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***Book Review- Louisiana Longshot (A Miss Fortune Mystery, Book 1) by Jana Deleon

   

t was a hell of a long shot....

CIA assassin Fortune Redding is about to undertake her most difficult mission ever—in Sinful, Louisiana. With a leak at the CIA and a price placed on her head by one of the world's largest arms dealers, Fortune has to go off-grid, but she never expected to be this far out of her element. Posing as a former beauty queen turned librarian in a small bayou town seems worse than death to Fortune, but she's determined to fly below the radar until her boss finds the leak and puts the arms dealer out of play. Unfortunately, she hasn't even unpacked a suitcase before her newly inherited dog digs up a human bone in her backyard.

Thrust into the middle of a bayou murder mystery, Fortune teams up with a couple of seemingly sweet old ladies whose looks completely belie their hold on the little town. To top things off, the handsome local deputy is asking her too many questions. If she's not careful, this investigation might blow her cover and get her killed. Armed with her considerable skills and a group of elderly ladies the locals dub The Geritol Mafia, Fortune has no choice but to solve the murder before it's too late.   AMAZON LINK

5+ STARS

I loved this book !   It was one unpredictable roller coaster ride that was a lot of fun.  I grinned so  many times as I read it.  Might have even laughed out loud a time or two.Gertie and Ida   Fortune started it off with her sarcastic wit and her non-girly girl ways.  And it turns out that she wasn't kidding as she found out that just about everything was illegal in Sinful.  Several people had said that trouble just seemed to follow her.  How right they were and it just kept coming in Sinful too.

Gertie and Ida Belle were a hoot. As time went on, I absolutely adored these kooky two.  They might be innocent looking but are they really? 

The deputy sheriff of the town knows stuff is going on and he's focused on Fortune.  He just can't connect the dots which makes for some interesting times.  Deputy LeBlanc irritates Fortune so much that she dubbed him Deputy Charming.  

Plenty of twists, turns and unexpected revelations bring the story to a great conclusion. For now.  In this situation.  Because Fortune still has a price on her head and the leak in the CIA hasn't been found yet.  Still a good read for me.

I just have to add that this book did something unusual for me.  I like my books with romance in it.  This one didn't have one but I loved it anyway.

Book Review- Vengeful Union (Made Series, Book 6) by Brooke Summers

 

 General Fiction (Adult), Romance

Description

Vengeance can be justified… But what happens when an innocent person is targeted?

Destiny Carter’s life changed when her mom died.

Hidden away from the world, Destiny tries to make sense of the betrayal she learned.

She knows about her father’s plan and if she doesn’t escape, she’ll be dead.

She was not expecting her knight in shining armor to be filled with darkness.

Finn Gallagher demands everything from her. She’s not sure that’s something she’s willing to do.

Now there’s an enemy after her. Someone who hits a little close to home for the Gallagher family.

Will she be able to survive when they come for her?

Finn Gallagher’s life has always been filled with violence. He’s lived and breathed it. When he lost his father, Finn changed, he became darker, distrustful, angry.

Finding out who was truly behind the attack on his family, Finn is vying for blood.

Taking his enemy’s daughter was easy. Using her to get back at her father… Not so much.

Destiny Carter isn’t what he expected. Feisty, beautiful, fearless.

He wants everything from her and he’s willing to take what’s his.

But betrayal hits Finn and his family.

Now the question is… Can he get Destiny out alive?

It’s time for revenge and this time it will be justified. AMAZON LINK

4 STARS

 

It has a rough start..not for the faint of heart in my opinion. And some of it is going to end that way too. Making this one hard to rate.  But as dark as it often is it also has some good parts too.

Destiny was a great main character.  She might be afraid at times but she REFUSES to back up and let anyone see it.  Finn thought that she had lived a pretty much entitled life but he has no clue to the terror that she has lived under, especially the last few years. But he's not going to let it go until he knows everything about her.

Finn  really is a man that you do not want to cross.  Cross him or try to hurt his family and you will have a VERY unpleasant visit from him. Creatively painful and probably your last. Everyone knows about him.  So it did make me smile when Destiny went toe to toe with him and started calling him, "Psycho Boy." 

There is a fairly large cast of people in the story especially when it comes to Finn's side of people.  A few times I got lost in who was who and how they fit in when it comes to his family.  I found Destiny's family and people easier to follow.  

I did like Finn sister (who is the under-boss) even though she was a force to be reckoned with too.  There were also other people that I liked even though they did bad things.  Come on, most of them are doing violent things as deep in the trench criminals. 

When Finn takes Destiny, things really do turn upside down for both of them.  It also stirs up even more trouble than what they are already facing.  Things are definitely active with a lot of plots and action.  

It does have a good ending for Finn and Destiny which I did enjoy.

 

  "I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book through Netgalley.” These are my honest thoughts and feelings about this book.

Book PREVIEW Review- The Boy On The Highway by Nadya Frank

   

The only psychological crime thriller set in Russia written by a Russian author.

Zoya Volkova makes a living off small-time frauds and stays out of big trouble. Until a simple con spirals out of control and Zoya ends up witnessing the assassination of a prominent Moscow businessman Oleg Dolin. Acting on instinct, she saves his teenage son, Kirill. Now, someone has opened hunting season on her. 

To keep herself and Kirill safe, Zoya must solve the mystery behind the murder. But sieving through the Dolins’ history and connections puts her at odds with Kirill’s mom, Rimma. Even with her son’s life on the line, the woman is determined to preserve her family’s secrets.

As the goons become reckless and the police close in to arrest Zoya, she doesn’t abandon her attempts to save the innocent kid. Can a petty con artist go up against the corrupt police force, Moscow’s wealthiest families, and the omnipotent Russian mafia? 

Psychological suspense meets crime thriller in this dark page-turner with unpredictable twists. Perfect for fans of Laura Lippman, Karin Slaughter, and Lisa Gardner. 

THE FULL BOOK CAN BE FOUND HERE AMAZON LINK

I totally missed the point that this was a preview of this book. I don't know how because it clearly shows that on this book cover.  But the chapters that were there I did find interesting. 

 Zoya was just trying to survive and after meeting the young man, it's even more dangerous trying to survive.  It was easy to be pulled into the story after the heart-pounding chase.  As the story is left off it's not looking good for Zoya and Kirill.  

I got this preview though BookFunnel only.

 

Book Review- After Dark with the Duke (The Palace of Rogues #4 ) by Julie Anne Long*

    

General Fiction (Adult) , Romance ,,Women's Fiction

She arrives in the dead of night, a mob out for blood at her heels: Mariana Wylde, the “Harlot of Haywood Street,” an opera diva brought low by a duel fought for her favors. But the ladies of the Grand Palace on the Thames think they can make a silk purse from scandal: They’ll restore her reputation and share in her triumph...provided they can keep her apart from that other guest.

 
Coldly brilliant, fiercely honorable, General James Duncan Blackmore, the Duke of Valkirk, is revered, feared, desired...but nobody truly knows him. Until a clash with a fiery, vulnerable beauty who stands for everything he scorns lays him bare. It’s too clear the only cure for consuming desire is conquest, but their only chance at happiness could lead to their destruction.

The legendary duke never dreamed love would be his last battleground. Valkirk would lay down his life for Mariana, but his choice is stark: risk losing her forever, or do the one thing he vowed he never would...surrender.  AMAZON LINK

3.5 STARS

 I had a hard time rating this story.  I will say it was an unusual story and an even more unusual romance.  There were parts that I liked and others not so much.  I guess it would  be easier to say that it wasn't really my cup of tea. Starting with the Duke/James  was someone that I didn't like at first.  In fact for quite a while. He was severe, stiff, judgemental and way over praised by others.  The last part wasn't his fault though and he finds it a weary thing in fact.  The public has basically put in on a pedestal forgetting that he is just a man.  A man who is not really known but revered.   Even his own grown son was in awe of his father but without really knowing him.

Mariana was a small woman with a big talent.  And a talent for scandal wasn't it but her singing voice was.  I found her a lot easier to like than James.  She had a heart of gold even if some of her decisions landed her in hot water.  She's also not afraid of hard work.  And I began to wonder how in the world things would work out.  

 The Grand Palace on the Thames was filled with colorful, interesting people. They did a lot to add to the story.

I found the story kind of slow but about 60% on my kindle things did begin to shift and change. I started to like how more of the real James shows through. It does slow down a bit again because of all of James trying to figure things out like the military man he has been.  

 I just had to find out how the story would end.  And I did enjoy how everything did end up. 

   I received  an advanced reader copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

** Book Review- Silent Blade (Kinsmen #1) by Ilona Andrews

   

Family is everything. Talent is power. And revenge is sweet. In a distant, future world Kinsmen-small powerful groups of genetically and technologically advanced families-control vast financial empires. They are their own country, their own rulers, and their only limits are other Kinsmen. The struggle for power is a bloody, full-contact sport: in business, on the battlefield...and sometimes in the bedroom. Old hatreds die hard. Old love dies harder.  On the planet Rada, Meli Galdes' family is of minor rank, and were relying on her marriage to Celino, the razor-smart, ruthless leader of the powerful Carvanna empire. When he abruptly breaks their engagement, he ruins her family and guarantees that Meli will never marry, as no suitor will oppose the rich and influential Carvannas. But Meli has a rare, secret, lethal-and valuable-talent. As a melder of energy, she's capable of severing anything in her path. So she 'leaves' her family and trains to become one of the best and most lethal of assassins, all the while covertly guarding her family's interests. Now she's ready to quit; but she has one more assignment. To kill the man who ruined her life.    AMAZON LINK

4 Stars

 This was a shorter story but it was pretty full.  And I did enjoy it.  It's also the first time that I have read any of the Kinsmen stories.

I really liked gutsy Meli even though she had become a assassin.   The information about her skills and how she operates was different but good. 

Celino just wants to be free and he is but he never counted the cost for Meli.  Brilliant guy but at times clueless.  Yes, he was ruthless too and entitled.  He wants something he goes after it no matter what.

The continuing question throughout the story of course is, "Is she really going to kill him?"

I did like how the story ended.  A longer story I wouldn't have minded at all though.

 I read this book through HOOPLA.