a wrangler. True, he'll mainly be wrangling chickens—and wrangling Sarah Carter's granny, who's still spry, but in need of a little caregiving. But ranch work is ranch work, and it's hard to turn down a job offer from the beautiful Sheriff Carter—especially when she deputizes him as one of her lawmen.

Sarah loves her grandmother, but with her law enforcement career keeping her busy, they could both use some help from a strong, steady man. And policing Lincoln County has only gotten tougher since a merciless drug lord arrived in the area. When Sarah takes a bullet on the job, it's Dawson who comes to her rescue—and though they both thought they left war behind in Afghanistan, they'll do whatever it takes to protect what's theirs, even if it means facing down traumas they've buried for years. Because love isn't for the faint of heart . . . AMAZON LINK    
                                                                                        3 STARS

A good story with even better main characters.  Dawson wasn't exactly what I was expecting but he was multi-talented with a very good way of discerning how to handle people.  That is also more than just from the medical angle as well.  He genuinely cared about people  and usually saw deeper into the way that they were hurting.  He knows that he doesn't always know exactly what to do but he still does pretty well.  He is attracted to Sarah almost from the start and they have more in common than they had realized at first. She "notices" him right off the bat too.  But they take things slow and easy as they are running for their lives.
Pain.  That is something that both Dawson and Sarah had in their pasts.   Both had experienced trauma from serving in the military but also from personal tragedies in their lives.  Add to that the dangerous family that lives in the valley and continues to wreck havoc. The Elson family is trouble and continue to cause it.  The are vengeful and will kill anyone who tries to get in their way.  That's not just a threat, they have done it before or at least tried to.
I liked how Sarah said and the reader found to be true that Dawson treated her as an equal.  Even if the danger of her job scared him at times. 
There is a great family backup for Sarah.  Her grandmothers Gertie (the spunky, take no prisoners one) and Nell (the more genteel one).  There are also friends and co-workers who come in and help support Sarah when she needs them the most. 
The tension is kept pretty high and there is action that will satisfy.   On the downside:  I know the M.C.'s needed to communicate but at times it felt like there was TOO much talk.  Especially when something was re-hashed over and over. Seems to be that in other books by this author I have commented on this same thing. But it slowed the story down quite a bit at times.  So did what I felt like was the over detailed descriptions of rooms and the antique furniture.  I know it played a part in the story but after awhile I kind of skimmed over some of that.  Sorry author, I know you probably worked hard on that.  Even after all of that would I read anymore by this author?  Yes, probably skimming over the parts that I wasn't as interested in.  It was a fairly good story just with parts I wasn't as interested in.
 

BOOK REVIEW- Marriage, Bravo Style! (Bravo Family #31) by Christine Rimmer *

You are cordially invited to the…shotgun…wedding of

Elena Cabrera Bravo

and

Rogan Murdoch

Date: As soon as labor is over.

Time: Just enough for the bride to fit into something other than a hospital gown.

Hosted by: The brothers of the bride. In fact, they insisted on it!

Reason for Union: The bride and groom love each other…even if they're both too stubborn to admit it!

RSVP to the Bravo Family.

Gifts (wedding and baby) optional…AMAZON LINK  3 STARS

The book information was kind of misleading because things didn't exactly happen as implied. 

This was an emotional story before we even got to the "romance" between Elena and Rogan.  

Elena and her family had some major issues right from when the truth about Elena's birth came out.  They are still dealing with the aftermath of that information.  Now add in Rogan and the fireworks about to get more intense. 

Rogan  had some unsettled issues of his own that cause MAJOR problems for Elena. 

Sorry folks, but he turned out to be a jerk for awhile. I really didn't like him after that.  But he comes face to face with some truths. I could understand the problems that had festered and why they were there.  I like that they do get their H.E.A.