tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71041314665727166632024-02-19T05:33:31.351+01:00The BookGourmetBook reviews <i>à la</i> bookworm...The good, the bad, and everything in between.Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.comBlogger1246125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-83446898418551857572022-03-14T12:23:00.000+01:002022-03-14T12:23:48.312+01:00Review: Just About Perfect by Leslie Kelly<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" http://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KSZ2JJ7/ref=nosim?tag=bookgourmet-20 target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzixKw-3RozTDKxYhI8GaBuzzYwXTdyKE5R_yowweXpCvVrheY3k9KSM-s8wHdVgZH-zLB_emDydd1seWfFWDejnj5RNj6QxkoSsWsy0hd_bZlLtXweBF7nH7zvtm_AmZk3-vl4Uva65-jhlARU-gfzEBuMMn4DGR_ZMA9Hl9qT0M_Gp48fdQQPUUV" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KSZ2JJ7/ref=nosim?tag=bookgourmet-20" target="_blank">Just About Perfect</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Leslie%20%28A.%29%20Kelly%2FLeslie%20Parrish%2FLeslie%20A.%20Smith">Leslie Kelly</a>
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> March 17, 2021
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> LK Books
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B09KSZ2JJ7
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>She's living a secret life</b><br />
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Sophie Winchester is the all-American small-town girl—Mexcept for her secret life creating mayhem as horror writer R. J. Colt. Nobody in her small town suspects she's anything except the nice church administrator. And she desperately wants to keep her secret!<br />
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<b>He's a Cop Who's Sworn to Protect</b><br />
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Chief of Police Daniel Fletcher thought his new job in a small town would be a nice change from his big city past. But when notes about a murder land on his desk, and the target appears to be Sophie, he has to go right into protective mode. Fortunately, stcking close to a woman he's wildly attracted to--both day and night—isn't exactly a tough assignment.<br />
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But if Daniel learns the truth, can Sophie trust him to love the real her and not the sweet girl he thinks he's getting to know?</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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<i>***ARC provided by author/publisher through BookSprout***</i><br />
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This could've been a nice, sweet and hot little contemporary romance. I liked the chemistry between the two leads and the initial banter...But the main plot point about the heroine's "big secret" ruined the experience for me, disrupting the flow of the story and the pacing itself.<br />
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I just didnit get what the big hoopla about her horror-writing alter ego was about and why she didn't want anybody to know about it. It's not like she was a real murderer, she just made up stories about them. What's the big deal. I especially didn't get the secret-keeping after everybody thought her life was in real danger. She could've at least come clean with Daniel, the hero and police chief...<br />
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I liked the beginning, but the "big secret" ruined the rest.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-20847791767818392412022-01-19T08:37:00.001+01:002022-01-19T08:37:18.314+01:00Review: Cinnamon Claus by Ellis Leigh<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KY4QP2Q/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B09KY4QP2Q&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=067fe3775befbbe981916b5d4cdfdffd" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDCM3xvb4VjjnCaNgGOaImjiTZGXYxNLkFt3ISu_EPTDGblkbpWrDTJ97SfM6kIbabJQlNUylK3ZhBgf0bBk1dqMvD-s9pA2w54HJLqwU1vKnvsTI4ajp0DDuH_6eRAFj40QjbosIDg5qIMvCyJiSZuRkrkqWIrQmdJ2ZFJGSsqBnMakS8Jf5KRgnd" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KY4QP2Q/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B09KY4QP2Q&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=4841a9abc9e8d08339009b4065f0d01a">Cinnamon Claus</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#KinshipCove">Kinship Cove</a> (<a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#HeartthrobsHolidays">Heartthrobs & Holidays</a>)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Ellis%20Leigh%2FKristin%20Harte">Ellis Leigh</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> December 7, 2021
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Kinship Press
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B09KY4QP2Q
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>No one ever said working with Santa was all reindeer games, and North Pole isn’t a place of wonder and amazement...until it is. It may not be the holidays, but magic is definitely in the air.</b><br />
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Working in Santa’s post office wasn’t an easy job. Each letter had to be read—even the ones that dug a hole in your heart and left shadows of the pain they imparted. But every elf needed a job if they were going to afford things like food and heat and a place to read a good book.<br />
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Every elf except Santa’s brother. He’s wild, charming, and totally unrestrained by the monotony of life...or so go the rumors. He’s totally not the type of man I would take a second look at. At least, not until an accident he causes forces me to and my world heads down a path I hadn’t thought possible.<br />
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What should a good elf do when the bad-boy brother of the big man himself comes to town and burns down the rumor mill with his smile, his kindness, and his heart? The spare may just be more vital to the Claus name than anyone expected. And I might be falling in love with him.</i></span>
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<br />My rating:<img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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Zira is having a really bad day, well, life. Getting her heart broken on a daily basis thanks to the letters children in need send to Santa, the big man not appreciating the hard work...Now, to top it off, Santa's playboy brother is back in town on his motorcycle and the crowd he attracted just made her drop her candy...Oh, and he turns out to be her mate. Yay!<br />
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Formulaic and without any real conflict, except for the heroine jumping to conclusions. I found the hero's loneliness to be a bit too on the nose and didn't appreciate Santa's "about-face" (he seemed much nicer in <a href="/2021/05/review-peppermint-prancer-ellis-leigh.html">Peppermint Prancer</a>.<br />
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It was a quick read, though, hence the boredom didn't get time to fully settle in thanks to the formulaic and predictable "plot".
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-5214222500983501812022-01-18T16:26:00.000+01:002022-01-18T16:26:14.064+01:00Review: A Kiss From a Knave by Leslie Kelly<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09JV7B8K2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B09JV7B8K2&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=b32d78b7dd045c8a2e3e58ec6813676f" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEa66B37_k3ZFysJTj3l64yB0nC-4sq0dI_Z2mKIDAefLXtSSDTDlf_tSdhPSxBKUwVavlTDwP_dGHdLV691lNrMJ9VdSN4vowJPeZ-TIqAzC4PgTY3k_EXPNg7zyMQ91qvv8587W4v9f6BsGFXFq-GIRf0wPB1G-1o7Bgm_X7081l0Nc2RnxxcCTd" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09JV7B8K2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B09JV7B8K2&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=3b9340ad69a811a7e556cdcc1100f02b">A Kiss From A Knave</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#OUAK">Once Upon a Kingdom</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Leslie%20%28A.%29%20Kelly%2FLeslie%20Parrish%2FLeslie%20A.%20Smith">Leslie Kelly</a><br />
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> November 16, 2021
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> LK Books
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B09JV7B8K2
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Once upon a time, in a land very close to our own, a greedy queen amassed a vast collection of priceless stolen artifacts.<br />
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People from other lands suspected her thievery, but none could prove it. Once taken, their own precious items disappeared forever. A delicate hair comb, a pair of fragile glass slippers, a gilt-edged mirror, golden straw, magic beans, an enchanted ax, and an antique oil lamp were among her hidden prizes. The most precious of all was a goblet that had once held the very essence of life and death—the decades of dreams of an entire sleeping kingdom.<br />
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Now, a group of rebels is out to stop the evil queen's plans. They must retrieve the magical antiquities before she can use them to seize power over all the kingdoms.<br />
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It will take someone very special to do the job. For it takes a thief to catch a thief...and a knave to outwit a queen!<br />
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The greatest thief in the land takes on the challenge, but he isn't alone on his quest. When a beautiful woman from another world lands right at his feet, he knows he must protect her from the powerful queen. He tells himself he will someday get her home to her own land.<br />
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But when the time comes, how will Jack Harte ever let Allie go?</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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<i>***ARC provided by author/publisher through BookSprout***</i><br />
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A quasi-retelling of <i>Alice in Wonderland</i> with a heroine from Earth ending up in a parallel reality/universe/world very similar to our own except they have magic and our fairy-tales are their history...<br />
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Anyway, I've been a fan of <a href="/search/label/Leslie%20%28A.%29%20Kelly%2FLeslie%20Parrish%2FLeslie%20A.%20Smith">Leslie Kelly</a> for a long time, but this one read like it was written by someone else. It was plodding and dull, the story failed to pull me in, the characters were bland, their insta-lust unrealistic (at least it could've been a result of a spell or something) and the fact they spent most of the story lusting after each other and bumping uglies even in the middle of danger was off-putting and certainly didn't help with the tempo of the story...Which, whatever scrape there was of it, seemed created for the sole purpose of having the characters lust for one another an-d bump uglies.<br />
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It was PWP, only with a better wrapping.
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Disappointing.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-39405940463583854572022-01-14T09:00:00.003+01:002022-01-14T09:14:52.859+01:00Review: Serve 'N' Protect by Tee O'Fallon<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DWYTH5N/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B09DWYTH5N&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=63876fab39aaaac05d422e1bea75927e" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0gSTbBPtwn6KzmNrW5Db1C6KE2zv25uNTUy-m3_PXfxk0A5M8VKAjQ1IzgnakU-BKd7BIkJWTBXMwq_sScvopxaepF-_S-QQd8zGiPR00KfjHt9rZHMR8bYLlk8VI0bmAfZsF464zTkE-34UqAcg73qWdGxpFbOBVj6bR4VJhATidu24Ss39AV2hP" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DWYTH5N/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B09DWYTH5N&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=e96dd3222455a760f012eea403d7d68b">Serve 'N' Protect</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#FederalK9">Federal K-9</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Tee%20O'Fallon">Tee O'Fallon</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> September 20, 2021
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Entangled: Amara
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B09DWYTH5N
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Ambushed and left for dead, U.S. Secret Service K-9 Officer Markus York is on the mend and laying low in a safe house while his team tracks down his attacker. But Markus isn’t good at sitting still. Even with his K-9, Ghost, for company, he gets restless and decides now is the perfect time to do some repairs around the house…and inadvertently tears open his wounds.<br />
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Fresh out of a bad relationship that ended after a car accident left her with limited mobility, freelance accountant Cassidy Morgan has sworn off men. At least, that’s the plan. Until a frantically barking dog leads her to a neighbor’s house where she finds a mysterious man out cold and bleeding on the floor...and mumbling things like “no, they’ll find me” when she tries to call an ambulance.<br />
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Yeah, that’s not at all concerning.<br />
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Despite Markus’s surly attitude, Cassidy senses there’s something else at work beneath his rugged, keep-your-distance exterior. Whatever it is, it’s sexy as hell.<br />
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With someone still trying to kill him, Markus doesn’t want an innocent to get hurt, let alone take care of him.<br />
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If only his dog wasn’t crazy in love with her.<br />
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If only the chemistry between Markus and Cassidy didn’t explode whenever they were in the same room.<br />
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If only Cassidy wasn’t a target now, too.</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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When a huge, white German Shepherd crushes through her window, Cassidy Morgan doesn't know it, but her life is about to change. In the scope of one day, she would help her next-door neighbor's friend into the hospital, get shot at and then get recruited by the Secret Service to babysit one of their own...a taciturn, brooding gorgeous hunk with an equally gorgeous dog...<br />
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Apparently, this <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#FederalK9">series</a> (or maybe <a href="/search/label/Tee%20O'Fallon">author</a>) just isn't for me. The ratings keep dropping and the stories more formulaic, dull and predictable. It's all the same, really. A K-9 officer meets the woman of her dreams, people try to kill them, there's something bigger afoot, the guy's dog also falls for the woman, either of both of them have emotional baggage, they hit the sheets, they break up, he saves her butt, they get back together.<br />
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In the case of this one, even the suspense was predictable, including the baddies and the motivation behind their shenanigans.<br />
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In the end, I started skimming pages, which isn't a good result.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-36763244782999732512021-11-06T14:37:00.001+01:002021-11-06T14:37:23.236+01:00Review: Trap 'N' Trace by Tee O'Fallon<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088Q8TZ56/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B088Q8TZ56&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=ca34bda094776d9efd34f7171acadb28" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HzIdYqf4_Hw/YYaCrDVTaCI/AAAAAAAAWlc/gRUxrSvEo9swFaB8ZaPqArDc9Gkzfc48QCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/TrapNTrace.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088Q8TZ56/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B088Q8TZ56&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=9064e7ae3212df0b803b4dc39fecaebd">Trap 'N' Trace</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#FederalK9">Federal K-9</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Tee%20O'Fallon">Tee O'Fallon</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> June 15, 2020
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Entangled: Amara
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B088Q8TZ56
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>For wealthy socialite Katrina Vandenburg, business meetings and charity galas are all part of her orderly, structured world—one that gets blown to hell after finding two dead bodies in the same day. The police think she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. FBI Special Agent Dayne Andrews thinks otherwise. Dayne and his K-9, Remy, are tracking a cold-blooded killer, and that trail...leads straight to Kat.<br />
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Kat and her rescue shelter—the Canine Haven—are the only common denominators between the murders, and Dayne is convinced she’s dead center in the killer’s sights. Protecting her will test every ounce of his steely resolve. She’s the most intriguing woman he’s ever met. And everything he shouldn’t want. Too bad neither of them seem to have gotten the memo.<br />
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And they need to focus on catching a killer now more than ever. Because if Dayne and Remy fail in their mission, nothing will stand between Kat and the killer’s deadly blade.</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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Socialite Katrina Vandenburg is simply trying to return a lost puppy, when she stumbles onto a dead body; the puppy's owner. Because the dead woman used to be an FBI agent, the Feds get involved—namely Special Agent Dayne Andrews, who didn't exactly leave a nice impression the first time he and Kat met.<br />
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Dayne doesn't particularly like rich people—he's been burnt before—but there's something about Kat that draws him in despite his better intentions. Then, she's attacked at her animal shelter, while stumbling onto yet another body, and Dayne's spidey senses start tingling...<br />
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I'm rather disappointed this turned out to ber yet another average addition to this, rather average, <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#FederalK9">series</a>. I was expecting more solely on that brief glimpse of "possibility" between Kat and Dayne at the end of <a href="/2021/10/review-dark-n-deadly-tee-ofallon.html">the last book</a>.<br />
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In the end, the two had too much baggage for the romance to really blossom and shine (I didn't feel the sparkage between them), the suspense also turned out to be rather predictable (as to what the killer was looking for and where it was hidden) and quite mediocre in the killer department, because I didn't get his motive. He was nuts. The end.<br />
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The only saving grace this pitiful excuse for a suspense romance novel were the two canines, Remy and Angus. I wouldn't mind reading more about them.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-76556616062158013262021-10-24T13:58:00.002+02:002021-10-24T13:58:30.711+02:00Review: Dark 'N' Deadly by Tee O'Fallon<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XWZT7FY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07XWZT7FY&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=55868146da42fafed9d832bc0d299192" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q4mmUyOJ7jg/YXVGhhX792I/AAAAAAAAWks/NDngqMlfAVI9_Y8G-QcLf0sV1vfUusXhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/DarkNDeadly.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XWZT7FY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07XWZT7FY&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=b030578d815abbd8bed79f7745e93a20">Dark 'N' Deadly</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#FederalK9">Federal K-9</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Tee%20O'Fallon">Tee O'Fallon</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> October 21, 2019
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Entangled: Amara
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B07XWZT7FY
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>ATF Special Agent Eric Miller and his explosives detecting K-9, Tiger, pull over a truck, the contents of which are explosive. Literally. More shocking, the driver is the kid brother of a woman he left behind. One who still haunts his days and his nights.<br />
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They’d never so much as kissed, but Tess McTavish never forgot the handsome, dangerous agent who vanished in a shroud of mystery. Now the last thing she needs is an ATF agent with his own agenda. Doesn’t matter that Tess and her brother are innocent. If Eric learns the truth of their past, they’ll never be free.<br />
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Eric’s drive for revenge against the man who targeted him and his colleagues in a deadly explosion still burns hot inside him. Another bomb is about to be detonated and he’s sure there’s a connection between that man…and Tess’s family. But Eric and Tiger will do everything they can to protect the woman he’s falling for from what’s coming...</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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ATF Special Agent Eric Miller has been on a quest for revenge for three years, ever since his friends died in an explosion orchestrated by Harley Gant, leader of the Sovreign Citizen movement.<br />
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Now, he's <i>this</i> close, thanks to a kid he busted transporting drums with fertilizer. The brother of the woman he still dreams about, Tess McTavish...But not all is as it seems, and Eric suspects both Tess and her brother are keeping secrets from him...<br />
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If he only knew...<br />
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I liked the suspense premise of this one with the bomb threat and the man hours and procedural that comes with a case like the one Eric was working on...It was intense, gripping and page-turning.<br />
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What ruined it all for me, was the heroine, her stupid secret and her butt-hurt reaction to Eric's response at finding out just what her secret was. She had more than enough time to tell him before things between them progressed to the bumping-uglies portion of the program and even after, but she waited until it was almost too late and she <i>had</i> to tell him in order to help her brother. And when he got angry (which was understandable, since he told her the whole sordid tale), she blamed him for it.<br />
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I couldn't stand that, the whole keeping secrets ruined the romance aspect and my overall enjoyment of the story.<br />
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I loved Eric, though, his K-9, Tiger, was a gem, and I can't wait to read more about Dayne. The little coda at the animal shelter really piqued my interest. Can't wait to learn more.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-4883487349830121342021-10-17T16:20:00.001+02:002021-10-17T16:20:37.846+02:00Review: Armed 'N' Ready by Tee O'Fallon<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MYXM44L/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07MYXM44L&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=aaa32dbaf74785d98efa88d620b393a8" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8O6luKREqgs/YWws9OptNTI/AAAAAAAAWkI/uh-_iw3i55E2UnLjSj_1l4T_j9cB8zlXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/ArmedNReady.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MYXM44L/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07MYXM44L&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=1f520c24fbfe64c97ac73959d1b3a648">Armed 'N' Ready</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#FederalK9">Federal K-9</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Tee%20O'Fallon">Tee O'Fallon</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> February 25, 2019
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Entangled: Amara
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B07MYXM44L
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Nick Houston is as tough as they come, and he and his K-9, Saxon, are hot on the trail of a major illegal gun dealer. But his best lead—the beautiful owner of the Dog Park Café, Andi Hardt—is not cooperating. Doesn't matter how sexy she is, or that his dog seems to be in love with her. She's a suspect and he won't cross that line. Ever.<br />
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Andi Hardt sank everything into her dream business—the Dog Park Café, a restaurant catering to dogs as much as people. Now everything is in jeopardy because of one extremely frustrating, incredibly hot state trooper. Like it or not, she's in Nick's crosshairs, and he's calling the shots. Her only option: cooperate, or lose everything she's worked so hard for.<br />
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Nick and Andi are catapulted straight into the danger zone, forcing them to make life-altering choices, and face their desires. Risking his life for Andi is the easy part. Risking his heart is the toughest assignment Nick will face.</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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The cops and feds decide to serve a warrant to her ex and best friend just when Andi's house-sitting and showering her dog in nothing but a skimpy bikini...Oh, and she's also a suspect as a supposed accomplice to money laundering for a gun-trafficking gang. And for her to prove she's innocent, she has to cooperate by letting the Massachusetts State Trooper that found her in the shower in the skimpy bikini work undercover as the bartender in her doggy-human restaurant...Oh, joy...<br />
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It worked a little better than the <a href="/2021/10/review-lock-n-load-tee-ofallon.html">first book</a> in this series mostly because neither MC was annoying and the story flowed much more naturally and smoothly. It was also shorter, though I wouldn't have minded it someone shaved a few pages off it.<br />
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Both Andi and Nick had baggage (he was bent on revenge, she had trust issues), but it was lovely reading how they smoothed each other's edges on their issues and moved on from the hangups of their pasts. Their romance was sweet, while also explosively hot, and though I understood the conflict toward the end, it could've been dealt with more quickly and without the near-death experience.<br />
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Nick's K-9, Saxon, and Andi's stray, Stray, were wonderful in their supporting roles, it was nice seeing all of Nick's friends again and catching up with Matt and Trista. The suspense worked well, especially the hunt for the mysterious mastermind behind the gun-trafficking—now <i>that</i> was certainly a pleasant surprise.<br />
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Still, I cannot give this one more than three stars. It was quite a pleasant read, but it certainly didn't blew me away.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-79468409510521948102021-10-11T08:11:00.004+02:002021-10-11T08:20:58.699+02:00Review: Lock 'N' Load by Tee O'Fallon<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CWRYKPV/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07CWRYKPV&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=7087edd7fea5ac8e01dfb654531e98b5" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--VPfQMFFwxc/YWPQJkKjIOI/AAAAAAAAWj4/SsIxzpl_vUM0Su9-k3BpNv4FMve2BNVQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/LockNLoad.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CWRYKPV/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07CWRYKPV&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=1b57cdb1ea20dc8329314148ed84a5b1">Lock 'N' Load</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#FederalK9">Federal K-9</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Tee%20O'Fallon">Tee O'Fallon</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> May 28, 2018
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Entangled: Amara
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B07CWRYKPV
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Crack CIA analyst Trista Gold is a whiz with the computer, but not so much with people. She hides behind her job, analyzing Top Secret code and making recommendations on national security. She doesn’t need a man in her life. But she will, very soon...<br />
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CIA K-9 officer Sgt. Matt Connors suspects that beneath Trista’s uptight appearance, there’s a sexy woman itching to cut loose. But he doesn’t dare act on his attraction. He’s a loner and always will be. Keeping away from Trista is a must-do directive. Until he doesn’t have a choice...<br />
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During a routine assignment, Trista stumbles across a cryptic exchange. She doesn’t think much of it...until someone tries to murder her—twice. Both times, Matt had been there to save her. But now she has to hide. And her new bodyguard, Matt, and his K-9 are the only hope she has against the powerful forces that want her dead.</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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<i>***eBook available for free on Amazon***</i><br />
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Trista Gold doesn't need a man in her life (not that anyone's come knocking), she needs her job. So when this CIA analyst loses her security clearance because of not only one, but two men—the one that tried to kill her and the one who saved her then filed an official report—she thinks her life's over. She has no idea...<br />
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On a worse day, this would've gotten only 2 stars, but I figured things I liked trumped things that bothered me.<br />
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I liked Trista and Matt individually, not so much as a couple. I hated the author used the trope of a mousy woman hiding her appearance behind gray clothing and classes blossoming because of a guy. Couldn't she had blossom because of herself? I also didn't particularly like how Matt's mental issues were relegated to a plot point. He had real, quite relatable issues of survival's guilt, feeling like he didn't deserve to be happy, to love and be loved, because of what happened twenty years ago, but all of that got somewhat lost in the story, and I really felt like his issues were even written in the first place for the sole point of creating conflict in the romance between him and Trista and he decided to address and try to solve them only so he could be with her. Again, couldn't he have solved them for himself?<br />
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I loved Matt's K-9, Sheba, and Trista's cat, Poofy—the animals literally saved the day. And I can't wait to spend more time with Matt's colleagues and friends. Is it in the job description that all K-9 officers have to be over six feet hunks?<br />
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The suspense was also hit-and-miss (but still more hit than miss). I liked the blackmail-murder main plot and all the red-herrings thrown into the path (beginning with Trista's bosses), but toward the end, the plot lost a lot of momentum, almost turning into a parody.<br />
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The pacing was the biggest issue for me. It was stop-and-start from the beginning to end. The moment the story picked up its pace, the next scene brought it to a screeching halt. Maybe it was the editing, some of it seemed a little choppy, like some scenes were slightly out of order, maybe it was the voice or maybe it was the length (it did drag on a little too long).<br />
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Still, not bad and I will definitely read the next installment.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-11492531124763154272021-10-09T08:13:00.001+02:002021-10-09T08:13:44.555+02:00Review: Snow Red by Ellis Leigh<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09B7TH647/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B09B7TH647&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=bcb97ca177bfa6036aa6bdf9d7f5d2c6" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9YuFMKOSGv0/YWEw9PgEObI/AAAAAAAAWjQ/_dYmZofbva89Q_Piq1lnfTRFazKuOUaXACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/SnowRed.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09B7TH647/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B09B7TH647&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=e1c3d8dba227dcd2514ebb64f26fc415">Snow Red</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#KinshipCove">Kinship Cove</a> (<a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#BooksBaes">Books & Baes</a>)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Ellis%20Leigh%2FKristin%20Harte">Ellis Leigh</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> October 5, 2021
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Kinship Press
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B09B7TH647
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Siamese cat shifters are known to be chatty but I don’t always live up to that stereotype, mostly because talking means telling secrets. That’s not what I should be doing. I may have run away from my own version of the evil queen to hide among the shifters of Kinship Cove, but that doesn’t mean I’m safe quite yet.<br />
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Mirror Mirror, on the wall…how can I hide from my past when my fated mate is going to hunt to uncover it all?</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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Arabella Snow has a secret, she's determined to keep hidden forever...Until her new mate appears and Arabella's past rushes in to meet her.<br />
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I don't expect much from such stories, but this one was once more quite a let down.<br />
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A very flimsy "suspense" subplot that seemed only to serve the purpose of keeping the story beyong a chapter of two and to reveal the hero's animal self. Unnecessary and redundant, which makes the story more so.<br />
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There was no true connection between the to MCs except while they were burning the sheet and even that scene was perfunctory at best with no real sparks.<br />
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For such a short, tiny book, it sure offered quite a disappointment.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-17229585464888331942021-09-11T08:09:00.000+02:002021-09-11T08:09:04.722+02:00Review: Snow Blind by Cindy Gerard<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YGSFSPS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07YGSFSPS&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=494d389012883d83d0a8d4c5ef2c8e1f" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RwnAIbzOpZg/YTxGMDkycWI/AAAAAAAAWiE/xdh4DGIwGVsGZbYdKuEQcNrDBhpPwv4QwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/SnowBlind.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YGSFSPS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07YGSFSPS&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=27b98afbcee307f698fe48269a17e21e">Snow Blind</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#Stormwatch">Stormwatch</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Cindy%20Gerard">Cindy Gerard</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> January 9, 2020
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Daug Haus Publishing
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B07YGSFSPS
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Winter storm Holly is the worst in eighty years bringing high winds, subzero temperatures and snowfall better measured in feet than in inches. The weather paralyzes everything in its path, but, in this storm, weather isn't the only threat.<br />
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It started out as a simple recon mission—then the worst happened. Recon evolved into an imminent threat and Rapid Response Alliance operatives, Cara Graves and Josh Haskins find themselves with less than 48 hours to circumvent a nuclear disaster. Fighting against the clock and the worst blizzard to hit the Midwest in almost a century, Cara and Josh, risk everything—including their feelings for each other—to stop what the terrorists hope will be Armageddon.</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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Cara Graves and Josh Haskins, two Rapid Reponse Alliance operatives, are in Podunk, Iowa on a recon mission that quickly turns into a stop-the-international-terrorist-plot mission.<br />
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Oh, please. Why is it always the small town in the middle of nowhere that has a nuclear plant that international (!) terrorists target?<br />
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A stupid, rehashed, worn thin premise, thin plot that required too much suspension of belief and two military type MCs that know aren't supposed to fraternize but want to (just to create the lacking tension and angst)...Blah.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-84796555074697243092021-09-11T08:00:00.000+02:002021-09-11T08:00:18.878+02:00Review: Snow Brides by Peggy Webb<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YL5NJS5/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07YL5NJS5&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=cf6b4ad9077c919fc6008cdd0f7644a2" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbEQNoqUN7Qz_2OXS3uzB2lgyWpjZVx3STXM-NXPYHg80JlLAhUh0-b7oIunVAIMInf2vR9_OU4itE5rxjbzMtNGDT92T1S21mvR-mZzxJuQYTa-JAYShDlxKHD94CL_TEEya1xlNyTPg/s0/SnowBrides.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YL5NJS5/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07YL5NJS5&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=86e8394d601dd72f597daa74a83ce909">Snow Brides</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#Stormwatch">Stormwatch</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Peggy%20Webb">Peggy Webb</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> January 2, 2020
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Westmoreland House
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B07YL5NJS5
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>The storm sweeps in like a thief in the night...</b><br />
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Winter storm Holly is the worst in eighty years bringing high winds, subzero temperatures and snowfall better measured in feet than in inches. The weather paralyzes everything in its path, but, in this storm, weather isn't the only threat.<br />
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Maggie Carter’s life feels as unpredictable as the epic snowstorm sweeping the Northwest and bearing down on Minnesota. Her marriage to Joe is on the rocks and her daughter Kate is driving home from college for the holidays, perhaps the last they will ever spend together. As Maggie prepares for Christmas, the unthinkable happens. On the drive home her daughter vanishes. Even worse, she’s the third college girl to disappear near the frozen Superior Hiking Trail within the last two years. Is Kate trapped by brutal nature or is she in the hands of a monster? Maggie, a Search & Rescue handler, and Joe are galvanized into action. Can they find their daughter—and their way back to each other—before it’s too late?</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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Maggie and Joe have bigger fish to fry than saving their marriage (if that's even possible); their daughter is missing, her GPS tracker showing her all the way up in Canada. Did she run away, or is something more nefarious at foot?<br />
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This story was all over the place and there was definitely too much going on. We're thrust in the middle of a crazy-psycho kidnapping plot without much preamble (or explanation, for that matter), the crazy psycho was rather incompetent, the MCs had problems with their marriage, mostly because the heroine was an idiot nine years ago and lost their babies, because she was too stupid to stay at home, but they refused to talk about it, their daughter (who turned into Rambo somewhere in between) got kidnapped and they were (oh, what a fortuitous coincidence) expert search-and-rescue dog handlers.<br />
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A lot of page-skimming ensued.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-18187656751763242842021-09-10T07:30:00.002+02:002021-09-10T07:30:39.641+02:00Review: Forgotten in Death by J.D. Robb<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R2KNYVW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B08R2KNYVW&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=bfdbb474e58968edc9ae1c3fafd96e3f" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnbPYFVbpFXAzmeeTNjHcFbV4WHftzyMD77cZJuvOK6edAMdviexou7YYL3g6xcxYMjyyoJTTe70PEHzaPnyk5spdwyLTSHQxPyZLcQwSDUINjufDExe1XBNFZKVO11Fl9TFtOvB05n8/s0/ForgottenInDeath.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Forgotten-in-Death/9781250774149?a_aid=zizmondka" target="_blank">Forgotten in Death</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#InDeath">In Death</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Nora%20Roberts%2FJ.D.%20Robb">J.D. Robb</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> September 7, 2012
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> St. Martin's Press
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B08R2KNYVW
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The body was left in a dumpster like so much trash, the victim a woman of no fixed address, known for offering paper flowers in return for spare change—and for keeping the cops informed of any infractions she witnessed on the street. But the notebook where she scribbled her intel on litterers and other such offenders is nowhere to be found.<br />
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Then Eve is summoned away to a nearby building site to view more remains—in this case decades old, adorned with gold jewelry and fine clothing—unearthed by recent construction work. She isn't happy when she realizes that the scene of the crime belongs to her husband, Roarke—not that it should surprise her, since the Irish billionaire owns a good chunk of New York. Now Eve must enter a complex world of real estate development, family history, shady deals, and shocking secrets to find justice for two women whose lives were thrown away...</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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A homeless woman's body is found in a dumpster near a construction site. A woman who kept cops informed of any rules she saw being broken, but her famous notebook is missing. She died because she witnessed something she wasn't supposed to. But before Lieutenant Eve Dallas can even get started, she's called to a nearby construction site—Roarke's, of course—where two sets of remains were found walled up in a basement. A female skeleton, along with the remains of her unborn child.<br />
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Eve feels there's a connection, she just needs to connect the dots and find justice for both women.<br />
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<br />
Not much for thrills, chills or peril, just meticulous investigation, a few "well-placed" hunches and a quagmire of long-buried secrets, Russian enforcers, domestic abuse and rich-privilege.<br />
<br />
I liked it, but it made for a rather slow and sometimes dull reading. A rather forgettable (and somewhat predictable) addition to the <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#InDeath">series</a>, with the main characters and their interactions, connections and relationship being the high point (as always).
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-65365109911063648942021-08-16T14:15:00.001+02:002021-08-16T14:15:33.084+02:00Review: Black Ice by Regan Black<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YJ8Z45R/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07YJ8Z45R&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=4005d93a8f1e76e6390f473fe3cb513e" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QUoGOHYGwt4/YRpUngUTChI/AAAAAAAAWg8/ZXHKowM9exkELgofi-ceoE_bWuIXFmBZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/BlackIce.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YJ8Z45R/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07YJ8Z45R&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=093e441846614943a2a1a145c7c0ce90">Black Ice</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#Stormwatch">Stormwatch</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Regan%20Black">Regan Black</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> December 26, 2019
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Getaway Reads
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B07YJ8Z45R
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The storm sweeps in like a thief in the night...Winter storm Holly is the worst in eighty years bringing high winds, subzero temperatures and snowfall better measured in feet than in inches. The weather paralyzes everything in its path, but in this storm, weather isn’t the only threat.<br />
<br />
Evelyn Cotton deals poker at the Silver Aces casino in Deadwood to keep the family adventuring business in the black during the off-season. News of the storm barreling closer has the casino packed with locals pushing their luck and travelers who are stranded. When Wyatt Jameson, her high school sweetheart, sits down at her table it’s all she can do to keep her hands to herself. For more than twelve years she’s dreamed of choking the life out of him for running away to the Army without giving her so much as a goodbye kiss.<br />
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Wyatt isn't back in town for a reunion, though seeing Evie reminds him what sacrifice means. He's been looking for purpose since an injury ended his Army career. Now, the FBI has recruited him to infiltrate a crew planning to steal a fortune in diamonds, including the famous Mae West Solitaire currently on display at the Silver Aces. The thrill of being needed and the hefty payday if he succeeds easily override the risk of dredging up the old memories and heartache he left behind.<br />
<br />
But when the thieves up their timeline due to the storm, Evie gets caught in the crossfire and Wyatt's plans are turned upside down. He has to win her over -and fast. Without her expertise they might not survive long enough for him to tell her she's the woman he's never stopped loving</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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Evelyn Cotton hates working at a casino, but she has no other choice if she wants to save her family business. Luckily, her days dealing cards at the casino are almost over, since she managed to snag an important investor. Then her ex sits down at her poker table just as the worst winter storm in decades is about to hit and it's all downhill from there.<br />
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<br />
A story about a diamond heist involving the FBI, a former soldier, his casino-working ex trying to save her family business, her father who doesn't appreciate it and a snow storm that forces the robbers and the two exes into a fight for survival.<br />
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I didn't really care about the characters (I found Evie annoying and petty, while Wyatt lacked any sort of distinguishable personality traits) or the jewel heist, which ended up being just a minor plot point and served more as the catalyst for the two exes to get back together while also fighting to stay alive in the storm.<br />
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Toward the end, I got so bored, I started skimming passages...
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-31183831226637371092021-08-14T08:35:00.001+02:002021-08-14T08:35:31.317+02:00Review: Wind Chill by Rita Herron<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YLY99DP/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07YLY99DP&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=03bd8639021cc3bcbf8e5c98291fb651" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgie6VqhWw9EFQVOrUFXRhrUSs9-22dWG950IFDI65v2cwQdeedDwHZLEpJyyYI9N9Q49l9eNrNQmla_3JfqT9NgpCroNJWZAksQ38FAXzYyW5MB8Q_7P7fzWw4W_c21jH1P86fbLSHUD0/s0/WindChill.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YLY99DP/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07YLY99DP&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=69176e78f95dbe03d1d906762c6ac1c4">Wind Chill</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#Stormwatch">Stormwatch</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Rita%20Herron">Rita Herron</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> December 19, 2019
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Beachside Reads
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B07YLY99DP
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Freezing temperatures can kill...</b><br />
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Winter storm Holly is the worst in eighty years bringing high winds, subzero temperatures and snowfall better measured in feet than in inches. The weather paralyzes everything in its path, but in this storm, weather isn’t the only threat.<br />
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A serial killer the press has dubbed the Christmas killer is taking lives…and he’s not finished yet.<br />
<br />
All Special Agent Gia Franklin’s sister Carly wanted was for Gia to come home for Christmas.<br />
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But Gia avoids the holidays, using her job as an excuse to stay away. For weeks, she’s been tracking The Christmas Killer, a cold-hearted monster who strangles his victims and poses them with one of the Twelve Days of Christmas ornaments. With nine women dead, and only four days until Christmas, she must stop him before he kills again.<br />
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Then he makes the case personal by kidnapping Carly, and Gia must go home.<br />
<br />
Aware she may be walking into a trap, she teams up with sexy, local Sheriff Murphy Malone to stop the madness, and save the holiday for her sister and the town.<br />
<br />
But the clock is ticking.<br />
<br />
And the CK has his own holiday plans—ornaments eleven and twelve belong to the Franklin sisters, and he won’t stop until they’re dead...</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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Ever since her mother's death three years ago, FBI Special Agent Gia Franklin doesn't do Christmas and doesn't visit her hometown in Nebraska to see her sister. This year, she has the perfect excuse with the serial killer, dubbed Christmas Killer, because of the time of year and the ornaments he lives with the bodies, on the loose.<br />
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But then the killer changes everything by going to Gia's town and kidnapping her sister. Gauntlet thrown, challenge accepted.<br />
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<br />
Again, I much preferred the suspense part than the "human" part of the story. The serial killer angle provided the requisite tension and danger, keeping the reader and characters guessing and wondering. The explanation for him turning out the way he did was plausible and him targeting Gia and her sister was definitely not out of the realm of possible.<br />
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I liked it, it kept the pages turning, and the brutal winter storm providing a desolate background also didn't hurt.<br />
<br />
I didn't like the other stuff, though. Gia's constant moping and woe-to-me-ism about her not being there for her sister while it might already be too late, got old very soon, while the hero got the short end of the stick in the characterization department, making him appear cardboard-cut and bland, without much agency except standing by the heroine and pine. This imbalance nixed any kind of chemistry they might have had, making their "romance" quite a drag.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-56149365518715988472021-08-13T07:40:00.001+02:002021-08-13T07:40:09.569+02:00Review: Deep Freeze by Vicki Hinze<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YG889PT/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07YG889PT&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=531ecea5e23d63be0208875eea9d9ea9" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-acFE1yu7J1U/YRYB_urAIaI/AAAAAAAAWgM/FUNR-pcNwjMXfOk-BporamKb3d-CL_MXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/DeepFreeze.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YG889PT/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07YG889PT&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=a98ae378cd8963c930cf87c8d67d1c4d">Deep Freeze</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#Stormwatch">Stormwatch</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Vicki%20Hinze">Vicki Hinze</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> December 12, 2019
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Magnolia Leaf Press
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B07YG889PT
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>The storm sweeps in like a thief in the night...</b><br />
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Winter storm Holly is the worst in eighty years bringing high winds, subzero temperatures and snowfall better measured in feet than in inches. The weather paralyzes everything in its path, but, in this storm, weather isn't the only threat.<br />
<br />
Emma Miller, a probationary security consultant posing as a reporter, is stranded at Portal International Airport in the worst storm in eighty years. She’s reassigned to protect a top-secret High Containment Lab in the international airport that houses the deadliest bio-contaminate diseases on the planet. A lab under attack by international terrorists who want those pathogens to sell on the black-market.<br />
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Dr. Gregory Mason Martin is a bio-containment specialist who runs the top-secret lab, and he knows Emma well. They grew up together, went to school together, and she’s always fascinated him, but she has a long-standing habit of going through men like water, so he’s kept his distance. He doesn’t dare to trust her or her abilities.<br />
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Now, all these years later, they must work together to protect the lab and stop the terrorists from obtaining the pathogens. And they must protect the pathogens from Holly, the deadly storm barreling mercilessly toward them. If those pathogens are stolen, the world will be held hostage, and worse, if mishandled, the country could be facing the worst pandemic in history. A pandemic that in short order could wipe out not just cities and states, but the entire nation.<br />
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Both are willing to risk their lives. Both are reluctant to risk their hearts. Yet events prove neither of them is who they were thought to be. And a fierce battle against terrorists and the storm proves challenging but no match for the challenges chambered in their human hearts.</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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Stuck at an airport on her way to an assignment, security specialist Emma Miller is reassigned to protection detail of a HC lab underneath the very airport she's stuck in. She's a one-woman team dealing with a possible terrorist threat trying to steal a weaponized strain of Black Plague, a brutal winter storm...And sharing close quarters with the man that cannot stand her, the very man she's loved since childhood.<br />
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An intriguing plot, seemingly taken straight out of a B movie (or maybe made for a B movie) with an underground high containment lab storing all kinds of deadly viruses (some even weaponized), a brutal winter storm, a team of international terrorists, and high tension between hero and heroine who've known each other since childhood.<br />
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Still, the story lacked any feel of peril, the tension of now knowing what's behind the corner, and the author definitely dropped the ball on a possible final twist in which one of the main players turned out to be the bad guy. In the end, the international terrorists were dealt with pretty quickly, there was no final twist serving as a final kick into the gut, the good doctor (who, by the way, came in from the left field) turned out to be just the good doctor (albeit coming in from the left field) and the tension between h/H dragged on too long, when a simple convo would've sufficed, while they also lacked serious chemistry.<br />
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Decent suspense though.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-90443341861121430932021-08-12T19:18:00.002+02:002021-08-12T19:18:14.953+02:00Review: Frozen Ground by Debra Webb<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YDWSTCH/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07YDWSTCH&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=7777020539ca8573aa718be98ddf7c25" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--C4dZWQO4UQ/YRVVvGVUYvI/AAAAAAAAWgE/ZsWAWCXTghAOdnkMZHReaXjbS6Ix4DENACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/FrozenGround.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YDWSTCH/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07YDWSTCH&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=c5ee7e8519ae9e0483585aa642a56a24">Frozen Ground</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#Stormwatch">Stormwatch</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Debra%20Webb">Debra Webb</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> December 5, 2019
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Pink House Press
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B07YDWSTCH
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The storm sweeps in like a thief in the night...Winter storm Holly is the worst in eighty years bringing high winds, subzero temperatures and snowfall better measured in feet than in inches. The weather paralyzes everything in its path, but in this storm, weather isn’t the only threat.<br />
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Abbey Gray, a NYT bestselling suspense author, is burned out. She needs time away from the madness of deadlines and personal appearances as well as her big city life in New York. Returning to her small hometown in Montana to hide herself away, she attempts to dive into her next novel. Abbey hopes the solitude will kickstart her muse but a murder next door gets in the way. The murder stirs painful memories from the past of another murder—Abbey's mother. Can the eerily similar details of her neighbor's murder help Abbey remember the truth about the past before she becomes the next victim? With the storm charging toward her hometown, there is no escaping what's coming.<br />
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Sheriff Garrett Gilmore has known Abbey and her family his entire life. In truth, he’s probably been waiting for her to come back, knowing it likely wouldn’t happen or maybe he just has commitment issues. He can’t worry about that at the moment, he has a homicide to solve and a murderer to catch, all with the storm of the century bearing down on Montana. Survival is all that matters.</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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Abbey Gray returns to her home town to sell her childhood home after her father's death just as the worst snowstorm in eighty years hits Montana. But the storm is the least of her concerns when her neighbor turns up dead, the scene eerily similar to her mother's murder scene sixteen years ago...The culprit might also be the same, Abbey's own brother, recently released from prison.<br />
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<br />
While the premise is good, the narration was boring and wordy, the pacing plodding, the characters quite dull and uninterested, and the murder investigation winding. Subsequently, the reveal wasn't that surprising and I was just glad it was over.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-20035616239413220172021-08-12T07:24:00.000+02:002021-08-12T07:24:08.983+02:00Review: Under The Cove by Ellis Leigh<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0979LF1TG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0979LF1TG&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=077ecb4c1a7bb409e26d73e6c3586dcd" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rZ_VKWXOZ9g/YRSuCxWMW2I/AAAAAAAAWf8/vqNDCk1d5FQktuajgP0GU3-Ru70YI0LmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/UnderTheCove.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0979LF1TG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0979LF1TG&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=7a8a00874fc2f4344526b9fa9e3c7702">Under The Cove</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#KinshipCove">Kinship Cove</a> (<a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#BooksBaes">Books & Baes</a>)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Ellis%20Leigh%2FKristin%20Harte">Ellis Leigh</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> August 3, 2021
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Kinship Press
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B0979LF1TG
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Being a bobcat shifter means plenty of people thinking calling me Bob is funny, though that’s far from the worst thing a girl living alone in a small town deals with. I’d seen the true crime shows. I knew the dangers of serial killers and sociopaths. But Kinship Cove really was a safe place to be yourself, no matter the shifter type.<br />
<br />
At least, I thought so until I met the man of my dreams and the one the fates picked to be my perfect match. He’s tall, lean, quiet, and absolutely not telling me the truth about himself.<br />
<br />
What’s a girl to do when the man she’s falling for turns out not to be a wolf in human clothing but something much rarer and more dangerous. And how is a cat shifter of any type supposed to accept a life partially lived under the sea?<br />
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They claim life is better down where it’s wetter...and I’m about to find out if that’s true.</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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The local catnip dispensary owner and her inner cat are about to meet their match...But the wolf shifter Fates have chosen for Magdalena's mate isn't at all what he seems.<br />
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Quick, with the minimal amount of drama (no running away, no abandoning...), and a shifter species yet unseen.<br />
<br />
Must say I wasn't particularly interested in either Matt's other self or his plight, except to notice they led quite separate existences, which is unusual, and the "insta-romance" left me rather cold. I simply didn't connect with the characters the way I did in some previous stories
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-37407362985107415942021-08-11T07:45:00.002+02:002021-08-11T07:45:50.717+02:00Review: Say Goodbye by Karen Rose<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MQM5G89/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B08MQM5G89&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=db2373791ee2c1859d288ad20bf7a1ca" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BcGQJUzbqFM/YRNfOZUkbII/AAAAAAAAWf0/sTQp3nC8mwQqNyc4TVblgC-xsRVDGuhdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/SayGoodbye.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Say-Goodbye-Sacramento-Series-Book-3-Karen-Rose/9781472267917?a_aid=zizmondka" target="_blank">Say Goodbye</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#KRRS">Karen Rose's Interconnecting Books</a>, <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#Sacramento">Sacramento, CA</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Karen%20Rose">Karen Rose</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> August 3, 2021
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Berkley
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B08MQM5G89
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>For decades, Eden has remained hidden in the remote wilds of the Pacific Northwest, "Pastor" keeping his cult's followers in thrall for his personal profit and sexual pleasures. But the Founding Elders are splintering, and Pastor's surrogate son DJ is scheming to make it all his own.<br />
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When two of Eden's newest members send out a cry for help, it reaches FBI Special Agent Tom Hunter, whose friend and fellow FBI Special Agent Gideon Reynolds and his sister, Mercy, are themselves escapees of the Eden cult, targeted by the Founding Elders who want them silenced forever. The three have vowed to find the cult and bring it down, and now, they finally have a solid lead.<br />
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Neutralizing Eden's threat will save captive members and ensure Tom's new friends can live without fear. But when his best friend, ex-Army combat medic Liza Barkley, joins the case, it puts her life—and their blossoming love—in danger. With everything they hold dear in the balance, Tom and Liza, together with Gideon and Mercy, must end Eden once and for all.</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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When Hayley and Graham's mother brings them into the Eden cult and marries pregnant Hayley off, the brother and sister's only thought is escape. They contact Hayley's boyfriend by e-mail, but Eden is moved that same night. Unable to locate his girlfriend, Hayley's boyfriend contacts police, who don't believe him, and then the FBI, where Special Agent Tom Hunter offers a friendly and understanding ear. He knows they're close to finding Eden and this just might be the final nail in the coffin.<br />
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And then DJ Belmont rises from the dead, determined to get rid of Tom's new friends, Gideon and Mercy, Eden's two escapees, for good, and everybody knows the clock is ticking. The end is near...<br />
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Whoa. Who would've though the "gofer" would end up being the most vicious of them all. The path to Eden's final reckoning was littered with bodies, friendly and not. The ride was intense, gripping, chilling and terrifying at times as more and more of DJ twisted psyche was revealed. His goals were clear and he was willing (and able) to go to any length to achieve them.<br />
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The problem was the "romance". The road to it was long, winding and rather cringy, slowing down the incredible momentum of the suspense plot. Whenever the scene changed from DJ and his murderous self to Tom and Liza, the pace came to a screeching halt and then plodded forwards. I guess I preferred them as friends, I didn't really feel any romantic vibes between them. I found Liza rather petty and childish, punishing Tom for not giving her what he really had no idea she wanted or needed and she knew he couldn't give her, while he was simply a blind fool for not seeing the signs or acting on his supposed feelings earlier on. The slight retcon of his feelings and their relationship once the guy finally pulled his head out of his ass might've provided the necessary explanation and sparkage, but it was too late to salvage everything, since the angst dragged on for far too long to begin with.<br />
Once the two got together (in the last few chapters of the book!), they were cute, sweet and hot, and the "added value" of the romance thrown into the mix at the last possible opportunity served as added incentive and thrill factor to the final showdown, but I simply cannot get past the feeling they were more like friends with benefits than real lovers.<br />
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The rest was pretty much spotless. The action, the thrills, the danger...And I loved the big character reunion as the entire Sacramento crew we came to know in this <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#Sacramento">trilogy</a> worked together to save their own and dismantle Eden for good. And that last little "cameo" at the party was a real treat for a reader who's been reading <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#KRRS">KS's books</a> from the very beginning.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-86155546975682182102021-08-07T16:53:00.003+02:002021-08-07T16:56:33.368+02:00Review: Last Guard by Nalini Singh<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08NSVK45F/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B08NSVK45F&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=545037a67b6875a3220aa2bc8cd57eb0" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-464QlLpXBsw/YQ6axd3bSGI/AAAAAAAAWfs/5GcfJ0Q5tDs5isWzAb64me-648O7dNEdgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/LastGuard.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Last-Guard-Nalini-Singh/9781473228160?a_aid=zizmondka" target="_blank">Last Guard</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#PsyChangeling">Psy-Changeling</a>, <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#PCTrinity">Psy-Changeling Trinity</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Nalini%20Singh">Nalini Singh</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> July 20, 2021
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Berkley
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B08NSVK45F
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Termed merciless by some, and a robotic sociopath by others, Payal Rao is the perfect Psy: cardinal telekinetic, CEO of a major conglomerate, beautiful—and emotionless.<br />
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For Canto Mercant, family and loyalty are everything. A cardinal telepath deemed "imperfect" by his race due to a spinal injury, Canto cares for the opinions of very few—and ruthlessly protects those he claims as his own. Head of intel of the influential Mercant family, he prefers to remain a shadow in the Net, unknown and unseen. But Canto is also an Anchor, part of a secretive designation whose task it is to stabilize the PsyNet. Now that critical psychic network is dying, threatening to collapse and kill the entire Psy race with it.<br />
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To save those he loves, Canto needs the help of a woman bound to him by a dark past neither has been able to forget. A woman who is the most powerful Anchor of them all: Payal Rao. Neither is ready for the violent inferno about to ignite in the PsyNet...or the passionate madness that threatens to destroy them both.</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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They met thirty years ago in a school for "flawed" Psy whose parents wanted hidden from the world, their bond forged in darkness, pain and blood...Now, they meet again, in another era of darkness, pain and blood, as the PsyNet is slowly breaking apart, held together by the resilience of the most mysterious designation of them all. A for Anchors, the Last Guard of the Psy.<br />
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<a href="/search/label/Nalini%20Singh">Nalini Singh</a> seldom disappoints, but I feared this might be the case in this book, since it featured main characters readers of this series have never met before. I couldn't have been more wrong and I couldn't have been more happy about it.<br />
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This was a poignant, dramatic, angsty, edgy story about discovering and finding your true self and accepting yourself flaws and all. Payal and Canto were amazing characters, their Silence (if it ever existed) fractured a long time ago, wonderfully flawed, wonderfully angry and perfect both individually and as a (power) couple they ended up being.<br />
They complimented each other, Canto with his bearish openness and protectiveness and Payal with her "robotic" standoffish self-protection. They smoothed each other's edges and brought out the best in the other, working together, making each other stronger. I loved their romance, but most of all I loved their story of discovery and growth.<br />
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It was nice seeing glimpses of other, more known characters and the progress of the "war effort" so far. The Architect is growing into her big-bad status, delusions and all and the future looks grim. I can't wait to see what happens next, no with the Anchors finally under the spotlight and all the new revelations.<br />
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Gripping from start to finish, though these "one of the MCs is in deadly danger that's solved at the last possible moment" ploys are getting quite repetitive.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-36054550327281613122021-07-23T08:11:00.002+02:002021-07-23T17:51:11.400+02:00Review: Kissing Under the Mistletoe by Suzanne Enoch, Amelia Grey & Anna Bennett<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R2KVRN3/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B08R2KVRN3&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=e7632bc741e38a1f4afae1bb22521b2b" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DL_vKL2fHvc/YPO_oPt-lNI/AAAAAAAAWeY/azTr-krAlZ8vWoCbb8JFq9QPYTpXAfKaQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/KissingUnderTheMistletoe.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Kissing-Under-the-Mistletoe/9781250797445?a_aid=zizmondka" target="_blank">Kissing Under the Mistletoe</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#WWH">Wild Wicked Highlanders</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Suzanne%20Enoch">Suzanne Enoch</a>, <a href="/search/label/Amelia%20Grey">Amelia Grey</a>, <a href="/search/label/Anna%20Bennet%2FAnne%20Barton">Anna Bennett</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> September 28, 2021
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> St. Martin's Press
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B08R2KVRN3
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>In <b>GREAT SCOT by Suzanne Enoch</b>, Jane Bansil knows she will never have a fairy-tale life. But even at three-and-thirty and well past marriageable age, though, she has to admit that the architect the MacTaggerts have hired could turn even a confirmed spinster’s head.<br />
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In <b>CHRISTMAS AT DEWBERRY HOLLOW by Amelia Grey</b>, Isabelle Reed has no plans to ever fall in love. Certainly not with Gate, a man who doesn’t live in Dewberry Hollow. She will fulfill her duty and help him keep his promise to have his ill grandfather back in London in time for Christmas dinner. The last thing Isabelle wants is for Gate to take her heart with him when he goes.<br />
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In <b>MY MISTLETOE BEAU by Anna Bennett</b>, Miss Eva Tiding is determined to cheer her widowed father with the perfect Christmas gift. Even if it means breaking into the home of the rakish earl who swindled Papa out of his pocket watch and pretending to date the earl for the Christmas season.</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0"><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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<i>***ARC provided by publisher through NetGalley***</i><br />
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<b>Great Scott! by Suzanne Enoch</b> (❄❄)<br />
After losing her job as a lady companion for helping her cousin elope , Jane Bansil moves to Scotland with said cousin and her husband. But life in the boisterous MacTaggert household isn't easy and Jane finds herself missing the silence and solitude...Which she just might find with a certain architect.<br />
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A decent enough short story if it weren't for the heroine and her skittish ways and the instantaneous romance. It is part of a series (the first three books are on my TBR pile), but you don't have to be deep into the <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#WWH">Wild Wicked Highlanders</a> lore and history to follow what's what...You do need plenty of suspension of disbelief, though, in the romance department.<br />
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<b>Christmas at Dewberry Hollow by Amelia Grey</b> (❄)<br />
A duke and his grandson come to Deweberry Hollow to find a heart-engraved tree, a memento of the duke's late wife. But with that amount of trees, the duke's grandson will need all the help he can get.<br />
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Insta-love/lust on steroids, complicated by the shortness of the story (preventing any real character or story development) and the heroine's stubborn attitude toward love shaped by the fact her heart was a little bit bruised when she was twelve. I'm all for conflict and angst, but this was too much.<br />
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<b>My Mistletoe Beau by Anna Bennett</b> (❄❄❄❄)<br />
Determined to get back the pocket watch her late mother gave her father who recently lost it in a card game, Evy Tiding breaks into the bachelor lodgings of the man who supposedly swindled her papa for the watch. He catches her in the act and proposes a daring scheme—they would pretend they're courting to appease his grandmother and in the end, Eva will get the watch back...<br />
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Another case of insta-love, but at least this one was fun. The banter and barbs flying between Eva and Jack served as foreplay, the story (though still short) was just long enough for the romance to really develop and the characters to appropriately change and grow, the supporting cast offered a nice backdrop and fodder for the backstory and the requisite conflict, and the two main characters were just so cute and adorable.<br />
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This story definitely saved this otherwise lackluster anthology.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-81091367336098341812021-07-05T09:51:00.000+02:002021-07-05T09:51:08.180+02:00Review: Wrong Number, Right Guy by Elle Casey<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VJ4IDVY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00VJ4IDVY&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=490881f6c8101fe8207ab265ec6ea945" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-64v1nZUDq7k/YOK4DRkwemI/AAAAAAAAWdM/1kM-XklZXBw3nUPslUWaU-LFZlWIyWlXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/WrongNumberRightGuy.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Wrong-Number--Right-Guy/9781503947450?a_aid=zizmondka" target="_blank">Wrong Number, Right Guy</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#BSB">The Bourbon Street Boys</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Elle%20Casey">Elle Casey</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> September 22, 2015
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Montlake Romance
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B00VJ4IDVY
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>When a mysterious text message summons May Wexler to a biker bar in downtown New Orleans, she knows something is very wrong. Her sister has sent out an SOS, but when May gets there, she’s nowhere to be found and May is the one in trouble—she’s wearing pink espadrilles, she’s got a Chihuahua in her purse, and she’s in the middle of a shootout.<br />
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After tall, muscular Ozzie comes to her rescue, May has no choice but to follow him to safety. At the headquarters of his private security firm, the Bourbon Street Boys, she finds a refuge for the night—and the offer of a job. But it’s not long before a gun-toting stalker isn’t the only complication in May’s life: the more time she spends with Ozzie, the less she can deny that they’ve got some serious chemistry. A wrong number got her into this mess...Will it also get her the right guy?</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K5QzUVm0jvM/UkWmCKtXDmI/AAAAAAAAFQ0/OSBcmz7TS_MnB6obFcNExErSCOMVOG0yACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DNF.gif">
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<i>***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***</i><br />
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<b>DNF @ 21%</b><br />
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Couldn't get past the fact it's written in first person POV—the heroine's POV. Books with his particular "narrative style" are always iffy with me, since it's rather limiting, while I prefer to have a "broader picture". But in this case, the narrator was also very annoying. Instead of a 29-year-old, she sounded more like a teenager and the fact she actually replied to multiple text messages from an unknown number, thinking it was her sister (even though the woman seemed to be acting out of character) and then went in person to a biker bar, because "her sister" told her to (dressed like a stupid blonde, to boot) was the proverbial last nail in this book's coffin.<br />
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And let's not even go into the hero-being-called-by-a-childlike-nickname territory.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-28427338426426672312021-07-04T15:47:00.001+02:002021-07-04T15:47:29.787+02:00Review: Betrayed by Your Kiss by Laura Landon<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OIBPIYA/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00OIBPIYA&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=9e536a520f185a6f2641547938839cfd" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ar6u4R3sk84/YOG5xKFA9-I/AAAAAAAAWdE/SAoleSu3de0-ZfQqje9YdCMlzqUNtb0RwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/BetrayedByYourKiss.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OIBPIYA/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00OIBPIYA&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=b07af368054b7c22e5bee1822a3e56fb">Betrayed by Your Kiss</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Laura%20Landon">Laura Landon</a>
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> March 24, 2015
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Montlake Romance
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B00OIBPIYA
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>It should have been the happiest night of her life...</b><br />
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Lady Olivia Sheridan knows one thing: she has loved Lord Damien forever. But when her beloved is accused of fathering another woman’s child, Olivia’s world is shattered in ways she never thought possible. Especially when Damien’s accuser sets a huge price on his head, and Olivia discovers Damien’s death will be the only outcome...unless she does the one thing he will never forgive her for doing.<br />
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When Olivia’s plan to save him goes disastrously, dangerously awry, Damien doesn’t think he’ll ever see the light of day again and, with bitterness, he realizes that the woman he loves is capable of the ultimate betrayal.<br />
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Now, four years later, Damien has returned. His eye is on one thing: seeking revenge for what Olivia did to him. Only his heart may get in the way...<br />
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Because hell hath no fury...like a man betrayed.</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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Four years ago, she sent the man she loved away in hopes of saving his life...Now he's back with hate filling his heart, seeking revenge.<br />
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Oh, the drama. Oh, the angst...Not in a good way, though.<br />
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The conflict went on for too long (until the very end, that is), the hero was an ass, the heroine came across as a hopeful doormat...It was too long, too angsty, and too annoying.<br />
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Disappointing, since the premise was very promising.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-56203245669582136962021-07-04T12:33:00.001+02:002021-07-04T12:36:42.904+02:00Review: Seduce Me Tonight by Katherine Garbera<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SHS9KUS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00SHS9KUS&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=7c1295a6b2215c75f9dd0c9d87c11298" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hmu_4y6ZzXo/YOGMQR9Z6wI/AAAAAAAAWc8/euRfjlcD1VAYrIOUKD2FbA9eRVvimnuVACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/SeduceMeTonight.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SHS9KUS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00SHS9KUS&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=a380cbada4b30e718e75cd5b87c77a44">Seduce Me Tonight</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Katherine%20Garbera">Katherine Garbera</a>
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> January 19, 2015
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Tule Publishing
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B00SHS9KUS
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>WOO ME...</b><br />
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Designing and running a unique and successful family oriented South Carolina resort has been Alexandra Haughton’s passion. She’s not about to allow her crown jewel to be bought and revamped by a huge conglomerate even if CEO, Sterling Powell, personally arrives, champagne and contract in hand to try to persuade her to change her mind. He’s handsome, smart and wields a devilish smile that promises serious bedroom skills. Alexandra’s interest is caught, but not for making a sale. Her body may be on offer but not her hotel so Sterling needs to up his game.<br />
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<b>RESIST ME...</b><br />
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Sterling Powell is determined to add Alexandra Haughton’s celebrated resort to his balance sheet, and the minute he sees her sexy lips mouth ‘no,’ the red flag of challenge has been waved. He’s never backed down from a challenge, and it’s clear that his persuasive skills need to extend outside the boardroom. Alexandra Haughton requires some serious exploration of reintroducing to life’s most delicious pleasures—moonlit beach walks, candle-lit dinners and skin scorching kisses. No one said he had to play fair, and he doesn’t intend to. Only when sizzling sex isn’t enough and Sterling wants a more permanent merger, does he realize this is one challenge he can’t afford to lose</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPG5aNMFoi0/TesgxEaNQFI/AAAAAAAABTg/JzPXZnvRifk/s200/star.gif" border="0">
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<i>***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***</i><br />
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This book was painful to get through, which probably explains I skimmed through most of it.<br />
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It all seemed so fake, staged and forced. From the characters to the romance. I didn't like Alexandra and her hot-and-cold-cannot-make-up-my-damn-mind tendencies, I found Sterling's pursuit of her a tad too opportunistic and didn't much care about his motivations...and I certainly didn't buy their romance.<br />
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It was slow, plodding, forced and hole-y.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-81197239463144138952021-07-04T08:00:00.000+02:002021-07-04T08:00:19.390+02:00Review: Murder at Sunrise Lake by Christine Feehan<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593333144/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0593333144&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=ff0f9c8e4af8a50c5b5e265d611a6b47" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uMIJJFhuCko/YOFL17aMGvI/AAAAAAAAWc0/DpHwZ_WNU9wDxfs87hOEMD4iQkV8vUK4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/MurderAtSunriseLake.jpg" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Murder-at-Sunrise-Lake-brand-new-thrilling-standalone-from-1-bestselling-author-Carpathian-series-Christine-Feehan/9780349428437?ref=grid-view&qid=1625377577633&sr=1-1?a_aid=zizmondka" target="_blank">Murder at Sunrise Lake</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Christine%20Feehan">Christine Feehan</a>
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> June 29, 2021
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Berkley
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B08KST5XT4
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>It starts in her dreams. Hideous flashes from a nightmare only she can stop. Images of a murderer stalking the ones she cares about most...</b><br />
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Stella Harrison thought she got away from the traumas of her past. Running the Sunrise Lake resort high in the Sierra Nevada mountains has brought her peace, even though she doesn't truly share her quiet life with anyone. Not even Sam, the hired handyman that notices everything and always seems to know exactly what she needs.<br />
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Stella doesn't know anything about Sam's past, but somehow over the last two years his slow, steady presence has slipped past her defenses. Still, she knows she can't tell him about her recent premonitions. So far there's been no murder. No body. No way to prove what's about to happen without destroying the life she's built for herself.<br />
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But a killer is out there. And Stella knows that this time she'll do whatever it takes to stop him.</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K5QzUVm0jvM/UkWmCKtXDmI/AAAAAAAAFQ0/OSBcmz7TS_MnB6obFcNExErSCOMVOG0yACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DNF.gif">
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<b>DNF @ 47%</b><br />
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I usually like <a href="/search/label/Christine%20Feehan">Christine Feehan</a> in all her trope-ish glory. This one wasn't any different (as far as tropes go): a beautiful, loner of a heroine with a paranormal ability (seeing murders in her nightmares) and surrounded by a close-knit group of female friends (some of the foreign), a rugged, silent, brooding hero with (possible) mafia connections and a paranormal ability...<br />
Add in my favorite "trope" in the form of a serial killer and I should be happy. Shouldn't I?<br />
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Unfortunately, the pacing was too plodding, the narration too wordy and flowery and the story too concentrated on the characters and their everyday life (who cares what's her favorite movie and that he sometimes watched it with her or catches her doing a sexy dance etc. etc. etc.), the going out and hanging out with friends...instead of on what should be the real gist of the story—the killer.<br />
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Sure, there were nightmares, an murder attempt and a murder, but half-way in, I expected more thrills, more chills, more danger...more on the killer angle. Since that was missing, I was bored.<br />
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I did sneak a peek to the end to see who the killer was, but since no real clues (or red herrings) were dropped by the middle of the book, I didn't really care. I wasn't even surprised. I felt nothing and I couldn't be bothered with finishing it.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104131466572716663.post-27019064995196919232021-07-02T17:49:00.001+02:002021-07-02T17:49:48.979+02:00Review: Secrets of a Duke's Daughter by Samantha Holt<a style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08RXFSJR4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B08RXFSJR4&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=bef14e3a21992dcf7f8b91efbd7c1aaf" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lim9GbpdOAo/YN8zmoWNXKI/AAAAAAAAWcs/lP-SSC58OK4Bd7vI8Coeb-zDKagMn6n9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/SecretsOfADukesDaughter.png" width="120" height="180" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Title:</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08RXFSJR4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B08RXFSJR4&linkCode=as2&tag=bookgourmet-20&linkId=2052e0a203a0d3682413e8d7b29c3a5e">Secrets of a Duke's Daughter</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Series:</span> <a href="/p/seriously-serial.html#DIS">The Duchess's Investigative Society</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Author:</span> <a href="/search/label/Samantha%20Holt">Samantha Holt</a>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Read copy:</span> eBook (Kindle)
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span> March 8, 2021
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">Publisher:</span> Helstone Press
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">ASIN:</span> B08RXFSJR4
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>A duke's daughter must be prepared for whatever life—and love—throws her way...</b><br />
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Lady Cassandra Fallon is finally ready to take control of her life and join her late mother's investigative society. She's more than confident she can do the job—even when her first case involves a potentially deadly scandal. What she's not quite prepared for is her brother's attractive (and increasingly distracting) friend acting as her self-appointed bodyguard...<br />
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When Lord Luke promised his best friend he'd keep an eye on Cassie, he meant it. But the brazen and entirely too alluring woman she's become is a far cry from the mischievous, freckled girl she used to be. Luke knows a lowly viscount has no business longing for (or touching) a duke's daughter. But against all reason...he does...<br />
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She craves independence. He only craves her. An epic battle of the sexes is at hand. But will love be enough to get them to happily ever after? Cassie and Luke will soon find out...</i></span>
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<br />My rating: <img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K5QzUVm0jvM/UkWmCKtXDmI/AAAAAAAAFQ0/OSBcmz7TS_MnB6obFcNExErSCOMVOG0yACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DNF.gif">
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<b>DNF @ 28%</b><br />
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I tried...for more than a week I tried my best, but just couldn't muster the strength or will to continue.<br />
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I simply couldn't stand the heroine. She was trying too hard. So hard, in fact, she came across as quite incompetent and naive. The suspense angle sounded intriguing, but I just couldn't spend any more time in the company of the heroine. The hero was a cardboard copy of every single regency romance hero out there, which, compared to his female counterpart doesn't really sound that bad.<br />
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A rather bland and slow narrative style, an annoying heroine...not a good blend for me.<br />
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There are too many good books out there to be wasting time on mediocre (or bad) ones.
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<br />Mojcahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275860012844157159noreply@blogger.com0