End Game (Dirty Money #4) by Lisa Renee Jones-a review

END GAME (Dirty Money #4) by Lisa Renee Jones -a review

End Game

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 2, 2018

How deep can you love?

Passion and danger collide in the explosive finale to Emily and Shane’s story.

After tragedy strikes, Shane hovers on the edge of being consumed by darkness. He will fight for the woman he loves. He will destroy his enemy. He will not back down. As shocking twists, dark secrets, and explosive betrayals within the Brandon family come to the light, Shane must fight harder than ever before.

Every thread weaves a dangerous web. Emily and Derek. Brandon Senior. Maggie and her affair. The leader of the dangerous cartel who’s wedged itself inside the Brandon Empire. It all comes to a head in the shattering conclusion to the Dirty Money series.

••••••••••

REVIEW:END GAME is the fourth (and final) instalment in Lisa Renee Jones’ contemporary, adult DIRTY MONEY romantic, suspense series focusing on attorney and businessman Shane Brandon, and attorney/PA Emily Stevens. Their continuing story focuses on their struggle to be free of a potent enemy with designs on Brandon Pharmaceuticals, and the aftermath of a shooting that will change the Brandon family dynamics-once and for all. END GAME should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events and cliff-hanger of book three-BAD DEEDS.

Told from first person perspective (Shane Brandon) with a few concluding chapters by Emily Stevens END GAME is the culmination of an emotional war between father and sons wherein death comes calling but not for the man, at one time, in charge. Lisa Renee Jones pulls the reader into a roller coaster of events leading towards a final showdown that warrants a celebration for a job well done but in the end felt a little rushed, and a little under-whelming. Conflict resolved, the story lost some of its’ momentum and excitement as the main focus followed our leading couple as they made plans for the future both in Denver and New York.

END GAME is a story of family and blood; power and personality; retribution and revenge. There are a number of open-ended story lines that the author may address in future books and series including a look at Shane’s right hand man Seth Cage-former CIA and head of security at Brandon Enterprises; and Cody Rodriguez whose fascination with Shane’s PA Jessica is another relationship looming on the horizon. The premise is entertaining, engaging and suspenseful; the romance is seductive and passionate; the characters are charismatic and intense. END GAME is a well-written, impassioned and riveting story line about one man’s battle to affect change in direction for a company and family that was losing its’ way.

READING ORDER and PREVIOUS REVIEWS
Hard Rules
Damage Control
Bad Deeds
End Game

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

about the author

Lisa Renee JonesNew York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT SERIES, and is now in development by Suzanne Todd (Alice in Wonderland) for cable TV. In addition, her Tall, Dark and Deadly series and The Secret Life of Amy Bensen series, both spent several months on a combination of the NY Times and USA Today lists.

Watch the video on casting for the INSIDE TV Show HERE

Since beginning her publishing career in 2007, Lisa has published more than 40 books translated around the world. Booklist says that Jones suspense truly sizzles with an energy similar to FBI tales with a paranormal twist by Julie Garwood or Suzanne Brockmann.

Prior to publishing, Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by Dallas Women Magazine. In 1998 LRJ was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.

Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her at on her website and she is active on twitter and facebook daily.

Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her through her website and she is active on twitter and facebook daily.

STALK HER: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

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Rocco (Ruin and Revenge #3) by Sarah Castille- a review

ROCCO (Ruin and Revenge #3) by Sarah Castille-a review

Rocco

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About the book: January 2, 2018

Mafia enforcer, Rocco De Lucchi is the best in the business.

Cold, hard and utterly ruthless, Rocco is the most dangerous of men. Feelings are a luxury he cannot afford—until a chance encounter brings him face to face with the only woman who found her way into his heart and touched his soul.

Grace Mantini has spent her whole life running from the mob. Daughter of the boss’s right hand man, she is both a prize and a target. When Rocco walks back into her life, she wants nothing to do with the man who betrayed her and broke her heart. But only Rocco can protect her from the dangerous forces that seek to destroy her family. Can they escape the hands of fate closing around them? Or will love be the kiss of death for them both?

••••••••••

REVIEW: ROCCO is the third instalment in Sarah Castille’s contemporary adult RUIN AND REVENGE erotic, mafia romance series set in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is mafia enforcer Rocco De Lucchi, of the De Lucchi crew, and psychologist/jazz singer Grace Mantini’s story line. ROCCO can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Grace and Rocco) ROCCO follows the second chance romance between mafia enforcer Rocco De Lucchi, and Grace Mantini, the daughter of the New York underboss, and a woman whose has spent most of her adult life running from the mob. A recent funeral for a mutual acquaintance finds Grace pulled back into the lifestyle she wants desperately to forget, but a lifestyle that has cruelly imbedded itself upon the man that she loves. A crime-family divided will pit blood against blood, and family against friends forcing Rocco to choose between his heart and the mob. What ensues is the rebuilding relationship between Rocco and Grace as Grace and her family are targeted by an unknown source, and the potential fall out when Grace discovers the truth behind Rocco’s re-appearance in her life.

Six years earlier Grace’s life was all but destroyed by retribution and retaliation against the man that she loves. Unable to fulfill his duty to the man that destroyed his life Rocco watched as Grace became the victim of his father’s cruelty and pain. Running from New York Grace thought she found the solace and freedom from the lifestyle she had grown to hate but Vegas was now home to the man who stole her heart.

All of her life Grace has been sheltered from her father’s lifestyle, a lifestyle that has caused so much pain including the death of her mother, and the physical and emotional scars our heroine hides from the world including the man that she loves. Rocco De Lucchi’s life has been harder than most as the adopted son of one of the most feared and reviled mafia families. Broken and battered, Rocco needs the physical pain to control the beast that formed by years of misery and abuse. An anti-hero at best, Rocco is a man feared for his cold, calculating ability to kill but a man whose softer side has only been seen by the woman he loves. A true apha with issues of control, Rocco is not the usual romantic hero. An order from his father forces Rocco to disobey- a decision that could affect the New York and Las Vegas crime families and their power to control.

The relationship between Grace and Rocco is one of second chances; a rekindling romance originally destroyed by power and greed, and a man who isn’t afraid to take what doesn’t belong. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense but I dislike the use of a certain four letter word that I find unacceptable in a romance storyline. There is a limited S/M scene involving our story line (anti) hero that may be troubling for more sensitive readers.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including several members of various mafia families. We are reintroduced to Nico and Mia (Nico #1), Luca and Gabrielle (Luca #2); Grace’s father Nunzio Mantini, and her brother Tom ; self-appointed crime boss Tony Toscani; Rocco’s most trusted soldier and former MMA fighter Mike; Rocco’s father Cesare De Lucchi, the head of a group of professional enforcers; and Tiffany, a woman with secrets of her own.

The world building continues to focus on the violent and murderous world of the Las Vegas Italian mob. No one is safe; everyone is suspect; retribution and murder are the price for disobedience and defiance. The violence is graphic although the author does limit the virtual visibility of the blood, guts and gore.

ROCCO is an emotional story line of one woman’s struggle to move on from the past, and one man’s battle between honor and heart. The premise is gritty and raw; the characters are colorful, charismatic and tragic; the romance is passionate, seductive and rebellious.

Reading Order and Previous reviews
Nico
Luca
Rocco

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

About the Author

Sarah CastilleSarah Castille is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Redemption Series, Ruin & Revenge Series, Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club series, Legal Heat series and the Club Excelsior series. A recovering lawyer with a fondness for dirty-talking alpha males, she now is a full-time writer, who lives on Vancouver Island. Sarah’s books have been listed as Publisher’s Weekly’s Top Ten Picks and Best Summer Reads, and Amazon’s Best Romance Books of the Year, and have won numerous reader’s choice awards including the Holt Medallion.

Connect with Sarah:

BOOKBUB | FACEBOOK | AMAZON AUTHOR | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS | PINTEREST | YOUTUBE | NEWSLETTER | WEBSITE

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Micah’s Bride (All The King’s Men #9) by Donya Lynne-a review

MICAH’S BRIDE (All the King’s Men #9) by Donya Lynne-a review

Micah's Bride

ebook is ONLY 99¢ Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

About the book: Release Date December 24, 2017

Vampires don’t get married. They mate. But for a human, mating isn’t enough.

Micah is a mated male. To him, that’s all the evidence he needs that he and Sam belong together. But for Sam, a human, it’s not that simple. Haunted by memories of her abusive ex-husband, who she married in a small Vegas chapel without her friends and family present, Sam wants a wedding. Her dream wedding. Complete with the dress, the veil, the bouquet, and something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. This time, she wants to do it right and put her painful past behind her for good.

Willing to give Sam anything she needs, Micah asks King Bain to help him plan the wedding of the century. If the big wedding with friends and family is what she wants, that’s what he’s going to give her.

And the best part is Sam has no idea.

In Micah’s Bride, you’ll find laughter and tears, along with a look at some of your favorite AKM characters who’ve come to witness the first vampire wedding and share in the festivities. But don’t be fooled, even happy affairs contain their fair share of shop talk, especially with war on the horizon and a roomful of vampire warriors chomping at the bit to take down the enemy. There’s sure to be a few discussions about what’s to come after the honeymoon that you won’t want to miss.

•••••••••••

REVIEW: MICAH’S BRIDE is the ninth instalment (and novella) in Donya Lynne’s contemporary, adult ALL THE KING’S MEN paranormal, romance series focusing on a group of vampire warriors, who work for AKM -a group of elite vampire warriors and mutant vampires brought together to save the humans and rid the world of the drecks- hybrid vampire shape shifters. This is Micah Black and his mate Samantha Garrett’s continuing story. MICAH’S BRIDE can be read as a stand alone but for cohesion and back story I recommend reading the series in order.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Micah and Sam) MICAH’S BRIDE focuses on a day in the life of a warrior vampire as he prepares for the wedding to his human bride. Vampires don’t do weddings but Samantha Garrett is human, and Micah is h*ll bent on giving his mate everything that she wants. With a ‘secret’ wedding on the horizon, all of the AKM vampires, their mates and the notorious King Bain want in on the surprise.

MICAH’S BRIDE also take a quick look at Trace’s ‘calling’-the male vampire’s equivalent of going into ‘heat’; and the potential fall out between Arion and Severin when Micah’s makes Arion an offer he can’t resist, to join his team of Black Ops, to ferret out the man who almost destroyed his life.

MICAH’S BRIDE is a quick read; an endearing and heartfelt look at the vampires we love; at one male’s promise to the woman he loves; and another male’s realization that he wants it all. The premise is charming and captivating; the characters are familiar, colorful and bewitching; the romance is energetic. Donya Lynne adds another dimension to her superbly written and wonderfully animated series about vampires and the women (and men) they love.

Reading Order and previous reviews
Rise of the Fallen ebook is FREE at Amazon
Heart of the Warrior
Micah’s Calling
Rebel Obsession
Return of the Assassin
All the King’s Men-The Beginning
Bound Guardian Angel
Black
Micah’s Bride

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Reviewed by Sandy

About The Author beige

FOLLOW: Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Newsletter | BookbubInstagramPinterest |

donya lynneDonya Lynne is the bestselling author of the award-winning All the King’s Men Series and a member of Romance Writers of America. Making her home in a wooded suburb north of Indianapolis with her husband, Donya has lived in Indiana most of her life and knew at a young age that she was destined to be a writer. She started writing poetry in grade school and won her first short story contest in fourth grade. In junior high, she began writing romantic stories for her friends, and by her sophomore year, she’d been dubbed Most Likely to Become a Romance Novelist. In 2012, she made that dream come true by publishing her first two novels and a novella. Her work has earned her two IPPYs (one gold, one silver) and two ELit Awards (one gold, one silver) as well as numerous accolades. When she’s not writing, she can be found cheering on the Indianapolis Colts or doing her cats’ bidding.

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Silent Threat (Mission Recovery #1) by Dana Marton-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

SILENT THREAT (Mission Recovery #1) by Dana Marton-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

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SILENT THREAT
Mission Recovery #1
by Dana Marton
Release Date: January 2 2018
Genre: adult, contemporary, romantic, suspense

Silent Threat

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About the book: Release Date January 2, 2018

A former Navy SEAL, Cole Makani Hunter has returned home from a disastrous black ops mission without his best friend, his hearing, or the use of his right arm. So when his ex–commanding officer assigns him to an undercover mission at a rehab center for vets to discover who leaked sensitive military information to an enemy, he’d rather be anywhere but there. Almost immediately, Cole finds himself at odds with Annie Murray—a peace-loving ecotherapist whose dream is to open an animal sanctuary out of her home. While the two seemingly have nothing in common, their spirited arguments soon fuel a passion for each other.

But just as things begin to heat up between therapist and patient, dangerous complications arise. So does the past—and a shocking revelation that puts Cole and everything he now holds dear in the path of a murderous traitor.

••••••••••••

REVIEW: SILENT THREAT is the first instalment in Dana Marton’s contemporary, adult MISSION RECOVERY romantic, suspense series. This is former Navy SEAL Cole Makani Hunter, and eco-therapist Annie Murray’s story line. The Mission Recovery series is a spin off from (or loosely connected) to the author’s Broslin Creek series. Several characters cross over for cohesion and familiarity. You do not have to have read the original series to follow or understand any of the events of the current story line

Told from several third person perspectives including Cole Hunter and Annie Murray SILENT THREAT follows the building relationship between former Navy SEAL Cole Hunter and eco-therapist Annie Murray. Cole Hunter returned from his latest disastrous Black Ops mission a broken man but a man determined to take down a traitor thought to be working out of Hope Hill, a local rehab centre for wounded vets. Enter eco-therapist Annie Murray, a would-be animal rehabber with whom our hero will fall in love. What ensues is the slow building romance between Annie and Cole, and the potential fall out as Annie is targeted by a psychotic mind.

Annie Murray finds solace in the rehabilitation of animals and man. A ‘tree-hugging’ eco-therapist Annie’s form of therapy connects man with nature in an attempt to ground the client when things begins to spiral out of control. Cole Hunter is a former Navy SEAL who battles his own demons including his escalating PTSD from his time as a POW, a loss of hearing, and an injury that has left our hero struggling without the use of his arm. When a traitor is discovered selling secrets to the enemy Cole must go undercover at Hope Hill to ferret out the person responsible for selling out the American government, risking the lives of the men and women who serve.

The relationship between Annie and Cole is slow to build as Annie believes Cole is her client, and Cole is on a mission to find the person responsible for destroying so many lives. As their friendship begins to grow so do the threats against our story line heroine –threats believed to be coming from a stalker who is determined to pull Annie back into his life. The $ex scenes are limited, mostly implied and fade to black.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including several members of the local police force, and a number of former military vets who are battling their own demons from outside and within. We are introduced to Annie’s cousin Kelly whose need to succeed threatens Annie’s stability and home; and Dr. Dan Ambrose, the resident psychiatrist at Hope Hill.

SILENT THREAT is a story of romance and suspense; betrayal and revenge; falling in love and moving on from the past. The premise is intriguing; the romance is sweet but I had a difficult time connecting with the couple’s attraction to one another due in part to the very slow build towards friendship and love; the characters are eclectic and colorful.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Silent Threat teaserexcerpt

“What’s up with the llamas?” He turned so he could read her lips.
She blinked at him. “People moved and left them behind.”
“What was the worst you ever had?”
“A tarantula that lost a leg.” A delicate shiver ran through her. “I hate spiders.”
“Did you save it?”
A tragic look came over her face. “A goat ate him.”
A strangled laugh escaped him. “What happened to the goat?”
“Adopted.”
“Do you ever turn anything away?”
She rubbed the head of one of the baby skunks with the back of her crooked index finger. “Not anything, not ever.”
That people like her lived in the world scared Cole a little. Too soft-hearted, too easy to take advantage of, too vulnerable. Annie Murray needed a keeper. Not that he was volunteering.
He watched as she slid down into the hay, flat on her back, her head on the folded comforter. The orphaned skunks were all over her instantly, like love-smitten kittens, snuggled into every nook, a different baby tucked against every curve.
She closed her eyes, the picture of peaceful bliss.
Cole stood against a nearly irresistible pull to lie next to her and be part of the magic she was weaving.
He never thought he’d be jealous of a skunk, but he wanted to be tucked against her breast. She had generous breasts to go with her generous mouth. She was murmuring something to her little charges that he didn’t catch, a soft half-smile on her lips.
He wanted to sink into Annie Murray’s earth mother goodness, dissolve in her peace.
She was the most wholesome person he’d ever known.
He was the opposite, too damaged in too many ways. He was deaf, and his right arm might never fully function again. He had nightmares . . .
He wouldn’t wish waking up next to him on his worst enemy.
In his dreams, either he was killing someone, or someone was killing him.
He was a killer. He’d been a damn good sniper before his right arm had been rendered useless. Maybe as punishment for his sins.
He didn’t care about the arm. He didn’t care about his lost hearing. He would gladly give more, give anything, if it brought back Ryan, his spotter, his best friend.
Since Ryan and the others had died, screaming in pain, Cole hadn’t been the same.
So no, he could not have the peace Annie Murray was offering.

About The Author Black and White

Dana MartonDana Marton is the New York Times bestselling author of the Agents Under Fire series, the Hardstorm Saga, and the Broslin Creek novels. She is the winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, the Readers’ Choice Award, and the RITA Award. For more information about Marton and her work, please visit her at www.danamarton.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/danamarton.

Website: https://danamarton.com/   sign up for her newsletter and get a FREE novella!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanaMarton
Twitter:   @DanaMarton
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/danamarton

Giveaway -black and white

Dana Marton is graciously offering a Kindle e-copy of any one of her ‘back list’ books to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. LIKE Dana Marton on Facebook

4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

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8. Giveaway open internationally

9. Giveaway runs from December 30-January 4, 2018

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War Games by Jess Anastasi – a Review

War Games by Jess Anastasi – a Review

 

War GamesAmazon / B&N / Kobo / BAM / Book Depository

Description:
When one of her pilots is shot down behind enemy lines, Lieutenant Theresa Brenner will stop at nothing to save her before she’s captured and tortured, even if it means being part of the dirtside team led by Colonel Cameron McAllister. Bren might respect the way the colonel commands his men, but she’ll never trust Cam—no matter how charming he is—because he was responsible for her brother’s death. Colonel Cameron McAllister has a covert mission behind enemy lines to team with the Ilari rebels and overthrow the bloodthirsty dictator who’s torn their planet apart. The last thing he needs is to get sidetracked searching for a downed pilot, especially since it means having Lieutenant Theresa Brenner tag along. Not only doesn’t the frosty pilot have the ground game to keep up with his seasoned group, she’s a potential distraction with all those gorgeous blond curls of hers—and she might be just like her brother, whose foolhardiness got his men killed.

 

Review: 

War Games by Jess Anastasi is the fourth book in the Valiant Knox series. 
They can be read as separate books, but I found it easier to read them in order. As there is a lot of background stories. And for the author to include it in every book would be a little page consuming. 

In a previous book the tension between Cameron and Theresa (Bren) caught my attention, so I was eager to see how they get past their animosity for each other. 
For the past decade, both Bren and Cameron have kept their distances from each other. Both have their pride and neither will listen to the other. That is until a missing pilot brings them together, and they have to learn to trust one another, and from there they learn about the past and how they can move forward. 

Cameron lost a team of soldiers under his command due to Bren’s brother (and as far as he is concerned, she’s a liability just like her brother).  I found Cameron a complex person, although overbearing, he is loyal and there is nothing he won’t do for his men. 

Bren has had to work hard for her place in this world, her brother was her family and she totally blames Cameron for his death. She loves her job and won’t let one of her own become a prisoner.  She fears that the pilot will be tortured or worse, so she’ll suck it up and work with Cameron (but that doesn’t she mean she’ll like it) 

Bren finds Cameron overbearing and not at all understanding of her predicament, one of her pilots is missing……and she’s going on the mission, whether he likes it or not !! (And it’s definitely a not) 

This is a perfect action packed thriller.  I love reading this series, as the author puts you right in the action, and you can almost imagine the fight scenes.  Jess Anastasi writes the characters so well, that I have no problem conjuring them up in my mind, and all the past friendships and relationships in the previous books are the same. The series flows really well into the next book and it was nice catching up with the series. 
Reviewed by Julie B

Copy provided by Publisher

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The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson – a Review

The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson – a Review

 

Wolves of WinterAmazon / B&N / Kobo / BAM / Book Depository

Description:
A captivating tale of humanity pushed beyond its breaking point, of family and bonds of love forged when everything is lost, and of a heroic young woman who crosses a frozen landscape to find her destiny. This debut novel is written in a post-apocalyptic tradition that spans The Hunger Games and Station Eleven but blazes its own distinctive path.

Forget the old days. Forget summer. Forget warmth. Forget anything that doesn’t help you survive in the endless white wilderness beyond the edges of a fallen world.

Lynn McBride has learned much since society collapsed in the face of nuclear war and the relentless spread of disease. As the memories of her old life continue to haunt, she’s forced to forge ahead in the snow-drifted Canadian Yukon, learning how to hunt and trap and slaughter.

Shadows of the world before have found her tiny community—most prominently in the enigmatic figure of Jax, who brings with him dark secrets of the past and sets in motion a chain of events that will call Lynn to a role she never imagined.

Simultaneously a heartbreakingly sympathetic portrait of a young woman searching for the answer to who she is meant to be and a frightening vision of a merciless new world in which desperation rules, The Wolves of Winter is enveloping, propulsive, and poignant.

 

 

Review:

The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson is his debut novel.   I did not know what to expect when I started The Wolves of Winter, but by the time I finished the book, I really enjoyed this post-apocalyptic story, and very impressed with the writing of Tyrell Johnson.

In The Wolves of Winter, we meet the McBride family living in the cold snowy Canadian Yukon, surviving within their igloo and hunting.  Lynn McBride is our young heroine, and through her we learn how they ended up there; the world was decimated by a nuclear war and disease.

Lynn is a tough, smart, vulnerable and very likeable heroine.   She helps her mother, brother, uncle and cousin as they survive in this bitter wilderness.   But then Jax, a loner with a wolf, passes by and the family gives him food.  Jax warns them that there is danger from something called ‘Immunity’, and they learn fast when they are attacked.  Jax, who is very strong and powerful, manages with Lynn, Jeryl (uncle) and brother to kill the attackers.  After giving him food and shelter they find out that Jax is a hunted man. He is being hunted by Immunity, which is something more than scientists that want to cure the disease.

What follows is an interesting, and exciting adventure where Lynn will learn that her beloved deceased father was a scientist that helped start the disease, and when he realized Immunity was using it for a different purpose, he took his family and escaped to Canada.  Lynn will also follow Jax and Jeryl as they try to find the attacker who got away, only to find herself in danger.  This was an intense part, where Lynn will discover everything about the Immunity.  Will she survive?   Why is Immunity interested in Lynn and Jax?

The last ¼ of the book kept me glued to my seat anxious to see what happens.  There is a slight start to a romance between Jax and Lynn, but that will probably be explored in future books.  The Wolves of Winter was a gripping, exciting, tense and intriguing story line that leaves us wanting more.  There is nothing about this being a series, but it leaves a lot open to be continued.  I hope Johnson will continue this series. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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Moon Bound (LaRue #4) by Donna Grant-Review & Excerpt Tour

MOON BOUND (LaRue #4) by Donna Grant-Review and Excerpt Tour

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MOON BOUND
LaRue #4
by Donna Grant
Release Date: December 26, 2017
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal, romance

Moon Bound

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 26, 2017

HIS CURSE TO BEAR

Enigmatic and strong-willed werewolf Kane LaRue realizes the benefits of doing things in a pack. But not this time. He feels responsible for the additional terror a Voodoo priestess has leveled on his family, and has vowed to stop at nothing to end her reign of terror. He almost had Delphine once, and this time, he’s promised himself that he will succeed in wiping her from the face of the earth—or die trying. But when her followers almost destroy him, Kane is forced to accept the help of a stunning and fiercely independent woman who makes Kane re-evaluate what’s important…and listen to his heart.

HER WILL TO SURVIVE

Elise is a survivor, but because of the tragic events of her past, she has chosen to live out her days in the bayou, helping the animals she loves and giving back as much as she can to the community that literally saved her life. When a gorgeous dog she tries to save turns out to be so much more, Elise is compelled to let someone in—and faces things about herself she isn’t entirely comfortable with. But the breathtakingly handsome shifter makes her feel things she hasn’t experienced in ages, and she soon realizes that she needs Kane’s help as much as he needs hers. Together, they are unstoppable, and if they’re lucky, they just might rid the world of the evil that has plagued New Orleans for much too long.

••••••••••

REVIEW: MOON BOUND is the fourth and final instalment in Donna Grant’s contemporary, adult LaRUE paranormal, romance series focusing on the LaRue family of Louisiana- a spin off from the author’s CHAISSON series. This is werewolf Kane LaRue, and veterinarian Dr. Elise’s story line. MOON BOUND can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order for cohesion and backstory as there is an on-going premise through out as it pertains to voodoo priestess Delphine, who has cursed the siblings as werewolves, in an attempt to seek out and destroy other supernatural powers.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Elise and Kane) MOON BOUND is the culmination of several story line and two series that follows Kane LaRue, the remaining unmated LaRue sibling, as he hunts for the voodoo priestess who killed his parents, and destroyed their lives. Under attack from Delphine’s minions, Kane will be rescued and nursed back to health by the local veterinarian, a woman with whom he would fall in love. What ensues is the building romance between Kane and Elise, and the potential fall out as Kane goes rogue to destroy take down the priestess, once and for all.

Elise is a woman whose physical scars are matched by the emotional turmoil of an attack years before. Alone in the Bayou of Louisiana, Elise is the local animal doctor who is about to come across a species she knows nothing about. Kane LaRue isn’t looking for a mate but finding Dr. Elise triggers the beast, and his desire to mate but mating is the last thing on his mind as the couple find themselves surrounded at all times by the priestess’s own pack of evil werewolves.

The relationship between Elise and Kane slow to develop as our heroine continues to nurse Kane LaRue back to health. Our hero is determined to kill the voodoo creature that destroyed all of their lives but in doing so intends to sacrifice himself to save the siblings he left behind. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

All of Kane’s siblings and his cousin Riley play secondary and supporting characters. We are introduced to Babette, a woman who aided our heroine when she needed it the most; Ed Perkins, an elderly gentleman who knows more than he is letting on; and the requisite evil voodoo priestess Delphine who has crossed over between two series and finally meets her match.

MOON BOUND is a quick read with a bit of a twist; a novella length story line that focuses on the final showdown between good and evil. The premise is charming but the rush to the finish was a bit disappointing; the romance is enticing; the characters are colorful and dynamic. MOON BOUND and the LaRue Series are perfect for lovers of the paranormal romance story lines involving shifters, magic and happily ever afters.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

excerpt

Vicious growls yanked her from sleep. Elise sat up so fast, she knocked Mr. Darcy off her stomach. A look outside showed a pack of dogs attacking an animal.
She rushed to the door and banged her hands on the doorjamb to break up the fight, but none of the animals heard her over the commotion. Then she spotted black fur and realized the pack was attacking the black dog she’d seen before.
The danger didn’t even enter her mind when she grabbed the shotgun from atop her fridge and rushed from the house into the rain. She yelled, but nothing seemed to get the dogs’ attention. Then she fired off a shot into the ground, not to hit the animals, but to hopefully scare them off.
It worked. At least, it did at first. Then a few of the dogs returned to the black one.
“Get out of here!” she yelled and aimed the gun towards the pack, firing into the ground again.
She didn’t want to kill any of the animals, but she would if they didn’t give her a choice. Thankfully, after the second shot, they ran off into the woods.
Elise shook the water from her face but kept her gaze on the woods in case the pack returned. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the black dog collapse. She’d known he was large, but up close, he was massive. By the look of him, he had some wolf in him.
Yet the longer she looked, the more wolf she saw in his features. But that couldn’t be right. Wolves weren’t native to the area. After her months spent at a wolf conservatory, she knew the animals, and she was looking at a damn wolf.
After several minutes of quiet, she glanced around for any sign of the others. The animal was unconscious, his breathing shallow, and wounds all over him.
She couldn’t leave him out there since she needed to tend to his injuries, but getting a wolf into her house and the room she worked out of would be difficult. Not to mention that if he woke, she might not make it out of the situation alive.
Since she didn’t know the extent of his wounds, she didn’t want to give him a tranquilizer. Which left her few options.
Elise was about to go in and call someone for help when she happened to glance at the water. The rain had caused her to miss the slight ripples, but she spotted the eyes of a gator as it swam toward them. She glanced at the wolf and saw that his back legs were in the bayou.
“Well, shit,” she said and set down her gun to grab hold of him beneath his shoulders to pull his body out of the water and safely onto land, far enough away that hopefully, the alligator wouldn’t follow. She saw the blood pooling from wounds on his back leg that had filled the water with smells the gator couldn’t resist.
She took a chance and continued backing up toward her porch, glancing over her shoulder to check on her progress every few seconds—not to mention keeping an eye on the wolf while praying he didn’t wake and bite her.
When she finally reached the side door that she had put in to lead into the second bedroom that she’d converted for her work, she gently released the animal and leaned against the house for a second to catch her breath before rushing to get her gun.
She was soaked—with both rain and sweat. The wolf was incredibly heavy. She had no idea how she was going to get him up the steps and into the house without waking him.
After taking a few gulping breaths to calm her racing heart, she knew she had to do something before the wolf woke. Elise opened the side door and leaned her gun against the wall as she looked around for anything she could use to get him inside.
Her shoes slipped on the floor, causing her to bang into the stainless steel table. She winced and pushed the button on the side to lower it to the floor. Then she rushed back outside. It would be so much easier if someone were there to help her carry the animal inside.
She was reaching for the wolf when a howl split the air. Elise stood frozen, chills racing over her skin. A moment later, several more howls joined the first. By the sound of them, the pack had surrounded her house.
Swallowing, she lowered her gaze to the animal at her feet. This wasn’t her first time working on wild creatures. She’d gone to Montana to help the local wolf sanctuary with the animals for several summers, also helping the ones roaming the wilderness.
But she was never alone.
After so many years working on farm animals and pets, Elise found her hands shaking. She fisted them and took a deep breath. She could do this, but she had to move quickly because when the animal woke, he would tear through everything.
She bent to grab the animal when the fur began to recede—replaced by skin. Before her eyes, the black wolf changed into a man.
Startled, Elise stepped backward. Her heel caught the edge of the steps, and she began to fall. She waved her arms to right herself, but the next thing she knew, she was on the ground with rain pounding her face.
She hurriedly rolled onto her side and looked at the wolf/man. Thankfully, he was still unconscious.
A howl, closer than any of the others, caused her to jerk in fear. She jumped up and hooked her arms beneath the man’s arms and unceremoniously pulled him inside the house.

About The Author Black and Blue

donna_grant_newDonna Grant is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the sizzling Dark King series featuring dragons, immortal Highlanders, and the Fae.

She was born and raised in Texas but loves to travel. Her adventures have taken her throughout the United States as well as to Jamaica, Mexico, and Scotland. Growing up on the Texas/Louisiana border, Donna’s Cajun side of the family taught her the “spicy” side of life while her Texas roots gave her two-steppin’ and bareback riding.

Despite deadlines and voracious reading, Donna still manages to keep up with her two children, four cats, and one long haired Chihuahua.

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Come Home With Me (Blue Moon Harbor #2) by Susan Fox-Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

Come Home With Me (Blue Moon Harbor #2) by Susan Fox-Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

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COME HOME WITH ME
Blue Moon Harbor #2
by Susan Fox
Release Date: December 26, 2017
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance

Come Home With Me

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

About the book: Release Date December 26, 2017

It may be a dot in the Pacific Northwest, but tiny Blue Moon Harbor always has room for love . . .

Miranda Gabriel has finally hit rock-bottom. As a high-school drop-out, she fled Blue Moon Harbor and her shattered family life, and chased after love in all the wrong places. But now, as a single mom, her priority is her two-year-old daughter. Her only choice is to swallow her pride and return to the island she’s always hated. At least between working and studying, she’ll be too busy for romance–especially when the prospect is a nice guy, exactly the kind she knows she doesn’t deserve…

The island veterinarian, Luke Chandler is a widower raising four-year-old twin boys. In high school, he found bad girl Miranda fascinating–and though life has changed them both, he’s still intrigued. Luke has known true love, and something about Miranda makes him long to experience it again. Yet he’s wary of opening himself, and his boys, to hurt. But his heart may not give him a choice. And together, maybe he and Miranda can give each other the courage to believe in themselves, and to embrace a promising new future . . .

••••••••••••

Review: Come Home with Me begins with Miranda trying to find her place in the world, and on Destiny Island. She along with her daughter, Ariana, had no choice but to come back to the island and accept the help that her brother offered. Miranda had always tried to make it on her own, but it became harder once she became a single mom. Although she and her brother, Aaron, have always been close, she can’t help but feel a little jealous at how his life had turned out. Newly engaged to Eden, Miranda couldn’t help but worry about her place in Aaron’s life. It had always been Miranda and Aaron against the world, and she just didn’t know if she would ever fit into the family that he was building. Determined to get an education and make a better life for herself and Ariana, dating was the last thing she was interested in….

Luke Chandler had tragically lost his wife four years earlier. Raising twin boys and his vet practice had always been his priority, but a chance encounter with Miranda at a store in which she worked left him intrigued. Luke and Miranda had gone to school together, but were never really friends. She seemed nothing like she’d been in high school, but he decided that maybe, just maybe, it was time to test the dating waters. Even though Miranda initially resisted, they decided to hang out with their kids as friends.

Miranda wants to take things slow. She’s never been lucky in the dating world, having made one bad choice after another, but she finds herself drawn to Luke, which gives her something she’s never really felt before…..hope. As she and Luke navigate a budding relationship, doubt gets in the way for them both.

Come Home with Me is a great addition to the Blue Moon Harbor series. Miranda, whom we meet in the first book of the series, is a nicely written character. She’s so defeated when she arrives on the island. Her life has never been easy and she has trouble accepting help from her brother, let alone all of the extended family opening their hearts and homes to her. Luke is great character as well. His sense of loyalty and honor leaps off the page as you read his story. His devotion to his family will endear him to you as he tries to bring Miranda into the fold. I also loved that the two of them had to work on their relationship and figure out exactly what they wanted from each other. The secondary characters are nicely written as well. This series, at least for me, is an emotional one. It’s a story filled with real life feelings and situations. Come Home with Me is ultimately a story of redemption and realizations that yes, you are good enough to be happy. Well done, Susan Fox! Very well done!

Reading Order and Previous review
Fly Away With Me
Come Home With Me

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Vickie M

Guest post

Characters We Care About

Hi there, Reading Café readers! Thanks for sharing time with me today.

I was just listening to an award-winning author being interviewed on the radio. She was asked why readers feel so passionate about her books. She said it’s because they have empathy for the characters. They care about them, even if those characters aren’t perfect.

And I thought, yes! That’s exactly it for me, too. It’s about being drawn in deeply, emotionally, getting personally invested in a character’s life, so you care about what happens to her or him.

I’m sure each author has her/his own process for creating that kind of character. Some authors want to know pretty much everything about their heroine and hero before they start to write. Not me. I’m an organic writer, which means the story and characters develop as I write. It’s not particularly efficient, because it means a lot of going back and revising, but there’s a wonderful sense of discovery that keeps me enthusiastic about writing.

Some authors do detailed character profiles, including things like what they eat for breakfast and who taught them in first grade. Nope, not me. Not unless those details are important to the story. For me, what’s key is this: Who is this person today, and what experiences went into making her/him that way?

Character development, or maybe the better word is evolution, works a bit differently for me with each book. For example, if it’s the first in a series, I’m creating characters from scratch. But in the case of Come Home With Me, I already knew some things about the heroine, Miranda Gabriel, because she was a secondary character in my first Blue Moon Harbor book, Fly Away With Me. She’s the hero Aaron’s younger half-sister, a single mom with a two-year-old daughter. I knew about her and Aaron’s dysfunctional childhood, and how it had damaged them. I knew Miranda was fiercely proud, but that she hit rock bottom (in Fly Away With Me) and, for the sake of her daughter, was forced to accept her brother’s offer of assistance. That meant returning to Destiny Island, a place she hated.

So I had a good start on Miranda, and knew she’d evolve further as I wrote the book. As for the hero, Luke Chandler, I knew only a little. He was the widowed father of twin boys, and he was a veterinarian. I had a lot more “evolving” to do with Luke, as I wrote!

But for me, that’s the fun of it. As I work on a book, I think about family background, love lives, careers, friendships, community, all the things that make for a three-dimensional character, one whose thoughts and feelings ring true for the reader. One the reader can root for.

Luke turned out to be more “perfect” than Miranda, but perfect is boring so of course he needed some hangups. One was whether his love for his deceased wife would prevent him from moving forward. And then, at least three-quarters of the way through the first draft, I had one of those “aha” moments when a deeper level of his character revealed itself to me and I discovered another hangup.

Miranda was definitely not perfect. Luke refers to her as a “rosebud with thorns,” and yes, she’s plenty prickly. But her prickles are rooted in a very troubled past. As I wrote, I learned the details of that past, and the full significance of her dragon tattoo and the secret it hides.

I have a degree in psychology, and sometimes it seems to me that, with my characters, I almost play the role of counsellor as much as that of author. I listen to what they say and don’t say, I ask them questions, I reflect on how they’ve been influenced by the past, I come to know their values and philosophy of life. I learn what they fear most, as well as their secret dreams. Writing is a process of creation, but also a process of revelation. Sometimes I’m in charge, analyzing personality traits and doing research, and sometimes my characters are in charge, guiding my fingers as I type.

For me, writing is an intellectual process and it’s also an instinctive, intuitive one. And did I mention, it’s fun? As well as challenging, sometimes frustrating, and often stressful. But it’s worth every minute, when my characters come alive to me and to readers. When they’re as multi-dimensional as real live people. When their joys and sorrows tug at our heartstrings because we’re so invested in their personal journeys.

Yes, for me it’s all about character. It’s all about emotion.

How about for you, as a reader? What makes for a book that resonates with you, one that stays in your heart and your mind?

about the author

Susan FoxFollow Susan: Facebook / Goodreads / Website / Pinterest / Amazon / BookBub

International bestselling author Susan Fox, who also writes as Susan Lyons and Savanna Fox, “knows what women want in contemporary romance” (Publishers Weekly). Her books have won numerous awards and Love Somebody Like You: A Caribou Crossing Romance was a RITA® finalist. Her latest series is Blue Moon Harbor, from Kensington Zebra. A resident of both Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia, Susan has degrees in law and psychology, but would far rather be writing fiction than living in the real world. Visit her at susanlyons.ca (where you can subscribe to her newsletter) and on Facebook.com/SusanLyonsFox.

Giveaway

Susan Fox is graciously offering a signed, paper copy of COME FLY WITH ME to ONE (1) commenter at The Reading Cafe. Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY

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9. Giveaway runs from December 28, 2017-January 2, 2018

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