#TBW Kelly’s review of Dire Needs by Stephanie Tyler – Catch Up From The Beginning

TITLE: DIRE NEEDS
Book 1: Eternal Wolf Clan Series
AUTHOR: Stephanie Tyler
PUBLICATION DATE:   03/06/2012
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N | Powell’s

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The full moon is their mistress. They are predators of pleasure and pain. Feared by humans, envied by werewolves, the Dire Wolves are immortal shifters, obeying no laws but their own bestial natures. Once they were many, but now only six remain, a dangerous wolfpack forever on the hunt…

Rifter leads the pack, embracing the lifestyle and ethics of an outlaw biker even as he battles an ancient enemy who has become a new, powerful force. But with his Brother Wolf raging inside him, howling to be unleashed, he needs to satisfy his hungers. And when he meets a drop-dead gorgeous blonde drinking alone in a bar that caters to both human and inhuman, Rifter’s primal instinct is to claim her.

Gwen has her own desires, long unfulfilled. She hopes a passionate night with the leather-clad, Harley-riding biker will ease her suffering. The seizures that have wracked her body her entire life are incurable—and they’re killing her.

But none of that will matter if Rifter can’t stop the growing threat to them all–trappers who are determined to enslave humankind and use the Dire wolves as part of their nefarious plan.

REVIEW PROVIDED BY: Kelly           
NUMBER OF STARS: 4 Stars

I really enjoyed this story.  As with most first books in a series there is a lot of world building and introductions of characters.  And boy are there characters in this book.   I am already looking forward to Jinx, Vice, Rogue, Stray & Liam’s books. Oh and don’t forget the twins…. But I am getting to far ahead of myself, back to the review. Dire Needs is Rifter and Gwen’s story.

Rifter is the reluctant leader of the last remaining Dires (an immortal werewolf).  The last thing Rifter ever expected to find was Gwen.  Trouble, Yes!!  Danger, Yes!!  But Gwen, Never.  Now he can’t do anything but think about her.  When Gwen is put in danger Rifter does what any wolf would do to protect his mate.  He fights to the death for her.  But how can this human be his mate? He and his brothers are cursed to never find mates.  This has to be some cruel joke, but will Rifter fight for what he wants or fight against fate?

Gwen doesn’t have much time left.  She is a walking time bomb and one of these days she will die.  So Gwen decides it is time to live her life and do the one thing that she has never done before, fight a man.  Gwen lives for now, not the past that tries to haunt her, not the future she will never have, but now, because that is all she has left.  When Gwen sees Rifter for the very first time, she know he is just what she has been looking for.  What Gwen doesn’t know is how the beautiful stranger will completely change her life in a very, very short time.

So back to what I was saying about the characters.  The cast of characters in this book are great.  Each has such strong personalities.  Vice, is cocky (wink, wink) to a fault, Jinx is so caring, Rogue is lost, Stray is quite, Liam is angry, and the twins, well the twins are just naughty.   

I loved Rifter.  He is strong, stubborn, loyal and willing to protect everyone even if it means to sacrifice himself.  Everything a born leader should be. Now that he has found his Queen he is finally ready to step into the role of leader.

I look forward to seeing where Stephanie takes us next in this series.   Thank you Stephanie for the opportunity to review your book.  

Natasha reviews Three The Hard Way by Sydney Croft

three the hard way****Warning: This book and review is an m/m/m story. If you are offended please do not continue to read.****
TITLE: Three the Hard Way
SERIES #: ACRO #7
CHARACTERS: Ian, Taggart & Justice
AUTHOR: Sydney Croft
PUBLICATION DATE: 11/29/14
ORDER LINKS:Amazon| B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: Lovers Taggart Brody and Justice McKinney possess special abilities that make them valuable to agencies who employ—or enslave—people with extraordinary talents. When tragedy tears them apart, Justice finds purpose working for the good guys: ACRO, the super-secret Agency for Covert Rare Operatives. But he never forgets Taggart or the past they once shared.

Heartbroken, Taggart runs from who he is . . . right into the arms of Ian Bridges. But Ian, battling his own demons, betrays Tag to the terrorist organization Itor. After months of torture, Tag manages to escape, but kills an ACRO agent in the process.

With nowhere left to turn, Tag disappears into the Alaskan wilderness, but it’s only a matter of time before his enemies track him down. He reaches out to Justice, and somehow Ian finds him too, hoping to right his wrongs. With ACRO and Itor both bearing down, the three men must figure out how to forgive, how to work together, and how to love each other—or the coming battle will destroy them all.

Twenty percent of all proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the It Gets Better Project.

The It Gets Better Project’s mission is to communicate to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth around the world that it gets better, and to create and inspire the changes needed to make it better for them. Visit their website at itgetsbetter.org for more information and to find out how you can get involved.

REVIEW:
Finally! Another installment of the ACRO series! I have loved this series for years and have been anxiously awaiting a new story for years. Hats off to Larissa Ione and Stephanie Tyler who step out of their typical day to day storytelling as Sydney Croft and delve into a m/m/m story that is so passionately loving and important. I loved all three of these main characters. Ian, Tag and Justice are all extremely hardheaded and independent. But they all have a common need: to love and be loved. I loved this little glimpse into ACRO and these characters. It was written perfectly and I applaud these authors for their bold writing skills. It definitely is appreciated by fans of this series that you do not shy away from these characters that we love so much – no matter where they take you! I am anxiously awaiting the next installment in this amazing series and hope it comes sooner rather than later.

Disclaimer:
I purchased a copy of this book. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

5hearts-68-77

Kelly reviews Fragmented by Stephanie Tyler

fragmentedTITLE: Fragmented
SERIES #: Section 8 #3
CHARACTERS: Jem & Drea
AUTHOR: Stephanie Tyler
PUBLICATION DATE: January 6 ,2015
ORDER LINKS:Amazon| B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
From New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Tyler, the Section 8 series continues…

WHEN THE RISKS ARE THIS GREAT…

When Dr. Drea Timmons was kidnapped during Section 8’s last mission, Jem did everything in his power to rescue the woman he’d fallen for—a woman unwillingly recruited for one of S8’s most personal and dangerous covert operations. Drea survived, but at a price. The trauma of her capture has rendered her without a single memory of her ordeal—or any recollection of how violently unpredictable her ex-boyfriend, Danny, an Outlaw Angel, had become, or why she had left him.

IS TRUST EVEN AN OPTION?

When Danny threatens to turn Drea over to the feds, she is forced to go on the run and confront a past that is as deadly as her future. As trouble closes in on both ends, Drea has no choice but to trust Jem, the only man who can help her, the only man whose electrifying touch brings back memories—piece by piece—too stirring to forget

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts Fragmented is book 3 in the Section 8 series. In my review of Unbreakable (bk 2) I had said that you could read Unbreakable (bk 2) without reading Surrender (bk 1). Well you really should read Unbreakable (bk 2) before reading Fragmented (bk 3). Fragmented picks up where Unbreakable leave off and the events that happened to Drea. So if you have not read Unbreakable you might want to stop here.

Fragmented did pick up after the events from Unbreakable. Which left Drea without parts of her memory. But she remembers the man in the photo. A man she sees as a hero. Her hero.
But sometimes people are not what they seem. Drea found that out a long time ago too.

Jem’s job was to protect Drea and he let her down. But when push comes to shove he doesn’t know if he is strong enough to walk away from her.

This was a good story. I enjoyed Jem & Drea’s story. I was also thankful that it was not as heart wrenching as the prior books. I am not sure that I could have handled another story like Grace’s. I really wish that Drea would have done just a tad bit more in that room with Danny (I know I would have given the chance). There is a lot going on in Fragmented. From the FBI to the Biker gangs Section 8 has it’s hands full.

I am very interested to see what happens with Jem’s little brother Key ( :D). Oh and Ethan. We can’t for get Ethan.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley & PENGUIN GROUP Berkley, NAL / Signet Romance, DAW in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

Kelly reviews Unbreakable by Stephanie Tyler

UnbreakableTITLE: Unbreakable
SERIES #: Section 8 #2
CHARACTERS: Gunner & Avery
AUTHOR: Stephanie Tyler
PUBLICATION DATE: Nov. 5, 2013
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A cabal of operatives with dangerous pasts team up to work black ops missions. Their weapon: deception. Can they help one of their own before he goes too far?

When Gunner agreed to help out Section 8, he didn’t realize he’d be pulled back in to the shadowy world he’d thought he’d escaped forever. The son of double agents, Gunner was initiated at a young age into the cold world of espionage when his father forced him to work for international smuggler Drew Landon. And when Gunner’s past with Landon threatens the other mercenaries, and most importantly, Avery, he makes an impossible choice…and disappears.

Avery’s not willing to give up on Gunner. The attraction between them has been there from the start and she rallies Section 8 to help him. She knows there’s only one way to keep Gunner safe: fake his death and take him off the grid. But when she finally locates him, Gunner is a changed man, harder, more desperate, and on the edge of self-destruction. And only Avery can find a way to free him from Landon—and from the demons of his past—before it’s too late.

REVIEW:
This was a great follow up to Stephanie’s first book Surrender (book one in the Section 8 series). While you don’t have to read book one I really think you should. It will give you much better understanding of the characters in the whole series. But a huge insight into Gunner’s mind set. That being said I am really mad at how Gunner handled things in the beginning of this book. It is like he took the easy way out. I understand why he did what he did but I still didn’t really see his character being like that. I really love Avery. This chick is wicked strong. Avery is put through the ringer and comes out of it a stronger person for it.

The storyline of the Section 8 series gets more complicated with each book, but Stephanie does a great job of string them all together. I am very much looking forward to Jem’s story. I can’t wait to see the crazy twists and turns that will come next. If you have not started the Section 8 series now is a great time to start. We are only sitting at book 2 right now!! Go out and get a copy of Surrender today!

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

Spotlight Feature of Surrender by Stephanie Tyler

Surrender (Section 8 #1)

DESPERATE, FEARLESS, AND HUNTED

For former Navy SEAL Dare O’Rourke, Section 8 was legendary. The son of one of its missing members, he grew up in the shadow of its secrets. All he knew was that it was a cabal of operatives discharged from branches of the military and reassigned to extremely dangerous, off- the-books international missions. And that their handler was as shrouded in mystery as the missions themselves.

NOTHING CAN STOP THEM. NOTHING CAN BREAK THEM.

Now the handler of Section 8 has given orders to kill any remaining members, along with their families. Dare must save his long-lost half sister, Avery, whom he was never meant to meet. Determined to fight for their lives and find their missing father, Dare and Avery bring together for one last mission those who are in danger because of their relationship to Section 8—to avenge their families and to survive.

**ADDED BY AUTHOR: Dare’s love interest in this book is NOT his half sister – I promise!***