Kimberly’s Review – Page 49

November 7, 2017November 5, 2017

Kimberly reviews Leopard’s Blood by Christine Feehan

TITLE: Leopard’s Blood
SERIES #: Leopard People #10
CHARACTERS: Joshua & Sonia
AUTHOR: Christine Feehan
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/24/17
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
#1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan cuts straight to the heart of a man who stalks the shadows in an intoxicating Leopard novel.

Though born into a leopard’s lair in the bayou, Joshua Tregre’s fighting skills were honed in the rainforests of Borneo. Sleek and deadly, he’s the perfect man to take over a crime syndicate back home in Louisiana’s lush swamplands. His razor sharp instincts give him an edge in the violent underworld he knows so well, but even the watchful leopard inside him isn’t prepared for the danger that comes from the girl next door…

She is a woman who can create beauty out of thin air—and out of the ruins of her own life. The games that dangerous men play have taken their toll on her, but she is bent, not broken. And it’s her fierce spirit that’s like a lure to Joshua, a temptation he can’t resist—even if it means bringing his true nature into the light…

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts Holy Hot Leopards! Feehan is one of the queens of shifter romance. And also one of the queens of hot love scenes. This book has everything a hot romance should have. Hot alpha male, strong female, bad guys, suspense and romance.

I loved the relationship between Sonya and her cat. And the relationship between Sonya and Joshua.

This series has been great. I haven’t read all of them and they can be read out of order or as a stand alone but those I missed will be picked up at some point because well Feehan should not be missed!

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

November 1, 2017October 30, 2017

Winter Romance Wednesday! Kimberly reviews The Christmas Room by Catherine Anderson

TITLE: The Christmas Room
CHARACTERS: Maddie & Sam
AUTHOR: Catherine Anderson
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/26/17
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The beloved author of the Mystic Creek series gifts readers with a novel of homespun holiday cheer, as two families discover the joy of hope and redemption….

Widow Maddie McLendon has uprooted her life to move to Rustlers Gulch with her son and grandson. But as a brutal Montana winter looms on the horizon, contractors have yet to break ground on their new house, leaving them to live in a makeshift camp of trailers, tents, and sheds….

Since his wife died six years earlier, millionaire rancher Sam Conacher has been content to wallow in his grief alone, while keeping a tight rein on his twenty-six-year-old daughter. But now the girl has gone and fallen in love with his foolish new neighbor’s no-good son….

Maddie and Sam will never see eye to eye on anything, until a near-tragedy gives them a true glimpse into each other’s souls. And as the first snowflakes begin to fall, they’ll discover that an open heart is the biggest gift of all….

REVIEW:
If you are looking for a feel good holiday romance this is not the story for you. Not that the story is good but it is missing a lot of the holiday cheer that readers (or at least me) want to read in a holiday romance.

One of the things I did like was the romance of an older couple, once it began. I didn’t enjoy all the negative talk. So many mean spirited words are said that it takes the joy out of the noel.

Don’t get me wrong some of the story was humorous and enjoyable. The concept is really interesting and different and maybe if I wasn’t expecting a feel good holiday romance novel.

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

October 30, 2017October 29, 2017

Kimberly reviews Totally His by Erin Nicholas

TITLE: Totally His
SERIES #: Opposites Attract #3
CHARACTERS: Sophie & Finn
AUTHOR: Erin Nicholas
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/31/17
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Actress Sophie Birch is used to having to look out for herself. So when her theater catches fire and a big guy scoops her up into his arms to save her, she’s going to fight every step of the way. Even if he’s a cop. And really sexy. And his arms feel oh-so-good.

Finn Kelly can’t help but appreciate how good the woman in his arms looks in her sexy pink lingerie. Even if she’s currently resisting arrest.

But as the two get to know each other, they’re both surprised by the things Finn is willing to do to get closer to her. And when Sophie’s estranged father arrives in town and starts causing trouble, the stage is set for disaster…unless Finn can convince her that, for once in her life, she has someone to lean on.

REVIEW:
This is the third in the series but each book can be read as a stand alone. Each story is so adorable.

Sophie is a complicated character. She has been through a lot and still has a sense of humor and a sweetness that while I had a bit of a hard time sometimes getting to know her but she is worth the hard work.

But oh how I adored Finn. There is just something so alpha and yet diamond in the rough for this character.

But together this couple is just too adorable for words. They are truly meant for each other and the author did a great job connecting them.

A story not to be missed!

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

October 25, 2017October 24, 2017

Winter Romance Wednesday! Kimberly reviews Christmas At Mistletoe Cove by Holly Martin

TITLE: Christmas At Mistletoe Cove
CHARACTERS: Eden & Dougie
AUTHOR: Holly Martin
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/22/17
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Growing up on Hope Island, Eden Lancaster always believed that if you wished hard enough for something, dreams really could come true. But Eden’s greatest wish is also her biggest secret: she has been completely in love with her childhood friend, the charming and attractive Dougie Harrison, for as long as she can remember. And he has no idea.

When Dougie leaves his successful life in New York to return home to Hope Island for good, Eden can’t escape her feelings. Her heart is full of hope that her romantic dreams are finally, at long last, going to come true…

This Christmas could change everything. But can a lifelong friendship really turn into the perfect romance? And will Eden get the happily ever after she’s always wished for?

REVIEW:
What a sweet holiday story. I loved that even though Eden has loved Dougie for as long as she can remember when he comes back to the island she makes him work for it. The scene is set perfectly for a Christmas story and while it is not really a second chance at love story it is a friend to lovers story.

This will put you in the holiday mood so grab a hot tea, start a fire and wrap up in a warm blanket…. And enjoy.

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

October 23, 2017October 22, 2017

Kimberly reviews The Last Move by Mary Burton

TITLE: The Last Move
CHARACTERS: Kate & Theo
AUTHOR: Mary Burton
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/19/17
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
In this gripping stand-alone from bestselling author Mary Burton, an FBI agent must catch a copycat killer. The only difference this time: she’s the final victim.

Catching monsters helps FBI agent Kate Hayden keep her nightmares at bay. Now an urgent call brings her back to San Antonio, the scene of her violent past. A brutal new murder shows hallmarks of a serial killer nicknamed the Samaritan. Tricky part is, Kate already caught him.

Either Kate made a deadly error, or she’s got a copycat on her hands. Paired with homicide detective Theo Mazur, she quickly realizes this murder is more twisted than it first appeared. Then a second body is found, the mode of death identical to a different case that Kate thought she’d put behind her.

Now Kate and Detective Mazur aren’t just working a homicide; the investigative pair is facing a formidable enemy who knows Kate intimately. While Mazur is personally trying to protect Kate, the closer they are drawn to the killer, the clearer it becomes that in this terrifying game, there is only one rule: don’t believe everything you see…

REVIEW:
This is a stand alone romantic suspense from Mary Burton that is most certainly worth reading.

The characters are really interesting in this story. Kate is being taunted by someone who is copying some of her earlier cases. And Theo is new to the local force. These characters are very real. They are in some interesting situations but are handling it the way I imagine most people would.

I am rarely disappointed by a Mary Burton book and this would be a great book to pick up if you have not read her before.

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

October 20, 2017October 15, 2017

Kimberly reviews In Too Deep by Kimberly Kincaid

TITLE: In Too Deep
SERIES #: Station Seventeen #3
CHARACTERS: Luke & Quinn
AUTHOR: Kimberly Kincaid
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/17/17
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
As Station Seventeen’s rookie, Luke Slater knows his fire and EMS training will be both rigorous and risky, but he never imagined having to partner up with the one woman he wants to keep at arm’s length most of all. Quinn Copeland is as wide-open as Luke is reserved. He has no interest in letting the sweet and sexy paramedic rock his hard-earned control. But the need for composure becomes the need to survive when they find themselves in the crosshairs of a brutal gang leader on their first shift together.

Paramedic Quinn Copeland’s station mates aren’t just her friends. They’re her family. She’d do anything to keep them safe—including reluctantly trusting her impossible-to-read, impossibly gorgeous new partner with the one thing she holds close. As the passion between Luke and Quinn goes from a slow burn to a sizzle, their steps grow more and more dangerous, both in the fire house and out. Can they outwit a cold-blooded killer and face the fears that could cost them everything? Or are they in too deep?

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts I really enjoy this series. I mean seriously who doesn’t love a hot firefighter? But Kincaid also throws in a bit of suspense.

Quinn and Luke have had a bit of a relationship but all platonic except they really do seem to like each other. And once they are on a call together more than sparks fly.

I like the story. The best part was the suspense but the romance was ok too. I never really connected with the characters but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.

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

October 19, 2017October 15, 2017

Kimberly reviews Deep Freeze by John Sandford

TITLE: Deep Freeze
SERIES #: Virgil Flowers #10
CHARACTERS: Virgil Flowers
AUTHOR: John Sandford
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/17/17
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Class reunions: a time for memories–good, bad, and, as Virgil Flowers is about to find out, deadly–in the thrilling new novel in the #1 New York Times-bestselling series

Virgil knows the town of Trippton, Minnesota, a little too well. A few years back, with the help of a retired schoolteacher, he investigated the corrupt–and as it turned out, homicidal–local school board, and now the teacher’s back with even more alarming news: Somebody is killing “her girls.” Over the past year, three women from the same high school class of twenty years ago have been found dead in unusual circumstances, and now that there’s a mid-winter reunion coming up, she doesn’t know what might happen. Neither does Virgil, but as he wraps his coat a little tighter and begins to dig into twenty years’ worth of traumas, feuds, and bad blood, one thing becomes increasingly clear to him. It’s true what they say: High school is murder.

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts I am not exactly sure when these books became a “pleasure” to read but they are. There is something about them that while there is suspense (even though we know who-dun-it from the beginning) there is just something oddly endearing about Flowers even though he is a major pain in the butt.

This case involved some really weird things including Barbie dolls. What? But it does. While beach time is over this is a perfect beach read if the genre is one of your choosing.

You can’t go wrong with Flowers even though everything about Flowers is just well… wrong.

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

October 18, 2017October 15, 2017

Winter Romance Wednesday! Kimberly reviews The Ranchers Christmas Song by RaeAnne Thayne

TITLE: The Ranchers Christmas Song
SERIES #: Cowboys Of Cold Creek
CHARACTERS: Ella & Beck
AUTHOR: RaeAnne Thayne
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/17/17
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Keep a song in your heart this holiday season…
Music teacher Ella Baker’s plate is already full. But when single dad Beckett McKinley’s wild twin boys need help preparing a Christmas song for their father, Ella agrees on one condition: they teach her to ride a horse. She’s hoping that’ll help mend her strained relationship with her rancher father; it certainly has nothing to do with the crush that’s lingered since her one and only date with Beck.
It isn’t disinterest spurring Beck to keep his distance—if anything, the spark is too strong, with Ella reminding him of his ex-wife. Soon what started as an innocent arrangement is beginning to feel a lot like family. But with the holidays approaching, Beck and Ella will have to overcome past hurts if they want to keep each other warm this Christmas…

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts Need a holiday story that will put you in the Christmas mood? Well this is the one for you!

RaeAnne Thayne is one of my go to authors but this might be one of her best yet. Certainly the best holiday romance I have read this year.

Ella is so real. I can imagine going through what she is going through I would act exactly the same. Beck just has his hands full and needs help. And I liked he could ask for it. But besides the romance the best part may have been the twin boys. Talk about trouble with a capital “T”. But yet adorable!

Big up this book today! You will not be disappointed.

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

October 16, 2017October 15, 2017

Kimberly reviews Closer To You by Jill Sanders

TITLE: Closer To You
CHARACTERS: Tyler & Kristen
AUTHOR: Jill Sanders
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/10/17
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
New York Times bestselling author Jill Sanders strikes gold with a sizzling series about oil-rich playboys whose hearts are up for grabs.

No one’s more surprised than Tyler McGowan when he discovers he has a knack for running the family’s oil business—a role he took on after his father’s sudden passing. Now, to keep the old man’s legacy afloat, Tyler’s giving up his playboy ways and settling into small-town life. But his newfound resolve is tested when trouble strides into his office in five-inch heels.

Kristen Howell has spent the last five years working her way up the corporate ladder. And somehow it’s landed her smack-dab in the middle of nowhere: Haven, Montana. It’s her job to convince the head of McGowan Enterprises to sell. But the tall and rangy hunk is proving to be exceedingly stubborn—and overwhelmingly hot. When someone attempts to derail her negotiations, Kristen is ready to get down and dirty. But the sparks she and Tyler are throwing near the oil field may be dangerously combustible…

REVIEW:
Too dang adorable and yet it had so much content. The romance of Kristen and Tyler is slow and steady but has so adorable scenes. There is a bit of suspense to the book which fortunately I never figured out until I read it which to me is a sign of a good suspense.

This is the first book I have read from Jill Sanders but it will not be the worse by a long shot.

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

October 13, 2017October 11, 2017

Kimberly reviews Wicked Deeds by Heather Graham

TITLE: Wicked Deeds
SERIES #: Krewe Of Hunters #23
CHARACTERS: Vickie & Griffin
AUTHOR: Heather Graham
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/19/17
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Nevermore…

Eager to start their life together, historian Vickie Preston and Special Agent Griffin Pryce take a detour en route to their new home in Virginia and stop for a visit in Baltimore. But their romantic weekend is interrupted when a popular author is found dead in the basement of an Edgar Allan Poe-themed restaurant. Because of the mysterious circumstances surrounding the corpse, the FBI’s Krewe of Hunters paranormal team is invited to investigate. As more bizarre deaths occur, Vickie and Griffin are drawn into a case that has disturbing echoes of Poe’s great works, bringing the horrors of his fiction to life.

The restaurant is headquarters to scholars and fans, and any of them could be a merciless killer. Except there’s also something reaching out from beyond the grave. The late, great Edgar Allan Poe himself is appearing to Vickie in dreams and visions with cryptic information about the murders. Unless they can uncover whose twisted mind is orchestrating the dramatic re-creations, Vickie and Griffin’s future as a couple might never begin…

REVIEW:
I am not sure why Graham is staying with these two characters. I enjoyed them in the first book but this is #3 of their relationship/journey and Vickie and Griffin are just not that interesting to carry three books in my opinion.

I have also never been a fan of Edgar Allen Poe. Other than having to read The Raven in school (which I did not really enjoy) I have not read anything by him so the novelty of him being in the story is lost on me.

I have always enjoyed Graham’s Krewe of Hunters and would never miss one but I really hope she moves on from Vickie and Griffin because I am ready for the next couple and hope they are back to individual stories and no more mini-series inside the main series.

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

October 12, 2017October 11, 2017

Kimberly reviews Forsaken By Night by Larissa Ione

TITLE: Forsaken By Night
SERIES #: Moonbound Clan Vampires #2.5
CHARACTERS: Tehya & Lobo
AUTHOR: Larissa Ione
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/25/17
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Desire collides with danger as a vampire and a shapeshifter cross paths in this searing MoonBound Clan story from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling paranormal romance author Larissa Ione.

After accidentally shifting into a wolf—and getting stuck—Tehya, herself a vampire, has spent the last twelve years as the pet of Lobo, another vampire who has the unique gift of communicating with wolves.

When Lobo found Tehya starving and nearly frozen to death, he took her in and nursed her back to health, all the while completely unaware that she was really a fellow vampire. But there was always something special about her, and he finds out exactly how special after she’s injured and returned to her true form. Desire collides with danger as he soon finds that he must protect not only Tehya but also himself…

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts This is a very short story of less than 100 pages. It can be a stand alone even though that means you will not understand some of the dialogue of the story.

There is a lot that happens in a matter of these 100 pages. Tehya is vampire/werewolf mix but has been stuck as a wolf for over a decade. Lobo found the wolf almost dead and healed her. She became his world and saved him just as much as he saved her. Tehya then somehow manages to shift back and life changes for both Lobo and Tehya.

There is not much I can say that won’t give away some of the storyline since it is a such a short read. This series is a bit different than most vampire stories and well worth the read.

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

October 11, 2017October 10, 2017

Winter Romance Wednesday! Kimberly reviews A Chance This Christmas by Joanne Rock

TITLE: A Chance This Christmas
SERIES #: Road To Romance #3
CHARACTERS: Rachel & Gavin
AUTHOR: Joanne Rock
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/05/17
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Growing up in the Christmas-crazed theme town of Yuletide was fun for fashion designer Rachel Chambers until a family scandal made her unwelcome. Eight years later, she’s home for a friend’s wedding and trying to go incognito… until her old flame spots her.

Snowboarder Gavin Blake wants to make things right with Rachel, and smoothing her way back in Yuletide seems like the best way to do just that. Making Rachel his date for a week of pre-wedding parties is sure to bring them closer. Except he underestimated how long a small town can carry a grudge–or how much the memory of a long-ago kiss could tempt him all over again.

As the wedding approaches, Rachel remembers all she loved about her close-knit, Christmas-loving neighbors. But even if she can win over the town again, will she be able to convince her footloose, mogul-shredding wedding date that they can find happiness beyond the holidays?

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts This is a cute holiday second chance at love romance. Gavin and Rachel knew each other has teens but a town scandal sent the friends scurrying away. Now they are both back for a wedding and sparks fly.

I thought Gavin was a sweet character and Rachel was very real. Her reactions and her emotions seemed to be honest. The background characters were nice as well. I thought it needed a bit more on the scandal of Rachel’s father and less on the infamous kiss.

This is a short read of a bit over 100 pages so alot gets added quickly. But it certainly has a holiday feel. This isn’t just set in a time of Christmas, this town IS Christmas.

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