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Title: The One for You Series: The Ones Who Got Away Author: Roni Loren Read copy: eBook (Kindle) Published: December 31, 2019 Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca ASIN: B07MR87JKW She got a second chance at life. Will she take a second chance at love? Kincaid Breslin wasn't supposed to survive that fateful night at Long Acre when so many died, including her boyfriend—but survive she did. She doesn't know why she got that chance, but now she takes life by the horns and doesn't let anybody stand in her way, Ashton Isaacs was her best friend when disaster struck all those years ago, but he chose to run as far away as he could. Now fate has brought him back to town, and Ash doesn't know how to cope with his feelings for Kincaid and his grief over their lost friendship. For Ash has been carrying secrets, and he knows that once Kincaid learns the truth, he'll lose any chance he might have had with the only woman he's ever loved. My rating: ***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley*** Kincaid Breslin and Ashton Isaacs had been best friends forever...until the shooting at their prom, and their subsequent seeking refuge in each other's arms (in which she called him by her dead boyfriend's name) drew them apart. Now, Ash, an acclaimed writer, is back in Long Acre after breaking things off with his cheating fiancée, nursing a writer's block and he and Kincaid finally talk about what happened that ill-advised night in each other's arms and decide to be friends again. But long-buried feelings rear their heads, risking exposing long-held secrets... Another straight-up romance to round out this series. It had its plodding and slow moments, what with the angst of old secrets and Kincaid's hero-worship of her (let's face it, douche-y) dead boyfriend, whom she thought was her soul-mate, but the overall story worked. I appreciated the long-term friendship angle between Kincaid and Ash. They weren't just two strangers meeting for the first time, acting on the attraction between them, they weren't high-school sweethearts separated by time and space...They were friends, first and foremost. They knew each other, they knew each other's secrets (well, mostly) and history, they had common history...The only things keeping them apart back then and now were their individual issues, hang-ups and ghosts. And those issues, hang-ups and ghosts almost split them up for good, until they finally decided to fight for what they wanted, what they never knew they really wanted or needed. While the first three books featured female friendship, four survivors striking an (unlikely) friendship, this last book toned down the four girlfriends, sidelining the other three, relegating them to picking-up-the-pieces duty, it still focused on friendship. An enduring friendship, spanning years and hardhip, proving once more that good love stories flourish on solid foundations. "You know what romantic love is, Ashton?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "It's a long-lasting deep friendship with common ground, respect, and hopefully, lots of really great sex." Preach! Well-written, with a great cast of characters...A great ending to a wonderful series.

Title: Say No More Series: Karen Rose's Interconnecting Books, Sacramento, CA Author: Karen Rose Read copy: Mass Market Paperback Published: February 9, 2021 Publisher: Berkley ISBN: 1984805312 ISBN-13: 9781984805317 Seventeen years ago. That was the last time Mercy Callahan saw Ephraim Burton, the leader of the twisted Eden cult where she was raised. But even though she escaped the abuse and terror, they continue to haunt her. When her brother Gideon discovers new evidence of the cult's—and their victims'—whereabouts, Mercy goes to Sacramento to reconnect with him. There, she meets Gideon's closest friend—homicide detective Rafe Sokolov. From Rafe, she receives an offer she never knew she needed: to track down Ephraim and make him pay for everything. But Ephraim, who had thought Mercy long dead, discovers she is in fact alive and that she is digging around for the cult's secrets. And now he'll do anything to take her back to Eden—dead or alive. My rating: Mercy Callahan thought her past firmly locked up her sturdy mental box, but ugly things seldom remain buried forever. And Mercy's past has come back to haunt her...And hunt her. Lucky for her, Mercy has her brother and his best friend, homicide detective Rafe Sokolov in her corner. I know people deal differently and that everyone responds differently to trauma, but for the first twenty percent of the book Mercy Callahan was an obnoxious bitch. A selfish, head-in-the-sand lying bitch. And then, when she finally discovered the truth of why her brother escaped their cult all those years ago...she blamed her mother for not telling her before getting shot. Grrr. Luckily she got a character/personality transplant later and ended up a decent enough heroine, but those first 20% linger. The Sacramento trilogy is more-or-less a straigh-up thriller with romantic elements, so, like in the first book, the romance took a back seat. Which was to be expected, given Mercy's history. But, unlike the first book, the suspense wasn't as riveting and engrossing. It even had it's slow and dull moments. The middle-book curse, if you ask me. The first book establishes the arc, the last one ties it all nicely, and it's the middle one to bear the brunt of exposition and moving the chess pieces in their perfect positions. That doesn't mean the hunt for the deranged killer wasn't intriguing and exciting, it's just that it took it's sweet time and, even though the plot was at tight as ever, the pace wasn't as fast as I would've preferred. Because I want to know how it ends, I want the bad guys to pay for all they've done...And I know I have to wait for the next book to get that.

Title: Into the Dark Series: Karen Rose's Interconnecting Books, Cincinnati, OH Author: Karen Rose Read copy: Mass Market Paperback Published: November 26, 2019 Publisher: Berkley ISBN: 1984805282 ISBN-13: 9781984805287 Michael Rowland is not your typical teenager. Deaf from birth, he’s always looked out for his five-year-old brother, Joshua. When his stepfather comes after Joshua, Michael takes the child and runs. He’s determined to protect his brother at all costs, even if that means making himself vulnerable to a danger he can’t hear coming. And the danger intensifies when Michael witnesses a stranger kill his stepfather. Desperate and afraid, the boys have nowhere else to go but to Joshua’s soccer coach, journalist and ex-Army ranger Diesel Kennedy. When Diesel sees that Michael is injured, he takes them to see Dr. Dani Novak—not only because she’s fluent in American Sign Language, but because he’s drawn to her and everything she stands for. She never refuses Diesel’s requests—because she, too, feels their connection—but she resists him for reasons she doesn’t want to confess. When Dani and Diesel learn that Michael saw the face of his stepfather’s killer, they fear for his safety. But they quickly discover that it’s even worse than they feared: They may have a serial killer on their hands—and all signs point to Michael as the next target. My rating: Michael Rowland barely saves his five-year-old brother from being carted out of his home, sedated, by his step-father, and then witnesses said step-father's murder in their home driveway. But, believing his mother that he and Joshua would be separated if he ever talks to the cops and no one would be there to protect his little brother, he keeps his mouth shut, enduring the pain. Until, a week later, he's the one picking up Joshua from soccer practice, and Coach Diesel notices the cut on his head, the pain Michael tries so hard to hide, and takes them to the woman who holds Diesel's heart. I felt that, unlike other recent books by this author, the romance took the leading role in this one, instead of the suspense. The killer was, after all known from the beginning, it was just a matter of time before his "reign" would end. Still, the suspense was intriguing because of the moral ambiguity the killings. The grey area. The killer wasn't your run-of-the-mill serial, but a vigilante with a rather interesting portfolio. At the beginning he was even doing society a favor by getting rid of all the scum, it was when he started snipping off loose ends, that things turned ugly. So, the romance took a more prominent role. Which could've been the book's downfall the way things went in the end with Dani and her refusal to accept Diesel, to let herself be happy. Luckily, she was forced to communicate with him, tell him just what her problem was, only for him to logically and calmly dismantle all her reservations. So that was over quickly, but that didn't mean Dani and Diesel had much time to spend with each other (and they were cute together), because they had the two boys to protect...The beginnings of their little family. It was lovely revisiting all the old characters, seeing them interact with each other, co-workers and friends that have turned into a close-knit, highly protective family. Their relationships provided much needed counterbalance and a note of levity (especially Stone) to the more serious and teeth-grinding subject matter of abuse, disability and disease that walked hand in hand with this story, but, unlike with many other books in this genre, wasn't used merely as a plot device, but tackled with dignity the topic deserves and aplomb of someone who knows it firsthand.

Title: Say You're Sorry Series: Karen Rose's Interconnecting Books, Sacramento, CA Author: Karen Rose Read copy: Mass Market Paperback Published: July 30, 2019 Publisher: Berkley ISBN: 0451491076 ISBN-13: 9780451491077 There is a serial killer on the loose, preying on vulnerable women. The only identifiable mark the killer leaves are letters—sometimes one, sometimes two—all carved into the torsos of his victims. Together they spell "Sydney." When he grabs Daisy Dawson, he believes he has found his next victim. But despite her small stature, she fights back with an expertise that quickly frees her. Before fleeing the scene, Daisy also manages to grab what proves to be crucial evidence: a necklace from around the killer's neck. The necklace is more than a trivial item—it is a link to a cold case that Special Agent Gideon Reynolds has been tracking for seventeen years. With Daisy's help, Gideon finally has the opportunity to get closer to the truth than ever before. But they might not get the chance, as the serial killer has a new target: Gideon and Daisy. My rating: When Daisy Dawson is attacked in an alley, thinking she'd surprise a bodyguard her overly protective father had hired, she has no idea that by fighting him off and tearing a necklace from around his neck, she'd start a chain reaction that would bring down a serial killer, reopen a cold case, hopefully reunite estranged brother and sister and ignite a romance she never dreamed she would be lucky to have... Karen Rose truly is a master of this genre. Reading her books is like watching a very, very good movie that you hope would never end, while also hoping it'd end soon, because you can't take the pressure. The main suspense plot was riveting, the procedural and investigation engrossing and intriguing, the action page-turning, the characters well-developed and multi-dimensional, the drama compelling, the chills thrilling, while the romance provided that much needed counterbalance. It all happened (as it always does in Karen Rose's books) in a matter of days (which, in real world could be deemed rushed in the romance department), but because there was so much going on, with so many twists and turns, nail-biting moments and near-misses, it seemed longer (though not a plodding or dull moment in sight), giving the story and characters plenty of time to develop... And that slight cliffhanger in the end (it's a trilogy) wasn't annoying in the least, just serving to whet the appetite for more. Can't wait.

Title: Alpha Night Series: Psy-Changeling, Psy-Changeling Trinity Author: Nalini Singh Read copy: Mass Market Paperback Published: January 5, 2021 Publisher: Berkley ISBN: 1984803646 ISBN-13: 9781984803641 Alpha wolf Selenka Durev’s devotion to her pack is equaled only by her anger at anyone who would harm those under her care. That currently includes the empaths who’ve flowed into her city for a symposium that is a security nightmare, a powder keg just waiting for a match. Ethan Night is an Arrow who isn’t an Arrow. Numb and disengaged from the world, he’s loyal only to himself. Assigned as part of the security force at a world-first symposium, he carries a dark agenda tied to the power-hungry and murderous Consortium. Then violence erupts and Ethan finds himself crashing into the heart and soul of an alpha wolf. Mating at first sight is a myth, a fairytale. Yet Selenka’s wolf is resolute: Ethan Night, broken Arrow and a man capable of obsessive devotion, is the mate it has chosen. Even if the mating bond is full of static and not quite as it should be. Because Selenka’s new mate has a terrible secret, his mind surging with a power that is a creature of madness and death... My rating: Arrow Ethan Night is at the first-ever empath symposium in Moscow on a secret mission. Save and gain the trust of Selenka Durev, alpha of BlackEdge wolf pack. It's not revenge that drove Ethan to accept the mission by the mysterious Consortium handler, but an experiment. He wanted to see if turning traitor would pierce the gray fog enveloping him. It didn't. But Selenka did, by saving his life in return. And Selenka's wolf by claiming him for her own. Mating-at-first-sight is for soap operas. At least that's what Selenka thought up until the moment her wolf went nuts and mated to a complete stranger. A sexy stranger Selenka wouldn't kick out of her bed, but a stranger nevertheless. Ethan claims her in return, giving his utmost devotion to the woman who saved him, the woman who made him see color after years and years of grayness. But their bond might not have the time to grow and develop...Because Ethan's mind is a ticking time bomb. This is a tough one to review. Not on the suspense side, because that was great as always, especially with the newest tidbits...The Scarab Syndrome, the rapid deterioration of the PsyNet...I can't wait to see what happens next, because that last sentence sure is promising. The other suspense subplot involving revenge among the wolves wasn't bad either. It's the romance aspect that's the problem. It all went too fast (if I'm correct, the stoy spanned just a few days) and the beginning was more than a little cringey. I worried about the "thankfulness" being the major factor in the romance in the previous book, but dismissed it because of how the romance was written and presented. In this story, I cannot dismiss it. I cannot help but consider it, because of how the romance (at least the beginning of it) was written and presented. She blew away the fog inside him, she made him see what he was missing in terms of his association with the Arrows, she helped him connect with his "emotions"...And the initial power imbalance (not in terms of dominance, but experience) was glaring. Thank God Ethan was a quick learner, so the power dynamic between them stabilized, but occasionally their interactions still made me wince. But that's just me. And toward the end, they were just adorable. The reveal about the power inside of Ethan, slamming against his shields, bruising his brain, causing him nosebleeds, wasn't that big of a surprise either. They were enough hints about what was brewing inside him that when the reveal came it more-or-less fizzled, instead of exploding. The more I write about it, the more I think about it, the more I'm dissecting and searching for/finding flaws, but the fact is, I liked it. I wanted to read it in one sitting, it kept me turning the pages, it made me root for Selenka, Ethan and their story. Yes, it had its problems, but it was entertaining, intriguing, sexy, playful, suspenseful, dramatic...All a Psy-Changeling or a Psy-Changeling Trinity book needs.

Title: Wolf Rain Series: Psy-Changeling, Psy-Changeling Trinity Author: Nalini Singh Read copy: Mass Market Paperback Published: February 25, 2020 Publisher: Berkley ISBN: 1984803611 ISBN-13: 9781984803610 Kidnapped as a young girl, her psychic powers harnessed by a madman, Memory lives a caged and isolated existence…until she comes face-to-face with a wolf. Labelled an empath by her bad-tempered rescuer, Memory knows that her 'gift' is nothing so bright. It is a terrible darkness that means she will always be hunted. But Memory is free now and she intends to live. A certain growly wolf can just deal with it. Alexei prefers to keep his packmates at bay, the bleak history of his family a constant reminder that mating, love, hope is not for him. But Memory, this defiant and fearless woman who stands toe-to-toe with him awakens the most primal part of his nature—and soon, he must make a choice: risk everything or lose Memory to a murderous darkness that wants to annihilate her from existence... My rating: On his patrol, SnowDancer lieutenant Alexei Vasiliev Harte feels the anguish of an empath even though there's no one around. His wolf determined to comfort the empath, Alexei keeps searching, only to discover a bunker, hidden beneath a mound of rocks. A bunker only a Tk Psy could construct. Inside, he finds a ghost of a woman, mourning her dead cat. Memory has been a captive of a psychopath that feeds on her psychic ability since she was a child. When Alexei rescues her, she makes a vow to herself never to go back to being a prisoner, to grow strong enough to kick her captor's ass (and, by Alexei's suggestion, his balls as well). She also knows she's not an empath, no matter what everybody says. Not only because her captor said so, but because she knows just what she does, why her captor kept her. Empaths are light and kindness inside, while Memory is a monster. But sometimes the world needs monsters, and Memory's rescue comes just in time for this monster to maybe help save the world. Okay. I forgot just how well Nalini Singh can pull you into the story and the world she's created. And I forgot just how fun, cuddly, interesting, nice, loving, intriguing her characters are. Both old and new. And I forgot just how well Nalini Singh can write her main romantic pairings. Alexei and Memory are no exception to this rule. Both scarred on the inside, were almost no one (except for the other) can see, keeping a brave face against the odds. Both survivors of personal tragedies that somehow found their way to each other and the comfort they gave to each other. I loved Memory's transformation (the foundation for it was strong despite her long captivity) from the frail, pale, scared girl into a strong, determined, stubborn lioness. Then there was Alexei, the grumbly wolf, determined to keep everyone at bay, yet not really succeeding thanks to his alpha and his pack, but mostly because of the woman who stood toe to toe with him, the woman who saw past the growls and snarls to the wounded man underneath. And his courting technique...Oh, boy. His story was heartbreaking, but, unlike some, he didn't let that heartbreak dictate his actions (much). He was also open with Memory about what was keeping him back and why, letting her make her decision about the two of them. (Of course, she knew he wasn't like his brother, but the stubborn wolf wouldn't listen.) I loved them both separately and I loved them as a couple. Their dynamic was ever changing. From rescuer-rescuee, to arguing friends, to playful lovers and mates. It had everything a romance needs, although it could've thrown off "gratefulness" vibes on Memory's part; the girl falls in love with her savior, but, thanks to the myriad characters orbiting around her, reading her reactions and interactions with them, Alexei's determination to stay away despite his wolf's wants and needs, her stubborn refusal to back down from a challenge of a predatory changeling, it felt real. Romantic and not (only) thankful. To counterbalance the romance, was one heck of a suspense plot, with not only the psychopath hunting for Memory (a subplot that can be found in most straightforward thrillers out there), which also served to end romance's little conflict, but also the subplot involving her own psychic abilities, and especially the darkness awakening among the Psy now that the Silence is gone. The latter should provide plenty of writing material in the future and I sure hope Memory isn't the only of her subdesignation. I also hope seeing one particular character in the future (the one who's mind was splintering and who turned out to be both instigator and quasi-savior). I'm loving the turn this series is taking, proving that (at least for me) it hasn't run it's course, despite all my favorite characters (who also had various sized cameos in this story!) having reached their happily ever after. There's obviously plenty of interesting and intriguing characters in the wings, waiting to shine. Bring it on!

Review: Untouchable by Jayne Ann Krentz https://thebookgourmet.blogspot.com/2021/02/review-untouchable-jayne-ann-krentz.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

Review: Close Up by Amanda Quick https://thebookgourmet.blogspot.com/2021/02/review-close-up-amanda-quick.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

Review: Tightrope by Amanda Quick https://thebookgourmet.blogspot.com/2021/02/review-tightrope-amanda-quick.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

Review: Faithless in Death by J.D. Robb https://thebookgourmet.blogspot.com/2021/02/review-faithless-in-death.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

Review: Hideaway by Nora Roberts https://thebookgourmet.blogspot.com/2021/02/review-hideaway.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

Review: Under Currents by Nora Roberts https://thebookgourmet.blogspot.com/2021/02/review-under-currents-by-nora-roberts.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

Review: Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb https://thebookgourmet.blogspot.com/2021/01/review-shadows-in-death.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

Title: Golden in Death Series: In Death Author: J.D. Robb Read copy: eBook (Kindle) Published: February 4, 2020 Publisher: St. Martin's Press ASIN: B07QPJQ45S Pediatrician Kent Abner received the package on a beautiful April morning. Inside was a cheap trinket, a golden egg that could be opened into two halves. When he pried it apart, highly toxic airborne fumes entered his body and killed him. After Eve Dallas calls the hazmat team and undergoes testing to reassure both her and her husband that she hasn't been exposed it's time to look into Dr. Abner's past and relationships. Not every victim Eve encounters is an angel, but it seems that Abner came pretty close though he did ruffle some feathers over the years by taking stands for the weak and defenseless. While the lab tries to identify the deadly toxin, Eve hunts for the sender. But when someone else dies in the same grisly manner, it becomes clear that she's dealing with either a madman or someone who has a hidden and elusive connection to both victims. My rating: A pediatrician is dead due to toxic fumes exposure. Just before his death, he received a tacky little gift from an unknown sender. The police is baffled. Lieutenant Eve Dallas is baffled. Who would kill a well-loved, friendly pediatrician. There are no enemies, no skeletons in the closet, no affairs, no debts... Then the wife of a school teacher dies in the same manner, also after receiving a tacky little gift—a golden plastic egg, and it's up to Eve to uncover the flimsy connection between the two victims before more people die. In a suspense novel you can't go wrong with a sociopath. It's also a given who the villain is the moment the description of dead eyes pops up on the page, but you cannot go wrong with a sociopath. Because with a sociopath you can take the story whichever way you feel like it and it'll work. You can twist it and turn it, come up with a preposterous motive, throw in an even more preposterous MO and it will still work. This book is a good example of all of the above. The reason for the "engaging" of the sociopath, the motive, the "weapon", the paper-thin connection between the victims...It could've bombed, but it worked. It kept me reading, it kept me curious, it kept me at the edge of my seat, and it kept me guessing. And once the sociopath was revealed, it kept me reading to find out just how Eve and the gang would make the connection and nail the bastard. The story focused more on the investigation and the procedural than the main characters (beside a few vignettes), but since it held my attention and my curiosity, I didn't mind the characters taking the backseat. It also wasn't as "action-y" as some others in the series, but still, the story was so engrossing, I also didn't mind the more "laid-back" feel and approach. A good, entertaining, engrossing read.

Review: Vendetta in Death by J.D. Robb https://thebookgourmet.blogspot.com/2021/01/review-vendetta-in-death-by-jd-robb.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

Review: Connections in Death by J.D. Robb https://thebookgourmet.blogspot.com/2021/01/review-connections-in-death.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

Title: The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After Series: Bridgertons Author: Julia Quinn Read copy: eBook (Kindle) Published: April 2, 2013 Publisher: Avon ASIN: B00A6DHKDQ Once upon a Regency time, an author created a family... But not just any family. Eight brothers and sisters, assorted in-laws, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, (not to mention an overweight corgi), plus an irrepressible matriarch who's a match for any of them...These are the Bridgertons. Through eight bestselling novels, readers laughed, cried, and fell in love.But they wanted more. And so the readers asked the author... What happened next? Does Simon ever read his father's letters? Do Francesca and Michael become parents? Who would win in a Pall Mall grudge match? Does 'The End' really have to be the end? This is a collection of Julia Quinn's funny, heart-warming 'second epilogues,' which are included at the ends of each novel. This collection also includes plus a brand new novella about none other than the wise and witty matriarch: Violet Bridgerton herself. So get to know the Bridgertons all over again—because Happily Ever After is a whole lot of fun... My rating: In order to avoid possible spoilers, I decided not to read the second epilogues after each Bridgerton book, choosing to wait until the end. And having read the series back to back, there was no fear of possibly forgetting just what each story was about. It was a hit-and-miss collection, to be honest, some stories funny, some lovely codas, and some utterly necessary, but that's life. It was nice seeing Daphne and Simon receiving a so-called late-in-life surprise, though the letters were a bit of a let-down, and while Kate and Anthony delivered on the hoots (and cuteness), I couldn't care less about happened to Posy. Then there was the anticlimactic tale of how Eloise finds out Penelope's big secret, then I didn't give a fart about Amanda Crane, and then came the sweetest of them all, about Francesca and Michael's wish coming true. Yet more meh-ness with the finding of the diamonds, major drama and fright involving Lucy and Gregory's number eight and nine...And then Violet's story that was also a bit of a let down. I wanted the woman to get a romantic ending as well, not just a happy one. But, as in life, we cannot have everything, but still, I expected more.

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