BOOK REVIEW- The Marshal's Hostage (The Marshals of Maverick County) by Delores Fossen *

 

 Secrets had torn them apart... and reunited them in a way neither had expected She is the last person Dallas Walker ever wants to see again. Still, this U. S. Marshal has no problem taking Joelle Tate into "protective custody" - on her wedding day. To save his family from unjust charges, he'd take on a lot worse than an ex-flame he couldn't trust. But Dallas doesn't know Joelle has put her freedom on the line to protect him. Now with only two days to investigate a long-buried crime no one wants solved, they must confront their past mistakes, and the shattering secret that drove them apart. Giving in to the simmering desire may lead to an impossible second chance - or help set a trap one calculating killer can't wait to spring. ...AMAZON LINK

4 STARS

This was a really good story with plenty of thrills.  It held plenty of surprises and more than one direction that danger was coming from.  Plenty of action almost all the time.

The biggest surprise came with a revelation about a danger that NO ONE saw coming.  Well done. 

The main characters were good and so was the supporting cast of foster brothers and  foster dad.  I liked that there was a cast list in the beginning of the book.  

One thing I would mention was that it felt like two phrases were a bit overused.  "Mercy" and "Oh Mercy." even when used as a thought phrase was a bit of a distraction after a while.

I liked how the story ended but I also would have liked to see Owen get Mega punishment. What happened was good but it also went like it left me wanting more in that area.

 

BOOK REVIEW- A Tall, Dark Cowboy Christmas (Gold Valley Series, Book 4 ) by Maisey Yates *

   

It's Christmas in Gold Valley, and this wounded widower is about to get another shot at love...
Grant Dodge didn't expect to find a woman sleeping in an abandoned cabin on his family ranch. Or to find her so intriguing. Unlike every other woman in town, McKenna Tate doesn't know Grant's a widower. There's no pity in the looks she gives him. McKenna wants him, and Grant has forgotten what it's like to feel like a man. A no-strings fling for Christmas might be the kind of holiday cheer Grant needs...
With only a suitcase to her name, McKenna came to Gold Valley to confront her birth father. She didn't plan to work at the Dodge ranch or fall for the gorgeous cowboy who keeps his heart roped off. But there's no denying the way their broken pieces fit together. Hope brought her to Gold Valley—but will it be the gift that could finally heal Grant, and McKenna's own wounded heart?  

Also includes a bonus Gold Valley novella, Snowed in with the Cowboy!

 
And don't miss the newest Western romance from Maisey Yates, The Last Christmas Cowboy!

AMAZON LINK 

4 STARS

 

This was an emotional story with really good main characters.  It was well written though, it also at times seemed to repeat several issues a bit too much.   Most of that being each of the main characters past.  

It does have a heartwarming H.E.A. though.

Snowed in with the Cowboy was okay with the two main characters working through what they each see as forbidden attractions.  They kept it secret from each other how attracted they were until suddenly they couldn't.  They were stepbrother and stepsister, and had to work through that issue and others.  And yes, this one also had a H.E.A.   

 

BOOK REVIEW- Xavier (Vampires in Europe) by D.B. Reynolds *

  

 Romance , Sci Fi & Fantasy

Description

Vampires in America, Book 14

Barcelona--exquisite architecture, masterful artists, and just down the coast, an ancient fortress where an old and powerful vampire lives. . .and rules all of Spain.

Tall, dark, and deadly, vampire Xavier Prospero Flores waded through blood to destroy his enemies and reach the pinnacle of vampire society--Vampire Lord. He has only one regret in his long life, and that’s the day he rejected the advances of Layla Casales. She’d been too innocent, too naïve, and far too young. But she’d also been his.

Layla Casales was only nineteen when she left Spain, brokenhearted and humiliated by Xavier’s rejection. But now, ten years later, the ties of family are pulling her back, not only to Spain, but to Xavier’s fortress. Her father, the vampire lord’s military commander, is critically ill. Layla has spent years fighting on battlefields around the world, so when her father asks her to come home, she can’t say no.

Though Xavier’s rule began on the ashes of his enemies, it’s not vampires trying to kill him now--it’s humans. He needs to eliminate his enemy before more of his people die. Layla arrives just in time to help, but while she came for her father, the minute she and Xav ier see each other, desire burns as hotly as if they’d never been apart. Xavier isn’t going to let her go this time. But before they can rediscover the love they walked away from, they must first keep each other alive. AMAZON LINK

  3 STARS

I had mixed feelings on this one.  It had some good moments and at other times it seemed pretty slow. 

It had good main characters and great world building.  At times, it felt like things got caught up too much in the history/past.

There definitely is a strong emotional, and sexual connection between Layla and Xavier.  

Layla also has a strong group of team members that she has led after she left Spain.   They have been through war in many different places.  It developed over time until she became their leader in their own specialized force.   They definitely have been their for each other through thick and thin. 

However, there were times that it seems like it was slow before there is any action.   It did have the quality that you never knew when or how the attacks would happen, so there was that.  

Things do get taken care of, along with some sexual scenes, a bit of a twist about the bad guy and a H.E.A.  

 

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

BOOK REVIEW- Black Lace ( Eternal Love Billionaires #1) by Caitlyn Ashe *

   

What if being betrayed led to the best thing in your life?

Tiffany Carter is engaged to the love of her life. When he betrays her in the worst way possible, she thinks she could never be healed. Declan McLean has been one of Tiffany's best friends for years. When he comes to comfort her in her time of need, she could never imagine it might lead to something better than she could've expected. Black Lace is a novella about finding love in the most unlikely of places.  AMAZON LINK

 What a beautiful eBook cover this is I loved it.  Too bad I didn't love the story itself more.  Even knowing it's a short story I was hoping for more STORY.  Lots of sex though.  What was there was somewhat predictable but with a good ending.  

One thing that I need to say, is that I hope you like the "F" word because it's used quite freely. 

 I  was given a  free  copy of this book.  There was no review of it required.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

 

 

 

 

BOOK REVIEW- The Bride by Carolyn Davidson *

 

    

She thought her fate was sealed...

Isabella Montgomery's future looked bleak. Before her father died, he betrothed her to Juan Garcia, an old ranchero infamous for cruelty. Now, shut away in a convent, she dreaded the day he would come to claim her.

Until a dark horse revealed her true destiny...

Rafael McKenzie needed a bride before he came into his inheritance. The moment he laid eyes on Isabella, he knew she was the one. Breaking into the convent and capturing her was easy enough, but stealing her heart was another story.... AMAZON LINK

3.5 STARS

I liked this story but with some reservations.  Both Isabella and Rafael made for good main characters.  Each were written with depth. 

Isabella was SO incredibly sheltered and fed so much misinformation from some of the nuns when it came to men.   Few of the nuns had experience with them and one nun had been cruelly used by her husband before she fled to the convent.  So, her view that all men were animals was something that made Isabella fear even more.  Although Rafael was different, he still stole her from the convent, so that wasn't a great start was it?

Rafael was a mixture of strong command and some tenderness at times when it came to his interactions with Isabella.  Especially after he got her to his home. 

So this story was an emotional one and filled with some angst as well.  Mostly coming from Isabella. There were times that I felt some of those things were re-hashed a bit too much.  Isabella felt her safe place was at the covenant because up to that point it had been.  So she yearns to go back there.  The thing about vows that she made to stay at the ranch was a confusing thing.  She even made a vow to Rafael's father, Simon and then she broke them.  I understood her fears but she was a woman who understood the power and obligations of vows that were made.  So that was a bit of a problem for me. 

Simon added emotion and moments of tenderness to the story.  He was a father that Isabella wished she had. 

There was a woman who caused dangerous problems for Isabella and she seemed to escape any real punishment.  I had a problem with that too. 

The story does have action, danger, romance, seduction and has a H.E.A.

 

 

BOOK REVIEW- Secret Nights with a Cowboy( A Kittredge Ranch Novel) by Caitlin Crews *

USA Today bestseller Caitlin Crews returns to Cold River, CO, and cowboys, with an emotional second chance romance in Secret Nights with a Cowboy, the stunning first installment in her new Kittredge Ranch series.

A man holding on...

Riley Kittredge has always known exactly what he wanted. His land, his horses. His woman. He met and married Rae Trujillo far too young, and their young love combusted right after they said their vows. But their passion has never managed to burn itself out. Yet when Rae shows this time, it's not a night of pleasure she demands, but a divorce.

A woman letting go...

Rae should have moved on a long time ago. She knows she and Riley just don't work. They might make great lovers, but that doesn't make a marriage. And now Rae wants a new life, complete with a baby. But when her husband offers to be a father, to give her the family she's always secretly desired, she and Riley will both have to face demons from their past—and choose love over fear at last.
AMAZON LINK       3 STARS

This was an emotional story that also had some humor but also a lot of pain for the main characters. They both had huge personalities with a lot of passion and some unhealthy ways of relating to each other.  Oh, there was love there but they just couldn't seem to make it work. It was also one that after a while I felt like it went on too long.  Several times it caused a sense of dragging down for me as I was reading. 
I did like both of Rae's close friends, Hope and Abby.   They couldn't be more different in personality and style.  One thing they did have in common was having Rae's back even without knowing all the facts about her life.
They live in a small, semi-isolated town.  But there sure were a lot of people thinking that they had the right to be up in Riley and Rae's business. 
It took a while for both Riley and Rae to realize that they were bringing into their marriage, dysfunction that they learned from their childhood.  It was a big deal and so was the secret that Rae has been carrying (which I had guessed).  
Thankfully there is a H.E.A. and a look into the story about another brother (Connor). 
 "I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

BOOK REVIEW- When a Rogue Meets His Match (The Greycourt Series Book 2) by Elizabeth Hoyt **

  

Description

Return to the drama and intrigue of New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Hoyt's Greycourt series with a breathtaking enemies-to-lovers historical romance!

Ambitious, sly, and lethally intelligent, Gideon Hawthorne has spent his life clawing his way up from the gutter. For the last ten years, he's acted as the Duke of Windemere's fixer, performing the duke's dirty work without question. Now Gideon's ready to quit the duke's service and work solely for himself. But Windermere tempts Gideon with an irresistible offer: one last task for Messalina Greycourt's hand in marriage.Witty, vivacious Messalina Greycourt has her pick of suitors, so when her uncle demands Messalina marry Mr. Hawthorne, she is appalled. But Gideon offers her a devil's bargain of his own: protection and freedom in exchange for a true marriage. Messalina feigns agreement and plots to escape their deal. Only the more time she spends with Gideon, the more her fierce, loyal husband arouses her affections. However, Gideon's final deed for Windermere may be more than Messalina can forgive.

AMAZON LINK    

5++  STARS

 Wow, what a story!!  It was outrageously, out of the ordinary good! But for me , this book is a keeper! I will want to read it again.  

It had fascinating main characters, especially Gideon Hawthorne.  I was prepared to hate him especially when the opening chapters began.  I have to admit it made for quite an unusual chapter.   Messalina's uncle, the Duke of Windermere was without a doubt rotten to the core.  He shows it throughout the book starting with the forced marriage between Gideon and Messalina.   He is gleeful when he can harm someone or make their lives miserable.   People have learned to keep their expressions blank in front of him so that he can't see anything to use against them.  

I liked that we got both of the main characters points of views. It also helped the reader see some of the motives that Gideon kept hidden.  The cost that Gideon must pay to wed Messalina is a surprise and a nasty one at that.  He isn't told what it is until after they marry.  It was quite the shocker.

This story kept me involved every step of the way.   It was intense with dangers, plots and lies but also a developing affection between the two main characters.     That affection blows up in their faces more than once though.  People are so busy interfering in their business. But some of it was because they cared about her.  Her sister is one of those people.  They are tight and have always had each others back.  Her sister Lucretia was quite the bold, mischievous young woman, who I hope gets her own story.  

There is dangers that come at Gideon and
Messalina.  One of those dangers come from an unexpected person in a surprising twist.  But both of our main characters get their H.E.A.  When you think throughout the story how in the world could that happen?  

Many things are solved but there is one person who has caused problems is only stopped for now.  Looks like more book could be in the offing which I will be looking for.

*******************************************************

The Bonus Novella was "Night of the Scoundrel"  by Kelly Bowen and was really an excellent addition.  This book was full and didn't feel like a novella at all. 

King was a dangerous man, with a lot of underworld lackeys and contacts. He also auctions off priceless goods to a certain, select wealthy clientele.

Adeline Archambault is just as dangerous in her own ways.  She made quite the worthy opponent to King.  Both main characters were compelling, with each carrying their own pain.

The story had depth, attraction, resistance to a romance especially on King's part. People had taught him not to trust anymore. There were only a select few who got that close to him.

The whole thing comes to a good conclusion.

 

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