Kimberly’s Review – Page 45

August 9, 2018August 7, 2018

Kimberly reviews The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer

TITLE: The Escape Artist
CHARACTERS: Jim Zwicharowski
AUTHOR: Brad Meltzer
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/06/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
In #1 bestselling author Brad Meltzer’s new thriller, death is just another way to disappear.

Two hours outside of Washington, DC is the mortuary for the U.S. government’s most top-secret and high profile cases. America’s most important funeral home. To work there, mortician Jim “Zig” Zwicharowski has one rule: never let a case get personal. But when a new body arrives–of young female sergeant Nola Brown, who was a childhood friend of Zig’s daughter–Zig can’t help himself. Looking closely at Nola’s body, he realizes immediately: this isn’t Nola. Indeed, his daughter’s friend is still alive. And on the run. Zig’s discovery reveals a sleight of hand being played at the highest levels of power–and traces back through history to a man named Harry Houdini. “Nola, you were right. Keep running.”

REVIEW:
One of my favorite things about Meltzer’s books is the trueness in them and this one is not different. However what is different in this one is the sadness that I felt. This book shows how our US Soldiers are treated when their bodies return.

The suspense is very high in this book and what I loved (and hated) was each chapter made me want to turn the page and start the next chapter. Very few books anymore give me that “oh just one more chapter” feel but this one did. Each chapter ended with just enough of a cliffhanger that I had to read on.

Meltzer is amazing and this book proves it.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

August 8, 2018August 7, 2018

Kimberly reviews Assassins’ America by Jessica Gunderson & Joe Tougas

TITLE: Assassins’ America
CHARACTERS: Various Presidents
AUTHOR: Jessica Gunderson & Joe Tougas
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/01/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Lincoln watched a play. Garfield walked through a train station. McKinley shook hands with his public. Kennedy smiled and waved from a motorcade. In these moments shots rang out and four presidents suffered mortal wounds. Some say their assassins were calculating killers. Others say they were madmen guided by strange notions of the world. Assassins’ America examines the life of each killer and his victim. Their stories are full of twists and mysteries, and even today Americans live with lasting effects of these terrible crimes.

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts This is an interesting read. There are sections on each president that are quick reads and give you some background into each one. But the sections also explain the assassination of each and why the author believes the assassinations happened.

I have been on a bit of a kick about real life and death of presidents and celebrities alike and I found this book very interesting. Especially the parts about Lincoln and Kennedy since we have heard so much about them already.

Interesting read for any history buff.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

August 7, 2018August 5, 2018

Kimberly reviews Last Seen by Rick Mofina

TITLE: Last Seen
CHARACTERS: The Hudson Family
AUTHOR: Rick Mofina
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/27/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
They are the perfect family. But perfection is fragile.

Cal Hudson knows the world can be an ugly place. As a reporter for a big Chicago newspaper, Cal has journeyed into society’s darkest corners to expose the vilest crimes. But the world he and his devoted wife, Faith, share with their son is much nicer. They have made sure of it, creating a tranquil haven in suburban River Ridge to protect the person most precious to them.

Until the unthinkable happens, and nine-year-old Gage vanishes.

In a split second at a local carnival, the Hudsons’ storybook world begins unraveling. A frantic search starts to uncover splinters in their carefully crafted facade, revealing buried secrets that cast just as much suspicion on Cal and Faith as any ill-meaning stranger, and proving that the line between love and violence can disappear as suddenly as a child on a chaotic midway.

REVIEW:
As a parent this is the worst of nightmares. Your child is missing and you need to contact the FBI for help. So many kids so missing a year that it could happen to anyone.

Mofina is one of my go to authors for suspense. And in this book he is at his best. I enjoyed all the characters. I enjoyed how real it was even though you know it is fiction. But knowing this could happen to anyone makes you pay closer attention to how the case is handled.

I will warn you though the book is LONG. More than 500 pages. But the good part is Mofina puts so many twist and turns and it is written with a flow that makes it a pretty quick read for so many pages.

This book and Rick Mofina is a most read.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

August 6, 2018August 5, 2018

Kimberly reviews Collision Point by Lora Leigh

TITLE: Collision Point
SERIES #: Brute Force #1
CHARACTERS: Rory & Amara
AUTHOR: Laura Leigh
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/27/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Riordan “Rory” Malone is a force to be reckoned with. A member of the Brute Force Protection Agency and an operative working with the Elite Ops, Rory is the fiercest of warriors and protectors. Honed from the strong Irish stock of their grandfather and sharpened to a razor’s edge, Malone men live for one single purpose: to protect the women who own them, body and soul. From the moment he saw Amara Resnova, he knew she could be that woman.

But Amara, daughter of an alleged notorious crime lord, is a force in her own right. When she betrays her father, she’s finds herself in the arms of a man who is dangerous for her body and soul.

Can Rory keep Amara safe while protecting his own heart? Can Amara trust Rory not to break hers even as the danger mounts, threatening to take them and their passion to a breaking point?

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts This is a new series for Lora Leigh. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I have to say I think people will either love or dislike it. That being said I am not sure which one I am.

As for the adventure. There is a lot. Amara has lost her memory and Rory will do what he needs to do so she is protected but also does what he needs to do to have her get her memory back and to trust him again. The problem is I can’t image that sex is the best cure for amnesia.

But if you are reading this for the sex scenes that Leigh is becoming quite known for than you will love this story.

Being that this is the first in the series there is a lot of getting to know. I will certainly be picking up book 2 in the series.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

August 3, 2018July 31, 2018

Kimberly reviews Covert Game by Christina Feehan

TITLE: Covert Game
SERIES #: Ghostwalkers #14
CHARACTERS: Gino & Zara
AUTHOR: Christine Feehan
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/20/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Treason, torture and temptation haunt the GhostWalkers in their most dangerous adventure yet, as Christine Feehan’s #1 New York Times bestselling series hits an explosive new high.

Rescuing an industrial spy from the hands of a criminal mastermind is a suicide mission for the GhostWalkers. And there’s no one more up to the task than Gino Mazza. He’s the perfect killing machine–a man driven by demons so dark and destructive that his blighted soul has given up trying to find solace. But his laser-sharp focus on his target has transformed into something nearing desire.

A treasonous senator dangled top secret GhostWalker data in front of a Chinese crime lord, and he bit. Zara Hightower, one of the world’s leading experts on artificial intelligence, was sent in to psychically wipe the crime lord’s computer network. She succeeded, but at a huge cost. Now she’s the captive of a man who has descended into paranoid madness. Torture and death await her…

But GhostWalkers never leave one of their own in enemy territory. And it’s up to Gino to save Zara, or kill her if it turns out she’s led them into a trap. Either way, heaven or hell won’t stop him…

REVIEW:
The GhostWalkers! A group that gets my heart beating every time. I have been a fan of this series from the beginning. And while there have been some that I have liked more or less than others they never disappoint.

The thing about this series is the guys. There is something special about each of them and I mean that literally. And Gino is no different. As with all of the other men in the series they are diamonds in the rough. They can kill with the slightest of moves and yet when the right woman comes along their hearts melt. Ok well maybe melt is a strong word but you know what I mean.

Gino has had a terrible past. Zara was created with a specialness that even GhostWalkers may question. But they are perfect for each other. And as also Whitney is devious and as mad as they come. He is set to get and keep Zara for all the plans he set in to motion.

Feehan is one of the best and this is just another shining star in the series. Can’t wait for the next!

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

August 2, 2018July 31, 2018

Kimberly reviews A Dangerous Game by Heather Graham

TITLE: A Dangerous Game
SERIES #: New York Confidential #3
CHARACTERS: Kieran & Craig
AUTHOR: Heather Graham
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/13/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The third novel in the New York Confidential series by long-established NYT bestselling romantic suspense author Heather Graham. This is the author’s romantic-suspense stream, in addition to her successful ongoing mass market paperback paranormal romantic suspense series.

Psychologist Kieran Finnegan is thrust into the middle of an investigation into human trafficking when a desperate woman shoves an infant into her arms and then flees…only to be murdered minutes later on a busy Manhattan street. Despite the fact that it isn’t an FBI case, Special Agent Craig Frasier starts poking around, because Kieran can’t stop thinking about the child and the victim. Their one lead comes through the pub, Finnegan’s on Broadway. One of the waitresses also volunteers at a church outreach center, and had been in contact with a distraught young pregnant woman, whom she recommended Kieran to as someone who might be able to help her. When Kieran goes to the outreach center to do some off-the-books investigating of her own, she is approached by two women who are worried for their missing friend, and who reveal that they were part of a human trafficking ring that did business in babies. As Craig and Kieran delve deeper into the underbelly of NYC trying to find out more, the dangerous elements of the ring come to the surface, hoping to silence Kieran before she exposes them.

REVIEW:
I honestly am not sure why I keep requesting this series. Other than it is Heather Graham I have no reason to pick it out. I have not been a fan of this series from the beginning but I keep trying it. And again this just didn’t strike me.

I am a HUGE fan of Graham’s and a HUGER (yeah I know that is not a word) fan of the Krewe of Hunters series. Maybe if I didn’t have those books to compare to I would enjoy this one more but it is hard to not see exactly what is missing from this series to the other.

I can imagine fans of Graham’s that do not like the Krewe series might find this series worth the read. And knowing me I will request the next one too. But 3 stars is the best I can do.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

August 1, 2018July 31, 2018

Kimberly reviews The Third Victim by Phillip Margolin

TITLE: The Third Victim
CHARACTERS: Regina & Robin
AUTHOR: Phillip Margolin
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/06/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A woman stumbles onto a dark road in rural Oregon—tortured, battered, and bound. She tells a horrific story about being kidnapped, then tortured, until she finally managed to escape. She was the lucky one—two other women, with similar burns and bruises, were found dead.

The surviving victim identifies the house where she was held captive and the owner, Alex Mason—a prominent local attorney—is arrested. Although he loudly insists upon his innocence, his wife’s statements about his sexual sadism and the physical evidence found at the scene, his summer home, is damning.

Regina Barrister is a legendary criminal defense attorney, known as “The Sorceress” for her courtroom victories. But she’s got a secret, one that threatens her skill, her reputation, and, most of all, her clients. And she’s agreed to take on the seemingly impossible task of defending Alex Mason.

Robin Lockwood, a young lawyer and former MMA fighter, has just left a clerkship at the Oregon Supreme Court to work for Regina Barrister. The Alex Mason trial is her first big one, a likely death penalty case, and she’s second chair to Regina. Increasingly, she’s worried her boss’s behavior and the details in the case against their client don’t quite add up.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts I have to say that I haven’t read anything like this before and while part of me is on the fence that is what gave it that extra half star.

Margolin has an interesting way of writing this story. Some seems to be thrown in like characters and such but the storyline was interesting enough to make me want to know what was going on and how it would end. Both Regina and Robin are really interesting characters and I think any fan of Margolin will enjoy the story. But if you haven’t read Margolin before this would not be the first story I recommended by him.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

March 8, 2018March 7, 2018

Kimberly reviews Crossing Promises by Kimberly Kincaid

TITLE: Crossing Promises
SERIES #: Cross Creek #3
CHARACTERS: Owen & Cate
AUTHOR: Kimberly Kincaid
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/05/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
For Owen Cross, the only thing that matters more than family is farming. As the oldest Cross brother, the land is his legacy, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make Cross Creek a success—including hiring local widow Cate McAllister to manage the bookkeeping tasks that are growing in his office like weeds. Cate’s as pragmatic as she is pretty, and she rattles his hard-fought composure at every turn.

Cate had known a lot of things about her husband before he died three years ago in a car accident, but how much debt he’d gotten them into wasn’t one of them. She needs her job at Cross Creek, even if her boss is both gruff and gorgeous. But Owen’s a family man, through and through, and the last thing Cate is interested in is anything—or anyone—with strings attached.

As Owen and Cate join forces to right the farm, they discover there’s more to the other than the surfaces shows, and that passion can be found in unexpected places. Can Cate heal from the loss of one family to gain the love of her life? Or will the past prove too much for the promise of the future?

REVIEW:
This is the third in the series and finally it is Owen’s turn. Being the oldest he has had a lot of responsibilities but love has not been something he has wanted but lately after seeing his younger brothers fall in love.

Cate is treated differently since her family was killed in an accident and she is tired of being treated with kid gloves. When Owen hires her everything changes.

I have enjoyed this series very much. I was so excited for Owen’s story and it did not disappoint. Kincaid is growing with each story she writes and will soon be a go-to name in the literary world.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

February 28, 2018February 27, 2018

Kimberly reviews One More Promise by Samantha Chase

TITLE: One More Promise
SERIES #: Band On The Run #2
CHARACTERS: Paige & Dylan
AUTHOR: Samantha Chase
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/06/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Ambitious Paige Walters is ecstatic when she’s hired to recruit musicians for a literacy campaign—it’s her chance to prove she’s got the chops to make it in the family business. She certainly isn’t going to let some fallen idol screw it up. But as the work brings Paige and Dylan closer together, their attraction grows…and so do their challenges…

REVIEW:
Cute story. The thing about this story it is a true romance. Not much action or adventures but just plain couple based and life based angst.

Paige is trying to prove herself to her father and her family. Dylan is a recovering alcoholic who needs to get his life back on track. They are perfect for each other and you can tell it from the first moment they meet.

The characters are very well written. They seemed like they could be based on real people. The background characters are interesting and I can’t wait to read the next in the series.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

February 26, 2018February 25, 2018

Kimberly reviews Survive The Night by Katie Ruggle

TITLE: Survive The Night
SERIES #: Rocky Mountain K9 Unit #3
CHARACTERS: Otto & Sarah
AUTHOR: Katie Ruggle
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/06/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
He’s always been a haven:
For the lost. The sick. The injured.
But when a hunted woman takes shelter in his arms, this gentle giant swears he’ll do more than heal her battered spirit―he’ll defend her with his life.

K9 Officer Otto Gunnersen always had a soft spot for anyone in need. As Monroe’s very own Dr. Doolittle, he dedicates himself to rehabilitating the injured souls that cross his path―but for all his big heart, he’s never been in love.

Until he meets Sarah Clifton’s haunted eyes. Until he realizes he’ll do anything to save her.

All Sarah wants is to escape a life caught between ambitious crime families, but there’s no outrunning her past. Her power-mad brother would hunt her to the ends of the earth…but he’d never expect Sarah to fight back. With Otto and the whole of Monroe, Colorado by her side, Sarah’s finally ready to face whatever comes her way.

It’s time to take a stand.

REVIEW:
Another great read in the series. One of the things I enjoy in a series is background characters making cameos and this series has Mr. Espino. He helps women who need to “disappear” to find a place to go and it ends up being in Monroe, CO.

This romance is between Alice/Sarah and Otto. Of course we have met Otoo is previous books and I actually think he might have been one of my favorite background characters. There is just something about him. He is just so Alpha and has a heart of gold. Alice/Sarah is running from her horrible brother and Logan Jovanovich which is another character we have met throughout the series.

This is a great story and a great series with a lot of twist and turns and action but with sweet romance mixed in. Trust me this is a wonderful book but I suggest reading the others in the series first since there are so many recurring characters and storyline.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

February 22, 2018February 19, 2018

Kimberly reviews Out Of The Darkness by Heather Graham

TITLE: Out Of The Darkness
SERIES #: The Finnigan Connection #3
CHARACTERS: Sarah & Tyler
AUTHOR: Heather Graham
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/16/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A love rekindled…or a deadly reunion?

Even after a decade, Sarah Hampton is haunted by the night that nearly ended in a bloody massacre and destroyed her high school romance with handsome Tyler Grant. Now the horror has returned. It’s a reckoning from the events of that terrifying night—and a love they never let go. Only this time Tyler must protect Sarah from the killer hiding in the darkness…or lose her forever.

REVIEW:
2.75 Hearts Ok so first let me say two things. 1) I love Heather Graham’s books especially her Krewe Of Hunters series and 2) I set myself up each time I pick the books from this series so why I do it I do not know.

I know this is not it because I doubt Graham would put her reputation on the line but it is like this series is written by someone else and put her name on it. The characters are just not interesting and while the storyline was interesting if not original.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

February 20, 2018February 19, 2018

Kimberly reviews Never Let Go by Jill Sanders

TITLE: Never Let Go
SERIES #: Haven, Montana #2
CHARACTERS: Trent & Adrianna
AUTHOR: Jill Sanders
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/20/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Activist meets corporate in this sizzling romance by New York Times bestselling author Jill Sanders.
Trent McGowan has never been the guy who doesn’t get what he wants. He and his brothers are making a go of the oil business, and he’s always had a bit of a reputation with the ladies. Only lately, something’s been missing—something Trent never realized he needed…until he sees his childhood crush standing on the picket line, trying to destroy his company. And what happened to turn sweet Addy Collins into a sexy activist?
Environmentalist Adrianna Collins has returned to her hometown of Haven, Montana, on a mission to stop destructive oil mining. She never imagined that the corporate face on the other side of the protest line would be her lifelong crush. The Trent she remembers is better known for flirting than, uh, fracking, and she can’t believe he’d risk his city to make a quick buck.
Now Trent’s determined to prove that he’s not the person she thinks he is. If he can earn Addy’s trust, he might be able to save his company—and bring Addy home for good.

REVIEW:
I really enjoy the writing of Jill Sanders. I thought this story was sweet, heartfelt and had some real “ah ha” moments… at least for me.

This is the second in the series and while each books romance can be a stand alone there is a background story that continues throughout the series.

I thought the characters were very real. They feel what a normal person would in the exact situation(s). I have enjoyed both books so far and look forward to #3. I think any fan of the romance with a bit of suspense would enjoy it too.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.