Queen's Ransom: Fog City Book 4, Layla Reyne

This is actually my first FF story and because it's an author I adore I had no second-guessing or hesitations when diving in.  I've already come to love these women throughout the previous stories in this series and I needed to know their story.

Something to keep in mind before reading...  This isn't exactly something you can read without having read the previous stories in the series because the interconnection, connected plots, danger, players, side characters...just everything, is just so much that if you started with Queen's Ransom it'd be very confusing trying to keep everyone straight (or not so straight as the personal preferences run the wonderful gamut of the Kinsey scale here in this family).

Helena and Cee could really have used a hundred more pages to delve deeper into the romantic part of this story since it wasn't a trilogy like Chris and Hawes got, but what we did get was both sweet and dramatic enough to fit well into the series and give us more angst that we'll need to really yearn for Brax and Holt's story.

Both women were passionate, caring, and while there was a considerable amount of hesitation and back and forth by Helena, it wasn't without merit and did get an adequate resolution at the end.  Cee also showed her mettle and she is every bit as wonderful as we've come to know before now.  I can't wait to rejoin their family and see their conclusion as every one of the Madigans get their HEA.

*4.99 on Amazon or FREE on KU

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Everyone leaves.
Love is risky business when you're an assassin.
Helena Madigan has lost loved ones to the family business before. Now that she's in charge, she's determined never to risk her heart again.
Except every time Celia enters the room, she takes Helena's breath away.

But the one time someone stays...

Celia Perri likes to be helpful.
She just wants to run the family auto shop, raise her kids, and help her brother plan his wedding.
But when a drive-by shooting targets the garage, Celia's simple life is upended.
Now ensconced within the Madigan family, there's no escaping Helena, the blonde bombshell she's been crushing on for months.

It could cost her everything.
As the Madigans investigate, Celia witnesses their love and loyalty up close.
And their business.
Instead of being afraid, she sees a place for herself among them. She could be a confidant and caregiver--if only Helena would stop pushing her away. If only she'd admit their mutual attraction might lead to more.
And if only someone would stop shooting at them long enough to find out.

*Queen's Ransom is the fourth book in the Fog City romantic suspense series. It can be read as a stand-alone but is best enjoyed after reading books one through three of the series, in fact, it's definitely my opinion that you're taking a bit of a risk starting here instead of with Prince of Killers.

About Layla

Layla Reyne is the author of the Fog City, Agents Irish and Whiskey, Trouble Brewing, and Changing Lanes series.  A Carolina Tar Heel who now calls the San Francisco Bay Area home, Layla enjoys weaving her bi-coastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart-pounding romance.

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Heart of the Mountain, Frankie Love and C.M. Seabrook

I wanted so much to like this story.  A heroine who is putting her life on the line for a baby, a celibate (virgin in this case) hero, and a rugged mountain setting...should be amazing, right?  If only.  If only they lived up to the idea I had of them before I started reading.

I just had a really hard time with the heroine's knee-jerk reactions that constantly put her in worse danger.  Her courage was admirable, but she made things worse on multiple occasions and that didn't sit well with me.  There were so many other things she could have done, that he could have done, but once again, we're all victims of their inability to communicate and think before acting.  Which totally bites because I wanted to like this book!!  The big conflict just didn't work for me either.  A lot of build up and a whole lot of crazy that seemed more like a rushed resolution.

According to the Amazon reviews pouring in, it appears that I am in the minority.  I usually love the author's work and snag almost every book she writes, but this story just did not live up to her usual standard, in my opinion.

*99¢ on Amazon

An angel.
It's the worst rainstorm in history when I find her unconscious in the woods.
Sent from heaven.
She's lost and alone, a newborn baby in her arms.
I will protect them. My cabin is their shelter from the storm. Under my care, no one can hurt them.
Whatever the cost. But I'm not who she thinks I am.
And if she finds out, she'll keep on running.
My home is her home, my heart her heart. And I sure as hell don't want to break it.

Where have I been?

So...I've been gone and not posting.  To the disappointment of many authors I haven't kept up my end of the ARC promises and honestly, it's an even bigger disappointment to myself.  I've just not had my heart in it.  When you think you need to escape into books but all the books you read remind you of what you've lost, what you don't have, what you should have had, it's hard to be objective.  I love reading and I love reviewing and even though I don't have many followers at all, I still do it.  I'll get back to it, in fact, from now on you'll see quite a flood of reviews posted all in the name of catching up and moving forward.  So why have I been absent?  Why the drama?  Something happened in my life that I never thought would happen to me...

My husband is divorcing me.

A decade and two kids in and what I thought I was building has met an earthquake of epic proportions.  Without getting into detail, our marriage is over for various predictable reasons.  The major one being that we're just not compatible any longer.  It's a gross understatement for the emotional upheaval I've felt over the past year plus, but it's the very simplest way of describing what happened with us.  It didn't begin as a mutual decision, but it became one once I realized that you can't beg someone to love you if they don't and won't.  I'm just not the person he wants.

Thank you, Adele, #truth

Knowing what I know now if I could go back to the start, would I have chosen him?  Yeah.  I knew who he was and who he could be, not someone different, just who he would be as he grew and changed through life.  I knew that his strengths were the opposite of my weaknesses and he helped me grow and improve.  His faults were acceptable to me because no one is perfect, least of all me, and I thought he felt the same way.  I don't find it naive in any way to get married young if you know what you're getting into and know that life breeds change.  If you're invested and choose to grow with and alongside someone, there's nothing to say that just because change happens that what you committed to in the beginning won't work later.

Could I have done more to make my marriage work?  Yeah, I mean, there's always something you can do and to show your partner you're invested and willing to work through issues.  But honestly, it comes down to the fact that he just wanted someone else, someone I wasn't nor would ever be.  If he had known who he was and what he truly wanted and what he was really about back when we first got together, I really believe he never would have chosen me.  Sucks, but it's true.

So now I get to piece my life together into a whole new puzzle.  I definitely have hope for the future, my future.  Being pretty much alone in a country where you have close to no one is rough, not gonna lie, but by making a concerted effort to build my own community here I have a chance to create something all my own and I'm looking forward to it.  I fear it, but I'm also determined to not let that fear stop me from finding myself here.

Do I know where I'm going (metaphorically speaking) or what I'm doing?  Hell no.  Am I up for the challenge?  Hell yes.  I'm by no means comfortable with my situation, but isn't that when we grow the most?  I'm sure hoping so.  And along the way I'm ready to completely dive back into my books.  I'm excited to read and find myself moved by synopses now that I was numb to for the past few months.  I've signed my girls up for a fun summer reading program at our local library, I've pretty much maxed out all my libraries' loan limits, and I've got a manageable list of ARCs I'm eager to enjoy.

Here's to hoping...

Life isn't easy, it's definitely not predictable, and it's too short to remain unhappy.  What was a devastating shock is something I'm determined to turn into a personal stepping stone to my best self.  Is there any other way to see it?  What can I say, I'm a realistic optimist.  I do what I want, and what I want is to be happy.  I'll find my happiness and my books will be there to remind me that it's out there somewhere.

Build: Burns Brothers Book 1, Gillian Archer

Series: Burns Brothers #1

A struggling single mom and a celebrity bike builder don't really travel in the same social circles, let alone spend days together snowed in at a luxury cabin, but that's just how Austin and Rachel begin a tumultuous road to their own forever.  Their first meeting is less-than ideal but as they share insecurities, vulnerabilities, and their bodies, they begin to build something that scares them with how much they don't want to let go.  It takes time, disappointment, re-prioritizing, and a whole lot of humility before they can hope find the road they're meant to travel and if they wait too long, they just might miss their chance to stay on it together.

Austin impulsively escapes from the craziness of family and news of his father's impending parole with a plan to get completely wasted and forget all of it for as long as possible.  I wasn't a fan of his at first.  Not at all.  His thoughts and actions were demeaning, prick-ish, selfish, whiny, and overly dramatic.  I understood why he ended up that way, but it doesn't mean I liked it.  Yet as he softened to Rachel, started making the effort necessary to keep her and move forward, I found myself softening toward him in return.  It didn't take long for him to win me over, even with him pulling another runner.  If not for that he wouldn't have seen what his ultimate problem was with not just his relationship with Rachel, but with everyone in his life that matters.

When Rachel heads up the mountain in the beginnings of a snowstorm it takes every ounce of courage she possesses to not turn around.  I admired her strength and understood her vulnerability.  As for her being a single mom, I truly feel what she felt because it was described with such heart.  The way she reacted to Austin's mistake was understandable, but it was beyond frustrating how she prolonged the agony and refused to see his selfless efforts to show what he was truly made of, that he could change for the better and was worth another chance.  I also got super annoyed by all the meddling, even if it eventually turned out alright, mostly because it was so constant and there was nothing really said that was poignant enough to let her think in silence about what was right in front of her.  Instead it was all thrust in front of her face and even I felt myself getting defensive on her behalf despite being on the meddler's side of things.

But when we get to their resolution I could forgive all that because it was so honest, sweet, and heartfelt.  I loved where they ended up and came to terms with how they got there.  Learning about Austin's brothers all along the way and especially at the end with how connected, forgiving, and supportive they all were, even with their own brand of attitude to rough up the softer feels, went a long way to keeping me invested in what's to come from this series.

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Welcome to Bad@ss Builds where the motorcycles are as sexy as the brothers building them.

Austin Burns:

I thought she wasn’t real the first time I saw her. To be fair I was a hungover mess when I woke up and looked into her gorgeous eyes. After getting the second worst news of my life—that my father would be paroled soon—I’d escaped to my buddy’s posh cabin near Lake Tahoe. Now the maid with the gorgeous eyes is snowed in with me, and I wonder if she might be a better distraction than the mountain of booze I’d planned on drinking. She’s curvy in all the right places, and the snow is falling faster.

Rachel Tannenbaum:

As a single mom, I don’t have time for men, especially irresponsible tattooed bad boys like my ex. But Austin is hot. And sexy. And stuck here in the cabin with me. I can’t say no to a fling with this bad boy, especially since Austin is so gorgeous and awkwardly sweet.

One night becomes two, and I don’t know if I can risk my heart—and my little boy’s—if Austin wants it to become more when we get through the snow and back to reality.

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About Gillian Archer...

Gillian has a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering but prefers to spend her time on happily ever after. She writes the kind of stories she loves to read—the hotter the better!

When Gillian’s not pounding away on the keyboard, she can be found surfing the couch indulging in her latest reality tv fixation, baking something ridiculously tasty (and horrible for her waist line) or snuggling with her husband.

Home is currently in the wilds of Nevada with her amazing husband, ridiculously cute kiddo, and goofy dog.

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Faith: SEAL'ed Book 5, Andi Jaxon and AJ Alexander

Being randomly paired with a soldier overseas, Becca begins to write letters to a lonely SEAL and finds her heart being slowly engaged by the man.  Justin is captivated by the lonely but beautiful soul that has become a true friend through their correspondence.  What he didn't expect was the desires he'd have toward her romantically or that he'd want to have her and her daughter for his own.  But Becca is running in fear of a future heartbreak she's sure is inevitable.  Justin will have a tremendous task in front of him if he hopes to claim his family, but no SEAL backs down from a challenge.  If Becca can find the faith to believe in her letter lover, she might find freedom from grief and an enduring love she never expected to find a second time around.

The premise here was so sweet and I'm a sucker for a pen-pal turned more because they have a chance to build something immensely strong before lust enters the picture.  Too often we find relationships based on sex first rather than a foundation of all the other solid stuff.  There's nothing wrong with physical passion in a relationship, for many it's an essential part of it.  But everyone knows sex has a way of confusing things and lengthening relationships that really shouldn't have happened in the first place.  What we get here is something tangible and sweet and deep before adding in the physical attraction, which is definitely abundant on both ends.

What bothers me here, though, is Becca.  She vacillates so quickly and uses her daughter as a shield rather than a legitimate reason.  If she wants friendship first, stick to that and don't keep her daughter from knowing a good man.  Having a great male influence in her daughter's life can benefit her beyond the possibility that the connection could turn into more.  There's no rule that says if you can't have someone as a lover that you need to break your kids' heart by separating them from someone who genuinely cares about them beyond what they might feel or not feel for you.  Becca going from wanting more to shedding tears over cutting herself and him off, to deciding to keep him in her life, then again to reiterating the same fears yet again to her girlfriends gets super annoying very quickly.

Justin is mature and I liked him quite a lot.  He had a clear understanding of where she was coming from and knew how far he'd go for her and them together.  He didn't push, he respected her and loved her for all the best reasons.  His confessions and the end were so very sweet, absolutely worth reading in the end.  The depth of character created here was almost enough to make up for Becca's disappointing predictability.

The story dragged in places because we kept going over the same thoughts over and over from both perspectives, mostly Becca, and we didn't actually learn much that was new no matter how many times we covered their fears.  I honestly skimmed a ton of the story making it much shorter than even the novella is originally.  After reading Honor and Love from this series I have to say I had super low expectations for this story.  I'm glad it seems to have improved greatly and I may even go back to give Fate a chance.  Overall, this is one of the the better books from a cliche, erotic, and superficial series that could have been great.

*$2.99 on Amazon or FREE on KU!

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*Honor: SEAL'ed Book 1

is only 99¢!

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Andi Jaxon
 

Raised all over the USA, Andi Jaxon is an interesting mix of East Coast meets West Coast with a little bit of Southern thrown in, just for good measure. She drinks too much coffee until it's late enough to drink too much wine and while her husband is defending his country, Andi is sexually frustrated for your freedom. If you see Andi online, she is probably sitting in a closet, hiding from her kids.

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AJ Alexander

AJ Alexander is a wannabe psychologist, writer, and author of the recently completed, SEAL’ed Series. AJ’s passion is writing angst filled happily ever afters that have to be earned by her characters. Women with no backbone need not apply.  AJ uses sarcasm and an unlimited supply of song lyrics to bring her romance novels to life.

AJ lives in the angst capital of the world, Seattle Washington with her own personal knight in shining armour and her two beautiful girls.

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Hide and Seek: Playing with Fire Book 2, Anne Conley

Joey is unsure of what he wants is future to look like and who he wants in it with him.  He's freshly dumped by someone who never had his heart and when he catches the eye, and disdain, of a fiery beauty he thinks he might have just caught a little clue about that future.  Except Vivian wants nothing to do with the muscle-bound hottie, no matter what her lust-starved body says; she's got a lot riding on her keeping her head, and her heart, out of the sheets and firmly in control.  Joey's never met a challenge he backed down from and Vivian's heart doesn't stand a chance.  As they open their hearts to one another it's clear they both want something more, something deep and lasting, but if they can't see what's right in front of them and take a chance, it'll slip right through their fingers.

It was Joey that captured my attention right away.  I knew there was something special about him and it became clear when his earnestness and devotion to Vivian even when she was only an idea once he met her.  Changing his ways and turning himself inside out to prove he was worth a chance as well as falling in love with her daughter endeared him to me even more.  And when he apologized right away and admitted to his lack of knowledge and understanding regarding both Carly and their history I was practically swooning.  He really was the complete package despite his cockiness, bravado, and difficulty accepting his mother's new-found happiness because he was willing to own his faults and improve for the sake of himself and to have a future with Vivian and Carly.

While I knew Joey wasn't perfect, I loved him for everything that found a balance.  Vivian didn't have that balance.  She was constantly shooting herself in the foot.  Being so anti men based on one, albeit horrible, experience was short-sighted.  Her commitment to her daughter was admirable and I absolutely do not fault her for it, except it often went to the extreme.  Protecting her heart is one thing but when she was almost cruel in her actions I couldn't get on board.  Her evolution, however, was wonderful.  She went from being surrounded by walls to being open and laid bare for someone she learned she could trust to treat her the way she deserved.  I enjoyed watching her open up to Joey and to the women who became her good friends, seeing her build her own community of support and love.

I enjoyed the story overall and felt that there was a lot of potential for both characters both as individuals and together.  Joey felt like a complete person and watching him grow and mature made everything worth it.  Similarly with Vivian, watching her become the softer, more open, more forgiving version of herself showed me that they were worth getting to know.  I did feel that Carly read a lot older than her described age, though to be fair, she could just be emotionally, verbally, and socially advanced for her age.  Overall, it was a pleasure to read their story mostly for their individual growth and for the passion that they shared that deepened into something long-lasting.

*$2.99 on Amazon!

Justice for Hope: Badge of Honor Book 12, Susan Stoker

Take the Cinderella trope mixed with It Could Happen to You all with a darker edge and you have Hope Drayden's story.  Grief, pain, struggle...there's only so much you can take when you're on the run.  But Hope has her little boy with her and she's determined to survive for him.  When she meets Calder Stonewall she's reluctant to trust him.  He's law enforcement, big, awkward, imposing...and yet she's surprised to find that her son and a small part of her soul trusts him.  Calder is determined to create a place for himself in her life, to support, encourage, and to love her.  But an unknown enemy threatens everything they're building.

Calder has a quiet strength about him that I enjoyed quite a lot.  I found his bumbling endearing when he would overshare, babble, or say those slightly disturbing things that didn't make it through the filter.  I would have liked it if his endearing quirks were consistently present throughout the story instead of pretty much ending right after he shows up at the diner.  Most things go away with the ease of comfort he finds with more time with Hope but the things that made him so very unique seemed to be lost and set aside in favor of his declarations of intention.  I loved that he wore his heart so clearly on his sleeve for Hope, and especially Billy, but in and amongst all those heartfelt, direct, fierce statements I wanted a little more of his brand of unique.

Hope was straightforward in her character.  A fierce mother, a kind mother, an alluring woman with a spine of steel and an open heart.  I'm glad she wasn't so determined to do everything on her own that it was to her detriment, that she didn't allow her stubborn will to usurp her good sense.  Because when she opened her mind she also opened her world to the amazing community Calder brought with him.  That when she needed help in a big way, she had friends and adopted family at her back and in her corner.

While the dramatic element was expected, the villain was not.  It was a surprise that both dropped the severity of the moment while at the same time making it scarier.  When we don't have a name for the enemy it has you jumping at any and all shadows and threats.  The resolution was sweet and triumphant.  Where family is everything, this story made sure to keep that love as a focus throughout.  Love, healing, relief, support...when you have a family surrounding you with those things what you really find is freedom.

*$5.99 on Amazon!